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

[Yaarel]

This sounds like an awfully personal take on Halflings, rather than anything else. Did I miss the bit where they were described and stupid and apathetic somewhere?

Altho unflatteringly characterized as "stupid and apathetic", this seems equivalent to a below-average Intelligence score and a tendency to stay comfortable at home. The average Human will tend to be one score point higher than a Halfling.

Tashas mechanics makes this no longer true, thankfully, but the connotation flavor will remain around for a while.

Note, the High Elf was also only "average" Intelligence, and the other kinds of elves were by definition more "stupid" than humans, strictly speaking.

 

[Fenris-77]

Altho unflatteringly characterized as "stupid and apathetic", this seems equivalent to a below-average Intelligence score and a tendency to stay comfortable at home. The average Human will tend to be one score point higher than a Halfling.

Tashas mechanics makes this no longer true, thankfully, but the connotation flavor will remain around for a while.

Note, the High Elf was also only "average" Intelligence, and the other kinds of elves were by definition more "stupid" than humans, strictly speaking.

I wasn't characterizing them as either of those things, just suggesting what the post I was quoting was indexing there.

Halflings are also usually characterized as Lawful and Good, as well as brave. That's been true since Tolkien. So where's the yeah we'll just sit here and ignore the dreadlord next door bit? Sorry, doesn't pass the laugh test for me.

 

[Yaarel]

I wasn't characterizing them as either of those things, just suggesting what the post I was quoting was indexing there.

Halflings are also usually characterized as Lawful and Good, as well as brave. That's been true since Tolkien. So where's the yeah we'll just sit here and ignore the dreadlord next door bit? Sorry, doesn't pass the laugh test for me.

Ummm ... they are all Rogues? Every one of them? Heh.

But staying in ones own home and hiding from the rest of the world, can be characterized as apathy.

I agree with the argument that Halflings care about their own NEIGHBORHOOD, and that often includes caring about Human, Elf, and Dwarf neighbors. But this still is a kind of ghettoized apathy toward the rest of the outside world.

 

[Minigiant]

This sounds like an awfully personal take on Halflings, rather than anything else. Did I miss the bit where they were described and stupid and apathetic somewhere?

Halflings aren't stupid. They are a bit apathetic to those outside their area.

The PHB heavily hints that halflings rely on the humans and dwarves to defend them and deal with the day to day defense of the plane. As the PHB describes them, halflings have all the characteristics to be a race helpless country peasants. It's a bit creepy.

No ambition
No geopolitical strength
No drive for exceptionalism
Curiosity but never fully entering new fields
Reliance on others
Faceless existence

 

[Fenris-77]

Thats still an awful read on the lineage. I'm aftaid I simply cant agree. YMMV.

 

[Minigiant]

Thats still an awful read on the lineage. I'm aftaid I simply cant agree. YMMV.

But it's a read.

If you were to ask people of their opinions of halflings in a D&D world, you'd find at least a few people who see them as useless, good for nothing, country hick, moochers.

In fact, many people think that in Warhammer Fantasy. Especially the nobles.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Also, mechanically, I have to say that I think people are selling halfling luck short. It has saved my character so many times.

I’ve got a Crit after rolling a 1 a handful of times with halfling rogue, too. Fighters and monks prolly have that effect more often.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Ummm ... they are all Rogues? Every one of them? Heh.

But staying in ones own home and hiding from the rest of the world, can be characterized as apathy.

I agree with the argument that Halflings care about their own NEIGHBORHOOD, and that often includes caring about Human, Elf, and Dwarf neighbors. But this still is a kind of ghettoized apathy toward the rest of the outside world.

What are you even basing this on?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Hope you enjoy where you are at and never come to my country. Best luck to you.

Are you actively trying to stir the pot? Please consider using less charged language in the future.

 

[Don Durito]

I don't mind halflings. They're pretty maleable and easy to use across all sorts of genres and tones. I don't know why people focus so much on specific lore. In my experience, you can make halflings into river people or transhumance highland sheepherders (they have big shaggy sheepdogs that they ride around on) and they still come out feeling like a recognisable variation of the same core. 5e lore may have taken them back to hobbits because 5e was, on release, the lets go back to the roots game, but it comes after Dark Sun and Kender, and 3e's take on Halflings and 4e.

Compare them to Dwarves. As soon as you take the Dwarves out of western europe style fantasy they start feeling stretched thin. It's really hard to make Dwarves not boing and have them still be recognisably Dwarves.