Urban Halflings
Cosmo bumped into the finely dressed nobleman, gesturing wildly with one hand in an apology, while he pocketed the bulging coin purse with the other. Before the man knew it was gone, the halfling had already blended back into the crowd…
Cosmo, an Urban Halfling
Having lost their rural residences due to flood, famine, war, or other great misfortune, some clans of halflings have migrated to large urban areas, making homes for themselves within the metropolitan areas of other races. Most urban halflings are insular and unobtrusive, working quietly within their own communities and staying out of the way of other races. Extended families will often band together, working a communal business and sharing the profits among themselves. Sometimes these businesses are illegal, and urban halfling crime families can be quite infamous.
Urban halflings share the same physical features as their other kin. However, they tend to adopt the fashion trends most common within the city in which they live to better blend in with the populace. This adaptation also extends to the wearing of whatever footwear is common, and even taking on the hairstyles most seen in the region
Creating an Urban Halfling Character
Like all races and subraces, urban halflings can effectively be played as any class. However, they possess certain racial features that grant them an additional edge when it comes to particular classes or character archetypes. Like all halflings, urban halflings possess the Lucky trait, which allows them to reroll any attack rolls, ability checks, or saving throws when they roll a 1, as well as the Brave trait, granting them advantage on saving throws against being frightened. Unique to urban halflings however are their Lost in the Crowd and Street Cant abilities, which allow them to blend into crowds and communicate surreptitiously with other urban halflings. With these abilities, along with their natural bonuses to dexterity, urban halflings make excellent rogues, rangers, or dexterity-based fighters. Their additional bonus to intelligence allows them to effectively play as wizards, as well.
Roleplaying Tips
Many urban halflings lost their original homes due to some sort of disaster, whether natural or man-made. However, it’s up to you and your gamemaster to decide how long your particular urban halfling has resided in the city. Are they from a clan that has spent generations living and thriving in the city, or a newly displaced clan, just trying to find their way in a new and strange place? This decision may influence the way you roleplay your character. You could be a streetwise, jack-of-all-trades, swaggering your way about town. Or perhaps a more subdued and cautious type, never sitting with your back to the door, and always thinking of possible escape routes. How you interact with your fellow party members may depend on where your campaign takes you. While in a city, you might take on more of a leadership role, putting your more metropolitan experience to good use, while deferring to your more rugged companions when out in the wild. In any case, you’re likely a survivor, someone who doesn’t back down from a challenge, and who will always have their
The urban halflings are one of the many races created by our partners at Kobold Press and available to subscribers in our Core Content Pack, along with others such as the Dhampir or the Spindrift Dwarves. Create your own urban halfling character and tell us about it in the comments below or on any of our social channels.
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