Halfling
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Profile
Life Expectancy: 150-200 Years Homeland: Xalious Average Height: 3'2" - 4'2" Average Weight: 100 - 150 lbs. Preferred Classes: Thief, Mage Classes this race can be: Any Preferred Alignment: Neutral Preferred Weapons: Daggers, Quarter-Staffs Aggression Level: Low Intelligence Level: Moderate Magic Rating: Moderate Strength Rating: Weak Weak Against: Physical Attacks, Dark Magic Strong Against: Elemental Magic Related Races: Dwarf, Gnome Allied Races: Human, Elf Enemy Races: Orc, Ogre, Giant
Physiology - Well-Rounded
Halflings are a small folk, seldom reaching four feet in height. Many tend to be fat but are nevertheless nimble and deft in their movements. They are sharp-eared and sharp-eyed and less stocky than their dwarven cousins. Halflings rarely wear shoes. The soles of their feet are tough, leathery almost, and clad in thick curly hair, which mimics the color of their head-hair. Halfling hair tends to be dark brown, though sandy-blonde is not uncommon enough to be considered a rarity. Their faces are round, and they tend to be bright-eyed and rosy-cheeked. Halflings also have long fingers, making them adept at sewing and other craftwork, or even pickpocketing.
Psychology - Why Go Anywhere Else
They are seen as being xenophobic by some, the Halflings are a typically neutral race that tends to keep to themselves and rarely have reason to leave their homes. However, they are generally welcoming to outsiders. Residing in small communities, few wander outside of their shire or town. Those who usually travel only do so briefly, hoping that they might bring back tales of their adventures to tell at celebrations and parties to gain notoriety in the eyes and words of their peers. Besides great stories, great songs, good brew, and good food, Halflings tend to have a passion for little else. They live life and enjoy it, staying away from conflict and sticking to their normally simple lives as farmers and gatherers.
Society - By Popular Demand
Halflings generally have an appointed mayor in their larger settlements, while smaller ones generally appoint an elder. Their legislative system can be somewhat chaotic, with the leaders putting nearly everything to a vote by referendum, in which each citizen young and old is entitled to their vote. Because of this, the state of legality concerning everything is frequently in flux, as the uninformed may quickly come to regret their decision and a new vote may be cast. Things as grand in scope as being aligned with the Mage’s Guild, to something as seemingly insignificant as whether or not a person is entitled to owning more than one ladle may be put to the whims of the halfling courts.
This type of philosophy inevitably results in many halfling citizens being criminals in their own homes. Luckily they are generally a very forgiving people, and even if someone does have more than one ladle in their possession, they are frequently given less than a slap on the wrist for doing so. They have no prisons. The harsher sentences involve being made to give up something tasty, or to right their wrongs in some form of restorative justice to the person they’ve offended. In severe cases, a halfling may be exiled from their homeland entirely, but almost never has one been put to death.
Perhaps this is why they are so well known for being thieves. While a halfling rarely has the malice to intentionally harm another being, they do often find themselves with an urgent need of a thing which does not belong to them. And if they see such a thing, not being used…then after all, why shouldn’t they take it? Of course they would always bring it back if they remembered to, and no one would be hurt very much. Especially if no one ever knows it was missing, then no one would be offended at all!
Much of their society is dedicated to farming, cooking, herding, and foraging. Indeed, when the odd halfling does embark on a journey of discovery, it is often with the intent to pursue the elevation of one of these things. A rumor of a new kind of cooking style, or a particularly fatty breed of sheep. Maybe a kind of gourd that is rumored to grow faster and bigger and tastier than even their ogre-sized pumpkins.
Religion - Farm to Table
They tend to find and seek favor most often in Hind, Delisha, and Loda. Hind helps them sew their fields and grant boisterous energy and life to their produce (as well as great size). Loda blesses their hands and their tools in their chosen craft. Delisha enjoys it with them.
Many are considered more superstitious than religious. The Gods of Hollow often have complex and specific rituals as part of their tradition, and Halflings aren’t always able to follow rules to the letter. Not to any letter, in fact. They do have vague impressions of the gods’ wills, and seldom do things that directly would offend one. They tend to pick and choose which aspects of one god or another appeal to them.
Magic - Lost and Found
Halflings can do magic. But most often it is something that happens for them. Seeming to innately possess an inborn fortune of luck, they tend to happen upon magical things more often than one would think for a people that so rarely leaves its hometown. A captured pig may arrive with a magic ring looped around its tusk, or a gleaming sword may be drug down a river and find itself stuck in the crook of a fallen branch. Such things are hardly out of the ordinary for these people, and they may inspire a newfound hobby.
Besides this, much of their people’s magic seems to be built into their preferred kind of alchemy: cooking. They may weave magic into their soups or pastries, purposely or otherwise, that cause spells of various kinds to be possible when it is consumed. For the best cooks, it seems that no more than their intent is necessary, and then the desired outcome will be achieved.
History - The Old Deal
Long ago, it is rumored that the halflings bartered their way into their most profitable and fertile lands by making a deal with the Archmage of Xalious. Both sides believed the other to be fools. For while the Mage’s Guild got to have an ensured food supply in the halflings, the halflings were able to live comfortably in one of the most fertile lands in Lithrydel AND enjoy the protection of the mages. All for something that they probably would’ve provided anyways. Occasionally, their referendums on this arrangement resulted in their independence. Yet they could never be so cruel as to deprive the people in the North of their food, and so far they have always ended up forgiving the mages and again enjoying the prosperity of being united. The villagers in Xalious in particular are not often fond of this arrangement, because while many of them are students or teachers or consultants in some way, many others would like to be farmers and cooks. They will never be able to shake the awareness that there is a people just south of them that have access to the best and most profitable lands.
Military - Home Grown
Halflings are not known for having a military, but that doesn’t mean they can’t fight. On an individual level, they may be smaller and less physically strong than the big folk, but in defense of something precious (such as their homeland) they can come together to become an impressive fighting force. And then they’re downright terrifying enemies; slingers fling stones with deadeye accuracy, Boilers lob cauldrons of molten and possibly enchanted brew from enormous sling shots and catapults, knights riding ornery rams jam lances and batter horns into their enemies.
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