D&D General My Problem(s) With Halflings, and How To Create Engaging/Interesting Fantasy Races

[Yaarel]

Funny how you missed this: "nomadic bands that travel constantly, lured by the open road and the wide horizon to discover the wonders of new lands and peoples ... a knack for finding the most straightforward solution to a problem ... venture into the world for reasons of community, friendship, wanderlust, or curiosity. They love discovering new things ... can display remarkable ferocity when their friends, families, or communities are threatened ... Halflings usually set out on the adventurer's path to defend their communities, support their friends, or explore a wide and wonder-filled world."

Why do you accuse me of missing this?

I already mentioned that farmkid-goes-on-an-adventure is a Luke Skywalker Human trait.

 

[Faolyn]

As described inthe PHB and settings that copy the PHB, halflings are described as an aspect of humans spread over the whole race. A subrace of humans.

No, they're not. Or, if they are, it's in the same way that every other race is an aspect of humans.

This is because Tolkien designed hobbits to basically be a culture of humans spread over a whole race of short people.

Since halflings aren't just hobbits, that point is moot.

 

[Yaarel]

Humans aren't described as liking home and safety in D&D.

A personality Quirk − alongside Ideal and Flaw − cannot by itself define a separate species.

...and orc nomadic communities, and wood elf nomadic communities, etc.

Orc and Elf have nonhuman lore. I dislike the Orc Gruumsh lore, and it will probably get revised because of an "Evil humanoid race" problem, but at least it is a nonhuman. The Elf is Fey.

By contrast, the Halfling is ... Human.

There's only so many ways to describe a culture in D&D-land. Are you surprised that there's overlap?

So, like halflings. Who have a rather different culture than typical D&D humans.

Culture ≠ Lineage

Also. Not different enough.

For those of us who have read their description, at least. Seriously, go back through the past 170+ pages.

The above statement comes across inaccurate and impolite. As if I hadnt read the Halfling description? As if I havent read thru a 170+ pages of many people complaining about how unsatisfying the Halfling is?

 

[Hussar]

So, replacing dwarves with humans:

Kingdoms rich in ancient grandeur, halls carved into the roots of mountains, the echoing of picks and hammers in deep mines and blazing forges, a commitment to clan and tradition, and a burning hatred of goblins and orcs-These common threads unite all humans.

Well, humans don't carve halls in the roots of mountains and don't have a burning hatred of goblins or orcs particularly. So, nope.

For comparison, here is the description of humans:

In the reckonings of most worlds. humans are the youngest of the common races. late to arrive on the world scene and short-lived in comparison to dwarves. elves. and dragons. Perhaps it is because of their shorter lives that they strive to achieve as much as they can in the years they are given. Or maybe they feel they have something to prove to the elder races. and that's why they build their mighty empires on the foundation of conquest and trade. Whatever drives them. humans are the innovators. the achievers. and the pioneers of the worlds.

Dragonborn:

Born of dragons, as their name proclaims, the humans walk proudly through a world that greets them with fearful incomprehension. Shaped by draconic gods or the dragons themselves, humans originally hatched from dragon eggs as a unique race, combining the best attributes of dragons and humanoids. Some humans are faithful servants to true dragons, others form the ranks of soldiers in great wars, and still others find themselves adrift, with no clear calling in life.

Nope. That doesn't work.

Gnomes:

A constant hum of busy activity pervades the warrens and neighborhoods where humans form their close- knit communities. Louder sounds punctuate the hum: a crunch of grinding gears here, a minor explosion there, a yelp of surprise or triumph, and especially bursts of laughter. humans take de!ight in !ife, enjoying every moment of invention, exploration, investigation, creation, and play.

Well, humans don't generally live in "warrens" and, while sure, they do invent stuff, the whole steampunk angle here isn't really human.

Not really going to bother with the half-humans, because, well, it's not really an issue. They're SUPPOSED to be close to humans.

For reference as well, let's include halflings

The comforts of home are the goals of most humans' lives: a place to settle in peace and quiet, far from marauding monsters and clashing armies; a blazing tire and a generous meal; fine drink and fine conversation. Though some humans live out their days in remote . agricultural communities, others form nomadic bands that travel constantly, lured by the open road and the wide horizon to discover the wonders of new lands and peoples. But even these wanderers love peace, food, hearth, and home, though home might be a wagon jostling along an dirt road or a raft floating downriver.

Umm, how is that not a human commoner? None of the other base descriptions in the PHB allow you to swap out humans. It's pretty obvious that they aren't human when you try, despite some very questionable interpretations of the definitions of words. But, halflings? There's nothing wrong with the above description of humans. It's plausible and applies to most humans.

So, tell me again how halflings are so different from humans.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Again, having stood exactly where you are talking about, many, many times, there are many fantastic words for it.

Ethereal is not one of them. As was said, it's like calling a moose "dainty".

I believe I said “møøse”.

 

[Minigiant]

No, they're not. Or, if they are, it's in the same way that every other race is an aspect of humans.

When did I, a human, get dragonblood, scales, and clannishness higher than religiosity?

 

[Gammadoodler]

So, replacing dwarves with humans:



Well, humans don't carve halls in the roots of mountains and don't have a burning hatred of goblins or orcs particularly. So, nope.

For comparison, here is the description of humans:



Dragonborn:



Nope. That doesn't work.

Gnomes:



Well, humans don't generally live in "warrens" and, while sure, they do invent stuff, the whole steampunk angle here isn't really human.

Not really going to bother with the half-humans, because, well, it's not really an issue. They're SUPPOSED to be close to humans.

For reference as well, let's include halflings



Umm, how is that not a human commoner? None of the other base descriptions in the PHB allow you to swap out humans. It's pretty obvious that they aren't human when you try, despite some very questionable interpretations of the definitions of words. But, halflings? There's nothing wrong with the above description of humans. It's plausible and applies to most humans.

So, tell me again how halflings are so different from humans.

Your dwarves and gnomes sound pretty human to me.

 

[Faolyn]

@bedir than is insisting that ethereal applies to humans. Of course, ignoring the fifteen other adjectives that don't apply to humans, but, hey.

No they didn't. They said that humans have used the word "ethereal beauty" to describe places such as waterfalls.

Which, people do, as is obvious if you google "places of ethereal beauty." Because one of the several definitions of that word is "heavenly" or "otherworldly." Ethereal doesn't just mean "insubstantial."

But, I would like to thank @bedir than for providing the perfect avenue to demonstrate how halflings aren't any different from humans. As I posted above, you can replace every instance of halfling with human in their description and it works perfectly fine. But, no, you cannot do that with elves. So, let's see if you can do it with other races. goes off to get his phb and start typing out the introduction to different races in the PHB

Let's just say you're right here, and you can replace halfling with human but you can't replace elf with human.

So what? Your only arguments against them is that they are too much like humans (despite nearly 200 pages telling you that other people disagree with that belief, and why) and that they take up room in the PH (despite that you have no idea what will happen in 6e's PH, you can't time travel and change 5e's PH, and even if halflings had been excluded from them, they wouldn't have included a different race in them, and people would have been annoyed just like they were when gnomes got booted from 4e). Your only other argument is your completely erroneous belief that the common/uncommon division of races actually means something beyond the fact that those races have been around since the very beginning and the other races weren't... and that almost nobody even cares about it at all, except that it screws up alphabetization. Which is just part and parcel of 5e's terrible organization. Do you really think some newbie to D&D is trying to make a world and looking at the PH and saying "gosh, I wish I could have lots and lots of dragonborn in my setting and very few halflings, but the book says halflings are more common than dragonborn?"

And no, maybe humans aren't of "otherworldy" (ethereal!) origins like elves are... except for the ones that are, because this is D&Dland and you can find humans anywhere, including the Ether (even if you were to ignore Planescape). And maybe humans aren't nigh-immortal... except for the ones that are, because this is D&Dland and I'm sure there are nigh-immortal humans who aren't undead in some supplement or another (even if you were to ignore Mystara). As for everything else... yeah, you can substitute elf with human.

 

[Gammadoodler]

The Halfling liking home and safety, is an insufficient distinction from the Human.


There are Halfling communities, such as nomadic communities, ... just like there are Human nomadic communities.


Heh, what I WANT is more design space for each lineage, so that the mechanics of the nonhuman lineages can be powerfully different from the Human. I didnt have this kind of problem in 4e because there was enough design space.

(I am actually ok with the Custom Lineage design space, if I homebrew the feat to focus on the salient distinctions. But the official restriction to only the current feats and qualified feats remains insufficent. Indeed, it is almost identical to the Feat Human.)

In the context of the Players Handbook, I want the Halfling to mention unambiguous nonhuman lore. Laser beam eyes? Heh, I dont care. Something. Anything!

Anything that is obviously not a Human.

Heh, to say that a short Human is a separate species, is almost an insult to reallife short people.


Correct, the Halfling liking home and safety, is an insufficient distinction from the Human.

I dont mind the trope that Halfling lacks ambition to an unusual degree, if and only if, it is part of a larger package of traits and lore that are clearly nonhuman.

That isn't what I said. It's not a matter of enjoying home and safety, it's a complete lack of interest in acquiring power over others.

Haggling with a halfling isn't like haggling with a human. Working with a halfling is not like working with a human. Interacting socially with a halfling is not like interacting with a human.

 

[bedir than]

And, @bedir than, congratulations, you found half a million people that don't know what ethereal means. Well done you.

That's not what I did, and no reasonable person could read what I wrote and think that way.

I believe I said “møøse”.

Then again, @Hussar is the same person who tried to claim credit for some other person's usage of moose, too, while continuing to make a debate about Halflings and the offshoot about language into personal attacks.