Here's the section on magic:
Chapter Seven: Words of Power and Runes of Might: Magic
Well, here it is - probably the most difficult thing to design in a game based in Middle-earth. Magic in Middle-earth has always been so difficult to quantify. I've never been entirely happy with my attempts, but I think Decipher has done a pretty good job here. First of all, the game does well to split magic into Wizardry (good) and Sorcery (bad). Magic is further divided into Spell Specialties - Air and Storm; Beasts and Birds; Fire, Smoke, and Light - and so on. This is pertinent to specializations you can choose as Order Abilities as a Magician. More interestingly, the modes of casting include Songs of Power! They also include Runes and the ever-popular "normal." I couldn't think of a better name for it, either. There is an excellent essay on how magic should be used in Middle-earth, and how exactly it manifests itself. This is VERY well written, and should be read carefully by prospective Narrators and Players alike. It will give you an excellent feel for how to keep magic "Middle-earthy" in your game. I am not going to go into a lot of detail here, because much of this chapter deals with conceptualization of magic, which is difficult to describe in less than a few pages. This may leave some of you disappointed, but many of you know what my ties to this genre are, so please place just an ounce of trust in me here.
I think that the mechanics are not as good as they could be. You basically cast any spell you know without the fear of failing, but you must make a Weariness roll every time you cast a spell (each spell has a different TN). Each time you fail this roll, you become more exhausted, making more difficult to do ANYthing. While this is a decent system for Middle-earth, I miss the chance to fail outright. This system makes it easy for the advanced Magician to cast "easy" spells all day long without penalty. Something is missing here, but I'm not sure what.
The spell list, though - this is a gem. Every single spell on this list has its origin in the literature. EVERY spell, without exception. This makes me happy, because I know I won't have to chop the system to pieces just to be able to use it. And, as it is in The Lord of the Rings, the vast majority of the magic is very subtle stuff. That is not to say it is not powerful - not at all. But this list of spells will only really be useful to a character who is thoughtful about how and what they cast. The Munchkin who (if he ever deigned to play a weakling magic user) would go back to the spell that "gives the most plusses" every time would be very frustrated by this list - the applications of these spells will differ from situation to situation. There is no fireball. There is no teleport. There is Create Light. There is Evoke Awe. I will say again how happy I am with this list.
There are rules for creating enchanted items, and again we are talking about fairly subtle stuff, because it basically involves imbedding spells into items (apart from some special cases like Dwarf Doors, Elven Food, etc). Items can also be enchanted by Elves using one of their Abilities (called Art), and craftsmen have an Ability called Enchantment that can be used. These all result in fairly minor enchantments that can nevertheless have a large impact on the game, if played appropriately. Stats for some famous items are also given (including the One Ring, Sting, the Palantiri, etc). These seem to be in line with Tolkien as well, though there may be some room for squabbling over specific game mechanics.
I like the fact that Magic is divided into Spell Specialties (Air and Storm; Beasts and Birds; Fire, Smoke, and Light), and the Weariness mechanic is one I actually recommended a while back for Tolkien-esque magic.
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