I’m putting together a halfling class (currently called Halfling Rover) for my setting. I want to model the B/X or BECMI halfling. This is relatively easy, in theory: they get the Explorer’s accuracy and difficult to spot powers, the dwarves’ hardy people, a +1 bonus to initiative (not spellcasting), and maybe a +2 AC bonus against enemies larger than man-sized; d6 HD, fighter fighting ability (can’t wield great axes, two-handed swords, pole arms, lances, or longbows), with maximum level 8. (Which conveniently keeps them out of the conqueror/king tier endgame.)
Using the Player’s Companion rules to get these results isn’t completely easy, though: with HD Value 1 and Fighting Value 2, the halflings need to take Thief Value 1 (3 skills/powers). This puts them at 1700 XP. To get the results I want, they have to take Racial Value 4, which needs to cost 300 XP… they only have about 7 powers’ worth of special powers, and 3 of those will be bought by the class, so the rest have to cost 300 XP. That seems a bit unfair.
It also makes constructing other halfling classes harder. I want to create a halfling thief class that, Supplement I -style, can advance to level 13 (or even 14, with a version of the heroic spirit power). So I need to know what powers the other class got from its Racial Value… but I also need to give this thief class a Racial Value of 0. This seems like an impossible combination… especially because I think all the above halfling abilities fit a halfling thief just fine (including difficult to spot which essentially gives them a big advantage for hiding in the wilderness or while staying motionless in cover; hide in shadows would be extra, letting them hide in shadows instead of cover, and hide while moving).
I’ve gone over several threads and read Alex’s comments on coming up with races: the impression I got is that the XP costs of Racial Values are essentially fudged to get results that correspond to the B/X class progressions, which is cool by me. If I was only making the one class (based off the B/X halfling), I could fudge it and leave it at that, but if I’m creating two classes, I’ve got a problem I have to resolve.
If anyone’s got ideas for resolving this problem, I’d love to hear them. I’ve looked at the various halflings already shared on these forums, and none of them really do what I want: they add things (granted, things I’ve got on my list of potential halfling abilities) or aren’t a class, etc. I really just want a class that’s the B/X halfling, but with a racial package that lets me create a halfling thief class without too much fudging…