Trying to get back into the swing of things here! This is a slightly modified take on halflings for my particular campaign world, The Shattered Lands.
Halflings:
In the days before the Shattering, 'halfling' was practically synonymous with 'slave' in most of the known world. Small but hardy, halflings made ideal agricultural and urban slaves and millions of them toiled in Arcadian farms, Septiman silver mines, and as musicians, tutors and many other occupations in the cities of societies across the world. While slave uprisings were common, they were almost universally put down with appalling violence.
Then the Shattering happened and several events conspired to set the majority of enslaved halflings free. Firstly, the great slave empires of Rakosha and Nurn ceased to exist entirely and the Septiman Empire underwent a long period of catastrophic instability and immense turmoil. The halflings rose up against their masters there and after many years of struggle and atrocity, they won their freedom. Freedom in Arcadia had to wait for a slightly longer time, and for the coming of Karl Magnus to Arcadia to defeat the Elven Wizard-Kings.
About a thousand years ago, halflings from across half of the known world came together in an unappealingly swampy part of the Westmarch and built a small town, which has grown today into a great city of over a quarter-million people, the legendary Free Town, in which there are no kings nor any slaves, where talent and wealth not birth buy respect and where the Chainbreakers sail out to prey upon slavers and the mysterious and terrifying Ringbearer assassins slay the enemies of the halfling people.
Halflings live throughout the world, mostly as a minority, but in many cases, a large one. Most halflings these days live in towns and cities, though in the lands of Arcadia, a considerable number live on the land as their ancient ancestors most likely did. Halflings are bold and enterprising and have become important figures in business- and few would doubt their courage. More than anything, though, halflings are survivors- probably no other race has so dramatically profited from the chaos of the Shattering. Halflings can be warm and friendly, but they are proud and do not easily tolerate mockery.
Halfling adventurers often crusade for freedom, whether for their fellow halflings or for others and are most commonly rangers or rogues, though halfling representatives of virtually every adventuring class can be found. Most modern halflings are worshippers of either the Green Faith or the Phoenix Goddess, though halflings are rarely amongst the most faithful of people, being far more concerned with practical affairs.
Description: Halflings stand about three feet tall and are proportionately very similar to humans, but with large hairy feet and slightly wider than expected eyes. Halflings are diverse in skintone, hair and eye colour and tend to resemble the human population of the lands they live in. Plumpness is valued in halflings, but it is by no means universal for halflings to be rotund- just as many are lean as are fat.
Personality: Halflings are survivors. When given the luxury of good land and security, they manifest a deep love of nature and neat, orderly farms, but the vagaries of history have made this a surpassingly rare luxury. Halflings have learned to adapt to the environments they find themselves in. While many other demihuman races look at the glories of the past and many humans dream of glorious futures, halflings are mostly concerned with the present. Halflings enjoy creature comforts, but the last several centuries have also taught them the value of freedom.
Racial Affinities: Halflings know the value of cooperation with other races and individual halflings are very, very pragmatically aware of their physical inferiority to many other races. Halflings have the most in common with humans and the vast majority of halflings in the world live in human-dominated lands. Halflings tend to be suspicious of both elves and dwarves, as they both used halfling slave labour on a huge scale (as did the human Septiman Empire). Halflings regard gnomes as rather strange with their magical abilities.
Most halflings are immensely proud of the recent accomplishments of their race, most famously, the founding of the Free Town (now one of the world's largest cities) and those who are capable of doing so regularly donate money to the Free Town, or sponsor or ransom enslaved or poor halflings to relocate to the Free Town.
Environment: Most of the world's halflings live in autonomous or semi-autonomous rural communities, largely on the island of Tyria (where it is conjectured by some natural philosophers that they originally came from) and in the Arcadian Empire, though communities exist throughout the inhabited zones of western and southern Illyria. Halflings tend to prefer living in comfortable burrows in the ground. However, a large number of halflings today inhabit cities and most famously, the Free Town was built by and for halflings and contains a staggering quarter million of them.
Racial Traits and Abilities
Discreet: Halflings gain a +2 bonus to Charisma checks to conceal their true motives or opinions of others.
Duskvision: As PHB
Fearless: As PHB
Hide: As PHB
Lucky: Halflings are seemingly blessed by fortune and often small things seem to transpire to allow them to escape danger or to preserve them from serious harm. Halfling player characters gain a +1 bonus to all saving throws.
Move Silently: As PHB
Weapon Training: Halflings have a natural talent with slings and thrown weapons. Halfling player characters are proficient with these weapons. If they are already proficient due to their character class, they gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with these weapons.
Languages: Halfling (automatic), Common (automatic), Dwarven, Gnomish, Elvish, Slyvan, Goblinoid, any human vernacular
Size: Small
Movement: 25 feet
Typical Classes: Assassin, Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, Cleric, Druid, Bard
Attribute Modifier: +2 Dexterity, +1 Charisma, - Strength
Ranger Modifier: As PHB
Rogue and Assassin Modifier: As PHB
Races of the Shattered Lands, part I: Halflings
-
KaiserKris
- Red Cap
- Posts: 300
- Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2010 5:53 am
- Location: Manitoba, Canada
-
KaiserKris
- Red Cap
- Posts: 300
- Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2010 5:53 am
- Location: Manitoba, Canada
The Chainbreakers
Most halflings, given the option, would prefer to live comfortable and quiet lives in their communities, working hard to earn the creature comforts they love so much. For many halfling communities, theirs is a life of security under the protection of relatively benevolent higher authorities- most particularly the great lords of the Arcadian Empire, where slavery is forbidden and deeply abhorred and where their farming and mercantile skills are highly valued. For those that live in the Free Town, most are happy enough to pursue their personal and familial ambitions within the trading and artisanal guilds that dominate city life.
There are others, however, that remember that not so long ago, most of their kind lived as slaves and that many halflings still do. The merchant kings of Tyria and the decadent remnant of the Septiman Empire still trade openly in halfling slaves and chained coffles of the Small Folk can often be found headed into the interior of Illyria, into the Shattered Lands, to unmentionable fates at the hands of the Dead Masters who dwell within the ruined halls of Nurn. Not long after the establishment of the Free Town, swift little grey and brown ships started prowling the seas, intercepting slave ships and freeing the enslaved within.
To be a Chainbreaker is to be an enemy of slavery, most especially of halflings, but of any thinking creature. To be a Chainbreaker is to work towards the goal of universal emancipation through any means necessary. Many, such as most halflings, consider the Chainbreakers to be the greatest of heroes. Others, such as the Arcadian high lords, see them as a troublesome but sometimes useful faction. To the slavers, however, the Chainbreakers are the deadliest of enemies.
The Lord Mayor of the Free Town, of course, denies any official assistance to the Chainbreakers, but as the Chainbreakers have at least two dozen ships and probably hundreds of members, it is believed that they operate with at least the tactit support of the Free Town. They are believed to be funded through the voluntary donations of halflings throughout the known world. It is impossible to assess their strength perfectly, but their swift ships have been seen operating as far as the city of Dhak in the east and in Arcadian waters in the west. Their leadership is unknown, though some affiliated with the organization refer to a "Goody Swiftfoot".
All Chainbreakers are halflings and most of them have at least 2-3 PC levels, typically as fighters or rogues, though they have some bards, clerics and others in their ranks. Most Chainbreakers are skilled mariners and many are trained in guerrilla and insurgency tactics. They typically follow a chaotic good alignment.
There are others, however, that remember that not so long ago, most of their kind lived as slaves and that many halflings still do. The merchant kings of Tyria and the decadent remnant of the Septiman Empire still trade openly in halfling slaves and chained coffles of the Small Folk can often be found headed into the interior of Illyria, into the Shattered Lands, to unmentionable fates at the hands of the Dead Masters who dwell within the ruined halls of Nurn. Not long after the establishment of the Free Town, swift little grey and brown ships started prowling the seas, intercepting slave ships and freeing the enslaved within.
To be a Chainbreaker is to be an enemy of slavery, most especially of halflings, but of any thinking creature. To be a Chainbreaker is to work towards the goal of universal emancipation through any means necessary. Many, such as most halflings, consider the Chainbreakers to be the greatest of heroes. Others, such as the Arcadian high lords, see them as a troublesome but sometimes useful faction. To the slavers, however, the Chainbreakers are the deadliest of enemies.
The Lord Mayor of the Free Town, of course, denies any official assistance to the Chainbreakers, but as the Chainbreakers have at least two dozen ships and probably hundreds of members, it is believed that they operate with at least the tactit support of the Free Town. They are believed to be funded through the voluntary donations of halflings throughout the known world. It is impossible to assess their strength perfectly, but their swift ships have been seen operating as far as the city of Dhak in the east and in Arcadian waters in the west. Their leadership is unknown, though some affiliated with the organization refer to a "Goody Swiftfoot".
All Chainbreakers are halflings and most of them have at least 2-3 PC levels, typically as fighters or rogues, though they have some bards, clerics and others in their ranks. Most Chainbreakers are skilled mariners and many are trained in guerrilla and insurgency tactics. They typically follow a chaotic good alignment.
Re: Races of the Shattered Lands, part I: Halflings
NICE !!!!
I like the 'luck, +1 to saving rolls' - I may have to steal it from you and add it to my home brew racial class
Cool write ups and history. Where can I sign up to be a Chain Breaker, or a big folk friend of them
I like the 'luck, +1 to saving rolls' - I may have to steal it from you and add it to my home brew racial class
Cool write ups and history. Where can I sign up to be a Chain Breaker, or a big folk friend of them
"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain
Forgive all spelling errors.
Knight Errant & Humble C&C Society Contributor
C&C Society
Forgive all spelling errors.
Knight Errant & Humble C&C Society Contributor
C&C Society
-
KaiserKris
- Red Cap
- Posts: 300
- Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2010 5:53 am
- Location: Manitoba, Canada
Re: Races of the Shattered Lands, part I: Halflings
Well, the lucky bonus to saving throws is right out of the Pathfinder RPG writeup for halflings. Not sure if it came from 3.5 originally or not.Lurker wrote:NICE !!!!
I like the 'luck, +1 to saving rolls' - I may have to steal it from you and add it to my home brew racial class
Cool write ups and history. Where can I sign up to be a Chain Breaker, or a big folk friend of them
The Chainbreakers are pretty much halfling-only, but gladly take assistance from sympathetic tallfolk. Quite a number of non-halflings have been liberated by them in their rovings as well ...