LORD OF THE RINGS RPG BASIC ROLE PLAY CROSSOVER RULES

CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION 1) Designer's Notes 2) Notes for version 2.0 3) Sources 4) Revision History 5) Do List 2. CHARACTER GENERATION 1) Character Generation Summary 2) Concept 3) Attributes a) Strength b) Constitution c) Size d) Intelligence e) Power f) Dexterity g) Charisma 4) Other Uses of Attributes 5) Generating Attributes a) Random Method (default) b) Pick Method (experimental, untested) c) Smart Enough? d) SIZ matters 6) Derived Characteristics a) Luck Roll = POW x 5 % b) Idea Roll = INT x 5 % c) Essence = POW x 5% + racial modifiers if applicable d) 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 SIZ g) Fatigue Points h) Courage i) Reputation 3. CHARACTER RACES 1) Introduction 2) Dwarves a) Description b) Racial Abilities All Dwarves c) Attributes 3) Elves a) Description b) Racial Abilities - All Elves c) Noldor (High Elves) d) Sindar (Grey Elves) e) Silvan (Wood Elves) 4) Hobbits a) Description b) Racial Abilities - All Hobbits c) Fallohides

d) Harfoots e) Stoors 5) Men a) Description b) Racial Abilities - All Men c) Western Numenorean Descendents (Dunedain of the North, Gondorian Nobility) d) Middle People e) 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 CLASSES 1) Introduction 2) Warrior 3) Rogue 4) Noble 5) Sailor 6) Artisan 7) Merchant 8) Barbarian 9) Magician 10) Sage 11) Minstrel 12) Ranger 13) Bounder 14) Shirriff 5. CUSTOMISING YOUR CHARACTER 1) Characterisation a) Name b) Description c) Behaviour d) Personal History e) Motivation f) Creating a Tolkien-esque Hero 2) Custom Points a) Limits to Advantages and Disadvantages 3) Increases to Existing Skills and Purchasing New Skills 4) Advantages 5) Disadvantages 6. SKILLS 1) Skill Groups a) Attack b) Parry c) Agility d) Manipulation e) Perception f) Stealth g) Knowledge h) Communication i) Magical

j) Base Percentages k) Example 2) Skills Lists By Group a) Agility Skills b) Manipulation Skills c) Perception Skills d) Stealth Skills e) Communication Skills f) Knowledge Skills g) Magic Skills 3) Skill Descriptions 4) Agility Skills 5) Manipulation Skills 6) Perception Skills 7) Stealth Skills 8) Communication Skills 9) Knowledge Skills 7. GAME SYSTEM 1) Time and Movement a) Time Scales b) Daily Movement c) Scenario Movement 2) Using Skills: Success or Failure a) Automatic Actions b) Simple Percentile Rolls c) Skill Versus Skill - Method One d) Skill Versus Skill Method Two (Experimental, untested) e) Resistance Table Rolls 3) Skill Modifiers (optional, experimental, untested) a) Craft skills b) Stealth Skills c) Terrain Effects on Stealth d) Terrain Effects on Perception e) Terrain Definitions f) Perception and Lighting g) Encumbrance (Agility Skills, Attack and Parry) h) Miscellaneous Modifiers i) Reputation and Social Skills 4) Skill Affinities (Experimental, untested) 5) Levels of Success a) Critical Success b) Special Success c) Normal Success d) Normal Failure e) The Mishap f) The Fumble 6) Experience a) Learning From Experience b) Effects of INT on Learning by Experience c) Skill Training d) Lore Skills and Learning e) Increasing Attributes f) Treasure

g) The Cost of Failure 7) Encumbrance (Experimental, Untested) a) What is Encumbrance? 8) Fatigue, Weariness and Sleep (Experimental, Untested) a) Fatigue Points b) Fatigue Levels c) Fatiguing Activities d) Fatigue Tests e) Encumbrance and Fatigue f) Recovering Fatigue 9) Using Social Skills a) Social Skills b) Countering Social Skills 8. COMBAT 1) Combat Sequence a) Declaration of intent b) Initiative c) Resolve Actions d) Movement of non-engaged characters e) Movement in Combat f) Average Movement Rates in Combat 2) Making Attacks a) Attack Modifiers (Experimental, Untested) b) Called Shots 3) On Guard! a) Parries b) Dodging c) Armour d) Cover 4) Levels of Success in Combat a) Critical b) Special c) Normal d) Failure e) Mishap Roll f) Fumble 5) Damage and Hit Points a) Damage Bonus b) Minor Wounds c) Major Wounds d) Gruesome Injuries (optional, experimental, untested) e) Fatalities f) Near Death (Optional, experimental, untested) 6) Injury and Healing a) Non-combat sources of injury b) Fire Damage c) Asphyxiation - Drowning and Suffocation d) Falling or Being Thrown e) Acid f) Poisons g) Diseases h) Healing 7) Combat Tactical Notes

a) Ambushes b) Weapon Mastery c) Helpless Enemy d) Unaware Enemy e) Fortifications f) Narrow Positions g) Height Advantage h) Superior Numbers 8) Weapons Tables 9. MAGIC 1) Magic in Middle-earth a) Caveat 2) The Magical Arts 3) The Dark Arts 4) Becoming a Magician 5) Magical Ranks a) Rank 0 INT + POW = 28: Petty Magic b) Rank 1 INT + POW = 32: Minor Magic c) Rank 2 INT + POW = 36: Major Magic d) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Magic e) Rank 4 INT + POW = 44: Grand Magic f) Rank 5 INT + POW = 48: Arch Magic 6) The Magic Bonus a) The Importance of Power b) The Importance of Intelligence c) The Importance of Dexterity d) The Importance of Charisma 7) Magicians in Combat 8) The Magician's Staff (Experimental, Untested, Optional) 9) How Magic Works a) Magical Lores b) POW and Magical Levels c) Magic May be Resisted or Unresisted d) Casting Magic is Tiring (Optional, Experimental, Untested) 10) Gaining New Magics a) Mentoring b) Scholarly Research c) Another Magician d) Captured Spell Books e) From Beyond 11) The Art of Sorcery 12) Sorcery Rank-by-Rank a) Rank 0 INT + POW = 28: Petty Sorcery b) Rank 1 INT + POW = 32: Minor Sorcery c) Rank 2 INT + POW = 36: Major Sorcery d) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Sorcery e) Rank 4 INT + POW = 44: Grand Sorcery f) Rank 5 INT + POW = 48: Arch Sorcery 13) Sorcery Mechanics a) Sorcery in Combat b) Spell Casting Procedure 14) A Middle-earth Spell Book a) Spell Descriptions

b) Rank 0 Sorcery Spells c) Rank 1 Sorcery Spells d) Rank 2 Sorcery Spells e) Rank 3 Sorcery Spells f) Rank 4 Sorcery Spells g) Rank 5 Sorcery Spells 15) The Ritual Arts a) Time and Place b) Raw Materials c) Facilities d) Magical Groups e) Roleplaying a Ritual f) POW Costs g) Blood Sacrifice (absolutely optional, experimental and untested) 16) The Art of Enchantment a) Time and Place b) Raw Materials c) Facilities d) Magical Groups 17) Enchantment Rank-by-Rank a) Rank 0 INT + POW = 28: Petty Enchantment b) Rank 1 INT + POW = 32: Minor Enchantment c) Rank 2 INT + POW = 36: Major Enchantment d) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Enchantment e) Rank 4 INT + POW = 44: Arch Enchantment f) Rank 5 INT + POW = 48: Mighty Enchantment 18) The Art of Alchemy a) Time and Place b) Raw Materials c) Facilities d) Magical Groups 19) Alchemy Rank-by-Rank a) Rank 0 INT + POW = 28: Petty Alchemy b) Rank 1 INT + POW = 32: Minor Alchemy c) Rank 2 INT + POW = 36: Major Alchemy d) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Alchemy e) Rank 4 INT + POW = 44: Grand Alchemy f) Rank 5 INT + POW = 48: Arch Alchemy 20) The Art of Wizardry a) Time and Place b) Raw Materials c) Facilities d) Magical Groups 21) Wizardry Rank-by-Rank a) Rank 0 INT + POW = 28: Petty Wizardry b) Rank 1 INT + POW = 32: Minor Wizardry c) Rank 2 INT + POW = 36: Major Wizardry d) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Wizardry e) Rank 4 INT + POW = 44: Grand Wizardry f) Rank 5 INT + POW = 48: Arch Wizardry 22) The Art of Necromancy a) Time and Place b) Raw Materials c) Facilities

d) Magical Groups 23) Necromancy Rank-by-Rank a) Rank 0 INT + POW = 28: Petty Necromancy b) Rank 1 INT + POW = 32: Minor Necromancy c) Rank 2 INT + POW = 36: Major Necromancy d) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Necromancy e) Rank 4 INT + POW = 44: Grand Necromancy f) Rank 5 INT + POW = 48: Arch Necromancy 10. MIDDLE-EARTH SPECIAL RULES 1) Fate Points a) What are Fate Points? b) Gaining Fate Points 2) Fear and Courage a) Courage b) Fear c) Fear and Intimidate d) Fear: Perpetual or Instant 3) Corruption and the Eye of Sauron a) Essence b) Corrupting Influences c) Increasing and Recovering Essence d) The Eye of Sauron (optional, experimental, untested) e) Becoming Corrupt 4) Reputation a) What is Reputation? b) Sample Reputation Awards c) Reputation Modifiers d) Recognition Tests e) Geographical Considerations f) Reputation and Social Skills 11. WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT 1) Money 2) Personal Equipment 3) Clothing 4) Livestock 5) Weapons Tables a) Melee Weapons b) Missile Weapons c) Notes 6) Armour and Shields a) Shields b) Armour c) Notes 12. BEASTS AND BEINGS 1) Basic Foes a) Orcs and Goblins b) Uruk-Hai c) Half-Orcs d) Trolls e) Olog-Hai f) Dunlendings

g) Bandits 2) Basic Beasts a) Forest Bears b) Cave Bears c) Crows (crebain) d) Wolves e) Dogs f) Horses g) Oliphaunts or Mumakil (Elephants) 3) Basic Monsters a) Wargs b) Werewolves c) Giant Spiders d) Barrow Wights e) The Walking Dead (optional) f) Ghost g) 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. Over time it evolved and expanded. The basic mechanics should be sound, as these are largely BRP-based with some additional rules from Stormbringer 3rd Edition. This was the first BRP-based game I ran and, as such, is the version I 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-based organisation of the various Magical Arts) and Combat. Some rules have been added for future expansion. Initiative in combat is one example. I elected to use 1D10 + DEX modifier to determine Initiative, where the DEX modifier is the number of DEX points over 12 or under 9 (again an SB3 influence). The reason for this is I want, eventually, to turn this system into a more generic rule-set and use it to run CyberPunk 2020, Shadowrun, and perhaps even Star Wars. With cyberware in this genre providing reflex boosts and initiative bonuses, I saw the D10 + DEX modifier as a way of keeping initiative values down to manageable levels. These rules are probably full of such little quirks. One thing that is missing from this rule-set is any description of Middle-earth itself. Brighter minds than mine have done brilliant work in this respect and one can look for no better source of information than Tolkein's original works. Colin Brett, Cambridge, UK September 2004

2) Notes for version 2.0

Following valuable feedback from members of the BRP mailing list (thanks guys) I have made a number 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, UK November 2004

3) Sources
Many sources have been consulted both in books and on the Internet. Some reference sources include: BRP SB Chaosium Basic Roleplaying System Stormbringer

WW HM RQ CC LOTR CP WFRP AD&D

Stormbringer White Wolf Supplement Hawkmoon RuneQuest Call of Cthulhu Decipher Inc's Lord of the Rings RPG CyberPunk 2020 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (probably 2nd Edition)

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

4) Revision History
Date 4.3.2003 21.4.2003 Version 1.0 1.1 Contents Basic rules for character generation, orders, skills, magic, combat. Equipment lists. Basic Foes and monsters. 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. 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. 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. Traits Edges and Flaws basic effects. Order Abilities basic effects. Tweaks to the Memorise skill. More Magic Rules. Spell Grimoire. Tweaks to the Magic System. Major revisions to Classes, Magic, Combat, Levels of Success and Failure. More work on the Magic System. Reputation. Fate Points. Formatting. (Yet) more work on the Magic System. Table of Contents Prerelease work for version 2.0. Magical Arts. Revised Combat charts Posted to the Net

27.4.2003

1.2

19.6.2003

1.3

2.10.2003 19.3.2004 25.3.2004 20.8.2004 10.9.2004 2.11.2004 12.11.2004

1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 2.0

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 concept 2. Choose the character's race, decide on a sex, name and physical description 3. Generate the character's initial attributes 4. Apply the appropriate racial modifiers to the initial attributes 5. Work out the character's derived statistics 6. Work out the character's bonuses for each Skill Group 7. Choose a class 8. Choose between eight and ten of the listed class skills and assign 300 points over these skills 9. Modify the skills chosen by adding any appropriate base percentages and Skill Group Bonuses 10.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 be as 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 EDUcation attribute. The seven attributes are described below. a) Strength This measures the muscle-power of the character. It is the natural ability to exert force, whether pushing, pulling, carrying, breaking or hurting things in combat. b) Constitution The measure of the character's health, toughness, endurance and ability to resist tiredness, disease and poisons. CON is a very important factor in determining the character's Hit Points, as described in the Derived Characteristics section.

c) Size A compound measure of height and weight, reflecting the character's mass. This will be important if something wants to lift your character, or if he or she needs to squeeze into a small space or cross a fragile rope bridge, or even help determine who in an adventuring party is first attacked. SIZ, along with STR, is used to determine the character's Damage Bonus in combat, as discussed in the Derived Characteristics section. The Size Chart below shows Size equivalents of traditional height and weight. The Height column shows the character's height in inches: you are free to choose any height in the given range. The Weight columns show the character's weight by body-frame type, usually dependent on the character's race, for Light, Medium or Heavy body-frames. As with Height, you may choose any Weight in the given range. SIZ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Height (inches) 0-12 13-24 25-36 37-42 43-48 49-54 55-60 61-62 63-64 65-66 67-68 69-70 71-72 73-74 75-76 77-78 79-80 81-82 83-84 85-86 87-88 89-90 91-92 93-94 95-96 Light 0-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 91-100 101-110 111-120 121-130 131-140 141-150 151-160 161-170 171-180 181-190 191-200 201-210 211-220 221-230 231-240 241-250 Medium 0-15 15-30 30-45 46-60 61-75 76-90 91-105 106-120 121-135 136-150 151-165 166-180 181-195 196-210 211-225 226-240 241-255 256-270 271-285 286-300 301-315 316-330 331-345 346-360 361-375 Heavy 0-20 21-40 40-60 61-80 81-100 101-120 121-140 141-160 161-180 181-200 201-220 221-240 241-260 261-280 281-300 301-320 321-340 341-360 361-380 381-400 401-420 421-440 441-460 461-480 481-500

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 in pounds 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 a situation 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. POW resists 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 described more fully below. f) Dexterity Agility, hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity and reflexes are all governed by the character's DEX. In combat, the character with the highest DEX usually hits first, hopefully disabling his opponent before being hit himself. Characters can dodge when they see something coming from a distance, such as a rolling rock or a charging bear, and concentrate on getting out of the way. The character'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 roleplaying in Middle-earth, CHA is very important, as it reflects the character's nobility and strength of character, 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 not covered in these rules it is possible to see one of the characteristics as being appropriately influential in a decision. Sometimes it may be a combination of characteristics, such as adding SIZ+STR+CHA when trying to bluff down the local bully to leave you alone. Situations will arise not covered by the rules, and using characteristics in this way is usually the quickest and most convenient 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 dice associated 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 the player has a further 12 points to assign across these Attributes (again not including SIZ) as he sees fit. The player may not subtract points from one Attribute and add them to another. No Attribute can 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 CON DEX INT POW CHA 15 14 11 8 11 6

Twelve extra points are then assigned as follows, giving the totals shown below: STR CON DEX INT POW CHA 15 + 3 14 11 + 3 8+2 11 6+4 = 18 = 14 = 14 = 10 = 11 = 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 Races section for additional modifiers peculiar to each race. These modifiers can adjust the Attributes to above 18 or below 3. c) Smart Enough? For all Races, and for all methods of generating attributes, bear in mind that the minimum INT should 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 Damage Bonus, 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 in this setting? It is noted in the descriptions of the various races in LOTR that Dwarves are 4 to 5 feet tall and Hobbits are in the range 2 to 4 feet. In most BRP-based games, the minimum SIZ rating for a human is 8. In LOTR, 'Elves stand as tall as Men - taller than some - though they are of slighter build and greater grace'. Some Elves reach 7' in height. We can, therefore, make the following assumptions 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 on the 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, roll 1D3+2.

6) Derived Characteristics
Derived characteristics are those which depend in some way upon the primary attributes generated above. 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 no other skill or attribute roll is appropriate. For example, a character is searching for a villain in a crowded market place. Skills like See and Search are not useful in this case, so a Luck Roll could be used to determine whether the character glimpses the villain. Luck can also be used to soften the blow, so to speak, of a failure with another skill. Suppose a character fails a Climb roll and falls. In addition to taking damage from the fall, will any of the character's equipment be broken? A Luck Roll 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 the referee must give data to the player which the player's character normally would know but which the player doesn't, since she is unfamiliar with the game world. Thus a character sees troops with silver 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 the character recognised these troops as being members of the Company of the Guard of the Citadel of Minas Tirith in Gondor. Alternatively, an Idea Roll can be used in situations where the player knows the answer but the character might not. Take, for instance, a Hobbit Artisan who has never set foot outside the Shire. His player might know that the capital of Gondor is Minas Tirith but would 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 or soul. (In some BRP-based games, this quality might be called Sanity or Humanity.) In Middleearth, ESS is used to resist the corrupting effects of the forces of the Shadow. This is fully discussed in 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 of injury including diseases, poisons and falls, decrease the character's Hit Point total until they reach zero, 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, a single 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 penalties on 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 the more powerful a bow he will be able to draw. Add the character's STR and SIZ and consult the table below to determine the Damage Bonus. STR + SIZ 02 - 12 13 - 24 25 - 32 33 - 40 41 - 56 57 + Damage Bonus -1D4 No Bonus +1D4 +1D6 +2D6 additional 1D6 damage for each 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 modifier shown 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 when tired. Round fractions normally. For example, a character with STR of 12, CON of 13 and POW of 10 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 the Rings. One of the most potent weapons of the Enemy is Fear, the mind-crushing darkness that can leave a victim paralysed with terror, rob him of his will or cause him to flee in blind panic. Heroes are made of stern stuff, fortunately, and can resist this fear with pure hearts, nobility and determination. Courage is a ready means of determining the character's resistance to Fear. To calculate Courage, find the average of the character's STR, POW and CHA, rounding fractions normally. 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 lands of Middle-earth. Even the most stay-at-home Hobbit has heard of Gandalf, for example, and in Gondor, Boromir was regarded as a hero. Reputation measures this fame, or, if the character is villainous, infamy. Reputation must be earned, rather than simply awarded. A starting character will have a Reputation of 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 the races 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 Seven Fathers 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 the Cold, 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 Medium or Heavy Body Frames. (The player can choose which Body Frame or roll randomly on 1D6: a roll of 1 4 means Medium, a roll of 5 6 being Heavy.) They are strong and tough, unwearying in labour or battle. Hair colours are generally dark with brown eyes but some Dwarves may have reddish 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 wrongs and may bear a grudge for many, many years. They are not fond of Elves (there historically being much bad blood between the two kindreds) but reserve most of their hatred for Trolls and Orcs. The Dwarves have suffered greatly at the hands of the latter but have repaid that suffering in full and more. While often taciturn and grim, Dwarves are also great traders, having struck up mutually profitable 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 (Terrain Type) when trying to start a fire. Tireless Dwarves can march long distances while carrying heavy loads and can still fight when they reach their destination. Accordingly, Dwarves ignore skill penalties for Light and Medium encumbrance and halve the penalty for Heavy encumbrance. Further, they halve all penalties for Fatigue. Khuzdul the secret language of the Dwarves, rarely taught to those of other races. All Dwarves begin 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 Great Enemy 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 CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Attribute Modifiers for the Pick Method STR + 3 ; CON + 5 4D6 3D6+2D4 1D8 + 4 3D6 3D6 3D6 3D6

3) Elves
a) Description The Elves are the most ancient race in Middle-earth, the Firstborn Children of Iluvatar who awakened 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, the Speaking Peoples. Early in their history the Elven race was fragmented with some members of the race departing over the great Sea to dwell with the Valar. But this journey was long and some of the Elves who began the 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 only to return in later centuries. In Ancient times the Elves who set out on the Journey to Valinor became known as the Eldar, and they belonged to three Kindreds: the Vanyar, the Noldor and the Teleri. Of these, the Vanyar completed the journey and remained forever in Valinor. The Noldor remained for a time but came back to Middle-earth swearing vengeance on Melkor (known as Morgoth, the Great Enemy) for the theft of the Silmarils. The Teleri did not complete the Journey and instead remained in Middleearth, becoming the Grey Elves, or Sindar. Those Elves who did not begin the journey were known as 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 seven feet in height. They are graceful and slender, having a Light Body Frame, and are possessed of great beauty. A brief note on the appearance of the three main Kindreds (Noldor, Sindar, Silvan) is given 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 are reincarnated in the Halls of Mandos, to await the end of the world. Elves are also immune to normal diseases 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 a race 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 form of restful meditation and allowing their minds to 'wander the strange paths of Elven dreams' they recover lost fatigue points as the other races do. One hour of this Elven Sleep is as good as eight hours sleep for a Man, restoring all lost Fatigue Points. Languages and Writing As befits the Speaking People, Elves begin with some skill in speaking the 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 Middleearth, 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 game reflecting 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 line of the Noldor has golden blond hair. Roll attributes as follows STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA 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 being common 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 (often silversmith, goldsmith, armoursmith, jewelsmith, weaponsmith). Languages Quenya (High Elven, INT x 5%), Sindarin (INT x 5%), Silvan (INT x 4%), Westron 3D6 3D6 3D6 + 3 3D6 + 1D10 5D6 3D6 + 1D4 3D6 + 2D4

(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. Roll attributes as follows STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Attribute Bonuses for the Pick Method 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 being common to all Elves. Musical Gifts Sindarin Elves are accounted great musicians. They receive one Play Instrument skill (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 brown eyes and fair hair. Roll attributes as follows 3D6 3D6 3D6 + 1 3D6 4D6 4D6 3D6 + 1D4

STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Attribute Bonuses for the Pick Method POW + 2; DEX + 3; CHA + 2 Silvan Racial Abilities

3D6 3D6 3D6 3D6 3D6 + 1D4 4D6 3D6 + 1D4

Silvan Elves receive the following extra abilities over and above those described above as being common 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 or randomly roll 1D6: 1 4 = Medium; 5 6 = Heavy). They have curly dark hair on their heads and on the tops of their leathery-soled feet. Only after the events described in The Lord of the Rings do Hobbits have blond hair. There are three Hobbit breeds: the Harfoots, the Stoors and the Fallohides. The nimble-fingered Harfoots, the most common of Hobbit-kind, prefer highlands and hillsides and even the company of Dwarves, and are smaller, shorter and browner of skin than their cousins. The Stoors, broader and heavier in build with larger hands and feet, prefer river-banks and flat lands. Less shy of Men than their cousins, Stoors have even been known to grow downy beards. The Fallohides are the least numerous of Hobbit-kind. Taller, slimmer and fairer of skin and hair than other Hobbits, they are more 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 are not, as a rule, fond of water, boats or swimming. Only Hobbits with a strong Stoorish nature (those from 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 on their Hide and Move Quietly skills. Further, anyone trying to track a Hobbit gets a -10% penalty on their Track skill. Life Span Hobbits often live 80 or more years. Some reach 100 and may be regarded as 'well preserved'. Sure at the Mark Hobbits get a +10% bonus to their Throw/Catch skill, and +10% to their Attack skills with Shortbow and Sling. Corruption Hobbits are surprisingly tough-minded and add +10% to their starting Essence for resisting Corruption. c) Fallohides Roll attributes as follows STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Attribute Bonuses for the Pick Method INT + 2; DEX +2 d) Harfoots Roll attributes as follows STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Attribute Bonuses for the Pick Method DEX + 4; CHA - 2 e) Stoors Roll attributes as follows 2D6 3D6 1D3 + 3 3D6 3D6 3D6 + 2D4 3D6 - 1D4 2D6 3D6 1D3 + 3 3D6 + 1D4 3D6 3D6 + 1D4 3D6

STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA

2D6 3D6 1D3 + 3 3D6 3D6 3D6 + 2D4 3D6 - 1D4

Attribute Bonuses for the Pick Method DEX + 4; CHA 2

5) Men
a) Description The vast run of Men called the Middle Peoples can fit any physical description, having a wide range of hair and eye colours, skin tones and Body Frames. This reflects the intermarriage and mixed heritage of many of the Men of Middle-earth. The Middle Peoples are found all over Middleearth, from Bree in the North, throughout Eriador and Wilderland, in the Vales of Anduin, under the eaves of Mirkwood, to Dale and the shores of the Sea of Rhun in the East. The player is generally free to choose any of these factors for these characters. In special cases, the player may like to follow the general appearances for other Mannish types set out below. The Dunedain (singular Dunadan), descendents of the Numenorean Kings in Exile of the Northern kingdom of Arnor, have dark hair and blue or grey eyes. Gondorian families who have retained a pure 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 Lossoth Tribes 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 of Sauron, have dark hair and eyes and swarthy or black skin. This includes the Haradrim tribes and Easterling warriors who fought in the War of the Ring. Dark Numenoreans, descendents of Men who were defeated in a bloody civil war in Gondor and who fled south, have dark hair and eyes. They are counted as nobles and leaders in their countries where they have maintained pure blood-lines, rather than mingling with the Southrons and Easterlings over whom they rule. Dark Numenoreans harbour a bitter hatred of Gondor and the West. 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 body dies. 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 to the Middle Peoples, Wild Men and Men of Darkness. The Numenoreans lived considerably longer and 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 to Elves and Dwarves, at least). Thus, Men are driven to make the best of their lot as quickly as possible. When created, Mannish characters choose their eight to ten Class Skills and allot 300 points among them. These skills improve at 1D10% per skill check. Further, a Mannish character may choose any three more skills to improve at the D10% rate, rather than the 1D6% for other nonclass 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) of Men. 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) Roll attributes as follows STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Attribute Bonuses for the Pick Method INT +3; POW +3; CHA +3 Racial Abilities Numenorean Descendents receive the following extra abilities over and above those described above as being common to all Men. Perceptive It is said that certain Dunedain and Gondorians can see into the hearts of Men and divine 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 any one Lore or Language skill at 20% when the character is created. Corruption Dunedain and Gondorian Noble families get +10% to starting Essence for resisting corruption. d) Middle People Technically, the Middle Peoples should have no adjustments, as these are the base from which all others are derived. However, roll attributes as follows: 3D6 3D6 3D6 4D6 4D6 3D6 4D6

STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Attribute Bonuses for the Pick Method

3D6 + 1D4 3D6 + 1D4 3D6 3D6 3D6 3D6 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 as being common to all Men. Corruption The Middle Peoples get no bonus to starting Essence for resisting corruption. e) Men of Darkness (Haradrim, Easterlings) Roll attributes as follows STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Attribute Bonuses for the Pick Method STR + 2; DEX + 2; INT 2 Racial Abilities Men of Darkness receive the following extra abilities over and above those described above as being 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) Roll attributes as follows 3D6 + 1D4 3D6 3D6 3D6 - 1D4 3D6 3D6 + 1D4 3D6

STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Attribute Bonuses for the Pick Method

4D6 4D6 3D6 -1 (*) 3D6 3D6 3D6 + 1D4 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 being common 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 Hide skills, but this bonus is lost in any built up area. g) Dark Numenoreans (Umbar, Southron and Easterling Nobility) Roll attributes as follows STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Attribute Bonuses for the Pick Method INT + 1; POW + 1 ; CHA + 2 Racial Abilities Dark Numenoreans receive the following extra abilities over and above those described above as being common to all Men. Corruption Though under the sway of the Enemy, the overbearing arrogance of these Men means 3D6 3D6 3D6 3D6 + 1D4 3D6 + 1D4 3D6 3D6 + 1D4

they have no penalty (or bonus) to their starting Essence for resisting Corruption. h) Rohirrim Roll attributes as follows STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Attribute Bonuses for the Pick Method STR + 2 ; DEX + 2 Racial Abilities Rohirrim receive the following extra abilities over and above those described above as being common to all Men. Born to the Saddle Rohirrim start with Ride skill at 40% + Agility Bonus. 3D6 + 1D4 3D6 3D6 3D6 3D6 3D6 + 1D4 3D6

4. CHARACTER CLASSES
1) Introduction
The class is the job or profession the character had before beginning his life as an adventurer. It provides 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 None Start Cash 1D6 Silver Pieces Class 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, Wrestle Description True 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 far and away the most common of all the types of adventurers found in Middle-earth. From the horsemen of the Rohirrim, to the axe-wielding Dwarves, to the hoards of Easterlings and Orcs who serve 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 towards deeds 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 well with all other types of characters though may have little patience with the sneakier rogues and cerebral magicians and sages. Notes 1. 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 and Parry skills develop separately. The character must have the STR and DEX required for any weapons chosen. 2. Warriors are trained to wear armour properly, rather than wear a chainmail vest like an especially thick shirt. Therefore, Warriors ignore the weight of their armour when calculating encumbrance and associated skill penalties. 3. Warriors begin the game with their chosen weapons and armour. Example Warrior, 300 points, 8 Class Skills

Points First Weapon Attack & Parry Second Weapon Attack & Parry Third Weapon Attack & Parry Ride Throw/Catch Dodge Warcraft Survival (Terrain type of player's choice) 50 40 30 40 40 30 35 35

Base 0% 0% 0% 0% 25% 0% 0% 0%

Bonus Attack/Parry Attack/Parry Attack/Parry Agility Agility Agility Knowledge Knowledge

3) Rogue
Restrictions None Start Cash 1D4 Silver Pieces Class 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, Dodge Description Rogues 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 of society, rogues have skills other classes would never dream of using, skills which may save the lives 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 your life is an adventure waiting to happen. Notes 1. 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 Weapon Attack Weapon Parry Set/Disarm Trap Move Quietly Hide Filch Appraise Conceal Object 40 40 40 40 40 40 30 30 10% 10% Base Bonus Attack Parry Manipulation Stealth Stealth Stealth Knowledge Stealth

4) Noble
Restrictions None Start Cash 1D6 + 3 Silver Pieces; one item of jewellery worth 2D10 SP Class Skills Weapon Attack, Weapon Parry, Intimidate, Lore (player's choice), Persuade, Language (player's choice), Insight, Oratory, Appraise, Games, Memorise, Warcraft, Track, Play Instrument Description Throughout the lands and realms of Middle-earth every people has those among it who hold positions of authority, leadership or respect. Such individuals are known as nobles, though they may claim no title or peerage. In Gondor, nobles are born to their positions of privilege and they hold them according to ancient laws 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, nobles belong to a landed gentry whose property and wealth set them apart from other Hobbits who must work for a living. Notes 1. 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/Write skills in that language develop separately. 2. Nobles often have time on their hands and this gives them time to learn many other skills. If the noble's INT is 13 or higher, roll 1D3 and choose that many extra skills. These may be any the player wishes. They have a starting skill percentage of 5D10% plus any appropriate Base Chances and Skill Group bonuses. 3. Nobles start the game with their weapons and armour of choice, a suit of fine clothing and a decent riding horse (not a warhorse). Example Noble, 300 points, 8 Class Skills Points Weapon Attack Weapon Parry Oratory Ride Lore (player's choice) Language (Speak and Read/Write player's choice) Persuade Insight 45 45 30 30 40 30 40 40 10% 10% Base Bonus Attack Parry Communication Agility Knowledge Comm / Know Communication Perception

5) Sailor
Restrictions Hobbits and Dwarves may not start the game as Sailors Start Cash 1D6 Silver Pieces Class Skills Weapon Attack, Weapon Parry, Swim, Climb, Rope Use, Acrobatics, Boating, Weather Sense, Navigate, Shiphandling, Survival (Oceans), Sing, Craft (e.g. Carpenter), See, Games Description A 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 Numenorean mariners, the ships and boats that ply Anduin the Great River are all crewed by Sailors upholding this tradition. Notes 1. When aboard ship, increase the character's Climb and Acrobatics skills by 30%. Example Sailor, 250 points, 8 Class Skills Points Weapon Attack Weapon Parry Swim Climb Rope Use Acrobatics Boating Weather Sense 30 30 50 30 35 35 45 45 25% Base Bonus Attack Parry Agility Agility Manipulation Agility Manipulation Perception

6) Artisan
Restrictions None Start Cash 1D6 Silver Pieces Class Skills Craft (Any), Appraise, Persuade, Lore (Any), Teamster, Make Map, Dodge, Games, Memorise, See, Taste, Search, Read/Write, Related Skills as described below Description Artisans include all the skilled trades such as weaving, cobbling, smithing, potting and so on. See the 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 instruct others 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. Notes 1. 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 example i. 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 Primary Craft Skill (Blacksmith) Secondary Craft Skill (Deviser) Lore Metallurgy (as Related Skill 1) Set/Disarm Trap (as Related Skill 2) Appraise Persuade Read/Write (character's native language) Lore (player's choice) 60 40 30 30 40 40 30 30

Base

Bonus Manipulation Manipulation Knowledge Manipulation Knowledge

10%

Communication Knowledge Knowledge

7) Merchant
Restrictions None Start Cash 1D6 + 1 Silver Pieces Class Skills Persuade, Insight, Appraise, Language (any), Lore (any), Teamster, Fast Talk, Sleight of Hand, Memorise, Make Map, See, Boating, Ride, Craft (player's choice), Conceal Object, Oratory Description In 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 another and merchants will be involved in such activities. Notes 1. 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/Write skills in that language develop separately. Example Merchant, 300 points, 8 Class Skills Points Appraise Persuade Insight Oratory Ride Lore (player's choice) Language (Speak and Read/Write player's choice) Craft (player's choice) 50 50 40 40 20 40 40 20 10% 10% Base Bonus Knowledge Communication Perception Communication Agility Knowledge Comm / Know 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 barterable goods 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, Listen Description Barbarians are warriors of the wild peoples, fierce defenders of their lands and tribes. Usually lacking in the heavy armour of the Knights of Gondor or the swift horses of the Rohirrim, they nevertheless craft from the things of their own lands weapons and tools for their survival. Notes 1. Barbarians are illiterate. They may not start the game with Read/Write skill in any Languages. Example Barbarian, 300 points, 8 Class Skills Points Weapon Attack Weapon Parry Bow Attack Set/Disarm Trap Hide Craft (Blacksmith) Weather Sense Survival (terrain type of player's choice) 40 40 50 40 40 30 30 30 10% Base Bonus Attack Parry Attack Manipulation Stealth Manipulation Perception Knowledge

9) Magician
Restrictions Magicians are rare in Middle-earth and should remain so in the game. Magicians must have a minimum total INT + POW of 28. Hobbits have never practiced magic of any type so may not be magicians Start Cash 1D6 Silver Pieces Class Skills Cast Sorcery Spell, Enchantment Ritual, Alchemy Ritual, Wizardry Ritual, Necromancy Ritual, Memorise, Lore (Any), Language (Any), Insight, Persuade, First Aid, Sleight of Hand, Craft (e.g. Goldsmith, Silversmith, Jewelsmith), Oratory, Appraise, Healing Description Magicians are those able to call upon or control the subtle magic of the world at will. They can create fire, shatter objects, lock doors and display many other powers. Common folk generally shun or avoid them, regarding them as odd or even dangerous. Magicians in Middle-earth are uncommon. Some, the most dangerous, serve the Shadow. The Example Magician shown below knows some Sorcery. Check with the GM before assigning any Ceremonial Magic skills. See the Magic chapter for full details. Notes 1. 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/Write skills in that language develop separately. Example Magician, 300 points, 8 Class Skills

Points Cast Sorcery Spell (player's choice) Cast Sorcery Spell (player's choice) Cast Sorcery Spell (player's choice) Memorise Insight Oratory Lore (player's choice) Language (Speak and Read/Write player's choice) 50 40 30 50 30 40 30 30

Base

Bonus Magic Magic Magic Knowledge

10%

Perception Communication Knowledge Comm / Know

10) Sage
Restrictions None Start Cash 1D6 Silver Pieces Class Skills Lore (Any), Language (Any), Memorise, Persuade, First Aid, Healing, Insight, Craft, Oratory, Games, Appraise Description These 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 of dragons. Sages collect, maintain, organise, and pass on that which is left. Often they travel many leagues to visit other scholars and share their knowledge. Such journeys are perilous and thus Sages may inadvertently find themselves on adventures. Notes 1. 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 skills in that language develop separately. Example Sage, 300 points, 8 Class Skills Points Lore (player's choice) Lore (player's choice) Lore (player's choice) Language (Speak and Read/Write player's choice) Language (Speak and Read/Write player's choice) Memorise Persuade Craft (player's choice) 50 50 30 40 30 40 30 30 10% Base Bonus Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Comm / Know Comm / Know Knowledge Communication Manipulation

11) Minstrel
Restrictions None Start Cash 1D6 Silver Pieces Class Skills Play Instrument, Sing, Persuade, Lore (e.g. History, Realm, People), Oratory, Weapon Attack, Weapon Parry, Juggle, Sleight of Hand, Acrobatics, See, Insight, Games, Fast Talk, Brawl Description Bards, poets, singers, musicians, tribal skalds: all are Minstrels of one sort or another. Their societies give them different names but their role is always the same: to entertain and sometimes inform their audiences. In addition to singing and making music, they may have other skills of the street entertainer variety. Notes 1. 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 the character has Games; a set of juggling balls if the character has Juggle; and so on). Example Minstrel, 300 points, 8 Class Skills Points Play Instrument (player's choice) Play Instrument (player's choice) Sing Persuade Oratory Games Juggle Lore (player's choice) 50 40 40 40 30 40 30 30 10% Base Bonus Manipulation Manipulation Communication Communication Communication Knowledge Manipulation Knowledge

12) Ranger
Restrictions Generally Numenorean Descendents only (Dunadan of the North, Gondorian nobles of pure family lines). Start Cash 1D6 Silver Pieces Class Skills Weapon Attack, Weapon Parry, Ride, Move Quietly, Track, Survival, Insight, First Aid, Hide, Climb, Swim, Read/Write, See, Listen, Search, Weather Sense, Lore (e.g. Plants, Animals) Description Rangers are inhabitants of the Wild Lands but that does not mean they are Wild Men nor Barbarians. Indeed, many Rangers are of ancient noble bloodlines, descendents of the Dunedain of the Lost Kingdom of Arnor. Many such Rangers claim no title, lands or birthright, but something in their manner or demeanour marks them as special. Lesser Men may fear the Rangers, living as they do in the Wilds, but there is no doubt that travellers in dangerous lands, the inhabitants of Bree-land and 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 of Mirkwood are also eligible for this class, though perhaps they should be termed Scouts, Notes 1. 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 they should be referred to as Scouts, Forest Guardians or some such. Example Ranger, 300 points, 8 Class Skills Points Weapon Attack Weapon Parry Missile Weapon Attack Track Survival (environment of player's choice) Insight Weather Sense Ride 50 50 40 40 40 20 30 30 10% Base Bonus Attack Parry Attack Perception Knowledge Perception Perception Agility

13) Bounder
Restrictions Hobbits only Start Cash 1D6 Silver Pieces Class Skills Weapon Attack, Weapon Parry, Track, Lore (Shire, Hobbits), Survival, Hide, Move Quietly, Weather Sense, Set/Disarm Trap, Mimicry, Craft (any within reason), Games, Acrobatics, Throw/Catch Description The Bounders are Hobbit border guards. They are a force of volunteers, employed to watch the boundaries of the Shire and prevent undesirables entering the land. This job often appeals to younger, more adventurous Hobbits, who are curious about the lands outside the sleepy Shire villages. In some ways, the Bounders could be seen as the Hobbit equivalent of Rangers. At the time of the War of the Ring, the Bounders had never been busier as Elves, Dwarves, Orcs and creatures stranger still crossed the Shire. Notes 1. Bounders begin the game with their weapon of choice and a map of the Shire Example Bounder, 300 points, 8 Class Skills Points Weapon Attack Weapon Parry Track Lore (Shire) Set/Disarm Trap Weather Sense Survival (hills or woodlands) Hide 40 40 40 40 30 40 50 30 10% Base Bonus Attack Parry Perception Knowledge Manipulation Perception Knowledge Stealth

14) Shirriff
Restrictions Hobbits only Start Cash 1D6 Silver Pieces Class Skills Insight, Persuade, Weapon Attack, Weapon Parry, Lore (Shire, Hobbits, Bree-land), Read/Write Westron, Memorise, Ride Pony, First Aid, Search, Disguise, Intimidate Description Shirriffs are the closest the Hobbits have to a police force. Prior to the War of the Ring there were only twelve Shirriffs, three in each Farthing, covering the entire Shire. When Saruman and his HalfOrcs took over, the number of Shirriffs increased dramatically, as the Hobbits (some willingly, most rather glumly) enforced Sharkey's rules. There is very little crime in the Shire, so the job of Shirriff is not especially demanding. They spend their time travelling their particular Farthing, seeing to strayed cattle, lost property and occasional troublesome outsiders. Notes 1. Shirriffs begin with their weapon of choice, a pony, and a hat with a feather. Example Shirriff, 300 points, 8 Class Skills Points Weapon Attack Weapon Parry Insight Lore (Shire) Memorise First Aid Search Ride Pony 30 30 50 50 40 30 40 30 25% 10% Base Bonus Attack Parry Perception Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Perception Agility

16) Customising Your Character

The character now gets additional Custom Points (CPs) to spend on additional skills, increases to existing skills and special abilities called Advantages. By taking Disadvantages, the character gains extra 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 that make the character special. A roleplaying game is a means of telling stories, like novels or the cinema, and the stories are always better when they have credible heroes. At this point your character is nothing but a list of numbers written on an obscure form. Now is the time to bring the character 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. Unless you are playing a character from a realm largely unknown in the West (Khand, Harad, Rhun or perhaps even further afield, where names could be strange and wonderful, at least as far as Western peoples are concerned) your character should have a name which reflects the languages and peoples of Middle-earth. Obvious sources of names are Tolkein's novels themselves. Try to think of the name's meaning, when translated from Sindarin or Quenya back into English, as this may give you an idea of some other aspect of the character. Hinluin, for example, means Blue Eyes. It may be best to avoid names which have significant bearing on the novels, however. Calling your Magician Gandalf, your Warrior Boromir or your Hobbit Frodo, could cause confusion or problems for your character: 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 consider include: What sex is the character? Choosing male or female will have no bearing on the character's skills or attributes, as all characters are equal, but may provide interesting role-playing opportunities. Dwarfwomen, for example, are so very rarely seen outside Dwarven cities that some races believe that there are no Dwarf-women at all. If your character is a Dwarven female, what is she doing adventuring? 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 female warriors, 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 physical descriptions 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 combat particularly, characters can use weapons and shields in either hand with equal skill. But in certain situations does the character reach into a spider-filled chest to retrieve a ring with his left or right hand, for example knowing which is the character's 'good' hand and which is the 'off' hand might be useful. How does she dress? Does she wear fine Elven garments or rough-and-ready clothes of Mannish make? 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, more musical tone of voice than a Hobbit speaking the same tongue. There might be differences in pronunciation 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 probably due to fat, not muscle, implying the character is overweight. On the other hand, a character with low SIZ, 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 make him squirm? What is her favourite meal? What are his favourite expressions or catchphrases? Try to find a few details which will bring out the character's personality, but limit yourself to two or three 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 of the character in the present based on the answers. The two methods work equally well. Use whichever you feel most comfortable with. e) Motivation Ideally the character should have a reason to be adventuring. Such reasons might be simple ("to accumulate gold and glory"); more ambitious (to destroy a powerful magic ring) or connected with 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. Tolkien created the most detailed fantasy setting ever. Roleplaying in Middle-earth therefore requires a character which would not seem out of place in the novels themselves. This is not easy to accomplish 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, the responsibilities 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 is nonetheless flawed as he desires the Ring and would be used by the Enemy however unintentionally. 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. He volunteers to take the Ring to Mordor to be destroyed. Initially Frodo is inspired by his Uncle Bilbo's romanticised stories of the Quest of Erebor and Smaug the Dragon. But as the Quest of Mount Doom progresses, Frodo develops a grim determination to see the Quest completed and the Ring destroyed. Sam Gamgee, Frodo's gardener. A source of encouragement and help to Frodo during the darkest times in the Quest. He takes on more than his share of Frodo's burden, carries the Ring for a while and sees through Gollum's deception.

Merry and Pippin are young Hobbits. Indeed, Pippin is barely out of his tweens at the start of the novel. Both show great courage in taking service with Theoden of Rohan and Denethor Steward of Gondor 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 also has a secondary purpose in his adventuring. He wants to determine what happened to Balin's colony and 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 Elven intuition 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 be but even he fears the power of the Ring. His sage advice, inspirational leadership and magical powers 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 willing to sacrifice much for their friends and for the overall goal. While they may have flaws in their characters (Boromir's pride; Pippin's uncontrollable curiosity) they have the courage to face and conquer these flaws.

2) Custom Points
Each character gets (INT + DEX) x 5 Custom Points for this step. For example, a character with INT of 10 and DEX of 10 would get ((10 + 10) x 5 =) 100 extra points for this step. Why INT and DEX? 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 available depending 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 by virtue of the character's class and increase existing skills. One Custom Point increases an existing skill by one percentage point. When used to purchase new skills, the character pays one Custom Point per percentage point in the skill and then adds any Base Chance and Skill Group Bonus appropriate to this skill. This advantage can be taken more than once and the Custom Points spent can be allotted to more than one skill. For example, a Warrior may want to learn the new skill of Hide and spend 25 CP to gain this skill then add his Stealth Skill Group Bonus and the Base Chance (+10%) to determine his starting 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 beyond additional 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's skills, 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 Draw Custom Points 3 per Level; maximum of 5 Levels Description This gives the character the ability to react quickly on the first round of combat. If the character has a scabbarded, holstered or similarly secured weapon (a sheathed dagger or an axe in a belt loop for example), it can be drawn and an attack made on the first combat round with a +1 Initiative bonus per 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 normal combat sequence begins. The character may make a move of up to half his normal distance before making the attack. Advantage Combat Sense Custom Points 10 per Level; maximum of 5 Levels Description The character comes alive in the heat of battle, all his senses working at maximum capacity to warn him of dangers. This gives the character an Initiative bonus in combat of +2 per Level of the Advantage. Further, the character is never surprised in combat. Attacks against the character may never receive bonuses for attacking from behind, from the unshielded side or if the character is engaged in a non-combat action. Advantage Equipment Custom Points 15 Description This is useful at the start of a character's career. All of the character's basic equipment needs have been met, either through an off-stage patron or through careful hoarding of the character's own resources. This includes, food, clothing, weapons, armour, camping gear, hunting gear (if applicable), and any equipment needed to do the character's job (tools for an Artisan, an instrument for a Minstrel). The player should discuss with the GM exactly what are the character's equipment needs. The GM can veto unreasonable requests. Advantage Contact Custom Points 20 per Contact Description 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 this person. This relationship need not be warm and friendly, but should be cooperative; it could be a cool professionalism between two warriors, or a competitive trading relationship between two merchants. The Contact is an NPC controlled by the GM and the player character need know nothing of the Contact's skills, abilities and weaknesses. This Advantage can be taken several times, allowing the character to have several Contacts. Advantage Elf Friend Custom Points 50 Description The character has performed some great service for the Elves. What this service was should be discussed 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 favourable reactions from other Elves. The GM should note that the hospitality and friendship of the Elves are not 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 they may also request help of him! Being an Elf Friend is as much a responsibility as a privilege and the player 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 Vision Custom Points 20 Description The character can see in all but complete darkness. This negates penalties on skill use or combat in conditions of dim light, moonlight or starlight. In pitch blackness, the skill penalties are halved. Advantage Direction Sense Custom Points 20 Description The character has an unerring sense of direction. Under normal circumstances, he can always locate North, 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 Life Custom Points 20 Description The character has a talent for avoiding life-threatening injury. Once per game session, the character may avoid the effects of a single critical hit in combat or the effects of a single fumble rolled by the character. Advantage Good Looking Custom Points 10 Description The character is noticeably beautiful or handsome. This causes heads to turn wherever the character goes. The character receives a bonus of +20% on Persuade and Oratory skills when dealing with members of the opposite sex. Advantage Sharp Eyed Custom Points 10 per Level ; maximum of 3 Levels Description This skill does not grant a bonus to the character's See skill. (The player could just as easily spend the Custom Points increasing the See skill directly.) Being Sharp Eyed has two effects. Firstly, each Level 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 character than might be the case for a character with less-extraordinary vision. For example, if a character without this Advantage makes a See skill roll, the GM may reveal the character sees a glimpse of a man-like creature approaching through the trees. A Sharp Eyed character making the same roll may learn that the creature is an Elf, and therefore (probably) a friend, rather than an Orc. Advantage Sharp Hearing Custom Points 10 per Level ; maximum of 3 Levels Description This 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 game session.. Secondly, a successful Listen skill roll will provide more information for a character with Sharp 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 character hears a group of creatures approaching. A character with Sharp Hearing making the same roll may learn that the group numbers seven creatures. Advantage Healthy Custom Points 5 per Level ; maximum of 3 Levels Description This Advantage provides some resistance to natural diseases. For each Level purchased, the characte r gains +1 CON for the purposes of resisting the VIRulence of a disease. This is described in more detail in the Combat chapter. Advantage Swift Custom Points 20 Description With this Advantage the character moves 1/3 faster than other members of his or her race. See the Game 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 to the character which, while making life difficult for the character, enhance the roleplaying possibilites. Disadvantages cost no Custom Points. Instead they provide additional Custom Points which can be used as described above. Many Disadvantages should be discussed with the GM to determine their parameters and the number of Bonus Custom Points they provide. Disadvantage Dependent Bonus Custom Points 5 to 20 Description The character is responsible for helping and protecting a weaker relative, friend or spouse. The Dependent is an NPC controlled by the GM, who can determine the Dependent's motivations, status and capabilities. The weaker, more helpless, more demanding of the character's time the Dependent is, the more Bonus Custom Points can be awarded. Disadvantage Code of Honour Bonus Custom Points 5 to 20 Description This Disadvantage restricts the player's freedom to dictate his own character's actions. The character has a personal moral code which he must follow, no matter what the circumstances. The Code might bar the character from killing, from attacking from ambush, or never letting an insult go unchallenged. The Code may also make the character protect those weaker than himself, be courteous towards women, or give up wealth to those less fortunate. The Code can be determined with the GM. Disadvantage Enemy Bonus Custom Points 5 to 20 Description Somewhere along the line, the character has made an enemy who will seek to harm, humiliate, or kill the character. The Enemy is an NPC controlled by the GM who may determine the Enemy's skills, 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) or has a long reach (i.e. there is nowhere the character can hide). In general, the Enemy (or his agents if appropriate), will make the character's life a misery in a scenario on the D6 roll of 6. Disadvantage Dark Secret Bonus Custom Points 10 Description The character has a secret lurking in his past. For example, the character showed cowardice in battle, or was responsible for the death of his brother and covered up his involvement. The Secret can be modified (in secret) by the GM who, for example, may decide that the character's brother was actually murdered and the PC framed for the murder. The Dark Secret hangs like a cloud around the character: people who know will shun him, those who do not know may detect a subtle hint of treachery or dishonour in the character (particularly with an Insight roll). This will cause all Social skills (Persuade, Oratory, Fast Talk, Insight) used by the character to be at a -20% penalty until the Secret is revealed and/or dealt with. The number of Bonus Custom Points awarded depends on the nature of the Secret and GM's discretion. Disadvantage Duty Bound Bonus Custom Points 5 to 20 Description The character is in service to some lord or employer and has to obey this person's orders before fulfilling his own plans. This can seriously disrupt an character's adventuring career as they struggle to balance their lord's orders with their own desires. If the Duty is failed, the character can be punished by the lord or employer. Disadvantage Cowardly Bonus Custom Points 10 Description The character has no stomach for a fight and cannot face danger. The character must make a CHA x 5% roll each time combat is joined and a POW x 5% roll in other dangerous circumstances. If the roll is failed, the character cannot fight or face the danger. If the roll is fumbled, the character flees. Disadvantage Low Pain Threshold Bonus Custom Points 10 Description The character has no tolerance for pain. If wounded in combat or by some other source, make a CON x 5% roll. If this roll is failed, the character's inability to stand pain causes all skills to be halved until the wound is treated. If the roll is fumbled, the character falls unconscious for 1D6 minutes. Disadvantage Impaired Vision Bonus Custom Points 10 to 20 Description 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, the See skill is at -20% and all ranged attack skills are halved because of depth-perception problems. Disadvantage Bad Reputation Bonus Custom Points 10 Description The character is known as a cad, a liar, a cheat and generally untrustworthy. Whether this reputation is deserved or not is immaterial. In social situations, NPCs react to the reputation, not to the character, so reduce the character's Persuade, Oratory, Fast Talk and Insight skills by -10%.

Disadvantage Rash Bonus Custom Points 10 Description The character is compulsively foolhardy and will rush into danger or make promises they may later regret. This can be avoided if the character makes an INT x 5% roll. Disadvantage Animal Aversion Bonus Custom Points 10 Description The 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 to drive carts or wagons or the animal training aspects of the Animal Lore skill. Disadvantage Heavy Sleeper Bonus Custom Points 10 Description The character sleeps deeply and requires a few rounds to become fully awake, even in an emergency. For 1D4 rounds after waking, the character is fuzzy headed: all skill rolls are halved and Initiative is at -2. Disadvantage Phobia Bonus Custom Points 10 to 30 Description The character has a deep-seated (if possibly irrational) fear of one type of object, animal or phenomenon. 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 the phobia is and how violent a reaction the character suffers. In mild cases, the character should test Courage against a Force set by the GM (see the Fear and Courage rules in the Middle-earth Special Rules chapter). In extreme cases, the character may have to expend a Fate Point to confront the source of the phobia.

6. SKILLS
1) Skill Groups
Skills are divided into nine general categories or Skill Groups. The Groups are the standard ones used 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, usually the character's own shield or weapon. Based on Strength, Intelligence and Dexterity but Size acts as a 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 of tools are Manipulation skills. Based on STR, INT, POW and DEX, this is the same as the Attack bonus. e) Perception All sensory skills. They rely on the sharpness of the character's senses and on his being smart enough 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 Knowledge Skills above all others. Based on INT only. h) Communication All persuasion, language and diplomacy skills. Characters use such skills to persuade others and achieve 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 Agility (Parry) Attribute STR SIZ POW DEX Manipulation(Attack) STR INT POW DEX Perception Stealth INT POW INT SIZ DEX Communication INT POW CHA Knowledge Magic INT INT POW DEX CHA 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 13 gives a +1 and the DEX of 17 provides a very useful +5. The character's average INT of 10 does not provide a modifier, so the character's overall Attack Bonus is +8%. This is also the character's Manipulation Skill Bonus. For Parry (and by extension, Agility), the character's STR provides +2, POW gives +1 and DEX again provides +5. However, the character has a SIZ of 13, which imposes a -1 penalty (the sheer size 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 Below 9 -1% 1% -1% -1% -1% -1% -1% -1% -1% -1% -1% 1% -1% -1% -1% -1% -2% -1% -1% -1% -1% 9 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Above 12 1% -1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% -1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1%

no bonus, POW gives +1). The Stealth Bonus is based on INT, SIZ and DEX. INT is average and provides no bonus; DEX is nice 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 a Communication Bonus of +3%. The character's Knowledge bonus is 0% (zero). His average INT provides no bonus, and even when multiplied 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/Write Language (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 Chance reflects 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 the character's starting level with that skill is equal to his attribute bonus for that Skill Group. For example, 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 the character succeed in a such a base-level skill roll, then the skill may improve as per the normal skill improvement rules. Some skills have a percentage value in the Base Chance. In this case, an untrained character's starting skill level is equal to the Base Chance plus his Skill Group bonus. A perfect example is the Climb skill, where a character would start with a skill of 25% + Agility Bonus.

4) Agility Skills
Skill Acrobatics Base Chance 10% + Agility Bonus A composite skill comprising tumbling, jumping, balancing, swinging on ropes, falling under control 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 if the character is wearing armour. Acrobatics may be used to lessen falling damage. In falls of less than 30 feet, a successful Acrobatics roll means the character takes no damage from the fall, otherwise calculate falling damage 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 means the character can move up to its move distance away from attackers and they must subtract the Acrobatics 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 a separate Dodge skill for use in such circumstances. Skill Brawl Base Chance 25% + Agility Bonus Basic unarmed combat using natural weapons: fists, feet, teeth, head-butts. The character should select an attack mode during the Statement of Intent phase of combat (e.g. I'll kick the bandit where 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; and 1D6 for a kick. Add the character's Damage Bonus to the rolled damage. In most cases, these attacks 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 special effects. Brawl can be used as both Attack and Parry in combat against others in unarmed combat (your typical bar-fight, for example). Brawl should not be used to parry armed attacks from weapons greater than dagger-sized. If a Brawl roll to parry a dagger (or broken bottle) fails, the Brawler will take the weapon's rolled damage.

Skill Climb Base Chance 25% + Agility Bonus Climb includes the ability to scale walls, cliffs, trees, building faces, etc. The GM may require the use of a rope for especially difficult climbs, in which case the Climb skill includes the ability to climb a rope. Sheer walls may be climbed using artificial devices such as pitons or suction cups for hands and feet but the climber must roll against half his/her Climb skill. The GM can assign modifiers 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 roll fails, 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 silent climb; success at Climb but not Move Quietly indicates a 'noisy' climb, with attendant risks of being 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: a successful roll against this percentage indicates a silent climb has been made. A roll between the reduced percentage and the normal Climb skill indicates a 'noisy' climb. Go Skill vs. Skill with any potential listener's Listen skill.

Skill Dodge Base Chance (DEX x 2)% + Agility Bonus This 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, but only 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 Dodge vs 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. If Dodging a sequence of objects or attacks in a single round, the skill is reduced by 20% for each object Dodged. Skill Ride Base Chance Agility Bonus This is primarily the ability to Ride horses, mules, donkeys and more exotic creatures such as camels and even Oliphaunts. Thus, this skill could be taken multiple times, once for each riding beast. No skill roll is required while the animal is slowly strolling along. Ride skill is used whenever the rider is fighting from horseback (once per combat round), when the horse is trying to throw the rider, or when the mount gallops. The Ride skill also includes knowledge of basic care for the animal, how to saddle it, and what to feed it. If a Ride roll is failed, the character is thrown and will take 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 Bonus Whenever a character must do more in the water than simply flounder ashore, a Swim roll is required. 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 swimming requires two successful Swim rolls back to back. Swim rolls must be made every 15 minutes while in the water. If swimming in armour, the character will often suffer penalties to his Swim skill. Light and Hard Leathers incur no penalties. Metal armours, notably Scale Mail, Ordinary Chainmail and Dwarf Chainmail impose a -40% penalty on the Swim skill. A character wearing these armours can elect to try and swim with this penalty or make a DEXx5% roll to struggle out of the armour. Heavier metal armours (Plated Chainmail and Orc Chainmail) cannot effectively be swam in and the character must discard the armour by making a DEXx5% roll. Mithril Chainmail, if a character can acquire such a wondrous piece of armour, is light enough to swim in, imposing only a -10% penalty to the Swim skill. Helmets should be discarded by a swimming character if at all possible, as their effect would be to force the character's head down and under the water. However, depending on the design of the helmet (and the circumstances under which the character ended up in the water) it could be that a helmet actually helps the character by trapping a bubble of air. A Swim skill roll can determine whether air is trapped in the helmet and if so, the character can then use this as a primitive diving bell, 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 rolls causes 1 point of damage; missing the third roll causes the character to begin drowning. Rules for drowning are given in the Game System chapter. Skill Throw/Catch Base Chance 25% + Agility Bonus A object which is balanced for throwing may be thrown 1 yard for every STR point by which the thrower exceeds the object's SIZ. If the thrown object is unbalanced or awkward (this includes weapons, flasks of oil, torches and Dwarves) the distance it can be thrown falls off to 1 yard per three 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 the distance it may be thrown horizontally. The Throw/Catch skill is used for everyday objects and weapons which are not being thrown for effect (such as tossing a spare weapon to a disarmed companion). For hitting targets with thrown weapons, use the relevant Attack skill. This skill is also used to Catch a thrown object. To resolve a typical Bergil throws Turgon a spare dagger 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 success to determine the result. For example, if Bergil Fumbles his Throw, the dagger goes nowhere near Turgon. Should the Throw be a Critical, Turgon could get a +20% bonus on his Catch skill. Such levels of success are important if the thrown object is particularly valuable or fragile and the GM should be prepared to rule on the consequences. Skill Wrestling Base Chance 25% + Agility Bonus The user of this skill must decide whether he wishes to attempt a take-down, hold or pin manoeuvre and then make a Wrestling skill roll. A pin can only be attempted if, on the two rounds immediately preceding, the wrestler has succeeded in a hold and take-down in that order. Two characters may match 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 wrestler with 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 Boating Base Chance Manipulation Bonus Distinct from the Shiphandling skill, Boating allows characters to guide small boats, rafts, canoes or kayaks along rivers, lakes or through coastal waters. This skill applies to boats no larger than a single-masted sloop, with a keel length of 20 to 30 feet and a beam of no more than 10 feet. In addition, a character with Boating skill can ensure a boat is propelled at its maximum speed. Skill Craft Base Chance 0% This is the ability to make items out of raw materials (wood, metal, stone, hides, wood, cotton or whatever). There are many different craft skills and each must be individually learned and recorded separately on the character's sheet. If the Craft skill roll is passed, the item is functional, suited to the purpose for which it has been made. On a critical success, the item will be especially durable, useful and/or beautiful. If the Craft roll 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 how many items are to be made and then roll 1D6 for the number of (12-hour) working days are necessary to complete the job. After this duration, the Craft skill roll is made. There are many possible Craft skills. Some examples are Artist Deviser Sculptor Goldsmith Silversmith Shipwright Glass Maker Stonemason Brewer Tailor Potter Cobbler Cook Gardener A painter A maker of small mechanical devices, hinges, gears, levers, pulleys A maker of stone or metal statues A maker of gold artifacts A maker of silverware A builder of ships and boats A maker of glass and glass artefacts A worker of quarried stone; a builder A maker of beers and wines A maker of clothing A maker of ceramic/earthenware crockery Makes boots and shoes A chef A tender of plants, both edible and decorative

Locksmith Blacksmith Weaponsmith Armoursmith Tanner Bowyer/Fletcher Weaver Jewelsmith Carpenter Rope Maker Toy Maker

A maker of locks A maker of metal goods, tools, horseshoes, houseware A maker of metal weapons A maker of metal armour A leatherworker. Makes leather goods, including leather armour Makes bows and arrows. Treat as a single craft skill for greater utility A maker of cloths and fabrics A gemcutter A maker/repairer of wooden goods, houses etc. A maker of rope A maker of childrens' (and adults') toys and games

Skill Set/Disarm Trap Base Chance Manipulation Bonus This 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 when setting a trap indicates that it will work as planned when triggered. A failed roll indicates the trap is flawed 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 the trap 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 not guarantee that game will simply step into the trap. Use Track, Animal Lore, or Survival-type skills for that. Set/Disarm Trap takes at least one melee round per SIZ point of the object for disassembly and one full turn per SIZ point for assembly. Should a trap be designed to avoid detection (e.g. built into a wall or object, or a pit camouflaged with leaves) the setter can use a Conceal Object roll to hide the trap which can be countered (using the Skill vs. Skill rules) by the disarmer's Search skill. Skill Juggle Base Chance Manipulation Bonus, or 0% ; DEX 13 minimum Juggle is a skill generally reserved for performers and consists of the knack of keeping two or more objects spinning in the air simultaneously. For each 10% in Juggle skill, the juggler can keep one object in motion. A missed Juggle roll indicates the objects in motion have fallen. Skill Play Instrument (type) Base Chance Manipulation Bonus With 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 performer played the wrong chords, forgot the notes to play or dropped the instrument. An adventurer's player must 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 when performed. Thus a player with 80% skill will sound better than one with 40% skill, even if both rolls are successful.

Skill Rope Use Base Chance Manipulation Bonus This is the ability to use ropes for creating knots, lashing cargo (or prisoners). To create or undo a complex knot in a short time (less than 3 minutes), make a Rope Use roll. If the roll is missed, the knot is badly tied and will not function properly (bound prisoners can escape easily from poorly tied knots, for instance). If a roll is failed while untying a knot, it cannot be undone within a useful time limit (it could be cut, however). Sailors with this skill may safely manipulate sailing tackle and rigging without without fouling lines or sails. Skill Sleight of Hand Base Chance Manipulation Bonus, or 0% ; DEX 15 minimum This skill governs all forms of 'stage magic': pulling coins from ears or rabbits from hats; card tricks; 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 was not fooled and saw what the character did. If the Sleight of Hand roll is fumbled, the character dropped whatever object was being manipulated. The only way to detect a successful Sleight of Hand trick is when a character suspects its use and can make a successful Sleight of Hand roll of his own. Skill Teamster Base Chance Manipulation Bonus Characters with this skill have experience of driving carts or wagons. Characters from an Easterling culture may also know how to drive a chariot. They can drive any of the commonly available Middle-earth carts or wagons with perfect confidence and can handle horse-drawn or ox carts with equal skill. A test on this skill is only necessary under difficult or dangerous conditions (eg while guiding the cart across fords/rivers; while under attack/flight/pursuit; crossing difficult ground such as forests/swamps/hills; while in a race). A successful roll indicates control is maintained; a critical success should be rewarded depending on circumstances. A failed roll indicates the cart gets stuck or the beasts will not move; a fumble indicates a crash or breakdown.

6) Perception Skills
Skill Insight Base Chance 10% + Perception Bonus This is the skill of detecting lies, evasions, moods and other emotional clues from others. The character can almost 'see' into the hearts and minds of those he meets and can discern their motives from their deeds. This skill tells the character when things are not quite right and can even indicate when 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 in secret. Skill Listen Base Chance 25% + Perception Bonus This is the skill of both listening intently for sound where one would not normally hear it and the ability to pick up and correctly interpret individual sounds, even when not consciously searching for them. Thus, trying to hear through a door or down a long corridor, being awakened by the stealthy opening of a window, or picking out conversations in a crowded bar, are situations calling for a Listen 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 is hinted that Listen can be used to identify spoken languages. Skill Scent Base Chance Perception Bonus This is the ability to identify a substance, beast or other being by its odour. Animals such as dogs have the highest skill at this but trained humans (e.g. wine tasters) can be quite good. The ability is reduced by half if the user is under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, or is in the proximity of a burning flame or an overpowering odour. Skill Search Base Chance 25% + Perception Bonus Search might be described as the practical application of a character's sense of touch. It is the skill of finding hidden objects with a diligent, hands-on, examination of an area. If a secret door is found with the See skill, Search is used to find the activating latch. If a room is to be ransacked or a body looted, use the Search skill. Search is a hands-on skill, thus exposing the searcher to danger from the object handled or risk from traps. If a Search roll is missed while searching for traps, the unfortunate character may end up triggering the trap. Skill See Base Chance 25% + Perception Bonus This allows the character to see normally unnoticeable items. It can be used to determine whether a person is wearing armour under his clothes or carrying concealed weapons. It can be used to spot people (or things) lurking behind the curtains, and to pick out irregularities in the floor, or details of dress. 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 opening mechanism. Skill Taste Base Chance Perception Bonus This is the ability to determine the composition of a substance by a very small taste. It is useful in determining whether food is poisoned or not, and may also be used in identifying ambiguous substances. When tasting food to detect poison, only a very small taste is required. The character is entitled to a CONx5% roll to see if the poison has any effect. If this roll fails against a deadly poison, the character 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 Track Base Chance Perception Bonus This is the ability to track game (or any other quarry, such as a fugitive human) by means of the traces it leaves behind, such as footprints, droppings, disturbed vegetation, etc. It includes knowledge of how certain creatures behave when trying to evade pursuit. Add 20% to the tracker's Track 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 cast about 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 day when the trail was fresh. Skill Weather Sense Base Chance Perception Bonus This allows the character to read the weather, determining what turns it may take or how much time will pass before a storm arrives (or abates). The skill check can be modified by how far into the future the character wishes to gauge the weather. Predicting the weather in an hour's time is easier than 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 great that at times, the air 'brings messages' to him. With such a skill level, a critical Weather Sense roll gathers rough information such as the movements of armies or fleets.

7) Stealth Skills
Skill Ambush Base Chance Stealth Bonus This is the skill of hiding one's intent to attack another. A successful roll on one's Ambush skill means the character will probably gain the advantage of surprise on the first combat rounds. See Ambushes in the Combat chapter for further information. Player characters in Middle-earth are assumed to be good, honest and upright and would never carry 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 soldiers rallying to Sauron's banner. Further, Orcs, bandits and Easterling raiders are under no such restrictions to be honourable in combat. Skill Conceal Object Base Chance Stealth Bonus With this skill an object can be hidden such that only a successful Search roll (or the person who hid it) can find it. The Conceal Object skill can be used in any area, inside or outdoors, to find a hiding place (either natural or constructed) for an object. It is assumed that anyone watching while the 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 character who 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 Disguise Base Chance Stealth Bonus This is the ability to change one's appearance, voice and mannerisms so as to pass as someone you are not, whether real or fictitious. The skill incorporates elements of makeup and acting but it is not the same as actually being an actor. Any Disguise-wearing character must make a Disguise skill roll whenever anyone who might see through 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 using only voice and body language if no suitable props are available. When a disguise is penetrated the viewer does not automatically recognise the individual. He simply knows that the person is not what he seems. See also the Mimicry skill. Skill Filch Base Chance Stealth Bonus This ability includes common pocket picking as well as the ability to cut purses (using a razor sharp blade?) and covers the theft of jewellery such as brooches and pins. Items in direct contact with the skin (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 Hide Base Chance 10% + Stealth Bonus This 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 come within 1 yard of the hidden person or make a successful See roll within 10 yards. If attempting to move while hidden, the character must roll again versus half their Hide skill. Skill Move Quietly Base Chance 10% + Stealth Bonus This 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 Move Quietly 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 if there is no active listening.

8) Communication Skills
Skill Fast Talk Base Chance 10% + Communication Bonus Fast Talk is the skill of getting your way with smart words, confidence, force of will, personality and 'attitude'. With a successful roll, the target agrees with the point of view or plan of action for a short 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 the paper. Fast Talk is flippant: it aims small and takes little time. It can be used against a small number of listeners; 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 target comes to his senses and the Fast Talk loses effect. The target may then react in whatever manner the GM deems appropriate. Skill Intimidate Base 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 (though this 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 is up 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 the source 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 Mimicry Base Chance Communication Bonus This 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. A critical skill roll means the character has mastered that voice or call and need not make further skill rolls when attempting that act of Mimicry again. The GM should apply modifiers to the Mimicry skill based upon the complexity of the voice or animal call being imitated. Hefty negative modifiers should be applied for imitating the voice of a person of a different race or sex and if the person being Mimicked is well known to the listener. Skill Oratory Base Chance Communication Bonus Successful Orators sway crowds to a particular mood or course of action. To use this skill the speaker must be addressing a group or crowd; for a handful of people, Persuade or Fast Talk should be used instead. Orations are of long duration, twenty minutes to several hours. Such speeches require 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 might last for a week and perhaps convince some of the listeners for years. A fumble causes the crowd to mock or stone the Orator. Skill Persuade Base Chance 10% + Communication Bonus The character possessing Persuade is skilled with words and arguments and knows how to bargain for things they need or how to parley with another to obtain some advantage in war or rulership. A common language between participants is required. This skill may be applied in a one-on-one situation or against a small number of people (1D6, perhaps, or at most, the Persuader's CHA). To sway 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). As such, it is a skill highly valued by lawyers, kings, politicians and merchants. A successful Persuade roll will convince the target that the character's point of view is the proper course of action. In a haggling situation, use a Skill vs. Skill roll, with the lower rolling negotiator winning the exchange and securing the best deal.

The effects of a successful Persuade roll can last indefinitely; as long as the GM believes is appropriate (often until another person or situation can have a chance of changing the target's mind). Persuasion is not domination, however. It cannot force the target to do as the speaker suggests, and the target always remains free to reject absurd proposals, regardless of the test result. Skill Sing Base Chance Communication Bonus This 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 or whatever. 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 taken multiple times by a character, reflecting those languages he or she can speak. All characters begin the game with the skill of Speak Language for their native tongue at INTx4%. In Middle-earth, the following languages are most common. Black Speech (the language of Mordor and Sauron's servants), Dunlendish, Khuzdul (the secret language of the Dwarves), Orkish (see below), Quenya (High Elven), Rohirric (the language of Rohan), Silvan (Wood Elven), Sindarin (Grey Elven), Westron (the Common Tongue). Education in Middle-earth is not widespread. Only certain classes (Nobles, Sages, Magicians etc as described in the Classes chapter) are considered to be literate and therefore able to read and write the languages they can speak. If members of these classes begin the game with a Speak Language skill, they also begin the game with the corresponding Read/Write skill in that language. Other classes 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 Appraise Base Chance Knowledge Bonus With 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 the character also has a Craft skill in a relevant area, the chance to evaluate is doubled. If the character has a Lore skill (genre specific) relevant to the item, the chance to evaluate is doubled if the Lore skill roll can first be made. Successful use of this skill should give the character a good idea of the value of the objects being appraised in terms of his/her native currency. The value stated by the GM should be in ballpark figures as local conditions can wildly affect the value of an object to either the seller or the buyer. A critical 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 of failure 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 Aid Base Chance Knowledge Bonus This skill imparts a basic knowledge of what to do to help an injury or shock victim and how to use materials at hand for that purpose. While generally used to treat wounds sustained in combat, First Aid can be used on any physical injury: staunching bleeding, applying a tourniquet or splint, setting a broken bone, bandaging, performing artificial respiration, etc. A successful First Aid roll means that the injured character has been successfully treated and will be healed of 1D3 Hit Points of damage. Further, the treated character will not lose any further Hit Points 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-term effects of a major, gruesome, or critical wound. (See the Combat chapter for descriptions of these wounds.) If a First Aid roll is missed it indicates that the treatment has been ineffective. If the recipient of the First Aid roll is only lightly wounded (i.e. not suffering a major wound or critical hit) this is not too much of a problem: he would have eventually recovered anyway but will be short of Hit Points in the meantime. Badly-wounded characters could be in trouble and should find someone else to attempt 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 the patient! Application of First Aid to a wound takes at least one Game Turn or 5 minutes of game time. The time required is variable: start with a base of 5 minutes minus 1 minute for each Hit Point healed to a minimum duration of 1 minute. This should be taken into account by the GM if combat is still raging 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 the First Aid chance by 20% (as the first aider's knowledge is clearly running out over the course of time). When the first aider's skill is reduced to zero or less, he may no longer attempt to treat that patient but may move on to another patient and have his normal skill level restored. Skill Games Base Chance Knowledge Bonus The character is skilled at games of all sorts, from riddles and chess, to cards and dice. As every professional gambler knows, winning such games is not all down to luck. The intricacies of chess and draughts, the abilities to calculate the odds, remember the order of cards and knowing when to walk 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 he wins; if not, he loses. This skill can be used to simulate a long evening of wagering by having the adventurer 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 hitting the bullseye with an arrow, use his Bow Attack skill, not his Games skill. Skill Healing Base Chance 0% You are skilled in the healing arts, able to use leechcraft, herbs, poultices, and methods stranger still to 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's fangs. 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 that the limb was not actually severed and the victim was fortunate to be in the presence of a skilled healer.

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 skill check. 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 take weeks, months or even years, depending on the particular affliction. When used to treat more immediate threats, such as combat wounds, poisons or burn damage, Healing takes at least one Game Turn (5 minutes) to apply. Only Masters of Healing, those with 90% or more in Healing skill, can treat supernatural diseases or 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 to feed it; tell if it is in good health; or perhaps predict its behaviour. A single roll will provide all this information for common animals but exotic creatures, like the Watcher in the Water, may require separate skill rolls for each significant fact about that creature. Animal Lore can also be used to train 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 (GM discretion) 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. Rough distances and directions can be determined, as can notable obstacles (e.g. The Lonely Mountain is 1000 miles from the Shire, but to get there, you must pass over the Misty Mountains and through the 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 to the 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 important events, 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 they think 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 land is 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 the Geographic 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. Examples include: 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, it may be appropriate that such subjects are so obscure or poorly-understood that the user functions at half skill level and improvement is at half the normal rate. Ancient Language: Choose one ancient tongue. The character has knowledge of how to read, write and speak this language. Examples of ancient languages include Adunaic (the now-dead language of 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 suggest a method of treatment or an antidote. Using plants, herbs, animal organs and venomous beasts, the character can brew ingested poisons or blade venoms. A single dose of poison (enough to contaminate a single meal or envenom one weapon) takes one hour to brew and will cause limited damage (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 knowledge includes whether a plant is edible or poisonous; whether it has medicinal uses (such as Athelas or Kingsfoil); 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 that Art, the limitations and dangers of the Art. Each Art therefore has an associated Lore skill which may be used by the player and GM to enhance the gaming experience. They are discussed further in the Magic chapter. Skill Make Maps Base Chance Knowledge Bonus This 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 "My character is mapping". At the time the player needs to use the map, the GM calls for a Make Map roll. If this is successful, the GM must answer truthfully all directional questions about the area mapped. If the roll is failed, the GM can legitimately lead the entire party astray while "following the player's map". Skill Memorise Base Chance Knowledge Bonus This 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 is successfully 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 to memory. 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 the memorised 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 to memory. The player may elect to make such a skill roll, however, and if successful, will halve the amount of time needed to memorise that spell. Rolls may be made for each spell or ritual to be memorised. Under adverse conditions, the GM may require a Memorise roll of the character in order to overcome distractions or discomfort and successfully memorise the spell or ritual in the normal amount of time (i.e. what would under normal conditions be automatically successful, now requires a skill roll just to ensure success). Under seriously adverse conditions, a Memorise roll (and/or rolls versus Fear or Will Power) may be required to recall a spell prior to casting it. This option is a GM decision and should not be used lightly. Only under severe conditions (e.g. when facing down the Witch King or while paralysed with fear) should such rolls be considered. Skill Navigate Base Chance Knowledge Bonus This 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 roll enables 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, the navigator 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 be taken 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/Write Sindarin but only Speak Quenya. Education in Middle-earth is not widespread. Only certain classes (Nobles, Sages, Magicians etc as described in the Classes chapter) are considered to be literate and therefore able to read and write the languages they can speak. If members of these classes begin the game with a Speak Language skill, they also begin the game with the corresponding Read/Write skill in that language at the same percentage skill level. After the character begins adventuring, the Speak and Read/Write skills improve separately. Other classes must acquire Read/Write skills, rather than have them provided by their class. Skill Shiphandling Base Chance 0% The Shiphandling skill is used by the captain of a ship. It includes all the knowledge and judgement a ship captain must know which is useful or important to manage his vessel. Use of Shiphandling skill 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 of incompetence. The Shiphandling rules in White Wolf can be used in place of the Naval Conflicts rules 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 Bonus This is the skill of surviving in the wild places of the world, and Middle-earth has many such places! It covers knowledge of how to forage for edible or useful plants, find or make shelter, snare small 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 is best used in conjunction with other skills (Lore (Plants), Track and Set/Disarm Trap) spring to mind). Successful Survival skill rolls in the relevant terrain should provide bonuses to subsequent rolls for such skills. Skill Warcraft Base 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 hard way) or has learned the lessons of history from skilled teachers. A successful Warcraft roll allows the 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 of the extended tests rules. Craft (Stonemason) and Lore (Geology or Rocks & Minerals) can provide affinity 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 minutes 1 Combat Round = 12 seconds 1 Minute = 5 Combat Rounds 1 Game Turn = 25 Combat Rounds 1 Hour = 12 Game Turns b) Daily Movement For overland movement, we assume a ten hour travel-day with sufficient stops for rest. Consult the table below for daily distances. These values assume travelling along a road or trail, not crosscountry Pace Walk Forced March Casual Horseback Forced Horseback Wagon Speed Distance (miles per day) 20 40 35 40 10

Terrain and weather conditions then reduce these base figures as follows: Terrain Forest, rolling hills or desert Mountains Marshes or swamps Ice or snow Heavy Storms Reduce By 1/3 2/3 2/3 (or 1/3 if using boats or rafts) 4/5 (or 1/3 if using skis or sledges) 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 Open Sea, hourly Open Sea, daily Coast/River, hourly Coast/River, daily

Good Conditions (miles) 8 192 4 48

Poor Conditions (miles) 1 24 2 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 important considerations. 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 to rounds. Distance moved may be critical, and knowing if your character can get from one side of a battle to the other becomes important. Typical movement rates are shown below: Pace Normal Cautious Run

Game Turn 1000ft / 380yds 400ft / 130yds ~1mile / 1480yds

Minute 200ft / 65yds 80ft / 25yds 1040ft / 350yds

Combat Round 40ft / 12yds 16ft / 5yds 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 Normal Move, Running, Restricted Ground 200ft 100ft 65yds 33yds

2) Using Skills: Success or Failure

Whether your character is heroic or dastardly, you'll want him to act and succeed. In Basic RolePlaying your character can succeed in four ways: automatic actions; simple percentile rolls; skill versus skill; and the resistance table rolls. These four methods of determining success give you all the 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 no need 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 close scrutiny, 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 these are Riding, Swimming, Throwing, or Picking Pockets. A list of common skills is given below, with normal starting percentages. Skill Brawl Climb Dodge Listen Hide See Move Quietly Starting Percentage 25% 25% DEX x 2% 25% 10% 25% 10%

These skills are possessed in greater or lesser degree by everyone. Other skills may require special training. Perfect examples of such skills include Ride, Craft skills, Disguise, Language skills and Lore 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 used versus Search or See; Move Quietly may be used against Listen; Appraise versus Persuade in a trading/bartering situation and so on. Further, it may be that the same skills can be used against each other: 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. For example, Hide could be the 'defender' while Search would be the 'attacker'. The defending character must successfully use his skill before it will guard him. If the defender is successful, subtract his skill percentage from the attacker's skill. The attacker must then make his skill roll at the reduced percentage in order to be successful. In a case where the defender's skill would reduce the attacker's skill 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 to be 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 Man makes his Hide skill roll and succeeds. The Orc must then make a See skill roll of (50-28=) 22% in order to spot the Man. If the Man had failed his Hide roll, he would have had nothing to with which to 'defend' himself against the Orc's eyesight, and the Orc would have had a 50% chance to spot the Man.

d) Skill Versus Skill Method Two (Experimental, untested) These rules might suit extended test situations where two characters are locked in a struggle over a period of time. Such cases would include large scale tactical battles, games of chess, trading or diplomatic negotiations and so on. Divide each character's percentile skill by 5 and round fractions normally. This will give a number between 1 and 20 (for most characters). Each character then decides their goal or the GM can determine 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 the score - 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 not be 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 have made. For example: Two characters are playing Chess and match their Games skills on the Resistance Table. Turgon has Games 84% and Bergil has Games 60%. Dividing by 5 and rounding normally gives Turgon a score of 16.8 (rounded up to 17) and Bergil has a score of 12. Turgon has a 5 point advantage over Bergil. On the Resistance Table, Turgon has a 75% chance of beating Bergil, whilst Bergil has but a 25% 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 are in 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 figure out if your character succeeds in pitting some characteristic of his against something else, also expressed as a simple number comparable to the characteristic. The Table is a ready-to-use version of 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 find the passive object's characteristic on the left-hand, vertical line. Cross-index them and you have the maximum 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 referee determines that the door has STR 4. Checking the Resistance Table you'll see that he needs to roll 75% 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 be used to resolve situations outside of the normal skill-system. Courage, the average of STR, POW and CHA, is used to resist Fear. Fatigue Points, the average of CON, STR and POW, are used to determine the effects of exhausting activities on the character. Specific mechanics for Courage are in 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 task easier. 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 Complex Repair Very Complex Repair Don't have the right parts Don't have the right tools Has never been done before I've never done this before Complex Lock Modifier -20% -40% -20% -30% -60% -10% -Builder's Craft: Locksmith Skill

b) Stealth Skills Situation Performing secretive task while under observation Target on guard or alerted c) Terrain Effects on Stealth Terrain Light Scrub Brush Trees Medium Scrub Brush Trees Heavy Scrub Brush Trees 15% 30% 50% -15% -30% -50% 10% 20% 20% -10% -20% -20% 5% 10% 10% -5% -10% -10% Hide Move Quietly Modifier -40% -30%

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 Light Scrub Brush Trees Medium Scrub Brush Trees Heavy Scrub Brush -15% -30% -10% -20% -20% 0% -10% -10% See/Search

Terrain Trees

See/Search -50%

If the ground is broken, halve the Search skill and reduce See by 25% before subtracting the terrain modifier. 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. Movement reduced as per Brush. f) Perception and Lighting Situation Well hidden clue/object/secret door or panel Brightly lit area / Full Sunlight (e.g. for Orcs) Insufficient light (e.g. Moon, Star, torch, candle) Pitch Blackness g) Encumbrance (Agility Skills, Attack and Parry) Encumbrance Level Light Medium Heavy h) Miscellaneous Modifiers Situation Under Stress Under Attack Modifier -30% -30% Modifier -10% -20% -30% Modifier -30% -30% -5% to -70% (GM's Discretion) -75%

i) Reputation and Social Skills Reputation Score 0-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30 31+ Area in Common Local Area Region Realm World Modifier 0% +/- 5% +/- 10% +/- 15% +/- 20% +/- 25% +/- 30% Modifier 0% -10% -20% -40% -60%

4) Skill Affinities (Experimental, untested)

Some skills are related (even if not closely) and characters possessing such skills may be able to bring 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) related skills which may be applied in a situation. The player may then attempt skill rolls for the affinities before 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 on the main skill roll. Critical successes or fumbles on an affinity roll do not grant any further bonuses or penalties to the main skill. For example, the Healing skill is used to treat diseases, poisons and so on. But Lore: Plants includes knowledge of which plants may have beneficial healing qualities. With a successful Lore: Plants roll, 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 in practical situations. For example, when attempting to Persuade with a Dwarf Chieftain, a character with Lore: Dwarves has an insight into the Dwarven personality and mind-set which may give him an advantage in striking a deal. If another character possesses a relevant affinity skill and is in a position to communicate the information 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 required score. Fractions less than 0.5 are rounded down, those of 0.5 or greater are rounded up. For example, a character with a Climb skill of 62% will score a critical success on the roll of 6.2% or less on D100. The 6.2% rounds down to 6%. A critical success represents a spectactular performance by the character. The GM should reward the character in some way. For example: a climber makes the ascent more quickly; a pick-pocket filches an item of high value; someone listening detects an enemy approaching much earlier than would be normal or can perhaps reckon the number of approaching creatures; a craftsman makes an item 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 in the Combat chapter. b) Special Success A special success occurs when the dice roll is between 1/10 and 1/5 of the required skill or resistance table score. Again, fractions less than 0.5 are rounded down, those of 0.5 or greater are rounded 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 the GM should reward the character in some way. The climber could make the ascent with ease; a pickpocket might filch an additional item; a listener could be able to determine the enemy's direction of approach or the type of creature making the noise; a craftsman makes an item of above average quality. 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 but less than or equal to the score. With a 62% Climb skill, the character above will score a normal success on a dice roll of 13 62%. The character's performance in the skill or resistance roll is sufficient to accomplish the task and the normal effects of the skill apply with no further bonus or penalty. 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 passable or saleable quality. d) Normal Failure A normal failure, or simply failure, occurs on a skill or resistance roll higher than the skill score but less than 96%. In this case the character's performance in the skill is inadequate and the task is failed. For example: a climber gets stuck and is unable to find a way up a cliff face (a cruel GM might ask for another Climb roll to be able to get back down!); a pick-pocket comes away empty handed; a character cannot hear anything untoward; a craftsman labours all day but his work is spoiled by poor 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 the character's failed attempt. For characters whose skill level is less than 50% a mishap occurs on a dice roll of 96, 97 or 98%. For characters whose skill level is 50% or higher a mishap occurs on a dice roll of 98 or 99%. Examples of mishaps include: the climber drops something while making the climb; the pick-pocket filches and item of superficially high value but which turns out to be worthless; the listener confuses the enemy approach with something innocent and may proceed with a false sense of security; the craftsman makes an item that, although functional, is either unpleasing to the eye or has 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 a skill. 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 turns out to be cursed; the listener fails to hear the enemy and may be surprised when they approach; the craftsman makes an item of superficially high quality but which will break on first usage. The GM should rule on the fumble's detrimental effects. Fumbles add a further element of risk to combat. More details on combat fumbles can be found in the Combat chapter.

6) Experience
a) Learning From Experience A great pleasure of continued role-playing is watching and participating in the advancement of a character from his humble beginnings to his ultimate fate. Characters grow and change, generally getting better at whatever they attempt to do. There is real satisfaction in having characters be successful. Success is measured in many ways. Your character may be important in whatever local game in which he participates. He may be a knight or warrior, a cleric or magician, a nobleman or a wicked tyrant. How this occurs depends upon how the particular game has been established. These rules standardise another measurement, advancement through experience. Simply put, the more you use a skill, the more you learn about it and the better you get at it. This includes concrete skills, such as sword fighting or jumping, abstract ones such as Listening, or exotic skills in advanced versions of the game. Whenever your character has finished an adventure, typically after play is done and before everyone goes home, you should check over his character sheet to see what skills were used during play. If your character succeeded in using skills, they should have been marked on the sheet. Just trying is not enough to learn by you must succeed. No matter how many times a character succeeds in a skill, 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 skill level. If you roll equal to or lower than the current skill, then the character hasn't learned from his experience. 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 him i.e. those which are relevant to his profession. Other skills improve more slowly because the character pays them less attention. When a skill reaches or exceeds 90%, do not roll the dice for improvement, simply add 1% to the skill. Repeat the procedure for all the skills used in the adventure. Note here that a weapon's Attack and Parry and the Read/Write and Speak aspects of a Language are separate skills and improve independently of each other. You can see that successfully doing something you're poor at is hard, but also that if you succeed at it then you're more likely to learn from the experience. Conversely, if you're good at a skill you'll usually 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 reflect this, when making an experience roll as described above, add the INT - 12 to the D100 roll to see of the character improves. Thus a character with INT of 14 will add (14 -12 =) 2% to the dice roll for all 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 other characters in that skill. For weapons skills, a score of 90% or higher in both Attack and Parry are required 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 be possible to be a master of Shield Parry - because shields are primarily defensive - without having a similar level in Shield Attack). Training is expensive. A Master-level teacher may charge whatever the student can afford in return for the training. Such payment need not be monetary: quests, tasks and return service are all possible repayments, depending on the Master. Furthermore, qualified teachers may be few and far between: 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 can study with only one teacher at a time. At the end of training, roll D6-2 for the skill (or both Attack and Parry skills for a weapon) to see by what percentage the character's skill has improved. It is possible to get worse after studying with a Master, in cases where the Master's style differs radically from 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 represent skills and knowledges learned from books, scrolls and teachers, they are in a way 'finite', that is, if one has not read the correct books or scrolls or been taught by a Sage, there are certain things that remain 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 the lower Lore user increases by 1D6% while the higher user increases by 1D4%. If either adventurer has a skill of 90%, then the increase is only 1%. Further, if the lower skill is less than half the higher skill, that knowledge is so limited that the higher Lore user can learn nothing from his less experienced colleague, though the reverse is not true. Finally, an adventurer can learn only once from a particular individual in this manner. Such a conversation typically takes 2D6 days to complete. A Lore user can perform research in a laboratory (in the case of Poison Lore, for instance) or library. For each year of uninterrupted study, the Lore skill increases by 1D10% until it reaches 90%, 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 may be 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 occasions are summarised below. 1. When the GM asks for an Attribute x 1 % saving roll (e.g. STR or less on 1D100 to move a huge boulder) and the character makes the roll, the player has the chance to increase his attribute. At the end of the adventure, the player rolls 2D6. If he rolls 7 on one try, the attribute increases by 1. If the roll is 2 (double 1 or snake-eyes), the adventurer has strained something and the attribute decreases 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. The roll must be made in a dangerous situation against a foe whose corresponding attribute is higher than the character's own. On a successful roll, the character may roll to improve the attribute on 2D6 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 be increased 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 favourable impression on others. Such training takes at least one month and the character must be trained by a 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 one point. 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 of such 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 detail in the Combat chapter, but is something which most players probably would not wish to dwell upon! 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 wealth is useful (for replacing lost weapons or broken armour, purchasing room and board at the Inn of the Prancing Pony) it is not the be all and end all. Characters would be well advised to be prepared to surrender 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 no immediate effect on your character other than not bringing home the rich merchant's daughter just then. While your character may get a bit hungry without money, that will only motivate him strongly on the next adventure. But there can be worse fates, such as the failure to finish climbing up 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. Encumbrance and its effects are then calculated in four bands: No Encumbrance, Light, Medium and Heavy. The Encumbrance Bands are shown below, along with the penalty assigned to Agility skills (such as Dodge and Climb) and Combat skills (Attack and Parry) at those levels of encumbrance. Band No Encumbrance Light Medium Heavy Min Load (lbs) 0 STR x 2 STR x 5 STR x 8 Max Load (lbs) STR x 2 STR x 5 STR x 8 STR x 10 Penalty 0% -10% -20% -40%

Dwarves, by virtue of their Tireless racial ability, ignore the penalties for Light and Medium encumbrance 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 when tired. Round fractions normally. For example, a character with STR of 12, CON of 13 and POW of 10 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 Fresh Winded Tired Exhausted FP Remaining Full FP 3/4 FP 1/2 FP 1/4 FP Skill Modifiers 0% -10% -25% -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 current FP versus the level of difficulty of the activity. Make the first check after the base time in the table below then, if the activity is sustained beyond that time, check again after every interval. After a while, the character will fail a Resistance Table roll and begin to accumulate fatigue. Activity Level Extreme Demanding Standard Relaxed Difficulty 18 15 10 7 Base Time 10 minutes 1 hour 2 hours 4 hours Interval 5 minutes 30 minutes 1 hour 2 hours

The level of success in the Resistance Table roll determines how many Fatigue Points are lost, as shown 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 the following modifiers to the base difficulty of the fatigue Resistance Table roll based on the level of encumbrance of the character. Encumbrance Level Difficulty Modifier None Light Medium Heavy 0 +2 +4 +6

Thus a warrior with a Heavy load engaged in combat (extreme activity) matches current FP versus a target 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, gladdening the 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 the character 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 those which govern interaction between characters. In many cases the situation should be roleplayed and the GM can decide the outcome based on the characters' persuasiveness, motivations, evidence and the player's skill at roleplaying their character. No modifiers are given, nor needed for such situations. There will be occasions when a skill roll is needed. In such cases, make the skill roll and check for the level of success below. Critical

Fast Talk or Oratory moves the target(s) to immediate action. There is no Idea Roll save versus the 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 intimidator immediately, 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 is halved. 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 or information is forthcoming. A failed Intimidate roll means the target is unimpressed. The user may retry, however, once more information is known about the target. This may require further Insight, Persuade, Fast Talk 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 a penalty 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 user works 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 these situations. However, it may be possible to counter social skills with combinations of Attributes, particularly if Skill 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 the crowd'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 these situations.

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 next round. 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 GM should alternate between himself and the players as to who declares first. Alternatively, declaration could be done by the lowest DEX person or creature first, on the theory that faster characters can react 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 unto others before they do unto you allows combatants the chance to kill an opponent before the opponent can strike. Initiative determines this order of attack. To determine Initiative, each combatant rolls D10 plus or minus their DEX Modifier (i.e. the bonus or penalty for having a DEX higher than 12 or lower than 9). For example, a character with DEX of 15 rolls D10 + 3 for Initiative, while a character with DEX 6 rolls D10 3 for Initiative. In extreme cases, this character may have a negative Initiative score. Once initiative is determined, attacks or other actions are carried out in descending order. Should two or more characters tie on a particular Initiative score, they act in order of DEX, highest first. If there is still a tie based on DEX score, roll 1D10 for each character involved in the tie. The highest D10 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 makes skill rolls to Attack, Parry, Dodge or perhaps cast spells. Other characters may perform other actions: 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 of reinforcements (who may fight next round); the appearance of summoned creatures; spell effects starting or ending; characters using non-combat skills (healing a fallen comrade as the battle rages all 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 to rounds. Distance moved may be critical, and knowing if your character can get from one side of a battle to the other becomes important. Typical movement rates are shown below: Pace Normal Cautious Run

Game Turn 1000ft / 380yds 400ft / 130yds ~1mile / 1480yds

Minute 200ft / 65yds 80ft / 25yds 1040ft / 350yds

Combat Round 40ft / 12yds 16ft / 5yds 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 Normal Move, Running, Restricted Ground 200ft 100ft 65yds 33yds

2) Making Attacks
To make an attack simply choose your weapon and make a percentile dice roll. If the roll is less than or equal to your Attack Percentage with that weapon, you have hit the target. This does not guarantee you have hurt the target, however. The target may parry your attack; have elected to dodge 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's damage and any damage bonus you may have. The total damage (allowing for armour) is subtracted from 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 be applied to attacks in combat

Situation Target Helpless Target surprised during non-combat action Target knocked down (prone) Target surprised during combat Attacking from behind or the target's unshielded side Attacking from above Per 10 SIZ points > 20 Target cannot be seen or sensed in other ways Attacker knocked down (prone) Target moving (when attacking with missile fire) Per SIZ point below 4 Attacker riding moving animal or vehicle Called Shot (half initiative) b) Called Shots

Modifier +25% +20% +20% +10% +10% +10% +5% -75% -20% -10% -10% -10% Half attack skill

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 brief description of the intended action (e.g. I will knock the dagger out of the Orc's hand). The character's Initiative is halved for that round as he manoeuvres for position and/or aims the attack carefully. When the character's turn arrives, the attack skill is halved to reflect the difficulty of the aimed shot. If the intent of the called shot is to disarm the opponent, then on a successful attack roll, match the attacker's STR or DEX vs. the opponent's STR or DEX on the Resistance Table. The attacker can choose which of his character's attributes are used in this test. If the attacker wins the struggle, the foe is disarmed, his weapon landing 1D6 yards away in a random direction. Should the attacker make a critical success, the weapon lands up to 2D6 yards away in a direction chosen by the attacker. 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 then make a successful Brawl or melee attack (with a blunt weapon!) The damage is subtracted from the target's Hit Points. Then match the damage done against the target's remaining Hit Points on the Resistance Table. If the roll is successful, the target loses consciousness for 21 - CON hours. When it wakes up it will have a large bump on the head but will have recovered 1/3 of the Hit Points lost to 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 the attacks 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 may elect 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 to the Parry skill with that weapon or shield means the blow has been stopped and the parrying character 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 the duration 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 a longsword and shield and misses an attempted parry with the shield, you may not attempt another parry against the same blow with the longsword. Neither may a character fail a Parry attempt and then elect to Dodge (see below). b) Dodging Dodge is a useful skill which allows the character to avoid an incoming blow. Melee attacks may be dodged providing the character has not previously attempted, and presumably failed, to Parry the incoming attack. Ranged attacks from thrown weapons (axes, rocks and spears, for example) may be dodged but arrows may not as they are travelling too fast. Only one Dodge may be attempted against each incoming attack. A character may attempt multiple dodges in a round. As with parrying, each dodge after the first is at 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 armoured character is hit in combat (or takes damage from other sources like a fall) subtract the armour's protection rating from the damage rolled. Only the excess is then subtracted from the character's Hit Points. 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 Hit Points. Armour costs, weights, types and protection values,are detailed in the Weapons and Equipment chapter. d) Cover Taking cover means to use the surrounding environment as a means of protection. This could be as simple as diving to the ground to avoid a hail of arrows or fighting a desperate seige action on the battlements of a fortress. Unlike armour, cover decreases the attacker's chances of landing a successful blow on the character in cover, rather than providing a reduction in damage. Some sample cover modifiers are shown below

Cover Type Hard cover (walls, battlements, solid wood) Soft cover (hedges, bushes) Amount of target covered

Modifier -20% -10% -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. There are 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, a Warrior 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 are much more important - and potentially very deadly. When a critical hit is scored in combat, apply the following rules:

Normal armour does not protect against a critical hit. The blow is assumed to have penetrated a joint or other weak spot in the armour. However, armour made of Mithril does protect against a critical hit. It is this ability of Mithril that saves Frodo's life when the Cave Troll spears him in Moria. Roll normal weapon's damage and double it. This greatly increases the chances of killing the target with a single blow. If the critical hit is not fatal, the target still suffers a major wound, even if the damage would normally have inflicted only a minor wound . The stricken character is assumed to be at least temporarily stunned and out of action for at least five 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 no damage. b) Special A Special occurs when the skill roll lies between 1/10 and 1/5 of the skill score. The Warrior above would 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's skill 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 Damage Bonus 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 the roll 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 is no further effect. If a Parry roll is failed, the defender is struck by the incoming weapon, normal damage is inflicted and 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 skill score less than 50%, a Mishap occurs on the percentile dice roll of 96, 97 or 98. For those with a skill 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's effects on the attacker. The descriptions are left vague enough that the GM can provide evocative descriptions 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 01 10 11 20 21 30 31 40 41 50 51 60 61 70 71 80 81 85

Effect -2 Initiative next round as the weapon/shield is pulled out of line Lose grip on weapon/shield. -4 Initiative next round Distracted. All foes may Attack at +10% for the remainder of this round and next Vision impaired. -20% from all Attacks and Parries for the remainder of this round and next Blow to head. Fighter is dazed. -10% to all actions for the remainder of this round and next Lose next Attack or Parry Strain a muscle. For the next D3 rounds all Attacks, Parries and Dodges are at half skill level Lose next D3 Attacks or Parries. Over extended. Fighter is off balance and vulnerable. For the remainder of this round and next, the fighter is at -25% on Attacks, Parries and Dodges and all foes attack at +25% Winded by an unexpected blow. Can Parry but not Attack or Dodge for D3 rounds Weapon stuck in opponent's armour, shield or hide. No damage to target. Roll STRx3% to pull weapon free. If Parrying with a shield, the shield gets caught on an obstacle and needs a STRx3% roll to dislodge. Armour Damaged. Reduce its protection value by 1. Roll twice on this table and apply both results Blow it! Roll on the appropriate Fumble chart for the attacker's weapon.

86 89 90 93

94 97 98 99 100 f) Fumble

The opposite side of the coin to a critical is the Fumble. Everyone makes mistakes, no matter how high their skills. A roll of 00 (100) on the percentile dice is always a Fumble. For characters with a skill rating below 50%, the roll of 99 is also a fumble. For Fumbles in combat, roll D100 and refer to the charts below. D100 01 20 21 40 41 60 61 75 76 90 91 00 Roll for Melee Weapons Drop weapon at feet. Initiative -5 next round to pick it up or draw a backup Wild swing. Attacker off-balance for the remainder of this round and next. Cannot Attack or Parry but may Dodge at half skill. Weapon slips and lands 1D6 yards away Trip and Fall. Must fight from ground unless opponent lets the character up. Attacks from ground at half skill percentage but parries are normal Distracted. Automatically miss on your next Attack. Parry and Dodge at half skill next round. Weapon strikes the nearest hard surface (walls, floor, armour) and breaks. If no hard substance exists, the fumbler has wounded himself. Make a normal damage roll (including the Damage Bonus if applicable) and divide by 2. The fumbler takes this amount as damage, but any armour worn will have its normal protective value.

D100 01 20

Roll for Missile Weapons Drop or break the ammunition (arrow, sling stone); -5 Initiative next round to find a replacement. If no ammunition (axe, spear) the weapon becomes snagged and the next attack is lost. Drop weapon at feet. Initiative -5 next round to pick it up or draw a backup Weapon breaks Wild Shot. Use 1D12 as a clockface to determine direction of the shot. Hit first target (friend or foe) on that line of sight. Out of ammunition (quiver lost, etc.) Make a Luck Roll to see if it can be found again. If no ammunition, make a Luck Roll to see if the weapon has broken. Hit a friend for normal damage (including the Damage Bonus if applicable) or shoot self in the foot (take half damage as a wound, as described in 86 00 above). Use a Luck Roll to determine who gets hit. Roll for Unarmed or Natural Weapons Trip and fall, must fight from ground unless opponent lets the character up. Attacks from ground at half skill percentage but parries are normal Attacker stumbles and bangs head. Stunned for remainder of this round and next; all Parries and Dodges at half percentage Sprain something. For the next 1D6 rounds, all Attacks, Parries and Dodges are at half chance Foot stamped on or ankle twisted. Half movement for the rest of the fight. No Kick attacks allowed. Hit friend for normal damage. If no friend nearby, hit self as below. Hurt self. Do full rolled damage (including the Damage Bonus if applicable) to self. Roll for Parries with Weapons or Shields Parrying weapon is dropped or shield is knocked from the fighter's arm Parrying arm numbed by force of blow. Next D3 Parries at half skill level Leave yourself wide open to counterattack. Foe gets +40% to Attack skill for the next attack. Parrying warrior is forced to the ground. No damage is sustained but Attacks and Parries from ground at half skill percentage until the fighter regains his feet Parrying weapon or shield breaks. Parrying weapon or shield breaks. Further, the defender sustains normal damage and is knocked to the ground.

21 40 41 60 61 75 76 90 91 00

D100 01 - 20 21 40 41 60 61 75 76 90 91 00 D100 01 20 21 40 41 60 61 75 76 90 86 00

5) Damage and Hit Points

Each character, creature and object has a certain number of Hit Points. For normal characters this is the average of CON + SIZ with fractions rounded up. These represent how much damage that character, creature or object can sustain before being killed or destroyed. When a character suffers damage, 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 the wielder of that weapon. Weapon damage can be found on the Weapons Tables. The wielder's physical power comes from a combination of strength and size. Add the character's STR and SIZ and find the result on the table below. This gives the character's damage bonus to be applied whenever that character makes an unparried hit in combat. a) Damage Bonus STR + SIZ 02 - 12 13 - 24 25 - 32 33 - 40 41 - 56 57 + -1D4 No Bonus +1D4 +1D6 +2D6 additional 1D6 damage for each additional increment of 16 or fraction thereof Damage Bonus

When a hit is scored with a hand-held weapon, roll the damage for the weapon and the full modifier shown 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 melee weapon and +1D4 / 2 with a thrown weapon or bow. Should this character score a hit with a longsword, 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 a single blow. With a missile weapon, the character's damage bonus is +1D4 / 2, the theory being that a bigger, stronger character can pull a heavier bow, but that the person's SIZ is not as big a factor over a distance. Thus, if this character scores a hit with a shortbow, the damage is 1D6+1 (for the bow) plus 1D4 / 2 (or 1 - 2 points for STR + SIZ), giving a maximum damage of 9 points. This is enough to seriously wound a normal Man. When a hit is scored, roll damage according to weapon type and damage bonus. Any damage which penetrates 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 character can 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) Hit Points 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 not hinder 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 a single blow, but less than all the points. A character's major wound level is equal to half his total hit points, with fractions rounded up. A character with 15 Hit Points, therefore, suffers a major wound if 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 wound slowing the character's reactions. The initiative penalty remains until the character is healed to full Hit Points. Skills involving movement and coordination (most Agility, Manipulation, Attack, Parry and Stealth skills) are halved. Shock and blood loss mean the character cannot keep fighting indefinitely. If possible, the character should withdraw from combat immediately. If sorely pressed, however, the character may keep fighting for a number of rounds equal to his remaining Hit Points. At the end of this period, the fighter collapses. The character must roll on the Major Wounds Table below to determine any long term effects of the wound Major wounds carry a risk of death, even if the character survives the initial wound. The character must receive medical (or magical) treatment for his injury within one hour or risk death. If no such aid is received, he must roll his CON or less on 1D20 to avoid death. If he rolls higher than his CON, he dies on the spot. Those that make the roll will eventually heal, but they will be partially crippled and will lose 1D6 CON points permanently, in addition to any penalties incurred 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's STR 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 walk unaided. 81 85 Cracked ribs. Half movement rates and carrying capacity. 86 89 Head injury. Character is concussed and unconscious for 6D10 minutes, after which all skills 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 for 1D3 hours. 96 00 Roll again on this chart or roll for a Gruesome Injury (GM's discretion or a Luck Roll to 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 to treat such wounds. Short of magic, there is no way to reattach a severed limb. However, a Healing skill roll, made promptly after a character suffers such an amputating or crippling injury, means that the 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 Hit Points 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, the character gains another scar. However, organ damage, concussions and broken ribs are cumulative at the GM's discretion. After a character suffers an injury on this chart, recalculate all skill bonuses based on the reduced attributes. d) Gruesome Injuries (optional, experimental, untested) As an optional rule, a combatant sustaining a Major Wound may be the victim of a Gruesome Injury. These are typically amputations, severe bleeding and other maiming injuries that often cause loss of Attribute points and have a long term effect on a character. The GM should use these injuries 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 of Rohan who lost a hand fighting an Orc warband raiding a Rohirrim homestead; or perhaps those self-same Orcs with their numerous scars and afflictions caused by the brutal society in which they live. D4 1 2 3 4 Arm Roll 1D6. 1 3 = Left , 4 6 = Right D6 1 2 3 4 5 6 Damage Maimed. Doesn't heal properly. Lose 2 DEX. Lose 1D4 fingers. Lose 2 DEX and 10% off all Manipulation skills. Amputate hand. -3 DEX, 20% off Manipulation skills. Amputate at forearm/wrist. -4 DEX, 20% off Manipulation skills. Amputate at elbow. -4 DEX, 20% off all Manipulation skills, Climb and Swim. Amputate at upper arm. -4 DEX, 40% off all Manipulation skills, Climb and Swim. Leg Head Torso Location Arm

Leg Roll 1D6. 1 3 = Left , 4 6 = Right D6 1 2 3 4 5 6 Head D10 1 2 3 4 56 7 8 Lose Left Eye. -2 CHA, -2 DEX Lose Right Eye. -2 CHA, -2 DEX Lose Left Ear. -1 CHA, -5% from Perception Bonus Lose Right Ear. -1 CHA, -5% from Perception Bonus Jaw/Teeth. Lose 1D6 teeth, -2 CHA and -1 CON Lose Nose. -4 CHA, -3% from Perception Bonus Throat/Neck. Severed artery, blood loss 1D6 Hit Points per minute. If this wound is survived, the character will forever speak with a gutteral rasping voice. Damage Damage Maimed. Doesn't heal properly. Permanent and noticeable limp. Lose 2 DEX. Hamstrung leg. Becomes useless. -4 DEX. Lose foot. -2 DEX, 20% off all Agility skills Severed artery. Blood loss 1D4 Hit Points per minute Amputate at knee. -3 DEX, 20% off all Agility skills Amputate at thigh. -4 DEX, 40% off all Agility skills.

9 10 Skull. Concussion or Brain Damage. -3 INT, -3 CHA. Possible personality change (GM discretion) Torso D6 Damage Spinal injury. Ability to move and handle heavy weights severely 1 impaired. STR and DEX halved. Damage to internal organs. Lose D6+2 CON points and recalculate Hit 2 Points based on the new CON value. Possible delayed fatality. 34 Bleeding like a stuck pig. Lose 1D6 Hit Points per round. Broken ribs. Lose 1D4 CON points and recalculate Hit Points 5 accordingly. Heart shattered. Instant fatality regardless of number of Hit Points 6 remaining. e) Fatalities A fatality is any wound that deals more damage than the character has current Hit Points. This is instant 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 life for his CON / 2 (round up fractions) in minutes. For each minute thereafter, the character must make CON x 10, CON x 9, CON x 8 etc down to CON x 1 saving rolls. As soon as one of these rolls 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 eighth minute, a CON x 9 roll; on the ninth minute, a CON x 8 roll. This continues until 17 minutes after the fatal wound when the saving roll is CON x 1. For each minute thereafter the save remains at CON 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 from combat. 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 see if it catches fire. (Add +20% to the Luck Roll if the target is wearing all metal armour.) Burning targets 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 clothes and 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). In addition, the character must make a Luck Roll each round to avoid asphyxiation, rules for which are described below. Exposure to hotter fires, such as molten lava, a blacksmith's forge or kiln, causes 3D6 Hit Points of damage per round of exposure. Serious burns, those causing more than half the character's total Hit Points, also cause the loss of 1D4 Attribute points if the burned character fails a Luck Roll. It is at GM's discretion which attributes 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 CON rolls each round to avoid asphyxiation. Start at CON x 10% on the first round and work down the multiplier each subsequent round until CON x 1% (minimum) is reached. A failed roll causes loss of 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 taking damage.

d) Falling or Being Thrown Falls cause 1D6 Hit Points Damage per 10 feet of fall. A successful Acrobatics skill roll can negate this damage, but only for falls of less than 30 feet. Armour does not protect against falling damage. In fact, platemail (Chainmail with plates in Middle-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. 1D6 damage per 10 feet thrown. e) Acid Uncommon in Middle-earth, acid, like fire, causes damage per round of contact. The contact must be significant, like the immersion of a hand, for damage to be applied (incidental splashes do not cause significant damage). Damage is done based on the strength of the acid as shown below: Strength Weak Strong Very Strong Damage per round D3 - 1 D4 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 Adder venom * Amanita Arsenic Belladonna

POTency 10 15 16 16

Onset Time 15-60 mins 6-24 hours 1-24 hours 2-48 hours

Symptoms Swelling, pain, violent spasms Violent stomach pains, vomiting, jaundice Searing pain, vomiting, violent diarrhoea Rapid heartbeat, impaired vision, hallucinations, convulsions Chills, sweating, nausea Unconsciousness, depressed respiration Unconsciousness for 1 hour, each added dose increases effect by 1 hour and a 10% chance ofrespiratory failure Convulsions, respiratory failure Muscular paralysis, respiratory failure Dizziness, convulsions, fainting Violent stomach cramps, vomiting, hallucinations, jaundice Vomiting, violent spasms, yellowish vision Intense pain, weakness, haemorrhaging Chills, sweating, nausea Violent muscle contractions, asphyxiation Convulsions, respiratory failure

Black widow Chloroform

7 15

2-8 hours Almost immediate 1-3 mins

Chloral hydrate 17 Cobra venom * Curare 25 Cyanide Mushrooms 15 Rattlesnake venom * Scorpion sting * Spider bite * Strychnine Viper venom * 20 16

15-60 mins Almost immediate 1-5 mins 6-24 hours 15-60 mins

10 9 8 20 16 1-2 days 1-6 hours 10-20 mins 15-60 mins

* = these are species-average POTs; individual spiders or snakes may have greater or lesser toxicity. The poisons presented above are real world poisons. In Middle-earth, it will be necessary for the GM to invent names for specific poisons and assign POT ratings and effects in line with these examples. So a poison bladderwort from the Forest of Mirkwood might have the same effects as Black 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 character knows, or suspects, the exposure: after being bitten by a rattlesnake or giant spider it is pretty clear that the character could have been poisoned. A First Aid or Healing roll applied to the character may 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 the poison's POT. However, this need not be the case. The creative GM can work out game effects of the symptoms listed above. A character could be incapacitated by such effects and this may add pressure 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 in Hit 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 equivalent to a poison's POT rating.When exposed to a disease, match the disease's VIR against the character's CON on the Resistance Table. If the VIR wins, the character is infected. A sick character loses 1D3 Hit Points per day until the total lost is equal to the VIR of the disease. If the character survives, his immune system has triumphed over the microbes and he starts to recover the lost Hit Points. First Aid skill does not affect diseases but Healing skill does. Disease Common Cold Influenza Pneumonia Cholera Plague 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 the chance 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. VIRulence 3 to 5 4 to 8 6 to 10 12 to 15 14 to 20

7) Combat Tactical Notes

a) Ambushes This rule-set supports an Ambush skill. Most ambush situations will be set up by the GM, which are much easier (and much more dangerous) than PC-planned ambushes. Should a PC (or group) decide to lay an ambush, use the following guidelines.

The ambushing party (PCs) describe the ambush: who is involved; how it will be set up; what triggers it; and who will attack whom, and with what. The GM describes play naturally until the point where the ambush will take place, then rolls D100 against each ambusher's Ambush skill. If the Ambush roll is successful, the GM rolls 1D4-1 to determine how many combat rounds the surprise effect of the ambush lasts. During these rounds, the victims may not Parry, Dodge, or fight 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 not been wiped out. If the Ambush roll is not successful, the ambushed party is allowed a See roll. Any characters in the ambushed party successfully making this See roll may Parry on the first combat round, and fight back normally on the second and subsequent rounds. All who fail the See roll are completely surprised and may do nothing on the first round; they may Parry on the second round; and they may fight normally on the third round. If a number of characters are engaged in springing the Ambush, choose one of those characters to be the leader of the ambush. This will normally be the character with the highest Ambush skill. The leader of the ambush must make a successful Ambush roll and a successful Warcraft skill 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 GM should conduct a POW vs. POW struggle between that PC and the leader of the ambush to see if the ambush 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 a Master 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 afford for such training. The student must practice full-time with the master for at least one game week. At the end of training, roll D6-2 for both Attack and Parry skills to see by what percentage the character's weapon skill has improved. (It is possible to get worse after studying with a Master, in cases where the Master's style differs radically from the student's). Characters may only train with one master in one week. Before any Master can train the same character in the same weapon again, that character must have participated in real combat with that weapon and have learned from the experience. Multiple Attacks The weapon master can make more than one Attack each round. During the Statement of Intent phase, the player decides how many Attacks will be made. The first Attack takes place on the character's Initiative, the second on Initiative -5, the third on Initiative -10, and so on. Each Attack made 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 fall during the combat round. This is called a riposte. The riposte is used against the opponent whose attack 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 three ripostes, one against each foe he parried. However, the chance for each Attack made during the round, whether normal Attack or riposte, decreases by -20% for each Attack beyond the first. This penalty 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 sleeping enemy, and similar circumstances. If the attacker can see (or at least be certain of) what he is doing, a helpless enemy will be slain automatically if it fails a POW x 1% saving roll. If this roll is successful, the victim takes the attacker's normal weapon damage and immediately becomes aware that he is under attack. On combat round two, the victim may Parry or Dodge, if he is able to. On combat round three, normal melee rules apply.

If the attacker cannot be certain of what he is doing, he gets one free surprise Attack at normal skill level, and the victim may be protected by any armour he is wearing. After the first round of surprise, 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 possible surprise attacker. If this roll fails, the attacker's skill is doubled for the surprise attack, with the corresponding doubled chance of a critical hit. e) Fortifications When attacking someone who is behind fortifications of some sort (a wall or barricade, for example) the defender counts as in cover. The GM should rule on the extent of the cover the barricade provides and apply modifiers to the attacker's Attack skill as described in the section on Cover. 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 who can attack him at once is limited. This is a GM call, based on the width of the position being fought over. See below for rules on Superior Numbers. g) Height Advantage A significant height advantage (horseback to infantry, hilltop to slope, wall to ground) between combatants 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 to defend 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 Man fighting a Man (or Elf, Orc or perhaps even a Dwarf) on level ground would not have any adjustments. 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 mansized target in one melee round.

8) Weapons Tables
The Weapons Tables list the STR and DEX requirements for using a given weapon effectively. In desperate times, however, a character may have to use a weapon for which he does not have the correct 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 is higher. With insufficient STR to wield the weapon, the character is slower and clumsier. He automatically strikes last in the combat round, unless another character is also fighting with a forbidden weapon, in which case these unfortunates determine initiative normally. With insufficient DEX, the character strikes at his normal initiative in the round but any successful hit does only half damage as the character lacks the DEX to control the weapon properly.

9. MAGIC
1) Magic in Middle-earth
Magic is part of the natural fabric of Middle-earth. Some beings notably Elves live in harmony with this natural magic and use it in their everyday lives, bringing something magical to everything 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 Maiar spirit, the Barrow-Wights are spirits inhabiting the bodies of the dead, and Tom Bombadil is clearly a 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 be used by the peoples of Middle-earth, however. They are simply a framework around which to build a game mechanic. Furthermore, these rules are largely theoretical. They have not been playtested and should be used with care until testing has been done. A suggestion to GM's would be to limit mortal Magicians to Rank 1 skills and spells, Silvan and Sindar Magicians to Rank 2, and Noldorin Magicians to Rank 3 regardless 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 using chants and other mnemonics to produce immediate magic spells. This is the skill most used by adventuring 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 are subdivided into Enchantment, Alchemy, Wizardry and Necromancy. Very often points of permanent POW are needed to make these magics work. Sorcery, Wizardry, Necromancy, Enchantment and Alchemy are collectively referred to as the Magical Arts. Each is described briefly below.

Sorcery spellcasting in the here and now. Magicians are taught the Art of Sorcery (casting immediate spells) by a learned tutor. However, the use of each spell is different enough that each spell 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 Dwarves is a form of Enchantment. Alchemy the Art of making magical substances, very often potions, and the transmutation of matter. Wizardry the Art of summoning, commanding, binding and dismissing (banishing)both natural and supernatural creatures (spirits, demons, and elementals). Knowledge of the ceremonies associated with 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 spirit associated with the mountains. In Middle-earth, Wizardry is not a common Art. Many spirits are evil Maiar, servants of Sauron, and not to be summoned by PC Magicians. 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, in the 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 skill would be one of The Dark Arts in Middle-earth (think, specifically, of the Necromancer of Dol Guldur, Sauron in disguise). It is a strong Magician indeed who can deal with these beings and this 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 spell Light at 45% but have ability with the Lightning spell at only 15%. Further, the Wizardry skills of Summon Fire Elemental and Summon Water Elemental are completely different and would be learned and improved as separate skills. The bulk of this chapter discusses Sorcery, as this is most likely to be useful to an adventuring Magician. 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 evil purposes. 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 by Sauron and fall into Evil. In general, Sorcery used for evil ends can be considered one of the Dark Arts. Most forms of Necromancy and Wizardry are Dark Arts also, though some good Magicians may 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 of magics, 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's Rank 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 simple Enchantments 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 Alchemical processes 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 mortal Magicians 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 (swords like Glamdring and Orcrist, for example). Wizardry can be used to summon powerful supernatural creatures, 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 Saruman are such magicians. Mortals cannot and even Noldor may not be capable of attaining this Rank even though 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 no care for what happens to the world. Sauron uses Mighty Magic to cause Mount Doom to erupt and blot out the Sun with its fumes, thus allowing his armies of Orcs to move without penalty during the day.

6) The Magic Bonus

Just as a character's Manipulation skills (such as Rope Use and Juggle) are subject to his/her Manipulation Bonus, so Magical skills are subject to the Magic Bonus. This is calculated similarly to other skill bonuses. The Magic Bonus is dependent on INT, POW, DEX and CHA. INT and POW are natural requirements of magic; DEX is required in the many gestures involved in spellcasting; CHA reflects the character's own personality as Magic is a very personal business. Magic INT POW DEX CHA -1% -1% -1% -1% 0 0 0 0 1% 1% 1% 1%

The Magic Bonus should be added to each magical skill the character possesses. Each spell known is effectively a separate skill and the Magic Bonus should be applied. The Ceremonial Magic skills are 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 successfully overcome the resistance of the target. Overcoming Resistance Any magic affecting an unwilling living target, such as Transform or Control, must usually overcome the resistance of the target by comparing the POW of the caster with the POW of the target 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 can happen 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 the player rolls 2 (double 1) the character has overexerted himself and POW decreases by 1. Any other roll means POW remains unchanged. POW can increase through a successful Resistance Table roll. The roll must be made in a dangerous situation against a foe whose corresponding attribute is higher than the character's own. On a successful roll, the character may roll to improve the attribute on 2D6 as described in 1 above. Rolls to gain POW in this way may be made only once, at the end of each adventure. The POW increase will come for the character one game week after the end of the adventure or after one week 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 the practitioners. 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 even the simplest spell sorely tax the mind of the magician. This places practical limits on the amount of magical knowledge a magic user can remember. This limit is equal to the magician's INT. Generally speaking, the spell or ritual's Rank + 1 INT points are required to commit the spell to memory. Thus the petty Rank 0 spells require 0 + 1 = 1 point of INT, while the mightiest Rank 5 rituals or spells take 5 + 1 = 6 points of INT. Once memorised, the spell or ritual can be used without recourse to spell books or other reference material. It takes one hour per point of INT a spell or ritual requires to commit it to memory. This assumes the magician has a quiet place to study and has no interruptions. Under such conditions no Memorise skill roll is required to memorise the spell or ritual (though a successful roll will halve the time the memorisation process takes). Under adverse conditions (while adventuring, under stress, 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 the character 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 per level 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 each step in the ritual from the book. A magician may use another magician's spell book if the character's player makes a roll of the character's INT as a percentage for each spell he attempts to use. Otherwise, the codes and handwriting of the strange spell book will not be comprehensible to the character. Reading the strange book may be attempted every time a character's Read skill increases by 5% or more in whichever 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 the spell, such as pointing at the target of an attack spell, or the laying on of hands during a healing spell. Alternatively, the energy of the spell the POW Points used in its casting may involuntarily move the magician's body in certain ways. Whatever the explanation and magic users have argued for centuries which is correct the fact remains that a certain amount of manual dexterity is required for casting magic of all sorts. Be it a simple pointing gesture, or painting the complex signs and sigils needed for a summoning, a magic user 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 leader or a follower. If there is one point on which all practitioners and philosophers of magic agree it is that magic is an intensely personal business. This is why CHA is so important. The character's CHA score affects the range, area of effect and duration of many spells.

7) Magicians in Combat
Magicians do not receive much martial training. The limit reflects the need for a magician to concentrate on intellectual pursuits, as well as his inability to find time to keep in practice with weapons. 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 the magician's after he has sacrificed the point of POW, and it can be used to power spells instead of using the magician's own POW. It regains POW at the same rate as the magician (i.e. at of maximum 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 1D6 damage (for a total of 1D8+1D6) to a target struck with it, if its POW overcomes the POW of the target (at an expense of one POW from the staff). If broken in combat, the staff will wither and become 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, or even weapons enchanted. However, the cost of time is doubled for any non-wood substance. A sorcerer 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 user has a percentage chance with a given spell or magical ritual and must roll that percentage or less on D100 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 another spell in the next melee round. If he fumbles the spell, the referee must determine what happened. It will be as detrimental to the character as possible. Attacks spells will affect the caster, Perception will 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 a fumble. a) Magical Lores Magic is not just about casting spells and using ritual to achieve wondrous effects. It is also about knowledge. Knowledge of the theory and practice of a particular Art, the greater and lesser practitioners of that Art, the limitations and dangers of the Art. Each Art therefore has an associated Lore 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 own POW to fuel that magic. Each point of POW used to casting magic is called a Level. The Magician's POW is reduced by 1 for each level of magic he casts. Should the Magician's POW reach 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 combat before completing the spell) costs 1 POW point. A fumbled spell or Ritual costs the same amount of POW 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 a spell or Ritual. This limit exists for the purposes of game balance and also because Magicians are assumed to have some feeling of self-preservation and would not wish to expend all their POW points 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's Hit 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 movement and action. During this time, the GM can optionally rule that all of the Magician's POW-dependent skills (Agility, Manipulation, Perception, Communication, Attack, Parry and, of course, Magic) are reduced 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 are generally cast on inanimate objects (perhaps the tip of a staff in the case of light), an area (a patch of ground in the midst of a group of enemies for a fireball) or on willing targets (such as the recipient of a flight or healing spell). Resisted magics are generally cast on unwilling targets. They create effects on the target (mind control, 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 take effect. Use the caster's POW before casting the spell to make this test (the POW points are expended to power the spell and overcome the target's resistance, so are available for the test). As noted in the individual spell descriptions, however, the resistance roll may match different attributes of 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 protective spell is attacked with harmful magic. Match the Level of the protective spell againt the Level of the attacking spell on the Resistance Table. If the attacking spell wins the struggle, it bypasses the defending spell. Example 1 A warrior has Countermagic cast on him at Level 3. This spell protects against incoming harmful magic 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 to break 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 of its casting. This is a GM call. For instance, a Shatter Object spell used to break a bottle on a shelf would be unresisted. The same spell used to break the same bottle held in someone's hand would be resisted 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 current Fatigue Points. So a Rank 0 Sorcery spell cast at Level 3 has a fatigue factor of 3 + 0 = 3, while a Rank 5 spell, cast at Level 3 has a target of 5 + 3 = 8. If the caster wins, he loses 1 FP (as all magic is tiring); if he fails he loses a number of FP equal to the spell level. Should the roll be fumbled, the caster 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 the caster is physical i.e. it comes off the caster's Hit Points, not Fatigue Points. Further, if a Fatigue Resistance roll is failed in these circumstances, the GM may rule the damage is permanently subtracted from the caster's CON Attribute. (This tactic may prevent a Magician altruistically casting 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 the character more. The mentor must know a spell or Ritual before it can be taught. The player character 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 this time, the student makes a roll of INT+POW+CHA as a percentage. If this roll is successful, the character has learned the spell at a base of INTx2% + Magic Bonus. If not, the learning process must begin again. Mentors may charge a fee for teaching their students but it is more likely that the student will be asked to perform a favour, quest or errand for the Mentor in return for the tuition. How difficult this task 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 previous knowledge, rumour or what may be stated or implied by what the PC reads in the Library. The GM assigns the Library a rating (in the range 1-3 typically) based upon the completeness of the Library's resources. It takes an uninterrupted period of 2D6 weeks (rolled in secret by the GM) to research a spell or ritual. At the end of this time, the player makes an INT roll, multiplied by the Library's rating as a percentage. If the roll is successful, the character learns the spell. If the roll fails, the character fails to learn the spell. At the GM's option, if the INT roll is fumbled, the character has misinterpreted what 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 ideal conditions, each magician counts as the other's Mentor (as above) and spells can be learned with a successful INT+POW+CHA roll after one-plus-one-week-per-Rank of study. Spells learned in this way 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 learn the spells they contain. The learner must first be able to read the book, requiring an appropriate Read Language skill. (A Sage with the Lore: Ancient Languages skill may be able to help here.) It then takes a roll of the character's INTx1% to learn a spell from the book. This roll may be attempted once per week until something 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, where they come from and what they can or will teach is up to the GM. Similarly, the motives of these creatures are determined by the GM. In Middle-earth, supernatural creatures may be evil Maiar spirits who serve the Shadow and will lead the character into Corrupt ways. The character should be on guard.

11) The Art of Sorcery

Sorcery deals with spellcasting. Spells may produce a variety of effects from the simple (changing the 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 game balance. Outright vetoing of a character's even having a particularly powerful spell should be part of the GM's repertiore. Each spell in the Middle-earth Spell Book is given a Rank. A magician cannot cast a spell of a Rank higher 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 Magicians under normal circumstances. d) Rank 3 INT + POW = 40: High Sorcery High Magics comprise powerful spells capable of affecting large areas or bodies of people. This level 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 has negative Initiative. Determine the caster's initiative in the normal way (1D10 + DEX modifier if any). The Magician begins casting the spell on this initiative. The spell is completed and its effects worked out when action 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. He rolls 1D10 and scores 7 (+ 1 for DEX) getting a total of 8. He begins casting his spell when Initiative 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 a nod or headshake or use other skills. If a spellcaster takes damage while casting a spell, the spell fails unless the caster can maintain concentration (i.e. make an INTx3 roll). If a Magician is casting a spell from a spell book (rather than from memory) it takes one full melee round per Level of the spell to cast. During this time the same restrictions as above apply.The spell could be lost if the Magician takes damage during the casting.

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's Level as the Fatigue Target. If the spell roll succeeds, the spell is cast. Work out the spell's effects as per its description. Even if the spell is successfully cast, the target (or any protective spells already laid on the target) may resist 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 the spell as normal, possibly negating its effects. The caster rolls to resist Fatigue at half the spell's Level as the Fatigue Target.

14) A Middle-earth Spell Book

a) Spell Descriptions Spell the name of the spell Rank the minimum Rank at which this spell can be learned and cast Range the distance over which the spell operates, very often a function of the caster's CHA Duration how long the spell's effects last, very often a function of the caster's CHA Resistance whether the spell is resisted or unresisted and what are the resisting attributes b) Rank 0 Sorcery Spells Spell Animal Messenger Rank 0 Range Touch Duration Caster's CHA in hours Resistance None With this spell a small animal (beast or bird) can be used as a messenger. The animal must be already to hand (either a pet, captured or summoned with another spell). The caster gives the animal a message, a description of the recipient and a location for the recipient. The animal then searches for a number of hours equal to the caster's CHA (this duration may be doubled if the caster makes an Animal Lore roll before giving the animal its mission). The animal then travels and searches for the recipient, gets close enough to the person and communicates the message. The recipient can understand the animal messenger even if he/she cannot normally understand beast speech. Spell Speak with Beasts Rank 0 Range Touch Duration 1 minute per point of caster's CHA Resistance None

This spell grants the caster, or the person touched, the ability to speak the languages of animals and birds. The creatures must be close enough to hear the caster's voice but they automatically understand, and can be understood by, him. The creatures may respond to the caster with an effective INT of 10 (average Human intelligence) allowing a reasonably complex conversation to be undertaken. This spell may be cast on another person if desired. Spell Scribe Moon-letters Rank 0 Range Touch Duration Special Resistance None Moon-letters were invented long ago by the Dwarves. Some moon-letters can only be read by holding the paper on which they are written up to the light of the Moon. Other, more clever, types can 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, simple letters can be made. Two POW allows letters to be written that can only be read by the same moonlight under which they were written. Three POW points allow specific day letters to be written. Finally, for the expenditure of one POW, the caster can determine whether a piece of paper has hidden moon-letters written on it but the letters themselves may not be read unless conditions are right. Spell Smoke Charm Rank 0 Range 1 foot per point of caster's CHA Duration Concentration Resistance POW vs. POW This is a simple spell often used as a form of entertainment. With it, the caster can control the colour, shape and movement of smoke clouds. The caster cannot create the smoke: there must be a source 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, for instance. Or, smoke could be made to gather round a target's face, causing breathing difficulties or obscured vision. This requires a POW vs. POW roll. c) Rank 1 Sorcery Spells Spell Blinding Flash Rank 1 Range 5 yards per point of caster's CHA Duration Instantaneous Resistance POW vs. POW This spell creates a bright flash of light to blind one of the caster's foes. If the caster overcomes the target's POW on the resistance table, the target is blinded for a number of combat rounds equal to the 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 1 Range Self Duration 10 minutes per point of caster's CHA Resistance None With this spell the caster may alter the colour of his skin, eyes, hair and clothes. While the spell is in effect, the colours may be changed at will as often as desired. This grants a +20% bonus per Level to the character's Hide skill. If cast as a mischief making spell (for instance to turn an annoying inn-keeper's hair bright pink) the spell is resisted POW vs. POW. Spell Making and Mending Rank 1 Range Touch Duration Special Resistance None This spell, most often used by Dwarves, grants a +20% bonus to any Craft skill used by the caster per POW point expended. The spell lasts for the creation, forging or repair of one item, object or work of art. The bonus skill points contribute to the chances of making a critical Craft skill roll. Spell Enhance Food Rank 1 Range Touch Duration See Text Resistance None This spell, a favourite of travelling Magicians, enhances the taste and quality of food. When used to improve 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 happen immediately and duration is permanent. Spell Fiery Missile Rank 1 Range Thrown Duration Special Resistance None This spell allows the caster to cause small flammable objects, such as pinecones or small twigs, to burst into flame. The objects can then be thrown at enemies as small burning missiles. Two burning objects are created per Magic Point expended. Each object sheds the same light as a candle and they burn for a number of minutes equal to the caster's CHA. The caster uses his Throw skill to make an attack. Each missile causes 1D4 hit points of damage. A maximum of 2 missiles can be thrown each round. Review the rules for the Throw skill and Fire Damage. Spell Resist Fear Rank 1 Range Self or Caster's CHA in yards Duration 1 combat round per point of Caster's CHA Resistance None This spell strengthens hearts and banishes terror, allowing those affected to stand against the powers of 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 for resisting the Force of the fear.

The second affects all of the caster's companions within range. Each friend or ally within range is allowed to re-roll their fear resistance roll and keep the most favourable result. This option costs three POW points. Spell Sense Power Rank 1 Range 10 feet per point of Caster's CHA Duration 1 minute Resistance See Text With this spell the caster can perceive the power possessed by another. The POW attribute of all living things and magically imbued objects glows like an aura to the user of this spell. The caster gains an approximate reading of the target's relative power (much weaker, weaker, about the same, stronger, much stronger). The caster may also tell whether the target is a spellcaster, has spells 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 living things and magical objects within range may then be read for their magical energies. Engage living Magicians, magical artefacts or other spellcasters with POW vs. POW struggles. The degree of 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 the power of people or artefacts. Spell Shatter Object Rank 1 Range 5 feet per point of caster's CHA Duration Instant Resistance POW vs. POW This spell grants the caster the ability to shatter small objects made of wood, glass, horn, bone or stone but not metal. The object may weigh no more than one pound per Level of the spell, up to a maximum 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 POW versus target's POW on the resistance table to see if the object breaks. Spell Slumber Rank 1 Range 5 feet per point of caster's CHA Duration 1 hour per point of caster's CHA Resistance POW vs POW This spell allows the caster to place one person into a deep sleep from which they cannot awaken on their 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 takes effect. 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) or improve the chances of penetrating Countermagic which may be in effect. The caster decides how the power is used so, for example, a Level 4 Slumber can affect four targets each at Level 1, two targets at Level 1 and one at Level 2, or any combination. Spell Holding Spell (Dark Arts) Rank 1 Range 10 feet per point of caster's CHA

Duration 1 combat round per point of caster's CHA Resistance POW vs. POW With this spell the sorceror uses great fear to paralyse a person, freezing the victim to the spot with terror. The victim cannot move, flee or defend himself. After casting the spell, use a POW vs. POW struggle to see if the target is paralysed with fear. On a critical, double the duration of paralysis. Spell Healing Rank 1 Range Touch Duration Instant Resistance None A level of this spell heals 1D6 of damage by wound, Fire, Blast, Lightning, or acid. It does not work against poison or disease. Healing can bring a character back from the dead if the Healing is done while the character is clinging to life. See the Near Death rules in the Combat chapter for more information. Spell Countermagic Rank 1 Range Touch Duration 1 hour per MP used Resistance None This spell puts up a magical shield around the user or on any person or object he wishes to keep magic from affecting. The level of an incoming spell must be rolled against the level of the Countermagic on the resistance table. A successful roll means the spell penetrated despite the Countermagic. It must still overcome the POW of the target, if needed. A failed penetration means the spell rebounded on the caster. Any spell failing to penetrate two Countermagics in succession dissipates 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, the Countermagic will not be effective unless its level overcomes the Protection level on the resistance table. If successful, both spells will be in effect. Spell Dispel Rank 1 Range 1 yard per point of caster's CHA Duration Instant Resistance Level vs Level This is a spell used for ridding oneself or another of the good and bad effects of a spell such as Control, Bladesharp, the Holding Spell, etc. Like Countermagic, it must overcome the level of the target spell on the resistance table. It can be used to destroy an elemental. It must be directed at a particular 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 through the 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 s spell from happening. This can be handled in the statement of intent phase as Sangor will throw a Level 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 Protection Rank 1 Range Touch Duration 1 minute per point of caster's CHA

Resistance Level vs. Level This 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 target must be overcome by the Protection to work. If successful, both spells may stay on the target. Spell Resist Rank 1 Range 1 yard per point of caster's CHA Duration 10 minutes per Level Resistance None Each level of this spell reduces heat or cold damage taken in a melee round by one point. If the protected character is hit by more than one Heat/Cold attack, each damage roll is reduced by the level of the effect. Spell Seal Rank 1 Range Touch Duration 10 minutes per Level Resistance None or Level vs. Level This spell acts to bond the edges of any two non-living objects which are at rest and fitted to one another. Some examples are a door in a door frame, a lid on a box, a sword in a scabbard, or even two 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 whatever hit points the object has. Each level of spell adds either 10 minutes to the duration of the spell or adds 20 more points to the hit points of the object sealed. If used for its mischief value - Sealing a sword into a scabbard so it cannot be drawn, for example and the target does not consent to this, match caster's vs. target's POW on the resistance table. Spell Unseal Rank 1 Range Touch Duration Instant Resistance Level vs Level The Unseal spell will open unlocked doors or boxes and cause scabbarded objects to fly out of their containers and drop to the ground. It infallibly unties knots. It also acts against a Seal spell if the level of the Unseal overcomes the level of the Seal on the resistance table. Spell Light Rank 1 Range Touch Duration 20 minutes per point of caster's CHA Resistance None This spell illuminates a 10 foot radius circle. Each additional level adds 10 feet to the radius. This light is about torch magnitude. The spell must be cast on an object ; it does not hang in mid-air. Spell Dark Rank 1 Range Touch Duration 10 minutes per point of caster's CHA Resistance None This 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.The area is in total darkness to anyone seeing in the normal range of visible light, even if a torch or other light source is burning in the area. Spell Bladesharp Rank 1 Range 1 yard per point of caster's CHA Duration 10 minutes per Level Resistance None This 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 add multiples of 5% and one point of damage to the weapon, or it can be distributed equally among several weapons, up the level of the spell. Spell Dullblade Rank 1 Range 1 yard per point of caster's CHA Duration 10 minutes per Level Resistance POW vs. POW This 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 of 5% and one point of damage per level from the weapon, or it can be distributed equally among several weapons, up the level of the spell. Damage cannot be reduced below one point. If the wielder of the weapon affected by this spell does not consent to it, match caster's POW vs. the target's POW to see if the spell takes effect. d) Rank 2 Sorcery Spells Spell Enhance Rank 2 Range Touch Duration 1 minute per level of the spell Resistance None This spell can add one point to either STR, CON, SIZ or DEX of the target for each level of the spell used. An Enhance spell is usually cast on a willing target, so no POW resistance roll is necessary. 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 2 Range Touch Duration 1 minute per level of the spell Resistance POW vs. POW This spell can subtract one point to either STR, CON, SIZ or DEX of the target for each level of the spell used. As this could be seen as draining the life force from the victim, a Diminish spell should normally be considered as Dark Arts. However, there may be times when a benign use of Diminish could be allowed. For example, using Diminish SIZ on a large party member to allow him/her to squeeze into a tight space. The GM should rule on this. A Diminish spell is generally cast on an unwilling target, so a POW vs. POW resistance roll is necessary. 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 Evoke Fear (Dark Arts) Rank 2 Range Caster's CHA in yards Duration 1 combat round per point of caster's CHA Resistance POW vs. POW This dreadful sorcerous spell causes fear with a Force equal to the caster's POW in the hearts of all in range whom the caster can see or is otherwise aware of (e.g. by hearing them). Those affected must make a Resistance Table roll to avoid the effects of the fear. See the Fear section in the Middle-earth special rules chapter. Spell Speak to Mind Rank 2 Range 10 yards per point of caster's CHA Duration 10 minutes per MP Resistance None Each level of this spell allows the caster to speak to another mind, intelligent or not. Only surface conversation or feelings are transmitted. The target of this spell cannot communicate to any other target of this spell. The caster may, however, cast Speak to Mind on two other characters to let them communicate. Spell Wounding (Dark Arts) Rank 2 Range Touch Duration Instant Resistance POW vs. POW A level of this spell causes 1D6 hit points of damage to the affected target. Wounding will target on the resistance table, matching POW vs. POW. If used in combat, the caster must touch the target with a successful Brawling attack. Alternatively, the Wounding spell can be channelled through the caster's staff (if applicable) and a successful melee attack with the staff counts as touch. The spell cannot be channelled through missile weapons. If a staff strike is used, the POW vs. POW roll is used 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 coupled with a staff strike, however, the Wounds may appear as bruises, broken limbs, concussion or bleeding. e) Rank 3 Sorcery Spells Spell Ruin (Dark Arts) Rank 3 Range Touch Duration 1 minute per point of caster's CHA Resistance None This spell of sorcery enhances the destructive power of siege engines, weapons and the like. A siege engine with Ruin cast upon it does an extra 50% damage while a sword or similar hand weapon does an additional 1D6 damage. Only a single Ruin spell may be laid on a particular weapon or siege engine at a given time. A critical success while casting this spell adds 2D6 damage to a hand weapon and doubles the damage from a seige engine. Spell Bladeshattering (Dark Arts)

Rank 3 Range 10 yards Duration Instant Resistance POW vs POW This spell allows a sorceror to cause one blade (a dagger, axe or sword) to shatter or melt into smoke. 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 means of saving his weapon. The spell only affect s bladed weapons, so arrows, spears and crushing weapons like maces and hammers could still damage the target. Against magical or special blades (Glamdring, Anduril and so on) which may be assumed to be immune 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 be used, resisting the POW of the caster. The GM can optionally allow a Fate Point to be expended by the wielder of the blade to prevent it shattering. Spell Forgetfulness (Dark Arts) Rank 3 Range 5 feet per point of caster's CHA Duration 1 week per point of caster's CHA Resistance POW vs. POW This foul spell allows a sorceror to cloud a victim's mind with darkness, preventing the target from recalling who he is, where he lives, who he knows, what he knows (i.e. skills) or anything else of use. The caster must engage in a POW vs. POW struggle with the victim in order for the spell to take effect. On a critical POW roll, the victim cannot even remember how to walk or talk for 1D6 days 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 skills remain 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 Transformation Rank 3 Range 1 foot per point of caster's CHA Duration 10 minutes per Level Resistance POW vs. POW This spell will affect three SIZ points of a target per level of the spell and enough levels must be used to affect the entire target. If cast on a living target which consents to the change, the spell is unresisted. Otherwise the caster must overcome the target in a POW vs. POW struggle on the resistance table. It may also be used on a non-living object. The spell must change the target, which may 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 it can be changed into a frog. The frog will have all the attributes of the troll, including the SIZ. The spell only affects the shape, not the basic attributes of the object, so it cannot be used to change lead to gold, or the like. Finally, the conditions for life in the new form must be present : the spell cannot change 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 would not be able to breathe fire if he were changed into a dragon, nor would he have the intelligence or knowledge 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, or extend the duration of the spell by 10 minutes. Spell Fire Rank 3 Range 1 yard per point of caster's CHA Duration 1 melee round Resistance None Each 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 combine the 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 blaze continues, 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 in the process. He puts 4 Magic Points into a Level 4 Fire, putting two Fires, each at level 2, side by side to fill most of the passageway. The front two goblins each take 2D6 damage Spell Frost Rank 3 Range 1 yard per point of caster's CHA Duration 1 melee round Resistance None Each level of this spell does 1D6 cold damage to everything in a five foot diameter circle (2.5 foot radius). The Frost appears as a blizzard of icicles. This spell may well leave the area of effect icy and 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 the Fire spell, but has no effect against dragon breath or similar magical fires. Spell Lightning Rank 3 Range 5 feet per point of caster's CHA Duration Instant Resistance None Each 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 Farseeing Rank 4 Range 100 miles per level Duration 1 minute per point of CHA Resistance None As the name implies, this potent spell allows the caster to see far away places. To cast the spell a reflective 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 in detail. 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 here words spoken there, nor detect scents. If the scried area is in darkness, modifiers for lighting conditions may be applied. Spell Farspeaking Rank 4 Range 1 mile per point of CHA Duration Concentration Resistance None With this spell a Magician can cause his voice to issue from an object, such as a mirror, stone or statue. The object must be within range and the caster must have seen it before, either with his own eyes or via the Farseeing spell. The object repeats the caster's words exactly. It cannot speak on its own, nor can it be programmed to talk when a given condition arises. g) Rank 5 Sorcery Spells Spell Flame of Anor Rank 5 Range 20 feet per point of CHA Duration Instant Resistance POW vs. POW This 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 knows any 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. The caster first makes the skill roll to cast the spell. If successful, he then makes a further roll against his percentage skill with the spell to hit the target. It does 2D6 points of damage per Level, doubled on a Critical Hit. If the attack roll is fumbled, the beam could strike friends as well as foes. Spell Word of Command Rank 5 Range Special Duration Special Resistance Special This is another mighty spell which is used to enhance the power of another spell. This power is not without its price, however. The caster automatically loses a number of Fatigue Points equal to the Rank plus Level (a minimum of 6, in this case) with no resistance roll. Even Gandalf felt tired after casting this spell in Moria. When a Magician uses Word of Command in conjunction with another spell, 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 that these Arts take time (often hours, sometimes days or longer) to produce their effects. While Ritual Arts 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 to complete and the Magician must not be interrupted during that time. There is little sense in trying to enchant a sword in an area Orc warbands are known to patrol. Prying eyes are unwelcome for a variety of reasons, not least that some rituals may cause offense (if not outright horror) in onlookers which 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 day or year may need to be performed on that day. For example, the Secret Door in Erebor, the Lonely Mountain, was only visible at a certain time on Durin's Day (in the Calendar of the Dwarves). The Ritual 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 this will be a laboratory or work room, fires, glassware, grave dust, treasure, or whatever the Ritual requires. d) Magical Groups As noted in the descriptions of the individual Arts, sometimes a group of Magicians may work together to perform a Ritual. The maximum number of Magicians in a group is equal to the lowest CHArisma attribute of the members of the group. When the time comes to expend POW to fuel the Ritual, the Magicians in the group can each expend 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 to design the Ritual for a specific purpose, describing the time, place, raw materials, facilities and participants in as much detail as the desired end result. In conjunction with the GM, the ritual can be refined and perhaps recorded for future re-use. The GM should reward imaginative, bold and creative 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's own 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 of his own life force to fuel the magic. When the Magician's POW permanently decreases, all his skills which depend on POW will decrease by a certain percentage. Recalculate skill group bonuses based on the new value of POW. Further, if the POW decrease is sufficient, it may cause the Magician 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 power Ritual magics. The Ritual Arts are by their very nature demanding and dangerous. The powers they unleash 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 Character Magicians should be strongly discouraged from using these methods. In the lands dominated by Morgoth and later Sauron, blood sacrifice may be practiced to a greater or lesser degree. This need not involve the ritual murder of sentient beings but may require the sacrifice of animals. Bulls, boars, lions, tigers and creatures strange and unusual from the realms of the Haradrim may be slaughtered and their blood, their life force, used to power a Ritual. The GM can determine how many individual animals constitute one POW point for fuelling a Ritual. Dozens of 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 to power Rituals also. One sentient being constitutes one POW point for fuelling a Ritual, no matter how many POW points the individual has in life. The sheer terror of the ritual sacrifice wastes many of the living creature's POW points. Blood sacrifice of sentient individuals is NEVER to be encouraged, condoned or practiced by the GM or Player Characters. It is, however, an excellent plot hook for adventures where PCs race against time to save an important NPC from sacrifice, or a detective-style adventure where the PCs must 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 that untie themselves and so on. Rune Magic, commonly practiced by the Dwarves, is a form of Enchantment. Items are made by Dwarven Craftmasters and enchanted by striking, carving, painting or otherwise incorporating Runes 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 created are 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 enough to accommodate the Enchanter and any helpers as well as the object(s) to be enchanted. The place should be suitable to the Ritual. For example: underground for items associated with digging or delving; in a secluded woodland grove for a pair of boots which enable the wearer to pass unheard through the forests; atop a high pinnacle for a small token which allows the user to speak with the birds of the air.

Similarly, timing is important. If the item is to have power on a specific day of the year, the Ritual could be performed on that day. If the Moon is significant, perhaps the Ritual could be performed during 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 are particularly suitable for enchantment: those made by master Artisans and/or on a critical craft skill roll may provide the Enchanter with a bonus to the Ritual skill roll (say, +10% for each of these factors). 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 such as candles, books, foodstuffs, wool, wine goblets and so on. More complex or hard to procure items may 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 precious metals and jewels. d) Magical Groups A number of Enchanters may work together to create an item. This is particularly important if an item needs to be imbued with a particular Sorcery Spell. At least one of the group must know the spell 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 takes 1D3+1 days to perform, during which time the Enchanter may not sleep for more than one hour at a stretch, nor perform other distracting actions. At the end of the Ritual the Enchanter spends one or more points of temporary POW (much as if for casting a Sorcery spell). The item remains enchanted for a number of weeks equal to the POW points used. Such an enchantment cannot be made 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. The Ritual 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) the Magican can cast the spell on an item and, by spending points of temporary POW, can enchant the item for a number of days equal to the POW used. The Imbue ritual takes a number of hours equal to the temporary POW used. A Ritual of Lasting can also make the enchantment last much longer as described above. At this Rank, Enchantment can affect metals, glass, stone and gemstones. As at Rank 0, Minor Enchantments 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 of permanent POW. The Ritual of Constancy takes two full days to perform. After this, the item will carry its enchantment for 1000 years. At this Rank, weapons can be enchanted to inflict multiple D6 damage bonuses, 1D6 per temporary POW point used in the Ritual of Enchantment. Armour can be enchanted to double its normal protection value. As at Rank 0 and 1, Major Enchantments can create items with only one magical function. 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 of permanent 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 be broken and remade, the repaired item will carry the enchantment of the original so long as 50% of the 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 the recipient of the Staff is not the Magician who enchanted it, then it is the recipient who must spend the 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 more minor magical rings. Further, items may have one primary function and up to three secondary functions. 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 secondary functions may be to glow with a blue light when Orcs are nearby, the intensity of the glow indicating 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 magical items 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 items would include the Silmarils, the Three Rings of the Elves and, ultimately, the One Ring itself. The Enchanter'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 the Philosopher's Stone, a mythical substance capable of transforming base metals into gold. In Middleearth, Alchemy is the Art of making magical substances, very often potions, and the transmutation of matter. a) Time and Place Alchemy takes more time than the other Ritual Arts as some processes could require weeks, months or 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 like hair, nails or blood. c) Facilities Alchemy requires a laboratory space where the Alchemist can carry out his researches and experiments. This lab may be filled with jars of ingredients, glassware, braziers for heating, a balance 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 for another 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 of Saruman) but which does not restore Fatigue Points Cause the drinker to become relaxed or drowsy, and perhaps even fall asleep. Assume the potion has 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 actual brewing process). If the Alchemist is working from someone else's formula, this time can be halved as the research has already been done. At the end of the brewing process the Alchemist must expend one point of temporary POW and make the Brew Potions skill roll. On a successful roll the Alchemist will have made one dose of the potion; on a critical there is enough for 1D3 doses. A potion made in this way will remain usable for a number of months equal to the Alchemist's POW, or twice that number of months if the skill roll 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 following effects

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 of permanent POW after the brewing process is complete. Such potions will remain usable for up to the 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 as incense) 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 following effects

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 permanent POW after the brewing process is complete. Such potions will remain usable for a total number of years 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 those who drink them. Feelings of love, trust, friendship, fear, anger or distrust, for example, can be caused 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 in love may require a hair from each. A potion intended to inspire trust in, or obedience towards, the Alchemist may require a little of the Alchemist's own blood. A potion intended to generate berserker 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 as stable as the Elixirs described above. At the end of the process the Alchemist must expend just one point of permanent POW. The potion will remain usable for a number of years equal to the Alchemist's POW unless it is intended for use on a specific person or people, in which case it must be used within the Alchemist's POW in weeks. The emotions of real people are frequently changeable and what is deemed to work at the start of the brewing process may not be effective 2D4 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 the drinker 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 these attributes. Again, should the drinker wish to resist the effects, assume the potion has a POT equal to the Magician's POW. Rank 4 Alchemists can brew a Potion that affects the life-span of mortals. Each draught of such a potion 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 the Blasting 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 organic substances 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 to transform people, animals and other creatures from one form to another. They may meld organic forms creating hybrid beasts or creatures with special powers. It is likely that Morgoth the Great Enemy of the First Age used such powers to create the Dragons and other creatures like the Watcher in the Water.

20) The Art of Wizardry

The Art of summoning, commanding, binding and dismissing (banishing) both natural and supernatural creatures (spirits, demons, and elementals). Knowledge of the ceremonies associated with 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 spirit associated with the mountains. In Middle-earth, Wizardry is not a common Art. Many spirits are evil Maiar, servants of Sauron, and not to be summoned by PC Magicians. 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, in the hope that the knowledge will help in the fight against the Enemy. a) Time and Place Wizardry is perhaps the most dangerous of the Magical Arts. Supernatural beings are capricious at best, murderously deceptive at worst. The GM will roleplay all summoned creatures and may attribute to them any motives he wishes. The Wizard must be careful, therefore, to ensure his own safety and the safety of those around him. Thus, many summoning rituals need to be conducted indoors, underground, away from prying eyes, and/or surrounded by armed guards. Those rituals associated with natural environments should be performed in those environments, and those which summon elemental spirits should be conducted near large bodies of the appropriate element (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, the Wizard may need something with which to appease or placate the summoned entity. Each entity is different: 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 be summoned dictates the Circle's exact appearance: it may be a simple circle chalked on the floor; a circle with inset geometric designs, such as stars or triangles; circles within circles; circles inscribed with 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. He must specify the type of animal to be summoned either specifically (horses, eagles, foxes etc) or broadly (large four-footed animals, small four-footed animals, fish, birds etc). Any creatures of the specified type within a range of one mile per point of the Magician's CHA make best speed to the caster'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. The summoning 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 the animals will normally leave. With the animals present, the caster may ask them to perform tasks for him. 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 or Oratory skill roll to persuade the animals to help, unless what the caster is saying is plainly in the animals' best interests (e.g. Leave the area before the Orcs arrive!). A successful Animal Lore roll grants 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 the depradations 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 force for a number of hours equal to the caster's CHA score. It has a protective value equal to the number of temporary POW points the Wizard expends inits creation. Supernatural creatures attempting to cross 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 and Water. Each is a separate type of spirit and the Wizard must learn to summon each type individually. 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 of the Element in question. Summoning Fire Elementals requires a Circle surrounded by bonfires; a Water Elemental must be within a Circle on the shore of a lake, river or sea (using a raft or small islet to perform the summoning is also possible; an Earth Elemental must be summoned underground or within a bank-and-ditch arrangement of earthworks; Air Elementals must be summoned under the open sky, preferably at a high altitude. It takes 2D6 hours to summon an Elemental 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 to the Wizard's CHA. Summon Nature Spirit Various types of Nature Spirit (minor Maiar spirits who may have a special affinity for a certain place 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 and Desert. Each is a separate creature and therefore a different Summoning ritual must be learned. The powers 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 be summoned in the mountains, nor can a Swamp Spirit be summoned in the Desert. The ritual takes 1D6 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 the Wizard 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 the creature, and has not yet requested it perform a service for him, banishing merely requires the correct incantation and one combat round. If the Wizard has released the creature to perform a service and the creature has subsequently reneged on this agreement, or if the being was summoned by another Wizard, the banishment requires a POW vs. POW struggle between the banishing Wizard and the creature. To send away one's own summoned creature takes one point of temporary POW; 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 Ritual of Binding is one way of accomplishing this. To Bind a creature requires that a deal or contract be struck between the creature and the Wizard. The GM and the Wizard's player should negotiate this contract which may be as simple or as complex as they see fit. The Wizard must then expend one point of permanent POW and the creature is bound into his service for a number of years equal to the 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 feet equal to the Wizard's CHA score in diameter. For each day beyond the first spent in creating the Fortress, the diameter increases by the Wizard's CHA in feet. Thus, if a Wizard spend 5 days creating the Fortress, the diameter will be CHAx5 feet. To energise the Circle takes a number of permanent POW points equal to the diameter multiplier (the CHAx5 Fortress would therefore require 5 points of permanent POW). However, once the Fortress is in place it remains for a number of years equal to the Wizard's CHA. To enter the Circle of the Wizard's Fortress, a supernatural creature 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 a POW 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 6D6 and twice the Wizard's own attribute totals. Examples of such creatures are Werewolves and Vampires. 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 include Balrogs. 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 The Dark Arts in Middle-earth. It is a strong Magician indeed who can deal with these beings and this knowledge without succumbing to Corruption. In some societies of Middle-earth, Necromancy may not be as reviled as in others. The Wild Men (Wood-woses, Lossoth and barbarous tribes of Easterlings) may venerate their dead and regard Necromancy as a good means of contacting the spirits 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 at night and in places like graveyards, near burial mounds, the sites of battles great and small, near funeral 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 stolen from 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 private sanctum in which to conduct these vile rites, the Necromancer would be well advised to recruit loyal 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 the Death Customs of his own people. Scrye Death This ritual may be conducted over the corpse of any creature. It allows the Magician to determine the cause of the creature's death. In cases where the cause is obvious (e.g. an arrow sticking through is heart) the Magician may be able to determine if the creature was ambushed, executed or died in general melee. When cast over the scene of a battle, the ritual may help determine who the warriors involved were. This ritual takes one hour to perform and requires the expenditure of one point of temporary POW. Speak with Dead This ritual, involving the fresh blood of a recently deceased sentient creature, allows the Magican to temporarily raise the corpse of the creature so it may be questioned. The Ritual may not be used on corpses that have been dead for more than the Necromancer's CHA in game turns. The creature is bound 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 a number of days equal to the Necromancer's POW and the creature can be raised for a number of minutes equal to the Necromancer's CHA score. This will allow for a more detailed conversation with the deceased. Then ritual takes one hour to perform and requires that the Magician expend two points 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 force the spirit to manifest. These spirits cannot be bound and may be actively hostile to the Magician. At best they can be placated in some way or perhaps bargained with. The GM should roleplay all such ghosts. This ritual can be used to summon a spirit which is haunting an area and perhaps give it release. Command In conjunction with the above, the ritual of Command allows the Magician to command an undead spirit. Commanding a spirit requires a POW vs. POW contest between the Necromancer and the spirit. If the Magician wins, he must expend one further point of permanent POW to enforce the order over the spirit. Animate Corpse This ritual imparts a limited sort of false life to the dead. It takes 2D6 hours to perform and requires that the Necromancer expend one point of permanent POW per corpse animated. The corpse 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 summoned as above and then is bargained with. Some spirits are willing to be given the chance to harrass the living, others need to be tricked or coerced. The Bind Spirit ritual forces the spirit to inhabit the body. It is exactly this ritual which was used to bribe spirits to inhabit the bodies buried on the Barrow 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 in yards and any creature (living, dead, supernatural or natural) must roll POW vs. POW in order to enter 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 the Undead. 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 is watching over the character (not that belief in the Valar is widespread in Middle-earth) or that the natural magic of Middle-earth protects the characte r in some way. Heroes have Fate Points which measure this protection. All Dwarves and Hobbits start the game with three Fate Points. Mannish characters, who have the Dominion of Man racial ability, start with four Fate Points (and, yes, this includes the Men of Darkness). Elves, whose time in Middle-earth is drawing to an end, start the game with but two Fate Points. Spending a Fate Point has one of the following effects. This is usually the player's choice, except for 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's button ...) Allows one to act in dire circumstances where the character would not normally be able to act at all Avoid the effects of Fear. A Fate Point may be spent to negate the results of a test and prevent the character from panicking and fleeing.

A maximum of two Fate Points may be spent in a single round. These can be used to augment a single roll (e.g. a vital attack may be augmented by two Fate Points to provide a +40% bonus to the attack) or for different purposes (in combat, when sorely pressed, a character may use a Fate Point to 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 on the 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, the GM can award an extra Fate Point to the character Skill improvement points. Those points gained by skill improvement rolls for skills used in dangerous situations (combat, stealthy reconnaissance of enemy positions, encounters with the servants of the Enemy) can be saved and cashed in to increase Fate Points. Twenty skill improvement points - no matter which skill(s) they were originally for - can be traded in for one Fate Point.

2) Fear and Courage

a) Courage Characters in LOTR are heroes struggling against the forces of the Enemy, Sauron, the Lord of the Rings. One of the most potent weapons of the Enemy is Fear, the mind-crushing darkness that can leave a victim paralysed with terror, rob him of his will or cause him to flee in blind panic. Heroes are made of stern stuff, fortunately, and can resist this fear with pure hearts, nobility and determination. Courage is a ready means of determining the character's resistance to Fear. To calculate Courage, find the average of the character's STR, POW and CHA, rounding fractions normally. 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 the fear-inducer against the Courage of the target on the Resistance Table, then check below for the level of success. Source of Fear scores a

Critical Victim flees, discarding weapons and gear to reduce encumbrance if necessary. Flee for 2D6 minutes, at the end of which roll Courage x 5 % to recover or flee for a further 2D6 minutes. Recover automatically after this second flight. If the victim encounters this source of fear again, its Force is increased by 1D6 points. The victim can use a Fate Point to avoid fleeing but 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 defensive actions (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 before attempting the Fear power, use the level of success in the Intimidate roll to determine a bonus or penalty 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 with a sudden fall from a great height., an Ambush or encountering a strange creature (an Oliphaunt, for instance). In general, such one-offs are resisted with a single Fear resistance roll. If the character passes the test, there is no fear effect again.

Other sources have Fear wrapped around them like a cloak or cloud that follows them whereever they go and never dissipates. Such sources include Undead creatures like Barrow Wights and Ringwraiths, demons like Balrogs and, of course, Dragons. When facing these creatures, the character may have to test versus Fear on first meeting and then at intervals throughout the encounter. For example, on meeting a Ringwraith, the character will be forced to test. If that test is passed, the character can function normally until circumstances change. If the character sees one of his companions die at the hands of the Ringwraith, another test may be called for. This is at the GM'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 of Good fight with honour, valour, courage and discipline, the forces of Evil have at their disposal many terrible weapons. One of these weapons is Corruption, the power to turn Good to Evil, truth to 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 Dwarf Elf Noldor Sindar Silvan Hobbit Man Dunadan Middle Darkness Wild Dark Numenorean Rohirrim Modifier +10% +20% +10% +10% +10% +10% 0% -10% 0% 0% 0%

Test for Corruption in the same way as a normal skill roll: on 1D100, aiming to score less than or equal to the character's current ESS. If the test is passed, the character has resisted the Corrupting effect of whatever stimulus caused the check to begin with. If it fails, the character has absorbed some 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 by no means exhaustive. The GM is encouraged to be creative when playing Corrupting influences. Source Exposure to the One Ring Normal circumstances Near Mordor 0 / D3 D3 / D6 Essence Loss

Source In Mordor Every time the Ring is worn Exposure to Temptation Mild Strong Very Strong Dark Arts 0/1 1 / D6

Essence Loss D4 / D10 D4+1 / 2D6

D4 / D10

Learning a Dark Arts spell or ritual 1 / 1D8 Casting a Dark Arts spell or ritual Other Actions Committing murder Theft D4 / D6 0 / D3 D4 / D4 + Level of Spell

Whenever a character is exposed to a corrupting influence, make an ESS roll, as directed by the GM. If the roll is made, the character suffers the ESS loss shown before the slash (/) in the chart above. If the roll is failed, the character suffers the ESS loss after the slash and must take the corrupting action. c) Increasing and Recovering Essence It is possible to increase one's ESS score and to restore points lost to corruption. Here are some possibilities.

GM award for mission accomplished. Since most LOTR games will pit characters against the forces of the Shadow, and defeating Sauron is the over-riding goal of the game, the GM may award a flat number of points or a random dice roll to each character to be added to their current ESS. 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 the Minion's Reputation score. Skill Mastery. When a character attains Mastery in a given skill (90%+) the discipline and selfesteem 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 quests may 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 to Heroes and workers of Magic: these special individuals are both feared and hated by Sauron. Hated because they may one day supplant him; feared because those who stay true to their ideals may eventually defeat him. However, they remain of special interest to the Dark Lord as they can be Corrupted to his service. The converse of a character's Essence is his Taintedness (TAINT). For beginning characters TAINT is zero. Each time the character fails a Corruption test the lost Essence points are added to his TAINT 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, the TAINT score can also increase independently of lost Essence and some suggestions are shown

below: Action Associates with Servants of the Enemy Uses a powerful Magic Item Uses a Palantir Uses a Magic Ring Uses the Dark Lord's name Openly declares himself for Sauron Performs a Corrupting act Taintedness Increase 1D3 1 per week 1D10 2D10 2D6 1D3 20 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 can spot the character. Second, the character's TAINT hangs about him like a cloud. This causes a negative modifier to the character's social skills. Third, if the character performs further corrupting acts, the TAINT may attract the attention of Sauron himself! Each time the character loses ESS, roll 1D100. If the roll is higher than the character's TAINT score, nothing happens. If the roll is less than or equal to the TAINT, the Eye of 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's discretion) to throw off the terrifying effects of the Dark Lord's attention. However, each time this 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 become tainted 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 average of the character's CHA, INT and POW) the character becomes corrupted. A corrupt character serves Sauron, 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. Reputation increases during play as a result of the players' actions. Such actions may be positive (defeating a servant of the Enemy) or negative (slaying a friend) but either way they contribute to the character's renown 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 Saving the life of an important NPC NPCs Reputation / 5 Award

Thwarting the plans of an enemy servant, spy or Servant's Reputation / 5 agent Showing uncommon bravery in the midst of battle Showing uncommon bravery in the midst of battle against the forces of the Shadow Commander's Reputation / 5 Commander or Enemy Commander's Reputation /5

Successfully completing an intricate and Diplomat's Reputation / 5 publicised negotiation or treaty with a renowned diplomat or noble Making an arcane or exploratory discovery +1 to +5 Discovering a new or innovative use for existing +1 to +3 magic, lore or technology Circumstance, encounter or significance is Routine Important World-shaking c) Reputation Modifiers Depending on the level of Reputation a character possesses, Recognition Tests and certain Social skill tests become easier, or harder depending on circumstances. The modifiers are shown below. Reputation Score 0-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30 31+ Modifier 0% +/- 5% +/- 10% +/- 15% +/- 20% +/- 25% +/- 30% +1 +2 +3 to +5

The modifiers are expressed as being either positive or negative. The attitude of the person making or on the receiving end of the test determines whether the modifier is applied positively or negatively. 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 Reputation modifier would be a plus, here. But people in Bree, like Barliman Butterbur, who regard Rangers as strange and dangerous, would react negatively and the modifier would be a minus (even for Aragorn).

d) Recognition Tests Use an Idea Roll or appropriate Lore skill, plus the character's Reputation modifier to determine whether a renowned character is recognised. Modifiers used for Recognition tests are always positive. In such cases the recognising character's feelings count for little. Whether Aragorn was known in Bree for being a healer and wise man or a cold-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 have in common as a further modification to the Recognition Test. Area in Common Local 0% Area -10% Region -20% Realm -40% World f) Reputation and Social Skills The Social skills of Persuade, Oratory, Intimidate, Fast Talk and Insight are all directly affected by Reputation. Use the Reputation Modifier as a bonus or penalty to the character's skill depending on the regard in which the audience hold the skill using character. For example, were Aragorn to attempt to convince the people of Bree to arm themselves and attack the Ringwraiths, his Renown would probably count against him (a penalty to his Oratory skill) as the people of Bree generally distrust Rangers. However, when persuading the Captains of the West to march against Mordor (to cover the Ringbearer's secret mission) Aragorn's Reputation Modifier would be a bonus to his Oratory skill: the Captains all trust him and accept his Kingship of Arnor and Gondor. -60% Modifier Example Within Hobbiton, within Minas Tirith Within the North Farthing, within Dol Amroth Within the Shire, within Enedwaith, within Eastfold Within Eriador, within Gondor, within Rohan Within Middle-earth

11. WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT

1) Money
Much of the trade in Middle-earth is done by barter. Use of the Appraise, Fast Talk and Persuade skills 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 guage the quality of the wares on sale. However, money does exist in the form of large and small coins of gold and silver. The larger sized coins are generally referred to as Pieces, while the smaller coins are pennies. There is also the copper penny, the smallest value coin in Middle-earth. Coins are exchanged 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 Backpack Bedroll Belt Pouch Blanket Dagger Sheath Lamp Lantern Pipeweed Quiver Rope Sword Scabbard Tinderbox Tent (1 man, 2 hobbits) Tent (2 man, 4 hobbits) Tent (3 man, 6 hobbits) Torch Water/Wine skin Cost 2sp 2sp 1sp 50cp 2sp 1SP 1SP, 2sp 2sp 2sp 1sp per 50 feet 1SP 1sp 1sp 2sp 1SP 1sp for 10 2sp

3) Clothing
1 suit of clothing includes: trousers or breeches, a shirt, belt, cloak or cape, and footwear. Female characters may have a dress rather than trousers. The player is free to choose the appearance and materials of their character's clothing. Type Clothes, fine, 1 suit Clothes, average, 1 suit Clothes, poor, 1 suit Clothes, travelling, 1 suit Clothes, very fine, 1 suit Clothes, winter, 1 suit Cost 3sp 2sp 1sp 3sp 1SP 1SP

4) Livestock
Animal Horse, Riding Horse, War Horse, Draft Pony Dog Tack and Harness Barding (horse armour) Cost 2SP 4SP 3SP 1SP 3sp 1sp 2SP

5) Weapons Tables
a) Melee Weapons Weapon Axe Battle Great Hatchet Club Dagger Normal Long knife Orc Hammer Mace Light Heavy Mattock Pikestaff Quarterstaff Shield bash Large Small Spear Long Normal Sword Long Orc long Scimitar Short, eket Great Whip 13 14 9 7 11 4 9 7 9 7 13 9 1 D10+1 1 D10+1 1 D8+1 1 D6+1 2 2D8 1 D4+1 4-7lbs 4-8lbs 4-6lbs 3-5lbs 8-10lbs 1lb M M M M L M 3SP,1sp 3SP,1sp 3SP 2SP,3sp 4SP,2sp 1SP 11 9 9 7 2 D10+1 1 D6+1 7lbs 4lbs L L 2SP,3sp 2SP,1sp 8 4 9 9 1 D6 1 D4 5-12lbs 4-8lbs M M 2SP 1SP 7 13 11 11 9 7 7 9 7 9 1 D6+2 2 D8+2 2 2D6+2 2 2D6+1 2 D8 7lbs 10lbs 15lbs 15lbs 4lbs M M M L M 2SP,2sp 3SP 3SP 2SP,3sp Free 1 1 1 11 3 3 3 7 1 D4+2 1 D4+3 1 D4+3 1 D6+3 1lb 1.5lb 1lb 8lbs S M S M 2SP,2sp 2SP,3sp 2SP,3sp 2SP,3sp 9 11 7 7 9 9 9 7 1 D8+2 2 2D6+2 1 D6+1 1 D6 8lbs 17lbs 1lb 4lbs M L M M 3SP,1sp 3SP,3sp 2SP,2sp Free STR DEX Hands Damage Weight Size Cost

b) Missile Weapons Weapon Bow Longbow Steelbow Short Dagger Javelin Rock Sling Spear Throwing Axe c) Notes

STR 13 11 9 1 7 3 1 9 9

DEX 11 13 9 6 10 5 11 10 12

Hands

Damage

Weight 3lbs 3lbs 2lbs 1lb 2lbs 3-5lbs 1lb 4lbs 1lb L L M S M M S L M

Size

Cost 2SP,2sp Priceless 2SP 2SP,2sp 3SP Free 1SP 2SP,1sp 2SP,2sp

2 D10+2 2 2D6+1 2 D6+1 1 D4+2 1 D8+2 1 2D4 1 D6+1 1 2D6 D8+2 1

Weapons that appear as both hand weapons and missile weapons require an extra skill to be used as 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 velocity and impact. Should a character desire a weapon not on this list, the parameters should be worked out in conjunction with the GM All weapons and shields are assumed to have 20 Hit Points to determine if they have been damaged by fire, acid, etc. Whips have the special effect that they can entangle a foe. A successful attack with a whip inflicts just 1D3 damage but the whip becomes tangled around the target. It is then possible for the 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 can disarm or trip automatically, without having to make a second roll. An entangled opponent can try 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 Large Small Parry % Bonus Bonus 2SP 1SP Cost Weight 5-12lbs 4-8lbs Target, Heater Buckler, Hobbit Notes

b) Armour Armour Helmet Light Leather Hard Leather Scale Mail Mail Shirt Full Chainmail Dwarf Mithril Orc Ordinary Plated 8 +10 6 6 +2 7SP Priceless 6SP 5SP +1SP 40lbs normal Add these points to the protection of the chainmail suit 35lbs 30lbs +5lbs Add these points to the protection of the underlying chainmail suit Heavy. Reduce Agility skills by 5% Protection +2 1 2 4 3 Cost 1SP,2sp 2SP 3SP 4SP 3SP Weight 5lbs 10lbs 10lbs 20lbs 15lbs Armour of the Haradrim Covers Torso only. Assumed to include a helmet and hauberk Notes Add these points to the protection of other armour worn May be worn under clothes

c) Notes

Mithril has one very important attribute: armour made of Mithril does protect against a Critical Hit.

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 encountered almost 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 STR 5D6, CON 3D6+3 and 2D6+4. Note that Goblin is a term occasionally used in Middle-earth to describe Orcs, and usually applied to the smaller kinds, though Hobbits may use the word to describe all Orcs. Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Weapon Scimitar Shortbow Battleaxe Spear Shield 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 the weapons of Men, longswords and longbows. Roll 4D6 3D6 2D6+2 3D6 2D6+3 4D6 2D6 Attack 32% 32% 32% 32% 32% Average 14 10-11 9 10-11 10 14 7 Parry 32% 32% 32% 32% 32% Damage D8+1 D6+1 D8+2 D6+1 D6

Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Weapon Longsword Longbow Battleaxe Spear Shield Armour

Roll 6D6 4D6 3D6 3D6 2D6+3 4D6 2D6 Attack 45% 45% 42% 32% 40%

Average 21 14 10-11 10-11 10 14 7 Parry 42% 42% 42% 32% 40% Damage (+1D6) D10+1 D10+2 D8+2 D6+1 D6

Typically Leather or Chainmail with Shield 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 Orc features and Orc wickedness in their hearts. Some Half-Orcs are able to pass among Men without drawing undue attention (they may be rather ugly and coarse, however) but others show more Orcish features and cannot pass as human without the use of Disguise skill. Half-Orcs serve Saruman as foot soldiers, ruffians and spies. Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Roll 4D6 3D6 2D6+2 3D6 2D6+3 3D6 2D6+2 Average 14 10-11 9 10-11 10 10 9

Weapon Longsword Longbow Battleaxe Spear Shield Armour

Attack 45% 45% 32% 32% 32%

Parry 42% 42% 32% 32% 32%

Damage D10+1 D10+2 D8+2 D6+1 D6

Typically Leather or Chainmail with Shield 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 in Middle-earth: Snow Trolls, Cave Trolls, Hill Trolls to name but a few. The attributes below describe a typical Cave Troll (adapted from RQ). Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Weapon Club Hammer Unarmed Spear 20% Armour Typically no armour is worn but a Troll's tough hide provides 3 points of armour protection. Typical Skills Scent 45% 20% Roll 3D6+12 2D6+12 4D6+12 2D6 2D6 2D6+3 1D6 Attack 30% 30% 40% Average 22-23 19 26 7 7 10 3-4 Parry 30% 30% 40% D10+2 2D6+3 Punch D6, Kick 1D8, Trample 3D6 D10+1(Man-sized long spear used one-handed) Damage (+2D6)

e) Olog-Hai The Olog-Hai were bred by Sauron and are larger, swifter, stronger and more cunning than other Trolls. Filled with Sauron's malice, they dwell in Mordor and await only his word to go to war. Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Weapon Club Hammer Unarmed Spear 30% 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 Men who once lived in the valleys of the White Mountains and plains of Calenardhon. They are the mortal enemies of the people of Rohan whom they consider to be invaders. Many Dunlendings fought for Saruman during the War of the Ring. Create Dunlendings as Player Characters. Assume that a Dunlendings warband consists of a mixture of Warriors and Barbarians, perhaps led by a Noble. There is a slim chance that a Dunlending settlement will contain a Magician (tribal shaman) and/or a Sage acting as the storehouse of tribal wisdom. g) Bandits Very often Bandits are fugitives from whatever local justice is enforcing a given area. They prey on travellers 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 Orcs or wiped out by pestilence. Such Bandits may not be evil but are merely trying to survive (and have vengeance) in a harsh world. 30% Roll 4D6+12 3D6+12 4D6+18 2D6+4 2D6 3D6+3 1D6 Attack 40% 40% 50% Average 26 19 32 11 7 13 3-4 Parry 40% 40% 50% D10+2 2D6+3 Punch D6, Kick 1D8, Trample 3D6 D10+1 (Man-sized long spear used one-handed) Damage (+3D6)

Living as wolfsheads in the wilds of Eriador and Wilderland, groups of bandits can be treated as mixed 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 Old Forest). They are particularly common in the Western eaves of Mirkwood. The Beornings are friends with bears. Usually solitary, Forest Bears may be found in small groups (20% chance during the mating season). Such groups comprise a mother and one or two cubs. The cubs fight at the same percentages as the adults - but with half damage - until they are one year old. Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Weapon Bite Claw Hug Roll 4D6+6 3D6+6 3D6+6 1D6 2D6 3D6+3 NA Attack 25% 40% * Parry NA 20% NA Damage 1D8 2D6+3 3D6 Average 20 16-17 16-17 3-4 7 13-14

* A bear attacks with two claws each round. If both claws hit, the bear will hug and hold on next round. Characters caught in a hug may use no weapon larger than a dagger against the bear. To break 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 creature with no fear of Men, Elves, Dwarves or Orcs. They may be found in most of the mountainous regions of Middle-earth. Those of the Misty Mountains may be friends with the Beornings but this cannot be said for certain.

Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Weapon Bite Claw Hug

Roll 4D6+6 3D6+6 3D6+6 1D6 2D6 3D6+3 NA Attack 65% 45% *

Average 20 16-17 16-17 3-4 7 13-14

Parry NA 45% NA

Damage 1D10+4 2D6+4 7D6

* A bear attacks with two claws each round. If both claws hit, the bear will hug and hold on next round. Characters caught in a hug may use no weapon larger than a dagger against the bear. To break 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, Search 25%, 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 the crebain, a breed of large Crow, common to Dunland. Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Roll 1D3 2D4 1D2 1D6 2D6 3D6 NA Average 2 5 1-2 3-4 7 10-11

Weapon Bite Claw Notes

Attack 30%+1D10 30%+1D10

Parry NA NA

Damage 1D3 1D2

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, with about half clawing and half biting in a round. Make attack rolls for each bird and total the damage inflicted before subtracting the target's armour. The victim of such an attack may beat the birds away by killing half the number of attacking birds. Due to the nature of such a swarming attack, it is difficult to pick out an individual bird to attack. When the target attacks back, roll damage and use the points to kill individual birds. For example, assume a Man armed with longsword and shield is defending 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 birds outright 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 natural creatures, not the wicked creations of the Enemy (Wargs and Werewolves). Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Weapon Bite Roll 2D6+6 3D6+3 3D6 1D6 2D6 2D6+6 NA Attack 30%+1D10 Parry NA Damage 1D8 Average 13 13-14 10-11 3-4 7 13

Wolves are highly agile creatures and in combat get 1 Attack and up to 3 Dodges per round. For each minor wound they receive, reduce the number of Dodges by 1; a major wound deducts 2 Dodges. 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 any kind. Even Farmer Maggot in the Shire keeps them (Grip, Fang, Wolf). There are many breeds and crossbreeds. If running in a pack, there will be 2D6 dogs. Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Weapon Bite Roll 2D6+3 3D6 2D6+1 1D6 2D6 2D6+1 NA Attack 30%+1D6 NA Parry Damage 1D6 Average 10 10-11 10-11 3-4 7 13

Dogs fight in much the same way as wolves, biting and dodging away. However, they are less agile than wolves and get only 1 Dodge per round. A wound (major or minor) causes the dog to lose this dodge. 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. Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Roll 3D6+18 2D6+6 4D6+12 1D6 1D6 3D6 NA Average 28-29 13 26 3-4 3-4 10-11

Weapon Bite Kick Rear & Plunge Trample

Attack 5% 5% 5% 25%

Parry NA NA NA NA D10

Damage 1D8+2D6 2D8+2D6 4D6 to downed foe

Horses attack as normal in the combat round. For each rider, roll 1D6 and deduct the total from the horse's DEX (horses may carry two riders). Make this roll each turn. If the horse's DEX drops to 0 or less, it may not attack that round. Armour Typically 1 point for skin. Horses may wear special armour called barding. This is often of Leather or 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 for INT, 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 and therefore 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 war and work. Easterling nations may also have them.

Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Weapon Trample Trunk Rear & Plunge Gore (Tusk) Armour

Roll 6D6+24 3D6+16 6D6+32 1D6 2D6+6 3D6 NA Attack 50% 50% 25% 30%

Average 45 26-27 53 3-4 13 10-11

Parry NA NA NA NA Grapple 2D8+5D6 5D6

Damage 10D6 to downed foe

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 vs half the Elephant's STR. The Trunk does no damage but the Elephant may use any of its other attacks on a grappled victim with a 100% chance of success. Haradrim warriors use Oliphaunts as battle-platforms. When arrayed for war, an Oliphaunt is equipped with a wooden tower on its broad back. The tower may house as many SIZ points of warriors as the Oliphaunt has STR points. Typically, this will be 4 or 5 warriors, armed with spears and 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 wolf species. Perhaps they were bred by Sauron or Morgoth long ago. Evil and cruel, Wargs serve the Enemy. They may be used as mounts by Orcs.

Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Weapon Bite Claw

Roll 3D6+6 3D6+3 3D6+6 1D6 2D6 2D6+6 NA Attack 40%+1D10 30%+1D10

Average 16-17 13-14 16-17 3-4 7 13

Parry NA NA

Damage (+1D6) 1D8 1D8+1

Wargs, like Wolves, are highly agile creatures and in combat get 3 Attacks (claw/claw/bite) and up to 3 Dodges per round. For each minor wound they receive, reduce the number of Dodges by 1; a major wound deducts 2 Dodges. When all three Dodges have been lost due to wounds, the Warg has 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 their bodies. They have the form of Men but have the ability to transform into Wargs and a Warg-Man hybrid. 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 typical Warg described above. In Warg-Man form they may still use Mannish skills if appropriate. For the Warg-Man form, use the following table. Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Roll 6D6 3D6+3 3D6+6 Man Man 3D6+1D4 Man Average 21 13-14 16-17 8-9 10-11 11-12 10-11

(Man) Attributes and skills denoted like this indicate that the creature keeps the Mannish attribute or skill when in Warg-Man form. Thus, Werewolves in this form are significantly more dangerous than even normal Wargs as they can plan ahead and adapt to changing circumstances.

Weapon Bite Claw Weapons Armour

Attack 40%+1D10 30%+1D10 Man

Parry NA NA

Damage (+1D6) 1D8 1D8+1

Werewolves in whatever form they appear take half damage from all non-magical weapons. Fire does 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 evil Maiar companion of Morgoth the Great Enemy in the First Age), infest parts of Mirkwood and other 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 of the breed. Small Spiders Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Weapon Bite Webbing Armour Small spiders typically have 2 points of armour protection. Typical Skills Climb 90%, Move Quietly 30% Roll 2D6 3D6 2D6 1D4 1D6+4 3D6+3 NA Attack 20%+1D10 25% Parry NA NA Damage 1D8 + Poison Grapple 7 10-11 7 2-3 7-8 13 Average

Large Spiders Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Weapon Bite Webbing 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 nonlethal. All poisons have a POT (potency) equal to the Spider's POW. Lethal poisons cause the same number of D6 damage as the Spider's STR is rolled on (i.e. 2D6 or 3D6), with a POT vs. CON resistance roll for half damage. Non-lethal Spider poisons cause sleep or debilitation. The duration of is a number of D6 hours equal to the Spider's STR roll (i.e. 2D6 or 3D6), with a POT vs. CON resistance roll for half duration. Sleeping characters are difficult to wake. Use a CON vs. POT roll to determine if a character can wake before the duration expires naturally. Debilitation halves the character'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 web are grappled and may try to break free by matching their STR vs. the web's STR, which is equal to that 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 WitchKing 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 the living. Powerful within their barrows or at night they cannot stand the touch of sunlight. Wights prefer to attack with surprise and may use spells to confuse or bind their prey before taking it to their barrow to consume its spirit. Roll 3D6 3D6 3D6 1D4 2D6+4 3D6+3 NA Attack 30%+1D10 25% Parry NA NA Damage 1D8 + Poison Grapple Average 10-11 10-11 10-11 2-3 11 13

Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Weapon Longsword

Roll 4D6 3D6+2 3D6 4D6 4D6 4D6 3D6 Attack 40%+1D10

Average 14 13-14 10-11 14 14 14 10-11 Parry 40%+1D10 N/A Damage (+1D6) 1D10+1 Special

Chill Touch 50% + 1D20 Armour

Barrow Wights are often clad in the armour in which they were buried. This may be Chainmail or Chainmail 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 Frost spells. They may use these spells regardless of the magical Rank which their INT + POW would allow for a mortal Magician. In addition, the touch of a Barrow Wight spreads an icy coldness through a victim's body. On a successful Chill Touch attack (effectively a Brawl attack) make a POW vs POW roll on the Resistance 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 do not add to the Wight's own attributes, rather they form an additional pool of pseudo-POW points which the Wight can use to power its own magics. Should a victim be drained of half his starting score in a particular attribute, he falls unconscious. Should all a victim's STR, CON or DEX be drained, he will die in POW minutes. Barrow Wights loathe sunlight. When exposed to the cleansing light of the Sun a Barrow Wight sustains 1D6 Hit Points damage per round (this is similar to a human being drowning) and must retreat 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 kill anyone who enters or Carry this burden to the caves). Depending on the state of decomposition of the corpse before it was animated, the Walking Dead may appear as fleshless skeletons or as palid zombies. They may be dressed in rags or perhaps even armour scraps.

Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Weapon Unarmed

Roll 3D6 3D6 3D6 2 1D6 2D6 N/A Attack 30% + 1D6

Average 10-11 10-11 10-11 2 3-4 7 -Parry N/A * N/A * Damage Varies Special

Hand Weapon 20%+1D6

* 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 creatures may 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 when trespassers arrive. Any mortal being seeing the dead come to life in this way must make a Courage roll 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 deaths precludes them moving on. The folklore of all the Free Peoples includes references to such beings though 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 unless given 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. Generally Ghosts possess only INT and POW and appear as instubstantialm misty forms. A Ghost may have the power of speech (often in an archaic form of Westron) and perhaps may communicate its plight to 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 the Ghost is an undead Magician). Seeing a Ghost may cause Fear in any onlookers; the Fear has a Force equal to the Ghost's POW.

Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Special Rules

Roll N/A N/A N/A 2D6+6 4D6 N/A N/A

Average ---13 14 ---

Ghosts do not engage in physical combat. Instead, once per round they may surround and envelop one creature and attempt to drain the victim's life energy. Match POW vs. POW on the Resistance Table. If the Ghost wins, it drains 1D3 POW or Hit Points (GM's discretion based on the Ghost's history) from the victim. If the victim wins, he or she drains 1D3 of the Ghost's POW. The lost points simply vanish, they benefit neither the Ghost nor the victim. Ghosts are generally immune to physical weapons. It is sometimes possible to attack a Ghost with magic, but, should an adventurer wish 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 on corpses. Such Ghouls may or may not exist in Middle-earth, but not even the Wise know for certain. Some evil spirits when bound into physical bodies may, however, have the Attributes and powers described here. Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Weapon Claw x 2 Bite Skills Move Quietly 50%, Hide 50%, Ambush 25% Special Rules Ghouls are cunning hunters, following their prey, sometimes for miles, and attacking from ambush. Roll 4D6 3D6 2D6+6 1D6+6 2D6 3D6 N/A Attack 25%+2D6 40% Average 14 10-11 13 9-10 7 10-11 -Parry N/A N/A Damage (+1D4) 1D4 1D6

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 their opponents in a berserk rush. This grants them +1 to their Initiative rolls but precludes their Parrying as they are intent on destroying their quarry and devouring its flesh. Ghouls attack with both their claws 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 so on) are only rough translations from the Elvish and should not be taken as authoritative but as an attempt to evoke some Middle-earth flavour. All Nature Spirits can be considered minor Maiar spirits who have a special affinity for one particular place or environment. As such they are products of that environment and all manifest particular a personality. A Forest Spirit from a hidden glade in Mirkwood may harbour a hatred of giant spiders, while one from the woodlands of the Shire might be used to Hobbits picnicking in its clearing and be altogether more congenial. A Marsh Spirit from the Mouths of Anduin will have a distinctly different manner to a spirit from the Dead Marshes; the latter is likely to be very evil in nature. All Nature Spirits have a form in which they are most comfortable. These are listed in the descriptions below. However, when commanded, they can take on a more humanoid form, most often Elven in overall appearance. As befits such spirits and the close relationships they have had with 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 mountain pass or glacier. At need, if sorely pressed or if commanded, they can leave their homes but lose one POW 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. Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Roll 3D6 2D6 2D3 3D6 3D6 3D6 N/A Average 10-11 7 4 10-11 10-11 10-11 --

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 a translator 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 greater than the Spirit's STR. The Entangled victim is held immobile but may attempt a DEX vs POW or STR 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 branches to attack one target. The attack has a 50% chance of hitting and each hit causes 1D6 Hit Points damage (much like being struck with a club).

Spirits of the Desert (Fea Anfauglir) Desert Spirits appear as small dust devils. Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Roll 2D6 3D6 2D3 3D6 3D6 2D6 N/A Average 7 10-11 4 10-11 10-11 7 --

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 move silently or with no appreciable tracks through its realm and so on. Of course, the Spirit may decide 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 1D6 combat 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 manifest simply as footprints in the snow.

Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA

Roll 2D6 3D6 2D3 3D6 3D6 3D6 N/A

Average 7 10-11 4 10-11 10-11 10-11 --

Powers of Snow Spirits

Help or Hinder. The Spirit may aid or obstruct any creature passing through its realm. Such aid may include speeding movement, removing obstacles, 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. If a Snow Spirit wishes, it can make its realm treacherous to cross: anyone attempting to do so must make Balance rolls each round or slip and fall (which could be disastrous on a high mountain glacier). Ice Dagger. This is a ranged attack skill. The Spirit hurls one icicle, dagger-wise, each round with 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. The consequences 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 water features: 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 are Lake Spirits, which lair in lakes and ponds. Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Roll 2D6 2D6 2D3 3D6 3D6 2D6 N/A Average 7 7 4 10-11 10-11 7 --

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 the surface. A Water Spirit may also speed the passage of a boat or raft, or conversely attempt to sink the craft.

Spirits of the Oceans (Fea Shae) Ocean Spirits often manifest as hybrids of fish and men, perhaps called merfolk in some times and places. Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Roll 2D6 4D6 2D6+1 3D6 3D6 3D6+3 N/A Average 7 14 8 10-11 10-11 13-14 --

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 the surface. A Water Spirit may also speed the passage of a boat or raft, or conversely attempt to sink the craft. Navigate. Ocean Spirits are great travellers and may helpsailors lost at sea to find their way to port.

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. Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Roll 4D6 4D6 4D6 2D6 3D6 2D6 N/A Average 14 14 14 7 10-11 7 --

Powers of Mountain Spirits

Help or Hinder. The Spirit may make climbing easier, indicate easy routes through to mountain passes, and even protect climbers from falling. Evil or angry Mountain Spirits may do the opposite, of course. Speak with Eagles. Giant Eagles make their nests in the tallest mountains. It is conceivable that a Mountain Spirit can speak the language of Giant Eagles and may act as a go-between for a Wizard. 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 of what Saruman does while the Fellowship are passing over Caradhras). Rockslide. The most powerful Mountain Spirits can cause rockslides within their realm. The consequences 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. Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Roll 2D6 2D6 2D3 3D6 3D6 2D6 N/A Average 7 7 4 10-11 10-11 7 --

Powers of Marsh Spirits

Help or Hinder. The Spirit may indicate safe directions to travel, make islands of dry ground above the marsh surface for campers, cause stagnant or fouled water within its realm to become drinkable, and ward off blood-sucking insects. Of course, the Spirit may do the opposite of all these things. Swarm. The Spirit may cause insects to swarm around one character in its realm. The insect cloud remains around the character for the Spirit's POW in hours, during which time the character'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 so on) are only rough translations from the Elvish and should not be taken as authoritative but as an a attempt to evoke some Middle-earth flavour. The Elemental Spirits are manifestations of the building blocks of the physical world. The weakest of these creatures, those described below, lack all but rudimentary Intelligence and must be commanded 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 way leaves and dust are scattered around it whirling form. The attributes for a small Air Elemental are as follows:

Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA

Roll 2D6 1D6 1D3 1 1D6 N/A N/A

Average 7 3-4 2 1 3-4 ---

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 and lanterns. Act as a messenger. Messages may be carried as many miles as the Elemental has STR, and as many times as the Elemental has CON. Typically this means a communication range of 7 miles and 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 the Elemental 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 and three-fingered hands and three-toed feet. Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Roll 1D6+6 2D6+6 1D3 1 1D6 N/A N/A Average 9-10 13 2 1 3-4 ---

Powers of an Earth Elemental

Earth Elementals are fantastically strong. They may carry 100lbs per point of STR and never suffer 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 break 10% of the time. If an Earth Elemental scores a hit (25% chance with each hand per round) they cause 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 freestanding balls of fire which miraculously do not burn the surface on which they manifest. Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Roll 1D6 2D6 1D3 1 1D6 N/A N/A Average 3-4 7 2 1 3-4 ---

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 own Throw/Catch skill. A Fire Elemental can detect the body heat of living creatures within POWx100 feet. The rough direction 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 roll as a ripple or eddy within the water. If ordered to manifest on land, they assume shapes associated with both water and land: frogs and toads or puddles of water being common. Attributes STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX CHA Roll 2D6 1D6+6 1D3 1 1D6 N/A N/A Average 7 9-10 2 1 3-4 ---

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.