lord of the rings rpg

LORD OF THE RINGS RPG

BASIC ROLE PLAY CROSSOVERRULES

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION1) Designer's Notes2) Notes for version 2.03) Sources4) Revision History5) Do List

2. CHARACTER GENERATION1) Character Generation Summary2) Concept3) Attributes

a) Strengthb) Constitutionc) Sized) Intelligencee) Powerf) Dexterityg) Charisma

4) Other Uses of Attributes5) Generating Attributes

a) Random Method (default)b) Pick Method (experimental, untested)c) Smart Enough?d) SIZ matters

6) Derived Characteristicsa) Luck Roll = POW x 5 %b) Idea Roll = INT x 5 %c) Essence = POW x 5% + racial modifiers if applicabled) Hit Points = Average of CON + SIZ (round fractions up)e) Major Wound Level = Half Hit Points (round fractions up)f) Damage Bonus based on STR and SIZg) Fatigue Pointsh) Couragei) Reputation

3. CHARACTER RACES1) Introduction2) Dwarves

a) Descriptionb) Racial Abilities – All Dwarvesc) Attributes

3) Elvesa) Descriptionb) Racial Abilities - All Elvesc) Noldor (High Elves)d) Sindar (Grey Elves)e) Silvan (Wood Elves)

4) Hobbitsa) Descriptionb) Racial Abilities - All Hobbitsc) Fallohides

d) Harfootse) Stoors

5) Mena) Descriptionb) Racial Abilities - All Menc) Western Numenorean Descendents (Dunedain of the North, Gondorian Nobility)d) Middle Peoplee) Men of Darkness (Haradrim, Easterlings)f) Wild Men (Lossoth, Woses, barbaric tribes of the East)g) Dark Numenoreans (Umbar, Southron and Easterling Nobility)h) Rohirrim

4. CHARACTER CLASSES1) Introduction2) Warrior3) Rogue4) Noble5) Sailor6) Artisan7) Merchant8) Barbarian9) Magician10) Sage11) Minstrel12) Ranger13) Bounder14) Shirriff

5. CUSTOMISING YOUR CHARACTER1) Characterisation

a) Nameb) Descriptionc) Behaviourd) Personal History e) Motivationf) Creating a Tolkien-esque Hero

2) Custom Pointsa) Limits to Advantages and Disadvantages

3) Increases to Existing Skills and Purchasing New Skills4) Advantages5) Disadvantages

6. SKILLS1) Skill Groups

a) Attack b) Parryc) Agilityd) Manipulatione) Perceptionf) Stealthg) Knowledgeh) Communicationi) Magical

j) Base Percentagesk) Example

2) Skills Lists By Groupa) Agility Skillsb) Manipulation Skillsc) Perception Skillsd) Stealth Skillse) Communication Skillsf) Knowledge Skillsg) Magic Skills

3) Skill Descriptions4) Agility Skills5) Manipulation Skills6) Perception Skills7) Stealth Skills8) Communication Skills9) Knowledge Skills

7. GAME SYSTEM1) Time and Movement

a) Time Scalesb) Daily Movementc) Scenario Movement

2) Using Skills: Success or Failurea) Automatic Actionsb) Simple Percentile Rollsc) Skill Versus Skill - Method Oned) Skill Versus Skill – Method Two (Experimental, untested)e) Resistance Table Rolls

3) Skill Modifiers (optional, experimental, untested)a) Craft skillsb) Stealth Skillsc) Terrain Effects on Stealthd) Terrain Effects on Perceptione) Terrain Definitionsf) Perception and Lightingg) Encumbrance (Agility Skills, Attack and Parry)h) Miscellaneous Modifiersi) Reputation and Social Skills

4) Skill Affinities (Experimental, untested)5) Levels of Success

a) Critical Successb) Special Successc) Normal Successd) Normal Failuree) The Mishapf) The Fumble

6) Experiencea) Learning From Experienceb) Effects of INT on Learning by Experiencec) Skill Trainingd) Lore Skills and Learninge) Increasing Attributesf) Treasure

g) The Cost of Failure7) Encumbrance (Experimental, Untested)

a) What is Encumbrance?8) Fatigue, Weariness and Sleep (Experimental, Untested)

a) Fatigue Pointsb) Fatigue Levelsc) Fatiguing Activitiesd) Fatigue Testse) Encumbrance and Fatiguef) Recovering Fatigue

9) Using Social Skillsa) Social Skillsb) Countering Social Skills

8. COMBAT1) Combat Sequence

a) Declaration of intent b) Initiativec) Resolve Actionsd) Movement of non-engaged characterse) Movement in Combat

f) Average Movement Rates in Combat2) Making Attacks

a) Attack Modifiers (Experimental, Untested)b) Called Shots

3) On Guard!a) Parriesb) Dodgingc) Armourd) Cover

4) Levels of Success in Combata) Criticalb) Specialc) Normal d) Failuree) Mishap Rollf) Fumble

5) Damage and Hit Pointsa) Damage Bonusb) Minor Woundsc) Major Woundsd) Gruesome Injuries (optional, experimental, untested)e) Fatalitiesf) Near Death (Optional, experimental, untested)

6) Injury and Healinga) Non-combat sources of injuryb) Fire Damagec) Asphyxiation - Drowning and Suffocationd) Falling or Being Throwne) Acidf) Poisonsg) Diseasesh) Healing

7) Combat Tactical Notes

a) Ambushesb) Weapon Masteryc) Helpless Enemyd) Unaware Enemye) Fortificationsf) Narrow Positionsg) Height Advantageh) Superior Numbers

8) Weapons Tables

9. MAGIC1) Magic in Middle-earth

a) Caveat2) The Magical Arts3) The Dark Arts4) Becoming a Magician5) Magical Ranks

a) Rank 0 INT + POW = 28: Petty Magicb) Rank 1 INT + POW = 32: Minor Magicc) Rank 2 INT + POW = 36: Major Magicd) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Magice) Rank 4 INT + POW = 44: Grand Magicf) Rank 5 INT + POW = 48: Arch Magic

6) The Magic Bonusa) The Importance of Powerb) The Importance of Intelligencec) The Importance of Dexterityd) The Importance of Charisma

7) Magicians in Combat8) The Magician's Staff (Experimental, Untested, Optional)9) How Magic Works

a) Magical Loresb) POW and Magical Levelsc) Magic May be Resisted or Unresistedd) Casting Magic is Tiring (Optional, Experimental, Untested)

10) Gaining New Magicsa) Mentoringb) Scholarly Researchc) Another Magiciand) Captured Spell Bookse) From Beyond

11) The Art of Sorcery12) Sorcery Rank-by-Rank

a) Rank 0 INT + POW = 28: Petty Sorceryb) Rank 1 INT + POW = 32: Minor Sorceryc) Rank 2 INT + POW = 36: Major Sorceryd) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Sorcerye) Rank 4 INT + POW = 44: Grand Sorceryf) Rank 5 INT + POW = 48: Arch Sorcery

13) Sorcery Mechanicsa) Sorcery in Combatb) Spell Casting Procedure

14) A Middle-earth Spell Booka) Spell Descriptions

b) Rank 0 Sorcery Spellsc) Rank 1 Sorcery Spellsd) Rank 2 Sorcery Spellse) Rank 3 Sorcery Spellsf) Rank 4 Sorcery Spellsg) Rank 5 Sorcery Spells

15) The Ritual Artsa) Time and Placeb) Raw Materialsc) Facilitiesd) Magical Groupse) Roleplaying a Ritualf) POW Costsg) Blood Sacrifice (absolutely optional, experimental and untested)

16) The Art of Enchantmenta) Time and Placeb) Raw Materialsc) Facilitiesd) Magical Groups

17) Enchantment Rank-by-Ranka) Rank 0 INT + POW = 28: Petty Enchantmentb) Rank 1 INT + POW = 32: Minor Enchantmentc) Rank 2 INT + POW = 36: Major Enchantmentd) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Enchantmente) Rank 4 INT + POW = 44: Arch Enchantmentf) Rank 5 INT + POW = 48: Mighty Enchantment

18) The Art of Alchemya) Time and Placeb) Raw Materialsc) Facilitiesd) Magical Groups

19) Alchemy Rank-by-Ranka) Rank 0 INT + POW = 28: Petty Alchemyb) Rank 1 INT + POW = 32: Minor Alchemyc) Rank 2 INT + POW = 36: Major Alchemyd) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Alchemye) Rank 4 INT + POW = 44: Grand Alchemyf) Rank 5 INT + POW = 48: Arch Alchemy

20) The Art of Wizardrya) Time and Placeb) Raw Materialsc) Facilitiesd) Magical Groups

21) Wizardry Rank-by-Ranka) Rank 0 INT + POW = 28: Petty Wizardryb) Rank 1 INT + POW = 32: Minor Wizardryc) Rank 2 INT + POW = 36: Major Wizardryd) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Wizardrye) Rank 4 INT + POW = 44: Grand Wizardryf) Rank 5 INT + POW = 48: Arch Wizardry

22) The Art of Necromancya) Time and Placeb) Raw Materialsc) Facilities

d) Magical Groups23) Necromancy Rank-by-Rank

a) Rank 0 INT + POW = 28: Petty Necromancyb) Rank 1 INT + POW = 32: Minor Necromancyc) Rank 2 INT + POW = 36: Major Necromancyd) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Necromancye) Rank 4 INT + POW = 44: Grand Necromancyf) Rank 5 INT + POW = 48: Arch Necromancy

10. MIDDLE-EARTH SPECIAL RULES1) Fate Points

a) What are Fate Points?b) Gaining Fate Points

2) Fear and Couragea) Courageb) Fearc) Fear and Intimidated) Fear: Perpetual or Instant

3) Corruption and the Eye of Saurona) Essenceb) Corrupting Influencesc) Increasing and Recovering Essenced) The Eye of Sauron (optional, experimental, untested)e) Becoming Corrupt

4) Reputationa) What is Reputation?b) Sample Reputation Awardsc) Reputation Modifiersd) Recognition Testse) Geographical Considerationsf) Reputation and Social Skills

11. WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT1) Money2) Personal Equipment3) Clothing4) Livestock5) Weapons Tables

a) Melee Weaponsb) Missile Weaponsc) Notes

6) Armour and Shieldsa) Shields

b) Armourc) Notes

12. BEASTS AND BEINGS1) Basic Foes

a) Orcs and Goblinsb) Uruk-Haic) Half-Orcsd) Trollse) Olog-Haif) Dunlendings

g) Bandits2) Basic Beasts

a) Forest Bearsb) Cave Bearsc) Crows (crebain)d) Wolvese) Dogsf) Horsesg) Oliphaunts or Mumakil (Elephants)

3) Basic Monstersa) Wargsb) Werewolvesc) Giant Spidersd) Barrow Wightse) The Walking Dead (optional)f) Ghostg) Ghoul (optional)i) Nature Spirits (optional)j) Elemental Spirits (optional)

1. INTRODUCTION

1) Designer's Notes

This project started as an attempt to adapt Decipher Inc's LOTR game to use BRP mechanics. Overtime it evolved and expanded.

The basic mechanics should be sound, as these are largely BRP-based with some additional rulesfrom Stormbringer 3rd Edition. This was the first BRP-based game I ran and, as such, is the versionI feel most comfortable with. SB3's influence is seen in the Skills System (the Agility,Manipulation, Communication, and so on skills groups), the Magic System (the Rank-basedorganisation of the various Magical Arts) and Combat.

Some rules have been added for future expansion. Initiative in combat is one example. I elected touse 1D10 + DEX modifier to determine Initiative, where the DEX modifier is the number of DEXpoints over 12 or under 9 (again an SB3 influence). The reason for this is I want, eventually, to turnthis system into a more generic rule-set and use it to run CyberPunk 2020, Shadowrun, and perhapseven Star Wars. With cyberware in this genre providing reflex boosts and initiative bonuses, I sawthe D10 + DEX modifier as a way of keeping initiative values down to manageable levels. Theserules are probably full of such little quirks.

One thing that is missing from this rule-set is any description of Middle-earth itself. Brighter mindsthan mine have done brilliant work in this respect and one can look for no better source ofinformation than Tolkein's original works.

Colin Brett,Cambridge, UKSeptember 2004

2) Notes for version 2.0

Following valuable feedback from members of the BRP mailing list (thanks guys) I have made anumber of revisions to the original (version 1.8 rules). These include, but are not limited to

● Changes to Major Wounds, Fumbles and Mishaps in combat● Lots of additional details on the Magical Arts● Additional Advantages and Disadvantages, re-pointing of some existing traits and assigning

limits to the numbers of traits which can be taken● New rules for The Eye of Sauron and the chance that a character can be spotted by the Dark Lord

himself

Colin Brett,Cambridge, UKNovember 2004

3) Sources

Many sources have been consulted both in books and on the Internet. Some reference sourcesinclude:

BRP Chaosium Basic Roleplaying SystemSB Stormbringer

WW Stormbringer White Wolf SupplementHM HawkmoonRQ RuneQuestCC Call of CthulhuLOTR Decipher Inc's Lord of the Rings RPGCP CyberPunk 2020WFRP Warhammer Fantasy RoleplayAD&D Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (probably 2nd Edition)

The major sources have been BRP itself, Stormbringer 3rd Edition, RuneQuest, Decipher Inc's Lordof the Rings Roleplaying Game, and of, course the works of Tolkein himself.

4) Revision History

Date Version Contents4.3.2003 1.0 Basic rules for character generation, orders, skills, magic, combat.

Equipment lists. Basic Foes and monsters.21.4.2003 1.1 Racial abilities, Courage, starting Languages and Lores. Tweaks to the

Craft and Lore skills. Minor additions to the Noble Order. Changed Damage Bonus table to the RuneQuest version. Added Skill vs. Skill rolls, Skill Training and Increasing Attributes.

27.4.2003 1.2 Added third Initiative method. Additional Beasts: Dogs and Bears.Learning Lore skills. Corruption rules. Mods to Races regarding Corruption. Update to Werewolf stats as per CC. Added Pick Method of character generation and cleaned up the other methods. Negotiate / Fast Talk / Oratory skills.

19.6.2003 1.3 Added Healing Skill, “scientific” Lores and Siegecraft. Near Death rules. Revised Courage rules. Fear. Will Power. Skill vs. Skill Alternative system. Skill Affinities. Skill Modifiers. Combat Attack Modifiers. Renown. Injury & Healing. Two-weapon Fighting and Ambidexterity.

2.10.2003 1.4 Traits – Edges and Flaws basic effects. Order Abilities – basic effects. Tweaks to the Memorise skill. More Magic Rules. Spell Grimoire.

19.3.2004 1.5 Tweaks to the Magic System.25.3.2004 1.6 Major revisions to Classes, Magic, Combat, Levels of Success and

Failure.20.8.2004 1.7 More work on the Magic System. Reputation. Fate Points.10.9.2004 1.8 Formatting. (Yet) more work on the Magic System. Table of Contents2.11.2004 1.9 Prerelease work for version 2.0. Magical Arts. Revised Combat charts12.11.2004 2.0 Posted to the Net

5) To Do List

The following tasks are outstanding.

● More Sorcery Spells● Work on Dwarven Rune Magic and how it differs from the Art of Enchantment● Converting from other game systems to BRP-LOTR● Middle-earth nationalities● Re-work the Pick Method of character creation● More monsters, including Balrogs, Dragons, the Ringwraiths, Fell Beasts

2. CHARACTER GENERATION

1) Character Generation Summary

1. Decide on a concept2. Choose the character's race, decide on a sex, name and physical description3. Generate the character's initial attributes4. Apply the appropriate racial modifiers to the initial attributes5. Work out the character's derived statistics6. Work out the character's bonuses for each Skill Group 7. Choose a class8. Choose between eight and ten of the listed class skills and assign 300 points over these skills9. Modify the skills chosen by adding any appropriate base percentages and Skill Group Bonuses10.Take (INT + DEX) x 5 extra points to personalise your character with extra skills, advantages

and disadvantages.

These points will be covered in greater detail in the pages that follow.

2) Concept

Decide upon a concept – the central vision – for your character. At this stage the concept should beas simple and direct as possible but perhaps include the real basic information, such as race, sex,homeland and profession. For example:

● A Hobbit blacksmith from a sleepy village in the Shire● A young Dunadan with ambitions to become a Ranger● A Wood Elf scout from the Woodland Realm in Mirkwood● A trader from Dale● A Dwarf craftsman from the Blue Mountains● A mysterious stranger from the East

Check with the GM which kind of hero would best fit the campaign in which you will be playing.That will give you an idea of the sort of character to make.

3) Attributes

We use the seven standard BRP attributes, namely: STRength, CONstitution, SIZe, INTelligence,POWer, DEXterity, and CHArisma. This system does not use the Call of Cthulhu EDUcationattribute. The seven attributes are described below.

a) Strength

This measures the muscle-power of the character. It is the natural ability to exert force, whetherpushing, pulling, carrying, breaking or hurting things in combat.

b) Constitution

The measure of the character's health, toughness, endurance and ability to resist tiredness, diseaseand poisons. CON is a very important factor in determining the character's Hit Points, as describedin the Derived Characteristics section.

c) Size

A compound measure of height and weight, reflecting the character's mass. This will be important ifsomething wants to lift your character, or if he or she needs to squeeze into a small space or cross afragile rope bridge, or even help determine who in an adventuring party is first attacked. SIZ, alongwith STR, is used to determine the character's Damage Bonus in combat, as discussed in theDerived Characteristics section.

The Size Chart below shows Size equivalents of traditional height and weight. The Height columnshows the character's height in inches: you are free to choose any height in the given range. TheWeight columns show the character's weight by body-frame type, usually dependent on thecharacter's race, for Light, Medium or Heavy body-frames. As with Height, you may choose anyWeight in the given range.

SIZ Height(inches)

Light Medium Heavy

1 0-12 0-10 0-15 0-20

2 13-24 11-20 15-30 21-40

3 25-36 21-30 30-45 40-60

4 37-42 31-40 46-60 61-80

5 43-48 41-50 61-75 81-100

6 49-54 51-60 76-90 101-120

7 55-60 61-70 91-105 121-140

8 61-62 71-80 106-120 141-160

9 63-64 81-90 121-135 161-180

10 65-66 91-100 136-150 181-200

11 67-68 101-110 151-165 201-220

12 69-70 111-120 166-180 221-240

13 71-72 121-130 181-195 241-260

14 73-74 131-140 196-210 261-280

15 75-76 141-150 211-225 281-300

16 77-78 151-160 226-240 301-320

17 79-80 161-170 241-255 321-340

18 81-82 171-180 256-270 341-360

19 83-84 181-190 271-285 361-380

20 85-86 191-200 286-300 381-400

21 87-88 201-210 301-315 401-420

22 89-90 211-220 316-330 421-440

23 91-92 221-230 331-345 441-460

24 93-94 231-240 346-360 461-480

25 95-96 241-250 361-375 481-500

Should you want to express your character's Height in centimetres, multiply your chosen Height in

inches by 2.5. To determine the character's Weight in kilogrammes, divide the chosen Weight inpounds by 2.2.

d) Intelligence

This is the ability to learn, memorise, form abstractions, solve problems and to plan future actions.It does not replace the intelligence of the player but can be used at times where a quick result to asituation is needed without the player having to puzzle out the answer.

INT is used to determine the character's Idea Roll, which is described more fully below.

e) Power

This is the character's basic ability to work magic and reflects, also, willpower and luck. POWresists spells cast at the character and provides the power to cast spells.

POW is used to determine the character's Luck Roll and Magic Points, both of which are describedmore fully below.

f) Dexterity

Agility, hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity and reflexes are all governed by the character'sDEX. In combat, the character with the highest DEX usually hits first, hopefully disabling hisopponent before being hit himself. Characters can dodge when they see something coming from adistance, such as a rolling rock or a charging bear, and concentrate on getting out of the way. Thecharacter's Dodge skill starts at DEX x 2%.

g) Charisma

This is a measure of leadership, charm and personality. It need not represent physical good looks,though there is often a high correlation. In some games, CHA is the least important stat. For role-playing in Middle-earth, CHA is very important, as it reflects the character's nobility and strength ofcharacter, and these are important qualities of the heroes who fight the Shadow.

4) Other Uses of Attributes

Other uses of these characteristics will be explained in chapters to come. In many odd situations notcovered in these rules it is possible to see one of the characteristics as being appropriatelyinfluential in a decision. Sometimes it may be a combination of characteristics, such as addingSIZ+STR+CHA when trying to bluff down the local bully to leave you alone. Situations will arisenot covered by the rules, and using characteristics in this way is usually the quickest and mostconvenient way to decide the results.

5) Generating Attributes

There are two methods for generating attributes.

a) Random Method (default)

This relies on knowing the character's Race before generating the attributes. Simply roll the diceassociated with the character's Race for each attribute and note down the results.

Some leeway may be allowed in the case of extremely poor rolls or rolls which place the character

outside the INT and SIZ guidelines discussed later.

b) Pick Method (experimental, untested)

In the Pick Method, a set of pre-defined scores are allotted to six of the seven primary Attributes:STR, DEX, CON, INT, POW and CHA. We ignore the SIZ Attribute until the end.

The Pick Method provides characters with the following assignable scores

15, 14, 11, 11, 8, 6

The player assigns these scores to STR, DEX, CON, INT, POW and CHA as desired. Then theplayer has a further 12 points to assign across these Attributes (again not including SIZ) as he seesfit. The player may not subtract points from one Attribute and add them to another. No Attributecan be more than 18 or less than 3 at this point.

Example of using the Pick Method

Based on the above, a Warrior is created by assigning the following scores to the STR, DEX, CON,INT, POW and CHA attributes

STR 15CON 14DEX 11INT 8POW 11CHA 6

Twelve extra points are then assigned as follows, giving the totals shown below:

STR 15 + 3 = 18CON 14 = 14DEX 11 + 3 = 14INT 8 + 2 = 10POW 11 = 11CHA 6 + 4 = 10

See the discussions of SIZ and INT below.

Attribute Modifiers and the Pick Method

Once the basic Attributes have been determined using the Pick Method, refer to the Character Racessection for additional modifiers peculiar to each race. These modifiers can adjust the Attributes toabove 18 or below 3.

c) Smart Enough?

For all Races, and for all methods of generating attributes, bear in mind that the minimum INTshould be 8. This makes for a character who is of passable intelligence for the game.

d) SIZ matters

SIZ is an important attribute in BRP-based games as it is a determinant in Hit Points and DamageBonus, and in situations where the character's size and body mass are critical factors (e.g. While

crossing shakey rope bridges or squeezing through gaps, and so on). How is SIZ to be determined inthis setting?

It is noted in the descriptions of the various races in LOTR that Dwarves are 4 to 5 feet tall andHobbits are in the range 2 to 4 feet. In most BRP-based games, the minimum SIZ rating for ahuman is 8. In LOTR, 'Elves stand as tall as Men - taller than some - though they are of slighterbuild and greater grace'. Some Elves reach 7' in height. We can, therefore, make the followingassumptions about the SIZ ratings of the various races.

● SIZ for Men must be a minimum of 8 (5' 1” to 5' 2” tall).● SIZ for Elves must be a minimum of 10 (5' 3” to 5' 4”).● SIZ for Dwarves should be in the range 5 to 7 (approximately 4' to 5'). ● SIZ for Hobbits should be in the range 3 to 5 (approximately 2' to 4').

Thus we can determine SIZ as follows

● Mannish characters may freely choose any SIZ in the range 9 to 12 (being the average range onthe roll of 3D6). For a random SIZ, Mannish characters should roll 2D6+6.

● Elven characters may freely choose any SIZ in the range 10 to 14. If a random SIZ is required,Elves should roll 2D6+8.

● For Dwarves, the player may choose any SIZ in the range 5, 6 or 7. If a random SIZ is required,roll 1D3+4.

● For Hobbits, the player may choose any SIZ in the range 3, 4 or 5. For a random SIZ, roll1D3+2.

6) Derived Characteristics

Derived characteristics are those which depend in some way upon the primary attributes generatedabove.

a) Luck Roll = POW x 5 %

Luck is the indefinable quality which allows a character to be in the right place at the right time or,perhaps more importantly, out of the wrong place. The Luck Roll can be used in situations where noother skill or attribute roll is appropriate. For example, a character is searching for a villain in acrowded market place. Skills like See and Search are not useful in this case, so a Luck Roll could beused to determine whether the character glimpses the villain. Luck can also be used to soften theblow, so to speak, of a failure with another skill. Suppose a character fails a Climb roll and falls. Inaddition to taking damage from the fall, will any of the character's equipment be broken? A LuckRoll can help determine this.

b) Idea Roll = INT x 5 %

A player may have to play a character who is ignorant of facts the player knows, and sometimes thereferee must give data to the player which the player's character normally would know but whichthe player doesn't, since she is unfamiliar with the game world. Thus a character sees troops withsilver and black surcoats over their armour. The player may not know the significance of this livery,but the referee has him make his Idea Roll die roll on D100. A roll of less than INT x 5% means thecharacter recognised these troops as being members of the Company of the Guard of the Citadel ofMinas Tirith in Gondor. Alternatively, an Idea Roll can be used in situations where the playerknows the answer but the character might not. Take, for instance, a Hobbit Artisan who has neverset foot outside the Shire. His player might know that the capital of Gondor is Minas Tirith butwould the character know (or even care)? An Idea Roll can be used to resolve this situation.

c) Essence = POW x 5% + racial modifiers if applicable

The Essence score (abbreviated ESS) measures the strength of the character's spirit, life force orsoul. (In some BRP-based games, this quality might be called Sanity or Humanity.) In Middle-earth, ESS is used to resist the corrupting effects of the forces of the Shadow. This is fully discussedin the Middle-earth Special Rules chapter.

d) Hit Points = Average of CON + SIZ (round fractions up)

Hit Points measure the physical state of the character. Wounds in combat and other sources ofinjury including diseases, poisons and falls, decrease the character's Hit Point total until they reachzero, at which the character is dead or near death. Hit Points are calculated as the average of CON +SIZ, with fractions rounded up. For example, with CON 10 and SIZ 13 the character has ((10 + 13)= 23 / 2 = 11.5), which rounds up to 12 Hit Points.

Hit Points, injury and death are described more fully in the Combat chapter.

e) Major Wound Level = Half Hit Points (round fractions up)

Should a character sustain damage equal to his Major Wound Level from a single blow in combat, asingle dose of poison, or a single fall, then the wound is particularly serious, perhaps a broken bone,an amputation or impalement. The character will be unable to fight on and suffers serious penaltieson other skills.

Major Wounds are discussed in more detail in the Combat chapter.

f) Damage Bonus based on STR and SIZ

The bigger and stronger a character is the harder he will be able to strike a blow in combat and themore powerful a bow he will be able to draw. Add the character's STR and SIZ and consult thetable below to determine the Damage Bonus.

STR + SIZ Damage Bonus

02 - 12 -1D4

13 - 24 No Bonus

25 - 32 +1D4

33 - 40 +1D6

41 - 56 +2D6

57 + additional 1D6 damage foreach additional increment of

16 or fraction thereof

When a hit is scored with a hand-held weapon, roll the damage for the weapon and the full modifiershown above. When using a thrown weapon or bow add half the damage bonus modifier.

More details on the Damage Bonus are given in the Combat chapter.

g) Fatigue Points

Fatigue Points (FP) represent a character's resistance to tiredness in the face of arduous activity,

combat, travel, work or attention to detail. Fatigue Points are calculated as the average of CON,STR and POW, reflecting physical stamina, muscle power and willpower needed to carry on whentired. Round fractions normally. For example, a character with STR of 12, CON of 13 and POW of10 would have Fatigue Points of (12 + 13 + 10 = 35 / 3 =) 11.66, which rounds up to 12.

More details on Fatigue are given in the Game System chapter.

h) Courage

Characters in LOTR are heroes struggling against the forces of the Enemy, Sauron, the Lord of theRings. One of the most potent weapons of the Enemy is Fear, the mind-crushing darkness that canleave a victim paralysed with terror, rob him of his will or cause him to flee in blind panic. Heroesare made of stern stuff, fortunately, and can resist this fear with pure hearts, nobility anddetermination. Courage is a ready means of determining the character's resistance to Fear. Tocalculate Courage, find the average of the character's STR, POW and CHA, rounding fractionsnormally.

More details on Fear and Courage are given in the Middle-earth Special Rules chapter.

i) Reputation

A character's Reputation score gives an indication of how well the character is known in the landsof Middle-earth. Even the most stay-at-home Hobbit has heard of Gandalf, for example, and inGondor, Boromir was regarded as a hero. Reputation measures this fame, or, if the character isvillainous, infamy.

Reputation must be earned, rather than simply awarded. A starting character will have a Reputationof zero – unless the GM decrees otherwise.

More details on Reputation are given in the Middle-earth Special Rules chapter.

3. CHARACTER RACES

1) Introduction

This section describes the races of Middle-earth. Brief histories and descriptions are given of all theraces but for more detailed information, it would be best to refer to Tolkien's original works.

2) Dwarves

a) Description

The histories of the Dwarves tell of the Seven Fathers, created at the dawn of the world. The SevenFathers founded seven Tribes, each with its own Mansion. In the histories of the Elves, however,onlt three are mentioned: Durin the Deathless, Father of the Longbeards, who created Khazad-Dum;Bighal, Father of the Firebeards who dwelt at Belegost in the Blue Mountains; and Telphor theCold, Father of the Broadbeams, who made Nogrod their home.

Dwarves are shorter and stockier than Men, standing between 4 and 5 feet in height with Mediumor Heavy Body Frames. (The player can choose which Body Frame or roll randomly on 1D6: a rollof 1 – 4 means Medium, a roll of 5 – 6 being Heavy.) They are strong and tough, unwearying inlabour or battle. Hair colours are generally dark with brown eyes but some Dwarves may havereddish hair. All male Dwarves sport long beards, often extravagantly spiked, forked or braided.There are few Dwarf women and these are jealously guarded in the Dwarves' mountain strongholds.

The Dwarf personality is generally stern, stubborn and proud. They rarely forget insults or wrongsand may bear a grudge for many, many years. They are not fond of Elves (there historically beingmuch bad blood between the two kindreds) but reserve most of their hatred for Trolls and Orcs. TheDwarves have suffered greatly at the hands of the latter but have repaid that suffering in full andmore. While often taciturn and grim, Dwarves are also great traders, having struck up mutuallyprofitable trade deals with all of the Free Peoples.

b) Racial Abilities – All Dwarves

Craftsmanship – All Dwarves start the game with 20% in two Craft skills of the player's choice.

Firestarting – Dwarves have a natural talent for starting fires and get +10% on Survival (TerrainType) when trying to start a fire.

Tireless – Dwarves can march long distances while carrying heavy loads and can still fight whenthey reach their destination. Accordingly, Dwarves ignore skill penalties for Light and Mediumencumbrance and halve the penalty for Heavy encumbrance. Further, they halve all penalties forFatigue.

Khuzdul – the secret language of the Dwarves, rarely taught to those of other races. All Dwarvesbegin the game with INT x 5% skill in Speak Khuzdul. Those Dwarves from literate classes (Noble,Sage, Merchant, Magician) begin the game with Read/Write Khuzdul at INT x 5%.

Long Life Span – Dwarves live approximately 250 years. Rarely, Dwarves reach 300 years.

Corruption – Dwarves were created when Middle-earth was dominated by Morgoth, the GreatEnemy and naturally resist the corrupting effects of Evil. They get +10% to starting Essence (ESS)for resisting corruption.

c) Attributes

Roll attributes as follows for all Dwarves.

STR 4D6

CON 3D6+2D4

SIZ 1D8 + 4

INT 3D6

POW 3D6

DEX 3D6

CHA 3D6

Attribute Modifiers for the Pick Method

STR + 3 ; CON + 5

3) Elves

a) Description

The Elves are the most ancient race in Middle-earth, the Firstborn Children of Iluvatar whoawakened by the shores of Cuivienen when the world was young and illuminated only by starlight,there being no Sun or Moon in those far off days. The Elves called themselves the Quendi, theSpeaking Peoples.

Early in their history the Elven race was fragmented with some members of the race departing overthe great Sea to dwell with the Valar. But this journey was long and some of the Elves who beganthe journey never finished it, and decided to remain in Middle-earth. Other Elves, fearing the Valar,did not undertake the journey at all. A further group of Elves completed the journey to Valinor onlyto return in later centuries.

In Ancient times the Elves who set out on the Journey to Valinor became known as the Eldar, andthey belonged to three Kindreds: the Vanyar, the Noldor and the Teleri. Of these, the Vanyarcompleted the journey and remained forever in Valinor. The Noldor remained for a time but cameback to Middle-earth swearing vengeance on Melkor (known as Morgoth, the Great Enemy) for thetheft of the Silmarils. The Teleri did not complete the Journey and instead remained in Middle-earth, becoming the Grey Elves, or Sindar. Those Elves who did not begin the journey were knownas the Avari (The Unwilling) and dwelt in Middle-earth's vast forests, becoming the Silvan Elves.

In appearance, Elves are tall, standing at least as tall as a Man and often taller. Some reach sevenfeet in height. They are graceful and slender, having a Light Body Frame, and are possessed ofgreat beauty. A brief note on the appearance of the three main Kindreds (Noldor, Sindar, Silvan) isgiven with each Kin's description.

b) Racial Abilities - All Elves

Immortal – Elves are immune to the effects of aging and cannot die of old age. They can, however,die by violence, poisons or be stricken by great grief. Elves who meet their end in this way arereincarnated in the Halls of Mandos, to await the end of the world. Elves are also immune to normaldiseases but magical afflictions (such as the Black Breath of the Nazgul or wounds from a Morgul

Blade) will affect them.

Sharp Eyed – All Elves have acute vision and have +20% See skill. Further, as appropriate for arace who lived under starlight, Elves half the penalties for insufficient light.

Nimble – Elves are lithe and quick, having +20% Acrobatics skill.

Elven Sleep – Elves do not require sleep as Men, Dwarves and Hobbits do. By slipping into a formof restful meditation and allowing their minds to 'wander the strange paths of Elven dreams' theyrecover lost fatigue points as the other races do. One hour of this Elven Sleep is as good as eighthours sleep for a Man, restoring all lost Fatigue Points.

Languages and Writing – As befits the Speaking People, Elves begin with some skill in speakingthe languages of other races, and may also write them if they have a written form.

Leaving Middle-earth – The time of the Elves is passing and they are leaving the shores of Middle-earth, seeking the Straight Road to Elvenhome. The days of their great deeds are drawing to a close.The races of Men are in the ascendent. Elves receive only two Fate Points at the start of the gamereflecting the fact that their time is almost at an end.

c) Noldor (High Elves)

In appearance, Noldorin Elves tend to have grey or blue eyes and black hair, though one family lineof the Noldor has golden blond hair.

Roll attributes as follows

STR 3D6

CON 3D6

SIZ 3D6 + 3

INT 3D6 + 1D10

POW 5D6

DEX 3D6 + 1D4

CHA 3D6 + 2D4

Attribute Bonuses for the Pick Method

SIZ + 3; DEX +2; INT + 5; POW + 7; CHA + 5

Noldor Elves are very powerful and they should be handled with care (or banned outright) as PCs.

Noldor Racial Abilities

Noldorin Elves receive the following extra abilities over and above those described above as beingcommon to all Elves.

Noldorin Lore – Noldorin Elves are accounted the greatest craftsmen and scholars in Middle-earth.This gives the Elf 100 percentage points to distribute freely amongst any Lores or Craft skills (oftensilversmith, goldsmith, armoursmith, jewelsmith, weaponsmith).

Languages – Quenya (High Elven, INT x 5%), Sindarin (INT x 5%), Silvan (INT x 4%), Westron

(INT x 4%). The Elf may write these languages with the same percentage skill.

Corruption – Noldor Elves get +20% to starting Essence for resisting corruption.

d) Sindar (Grey Elves)

The Sindar Elves have blue, green or grey eyes and honey blond hair.


STR 3D6

CON 3D6

SIZ 3D6 + 1

INT 3D6

POW 4D6

DEX 4D6

CHA 3D6 + 1D4


SIZ + 1; POW + 3; DEX + 3; CHA + 2

Sindar Racial Abilities

Sindarin Elves receive the following extra abilities over and above those described above as beingcommon to all Elves.

Musical Gifts – Sindarin Elves are accounted great musicians. They receive one Play Instrumentskill (for an instrument of the player's choice) at 50% plus Manipulation bonus.

Languages – Sindarin (INT x 5%), Quenya (High Elven, INT x 4%), Silvan (INT x 4%), Westron(INT x 4%). The Elf may write these languages with the same percentage skill.

Corruption – Sindar Elves get +10% to starting Essence for resisting corruption.

e) Silvan (Wood Elves)

Silvan Elves are slightly less powerful and “grand” than Sindar Elves. The Silvan Elves have browneyes and fair hair.


STR 3D6

CON 3D6

SIZ 3D6

INT 3D6

POW 3D6 + 1D4

DEX 4D6

CHA 3D6 + 1D4


POW + 2; DEX + 3; CHA + 2

Silvan Racial Abilities

Silvan Elves receive the following extra abilities over and above those described above as beingcommon to all Elves.

Woodsy – Silvan Elves receive a +10% bonus on the following skills: Survival (Woodland), Track,Weather Sense.

Languages – Silvan (INT x 5%), Sindarin (INT x 4%), Quenya (High Elven, INT x 3%), Westron(INT x 3%). The Elf may write these languages with the same percentage skill.

Corruption – Sindar Elves get +10% to starting Essence for resisting corruption.

4) Hobbits

a) Description

In general Hobbits stand 2 to 4 feet tall. Their Body Frames are Medium or Heavy (player choice orrandomly roll 1D6: 1 – 4 = Medium; 5 – 6 = Heavy). They have curly dark hair on their heads andon the tops of their leathery-soled feet. Only after the events described in The Lord of the Rings doHobbits have blond hair.

There are three Hobbit breeds: the Harfoots, the Stoors and the Fallohides. The nimble-fingeredHarfoots, the most common of Hobbit-kind, prefer highlands and hillsides and even the company ofDwarves, and are smaller, shorter and browner of skin than their cousins. The Stoors, broader andheavier in build with larger hands and feet, prefer river-banks and flat lands. Less shy of Men thantheir cousins, Stoors have even been known to grow downy beards. The Fallohides are the leastnumerous of Hobbit-kind. Taller, slimmer and fairer of skin and hair than other Hobbits, they aremore friendly with Elves and had more skill with languages and song than handicrafts.

Hobbits love their food and will happily consume six meals a day if they can get them. They arenot, as a rule, fond of water, boats or swimming. Only Hobbits with a strong Stoorish nature (thosefrom Buckland and the Marish, for example) have some skill with water-craft.

b) Racial Abilities - All Hobbits

Six Meals a Day – Hobbits start with the Craft (Cooking) skill at 25% + Manipulation bonus.

Stealthy – Hobbits have the ability to 'disappear' when Big Folk come blundering along. This is not

a magical ability, but it may seem so to those trying to spot them. Hobbits get a +20% bonus ontheir Hide and Move Quietly skills. Further, anyone trying to track a Hobbit gets a -10% penalty ontheir Track skill.

Life Span – Hobbits often live 80 or more years. Some reach 100 and may be regarded as 'wellpreserved'.

Sure at the Mark – Hobbits get a +10% bonus to their Throw/Catch skill, and +10% to their Attackskills with Shortbow and Sling.

Corruption – Hobbits are surprisingly tough-minded and add +10% to their starting Essence forresisting Corruption.

c) Fallohides


STR 2D6

CON 3D6

SIZ 1D3 + 3

INT 3D6 + 1D4

POW 3D6

DEX 3D6 + 1D4

CHA 3D6


INT + 2; DEX +2

d) Harfoots


STR 2D6

CON 3D6

SIZ 1D3 + 3

INT 3D6

POW 3D6

DEX 3D6 + 2D4

CHA 3D6 - 1D4


DEX + 4; CHA - 2

e) Stoors


STR 2D6

CON 3D6

SIZ 1D3 + 3

INT 3D6

POW 3D6

DEX 3D6 + 2D4

CHA 3D6 - 1D4


DEX + 4; CHA – 2

5) Men

a) Description

The vast run of Men – called the Middle Peoples – can fit any physical description, having a widerange of hair and eye colours, skin tones and Body Frames. This reflects the intermarriage andmixed heritage of many of the Men of Middle-earth. The Middle Peoples are found all over Middle-earth, from Bree in the North, throughout Eriador and Wilderland, in the Vales of Anduin, under theeaves of Mirkwood, to Dale and the shores of the Sea of Rhun in the East. The player is generallyfree to choose any of these factors for these characters. In special cases, the player may like tofollow the general appearances for other Mannish types set out below.

The Dunedain (singular Dunadan), descendents of the Numenorean Kings in Exile of the Northernkingdom of Arnor, have dark hair and blue or grey eyes. Gondorian families who have retained apure blood-line also share this appearance, as befits their Numenorean ancestry.

The Rohirrim, the Horse Lords of Rohan, have blond hair and blue or grey eyes.

Wild Men are of barbaric heritage. These include the Woses of Druadan Forest and the LossothTribes of the far North. Generally, these men are short and squat with dark hair and eyes.

Men of Darkness, those Men who dwell in the South and East of Middle-earth and are followers ofSauron, have dark hair and eyes and swarthy or black skin. This includes the Haradrim tribes andEasterling warriors who fought in the War of the Ring.

Dark Numenoreans, descendents of Men who were defeated in a bloody civil war in Gondor andwho fled south, have dark hair and eyes. They are counted as nobles and leaders in their countrieswhere they have maintained pure blood-lines, rather than mingling with the Southrons andEasterlings over whom they rule. Dark Numenoreans harbour a bitter hatred of Gondor and theWest.

b) Racial Abilities - All Men

The Gift of Men – Elves are bound to the fate of Middle-earth until the end of all things. Men,however, have been gifted with an immortal soul which passes on to an afterlife when the bodydies. Where this afterlife is and what it is like is a mystery to all.

Life Span – Men live the traditional three score and ten years (i.e. 70 years). This applies mainly tothe Middle Peoples, Wild Men and Men of Darkness. The Numenoreans lived considerably longerand their descendents (the Dunedain, Gondorians and even Dark Numenoreans) retain this heritage,sometimes living to the age of 200.

Fast Learners – Men are bound to age and die within a fairly short span of years (when compared toElves and Dwarves, at least). Thus, Men are driven to make the best of their lot as quickly aspossible. When created, Mannish characters choose their eight to ten Class Skills and allot 300points among them. These skills improve at 1D10% per skill check. Further, a Mannish charactermay choose any three more skills to improve at the D10% rate, rather than the 1D6% for other non-class skills. (See the Character Classes and Game System chapters for more details.)

Dominion of Man – The Fate of Middle-earth is in the hands (and balanced on the sword-blades) ofMen. The times of their great deeds are beginning. To reflect this, Men receive an extra Fate Point(i.e. 4, rather than 3) when starting the game.

c) Western Numenorean Descendents (Dunedain of the North, Gondorian Nobility)


STR 3D6

CON 3D6

SIZ 3D6

INT 4D6

POW 4D6

DEX 3D6

CHA 4D6


INT +3; POW +3; CHA +3

Racial Abilities

Numenorean Descendents receive the following extra abilities over and above those describedabove as being common to all Men.

Perceptive – It is said that certain Dunedain and Gondorians can see into the hearts of Men anddivine their purpose. Thus, these people get +10% on their Insight skill when used on other Men.The bonus does not apply when using Insight on other races.

Learned – These people have the wit to learn much in their long lives. The player may choose anyone Lore or Language skill at 20% when the character is created.

Corruption – Dunedain and Gondorian Noble families get +10% to starting Essence for resistingcorruption.

d) Middle People

Technically, the Middle Peoples should have no adjustments, as these are the base from which allothers are derived. However, roll attributes as follows:

STR 3D6 + 1D4

CON 3D6 + 1D4

SIZ 3D6

INT 3D6

POW 3D6

DEX 3D6

CHA 3D6


+4 points distributed as the player sees fit, reflecting the mixed heritage of these people.

Racial Abilities

The Middle Peoples receive the following extra abilities over and above those described above asbeing common to all Men.

Corruption – The Middle Peoples get no bonus to starting Essence for resisting corruption.

e) Men of Darkness (Haradrim, Easterlings)


STR 3D6 + 1D4

CON 3D6

SIZ 3D6

INT 3D6 - 1D4

POW 3D6

DEX 3D6 + 1D4

CHA 3D6


STR + 2; DEX + 2; INT – 2

Racial Abilities

Men of Darkness receive the following extra abilities over and above those described above asbeing common to all Men.

Corruption – Men of Darkness, many of whom are already under the sway of the Enemy, get a-10% penalty to starting Essence for resisting corruption.

f) Wild Men (Lossoth, Woses, barbaric tribes of the East)


STR 4D6

CON 4D6

SIZ 3D6 -1 (*)

INT 3D6

POW 3D6

DEX 3D6 + 1D4

CHA 3D6 – 1D4


STR + 3; CON + 3; DEX +2; CHA – 2; SIZ – 1 (*)

* Subtract 1 from SIZ if it's 10 or more.

Racial Abilities

Wild Men receive the following extra abilities over and above those described above as beingcommon to all Men.

Corruption – Wild Men get no adjustment to starting Essence for resisting corruption.

Survival Bonuses – Wild Men get +10% to their starting Survival, Track and Weather Sense skills.Furthermore, when in the wild lands, they also gain +10% to Move Quietly, Ambush and Hideskills, but this bonus is lost in any built up area.

g) Dark Numenoreans (Umbar, Southron and Easterling Nobility)


STR 3D6

CON 3D6

SIZ 3D6

INT 3D6 + 1D4

POW 3D6 + 1D4

DEX 3D6

CHA 3D6 + 1D4


INT + 1; POW + 1 ; CHA + 2

Racial Abilities

Dark Numenoreans receive the following extra abilities over and above those described above asbeing common to all Men.

Corruption – Though under the sway of the Enemy, the overbearing arrogance of these Men means

they have no penalty (or bonus) to their starting Essence for resisting Corruption.

h) Rohirrim


STR 3D6 + 1D4

CON 3D6

SIZ 3D6

INT 3D6

POW 3D6

DEX 3D6 + 1D4

CHA 3D6


STR + 2 ; DEX + 2

Racial Abilities

Rohirrim receive the following extra abilities over and above those described above as beingcommon to all Men.

Born to the Saddle – Rohirrim start with Ride skill at 40% + Agility Bonus.

4. CHARACTER CLASSES

1) Introduction

The class is the job or profession the character had before beginning his life as an adventurer. Itprovides the character with a number of skills and advantages. Classes are designed to be flexible.Examples are provided for each but these are by no means hard and fast.

1. Choose your Class.2. Choose between eight and ten of the listed Class Skills. These chosen skills will improve at a

rate of 1D10% per successful skill check; other skills improve at just 1D6%.3. Divide 300 points over these skills, then add in appropriate Base Chances and Skill Group

bonuses.4. Indicate your chosen Class Skills on the character sheet in some way (e.g. with an asterisk, by

underlining or by writing in a different colour).5. Begin customising your character as described in the Customising chapter.

2) Warrior

Restrictions NoneStart Cash 1D6 Silver PiecesClass Skills Weapon Attack, Weapon Parry, Ride, Throw, Dodge, Warcraft, Survival, Games,Intimidate, First Aid, Ambush, Craft (e.g. Armoursmith, Weaponsmith, Blacksmith), See, Listen,Search, Brawl, WrestleDescriptionTrue warriors are trained from childhood by other warriors in the arts of war. Such characters,brave and doughty individuals who fight on behalf of a lord or kingdom against great foes, are farand away the most common of all the types of adventurers found in Middle-earth. From thehorsemen of the Rohirrim, to the axe-wielding Dwarves, to the hoards of Easterlings and Orcs whoserve the Dark Lord, warriors participate in all the great events of the world.

Warriors are well suited to almost any type of adventure, though their skills lead them towardsdeeds and quests of a martial nature. Adventures by definition involve danger and (usually) foes,and warriors know how to cope with all types of threats and enemies. Warriors often get along wellwith all other types of characters though may have little patience with the sneakier rogues andcerebral magicians and sages.

Notes1. Warriors are trained for battle. When initially created, the points assigned to Weapon Attack

skills also apply to the Parry skill with that weapon, if appropriate. Thereafter, the Attack andParry skills develop separately. The character must have the STR and DEX required for anyweapons chosen.

2. Warriors are trained to wear armour properly, rather than wear a chainmail vest like anespecially thick shirt. Therefore, Warriors ignore the weight of their armour when calculatingencumbrance and associated skill penalties.

3. Warriors begin the game with their chosen weapons and armour.

Example Warrior, 300 points, 8 Class Skills

Points Base Bonus

First Weapon Attack & Parry 50 0% Attack/Parry

Second Weapon Attack & Parry 40 0% Attack/Parry

Third Weapon Attack & Parry 30 0% Attack/Parry

Ride 40 0% Agility

Throw/Catch 40 25% Agility

Dodge 30 0% Agility

Warcraft 35 0% Knowledge

Survival (Terrain type of player's choice) 35 0% Knowledge

3) Rogue

Restrictions NoneStart Cash 1D4 Silver PiecesClass Skills Weapon Attack, Weapon Parry, Set/Disarm Trap, Move Quietly, Hide, Filch,Appraise, Conceal Object, Fast Talk, Games, Disguise, Sleight of Hand, See, Listen, Search, Climb,DodgeDescriptionRogues are those who, through natural inclination or circumstances, find themselves living(sometimes even thriving) on their wits. Often scorned or shunned by more respectable members ofsociety, rogues have skills other classes would never dream of using, skills which may save thelives of the warriors and magicians who look down on them.

Whether you call yourself a burglar, spy, 'expert treasure hunter', scout or ruffian every day in yourlife is an adventure waiting to happen.

Notes1. The Rogue begins the game with a weapon of choice for which the character must have the

correct STR and DEX.

Example Rogue, 300 points, 8 Class Skills

Points Base Bonus

Weapon Attack 40 Attack

Weapon Parry 40 Parry

Set/Disarm Trap 40 Manipulation

Move Quietly 40 10% Stealth

Hide 40 10% Stealth

Filch 40 Stealth

Appraise 30 Knowledge

Conceal Object 30 Stealth

4) Noble

Restrictions NoneStart Cash 1D6 + 3 Silver Pieces; one item of jewellery worth 2D10 SPClass Skills Weapon Attack, Weapon Parry, Intimidate, Lore (player's choice), Persuade, Language(player's choice), Insight, Oratory, Appraise, Games, Memorise, Warcraft, Track, Play InstrumentDescriptionThroughout the lands and realms of Middle-earth every people has those among it who holdpositions of authority, leadership or respect. Such individuals are known as nobles, though they mayclaim no title or peerage.

In Gondor, nobles are born to their positions of privilege and they hold them according to ancientlaws and traditions which they dare not break. In other lands nobles may be chosen by the people,or rise to prominence through wealth, heroism or natural qualities of leadership. In the Shire, noblesbelong to a landed gentry whose property and wealth set them apart from other Hobbits who mustwork for a living.

Notes1. Nobles are a literate class. When initially created, the points assigned to speaking a Language are

also applied to the Read/Write skill for that language. Thereafter, the Speak and Read/Writeskills in that language develop separately.

2. Nobles often have time on their hands and this gives them time to learn many other skills. If thenoble's INT is 13 or higher, roll 1D3 and choose that many extra skills. These may be any theplayer wishes. They have a starting skill percentage of 5D10% plus any appropriate BaseChances and Skill Group bonuses.

3. Nobles start the game with their weapons and armour of choice, a suit of fine clothing and adecent riding horse (not a warhorse).

Example Noble, 300 points, 8 Class Skills

Points Base Bonus



Oratory 30 Communication

Ride 30 Agility

Lore (player's choice) 40 Knowledge

Language (Speak and Read/Write player's choice) 30 Comm / Know

Persuade 40 10% Communication

Insight 40 10% Perception

5) Sailor

Restrictions Hobbits and Dwarves may not start the game as SailorsStart Cash 1D6 Silver PiecesClass Skills Weapon Attack, Weapon Parry, Swim, Climb, Rope Use, Acrobatics, Boating,Weather Sense, Navigate, Shiphandling, Survival (Oceans), Sing, Craft (e.g. Carpenter), See,GamesDescriptionA strong and proud maritime tradition runs throughout Middle-earth. The graceful Elven ships

moored at the Grey Havens, the black ships of the Corsairs of Umbar, the ancient Numenoreanmariners, the ships and boats that ply Anduin the Great River are all crewed by Sailors upholdingthis tradition.

Notes1. When aboard ship, increase the character's Climb and Acrobatics skills by 30%.

Example Sailor, 250 points, 8 Class Skills

Points Base Bonus



Swim 50 Agility

Climb 30 25% Agility

Rope Use 35 Manipulation

Acrobatics 35 Agility

Boating 45 Manipulation

Weather Sense 45 Perception

6) Artisan

Restrictions NoneStart Cash 1D6 Silver PiecesClass Skills Craft (Any), Appraise, Persuade, Lore (Any), Teamster, Make Map, Dodge, Games,Memorise, See, Taste, Search, Read/Write, Related Skills as described belowDescriptionArtisans include all the skilled trades such as weaving, cobbling, smithing, potting and so on. Seethe Craft skill for a short list of common crafts.

Artisans who attain a 90% rating in their Craft skill(s) will be masters of the craft and may instructothers in that craft for payment. They may charge whatever the market will bear for such services.Even masters, however, may only impart a 10% increase to any one character.

Notes1. When appraising work for which the Artisan has a relevant Craft skill, add 30% to the Appraise

skill.2. Related Skills are chosen by the player in conjunction with the GM. In general these skills

should relate to the Artisan's Craft skills. For examplei. A Rope Maker could have Rope Use as a Related Skill.ii. A Glass Maker might have Lore Chemistry, governing knowledge of how to colour glassware

as a Related Skill.iii.A Gardener may have Lore Plants as a Related Skill.iv. A Weaponsmith could logically take a Weapon Attack as a Related Skill.

Example Artisan, 300 points, 8 Class Skills

Points Base Bonus

Primary Craft Skill (Blacksmith) 60 Manipulation

Secondary Craft Skill (Deviser) 40 Manipulation

Lore Metallurgy (as Related Skill 1) 30 Knowledge

Set/Disarm Trap (as Related Skill 2) 30 Manipulation



Read/Write (character's native language) 30 Knowledge


7) Merchant

Restrictions NoneStart Cash 1D6 + 1 Silver PiecesClass Skills Persuade, Insight, Appraise, Language (any), Lore (any), Teamster, Fast Talk, Sleightof Hand, Memorise, Make Map, See, Boating, Ride, Craft (player's choice), Conceal Object,OratoryDescriptionIn LOTR, the pursuit of wealth for its own sake is not the driving force of the game. Merchants,therefore, may be a little out of place in such a campaign. However, all races trade with one anotherand merchants will be involved in such activities.

Notes1. Merchants are a literate class. When initially created, the points assigned to speaking a Language

are also applied to the Read/Write skill in that language. Thereafter, the Speak and Read/Writeskills in that language develop separately.

Example Merchant, 300 points, 8 Class Skills

Points Base Bonus





Ride 20 Agility



Craft (player's choice) 20 Manipulation

8) Barbarian

Restrictions Mannish races only (usually Middle, Men of Darkness and Wild Men)Start Cash Money has little meaning to Barbarians. Assume 1D4 Silver Pieces worth of barterablegoods like furs, rare plants, rough-hewn jewelery.Class Skills Weapon Attack, Weapon Parry, Bow Attack, Set/Disarm Trap, Hide, Craft (e.g.

Blacksmith) Weather Sense, Survival (terrain type of player's choice), Track, Move Quietly, Lore(e.g. Tribal, Plant, Poison, Animal), Mimicry, See, Search, ListenDescriptionBarbarians are warriors of the wild peoples, fierce defenders of their lands and tribes. Usuallylacking in the heavy armour of the Knights of Gondor or the swift horses of the Rohirrim, theynevertheless craft from the things of their own lands weapons and tools for their survival.

Notes1. Barbarians are illiterate. They may not start the game with Read/Write skill in any Languages.

Example Barbarian, 300 points, 8 Class Skills

Points Base Bonus



Bow Attack 50 Attack


Hide 40 10% Stealth

Craft (Blacksmith) 30 Manipulation


Survival (terrain type of player's choice) 30 Knowledge

9) Magician

Restrictions Magicians are rare in Middle-earth and should remain so in the game. Magicians musthave a minimum total INT + POW of 28. Hobbits have never practiced magic of any type so maynot be magiciansStart Cash 1D6 Silver PiecesClass Skills Cast Sorcery Spell, Enchantment Ritual, Alchemy Ritual, Wizardry Ritual,Necromancy Ritual, Memorise, Lore (Any), Language (Any), Insight, Persuade, First Aid, Sleightof Hand, Craft (e.g. Goldsmith, Silversmith, Jewelsmith), Oratory, Appraise, HealingDescriptionMagicians are those able to call upon or control the subtle magic of the world at will. They cancreate fire, shatter objects, lock doors and display many other powers. Common folk generally shunor avoid them, regarding them as odd or even dangerous.

Magicians in Middle-earth are uncommon. Some, the most dangerous, serve the Shadow. TheExample Magician shown below knows some Sorcery. Check with the GM before assigning anyCeremonial Magic skills. See the Magic chapter for full details.

Notes1. Magicians must have a minimum INT + POW of 28 to be able to cast even the simplest spells.2. Magicians are a literate class. When initially created, the points assigned to speaking a Language

are also applied to the Read/Write skill in that language. Thereafter, the Speak and Read/Writeskills in that language develop separately.

Example Magician, 300 points, 8 Class Skills

Points Base Bonus

Cast Sorcery Spell (player's choice) 50 Magic



Memorise 50 Knowledge





10) Sage

Restrictions NoneStart Cash 1D6 Silver PiecesClass Skills Lore (Any), Language (Any), Memorise, Persuade, First Aid, Healing, Insight, Craft,Oratory, Games, AppraiseDescriptionThese characters are learned and wise, storehouses of knowledge, masters of diverse fields of study:languages, history, realms, heraldry, geography, law and many more.

In Middle-earth, much knowledge has been lost to disaster, warfare and the depredations ofdragons. Sages collect, maintain, organise, and pass on that which is left. Often they travel manyleagues to visit other scholars and share their knowledge. Such journeys are perilous and thus Sagesmay inadvertently find themselves on adventures.

Notes1. Sages are a literate class. When initially created, the points assigned to speaking a Language are

also applied to the Read/Write skill in that language. Thereafter, the Speak and Read/Write skillsin that language develop separately.

Example Sage, 300 points, 8 Class Skills

Points Base Bonus








Craft (player's choice) 30 Manipulation

11) Minstrel

Restrictions NoneStart Cash 1D6 Silver PiecesClass Skills Play Instrument, Sing, Persuade, Lore (e.g. History, Realm, People), Oratory, WeaponAttack, Weapon Parry, Juggle, Sleight of Hand, Acrobatics, See, Insight, Games, Fast Talk, BrawlDescriptionBards, poets, singers, musicians, tribal skalds: all are Minstrels of one sort or another. Theirsocieties give them different names but their role is always the same: to entertain and sometimesinform their audiences. In addition to singing and making music, they may have other skills of thestreet entertainer variety.

Notes1. Minstrels begin the game with one musical instrument of the player's choice, and relevant tools

of the trade depending on which Class Skills the player chooses (e.g. A pair of dice if thecharacter has Games; a set of juggling balls if the character has Juggle; and so on).

Example Minstrel, 300 points, 8 Class Skills

Points Base Bonus

Play Instrument (player's choice) 50 Manipulation

Play Instrument (player's choice) 40 Manipulation

Sing 40 Communication



Games 40 Knowledge

Juggle 30 Manipulation


12) Ranger

Restrictions Generally Numenorean Descendents only (Dunadan of the North, Gondorian nobles ofpure family lines).Start Cash 1D6 Silver PiecesClass Skills Weapon Attack, Weapon Parry, Ride, Move Quietly, Track, Survival, Insight, FirstAid, Hide, Climb, Swim, Read/Write, See, Listen, Search, Weather Sense, Lore (e.g. Plants,Animals)DescriptionRangers are inhabitants of the Wild Lands – but that does not mean they are Wild Men norBarbarians. Indeed, many Rangers are of ancient noble bloodlines, descendents of the Dunedain ofthe Lost Kingdom of Arnor. Many such Rangers claim no title, lands or birthright, but something intheir manner or demeanour marks them as special. Lesser Men may fear the Rangers, living as theydo in the Wilds, but there is no doubt that travellers in dangerous lands, the inhabitants of Bree-landand Eriador, even as far south as Ithilien owe a debt to Rangers.

Elves or Elven descendents (Elladan and Elrohir, sons of Elrond, for example). Wood Elves ofMirkwood are also eligible for this class, though perhaps they should be termed Scouts, Notes1. Rangers begin the game with their weapons of choice, a quiver of arrows if they choose a bow as

a weapon skill, and a suit of well-worn travel clothes.2. Elves or Elven descendents (Elladan and Elrohir, sons of Elrond, for example) may also be

termed Rangers. Wood Elves of Mirkwood are also eligible for this class, though perhaps theyshould be referred to as Scouts, Forest Guardians or some such.

Example Ranger, 300 points, 8 Class Skills

Points Base Bonus



Missile Weapon Attack 40 Attack

Track 40 Perception

Survival (environment of player's choice) 40 Knowledge



Ride 30 Agility

13) Bounder

Restrictions Hobbits onlyStart Cash 1D6 Silver PiecesClass Skills Weapon Attack, Weapon Parry, Track, Lore (Shire, Hobbits), Survival, Hide, MoveQuietly, Weather Sense, Set/Disarm Trap, Mimicry, Craft (any within reason), Games, Acrobatics,Throw/CatchDescriptionThe Bounders are Hobbit border guards. They are a force of volunteers, employed to watch theboundaries of the Shire and prevent undesirables entering the land. This job often appeals toyounger, more adventurous Hobbits, who are curious about the lands outside the sleepy Shirevillages. In some ways, the Bounders could be seen as the Hobbit equivalent of Rangers. At thetime of the War of the Ring, the Bounders had never been busier as Elves, Dwarves, Orcs andcreatures stranger still crossed the Shire.

Notes1. Bounders begin the game with their weapon of choice and a map of the Shire

Example Bounder, 300 points, 8 Class Skills

Points Base Bonus



Track 40 Perception

Lore (Shire) 40 Knowledge



Survival (hills or woodlands) 50 Knowledge

Hide 30 10% Stealth

14) Shirriff

Restrictions Hobbits onlyStart Cash 1D6 Silver PiecesClass Skills Insight, Persuade, Weapon Attack, Weapon Parry, Lore (Shire, Hobbits, Bree-land),Read/Write Westron, Memorise, Ride Pony, First Aid, Search, Disguise, Intimidate DescriptionShirriffs are the closest the Hobbits have to a police force. Prior to the War of the Ring there wereonly twelve Shirriffs, three in each Farthing, covering the entire Shire. When Saruman and his Half-Orcs took over, the number of Shirriffs increased dramatically, as the Hobbits (some willingly, mostrather glumly) enforced Sharkey's rules.

There is very little crime in the Shire, so the job of Shirriff is not especially demanding. They spendtheir time travelling their particular Farthing, seeing to strayed cattle, lost property and occasionaltroublesome outsiders.

Notes1. Shirriffs begin with their weapon of choice, a pony, and a hat with a feather.

Example Shirriff, 300 points, 8 Class Skills

Points Base Bonus




Lore (Shire) 50 Knowledge


First Aid 30 Knowledge

Search 40 Perception

Ride Pony 30 25% Agility

16) Customising Your Character

The character now gets additional Custom Points (CPs) to spend on additional skills, increases toexisting skills and special abilities called Advantages. By taking Disadvantages, the character gainsextra CPs which can then be used for skills and other Advantages.

This process is described fully in the Customising Your Character chapter.

5. CUSTOMISING YOUR CHARACTER

1) Characterisation

Now that the character is almost fully-formed, it is time to add those little tweaks and extras thatmake the character special. A roleplaying game is a means of telling stories, like novels or thecinema, and the stories are always better when they have credible heroes. At this point yourcharacter is nothing but a list of numbers written on an obscure form. Now is the time to bring thecharacter to life. Here are some things to consider. Once you have decided some of these details,write them up on the back of your character sheet.

a) Name

What is your character's name? In Middle-earth the choice of name is particularly important. Unlessyou are playing a character from a realm largely unknown in the West (Khand, Harad, Rhun orperhaps even further afield, where names could be strange and wonderful, at least as far as Westernpeoples are concerned) your character should have a name which reflects the languages and peoplesof Middle-earth. Obvious sources of names are Tolkein's novels themselves. Try to think of thename's meaning, when translated from Sindarin or Quenya back into English, as this may give youan idea of some other aspect of the character. Hinluin, for example, means “Blue Eyes”. It may bebest to avoid names which have significant bearing on the novels, however. Calling your MagicianGandalf, your Warrior Boromir or your Hobbit Frodo, could cause confusion or problems for yourcharacter: “Are you really the Gandalf?”

b) Description

There is a mass of details for which no dice roll is appropriate or necessary. Some points to considerinclude:

What sex is the character? Choosing male or female will have no bearing on the character's skills orattributes, as all characters are equal, but may provide interesting role-playing opportunities. Dwarf-women, for example, are so very rarely seen outside Dwarven cities that some races believe thatthere are no Dwarf-women at all. If your character is a Dwarven female, what is she doingadventuring? What will be the attitudes of male Dwarves who encounter her? Consider Eowyn,Shield-maiden of Rohan. While skilled with sword and shield, her society frowned on femalewarriors, so she had to ride to battle disguised as a man.

What colour are the character's hair and eyes? The Character Races chapter gives general physicaldescriptions of all the races but these need not limit your choice. Noldorin Elves, for example,generally have black hair but one family line is known to have golden hair.

Is he right or left handed? Handedness has no bearing on the rules of this game. In combatparticularly, characters can use weapons and shields in either hand with equal skill. But in certainsituations – does the character reach into a spider-filled chest to retrieve a ring with his left or righthand, for example – knowing which is the character's 'good' hand and which is the 'off' hand mightbe useful.

How does she dress? Does she wear fine Elven garments or rough-and-ready clothes of Mannishmake? Is he wearing armour openly or concealed beneath his clothes?

Does she speak with an accent? An Elf speaking Westron might well have a smoother, moremusical tone of voice than a Hobbit speaking the same tongue. There might be differences inpronunciation between Northern men and Gondorians.

Take a moment to look at the attributes. If SIZ is high but STR is low, the extra mass is probablydue to fat, not muscle, implying the character is overweight. On the other hand, a character with lowSIZ, good CON and high DEX will could be seen as small and nervous with fast reflexes.

c) Behaviour

Real people have distinct preferences. Does your character have particular tastes? Do spiders makehim squirm? What is her favourite meal? What are his favourite expressions or catchphrases? Tryto find a few details which will bring out the character's personality, but limit yourself to two orthree such details. Otherwise your character will be but a collection of nervous quirks.

d) Personal History

Now that you have a good idea of him in the present, try to work out some of the character's past.Where did he grow up? Are the parents still alive? Brothers and sisters? What are the siblings'relationships, if any, and why? You could also start with these questions and build up a picture ofthe character in the present based on the answers. The two methods work equally well. Usewhichever you feel most comfortable with.

e) Motivation

Ideally the character should have a reason to be adventuring. Such reasons might be simple ("toaccumulate gold and glory"); more ambitious (“to destroy a powerful magic ring”) or connectedwith the character's past (“to track down the Orc raiders who devastated my village”).

f) Creating a Tolkien-esque Hero

Many fantasy roleplaying games grant great leeway in the type of character you may play. Tolkiencreated the most detailed fantasy setting ever. Roleplaying in Middle-earth therefore requires acharacter which would not seem out of place in the novels themselves. This is not easy toaccomplish for gamers experienced in the “hack-and-slash” school of roleplaying.

Consider the heroes in the novels themselves.

Aragorn, for example. To the people of Bree he is Strider the Ranger, a wanderer in the wild-lands,strange and dangerous. People there are suspicious of him. But in reality he is a King in waiting,last heir of a glorious heritage, noble and brave, but also, perhaps fearful of his destiny, theresponsibilities that go with it and the dangers of failure.

Boromir is a warrior captain of Gondor and the favoured son of the Steward. A brave man who isnonetheless flawed as he desires the Ring and would be used by the Enemy – howeverunintentionally. He recovers his honour at the last and sacrifices himself to save Merry and Pippin.

Frodo, a Hobbit from the Shire, thrust suddenly into momentous and life-threatening events. Hevolunteers to take the Ring to Mordor to be destroyed. Initially Frodo is inspired by his UncleBilbo's romanticised stories of the Quest of Erebor and Smaug the Dragon. But as the Quest ofMount Doom progresses, Frodo develops a grim determination to see the Quest completed and theRing destroyed.

Sam Gamgee, Frodo's gardener. A source of encouragement and help to Frodo during the darkesttimes in the Quest. He takes on more than his share of Frodo's burden, carries the Ring for a whileand sees through Gollum's deception.

Merry and Pippin are young Hobbits. Indeed, Pippin is barely out of his “tweens” at the start of thenovel. Both show great courage in taking service with Theoden of Rohan and Denethor Steward ofGondor respectively. Both carry out their duties with great honour and, after the War of the Ring,rise to positions of great responsibility in the Shire.

Gimli the Dwarf overcomes his peoples natural distrust of the Elves to befriend Legolas. He alsohas a secondary purpose in his adventuring. He wants to determine what happened to Balin's colonyand is willing to risk the perils of Moria to find out.

Legolas the Elf journeys from Mirkwood for the Council of Elrond. His sharp eyes and Elvenintuition aid the Fellowship many times and his skill with a bow is invaluable in many battles.

Last but not least is Gandalf. The Wizard is more powerful than any player character could ever bebut even he fears the power of the Ring. His sage advice, inspirational leadership and magicalpowers carry the Fellowship through to the completion of the Questl.

So we can list the qualities of these heroes. They are brave, honourable and wise. They are willingto sacrifice much for their friends and for the overall goal. While they may have flaws in theircharacters (Boromir's pride; Pippin's uncontrollable curiosity) they have the courage to face andconquer these flaws.

2) Custom Points

Each character gets (INT + DEX) x 5 Custom Points for this step. For example, a character withINT of 10 and DEX of 10 would get ((10 + 10) x 5 =) 100 extra points for this step. Why INT andDEX? These attributes reflect the mental and physical aptitudes needed to pick up new skills.

These points can be used to purchase new skills, increases to existing skills, and Advantages.Should the character take one or more Disadvantages, more Custom Points will become availabledepending on the severity of the Disadvantage.

a) Limits to Advantages and Disadvantages

No character can begin the game with more than 3 Advantages and 2 Disadvantages.

3) Increases to Existing Skills and Purchasing New Skills

By spending Custom Points, the character can acquire new skills – over and above those learned byvirtue of the character's class – and increase existing skills. One Custom Point increases an existingskill by one percentage point. When used to purchase new skills, the character pays one CustomPoint per percentage point in the skill and then adds any Base Chance and Skill Group Bonusappropriate to this skill.

This advantage can be taken more than once and the Custom Points spent can be allotted to morethan one skill. For example, a Warrior may want to learn the new skill of Hide and spend 25 CP togain this skill then add his Stealth Skill Group Bonus and the Base Chance (+10%) to determine hisstarting Hide skill. The same Warrior may then wish to increase his Longsword Attack by 10%,paying 10 CP to do so.

4) Advantages

As the name implies, Advantages give the character special features which go above and beyondadditional skills. Some Advantages are bought in Levels. The higher the Level at which the

Advantage is bought, the greater its beneficial effects. Some Advantages affect the character'sskills, so be sure that any skill bonuses granted by Advantages are noted on the character sheet.There are many possible Advantages; some examples are listed below.

Advantage Quick DrawCustom Points 3 per Level; maximum of 5 LevelsDescription This gives the character the ability to react quickly on the first round of combat. If the character hasa scabbarded, holstered or similarly secured weapon (a sheathed dagger or an axe in a belt loop forexample), it can be drawn and an attack made on the first combat round with a +1 Initiative bonusper Level of this Advantage. If the character has a ready weapon (a bow with an arrow to the string,a drawn sword) the character can make one free attack with the ready weapon before the normalcombat sequence begins. The character may make a move of up to half his normal distance beforemaking the attack.

Advantage Combat SenseCustom Points 10 per Level; maximum of 5 LevelsDescription The character comes alive in the heat of battle, all his senses working at maximum capacity to warnhim of dangers. This gives the character an Initiative bonus in combat of +2 per Level of theAdvantage. Further, the character is never surprised in combat. Attacks against the character maynever receive bonuses for attacking from behind, from the unshielded side or if the character isengaged in a non-combat action.

Advantage EquipmentCustom Points 15Description This is useful at the start of a character's career. All of the character's basic equipment needs havebeen met, either through an off-stage patron or through careful hoarding of the character's ownresources. This includes, food, clothing, weapons, armour, camping gear, hunting gear (ifapplicable), and any equipment needed to do the character's job (tools for an Artisan, an instrumentfor a Minstrel). The player should discuss with the GM exactly what are the character's equipmentneeds. The GM can veto unreasonable requests.

Advantage ContactCustom Points 20 per ContactDescription A Contact is a person the character knows who may be able to provide information, equipment,help or other resources. The player character is assumed to have a “working relationship” with thisperson. This relationship need not be warm and friendly, but should be cooperative; it could be acool professionalism between two warriors, or a competitive trading relationship between twomerchants. The Contact is an NPC controlled by the GM and the player character need knownothing of the Contact's skills, abilities and weaknesses. This Advantage can be taken several times,allowing the character to have several Contacts.

Advantage Elf FriendCustom Points 50Description The character has performed some great service for the Elves. What this service was should bediscussed with the GM. The character is gifted some small token of the friendship, perhaps a ring,brooch or (most rarely) an Elfstone. On presenting this token, the character will receive favourablereactions from other Elves. The GM should note that the hospitality and friendship of the Elves arenot trifling matters. An Elf Friend may even receive military aid in times of need, their swiftest

horses, finest food and most expert healing. The character may request information, advice and aid from the Elves but should be aware that theymay also request help of him! Being an Elf Friend is as much a responsibility as a privilege and theplayer should realise this before taking this Advantage.

Suitably renamed, this Advantage could be applied to other groups: Dwarf Cousin, Tribal Brother,Honorary Rider, Ranger Scout.

Advantage Night VisionCustom Points 20Description The character can see in all but complete darkness. This negates penalties on skill use or combat inconditions of dim light, moonlight or starlight. In pitch blackness, the skill penalties are halved.

Advantage Direction SenseCustom Points 20Description The character has an unerring sense of direction. Under normal circumstances, he can always locateNorth, never gets lost and can find his bearings on land or sea. No Navigate skill roll is required.Under bad conditions – darkness, fog, dense or featureless terrain (jungles and deserts, for example)stormy weather – Direction Sense grants a +30% bonus to the character's Navigate skill.

Advantage Charmed LifeCustom Points 20Description The character has a talent for avoiding life-threatening injury. Once per game session, the charactermay avoid the effects of a single critical hit in combat or the effects of a single fumble rolled by thecharacter.

Advantage Good LookingCustom Points 10Description The character is noticeably beautiful or handsome. This causes heads to turn wherever the charactergoes. The character receives a bonus of +20% on Persuade and Oratory skills when dealing withmembers of the opposite sex.

Advantage Sharp EyedCustom Points 10 per Level ; maximum of 3 LevelsDescription This skill does not grant a bonus to the character's See skill. (The player could just as easily spendthe Custom Points increasing the See skill directly.) Being Sharp Eyed has two effects. Firstly, eachLevel purchased allows the character one re-roll of a failed See skill roll per game session..Secondly, a successful See skill roll will provide more information for the Sharp Eyed characterthan might be the case for a character with less-extraordinary vision. For example, if a characterwithout this Advantage makes a See skill roll, the GM may reveal the character sees a glimpse of aman-like creature approaching through the trees. A Sharp Eyed character making the same roll maylearn that the creature is an Elf, and therefore (probably) a friend, rather than an Orc.

Advantage Sharp HearingCustom Points 10 per Level ; maximum of 3 LevelsDescriptionThis skill does not grant a bonus to the character's Listen skill. (The player could just as easily

spend the Custom Points increasing the Listen skill directly.) Having Sharp Hearing has two effects.Firstly, each Level purchased allows the character one re-roll of a failed Listen skill roll per gamesession.. Secondly, a successful Listen skill roll will provide more information for a character withSharp Hearing than might be the case for a character with less-extraordinary hearing. For example,if a character without this Advantage makes a Listen skill roll, the GM may reveal the characterhears a group of creatures approaching. A character with Sharp Hearing making the same roll maylearn that the group numbers seven creatures.

Advantage HealthyCustom Points 5 per Level ; maximum of 3 LevelsDescriptionThis Advantage provides some resistance to natural diseases. For each Level purchased, thecharacte r gains +1 CON for the purposes of resisting the VIRulence of a disease. This is describedin more detail in the Combat chapter.

Advantage SwiftCustom Points 20DescriptionWith this Advantage the character moves 1/3 faster than other members of his or her race. See theGame System and Combat chapters for details on movement rates. 5) Disadvantages

The other side of the coin to Advantages are the Disadvantages. These are penalties or hindrances tothe character which, while making life difficult for the character, enhance the roleplayingpossibilites. Disadvantages cost no Custom Points. Instead they provide additional Custom Pointswhich can be used as described above. Many Disadvantages should be discussed with the GM todetermine their parameters and the number of Bonus Custom Points they provide.

Disadvantage DependentBonus Custom Points 5 to 20Description The character is responsible for helping and protecting a weaker relative, friend or spouse. TheDependent is an NPC controlled by the GM, who can determine the Dependent's motivations, statusand capabilities. The weaker, more helpless, more demanding of the character's time the Dependentis, the more Bonus Custom Points can be awarded.

Disadvantage Code of HonourBonus Custom Points 5 to 20Description This Disadvantage restricts the player's freedom to dictate his own character's actions. The characterhas a personal moral code which he must follow, no matter what the circumstances. The Codemight bar the character from killing, from attacking from ambush, or never letting an insult gounchallenged. The Code may also make the character protect those weaker than himself, becourteous towards women, or give up wealth to those less fortunate. The Code can be determinedwith the GM.

Disadvantage EnemyBonus Custom Points 5 to 20Description Somewhere along the line, the character has made an enemy who will seek to harm, humiliate, orkill the character. The Enemy is an NPC controlled by the GM who may determine the Enemy'sskills, abilities and motivations. More Bonus Custom Points can be awarded if the Enemy is

significantly more powerful than the character, can call on support (either monetary or military) orhas a long “reach” (i.e. there is nowhere the character can hide). In general, the Enemy (or hisagents if appropriate), will make the character's life a misery in a scenario on the D6 roll of 6.

Disadvantage Dark SecretBonus Custom Points 10Description The character has a secret lurking in his past. For example, the character showed cowardice inbattle, or was responsible for the death of his brother and covered up his involvement. The Secretcan be modified (in secret) by the GM who, for example, may decide that the character's brotherwas actually murdered and the PC framed for the murder. The Dark Secret hangs like a cloudaround the character: people who know will shun him, those who do not know may detect a subtlehint of treachery or dishonour in the character (particularly with an Insight roll). This will cause allSocial skills (Persuade, Oratory, Fast Talk, Insight) used by the character to be at a -20% penaltyuntil the Secret is revealed and/or dealt with. The number of Bonus Custom Points awardeddepends on the nature of the Secret and GM's discretion.

Disadvantage Duty BoundBonus Custom Points 5 to 20Description The character is in service to some lord or employer and has to obey this person's orders beforefulfilling his own plans. This can seriously disrupt an character's adventuring career as they struggleto balance their lord's orders with their own desires. If the Duty is failed, the character can bepunished by the lord or employer.

Disadvantage CowardlyBonus Custom Points 10Description The character has no stomach for a fight and cannot face danger. The character mustmake a CHA x 5% roll each time combat is joined and a POW x 5% roll in other dangerouscircumstances. If the roll is failed, the character cannot fight or face the danger. If the roll isfumbled, the character flees.

Disadvantage Low Pain ThresholdBonus Custom Points 10Description The character has no tolerance for pain. If wounded in combat or by some other source, make aCON x 5% roll. If this roll is failed, the character's inability to stand pain causes all skills to behalved until the wound is treated. If the roll is fumbled, the character falls unconscious for 1D6minutes.

Disadvantage Impaired VisionBonus Custom Points 10 to 20Description The character is long-sighted, short-sighted, cross-eyed, squinting or similarly visually impaired.This causes a -20% penalty on the character's See skill. If the player chooses to have lost an eye, theSee skill is at -20% and all ranged attack skills are halved because of depth-perception problems.

Disadvantage Bad ReputationBonus Custom Points 10Description The character is known as a cad, a liar, a cheat and generally untrustworthy. Whether this reputationis deserved or not is immaterial. In social situations, NPCs react to the reputation, not to thecharacter, so reduce the character's Persuade, Oratory, Fast Talk and Insight skills by -10%.

Disadvantage RashBonus Custom Points 10Description The character is compulsively foolhardy and will rush into danger or make promises they may laterregret. This can be avoided if the character makes an INT x 5% roll.

Disadvantage Animal AversionBonus Custom Points 10DescriptionThe character has difficulty dealing with (natural) animals of any type. This imposes a -20%penalty on all the character's interactions with animals, be they Ride tests, Teamster skill rolls todrive carts or wagons or the animal training aspects of the Animal Lore skill.

Disadvantage Heavy SleeperBonus Custom Points 10DescriptionThe character sleeps deeply and requires a few rounds to become fully awake, even in anemergency. For 1D4 rounds after waking, the character is “fuzzy headed”: all skill rolls are halvedand Initiative is at -2.

Disadvantage PhobiaBonus Custom Points 10 to 30DescriptionThe character has a deep-seated (if possibly irrational) fear of one type of object, animal orphenomenon. This could be spiders, snakes, fire, heights, weapons or whatever seems reasonable.The number of Custom Points gained depends on how commonly encountered the object of thephobia is and how violent a reaction the character suffers. In mild cases, the character should testCourage against a Force set by the GM (see the Fear and Courage rules in the Middle-earth SpecialRules chapter). In extreme cases, the character may have to expend a Fate Point to confront thesource of the phobia.

6. SKILLS

1) Skill Groups

Skills are divided into nine general categories or Skill Groups. The Groups are the standard onesused in other BRP-based games and are described below.

a) Attack

This represents the basic ability to land a blow in combat, using a combination of innate Strength,Intelligence, Dexterity and luck (or POW as it is in this game).

b) Parry

This is the basic ability to block an incoming blow in combat by interposing some object, usuallythe character's own shield or weapon. Based on Strength, Intelligence and Dexterity but Size acts asa negative factor here: the bigger the character, the easier he is to hit.

c) Agility

All acrobatic skills and physical actions requiring strength and coordination. Based on STR, SIZ,POW and DEX. This is the same as the Parry bonus.

d) Manipulation

Manual dexterity skills for fine, careful work and intricate detail. All skills involving the use oftools are Manipulation skills. Based on STR, INT, POW and DEX, this is the same as the Attackbonus.

e) Perception

All sensory skills. They rely on the sharpness of the character's senses and on his being smartenough to notice something is amiss. Based on INT and POW.

f) Stealth

All sneaky or covert skills, these are the abilities to move and act unseen by others. Based on SIZ,INT and DEX.

g) Knowledge

All Lore skills and skills requiring book-learning or teaching. Sages and scholars prize KnowledgeSkills above all others. Based on INT only.

h) Communication

All persuasion, language and diplomacy skills. Characters use such skills to persuade others andachieve their desires by personality and verbal skill. Based on INT, POW and CHA.

i) Magical

All arcane skills such as spellcasting and ceremonial magic. Based on INT, POW, DEX and CHA.

j) Base Percentages

Calculate base percentages for each skill group as follows:

Skill Group Attribute Below 9 9 – 12 Above 12

Agility (Parry) STR -1% 0 1%

SIZ 1% 0 -1%

POW -1% 0 1%

DEX -1% 0 1%

Manipulation(Attack) STR -1% 0 1%

INT -1% 0 1%

POW -1% 0 1%

DEX -1% 0 1%

Perception INT -1% 0 1%

POW -1% 0 1%

Stealth INT -1% 0 1%

SIZ 1% 0 -1%

DEX -1% 0 1%

Communication INT -1% 0 1%

POW -1% 0 1%

CHA -1% 0 1%

Knowledge INT -2% 0 2%

Magic INT -1% 0 1%

POW -1% 0 1%

DEX -1% 0 1%

CHA -1% 0 1%

k) Example

For example, consider a character with the following attributes:

STR [14] CON [17] SIZ [13] INT [10] POW [13] DEX [17] CHA [14]

For the Attack Skill Group Bonus, the character's STR of 14 provides a +2 bonus, the POW of 13gives a +1 and the DEX of 17 provides a very useful +5. The character's average INT of 10 does notprovide a modifier, so the character's overall Attack Bonus is +8%. This is also the character'sManipulation Skill Bonus.

For Parry (and by extension, Agility), the character's STR provides +2, POW gives +1 and DEXagain provides +5. However, the character has a SIZ of 13, which imposes a -1 penalty (the sheersize of this character makes him easy to hit). So the character's overall Parry Bonus is 2+1+5-1 or+7%.

The character's Perception Bonus, based on his INT and POW is +1% (average INT of 10 provides

no bonus, POW gives +1).

The Stealth Bonus is based on INT, SIZ and DEX. INT is average and provides no bonus; DEX isnice and high, giving a +5 bonus; but the character's SIZ works against him again, with a -1 penalty.Thus the Stealth Bonus is +4%.

The character's Communication Bonus is based on CHA, INT and POW. Of these, INT is average,so no bonus there, but CHA and POW provide +2 and +1 respectively, giving the character aCommunication Bonus of +3%.

The character's Knowledge bonus is 0% (zero). His average INT provides no bonus, and even whenmultiplied by two, it's still zero!

Lastly, if the character knows some magic, his Magic Bonus is a fairly impressive +8%. His POW,DEX and CHA provide +1, +5 and +2 respectively.

2) Skills Lists By Group

a) Agility Skills

Acrobatics (10%), Brawl (25%), Climb (25%), Dodge (DEX x 2%), Ride, Swim, Throw/Catch(25%), Wrestling (25%)

b) Manipulation Skills

Boating, Craft, Set/Disarm Trap, Juggle, Play Instrument, Rope Use, Sleight of Hand, Teamster

c) Perception Skills

Insight (10%), Listen (25%), Scent, Search (25%), See (25%), Taste, Track, Weather Sense

d) Stealth Skills

Ambush, Conceal Object, Disguise, Filch, Hide (10%), Move Quietly (10%)

e) Communication Skills

Fast Talk (10%), Intimidate, Mimicry, Oratory, Persuade (10%), Sing, Speak Language (Name)

f) Knowledge Skills

Appraise, First Aid, Games, Healing, Lores, Make Map, Memorise, Navigate, Read/WriteLanguage (Name), Shiphandling, Survival, Warcraft

g) Magic Skills

These skills are discussed in much greater detail in the Magic chapter.

3) Skill Descriptions

In the descriptions that follow, a Base Chance figure is listed for each skill. The Base Chancereflects the facts that some skills are

● easier than others ● common experiences and therefore widely known

Very often, this chance will be listed simply as “Skill Group Bonus”. For untrained characters thecharacter's starting level with that skill is equal to his attribute bonus for that Skill Group. Forexample, the Ride skill's Base Chance is listed as Agility Bonus. The character's Agility Skill Bonus(as calculated from STR, SIZ, POW and DEX) forms the starting skill level in Ride. Should thecharacter succeed in a such a base-level skill roll, then the skill may improve as per the normal skillimprovement rules.

Some skills have a percentage value in the Base Chance. In this case, an untrained character'sstarting skill level is equal to the Base Chance plus his Skill Group bonus. A perfect example is theClimb skill, where a character would start with a skill of 25% + Agility Bonus.

4) Agility Skills

Skill AcrobaticsBase Chance 10% + Agility BonusA composite skill comprising tumbling, jumping, balancing, swinging on ropes, falling undercontrol and similar athletic feats.

Successful use of Acrobatics allows a character to jump up to three times its own height (in feet)horizontally or its height (in feet) vertically. Subtract four feet horizontally or one foot vertically ifthe character is wearing armour.

Acrobatics may be used to lessen falling damage. In falls of less than 30 feet, a successfulAcrobatics roll means the character takes no damage from the fall, otherwise calculate fallingdamage normally. Acrobatics cannot lessen damage from falls greater than 30 feet.

Acrobatics is also the skill used for manoeuvres such as a 'dive and roll' in combat, for example,back-flipping from an enemy or diving between a giant's legs. A successful Acrobatics roll meansthe character can move up to ¼ its move distance away from attackers and they must subtract theAcrobatics skill from their normal chance to hit the character in that round.

Lastly, Acrobatics is not the skill used to dodge moving objects, weapon blows or the like: there is aseparate Dodge skill for use in such circumstances.

Skill BrawlBase Chance 25% + Agility BonusBasic unarmed combat using natural weapons: fists, feet, teeth, head-butts. The character shouldselect an attack mode during the Statement of Intent phase of combat (e.g. “I'll kick the banditwhere it hurts most!”). If the attack hits, damage is done according to the attack used. For Men,Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits this will be: 1D2 for a bite; 1D3 for a punch; 1D4 for a head-butt; and1D6 for a kick. Add the character's Damage Bonus to the rolled damage. In most cases, theseattacks are useless against metal-armoured foes. Other races may have different damage values.Dirty fighting, such as eye-gouging, will similarly have various damage, and perhaps specialeffects.

Brawl can be used as both Attack and Parry in combat against others in unarmed combat (yourtypical bar-fight, for example). Brawl should not be used to parry armed attacks from weaponsgreater than dagger-sized. If a Brawl roll to parry a dagger (or broken bottle) fails, the Brawler willtake the weapon's rolled damage.

Skill ClimbBase Chance 25% + Agility BonusClimb includes the ability to scale walls, cliffs, trees, building faces, etc. The GM may require theuse of a rope for especially difficult climbs, in which case the Climb skill includes the ability toclimb a rope. Sheer walls may be climbed using artificial devices such as pitons or suction cups forhands and feet but the climber must roll against half his/her Climb skill. The GM can assignmodifiers to the Climb roll depending on the ease or difficulty of the climb.

Climb rolls should be attempted every 10 to 30 feet, depending on conditions. If the Climb rollfails, the character falls, taking 1D6 damage for each 10 feet fallen - ignore fractions.

For silent climbing, there are three possibilities, which can be used at the GM's discretion:

● Roll Climb and Move Quietly. In this case, success at both rolls indicates a successful silentclimb; success at Climb but not Move Quietly indicates a 'noisy' climb, with attendant risks ofbeing heard; success at Move Quietly but not Climb indicates a fall without appreciable noise,but damage being taken.

● Multiply the Climb skill by the Move Quietly skill. This yields a reduced percentage: asuccessful roll against this percentage indicates a silent climb has been made. A roll between thereduced percentage and the normal Climb skill indicates a 'noisy' climb.

● Go Skill vs. Skill with any potential listener's Listen skill.

Skill DodgeBase Chance (DEX x 2)% + Agility BonusThis is the ability to avoid moving objects. If not hemmed in by walls and other close quarters,Dodge can be used to avoid a melee attack. A successful Dodge indicates the attack has missed, butonly a Critical Dodge roll can avoid a Critical Hit.

Dodge can be used to disengage from combat and to close the distance to an opponent. Use Dodgevs Dodge skill rolls should both combatants be circling to find an opening in the other's defenses.

A Dodge can be attempted against a thrown rock, axe, hammer or spear but not an arrow. IfDodging a sequence of objects or attacks in a single round, the skill is reduced by 20% for eachobject Dodged.

Skill RideBase Chance Agility BonusThis is primarily the ability to Ride horses, mules, donkeys and more exotic creatures such ascamels and even Oliphaunts. Thus, this skill could be taken multiple times, once for each ridingbeast.

No skill roll is required while the animal is slowly strolling along. Ride skill is used whenever therider is fighting from horseback (once per combat round), when the horse is trying to throw therider, or when the mount gallops. The Ride skill also includes knowledge of basic care for theanimal, how to saddle it, and what to feed it. If a Ride roll is failed, the character is thrown and willtake 1D6 damage, though a successful Acrobatics roll can lessen this.

A character fighting from a mount does so at the lesser of his Ride or normal Weapon skill.

Skill Swim Base Chance Agility BonusWhenever a character must do more in the water than simply flounder ashore, a Swim roll isrequired. Swim includes such things as swimming underwater while holding one's breath, treading

water and diving from a height of more than 5 feet. Towing another character while swimmingrequires two successful Swim rolls back to back. Swim rolls must be made every 15 minutes whilein the water.

If swimming in armour, the character will often suffer penalties to his Swim skill. Light and HardLeathers incur no penalties. Metal armours, notably Scale Mail, Ordinary Chainmail and DwarfChainmail impose a -40% penalty on the Swim skill. A character wearing these armours can elect totry and swim with this penalty or make a DEXx5% roll to struggle out of the armour. Heavier metalarmours (Plated Chainmail and Orc Chainmail) cannot effectively be swam in and the charactermust discard the armour by making a DEXx5% roll. Mithril Chainmail, if a character can acquiresuch a wondrous piece of armour, is light enough to swim in, imposing only a -10% penalty to theSwim skill.

Helmets should be discarded by a swimming character if at all possible, as their effect would be toforce the character's head down and under the water. However, depending on the design of thehelmet (and the circumstances under which the character ended up in the water) it could be that ahelmet actually helps the character by trapping a bubble of air. A Swim skill roll can determinewhether air is trapped in the helmet and if so, the character can then use this as a primitive divingbell, with enough air to last 1D3 minutes (1D3 + 3 on a Critical).

Characters get three Swim rolls before they start to drown. Missing the first or second of these rollscauses 1 point of damage; missing the third roll causes the character to begin drowning. Rules fordrowning are given in the Game System chapter.

Skill Throw/CatchBase Chance 25% + Agility BonusA object which is balanced for throwing may be thrown 1 yard for every STR point by which thethrower exceeds the object's SIZ. If the thrown object is unbalanced or awkward (this includesweapons, flasks of oil, torches and Dwarves) the distance it can be thrown falls off to 1 yard perthree excess SIZ points powering the throw. For SIZ comparisons, a dagger or shortsword is SIZ 1;a longsword or battle-axe is SIZ 2; a greatsword, heavy mace or polearm is SIZ 3.

If the throwing distance is more than 20 yards, accuracy is affected. For such throws, subtract 1%from the Throw skill per yard over 20. An object can be thrown vertically to a height of half thedistance it may be thrown horizontally.

The Throw/Catch skill is used for everyday objects and weapons which are not being thrown foreffect (such as tossing a spare weapon to a disarmed companion). For hitting targets with thrownweapons, use the relevant Attack skill.

This skill is also used to Catch a thrown object. To resolve a typical “Bergil throws Turgon a sparedagger” situation, Bergil first uses his Throw skill to get the dagger in Turgon's general direction.Turgon then uses his Catch skill to try and grasp the flying dagger. Use the relative levels of successto determine the result. For example, if Bergil Fumbles his Throw, the dagger goes nowhere nearTurgon. Should the Throw be a Critical, Turgon could get a +20% bonus on his Catch skill. Suchlevels of success are important if the thrown object is particularly valuable or fragile and the GMshould be prepared to rule on the consequences.

Skill WrestlingBase Chance 25% + Agility BonusThe user of this skill must decide whether he wishes to attempt a take-down, hold or pin manoeuvreand then make a Wrestling skill roll. A pin can only be attempted if, on the two rounds immediatelypreceding, the wrestler has succeeded in a hold and take-down in that order. Two characters maymatch their Wrestling skills. If both succeed in their rolls, there is no effect. If a wrestler gets a hold

on another, a STR vs. STR roll must be made to see if the hold can be broken. If not, the wrestlerwith the hold gets a +10% bonus on the take-down roll.

Unlike Brawl, Wrestling cannot be used as a parry skill, even against others in unarmed combat.Instead, use Dodge to avoid a grapple or STR vs STR to break a hold as described above.

5) Manipulation Skills

Skill BoatingBase Chance Manipulation BonusDistinct from the Shiphandling skill, Boating allows characters to guide small boats, rafts, canoes orkayaks along rivers, lakes or through coastal waters. This skill applies to boats no larger than asingle-masted sloop, with a keel length of 20 to 30 feet and a beam of no more than 10 feet. Inaddition, a character with Boating skill can ensure a boat is propelled at its maximum speed.

Skill CraftBase Chance 0%This is the ability to make items out of raw materials (wood, metal, stone, hides, wood, cotton orwhatever). There are many different craft skills and each must be individually learned and recordedseparately on the character's sheet.

If the Craft skill roll is passed, the item is functional, suited to the purpose for which it has beenmade. On a critical success, the item will be especially durable, useful and/or beautiful. If the Craftroll is failed, the item will look functional but will break, wear out, tarnish etc., after very little use.

On a fumbled Craft roll, the item is spoiled in manufacture.

It will generally take hours or game days to practice this skill. The craftsman should state howmany items are to be made and then roll 1D6 for the number of (12-hour) working days arenecessary to complete the job. After this duration, the Craft skill roll is made.

There are many possible Craft skills. Some examples are

Artist A painter

Deviser A maker of small mechanical devices, hinges, gears, levers, pulleys

Sculptor A maker of stone or metal statues

Goldsmith A maker of gold artifacts

Silversmith A maker of silverware

Shipwright A builder of ships and boats

Glass Maker A maker of glass and glass artefacts

Stonemason A worker of quarried stone; a builder

Brewer A maker of beers and wines

Tailor A maker of clothing

Potter A maker of ceramic/earthenware crockery

Cobbler Makes boots and shoes

Cook A chef

Gardener A tender of plants, both edible and decorative

Locksmith A maker of locks

Blacksmith A maker of metal goods, tools, horseshoes, houseware

Weaponsmith A maker of metal weapons

Armoursmith A maker of metal armour

Tanner A leatherworker. Makes leather goods, including leather armour

Bowyer/Fletcher Makes bows and arrows. Treat as a single craft skill for greater utility

Weaver A maker of cloths and fabrics

Jewelsmith A gemcutter

Carpenter A maker/repairer of wooden goods, houses etc.

Rope Maker A maker of rope

Toy Maker A maker of childrens' (and adults') toys and games

Skill Set/Disarm TrapBase Chance Manipulation BonusThis is the skill of both assembling and disassembling traps, such as spring-loaded mechanisms,sliding blocks, pitfalls and so on. It also covers setting snares to trap game. A successful roll whensetting a trap indicates that it will work as planned when triggered. A failed roll indicates the trap isflawed and will not work. A fumble may set off the trap prematurely.

When attempting to disarm a trap, a failed roll indicates the character has inadvertently sprung thetrap and is allowed an Acrobatics or Dodge roll to escape otherwise he/she is caught in the trap.Should the Disarm roll be fumbled, the trap is triggered and the character has no chance to escape.

When used to set snares, a successful Set Trap roll indicates the trap will work but it does notguarantee that game will simply step into the trap. Use Track, Animal Lore, or Survival-type skillsfor that.

Set/Disarm Trap takes at least one melee round per SIZ point of the object for disassembly and onefull turn per SIZ point for assembly. Should a trap be designed to avoid detection (e.g. built into awall or object, or a pit camouflaged with leaves) the setter can use a Conceal Object roll to hide thetrap which can be countered (using the Skill vs. Skill rules) by the disarmer's Search skill.

Skill JuggleBase Chance Manipulation Bonus, or 0% ; DEX 13 minimumJuggle is a skill generally reserved for performers and consists of the knack of keeping two or moreobjects spinning in the air simultaneously. For each 10% in Juggle skill, the juggler can keep oneobject in motion. A missed Juggle roll indicates the objects in motion have fallen.

Skill Play Instrument (type)Base Chance Manipulation BonusWith this skill a specific type of musical instrument can be used to give a pleasing performance.The skill can be taken multiple times for different instruments. Failure indicates that the performerplayed the wrong chords, forgot the notes to play or dropped the instrument. An adventurer's playermust make one Play Instrument roll per full turn of performance.

As with the Sing skill, the better the performer's chance of success, the better the piece whenperformed. Thus a player with 80% skill will sound better than one with 40% skill, even if bothrolls are successful.

Skill Rope UseBase Chance Manipulation BonusThis is the ability to use ropes for creating knots, lashing cargo (or prisoners). To create or undo acomplex knot in a short time (less than 3 minutes), make a Rope Use roll. If the roll is missed, theknot is badly tied and will not function properly (bound prisoners can escape easily from poorly tiedknots, for instance). If a roll is failed while untying a knot, it cannot be undone within a useful timelimit (it could be cut, however). Sailors with this skill may safely manipulate sailing tackle andrigging without without fouling lines or sails.

Skill Sleight of HandBase Chance Manipulation Bonus, or 0% ; DEX 15 minimumThis skill governs all forms of 'stage magic': pulling coins from ears or rabbits from hats; cardtricks; and shell games. It works with a combination of quick hands and misdirection.

A successful roll indicates the character's Sleight was not seen. A miss indicates that the viewer wasnot fooled and saw what the character did. If the Sleight of Hand roll is fumbled, the characterdropped whatever object was being manipulated.

The only way to detect a successful Sleight of Hand trick is when a character suspects its use andcan make a successful Sleight of Hand roll of his own.

Skill TeamsterBase Chance Manipulation BonusCharacters with this skill have experience of driving carts or wagons. Characters from an Easterlingculture may also know how to drive a chariot. They can drive any of the commonly availableMiddle-earth carts or wagons with perfect confidence and can handle horse-drawn or ox carts withequal skill.

A test on this skill is only necessary under difficult or dangerous conditions (eg while guiding thecart across fords/rivers; while under attack/flight/pursuit; crossing difficult ground such asforests/swamps/hills; while in a race). A successful roll indicates control is maintained; a criticalsuccess should be rewarded depending on circumstances. A failed roll indicates the cart gets stuckor the beasts will not move; a fumble indicates a crash or breakdown.

6) Perception Skills

Skill InsightBase Chance 10% + Perception BonusThis is the skill of detecting lies, evasions, moods and other emotional clues from others. Thecharacter can almost 'see' into the hearts and minds of those he meets and can discern their motivesfrom their deeds. This skill tells the character when things are not quite right and can even indicatewhen someone is hiding great power or force of personality.

If someone is actively seeking to deceive the user of this skill, the GM can make the Insight roll insecret.

Skill ListenBase Chance 25% + Perception BonusThis is the skill of both listening intently for sound where one would not normally hear it and theability to pick up and correctly interpret individual sounds, even when not consciously searching forthem. Thus, trying to hear through a door or down a long corridor, being awakened by the stealthyopening of a window, or picking out conversations in a crowded bar, are situations calling for aListen roll. Depending on ambient conditions, there may be modifiers to this skill roll as determined

by the GM.

A successful Move Quietly roll must be subtracted from the listener's Listen chance. In SB it ishinted that Listen can be used to identify spoken languages.

Skill ScentBase Chance Perception BonusThis is the ability to identify a substance, beast or other being by its odour. Animals such as dogshave the highest skill at this but trained humans (e.g. wine tasters) can be quite good. The ability isreduced by half if the user is under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, or is in the proximity ofa burning flame or an overpowering odour.

Skill SearchBase Chance 25% + Perception BonusSearch might be described as the practical application of a character's sense of touch. It is the skillof finding hidden objects with a diligent, hands-on, examination of an area. If a secret door is foundwith the See skill, Search is used to find the activating latch. If a room is to be ransacked or a bodylooted, use the Search skill.

Search is a hands-on skill, thus exposing the searcher to danger from the object handled or risk fromtraps. If a Search roll is missed while searching for traps, the unfortunate character may end uptriggering the trap.

Skill SeeBase Chance 25% + Perception BonusThis allows the character to see normally unnoticeable items. It can be used to determine whether aperson is wearing armour under his clothes or carrying concealed weapons. It can be used to spotpeople (or things) lurking behind the curtains, and to pick out irregularities in the floor, or details ofdress. It can also be used to discern details at a distance.

See skill is used to spot secret doors but a successful Search roll must be made to find the openingmechanism.

Skill TasteBase Chance Perception BonusThis is the ability to determine the composition of a substance by a very small taste. It is useful indetermining whether food is poisoned or not, and may also be used in identifying ambiguoussubstances.

When tasting food to detect poison, only a very small taste is required. The character is entitled to aCONx5% roll to see if the poison has any effect. If this roll fails against a deadly poison, thecharacter subtracts his CONx5 from the damage done by the poison. Against a non-lethal poison,the character suffers half effects of the toxin.

This skill may also be used to taste metals, determining their type or the composition of an alloy.However, such uses are at half the normal skill.

Skill TrackBase Chance Perception BonusThis is the ability to track game (or any other quarry, such as a fugitive human) by means of thetraces it leaves behind, such as footprints, droppings, disturbed vegetation, etc. It includesknowledge of how certain creatures behave when trying to evade pursuit. Add 20% to the tracker'sTrack skill if the quarry has been wounded.

The Track roll must be made every 10 minutes of game time. If the trail is lost, the tracker may castabout to see if the trail can be found. This 'cast about' roll is made against half the Track skill.

If the trail is old, subtract 20% from the Track skill for each day (or part thereof) over the first daywhen the trail was fresh.

Skill Weather SenseBase Chance Perception BonusThis allows the character to read the weather, determining what turns it may take or how much timewill pass before a storm arrives (or abates). The skill check can be modified by how far into thefuture the character wishes to gauge the weather. Predicting the weather in an hour's time is easierthan saying what it will be like in a week. Weather Sense is never foolproof, however. In LOTR,the Dark Lord can alter weather patterns to suit his purposes.

When Weather Sense reaches 90% the character's sensitivity to wind and weather becomes so greatthat at times, the air 'brings messages' to him. With such a skill level, a critical Weather Sense rollgathers rough information such as the movements of armies or fleets.

7) Stealth Skills

Skill AmbushBase Chance Stealth BonusThis is the skill of hiding one's intent to attack another. A successful roll on one's Ambush skillmeans the character will probably gain the advantage of surprise on the first combat rounds. SeeAmbushes in the Combat chapter for further information.

Player characters in Middle-earth are assumed to be good, honest and upright and would nevercarry out an ambush as this could be seen as dishonourable. This is not necessarily the case,however. Faramir, Captain of the Rangers of Ithilien, led an ambush against Haradrim soldiersrallying to Sauron's banner. Further, Orcs, bandits and Easterling raiders are under no suchrestrictions to be honourable in combat.

Skill Conceal ObjectBase Chance Stealth BonusWith this skill an object can be hidden such that only a successful Search roll (or the person whohid it) can find it. The Conceal Object skill can be used in any area, inside or outdoors, to find ahiding place (either natural or constructed) for an object. It is assumed that anyone watching whilethe object is being hidden can later go directly to the hiding place.

To successfully Search for a Concealed object, subtract the Conceal Object skill of the characterwho hid the object from Search skill of anyone looking for it, then roll against the remainder.Modifiers due to the object's SIZ and environmental conditions are also applicable.

Skill DisguiseBase Chance Stealth BonusThis is the ability to change one's appearance, voice and mannerisms so as to pass as someone youare not, whether real or fictitious. The skill incorporates elements of makeup and acting but it is notthe same as actually being an actor.

Any Disguise-wearing character must make a Disguise skill roll whenever anyone who might seethrough the Disguise is in sight. If the roll fails, those in sight get a See roll which, if successful,penetrates the Disguise. If the Disguise roll succeeds, the Disguise is successful. Some material

components are required e.g. wigs, costumes. Disguise may be used at a reduced percentage usingonly voice and body language if no suitable props are available. When a disguise is penetrated theviewer does not automatically recognise the individual. He simply knows that the person is notwhat he seems.

See also the Mimicry skill.

Skill FilchBase Chance Stealth BonusThis ability includes common pocket picking as well as the ability to cut purses (using a razor sharpblade?) and covers the theft of jewellery such as brooches and pins. Items in direct contact with theskin (e.g. rings, armbands, necklaces) force the operation of this skill at half normal level. Further,when trying to take an object from direct contact with the skin of a being who is awake and alive,the thief must first make a DEXx1% roll.

Skill HideBase Chance 10% + Stealth BonusThis is the ability to use cover (boulders, bushes, trees, trash cans, a field full of corpses, shadows)to remain unseen. If the roll is made, the hiding character remains undetected unless searchers comewithin 1 yard of the hidden person or make a successful See roll within 10 yards. If attempting tomove while hidden, the character must roll again versus half their Hide skill.

Skill Move QuietlyBase Chance 10% + Stealth BonusThis is the ability to walk, run, jump, climb or swim without making a noise. On a successful roll,the movement is silent and an opponent may be surprised. If moving near people (guards,adventurers, monsters or whatever) who are actively listening for intruders, subtract the MoveQuietly skill from the Listen skill before making the Listen roll.

Make a Move Quietly roll each round a sneaker may be being actively listened for, but only once ifthere is no active listening.

8) Communication Skills

Skill Fast TalkBase Chance 10% + Communication BonusFast Talk is the skill of getting your way with smart words, confidence, force of will, personalityand 'attitude'. With a successful roll, the target agrees with the point of view or plan of action for ashort while. Typically this will be a single, short-term goal: he loans a small amount of money;gossips about family secrets; allows entry to where the Fast Talker should be barred; or, signs thepaper.

Fast Talk is flippant: it aims small and takes little time. It can be used against a small number oflisteners; for more, use Oratory. Fast Talk does not work against people who are already convinced:use Oratory or Persuade instead.

As with Persuade and Oratory, Fast Talk requires a common language between speaker and target.Further, Fast Talk is not permanent. Given a few minutes alone and a successful Idea roll, the targetcomes to his senses and the Fast Talk loses effect. The target may then react in whatever manner theGM deems appropriate.

Skill IntimidateBase Chance Communication Bonus

This is the skill of getting people to do what you want by force of personality or physical coercion.The character cows his or her enemies through majesty, power, threat or application of pain (thoughthis is more properly called torture) or sheer terror.

A successful use of Intimidate means the target will do as the character bids though for how long isup to the GM. In some cases, particularly by evil creatures or (in LOTR) servants of the Shadow,the effects of Intimidate can last for days or even weeks. In other cases the effects wear off after thesource of the intimidation leaves the area, turns his attention elsewhere or changes his attitude.

In LOTR, player characters should be strongly discouraged from the use of terror-tactics or torture.However, use of Intimidate as a persuasion tool on potential allies (particularly in desperate straits)is legitimate: Aragorn did precisely this when persuading Eomer to aid him.

Skill MimicryBase Chance Communication BonusThis is the ability to imitate the voices of men and beasts, allowing the character to trick others(particularly when used with the Disguise skill) or signal their comrades without alerting enemies.

A successful skill roll means that a passable imitation of the person or animal has been achieved.Multiple rolls may be necessary during long conversations using a Mimicked person's voice. Acritical skill roll means the character has mastered that voice or call and need not make further skillrolls when attempting that act of Mimicry again.

The GM should apply modifiers to the Mimicry skill based upon the complexity of the voice oranimal call being imitated. Hefty negative modifiers should be applied for imitating the voice of aperson of a different race or sex and if the person being Mimicked is well known to the listener.

Skill OratoryBase Chance Communication BonusSuccessful Orators sway crowds to a particular mood or course of action. To use this skill thespeaker must be addressing a group or crowd; for a handful of people, Persuade or Fast Talk shouldbe used instead. Orations are of long duration, twenty minutes to several hours. Such speechesrequire a common language between the speaker and listeners.

A successful speech carries the crowd for the rest of the day or overnight. A critical success mightlast for a week and perhaps convince some of the listeners for years. A fumble causes the crowd tomock or stone the Orator. Skill PersuadeBase Chance 10% + Communication BonusThe character possessing Persuade is skilled with words and arguments and knows how to bargainfor things they need or how to parley with another to obtain some advantage in war or rulership. Acommon language between participants is required. This skill may be applied in a one-on-onesituation or against a small number of people (1D6, perhaps, or at most, the Persuader's CHA). Tosway larger crowds, Oratory is required.

Persuade represents the ability to convince others using logic, reasoned arguments, flattery, charm,personality, or even veiled threats (depending on circumstances and the character's approach). Assuch, it is a skill highly valued by lawyers, kings, politicians and merchants. A successful Persuaderoll will convince the target that the character's point of view is the proper course of action. In ahaggling situation, use a Skill vs. Skill roll, with the lower rolling negotiator winning the exchangeand securing the best deal.

The effects of a successful Persuade roll can last indefinitely; as long as the GM believes isappropriate (often until another person or situation can have a chance of changing the target'smind). Persuasion is not domination, however. It cannot force the target to do as the speakersuggests, and the target always remains free to reject absurd proposals, regardless of the test result.

Skill SingBase Chance Communication BonusThis is the ability to 'sell' a song or story told to music, as well as any instrumental accompaniment.If the Sing roll is made, the audience is pleased and may throw money as a reward. If a roll is failed,the singer has performed poorly, sang off key, forgot the words, suffered a coughing fit orwhatever.

Skill levels are important: a singer with 80% skill will sound better than a singer with 40% skill,even if both rolls are successful.

Skill Speak Language (Name)Base Chance 0% (or Speak (own) Language INTx4% + Communication Bonus)This skill is really multiple skills, one for each language that exists. As such it may be takenmultiple times by a character, reflecting those languages he or she can speak. All characters beginthe game with the skill of Speak Language for their native tongue at INTx4%. In Middle-earth, thefollowing languages are most common.

Black Speech (the language of Mordor and Sauron's servants), Dunlendish, Khuzdul (the secretlanguage of the Dwarves), Orkish (see below), Quenya (High Elven), Rohirric (the language ofRohan), Silvan (Wood Elven), Sindarin (Grey Elven), Westron (the Common Tongue).

Education in Middle-earth is not widespread. Only certain classes (Nobles, Sages, Magicians etc asdescribed in the Classes chapter) are considered to be literate and therefore able to read and writethe languages they can speak. If members of these classes begin the game with a Speak Languageskill, they also begin the game with the corresponding Read/Write skill in that language. Otherclasses must acquire Read/Write skills separately. Read/Write Language is a Knowledge skill,detailed below.

Note that dead or ancient tongues are more properly covered by the Lore Skills.

9) Knowledge Skills

Skill AppraiseBase Chance Knowledge BonusWith this skill, the character can evaluate the worth of artifacts and goods (be they cloth, jewellery,art objects, scrolls, carpets, etc.) and valuable natural materials (land, gems, exotic animals). If thecharacter also has a Craft skill in a relevant area, the chance to evaluate is doubled. If the characterhas a Lore skill (genre specific) relevant to the item, the chance to evaluate is doubled if the Loreskill roll can first be made.

Successful use of this skill should give the character a good idea of the value of the objects beingappraised in terms of his/her native currency. The value stated by the GM should be in ballparkfigures as local conditions can wildly affect the value of an object to either the seller or the buyer. Acritical success will yield the exact value of the item.

A failed Appraise roll will produce an inaccurate evaluation and the GM can use the margin offailure as an index of the measure of inaccuracy. A fumbled Appraise roll will be wildly inaccurate,either too high or too low, depending on which is most inconvenient to the character.

Skill First AidBase Chance Knowledge BonusThis skill imparts a basic knowledge of what to do to help an injury or shock victim and how to usematerials at hand for that purpose. While generally used to treat wounds sustained in combat, FirstAid can be used on any physical injury: staunching bleeding, applying a tourniquet or splint, settinga broken bone, bandaging, performing artificial respiration, etc.

A successful First Aid roll means that the injured character has been successfully treated and will behealed of 1D3 Hit Points of damage. Further, the treated character will not lose any further HitPoints due to the delayed effects of the wound and, given time, will recover fully.

A critical success on a First Aid roll will either heal 1D3+3 Hit Points or prevent the long-termeffects of a major, gruesome, or critical wound. (See the Combat chapter for descriptions of thesewounds.)

If a First Aid roll is missed it indicates that the treatment has been ineffective. If the recipient of theFirst Aid roll is only lightly wounded (i.e. not suffering a major wound or critical hit) this is not toomuch of a problem: he would have eventually recovered anyway but will be short of Hit Points inthe meantime. Badly-wounded characters could be in trouble and should find someone else toattempt First Aid or they may become subject to delayed and long term wound effects.

If a First Aid roll is fumbled, the first aider causes an additional 1D3 Hit Points damage to thepatient!

Application of First Aid to a wound takes at least one Game Turn or 5 minutes of game time. Thetime required is variable: start with a base of 5 minutes minus 1 minute for each Hit Point healed toa minimum duration of 1 minute. This should be taken into account by the GM if combat is stillraging around the wounded character and the first aider.

It is possible to re-try a failed (but not fumbled) First Aid roll. On subsequent attempts, decrease theFirst Aid chance by 20% (as the first aider's knowledge is clearly running out over the course oftime). When the first aider's skill is reduced to zero or less, he may no longer attempt to treat thatpatient but may move on to another patient and have his normal skill level restored.

Skill GamesBase Chance Knowledge BonusThe character is skilled at games of all sorts, from riddles and chess, to cards and dice. As everyprofessional gambler knows, winning such games is not all down to luck. The intricacies of chessand draughts, the abilities to calculate the odds, remember the order of cards and knowing when towalk away are all intellectual skills; hence Games is a Knowledge skill.

A gambler must place a bet on some game of chance and then make a skill roll. If he succeeds hewins; if not, he loses. This skill can be used to simulate a long evening of wagering by having theadventurer make a number of skill rolls and deciding how much is won or lost on each roll.

This skill should not be used to resolve bets on non-chance events. Eg if a character bets on hittingthe bullseye with an arrow, use his Bow Attack skill, not his Games skill.

Skill HealingBase Chance 0%You are skilled in the healing arts, able to use leechcraft, herbs, poultices, and methods stranger stillto heal the sick and wounded. Healing skill is distinct from First Aid in that its application and

effects are different. First Aid can be used to treat a snake bite, i.e. the wound left by the snake'sfangs. Healing may be used to cure the effects of the snake's venom.

A successful Healing skill roll can

● Half the effects of a poison (POT or duration)● Treat a mental illness● Treat a disease● Reduce the effects of burn damage or acid scarring● Diagnose an illness or poison and determine a course of action● Provide long-term care at increased recovery rates (e.g. D3+1 Hit Points per week)● Treat the effects of a Major or Gruesome Wound, reduce scarring, negate Attribute losses. While

this cannot reattach an amputated limb, a successful Healing roll made promptly indicates thatthe limb was not actually severed and the victim was fortunate to be in the presence of a skilledhealer.

Critical Healing rolls enhance the effects at GM's discretion.

Characters with First Aid and/or Plant Lore can attempt these skills before making a Healing skillcheck. Successes add +10% to the Healing skill roll (i.e. +10% for success in either skill or +20%for success in both).

The duration of a Healing attempt is left to the GM. To treat mental illnesses or diseases could takeweeks, months or even years, depending on the particular affliction. When used to treat moreimmediate threats, such as combat wounds, poisons or burn damage, Healing takes at least oneGame Turn (5 minutes) to apply.

Only Masters of Healing, those with 90% or more in Healing skill, can treat supernatural diseasesor injuries such as the Black Breath of the Nazgul or Morgul Knife wounds.

Skill Lore (Subject)Base Chance 0%Lores are fields of academic knowledge, sometimes broad (such as History), sometimes narrow(such as Rings of Power). Some suggested fields of Lore are listed below

Animals: With a successful Animal Lore roll, the character can identify an animal; know what tofeed it; tell if it is in good health; or perhaps predict its behaviour. A single roll will provide all thisinformation for common animals but exotic creatures, like the Watcher in the Water, may requireseparate skill rolls for each significant fact about that creature. Animal Lore can also be used totrain an animal: horses may be broken to a rider or taught simple tricks; dogs can be trained to“fetch”, “sit”, “stay”, or act as a guard dog. Several Animal Lore rolls over the course of time (GMdiscretion) may be needed to fully train an animal. If the creature cannot normally be trained(because it is wild, like a wolf, or is a cat, for example) Animal Lore will operate at half skill level.

Geography: this gives a broad general knowledge of the geography of Middle-earth. Roughdistances and directions can be determined, as can notable obstacles (e.g. “The Lonely Mountain is1000 miles from the Shire, but to get there, you must pass over the Misty Mountains and throughthe Forest of Mirkwood.”). See also the Geographic Considerations section with the Renown rules.

Groups: the traditions, members, history and practices of a specific group of people are known tothe character. Examples include: the Dunedain, Gondorian Nobility, the Five Wizards, the Rangers,and rogues.

History: this gives a broad knowledge of the general History of Middle-earth. Dates of importantevents, those present, and the outcome can be determined with this skill.

Race: the character knows much about a specific race, their lands, customs, traditions and how theythink and act. Examples include: Dwarves, Beornings, Men, Elves, Hobbits, Orcs, Trolls, Rohirrim.

Realm: the history, geography, peoples, laws and other facts of a particular kingdom, region or landis known to the character. The realm should be easily identified on the map. Examples include:Arnor, Angmar, Gondor, Ithilien, Mordor, Wilderland, the Shire, among many others. See also theGeographic Considerations section with the Renown rules for examples of the sizes of realms,regions and local areas.

Other: Pick a specific area of knowledge; the character is well versed in this field. Examplesinclude: Balrogs; Rings of Power; Celebrimbor; Hobbit genealogy; magic; Denethor II; and many,many others. Include subjects of a scientific nature in this category, too. Examples include:Engineering, Mathematics, Metallurgy, Astronomy, Geology, Chemistry. At GM's discretion, itmay be appropriate that such subjects are so obscure or poorly-understood that the user functions athalf skill level and improvement is at half the normal rate.

Ancient Language: Choose one ancient tongue. The character has knowledge of how to read, writeand speak this language. Examples of ancient languages include Adunaic (the now-dead languageof Numenor).

Poisons: With this Lore, the character has knowledge of poisons and, perhaps more importantly,their antidotes. A successful skill roll can: reveal the use of a poison; identify the type; and suggesta method of treatment or an antidote. Using plants, herbs, animal organs and venomous beasts, thecharacter can brew ingested poisons or blade venoms. A single dose of poison (enough tocontaminate a single meal or envenom one weapon) takes one hour to brew and will cause limiteddamage (base of 2D6 damage) with an onset time of 1D6 minutes.

Plants: With this skill the character can identify plants and know their uses. Such knowledgeincludes whether a plant is edible or poisonous; whether it has medicinal uses (such as Athelas orKingsfoil); good soil conditions for a particular plant; and crop yields in farming.

Sorcery, Enchantment, Alchemy, Wizardry, Necromancy: These skills are possessed by Magicians.Knowledge of the theory and practice of a particular Art, the greater and lesser practitioners of thatArt, the limitations and dangers of the Art. Each Art therefore has an associated Lore skill whichmay be used by the player and GM to enhance the gaming experience. They are discussed further inthe Magic chapter.

Skill Make MapsBase Chance Knowledge BonusThis is the ability to transcribe one's surroundings fairly accurately onto paper (or other medium),without actually measuring or surveying the countryside. It comes in handy when a player says "Mycharacter is mapping". At the time the player needs to use the map, the GM calls for a Make Maproll. If this is successful, the GM must answer truthfully all directional questions about the areamapped. If the roll is failed, the GM can legitimately lead the entire party astray while "followingthe player's map".

Skill MemoriseBase Chance Knowledge BonusThis is the ability to recall things: faces, facts, words, conversations, messages, maps, etc.,perfectly. In effect, the GM becomes the character's memory so long as the Memorise roll issuccessfully made. It is suggested that written copies of things to be Memorised are kept by the GM

and players: this indicates that the character has successfully committed that information tomemory. When trying to recall memorised facts, make another Memorise roll. If this is successful,the facts are recalled. If it fails, the character suffers a 'mental block' and cannot recall thememorised data. However, subsequent memory recall rolls are permitted once per game hour.

This skill is used by Magicians to commit spells and other magic to memory, ready to be cast.Under non-stressful, comfortable conditions, no Memorise roll is required to commit a spell tomemory. The player may elect to make such a skill roll, however, and if successful, will halve theamount of time needed to memorise that spell. Rolls may be made for each spell or ritual to bememorised. Under adverse conditions, the GM may require a Memorise roll of the character inorder to overcome distractions or discomfort and successfully memorise the spell or ritual in thenormal amount of time (i.e. what would under normal conditions be automatically successful, nowrequires a skill roll just to ensure success).

Under seriously adverse conditions, a Memorise roll (and/or rolls versus Fear or Will Power) maybe required to recall a spell prior to casting it. This option is a GM decision and should not be usedlightly. Only under severe conditions (e.g. when facing down the Witch King or while paralysedwith fear) should such rolls be considered.

Skill NavigateBase Chance Knowledge BonusThis is the ability to determine one's location by the position of the stars, the presence of landmarks,the movement and position of the sun, etc. It may be used on both land and sea. A successful rollenables the character to find his or her way in storms, clear weather, in day or at night.

Die roll results for the use of this skill should be kept secret by the GM. If the roll is missed, thenavigator plots a course that deviates from the intended course as determined by the GM. This way,the players will not know where they will end up until they make landfall.

Skill Read/Write Language (Name)Base Chance 0%This is the ability to read and write a language that the character can speak. This skill should betaken for each spoken language the character knows that he also wants to be able to read and write.Thus a character could have Speak Westron, Read/Write Westron, Speak Sindarin, Read/WriteSindarin but only Speak Quenya.

Education in Middle-earth is not widespread. Only certain classes (Nobles, Sages, Magicians etc asdescribed in the Classes chapter) are considered to be literate and therefore able to read and writethe languages they can speak. If members of these classes begin the game with a Speak Languageskill, they also begin the game with the corresponding Read/Write skill in that language at the samepercentage skill level. After the character begins adventuring, the Speak and Read/Write skillsimprove separately. Other classes must acquire Read/Write skills, rather than have them providedby their class.

Skill ShiphandlingBase Chance 0%The Shiphandling skill is used by the captain of a ship. It includes all the knowledge and judgementa ship captain must know which is useful or important to manage his vessel. Use of Shiphandlingskill assumes a competent crew is present to fulfil the commands given by the skill user.Incompetent crews nullify Shiphandling to varying degrees, depending on the degree ofincompetence. The Shiphandling rules in White Wolf can be used in place of the Naval Conflictsrules in Stormbringer (p.49) when fighting ship-to-ship.

For beginning Captains add Shiphandling at 70% + bonus; for Mates, add Shiphandling at 50% +

bonus.

Skill Survival (Terrain type)Base Chance Knowledge BonusThis is the skill of surviving in the wild places of the world, and Middle-earth has many suchplaces! It covers knowledge of how to forage for edible or useful plants, find or make shelter, snaresmall animals, and make fire.

Survival should be taken by terrain type. Examples include: mountains, forests, jungles, deserts,even the oceans. The skill can be taken several times by a character, once for each terrain type. It isbest used in conjunction with other skills (Lore (Plants), Track and Set/Disarm Trap) spring tomind). Successful Survival skill rolls in the relevant terrain should provide bonuses to subsequentrolls for such skills.

Skill WarcraftBase Chance 0%This is a military theory skill. It combines practical skills, theoretical knowledge, unit leadership,tactics and strategy. The character has either been in many battles (and has thus learned the “hardway”) or has learned the lessons of history from skilled teachers. A successful Warcraft roll allowsthe character to

● Lead troops in battle● Coordinate tactical actions like an ambush● Plan or stand a siege● Provision for a siege, post guards, plan sallies etc● Score hits with war engines● Understand weak points in defenses● Understand the capabilities of an enemy force

This skill is often used against the enemy commander's Warcraft skill. It is an ideal application ofthe extended tests rules. Craft (Stonemason) and Lore (Geology or Rocks & Minerals) can provideaffinity bonuses to certain Warcraft rolls.

7. GAME SYSTEM

1) Time and Movement

a) Time Scales

For game purposes, several time parts are defined. These are shown below:

1 Game Turn = 5 minutes1 Combat Round = 12 seconds1 Minute = 5 Combat Rounds1 Game Turn = 25 Combat Rounds1 Hour = 12 Game Turns

b) Daily Movement

For overland movement, we assume a ten hour travel-day with sufficient stops for rest. Consult thetable below for daily distances. These values assume travelling along a road or trail, not cross-country

Pace Distance (miles perday)

Walk 20

Forced March 40

Casual Horseback 35

Forced Horseback 40

Wagon Speed 10

Terrain and weather conditions then reduce these base figures as follows:

Terrain Reduce By

Forest, rolling hills or desert 1/3

Mountains 2/3

Marshes or swamps 2/3 (or 1/3 if using boats or rafts)

Ice or snow 4/5 (or 1/3 if using skis or sledges)

Heavy Storms 2/3

A major river takes one full day to cross, unless bridged or fordable.

Terrain and weather modifiers are cumulative.

Travel by sea or river is also possible. Check the table below for typical sailing speeds.

Travelling On Good Conditions (miles) Poor Conditions (miles)

Open Sea, hourly 8 1

Open Sea, daily 192 24

Coast/River, hourly 4 2

Coast/River, daily 48 12

Good or Poor conditions are governed by many factors such as: wind and storms; the tides;presence of rocks or sandbars. The type of craft and the experience of the crew are also importantconsiderations. Captains should attempt Shiphandling skill rolls to achieve the best movement rates.

c) Scenario Movement

In combat or similar tactical situations where there is “time pressure”, the time scale switches torounds. Distance moved may be critical, and knowing if your character can get from one side of abattle to the other becomes important. Typical movement rates are shown below:

Pace Game Turn Minute Combat Round

Normal 1000ft / 380yds 200ft / 65yds 40ft / 12yds

Cautious 400ft / 130yds 80ft / 25yds 16ft / 5yds

Run ~1mile / 1480yds 1040ft / 350yds 200ft / 65yds

● Double these distances if on horseback. ● Multiply by 2/3 if a Dwarf or Hobbit.● If wearing plate armour and STR < 15 speed is reduced to 2/3 normal rates.● If STR > SIZ , character is faster than average● If STR < SIZ , character is slower than average

Average Movement Rates in Combat

Normal Move, Running, Clear Ground 200ft 65yds

Normal Move, Running, Restricted Ground 100ft 33yds

2) Using Skills: Success or Failure

Whether your character is heroic or dastardly, you'll want him to act and succeed. In Basic Role-Playing your character can succeed in four ways: automatic actions; simple percentile rolls; skillversus skill; and the resistance table rolls. These four methods of determining success give you allthe mechanics you need for a character to perform normal activities.

a) Automatic Actions

This term describes activities which are always successful under normal circumstances. There is noneed to roll any dice for these. They are assumed 100% successful. These include walking, running,talking, seeing, hearing, and any other normal basic function.

Attempting to do these things under extraordinary conditions, or trying to do them with closescrutiny, requires a die roll, as outlined in the next section.

b) Simple Percentile Rolls

Ordinary actions performed under stress or requiring concentration need a die roll to be successful.This includes Climbing, Jumping, Spotting Hidden Items, Listening, or Moving Quietly. Further,any action which requires a specific special skill to do requires a die roll as well. Examples of theseare Riding, Swimming, Throwing, or Picking Pockets.

A list of common skills is given below, with normal starting percentages.

Skill Starting Percentage

Brawl 25%

Climb 25%

Dodge DEX x 2%

Listen 25%

Hide 10%

See 25%

Move Quietly 10%

These skills are possessed in greater or lesser degree by everyone. Other skills may require specialtraining. Perfect examples of such skills include Ride, Craft skills, Disguise, Language skills andLore skills (academic learning).

In addition, derived characteristics like the Idea roll are expressed as percentages.

c) Skill Versus Skill – Method One

One skill can be used to guard against the use of another skill. For instance, Hide may be usedversus Search or See; Move Quietly may be used against Listen; Appraise versus Persuade in atrading/bartering situation and so on. Further, it may be that the same skills can be used against eachother: two politicians matching wits with their Persuade skills perhaps.

One of the skills must be designated the 'attacking' skill while the other is the 'defending' skill. Forexample, Hide could be the 'defender' while Search would be the 'attacker'. The defending charactermust successfully use his skill before it will guard him. If the defender is successful, subtract hisskill percentage from the attacker's skill. The attacker must then make his skill roll at the reducedpercentage in order to be successful. In a case where the defender's skill would reduce the attacker'sskill to 5% or less, the attacker will always have at least a 5% chance of success.

If the defender unsuccessfully uses his skill, the attacker must make only a simple percentile roll tobe successful.

For example:

A Man is hiding from an Orc. The Man has Hide 28% and the Orc has a See skill of 50%. The Manmakes his Hide skill roll and succeeds. The Orc must then make a See skill roll of (50-28=) 22% inorder to spot the Man. If the Man had failed his Hide roll, he would have had nothing to with whichto 'defend' himself against the Orc's eyesight, and the Orc would have had a 50% chance to spot theMan.

d) Skill Versus Skill – Method Two (Experimental, untested)

These rules might suit “extended test” situations where two characters are locked in a struggle overa period of time. Such cases would include large scale tactical battles, games of chess, trading ordiplomatic negotiations and so on.

Divide each character's percentile skill by 5 and round fractions normally. This will give a numberbetween 1 and 20 (for most characters). Each character then decides their goal or the GM candetermine the victory conditions. The contest then plays out as follows:

● Make a roll for each character on the Resistance Table● If both succeed or both fail, there is no outcome yet and the contest continues● If one side scores a critical success while the other scores a normal success (or a fumble and a

normal failure occur) then the contest continues with the advantage - say an extra 1D6 onto thescore - going to the side which scored the critical or normal failure

● If one character succeeds and the other fails, victory is achieved● If a critical success or fumble is rolled, the winner scores a big victory

In an extended contest the GM can set a victory level (say, first to five) and the struggle would notbe over after the first win. Such contests could take days or weeks of game time to conclude.

The winning character gets one skill improvement roll, no matter how many rolls he may havemade.

For example:

Two characters are playing Chess and match their Games skills on the Resistance Table. Turgonhas Games 84% and Bergil has Games 60%. Dividing by 5 and rounding normally gives Turgon ascore of 16.8 (rounded up to 17) and Bergil has a score of 12. Turgon has a 5 point advantage overBergil. On the Resistance Table, Turgon has a 75% chance of beating Bergil, whilst Bergil has but a25% chance of besting Turgon.

The players make their rolls.

On the first round, Turgon rolls 56, a success, while Bergil rolls 22, also a success. Both players arein good form, matching gambits and tactics and neither can force a win. On the second round,Turgon scores 94, a failure, while Bergil rolls 95. Both players fail, so the contest continues.Finally, Turgon rolls 01, a critical success while poor Bergil rolls 84 and fails. In the Chess match,Turgon capitalises on an error by Bergil and sweeps to victory! e) Resistance Table Rolls The final method of determining success is by using the Resistance Table. It makes it easy to figureout if your character succeeds in pitting some characteristic of his against something else, alsoexpressed as a simple number comparable to the characteristic. The Table is a ready-to-use versionof the formula devised to solve such problems. To use it, take the active person's characteristic and find it on the upper, horizontal entry. Then findthe passive object's characteristic on the left-hand, vertical line. Cross-index them and you have themaximum number you can roll and still succeed in the task.

For instance, a character with a STR of 9 wishes to push open a door that is stuck. The refereedetermines that the door has STR 4. Checking the Resistance Table you'll see that he needs to roll75% or less to succeed. If he rolls that, then the door has been pushed open.

A character's Courage and Fatigue Points are specific examples of how the Resistance Table can beused to resolve situations outside of the normal skill-system. Courage, the average of STR, POWand CHA, is used to resist Fear. Fatigue Points, the average of CON, STR and POW, are used todetermine the effects of exhausting activities on the character. Specific mechanics for Courage arein the Middle-earth Special Rules chapter. Fatigue is discussed in the Game System chapter.

3) Skill Modifiers (optional, experimental, untested)

Sometimes things are not as easy as they seem. On other occasions, circumstances may make a taskeasier. In these cases, modifiers can be applied to the character's skill level before the roll is made.Common modifiers are shown below. The use of these modifiers is entirely at the GM's discretion.

a) Craft skills

Situation Modifier

Complex Repair -20%

Very Complex Repair -40%

Don't have the right parts -20%

Don't have the right tools -30%

“Has never been done before” -60%

“I've never done this before” -10%

Complex Lock -Builder's Craft: Locksmith Skill

b) Stealth Skills

Situation Modifier

Performing secretive task while under observation -40%

Target on guard or alerted -30%

c) Terrain Effects on Stealth

Terrain Hide Move Quietly

Light

Scrub 5% -5%

Brush 10% -10%

Trees 10% -10%

Medium

Scrub 10% -10%

Brush 20% -20%

Trees 20% -20%

Heavy

Scrub 15% -15%

Brush 30% -30%

Trees 50% -50%

If the terrain is flat, halve the Hide skill before adding the terrain modifier.If the terrain is broken, double the Hide skill before adding the terrain modifier.

d) Terrain Effects on Perception

Terrain See/Search

Light

Scrub 0%

Brush -10%

Trees -10%

Medium

Scrub -10%

Brush -20%

Trees -20%

Heavy

Scrub -15%

Brush -30%

Terrain See/Search

Trees -50%

If the ground is broken, halve the Search skill and reduce See by 25% before subtracting the terrainmodifier.

e) Terrain Definitions

● Light – No more than one item of the terrain type per 10'x10' area. Normal vision range.● Medium – No more than five items of the terrain type per 10'x10' area. Half vision range.● Heavy – More than five items of the terrain type per 10'x10' area. Quarter vision range.● Scrub – Ground cover up to waist height, e.g. grass, light bushes. No movement penalty.● Brush – Ground cover slightly over man height. Reduce movement by 15% to 30%.Trees – Forest of trees several man-heights tall. Trees can support human weight. Movementreduced as per Brush.

f) Perception and Lighting

Situation Modifier

Well hidden clue/object/secret door or panel -30%

Brightly lit area / Full Sunlight (e.g. for Orcs) -30%

Insufficient light (e.g. Moon, Star, torch, candle) -5% to -70% (GM's Discretion)

Pitch Blackness -75%

g) Encumbrance (Agility Skills, Attack and Parry)

Encumbrance Level Modifier

Light -10%

Medium -20%

Heavy -30%

h) Miscellaneous Modifiers

Situation Modifier

Under Stress -30%

Under Attack -30%

i) Reputation and Social Skills

Reputation Score Modifier

0-5 0%

6-10 +/- 5%

11-15 +/- 10%

16-20 +/- 15%

21-25 +/- 20%

26-30 +/- 25%

31+ +/- 30%

Area in Common Modifier

Local 0%

Area -10%

Region -20%

Realm -40%

World -60%

4) Skill Affinities (Experimental, untested)

Some skills are related (even if not closely) and characters possessing such skills may be able tobring them to bear. This is called an affinity.

For each skill for which an affinity may apply the GM can determine one or two (maximum) relatedskills which may be applied in a situation. The player may then attempt skill rolls for the affinitiesbefore making the main skill roll. Each success in an affinity skill grants a +10% bonus to the “real”skill being used. These bonuses do increase the character's chance of making a critical success onthe main skill roll. Critical successes or fumbles on an affinity roll do not grant any further bonusesor penalties to the main skill.

For example, the Healing skill is used to treat diseases, poisons and so on. But Lore: Plants includesknowledge of which plants may have beneficial healing qualities. With a successful Lore: Plantsroll, the character using Healing skill gets a +10% bonus for that attempted treatment.

These rules show the value of Lore skills as they allow academic knowledge to be applied inpractical situations. For example, when attempting to Persuade with a Dwarf Chieftain, a characterwith Lore: Dwarves has an insight into the Dwarven personality and mind-set which may give himan advantage in striking a deal.

If another character possesses a relevant affinity skill and is in a position to communicate theinformation to the skill user, successful affinity skills grant a +5% bonus.

5) Levels of Success

There are six levels of success or failure. From best to worst, these are described below.

a) Critical Success

Critical successes occur when the dice roll for a skill or resistance table roll is 1/10 of the requiredscore. Fractions less than 0.5 are rounded down, those of 0.5 or greater are rounded up. Forexample, a character with a Climb skill of 62% will score a critical success on the roll of 6.2% orless on D100. The 6.2% rounds down to 6%.

A critical success represents a spectactular performance by the character. The GM should rewardthe character in some way. For example: a climber makes the ascent more quickly; a pick-pocketfilches an item of high value; someone listening detects an enemy approaching much earlier thanwould be normal or can perhaps reckon the number of approaching creatures; a craftsman makes anitem of exceptional quality. The exact effects depend on the circumstances and the skill being used.

Critical successes are very important in combat. Much greater detail is given to these critical hits inthe Combat chapter.

b) Special Success

A special success occurs when the dice roll is between 1/10 and 1/5 of the required skill orresistance table score. Again, fractions less than 0.5 are rounded down, those of 0.5 or greater arerounded up. The climber above with 62% Climb skill scores a special success on a dice roll of (62 /5 = ) 12.4% which rounds down to 12%. Therefore the climber would score a critical on 01 – 06%and a special success on 07 – 12%.

A special success represents a better-than-average performance in the skill by the character and theGM should reward the character in some way. The climber could make the ascent with ease; a pick-pocket might filch an additional item; a listener could be able to determine the enemy's direction ofapproach or the type of creature making the noise; a craftsman makes an item of above averagequality. The exact effects depend on the circumstances and the skill being used, at GM's discretion.

In combat, special successes are also important and are discussed in the Combat chapter.

c) Normal Success

A normal success, or simply success, occurs on any dice roll higher than 1/5 of the skill score butless than or equal to the score. With a 62% Climb skill, the character above will score a normalsuccess on a dice roll of 13 – 62%. The character's performance in the skill or resistance roll issufficient to accomplish the task and the normal effects of the skill apply with no further bonus orpenalty.

With a normal success, the climber makes the ascent; a pick-pocket gains an item of average value;a listener can hear something but cannot tell what it is; and a craftsman makes an item of passableor saleable quality.

d) Normal Failure

A normal failure, or simply failure, occurs on a skill or resistance roll higher than the skill score butless than 96%. In this case the character's performance in the skill is inadequate and the task isfailed.

For example: a climber gets stuck and is unable to find a way up a cliff face (a cruel GM might askfor another Climb roll to be able to get back down!); a pick-pocket comes away empty handed; acharacter cannot hear anything untoward; a craftsman labours all day but his work is spoiled bypoor quality materials or shoddy workmanship. Depending on the skill in question the attempt may

be repeated, often with a penalty on the retry as the character exhausts his knowledge.

e) The Mishap

A mishap another type of failure. It is a minor but unfortunate event that accompanies thecharacter's failed attempt. For characters whose skill level is less than 50% a mishap occurs on adice roll of 96, 97 or 98%. For characters whose skill level is 50% or higher a mishap occurs on adice roll of 98 or 99%.

Examples of mishaps include: the climber drops something while making the climb; the pick-pocketfilches and item of superficially high value but which turns out to be worthless; the listenerconfuses the enemy approach with something innocent and may proceed with a false sense ofsecurity; the craftsman makes an item that, although functional, is either unpleasing to the eye orhas a 50% chance of breaking whenever it is used. f) The Fumble

The opposite of a critical, the fumble roll represents a spectacular failure in the character's use of askill. If a character's skill is less than 50%, a fumble occurs on the D100 roll of 99% or 00% (100).If the character's skill is 50% or greater, a fumble occurs only on the roll of 00% (100).

As with critical successes, the effects of a fumble depend on circumstances and the skill being used.The climber may slip and fall; the pick-pocket is caught red-handed or filches an item which turnsout to be cursed; the listener fails to hear the enemy and may be surprised when they approach; thecraftsman makes an item of superficially high quality but which will break on first usage. The GMshould rule on the fumble's detrimental effects.

Fumbles add a further element of risk to combat. More details on combat fumbles can be found inthe Combat chapter.

6) Experience

a) Learning From Experience

A great pleasure of continued role-playing is watching and participating in the advancement of acharacter from his humble beginnings to his ultimate fate. Characters grow and change, generallygetting better at whatever they attempt to do. There is real satisfaction in having characters besuccessful.

Success is measured in many ways. Your character may be important in whatever local game inwhich he participates. He may be a knight or warrior, a cleric or magician, a nobleman or a wickedtyrant. How this occurs depends upon how the particular game has been established.

These rules standardise another measurement, advancement through experience. Simply put, themore you use a skill, the more you learn about it and the better you get at it. This includes concreteskills, such as sword fighting or jumping, abstract ones such as Listening, or exotic skills inadvanced versions of the game.

Whenever your character has finished an adventure, typically after play is done and before everyonegoes home, you should check over his character sheet to see what skills were used during play. Ifyour character succeeded in using skills, they should have been marked on the sheet. Just trying isnot enough to learn by – you must succeed. No matter how many times a character succeeds in askill, he gets only one chance, between adventures, to learn by experience.

For each skill he used successfully, roll D100 and try to roll a number higher than his current skilllevel. If you roll equal to or lower than the current skill, then the character hasn't learned from hisexperience. On a higher roll, the skill will improve as described below.

● For a chosen Class Skill, the skill increases by 1D10%● For a non-Class Skill, the skill increases by 1D6%

This reflects the character channelling his energy into those skills which are really important to himi.e. those which are relevant to his profession. Other skills improve more slowly because thecharacter pays them less attention.

When a skill reaches or exceeds 90%, do not roll the dice for improvement, simply add 1% to theskill.

Repeat the procedure for all the skills used in the adventure. Note here that a weapon's Attack andParry and the Read/Write and Speak aspects of a Language are separate skills and improveindependently of each other.

You can see that successfully doing something you're poor at is hard, but also that if you succeed atit then you're more likely to learn from the experience. Conversely, if you're good at a skill you'llusually succeed at it, but it will get progressively harder to increase your skills.

Finally, remember that derived characteristic rolls, such as the Luck roll, do not increase this way.Those are constant unless the characteristic itself should change for some reason.

b) Effects of INT on Learning by Experience

Characters who have high INT learn more quickly than their slower-witted counterparts. To reflectthis, when making an experience roll as described above, add the INT - 12 to the D100 roll to see ofthe character improves. Thus a character with INT of 14 will add (14 -12 =) 2% to the dice roll forall skills that are eligible to be improved.

c) Skill Training

Characters who attain mastery in a skill (typically a score of 90% or higher) may train othercharacters in that skill. For weapons skills, a score of 90% or higher in both Attack and Parry arerequired to become a master of that weapon, unless one or the other of these would be inappropriate(a Longbow Parry skill would be somewhat difficult to justify, for example, and it would bepossible to be a master of Shield Parry - because shields are primarily defensive - without having asimilar level in Shield Attack).

Training is expensive. A Master-level teacher may charge whatever the student can afford in returnfor the training. Such payment need not be monetary: quests, tasks and return service are allpossible repayments, depending on the Master. Furthermore, qualified teachers may be few and farbetween: it could be an adventure in itself just trying to find, then travel to see, a teacher.

The student must practice full-time with the master for at least one game week. The student canstudy with only one teacher at a time. At the end of training, roll D6-2 for the skill (or both Attackand Parry skills for a weapon) to see by what percentage the character's skill has improved. It ispossible to get worse after studying with a Master, in cases where the Master's style differs radicallyfrom the student's, or where the Master and pupil do not get along.

d) Lore Skills and Learning

Lore skills are an important exception to the rules for learning by experience. Since they representskills and knowledges learned from books, scrolls and teachers, they are in a way 'finite', that is, ifone has not read the correct books or scrolls or been taught by a Sage, there are certain things thatremain beyond one's knowledge. Not everyone knows everything.

Lore skills can only be raised by training with a Master in that particular Lore (as described above),by encountering other users of that Lore, or by conducting research.

When encountering another user of a given Lore, the two scholars can hold a prolonged talk,sharing anecdotes, trading secrets and comparing techniques to their mutual benefit. The skill of thelower Lore user increases by 1D6% while the higher user increases by 1D4%. If either adventurerhas a skill of 90%, then the increase is only 1%. Further, if the lower skill is less than half thehigher skill, that knowledge is so limited that the higher Lore user can learn nothing from his lessexperienced colleague, though the reverse is not true. Finally, an adventurer can learn only oncefrom a particular individual in this manner. Such a conversation typically takes 2D6 days tocomplete.

A Lore user can perform research in a laboratory (in the case of Poison Lore, for instance) orlibrary. For each year of uninterrupted study, the Lore skill increases by 1D10% until it reaches90%, and at 1% per year thereafter.

Great libraries exist in Rivendell and Minas Tirith, for instance, but lesser libraries surely also exist.If the GM judges a library to be incomplete, then study may raise a Lore skill by a lesser percentage(D8%, D6% or even D4%). Further, the GM may rule that the study of a particular Lore skill maybe impossible in a given place (learning about the Haradrim in the Shire, for example).

e) Increasing Attributes

There are a number of ways to increase attributes. However, most of these are rare. Such occasionsare summarised below.

1. When the GM asks for an Attribute x 1 % saving roll (e.g. STR or less on 1D100 to move a hugeboulder) and the character makes the roll, the player has the chance to increase his attribute. Atthe end of the adventure, the player rolls 2D6. If he rolls 7 on one try, the attribute increases by1. If the roll is 2 (double 1 or snake-eyes), the adventurer has strained something and the attributedecreases by 1. Any other roll results no change to the attribute.

2. STR, CON, DEX, POW and INT can increase through a successful Resistance Table roll. Theroll must be made in a dangerous situation against a foe whose corresponding attribute is higherthan the character's own. On a successful roll, the character may roll to improve the attribute on2D6 as described in 1 above.

3. SIZ cannot easily be changed, representing as it does a combination of the character's height,weight and body frame. However, with a strict regime of fasting or feasting, SIZ may beincreased or decreased by one or two points but no more.

4. CHA cannot increase through a Resistance Table roll. With the correct training, in manners,dress, deportment, hygiene and psychology, the character can learn to create a more favourableimpression on others. Such training takes at least one month and the character must be trained bya teacher whose CHA is at least 17 and higher than the character's own. At the end of the month,the character makes a 2D6 roll as described in 1 above. If successful, CHA increases by onepoint. The character can gain no more than three points of CHA in this way.

5. Magic can affect attributes both positively and negatively. The character on the receiving end ofsuch magic may not have a choice in the effects!

6. Magicians who overcome the POW of their targets when casting spells may increase their POW

as described in the Magic chapter.

Attributes may also go down. Most commonly this is through injury in battle, as described in detailin the Combat chapter, but is something which most players probably would not wish to dwellupon!

When attributes change, recalculate the character's Skill Group bonuses accordingly.

f) Treasure

Treasure is another measure of success in many fantasy games. Roleplaying in Middle-earth,however, does not glorify the “kill the monsters, loot the room” style of other games. While wealthis useful (for replacing lost weapons or broken armour, purchasing room and board at the Inn of thePrancing Pony) it is not the be all and end all. Characters would be well advised to be prepared tosurrender wealth for the greater good. g) The Cost of Failure

If success is rewarded, failure is not. It is painful to miss out on a chance, even if it has noimmediate effect on your character other than not bringing home the rich merchant's daughter justthen. While your character may get a bit hungry without money, that will only motivate himstrongly on the next adventure. But there can be worse fates, such as the failure to finish climbingup that rope, or failing to make a parry.

7) Encumbrance (Experimental, Untested)

a) What is Encumbrance?

Encumbrance is a measure of weight carried by a character. Weapons, armour, ammunition,provisions, equipment and treasure all drag a character down, making him slower to react.

The maximum weight a character can carry is equal to his or her STR x 10 pounds. Encumbranceand its effects are then calculated in four bands: No Encumbrance, Light, Medium and Heavy. TheEncumbrance Bands are shown below, along with the penalty assigned to Agility skills (such asDodge and Climb) and Combat skills (Attack and Parry) at those levels of encumbrance.

Band Min Load(lbs)

Max Load(lbs)

Penalty

No Encumbrance 0 STR x 2 0%

Light STR x 2 STR x 5 -10%

Medium STR x 5 STR x 8 -20%

Heavy STR x 8 STR x 10 -40%

Dwarves, by virtue of their Tireless racial ability, ignore the penalties for Light and Mediumencumbrance and halve (-20%) the penalty for Heavy encumbrance.

8) Fatigue, Weariness and Sleep (Experimental, Untested)

a) Fatigue Points

Fatigue Points (FP) represent a character's resistance to tiredness in the face of arduous activity,

combat, travel, work or attention to detail. Fatigue Points are calculated as the average of CON,STR and POW, reflecting physical stamina, muscle power and willpower needed to carry on whentired. Round fractions normally. For example, a character with STR of 12, CON of 13 and POW of10 would have Fatigue Points of (12 + 13 + 10 = 35 / 3 =) 11.66, which rounds up to 12.

b) Fatigue Levels

There are four Fatigue Levels, defined below

● Fresh – the character is completely rested● Winded – the character is somewhat breathless● Tired – the character is now in need of rest● Exhausted – the character should rest as soon as possible

The Fatigue Levels impose penalties on a character's skills over the course of time, as shown below.

Fatigue Level FP Remaining Skill Modifiers

Fresh Full FP 0%

Winded 3/4 FP -10%

Tired 1/2 FP -25%

Exhausted 1/4 FP -50%

Dwarves, by virtue of their Tireless racial ability, halve all the penalties at each level of fatigue.

c) Fatiguing Activities

● Extreme – Combat, sprinting, some physical exercises● Demanding – Sustained rigorous activity or attention to detail, running● Standard – jogging, walking cross-country, social interaction● Relaxed – strolling, reading, library research

d) Fatigue Tests

When engaged in fatiguing activities, make a Resistance Table roll matching the character's currentFP versus the level of difficulty of the activity. Make the first check after the base time in the tablebelow then, if the activity is sustained beyond that time, check again after every interval. After awhile, the character will fail a Resistance Table roll and begin to accumulate fatigue.

Activity Level Difficulty Base Time Interval

Extreme 18 10 minutes 5 minutes

Demanding 15 1 hour 30 minutes

Standard 10 2 hours 1 hour

Relaxed 7 4 hours 2 hours

The level of success in the Resistance Table roll determines how many Fatigue Points are lost, asshown below:

● Critical success – OK. Character gets his 'second wind' and regains 1D3 FP● Special success – OK. Character draws on his reserves and regains 1 FP

● Success – OK. Character loses no FP● Fail – Character is beginning to tire, lose 1 FP● Mishap – lose 1D3 FP● Fumble – lose 1D6+1 FP. Phew!

e) Encumbrance and Fatigue

Heavily encumbered characters risk losing Fatigue Points more quickly than normal. Apply thefollowing modifiers to the base difficulty of the fatigue Resistance Table roll based on the level ofencumbrance of the character.

Encumbrance Level Difficulty Modifier

None 0

Light +2

Medium +4

Heavy +6

Thus a warrior with a Heavy load engaged in combat (extreme activity) matches current FP versus atarget of 18 + 6 = 24 for determining fatigue on the Resistance Table.

f) Recovering Fatigue

Rest and sleep are the best ways of recovering fatigue. In Middle-earth, special methods also exist,such as the Elven cordial, Miruvor, which wipes away fatigue.

● 1 hour's sleep restores 2 FP● 1 hour's rest restores 1 FP

Miruvor restores 2D6 Fatigue Points per phial imbibed. It takes effect almost instantly, gladdeningthe heart, clearing the mind and revitalising the body. Certain stimulants (Orc brews, for example)may help negate skill penalties due to Fatigue but do not necessarily restore lost FP: eventually thecharacter will need to rest.

9) Using Social Skills

a) Social Skills

These are the skills of Persuade, Oratory, Intimidate, Fast Talk and Insight. Social skills are thosewhich govern interaction between characters. In many cases the situation should be roleplayed andthe GM can decide the outcome based on the characters' persuasiveness, motivations, evidence andthe player's skill at roleplaying their character. No modifiers are given, nor needed for suchsituations.

There will be occasions when a skill roll is needed. In such cases, make the skill roll and check forthe level of success below.

Critical

● Fast Talk or Oratory moves the target(s) to immediate action. There is no “Idea Roll” save versusthe Fast Talk.

● Persuade convinces the target or closes the deal with great profit or benefit to the skill user.

● Insight completely understands the target's motivations, emotions, intentions and character.Further Social Skills used against this target are at a bonus equal to the skill user's CHA%.

● Intimidate completely cows the target (or victim in this case) who complies with the intimidatorimmediately, perhaps to excess and for a long while.

Special

● Fast Talk or Oratory moves the target(s) to action. The “Idea Roll” save versus Fast Talk ishalved.

● Persuade convinces the target or closes the deal at a profit or benefit to the skill user.● Insight understands the target's emotions, intentions and character. The skill user says just the

right thing to get immediate agreement.● Intimidate completely cows the target who complies with the intimidator immediately.

Success

● Fast Talk or Oratory persuades the target(s) who respond in an appropriate length of time(whatever is realistic to the GM). An “Idea Roll” save versus the Fast Talk is allowed.

● Persuade clinches the deal or convinces the target.● Insight correctly judges the target's character but Fast Talk or Oratory is still needed to convince

the target to do something.● Intimidate causes the target to comply with the skill user for a while.

Fail

● With Fast Talk, Insight, Oratory, or Persuade, no deal or agreement can be reached orinformation is forthcoming.

● A failed Intimidate roll means the target is unimpressed. The user may retry, however, oncemore information is known about the target. This may require further Insight, Persuade, FastTalk or Oratory rolls, or a change of tack, e.g. threatening torture.

Mishap

● Fast Talk or Oratory backfires with some unexpected result (GM decision).● Persuade causes the deal to result in a loss to the skill user.● Insight misinterprets the target's intentions, emotions or character. Further Social Skill use

against this target by the skill user is at a penalty of the target's POW.● Intimidate leaves the target unmoved and perhaps even resentful of the intimidator. The target

may bear a grudge for the fear inflicted by the intimidator.

Fumble

● Fast Talk or Oratory backfires with some unexpected result (GM decision).● Persuade causes the deal to go sour or to result in a great loss to the skill user.● Insight disastrously misinterprets the target's intentions, emotions or character.● Intimidate leaves the target completely unmoved, perhaps even scornful of the user. No retry is

possible until further information is received and further Intimidate rolls by the user are at apenalty of the target's INT + POW versus this target.

b) Countering Social Skills

Many social skill situations could be handled as Skill vs. Skill situations, where the skill of one userworks against the skill of the other. For example

● Two merchants, haggling to get the best deal, use Persuade against each other. ● Demagogues debating in front of a crowd could use their Oratory skills.● Bullies face each other down with their Intimidate skills. This might work particularly well for

shows of strength between Orc captains.

Either of the Skill versus Skill mechanisms described earlier in this chapter could be used in thesesituations.

However, it may be possible to counter social skills with combinations of Attributes, particularly ifSkill vs. Skill is inappropriate. For example:

● If Persuade is being used as a seduction skill, counter with INT + POW or INT + CHA,assuming the target does not want to be seduced.

● Oratory when used to sway an enemy or normally hostile crowd could be countered with thecrowd's average INT + POW.

● Intimidate, when used to threaten torture, could be countered with INT + POW.● But Intimidate when actually used for torture could be countered with CON + POW.● Fast Talk when bluffing a guard or jailer, could be countered with INT + CHA.● Intimidate when using assumed/bluffed/pretended Authority, Rank, or Majesty could be

countered with INT + POW or INT + CHA.● Intimidate when using real Authority, Rank, or Majesty could be countered with POW + CHA.

Either of the Skill versus Skill mechanisms described earlier in this chapter could be used in thesesituations.

8. COMBAT

1) Combat Sequence

One combat (melee) round is 12 seconds. The sequence of combat is as follows:

● Declaration of intent – GM and players all declare what their characters will do in the nextround.

● Initiative – Determine order of attack.● Resolution of missiles and melee – Each combatant takes their turn to carry out their declared

action.● Movement of non-engaged characters – Anyone not directly involved in the combat acts after all

other actions have been taken.

Details of the combat sequence are given below.

a) Declaration of intent

The GM and players declare what all their characters are going to do in the coming round. The GMshould alternate between himself and the players as to who declares first. Alternatively, declarationcould be done by the lowest DEX person or creature first, on the theory that faster characters canreact more easily to the slower ones than vice-versa.

b) Initiative

In the chaotic whirl of melee combat, who gets to act first is all important. The concept of “do untoothers before they do unto you” allows combatants the chance to kill an opponent before theopponent can strike. Initiative determines this order of attack. To determine Initiative, eachcombatant rolls D10 plus or minus their DEX Modifier (i.e. the bonus or penalty for having a DEXhigher than 12 or lower than 9). For example, a character with DEX of 15 rolls D10 + 3 forInitiative, while a character with DEX 6 rolls D10 – 3 for Initiative. In extreme cases, this charactermay have a negative Initiative score.

Once initiative is determined, attacks or other actions are carried out in descending order. Shouldtwo or more characters tie on a particular Initiative score, they act in order of DEX, highest first. Ifthere is still a tie based on DEX score, roll 1D10 for each character involved in the tie. The highestD10 score acts first; keep re-rolling the D10's until an order is reached.

c) Resolve Actions

Much detail follows later in this section. In essence, each character involved in the combat makesskill rolls to Attack, Parry, Dodge or perhaps cast spells. Other characters may perform otheractions: rummaging in backpacks, running away, picking up a dropped weapon and so on.

d) Movement of non-engaged characters

Anyone not directly involved in the combat acts now. This could be, for example: the arrival ofreinforcements (who may fight next round); the appearance of summoned creatures; spell effectsstarting or ending; characters using non-combat skills (healing a fallen comrade as the battle ragesall around); and other GM-controlled events.

e) Movement in Combat

In combat or similar tactical situations where there is “time pressure”, the time scale switches torounds. Distance moved may be critical, and knowing if your character can get from one side of abattle to the other becomes important. Typical movement rates are shown below:

Pace Game Turn Minute Combat Round

Normal 1000ft / 380yds 200ft / 65yds 40ft / 12yds

Cautious 400ft / 130yds 80ft / 25yds 16ft / 5yds

Run ~1mile / 1480yds 1040ft / 350yds 200ft / 65yds

● Double these distances if on horseback. ● Multiply by 2/3 if a Dwarf or Hobbit.● If wearing plate armour and STR < 15 speed is reduced to 2/3 normal rates.● If STR > SIZ , character is faster than average● If STR < SIZ , character is slower than average

f) Average Movement Rates in Combat

Normal Move, Running, Clear Ground 200ft 65yds

Normal Move, Running, Restricted Ground 100ft 33yds

2) Making Attacks

To make an attack simply choose your weapon and make a percentile dice roll. If the roll is lessthan or equal to your Attack Percentage with that weapon, you have hit the target. This does notguarantee you have hurt the target, however. The target may parry your attack; have elected tododge this round; or his armour (or thick skin) may absorb your weapon's damage.

Assuming your attack is not blocked or dodged in some way, roll the dice for your weapon'sdamage and any damage bonus you may have. The total damage (allowing for armour) is subtractedfrom the target's hit points. If the target is still able to fight, the combat continues.

a) Attack Modifiers (Experimental, Untested)

In addition to the modifiers described in the Game System chapter, the following modifiers may beapplied to attacks in combat

Situation Modifier

Target Helpless +25%

Target surprised during non-combat action +20%

Target knocked down (prone) +20%

Target surprised during combat +10%

Attacking from behind or the target's unshielded side +10%

Attacking from above +10%

Per 10 SIZ points > 20 +5%

Target cannot be seen or sensed in other ways -75%

Attacker knocked down (prone) -20%

Target moving (when attacking with missile fire) -10%

Per SIZ point below 4 -10%

Attacker riding moving animal or vehicle -10%

Called Shot (half initiative) Half attack skill

b) Called Shots

A “called shot” is an attack intended to cause a special effect. Some examples of these effects are:

● To disarm an opponent● To stun an opponent● To break an object in an opponent's hand● To hit a specific point on a target

To make a called shot, the player declares the intent at the start of the round and gives a briefdescription of the intended action (e.g. “I will knock the dagger out of the Orc's hand”). Thecharacter's Initiative is halved for that round as he manoeuvres for position and/or aims the attackcarefully. When the character's turn arrives, the attack skill is halved to reflect the difficulty of theaimed shot.

If the intent of the called shot is to disarm the opponent, then on a successful attack roll, match theattacker's STR or DEX vs. the opponent's STR or DEX on the Resistance Table. The attacker canchoose which of his character's attributes are used in this test. If the attacker wins the struggle, thefoe is disarmed, his weapon landing 1D6 yards away in a random direction. Should the attackermake a critical success, the weapon lands up to 2D6 yards away in a direction chosen by theattacker. A fumble could well end up disarming the attacker!

To stun an opponent, a character must declare this called shot at the beginning of the round and thenmake a successful Brawl or melee attack (with a blunt weapon!) The damage is subtracted from thetarget's Hit Points. Then match the damage done against the target's remaining Hit Points on theResistance Table. If the roll is successful, the target loses consciousness for 21 - CON hours. Whenit wakes up it will have a large bump on the head but will have recovered 1/3 of the Hit Points lostto the original attack.

3) On Guard!

Combat is not just about killing one's enemy. It is also about preserving one's own life from theattacks of those who would do the character harm. Discussed below are several methods of taking

the risk out of combat.

a) Parries

The Parry skill is a life-saver. A character with a weapon or shield who is struck in combat mayelect to Parry, that is, interpose a weapon or shield to stop the incoming blow.

A Parry roll is made the same way as an Attack: roll percentile dice and a roll less than or equal tothe Parry skill with that weapon or shield means the blow has been stopped and the parryingcharacter takes no damage.

A character may parry several times in one combat turn. Each time an additional parry is attempted,the parry skill decreases by 20% for each parry beyond the first (i.e. the first parry is at normal skill,the second at -20%, the third at -40%, the fourth at -60% and so on). These reductions are for theduration of that round only: the Parry skill returns to normal at the start of the next round.

Only one Parry may be attempted against each incoming blow. If your character is armed with alongsword and shield and misses an attempted parry with the shield, you may not attempt anotherparry against the same blow with the longsword. Neither may a character fail a Parry attempt andthen elect to Dodge (see below).

b) Dodging

Dodge is a useful skill which allows the character to avoid an incoming blow. Melee attacks may bedodged providing the character has not previously attempted, and presumably failed, to Parry theincoming attack. Ranged attacks from thrown weapons (axes, rocks and spears, for example) maybe dodged but arrows may not as they are travelling too fast. Only one Dodge may be attemptedagainst each incoming attack.

A character may attempt multiple dodges in a round. As with parrying, each dodge after the first isat a cumulative -20% penalty.

A character can only Dodge a critical hit (see below) if the Dodge roll is also a critical.

c) Armour

Armour exists to absorb some or all of the damage inflicted by an attack. When an armouredcharacter is hit in combat (or takes damage from other sources like a fall) subtract the armour'sprotection rating from the damage rolled. Only the excess is then subtracted from the character's HitPoints. For example, a character wearing hard leather armour is struck for five points of damage.The armour will absorb two points of this. The remaining three points come off the character's HitPoints.

Armour costs, weights, types and protection values,are detailed in the Weapons and Equipmentchapter.

d) Cover

Taking cover means to use the surrounding environment as a means of protection. This could be assimple as diving to the ground to avoid a hail of arrows or fighting a desperate seige action on thebattlements of a fortress. Unlike armour, cover decreases the attacker's chances of landing asuccessful blow on the character in cover, rather than providing a reduction in damage. Somesample cover modifiers are shown below

Cover Type Modifier

Hard cover (walls, battlements, solid wood) -20%

Soft cover (hedges, bushes) -10%

Amount of target covered -10% to -90% at GM's discretion

4) Levels of Success in Combat

The same six levels of success or failure as apply to normal skill rolls also apply in combat. Thereare slightly different effects for Attack rolls and Parries

a) Critical

A critical roll is any roll on any skill that is 1/10 or less of the possible skill roll. For example, aWarrior with a Longsword Attack skill of 60% would score a critical on a roll of 01 – 06%.

While critical rolls apply to any skill (as described in the Game System chapter) in combat they aremuch more important - and potentially very deadly. When a critical hit is scored in combat, applythe following rules:

● Normal armour does not protect against a critical hit. The blow is assumed to have penetrated ajoint or other weak spot in the armour. However, armour made of Mithril does protect against acritical hit. It is this ability of Mithril that saves Frodo's life when the Cave Troll spears him inMoria.

● Roll normal weapon's damage and double it. This greatly increases the chances of killing thetarget with a single blow.

● If the critical hit is not fatal, the target still suffers a major wound, even if the damage wouldnormally have inflicted only a minor wound .

● The stricken character is assumed to be at least temporarily stunned and out of action for at leastfive minutes.

Critical hits can be dodged or parried under the following circumstances:

● A critical hit can be dodged by a critical Dodge roll.● A critical hit can be parried by any successful Parry roll but the parrying weapon or shield is

assumed to be destroyed in the process.

If a fighter makes a critical Parry roll, the attacker's weapon is destroyed. The defender takes nodamage.

b) Special

A Special occurs when the skill roll lies between 1/10 and 1/5 of the skill score. The Warrior abovewould score a Special on a roll of 07 – 12%. A Special has the following effects:

● Normal Damage (plus Damage Bonus if applicable) is inflicted on the target.● The target is knocked back 1D3 yards, assuming there is enough room for such a movement.● Whether or not the target can be knocked back, the target will be knocked down if it fails an

Acrobatics roll.

Special hits can be Dodged or Parried normally and armour has its normal protective value.

A Special Parry roll does not destroy the attacking weapon but the shock of impact jars the attacker

who takes an Initiative penalty of -2 on the next round. The defender takes no damage.

c) Normal

A Normal Hit occurs when the Attack roll is greater than 1/5 and less than or equal to the attacker'sskill score. Thus our Longsword-armed Warrior from above scores a Normal hit on the roll of 13 –60%.

When a Normal hit is scored, roll the weapon's normal damage (adding the weilder's DamageBonus if applicable).

A Normal hit can be Dodged or Parried normally and armoyr has its normal protective value.

A Normal Parry stops the incoming attack. The defender takes no damage.

d) Failure

A Normal Miss occurs when the Attack roll is greater than the attacker's skill score but less than theroll required for a Mishap or Fumble to have occurred (as described below).

When a Normal Miss occurs, the target sustains no damage, need not Parry or Dodge, and there isno further effect.

If a Parry roll is failed, the defender is struck by the incoming weapon, normal damage is inflictedand the target must rely on armour (if any) to reduce the wound.

e) Mishap Roll

A Mishap is an unfortunate event which accompanies a failed attack. For an attacker with a skillscore less than 50%, a Mishap occurs on the percentile dice roll of 96, 97 or 98. For those with askill score of 50% or greater a Mishap occurs on the roll of 98 or 99.

When a Mishap occurs, the target sustains no damage and need not Parry or Dodge. The attacker,however, is not so fortunate. Roll percentile dice on the following table, to determine the Mishap'seffects on the attacker. The descriptions are left vague enough that the GM can provide evocativedescriptions depending on the circumstances of the Mishap.

Similarly, if a Mishap is results on a Parry roll, the defender rolls on the following table.

D100 Roll Effect

01 – 10 -2 Initiative next round as the weapon/shield is pulled out of line

11 – 20 Lose grip on weapon/shield. -4 Initiative next round

21 – 30 Distracted. All foes may Attack at +10% for the remainder of this round and next

31 – 40 Vision impaired. -20% from all Attacks and Parries for the remainder of thisround and next

41 – 50 Blow to head. Fighter is dazed. -10% to all actions for the remainder of thisround and next

51 – 60 Lose next Attack or Parry

61 – 70 Strain a muscle. For the next D3 rounds all Attacks, Parries and Dodges are athalf skill level

71 – 80 Lose next D3 Attacks or Parries.

81 – 85 Over extended. Fighter is off balance and vulnerable. For the remainder of thisround and next, the fighter is at -25% on Attacks, Parries and Dodges and all foesattack at +25%

86 – 89 Winded by an unexpected blow. Can Parry but not Attack or Dodge for D3rounds

90 – 93 Weapon stuck in opponent's armour, shield or hide. No damage to target. RollSTRx3% to pull weapon free. If Parrying with a shield, the shield gets caught onan obstacle and needs a STRx3% roll to dislodge.

94 – 97 Armour Damaged. Reduce its protection value by 1.

98 – 99 Roll twice on this table and apply both results

100 Blow it! Roll on the appropriate Fumble chart for the attacker's weapon.

f) Fumble

The opposite side of the coin to a critical is the Fumble. Everyone makes mistakes, no matter howhigh their skills. A roll of 00 (100) on the percentile dice is always a Fumble. For characters with askill rating below 50%, the roll of 99 is also a fumble.

For Fumbles in combat, roll D100 and refer to the charts below.

D100 Roll for Melee Weapons

01 – 20 Drop weapon at feet. Initiative -5 next round to pick it up or draw a backup

21 – 40 Wild swing. Attacker off-balance for the remainder of this round and next. CannotAttack or Parry but may Dodge at half skill.

41 – 60 Weapon slips and lands 1D6 yards away

61 – 75 Trip and Fall. Must fight from ground unless opponent lets the character up. Attacksfrom ground at half skill percentage but parries are normal

76 – 90 Distracted. Automatically miss on your next Attack. Parry and Dodge at half skillnext round.

91 – 00 Weapon strikes the nearest hard surface (walls, floor, armour) and breaks. If no hardsubstance exists, the fumbler has wounded himself. Make a normal damage roll(including the Damage Bonus if applicable) and divide by 2. The fumbler takes thisamount as damage, but any armour worn will have its normal protective value.

D100 Roll for Missile Weapons

01 – 20 Drop or break the ammunition (arrow, sling stone); -5 Initiative next round to find areplacement. If no ammunition (axe, spear) the weapon becomes snagged and thenext attack is lost.

21 – 40 Drop weapon at feet. Initiative -5 next round to pick it up or draw a backup

41 – 60 Weapon breaks

61 – 75 Wild Shot. Use 1D12 as a clockface to determine direction of the shot. Hit firsttarget (friend or foe) on that line of sight.

76 – 90 Out of ammunition (quiver lost, etc.) Make a Luck Roll to see if it can be foundagain. If no ammunition, make a Luck Roll to see if the weapon has broken.

91 – 00 Hit a friend for normal damage (including the Damage Bonus if applicable) or shootself in the foot (take half damage as a wound, as described in 86 – 00 above). Use aLuck Roll to determine who gets hit.

D100 Roll for Unarmed or Natural Weapons

01 - 20 Trip and fall, must fight from ground unless opponent lets the character up. Attacksfrom ground at half skill percentage but parries are normal

21 – 40 Attacker stumbles and bangs head. Stunned for remainder of this round and next; allParries and Dodges at half percentage

41 – 60 Sprain something. For the next 1D6 rounds, all Attacks, Parries and Dodges are athalf chance

61 – 75 Foot stamped on or ankle twisted. Half movement for the rest of the fight. No Kickattacks allowed.

76 – 90 Hit friend for normal damage. If no friend nearby, hit self as below.

91 – 00 Hurt self. Do full rolled damage (including the Damage Bonus if applicable) to self.

D100 Roll for Parries with Weapons or Shields

01 – 20 Parrying weapon is dropped or shield is knocked from the fighter's arm

21 – 40 Parrying arm numbed by force of blow. Next D3 Parries at half skill level

41 – 60 Leave yourself wide open to counterattack. Foe gets +40% to Attack skill for thenext attack.

61 – 75 Parrying warrior is forced to the ground. No damage is sustained but Attacks andParries from ground at half skill percentage until the fighter regains his feet

76 – 90 Parrying weapon or shield breaks.

86 – 00 Parrying weapon or shield breaks. Further, the defender sustains normal damage andis knocked to the ground.

5) Damage and Hit Points

Each character, creature and object has a certain number of Hit Points. For normal characters this isthe average of CON + SIZ with fractions rounded up. These represent how much damage thatcharacter, creature or object can sustain before being killed or destroyed. When a character suffersdamage, points are deducted from the Hit Point total. When all Hit Points are gone, the character is

dead or an object is destroyed.

Damage in combat comes from two sources: the weapon being used and the physical power of thewielder of that weapon.

Weapon damage can be found on the Weapons Tables. The wielder's physical power comes from acombination of strength and size. Add the character's STR and SIZ and find the result on the tablebelow. This gives the character's damage bonus to be applied whenever that character makes anunparried hit in combat.

a) Damage Bonus

STR + SIZ Damage Bonus

02 - 12 -1D4

13 - 24 No Bonus

25 - 32 +1D4

33 - 40 +1D6

41 - 56 +2D6

57 + additional 1D6 damage foreach additional incrementof 16 or fraction thereof

When a hit is scored with a hand-held weapon, roll the damage for the weapon and the full modifiershown above. When using a thrown weapon or bow add half the damage bonus modifier.

For example, a character with STR + SIZ totaling 26 has a damage bonus of +1D4 with any meleeweapon and +1D4 / 2 with a thrown weapon or bow. Should this character score a hit with alongsword, the damage roll will be a total of D10 + 1 (for the longsword) + 1D4 (for STR + SIZ).This gives a maximum damage potential of 15 points - more than enough to kill a strong Man in asingle blow. With a missile weapon, the character's damage bonus is +1D4 / 2, the theory being thata bigger, stronger character can pull a heavier bow, but that the person's SIZ is not as big a factorover a distance. Thus, if this character scores a hit with a shortbow, the damage is 1D6+1 (for thebow) plus 1D4 / 2 (or 1 - 2 points for STR + SIZ), giving a maximum damage of 9 points. This isenough to seriously wound a normal Man.

When a hit is scored, roll damage according to weapon type and damage bonus. Any damage whichpenetrates the target's armour is a wound. There are three severities of wound:

b) Minor Wounds

Minor wounds are defined as those that do less than half the character's original Hit Point total.These are typically cuts and bruises, not amputations, impalements or broken bones. A charactercan be killed by taking too many minor wounds which reduce his Hit Points to zero.

Players must keep track of the number of Hit Points lost to minor wounds. For every four (4) HitPoints lost to minor wounds a character suffers the following penalties

● The character's Initiative is decreased by 1 per minor wound● Skills involving movement and coordination (most Agility, Manipulation, Attack, Parry and

Stealth skills) are reduced by 5% per minor wound

When the lost Hit Points are restored, the penalties are reduced. Otherwise, minor wounds do nothinder a character from fighting right up until the end.

c) Major Wounds

Major wounds are defined as those doing more than half the character's original Hit Point total in asingle blow, but less than all the points. A character's major wound level is equal to half his total hitpoints, with fractions rounded up. A character with 15 Hit Points, therefore, suffers a major woundif he sustains 8 points of damage from a single blow. Major wounds are typically amputations,impalements or broken bones. No character can take more than one major wound and live.

If a character takes a major wound, the following penalties instantly apply:

● His Initiative rolls are halved, rounding up fractions. This represents the pain of the woundslowing the character's reactions. The initiative penalty remains until the character is healed tofull Hit Points.

● Skills involving movement and coordination (most Agility, Manipulation, Attack, Parry andStealth skills) are halved.

● Shock and blood loss mean the character cannot keep fighting indefinitely. If possible, thecharacter should withdraw from combat immediately. If sorely pressed, however, the charactermay keep fighting for a number of rounds equal to his remaining Hit Points. At the end of thisperiod, the fighter collapses.

● The character must roll on the Major Wounds Table below to determine any long term effects ofthe wound

● Major wounds carry a risk of death, even if the character survives the initial wound. Thecharacter must receive medical (or magical) treatment for his injury within one hour or riskdeath. If no such aid is received, he must roll his CON or less on 1D20 to avoid death. If he rollshigher than his CON, he dies on the spot. Those that make the roll will eventually heal, but theywill be partially crippled and will lose 1D6 CON points permanently, in addition to any penaltiesincurred on the major wounds table below.

Major Wounds Table

D100 Result

01 – 20 Hit Point loss only. Character knocked back a number of feet equal to the attacker'sSTR

21– 75 Hit Point loss and you will have a really impressive scar but no further ill effects

76 – 80 Broken Limb. Roll 1D4. 1 = Left Leg. 2 = Right Leg. 3 = Left Arm. 4 = Right Arm. Broken Arms are useless until healed. With a Broken Leg, the character may not walkunaided.

81 – 85 Cracked ribs. Half movement rates and carrying capacity.

86 – 89 Head injury. Character is concussed and unconscious for 6D10 minutes, after which allskills are at half percentage for 1D6 days.

90 – 92 Bleeding. Character will lose 1 Hit Point per minute until the bleeding is stopped.

93 – 95 Roll again on this chart. In addition to the new effect, the character is knocked out for1D3 hours.

96 – 00 Roll again on this chart or roll for a Gruesome Injury (GM's discretion or a Luck Rollto determine).

Each time a character suffers a major wound it must roll on the table above to determine the effects

of the injury. Refer to the descriptions of the First Aid and Healing skills for information on how totreat such wounds. Short of magic, there is no way to reattach a severed limb. However, a Healingskill roll, made promptly after a character suffers such an amputating or crippling injury, means thatthe wound is not as serious as the chart above might indicate and that the healer has saved the limb.Furthermore, the use of a Fate Point can cancel one of these effects but will not restore the HitPoints lost to the wound.

A character who suffers the same wound twice in separate fights need not take the damage twice.After all, once an Orc has clawed out one's right eye, a bandit cannot do the same. Instead, thecharacter gains another scar. However, organ damage, concussions and broken ribs are cumulativeat the GM's discretion.

After a character suffers an injury on this chart, recalculate all skill bonuses based on the reducedattributes.

d) Gruesome Injuries (optional, experimental, untested)

As an optional rule, a combatant sustaining a Major Wound may be the victim of a GruesomeInjury. These are typically amputations, severe bleeding and other maiming injuries that oftencause loss of Attribute points and have a long term effect on a character. The GM should use theseinjuries with care on PCs as they may make a character unplayable or simply not fun to play.However, they are good ideas to add colour and characterisation to NPCs: a grizzled Warrior ofRohan who lost a hand fighting an Orc warband raiding a Rohirrim homestead; or perhaps thoseself-same Orcs with their numerous scars and afflictions caused by the brutal society in which theylive.

D4 Location

1 Arm

2 Leg

3 Head

4 Torso Arm Roll 1D6. 1 – 3 = Left , 4 – 6 = Right

D6 Damage

1 Maimed. Doesn't heal properly. Lose 2 DEX.

2 Lose 1D4 fingers. Lose 2 DEX and 10% off all Manipulation skills.

3 Amputate hand. -3 DEX, 20% off Manipulation skills.

4 Amputate at forearm/wrist. -4 DEX, 20% off Manipulation skills.

5Amputate at elbow. -4 DEX, 20% off all Manipulation skills, Climb andSwim.

6Amputate at upper arm. -4 DEX, 40% off all Manipulation skills, Climband Swim.

Leg Roll 1D6. 1 – 3 = Left , 4 – 6 = Right

D6 Damage

1Maimed. Doesn't heal properly. Permanent and noticeable limp. Lose 2DEX.

2 Hamstrung leg. Becomes useless. -4 DEX.

3 Lose foot. -2 DEX, 20% off all Agility skills

4 Severed artery. Blood loss 1D4 Hit Points per minute

5 Amputate at knee. -3 DEX, 20% off all Agility skills

6 Amputate at thigh. -4 DEX, 40% off all Agility skills.

Head

D10 Damage

1 Lose Left Eye. -2 CHA, -2 DEX

2 Lose Right Eye. -2 CHA, -2 DEX

3 Lose Left Ear. -1 CHA, -5% from Perception Bonus

4 Lose Right Ear. -1 CHA, -5% from Perception Bonus

5 – 6 Jaw/Teeth. Lose 1D6 teeth, -2 CHA and -1 CON

7 Lose Nose. -4 CHA, -3% from Perception Bonus

8 Throat/Neck. Severed artery, blood loss 1D6 Hit Points per minute. If thiswound is survived, the character will forever speak with a gutteralrasping voice.

9 – 10 Skull. Concussion or Brain Damage. -3 INT, -3 CHA. Possiblepersonality change (GM discretion)

Torso

D6 Damage

1Spinal injury. Ability to move and handle heavy weights severelyimpaired. STR and DEX halved.

2Damage to internal organs. Lose D6+2 CON points and recalculate HitPoints based on the new CON value. Possible delayed fatality.

3 – 4 “Bleeding like a stuck pig”. Lose 1D6 Hit Points per round.

5Broken ribs. Lose 1D4 CON points and recalculate Hit Pointsaccordingly.

6Heart shattered. Instant fatality regardless of number of Hit Pointsremaining.

e) Fatalities

A fatality is any wound that deals more damage than the character has current Hit Points. This isinstant death. There is no resurrection in this game. Unless you are Gandalf!

f) Near Death (Optional, experimental, untested)

On receiving a fatal wound as described above, the character is dying. Prompt medical attention(either magical or mundane) is required to save the character's life. The character will cling to lifefor his CON / 2 (round up fractions) in minutes. For each minute thereafter, the character mustmake CON x 10, CON x 9, CON x 8 etc down to CON x 1 saving rolls. As soon as one of theserolls is failed, the character dies at the end of that minute.

Thus, a character with CON 12 takes a Fatal wound. He will cling to life for six minutes (12 / 2 = 6)before Death comes for him. On the seventh minute he must make a CON x 10 roll; on the eighthminute, a CON x 9 roll; on the ninth minute, a CON x 8 roll. This continues until 17 minutes afterthe fatal wound when the saving roll is CON x 1. For each minute thereafter the save remains atCON x 1. The character dies at the end of any minute in which the CON roll is failed.

6) Injury and Healing

a) Non-combat sources of injury

Middle-earth is a dangerous place and there are many ways a character can be injured apart fromcombat. Fire, drowning, falling, acids, poisons and diseases are all life-threatening hazards.

b) Fire Damage

Fires cause damage per round of exposure. How much damage depends on the size of the fire.

A hand-held torch causes 1D6 Hit Points of burn damage per hit. The target gets a Luck Roll to seeif it catches fire. (Add +20% to the Luck Roll if the target is wearing all metal armour.) Burningtargets take a further 1D6 damage per round without needing to be hit again.

A bonfire causes 1D6+2 Hit Points damage per round of exposure and engulfs the target's clothesand hair. The character may attempt a POW x 1 roll to avoid burning.

To be in a burning hut or ship is similar to a bonfire (1D6+2 points of damage per round). Inaddition, the character must make a Luck Roll each round to avoid asphyxiation, rules for which aredescribed below.

Exposure to hotter fires, such as molten lava, a blacksmith's forge or kiln, causes 3D6 Hit Points ofdamage per round of exposure.

Serious burns, those causing more than half the character's total Hit Points, also cause the loss of1D4 Attribute points if the burned character fails a Luck Roll. It is at GM's discretion whichattributes are affected but the first point should always be from the character's CHA.

c) Asphyxiation - Drowning and Suffocation

If drowning, sinking in a marsh, starved of air or being strangled, the character must make CONrolls each round to avoid asphyxiation. Start at CON x 10% on the first round and work down themultiplier each subsequent round until CON x 1% (minimum) is reached. A failed roll causes lossof 1D6 Hit Points per round thereafter; the character is suffocating.

A critical CON roll (at the last level before the failed roll) could allow the character to stop takingdamage.

d) Falling or Being Thrown

Falls cause 1D6 Hit Points Damage per 10 feet of fall. A successful Acrobatics skill roll can negatethis damage, but only for falls of less than 30 feet.

Armour does not protect against falling damage. In fact, platemail (Chainmail with plates inMiddle-earth) increases the damage sustained by 1D6.

If a character is thrown (by large creatures like Trolls, for example) apply the same rules, i.e. 1D6damage per 10 feet thrown.

e) Acid

Uncommon in Middle-earth, acid, like fire, causes damage per round of contact. The contact mustbe significant, like the immersion of a hand, for damage to be applied (incidental splashes do notcause significant damage). Damage is done based on the strength of the acid as shown below:

Strength Damage perround

Weak D3 - 1

Strong D4

Very Strong D6 + 1

Armour provides half its normal protection value versus acid for 1D3 rounds. After this duration,the armour does not protect the wearer.

Use these rules for exposure to other caustic substances, like alkalies, as well.

f) Poisons

There are many sources of poison. Each poison may be classified in terms of its Potency rating(POT), onset time and effect. Some poisons are described below.

Poison POTency Onset Time Symptoms

Adder venom * 10 15-60 mins Swelling, pain, violent spasms

Amanita 15 6-24 hours Violent stomach pains, vomiting, jaundice

Arsenic 16 1-24 hours Searing pain, vomiting, violent diarrhoea

Belladonna16

2-48 hours Rapid heartbeat, impaired vision, hallucinations,convulsions

Black widow 7 2-8 hours Chills, sweating, nausea

Chloroform15

Almostimmediate

Unconsciousness, depressed respiration

Chloral hydrate

17

1-3 mins Unconsciousness for 1 hour, each added doseincreases effect by 1 hour and a 10% chanceofrespiratory failure

Cobra venom * 16 15-60 mins Convulsions, respiratory failure

Curare25

Almostimmediate

Muscular paralysis, respiratory failure

Cyanide 20 1-5 mins Dizziness, convulsions, fainting

Mushrooms15

6-24 hours Violent stomach cramps, vomiting, hallucinations,jaundice

Rattlesnakevenom * 10

15-60 mins Vomiting, violent spasms, yellowish vision

Scorpion sting * 9 1-2 days Intense pain, weakness, haemorrhaging

Spider bite * 8 1-6 hours Chills, sweating, nausea

Strychnine 20 10-20 mins Violent muscle contractions, asphyxiation

Viper venom * 16 15-60 mins Convulsions, respiratory failure

* = these are species-average POTs; individual spiders or snakes may have greater or lessertoxicity.

The poisons presented above are “real world” poisons. In Middle-earth, it will be necessary for theGM to invent names for specific poisons and assign POT ratings and effects in line with theseexamples. So a poison bladderwort from the Forest of Mirkwood might have the same effects asBlack Widow venom, a POT of 7 and cause chills, sweating and nausea.

When a character has been exposed to poison, time is of the essence. It may be that the characterknows, or suspects, the exposure: after being bitten by a rattlesnake or giant spider it is pretty clearthat the character could have been poisoned. A First Aid or Healing roll applied to the charactermay be enough to suck or cut the poison out of the wound. The character may still take damage(perhaps a dagger wound's worth as the poison is excised).

After the onset time, match POT vs. CON on the Resistance Table. If the poison wins the struggle,the character takes full effect of the poison. Normally this is a number of Hit Points equal to thepoison's POT. However, this need not be the case. The creative GM can work out game effects ofthe symptoms listed above. A character could be incapacitated by such effects and this may addpressure to the character's companions as they race to find a healer to cure the poison's effects.

If the character's CON resists the toxin, there is a lesser effect, normally half the poison's POT inHit Points damage, a shorter duration of effect or less serious symptoms.

g) Diseases

Disease and illness are similar to poisons. They have a Virulence rating (VIR) which is equivalentto a poison's POT rating.When exposed to a disease, match the disease's VIR against the character'sCON on the Resistance Table. If the VIR wins, the character is infected. A sick character loses 1D3Hit Points per day until the total lost is equal to the VIR of the disease. If the character survives, hisimmune system has triumphed over the microbes and he starts to recover the lost Hit Points. FirstAid skill does not affect diseases but Healing skill does.

Disease VIRulence

Common Cold 3 to 5

Influenza 4 to 8

Pneumonia 6 to 10

Cholera 12 to 15

Plague 14 to 20

h) Healing

Review the effects and applications of the Healing and First Aid skills.

Natural healing occurs at a rate of 1D3 Hit Points per week. This assumes the character has thechance to rest and take no more physical exercise than a gentle stroll. For more strenuous exercise(like combat) the character must make a CON x 5% roll or regain no Hit Points that week.

7) Combat Tactical Notes

a) Ambushes

This rule-set supports an Ambush skill. Most ambush situations will be set up by the GM, which aremuch easier (and much more dangerous) than PC-planned ambushes. Should a PC (or group) decideto lay an ambush, use the following guidelines.

● The ambushing party (PCs) describe the ambush: who is involved; how it will be set up; whattriggers it; and who will attack whom, and with what.

● The GM describes play naturally until the point where the ambush will take place, then rollsD100 against each ambusher's Ambush skill.

● If the Ambush roll is successful, the GM rolls 1D4-1 to determine how many combat rounds thesurprise effect of the ambush lasts. During these rounds, the victims may not Parry, Dodge, orfight back. They are completely at the mercy of their enemies.

● Once this D4-1 rounds passes, the ambushed party is able to fight normally, assuming it has notbeen wiped out.

● If the Ambush roll is not successful, the ambushed party is allowed a See roll. Any characters inthe ambushed party successfully making this See roll may Parry on the first combat round, andfight back normally on the second and subsequent rounds. All who fail the See roll arecompletely surprised and may do nothing on the first round; they may Parry on the secondround; and they may fight normally on the third round.

● If a number of characters are engaged in springing the Ambush, choose one of those charactersto be the leader of the ambush. This will normally be the character with the highest Ambushskill. The leader of the ambush must make a successful Ambush roll and a successful Warcraftskill roll in order to coordinate the ambush. If either roll is failed, the ambush has failed as

described above.

In the event that a player specifically states their character is watching for an ambush, the GMshould conduct a POW vs. POW struggle between that PC and the leader of the ambush to see if theambush is detected ahead of time.

b) Weapon Mastery

Characters whose Attack and Parry skills with a given weapon are both 90% or better qualify as aMaster of that weapon. Weapon mastery grants a number of advantages.

Training

Masters may train others in the use of that weapon, and may charge whatever the student can affordfor such training.

The student must practice full-time with the master for at least one game week. At the end oftraining, roll D6-2 for both Attack and Parry skills to see by what percentage the character's weaponskill has improved. (It is possible to get worse after studying with a Master, in cases where theMaster's style differs radically from the student's).

Characters may only train with one master in one week. Before any Master can train the samecharacter in the same weapon again, that character must have participated in real combat with thatweapon and have learned from the experience.

Multiple Attacks

The weapon master can make more than one Attack each round. During the Statement of Intentphase, the player decides how many Attacks will be made. The first Attack takes place on thecharacter's Initiative, the second on Initiative -5, the third on Initiative -10, and so on. Each Attackmade beyond the first is at -20%. So the first Attack is on normal percentage; the second at -20%,the third at -40%, and so on.

The Riposte

Masters have the ability to turn a successful Parry into an extra Attack whenever the Parry may fallduring the combat round. This is called a riposte. The riposte is used against the opponent whoseattack was parried: it cannot be used against a different foe.

For example, if a Master makes three successful Parries in a round, he may also make threeripostes, one against each foe he parried. However, the chance for each Attack made during theround, whether normal Attack or riposte, decreases by -20% for each Attack beyond the first. Thispenalty is cumulative: 0% for the first Attack; -20% for the second; -40% for the third, etc.

c) Helpless Enemy

This covers situations like back-stabbing, sneaking into a camp and slitting the throats of sleepingenemy, and similar circumstances.

If the attacker can see (or at least be certain of) what he is doing, a helpless enemy will be slainautomatically if it fails a POW x 1% saving roll. If this roll is successful, the victim takes theattacker's normal weapon damage and immediately becomes aware that he is under attack. Oncombat round two, the victim may Parry or Dodge, if he is able to. On combat round three, normalmelee rules apply.

If the attacker cannot be certain of what he is doing, he gets one free surprise Attack at normal skilllevel, and the victim may be protected by any armour he is wearing. After the first round ofsurprise, combat reverts to normal melee.

d) Unaware Enemy

In the whirl of melee combat, a fighter may have no idea a foe is about to hit him from a blind side.In such a case, the victim is allowed a POW x 1% saving roll to become aware of the possiblesurprise attacker. If this roll fails, the attacker's skill is doubled for the surprise attack, with thecorresponding doubled chance of a critical hit.

e) Fortifications

When attacking someone who is behind fortifications of some sort (a wall or barricade, forexample) the defender counts as “in cover”. The GM should rule on the extent of the cover thebarricade provides and apply modifiers to the attacker's Attack skill as described in the section onCover.

The defender's attack skill is unchanged, unless he has height advantage (see below).

f) Narrow Positions

A warrior who is fighting from a narrow position (in a doorway, a narrow pass or one-log bridge,for example) has no modifiers to his attack skill. Similarly the opponents have no adjustments.However, the fighter in such a position gains the “advantage” that the number of opponents whocan attack him at once is limited. This is a GM call, based on the width of the position being foughtover.

See below for rules on Superior Numbers.

g) Height Advantage

A significant height advantage (horseback to infantry, hilltop to slope, wall to ground) betweencombatants puts the fighter on the lower elevation at a -5% penalty to both Attack and Parry skills.It is harder to strike up at a higher opponent, hence the Attack reduction; similarly, it is harder todefend oneself from attacks from above, hence the Parry reduction.

Height advantage does not apply if one character is merely a bit taller than another. Thus, a Manfighting a Man (or Elf, Orc or perhaps even a Dwarf) on level ground would not have anyadjustments. A Hobbit fighting a Man would suffer the penalty, as would a Man fighting a Troll.

h) Superior Numbers

As a rule of thumb, no more than five man-sized attackers can surround and attack a single man-sized target in one melee round.

8) Weapons Tables

The Weapons Tables list the STR and DEX requirements for using a given weapon effectively. Indesperate times, however, a character may have to use a weapon for which he does not have thecorrect attributes. In such a case, the following rules apply.

● The character's skill with that weapon is 5% or his Attack and Parry bonuses whichever ishigher.

● With insufficient STR to wield the weapon, the character is slower and clumsier. Heautomatically strikes last in the combat round, unless another character is also fighting with aforbidden weapon, in which case these unfortunates determine initiative normally.

● With insufficient DEX, the character strikes at his normal initiative in the round but anysuccessful hit does only half damage as the character lacks the DEX to control the weaponproperly.

9. MAGIC

1) Magic in Middle-earth

Magic is part of the natural fabric of Middle-earth. Some beings – notably Elves – live in harmonywith this natural magic and use it in their everyday lives, bringing something “magical” toeverything they do or create. Think of the Elven cloaks of Lorien, for instance. For other races,Magic is a learned skill, and often a skill learned at a high price.

Some creatures and very special individuals are magical in nature. The Balrog of Moria is a Maiarspirit, the Barrow-Wights are spirits inhabiting the bodies of the dead, and Tom Bombadil is clearlya very unique individual.

Hobbits have never learned magic and may not start the game with magical skills.

a) Caveat

The following descriptions attempt to formalise some magical practices. These terms may not beused by the peoples of Middle-earth, however. They are simply a framework around which to builda game mechanic.

Furthermore, these rules are largely theoretical. They have not been playtested and should be usedwith care until testing has been done. A suggestion to GM's would be to limit mortal Magicians toRank 1 skills and spells, Silvan and Sindar Magicians to Rank 2, and Noldorin Magicians to Rank 3regardless of what the character's Attributes may allow.

2) The Magical Arts

BRP defines two broad classes of magic: Sorcery and Ceremonial Magic. Sorcery involves usingchants and other mnemonics to produce immediate magic spells. This is the skill most used byadventuring magicians. Ceremonial Magic involves the use of ritual and days-long ceremony,usually used to compel other beings or work one's will upon inorganic forces. Such magics aresubdivided into Enchantment, Alchemy, Wizardry and Necromancy. Very often points ofpermanent POW are needed to make these magics work.

Sorcery, Wizardry, Necromancy, Enchantment and Alchemy are collectively referred to as theMagical Arts. Each is described briefly below.

● Sorcery – spellcasting in the here and now. Magicians are taught the Art of Sorcery (castingimmediate spells) by a learned tutor. However, the use of each spell is different enough that eachspell must be learned and increased as if it were a different skill.

● Enchantment – this is the Art of making magical artefacts, be they swords, armour, jewels,Rings, or ropes that untie themselves and so on. In Middle-earth, the Rune Magic of the Dwarvesis a form of Enchantment.

● Alchemy – the Art of making magical substances, very often potions, and the transmutation ofmatter.

● Wizardry – the Art of summoning, commanding, binding and dismissing (banishing)both naturaland supernatural creatures (spirits, demons, and elementals). Knowledge of the ceremoniesassociated with each spirit or elemental type is learned as a separate skill. Supernatural beingssuch as these have their individual quirks and what may work for a forest-born spirit is notappropriate for a spirit associated with the mountains. In Middle-earth, Wizardry is not acommon Art. Many spirits are evil Maiar, servants of Sauron, and not to be summoned by PCMagicians. Summoning and dealing with such entities can lead to Corruption and thus Wizardry

can be considered one of The Dark Arts. Some good Magicians do, however, study this Art, inthe hope that the knowledge will help in the fight against the Enemy.

● Necromancy – the Art of raising the dead or dealing with the ghosts of the dead. Again, this skillwould be one of The Dark Arts in Middle-earth (think, specifically, of the Necromancer of DolGuldur, Sauron in disguise). It is a strong Magician indeed who can deal with these beings andthis knowledge without succumbing to Corruption.

Within each Art are numerous skills which will be discussed in greater detail later. For instance,within the Art of Sorcery, each spell known is a separate skill. A Magician may know the spellLight at 45% but have ability with the Lightning spell at only 15%. Further, the Wizardry skills ofSummon Fire Elemental and Summon Water Elemental are completely different and would belearned and improved as separate skills.

The bulk of this chapter discusses Sorcery, as this is most likely to be useful to an adventuringMagician. The other Arts are given some attention at the end of this chapter.

3) The Dark Arts

Magic is part of the natural fabric of Middle-earth but this magic can be corrupted and turned to evilpurposes. Such are the Dark Arts, the Evil magic of Sauron and his Minions.

The Dark Arts are dangerous for mortals to know. Through these skills, mortal Men are ensnared bySauron and fall into Evil. In general, Sorcery used for evil ends can be considered one of the DarkArts. Most forms of Necromancy and Wizardry are Dark Arts also, though some good Magiciansmay learn these Arts as a means of counteracting the Enemy.

See also The Eye of Sauron in the Middle-earth Special Rules chapter.

4) Becoming a Magician

Magic requires combinations of high INT and POW. The higher the character's total of INT +POW, the more powerful a magician he has the potential to become. To master the most basic ofmagics, the character must have a total INT + POW of 28. The character is a Rank 0 Magician,capable of some minor spellcasting. At successively higher totals of INT + POW, the Magician'sRank increases and the more powerful the Magician becomes.

The magical Ranks are described below.

5) Magical Ranks

a) Rank 0 INT + POW = 28: Petty Magic

At this Rank, the Magician is capable of casting a few low-powered spells. Some simpleEnchantments may also be known at this Rank.

b) Rank 1 INT + POW = 32: Minor Magic

Minor Magics are somewhat more powerful spells. Some minor Enchantments and Alchemicalprocesses may be known at this Rank.

c) Rank 2 INT + POW = 36: Major Magic

At Rank 2, the Magician is capable of quite powerful spells, Enchantments and Alchemy. A Rank 2

Wizard may be capable of summoning minor supernatural creatures. This is the limit of mortalMagicians under normal circumstances.

d) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Magic

High Magics comprise powerful spells capable of affecting large areas or bodies of people.Enchantments, Alchemy are more powerful also, capable of creating potent magical items (swordslike Glamdring and Orcrist, for example). Wizardry can be used to summon powerful supernaturalcreatures, like Maiar spirits. This level is what a typical Noldor Elf can aspire to.

e) Rank 4 INT + POW = 44: Grand Magic

Grand Magics may be the province of powerful Maiar spirits and the Istari. Gandalf and Sarumanare such magicians. Mortals cannot and even Noldor may not be capable of attaining this Rank eventhough their attributes may allow it.

f) Rank 5 INT + POW = 48: Arch Magic

At this Rank, almost anything is possible, particularly if the Magician himself is Evil and has nocare for what happens to the world. Sauron uses Mighty Magic to cause Mount Doom to erupt andblot out the Sun with its fumes, thus allowing his armies of Orcs to move without penalty during theday.

6) The Magic Bonus

Just as a character's Manipulation skills (such as Rope Use and Juggle) are subject to his/herManipulation Bonus, so Magical skills are subject to the Magic Bonus. This is calculated similarlyto other skill bonuses. The Magic Bonus is dependent on INT, POW, DEX and CHA. INT andPOW are natural requirements of magic; DEX is required in the many gestures involved inspellcasting; CHA reflects the character's own personality as Magic is a very personal business.

Magic INT -1% 0 1%

POW -1% 0 1%

DEX -1% 0 1%

CHA -1% 0 1%

The Magic Bonus should be added to each magical skill the character possesses. Each spell knownis effectively a separate skill and the Magic Bonus should be applied. The Ceremonial Magic skillsare also subject to the Magic Bonus.

a) The Importance of Power

A magician needs a high POW to get into the profession, to fuel his spells and to successfullyovercome the resistance of the target.

Overcoming Resistance

Any magic affecting an unwilling living target, such as Transform or Control, must usuallyovercome the resistance of the target by comparing the POW of the caster with the POW of thetarget on the Resistance Table. This need not to be done if the target is willing to receive the spell,as anyone receiving a Heal or Enhance spell would be. An unconscious target cannot resist a spell.

More detail on this can be found in the Magic Mechanics section.

Gaining POW

It is possible for a Magician's permanent POW to increase in the course of his career. This canhappen in several ways, for example:

● When the GM asks for a POWx1% saving roll and the character succeeds, POW may increase.At the end of the adventure, the player rolls 2D6. If the roll is 7, POW increases by 1 but if theplayer rolls 2 (double 1) the character has overexerted himself and POW decreases by 1. Anyother roll means POW remains unchanged.

● POW can increase through a successful Resistance Table roll. The roll must be made in adangerous situation against a foe whose corresponding attribute is higher than the character'sown. On a successful roll, the character may roll to improve the attribute on 2D6 as described in1 above.

● Rolls to gain POW in this way may be made only once, at the end of each adventure. The POWincrease will come for the character one game week after the end of the adventure or after oneweek of rest if the adventure is part of an ongoing campaign.

When POW increases, so will all bonuses and skills reliant on this attribute (Attack, Parry, Agility,Manipulation, Perception, Communication and, most importantly, Magic).

Losing POW

Some powerful spells and some of the ceremonial Magics take permanent POW away from thepractitioners. Curses, ailments and evil magic may also cause POW to decrease.

When POW decreases, so will all bonuses and skills reliant on this attribute (Attack, Parry, Agility,Manipulation, Perception, Communication and, of course, Magic).

b) The Importance of Intelligence

Memorisation of Magic

Magic is complex. The codes, mnemonics, names, formulae, cadences and pronunciation of eventhe simplest spell sorely tax the mind of the magician. This places practical limits on the amount ofmagical knowledge a magic user can remember. This limit is equal to the magician's INT. Generallyspeaking, the spell or ritual's Rank + 1 INT points are required to commit the spell to memory. Thusthe petty Rank 0 spells require 0 + 1 = 1 point of INT, while the mightiest Rank 5 rituals or spellstake 5 + 1 = 6 points of INT. Once memorised, the spell or ritual can be used without recourse tospell books or other reference material.

It takes one hour per point of INT a spell or ritual requires to commit it to memory. This assumesthe magician has a quiet place to study and has no interruptions. Under such conditions noMemorise skill roll is required to memorise the spell or ritual (though a successful roll will halvethe time the memorisation process takes). Under adverse conditions (while adventuring, understress, under attack) a successful Memorise skill roll is required to commit the spell to memory.

If the Magician already has memorized his INT limit, the player must choose a spell for thecharacter to forget. Forgetting a spell takes one combat round and the conscious decision to do so.

A spell may be used directly from the magician's book, but this will take one full melee round perlevel of effect desired. Ceremonial magic, which generally takes several hours to cast in the first

place, will have its casting time doubled as the Magician must take time to read and prepare eachstep in the ritual from the book.

A magician may use another magician's spell book if the character's player makes a roll of thecharacter's INT as a percentage for each spell he attempts to use. Otherwise, the codes andhandwriting of the strange spell book will not be comprehensible to the character. Reading thestrange book may be attempted every time a character's Read skill increases by 5% or more inwhichever language the book is written.

c) The Importance of Dexterity

Even the simplest spells require hand gestures. These may have “meaning” within the context of thespell, such as pointing at the target of an attack spell, or the laying on of hands during a healingspell. Alternatively, the energy of the spell – the POW Points used in its casting – may involuntarilymove the magician's body in certain ways.

Whatever the explanation – and magic users have argued for centuries which is correct – the factremains that a certain amount of manual dexterity is required for casting magic of all sorts. Be it asimple pointing gesture, or painting the complex signs and sigils needed for a summoning, a magicuser needs to be flexible and agile. A magician who is bound will be unable to cast his spells.

d) The Importance of Charisma

The Charisma attribute quantifies the character's personality: noble or base; honest or a liar; a leaderor a follower. If there is one point on which all practitioners and philosophers of magic agree it isthat magic is an intensely personal business.

This is why CHA is so important. The character's CHA score affects the range, area of effect andduration of many spells.

7) Magicians in Combat

Magicians do not receive much martial training. The limit reflects the need for a magician toconcentrate on intellectual pursuits, as well as his inability to find time to keep in practice withweapons. Successful mages can always hire guards and helpers whose skills are not so constrained.Or, better, yet, team up with a party of adventurers.

Magicians may wear armour but they must buy it themselves.

8) The Magician's Staff (Experimental, Untested, Optional)

A magical staff is one of the most powerful items a magician can own. The staff must be enchanted,and the culmination of the process requires that the magician permanently sacrifice a point of POW.

The staff acts as a reservoir of POW points for the magician. It will have a POW equal to themagician's after he has sacrificed the point of POW, and it can be used to power spells instead ofusing the magician's own POW. It regains POW at the same rate as the magician (i.e. at ¼ ofmaximum per 6 hours) and cannot be reduced to zero POW without withering and dying.

A staff of a magician has 20 Hit Points (rather than the usual 15) and will do an additional 1D6damage (for a total of 1D8+1D6) to a target struck with it, if its POW overcomes the POW of thetarget (at an expense of one POW from the staff). If broken in combat, the staff will wither andbecome useless and dead. A staff may have Protection and Countermagic spells laid on it.

A staff need not be an actual staff. Magicians have been known to have jewels, wands, Rings, oreven weapons enchanted. However, the cost of time is doubled for any non-wood substance. Asorcerer may have any number of staves.

9) How Magic Works

From the point-of-view of philosophy, how Magic works is an incredibly complicated subject.

From the point-of-view of game mechanics, working Magic is a skill like any other. The magic userhas a percentage chance with a given spell or magical ritual and must roll that percentage or less onD100 to successfully use that spell or ritual.

If the character does not make his roll for a spell, it does not happen and he may try it or anotherspell in the next melee round. If he fumbles the spell, the referee must determine what happened. Itwill be as detrimental to the character as possible. Attacks spells will affect the caster, Perceptionwill give wrong or misleading information, Protection will protect the enemy, etc.

If the character rolls his critical chance with the spell, it will have an enhanced effect, in range,damage, or sensitivity, or what ever seems most appropriate to the referee.

Ability with each spell or ritual may be raised to 100%, and no more. A roll of 00 is always afumble.

a) Magical Lores

Magic is not just about casting spells and using ritual to achieve wondrous effects. It is also aboutknowledge. Knowledge of the theory and practice of a particular Art, the greater and lesserpractitioners of that Art, the limitations and dangers of the Art. Each Art therefore has an associatedLore skill which may be used by the player and GM to enhance the gaming experience.

The magical Lores (Lore: Sorcery, Lore: Enchantment, Lore: Alchemy, Lore: Wizardry, Lore:Necromancy) are Knowledge skills and may be taken by any Magician character.

b) POW and Magical Levels

Magical Levels

When a Magician casts a magical spell or performs a magical Ritual, he allocates some of his ownPOW to fuel that magic. Each point of POW used to casting magic is called a Level. TheMagician's POW is reduced by 1 for each level of magic he casts. Should the Magician's POWreach zero, he dies, having expended all his life energy to power his magic.

A failed, aborted or similarly “lost” spell or Ritual (such as when the Magician is hit in combatbefore completing the spell) costs 1 POW point. A fumbled spell or Ritual costs the same amount ofPOW as the spell would have cost had it been successful.

Maximum Magical Level

The Maximum Magical Level is the greatest number of POW points a Magician can use to power aspell or Ritual. This limit exists for the purposes of game balance and also because Magicians areassumed to have some feeling of self-preservation and would not wish to expend all their POWpoints in a single, enormous spell.

There are two possible options and the GM can decide which to use.

● The Maximum Magical Level is equal to one half the caster's INT score .● The Maximum Magical Level is equal to one tenth of the caster's current Essence (ESS) score.

Remember that ESS = POWx5 with racial modifications where appropriate.

In both cases, round fractions up.

When in desperate straits the Magician may exceed this Maximum Magical Level. In this case,Fatigue Damage suffered by the Magician is physical damage and is subtracted from the character'sHit Points. The GM should rule on what situations comprise such desperate straits.

Regaining POW

The POW returns at a rate of 1 point per half hour of full rest or 1 point per two hours of movementand action. During this time, the GM can optionally rule that all of the Magician's POW-dependentskills (Agility, Manipulation, Perception, Communication, Attack, Parry and, of course, Magic) arereduced by the number of POW points which have been used in spellcasting.

c) Magic May be Resisted or Unresisted

Unresisted magics generally create physical effects (light, fireballs, the power of flight). They aregenerally cast on inanimate objects (perhaps the tip of a staff in the case of light), an area (a patchof ground in the midst of a group of enemies for a fireball) or on willing targets (such as therecipient of a flight or healing spell).

Resisted magics are generally cast on unwilling targets. They create effects on the target (mindcontrol, fear, harm) or attempt to affect the target's possessions (shatter object, telekinesis).

An unconscious target cannot resist a spell.

Resisted magics generally match the caster's POW versus the target's POW to see if they takeeffect. Use the caster's POW before casting the spell to make this test (the POW points areexpended to power the spell and overcome the target's resistance, so are available for the test). Asnoted in the individual spell descriptions, however, the resistance roll may match different attributesof the caster and target : (POW vs. INT for illusions or POW vs. SIZ for telekinesis, for example).

Spells can resist other spells. This is often the case when an object or person subject to a protectivespell is attacked with harmful magic. Match the Level of the protective spell againt the Level of theattacking spell on the Resistance Table. If the attacking spell “wins” the struggle, it bypasses thedefending spell.

Example 1

A warrior has Countermagic cast on him at Level 3. This spell protects against incoming harmfulmagic like Lightning. If he is attacked with a Level 4 Lightning spell, the Lightning has a 55%chance of penetrating the Countermagic and frying the warrior.

Example 2

Suppose a person has been paralysed by a Level 2 Holding Spell. If a Level 4 Dispel is used tobreak the paralysis, the Dispel has a 60% chance of success.

The question of whether a spell is resisted or unresisted sometimes depends on the circumstances ofits casting. This is a GM call. For instance, a Shatter Object spell used to break a bottle on a shelfwould be unresisted. The same spell used to break the same bottle held in someone's hand would beresisted – assuming the holder doesn't want it broken.

d) Casting Magic is Tiring (Optional, Experimental, Untested)

Simple system

Match the Level of the Spell or Ritual plus the Rank of the Art being used versus the caster's currentFatigue Points. So a Rank 0 Sorcery spell cast at Level 3 has a fatigue factor of 3 + 0 = 3, while aRank 5 spell, cast at Level 3 has a target of 5 + 3 = 8. If the caster wins, he loses 1 FP (as all magicis tiring); if he fails he loses a number of FP equal to the spell level. Should the roll be fumbled, thecaster loses double the Spell Level in FP.

Optional Rule

If a spell is cast with more than the Maximum Spell Magical all fatigue damage suffered by thecaster is physical i.e. it comes off the caster's Hit Points, not Fatigue Points. Further, if a FatigueResistance roll is failed in these circumstances, the GM may rule the damage is permanentlysubtracted from the caster's CON Attribute. (This tactic may prevent a Magician altruisticallycasting a huge spell to save his companions and dying because a of a fumbled Fatigue Roll.)

10) Gaining New Magics

a) Mentoring

The PC magician has an NPC mentor who, seeing promise in the PC's talents, agrees to teach thecharacter more. The mentor must know a spell or Ritual before it can be taught. The playercharacter studies with the mentor for one week of game time for each Rank of the spell or Ritual,plus one. Therefore a Rank 0 Petty Sorcery spell takes( 0 + 1 = ) one week of game time to study,while a Rank 4 Enchantment Ritual would take five weeks of game time to learn. At the end of thistime, the student makes a roll of INT+POW+CHA as a percentage. If this roll is successful, thecharacter has learned the spell at a base of INTx2% + Magic Bonus. If not, the learning processmust begin again.

Mentors may charge a fee for teaching their students but it is more likely that the student will beasked to perform a favour, quest or errand for the Mentor in return for the tuition. How difficult thistask is is at the GM's discretion.

b) Scholarly Research

If a PC magician can gain access to a Library, he/she may research a spell based on previousknowledge, rumour or what may be stated or implied by what the PC reads in the Library. The GMassigns the Library a rating (in the range 1-3 typically) based upon the completeness of the Library'sresources.

It takes an uninterrupted period of 2D6 weeks (rolled in secret by the GM) to research a spell orritual. At the end of this time, the player makes an INT roll, multiplied by the Library's rating as apercentage. If the roll is successful, the character learns the spell. If the roll fails, the character failsto learn the spell. At the GM's option, if the INT roll is fumbled, the character has misinterpretedwhat he has read, miscast the spell and died in the attempt!

c) Another Magician

It is possible to trade magical knowledge with another magician, often another PC. Under idealconditions, each magician counts as the other's Mentor (as above) and spells can be learned with asuccessful INT+POW+CHA roll after one-plus-one-week-per-Rank of study. Spells learned in thisway are at a base of the character's INT. (PCs, not being mentors, are less effective teachers.)

d) Captured Spell Books

If a PC magician comes into possession of another magician's spell book he may attempt to learnthe spells they contain.

The learner must first be able to read the book, requiring an appropriate Read Language skill. (ASage with the Lore: Ancient Languages skill may be able to help here.) It then takes a roll of thecharacter's INTx1% to learn a spell from the book. This roll may be attempted once per week untilsomething is learned, the player gives up or a Fatal Fumble (as described in Scholarly Research,above) is rolled. Under these circumstances, the fumble effect is not a GM option.

e) From Beyond

This is a role-playing opportunity for the PC magician. But it is an incredibly risky opportunity.

It is possible for magical creatures to impart magical knowledge. What these creatures are, wherethey come from and what they can or will teach is up to the GM. Similarly, the motives of thesecreatures are determined by the GM. In Middle-earth, supernatural creatures may be evil Maiarspirits who serve the Shadow and will lead the character into Corrupt ways. The character should beon guard.

11) The Art of Sorcery

Sorcery deals with spellcasting. Spells may produce a variety of effects from the simple (changingthe flavour of food or the colour and movement of smoke), to destructive (lightning), to utilitarian(mending and crafting) to overt displays of power (commanding, transformation).

The GM should at all times take care with such spells and be prepared to use logic to maintain gamebalance. Outright vetoing of a character's even having a particularly powerful spell should be part ofthe GM's repertiore.

Each spell in the Middle-earth Spell Book is given a Rank. A magician cannot cast a spell of a Rankhigher than that to which he is trained, even if his Attributes would qualify him for that Rank.

12) Sorcery Rank-by-Rank

a) Rank 0 INT + POW = 28: Petty Sorcery

At this Rank, the Magician is capable of casting a few low-powered spells.

b) Rank 1 INT + POW = 32: Minor Sorcery

Minor Magics are somewhat more powerful spells.

c) Rank 2 INT + POW = 36: Major Sorcery

At Rank 2, the Magician is capable of quite powerful spells. This is the limit of mortal Magiciansunder normal circumstances.

d) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Sorcery

High Magics comprise powerful spells capable of affecting large areas or bodies of people. Thislevel is what a typical Noldor Elf can aspire to.

e) Rank 4 INT + POW = 44: Grand Sorcery

Grand Magics may be the province of powerful Maiar spirits and the Istari.

f) Rank 5 INT + POW = 48: Arch Sorcery

At this Rank, almost anything is possible.

13) Sorcery Mechanics

a) Sorcery in Combat

Summoning the magic takes time. Each Level of a spell (each POW point used in its casting)decreases the caster's Initiative for that round by one. In extreme cases, this may mean the caster hasnegative Initiative.

Determine the caster's initiative in the normal way (1D10 + DEX modifier if any). The Magicianbegins casting the spell on this initiative. The spell is completed and its effects worked out whenaction reaches the the caster's initiative minus the Spell Level.

Example

A Magician with a DEX of 13 (+1 Initiative Bonus) casts a Level 3 Lightning Spell in combat. Herolls 1D10 and scores 7 (+ 1 for DEX) getting a total of 8. He begins casting his spell whenInitiative 8 is reached in the combat sequence. The spell is complete on Initiative 8 – 3 (the Level)or 5 and the effects are worked out then.

Optional Intermediate Rules

While casting a spell, the caster may move at up to half rate or parry or dodge at half skill level.

Optional Tough Rules

While casting a spell, the caster should not move, dodge, parry, engage in conversation exceeding anod or headshake or use other skills.

If a spellcaster takes damage while casting a spell, the spell fails unless the caster can maintainconcentration (i.e. make an INTx3 roll). If a Magician is casting a spell from a spell book (ratherthan from memory) it takes one full melee round per Level of the spell to cast. During this time thesame restrictions as above apply.The spell could be lost if the Magician takes damage during thecasting.

b) Spell Casting Procedure

To cast a spell

● State the intent of the spell.● Indicate the target.● Make the spell roll.● Work out the effects as described in the individual spell description.

If the spell roll fails, the spell cannot succeed. The caster rolls to resist Fatigue as normal.

If the spell roll is fumbled, the spell fails and the caster rolls to resist Fatigue at twice the spell'sLevel as the Fatigue Target.

If the spell roll succeeds, the spell is cast. Work out the spell's effects as per its description. Even ifthe spell is successfully cast, the target (or any protective spells already laid on the target) mayresist the spell and negate its effects. The caster rolls to resist Fatigue as normal.

If the spell roll is critical, the spell takes an enhanced effect, typically doubling the range, duration,damage and so on. The target (or any protective magics already laid on the target) can resist thespell as normal, possibly negating its effects. The caster rolls to resist Fatigue at half the spell'sLevel as the Fatigue Target.

14) A Middle-earth Spell Book

a) Spell Descriptions

Spell – the name of the spellRank – the minimum Rank at which this spell can be learned and castRange – the distance over which the spell operates, very often a function of the caster's CHADuration – how long the spell's effects last, very often a function of the caster's CHAResistance – whether the spell is resisted or unresisted and what are the resisting attributes

b) Rank 0 Sorcery Spells

Spell Animal MessengerRank 0Range TouchDuration Caster's CHA in hoursResistance NoneWith this spell a small animal (beast or bird) can be used as a messenger. The animal must bealready to hand (either a pet, captured or summoned with another spell). The caster gives the animala message, a description of the recipient and a location for the recipient. The animal then searchesfor a number of hours equal to the caster's CHA (this duration may be doubled if the caster makesan Animal Lore roll before giving the animal its mission). The animal then travels and searches forthe recipient, gets close enough to the person and communicates the message. The recipient canunderstand the animal messenger even if he/she cannot normally understand beast speech.

Spell Speak with BeastsRank 0Range TouchDuration 1 minute per point of caster's CHAResistance None

This spell grants the caster, or the person touched, the ability to speak the languages of animals andbirds. The creatures must be close enough to hear the caster's voice but they automaticallyunderstand, and can be understood by, him. The creatures may respond to the caster with aneffective INT of 10 (average Human intelligence) allowing a reasonably complex conversation tobe undertaken. This spell may be cast on another person if desired.

Spell Scribe Moon-lettersRank 0Range TouchDuration SpecialResistance NoneMoon-letters were invented long ago by the Dwarves. Some moon-letters can only be read byholding the paper on which they are written up to the light of the Moon. Other, more clever, typescan only be read when the Moon is in the correct phase (full, waxing, waning, gibbous, crescent,etc) or on the same day of the year as when the letters were first written.

This spell allows the caster to scribe such moon-letters. For the expenditure of one POW, simpleletters can be made. Two POW allows letters to be written that can only be read by the samemoonlight under which they were written. Three POW points allow “specific day” letters to bewritten.

Finally, for the expenditure of one POW, the caster can determine whether a piece of paper hashidden moon-letters written on it but the letters themselves may not be read unless conditions areright.

Spell Smoke CharmRank 0Range 1 foot per point of caster's CHADuration ConcentrationResistance POW vs. POWThis is a simple spell often used as a form of entertainment. With it, the caster can control thecolour, shape and movement of smoke clouds. The caster cannot create the smoke: there must be asource to work with, like a fire, pipe or volcano.

The spell does have practical uses. Coloured smoke could be used as a pre-arranged signal, forinstance. Or, smoke could be made to gather round a target's face, causing breathing difficulties orobscured vision. This requires a POW vs. POW roll.

c) Rank 1 Sorcery Spells

Spell Blinding FlashRank 1Range 5 yards per point of caster's CHADuration InstantaneousResistance POW vs. POWThis spell creates a bright flash of light to blind one of the caster's foes. If the caster overcomes thetarget's POW on the resistance table, the target is blinded for a number of combat rounds equal tothe caster's CHA. A critical resistance table roll doubles this duration. While blinded, the target is at-50% on all skills that require sight.

This spell affects only a single target. Multiple Levels may be used to penetrate Countermagic.

Spell Change Hue

Rank 1Range SelfDuration 10 minutes per point of caster's CHAResistance NoneWith this spell the caster may alter the colour of his skin, eyes, hair and clothes. While the spell isin effect, the colours may be changed at will as often as desired. This grants a +20% bonus perLevel to the character's Hide skill. If cast as a “mischief making” spell (for instance to turn anannoying inn-keeper's hair bright pink) the spell is resisted POW vs. POW.

Spell Making and MendingRank 1Range TouchDuration SpecialResistance NoneThis spell, most often used by Dwarves, grants a +20% bonus to any Craft skill used by the casterper POW point expended. The spell lasts for the creation, forging or repair of one item, object orwork of art. The bonus skill points contribute to the chances of making a critical Craft skill roll.

Spell Enhance FoodRank 1Range TouchDuration See TextResistance NoneThis spell, a favourite of travelling Magicians, enhances the taste and quality of food. When used toimprove food, the spell lasts as long as the food would naturally. It is reversible (Spoil Food)causing ale to sour, milk to curdle, spoil meat, etc. When used to spoil food, the effects happenimmediately and duration is permanent.

Spell Fiery MissileRank 1Range ThrownDuration SpecialResistance NoneThis spell allows the caster to cause small flammable objects, such as pinecones or small twigs, toburst into flame. The objects can then be thrown at enemies as small burning missiles. Two burningobjects are created per Magic Point expended. Each object sheds the same light as a candle and theyburn for a number of minutes equal to the caster's CHA. The caster uses his Throw skill to make anattack. Each missile causes 1D4 hit points of damage. A maximum of 2 missiles can be thrown eachround.

Review the rules for the Throw skill and Fire Damage.

Spell Resist FearRank 1Range Self or Caster's CHA in yardsDuration 1 combat round per point of Caster's CHAResistance NoneThis spell strengthens hearts and banishes terror, allowing those affected to stand against the powersof the Shadow. Resist Fear may be cast in one of two ways.

The first affects just the caster. Each POW point expended increases the caster's Courage by one forresisting the Force of the fear.

The second affects all of the caster's companions within range. Each friend or ally within range isallowed to re-roll their fear resistance roll and keep the most favourable result. This option coststhree POW points.

Spell Sense PowerRank 1Range 10 feet per point of Caster's CHADuration 1 minuteResistance See TextWith this spell the caster can perceive the power possessed by another. The POW attribute of allliving things – and magically imbued objects – glows like an aura to the user of this spell. Thecaster gains an approximate reading of the target's relative power (much weaker, weaker, about thesame, stronger, much stronger). The caster may also tell whether the target is a spellcaster, hasspells cast upon him/her or whether an object is enchanted.

The spell is cast and the caster then turns his/her gaze on the area under examination. All livingthings and magical objects within range may then be “read” for their magical energies. Engageliving Magicians, magical artefacts or other spellcasters with POW vs. POW struggles. The degreeof success should determine the accuracy of the information received.

The spell's duration is just one minute, or 5 combat rounds, allowing up to 5 attempts to sense thepower of people or artefacts.

Spell Shatter ObjectRank 1Range 5 feet per point of caster's CHADuration InstantResistance POW vs. POWThis spell grants the caster the ability to shatter small objects made of wood, glass, horn, bone orstone but not metal. The object may weigh no more than one pound per Level of the spell, up to amaximum weight of five pounds (5 Magic Points).

If someone is holding the object to be shattered, and doesn't want it broken, match the caster's POWversus target's POW on the resistance table to see if the object breaks.

Spell SlumberRank 1Range 5 feet per point of caster's CHADuration 1 hour per point of caster's CHAResistance POW vs POWThis spell allows the caster to place one person into a deep sleep from which they cannot awaken ontheir own, though others may attempt to wake the sleeper in the usual ways (jostling, shouting,dousing with water). Match POW vs. POW on the resistance table to determine if the spell takeseffect. The sleep will last a number of hours equal to the caster's CHA.

Multiple Levels of this spell may be used to affect either more than one target (one per Level) orimprove the chances of penetrating Countermagic which may be in effect. The caster decides howthe power is used so, for example, a Level 4 Slumber can affect four targets each at Level 1, twotargets at Level 1 and one at Level 2, or any combination.

Spell Holding Spell (Dark Arts)Rank 1Range 10 feet per point of caster's CHA

Duration 1 combat round per point of caster's CHAResistance POW vs. POWWith this spell the sorceror uses great fear to paralyse a person, freezing the victim to the spot withterror. The victim cannot move, flee or defend himself. After casting the spell, use a POW vs. POWstruggle to see if the target is paralysed with fear. On a critical, double the duration of paralysis.

Spell HealingRank 1Range Touch Duration InstantResistance NoneA level of this spell heals 1D6 of damage by wound, Fire, Blast, Lightning, or acid. It does notwork against poison or disease. Healing can bring a character back from the dead if the Healing isdone while the character is “clinging to life”. See the Near Death rules in the Combat chapter formore information.

Spell Countermagic Rank 1Range TouchDuration 1 hour per MP usedResistance NoneThis spell puts up a magical shield around the user or on any person or object he wishes to keepmagic from affecting. The level of an incoming spell must be rolled against the level of theCountermagic on the resistance table. A successful roll means the spell penetrated despite theCountermagic. It must still overcome the POW of the target, if needed. A failed penetration meansthe spell rebounded on the caster. Any spell failing to penetrate two Countermagics in successiondissipates and is no more. The Countermagic protects the target and anything he is carrying.

If the character or object to receive the Countermagic already has a Protection spell, theCountermagic will not be effective unless its level overcomes the Protection level on the resistancetable. If successful, both spells will be in effect.

Spell Dispel Rank 1Range 1 yard per point of caster's CHADuration InstantResistance Level vs LevelThis is a spell used for ridding oneself or another of the good and bad effects of a spell such asControl, Bladesharp, the Holding Spell, etc. Like Countermagic, it must overcome the level of thetarget spell on the resistance table. It can be used to destroy an elemental. It must be directed at aparticular spell (though saying, “Get rid of that which has Gottfried walking like a zombie” will do,if the exact spell is not known) and, if the target is protected by Countermagic, it must get throughthe Countermagic as usual to reach its objective.

Dispel may also be thrown at a character who is throwing a spell in an attempt to keep the other sspell from happening. This can be handled in the statement of intent phase as “Sangor will throw aLevel 3 Dispel to stop the guy in the black robes from throwing whatever he is throwing this time” .Always work out the results of the Dispel before the results of the other spell.

Spell ProtectionRank 1Range TouchDuration 1 minute per point of caster's CHA

Resistance Level vs. LevelThis spell works like armour. Each level adds one point to the armour protection of the recipient.Since this affects the same area a Countermagic spell would affect, any Countermagic on the targetmust be overcome by the Protection to work. If successful, both spells may stay on the target.

Spell ResistRank 1Range 1 yard per point of caster's CHADuration 10 minutes per LevelResistance NoneEach level of this spell reduces heat or cold damage taken in a melee round by one point. If theprotected character is hit by more than one Heat/Cold attack, each damage roll is reduced by thelevel of the effect.

Spell SealRank 1Range TouchDuration 10 minutes per LevelResistance None or Level vs. LevelThis spell acts to bond the edges of any two non-living objects which are at rest and fitted to oneanother. Some examples are a door in a door frame, a lid on a box, a sword in a scabbard, or eventwo ropes. The two objects become one object, and cannot be separated for the duration of the spell.The objects can, of course, be battered open or destroyed. A Seal spell adds 20 points to whateverhit points the object has.

Each level of spell adds either 10 minutes to the duration of the spell or adds 20 more points to thehit points of the object sealed. If used for its “mischief value” - Sealing a sword into a scabbard so itcannot be drawn, for example – and the target does not consent to this, match caster's vs. target'sPOW on the resistance table.

Spell UnsealRank 1Range TouchDuration InstantResistance Level vs LevelThe Unseal spell will open unlocked doors or boxes and cause scabbarded objects to fly out of theircontainers and drop to the ground. It infallibly unties knots. It also acts against a Seal spell if thelevel of the Unseal overcomes the level of the Seal on the resistance table.

Spell LightRank 1Range TouchDuration 20 minutes per point of caster's CHAResistance NoneThis spell illuminates a 10 foot radius circle. Each additional level adds 10 feet to the radius. Thislight is about torch magnitude. The spell must be cast on an object ; it does not hang in mid-air.

Spell Dark Rank 1Range TouchDuration 10 minutes per point of caster's CHAResistance NoneThis spell plunges a 10-foot radius circle into complete darkness. Each additional level adds a

further 10 feet to the radius. The spell must be cast on an object; it does not hang in mid-air.Thearea is in total darkness to anyone seeing in the normal range of visible light, even if a torch or otherlight source is burning in the area.

Spell BladesharpRank 1Range 1 yard per point of caster's CHADuration 10 minutes per LevelResistance NoneThis spell adds 5% to the attack chance and 1 point of damage to any edged weapon (swords, axes,daggers) to which it is successfully applied. If more than one level is used, it can either addmultiples of 5% and one point of damage to the weapon, or it can be distributed equally amongseveral weapons, up the level of the spell.

Spell Dullblade Rank 1Range 1 yard per point of caster's CHADuration 10 minutes per LevelResistance POW vs. POWThis spell reduces the attack chance and point damage of any edged weapon (swords, axes, daggers)by 5% and 1 point each per level. If more than one level is used, it can either subtract multiples of5% and one point of damage per level from the weapon, or it can be distributed equally amongseveral weapons, up the level of the spell. Damage cannot be reduced below one point. If thewielder of the weapon affected by this spell does not consent to it, match caster's POW vs. thetarget's POW to see if the spell takes effect.

d) Rank 2 Sorcery Spells

Spell EnhanceRank 2Range Touch Duration 1 minute per level of the spellResistance NoneThis spell can add one point to either STR, CON, SIZ or DEX of the target for each level of thespell used. An Enhance spell is usually cast on a willing target, so no POW resistance roll isnecessary. As the target's Attributes change, bonuses to skill groups should also be recalculated.

This spell may be cast at a maximum of Level 6.

Spell Diminish (Dark Arts)Rank 2Range Touch Duration 1 minute per level of the spellResistance POW vs. POWThis spell can subtract one point to either STR, CON, SIZ or DEX of the target for each level of thespell used. As this could be seen as draining the life force from the victim, a Diminish spell shouldnormally be considered as Dark Arts. However, there may be times when a “benign” use ofDiminish could be allowed. For example, using Diminish SIZ on a large party member to allowhim/her to squeeze into a tight space. The GM should rule on this. A Diminish spell is generallycast on an unwilling target, so a POW vs. POW resistance roll is necessary. As the target'sAttributes change, bonuses to skill groups should also be recalculated.

This spell may be cast at a maximum of Level 6.

Spell Evoke Fear (Dark Arts)Rank 2Range Caster's CHA in yardsDuration 1 combat round per point of caster's CHAResistance POW vs. POWThis dreadful sorcerous spell causes fear with a Force equal to the caster's POW in the hearts of allin range whom the caster can see or is otherwise aware of (e.g. by hearing them). Those affectedmust make a Resistance Table roll to avoid the effects of the fear. See the Fear section in theMiddle-earth special rules chapter.

Spell Speak to Mind Rank 2Range 10 yards per point of caster's CHADuration 10 minutes per MPResistance NoneEach level of this spell allows the caster to speak to another mind, intelligent or not. Only surfaceconversation or feelings are transmitted. The target of this spell cannot communicate to any othertarget of this spell. The caster may, however, cast Speak to Mind on two other characters to letthem communicate.

Spell Wounding (Dark Arts)Rank 2Range Touch Duration InstantResistance POW vs. POWA level of this spell causes 1D6 hit points of damage to the affected target. Wounding will target onthe resistance table, matching POW vs. POW. If used in combat, the caster must touch the targetwith a successful Brawling attack. Alternatively, the Wounding spell can be channelled through thecaster's staff (if applicable) and a successful melee attack with the staff counts as “touch”. The spellcannot be channelled through missile weapons. If a staff strike is used, the POW vs. POW roll isused to resist damage from the Wounding spell, not the blow from the staff itself.

In general, Wounding manifests as violent, wracking pains throughout the victim's body. If coupledwith a staff strike, however, the Wounds may appear as bruises, broken limbs, concussion orbleeding.

e) Rank 3 Sorcery Spells

Spell Ruin (Dark Arts)Rank 3Range TouchDuration 1 minute per point of caster's CHAResistance NoneThis spell of sorcery enhances the destructive power of siege engines, weapons and the like. A siegeengine with Ruin cast upon it does an extra 50% damage while a sword or similar hand weapondoes an additional 1D6 damage. Only a single Ruin spell may be laid on a particular weapon orsiege engine at a given time.

A critical success while casting this spell adds 2D6 damage to a hand weapon and doubles thedamage from a seige engine.

Spell Bladeshattering (Dark Arts)

Rank 3Range 10 yardsDuration InstantResistance POW vs POWThis spell allows a sorceror to cause one blade (a dagger, axe or sword) to shatter or melt intosmoke. This causes no damage to the wielder of the blade but does deprive him of a weapon.

In general, this spell will automatically work on non-magical blades and the wielder has no meansof saving his weapon. The spell only affect s bladed weapons, so arrows, spears and crushingweapons like maces and hammers could still damage the target.

Against magical or special blades (Glamdring, Anduril and so on) – which may be assumed to beimmune or resistant to Bladeshattering – at least use a POW vs. POW roll to determine the effects.Either the wielder's POW or the weapon's own POW (if applicable), whichever is higher, may beused, resisting the POW of the caster. The GM can optionally allow a Fate Point to be expended bythe wielder of the blade to prevent it shattering.

Spell Forgetfulness (Dark Arts)Rank 3Range 5 feet per point of caster's CHADuration 1 week per point of caster's CHAResistance POW vs. POWThis foul spell allows a sorceror to cloud a victim's mind with darkness, preventing the target fromrecalling who he is, where he lives, who he knows, what he knows (i.e. skills) or anything else ofuse. The caster must engage in a POW vs. POW struggle with the victim in order for the spell totake effect. On a critical POW roll, the victim cannot even remember how to walk or talk for 1D6days and suffers a -25% penalty on all Perception skills.

The victim can be re-taught existing skills or even learn new ones, according to the training rules,while affected by this spell. When the duration ends, newly learned skills remain. Re-learned skillsremain at the higher of their original (pre-enchantment) or re-learned level.

Multiple Levels of this spell can be used to improve the chances of bypassing Countermagic.

Spell TransformationRank 3Range 1 foot per point of caster's CHADuration 10 minutes per LevelResistance POW vs. POWThis spell will affect three SIZ points of a target per level of the spell and enough levels must beused to affect the entire target. If cast on a living target which consents to the change, the spell isunresisted. Otherwise the caster must overcome the target in a POW vs. POW struggle on theresistance table. It may also be used on a non-living object. The spell must change the target, whichmay be the caster, into another shape. The new shape must be in the same kingdom (animal,vegetable, or mineral) as the original target. For instance, a troll cannot be changed into a tree, but itcan be changed into a frog. The frog will have all the attributes of the troll, including the SIZ. Thespell only affects the shape, not the basic attributes of the object, so it cannot be used to change leadto gold, or the like. Finally, the conditions for life in the new form must be present : the spell cannotchange a man to a fish in mid-desert, though he might change to a fish in a river or a sea.

The target of this spell cannot use the exotic abilities of the new shape if it has any. The troll wouldnot be able to breathe fire if he were changed into a dragon, nor would he have the intelligence orknowledge of a dragon, but he will be able to use his physical abilities, such as flying, at 25%.

Each level of this spell can be used to affect more than one object instead of a larger object, orextend the duration of the spell by 10 minutes.

Spell Fire Rank 3Range 1 yard per point of caster's CHADuration 1 melee roundResistance NoneEach level of this spell does 1D6 fire damage to everything in a five foot diameter (2.5 foot radius)circle. Multiple Levels may be used to set up several fires instead of one large one, or can combinethe effects. The Fire appears as a pillar arising from the ground.

The damage is absorbed by armour, Protection, and Resist spells, but Countermagic has no effect.The spell lasts only one melee round unless something flammable is affected. If it is, the blazecontinues, damaging anyone or thing within it at 1D4 points per melee round.

Example

Sangor needs to block a 10 foot wide passage, and wants to fry the first rank of attacking goblins inthe process. He puts 4 Magic Points into a Level 4 Fire, putting two Fires, each at level 2, side byside to fill most of the passageway. The front two goblins each take 2D6 damage

Spell Frost Rank 3Range 1 yard per point of caster's CHA Duration 1 melee roundResistance NoneEach level of this spell does 1D6 cold damage to everything in a five foot diameter circle (2.5 footradius). The Frost appears as a blizzard of icicles. This spell may well leave the area of effect icyand treacherous, forcing rolls to determine balance on targets in the area.

The damage is absorbed by armour, Protection, and Resist spells, but Countermagic has no effect.The spell lasts only one melee round. Frost can be used to put out normal fire or those caused by theFire spell, but has no effect against dragon breath or similar magical fires.

Spell LightningRank 3Range 5 feet per point of caster's CHADuration InstantResistance NoneEach level of this spell does 1D6 damage directly to the hit points of the target the caster chooses.Countermagic will protect against the spell.

f) Rank 4 Sorcery Spells

Spell FarseeingRank 4Range 100 miles per levelDuration 1 minute per point of CHAResistance NoneAs the name implies, this potent spell allows the caster to see far away places. To cast the spell areflective surface is required, a mirror or a pool of water, for example. If the spell is successfully

cast the Magician can focus his gaze on any one place within range that hecan specify or describe indetail. Farseeing cannot be focussed on a specific person or object, thus it cannot be used to scrye“wherever Frodo Baggins is now”. The spell grants only sight of the area: the caster cannot herewords spoken there, nor detect scents. If the scried area is in darkness, modifiers for lightingconditions may be applied.

Spell FarspeakingRank 4Range 1 mile per point of CHADuration ConcentrationResistance NoneWith this spell a Magician can cause his voice to issue from an object, such as a mirror, stone orstatue. The object must be within range and the caster must have seen it before, either with his owneyes or via the Farseeing spell. The object repeats the caster's words exactly. It cannot speak on itsown, nor can it be programmed to talk when a given condition arises.

g) Rank 5 Sorcery Spells

Spell Flame of AnorRank 5Range 20 feet per point of CHADuration InstantResistance POW vs. POWThis is one of the most potent spells in the armoury of the Wise against the Forces of the Shadow.As such it cannot be used by a servant of the Shadow, nor can it be used by anyone who also knowsany of the Dark Arts. When cast, a bolt of bright light is projected from the caster's hand or staff.This beam harms servants of the Enemy – Orcs, Trolls, Nazgul – and other Evil creatures. Thecaster first makes the skill roll to cast the spell. If successful, he then makes a further roll against hispercentage skill with the spell to hit the target. It does 2D6 points of damage per Level, doubled ona Critical Hit. If the attack roll is fumbled, the beam could strike friends as well as foes.

Spell Word of CommandRank 5Range SpecialDuration SpecialResistance SpecialThis is another mighty spell which is used to enhance the power of another spell. This power is notwithout its price, however. The caster automatically loses a number of Fatigue Points equal to theRank plus Level (a minimum of 6, in this case) with no resistance roll. Even Gandalf felt tired aftercasting this spell in Moria. When a Magician uses Word of Command in conjunction with anotherspell, one of the following effects may be specified.

● Double the spell's Range● Double the spell's Duration● Cause the spell to inflict maximum damage● Double the spell's Level for the purposes of overcoming protective magics on the target (thus a

Level 4 Lightning is treated as Level 8 if it encounters a Countermagic spell)● Add the Level of the enhanced spell to the caster's POW for the purpose of overcoming the

target's resistance

The duration and range of the Word of Command are the same as the spell it enhances.

15) The Ritual Arts

Enchantment, Alchemy, Wizardry and Necromancy collectively are referred to as the Ritual Arts.They are distinct from Sorcery – which concerns itself with immediate magical effects – in thatthese Arts take time (often hours, sometimes days or longer) to produce their effects. While RitualArts are radically different from each other, they all have certain aspects in common.

a) Time and Place

In general, somewhere private is required to conduct Ritual magics. The Ritual may take days tocomplete and the Magician must not be interrupted during that time. There is little sense in trying toenchant a sword in an area Orc warbands are known to patrol. Prying eyes are unwelcome for avariety of reasons, not least that some rituals may cause offense (if not outright horror) in onlookerswhich may lead to an attack on the Magician.

The timing of a Ritual is also important. A Ritual designed to work only at certain times of the dayor year may need to be performed on that day. For example, the Secret Door in Erebor, the LonelyMountain, was only visible at a certain time on Durin's Day (in the Calendar of the Dwarves). TheRitual to enchant this door may have been performed on that very day.

b) Raw Materials

Each Ritual requires certain materials be available, and the Arts all differ as to what may be needed.Raw materials are those items which will be shaped, enchanted or manufactured by the Ritual.

c) Facilities

In addition to raw materials, Rituals may require special equipment to carry out. Commonly thiswill be a laboratory or work room, fires, glassware, grave dust, treasure, or whatever the Ritualrequires.

d) Magical Groups

As noted in the descriptions of the individual Arts, sometimes a group of Magicians may worktogether to perform a Ritual. The maximum number of Magicians in a group is equal to the lowestCHArisma attribute of the members of the group.

When the time comes to expend POW to fuel the Ritual, the Magicians in the group can eachexpend one or more POW points. In this way, POW losses are shared across the group members,limiting the impact of the Ritual on each member's attributes and skills.

e) Roleplaying a Ritual

The descriptions of each Ritual are deliberately left vague. The Magician player is encouraged todesign the Ritual for a specific purpose, describing the time, place, raw materials, facilities andparticipants in as much detail as the desired end result. In conjunction with the GM, the ritual canbe refined and perhaps recorded for future re-use. The GM should reward imaginative, bold andcreative players with bonuses to their Ritual skill rolls.

f) POW Costs

In common with the Art of Sorcery, the Ritual Arts also require the expenditure of the Magician'sown POW points to fuel the magic. For simple (Rank 0) rituals, these POW costs are almost always

temporary. At higher Ranks, the POW costs are often permanent as the Magican sacrifices part ofhis own life force to fuel the magic. When the Magician's POW permanently decreases, all his skillswhich depend on POW will decrease by a certain percentage. Recalculate skill group bonusesbased on the new value of POW. Further, if the POW decrease is sufficient, it may cause theMagician to fall to a lower Magical Rank. Needless to say, these Arts are not practiced lightly.

Lastly, the POW points stored in the Magician's staff, if he has one, may not be used to powerRitual magics. The Ritual Arts are by their very nature demanding and dangerous. The powers theyunleash are only available if the Magician sacrifices part of himself in the process.

g) Blood Sacrifice (absolutely optional, experimental and untested)

The decision to implement the following suggestion is entirely up to the GM. Player CharacterMagicians should be strongly discouraged from using these methods.

In the lands dominated by Morgoth and later Sauron, blood sacrifice may be practiced to a greateror lesser degree. This need not involve the ritual murder of sentient beings but may require thesacrifice of animals. Bulls, boars, lions, tigers and creatures strange and unusual from the realms ofthe Haradrim may be slaughtered and their blood, their life force, used to power a Ritual. The GMcan determine how many individual animals constitute one POW point for fuelling a Ritual. Dozensof such creatures may die on altars dedicated to Sauron to fuel the Rituals of Haradrim Magicians.

Sacrifice of sentient beings (Men, Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, even Orcs, for instance) may be used topower Rituals also. One sentient being constitutes one POW point for fuelling a Ritual, no matterhow many POW points the individual has in life. The sheer terror of the ritual sacrifice wastesmany of the living creature's POW points.

Blood sacrifice of sentient individuals is NEVER to be encouraged, condoned or practiced by theGM or Player Characters. It is, however, an excellent plot hook for adventures where PCs raceagainst time to save an important NPC from sacrifice, or a detective-style adventure where the PCsmust work out why villagers are disappearing in the night.

16) The Art of Enchantment

This is the Art of making magical artefacts, be they swords, armour, jewels, Rings, or ropes thatuntie themselves and so on.

Rune Magic, commonly practiced by the Dwarves, is a form of Enchantment. Items are made byDwarven Craftmasters and enchanted by striking, carving, painting or otherwise incorporatingRunes of Power into the design of the item. The Runes dictate the properties the item possesses.

The Art of Enchantment is extremely powerful. The only limitations to the items that can be createdare those of Rank, the Magician's imagination and, of course, the GM's sense of play balance.

a) Time and Place

The Enchanter must set aside a private place to conduct the Rituals. The area must be large enoughto accommodate the Enchanter and any helpers as well as the object(s) to be enchanted. The placeshould be suitable to the Ritual. For example: underground for items associated with digging ordelving; in a secluded woodland grove for a pair of boots which enable the wearer to pass unheardthrough the forests; atop a high pinnacle for a small token which allows the user to speak with thebirds of the air.

Similarly, timing is important. If the item is to have power on a specific day of the year, the Ritualcould be performed on that day. If the Moon is significant, perhaps the Ritual could be performedduring a particular phase of the Moon.

b) Raw Materials

Of course, the most important raw material is the item to be enchanted. Items of high quality areparticularly suitable for enchantment: those made by master Artisans and/or on a critical craft skillroll may provide the Enchanter with a bonus to the Ritual skill roll (say, +10% for each of thesefactors). Items made by the Enchanter himself are even better, providing up to +20% for the Ritual.

c) Facilities

The Ritual may demand certain facilities be available. These may be simple, everyday objects suchas candles, books, foodstuffs, wool, wine goblets and so on. More complex or hard to procure itemsmay also be needed: spider webs, weapons, an eagle'sfeather, a bolt of silk, for instance. Lastly,depending on the item being created, a fully equipped forge and anvil may be needed, or preciousmetals and jewels.

d) Magical Groups

A number of Enchanters may work together to create an item. This is particularly important if anitem needs to be imbued with a particular Sorcery Spell. At least one of the group must know thespell before it can be cast on the object.

17) Enchantment Rank-by-Rank

a) Rank 0 INT + POW = 28: Petty Enchantment

Ritual of Enchantment

The item is made by the Enchanter, purchased, found or donated by another. The Ritual takes1D3+1 days to perform, during which time the Enchanter may not sleep for more than one hour at astretch, nor perform other distracting actions. At the end of the Ritual the Enchanter spends one ormore points of temporary POW (much as if for casting a Sorcery spell). The item remainsenchanted for a number of weeks equal to the POW points used. Such an enchantment cannot bemade permanent.

In general, only natural materials may be affected by Rank 0 Enchantments: wood, foodstuffs,leather, cloth, rope for example. Sample functions include:

● a leather water-skin which refills automatically ● a rope which unties itself● food which banishes weariness● clothes that protect against cold but are light to wear● a wooden shield that adds 1D10 to the user's Parry skill● a staff that shrinks to 1 foot long to aid concealability

Magical items created with Petty Enchantments may have only one function.

b) Rank 1 INT + POW = 32: Minor Enchantment

Ritual of Lasting

After casting a Ritual of Enchantment, the magician spends one point of permanent POW. TheRitual of Lasting takes one full day to perform after the Ritual of Enchantment has been completed.The item will then carry its enchantment for 100 years.

Imbue With Spell Power

If a Sorcery spell ca n reasonably be cast on an object (such as Bladesharp or Protection) theMagican can cast the spell on an item and, by spending points of temporary POW, can enchant theitem for a number of days equal to the POW used. The Imbue ritual takes a number of hours equalto the temporary POW used. A Ritual of Lasting can also make the enchantment last much longeras described above.

At this Rank, Enchantment can affect metals, glass, stone and gemstones. As at Rank 0, MinorEnchantments can create items with only one magical function.

c) Rank 2 INT + POW = 36: Major Enchantment

Ritual of Constancy

This ritual, similar to the Ritual of Lasting, requires that the Magician spend two points ofpermanent POW. The Ritual of Constancy takes two full days to perform. After this, the item willcarry its enchantment for 1000 years.

At this Rank, weapons can be enchanted to inflict multiple D6 damage bonuses, 1D6 per temporaryPOW point used in the Ritual of Enchantment. Armour can be enchanted to double its normalprotection value. As at Rank 0 and 1, Major Enchantments can create items with only one magicalfunction.

d) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Enchantment

Ritual of Permanency

This ritual, similar to the Ritual of Lasting, requires that the Magician spend three points ofpermanent POW. Permanency takes three full days to perform after the Enchantment is complete.After this, the item will carry its enchantment for all eternity. Further, should such an item bebroken and remade, the repaired item will carry the enchantment of the original so long as 50% ofthe original was used in the repair.

Wizard's Staff

This ritual allows the creation of a Wizard's Staff with the functions described above. If therecipient of the Staff is not the Magician who enchanted it, then it is the recipient who must spendthe point of permanent POW to activate the Staff.

It is at this Rank of Enchantment that the Magician becomes capable of making some of the moreminor magical rings. Further, items may have one primary function and up to three secondaryfunctions. A weapon, for instance, may have as its primary function to be a Bane against Orcs,inflicting perhaps 3D6 additional hit points damage against these foes. One of its secondaryfunctions may be to glow with a blue light when Orcs are nearby, the intensity of the glowindicating numbers and proximity of the Orcs.

e) Rank 4 INT + POW = 44: Arch Enchantment

At this rank of Enchantment, the Magician is capable of making some of the most powerful magicalitems in Middle-earth. Such items include the Palantiri, and Rings like the Seven and the Nine.Items created at this Rank may have a number of functions equal to 1/3 the Enchanter's CHA score.

f) Rank 5 INT + POW = 48: Mighty Enchantment

Rank 5 Enchantments are capable of making the most powerful items in Middle-earth. These itemswould include the Silmarils, the Three Rings of the Elves and, ultimately, the One Ring itself. TheEnchanter's full CHA score is used to determine the number of functions an item may possess.

18) The Art of Alchemy

Traditional Alchemy is preoccupied with two quests: to find the Elixir of Youth, and to find thePhilosopher's Stone, a mythical substance capable of transforming base metals into gold. In Middle-earth, Alchemy is the Art of making magical substances, very often potions, and the transmutationof matter.

a) Time and Place

Alchemy takes more time than the other Ritual Arts as some processes could require weeks, monthsor even years to complete. The Alchemist must have a place where his work can be undisturbed.This might be a tower, fortress , dungeon or cave complex.

b) Raw Materials

Alchemy is likely to require exotic plants, animals, rocks, jewels, and perhaps even body parts likehair, nails or blood.

c) Facilities

Alchemy requires a laboratory space where the Alchemist can carry out his researches andexperiments. This lab may be filled with jars of ingredients, glassware, braziers for heating, abalance for weighing precise quantities, water-clocks and candle-clocks for timing and so on.Higher Ranks of Alchemical Ritual may require pens for livestock and even “breeding pits” and“birthing vats” for hybrid creatures.

d) Magical Groups

Alchemists work alone. They may have servants, helpers or slaves but most will not stand foranother Alchemist interfering in their researches. 19) Alchemy Rank-by-Rank

a) Rank 0 INT + POW = 28: Petty Alchemy

Brew Potion

At this rank the Alchemist can brew simple potions, capable of any one of the following effects

● Heal 1D4 Hit Points after 1D6 hours

● Stimulant which negates penalties due to fatigue (such as the Orc Brew used by the Uruks ofSaruman) but which does not restore Fatigue Points

● Cause the drinker to become relaxed or drowsy, and perhaps even fall asleep. Assume the potionhas a POT equal to half the Magician's POW for purposes of resisting the effects.

● Other effects are left to the GM's discretion

Making such a potion requires up to 2D4 days of preparation, incantation and reaction (the actualbrewing process). If the Alchemist is working from someone else's formula, this time can be halvedas the research has already been done.

At the end of the brewing process the Alchemist must expend one point of temporary POW andmake the Brew Potions skill roll. On a successful roll the Alchemist will have made one dose of thepotion; on a critical there is enough for 1D3 doses. A potion made in this way will remain usablefor a number of months equal to the Alchemist's POW, or twice that number of months if the skillroll is critical.

b) Rank 1 INT + POW = 32: Minor Alchemy

Brew Philtre

At this rank the Alchemist can brew more powerful potions, capable of any one of the followingeffects

● Heal 1D6 Hit Points after 1D3 hours● Stimulant which restores 1D6 Fatigue Points● Sharpens one of the senses (+10% to appropriate Perception Skill)

Philtres requires 2D6 days of work to brew. They require the Alchemist expend one point ofpermanent POW after the brewing process is complete. Such potions will remain usable for up tothe Alchemist's POW in years, or twice that on a critical roll.

Further, at this rank the Magican gains knowledge of making potions which can be inhaled (such asincense) rather than simply ingested.

c) Rank 2 INT + POW = 36: Major Alchemy

Brew Elixir

At this rank the Alchemist can brew more potent potions, capable of any one of the followingeffects

● Heal 2D6 Hit Points after 1D6 hours● Miruvor, the Elven cordial which restores 2D6 Fatigue Points● Enhance one of the senses (providing night vision, high or low frequency hearing, the ability to

track by scent in the manner of dogs, etc)● Enhance communication skills (bonuses to Oratory, Persuade etc as the potion makes the drinker

more glib-tongued)

Elixirs take 1D6 weeks to brew. They require the Alchemist to expend two points of permanentPOW after the brewing process is complete. Such potions will remain usable for a total number ofyears equal to the Alchemist's CHA + INT + POW, or twice that on a critical roll.

d) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Alchemy

At this Rank the Alchemist can brew potions that are capable of affecting the emotions of thosewho drink them. Feelings of love, trust, friendship, fear, anger or distrust, for example, can becaused by such potions. It is these potions that will require blood, hair and nails as raw materials:often they are specific to particular people. A love potion, intended to cause two people to fall inlove may require a hair from each. A potion intended to inspire trust in, or obedience towards, theAlchemist may require a little of the Alchemist's own blood. A potion intended to generateberserker rage might require the claw of a tiger, ground and dissolved in the liquid.

These emotion-affecting (or psychoactive) potions take 2D4 weeks to brew but they are not asstable as the Elixirs described above. At the end of the process the Alchemist must expend just onepoint of permanent POW. The potion will remain usable for a number of years equal to theAlchemist's POW unless it is intended for use on a specific person or people, in which case it mustbe used within the Alchemist's POW in weeks. The emotions of real people are frequentlychangeable and what is deemed to work at the start of the brewing process may not be effective2D4 weeks later. Hence the shorter shelf life of such potions. Assume that such potions have a POTency rating equal to the Magician's POW for purposes of thedrinker resisting their effects.

e) Rank 4 INT + POW = 44: Grand Alchemy

At this Rank the Alchemist's potions become capable of affecting the drinker's physical Attributes,STR, CON, DEX and even SIZ. The potion may add or subtract up to 2D6 from one of theseattributes. Again, should the drinker wish to resist the effects, assume the potion has a POT equal tothe Magician's POW.

Rank 4 Alchemists can brew a Potion that affects the life-span of mortals. Each draught of such apotion adds 2D6 years to the life-span of a Man, Dwarf or Hobbit. Elves, being immortal already,cannot benefit from such potions.

At this Rank, the Alchemist becomes capable of manufacturing explosive mixtures, such as theBlasting Fire used by Saruman's troops at the Battle of Helm's Deep.

Further, the Alchemist builds on his studies of Matter, and can begin transmutation of organicsubstances from one form to another.

f) Rank 5 INT + POW = 48: Arch Alchemy

Rank 5 Alchemists can turn base metals into gold and use his powers on other inorganic substances,

Further, they reach a level of knowledge that, should the circumstances arise, will allow them totransform people, animals and other creatures from one form to another. They may meld organicforms creating hybrid beasts or creatures with special powers. It is likely that Morgoth the GreatEnemy of the First Age used such powers to create the Dragons and other creatures like theWatcher in the Water.

20) The Art of Wizardry

The Art of summoning, commanding, binding and dismissing (banishing) both natural andsupernatural creatures (spirits, demons, and elementals). Knowledge of the ceremonies associatedwith each spirit or elemental type is learned as a separate skill. Supernatural beings such as these

have their individual quirks and what may work for a forest-born spirit is not appropriate for a spiritassociated with the mountains. In Middle-earth, Wizardry is not a common Art. Many spirits areevil Maiar, servants of Sauron, and not to be summoned by PC Magicians. Summoning and dealingwith such entities can lead to Corruption and thus Wizardry can be considered one of The DarkArts. Some good Magicians do, however, study this Art, in the hope that the knowledge will help inthe fight against the Enemy.

a) Time and Place

Wizardry is perhaps the most dangerous of the Magical Arts. Supernatural beings are capricious atbest, murderously deceptive at worst. The GM will roleplay all summoned creatures and mayattribute to them any motives he wishes. The Wizard must be careful, therefore, to ensure his ownsafety and the safety of those around him. Thus, many summoning rituals need to be conductedindoors, underground, away from prying eyes, and/or surrounded by armed guards.

Those rituals associated with natural environments should be performed in those environments, andthose which summon elemental spirits should be conducted near large bodies of the appropriateelement (on high mountain peaks, underground, near lava-flows or while surrounded by bonfires,and in or on large bodies of water, for example).

b) Raw Materials

The Wizard will need whatever materials are required for scribing the Magic Circle. In addition, theWizard may need something with which to appease or placate the summoned entity. Each entity isdifferent: some may required blood sacrifice.

c) Facilities

The main tool of the trade for Wizardry is the Magic Circle. The particular ritual and being to besummoned dictates the Circle's exact appearance: it may be a simple circle chalked on the floor; acircle with inset geometric designs, such as stars or triangles; circles within circles; circles inscribedwith Runes or Tengwar characters; circles drawn in sand, salt, powdered silver or even blood.

d) Magical Groups

Several Wizards may work together in a summoning ritual.

21) Wizardry Rank-by-Rank

a) Rank 0 INT + POW = 28: Petty Wizardry

At this Rank of Wizardry there are only a few rituals that may be learned. For example

Animal Summoning

This is a flexible summoning ritual which enables the Magician to call animals and birds to him. Hemust specify the type of animal to be summoned either specifically (horses, eagles, foxes etc) orbroadly (large four-footed animals, small four-footed animals, fish, birds etc). Any creatures of thespecified type within a range of one mile per point of the Magician's CHA make best speed to thecaster's location. Only natural animals respond to the call.

This ritual takes one hour to perform and costs one point of temporary POW from the Wizard. Thesummoning lasts one hour per point of the Wizard's CHA. Any animals that respond to the

summons within this tine sit calmly and will not harm the caster. When the duration expires theanimals will normally leave. With the animals present, the caster may ask them to perform tasks forhim. This not a command or domination. The caster must be able to communicate with the animals,either via an innate ability or the Speak with Beasts spell. The caster must attempt a Persuade orOratory skill roll to persuade the animals to help, unless what the caster is saying is plainly in theanimals' best interests (e.g. “Leave the area before the Orcs arrive!”). A successful Animal Lore rollgrants a +10% bonus to the persuasion attempt.

Circle of Protection

Allows the Wizard to scribe a magical barrier which will protect him (and perhaps others) from thedepradations of supernatural creatures. A Circle of Protection takes one full game turn (5 minutes)to prepare per person who can be enclosed by it. Once set up a Circle of Protection remains in forcefor a number of hours equal to the caster's CHA score. It has a protective value equal to the numberof temporary POW points the Wizard expends inits creation. Supernatural creatures attempting tocross the Circle must match their POW against the POW of the Circle.

b) Rank 1 INT + POW = 32: Minor Wizardry

Summon Minor Elemental

At this Rank the Wizard may learn to summon the Elemental Spirits, those of Air, Earth, Fire andWater. Each is a separate type of spirit and the Wizard must learn to summon each typeindividually. The powers of each Elemental type are discussed in the Beasts and Beings chapter.

The summoning takes place within a Circle which must be surrounded or close to a major source ofthe Element in question. Summoning Fire Elementals requires a Circle surrounded by bonfires; aWater Elemental must be within a Circle on the shore of a lake, river or sea (using a raft or smallislet to perform the summoning is also possible; an Earth Elemental must be summonedunderground or within a bank-and-ditch arrangement of earthworks; Air Elementals must besummoned under the open sky, preferably at a high altitude. It takes 2D6 hours to summon anElemental and the Wizard must expend three points of temporary POW to bring the being forth.

Once summoned, if not bound, the Elemental will serve the Wizard for a number of days equal tothe Wizard's CHA.

Summon Nature Spirit

Various types of Nature Spirit (minor Maiar spirits who may have a special affinity for a certainplace or environment) exist in Middle-earth. They may be summoned by means of this ritual.Nature Spirits include the spirits of Mountains, Forests, Rivers, Oceans, Swamps, Hills, Ice andDesert. Each is a separate creature and therefore a different Summoning ritual must be learned. Thepowers of some such spirits are described in the Beasts and Beings chapter.

The Circle must, of course, be drawn in the correct environment. A Desert Spirit cannot besummoned in the mountains, nor can a Swamp Spirit be summoned in the Desert. The ritual takes1D6 hours to perform and requires the Wizard expend two points of temporary POW.

Once summoned, the Spirit will serve the Wizard for a number of days equal to the Wizard's CHA.The being will not leave its home domain unless bound, however. The Spirit will wait for theWizard within its domain, ready to receive the Wizard's command for the duration of the summons.

Spell of Banishment

This Spell sends away a summoned supernatural creature. If the Wizard himself has summoned thecreature, and has not yet requested it perform a service for him, banishing merely requires thecorrect incantation and one combat round. If the Wizard has released the creature to perform aservice and the creature has subsequently reneged on this agreement, or if the being was summonedby another Wizard, the banishment requires a POW vs. POW struggle between the banishingWizard and the creature. To send away one's own summoned creature takes one point of temporaryPOW; to Banish an entity summoned by another requires two points of temporary POW.

c) Rank 2 INT + POW = 36: Major Wizardry

Ritual of Binding

Once a creature is summoned, it can be compelled to serve the Wizard by being bound. The Ritualof Binding is one way of accomplishing this. To Bind a creature requires that a deal or contract bestruck between the creature and the Wizard. The GM and the Wizard's player should negotiate thiscontract which may be as simple or as complex as they see fit. The Wizard must then expend onepoint of permanent POW and the creature is bound into his service for a number of years equal tothe Wizard's CHA score. If the contract is broken within that time, the creature may go free.

Wizard's Fortress

This is a more potent Circle of Protection. It takes one day to inscribe a Circle a number of feetequal to the Wizard's CHA score in diameter. For each day beyond the first spent in creating theFortress, the diameter increases by the Wizard's CHA in feet. Thus, if a Wizard spend 5 dayscreating the Fortress, the diameter will be CHAx5 feet. To energise the Circle takes a number ofpermanent POW points equal to the diameter multiplier (the CHAx5 Fortress would thereforerequire 5 points of permanent POW). However, once the Fortress is in place it remains for a numberof years equal to the Wizard's CHA. To enter the Circle of the Wizard's Fortress, a supernaturalcreature must match POW vs. POW on the resistance table.

At this Rank the Wizard may learn to summon minor independent Maiar spirits. These being have aPOW rating no greater than 4D6 and a combined attribute total no higher than the Wizard's own.Such spirits may be Good or Evil.

d) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Wizardry

A Rank 3 Wizard may learn to summon more powerful Maiar spirits, those with POW of up to 6D6and twice the Wizard's own attribute totals. Examples of such creatures are Werewolves andVampires. These are very dangerous beings and will be roleplayed by the GM.

e) Rank 4 INT + POW = 44: Grand Wizardry

Wizards of this Rank may learn to summon the most powerful of Maiar spirits. These includeBalrogs.

f) Rank 5 INT + POW = 48: Arch Wizardry

A Rank 5 Wizard may be able to contact (never summon) the Valar, the Powers of Middle-earth.

22) The Art of Necromancy

The Art of raising the dead or dealing with the ghosts of the dead. Again, this skill is one of TheDark Arts in Middle-earth. It is a strong Magician indeed who can deal with these beings and thisknowledge without succumbing to Corruption. In some societies of Middle-earth, Necromancy maynot be as reviled as in others. The Wild Men (Wood-woses, Lossoth and barbarous tribes ofEasterlings) may venerate their dead and regard Necromancy as a good means of contacting thespirits of great tribal elders.

a) Time and Place

Necromancy is the art of dealing with the dead and the undead. It is thus likely to be practiced atnight and in places like graveyards, near burial mounds, the sites of battles great and small, nearfuneral pyres, and at the Death Places held sacred by the tribes of Wild Men.

b) Raw Materials

Grave earth. The bones, teeth, blood and hair of animals and sentient creatures. Artefacts stolenfrom graves or burial mounds. These items are the stock-in-trade of the Necromancer.

c) Facilities

Necromancy is probably the most despised and feared of the Dark Arts. In addition to a privatesanctum in which to conduct these vile rites, the Necromancer would be well advised to recruitloyal guards to protect him from irate, pitchfork-weilding peasants.

d) Magical Groups

Necromancy is a solitary Art. Necromancers never gather in groups to perform their rituals.

23) Necromancy Rank-by-Rank

a) Rank 0 INT + POW = 28: Petty Necromancy

At this Rank, the Magican can be said to be “in tune” with death. The Necromancer is versed in theDeath Customs of his own people.

Scrye Death

This ritual may be conducted over the corpse of any creature. It allows the Magician to determinethe cause of the creature's death. In cases where the cause is obvious (e.g. an arrow sticking throughis heart) the Magician may be able to determine if the creature was ambushed, executed or died ingeneral melee. When cast over the scene of a battle, the ritual may help determine who the warriorsinvolved were. This ritual takes one hour to perform and requires the expenditure of one point oftemporary POW.

Speak with Dead

This ritual, involving the fresh blood of a recently deceased sentient creature, allows the Magican totemporarily raise the corpse of the creature so it may be questioned. The Ritual may not be used oncorpses that have been dead for more than the Necromancer's CHA in game turns. The creature isbound to answer but one question to the best of its ability and the knowledge it possessed in life.The ritual takes one game turn (5 minutes) to perform and requires that the Necromancer expend

one point of temporary POW.

b) Rank 1 INT + POW = 32: Minor Necromancy

Converse with Dead

This is a more potent version of the Speak with Dead ritual. The corpse can have been dead for anumber of days equal to the Necromancer's POW and the creature can be raised for a number ofminutes equal to the Necromancer's CHA score. This will allow for a more detailed conversationwith the deceased. Then ritual takes one hour to perform and requires that the Magician expend twopoints of temporary POW.

c) Rank 2 INT + POW = 36: Major Necromancy

Shades and Phantoms

With this ritual the Magician may be able to summon the ghosts of the dead. The ritual takes 1D6 +1 hours to perform and requires that the Necromancer expend one point of permanent POW to forcethe spirit to manifest. These spirits cannot be bound and may be actively hostile to the Magician. Atbest they can be placated in some way or perhaps bargained with. The GM should roleplay all suchghosts. This ritual can be used to summon a spirit which is haunting an area and perhaps give itrelease.

Command

In conjunction with the above, the ritual of Command allows the Magician to command an undeadspirit. Commanding a spirit requires a POW vs. POW contest between the Necromancer and thespirit. If the Magician wins, he must expend one further point of permanent POW to enforce theorder over the spirit.

Animate Corpse

This ritual imparts a limited sort of “false life” to the dead. It takes 2D6 hours to perform andrequires that the Necromancer expend one point of permanent POW per corpse animated. Thecorpse will remain animated for a number of months equal to the Necromancer's CHA.

d) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Necromancy

Bind Spirit

This ritual grants the power to bind a ghost or shade into a physical body. The spirit is summonedas above and then is bargained with. Some spirits are willing to be given the chance to harrass theliving, others need to be tricked or coerced. The Bind Spirit ritual forces the spirit to inhabit thebody. It is exactly this ritual which was used to bribe spirits to inhabit the bodies buried on theBarrow Downs, thus creating the Barrow Wights.

e) Rank 4 INT + POW = 44: Grand Necromancy

At this rank it is possible to create more powerful undead creatures.

Charnel House

This ritual creates a sanctum for the Necromancer. It takes the Necromancer's POW in days (or,more correctly, nights) to perform this ritual and requires the expenditure of three points of

permanent POW to energise. The Charnel House covers a diameter equal to the Magician's CHA inyards and any creature (living, dead, supernatural or natural) must roll POW vs. POW in order toenter the warded area.

f) Rank 5 INT + POW = 48: Arch Necromancy

At this rank it is possible to coerce and corrupt the spirits of the living to join the ranks of theUndead. The Nazgul were created this way by Sauron.

10. MIDDLE-EARTH SPECIAL RULES

1) Fate Points

a) What are Fate Points?

Heroes in Middle-earth are fated to be that way. They are special. It may be that one of the Valar iswatching over the character (not that belief in the Valar is widespread in Middle-earth) or that thenatural magic of Middle-earth protects the characte r in some way. Heroes have Fate Points whichmeasure this protection.

All Dwarves and Hobbits start the game with three Fate Points. Mannish characters, who have theDominion of Man racial ability, start with four Fate Points (and, yes, this includes the Men ofDarkness). Elves, whose time in Middle-earth is drawing to an end, start the game with but two FatePoints.

Spending a Fate Point has one of the following effects. This is usually the player's choice, exceptfor the last option listed below.

● Provides a bonus to a skill roll of +20% per Fate point used● Provides a bonus to an attribute of +2 per Fate Point used● Avoids the effects of a single critical or fumble, whether for or against the character. This can be

used to avoid a critical hit in combat (a death-blow is miraculously diverted by the character'sbutton ...)

● Allows one to act in dire circumstances where the character would not normally be able to act atall

● Avoid the effects of Fear. A Fate Point may be spent to negate the results of a test and preventthe character from panicking and fleeing.

A maximum of two Fate Points may be spent in a single round. These can be used to augment asingle roll (e.g. a vital attack may be augmented by two Fate Points to provide a +40% bonus to theattack) or for different purposes (in combat, when sorely pressed, a character may use a Fate Pointto avoid the effect of a Critical Hit and then use a second point to increase his Parry skill).

Once a Fate Point has been spent, it is gone. They do recover over a period of time, depending onthe character's actions. This is a GM call.

● Fate Points recover quickly if a character's actions are heroic or story-enhancing.● Fate Points recovers slowly (or not at all) if the character's actions are unheroic, selfish or

ignoble.

b) Gaining Fate Points

Possible ideas include:

● GM award. When Fate Points are used for extremely story-enhancing or truly Heroic actions, theGM can award an extra Fate Point to the character

● Skill improvement points. Those points gained by skill improvement rolls for skills used indangerous situations (combat, stealthy reconnaissance of enemy positions, encounters with theservants of the Enemy) can be saved and “cashed in” to increase Fate Points. Twenty skillimprovement points - no matter which skill(s) they were originally for - can be traded in for oneFate Point.

2) Fear and Courage

a) Courage

Characters in LOTR are heroes struggling against the forces of the Enemy, Sauron, the Lord of theRings. One of the most potent weapons of the Enemy is Fear, the mind-crushing darkness that canleave a victim paralysed with terror, rob him of his will or cause him to flee in blind panic. Heroesare made of stern stuff, fortunately, and can resist this fear with pure hearts, nobility anddetermination. Courage is a ready means of determining the character's resistance to Fear. Tocalculate Courage, find the average of the character's STR, POW and CHA, rounding fractionsnormally.

b) Fear

Fear is a powerful force in Middle-earth. It is an especially potent weapon of the Enemy.

Sources of Fear include supernatural creatures such as Balrogs, Barrow-Wights and Ring Wraiths.Spells like Evoke Fear obviously are also sources of Fear.

Fear is measured in terms of its Force. To determine the effects of Fear, match the Force of thefear-inducer against the Courage of the target on the Resistance Table, then check below for thelevel of success.

Source of Fear scores a

● Critical – Victim flees, discarding weapons and gear to reduce encumbrance if necessary. Fleefor 2D6 minutes, at the end of which roll Courage x 5 % to recover or flee for a further 2D6minutes. Recover automatically after this second flight. If the victim encounters this source offear again, its Force is increased by 1D6 points. The victim can use a Fate Point to avoid fleeingbut the Force of the fear from this source is always increased by 1D6.

● Special – Victim flees for 1D6 minutes. The rest of the effects are as for a Critical.● Success – Victim may do nothing except cower/whimper/whine/be rooted to the spot (GM's call)

for 1D6 minutes or until the Fear source is removed. Roll Courage x 5% to perform defensiveactions (move away, hide, dodge).

● Failure – Victim suffers no effect● Mishap – Victim suffers no effect. At GM's discretion may get future bonuses to skill rolls

versus this Fear source due to enhanced confidence against this foe● Fumble – Victim suffers no effect. +10% bonuses to skill rolls versus this Fear source due to

enhanced confidence against this foe

c) Fear and Intimidate

These go hand in hand. If a Fear source has, and successfully uses, Intimidate skill beforeattempting the Fear power, use the level of success in the Intimidate roll to determine a bonus orpenalty to the Fear's Force before making the Force versus Courage roll.

d) Fear: Perpetual or Instant

Some sources of Fear have a single heart-stopping shock effect. Examples include being faced witha sudden fall from a great height., an Ambush or encountering a strange creature (an Oliphaunt, forinstance). In general, such one-offs are resisted with a single Fear resistance roll. If the characterpasses the test, there is no fear effect again.

Other sources have Fear wrapped around them like a cloak or cloud that follows them whereeverthey go and never dissipates. Such sources include Undead creatures like Barrow Wights andRingwraiths, demons like Balrogs and, of course, Dragons. When facing these creatures, thecharacter may have to test versus Fear on first meeting and then at intervals throughout theencounter. For example, on meeting a Ringwraith, the character will be forced to test. If that test ispassed, the character can function normally until circumstances change. If the character sees one ofhis companions die at the hands of the Ringwraith, another test may be called for. This is at theGM's discretion depending on the creature.

3) Corruption and the Eye of Sauron

Role-playing in Middle-earth is all about the struggle of Good versus Evil. While the forces ofGood fight with honour, valour, courage and discipline, the forces of Evil have at their disposalmany terrible weapons. One of these weapons is Corruption, the power to turn Good to Evil, truthto lies, peace to war, and freedom to slavery.

a) Essence

Every hero has a quality called Essence, which might be described as that person's life force, spirit,soul, Humanity or Sanity. The character's starting Essence (ESS) score is equal to his POW x 5%,modified by Race, as shown in the table below:

Race ModifierDwarf +10%ElfNoldor +20%Sindar +10%Silvan +10%Hobbit +10%ManDunadan +10%Middle 0%Darkness -10%Wild 0%Dark Numenorean 0%Rohirrim 0%

Test for Corruption in the same way as a normal skill roll: on 1D100, aiming to score less than orequal to the character's current ESS. If the test is passed, the character has resisted the Corruptingeffect of whatever stimulus caused the check to begin with. If it fails, the character has absorbedsome of that corrupting influence, and his Essence score decreases.

b) Corrupting Influences

Some sample Corrupting influences and suggested Essence losses are shown below. This list is byno means exhaustive. The GM is encouraged to be creative when playing Corrupting influences.

Source Essence Loss

Exposure to the One Ring

Normal circumstances 0 / D3

Near Mordor D3 / D6

Source Essence Loss

In Mordor D4 / D10

Every time the Ring is worn D4+1 / 2D6

Exposure to Temptation

Mild 0 / 1

Strong 1 / D6

Very Strong D4 / D10

Dark Arts

Learning a Dark Arts spell or ritual 1 / 1D8

Casting a Dark Arts spell or ritual D4 / D4 + Level of Spell

Other Actions

Committing murder D4 / D6

Theft 0 / D3

Whenever a character is exposed to a corrupting influence, make an ESS roll, as directed by theGM. If the roll is made, the character suffers the ESS loss shown before the slash (/) in the chartabove. If the roll is failed, the character suffers the ESS loss after the slash and must take thecorrupting action.

c) Increasing and Recovering Essence

It is possible to increase one's ESS score and to restore points lost to corruption. Here are somepossibilities.

● GM award for mission accomplished. Since most LOTR games will pit characters against theforces of the Shadow, and defeating Sauron is the over-riding goal of the game, the GM mayaward a flat number of points or a random dice roll to each character to be added to their currentESS. The award should be directly proportional to the risk involved.

● Defeating a Minion of the Dark Lord. This should be worth an ESS award of 20% of theMinion's Reputation score.

● Skill Mastery. When a character attains Mastery in a given skill (90%+) the discipline and self-esteem involved in such a feat allows the character to restore 2D6 ESS points.

● Roleplaying. Honest repentance and confession, noble and heroic deeds, or even specific questsmay allow a character to regain or even increase their Essence.

d) The Eye of Sauron (optional, experimental, untested)

The flame-wreathed Eye, symbol of the Dark Lord Sauron, sees all. It is particularly drawn toHeroes and workers of Magic: these special individuals are both feared and hated by Sauron. Hatedbecause they may one day supplant him; feared because those who stay true to their ideals mayeventually defeat him. However, they remain of special interest to the Dark Lord as they can beCorrupted to his service.

The converse of a character's Essence is his Taintedness (TAINT). For beginning characters TAINTis zero. Each time the character fails a Corruption test the lost Essence points are added to hisTAINT score. Thus the slow weakening of his resolve, nobility and purity-of-purpose (his ESS)manifests as a blackening of the character's spirit (and an increase in his Taintedness). Further, theTAINT score can also increase independently of lost Essence and some suggestions are shown

below:

Action Taintedness Increase

Associates with Servants of theEnemy

1D3 – 1 per week

Uses a powerful Magic Item 1D10

Uses a Palantir 2D10

Uses a Magic Ring 2D6

Uses the Dark Lord's name 1D3

Openly declares himself forSauron

20

Performs a Corrupting act Essence Loss

The character's TAINT score can be used in a number of ways.

● Firstly, it acts as an index of how easily other corrupted individuals or servants of the Enemy canspot the character.

● Second, the character's TAINT hangs about him like a cloud. This causes a negative modifier tothe character's social skills.

● Third, if the character performs further corrupting acts, the TAINT may attract the attention ofSauron himself! Each time the character loses ESS, roll 1D100. If the roll is higher than thecharacter's TAINT score, nothing happens. If the roll is less than or equal to the TAINT, the Eyeof Sauron has momentarily fixed upon the character. What happens next is the GM's decision,but at a minimum, the character should make a POW or CHA roll (with a multiplier at the GM'sdiscretion) to throw off the terrifying effects of the Dark Lord's attention. However, each timethis happens, the character permanently loses one point of CHA.

Note that both heroes and villains may have a TAINT score. Saruman the White and Denethor,Steward of Gondor both fell to the Dark Lord in this way and Aragorn himself would have becometainted in some way when he used the Palantir of Orthanc.

e) Becoming Corrupt

When a character's ESS score reaches zero (or alternatively, when it reaches a level of the averageof the character's CHA, INT and POW) the character becomes corrupted. A corrupt character servesSauron, either directly or indirectly. He becomes an NPC, controlled by the GM.

4) Reputation

a) What is Reputation?

A character's Reputation is a measure of his or her fame, or, negatively, infamy. Reputationincreases during play as a result of the players' actions. Such actions may be positive (defeating aservant of the Enemy) or negative (slaying a friend) but either way they contribute to the character'srenown score.

Unless the GM specifies otherwise, all characters begin the game with a Reputation score of zero,and increase this score during play.

b) Sample Reputation Awards

Circumstance Award

Saving the life of an important NPC NPCs Reputation / 5

Thwarting the plans of an enemy servant, spy oragent

Servant's Reputation / 5

Showing uncommon bravery in the midst ofbattle

Commander's Reputation / 5

Showing uncommon bravery in the midst ofbattle against the forces of the Shadow

Commander or Enemy Commander's Reputation/ 5

Successfully completing an intricate andpublicised negotiation or treaty with a renowneddiplomat or noble

Diplomat's Reputation / 5

Making an arcane or exploratory discovery +1 to +5

Discovering a new or innovative use for existingmagic, lore or technology

+1 to +3

Circumstance, encounter or significance is

Routine +1

Important +2

World-shaking +3 to +5

c) Reputation Modifiers

Depending on the level of Reputation a character possesses, Recognition Tests and certain Socialskill tests become easier, or harder depending on circumstances. The modifiers are shown below.

Reputation Score Modifier

0-5 0%

6-10 +/- 5%

11-15 +/- 10%

16-20 +/- 15%

21-25 +/- 20%

26-30 +/- 25%

31+ +/- 30%

The modifiers are expressed as being either positive or negative. The attitude of the person makingor on the receiving end of the test determines whether the modifier is applied positively ornegatively. Reputation in many cases reflects how one feels about the person under consideration.Take Aragorn, for instance. Other Rangers know who he is and react positively, so the Reputationmodifier would be a plus, here. But people in Bree, like Barliman Butterbur, who regard Rangers asstrange and dangerous, would react negatively and the modifier would be a minus (even forAragorn).

d) Recognition Tests

Use an Idea Roll or appropriate Lore skill, plus the character's Reputation modifier to determinewhether a renowned character is recognised.

Modifiers used for Recognition tests are always positive. In such cases the recognising character'sfeelings count for little. Whether Aragorn was known in Bree for being a healer and wise man or acold-hearted man of the wilds matters not. People recognise him as Strider and that is enough.

e) Geographical Considerations

Obviously, it is easier to be known in one's home town than it is to be known in a foreign country.When determining whether one character recognises another, use the area the two characters havein common as a further modification to the Recognition Test.

Area in Common Modifier Example

Local0%

Within Hobbiton, withinMinas Tirith

Area-10%

Within the North Farthing,within Dol Amroth

Region-20%

Within the Shire, withinEnedwaith, within Eastfold

Realm-40%

Within Eriador, withinGondor, within Rohan

World -60% Within Middle-earth

f) Reputation and Social Skills

The Social skills of Persuade, Oratory, Intimidate, Fast Talk and Insight are all directly affected byReputation. Use the Reputation Modifier as a bonus or penalty to the character's skill depending onthe regard in which the audience hold the skill using character. For example, were Aragorn toattempt to convince the people of Bree to arm themselves and attack the Ringwraiths, his Renownwould probably count against him (a penalty to his Oratory skill) as the people of Bree generallydistrust Rangers. However, when persuading the Captains of the West to march against Mordor (tocover the Ringbearer's secret mission) Aragorn's Reputation Modifier would be a bonus to hisOratory skill: the Captains all trust him and accept his Kingship of Arnor and Gondor.

11. WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT

1) Money

Much of the trade in Middle-earth is done by barter. Use of the Appraise, Fast Talk and Persuadeskills can cover much of the bartering player characters may need to engage in. The use of Lores,such as Animal and Plant Lore, and Craft skills are also encouraged as these can be used to guagethe quality of the wares on sale. However, money does exist in the form of large and small coins ofgold and silver. The larger sized coins are generally referred to as Pieces, while the smaller coinsare pennies. There is also the copper penny, the smallest value coin in Middle-earth. Coins areexchanged as follows:

100 copper pennies (cp) = 1 silver penny (sp) 4 silver pennies (sp) = 1 Silver Piece (SP) = 1 gold penny (gp)4 gold pennies (gp) = 1 Gold Piece (GP)

Thus

1 GP = 4 SP = 16 sp = 1,600 cp

For clarity, pennies will be written as lower case, Pieces will be capitalised.

2) Personal Equipment

Item Cost

Backpack 2sp

Bedroll 2sp

Belt Pouch 1sp

Blanket 50cp

Dagger Sheath 2sp

Lamp 1SP

Lantern 1SP, 2sp

Pipeweed 2sp

Quiver 2sp

Rope 1sp per 50 feet

Sword Scabbard 1SP

Tinderbox 1sp

Tent (1 man, 2 hobbits) 1sp

Tent (2 man, 4 hobbits) 2sp

Tent (3 man, 6 hobbits) 1SP

Torch 1sp for 10

Water/Wine skin 2sp

3) Clothing

1 suit of clothing includes: trousers or breeches, a shirt, belt, cloak or cape, and footwear. Femalecharacters may have a dress rather than trousers. The player is free to choose the appearance andmaterials of their character's clothing.

Type Cost

Clothes, fine, 1 suit 3sp

Clothes, average, 1 suit 2sp

Clothes, poor, 1 suit 1sp

Clothes, travelling, 1suit

3sp

Clothes, very fine, 1 suit 1SP

Clothes, winter, 1 suit 1SP

4) Livestock

Animal CostHorse, Riding 2SPHorse, War 4SPHorse, Draft 3SPPony 1SPDog 3spTack and Harness 1spBarding (horse armour) 2SP

5) Weapons Tables

a) Melee Weapons

Weapon STR DEX Hands Damage Weight Size Cost

Axe

Battle 9 9 1 D8+2 8lbs M 3SP,1sp

Great 11 9 2 2D6+2 17lbs L 3SP,3sp

Hatchet 7 9 1 D6+1 1lb M 2SP,2sp

Club 7 7 1 D6 4lbs M Free

Dagger

Normal 1 3 1 D4+2 1lb S 2SP,2sp

Long knife 1 3 1 D4+3 1.5lb M 2SP,3sp

Orc 1 3 1 D4+3 1lb S 2SP,3sp

Hammer 11 7 1 D6+3 8lbs M 2SP,3sp

Mace

Light 7 7 1 D6+2 7lbs M 2SP,2sp

Heavy 13 7 2 D8+2 10lbs M 3SP

Mattock 11 9 2 2D6+2 15lbs M 3SP

Pikestaff 11 7 2 2D6+1 15lbs L 2SP,3sp

Quarterstaff 9 9 2 D8 4lbs M Free

Shield bash

Large 8 9 1 D6 5-12lbs M 2SP

Small 4 9 1 D4 4-8lbs M 1SP

Spear

Long 11 9 2 D10+1 7lbs L 2SP,3sp

Normal 9 7 1 D6+1 4lbs L 2SP,1sp

Sword

Long 13 9 1 D10+1 4-7lbs M 3SP,1sp

Orc long 14 7 1 D10+1 4-8lbs M 3SP,1sp

Scimitar 9 9 1 D8+1 4-6lbs M 3SP

Short, eket 7 7 1 D6+1 3-5lbs M 2SP,3sp

Great 11 13 2 2D8 8-10lbs L 4SP,2sp

Whip 4 9 1 D4+1 1lb M 1SP

b) Missile Weapons

Weapon STR DEX Hands Damage Weight Size Cost

Bow

Longbow 13 11 2 D10+2 3lbs L 2SP,2sp

Steelbow 11 13 2 2D6+1 3lbs L Priceless

Short 9 9 2 D6+1 2lbs M 2SP

Dagger 1 6 1 D4+2 1lb S 2SP,2sp

Javelin 7 10 1 D8+2 2lbs M 3SP

Rock 3 5 1 2D4 3-5lbs M Free

Sling 1 11 1 D6+1 1lb S 1SP

Spear 9 10 1 2D6 4lbs L 2SP,1sp

ThrowingAxe 9 12 1

D8+2 1lb M 2SP,2sp

c) Notes

● Weapons that appear as both hand weapons and missile weapons require an extra skill to be usedas a missile weapon. If no skill has been developed, the character has a 10% chance to hit.

● Projectile weapons do slightly more damage than melee weapons as they achieve greater velocityand impact.

● Should a character desire a weapon not on this list, the parameters should be worked out inconjunction with the GM

● All weapons and shields are assumed to have 20 Hit Points to determine if they have beendamaged by fire, acid, etc.

● Whips have the special effect that they can entangle a foe. A successful attack with a whipinflicts just 1D3 damage but the whip becomes tangled around the target. It is then possible forthe whip-user to trip or disarm the opponent. To trip the opponent make a roll of STR vs. SIZ.To disarm the opponent, make a roll of DEX x 3%. If the whip attack is critical, the attacker candisarm or trip automatically, without having to make a second roll. An entangled opponent cantry to escape the whip by making a STR vs. STR roll (tearing the whip from the attacker's hand)or DEX vs. STR (escaping by wriggling free).

6) Armour and Shields

a) Shields

Shield Parry % Cost Weight Notes

Large Bonus 2SP 5-12lbs Target, Heater

Small Bonus 1SP 4-8lbs Buckler, Hobbit

b) Armour

Armour Protection Cost Weight Notes

Helmet +2 1SP,2sp 5lbs Add these points to the protection ofother armour worn

Light Leather 1 2SP 10lbs May be worn under clothes

Hard Leather 2 3SP 10lbs

Scale Mail 4 4SP 20lbs Armour of the Haradrim

Mail Shirt 3 3SP 15lbs Covers Torso only.

Full Chainmail Assumed to include a helmet andhauberk

Dwarf 8 7SP 40lbs

Mithril +10 Priceless ¼ normal Add these points to the protection ofthe chainmail suit

Orc 6 6SP 35lbs Heavy. Reduce Agility skills by 5%

Ordinary 6 5SP 30lbs

Plated +2 +1SP +5lbs Add these points to the protection ofthe underlying chainmail suit

c) Notes

● Mithril has one very important attribute: armour made of Mithril does protect against a CriticalHit.

12. BEASTS AND BEINGS

1) Basic Foes

a) Orcs and Goblins

Orcs are the most numerous of the Enemy's foot-soldiers. Such creatures may be encounteredalmost anywhere in Middle-earth.

Smaller Orc breeds - such as those from Mordor - would typically have STR 3D6 and SIZ 2D6,while larger breeds - those from the Northern strongholds like Mount Gundabad - would have STR5D6, CON 3D6+3 and 2D6+4.

Note that Goblin is a term occasionally used in Middle-earth to describe Orcs, and usually appliedto the smaller kinds, though Hobbits may use the word to describe all Orcs.

Attributes Roll Average

STR 4D6 14

CON 3D6 10-11

SIZ 2D6+2 9

INT 3D6 10-11

POW 2D6+3 10

DEX 4D6 14

CHA 2D6 7

Weapon Attack Parry Damage

Scimitar 32% 32% D8+1

Shortbow 32% 32% D6+1

Battleaxe 32% 32% D8+2

Spear 32% 32% D6+1

Shield 32% 32% D6

Armour

Typically Leather or Chainmail with Shield

Typical Skills

Hide 30%, Climb 40%, Dodge 30%, See 30%, Listen 30%, Track 35%, Rope Use 50%

b) Uruk-Hai

Bred by Sauron in the Third Age - by breeding Orcs with Trolls or Men - the Uruk-Hai are larger,fiercer, stronger Orcs. Standing taller and straighter-limbed than normal Orcs, Uruks often use theweapons of Men, longswords and longbows.


STR 6D6 21

CON 4D6 14

SIZ 3D6 10-11

INT 3D6 10-11

POW 2D6+3 10

DEX 4D6 14

CHA 2D6 7

Weapon Attack Parry Damage (+1D6)

Longsword 45% 42% D10+1

Longbow 45% 42% D10+2


Spear 32% 32% D6+1

Shield 40% 40% D6

Armour


Typical Skills

Hide 30%, Climb 40%, Dodge 30%, See 40%, Listen 40%, Track 35%, Rope Use50%

c) Half-Orcs

Bred by Saruman before the War of the Ring, Half-Orcs are a mongrel race of Men with some Orcfeatures and Orc wickedness in their hearts. Some Half-Orcs are able to pass among Men withoutdrawing undue attention (they may be rather ugly and coarse, however) but others show moreOrcish features and cannot pass as human without the use of Disguise skill.

Half-Orcs serve Saruman as foot soldiers, ruffians and spies.


STR 4D6 14

CON 3D6 10-11

SIZ 2D6+2 9

INT 3D6 10-11

POW 2D6+3 10

DEX 3D6 10

CHA 2D6+2 9


Longsword 45% 42% D10+1

Longbow 45% 42% D10+2


Spear 32% 32% D6+1

Shield 32% 32% D6

Armour


Typical Skills

Hide 30%, Climb 40%, Dodge 30%, See 30%, Listen 30%, Track 35%, Rope Use50%

d) Trolls

Created by the Great Enemy in mockery of the Ents, there are a number of breeds of Troll inMiddle-earth: Snow Trolls, Cave Trolls, Hill Trolls to name but a few. The attributes belowdescribe a typical Cave Troll (adapted from RQ).


STR 3D6+12 22-23

CON 2D6+12 19

SIZ 4D6+12 26

INT 2D6 7

POW 2D6 7

DEX 2D6+3 10

CHA 1D6 3-4


Club 30% 30% D10+2

Hammer 30% 30% 2D6+3

Unarmed 40% 40% Punch D6, Kick 1D8, Trample 3D6

Spear20% 20%

D10+1(Man-sized long spear usedone-handed)

Armour

Typically no armour is worn but a Troll's tough hide provides 3 points of armour protection.

Typical Skills

Scent 45%

e) Olog-Hai

The Olog-Hai were bred by Sauron and are larger, swifter, stronger and more cunning than otherTrolls. Filled with Sauron's malice, they dwell in Mordor and await only his word to go to war.


STR 4D6+12 26

CON 3D6+12 19

SIZ 4D6+18 32

INT 2D6+4 11

POW 2D6 7

DEX 3D6+3 13

CHA 1D6 3-4


Club 40% 40% D10+2

Hammer 40% 40% 2D6+3

Unarmed 50% 50% Punch D6, Kick 1D8, Trample 3D6

Spear30% 30%

D10+1 (Man-sized long spear usedone-handed)

Armour

Olog-Hai hide is tougher even than a normal Troll's. It provides 4 points of armour protection.

Typical Skills

Scent 45%

f) Dunlendings

Tall, dark haired slightly swarthy Men living in Dunland, the Dunlendings are descendants of Menwho once lived in the valleys of the White Mountains and plains of Calenardhon. They are themortal enemies of the people of Rohan whom they consider to be invaders. Many Dunlendingsfought for Saruman during the War of the Ring.

Create Dunlendings as Player Characters. Assume that a Dunlendings warband consists of amixture of Warriors and Barbarians, perhaps led by a Noble. There is a slim chance that aDunlending settlement will contain a Magician (tribal shaman) and/or a Sage acting as thestorehouse of tribal wisdom.

g) Bandits

Very often Bandits are fugitives from whatever local justice is enforcing a given area. They prey ontravellers in the wild places and are little better than common robbers. Some Bandit gangs,however, turn to brigandry out of necessity. Perhaps their home village has been destroyed by Orcsor wiped out by pestilence. Such Bandits may not be evil but are merely trying to survive (and havevengeance) in a harsh world.

Living as wolfsheads in the wilds of Eriador and Wilderland, groups of bandits can be treated asmixed groups of Warriors and Rogues, led normally by a stronger Warrior.

2) Basic Beasts

a) Forest Bears

Forest Bears are found in most of Middle-earth's forests (with the possible exception of the OldForest). They are particularly common in the Western eaves of Mirkwood. The Beornings arefriends with bears. Usually solitary, Forest Bears may be found in small groups (20% chance duringthe mating season). Such groups comprise a mother and one or two cubs. The cubs fight at the samepercentages as the adults - but with half damage - until they are one year old.


STR 4D6+6 20

CON 3D6+6 16-17

SIZ 3D6+6 16-17

INT 1D6 3-4

POW 2D6 7

DEX 3D6+3 13-14

CHA NA


Bite 25% NA 1D8

Claw 40% 20% 2D6+3

Hug * NA 3D6

* A bear attacks with two claws each round. If both claws hit, the bear will hug and hold on nextround. Characters caught in a hug may use no weapon larger than a dagger against the bear. Tobreak the hug, the character must match STR vs. STR on the resistance table. While hugging a foe,the bear may not attack other targets with claws or bite.

Armour

3 points for skin and fur.

Typical Skills

Move Quietly 50%+1D10, Hide 70%+1D10, Ambush 30%+1D10, Swim 70%+1D10, Climb 30%+1D10, Search 25%, Listen 20%+1D10, Track 90%, Scent 90%

b) Cave Bears

Larger and more powerful than their Forest-dwelling cousins the cave bear is a solitary creaturewith no fear of Men, Elves, Dwarves or Orcs. They may be found in most of the mountainousregions of Middle-earth. Those of the Misty Mountains may be friends with the Beornings but thiscannot be said for certain.


STR 4D6+6 20

CON 3D6+6 16-17

SIZ 3D6+6 16-17

INT 1D6 3-4

POW 2D6 7

DEX 3D6+3 13-14

CHA NA


Bite 65% NA 1D10+4

Claw 45% 45% 2D6+4

Hug * NA 7D6

* A bear attacks with two claws each round. If both claws hit, the bear will hug and hold on nextround. Characters caught in a hug may use no weapon larger than a dagger against the bear. Tobreak the hug, the character must match STR vs. STR on the resistance table. While hugging a foe,the bear may not attack other targets with claws or bite.

Armour

4 points for skin and fur.

Typical Skills

Scent 90%, Hide 70%+1D10, Ambush 30%+1D10, Swim 70%+1D10, Climb 30%+1D10, Search25%, Listen 20%+1D10, Track 90%

c) Crows (crebain)

The Enemy has many spies. One such creature - used by Saruman to spy on the Fellowship - is thecrebain, a breed of large Crow, common to Dunland.


STR 1D3 2

CON 2D4 5

SIZ 1D2 1-2

INT 1D6 3-4

POW 2D6 7

DEX 3D6 10-11

CHA NA


Bite 30%+1D10 NA 1D3

Claw 30%+1D10 NA 1D2

Notes

Crebain rarely attack people. However, they may be directed to flock around a target,indiscriminately biting and clawing. In such a case, assume 3D6 Crebain attack each target, withabout half clawing and half biting in a round. Make attack rolls for each bird and total the damageinflicted before subtracting the target's armour. The victim of such an attack may beat the birdsaway by killing half the number of attacking birds. Due to the nature of such a swarming attack, it isdifficult to pick out an individual bird to attack. When the target attacks back, roll damage and usethe points to kill individual birds. For example, assume a Man armed with longsword and shield isdefending against a Crebain attack. His longsword scores 7 points and his shield bash a further 3,for a total of 10. Crebain have an average of 4 Hit Points, so this is enough damage to kill two birdsoutright and cause a major wound on a third.

Crebain who sustain a major wound cannot fly.

Typical Skills

Fly 100%, See 75%, Dodge (in air) 20%

d) Wolves

Wolves are pack animals, normally encountered in groups of 2D6+3 individuals. There is a small(5%) chance that that a lone wolf will be encountered. The wolves described below are naturalcreatures, not the wicked creations of the Enemy (Wargs and Werewolves).


STR 2D6+6 13

CON 3D6+3 13-14

SIZ 3D6 10-11

INT 1D6 3-4

POW 2D6 7

DEX 2D6+6 13

CHA NA



Wolves are highly agile creatures and in combat get 1 Attack and up to 3 Dodges per round. Foreach minor wound they receive, reduce the number of Dodges by 1; a major wound deducts 2Dodges. When all three Dodges have been lost due to wounds, the Wolf has no further defenses.

Typical Skills

Track 80%, See 60%, Scent 80%, Move Quietly 70%+1D10, Hide 60%+1D10, Dodge 50%

+1D10

e) Dogs

Dogs are common in Middle-earth, except amongst the Dwarves, who keep few animals of anykind. Even Farmer Maggot in the Shire keeps them (Grip, Fang, Wolf). There are many breeds andcrossbreeds. If running in a pack, there will be 2D6 dogs.


STR 2D6+3 10

CON 3D6 10-11

SIZ 2D6+1 10-11

INT 1D6 3-4

POW 2D6 7

DEX 2D6+1 13

CHA NA


Bite 30%+1D6 NA 1D6

Dogs fight in much the same way as wolves, biting and dodging away. However, they are less agilethan wolves and get only 1 Dodge per round. A wound (major or minor) causes the dog to lose thisdodge.

Typical Skills

Track 70% +1D10, See 40% +1D10, Scent 70% +1D10, Dodge 25%, Hide 20%+1D10

f) Horses

Horses are the commonest riding animals in Middle-earth. They are also used as beasts of burden.A typical horse has the following attributes. See below for notes on different breeds of horse.


STR 3D6+18 28-29

CON 2D6+6 13

SIZ 4D6+12 26

INT 1D6 3-4

POW 1D6 3-4

DEX 3D6 10-11

CHA NA


Bite 5% NA D10

Kick 5% NA 1D8+2D6

Rear & Plunge 5% NA 2D8+2D6

Trample 25% NA 4D6 to downed foe

Horses attack as normal in the combat round. For each rider, roll 1D6 and deduct the total from thehorse's DEX (horses may carry two riders). Make this roll each turn. If the horse's DEX drops to 0or less, it may not attack that round.

Armour

Typically 1 point for skin. Horses may wear special armour called barding. This is often of Leatheror Chainmail.

Warhorses

Create warhorses as per normal horses but INT is 1D6+3 and SIZ should be a minimum of 25.Warhorses begin the game with the attack skills of Bite, Kick and Rear and Plunge at 5%+1D20.Trample, however, remains at 25%.

Ponies

Use the regular chart for horses but subtract 6 from STR and SIZ.

Mules

Chiefly used as beasts of burden, Mules are more intelligent than normal horses. Roll 1D6+1 forINT, 3D6+3 for CON and 4D6+6 for SIZ. Mules start with a base 10% in the attack skills of Bite,Kick and Rear and Plunge. However, Mules have more delicate ankles than normal Horses andtherefore will not trample a downed foe.

Typical Skills (all horses)

Scent 1D100/2%, Swim 1D100%

g) Oliphaunts or Mumakil (Elephants)

Almost unheard of in the West of Middle-earth, Oliphaunts are used by the Haradrim for both warand work. Easterling nations may also have them.


STR 6D6+24 45

CON 3D6+16 26-27

SIZ 6D6+32 53

INT 1D6 3-4

POW 2D6+6 13

DEX 3D6 10-11

CHA NA


Trample 50% NA 10D6 to downed foe

Trunk 50% NA Grapple

Rear & Plunge 25% NA 2D8+5D6

Gore (Tusk) 30% NA 5D6

Armour

8-point thick skin, except on the trunk, which is 4-point.

Notes

If the Trunk scores a hit, the target is grappled. The victim may struggle free by matching STR vshalf the Elephant's STR. The Trunk does no damage but the Elephant may use any of its otherattacks on a grappled victim with a 100% chance of success.

Haradrim warriors use Oliphaunts as battle-platforms. When arrayed for war, an Oliphaunt isequipped with a wooden tower on its broad back. The tower may house as many SIZ points ofwarriors as the Oliphaunt has STR points. Typically, this will be 4 or 5 warriors, armed with spearsand bows.

Typical Skills

Scent 10%+1D10

3) Basic Monsters

a) Wargs

A Warg is an evil demonic wolf, larger, fiercer and more wicked-tempered than the natural wolfspecies. Perhaps they were bred by Sauron or Morgoth long ago. Evil and cruel, Wargs serve theEnemy. They may be used as mounts by Orcs.


STR 3D6+6 16-17

CON 3D6+3 13-14

SIZ 3D6+6 16-17

INT 1D6 3-4

POW 2D6 7

DEX 2D6+6 13

CHA NA



Claw 30%+1D10 NA 1D8+1

Wargs, like Wolves, are highly agile creatures and in combat get 3 Attacks (claw/claw/bite) and upto 3 Dodges per round. For each minor wound they receive, reduce the number of Dodges by 1; amajor wound deducts 2 Dodges. When all three Dodges have been lost due to wounds, the Warghas no further defenses.

When used as a mount by Orcs, Wargs lose their claw attacks and one of their dodges.

Typical Skills

Track 80%, See 60%, Scent 80%, Move Quietly 70%+1D10, Hide 60%+1D10, Dodge 30% + 1D10

b) Werewolves

Werewolves, evil creatures created long ago, are fell beasts with dreadful spirits inhabiting theirbodies. They have the form of Men but have the ability to transform into Wargs and a Warg-Manhybrid. Sauron himself is known to have assumed the guise of a Werewolf on at least one occasion.

Create the Mannish form as per a normal PC Man of Darkness and the Warg form as for a typicalWarg described above. In Warg-Man form they may still use Mannish skills if appropriate. For theWarg-Man form, use the following table.


STR 6D6 21

CON 3D6+3 13-14

SIZ 3D6+6 16-17

INT Man 8-9

POW Man 10-11

DEX 3D6+1D4 11-12

CHA Man 10-11

(Man) Attributes and skills denoted like this indicate that the creature keeps the Mannish attributeor skill when in Warg-Man form. Thus, Werewolves in this form are significantly more dangerousthan even normal Wargs as they can plan ahead and adapt to changing circumstances.



Claw 30%+1D10 NA 1D8+1

Weapons Man

Armour

Werewolves in whatever form they appear take half damage from all non-magical weapons. Firedoes full damage. If in Mannish form, they may wear armour.

Typical Skills

Track 80%, See 60%, Scent 80%, Move Quietly Man + 1D20%, Hide Man + 1D20%, Dodge Man+ 1D20%

c) Giant Spiders

These horrid creatures, the children of Shelob and her kin (from the lineage of Ungoliant, the evilMaiar companion of Morgoth the Great Enemy in the First Age), infest parts of Mirkwood andother dark and evil places in the world. Although not smart, they are crafty and can speak Westron(common) in creaking, hissing voices. Attributes are presented for both small and large examples ofthe breed.

Small Spiders


STR 2D6 7

CON 3D6 10-11

SIZ 2D6 7

INT 1D4 2-3

POW 1D6+4 7-8

DEX 3D6+3 13

CHA NA


Bite 20%+1D10 NA 1D8 + Poison

Webbing 25% NA Grapple

Armour

Small spiders typically have 2 points of armour protection.

Typical Skills

Climb 90%, Move Quietly 30%

Large Spiders


STR 3D6 10-11

CON 3D6 10-11

SIZ 3D6 10-11

INT 1D4 2-3

POW 2D6+4 11

DEX 3D6+3 13

CHA NA


Bite 30%+1D10 NA 1D8 + Poison

Webbing 25% NA Grapple

Typical Skills

Climb 90%, Move Quietly 30%

Armour

Large Spiders have 3 points of armour.

Special Rules

A spider bite is poisonous. Depending on the variety of spider, the poison may be lethal or non-lethal. All poisons have a POT (potency) equal to the Spider's POW. Lethal poisons cause the samenumber of D6 damage as the Spider's STR is rolled on (i.e. 2D6 or 3D6), with a POT vs. CONresistance roll for half damage. Non-lethal Spider poisons cause sleep or debilitation. The durationof is a number of D6 hours equal to the Spider's STR roll (i.e. 2D6 or 3D6), with a POT vs. CONresistance roll for half duration. Sleeping characters are difficult to wake. Use a CON vs. POT rollto determine if a character can wake before the duration expires naturally. Debilitation halves thecharacter's STR, INT and DEX for the duration.

Spiders may fling webbing a number of yards equal to the spider's STR. Beings caught in the webare grappled and may try to break free by matching their STR vs. the web's STR, which is equal tothat of the spider. Webs may be cut, requiring 5 points of damage from an edged weapon.

d) Barrow Wights

In the year 1600 of the Third Age, during the Great Plague which devastated Eriador, the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to dwell within the tombs of the Barrow Mounds (Tyrn Gorthad)north of the Shire. These spirits, Barrow Wights, are horrible undead creatures who wish to slay theliving. Powerful within their barrows or at night they cannot stand the touch of sunlight. Wightsprefer to attack with surprise and may use spells to confuse or bind their prey before taking it totheir barrow to consume its spirit.


STR 4D6 14

CON 3D6+2 13-14

SIZ 3D6 10-11

INT 4D6 14

POW 4D6 14

DEX 4D6 14

CHA 3D6 10-11


Longsword 40%+1D10 40%+1D10 1D10+1

Chill Touch 50% + 1D20 N/A Special

Armour

Barrow Wights are often clad in the armour in which they were buried. This may be Chainmail orChainmail with Plates.

Typical Skills

See 60%, Move Quietly 40%, Hide 40%

Special Rules

Barrow Wights are capable of Sorcery, frequently using Slumber, Dark, Evoke Fear and Frostspells. They may use these spells regardless of the magical Rank which their INT + POW wouldallow for a mortal Magician.

In addition, the touch of a Barrow Wight spreads an icy coldness through a victim's body. On asuccessful Chill Touch attack (effectively a Brawl attack) make a POW vs POW roll on theResistance Table. If the Barrow Wight wins this struggle, it drains 1D3 points of the victim's STR,CON or DEX (GM's discretion or randomly determine which attribute is affected). On a critical hit,the victim is not allowed a POW vs POW resistance roll but the drain remains 1D3. These points donot add to the Wight's own attributes, rather they form an additional pool of pseudo-POW pointswhich the Wight can use to power its own magics. Should a victim be drained of half his startingscore in a particular attribute, he falls unconscious. Should all a victim's STR, CON or DEX bedrained, he will die in POW minutes.

Barrow Wights loathe sunlight. When exposed to the cleansing light of the Sun a Barrow Wightsustains 1D6 Hit Points damage per round (this is similar to a human being drowning) and mustretreat to its barrow before it is destroyed.

e) The Walking Dead (optional)

The Walking Dead are animated corpses, brought back to a semblance of life by Necromantic Arts.Essentially mindless slaves, they can be given simple orders (for example “Guard this area and killanyone who enters” or “Carry this burden to the caves”). Depending on the state of decompositionof the corpse before it was animated, the Walking Dead may appear as fleshless skeletons or aspalid zombies. They may be dressed in rags or perhaps even armour scraps.


STR 3D6 10-11

CON 3D6 10-11

SIZ 3D6 10-11

INT 2 2

POW 1D6 3-4

DEX 2D6 7

CHA N/A --


Hand Weapon 20%+1D6 N/A * Varies

Unarmed 30% + 1D6 N/A * Special

* These creatures are mindless and therefore will not parry.

Armour

Usually none though some may have scraps of the armour they wore in life. If so, these creaturesmay have a random armour protection value of 1D3, rolled eac h time they are hit.

Typical Skills

None

Special Rules

These creatures may lie “dormant” in the area they are supposed to guard, and begin moving whentrespassers arrive. Any mortal being seeing the dead come to life in this way must make a Courageroll on the Resistance Table versus a Force of 3D6.

f) Ghost

A Ghosts is the undead, restless spirit of a mortal. In Middle-earth, this generally excludes Elves,but members of the other Free Peoples may manifest as Ghosts if the manner of their deathsprecludes them “moving on”. The folklore of all the Free Peoples includes references to such beingsthough they may give them different names: dwimmerlaik is one name used in the land of Rohan.Ghosts are generally restricted, or bound, to a particular place or object and may not leave unlessgiven release from whatever reason holds them to that place.

The GM should create each Ghost individually, assigning the spirit's particular, history,motivations, habitat, appearance (should it wish to appear, that is) and perhaps powers. GenerallyGhosts possess only INT and POW and appear as instubstantialm misty forms. A Ghost may havethe power of speech (often in an archaic form of Westron) and perhaps may communicate its plightto onlookers. Other powers may be ascribed to Ghosts: the ability to walk through walls;psychokinesis (Ghosts with this ability may be called Poltergeists); spellcasting (particularly if theGhost is an undead Magician).

Seeing a Ghost may cause Fear in any onlookers; the Fear has a Force equal to the Ghost's POW.


STR N/A --

CON N/A --

SIZ N/A --

INT 2D6+6 13

POW 4D6 14

DEX N/A --

CHA N/A --

Special Rules

Ghosts do not engage in physical combat. Instead, once per round they may surround and envelopone creature and attempt to drain the victim's life energy. Match POW vs. POW on the ResistanceTable. If the Ghost wins, it drains 1D3 POW or Hit Points (GM's discretion based on the Ghost'shistory) from the victim. If the victim wins, he or she drains 1D3 of the Ghost's POW. The lostpoints simply vanish, they benefit neither the Ghost nor the victim. Ghosts are generally immune tophysical weapons. It is sometimes possible to attack a Ghost with magic, but, should an adventurerwish to attack a Ghost, use a POW vs. POW Resistance roll.

g) Ghoul (optional)

Traditionally, Ghouls are evil spirits or demons which are believed to plunder graves and feed oncorpses. Such Ghouls may or may not exist in Middle-earth, but not even the Wise know forcertain. Some evil spirits when bound into physical bodies may, however, have the Attributes andpowers described here.


STR 4D6 14

CON 3D6 10-11

SIZ 2D6+6 13

INT 1D6+6 9-10

POW 2D6 7

DEX 3D6 10-11

CHA N/A --


Claw x 2 25%+2D6 N/A 1D4

Bite 40% N/A 1D6

Skills

Move Quietly 50%, Hide 50%, Ambush 25%

Special Rules

Ghouls are cunning hunters, following their prey, sometimes for miles, and attacking from ambush.

They communicate in grunts, snarls and wails before attacking. They may hunt in packs of 2D6.Once combat is joined, Ghouls attack without thought to strategy or tactics, coming at theiropponents in a berserk rush. This grants them +1 to their Initiative rolls but precludes their Parryingas they are intent on destroying their quarry and devouring its flesh. Ghouls attack with both theirclaws and a bite attack each round.

i) Nature Spirits (optional)

All Nature Spirits

Nature Spirits may or may not exist in Middle-earth. Tolkien makes no mention of such beings.Their use is left to the GM's discretion. The names given below (Fea Taure for Forest Spirit and soon) are only rough translations from the Elvish and should not be taken as authoritative but as anattempt to evoke some Middle-earth flavour.

All Nature Spirits can be considered minor Maiar spirits who have a special affinity for oneparticular place or environment. As such they are products of that environment and all manifestparticular a “personality”. A Forest Spirit from a hidden glade in Mirkwood may harbour a hatredof giant spiders, while one from the woodlands of the Shire might be used to Hobbits picnicking inits clearing and be altogether more congenial. A Marsh Spirit from the Mouths of Anduin will havea distinctly different manner to a spirit from the Dead Marshes; the latter is likely to be very evil innature.

All Nature Spirits have a form in which they are most comfortable. These are listed in thedescriptions below. However, when commanded, they can take on a more humanoid form, mostoften Elven in overall appearance. As befits such spirits and the close relationships they have hadwith Elves over the centuries, almost all Nature Spirits can speak High Elven (Quenya).

Nature Spirits are bound to their home territory, be it a forest glade, a stretch of river, a mountainpass or glacier. At need, if sorely pressed or if commanded, they can leave their homes but lose onePOW point per hour until it reaches zero. At this point, their energy is dissipated and they “die”only to reform in their home territory 1D6 days later.

Spirits of the Forest (Fea Taure)

Forest Spirits typically appear as ambulatory shrubs or small trees.


STR 3D6 10-11

CON 2D6 7

SIZ 2D3 4

INT 3D6 10-11

POW 3D6 10-11

DEX 3D6 10-11

CHA N/A --

Powers of Forest Spirits

● Help or Hinder. The Forest Spirit may aid or obstruct any creature passing through its realm.Such aid may include speeding movement, removing obstacles such as fallen trees, allowing

someone to move silently or with no appreciable tracks through its realm and so on. Of course,the Spirit may decide to do the opposite.

● Speak with Beasts. The Forest Spirit may speak with woodland animals and birds and act as atranslator or go between for the Wizard who summoned the Spirit in the first place.

● Entangle. As a defensive skill, the Forest Spirit can entangle one creature with a SIZ no greaterthan the Spirit's STR. The Entangled victim is held immobile but may attempt a DEX vs POW orSTR vs. STR roll each game turn to try to escape.

● Root and Branch. This is an attack skill of sorts. The forest Spirit causes tree roots and branchesto attack one target. The attack has a 50% chance of hitting and each hit causes 1D6 Hit Pointsdamage (much like being struck with a club).

Spirits of the Desert (Fea Anfauglir)

Desert Spirits appear as small dust devils.


STR 2D6 7

CON 3D6 10-11

SIZ 2D3 4

INT 3D6 10-11

POW 3D6 10-11

DEX 2D6 7

CHA N/A --

Powers of Desert Spirits

● Help or Hinder. The Desert Spirit may aid or obstruct any creature passing through its realm.Such aid may include speeding movement, removing obstacles, allowing someone to movesilently or with no appreciable tracks through its realm and so on. Of course, the Spirit maydecide to do the opposite. A Desert Spirit may also guide someone to water within its realm.

● Blinding Sand. The Desert Spirit may cause sand to blow into the eyes of one victim each round.Match POW vs. POW on the resistance table. If the Spirit wins, the victim is blinded for 1D6combat rounds.

● Shade. The Spirit may cover an area of one square yard per point of SIZ in cooling shade,preventing dehydration of anyone covered by the shade.

Spirits of Snow (Fea Losa)

These spirits may appear in humanoid form, short and covered in dense white hair. Some manifestsimply as footprints in the snow.


STR 2D6 7

CON 3D6 10-11

SIZ 2D3 4

INT 3D6 10-11

POW 3D6 10-11

DEX 3D6 10-11

CHA N/A --

Powers of Snow Spirits

● Help or Hinder. The Spirit may aid or obstruct any creature passing through its realm. Such aidmay include speeding movement, removing obstacles, allowing someone to move silently orwith no appreciable tracks through its realm and so on. Of course, the Spirit may decide to do theopposite. If a Snow Spirit wishes, it can make its realm treacherous to cross: anyone attemptingto do so must make Balance rolls each round or slip and fall (which could be disastrous on a highmountain glacier).

● Ice Dagger. This is a ranged attack skill. The Spirit hurls one icicle, dagger-wise, each roundwith an attack skill of 50%. Should a dagger score a hit, it causes 1D4+1 damage.

● Avalanche. Only the most powerful Snow Spirits can cause an avalanche in their realm. Theconsequences of such an event are left to the GM.

Spirits of the Waters (Fea Duin or Fea Linae)

Water Spirits may appear as small humanoids with dripping wet skin, or as out-of-place waterfeatures: whirlpools or rapids in calm water, or areas of dead-still water in the midst of turbulence.The Fea Duin are River Spirits, whose realm will be a stretch of a river or stream; the Fea Linae areLake Spirits, which lair in lakes and ponds.


STR 2D6 7

CON 2D6 7

SIZ 2D3 4

INT 3D6 10-11

POW 3D6 10-11

DEX 2D6 7

CHA N/A --

Powers of Water Spirits

● Help or Hinder. Within their realm, the Spirit may prevent one creature drowning. Of course,should the Spirit be evil in nature or be angry, it may actively attempt to drown a swimmer:match POW vs. POW on the resistance table to see if the Spirit can pull a swimmer beneath thesurface. A Water Spirit may also speed the passage of a boat or raft, or conversely attempt tosink the craft.

Spirits of the Oceans (Fea Shae)

Ocean Spirits often manifest as hybrids of fish and men, perhaps called merfolk in some times andplaces.


STR 2D6 7

CON 4D6 14

SIZ 2D6+1 8

INT 3D6 10-11

POW 3D6 10-11

DEX 3D6+3 13-14

CHA N/A --

Powers of Water Spirits

● Help or Hinder. Within their realm, the Spirit may prevent one creature drowning. Of course,should the Spirit be evil in nature or be angry, it may actively attempt to drown a swimmer:match POW vs. POW on the resistance table to see if the Spirit can pull a swimmer beneath thesurface. A Water Spirit may also speed the passage of a boat or raft, or conversely attempt tosink the craft.

● Navigate. Ocean Spirits are great travellers and may helpsailors lost at sea to find their way toport.

Spirits of the Mountains (Fea Orod)

Mountain Spirits seldom appear. They make their presence felt, however, as small landslides,mysteriously stacked boulders, or as an overwhelming sense of sheer mass.


STR 4D6 14

CON 4D6 14

SIZ 4D6 14

INT 2D6 7

POW 3D6 10-11

DEX 2D6 7

CHA N/A --

Powers of Mountain Spirits

● Help or Hinder. The Spirit may make climbing easier, indicate easy routes through to mountainpasses, and even protect climbers from falling. Evil or angry Mountain Spirits may do theopposite, of course.

● Speak with Eagles. Giant Eagles make their nests in the tallest mountains. It is conceivable that aMountain Spirit can speak the language of Giant Eagles and may act as a go-between for aWizard. Of course, evil Mountain Spirits may also betray travellers to Mountain Giants.

● Friends in High Places. Mountain Spirits may share their realm with Snow Spirits. Together,

these Spirits can make high mountain passes impassable at best, death traps at worst (think ofwhat Saruman does while the Fellowship are passing over Caradhras).

● Rockslide. The most powerful Mountain Spirits can cause rockslides within their realm. Theconsequences of getting caught in one of these events is left to the GM's discretion.

Spirits of the Marshes (Fea Nanda)

Marsh Spirits may manifest as balls of dancing light – will o' the wisps.


STR 2D6 7

CON 2D6 7

SIZ 2D3 4

INT 3D6 10-11

POW 3D6 10-11

DEX 2D6 7

CHA N/A --

Powers of Marsh Spirits

● Help or Hinder. The Spirit may indicate safe directions to travel, make islands of dry groundabove the marsh surface for campers, cause stagnant or fouled water within its realm to becomedrinkable, and ward off blood-sucking insects. Of course, the Spirit may do the opposite of allthese things.

● Swarm. The Spirit may cause insects to swarm around one character in its realm. The insectcloud remains around the character for the Spirit's POW in hours, during which time thecharacter's skills are halved, and he must make a POWx5 roll each hour or the cumulative bites,stings and itches cause one Hit Point of damage.

● Marsh light. The Spirit may cast enough light to read by. j) Elemental Spirits (optional)

All Elementals

Elemental Spirits may or may not exist in Middle-earth. Tolkien makes no mention of such beings.Their use is left to the GM's discretion. The names given below (Fea Vilya for Air Elemental and soon) are only rough translations from the Elvish and should not be taken as authoritative but as an aattempt to evoke some Middle-earth flavour.

The Elemental Spirits are manifestations of the building blocks of the physical world. The weakestof these creatures, those described below, lack all but rudimentary Intelligence and must becommanded by a Wizard to perform tasks.

Air Elementals (Fea Vilya)

A typical Air Elemental manifests itself as a small whirlwind, perhaps visible only by the wayleaves and dust are scattered around it whirling form. The attributes for a small Air Elemental are asfollows:


STR 2D6 7

CON 1D6 3-4

SIZ 1D3 2

INT 1 1

POW 1D6 3-4

DEX N/A --

CHA N/A --

Powers of an Air Elemental

● Create a breeze with a STR equal to the Elemental's STR. This can be used to impede movement(STR vs STR or SIZ of the target); to blow arrows off course; extinguish torches, candles andlanterns.

● Act as a messenger. Messages may be carried as many miles as the Elemental has STR, and asmany times as the Elemental has CON. Typically this means a communication range of 7 milesand three to four messages can be carried, enough for a Wizard to speak, a servant to respond,the Wizard to speak again, and (perhaps) the servant to reply once more.

● Produce air to keep one person from drowning or suffocating for as many minutes as theElemental has CON points, but this act will destroy the Elemental.

● Destroy one Fire Elemental at the cost of its own existence.

Earth Elementals (Fea Kemen)

A typical Earth Elemental appears as a short, roughly made humanoid, with a featureless face andthree-fingered hands and three-toed feet.


STR 1D6+6 9-10

CON 2D6+6 13

SIZ 1D3 2

INT 1 1

POW 1D6 3-4

DEX N/A --

CHA N/A --

Powers of an Earth Elemental

● Earth Elementals are fantastically strong. They may carry 100lbs per point of STR and neversuffer fatigue.

● Earth Elementals in combat are immune to normal weapons. Ordinary weapons have a 50%chance of breaking on contact with the Elemental's rocky body while high quality weapons break10% of the time. If an Earth Elemental scores a hit (25% chance with each hand per round) theycause 2D6 damage.

● Earth Elementals may merge with and pass through all natural barriers made of rock or soil.They may not pass through worked stone (e.g. fortress walls), wood or metal in this way.

● They may dig through rock, soil and worked stone (including the walls of buildings) clearing a

hole of SIZ 1D3 for every Game Turn spent digging.● It may destroy a Water Elemental at the cost of its own existence.

Fire Elementals (Fea Naur)

Fire Elementals typically manifest as small lizards wreathed in flame or, occasionally as free-standing balls of fire which miraculously do not burn the surface on which they manifest.


STR 1D6 3-4

CON 2D6 7

SIZ 1D3 2

INT 1 1

POW 1D6 3-4

DEX N/A --

CHA N/A --

Powers of Fire Elementals

● They may ignite any flammable object.● A Fire Elemental may produce light without actually burning any fuel.● They may inhabit any single free-burning flames not exceeding the Elemental's SIZ in feet and

control the amount of light and heat it emits, the rate at which it burns fuel and so on.● They may produce a burst of flame causing 1D4 Hit Points damage per point of POW the

Elemental possesses. This flame burst is aimed and thrown by the Wizard using his ownThrow/Catch skill.

● A Fire Elemental can detect the body heat of living creatures within POWx100 feet. The roughdirection and distance can be communicated to the Elemental's master.

● A Fire Elemental may destroy an Air Elemental at the cost of its own existence.

Water Elementals (Fea Alu)

Water Elementals are usually invisible while in water but may be detected on a successful See rollas a ripple or eddy within the water. If ordered to manifest on land, they assume shapes associatedwith both water and land: frogs and toads or puddles of water being common.


STR 2D6 7

CON 1D6+6 9-10

SIZ 1D3 2

INT 1 1

POW 1D6 3-4

DEX N/A --

CHA N/A --

Powers of Water Elementals

● They may move at will through water at a speed of STR miles per hour.● They can materialise up to one gallon of water at will.● It can protect one person from drowning for up to the Elemental's POW in hours.● A Water Elemental can purify up to one gallon of water, making it fit to drink.● It can destroy one Earth Elemental at the cost of its own existence.

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