Halfling

The comforts of home are the goals of most halflings’ lives: a place to settle in peace and quiet, far from marauding monsters and clashing armies; a blazing fire and a generous meal; fine drink and fine conversation. Though some halflings live out their days in remote agricultural communities, others form nomadic bands that travel constantly, lured by the open road and the wide horizon to discover the wonders of new lands and peoples. But even these wanderers love peace, food, hearth, and home, though home might be a wagon jostling along a dirt road or a raft floating downriver.

Basic Information

Growth Rate & Stages

A halfling is typically considered an adult in their early twenties although few Halflings are considered "mature" until their 50s

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

Nearly all male halflings are incapable of growing true beards, though many have long sideburns. Halfling hairstyles are often complex, with strands woven together or braided.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Most halflings live in small, peaceful communities with large farms and well-kept groves. They rarely build kingdoms of their own or even hold much land beyond their quiet shires. They typically don’t recognize any sort of halfling nobility or royalty, instead of looking to family elders to guide them. Families preserve their traditional ways despite the rise and fall of empires.

Many halflings live among other races, where the halflings’ hard work and loyal outlook offer them abundant rewards and creature comforts. Some halfling communities travel as a way of life, driving wagons or guiding boats from place to place and maintaining no permanent home.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

A halfling has a given name, a family name, and possibly a nickname. Family names are often nicknames that stuck so tenaciously they have been passed down through the generations.
Male Names: Alton, Ander, Cade, Corrin, Eldon, Errich, Finnan, Garret, Lindal, Lyle, Merric, Milo, Osborn, Perrin, Reed, Roscoe, Wellby
Female Names: Andry, Bree, Callie, Cora, Euphemia, Jillian, Kithri, Lavinia, Lidda, Merla, Nedda, Paela, Portia, Seraphina, Shaena, Trym, Vani, Verna
Family Names: Brushgather, Goodbarrel, Greenbottle, High-hill, Hilltopple, Leagallow, Tealeaf, Thorngage, Tosscobble, Underbough

Common Etiquette Rules

Halflings are an affable and cheerful people. They cherish the bonds of family and friendship as well as the comforts of hearth and home, harboring few dreams of gold or glory. Even adventurers among them usually venture into the world for reasons of community, friendship, wanderlust, or curiosity. They love discovering new things, even simple things, such as exotic food or an unfamiliar style of clothing.

Halflings are easily moved to pity and hate to see any living thing suffer. They are generous, happily sharing what they have even in lean times.

Common Dress Code

Although halflings had an affinity for collecting valuables, they did not prefer to wear these on their person, instead preferring more comfortable clothing.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Halfling culture has a fondness for stories and legends and was rich in oral tradition. So much care was put into the retelling of traditional stories and their preservation that halflings often unwittingly has access to lore about ancient and long-gone cultures or empires that others had long since forgotten about. Many halflings are able to recall some detail of the ancient past, though it was usually wrapped in the shrouds of legends.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Halflings are adept at fitting into a community of humans, dwarves, or elves, making themselves valuable and welcome. The combination of their inherent stealth and their unassuming nature helps halflings to avoid unwanted attention.
Halflings work readily with others, and they are loyal to their friends, whether halfling or otherwise. They can display remarkable ferocity when their friends, families, or communities are threatened.

Lifespan

150 years

Average Height

Male: 3' Female: 2'10"

Average Weight

Male: 35lbs Female: 30lbs

Average Physique

The diminutive halflings survive in a world full of larger creatures by avoiding notice or, barring that, avoiding offense. Standing smaller than almost all other races, they appear relatively harmless and so have managed to survive for centuries in the shadow of empires and on the edges of wars and political strife. Although they are quite small most halflings are quite stout and utilize their low center of gravity to their advantage.

Halfing

Ability Score Increase +2 Dex

Size Small

Speed 25

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Lucky

When you roll a 1 on the d20 for an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll.

Brave

You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

Halfling Nimbleness

You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.

Subrace

The two main kinds of halfling, lightfoot and stout, are more like closely related families than true subraces while ghostwise halflings trace their ancestral split far further back in time.

Ghostwise Halfling

Ghostwise halflings trace their ancestry back to a war among halfling tribes that sent their ancestors into flight from Luiren. Ghostwise halflings are the rarest of the hin, found only in the Chondalwood and a few other isolated forests, clustered in tight-knit clans. Many ghostwise clans select a natural landmark as the center of their territory, and members carry a piece of that landmark with them at all times. Clan warriors known as nightgliders bond with and ride giant owls as mounts. Because these folk are clannish and mistrustful of outsiders, ghostwise halfling adventurers are rare.
Ability Score Increase Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Silent Speech You can speak telepathically to any creature within 30 feet of you. The creature understands you only if the two of you share a language. You can speak telepathically in this way to one creature at a time.

Lightfoot Halfling

As a lightfoot halfling, you can easily hide from notice, even using other people as cover. You’re inclined to be affable and get along well with others. In the world of Portum, lightfoot halflings have spread the farthest and thus are the most common variety. Lightfoots are more prone to wanderlust than other halflings, and often dwell alongside other races or take up a nomadic life.
Ability Score Increase Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Naturally Stealthy You can attempt to hide even when you are obscured only by a creature that is at least one size larger than you.

Stout Halfling

As a stout halfling, you’re hardier than average and have some resistance to poison. Some say that stouts have dwarven blood. Throughout Portum these halflings are often called stronghearts, and they’re most common in the south.
Ability Score Increase Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Stout Resilience You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Halfling. The Halfling language isn’t secret, but halflings are loath to share it with others. They write very little, so they don’t have a rich body of literature. Their oral tradition, however, is very strong. Almost all halflings speak Common to converse with the people in whose lands they dwell or through which they are traveling.