Halfling

This humanoid stands about half as high as a human. It has an athletic build, ruddy skin, straight black hair, and dark eyes.

Halflings are cunning, resourceful survivors and opportunists who find room for themselves wherever they can. They might be reliable, hard-working citizens or thieves just waiting for their big chance.

Halflings stand about 3 feet tall and usually weigh between 30 and 35 pounds. They have brown or black eyes. Halfling men often have long sideburns, but beards are rare among them and mustaches almost unseen. Halflings prefer simple, comfortable, and practical clothes. Unlike members of most races, they prefer actual comfort to shows of wealth. Halflings reach adulthood in their early twenties and generally live into the middle of their second century.

Halflings speak Halfling and Common.

Most halflings encountered outside their home are warriors; the information in the statistics block is for one of 1st level.

Combat

Halflings prefer to fight defensively, usually hiding and launching ranged attacks as the foe approaches. Their tactics are very much like those of elves but place more emphasis on cover and concealment and less on mobility.

Halfling Traits (Ex): Halflings possess the following racial traits.

• +2 Dexterity, –⁠2 Strength.
• Small size. +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, –⁠4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits ¾ those of Medium characters.
• A halfling’s base land speed is 20 feet.
• +2 racial bonus on Climb, Jump, and Move Silently checks.
• +1 racial bonus on all saving throws.
• +2 morale bonus on saving throws against fear. This bonus stacks with the halfling’s +1 bonus on saving throws in general.
• +1 racial bonus on attack rolls with thrown weapons and slings.
• +2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Halfling. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, Orc.
• Favored Class: Rogue.

Halfling Society

Halflings try to get along with everyone else. They are adept at fitting into communities of humans, dwarves, elves, or gnomes and making themselves valuable and welcome. Since human society changes more frequently than the societies of the longer-lived races, it most frequently offers opportunities to exploit, and halflings are often found in or around human lands.

Halflings often form tight-knit communities in human or dwarven cities. While they work readily with others, they often make friends only among themselves. Halflings also settle into secluded places where they set up self-reliant villages.

Halfling communities are known to pick up and move en masse to a place that offers some new opportunity, such as where a new mine has opened up or to a land where a devastating war has made skilled workers hard to find. If these opportunities are temporary, a community may pick up and move again once the opportunity is gone, or once a better one presents itself. If the opportunity is lasting, the halflings settle and form a new village. Some communities, on the other hand, take to traveling as a way of life, driving wagons or guiding boats from place to place, with no permanent home.

The chief halfling deity is Yondalla, the Blessed One, protector of the halflings. Yondalla promises blessings and protection to those who heed her guidance, defend their clans, and cherish their families.

The halfling warriors presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8.

The statistics block below contains details for more than one shape, size, or type of this creature. Use the horizontal scrollbar below it to display the desired one or select from the links below that.

Halfling (lightfoot) • Tallfellow Halfling • Deep Halfling

Subraces

The information above is for the lightfoot halfling, the most common halfling variety. There are two other major halfling subraces, which differ from lightfoot halflings as follows.

Tallfellow

This humanoid stands a little more than half as high as a human. It has a slim but athletic build, fair skin, and fair hair.

Tallfellows are somewhat rare among halfling folk.

Tallfellows are 4 feet tall or more and weigh between 30 and 35 pounds. They generally speak Elven in addition to Common and Halfling, and they greatly enjoy the company of elves.

Tallfellow Traits (Ex): These traits are in addition to the lightfoot halfling traits, except where noted.

• +2 racial bonus on Search, Spot, and Listen checks. Like an elf, a tallfellow who merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check as though actively looking for it. This trait replaces the lightfoot’s +2 bonus on Listen checks.
• Tallfellows are less athletic than lightfoot halflings and do not have a racial bonus on Climb, Jump, and Move Silently checks.

Deep Halfling

This humanoid stands a little less than half as high as a human. It has a stocky but athletic build, ruddy skin, straight black hair, and dark eyes.

These halflings are shorter and stockier than the more common lightfeet.

Deep halflings are about 2½ tall and weigh between 30 and 35 pounds. Deep halflings take great pleasure in gems and fine masonry, often working as jewelers or stonecutters. They rarely mix with humans and elves but enjoy the company of dwarves and speak Dwarven fluently.

Deep Halfling Traits (Ex): These traits are in addition to the lightfoot halfling traits, except where noted.

• Darkvision out to 60 feet.
• Stonecunning: Like dwarves, deep halflings have a +2 racial bonus on checks to notice unusual stonework. Something that isn’t stone but that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. A deep halfling who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a check as though actively searching and can use the Search skill to find stonework traps as a rogue can. A deep halfling can also intuit depth, sensing the approximate distance underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up.
• +2 racial bonus on Appraise checks and Craft checks that are related to stone or metal.
• Deep halflings are less athletic than lightfoot halflings and do not have a racial bonus on Climb, Jump, and Move Silently checks.

Source: Monster Manual (version 3.5), page 149.