D&D 4E 4E Halflings unrecognizable from Tolkien hobbits

[Sonny]

I have no problems with any of the races having dark skin or whatnot. The dreads bother me because they are very common...too common...among the characters in the book. It's overdone, in my opinion. I would have the same reaction if too many characters weilded katanas or wore trenchcoats, really. It's so cool it's totally lame.

And it's something that's only common to halflings. But it's ALSO something that's noted in the description of the halfling head study on page 42: Halfling hair coils naturally.

 

[jaer]

Having all depictions of a race have the same hair style, especially in a book about the races not about a particular region (such as showing that the halflings of Greenmoss River often have dreads), would be annoying (I haven't seen R&C yet to know).

The part about wearing boots makes sense. If halflings don't wear shoes, then they are effectively missing an item slot and are, therefore, lacking from other classes in that regard.

"Sweet! These boots add 2 squares of movement! That will really help out my rogue!"

"Dude, your rogue can't wear those: you're playing a halfling. Guess I'll take them."

Yeah, bootlessness sucks.

 

[Piratecat]

A preemptive warning: we're not going to tolerate any racism OR any accusations of racism. If you think there's a problem please report the post, but attempts at sly accusations or insults are going to be dealt with by a great big pegleg-sized boot. So please, don't go there.

Fair enough?

 

[Badkarmaboy]

Out of the races of Middle Earth, hobbits are by far the least used in general fantasy and are in no way a dominant fantasy archtype.

As written, they stand out like a sore thumb in DnD and make generally crappy adventurers.

I do hate the dreads though, simply because I hate races having a defacto easily changeable physical characteristic (hairstyles, weight, clothing, etc.)

I think it's a good move, seeing how halflings started as a complete Tolkien ripoff.

As for the furor over halflings with dreadlocks...man, I just don't care. It seems that, according to the illos, halflings have kinky hair..which they seem to dread or cornrow. They could, given player or DM impetus, wear it another way. Heck, they could even have silky straight hair if one chose.

Mountain, meet molehill.

 

[Piratecat]

I'm mixed on this issue. I absolutely love Tolkienesque halflings. I also dig Lidda, and the adventurous halflings of 3e. I don't think I'll make the new 4e halfling my standard. There's certainly a place for them in my world, and a cool place. If a player wants to run one, I'm fine with that. But I also want a place for the traditional, pastoral halfling of previous editions.

Hmm. Can you imagine a turf war between the two? The new halflings selling their less worldly brothers into slavery, or fighting over a section of city? Interesting plot there.

I'll note that this change is the biggest objection my wife has to the new edition. She hates both 3e and 4e halflings with a doughty passion.

 

[Xethreau]

I thought basicly the same things! I don't mind 3e halfings, they are still short, but when halflings are taller than midgets, then something is wrong.

I am all about Lightfoot halfings. They are cool. They are short, but still very seperate from their Hairfoot halfing (hobbit) cousins. They were also very different from Kender. The changes, however, are pretty strange. I don't mind the facial modifications, they are fine, but honestly, to me halfings arn't halfings when they are 2/3 your height, at least.

 

[pawsplay]

I don't think it's particularly Tolkienised. Dungeons & Dragons has had "high" and "wood" elves for a long time, but the eladrin's strong association with arcane magic and the faerie realms of the Feywild is a far cry in practical terms from Tolkien's perfected humanity. They don't even live in the mortal world, as a general rule, and there's nothing Tolkienesque about eladrin lords declaring the Wild Hunt!

Tolkien's high elves were those that visited the Shining Lands, a realm to the West beyond the mortal realm. His wood elves were those who remained in the mortal lands and never saw the sea.

 

[Panamon Creel]

Well, as for Tolkien rip-offs, I think you could say that about a lot of things in D&D - dwarves, elves, orcs, treants, magic rings etc. etc. So changing halflings solely for the sake of getting away from Tolkien does not make sense.

As for crappy adventurers, well surely the great percentage of hobbits would be. But wasn't the idea that the Tooks and the Baggins, and any PC halfling rises above the norm to greatness? And the way that people played halflings, when the innocent halfling thief stabbed you in the back and picked your pocket, made it even more fun.

Sorry, if I set off a maelstrom with the dread issue (nice for a first post, huh?), but all I was trying to say is that I think halflings were just fine as they were, and now I don't recognize them at all. Maybe Piratecat has a good idea of the two existing together.

 

[JohnSnow]

I am all about Lightfoot halfings. They are cool. They are short, but still very seperate from their Hairfoot halfing (hobbit) cousins. They were also very different from Kender. The changes, however, are pretty strange. I don't mind the facial modifications, they are fine, but honestly, to me halfings arn't halfings when they are 2/3 your height, at least.

So hobbits aren't halflings? 'Cuz three foot nine seems to be considered a reasonable height for a Tolkien hobbit. There's even records of a hobbit as tall as four foot five - who didn't drink any ent draught.

 

[Wormwood]

Well, as for Tolkien rip-offs, I think you could say that about a lot of things in D&D - dwarves, elves, orcs, treants, magic rings etc. etc. So changing halflings solely for the sake of getting away from Tolkien does not make sense.

Yes, but elves, dwarves, and magic jewelry have all transcended their Tolkien origins and have become fantasy stereotypes in their own right; they can be found in a hundred different games and fictional works.

Hobbits---as pygmy country squires---have not become part of the fantasy zeitgeist apart from their inherent Tolkien associations.