Appearance:

Cousins to the Dwarves, the Halflings are similar in that they are a race of short, stout beings. They are typically 3 to 3 1/2 feet tall and weigh about 70 pounds. They usually have light tan skin and light brown or blonde hair. Most Halflings have blue, or hazel-grey eyes. Their ears are slightly Elf-like, pointed, though somewhat smaller. They are prone to laughter and smile frequently, and they maintain a youthful exhuberance throughout their 150 year lifespans. Though Halflings maintain that there are distinct subraces of their kind, outsiders cannot tell them apart and all Halflings are considered 'Halflings' by the rest of the Arr-Kelaanian races.

Personality:
Halflings are a merry people fond of drink and food. They typically eat five to eight meals a day consuming great quantities of stout ale. It takes considerably more ale than any Human could consume to impair a Halfling's abilities. Like Dwarves, Halflings enjoy music but their music tends to be more simplistic and rarely more complicated than basic 'drum, pipe, and fiddle' dance music. Halflings are fond of dancing, and typically excel at acrobatic arts like tumbling and juggling.

Halflings typically have a lifespan of 150 to 200 years, maturing early and not suffering the afflictions of advanced age until late in their lives.

Though many make the mistake considering Halflings a race of harmless, soft, little people, Halflings were made by the Sovereign of the Earth with a core of strength as hard as granite.  Though they seem merry, they understand the nature of war and train their animals to the stalwart and fierce in battle.  Halflings recognized the drive to succeed in the early Humans and worked closely with them, teaching them and, in turn, learning from them.  Humans and Halflings have the closest ties of all the races, and their nations have risen in power.

Lifestyle:
Halflings organize themselves into extended families or clans, much like Dwarves, and all Halflings know their lineage and family history. Fond of lightly wooded, rolling hills in the temperate regions of the world, almost every Halfling clan has some ancestral estate on which they make their home (usually a comfortable warren of burrows), and adventuring Halflings can always return to their homeland and be accepted by his clan mates.

Halflings have a natural affinity with animals, and raise the finest horses, ponies, riding beasts, dogs, and cattle and on Arr-Kelaan. A Halfling can easily identify the quality of animals for sale.  They can detect the subtle interaction of breeding and are able to follow desirous traits and flaws through many generations of animals. They are also highly skilled at training animals either as mounts or for combat. Halfling-trained war horses and war dogs are prized throughout Arr-Kelaan. Halflings are also excellent farmers, being able to raise more food from less acreage than other races.

Halflings are nearly silent when they walk, gaining surprise 1-3/d6 when alone or well out in front of a party of non-Halflings. All Halflings are equally competent with either hand, and most will fight with two small weapons at the same time (two Ehravels being most common). They also have great skills with thrown weapons (such as daggers) and slings and gain a +1 to their attack rolls and can make Called Shots at a penalty of only -2 when using such weapons.

 They also have similar resistance to spells and poison that their relatives, the Dwarves (same bonuses to spell and poison saves). Halflings also have infravision to 30 feet.

Names and Language:
The Halfling tongue began almost identical to Dwarven, but was soon lost as the Halflings joined the Human empires.  Halflings no longer have their own language, speaking the common language of their Human neighbors, but they can all understand Dwarven.

Equipment:
Halfling equipment is nearly always simple and serviceable, usually decorated with colored ribbon, polished stones, or polished bone. Nearly all Halflings carry staves when they travel, mostly as walking sticks, but also for defense and other ingenious uses. One thing no Halfling ever has to worry about is shoes; they don't wear them. A Halfling's feet have soles as tough as any leather and are covered in a thick, wooly hair that protects them from the worst the elements can throw at them (for purposes of cold or frostbite, consider a barefoot Halfling to be wearing heavy boots).

Pantheon:
The most revered goddess of the Halflings is Tollondhra, the child-like goddess of agriculture.  Not only is she very similar to them in stature, but she commands agriculture; the very thing that is the heart of all Halfling society.  Many Halflings also follow the tenets of Sharra, goddess of good luck, Mykke, the god of justice, and Beyurn, the goddess of protection.

History:
Halflings were the second-born of the Sovereign of the Earth, created with abilities to make full use of the fertile, pastoral plains or valleys.  Their development of agriculture in the Stone Age made permanent settlements possible, fueling all later advancements of society.  They have the longest relationship with Humans, and have had the closest ties to them such that their fortunes rose and fell with that of the Humans.

Halflings were invaluable during the Dragon Wars as their communities were never successful infiltrated and were able to stand fast when much of Humanity slipped into chaos at the behest of the mighty dragons.  Many Human empires that refused to share their lands with the Halflings were swept away during the Dragon Wars.  Halfling communities formed the anchors which held entire Human empires from dissolving into chaos.

Halflings as Player Characters

Classes and Kits
Halflings may be fighters, druids, thieves, or fighter/thieves.
They favor kits that emphasize their higher dexterity such as acrobat and swashbuckler.

Standard Abilities

• Enhanced poison resistance, see table H1
• Enhanced surprise
• Infravision 30'

• Move Silently (as thief of equal level)
• Enhanced spell resistance, see table H1
• +1 with thrown weapons or slings
• Underground detection (detect grade, detect direction, see table H2)

• Quarterstaff
• Throwing knives
• Sling
• Ehravel (Halfling short sword) (Cost: 20gp, Weight 3lb, Size: M, Type: P, SF: 3, Damage 1d6+1/1d8)

• Animal Husbandry
• Ambidextrous

• Agriculture
• Animal Handling
• Animal Husbandry
• Brewing
• Carpentry
• Gaming
• Juggling
• Tightrope Walking
• Tumbling