Eve of Mirkwood [Full]

[Redclaw]

First of all, I'm playing a human character here, so the decision doesn't really affect me in any way. That being said, I like good intellectual discussions, so I want to weigh in again.

I have a few reasons for liking the PHB/RPGA version:

Changing the order would effectively nerf the racial modifiers. The reason for having those midifiers, IMHO, is to give each race a unique spot in the makeup of the realm. Having dextrous elves that are more graceful than humans, and sturdy dwarves who can take a hit better, just makes sense to me. Any rule that makes it easy for the dwarf to be just as nimble as the elf is an issue. Imagine Gimli climbing up the oliphant and sliding down its trunk... it just doesn't work.

The math just doesn't work the way it should. Since most races get a +2 bonus to one ability and a -2 penalty to another, the would wind up with the same 28 points that a human has when applying the alternate rules (ie. +2 dex gives me 30 points, but -2 con brings me back to 28.)

Despite the bonuses, there's still plenty of opportunity for characters to defy the system. You can still have a dwarf with a 16 dex, it'll just cost more, and make him less effective in other areas. On the other hand, why would you want to make a dwarf with a 16 dex? That's just not in tune with their society.

I understand the objection about the poor half-orc, but at the same time it isn't really an advantage. That half orc has the advantage of being able to be stronger for fewer points than the elf. Each race has its own strengths and weaknesses, and most members of those races would be trained in ways to use their strengths and minimize the impact of their weaknesses. That's why dwarves tend toward , shields and heavy armor, while elves tend toward light armor and . It does encourage a bit of min/maxing, but I see it more as encouraging players to suit their characters to their chosen race. Without it, the race is just a cosmetic choice.

So, those are just a few thoughts. I'm fine either way. Plus I got to try out the new smilies.

 

[Dlsharrock]

I've created a new thread for discussing the whole thing
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=224284
Please use that for further comments about this. As I said, I'm more than happy to dump the idea and go with the RAW to save controversy and so on.

And anyway, it probably doesn't help you guys that I hadn't explained it properly even the second time around. In the Rules forum thread above I've finally got it straight. From now on I think I'll just stick with what I think and let the RAW do the rest.

So... I await the last couple characters and then we can send this ball a-rolling.

 

[Dlsharrock]

Couldn't wait

Shayuri...

edit first bit: sorry, brain burp.

The rest

Re: starting gold+, at 2nd level I should award you an additional 900gp, given this is an Elf of Mirkwood and not your common or garden D&D ranger will the award be the same? I think so. Given she's mingling with Humans and therefore needs petty cash to get by, her King will have given her a coffer of petty cash. Elves don't have much use for gold in their own societies, though they are fussy about treasure if it lies in their territory (ie, they don't really spend it, but they don't want dwarves or humans to have it either!) and Thranduil is rich enough. I'll award you the full 900gp (add the 44gp she has from the class starting gold roll) to spend as you see fit on goods purchased, probably in Lake Town during likely sojourns there and/or the logging camp, or to horde in pouches and chests wherever you want. If you'd like to purchase a magical item, let me know what it is and I'll let you know if its allowable. If you want to upgrade weapons, armour etc. feel free. Unusual goods purchased should be realistic come with an explanation why she needs it.

XP = 1000 +6d8 (you can roll)

For the Scout ability Skirmish, what's the AC bonus? In the description on the link you gave me it's just listed as +X AC, or does that just apply to level 3?

Abilities, skills, feats etc all good

 

[Shayuri]

Eee...thankee for respies!

I rolled 27 on exp roll... http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1571704/

Which isn't bad for 6d8...

As for funds...well, I'd like a masterwork bow at least. Elf craftsmanship! Not actually magical, but definitely well made and all. Similarly, perhaps upgrade her armor to masterwork studded leather? A bit heavier, but due to elfcraft, it doesn't slow her down any more than normal leather would...

Beyond that, the Magic Item Compendium has a few low-cost, low power, objects that might be appropriate. Let me give some brief summaries here...

Blessed Bandage, 10gp - Automatically stabilizes a dying character when applied.
Daylight Pellet, 150gp - Thrown as a grenade-like weapon. Causes Daylight spell for 10 rounds where it lands.
Magic Bedroll, 500gp, - Recover +1 hit point per level from resting in it for a night, gain Endure Elements while resting in it (not sure if elves use bedrolls, but there we are).
Trollgut Rope, 500gp - 1/day 50' rope can be commanded to grow up to 350' long. Excess vanishes after 12 hours. Probably would have a different flavor effect than being of troll gut.

The AC bonus from Skirmish doesn't kick in until higher levels. At level one, it's just bonus damage.

 

[Dlsharrock]

Masterwork bow - ok, cost 375gp and adds +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls. Masterwork arrows to go with your shiny bow are 7gp each.

Masterwork studded leather armour - ok, cost 175gp and has an armour check penalty of zilch.

Blessed Bandage - ok. Quite a nice low level magic item and seems typical of the kind of low-level magical object described in The Hobbit.

Daylight Pellet - I'm saying no to this one as it's a little too close to existing artefacts, such as the phial of Galadriel, itself a prized Elven item (used against Shelob in Return of the King) and more suited to an Elf of high power like Galadriel herself. Light has very powerful effects on the dark forces of Middle-Earth, while the spiritual and magical energy of light is very auspicious with all sorts of relativity to the Valar and stars and so forth.

Magic Bedroll - bloody hell, that's one expensive mattress. But ok. This seems nice and Elvishy by design.

Trollgut Rope - ok. No reason to change it from trollgut I don't think, however, based on the physiology of trolls in Arda, if the rope ever comes into contact with sunlight, it turns to stone. To counter this problem the rope likely comes sheathed in a leather bag or wrap-around.

Why the blinkin' flip aren't my smileys working!?!

 

[Shayuri]

There's an option somewhere where smileys are turned on and off. Maybe it got toggled somehow?

Re: Daylight Pellet, I forgot to mention it's a one-use item. You throw it, and it "explodes" into radiance. Hence the low cost.

As for the bedroll, yar, expensive...but speaking from experience, D&D mechanics can be very brutal when there's no magic healing. Anything that lets us heal a bit more will be welcome.

I can't afford much of that now of course...but it may come up later.

 

[Dlsharrock]

Re: Daylight Pellet, I forgot to mention it's a one-use item. You throw it, and it "explodes" into radiance. Hence the low cost.

I guessed as much (not many reusable grenades around)
The issue is twofold and relates to the existing artefacts/magic of Middle-Earth and to the mutifold correlations between light/fire based magic and the spiritual history of light, flame and the Valar. For example, the seemingly low-magic Phial of Galadriel (all it seemed to do was emit light and frighten evil creatures) was a crystal phial filled with water from Galadriel's magic fountain. It was also known as the Star-glass, because it held a little fragment of the light of the Evening Star Eärendil, which was one of the Silmarils, contained within the waters of Galadriel's Mirror. It is thus a reflection of a reflection of the light of the Two Trees of Valinor and thereby something auspicious and hard-won, rather than something you might purchase in Lake Town, or acquire as a natural Elf of Mirkwood. Interestingly there's also the whole Eärendil story, closely related to Galadriel and the Silmaril, which adds further subtle levels to the phial's significance, but I won't blather on about that here.

As a rule of thumb you can expect restrictions on most fire or light related magics in this game (fire has schizophrenic origins, with lots of weighty connections to Illuvatar's Flame Imperishable, but also the evils of Melkor and Sauron whose pits of production almost always include 'fiery pits' and whose magic/evil invariably finds origin in fire; for example, the Balrog, or the Ring of Power, forged in the lava deeps of Mount Doom).

I'm very much taking my lead from Tolkien who favoured quirky or 'useful' magic in his books as incidental and generally tied these D&D style magical effects into objects. This is more true in the Hobbit than LotR, I think. In LotR most magic seems to be marginalised to the Elves, to the Maiar, or to nature itself and makes significant connections with the light/fire theme.

 

[Shayuri]

Arr, just making sure there was no misunderstanding. Cool deal then! Here is a revised sheet, reposted so you don't have to go back to the old one...including inventory. If all is well, I will include description and background when I post to Rogue's Gallery.

Oh, also, a note on favored class. Since it's a strength of humans that they have none it seems a little unfair to ask that favored class restrictions be lifted...but at the same time, with magic being low, having a favored class of wizard is fairly harsh. Same with any race that has a spellcasting favored class. Perhaps elves might have a different, more martially oriented class favored?

[sblock=Aranel Amandil]
Name: Aranel Amandil
Race: Silvan Elf
Class/Level: Ranger 1/Scout 1
Gender: Female
Exp 1027/3000

Desc
Pending

Strength (STR) 10 +0 (2)
Dexterity (DEX) 16 +3 (6)
Constitution (CON) 12 +1 (6)
Intelligence (INT) 12 +1 (4)
Wisdom (WIS) 14 +2 (6)
Charisma (CHA) 12 +1 (4)

Alignment: Chaotic Good
AC: 16
Hit Points: 15/15
Movement: 30'

Init: +3
Base Attack Bonus: +1
Melee Attack: +1
Ranged Attack: +4
Fort: +3
Reflex: +7
Will: +2

Race Abilities
+2 Dex, - 2 Con
+2 Listen, Spot, Search
Automatically roll to Search vs Secret doors if pass within 5'
+2 save vs Enchantment
Immune to magic sleep
4 hours trance/night
Proficient in bows, longswords, rapiers
Low Light Vision

Class Abilities:
Skirmish (1d6)
Trapfinding

Favored Enemy: Humanoid (Orc)
Tracking
Wild Empathy +2

Skills: 36 + 7
Balance +5 (2 ranks + 3 Dex)
Climb +5 (5 ranks + 0 Str)
Hide +8 (5 ranks + 3 Dex)
Knowledge: Nature +6 (5 ranks + 1 Int)
Listen +8 (4 ranks + 2 Wis + 2 race)
Move Silently +8 (5 ranks + 3 dex)
Search +5 (2 ranks + 1 Int + 2 race)
Sense Motive +6 (4 ranks + 2 wis)
Spot +8 (4 ranks + 2 wis + 2 race)
Survival +9 (5 ranks + 2 wis +2 synergy)

Heal +4 (2 ranks + 2 wis)

Feats
Point Blank Shot

Languages - Common, Elvish

Money - 287gp

Weapons -
MW Longbow, +5 to hit, 1d8 damage, 20 x3, 100', 3lbs, 375gp
20 MW arrows, 3lbs, 140 gp +1 to hit
20 arrows, 3lbs, 1gp
Short sword, +1 to hit, 1d6 damage, 19-20 x2, 2lbs, 10gp

Armour -
MW Studded Leather, +3 AC, 15lbs, 175gp

Gear -
Bedroll
Waterskin
Blessed Bandages x5, 50gp

Magic -

Background:
Pending[/sblock]

 

[Dlsharrock]

Redclaw...

Languages: Rohirric and bonus language is Westron, which he speaks well. Rohirric is actually rendered in LotR as archaic Old English, but is in fact a language in its own right and when Aeric is with his father or other members of the Eotheod tribes he may speak this language without being fully understood by others. Rohirric exists before the evolution of Eotheod into Rohirrim and is the derivative from which the Rohirrim and the region of Rohan gets its name. There are a few sources for Rohirric on the web, but not many as Tolkien never elaborated much on the language, choosing instead to represent it in LotR as an archaic form of Old English, as far as I can ascertain, so readers could understand dialogue. Most of the existing translations are from Rohirrim protagonist names and locations. Curiously, the language of Hobbits has, at some point in the past, been influenced by Rohirric, so you may be able to semi-converse with Hobbits in their own language or understand Hobbit text (and in my game they do have their own language). The Rohirric 'trahan' for example, means burrow in Hobbitish. More significantly, éo means horse (as in Éowyn, Éomer and so on). Théoden supposedly means King and the Rohirric word 'wose' means wild-man, which is where the Wose race of Middle-Earth get their name. Of course, you don't really need to know any of this, I'm just including it fyi.

Starting Gold: as with other players I'm taking the 900gp 2nd level award on a character by character basis. I'm trimming it to 450gp for basic starting equipment. However, Aerec does get a free high pedigree horse worth around 300gp (compared with the usual 75gp) and I'll also award 150gp to spend exclusively on gearing up the horse with barding, saddles and so forth. Add the left over gold from your starting gold to the pile and spend on the horse or basics.

The Horse:

Medium weight barding will reduce the horse's base speed by 15ft. Heavy weight barding will reduce the horse's base speed by 15ft and also moving at only triple its base speed when running instead of quadruple. Light carrying capacity will not affect the horse's movement. Medium will reduce base speed by 15ft. Heavy will reduce base speed by 25ft.

Size: large animal, light weight creature (Arabian style, cannot fight while carrying a rider).
HP: 20
Speed: 65ft
AC: 31 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural), touch 10, flat footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+8
Attack: Hoof -2 melee (1d4+1)
Full Attack: 2 hooves -2 melee (1d4+1)
Space/Reach: 10ft/5ft
Special Qualities: low light vision/scent
Saves: Fort+7, Ref+4, Will+2
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7
Skills: Listen +4, Spot+4
Feats: Endurance, Run, Great Fortitude
Carrying Capacity: Light up to 150lbs. Medium 151-300lbs. Heavy 301-450lbs.
Drag Capacity: A light horse can drag up to 2,250lbs but movement restrictions will be applied.

Feel free to roll Hit Points.
All Abilities, Skills and Feats look good

As with Shayuri's Elf, feel free to request magic item purchases but remember the low-magic levels of the setting and the likelihood of stumbling across exotic magic items in a logging camp or during his time in Lake Town/Dale. The Eotheod are a fairly superstitious people and not naturally drawn to magic, so heirlooms are probably unlikely.

 

[Dlsharrock]

Favoured class. I'm happy to switch Elf favoured class to Ranger. Wizard is certainly inappropriate. I believe we have a potential Elf Druid in the making with Fenris, but ranger seems more fitting.