(Book 1, pp98-99; DWR p.243)

Halflings are small, child-like beings, who lead little-known existences, of fae origin who tend to keep to themselves in their humble villages hidden by faerie magic from human eyes.

Appearance

For a detailed description of Halflings, refer to Book 1.

The Small Folk^ of southern Cornumbria* are a strange fey breed of Halfling, not as earthly as their kin in other lands.


The secretive and hidden halflings of Mercania* are known as Hackers and their hidden villages are usually only found after they have moved on and their careful concealing has become overgrown and wild again.

Hackers

The Agogwe of Mungoda* are a secretive and little seen tribal people about 3-4 foot in with wavy brown-red manes of hair extending over their extremities and nutty light-brown skin. They lead peaceful lives of hunting and gathering and often ally with the human pygmy tribes with whom they feel a certain kinship.

Agogwe

Necessary Attributes

In Book 1 nothing is said about what scores are required to be a Halfling, though the opening is left for one to play a Halfling up to 3rd rank. It can be assumed that Halflings can not have a Strength above, say, 10 and, arguably, an Intelligence no higher than 15, as they seem in other genres to be stereotypically simple and humble folk, of which perhaps the world needs more!

Acceptable Professions

It should be noted from the outset that:

• The potential for Halflings as adventurers might not be every GM's cup of tea.
• An article existed on Dragwars and has been wikified in the Professions section, called the "Halfling Adventurer". This perhaps might be the conservative GM's limit of tolerance for an adventuring Halfling, rather than - as proposed below - considering opening up all allowable adventuring classes to Halflings.

Professions that could (in theory) be suitable for players to play as halflings are as per the following matrix:

Canonical Professions	Acceptability	Non-Canonical Professions	Acceptability
Assassin*	Rare ( 3rd Rank only)	Archer	No.
Barbarian*	No	Bard	Very Rare
		Enchanter	No.
Elementalist*	No	Forester	No.
Knight*	Yes ( 3rd Rank only)	Herbalist	Yes.
		Monk	No
Mystic*	No.	Paladin	No
Sorcerer*	No.	Priest	No
Warlock*	No.	Ranger	No.
		Shaman	No.
		Thief	Yes ( 3rd Rank only)
		Trickster	Yes, but Very Rare.
		War Mage	No.

Like Elves*, Halflings do not have the temperament to be Barbarians*, but by contrast have the natural height and, perhaps also, the nimbleness to make excellent Thieves, Tricksters or even Assassins*. Halflings lack the belief in the True Faith* to qualify as either a Paladin or Priest, though it is conceivable that they might serve as their own form of Knight*.

Distribution

Even one well-versed in the demography of Legend* would be hard-pressed to identify where settlements of Halflings exist. It is unlikely a nation of Halflings exist, though conceivably a Tolkien-esque "Shire" might exist in places.

Beliefs / Lore

Little can be inferred from the Dragon Warriors* canon or indeed wider materials from other genres as to the beliefs of Hobbits, though certainly the veneration of ancestors and their exploits are a feature of Halfling culture. The little material available suggests that in the role-playing world the Halfling / Hobbit is, generally speaking, not an adventuring race of great significance - more so a curiosity.

Special Abilities

Refer to the Halfling Adventurer article for ideas.

Contrast with Halflings in other Game Systems

1. Halflings, in the guise of Hobbits, feature significantly in Tolkien's works of Middle Earth, though their origins as a humanoid species are somewhat clouded.