Why are they making demi-humans taller?

[Emirikol]

Are small weapon damages going to make it into the new edition? THat in itself is as good a reason for me to get rid of short characters...blegh!

jh

 

[The Ubbergeek]

One of the points of playing a halfling was that you weren't always a potent melee threat, so you used stealth and trickery. They were a rewarding challenge to play. Challenging the player appears to be antithetical to the 4th edition design philosophy, however.

The design philosophy is that in the past, gimping and stunting some players was deemed fun - no more.

Realisticaly, a 3' something thing should be even weaker.

 

[Roger]

Why are they making demi-humans taller?

Hmmm. Looking back on the various covers of The Dragon magazine, Dungeon magazine, rule books, modules, novels, etc... one can identify, among the themes, a propensity for scantily-clad women in various states of distress.

Try that with a 3e halfling and you might be looking at ten-to-twenty years hard time for peddling child pornography.

That's just a wild stab in the dark, of course.


Cheers,
Roger

 

[ruleslawyer]

It's also worth remembering that in the basic source for Halflings -- that is, the Lord of the Rings -- the halflings are not killing machines. Two of their noteworthy blows in the story -- against the troll that struck down Beregond, and against the Witch-King of Angmar -- were delivered by surprise, using enchanted weapons. Another one -- Sam's against Shelob -- used another enchanted weapon and the spider's own mass to damage her. The only one-on-one, toe-to-toe kill was Sam's near Balin's tomb in Moria, where he killed an orc with "a sturdy thrust of his barrow-blade" -- and orcs, in the Lord of the Rings books, are pretty small. After all, the hobbits were able to pretend to be orcs by putting on their helmets.

Actually, there are a few more hobbit kills than that: Merry and Pippin at the Battle of Pelennor Fields AND in "The Scouring of the Shire," and Sam storming the guard-tower to retrieve Frodo.

Also, I don't think the problem lies with making one's character sufficiently distinct from a short human so much as making him sufficiently distinct from a 3-year-old. Peter Jackson's LotR hobbits look and behave quite different from the humans they're transposed against, but seem to be closer to 4 feet in height; a minor difference in the scheme of things, but one that has significant implications for suspension of disbelief. Yes, the character can actually use a sling that might propel a bullet large enough to deal damage; yes, he can avoid being picked up and used as a club by a non-heroic human; and so forth.

That said, assuming that 4e implements the social encounter rules and greater use of per-encounter abilities that aren't "I swing a sword," then Small characters are potentially significantly more viable in exactly the "roguery and archery" ways you describe. In my current Iron Heroes game, we have a PC (the rogue) whose combat stats (BAB, Str, feats) are *laughable* compared to his comrades', and who uses a dagger as his primary weapon; however, with the social skill and feat rules we use, he's potentially the most powerful character in the party! I'm hoping that a more detailed and comprehensive skill system, coupled with the weapon-specific ability system, will allow the quiet-stalking, fast-talking, sling-throwing halfling to stand tall (no pun intended) alongside his hulking human warrior comrade.

 

[dystmesis]

You guys are all wrong, wrong, wrong, _wrong_! _Every_ medium race is a perfect five foot by five foot by five foot cube!

 

[Plane Sailing]

the Races and Classes book explains that the 3e heights and weights made the halfling the equivalent of a 3 year old and the elf the equivalent of a 12 year old, neither of which worked thematically or from a practical point of view either.

Note from the Lord of the Rings - when he arrives at Minas Tirith, Pippin is mistaken for a lad of about 9 years old (the average British nine year old boy is currently 4' 5"). Now, Pippin may have been a bit larger than normal at this time because of the ent-draught, but it seems that 4ft is a much better average size for halflings (and a believable adventurer size too).

Cheers

 

[broghammerj]

the Races and Classes book explains that the 3e heights and weights made the halfling the equivalent of a 3 year old and the elf the equivalent of a 12 year old, neither of which worked thematically or from a practical point of view either.

I find that a little disturbing in a game dealing with fantasy, pixies, sorcerers, and dragons, and undead. I also find it a bit concerning because according to this we should increase the size of kobolds, goblins, etc. I guess my characters won't fear them since they are short.

 

[Aeolius]

You guys are all wrong, wrong, wrong, _wrong_! _Every_ medium race is a perfect five foot by five foot by five foot cube!

I don't game with squares, man...

 

[Scholar & Brutalman]

Hmmm. Looking back on the various covers of The Dragon magazine, Dungeon magazine, rule books, modules, novels, etc... one can identify, among the themes, a propensity for scantily-clad women in various states of distress.

Try that with a 3e halfling and you might be looking at ten-to-twenty years hard time for peddling child pornography.

Well there appears to be a suggestively-dressed halfling woman on the cover of Dragon 285 - at least, she's a thief and it's an issue dedicated to halflings. I don't know if anyone was charged over it though.

I remember a comment when that issue came out that the cover suggested the halfling's favoured class was "prostitute."

 

[Holy Bovine]

Wait.

Elves are only 5' tall on average? geez, I've never played an elf that short.

Yeah I always hated that until I read Elfquest by Wendy & Richard Pini (awesome picture posted above). Then it didn't both me at all.

But I really don't mind demi humans getting a size boost. It has never been an issue in any fantasy game I've ever played.