Suggestions to replace Halflings

[Nellisir]

Nezumi are a good idea. I use troldfolk, based on the "Three Billy Goats Gruff" sort of trolls.

 

[Steely Dan]

Rats are actually rather good swimmers.

Yeah, I heard they can tread water, for like 20 hours or something...?

 

[Nahat Anoj]

Goblins.

 

[Irda Ranger]

I'd go with otterfolk in standard fantasy, but in a dark fantasy I'd go with ratmen. Burning Wheel has a good ratman race called "Roden", which is a nice name for them. Rats are good swimmers, as others have mentioned, and despite the idiom they don't drown very easily.

 

[Artoomis]

How about beavers sort of like what's in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe?

I think that could be fun.

For even more fun, make the players talk in an English accent.

 

[rob626]

Yuan-Ti

The reinvisioning of the Yuan-Ti is BRILLIANT!

Out go halflings. Never liked the little kicktoys anyway. Every player made them Tasslehoff knock-offs.

The primary waterway traders are now Yuan-ti! Sure, noone likes the Yuan-ti. They are suspected of all manner of evils. Noone trusts them. But water travel and trade are too vital to the world and for some strange reason *cough sabotage *cough none of the other races can get a foothold on the river trades. The Rhennee from Greyhawk followed this model.

Long ago the Yuan-ti figured out that lying low and plotting from abandoned temples was nice and all but really, if you want to rule the world, what better way than to control commerce? So for generations they worked to "deter" the other races from plying the waterways. They succeeded, sinking non-yuan-ti craft, subverting crews, or just flat out buying the competition over generations until the only waterway merchants worth mentioning are primarily Yuan-ti or controlled by Yuan-ti.

Now the Yuan-Ti are the undisputed masters of all things aquatic. And their influence can spread because the world NEEDS them. "Who better to ply the dangerous and scary wilderness rivers than snakes?" say the typical human townie. "Glad I am I don't have to ride the rivers. Too dangerous for decent folk. Let them get gobbled up if they want it so bad!"

One problem with the halflings-as-river-folk thing: halflings are essentially snack-size for most river predators. And that's just the natural predators. Now throw in scrags and other aquatic nasties and the poor little yummies don't stand a chance. Aren't they caramel flavored?

 

[rob626]

Rat-Men

Sorry for the back-to-back posts. Just saw the RatMen idea.

Yuan-ti still the main river traders. But the RatMen have WAY too much coolness to leave sit idle, so they occupy a different niche.

Yanking halflings completely. The RatMen can easily use the halfling character traits, flip the fluff to be more appropriate, but keep the stats. Easy fix and much more flavor than halflings.

I can see players loving the RatMen where halflings are just too vanilla.

 

[Nellisir]

How about beavers sort of like what's in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe?

In 1st and 2nd edition D&D, Giant Beavers had human intelligence. I considered submitting an adventure to Dungeon about PCs defending a village of giant beavers.

 

[Sadrik]

Naga from OA would work too. They after all live in swamps, forests, rivers and oceans. A very water based race. I like goblins the best you could almost do a direct conversion from halfling to goblin.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

I personally don't think one should go with goblins or rat-man simply because they are already well established. So by replacing the halfling with them you need something to replace them.

If you include a new race however to replace the halfling you don't.