Races: Halfling

[Pabloj]

I just gave the halflings the "Shadow Jaunt" ability of the Shadai-kai because the flavor seemed to fit the halflings dimension door ability of 2e. I agree that setting should trump edition but I believe it is the setting flavor that should trump it and not the hard-rules. Halflings were connected to the Shadow World and could dimension door so when looking for 4e counterparts for flavor and ability I thought the Shadow Jaunt power was fitting.

Certainly the most elegant and simple solution I´ve seen so far.

[tpdarkdraco]

I hadn't been following this thread but I have just read it after I created a 4e version of my own. It seems that some of the things discussed I have included so here is what I have come up with.

Halflings, Cerilian

Racial Traits

Average Height: 3’3” – 4’
Average Weight: 70 – 85 lbs

Ability Scores: +2 Dex, +2 Wis
Size: Small
Speed: 5
Vision: Normal

Languages: Regional language, one other of your choice.
Skill Bonus: +2 Stealth, +2 Athletics
Bonus Skill: You gain training in Arcana
Fey Origin: Cerilian halflings came from the Shadow World, as such you are considered a fey creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.
Steady Hands: You gain a +1 attack bonus on all ranged attacks.
Shadow Step: you can use shadow step as an encounter power.

Shadow Step Halfling Racial Power
You step through the Shadow World and reappear a short distance away with the shadows still clinging to you.
Encounter *Teleportation
Move Action Personal
Effect: You can teleport up to 3 squares, you gain concealment until the start of your next turn.

[bbeau22]

Looks pretty good. Nice work.

[dundjinnmasta]

I am going to assume that you choose Athletics because 3.xE halflings get +2 to Climb & Jump? You have to realize that there was a divorce between 2E Halflings (Hobbit) and 3.xE Halflings (Kender-lite). This is one of the reasons I would take away Acrobatics as bonus skill because Cerilian Halflings retain their Hobbit-roots.

Though I know that Cerilian Halflings are suppose to have alot of knowledge about the Shadow World and such I don't agree with giving them Arcana (also it is an INT-based skill creating a MAD unless they go with an INT-based class which is redundant with their dex and wis bonuses).

We do not really have a template for the something like Steady Hands so we don't really know if it is balanced or not (though it is similar to the ones that give you attack bonuses to Bloodied creatures) I would not retain that part of the Halflings when updating to 4E.

2E Halflings & Cerilian Halflings have both a Poison and Magical resistance so I think we should focus on them.

Cast-Iron Stomach: +5 racial bonus to saving throws against poison.

Poison is out of the way now. There is no real template for Arcane resistance but we do have Saving Throw bonuses or we have defense bonuses. I am going to say we should go with Saving Throw as alot of magical effects will have (Save Ends) and this makes them resistant to them. The only two that I can find that are similar are with the Genasi which is "a +1 racial bonus to saving throws" or "a +2 racial bonus to saving throws against ongoing damage". The first one fits better then the second one so now we need an ability name for it that fits the halflings... I am going to go with Halfling Tolerance for now because Fortitude or Endurance don't fit... so if anyone wants to offer a better name let me know.

So now I present my Cerilian Halflings v2 though I will state I am not exactly happy with defaulting to "Thievery" as their other +2 skill but I can't think of better skill that fits them and their ability scores.

[tpdarkdraco]

I am going to assume that you choose Athletics because 3.xE halflings get +2 to Climb & Jump? You have to realize that there was a divorce between 2E Halflings (Hobbit) and 3.xE Halflings (Kender-lite). This is one of the reasons I would take away Acrobatics as bonus skill because Cerilian Halflings retain their Hobbit-roots.

That is part of the reason I chose Athletics but also because I don't see halflings as Thiefly trained. They are wanderers and I think that athletics fits for that.

Though I know that Cerilian Halflings are suppose to have alot of knowledge about the Shadow World and such I don't agree with giving them Arcana (also it is an INT-based skill creating a MAD unless they go with an INT-based class which is redundant with their dex and wis bonuses).

Just because a race has ability modifiers that are not the same as a trained skill doesn't mean it should not be. Even if a PC choice a 10 for their Int a halfling would still have some skill to detect things like magic. As they go up in level they will get better. Someone who chooses a higher Int will be better but that come down to player choice. I definately don't agree that it is redundant.

I also like this because of their 2e ability to detect magic, evil & undead.

We do not really have a template for the something like Steady Hands so we don't really know if it is balanced or not (though it is similar to the ones that give you attack bonuses to Bloodied creatures) I would not retain that part of the Halflings when updating to 4E.

This was based off the 2e BR which gave halflings +1 bonus with slings and thrown missiles. Maybe it should be just scaled back to this and not all range weapons.

2E Halflings & Cerilian Halflings have both a Poison and Magical resistance so I think we should focus on them.

Poison is out of the way now. There is no real template for Arcane resistance but we do have Saving Throw bonuses or we have defense bonuses. I am going to say we should go with Saving Throw as alot of magical effects will have (Save Ends) and this makes them resistant to them. The only two that I can find that are similar are with the Genasi which is "a +1 racial bonus to saving throws" or "a +2 racial bonus to saving throws against ongoing damage". The first one fits better then the second one so now we need an ability name for it that fits the halflings... I am going to go with Halfling Tolerance for now because Fortitude or Endurance don't fit... so if anyone wants to offer a better name let me know.

I like the name and I think I am swinging toward just the Tolerance bonus but maybe change it to +5 vs Poison & +5 vs Arcane ongoing effects.

So now I present my Cerilian Halflings v2 though I will state I am not exactly happy with defaulting to "Thievery" as their other +2 skill but I can't think of better skill that fits them and their ability scores.[/QUOTE]

The one thing I don't like about your Shadow Step is the insubstantial part, too powerful. That is why I chose concealment as the shadows lightly obscure the halfling.

[dundjinnmasta]

My Shadow Step is an exact replica of the Shadar-kai's Shadow Jaunt. I doubt that it is to powerful because it is balanced to the other MM racial powers for 4E. By changing it you *may* be unbalancing the power though to what effect I do not know.

I am just more comfortable using pre-existing powers in place of developing new ones or altering them at this time.

[tpdarkdraco]

My Shadow Step is an exact replica of the Shadar-kai's Shadow Jaunt. I doubt that it is to powerful because it is balanced to the other MM racial powers for 4E. By changing it you *may* be unbalancing the power though to what effect I do not know.

I am just more comfortable using pre-existing powers in place of developing new ones or altering them at this time.

Yes but the Shadar-kai's live in the Shodowfell and still do. Cerilian halflings have left the Shadow World for some time and their abilities are left over from when they were native. They aren't native anymore. That is why I have not copied the Shadar-kai. The other reason is that I have been thinking about using the Shadar-kai in the Shadow World and want them to be different from Cerilian halflings.

[bbeau22]

Yes but the Shadar-kai's live in the Shodowfell and still do. Cerilian halflings have left the Shadow World for some time and their abilities are left over from when they were native. They aren't native anymore. That is why I have not copied the Shadar-kai. The other reason is that I have been thinking about using the Shadar-kai in the Shadow World and want them to be different from Cerilian halflings.

I don't have a problem with the Shadowstep myself as a power. If you are unhappy with it just change the way it is described but have it have the same effect. Some like to have halflings with an even closer relationship to the shadow world, while others want to keep them more distant.

"Halflings are easy to lose track of in combat and seem to disappear and reappear at will in a fight ... blah blah blah"

"Halflings connection to the Shadow World allows them to quickly enter the Shadow world, if only for a split second, then back out again moving themselves in combat. Halflings are careful to use this ability .... blah blah blah."

Same power either way. Lets not split hairs too much on this.

-BB

PS: If you wanted a description in an "official" ruling them simply leave it amibiguous. "Halflings seems to jump around in battle with uncanny quickness, either it comes from their connection to the shadow world or simply they are hard to keep track of when fighting."

[dundjinnmasta]

Yes but the Shadar-kai's live in the Shodowfell and still do. Cerilian halflings have left the Shadow World for some time and their abilities are left over from when they were native. They aren't native anymore. That is why I have not copied the Shadar-kai. The other reason is that I have been thinking about using the Shadar-kai in the Shadow World and want them to be different from Cerilian halflings.

Ah, the root of the problem is that you want to use the Shadar-Kai as a Shadow World race to fill in the "blanks" in the Shadow World so you can't give the Halflings the equal power that is flavored best for them. You could technically follow the Eladrin ability but it doesn't have the exact same flavor as the Shadar-Kai power, but changing insubstantial to concealment is not really a big enough change to make the Halflings all the much different from the Shadar-Kai to be worthwhile.

[tpdarkdraco]

I don't have a problem with the Shadowstep myself as a power. If you are unhappy with it just change the way it is described but have it have the same effect. Some like to have halflings with an even closer relationship to the shadow world, while others want to keep them more distant.

Same power either way. Lets not split hairs too much on this.

I am not trying to split hairs but the differences are this:

1. Insubstantial gives - 1/2 damage from attacks & ongoing damage
2. Concealment gives - -2 to attacks against you
3. Shadar-Kai only get: +1 to Fort & 2 Skill bonuses because of the power of this ability.
4. Currently we have halflings with a few extra things.

That is the reason for the concealment instead of the insubstantial in my mind. Insubstantial is much more powerful than concealment.