Halflings are considered by many people to be the most humanlike of the demihuman races. Some halflings find this description insulting, but most simply say that it is untrue. Whether the previous statement is true or not matters little. It would, however, explain the fact that halflings are the most common demihuman race on the Demiplane of Dread.
Several of Ravenloft's Core domains contain sizable halfling communities-including the Necropolis cities of Delagia and Rivalis. Many of Ravenloft's larger cities.also have sizable halfling communities, although these are sometimes slums.
Description
Halflings are a diminutive race of demihumans who resemble human children. They have chestnut to dark-brown hair, eyes of similar colors, and tanned complexions. Their faces are rounded, almost chubby looking, and they have broad, friendly features.
The typical male halfling stands in the neighborhood of one yard tall, while females are only slightly shorter. Their solid builds bring their weight in at about sixty-five or seventy pounds for men, and sixty to sixty-five pounds for women. Halflings live to be as old as two hundred years, although few actually pass one hundred fifty years.
Use Tables 60 and 62 to create a new halfling character for use in a RAVENLOFT campaign.
Table 60: Halfling Physical Characteristics
| Trait | Formula | |
| Height, Male | 32+2d8 inches | |
| Height, Female | 30+2d8 inches | |
| Weight, Male | 52+5d4 pounds | |
| Weight, Female | 48+5d4 pounds | |
| Starting Age | 20+3d4 years | |
| Maximum Age | 100+1d100 years |
Table 61: Halflings Aging Effects
| Age | Years | Effects | ||
| Middle (1/2 Base Max.) | 50 | -1 Srt/Con; +1 Int/Wis | ||
| Old (2/3 Base Max.) | 67 | -2 Str/Dex; -1 Con; +1 Wis | ||
| Venerable (Base Max.) | 100 | -1 Str/Dex/Con; +1 Int/Wis |
Three varieties of halfling exist: Tallfellow, Stouts, and Hairfoots. All three are represented in the Land of the Mists. In addition, crosses between the races are very common. Use Table 62: Halfling Ancestry to determine the ancestry of a newly created halfling character.
| Die Roll | Heritage | |
| 1-15% | Pure Stout | |
| 16-30% | Pure Tallfellow | |
| 31-45% | Pure Hairfoot | |
| 46-60% | Stout & Tallfellow | |
| 61-75% | Stout & Hairfoot | |
| 76-90% | Tallfellow & Hairfoot | |
| 91-100% | Tallfellow, Hairfoot, & Stout |
Despite their variations in ancestry, halflings favor similar styles of dress and have generally corresponding customs. Soft, comfortable fabrics dominate halfling dress. They like nice clothes, but they shun the finery of elves. By the same token, they appreciate the need for utilitarian garments but disdain the often spartan garb of the dwarves. In dress, as in all things, comfort is the key concern for any halfling. It is this, no doubt, that leads them to avoid wearing shoes whenever possible.
Personality
Of all the demihuman races in Ravenloft, only halflings can move about freely in the world of men. Even though they are easily distinguished from their taller cousins, halflings are similar enough in appearance and mannerisms to avoid the xenophobia having experienced by most demihumans.
It may be that much of the success halflings have enjoyed in dealing with humans comes from their habit of disappearing. A halfling is generally content to live his life without a great deal of contact with the outside world. As the saying goes, out of sight is out of mind; and halflings are quite content to be both.
Ravenloft's halflings are remarkably similar to their kin on other worlds, having experienced little change by the Mists. The Demiplane's little people are not as outgoing as those on Oerth or Toril, but they do retain a love of good food, a warm hearth, and a comfortable chair.
Halflings enjoy the gentle comforts of the world that many other demihuman races seem to overlook. They do not crave gold like the dwarves; if they have enough money to live comfortably, they are content. The gems and jewels that fascinate gnomes interest them only as curiosities. The high grandeur of a typical elf's lifestyle also has little appeal to them, for it is often so pretentious as to be uncomfortable.
Halfling culture is similar to that of the European countryside. They keep their gardens, raise a few pigs or chickens, and avoid having more to do with outsiders than they can help. Halfling names are similar to those found in old English. Among women, the most popular names are Elvina and Thylda. On the other hand, Hildric and Wynne are very common names for men.
Ability Scores
Halflings are a nimble, agile race, and all characters of this type receive a +1 bonus to their Dexterity score. Their diminutive physical construction, however, results in a -1 penalty to their Strength score.
Special Abilities
The halflings of Ravenloft are a gentle and largely timid folk, as out of place amid the horrors of the Mist as the majestic elves. They possess certain abilities, however, that have enabled them to survive in a land where so many folk perish.
Magic Resistance
Halflings have the same resistance to magic as dwarves. This manifests in a bonus to their saving throws vs. rod, staff, and wand and their saving throws vs. spell. Table 50 (see page 231) shows the bonus associated with various Constitution scores.
Poison Resistance
Halflings have exceptionally sturdy constitutions and are resistant to poisons. Whenever a halfling is called upon to make a saving throw vs. poison, he receives the same bonus indicated for magic resistance (see Table 50).
Combat Bonuses
Halflings have exceptional hand-eye coordination and grow up playing games like darts, stick ball, and ponyshoes. Because of this, they gain a +1 bonus to any attack roll made with a thrown weapon or sling.
Surprise Bonus
Halflings move as silently as elves, often catching their opponents completely off guard. Because of this, a halfling imposes a -4 penalty on his opponents' surprise rolls. If a halfling must open a door or other portal to reach the foe, this penalty is reduced to -2.
Wearing metal armor or traveling in the company of nonhalflings (other than elves) negates this ability. In the latter case, the halfling must move at least ninety feet away from his companions in order to regain this advantage.
Infravision
Depending upon his heritage, a halfling may or may not have infravision (the ability to see clearly in the infrared portion of the spectrum). Table 63: Halfling Infravision details the type of infravision associated with halfling characters of various ancestry. See Chapter 13 in the Dungeon Master Guide for details on this optional version of infravision.
Table 63: Halfling Infravision
| Heritage | Infravision | |
| Pure Stout | Normal (60 feet) | |
| Pure Tallfellow | None | |
| Pure Hairfoot | None | |
| Stout & Tallfellow | Limited (30 feet) | |
| Stout & Hairfoot | Limited (30 feet) | |
| Tallfellow & Hairfoot | None | |
| Tallfellow, Hairfoot, & Stout | None |
Keen Senses (Stouts Only)
Stouts have certain special abilities that other halflings lack. Many theorize that this is the result of dwarf blood assimilated by the race long ago, but the truth of this assertion remains unknown.
| Ability | Roll | |
| Detect sloping passages | 1-3 (on 1d4) | |
| Determine direction | 1-3 (on 1d6) |
Determination
Halflings, although they are physically small and generally regarded as "soft" by many other races, exhibit determination, stubbornness, and (when events demand it) bravery. This is reflected in bonuses to the various checks that adventuring halflings are called upon to make. Table 65: Halfling Fear, Horror, and Madness Check Adjustments indicates these adjustments.
Table 65: Halfling Fear, Horror, and Madness Check Adjustments
| Heritage | Fear | Horror | Madness | |||
| Stout | +2 | - | - | |||
| Tallfellow | - | +2 | - | |||
| Hairfoot | - | - | +2 | |||
| Stout & Tallfellow | +1 | +1 | - | |||
| Stout & Hairfoot | +1 | - | +1 | |||
| Tallfellow & Hairfoot | - | +1 | +1 | |||
| Tallfellow, Stout & Hairfoot | (+1 to any 2 types of checks) | |||||
