Halfling

Halflings are a common race in the Pact Worlds and their colonies, having spread nearly as far as humans. Popular legend even claims that halflings were among the first humanoids to spread beyond Golarion and into the stars to colonize new worlds. Once thought of as a people without a homeland, halflings have peppered the void with colonies, and halfling caravan fleets—dozens of ships from as many different makes and eras—ply the trade lanes, eager to see new sights, swap stories, and trade strange and foreign goods. Their small stature and tendency to wander make halflings popular targets for raiders and conquerors, but time and again the tenacious race has rebounded from harsh challenges thanks to their cooperation, optimism, and what seems to be a racial gift for subterfuge. Gifted with quick reflexes, charming confidence, and an apparent lack of fear, halflings are known across the galaxy as athletes, celebrities, and explorers. Of course, this dramatic public image hardly defines the race as a whole. While most halflings experience a period of daredevil bravado in early adulthood, most settle out of it again just as quickly to become happy and loving homebodies, content with a hard day’s work and an evening spent with friends. Boasting a wide variety of eye, hair, and skin colors mirroring the human range, halflings usually have slight builds and large hands and feet. They make fast friends wherever they travel, preferring negotiation or clever wordplay to combat. Despite this accommodating nature, they have few permanent allies; halfling history is littered with long eras of domination and abuse, making them gregarious but wary of placing themselves in situations they can’t get out of again. While they share much in common with the ysoki—a love of travel and trade especially—they lack the ratfolk’s mechanical inclinations, and the two races often compete for markets, salvage rights, and trade lanes. If halflings truly ally with any race, it is humans, whose history is intimately entwined with their own, for better or worse. A halfling’s even temper can sometimes be a bit off-putting to other races, especially when it’s exhibited in the face of incredible danger. A few find halfling cheerfulness and determination to be irritating, but many of those people change their minds once that tenacity is the factor that saves the day. Halflings are almost never offended by these attitudes, seeing them as natural inclinations of less confident races. While not mistrustful of technology in general, many halflings look askance at cybernetic implants and biotech augmentations, feeling that natural halfling physiology is pretty much perfect as it is. They don’t look down on those who use such items, but it’s rarer than average to see a halfling with dermal plating or retinal reflectors. A halfling that accidentally loses a limb might consent to having a cybernetic replacement attached, but most halflings would spend the extra credits to make that prosthetic look as much like the lost limb as possible. Halflings rarely lack for work. Media companies and corporations love an irrepressible halfling star or spokesmodel, and many starship captains believe in the stereotype of the fearless and steady-handed halfling pilot. Those halflings who turn to adventure find good use for their quick reflexes and boundless charm as envoys and operatives, though their general adaptability allows them to shine in almost any role. Wandering halflings aboard starships typically finds spaces—even an area as small as a corner of a cargo bay—on their vessels to decorate in their own personal styles. They pin up keepsakes from their home planets (or colonies), such as dried flowers or scraps of metal from defeated hostile robots.