Halflings might be a calm race who settle far from danger, but they still make excellent Rogues, sharp-shooting Rangers, or happy-go-lucky Bards.
Halflings might not be that attuned to battle, but when they taste power, it’s difficult to get them to diet.
Best Classes for Halflings
5. Bard
Primary Ability Score – Charisma
Secondary Ability Scores – Constitution, Dexterity
Spellcasting Ability – Charisma
Armor Proficiencies – Light
Weapons Proficiencies – Simple, Shortswords, Rapiers, Longswords, Hand Crossbow
Why the Bard?
Halflings make excellent Bards, especially Lightfoot Halflings who have naturally increased Charisma (1) and Dexterity (2), two of the three ability scores a Bard needs to function effectively.
That said, the Lucky feature helps a Bard never critically fail their saving throws, ability checks, or attack rolls, a big help for a class so synonymous with the jack-of-all-trades playstyle.
Even the Naturally Stealthy feature helps a Bard take on a more stealthy role like Scout or Face. The Face is particularly useful because of a Bard’s high Charisma.
Recommended Subclasses
- College of Eloquence focuses on the Bard’s core abilities.
- College of Lore is a jack-of-all-trades build, being able to fill in for almost any class in D&D, especially if they take a dip into multiclassing.
4. Paladin
Primary Ability Scores – Charisma and Strength
Secondary Ability Score – Constitution
Spellcasting Ability – Charisma
Armor Proficiencies – Light, Medium, Heavy, Shields
Weapons Proficiencies – Simple, Martial
Why the Paladin?
Halflings have two great options if you want to become a Paladin, one being the Stout Halfling and two being the Lightfoot Halfling.
While the Lightfoot Halfling does have increased Charisma (1), an ability score that the Paladin needs for its spellcasting, it becomes overshadowed by the Stout Halfing because of its innate durability.
Stout Halflings have increased Constitution (1) and Stoute Resilience, a feature that gives them an advantage on saving throws made against Poison and resistance to Poison damage.
Recommended Subclasses
- Oath of the Crown for a class Defender Paladin build.
- Oath of Vengeance makes the perfect Striker, letting you quickly dispatch enemies.
3. Monk
Primary Ability Score – Dexterity
Secondary Ability Scores – Constitution, Wisdom
Armor Proficiencies – None
Weapons Proficiencies – Simple, Shortswords
Why the Monk?
Monk might not seem like a good class to pair with a Halfing, but their features like Lucky, Stout Resilience, and Silence Speech help the Monk function with the limited kit provided.
Right off the bat, you’ll be given an increase to Dexterity (2), and depending on whether you want to be more durable or more stealthy – Monks usually want to be stealthy and have more durability to stay alive longer – your choices are between the Stout and Ghostwise Halfling subraces.
The Stout and Ghostwise Halfings also have ability scores targeted to Monks, Stoute Halfings having +1 to Constitution, and Ghostwise Halflings having +1 to Wisdom.
Recommended Subclasses
- Way of the Shadow is a great stealthy-oriented Monk build.
- Way of Long Death has a lot of durability, letting you serve as a Defender, but it doesn’t have good offensive capabilities.
2. Fighter
Primary Ability Score – Strength (STR-based), Dexterity (DEX-based)
Secondary Ability Scores – Constitution
Spellcasting Ability – Intelligence (For Eldritch Knight)
Armor Proficiencies – Light, Medium, Heavy, Shields
Weapons Proficiencies – Simple, Martial
Why the Fighter?
Fighters may seem like they’re primarily melee, but the best Halfling Fighters should pick up a bow or crossbow, taking up the role of Defender as a Stout Halfling because of their increased Dexterity (2) and Constitution (1).
But that doesn’t mean you can’t use melee weapons. All you have to do is go for Finesse weapons, the best being Rapiers, Daggers, or even Whips on certain occasions.
Recommended Subclasses
- Battle Master is a versatile choice for the Halfling, combining combat with tactical genius.
1. Rogue
Primary Ability Score – Dexterity
Secondary Ability Scores – Constitution, Intelligence (For Arcane Tricksters)
Armor Proficiencies – Light
Weapons Proficiencies – Simple, Shortswords, Rapiers, Longswords, Hand Crossbows
Why the Rogue?
Halflings were meant to become Rogues – thanks to The Hobbit – working well with almost any subrace and benefitting from the Halfling’s increased Dexterity (2).
The best options for stealthy Halfling Rogues would be the Lightfoot and Ghostwise subraces, both having decent traits to use when being stealthy.
The only difference is that the Ghostwise improves your Perception while the Lightfoot improves your social skills.
Recommended Subclasses
- Arcane Trickster for a stealthy spellcaster.
- Soulknife is for a psionic blade-wielding Gnome that pumps out damage.
Final Thoughts
The above-mentioned classes will give your Halfling the best chance of becoming a literal raid boss.
However, you still need to give your all and make sure that your Halfling gets exactly what he needs to become that powerful!