What were the FotR's magic items?

[kenobi65]

Sam...a box of magical dirt

I'd forgotten that one! There was also a single seed, from a tree of Lothlorien. Sam used the dirt to regrow the trees of the Shire after Saruman's men had cut many of them down, and the seed grew into the one example of that tree in that part of Middle-Earth.

 

[Joker]

I still find it shocking when a D&D player says this.

I got to the second paragraph .

Doesn't Legolas have magic boots? I remember him walking on the snow when the other were plowing through it. Elves could also be just really light.

 

[kenobi65]

Doesn't Legolas have magic boots? I remember him walking on the snow when the other were plowing through it. Elves could also be just really light.

That's just elven-ness.

As SteelDraco notes, some items in LotR are clearly magical (the Rings, the Phial of Galadriel, etc.), while others may have a more subtle magic that is the result of being crafted by races or individuals that are, themselves, magical in some way (particulary the elves).

 

[Prince of Happiness]

Boromir also received some belt from Galadriel as well. Hard to say if it was magical or not, he didn't live long enough for anyone to find out.

 

[rgard]

A poster in another thread (which I can't find at the moment) posited a comment along the lines that the members of the Fellowship of the Ring carried multiple magic items. I thought it was very few, but perhaps the experts of the ENworld community could elabourate.

Gandalf carried glamdring the sword and not sure if his staff was magical. I think he carried the ring of fire as well.

Frodo had sting, an Elven mithril chain shirt, Elven Cloak, and a rope of climbing. Did he have Elven boots also?

Likewise I thought Sam also wore an Elven cloak in the book.

Aragorn bore the sword narsil but only after it was forged anew.

What other magic items did they carry? And what were the stats?

I don't think any of the hobbits had elven boots. They walked around barefoot most of the time.

 

[blargney the second]

There's nothing explicitly in the books, but I always got the impression that Boromir's shield had some magic fu. Also, the helmets on the soldiers of Minas Tirith supposedly had some magic powers, so Pip would have had one by the end. Merry & Pip got some permanent Str-increasing potions from Fangorn.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Doesn't Legolas have magic boots? I remember him walking on the snow when the other were plowing through it. Elves could also be just really light.

In the books, Tolkien specifically mentions elves can walk on top of the snow. They also are not adversely affected by cold weather to some extent, since Legolas is described as being the only one not really bothered by the snow on Caradhras.

By the way, the entire Fellowship is wearing those elven cloaks. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli actually catch riders of Rohan by surprise when they first pass into Rohan due to those cloaks. Plus, remember the answer Sam was given when he asked if something the elves made was magical - elves are so infused with magic (as we call it) that they see it as intrinsic to everything they make or touch. That's why the elven rope burns Gollum, and why lembas tastes like ashes to him - the magic or essence of the elves is anathema to those who are corrupted by the Dark Lords (Sauron or his boss Morgoth). I'd say this qualifies elven goods as possessing at least a bit of magic. Perhaps "regular" elven goods could be classified as masterwork versions of whatever they are, with the added effect that they make servants of evil sickened or shaken, as per the d20 conditions.

 

[Mark Hope]

In the movies, Gandalf has a magic hat that can disappear and reappear on command...

 

[Set]

Boromir also received some belt from Galadriel as well. Hard to say if it was magical or not, he didn't live long enough for anyone to find out.

Cursed Belt of Arrow Attraction +5. That whacky Galadriel! Beware Elfs beaing gifts...

 

[Andor]

The Phial of Galadrial
The walking sticks Faramir gave to Sam and Frodo were explicitly magical but they ended up chucking them to save weight (pesky small sized endurance mods.)
The Horn given to Merry (or Pippin, I forget which) was magical from the sound of it.

Heck Bilbo gave away wagonloads of enchanted party favors and magical insturments at his birthday party.

Middle Earth isn't a low magic world, it was just written by a man given to understatement.