How did the Halflings get taller?

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

entity

Dec 19, 2007 12:30:24
Ok, so there's a justification being built into why the weave is being replaced by the new magic system. But I wonder what happened in the Realms to make a whole race suddenly grow by half a foot...
#2

peteyrock

Dec 19, 2007 13:00:32
They all drank the water in Fangorn Forest.
#3

jedi_master_trobon

Dec 19, 2007 13:06:07
The weave was opressing them and keeping them short.
#4

Yue_Ryong

Dec 19, 2007 16:36:51
A sudden arrival of new, taller halfling stock into the gene pool?
#5

surgebuster

Dec 19, 2007 16:43:43
I don't think that any FR campaign I have been a part of would need a big reason as to why *Hin* became a little taller. I wouldn't even make a massive note of it.

That being said, I've always had my Hin on the tall side, as three feet is just too small for my tastes.

Joe
#6

mrbumpy

Dec 19, 2007 17:07:20
Well maybe you never noticed but Elves shrank in 3rd edition. In 1st and 2nd they were as tall as Tolkien elves. Nobody went ape poop over that.
#7

johnkretzer

Dec 19, 2007 17:18:52
Well maybe you never noticed but Elves shrank in 3rd edition. In 1st and 2nd they were as tall as Tolkien elves. Nobody when ape poop over that.

Actualy it was just in the Realms that they were this tall...and 3.x FR eleves remained that height.

The fact is that they are doing this to make them more realistic? So are they going to make giants shorter...because that is more realistic...

Also are they going to change halflings to three quarterings? Or make humens average height 8' tall?
#8

butterface

Dec 19, 2007 20:17:37
They won't be taller in my 4E game. I reserve the right to alter any changes I don't like!
#9

jedi_master_trobon

Dec 19, 2007 21:26:12
They won't be taller in my 4E game. I reserve the right to alter any changes I don't like!

You will use the tables for height and weight or you will be hunted down by the wziards swat team.
#10

smoker

Dec 19, 2007 21:36:31
Ok, so there's a justification being built into why the weave is being replaced by the new magic system. But I wonder what happened in the Realms to make a whole race suddenly grow by half a foot...

Growth Hormones.

They don't have organic yet. They have magical pesticides. And no one is telling the mage to stop due to his fireball.
#11

sfdragon

Dec 19, 2007 21:55:09
interbred with humans
enlarge and shrink person
#12

smoker

Dec 19, 2007 22:12:15
interbred with humans
enlarge and shrink person

They responded to spam adds to increase their size.
#13

jedi_master_trobon

Dec 19, 2007 22:28:48
They responded to spam adds to increase their size.

Female: What's this honey?
Male: Oh it extendz. It's halfling enhancement.
Female: You mean like muscle enhancers?
Male: No. You know.... HALFLING enhancement.
Female: ooohh.
#14

rauric

Dec 19, 2007 22:43:51
Female: What's this honey?
Male: Oh it extendz. It's halfling enhancement.
Female: You mean like muscle enhancers?
Male: No. You know.... HALFLING enhancement.
Female: ooohh.

Who knows? This really is a non-issue. You can make them whatever height you want in the end right?
#15

johnkretzer

Dec 19, 2007 22:46:53
Who knows? This really is a non-issue. You can make them whatever height you want in the end right?

Yes but it just shows messy thinking to me...
#16

rauric

Dec 19, 2007 23:17:31
Nah, it's fine.
#17

Another_Gnome

Dec 20, 2007 5:51:46
They're now hobbit-height, I would've thought people to cheer for that...

In all seriousness, this is one flavor change I fully support (apart from making it even more difficult for gnomes to find a proper place in 4E); 3E halflings simply are too short to realistically interact with any environment built for taller beings. The situation may never come up during the course of your average adventure where all but the most glaring logical errors and inconsistencies simply get ignored, but just try to accurately describe a halfling operating in a human house and the lack of height becomes painfully obvious.
#18

arctan

Dec 20, 2007 17:27:12
It's because WotC inherited a bunch of way-overly-literal TSR lore about the height of halflings (literally "half" the height of humans) and only recently sat down, thought about it, and realized *how freaking small* that is. Look at the Proud Nails article on the WotC website -- it specifically mentions this, that a short Halfling is around 2 feet tall, i.e. the size of a 2-year-old.
#19

johnkretzer

Dec 21, 2007 0:06:18
It's because WotC inherited a bunch of way-overly-literal TSR lore about the height of halflings (literally "half" the height of humans) and only recently sat down, thought about it, and realized *how freaking small* that is. Look at the Proud Nails article on the WotC website -- it specifically mentions this, that a short Halfling is around 2 feet tall, i.e. the size of a 2-year-old.

So...oh my god people actualy have to think about it...wow. Yeah I am guessing asking people to think now a days is pretty tough...

Actualy the fact that halflings live in a big persons race have been a big trend in the races personality in Realms and else where it was one of things I liked about the race(it was fun coming up with some rather mundane to innovative ways halfling function in the world.).

But I guess the authors of the novels can't be asked to think over much about it...you know avtualy make the world interesting beyond killing things...

I know you still have to think about it just as much at 4' tall...but why change it at all then.

Though the most depressing thing about halflings was the Kenderization of them.
#20

entity

Dec 21, 2007 0:48:57
... it specifically mentions this, that a short Halfling is around 2 feet tall, i.e. the size of a 2-year-old.

And this is a problem because?

I still don't see the logic of the change. I do see the logic of the change in elves/eladrin - I always felt that D&D elves were more detached from nature than they should have been.
#21

Alex_

Dec 21, 2007 2:18:37
I know you still have to think about it just as much at 4' tall...but why change it at all then.

And this is a problem because?

A 4 foot tall person can still generally function in the same world as 5.5-6 foot tall people. Reach doors, Getting into chairs without assistance, keeping up when walking, using the same sized tools and goods. A 2-3 foot tall person has much more trouble.

It's the difference between Elijah Wood as Frodo and Verne Troyer as Mini-Me.

As a side note, they also increased the size of Hobbits and Dwarves in the LOTR movie to make it easier to shoot.
#22

krevon

Dec 21, 2007 14:02:22
Darwinism......they evolved to reach the cookie jar :D
#23

merrikcale

Dec 21, 2007 15:23:17
is it wrong for me to think the whole idea of a 3 foot babe in tight leather is hot?
#24

lord_karsus

Dec 21, 2007 17:04:04
-You know all the Gnome's noses, that seem to be missing? Yeah, the Halfling thieves stole 'em. And, as you can see, some mad doctor has been using all that extra flesh to make Halflings taller.
#25

smoker

Dec 21, 2007 20:35:00
They have tv shows about short people. Give them love; don't make them taller. It's an insult to their cute, short selves.
#26

portermj

Dec 22, 2007 13:59:38
They used the mass that was in their pre-3rd edition pot bellies?
#27

joni-san

Dec 22, 2007 18:58:02
Is it wrong for me to think the whole idea of a 3 foot babe in tight leather is hot?

*Insert loli joke here*
#28

jedi_master_trobon

Dec 22, 2007 20:39:39
is it wrong for me to think the whole idea of a 3 foot babe in tight leather is hot?

Ok I'll admit it. I like the halflings :inlove: .... and no loli jokes need apply.
#29

Another_Gnome

Dec 23, 2007 18:01:15
Think in metric system: the difference between 3 feet and 4 feet may seem like a lot, but convert that to 90cm vs. 120cm and you won't even notice it. :D

Especially if she's wearing leather.
#30

krevon

Dec 23, 2007 22:04:08
Think in metric system: the difference between 3 feet and 4 feet may seem like a lot, but convert that to 90cm vs. 120cm and you won't even notice it. :D

Especially if she's wearing leather.

I should use that line on my wife:P
#31

saefal

Dec 24, 2007 12:07:38
This thread is funny and all but you all do realize that with the release of 4e Halflings will have ALWAYS been that height. In the thousands of years of Halfling history they will have always been the height they are in 4e. New editions are revisionist. The magic system was to complicated mechanically to re-write in retro because of how much the mechanic had been indoctrinated into actual lore (spell memorization and all). But racial features and such are the kind of thing that changes retroactively. Sorry to burst the speculation but I think it needs mentioning lol.
#32

Johnny_Angel

Dec 24, 2007 12:10:37
A famed Alchemist created Wheaties -an instant hit with halflings everywhere.
#33

bringerofbroom

Dec 24, 2007 13:29:41
good posture!

They were slouching before!
#34

portermj

Dec 24, 2007 13:48:56
BTW, what's the deal with the square ears? Did the halflings do something so naughty that Yondolla literally boxed them?
#35

merrikcale

Dec 24, 2007 15:31:21
New editions are revisionist.

Its like a bad DC comics event
#36

jedi_master_trobon

Dec 24, 2007 17:06:11
Its like a bad DC comics event

Crisis on infinate Realms... with what's happened so far I wouldn't be surprised.
#37

draco_spirit

Dec 24, 2007 18:07:14
I thought the hight changes were for the new setting, not forgotten realms?

Anyway I always liked the fact halflings are really small. It helps explains a lot of the culture tendencies and lets you rp things like issues with "too talls" things.
#38

lord_karsus

Dec 25, 2007 1:07:50
I thought the hight changes were for the new setting, not forgotten realms?

-Invariably, as the Forgotten Realms are a D&D campaign setting, they will follow suit- in most cases, not all.
#39

askanipsion

Dec 27, 2007 17:17:36
They used Eliminster's "Wonderful Miracle Grow" formula ....oh and daily watering :D
#40

arctan

Dec 30, 2007 17:15:41
Its like a bad DC comics event

It's more like Ultimate Marvel than Crisis on Infinite Earths. It's better to just say "You know, that was stupid. We're going to start over" than to agonize over how to "rationalize" the change as being in the "same continuity".

Continuity is the bane of geekdom. It ruins everything. Fight it.
#41

portermj

Dec 31, 2007 0:08:36
It's more like Ultimate Marvel than Crisis on Infinite Earths. It's better to just say "You know, that was stupid. We're going to start over" than to agonize over how to "rationalize" the change as being in the "same continuity".

Continuity is the bane of geekdom. It ruins everything. Fight it.

Halflings made that deal with Mephisto!*

*"One More Day" reference, for non-comic fans: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_More_Day_%28comics%29
#42

the_ubbergeek

Jan 04, 2008 3:00:00
-Invariably, as the Forgotten Realms are a D&D campaign setting, they will follow suit- in most cases, not all.

But you know, settings fluff always also override core fluff.
#43

ranielk

Jan 10, 2008 7:54:44
It's because WotC inherited a bunch of way-overly-literal TSR lore about the height of halflings (literally "half" the height of humans) and only recently sat down, thought about it, and realized *how freaking small* that is. Look at the Proud Nails article on the WotC website -- it specifically mentions this, that a short Halfling is around 2 feet tall, i.e. the size of a 2-year-old.

Yep, my daughter makes a great visual aid for those gamers who haven't really thought about it. At cons, my wife has been known to stand her up on the table where she can look the players in the eye and point out, "this is how tall a medium sized halfling is." Most folks just look shocked.

Without a booster seat, my daughter can only function at a table by standing on a chair or sitting on the table top. She's a little past being able to walk under the table without ducking. That's just insanely short for someone trying to function in a world where medium sized humanoids are the rule.
#44

the_ubbergeek

Jan 11, 2008 15:21:33
Not counting how creepy it can get when you think of halfling love and relationships....

Wasn't there a creepy npc in a novel quoted for 'loving halfling girls'?


Taller halflings can look cool - the hero of the Shadowgate N64 was some sort of halfling rogue, and he looked quite adventuresome. It'S how they could look.
#45

Another_Gnome

Jan 11, 2008 15:36:19
Not counting how creepy it can get when you think of halfling love and relationships....

Even halflings need to reproduce, you know. Sure the stork theory is quite popular among them, but ultimately it really is easier with another halfling.
#46

the_ubbergeek

Jan 11, 2008 15:41:14
Even halflings need to reproduce, you know. Sure the stork theory is quite popular among them, but ultimately it really is easier with another halfling.

Sorry, was not clear. Interracial love, which is possible in D&D. Open a can of worm, when you think about it... They have the size of children 9if adult proportions).

Seee what i means?
#47

Another_Gnome

Jan 11, 2008 15:49:47
...on second thought, it's probably for the best if people don't catch the joke. :P
#48

lord_karsus

Jan 11, 2008 20:14:02
-The Spellplague randomly seems to transform places and things, so on a serious note, I am sure it will be cited for the reason there are changes.
#49

UngeheuerLich

Jan 12, 2008 5:07:41
It could be the spellplague which changed them, or just evolution...

a hundred years ago, human were shorter on average than today. And 200-300 years ago, the tallest men were usually 1,70m ...

and I always imagined halflings to be about 0,90m - 1,20 that is very short... a 60 cm person can´t really handle a properly sized dagger, which will be an effective weapon...
#50

Bluenose

Jan 12, 2008 7:15:53
I suspect something involving followers of Loviatar, and a really aggressive use of the rack. :D
#51

lord_karsus

Jan 12, 2008 14:53:11
It could be the spellplague which changed them, or just evolution...

a hundred years ago, human were shorter on average than today. And 200-300 years ago, the tallest men were usually 1,70m ...

and I always imagined halflings to be about 0,90m - 1,20 that is very short... a 60 cm person can´t really handle a properly sized dagger, which will be an effective weapon...

-That's a questionable theory, since we don't know if Halflings evolve. They were created from a divine source (Yondella and crew), so we don't just know.
#52

portermj

Jan 12, 2008 19:44:21
-That's a questionable theory, since we don't know if Halflings evolve. They were created from a divine source (Yondella and crew), so we don't just know.

Maybe Yondella made them bigger
#53

lord_karsus

Jan 13, 2008 1:03:08
Maybe Yondella made them bigger

-She didn't want them to drown in the rivers/swamps they now inhabit.
#54

fly_amanita

Jan 13, 2008 1:16:31
So does this mean Tallfellow hin are even taller?!
#55

lord_karsus

Jan 13, 2008 1:19:01
So does this mean Tallfellow hin are even taller?!

-Theoretically. But, as they are 'doing away' with the premise of subraces...Well, let's just say it doesn't look good for the Tallfellows.
#56

Kensan_Oni

Jan 13, 2008 11:36:37
Ok, so there's a justification being built into why the weave is being replaced by the new magic system. But I wonder what happened in the Realms to make a whole race suddenly grow by half a foot...

Cause they're really half-halflings, but it would be funny to call them three quaterlings.
#57

nymrohd

Jan 13, 2008 15:50:10
I wonder, will they flood Luiren?
#58

Brom_Blackforge

Jan 18, 2008 16:21:38
This thread is funny and all but you all do realize that with the release of 4e Halflings will have ALWAYS been that height. In the thousands of years of Halfling history they will have always been the height they are in 4e. New editions are revisionist. The magic system was to complicated mechanically to re-write in retro because of how much the mechanic had been indoctrinated into actual lore (spell memorization and all). But racial features and such are the kind of thing that changes retroactively. Sorry to burst the speculation but I think it needs mentioning lol.

You could make the same argument about dwarves and their darkvision, and other changes as well, like whether succubi are demons or devils. But in actual practice, it's a bit more like the Klingons in the original Star Trek compared to the Klingons in the movies and the spin-off TV series - where'd that forehead ridge come from? You can try to come up with an in-continuity explanation, or you can just kind of wink and ignore it.
#59

hopeless

Jan 24, 2008 2:31:48
They met that Ent from LOTR and he supplied them with the water from his sacred grove to add to their ale so everyone who drank eventually got taller whilst in return they didn't tell anyone not a halfling so they could get taller too!
Well maybe except the elves but they're probably come from Middle earth in the first place and did away with their shorter brethren whilst they weren't looking!
#60

syndiccalls

Jan 24, 2008 13:01:22
Ok I'll admit it. I like the halflings :inlove: .... and no loli jokes need apply.

too late sir.

IMAGE(http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h42/LeoninRalAziraan/pedobear.jpg)
#61

the_ubbergeek

Feb 01, 2008 18:43:35
-Theoretically. But, as they are 'doing away' with the premise of subraces...Well, let's just say it doesn't look good for the Tallfellows.

A note - they are not fully doing away with subraces, as somes could be very well cultures.

I could see well Tallfellows as brothers of the common Halflings, generaly taller and all that. Perhaps a culture closer to the tolkienesque classic?


And... lol, Pedobear.
#62

kuwabarakei

Feb 02, 2008 16:32:47
the problems with magic when mystra died are the best answer to that questions

you can answer anything with this xP

why elves became diferent? why halflings have grown? why the dragon-bron appeared? why tieflings now are that common?

the mystra death is the response xP
#63

krevon

Feb 03, 2008 22:54:13
the problems with magic when mystra died are the best answer to that questions

you can answer anything with this xP

why elves became diferent? why halflings have grown? why the dragon-bron appeared? why tieflings now are that common?

the mystra death is the response xP

so this is what happened to JFK and the "magic" bullet:P
#64

lord_karsus

Feb 03, 2008 22:58:50
so this is what happened to JFK and the "magic" bullet:P

-The only thing that makes sense...
#65

kouk

Feb 04, 2008 0:43:09
No more bags full of halfling barbarians? Aww...
#66

xaaon

Feb 21, 2008 2:12:16
A 4 foot tall person can still generally function in the same world as 5.5-6 foot tall people. Reach doors, Getting into chairs without assistance, keeping up when walking, using the same sized tools and goods. A 2-3 foot tall person has much more trouble.

It's the difference between Elijah Wood as Frodo and Verne Troyer as Mini-Me.

As a side note, they also increased the size of Hobbits and Dwarves in the LOTR movie to make it easier to shoot.

A 3' tall person can easily reach a 42" door handle. same as a 5'8 person can reach the top of a 6'8" door. Now a 2' halfling would have trouble reaching a 42" door handle, but that's why there are smaller doors within doors that cater to the small folk. Kobolds are only 3' tall also, are they going to be increased in height as well?

Your side note is BS, the hobbits in LotR were not increased in height and it had nothing to do with shooting, the size differences were done in Computer graphics. If you look at widescreen shots, you'll see that the hobbits were about 1/2 the height of Aragorn...As a side note, the movies weren't perfect either, Legolas' eyes changed color from blue to brown several times throughout the series, perhaps it was only in the extended editions tho...haven't cross-referenced that yet.
#67

lord_karsus

Feb 21, 2008 9:25:36
As a side note, the movies weren't perfect either, Legolas' eyes changed color from blue to brown several times throughout the series, perhaps it was only in the extended editions tho...haven't cross-referenced that yet.

-That's an innate ability that Orlando Bloom has. To women, he is so beautiful that he can literally shift his eye color to give himself more aestetic appeal to them.
#68

markustay63

Feb 21, 2008 11:09:40
He is a rather 'pretty' man. :P

As to Halflings -

I'd almost gaurantee Luiren gets flooded; they already have a big swamp, and now that Halrua exploded and most of Chult sunk, picture the massive wave that will hit the southern coast - it's a no-brainer. I wonder if all the Drow-Caves in Dambrath will get flooded as well?
I suspect something involving followers of Loviatar, and a really aggressive use of the rack. :D

Considering what I said above, thats not so far-fetched. Those priestesses have to take out all of their anger on someone. :D

BTW, that answer made me literally LOL.

My own pet theory - CHEESE ADDICTION!
Everyone knows that Halflings have a problem with this, and when the spellplague hits, Cheese-crops everywhere will be destroyed ( ), driving the little junkies into a frenzy! As far away as Waterdeep, cheese-hos will be willing to exchange sexual favors for just a small slice of Brie! Oh... the Horror!

But, as we all know from our own RW advertising campaigns - "Milk does a body good!' So, all those years of eating cheese finally catches up to them, and all that vitamin 'D', Calcium, and Protein super-charges their DNA and they experience a massive growth spurt!

Theory Two:
We know that Halflings for years had natural magical resistance, which slowly seaped away from them over the past twenty years (3e). Now, the entire planet was covered with the weave, right? And the Weave is just pure Arcane Magic, right? So, its not that the Halflings have grown taller, but rather that they can now finally reach the height they were always meant to be! The Weave's raditaion reacted with their magical resistance, pushing them 'down' and away from it, like gravity in reverse.

So, with out the weave, the Halflings are free to grow to normal heights.

By 5e, they should be nine feet tall. :P
#69

lord_karsus

Feb 21, 2008 11:24:29
I'd almost gaurantee Luiren gets flooded; they already have a big swamp, and now that Halrua exploded and most of Chult sunk, picture the massive wave that will hit the southern coast - it's a no-brainer. I wonder if all the Drow-Caves in Dambrath will get flooded as well?

-I'd bet on that as well, since Halflings are supposed to be 'River Folk' now.
#70

ranielk

Feb 21, 2008 15:38:33
Well I understand that halflings are becoming river folk. So my guess is the short ones all fell off the boats and drown and only the tall ones survive.
#71

krevon

Feb 21, 2008 16:13:21
Well I understand that halflings are becoming river folk. So my guess is the short ones all fell off the boats and drown and only the tall ones survive.

I still liked HGH....Halfling Growth Hormone
#72

lord_karsus

Feb 21, 2008 16:26:21
So my guess is the short ones all fell off the boats and drown and only the tall ones survive.

-That was my worry as well. Being short isn't very condusive to survival in an aquatic environment.
#73

ztyx

Feb 21, 2008 17:13:30
Actually, if we go back to 1ed and Lurien as mentioned in the boxed set, there was so considerable halfling-human interbreeding in the northern parts of the country that there were 5' tall halfling there..
#74

markustay63

Feb 22, 2008 0:10:44
Yeah, the also bred with Elves, which gave us the afore-mentioned Tallfellows.
-That was my worry as well. Being short isn't very condusive to survival in an aquatic environment.

True, when the water-level rises and the whole country is under 3 feet of water, only the few tall one are going to survive.

One hundred years later and some simple genetics and ALL halflings are taller.

Darwin at his finest...

And I mean that crazy Latanese Gnome Monk, not the one from Earth. ;)
#75

lord_karsus

Feb 22, 2008 13:04:05
Yeah, the also bred with Elves, which gave us the afore-mentioned Tallfellows.
True, when the water-level rises and the whole country is under 3 feet of water, only the few tall one are going to survive.

-MmmHmm...

Darwin at his finest...

And I mean that crazy Latanese Gnome Monk, not the one from Earth. ;)

-You think he knows Da'Roni?
#76

arctan

Feb 25, 2008 1:41:03
-That was my worry as well. Being short isn't very condusive to survival in an aquatic environment.

...Unless, of course, you float. Like most people do.
#77

lord_karsus

Feb 25, 2008 11:56:32
...Unless, of course, you float. Like most people do.

-Halflings, with precidence given to Tolkien, since there is nothing else on the matter, don't.
#78

ztyx

Feb 25, 2008 14:16:10
Huh? Wasn't there river halflings in this thread already.. or was that in another thread?
#79

ody_saraph_of_karsus

Feb 25, 2008 20:25:44
OOps
#80

ody_saraph_of_karsus

Feb 25, 2008 20:25:13
A player of mine had a halfling lover once, she used a ring of enlarge person...
#81

ody_saraph_of_karsus

Feb 25, 2008 20:27:11
Sorry, was not clear. Interracial love, which is possible in D&D. Open a can of worm, when you think about it... They have the size of children 9if adult proportions).

Seee what i means?

A player of mine had a halfling lover once, she used a ring of enlarge person...
#82

areola

Feb 26, 2008 2:06:46
By the way, Regis the halfling in Icewind Dale, does he keep changing image? From AD&D to 4th ed.. his seems to always physically change. No one thinks its weird?
#83

Another_Gnome

Feb 26, 2008 5:22:11
A player of mine had a halfling lover once, she used a ring of enlarge person...

Talk about questioning a guy's manhood!
#84

lord_karsus

Feb 26, 2008 10:44:54
By the way, Regis the halfling in Icewind Dale, does he keep changing image? From AD&D to 4th ed.. his seems to always physically change. No one thinks its weird?

-From 1e to, now 4e, every race has changed something in appearance.
#85

naex

Feb 29, 2008 1:17:44
The weave was opressing them and keeping them short.

LOL - my own version of this is
"gravity is just THE MAN's way of keeping us down"
#86

harmassassin

Feb 29, 2008 13:50:46
Perhaps they did it to make it easier for all player races to use commonly sized weapons and have common movement rates? I haven't seen what the final movement rate will be for all races, but that would be my first guess.

I know in every game I've played in, it really sucked trying to acquire 'small' sized weapons/armor and when it came time to run from a foe... it sucked to be the ones with the 20ft movement rate...
#87

lord_karsus

Feb 29, 2008 15:41:59
... it sucked to be the ones with the 20ft movement rate...[/color]

-That's how physics work. Can't help that.
#88

ztyx

Mar 01, 2008 17:02:50
-That's how physics work. Can't help that.

What physics? Goblins and Kobolds had 30' moves..
#89

lord_karsus

Mar 01, 2008 22:58:27
What physics? Goblins and Kobolds had 30' moves..

-Both, through years and years of the breeding, based on certain qualities (martial prowess, strength, all that good stuff), resulted in smaller creatures that were faster, and stronger than ordinary creatures of the same size. Halflings, on the other side, are mostly somewhat fat and lazy.
#90

arctan

Mar 01, 2008 23:15:57
...Er, not in D&D they aren't. They're not supposed to be, anyway -- that was part of the whole "Please don't sue us!" changeover.

Do you ever even *see* an illustration of a fat lazy Halfling nowadays? They're usually portrayed as being the slimmest and lightest of the PHB player races.
#91

lord_karsus

Mar 01, 2008 23:26:37
Do you ever even *see* an illustration of a fat lazy Halfling nowadays? They're usually portrayed as being the slimmest and lightest of the PHB player races.

-Yes. Realms of War, specifically, the second short story, "Weasel's Run", which takes place in Lurien.
#92

arctan

Mar 02, 2008 1:17:39
I mean in the actual game books written and published by actual game designers at WotC.
#93

lord_karsus

Mar 02, 2008 2:30:03
I mean in the actual game books written and published by actual game designers at WotC.

-Novels are just as accurate in their portrayal of elements in a specific setting as sourcebooks.
#94

Another_Gnome

Mar 02, 2008 3:20:41
Besides, just because adventuring halflings are slim and trim doesn't mean the mainstream population follows suite -- and with the kind of food (or lack thereof) that most adventurers survive on for weeks at a time, a member of any race would need to shed blood, sweat, and tears to remain fat.

Either way, there's no reason to believe halflings were any less diverse than humans when it comes to their body shape, having a uniform look for them in artwork simply makes it easier to identify what exactly the creature depicted is supposed to be.
#95

arctan

Mar 02, 2008 3:29:59
Yeah, so I don't see any special rules for obese humans who have a 20 foot move speed and extremely lithe humans who have a 40 foot move speed.

If you want to give your Halfling who *happens to be* as fat as a Dwarf a 20 foot move speed, fine. But the base move speed for a race is based on the average adventuring member of that race.
#96

arctan

Mar 02, 2008 3:30:57
-Novels are just as accurate in their portrayal of elements in a specific setting as sourcebooks.

So it depicted one specific Halfling character who happened to be fat. This is not the same thing as having a generic example illustration of a Halfling implying that the average Halfling looks like that.
#97

lord_karsus

Mar 02, 2008 3:43:21
So it depicted one specific Halfling character who happened to be fat.

-Multiple Halflings. Quite a few Halflings.
#98

arctan

Mar 03, 2008 23:22:27
There are quite a few fat Humans, too. Should that affect Humans' base move speed?

(And really, I'm still not conceding the idea that we should take random novels in the setting to be as "canonical" as game books. They frequently demonstrate a cavalier attitude toward the game books and a bullheaded determination to tell the story the author wanted to tell regardless of the setting. Which is a *good thing* for a novel, as long as you don't treat the events of the novel "canonically".)
#99

lord_karsus

Mar 03, 2008 23:26:41
(And really, I'm still not conceding the idea that we should take random novels in the setting to be as "canonical" as game books. They frequently demonstrate a cavalier attitude toward the game books and a bullheaded determination to tell the story the author wanted to tell regardless of the setting. Which is a *good thing* for a novel, as long as you don't treat the events of the novel "canonically".)

-Like it or not, novels are canon in the setting (Forgotten Realms).
#100

the_ubbergeek

Mar 03, 2008 23:33:46
-Like it or not, novels are canon in the setting (Forgotten Realms).

And that is maybe a part of the problem...
#101

lord_karsus

Mar 03, 2008 23:45:51
And that is maybe a part of the problem...

-Novels being canon made Halflings taller? Crazy...
#102

arctan

Mar 04, 2008 1:00:45
Apparently one random short story writer was able to make Halflings fatter, for no good reason that I can see. Are you really okay with that?
#103

lord_karsus

Mar 04, 2008 1:13:34
-Or, as 'Gnome said, "...just because adventuring halflings are slim and trim doesn't mean the mainstream population follows suite...Either way, there's no reason to believe halflings were any less diverse than humans when it comes to their body shape..."
#104

arctan

Mar 04, 2008 16:47:01
The point being there is no reason to assume that Halflings are "fat" and therefore no reason not to make them quick and lithe like Goblins, especially from a game balance perspective. (Seriously, who wouldn't rather play a Goblin than a Halfling if they had to be a Small race, if the PHB gave you that option?)
#105

lord_karsus

Mar 04, 2008 17:24:30
The point being there is no reason to assume that Halflings are "fat" and therefore no reason not to make them quick and lithe like Goblins, especially from a game balance perspective.

-Are Halflings anatomically/physiologically identical to Goblins? No. So, why should they 'mirror' Goblins, in terms of speed, strength, and so on?

(Seriously, who wouldn't rather play a Goblin than a Halfling if they had to be a Small race, if the PHB gave you that option?)

-I wouldn't. Goblinoid characters don't interest me in the least. Halflings, at least, can more or less operate normally in the stereotypical fantasy city, whereas Goblin walk into a city and are shot on sight, usually much before they can explain how they are actually a champion and paragon of good.
#106

Another_Gnome

Mar 04, 2008 17:42:41
Oi! What happened to the option to play a gnome?!
#107

lord_karsus

Mar 04, 2008 22:18:32
Oi! What happened to the option to play a gnome?!

-As long as you are around, there will never be another gnome.
#108

krevon

Mar 04, 2008 22:44:38
-As long as you are around, there will never be another gnome.

Quick, catch him and put him in the Waterdeep Zoo.
#109

lord_karsus

Mar 04, 2008 22:46:08
Quick, catch him and put him in the Waterdeep Zoo.

-Puting Gnomes in the zoo is probably slavery. Mind you, not that I mind, of course. I have a track record enslaving Gnomes and all...;)
#110

arctan

Mar 05, 2008 3:34:39
-Are Halflings anatomically/physiologically identical to Goblins? No. So, why should they 'mirror' Goblins, in terms of speed, strength, and so on?

In terms of move speed and move speed only, it's a game balance issue. It's one of the biggest obstacles to wanting to be a Small race at all.

-I wouldn't. Goblinoid characters don't interest me in the least. Halflings, at least, can more or less operate normally in the stereotypical fantasy city, whereas Goblin walk into a city and are shot on sight, usually much before they can explain how they are actually a champion and paragon of good.

1) D&D sourcebooks have actually said multiple times that DMs who enforce a "shoot on sight"-style rule for "monstrous" PCs are being jerks, unless there's a very specific story they want to get out of it. Good-aligned races, *by definition*, don't shoot people on sight.

2) Who says the Goblin wants or needs to get supplies from the city owned by stupid Humans and Elves anyway?
#111

lord_karsus

Mar 05, 2008 3:45:58
1) D&D sourcebooks have actually said multiple times that DMs who enforce a "shoot on sight"-style rule for "monstrous" PCs are being jerks, unless there's a very specific story they want to get out of it. Good-aligned races, *by definition*, don't shoot people on sight.

-And, I say that people who don't enforce said rules in 'stereotypical fantasy city', in stereotypical fantasy setting are jerks. Go figure.

-No, I don't actually say that, but as evil creatures, there's no reason why they wouldn't be 'shot on sight' in any small town or village, by a guardsman. In a larger, more cosmopolitan city, there might be more leeway, but normally, it's shoot first, and ask questions later. And, yes, good-aligned folk often shoot first and ask questions later. Very often. Especially when, as I stated we are in the 'stereotypical fantasy city', in a stereotypical fantasy setting, Goblinoids, Orcs, Trolls, are evil. Period.

2) Who says the Goblin wants or needs to get supplies from the city owned by stupid Humans and Elves anyway?

-I just did.
#112

draco_spirit

Mar 05, 2008 7:08:54
Through dependent on the actraly setting and location, the typical treatment that a orc or goblin would get if approaching a elven/human or dwarf city in my games is typically from "what you want? you some kind of massager or something?" were said orc/goblin/etc is watched like a hawk and escorted everywhere to "kill it!" where there shot on sight.

Then again I'm not a big fan of monstrous player races in a traditional campien.
#113

kinowolf

Mar 08, 2008 1:59:20
Populations of people shift in size all the time in the real world. Just look at how the Dutch have shot up over the last few hundred years. Diet, climate, workload, etc. all have an effect on populations.
#114

Yue_Ryong

Mar 08, 2008 6:48:43
I doubt that the Dutch have had an increase in height of 50%. The halflings are moving up from about 2.5ft to 4ft. That's an increase well beyond anything humans have seen in any creature in a single century. Even Dogs (who have demonstrated the greatest genetic mutability of any species on earth) take several centuries to breed to anything like that degree.
#115

ztyx

Mar 08, 2008 11:38:24
Not 50%, but there are several "tribes" of people that have grown by one foot after getting to eat more :D
#116

talltale

May 03, 2008 21:21:10
Speed? Who is faster Shaq or MJ? A defensive end or a cornerback?
Size doesn't meen speed. I have yet to see the 6'10 olympic sprinter or marathon champion. A grey hound or a beagle? Oops I guess size does matter sometimes, sometimes not.



Ability to use tools? My 80 pound 13 year old can't weild a real full sized sword any more effectively than he could when he was 50 pounds and 7. He can pick up a 12# sledge hammer but not weild it properly. He is however capable of kicking a 6' man in the head and breaking ribs with a side kick. And I bet it would hurt as much if he stuck a dagger to the hilt in my gut as any much as any grown man that did the same.

I would put money on him in a sprint against Shaq, not alot though.;)

All the theories of the old halfling being incapable and the new halfling capable, makes me want to puke. In all reality neither is likely to be effective in a fight. Even though my son can kick me in the head he has to get so close I just punch and he would fall down, my arm is as long than his leg.

Go ahead and have that 3 year old hit you in the nose as hard as she can with a palm heel.

Anyhow make your halfling the height you want. Maybe he is a throwback to old genetics.

I personally like my 2'8" halfling and the 2'6" Pixie PC's I've played. I also liked the 4' tall halfling tallefellow F/Th I played in greyhawk 1st edition. I really like riding on the shoulder of the 7' Barbarian slinging stones while he charged.

Grrrrr:D Now I've done it, I've argued with myself.
#117

sigil_beguiler

May 03, 2008 23:46:25
Honestly, I think the easiest thing to do is simply state. They have always been that size, plain and simple.
#118

Stigger

May 04, 2008 2:26:46
There is a difference between a child's muscle development and an adults, which has nothing to do with size. The comparison isn't really that valid for anything but height.
#119

Therise

May 04, 2008 12:34:34
Honestly, I think the easiest thing to do is simply state. They have always been that size, plain and simple.

Honestly, the whole point of it being a game is that it's a game. There's absolutely no reason that the halfling race can't have the strength of humans, because it's a fantasy game. Why be worried about realism here, and then do something completely wonky like the Spellplague (which is hardly realistic).

Halflings should be short, just like the hobbits of LotR. And the book version, not the movie version. That's what they were based on, after all. Gnomes should be even smaller than that, as they originally were in 1st edition, not just as tall or taller than halflings.

Yet now, if we move to 4E (which is increasingly unlikely for me and mine), we'll all have to adopt not only this Spellplague nonsense but also a change to an entire PC race. Some changes for "realism", some changes that are deemed "needful" for the setting, and some changes just for the whims of these new designers.
#120

sir_andrew_the_victorious

May 04, 2008 16:34:30
(Sorry if any of this has been mentioned already.)

Why are Halflings taller:
In the cartoon "Return of the King" Gandolf mentions that Pip and Merry are taller than Sam and Frodo and that is because the Age of Humans is coming to Middle Earth. But why are they taller? Why am I shorter than my dad?

Problems with the rules for height:
Height and weight charts are always going to have problems. In the D&D3.5 PHB I couldn't exist. Neither could my cousins. I'm 5'7" 215# and they are both over 6'9". I'm more than 20# heavier than the "rules" for my height allow for and they are both more than 3" taller than humans are allowed to be.

Role-Play the small stature:
From a realistic point of view halflings are about the size of a 2-3 year old human baby. (Granted with much higher strength and dexterity.) But the point of fact still remains that someone that small would have a hard time in a world made for 5'6" people. But so does Yao Ming! It's a role-playing game so role-play!

Not everyone moves the same:
I'm in a wheelchair, I guarantee you my movement speed isn't 30' in 6 seconds. I can walk but not very fast nor very far. On the other hand before the wheelchair I could sprint at about 20 mph which is much faster than 30' in 6 seconds. (Which with the run feat would allow for a speed of 15 mph.) But D&D as never really addressed that real people don't all move at the same speed. If you want your halflings to be faster than make them faster. What's the big deal?

D&D vs. Realism:
D&D has never been about realism. (Sometimes I wish it were.) If you think halflings are too small than change it in your game.

Regis' (Halflings) appearence changes:
Art is very subjective. Different artists, in different moods, and different styles are going to paint the same subject differently.
#121

JudgeDookie

May 04, 2008 16:57:36
Perhaps the Spellplague replaced all our real halflings with replacements from another diabolical realm?

Maybe these"new" halflings are taller because they intend on taking over Abier-Toril with the advantage of their new foot-and-a-half of height? I mean, you've seen how savage they are in that picture in the other thread.

Are we all doomed to be enslaved by these four foot monstrosities?!!
#122

xmen510

May 04, 2008 19:09:45
Yes. Yes we are!
#123

JudgeDookie

May 04, 2008 19:54:20
Yes. Yes we are!

Punk! Stand up, man!! Fight these little bastards with the last of your breath! Let them know we will not cave in!! Let them know we are strong!!

Let them know that their strength scores mean . Let them know that they can't run as fast as a man and that we will catch them. Let them know that Bejebus is against them and that we will prevail!!

Then let them know that I have got down wit my bad self and they can't get down any badder!!

Mmmm...tacos? :D
#124

xmen510

May 04, 2008 20:14:11
How can we ever defeat the Great God Halfling Giants of Abeir?

Can we ever defeat them?

If JudgeDookie says it is so, it must be.

I will stand and fight the Great God Halfling Giants beside ye.

Let loose the Dogs Of War!:D
#125

JudgeDookie

May 04, 2008 21:21:04
All listen to xmen510.348293 version 2!!

We MUST fight the halflings, grown 3/4's of a man. If not, we will all suffer under their brutish might!!

We all have a knee!! RAISE it! 2 1/2 foot or 4 feet, you are bound to knock the out of a smaller man.

Raise the knee!! And free us from this oppressed world!
#126

Stigger

May 05, 2008 0:16:53
Interefere not with my halfling minions lest you face my wrath as well... and the horrors that can be inflicted upon thee with but a spork, a piece of gum, and a rubber band. Besides, there's free carne asada in it for everyone who goes with the Hin Revolution, and 5-cent beer to go with it. ;)
#127

JudgeDookie

May 05, 2008 12:28:21
Uh...5 cent beer?

DO NOT listen to xmen510.348293 version 2!!

We MUST DRINK with the halflings, grown 3/4's of a man. If not, we will all suffer under their brutish might!!

We all have a flask!! RAISE it! 2 1/2 foot or 4 feet, you are bound to out drink the smaller man.

Raise the flask!! And free us from the sobriety of this world!
#128

Stigger

May 05, 2008 14:54:00
Yes, everything is proceeding as I have forseen it...
#129

JudgeDookie

May 05, 2008 15:18:12
Yes, everything is proceeding as I have forseen it...

Yes. With beer goggles, everything looks alright. When they wear off though....
#130

Stigger

May 05, 2008 15:42:13
There's always more beer... the whole reason we can afford to such a low-cost price is that we're just seizing it from the breweries and putting real Hin to work on the new stuff, along the lines of Luiren's best... which certainly won't exceed $1 per pint in cost, given some of our other economic policies soon to be implemented.
#131

JudgeDookie

May 05, 2008 18:12:04
There's always more beer... the whole reason we can afford to such a low-cost price is that we're just seizing it from the breweries and putting real Hin to work on the new stuff, along the lines of Luiren's best... which certainly won't exceed $1 per pint in cost, given some of our other economic policies soon to be implemented.

You and your inflation. I knew there was catch.
#132

Stigger

May 06, 2008 0:15:12
Its actual Luiren's Best (except for not actually being made there), not yellow water with a disturbing aroma. :P