The Ubbergeek
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Forgotten Realms remains gaming stuff.
Design & Development: Halflings [merged]
- Thread starter Shroomy
- Start date
Wolfspider said:
I think it goes the other way, actually: halflings, in D&D games, have been used to recreate the "small, mischievous, woodland and/or magical beings" that pepper fantasy literature. So have gnomes (who get a slightly more "magical" cast). The 2E-->3E-->4E progression might just be D&D accepting that this is how those characters get played anyway (really, who plays fat farmer halflings?--rhetorical question), so they'd might as well provide support for an archetype that people actually want to play.
Wolfspider
Explorer
Wolfspider
Explorer
Lizard said:
D&D came first, obviously, and then the novels.
But then, interestingly enough, D&D started to change to emulate what had happened in some of the novels.
Heh. Interesting indeed.
JohnSnow
Hero
Wolfspider said:
That's true. Without Tolkien's influence, we have only a vaguely defined notion of a "little people" race that's hard to separate from elves, if you just look at folklore. And when you look at folklore alone, since Tolkien basically invented the terms "halfling" (as well as "hobbit"), you have to look at all the races of "little people" in folklore whether they're called 'wee folk,' 'faeries,' or even 'elves' or 'gnomes' in a particular myth. Now, since D&D has elves, sprites, leprechauns, brownies, gnomes, et cetera, it's very important to find conceptions at odds with how D&D portrays those races. In other words, if a particular story features short "elves," that's at odds with the D&D portrayal of "elves," and could work as an archetype for "halflings."
The hardest work comes when you are trying to decide how to differentiate halflings from gnomes. Since halflings now wear shoes and cast magic, the only real "distinguishing feature" between them and gnomes is the latter's beards and their almost uncomfortable fondness for burrowing mammals. Differentiating the two is essential to make them both work. Making one race more "fey" or "mysterious" would be a definite step toward better distinction. And since I think gnomes work better when they're more mysterious, I like playing up that angle for gnomes.
Interestingly, that leaves the role of "clever opportunist" for halflings. Essentially, because they're not as "powerful" as the other races, halflings get by on their wits and personality. Strangely, that works pretty well to describe Tas, Frodo & Sam, Regis, Willow, and dozens of other "halflings" that have shown up in various stories.
And I can think of a lot of different personalities that fit with the general vibe of "clever opportunist." It also works with the typical portrayal of the "little people" regarding the "big folk" as slow - both physically and mentally.
Furthermore, if you give halflings a metabolism like that of a hummingbird, they can still have their love for many meals without being portly. So we get the best of all worlds. Traveler/merchant is one thing they gravitate towards, because it's one way for them to be opportunistic.
Anyway, that's what I plan to do with "halflings." And I like the change of making their average height closer to four feet than three. And for the record, in my campaign dwarves will be only slightly taller.
Cam Banks
Adventurer
D&D halflings have been little sneaky bastards for many years, even since 1st edition. I was reading over the pregenerated heroes for the module Baltron's Beacon yesterday and noticed one of them, Slu Tippy, was a female halfling thief. She was described as being fond of practial jokes and miming her actions so people knew what she was about to do, but she also comes off as a thoroughly dangerous little minx.
Afflicted kender, in Dragonlance, are not as fearless as their traditional cousins because their homeland was devastated by an enormous otherworldly dragon. One theory, which I subscribe to, is that kender are fearless because despite spending years in wanderlust they always know that, somewhere, they have a home. "Home" is a metaphysical and spiritual strength for them, and when the kender of Kendermore lost that, it made them suspicious, prone to darker thoughts, subject to depression and suicide, and generally more grown up. The kender Kronn Thistleknot was a freedom fighting ranger type, and became afflicted when Malys attacked his homeland; now he's like a grizzled war veteran, smokes a cheroot and talks like a cross between Nick Fury and Wolverine. His son Blight was pretty much afflicted from birth, and is a scout and guide for those entering the Desolation; he doesn't trust anybody, will hamstring a bad guy as much as he will taunt him, and shakes his little fist at the enemy before engaging in a strategic retreat.
Even traditional kender have countless aspects that can be drawn upon by a keen player to steer the character away from being an obnoxious kleptomaniac. I think that image of kender, propogated by years of misuse, is about as true to their race as, say, a good-aligned ranger is to drow.
Cheers,
Cam
Afflicted kender, in Dragonlance, are not as fearless as their traditional cousins because their homeland was devastated by an enormous otherworldly dragon. One theory, which I subscribe to, is that kender are fearless because despite spending years in wanderlust they always know that, somewhere, they have a home. "Home" is a metaphysical and spiritual strength for them, and when the kender of Kendermore lost that, it made them suspicious, prone to darker thoughts, subject to depression and suicide, and generally more grown up. The kender Kronn Thistleknot was a freedom fighting ranger type, and became afflicted when Malys attacked his homeland; now he's like a grizzled war veteran, smokes a cheroot and talks like a cross between Nick Fury and Wolverine. His son Blight was pretty much afflicted from birth, and is a scout and guide for those entering the Desolation; he doesn't trust anybody, will hamstring a bad guy as much as he will taunt him, and shakes his little fist at the enemy before engaging in a strategic retreat.
Even traditional kender have countless aspects that can be drawn upon by a keen player to steer the character away from being an obnoxious kleptomaniac. I think that image of kender, propogated by years of misuse, is about as true to their race as, say, a good-aligned ranger is to drow.
Cheers,
Cam
mhacdebhandia
Explorer
Which is creepy, and classist, and reminds me of everything disturbing about Tolkien's worldview.Lizard said:
Desdichado
Hero
I wouldn't miss them.Wolfspider said:
