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

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

What about Lord Dunsany?

Having tried, repeatedly, to get legal copies of his work, I'd say his star has really faded, given how hard it is to even read his stuff now.

 

[Oofta]

What about Lord Dunsany?

Who? Which is my point ... there are other authors. Other authors had and will continue to have influence on D&D. D&D is not Adventures in Middle Earth but Tolkien was the author of many of the founding concepts. Along with several other authors. Oh, and cheap plastic minis from Taiwan.

 

[Greg K]

Harry Potter then. Been around for a quarter of a century, still well known, and got more movies than Middle Earth did (nine including Fantastic Beasts vs. seven including the Ralph Bakshi version of Fellowship)

Small correction. You did not include the animated versions of The Hobbit (1977) and Return of the King (1980). Both were by Rankin/Bass

 

[Bohandas]

Who? Which is my point ... there are other authors. Other authors had and will continue to have influence on D&D. D&D is not Adventures in Middle Earth but Tolkien was the author of many of the founding concepts. Along with several other authors. Oh, and cheap plastic minis from Taiwan.

Gulliver's Travels then.
Where's my race that's the same as humans or halflings except tiny instead of small or medium? Where's my race of talking horses? Where's my senile immortals?

or H.P.Lovecraft's dream cycle.
Why aren't ghouls a playable race?

 

[Don Durito]

How often have you seen players come to the table with a character inspired by Harry Potter?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

How often have you seen players come to the table with a character inspired by Harry Potter?

I DM middle school and high schoolers, among others. And I've seen this repeatedly.

 

[Faolyn]

Other authors of course have influence on D&D, but Tolkien was the first to envision a truly fantastical world other than Conan. But even with Conan, it was still a human world and it' was always pulp fantasy sword and sorcery.

Well, envisioning a truly fantastical world and wrote a serious story mostly for adults. Can you imagine if D&D was based on Wonderland or Oz? (In the latter case, we'd get not-munchkins instead of not-hobbits.)

 

[Cadence]

I DM middle school and high schoolers, among others. And I've seen this repeatedly.

Seems reasonable that if Potter came out at the turn of the 60s to 70s, broomsticks, snitches, and patronuses would all be in there somewhere. Harder to get into a mythos once it's solidified to its own thing

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Well, envisioning a truly fantastical world and wrote a serious story mostly for adults. Can you imagine if D&D was based on Wonderland or Oz? (In the latter case, we'd get not-munchkins instead of not-hobbits.)

This is probably a good time to mention that the 5E Oz Kickstarter looks wonderful if, like me, you are a big fan of Baum's works. (Even if you're not, the Bestiary looks like a great time for people who want both whimsical fey and nightmare fuel.)

And yes, the munchkins are a halfling subrace.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Seems reasonable that if Potter came out at the turn of the 60s to 70s, broomsticks, snitches, and patronuses would all be in there somewhere. Harder to get into a mythos once it's solidified to its own thing

When I mysteriously don't win the World's Best DM contest that WotC is running, I am thinking it's time for me to at least put out the big PDF of more "modern" influences (I'd go as far back as Zork and other videogames that followed D&D) up on DMs Guild. Harry Potter, Minecraft and everything else that says "fantasy" to audiences that started after Appendix N was published.