Lotusden Halfling 5E | Halfling Subrace from Critical Role

With the release of the Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount, a few core rulebook races received a new subrace to play around with. One such core race to receive an option is the Halfling. Now they have a more forest-bound beginning to enjoy! While this is quite a fit in Wildemont, it’d be simple to place this in any campaign where there is a forest… Anywhere on the map, really. Learn all about them with our Lotusden Halfling 5E Guide.

Learn about all the new Subraces in our Wildemount Races Guide!

Lotusden Halfling 5E Guide

Halflings already have a fantastic stat line with great racial abilities. So, adding in a new subrace just means that there are more reasons to build into a race with Lucky and Brave. This subrace, in particular, is quite potent in the right hands. 

Lore

Interestingly, Exandria’s Halflings have no known origin. These mysterious creatures seem to have sprouted from Avandra the Change Bringer’s whim, but no such secrets have been revealed.

For better or for worse, these halflings don’t care. They just know the world is beautiful, and they’re all desperate to search it. The beings that originate from the Lotusden Greenwood are from Xhorhas, and very few Xhorhasians have ever seen a halfling not wearing Dwendalian armor. As such, these halflings are recluses, both comfortable in their homes and fearful of the ire of Kryn citizens, should they be recognized as symbols of the empire.

Lotusden Halfing 5E Traits

Lotusden Halflings are recluses, and as such spend a lot of time in their forests. They have slightly darker skin than other halflings because of their home, and would probably not leave… Unless outside circumstances send them outward, such as a quest for glory, or an Empirical threat.

Stat Bonuses

The Lotusden halfling has everything a normal halfling would have. Since they’re nimble and quick, they get +2 to Dexterity. Their knowledge of nature grants them +1 to Wisdom. That means, when combined, they get

• +2 Dexterity
• +1 Wisdom

Child of the Wood

As is natural for beings that have spent their whole life within a magical forest, the Lotusden have some primal cantrips to explore. Right off the bat, they get Druidcraft at will. At level 3, they can use Entangle once per long rest. Then, at level 5, they get Spike Growth as well, again once per long rest. These all use their Wisdom.

Druidcraft is fun, but far from game-changing in terms of cantrips. Much more interesting for the short nature-lovers is Entangle and Spike Growth. Both of these spells can really influence a battlefield, and clever placement of them can turn a fight into a complete stomp for the party.

Timberwalk

As an additional bonus, these children of the wood are difficult to find. Anybody who tries to track one takes disadvantage. Also, if there’s difficult terrain from non-magical plants and undergrowth, these guys ignore it.

In terms of anti-tracking abilities, this is pretty reasonable. Sure, it won’t stop the people from tracking the Paladin, but at least the Halfling will stay safe. And in some encounters, like a Wolf ambush, ignoring overgrowth can actually be a lifesaver. So, remember this ability exists!

Differences from Other Halflings

This variant is actually quite similar to the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide’s Ghostwise Halfling, which also got Wisdom as a bonus ability score. However, in a good amount of combat cases, having Druidcraft, Entangle, and Spike Growth is better than telepathy. And these guys get a minor bonus on top of that.

Unlike every other Halfling subrace, the Lotusden gain two benefits rather than one. This pushes the limit for power creep amongst racial bonuses but… This is probably only an upgrade for Ghostwise. And Ghostwise still has telepathy, allowing it to be quite potent. The combat ability allowed by Entangle and Spike Growth should be noted, but not at the expense of a permanent communication ability.

Lotusden Build Concepts

The obvious option for these guys would be a Druid. They’re from forests, they get Wisdom, a little Dexterity never hurts… Druid’s the clear-cut choice.

But, the extra dexterity is good for the Ranger build, since Shortbows and Crossbows are good choices for halflings. Or, you could make a good Monk out of these guys; Entangle and Spike Growth to keep yourself from being overwhelmed or slow down a coward who’s trying to run, and use your extra movement speed to keep up. Clerics can also benefit from the spacing tools of Entangle and Spike Growth to keep melee combatants off of them. Just think about the flavor of a Nature Cleric… But maybe think twice before taking it.

What is the Best Class for a Lotusden Halfling?

As mentioned in our build concept, the druid is an excellent choice for the Lotusden halfing. That said, some of the other strong options are the same as your standard halfing suggestions. After all, that +2 in dexterity is excellent for a potential rogue build. The combination of Child of the Wood, timberwalk, and the ability score improvements also makes for a decent (and thematic) ranger.

Wrapping up the Lotusden Halfling 5E Guide

As subraces go, it’s hard to beat one with so much combat power wrapped into itself. The flavor is blooming, the extra bonuses can come in handy, and Wisdom is a really good stat boost. In terms of races to come from Wildemont, we’re excited to see what you come up with for this one!