Homebrew The Official Homebrood Halfling Species Details

"You'll never meet anyone more genuine than a halfling. They're good folk who always try to do the right thing, and their sense of justice is remarkable. Be warned, however: If you take advantage of a halfling's hospitality, information spreads quickly. You may never be accepted into a halfling warren again."

-"Rook", Halfling Arcane Trickster 

Halflings have the highest population of any race. This may not be obvious, as they tend to avoid bustling cities, but take a trip out into the edges of civilization and you will likely stumble upon a halfling warren or two. These hardy people are an ancient race who have seen the rise and fall of many civilizations. Amazingly, they have not only managed to survive, but thrive. They are loving and accepting of strangers. If an adventurer is in need of anything, they will likely find support in a halfling warren.

Halflings are an ancient race, one of the first and older than humans by far. They are referred to in history texts as “The Small” and pioneered advancement in agricultural science that is still used today. They also have massive influences in art, as many famous bards are halflings! Music, art, theater, and other creative fields are dominated by halflings, who use these methods of expression to create community and prestige. With very little exception, halflings love attention and fame, be it from their local peers or on a much larger scale.

Short and Stout

Halflings are diminutive humanoids that range in height from 3 - 4 feet. Their size for the sake of mechanics is Small. They have sharp teeth, claws, and tails that range in style and length. Their eyes are cat-like and allow them to see in the dark. Due to the tapetum lucidum layer behind their retina, their pupils glimmer in darkness. Their ears are large and a bit pointed, some of them being furred and others not. Halfling skin tones and facial features differ as broadly as humans, although they commonly have bigger, rounder noses. The body proportions of a halfling are certainly not human, but they aren't quite as drastic as a gnome. Despite their appearance, halflings are not related to humans, dwarves, elves or gnomes at all. They come from an entirely separate evolutionary chain stemming from imps and other diminutive devils.

Regardless of gender, they have pelts of coarse fur on their bodies that gets thicker with more coverage in winter. Their legs, arms, chest and belly are mostly where this fur grows, and they typically have a mane running down the middle of their back. Their hair and pelt is usually the same color, and may dull in coloration in the winter. Halflings in tropical climates do not usually experience these changes. Halfling hair color can range dramatically. Shades of pink, purple and green are just as common as what would be considered natural colors.

Humble Beginnings

Halfling cities are unheard of. They prefer the humble nature of a village - which halflings refer to as a warren. Halfling warrens rarely grow above a thousand in terms of population, and that is considered large. They prefer to spread their communities out all over the world, in small bunches. They have no official governing body, and instead, each warren is mostly left to its own devices. They may have a matriarch, mayor, chief, or some other similar role overseeing the warren, but usually the warren simply obeys the governing body of the region in which they live. 

Halflings are amazing farmers, and can manage to grow or raise something to eat even in the harshest conditions. Most warrens are surrounded by farmland, which is overseen as a community. They are incredibly creative, and love to make arts, crafts, writing, food, and music. Halfling food is legendary, and some larger warrens have gained attention from travelers as being home to some famous cooks. Some warrens have been observed as being entirely nomadic.

No Place Like Home

Halflings have "litters." Single babies are uncommon, whereas twins are most common. Triplets, quadruplets, etc are more common than single-born halflings. Most halfling families that choose to have children have several, common numbers being 5-15. Surrogacy is common, as same-sex partners are. Polyamory is also observed frequently in halfling society. Newborn halflings are covered almost entirely in fur and possess the strong instinct to latch onto things, so seeing halfling parents roaming about with babies latched all over their clothes is common.

Family is important to halflings, as adventurous halflings who don’t settle down with families of their own will still make found-families of their friends, and protect them ferociously.  Halflings rarely enjoy being alone, and even “lone wolves” will have a pet, imaginary friend or something else to keep them company and provide conversation.

Halfling Names

A halfling has a given name, a family name, and usually a nickname. Names are important to halflings, so changing their birth name is something that is widely respected in halfling culture. Always use anyone's preferred name, but especially a halfling's. The following names are just examples of some fairly common names observed in halfling culture.

Male Names: Bran, Cayde, Caleb, Elijah, Finnian, Garret, Lyle, Milo, Oscar, Peregrin

Gender Neutral Names: Andie, Allyn, Bailey, Eko, Finn, Hop, Quill

Female Names: Andry, Callie, Cora, Jillian, Kithri, Lavinia, Lidda, Mabel, Nedda, Paela, Portia, Vani

Family Names: Brushgather, Goodbarrel, Greenbottle, Highhill, Hilltopple, Leagallow, Tealeaf, Thorngage, Tosscobble, Underbough

Follow @TheHomebrood on Twitter. This version of halflings was designed and created by @Lutrodraws on Twitter
This page is subject to change at any time. Last update: 12/21/19

The Official Homebrood Halfling Traits

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

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2.

Age

A halfling reaches adulthood at the age of 20 and generally lives into the middle of their second century.

Alignment

Most halflings are lawful or neutral good. They are good-hearted and kind, hate to see others in pain, and have no tolerance for oppression or bigotry. They are also very traditional, leaning heavily on the support of their community and the comfort of their old ways. A halfling that deviates from these traditional values isn't unheard of, however. 

Size

Halflings average about 3 feet tall and weigh about 40 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

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.

Solborn*

Thanks to your devilish origins, you are resistant to Radiant damage.
*This trait may be replaced with the 5.0 halfling racial trait Brave if Solborn is unwanted or doesn't fit in your universe.

Halfling Nimbleness

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

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Halfling. As a language, Halfling is actually just extremely jargonized Common. It's inability to be comprehended by anyone but a halfling cements its classification as a language proper.