Ooo, I've caught two articles in a row before anyone else got to 'em. The text:
Rivers and streams crisscross the world, and upon these waterways, the nomadic halflings quietly do the same. Legend says that Melora and Sehanine together crafted the halflings, instilling in these small folk a love of water and nature, as well as an innate wanderlust and stealth. The same stories say that both goddesses then left the halflings to their own devices.
Left to themselves, halflings lived for ages. They formed close families and communities, centered on their wisest elders. Clans of halflings wandered creation, never stopping for long, and rarely claiming any particular spot as their own. Their traditions formed and survived among a population constantly on the move and influenced little by the ways of other races. Unassuming, resourceful and independent, halflings hardly ever attracted much notice.
But Avandra, the goddess of boldness, luck and travel, took note of the halflings traversing the world. It seemed to her as if these little people, whom she didn’t create, were hers nonetheless by virtue of the fact that they were living manifestations of her best-loved ideals. Halflings say Avandra smiled on them that day, adopting them as her people and blessing them with good fortune through their worldly struggles. Anyone who knows halflings has little doubt that chance is indeed on their side.
Halflings, for their part, hold fables such as these as true, and their rich oral tradition of such tales is an important part of their culture. Young halflings learn the lore of their people, clan and family from hearing stories. From these, halfling children also pick up lessons on morality and knowledge of many subjects. Outside the political struggles, wars, and other concerns of nations and empires, but widely traveled, halflings have observed and preserved what they learned in their common yarns.
Favorite sagas retell the life and deeds of halflings bold enough to strike out on their own to see the world, right a wrong, or accomplish a great task. Most halflings are practical folk, concerning themselves with the simple things in life. Adventurous halflings are of the same stripe but practice such habits in a different way. A halfling leaves the security of family and clan not for high ideals, fame, or wealth. Instead, he goes to protect his community or friends, to prove his own capabilities, or to merely see more of the world than his nomadic lifestyle can offer.
A halfling hero might be the size of a preteen human child, but he has quick feet, deft hands and quick wit. He is forthright, bold and nigh fearless. His talents run toward sneakiness and craftiness. Pluck and fortune carry him to success where others would fail. He is an expression of all that halflings esteem, and so he is a valuable ally and a daunting foe.
All this went into creating halflings for the 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons game. The popular halfling of 3rd Edition is only slightly re-imagined so the race’s mechanical elements make the story elements true. Halflings are still Small, even though they are not 3rd Edition’s versions—in which halflings are the size of 3- or 4-year old humans. They still make great rogues, but they also make good rangers. A few new aspects, such as a tweak to Charisma and a slight influence over luck, in addition to making halfling warlocks viable, reinforce the halfling as a lucky, loveable protagonist. A halfling can also be a hard-to-kill enemy sharp of tongue and blade.
In other words, halflings are exactly what veteran D&D players expect from the 4th Edition refinement to something that worked well in 3rd Edition. Similar flavor, mechanical underpinning to the story, and as much, if not more, fun.
So I think this is something of a repeat of what we've seen from Races and Classes. Still, I like the direction they're taking Halflings and I can see a few little mechanical bits in there, such as the fact Halflings get a "tweak to Charisma and a slight influence over luck." It sounds like they'll get some kind of die manipulation and also be +2 Dexterity and +2 Charisma.
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In other words, halflings are exactly what veteran D&D players expect from the 4th Edition refinement to something that worked well in 3rd Edition. Similar flavor, mechanical underpinning to the story, and as much, if not more, fun.
Really? Seems to me veteran gamers remember halflings as hobbit homebodies who stick to their burrows and love nothing more than a good meal and their pipe. Now their "similar flavor" is that they're nomadic river people? Isn't that kinda the opposite? Of course giving us the exact opposite of what D&D used to be is "exactly what veteran D&D players expect from 4th Edition."
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In other words, halflings are exactly what veteran D&D players expect from the 4th Edition refinement to something that worked well in 3rd Edition. Similar flavor, mechanical underpinning to the story, and as much, if not more, fun.Really? Seems to me veteran gamers remember halflings as hobbit homebodies who stick to their burrows and love nothing more than a good meal and their pipe. Now their "similar flavor" is that they're nomadic river people? Isn't that kinda the opposite? Of course giving us the exact opposite of what D&D used to be is "exactly what veteran D&D players expect from 4th Edition."
What they mean is people from 3e, not before then.
Personally, I'm kinda "eh" about this. I really can't find any fault with this article, but it doesn't make me all that excited, either. What's this about them being "small, yet not small"?
Noteworthy . . .the Esteemed Mr. Stephen Greer also has an adventure in the current Dungeon.
I'm shocked. Absolutely no comments that talk down about any players or playstyles. If they keep this up, I might regain respect for WotC.
As to the contents, it sounds like Halflings and Kenders have crossbred. And I am more than a little worried about this "slight influence over luck" that is mentioned. While it could just be a die roll modifier/reroll whatever, it could be a new Luck mechanic they have influence over. And it isn't the influence part that worries me. It is the possibility of a new Luck mechanic. That doesn't seem all that streamlined.
As to the contents, it sounds like Halflings and Kenders have crossbred.
My thought exactly- I got a second-hand copy of Races of the Wild today and was struck by just how far away Halflings have diverged from their original conception- no crossbreeding here, it looks like they just filed the serial numbers off the Kender altogether and dropped them in. As for being the halflings familiar to veterans of D&D, then sure- if you've been playing for the past eight years.
Any new players expecting something resembling Hobbits will be bewildered by these merry wee itinerant kleptomaniacs.
I'm shocked. Absolutely no comments that talk down about any players or playstyles. If they keep this up, I might regain respect for WotC.
As to the contents, it sounds like Halflings and Kenders have crossbred. And I am more than a little worried about this "slight influence over luck" that is mentioned. While it could just be a die roll modifier/reroll whatever, it could be a new Luck mechanic they have influence over. And it isn't the influence part that worries me. It is the possibility of a new Luck mechanic. That doesn't seem all that streamlined.
I would be very surprised if there was a luck mechanic. I am sure action points are in, but I think they work differently than from Eberron where they boosted a die roll.
Also, I wish they hadn't added in the last sentence. They could have avoided the word "fun" in the entire piece.
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Noteworthy . . .the Esteemed Mr. Stephen Greer also has an adventure in the current Dungeon.
Yes... and it can't be downloaded properly, it seems.
Way to go, digital Dungeon!Regarding hobbi... ehm, halflings, I'm quite neutral about the 4E version of them. I appreciate some parts of the tweaking (not straight Tolkien-like, but along the classical cultural and general traits of the race) while I dislike others.
Can't really see the need for a luck mechanic, maybe they just have some kind of bonus related to action points use.
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Any new players expecting something resembling Hobbits will be bewildered by these merry wee itinerant kleptomaniacs.
I've never understood the idea that it's okay for halflings to be thieving bar stewards. Surely they'd be shunned/attacked/banned by the dominant communities of humans/dwarves/elves/whatever.
Dwarves mine.
Elves forage.
Humans farm.
Gnomes farm and forage.
Orcs hunt.
Halflings steal.
There's very little lovable about a parasite.
I'm just amazed that "popular" has been used to describe halflings. I was under the impression that no one's played a halfling since 1979.
I kid, I kid.
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I noticed that they are partly the creation of Sehanine. Wasn't she an Elven deity? No more Yondalla it seems. I guess she wasn't "kewl" or popular enough.
And now they are the size of pre-teen humans, and can be Warlocks? This sounds more like an entire race of Merry and Pippins after drinking mystic Ent Water.
Hey, maybe this means that Treants will now be Ents and can be a PC race in the PHB II. Huzzah!!
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In Monte Cook's Ptolus campaign setting, both halflings and gnomes are closely related to elves. They're all fae touched races.
I do like the fact that they're making halflings 'lucky', but I like my way of addressing that far better than theirs. Before they announced their intention to make 4th edition races matter through 20 levels, I had been working on providing additional racial bonuses at higher levels, and halflings are tied very much to being 'lucky'.
I don't like nomadic halflings. I think they can make a fine adventuring race without it. So, once again after reading the preview, I remain committed to playing 3.5 and introducing a new mechanic to see how it goes in game. And I've got at least three years of games stockpiled, I believe. I think I'm going to make it to 5th edition without even feeling that I missed anything.
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Before they announced their intention to make 4th edition races matter through 20 levels, I had been working on providing additional racial bonuses at higher levels, and halflings are tied very much to being 'lucky'.
How does lucky work mechanically? Do they get to reroll certain checks per day? Action points?
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One additional thought,... At the rate halflings seem to grow between editions, by 5e they will be the size of teenage humans.
Seriously, what is gained by making halflings so big that the term halfling seems a little misapplied?
edit- My oldest son is 11. He stands about 5'8" and weighs about 140 lbs. Granted, he's tall for his age but preteens are not what I think of when I think halfling size.
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Funnily enough the changing of height of a halfling is one of the things that annoys me the most about 4th edition.
The argument for it in the races and classes book seems to be that it doesn't make much sense so they changed it to make it more realistic. You then flip through a few pages to see the red skinned, tailed, horned and glowing eyed tiefling.
Also as a side note they say that halflings were to small to make sence well hate to break it to them Giants dont make sence either. After all there bodies are far to tall for a human type of anatomy to support.
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I think the 4th edition Halflings are generic enough that you can change fluff and use them for your own campaign.
I can live with this incarnation of the halflings.
BUT
And that is a HUGE but, how the Hell do Halflings survive?
I mean, what do they do to get lunch on the table?
Are the nomadic in the way the Indian tribes were?
Are they nomadic in the way the mongols were and are (breeding horses/sheeps whatever)?
Are they artisan/storyteller gypsy type travellers?
Are they traders in news and exotic goods?
And more important: How do they survive as travellers? Small people travelling in clans have to have some strong allies or they get wiped out by orc raiders or other fantasy world predators. Do they breed huge dogs or wolves (Hello Midnight)?
That again shows me how shallow these articles really are and that the kewl factor is more important
Compare to that the not much longer article on the Varisians in the RotR Players Manual gives much more information what these people do to survive.
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…Melora and Sehanine together crafted the halflings, instilling in these small folk a love of water and nature, as well as an innate wanderlust and stealth. The same stories say that both goddesses then left the halflings to their own devices.
It seems that Halflings may be reinterpreted as a ‘quasi-but-not-quite-fey’, in the same way that elves and gnomes have always been. This may not suit some, but it allows for the existence of ‘little-people’, and Tolkeinesque 7-foot, proud, noble people.
But Avandra, the goddess of boldness, luck and travel, took note of the halflings traversing the world. It seemed to her as if these little people, whom she didn’t create, were hers nonetheless by virtue of the fact that they were living manifestations of her best-loved ideals. Halflings say Avandra smiled on them that day, adopting them as her people and blessing them with good fortune through their worldly struggles. Anyone who knows halflings has little doubt that chance is indeed on their side.
Is this a new goddess? Or one ported in from FR?
Favorite sagas retell the life and deeds of halflings bold enough to strike out on their own to see the world, right a wrong, or accomplish a great task. Most halflings are practical folk, concerning themselves with the simple things in life. Adventurous halflings are of the same stripe but practice such habits in a different way. A halfling leaves the security of family and clan not for high ideals, fame, or wealth. Instead, he goes to protect his community or friends, to prove his own capabilities, or to merely see more of the world than his nomadic lifestyle can offer.
This is what I like; I could actually imagine playing this ‘working-class hero’ angle, which still leaves lots of room for personal interpretation (are you friendly with the ‘big folk’ or do you mistrust them? Do you want to mix with them, or are you a separatist? Are you on a high-minded noble quest, or are you focused on revenge or vigilantism?).
I believe it’s wrong to cling to Tolkien’s hobbits, who, quite frankly, make absolutely rubbish adventurers. Take a read of ‘The Hobbit’ again, with a view to creating a long-term PC. In that book, they are a joke (sorry to all the JRRT fans out there). They’re frightened of their own shadows, they refuse to venture more than a mile from their burrows, they are fat, drunk, cowardly and wilfully ignorant. The fact that 5 of them manage to overcome their true nature for a few months is hardly a glowing endorsement of the race. Even as a kid, I wanted to punch Bilbo in the face, whenever he wittered and twittered about the lack of amenities on the journey. ‘Oh deary me, I’ve lost one of my beautiful little brass buttons!’, ‘Oh, tragedy, here I am in a cave; and me without my embroidered handkerchief!’, ‘Oh, I’m wasting away to nothing, with only six square meals a day, and a fairy-cake for my elevenses!’.
This might be fun for a pick-up game, a short campaign, or as a comic-relief NPC to obstruct and infuriate the PCs, but I would hate to have a mincing mary-queen, shrieking in my ear (in a ‘comedic’ accent), week in, week out, for the duration of a 20-level campaign.
I'm afraid my interpretation of halflings leans far closer to Belkar Bitterleaf than Bilbo Baggins...
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Before they announced their intention to make 4th edition races matter through 20 levels, I had been working on providing additional racial bonuses at higher levels, and halflings are tied very much to being 'lucky'.How does lucky work mechanically? Do they get to reroll certain checks per day? Action points?
Ooooohhhh... I feel inspired for a house rule... :-D
Once per day, halflings have a +1 to any roll or DC check (attack, skill, save, damage, spell, etc). It improves by 1 point every fourth level (so +2 at 4th, +3 at 8th, and so on). The bonus must be used before the dice rolls.
Considering a 30-level overall progression, at 15th level, halflings can split the available total bonus into two or more daily uses, based on the bonus of their Charisma score (Cha 12 means two daily uses, 14 three uses, etc.). The character can split its bonus value however he desires, within the constraints of the daily use.
A bit overpowered in 3.X, but considering the publicly stated power creep for playing characters in 4E, not so difficult to explain in the new ruleset.
They still make great rogues, but they also make good rangers.
Good to know they decided to make Belkar a major influence in 4E.
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i]My oldest son is 11. He stands about 5'8" and weighs about 140 lbs. Granted, he's tall for his age but preteens are not what I think of when I think halfling size.[/i]
My daughter is 4 years old, 3' tall, and very physically strong and active, compared to her peers.
Quite frankly, I find it bizarre to think that some of my PCs have been so small, and still have a Str bonus, especially when I see her staggering about with objects I can lift with one finger (and no, I'm hardly The Hulk, just a typical skinny white office-guy).You can't discount the idea just because your son decided to take the half-giraffe template...;)
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I believe it’s wrong to cling to Tolkien’s hobbits, who, quite frankly, make absolutely rubbish adventurers. Take a read of ‘The Hobbit’ again, with a view to creating a long-term PC. In that book, they are a joke (sorry to all the JRRT fans out there). They’re frightened of their own shadows, they refuse to venture more than a mile from their burrows, they are fat, drunk, cowardly and wilfully ignorant. The fact that 5 of them manage to overcome their true nature for a few months is hardly a glowing endorsement of the race.
”Nonetheless, ease and peace had left this people still curiously tough. They were, if it came to it, difficult to daunt or to kill: and they were, perhaps, so unwearingly fond of good things not least because they could, when put to it, do without them, and could survive rough handling by grief, foe or weather in a way that astonished those who did not know them well and looked no further than their bellies and their well fed faces. Though slow to quarrel, and for sport killing nothing that lived, they were doughty at bay, and at need could still handle arms. They shot well with the bow, for they were keen-eyed and sure at the mark. Not only with bows and arrows. If any Hobbit stooped for a tone, it was well to get quickly under cover, as all trespassing beast knew very well.” From the Prologue, About Hobbits
There was another group of individuals, at the end of the Return of the King who thought the hobbits were funny little gluttons. They ended up as pincushions and prisoners.
A whole race of individuals predisposed to 'Adventuring' would hardly be a productive race. Adventurers should be the exception in every race, those individuals that stand head and shoulder above their peers in courage, drive and curiousity. Tolkien's hobbits are not predisposed to adventuring, but they have the natural abilities required when called upon to deliver in a pinch.
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I think the 4th edition Halflings are generic enough that you can change fluff and use them for your own campaign.
I can live with this incarnation of the halflings.
BUT
And that is a HUGE but, how the Hell do Halflings survive?
I mean, what do they do to get lunch on the table?
That's all off-stage stuff, like Profession skills. The 4E mantra is that this stuff is irrelevant. Just assume that food appears at meal time and tents pop up at bedtime, 'cause otherwise the designers will accuse you of being 'boring' for caring about elements of the game they're trying to sell you.
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Contributor
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I never had a problem with halflings bein 3' tall and being reasonably strong. I don't think comparing them to children is valid. There are factors other than size involved in children's strength (or lack thereof). Plenty of creatures in the world are the size of children but significantly stronger. As an example chimpanzees are 3-4 feet tall, and AFAIK are stronger than humans. Lot's of dogs and other quadropeds also fit the 'small' size category and can be tremendously strong. I don't see why halflings can't be almost as strong as humans.
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”Nonetheless, ease and peace had left this people still curiously tough. They were, if it came to it, difficult to daunt or to kill: and they were, perhaps, so unwearingly fond of good things not least because they could, when put to it, do without them, and could survive rough handling by grief, foe or weather in a way that astonished those who did not know them well and looked no further than their bellies and their well fed faces. Though slow to quarrel, and for sport killing nothing that lived, they were doughty at bay, and at need could still handle arms. They shot well with the bow, for they were keen-eyed and sure at the mark. Not only with bows and arrows. If any Hobbit stooped for a tone, it was well to get quickly under cover, as all trespassing beast knew very well.” From the Prologue, About HobbitsThere was another group of individuals, at the end of the Return of the King who thought the hobbits were funny little gluttons. They ended up as pincushions and prisoners.
Good stuff.
IIRC (my tolkien lore being a bit fuzzy) Hobbits had Kings and stuff (took being the line of kings) in Eriador, mit was only in "recent" times that hobbits took their idyllic lifestyle. Not out of racial faults, but due to the good fortune of not needing to deal with problems really.
The Lord of the Rings might very well be the story of Hobbits, actually, and their return to the world in a sense, not as curious bystanders, but as involved participants.
Currently we don't know how the luck mechanic works, they haven't revealed that one yet.
The halflings presented here (with material gleaned from Races and Classes) are somewhat similar to the traveling Romani of Europe, they appear in town to trade and offer their services as handymen and women, merchants, etc. Occasionally they'll also bilk some people and then make a quick get-away, disappearing down river. (The previous wasn't meant to be disparaging to any Romani, merely the glamourized kind of perception seen via Hollywood).
Also, on the subject of halflings and size... have you ever considered that, despite both a size penalty to encumbrance for being small and a -2 to strength, that halflings can lift a frighteningly large amount based upon their size and general physique?
At a 16 Strength a halfling is capable of lifting over his head 172.5 pounds. At his impressive physique of 3 feet tall and 34 pounds (as an average) he can lift just over 5x his own body weight above his head.
He's not quite as far as an ant in lifting terms, but he's about half-way there. So I guess that makes him an Uncle.
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That's all off-stage stuff, like Profession skills. The 4E mantra is that this stuff is irrelevant. Just assume that food appears at meal time and tents pop up at bedtime, 'cause otherwise the designers will accuse you of being 'boring' for caring about elements of the game they're trying to sell you.
Hmm, ok fair enough.
I was about posting something about the surviving rate of halfling clans in the points of light setting. Where Wilderness abounds and adventure lurks everywhere outside the next village.
Speaking of skills: I find that even with my maxed out "suspension of disbelief" skill and the skill focus (suspension of disbelief) the DC for this test is to high.
The only reason why 4.0 even has halflings is because of LoTR and its fans. I don't even know what a 3.0 or 4.0 halfling is considering the fact that it is nothing like a hobbit. Halflings wear shoes, are really short, wander to world, and steal stuff. It makes little sense to me with this set of traits they are like vermin and most communities would be wise to shun them or exterminate them completely. I suspect that in the "points of light" setting 4.0 has foisted on us halflings would be slaughters as they wandered between communities.
All hobbits are is short gypsys. WoTC has turned them into a completely useless race. Similar to how kobolds are now related to dragons. If I was a Dragon I would slaughter all the kobolds as they would embarass my gene pool.
In my campaign kobolds still look like scaly dogs and hobbits run around barefoot and hand out in their halfling holes. They may have to share some traits with Gnomes, but at least it makes sense.
4.0 - D&D for dummies
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...some terrible, terrible things about poor, poor hobbitses...
...putting me straight, using quotes from About Hobbits...Tolkien's hobbits are not predisposed to adventuring, but they have the natural abilities required when called upon to deliver in a pinch.
Fair enough; I accept that the above quote is valid, in which case, why did Gandalf pick Bilbo? Why not one of these hard, resourceful hobbits? There's a disconnect between the info in that prologue, in which we are told that hobbits are tough as old boots, and the actual text of 'The Hobbit' where we are subjected to Bilbo mithering about like a little old lady with OCD.
I'm glad that modern D&D distances its halflings from Tolkien, if it allows us to dump a lot of the baggage that has accumulated. I have played many halflings over the last 28 years. Maybe it's because I was a very small kid (youngest in my year), but the idea of dealing out righteous vengeance on those who pick on the little people has always struck a chord. Sliding between the legs of a lumbering oafish bully, to gut them like a fish must be cathartic for me...? Anyway, I've always moulded my pint-sized terrors on the 'half-feral gypsy' idea, subsequently adopted by Dark Sun and 3Ed.
Yet every time, I come up against the stereotype of the morbidly-obese, village-idiot, Somerset yokel, blind-drunk on scrumpy cider, and married to a pig.
Most of the figures on the market have followed this same trend, and are completely unusable as a believable PC.
In RttTOEE, I played a female halfling Fighter/Rogue, and despite the fact the character folder was fronted by Greg Horn's cover art for Elektra (Mmm, hmm!), I still had to endure jibes like " I suppose we'll have to help the stupid halfling get her big, fat, arse over the wall", "Don't let the halfling get her belly stuck in the tunnel", etc.
These may be stereotypes, but a stereotype has to start somewhere, and having Bilbo popping the buttons on his waistcoat because he's too fat to fit down a tunnel, complaining he won't get his usual 12 square meals a day, and stuffing his face with cake every chance he gets, hardly helps.
So I, for one, will not be sad to see the halfling divorced from its Tolkienesque roots.
YMMV
Bob
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Here's my concern: Paizo's halflings.
Imagine being introduced to D&D through 4th Edition, a new gamer. After a year or so, you see a Pathfinder book and there's a Golarion halfling on the cover. And you say to yourself: what the heck is that?
My concern with 4th Edition is that there are a lot of new rules about races, magic items, etc, that I don't see Paizo necessarily following. (Assuming a character can benefit from magic rings before 11th level.) Is that going to require a lot of footnotes for every Golarion product?
Here's my concern: Paizo's halflings.
Imagine being introduced to D&D through 4th Edition, a new gamer. After a year or so, you see a Pathfinder book and there's a Golarion halfling on the cover. And you say to yourself: what the heck is that?
My concern with 4th Edition is that there are a lot of new rules about races, magic items, etc, that I don't see Paizo necessarily following. (Assuming a character can benefit from magic rings before 11th level.) Is that going to require a lot of footnotes for every Golarion product?
While there may be an issue with some of the new things 4e is bringing in, the halflings will probably not be an issue. Purely because while 4e is moving away from the "standard hobbit" version of the halfling, there are still more people that have seen the LotR movies than have played D&D. If anything, those people reading 4e will be saying "what the heck" rather than reading the Paizo stuff. The closer you stick to tradition, the more likely your stuff will be recognized.
Now, this brings up an interesting question. Are the WotC folks purposefully trying to distance themselves from Tolkein's IP? Or is this just a coincidence?
Greg
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Now, this brings up an interesting question. Are the WotC folks purposefully trying to distance themselves from Tolkein's IP? Or is this just a coincidence?
Me tink dey trew da bowuns.
(Translation: probably determined by the throw of chicken bones in some voodoo ritual designed to come up with the strangest changes possible. Apologies to any practitioners of voodoo. :) )
That said, I am having trouble caring anymore. I have so long ago decided 4e wasn't for me that I can't even rail against changes they decide (or the bones decide) to make.
I do appreciate that they are trying to provide some kind of backstory for races, though. Even if it is simply to justify all the changes the bones have told them to make. :)
I never had a problem with halflings bein 3' tall and being reasonably strong. I don't think comparing them to children is valid. There are factors other than size involved in children's strength (or lack thereof). Plenty of creatures in the world are the size of children but significantly stronger. As an example chimpanzees are 3-4 feet tall, and AFAIK are stronger than humans. Lot's of dogs and other quadropeds also fit the 'small' size category and can be tremendously strong. I don't see why halflings can't be almost as strong as humans.
Yes, exactly. WotC's "selective realism" arguments are extremely irritating in this regard.
WotC: "We're changing the halfling because according to our rigorous simulation calculations they couldn't possibly fit into the physics of our world vis-a-vis strength, endurance, torque when swinging swords, etc.
But we're adding the dragonborn with breasts wielding 6-foot swords because they're totally awesome and this game is about fun!"
Uh-huh.
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But we're adding the dragonborn with breasts wielding 6-foot swords because they're totally awesome and this game is about fun!"
Uh-huh.
Boobs sell. Just look at the long list of replies Nic Logue got for using the word "titties" in one post. Also consider the demographic they are (allegedly) going after: WoW players. There is a reason there were several "nudity" hacks for WoW a couple of years back.
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Fair enough; I accept that the above quote is valid, in which case, why did Gandalf pick Bilbo? Why not one of these hard, resourceful hobbits? There's a disconnect between the info in that prologue, in which we are told that hobbits are tough as old boots, and the actual text of 'The Hobbit' where we are subjected to Bilbo mithering about like a little old lady with OCD.
I think you are being abit unfair to Bilbo. True enough, he did not think of himself as 'adventuring' material and, at the beginning of the novel, he was a bit spoiled to the good things in life.
But he did not complain the whole time, he complained at the outset of the story, much to the annoyance of the dwarves (Who themselves whined quite often).
On the other hand he...
1. Volunteered to go on a quest when he could have refused
2. Had a secret longing to see the world and a secret admiration for those who ventured forth.
3. Made an effort to pick the pockets of a troll
4. Found his own way out of a goblin hole
5. Singlehanded took on a lot of giant spiders
6. Rescued the dwarves from the dungeons of the elves
7. Deduced the manner in which to open the secret dwarf door
8. Snuck alone into the lair of a dragon and tried to outwit said beastie
Bilbo was not a warrior but he was made of sterner stuff than you give him credit for. Sure, he didn't relish losing gold buttons. But who would. But he did what was necessary to survive which included losing the buttons when he had to.
1. Volunteered to go on a quest when he could have refused
2. Had a secret longing to see the world and a secret admiration for those who ventured forth.
3. Made an effort to pick the pockets of a troll
4. Found his own way out of a goblin hole
5. Singlehanded took on a lot of giant spiders
6. Rescued the dwarves from the dungeons of the elves
7. Deduced the manner in which to open the secret dwarf door
8. Snuck alone into the lair of a dragon and tried to outwit said beastie
Tolkien has never been at the top of my "Must Read" list, but these are the kinds of things every PC should have the opportunity to do. Finding out that your character is more than what they thought they were is at the core of every Journey (the Hero's Journey, as Campbell put it).
This was the letter I sent to Wizards this morning.
Dear Sirs,
I must protest the 4th edition halfling.
You mean to tell me that
A) Brandobaris has been a girl the whole time, and/or never existed?
B) That Tymora was actually Brandobaris in the Forgotten Realms, and/or was !@#$ing herself/himself/itself?
C) That the halflings have, in fact, no deity of their own?
D) Halflings live in swamps? Would someone please tell me how this even functions? The moment that a halfling falls off his boat, he DROWNS, and/or is eaten by nasty creatures who can swallow him. Why would anyone want to live in an environment where the water suddenly goes up to their neck and they can't fight anymore. This is the DUMBEST thing wizards has ever done. Swamps are filled with Bullywug predators, Giant Crocodiles, Black Flame Cultists, and Black Dragons. This is the worst place for small creatures to live possible. I really want to know what the logic was behind this. No sane civilized race save Lizard Men lives in swamps, and that's only because Semuanya never bloody taught them to savor comforts like a bed and a roof.
E) A halfling is four feet tall? Are you crazy? If that's a halfling, are humans going to be eight feet tall? Why not call this some other race. I know you guys are doing this for the miniatures game, but that really doesn't help those of us who really PLAY D+D.
F) You are throwing ecology out the window in favor of economy. This is utterly ludicrous. There's no way on earth that a society like this could even evolve before they were eaten or otherwise killed. Please stop pushing the envelope and go back to using logic. I know you want to make the game accessible to more people, but could you please at least TRY to sound like you know something about ecologies and the way they work instead of just coming up with narcissistic nonsense that doesn't function?
G) Halflings must be the poorest culture in the universe. Humans have cities with rich mercantile cultures. Dwarves have Ore. Elves have lumber. Halflings have...MULCH? That's right. Mulch. You have made halflings the peat purveyors of the world. Swamps have very little of value to offer a fantasy culture and most people won't travel there if they're sane.
Please make this stop. Everything I've read about 4th edition is couched in the worst sort of thrown together logic imaginable. The mechanics will sink or swim on their own, but it's too much work to make the flavor of the game function. And no one is going to want to play a race whose primary mercantile export is peat.
I left my name at the bottom. But you don't really want that. :)
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This was the letter I sent to Wizards this morning.
Dear Sirs,
I must protest the 4th edition halfling.
You mean to tell me that
A) Brandobaris has been a girl the whole time, and/or never existed?
B) That Tymora was actually Brandobaris in the Forgotten Realms, and/or was !@#$ing herself/himself/itself?
C) That the halflings have, in fact, no deity of their own?
D) Halflings live in swamps? Would someone please tell me how this even functions? The moment that a halfling falls off his boat, he DROWNS, and/or is eaten by nasty creatures who can swallow him. Why would anyone want to live in an environment where the water suddenly goes up to their neck and they can't fight anymore. This is the DUMBEST thing wizards has ever done. Swamps are filled with Bullywug predators, Giant Crocodiles, Black Flame Cultists, and Black Dragons. This is the worst place for small creatures to live possible. I really want to know what the logic was behind this. No sane civilized race save Lizard Men lives in swamps, and that's only because Semuanya never bloody taught them to savor comforts like a bed and a roof.
E) A halfling is four feet tall? Are you crazy? If that's a halfling, are humans going to be eight feet tall? Why not call this some other race. I know you guys are doing this for the miniatures game, but that really doesn't help those of us who really PLAY D+D.
F) You are throwing ecology out the window in favor of economy. This is utterly ludicrous. There's no way on earth that a society like this could even evolve before they were eaten or otherwise killed. Please stop pushing the envelope and go back to using logic. I know you want to make the game accessible to more people, but could you please at least TRY to sound like you know something about ecologies and the way they work instead of just coming up with narcissistic nonsense that doesn't function?
G) Halflings must be the poorest culture in the universe. Humans have cities with rich mercantile cultures. Dwarves have Ore. Elves have lumber. Halflings have...MULCH? That's right. Mulch. You have made halflings the peat purveyors of the world. Swamps have very little of value to offer a fantasy culture and most people won't travel there if they're sane.
Please make this stop. Everything I've read about 4th edition is couched in the worst sort of thrown together logic imaginable. The mechanics will sink or swim on their own, but it's too much work to make the flavor of the game function. And no one is going to want to play a race whose primary mercantile export is peat.
I left my name at the bottom. But you don't really want that. :)
Come on Balabanto, tell us how you really feel.
Just kidding. Nice letter. Let us know if they actually respond to you.
D) Halflings live in swamps? Would someone please tell me how this even functions?
From my understanding, they are presented as river travelers. Their boat is their home, and sometimes the adventurous pass through marshlands. They make their money through trade, with most halflings sticking to established waterways (avoiding swamps); these paths are assumed to be much faster and safer than traveling through the wilderness.
How probable is it that a society of 3 foot tall people could really survive in the dark ages? That's much more ridiculous to me.
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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A) Brandobaris has been a girl the whole time, and/or never existed?
Uh...no. Brandobaris is an FR god. The de facto origin story is just filler for the generic D&D setting, not the de jure canon for each and every campaign setting. Not sure why you have so much trouble understanding this. Did you also write WotC to ask how it is that Warforged showed up in FR when Eberron came out? What about Hextor being in the 3.5 PHB but not in FR. Did he die in FR? Leave? Is he really Torm?
B) That Tymora was actually Brandobaris in the Forgotten Realms, and/or was !@#$ing herself/himself/itself?
See above.
C) That the halflings have, in fact, no deity of their own?
Racial dieties are being removed generally. There are reasons this is being done, but you wouldn't find them satisfactory, so we'll just leave it at that.
I'll quit now; it's as much a waste of my time to respond to you as it is WotC's. It's difficult to respond rationally to such irrational ill-informed prattle.
Ok, so they're taller and like boats. yawn...
Seems ridiculous to take something so obviously created from Tolkein and change everything to call it the same thing...oooh wait, take something familiar - change most of it but call it the same thing? Seems like 4E's m.o.
Halflings, being much weaker as a race, would have a hard time with many of the physical aspects of a ship unless it was completely scaled down for them - bordering on impossible. And how much would it suck for a couple humans and a dragonborn to have an extended voyage on a halfling sized ship. Still for some reason, all I can think of is Huck Finn on the raft. And if Mark Twain is the new inspiration for J.R.R.'s creation, I'll {remainder deleted so the softies on here don't get all worked up.}
Also, re-creating a race and making them sailors has been done many times, most recently with Weis/Hickman/Elmore's Sovereign Stone setting...and it was was the lowest point of a cool campaign setting.
Uh...no. Brandobaris is an FR god.
Didn't Roger Moore create Brandobaris and the various non-human deities back in the 1980s Dragon issues that detailed each of the player races (i.e. The Halfling Point of View)?
Just wondering...