D&D General Short folk appreciation thread – what do you play?

[Shades of Eternity]

Quick curiosity question for the group.

When you play Small-sized characters in (5e or previous versions), which ones do you actually like playing?

Not asking about balance or optimization—just preference, vibe, and table experience.

Here’s the rough “short folk” list I had in mind:

• Gnomes
• Halflings
• Goblins
• Kobolds
• Autognomes

Do you gravitate toward one of these more than the others?
Is there one you always enjoy, or one you keep meaning to play but never get around to?

If I missed any that classify as a short species, let me know.

Also curious:

• Do you play them straight, or lean into comedy?
• Any memorable characters or campaigns where a short folk really shined?

Feel free to add others if you think they belong—this is mostly about what people actually choose at the table.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Some times I imagine using a nerferd version of jump spell like a cantrip, or riding monster mounts or constructs.

They are right like nPCs for "cozy" zones.

 

[TheSword]

Don’t forget humans. I’m playing a very short human illusionist in a Vecna campaign.

He’s based on this guy (those that know know) and I do a half decent voice impression. People keep confusing him with a dwarf which he finds quite offensive and he always corrects people. He’s quite camp and flamboyant and he speaks with a lisp. So there is an element of comedy but most of my characters do have a comic element. He also has a tragic element. He’s melancholically self reflective and extremely self depreciating though he does have a sardonic sense of humor.

Just as an aside though I think there is a difference between short and small. A dwarf is short but wouldn’t be small.

 

[Shades of Eternity]

One thing I didn’t mention earlier, but probably should have: I really like kobolds.

A big part of that comes from how long they’ve carried the dragon-adjacent identity in D&D. This isn’t a new invention—kobolds leaning into clever engineering, vertical spaces, and draconic problem-solving goes all the way back to Dragon Mountain, where they weren’t jokes or cannon fodder, but organized, terrifyingly prepared defenders of their territory.

For me, that really clicked in 3e, especially Races of the Dragon, where kobolds weren’t just “small lizard guys” but aspirational dragons: gliding, tinkering, scheming, and compensating for size with planning and audacity. My favourite example was a kobold ranger built entirely around that idea—gliding wings, boots of levitation, and a decanter of endless water strapped to his back for propulsion. It was ridiculous, but it was also perfectly on-theme.

I think that’s why people keep coming back to kobolds:

• They’re underdogs with a vision. Kobolds know they’re small. Their entire culture is built around overcoming that through preparation, traps, mobility, and teamwork.
• They reward clever play. Kobolds shine when the player thinks in three dimensions—vertical movement, terrain control, ambushes, escape routes.
• They’re aspirational without being noble. They don’t need to be dragons; they just need to get closer, one scheme at a time.
• They scale well across tones. Kobolds can be comedic, tragic, heroic, or genuinely frightening, depending on how seriously the table takes their competence.
• They feel earned. A successful kobold character usually survives because the player planned ahead, not because the stats carried them.

In a lot of ways, kobolds are the platonic ideal of a Small PC species: not cute by default, not powerful by accident, but memorable because they turn limitations into identity.

That’s the energy I keep chasing when I think about short folk design—small bodies, big plans.

 

[aco175]

I play halflings and dwarves. I always liked the Lord of the Rings and seeing the hobbits be the ones who create the story always had a soft spot. Some of the mechanics over the years also gave them some abilities that fit and were cool to play. I think over 5e years, I has a halfling rogue with just about every background, but criminal and urchin seem to be the most played. I do have a halfling cleric in one game who wordships a farming god and wields a 1/8staff instead of a 1/4staff. It deals less damage, but can use Dex to attack.

 

[CreamCloud0]

i think i recall that alot of the beastfolk-type species ended up having 'medium or small' in their size category, harengon, kenku, owlin, tortle, tabaxi for some examples, grung were exclusively small though i think,

i would like to comment more on the thread topic but i haven't played at all to comment, however small characters have always really appealed to me and i wish they were given more love, both by the designers and the players.

 

[Scribe]

Not a poll?!

Dwarf.

 

[GuyBoy]

Don’t forget humans. I’m playing a very short human illusionist in a Vecna campaign.

He’s based on this guy (those that know know) and I do a half decent voice impression. People keep confusing him with a dwarf which he finds quite offensive and he always corrects people. He’s quite camp and flamboyant and he speaks with a lisp. So there is an element of comedy but most of my characters do have a comic element. He also has a tragic element. He’s melancholically self reflective and extremely self depreciating though he does have a sardonic sense of humor.

Just as an aside though I think there is a difference between short and small. A dwarf is short but wouldn’t be small.


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I'm the DM for Rob in this campaign, and this personality trait is such a joy to DM. I can use the "dwarf confusion" (and even "gnome confusion" in one instance!) to create immediate tension within interactions with my NPCs.
It's a really good hook.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Not a poll?!

Dwarf.

ah yes, the 'small' species that isn't actually small.

 

[humble minion]

I'm playing a halfling warlock currently, possibly my first ever halfling. The high Cha warlock synergy is a good opportunity to play a mostly-true-to-type halfling - curious, sociable, a little bit innocent, interested in other people and so on.

I've wanted to play a dwarf in 5e for a long time now, but the right campaign hasn't come along. The gruffness and stubbornness and sturdiness appeals to me. Either an Echo Knight, where the echo is the dwarf's devil-on-shoulder other self if he follows the path of his evil father rather than his Dumathoin-cleric mother, or else a very serious Beer Monk, who adventures in order to recover ancient brews, yeast strains, tankards etc from ruined dwarfholds and relearn great brewing secrets of ancient days. I think if i play that one I'm going to ask to take a level in Kobold Press's Beer domain cleric, just for the ale-dritch blast cantrip.

I love the IDEA of a goblin PC. Just the lowliest, most despised, most disposable D&D race ever, underfoot, overlooked, and beneath contempt. But the class combos that speak to me best here are rogue or monk, and the 5e goblin race mechanics really aren't very good and those two classes particular have lots of double-up abilities with goblin race abilities. So it's mechanically a tough thing to do. Maybe eventually though.