D&D 4E Call a kender a kender? What should 4E "halflings" be called?

[Nahat Anoj]

You realize the developers were just playing with the German word for children and just swapped an e in for the i, right?
Kinder->Kender

Even more condescending than halflings. Your entire race are just kids!

Maybe it's short for "children of Yondalla" ...

 

[Nahat Anoj]

I came back to this thread to post this exact same thought. Yo Jon, thanks for saving me the work!

The more I think about it, the more I like the name (just the name) "Kender." Once I divorce it in my mind from the compulsive kleptomania, Darwin-defying curiosity and puppy-like emotional maturity, it's far superior to "halfling" or (gods forbid) "Hin."

Yes, yes. My campaign-world is coming together: Kender. Called "halflings" by rude tall-folk. Shoeless, hairless and webbed feet to go with water-born lifeways. No kleptomania (after all, who would ever allow "merchants" that stole stuff into their town?).

I am glad for this.

 

[Benben]

QFT

Why try to disguise what they are?

If they're not psychotically cheerful and immune to fear then they're not kender. The kleptomania is something that could be attributed to stereotypical Gypsies.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The kleptomania is something that could be attributed to stereotypical Gypsies.

It amazes me that WotC thinks this is OK.

I guess we should be glad that the best 4E race for physical combat doesn't love watermelon and fried chicken.

 

[Wolfspider]

Kender are the Malkavians of D&D....

 

[Wormwood]

It amazes me that WotC thinks this is OK.

The concept of the untrustworthy itinerant vagabond is *perfectly acceptible* as a template for a fantasy race.

Any comparisons between Halflings and negative portrayals of gypsies, travelers, carneys or pikeys are those we infer.

I sincerely doubt that Wizards is going to print any.

 

[Wolfspider]

The concept of the untrustworthy itinerant vagabond is *perfectly acceptible* as a template for a fantasy race.

Any comparisons between Halflings and negative portrayals of gypsies, travelers, carneys or pikeys are those we infer.

I sincerely doubt that Wizards is going to print any.

I tend to agree with Wormwood here. (Gasp!) This isn't World of Darkness: Gypsies, after all.

 

[the Jester]

Tracy Hickman didn't like the idea of kender being thieves in the "I am going to rob things from you for profit" sense. He suggested that they're instead curious and end up with things in their pouches that they absentmindedly picked up or, on occasion, lifted from other people. Yes, it's obnoxious if that's all the PC kender does. It is not a design flaw. It's a problem with the player.

I respectfully disagree. Kender are designed to steal from the party. That is a design flaw. If a player is roleplaying an obnoxious character obnoxiously, I don't think the problem is with the player; it's with the character type. And every example I have seen in game, novel or module of kender was obnoxious. Now, frankly, I stopped reading the DL books after the Twins trilogy (well, really, after the next book, which I couldn't even finish) and stopped reading DL gaming stuff very early on due to the railroad factor, so it's possible that there are tons of examples of kender that aren't obnoxious. But I have not seen them.

 

[Cam Banks]

I respectfully disagree. Kender are designed to steal from the party. That is a design flaw.

No, they aren't. Nothing in their racial write-up holds with your contention that they are designed as party-ruining pilferers.

If a player is roleplaying an obnoxious character obnoxiously, I don't think the problem is with the player; it's with the character type.

No, it really is with the player.

And every example I have seen in game, novel or module of kender was obnoxious. Now, frankly, I stopped reading the DL books after the Twins trilogy (well, really, after the next book, which I couldn't even finish) and stopped reading DL gaming stuff very early on due to the railroad factor, so it's possible that there are tons of examples of kender that aren't obnoxious. But I have not seen them.

So, really, you haven't had a lot of experience with the subject, have you? I stand by my earlier comments.

Cheers,
Cam

 

[Aeolius]

It's obvious. If the 4e halflings are associated with rivers, swamps, and marshes then I'm going to call them...

Haglings