Why does the core or a setting book have to tell the players that their characters aren't important because they come from a people without grand empires?
i was only responding to the idea that just because halflings don't have a ton of empires that doesn't follow over that there must therefore be less of them than any of the other core four common species, i don't know if that was even you making that point.
Can you tell me which book is that in, because I don't recall ever having read that rule?
okay yeah from game balance but my point still stands.
that is the definition of a halfling they are meant to be rather bland and simple but likeable that is there niche it is why Frodo and bilbo work they are under dog audience surrogates.
having lots of halflings and having only one area of the setting with halflings does not change anything as being simple folk who do not care about big things they do not impact the setting thus putting something in that can make conflict and reasons to adventure would be far better from a design perspective.
I read about it when they were designing the old tsr era settings that the core has to be broadly available with gnomes getting dropped in darksun.
Fun fact. The ents were asked if they wanted to be a PC race in OD&D. They should have an answer ready by 12th edition.
Read where? In any rule book ever published? If it's not in a rule book it aint a rule. Even if it is in a rule book you can ignore it, but in this case you are just making up your own rules.
Defacto.
Can Ents jump? If they do fall in the water with the sharks, do the sharks care?
Again, I answered this. Orcs are already getting heaved, so, why would I bring them up. Everyone pretty much agrees that if gnomes got the toss, it wouldn't be much of a loss. It has nothing to do with halflings and just to do with the fact that halflings are next on the list. If elves were in the same position as halflings - 50 years and pretty much zero traction - I'd be advocating for tossing elves.
