New OOTS products from CafePress
New OOTS t-shirts, ornaments, mugs, bags, and more
Results 1 to 12 of 12
  1. - Top - End - #1
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Nifft's Avatar

    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    NYC
    Gender
    Male

    Default Halflings as Mongols

    The terror of the northern steppes.

    They ride vicious war-mastiffs.

    They throw rocks at you.

    They burn your cities.

    How would you build a Mongol horde where the Mongols are also Halflings?

    == == ==

    Here are my initial thoughts:

    Khal Frodo (aka "Slingus Khan")
    Gestalt Scout // Marshal 10 / Halfling Outrider 10

    Khal Frodo has BAB +17 at level 20. He takes Leadership, of course, plus Improved Skirmish and Improved Mounted Archery.

    He can take a full attack at any point during his mount's movement, so long as it doesn't double-move (etc.).

    His cohort should probably be a dragonblooded Bard with Dragonfire Inspiration, to justify the whole city-burning thing he's got going on.


    ... and now I'm picturing Halfling Siege Scouts pulling their ballistae and trebuchets at least 10 ft. right before every shot, for bonus damage ...

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Banned
     
    GreenSorcererElf

    Join Date
    Jul 2016

    Default Re: Halflings as Mongols

    Any way you play it, they can never be truly mongols... they're half the men they were.

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    PirateCaptain

    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    material & internet plane
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Halflings as Mongols

    Could've sworn they nerfed the scout by not making mount movement count for skirmish
    Quote Originally Posted by MERC_1 View Post
    I find it very amusing that a very theoretical discussion of how to Optimize Bardic Music, turns into a discussion on how much worms you can eat in 7 minutes.

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    RogueGuy

    Join Date
    Oct 2010

    Default Re: Halflings as Mongols

    Make them eberron halflings so they ride dinosaurs, much more metal.

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    In an apartment
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Halflings as Mongols

    Quote Originally Posted by Nifft View Post
    His cohort should probably be a dragonblooded Bard with Dragonfire Inspiration, to justify the whole city-burning thing he's got going on.
    Warchanter is great for beefing up groups of soldiers. Inspire Toughness adds to everyone's hp, Recklessness gives everyone the benefits of Shock Trooper, while Legion makes sure everyone is on the same page BAB-wise. Plus with Combine Songs, you could mix Inspire Courage with any of the aforementioned songs.
    If you feel like quoting something that I have said, you have my permission to use it. Unless it makes me look stupid.
    Gaming Laws, Fallacies And More
    Avatar by Kymme
    My Homebrew
    Feel free to browse and comment on any of my Homebrew. I enjoy feedback.
    Love my Avatar? Well, why not check out the comic that it came from?

  6. - Top - End - #6
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Nifft's Avatar

    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    NYC
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Halflings as Mongols

    Quote Originally Posted by ben-zayb View Post
    Could've sworn they nerfed the scout by not making mount movement count for skirmish
    Maybe they did. Do you know where I could look?

    Quote Originally Posted by Hackulator View Post
    Make them eberron halflings so they ride dinosaurs, much more metal.
    Indeed, a horde of Dino-Mongols sounds delightfully metal.

    Quote Originally Posted by Waker View Post
    Warchanter is great for beefing up groups of soldiers. Inspire Toughness adds to everyone's hp, Recklessness gives everyone the benefits of Shock Trooper, while Legion makes sure everyone is on the same page BAB-wise. Plus with Combine Songs, you could mix Inspire Courage with any of the aforementioned songs.
    Shock Trooper is great for melee, especially a Leap Attack charger build with Pounce... but these guys would prefer to throw rocks at you until you're dead.

    Their thing is mounted archery (using slings).

    Looking at the rest of it...
    - Inspire Toughness is good at high level. At War Chanter 10 you'd give everyone +20 temporary HP, which is a pretty big buff on Warrior 1 NPCs. Still, keeping them alive won't matter if they can't hit.
    - Combined Song is good.
    - Inspire Awe is okay, but enemies shouldn't stay nearby if the horde is sniping correctly.
    - Inspire Legion is SICK. That's a huge bonus for followers. Okay, now they can stay alive (via Inspire Toughness) AND they can hit. This turns your followers from one-miss-per-turn NPCs into full-attack abominations.

    Now we just need another Bard to grant the Dragonfire Inspiration bonus damage dice...

  7. - Top - End - #7
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    May 2012

    Default Re: Halflings as Mongols

    I always saw Halfling Outrider as *the* class for a Mongol Cav Archer. Shame it's race-restricted, but Halflings make good mounted PCs anyway.

    There's a tactical feat called Exhausting Defense in Dragon Magazine #345. It's...not exactly what you'd want, since it's based around using Combat Expertise, which is melee-only, but if you can activate it with fighting defensively (which is not melee-only) instead, it's a set of tactics to exhaust your foe over several rounds, probably the closest WotC-published feat you'll get to mimicking the Mongols' feigned retreat to tire their foes before shooting them down.
    It's not that good of a feat either, though. Ah well.

    Quote Originally Posted by ben-zayb View Post
    Could've sworn they nerfed the scout by not making mount movement count for skirmish
    One can always choose to ignore stupid nerfs like that. There was a later alt. class feature in some dragon magazine called Light Cavalry i think, which basically traded Skirmish for a mounted-ONLY Skirmish.
    Or just ignore the stupid nerf.

  8. - Top - End - #8
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    BlackDragon

    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Mexico
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Halflings as Mongols

    Well ditch the DFI.
    High Intimidate: terrorizing groups into surrender was big part of their tactics. Probably via Aid Another...
    Mount has speed boosters.
    Lowish armor. Probably a <Stat> to AC while in light armor
    Handbook in Process:Getting the Facts Straight: A Guide to the Factotum

    Homebrew:
    Spoiler
    Show
    The Singular Band: There can be only one
    Khayal: A monster class worth playing


    Quote Originally Posted by Deophaun View Post
    Player: I'll use a classic ploy. "Help! Guards! He's having a seizure!"
    DM: You're the only one in the prison.
    Player: I'm very convincing.
    DM: And there are no guards.
    Player: But there's masonry.
    DM: It's not even animate, let alone sentient.
    Player: That's ok. I'll take the penalty.

  9. - Top - End - #9
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    In an apartment
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Halflings as Mongols

    As other classes that your hordes could take, you could look at Wild Plains Outrider from CAdv or Ranger Knight from Dragon 317.
    If you feel like quoting something that I have said, you have my permission to use it. Unless it makes me look stupid.
    Gaming Laws, Fallacies And More
    Avatar by Kymme
    My Homebrew
    Feel free to browse and comment on any of my Homebrew. I enjoy feedback.
    Love my Avatar? Well, why not check out the comic that it came from?

  10. - Top - End - #10
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    DwarfBarbarianGuy

    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    No Longer The Frostfell

    Default Re: Halflings as Mongols

    Quote Originally Posted by ben-zayb View Post
    Could've sworn they nerfed the scout by not making mount movement count for skirmish
    To be fair, it's a martial class that grants bonus damage/AC periodically throughout the progression of the class. It's flavor texted as an ability that allows you to pinpoint the weak spot by constantly maneuvering around the battlefield to elude the enemy's gaze or get to the chink in the armor allowing you to hit slightly harder. You still need to be within 30 feet to get your precision damage. Is there really anything to nerf?

    My vote goes to having some Warchanters, Marshals, Bards, Rangers, Scouts, and probably Barbarians as your vanguard. Oh me oh my, greataxe weailding halflings riding on war mastiffs with spirited charge smashing in to your front lines while multi rock chucking halflings riding war mastiffs pelt you from behind those lines and ballistae rain down upon you from the other side of the hill that you can't see... that's terrifying. Maybe see if there are some Pack Fighting feats you can use? I know they're a think but I can't recall the book they're in.

  11. - Top - End - #11
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    EvilClericGuy

    Join Date
    Aug 2010

    Default Re: Halflings as Mongols

    I'm a traditionalist in some senses; my favorite halflings are hobbit-flavored. But I play kender, too; full disclosure.

    I think Mongol halflings are completely doable. Eberron's been mentioned and the fluff could match some Mongols stories, as well.

  12. - Top - End - #12
    Troll in the Playground
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Halflings as Mongols

    Give some watch spiders for mounts. That way they have a unit that can climb over obsicles to help breach fortifications. They can also milk them for poison and silk to repair equipment or make bandages. The mongols used their horses for everything, including sleeping under them. Spidersilk hammocks anyone?
    ,,,,^..^,,,,


    Quote Originally Posted by Haldir View Post
    Edit- I understand it now, Fighters are like a status symbol. If you're well off enough to own a living Fighter, you must be pretty well off!

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •