Halflings

Halflings are not a true race, but rather an unfortunate phenomenon that has visited the humans generations. A halfling is born of human parents, a sickly, deformed, thing that is looked upon as curse. Those couples that bear a halfling baby are said to have angered the gods or committed a sin they had yet to repent for. While some compassionate parents will raise the child, despite its ill omen, most put their child out into the woods to die from exposure. Many halflings suffer this fate, yet some survive. Those that did wait, just outside human settlements, for more of their kind to be cast aside so that they can take them in and raise them to adulthood, for halflings are born sterile and can never produce anymore of their kind.


Halflings are usually not welcome within human communities, some may tolerate their presence, while most will drive them out of town, or worse. Some may be hired by nobles to act as entertainment or picked up by troubadours to become an oddity in their act, but most are looked upon as a walking curse. Because of this, halflings tend to be self reliant, and while they may work with others, they trust very few besides themselves.

Physical Description: Halflings vary greatly in their look, though all are much smaller then humans and most are smaller still then dwarves averaging under four feet tall and weighing less the 90 lbs. All halflings are born with some number of physical deformities, which can be as subtle as an unnatural skin color to as terrifying as having claws instead of hands or vestigial wings or atrophied limbs. No two halflings are ever exactly the same and those with more extreme deformities stay far away from human lands (if they survive for more then a few years). Halflings have no uniform age range, many die young due to complications because of their physical anomalies while some have been reported to be alive for hundreds of years.

Why They Adventure: Most halflings adventure because they have no other means to support themselves. While many are content to live off the land outside civilized regions, a halfling still has a human sense of curiosity and desire to be part of a group (even if he believes he is fully self reliant). While some can find work in more tolerating towns, most find adventuring the only option left for them. Adventuring parties are far more tolerating then most, they’ve been exposed to things that would drive a normal man mad, a halfling that is willing to fight by their side is never taken for granted. Also, traveling with an adventuring party may allow a halfling to enter towns and other civilized areas as a group of adventurers can certainly prove intimidating for those wishing harm to a halfling (though few adventuring parties can handle an entire town mob, so they should not be so quick to test this theory).

Role-Playing Tips: A halfling should play up the fact that he relies on only himself. After all, humans think him a curse, elves find him disgusting, and while dwarves don’t seem to mind him, he’s pretty sure they’re snickering at him behind his back. A halfling has had to struggle to survive as long as he did and will always have to continue to do so, this often makes halflings gruff and without mirth. A halfling’s physical deformity is always a hindrance, never a boon, it is often painful or causes problems doing things others may take for granted, be mindful to always remind the rest of the party just what a halfling has to struggle with everyday.
The rest of the party should remember the stigma of the halfling as well, they were raised to see them as curses. For all intents and purposes, the halfling should not be alive. Even though adventurers are much more accepting of others then most (after facing the horrors they’ve faced, anyone fighting by their side is welcome, no matter how they appear), it is hard to shake off generations of belief.

Rule Changes: Halflings retain all the features as presented in Labyrinth Lord with the follow exception: Languages: Halflings speak Common and one Monster Language of their choice.