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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Psion" data-source="post: 2011198" data-attributes="member: 172">Heroes of High Favor: HalflingsHeroes of High Favor: Halflings is a character-option supplement by Bad Axe Games. As with the rest of their Heroes of High Favor series, the book focuses on a race (in this case, halfling), with a particular emphasis on the race's favored class (in this case, rogue.) Unlike the previous book in the series, Heroes of High Favor: Halflings is not written by Bad Axe Games' founder, Benjamin Durbin. Jeremy Baldridge (who edited previous books in the series) receives cover credit, though Mr. Durbin is also cited as a writer on the interior.A First LookHeroes of High Favor: Halflings is a reduced size 80-page perfect bound softcover book, still a nickel short of $10 as previous books in the series.The cover of the book depicts a round door, like you might see as the entry way for the hillside dwelling of a halfling.The interior is black-and-white. Once again, Andrew Hale heads up the artwork. The art is generally well done, and a bit less cartoonish than in some of the prior books... what little is left is probably appropriate for halflings!A Deeper LookAs fans of the series may well know, the Heroes of High Favor series of books looks at races from the standpoint of the role that their favored class plays in defining the flavor of the race. In doing so, the book becomes something of a class book as well. In this case the topic is halflings and thus, rogues.The book is small, and wastes little space. After a brief introductory chapter, the book dives into feats and skills.The feats paint a picture of small nimble and highly mobile halfling. Bounder removes height limits on most jumps and reduced the minimum move for a running jump. Confounding throw allows some maneuvers traditionally restricted to melee with thrown weapons. Guttershipe gives a hefty bonus for a halfling to disguise itself as a child of one of the larger races. And we see Refined Skill Focus again, which provides +3 to 1 skill, +2 to 2 skills, or 2 ranks in 1 skill. Of course, this seemingly simple feat is less astounding now that the skill focus feat in 3.5e already is +3 to one skill.There is a section on new uses for existing skills as with many character option books. This one has a surprisingly robust selection of variants for using the bluff skill. Various bluff maneuvers also require 5 ranks in some other skill. For example example roll with the punches requires 5 ranks in tumble. If you succeed in a feint using this variant, your opponent's next attack does not add strength bonus to damage, as you fake a position of vulnerability and really roll with the punch.As with earlier books in the series, craft skills receive a fair bit of attention, defining some sample tasks for craft skills such as lashworking, ropemaking, and trapmaking.Finally, the chapter rounds out with some sensible additions to skill synergies, such as between craft (trapmaking) and disable device and both sense motive and bluff with profession (gambler).The third chapter is entitled A Vagabond's Bag of Tricks and is really a more detailed extension of the new skill uses in the second chapter. The chapter presents three main rules variants: pick pockets knacks, halfling graffiti, and dirty fighting.Pick pockets knacks is a reasonable extension of the sleight of hand skill. For every four ranks, the character may select 1 "knack" which is a minor feat like benefit that can be used with sleight of hand.The halfling graffiti rules allows halflings with decipher script to scribe graffiti which are essentially minor runes. Each use requires a small amount of xp and gives (generally) a bonus to certain tasks. It probably wouldn't disrupt the game greatly, but the concept doesn't sit well with me. As far as I am concerned, if you want to use magic, be a spellcaster.The third section, dirty fighting, is possibly the most interesting. It allows rogues to forego any sneak attack dice in exchange for receiving a special benefit when striking an enemy with an attack eligible for the bonus damage. Here's the twist, though: you still roll the dice, you just don't do damage with them. Essentially, these dice must match or exceed the DC of the effect you are trying to achieve. For example, a blinding strike (which really only gives a penalty to spot checks) requires the rogue roll 15 or more on the sneak attack dice. Though I normally don't advocate mixing dice resolution methods, this system does have a certain elegance.The fourth chapter has the mixed class concepts (and associated prestige classes) that made the series famous. All the concepts are combinations of the rogue with the other core classes. Each is discussed as a class combo first, and then a specialized prestige class applicable to the combo is presented. The prestige class concepts are: Razorback (rogue/barbarian), Dissonant (rogue/bard), Pantheist (rogue/cleric), Wild liberator (rogue/druid), Blood Grifter (rogue/fighter), Mercurial, (rogue/monk), Precursor (rogue/paladin), Hobo baron (rogue/ranger), Calabash (rogue/sorcerer), and Tramp Wizard (rogue/wizard). Most of these are synthesis between the two classes, or their functions should be obvious from the name. Possible exceptions are the Pantheist (which is sort of a fantasy Unitarian with the ability to ignore alignment restrictions), Blood Grifter (dirty fighting specialist), and Tramp Wizard (who specialized in, well, scavenging and otherwise making other uses from existing magic items.)The brief fifth chapter provides some interesting roleplaying notes, in the form of halfling proverbs. Not only can the proverbs themselves be quipped by the erstwhile halfling player, but each one describes some defining traits of halflings; the proverbs just keep them easy to keep in mind. For example, "a bad egg makes a good stone" refers to the halfling propensity for scavenging and improvising.Finally, the book tops all the material off with an introductory adventure for a single first level halfling rogue. No hack and slay adventure this one, the character is confronted with tests to skills appropriate to a theif-style rogue, and has some roleplaying potential as well.ConclusionsThis is a fine addition to the series. I found the skills and feats chapter the most appropriate to the "roguish halfling" style. I am not quite as enamored with the tricks chapter, as some of them strike me as a little too much to be giving in that sort of rule option. The prestige classes/class combinations seem a little less inspired than those that appeared in the previous book, but perhaps a little less forced and a little more competent.Overall Grade: B- -Alan D. Kohler</blockquote>

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