D&D 5E (+) Halfling Appreciation and Development Thread

[Faolyn]

What I'd like to see is their smaller strengths dialed up a bit. They're known as rustic farmers. Make them the farmers of the world, in the same way that dwarfs are the smiths of the world. They wouldn't be the only ones, of course, but they'd be the best. And with farming comes animal husbandry, cooking, and creating things like cloth from the animals and vegetables they farm. As well as herbal remedies--halflings could be natural alchemists--or drugs.

 

[cbwjm]

Okay, so lets discuss Halflings.

What do you like about them?

What lore do you use from the books, and what do you specifically ignore, if anything?

How have you used them in your worlds?

Do you consider them mechanically powerful, and if not have you done anything to add to them?

Should they get proficiency and better damage with slings?

Should Kender influence Halflings, insofar as giving halflings the ability to taunt?

What edition has the best Halfling writeup?

Any of the above questions, or anything else you want to talk about halflings that is positive, and/or directly about developing them in ways you find interesting, are fair game for discussion, here.

I'm somewhat ambivalent about halflings, but I do still tend to include them in my campaigns. I tend to have them living within human kingdoms, sort of a symbiotic relationship (humans provide protection, halflings provide farm goods and services (they're some of the best cooks). My current setting has only one group of halflings defined, a travelling carnival but I'm sure I'll add more groups as I expand on the setting, otherwise, halflings can be found wherever the larger races are.

I don't think they need anything else added to them, they seem powerful enough and I probably wouldn't give them any additional abilities like improved sling use or taunting. If I was playing in dragonlance though, I might make the lightfoot halfling the default kender race and also give them proficiency with slight of hand. Probably wouldn't bother with a taunt ability though I guess the vicious mockery cantrip could kind of simulate it.

 

[jayoungr]

I personally prefer their 4e write up, where halflings were quick-witted, resourceful, courageous, and inquisitive folk that tended to live by rivers, lakes, swamps and other bodies of water (even living on the water via houseboats). They used these water ways for travel and trade, something they were surprisingly adept at and made them valuable allies to other humanoids who lived by major water ways as they were some of the best boater with many successful trade caravans. They were also known to have strong oral histories that they used to preserve their history.

Well--none of that is ruled out by the 5E writeup; it does mention nomadic halflings, including some who live on boats! You can always use the 4E material to flesh it out further.

 

[RoughCoronet0]

Well--none of that is ruled out by the 5E writeup; it does mention nomadic halflings, including some who live on boats! You can always use the 4E material to flesh it out further.

Oh definitely. The Halflings of my world act as major traders who help the three major kingdoms of the main continent facilitate trade agreements between them, as well as being one of the major contributor of farmed goods on the continent.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

As I said in that other thread…

I realize that it was done for copyright reasons, but problem #1 for Halflings is their D&D name. No other species name is so clearly referential to another species, “Half” of what? Humans, clearly.

I think you’d be hard pressed to find a RW culture that named itself reverentially to another peoples. I mean, even looking at tribal names, a lot of them translate to something like “The People”, because everyone else isn’t.

Which is why JRRT gave them a name that at least sounds like they came up with it themselves.

If you must rewrite halfling lore, start with the name.

And I think that’s one key thing,

 

[doctorbadwolf]

As I said in that other thread…


And I think that’s one key thing,

I generally just use Hin, but I did call them Keladari in one world I made.

 

[billd91]

What do you like about them?

I've always liked halflings - an inoffensive appearing, jovial fellow, but one with a surprising amount of grit. They're best when they're at their most hobbit-ish.

What lore do you use from the books, and what do you specifically ignore, if anything?

I ignore pretty much all of the 3e/4e lore on halflings because of the extent to which they were kenderized up. I don't mind kender for what they are - but I keep them distinct from halflings who are not kender.

How have you used them in your worlds?

They're always part of the general background, a bit rarer than humans and with a tendency to specialize in hospitality types of jobs.

Do you consider them mechanically powerful, and if not have you done anything to add to them?

Sure, I think they're mechanically powerful in most editions. I generally don't need to add anything.

Should they get proficiency and better damage with slings?

Proficiency maybe, but I wouldn't give bonus damage.

Should Kender influence Halflings, insofar as giving halflings the ability to taunt?

No. Let them be separate.

What edition has the best Halfling writeup?

2nd edition - by far. 3e kenderized them up, 4e warped them, but at least 5e ties back to 2e's description so I find it better than its two immediate predecessors.

Any of the above questions, or anything else you want to talk about halflings that is positive, and/or directly about developing them in ways you find interesting, are fair game for discussion, here.

The halfling Lucky trait should never be underestimated. Add in Bountiful Luck as a feat, and it rocks for the whole party.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I've always liked halflings - an inoffensive appearing, jovial fellow, but one with a surprising amount of grit. They're best when they're at their most hobbit-ish.

I ignore pretty much all of the 3e/4e lore on halflings because of the extent to which they were kenderized up. I don't mind kender for what they are - but I keep them distinct from halflings who are not kender.

They're always part of the general background, a bit rarer than humans and with a tendency to specialize in hospitality types of jobs.

Sure, I think they're mechanically powerful in most editions. I generally don't need to add anything.

Proficiency maybe, but I wouldn't give bonus damage.

No. Let them be separate.

2nd edition - by far. 3e kenderized them up, 4e warped them, but at least 5e ties back to 2e's description so I find it better than its two immediate predecessors.

The halfling Lucky trait should never be underestimated. Add in Bountiful Luck as a feat, and it rocks for the whole party.

My favorite thing about the 5e writeup is how it incorporates all of Halfling lore, in a way that is easy to go whichever way you want.

I actually have been thinking of making the 4e River halflings (clearly Brandybucks) a subrace.

 

[Lanefan]

By Halflings y'all mean Hobbits, right? Let's finally give 'em back their real name...

What I'd like to see is their smaller strengths dialed up a bit. They're known as rustic farmers. Make them the farmers of the world, in the same way that dwarfs are the smiths of the world. They wouldn't be the only ones, of course, but they'd be the best. And with farming comes animal husbandry, cooking, and creating things like cloth from the animals and vegetables they farm. As well as herbal remedies--halflings could be natural alchemists--or drugs.

And due to all this they also make excellent Nature/Agriculture/Weather Clerics or Druids - along with Elves, maybe the best-suited species for such. But not Rangers; the tough-and-hardy wilderness life of the Ranger just doesn't square with the love-of-comfort Hobbit.

They're the world's (best) cooks in my games, and farmers; though there's just not enough of them overall to be able to farm for the whole world. They're not a common species except in a few specific areas.

 

[Neonchameleon]

To me the big thing I like about them is how perfectly they fit with what a certain type of new player wants to do.

1. They aren't humans but aren't that different from humans so they are playing a fantasy race without needing reams of lore
2. They are wide eyed and curious
3. They are in a little over their heads but determined
4. They are more motivated by community and working with other people than seeking great power

It's just about perfect for some curious newbies. Others want a Great Magic Race or to be a humanoid dragon; different people are different. But it's perfect for one type of newbie.

They're also a much better example of the "might be magical" little people of mythology (as opposed to the objectively strongly magical little people) than gnomes are; gnomes are trying to straddle both approaches here and IMO do neither well. Which is part of why halflings make better forest gnomes than forest gnomes do.