D&D 5E (+) Halfling Appreciation and Development Thread

[Blue]

Halflings are one of my favorite races in any edition of D&D. I've played at least one halfling in every edition of D&D since Red Box Basic. I identify with their default Tolkien-inspired role as a bunch of well-fed friendly and community-focused homebodies that can be reluctantly plucked from their comfortable surroundings by fate to go on high adventure and show pluck and Batman-like levels of determination. That even the universe smiles on them and gives them a little break from bad luck.

In some ways they are the underdog you cheer for, and the everyman you can identify with personally.

All of that said, that's just the default. Assuming lore is flexible as it can change per setting (Dark Sun cannibals, anyone), what we "know" of them is based off their mechanical expression.

They are uniformly brave and lucky - though more in avoiding the worst then getting the best. Every single one of them. The are smaller than most and that slows them but they also know how to take advantage of it. They have their own language - they aren't just part of other's cultures. The lightfoot are good at hiding behind people, and the stout share resilience vs. poison with the dwarves.

(I'm ignoring ability score modifiers since they can go anywhere post-Tasha's. Also not folding in the Ghostwise as a setting specific subrace.)

That can paint a number of different pictures. The default still fit, but the homebody and the social aren't enforced mechanically anywhere. There can be a lot of expressions of them. 4e Points of Light positioning them as river traders living in boats works fine. but they could be intrepid explorers one and all, in some ways that fits their Brave feat better then the default flavor. How about Lucky - are their sayings "never play cards with a halfling" in your world, and if so why not. They literally as a race are just a touch better at every possible activity vs. someone from another race of equal skill, unless it's something their small size/low speed detracts from, or it's a specialty of that other race.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Jeff Dee's halfling will always be my favorite. One of my favorite characters is a halfling. F/T in 1e, then converted him to fighter with urchin background in 5e.

 

[jayoungr]

By Halflings y'all mean Hobbits, right? Let's finally give 'em back their real name...

I actually feel that D&D halflings have moved beyond being just hobbit clones. Or at least, the hobbit archetype is a subset of the D&D halfling. They also have the influence of kender, plus city-dwelling types and the 4E-style nomads. (My own halfling PCs tend to be city-dwellers.)

 

[Neonchameleon]

By Halflings y'all mean Hobbits, right? Let's finally give 'em back their real name...

To second @jayoungr hobbits are only a subset of halflings. Ones that live in settled stable environments where either the land is fertile or they make it fertile.

But not everyone does that. Some, for example are pushed to the margins and the forests (and make better forest gnomes than forest gnomes) or the margins of cities; I'd consider a gang of hobbits shaking people down for cash weird. Some even end up riding dinosaurs.

But not Rangers; the tough-and-hardy wilderness life of the Ranger just doesn't square with the love-of-comfort Hobbit.

Few halflings IMC have an ambition to become rangers. Many started out poor and travelling and eating whatever they could hunt or poach for their family (who may or may not be related by blood or even species). They started in the wild and found the best ways to be comfortable there to the point beds don't feel right.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I actually feel that D&D halflings have moved beyond being just hobbit clones. Or at least, the hobbit archetype is a subset of the D&D halfling. They also have the influence of kender, plus city-dwelling types and the 4E-style nomads. (My own halfling PCs tend to be city-dwellers.)

The city dwellers have been around since at least the Finieous Fingers comic strip of the 1970s.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

To me the big thing I like about them is how perfectly they fit with what a certain type of new player wants to do.

1. They aren't humans but aren't that different from humans so they are playing a fantasy race without needing reams of lore
2. They are wide eyed and curious
3. They are in a little over their heads but determined
4. They are more motivated by community and working with other people than seeking great power

It's just about perfect for some curious newbies. Others want a Great Magic Race or to be a humanoid dragon; different people are different. But it's perfect for one type of newbie.

They're also a much better example of the "might be magical" little people of mythology (as opposed to the objectively strongly magical little people) than gnomes are; gnomes are trying to straddle both approaches here and IMO do neither well. Which is part of why halflings make better forest gnomes than forest gnomes do.

Sure we can make all the other points without tearing down gnomes? I mean if you start a thread about how to get more out of gnomes, I'll participate happily, but let's try to keep this thread positive, please?

Also, forest gnomes have the ability to magically camoflage themselves, make animal sounds from a position other than their own, and speak with all small or smaller animals. In no way do halflings match that for that niche.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I kind of want to write up a halfling barbarian now that challenges everyone to arm wrestling contests.

Except of course for the other dozen or so PCs I also want to play when I get a chance.

Crossposting this, hope you don't mind.

This reminds me of the halfling I just made a for a new campaign getting started. His name is Jack Barnsfellow, and he is a halfling himbo farmboy teacher. He is from an order of monks that are service-oriented members of the community, who teach halfling childredn to play the games that train them to fight, hide, taunt, trick, trap, build, etc, and are the reason that every adult halfling has some way of helping defend their community.

Imagine dodgeball with hacky-sack slings. You'll get good at dodging, and at slinging, while having a great time!

The Order of the Otter lives within communities but also spend part of their life travelling, usually as part of a messenger guild (halflings run the postal service) or some other job that takes them from community to community, before eventually settling down.

They also run the biannual Games, which are a series of competitions of basiclaly every skill that is favored in their society, from races to riddle games to wrestling to games that are basically capture the flag meets hide and seek and tons of others.

Jack is a mail carrier right now who has been a champion of multiple events in the last couple Games.

 

[MoleRatBill]

I love the little guys. I don't know if it's reflected in the lore of anything but Athas, but I tend to think of them as the progenitor race which is unfortunately getting crowded out by the far-too-ambitious humans.

Back in the pre-Tasha's days something I'd been considering doing for a homebrew campaign was giving Halflings +2 STR instead of DEX. I figure primates like chimps and even smaller monkeys are crazy strong because the muscles are more compact, so why wouldn't that also be the case for these guys?

Honestly it makes a lot of sense with them being rustic types, too. We don't exactly have cliches and tropes about the quick and graceful farmer. And the existing lore of being friendly but somewhat insular and fiercely protective of what's theirs really seems to lend itself to Barbarian as a class, IMO.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Second place image goes to this version. As you can tell, I prefer halflings to appear tough in their own right, and not these giant headed jolly folk lol

 

[jayoungr]

Another thing I'd like to note is that while Lightfoot Halflings are more popular, I'm glad Stout Halflings exist. So far, I've only played Lightfoots myself, but I love the idea of a tough halfling fighter, monk, or barbarian.