Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
White Dwarf Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Nest
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
EN Publishing
Twitter
BlueSky
Facebook
Instagram
EN World
BlueSky
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
Twitch
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
Suggestions to replace Halflings
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Robert Ranting" data-source="post: 3967716" data-attributes="member: 28906"><p>I have found that Grippli are a real hit with female gamers in my local group, especially if you treat them as being evolved from jungle tree frogs as they were illustrated in the issue of Dragon magazine where their 3.5 stats appeared. While bullywugs and other frogmen are more common in fantasy, they tend to be squat, toadlike, and drab in color. Grippli however have bright, cheerful colored patterns, that clearly mark them as individuals with similar color combinations indicating clan or tribe. It may not seem like a big deal, but it gives them a visual "hook" which helps distinguish them from the "drab dryskins". They're small, agile, stealthy, and clannish, just like 4e's halflings, and as frogs they need to stay near some source of water to keep themselves moist, so riverboats are a good habitat for them. They are also incredibly "cute" with their large eyes and bright colors, which allows them to either ingratiate themselves to the locals or divert suspicion away from their larcenous activities. Oh, they also make good thieves, since they literally have sticky fingers <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> </p><p></p><p>Here is some art to inspire ideas:</p><p><a href="http://ursulav.deviantart.com/art/Frog-Tribe-18069793" target="_blank">http://ursulav.deviantart.com/art/Frog-Tribe-18069793</a></p><p><a href="http://ursulav.deviantart.com/art/Kachina-Frog-471986" target="_blank">http://ursulav.deviantart.com/art/Kachina-Frog-471986</a></p><p></p><p>My second suggestion is that you use the Nezumi from Rokugan/Oriental Adventures as a base. They are a race of survivors and scavengers who live on the edge of human soceity, relying upon strong familial bonds and determination, skill, and sheer tenacity to survive. They tend to be less disciplined than other races, focusing more on the survival of the group (which often means the adventuring party) over their own concerns. They tend to be rogues, rangers, barbarians or sorcerors, as their short lives and tendency to live in the moment discourages rigorous study or training in anything except the most practical skills. In fact, their religion states that Tomorrow, the personification of the uncertainty of the future and the inevitability of death, is actively chasing their race. Each nezumi is effectively racing against Tomorrow to accomplish all that he can for himself and others before he is caught. This makes Nezumi characters driven and courageous heroes with little concern for pomp and circumstance, and a focus on practicality, tangible rewards, and direct action for the benefit of the greater good.</p><p></p><p>The only obstacle with the Nezumi is that they happen to be anthropomorphic rats and mice, which is often an archetypal "villain" race (such as the Skaven of Warhammer). However, if you balance the evil Nezumi with good ones (drawing from Rokugan, Red Wall, and various anime that feature mouse-people in a good light) then they have as much breadth of moral standing as any fantasy race. Of course, many people will not look kindly on "river rats", but that works fine for the halfling's niche.</p><p></p><p>Robert "Frogs and Rats, Rafting Together" Ranting</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Robert Ranting, post: 3967716, member: 28906"] I have found that Grippli are a real hit with female gamers in my local group, especially if you treat them as being evolved from jungle tree frogs as they were illustrated in the issue of Dragon magazine where their 3.5 stats appeared. While bullywugs and other frogmen are more common in fantasy, they tend to be squat, toadlike, and drab in color. Grippli however have bright, cheerful colored patterns, that clearly mark them as individuals with similar color combinations indicating clan or tribe. It may not seem like a big deal, but it gives them a visual "hook" which helps distinguish them from the "drab dryskins". They're small, agile, stealthy, and clannish, just like 4e's halflings, and as frogs they need to stay near some source of water to keep themselves moist, so riverboats are a good habitat for them. They are also incredibly "cute" with their large eyes and bright colors, which allows them to either ingratiate themselves to the locals or divert suspicion away from their larcenous activities. Oh, they also make good thieves, since they literally have sticky fingers ;) Here is some art to inspire ideas: [url]http://ursulav.deviantart.com/art/Frog-Tribe-18069793[/url] [url]http://ursulav.deviantart.com/art/Kachina-Frog-471986[/url] My second suggestion is that you use the Nezumi from Rokugan/Oriental Adventures as a base. They are a race of survivors and scavengers who live on the edge of human soceity, relying upon strong familial bonds and determination, skill, and sheer tenacity to survive. They tend to be less disciplined than other races, focusing more on the survival of the group (which often means the adventuring party) over their own concerns. They tend to be rogues, rangers, barbarians or sorcerors, as their short lives and tendency to live in the moment discourages rigorous study or training in anything except the most practical skills. In fact, their religion states that Tomorrow, the personification of the uncertainty of the future and the inevitability of death, is actively chasing their race. Each nezumi is effectively racing against Tomorrow to accomplish all that he can for himself and others before he is caught. This makes Nezumi characters driven and courageous heroes with little concern for pomp and circumstance, and a focus on practicality, tangible rewards, and direct action for the benefit of the greater good. The only obstacle with the Nezumi is that they happen to be anthropomorphic rats and mice, which is often an archetypal "villain" race (such as the Skaven of Warhammer). However, if you balance the evil Nezumi with good ones (drawing from Rokugan, Red Wall, and various anime that feature mouse-people in a good light) then they have as much breadth of moral standing as any fantasy race. Of course, many people will not look kindly on "river rats", but that works fine for the halfling's niche. Robert "Frogs and Rats, Rafting Together" Ranting [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
Suggestions to replace Halflings
Top