D&D 4E 4e and Middle Earth

[Doug Justice]

I was just curious - with what we know about 4th edition do you think it will more suitable to running a Middle Earth game than 3.x and why?

 

[mach1.9pants]

Iron Heroes- only low levels- (and that sort of thing) is the only game that I would run book based ME with. ME is just to low magic for most RPGs including all editions of DnD IMO.
Basing it more towards the movies though........might work, you can play 4E without healing 'magic' as such (warlord) and you can play it with little or no magic items by just giving a flat enhancement bonus to the PCs. So yeah I reckon a low magicked, tweaked ruleset, with changed classes (clerics gone) would work well on a LotR movie RPG

 

[Scrollreader]

Yeah, you'd have to trim things a little, I think. But I think it would actually work better, IMO. Gandalf is a leader (A cleric or warlord) with the odd wizard or warlock per encounter ability (from multiclassing). Most of the rest of the group are entirely martial power sourced. I think actually, the way that 4e seems to be less reliant on magic items and spellcasting to be effective would let you play out a middle earth type game in the heroic/low paragon tier quite well, so long as your players were aware of the theme, and you don't have anybody who wants to be a dragonborn warlock.

 

[Harshax]

Now that healing isn't the realm of Divine magic only, I think it is very easy to tweak the game by removing power sources, such as Arcane or Divine.

So, yeah. 4E could work pretty well in Middle Earth.

 

[Mistwell]

Easier to remove clerics, and easier to remove magic items, and even easier to remove magic. So yeah, should be easier to run 4e Middle Earth.

 

[cdrcjsn]

Gandalf is a leader

I think Gandalf would be better as an NPC. That way you don't have to exactly conform him to PC classes. You can just make an Istari monster type with leader/controller abilities and there you go.

 

[Andor]

I doubt it. ME isn't as low magic as is usually thought, there is actually a lot going on if you read carefully, esp magic items. But! Magic is usually pretty subtle, the only character throwing around flashy spells is Gandalf and he's a demi-god. And even then? One lightning bolt in the Hobbit. Some flamey pinecones (although the fire didn't go out and was spread unaturally.) A light-ray that drove off the Ring Wraiths (no small feat.)

All the other magic is either a matter of enchanted items (All the elven blades, the shorts swords from the barrow, the seven stones, the sillmarils, the horn given to Merry, the phail of Galadrial, the elven cloaks and rope, the mirror of Galadrial, the walking sticks Farramir gives the hobbits, the various dwarven toys and instruments, the black arrow of Bard, Anduril, etc) or song magic, or telepathy. (No wait, Gandalf also casts 'Hold Portal' although that doesn't really slow down the Balrog.)

4e's emphasis on flashy cinematic effects seens to be highly at odd with the feel of ME. Strangely enough the only spell casting class that really fits the bill in my mind is the Artificer, and even then you need to strip away some of his infusions (Wall spells) and the wands and staves.

 

[Cyronax]

I think Gandalf would be better as an NPC. That way you don't have to exactly conform him to PC classes. You can just make an Istari monster type with leader/controller abilities and there you go.

He's an exarch who is special enough to be Raised from the Dead.

He also is the annoying uber-NPC that steals all the PCs glory.

I don't know how widely known this is, but DM the Rings (linked) is a rocking parody.

http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?cat=14

c.i.d.

 

[mach1.9pants]

I agree in some respects, Andor. But the magic should all be NPC based, IMO. You might have to tone down any magic obvious effects from some classes but a lot of things can be explained with a change in fluff....

 

[Plane Sailing]

I was just curious - with what we know about 4th edition do you think it will more suitable to running a Middle Earth game than 3.x and why?

I'd say "absolutely". Just run it with martial power sources and you'd be away.

3e was much harder to get something working with ME. Not impossible, just much harder (the whole healing issue, for instance).