arcady... Ok... the term halfling/hobbit was coined by Tolkien and accepted as the "norm" TSR just turned them into NPC's then later PC's... back when AD&D was Chainmail they were cannon fodder... Perchance I mispoke myself.. it was the booted vs. barefoot tingy I was attempting to get across... one of the many problems of typing whilst on the phone with a customer ).. and I think Tolkien got the idea from some olde germanic myths... same as the "Dark Elves/Grey Elves" When TSR got ahold of them they really messed them up ) Wizzard