Str:-2 Dex:+2 Con:-- Int:-- Wis:-- Cha:+2 Luc:+4
Favoured Classes: Rogue, Bard
 
  Halflings are cute, clever, endearing, friendly, sociable and in control of approximately a third of the Kinlands' wealth. Opportunistic and ambitious, the hin have carved out a niche for themselves as the dominant demihuman race in the civilized lands. While nigh-immortal elves shy away from the bustle of human cities and surly dwarves bemoan the loss of the old ways in their carved stone halls, the halflings gleefully embrace everything the human world has to offer, becoming an omnipresent factor in human cities across the globe.
   Between their crafty insight and unearthly luck, just about the only thing holding the race back from outshining humanity in every endeavour is their lack of ambition - halflings are stereotyped as lazy, and while some make remarkable achievements, their racial culture does tend to place more emphasis on creature comforts than on deeper kinds of achievement. If the hin (as halflings call themselves) have a sin, it would be complacency; a willing lack of foresight and a desire to avoid any kind of discomfort, excitement or radical action plague the race. Halfling adventurers tend to be the glaring exception to this rule, having already parted ways with the norms of their race through their choice of career. Despite this, halflings have a strength of spirit that other races lack, and while they're hardly innovators they will stand by the things they consider important with a quiet resolve that cannot be shaken. As a race, they're survivors.
   Despite their success, many halfling communities tend to be very conservative, albiet in a very different way from the dwarves. The little folk tend to see themselves as the most supremely civilized people in the world, a born aristocracy, and their tendancy toward gossip makes them highly paranoid about potential scandals. They enjoy living a high standard of life and being socially acceptable to their peers, and they thus dislike anything which might bring their family's social standing into question or disrupt their intentionally pedestrian lifestyle -- like adventurers. Many halfling heroes have thus ended up deeply estranged from their families, who live in shame of them -- and god forbid the outcast should be something as barbaric as a warrior!
 
 HALFLING RACIAL SKILLS
   Racial skills are one of the strongest advantages halflings have, being quick learners, socially dexterous and naturally agile as well. The full list of halfling racial skills is Appraise, Climb, Diplomacy, Hide, Intuition and Tumble.
   Halflings also receive certain inherent racial bonus to skills. They have a +2 racial bonus to Hide, Tumble and Climb; their Hide racial bonus stacks with the +2 size bonus they receive to the Hide skill due to being Small creatures.

 HALFLING RACIAL TRAITS
   * +2 Dexterity -- Halflings are naturally agile, sure-footed and nimble. Rather than the surreal grace of the elves, they embody a cautious, competant precision; what would be born of careful practice and agility in other races comes with offhand ease to the little folk.
   Another facet of halflings' natural agility is represented by them being easily able to slip out of the holds and grapples of larger opponents, receiving the Slipaway Feat for free at 1st level.
   * -2 Strength -- For their size, halflings are as strong as humans, but with their body mass it is simply impossible for the hin to exert the same kind of force a human does.
   * +2 Charisma -- Halflings are charming and sociable, and their small size tends to put humans at ease around them, making the larger folk feel safe and in control. People tell things to halflings that they would never imagine telling to anyone else; the hin just inspire that kind of trust in the people around them.
   * Racial Weapons -- Halflings as a race are incredibly skilled with the sling and other thrown weapons. They gain free proficiency with slings and all other thrown weapons. They gain a +2 bonus to hit when using any weapon from the Thrown group, and have an uncanny ability to land lethal strikes when throwing rocks or using a sling, subtracting their Luck modifier from the threat range of thrown rocks or sling attacks.
   * Unearthly Luck -- The halfling race as a whole benefits from an inexplicable good fortune that draws no small degree of resentment from humans and other races. A halfling sometimes escapes dangers or accidents that could kill a human without a scratch on him. Halflings gain a +4 racial adjustment to their Luck score, and they add their Luck modifier (if positive) as a luck bonus to all of their saving throws.
   * Psychosomatic Might -- Halflings are not a race known for great physical strength, but when the proper motivation is placed before them, they are capable of bearing loads that often surprise larger folk. In game terms, halflings treat all food items as having a third of their actual weight for the purpose of calculating encumbrance.
   * Strong Soul -- Halflings may seek to avoid discomfort whenever possible, but the truth is that they also survive through ordeals that would break the spirit of your typical human. They love life with a passion, and refuse to let go of that spark in the face of things which threaten their spirit, debilitate their mind or weaken their body.
   In game terms, halflings have a kind of innate hardness rating against ability score damage. This value begins at 1 and increases by +1 every third level thereafter (2 at 4th, 3 at 7th, etc.) This value is subtracted from any damage the halfling might suffer to one of his abilities, and if it exceeds the damage, no harm is done. They also receive a +2 bonus to save versus fear, and a +4 bonus versus death effects.
   * Small -- The hin are considered to be Small creatures, which gives them certain mechanical advantages and weaknesses. They cannot wield Large weapons and must used two hands to wield a Medium weapon, they have a 10% penalty to hit points and their carrying capacity is 3/4ths that of a Medium-size creature. However, they receive a +1 size bonus to DC and to all attack rolls, and their smaller stature lets them navigate tunnels that a human could never fit into.
  * Starting Equipment -- Halflings start with a small backpack, many tasty cottonberry loaves, a sling and some torches. They also begin play with a moderate supply of Hearthstones of Onanda -- one-use magical items that allow a guaranteed safe rest even in a location where encounters are possible.

 HALFLING SUBRACES (Unimplemented)
   Lightfoot halflings are quick and fast, possessed of superior reflexes and nearly able to match pace with a human despite their smaller size. They have an intuitive direction sense, and tend to be more nomadic than most hin, possessing a string streak of wanderlust.
   The Tallfellows are the largest of the halfling subraces, and also the strongest, nearly matching gnomes in size and build. They are a rural people, disliking the bustle and diversity of cities and favouring a simpler life on their farms. They have natural green thumbs, and an affinity for plants of all kinds.
   Treedancer halflings are adept scouts and climbers hailing from Angla Maua, where they welcome visitors and turn a tidy trade in spices, rare minerals and other exports from the jungle continent. Their settlements are vast treehouse-cities mounted in the branches of great redwoods and linked together with an intricate webwork of rope bridges. They are the most societally advanced and civilized faction in Angla Maua.
   Ghostwise halflings are rare, born with the ability to learn secrets from the wind itself. Often leaving existing halfling settlements for a life as a hermit or wayfarer, they study to master the strange abilities of the mind -- psionics -- that they have an affinity for. They tend to be noble of heart and generous in spirit.
   Stoutheart halflings are the strongest-willed of their race, with a great devotion to the ideals of family and community. They despise corruption in all of its forms, and become adventurers more frequently than other halflings in the interest of rooting out and resolving something that has shaken their sensibilities. They are famed for their resourcefulness and clever planning.