Why are they making demi-humans taller?

[JohnSnow]

Some good evidence, but this is the one part I wouldn't track too literally. Pippen may well mean something like "about four feet" rather than "four feet and zero inches on the button". He could easily be like 3'10" for example, and this would alter the numbers significantly within the range you are discussing. Or converselely, perhaps 4'2"ish is what he's used to but the ent-draught already has him even bigger and then you don't have to assume he grew even more by the final portions of the book.

He's comparing heights with a human lad and I would assume he's being reasonably accurate.

Four foot two wouldn't be consistent with the claim that Pippin (and Merry) were taller than Bandobras Took, who was four foot five. So, to be taller than Bandobras, Pippin has to be taller than that.

"Concerning Hobbits" claimed that Hobbits are between two and four feet of our height (hence, "halfling"), although "now" they seldom reach more than three feet. The important thing to realize is that in this case, Tolkien's "now" is in fact "now" - the modern era. And they have "diminished." But diminished from what? In previous ages, hobbits were clearly taller. If three feet is what they reach now, what did they used to reach? It's clearly more than that, or you couldn't say they were "diminished."

Yes, it's true that most of the story's heroic hobbits were of partially fallohide extraction. But that's beside the point. The point is that Tolkien's hobbit heroes were, in fact, closer to three foot six or even three foot nine in height than they were to three feet.

 

[kennew142]

I'd rather them keep them smaller but it isn't a huge issue.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter much to me. I don't allow halflings (or gnomes) in my homebrew campaigns; that's what I'll be running in 4e. Whatever the other GMs do in our group will be fine with me. I doubt anyone will want to play either of the small folk.

As for elves, I like them smaller, but I can stomach the tall LoTR version if I have to.

 

[Banshee16]

In the case of halflings, a three foot tall human child can't even hold a pencil with one hand. (Well, that's what one developer said, back before 4e was announced.)

I just saw a 1-year old pick up a toy that weighed at least a pound or two earlier tonight.....so saying a 3-foot tall child can't hold a pencil in one hand seems a little exaggerated.

And hey....how tall is a chimp? Are they taller than 3 feet? I bet they can hold pencils....

Banshee

 

[AllisterH]

He's comparing heights with a human lad and I would assume he's being reasonably accurate.

Four foot two wouldn't be consistent with the claim that Pippin (and Merry) were taller than Bandobras Took, who was four foot five. So, to be taller than Bandobras, Pippin has to be taller than that.

"Concerning Hobbits" claimed that Hobbits are between two and four feet of our height (hence, "halfling"), although "now" they seldom reach more than three feet. The important thing to realize is that in this case, Tolkien's "now" is in fact "now" - the modern era. And they have "diminished." But diminished from what? In previous ages, hobbits were clearly taller. If three feet is what they reach now, what did they used to reach? It's clearly more than that, or you couldn't say they were "diminished."

.

Actually it's not just the hobbits who have been "diminished" but man as well.

Remember, there was a time when Aragorn's height of 7' was considered "average" but at the time of the actual novels, Aragorn is the tallest man around.

 

[Aeolius]

And hey....how tall is a chimp? Are they taller than 3 feet? I bet they can hold pencils....

Well, we know they can fling poo...

waitaminute... fling...poo... poo...fling...

pooflings!

 

[Plane Sailing]

I'd rather them keep them smaller but it isn't a huge issue.

No, it's a small issue

 

[drothgery]

Interesting. So Halflings will still be small, and all those "size medium, size small" rules will need to be in the PHB because of just that one race. I'm hoping that the size distinction requires less game time mucking out the details in this edition.

If we're lucky, dwarves are also small rather than having those weird slow movement but not small rules they're stuck with now.

 

[BadMojo]

Ultimately, it doesn't matter much to me. I don't allow halflings (or gnomes) in my homebrew campaigns; that's what I'll be running in 4e. Whatever the other GMs do in our group will be fine with me. I doubt anyone will want to play either of the small folk.

I actually like halflings, but the "short version" always seemed kind of silly when I really sat down and thought about it.

It seems like the novelty of needing a climb check to scale a bar stool would wear off.

Peeking in a window to see what the bad guys are doing? Well, you're gonna need a boost from another character.

At 3' tall, even a moderately steep set of stairs could be a fatal encounter. Imagine how dangerous an outhouse could be...that hole is big!

 

[Clavis]

I just saw a 1-year old pick up a toy that weighed at least a pound or two earlier tonight.....so saying a 3-foot tall child can't hold a pencil in one hand seems a little exaggerated.

And hey....how tall is a chimp? Are they taller than 3 feet? I bet they can hold pencils....

Banshee

And beat the average human bodybuilder to death with their fists without much of a problem.

Chimps are both smaller (3-4 feet tall) and much stronger than us (5 times human upper body strength).

It's entirely probable that halflings could both be 3 feet tall and about as strong as an adult human. They would weigh something in the area of 120 pounds, though, on account of having very dense bones and muscle. It's not their D&D height or strength that doesn't make sense, it's the their official weights. Make 'em heavier, and they would be perfectly possible in the real-world.

 

[BadMojo]

It's not their D&D height or strength that doesn't make sense, it's the their official weights. Make 'em heavier, and they would be perfectly possible in the real-world.

But then they'd be build like chimps. That doesn't seem very halfing/hobbit-like. It would also be a bit odd. A 3' tall mass of muscle? I can't imagine a little halfing with a neck like Henry Rollins.