Halflings D&D 2024: Species/Race Optimisation Guide

Little and lucky, learn how to optimise Halflings with our guide to the updated species for D&D 2024.

What are Halflings?

The D&D version of Hobbits, Halflings are like short looking Humans. In fact, they’re short enough to pass as a child, standing at just 2-3ft. This makes them shorter than Dwarves and a fraction of the height of Goliaths.

For the most part, Halflings are a cheerful and homely bunch, welcoming of friends and strangers alike. There’s a carefree nature to Halflings that may in part stem from an uncanny ability to just have greater fortune or luck than others. Perhaps it’s simply an instinct or an intuition inherent within them. Or perhaps it’s the divine influence of the benevolent gods Halflings have adopted for their worship.

Halflings aren’t always friendly though. The crime families of Eberron and the even more savage Halflings of the Dark Sun setting prove that Halflings are perfectly capable of villainy and outright hostility, despite their usual friendliness.

D&D 2024 brings a unification of Halfling subraces with no mechanical differentiation between Lightfoot, stout or even Ghostwise Halflings any more (though such different Halflings continue to exist within the D&D universe).

Read on to find out all about the changes to Halflings and how you can optimise these miniature adventurers in D&D 2024.

Is a Halfling the right species for me?

Choose a Halfling if you like…

Being uncannily fortunate
Hiding behind your friends
Being short and plucky

A Halfling might not be for you if…

You want to play a backline spellcaster
Make few attacks and/or skill checks
have little use for stealth
You feel like size matters

What’s changed for the 2024 Halfling?

Not a huge amount has changed for Halflings since their 2014 iteration, but there have been a few changes:

No difference between subraces of Halflings. They all get the same traits
All Halflings now get the naturally stealthy trait
Movement speed is now 30ft (it was 25ft previously)

For a full breakdown, check out my article on all the species changes coming to D&D 2024.

Halfling 2024 traits

Creature Type	Humanoid
Size	Small
Speed	30ft
Traits	Brave, Halflings nimbleness, luck, naturally stealthy
Resistances	Frightened
Proficiencies	None
Darkvision	No
Innate spellcasting	No
Book found in	Player’s Handbook 2024

Brave: Advantage on checks against the frightened condition.

Halflings nimbleness: You can move through the space if any creature larger then you.

Luck: When you roll a 1 on a d20 test, you can reroll the result but must use the new result.

Naturally stealthy: You can take the hide action even when obscured by a creature one size larger than you.

Where are the ability score increases?

You may have noticed that there are no ability score increases associated with your species any more. This is because these increases are now linked to your background. This gives you more flexibility to play the species you want and optimise more easily for a broader range of classes.

Check out our guide to backgrounds in D&D 2024 to find out more.

Tactics

Small fry: Halflings are very short, but easily use this to their advantage by being able to hide behind larger creatures. As you’re small, this is easy as most species are larger than you are.

This is most advantageous for rogues who can hide as a bonus action and is a great reason to play a Halfling rogue. Hiding isn’t always possible, but you always have allies around and rogues are hugely reliant on gaining advantage on attacks for their sneak attack, especially if you’re playing a ranged rogue. It’s harder for other classes to take advantage of this trait, but consider hiding in the shadow of an ally before initiating combat, only to jump out in the first round for a deadly barrage of attacks.

Just make sure you grab proficiency in stealth!

Lucky devils: Luck is hugely beneficial for any class and not only almost entirely eradicates critical failures, but also removes a decent fraction of failures for d20 tests.

Consider using a class that’s likely to need to make a lot of d20 tests to up the odds of this being useful. This could include the likes of fighters and monks who make a lot of attacks, tanks that often need to take saving throws, or skill specialists like rogues and bards that need to make a lot of skill checks.

Choosing a class for your Halfling

Below I’ve scored how well each class works with a Halfling:

Artificer⭐⭐⭐⭐

Barbarian ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bard ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cleric ⭐⭐

Druid ⭐⭐⭐

Fighter ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Monk ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Paladin ⭐⭐⭐

Ranger ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rogue ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sorcerer ⭐⭐

Warlock ⭐⭐

Wizard ⭐⭐

*Star ratings scored out of 5

Best classes for Halflings

Halflings are best at stealthy combat and being a tad more reliable than other species. Really, this primarily favours rogues but some others will make more d20 tests than other classes and also make it into the higher echelons of Halfling classes.

I’d recommend the following classes for a Halfling:

Fighter – Naturally stealthy is hard to use as a fighter. You probably want to be at the front soaking up attacks. But a hide before the first turn could work for a bit of a surprise first round attack. This will only work for a dextrous fighter though (which is possible). But with so many attacks and likely ability checks, Fighters are one of the bigger beneficiaries of luck.
Monk – Monks benefit in a similar way to fighters as the 2 classes with the most attacks. Plus as a frontline martial, you’re likely to need to take a lot of ability checks too. Naturally stealthy is easier to work than for a fighter as you’re innately more dextrous and not needed right at the front of battle.
Rogue – The standout option for Halflings. You can just jump in and out from behind one of your backline spellcasters, popping off crossbow sneak attacks if there’s nowhere else better to hide (rogues can hide as a bonus action). Rogues rely a lot on crucial d20 tests such as attacks for their sneak attack and their many skill checks making luck pretty important for them too.

Worst classes for Halflings

The problem for spellcasters and Halflings is that they tend to make a single d20 test with their spells (often a spell attack), or no d20 tests at all (like when they force others to take an ability check).

Most dedicated spellcasters also aren’t great at skills (other than bards) meaning they make very few d20 tests out of combat too.

As such, the likes of sorcerers, clerics, warlocks and wizards make poor options for Halflings.

On top of this, many of these classes don’t make competent hiders either making naturally stealthy difficult to use.

About Halflings

Appearance

Halflings are about the size of children, standing at just 2-3ft tall. Despite this, they are no less strong than other races (so watch out for your knees and other low hanging, vulnerable areas)!

Typically, Halflings appear kind and jovial with warm, expressive features. They also often have a ruffled look about them. Not unclean or unpleasant, but hair might be long and tusselled, clothes might not be tucked in, and generally, Halflings dress for practicality rather than to create the impression of wealth or importance (though some enjoy the admiration that fine clothes and the impression of wealth grants).

Personality

Halflings radiate a cheerful and inquisitive spirit and are known for their love of simple pleasures and close-knit communities. They generally have an infectious optimism and place great value on friendship, laughter and storytelling.

Despite some mischievous tendencies, their actions are rarely malicious, and they find joy in bringing levity to tough situations. Halflings also have a knack for good fortune, which fuels their adventurous spirit and their happy go lucky outlook.

Roleplaying a Halfling

If you choose to play as a Halfling, consider some of the approaches below when roleplaying them:

Embrace Your Size: As a halfling, you are small and nimble. Consider creative ways to navigate and interact with the environment using your size to your advantage. For example when entering a crowded tavern, describe how your Halfling deftly weaves through the legs of larger folk to reach the bar.

Friendly and Cheerful: Halflings are generally affable and easygoing. Approach interactions with a friendly demeanor and a positive attitude. Your character is likely to be well-liked by others. You could share a light joke or humorous anecdote during moments of tension to lighten the mood

Curiosity and Wanderlust: Halflings are notorious for their curiosity and wanderlust. Be inquisitive about the world around you, and express a desire to explore and experience new things. Ask people about interesting rumors or places to visit in the campaign world.

Loyalty and Friendship: Be a team player, and emphasize your character’s commitment to their companions. Form close bonds with party members and NPCs. Express concern for party members’ well-being and offer assistance when they need it.