The New Halfling (DnD 2024 Species Guide)

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Originally referred to as “Hobbits” in the first edition of Dungeons & Dragons back in 1974, the name was eventually changed to “Halfling” to avoid litigation from the Tolkien estate. Over the past 50 years, however, halflings have become more than just a Lord of the Rings knock off, with these short and stealthy adventurers writing their own narrative within the lore of DnD. This has included unique subraces such as the vicious cannibal halflings of the Dark Sun setting and the velociraptor-riding halflings from the world of Eberron, to more traditional options like the Lightfoot, Stout and Ghostwise halflings in DnD 5e.

Now, these cheerful and charming creatures are back in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, earning a top spot as one of ten starting DnD 2024 species. This new version of the halfling, however, has also undergone a few small but significant changes, including the removal of subraces, faster movement and new stealth abilities.

So is the halfling bigger and better in DnD 2024? Below, we sneak up on all the details.

What are Halflings in DnD 2024?

In the new 2024 Core Books, halflings are described as a species who value life, home and hearth. For this reason they tend to gravitate toward havens where family and community help shape their lives. That said, many halflings possess a brave and adventurous spirit that leads them to explore the larger world around them and forge lasting friendships along the way. Their size—similar to that of a human child—helps them pass through most crowds unnoticed and slip through tight spaces.

Anyone who has spent time around halflings, particularly halfling adventurers, has likely witnessed the storied “luck of the halflings” in action. When a halfling is in mortal danger, an unseen force seems to intervene on the halfling’s behalf. Many halflings believe in the power of luck, and they attribute their unusual gift to one or more of their benevolent gods, including Yondalla, Brandobaris, and Charmalaine. The same gift might contribute to their robust life spans (which can last as long as 150 years).

Halfling communities come in all varieties. For every sequestered shire tucked away in an unspoiled part of the world, there’s a crime syndicate like the Boromar Clan in the Eberron setting or a territorial mob of halflings like those in the Dark Sun setting. Halflings who prefer to live underground are sometimes called strongheart halflings or stouts. Nomadic halflings, as well as those who live among humans and other tall folk, are sometimes called lightfoot halflings or tallfellows.

What’s changed with the new 2024 DnD Halfling?

While halflings have existed in Dungeons & Dragons since the earliest days of the game, they’ve also evolved considerably over the past 50 years. That being said, the 2024 Player’s Handbook is quite similar to the legacy halfling race that appeared in the 2014 Player’s Handbook. Below are all of the minor updates that have been made for the newest version of DnD 5e.

Halfling Species Trait	Level	Changed from 2014 Player’s Handbook?	Changes to the 2024 Halfling
Ability Score Improvements	1	Yes	Races/species no longer provide ability score improvements. Instead, characters now receive these bonuses from the new DnD backgrounds.
Base Speed	1	Yes	In DnD 2024, the halfling has a base walking speed of 30 feet. In the 2014 rules it was set at 25 feet.
Brave	1	No	N/A
Halfling Nimbleness	1	No	N/A
Luck	1	Yes	In 2014 this was known as “Lucky.” The feature’s function, however, is the same.
Naturally Stealthy	1	Yes	This is a new 2024 feature that applies to all halflings (in the 2014 rules this was granted only to the Lightfoot halfling subrace).
Subraces	1	Yes	In the 2014 version you could choose from six unique halfling “Subraces,” each of which granted racial ability score modifiers and powers. In the 2024 rules, however, there are no halfling subraces.

What are the new Halfling species traits in DnD 2024?

Below is the full list of all the halfling traits using the new 2024 core rules.

• Creature Type: Humanoid
• Size: Medium (about 2–3 feet tall)
• Speed: 30 feet

As a halfling, you also have the following special abilities:

• Brave: You have Advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the Frightened condition.
• Halfling Nimbleness: You can move through the space of any creature that is a size larger than you, but you can’t stop in the same space.
• Luck: When you roll a 1 on the d20 of a D20 Test, you can reroll the die, and you must use the new roll.
• Naturally Stealthy: You can take the Hide action even when you are obscured only by a creature that is at least one size larger than you.

How have Halfling subraces changed in DnD 2024?

In the 2014 there were six halfling subraces to choose from: Ghostwise, Lightfood, Mark of Healing, Mark of Hospitality, Stout and Lotusden. There are no longer halfling subraces in the DnD 2024 rules. Instead all halflings have the same base species features (although this may change in future materials).

For players who are interseted, however, below are the legacy halfling subraces from the 2014 along with their available features (note that we have not included racial ability score modifiers as these are no longer part of the 2024 DnD 5e rules, with characters instead getting their ability score modifiers from their Background).

2014 Halfling Subrace	2014 Subrace Features
Ghostwise Halfling	Silent Speech: You can speak telepathically to any creature within 30 feet of you. The creature understands you only if the two of you share a language. You can speak telepathically in this way to one creature at a time.
Lightfoot Halfling	Naturally Stealthy: You can attempt to hide even when you are obscured only by a creature that is at least one size larger than you.
Mark of Healing Halfling	– Medical Intuition: When you make a Wisdom (Medicine) check or an ability check using an herbalism kit, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check – Healing Touch: You can cast the cure wounds spell with this trait. Starting at 3rd level, you can also cast lesser restoration with it. Once you cast either spell with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells. – Spells of the Mark: If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Healing Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.
Mark of Hospitality Halfling	– Ever Hospitable: When you make a Charisma (Persuasion) check or an ability check involving brewer’s supplies or cook’s utensils, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check. – Innkeeper’s Magic: You know the prestidigitation cantrip. You can also cast the purify food and drink and unseen servant spells with this trait. Once you cast either spell with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells. – Spells of the Mark: If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Hospitality Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.
Stout Halfling	Stout Resilience: You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage.
Lotusden Halfling	– Child of the Wood: You know the druidcraft cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the entangle spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the spike growth spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Casting these spells with this trait doesn’t require material components. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells. – Timberwalk: Ability checks made to track you have disadvantage, and you can move across difficult terrain made of nonmagical plants and undergrowth without expending extra movement.

Halfling vs Gnome: What’s the difference?

When it comes to Dungeons & Dragons species, one question that often comes up is what’s the difference between halflings and gnomes? It’s understandable given that they appear physically similar, even in official Wizards of the Coast artwork. There are, however, some important differences.

Physically, halflings have a stocky build, soft faces, curly hair, round ears and often walk without any shoes (with their feet protected by hard leathery soles). Conversely, gnomes tend to be slender with exaggerated features such as large noses, eyes and hair. Gnomes also have pointed ears and wear shoes, with feet similar to humans, elves and other species.

In terms of cultures, halflings tend to be focused on community, family and comfort, relying on their innate luck, stealth and resilience to navigate the world. Conversely, gnomes are driven largely by curiosity, invention and a deep connection to magic.

Species Trait	Halflings	Gnomes
Physical Appearance	-Round ears -Softer facial features -Curly hair -Tough hairy feet (don’t wear shoes) -No Darkvision	-Pointed ears -Larger noses/eyes -Wild hair -Soft, hairless feet (wear shoes) -Darkvision
Culture	-Comfort, home and family	-Curiosity, invention and magic
Abilities	-Luck and stealth	-Magic and tinkering

Is the new DnD Halfling worth playing?

The halfling remains an iconic Dungeons & Dragons species that’s been a part of the game for over 50 years, so it makes sense that we’d see them again in the pages of the 2024 Player’s Handbook. They being said, save for a few minor tweaks to speed and a new universal stealth ability, their core features have been largely unchanged from their 2014 DnD 5e version. It’s also slightly disappointing that Wizards of the Coast has done away with halfling subraces (now referred to as “lineages” in the 2024 rules) particularly given that new 2024 Elf and the new 2024 gnome all have lineages to choose from. Hopefully that’s something we’ll see corrected in future versions. In the meantime, there’s still plenty to love with these short and sweet adventurers.

You can find the complete rules for the new DnD halfling in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, which is available now on D&D Beyond and Amazon.

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