Halfling Character Kits (CBGH)

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Despite the fact that halflings are defined by their subrace and their character class, many players enjoy a little more distinction in their PCs. The halfling kits present a variety of different frameworks for playing a character of the small folk, each with its own strengths and weaknesses—but more importantly, each with a specific niche in his or her society.
Kits are optional—no halfling must follow one. They can be incorporated into characters already existing in a campaign, as long as the PC's background is consistent with the character type of the kit. However, a character who is assigned one kit can never exchange that kit for another.
The kits in this chapter are designed for halfling characters and should not be employed with PCs of other races. It should be noted that halflings can use many of the kits introduced in other rulebooks, including the Complete Fighter's Handbook, the Complete Thief's Handbook, the Complete Priest's Handbook, the Complete Psionics Handbook, and The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook. Indeed, one kit usable only by halflings, the Whistler, appears in The Complete Bard's Handbook.
Each of the four character classes available to halflings (fighter, thief, fighter/thief, and cleric) is given several kits. A character may only take a kit suited to his or her character class. All characters are limited to a single kit. Halflings may become clerics of up to 8th level, fighters of up to 9th level, thieves of up to 15th level, and fighter/thieves of up to 9th and 15th level, respectively. At the DM's option, exceptionally talented halflings (those with scores of 15 or above in their prime requisite) can exceed these maximums by up to 4 additional levels.
==Structure of the Kits==
Each kit begins with a general description of the character type, including any background requirements that might be necessary. Following this, additional information is organized into these categories:
Roads to Adventure: This category, unique to the halfling kits, suggests several reasons why the character might be motivated to do such a rash thing as leave his or her hearth and burrow for a life on the road.
Role: The specific functions of this character within halfling society and beyond.
Secondary Skills: In a campaign that uses the secondary skills rules from the AD&D- Second Edition game, taking a particular kit might require the character to take a specific secondary skill.
Weapon Proficiencies: The listed proficiencies must be among those taken by a halfling character at first level. Unless the entry specifically states otherwise, they do not increase the number of proficiencies available but must be taken out of the standard allotment of slots.
Bonus Nonweapon Proficiencies: A halfling character using a kit gains these proficiencies free—the PC is not required to spend a slot for any of them.
Recommended Nonweapon Proficiencies: These proficiencies are not required of the character, but they do match up well with the kit. They require normal nonweapon proficiency slots be expended for each one.
Thieving Skill Emphasis: (For thief and fighter/thief characters only.) The AD&D- Second Edition thief rules allow considerable flexibility in a character's selection of thieving abilities. A character may wish to specialize in the stealth-related skills such as Move Silently and Hide in Shadows if he or she is a spy or cat burglar. A thief who needs to survive on city streets might prefer improved scores in Pick Pockets and Open Locks. This entry lists appropriate skills for each kit. They are not mandatory, nor do they grant any bonuses or confer any penalties beyond what they would grant any thief character.
Equipment: Any special equipment needs of the character are detailed here.
Special Benefits: These are things a character can do (or protections he or she gains) because of the kit.
Special Hindrances: These are limitations placed upon the character by the kit.