[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir]
OK, thanks! Sorry for having to ask (online introductions can be so awkward :smack: ), but are you a woman? In any event, welcome!
[/QUOTE]
Don’t worry about it, online introductions can be bad enough without misleading names. 
I’m a guy, or at least I was last time I looked, but aside from being an extremely hilarious character I thought “Omi no Kami” sounded cool, and there aren’t enough Japanese-speaking dopers around to make mistaken gender a routine thing.
[QUOTE=Omi no Kami]
Don’t worry about it, online introductions can be bad enough without misleading names. I’m a guy, or at least I was last time I looked, but aside from being an extremely hilarious character I thought “Omi no Kami” sounded cool, and there aren’t enough Japanese-speaking dopers around to make mistaken gender a routine thing.
[/QUOTE]
Domo arigato, Omi-san!
Greetings all, I am back sooner than I expected. 
How’s it all going?
Gentlemen,
I know I’ve been a bit quiet lately - work’s been very busy so I don’t get as many short breaks to take it all in and think through my next posts, and often I’m reading on a handheld, which is not condusive to long posts.
For the new players who haven’t waded though several multipage threads, a primer on Brin - he is a simple man of Dale. Around knights and elves and even hobbits (whose reputation for heroics precedes them), he sports an inferiority complex. He’s quiet by nature, and around those he thinks of “higher” birth than him (he has no pedigree), he is nearly silent. He is tall and thin, and to watch him outside of ‘business’, one might think he’d injure himself with his weapons. His companions have seen, however, that he is quite competent in battle and not to be taken too lightly. They’ve also noticed that about 1/2 of the few words that he does say tend to be facetious.
[QUOTE=CatInASuit]
Greetings all, I am back sooner than I expected. 
How’s it all going?
[/QUOTE]
That was really quick. Did you want to resume playing. I think we can survive two Hobbit Burglars if the party does not object. I can do some sort of hand wave to get you back to the camp in time. (It won’t even involve Moose or Eagles)
[QUOTE=What Exit?]
That was really quick. Did you want to resume playing. I think we can survive two Hobbit Burglars if the party does not object. I can do some sort of hand wave to get you back to the camp in time. (It won’t even involve Moose or Eagles)
[/QUOTE]
Two Hobbit Burglars…
How would the party survive 
[QUOTE=CatInASuit]
Two Hobbit Burglars…
How would the party survive
[/QUOTE]
Do we have enough food?!
Welcome back, Mulligan!
[QUOTE=CatInASuit]
Two Hobbit Burglars…
How would the party survive
[/QUOTE]
Two young Hobbits from two prominent families. If I was an evil Wizard, I would probably feel like someone stepped on my grave. This can’t be good.
Time for a visit to Isengard, eh?
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir]
Domo arigato, Omi-san!
[/QUOTE]
Wakarimasen, gomen nasai. 
[QUOTE=Malacandra]
Wakarimasen, gomen nasai.
[/QUOTE]
You got me there. Translation, please?
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir]
You got me there. Translation, please?
[/QUOTE]
“I don’t understand, I’m sorry”.
Although “gomen nasai” is a pretty strong apology; two guys shooting the shit, as it were, are more likely to say something informal like “Sumimasen, wakarimasen” (Excuse me, but I don’t understand), or if they know each other well, just “wakarimasen”.
The next adventure thread is: [Middle Earth FA63 D&D Game, Third Adventure, Ered Lithui Mystery Creature](http:// boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=9893437#post9893437)
I will wait for Deor’s spell list and then proceed.
[QUOTE=What Exit?]
The next adventure thread is: [Middle Earth FA63 D&D Game, Third Adventure, Ered Lithui Mystery Creature](http:// boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=9893437#post9893437)
I will wait for Deor’s spell list and then proceed.
[/QUOTE]
Is it too late to edit Burglar to be Treasure Hunter?
You look like you are giving all the hobbits a bad reputation
[QUOTE=CatInASuit]
Is it too late to edit Burglar to be Treasure Hunter?
You look like you are giving all the hobbits a bad reputation
[/QUOTE]
Officially it is the sub-class of thief known as “Professional Treasure Finder”, but “Burglar” is the common parlance in the general vernacular. I cite the source of common usage as “There and Back Again”.
[QUOTE=What Exit?]
The next adventure thread is: [Middle Earth FA63 D&D Game, Third Adventure, Ered Lithui Mystery Creature](http:// boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=9893437#post9893437)
[/QUOTE]
Weird the link aquired a stray %20, I have seen that happen at least one other time.
The link I posted was http://%20boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=9893437#post9893437
The link should be: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=9893437#post9893437
A conversation that might be of interest to the rest of the players came up in a series of Emails from Elendil’s Heir to myself. We thought the rest of you might have comments and corrections and additional arguments or questions.
The Question for Elendil’s Heir: At what levels do you think Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli would be, given the structure of our campaign?
At the time of the War vs. Currently.
Gandalf: Too tough to call as he rarely revealed his real powers. He was a excellent swordsman, had many powers that are hard to define in D&D terms and was a master of fire and user of lightning. The trick is, he was a lesser Angel and I feel it is better not to rate him. Sorry to weasel out of that one.
Aragorn is of course The RANGER. I would say he was at least 20th by the start of the war. I don’t think he ever missed, he fought off 5 Ring Wraiths with torches and his tracking of Gollum is a feat of the scale for D&D rangers. I doubt he ever needed a second swing against any orc. At Helm’s Deep and elsewhere he dropped them very quick. While I am at it, I treat Anduril as a +5 Sharpness weapon in the hands of the rightful King or Heir.
As of today, add another 5-10 levels.
Legolas was already a great archer, capable of spectacular feats and nearly impossible night shots. He could walk on snow and again never seemed to miss with his bow and I am not sure he missed with his knife. I would say he was already 18th at the war. I treat him in the roughly 25th level range now.
Gimli is different, I would say he was maybe 8th to 10th at the start of the war and made it to 13th to 15th. He is now 20th +
You did not ask, but Merry was a 1st level that progressed to at least 8th by the time he lead the Scouring of the Shire. I was treating him as an old low wind, but 13th to 15th level fighter for our game.
Elrohir and Elladan (Elrond’s Sons) are in the 30th + category as Rangers. They do not miss and no orc will survive an attack for them.
If you encounter Glorfindel, he is the highest level fighter in Middle Earth. I don’t know what to rate him as, but perhaps 40th, just to give an arbitrary number. He also can turn undead better than any cleric and it might be fair to consider him a Paladin type.
Faramir I would rate as Ranger of at least 15th and as high as 20th level currently. I would say for the war maybe 10th to 12th.
Elendil’s Heir: That’s very cool - thanks! I remember your telling me a few years ago that you see Anduril as the future Excalibur - an intriguing theory. Is it vorpal? And did Pippin keep up with Merry as he ascended the D&D levels? By all means, please post this in the setup thread. We could all have a good discussion there.
I think of both Anduril and Excalibur as sharpness weapons and not vorpal. So it might cut off your head or any other limb.
I don’t think Pippin came close to keeping up during the war, the scouring or after. Merry did far more than Pippin at every step. In my world I also had him ride out at times leading Hobbits in support of actions in the North while Sam & Pippin mainly remained home and ran the Shire.
I did have all three involved (and Mulligan) in the Battle of the Sanford in 52 vs. some nasty humans and half-orcs.
[QUOTE=What Exit?]
I did have all three involved (and Mulligan) in the Battle of the Sanford in 52 vs. some nasty humans and half-orcs.
[/QUOTE]
Don’t worry, I didn’t do that much.
Honest
[QUOTE=What Exit?]
Gandalf: Too tough to call as he rarely revealed his real powers. He was a excellent swordsman, had many powers that are hard to define in D&D terms and was a master of fire and user of lightning. The trick is, he was a lesser Angel and I feel it is better not to rate him. Sorry to weasel out of that one.
[/quote]
I could see Gandalf as dual-classed. He was a good fighter with staff and sword, maybe level 10-ish, and if you’ll call Glorfindel a level 40 Paladin, then Gandalf would be at or near that as a Wizard.
In Moria and in the battle around Boromir’s death, he was far better than any orc, but certainly not 10 - 15 levels better. I might knock 5 levels off of your number.
We’ve discussed this before. I think you give Legolas (and Elves) too much credit and Gimli not enough. First, the walk on snow was a racial trait and shouldn’t be taken into account for level. I could see him 3, maybe 5 levels higher than Gimli, not more.
I’d say very similar for Sam. Sam and Merry got mad XP for their fights (Shelob and Witch King respectively) that Frodo and Pippin didn’t. Frodo would have gotten lots of RP XP, but what class would he be? He certainly wasn’t any sort of fighter.
Your Elf bias is showing again. I believe the best of Man in ME (Aragorn) is equivalent to the best of Elves, with maybe the exception of Glorfindel. I might also class them as Fighter/Druid or Ranger/Cleric multiclass.
Paladin or Fighter/Cleric (not allowed in 1e or 2e).
Agreed. I’d have given Boromir +2 levels at time of death.
I don’t recall ever reading Saruman working with a sword. I’d have him a straight wizard of whatever total levels Gandalf would be.
The Witch King would be a lich roughly 7 levels below Gandalf. I’d make him a cleric/wizard dual-class.