Homebrew Dark Sun, Halfling Species Details

“You have desecrated our sacred place,” Awispy voice called from behind. Just in front of the stand of trees, there stood a halfling, looking wild and primal with his painted body and forest-decorated hair, and pointing a crude, bone sword at the party. “The ancient nature-masters cannot forgive you for trespassing, and neither can I! I will raise up the forest itself to destroy you!” All of a sudden, a rain of arrows exploded out of the trees, splintering on the ground all around the surprised group, while the feral cries of halfling warriors echoed from the darkness of the forest.

 

Today’s halflings bear little resemblance to their supposedly ancient forebears. Where once halflings filled the land in every direction, today they inhabit the slowly disappearing forests and jungles, like the Forest Ridge. Where once they were civilized masters of an advanced society, today they are feral, savage creatures as wild as the arid winds. They are more willing to eat a stranger in their lands than to welcome him.

Small and Primitive

Halflings are diminutive in stature, standing about 3 feet tall.They are muscled and proportioned like humans, but they have the faces of wise and beautiful children that never succumb to the rigors of age. They weigh between 50 and 60 pounds and are virtually always in peak physical condition. Their skin ranges between pale to tan and their hair is usually a brown or black mane. They have brown or hazel eyes, though blue are rarely found; such halflings are said to bear the life of the oceans inside them.

The appearances of the halflings are considered primitive by most of the other Athasian races; while their garments are usually a plain loincloth and occasionally a vest or shirt, halflings fancy painting their skins in various colors. They rarely tend to their hair, instead letting them grow in great lengths, and keeping them unkempt and dirty. Halfings sport no body hair.

Solidary and Ritualistic

Halflings possess a great deal of racial unity. Though divided politically into separate villages and communities, halflings have great respect for their race as a whole. Disputes between members of communities are most often settled peacefully, through ritual and custom. These custom are often directed by each tribe’s shaman, the spiritual leaders who hold positions of honor and respect above all other halflings.

On a personal level, halflings relate very well to one another, well enough to have built a considerable culture rich in art, song, and other expressive communication. Ritual and custom control every aspect of halfling life. Such is the diversity of their culture, that the rest of the races find it difficult to comprehend. More than a few times, a halfling will be frustrated by outsiders who can’t seem to grasp their abstract thinking and complicated concepts. Fortunately, halflings who have travelled widely outside their traditional home have a much greater tolerance toward those of “lacking” culture.

Self-Improvement

Halfling culture cares for each individual’s inner well-being and spiritual unity with race and environment. They have little concept of conquest or monetary wealth, and vices that other societies take for granted — such as greed and avarice— are particularly discouraged. Treasure that appeals to other characters holds little interest to a halfling. It is more concerned with promoting halfling culture, its own knowledge, or its inner well-being. A halfling will never lie to or betray another halfling.

Expanding Knowledge

Halflings face, at first, difficulties in adjusting to other customsand points of view, but as a generally open-minded race, they tend to be curious or confused by the actions of others rather than initially combative. Halfling adventurers will attempt to learn all they can about other cultures, but will almost never adopt those cultures as their own. Their shamans teach that the customs of others are no threat to their own, so a halfling adventurer will welcome the chance to learn another point of view, rather than instantly try to change it.

Halfling Names

Halflings have a given name, provided to them by their community. They stick to that name as a mark of their heritage, even though they might adopt many different names from the other cultures.

Male Names: Cha, Derlan, Fullgrin, Lokee, Nok, Pauk,Pletaw, Purhas, Urga-zoltapl, Zivlil.

Female Names: Alansa, Anezka, Dokala, Grelzen, Horga,Jikx, Joura, La, Nasaha, Tar, Vensa.

 

Dark Sun, Halfling Traits

Your halfling character has a number of traits in common with all other halflings.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity and Wisdom score increases by 2. 

Age

A halfling reaches adulthood at the same age as humans and generally lives a little longer than a century.

Size

Halflings average about 3 feet tall and weigh between 50 and 60 pounds. Your size
is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Halfling Atleticism

You can add your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength
modifier to all Athletics skill checks.

Halfling Nimbleness

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

Halfling Resilience

You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have
resistance against poison damage.

Innately Stealthy

You have proficiency in the Stealth skill.

Savage Attacks

When you score a critical hit with a weapon attack, you can roll one of
the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the
critical hit.

Languages

You can speak Halfling. The Halfling language isn’t secret, but halflings loath to share it with others. Since they only have
oral traditions, their literature is nonexistent.