Halfling is meant as either derogatory or patronising. I don't think Hobbits ever called themselves halflings, only non-races called them that. Though I can see a hobbit refer to themselves as halflings for the sake of understanding- "yes, I am what you call a halfling". My understanding ofols AD&D is that they called themselves after their (forgive) species, for example "I am a Proudfoot". I utterly despise the 3.5 'ninja' halflings, I can see why you hate the word halfling and like Pech.
I very much like your general idea; though I do have one nitpick. Pech != Halfling. A Pech is a different thing. See Bestiary 2 page 206.
In Forgotten Realms, the Halflings refer to themselves as Hin. However, they get offended if any non-halflings or people who are not very close to them refer to them as such, and expect other races to call them halflings (a term humans came up with since they resemble human children).
I liked your barbarian to berserker idea. However, I also thought you might go into the rouge or thief profession. After all, hey guys I'm a rouge can I join up with your adventure group doesn't seem like it would work, thief is self explanatory. I have no idea what a character of this role would call themselves swashbuckler comes to mind, but then there is complete warrior. And, Acquisitionsist just sounds silly.
I see your point, but the terms might still be applicable in the world. Even in a world where half elves are not the actual offspring of elf and human (and in D&D, they aren't necesarily, being a race in D&D generally means that they're true breeding) the term may still be used in a derogatory fashion by either "high elves" or humans trying to goad an elf. The other races you mentioned, this could also be applicable.. Saruman refers to the hobbits as "halflings". He does it with disdain.
@Altorin I understand how others might use derogatory terms for races. But I can't see the races themselves using them. Do the hobbits ever refer to *themselves* as 'halflings'? I haven't read the books.
@tetsubo57 Never. that's basically what we're both saying. Half Elf, Half Orc, and Halfling are all basically derogatory slurs, so yes, the races wouldn't refer to themselves as that one would hope. Some might "take back the hate" and wear the term with pride, but for the most part, they'd want their own name that isn't a racial slur. I think if you're going to use the Uruk-Hai name, attaching it to Half-Orcs would be more correct though. the Uruk-hai were a conglomerate made with magic iirc
Good stuff! I was going to speak in all those game writers' defense and say that the race names are just descriptive - but that's not really true. Rule books generally don't say, "Well, half-elves really call themselves such-and-such." "Half-elf" is presumed to be their common name, even among their own kind. You can save the situation by doing as you've done - just take the names as descriptive anyway and make up names that jibe well with both your setting and your sensibilities.
The half race names always bugged me. The idea itself never bugged me though. I've been naming races using dead languages in the settings I have made lately. I have used Sumerian to name everything in several settings. You could even find different dead languages for each race for a racial language if you wanted to. Finding one with a large lexicon of words would be best. I used to listen to half a song, and then go into work, so I could "sing" the song in my head for hours, hehe.
Some funny stuff interspersed within a valid point.
"It keeps me off the streets," "what are they a half of," "humans will sleep with anything...which bears out in this world as well," "last night I ran 392 pieces of [couldn't quite catch the word]--it took me eight hours; it wasn't exciting." I found those to be particularly amusing.
I was going to recommend Kender before I heard you mention them; I recall the name "Pech" being used in Willow. I always thought it to be a racial slur.
@tetsubo57 Perhaps I should have been a little more clear: I believe that in the movie it was implied to be a racial slur. A fantasy racial slur for a fantasy race; but, it is different, and it was used to refer to the minute amongst the fantasy folk, so...I think it'd work well enough. In all honesty, I'm with you, "halfling" sounds derogatory. What self-respecting species would ever call themselves "halfling?"
Like some of the other commenters I tend to favour 'Hin' for Halflings. I go for 'Drey' for half-drow, half-moon elf characters. I've heard a player use the term Dwelf once for his half-elf, half-dwarf character.
I've never cared for the names either but I've always just fluffed it off as the books are based off human centric ideas. Halfling has never been the actual name of the race but thats what humans have referred to them as in the past so it sticks. Humans would see half-elves and half-orcs as halves. To me its always been a bit of a racist thing.
I have been using this mentality for years, but thanks for sharing it with others. it is a great DM/GM tip. Another thing is too let player's be informed by a threat from peasants who "add" something. What I say is..if a peasant sees an orc, from his perspective it is gonna be hell on two legs. If ya just describe it, without the name, ya can scare your characters big time. I have made 10th level players run from a pack of orogs...before they even saw them using this method...good fun for the DM
I'm a half German. Your right that dose sound bad. Halflings r called halflings not because they're half of any race because they r short. I still don't like it thou.
I have this thing with names in rpgs. It often seems to me that the authors rarely bother with coming up with good names for their locations, and characters. Especially bad here is Shadow World and the Kalamar setting.
the half-giants from darksun were a magical creation of the of humans and giants . the giants in darksun were kind of like mutants as no 2 were alike . you could have a giant with a lion head and a giant with the head snake but they both have the same abilitys . darksun was my favorite setting for the ad&d second edition . they called the half dwarves muls .the setting was very unique in that almost every race execpt the thri-kreen was a creation of the rul-thon (halflings) .
Star trek has the same problem. Vulcans and humans lived in different star systems, had way different evolution, genetics, and body make-up. Vulcan blood was green because their metabolism was based on copper instead of iron. Yet Spock is half human and half Vulcan. How was Vulcan sperm capable of fertilizing a human egg and the chromosomes be compatible? I couldn't imagine Star Trek without Spock but he really shouldn't exist.
@scullkrusher Wasn't there an ep of TNG that tried to (fudge) explain this by throwing out the theory/explanation that all the humanoid races of the galaxy were 'seeded' by a race of ancients, so had some degree of genetic similarity - which does sorta explain the basic fact everyone in Trek is essentially human (whether with a bumpy forehead or nose or whatever).
In FR, the halflings are called Hin. A good name to go with even if it is a simple shortening of "halfling". Also, aren't Pech those fey-gnome creatures from the Legend of Drizzt?
@alexlitvin1 are ya thinking of dire korbies? but pech are a dwarf offshoot that have high magic abilities...myself..i just say hobbit, im not gonna be sued by tolkiens estate lol
@skuzzyknuckles No, i swear one of Drizzt's companions was a Pech, a gnome like creature with potent earth-magic abilities. I believe it was polymorphed into a Hook Horror. Book 2 i believe.
@alexlitvin1 peck was the name of the deep gnome (svirfneblin) that was polymorphed into a hook horror. go back and read the books, that was an individual's name. the race itself was known as svirfneblin or deep gnome.
@alexlitvin1 peck was the name of the deep gnome (svirfneblin) that was polymorphed into a hook horror. go back and read the books, that was an individual's name. the race itself was known as svirfneblin or deep gnome.
@skuzzyknuckles Aye, for an awesome race pech have barely been used. The only sources i can think of them being in is the 1e monster manual (as mentioned above), the Drizzt series and the PF bestiary 2
@alexlitvin1 : Pech are 1st edition monsters originally from the old Monster Manual 2. They are Neutral Good earth elemental kin from the elemental plane of earth.
Seems unlikely a race would call itself 'giants' anyway. I use that as a term used by others, the giants themselves refer to themselves as Eoten (which is a slight twist on the same root word as Jotun I think).Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Orcs are all sub-castes of the same race in my setting - I use their own racial name as Hooplaki (taken from the old Gazeteer setting).Don't use Halflings anyway, the Gaz setting had the term 'Hin' as their own name iirc, quite liked that at the time.
@CalicoVall I think I'd like to stay away from Earth-centric names. But if I had to pick a historical reference I would probably go with the Jotun. Gryx is short, has no connection to earth and has a X in it.
Maybe these "half" names are the construct of the rest of the society in the game world. Like Half-Orc, I think the attitudes the different societies in the Pathfinder setting have see Half-Orcs as less than, and looked down upon. Here are the first lines for the Half-Orc description in the Pathfinder core book, "Half-Orcs are monstrosities," so I geuss the racist societies of the setting wrote the core book. In role play most of your PCs would call half-orcs by that name.
@7sibley7 Yeah, since in most games humans are the most prolific and powerful of the races. So it makes sense that they name them after what the other half is since all half races are partly human in nature.
Not bad, but I honestly never refer to anybody in game by their out of game names. Fighters aren't fighters, they are warriors, knights, mercenaries, sellswords, blades for hire, bashers, toughs, gladiators, myrmidons, etc. If you only refer to them as "fighters" I weep for you.
The names are intentionally generic and third person. They are meant to be used out of game to refer to a race/class in a memorable manner. Unique names for everything are a disservice in this regard.
@azirk83 In other words if you talk about your campaign and mention Gryx and I go "Who?" then you reply "Half Giant" you've effectively wasted both of our time.
I also hate that a lot of people seemingly want to have Elves in their game and not name them Elves. I actually thought this rant would be more about that when I clicked the link.
I've been calling halfings pecks in game for 12 years.
blackbarnz 5 months ago
Halfling is meant as either derogatory or patronising. I don't think Hobbits ever called themselves halflings, only non-races called them that. Though I can see a hobbit refer to themselves as halflings for the sake of understanding- "yes, I am what you call a halfling". My understanding ofols AD&D is that they called themselves after their (forgive) species, for example "I am a Proudfoot". I utterly despise the 3.5 'ninja' halflings, I can see why you hate the word halfling and like Pech.
verfugbarkite 5 months ago
I very much like your general idea; though I do have one nitpick. Pech != Halfling. A Pech is a different thing. See Bestiary 2 page 206.
In Forgotten Realms, the Halflings refer to themselves as Hin. However, they get offended if any non-halflings or people who are not very close to them refer to them as such, and expect other races to call them halflings (a term humans came up with since they resemble human children).
Colossusway 7 months ago
@Colossusway But I like the name Pech for Halflings. I am aware that there is a creature called Pech in the B2. I would just not use it.
tetsubo57 7 months ago
I liked your barbarian to berserker idea. However, I also thought you might go into the rouge or thief profession. After all, hey guys I'm a rouge can I join up with your adventure group doesn't seem like it would work, thief is self explanatory. I have no idea what a character of this role would call themselves swashbuckler comes to mind, but then there is complete warrior. And, Acquisitionsist just sounds silly.
nyra007 7 months ago
@nyra007 They would call themselves by the same titles that real world thieves do: 2nd story man, grifter, safe cracker, etc.
tetsubo57 7 months ago
I dont know anything about these type of games but for some reason half giant sounds cool to me but what is a half giant like a 7 foot tall man
ATOMICZOMBIE13 10 months ago
@ATOMICZOMBIE13 In the 7' - 8' tall range. The world record for humans was 8' 11.1".
tetsubo57 10 months ago
I see your point, but the terms might still be applicable in the world. Even in a world where half elves are not the actual offspring of elf and human (and in D&D, they aren't necesarily, being a race in D&D generally means that they're true breeding) the term may still be used in a derogatory fashion by either "high elves" or humans trying to goad an elf. The other races you mentioned, this could also be applicable.. Saruman refers to the hobbits as "halflings". He does it with disdain.
Altorin 1 year ago
@Altorin I understand how others might use derogatory terms for races. But I can't see the races themselves using them. Do the hobbits ever refer to *themselves* as 'halflings'? I haven't read the books.
tetsubo57 1 year ago
@tetsubo57 Never. that's basically what we're both saying. Half Elf, Half Orc, and Halfling are all basically derogatory slurs, so yes, the races wouldn't refer to themselves as that one would hope. Some might "take back the hate" and wear the term with pride, but for the most part, they'd want their own name that isn't a racial slur. I think if you're going to use the Uruk-Hai name, attaching it to Half-Orcs would be more correct though. the Uruk-hai were a conglomerate made with magic iirc
Altorin 1 year ago
very agreeable vid yes indeed
eveplayer12 1 year ago
I see no problem with inventing new names for a variation of a long established race or a new race entirely.
jesokingcryst 1 year ago
Ever since Willow, I've been using Pek for my Gamma World "halflings".
Dnd halflings, Hin (as in 'in')...
BenitoIncognito 1 year ago
Good stuff! I was going to speak in all those game writers' defense and say that the race names are just descriptive - but that's not really true. Rule books generally don't say, "Well, half-elves really call themselves such-and-such." "Half-elf" is presumed to be their common name, even among their own kind. You can save the situation by doing as you've done - just take the names as descriptive anyway and make up names that jibe well with both your setting and your sensibilities.
everkang 1 year ago
The half race names always bugged me. The idea itself never bugged me though. I've been naming races using dead languages in the settings I have made lately. I have used Sumerian to name everything in several settings. You could even find different dead languages for each race for a racial language if you wanted to. Finding one with a large lexicon of words would be best. I used to listen to half a song, and then go into work, so I could "sing" the song in my head for hours, hehe.
Samwise7RPG 1 year ago
Really good video.
DirtyBriefcase 1 year ago
Some funny stuff interspersed within a valid point.
"It keeps me off the streets," "what are they a half of," "humans will sleep with anything...which bears out in this world as well," "last night I ran 392 pieces of [couldn't quite catch the word]--it took me eight hours; it wasn't exciting." I found those to be particularly amusing.
I was going to recommend Kender before I heard you mention them; I recall the name "Pech" being used in Willow. I always thought it to be a racial slur.
Sidaris2003 1 year ago
@Sidaris2003 I don't think a fantasy term can actually be a racial slur in the real world. :) But I like the word.
I think I said 'parts'.
tetsubo57 1 year ago
@tetsubo57 Perhaps I should have been a little more clear: I believe that in the movie it was implied to be a racial slur. A fantasy racial slur for a fantasy race; but, it is different, and it was used to refer to the minute amongst the fantasy folk, so...I think it'd work well enough. In all honesty, I'm with you, "halfling" sounds derogatory. What self-respecting species would ever call themselves "halfling?"
Sidaris2003 1 year ago
@Sidaris2003
The term "Pech" or "Pek" was taken by Willow Ufgood as a slur..The race they call themselves is Nelwyn.
skree99 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@Sidaris2003
The term "Pech" or "Pek" was taken by Willow Ufgood as a slur..The race they call themselves is Nelwyn.
skree99 1 year ago
Like some of the other commenters I tend to favour 'Hin' for Halflings. I go for 'Drey' for half-drow, half-moon elf characters. I've heard a player use the term Dwelf once for his half-elf, half-dwarf character.
clackclickbang 1 year ago
I think "peck" it actually a derogatory term for half-lings. Not to sure.
MRblahface61385 1 year ago
I've never cared for the names either but I've always just fluffed it off as the books are based off human centric ideas. Halfling has never been the actual name of the race but thats what humans have referred to them as in the past so it sticks. Humans would see half-elves and half-orcs as halves. To me its always been a bit of a racist thing.
TheSeventhZombie 1 year ago
Comment removed
greycloud24 1 year ago
I have been using this mentality for years, but thanks for sharing it with others. it is a great DM/GM tip. Another thing is too let player's be informed by a threat from peasants who "add" something. What I say is..if a peasant sees an orc, from his perspective it is gonna be hell on two legs. If ya just describe it, without the name, ya can scare your characters big time. I have made 10th level players run from a pack of orogs...before they even saw them using this method...good fun for the DM
skuzzyknuckles 1 year ago
I'm willing to bet that the alternate name "Pech" for Halflings was probably inspired by/borrowed from Willow.
Willow: "Don't call me a peck!"
Mad Martigan: "Oh, I'm sorry! Peck! Peck! Peck peck peck peck peck!"
Webhead123 1 year ago
I'm a half German. Your right that dose sound bad. Halflings r called halflings not because they're half of any race because they r short. I still don't like it thou.
44SCB 1 year ago
I have this thing with names in rpgs. It often seems to me that the authors rarely bother with coming up with good names for their locations, and characters. Especially bad here is Shadow World and the Kalamar setting.
Nejira 1 year ago
the half-giants from darksun were a magical creation of the of humans and giants . the giants in darksun were kind of like mutants as no 2 were alike . you could have a giant with a lion head and a giant with the head snake but they both have the same abilitys . darksun was my favorite setting for the ad&d second edition . they called the half dwarves muls .the setting was very unique in that almost every race execpt the thri-kreen was a creation of the rul-thon (halflings) .
dawala1000 1 year ago
Star trek has the same problem. Vulcans and humans lived in different star systems, had way different evolution, genetics, and body make-up. Vulcan blood was green because their metabolism was based on copper instead of iron. Yet Spock is half human and half Vulcan. How was Vulcan sperm capable of fertilizing a human egg and the chromosomes be compatible? I couldn't imagine Star Trek without Spock but he really shouldn't exist.
scullkrusher 1 year ago
@scullkrusher Wasn't there an ep of TNG that tried to (fudge) explain this by throwing out the theory/explanation that all the humanoid races of the galaxy were 'seeded' by a race of ancients, so had some degree of genetic similarity - which does sorta explain the basic fact everyone in Trek is essentially human (whether with a bumpy forehead or nose or whatever).
Frenchie66667 1 year ago
@Frenchie66667 I never heard of it but you maybe right. They've fudged things before. It doesn't bother me but it is stupid.
scullkrusher 1 year ago
In FR, the halflings are called Hin. A good name to go with even if it is a simple shortening of "halfling". Also, aren't Pech those fey-gnome creatures from the Legend of Drizzt?
alexlitvin1 1 year ago
@alexlitvin1 I read the term last year in some 3rd party book.
tetsubo57 1 year ago
@alexlitvin1 Yep Pech are a 1e underdark race - from the MMII iirc.
Frenchie66667 1 year ago
@Frenchie66667 It has 3.x stats in the Pathfinder Bestiary 2
alexlitvin1 1 year ago
Comment removed
Frenchie66667 1 year ago
@alexlitvin1 are ya thinking of dire korbies? but pech are a dwarf offshoot that have high magic abilities...myself..i just say hobbit, im not gonna be sued by tolkiens estate lol
skuzzyknuckles 1 year ago
@skuzzyknuckles No, i swear one of Drizzt's companions was a Pech, a gnome like creature with potent earth-magic abilities. I believe it was polymorphed into a Hook Horror. Book 2 i believe.
alexlitvin1 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@alexlitvin1 peck was the name of the deep gnome (svirfneblin) that was polymorphed into a hook horror. go back and read the books, that was an individual's name. the race itself was known as svirfneblin or deep gnome.
greycloud24 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@alexlitvin1 peck was the name of the deep gnome (svirfneblin) that was polymorphed into a hook horror. go back and read the books, that was an individual's name. the race itself was known as svirfneblin or deep gnome.
greycloud24 1 year ago
@alexlitvin1 your right, and actually I messed up. I was thinking of Derro, but Clacker was a Pech who had been polymorphed into a Hook Horror
skuzzyknuckles 1 year ago
@skuzzyknuckles Aye, for an awesome race pech have barely been used. The only sources i can think of them being in is the 1e monster manual (as mentioned above), the Drizzt series and the PF bestiary 2
alexlitvin1 1 year ago
@alexlitvin1 : Pech are 1st edition monsters originally from the old Monster Manual 2. They are Neutral Good earth elemental kin from the elemental plane of earth.
jvidell 1 year ago
Comment removed
jvidell 1 year ago
Also, the name "peck" was used in the movie Willow.
jvidell 1 year ago
Seems unlikely a race would call itself 'giants' anyway. I use that as a term used by others, the giants themselves refer to themselves as Eoten (which is a slight twist on the same root word as Jotun I think).Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Orcs are all sub-castes of the same race in my setting - I use their own racial name as Hooplaki (taken from the old Gazeteer setting).Don't use Halflings anyway, the Gaz setting had the term 'Hin' as their own name iirc, quite liked that at the time.
Frenchie66667 1 year ago
@Frenchie66667 Is that Hin as in 'in' or Hin as in 'hine'?
tetsubo57 1 year ago
How about calling the Half-Giants Nephilim?
CalicoVall 1 year ago
@CalicoVall I think I'd like to stay away from Earth-centric names. But if I had to pick a historical reference I would probably go with the Jotun. Gryx is short, has no connection to earth and has a X in it.
tetsubo57 1 year ago
@tetsubo57 X's rock. :)
GMCiaramella 1 year ago
Never thought about it, but you are right.
darktoadthesticky 1 year ago
what about an orc and halfling combo
67kneil 1 year ago
Maybe these "half" names are the construct of the rest of the society in the game world. Like Half-Orc, I think the attitudes the different societies in the Pathfinder setting have see Half-Orcs as less than, and looked down upon. Here are the first lines for the Half-Orc description in the Pathfinder core book, "Half-Orcs are monstrosities," so I geuss the racist societies of the setting wrote the core book. In role play most of your PCs would call half-orcs by that name.
7sibley7 1 year ago
@7sibley7 Yeah, since in most games humans are the most prolific and powerful of the races. So it makes sense that they name them after what the other half is since all half races are partly human in nature.
CalicoVall 1 year ago
Very nice rant..
TheStupedCat 1 year ago
Not bad, but I honestly never refer to anybody in game by their out of game names. Fighters aren't fighters, they are warriors, knights, mercenaries, sellswords, blades for hire, bashers, toughs, gladiators, myrmidons, etc. If you only refer to them as "fighters" I weep for you.
The names are intentionally generic and third person. They are meant to be used out of game to refer to a race/class in a memorable manner. Unique names for everything are a disservice in this regard.
azirk83 1 year ago
@azirk83 In other words if you talk about your campaign and mention Gryx and I go "Who?" then you reply "Half Giant" you've effectively wasted both of our time.
I also hate that a lot of people seemingly want to have Elves in their game and not name them Elves. I actually thought this rant would be more about that when I clicked the link.
azirk83 1 year ago