Halfling Thinking

[BioCharge]

Hey playgrounders,

I'm running a campaign where a series of tomes from each of the common races (Humans, Elves, Dwarfs, Gnomes, Halflings, and Orcs) and I am planning for each site of each tone to general represent a clear reflection of the race (i.e. the Gnome one would have a lot of illusions and traps, the dwarf one being under ground and a lot of constructs, etc.), however, I'm having difficulty with the Halfling one.

Halflings, as described in Races of the Wild, are nomadic and sneaky. The problem being is that I can't figure out how to embody that idea. The only idea I have is that their tome is secretly on the back or otherwise connected to one of the other tomes. False tomes also come to mind, but I'm not too big a fan of that idea.

So, suffice to say, any of you guys have any neat ideas? Edit: or how do you guys think a Halfling guardian would hide/protect such an item?

Thanks all!

[Flickerdart]

Halflings don't strike me as the type to write things down in a tome - not about themselves, anyway. A halfling tome might be composed of a traveller's jumbled notes about whatever caught his fancy. It would probably be a great way to find the other tomes or at least figure out what roughly is in them. Some of the bits might be lies that most if not all halflings are aware of; so the great hero of ancient times might have a different name (perhaps one alluding to flatulence). The true parts would be mostly written by one halfling to make fun of another. That, or very speciifc - the names of countries or descriptions of continents would be too boring, but a really nice bend of a river might get a lot of coverage, even if that whole entire river gets not a single mention. Where does it start? Where does it go? Where is it? Doesn't matter, but these rapids are awesome, man!

[Averis Vol]

Yea, I'm going to second Flickerdart and say they probably don't have an actual book. If they intended to keep records it would take place in geographical formations. So maybe to read their tome you need to find certain places, like a hill with a lone tree that has survived 10 strikes of lightning, and after you find it, you need some sort of aerial view to read the story the surrounding countryside tells of the halflings trials in the area.

[BioCharge]

Hmm, maybe I might be more clear. I shouldn't have used the word "tome," it's more like a tablet or other similar artifact. The story is that these tablets were used by the common races to trap an ancient evil long ago, and the evil has been re-awakened. The party needs to collect the tomes and bring it to an ancient ruin where they can re-seal this evil away.

I hope that makes it a little bit more clear. Sorry for the confusion.

[Slipperychicken]

Maybe this guy dug out a hobbit-hole to focus on writing his tome?

Alternatively, if halflings tend to be illiterate, the tome could have been written by someone else dictating his words.

[Deaxsa]

maybe the tome is a travel journal that never ends, and never stops travelling? it's just a series of stories of halflings as they travel, each with a different story.

[Slipperychicken]

Halflings, as described in Races of the Wild, are nomadic and sneaky. The problem being is that I can't figure out how to embody that idea. The only idea I have is that their tome is secretly on the back or otherwise connected to one of the other tomes. False tomes also come to mind, but I'm not too big a fan of that idea.


Perhaps he placed it inside a powerful chief's treasure hoard? The PCs would have to be pretty sneaky to pull one over on a tribe of Halflings.


The halfling could also have snuck it into the lair of some nasty monster (or tribe of monsters) which lives in the middle of nowhere.

[...]

Maybe it could just be in the middle of a halfling settlement. You know, to express their communal bonds.

[Spore]

It would be a travelling jounral passed down for generations. Either fixed high upon a mountain (similar to the books that are at the top of mountains) or travelling with several important Halflings for generations. It is currently residing with the encampment's best ranger. Having it in a trapped lockbox in his backpack (a silent alarm spell linked to the last worthy Halfling that touched the box as well as a knockout poison) is sufficient enough. Give him enough travel mates for an encounter (I don't know your group, maybe they want a band of Halfling undead by the end of the evening) and make him curious and friendly towards outsiders. This makes room for the most general approaches players come up with aka:

- Diplomacy
- Stealing
- Battle

Either way they'd have to track him down leading to environmental dangers and the track should probably lead around some dangerous wildlife. (Also keep in mind that he leaves his tracks because he chooses to, otherwise the group has no chance. More inquisitive players will recognize this as a game of wildlife survival, more paranoid ones as a trap by the Halfling.)

[BioCharge]

*snip*

I admit, I like this idea. I may even be able to include one of my group's characters (a Halfling Bard), into this in some way. Intriguing idea here.

[Segev]

I admit, I like this idea. I may even be able to include one of my group's characters (a Halfling Bard), into this in some way. Intriguing idea here.

Sneaky nomads, right? Are the tablets themselves enchanted, typically, or are they not themselves magical (beyond whatever sealing powers they have)?

If innately magical, perhaps the Halfling one has wanderlust and is incredibly shy, using its Ego to get its current bearer to plant it on another halfling adventurer each time it finds a "better" one (by whatever definition of "not boring" the tablet uses for "better").

If not, then maybe it's a rumor and legend passed down through generations, but nobody knows where it is. The current holder doesn't even know he has it. It was planted on him by an elder halfling - the last bearer - who saw within him tremendous potential. One day, when he's good enough, he'll find it amongst his things. On it, he'll find a history of all the tablet's travels and who's borne it, down to the last one. He'll find space to write his own name and a bit about his travels and why he chose whomever he chooses as his successor. He will also find instructions to keep it secret and safe, and, now that he knows of it, to keep it hidden from those who might pry it from his mind. Seek a promising young halfling adventurer, and set them up for a chance to become great. And plant it on them when you know they are going to BE great. Plant it and hide it as well as you can, so they cannot lose it.


Obviously, you can have your PC halfling currently be the one who unknowingly carries it!

[BioCharge]

*snip*

I was thinking exactly along these lines. You just got more detail, haha! It may even need a ritual to find, or something. "embody the Halfling life" or something and it shows up in his pack or something. Good ideas.

[Spore]

I was thinking exactly along these lines. You just got more detail, haha! It may even need a ritual to find, or something. "embody the Halfling life" or something and it shows up in his pack or something. Good ideas.

Make sure to drop hints along the way of "becoming worthy". This should be recognized as a process and not a mere gift to the bard or an "insta-win" for the group. Relive the journey of a famous Halfling adventurer (following his steps into a tomb can easily make this one into a dungeon crawl if you desire).

[Flickerdart]

A tomb? Tomb aren't cool. Halfling heroes do things like surf dragons down an erupting volcano.

[draken50]

It's a cookbook!

[Spore]

It's a cookbook!

We said classical Halflings, not stereotypical ones.

[nedz]

In the original source Halflings were very fond of books of genealogy — so lots of family trees.

[Stella]

Alternatively, if halflings tend to be illiterate, the tome could have been written by someone else dictating his words.The tablets could be artifacts of the gods, created when they created the respective races. Which also gives some meaning to the tablet being powerful enough to be used in the bottling of the ancient evil. That at least gets around the tablet having to be representative of what Halflings are from their own perspective, as it is instead a representative of what the deity envisioned when they were about to create the race.