There will be two parts of this set on "new" halfling races for D&D gaming. The Grimling now, and the Drowling coming up next. In a sense, the Grimling were derived from the Drowling, but were more serious both in nature and in campaign use.

Both come from halflings, but in a very different way.

Results of A Scouring

When I read Lord of the Rings, one of my favorite parts is when the hobbits return to the Shire and "set things right". No Gandalf or Aragorn superheroes, no magical Elves marching in to save the day.

Just normal folk doing their part to fight tyranny.

But there was always a part of me that wondered what would happen if they never made it back.

One of the reasons that Gandalf was fascinated by the halflings was their very resilient core.

What would have happened if these simple farmers were pushed to the absolute limit?

Suppose that Sauron, or any other magical tyrant for that matter, had been given free reign in sharing his malice with halflings?

Notes on this description

I'll be using random memories from both LOTR and a 1000 or more AD&D supplements. Not everything is going to be sourced (if anything), and may not match your own knowledge ;>

What happened?

From the name, Grimling, it is easy to guess the basic nature of this folk. Defending themselves from an all-powerful foe changed their basic nature from enjoyment of life to ensurement of life. Drilling down to their basic resilient nature and resistance to magic, they relied on their commitment to each other and built new skill sets to continue their existence. The harsh requirements of this societal change made them take new, and grim, directions to their basic instincts.

For example, Hobbits loved their children; Grimling love the children that can survive in resistance to tyranny (see the Stats and Classes sections)

Physical Description

The normal racial subdivisions have been subsumed into one race...the survivors. They retain an average of 3 feet in height. Hair and eye coloration remains the same, but males keep their hair short (high and tight, shaved bald, or short cut fades). Females wear their hair depending on operational needs; females in action will cut their hair as short as males as necessary.

The biggest physical change is in the physique of the Grimling. Where the base halfling tends towards pudginess, Grimling are starvation thin and whipcord strong. Their overall weight remains the same due to increased musculature.

Grimling can pass as elvish or human children with little difficulty. Any Grimling with the Disguise proficiency should have large bonuses on rolls to do so.

Facial disfigurement is common. The brutal living conditions they deal with, and The Testing, ensures this.

Grimling dress is utilitarian and drab in color; black and a color matching the local environment are the most common colors chosen. Grimling even tend to dress this way on festive occasions, as they never are sure when they will be attacked.

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In contrast to Hobbits, Grimling mature quickly. This is mostly due to The Testing as described in the next section. Grimling move into adolescence at 10 and are considered adults at 12...if they survive.

Stats

Grimling have a minimum of 12 in all stats. All other racial modifiers for halfling apply. This is due to The Testing.

At age 10, Grimling move into communal barracks, and they face intense training, and harsh testing in all aspects of survival, including morals. The period of testing lasts two years, and the tests are occasionally deadly. The point of the tests is not to kill off the students, but to weed out those that would be a burden to the survival of the race.

Grimling use 6 sided HD no matter which class they choose

Classes and Combat

Grimling can be:

• Assassins (either 1st addition rules, or the kit described in The Scarlet Brotherhood supplement). A DM may use another base for this class as long as there is a one shot, one kill option as part of the ability set.
• Mages/Specialist mages (spells and skills will be focused on stealth, subtlety, and deadliness)
• Multiclass assassin/mages
• IF the campaign includes psionicists, this may be added as a multiclass option to any other of the base three options.

Grimling have NO level restrictions, and the DM may allow them to use ANY kit from ANY class that he feels suits the PC/NPC nature, in conformance with Grimling society.

Grimling have no clerics. In their opinion, their gods abandoned them in their time of need.How this plays out is up to the DM...maybe Sauron roofied Yolanda.

Grimling do not become fighters; they find the idea of standing toe to toe against large foes idiotically suicidal.

Grimling use small concealable weapons ; the biggest weapons they use are light crossbows and short swords. An analogue to the derro crossbow is commonly in use.

The base of Grimling war is stealth, ambush, poison, traps, and magic:
ALL Grimling get the bonus proficiencies of ambush and set snares

The perfect combat for a Grimling is one in which they never physically engage the foe.

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Alignment

The Grimling are LN(E). Dedicated to race survival, they have come up with a set of rules which enhances their chances to so so. They accept assassination and torture as any means necessary tools. Extremely few Grimling are evil in the sense of enjoying the suffering of others.

The Testing selects for this attitude, and is one of the biggest examples of it in Grimling society.

Self-control is one of the fundamental tenets of society.

Revenge is another societal priority. To do as much damage as possible to their oppressor (s)- whomever that is in your campaign). If the Grimling have escaped their tyrant, there will be occasional raids of vengeance on his territory.

They will honor the spirit of contracts as long as they feel they aren't being cheated.

Grimling value the lives of Grimling above all other races. They trust no one, but will enter into negotiations freely...they just make sure they have an ambush and an escape route set

Society

The basic trait of all Grimling is hypervigilance, not paranoia.

The basic role of any Grimling male is the defense of the community. Part of their societal rules includes guidelines on which Grimling need to sacrifice themselves as rear guard in the case of emergency.

Females may engage in active community defense until they first become pregnant, at which time their focus becomes the bearing and raising of children. The usual birth cycle takes 8 months, with the most common birth of one child at a time. Twins (or more) are signs of good fortune.

Grimling value, but do not love their children until they have survived The Testing. Losing too many children has ingrained a sense of grief as part of their grimness. Children remain with the mother until age 10 and The Testing.

When the now adult children return from The Testing, the parents are allowed several days of private time to release their feelings and allow their love to blossom for the child.

Normally, and in public, Grimling are reserved and stoic. In private, with their adult family members, they express emotion freely. They tend to live in clan units.

Unmarried Grimling are allowed sexual freedom with the opposite sex, but nonreproductive deviancy is culled. A male is expected to propose marriage to a female he knocks up, but she is allowed to refuse marriage. Once married, a couple is expected to remain loyal to each other. Multiple cheating incidents may result in a culling (usually of the males involved). However, the vast majority of couples are happily in love, as family serves as an emotional role of support for the otherwise emotionally controlled Grimling.

Mothers, married or non, are supported by the community as a whole. Males are expected to provide first for their own wives and children, and then communally to unwed mothers, and then for themselves.

Grimling tend to live underground in tunnel systems, but to do as much living as possible under the sun. They do not drink or otherwise impair their facilities, but on the very few occasions where they can enjoy themselves, they sing, dance, and eat to almost satiation (stuffing themselves would fatigue them and put them at risk, you see)

Organization

Grimling have a supreme leader in a quasi-hierarchical system. The Judge is selected by 2/3 vote of all clan leaders (both male and female). He serves until a 2/3 vote is taken against him. He selects one Reeve for every clan, and each clan also selects a Reeve.

The Judge makes all decisions about how to deal with outside problems, as well as judging disputes between clans. The Reeves assist him in this and by custom, swear their allegiance to him. The Judge is also responsible for The Testing.

One reeve is usually assigned to each clan, while the others are assigned any duties the Judge feels necessary. Reeves assigned to a clan usually assist the clan leaders with their duties.

The male clan leaders make most judgments within the clan, while the female clan leaders deal with mother and child issues. They are not necessarily married to each other, and are selected by clan consensus. Usually, this does not involve a vote, but if a vote becomes required for either clan position, it is by a 2/3 vote. All adults within the clan vote for clan leaders, males for the male leader, and females for the female leader. Males live in the clan of their fathers, while married females move to their husband's clans, and single females whether married or not live in their mothers clan.

Grimling aggressively scout outside their communities, although they never attack anyone other than known enemies. Outsiders approaching to close to the community will be approached openly and warned off (although there will be a complete ambush set, just in case, by the time of confrontation). Anyone entering a Grimling commmunity without permission will be captured if possible and killed if not, as soon as the Grimling become aware of the trespass.

They aren't the nicest of folk, but leave them be and they won't murder or torture you ;>