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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 8418681" data-attributes="member: 42582">But only one presents the work consistently with its underlying theme and context.Yes. In part because I don't think Gandalf is overly magical. Looking at Aragorn's ability to lead (eg Gimil entering the Dimholt) or Faramir's similar ability (as per my quote upthread) or Gandalf's ability to lift the hearts of the defenders as magical is in my view a distortion of the work.In a 4e representation of these PCs, I think it would be fair to give Gandalf Healing Word (he is a messenger of the Valar - an angel, as JRRT noted in some of his correspondence) whereas Aragorn and Faramir would have Inspiring Word (they are inspirational battle captains) but that tells us the origin of their power. (In 4e, this is the power source.) It doesn't tell us the nature of the effect, which is to be ascertained from the keywords and mechanics.The relevant keyword in this context is healing, with the mechanical concomitant of hit point recovery. And we know that this includes the shoring up of resolve (which JRRT describes as the lifting of hearts).I can understand the possible aesthetic criticisms of this sort of fiction, and hence of a RPG system that emulates it. But I don't think there is any puzzle about the mechanics and the fiction in itself.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 8418681, member: 42582"] But only one presents the work consistently with its underlying theme and context. Yes. In part because I don't think Gandalf is overly magical. Looking at Aragorn's ability to lead (eg Gimil entering the Dimholt) or Faramir's similar ability (as per my quote upthread) or Gandalf's ability to lift the hearts of the defenders as [I]magical[/I] is in my view a distortion of the work. In a 4e representation of these PCs, I think it would be fair to give Gandalf Healing Word (he is a messenger of the Valar - an angel, as JRRT noted in some of his correspondence) whereas Aragorn and Faramir would have Inspiring Word (they are inspirational battle captains) but that tells us the [I]origin[/I] of their power. (In 4e, this is the [I]power source[/I].) It doesn't tell us the nature of the effect, which is to be ascertained from the keywords and mechanics. The relevant keyword in this context is [I]healing[/I], with the mechanical concomitant of hit point recovery. And we know that this includes the shoring up of resolve (which JRRT describes as the lifting of hearts). I can understand the possible aesthetic criticisms of this sort of fiction, and hence of a RPG system that emulates it. But I don't think there is any puzzle about the mechanics and the fiction in itself. [/QUOTE]

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