D&D (2024) No Dwarf, Halfling, and Orc suborgins, lineages, and legacies

[Yaarel]

I think dwarves are super one note. They're gruff Norse-Scottish miner-warriors, and perhaps artisans. I think expanding that artisan bit to allow gnome style tinkering would broaden their concept. This is basically how it is in Warhammer.

The D&D Dwarf isnt even Norse, at all.

To include the various Norse Dvergar concepts would help diversify the D&D Dwarf.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Let's remember in the past the bard was a forgotten class, and now it is a meme machine.

D&D without halflings would be like Dragon Ball without Krillin, Goku's best friend.

If there is a rule pack about monster allies or crafting your constructs, then halflings and gnomes can be good options as monster riders or magitek mecha-pilots.

I like the gnomes and halflings because I feel they are like the lone child with a very good grades but impopular and misunderstood by the rest of the classroom. Nobody realises her great potential. Halflings are like those characters of your favorite children cartoon show about a village of cute small creatures, a very loved memory you don't want to lose.

Maybe it is only necessary to create a charismatic character, like Tiny Tina in Borderlands.

I think you are reading yourself into the halfling and gnome, if you see their potential forge them into it as clear many of us can't see it at all.

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking, but I'll try to answer what I look for in a species.

1.) Aesthetics. Does the race look cool? This is why you see favorites like elves (beautiful), tieflings, dragonborn and animal-folk all very popular. Halflings are traditionally small and either childlike or barefoot pudgy types, and really don't fire up that "cool" aesthetic when you have dark elves and demon-kin on your team.
2.) Do they have a niche in the world? So many races fall short in this category its criminal. Dwarves and elves always find a home in the mountains and forests and have ancient empires to create dungeons and such from, but everyone else exists in the shadows. Halfling lands, if they have a place at all, are some pastoral paradises where nothing happens. Gnomes split between dwarves and elves like the two have joint custody. Orcs get caves if they are allowed anything. Tieflings, dragonborn, and goliaths kinda exist (outside of Nerath, the only place to give them their own fallen empires).
3.) Do they have an interesting mechanical element: Do they fly? Breathe water? Have spells? Teleport? Resistant to an element? Have claws, fangs, shells, or tails? Unfortunately, the old "demihuman" races all end up on the short end of this stick because they are basically human with an exaggerated characteristic (and three of them got "short" as a defining trait). As such, players will gravitate to races that have a unique gimmick.

Dwarves get by on having a solid place in the world. Elves get aesthetics and niche (and with the proper subrace, mechanics). Dragonborn have aesthetics and somewhat mechanics, tieflings have both in spades. Gnomes kinda have mechanics (depending on the edition) and halflings reall drew the short straw (pun intended) as "lucky" isn't really a lot to hang your hat on.

elves have all three.
tieflings have a place in the world that is not easy to explain.

I imagine the gnomes in the past lived in the Feywild, but they haven't got very happy memories. Maybe they created their own kingdoms, until stonger invaders arrived. Some groups could dream about return to those fallen realms to recover their lost glory.

Halflings are too peaceful to think in conquest or war. They are wellcome because they are very productive peasants or farmers, they pay the taxes (if you don't ask too much) and they don't cause troubles comparing with the rest of communities. They are too good producing wine, cheese and other food or farm products.

that is just 4e gnomes lore, no seriously look it up.

 

[Mind of tempest]

The D&D Dwarf isnt even Norse, at all.

Including Norse Dvergar concepts would help diversify the D&D Dwarf.

given you seem to know them better than us would you kindly elaborate?

 

[Micah Sweet]

I imagine the gnomes in the past lived in the Feywild, but they haven't got very happy memories. Maybe they created their own kingdoms, until stonger invaders arrived. Some groups could dream about return to those fallen realms to recover their lost glory.

Halflings are too peaceful to think in conquest or war. They are wellcome because they are very productive peasants or farmers, they pay the taxes (if you don't ask too much) and they don't cause troubles comparing with the rest of communities. They are too good producing wine, cheese and other food or farm products.

I see no good reason for every race to be known for its dynamism and adventurous tendencies.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I see no good reason for every race to be known for its dynamism and adventurous tendencies.

fair point but they should still have more to them, so we do not get endless bilbo or frodo rip-offs in the case of halflings and the fundamental hollowness of the gnome right now.
the Dragonborn could use lore and more world place as well like Goliaths they need more to them.

 

[Remathilis]

So what? Level Up has hobbit culture as one among many. Why can't D&D do the same?

Ok, so now you have city halflings, rural halflings, samurai halflings, sailor halflings, dark halflings, and lives-in-a-hole-in-the-ground halflings. And they all have done nothing in Greyhawk of importance. They still have no cities, no monuments, no place in the story. That's the problem.

 

[Remathilis]

I see no good reason for every race to be known for its dynamism and adventurous tendencies.

Then it shouldn't be a surprise that they end up at the bottom of the heap when it comes to popularity.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Ok, so now you have city halflings, rural halflings, samurai halflings, sailor halflings, dark halflings, and lives-in-a-hole-in-the-ground halflings. And they all have done nothing in Greyhawk of importance. They still have no cities, no monuments, no place in the story. That's the problem.

But don’t you understand?! The part of halflings that’s interesting is that they’re not interesting! That’s why should totally get to be their race, instead of just a subtype of Gnomes or Humans.

If you were to combine Halflings and Gnomes into a single race, according to the data, it would actually be one of the more popular races. The problem is that we have two pretty similar small races with identity crises.

 

[Micah Sweet]

fair point but they should still have more to them, so we do not get endless bilbo or frodo rip-offs in the case of halflings and the fundamental hollowness of the gnome right now.
the Dragonborn could use lore and more world place as well like Goliaths they need more to them.

There are alternate takes on halflings out there. I mentioned Eberron, Athas, and the Level Up cultures.

As far as Dragonborn and Tieflings, the problem is that WotC abandoned the Nerath setting that popularized them because it was 4e's setting, and everywhere else is a clunky add-on because they weren't designed to accommodate them, and WotC is afraid to make anything new that would support them.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Then it shouldn't be a surprise that they end up at the bottom of the heap when it comes to popularity.

Like popularity has ever mattered to me.