How do you like your halflings best?

[The Lemon Merchant]

I voted 3.X mini-elves (Lidda, skin tight leather, mmmm)

Really though I like a mix of feral mini-elves.

Oh and in the immortal words of Dogsquat, Feral Athasian Halfling, "I'm no cannibal, I'd never eat a Halfling."

 

[was]

roasted, toasted or boiled in a pot.....

 

[pawsplay]

I agree. I think a few bad experiences coupled with urban legend on the internet has given them an undeserved bad reputation.

Their appearace in the Dragonlance trilogy caused me to think, "These creatures are vermin and should be exterminated." I just don't find them cute or charming or whatever... they're egoistic, self-serving, dangerous, sociopathic, dishonest, and basically corrupt. It's like an entire race of individuals with antisocial personality disorder, ADHD, and compulsive lying, and yet we're supposed to think they're childlike and freespirited. They seem like neurotic, immoral, mentally defective messes to me.

 

[Dragonhelm]

Their appearace in the Dragonlance trilogy caused me to think, "These creatures are vermin and should be exterminated." I just don't find them cute or charming or whatever... they're egoistic, self-serving, dangerous, sociopathic, dishonest, and basically corrupt. It's like an entire race of individuals with antisocial personality disorder, ADHD, and compulsive lying, and yet we're supposed to think they're childlike and freespirited. They seem like neurotic, immoral, mentally defective messes to me.

Check out Nightshade Pricklypear from the Dark Disciple series by Margaret Weis. He's a kender nightstalker, a kender who can speak with the dead. Not good at all with handling. Very atypical kender all in all. Yet the way Margaret writes him, he definitely is a kender, despite not being a "Tas clone."

I know that kender aren't for everyone. That's fine. And truthfully, many kender in the novels come across as "Tas clones." But not all kender are that way.

Some, for example, may handle, but they focus on certain items. Shroud, another kender nightstalker from Key of Destiny, only collected creepy items such as grave dust and finger bones. A kender may focus on a theme. For example, a kender could focus on dragon-related themes. So maybe he has maps like Tas did, but what they have on them are dragon lairs.

Point is, there are certain stereotypes that go along with kender. Some are deserved, others not so much, and others are due to urban legends and bad experiences. Look beyond the stereotypes and look for the wealth of possibilities.

 

[Scarbonac]

Hobbits, yo.

 

[robberbaron]

I just don't find them cute or charming or whatever... they're egoistic, self-serving, dangerous, sociopathic, dishonest, and basically corrupt. It's like an entire race of individuals with antisocial personality disorder, ADHD, and compulsive lying, and yet we're supposed to think they're childlike and freespirited. They seem like neurotic, immoral, mentally defective messes to me.

Sounds like children to me.

I like Halflings (or Runtlings, Pecks, Stunties, Ratlings, etc.....) but prefer them short, round, hairy and pleasure fixated - pretty much a la JRRT.

IMC Halflings are found pretty much everywhere and are among the best hosts and the best cooks. They make good tealeaves, thanks to skill and Dex bonuses, but are not all Winona Ryders.

 

[TarionzCousin]

With handlebar ears.

That's not a halfling! That's a Poison Elf with an attitude problem.

I voted for Athasian cannibals. It made them somewhat frightening.

 

[Brennin Magalus]

I do not care for halflings. One short race (i.e., dwarves) suffices.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I HATE kender. They should be feed to a bullette, prefereably to be eaten alive and in as painful a way as possible, or roasting on a spit with a lemon sauce and basil garnish.

QFT again.

My bad experiences with kender came from players who actually followed the rules on how to play a kender in 2e, or used the novels as a guide to how to play one.

Afflicted kender are okay, but regular kender are literally kleptomaniacs (they don't think of it as stealing, well, neither do some real-life kleptomaniacs).

 

[Old Gumphrey]

Gonna say it one more time, Kender suck hard. They aren't even a race, they are a personality type and an excuse for players to be chaotic stupid and steal EVERYTHING they come across with complete justification. Most people who want to play kender, IMX, are some of the most annoying people I've ever met. Actually, to be honest, everyone I know personally that's run or wanted to run a kender has been extremely annoying. I do not think this is a coincidence. You never see a party of kender. You see a semi-regular party, and one douchebag who wants to be a kender and screw up the whole game because it's "fun". This player usually will do something to screw it up anyway, but with kender, it's not only more possible, it's encouraged. Kill them all and burn the bodies.