Page 111 - D&D - Player's Handbook

Although there are many halfling communities, par-
ticularly in the lands in and around Luiren, halflings fre-
quently fit themselves into dwarven, gnomish, elven, and
human societies. Lightfoots breeze into communities
as they travel, make friends easily, and then move on
as the wind or whimsy takes them. Stronghearts settle
in, make themselves at home, and weave themselves
so deftly into the fabric of a community that it becomes
hard for folk to think of a time without them.

LIGHTFOOT·HALFLINGS
For lightfoot halflings, neither the journey nor the des-
tination matters more; the important thing is to keep
moving. The life of a lightfoot is one long exploration
with each new horizon, new town, or new face a chance
to find something delightful.
Lightfoot halflings typically travel in small bands, us-
ing whatever conveyance is convenient but just as easily
striking out on foot. Bands consist of loosely related in-
dividuals, and when bands meet, membership frequently
shifts. Lightfoot halflings typically excel at tasks related
to travel- be it navigation, handling pack animals, for-
aging, sailing, and cartwright work- having tried their
hand at all such things before or learned from other traits, and the ability to work well with others is the
lightfoots met during their journeys. most valued behavior in their lands.
Lightfoot halflings are highly social, often as curious Pushed from their nests, strongheart haflings typi-
about other people as they are about what might lie cally try to have as many comforts of home with them as
around the next bend. They characteristically possess possible. Non-stronghearts with a more practical bent
an easygoing and open attitude, curious about others can find strongheart travel habits maddening, but their
and willing to share of themselves, which enables them lightfoot cousins typically enjoy the novelty of it- so long
to make friends easily. Their facile friendships and ease as the lightfoots don't have to carry any of the baggage.
with partings can make lightfoot halflings seem disin- While often stereotyped as fat and lazy due to their
genuous to others. Lightfoot halflings get stereotyped as homebound mindset and obsession with fine food,
flighty, easily distracted, fickle, and unreliable. But their strongheart halfings are typically quite industrious.
friendships and courtships, if brief, tend to be genuine. Nimble hands, their patient mindset, and their emphasis
The staid and stable life that most other people desire on quality makes them excellent weavers, potters, wood
just isn't part of their character. carvers, basket makers, painters, and farmers.
Lightfoot halflings have all the racial traits of lightfoot Strongheart halflings have all the racial traits of
halflings in the Player's Handbook. They share the skin, stouts in the Player's Handbook. Strongheart halflings
hair, and eye tones of humans, but most lightfoot hal- are shorter on average than their lightfoot kin, and tend
flings have hazel or brown eyes and brown hair. Light- to have rounder faces. They have the skin tones and hair
foot halflings don't grow facial hair except that males colors of humans, with most having brown hair. Unlike
and females typically grow short sideburns. their lightfoot cousins, strongheart halflings often have
blond or black hair and blue or green eyes. Males don't
STRONGHEART HALFLINGS
-------- grow beards or mustaches, but both males and females
Creatures of the earth who love a warm hearth and can grow sideburns down to mid-cheek, and both gen-
pleasant company, strongheart halflings are folks of few ders plait them into long braids.
enemies and many friends. Stronghearts are sometimes
HALFLING DEITIES
referred to fondly by members of other races as "the
good folk," for little upsets stronghearts or corrupts The hin have a small but intimate pantheon of deities,
their spirit. To many of them, the greatest fear is to live which are honored primarily at household altars, road-
in a world of poor company and mean intent, where one side shrines, and wooded groves.
lacks freedom and the comfort of friendship.
When strongheart halflings settle into a place, they THE BLESSED SISTERS
intend to stay. It's not unusual for a dynasty of strong- The hin mother-goddess and the head of the pantheon
hearts to live in the same place for a few centuries. is Yondalla, the Blessed One, goddess of bounty and
Strongheart halflings don't develop these homes in fertility, protector of hearth, home, and family. Sheela
seclusion. On the contrary, they do their best to fit into Peryroyl is the Green Sister of Yondalla. She is a nature
the local community and become an essential part of goddess, the lady of fields, streams, and the wilds found
it. Their viewpoint stresses cooperation above all other in shire and glen, and the weather in such places. She is
also a goddess of love, song, and dance.

CHAPTER 3 I RACES OF THE REALMS