Doug McCrae
Legend
I don't see 4e halflings as that different from hobbits. It's been a gradual process of evolution.
Tolkien's hobbits are rural and comfort loving. Bilbo is an adventurer and a thief - he steals Gollum's ring and a dragon's cup. The hobbit protagonists in LotR are brave. There's a connection with thievery and a love of comfort - the thief doesn't want to work for a living. 1e halflings are tough, resistant to magic and poison like Tolkien hobbits, and make good thieves. Kender are insanely brave kleptomaniacs, the thief hobbit dialled up to 11. 3e halflings are tough (like 1e halflings), brave (like kender and LotR hobbits) and make good thieves (like 1e halflings and Bilbo). They are described as wanderers in the flavour text.
4e halflings are wanderers (like 3e halflings). Tolkien's hobbit heroes did their fair share of wandering too, even including river journeys. They are like gypsies. Rightly or wrongly, gypsies are often associated with thievery. 4e halflings will presumably still be good thieves, which takes us back to Bilbo and all other halflings from 1e->3e.
Tolkien's hobbits are rural and comfort loving. Bilbo is an adventurer and a thief - he steals Gollum's ring and a dragon's cup. The hobbit protagonists in LotR are brave. There's a connection with thievery and a love of comfort - the thief doesn't want to work for a living. 1e halflings are tough, resistant to magic and poison like Tolkien hobbits, and make good thieves. Kender are insanely brave kleptomaniacs, the thief hobbit dialled up to 11. 3e halflings are tough (like 1e halflings), brave (like kender and LotR hobbits) and make good thieves (like 1e halflings and Bilbo). They are described as wanderers in the flavour text.
4e halflings are wanderers (like 3e halflings). Tolkien's hobbit heroes did their fair share of wandering too, even including river journeys. They are like gypsies. Rightly or wrongly, gypsies are often associated with thievery. 4e halflings will presumably still be good thieves, which takes us back to Bilbo and all other halflings from 1e->3e.