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

[Cadence]

then what do they make?

Fine pastries, comfortable meals, magnificent feasts, and pipe weed.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

then what do they make?

Scones.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Fine pastries, comfortable meals, magnificent feasts, and pipe weed.

so anything that does not have a shelf life of over a week? aside from them being blazed out of their little minds do they do anything that lasts?

Scones.

anything more permanent?

 

[Crimson Longinus]

so anything that does not have a shelf life of over a week? aside from them being blazed out of their little minds do they do anything that lasts?

Probably not much. I don't really see halflings building grand monuments or great artefacts.

anything more permanent?

They're permanent on your waist!

 

[Micah Sweet]

so anything that does not have a shelf life of over a week? aside from them being blazed out of their little minds do they do anything that lasts?

anything more permanent?

Homes, gardening implements, forging and other tools, books about the other things they like. You know, the kinds of things peaceful folk with their level of technology would make.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

And tradition. And piety. And worship of ancestors. And a connection with the mountains and stone. And stubborness.

As established earlier in this thread humans can also be traditional pious ancestor worshipping stubborn fools ... So no e of those count as dwarf lore.

Apparently the only lore that counts is that which is inhuman, which is to say magical abilities.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I find myself wanting the untold tale of the 5 rings and the 11 rings. For the former maybe Sauron realized the entire plan would go to &$-# if he actually had to wait for the ents to discuss it, and for the later there's no way the halflings would listen to someone who couldn't understand needing late second tea after the three lunches.

There's no way either race would ever be important anyway.

Nah the ent lord just used the rings to take all the ent wives for themselves, the halfling ones made the shire so peaceful and merry that they forgot that the rest of the lands matter.

Probably not much. I don't really see halflings building grand monuments or great artefacts.


They're permanent on your waist!

not even a wall of history?

Homes, gardening implements, forging and other tools, books about the other things they like. You know, the kinds of things peaceful folk with their level of technology would make.

you do know how difficult it is to make metal tools and books right?

 

[Gammadoodler]

Does anyone who wants halflings to have more/better lore have concrete examples of that? I know everyone has grievances with each other, but that doesn't really address the base issue and what the OP was theoretically originally about.

What would you do to make halflings worth adding to your campaign/playing? (If it's "nothing, they're good," that's fine -- we don't need to revisit how the people who think otherwise are terrible people with bad haircuts.)

Keeping in mind that I think halfling lore is adequate (give it a C or C minus grade), I think a logical step 1 is clearer differentiation related to the subraces.

Beyond that, I don't particularly care about detailing a pantheon, or a creation myth/story. Like, those things can be fine but absent a vigorous active, demanding creator deity, I don't think they actually do that much to detail how someone from that race might think about life in their world.

What I would like would be for them to be "the outgoing friendly race" rather than "a secret friendly race".

I think something like this could allow them to function as great explorers, merchants, or diplomats such that a perspective from another race might be, "No matter where you go in the world, a halfling has served dinner there..twice". I think it's a niche that no other race currently occupies, and I think it's mostly already supported by existing lore.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Maybe if people stopped the ad hominem attacks I'd be more okay with "getting a grip" but you can't defend halflings without constantly attacking people who are saying that they are lacking.

You can't help to put in almost all of your long winded replies how people are personally attacking you...and nobody is. They disagree with your opinion...but no opinion is going to be proven a fact no matter how much you argue for it. If you are getting physically upset when interacting with this thread is suggest you take a break or just move on. Nobody is attacking YOU.

 

[jayoungr]

anything more permanent?

Depends on what you mean by permanent. There are, for example, pubs in England that claim to have been operating continuously in the same spot for close to a millennium, or even longer. I could easily see halflings having something like that.

8 Oldest Pubs in England - Oldest.org

Discover the 8 Oldest Pubs in England here. Prepare to be transported into a rich & fascinating history on the oldest pubs in england that exist.

www.oldest.org