paths of the wise

7/30/2019 Paths of the Wise

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Author: Douglas sun

AdditionAl MAteriAl: Mike Mearls

developMentAnd editing:Jeff TiDball

AdditionAleditingAnd proofreAding:Chris seeMananD JaniCe M. sellers

line developMent: Jeff TiDball

CreAtive direCtion:ChrisTian MooreanD owen seylerproduCtdevelopMent, tolkien enterprises:laurie baTTleproduCtdevelopMent, new line CineMA:John MayoAsset CoordinAtion, wetA digitAl: glen sharah

visuAl CreAtive direCtion:Dan burnsArt direCtion: Jesse CasseM

grAphiC design (Cover):kieran yanner(interior):Jesse CasseMproduCtion design:owen seyleranD kieran yannerillustrAtion, wetA workshop:Daniel falConerillustrAtion: kieran yanner

endpApers:Daniel reeveplAytest CoordinAtors: bryan barlow, MaTThew birCh, Jason Durall, anD JiM Johnson

plAytesters: billy arnolD, riCharD baChMann, greg beyerlein, angela Curl, Mark Dohring, barryDrennan, Jennifergreene, seTh greene, anDi Johnson, saM Johnson, arT loeffler, alan MaTThews,kaTherine MCCann, bob norris, Travis PriCe, alex ThoMas, anD Jessie weeks

speCiAl thAnks:Doug burkeAuthors dediCAtion: for sTevenanD DaviD okuno, whofirsTshoweDMeThehiDDenPaThsThaTrun

wesTofThe Moon, easTofThe sun

produCedbydeCipher inC.

MMV New Line Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Lord of the Rings and the names of the characters, items, events and

places therein are trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises under license to New Line Productions, Inc.

Decipher, Inc. Authorized User. TM, , & 2005 Decipher Inc., P.O. Box 56, Norfolk VA, USA 23501. All Rights Reserved.

Credits

w w w . d e c i p h e r . c o m


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tableof

ContentsintroduCtion: the affairsof Wizards 4

Chapterone: MagiCal Middle-earth 6

ChaptertWo: expandingthe orders20

Chapterthree: an inCreaseof dWiMMer-Craft 46

Chapterfour: toolsofthe trade 62

Chapterfive: storyCraft 88


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Introduction

theaffairsofWizards

An yet, it is esy t verlkthem. Mgi is unertin n subtle inits wrkings. Lre-rft seems prwepn, mpre t swrs f steel,t wiel ginst the Enemy. Whthve lerne hrters t ffer? Butnly the flish ismiss mgiins

n lremsters, fr thse wh m-mn the pwer f spellrft myturn the ties f bttle r un themst bneful urses. An in Mile-erth, ll mnner f knwlegeevenlre frm the istnt pst writtenin lnguges n lnger spkenmyunlk mysteries f the present. Thevirtue f mgiins n lremsterslies nt in ing r ntriving, but inknwing. Tht is greter virtue thn

mny imgine, fr it is esier thnubters rekn t trnslte knwl-ege int pwer.

o v e r v i e W

I fancy now that she could do somewonderful things, if she had a

mind. Id dearly love to see someElf-magic, Mr. Frodo!

Sam, The Fellowship of the Ring

Paths of the Wise: The Guide toMagicians and Loremasters will

hugh wrrirs my brve fiere bttle, rgues mss preius tre-sure, n nbles hieve fntsti glry, lremsters n mgiinslie lsest f ll these t the hert n sul f Mile-erth. It is thebusiness f these, the lerne rers, t mprehen the rih lyers

f tritin, ustm, n histry tht hrterise Mile-erth. They uner-stn mst fully wht lre the ties f time n lmity hve left untuhe,n they feel the keenest pngs ver wht hs been lst t thse ties. They

knw better thn nyne else wht it mens t live in Mile-erth.

TFor not in doing or contriving . . . canI avail; but only in knowing what wasand is, and in part also what shall be.

Galadriel, The Fellowshipof the Ring


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enrih yur unerstning f lernehrters in Mile-erth wheth-er yu re Nrrtr tilring yurhrnile t yur plyers bilities r plyer intereste in the full rnge fpssibilities these rers ffer. It pr-vies new rules t enhne the bili-ties f lerne hrters, bkgruninfrmtin t help explin hw they

fit int the fbri f Mile-erth,n stryrft suggestins t guieNrrtrs n plyers like in inte-grting them int the hrnile.

ChaPTerone: MagiCal MiDDle-earTh prvies n verview f hwlre n mgi fit int the vlef res n ultures f Mile-erth.Yu will ls fin isussin fhw t get the mst ut f ply-ing mgiin, wizr, n lremsterplyer hrters. Plyers will fin

this infrmtin useful uring hr-ter retin n ver the urse fthe hrnile.

ChaPTer Two: exPanDing TheorDers prvies br rnge f rulesenhnements tht give plyers mnyitinl ptins fr evelping

lerne PCs. Yu will fin new rerbilities n new elite rers here, swell s 20 new trits esigne withmgiins n lremsters fremstin min. Wizrs in prtiulr reeivenew rer bilities t mplementthe Wizrs Stff bility in the rerulebk n the Stff f Pwer bil-ity in Fell Beasts and Wondrous Magic.

This hpter ls presents imprtntenhnements f the rules gvern-ing Lnguge n Lre skills. Theysupersee the rules li ut in there rulebk n hve substntileffet n the esign n use f knwl-ege-bse hrters.

ChaPTer Three: an inCreaseof DwiMMer-CrafT presents 50 newspells t t the Mile-erthGrimire ntine in the re rule-bk. Nrrtrs will ls fin tw

ptinl rules tht llw them t justthe iffiulty n peril with whih PCsn use mgi in their hrnile.

ChaPTer four: Tools of TheTraDe esribes mre rules entrerun lerne hrters. Yu willfin here rules fr reting enhnt-e items mre etile thn thsein the re rulebk. Yu will lsfin rules by whih spellsters ngin n keep fmilirs, s well setile rules fr inrprting

librries, rhives, srll hrs, nther suh ggregtins f writtenknwlege in yur hrnile. Theyinlue ptinl rules by whih PCsmy gin rnks in ertin skill grupswithut hving t llte vne-ment piks. Finlly, yu will finnew infrmtin n herb-rft n seletin f herbs fun rss thebreth f Mile-erth.

ChaPTer five: sToryCrafT is-usses hw Nrrtrs n buil hrn-

iles full f interest n exitement frlerne heres. It resses the rlesf the vrius lerne rers, prviestips fr reting mgi-wieling vil-lins, n imprts vie but hwt vi the pitflls tht n rise inhrniles whse prtgnists inlue

lerne PCs.


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Songs we have that tell of thesethings. . . . And now the songs have come

down among us out of strange places,and walk under the Sun. Thoden, The Two Towers

Chapter One

MagiCalMiddle-earth

he first hlf f this hpter prvies n verview f the rles thtmgi n lre ply in the vrius ultures f Mile-erth. Yu willls fin five smple beginning mgiin n lremster hrtersfrm br rnge f bkgruns, t serve s bth exmples n

rey-fr-use PCs n NPCs.The sen hlf prvies vie fr plyers n hw their lerne hrters

n ntribute t ventures n hrniles. Yu will ls fin vie fr hn-ling mgiins n wizrs, espeilly when it mes t viing the bne f thespellsting prfessin, lsing Weriness Levels frm trying t sting spells.

T

lo r e a n dM a g i C

You shall sit beside me, and tell me allthat your hearts desire: the deeds of your

grandsires . . . and we will speak also ofOld Tobold and his herb-lore. Thoden, The Two Towers

Frm the Grey Hvens t theSe f Rhn n pints frtherest, frm Frhel t Umbr

n Fr Hr, Mile-erth enm-psses brethtking rnge f resn ultures. Eh hs its wn ln-guge, its wn histry, its wn tr-itins n ulturl prties. Thisiversity esribes the lre tht ehistint ulture keeps, bth wht itremembers but itself n wht itknws f the utsie wrl. It lsesribes the extent t whih ehulture hs refine the prtie f


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Paths of the Wise

mgi. Peples nient n reent,high-brn n humble, nble-herten rrupte live in ne nthersmpny, n mtter hw hr theymy try t lse themselves ff, ntheir unerstning f lre, lerning

n spellrft vries ring t theirnture n humur.

Amng the Free Peples fMile-erth, the Elvesespeillythe few Nlrin lrs n lieswh remin in the Thir Ageps-sess the gretest knwlege f mgin lre, n the mst fility withthem. Fr them, wht ther res llmgi hs been n essentil prt ftheir nture sine the beginning fys, n s it will be until the en. It

runs effrtlessly thrugh ll tht they n ll tht they hve wrught.Likewise, fr them lre is mtter flive experiene rther thn knwl-ege gine thrugh stuy f ustytmes r yellwe srlls. The gretElf-lrs f Mile-erth were brnin the First Age, n ll f its mmen-tus events frm the verthrw fMrgth t the Wr f the Ring reprt f their living memry.

The Elves re nsius f theirsuperirity, n s erly s they

vlue thse nn-Elves whm theyll frien, it is hr fr them t trettheir pwers n knwlege withut little nesensin. Fr they uner-stn tht ther res must lbur thieve wht mes t them withsrely thught. It is n unthinkingrespnse, n renere with s muhgre s pssible, s ne wh hs ms-tere gme wul tret the effrtsf nvie. They men n ill will byit. Amng their friens, they regr

the Orer f Wizrs with genuinerespet, espeilly Gnlf the Grey.The Elves f Imlris ls tret theDnein lmst s mrtl kinre,sine smething f the gretness fthe Elrin lives n in them, n sinethe sns f Elrn keep mpnywith the Rngers f the Nrth.

The ntins f Men efy ny suhuniversl hrteristin when itmes t hw they tret mgi n

lre, fr they re t vrie in theirwys. In Gnr n its tributries,

reverene fr histry runs eep, nthe peple tke gret prie in theirsttus s inheritrs f the glry fthe Nmenren kingms. But theirprie ften exees the true epthf their knwlege, n in the ltterys f the Thir Age muh thtws knwn by their gret nestrsis lst t them. The Ruling Stewrkeeps g re f the Arhive f theWhite Twer, the l ryl librry in

Mins Tirith, n the gret WhiteCity bsts f sme vluble privte

lletins f bks f lre n spell-rft, but nt ll f its tresures reperfetly unerst. The Men fGnr ls knw surprisingly littlef the wrl utsie their brers,exept f their lng-time llies, theRhirrim. Until the Wr f the Ringbegn they h n firm knwlegef the Hbbits f the Shire, neven suh persnge s Brmir,heir t the Stewrship, regre

Mriel

raCe: Elf (Noldo)raCialabilities: Noldorin Lore, Inner Light, The Art, Beast-skill,

Comfort, Elven Form, Elven-sense, Farsightedness, Ghost-scorn,

Lightfootedness, Swift Healingattributes: Bearing 12 (+3)*, Nimbleness 8 (+1), Perception 9

(+1), Strength 6 (0), Vitality 9 (+1), Wits 10 (+2)*reaCtions: Stamina +1, Swiftness +1, Willpower +3*, Wisdom

+3defenCe: 11orders: Magicianorder abilities: SpellcastingadvanCeMents: 0skills: Healing +5, Insight +3, Intimidate +4, Language: Quenya

+6, Language: Sindarin +6, Language: Westron +5, Lore/Races: Elves (Noldor) +5, Lore/Realms: Lorien +4, Observe

+3, Persuade +4edges: Fair, Swift Recovery, WiseflaWs: Nonespells: Animal Summoning, Beast Speech, Enhance Food, Fog-rais-

ing, Spoken Thoughtshealth: 9Courage: 3renoWn: 0gear: Dagger, robe

The daughter of a Noldorin lord and lady, Mriel is relativelyyoung for one of her kind in Middle-earth, having been born late inthe Second Age. Her youth is hardly ever mentioned by the Elves ofher native Lothlrien, who scarcely note the toll of years except as

measured by the passing of things fated to wither and die. But thereare times when she is acutely conscious of having lived through fewerof the great events of Middle-earth than her fellow Noldor. This isespecially true when Mriel comes to Caras Galadhon, as she mustoften, since the Lady Galadriel has recently chosen her to serve asone of her Ladies Attendant. In this position, she waits on the Ladyof the Golden Wood and helps her weave the enchantments thatkeep Lothlrien beautiful and safe from intruders.


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Mgcl Mddl-r

the Elves f Lthlrien with eepsuspiin.

Irnilly, ne n rgue tht theintelletul n ulturl inheritnef the Nmenren kingms runsmre strngly thrugh Dnein f

the Nrth, even thugh they lerugher lives thn their kinre in theSuth. Truth be tl, the Dneinmerit the title f Elenili (Elf-friens)mre thn their suthern usins;the Rngers pss frequently thrughRivenell, whih brees in them helthy respet fr Elf-mgi n lre.Sine the fll f the lst nrthernkingm, the heir f Isilur hs livein Mster Elrns huse until m-ing f ge. Beuse they n lnger

hve kingm f their wn, theyling ll the mre teniusly t whtthey n the Elves f Imlris hvepreserve f the glrius pst. Onemy ls sy f the Rngers tht theymust rely n rft n subtlety t fightthe Enemy, knwing tht they n ln-ger hve the swrs n strnghlsupn whih Gnr my still rely.Rngers wh hve spent muh time inthe Wil quire bies f lre lmstby efult, s they hve n hie butt immerse themselves in the bests

n beings, ples n things f theNrth-lns they gur s iligently.The Dnein prefer t trust t theirbles n lremstery, but few fthem ls turn t themgi f bests,birs, n plnts fr i.

Ciriondor

Race: Man (Middle Man: Gondorian)raCialabilities: Adaptable, Dominion of Man, Skilledattributes: Bearing 9 (+1), Nimbleness 8 (+1), Perception 9

(+1)*, Strength 6 (0), Vitality 7 (0), Wits 12 (+3)*reaCtions: Stamina +2, Swiftness +2, Willpower +3*, Wisdom

+1defenCe: 11orders: Loremasterorder abilities: Scroll HoardadvanCeMents: 0skills: Debate +4, Healing +4, Insight +2, Language: Quenya

+4, Language: Sindarin +4, Language: Westron +6, Lore/History: Gondor (Wars) +6, Lore/Realms: White Mountains+6, Observe +3, Persuade +2

edges: Curious, Wise

flaWs: Crippling Wound (left arm useless)health: 6Courage: 4renoWn: 0gear: Dagger, robe, parchment, writing implements

The son of a prominent family from the vales of Lebennin,Ciriondor lost the use of his left arm as a youth when Corsairs fromUmbar devastated the coastal village where he was visiting with rela-tives. After that, he took to scholarly pursuits and showed an unusualgift for learning historical lore, favouring chronicles of Gondors warsagainst the Dark Powers from the East. He showed such gifts that hisfamily sent him to Minas Tirith to further his education. There, hecaught the attention of the Ruling Steward Denethor, who appointed

him a Junior Librarian of the White Tower. This allowed him accessto the Archive of the White Tower in return for modest servicemaintaining the archives and cataloguing its treasures. His ambition isto gain an audience with Mithrandir, the famed but mysterious GreyPilgrim, when next he comes to the White City.


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Paths of the Wise

10

A fint eh f the Kingm fArnr ls lives n frther nrth, inthe iy wstes f Frhel. There, thesemi-brbri Lssth, r Snwmen,still retin istnt n frgmen-try memries f their ntt with

Arthein, the lst f the nrthernkingms. The tw peples met nlysinlly thrughut the mileenturies f the Thir Age, but whenthe With-king f Angmr verrnArthein in TA 1974, Arveui Lst-king tk refuge with the Lssthn the shres f the Ie By. TheSnwmen were we by the rft nknwlege f the heirs f Nmenr,n sme f their leers glenewht they ul frm the brief frien-

ship between their peples. Theypsse the knwlege n thrughthe genertins, even t the en fthe Thir Age. Arveui perishe in shipwrek, siling int the Ie Byf Frhel ginst the unsel f thehieftin f the Lssth. But ftertht the Dnein wisely lernefrm the Snwmen wht they ulbut hw t survive in the frzenwstesknwlege tht they ulpply t ny ple rvge by snwn l n ie.

The Men f Rhvninthse fLng Lke n Dle, the Wmenf Western Mirkw, n theBerningsre eminently prtilflk. Only rrely ny f themlern wimmer-rft (Berns fbleshpehging bility being ntbleexeptin), n the lre tht theyherish mst pplies t the thingstht lsely ffet their ily lives.The esennts f Bern uner-stn the wys f wil bests (thugh

nt s well s the Rngers), n lsf. The renwn f their hney-kes thrughut the Nrth-lnssuggests tht they pssess knwlegef king tht thers lk. Theyre, hwever, suspiius f utsiersn relutnt t exhnge knwlege.One my ls sy f the Men fDle tht they lerne mre butDrgns in the lte yers f the ThirAge thn ever they h wnte.

The Men wh well in the fertilewine-untry f Drwinin re mrepen t utsie influenes thn theirneighburs t the west. Drwininhs lng ne vibrnt tre withthe W-elves f Mirkw, theMen f Erebr, n Esterling tribeslike, n these nstnt n vrientts ntinully bring them new

knwlege n ies. Lremstersin Drwinin re mstly experts ingriulture n the mestitin fbests f the ln, but sme hvetheir urisity but the utsiewrl pique by ntt with theirneighburs. Seeing Elven mgi frmMirkw inspires sme f them tlern spellrft, s esunfrtu-ntelyexpsure t the rker mgi-l prties f the Esterlings.

Like their istnt kinre inRhvnin, the Rhirrim ple theirtrust in tngible thingsstrength frms, in their serther thn ny-thing tht smks f rft r unning.They prize l steel n fithfulmunts bve ll else, n they pr-fess t hve little use fr bk lern-ing. Few mng them lern mgil

rft, knwing tht their kith nkin wul tret them wrily fr tk-ing n interest in suh things. Theyrespet knwlege f hrses nther mestite bests. They lspreserve the ees f their gret kingsn wrrirs frm Erl the Yung tthe present y in heri pems thtesily qulify s rhymes f lre.

The Men f Dunln hve fllen inestte sine their ys f glry in the

er-annath

Race: Man (Wild Man: Losson)raCialabilities: Adaptability, Dominion of Man, Skilledattributes: Bearing 11 (+2)*, Nimbleness 7 (0), Perception 8

(+1), Strength 8 (+1), Vitality 9 (+1), Wits 10 (+2)*reaCtions: Stamina +3, Swiftness +1, Willpower +2*, Wisdom

+2defenCe: 10orders: Magicianorder abilities: SpellcastingadvanCeMents: 0skills: Healing +3, Insight +2, Intimidate +4, Language:

Lossothren +6, Language: Westron +5, Lore/Group: Lossoth+6, Lore/Realm: Forochel +5, Observe +3, Persuade +4

edges: Hardy, RankflaWs: Arrogant

spells: Change Hue, Cold-ward, Create Light, Finding and Returning,Fog-raisinghealth: 10Courage: 4renoWn: 0gear: Staff, fur robe, longsword

Er-Annath is the son of a tribal elder of the Lossoth, the Snowmenof the far North. As such, he has learned some of the powers ofmagic passed on through the generations among the high-born of hispeople. He sometimes comes far enough south to meet Rangers ofthe North hunting creatures of the Enemy in the frozen wild. (Hisancestors commonly did so in the days of the Kingdom of Arthedain,but few Lossoth do now.) The Dnedain he meets welcome him, but

they also find him haughty and jealous of his rank.


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11

Mgcl Mddl-r

Sen Age; when the Nmenrensstill live hlfwy rss the WesternSe, their nestrs upie the vlesf the White Muntins n builtthe gret strnghl t Dunhrrw.The wrs tht fllwe the ming f

Surn t Mile-erth eimtethem, n then the Ruling StewrCirin f Gnr grnte muh ftheir nestrl ln t the Rhirrim.They fle west, n t the time f theWr f the Ring, their remnnts liven better thn brbrins in the hillsf Dunln. They retin eep sensef grievne ginst the Rhirrim,the hte strw-hes, fr living nln tht ne belnge t them,n Srumn hs h little iffiulty

expliting their resentment t furtherhis wr ims. Anther fet f thtnient grievne is stirring uris-ity but their lst histry. Any srpf knwlege but the builers fDunhrrwtheir ulture, theirwism, their rftis s prize sgl t them, n there is even lessf it t g run. A hnful f theirflk llet n enshrine this lre;suh is wht psses fr lremsterymng them. Mgil knwlege isquite rre mng the Dunlenings,

but vlue ll the mre fr its rr-ity. At the en f the Thir Age,Srumns pwer hls them in we,n their reverene fr his spellrftplys n imprtnt rle in their ei-sin t lly with him.

The Pkel-men f the DrnFrest (r Wses, s they re lsknwn) hve never lerne the Elvishlphbets n hve n written lre.Wht they remember f their his-try they hve psse thrugh spken

tles wn thrugh the genertins.Likewise, they hve little spellrftf their wn exept fr few trikstht fll uner the Bests n Birsspell speility. Ever wry f utsi-ers fr s lng s they n rell (rnyne n rell f them), they hvebsrbe little r n knwlege frmthers, lthugh they hve live frmny enturies s neighburs f mrevne ultures.

Dwrves revere the memry ftheir nestrs. They pine fr thelss f their nient mnsins, whihthey remember nw nly in tles nrhymes f lre. They pine ls frserets f smithrft lng lst, n thewners tht their nestrs wrughtwith mithril. Anyne wh n remem-ber the venerble legens f Durin theDethless n the mnsins f Mri

well enugh t tell f them m-mns their eep respet. Any Dwrfwh ul, by sme mirle, revernient tehniques f smithing nfrging frm ut f the epths ftime wul instntly beme prinef his re. The Dwrves lletivelnging fr their lst glries exertssuh pull tht it lure bth ThrinOkenshiel n Blin sn f Funint their eths. The epth f theirfeeling is smething tht they rrely

revel t utsiers, but it is n lessrel fr tht.As enthusisti smiths, Dwrves

tke n interest in mgi nly s itllws them t rete mre pwerfuln beutiful hniwrk. In this, theDwrves n Elves shre mmninterest, n ne f the mst unfrtu-nte nsequenes f the estrngementf thse tw res in the Thir Age istht rtefts suh s thse wrught in

Hllin by Dwrven n Elven rfts-men wrking tgether hve nt beenmthe in Mile-erth sine then.Dwrves wh lern mgi re mstlikely intereste in rfting enhnteitems, n their mbitin is t bemeexpert rtifiers.

Hbbitsespeilly thse f theShireemby urius prx.Mst le munne lives n min-

tin prhil utlk. They knwlittle f the wie wrl n few trvelbr; mst in the Shire treteBilb Bggins s n eentri beusehe h been t ples mst Hbbitsh srely her f. With the nt-ble exeptin f Gnlf, they regrnyne wh prties mgi witheep suspiinn even Gnlferne the ubius title isturber fthe pee fter he ie Bilbs r-mti finl eprture frm the Shire

in TA 3001 (SR 1401). Hbbits hve similr tke n bk lerning; nylre tht rigintes frm utsie theShire is s likely s nt t be trete sngerus nnsense. Expning neshrizns, whether thrugh reingr prtil experiene, is nt sme-thing sensible yung Hbbit gesut f his wy t . Gffer Gmgeeremrke n t lest ne sin thtBilb h tught his sn Smwise t


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Paths of the Wise

12

re, mening n hrm, mrk yu,n I hpe n hrm will me fit. Even tles f Elf-mgi my getshrt shrift frm the less reulus.These tenenies re less prnunemng Hbbits in Bukln n Bree,

wh live in the busier prts f Erirn hve quire mre wrllinesss result.

On the ther hn, Hbbits vlue stry well tl s muh s ny-ne in Mile-erth, n they esteemll n fmily histry in prtiulr.There is n suh thing s mere gssipt Hbbit. Inee, Hbbits seemt hve n innte gift fr serving shrnilers f events bth gret nsmll, n s rerers f lre. The

single mst vluble sure f the his-try n lre f the lte Thir Age isthe Red Book of Westmarch, whih wsbegun by Bilb Bggins, ntinueby Fr, n eventully mpleteby Sm Gmgee. After his returnfrm the Wr f the Ring, MeriBrnybuk beme (mng therthings) shlr f nte, pruingtretises n suh tpis s herb-lref the Shire, the etymlgy f Shireple-nmes, n lenrs use byvrius peples f Mile-erth.

Of the Enemy, it is esily sitht Surn is the mster f srery,n tht ll wh fllw him wr-ship his rft n pwer. But mngthse wh hve llie themselves withSurn in the lte Thir Age, therere subtle ifferenes in hw theytret the pwers grnte by knwl-ege f spellrft n lre.

A vile mixture f fer, we, nhte bins the Ors t Surn, nthey knw tht they ul never, in

untless ges, replite fr them-selves the wesme pwer with whihhe rives them n. The Ors them-selves lk the wit t quire npreserve gret bies f lre, nr remny f their re pble f spell-sting beyn ruimentry level.Nnetheless, eh Or-tribe hs hieftin (r hnful f hieftins)wh mkes it prt f his jb t uner-stn the wys f Surn, t knw

smething f the gegrphy f theres surruning his tribl territry,n t mprehen t lest little bitbut his enemies. Likewise, thesesenir tribl leers my ls knwenugh mgi t st few spells n

rft sme minr enhnte items(lthugh they re, t best, mkeriesf Elf-mgi). It wul be extrri-nry fr n Or-spellster t knwmplex n pwerful spells, but thenes he i knw wul be sreriestht wul inflit s muh ruelty spssible fr their simpliity. Surn(n Srumn, t) bre the Ors,fter ll, nt fr intelligene, but frthe mlie in their herts.

Bun by their ignrne nruelty, Ors nly very rrely rftenhnte items fr themselves. Thelieutennts f Surn n Srumntypilly supply them with whteversrerus rtefts they nee. Their

retin t enhnte items f thermnufture epens n their sure.Elf-mgi inspires htre in them,n fer mng the weker membersf their re. The wrks f Men nDwrves, n the ther hn, myinspire urisity, espeilly if n itemresembles smething they regnises gift frm their wn ptrn.

Althugh Ors lk ptitue frlre n enhntment, they re nt

daisy bolger

Race: Hobbit (Fallohide)raCialabilities: Six Meals a Day, Small Folk, Soft-footed, Sure at

the Mark, Tough as Old Tree-Roots

attributes: Bearing 9 (+1), Nimbleness 7 (0), Perception 10(+2)*, Strength 6 (0), Vitality 8 (+1), Wits 11 (+2)*

reaCtions: Stamina +1, Swiftness +2, Willpower +2, Wisdom+2*

defenCe: 10orders: Loremasterorder abilities: Accurate RecalladvanCeMents: 0skills: Craft: Cooking +2, Games (Riddles) +1, Healing +3,

Inquire +4, Insight +3, Language: Quenya +3, Language:Westron +6, Lore/History: Shire (Family Histories) +5, Lore/Race: Hobbits +5, Lore/Realm: Shire +5, Observe +3,

Persuade +2, Ranged Combat: Sling +1edges: Hoard 1flaWs: Nonehealth: 8Courage: 3renoWn: 0gear: Writing tools, parchment

Daisy Bolgers mother Dora is one of the most skilful (somewould say most notorious) gossips in the Shire. Young Daisy there-fore grew up within hearing distance of a steady stream of thelatest news about all of the Shires prominent families, mixed inwith healthy (and accurately rendered) doses of regional and clanhistory. Her native wit moulded those early experiences into a for-

midable body of Hobbit and Shire-lore, especially for one so young.She has also befriended Bilbo Baggins through her cousin Fredegar(a boon companion of Bilbos nephew Frodo), and the elderlysquire of Bag End has taught her a bit of Quenya as a kindness.


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withut rft serets f their wn.The Red Book of Westmarch n thersures nte tht Ors prue unique brn f restrtive elixir, thereipe fr whih vrie slightly frmtribe t tribe, but ws quite similr

rss the br. The Ors wh helMerry n Pippin ptive fr shrttime t the beginning f the Wr fRing use it n them, n the twHbbits reprte tht it tste fuln ht, n burne when pplie twuns. It seems t hve serve pur-pse similr t tht fmiruvor, but wsnt s effiius r nerly s plesnt.(Or-liqur is esribe n pge 96 fFell Beasts and Wondrous Magic.)

The Men f Hr ls bin

themselves t Surn ut f we f hismight. Brve n fell they re in rms,but the Hrrim re ls unlernen superstitius. Thrugh nttwith their ethni kin, the Crsirsf Umbr, they hve quire smeknwlege f the Vlr, their rle inthe shping f Mile-erth, n thesignifine f the Unying Lnsrss the Western Ses. But tthem, these re freign legens, tbe regre with septiism. MstHrrim prefer their tritinl

bjets f venertin, the spirits ftheir e nestrs (wh re ll themre wrthy f reverene fr being

hr n ruel) n the mre fer-sme retures ntive t their lns.They revere pretry nimls, swell s we-inspiring bests suhs their legenry mmakil, seeingthem s mnifesttins f spirits n

pr with the Vlr. Hrrim whprtie mgi prefer spells frm theBests n Birs speilty, s well ssreries lerne frm Surn.

The prtie f spellstingn knwlege f lre mng theHrrim is generlly restrite trevere elers n their ffspring.In sme ples, there is istintsplit between plitil n militryleership n ne hn n msteryf mgi n lre n the ther. A

respete wrrir my hl frmlleership, but the gretest knwlegef mgi r lre resies in n equllyrespete eler. In sme ples, nlymtrirhs lern mgi r lre.

The Crsirs f Umbr inhbitln tht ne belnge t Nmenr,whih estblishe utpsts there erlyin the Sen Age s the tll shipsf the Ein returne t Mile-erth. By 2280 the Hven fUmbr ws Nmenrs hiefsettlement in Mile-erth.

As suh, it ws strnghl fthe Blk Nmenrens, themjrity f whm Surn

seue in his ttempt t ruin the Menwh h befriene Elves n prfit-e s hnsmely by it. Even fter thewnfll f Nmenr it remine s,s the remining Blk Nmenrenstk refuge there. After Elenil n his

fllwers me t Mile-erth nestblishe the kingms f Gnrn Arnr, Umbr ws rrely t peewith them. Twie Gnr nquereUmbr, n twie Umbr brke wyby frefr the lst time in TA 1448fter the renege ftin f Cstmirturne it int their strnghl fllw-ing the ivil wr remembere s theKin-strife. These rebels were lleCrsirs in Gnr. King Telumehtrre-nquere Umbr in TA 1810, fr

whih he erne the nme Umbril(Umbr-vitr), but shrtly theref-ter tribes frm Hr swept in ntk it fr themselves. Sine then,these new Suthrn Crsirs hvewrre ginst the suthern king-m, with Surns i.


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The Crsirs, thugh nt fNmenren stk, upy lnsthikly lyere with enturies fNmenren n Gnrin histry.The present prt-itel f Umbris built ver ruins upn ruins f

ivilistin muh greter thn theirwn. As result, the Crsirs hvequire n ir f sphistitin thtne es nt fin in their inlnusins, s if the ghsts f Umbrhve imbue them with hint f thehievements f the pst. They lkthe mstery f lre n mgi thtbelnge t thse they supplnte,but unerstn the signifine fwht they inherite by fre. As result, sme Crsirs hve eite

themselves t unerthing piees fUmbrs Nmenren pst, whetherin the frm f frgments f lrer nient rtefts, knwing thtin either se the next nugget theyunver ul le them t prfit,pwer, r bth. Crsirs wh hvefun bit f mgil knwlege,r knw smene wh hs, my wellbeme mgiins. It is wrth nt-ing in this regr tht the prtief srery hls n stigm mngthe Crsirs. Their lng lline

with Surn hs seen t tht, n inny event, they mke n istintinbetween the rrupt prties f theBlk Nmenrens n the mgilrft f thse wh ppse them.

The Vrigs f Khn, even mrethn the ther ntins f Men whfught ginst the Free Peples inthe Thir Age, revere Surn. By thelte Thir Age, the Blk Speeh fMrr hs thrughly infiltrtetheir ntive tngue, n iret wr-

ship f the Drk Lr f Br-rhs reple the tritinl rever-ene f their e nestrs. Vriglns stuie the lre f Mrr slsely s they kept their wn his-try n knwlege f their wnntive lns. Likewise, their uner-stning f mgi ws lrgely lim-ite t srery.

The mny tribes f Men thtinhbit the unhrte Est f

Mile-erth efy esy generl-istin beuse they re t vr-ie in nture n utlk. Inee,beuse s muh f the Est reminsunknwn in the West-lns, n neknws extly hw mny ntins exist

there. Rumurs smetimes rehthe West-lns (lwys thrugh thetrers f Drwinin) f tribes fMen wh revere the Vlr n knwtles (hwever istrte) f the gl-ries f the wrks n ees f theNlr, n f the strie histry fthe kingms f Arnr n Gnr.

Mre ertin knwlege exists fthe Esterling tribes tht me wrn the Nmenren kingms ur-

ing the Thir Age, whether ut fservie t the Enemy r fr theirwn pursuit f ln n pluner.These tribes re fr little exepttheir wn selfish interests. They lives nms, stying in ne ple nly

s lng s they n fin frge frtheir nimls, n they prize newgrzing lns bve ll else. Theyhl settle flk, even thse wh liven simple frms n in smll villges,in ntempt, n will pillge nestry settle mmunities withutremrse. T the extent tht theyunerstn the glries f the West-lns n reverene fr the Vlrn the Uttermst West t ll, they

gorhan

Race: Man (Man of Darkness: Southron)raCialabilities: Adaptable, Dominion of Man, Skilledattributes: Bearing 7 (0), Nimbleness 9 (+1), Perception 9

(+1)*, Strength 8 (+1), Vitality 8 (+1), Wits 12 (+3)*reaCtions: Stamina (+1), Swiftness (+1), Willpower (+5)*,

Wisdom (+1)defenCe: 11orders: Loremasterorder abilities: Ancient ScriptsadvanCeMents: 0

skills: Appraise +6, Armed Combat: Blades +3, Craft: Calligraphy+2, Inquire +2, Language: Khand +4, Language: Southron(Umbar) +6, Language: Westron +6, Lore/History: Gondor+5, Lore/Realms: Harad (Umbar) +6, Observe +2, Persuade+2, Search +4

edges: CuriousflaWs: Nonehealth: 9Courage: 4renoWn: 0gear: Shortsword, cloak, travellers backpack

A son of Umbar, Gorhan is an unusual fellow among the Southronpeople, for he is more comfortable poking through ruins and deci-phering ancient inscriptions than in the time-honoured practices ofwar and pillage. Like his fellow Corsairs, however, he is interested inthe marvels of the past only inasmuch as unearthing an artefact ofUmbars Nmenorean or Gondorian history can gain him riches orpower. He knows that every day he walks upon centuries of historyleft behind by civilisations mightier than his own, and that finding athing of powerful enchantment could make him an important figureamong folk who value a strong sword arm and a ruthless dispositionmore than they do keen wits.


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srn it. It ws nt hr fr Surnt seue them t his purpses.

Lre n the prtie f mgimng the Esterling tribes re lim-ite t thse few in psitins futhrity. As with the Hrrim,

nly thse wh hl senir psitinswithin tribe hve muh skill teither, n in mny tribes, it is nlyeler wmen wh tke muh inter-est in them. Esterlings reverespirits f the erth n sky, nthey re mst mfrtble withthe Air n Strm spell spe-ilty, lthugh lse ssi-tin with Surn hs giventhem knwlege f srerys well. Their knwlege

f lre is mstly limite twr-rft n the mrtilees f their nestrs,suh s the wrs fughtginst Gnr by theWinriers, n theBlhths nquest fRhvnin.

p l a y i n g aM a g i C i a n ,Wi z a r d , o rlo r e M a s t e r

This Mithrandir was, I now guess, morethan a lore-master: a great mover of the

deeds that are done in our time. Faramir, The Two Towers

It my nt be bvius t firsthw lerne hrters suh s

lremsters my ntribute t nventure, s this setin ntins

sme bsi wism fr plyerswhse hrters ple their trustin knwlege rther thn stelth rphysil strength. It ls inluesmre vne vie but hwt get the mst ut f spellsters

in The Lord of the Rings RoleplayingGame. If yu hnle lremsterprperly, lwys lking fr wysin whih he might ntribute t prtys suess, he n prve justs usefulif nt mrethn ughty fighter r nimble rgue.

Co n t r i b u t i n g toadv entur es

I could think of nothing to do but to try

and put a shutting-spell on the door. Iknow many; but to do things of that kind

rightly requires time. . . . Gandalf, The Fellowship of the Ring

The setins tht fllw prvievie n hw lremster, mgiin,

n wizr hrters n ntributemst effetively t the venturesthey fin themselves invlve in.

While mst f this infrm-tin will be f use t plyers fny bkgrun, sme is pr-

tiulrly useful t sesnerleplyers, s it highlights

sme f the mst impr-tnt ifferenes betweenmgi-using hrters inther fntsy rleplyinggmes n the mgiinsn wizrs f Mile-erth.

loreMastersAt first glne,

lremsters seem ntt pssess ny fthe bsi tlents neften ssites withhigh-fntsy rle-plying hrters:

they rent prtiu-lrly skille t wieling

wepns, they nt use

stelth t their vntge,they rent neessrily ll thtnimble, n they nt lern spellss esily s mgiins. Dnt let thtfl yu, n nt unerestimtethe imprtne f tw key spets fthe lremster rer.

The first thing t keep in min istht the ifferenes between rersin The Lord of the Rings RoleplayingGame re subtle, n the rules nt


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tre ff strengths n weknessesvery rmtilly in ifferentitingbetween rers. Tht is t sy, mnyf the sme pbilities re vilblerss mny r ll rers. Fr exmple,thugh Gnlf s gretest strengths

were his spellrft n mmn flre, he ul ls put Glmring texellent use. Althugh Denethr ul-tivte mstery f lre, he t ulswing ble well enugh t kill mn. A PC wh is lremster is ntby efinitin useless in mbt.

The sen thing t remembern s plyer with lremster PC,yu re well vise t remember thist ll timesis tht yur prtiulrskills re f prmunt imprtne

in Mile-erth. The Free Peplesenmpss ifferent res n mnyifferent ultures seprte nt nlyby istne, but ls by istintivelnguges n mres. If yu jurneyt the Est r the Suth, these iffer-enes will beme even shrper nthe ultures will seem even mre lient ne wh knws nthing f them.Wherever yur prty ges, therefre,Lnguge n Lre skills re bs-lutely neessry t sil nvigtin inunfmilir urumstnes.

Imgine, fr exmple, thtCirinr, Junir Arhivist f theWhite Twer, hs seure permissinfrm Lr Denethr t jurney nrtht Imlris, t seek tme f lre thtresies nly in Mster Elrns librryin Rivenell. On its wy nrth, his prtypsses Lthlrien, where it enunters ptrl f Silvn Elves, wh hve leftthe Glen W t pursue mru-ing Ors. The Elf-sliers re suspi-ius f ll Men, n tret Cirinr

n his prty wrily. They re lsnumerus n hevily rme. Nne fthem speks the Cmmn Tngue, sin rer t mmunite with them,Cirinr must rely n his knwl-ege f Sinrin n hpe tht he issmrt enugh nt t mke ny ftlerrrs. The fte f Cirinrs prty inthis prtiulr situtinetinment,imprisnment, r wrsemy hingen his Lnguge skill.

Similrly, PCs in strnge lnmy nee t summn unning nlre-rft t pss sfely thrugh it.Cnsier gin Cirinrs ilemm.Even if he n the Elf-sliers fLthlrien mmunite suess-fully, hw es he persue themtht he mens n ill t the Glen

W? If he h the skill Lre/Re:Elves, r smething similr, he mightknw enugh but hw they thinkn the kins f suspiins they hr-bur ginst utsiers tht he ulvi ing r sying smething tntgnise them. Or he might knwwht srt f sentiments wul rw fvurble respnse frm them, rthe nme f n iniviul he ulmentin t gin their fvur.

With ll f these things in min,

try t ntiipte where yur nextventure might le yu. If yuthink yur prty might nee t knwertin lnguges, r unerstn thehistry, gegrphy, r ulture f er-tin re r regin, use ny vne-ment piks yu hve t skillrnks in relevnt res. Remembertht its esier fr yu t rnks inLnguge n Lre skills thn it is frmembers f mst ther rers.

Lre skills n ls prve usefulin mbt situtins. If yu hveLre/Spellrft skills, yu n tryt ientify spells s they re beingst n mmunite the infrm-tin t whmever will ttempt tunter-spell them. At the very lest,knwing wht srt f mgi is m-

ing yur wy my help yu vi rmitigte its effets. Als, if yu hve Lre skill tht inlues unerstn-ing f sme fe yu re fighting, yurNrrtr my llw yu t mke skill test t gin insight int theirttis, their equipment, r the likelympsitin f their fre by rerr expertise. If yu hve the skillLre/Re: Ors, fr instne, yuul use skill test t gin insightfrm the Nrrtr but hw bn

f Ors rushing t yur prty willstrike, n n whm they re likelyt fus their ttk. Tht srt fknwlege n help yur prty pr-tet its mst vulnerble ssets nfigure ut ttis f yur wn thtn pitlise n their weknesses.


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MagiCiansan d WizardsIts mre bvius hw mgiins

n wizrs n ntribute t prtyssuess. Spellsting is prt n pr-el f mst ny high-fntsy rleply-ing settinginee, its ne f the

efining mrks f high fntsy. Evens, its wrth pinting ut sme fthe hrteristis f spellsting nspellsters in Mile-erth s yu nvi running ful f the limittinsimpse by the gme system.

One imprtnt pint t rememberwhen using mgi in mbt situ-tin is tht there re very few ffen-sive re-effet spells in The Lord ofthe Rings Roleplaying Game. If yureuse t fntsy rleplying systems in

whih spellsters hve the pwer thrm mny ifferent fes t ne, yuwill hve t think ifferently here nhse yur trgets with isrimin-tin. As generl rule, estrying yurstrngest iniviul fe ften turns thetie in n enunter. Even if yu ntuse yur strngest ppnent iretphysil mge, yu n weken ristrt him, epriving him f the fullextent f his bilities.

In this regr, its imprtnt t usespells tht hnip the trget in -

rintin with the effrts f the therprty members. Spells suh s Disarmn Blinding Flash use little lstinghrm by themselves. But in the mistf hn-t-hn fight, blining fer epriving him f his wepn n

give the wrrirs n yur sie ei-sive vntge, r t lest minimise therisk invlve in fighting him t lsequrters. On the ther hn, st-ing suh spells n fe while he stillhs time t rever frm them befre

engging yur prty is essentilly wste f spellrft.

As spellster, it is very impr-tnt t mnge yur Weriness Level.The Lord of the Rings RoleplayingGame ples n limit n hw mnyspells f wht srt yu n st inny given peri f time, but it esimpse prtil restritins n spell-sting tivity thrugh the Werinesstests tht mgiins n wizrs mustmke when using their spells. Every

time yu st, yu run the risk f fil-ure, n every time yu fil yu lset lest ne Weriness Level. (An ifyur Nrrtr is using the ptinlWeriness etermintin rules pre-sente in Chpter Three n pges468, yu n lse Weriness Levelsfrm suessfully sting spell, t!)Suffering frm lst Weriness Levelsmkes yu less effetive in ll srtsf imprtnt tivities, n trying tst spells when wery mkes it mrelikely tht yu will fil, lse even mre

Weriness Levels, n enter spirlt exhustin.

Aviing Weriness prblemsbegins with seleting refully thespells tht yu lern. If yu hve Stmin mifier f less thn +2,

vi seleting spells with WerinessTN 10 r higher, unless yu hve thertest mifiers (thrugh eges r rerbilities) tht give yu bnuses t yurspellsting Weriness tests. If yurStmin mifier is nly +1 n yu

hve n suh bnuses, yu will hve trll t lest 9 t st Weriness TN10 spell (suh s Blinding Flash) su-essfully n vi lsing WerinessLevels. In suh situtin the s reefinitely ginst yu. The hnes reless thn 1 in 3 tht yu will sueewithut spening Curge pints tnuge the prbbilities in yur fvur.Yu ertinly nt wnt t hve tspen vluble Curge every time yust spell.

If yu hve lw Stmin, usevnement piks t rise it. Thissts nly tw piks if Stmin is yurfvure retin, leving yu withenugh fr Spellsting rer bilityimprvement in the sme vnement.Als nsier eges r rer bili-ties (suh s Tireless r SpellstingSpeilty) tht will give yu bnuses tWeriness tests ssite with spell-sting. D this befre yu strt -ing spells with high Weriness TNs tyur repertire; yu shul be ble t

t lest +3 t yur Weriness testsbefre yu strt using Weriness TN10 spells n regulr bsis. Until then,stik with spells tht hve WerinessTN 8 r less.


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One yu hve selete spells nre rey t use them, tke re tvi Weriness in mbt enun-ters. Cmbt is n intense tivityn yu will ften fin yurself wnt-ing t st spells ne right fter the

ther. Hwever, yu wul be wellvise t pe yurself; inisrimi-nte spellsting, espeilly erly in fight, n sp yu f Weriness Levelsquikly n rener yu ineffetivefr the reminer f the enunter.Trying t st when yu re ftiguenly mkes it mre likely tht yuwill exhust yurself befre the bttleis wn.

In ther wrs, st juiiusly.Yu might try stiking t spells with

lw TNs t the beginning; lthughthey my nt be the mst pwer-ful, they ffer the lwest hne fsting filure n lsing WerinessLevels. If yu hse t st spell with high TN, mke sure theeffet will hurt yur enemy gretlyif yu suee, r tht the trget isimprtnt enugh tht hrming himis wrth the higher risk f stingfilure. Csting hnful fLightning(Weriness TN 12) spells in rpi

suessin is sure wy t exhustyurself; neeless t sy, yu ughtnt t try it unless yu re in desper-ate situtin. In ll situtins, if yu lse Weriness Levels in mbt,weigh the pssibility f sting filure

n inurring further Weriness lssbefre yu eie wht t st, r ifyu will st gin t ll.

Anther hrteristi f mgi-ins n wizrs tht n helpthem ntribute t ventures is theft tht, ielly, they ught t hveg Bering mifiers. Beringis n imprtnt ftr in eter-mining the effetiveness f mnyspells, espeilly thse tht requireppse tests ginst the trget, s

it behves spellsting hrterst hve high sres in tht ttributenywy. Bering is ls the ttri-bute upn whih ll Sil skillsre bse. Therefre, mgiins nwizrs re nturl nites ttke n imprtnt iplmti tsks,suh s Interrgte, Intimite,n Persue skill tests. Evenif yu hve t use these skillsuntrine, yur Beringmifier by itself shul

give yu the equivlent f uplef rnks in them. Assuming thtyu hve pi ue ttentin t yurBering sre, tking rnks in theseskills n turn yu int yur prtysnturl leer, rther thn the ne

wh is trtte ut nly when therere spells t be st.

Co n t r i b u t i n g tot h e Ch r oniCle

That is the business of wizards: wizardsare always troubled about the future.

Treebeard, The Two Towers

Figuring ut hw yur mgiinr lremster hrter n ntrib-ute t the lrger hrnile is lrgely mtter f unerstning why he

stys n the prfessinl pth hehs hsen, n mbining thtinsight with the ttitues nbeliefs he rws frm his ntive

ulture. If this seems like mre bstrt exerise thn


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figuring hw yur hrter nntribute t the immeite neesf given venture, it is s. But tk-ing prt in hrnile is mre thn mtter f using yur knwlege tslve rile r sting spell tht

sets fe t ftl isvntge.Yur hrters mbitins, rems,n pssins will help yur Nrrtrhrt the urse f the hrnileby giving him n unerstning fwht ul inspire yur mgiinr lremster t gret ees. Befreyur Nrrtr n tht, yu mustetermine yur hrters ientityn estblish wht rives him s ntr in the epi stry f whih heis prt.

At first glne, reting hr-ter fr The Lord of the RingsRoleplaying Game might nt seemlike mplite mtter. Yur hr-ter will be ne f the Free Peplesf Mile-erth, n efening yurwy f life ginst the epretinsf the Enemy will unerlie whtyu in the hrnile. It seemspintlessr t lest pintlesslyiffiultt preten therwise. Butwithin tht frmewrk, mny vri-tins n the Free Peples theme re

pssible, n regnising tht rngehelps bring Mile-erth t life s gme setting. Diversity mng PCsn n shul mke fr n inter-esting hrnile in the sme wy theiversity mng the Cmpny f theRing rete suh gripping epi.

Cnsier, first f ll, hw yurhrters temperment, his wy fthinking, n his persnl experi-enes my influene bth his hief rer n the eisins he mkes

while fllwing his prfessin. Deshe hve speifi gl, suh s frgingn enhnte item t lst the ges, rssembling lletin f lre thnwill bring him wie renwn? Deshe pursue lerning r spellrft sn expressin f persnl mbitin,r t serve his peple in n ielistiwy? Revenge s mtivtin usu-lly mkes fr high rm. Di yurhrter lse smene er t him

t Ors, n s, lking the strengthf limb t wiel swr, he lerns smuh s he n but them t finsme ther wy f exting retribu-tin? Fleshing ut yur hrterin this wy nt nly helps yu run

yur hrter with firm hn, butshring yur eisins with yurNrrtr n help him rete spe-ifi hllenges fr yu.

One yu hve estblishe this inyur min, nsier ls hw yurhrters re n ethniity influ-ene the wy he views Mile-erth.Nt ll f the Free Peples thinklike, r even pssess muh fnnessfr eh ther. Nt ll f them viewthe ntinul struggle ginst the

Enemy in quite the sme wy. Tke lk t the isussin tht pensthis hpter n g frm there. Isyu hrter prut f his ul-tures minnt ttitues, r eshe ut ginst them? Des he eptsme f wht his ntive ulture giveshim while he wishes t figure utther things fr himself?

Fr instne, Elves re ntri-usly lf frm the mvementsf the wrl; in the lte ThirAge, they sense tht their time in

Mile-erth is pssing n mt-ter wht they , n in ny eventtheir immrtlity gives them if-ferent perspetive n events thnmrtl flk. They my nt ttri-bute the imprtne t minr eventstht Men . Yet, might nt n Elfhve sympthy fr mrtls wy fviewing things? Dwrves re si tbe lse n suspiius. Yet, neupn time, Gnlf nvineThrin Okenshiel n his fl-

lwers t tke nve yung Hbbitwith them n the mst imprtntquest f their lives. It is pssible tbe prut f irumstne nnitining while eviting frmthem t times.

If yu re lremster f Gnr(suh s Cirinr, the yung lre-mster f the Arhive f the WhiteTwer), hw muh yu shre yurpeples prie f ple, whih sme

might ll vnity? D yu ssumetht nwhere in Mile-erth is simprtnt s Gnr in the ng-ing struggle ginst Surn? D yumke greter effrt thn thersf yur peple t lern the wys

n lre f the ther Free Peples?Hw yu nswer this questin uletermine hw yu respn in er-tin situtins, n hw yu tretther hrters, bth PCs nNPCs. Brmir, like ll f his un-trymen, regre the Hbbits in theCmpny f the Ring with utterstnishment when they first met.He ls unerestimte their quli-ties t first. Yet his puzzlement verthese urius hlflings me his will-

ingness t ie in their efene ll themre heri.One f the mst rmti

instnes f hw tw hrtersstriving twr the sme en nlk t the sme prblem very if-ferently is seen in Gnlf s lng-simmering qurrel with Denethr,the Ruling Stewr f Gnr. Ehhls rilly isprte view fGnrs rle in the efene f theWest. The Stewr, pru yet lenwith misgiving, sees his relm s the

nly funtin upn whih thtefene n rest, n tht ssump-tin les him t ftl espir whenSurns rmy lys siege t his ity.Gnlf, n the ther hn, tkes wier view, seeing tht mny relmsn peples my ntribute t thestruggle ginst the Enemy, n inny event refuses by tempermentt give up hpe. The nsequenesf this isgreement re trgi, furse, but it highlights hw iffer-

ing ttitues between hrters nthe sme sie n rete high rmwithin hrnile.

Hwever yu nswer these ques-tins but hw yur hrterthinks n feels, remember tht theees yu ty, n mtter whereyu me frm r wht rer yubelng t, will shpe tmrrwsrhymes f lre.


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Ive often wanted to see a bitof magic like what it tells

of in old tales. . . .

Sam, The Fellowship of the Ring

Chapter Two

expandingtheorders

20

ny f the mst fsinting hrters in The Lord of the Rings rethse whse gretest strengths re knwlege n wism, suh s theWizrs Gnlf n Srumn, the nient Hlf-elven lr Elrn,n the eqully venerble Queen f the Glen W, Glriel. Even

Denethr, the fey Ruling Stewr f Gnr, ttrts fsintin.

M

In this hpter, yu will finnew tls fr bringing t life yurwn mgiin, wizr, r lrems-ter hrter, inluing new rerbilities, new trits esigne espe-illy fr lerne hrters, n newelite rers. The new rer bilitiesChrm f Pwer, Rbe f Authrity,

n Wizrs Chrm will be f spe-il interest t plyers with wizrhrters, sine they njure pw-ers similr t thse f the Stff fPwer rer bility esribe in FellBeasts and Wondrous Magic n theWizrs Stff rer bility esribein the re rulebk. In itin,yu will fin new rules gverning theuse f Lnguge n Lre skills, nthese ber speil ttentin, sine they

revise n just the rules set frth inthe re rulebk.

n e W o r d e r a b i l i t i e s

He was mighty book-learned was dearold Mr. Bilbo. And he wrote poetry. Sam, The Fellowship of the Ring

Lremsters, mgiins, n wiz-rs hve knwlege n un-ning t their mmn, quli-

ties tht mke them just s vlubles ny ughty slier r stelthy


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Paths of the Wise

22

rgue. The fllwing setins etilitinl rer bilities tht sup-plement the nes liste in the rerulebk n re vilble t mem-bers f the pprprite rers.

ne W lo r e M a s t e r or d e r ab i l i t i e s

Your pardon, lord! . . .I see you are a lore-master, not merely

a captain of war. Gondorian herb-master,

The Return of the King

entishThrugh truly prigius effrt,

yu hve quire rre skill inee:mstery f the pnerus Entishtngue. This bility llws yu thve Lnguge: Entish s skill,smething tht is therwise prhib-ite t nn-Ents. (Gining rnks inthis skill, hwever, requires yu tspen vnement piks s usul.)

requisiTe: Wits 12+; 8+ in ny

Lre skill tht iretly invlves theEnts r Fngrn Frest (fr instne,Lre/Res: Ents r Lre/Relms:Fngrn).

folkloristYu hve evelpe n er fr the

wism n tles f mmn flk.Yu unerstn the things they tkefr grnte s everyy knwlegen yu her the stries they tell

mng themselves f ees bthgret n smll, ner n fr wy.Yu ls hve keen, ptient erfr gssip n trvellers tles thtirulte t imprtnt rssrs,suh s Bree. Mny f yur wise l-legues sff t yu fr inulging thelwly, s Srumn riiule Gnlffr spening s muh time mngthe unimprtnt Hlflings, but bykeeping yur wits but yu, yu

my signifintly t yur byf knwlege. Of urse, yu mustls trust t yur wism t weeut wht is true frm wht is errntnnsense.

When yu hse this bility,

mke fur TN 10 tests, ing bthyur Wits n Pereptin mifiers.Yu my nt spen Curge n thisrll. See Tble 2.1: Lerning FrmFlklre t etermine the result feh test.

requisiTe: Bering 9+,Pereptin 9+.

iMProveMenT: Yu my tke thisbility ny number f times.

perfeCt reCallLng prtie in stuying tmes

n srlls, n in listening t lngtles n intrite sngs, hs hneyur memry t keen ege. Yu nwfin it trivil t rell in etil ll f

the erees li wn by King Elessrt the Fiel f Crmllen, r the stepsin prepringathelas t hel wun.Even srps f knwlege yupike up by the by rest mre esilyin yur he.

Yu reeive +1 bnus t llAemi skill tests, exept fr Lretests, fr whih yu reeive +2bnus.

requisiTe: Wits 9+.

Table 2.1: learning froM folkloreTesT resulT resulT

Complete or Disastrous Failure False information fools you! You lose 1 rank

in an existing Lore skill of your choice.

Failure You fail to learn anything; no change to your

Lore skills.

Marginal Success You may add 1 rank to an existing Lore skill.

Complete Success You may add 1 rank to a new or existing

Lore skill.

Superior Success You may add 1 rank to a new or existing

Lore skill or choose a new speciality for any

existing Lore skill.

Extraordinary Success You may add 2 ranks to a new or existingLore skill or choose a new speciality for any

existing Lore skill.


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23

expndng ordr

iMProveMenT: This bility mybe imprve up t three times t ginitinl +1 bnuses t ll Lretests. Imprvement es nt inreseyur bnus t ther Aemi skills.

studentof th e shadoWYu hve immerse yurself in the

stuy f the Enemy. Yu re eger tlern everything yu n but him,his histry n lre, his wrks, nhis servnts. There is n ubt thtyu s with the finest f mtives,sine unerstning nes fe mkesit esier t efet him. But yu musthve re, lest yu mirer even

bemethe thing t whih yuevte yur stuies.This bility gives yu +2 bnus

t ny Lre test invlving knwlegef Surn, his servnts n llies, theOne Ring, n ny Lnguge: BlkSpeeh test. If yu use this bility(yu my pt nt t tke the bnusbefre rlling fr suh tests) n gin suessful test result, hwever, yumust ls mke Crruptin test,n yu must s whether r ntusing the bnus me ny ifferene.

iMProveMenT: Yu my evte upt three itinl piks t this bility,gining further +2 bnus fr everypik. Hwever, fr eh itinl

pik, yu ls inur 2 penlty freh Crruptin test yu must mke

s result f using this bility.

teaChYu hve exeptinl skill t

imprting yur knwlege t thers.This is nt tlent t be tken lightly,fr nt everyne with lerning hs thetime r temperment t help ntherlern new subjet.

This bility llws nther hr-ter t new Lre r Lngugeskill, r imprve n existing ne, if

yu n suessfully teh him. Yumust pssess mre rnks thn yurstuent in the skill yu ttempt tteh. Prper instrutin requires

substntil ntt between tehern stuent; extly wht this mens

in ntext f hrnile is sme-thing the Nrrtr must eie, buts efult, the Nrrtr my ssumetht it tkes sli weeks wrth finstrutin, whether tht be eveningtle-telling by the firesie r snthesf nverstin but the subtleties fpipewee while trvelling, highlighteby smples svure lng the wy.

At the nlusin f the peri finstrutin, the teher mkes TN12 test, ing his n his stuentsWits mifiers. The nsequenes

epen n the egree f suess rfilure (see Tble 2.2: Degrees fTehing Suess).

Table 2.2: Degreesof TeaChing suCCess

TesT resulT resulT

Complete or Disastrous Failure Student misunderstands completely! Student

loses 1 rank in the Language or Lore skill

being taught.

Failure Student fails to learn anything; no change tothe students Language or Lore skill ranks.

Marginal Success Student adds 1 rank to an existing Language

or Lore skill being taught. (If the teacher

was trying to teach a new skill, nothing is

learned.)

Complete or Superior Success Student adds 1 rank to a new or existing

Language or Lore skill being taught.

Extraordinary Success Student adds 2 ranks to a new or existing


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Paths of the Wise

2

requisiTe: Bering 9+, Pereptin8+.

iMProveMenT: Eh imprve-ment f this bility llws ne i-tinl stuent t be tught t time,thugh ll stuents tught t ne

must be lerning the sme skill. Aifferent rll n Tble 2.2 is me freh stuent when mre thn ne istught t time.

versatilityYu hve n exeptinlly gile

min, n the breth f yur knwl-ege ul stun yur peers if yustuie iligently enugh. Yur seretis tht yu hve figure ut hw t

grsp new subjets quikly. Wheneveryu new Lre skill, yu strtwith 2 rnks inste f 1.

requisiTe:Wits 12+.

ne W MagiCianor d e r ab i l i t i e s

There he sat down and worked up thebest magic he could in the shadows.

The Hobbit

d istil draughtYu n rete elixirs tht mimi

the effets f ertin spells, essentillybttling the essene f yur mgilrft. Mgil rughts my mimithe effets f ny ne f the fllw-

ing spells: Change Hue, Dull Senses,Enhance Food, Guarding-spell, KeenSenses, Rain-ward, Renew, Revive,Slumber, Steady Hand, Stout Body,Strength of Limb, n Swift of Foot.Determine the munt f time nee-e t istil n enhnte rughtring t the rules fr enhntingitems n pges 6271. Drughts rensiere smll items fr purps-es f etermining size ftr. Ntetht rught f Enhance Food must

be pure nt the f tht it isintene t imprve. N mre thnne enhntment my be li int single rught.

requisiTe: Wits 9+, Crft:Cking 4+ (yu rete rughtsthrugh istilltin, biling herbsr ther ingreients t extrt theiressene befre imbuing them withyur spellrft), Spellsting.

MagiCian s CharM

A tlismn wrn run yurnek is yu in sting yurspells. This mgi-

ins hrm grnts yu +1 bnust Stmin tests t resist Werinessfrm spellsting. It nnt prviethis benefit t nyne else, n is use-less t nyne wh tkes it frm yu.

Befre yu use this bility yu must

quire hrm f msterwrk qul-ity (if yu nt hve ne lrey).This n be ny item smll enught wer run yur nek. Yu mustthen wer it fr n entire y, uringwhih time yu my unertke nstrenuus tivity ther thn ttun-ing the hrm t yur mgil pwer.Ding s imbues the hrm with yurpwer f spellrft.

requisiTe: Spellsting.

servant of udnTerrible things lie hien in the

eeps f Mile-erth, things snient n bsure tht nt evenSurn hs full knwlege f them.Yu hve beme quinte withthese fersme sures f pwer nhve lerne smething f hw tshpe n wiel them fr yur wnpurpses. Alng with tht knwlege,

hwever, mes the sensetht using it hs n-

gers ll its wn.Yu gin

+2 bnus t lltests neeet st spellsfrm the Fire,


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2

expndng ordr

Smke, n Light spell speilty nSrery spell speility. Hwever,yu ls suffer 2 penlty t llCrruptin tests.

requisiTes: Spellsting; Fire,Smke, n Light spell speility r

Srery spell speility.iMProveMenT: Fr eh itin-

l pik yu evte t this bility, upt three, yu gin n itinl +1bnus t tests neee t st spellsfrm the Fire, Smke, n Light spellspeilty n Srery spell speilty.Yu ls suffer n itinl 2 pen-lty t ll Crruptin tests fr ehitinl pik.

ne W Wi z a r d or der ab i l i t i e s

[Gandalfs] knowledge was deep, histhought subtle, and his hands

marvelously skilled. . . . Aragorn, The Two Towers

CharM of poWerJust s the Stff f Pwer rerbility (esribe n pges 8890f Fell Beasts and Wondrous Magic)enhnes the pwer f wizrsstff n exemplifies the eep ien-tifitin between spellster nthis imprtnt persnl pssessin,s t es Chrm f Pwer mplifythe pbilities n imprtne f mgiins hrm.

A Chrm f Pwer hs tw is-

rete pbilities: Defene n SpellPtterns. These nt immeitelymnifest when this rer bility ispurhse, hwever. Rther, wiz-r must tivte eh thrugh nexeptinl ee r mplishmentbefre he n mmn them. Onetivte, using either f the Chrmf Pwers pbilities requires sin-gle tin. These pbilities re nt

exlusive; bth my be use t ne slng s bth hve been tivte.

A Chrm f Pwer my nt beestrye by rinry physil mens,lthugh sme prtiulrly pwer-ful spell r sme ther gret mgil

fre, suh s Drgns breth, might s, t the Nrrtrs isretin. If Chrm f Pwer is estrye r lst,yu my gin new ne by re-pur-hsing the Chrm f Pwer rerbility, thugh yu must re-tivteits pwers in the nrml wy. If, hw-ever, fr whtever terrible resn, yure st ut f the Orer f Wizrs,yur hrm lses ll f its bilities nbemes inert. Yu my nt unersuh irumstnes get new, fun-

tinl Chrm f Pwer by seletingthis rer bility gin.In rer t selet Chrm f Pwer

s n rer bility, yu must lreypssess mgiins hrm. It bemes Chrm f Pwer s sn s yumnifest ne f its bilities. It retinsthe spellsting Weriness test bnusesribe uner the mgiins hrmrer bility fter this tivtin.

requisiTes: Mgiins Chrm,Wizr Spellsting, Wizrly Pwer.

Defence

A Chrm f Pwer nt nly sus-tins yur mgi, it ls helps wrff the blws f yur enemies.

effeCT: A Chrm f Pwerinreses yur Defene by +2 ginstll ttks.

ManifesTaTion: This p-bility tivtes when fe suffers mplete r isstrus filure in nArme Cmbt r Rnge Cmbt

test irete ginst yu. This mustur in genuine bttle, nt whileyu prtie physil mbt r sprwith frien.

Spell Patterns

Yu my use Chrm f Pwert fus n hnnel yur spellrft.Over time, expsure t yur spellssubtly hnges its frm, llwing it t

rete spells effets withut plingprprtinl strin n yu.

effeCT: Chse ny spell tht yulrey knw with Weriness TN 5r lwer. Yu my st tht spell neper y withut mking Stmin

test t resist Weriness. Furthermre,the spell es nt unt fr purpsesf etermining the Weriness TN fspells tht yu subsequently st. Yumy therefre use this hrm bilityn immeitely st nther spellwithut suffering the stnr testresult penlty fr sting t mnyspells in shrt peri f time rfr hving multiple spells in effet tne time.

ManifesTaTion: Yu must ttin

superir suess n the Werinesstest me when sting the spellyu wish t imbue int the hrm.When yu s, the hrm ginsthis pbility.

QuiCk CasterHr experiene, gine by striving

ginst ther spellsters, hs tughtyu hw t re the intentins f fe n unter them with exterity.Whenever yu st unter-spell,

yu gin +2 bnus t the Werinesstest n +2 bnus t the subsequentppse Bering test.

requisiTe: Nimbleness 8+,Wizr Spellsting.

iMProveMenT: Yu my imprvethis bility up t three times t ginitinl +1 bnuses t bth f thetests this bility mifies.

robe of authority

Like Stff f Pwer r Chrmf Pwer, Rbe f Authrity isbth n rer bility n n itemtht enhnes the wizrs pwer nexemplifies the eep ientifitinbetween spellster n persnlpssessinin this se, the grmenttht he wers.

A Rbe f Authrity hs threeisrete pbilities: Blining Light,Defene, n Hue Shift. These nt


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Paths of the Wise

2

immeitely mnifest when this rerbility is purhse, hwever. Rther, wizr must tivte eh thrughn exeptinl ee r mplish-ment befre he n mmn them.One tivte, using ny f these

pbilities requires single tin.These pbilities re nt exlusive;mre thn ne my be use t ne slng s they hve been tivte.

A Rbe f Authrity my ntbe estrye by rinry physilmens, lthugh sme prtiulrlypwerful spell r sme ther gretmgil fre, suh s Drgnsbreth, might s, t the Nrrtrsisretin. If Rbe f Authrity isestrye r lst, yu my gin new

ne by re-purhsing the Rbe fAuthrity rer bility, thugh yumust re-tivte its pwers in thenrml wy. If, hwever, fr whteverterrible resn, yu re st ut f theOrer f Wizrs, yur rbe lses llf its bilities n bemes inert. Yumy nt uner suh irumstnesget new, funtinl rbe by seletingthis rer bility gin.

In rer t selet Rbe f Authritys n rer bility, yu must pssess msterwrk rbe. It bemes Rbe

f Authrity s sn s yu mnifestne f its bilities.

requisiTes: Wizr Spellsting,Wizrly Pwer.

Blinding LightIt ws si f Gnlf the White

tht he ul st sie his ttteretrvellers lk t revel zzlinglight tht seeme t emnte frmhis by, n tht it ismye his fesn inspire his llies, even thughthe ltter, t, h t shiel their eyesfrm it.

effeCT:Yu my st sie whtev-er grments yu re wering ver yurRbe f Authrity t revel flsh f

bright light. All servnts f the Enemywithin 10 feet f yu re ffete s ifexpse t the spell Blinding Flash,exept tht their Swiftness TN thlve the urtin f the effet is 10 +yur Bering mifier. Allies withinthe re f effet re bline fr nly162 runs (results f less thn 1inite n blinness t ll), n theirSwiftness test is TN 10. This prtiu-lr pwer hieves the sme egree feffetiveness whether yu use it in therk r in bright ylight.

ManifesTaTion: Blining Lighttivtes when yu st Blinding Flashr ny spell frm the Seret Fire spe-ility ginst servnt f the Enemyn hieve superir suess.

Defence

A Rbe f Authrity ts senhnte rmur, efleting blwsirete ginst yu.

effeCT: A Rbe f Authrityinreses yur Defene by +4 ginstll ttks.

ManifesTaTion: This bility ti-vtes when fe suffers mpleter isstrus filure in n ArmeCmbt r Rnge Cmbt test

irete ginst yu. This suessmust me in genuine bttle, ntwhile yu prtie physil mbt rspr with frien.

Hue Shift

A Rbe f Authrity nelsyur physil frm when yu wish tremin unseen, blening yu int thebkgrun. It ls muffles the sunstht yu mke when yu mve.


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2

expndng ordr

effeCT: This bility grnts yu +5 bnus t ll Stelth tests. Als,ll Her, Sense Power, n Spt testsexeute ginst yu suffer 5 pen-lty.

ManifesTaTion: This bility ti-

vtes when yu hieve superir su-ess in ny Stelth test exeute thie yurself frm servnt f theEnemy r sme ther genuine fe (inther wrs, yu my nt prtieneling yurself just t tivtethis bility).

n e W tr a i t s

Quite simple. Too simple for a learnedlore-master in these suspicious days.

Gandalf, The Fellowship of the Ring

Every hien pth tht runs hs itswn twists n turns; every reer

yu my hse will bring ut yurstrengths n weknesses in iffer-ent wys. The new eges n flwsesribe here re best suite frlremsters, mgiins, n members

f relte elite rers, lthugh yumy ls use them with hrtersbelnging t ther rers.

ed g e s

For you are proud, Gandalfand notwithout reason, having a noble mind and

eyes that look both deep and far. Saruman, The Two Towers

aCCurate reCallYu hve n unusully g mem-

ry, even fr smene f exeptinlintelligene. Whether yu re sme-thing in tme r her it in rhymef lre, it remins with yu, evenwhen yu re uner uress.

requisiTe: Wits 10+.effeCT: Yu reeive bnus f +2

t ll Lre tests.

Clear speeCh

Yu hve gift fr enunitinglerly, even in tense situtins. Yure mre persusive n mre likelyt be unerst when speking. Yuls fin it reltively esy t st spellstht require speking n innttin.

requisiTe: Bering 8+.effeCT: Yu gin +2 bnus t

ll Debte, Lnguge (when spek-ing), n Persue tests, s well s tPerfrm tests tht invlve speking(Tell Stries n s n). Yu ls

gin +1 bnus t ll Weriness testswhen sting spell tht requiresspeking wrs f mmn.

h idden strengthAs spellster, yu hve hien

reserves f strength upn whih yumy ll in times f nee. Fr briefperi eh y, yu my reubleyur effrts n weriness will nttuh yu s yu use yur mgilpwers.

requisiTe: Spellsting rer bil-ity.

effeCT: Fr peri f 1 runper pint f yur Vitlity sre, yureeive +6 bnus t ll spellstingWeriness tests. Afterwr, hwever,yu utmtilly lse 2 WerinessLevels. Yu my use this bility nlyne per y.

keeperof anor

Yu re stefst n inrrupt-ible t hert, true frien t the FreePeples n the Mile-erth thtis s er t them. The Enemy myefet yu by fre, but he n neverwin yu ver. Pwer n mininver thers hl n ttrtin fryu.

requisiTe: Bering 9+.effeCT: Yu reeive +4 bnus t

ll Crruptin tests n +2 bnus

t ll tests relte t sting spellsfrm the Seret Flme speility.

natural arChivistYu feel mfrtble run l-

letins f written wrks, n yuhve reltively esy time fining theinfrmtin yu wnt mng librr-ies, srll hrs, n the like.

requisiTe: Pereptin 9+, Wits9+.

effeCT: Yu reeive +4 bnus tll Serh tests when trying t lte prtiulr ument (tme, srll,n the like) in n rhive r srllhr, n ls when trying t lte prtiulr bit f infrmtin in

ument.

sCholarly lineageYu me frm lng line f

shlrs, brs, r ther suh mstersf lre. Yur fmily being wht it is,yur erly memries swim with thesrt f knwlege tht thers musttrvel wiely r wrk iligently tquire. It is tht muh esier fr yut mster lre s result.

effeCT: Chse ny ne Lre skill

gruping, suh s Lre/Relm rLre/Re. When yu speiltiest tests n skills in tht grup, yu +3 rther thn +2.

iMProveMenT: This ege n beimprve with up t tw itin-l piks, with eh pik grnting nitinl Lre skill gruping.

seniorityYur mstery f lerning hs given

yu t lest ne very plpble benefit: psitin f respet within yur si-ety. Yu my hve wn n ppint-ment s n Arhivist f the WhiteTwer in Mins Tirith, s tht yuspen yur ys in the gretest librryin Mile-erth, the rhive tht nebelnge t the Kings f Gnr. Orperhps yu re tribl eler f theHrrim r the Esterlings.


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Paths of the Wise

2

requisiTe: Bering 9+, Wits 9+,n 8+ rnks in ny Lre skill. TheNrrtr ls hs the isretin tmke the Rnk ege prerequisite,epening n the psitin the hr-ter wishes t ssume. Sme high

psitins my require nble birth,thers nt.

effeCT: Yu reeive +4 bnust ll Sil skill tests tht invlvegining ess t bies f knwlege(entering librry withut ffiilpermissin, fr exmple, r persu-ing relutnt br t sing sngf lre). Yu ls reeive +2 bnust ll Persue tests tht invlve it-ing fts relte t Lre skill yupssess. (Peple re mre likely t

believe yu beuse f yur psitin.)Like the Rnk ege, Senirity myls hve substntil stry effets, sNPCs my hve t shw yu efer-ene ue yur sttin.

WoodsWiseYu hve spent muh time in ws

n fiels, r perhps in the wil. As result, the wys f bests n plntshl little mystery fr yu.

effeCT: Yu reeive +2 bnus t

ll Lre/Wilerness tests, Wether-sense tests, n ll tests requirewhen sting spells frm the Bestsn Birs speility.

flaW s

[Sarumans] knowledge is deep, but hispride has grown with it, and he takes ill

to any meddling.

Gandalf, The Fellowship of the Ring

afr ai dof f ireFr whtever resn, fire mkes

yu istintly unesy. Spening theevening by the firesie uses yu nunue nxiety, but lrge n mgi-

l isplys f fire, suh s fire-wrks, set yu n ege.

effeCT: Yu reeive 4 penltyt spellsting Weriness tests frsting ny spell frm the Fire,Smke, n Light spell speility,

s well s ny srery spell thtinvlves njuring fire. Yu mustls mke Fer test wheneversmene else sts spell tht fitseither f these esriptins in yurpresene, with TN 10 + stersBering mifier.

afr ai dof the seaWhile ry ln is sli n sfe,

ses n ther lrge bies f wter

re nt s mfrting. Their wterssuffte n their murky epthsnel ll mnner f ngers. Yun fr smll strem withut if-fiulty, but wie rivers, lkes, nses truly terrify yu.

effeCT: Yu reeive 4 penltyt spellsting Weriness tests frsting ny spell frm the Wterspell speility, s well s ny sr-ery spell tht invlves njuringr mnipulting wter, fg, r thelike. Yu must ls mke Fer test

whenever smene else sts spelltht fits either f these esriptinsin yur presene, with TN 10 +sters Bering mifier.

afr ai dof the storMWhenever tempest rges n

the se, r win n rin hwl nthe ln, it sets yur nerves nege. A mest wnpur r stiffwin es nt bther yu, but yu

lse hert whenever the wetherbemes truly ngry.effeCT: Yu reeive 4 penlty

t spellsting Weriness tests frsting ny spell frm the Air nStrm spell speility, s well s nysrery spell tht invlves njur-ing whirlwins, tempests, n thelike. Yu must ls mke Fer testwhenever smene else sts spelltht fits either f these esriptins

in yur presene, with TN 10 +sters Bering mif ier.

C it y-dWellerYu hve spent yur ys burie

in urbn res, whether the gretity f Mins Tirith, mre mestity like Dle, r even rssrstwn like Bree. Selm, if ever,hve yu wlke in the ws rtrvelle thrugh the wil lns fMile-erth. Nr hve yu sileits gret wters. Shul fte styu int the wils r nt the se,yu will be t isvntge.

effeCT: Yu suffer 2 penltyt ll Lre/Relm tests invlving

the Est f Mile-erth (Hr,Mrr, n the like), the frestsn sprsely ppulte res fthe West (suh s Mirkw nErir, whih ws severely epp-ulte by the lte Thir Age), nlrge bies f wter. Yu reeive 4 penlty t ll Lre/Wilernesstests. Yu ls suffer 2 penltyt ll tests require when stingspells frm the Bests n Birsn Wter speilities.

dark heartYu hve stuie the One Ring,

the Enemy, n his minins. Yumy hve ne s with the sensibleintentin f unerstning yurfe, but yur knwlege f gretevil hs h the unintene effetf fsinting yu n seuingyu with the lure f pwer. PerhpsSurn himself hs sense yurpresene n seeks t win yu ver

by whtever mens he n m-mn. Yu must bewre the esiresf yur wn hert, beuse they reyur true wekness.

effeCT: Yu must mke Crruptin test whenever yuquire rnk in Lre skill reltet the One Ring, Mrr, Surn,r his servnts. T mke mtterswrse, yu suffer 2 penlty n llCrruptin tests yu mke.


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forgetfulYu nt hve muh f he

fr fts n tes. Even if thersrekn yu wise, tht esnt lterthe ft tht yu just rent veryg t remembering etils. It llges in ne er n ut the ther,they use t sy but yu s hil, n even nw yur memryn fil yu t inpprtune times.

effeCT:Yu suffer 4 penltyt ll Lre tests, n 1 penlty t

ll spellsting Weriness tests.

fuMble-fingeredWhether ue t ge, nerves, r

exitement, yur fingers smetimesget wy frm yu when yu mstnee them t be stey.

effeCT: Yu suffer 2 penltyt ll Nimbleness tests requiringfine mnipultin. In itin, ehtime yu st spell tht requires

the use f gestures (see pge 168 fthe re rulebk) yu must mke TN 5 Nimbleness test (ftringin the 2 penlty) t get the spellunerwy. If yu fil yur tinis wste, thugh yu nee ntttempt the spells Weriness test.

inCredulousIntelligent thugh yu re, yu

hve n unfrtunte teneny tubt the simplest explntin nthe lerest lgi. When it mes tinterpreting bsure knwlege, yuprve t lever fr yur wn g. Inshrt, yu hve hbit f utthinkingyurself.

effeCT:Yu suffer 2 penlty tll Lre/Histry skill tests n 1penlty t ll ther Lre skill tests.

provinCial upbringingYur upbringing expse yu t

very little f the wrl utsie yurhme, even by the sheltere stnrsf Mile-erth in the lte ThirAge. Nw, everywhere yu g utsiethe irumsribe buns f yuryuth seems strnge, the flk lien tyu. Unerstning these ples ntheir peples is therefre iffiult fr

yu; it is nt impssible, but yu willlwys hve t wrk hrer t it thnmst f yur peers.

effeCT: Yu suffer 2 penltyt ll Lre/Relm n Lre/Gruptests invlving relm r grup therthn the ne t whih yu re ntive.Fr instne, wrrir f Rhn withthis flw wul suffer 2 penlty t Lre/Grup test but the Lssthn t Lre/Relm skill test but

Frhel. Cnversely, ne f theSnwmen wul suffer the sme pen-lty t Lre/Grup skill test butthe Rhirrim n Lre/Relm skilltest but Rhn.

tiresoMeYu knw gret el. In ft,

yu knw t muh fr yur wng when it mes t sil situ-tins. Yu ten t tell peple mre

thn they re t knw, even in sulmeetings.

effeCT: Yu suffer 6 penltyt ll Intimite n Perfrm (TellStries) tests, 4 penlty t llPersue tests, n 2 penlty tll Inquire tests. Yu my nt tkeFst Tlk s speilty f Persue.If, hwever, yu lrey hve theFst Tlk speilty when yu tkeTiresme s flw, yu nt lse it.

tongue-tiedYu fin it unusully iffiult t

let wrs rll ff f yur tngue, nmtter wht lnguge yu re spek-ing. Yur uiene ften hs iffiultyunerstning yu, n yu re nt very persusive speker s result.Yu ls fin it iffiult t st spellstht require speking n innttin.


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30

effeCT: Yu suffer 2 penlty tll Debte, Lnguge (when spek-ing), n Persue tests, s well s tPerfrm tests tht invlve speking(Tell Stries, n s n). Yu ls suf-fer 2 penlty t ll Weriness tests

when sting spell tht requiresspeking wrs f mmn.

unnerving MannerYur pursuit f bsure lre r

mgil rft hs me yu lit-tle eentri in the eyes f thers.Perhps it is smething in the wyyu ress, the wy yu rry yurself,r the mnner in whih yu ressther flk. Whtever it is, yur quirk-

iness hmpers yu whenever n el-quent tngue r plishe emenuris neee.

effeCT: Yu suffer 2 penlty tll Sil skill tests exept fr Insighttests.

s k i l l s

Of lore and manners have they learnedwhat they would, and their lords speak

our speech at need. Faramir, The Two Towers

This setin expns upn the rulesgverning the use f Lnguge

n Lre skills, n presents smemest (but useful) mifitins tthem.

languages of

M i d d l e-ear th

Why then do you not speak in theCommon Tongue, as is the custom in the

West, if you wish to be answered? Gandalf, The Two Towers

Mny f the lnguges f Mile-erth re relte t ne nther, shr-ing mmn wrs n similrities ingrmmtil struture. As generlrule, relte lnguges re reginl rtribl ffshts frm prent lngugespken by ifferent ethni grupsmmn nestrs in the istnt pst.As time n gegrphy eepene theistintins between ethnilly simi-lr grups, the lnguges tht they

spke evelpe their wn istintivehrteristis.

Fr instne, ll Elves ne spkethe sme lnguge. Then the Nlrn the Sinr seprte frm theSilvn Elves by migrting t wht wsthen the West f Mile-erth. TheNlr further seprte themselvesby eprting Mile-erth fr theUnying Lns. Over the urse fununte yers f physil sepr-tin, ll three evelpe vritins

n their riginl tngue tht bemes ifferent tht by lte in the ThirAge, they were istintly ifferentlnguges, nne esily mprehen-sible t spekers f the ther. Onthe ther hn, the Rhirrim left theNrth-lns reently enugh s thttheir lnguge, Rhiri, hs nt yetevlve signifintly frm the riginlNrthmn tngue they ne shrewith ther ntins f Mile Men

frm the Nrth. If Knight f theMrk were t fin himself in Dle,he ul, with miniml effrt, uner-stn the ntive speeh f the lls(ssuming they hse nt t mmu-nite in Westrn, tht is).

Fr grphil representtin fhw the lnguges f Mile-erthre relte t eh ther, see Tble2.3: Lnguges f Mile-erth.Beneth eh re, the lnguges m-

mnly use by its members re liste,fllwe by the mjr ilets f thelnguge, if ny.

Eh lnguge is pssibleLnguge skill, n eh mjr i-let is ptentil speilty f thtskill. Fr instne, if yu quire skillin the tngue f Rhn, yu wulesribe it s Lnguge: Nrthmn(Rhiri) in yur skill list.


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Spekers f lnguges withutiletsWestrn, fr exmplereeive, by efult, the +2 speiltybnus t tests when using tht ln-guge. (Otherwise they wul effe-tively be penlise ue t the ft tht

their lnguge hs nt frgmenteint ilets.) In rer t rememberthis bnus in ply, plyers my wisht rer these lnguges n theirhrter sheets fter the fshin fLnguge: Westrn (Westrn).

language skills in playAlthugh they re similr t ther

skills in gme terms, lnguge skillsre ls lerly ifferent frm them.

While it wul be pssible t nut test fr eh ttempt t mmuni-tin between tw hrters, it wulls bring the hrnile t sreeh-ing hlt. The fllwing rules prvie number f useful generlistinsbut when hrters n freely n-verse with ne nther, n whentests re neessry.

One wh hs 6 skill rnks in given lnguge is s fluent s n ver-ge ntive speker. Thse wh meetthis threshl re thus referre t s

native speakers even thugh they mynt, tehnilly speking, be ntivesf tht ulture. As lng s ll f theprties f nverstin re ntivespekers, they my mmunitefreely. Speilty bnuses nt helpetermine whether given iniviulis ntive speker.

In ny se where mmuni-tin is ttempte by prty withut6 rnks in the pplible lnguge,hwever, test must be me by tht

prty. Trget numbers t mmuni-te n unerstn ies f vriusmplexity re liste n pge 129 fthe re rulebk.

exaMPle: A grup f Rhirifrmers survive Dunlening ri ntheir lns n mnge t tke nef the ttkers prisner. They wntt knw whether itinl ris replnne, but they isver tht theirptive es nt unerstn Rhiri

n nnt nverse in Westrn. Onef the brightest Rhirrim knws few wrs f Lnguge: Dunlenish(Dunlenish) n tries t put thisquestin t the sullen prisner. TheNrrtr etermines tht this is

Rutine test (TN 10). With rllf 7, his test result is 12 (7 + 2 skillrnks + 2 speilty bnus beusethere re n Dunlenish ilets + 1frm his bve-verge Wits sre).He suessfully wrs the questin.Sine the ptive hs 6 rnks in thtlnguge, he es nt nee t mke test t unerstn. Whether hehses t nswer, f urse, is nth-er questin entirely, n if he es,the frmer will hve t mke nther

test t unerstn the respnse.When prtiulrly iffiult tpisre isusse, even ntive spekersmy hve truble fllwing the n-verstin. Exmples inlue mgi,tehnil preures, bsure histri-l tpis, n triky verse. In suhses, the Nrrtr my set n equiv-lent ntive-speking threshl whihis higher thn 6.

exaMPle: A Dwrf-rftsmnsells Dwrf-ty he hs rete t nventurus Hbbit frm Bukln.

The preure fr tivting thety is triky, s the Nrrtr rulestht ne wul nee 8 skill rnkst unerstn perfetly withut test. While the Hbbit hs 8 rnksin Westrn, the Dwrf hs nly 6.Cmmuniting the preure, theNrrtr eies, is Chllengingtest (TN 15). The Dwrf rlls 3,fr test result f 11 (3 + 6 skillrnks + 2 speilty bnus beusethere re n ilets f Westrn).

He bthes the explntin, s eventhugh the Hbbit nee nt rll tunerstn him, he gets the wrngie. Nte tht h the Dwrf su-eee, n test wul be neeen the Hbbits prt, beuse hemeets the equivlent ntive-spek-ing threshl f 8 skill rnks.

Clerly, it is pssible fr thse whspek ifferent ilets f givenlnguge t mmunite with ne

nther. Thugh tw suh spekersmy hve iffiulty penetrting ehthers ents n use turns f phrsetht re unfmilir, the nly gmeeffet is tht they simply nt ginthe benefits f their speilty bnuseswhen tlking t eh ther.

table 2.3:languages ofMiddle-earth

MenWestronNorthman

BeorningDalishLakemanRohiricWoodman

DunlendishDradanSouthron

Far Southron

Near SouthronUmbareanVariagEasterling

Tribal Dialects

dWarvesKhuzdul

elvesQuenyaSilvanSindarin

ent sEntish

orC sBlack Speech (Mordor-orcs)

OrkishTribal Dialects


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exaMPle: A Mn frm Dle trv-elling fr frm hme enunters prty f Rhirrim. They wish texhnge news f the r. Althughthe Mn frm Dle speks Lnguge:Nrthmn (Dlish) +6 n the Riers

spek Lnguge: Nrthmn (Rhiri)+6, they n still mmunite witheh ther s ntive spekers. Afterexhnging news, they eie t mptgether fr the night. Arun thempfire, ne f the Rhirrim reites rther bsure Rhiri prverbinversebut the frtunes f hnemeetings. The Nrrtr eies thtthis verse, being prtiulrly iffi-ult, requires 10 skill rnks f flu-eny t vi tests. As nne f the

prties meet this requirement, testsre require. The Nrrtr rules thtthe tsk is Chllenging (TN 15).The Rier telling the stry rlls 7 +6 (skill rnks in Nrthmn) + 2 (hisspeilty in Rhiri) fr test resultf 15. He suees in elivering theverse. The Dlemn rlls 7 + 6 (skillrnks in Nrthmn) fr test resultf 13. He es nt his speiltybnus, beuse it pplies nly t n-verstins in the ilet f Dle. Hees nt unerstn the verse, but

smiles plitely t vi ffening hismp-mtes.

language desCriptionsThe fllwing setins isuss the

lnguges liste n Tble 2.3 n theilets they enmpss.

Westron

By the en f the Thir Age,

Westrn h beme the stnrlnguge f intertin fr ll f theWest f Mile-erth, n even muhf the Est. Fr this resn, it is ftenreferre t s the Cmmn Speeh.All wh live in wht ws ne thel kingms f Arnr n Gnr,frm the Lssth f Frhel in theNrth, t the Hbbits f the Shire, tthe Crsirs f Umbr in the Suth,spek t lest enugh Westrn t

get by with simple phrses. Even theMen f Dunln n the Wses fthe Drn Frest n spek little.The enemies f the l Nmenrenkingmsthe tribes f the Est nSuth, suh s the Hrrim n

Vrigs f Khnbsrbe the ln-guge f their fe s well, lthughthey ls retine their tritinllnguges (see belw). Mst Elvesspek t lest little Westrn s sen lnguge. All Hbbits nDwrves f the Westlns spek it stheir ntive tngue.

Westrn is mpun f vriuslnguges. It tres its rts t thenient tngue f Men spken by theEin, the Three Huses f Men wh

me int Belerin in the First Agen befriene the Elves. When theVlr rewre their frienship bygrnting them the isln f Nmenr,they brught their lnguge withthem, thugh they llwe Elvishwrs t mingle with it n sftenit. The Nmenrens brught it bkt Mile-erth when they begn tlnise its stl lns erly in theSen Age. This brught them intntt with lesser Men, n theirwrs entere the lnguge s well.

By the time Elenil le the survi-

vrs f the wnfll f Nmenr tMile-erth in SA 3320, Westrnh beme lnguge with its wnistint ientity, lthugh the nientNmenren tngue remine t itsre. As Elenil n his esennts

spre their uthrity rss theWestlns, their lnguge beme thestnr lnguge f their relms.

Elvish Languages

At the beginning f the ElerDys, befre the sunering f theirre, ll Elves spke the sme ln-guge. But fter the Vlr sum-mne the Three Huses f theElr t the Unying Lns, lev-

ing the Silvn Elves in Mile-erth, their tngues hnge vertime s tht they beme quiteifferent frm ne nther. Thespeeh f the Elves ivie furtherwhen sme f the Thir Huse fthe Elr, the Sinr, r Grey-elves,stppe n the shres f Belerin,eiing t the lst mment thtthey ul nt bring themselvest leve Mile-erth ltgether.The Sinrin tngue evlve lng pth f its wn, while its us-

ins, gre by the Unying Lns,


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retine smething lsely kin tits riginl speeh.

sinDarin: Sinrin ws the uni-versl spken lnguge f the Elvesf Mile-erth in the Senn Thir Ages. When their us-

ins the Nlr returne frmthe Uttermst West t the enf the First Age, they ultimtelypte Sinrin s their lnguge,being lesser in number thn theGrey-elves. Sinrin is ls sp-ken by nn-Elves wh trffi withElvenkin r tke n interest intheir lre.

quenya: Queny representsthe lsest living link t the rigi-nl lnguge f the Elves tht is still

spken in the West-lns, n it isthe first lnguge t be rere inwriting. After the first tw Husesf the Elr me t the UnyingLns, their lnguge entere stte f hngelessness, s thtwhen the Nlr t lst returnet Mile-erth, it seeme t theirkinre the Grey-elves tht theyspke tngue ut f the istntpst. After the Nlr pteSinrin s their spken tngue,Queny beme lnguge f lre

n eremny nly. It ws ls useby the Nmenren kings.

silvan: The Silvn Elves spke lnguge f their wn tht, thughlsely relte t Sinrin, ws is-tint frm it, s ws Sinrin frmQueny. After the Elr begn their

jurney west, it ws the nly Elvenspeeh her in muh f Mile-erth. But fter the estrutin fBelerin, the Nlr n mnyf the Sinr returne est n

brught their lnguges n ulturewith them. They rule ver theSilvn Elves n, in Lrien, sup-plnte their lnguge fr the mstprt. In the Thir Age, Silvn isstill spken by the W-elves fMirkw n Lrien.

Languages of Men

norThMan: During the ThirAge, esennts f peples lselyrelte t the nient Ein stilllive ner Erebr n in the uppervles f the Anuin: the Men f

Lng Lke n Dle, the Wmenf Western Mirkw, n theBernings. All f them preservereginl ilets f the nient ln-guge f the Nrth, whih ifferefrm Westrn in tht they h beenless influene by Elven tngues nthe speeh f lesser Men. One my t this fmily Rhiri, the ln-guge f the Rhirrim. Als, mstf these Nrthmn ilets re tlest pssing fmilir t the Men

f Drwinin. The mmunities fDrwinin tre frequently withthse f Erebr, n flk frm bthregins intermrry. Westrn is thentive tngue f Drwinin, but i-lets frm Erebr frequently bemesen r thir lnguges.

DunlenDish: By the time f theWr f the Ring, nly the fiere Menf Dunln still spke Dunlenish.Lng befre the Nmenren exilesrrive in Mile-erth, it wsthe lnguge f the flk wh built

Dunhrrw. It ws ls spken inBree befre Bree beme prt f theKingm f Arnr.

DraDan: Even mre nient nrne thn Dunlenish is the hrsh,gutturl speeh f the Wses, therelusive Pkel-men f the DrnFrest. The rigins f their lngugeg bk beyn the Thir Age, ps-sibly beyn the Sen n int theFirst, when their nestrs upielns ner the White Muntins

tht lter belnge t Gnr nRhn. By the time f the Wr f theRing, they h withrwn entirelyint the Drn, nt ring t levebut ls mking the l frest theirwn. At the beginning f the FurthAge, King Elessr eree tht theDrn wul belng t them inperpetuity in return fr serviestht they h renere Gnr nRhn in the wr.

souThron: Westrn spekerswh hve her the Suthrn tngueesribe it s ly meli, thughits tnlities sun rk n iss-nnt t their ers. There re, in ft,three reginl ilets f Suthrn,

eh ientifie by the ln in whihit is spken: Ner Hr, FrHr, n Umbr. Three thusnyers f Nmenren mintin,fllwe by further millenniumf Gnrin uptin, exerte prfun n lsting influenen the Umbren ilet, whih ishevily inunte with Ani nWestrn ln-wrs. It is there-fre the mst istintive ilet fSuthrn. All re esene frm

n ler Suthrn lnguge spkenby the lesser Men f Hr in theSen Age.

variag: The fiere but enigmtiVrigs f Khn spek lngugetht, s fr s nyne n tell, is m-pletely unlike ny ther tngue fMen spken in Mile-erth, bthin sun n struture. It seems tbrrw substntilly frm th

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