• Suna
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  • Registered: 2012-08-20
  • Posts: 4

Topic: Reskinning halflings

I'm not a fan of assuming that a fantasy setting automatically has dwarves, elves, and especially halflings. I know LotFP starts as a much better version of D&D red box, but I'm thinking about reskinning the halfling class because I'm far from being a fan of Tolkien's hobbits.
Has anyone done this before?
Considering the boons that come with the halfling class, I'm thinking about turning them into a quasi-human race, inspired by the picts of the Hyborian setting by Robert E. Howard. That would explain the uncanny bushcraft and stealth, and could also explain the saving throws (they live in a savage land, so they develop an uncanny skill in avoiding dangers).
Of course they'd need to be a very small, pygmy-like folk to also have the halflins' problem with encumberance of weapons...

  • Registered: 2009-10-09
  • Posts: 77

Re: Reskinning halflings

Or you could make them the Little People from Arthur Machen's stories such as "The Shining Pyramid" and "The Novel of the Black Seal".

  • Kamos
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  • Registered: 2012-08-16
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Re: Reskinning halflings

I was looking for the same thing but, in the end, decided to keep the races in. At least for now...

Let me point you to a few interesting ideas I liked:

timmyd suggested turning Dwarves into "Barbarians" and Halflings into "Rangers". He also gave them an Attack Bonus progression at 1/2 Fighter rate. In the same thread David suggested giving Barbarians only mêleé AB and Rangers only ranged AB. Link

I liked Andrew S's idea better: (about halflings) "They're called Vagabonds in my game and, being human, can use full sized weapons. Works pretty well." ... "I also made Dwarves human and called them Highlanders - replacing Architecture with Climb was enough, mechanics-wise." Link

This idea by BrendanP is also interesting:
"Elves - > Decedents ( Think Moorcock's Melnibonians ) Swap Search with Languages
Halflings - > Savages ( Think Howard's Picts ) Swap weapon size limit with technology limit."

There is more around the forum, I'm sure...