D&D General LotR and Forgotten Realms mashup - your thoughts?

[Parmandur]

Yes, exactly. I am more interested in the themes/feel; rules I can figure out later...

Honestly, it's so bananas that figuring out the rules and discovering theme in gamely might make more sense.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

You could go all metaplot-y and jump the FR's time line 1000 years in the furture:

• After being broken and patched so many times, the Weave finally unraveled. The various civilizations as we know it were destroyed.
• To save the world, Ao absorbed all deities to become Ao-Illuvatar, the One God and banished the Realms to the confines of creations to sever its various connections to the planes.
• They then rebooted the world, leaving the humanoids to build over the ruins of lost civilizations.

Use the map of Faerun, but use the themes of LotR.

The Swords Coast is Eriador, full of ancient ruins of the great kingdoms. The Dalelands is the Shire, refuge of the Hin and the simple human folks. The Unapproachable East is the gathering spot of the Orcs and Goblinoids serving the Dead Three (who escaped the whole divine thing by being no longer gods <- Nazgul style) ala Mordor and Near Harad.

Cormyr is your Gondor equivalent, being the last refuge of Men before the East, threatened to the north by the corrupted high tower of Castle Perilous and the Knight-Warlocks. The High Forest of Mirkwood is the refuge to Sylvan Elves, The Last Homely Home of Evereska is your Rivendell. Loudwater = Laketowm, Silverymoon = Dale, Rashemen = Rohan.

Elves are rare, they fled to the golden isles of Evermeet to bask in the remnants of their past powers. Dwarfs are looking to retake Delzoun and their many lost strongholds.

Magic is restricted to the spells listed in the Loremaster's guide of AIME. All the casters have access to the same spell list.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

You could go all metaplot-y and jump the FR's time line 1000 years in the furture:

• After being broken and patched so many times, the Weave finally unraveled. The various civilizations as we know it were destroyed.
• To save the world, Ao absorbed all deities to become Ao-Illuvatar, the One God and banished the Realms to the confines of creations to sever its various connections to the planes.
• They then rebooted the world, leaving the humanoids to build over the ruins of lost civilizations.

Use the map of Faerun, but use the themes of LotR.

The Swords Coast is Eriador, full of ancient ruins of the great kingdoms. The Dalelands is the Shire, refuge of the Hin and the simple human folks. The Unapproachable East is the gathering spot of the Orcs and Goblinoids serving the Dead Three (who escaped the whole divine thing by being no longer gods <- Nazgul style) ala Mordor and Near Harad.

Cormyr is your Gondor equivalent, being the last refuge of Men before the East, threatened to the north by the corrupted high tower of Castle Perilous and the Knight-Warlocks. The High Forest of Mirkwood is the refuge to Sylvan Elves, The Last Homely Home of Evereska is your Rivendell. Loudwater = Laketowm, Silverymoon = Dale, Rashemen = Rohan.

Elves are rare, they fled to the golden isles of Evermeet to bask in the remnants of their past powers. Dwarfs are looking to retake Delzoun and their many lost strongholds.

Magic is restricted to the spells listed in the Loremaster's guide of AIME. All the casters have access to the same spell list.

Holy c#@p, I think we have a winner! This is amazing...