Halflings - What's the Attraction?

[Nifft]

This is veering way off the original topic, but I wonder how well it would work to give humans a bonus encounter power from their class instead of an at-will. Too strong? It would need to scale with level in some way, but maybe shouldn't always be of the highest level you have encounter powers of...

Thing is, for the Wizard specifically, the extra at-will is really, really good.

IMHO the fix is more at-will choices.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Saeviomagy]

I was under the impression that mechanical metagaming is gone in 4e - you know the mechanics behind things.

Tough fighter types hover around the 18AC level, and it's easy to get some sort of circumstance that worsens that.

For a fighter, he's only really losing his +str bonus. He's human, so that's 4-9 points IIRC. If he's serious about damage then he's using a maul so he's looking at 4d6 weapon damage, plus misc bonuses.

Interestingly enough, running the numbers on that make the 2handed fighter pull ahead using careful strike over reaping strike when he uses it when he needs mid-range numbers (8-12) to hit, not high end, and it ends up being worth a point or so of damage to do so.

Careful strike edges out twin strike for required rolls of 18+ at heroic tier with a +4 from the appropriate damage stat. That stays more-or-less constant as you level up.

The Careful Strike vs Twin Strike thing is about a 1% (or less) occurrence (the enemy has to have such high AC that you only hit on a roll of 19 with one of the two Twin Strikes, which usually can't happen in 4e unless your GM is being an ass), and it requires you to have strong metagame knowledge of the exact defenses of the enemy. Much the same applies for Reaping Strike (especially since you do damage on a miss nearly as much as Sure Strike does on a hit!) unless you are facing a single minion alone (since it's immune to the miss effect of Reaping), in which case it really doesn't matter at all if the Fighter has a slightly higher chance of hitting it, since it's a single minion alone (heck, with the right stance, you can autokill one minion alone).

 

[pukunui]

Can we stay on topic please?

 

[Saeviomagy]

Can we stay on topic please?

Ok, to sum up: Halflings are great. They can get places well thanks to the racial OA avoidance, they survive well due to their "reroll that" power, their skills make them good at being sneaky (which doesn't necessarily mean only being rogues). Their agility boost makes them good with light thrown weapons and ranged weapons. Their racial feats only work to enhance these qualities. They're not going to be particularly effective two-hander fighters because of the lack of weapon options, but they're great protector-style fighters.

 

[Surgoshan]

But see that requires taking a feat. I'm just talking about the base halfling race mechanics. There just doesn't seem to be enough there and what is there is all conditional/situational. There's no "always on" stuff for the halfling outside of the staff that all races get (bonuses to ability scores and skills). I think that for now the +1 to light thrown weapons/slings will do, although I'm still not sure if that should be to attack, damage, or both. I'm not even sure yet if anyone in my group wants to play a halfling, so it may not be an issue just yet.

... what race has an "always on" ability? All I can see is that humans get a bonus to defenses to make up for their lack of a second +2 to an attribute. Tieflings get fire resistance, but that's not always applicable. Other than that, everything else is situational. Dragonborn only get +1 while bloodied, tiefling only get +1 to bloodied. Etc.

I don't think you've been reading the same rule book everyone else has been reading. No one gets an always on +1 bonus based on race. They do get them based on class. But not from race.

 

[Nifft]

Can we stay on topic please?

The attraction to halflings is easily explained. [sblock]They have +2 Charisma.[/sblock]

"And that's hot!", -- N

 

[DonaldRumsfeldsTofu]

Why would anyone choose to play a halfling?

Because they're fun?

 

[outsider]

Same as any other race really. They've got at least one great build(artful dodger rogue), and several good ones. And their feats seem pretty fantastic to me.

The small size isn't really that much of a drawback. Casters don't really care about it. Rogues don't care about it either, because halflings can use rapiers, which is the best rogue melee weapon(unless you are taking daggermaster as your paragon path). Halflings can also use scimitars, which are very viable weapons for melees in general.

 

[billd91]

I used to like to play halflings because it was cool to be a member of a culture that valued gardeners, beer, and good hospitality over material possessions and valor. It was fun to be not entirely respectable and yet looked up to on the sly by your neighbors. It was fun to wistfully think about the next well-thought-of beer.

Now, I don't play them so much.

 

[Surgoshan]

Same as any other race really. They've got at least one great build(artful dodger rogue), and several good ones. And their feats seem pretty fantastic to me.

The small size isn't really that much of a drawback. Casters don't really care about it. Rogues don't care about it either, because halflings can use rapiers, which is the best rogue melee weapon(unless you are taking daggermaster as your paragon path). Halflings can also use scimitars, which are very viable weapons for melees in general.

I statted out a halfling warlord for a game; he's going to be awesome, running around the battlefield, dodging OA and setting up flank.