Halflings - are the more than just short humans?

[Snoweel]

IMC, I've merged elves and halflings (basically a less-than-noble elf with favoured class Rogue).

Their 'niche' is that of a broken, soulless people who ive in ghettos in major cities, indulging in petty crime (their females, especially, are notorious prostitutes, and half-elven gutter urchins are extremely common), and tending toward alcoholism and drug addiction.

That said, they are famous for their stealth and athleticism and a properly trained and motivated elven thief or assassin is worth its weight in gold.

Anyway, with all the mystical baggage surrounding 'standard' fantasy elves, I see my campaign's elves as more like halflings. Except they're medium sized and have +2 DEX, -2 CON.

and they have lots of "little friends".

GASP!

Like Tony Montana?!?!?!?

 

[rgard]

SNIP
My players encountered them first at level five, and barely escaped with their brains intact. At level 13, however, they returned and slaughtered hundreds of them, then banished the rest to an alternate plane full of ravenous beasts.

SNIP

My MU read a book he should not have and ended up with a hobbit phobia and being a 1E MU, the fireballs were very effective.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[wolfen]

IMC the halflings run half a continent. They are "industrious merchants" who tend to dominate the cities. They are the high energy urbane types.

The humans are the sea-faring, exploring race. This sets them apart because the halflings are all excited about receiving new shipments, etc. and creating a distribution for goods within their cities -- but they're not interested in really going out and getting stuff.

Gnomes are the reclusive types. I have used some Japanese elements to them, but very loosely. They use katana, they have an emperor, and they pretty much stay in their little underground kingdom. And they don't tolerate disrespect.

 

[Nuclear Platypus]

Just as others saw halfling ninjas n samurai, I saw halfling cleanup crews and that led into the idea of a halfling 'mob'. Brings new meaning to the Scarface line: Say hallo to my leetle friend!

 

[TheAuldGrump]

IMC halflings are short humans. They are of two seperate cultures, and two seperate religion, neither shared with the larger humans around them.

One group is settled, called Halmaadic or 'settled' halflings, the other, nomadic, culture is called Remeric or 'travelling' halflings, much like gypsies. And when the larger humans become upset with one group of halflings they tend to take it out on both sects. The two cultures have very little to do with each other, though both originated in the same general area of the game world. Their languages do not even share a common root.

Genetically they are human. The offspring of a human and a halfling is human, the offspring of two half-halflings has a 25% chance of being a halfling. And sometimes 'sports' or throwbacks occur, with a halfling child being born to human parents or vice versa. The results are often scandal and the woman being accused of adultry.

Orcs are also a cultural offshoot of humanity.

The Auld Grump

 

[billd91]

I don't see a point to using halflings if they aren't based on the Lord of the Rings. They were clearly lifted from that source to begin with, they should stay with that source. I use them as a relatively pastoral, mild-mannered culture of simple folk. Not every culture across the face of D&D has to be some kind of special oddball kind of powerful or really quirky culture. A bunch of beer-swilling gardeners is a nice niche to have.
3E halflings are just wanderlusty humans with a bunch of adventuring skill perks. That's not particularly interesting as far as I'm concerned.

 

[The Baron]

the haflling progression

This is my take on D&D halflings:

D&D halflings have come a long way from Tolkien, and I think the major reason has to do with Dragonlance and kenders.

I have a read a few Dragonlance books (8 I think), and since the first time Tasslehoff Burrfoot was described, I fell in love with this take on the "small person" race. Mischevious, kind of annoying, almost always hilarious.

I played a little bit of AD&D and from what I remember, halflings (or hobbits) were much more "Tolkienesque." But in 3.0, they definately become more "kenderesque." Even visually it seems... their elongated skulls come to mind.

The Dragonlance series was immensely popular, and I think Wizards could not deny the force this had on the perception of what a small race should be. So they made them more like Kender. All the better I say. Tolkien's hobbits, while holding a dear place in my heart, are not the kind to go out adventuring - besides some rather popular Baggins I've heard about.

So, yes, halflings are definitely more than just half-humans. They always had a distinct image from half-humans, and I think that image has become even more clear after their shift away from Tolkien and towards the kender model.

And don't you dare call a halfling a halfling to his or her face. They're not half of anything.

As a side note, I've had halflings serve vastly different roles in my two homebrews. In one world, they were shunned as little more than thieves and troublemakers - to a point that they were actually contained to a walled off portion of the city. In my new campaign, however, they serve as the peacemakers. The group that will give anybody a chance, making them immensely wealthy traders and powerful diplomats.

 

[The_Gneech]

This is my take on D&D halflings:

D&D halflings have come a long way from Tolkien, and I think the major reason has to do with Dragonlance and kenders.

I have a read a few Dragonlance books (8 I think), and since the first time Tasslehoff Burrfoot was described, I fell in love with this take on the "small person" race. Mischevious, kind of annoying, almost always hilarious.

Oh! You mean they're gnomes!

Too many niches spoil the archetype. Or something like that.

-The Gneech

 

[Evilhalfling]

The Halflings of my world come in two societies, one on each continent.
In the West they are nomadic, gypsy like people who pride themselves in entertainment. They use riding dogs for protection and watchers of thier caravans. They are lead by halfling matrachs who are normally psionic Seers.
They also serve as snakeoil salesman and merchants to small inland towns.

In the east they have lost touch with thier heritage and live in ghettos and slums in human cities. They form and underclass of thieves, servants and the very poor. They are nominally controlled by seers but their advice is frequently ignored. A halfling Messiah has been forseen but they disagree on whether he has actually arrived.