Halfling Species Details
The whistle of the wind in the sails, on a ship crashing through the waves far from land. The clink of coin changing hands at the market. The crackle of the campfire and the smell of bacon and tomatoes sizzling after a long day of walking. The creak of a wagon lumbering to the next village, with a cheery tune emanating from within. Halflings love these things. A nomadic people who rarely settle in one place for long, halflings come and go with the rhythm of the seasons, making money, friends, or both along the way.
The most numerous of the Elder Folk, halflings are wanderers and travelers, merchants and sailors, storytellers and poets. Though many halflings are nomadic, and rarely settle in one place for long, they are deeply connected to each other by a unique ancestral consciousness mediated by their gods, the First Ones, which allows them to communicate telepathically and remember fragments of their ancestors’ knowledge and lives. Halflings, while not as numerous as humans, are frequent sights across the realms of many species of Taelgar. Cheerful and friendly with outsiders, but private and protective of their kin and traditions, halfling traders, wanderers, and storytellers keep the world connected.
Creating Your Halfling Character
When you create your halfling character, you might want to consider how your past influenced your character. Many halflings are wanderers, with no fixed home, traveling in caravans, or ships, often in family groups. Sometimes these might follow regular or semi-regular paths, although others wander where whims take them. Other halflings settle, usually among other species, and often in crossroads or places where many travelers and stories cross their paths. Halflings also usually have close ties to their kin and family, especially as many halflings effectively work in the family business running a trading ship or a merchant caravan. When you create your halfling character, you might want to think about your family and what they do. Did you come from a traveling family, merchants or sailors? How did your travels impact your choices to become an adventurer? Or, are your origins from a settled community?
A simple answer if engaging with the lore of halflings is not of interest to you is that your family runs a merchant caravan, or perhaps sailing ship, traveling a routine route in safe places, perhaps from somewhere close, but not too close, to where your adventures begin.
Halfling Names
Halflings have given names and family names, which are often derived from nicknames, professions, or family lore. To choose a name for your Halfling character, you might consider using one of the choices below, looking at a name list for inspiration, or you might invent your own.
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: Quicktongue, Longwalker, Wetshire, Sailsinger, Crafter, Singer, Strider, Riverfoot, Undertree, Charmheart, Goodbarrel, Greenbottle, Wanderhome, Hillcobble, Tallspinner
Basic Traits
Creature Type: Humanoid
Size: Small (about 2–4 feet tall)
Speed: 30 feet
Age: Halflings mature at the same rate as humans, and typically live to be around 100, although a rare few live substantially longer.
Languages: The frequent travels and ancestral memory of halflings exposes them to many languages. You may select five languages during character creation, one of which should usually be Halfling. Like all characters, you may choose to replace one of these language proficiencies with a tool proficiency.
Halfling Traits
As a Halfling, you have these special traits.
Silent Speech
You have Telepathy with a range of 120 feet. You must share a language to communicate with a creature in this way.
Memory of the Ancestors
Your telepathic connection to the halfling’s ancestral memory can aid you when you seek to recall knowledge. When you take the Study action, you can expend one use of this feature to add 1d6 to the roll, potentially turning a failure into a success. Alternatively, you can expend 3 uses of this feature to treat the roll on the d20 Test as a 20. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Proficiency bonus, and regain all uses when you finish a Long Rest.
Luck
When you roll a 1 on the d20 of a D20 Test, you can reroll the die, and you must use the new roll.
Halfling Talent
Halflings are generally small, quick, charming and adaptable wanderers. You may choose one of the following talents to represent your connection to the First Ones: Nwana, the Stranger/Child; Obito, the Music Maker/Merchant; or Jemghari, the Storyteller/Wanderer.
- Nwana’s Grace. You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours, and you can use your Dexterity modifier, instead of your Strength modifier, for any Strength check to climb, swim, or jump. This does not change your default jump distance.
- Nwana’s Stealth. You can take the Hide action even when you are obscured only by a creature that is at least one size larger than you.
- Obito’s Charm. You can use a Bonus Action to project a minor telepathic aura that extends to the range of your Silent Speech. Choose one creature you can see that is within the aura. The next time you take the Influence action against the target, while the target is in your telepathic aura, you have Advantage on the d20 Test. Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
- Obito’s Knowledge. You have a knack for picking up new things. You gain your choice of one tool proficiency. In addition, the amount of downtime required for you to learn a new tool proficiency is reduced by half.
- Jemghari’s Bravery. You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
- Jemghari’s Speech. You learn two languages. In addition, you only require one-third as much downtime as normal to learn a new language.