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Author Topic: Different Interpretations of Halflings!  (Read 2218 times)

SHARK

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Different Interpretations of Halflings!
« on: May 19, 2020, 05:25:39 PM »
Greetings!

Have you developed different societies and cultures of Halflings in your campaigns? How have your players responded to such distinctly different Halflings?

Certainly, Tolkien brought the fantastic Halflings to the fore in The Lord of The Rings, and of course, The Hobbit. Tolkien's Halflings were partially "fantastic" but more or less grounded in being rustic, mundane, and distinctively ordinary. Through the years, such Halflings have been ubiquitous standards in D&D and many other RPG's. I have read over the years that many people *hate* Halflings, and are bored silly from such Halflings, firmly rooted in the medieval English culture.

While seemingly fantastic and mythological, being deeply connected to English culture, but also having echoes in other European cultures, there are real-world examples of Halflings existing, both in the past and to the present day. For example, I was amazed to learn in college, that one of my Anthropology professors spent years living with Pygmies in Africa. Pygmy tribes still exist to this day. Photographs showed my Anthropology professor surrounded by adult Pygmies--all of which, male and female alike, stood no higher than his waist. They were all three to four feet high. Unlike standard "Halflings"--of course, they were typically slim and graceful in build, having very dark black skin, and dark brown eyes, with characteristic tightly curled and short black hair. The Pygmies lived in a tribal culture, living in small, rural villages where they remain largely hunters and gatherers, as well as engaging in pastoral herding and light agriculture.

Then, modern archeologists have also confirmed that there were cultures of "Halflings" that lived in south-east Asia, on some tropical islands, and perhaps along the coasts. Skeletons of such Halflings have been proven to be from three to four feet in height, consistently throughout the population.

Interesting stuff!:D

In my World of Thandor, I have developed several different cultures of Halflings. I have one Halfling culture where the Halflings have light yellow skin, black hair and dark brown eyes. They live in barbarian tribes scattered throughout some regional coasts and islands. They wear vividly coloured clothing, beads, and have tattoos. These tribal Halflings are violent, warlike, and cannibalistic. They make frequent use of poisons, use shortbows, spears, and machetes, as well as hand axes, darts, and nets. They practice slavery, and human sacrifice. The barbarian tribes of Halflings have also developed traditions of boat-building, and crafting of canoes. The tribal Halflings frequently make sea-going attacks and raids on neighboring peoples and tribes.

I have another Halfling culture which exists in a coastal region of hills and jungles, as well as rice plantations and various woodlands and agricultural crops. These Halflings embrace more advanced agriculture, and have fortified villages and towns, and have developed small kingdoms. These agricultural Halflings have dark brown skin, dark brown eyes, and black hair. They have a well-developed religion, featuring stone temples, and a class of revered priests and priestesses. These Halflings ride miniature Elephants, and have fairly sophisticated armour, weaponry, and metal-working skills. The coastal highland Halflings have a sophisticated economy, and trade extensively with neighboring peoples. These town-dwelling Halflings also have distinctive forms of art, and have developed their own kinds of pottery styles, as well as a variety of costumes and styles of clothing.

In a different region of the world, I have a tribal society of Halflings that have pale white skin, blue or green eyes, and blonde or brown hair typically. These Halflings live in dense forests, as well as hills and marshes. They have small fortified villages and practice pastoral herding, hunting and gathering, and fishing. They also embrace some light agriculture. They are tribal, and led by chieftains. Such Halflings are somewhat reclusive, they embrace trade, though they are defensive in demeanor, and seek to avoid warfare with others. They are also led by shamans, and practice an ancient nature-based religion and embrace various mystical traditions.

I think that there is plenty of "room" to develop different cultures of Halflings, inspired also by real-world history.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK
"It is the Marine Corps that will strip away the façade so easily confused with self. It is the Corps that will offer the pain needed to buy the truth. And at last, each will own the privilege of looking inside himself  to discover what truly resides there. Comfort is an illusion. A false security b

Razor 007

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Different Interpretations of Halflings!
« Reply #1 on: May 19, 2020, 06:36:23 PM »
Dark Sun!!!  Halflings are cannibalistic.
I need you to roll a perception check.....

Kuroth

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Different Interpretations of Halflings!
« Reply #2 on: May 19, 2020, 07:23:56 PM »
Kender!!

It is an odd result of everyone trying not to make hobbits that Middle-earth games have unique halflings.
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Shrieking Banshee

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Different Interpretations of Halflings!
« Reply #3 on: May 19, 2020, 07:32:54 PM »
Quote from: Razor 007;1130643
Dark Sun!!!  Halflings are cannibalistic.

In some of the debatable quality extended lore, they were also the elder progenitor species with biotech.

David Johansen

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Different Interpretations of Halflings!
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2020, 07:51:09 PM »
I have Bogeys in many of my settings.  Bogeys are neolithic halflings.  Kind of like midget Picts.  They're a nice bait and switch for low level characters who are expecting goblins.  Though, I generally treat Halflings, Gnomes, Leprechauns and the like as different cultures but the same race.
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Steven Mitchell

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Different Interpretations of Halflings!
« Reply #5 on: May 19, 2020, 08:59:39 PM »
In my current campaign, halflings are the only sane survivors of a fiendish gnomish society that managed to all but wipe itself out otherwise.  There are a few true gnomes left, but they are corrupted, power-mad monsters, either liches or worse.  They would be more of a threat, but they hate each other more than any other creature.  Most of the gods don't know exactly what happened to the gnomes, as the final rituals that did them in included a powerful memory effect that touched even the gods.

Halflings are notable for evolving to fit their environment, so that there are now four distinct varieties in the campaign area, with some the more typical types and others more gnomish in their habitats and attitudes. This is partly a side effect of the curse and partly a side effect of the magical radiation where they live.

The above is largely unknown to the players, though they've had a few hints.  A few even picked up a "gnomish tattoo"--and were later warned by halfling clerics that this was a curse.

All of this was basically an attempt by me to keep the "little people" down to a low roar. I knew the players were unlikely to pick many such characters, such that one race would be plenty.  Well, that and to have powerful gnomish liches sprung as a surprise.

VisionStorm

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Different Interpretations of Halflings!
« Reply #6 on: May 19, 2020, 09:08:17 PM »
Quote from: Razor 007;1130643
Dark Sun!!!  Halflings are cannibalistic.

^Beat me to it! :p

I haven't really done anything with halflings (other than portray them as cannibals in Dark Sun), but there's some interesting stuff in the OP, and I have considered Pigmies as well, and wondered how I might incorporate something like them into my worlds, but never got around it. Halflings have always been low priority for me, since most people go for elves or dwarves, and I always saw them as a Tolkien creation--except for the existence of Pigmies, which sometimes got me wondering.

Simlasa

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Different Interpretations of Halflings!
« Reply #7 on: May 20, 2020, 01:55:47 PM »
Halflings are too specifically Tolkien for me to ever want to use them or play them.
I'd either go the Warcraft route and just use gnomes... or make them some fuzzy homonid offshoot. Either way, none of that twee rural English squire stuff.

Ghostmaker

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Different Interpretations of Halflings!
« Reply #8 on: May 20, 2020, 02:06:38 PM »
Quote from: Kuroth;1130650
Kender!!

It is an odd result of everyone trying not to make hobbits that Middle-earth games have unique halflings.

An impressive example of making something worse than the original stock.

Vidgrip

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Different Interpretations of Halflings!
« Reply #9 on: May 20, 2020, 04:45:07 PM »
I put them in one region of my game world as a sub-population of the humans in that region.  They are not significantly different from humans other than their shorter stature.  They live in separate villages, but get along fine with the bigger folk.  They provide levy archers when called to war.
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Darrin Kelley

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Different Interpretations of Halflings!
« Reply #10 on: May 20, 2020, 05:10:33 PM »
D&D 3e and 3.5 didn't treat Halflings as Hobbits. Which I was grateful for.
 

Pat
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Different Interpretations of Halflings!
« Reply #11 on: May 20, 2020, 05:34:31 PM »
I've treated halflings as a commensualistic species that live among giants. Imagine the steading of the hill giant chief, except the scurrying you hear in the walls and the eyes peeping down at you from the rafters aren't rat and bats, they're halflings. They're shy and skittish, and keep out of the light. When things are quiet, they crawl out to take away remnants of food and other useful bits.

RandyB

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Different Interpretations of Halflings!
« Reply #12 on: May 20, 2020, 05:34:39 PM »
Quote from: Vidgrip;1130739
I put them in one region of my game world as a sub-population of the humans in that region.  They are not significantly different from humans other than their shorter stature.  They live in separate villages, but get along fine with the bigger folk.  They provide levy archers when called to war.

That has to be my new favorite interpretation.

Graytung

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Different Interpretations of Halflings!
« Reply #13 on: May 20, 2020, 07:09:00 PM »
In one of my more human-centric campaign settings "halflings" are part of the human species, and the only 'non-human' class. No dwarfs or elves. Their namesake (the erykoi) stems from a trickster god (Erykos) of similar stature.  Most human cultures regard them in a similar manner to how humans in the real world see dwarfism, though of course in a more historical, discriminatory context. Think Sparta for the more extreme reaction.

However, the difference is that being a halfling isn't so much a "defect", even if perceived to be. Instead, humans are more likely to have a halfling child if they interact with the realms of myth (it's a ancient Greek inspired setting). As such, adventurers are more likely to give birth to one, especially if both parents are adventurers. It's essentially a connection to an older, mythological world coming through.

They tend to be tricksters themselves, usually out of necessity, though it is of course something that comes natural to them. You might find the occasional halfling living among humans and they may not know others exist. Communities of them exist however, hiding away from the tall folk; they build temples dedicated to the outcast god Erykos.
« Last Edit: May 20, 2020, 07:21:27 PM by Graytung »

Kuroth

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Different Interpretations of Halflings!
« Reply #14 on: May 20, 2020, 07:20:34 PM »
One of the ways a game can set itself apart is full describe and implement female halflings (half-women ha).  They are like female dwarfs, often poorly described.  I always have found that lame.
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