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

[jayoungr]

See, but DnD is a game about adventuring parties. From the perspective of the game they are one of the most important races...

This is the part of the premise I don't agree with. They are expected to be one of the most numerous races in adventuring parties (though again, I'll be interested to see if that get changed), but that doesn't mean they have to have grand societal accomplishments.

 

[Mecheon]

Do a lot of people talk of elves mining? They still have metal stuff.

Far too long of playing modded Minecraft tells me that elves don't mine.

Now, what they -do- do is plant trees in the ground that magically drag ore to the surface

Everyone living underground hates this. Going along your nicely kept tunnels and all of a sudden this bloody tree's gone and grown its roots down to start stealing ore

 

[Gammadoodler]

Actually.. they really don't. Their stated narrative purpose and themes just don't work in DnD.

I assume you have proof of this. Perhaps something involving maps and cooking fires. Agricultural acreage etc. Perhaps we could discuss magic vs skills, fantasy spices and magical Dwarven mushrooms.

Seriously this is all a direct rehash of the last great halfling debate. Your arguments were unconvincing then. They are similarly unconvincing now.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Firbolgs have almost no culture. They don't even name themselves. They use their disguise self to blend in with other people and turn invisible so as not to interact with others.

Why do you like them and not halflings?

I love seeing how Doctorbadwolf, Crimson Loginous and Oofta all liked your post. Almost as if all the people who are arguing against me see this as some sort of point for them.

Going off the top of my head.

They do have a culture. I remember something about The Code and how they try and do good deeds in secret, because doing good things with an idea of rewards isn't truly good. They live in fully harmony with nature, even getting the ability to naturally speak with plants. They are a large race of mysterious forest dwellers, who try and resolve conflicts through discussion when they can. They have ties to giant lore that I am planning on expanding and working on, making them, goliaths and giants a single unit, and expanding their lore. You say that they don't have names, but that is a back and forth. They don't take names unless they need to, and the names they do take are connected to a specific place or thing. That is a very interesting bit, reminds me of the Gargoyles from that tv show, and it gives you a good hook from just your name.

I also find them more visually interesting than a lot of other races. And the ability to turn invisible or change their appearance is a really interesting addition of stealth to their stature which is a fun dichotomy.


Are you satisified with my answers or are you going to demand that I now must like halflings because I like Firbolgs? It'd be an interesting change from being told I hate nice races that don't like conflict.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Well, many of your responses are several thousand words long and many of your responses are "I've already told you they're bad". Yet I'm with @Faolyn on this one, I don't know what you want. You say you like firbolg lore but change a phrase or two here and there and to me the base entries for firbolgs and halflings could practically be swapped. You say halflings aren't important, but what would make them "important"? Conquering nations? Being fierce warriors? Creating items in the DMG, practically all of which are directly related to adventuring and making combatants more effective?

All of the races are just the bare outlines of an entire culture waiting to be given life by a campaign setting if the DM and players care. All races basically represent some extreme example of humanity. Halflings are the people that are for the most part perfectly okay with being unexceptional and just enjoying their life. Like most of humanity. Saying they're unimportant is kind of like saying that people that don't go into politics, aren't famous, don't strive to be the best possible at their profession to the detriment of all else are unimportant. Yes, Elon Musk is important. That doesn't mean that Joe the janitor that is happy cleaning the office and going home to spend time with his wife and kids is unimportant. Especially when Joe is extremely brave and will risk life and limb to protect his family, neighbor or friend from danger.

Maybe the janitors (and school teachers and factory line workers and that guy that sells you that slushy, etc.) of the world aren't important to you. But that means they don't count. Just because you don't like halflings doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them.

My responses to Faolyn might be incredibly long, but not my owns to anyone else. And, yes, got tired of repeating myself to her, so I started just telling her I had already told her something. Those posts were already long enough, as you indicated.

Oh, also, I find it hilarious that you are telling me (a schoolteacher) that I don't think schoolteachers are important. Glad to know that I chose a job I think isn't important.

And really, you undermine yourself in attacking me. Because, what did I say that I would have liked to see to make halfling lore better? A better origin myth other than "they were found" and maybe leaning into them being the diplomats and negotiators of the world. The peacekeepers who act as a neutral third party. Make them lorekeepers who go around gathering stories and recording them with a purpose.

Such a terrible thing to ask for, full of conquering nations and being fierce warriors and making combat items. Oh... or none of that. Almost as though you don't understand my position at all and are just lashing out at what you think I want.

 

[Chaosmancer]

This is the part of the premise I don't agree with. They are expected to be one of the most numerous races in adventuring parties (though again, I'll be interested to see if that get changed), but that doesn't mean they have to have grand societal accomplishments.

How about any impact on the societal fabric of the world at all?

 

[Cadence]

We seem to have lots of long posts going over the same ground. How about some nice 5 word summaries of the last 69 pages. Like,

"Gandalf likes Halflings, Saruman doesn't."

 

[Chaosmancer]

I assume you have proof of this. Perhaps something involving maps and cooking fires. Agricultural acreage etc. Perhaps we could discuss magic vs skills, fantasy spices and magical Dwarven mushrooms.

Seriously this is all a direct rehash of the last great halfling debate. Your arguments were unconvincing then. They are similarly unconvincing now.

The purpose of hobbits were to be simple folk who couldn't be corrupted by promises of power, because they did not desire power. And thus the singular unifying force of evil in the world fell, not do to great kings or wizards, but do to simple folk who wanted to live a good life.

Start by finding me a single unifying focus of evil in Dungeons and Dragons. Someone who unifies all the evil gods, all the fiends, and all the Elder Evils.

Then find me a way that any of those forces give one whit of a care about corrupting people. Sure, devils corrupt people, but when you have an infestation of devils you don't find victory by not falling for their promises of power, you have to fight them and hold to your convictions.

The vast majority of evil in the DnD mutliverse... is just evil that needs to be fought, not evil that needs small acts of good by simple people to have fail.

 

[Gammadoodler]

The purpose of hobbits were to be simple folk who couldn't be corrupted by promises of power, because they did not desire power. And thus the singular unifying force of evil in the world fell, not do to great kings or wizards, but do to simple folk who wanted to live a good life.

Start by finding me a single unifying focus of evil in Dungeons and Dragons. Someone who unifies all the evil gods, all the fiends, and all the Elder Evils.

Then find me a way that any of those forces give one whit of a care about corrupting people. Sure, devils corrupt people, but when you have an infestation of devils you don't find victory by not falling for their promises of power, you have to fight them and hold to your convictions.

The vast majority of evil in the DnD mutliverse... is just evil that needs to be fought, not evil that needs small acts of good by simple people to have fail.

This???
This???
Is your proof??

Literary criticism??

Applied to D&D settings??

In your book, for simple folks to be appropriate avenues for make believe in a make-believe setting, it must be in contrast to some make-believe overarching corrupting evil?

This is extremely silly. Just...extremely silly. And it's also weirdly elitist and arrogant..
And again..really really silly.

 

[lingual]

I still don't get it. Just don't play a halfling.