tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post1276250506451822142..comments2024-03-19T05:48:34.142-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Where are the Halflings?James Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-54905276751436426222012-08-22T20:49:39.422-04:002012-08-22T20:49:39.422-04:00I was so pleased to see Goblins as a PC race for D...I was so pleased to see Goblins as a PC race for Dwimmermount that I made my own variation so that they can be included in games that hew a little more closely to the Labyrinth Lord Advanced Edition character creation rules- take a look here if you're interested: <br />http://rat-catcher.blogspot.com/2012/08/goblin-pcs-for-labyrinth-lord-advanced.htmlComradeGnullhttp://rat-catcher.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-20411875369702417852012-03-09T16:04:16.474-05:002012-03-09T16:04:16.474-05:00The first (non-official) french translation of the...The first (non-official) french translation of the Holmes Basic translated Halflings as "Gnomes"porphyre77https://www.blogger.com/profile/07620350717226228078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-32662417646895658642012-03-08T16:44:08.771-05:002012-03-08T16:44:08.771-05:00Everybody in the world has "magical short peo...Everybody in the world has "magical short people" legends ready for the harvest. Tolkien didn't invent menehune, for example.<br /><br />The difference is that, since people don't regard hobbits as a magical race (even though there are some very open hints to that effect in LOTR), all the real-folklore hobbit analogues get shifted over to elf-analogues, dwarf-analogues, or fairy-analogues in most gaming and fantasy works. Which is funny, because you used to see people categorize more on size: larger than human was a giant-analogue, human-sized were Sidhe-analogues, and then there were various categories of smaller than human folklore creatures.Bansheehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12594214770417497135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-24500414746977643432012-03-08T11:27:02.883-05:002012-03-08T11:27:02.883-05:00I'm working on a fantasy Mesolithic/Neolithic ...I'm working on a fantasy Mesolithic/Neolithic b/x hack, and I replacing halflings with Baboons, Dwarves with Sagoths, and Elves with modified humans descended from the slaves of the world's former Cephalopodian masters.Aoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00145284080419502886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-27529839772194201182012-03-08T11:01:18.484-05:002012-03-08T11:01:18.484-05:00Now I see a Talislanta-sytle NO HALFLINGS! ad in m...Now I see a Talislanta-sytle <b>NO HALFLINGS!</b> ad in my mind's eye...Greyhawk Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06730467399899194610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-56176569033353868942012-03-08T07:57:57.946-05:002012-03-08T07:57:57.946-05:00Halfling, the term used to describe Gygaxian hobbi...Halfling, the term used to describe Gygaxian hobbit-clones, initially was a victorian english word denoting an adolescent, particularly drummer boys and other camp followers in Napoleonic era. In the sphere of fantasy adventuring that takes us in a different direction altogether. Add to that the pitiful regurgitations of the Wizards of the Coast artwork, where a a "new" 3rd or 4 th edition slender version of a halfling couple with pointy ears is seen piloting a house-raft along a river, reminiscent of the 40 year old or so communist art of a heroic Viet Cong girl in black pajamas piloting a raft down Mekong river, no doubt, under American fire. Very original, thank you, Wizards of the Coast.<br /><br />Having said all that, I do allow Halflings in my Midlands campaign. However, player characters can only be human, and tney get to interact with other races, incluf8ing hard to come by and very powerful Elves. Halflings are rich, live in comfortable rural communities in the shadow of feudal humanity. Halflings love of material cofort and fallibility to greed (their special sin, akin to pride for Elves and gluttony for Dwarves) make Halflings shrewd and successful fences. One of my ,ost memorable villains is a female Halfling Madam, masqueradng as a shopkeeper buying stolen treasure, who takes special pleasure in corrupting low level human thieves (whom Halflings view as coarse asnd uncultured outsiders) and driving them to their doom. Hey, there is a Drow evil and there is a Halfling evil. Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!Brooser Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08487438364129415650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-3959868752508590972012-03-07T14:01:57.151-05:002012-03-07T14:01:57.151-05:00Add me to the "no halflings" bandwagon. ...Add me to the "no halflings" bandwagon. I just don't like the idea of them for my campaign world. <br /><br />I've added Orcs as a playable race, use Sidhe as a more fey-like version of elves, and want to replace halflings with something more fey, but haven't decided just what yet. Leaning towards something leprechaun/brownie rather than goblinoid though.Reese Laundryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02225208626688676372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-85996918384570525092012-03-07T13:25:14.932-05:002012-03-07T13:25:14.932-05:00You played a monster in Creature of Havoc and had ...You played a monster in <i>Creature of Havoc</i> and had to eat hobbits to regain your strength in the starting dungeon. I always liked that.thekelvingreenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01928260185408072124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-78609726374849779402012-03-07T12:29:39.576-05:002012-03-07T12:29:39.576-05:00Boo! (... likes halflings ...)
:)Boo! (... likes halflings ...)<br /><br />:)R Flowershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901467518465346680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-58705682010329094292012-03-07T12:14:37.532-05:002012-03-07T12:14:37.532-05:00I do like what TSR did with halflings vis a vis Ke...I do like what TSR did with halflings vis a vis Kender in the Dragonlance setting. Kender were pretty darn original as a race, and a great excuse to re-cast halflings.Brandonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00435243803003028117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-53151720195522651352012-03-07T11:44:24.671-05:002012-03-07T11:44:24.671-05:00good stuff, but I don't like the idea of hidde...good stuff, but I don't like the idea of hidden subspecies of goblins with subtle differences. I prefer only one type of goblin (whatever their nightvision range is) or at least two clearly distinct subraces.<br />see yah!LuciusLudicushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03254931646444086307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-68592633838977448482012-03-07T11:24:38.624-05:002012-03-07T11:24:38.624-05:00Kirsa Duerr, Goblin Thief was one of the most vivi...Kirsa Duerr, Goblin Thief was one of the most vivid characters from the Dwimmermount play-by-post. I'm all for seeing more like her!Tavishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08589149850152191198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-22255485959125838842012-03-07T10:12:00.230-05:002012-03-07T10:12:00.230-05:00ACKS lead designer Alex has a very convincing rant...ACKS lead designer Alex has a very convincing rant about how Tolkien uses Frodo to be the stay-at-home Everyman whose breaking away from the mold to go adventuring is uniquely heroic. If you go into the dungeon and find hobbit corpses impaled on every spike trap and at the bottom of every pit - which is a logical outcome of AD&D etc. - it feels wrong because it cheapens what makes Frodo and his kin special. Remnants of goblin would-be thieves everywhere, on the other hand, feels so right.<br /><br />That said, Alex did make it explicitly clear that Patron Deity backers of the ACKS Player's Companion could choose to create a halfling race and class, and so far none have done so. Maybe people love to hate hobbits as much as they just plain love them?Tavishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08589149850152191198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-11194471024132646812012-03-07T09:29:34.444-05:002012-03-07T09:29:34.444-05:00Never used hobbits myself. Later reused "hal...Never used hobbits myself. Later reused "halfling" as a legal definition for any half-human race (especially produced by magic. So minotaurs, centaurs and wolfmen (to name but three) were legally "halflings."<br /><br />The Goblins turned out to be the big hidden enemy of Men, but they did it by staying hidden in plain sight and pretending subservience. They were probably more intelligent than most of the other races too, lacking in sorcery but highly skilled in alchemy and potioncraft. They had a definite sized-based inferiority complex that forced them to take joy in subjugating others. Their half-human shock troops, the hobgoblins, were kept hidden. They were also the secret masters of their near cousins, the dwarves.<br /><br />Interestingly kobolds evolved in the game to actually be one of the more noble of the humanoid races, precisely because of their small size and the fact they were usually enslaved by anything bigger than them (which was mostly anything).Reverance Pavanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01217657347160811310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-7652397376386653522012-03-07T09:01:20.960-05:002012-03-07T09:01:20.960-05:00Also, I really like your policy "D&D is a...Also, I really like your policy "D&D is always right," and allow for localized exceptions. That's worthy of some additional cognition.Joe Johnstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08847388615721715893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-21017093852586994272012-03-07T08:41:12.675-05:002012-03-07T08:41:12.675-05:00Good grief, do I loathe halflings as a PC class. ...Good grief, do I loathe halflings as a PC class. They make fine NPCs and monsters though.<br /><br />Again for all Gygax's protestations that D&D isn't LotRs, he included halflings in all his editions. Boo!Joe Johnstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08847388615721715893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-87649632534792626462012-03-07T06:11:08.468-05:002012-03-07T06:11:08.468-05:00Ah, now I get it. BHP guy.Ah, now I get it. BHP guy.blakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09044744212577744849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-89668133126057826832012-03-07T06:09:35.671-05:002012-03-07T06:09:35.671-05:00Hmm, so your saying doing away with halflings is t...Hmm, so your saying doing away with halflings is the slippery slope to TETSNBN style power inflation?<br /><br />It seems a long bow to draw I must say.blakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09044744212577744849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-49831549725658584352012-03-07T05:12:31.802-05:002012-03-07T05:12:31.802-05:00My problem with (non A)D&D halflings is that t...My problem with (non A)D&D halflings is that they can't do (effectively) what they ought be able to do - burgle.Andy Bartletthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06683770320671028815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-47993331964331589082012-03-07T04:54:42.060-05:002012-03-07T04:54:42.060-05:00I'm happy enough with halflings as a viable PC...I'm happy enough with halflings as a viable PC version of "the little folk" without having to deal with leprechauns as PCs, which is basically how JRRT viewed them too I think. He certainly had those stories in mind and said so.<br /><br />So, while the name "hobbit" is very much a Middle Earth term, I don't feel that the concept is in any way specific to that setting and I've never had a problem with using them elsewhere.Nagorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10805769538648631984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-29307943839539628652012-03-07T03:49:15.201-05:002012-03-07T03:49:15.201-05:00Of course, if you're like me and was well-stee...Of course, if you're like me and was well-steeped in (A)D&D before ever reading Tolkein, the idea of the game without halflings might be a lot harder to swallow. They're almost as much a "D&D thing" to me as magic missiles and rust monsters!Will Mistrettahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18403399118961902073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-69454615841933570942012-03-07T00:35:12.886-05:002012-03-07T00:35:12.886-05:00Now that's just being mean, lol.Now that's just being mean, lol.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02852395640994627645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-53150010495434911982012-03-06T23:59:09.213-05:002012-03-06T23:59:09.213-05:00Ah! Yes, Will! That's kind of what I meant. ...Ah! Yes, Will! That's kind of what I meant. :)Ragnardbardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02539582770411778351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-62037592796690624502012-03-06T23:55:10.824-05:002012-03-06T23:55:10.824-05:00Yep- I must say I kind of agree, James. When I hav...Yep- I must say I kind of agree, James. When I have used halflings I have only enjoyed them by means of liberating them from the Professor's cuddly straightjacket- their problem is that they relect a rather sentimental victorian ideal fondly felt by their author, and thereby apparently lose the ability to attain the proper weird resonance that really awesome D&D characters can possess. Elves and dwarves manage- they come from our own primordial past, and hence can be eery. Tolkien's hobbits fail that test, though they served the professor's own purpose for them.<br /><br />I have had fun with them by playing them as they were played by my munchkin players back in the eighties. Certain of my chums loved halflings (in AD&D they can be pretty tough at level 1 with a sling), but always played them as outright bastards. Thus they emerged as a kind of warped and capricious little folk, with chips on their shoulders and daggers behind their backs.<br /><br />Kind of like goblins, I guess...Ragnardbardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02539582770411778351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-72564280312351420252012-03-06T23:48:18.772-05:002012-03-06T23:48:18.772-05:00Alternatively, just re-title the Basic/LL Halfling...Alternatively, just re-title the Basic/LL Halfling class and use it as-is.Will Mistrettahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18403399118961902073noreply@blogger.com