Gnomes and Halflings

[Vocenoctum]

Re: Re: Races as "elements"...

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.

After thinking about it a little more, here's how my thoughts run.
I mentioned before that elves and dwarves seemed more elemental to me, whereas Gnome's seemed more Magic.
I'd make elves air AND Water, Dwarves Stone and Fire.
Gnomes are of Magic, they're a byproduct of the Weave or it's campaign specific alternative.
Those races and their gods developed as part of the nascent world.

Humans were created by deities, they don't fit into the natural order as such.

Halflings are some kind of reflection of other races, normally Humanity. If you use the old GH halfling races, they sync up with human/ elf/ dwarf pretty well.

The one thing I liked from the dragon magazine for gnomes was the idea that they were more malleable. They adapted a bit more to the environment. They are more inspired in some ways than the unchanging cultures of elves and dwarves.

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Re: Re: Re: Races as "elements"...

I'd make elves air AND Water, Dwarves Stone and Fire.

Humans were created by deities, they don't fit into the natural order as such.

You almost have the world that DragonDice is set in.

You just need lava-elves (fire/death) and goblins (earth/death- iirc),

FD

Edit: Why there is no d20 products of that world is beyond me. The highest rank of the different units lend themselves to be made into PrCs. Dwarves that ride charging mammoths- haha! Excellent.

 

[Morrow]

Halfling High!

I'm definately a halfling man. I played OD&D until 3e came out, so I'm still getting my head around the idea of gnomes as a PC race. I don't really see the point.

Morrow

 

[BluWolf]

I have never been a fan of the gnomes. In my campaigns they have either been lesser versions of brownies or other fairies or none existant. In my home brew world (StormWorld) they never existed. I thought for awhile of saying they did exist but were hunted like gophers and slowly tortured to death over hundreds of years, but I decided that was just my gratuitous distaste for them showing through.

I tried playing a gnome once. Thalmadge Oakstear, Fighter/Druid (2e). eh. He just never did it for me.

Now Halflings on the other hand I have played several. My favorite was a Halfling Fighter from 1E/Unearthed Arcana days.

His name was Pucendoris Took (not very original but I was 16 at the time). Puc for short. He had a 17th strength and thought of himself as the Conan of the Halflings. Fun character.

I was mightly annoyed when 3E came out the Halflings had changed to this Gypsy-eque race. That is how I had rewritten them in my campaign world back in the late 80's. They were called the Roma. I guess great obscure minds think alike?

 

[radferth]

I like both races, but gnomes are definitely my favorite. In good old second edition days, I liked gnome illusionists because their spell save totally rocked. I still like gnomes, because I like having playing a small race with a spellcasting favored class. I am also partial to svirfneblin. Halflings are fine, but seemed more limited as to what types of characters they can play.

 

[Dark Helmet]

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

Actually, Morrus IS Eric's grandmother.

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

 

[Dark Helmet]

Those of you who have halflings in your worlds, do any of you have your humans experience "dwarfism"; i.e., are there any (to use the non-PC term) "midgets" in your world.

I've thought of using that to explain halflings in my gameworld. Halflings are HUMAN. Every once in a while a human family has a child that just stops growing. When this happens, the parents believe that their REAL child must have been stolen as an infant and replaced with a "halfling". The "halfling" soon suffers bullying from the other children and is shunned by the community. When he is old enough he will usually run away from home. Often he will encounter a community of other people his size: a "halfling" village which will of course consist of other humans with the same condition but who believe themselves to be a different race.

I will make the genetic condition stronger in this world so that two "halfings" having children will produce a child that will grow to the same size. Although, it would be interesting if occasionally halfling parents have a child that just WON'T stop growing.

 

[Hakkenshi]

I've thought of using that to explain halflings in my gameworld. Halflings are HUMAN. Every once in a while a human family has a child that just stops growing. When this happens, the parents believe that their REAL child must have been stolen as an infant and replaced with a "halfling". The "halfling" soon suffers bullying from the other children and is shunned by the community. When he is old enough he will usually run away from home. Often he will encounter a community of other people his size: a "halfling" village which will of course consist of other humans with the same condition but who believe themselves to be a different race.

I will make the genetic condition stronger in this world so that two "halfings" having children will produce a child that will grow to the same size. Although, it would be interesting if occasionally halfling parents have a child that just WON'T stop growing.

That's a really cool idea.

I myself am a Gnome AND Halfling guy. Two of the most fun characters I made up were from these races.

Kavenharennallix the Unbalanced was a crazy Gnome barbarian whose illiteracy was actually the fact that he had developed his personal language that no one else could read (he could similarly read nothing else). He also had HP up the wazoo, which tended to encourage the party to use him as a meat shield. Oh well

And then I had Umber Underthumper the Halfling monk. Kneecapping people and headbutting them in tender parts. Good fun all around