Adventures in Middle-earth (d20)

[Desdichado]

Inspired in part by ColonelHardisson's original request for conversion info, I started working on my own version of what I thought Middle-earth should be like d20 and presenting it to my brothers, my wife and some of our friends. So, for a little while now, we've been dabbling in a Middle-earth game online, and we've actually gotten fairly serious, so I decided to report on our progress here in the Story Hour forum and see if I get any comments on the game itself, or the conversion I used.

Not only just a story hour per se, I thought I'd also take breaks here and there in the thread and explain some of the conversion rules I used as well.

For races, I used elvish conversion rules similar to what ColonelHardisson originally posted in the thread: I really like the racial conversion rules present on the ME conversion homepage. Ours have minor differences, but since I had no elf players, it was a moot point. Dwarves and humans are done exactly as presented in the PHB, even Dunedain, who I didn't figure were different enough to warrant new racial rules. Hobbits are like the halflings of the PHB, except that their +2 stat is CON instead of DEX, which I think fits with the many descriptions of hobbits as "being made of sterner stuff than anyone would guess" type of comments made by characters like Gandalf, Aragorn and others.

We weren't really sure exactly how to do magic-users. They obviously exist even amongst mortal races (Queen Beruthiel, for instance, the forgers of the swords the hobbits got from the barrow-downs "wrapped with spells for the Witch-king's destruction", the sorcerors of the wild hill-men, etc.) but we didn't really know exactly how to do it. I started working on a force system conversion from Star Wars, but no one actually opted to play a magic-user, so I shelved that project until it's needed. The classes we did use are Wheel of Time classes: I have two wanderers, and armsman, a woodsman (more specifics next time I post.) I started the characters at 2nd level, and told them that there would be no experience: just arbitrary levelling when I thought it was time to do so. All of us enjoy low-level play, so we'll probably run up through about 5th level or so and then take the campaign elsewhere, but we'll run it for a long time without going past that, I think.

What else? Hmmm... we'll be playing in the year 1408 of the Third Age, starting in mid-autumn, and beginning in Arthedain. Any questions? Hold the campaign specific ones, as I'll get to those next time I add a big post, but for now, I just wanted to post a flavor of what kind of conversion we were using.

Oh, almost forgot, I thought the VP/WP system was appropriate for Middle-earth, and I like the way it was converted on the ME page slightly better than the Asgard conversion: makes it just a little bit scarier! If you have any questions about the campaign itself, though, if I see them before I post the specifics of the characters and start the log, I'll try and answer 'em!

I'll also try and clearly mark, once I get started, log text from commentary text, by using text formatting. A big part of this Story Hour -- and the campaign as a whole -- is a playtest of the conversion, and how much like D&D it does (or doesn't) feel.

 

[Valavien]

Looks like it's going to be an interesting read.

 

[Desdichado]

Mostly about the characters...

OK, here's the four players of the game, including a little bit of background info...

Hannar male dwarf Armsman 2: Size M (4'10") vp 26 wp 17; Init -1 (-1 dex); Spd 20 ft.; Def +3 (+4 chain shirt, -1 dex); Attack +4 melee, +1 ranged; SV Fort +6, Ref +1, Will +3; Str 15, Dex 9, Con 17, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 12.
Languages: Westron, Khuzdul, Sindarin.
Skills: Climb +7, Craft (weapons) +7, Craft (art) +7, Intimidate +5, Jump +7, Swim +7.
Feats: Iron Will, Power Attack.
Hannar very often travels between the Blue Mountains and Khazad-dûm (**don't forget that this is more than 550 years before the balrog is awakened**) as an emissary between the two dwarven populations. He is fairly young, has a long brown beard and belongs to the Longbeard people of Khazad-dûm. He is perhaps more interested in the Mannish kingdoms that lie on his journey than many other dwarves would be, and he is a well-known face at many stops along the way, including the Inns of Bree. He dabbles, at times, in selling his forged works, including simple weapons, works of art and jewelry.

Fosco Cotman male hobbit Wanderer 2: Size S (4'3") vp 17 wp 16; Init +2 (+2 dex); Spd 20 ft.; Def +6 (+4 class, +2dex); Attack +1 melee, +3 ranged; SV Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +3; Str 10, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 12.
Languages: Westron.
Skills: Balance +7, Climb +5, Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Jump +5, Listen +6, Move Silently +7, Perform (flute) +6, Spot +6.
Feats: Point Blank Shot.
Fosco is from a relatively stable settlement of native Eriadorans and hobbits that live together near the border between Rhudaur and Arthedain. (*** although in the time of the novels, this arrangement was only found at Bree, prior to the settlement of the Shire, the hobbits normally lived, when they could, with the Big Folk***) He is of Fallohidish descent, and thus is relatively tall and has sandy brown hair and brown eyes. He's not quite as conversant as many of this race, and was often criticised by his family for his slightly brooding personality. He spends a good deal of time exploring the countryside, until the threat of Angmar made wandering about a less than pleasant proposition. However, he felt angered and dutifully inspired to "do his part" so he marched all the way to Norbury (Fornost) and volunteered to help where he could. Although his skills out of doors could use some more work, the King's men there decided he was best suited to help them scout the area, and he often does so informally, since no hobbits serve as regular soldiers in the armies of the Dunedain.

Duiniel female dunadan Wanderer 2: Size M (5'8") vp 10 wp 12; Init +2 (+2 dex); Spd 30 ft.; Def +6 (+4 class, +2dex); Attack -1 melee, +3 ranged; SV Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +3; Str 7, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 11, Cha 16.
Languages: Westron, Sindarin, Quenya.
Skills: Appraise +7, Bluff +8, Climb +5, Diplomacy +8, Heal +4, Gather Information +8, Knowledge (elvish history) +7, Search +7, Sense Motive +5, Spot +5.
Feats: Luck of Heroes, Persuasive.
Duiniel is an orphan, raised at Imladris by the elves and Dunedain, and friendly with Elrond himself and his children. She is well-versed in the history of her people, therefore, and is more likely to try and talk her way through any adversity than her companions. She is a very pretty Dunadan girl, with long dark hair and clear grey eyes. Now that she has grown into her majority, Elrond has sent her back to her own people, to be a handmaiden of the queen of Arthedain, or one of the other nobles of the kingdom. However, Duiniel was used to running free through the vale of Rivendale, and the thought of serving as a handmaiden did not strike her fancy. She was distracted from her task, therefore, and has spent the last several weeks wandering at will through the countryside, using her powers of persuasion to find temporary work, food and lodging as she enjoys a leisurely stroll through the country.

Halbarad male dunadan Woodsman 2: Size M (6'4") vp 19 wp 11; Init +5 (+1 dex, +4 Partial Improved Initiative); Spd 30 ft.; Def +5 (+4 class, +1 dex); Attack +5 melee, +3 ranged; SV Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +3; Str 16, Dex 13, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 10.
Languages: Westron, Sindarin.
Skills: Climb +8, Heal +8, Hide +6, Intuit Direction +8, Spot +8, Wilderness Lore +10.
Feats: Survivor, Toughness.
Halbarad is the youngest son of a minor noble of Arthedain, and aspires to be a ranger of King Arveleg: an elite unit of wilderness guardians and warriors. (***which would later become the core of the rangers that survived the downfall of the kindgoms and protected Bree and the Shire from molestors in the far future of the novels***) Right now, however, he is simply a junior member of the court, and he spends time both in the field and in Fornost. He is also tall and dark-haired with blue eyes. He is somewhat quiet and grim of personality.

 

[Desdichado]

Thanks, Valavien. I thought, since the ME project got a lot of attention anyway, that a Story Hour using the same rules (or at least very similar rules) as posted there would probably be something some folks would want to see.

 

[GruTheWanderer]

Excellent characters

Hi Joshua,

It's good to see another Middle Earth campaign in progress. I'm running a Middle Earth campaign set in the second age, and have posted journals of it on the ME website. I have never visited the Story Hour forum before, but I like it.

Looking forward to more info.
Derek

 

[Piratecat]

[cue whiny voice] But I want to play a wizard/cleric! Why caaaan't I?

 

[Desdichado]

PC, I'm going to have to put you on emergency Middle-earth therapy. Go watch the movie at least three times back to back, and report on the new footage from The Two Towers that they started today! (actually, I'm only saying this to gloat: I just got back and hour and a half or so ago from watching it myself...)

 

[Desdichado]

Quick update...

OK, I've had family in town this weekend, so sitting down for the hour or so it would take me to start up a log of our adventures has been difficult, I thought I'd just make a quick update on the characters.

Since names and languages were so important to Tolkien himself, we figured that we better be serious about the names we picked for the characters.

Hannar is a dwarf name taken from the "Catalogue of Dwarves" in the Elder Edda. Since Tolkien took every other dwarvish name (with the exception of the Petty Dwarves) from that catalogue, it seemed to be straight from the horse's mouth.

Fosco Cotman is a conglomerate of two names from the hobbit family trees: Fosco is a Baggins name, while Cotman is the name that later evolved into Cotton and figures in the Gamgee family tree.

Halbarad is the name of the ranger who led the company who met Aragorn right before he went to the paths of the dead. For a "proto-ranger" that seemed like an appropriate name.

Duiniel is a variation of a name found in the catalogue of allies who comes marching into Minas Tirith to be cheered on by Pippin and Birgil. There, the name is Duinhir. The player simply removed the -hir and attached -iel, which is a feminine name ending common in Sindarin. Later, I looked up the word elements in the wordlist in The Silmarillion and found that Duin was '(long) river' and hir was lord. So Duinhir was the river-lord, and Duiniel is, loosely translated, the river-maiden. I told the player, and she may change the background slightly and give her the swim skill, saying that she often frolicked in the river at Rivendell, thus earning her name.

When I come back next, the first log will commence!

 

[Desdichado]

Many Beginnings

Many Beginnings, Session 1 part 1

(** Note: tan text indicates "flashbacks"**) Deep in the chambers of Khazad-dûm, which the elves call Hadhodrond and men call the Dwarrowdelf, Hannar son of Swuir meets with a representative of the Lord Durin himself, king of all the Longbeard dwarves -- masters of the Misty Mountains. He is told to forego his normal ambassadorship visit to the Blue Mountains far to the west and travel only as far as Bree, where he will meet representatives of the human kingdom of Arthedain. The Lord Durin is concerned about the kingdom, and wants to make sure it stands against the rising might of Angmar, for if Arthedain falls, then the might of the Witch-king could easily be turned towards his own halls.

"Assess the danger for yourself. Travel with some of the Men, and appraise their strength to stand up to the terror of the North-lands." Arrangements have been made with a lord of the Dúnedain to accept you as a travelling companion of some of his retainers. This lord's estates border on Rhudaur, and he will be one of the first to face the might of the North should they strike."

Hannar is sceptical of Men, but sees the logic in his instructions. He bows and accepts his charge.

~~**~~

Fosco Cotman was sure that he had been passed up for any type of duty whatsoever yet again. The Lords of Norbury, or Fornost as they called it in the High Speech, were much more concerned with hearing the quaint tales of his people than in making any real use of his talents. But to his surprise and delight, Lord Telemnar had a real assignment for him, and was anxious that he begin at once.

"My stout little companion, I do have great need of your skills, and I fear that only you can serve me now. For a secret message needs sending to my kinsman Falathar, one of the few remaining Dúnedain lords left in poor Rhudaur. The message is extremely secret, and must be kept safe. To ensure that a false message is not sent, I have a long agreement with him that messages of the utmost security will be sent with one of the Little People. So your coming amongst us when you did is fortuitiuous. These last several monthes whilst you have chafed at inactivity, indeed I and my lords have been measuring your loyalty and courage to see if indeed you could fulfill this task."

Fosco was given a sealed envelope and told to meet a group at Bree that could accompany him across the border. He was told that he would be sent with Halbarad, a soldier and ranger of the King's own retinue and at Bree he would unite with a representative of the dwarves. The three of them should be well enough equipped to hazard the journey to the Angle, the lands south of the Great East-West road and between the Mithiethil and Bruinen rivers.

So, soon in the company of a tall, dour man of dark hair and grey eyes, wearing leather and a green cloak, Fosco takes the road south from Fornost to Bree.

~~**~~

Duiniel had rested a fortnight at Amon Sûl with the soldiers and lords of the King of Arthedain, and then had continued on her way. She had provisions for a week's journey and was told she should have plenty to get her to if she stuck to the road and headed straight west. Her journey through the Midgewater Marshes was not pleasant, but neither did it give her undue hardship, and she soon found herself in the overarching tree-lined space of the Chetwood. Her provisions well-stocked, she decided to take a small detour to the North and visit Archet. There, she was able to sing at the inn for a further small allowance of coin as well as a free room and meals. The friendly Bree-landers sent her on her way south to the main village of Bree with many a smile and a wave, but now her voyage was to take place on windy, narrow roads and paths that carved their way delicately through the woods.

After a time, she heard noises, and feeling more cautious than normal, she decided to step off the path. She was nearing to Staddle now, and would be coming around the southern end of the great Bree-hill and thus entering the village, but something about the voices she heard sounded vaguely menacing.

There she saw a man, a Bree-lander by the look of him, although one with a decidedly unsavory appearance. He was talking with an even rougher man -- one of the Hill-folk of Rhudaur by the look of him: a dark man, hirsute and broad. They were speaking in low voices, but their expressions and demeanor did not appear trustworthy. Suddenly, though, they stopped their conversation and looked directly at her: she had apparently not been as stealthy as she believed (**rolled a 2 on her move silently check!**) The two men were immediately suspicious of her appearance in the middle of nowhere, and although she was talking as fast as she had ever done, before she knew it, steel was bared and things were looking very bad for her. She did have a small sword of her own, given to her by Elrond himself, but her skill with it was not exceptional, and the two men both appeared rough and strong.

Quietly she drew her own sword and attempting to make a preemptive strike against the men menacing her. However, her blow was not true: she was unable to strike her target, and the dark hill-man struck her a vicious blow that sent her reeling to the ground. The Bree-man laughed cruelly to himself as the hill-man stalked forwards, but just then the two were interrupted from their torment of the girl by the arrival of Hannar. He had arrived in Bree earlier in the day, and wanted to walk around the entire Bree-hill to gauge the lay of the land, the strength of the men here and what types of fortifications they had, and had happened to be passing right by this area at just the right time.

The sturdy dwarf already had his own sword bared, a thick piece of dwarven construction. He rushed the hill-man striking him a vicious blow of his own. The Bree-man attempted to flank the dwarf, but missed in his own attacks. Meanwhile, Duiniel stood again and now had the Bree-man himself flanked -- she dealt him a solid blow with her short sword. Hannar meanwhile struck the hill-man to the ground: he did not get up. The Bree-man had apparently lost his stomach for the fight, and turned tail and ran. Duiniel pulled her bow from her back to bring him down, but by the time she had nocked an arrow, he was lost amongst the orange and red leaves of the forest.

Duiniel introduced herself to the dwarf and thanked him. For his part, Hannar decided to forego the remainder of his walk and make sure Duiniel arrived safely in Bree itself.

To be continued...

 

[Dinkeldog]

Looks like fun. Of course, one must wonder if the hobbit is in fact carrying a fake message because no one would trust a simple hobbit to carry a really important message.

Where is the ME stuff online?