Editing Halfling

[[File:Halfling_Rogue.jpg|300px|right|thumb|A halfling rogue. Just look at that smug bastard!]]

'''Halflings''' are a race of short, docile, inoffensive [[demihuman]]s native to the various realms of [[Dungeons & Dragons]]. Whilst they tend to have a particular adeptness at thievery, if only due to their small stature makling it easy to sneak around or go underestimated, they are traditionally considered as a race to be more interested in simple pleasures than becoming [[Adventurer]]s.

==Origin of Halflings==
Unlike the other [[demihuman]] races of D&D, halflings have no particular mythological origins. Instead, they are intimately tied with the origins of D&D as a game. Quick recap: Dungeons & Dragons began as [[Chainmail]], a medieval wargame that slowly evolved into a role-playing game, making its fateful trip towards D&D when [[Gary Gygax]] and his buddies decided that they wanted to try and use their game to play in a fantasy world based on the various fantasy novels they were fans of - most particularly, the [[The Lord of the Rings]].

Thus, the [[Hobbit]] was carried over from its roots on [[Middle-Earth]] to serve as a PC race for the earliest editions of D&D. That was, until the infamously litigious [[Tolkien]] estate heard about it and slapped Gygax with a warning. Rather than remove the race from his game - he may not have been too fond of the fantasy elements himself, but bugger the idea of being forced to drop them - Gygax simply renamed them "Halflings", taken from a nickname/insult used against hobbits in the LotR trilogy. Long story short, it worked; the Tolkien estate could no longer sue them for their use, and so halflings have continued into the game ever since, constantly tweaking and tinkering, but rarely completely unrecognizable from their ancient roots.

==Halfling Physique==
Halflings are defined, first and foremost, by their short stature. Unlike [[dwarves]], who are compact blocks of muscle, or gnomes, who look like miniature (and often visibly aged) [[elves]], halflings look pretty much entirely human, save for the height. That said, they have perfectly shaped proportions, so they still look like small humans, not midgets. It's generally accepted that halflings age like humans and have adult proportions - [[shortstack|or overly generous proportions]], but some sources have described them as looking more "youthful" than humans, or even looking just like unaging children.i

One of the more contentious aspects of the halfling physique is the halfling foot. Specifically, just how accurately do halflings mimic their hobbit ancestors in terms of having large, tough and hairy feet? This something that has shifted back and forth across the editions.

==Halfling Culture==
Traditional halfling culture has changed a lot over the editions.

Back in [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]], they shared the same attitudes as their hobbit ancestors; they lived simple, bucolic lives in fertile farm country, where they fished, farmed, hunted, snared and generally lived the lives of content rural peasantry. They have no great ambitions outside of living a comfortable life, full of the simple pleasures - predominantly food, celebrating with their friends, strong drink and sharing various little trinkets and baubles. Gift-giving is especially important to them. Family is hugely important, and fittingly enough, halflings often have huge families.

In 3rd edition, halflings became slightly more adventurous. Whilst they still had a lot in common with their old selves, now they tended to be omads who lived in traveling caravans, wandering where the winds take them.

4th edition continued in 3rd edition's steps, portraying its halflings as river-dwellers who lived on houseboats and traveled the lakes, creeks, streams, swamps and deltas of the world, surviving through trade.

5th edition went back to 3rd edition, with a heavy dash of AD&D.

===Setting Variants===
Some settings, such as [[Golarion]] and the [[Scarred Lands]], present a more [[grimdark]] take on the AD&D version of halfling culture; because of their small stature and lack of aggression, they depict other races as enslaving halflings and putting their skills at arts, crafts and agriculture to use as slaves.

On [[Dark Sun|Athas]], halflings are savage, tribal hunters, using druidic magic, stealth, [[psionics]] and poison to take down any living creature - including other sapient races - and have it for dinner.

Whilst [[Eberron]] has some of the "traditional" 3e halflings on it as well, it's more famous for its culture of [[dinosaur]]-taming [[barbarian]] halflings, because, seriously, that shit is [[awesome]].

===Halfling Religion===
The halfling religion is fairly simple. Most halflings adopt, or at least respect, the faiths of their closest neighbors but they do have their own dedicated pantheon. Small and unassuming, the two most important figures in it are [[Yondalla]], their creator-goddess, and Littleman, the iconic halfling folk hero who thrills and delights the little 'uns with stories of his winning over the bigger and scarier races of the world through charm and cunning.

==4e's Boat-Rocking==
Despite the bad reputation D&D 4e has, it actually turned halflings into a surprisingly badass race. Born of a [[/d/|passionate lesbian tryst]] between [[Sehanine]] and [[Melora]], then abandoned before being adopted by [[Avandra]], halflings of the [[Nentir Vale]] are a race of quick-witted resourceful, courageous, inquisitive and surprisingly tough humanoids who claim the rivers, marshes and swamps of the world as their territory. Lacking great territorial ambitions may mean that they have no empires, but neither do they have disastrous falls in their history; halflings are the one race who ''haven't'' suffered great disasters or declines, and their oral traditions preserve lore and information that even the [[dwarf]] and [[elf]] races have forgotten. As the best boaters in the world, their river caravans are a vital source of trade and information and they are essential in preserving their local communities by keeping the chain of goods and news flowing.

For more information, check out this link: https://pastebin.com/AwRtBkqw

==Halfling Subraces==
Although not as mutable as even the [[dwarf]] and [[gnome]] races, never mind the [[elf]] race, there are still quite a few different species of halflings scattered throughout the D&D multiverse.

To begin with, remember, halflings began as rip-offs of Tolkein's [[Hobbits]], and even their names are little more than literal translations of Tolkein's names for them. This is most evident in the Hairfoot (from "Harfoot"), or the AD&D Common Halfling. This was nothing more than your vanilla hobbit; short, prone to fat, quiet natured, good humored, and fond of living in comfort, with particularly large and hairy feet.

The Hairfoots, for obvious reasons, couldn't last and so in 3rd edition their place was taken by the Lightfoots. These halflings are essentially the bastard lovechild of a Hairfoot and a [[Kender]], combining most of the Hairfoot's common sense, love of creature comforts, and big hairy feet with the Kender's slender build and some of its adventurous nature. The result was a peace-loving race of small nomads who werent' all adventurers, but were more likely to do so than Hairfoots. Lightfoots got far more love give to them in 4th edition, losing all vestiges of their Hairfoot ancestry in terms of appearance and growing to a height slightly taller than a typical ten-year-old, but underwent a harsh devolution/were replaced by Hairfoots in 5th edition.

The Tallfellows (taken from Tolkein's Fallohides) are... well, they're basically elven halflings. No joke; they speak elvish, they live in treetown villages in deep woods, preferably where elves live, they can detect secret doors like elves, they're stealthier in the woods, they get super-high (19) Dexterity and Wisdom, they live the longest of any of the three main halfling subraces... they're elven halflings.

The Stouts (taken from Tolkein's Stoors) are the dwarven halflings to the Tallfellows being the elven halflings. They're strong, muscular, stocky halflings with a predilection for dwelling underground, infravision, they have facial hair (something other halflings lack), they have a natural talent for mining/jewel-making/stonemasonry/building/smithing/carving and boat-building, and they live longer than Hairfoots. In 5th edition, they gained the dwarven traits of poison resistance and increased constitution.

The notorious [[Kender]] are, although certainly similar to halflings in resembling slightly fey human children that never grow up, generally not accepted as proper halflings. The halflings who've actually met kender insist on this, saying instead that they are some other race that has simply evolved to fit the "halfling niche" on Krynn. Given their seemingly incurable genetic predisposition to thievery and stupidity, many players suggest that they may be a strain of [[goblin]] that has tried to escape the usual fate of its species by evolving to look more human-appearing "cutesy".

The Rhulisiti, as they call themselves, are better known as the [[Dark Sun|Athasian Halflings]] elsewhere. Degenerated from the heights of glory, these dusky-skinned and feral halflings jealously guard their home in the Ringing Mountains, hunting everything that isn't one of their own kind -- including fellow sapients.  Amusingly, virtually all other sapient races in the setting are descended from them in some fashion.

The Furchin are a race of halflings from the frozen world of Falakyr, reached through the use of [[Spelljammer|spelljamming]]; though they live as Stone Age nomadic hunter-gatherers on their own world, an unknown wizard attempted to take many of them as slaves, leading to individuals or even whole clans being scattered throughout the spheres. Per TSR traditions, their name stems from the fact that they have the ability to grow proportionately massive beards, longer even than those of the Stouts, whom they otherwise resemble. 

[[Birthright|Cerillian Halflings]] resemble the Hairfoots, but are actually refugees from the Shadowworld, giving them the ability to look into that otherworldly plane and, if necessary, travel back and forth. They rarely bother, however, because their kinsfolk still live in abject slavery there.

Ghostwise Halflings are native to the Chondalwood region of [[Forgotten Realms|Faerun]], an isolationist species of near-feral halflings who have mutated to better survive as stealthy hunters. Most notably, they use telepathy to communicate rather than talking.

Golden or Amberhair Halflings are native to the [[Kingdoms of Kalamar|land of Tellene]] and claim to be the original species of halfling on their world, which they share with Lightfeet. Distinguished by rich golden-brown hair, they're also renowed for their brilliance and thoughtfulness.

==Halfling Stats==
===AD&D===
The Hairfoot Halfling originally appeared in the Player's Guide for [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]]. The other subraces would get their turn to shine in "The Complete Book of [[Gnome]]s and [[Halfling]]s", which provided stats for not only the Stouts and Tallfellows, but also the Furchins, Rhulisti and even [[Kender]].

According to "The Complete Book", all halflings, regardless of subrace, share the following traits - it's unclear if this actually means the Rhulisti, Kender and Furchins as well, or just the "normal" Hairfeet, Stouts and Tallfellows.
::+1 to saving throws vs. spells, rods, staves, wands and poisons per 3.5 points of [[Constitution]].
::+1 to attack rolls with missile weapons.
::When not in metal armor, a halfling that is either alone, accompanied only by other halflings/[[elves]], or 90 feet away from the rest of its party inflicts a -4 penalty on its opponents' Surprise rolls. This decreases to -2 if doors or other screens must be opened.
::A halfling with mixed Stout bloodline has a 25% chance of having Infravision 30 feet, according to the PHB.
:: Class & Level Limits: [[Cleric]] (8), [[Fighter]] (9), [[Thief]] (15), [[Multiclassing|Fighter/Thief]] (8/15)
:::Halflings with an Ability Score of at least 15 in their class's Prime Requisite can increase their level limit by +4 (Cleric 12, Fighter 13 and Thief 19).

Why the Stout, Tallfellow and especially the Furchin have the same clas & level limits as the Hairfoot is just one example of how AD&D pigeonholed its races.

;Hairfoot Halfling
::Ability Score Minimum/Maximum:  Strength 3/17, Dexterity 8/19, Constitution 10/18, Intelligence 6/18, Wisdom 3/18, Charisma 7/18
::Ability Score Adjustments: -1 Strength, +1 Dexterity
::+2 to Reaction Rolls against [[human]] NPCs.
::Bonus Language: 1 Human dialect

;Stout Halfling
::Ability Score Minimum/Maximum:  Strength 5/17, Dexterity 8/19, Constitution 10/19, Intelligence 6/18, Wisdom 3/18, Charisma 5/18
::Ability Score Adjustments: -1 Strength, +1 Dexterity or +1 Constitution
::Infravision 60 feet
::Bonus Language: 1 Dwarven dialect
::75% chance to detect sloping passageways.
::50% chance to determine direction when underground.

;Tallfellow Halfling
::Ability Score Minimum/Maximum:  Strength 3/17, Dexterity 8/19, Constitution 10/18, Intelligence 6/18, Wisdom 7/19, Charisma 5/18
::Ability Score Adjustments: -1 Strength, +1 Dexterity or +1 Wisdom
::Bonus Language: 1 Elven dialect
::Can recognize a secret door by rolling a 1 on a D6, just like an elf.
::+2 to Surprise rolls when in forest or wooded terrain.

;Furchin Halfling
::Ability Score Minimum/Maximum:  Strength 3/17, Dexterity 8/19, Constitution 10/19, Intelligence 6/18, Wisdom 3/17, Charisma 7/18
::Ability Score Adjustments: +1 Dexterity, +1 Constitution, -1 Strength, -1 Wisdom
::Free Proficiency point in Cold-Weather Survival.
::+4 bonus to all saving throws versus magical and mundane cold-based attacks.
::-4 bonus to Armor Class against [[Giant]]-type creatures.
::-2 bonus to Armor Class against [[human]]-sized creatures.

;Rhulisiti (Athasian Halfling)
::Ability Score Minimum/Maximum:  Strength 3/18, Dexterity 12/20, Constitution 5/20, Intelligence 5/20, Wisdom 7/20, Charisma 5/20
::Ability Score Adjustments: +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Strength, -1 Constitution, -1 Charisma
::Class & Level Limits: [[Cleric]] (12), [[Druid]] (12), [[Fighter]] (12), [[Gladiator]] (12), [[Illusionist]] (16), [[Psion]]icist (Unlimited), [[Ranger]] (16), [[Thief]] (16)
:::There are some differences between versions of the [[Dark Sun]] corebook, which you have to refer to for the rhulisiti's class information. Above information refers to the '''Original''' version of the setting; in the '''Revised''' version, the Illusionist was removed and the Druid was bumped to maxing out at level 16.

===3rd Edition===
Naturally, halflings were right there in the player's handbook in 3rd edition, a place tey have occupied in every edition since.

::+2 Dexterity, -2 Strength
::Small
::Base Speed 20 feet
::+2 racial bonus on Climb, Jump, Listen and Move Silently.
::+1 racial bonus on all saving throws.
::+2 morale bonus on saves against fear, which stacks with the +1 racial bonus above.
::+1 racial bonus an attack rolls with thrown weapons and slings.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Rogue]]

[[Kingdoms of Kalamar]] had an alternative halfling, the '''Golden or Amberhair Halfling'''. Creative and adaptive, they are named for their iconic rich golden-colored hair. They're considered to be more intellectual and scholarly than normal halflings.

::+2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, -2 Strength
::Small
::Base Speed 20 feet
::Low-light Vision
::+1 racial bonus to all saving throws
::+2 morale bonus on saves vs. fear (stacks with above).
::Shared Heritage: +2 racial bonus on Innuendo checks made against other halflings.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Psion]]

===4th Edition===
In 4th edition, halflings benefited a lot from the defanging of Small, as well as from a surprising increase in mobility that bumped them up to the same speed as most Medium races.

::Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma OR +2 Constitution
::Size: Small
::Speed: 6 squares (30 feet)
::Vision: Normal
: Skill Bonus: +2 Acrobatics, +2 Thievery
::Bold: +5 racial bonus to saving throws against Fear.
::Nimble Reaction: +2 racial bonus to AC against Opportunity Attacks.
::Racial Power - Second Chance: Once per encounter, as an Immediate Interrupt to being hit by an attack, force the attacker to reroll their attack and use the second result, even if this forces them to miss.

===5th Edition===
Whilst 5th edition slowed them down compared to 4th, it didn't entirely hit them with the nerf bat.

::Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Dexterity
::Size: Small
::Speed: 25 feet
::Vision: Normal
::Lucky: When you roll a 1 on an attack roll, ability check or saving throw, reroll the die and use the second result.
::Brave: You have Advantage on saves vs. Frightened.
::Halfling Nimbleness: You can move through the space of any creatrue that is a size category larger than you.
::Subrace: Lightfoot or Stout.

''Lightfoot:''
::Ability Score Increase: +1 Charisma
::Naturally Stealthy: You can attempt to hide even when only obscured by a creature at least one size category larger than you.

''Stout:''
::Ability Score Increase: +1 Constitution
::Stout Resilience: Resistance to Poison Damage, Advantage on saves vs. Poison.

==Sexy Shortfolk==
{{Monstergirls}}

You might be thinking that there's no way that halflings can be seen in a sexual light. After all, they're just miniature humans; nothing about that says [[monstergirls]], right? Wrong. That stature alone qualifies halflings for sexiness in the eyes of MG fans, whether they take the "legal [[loli]]" perspective or the [[shortstack]] perspective.

And, for once, it's not entirely unjustified. Halflings have been bonking [[dwarves]] (and, it's implied, [[gnome]]s) since the days of [[Dungeons & Dragons]], and the Tallfellow halfling race has always been described as "suspiciously" elven, to the point that many fans assume they're the halfling equivalent of [[Half-Elf|half-elves]]. And then there's a certain story in "Races of Destiny" which goes something like this:

"There once was a very beautiful halfling maiden, who attracted the love of both a dwarf and an elf. However, she was vain, greedy and a big slut, so she demanded that if they would have her, they'd have to share her. Her beaus reluctantly agreed, and for this crime of having two husbands, the gods cursed her. When she became pregnant, she gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl who were clearly a mix of all three races. Ashamed and horrified, her husbands divorced her and went back to their own lands. Outcast and alone, the halfling abandoned her children, who grew up and, not knowing any better, married each other. And that's where [[human]]s came from."

So, we have a race where the females look, depending on your interpretation, like either  [[loli|adorable little girls despite being ready and willing to shag]] or [[shortstack|curvy women scaled down to easily handled size]], and which is canonically known for getting it on with other species. So, saying that humans and halflings have the occasional hook-up really does make a lot of sense - especially given just how human they are in terms of nature, abilities and desires. Really, what's not to love about a cute, well-stacked housewife who considers it a matter of pride to make sure every meal is delicious and the kids are brought up well?

==Notable Halflings==
* Bilbo Baggins, of Tolkien's Middle Earth. The original [[Hobbits|Hobbit]], the one that started it all.
** Frodo Baggins, Bilbo's cousin and adopted heir. Was involved in the theft of and willful destruction of property (specifically jewellery) and murder; as the owner, Sauron, died of mental anguish. No legal action taken. Fled the country to avoid prosecution. Final fate unknown.
** Samwise Gamgee, accomplice to Baggins in aforementioned theft, and hunting of endangered mammoth spider wildlife. After a generous donation of the Baggins estates by Frodo to his election campaign, he became mayor of the Shire. This was quickly followed by a name change to "Samwise Gardner" and coincidental loss of any records of any of his potential misdemeanors.
** Bullroarer Took, Great-Great-Great-Great Uncle of Bilbo Baggins. Most notable for his ability to ride a real horse and for inventing [[golf]] with a rabbit hole, a (non-golf) club, and the head of a goblin general while whacking it off his shoulders mid-battle.
* Belkar Bitterleaf, from Rich Burlew's Order of the Stick. Arguable, as Belkar is so fucking, eye-bleedingly awesome that he may, in fact, be a dorf. ("I am a sexy shoeless god of war!")
* Olive Ruskettle, a borderline [[Chaotic Stupid]] female halfling thief whose biggest claims to fame are stealing the name/reputation of a bard despite being "too chaotic to become a bard(!)" and helping to free the [[Saurial]]s from [[Moander]], in that order.
* Mazzy Fentan of [[Baldur's Gate]] fame, halfling quasi-paladin of justice who can and will break both your legs if you call her "cute."
* <s>Tasslehoff Burrfoot, beloved happy-go-lucky companion to</s>{{BLAM}} fuck [[kender]]s. Fuck them in the ear.
* That's more or less it. I mean, they're hardly the go-getters of heroic fantasy. Though admittedly sometimes they get involved in major events.  If only because they wander into the planning tent in search of more food.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_floresiensis#Discovery Flo] is not a fantasy character, but the nickname for the first fossil ''Homo floresiensis'' that was discovered, or to use there more widely known name the "Hobbit" (a possible name for them was ''Homo hobbitus''). Incredibly short Flo was determined to be 30 and yet only barely higher then three feet thus as the first member of the hobbit race we have discovered earns a spot on this list.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:2e_Halfling.jpg|The iconic Monstrous Manual halfling, showing its obvious hobbit roots.
Image:Lidda,_3e_Iconic_Halfling.jpg|Lidda, the iconic halfling character of 3e.
Image:Lidda tattoo.jpg|Lidda's got some strange tattoos.
Image:Elmore_Halfling_Rogue.jpg|3e started a definite trend to try and portray halflings as sexy-cute.
Image:Halfling_Sneakthief.jpg|Or as badasses.
Image:4ehalflings.jpg|[[4e]] halflings and their notable lack of hairy feet.
Image:Primal_Halfling.jpg|4e was determined to prove halflings could be badass too.
Image:5e_PHB_Halfling.jpg|5e decided to beat halflings with the ugly stick in order to move them away from 4e.
File:5e Halfling Ranger, Brynn Lightfingers.png|Though that might just be due to a really poor choice of main artists.
File:Pathfinder Halfling Ranger.jpg|Being small does not mean halflings can't be creepy.
Image:Halfling_Barwench_2.jpg|The context in which your party will likely encounter halfings.
Image:Hobbit_knight.jpg|Being short means you're just right height to [[Angry Marines|stab those fucks in the balls]].
</gallery>

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