Gnomes and Halflings

[dreamthief]

I always thought gnomes would have more a sense of humour and imagination, as befits their prefered class. Halflings are more homebodies except for those who go about adventuring.

 

[Nifft]

Races as "elements"...

Here's how I see the non-human races in terms of their elemental roles:

Elves = Air: they're exalted, aloof, mysterious, magical, quiet, swift, and often look down on other races.

Dwarves = Earth: they're tough, strong, gritty, rugged, enduring, stubborn, and are loyal as bedrock.

Halflings = Water: they're quiet, pervasive, persistant, nimble, quick, and laugh easily.

Gnomes = Fire: they're bright, curious, inventive, dangerous, and prone to ending with a thundering ka-boom!

-- Nifft

 

[Mahiro Satsu]

Re: Races as "elements"...

Elves = Air: they're exalted, aloof, mysterious, magical, quiet, swift, and often look down on other races.

Dwarves = Earth: they're tough, strong, gritty, rugged, enduring, stubborn, and are loyal as bedrock.

Halflings = Water: they're quiet, pervasive, persistant, nimble, quick, and laugh easily.

Gnomes = Fire: they're bright, curious, inventive, dangerous, and prone to ending with a thundering ka-boom!

-- Nifft

Very astute. But i would have to say that you have the elves and halflings reversed. Water is characterized by deep knowledge and wisdom, air as being intelectual and quick changing.

Elves are deeply mystic, and halflings very cerebrial.

please forgive any mis-spellings.

 

[Olidammara]

It's been my experience that most people who play the role of a halfling have self-esteem issues. I knew this one girl who played a halfling 'Dominatrix' (before the formal prestige class was developed) who really caused a lot of problems for the rest of the group. I won't get into the specifics now, but some of the details she shared with us really turned me off of halflings forever. I've seen the same aspects in other halfling roleplayers.

Morrus, as much as I agree with you about the questionable ethics of most halfling roleplayers, I hate to make it seem like *every* halfling has problems. I've known two decent halfling players myself who prove the stereotype wrong. Only two, but it's a start.

I'd rather embrace pitiful halfling players and help them be better people than hold them up to public ridicule.

 

[Atticus_of_Amber]

Re: Re: Gnomes as female dwarves

The problem there is that gnomes (aside from Svirfneblin that were all male early on) are usually protrayed with both sexes.
In D&D, elves are the feminine, graceful race. Dwarves are the masculine, gruff race.

Therefor, if anything, Elves are female dwarves

Yes, but my ideas has both "genders" (dwarves and gnomes) behaving in a manner which more conventionally gendered races (humans, elves, halflings) would consider masculine. To the extent that humans, et al perceive a particular dwarf as female or (more likely) a particular gnome as female, they're just imposing their own paradigm on another culture. The gnomes, in particular, pay along for (a) the value of keeping the secret and (b) the fun of it! (dwarves would generally only play along for reason (a)).

Also, you get to add a certain homo-erotic overtone to the whole thing which gives other the races (and players) the creeps when they find out. Suddenly makes dwarves and gnomes seem more alien.

I could make some cracks about miners and jewellers, but Eric's grandmother would beat me with her gnomish hook hammer...

 

[Olidammara]

So you're in agreement with Morrus, eh?

 

[Samnell]

Hello, my name is Samnell and I am a halfling player. I've considered playing gnomes too, but in the end when I want a short PC I'm usually thinking of an agile, acrobatic sort and that says more halfling than gnome to me.

I don't know what it is. I hated hobbit lookalikes and could never get why anyone would play one. But 3e halflings just do it for me. I love 'em. I find it so much easier to care about and get into my PCs when they're halflings.

So far I've played or am playing a halfling rogue, a halfling monk, and two halfling wizards. Any time I think about making a new PC I end up gravitating towards halflings almost immediately.

They just do it for me. I think I'm happily addicted.

 

[Phowett]

I'm not too crazy about either of those 3E races. My halflings are still as the older version halflings. And my gnomes are like the original kind: no larger than a foot tall.

 

[Olidammara]

All I'm saying, Mr. Poopy-Head, is that halfling characters tend to draw out the baser instincts of players. I never said all halfling roleplayers were bad people -- if a gamer doesn't have any mental defects, then playing a halfling won't do any damage, would it? Gawd, you're so dense. I wouldn't be surprised if you're a closet halfling player yourself.

OK. That was just rude and uncalled for. I don't care if you are the moderator/landlord/king of this message board, I refuse to take that sort of abuse. I think it's a little unfair for you to rag on people because they enjoy playing halflings. We don't pick on you for dressing in women's clothes and pretending that you're your own mother, do we? Same sort of thing.

I think you owe the halfling players here an apology.

 

[Darkness]

That quote isn't from Morrus; it's from Eric's grandmother...