So, about those halflings...

[Nightchilde-2]

Lidda's way hotter than any of those hobbit chicks. I mean, she's packin' a lot of junk in her trunk, y'know...

Oh..and..SNEAK ATTACK!

 

[Clavis]

Has everybody forgotten that we've already seen a 4e halfling?

They're short humans with jheri curls.

Will there be new magic items like Activator +5, Ungreasy?

 

[GreatLemur]

YMMV, of course.

Sadly, it does not.

But honestly, I'd be kind of surprised if that image was truly representative of the 4e halfling. I'm expecting they'll basically look like 3e halflings, probably with some slightly different fluff.

 

[The_Gneech]

3E halflings aren't distinct enough to make them worth including. They're wandering gypsy-types who happen to be 3' tall instead of 6'. Why bother?

If you're going to include 'em, make 'em hobbitey. No point otherwise.

-The Gneech

 

[Stormtalon]

You know how cartoons always have the annoying little sidekick as part of the team? Usually with a stupid name? That's what hobbits/halflings/tinker-gnomes/gully-dwarves are, all too often. Gleek. Uni. Scrappy Doo. Keyop. Blip.

I think that perception of them is why I don't like them. Almost as bad is the "anti-annoying-sidekick" version. You know, "hey, my halflings aren't goofy at all, they're vicious little cannibals that file their teeth into points and cover themselves with tribal tats."

This is why I usually end up providing such a character myself when I DM (usually happens before I realize I'm doing it, too). Lets me keep the character on the sidelines, but available for when the party needs a dose of lightness or ego-boosting. A recent example is Gubchuk the Goblin -- a personal valet (yes, an overdressed goblin) that was rescued from an abusive employer is one. Before him, there was Gashripper the Gnoll -- valiantly trying to figure out exactly what this whole "being a good guy" thing meant (and finally deciding that it's somehow based on who and what you don't eat).

Once you as DM have an NPC occupy that role, the players will find better uses for their characters, usually.

More on topic, I think the 3e halflings are ok. Seen many good things done with them in the campaigns I've run and played in.

 

[Celebrim]

Once you as DM have an NPC occupy that role, the players will find better uses for their characters, usually.

As a DM, one of the things I had to learn to keep in mind was to not create an NPC in a PC role.

It took me a bit longer to realize that the the reverse was true to. As a player, it is often inappropriate to create an NPC in a PC role. Obvious cases of perfectly valid NPC concepts that are invalid as PC's are antagonists, loners, incompotents, mutes, and those not motivated to adventure. It took attempting to referee some people with PC concepts in those categories for me to reexamine some of my PC character concepts and realize how much they usually pushed the line. I think 'sidekick' and 'comic relief' doesn't always fall into an NPC role, but it requires an unusually good RPer to pull it off as a PC without annoying the rest of the party.

 

[Moonshade]

I have a certain nostalgic affection for hobbity halflings but I've never been interested enough to play the race. I hope that whether they decide to continue in the 3E direction or do something else, they write some good halfling fluff for the PHB.

 

[Stormtalon]

As a DM, one of the things I had to learn to keep in mind was to not create an NPC in a PC role.

It took me a bit longer to realize that the the reverse was true to. As a player, it is often inappropriate to create an NPC in a PC role. Obvious cases of perfectly valid NPC concepts that are invalid as PC's are antagonists, loners, incompotents, mutes, and those not motivated to adventure. It took attempting to referee some people with PC concepts in those categories for me to reexamine some of my PC character concepts and realize how much they usually pushed the line. I think 'sidekick' and 'comic relief' doesn't always fall into an NPC role, but it requires an unusually good RPer to pull it off as a PC without annoying the rest of the party.

Ayup -- that's why they're normally sidekickish gofers/packmules who rarely (if ever) do anything useful in combat. If they do happen to be useful in combat, then they're the sort who --for whatever reason-- need some sort of orders from a PC as to what they should be doing. Gashripper, for instance, kept having to be reminded of what "good folks do, and what good folks don't do," sometimes in the thick of things.

The only problem I do commonly run into is that my players tend to like the sidekicks a bit too much, with much wailing and "don't you DARE kill [insert name]!!" if it seems like a plot is headed towards them becoming a redshirt. Still haven't figured out how to prevent that issue.

Ah well, back to your regularly scheduled 4e Halfling discussion!

 

[The Human Target]

3E halflings aren't distinct enough to make them worth including. They're wandering gypsy-types who happen to be 3' tall instead of 6'. Why bother?

If you're going to include 'em, make 'em hobbitey. No point otherwise.

-The Gneech

Why bother if they're going to be 3' tall gardeners?

 

[Irda Ranger]

3e Halflings made better PC's than previous editions' hobbits/halflings/kender, but I still didn't see the point. Personally, I haven't see any reason to believe they aren't just a human sub-race with consistent dwarfism (the genetic condition; nothing to do with Dwarves the D&D race) and a cultural preference for throwing things (which I would too if I had their melee disadvantages). They've got no Crunch kicks ass, and they've got no Fluff that inspires cool stories.

If someone fixes those two deficiencies and makes them distinct from humans (it doesn't have to be cosmetic difference; but it does need to be a real difference), I'd be happy to reconsider.

Until then I've voted to yank 'em.