What are your Halflings like?

[The Little Raven]

Don't be pendantic, the point is still valid. Sharing one similarity while touting dozens of dfferences does not make two things alike.

I'm waiting for you to point out the differences between the 3e and 4e halflings, because you haven't done so yet. I'm seeing more of the dozens of similarities while you're touting a single difference (land to water) as huge.

And? You keep saying this. It is of absolutely no releveance. The 4e Halfling closer resembling the 3e Halfling more than the 3e Halfling resembled the AD&D Halfling does not make the 4e Halfling any more closely related to the long-default land locked, diminutive, D&D Halfling of hairy feet, which was the initial point I was making.

Long-default ended 8 years ago. Try and stay with current events.

And as for your point, you said "predecessors" with no qualifier. Last I checked, 3e came before 4e, thus making the 3e halfling (who is nearly identical to the 4e version) one of his predecessors. Maybe you should be more clear in saying "I don't like that 4e halflings aren't 1e/2e hobbit-clones, but for some reason don't have a problem with the 3e halfling."

Environment, culture, and appearance. All of these things are very, very, different from the 3e Halfling to the 4e Halfling. The 4e Halfling is apparently native to warm (if not tropical) climates, which has both chnaged their appearance, mannerisms, and society greatly from that of Halflings in previous editions.

Have you ever actually read the Halfling entry in the PHB and looked at any of the pictures?

A culture of easygoing, enthusiastic travellers who view adventuring as an opportunity for excitement and personal gain. Aside from moving onto river boats (which isn't a big stretch, since nomad-by-boat was already mentioned in the 3e writeup), their culture is very much identical to 3e.

Appearance-wise... the 3e sketch in the halfling section is nearly identical to the halfling head study in the 4e races and classes. Braids and cornrows have been with us as long as we have had Lidda.

I don't at all, actually -- as noted the 3e Halfling is my favorite and I have a particular disdain for Hobbity Halflings. My only point was that the 4e Halfling is a radical departure from the long-standing D&D Halfling standard (the 3e Halfling, not so much).

The 3e halfling was the biggest change ever made to the halfling, and 4e's version is just a small evolution of that same design. If you have a problem with the distance from the hobbit that the 4e halfling moves, then you should have a problem with the 3e halfling since it was the one that made 95% of the changes.

 

[RPG_Tweaker]

Since 1E, my halflings were different from the Tolkienesque Hobbit. They were much more fey than the mere human tag-alongs of LotR or D&D.

My first inspiration to change them was an illustration of a Kobbit from an Arduin monster card included in the Caliban module. They were lean and fit, though more hairy. They were also a tad more feral and much more tricksy.

I further changed them so they are more akin to the mythological Brownie/Gruagach and Púca. They have similar traits to the 3E gnome (speak with animals, illusion-based glamours). While they are prone to Rogue, they are also drawn to Druid and Illusionist.

 

[FireLance]

For convenience, I usually go with whatever is the current version of the halfling in my games.

However, in one campaign setting I was planning, I tried to capture some of the flavor of the Tolkien hobbit by focusing the halflings on the concepts of community and co-operation. As the smallest of the common races, the halflings thrived by working together and helping one another. They were not placid or passive homebodies, though: in that campaign setting, the halflings were the ones that developed the White Raven martial discipline. In 4e, my halflings would probably gravitate to the leader classes, such as cleric, warlord or bard.

 

[Mad Mac]

Halflings have never excited me as a race, so I usually just go with what is current. I should note that I did play 3rd edition Halflings once or twice though, as opposed to never wanting to play one in 1st-2nd edition, so I guess I consider them an improvement of sorts. I'm pretty meh on the 4th edition Halflings, but that doesn't mean much considering I'm not fond of the race to begin with.

If I had to pick a favorite take on the halfling, I'd probably vote for the Eberron dino-riders. Because dinosaurs and boomerangs make everything cooler.

 

[Warbringer]

Much like te Trollocs of Memory, Sorrow and Thorn.

Their size and disposition comes from years of oppression and slavery, poor diet and the extermination by their masters of someone who becomes too big, either that or they die in the tunnels looking for sacrament (the flesh of the dead god - crystals that empower magic)

 

[Incenjucar]

I tend to just ignore halflings (and gnomes). I like the idea of the smaller race that has to make up for its, ahem, shortcomings, but I go with my own race that's slightly more distinct in appearance and personality, though they do tend to be nomadic due to historical issues.

Really, the worst thing for halflings is that they began as hobbits, rather than being inspired by them.

 

[Lurks-no-More]

Is there a meaningful difference between the 3e and 4e halflings, based on what we know so far?

In any case, what I don't want is hobbitty halflings. They are excellent in Lord of the Rings, but out of place and annoying to have as a PC race in just about every other setting.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Is there a meaningful difference between the 3e and 4e halflings, based on what we know so far?

Small, but IMO meaningful. (You may disagree.)

Compared to 3e, they're a bit taller/bigger, a bit more larcenous (they seem to like shiny things now... someone with R&C can confirm this), and live on the water. I'm not 100% sure the water thing is even new, though.

(Personally I like them being bigger, but don't like the water thing and hate the idea of them being kleptomaniacs. I'll edit the last bit out of any campaign I run.)

 

[Lord Xtheth]

Total Recall proves that Halflings CAN be 3 feet tall, and (sexy?), and we don't have to feel dirty!

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Halflings = hobbits in my games.