As has been pointed out, most D&D species are modeled my dialing up certain aspects of humanity up to another level. Sooooo…this following attempt to counter my assertions is pretty weak.
Sentimental value prioritized over monetary value is not a prevailing human trait like it is mentioned for halflings. Halflings have a ubiquitous backwards-looking sentimentality that lets them live as they do, no doubt because “that’s the way we’ve always done”. This also makes them less likely to be expansionistic empire builders. What they have is generally sufficient.
The metabolism may not be RAW, but it’s present in the fiction that inspired their inclusion in the game from earliest times, and- IME- is OFTEN an aspect of how Halflings get RPed.
As for height? Show me ONE damned adult Olympian (fully abled, not paralympian) athlete who is 3’ tall and 40lbs. Bonus points if you can find one who can bench 300+lbs or squat 700+lbs (which wouldn’t even be competitive in the Olympics, or I’D have represented the USA), but would be within the capabilities of a strong halfling.
SOME humans having subterranean settlements is not the same as a species-wide preference for the same. (Reminder: I brought up the tunnels of Budapest and the mining community of Coober Peady.)Some humans live in caves.
Many reallife human cities have an "underground level", to avoid snow etcetera.
Disney World is an underground city.
Many reallife military complexes are partly underground.
Some reallife cultures de-emphasize monetary value.
Sentimental value is a reallife human factor.
(Heh, ironically, reallife human sentimentality appears to be one of the factors for keeping the Halfling around.)
Not sure how official that "metabolism" flavor is.
At the same time, some human children love to eat, and it is a common trope in kids shows.
Some of the reallife champion weightlifters are below average height.
Reallife Olympic gymnasts are noticeably smaller than average.
Not one thing so far is definitely nonhuman.
Sentimental value prioritized over monetary value is not a prevailing human trait like it is mentioned for halflings. Halflings have a ubiquitous backwards-looking sentimentality that lets them live as they do, no doubt because “that’s the way we’ve always done”. This also makes them less likely to be expansionistic empire builders. What they have is generally sufficient.
The metabolism may not be RAW, but it’s present in the fiction that inspired their inclusion in the game from earliest times, and- IME- is OFTEN an aspect of how Halflings get RPed.
As for height? Show me ONE damned adult Olympian (fully abled, not paralympian) athlete who is 3’ tall and 40lbs. Bonus points if you can find one who can bench 300+lbs or squat 700+lbs (which wouldn’t even be competitive in the Olympics, or I’D have represented the USA), but would be within the capabilities of a strong halfling.
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