Halflings [3.5, Tryor Race]

[Admiral Squish]

The Fleshforge Legacy

Halflings


On the surface, halflings are a jovial, personable race with an affection for music and art. They roam between the nations in traveling caravans, providing music, dance, and selling beautiful crafts to any town they stop in. The shapers used them largely as jesters and entertainment, but the Halfling race carries a dark secret in their blood, a secret hiding in the shadow of their smiles.

Personality: Halflings are friendly, beautiful people, with warm smiles and a deep appreciation for music and dance. They make fast friends and they have a presence much larger than their size would indicate. Halflings love to be the center of attention, and can often pull it off by merely walking into a room. Halflings love telling tales, singing, and dancing, these things being second nature to them.

Physical Description: Halflings stand about 3 feet tall and usually weigh between 30 and 35 pounds. Their skin ranges from pale to a deep, exotic brown, and their hair comes in shades of red, blonde, brown, and black, almost always black and worn long. They have deep brown, green, or black eyes. Halflings of both genders are extremely beautiful, with gentle features. Halflings tend to favor bright colors and exciting patterns in their clothes. A halfling reaches adulthood at the age of 20 and generally lives into the middle of her second century.

Relations: Halflings try to get along with everyone else. They are adept at fitting into a community of almost any race and making themselves valuable and welcome, with the obvious exception of elves. Even the isolated dwarves will open their gates for a caravan of halflings, though they will be thoroughly checked before they get in. Since human society changes faster than the societies of the longer-lived races, it is human society that most frequently offers halflings opportunities to exploit, and halflings are most often found in or around human lands.

Alignment: Halflings generally tend towards chaos over law, and they show a tendency towards good, though most halflings are solidly neutral.

Halfling Lands: Halflings are nomadic, traveling from place to place, never really settling down. Halflings villages take the form of large caravans 20 or 30 wagons strong, each wagon holding a single family of halflings. Halflings frequent gnomish hospitals, human villages, goliath villages, orc camps, dwarven caves, and shifter cities.

Language: Halflings speak halfling, which is an intricate tongue, incorporating pitch and tempo into it’s grammar. A story told in halfling can be a song all on its own. The language is known for it’s detailed description of musical terms. Halfling poetry is rhymed both on the syllables and the notes. Written halfling syllabic symbols are accompanied by a notation of pitch.

Names: Halfling names are typically three-part, with a first name, a middle name, then a family name. Using a halfling’s middle name is usually reserved for close, personal relationships.

Adventurers: Halfling adventurers are well-respected. Most often these traveling souls are bards, but halflings take on many professions, their natural charisma making them an asset to any group. Most halflings go adventuring to bring back songs and tales from distant lands.

HALFLING RACIAL TRAITS

• +2 Charisma, -2 Strength. Halflings are beautiful and compelling, but their size leaves them physically weak.
• Small: As a Small creature, a halfling gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but she uses smaller weapons than Medium characters use, and her lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character.
• Halfling base land speed is 20 feet
• +2 Racial Bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, and Sense Motive Checks. Halflings learn how to read and manipulate people socially at a young age, and their compelling presence makes them naturally talented at it.
• +2 racial bonus to listen and perform checks. Halflings have keen ears and fine sense for rhythm and tune, being raised among musicians.
• +1 racial bonus to saving throws. Halflings are lucky creatures, which often allows them to escape the worst effects of spells and abilities.
• Show Magic: Halflings can use Summon Instrument and Prestidigitation as spell like abilities at will.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Halfling. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Gnome, Goblin, and Gol-kaa, Orc.
• Favored Class: Bard. A multiclass halfling’s bard class does not count when determining whether she take an experience point penalty for Multicasting.

[Admiral Squish]

These are the halflings for my new campaign setting. In an effort to save post-space and encourage review, I'm going to be posting each of the races as a separate thread and linking them to the main thread. Hopefully, the playground will find the task of review a little less intimidating this way.

The basic thing behind this idea was that there was always fluff to support halflings being really convincing and charismatic, master negotiatoors and diplomats, but there was never any crunch to go with it. So, here we are.

[MammonAzrael]

Why do all small creatures have to take a penalty to strength? I'd like it if instead halflings took a penalty to constitution or something. It would further enforce their preference to talk things out instead of fighting, since they'd be naturally a little more frail.

Otherwise they seem fine. A little weak compared to the other races I've read thus far, but not terribly so.

[Admiral Squish]

Why do all small creatures have to take a penalty to strength? I'd like it if instead halflings took a penalty to constitution or something. It would further enforce their preference to talk things out instead of fighting, since they'd be naturally a little more frail.

Otherwise they seem fine. A little weak compared to the other races I've read thus far, but not terribly so.

I think the main logic for it is that, while a human can put 100+ pounds of weight into a blow, a halfling doesn't have anywhere near as much weight to throw around. A hit to con would certainly make sense, however, con is a much more useful ability.

I may have nerfed them a little out of fear of diplomancy...

[MammonAzrael]

Just use The Giants diplomacy instead of official and you should be fine.

And I understand the logic behind Str penalties, it just gets monotonous at times. And I like little warriors beating down.

[Admiral Squish]

Just use The Giants diplomacy instead of official and you should be fine.

And I understand the logic behind Str penalties, it just gets monotonous at times. And I like little warriors beating down.

I'll go check it out.

If you want little warriors, check out my Titan-souled.

[Fable Wright]

Okay, halflings. Little diplomancer folk bards. I like what you did with them in the setting, giving them their own niche and all... but how, exactly, are the halflings organized in their society? For example, we know bards are important to their culture, and that they prefer to avoid fighting, but is there a gap there? For example, while halfing bards are the norm, and they are good at what they do, how do the other classes fit into their races? While bards are good and all, they fail to get too many heroic stories on them, right? Perhaps there is a deep warrior appreciation in their culture, as well, far above the other culture's. Because they are physically weak, feats of strength from a halfling are more impressive than normal to them, and following that, so are the warriors. Because halflings have to be more than just singers and sorcerers- they have to have other niches in their culture and lifestyle filled than just that- other roles have to be respected as well. Perhaps something to reflect that halfling bards, while good and fun, aren't the peak of Halfling culture? Perhaps their culture favors warriors as the people who are able to hold public office- they are powerful, and they chose to sacrifice their freedom to serve the community as guards, thus able to be lawful, and just rulers. Or what about clerics? How do they fit in with the halflings (or, in fact, the setting in general? You have these races, and this fractured world that they live in- how do they view their gods? What gods are there? Do they venerate shaper rulers as gods? How is religion organized in the cultures? All of these need to be considered sooner or later in the setting)? Perhaps as wise and just rulers and advisors? Also, how is the government organized in halfling communities? It would be rather stupid to just make it so that the varied, adaptable, personable people with personalities just make the best singer the leader of the community. Perhaps there is a council? Perhaps they change leaders every week? Perhaps they pay the rest of the community to remain in charge, sort of like reverse taxes? How does it work? While it is different between every individual caravan, some general guidelines might be useful, or examples, at least, of how the communities function. Also, you need to have some information about how halflings and shadow halflings interact. While it varies widely between caravans, as you said, is there a general mindset amongst them? For example, since they are bad at songs, but good at stealth and fighting (Well, better than a normal halfling), are there many folk songs about them doing heroic deeds, rather than singing songs about the best songs ever sung? Epic ballads have to be about something, you know. Also, while they are accepted into other societies very easily, and welcomed into them, are there any special racial prejudices held against them by other races? Lazy, but good at singing and people skills? Are there things that people just won't let halflings do?

Also, there becomes the issue of halfling technology. They go all over, buying and selling things all over the world, so they have access to all kinds of technology from all over. However, what does this mean for what they have? Do they just use the best? Do they use local technology to be friendly with the locals? Do they, perhaps, mix and splice technology? Putting dwarf construct magitech into Orcish weapons (Brutal, but less advanced)? Perhaps, with the unique way of halfling crafting, give them a unique crafting system- halfling parts. Things that can be combined into any way, highly personalized to the wielder, that come from all sorts of different places all over the setting. This would certainly give something special to their culture- each halfling has their own tech, their own style, that marks something as his, and all his weapons are unique. Mechanically, this can be represented as bits and pieces of technology (pretty much halfling-only, because other races can't figure out how they work, given that it is an intuitive process closely related to the halfing language) that can be added to any weapon, giving it an advantage and a disadvantage, tailoring it to a halfling's fighting style. Of course, after it is made by a halfling, other races might be sold it (for above average price), it's never made for anyone above small size except by master smiths for ridiculous prices. For example, a piece may give a -1 bonus on attack rolls, but treat one-handed weapons as two-handed weapons for the purpose of power attacking (which lets sword-and-boarding become somewhere near valid), or an armor may be given a magitech core, giving it a +10 bonus to move speeds, but making it so that the person cannot move less than 10ft in a turn- ridiculous, creative bits of technology that are rather creative and unexpective- like the halflings. It would be something to make them more unique, at least.

[Admiral Squish]

DMoD, it would be helpful if you could break up these posts a little more in the future, just for ease of consumption. Paragaphs are your friend.

I like the idea of them being particularly appreciative of warriors, and warriors do make the best songs, after all. I could see a sizable chunk of halflings idolizing strength and taking up warrior classes. Probably swordsages or something along those lines. I could also see halflings welcoming warriors into their caravans, if only to pry new tales from them and turn them into stories or songs.

However, I think that while these warriors would be not uncommon, the halflings are still designed for one thing, music. A good bard has the respect of his peers. Yes, the other classes exist, but to be perfectly honest, nobody complains when I don't take time out to mention orc wizards. Sure, they exist, just like halfling warriors, but they're the exception, not the rule.

As for religion, that's the current topic in the main Tryor thread, feel free to join in with it over there.

The halflings aren't COMPLETELY focused on music. There are no dance-battles to determine the next caravan leader. The caravans are democratic, with a council of elders making the decisions, but with every halfling in the caravan allowed to have their say. The elders come one from each wagon in the caravan. If an elder's no longer fit, he can be voted off the council. Each family manages their own finances, but sometimes the elders will pool the caravan's money to make a major purchase.

I think I went pretty well into detail of how the halfings/shadow halflings interacted in the shadow halfling thread. Sometimes, it's rejection and fear. Other times, honor and respect.

Look in races of stone and check out some of the gnome legends. It'd be something along those lines. A clever, quick halfling who outsmarts the bigfolk would be something the listener can relate to, and would be a good hero for halfling tales. Thus, yes, shadow halfling would probably be featured in their stories quite prominently.

Well, generally speaking, people won't let halflings, say, go into their houses and root around through their jewlery boxes. Dwarves keep the halfings out of their city centers. Goliaths probably wouldn't let them play with the dinosaurs, for their own good. Yeah, some people would see them as lazy, but most people would see the halflings coming to town as a festival of sorts.

I like your idea for halfling tech, but I just don't think so. It just seems like it would be MUCH, MUCH too complex. It's an interesting idea and all, but there's a whole lot of big work left to be done, and I just don't have the time to reinvent the wheel specifically for the little folk. Besides, the halfings are traders, not engineers. Some would favor orc weapons, others would prefer dwarven ones.

[Fable Wright]

I like your idea for halfling tech, but I just don't think so. It just seems like it would be MUCH, MUCH too complex. It's an interesting idea and all, but there's a whole lot of big work left to be done, and I just don't have the time to reinvent the wheel specifically for the little folk. Besides, the halfings are traders, not engineers. Some would favor orc weapons, others would prefer dwarven ones.

...So... could I do it?

[Admiral Squish]

...So... could I do it?

Sure go ahead. I can't guarantee I'll use it because, like I said, it seems overly complicated, and the real sticking point is it doesn't fit the fluff. The halflings are not tinkers or engineers, they're traders. Traders would USE mixed technology, like a gnomish first aid kit and orcish weapons, but they wouldn't mix and match individual examples, like sticking an orcish axe head on a dwarven axe handle. The result would probably be off-balance anyways, and the parts probably wouldn't even fit together in the first place.

[Fable Wright]

Sure go ahead. I can't guarantee I'll use it because, like I said, it seems overly complicated, and the real sticking point is it doesn't fit the fluff. The halflings are not tinkers or engineers, they're traders. Traders would USE mixed technology, like a gnomish first aid kit and orcish weapons, but they wouldn't mix and match individual examples, like sticking an orcish axe head on a dwarven axe handle. The result would probably be off-balance anyways, and the parts probably wouldn't even fit together in the first place.

Ah. I was mainly thinking some overcomplicated, personalized weaponry would fit in with high charisma (and thus high-ego) people well. Maybe it just works because they believe it does, given their magical nature, so it only works for them.

...And, now I just had an idea for how to represent the Ork WAAAGH!!! field in D&D. I might write that up soon...

[Admiral Squish]

Ah. I was mainly thinking some overcomplicated, personalized weaponry would fit in with high charisma (and thus high-ego) people well. Maybe it just works because they believe it does, given their magical nature, so it only works for them.

...And, now I just had an idea for how to represent the Ork WAAAGH!!! field in D&D. I might write that up soon...

Well, that does fit, if it were a race of mad scientists of some sort. But these are high-charisma bards. I could see them having elaborate, customized instruments, but not magitek armor. Besides, if you want to create these weapon and armor features, you'd have to design their origins first. Dwarven arcanotek, orcish brutality weapons, elven bowcraft...

[Fable Wright]

Well, that does fit, if it were a race of mad scientists of some sort. But these are high-charisma bards. I could see them having elaborate, customized instruments, but not magitek armor. Besides, if you want to create these weapon and armor features, you'd have to design their origins first. Dwarven arcanotek, orcish brutality weapons, elven bowcraft...

...They buy magitech, a high-demand product, a lot, and they wouldn't use it? If they had wisdom penalties, that might make more sense, but...

And yes, I probably could design their origins if I were to make the tech. That would be integral to it, no?

[Admiral Squish]

...They buy magitech, a high-demand product, a lot, and they wouldn't use it? If they had wisdom penalties, that might make more sense, but...

And yes, I probably could design their origins if I were to make the tech. That would be integral to it, no?

I'm saying, yes, they would buy the magiteck, and they would probably know how to use the magitek, but they wouldn't ncessarily know how to tinker with it and make it do other things.

For example, I own a car. I like my car. I can make my car take me from point A to point B with minimal mishap. However, I can't look under the hood of my car and know what the hell is going on. I mean, I know the basics that this is the part that makes the wheels move, and that is the part that powers the glowy things on the dashboard, but I would not know how to take my car apart and put it back together in such a way that it not only still works, but now does something else entirely.

It's a similar principle. Sure, there would be SOME halflings who are good with the magitek stuff. But they would be the exception, not the rule. Like, say a halfling with psionic powers. That would be unusual. Certainly not every halfling is going to know how to manifest powers, the same way that not every halfling will be able to tinker with tools and weapons.

[Fable Wright]

I'm saying, yes, they would buy the magiteck, and they would probably know how to use the magitek, but they wouldn't ncessarily know how to tinker with it and make it do other things.

For example, I own a car. I like my car. I can make my car take me from point A to point B with minimal mishap. However, I can't look under the hood of my car and know what the hell is going on. I mean, I know the basics that this is the part that makes the wheels move, and that is the part that powers the glowy things on the dashboard, but I would not know how to take my car apart and put it back together in such a way that it not only still works, but now does something else entirely.

It's a similar principle. Sure, there would be SOME halflings who are good with the magitek stuff. But they would be the exception, not the rule. Like, say a halfling with psionic powers. That would be unusual. Certainly not every halfling is going to know how to manifest powers, the same way that not every halfling will be able to tinker with tools and weapons.

I think I see the disconnect... the halflings don't buy it themselves. They buy the core pieces, possibly modified by halfling smiths, and just stick it on. For example, rather than buying a jetpack, they buy the rocket inside it, and then strap it onto the armor. Or, they see a rifle, and then they add a bayonette. Or they see a greatsword, change the weighting, add in a kinetic motion core, serrate the edges, and add a small rocket engine to the bottom of the wrist-guard. Small things.

[Admiral Squish]

I think I see the disconnect... the halflings don't buy it themselves. They buy the core pieces, possibly modified by halfling smiths, and just stick it on. For example, rather than buying a jetpack, they buy the rocket inside it, and then strap it onto the armor. Or, they see a rifle, and then they add a bayonette. Or they see a greatsword, change the weighting, add in a kinetic motion core, serrate the edges, and add a small rocket engine to the bottom of the wrist-guard. Small things.

And again, same problem. That's like saying 'oh, you don't have to know how to fix an engine, you just have to assemble it from scratch, using parts from half a dozen different places that were never designed to work together.' Yeah, okay, it's simple enough to duct tape a kitchen knife to a rifle and call it a bayonet, but that's not going to be anywhere near as effective as a real bayonet, and if you have a bayonet from the wrong kind of rife, you'd need to rework all the mountings and even then it might not be as effective as it would be if you just used a rifle with the bayonet designed for it.

You're literally saying 'it's just rocket science, it's simple enough'. For example, attaching rockets to armor? You can'g just glue them on and hope they'll hold. You need to mount it to the back plates in such a way that the wearer can still move their spine, you need to make everything below the waist heat-resistant and flame-retardant, you need to properly counterbalance the thrust so he doesn't faceplant immediately post-takeoff...

You can't 'just' do anything you suggested to a sword. Changing the weighting of a blade requires extremely careful work to bore out pieces of the bale or hilt while still maintaining the whole thing's structural integrity. You can't just serrate a blade's edge, because to do that would require you to completely reforge the sword.

These are engineering problems that are complex and multi-layered, requiring in-depth knowledge of the work. This is not stuff that can just be thrown together while expecting it to still work and not explode when you use it. What you're suggesting sounds more like stereotypical goblin tech.

[Mayhem]

The sword's an engineering marvel, the physics involved in them are extensive. You can sometimes change the pommel to re-balance it and change the grip, but beyond that you can't do anymore on it without re-forging the whole thing or you'll compromise structural integrity. Changing the guard beyond carving/drilling it can't often be done since they're usually peened onto the blade so they don't slip.

Playing around with armour kits and axes etc already seem to be a part of d&d, it's still an interesting idea of high-cha people more accessorised than the commons though.

[Veyr]

Sorry for the lame post, but thought I'd mention: that image is way too wide, stretches the screen

[Admiral Squish]

Sorry for the lame post, but thought I'd mention: that image is way too wide, stretches the screen

It's a little bitty stretch on my screen... I guess I didn't think about how it would affect those with smaller screens. I'll go spoiler it for now until I can find a better solution.

[MammonAzrael]

Make a photobucket account, load the pic, then resize it.

[Admiral Squish]

Make a photobucket account, load the pic, then resize it.

There! Much better, yes? All properly scaled?

[Veyr]

Looks absolutely perfect on my screen.

[MammonAzrael]

*thumbs-up*