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Azukius
2007-12-16, 09:34 PM
Inspired (read: a copy of) by similar threads, how do you like your halflings? as tolkienish hobbits, dragonlancian kender, mt:g kithkin, the standard core or in a good casarole? this includes flavour and roles

Azerian Kelimon
2007-12-16, 09:38 PM
It should be noted that gnomes are more or less hobbits. I mean, their personalities are SO similar. There were just a few changes to avoid being sued.

Lady Tialait
2007-12-16, 09:41 PM
I like my Halflings Canibalistic....mmmm dark sun halflings...so much cruelity...so little time...oh and I also like my halflings :belkar:

Azerian Kelimon
2007-12-16, 09:42 PM
Hmm...Jerren...*Drools*.

Lord_Asmodeus
2007-12-16, 09:45 PM
I like my halflings rogue-ish and sneaky, but jolly and happy in their element, with strong family ties and with a strong sense of honor and loyalty (see: Calimports Halfling element from stories involving Artemis Entreri)

Azerian Kelimon
2007-12-16, 09:47 PM
See also: "Why isn't he jolly? WHY ISN'T HE JOLLY!?"

That's another seriously good type. Also consider Jungle halfling. Closest things to pygmies ever.

JackMage666
2007-12-16, 10:26 PM
Sauteed with Mushrooms and Onions.

I treat them like Humans. Smaller, stealthier humans.

Xuincherguixe
2007-12-16, 10:37 PM
I prefer them as half human halflings.

Daracaex
2007-12-16, 11:00 PM
It should be noted that gnomes are more or less hobbits. I mean, their personalities are SO similar. There were just a few changes to avoid being sued.

Well if we're treating Halflings and Gnomes as the same creature, I'm going to have to say I like my +3 Flaming Vorpal Gnome-chucks.

Aquaseafoam
2007-12-16, 11:02 PM
I like em on the tips of Goblin Spears. Honestly, as far as little sneaky buggers go, its always Goblins >>>>>>>>>>> Halflings.

Zeal
2007-12-16, 11:12 PM
Like really nasty, sneaky, surface dwelling Dwarves.

Or pirates, 'cause something about halflings seems call out 'Pirate!' to me.

Or Eberron Halflings... because anything that rides dinosaurs and wields boomerangs is awesome in my books.

Okay, so I have a lot of different opinions on the matter.

herrhauptmann
2007-12-16, 11:13 PM
Read Grunts by Mary Gentle.

She gives a great recipe for halfling.

Ganurath
2007-12-16, 11:30 PM
Caravan nomads well versed in the ways of urban survival, but the best among them are warriors of the lanes. In my campaigns, the halfling's favored class is ranger.

Serpent Stare
2007-12-16, 11:46 PM
I know a halfling whose name is Stranger.
He is a rogue.
He is very, very sneaky.
He has insatiable curiosity and can't resist mischief.
He gets into trouble a lot but is plainly charming (especially when reprimanding people) and utterly forgivable.
He is determined to get out of these bloody caves and back to the surface.
He is very expressive of how he feels, and tends to curse when he gets in trouble, out loud or in his head depending on the circumstances but always in a calm, humorous voice.
He eats a lot whenever he gets nervous and drinks a lot whenever he gets his hands on something alcoholic.
He has a five year old daughter called Sophie who was the product of a magnificent drunken evening. He is married to her mother, Hannah, a loving and patient wife.
He speaks with a distinct English accent.

This is how I like my halflings.

Chronos
2007-12-17, 12:01 AM
It should be noted that gnomes are more or less hobbits. I mean, their personalities are SO similar. There were just a few changes to avoid being sued.Beg pardon? Hobbits aren't obsessed with mechanical devices, they're no good at alchemy, they can't talk with any sort of animal, they don't trust wilderness and would much rather cultivate it than preserve it... Halflings are hobbits, not gnomes.

Personally, I like them that way. Usually, when I play halflings, they insist on referring to themselves as hobbits.

Or pirates, 'cause something about halflings seems call out 'Pirate!' to me.The Oath series (Oath of Swords, The War God's Own, Windrider's Oath, and counting) by David Weber includes the halflings of Marfang Island, the boldest seafarers in all of Norfressa. The first two books are great, though the third one bogs down considerably.

MrNexx
2007-12-17, 01:08 AM
http://www.editors-wastebasket.org/nexx/indep/newdd/Halflings.htm

How I've always seen halflings.

kpenguin
2007-12-17, 01:17 AM
Dinosaur-riding, boomerang-tossing, masters of the plains.

Tallis
2007-12-17, 01:40 AM
Hmmm...

That's a tough one. In my world I seperate hobbits and halflings into 2 subraces. Hobbits are tolkienesk; taking on the traits of those they live near, but tending to be rural folk. Halflings are gypsies and nomads. There are also savage jungle halflings who may or may not be cannibles (depends on the tribe).

Laurellien
2007-12-17, 01:48 AM
How do I like my halflings?

Removed from the game face down.

Lord Iames Osari
2007-12-17, 01:51 AM
How do I like my halflings?

Removed from the game face down.

That's what I did in my homebrew campaign world.

RTGoodman
2007-12-17, 01:55 AM
I don't really like the Core flavor of halflings, but I really the halflings from Eberron. Really, it's one of the few things from that setting that I do like.

Also, I've just now started getting in to Dragonlance, and I have to admit that I'm starting to like kenders. So much so that I think I'm probably going to play one at some point in the future if I get a DM that'll allow it.

TheOOB
2007-12-17, 01:56 AM
Halflings in my world are travelers and vagabonds who are culturally very similar to gypsies. They all claim that there is a halfling homeland, but according to different accounts it is underground, underwater, in a desert, in a forest, in the sewers, on the other side of the world, and on another world entirely. Beings no non-halflings have seen said homeland we are forced to wonder if there is such a place or not, and if they honest believe what they are saying or just taking everyone for a ride(which wouldn't be entirely surprising).

d12
2007-12-17, 03:00 AM
Um, I don't really mind halflings. To date I haven't encountered any aggressively stupid halfling PCs and they don't have inexplicable crowds of fanbois who are way too attached to them for no good reason.

The main thing with halflings is I just have no idea what they should do. So I tend to think of them as just small humans. The whole "we're all a bunch of aimless gypsies" thing doesn't seem to be a very good fit to me, but if someone can make it work then I don't really mind. I suppose halflings could be involved in commerce with a fair amount of frequency. If they're half as wanderlusty as they're made out to be, then those who do settle down in one place would have to have some awesome contacts for obtaining unusual/rare/prized items. For some reason I also consider halflings to be the most likely to have an almost race-spanning information network or secret society or the like.

Azukius
2007-12-17, 03:01 AM
How do I like my halflings?

Removed from the game face down.

damn champion mechanics, give me oldschool anyday.

Talic
2007-12-17, 03:09 AM
As Lich villains intent on leaving a scar which will never heal upon the world.

Laurellien
2007-12-17, 04:36 AM
That's what I did in my homebrew campaign world.

Join the club.

MammonAzrael
2007-12-17, 05:23 AM
I like my halflings as 2nd Ed. Kenders, crossbreed with Quicklings, and turned into Vampires.

Wacky fun.

Zenos
2007-12-17, 05:26 AM
Minced and mixed with tomato sauce and cheese.

Oh, wait, you mean how I like them in the game? I prefer to have them tolkienesque.

Dhavaer
2007-12-17, 05:29 AM
I can't get over the idea that halflings are delicious. A world where this is true and everyone knows it would have smoe interesting inter-species dynamics, I think.

John Campbell
2007-12-17, 08:40 AM
I like my halflings like I like my women...

Barefoot, inexplicably British, and Nazgûl-slaying.

Or, uh, something like that. Hobbits, not kender. Hate kender sooooo much.....

Lord Tataraus
2007-12-17, 08:44 AM
I like my halflings as shoal halflings from stormwrack. Otherwise they aren't different enough from humans and goblins.

Morty
2007-12-17, 08:52 AM
I personally use halflings as nomadic, horse-riding, steppe-dwelling people with Ukrainian accent and names. They're more of drunkards, warriors and herdsmen than thieves.
Also, the're 1,40 meter tall instead on 90cm.

KoDT69
2007-12-17, 08:57 AM
I like the standard halflings just fine. There is enough variation by region to cover the savage ones in the jungle, the Thieves Guild members in any city, or just a good old fashioned "small person" to have at a party wearing the velcro suit for the main event "Halfling Tossing". What capitalistic halfling could pass up the gp they can make doing it. Humans pay top dollar to capitalize on the "shortcomings" of others, especially when congregated at a party!

Seriously, I just like halflings. They're a great race in terms of social interaction. They get size bonuses in combat, good air for thowing, they're not ugly or annoying like gnomes, and they get along with all of the other standard PHB races. Rogue/Master Thrower is just a fun halfling build!

bosssmiley
2007-12-17, 11:02 AM
Standard campaign: a very WFRP take on halflings. Most you meet in the big folk cities will be thieves, conmen, spivs or servants. There's a logical reason for this in that the halflings know they don't have the muscle to fight the big races, so they make themselves useful to the point of indispensability (environmental adaptation, see?). Of course, you have to be careful the servants don't become so indispensable they end up running the place.
"Allow me to handle that dreary matter for you, Mr Eloi."

This also explains why all evil overlords have malignant midget henchmen. :smallwink:

Non-standard settings: Athasian cannibalistic pygmies of death ftw! It just seems right that when the Shire goes feral it goes waaaaaay feral. Heck, even "The Mummy Returns" hopped on *that* particular bandwagon.

Or, taking a leaf from "Birthright": shadow halflings. Weird little semi-fey oddballs that inhabit a gigantic pre-human labyrinth city.

Semi-related note: you know, the top suggested corrected spelling for 'halfling' in Firefox is 'slingshot', the second is 'flinger'. Funny old world. :smallconfused:

Emperor Demonking
2007-12-17, 11:56 AM
I like mine as sparsely populated farmers.

Skjaldbakka
2007-12-18, 09:23 AM
As the dominant race in the setting. Halflings are the only civilised race, after all. :smallcool:

Falrin
2007-12-18, 10:32 AM
~ Gypsees.

No offence, but the cliché stereotype of happy flashy artist travelling around. Conartists, burglars and a huge vengence-feeling if they get a litlle more to the evil side.

JadedDM
2007-12-18, 11:02 PM
It should be noted that gnomes are more or less hobbits. I mean, their personalities are SO similar. There were just a few changes to avoid being sued.

Umm....what? Did you mean to say that HALFLINGS are derivative of HOBBITS? Not GNOMES?

Anyway, I like my halflings old-school, just like everything else. (In fact, I just call them hobbits. "Halflings" is what humans call them. As far as they are concerned, they are not 'half' of anything.)

Swooper
2007-12-19, 01:49 PM
I'm with JadedDM on this one - 'halfling' is just a human word for hobbits, and hobbits have large, hairy, callused feet, smoke pipes, live in small country villages in houses that are dug into the hillside etc. Most importantly, they don't wear shoes. Also, they're not gypsies, so they don't ride caravans or riverboats around the place. They have nothing to do with Kender. Not even distantly related. Kender are from Krynn, hobbits aren't. Stop trying to stick kender into my D&D, WotC! :smallannoyed:

Danzaver
2007-12-19, 02:49 PM
Securely strapped to ten-foot poles, ready to set off all the traps in the dungeon.

Seriously though, the thing I like most about halflings is the whole secretive society they aren't prepared to let any of the other races in on - won't even let them learn their language. In my world, there is a lot of racism against halflings, because everyone assumes two things about them:
- they have something to hide
- they covet wealth, so they must have a lot of it hidden somewhere
Which makes halflings even more insular, and less likely to co-operate with other races.

Regarding the cannibalistic halflings issue - technically they are only cannibals if they eat other halflings. I reckon some would have no issues with eating humans. After all, cannibalism is an ultimate form of disrespect. It denies the proper burial and in some religions, the afterlife. What better punishment for a race that has treated them so poorly?

That, and pirates. Halflings would make wicked pirates. 8D

RandomFellow
2007-12-19, 02:51 PM
Inspired (read: a copy of) by similar threads, how do you like your halflings? as tolkienish hobbits, dragonlancian kender, mt:g kithkin, the standard core or in a good casarole? this includes flavour and roles

Cooked with a nice mango salsa.

Or extinct. Whichever.

Gerrtt
2007-12-19, 03:11 PM
In control of the entire global trade network, in my world. Also on board the most legendary pirate ship in the world "The Glutton."

Satyr
2007-12-19, 03:29 PM
I like halflings the same way I like gnomes: Wiped out or non-existant, while their ecological and dramaturgical niche is occupied by someone more worthy: Goblins.

Maroon
2007-12-19, 05:41 PM
Man, I hate the stubby little buggers. They're basically boring uneducated Gnomes. Death by grue, I say!

Subotei
2007-12-19, 05:59 PM
Floating face down in a river with arrows in their back...

Their own fault for messing around in boats!

Admiral Squish
2007-12-19, 06:01 PM
Eberron halflings, all the way. Dinosaur-riding, boomerang-throwing, grim-faced hunters at one time, but jovial and fun-loving party animals in the calm times.