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

[Oofta]

Consider the firing methods of the two weapons.

The bow is: nock your projectile on the string, point, draw, release.

The sling is nest your load in a pocket, swing in rotational motion, then release. Timing that release point takes skill. Do it at the wrong moment, and you could even fire backwards.

And the bigger the payload, the longer the sling, and the more space it requires to use. I’ve seen ones big enough to launch half-bricks that were around 2’ long.

Huh. I used to make slings when I was a kid (not much else to do on the farm) and I always thought it was pretty simple. Arrows were easier to aim accurately though. Regardless, I don't see that it really matters. Slings are simple and cheap which is why I associate them to rural commoners, shepherds and halflings in my head.

 

[Yaarel]

Huh. I used to make slings when I was a kid (not much else to do on the farm) and I always thought it was pretty simple. Arrows were easier to aim accurately though. Regardless, I don't see that it really matters. Slings are simple and cheap which is why I associate them to rural commoners, shepherds and halflings in my head.

In my experience, slings mean shepherds. Heh, I saw with my own eyes traditional herding practices that include using a sling to hit a sheep that strayed too far away.

This West Asia part of the world traditionally used snares to catch birds. But I am guessing some European traditions use slings to hunt birds? "Kill two birds with one stone", and so on?

 

[Yaarel]

Huh. I used to make slings when I was a kid (not much else to do on the farm) and I always thought it was pretty simple. Arrows were easier to aim accurately though. Regardless, I don't see that it really matters. Slings are simple and cheap which is why I associate them to rural commoners, shepherds and halflings in my head.

I feel Backgrounds should be able to grant a certain weapon proficiency.

• Horseback Nomad: shortbow
• Deer Hunter: longbow
• Bore Hunter: spear
• Carpenter: handaxe
• Shepherd: sling
• Cowherd: lasso

And so on.

Interestingly, the sword appears to be the only weapon whose only purpose is to kill humanoids. Most other weapons are dual use for hunting or farming.

Halflings could easily be shepherds (literally pastoral), with Shepherd background whence sling.

 

[Yaarel]

The Halfling Shepherd background, in addition to sling, would even have various breeds of dog make sense, to help herding.

 

[Oofta]

In my experience, slings mean shepherds. Heh, I saw with my own eyes traditional herding practices that include using a sling to hit a sheep that strayed too far away.

This West Asia part of the world traditionally used snares to catch birds. But I am guessing some European traditions use slings to hunt birds? "Kill two birds with one stone", and so on?

Yes, slings were used for birds and other small prey. I always assumed shepherds used them not only to "encourage" sheep to go in a specific direction but also to scare off predators. You don't want something big and heavy with high maintenance (a bow) when you're out in the fields all day.

P.S. every time I think halflings and dogs for some reason I see a border collie gathering up halflings, nipping at their feet. Probably because I had a friend who's dog would do it with her little kids.

 

[Gammadoodler]

So, I'm ridiculous for engaging in a discussion about game mechanics in how the fight would go down.

But the guy who gave all halflings proficiency, all halflings a feat, made up new terrain features, insisted all of the halfling doors are reinfoced, that there is nothing burnable in a halfling home, and on and on and on has "rationalized" their position and is just indulging me.

My contributions have been "Gnolls who can see at night would attack at night", "Gnolls who have bows would use bows", "Gnolls are noted to use fire arrows, so using fire is reasonable" and that's it. I've added nothing to the gnoll capabilities.

Yes. In the same way it would be ridiculous to resolve a game of poker using the game mechanics when you control what hands those players are dealt and what they choose to do with them.

In that circumstance, as in this you are deciding the outcome. What other people have done is suggest that you could use different cards.

I'm the guy who who suggested the halflings could have part of a feat without radically altering game balance.

But you've given your Gnolls far more. You've:

• Put them in the setting
• Fully equipped them
• Put them somewhere near a halfling settlement with no other readily apparent alternative targets
• Allowed them to find the halfling settlement (when they're supposed to be difficult to find by lore)
• Allowed them to come upon that settlement completely undetected (no outriders, no local tradesmen, no messengers on the road, no hunters or trappers, etc. who could have observed this dangerous threat and sought to warn the people in area)
• Allowed the settlement they encountered to exist on some wide open plain with unobstructed sightlines
• Allowed the settlement they encountered to be constructed as if it is in safe peaceful territory.

You've stacked the deck in such a way that of course you will get the outcome you expect.

 

[Yaarel]

View attachment 140799

Ah. In the Bayeux Tapestry, hunters are using the sling to hunt birds!

I dont think this is a Nordic thing, who use snares and even falcons to catch birds. But the sling appears to be a French thing, and eventually a British method to hunt birds.

 

[Cadence]

Consider the firing methods of the two weapons.

The bow is: nock your projectile on the string, point, draw, release.

The sling is nest your load in a pocket, swing in rotational motion, then release. Timing that release point takes skill. Do it at the wrong moment, and you could even fire backwards.

And the bigger the payload, the longer the sling, and the more space it requires to use. I’ve seen ones big enough to launch half-bricks that were around 2’ long.

How much training would it need? Even with guns the military doesn't just send new people out without time at the range do they? And trained law enforcement officers don't have a great hit rate.

Reading more about it, it almost feels like it should be takeable as a martial weapons skill and get better damage and range.

For the halflings, or the like I could see them getting the little ones familiar on and off from a young age if they're supposed to be more dexterous than people. Of course they could also train them to make short bows.

 

[Yaarel]

How much training would it need? Even with guns the military doesn't just send new people out without time at the range do they? And trained law enforcement officers don't have a great hit rate.

Reading more about it, it almost feels like it should be takeable as a martial weapons skill and get better damage and range.

For the halflings, or the like I could see them getting the little ones familiar on and off from a young age if they're supposed to be more dexterous than people. Of course they could also train them to make short bows.

Yeah. Slings are probably martial weapons, in the sense of the amount of training needed to use them effectively.

Its ammunition is normal stones, thus inexpensive. But cheap isnt necessarily easy.

Of course, throwing a rock would be a simple range weapon.

Perhaps, a rock-throw deals 1d4 (improvised weapon), while a martial sling can deal 1d6 bludgeon.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Yes, slings were used for birds and other small prey. I always assumed shepherds used them not only to "encourage" sheep to go in a specific direction but also to scare off predators. You don't want something big and heavy with high maintenance (a bow) when you're out in the fields all day.

P.S. every time I think halflings and dogs for some reason I see a border collie gathering up halflings, nipping at their feet. Probably because I had a friend who's dog would do it with her little kids.

A couple decades ago, we had a BC who would circle my nephews when they were playing in the yard. And she‘d go for the fingers of anyone who dared put a hand over the fence if she were the only one out there with them.

ANYONE.

She also fought off a Doberman who jumped a fence to get at me while we were on a walk.