D & D on the Straight Dope setup thread. (In Middle Earth FA63)

What_Exit
Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:17:47 +0000
Thread Games

1. Please let me know how much of Middle Earth you know. (Book Knowledge, Movie knowledge or both)

2. If you know 1st edition rules.

3. Let me know what type of character you would like to play. You should already have some idea reading this thread what I allow and don’t.

The turns will be 2 days or when all are in. I think with two day turns I can handle up to 8 players. I’ll see how it goes.
We will be dice free.

It will be mostly 1st edition D&D game in ME. The game would lean to the heroic rather than the mundane. Magic Items will rarely match up to the rulebooks and monsters are different; heavy on Undead, Orc types, Trolls and evil humans.

Character Races would come from Humans, Dunedain, Woses (Drúadan, Pukel Men), Beornings, Noldorians, Sindarin or Silvan Elves, Khazad and other Dwarves and of course the Hobbits.

It looks like the early consensus is to start at 3rd level. This will also allow for very variable ages of characters.
Proficiencies:
Fighters get 4 and 1/3 so start with 5 in this case. May specialize in one weapon, gaining a +1 to hit and +2 dam and +1 on initiative.
Rangers get 3 and 1/3 so start with 3. They may toss the extras into Tracking and Herbology.
Wizards only get one and rarely add. No restrictions in this world on type, but Staff are the traditional weapon as Wizards also work towards building a powerful magic staff. This gets complicated, but won’t matter until 11th level.
Thieves get 2 to start. They may also specialize, but specialization must be in a back-stabbing weapon.
*Clerics get 2 I think, I need to check, but weapons vary by Valar Patron. *

As a compromise for game play, alchemy is flourishing and potions are available. Wizards are training up in Minas Tirith, Dol
Amroth, Ithilien, Fornost and Umbar.
Rangers always do well in my games as do Hobbit treasure finders. Dwarves make great front line fighters, I try to start them with better armor than average.
Elves have a huge advantage in life span and resistances.
As I have a lot of Undead roaming around, I generally don’t have automatic life drains. I usually give characters a saving throw against paralysis, possibly with a +/- depending on the creature. Expect to see a lot of Orcs, Uruk Hai and Wargs.

I don’t allow Assassins at all. I actually cannot (will not) ref evil characters. I should have mentioned that in the thread and I will. Believe me, playing evil in my worlds, leads to a short unhappy character life. I have not allowed an evil PC in nearly 20 years now.

I do allow odd things like Hobbit & Elven Bards that start as F/TH multi-class and then become a Bard sometime between 6th to 9th level. I have allowed Ranger/Bards where the character goes to 10th as a Ranger and then switches to Bard. This is restricted to the long lived Dunedain.

Dwarves could be clerics of Aüle. They may still use axes as a weapon choice but prefer large war hammers and war shields.

Elves cannot be Clerics or Druids at all.

Did I mention that there are no Gnomes? If you really want a Gnome, we can make you some stunted off family of Dwarves I suppose.

I think I will rely on PMs, Posts and Email for game play, I am very uncomfortable with IM and I don’t want the extra headache. Just me being me, I understand this is odd these days.

I need to work up a system for combat where players give general directives so more than a round could be resolved at a time.

My rough early idea is along the lines of:

Bowyers: I will endeavor to keep the orcs at medium bow range providing cover for those in melee and moving forward or back at a steady pace as needed. If I am rushed, I will turn and run, I will look for already injured orcs and try to finish them off where possible.

Or Melee guys, I will strive to find the leader, but at all times seek to work as a unit protecting each others flanks. If the numbers appear too bad or our injuries mount I will attempt to disengage long enough to quaff my potion of speed.

Or Spellcasters: I will seek an optimal time and grouping of the enemy to use my sleep spell. In the meantime, if I see enemy spell casters, I am prepared to magic missile them to attempt to disrupt their spells. When and if I run out of spells, I will cautiously approach the battle and look for safe opportunities to hit an orc from the blind side with my weapon.

Or Hobbits: I’ll hide until it is really inconvenient, attempt to take on the biggest orc on the battle field and then have to be rescued by the wizard

**Note on time: ** I am looking at FA 63 for the starting time.
In this year: • 63 - Meriadoc Brandybuck, aged 102, and Pippin leave the Shire to live in Gondor; death of Éomer, aged 93, whose son Elfwine ascends the throne of Rohan.
Sam went over the see in 61, Eldarion is 20 born in 43FA. There are also 3 younger daughters.
Notes: this means that Aragorn, Faramir, Arwen, Merry, Pippin & Sam, Gimli & Legolas are all around. Elrohir & Elladan keep Rivendell going with Glorfindel among the Lords still in residence. Radagast is maintaining his residence in Southern Mirkwood and is currently training up a small group of specialized spell casters that we will call Druids. I won’t encourage Clerics, but I can accommodate one if truly desired. The Cleric would pick a Patron from among the Valar. The abilities of the Clerics would be less generalized than in the players handbook.
**Some other background: **
It is safe to assume a post-war baby boom and rapid population growth throughout Gondor and Arnor, Timing it is 63 FA which interestingly is about as far as we are from WWII. The difference being that Gondor and Arnor are being rebuilt under the sure and steady hand of Aragorn and Arwen with help from the Elves and the Dwarves. The Glittering Caves is a going concern and Legolas had led a small number of his folk to reside in Ithilien and aid Faramir & Aragorn in War & Peace. Osgiliath is rebuilding quickly and Minas Tirith now has Mithril Steel Gates.

The Orthanc is under the Stewardship of Fangorn, but a small colony of humans live in harmony with nature in Isengard. The Tower was cleaned out by Gandalf, Radagast & Arwen with some help from her brothers.

Probable Characters so far:
CatInASuit: Hobbit rogue (a Took Treasure Finder)
appleciders: Elven wizard or maybe Human.
Elendil’s Heir: Human fighter (Gondorian)
NAF1138: Dwarven fighter for Aglarond but born at Erebor and fought at Battle of Dale in the War.
d_odds: Human ranger (Dale) Descendant of People that fought at the Battle of Dale
Koldanar: No character idea yet.

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