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

[Minigiant]

I like the theory in an XP to Level 3 video that Merry and Pippen are DMPCs designed to spawn random encounters because Aragorn is OP and Frodo and Sam don't actually want to adventure.

Aragorn: Yeah. This is one of my favored terrain so I skip all the encounters.
DM: Again?
DM: Merry and Pippin do something dumb. Roll initiative.
Legolas: I use Elven Accuracy. Critical hit.
DM: Again?

 

[Oofta]

But the moment I want to talk about something beyond my table, then people care about my opinions. And then they tell me that I am wrong, and I shouldn't be putting forth those opinions. I should only be concerned with the table in front of me, and nothing else.

When have people done that? I mean, I tend to skim this topic nowadays and I certainly disagree with you. But telling you that they disagree with your vision of halflings is not telling you that your opinion is invalid. It's when you represent your opinion as fact or objective truth that you get pushback. You dismiss anything people do at their table. In effect "wanting to talk about something beyond my table" is saying you think this should be applied to my table as well as your own or should be applied to future official publications.

Post as many options as you want. If I disagree, I may tell you I disagree and why.

 

[Oofta]

Well, if LotR was D&D it feels like not 5e from what I hear. I mean, one of the higher level PCs died against just orcs!

In all fairness, it was a lot of orcs. Oh, and high level is probably around level 5 or 6 in LOTR.

 

[Minigiant]

In all fairness, it was a lot of orcs. Oh, and high level is probably around level 5 or 6 in LOTR.

Nah.

LOTR goes up to level 13 or so.
Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Faramir, and Boromir are all level 11+.
Best warriors on the plane.

The DM counts HP loss as parries.
Again there were a lot of orcs. That's a a lot of hits. Lots of parries.

 

[Minigiant]

There should be no lore about their gods in the base books.

I disagree.
I think there should be multiple options of halfling gods in the base books.
You can have "Miss Do nothing" Yondalla or Avandra who adopts them after Melora and Sehanine abandons them.

Neither of those settings are even remotely wacky. What they did is actually decide to include halflings in an important way. Which is what you want, right?

Dark Sun and Eberron break from D&D traditions by a lot. This helped halfling incorporate themselves into the settings better.

So they have a different history than in LotR.

Nah. They have all reverted to hobbits except in Dark Sun and Eberron.

This would be the same Force they decided was the result of microscopic organisms, right?

We don't talk about midichlorians here, bub.

 

[Faolyn]

I disagree.
I think there should be multiple options of halfling gods in the base books.
You can have "Miss Do nothing" Yondalla or Avandra who adopts them after Melora and Sehanine abandons them.

Those are setting details. Not base details. Those gods can be listed, in the back like they currently are, but there should be no assumption that you're "supposed" to or "required" to use Official Approved D&D GodsTM.

Dark Sun and Eberron break from D&D traditions by a lot. This helped halfling incorporate themselves into the settings better.

So that's what you want, right?

Nah. They have all reverted to hobbits except in Dark Sun and Eberron.

See, I'm not seeing that, especially with the way the books talk about how so many of them are either nomads (which LotR hobbits aren't) or live with humans (which LotR hobbits don't).

I almost typo'ed that as hibbits, which makes we want to create some sort of pastoral frogfolk.

We don't talk about midichlorians here, bub.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

We don't talk about midichlorians here, bub.

Can I interest your hobb- errrr….halflings in some minichlorians?

 

[Vaalingrade]

That's whole point of this thread.

Halflings are popular but TSR and now WOTC won't do jack for them and give them copypasta and basic lore

Because the people who like halflings don't need more.

Frankly, I don't care about any of the other species' lore aside Dwarves having to be ISO Standard Dwarves because that's fantasy, that's the rule.

 

[Gammadoodler]

Well, if LotR was D&D it feels like not 5e from what I hear. I mean, one of the higher level PCs died against just orcs!

That's what happens when you split the party.

 

[Hussar]

So why start with halflings? Rather than a less popular race that takes a very similar space (gnomes) or even a race that's only slightly more popular despite having been showered with love from writers for decades (dwarfs)? Why single out halflings?

Been asked this a couple of times. Because the thread is about halflings? I mean, focusing on halflings IS the point of the thread. We could make the same points about the lack of lore for gnomes as well, really. It's not like gnomes are swimming in information either. And tieflings and dragonborn are both largely absent. But, we're talking about halflings.

And, again, I'd have zero problem with dropping any race from the PHB that is rarely played. Whether it's 5.9% or 4.something percent from a later poll (funny how that averages out to about 5%, but, there are those who INSIST on keeping that .9 percent but refuse to acknowledge the other, more recent numbers, almost like some folks might just possibly be arguing in bad faith.), halflings are not a very commonly played race and never have been. If dwarves are in the same boat, then boot them out too.

The PHB should reflect what is actually being played, not what people wish were played. Now, I don't have access to the numbers, so, I cannot, obviously, state categorically which races should make the cut. But, if the options in the PHB were similar to the class options in popularity, then no race would be head and shoulders more popular. We should at least make the attempt to make the PHB relevant to most tables.

I have a sneaking suspicion that it really isn't.