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Golden Realms This race is exclusive to the Golden Realms Expansion

RaceHalflingsIconLarge
To Halflings every day is an idyllic dream, filled with the possibility of simple pleasures and prosperity. Halflings are masters of happiness. They seek the path to everlasting joy. As a result, there are many factions among the small folk, from the pious priests who seek joy in service and doing good to others, to the eccentric pranksters, and celebrant revelers filled with any brew that might bring them closer to a stupor of laughter and song. Halflings are extraordinary cooks, and eat well. They enjoy music, and telling stories. Adept at trade, they spend their wealth as quickly as they earn it. They are content to work the land and harvest its bounty, but at times they are carried away to waste and silliness that separates them from the more proud faerie folk and Elven kin.
--The Tome of Wonders

Summary[]

While often poor in melee, Halflings have a number of tricks to make up for this. Their signature countermeasure is the Lucky Lucky feature, giving them a chance to avoid all of the damage from an enemy strike – however, the luck of the halflings is dependent on their Happiness morale, making keeping morale up particularly important for halflings. To assist in this, many halfling class Support support units have the ability to boost the morale of their army, and their Brew Brothers are excellent healers capable of raising the health of friendly troops above their normal maximums, although their physical-based attacks leave halflings with few answers against Incorporeal incorporeal foes. Meanwhile, their fast but fragile Eagle Riders have an ability that allows them to attack enemy troops without retaliation, potentially reducing the damage they receive, while the Fireworks fireworks of Jesters can dazzle enemy troops, allowing the rest of the army to attack them without fear. However, halflings still prefer to keep their enemy at a distance when possible, with their Adventurers providing a cheap but effective Archer archer-like unit with little infrastructure, and their Farmers able to break up and slow down an enemy advance with some well-aimed livestock.

Class Synergies[]

Halflings can do well with classes that can provide an alternative front line while giving them an answer to physical-resistant foes. Sorcerers, and to a lesser extent Arch Druids, can cover both bases. Dreadnoughts can provide a Golem front line, additional fire-based attacks, and present the potential to train pistolier Eagle Riders that need never suffer an enemy retaliation. Halfling Theocrats can grant a reinforced front line through Crusaders, while Slingshot-equipped Martyrs offer greater versatility through being able to act as decent archers.

Rogues can also prove to be very capable Halfling Leaders. The Bard serves as a cheap and effective exploit of the luck mechanic, allowing the player to improve damage dodging, or deploy armies in multiple terrain types without suffering as much from disliked or hated terrains. This does, however, leave the player with a fairly fragile army that is dependent on the presence of the Bard and the Halfling Brew Brother for support, potentially leaving the player vulnerable to more wily opponents.

Tactics[]

Due to their reliance on the Lucky mechanic to offset their physical vulnerability, halflings are particularly reliant on maintaining high morale to be successful. Fortunately, with two favored terrain types and Minor Bard's Skills on many of their units, halflings have the tools to keep their happiness up - however, they remain quite vulnerable to effects that sap their morale. Because of this, halflings are more vulnerable than most when fighting in unfavorable terrain, and halfling players may want to consider avoiding such regions until they can muster an overpowering strike force and/or allies more suited to the terrain.

Fortunately, the abundant happiness bonuses to halfling cities (from their inherent bonus as well as having two favored terrains) means that halfling cities in the right terrain can be highly productive. Like elves, halflings are well-suited to fighting at range, although they focus less on raw damage and more on disrupting enemy forces to keep the odds in their favor.

Halfling Inherent Traits[]

Units[]

'We pass unnoticed in most stories. We observe things, and stay out of the way. The powerful don't even know we exist, hidden in a hollow stump or in the thicket glade. So why do we do it? I suppose it's as the wizened one told me ages past, when he first aroused my wanderlust; I have adventure in my blood. Even after all these years-all the troubles I've seen and caused and escaped-I'll always be the lowliest of heart. A simple Halfling with a knife and a sling. I am an Adventurer.'

--The Endless Road, by Ham the Wanderer
Halfling Adventurer
  

Unit: Halfling AdventurerRecruitOrigin: Halflings
Tier I: 35 Hit Points 28 Movement 8 Defense 8 Resistance Cost: 45 Gold Upkeep: 4 Gold/Turn
Abilities:
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
Experience Ranks:

'The first Halfling Jester was nick-named Beaver. He ran away from the circus as a child. In his day, the tyrant Phobius would enslave whole cities of Halflings, forcing them to perform humiliating songs and dances in silly costumes. Dressed as a Jester, Beaver stole a wagonload of pyrotechnics and hid himself in a forested wilderness. When the Phobian Empire came for him, Beaver repelled them with his explosive projectiles. Over time many Halflings joined him and Beaver led them all to freedom. To this day, their descendants wear costumes and keep fireworks handy for the defense of their kin. Well, that, and they really love blowing things up.'

--Half a History, by Lamuel Samanite, Lorekeeper
Halfling Jester
  

Unit: Halfling JesterRecruitOrigin: Halflings Requires: Barracks
Tier I: 32 Hit Points 28 Movement 8 Defense 8 Resistance Cost: 75 Gold Upkeep: 4 Gold/Turn
Abilities:
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
Experience Ranks:

'Even Halfling cities are full of scoundrels, but the blissful being don't like to admit it. So, as a culture, they only thieve at night. It's something of a game among the wee folk, and playing on the other side are the Nightwatch, who patrol the streets, keeping society "honest"-or so they say. I suspect the local thieves guilds secretly bankroll these infantryman, because they never seem to catch Halfling thieves. Instead, they focus on foreigners not familiar with the ways these stealthy guards sneak about, often more efficiently hidded in the shadows than the rogues they claim to hunt. It is no wonder that Nightwatchmen are said to have once been thieves themselves. It seems likely that many still are.'

--Racial Secrets and Scandals, by Bester Caltrop, Rogue Guildmaster
Halfling Nightwatch
  

Unit: Halfling NightwatchRecruitOrigin: Halflings Requires: Barracks
Tier I: 44 Hit Points 28 Movement 10 Defense 8 Resistance Cost: 50 Gold Upkeep: 4 Gold/Turn
Abilities:
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
Experience Ranks:
  • Trooper +1 Physical Damage Melee +2 Hit Points
  • Veteran +1 Physical Damage Melee +2 Hit Points +1 Defense
  • Expert +1 Physical Damage Melee +2 Hit Points +1 Resistance
  • Elite +1 Physical Damage Melee +4 Hit Points +1 Defense, Backstab Backstab

'We openly boast of danger. When destruction comes, we laugh. We roar when we die. We do not talk of humiliation. Like the time that the Orcs thought to take a farming village of tiny men. We had mighty swords. Their armor weak, ours strong. We thought to eat well that night, but the fat Halfling Farmers threw chickens in our faces. Distracted, my men chased noisy birds onto their pitchforks. Orcs skewered like roasted boar. I never speak of this.'

--Battlefield Interviews:Confessions of Orc Chieftain Mugrunt, by Vaulter Cronk
Halfling Farmer
  

Unit: Halfling FarmerRecruitOrigin: Halflings Requires: War Hall
Tier I: 45 Hit Points 28 Movement 9 Defense 8 Resistance Cost: 50 Gold Upkeep: 4 Gold/Turn
Abilities:
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
Experience Ranks:
  • Trooper +1 Physical Damage Melee +2 Hit Points
  • Veteran +1 Physical Damage Melee +2 Hit Points +1 Defense
  • Expert +1 Physical Damage Melee +2 Hit Points +1 Resistance
  • Elite +1 Physical Damage Melee +4 Hit Points +1 Defense, Armor Piercing Armor Piercing

'Raise a glass to the man of the hourly hour.
My good Brother Brew, a half-man of great power!
His drink is the finest of the finest of brew,
You'll be stronger than strong drinking his dew.
His ale's good for what ails you, so taverns sing,
And he cooks like a cook that's been blessed by the King.
Quick with a knife, though he's slow on the go,
When he comes into town, no hunger is known.
So cheer with the cheerful, ring the bell tower,
My good Brother Brew's a half-man of great power!'

--Drinking Songs, by Willa Loveday, Master Bard
Halfling Brew Brother
  

Unit: Halfling Brew BrotherRecruitOrigin: Halflings Requires: Temple
Tier II: 35 Hit Points 28 Movement 9 Defense 11 Resistance Cost: 70 Gold 20 Mana Upkeep: 8 Gold/Turn
Abilities:
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
Experience Ranks:

'The tumult of the battlefield chilled my legions. The bony monstrosity rose before a forest of spears and they all fled. A cloud of black fear followed the creature. Who could stand against this certain death? Who could resist the inborn instinct to cower like children? Then I saw them. They came on ponies. A contingent of diminutive spearmen mounted on the least fearsome creatures charged the monster that caused all others to flee. Though not the strongest fighters, my Halfling pony riders charged the enemy. They inspired disbelief in their enemies, that something so small and friendly might stand against them, sloughing off spells that ensorcelled others twice their size.'

--Fields of Fighting, by General Graystyle Claster
Halfling Pony Rider
  

Unit: Halfling Pony RiderRecruitOrigin: Halflings Requires: War Hall
Tier II: 55 Hit Points 36 Movement 11 Defense 12 Resistance Cost: 80 Gold Upkeep: 8 Gold/Turn
Abilities:
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
Experience Ranks:
  • Trooper +1 Physical Damage Melee +4 Hit Points
  • Veteran +1 Physical Damage Melee +4 Hit Points +1 Defense
  • Expert +1 Physical Damage Melee +4 Hit Points +1 Resistance
  • Elite +1 Physical Damage Melee +8 Hit Points +1 Defense, Strong Will Strong Will

'The mighty sea eagle swept down to the verge of the lapping surf and with a single swipe of its fishhook talons cut open a fierce walrus who never saw it coming. Attacked from behind, the dangerous creature thrashed about in surprise for a moment, finding no target for its tusks, and then laid down its life. The eagle then proceeded to dine upon the corpse in perfect health. This one vision inspired the Halfling animal-handler, Campo Friendfeather, to befriend these flying fighters. The great birds use their speed and powerful claws to destroy foes everywhere on the battlefield, directed by their halfling riders who bonded with the birds since they struggled from their eggs.'

--Halfling Hall of Fame, by Sat Babbin, Keeper
Halfling Eagle Rider
  

Unit: Halfling Eagle RiderRecruitOrigin: Halflings Requires: Eagle's Nest
Tier III: 60 Hit Points 36 Flying 11 Defense 11 Resistance Cost: 140 Gold 30 Mana Upkeep: 16 Gold/Turn
Abilities:
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
Experience Ranks:

Racial Governance[]

Racial Governance is part of the Eternal Lords expansion.
Note that only RaceHalflingsIconLarge Halfling units are affected

Racial Governance Military Economic
Patron Halfling Nightwatch gets +1 Defense Defense and +2 Physical Damage Physical melee damage Store Houses cost 35 Gold less to buildHarvester's Guilds cost 20 Gold and 5 Mana less to build
Protector Halfling Adventurer, Martyr, Scoundrel and Bard gain +1 Physical Damage Physical ranged damage. Public Baths generate +75 Population PopulationCathedral of Bones gives +50 Dead Population Undead Population
Champion Halfling Eagle Riders are Very Lucky Very Lucky Lucky Cloverfields generate +20 Gold +20 Mana and +100 Happiness HappinessTombs generate +10 Gold +10 Mana and +50 Dead Population Undead Population
Prophet RaceHalflingsIconLarge Halflings have +200 Happiness Morale. (Works on Undead Undead) Halfling Cities gain +150 HappinessEagle Nest building cost reduced by 200 Gold, and Halfling Eagle Rider gets +1 Trooper Medal upon construction
Deity RaceHalflingsIconLarge Halfling Infantry Infantry, Pikeman Pikeman and Cavalry Cavalry units gain +10 Hit Points Health and +2 Physical Damage Physical Melee damage. Happiness Events happen twice as often.Halfling cities provide +10% Mana Mana, +10% Knowledge Knowledge, +10% Production Production, +10% Gold Gold and +10% Dead Population Undead Population

Gallery[]

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