Halflings

Most people think of halflings as cheerful folk who care little for anything beyond good food, good company, and a comfortable bed. While halflings certainly enjoy all three, many people underestimate just how capable they can be. A traveler who mistakes a halfling for a fool will often discover their mistake much too late.

Halflings are much shorter than humans, usually standing about half their height. Despite their size, halflings are hardy people with a surprising amount of endurance. Halfling culture values practical skills, hospitality, and self-sufficiency. Most halflings learn a variety of trades throughout their lives, and it is common for a halfling farmer to also be a carpenter, cook, brewer, or trader. Their communities produce many skilled craftspeople, although few seek fame or recognition beyond their own settlements.

Halfling communities are close-knit and highly cooperative. Most disputes are settled through discussion, mediation, or community pressure rather than formal courts. Crime is uncommon, largely because everyone tends to know everyone else. A halfling who repeatedly causes trouble will often find themselves the subject of constant gossip and disapproval until they either mend their ways or leave.

Halflings prefer to build in rolling hills, river valleys, and fertile farmland. Many construct homes partially underground, with only the upper portions visible from the surface. Others build cozy cottages surrounded by gardens and orchards. Halfling settlements are rarely fortified, as they tend to rely on good relations with their neighbors and an uncanny ability to avoid trouble before it arrives.

Halflings care more about cleanliness and comfort than displays of wealth. Their clothing is practical, colorful, and well maintained. Most halflings wear their hair short or tied back while working, although elaborate hairstyles are common during celebrations. Jewelry is usually simple and carries personal significance rather than monetary value. A halfling may happily wear the same old necklace for fifty years if it reminds them of a beloved friend or family member.

Halfling Gameplay

All Halflings share the following gameplay elements.

Ancestry Traits

Ancestry Traits

Ancestry Keywords

Animus, Humanoid, Halfling

Movement Speed

Your base move speed is 20 feet.

Size

You are a small sized creature. Small sized creatures have a few weapon restrictions over medium-sized creatures, including:

• Small sized creatures cannot use weapons with the heavy weapon property at all.
• Small sized creatures treat weapons with the two-handed weapon property as if they had the heavy weapon property if a feature requires it.
• Small sized creatures treat weapons with the hand-and-a-half weapon property as if they had the two-handed weapon property, and thus cannot use them one-handed.
• In order to engage in two-weapon fighting, a small sized creature must be wielding weapons that have both the light weapon property and have a bundled EP value.

Native Langauges

Your native languages is Common.

Vision

You have low-light vision.

Halfling Features

As a halfling, you automatically gain access to all features below.

Natural Stealth

Natural Stealth

Ancestry Feature

When you makes any Agility or Precision Skill Test to attempt to be silent, move quietly, avoid being seen, or other forms of stealth, they gain a +1 ancestry bonus to the test.

Poor Warriors

Poor Warriors

Ancestry Feature

If a class you select has the soldier keyword, you have a -5% penalty to XP gains for that class.

Sling Training

Sling Training

Ancestry Feature

You start play familiar with the sling weapon group, regardless of your class’s weapon selection.

Class Keyword Features

After selecting your class, you gain access to an additional ancestral feature based on your selected classes keyword. If your class has multiple keywords, or you are a multi-classed character, you can select 1 of the keywords granted to you by your class, and gain the feature with that keyword listed below.

Arcanist

Arcanist

Class Keyword Ancestry Feature

When determining if you can use a magical item or not based on class keyword, you are treated as if you had the priest keyword, in addition to arcanist.

Adept

Adept

Class Keyword Ancestry Feature

You treat all slings that you wield as if they had the brutal and sneaky weapon features.

Priest

Priest

Class Keyword Ancestry Feature

You gain a +2 ancestry bonus to Saving Throws vs Binding.

Soldier

Soldier

Class Keyword Ancestry Feature

Increase the damage dice of all slings you wield by 1 dice step.

Halfling Ages

Halflings enjoy a long and gentle middle life, where community and routine keep them steady and whole. They age kindly, losing little at once, and gaining warmth, patience, and perspective in return. Even in decline, they remain rooted in the lives around them, seldom cast aside.

To randomly roll your starting age, you must first determine your class keywords. If you have 1 class keyword, take the Base Age for the keyword, and add the result of the Roll for the keyword as well. If you have more than 1 class keyword, you use the highest base age for your keywords, but roll all dice in the roll column for each class keyword you have.

Class Keyword	Base Age	Roll
Arcanist	22	3d6
Adept	14	1d12
Priest	20	2d10
Soldier	13	2d6

Two Humans

Robur has selected the Cleric class, which contains the Priest class keyword. Thus, he rolls 2d10, getting 13. He adds that to the base age of 20, and William is 33 years old, and he is in his prime.

However, Nora is a Cleric\Magic-User which has the Arcanist and Priest keywords. Since the base age of arcanist is higher, her base age is 22. She then rolls 3d6 for her arcanist, getting 14, and 2d10 for her Priest, getting an 8. Nora is 44 (22 + 14 + 8), still well within her prime.

After determining your age, you apply all age factors below for your current age, and every age lower. Thus, an elf who starts in their prime must step through all Young and Prime attribute adjustments. Note that some age requirements are optional.

As a reminder, during character creation, your attributes cannot go above 19, nor below 6 due to aging bonuses and penalties. Simply ignore any bonuses or penalties that would adjust your attributes so.

Some age breakpoints overlap; and when aging a character, once you hit the age breakpoint, you can choose to delay your attribute adjustments for up to 1 year, but must apply the attribute adjustments before you reach the age that doesn’t overlap. For example, 30 is both Young and Prime. Once you reach 30, you can choose to apply the attribute adjustments for being Prime, but you do not have to. During any rest between age 30 and 31 you can decide to apply the attribute adjustments, but it must be done by the time you turn 31, or it is done the first rest you have once you turn 31.

Young Halflings (15 - 30)

Young halflings are welcomed into community life early; expected to learn customs, contribute, and avoid unnecessary trouble.

As a young halfling, you have the option to make the following attribute adjustments. If you do, you must apply all of the adjustments listed.

• Select one attribute from the following list: Agility, Precision, or Savvy. Increase the selected attribute by +1.
• Select one attribute from the following list: Brawn, or Logic. Reduced the selected attribute by -1.

Prime Halflings (30 - 60)

Halflings in their prime are core members of society; trusted in matters of food, trade, property, and local dispute resolution.

As a halfling in your prime, you must make the following attribute adjustments.

• Select two attributes from the following list: Agility, Precision, Reason, or Savvy. Increase the selected attributes by +1.

Mature Halflings (60 - 80)

Mature halflings are highly respected anchors of community life; often serve as mediators, organizers, and moral reference points.

As a mature halfling, you must make the following attribute adjustments.

• Your Agility, Precision, Reason, and Savvy attributes are increased by +1.
• Your Brawn and Heartiness attribute is reduced by -1.

Aging Halflings (80 - 100)

Aging halflings are cherished and protected; still included in decision-making, though often relieved of physical burdens.

As an aging halfling, you must make the following attribute adjustments.

• Your Reason, Savvy, and Presence attributes are increased by +1.
• Your Brawn, Heartiness, Agility, and Precision attributes are reduced by -1.

Elderly Halflings (100+)

Upon reaching the Elderly age, roll 4d10 and note the result. Add this result to 100, and you find the age you will die of old age. Elderly halflings are revered as living hearth-figures; their presence stabilizes communities, and their absence is deeply felt.

As an elderly halfling, you must make the following attribute adjustments.

• Your Reason, Savvy, and Presence attributes are increased by +1.
• Your Brawn, Heartiness, Agility, and Precision attributes are reduced by -2.

Elderly halflings increase their Reason, Savvy and Presence all by 1 point each. However, they must also decrease their Brawn, Heartiness, Agility, and Precision by 2 points each as well.

Height and Weight

To randomly determine your character’s height and weight, start by rolling 2d8, record the total as “extra inches” and then roll a 1d4. Multiple your “extra inches” result by the result of the 2d4 roll to get your “extra weight”.

For males, add your “extra inches” to 30 inches to get how tall you are in inches, additionally, add the “extra weight” to 30 lbs. to get your starting weight. If you are female, add your “extra inches” to 28 inches, and add your “extra weight” to 25 lbs.