New Skills
The hobbits gazed at Strider. It seemed that he was learned in old lore, as well as in the ways of the wild....
The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying does not use the
Arcana or
Religion skills. The
History skill is renamed
Old Lore, and a new skill,
Riddle, is added, given the importance of this custom among many cultures of Middle-earth. The
Survival skill is replaced by three focused skills to highlight the importance of journeys in this setting:
Explore,
Hunting, and
Travel.
Finally, to preserve balance between abilities, while playing
The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying we recommend applying the
Medicine skill to Intelligence checks rather than Wisdom checks: for this reason, in the following pages the skill is indicated as Intelligence (Medicine).
New Skills List
The following list offers brief descriptions for each additional and variant skill, to help players and the Loremaster identify the type of actions that can be accomplished using each ability.
Explore (Wisdom)
Player-heroes rely on this when they move through an unfamiliar area of the Wild. A Wisdom (Explore) check may be required during a journey to find out where the Company is heading, or to get back on track after a detour; to cope with adverse weather conditions or other natural hazards; to create paths through the wilderness suitable for others to follow; or to choose a suitable place to set up camp.
“We have found a dry cave,” they said, “not far round the next corner; and ponies and all could get inside.”
Hunting (Wisdom)
Knowing how to hunt is a fundamental skill, shared by most cultures of Middle-earth. A Wisdom (Hunting) check is required when hunting wild game, or to follow tracks and identify a quarry by its spoor. This skill also covers fishing and preparing traps. In wilder areas, hunters learn to apply their trade to more dangerous creatures—such as Orcs, Spiders, or Wargs—or else risk becoming the prey.
They dwelt most often by the edges of the woods, from which they could escape at times to hunt, or to ride and run over the open lands by moonlight or starlight...
Old Lore (Intelligence)
An Intelligence (Old Lore) check measures the ability of a Player-hero to recall obscure information from bygone days, such as knowledge of the ancient tales of the Elder Days, the annals of kings and rulers, family genealogies, and recollections of deeds and places lost to common lore. This knowledge may derive from different sources, from stories heard around the fire to the dusty records of a chronicler.
He knew many histories and legends of long ago, of Elves and Men and the good and evil deeds of the Elder Days.
Riddle (Intelligence)
The riddle game is an accepted custom among many creatures, including quite a few that would be classified as wicked if they did not respect the ancient rules. An Intelligence (Riddle) check is used to gain helpful insight from a spoken or written riddle, but also to draw conclusions from seemingly unconnected scraps of information by deduction, reasoning, and intuition.
“A Hobbit waded out into the water and back; but I cannot say how long ago.” “How then do you read this riddle?” asked Gimli.
Travel (Wisdom)
In the Third Age, the cities, villages, and towns of Middle-earth are often separated by many leagues of wild or deserted areas. Roads that used to lead safely to distant realms now end in broken trails that go nowhere. Whichever way the Company chooses to go, it will be a long and weary way before they get there. A successful Wisdom (Travel) check may let a Player-hero estimate the length of a journey, read a map, and even evaluate whether a group of strangers on the road can be approached safely or if they should be left alone instead.
The country was much rougher and more barren than in the green vale of the Great River in Wilderland on the other side of the range, and their going would be slow…
www.enworld.org
