# D & D on the Straight Dope setup thread. (In Middle Earth FA63) **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Tags:** middle-earth-game\ **Created:** [February 26, 2008, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276 "2008-02-26T20:17:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 42
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/821 "2008-04-15T20:04:46Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] šŸ˜ƒ Actually he is quite correct, my wifeā€™s nickname is Elf and I do love her. (No seriously, those are her initials when she took my last nameā€¦) [/QUOTE] But do you call her Luthien? And does she call you Beren? ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2008, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/822 "2008-04-15T21:50:59Z")
[QUOTE=D\_Odds] Now if I were cruel, I would point out orcs are a corruption of the Elf template, so the weakness of orcs is likely directly correlated to the weakness of elves. But I wouldnā€™t do that, because I know that the DM is an ā€˜Elf-loverā€™. šŸ˜‰ [/QUOTE] No, now I need to correct a small point of ignorance, because you have put too much weight on ā€œweaknessā€ and not enough on ā€œcorruptionā€. Morgoth wanted servants, but he couldnā€™t turn Elves into servants without damaging them badly. When Men first appeared in Middle-Earth, the kindly Elves were filled with dismay at how easily these new Children of Eru sickened and died. Donā€™t forget that one host of the Noldor crossed from Aman into the eastern lands by way of the Arctic ice, surviving largely on bloody-mindedness; and it took _several_ Balrogs to bring down Feanor, and Fingolfin inflicted some nasty wounds on Morgoth himself in one-on-one combat. Elves arenā€™t bad in standard D&D - that point of Dex, and the hit bonuses and other standard abilities, make up for the lost point of Con. Their principal weakness is that as written Raise Dead and Resurrection donā€™t work on them (a _rod of resurrection_ will, but that gets expensive). But Quendi? Their main weakness appears to be predestination; otherwise, they kick ass and delegate name-taking to underlings. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2008, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/823 "2008-04-16T02:51:32Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Point 3: Do you mean natural healing after resting? If so, 1 point per night is the general rule with some exceptions. ā€¦ You are getting the +3 orc damage with the Bowā€¦ [/QUOTE] These are a bit different from my game: - it takes a day and night of rest to regain 1 hp - the Ranger damage bonus is only on melee (with 2 arrows per round, thatā€™s a big bonus!) ---
**Author:** ![shelbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/824 "2008-04-17T02:07:23Z")
So the same hobbit that didnā€™t want to fight the orcs at all in the first place, is now sneaking alone into a den of them?! And forgetā€™s that heā€™s not a spider-hobbit, and falls into the flour? And is about to be captured by orcs?!!? This is getting good! ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/825 "2008-04-17T03:25:18Z")
We have an audience! Yay! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/826 "2008-04-17T04:57:30Z")
Smile, everybody! ---
**Author:** ![CatInASuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3be4f8/32.png) [@CatInASuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatInASuit)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/827 "2008-04-17T09:53:18Z")
[QUOTE=shelbo] So the same hobbit that didnā€™t want to fight the orcs at all in the first place, is now sneaking alone into a den of them?! And forgetā€™s that heā€™s not a spider-hobbit, and falls into the flour? And is about to be captured by orcs?!!? This is getting good! [/QUOTE] Youā€™re obviously not seeing me at my best ā˜¹ ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/828 "2008-04-17T10:04:51Z")
It happens to the best of us. I remember sneaking into a dragonā€™s lair with a thief and failing a 99% roll. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/829 "2008-04-17T11:23:01Z")
And I remember myself and a fellow party member deliberately getting ourselves into a ritual joust to decide a war, and having to fake a convincing fight despite neither of us having the first clue how to joustā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/830 "2008-04-17T11:36:33Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] And I remember myself and a fellow party member deliberately getting ourselves into a ritual joust to decide a war, and having to fake a convincing fight despite neither of us having the first clue how to joustā€¦ [/QUOTE] Ah, but did the crowd sing ā€˜[We will Rock you](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0183790/soundtrack)ā€™?! šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/831 "2008-04-17T12:04:52Z")
[QUOTE=glee] Ah, but did the crowd sing ā€˜[We will Rock you](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0183790/soundtrack)ā€™?! šŸ˜ƒ [/QUOTE] No, but one of them did later write a treatise on the dreaded Elven jousting technique, which was mystifying to the casual viewer, what with entailing plodding along very slowly looking as though they were going to drop the lance, and crying ā€œWoe! Woe!ā€ šŸ˜‰ to strike dread into the heart of the enemy. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/832 "2008-04-17T13:07:33Z")
Hmmm. I mustā€™ve missed that movie. Iā€™ll be out of town and away from the keyboard from early Friday to late Sunday. I ask that our gallant Elf-captain or crafty Wose-lieutenant guide Thoroncir in my absence, in such a way as not to embarrass him in the eyes of the fair Gilraen, er, Renee. Thanks, guys. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/833 "2008-04-17T15:16:09Z")
[QUOTE=CatInASuit] Youā€™re obviously not seeing me at my best ā˜¹ [/QUOTE] Sorry but the way I look at it is each 10ā€™ you travel, you had a 22% chance of failure, you needed to travel at least 30ā€™+ That was an overall 88% chance of failure. Bad odds. You failed on the second roll. Only a little early, probably to your favor. This is the one major weakness in a Hobbit Thief, they are very bad at climbing walls. I consider climbing walls dangerous with the normal 90%+ chances that most thieves have. ---
**Author:** ![CatInASuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3be4f8/32.png) [@CatInASuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatInASuit)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/834 "2008-04-17T15:27:52Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Sorry but the way I look at it is each 10ā€™ you travel, you had a 22% chance of failure, you needed to travel at least 30ā€™+ That was an overall 88% chance of failure. Bad odds. You failed on the second roll. Only a little early, probably to your favor. This is the one major weakness in a Hobbit Thief, they are very bad at climbing walls. I consider climbing walls dangerous with the normal 90%+ chances that most thieves have. [/QUOTE] Actually the chance is just over a third if I needed to do 40ā€™ 4 successes in a row = 0.78_0.78_0.78\*0.78 = 37% I thought it was worth the risk, considering I was still invisible, so the odds of what occured if I failed were still not too bad. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/835 "2008-04-17T16:45:48Z")
I like your thinking, **Cat**. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/836 "2008-04-17T17:27:34Z")
ā€œSpider-Hobbit, Spider-Hobbit, does whatever a spider canā€¦ā€ What? ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/837 "2008-04-17T21:48:02Z")
> [@DM](#): > > The arrows fly at Thoroncir as the first one to enter. They both miss and one goes whizzing past, just missing Renee. Come on, what kind of meat shield do you call yourself? Youā€™re meant to stop those with your fair flesh and blood, so they donā€™t hit she who is in no way, shape or form a Princess. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/838 "2008-04-17T22:49:56Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] Come on, what kind of meat shield do you call yourself? Youā€™re meant to stop those with your fair flesh and blood, so they donā€™t hit she who is in no way, shape or form a Princess. šŸ˜ƒ [/QUOTE] Yeah, leave getting the NPCs skewered (in a non-alignment compromising way) to me! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/839 "2008-04-17T23:11:08Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] Come on, what kind of meat shield do you call yourself? Youā€™re meant to stop those with your fair flesh and blood, so they donā€™t hit she who is in no way, shape or form a Princess. šŸ˜ƒ [/QUOTE] I assure you Iā€™m mortified she was put at risk. Why she was following so close behind? The young woman Thoroncir loves is smart enough not to go needlessly in harmā€™s way. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276/840 "2008-04-17T23:16:16Z")
Well, weā€™re indoors, so arrows probably need to be fired in a pretty flat trajectory. Sheā€™d have to be way back there to be really safe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276.md?page=41) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-on-the-straight-dope-setup-thread-in-middle-earth-fa63/439276.md?page=43)