Do you realize how small a halfling/gnome is?

[Aries_Omega]

Strength and Size

For all those that are complaining about the size of a small humanoid and the strength remember that Small creatures have a penalty to carrying items. They can lift and move 1/2 the normal while a Large creature who has the same strength carries twice the normal. Thusly a 12 STR Halfling, 12 STR Human and...a really weak 12 STR Ogre all carry different weight around.

Aries

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

I went to a family get-to-gether recently and there were six children there, two babies and four young children, ages two to six. The young children were very active, running around, playing ball, etc. I have no children of my own and as I saw these little ones running around, laughing, playing, one thought came to me....

DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN I'M SURROUNDED BY GNOMES! EEIEIEIEEEEE!!!!!

 

[bolie]

To explain a lot of this, I use the following concept for hit points, stats, etc...

The physical (or incorporeal or whatever) body is a manifestation of one's psyche or spirit. All six attributes represent aspects of your identity. This is why small creatures can be very strong and vice-versa. As you get more experienced, your spirit becomes stronger and you gain hit points and ability points. Wishes and the like can be used to bolster your spirit. This is reflected by increased stats.

Anyway, this is my story and I'm sticking to it.

My daughter is a halfling.

Bolie IV

 

[Gez]

Hit points do not represent only the capacity to soak damage, but also the capacity to avoid it. It's stamina, dodge, and health all rolled into one (which makes it kinda redundant with AC, that's why so much people have problems with either or both). In play, you have a gradual shift from AC to hp -- as BAB and hp increases much faster than AC.

 

[Rel]

Being a parent has taught me a lot of things. One of them is that my size bonus vs. Small sized opponents helps out a lot on Trip Attacks.

Also, upon making a successful Trip Attack, I get a free Tickle Attack that incapacitates my foe for 1d4 rounds.

So, ya know, I've got that going for me.

 

[Nebin]

Listen Bubba I'm not small, it's humans that are the big lummox's, always treating us like we're children. Just because Lidda's and my races are half your size doesn't mean we're less then you bigguns, and we're the right height to geld you too. So no more short jokes or we'll hand you your nads on a plate.

O Lidda says to tell y'all hi

 

[RFisher]

The Jeff Dee picture in the Expert Set taught me how small halflings are c. 1981. Still, it certainly was something else to see it in the flesh when my son reached a yard in height.

 

[Desdichado]

Uh, where did you read that?

If I recall correctly, Tolkein discribed Hobbits as between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 feet tall. Which puts them somewhere between about an 18-month-old to about a 5-year-old in size. Almost absurdly small on the low end.

Of course, I'm probably wrong, and the Tolkien scholars here in the office are schooling me as I type. Anyway, I think the point is... D&D halflings are reeeeeally small.

Yes, but in Unfinished Tales he goes on to state that that's Numenorean measurement, and in good old English measurements, that meant that average halfling would be 3.5 to 4 feet tall. About the size of my 6 yo daughter, which isn't too unreasonable, I don't think, for a halfling, after all.

Besides, that original quote's from The Hobbit and a lot of the hard and fast "setting" information in that book's suspect, as he clearly wrote that as a child's book and tried to backpedal away from some of the implications of that in LotR.

 

[Someone]

Yes, but in Unfinished Tales he goes on to state that that's Numenorean measurement, and in good old English measurements, that meant that average halfling would be 3.5 to 4 feet tall.

Does that mean that Numenoreans had huge feet? like circus clowns?

 

[Von Ether]

... Actually, I am thinking more like monkies and real life "little people." The ones I see in the media seem to have much more musclature than a child.

Long story short, who would win in an arm wrestling contest, the actor who played Willow or a youngster the same height?