Ambarquenta CRB 2012.2

BETA VERSION / JANUARY 2012
CORE RULEBOOK
A ROLEPLAYING GAME BY THE HEREN TURAMBARION
BETA VERSION / JANUARY 2012
CREDITS
GAME DESIGN: Georg Witrisal, Daniel Windisch, and Martin Meyer
AUTHOR AND DEVELOPMENT: Georg Witrisal
LAYOUT: Inspired by Deciphers The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game

COVER ART: Angus McBride, The Enemy at the Gate
ILLUSTRATIONS: John Howe, Rob Alexander, Angus McBride, and Daniel Reeve
PLAYTESTING: Bob Butler, Alexander Muhr, Sebastian Scheucher, Sebastian Seebauer, and Daniel
Windisch
PROOFREADING:
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: David Bruce, Whitford Bates, Thomas Morwinsky

SPECIAL THANKS: Chris Seeman, Alexander Muhr, Jos Enrique Vacas de la Rosa, Sebastian
Seebauer, Peter Pichler, Joshua McCrowell, Pedro Baumann, Jason Decker, and all other gamers
who contributed to the development of Ambarquenta.
SOURCES OF INSPIRATION: The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game (2002) and the Moria boxed set
(2003) by Decipher, Inc.; Middle-earth Role Playing (a.k.a. MERP, 11986, 1993), Rolemaster
(1991), Rolemaster Companion I-VII (1986-1993), Rolemaster Fantasy Role Playing (1995,
1999), and High Adventure Role Playing (a.k.a. HARP, 12003/2004) by Iron Crown Enterprises,
Inc.; GURPS (1996) by Steve Jackson Games, Inc.; HrnMaster (2003) by Columbia Games,
Inc.; RuneQuest (1987) and Call of Cthulhu (5.21995) by Chaosium, Inc.; Ars Magica (41996) by
Atlas Games; Hither Lands (2004, 2006) by Val Gunn; MERP 3.1 Houserules for Lindefirion
(2010) by Sampsa Rydman; MERP Character Creation Using RMSS/RMFRP (2005) by Whit-
ford Bates; Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook (2000) by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Mid-
gard: Das Fantasy-Rollenspiel (42001) by Pegasus Spiele; Shadowrun (1998) by Fasa Corporation;
King Arthur Pendragon (41999) by Green Knight Publishing; and The Hall of Fire Fan Webzine
(2003ff.) by Matthew Kearns (Ed.).
WEBSITE: https://sites.google.com/site/ambarquenta
2012 The Heren Turambarion. All rights on original contents reserved. For commercial purposes, no parts of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise.
Permission granted to distribute this publication in any form, but exclusively, among the members of your gaming group.
Please note that some of the contents of this publication have been copied or modified from the books listed under
Sources of Inspiration above and are not subject to the copyright of The Heren Turambarion.
4
OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 10
CHAPTER ONE: Your Characters Story ............................................................................................ 14

CHAPTER TWO: Attributes ................................................................................................................. 26
CHAPTER THREE: Races and Cultures .............................................................................................. 34
CHAPTER FOUR: Skills ......................................................................................................................... 70
CHAPTER FIVE: Abilities and Flaws ................................................................................................. 124
CHAPTER SIX: Weapons and Gear .................................................................................................. 178
CHAPTER SEVEN: Finishing Touches .............................................................................................. 194
CHAPTER EIGHT: Character Improvement .................................................................................... 202
CHAPTER NINE: Adventuring ........................................................................................................... 210
CHAPTER TEN: Combat .................................................................................................................... 250
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Magic ................................................................................................................. 290
APPENDIX A: Occupations ................................................................................................................ 320

APPENDIX B: Herbs and Poisons ..................................................................................................... 336
APPENDIX C: Friends and Foes
APPENDIX D: Bestiary
APPENDIX E: By Your Own Design
5
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION....................................................................... 10 Dwarves ................................................................................ 41
About Ambarquenta........................................................... 10 The Longbeards .............................................................. 41
Rolling the Dice And Basic Mechanics............................ 12 The Firebeards ................................................................ 41
The Broadbeams ............................................................. 42
YOUR CHARACTERS STORY ................................................. 14 The Ironfists .................................................................... 42
Initial Choices ...................................................................... 14 The Stiffbeards ............................................................... 42
Races and Cultures ......................................................... 14 The Blacklocks ................................................................ 42
Character Traits ............................................................. 14 The Stonefoots................................................................ 42
The Character Sheet........................................................... 15 All Dwarves ..................................................................... 43
Grace .................................................................................... 15 Hobbits................................................................................. 44
Determining Grace ......................................................... 15 Fallohides ......................................................................... 44
Social Rank ...................................................................... 16 Harfoots ........................................................................... 44
Stoors ............................................................................... 44
ATTRIBUTES ............................................................................. 26 All Hobbits ...................................................................... 45
Primary Attributes .............................................................. 26 Men ....................................................................................... 46
Deftness (De) .................................................................. 26 The Dnedain...................................................................... 47
Nimbleness (Ni) ............................................................. 26 Pure-blooded Dnedain................................................. 47
Strength (St) ................................................................... 26 Lesser Dnedain ............................................................. 48
Vigour (Vi) ..................................................................... 26 The Faithful..................................................................... 48
Awareness (Aw).............................................................. 26 Corsairs ............................................................................ 50
Will (Wl)......................................................................... 26 Black Nmenreans ....................................................... 51
Bearing (Bg)..................................................................... 26 The Middle Peoples ............................................................ 52
Insight (In) ...................................................................... 27 Beornings ......................................................................... 52
Wits (Wt) ....................................................................... 27 Eriadorians (Rural Folk) ................................................ 54
Generating Attributes ........................................................ 27 Gondorians (Urban Folk) .............................................. 55
The Buy Method ............................................................ 27 Lake-men ......................................................................... 56
The Random Method .................................................... 27 Rohirrim .......................................................................... 57
Height and Weight ............................................................. 28 Woodmen ........................................................................ 58
Stature (Height) ............................................................. 28 The Men of Darkness ......................................................... 59
Girth (Weight) ............................................................... 28 Dorwinrim ....................................................................... 59
Size Levels ....................................................................... 29 Dunlendings .................................................................... 60
Genetic Limits ..................................................................... 29 Easterlings ........................................................................ 61
Determining Genetic Limits ......................................... 29 Haradrim ......................................................................... 62
Total Attribute Scores ....................................................... 29 Variags ............................................................................. 64
Adjustments Due to Gender ......................................... 30 The Wild Men..................................................................... 65
Racial Adjustments......................................................... 30 Lossoth ............................................................................. 65
Derived Attributes .............................................................. 30 Woses ............................................................................... 66
Fortitude .......................................................................... 31 Age ........................................................................................ 67
Stamina ............................................................................ 31 Starting Age ..................................................................... 67
Swiftness .......................................................................... 31 Age Effects and Aging .................................................... 68
Wisdom ........................................................................... 32
Esteem.............................................................................. 32 SKILLS ....................................................................................... 70
Health .............................................................................. 32 Skill Organisation................................................................ 70
Prowess ............................................................................ 33 Skill Specialties................................................................ 70
Other Attributes ................................................................. 33 Parent Skills and Sub-Skills .......................................... 71
Changes to Attributes......................................................... 33 Skill Groups..................................................................... 71
Acquiring Skills ................................................................... 71
RACES AND CULTURES ........................................................... 34 Development Picks ......................................................... 71
Time Setting ........................................................................ 34 Youth................................................................................ 72
Elves ...................................................................................... 34 Apprenticeship ................................................................ 72
The Noldor ..................................................................... 35 Later Life.......................................................................... 74
The Sindar....................................................................... 37 Using Skills .......................................................................... 75
The Silvan Elves ............................................................. 39 Test Classes ..................................................................... 78
Varying Test Attributes................................................. 78
6
AMBARQUENTA
Skill Affinity .................................................................... 78 Musician (G) .................................................................106

Levels of Success (LoS) .................................................. 78 Nature Lore (G) ............................................................106
Craft Skills ....................................................................... 78 Observe...........................................................................107
Skill Descriptions ................................................................ 80 Persuade .........................................................................108
Skill Name (P/G) ........................................................... 80 Physician ........................................................................109
Acrobatics ........................................................................ 81 Polearms (P) ..................................................................109
Act .................................................................................... 81 Reckon ............................................................................109
Alchemy (G) .................................................................... 82 Region Lore (G) ............................................................110
Appraise ........................................................................... 83 Research .........................................................................110
Arcane Lore (G) .............................................................. 83 Ride .................................................................................110
Armour ............................................................................ 84 Ropecraft ........................................................................111
Armoursmith (P) ............................................................ 84 Run .................................................................................111
Axes (P) ........................................................................... 84 Seafaring .........................................................................112
Beastmaster (P) ............................................................... 85 Search .............................................................................113
Blacksmith ....................................................................... 85 Services (G)....................................................................113
Blades (P)......................................................................... 85 Shields (P)......................................................................113
Bows ................................................................................. 85 Shipwright .....................................................................113
Climb ................................................................................ 86 Siege Engines (P) ..........................................................114
Clothworks ...................................................................... 86 Signal (G) .......................................................................114
Clubs (P) .......................................................................... 87 Sing .................................................................................114
Conceal............................................................................. 87 Smithcraft (Summary) .................................................115
Cook (P) .......................................................................... 87 Sneak ..............................................................................115
Culture Lore (G) ............................................................. 88 Steward...........................................................................116
Dance ............................................................................... 88 Stonecraft .......................................................................116
Debate .............................................................................. 88 Streetwise .......................................................................117
Devise (G)........................................................................ 89 Survival (P) ....................................................................117
Discern ............................................................................. 89 Swim ...............................................................................118
Disguise ............................................................................ 90 Teamster ........................................................................119
Dodge ............................................................................... 90 Throw (P) ......................................................................119
Draw (P) .......................................................................... 91 Track ..............................................................................119
Escape ............................................................................... 92 Traps ..............................................................................120
Etiquette (P) .................................................................... 92 Unarmed Combat (P)...................................................121
Fake .................................................................................. 92 Warfare ..........................................................................122
First Aid ........................................................................... 93 Weaponsmith (P) .........................................................122
Fish ................................................................................... 93 Weather-sense ...............................................................122
Flails (P) ........................................................................... 94 Whips .............................................................................123
Fletcher ............................................................................ 94 Woodcraft ......................................................................123
Games............................................................................... 94 Wordsmith ....................................................................123
Gardener .......................................................................... 94
Goldsmith ........................................................................ 95 ABILITIES AND FLAWS ......................................................... 124
Heraldry ........................................................................... 95 Acquiring Abilities ............................................................124
Herbcraft ......................................................................... 95 The Benefit of Taking Flaws .......................................127
Hide.................................................................................. 96 Working out the Story .................................................127
History (G)...................................................................... 96 Talents ................................................................................127
Hunt ................................................................................. 97 Physical Talents ............................................................127
Inquire .............................................................................. 97 Mental Talents ..............................................................130
Inspire .............................................................................. 98 Social Talents ................................................................132
Intimidate ........................................................................ 98 Special Talents ..............................................................134
Jump ................................................................................. 99 Edges ...................................................................................137
Language (G) ................................................................... 99 Physical Edges ...............................................................137
Law ................................................................................. 100 Warlike Edges ...............................................................139
Lead ................................................................................ 101 Outdoor & Stealthy Edges...........................................145
Leathercraft ................................................................... 101 Social Edges ...................................................................147
Legerdemain .................................................................. 102 Special Edges .................................................................149
Lip-reading .................................................................... 102 Flaws ...................................................................................156
Locate ............................................................................. 102 Physical Flaws................................................................157
Locks .............................................................................. 103 Mental Flaws .................................................................164
Lore (Summary)............................................................ 103 Social Flaws....................................................................171
Melee Weapons (Summary)........................................ 105 Special Flaws ..................................................................174
Mimicry.......................................................................... 106
7
AMBARQUENTA
WEAPONS AND GEAR.......................................................... 178 Action Penalties ............................................................ 218

Money................................................................................. 178 Levels of Success or Failure.......................................... 218
Middle-earth Coinage .................................................. 178 Test Types ..................................................................... 221
Starting Wealth ............................................................ 180 Test Variants................................................................. 222
Area Price Modifiers .................................................... 181 Injury, Weariness, and Healing ....................................... 225
Trade and Commerce .................................................. 181 Recording Damage........................................................ 225
Weapons ............................................................................ 181 Other Sources of Harm ............................................... 228
Weapon Types.............................................................. 181 Healing ........................................................................... 233
Weapon Size and Attribute Requirements .............. 185 Weariness ...................................................................... 237
Armour............................................................................... 185 Unusual Hazards............................................................... 239
Armour Types .............................................................. 185 Fear ................................................................................. 239
Body Part Protection ................................................... 186 Traps .............................................................................. 240
Armour Penalties.......................................................... 188 Quicksand ...................................................................... 241
Armour Options ........................................................... 189 Other Dangers............................................................... 241
Shields ................................................................................ 189 Esteem Tests ...................................................................... 242
Shield Effects................................................................. 190 Uses of Esteem Tests.................................................... 242
Materials ........................................................................ 190 Travelling ........................................................................... 245
Other Gear......................................................................... 190 Travel Modifiers ........................................................... 245
Travel Skill Tests .......................................................... 247
FINISHING TOUCHES .......................................................... 194 Transportation .............................................................. 247
Movement and Encumbrance ......................................... 194 Vehicles and Vessels ..................................................... 248
Pace ................................................................................ 194
Encumbrance................................................................. 195 COMBAT ................................................................................. 250
Movement and Action Points ..................................... 195 Combat Basics ................................................................... 250
Ambar................................................................................. 196 Basic and Optional Rules ............................................. 250
Testing Ambar .............................................................. 197 Scale and Miniatures .................................................... 250
Benefits of Spending Ambar ....................................... 197 Action Rounds ................................................................... 250
Ambar for Other Characters ....................................... 197 Initiative ......................................................................... 250
Recovering Ambar ........................................................ 197 Actions in Combat ............................................................ 252
Corruption ......................................................................... 198 Movement and Engagement ........................................ 255
Corruption Levels ......................................................... 198 Melee Combat ............................................................... 257
Sources of Corruption.................................................. 198 Ranged Combat ............................................................ 266
Effects of Corruption ................................................... 200 Miscellaneous Issues ..................................................... 269
Decreasing Corruption ................................................ 200 Horses and Mounted Combat ......................................... 271
Renown .............................................................................. 200 Breeds of Horse............................................................. 271
Acquiring Renown........................................................ 200 Horse Movement .......................................................... 273
Using Renown............................................................... 201 Horses in Combat ......................................................... 275
Battles ................................................................................. 277
CHARACTER IMPROVEMENT ............................................. 202 Parameters of Battle ..................................................... 277
Skill Improvement ............................................................ 202 Armies, Units, and Formations ................................... 279
Learning from Experience............................................ 202 Battle Test Modifiers ................................................... 281
Skill Training ................................................................ 204 Abstract Battle Resolution........................................... 283
Practising and Studying On Your Own .................... 206 Tactical Battle Resolution............................................ 285
Special Rewards................................................................. 206 Sieges .............................................................................. 288
Types of Rewards ......................................................... 206
Trigger Situations......................................................... 207 MAGIC..................................................................................... 290
Spending the Picks ............................................................ 208 The Nature of Magic in Middle-earth ........................... 290
Attributes ...................................................................... 208 Spellcasting and Types of Magic ................................. 290
Acquiring New Edges .................................................. 209 The Subtle Magic of Middle-earth ............................ 292
Renown Awards ................................................................ 209 Magical Characteristics ..................................................... 295
Fa................................................................................... 295
ADVENTURING ..................................................................... 210 Skills ............................................................................... 295
Time ................................................................................... 210 Magical Abilities ........................................................... 296
Action Time .................................................................. 210 Spells ................................................................................... 301
Narrative Time ............................................................. 210 Realms of Spells ............................................................ 301
Actions ............................................................................... 211 Spellcasting Methods ................................................... 302
Point-based Action Resolution ................................... 211 Acquiring and Learning Spells .................................... 302
Common Actions ......................................................... 212 Casting Spells ................................................................ 304
Tests ................................................................................... 214 The Middle-earth Grimoire ............................................. 308
Test Difficulty ............................................................... 214
Test Modifiers .............................................................. 216
8
AMBARQUENTA
OCCUPATIONS ...................................................................... 320

What Occupations Are .................................................... 320
Commoners, Guildsmen, Nobles, and Soldiers............. 320
Choosing an Occupation.............................................. 321
Pick Costs and Benefits ................................................ 321
By Your Own Design ................................................... 322
Military Careers ................................................................. 328
Recruitment ................................................................... 328
Unit Types..................................................................... 329
Ranks and Troops ........................................................ 331
Military Wages.............................................................. 332
HERBS AND POISONS ........................................................... 336

Poisons ............................................................................... 336
Sample Poisons ............................................................. 336
Healing Herbs ................................................................... 338
Finding Herbs ............................................................... 338
Preparing Herbs............................................................ 338
Sample Herbs ................................................................ 339
9
Ambarquenta A Middle-earth Roleplaying Game by The Heren Turambarion
INTRODUCTION
elcome to Ambarquenta, a roleplaying game by The Heren Turambarion designed for J.R.R.
W Tolkiens legendary land of Middle-earth. The goals in writing this book were to produce a
game system that is enjoyable, flexible, balanced, and playable, while also including some his-
torical realism and remaining true to Tolkiens shining literary examples. Ambarquenta (meaning Tale
of Fate in Quenya) aims at experienced roleplayers who desire a complex, yet intuitively comprehend-
ible set of rules that provides hooks for the Turambar (meaning Master of Fate in Quenya: the mem-
ber of your gaming group who plans and runs the games) to develop his stories, instead of distracting
from them. Despite this focus on experienced gamers, novice players who know at least a little bit
about the principles of pen-and-paper roleplaying games and have read The Lord of the Rings should be
able to enjoy Ambarquenta equally well.
a game to which you are kindly invited to contribute by send-

ing in your playtesting experiences and other suggestions.
ABOUT AMBARQUENTA
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
W hats the point in writing yet another roleplaying

game designed for portraying an accurate image of
J.R.R. Tolkiens Middle-earth? One might well ask
so, looking at the long list of officially licensed products pub-
Writing a fantasy roleplaying game of your own is obvi-
ously motivated by the wish to spend your evenings playing
with a system that primarily satisfies the personal taste of its
designers. Still, Ambarquenta essentially is a rather conven-
lished for Deciphers The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game tional roleplaying game that will hopefully appeal to many
and Ironcrown Enterprises MERP series, or the numerous gamers outside our own groups. What distinguishes it to
and often excellent fan-written games with the same high some extent from other games are its focal points:
demands. Perhaps the most important goal of Ambarquenta is to
The question posed above already includes one of the provide a game systemand, later on, a set of source materi-
possible answers: Entertaining and wonderfully written as alwhich helps a roleplaying group, as well as possible, to
the abovementioned games may be, we feel that they have not portray an accurate image of J.R.R. Tolkiens Middle-earth
quite captured the spirit of Tolkiens works, or are otherwise in their games. Simply put, Ambarquenta doesnt attempt to
flawed. Although no roleplaying game can ever hope to give a artificially make Middle-earth more entertaining by allowing
truly faithful rendition of Middle-earth, and although the au- the characters to cast inadequate or badly worded spells, or
thors of Ambarquenta by no means wish to disparage the out- by bestowing them dozens of magical items.
standing work found in those other games, an unofficial, Concerning design philosophy, three things became obvi-
non-commercial game such as this has one advantage over li- ous in discussing the cornerstones of Ambarquenta: First of
censed products: It is not restricted to J.R.R. Tolkiens fa- all, we wanted a fairly realistic game. Needless to say, there
mous novels depicting the late Third Age of Middle-earth, are mechanics to capture the subtle magic existing through-
but can also draw from the writings posthumously edited by out Middle-earth. But realism as we understand it is about
his son, Christopher Tolkien. certain conditions of real world physics and the history of
In addition, an unofficial game can borrow some well- Middle-earth as depicted by Professor Tolkien. Hence Am-
established mechanics introduced in other major fantasy barquenta isnt the kind of game in which you can create ri-
roleplaying games. However, Ambarquenta is not just a com- diculously overpowered starting characters or ever hope to
pilation of materials published elsewhere before. It presents a become a cinematic superhero. Still, a Turambar will be able
variety of new and exciting game mechanics, and carefully to define an individual power level for each campaign as he
adapts those taken from other games to fit its unique charac- sees fit, ranging from fairly ordinary to truly heroic.
teristics. Of course, such a design process also allows to elim- The second principle is playability, and this frequently
inate or avoid pitfalls encountered in the inspirational overrules realism. The most accurate combat system isn't
sources. With this preview release of Ambarquenta we hope worth a penny if it makes a skirmish with only a few combat-
to have created a fairly balanced and enjoyable foundation for ants last for hours, orwhich is even more importantif
10
INTRODUCTION
the Turambar has to keep too many details in mind. Thus, the poisons and healing herbs of Middle-earth, while Ap-
realism governs the character creation and advancement pro- pendices C and D introduce game statistics for some of the
cess, while playability dominates the actual game play. After most prominent individuals of Middle-earth, and of adver-
all, the more features are accounted for in character creation, saries such as Orcs, wolves, and dragons. Here, the Turam-
the fewer details you have to tackle during gaming sessions. bar can find just about everything he needs to make his game
Still, prepare yourself for fast-moving play-rules that are far run more smoothly and easily without an excessive amount
more realistic and satisfying than those you may know from of preparation.
many other major roleplaying games. However, for more detailed information about how to
Another important element is flexibility. In Ambarquen- adopt Middle-earth for a roleplaying game and how to run a
ta, a character has the opportunity to learn or practise any long-term plot or epic tale (as an overarching storyline is
skill (as long as his background story warrants it, of course), called in this game), we recommend you grab a copy of one of
without the usual restrictions by abstract concepts such as the licensed games. Deciphers The Lord of the Rings Roleplay-
levels or character classes. Nevertheless, by the system's in- ing Game core book, for instance, features a chapter describ-
herent mechanics, your character will, from the beginning on, ing the history of Middle-earth and its lands and realms at
show a unique pattern, a personal aptitude towards being the time depicted in Tolkiens major novels. That book, as
whatever you want him to be: fighter, ranger, wizard, or bur- well as other official publications by Decipher or Iron Crown
glar, to name but a few of the unlimited possibilities. Enterprises, should provide novice players with all the basic
Since these preferences can vary a good deal from one information they will need to know to establish a context for
group to another, Ambarquenta provides a base set of rules their characters and adventures.
and a number of optional rules that expand the detail as de-
sired. Each option has a checkbox () in front of it which
can be marked if the rule is included. The Turambar and the ABOUT THIS VERSION
players should discuss their preferences and include only the
optional rules they want. This is a beta version of the Ambarquenta core rulebook.
Most rules and mechanics have been playtested, some more
thoroughly, some less. However, the game may still undergo
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK some considerable changes. While this means that the pre-
sent version requires a rather experienced Turambar (and,
This book, laying down the principles of Ambarquenta, is arguably, experienced players, too), it also gives you the op-
roughly divided into three sections: character creation, game portunity to make an overall impact on the final version of
play rules, and information for the Turambar. the system. Your help is greatly appreciated in many areas,
The first section, Chapters One through Eight, provides from telling us about your playtesting experiences to rule ide-
the rules and guidelines you need to create your character. as or other ways to improve Ambarquentaplease feel invit-
Chapters Two through Five cover attributes, races, skills, ed to make use of the feedback form that is included with the
and abilities, respectively. Chapter Six describes the weapons, download of the character sheet. Since the final version is in-
armour, and other gear characters use in their battles against tended to provide a system for playing in all eras and parts of
the Enemy. Chapter Seven helps you to give your character Middle-earth, write-ups of the races and cultures which are
the finishing touches, while Chapter Eight explains how you not included in this book are most welcome, as well as any
can improve your character over time. Note that magic is dis- non-player-character (NPC) and creature write-ups. If you
cussed later on, as most characters will unlikely ever master it would like to contribute to the development of Ambarquenta
themselves. However, if you do create a character who is able in one way or the other, please do not hesitate to send an e-
to weave spells or perform other deeds beyond the reach and mail to olorwe@gmx.at.
understanding of ordinary people, you will find all infor-
mation on the subtle, yet powerful, magic of Middle-earth in Please note that large portions of this book have been
Chapter Eleven. taken from The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game by Deci-
The second section of this book, consisting of Chapters pher for simplicitys sake. At the same moment, we are confi-
Nine to Eleven, presents the actual play rules for the game. dent that only some generic rules have actually been plagia-
Chapters Nine and Ten tell you how to accomplish tasks by rised by doing so; a few seemingly unchanged or only slightly
performing tests, to travel great distances, to defeat your en- altered rules that we incorporated in Ambarquenta have in
emies in combat, and to recover from the weariness and fact been published before elsewhere. Besides the quotations
wounds you suffer on your perilous way. Players whose char- from Deciphers game, various other shorter passages have
acters delve into the mysteries and wonders of magic in Mid- been copied from the systems listed under Sources of Inspi-
dle-earth (called The Art by the Elves) will find Chapter ration in the credits section. This course of action is not in-
Eleven of utter importance to them. The Turambar, on the tended as a violation of copyrightafter all, Ambarquenta is
other hand, will make use of its intriguing elements as a part non-commercial fan-work, distributed only among registered
of the Enemys most frightful weaponry. friends of The Heren Turambarionbut rather as a recogni-
The final section of the book, comprising of Appendices tion of these well-written products which we highly recom-
A to E, is primarily for the Turambaralthough the option- mend for purchase. This allowed us to speed up the work on
al character occupations introduced in Appendix A may be Ambarquenta, and to provide you a taste of some of the finest
an interesting tool for players as well. Appendix B describes pen-and-paper role-playing games available on the market.
11
INTRODUCTION
NOTES ON TERMINOLOGY PERCENTILE ROLLS (1D100)

On some occasions, two ten-sided dice are used to obtain
In this book the word you refers alternatively to you, the percentile results between 1 and 100. To carry out such a
reader and player, and to you as a character in the game. 1d100 roll, roll two dice of different colours together. Before
Take this as an invitation to see the world through the eyes the roll, designate one die to be read as the tens, and the oth-
of your character. er as the ones (00 is read as 100). Percentile rolls are mainly
Also note that for readability purposes, Ambarquenta us- used in combat to randomly determine which body part is
es standard masculine pronouns when referring to persons of struck with an attack. Of course you could choose to aim at a
uncertain gender. In such cases, these pronouns are intended specific body part, thereby avoiding the roll.
to convey the meanings he/she, her/his, and so on.
OTHER ROLLS
ROLLING THE DICE Besides these two main types of rolls, there are several
other variants encountered less frequently. In such cases, a
AND BASIC MECHANICS number before the d is the number of dice that are to be
rolled, and the number following the d is the number of
sides each die should have. A suffix may be included to indi-
T his section acquaints you with the whole Ambarquen-

ta game system. Although this rulebook will eventu-
ally comprise over 400 pages, most of it deals with character
cate that the result is to be modified by addition (e.g.,
3d10+2), subtraction (3d102), multiplication (3d10x2), or
division (3d102). In instances when a result between 1 and
creation, detailed guidelines on frequently arising situations, 5 is required (1d5), roll one die, divide the result by 2, and
and special cases. The core game system is actually easy. round up. Any other required rolls are variants of the above
Moreover, Ambarquenta is designed to be friendly, both for or can be made with an ordinary six-sided die (1d6 or 1d3).
the players and the Turambar: the rulebook is indexed and
cross-referenced to make things easy to find; and there are
only a few basic game mechanics you have to learn before MAKING TESTS
starting the game. A glossary of important terms follows after
this section. To succeed in a test, the sum of the dice roll and a charac-
In Ambarquenta, each character has a set of attributes, ters applicable skill bonus (or attribute score) must meet or
which determine his innate capability in several areas, and a exceed a TN that is either assigned by the Turambar or writ-
set of skills, which quantify his learned and practised capabili- ten out in the rulebook. The TN for a test represents the
ties. Each skill is usually based on three governing attributes general difficulty of the challenge posed by the action the
that contribute both to its development and its total bonus. character attempts (ranging from Routine to Virtually Im-
Whenever the need occurs to determine the outcome of a possible) modified by the special circumstances of a given sit-
certain task (which cannot be played to the end by plain talk- uation (e.g., the lighting conditions). Climbing a ladder in a
ing or acting), a test is called for. The success or failure of well-lit tower represents an easier test than scaling a sheer
such actions is simulated through a dice roll, made at the di- cliff face by night without proper gear.
rection of the Turambar. All tests (as well as most other dice
rolls) are made on ten-sided dice, marked with the numbers TARGET NUMBERS (TNS)
0 through 9. There are two different ways that ten-sided dice
are normally used in Ambarquenta: To determine the TN for a test, the Turambar must first
decide what basic difficulty category the action would belong
to if performed under ideal conditions. (Note that TNs for
STANDARD ROLLS (2D10) combat actions are often based on the results of an opposing
A test is always resolved by rolling two ten-sided dice characters skill tests.) The below table reveals average TNs
simultaneously and adding the numbers together. Read the for each difficulty category:
numbers as rolled, but count a 0 as 10. This kind of roll is re-
ferred to as a 2d10 roll. A standard test consists of rolling TABLE 9.6: STANDARD TARGET NUMBERS (TNS)
2d10, adding the total bonus of the respective skill (or the to- DIFFICULTY BASE TN DIFFICULTY BASE TN
tal score of an attribute) and comparing the final test result to Routine 9 Challenging 25
Easy 12 Hard 30
a target number (TN) set by the rules, or by the Turambar Light 15 Extremely Hard 35
according to the difficulty of the action and the situation it is Medium 20 Virtually Impossible 40+
performed in. The amount by which the test result exceeds
or misses the TN determines the overall level of success or After the Turambar determines the base TN, he must
failure (LSF) of the test. consider any factors that might increase or decrease the over-
all difficulty, and then modify the base TN accordingly. A
list of typical TN modifiers and additional guidelines can be
found in Chapter Nine where tests and skills are discussed
more thoroughly.
12
INTRODUCTION
In addition to these TN modifiers, Ambarquenta uses a The amount of damage dealt by a single attack depends
second type of modifiers to increase or decrease a characters on the number of LoS an attacker achieves. If he fails to beat
chance to succeed in a test: Test result penalties and bonuses the TN established by his adversarys Defence attribute or an
represent any factors that are primarily based on a characters actively employed defensive skill, nothing happens: either the
individual disposition (such as his abilities or the injuries he strike missed the dodging foe, or it was deflected by his parry
has sustained), while TN modifiers primarily represent out- or armour. But on a success with the attack test (i.e., LoS 0
side influences (such as poor lighting or ill weather). or higher), there is a chance that the foe suffers an injury.
TN modifiers can easily be applied by the Turambar to Each weapon has a damage code that consists of one to three
change the difficulty of any standard test in advance without pairs of numbers and letters. The letters indicate what types
demanding too many test result adjustments from his play- of damage the weapon can inflict: blunt (B), edged (E), or
ers. However, when resolving an opposed test (see Chapter pointed (P)this is called a weapons damage aspect. The ac-
Nine for this common test variant where two characters companying numbers tell you how many wound points of
compare their test results to determine who wins a conflict), damage the weapon deals for each LoS (including LoS 0)
TN modifiers are best applied as test result penalties or bo- using a particular damage aspect.
nuses, respectively. For example, a +3 TN modifier applying
to only one of the participating characters becomes a 3 test EXAMPLE: A broadsword has a damage code of 1.5B/4E/2P.
result penalty for the affected character. Otherwise, resolving Thus, an attack which scores LoS +4 could deal 7.5 points of
an opposed test would be unnecessarily complicated. blunt damage, 20 points of edged damage, or 10 points of
pointed damage. Depending on the type and make of armour
the target wears, it may still be a good idea to choose the
LEVELS OF SUCCESS OR FAILURE (LSF) swords blunt or pointed damage aspect. The attacker must de-
Whereas TNs interpret difficulty by considering all rele- cide which aspect to use before rolling his attack skill test.
vant factors involved in a test, levels of success or failure
(LSF) evaluate the outcome of a characters efforts by com- Note that for the purpose of determining damage, the
paring his final test result to the TN. Calculating the LSF for LoS of an attack is usually based on the targets Defence
any test is simple. A test result that equals the TN has a level score, not the result of his defensive skill test.
of success of 0 just enough to achieve the basic objectives Next, you need to determine where exactly you hit your
of a test with, at worst, only minor complications or setbacks. foe. Unless you have declared a called shot, this is achieved by
Every increment of 5 (or fraction thereof) above or below the making a 1d100 roll. Ambarquenta distinguishes between a
TN represents one level of success or failure, respectively. variety of body parts for two main reasons: First, to find out
Whenever the rules specifically refer to levels of success, how well the struck body part is protected by armour. Se-
the abbreviation LoS is used, while levels of failure are abbre- cond, injury effects vary by locationa strike to the skull is
viated LoF in such instances. The more LoS you achieve, the far more dangerous than a blow to the foot, for instance.
quicker and better you perform an action. Conversely, the Even a veteran warrior may thus be killed on the spot, or
more LoF you accumulate, the worse you dopossibly mak- forced to retreat if he takes a critical injury.
ing things even worse than before! Besides losing the ability to use a badly injured body part
effectively, a character can also be defeated or killed if he
takes too many overall wound points (i.e., net damage after
COMBAT armour protection has been subtracted from the damage
dealt with a strike). Every character has six Health Levels
Although combat tests are basically resolved the same (HL) in each of which he can accumulate a certain number of
way as other tests, there are a few differences and special wound points before dropping to the next lower Health Lev-
rules. Base TNs for combat tests primarily depend on the el.
opposing characters attributes and armament, but are often For more information on combat and injuries, please re-
complemented by the results of special defensive skill tests. If fer to Chapters Nine and Ten, respectively.
a character chooses to defend himself actively, he must make
an appropriate skill testfor example, parry with his weapon
or shield, or dodge the incoming blow or missile. Otherwise, ROUNDING FRACTIONS
he must solely rely on his innate reflexes (i.e., his Defence).
Attacking and defending yourself actively by employing a Unless you are specifically told otherwise, whenever you
skill requires a deliberate action and, consequently, a certain are asked to round a numberor end up with a fraction or
amount of time. How much of a characters attention and decimal that makes sense to round one way or the other
time an action requires is measured by action points (AP). round it normally. That means that if the fraction is 1/2 or
The total number of AP a character has available per round the decimal is .5 or higher, round up. Otherwise, round
his action allowancealso dictates when exactly in a given down.
round his actions take effect.
13
Chapter One
YOUR CHARACTERS STORY

I
n Ambarquenta, you and your friends create characters who travel throughout Middle-earth,
explore strange, wondrous, and often dangerous places, and contend with the servants of the
Dark Lord. Rather than reading about characters invented by J.R.R. Tolkien, you play a
character you create yourself. You must define his abilities, goals, desires, appearance, beliefs, and pref-
erences. Then, when you join your friends to play out the tales your Turambar devises, you control
your characters actions. You create and speak his dialogue, decide what he does and how he does it,
and so forth. You make that role your own, the same way an extemporising actor does on stage.
bits make them difficult to roleplay convincingly. Further-

more, your Turambar may limit your choice of races as he
INITIAL CHOICES sees fit, or the tale he devises requires. For example, a Tu-
rambar may wish to restrict the number of Elven characters
in his group (or disallow them altogether) because Elves do
B
efore you begin to create your character by generating not care for the troubles of the world outside their hidden
attribute scores, choosing skills and abilities, take some and well-protected refuges (and, of course, they are far more
time to think about what sort of character you want to powerful than normal Men). Still, a player must not be
playnot what he can do, or what powers you would like forced to play a character he isnt comfortable with at all.
him to have, but what sort of person he is, and what role you
want him to play in the tale. Dont think about how to make
the most of the games rules, but rather in terms of storytell- CHARACTER TRAITS
ing, action, and drama.
Other factors that might have an impact on your charac-
ters personality and commitments include genderwhich
RACES AND CULTURES you can choose freelyand Social Rank. The latter is dis-
cussed in detail below under Grace.
Among the first things to consider is your characters After you have decided on your characters race and gen-
race: Elf, Dwarf, Hobbit, or Man. Each race comprises a der, proceed by considering his appearance. To a certain ex-
number of distinct culturesfor example, in the late Third tent, attributes dictate thisa character with a low Strength
Age, there still linger Sindarin, Noldorin, and Silvan Elves in isnt brawny and hulkingbut if you have an appearance in
North-western Middle-earth. Chapter Three (opening on mind before you assign attributes, that can help you figure
page 34) offers detailed descriptions of those Free Peoples to out which assignments to make. In fact, these assignments
which a character normally belongs. determine what type of person your character is more than
A characters cultural background has a tremendous im- any other choices related to the games rules. Attribute scores
pact on his outlook, beliefs, and behaviour. In a world as an- govern basic skill bonuses as well as the number of available
cient and slow-changing as Middle-earth, a cultures tradi- development picks. The latter point is particularly important
tions often take precedence over an individuals personal because Ambarquenta has no arbitrary character classes. In-
goals and longings, and one frequently finds himself bound stead, a characters attributes define his fields of expertise:
by an unspoken fealty to his people. while sinews of steel and good reflexes are essential to be-
Your characters race gives you plenty of clues as to what come an accomplished swordsman, great wisdom and a deep
sort of person he is, how he feels about characters of other understanding of the world of Middle-earth are prerequisites
races, and what might motivate him. Remember, however, for those who wish to delve into the mysteries of magic.
that these descriptions of races only apply to the majority of Returning to your characters story, you should also think
people. In each race, some individuals diverge from the norm, about his traits. What are his likes and dislikes, and what
and your character could be one of these. Dont let a descrip- other qualities do you want him to have? This helps not only
tion of a race keep you from detailing your character as you with assigning attribute scores, but also when you select abili-
like, but stay true to the spirit of Professor Tolkiens works. ties (inborn talents and edges acquired by training) and flaws,
Usually, you may freely choose your characters race. Be many of which have personality-oriented names or features.
aware, though, that novice players should stick to Men, be- A character doesnt have to have Honours Insight or a Code
cause the different world views of Elves, Dwarves, and Hob- of Honour for you to describe him as honourable, of course,
14
but it often helps make the hero more realistic if his personal-
ity and his abilities match. GRACE
What flaws does your character have? Many of the he-
roes we admire in Tolkiens books suffer from some disad-
vantages or complications. These range from the physical (a
lame leg, blindness), to the social (stubbornness, unrequited
N obility of soul is an important element of J.R.R.
Tolkiens stories. While ordinary people may per-
form deeds that help the wise and the mighty in many ways,
love), to the spiritual (cowardice, corruption). It is in over- some characters obviously emanate a certain moral dignity or
coming these weaknesses, as Boromir did when he finally re- Grace that qualifies them for tasks still greater. However,
jected the lure of the Ring, that a character shows his heroic Grace is not exclusively bestowed by birth to a high rank. A
nature. humble Hobbit gardener may find out, after many world-
Next, step beyond the character and consider what his shaking adventures, that a greater destiny guided his waya
goals are and, thus to a large extent, what role he plays in the destiny that allows him to retire from his wandering days as
tale he has become a part of. Great heroes have great, heroic mayor of the Shire. For another example, a rightfully born
goals, be they external (to journey to Mordor and destroy the ruler can never quite disguise his noble mien and qualities of
One Ring) or personal (to reclaim your long-lost kingdom mind and war-craft, even if his family has lost its throne cen-
and wed the woman you love). But also the more mundane turies ago. Eventually, his Grace and the deeds he can only
people, who are perhaps drawn into a story by chance (if fulfil due to the kingly blood flowing through his veins (like
chance you can call it, as Gandalf remarked on one occasion), going through the Paths of the Dead) may restore his ancient
have their goals (to protect their master, or to show the birth right.
worth of his folk to foreigners) and desires. Once you know Ambarquenta represents these virtues by a characters
your characters goals, make sure he goes after them! Noth-
Grace score. In game terms, a high Grace score garners cer-
ing drives a story so well as a character who stops at nothing
tain benefits when determining a characters primary attrib-
to achieve that which is right, or who must make hard choic-
utes and, if a player opts so, his Social Rank. A player whose
es about his goal in the face of conflicting needs, as Aragorn
character has a high Grace score should feel encouraged to
did after the breaking of the Fellowship. Many obstacles, in-
make up a rather heroic background story and to act accord-
cluding your characters own weaknesses, may undoubtedly
ingly. Note that your characters Bearingone of his prima-
confront him on his lifes quest. In triumphing over them, he
ry attributesmust roughly match his Grace score (see page
helps to craft the story your group tells.
26 for details), unless you choose him to start out as a seem-
ingly ordinary character. In this case, you should try to raise
Bearing during the game if the story reveals your characters
THE CHARACTER SHEET true fate and Grace.
On the other hand, a low Grace score by no means hin-
ders a character from becoming an important figure in his
A fter you have come up with a satisfying background
story and have decided on the motivations and goals
of your character, step on to filling out a Character Sheet.
days of the world. A low Grace score does not penalise your
characters primary attributes, and if you desire a high start-
ing Social Rank for him, you can still acquire it by other
This is what the character creation process technically con- means (described under Social Rank on the next page). Yet,
sists of. On the Character Sheet, you record the attributes, it can be most rewarding to play a commoner who is at first
skills, abilities, and belongings of your character. You will glance less likely to win Renown and admiration than one de-
need to refer to the Character Sheet often; keep it handy. scending from great sires. Grace is not an attribute you have
The Heren Turambarion provides two versions of the to act out as its numerical value seems to indicate, but it is in-
Character Sheet: one comes as an Adobe PDF document tended to give you the chance of creating a truly heroic and
which you can fill out with a pencil; the other one is a Mi- noble character with additional points to spend, rather than
crosoft Excel file that does most of the calculations involved in costing them.
the character creation process automatically. However, if you
do not wish to print out the Microsoft Excel-based Character
Sheet after almost every other gaming session, we recom- DETERMINING GRACE
mend to create your character with the help of a computer
and then transcribe the calculated statistics to the plain Ado- Grace can be determined in one of four ways, decided by
be PDF version on which you can easily erase any scores that the Turambar. Table 1.1 on the next page summarises the
may change during gaming sessions. benefits a character with an above-average Grace score re-
In either version, attributes, abilities, and information ceives. Firstly, a character with Grace 13 or higher receives a
about your characters adventuring equipment and his number of additional points to spend on his primary attrib-
movement rates comprise the first two pages of the Character utes (see page 27). Secondly, he gets a number of develop-
Sheet. Pages three and four contain the most important ment picks that normally must be spent on an above-average
combat statistics and your characters magical capabilities starting Social Rank during his youth development (see next
provided he has any. On pages five and six, there is plenty of page for more detailed information on a characters Social
space to record all your skills, including any individual and Rank, and page 124 on how to acquire this kind of ability).
unique modifiers.
15
CHAPTER NINE: ADVENTURING
TABLE 1.1: GRACE BENEFITS

ELDER DAY LORDS GRACE
GRACE SCORE ATTRIBUTE PICKS FOR
(2d10*) POINTS SOCIAL RANK While the above-presented options on determining Grace
2 to 12 +0 0 are suitable for most tales taking place in the Third Age of
13 +1 5 Middle-earth, a Turambar may desire more generous rules for
14 +2 10 establishing a characters Grace score when running a campaign
15 +5 15 set in the Elder Days. This can easily be achieved by introducing
16 +8 20
one of the two following options to his game:
17 +12 30
First, he may allow a player who rolls a 19 or a 20 on his in-
18 +16 40
19 +20 50
itial roll to determine his characters Grace score to roll an ad-
20 +25 60 ditional d10 and add it to the result. If this die roll scores a 10,
another d10 is rolled and added to the result, repeating this
*: Whether Grace is rolled for or determined another way is at the
process until something other than a 10 is rolled. Though its ra-
Turambars discretion.
ther unlikely, this procedure may generate Grace scores far
above the average.
RANDOM ASSIGNMENT Alternatively, the Turambar may set basic Grace scores for
entire groups of characters, or any individual character, to
Firstly, the Turambar may choose that every player simp- which the result of a players roll is added. (Of course, this op-
ly rolls for his characters Grace with 2d10. Whatever result tion can be combined with the rule on open-ended rolls as de-
the dice roll yields, it must not be re-rolled for any character. scribed above.) For instance, the Turambar may grant all Elven
characters who have seen the Light of the Trees a basic Grace
score of 20 + 2d10. Elves who were born in the First Age but
COLLECTIVE TURAMBAR ASSIGNMENT did not embark on the journey to the Undying Lands, as well as
the offspring of those Eldar who were born after the Marring of
Alternatively, a Turambar may assign a fixed and identi- the Trees, might receive 10 + 2d10 points of Grace to start with,
cal Grace score to each character of his group. This method and so on.
allows the Turambar to control the power level of the charac- In both cases, benefits for Grace scores greater than 20 are
ters taking part in his tale (ranging from fairly ordinary to determined by dividing the score through 20. For each full mul-
truly heroic), and to hold sway over their background stories tiple of 20, as well as for any remainder, the character receives
additional attribute buy points and picks for Social Rank as in-
to a certain extent. It usually ensures, too, a strong tie be- dicated in Table 1.1. For example, if a character like Ingw, High
tween players and their characters alike. King of all Eldar, ends up with a Grace score of 75, he receives
the Grace benefits for a score of 20 three times, and once for a
INDIVIDUAL TURAMBAR ASSIGNMENT score of 15, totalling +80 attribute buy points and 195 picks for
Social Rank. Likewise, a character with Grace 33 garners the
In contrast to the above option, a Turambar may assign benefits for scores of 20 and 13, and so on.
different Grace scores to each character of the group.
Though this may be an excellent way to make certain stories
work, and though it may provide exciting hooks for roleplay- SOCIAL RANK
ing within the group as well as with outsiders, this option is
not recommended for novice players who might envy each To a certain degree, a characters Social Rankhis class
other or the player with the highest ranking character. Still, it in societycorresponds with his Grace score. Table 1.2 on
provides the Turambar a way to control the groups power. the next page shows how many picks you must spend to
make him belong to a certain Social Rank. Which Social
STORY BASED ASSIGNMENT Rank or titles can be obtained, and how many picks they
cost, depends on your characters race and culture. If he
The last option for determining Grace suggests that a doesnt belong to a people listed on Table 1.2, you can easily
player comes up with an exhaustive background story for his make up a similar list of sample titles, occupations, or Social
character (perhaps including a detailed discussion of his line- Ranks with the help of your Turambar. Note that you are
age) which his Turambar has to approve. Then, both sides not obliged to hold a specific title listed; with the Social Rank
ought to agree on an appropriate Social Rank to represent of king, you could also be a close family member like a daugh-
the characters background story. Of course, the Turambar ter standing behind in the succession to the throne.
has the last word on that issue, and he must be very cautious! The picks for acquiring a desired Social Rank must either
A characters Grace score is derived from his Social Rank as originate from a high Grace score (as indicated on Table 1.1
indicated in Table 1.1, for it is in this case assumed that a above), or come from the picks available during your charac-
character is worthy of his Social Rank. If a player desires a ters youth development (see the High-ranking talent on page
still higher Social Rank than affordable with the develop- 133). You cannot spend picks received during your charac-
ment picks as indicated on Table 1.1, he must spend addi- ters apprenticeship, because you are born to your starting
tional picks as usual. rank.
16
TABLE 1.2: SOCIAL RANK
SOCIAL PICK SAMPLE TITLES OR OCCUPATIONS
RANK COST* ELVES DWARVES HOBBITS DNEDAIN ROHIRRIM TRIBAL
5 50 Slave Horse-thief Outcast
4 40 Serf, Scoundrel Dunlending Serf Enslaved Prisoner
3 30 Rascal Street beggar Scoundrel Scoundrel
2 20 Servant, Maid Apprentice Idler Servant Maid Servant
1 10 Artisan, Gardener Journeyman Servant Artisan (poor) Groom, Servant Farmer
+0 0 Archer, Hunter Artisan, Merchant Farmer (minor) Citizen, Farmer Fyrd (Commoner) Hunter
+1 10 Ranger, Scribe Warrior, Smith Artisan, Shirrif Guilded Artisan Farmer (major) Warrior
+2 20 Sentinel Artisan (gifted) Innkeeper Merchant (major) Rider Sage
+3 30 Jeweler (minor) Warder Farmer (major) Knight, Mayor Burgwarder Clanhead
+4 40 Healer, Minstrel Kings Guard Gentry Lord (minor) Kings Knight Chieftain
+5 50 Master Artisan Master Artisan Thain, Mayor Lord (landed) Thane
+6 60 Courtier Master Smith Lord (major) Heah-thane
+7 70 Lord, Sage Counsellor (elder) Prince Marshal
+8 80 Elder Days Lord Steward Althane (King)
+10 100 King King King
*: A negative pick cost means that a low Social Rank is considered a flaw that actually provides you additional picks to spend on skills or
abilities, instead of costing them (see the Low-ranking flaw on page 172). However, the picks you receive for a high Grace score are forfeited
(or, optionally, halved) if you decide to start off as a low-ranking character.
: Please refer to ICEs Riders of Rohan (MERP #3100) for more information on Rohans social structure and the terms used in this table.
: Umbar and other Black Nmenrean colonies only. You cannot obtain this Social Rank in Gondor and Arnor or its successor realms.
Consequently, a character with an exceptionally high costs, and a list of sample occupations or titles a member of
Grace score likely belongs to the higher nobility of his home- that race might hold. Of course, you are not bound to a par-
land. However, you may choose to forgo the deference that a ticular occupation, but they may well give you an idea how
high Social Rank would grant your character if you have a your character spent his life in the past.
different background story in mind and want him to belong
to a lower class of society despite his high Grace score. In this SOCIAL RANK AND ESTEEM
case, any leftover development picks gained as indicated on
Table 1.1 are forfeited. An Esteem test (see page 32 on the Esteem attribute, and
page 240 on Esteem tests) is an optional way for the Turam-
Optionally, a Turambar may rule that a player can
bar to determine how his non-player characters (NPCs) re-
keep half of the development picks forfeited this way and
act to the player characters (PCs). Most of the time, a Tu-
spend them during his characters youth development as he
rambar predetermines reactions according to the course he
sees fit.
wants his tale to take, but sometimes its more fun to let the
Owing to their average Grace score, most characters are dice control the reactions.
considered middle class. Common examples in a civilised An Esteem test is made by rolling 2d10, adding any ap-
realm include the citizens of a town, or free farmers in its ru- plicable modifiers, and consulting Table 9.29 (page 244).
ral areas. Nevertheless, you can voluntarily belong to the The higher the result, the better the NPCs will react, and the
lower classes of society and obtain a Social Rank with a nega- better treatment they will give the PCs.
tive pick cost. In this case, your characters Social Rank is A characters Social Rank frequently modifies a charac-
considered a flaw, and you receive a number of additional ters Esteem. If a Turambar decides to make an Esteem test
picks to spend on abilities or skills as a trade-off. (Note that for a given encounter, he should assign a +1 modifier per So-
picks received for a negative Social Rank do count against the cial Rank difference between the two interacting characters.
suggested limits for taking flaws. For more details on flaws, For example, if you have Social Rank 3, those of Social Rank
see page 156.) 1 would react to you at a +2, and those of status 0 would re-
Anyone can determine your Social Rank by looking at act to you at a +3. (Except, of course, for villains who resent
you, your dress, and your demeanour. And what is more: if Social Rank.) If your Social Rank is so low that it is negative,
you have a very high Social Rank, your face may be easily those of higher class will react badly to you. Take the differ-
recognisedor perhaps the gaggle of servants that surrounds ence between your Social Rank and the NPCs as a penalty
you will get the message across. (If you disguise yourself suc- for the Esteem test, but no worse than 5.
cessfully, you can change your apparent rank, but this is a However, when you are dealing with an NPC who is, on
good way to get into a lot of trouble!) the whole, friendly, your Social Rank won't matteras long
Your characters Social Rank is measured in numbers as it is positive. After all, a king has a far higher status than
ranging from 5 (most people treat you like worthless scum) his knights, but he reacts well to themmost of the time.
to +10 (you are crown prince or king, and treated with defer- But if the NPC is neutral or already angry, a lower Social
ence by your loyal subjects). Table 1.2 shows the available Rank makes it worse: How dare you, a mere knight, tell me
range of Social Ranks for a few races, the corresponding pick my battle plan is foolish?
17
CHAPTER ONE: YOUR CHARACTERS STORY
THE QUALITIES OF HEROES

Although your characters attributes, skills, abilities, and flaws tell you what he can do, they dont really tell you who he is.
Thats not something you can quantify with numbers. You have to define it on your own, as part of creating and running a char-
acter in the wondrous world of Middle-earth.
However, for an Ambarquenta game, you shouldnt just create any sort of character. You should create one who fits the setting
and embodies the qualities it sets forth as virtuous. In short, you should create a hero.
As depicted in J.R.R. Tolkiens novels and stories, the characteristics of the heroes of Middle-earth include:
COMPASSION
[D]eep in his heart there was something that restrained him: he could not strike this thing lying in the dust, forlorn, ruinous, utterly
wretched. The Return of the King
Heroes share the feelings of others, and they have pity on even the most wicked and wretched of creatures, such as Gollum.
They do not wantonly slaughter their enemies, even when it might be prudent, for to do so would violate the heros code. Both
Gandalf and Frodo spare Saruman, and though much evil might have been averted had they not, in the end both still recognise
that their decision was the right one.
RESPONSIBLE FREE WILL

[W]ere you ten times as wise you would have no right to rule me and mine for your own profit as you desired[.]
Thoden, The Two Towers
Free will is one of the most important concepts in The Lord of the Rings. Everyone has a choice to do good or evil, and heroes
choose the good. To exert control over the will of another is one of the ultimate evils, and heroes reject it utterly, knowing that
true wisdom lies in allowing each person to pick his own path.
GENEROSITY
[T]hen I say to you, Gimli son of Glin, that your hands shall flow with gold, and yet over you gold shall have no dominion.
Galadriel, The Fellowship of the Ring
Heroes give generously, both of themselves and of their goods, as need warrants. For example, Thoden gives Shadowfax to
Gandalf, prized though the great horse is, because Gandalf deserves him, needs him, and has developed a bond of friendship with
him. Heroes often acquire riches and glory during their lives, but obtaining them is not their main motivation. Those who are evil
and cowardly are grasping, greedy, and grudging, often seeking gold for golds sake alone.
HONESTY AND FAIRNESS

I would not snare even an orc with a falsehood[.] Faramir, The Two Towers
Heroes deal with other folk honestly and fairly at all times. Though they may, like Gandalf, not reveal all they know, simply
to satisfy the curiosity of others, a true hero neither avoids nor skirts the truth when the proper time comes.
HONOUR AND NOBILITY

We are truth-speakers, we men of Gondor. We boast seldom, and then perform, or die in the attempt. Faramir, The Two Towers
From the highest lord of Gondor, to the lowliest Hobbit of the Shire, true heroes always display the classic qualities of nobility
and honour. They abide by their word, treat others fairly and with the respect due themregardless of stationand have gra-
ciousness of spirit which marks the true noble.
RESTRAINT
Legolas is right, said Aragorn quietly. We may not shoot an old man so, at unawares and unchallenged, whatever fear or doubt be
on us. The Two Towers
This point was touched on earlier, but it bears repeating: Heroes in Middle-earth are not indiscriminate killers hacking down
anyone who angers or threatens them, or spilling blood needlessly. They kill in battle and often accomplish great feats of arms,
but that is a different thing than ruthlessly butchering anyone and anything that happens to cross their paths. The exercise re-
straint, slaying their foes only when they absolutely must.
SELF-SACRIFICE
It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them.
Frodo, The Return of the King
Perhaps most importantly of all, the heroes of Middle-earth are self-sacrificing. They give of themselves, even unto death, to
keep the world safe from the Dark Lord and his minions. Frodo, a powerless hobbit, willingly walks into Mordor on a seemingly
hopeless errand because its the right thing to do for the greater good. Aragorn puts off his happiness for decades to help save the
Free Peoples from the Shadow. Boromir sacrifices his own life to atone for his misdeeds and save two hobbits. These heroes care
not for reward or glory. The accomplishment of the quest is reward enough.
18
CHAPTER ONE: YOUR CHARACTERS STORY
VALOUR
By our valour the wild folk of the East are still restrained, and the terror of Morgul kept at bay[.]
Boromir, The Fellowship of the Ring
The heroes of Middle-earth possess great valour. They are brave, with the strength of will and spirit to meet the fearsome
servants of the Dark Lord and stand against them. They do not shirk from danger, though it threatens their very lives.
WISDOM
For even the very wise cannot see all ends. Gandalf, The Fellowship of the Ring
Heroes possess wisdom and insight. They understand their own limitations and can judge the value and truth of things fairly,
rather than through the lens of their own self-interest or foolish desires. They realise, for example, that they dare not use the Ring
against Sauron, though its power might allow them to defeat him.
CREATING A PLAYER CHARACTER GROUP

When you create your character, your fellow players are also creating their own characters. While its easy to figure out what
you want to play on your own, before setting pen to paper you should consider what the other players have in mind for their
own characters. If possible, the players and the Turambar should all sit down together and have a character creation session. If you
cant do that, you should at least talk about the composition of the group before everyone begins creating.
Approaching character creation from a group perspective has several benefits. First, it ensures that each player has a distinctive
role to play within the groupan outlook, abilities, and knowledge that other characters lack. If several players come to the first
game session with similar characters (say, warriors from Gondor), then they may have trouble setting themselves apart, and the
Turambar may have difficulty creating appropriate adventures for such a one-dimensional group. Discussing character concepts in
advance allows you to avoid this sort of problem. Even if several players have roughly similar ideas, since they know in advance
what their friends want to play, they can use the rules to distinguish their characters by belonging to different races, choosing dif-
ferent talents and edges, or emphasizing different skills and weapons.
Second, group character creation allows you to cover all the major roles one expects to find in a group of bold fantasy adven-
turers. Except in specific types of tailored campaigns, a group with nothing but warriors, or six types of rogues, normally doesnt
work well. Eventually, the group encounters challenges its not prepared for, since not every enemy can be defeated in the same
way. You dont have to have every kind of fantasy archetype represented in every group, but it helps to have more than one or
two types of characters, if you can, or at least to give similar characters their own unique sets of skills and abilities.
Third, planning characters as a group allows the players to develop their characters as a group, not just as a collection of indi-
viduals thrown together by circumstances. Frodos encounter with Aragorn at The Prancing Pony aside, characters rarely join forces
simply because they happen to meet somewhere. That doesnt really do much to advance the story or create the most enjoyable
sort of tale. In fact, Aragorns presence at the inn was no coincidence. The characters need a reason to remain together: a common
goal, a prior relationship, or the like. In other words, they need the sort of connections that kept Sam, Pippin, and Merry by Fro-
dos side despite all the dangers he had to face. If the players create their characters as a group, they can develop pre-existing ties
or build in hooks the Turambar can use to draw them together as a cohesive group.
The Turambar, of course, plays an important part in this process too. Instead of letting the players create their characters
alone, the Turambar should lend a hand. First, he should tell the players a little about what he has in mind for the tale. If he wants
a group in which all the characters are Men (or Hobbits or Dwarves or whatever), he must tell the players before they start creat-
ing characters. If he plans to start the tale in Lindon, the players need to know that. They need to be able to give their characters
a reason to be in Lindon when the game begins.
In short, when creating your character, apply a little consideration for the ideas of the Turambar and your fellow players. This
makes for a better gaming experience.
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
The following pages contain a variety of sample characters. If you dont care to come up with a character of your own at the
moment, feel free to pick one of these to play with. (Note that you can download more detailed character sheets for these heroes
from https://sites.google.com/site/ambarquenta.) You may freely alter secondary features such as their appearance and age, and
change their names and background, if you like, or leave them as they are. Then, guided by a Turambar who has read through
this rulebook, youre ready to play.
All character archetypes are created using 130 attribute buy points. The option that ability pick costs increase when choosing
more than one talent or edge from the same category as a previously chosen one was applied, as well as the option on diminishing
returns from flaws (see the highlighted option boxes in Chapter Five for details).
As throughout this book, the listed skill bonuses are total bonuses, including all due modifiers from ranks, abilities, flaws,
items, and specialties. Hence, if another specialty than one that a given character knows is applied, you must reduce his total skill
bonus accordingly by 3. Moreover, no penalties are included, so make sure to apply a characters Physical Penalty (including his
general encumbrance penalty) whenever he uses an applicable skill while hes wearing his armour and wielding his weapons!
19
ERLAND GEREFEL
RACE: Lake-man
GRACE: 14 SOCIAL RANK: 4 (Scoundrel)
AMBAR: roll 7d3 RENOWN: 0 (+0)
HEIGHT: 510 STATURE: 12

WEIGHT: 171 lbs. GIRTH: 13
PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES: Deftness 16, Nimbleness 16, Strength 13,

Vigour 11, Awareness 14, Will 14, Bearing 11, Insight 12,
Wits 14
DERIVED ATTRIBUTES: Fortitude 13, Stamina 13, Swiftness 15,
Wisdom 12, Esteem 13, Prowess 13 (+1/+0.5)
HEALTH: 12
INJURY THRESHOLDS: 7+, 10+, 13+, 16+, 19+
RACIAL ABILITIES: Astute, Contacts: Esgaroth, Skilled

TALENTS: Eidetic Memory, Scoundrels Fortune, Wary 2
EDGES: Fleet-footed 2, Furtive 1, Resolute 2
FLAWS: Inquisitive, Orphan
OCCUPATIONAL PACKAGES: Thief: Novice & Apprentice
SKILLS: Draw: Drafts (Buildings) +12, Sing (Lays) +11, Word-

smith (Narrate) +11, Acrobatics (Balance) +9, Climb (Ropes)
+12, Escape (Narrow Openings) +8, Jump (Running Jump)
+11, Run (Speed) +15, Swim (Dive) +11, Blades: Medium
(Broadsword) +13, Blades: Small (Dagger) +16, Bows (Com-
posite Bow) +10, Dodge (Melee) +11, Shields: Small +12, Throw: Blades (Dagger) +11, Leathercraft (Armourer) +11,
Ropecraft (Throw Grappling Hook) +12, Seafaring (Boating) +11, Culture Lore: Lake Men (Customs) +11, Westron
rank 8, Logathig rank 4, Region Lore: Dalelands (Esgaroth) +13, Fish (Hook) +13, Ride (Horses) +9, Signal: Hand-
signals +11, Survival: Plains & Foothills (Orienteering) +10, Weather-sense (Northern Temperate) +10, Observe (Spot)
+16, Search (Hidden Items) +14, Debate (Bargain) +9, Locate (Customs Clerks, Esgaroth) +9, Persuade (Fast Talk) +7,
Streetwise (Esgaroth) +12, Conceal (Weapons) +11, Disguise (Customs Clerk) +11, Fake (Sigils) +10, Hide (Town)
+15, Legerdemain (Trickery) +11, Locks (Lockpicking) +14, Sneak (Shadow) +14
GEAR: Broadsword (modified damage code 2.5B/4.5E/2.5P), dagger (melee 1.5E/3P, thrown 2.5P), small shield,
composite bow, thieves tools, trail rations
ARMOUR PIECES: Leather jacket, leather cowl, leather calf boots
ARMOUR PROTECTION (B/E/P/F): average 2/3/2/2; skull & neck 2/4/3/3; arms 2/4/3/3; torso 2/4/3/3;
calves & feet 2/4/3/3
GENERAL ENCUMBRANCE PENALTY, GEP (COMBAT): 1
BASE MOVEMENT RATE, BMR (COMBAT): 29 feet/round
DEFENCE: 16
ACTION ALLOWANCE: 20
Orphaned as a boy, Erland was raised by the keeper of a seedy drinking hole located in the worst quarter of
Lake Town. With hardly any memories of his late parents, Eduran and Isabel Gerefel, who died in whats been
reported as a boating accident and who had only shortly before this tragedy moved to Esgaroth, Erland was
forced to make his living as a petty thief. Together with his best friend Fennrick, Erlandwho nowadays goes by
the cover name of Stigsoon developed a profitable business idea which centres around taxing unwary villagers.
However, with his Northman ancestryhis family originally hailed from Framsburgand his natural dignity,
there is more about Erland Gerefel than meets the eye at first glance.
20
GORI, SON OF NORI

RACE: Dwarf of Durins Folk
GRACE: 14 SOCIAL RANK: +1 (Warrior)
HEIGHT: 46 (137 cm) STATURE: 9

WEIGHT: 156 lbs. (71 kg) GIRTH: 12

Vigour 18, Awareness 10, Will 13, Bearing 13, Insight 11,
Wits 12
Wisdom 12, Esteem 14, Prowess 16 (+2/+1)
HEALTH: 15
RACIAL ABILITIES: Animal Aversion, Craftsmanship, Fear of Water,

Firestarting, Hardness of Body, Hardness of Mind, Mine-lore
TALENTS: Bold, Indomitable 1, Wary 1
EDGES: Facility with Armour
FLAWS: Battle-fury 1, Grasping, Proud, Stiff-necked
SKILLS: Act (Lie) +9, Musician: Wind Instruments (Horns) +7,

Wordsmith (Narrate) +8, Climb (Mountains) +13, Jump (Long
Jump) +15, Run (Endurance) +15, Axes: One-handed (Battle-
axe) +20, Blades: Small (Shortsword) + 16, Dodge +8, Shields:
Small +14, Warfare (Field Battles) +6, Armoursmith: Chainmail
(Repair) +15, Blacksmith (Tools) +15, Cook: Potables (Beer)
+9, Goldsmith (Work Gold) +7, Leathercraft (Armourer) +10,
Ropecraft (Knots) +12, Stonecraft (Mining) +15, Weaponsmith:
Axes (Battleaxes) +15, Woodcraft (Woodcutter) +11, First Aid
(Patch Wound) +12, Herbcraft (Herbal Remedies) +6, Appraise (Weapons) +9, Culture Lore: Dwarves (Erebor) +11,
Devise: Machinery (Mining) +7, Heraldry (Dale & Erebor) +7, History: Dwarves (Durins Folk) +7, Westron rank 7,
Khuzdul rank 8, Law (Erebor) +7, Reckon (Geometry) +6, Region Lore: Dale & Erebor (Under the Mountain) +10, Re-
search (Skim Tomes) +8, Hunt (Foothills & Mountains) +8, Survival: Mountains (Start Fires) +11, Survival: Under-
ground +11, Weather-sense (Northern Temperate) +7, Lip-reading (Halward) +6, Observe (Touch) +8, Search (Hid-
den Items) +11, Track (Foothills & Mountains) +7, Debate (bargain) +8, Discern (Dwarves) +6, Etiquette: Dwarven
Courts (Behaviour) +9, Games (Dice) +10, Inquire (interrogate) +9, Inspire (Dwarves of Erebor) +6, Intimidate (Power)
+8, Lead (Attack) +6, Locate (Best Beer Around) +8, Persuade (Oratory) +9, Steward (Dwarf-hold) +9, Disguise (Dwa-
rven Merchant) +10, Hide (Mountains) +12, Traps (Build) +8
GEAR: Battleaxe (modified damage code 4B/5.5E), small shield, trail rations
ARMOUR PIECES: Dwarf-mail hauberk, gauntlets, plate helm, leather leggings, quilt jerkin, leather calf boots
ARMOUR PROTECTION (B/E/P/F): average 4/10/6/4; skull 6/10/6/2; shoulders 6/12/7/5; arms 2/10/6/1; hands 6/10/6/2;
chest & belly 6/12/7/5; hips, groin, & thighs 3/12/8/4; knees & feet 2/4/3/3; calves 3/6/5/5
DEFENCE: 10
Gori, son of Nori from Thorin Oakenshields famous company, is, in many respects, a typical Dwarffond
of battle, anvil, and fine potables. However, he is surprisingly tall for a Dwarf, anddespite his proud and
stubborn naturean amiable, though often grumpy, lad. A close friend of Halward, he is always willing to take
up his axe to defend his or his friends homeland against the hosts of the Enemy.
21
GRIMGR
RACE: Beorning (scores in brackets apply in bear-shape)
GRACE: 16 SOCIAL RANK: +2 (Clanheads son)
HEIGHT: 62 (84) STATURE: 13 (18)
WEIGHT: 202 lbs. (740 lbs.) GIRTH: 16 (42)
PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES: Deftness 15 (10), Nimbleness 13 (10),
Strength 17 (27), Vigour 16 (22), Awareness 15 (18),
Will 14, Bearing 12, Insight 13, Wits 11
DERIVED ATTRIBUTES: Fortitude 13, Stamina 16 (21), Swiftness 14,
Wisdom 12, Esteem 14, Prowess 17, +2/+1 (35, +5/+2.5)
HEALTH: 16 (32)
INJURY THRESHOLDS: 8+, 12+, 16+, 20+, 24 (9+, 15+, 21+, 27+, 33+)
RACIAL ABILITIES: Astute; Beast-mastery; Hammerhand 1; Bear-skin
TALENTS: Tolerance
EDGES: Hardy 1
FLAWS: Battle-fury; Berserk; Proud; Sense of Duty; Rival
OCCUPATIONAL PACKAGES: Farmer: Apprentice; Hunter: Apprentice
SKILLS: Dance (Beorning Folk Dances) +10, Mimicry (Beasts) +10, Musi-
cian: Drums (Play Rhythm) +10, Sing (Battle Songs) +11, Wordsmith
(Narrate Sagas) +8, Acrobatics (Balance) +7, Climb (Mountains) +12,
Jump (Long Jump) +14, Run (Endurance, Speed) +13, Swim (Currents & Undertows) +13, Axes: Two-handed (Battle-
axe) +16, Bows (Shortbow) +13, Dodge (Melee, Missiles) +8, Shields: Small +10, Throw: Blades (Knife) +10, Unarmed
Combat: Brawling (Punch, Kick) +15, Natural Weapons (Paws) +15, Bee-keeping (Harvest Honeycombs) +17, Black-
smith (Tools) +12, Clothworks (Sew) +12, Cook: Food (Bake) +13, Fletcher (Arrows) +12, Gardener (Grains) +13,
Leathercraft (Skinner) +12, Ropecraft (Knots, Tie Prisoner) +13, Seafaring (Boating) +11, Weaponsmith: Axes (Battle-
axe) +11, Woodcraft (Woodcutter) +15, First Aid (Treat Shock) +13, Herbcraft (Herblore) +9, Physician (Cauterise)
+8, Culture Lore: Beornings (History) +10, Atliduk rank 7, Westron rank 6, Nature Lore: Wild Beasts (Upper Anduin
Vales) +9, Region Lore: Upper Anduin Vales (Hideouts) +14, Beastmaster: Bears (Befriend) +15, Fish (Weir-basket)
+15, Hunt (Mountain Slopes) +16, Ride (Horses) +9, Signal: Waildyth +13/4 ranks, Survival: River Valleys (Start
Fires) +12, Survival: Mountains +10, Weather-sense (Upper Anduin Vales) +11, Observe (Spot, Hear) +15 (18), Search
(Forage) +14, Track (Mountain Slopes) +13 (14), Debate (Bargain) +8, Discern (Beornings) +7, Etiquette: Clan Gather-
ings (Behaviour) +9, Games (Sleight of Hand) +10, Inquire (Interrogate) +8, Intimidate (Fear) +12 (13), Hide (Moun-
tain Slopes) +14, Sneak (Mountain Slopes) +13, Traps (Set) +10
GEAR: Battleaxe (modified damage code 4.5B/6E), shortbow, knife, horn, trail rations, other equipment
UNARMED ATTACKS: Brawling, punch (modified damage code 4B), kick (4.5B); Natural Weapons: Paws (7B/5.5E/4P)
ARMOUR PIECES: Leather jacket, breeches, and calf boots; bear-skin protects as hardened leather (B4/E5/P4/F3)
ARMOUR PROTECTION (B/E/P/F): average 1/3/2/2; shoulders & arms 2/4/3/3, chest & belly 2/4/3/3, hips & groin 3/6/5/5,
legs & feet 2/4/3/3
GENERAL ENCUMBRANCE PENALTY, GEP (COMBAT): 1 (0)
BASE MOVEMENT RATE, BMR (COMBAT): 31 feet/round (16 yards/round)
DEFENCE: 14
Through the bloodline of his mother Beornhild, Grimgr is a direct descendant of Beorn and has inherited
the ability to take on the shape of a large brown beara gift he avoids to use in company of others. Like all
Beornings, Grimgr is particularly fond of the rich feasts of his people where mead and honey-cakes are served
galore. He also enjoys his work in the woods, brawling and wrestling, and fraternising with his many relatives.
Of those, Firbeorn, the second-born son of Grimbeorn the Old is his best friend, whereas Firbeorns wily brother
Halbeorn has been his greatest rival ever since claiming one of Grimgrs battle feats for himself.
22
HALWARD
RACE: Man of Dale
GRACE: 13 SOCIAL RANK: +1 (Journeyman Smith)

Vigour 15, Awareness 13, Will 10, Bearing 11, Insight 10, Wits 13
Wisdom 11, Esteem 12, Prowess 17 (+2/+1)
HEALTH: 15
RACIAL ABILITIES: Astute, Contacts: Dale, Skilled

TALENTS: Bold, Wary 1
EDGES: Craftmaster 1, Facility with Armour 1, Lucky Blow
FLAWS: Duty 1: Shirrif of Dale, Truthful
OCCUPATIONAL PACKAGES: Weaponcrafter: Apprentice
SKILLS: Sing (Lullabies) +12, Climb (Mountains) +12, Jump (Long Jump) +15,
Run (Endurance) +15, Swim (Endurance) +14, Blades: Two-handed
(Greatsword) +15, Bows (Longbow) +13, Dodge (Melee) +8, Unarmed
Combat: Brawling (Punch) +13, Armoursmith: Chainmail (Hauberks) +17,
Blacksmith (Tools) +15, Fletcher (Arrows) +17, Leathercraft (Armourer)
+13, Weaponsmith: Blades (Longsword) +18, Appraise (Weapons) +11,
Culture Lore: Dwarves (Smiths of Erebor) +8, Culture Lore: Men of Dale
(Customs) +9, History: Dale (Rangers & Shirriffs) +8, Westron rank 8,
Logathig rank 3, Khuzdul rank 1, Region Lore: Dale-lands (Craftsmen) +11, Beastmaster: Dogs (Care) +6, Ride (Horses)
+9, Survival: Mountains (Start Fires) +10, Observe (Spot) +13, Search (Hidden Items) +12, Track (Foothills & Moun-
tains) +8, Debate (Bargain) +8, Inspire (Men of Dale) +6, Locate (Dale, Weaponsmiths) +8, Persuade (Oratory) +7,
Streetwise (Dale) +8, Conceal (Camouflage) +10, Disguise (Northron Commoner) +8, Hide (Mountains) +10, Sneak
(Mountains) +8
GEAR: Greatsword (modified damage code 4B/7E/4P), longbow, arrows, trail rations
ARMOUR PIECES: Chainmail hauberk, chainmail cowl, gauntlets, leather leggings, quilt jerkin, leather calf boots
ARMOUR PROTECTION (B/E/P/F): average 4/9/6/4; skull & neck 2/8/5/1; shoulders 6/10/6/5; arms 2/8/5/1; hands
6/10/6/2; chest & belly 6/10/6/5; hips, groin, & thighs 3/10/7/4; knees & feet 2/4/3/3; calves 3/6/5/5
DEFENCE: 11
Often, those skilled in the trade of forging are also skilled in the trade of war. Halward was even born to that
manner, since long bonds of friendship have tied his family to the Dwarves of Erebor: During the Battle of the
Five Armies, Halwards great-grandfather saved the life of Nori, member of Thorin Oakenshields company and
father of Gori. Owing to this glorious past of his house, Halward was allowed as an apprentice to the famed ar-
mourers of Erebor and soon became the closest friend of Gori.
Shortly after setting up his first shop in a small village near the city of Dale, he married his childhood love, the
beautiful and headstrong Liw. When the War of the Ring reaches his home pastures and King Brand calls his
people to arms, Halward eagerly puts aside his sledgehammer and takes up his trusty greatsword instead, ready
to bring havoc to the dark hordes threatening his homelands.
23
MENELOR
RACE: Pure-blooded Dnadan
GRACE: 18 SOCIAL RANK: +6 (Major Lord)
AMBAR: roll 7d3 RENOWN: 0 (when travelling incognito)

Vigour 14, Awareness 14, Will 17, Bearing 18, Insight 17, Wits 18
Wisdom 18, Esteem 18, Prowess 14 (+1/+0.5)
HEALTH: 15
RACIAL ABILITIES: Astute, Fair 1, Skilled, Tireless 1, The Art (limited access)
TALENTS: High-ranking, Unusual Background (student of Saruman)
EDGES: Resolute 2, Teachings of Saruman
FLAWS: Stiff-necked, Inquisitive
SKILLS: Act (Lie) +15, Dance (Gondorian Nobilitys Dances) +13, Draw: Paint-
ings (Portraits) +10, Musician: String Instruments (Harp) +11, Sing (Lays)
+14, Wordsmith (Narrate) +15, Acrobatics (Balance) +5, Climb (Cliffs) +8,
Jump (Long Jump) +9, Run (Endurance) +10, Swim (Endurance) +11,
Blades: Medium (Longsword) +10, Clubs: Two-handed (Quarterstaff) +11,
Dodge (Melee) +6, Shields: Medium +9, Throw: Spells (Lightning) +11, Un-
armed Combat: Wrestling (Trip) +8, Ropecraft (Knots) +11, Seafaring (Nav-
igate) +9, First Aid (Field Care) +14, Herbcraft (Herblore) +11, Physician (Treat Wounds) +10, Appraise (Tomes &
Scrolls) +12, Culture Lore: Gondorians (Nobility) +18, Culture Lore: Northmen (Dalemen) +15, Heraldry (Gondor)
+14, History: Gondor (Dol Amroth) +16, Westron 9 ranks, Adnaic 7 ranks, Sindarin 7 ranks, Quenya 2 ranks, Law
(Dor-en-Ernil) +12, Nature Lore: Starlore (Identify Constellations) +10, Reckon (Geometry) +12, Region Lore: Gondor
(Dor-en-Ernil) +15, Region Lore: Rohan (Nan Curunr) +12, Research (Search Libraries) +14, Hunt (Coastal Hills)
+11, Ride (Horses) +13, Signal: Horn-signals +11, Survival: Coastlands (Forage) +12, Weather-sense (Coastal Gondor)
+12, Observe (Spot) +13, Search (Hidden Items) +14, Debate (Oratory) +14, Discern (Nobles) +11, Etiquette: Dor-en-
Ernil (Speech) +18, Inquire (Converse) +14, Inspire (Gondorians) +12, Intimidate (Majesty) +16, Lead (Recruit) +11,
Persuade (Oratory) +13, Steward (Dor-en-Ernil) +14, Conceal (Parchments) +12, Disguise (Gondorian Merchant) +12,
Hide (Castles) +11, Sneak (Castles) +9
SPELLS: Animal Messenger (2 ranks) +12, Beast Speech (3 ranks) +13, Create Light (3 ranks) +13, Lightning (4 ranks) +14,
Sense Power (3 ranks) +13
GEAR: Longsword (modified damage code 2B/4.5E/3P), lebethron staff of finding and returning (acts as a quarterstaff, modi-
fied damage code 4B)
ARMOUR PIECES: Leather jacket, cowl, and calf boots, fine clothes
ARMOUR PROTECTION (B/E/P/F): average 2/3/3/3; skull & neck 2/4/3/3; shoulders & arms 2/4/3/3; chest, belly, hips &
groin 2/4/3/3; thighs & knees 1/1/1/1; calves & feet 2/4/3/3
DEFENCE: 12
Menelor is just the travelling name of Lord Erchirion, who is no less a figure than the second-born Son of
Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth. While his elder brother Elphir was raised to become the heir to the throne of
Dor-en-Ernil, Erchirion enjoyed a more liberal education and was allowed to spend countless hours in the
Princely Library of Dol Amroth where his true talents were soon discovered by his first mentor, Garbald, who
later introduced the youth to Saruman who anon accepted Erchirion as his student.
24
THORONGIL
RACE: Woodelf of Mirkwood
GRACE: 14 SOCIAL RANK: +1
PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES: Deftness 18,

Nimbleness 18, Strength 13, Vigour 14,
Awareness 18, Will 13, Bearing 14,
Insight 13, Wits 12
DERIVED ATTRIBUTES: Fortitude 14, Stamina 13,
Swiftness 18, Wisdom 13, Esteem 14,
Prowess 13 (+1/+0.5)
HEALTH: 13
RACIAL ABILITIES: The Art, Beast-skill, Comfort,

Elven-sleep, Fair 1, Farsightedness, Ghost-
scorn, Light-footedness, Musical Gifts, Star-sight, Swift Healing, Woodsy
TALENTS: Bold, High-ranking (Social Rank +1: Royal Ranger), Honey-tongued
EDGES: Travel Sense, Evasion
FLAWS: Proud, Fealty (to King Thranduil)
OCCUPATIONAL PACKAGES: Elven Light Archers: Apprentice
SKILLS: Act (Onstage Performance) +11, Dance (Elven Dances) +13, Draw: Drafts (Portraits) +11, Mimicry (Beasts) +9,
Musician: String Instruments (Lute) +16, Musician: Compose (Lays) +14, Sing (Lays) +18, Wordsmith (Poetry) +9,
Acrobatics (Balance) +14, Climb (Trees) +14, Escape (Narrow Openings) +9, Jump (Standing Jump) +13, Run (Endur-
ance) +17, Swim (Currents & Undertows) +13, Blades: Small (Longknife) +17, Blades: Medium (Longsword) +16, Bows
(Longbow) +17, Dodge (Melee) +16, Shields: Small +12, Throw: Blades (Longknife) +12, Unarmed Combat: Brawling
(Kick) +12, Warfare (Scouting) +7, Cook: Food (Bake) +13, Fletcher (Arrows, Bows) +17, Leathercraft (Skinner) +12,
Woodcraft (Carver) +12, First Aid (Patch Wound) +14, Herbcraft (Herblore) +9, Culture Lore: Elves of Mirkwood
(Customs) +11, History: Elves (Nandor) +8, Westron 7 ranks, Sindarin 8 ranks, Quenya 2 ranks, Nature Lore: Starlore
(Orienteering) +9, Region Lore: Woodland Realm (Watching Posts) +15, Beastmaster: Falcons (Tame) +13, Fish
(Weir-basket) +12, Hunt (Forests) +15, Ride (Horses) +15, Signal: Marking-signs +12, Survival: Forests (Find Path)
+15, Weather-sense (Northern Rhovanion) +12, Observe (Spot +2, Hear) +17, Track (Forests) +13, Discern (Wood-
elves) +7, Etiquette: Woodland Realm (Behaviour) +11, Inquire (Converse) +9, Inspire (Woodelves) +8, Intimidate
(Power) +11, Persuade (Seduction) +10 (not including any bonuses from Fair), Conceal (Camouflage) +10, Hide (For-
ests) +14, Legerdemain (Trickery) +11, Sneak (Forests) +19, Traps (Set) +12
SPELLS: The Art of Thought, Speech, and Perception: Mind-speech (5 ranks) +11, Sense Power (5 ranks) +11
GEAR: Longsword (modified damage code 2B/4.5E/3P), longknife (3E/3P), small shield, longbow, arrows, trail rations
ARMOUR PIECES: Helm of hardened leather, quilt cowl, leather jacket, jerkin, leggings, calf boots, and gloves
ARMOUR PROTECTION (B/E/P/F): average 3/5/4/4; skull 7/7/5/6; neck 5/3/2/4; shoulders 3/6/5/5; arms & hands 2/4/3/3;
chest, belly, hips, & groin 3/6/5/5; thighs, knees, & feet 2/4/3/3; calves 3/6/5/5
DEFENCE: 20
Thorongil is a typical Wood-elf from Thranduils realm in many respects: Equally gifted as a bard and
bowman, he loves to stroll through the green groves of the Woodland Realm, hunt under the gloomy boughs of
Mirkwood, and sing songs of bravery and battle against spiders and Orcs.
25
Chapter Two
ATTRIBUTES
ttributes form the backbone of your character. They represent his inborn qualities of body
A and mind, though attribute scores may well change over time owing to a characters experi-
ences. In the first step, you have to determine your characters primary attributes. In the se-
cond step, you use them to generate various derived attributes which represent more specific aspects of
your characters capabilities. Later you will learn how your characters primary attributes contribute to
his skill bonuses, and how they allow you to acquire additional skill ranks and abilities.
also affects the amount of damage you deal with an attack,

PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES and how enduring you are in physical exertion.
VIGOUR (VI)
Y
our character has nine primary attributes which define
his physical and mental qualities. Beginning with the
physical aspect of your characters qualities and pro- Vigour represents your hardiness, endurance, and health.
ceeding to the mental, the attributes are: Deftness, Nimble- In game terms, Vigour governs your resistance to disease and
ness, Strength, Vigour, Awareness, Will, Bearing, Insight, poison, and your bodys ability to recover from wounds.
and Wits. Each attribute has a score that normally ranges
from 2 (miserably weak) to 20 (amazingly high), though the
members of certain races and a few prominent individuals AWARENESS (AW)
sometimes have scores still higher. Guidelines on generating
attributes follow right after their descriptions. Awareness represents your sensory perception, your keen
There are two more important attributes which are nei- eyes, ears, and nose. Hence, it affects your alertness, wakeful-
ther considered primary attributes (for only primary attrib- ness, and observation as well as your ability to spot that
utes grant you development picks) nor directly derived from which is hidden. But Awareness also reflects your sense of
them, but generated separately: Stature and Girth. They de- proportion and your judgment by the eye, thus influencing
fine your characters size and may have an impact on some of your ability as a craftsman.
your primary attributes.
WILL (WL)
DEFTNESS (DE)
Will represents the control of mind over the body, your
Deftness represents your manual dexterity, the ability to ability to push harder in pursuit of some goal, or to draw up-
manipulate objects with the hands. Thus, Deftness is im- on your inner reserve of strength. A strong Will increases
portant for warriors, craftsmen and cutpurses alike. your chances to withstand fear, corruption, domination, and
other machinations. Moreover, with a strong Will, you are
resolute, confident, maybe even stubborn. If you have a weak
NIMBLENESS (NI) Will, however, you lack confidence, panic easily, and have
difficulty with tedious tasks.
Nimbleness represents your coordination and the ability
to move your extremities and body. It also measures how
quick and agile you are, and affects your accuracy in battle. BEARING (BG)
Bearing represents your force of personality, your cha-
STRENGTH (ST) risma and self-confidence. It governs the ability to inspire
such feelings as awe, obedience, fear, respect, and friendship
Strength measures both your sheer physical power and in others, and indicates the aptitude for self-expression. Even
your ability to use your muscles to their greatest advantage. if not physically attractive, a person with high Bearing might
Strength is significant for combat and other feats of power. It still have a demeanour that commands respect.
26
Your Bearing must not be more than two points lower (see page 16). As a rule of thumb, the higher an attributes
than your Grace, unless you spend less picks on your Social score is, the more points it costs. On the other hand, a very
Rank than your Grace score grants you for that purpose. low attribute may even bestow you some points to spend on
This would be the case if you chose to start your adventuring others. Although you should normally avoid very low scores
career as a (seemingly) ordinary character, who might even- in any attribute, it may be wise to focus on one aspect. For
tually turn out to be destined for a greater fate. When your example, if you want to create an extraordinary (though per-
Social Rank increases as a result of the events taking place in haps single-minded) warrior, you should concentrate on the
a tale, and your true Grace is revealed, you ought to raise physical attributes (like Strength and Vigour), while neglect-
your Bearing to the normal minimum. ing the mental ones (like Wits or Bearing). Buying relatively
equal scores may meet the concept of a bard or a rogue, while
a character with high mental attributes might eventually
INSIGHT (IN) faintly resemble a sage like Elrond or a wizard like Gandalf.
Please refer to Table 2.1 below to determine the exact
Insight represents your intuition or sixth sense, your number of points required.
prudence and your instincts. It also expresses your connec-
tion to, and understanding of the world and the living things TABLE 2.1: ATTRIBUTE POINT COSTS
around you. To a certain extent, Insight allows you to deter- ATTRIBUTE POINT ATTRIBUTE POINT
mine that which is true, or the best course of action, or what SCORE COST SCORE COST
others feel or believe. 1 9 11 11
2 6 12 12
3 3 13 14
WITS (WT) 4
5
0
2
14
15
16
18
6 4 16 21
Your intelligence and cunningthe ability to absorb, 7 6 17 24
comprehend, categorise and memorise knowledge. Wits also 8 8 18 28
9 9 19 32
reflects the ability to take available information and draw log- 10 10 20 36
ical and creative conclusions. Racial adjustments for Wits of-
ten represent a cultures appreciation of lore and education
rather than an intellectual aptitude or inaptitude. THE RANDOM METHOD
To randomly determine your attributes, roll 2d10 twelve
GENERATING ATTRIBUTES times. Then find the nine highest scores and assign them to
the attributes you choose. For example, suppose your twelve
rolls were 12, 3, 16, 20, 12, 8, 13, 8, 5, 12, 14, and 9. You
P rimary attributes can be generated in one of two ways:

with the buy method or the random method. Note
that the initial scores you generate in this step are also re-
discard the three lowest3, 5, and one of the 8sand keep
the others. If you want to play a warrior, you might put the
20 in Strength, the 16 in Vigour, and the 14 in Deftness or
ferred to as basic attribute scores. Besides these basic scores, Nimbleness. The 8 might just be high enough for Insight.
there is an optional rule that introduces so called genetic limits If you have a Grace score greater than 12, you also gain
for your attributes, and finally there are your total attribute some additional points to spend on your primary attributes
scoresyour characters most important statistics. as indicated in Table 1.1. In this case, treat any rolled basic
attribute score as one acquired with a number of points as
Total attribute scores are adjusted according to your
given in Table 2.1 above. In order to raise an attribute, spend
characters race and gender, and possibly by his Girth (see be-
an amount of points bestowed by Grace equal to the differ-
low for all three kinds of modifications). The adjusted total
ence in the point cost between the rolled score and the de-
scores allow to compare the mental and physical qualities of
sired higher score.
characters belonging to different races, and thus only they are
referred to during play: Total attribute scores determine the EXAMPLE: Menelor, a learned Dnadan noble, has rolled a 15
number of picks available to spend on skill ranks and abili- which he assigns to his Wits attribute. His dignified
ties, and they are applied when calculating your skill bonuses. Nmenorean ancestryhe rolled a 18 for his Gracegrants him
Basic scores, on the other hand, are only taken into ac- 16 additional buy points to spend according to Table 2.1. He de-
count during character creation and if you wish to raise an at- cides to increase his Wits to 17, costing him 6 points and leaving
tribute with advancement picks (see page 208 for more de- him 10 more points to spend on his other attributes.
tails). A basic score can normally not be raised above 20.
THE AVERAGE POPULATION
THE BUY METHOD The Ambarquenta character creation rules are intended
to create heroes and extraordinary individuals. When creat-
Using the buy method, you have 130 points to spend on ing an average denizen of Middle-earth (such as a typical
your nine attributes. If you have a high Grace score, you may NPC), the Turambar should only spend 99 points on attrib-
gain a number of additional points as indicated on Table 1.1 utes, or generate them by rolling 3d6 for each one.
27
HEIGHT AND WEIGHT A characters Stature score is determined by dividing his

(height in inches 10) by 5, and rounding off the result.
B esides his primary attributes, a characters adventur-

ing career is also affected by his height (Stature) and
weight (Girth) in many ways: A taller characterone with a
EXAMPLE: Gori, a bold Dwarven warrior from the Lonely
Mountain, has a Social Rank of +1 and a basic Vigour of 15. His
player is lucky, rolling another 15 for Goris height. The above
formula reads as follows: [(1 + 15) 2 + 15 16.5] 3 = +2.167,
high Stature scorehas a greater reach with his melee weap- rounded off to +2. Thus, Gori stands 54 or 46 talltall in-
ons and can move farther due to his larger stride. On the deed for a Dwarf! His Stature score is 9 (= [54 10] 5).
other hand, a very tall character or creature might be an easi- NOTE: 1 inch = 2.54 cm, 12 inches = 1 foot = 30.48 cm.
er target or face problems when squeezing through a cranny
or hiding behind a small bush. The second measurement for
a characters size, his Girth, affects the ability to absorb and
STATURE AS A TEST MODIFIER
inflict damagewhat may immediately kill a Hobbit is but a A characters stature may affect the outcome of a variety
scratch for a Troll, and a Troll swinging a club is certainly of tests. Below is a list of commonly affected attribute and
more fearsome a threat than a Hobbit shirrif so armed. skill tests; most skills refer to Stature as a negative modifier
(reflecting the fact that a Troll, for example, will normally
have a harder time to hide than a Hobbit). This means that
STATURE (HEIGHT) the Stature modifier is multiplied by 1 before being applied.
A characters Stature modifier is calculated by using this
First and foremost, a characters size is determined by his formula: (Stature 11) 2, rounded off.
race, but it is also affected by several other factors. Table 2.2 Opposed Strength tests, Intimidate, and Swim are posi-
below shows the average height (in inches) and the corre- tively affected by the Stature modifier; note that most com-
sponding average Stature score of some of the races dwelling bat and movement skills are indirectly affected by a charac-
in or nearby North-west Middle-earth in the late Third Age: ters height as well. Skills that are affected by Stature as a
negative modifier include: Acrobatics, Escape, Dodge, Hide,
TABLE 2.2: AVERAGE HEIGHT AND STATURE Legerdemain, and Sneak.
MALE FEMALE
RACE HEIGHT (STATURE) HEIGHT (STATURE)
Elves, Noldor 78 (14) 73 (13) GIRTH (WEIGHT)
Sindar 75 (13) 71 (12)
Silvan 71 (12) 67 (11)
Dwarves 52 (8) 51 (8)
To determine a characters weight in pounds, subtract the
Hobbits, Fallohides 40 (6) 37 (5) average height of his race (as given in Table 2.2 above) from
Harfoots 35 (5) 32 (4) his adjusted height and multiply this figure by a race factor:
Stoors 38 (6) 35 (5) x 3 for a Hobbit, x 4 for an Elf or a Man, x 5 for a Dwarf.
Dnedain, Pure-blooded 74 (13) 68 (12) Then add (2d10 + basic Strength 22) x 2 to that number.
Lesser 72 (12) 67 (11)
Middle Men, Beornings 73 (13) 68 (12) Read the final result as pounds added to the average weight
Eriadorians 67 (11) 62 (10) of the characters race as given in Table 2.3 below:
Gondorians 68 (12) 63 (11)
Lake-men 71 (12) 65 (11) TABLE 2.3: AVERAGE WEIGHT AND GIRTH
Rohirrim 71 (12) 65 (11)
Woodmen 71 (12) 63 (11) MALE FEMALE
Dark Men, Dorwinrim 67 (11) 61 (10) RACE WEIGHT (GIRTH) WEIGHT (GIRTH)
Dunlendings 66 (11) 62 (10) Elves, Noldor 175 lbs. (13) 145 lbs. (11)
Easterlings 65 (11) 61 (10) Sindar 162 lbs. (12) 137 lbs. (11)
Haradrim, Northern 65 (11) 60 (10) Silvan 145 lbs. (11) 122 lbs. (9)
Variags 68 (12) 62 (10) Dwarves 120 lbs. (9) 115 lbs. (9)
Wild Men, Lossoth 64 (11) 62 (10) Hobbits, Fallohides 60 lbs. (5) 50 lbs. (4)
Woses 55 (9) 47 (7) Harfoots 46 lbs. (4) 39 lbs. (3)
Stoors 57 lbs. (4) 48 lbs. (4)
An individuals actual growth further depends on his per- Dnedain, Pure-blooded 190 lbs. (15) 140 lbs. (11)
sonal state of health (i.e., his basic Vigour score, but not the Lesser 175 lbs. (13) 136 lbs. (10)
Middle Men, Beornings 190 lbs. (15) 150 lbs. (12)
adjusted score) and the nutrition and care he enjoyed in his Eriadorians 150 lbs. (12) 120 lbs. (9)
childhood and youth. The latter fact is represented by his Gondorians 155 lbs. (12) 121 lbs. (9)
Social Rank as indicated on Table 1.2 (page 16), but Social Lake-men 170 lbs. (13) 128 lbs. (10)
Rank is capped to 5 for that purpose. Finally, there is a Rohirrim 170 lbs. (13) 130 lbs. (10)
Woodmen 175 lbs. (13) 130 lbs. (10)
random element to simulate a characters family background. Dark Men, Dorwinrim 150 lbs. (12) 112 lbs. (9)
Thus, a Mans or an Elfs adjusted height in inches is cal- Dunlendings 143 lbs. (11) 120 lbs. (9)
culated by adding [(Social Rank + basic Vigour) 2 + 2d10 Easterlings 139 lbs. (11) 108 lbs. (8)
16.5] 2 to the average height of his race. Haradrim, Northern 133 lbs. (10) 110 lbs. (8)
Variags 153 lbs. (12) 117 lbs. (9)
For a Hobbit or Dwarf character, add [(Social Rank +
Wild Men, Lossoth 150 lbs. (12) 140 lbs. (11)
basic Vigour) 2 + 2d10 16.5] 3 to the average height Woses 130 lbs. (10) 100 lbs. (8)
of his race to establish his adjusted height in inches.
28
A player characters Girth score is determined by dividing Note that there are no genetic limits for Stature and
his weight in pounds by 13, and rounding off the result. Girth: Overeating or starving will affect your Girth as the
Turambar sees fit, and unless he consumes some Ent-
EXAMPLE: His players streak of luck bestows Gori a few draught, an adult character will never grow any taller.
pounds too much to carry with him, as he rolls a 19 for his
champions weight and has beforehand assigned a 16 to his
Strength attribute. Thus, Goris weighs in at 156 lbs.: 120 lbs. (a DETERMINING GENETIC LIMITS
Dwarfs average weight) +10 lbs. (+2 x 5) +26 lbs. (= [19 + 16
22] x 2) and has a remarkable Girth score of 12.
NOTE: 1 pound (lb.) = 0.454 kg. To determine your character's genetic attribute limits,
2d10 are rolled for each basic score. Cross-index the result of
the roll with the corresponding attributes basic score on Ta-
At first glance, it may seem advantageous to be very bulky
ble 2.4 and add the shown number to the basic score to es-
and have a high Girth score. However, an extreme result on
tablish the attributes genetic limit.
the random 2d10 roll may limit your basic Nimbleness and
Vigour:
A 20 rolled limits your basic Ni and Vi to a maximum of
TABLE 2.4: GENETIC ATTRIBUTE LIMITS
16, a 19 rolled limits them to 17, an 18 rolled to 18, and a 17 2d10 BASIC ATTRIBUTE SCORE
rolled to 19. On the other side of the range, a 2 rolled limits 24 57 89 1011 1213 1415 1617 1819 20
2
your basic Vi to 16, a 3 rolled to 17, a 4 rolled to 18, and a 3 +1
five rolled to 19; Ni is not affected by low rolls. 4 +1
Note that you may not re-assign your characters attrib- 5 +2 +1
ute scores at this stage, even if his basic Ni and/or Vi are cut 6 +2 +1
down by Girth. You must not recalculate his height (and de- 7 +3 +2 +1
8 +3 +2 +1
rived weight) either, even if his weight requires that you cut 9 +4 +3 +2 +1
his basic Vigour score. 10 +4 +3 +2 +1
A Turambar may rule to ignore the guidelines for de- 11 +5 +4 +3 +2 +1
termining an individual characters height and weight, and 12 +5 +4 +3 +2 +1
13 +6 +5 +4 +3 +2 +1
decide to use average Stature and Girth scores instead. 14 +6 +5 +4 +3 +2 +1
As a second option, a Turambar may allow his players 15 +7 +6 +5 +4 +3 +2 +1
to choose their characters height and weight freely. Keep an 16 +7 +6 +5 +4 +3 +2 +1
eye on your players decisions, though, for this method can be 17 +8 +7 +6 +5 +4 +3 +2 +1
18 +8 +7 +6 +5 +4 +3 +2 +1
easily abused to receive size-related benefits.
19 +9 +8 +7 +6 +5 +4 +3 +2 +1
20 +9 +8 +7 +6 +5 +4 +3 +2 +2
A indicates that the genetic limit equals the basic attribute score.
SIZE LEVELS
EFFECTS OF GENETIC LIMITS
While the numerical scores of Stature and Girth affect
various derived attributes and skills, it would be too cumber- Genetic limits have no effect on play whatsoever. They
some to deal with such numbers after character creation. simply constrain your character's potential in developing in
Most often, the need to compare the relative sizes of two an attribute. On rare occasions, a life-threatening injury may
characters occurs in combat situations. For this purpose, permanently reduce a genetic limit, but usually such a wound
each character falls into a general size level according to his will only lower an attributes basic score.
height: Small (from 24 to 59), Medium (60 to 89), and
Large (90 or taller). Therefore, most Hobbits and Dwarves
are considered Small, and most Elves and Men are consid-
ered Medium. A difference in the sizes between two charac-
TOTAL ATTRIBUTE SCORES
ters involved in a physical test can cause a penalty or a bonus
to the test. See Size on page 216 for more details.
D uring play, neither basic attribute scores nor genetic
limits actually matter. Instead, whenever an attrib-
ute is tested, or when calculating your derived attributes and
GENETIC LIMITS skill bonuses, or when determining the number of develop-
ment picks available during character creation, you have to
refer to your adjusted total attribute scores. By referring to
T hough its a hard and time-consuming process, any

primary attribute can be raised to a certain limit. If
your Turambar decides to ignore this optional rule, the limit
total scores, the qualities of two characters belonging to dif-
ferent races can be compared: Due to racial adjustments, a
Hobbit with a basic Strength of 20 is still weaker than a
for any attribute is 20. Otherwise, for each basic attribute Dwarf with a basic Strength of 12.
score you have just generated, a corresponding upper genetic Your basic attribute scores (not their corresponding ge-
limit is established which reflects a characters genetics and netic limits) serve as starting values to which adjustments for
early childhood living conditions. It is highly recommended your characters race and gender are added or subtracted.
to introduce this optional rule to your Ambarquenta game. However, the members of most Mannish peoples receive
29
such adjustments merely for a few attributes, and thus an at-

tributes adjusted score will often be equal to its basic score. DERIVED ATTRIBUTES
ADJUSTMENTS DUE TO GENDER B esides his primary attributes and skills, a character
has several other attributes that define what he can
do, how mighty and robust he is in combat, and in which
Optionally, women of all races suffer a 2 adjustment to other fields he excels or falls short. These derive from prima-
their Strength, but receive a +1 adjustment to their Nimble- ry attributes in various ways.
ness and Insight. However, female Elves are not affected by To calculate derived attributes, use your characters total
these adjustments before they have given birth to a child. attribute scores you determined by applying any adjustments
Note that adjustments due to gender are cumulative with ra- for your characters race, gender, and Girth. You can improve
cial modifications. derived attributes separately by acquiring certain abilities (see
Chapter Five, page 124). Furthermore, derived attributes
immediately change if their contributing primary attributes
RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS improve or decrease after the game has begun. For example,
if you start the game with Health 13 based on your Vigour
For your convenience, the racial adjustments for most 15 and Girth 11, and during the game your Vigour increases
peoples dwelling in north-western Middle-earth or nearby to 16, your Health goes up to 14.
and the Seven Houses of the Dwarves are summarised in The first five derived attributes presentedFortitude,
Table 2.5 below. For more details on the races and cultures Stamina, Swiftness, Wisdom, and Esteem (which is an op-
of Middle-earth, see Chapter Three, pages 34 to 67. tional attribute)are frequently tested to avoid injury and
If a tale takes place in faraway lands, a Turambar can other threats. For example, jumping from one slippery boul-
easily make up a similar list of racial adjustments for the peo- der in a riverbed to another is a Swiftness test. Seeing
ples dwelling there. Try to keep any adjustments in line with through the deceptive words of a false counsellor is a Wis-
those given below, though. dom test. Resisting seduction by a beautiful Southron spying
TABLE 2.5: RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS SUMMARY

RACE DE NI ST VI AW WL BG IN WT
ELVES
Noldor +4 +2 +1 +2 +3 +0 +3 +3 +2
Sindar +2 +3 +1 +2 +3 +1 +2 +2 +1
Nandor +2 +3 +0 +2 +3 +1 +2 +2 +0
DWARVES
Longbeards +1 +0 +3 +3 +0 +2 +1 +0 +0
Firebeards +2 +0 +4 +3 +0 +1 +0 1 +0
Broadbeams +2 1 +4 +3 +0 +2 +0 1 +0
Ironfists +1 +1 +4 +3 +0 +1 +0 +0 +0
Stiffbeards +0 +0 +3 +4 +1 +2 +0 +0 +0
Blacklocks +2 +0 +3 +3 +1 +1 1 +0 +0
Stonefoots +1 +0 +4 +3 +0 +3 1 1 +0
HOBBITS
Fallohides +2 +2 6* +3 +2 +2 +0 1 +0
Harfoots +3 +3 7* +2 +2 +2 1 +0 +0
Stoors +2 +3 6* +3 +2 +2 1 +0 +0
MEN, DNEDAIN
Pure-blooded +1 +1 +2 +2 +1 +1 +2 +1 +1
Lesser +0 +0 +1 +2 +1 +1 +2 +0 +0
MEN, MIDDLE PEOPLES
Beornings 1 +0 +2 +2 +0 +0 +0 +1 +0
Eriadorians +0 +0 +1 +1 +1 +0 +0 +0 +0
Gondorians +1 +0 +1 +0 +0 +0 +1 +0 +0
Lake-men +1 +0 +1 +1 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0
Rohirrim +0 +1 +1 +1 +0 +0 +1 +0 +0
Woodmen +0 +1 +1 +1 +1 +0 +0 +0 +0
MEN OF DARKNESS
Dorwinrim +0 +0 +0 +1 +0 +0 +0 +1 +0
Dunlendings +0 +1 +1 +1 +0 +0 +0 +0 1
Easterlings +1 +1 +0 +1 +0 +0 1 +1 1
Haradrim +0 +1 +0 +0 +1 +1 1 +0 +0
Variags +0 +1 +1 +1 +1 1 +0 +0 1
WILD MEN
Lossoth +0 +0 +0 +2 +1 +1 1 +1 1
Woses +0 +1 1 +2 +2 +1 2 +1 1
* A Hobbits total Strength score cannot drop below his basic Strength divided by 2 due to racial and gender adjustments.
30
CHAPTER TWO: ATTRIBUTES
maiden is a Fortitude test. The Turambar decides which de- SWIFTNESS

rived or primary attribute or skill applies in a given situation
and should be tested.
Each character has two more derived attributesHealth Average of Awareness and Nimbleness, rounded off.
and Prowess. Though they are never tested, they give you Swiftness represents your speed and reflexes: your ability
crucial fixed numbers to which you will have to refer often to strike faster than your foe, and to avoid his sword-blows
during the game. Several of the other derived attributes are and like dangers. But Swiftness also helps you keep your
also used this way, for instance telling you how quick you are footing on an icy path, avert your eyes from a dragons gaze in
in combat, or how hard you are to hit. Any such additional time, or catch a dropped object before it shatters on the floor.
applications of a derived attribute are described separately
under a special name, following the main description.
DEFENCE
Defence represents your natural ability to avoid blows
FORTITUDE and weapon fire in combat. Unless you choose to defend
yourself actively by employing an appropriate skill, your De-
Average of Bearing and Will, rounded off. fence rating serves as the TN for your opponents attack test.
Fortitude is a measure of your courage, representing your Your Defence rating is equal to your Swiftness score, plus 1
ability to stave off fear and domination, to stay calm in peri- for every 3 ranks you have in the Dodge skill, plus 1 for every
lous situations, and to remain true to yourself and your word, 5 ranks you have in your primary melee weapon skill (Shields
regardless of the blandishments or tortures of the Enemy. skill is not applicable, as are any melee weapons which cannot
Fortitude is also tested when you need to resist Corruption be used to parry), minus your current encumbrance penalty.
or engage in a contest of will with another character (see page The more cumbersome your armour and other equipment is,
221). As a rule of thumb, Will should be tested if the physi- the more hampered you are in your evasive movements. As it
cal threat is predominant, while Fortitude should be tested would be too early to decide what pieces of armour you are
when you are dealing with a more subtle threat. However, going to wear at this stage of the character creation process,
Persuasion by charm, force of personality, or reason and logic the rules on armour encumbrance are explained on page 188.
is usually countered by Wisdom. However, regardless of how bulky your chosen suit of ar-
mour is, your Defence rating can never drop below 10.
Also note that in general Defence is not affected by any
STAMINA bonuses you may receive from abilities (i.e., racial abilities,
edges, and talents) that enhance your Swiftness unless the
Average of Strength, Vigour, and Will, rounded off. description of an ability says otherwise.
Stamina represents your toughness: your ability to with- ACTION ALLOWANCE

stand pain, to cope with injuries, to throw off the effects of
poison or sickness, to resist great heat or cold, and so forth. When violence erupts, the Turambar should immediate-
Its main use, however, lies in measuring and resisting exhaus- ly begin describing events in terms of action rounds, each
tion from physical exertion and mental concentration (such about six seconds long. All characters involved in the combat
as casting spells or recalling lore in stressful situations). may take a number of actions depending on their action al-
lowance (AA) each round. A characters AA is measured in
WEARINESS LEVELS AND WEARINESS POINTS action points (AP), with each character having a number of
AP equal to 10 + (basic Swiftness 2). As with Defence, no
Your character has six Weariness Levels: Fresh (fully rest- general Swiftness bonuses from abilities apply when deter-
ed), Winded, Weary, Tired, Spent, and Exhausted. Each mining a characters action allowance, unless an abilitys de-
level can hold a number of weariness points equal to his Stam- scription says otherwise.
ina score, minus his General Encumbrance Penalty (for more At the beginning of each new action round, all characters
information about determining your characters GEP, please roll with two ten-sided dice to reflect the imponderables and
refer to page 195). As your character exerts himself, he ac- fortuities of combat, and each characters reactions to them.
cumulates weariness points and risks dropping to the next This is not a normal roll of 2d10, though: only the worse of
level, thus becoming more tired and less able to function ef- the two dice (for example, the 2 if the dice yield rolls of 2 and
fectively. Under certain conditionssuch as travel, combat, 7, respectively) is added to the characters action allowance
spellcasting, or staying awake too longyou must keep track for this round. Whats more, a roll of 0 grants no extra AP
of your characters increase of weariness points. At specific (i.e., results range from 0 to 9).
occasions, your Turambar may require you to make a Stami- Each different type of action (e.g., drawing a sword and
na test for your character to resist losing an entire Weariness attacking or parrying with it, or loading, aiming, and firing a
Level straight away. After becoming weary, the character longbow) requires a certain amount of action points to be
must rest to recover the lost levels so he can return to Fresh. spent. Each character adds up any spent AP as he acts during
See page 237 for more details on dropping and regaining a round. A character can take no further actions once his
Weariness Levels, and the effects of becoming weary as rep- running AP tally equals his AA. Likewise, he may take no
resented by a characters Weariness Penalty. further action if its AP cost would raise his running AP tally
31
beyond his AA. In a given round, characters act in a fixed or- characters normal state), the remaining Health Levels are
der determined by their respective initiative numbers (com- Hurt, Injured, Wounded, Incapacitated, and Near Death.
monly abbreviated IN). A characters IN is equal to his AA, Falling to Near Death automatically causes the character to
modified by the worse die of 2d10, his Physical Penalty, faint; dropping below Near Death means the character has
andif applicablehis weapons attack IN modifier. For died from sustained woundsa fate which could even befall
more information on initiative and action point require- him in Hale condition, though, if he is hit in a vital spot.
ments, please refer to pages 211 and 250, respectively. Within each Health Level, a character can withstand an
amount of damage equal to his Health score. Once a charac-
ter has accumulated damage equal to his Health in his cur-
WISDOM rent Health Level, he drops to the next lowest Health Level
and begins accumulating damage in it. As he sustains damage
Average of Bearing, Insight, and Wits, rounded off. and drops from one Health Level to the next, his wounds
impair his ability to perform actions, resulting in a penalty
Wisdom represents your common sense and intellectual that may constitute his Injury Penalty (see below and page
grasp, and, to a certain extent, intuition: your ability to de- 218 on how to establish a characters Injury Penalty).
termine the best course of action, your direction through un-
known territory, or what others feel or believe. However, you
mainly use Wisdom to resist efforts to fool or trick you, such BODY PARTS
as the honeyed words of Saruman. Furthermore, Wisdom al- Ambarquenta organises the bodies of all living creatures
lows you to stand your ground if ostensibly reasonable argu-
into several distinct parts. Each of these body parts can both
ments are brought up to deceive you.
be harmed randomly and wilfully targeted by an attacker; ex-
amples include the skull, the neck, or either upper arm.
Whenever the damage done to a body part reaches or ex-
ESTEEM ceeds a certain amount of wound points (i.e., a fixed injury
threshold), a critical injury has occurred. Table 2.6 below lists
Average of Bearing and Grace, rounded off. a characters injury thresholds as determined by his Health
(abbreviated IT #1 to IT #5). You should record these val-
Esteem represents your appeal to strangers: what they ues in the top row of the Injury Table that is printed on your
think of you on first sight, and how they behave towards you Combat Sheet. By cross-indexing the affected body part with
in response to this impression. the applicable damage after armour-column of the Injury
When you meet an NPC whose reaction to you is not Table, you will be able to determine the injurys severity.
predetermined, the Turambar secretly tests your Esteem at-
tribute. The higher the tests result, the better the reaction. TABLE 2.6: INJURY THRESHOLDS
The Turambar then plays the NPC according to the guide-
lines on Table 9.29, page 244. Your Renown modifier (see DAMAGE AFTER ARMOUR
page 201) and various other abilities will apply to Esteem HEALTH IT #1 IT #2 IT #3 IT #4 IT #5
tests. 4 4 5 6 7 8
5 5 6 7 8 10
6 5 6 8 9 11
7 5 7 9 10 12
HEALTH 8
9
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
14
15
10 6 9 11 14 16
Average of Vigour and Girth, rounded off. 11 6 9 12 15 18
12 7 10 13 16 19
A characters Health rating represents the number of 13 7 10 13 17 20
wound points of damage he can sustain before dropping to the 14 7 11 14 18 21
next lower Health Level (HL) and affects how grave a blow 15 8 11 15 19 23
16 8 12 16 20 24
injures the limb it hits. For example, Gori has Vigour 18 and 17 8 12 17 21 25
a vast Girth of 12. Thus, he has a Health score of 15, and can 18 8 13 17 22 27
withstand 15 points worth of injuries before he loses a 19 9 13 18 23 28
Health Level. In other words, after 15 wound points of dam- 20 9 14 19 24 29
21 9 15 20 25 31
age, he becomes Hurt; after 15 more, Injured; and so on. Be- 22 9 15 21 26 32
sides this reckoning of wound points, a player must also keep 23 9 15 21 27 33
track of the critical injuries his character takes in a variety of
distinct body parts. Whether a critical injury occurs and when Wounds are identified as Minor (green), Serious (yel-
to classify it as Minor, Serious, Grievous, or even Deadly is low), Grievous (orange), or Deadly (red). They are also rated
explained a little further below. from one (1) to five (5), indicating their value in Injury Levels
(IL). Thus, M1 is a Minor injury (1 IL), G4 is a Grievous in-
HEALTH LEVELS jury (4 ILs), and so on (see page 226 for details).
Injury Levels directly translate into test result penalties.
As characters suffer damage, they progress through six A character who has sustained 6 Injury Levels, for example,
Health Levels describing their degree of injury. After Hale (a suffers a 6 Injury Penalty unless the penalty associated with
32
his current Health Level is greater: in this case, the latter No Prowess-based damage modifiers apply to bow or
value constitutes the characters Injury Penalty. The sum of a spell attacks, or to any other attacks which are independent
characters Injury Penalty and Weariness Penalty is his Uni- of Girth and Strength.
versal Penalty which applies to all skill and attribute tests For simplicitys sake, this rulebook and other supple-
(see page 218 for details). ments for Ambarquenta include any Prowess-based damage
Obviously, the wound points of damage that could theo- modifiers in the damage codes given in the various character
retically be sustained in all body parts add up to more than and creature descriptions. You should do the same for your
the sum of Health points contained in all Health Levels; this character and record only his modified damage codes, be-
is so that a character can be disabled or killed by many small cause they do not change unless his Strength changes.
wounds, each in itself perhaps not too consequential. Even
though no body part is totally disabled by injuries, he can still
die from blood loss, poison, and so on.
On the other hand, even huge fell beasts like Trolls or
OTHER ATTRIBUTES
mmakil have the same maximum injury thresholds as ordi-
nary characters. This reflects the fact that a single well-placed
strike can be far more dangerous to such an enormous beast
than dozens of unfocused hits (but owing to its high Stamina
A ll characters have two more attributes, Ambar (Q.
Fate) and Renown. However, they are not deter-
mined at this point, but at the end of the character creation
and Prowess scores, the beast will still have a better chance to process, and are thus presented in Chapter Seven. Corrup-
survive a critical injury than most common people). tion is yet another important factor a character has to deal
with; detailed information on Corruption Levels, and how
you accumulate and lose Corruption points within them, can
PROWESS be found in Chapter Seven as well. Finally, magically skilled
characters have another derived attribute, Fa (see page 295).
Establishes a modifier based on the average of Strength and
Girth.
In hand-to-hand combat, taller and stronger characters CHANGES TO ATTRIBUTES
or creatures on average do more damage than their smaller,
weaker brethren.
To determine a characters Prowess, average his Strength
and Girth, and find the total in Table 2.7 below. Each range
D uring the course of the game, your characters at-
tributes may changesometimes temporarily,
sometimes permanently. Changes for the better often repre-
of results relates with a pair of stated modifiers (+x/+y) sent a characters gaining of experience, and the practice and
which are applied to an attacks damage code as described be- exercise an adventurous life demands from him. Changes for
low. The first number (+x) is referred to as a characters full the worse usually result from the attacks of the enemies or
damage modifier, while the second number (+y) is called his from other perils encountered, and these alterations often be-
half damage modifier. Note that any fractions of damage are come challenges for the character to overcome as he pro-
rounded off only after you have established the total number gresses towards his goals.
of LoS dealt with an attack. Ways attributes may change include:
ILLNESS: A plague or fever can reduce a characters Deft-
TABLE 2.7: PROWESS ness, Nimbleness, Strength, and Vigour to low scores, and
PROWESS DAMAGE PROWESS DAMAGE may even affect his ability to reason (Wits) or his Bearing.
SCORE MODIFIER SCORE MODIFIER POISON: Orcs often poison their weapons: sometimes to
13 3/1.5 1620 +2/+1
kill, sometimes to weaken. Most poisons characters encoun-
46 2/1 2125 +3/+1.5
79 1/0.5 2630 +4/+2 ter affect Nimbleness, Strength, or Vigour or any combina-
1012 +0/+0 3135 +5/+2.5 tion of the three.
1315 +1/+0.5 3640 +6/+3 MAGIC: Spells and the subtle magic of Middle-earth may
For each additional +5 or fraction thereof, add +1/+0.5. alter attributes.
AGE: As mortal characters grow older, they become phys-
The full damage modifier is only applied to blunt melee ically weaker, resulting in permanent reductions to Deftness,
attacks. Simply add the indicated number to all blunt damage Nimbleness, Strength, Vigour, and Awareness. On the other
aspects of a characters weapons. For example, a character hand, their Wits, Bearing, and Insight may improve. See
with Prowess 14 who wields a broadsword does 2.5 points of page 68 for more details on age effects.
blunt damage per LoS instead of 1.5B. PRACTISING: As characters gain experience, learn new
The half damage modifier is applied to edged and point- ways to think about the world, and practise their skills, at-
ed melee attacks. Thus, the above characters modified dam- tributes governing these endeavours may increase.
age code with a broadsword is 2.5B/4.5E/2.5P. The half When something alters an attribute, you calculate all de-
damage modifier also applies to all attacks with thrown rived attributes (including movement rates and carrying ca-
weapons, regardless of the damage aspect used with the pacity) and basic skill bonuses from its new score for as long
throw attack. However, when calculating Prowess for attacks as the change remains in effect.
with thrown weapons, a creatures Girth score must not ex-
ceed its Strength score or 20, whichever is less.
33
Chapter Three
R ACES AND CULTURES

hen you decide to create a character, one of the first things to consider is your characters
W raceElf, Dwarf, Hobbit, or Manand, if applicable, the culture he belongs to. The follow-
ing pages provide you with general descriptions of the Free Peoples of Middle-earth. While
you should stick to the adjustments and abilities associated with each race, you should also remember
that individual characters may stray from the norms of their race in other regards.
The Elves revere the Valar (Q. The Powers) and many
know their nature well. Still, they have no formal religion; in-
TIME SETTING stead they show their respect through poetry and song, and
gather to celebrate life and the gifts from on high. This re-
spect for the way of things is largely tied to their acceptance
T
he choice of races described in this core rulebook pri- of their close ties to the Fate set down in the Song of Crea-
marily aims at tales set at the end of the Third Age, tion, although much of it also stems from an understanding
the time depicted in The Hobbit and The Lord of the and joy regarding the creations of nature which have been
Rings. However, most descriptions can easily be adjusted to handed down and overseen by the Valar. Above all but Eru
different time settingsfor instance, Edain characters of the Ilvatar they worship Varda, Queen of the Valar and fairest
First Age would be created according to the Dnedains de- of all in creation. She is the bringer of light, and they call her
scription, though maybe with even greater attribute adjust- Lady of the Stars (Elentri or Elbereth).
ments and a longer lifespan. The Elves were first to use spoken words and have taught
the other peoples of the gift of speech; thus their own name
for their kindQuendi, the Speakers. All of their speech has
ELVES a musical quality when spoken properly, lending itself to
verse. Elven minstrels, then, have had little trouble in main-
taining the histories and epics of their race as a collection of
E lves were the first of the Children of Ilvatar to awak-

en and venture into Middle-earth. Possessing great
nobility and power, they are the only people never to have
wondrous songs and spoken poetry.
There are two major groupings of Elves in Middle-earth.
The Eldar (Q. Elves, People of the Stars) are those exalted
willingly served the Shadow. three kindreds (Vanyar, Noldor, and Teleri) which made the
Elves stand as tall as Mentaller than somethough Great Journey across Middle-earth long before the first
they are of slighter build and greater grace. Their features are dawning of the sun. Most of them settled for a time in Aman
surpassing fair, evoking awe among the lesser peoples. Male (the Undying Lands), or along the shores of now-sunken
Elves are always beardless. Feeling no bite of cold, Elves wear Beleriand. Only the Noldor (High-elves) and Sindar (Grey-
light garb, often sewn with great skill. They revel in the won- elves, who are a group of the Teleri) remained in Middle-
ders of nature, the beauty of songs and tales, the glimmer of earth following the War of Wrath that ended the First Age.
the stars, and the voice of the waters. But in their hearts, they All other Elven kindreds are accounted as Avari (Q. the
also possess great sadness, knowing that all things pass, and Unwilling, the Refusers). They refused to join the westward
that they cannot preserve them. march from Cuivinen. Also known as Silvan Elves, the Ava-
Elves do not age, nor do they die, unless wounds, grief, or ri constitute the majority of the Firstborn. All of the Elves
some artifice of the Enemy takes hold of them and ends their who are not Eldar are Avari, and all of the Avari are
existence in Middle-earth. To other peoples they seem at Moriquendi (Q. Dark Elves), although not all Moriquendi
once aged and ageless, possessing the lore and wisdom of ex- are Avari (i.e., the Sindar, Nandor, and Laiquendi).
perience together with the joyful nature of youth. All the NOTE: Depending on his style of game, a Turambar may
Elves who do pass away are gathered in the Halls of Mandos, wish to restrict the number of Elven characters in his group, be-
the Place of Awaiting, in the far west of Aman (Valinor). cause Elves generally do not care for the troubles of the world out-
There they await the End of the World, or are released back side their hidden and well-protected refuges. In addition, Elves
into the world to replace another of their line who has per- are far more powerful than Men or even Dwarves. But as a Tu-
ished. In a sense, Elves are often reborn as descendants of rambar must ensure that all characters have a personal stake in
themselves.
34
the outcome of the story, he may opt to disallow Elven player bue the objects they create with minor, but often quite useful,
characters altogether. After all, it could be detrimental to a play- enchantments. They automatically have the edge Artificer
ers motivation if he feels that his character is inferior to the Elven (see page 150). They only need a Craft skill at 9+ to use it,
characters of the group. But obviously, what may become a prob- and they can create more powerful items than a non-Elven
lem for one group must not necessarily lessen the enjoyment of craftsman can. See Enchanted Items on page 319 for more
another. details on how to create such items.
BEAST-SKILL: Elves have great rapport with good animals,
such as horses and eagles. They can sense their feelings and
THE NOLDOR thoughts, and call on them for service at need. They receive a
+4 bonus with Ride and other animal-related tests.
The Noldor (Q. The Wise, sing. Noldo) are often called COMFORT: Elves feel no discomfort in hot or cold weath-
High Elves, ostensibly because they are considered the most er, and they suffer no ill effects (either test penalties or dam-
noble of the Elven races in Middle-earth. In reality, the age) from it.
Noldor are so named because they are the only Elves dwell- ELVEN-SLEEP: Elves do not sleep as other peoples do. They
ing in Endor who have ever resided in the Blessed Realm of can obtain all the rest they need through simple relaxation or
Aman across the Sea. This exalted status is accentuated by by letting their minds wander in the strange paths of Elvish
their close ties with the Valar, a relationship which accounts dreams. They recover lost Weariness Levels within but one
for their unique cultural and linguistic roots. Other names third of the time a mortal needs to rest (see page 238).
for the Noldor include Deep-elves, Golodhrim or Gelydh FAIR: All Noldor start with two levels of the Fair talent.
(Sindarin labels), and Nmin (Adan label). FARSIGHTEDNESS: Elvish eyes see farther and better than
Powerful and learned, they have great love of lore and the the eyes of Men, Dwarves, or Hobbits. All Elves have the
arts of making, and hence are superior crafters whose skills Keen-eyed talent at level two. Moreover, they can discern de-
surpass all other peoples abilities, even those of the Dwarves. tailsuch as the number and armament of ridersat up to
The Three Rings of Power worn by Galadriel, Elrond, and ten leagues (30 miles) away, if nothing blocks their view.
Gandalf are among the many precious and potent artefacts GHOST-SCORN: The ghosts of Men hold no terror for the
crafted by Noldorin smiths and artisans. Elves, who are immune to any fear effects they create.
Finw was the first King of the Noldor, who are counted LIGHTFOOTEDNESS: The Elves move swiftly (+4 bonus to
among the Eldar as the Second Kindred. Finws sons Run tests) and silently, even when running (+4 bonus to
Fanor, Fingolfin, and Finarfinproduced the three tradi- Sneak tests, with none of the standard penalties for moving
tional lines which compose the whole of the Noldor. Follow- faster than a walk). They step lightly (4 penalty to Track
ing the rebellion against the Valar, led by the great Noldo tests made to follow them) and can walk on such fragile sur-
craftsman Fanor, they left Aman to settle in Middle-earth. faces as snow, unbent grass, and narrow branches without
By the end of the Third Age, most Noldor had returned to difficulty. Moreover, they have superb balance, rarely falling
Valinor via the Grey Havens, leaving only a few Wandering off even the slenderest branches or narrowest ledges (+4 bo-
Parties or lords of Elven-kingdoms, who yet preferred to re- nus to Acrobatics (Balance) tests).
main in their lands. NOLDORIN LORE: A Noldo receives a +2 bonus to any
one Lore or Craft skill. During character creation, you must
RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS AND ABILITIES choose the skill to which you will apply this bonus.
INNER LIGHT: Because the Noldor have lived among the
REQUISITE: It is recommended that only experienced play- Valar across the Sea, against both the Seen and the Unseen
ers with merits in character-play be allowed to create an El- they have great power. Noldor are able to see the wraith
ven character. world, and can clearly be seen by ghosts and wights (as was
ADJUSTMENTS: +4 Deftness, +2 Nimbleness, +1 the case with Frodo on Weathertop, when he was wearing
Strength, +2 Vigour, +3 Awareness, +3 Bearing, +3 Insight, the Ring). They also receive a +4 bonus on all tests to resist
+2 Wits. or oppose the powers of the Shadow. This includes with-
THE ART: All Elves possess magical qualities, though standing the fear caused by the Nazgl, making attempts to
they do not think of them in those terms. These qualities are Intimidate Saurons servants, and the like. However, it does
simple, natural abilities most often used for crafting and joy, not include tests to attack or defend against foes such as Orcs
not domination and power over people and things. The Art or evil Men. A Noldo born in Middle-earth after the Noldor
of the Elves is delivered from many of the limitations of Sor- returned from Valinor does not have this ability.
cery and passes into all that they make, such as lembas, miru- STAR-SIGHT: Elves see as well on a star-lit night as Men
vor, ithildin, cloaks, ropes, boats, and the like. What is more, would at the height of the day. This ability allows an Elven
the Art allows them to achieve almost any magical effect that character to ignore any modifiers for partial darkness, but it
Sorcery could produce, but it is nearly effortless and untaint- does not work in absolute darkness, or when no light of the
ed. A Noldo may acquire any desired rank, up to his Fa stars or the Moon (or some light made out of it, like the phial
score, in any realm of the Art. Upon completing initial char- of Galadriel) is available.
acter creation, he gets to add 7 free ranks to the Art of SWIFT HEALING: Elves heal with great speed. They all
Thought, Speech, and Perception and starts with Mind-speech have the Swift Recovery talent. Also, they do not become
and Sense Power in his repertory. See Chapter Eleven for de- sick or catch illnesses.
tails. Furthermore, when using Craft skills, all Elves can im-
35
PHYSICAL CHARACTER
LANGUAGE, LORE, AND HOBBY SKILLS
BUILD: Of all Elves, the Noldor are the strongest and
Each character receives a number of skill ranks which he
sturdiest of build, although they are still slimmer than Men. may assign to any culturally appropriate skills of his choice.
Males average 175 pounds at a height of 66; females weigh The exact number of ranks he may distribute depends on his
about 145 pounds at 61. See page 28 for the guidelines on Wits and is specified in the description of each race under
determining an individual characters height and weight. Languages & Hobbies. Appropriate skills include
COLOURING: Most are dark haired and have greyish eyes the listed native tongues (depending on the general level of
which betray a proud demeanour. Descendants of Fingolfin education, 6 to 8 ranks represent the normal speaking level
and Finarfin are often fair haired and blue eyed, for their of the population, as described on page 99),
blood contains Vanyar influences. other Lore skills related to the characters people (such as
ENDURANCE: They avoid carrying great burdens, but are History and Culture Lore) or places where he has lived (for
example, Region Lore), or
capable of travelling 16 to 20 hours a day. any other skill that adds some flavour to the character but
LIFESPAN: Like all Elves, the Noldor are immortal and will has no great relevance in game play and may be considered
only die due to violence or if they get weary of life and lose a hobby.
the will to live. Their immortality is reflected in the time it
Many Artistic, Craft, Lore, and Outdoor skills may qualify
takes them to reach adulthood: Not until the fiftieth year as a hobby skill, but frequently tested or important skills, such
did the Eldar attain the stature and shape in which their lives as Ride or Survival, as well as any complex skills requiring lots
would afterwards endure, and for some a hundred years of professional expertise (such as Weaponsmith, Shipwright, or
would pass before they were full-grown (J.R.R. Tolkien, Act) do not normally qualify. The Turambar has the final say
Morgoths Ring, p.210). When allowing a player to create a on what skills may be considered a characters hobbies.
These bonus skill ranks are in addition to those acquired
Noldo who is even older than a hundred years, the Turam- with development picks during your characters youth and
bar must be aware that he might qualify for receiving a tre- apprenticeship (see Chapter Four). Hobby skill ranks cannot
mendous (and maybe unbalancing) amount of additional de- be used to raise the rank of a non-language skill above the
velopment picks (see page 74). number indicated in Table 4.2 on page 73, but you may ac-
quire additional ranks with your apprenticeship picks. There-
fore, it is generally recommended to allot any hobby skill
ranks before apprenticeship development, or perhaps even be-
CULTURE fore youth development, provided the character acquires a
particular hobby that early. The rank limit for language skills
CLOTHING & DECORATION: They favour rich clothing
varies and is specified in the description of each race.
and fine craftsmanship, and often have the appearance of
great wealth.
FEARS & INABILITIES: As a group, the Noldor suffer from OTHER FACTORS
no particular weaknesses.
LIFESTYLE: Of all the Elves of Middle-earth, the Noldor DEMEANOUR: Regardless of the line, all Noldor are noble
are the most ordered. While their brethren are content to of bearing and carry themselves with assurance. They are
wander or mark time in quiet diffusion, the Noldor seek to haughty and often appear to be arrogant. Of all the Elves,
build communities or states in beautiful, guarded places. they are the most inquisitive and passionate, being full of a
MARRIAGE PATTERN: The Eldar wedded once only in life, desire for experience and expertise in the arts and the ways of
and for love or at the least by free will upon either part. [...] the world. Because of this thirst for knowledge, the Noldor
[They] wedded for the most part in their youth and soon af- have often fallen prey to avidity, impatience, and strife.
ter their fiftieth year. [...] although the wedded remain so for LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Noldorin charac-
ever, they do not necessarily dwell or house together at all ters Wits by 4 and assign the total in skill ranks to language,
times; for without considering the chances and separations of lore, and hobby skills appropriate for his people. See the
evil days, wife and husband, albeit united, remain persons in- above box for details on what skills may qualify as a hobby.
dividual having each gifts of mind and body that differ. [...] it Native Tongues: The Noldorin tongue is called Quenya
came to pass that the Eldar brought forth few children; and (Q. The Speech), and they embrace it as their true tongue
also that their time of generation was in their youth or earlier (no limit on ranks), but largely confine its use to their own
life, unless strange and hard fates befell them. [...] There were environs. It is still the exclusive language of ceremonies, writ-
seldom more than four children in any house, and the num- ings, and oral traditions, regardless of circumstances.
ber grew less as ages passed (J.R.R. Tolkien, Morgoths Ring, For speech outside of their own quiet territory, the
p.210-213). Noldor employ the language of their more numerous Sinda
BELIEFS: There is no formal religion among the Noldor cousins, Sindarin (no rank limit). When dealing with Men or
(or, indeed, any of the Eldar). Therefore, the Noldors ritual peoples unacquainted with Sindarin, they rely on the Com-
customs are centred on informal communal celebration and mon Tongue of Westron (no rank limit), or, more rarely, the
personal meditation. Like the Dwarves, the Noldor are fiery Adnaic of the Nmenreans (up to rank 6).
craftsmen who are fast friends of Aul. The Smith of the Foreign Tongues: Depending on their homeland,
Valar imbued them with a heightened respect for physical Noldor also have the opportunity to learn Labba, or the
objects. It is not surprising, then, to find that the Noldor re- tongue of the Eastern Wood-elves, Bethteur, up to the num-
vere Aul more than any other Vala, save Varda herself. Like ber of ranks indicated in Table 4.2 on page 73. Ranks in the-
all other Elves, they worship her, Elbereth, as kindler of stars. se tongues can only be acquired with development picks.
36
PREJUDICES: The Noldor hate Orcs, Trolls, and Dragons the Sea-longing does not die. Although considered less pow-
above all creatures. Due to their pride, they tend to look erful and wise than the Noldor, the Sindar remain more nu-
down to non-Dnadan Men. merous in the Third Age, and they are renowned for their
RESTRICTIONS: Consciously or not, all Elves know about, gifts of music and song.
or rather feel, the tainted and corrupting nature of Sorcery.
Since the far (Q. souls) of the firstborn Children of Ilvatar RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS AND ABILITIES
are strong enough to practise a different form of magicthe
Artthey do not normally learn any spells of Sorcery. REQUISITE: It is recommended that only experienced play-
Generally, an Elf neither needs to take up an occupation ers with merits in character-play be allowed to create an El-
to earn his living, nor does he usually enjoy to limit himself to ven character.
but a single trade. Therefore, Elves rarely acquire occupa- ADJUSTMENTS: +2 Deftness, +3 Nimbleness, +1
tional training packages (see page 320 on occupations). Strength, +2 Vigour, +3 Awareness, +1 Will, +2 Bearing,
+2 Insight, +1 Wits.
OUTFITTING OPTIONS THE ART: All Elves possess magical qualities, though
they do not think of them in those terms. These qualities are
FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Dagger, simple, natural abilities most often used for crafting and joy,
Longknife, Longsword, Bastard Sword, Shield; Melee, Class not domination and power over people and things. The Art
B: Greatsword, Mace, Falchion, Quarterstaff, Lance; of the Elves is delivered from many of the limitations of Sor-
Ranged, Class A: Longbow, Composite Bow; Ranged, cery and passes into all that they make, such as lembas, miru-
Class B: Javelin, Dagger. vor, ithildin, cloaks, ropes, boats, and the like. What is more,
ARMOUR: Although Noldor are known to wear any kind the Art allows them to achieve almost any magical effect that
of armour, they prefer relatively light armour of superior Sorcery could produce, but it is nearly effortless and untaint-
make, like delicate chainmail or hardened leather. ed. A Sinda may acquire any desired rank, up to 80% of his
CLOTHING: Males: Fine linen, cotton, or silk shirt or Fa score, in any realm of the Art. Upon completing initial
blouse often pure white in colour; jewel-hued velvet or silk character creation, he gets to add 6 free ranks to the Art of
tunic (sapphire, emerald, ruby, amethyst, topaz), sometimes Thought, Speech, and Perception and starts with Mind-speech
with slashed sleeves revealing the shirt beneath, sometimes and Sense Power in his repertory. See Chapter Eleven for de-
sleeveless, usually embroidered or appliqud with geometric tails. Furthermore, when using Craft skills, all Elves can im-
or weapon-inspired motifs; velvet or brocade mantle with bue the objects they create with minor, but often quite useful,
wide sleeves, cape-like body, and varying in length from the enchantments. They automatically have the edge Artificer
hip to the ankles or as high as the knees. Females: Fine linen, (see page 150). They only need a Craft skill at 9+ to use it,
cotton, or silk shift often pure white in colour; jewel-hued and they can create more powerful items than a non-Elven
silk or velvet gown, sometimes with slashed sleeves to reveal craftsman can. See Enchanted Items on page 319 for more
the sleeves of the shift underneath, sometimes sleeveless, of- details on how to create such items.
ten embroidered or appliqud at the neck, hem, sleeves; belt BEAST-SKILL: Elves have great rapport with good animals,
of silk, velvet, or decorative cord that encircles the waist and such as horses and eagles. They can sense their feelings and
the hips to be knotted or otherwise secured in front; soft thoughts, and call on them for service at need. They receive a
slippers or ankle boots; velvet or brocade mantle with wide +4 bonus with Ride and other animal-related tests.
sleeves, cape-like body, and hanging to the ankles. Females COMFORT: Elves feel no discomfort in hot or cold weath-
who leave the Elven havens for travelling often don garb simi- er, and they suffer no ill effects (either test penalties or dam-
lar to that worn by males. age) from it.
STARTING WEALTH: Equipment and valuables worth a to- ELVEN-SLEEP: Elves do not sleep as other peoples do. They
tal of 4d10 silver pieces (SP). See page 180 for modifications can obtain all the rest they need through simple relaxation or
due to Social Rank. by letting their minds wander in the strange paths of Elvish
dreams. They recover lost Weariness Levels within but one
third of the time a mortal needs to rest (see page 238).
THE SINDAR FAIR: All Sindar start with two levels of the Fair talent.
FARSIGHTEDNESS: Elvish eyes see farther and better than
Known as the Grey Elves, the Sindar are Eldar and were the eyes of Men, Dwarves, or Hobbits. All Elves have the
originally part of the great kindred called the Teleri. Alt- Keen-eyed talent at level two. Moreover, they can discern de-
hough they began the journey to Aman, the Sindar chose not tailsuch as the number and armament of ridersat up to
to cross over the Sea to Aman, but to remain in Beleriand ten leagues (30 miles) away, if nothing blocks their view.
and the West of Middle-earth. They, like the Nandor and GHOST-SCORN: The ghosts of Men hold no terror for the
Avari, are therefore counted among the Moriquendi, the Elves, who are immune to any fear effects they create.
Dark Elves who never saw the Light of Valinor. LIGHTFOOTEDNESS: The Elves move swiftly (+4 bonus to
Although their love for the wide lands of Middle-earth is Run tests) and silently, even when running (+4 bonus to
strong, since the end of the First Age they have slowly been Sneak tests, with none of the standard penalties for moving
departing for the Uttermost West. Once awakened in them, faster than a walk). They step lightly (4 penalty to Track
37
tests made to follow them) and can walk on such fragile sur- after their fiftieth year. See the Noldors description for more
faces as snow, unbent grass, and narrow branches without details on marriage customs and child-birth.
difficulty. Moreover, they have superb balance, rarely falling BELIEFS: There is no formal religion among the Sindar.
off even the slenderest branches or narrowest ledges (+4 bo- Therefore, their ritual customs are centred on informal
nus to Acrobatics (Balance) tests). communal celebration and personal meditation, just as those
MUSICAL GIFTS: Grey Elves receive a +3 bonus for Dance, of other Elves. Like the Noldor, they revere Eru Ilvatar and
Musician, and Sing tests. see Varda as their patron Vala. Given their love for sailing
STAR-SIGHT: Elves see as well on a star-lit night as Men and the sea, they also have a special respect for Ulmo, the
would at the height of the day. This ability allows an Elven Lord of Waters.
character to ignore any modifiers for partial darkness, but it
does not work in absolute darkness, or when no light of the OTHER FACTORS
stars or the Moon (or some light made out of it, like the phial
of Galadriel) is available. DEMEANOUR: Of the three Elven races of Middle-earth,
SWIFT HEALING: Elves heal with great speed. They all the Sindar are the quietest and calmest, and appear to be the
have the Swift Recovery talent. Also, they do not become most content. They are less frivolous and playful than the
sick or catch illnesses. Silvan Elves, and are less fiery and passionate than the
Noldor. Sindar feelings are deep and not easily aroused, but
PHYSICAL CHARACTER when they are, they cannot be stayed. This is the root of their
Sea-longing.
BUILD: Thin when compared to Men, the Sindar are near- LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Sindarin charac-
ly as tall as the Noldor but are generally slighter of build. ters Wits by 3.5 and assign the total in skill ranks to lan-
They are more muscular than the Avari. Males average 162 guage, lore, and hobby skills appropriate for his people. See
pounds at a height of 63; females weigh about 137 pounds the box on page 36 for details on what skills may qualify as a
at 511. See page 28 for the guidelines on determining an in- hobby.
dividual characters height and weight. Native Tongues: Their own speech Sindarin has become
COLOURING: Most have fair hair and pale blue or grey the principal speech of all the Elves of North-western Mid-
eyes. Like the Noldor, they have light skin. dle-earth and has heavily influenced Mannish tongues.
ENDURANCE: They do not carry great burdens, but are Nonetheless, the Sindar know Westron (no rank limit),
capable of travelling 16 to 20 hours a day. Bethteur or Silvan Elvish (up to rank 8), and some Quenya
LIFESPAN: Like all Elves, the Sindar are immortal and will (up to rank 6).
only die due to violence or if they weary of life and lose the Foreign Tongues: Depending on their homeland, Sindar
will to live. Not before the age of fifty do they reach maturity, also have the opportunity to learn Adnaic, Atliduk,
and for some a hundred or more years must pass before they Logathig, Nahaiduk, or Rohirric up to the number of ranks
are fully grown. When allowing a player to create a Sinda indicated in Table 4.2 on page 73. Ranks in these tongues
who has long passed the typical starting age, the Turambar can only be acquired with development picks.
must be aware that he might qualify for receiving a tremen- PREJUDICES: The Sindar are great friends of most races
dous (and maybe unbalancing) amount of additional devel- and have remained particularly close to Dwarves. Their chief
opment picks (see page 74). enemies are Orcs, Wargs and Dragons.
RESTRICTIONS: Consciously or not, all Elves know about,
CULTURE or rather feel, the tainted and corrupting nature of Sorcery.
Since the far (Q. souls) of the firstborn Children of Ilvatar
CLOTHING & DECORATION: Sinda clothing is exceedingly are strong enough to practise a different form of magicthe
well made, yet subtle and utilitarian. They do not favour the Artthey do not normally learn any spells of Sorcery.
rich garb of their Noldor cousins. Greys and silvers are their Generally, an Elf neither needs to take up an occupation
chosen colours. to earn his living, nor does he usually enjoy to limit himself to
FEARS & INABILITIES: As a group, the Sindar suffer from but a single trade. Therefore, Elves rarely acquire occupa-
no particular weaknesses. tional training packages (see page 320 on occupations).
LIFESTYLE: The Sindar are the most open and cooperative
of Middle-earths Elves. They are great teachers and borrow- OUTFITTING OPTIONS
ers and have an interest in the works of all races. This is in
contrast to the more inquisitive Noldor, who are quick to FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Dagger,
scoff at things which are subtle or modest in appearance or Longknife, Longsword, Bastard Sword, Shield; Melee, Class
utility. Grey Elves are a settled people and enjoy the company B: Greatsword, Morningstar, Quarterstaff, Spear; Ranged,
of others. Unlike the Silvan Elves, they build towns and ha- Class A: Longbow, Javelin, Spear; Ranged, Class B: Com-
vens and gather in close-knit communities. Many of the Sin- posite Bow, Javelin, Dagger.
dar feel a kinship to the sea. They build superb ships and are ARMOUR: Although Sindar are known to wear any kind
renowned sailors. of armour, they prefer relatively light armour of superior
MARRIAGE PATTERN: Like all Elves, the Sindar wed once make, like delicate chainmail or hardened leather.
only in life, and for love or at the least by free will upon either CLOTHING: Smock of gauze or light silk; close-fitting
part. They marry for the most part in their youth and soon waistcoat or tunic of fine linen, cotton, or heavy silk; tunics
38
vary in length from short garments barely extending below THE ART: All Elves possess magical qualities, though
the waist to long ones slit up the sides for freedom of move- they do not think of them in those terms. These qualities are
ment; leather or metal belt or a sash of linen or silk; close- simple, natural abilities most often used for crafting and joy,
fitting hosiery or a sarong skirt of lucent cloth or heavy silk not domination and power over people and things. The Art
reaching from mid-calf to the ankles; boots or decorative of the Elves is delivered from many of the limitations of Sor-
open sandal's; hip-length cape. The colours of the garments cery and passes into all that they make, such as lembas, miru-
are all variations on white and grey: cream, eggshell, ivory, vor, ithildin, cloaks, ropes, boats, and the like. What is more,
pearl, lemon, charcoal, taupe, blue-grey, rose-grey, green- the Art allows them to achieve almost any magical effect that
grey, smoke, silver, beige, and so on. Embroidery and appli- Sorcery could produce, but it is nearly effortless and untaint-
qu are used sparingly, usually to create texture or pattern (as ed. A Silvan Elf may acquire any desired rank, up to 60% of
with white on white or cream on lemon) rather than for con- his Fa score, in any realm of the Art. Upon completing ini-
trast (white on charcoal or blue-grey on ivory). tial character creation, he gets to add 5 free ranks to the Art
STARTING WEALTH: Equipment and valuables worth a to- of Thought, Speech, and Perception and starts with Mind-
tal of 3d6 silver pieces (SP). See page 180 for modifications speech and Sense Power in his repertory. See Chapter Eleven
due to Social Rank. for details. Furthermore, when using Craft skills, all Elves
can imbue the objects they create with minor, but often quite
THE SILVAN ELVES useful, enchantments. They automatically have the edge Ar-
tificer (see page 150). They only need a Craft skill at 9+ to
use it, and they can create more powerful items than a non-
Also known as Wood-elves and East-elves, these are the Elven craftsman can. See Enchanted Items on page 319 for
Elves who, like the Sindar, did not undertake the journey more details on how to create such items.
across the Sea, preferring to remain in Middle-earth. Those BEAST-SKILL: Elves have great rapport with good animals,
of the Teleri who ceased their journey before even crossing such as horses and eagles. They can sense their feelings and
the Misty Mountains became known as the Nandor (Q., said thoughts, and call on them for service at need. They receive a
to mean those who turn back); some of the Nandor later +4 bonus with Ride and other animal-related tests.
pressed on as far as Ossiriand (the Laiquendi). Others alto- COMFORT: Elves feel no discomfort in hot or cold weath-
gether refused to seek the light of Aman and were labelled as er, and they suffer no ill effects (either test penalties or dam-
the Avari (Q. the Unwilling, the Refusers) when the Eldar age) from it.
departed from the original Elven homeland during the Elder ELVEN-SLEEP: Elves do not sleep as other peoples do. They
Days. Collectively, the Nandor and Avari are also known as can obtain all the rest they need through simple relaxation or
Moriquendi (Q. Dark-elves) because they have never seen by letting their minds wander in the strange paths of Elvish
the Light of the Two Trees. dreams. They recover lost Weariness Levels within but one
The Moriquendi were left to fend for themselves during third of the time a mortal needs to rest (see page 238).
the days when Morgoths Shadow swept over the East. In FAIR: All Silvan Elves start with one level of the Fair tal-
these dark times they were forced into the secluded safety of ent.
the forests of eastern Middle-earth, where they wandered
FARSIGHTEDNESS: Elvish eyes see farther and better than
and hid from the wild Men who dominated most of the
the eyes of Men, Dwarves, or Hobbits. All Elves have the
lands. Hence, they became known as Silvan or Wood-elves.
Keen-eyed talent at level two. Moreover, they can discern de-
Accounted of less wisdom, learning, and majesty than ei-
tailsuch as the number and armament of ridersat up to
ther the Noldor or the Sindar, the Wood-elves outnumber
ten leagues (30 miles) away, if nothing blocks their view.
their cousins. During the Third Age they often live in realms,
GHOST-SCORN: The ghosts of Men hold no terror for the
such as Lrien, ruled by Noldorin or Grey Elves.
Elves, who are immune to any fear effects they create.
NOTE: When creating a Wood-elven character of Avarin or LIGHTFOOTEDNESS: The Elves move swiftly (+4 bonus to
mixed Avarin-Nandorin origin, use the racial adjustments and Run tests) and silently, even when running (+4 bonus to
physical description given below. If you wish to create a Nan- Sneak tests, with none of the standard penalties for moving
faster than a walk). They step lightly (4 penalty to Track
dorin Wood-elf (i.e., one hailing from the Teleri), use the Sin-
tests made to follow them) and can walk on such fragile sur-
dars racial adjustments and physical description (page 37).
faces as snow, unbent grass, and narrow branches without
However, for any other aspects (i.e., racial abilities, culture, youth difficulty. Moreover, they have superb balance, rarely falling
development, and so on) refer to the information presented below. off even the slenderest branches or narrowest ledges (+4 bo-
Note that by the Third Age, most Silvan Elves are of mixed an- nus to Acrobatics (Balance) tests).
cestry and should be created according to the below guidelines. MUSICAL GIFTS: Silvan Elves of Telerin origin receive a
+2 bonus for Dance, Musician, and Sing tests.
RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS AND ABILITIES STAR-SIGHT: Elves see as well on a star-lit night as Men
would at the height of the day. This ability allows an Elven
REQUISITE: It is recommended that only experienced play- character to ignore any modifiers for partial darkness, but it
ers with merits in character-play be allowed to create an El- does not work in absolute darkness, or when no light of the
ven character. stars or the Moon (or some light made out of it, like the phial
ADJUSTMENTS: +2 Deftness, +3 Nimbleness, +2 Vigour, of Galadriel) is available.
+3 Awareness, +1 Will, +2 Bearing, +2 Insight.
39
SWIFT HEALING: Elves heal with great speed. They all informal communal celebration and personal meditation, just
have the Swift Recovery talent. Also, they do not become as those of other Elves. Like all Elves, they worship Varda as
sick or catch illnesses. giver of light and maker of the stars. The principal difference
WOODSY: Silvan Elves receive a +2 bonus for Hunt, Sur- is their strong attachment to the Vala Orom, the Huntsman
vival: Forest, Weather-sense, and Track tests. and Tamer of Beasts.
PHYSICAL CHARACTER OTHER FACTORS

BUILD: Most Wood-elves of Avarin descent are slight of DEMEANOUR: The Wood-elves are a fun-loving but
build, and all are thin by mannish standards. Males average guarded folk. Outward mirth often hides their grim inten-
145 pounds at a height of 511; females weigh about 122 tions. They tend to distrust strangers and outsiders, at least
pounds at 57. See page 28 for the guidelines on determining until they get to know them.
an individual characters height and weight. LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Silvan Elfs Wits
COLOURING: Ruddy of complexion, with sandy hair and by 3 and assign the total in skill ranks to language, lore, and
blue or green eyes. Generalisations are difficult, however, hobby skills appropriate for his people. See the box on page
since they are many groups of Silvan and there is wide varia- 36 for details on what skills may qualify as a hobby.
tion among them. Native Tongues: Silvan tongues, which are often called
ENDURANCE: They do not carry great burdens, but are Wood-speech (Bethteur) are their favoured languages. The
capable of travelling 16 to 20 hours a day. Silvan Elves of Mirkwood and places further west, however,
LIFESPAN: Like all Elves, the Silvan Elves are immortal generally use Sindarin as their native tongue. Because all Elv-
and will only die due to violence or if they weary of life and ish has a song-like quality, however, the slightly unique Sil-
lose the will to live. Not before the age of fifty do they reach van vocal pattern betrays their racial origin, even when they
maturity, and for some a hundred or more years must pass employ the tongues of the Eldar. Most know Westron (up to
before they are fully grown. When allowing a player to create rank 8), and a little Quenya (up to rank 4).
a Wood-elf who has long passed the typical starting age, the Foreign Tongues: Depending on their homeland, Silvan
Turambar must be aware that he might qualify for receiving Elves also have the opportunity to learn Adnaic, Atliduk,
a tremendous (and maybe unbalancing) amount of additional Logathig, and Nahaiduk up to the number of ranks indicated
development picks (see page 74). in Table 4.2 on page 73. Ranks in these tongues can only be
acquired with development picks.
CULTURE PREJUDICES: The Silvan Elves seclude themselves more
readily than the Eldar, for they have a less friendly history of
CLOTHING & DECORATION: Their preferred clothes are relations with Men. They despise Orcs, dislike Dwarves, and
usually forest green, grey, or brown, and range from func- are suspicious of Men.
tional designs to fanciful expressions of individual creativity. RESTRICTIONS: Consciously or not, all Elves know about,
Their garments lack the formality and pomp typical of Nol- or rather feel, the tainted and corrupting nature of Sorcery.
do garb. Since the far (Q. souls) of the firstborn Children of Ilvatar
FEARS & INABILITIES: As a group, the Silvan Elves suffer are strong enough to practise a different form of magicthe
from no particular weaknesses. Artthey do not normally learn any spells of Sorcery.
LIFESTYLE: The culture of the Silvan Elves is best charac- Generally, an Elf neither needs to take up an occupation
terised as unstructured and rustic by Elven standards, but to earn his living, nor does he usually enjoy to limit himself to
rich and relatively advanced when compared to the ways of but a single trade. Therefore, Elves rarely acquire occupa-
Men. They have always been independent, but as of late tional training packages (see page 320 on occupations).
many have settled in kingdoms ruled by the Noldor or Sin-
dar. Still, all the Silvan folk enjoy a good journey or adven- OUTFITTING OPTIONS
ture and most look at life much as a game to be played. Music
and trickery are their favourite pastimes. The Silvan Elves FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Dagger,
are also masters of the wood and know much of wood-craft Longknife, Longsword, Shortsword, Shield; Melee, Class B:
and wood-lore. Hatchet, Broadsword, Spear, Whip; Ranged, Class A: Long
MARRIAGE PATTERN: Like all Elves, the Moriquendi wed Bow, Short Bow; Ranged, Class B: Dagger, Javelin, Spear.
once only in life, and for love or at the least by free will upon ARMOUR: Silvan Elves are a varied group. Some favour
either part. They marry for the most part in their youth and light leather armour (which often is enchanted), while others
soon after their fiftieth year. See the Noldors description for prefer to go without a protective garb, instead relying on
more details on marriage customs and child-birth. Rumours their surpassing reflexes.
have it that in the Elder Days, when Men and Silvan Elves CLOTHING: Weapon-users: Silk or cotton blouse (white,
lived close to one another in parts of Middle-earth, there beige, pale green, or pale grey); trim-fitting tunic (length var-
have been a few unions between Wood-elves and the noblest ies from mid-calf to mid-thigh) of heavy silk and cotton or
houses of the Edain. Refer to page 48 for creating Elven- leather, worked so finely as to drape like fabric (bark brown,
blooded characters. leaf green, storm grey); bandoliers crossing the chest, belt
BELIEFS: There is no formal religion among the around the waist, straps around the limbs to accommodate
Moriquendi. Therefore, their ritual customs are centred on weapon sheaths; leggings of sturdy canvas or supple leather;
40
sandals or soft boots. Non-weapon-users: Flowing gauze NATURE: As the Seven Houses vary in nature, history,
blouse or smock (white, beige, pale green or pale grey fabric and attitude, so do their racial adjustments. Therefore, this
with embroidery from a similar colour spectrum), sometimes section provides a brief description of each of their Houses,
restrained by a gauze or silk sash, otherwise hanging free; silk followed by a general overview of their common features.
leggings, flowing gauze pants similar to a divided skirt, or a Note that a Dwarven character from North-western Middle-
many-gored gauze skirt (matching blouse or smock, or bark earth usually hails from one of the first three Houses. For
brown, leaf green, storm grey); heavy silk or gauze mantle more information on Dwarves, please refer to Dwarves of
fashioned like a cloak with sleeves or elongated (shoulder to Middle-earth: Seven Houses of the Khazd, a book contained
waist) arm openings, usually falling to the ankles, often em- in the Moria boxed set published by Decipher, Inc.
broidered all over to create a leafy texture; sandals ornament-
ed with gems or carved wood.
STARTING WEALTH: Equipment and possessions worth a THE LONGBEARDS
total of 2d6 silver pieces (SP). See page 180 for modifications
due to Social Rank. The Dwarf-kindred best known to Elves and Men of the
Westlands of Middle-earth is Durins folk. Also called the
Longbeardsnot only for the length of their beards, but also
DWARVES for their peculiar longevityDurins people are the most
physically diverse of the Seven Houses. This is in part be-
cause of their eclectic origin and in part due to later influxes
D warves (or Khazd in their own tongue) are a short

and stocky folk, standing between four and five feet
tall, by the measure of Men. Strong and hardy, they endure
of other kindreds into their number, most notably from ris
and Linnars folk. They pride themselves less on the purity of
their breed than on the aura of reverence they enjoy thanks
pain, fatigue, and suffering more readily than other races. At to their illustrious ancestor.
need, they can push themselves hard to cross rough terrain Still in the days of Durin the Deathless, yet long after
quickly or to come to grip with a foe. they had begun the vast delving of Khazad-dm (Moria), the
The Dwarves are descendants of the Seven Fathers, the Longbeards colonised all the mountains encompassing Rho-
original lords crafted from the earth by the Vala Aul. He is vanion: east from Gundabad to the Iron Hills, and south as
the Smith of the Valar, the giver of mountains and master of far as the Dimrill Dale. By the late Third Age, most of these
crafts, and the Dwarves call him Mahal (Khuzdul for Mak- lands have been lost. Only Erebor and the Iron Hills remain
er). They were created first, but Eru forced his servant Aul to them. Following the desolation of Moria by the Balrog,
to delay their awakening until after the coming of the Elves. many of Durins folk have also migrated west to the safety of
The Seven Fathers awoke from sleep in pairs, even as the the Blue Mountains, though no great mansions were delved
Maker had laid them, beneath tall mountains in far-sundered there.
places across the Northlands of Middle-earth. All, that is, ex- ADJUSTMENTS: +1 Deftness, +3 Strength, +3 Vigour, +2
cept for Durin, the Eldest of the Dwarf-kings. He awoke Will, +1 Bearing.
alone, before the others, and wandered the as yet nameless
and unpeopled world under the wheeling stars of heaven.
In the course of his wanderings, Durin chanced upon THE FIREBEARDS
others of his kind, now awakened as he was. These are the
names of the Six, given, according to the later custom of The kindred of ri are instantly recognisable by the fiery
Durins folk, in the ancient northern speech of Men: ri and hue of their beards. ris folk take great pride in their beards,
Linnar, who awoke in the Blue Mountains of the West; Sin- weighting them with silver ornaments that clink and chime as
dri and Thulin in the Far North; Var and Vigds in the East they walk, making themselves all the more conspicuous. The
of East. With each of the Fathers Durin also found others weighting of beards is a mark of status among this tribe, and
gathered, both male and female, whereas to Durin there were strict rules of precedence and honour are observed in the
none he could call his own. Glad was the meeting of the matter of their comportment. Beard-weights denote age, lin-
Dwarves, and the folk revered Durin as First and Eldest. eage, and deeds of renown, and they can only be bestowed by
Some, indeed, took leave of their own Fathers to join the king or the eldest living male of a household. Dwarves of
Durin in his wanderings, and in time they grew into a great ris folk whose beards are so weighted suffer a 1 test
following. Thus it came to pass that the Seven Houses of the modifier to Hide and Sneak tests per 5 points of Renown (or
Dwarves were established. Although these Seven Houses fraction thereof) they have.
have since spread across Middle-earth, each delving mansions ri woke from sleep alongside Linnar, the father of the
for their own abode, they have remained close and have Broadbeams, in the northern reaches of the Blue Mountains,
spawned a universal reputation for ruggedness, practicality, and his descendants have always called that range home. His
and unwavering loyalty. Most groups favour the rocky high- people have a temper to match their appearance: quick,
lands and deep caverns of the mountains, for the Dwarves, haughty, and vengeful, all beyond the normal share of these
perhaps more than any race, remember their origin and her- vices apportioned to the Khazd. At their worst, ris folk
itage. embody the worst that Dwarves are capable of, as was seen in
their murder of Thingol and their war with the Elves of
41
Doriath. Yet, the boastfulness of the Sons of ri is not emp- their western kindred the unwelcome appellation of Gutter-
ty of content. Their house has produced the greatest blade- dwarves. In the latter, they command the fear and respect of
smiths in Middle-earth, and their axes have won glory upon the wild Easterlings. Both postures help them mask a past
many battlefields in defence of the Free Peoples. they would rather forget.
ADJUSTMENTS: +2 Deftness, +4 Strength, +3 Vigour, +1 ADJUSTMENTS: +1 Deftness, +1 Nimbleness, +4
Will, 1 Insight. Strength, +3 Vigour, +1 Will.
THE BROADBEAMS THE STIFFBEARDS

Dwarves, as a race, tend to be heavily set. This is doubly It is said among the Khazd that Thulins folk dwell so
true for Linnars folk. The Sons of Linnar take corpulence to far north that their beards grow stiff from the cold. The tale
new levels, gluttony being their only apparent vice. (Bombur may be apocryphal, but the severity of the arctic climes in
was one of the Broadbeams.) This makes them the butt of which the Sons of Thulin make their home can hardly be ex-
many Dwarf-jokes, but they take it in stride. They have little aggerated. The Stiffbeards tread the uttermost North of
reason to fear public disgrace from other houses, for Linnars Middle-earth, clad in the furs of beasts, wearing little or no
people are the greatest armourers the Dwarves have ever metal, which burns the skin when so chill. For the most part,
produced. their ornaments are carved from wood or bone, bound with
Despite their unwieldy girth, the Broadbeams do not sinew. Taller than most Dwarves and slighter of build, Thu-
shirk their duties either in peace or in war. No less forward lins folk are well adapted to trudging across snowdrifts or
than their fire-bearded neighbours and friends, Linnars war- weaving through tangled taiga in pursuit of prey: of necessity,
riors merely advance with slower steps. In fact, if the Khazd the Stiffbeards, alone of the Seven Houses, procure their
were made immovable in will, Linnars folk are but the physi- own food. Their beards are wispy and grey, their skin pale s
cal embodiment of Dwarf-nature. bone and tough as hide.
During the Elder Days, the smiths of Belegost wove ADJUSTMENTS: +3 Strength, +4 Vigour, +1 Awareness,
matchless mail for the Elves of Doriath and forged visored +2 Will.
helms that would defy Dragon-fire. Even in later times, after
dire affliction had befallen them, the descendants of Linnar
(who gathered under the lordship of Din in the Iron Hills)
still continued to forge armour equal to that created in ages
THE BLACKLOCKS
before.
The Sons of Var are dark and brooding, not only in
ADJUSTMENTS: +2 Deftness, 1 Nimbleness, +4
mood but also in appearance. Dwarves of Vars kindred are
Strength, +3 Vigour, +2 Will, 1 Insight.
readily distinguished by the hue of their beards: black as coal
and thick as wire, often left tangled and unkempt, as if the
THE IRONFISTS Dwarves are in a state of perpetual mourning.
Indeed, the Blacklocks have much to lament, as their his-
tory has been tainted by dealings with the Enemy. This was,
In build and bearding, the Dwarves of Sindris house
however, a crime of the distant past, yet one that continues to
closely resemble their northern cousins beyond the Frozen
haunt them. (More about their implacable feud with the
Sea, the Stiffbeards: tall (for Dwarves), gaunt, and grey. But
Stonefoots that tempted them into alliance with the Dark
unlike the Stiffbeards (or most other Dwarves), Sindris folk
Lord is said in Dwarves of Middle-earth: Seven Houses of the
succumbed to the Shadow when the Dark Lord offered them
gold in payment for arming his minions. In the aftermath of Khazd, published by Decipher, Inc.)
the Last Alliance, the Dwarves of the Westlands universally After the Blacklocks renewed their alliance with the
branded the Ironfists as renegades and turncoats, and ever Stonefoots, they have, in pursuit of their redemption, taken
to a life of wandering throughout the lands of the East and
since Fate has punished them for their treachery: The cata- even the deserts of the South and make war against the do-
clysm of Nmenors downfall ruined their chief city in the minion of Mordor.
Spine of Ardathe great central mountain chain of Middle- ADJUSTMENTS: +2 Deftness, +3 Strength, +3 Vigour, +1
earth, and in the mid-Third Age, winged Dragons finally Awareness, +1 Will, 1 Bearing.
drove out the leaderless remainder of Sindris folk from their
ancient homelands, scattering the Ironfists across Middle-
earth. THE STONEFOOTS
As they found themselves shunned or at best ignored by
the western kindreds, the Sons of Sindri settled, for the most The peoples of the East refer to Vigds folk as Red Dwa-
part, among Easterling tribes. Only by continuing to dwell rves, an appellation alluding to their penchant for staining
among the enemies of the West do they have any hope of a their skin and beards with a pigment extracted from the red
stable existence. Depending on where their itinerant wander- stone that abounds in the Orocarni, their mountainous
ings carry them, the Ironfists may don the indistinct garb of homeland in the East of East. As the origin of this custom is
the travelling tinker, or the ritual paraphernalia of the wiz- a well-kept secret, it has given rise to much unfound specula-
ened shaman. In the former guise, they have earned from tion by Men and Elves, such as the belief that Dwarves are
42
born from stone or that they eat rock for food. The Sons of and other forms of domination, including magical attempts
Vigds humour such idle fancy, preferring to remain enig- to subjugate them.
matic and mysterious. MINE-LORE: Dwarves receive a +3 bonus to any tests per-
Besides that strange custom, the Stonefoots, a brave folk taining to mines and caverns, including Survival: Under-
of fell warriors, are known for having devised a blasting fire ground (Orienteering) or Wisdom tests to find their way
which they used to battle the Dragons that besieged their an- through unexplored caverns or unknown mines.
cient holds. This ingenious defence was contrived with the
aid of thenot yet corruptedWhite Wizard Curunr (Sar- PHYSICAL CHARACTER
uman), who later turned it to wicked purposes of his own.
ADJUSTMENTS: +1 Deftness, +4 Strength, +3 Vigour, +3 BUILD: Short, stocky, strong, with exceptionally strong
Will, 1 Bearing, 1 Insight. limbs. Males average 125 pounds at a height of 46; females
weigh about 115 pounds at 43. See page 28 for the guide-
lines on determining an individual characters height and
ALL DWARVES weight. When creating a Broadbeam, you must either take
the flaw Corpulent or roll with 4d10 (instead of 2d10) to de-
termine your characters weight. The average height of an
In general, the following information applies to all Dwa- Ironfist or a Stiffbeard is 55 (instead of 52).
rves, regardless of the House they belong to. However, what COLOURING: Black, red, or dark brown hair. Fair to rud-
is said about Dwarvish culture and like factors holds particu- dy skin.
larly true for the three Houses of the Westlands. ENDURANCE: Tremendous. They can carry great burdens
over long distances with little rest.
RACIAL ABILITIES LIFESPAN: Dwarves become war-worthy (able to fight
and engage in hard labour) at about age 30. By 40, they have
REQUISITE: Normally, Dwarven player characters must be an appearance of age (by the standards of Men) that belies
male. Dwarf-women seldom walk abroad except at great their vitality and strength. They live for 200 years or more,
need, but if they must go on a journey, they are in appearance with Durins line having the greatest longevity; a Dwarf who
and voice so like to the dwarf-men that other peoples cannot has 240 or more winters is thought old, and becomes swiftly
tell them apart. During their youth skill development (see weaker as time passes. A few Dwarves reach an age of 300.
page 72), all Dwarves must at least acquire a total of six ranks See page 67 to learn more about age and aging.
in any skills from the Craft skill category.
ANIMAL AVERSION: Dwarves get along poorly with ani-
mals. They do not even keep dogs. They suffer a 3 penalty
CULTURE
to Ride tests and other tests for dealing with animals. CLOTHING & DECORATION: Dwarves (of both sexes!)
THE ART: Only the mastersmiths of the Noldor rival the grow thick, luxuriant beards in which they take great pride,
most gifted Dwarven craftsmen in forging weapons and ar- often colouring, forking, or braiding them.
mours, or in cutting gems. Dwarves owe this remarkable fa- FEARS & INABILITIES: Dwarves fear open water and the
cility with materials they delve from the very hearts of their Vala Ulmo, and they have a hard time dealing with animals.
mountain strongholds to the same capability as the Elves: See the respective Racial Abilities above for more details.
They are allowed to acquire any desired rank, up to their Fa LIFESTYLE: Dwarves are superb miners and craftsmen, and
score, in the Art of Enchantment by spending an appropriate unsurpassed stoneworkers. They live in tightly-knit groups
amount of picks, but their skills at this Art is limited to and favour underground cities which are usually cut into rug-
working metals and stone. Dwarves may also acquire the ged hills or mountains.
edges Masterwork and Artificer at a discountboth the pick MARRIAGE PATTERN: Monogamous. Only a third of the
costs and the requisite skill ranks are reduced by one third. race is female. They guard their women and children with
CRAFTSMANSHIP: The Dwarves practise their crafts obses- fierce jealousy and protectiveness. The line is traced through
sively and possess many secrets of making that are unknown the male.
to other peoples. They receive a +2 bonus to all skills of the BELIEFS: Dwarves believe that each lineage has a common
Crafts category that involve forging (for example, Armour- spirit which permeates them all and ties them together. They
smith and Weaponsmith), and to Stonecraft. revere their ancestors above all other things but Mahal their
FEAR OF WATER: Dwarves fear open water and Ulmo, the maker, and believe that in each King exists a part of his pre-
Lord of Waters. They suffer a 10 penalty to all tests involv- decessors. Those of the House of Durin, the Dwarves of Mo-
ing open or running water, like Swimming or Seafaring. ria and the highlands of Wilderland, believe their Kings to all
FIRESTARTING: Dwarves have great skill at starting fires, be one DwarfDurin the Deathless.
even in rainy weather. They receive a +2 bonus to all Survival
(Start Fires) tests. OTHER FACTORS
HARDNESS OF BODY: Dwarves receive a +2 bonus to their
Stamina. Rarely falling ill, they receive an additional +5 bo- DEMEANOUR: Dwarves are a hardy folk, as hardy in mind
nus to Stamina tests or other tests to resist disease. as they are in body. They are stern, often stubborn and
HARDNESS OF MIND: Dwarves are strong-willed, and they proud, and resist any attempt to dominate or sway them.
steadfastly resist any efforts to control them. They receive a They rarely forget insults or wrongs done to them or their
+2 bonus to any Fortitude and Will tests to withstand Fear families, even over centuries, and they take the burdens of
43
vengeance (and other obligations) placed upon them serious- STARTING WEALTH: Dwarven coinage worth the equiva-
ly. But they never forget a favour or kindness, either, and lent of 3d6 silver pieces (SP). See page 180 for modifications
thus the old adage proves true: No friend ever did a Dwarf a due to Social Rank.
favour, no enemy a wrong, without being repaid in full.
LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Dwarven charac-
ters Wits by 3 and assign the total in skill ranks to language,
lore, and hobby skills appropriate for his people. See the box
HOBBITS
on page 36 for details on what skills may qualify as a hobby.
Native Tongues: Among themselves, Dwarves speak
Khuzdul, a harsh-sounding, guarded tongue known by virtu-
ally no one but themselves. When in public or about in the
H obbits have an unclear origin, although it appears
they arose in the east in the First Age, at about the
same time as Men. Indeed, they are said to be distantly akin
wild, Dwarves speak Westron (up to rank 8), the Common to Men, though they are shorter and less stocky than Dwa-
Speech, or one of the Elvish tongues: Sindarin or Bethteur rves, with a height between two and four feet. Hence they are
(up to rank 5). known as Halflings among Men. Their habits, however, are
Foreign Tongues: Depending on their homeland, Dwa- unique: they burrow and dig and reside in holes; thus their
rves also have the opportunity to learn Atliduk, Dunael, name Kuduk, which means hole-dweller (from the ancient
Logathig, or Nahaiduk, up to the number of ranks indicated Rhovanion Hobbitish kd-dkan).
in Table 4.2 on page 73. Ranks in these tongues can only be NATURE: Hobbits define three strains among their peo-
acquired with development picks. ple, each identifiable by common preferences, habits, and
PREJUDICES: Orcs, Wargs, and Dragons are the sworn en- qualities:
emies of all Dwarven-kind. Above all other races, they des-
pise these the most, although they are extremely suspicious of
Elves and sorcerers, too. No Dwarf will ever forget the sly FALLOHIDES
words of Sauron, one whose conjuring enslaved many of their
great lords. The least numerous type of Hobbit, Fallohides are taller
RESTRICTIONS: Dwarves are excellent craftsmen, hence and slimmer and have fairer skin and hair than their breth-
they prefer to take up occupations (see page 320) related to ren. They also have more skill with language and song than
forging, stoneworks, and mining. For the same reason, Dwa- with craftwork. Oft possessing a streak of boldness and a
rves usually do not bother to learn spells of Sorcery. By virtue sense of adventure unusual in Hobbits, they love trees and
of their skill at engineering complex machinery and crafting woodlands and enjoy the company of Elves. Like Bilbo and
tools, they simply do not need to adopt themselves to this Frodo, both of whom had a strong Fallohide strain in their
prosaic form of magic. Nevertheless, although Dwarves are ancestry, they often become leaders among their people.
incapable of employing the Art at the same scope as the ADJUSTMENTS: +2 Deftness, +2 Nimbleness, 6
Elves, their most gifted smiths do craft items of remarkable Strength*, +3 Vigour, +2 Awareness, +2 Will, 1 Insight.
magical quality while singing in the deepest smithies of their
mountain halls. NOTE: A Hobbits total Strength score cannot drop below
his basic Strength divided by 2 due to racial and gender ad-
justments.
OUTFITTING OPTIONS
FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Hatchet, Battle-
axe, Warhammer, Mace, Shield; Melee, Class B: Dagger, HARFOOTS
Shortsword, Club, Spear; Ranged, Class A: Hatchet, Dag-
ger; Ranged, Class B: Shortbow. The most numerous of the Hobbits, Harfoots tend to be
ARMOUR: Dwarves seem to have a natural facility with short than most of their folk, with browner skin. Their neat
any kind of armour, and they are equally gifted at making and nimble fingers make them good at craftwork, and they
them. Yet, they favour chainmail the most. While travelling, have better relations with Dwarves than other hobbits do.
they prefer lighter armours made of soft and/or hardened They favour highlands and hillsides, and they have retained
leather. Due to their size, rather small shields are the most the old Hobbit custom of living in holes and tunnels.
common choice among Dwarves who wield one-handed ADJUSTMENTS: +3 Deftness, +3 Nimbleness, 7
weapons. When great battles are ahead, some rely on Wall Strength*, +2 Vigour, +2 Awareness, +2 Will, 1 Bearing.
Shields instead.
CLOTHING: Outer Garb: Detachable hood with flaps
sewn into it, permitting the face to be covered; heavy cloak STOORS
fastened with a decorated brooch; tall boots of heavy leather;
these garments are bright solid coloursscarlet, forest green, Broader and heavier than other Hobbits, and with larger
blue, golden yellow, royal purple. Inner Garb: A leather jer- feet and hands, Stoors are most common in the Marish and
kin or woollen tunic of a deep hue (maroon, pine green, navy Buckland. They have less shyness of men than their cousins
blue, brownish black); a wool or linen shirt (usually a deep do, and they are the only Hobbits who know aught of
hue, sometimes white); closefitting trousers of deep-hued swimming, boats, and fishing. They prefer to live in flatlands
leather or wool; shoes or inner-boots of soft leather. and beside rivers.
44
ADJUSTMENTS: +2 Deftness, +3 Nimbleness, 6 less, the most distinguishing features of Stoors are their huge
Strength*, +3 Vigour, +2 Awareness, +2 Will, 1 Bearing. hands and feet (large even by Hobbit standards) and fre-
quent beard growth.
ENDURANCE: Hobbits have a subtle ruggedness which is
ALL HOBBITS akin to that of Dwarves and Orcs. When pushed, they can
travel long distances over tough terrain, despite the fact that
Hobbits of all types share the following characteristics: their normal routine requires frequent meals and relaxation.
LIFESPAN: Hobbits have long childhoods, coming of age at
RACIAL ABILITIES 33; they refer to the carefree and irresponsible twenties as the
tweens. Birthdays are an occasion of much celebration in
SIX MEALS A DAY: All Hobbits automatically start off which the ribadyan (celebrant) both receives and gives away
with 4 ranks in the skill Cook: Food. Additional ranks must presents, often mathoms, objects Hobbits have no use for but
be acquired as usual, though. do not wish to throw away. Most Hobbits live longer than
SOFT-FOOTED: Hobbits move swiftly and silently, often ordinary Men, but still a Hobbit older than 100 is considered
disappearing so quickly that it seems like magic to the Big quite elderly and respectable. See page 67 on age and aging.
Folk (Men). They receive a +4 bonus to Sneak tests, and any
who try to track them suffer a 3 penalty to the Track test. CULTURE
SURE AT THE MARK: Hobbits accuracy with thrown ob-
jects and shot weapons is legendary among those who know CLOTHING & DECORATION: They wear comfortable linen
them. They receive a +3 bonus to hit targets with Bows and or wool clothes in bright colours, particularly yellow and
Throw tests. green, and they bear curly dark hair both on their heads and
TOUGH AS OLD TREE-ROOTS: Though unused to hard la- on the tops of their leathery feet, on which they rarely wear
bour or dangers, Hobbits possess a curious toughness and re- shoes. Occasionally, they don hats.
sistance to domination. They receive a +3 bonus to Fortitude FEARS & INABILITIES: Hobbits shy away from the bizarre
tests. or unusual, but otherwise have normal dispositions.
WANDERING SONGS: Although they are not aware of it, LIFESTYLE: Generally good-natured, peaceful, hospitable,
Hobbits are capable of working minor magic by humming filled with laughter, and possessing a great love of good food
tunes while they are wandering. If a Hobbit succeeds with a and drink (they consume six meals a day), Hobbits keep to
TN 20 Sing test and is still within the boundaries of the themselves in the land they call the Shire, though a number
Shire, he and any Hobbit friends who listen to him or join of them lives in Bree and its neighbouring villages as well.
him singing accumulate only half the normal amount of wea- They are capable craftsmen, but are not friends of com-
riness points for walking at an easy pace. Outside the Shire, a plex machines or magic. Their vices are few: six hefty meals a
party of singing Hobbits accumulates but three quarters of day, pipe weed smoking, and bright apparel. Still, regardless
the normal amount of weariness points for walking. Under of this dull and insular lifestyle, the Hobbits steady approach
normal conditions, the effect of one such Wandering Song to life has proved successful; in the face of wars, plagues, and
lasts for a four hours. famines, they have survived relatively undisturbed.
Some Hobbits are curious enough to travel or adventure
PHYSICAL CHARACTER a bit, and the Fallohides have produced a considerable num-
ber of rather bold individuals. Each Hobbit tribe has its own
BUILD: Smallest of the speaking people, Hobbits average favourite locale: Fallohides enjoy woodlands found in cool
between two and four feet in height, and tend to be fat or northern climes; Harfoots favour hillsides and highlands;
podgy. They have large and hairy feetto the point of being and Stoors prefer riversides and flatlands. Accordingly, their
furry. The Fallohides are the tallest (average: males, 36, 63 preferences have had an effect on their living patterns. The
pounds; females 31, 50 pounds). The Harfoots are the conservative Harfoots, for instance, have always had sites for
smallest in size (average: males, 211, 47 pounds; females their traditional smials or Hobbit-hole houses, while the
28, 41 pounds) The Stoors are the stockiest Hobbit folk Stoors and Fallohides have begun relying on surface dwell-
and often appear shorter than some of the Harfoots because ings of wood, brick, or stone.
of their wide profile. Generally, however, they are taller than All the Hobbits enjoy the simple life of farmers, millers,
Harfoots and shorter than Fallohides (average: males, 34, and craftsmen. Workshops and sheds dot their territories,
60 pounds; females 211, 41 pounds). uniformly low structures, for the Halflings hate towers and
See page 28 for guidelines on determining an individual rarely build above the first story.
Hobbit characters height and weight. The Hobbits of the Shire recognise the authority of a
COLOURING: The Fallohides have fair skin and, of all the leader they call the Thain, though he does little actual gov-
groups, resemble Men the most. The most common Hob- erning, it rarely being needed. The chief of the Took family
bits, the Harfoots, are the darkest in colour, having brown holds this office. Their largest town, Michel Delving, has a
skin and hair. Neat and uniformly beardless, they are in mayor elected every seven years. A group of Hobbits called
many ways the picture of the average Hobbit. The Stoors the Watch, or the Shirriffs, keeps the peace and rounds up
colouration is somewhat of a compromise, for they have curly stray animals. Three Shirriffs patrol each farthing, and sever-
brown hair which resembles that of the Harfoots. Nonethe- al Bounders keep undesirables from crossing the borders.
45
MARRIAGE PATTERN: Hobbits are monogamous, and CLOTHING: Males: White or cream linen shirt; colourful
bachelorhood (like that of the Ringbearers) is rare: most (royal blue, scarlet, grass green) waistcoat or jerkin, often
marry. Having a fondness for genealogy, Hobbits typically embellished with embroidery or made from an ornate bro-
trace family lines both paternally and maternally, although cade; leather belt with a pewter, gold or brass buckle; loose
Stoors trace their lines only through the maternal side. woollen trousers with legs that reach anywhere from just be-
BELIEFS: as might be expected, Hobbitish religion is ex- low the knee to just above the ankle, often stripped (bright
tremely folksy and mundane. The whole of it, not unlike the yellow, blue, orange), always vibrantly dyed. Females: White
Elves, is spent in an uncomplicated celebration of the won- or cream linen blouse and petticoat; dirndl-styled woollen
ders and gifts of nature, although Hobbits are not likely to jumper in a bright hue (lemon yellow, fuchsia pink, sky blue,
know the names of the Valar. They simply play games, write apple green turkey red), reaching to mid-calf; bodice (in a
happy poems, and dance. But unlike Elves, Hobbits do not contrasting colour) that laces up the front; lace or crocheted
feel that they have celebrated until they have finally eaten so shawl knotted around the top of the shoulders; white or
much that they can do nothing but sit and chuckle, which is cream linen apron.
in truth the favourite Hobbitish sport. In short, Hobbits are STARTING WEALTH: 5d6 silver pennies of Arnorian mint.
born, live, and die in joyful harmony with their world, main- See page 180 for modifications due to Social Rank.
taining a delightfully child-like relationship with the powers.
OTHER FACTORS MEN

DEMEANOUR: Hobbits are basically cheery, conservative,
unassuming, and peaceful folk. Ambition is not part of their
makeup. Most are conformists who avoid the unknown and
shun adventure, preferring instead to stay within the com-
T he most numerous and diverse of the Free Peoples in
the Third Age, but also among the most numerous
and powerful of the Dark Lords servants, Men live through-
forts of neat, humble villages. out Middle-earthfrom the farthest East to western Er-
LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Hobbits Wits by iador, from the jungles and deserts of Harad to the northern
3 and assign the total in skill ranks to language, lore, and wastes. Some are short and ill-favoured, others tall and
hobby skills appropriate for his people. See the box on page broad-shouldered. Some speak in harsh dialects, others with
36 for details on what skills may qualify as a hobby. fair words. Some honour the spirit of the Valar, while others
Native Tongue: All Hobbits speak Westron, with some heed only Sauron.
Hobbit words specific to themselves. These words come Men were the Secondborn and first arose in the Far East
from their original Kuduk tongue, which was abandoned during the First Age. There, in a land called Hildrien, they
when they migrated out of Rhovanion in the 13th and 14th awoke to find a wild continent, and it was some time before
centuries of the Third Age. they first encountered the Firstborn, or Elves. The Eldar
Foreign Tongues: Some Hobbits also have the oppor- gave them the name Hildor (E. Followers), although they are
tunity to learn Sindarin or Adnaic, up to the number of now more commonly called Atani (Q.) or Edain (S.) which
ranks indicated in Table 4.2 on page 73. Ranks in these both mean Second People.
tongues can only be acquired with development picks. Men differ from the Elves in many ways, the least subtle
PREJUDICES: Fallohides are the most prone to mingle with of which is their Gift of Death. Men are mortal and live
the Big Folk. Stoors rarely deal with other races and the Har- their brief lives with a fire and passion unlike any other race.
foots, for the most part, prefer to interact with the grim They are also more varied in nature and often flawed and
Dwarves. All Hobbits share in hating Wargs and Orcs. vulnerable. Unlike the Firstborn, they are quite susceptible to
RESTRICTIONS: Hobbits are more disinclined to use magic disease and temperature extremes. At the same time, howev-
than any other race. They are a superstitious lot, fearing what er, they rarely weary of life.
they do not know or understand. Besides, Hobbits simply are There are two greater groupings of Men: the High Men,
not interested in the complexity of the theory, philosophy, who are commonly called Edain (sing. Adan); and the Com-
and alchemy of Sorcerybut maybe it is their very inno- mon Men, those who did not ally themselves with the Elves
cence that makes them recoil from its tainted nature. There- in the wars against Morgoth. Some speak of the Northmen
fore, the rare example of a Hobbit magician would probably as a third group, Middle Men, who are racially close to the
concentrate on spells useful for comfort and entertainment. Edain, but did not benefit from any contact or alliance with
Hobbits favour occupations (see page 320) related to the Elves.
cooking, farming, gardening, and similar activities. Blessed by their faith in Eru Ilvatar and his Vala serv-
ants, the Adan line is special. High Men are exceptionally
OUTFITTING OPTIONS large; their great bones and musculature gives them a grand
appearance, and only the Noldor Elves rival their strength.
FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Dagger, Club; They are not as nimble or resilient as the Elves, however.
Melee, Class B: Shortsword, Hatchet; Ranged, Class A: The hair of the Edain is dark brown or coal-blacktheir
Dagger, Knife, Shortbow, Stones; Ranged, Class B: n/a. eyes blue, grey, or blackand they tend toward fair skin. In
ARMOUR: Hobbits usually wear no armour at all, but the Elder Days, those of pure blood lived as long as 250 to
sometimes (especially in the cold seasons) they don clothes 300 years, with their nobles sometimes reaching an even
that can be considered soft leather or quilted armour. higher age.
46
Common Men are more numerous and less blessed. princely houses of the Dnedain, (for example, Stewards like
Stocky and relatively short, they have produced a wide varie- Denethor II. and Princes like Imrahil of Dol Amroth), as
ty of types. Their hair and skin colours vary from the deepest well as their direct descendants (for example, Rangers like
brown and blacks to the lightest shades of blond and cream. Aragorn). As a rule of thumb, Social Rank +5 or greater is a
Unlike the Edain, many wear beards and moustaches. From requisite for creating a pure-blooded Dnadan.
their ranks come the vast majority of Middle-earths Man- Even several hundred years before that time, a Turambar
nish lines. may require that a character has Social Rank +3 or greater to
NATURE: By the reckoning of the Men of Gondor in the create a pure-blooded Dnadan. Thus, the vast majority of
late Third Age, there are four types of Men: The Dnedain characters with a Dnadan ancestry are lesser Dnedain or
(described immediately below), the Middle Peoples (pages ordinary Gondorians and Eriadorians, respectively.
52 to 57), the Men of Darkness (pages 59 to 64), and the ADJUSTMENTS: +1 Deftness, +1 Nimbleness, +2
Wild Men (pages 65 to 66). Strength, +2 Vigour, +1 Awareness, +1 Will, +2 Bearing.,
+1 Insight, +1 Wits.
ASTUTE: Like all Men, Dnedain excel in learning skills at
THE DNEDAIN a young age. Their astute nature merits a one time bonus of
10 apprenticeship development picks which may be spent on
any appropriate skills.
T hese are the Men descended from the Edain who

were given the island of Nmenor, but who later re-
turned to Middle-earth, either during the days of the rule of
FAIR: All pure-blooded Dnedain start with one level of
the Fair talent.
SKILLED: With minds capable of unwavering focus,
Westernesse there, or with Elendil and his sons after the Dnedain have learned much lore and developed a great
Downfall. They founded the realms of Arnor and Gondor, body of skills. After you have completed your characters
and rule Gondor still. Though a mingling with lesser Men youth development, add +2 ranks to one skill, or +1 rank to
has much diminished their blood, a few of pure heritage, or each of two skills. The(se) skill(s) should be particularly cru-
in whom the qualities of the Nmenreans live again, still cial to the specific Dnadan culture he was brought up in,
remain by the end of the Third Age, such as the Rangers of like Seafaring for Corsairs, Black Nmenreans, and coastal
the North, or Faramir of Gondor. Some Dnedain, known Gondorians, Survival for the Rangers of the North, or His-
as the Black Nmenreans, long ago went to live in the tory for a young Anrien noble.
South and East, where they founded realms among lesser TIRELESS: All Dnedain start with one level of the Tireless
Men and became followers of Sauron. Yet another group of edge.
Dnedain are the Corsairs of Umbar, the descendants of
Castamir (the Usurper) of Gondor and his followers, the PHYSICAL CHARACTER
Captains who fled Gondor in the latter days of the Kin-strife.
NATURE: Among all three branches of Dnedain, indi- BUILD: Strong and imposing, males average 190 pounds at
viduals of pure or merely faintly diminished Nmenrean a height of 62; females weigh about 140 pounds at 58. See
heritage have become exceedingly rare over the course of the page 28 for the guidelines on determining an individual char-
Third Age. Therefore, the physical character and the racial acters height and weight.
abilities of two categories of Nmenreansthe pure- COLOURING: The Faithful and the Corsairs: Fair skin
blooded and the lesser Dnedainare described separately. and black or dark brown hair. They have grey, hazel, blue, or
Following these two articles, the three distinct Dnadan cul- green eyes. Black Nmenreans: After long years in the hot
tures are presented: the Faithful Dnedain of Gondor and South, they have tanned, grey-brown skin, and black hair.
Arnor, the Corsairs, and the Black Nmenreans. Their piercing eyes are various shades of grey.
ENDURANCE: Considerable; most Dnedain can obtain all
the rest they need by sleeping but five to six hours a night.
PURE-BLOODED DNEDAIN LIFESPAN: Due to their (by Mannish standards) extraor-
dinary long lifespan, the Dnedain do not reach adulthood
Regardless of to which group they belong, all pure- long before their twenty-fifth year. In the early days of
blooded Dnedain share the following characteristics: Nmenor, when they did not yet doubt the Gift of Death,
the Dnedain frequently lived to more than two hundred
RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS AND ABILITIES years. Their descendants likewise have a longer lifespan and
greater vigour than lesser Men, but even those benefits have
REQUISITE: After around mid-Third Age, this category of dwindled, so that one such as King Elessar, who dies at 210,
Men should only be used for the members of the royal and is unique. See page 67 on age and aging.
47
THE ELVEN-BLOODED
Only three times have Men joined with Noldor, or Sindar of high rank, and the histories of those unions and their offspring
are well-known. But some houses of Men, such as the princely house of Dol Amroth, show signs of ancient Elvish ancestry, likely
from the Elder Days when Men and Silvan Elves lived close to one another in parts of Middle-earth.
While no player character could truly be Half-elven like Elros Tar-Minyatur or his brother Elrond without changing the
history of Middle-earth, some could be Elven-blooded like Prince Imrahil. Elven-blooded Men are fair of feature (having the Fair
talent at level 1 as a racial ability) and always beardless like their Elven ancestors. They sometimes have other abilities associated
with Elves as well and may acquire Accurate, Keen-eared, Keen-eyed, or Night-eyed (at level 1), for example.
An Elven-blooded character must have the following minimum basic attribute scores: Nimbleness 14, Vigour 12, Awareness 14,
Bearing 13, Insight 13, Wits 12. In addition, a Social Rank of at least +6 will normally be required to create an Elven-blooded char-
acter. If a character qualifies, he should then take the racial adjustments of the Dnedain, but otherwise develop his skills as for his
chosen Mannish culture.
LIFESPAN: The lesser Dnedain reach maturity at around

the age of twenty. If not slain in battle, taken by illness, or
LESSER DNEDAIN laid low by mischance, most of them live about ninety to one
hundred years. See page 67 on age and aging.
Regardless of to which group they belong, all lesser
Dnedain share the following characteristics:
THE FAITHFUL
RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS AND ABILITIES
During the Second Age, the Dnedain of Nmenor re-
REQUISITE: Even lesser Dnedain become increasingly ra- turned to explore, trade with, colonise, and later conquer
re as the Third Age passes. Thus, a Social Rank of at least many areas along the western, southern, and eastern coasts of
+3 is normally required to create a lesser Dnadan character. Middle-earth; so great was their power and glory that many
If a character neither qualifies for being a pure-blooded of the lesser Men they subjugated believed they were gods.
nor a lesser Dnadan, use the physical characteristics, ad- Unfortunately, the Dnedains hubris and desire for power
justments, and abilities of Gondorians, Eriadorians, orin led them to attempt an invasion of the Velars Undying
case of Black Nmenreans from diminished lines Lands. As a result, Eru (the One) destroyed their home is-
Haradrim instead. For the purpose of youth skill develop- land in S.A. 3319.
ment and determining their cultural outlook, you can still re- Those called the Faithful opposed the policies and jeal-
fer to the Dnadan groups described below. ous Elf-hatred that prompted the Downfall of Nmenor.
ADJUSTMENTS: +1 Strength, +2 Vigour, +1 Awareness, The Faithful, led by Elendil the Tall and his sons Isildur and
+1 Will, +2 Bearing. Anorian, were saved when Westernesse sank, sailing east to
ASTUTE: Like all Men, lesser Dnedain excel in learning North-western Middle-earth. There they founded the
skills at a young age. Their astute nature merits a one time Realms in Exile, the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor.
bonus of 10 apprenticeship development picks which may be YOUTH SKILL DEVELOPMENT: For a Dnadan hailing from
spent on any appropriate skills. Arnor or one of its successor realms (Arthedain, Cardolan,
SKILLED: With minds capable of unwavering focus, the and Rhudaur), the number of skill ranks he can obtain dur-
lesser Dnedain have learned much lore and developed a ing his youth development should be looked up in the entry
great body of skills. After you have completed your charac- labelled Dnedain, Inland of Table 4.2 (page 73). For a
ters youth development, add +2 ranks to one skill, or +1 Gondorian Dnadan, select the entry which is more appro-
rank to each of two skills. The(se) skill(s) should be particu- priate for him (i.e., choose between Dnedain, Coastal and
larly crucial to the specific Dnadan culture he was brought Dnadan, Inland).
up in, like Seafaring for Corsairs, Black Nmenreans, and
coastal Gondorians, Survival for the Rangers of the North, SPECIAL RACIAL ABILITIES
or History for a young Anrien noble.
THE ART: Unlike any other Men, some gifted Faithful
PHYSICAL CHARACTER Dnedain are capable of wielding the Art, the subtle and un-
tainted form of magic favoured by the Elves. Although this
BUILD: Strong of build, males average 175 pounds at a hints at a distant relationship between the Elves and some
height of 6; females weigh about 136 pounds at 57. See houses of the Dnedain, a Dnadan character can never mas-
page 28 for the guidelines on determining an individual char- ter the Art like the Elves do. Instead, this racial ability simply
acters height and weight. allows him to acquire any desired rank, up to one third of his
COLOURING: The Faithful and the Corsairs: Fair skin Fa score, in (1) the Art of Enchantment and (2) the Art of
and black or dark brown hair. They have grey, hazel, blue, or Thought, Speech, and Perception by spending an appropriate
green eyes. Black Nmenreans: After long years in the hot amount of picks. (Among the Black Nmenreans and the
South, they have tanned, grey-brown skin, and black hair. Corsairs, hardly anyone can wield the Art because both
Their piercing eyes are various shades of grey. groups renounce the legacy of the ancient friendship between
ENDURANCE: The Corsairs do not get seasick. the Elves and the High Men of Nmenor.)
48
CHAPTER THREE: RACES AND CULTURES
CULTURE OUTFITTING OPTIONS

CLOTHING & DECORATION: Gondor: Rich and well FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Broadsword,
made, with elaborate collars. The Dnedain of lowland Longsword, Shortsword, Bastard Sword, Halberd, Spear,
Gondor wear light tunics and often go without leggings. Shield; Melee, Class B: Battleaxe, Dagger, Greatsword,
Those of colder areas wear more. They favour feathers and Morningstar, Mace, Warhammer; Ranged, Class A: Com-
white symbols on dark fields. Men grow their hair to their posite Bow, Spear; Ranged, Class B: Dagger, Longbow.
shoulders, women to their waist. Arnor: Traditionally sim- ARMOUR: Dnedain warriors have access to some of the
ple and elegant among the Arthedain. Cardolani and best armour made, as well as the powerful physique necessary
Rhudaurans favour more functional clothing. Leggings and to feel comfortable in the heavier types.
tunics are the norm. CLOTHING: Arnorian Males: Linen, silk or woollen un-
FEARS & INABILITIES: The Dnedain descended from the dershirt, in a rich colour (maroon, celestial blue, purple, navy
Faithful do not so much fear death as dread the ending of blue), with close fitting sleeves; woollen under-hose; silk or
their works upon Arda, but their obsession with burial rites woollen outer hose; flowing silk, or woollen tunic (rich hues)
is seen by most other peoples as a fear of death. with wide, flowing sleeves ornamented with fine embroidery
LIFESTYLE: Well organised, comfortable, and centred and appliqu; decorative leather belt often set with precious
around cosmopolitan cities and towns. stones; silk or woollen collar covering the shoulders and often
MARRIAGE PATTERN: Monogamous. The line is traced the neck, decorative bands of embroidery at the top and bot-
through the male. While the Dnedain of Gondor and Ar- tom edges; soft slippers; stout outer boots; quilted cape with
nor often marry folk of other races, the Black Nmenreans generous hood and wide sleeves; fur over-cloak. Arnorian
avoid to do so. Females: Linen, silk or woollen undershift, in a rich colour
BELIEFS: There is no formal religion among the Dnedain (royal blue, deep red, sky blue, violet, midnight blue), with
of Gondor and Arnor. Therefore, their ritual customs are re- close fitting sleeves; woollen under-hose; silk or woollen out-
strained and personal. They revere Eru Ilvatar and all the er hose; flowing silk, or woollen gown (rich hues) with wide,
Valar, especially Manw, Orom and Varda. They have flowing sleeves ornamented with fine embroidery and appli-
elaborate burials involving preservation of the body. qu; decorative leather belt or girdle often set with precious
stones; silk or woollen collar covering the shoulders and often
OTHER FACTORS the neck, decorative bands of embroidery at the top and bot-
tom edges; headpiece of lace or embroidered fabric, crescent-
DEMEANOUR: Noble, confident, impatient, proud, and of- shaped, with one point hanging onto the forehead; soft slip-
ten haughty. Many see themselves as teachers and guides to pers; leather ankle boots; quilted cape with generous hood
the lesser Men of Middle-earth. and wide sleeves; fur over-cloak.
LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Dnadans Wits Gondorian Males: Silk or linen undershirt, usually white
by 3 and assign the total in skill ranks to language, lore, and or a pastel; rich hued silk or linen waistcoat with elaborate
hobby skills appropriate for his people. See the box on page sleeves (gathered, slashed, multiple puffs), close-fitting bod-
36 for details on what skills may qualify as a hobby. ice, and wide skirt pieces; belt of finely dyed leather and gold
Native Tongues: Their original tongue was Adnaic (up or silver links; decorative collar, elaborately embroidered,
to rank 7), but nowadays Westron is their mother tongue. covering the shoulders but revealing the neck; sandals or soft
Many also speak Sindarin (up to rank 7) and a little Quenya shoes; quilted cape with generous hood and wide sleeves.
(up to rank 2). Gondorian Females: Silk or linen undershift, usually white
Foreign Tongues: Gondorians also have the opportunity or a pastel, often sleeveless; rich hued silk or linen gown with
to learn Haradaic and Rohirric, and Arnorians may learn elaborate sleeves (gathered, slashed, multiple puffs), close-
Dunael or Labba, up to the number of ranks indicated in fitting bodice; silk sash or girdle; decorative collar, elaborate-
Table 4.2 on page 73. Ranks in these tongues can only be ac- ly embroidered, covering the shoulders but revealing the neck
quired with development picks. and chest; sandals or soft shoes; quilted cape with generous
PREJUDICES: The Dnedain of Gondor hate the Corsairs, hood and wide sleeves.
for they blame them for the Kin-strife, Gondors civil war. STARTING WEALTH: 2d6 silver pieces (SP), modified ac-
They also despise the Black Nmenreans. Dunlendings, cording to a characters Social Rank (see page 180).
Haradrim, Wargs and Orcs have always been their enemies,
as were the Angmarrim for their northern brethren.
RESTRICTIONS: None, although most Dnedain will, due
to their superior rank in society, usually only acquire guilded
or noble occupational packages (see page 320).
49
CORSAIRS hobby skills appropriate for his people. See the box on page
36 for details on what skills may qualify as a hobby.
The Corsairs are descendants of the Dnadan rebels who Native Tongues: The first tongue of the Corsairs is
fled from Gondor in the wake of the Kin-strife of T.A. Adnaic, since they identify it with Nmenor and the line of
143247. Most settled in Umbar in T.A. 1447 and began a the Dnedain. All of them speak Gondors Common Speech,
long struggle for control with the stronger Haradan and Westron (up to rank 8), as well as the Haradaic (up to rank
Black Nmenrean elements. After they had seized control 7) of Umbars citizenry.
of Umbar, the followers of Castamir the Usurper became as- Foreign Tongues: Corsairs also have the opportunity to
sociated with maritime raiding and were labelled Corsairs. learn Apysaic, Varadja, or other languages of Far Harad, up
Since that time, modest inbreeding with the locals has to the number of ranks indicated in Table 4.2 on page 73.
created a somewhat distinct group, although their Dnadan Ranks in these tongues can only be acquired with develop-
roots remain strong. Their heritage as sailors and merchant- ment picks.
men from southern Gondor still influences their culture and PREJUDICES: The Corsairs are a military group and are
lifestyle. They long to reclaim Gondor as their own. locked in constant struggle with their allies, the Black
NOTE: The term Corsairs later became associated with any Nmenreans and the Haradrim. They look upon both
pirates based in Umbar or along the coasts of Harad. Thus, you groups with suspicion and some disdain. The Black
may use the guidelines for the Corsairs youth skill development Nmenreans, like the Faithful Dnedain, have in many cas-
(see Table 4.2 on page 73) for creating any Haradan buccaneer. es married subject peoples and the Corsairs consider this a
sign of weakness. They view the Haradrim as yet another in-
SPECIAL RACIAL ABILITIES ferior race, one which must be tolerated. Their greatest ene-
my is the Northmen (Rohirrim, Woodmen, Beornings, and
MARINER: Of all the peoples who trace back their origin other folks), because they are held to blame for the Kin-
to the Men of Westernesse, the Corsairs remain closest to strife.
the naval tradition of Nmenor. Consequently, they may ac- RESTRICTIONS: Despite of their obsession for Death and
quire any edges directly related to seafaring at half their nor- their familiarity with Black Nmenrean traditions, the Cor-
mal pick cost (i.e., the edges Corsair, Diver, Rope-mastery, sairs are neither more nor less inclined to practise Sorcery
Sailors Eye, Sea Legs, Ship, and Wind-mastery). than most other Mannish peoples. Due to their superior rank
in society, most Corsairs will only acquire guilded or noble
CULTURE occupational packages (see page 320).
CLOTHING & DECORATION: Corsairs favour purple, red, OUTFITTING OPTIONS

and gold clothing made from silk or fine linen. They wear
tunics and only rarely don leggings. Men wear gold collars, FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Falchion, Scimi-
while women are well-adorned with jewellery. tar, Longsword, Shortsword, Halberd, Shield; Melee, Class
FEARS & INABILITIES: The Corsairs are scared of disease B: Battleaxe, Dagger, Broadsword, Bastard Sword,
and illness, and their own natural mortality. Greatsword, Morningstar, Mace, Warhammer, Spear;
LIFESTYLE: Corsair culture reflects the conservative ele- Ranged, Class A: Composite Bow, Longbow, Shortbow;
ments found among Gondors aristocracy, only it is carried to Ranged, Class B: Dagger, Spear.
an extreme. The warm coastal influence of Umbar has added ARMOUR: All types of armour are commonly used by the
some additional influences, most Black Nmenrean, and Corsairs. The wealthy adorn their armour with gold chasing
the result is a throwback to the ancient marine culture of or engraving. Some favour wearing a modified version of the
Nmenor. old karma helm.
MARRIAGE PATTERN: Monogamous. The line is traced CLOTHING: Males: Silk or linen blouse in the rich colours
through the males. favoured by the Corsairs (scarlet, purple, gold), usually with
BELIEFS: Corsair religion is preoccupied with Death and embroidered borders at the wrists and neck; silk or linen tu-
Darkness, and largely revolves around ancestor and hero nic (also in a rich hue), often worn without a shirt, reaching
worship. Great Nmenrean kings are revered as godlike. to anywhere between the ankles and just above the knee, pos-
Ceremonies dwell on the perpetuation of the life of the indi- sessing an elaborate hem (fringed, crenellated, scalloped);
vidual and, more importantly, the lineage. The dead are bur- belt of heavy gold plates; sandals or leather boots. Females:
ied with elaborate fanfare and are laid to rest in a preserved Silk or linen blouse with revealing neckline often worn off
state, one of pronounced splendour. the shoulder, usually in the rich colours favoured by the Cor-
Some revere Nmo, the Keeper of the Dead, or Varda. sairs (crimson, violet, gold); ankle-length silk or linen under-
skirt, often pleated or gathered into a yoke at the hip, again in
OTHER FACTORS rich hues; short over-skirt of silk or damask, falling to mid-
thigh or to the knee, with an elaborate hemline (crenellated,
DEMEANOUR: Aggressive, haughty, determined, embit- fringed, scalloped); bodice with showy laces; ornamental gold
teredCorsairs have the attitude of royalty in unjust exile. belt; sandals or silk slippers.
LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Corsairs Wits by STARTING WEALTH: 2d6 silver pieces (SP), modified ac-
3 and assign the total in skill ranks to language, lore, and cording to a characters Social Rank (see page 180).
50
BLACK NMENREANS BELIEFS: Organised religion is the norm among Black

Nmenreans. The most important cults are those pertain-
ing to death and the afterlife, for these old Nmenreans
The term Black Nmenrean is used to describe Men of concerns have been perpetuated and modified. Mummifica-
Dnadan stock who are descended from the Unfaithful tion is the norm. Nmo is the only Vala accorded respect.
Nmenrean colonists and conquerors who came to Middle- Most revere their own local heroes or gods associated
earth during the middle and late Second Age. These Un- with war, power, terror, and the unknown. They see the un-
faithful had broken with the Elves and the Valar who had tamed Darkness as the only frontier they cannot master;
bequeathed them the island kingdom of Nmenor at the be- therefore they worship it. Those few that still worship the
ginning of the Second Age. Many worshipped their own Valar favour Tulkas the Strong, the greatest master of arms
idols or revered the Dark Lord Sauron. Gradually, the Un- and deeds. It is the always laughing Tulkas who best embod-
faithful came to control Nmenor and its colonies, the great- ies the spirit of raw strength, for he is quick to make war,
est of which was centred around the Havens of Umbar. weak of counsel, forthright, and sworn of passion and hon-
When Nmenor was destroyed by Eru Ilvatar in S.A. 3319, our.
many of the Unfaithful survived in their refuges in Middle-
earth.
Black Nmenreans are very similar in physical and cul- OTHER FACTORS
tural character to the other Dnadan groups. Certain chang- DEMEANOUR: They are generally haughty and self-
es have occurred after their centuries of separate develop- centredrash, confident, and full of pride. Black Nmenr-
ment, but they have actively sought to remain relatively pure eans believe in their own superiority and support the view
and true to their origins. Still, having served the Shadow for that it is the destiny of their race to rule Middle-earth. Their
millennia, they make a poor choice for player characters. views have made them quick to strike a blow; warlike and
YOUTH SKILL DEVELOPMENT: Typically, Black Nme- single-minded, they enjoy a fight. When in a superior posi-
nreans are created according to the Dnedain, Coastal en- tion they will rarely offer quarter.
try of Table 4.2 (page 73). LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Black Nmenr-
eans Wits by 3 and assign the total in skill ranks to language,
SPECIAL RACIAL ABILITIES lore, and hobby skills appropriate for his people. See the box
on page 36 for details on what skills may qualify as a hobby.
DARK LORE: Owing to their ancient alliance with the Native Tongues: They have a strong passion for tradi-
Dark Lord, the Black Nmenreans are more inclined to tion and have, therefore, maintained the Adnaic tongue of
practise Sorcery and even Necromancy than any other breed Nmenor in a relatively pure form. Many also know Wes-
of Men. While a Turambar generally ought to be very careful tron and Haradaic (both up to rank 8).
about how many and which spells he allows a character to Foreign Tongues: Black Nmenreans also have the op-
pick, a Black Nmenrean could be granted access to a portunity to learn Apysaic, up to the number of ranks indi-
broader array of spells. cated in Table 4.2 on page 73. Ranks in Apysaic can only be
acquired with development picks.
CULTURE PREJUDICES: Black Nmenreans are biased against nearly
every other people, but their prejudices against the Elves and
CLOTHING & DECORATION: Black and gold are their fa- the Faithful Dnedain are particularly vehement.
voured colours. They wear rich clothing made of dyed silk RESTRICTIONS: None although most Black Nmenreans
and linen. Gems and feathers add elaboration. The Karma will, due to their superior rank in society, usually only ac-
Nmenors famous overlapping scale helm surmounted by quire guilded or noble occupational packages (see page 320).
a coloured leather fish crestis still in use. Most of the sorcerers in the service of the Dark Lord are of
FEARS & INABILITIES: They fear death, but not in battle. Black Nmenrean ancestry.
Confidence and passion lead them to believe they can over-
come any known physical enemy. OUTFITTING OPTIONS
LIFESTYLE: Their culture reflects a rigid slant. Black
Nmenrean societies are well-ordered and ruled by force of FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Falchion, Scimi-
personality, backed by harsh law. Dictators and oligarchs tar, Shortsword, Greatsword, Mace, Shield; Melee, Class B:
hold sway over the people, most of whom are subject races Dagger, Broadsword, Morningstar, Flail, Spear, Lance, Bat-
who serve and pay tribute to the Black Nmenrean upper tleaxe; Ranged, Class A: Composite Bow, Spear; Ranged,
class. Warriors are considered the elite, and most men serve Class B: Dagger.
in the army at one time in their lives. This has enabled them ARMOUR: All types of armour are known among the
to almost always be at war. Superb craftsmen and fighters, Black Nmenreans, but they prefer scalemail armour.
the Black Nmenreans are experts at ship-building and na- CLOTHING: Males: Silk or linen blouse of rich hue (wine,
val warfare. purple, cobalt, absinthe) with beadwork ornamenting the
MARRIAGE PATTERN: Monogamous. The line is traced neck (seed pearls; beads of jade, carnelian, malachite, agate,
through the male. While the Dnedain of Gondor and Ar- or lapis lazuli); tabard or over-tunic of silk, black or gold pre-
nor often marry folk of other races, the Black Nmenreans ferred, ornamented with embroidery in metallic thread (gold,
avoid to do so. electrum, bronze); wrist bracers of gold or bronze with geo-
metric engraving; belt of metal or leather with extensive me-
51
tallic ornamentation; silken hose; leather slippers decorated tack a Beorning unless actively provoked. For those Beorn-
with metallic embroidery; cloak of spangled gauze or of ings who are Skin-changers, the bonus is +4.
feathers. Females: Silk or linen gown of rich hue (burgundy, ASTUTE: Like all Men, Beornings excel in learning skills at
violet, indigo, cerulean) with beadwork ornamenting the a young age. Their astute nature merits a one time bonus of
sleeves, neck and hemline (seed pearls; beads of jade, carnel- 10 apprenticeship development picks which may be spent on
ian, malachite, agate, or lapis lazuli: gemstone spangles of di- any appropriate skills.
amond, ruby, emerald, topaz, etc.); tabard or over-tunic of BEAR-SKIN: Only a few noble Beornings have inherited the
silk, black or gold preferred, ornamented with embroidery in gift of Skin-changing. To qualify for this racial ability, a
metallic thread (gold, electrum, bronze) and gold, onyx, or character must either have Grace 16 or higher, or he must at
black opal beadwork; belt of metal or leather with extensive least acquire Social Rank +4. The effects of this ability are
metallic ornamentation; leather slippers with beadwork or described immediately below the Outfitting Options.
embroidery over their entire surfaces; cloak of spangled gauze HAMMERHAND: All Beornings start with one level of the
or of feathers. Hammerhand edge (see page 142).
STARTING WEALTH: 2d6 silver pieces (SP), modified ac-
cording to a characters Social Rank (see page 180). PHYSICAL CHARACTER
BUILD: Physically, the Beornings are the largest of the
THE MIDDLE PEOPLES Northmen, and all are strong of build and bone structure.
Men are exceedingly hairy; they average 190 pounds at a
height of 61. Women average 150 pounds at 58. See page
T hese Men are descended from the same peoples from

whom the Dnedain came, but who did not go to
Nmenorand perhaps not even into Beleriandin the El-
28 for the guidelines on determining an individual characters
height and weight.
COLOURING: Their complexions are fair, but unlike most
der Days. The vast majority of Gondorians also fall into this Northmen (who are usually blond), the majority has reddish
category, due to centuries of intermarriage with the pre- hair.
Nmenrean peoples of the region. The Rohirrim, most ENDURANCE: Beornings need sleep only twice every three
Men of Gondor and Eriador, and the Beornings and other days.
Men of the North are all Middle Men. LIFESPAN: Being of Edain stock, Beornings reach maturity
at around the age of eighteen. If not slain in battle, taken by
illness, or laid low by mischance, most Beornings live about
BEORNINGS eighty years. See page 67 on age and aging.
Also called Beijabar, Berninga, or Bajaegahar, this dis- CULTURE

persed group of large Men has a confused origin. They are a
Northman branch related to the Wood-men, Lake-men, and CLOTHING & DECORATION: They are extremely hairy,
Dale-man of Rhovanion, although they apparently became and their tendency to wear furs gives them an animal-like
distinct in elder times, probably before the Northman migra- appearance. Favouring rugged tunics, capes, and woollen
tions out of Eriador. Supposedly by the beginning of the pants with leggings, they rarely wear any traditional armour.
Third Age, they had retreated into the high foothills and FEARS & INABILITIES: They shy away from civilised areas.
passes of the Northern Misty Mountains and the Nan An- LIFESTYLE: Beornings have traditionally lived in small
duin (S. Anduin Valley). groups or single families on well-tended manors. Some, like
The Beornings observe a covenant with the bears of the Beorns line, have favoured relative lowlands, while the ma-
Misty Mountains which forbids them to hunt other mam- jority reside in the passes and foothills of the Misty Moun-
mals for food or fur. It is believed that the bears taught some tains or Grey Mountains. In each case, their presence is ex-
of the Beorning chieftains the art of Skin-changing in return, tremely subtle. Beorning families tend both themselves and
enabling them to take on the form of a bear at will. Not all their surrounding manors with the aid of a wide variety of
Beornings master this latent gift, but those that do are greatly friendly animals, members of the household which appear
revered by their kinsfolk and feared by their enemies. tame to the outsider (in Atliduk, these animals are called
Their numbers have always been few, and some have dis- Galaistadiuza). They do not eat their animal friends, but re-
tinguished them as a clan rather than a separate people. Cul- ly on fish, reptiles, and fowl for food. Males leave their man-
turally, and to some degree physically, however, they are ors for extended periods in order to conduct military, reli-
unique. gious, or social affairs.
MARRIAGE PATTERN: Monogamous. The line is traced
RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS AND ABILITIES through the male.
BELIEFS: Beorning religion centres on the ancient Cult of
ADJUSTMENTS: 1 Deftness, +2 Strength, +2 Vigour, +1 the Bear (old Rhovanic Bairakyn). The head of the cult, or
Insight. Waildanbair (Rh. Ruling Bear), is also the hereditary lord of
BEAST-MASTERY: Beornings have great rapport with the the whole Beorning clan and is the foremost of the famous
animals they keep and herd. They have a deep understanding Skin-changers. During their secluded ceremonies, these men
of their beasts feelings and receive a +2 bonus with all skills take the form of bears and recreate their ancient legends and
related to animals, except for Ride. Wild animals will not at-
52
epics using complex dance rituals. These gatherings occur at STARTING WEALTH: Goods to be bartered or exchanged
specific holy places which have some connection to their pa- for coinage, worth the equivalent of 5d6 silver pennies. See
tron, the Vala Orom (whom they call Araw). page 180 for modifications due to Social Rank.
OTHER FACTORS BEORNING SKIN-CHANGERS

DEMEANOUR: Beornings are loners by nature, but enjoy REQUISITE: As explained above, a Beorning must at least
their rare moments with others. Generous and normally qui- have Grace 16 or Social Rank +4 to qualify for the Bear-skin
et and introspective, they can become jovial and explosive ability.
when in social situations. Their deep, thundering laughter is EFFECT: The Skin-changer can assume the shape of a large
legend. As warriors, Beornings are fierce and often uncon- brown bear. The transformation back or forth normally re-
trollable. This is particularly true of the rare Skin-changers, quires a full minute (i.e., 10 action rounds). However, in
for they have a tendency to transform into bears when out- dramatic situations the Turambar may call for a TN 15 For-
raged or overly stimulated. Once bears, they can attack with titude test; each LoS (beyond LSF 0) decreases the trans-
tremendous force, but they have little more than single- formation time by one round, while each LoF increases it.
minded instinct to work upon. Any inorganic objects worn or carried must be put off before
LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Beornings Wits the transformation, or they will remain on the spot where the
by 3 and assign the total in skill ranks to language, lore, and transformation took place.
hobby skills appropriate for his people. See the box on page In Bear-form, a Skin-changers skill ranks and mental at-
36 for details on what skills may qualify as a hobby. tributes all remain unchanged (although he may partially lack
Native Tongues: Beornings generally use two forms of the ability to use them properly), but his physical attributes
communication: their standard language Atliduk and the sys- are adjusted as described below. Note that a penalty cannot
tem of Nature-signals called Waildyth (i.e., a special form of reduce an attribute below 1, and make sure to re-calculate
the Signal skill in which they can acquire up to 5 ranks dur- any affected derived attributes (i.e., Stamina, Swiftness,
ing their youth). The latter can be used to speak over long Health, and Prowess) and the attribute bonuses of crucial
distances without betraying ones presence, since the sounds skills. Jot down the most important new numbers on the
are merely variations on the noises of the wildbeasts, the Character Sheet.
wind, and the like. Most Beornings also know Westron and
the Woodman tongue Nahaiduk (both up to rank 7). ATTRIBUTES: Deftness 5, Nimbleness 3, Strength +10,
Foreign Tongues: Beornings also have the opportunity Vigour +6, Awareness +3
to learn Labba or Sindarin, up to the number of ranks indi- SIZE: Large; Stature 15, Girth 42
cated in Table 4.2 on page 73. Ranks in these tongues can MOVEMENT RATE: 16 yards/round
only be acquired with development picks. SKILLS: You may learn Unarmed Combat: Natural Weapons
PREJUDICES: Beornings hate Orcs, Wargs, Trolls, Giants, (Paws) and Intimidate (Fear) as additional skills
and Dragons. SPECIAL ABILITIES: Armour (treat like hardened leather), Bear
RESTRICTIONS: Beornings never use Sorcery, and they may Hug, Berserk, Natural Weapon (Paws, damage code
only take up unguilded or non-urban occupations (see page 2B/3E/1.5P, attack AP cost: 6 (4), block AP cost: 5 (4).
320). BEAR HUG: On a LoS +2 or greater with a Paws attack,
you may grab your target, squeezing for 6 additional points
OUTFITTING OPTIONS of damage (1 AP, no discrete turn required). The victim is
also considered grappled (see page 259).
FAVOURED ATTACKS: Melee, Class A: Hatchet, Battle- BERSERK: On every full moon, or any time you sustain a
axe, Club, Unarmed Combat; Melee, Class B: Broadsword, Minor injury, you must succeed in a TN 20 Fortitude test
Mace, Shield; Ranged, Class A: Shortbow; Class B: Dagger. or take on bear form until all enemies are beaten. The TN
ARMOUR: Rarely, if ever, do the Beornings wear armour for the Fortitude test is 25 if you receive a Serious injury
made of leather. from a single blow, and 30 when sustaining a Grievous in-
CLOTHING: Males: Soft or suede leather tunic (with jury. This involuntary change takes only one or two rounds
sleeves reaching from mid-forearm to the wrist) trimmed to complete (roll 1d2). If the Fortitude test yields LoF 3
with fur (rabbit, beaver, mink, marten, sable) at the neck, or worse, you totally lose control of yourself and continue
waist, wrists and hem; leggings of soft or suede leather; stout attacking everyone, even your fellows and allies, until no
leather boots; cloak made from a dear, bear or cougar pelt. one remains able to fight.
Females: The same garments described above with the addi-
tion of a full suede skirt (falling to mid-calf or the ankles) INJURIES: If a character is wounded and changes his shape,
trimmed with furs at its hem; or a caftan-styled gown of soft he retains the Health Level he has been in immediately be-
leather with its pleats hanging from a yoke and possessing fore the change took place. Any damage in the current
long wide sleeves. Varying shades of tan, brown, and red are Health Level is transferred on a 1:1 basis, to a maximum
the favoured colours for Beorning garments. Small spots of number of wound points equal to his Health score (i.e., it
yellow, white, or sky blue occasionally are used ornamentally takes at least one more wound point of damage before the
in a yoke at neck or waist. Women who go adventuring often character drops to next lowest Health Level). The Injury
wear leggings without a skirt if they must be prepared for Level of any critical injury also remains the same, regardless
combat. of which form the Skin-changer assumes.
53
ERIADORIANS (RURAL FOLK) FEARS & INABILITIES: None, aside from local superstitions.
LIFESTYLE: These rural folk are mostly farmers and herd-
ers with little contact with areas outside their village or re-
This is a generalised label for the rural folk of Eriador, gion.
the Middle Men inhabiting the lands that once comprised MARRIAGE PATTERN: Monogamous. The line is common-
the kingdom of Arnor. Eriadorians contain varying degrees ly traced through the male.
of Daen, Northman, and Dnadan blood. They bear close
BELIEFS: Variations of subdued rituals are the common
resemblance to the rural inhabitants of Gondor, save that form of their infrequent religious services. Most have rever-
many rural Gondorians possess some diluted Haradan line- ence for local spirits, although the principal worship focuses
age. However, the material presented below applies equally on Eru Ilvatar and the Valar. Araw (Orom) is their patron
well to the rural folk of both Eriador and Gondor. spirit. As farmers, they often pray to Yavanna, the Queen of
NOTE: Use this category for characters who are not of pure the Earth. They call her Dalam or Ardalam.
Dnadan blood, but are born and raised among the farms, graz-
ing lands, and small hamlets of Arthedain, Rhudaur, Cardolan, OTHER FACTORS
and Gondor.
DEMEANOUR: Practical, hard-working, quiet, loyal, and
often shy.
RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS AND ABILITIES LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your rural Eriadorians
ADJUSTMENTS: +1 Strength, +1 Vigour, +1 Awareness. Wits by 3 and assign the total in skill ranks to language, lore,
ASTUTE: Like all Men, Eriadorians excel in learning skills and hobby skills appropriate for his people. See the box on
at a young age. Their astute nature merits a one time bonus page 36 for details on what skills may qualify as a hobby.
of 10 apprenticeship development picks which may be spent Native Tongues: The Common Speech, Westron, is
on any appropriate skills. their mother tongue (no rank limit).
SKILLED: With minds capable of unwavering focus, the Er- Foreign Tongues: Depending on their homeland, Er-
iadorians have learned much lore and developed a great body iadorians also have the opportunity to learn Dunael, Blarm,
of skills. After you have completed your characters youth de- Sindarin, Rohirric, or Labba, up to the number of ranks indi-
velopment, add +2 ranks to one skill, or +1 rank to each of cated in Table 4.2 on page 73. Ranks in these tongues can
two skills. The(se) skill(s) should be particularly important only be acquired with development picks.
to the culture of Arnors rural folk. PREJUDICES: Eriadorians are suspicious of most outsiders
TIRELESS: Used to hard toiling and travelling afoot, all ru- and might be in awe of some. They hate no race, aside from
ral Eriadorians start with one level of the Tireless edge. the Orcs and Wargs.
RESTRICTIONS: Being a rural folk, the Eriadorians usually
enter unguilded or non-urban occupations (see page 320). If
PHYSICAL CHARACTER an Eriadorian should ever master a few spells, they would
BUILD: All types, but normally medium. Males average likely concentrate on magic concerned with nature and farm-
150 pounds at a height of 57; females weigh about 120 ing, crafting, and entertainment.
pounds at 52. See page 28 for the guidelines on determining
an individual characters height and weight. OUTFITTING OPTIONS
COLOURING: Variations of fair to tan skin. All colours of
hair and eyes. FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Hatchet, Club,
ENDURANCE: Considerable. Dagger; Melee, Class B: Broadsword, Quarterstaff, Spear,
LIFESPAN: Eriadorians reach maturity at around the age of
Shield; Ranged, Class A: Shortbow, Javelin; Ranged, Class
sixteen. If not slain in battle, taken by illness, or laid low by B: Dagger.
mischance, most rural Men live about sixty to seventy years. ARMOUR: Soft leather or no armour.
See page 67 on age and aging. CLOTHING: Warm Regions: Knee-length tunic and wide
leather belt or short tunic belted over a full, linen skirt; boots;
short wool cape. Cool Regions: Linen shirt under a woollen
CULTURE tunic; wide leather belt; woollen breeches or full woollen
CLOTHING & DECORATION: Practical wool and linen skirt over wool leggings; boots; long, hooded, wool cloak.
garb, including cloaks, boots, and so on. Tunics are worn in Linens are undyed, unbleached soft white. Woollens are
warmer areas; shirts belted over pants or skirts and leggings subdued green, grey or brown.
predominate in cooler locales. STARTING WEALTH: 4d6 silver pennies in livestock or
other possessions which may be sold (for example, a milk
cow, sheep, goats, or geese). See page 180 for modifications
due to Social Rank.
54
GONDORIANS (URBAN FOLK) LIFESTYLE: Urban folk are a varied, rather cosmopolitan
lot. Many hail from mercantile or guild backgrounds.
MARRIAGE PATTERN: Monogamous. The line is ordinari-
The town folk of Gondor are representative of all Middle ly traced through the male.
Men dwelling in the cities of North-western Middle-earth. BELIEFS: Variations of subdued rituals with some organ-
The information summarised below applies to the ordinary ised cults and shrines predominate. Most have reverence for
residents of Calembel, Dol Amroth, Linhir, Pelargir, Osgili- local or community spirits, although the principal worship
ath, and Minas Tirith. Arnorians, people from Annminas, focuses on Eru Ilvatar and the Valar, with Araw (Orom)
Fornost, Bree, and Tharbad also fit this description. These being the most popular. Many of the elite revere Varda, and
folk contain varying degrees of Daen, Northman, Haruze, people from ports honour Ulmo and Manw alike.
and Dnadan blood.
NOTE: Use this category for characters who are not of pure OTHER FACTORS
Dnadan blood, but are born and raised in any of the major cit-
ies of Arthedain, Cardolan, or Gondor. DEMEANOUR: Practical, aggressive, hard-working, and in-
quisitive.
LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your urban Gondor-
RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS AND ABILITIES ians Wits by 3 and assign the total in skill ranks to language,
ADJUSTMENTS: +1 Deftness, +1 Strength, +1 Bearing. lore, and hobby skills appropriate for his people. See the box
ASTUTE: Like all Men, Gondorians excel in learning skills on page 36 for details on what skills may qualify as a hobby.
at a young age. Their astute nature merits a one time bonus Native Tongues: The Common Speech, Westron, is
of 10 apprenticeship development picks which may be spent their mother tongue.
on any appropriate skills. Foreign Tongues: Gondorians also have the opportunity
CONTACTS: Having grown up in one of Gondors large to learn Adnaic, Rohirric, Haradaic, or Sindarin, up to the
cities, you know many people in that town and can call upon number of ranks indicated in Table 4.2 on page 73. Ranks in
them for information or for help in acquiring it, as well as for these tongues can only be acquired with development picks.
other minor favours. You receive two ranks and your choice PREJUDICES: Although the common folk of Gondor are
of any two specialties in the Locate skill for free. worldly enough to deal with most outsiders, they share the
SKILLED: With minds capable of unwavering focus, the Dnedains hatred for the Corsairs and the servants of the
Gondorians have learned much lore and developed a great Enemy.
body of skills. After you have completed your characters RESTRICTIONS: The Gondorians normally take up occupa-
youth development, add +2 ranks to one skill, or +1 rank to tions that are in great demand in cities (see page 320). Sor-
each of two skills. The(se) skill(s) should be particularly im- cerers aredespite the Gondorians academic interests
portant to the culture of Gondors urban folk. extremely rare, particularly outside of the largest cities.
PHYSICAL CHARACTER OUTFITTING OPTIONS

BUILD: All types, but normally medium. Males average FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Broadsword,
155 pounds at a height of 58; females weigh about 121 Longsword, Shortsword, Dagger, Halberd, Shield; Melee,
pounds at 53. See page 28 for the guidelines on determining Class B: Battleaxe, Spear, Mace, Morningstar, Greatsword;
an individual characters height and weight. Ranged, Class A: Composite Bow; Ranged, Class B: Jave-
COLOURING: Variations of fair to tan or olive skin. All lin, Longbow, Dagger.
colours of hair and eyes. ARMOUR: Any. Inhabitants of the larger cities (for exam-
ENDURANCE: Average. ple, Minas Tirith, Tharbad, or Fornost) have more reliable
LIFESPAN: Gondorians reach maturity at around the age of access to chainmail and types of heavy armour than do those
sixteen. If not slain in battle, taken by illness, or laid low by in towns or small cities.
mischance, most live about sixty-five to seventy-five years. CLOTHING: Warm Locale: Knee-length tunic (fine linen
See page 67 on age and aging. or silk, often finely embroidered) and wide leather belt or
short tunic belted over a full skirt (linen or silk); boots; short
wool cape. Cool Locale: Shirt (linen or silk) under a tunic
CULTURE (wool or silk); leather belt; woollen breeches or full skirt
CLOTHING & DECORATION: Various types of elaborate or (wool or silk over a wool petticoat) over wool or silk leggings;
practical wool and linen garb, including cloaks, boots, and so boots; long, hooded, wool cloak. Colours depend on the
on. Tunics are worn in warmer areas; shirts and pants or leg- wealth of the wearer. Poorer folk wear linens an undyed, un-
gings are worn in cooler locales. Some imported silks and fine bleached soft white and woollens of a subdued green, grey, or
linens are in evidence. Hairstyles imitate those of the brown. Wealthier individuals display snow-white linens and
Dnedain, men have shoulder length hair and women waist woollens and silks tinted with expensive dyesmaroon, pur-
length bound in a net or kerchief for convenience. Most ple, forest green, deep brown, indigo.
males sport some degree of facial hair. STARTING WEALTH: 5d6 silver pennies of Gondorian (or
FEARS & INABILITIES: None, aside from local superstitions. Arnorian) mint. See page 180 for modifications due to Social
Rank.
55
LAKE-MEN LIFESTYLE: Their towns are ruled by Masters who are

elected by all male citizens in good standing. The once pre-
dominant clans and tribes are still recognised, but they have
While the inhabitants of Esgaroth and the area sur- no effect on how social affairs are handled any more. Instead,
rounding the Long Lake are typically Northron in many re- the Edfreahir (No. Associations, Guilds) of merchants and
spects, the Lake-men differ from their kin in their greater craftspeople nowadays play an important role in politics.
emphasis on commerce. Nevertheless, the information given Owing to this type of government, there is little unity beyond
below can easily be adjusted to create a Dale-man. each individual town, and a general feeling of friendly compe-
The forefathers of the Lake-men enjoyed a close associa- tition exists among nearby settlements.
tion with the Dnedain of Arnor before migrating from Er- MARRIAGE PATTERN: Lake-folk lineage is traced through
iador during the first millennium of the Third Age, and thus the father, and couples generally settle with the husbands
maintained relatively sophisticated urban living habits in family, although exceptions of convenience do occur. Mar-
their new homeland. riage occurs freely outside of traditional clans or tribes (with-
in an Edfreahar, for example), and is sometimes used to seal
RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS AND ABILITIES important commercial agreements.
BELIEFS: Religions of the Lake-town region are typical of
ADJUSTMENTS: +1 Deftness, +1 Strength, +1 Vigour.
Northron culturecentring on sects based on water and
ASTUTE: Like all Men, the Lake-men excel in learning
land and sources of subsistence. Nearby the Long Lake and
skills at a young age. Their astute nature merits a one time the River Running, the Viscnakyn (No. The Cult of the
bonus of 10 apprenticeship development picks which may be Fish) predominates.
spent on any appropriate skills.
CONTACTS: Having grown up in Esgaroth, Dale, or an-
other Northron town of the region, you know many people OTHER FACTORS
in that town and can call upon them for information or for DEMEANOUR: Modesty is not an especially valued trait
help in acquiring it, as well as for other minor favours. You among the Lake-men, and clumsy or shy people are often rid-
start with two ranks and two specialties in the Locate skill. iculed. Well-versed in public speaking, they often strike peo-
SKILLED: With minds capable of unwavering focus, the ple from other cultures (such as Gondor) as boastful.
Lake-men have learned much lore and developed a great LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Lake-mans Wits
body of skills. After you have completed your characters by 3 and assign the total in skill ranks to language, lore, and
youth development, add +2 ranks to one skill, or +1 rank to hobby skills appropriate for his people. See the box on page
each of two skills. The(se) skill(s) should be particularly im- 36 for details on what skills may qualify as a hobby.
portant to the Lake-folks culture, like Seafaring (Boats), Native Tongues: The Lake-mens mother tongue is
Fish, or Debate (Bargain). Westron, but some words of their original Northron form of
Westron and other Northmen tongues which were aban-
PHYSICAL CHARACTER doned at about mid-Third Age are still in use.
Foreign Tongues: The Lake-men also have the oppor-
BUILD: Lake-men are tall, the men averaging 511 and
tunity to learn Logathig, Nahaiduk, and Sindarin, up to the
weighing about 170 pounds. Women weigh about 128 number of ranks indicated in Table 4.2 on page 73. Ranks in
pounds at a height of 55. See page 28 for the guidelines on these tongues can only be acquired with development picks.
determining an individual characters height and weight.
PREJUDICES: Like all Northmen, the Lake-men hate the
COLOURING: Although the Lake-men are more mixed
Wargs and Orcs that sometimes raid their villages; due to
than other Northron groups, blond hair and blue or green their dire experiences, they have also developed an utter ha-
eyes are especially common. tred of Dragons.
ENDURANCE: Average.
RESTRICTIONS: None, although they rarely produce any sor-
LIFESPAN: Lake-men reach maturity at around the age of cerers. Professionals of almost all kinds are known and sought-
sixteen. If not slain in battle, taken by illness, or laid low by after among the Lake-men (see page 320 on occupations).
mischance, most Lake-men live about sixty-five to seventy-
five years. See page 67 on age and aging.
OUTFITTING OPTIONS
CULTURE FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Broadsword,
Longknife, Spear, Shield; Melee, Class B: Hatchet, Battle-
CLOTHING & DECORATION: Although they are not par- axe, Warhammer; Ranged, Class A: Spear, Composite Bow;
ticularly hairy, the men usually sport well-trimmed beards. Ranged, Class B: Knife, Longknife (3 penalty), Shortbow.
Their medium-length britches or (for women) short shifts
ARMOUR: Each member of the drihten (No. Standing
with leggings, tunics, and cloaks are made of linen, wool, or a
Town Guard) owns a chain- or scalemail short and a rein-
combination of the two (linsey-woolsey); they are worn with
forced leather pot helm; wealthier individuals may possess a
stitched soft leather shoes.
full-length hauberk and an open helm with an embellished
FEARS & INABILITIES: The inhabitants of Esgaroth are
nose guard.
afraid of floods and fires devastating their town. The equally
STARTING WEALTH: Local coinage worth the equivalent of
well-founded fear of Dragons does not become an issue until 5d6 silver pennies. See page 180 for modifications.
the coming of Smaug in T.A. 2770.
56
ROHIRRIM chainmail and carry shields bearing the symbol of their folk, a
white horse on a green field.
FEARS & INABILITIES: As a group, the Rohirrim suffer
The Rohirrim (S. Masters of Horses) are the Northman from no particular weaknesses, although they are suspicious
Riders of Rohan and have a complex ancestry. They settled of any wielders of dwimmer-craft.
in Rohan (then Calenardhon) about T.A. 2510 at the re- LIFESTYLE: Herders and horse-masters, they spend much
quest of Cirion, the Steward of Gondor. The grant was a re- of their year living in various semi-permanent camps set out
ward for the Northmens aid in the defeat of the Easterling on a circuit of pastures. They return to their permanent
Balchoth. homes for the winter. Some garden or farm. Most Rohirrim
Between T.A. 1977 and 2510, the ancestors of the Ro- are also accomplished hunters and fishermen.
hirrimthen called the othodlived in the Northern MARRIAGE PATTERN: Monogamous. Their lines (in
Anduin Valley. During the period T.A. 1857 to 1977, these which they take great pride) are traced through the males.
Northmen lived further south in the Anduin Valley, between BELIEFS: Rohir religion iscompared to the customs of
the Old Ford and the Gladden Fields. Prior to T.A. 1857 most other peoplessurprisingly formal. Their rituals cele-
they were called the othraim of Rhovanion and lived south brate life, fertility, and the cycles of the seasons. Most are
and east of Mirkwood. held atop hills in mountain vales or at the base of the peaks.
The Rohirrim call Rohan the Riddermark. They revere Eru Ilvatar and the Valar and, in particular,
Araw (Orom). The ancient Cult of the Stag and Cult of the
RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS AND ABILITIES Earth are maintained.
ADJUSTMENTS: +1 Nimbleness, +1 Strength, +1 Vigour,
+1 Bearing. OTHER FACTORS
ASTUTE: Like all Men, the Rohirrim excel in learning
DEMEANOUR: Practical, rugged, straightforward and some-
skills at a young age. Their astute nature merits a one time what loud. They enjoy celebration, physical games and battle.
bonus of 10 apprenticeship development picks which may be
LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Rohirs Wits by 3
spent on any appropriate skills. and assign the total in skill ranks to language, lore, and hobby
BORN TO THE SADDLE: The Rohirrim have a natural gift
skills appropriate for his people. See the box on page 36 for
for riding horses and can coax greater effort from them with- details on what skills may qualify as a hobby.
out causing them harm. The effects of this ability are identi- Native Tongues: They speak Rohirric, the descendant of
cal to the talent of the same name (see page 134), but every the older Eothrik tongue of Rhovanion. Most also speak
Rohir has it automatically. Westron (up to rank 8).
HORSEMASTER: The Rohirrim have a special rapport with Foreign Tongues: The Rohirrim also have the oppor-
horses. Whenever a Rohir succeeds with an Ambar test to tunity to learn Dunael, Sindarin, Atliduk, or Nahaiduk, up
improve a Ride test, he receives a +9 bonus instead of the to the number of ranks indicated in Table 4.2 on page 73.
normal +5. (Note that this ability is identical with the talent Ranks in these tongues can only be acquired with develop-
of the same name.) ment picks.
SKILLED: With minds capable of unwavering focus, the PREJUDICES: The Rohirrim hate the Dunlendings and
Rohirrim have learned much lore and developed a great body consider the Woses to be lesser beings. They also have an
of skills. After you have completed your characters youth de- age-old hatred of Orcs, Wargs, Easterlings and Dragons.
velopment, add +2 ranks to one skill, or +1 rank to each of RESTRICTIONS: Most Rohirrim prefer to enter outdoor
two skills. The(se) skill(s) should be particularly important trades, but in Edoras and other major villages, guilded occu-
to the Rohir culture. pations are also held in high esteem (see page 320).
Both their straight-forwardness and the wariness they
PHYSICAL CHARACTER show in their dealings with people who they suspect of prac-
ticing magic make Rohir sorcerers more than unlikely.
BUILD: Average to stocky and strong. Men average 170
pounds at a height of 511; women weigh about 130 pounds
at 55. See page 28 for the guidelines on determining an in- OUTFITTING OPTIONS
dividual characters height and weight. FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Broadsword,
COLOURING: Blond, with fair skin and blue eyes.
Spear, Lance, Shield; Melee, Class B: Longknife, Halberd,
ENDURANCE: Average, although they can ride as long as Hatchet; Ranged, Class A: Spear, Composite Bow; Ranged,
their mounts can endure, and as long as they can stay awake. Class B: Knife, Longknife (3 penalty), Hatchet.
LIFESPAN: The Rohirrim reach maturity at around the age
ARMOUR: Chainmail with helmet and shield.
of sixteen. If not slain in battle, taken by illness, or laid low CLOTHING: Males: Long-sleeved linen shirt, wool jerkin
by mischance, most Rohirrim live about sixty to eighty years. and trousers, high boots or shoes, woollen cloak or surcoat.
See page 67 on age and aging.
Females: When riding, their garb resemble the males. At
home, they wear low shoes and cotton or woollen gowns.
CULTURE STARTING WEALTH: 5d6 Rohirric penings (equivalent in
value to Gondors silver pennies). See page 180 for modifica-
CLOTHING & DECORATION: Linen or woollen shirts, me-
tions due to Social Rank.
dium length pants and leggings. Warriors commonly wear
57
WOODMEN FEARS & INABILITIES: As a group, the Woodmen suffer

from no particular weaknesses.
LIFESTYLE: They are an independent lot who have no for-
The Woodmen are descendants of the Eriedain (Second mal political structure. Living off the gifts of the forest, they
Age Eriadorians), who migrated eastward over the Misty reside in small, close groups secluded from other races. They
Mountains under pressure from Nmenrean colonists, dur- interact with few other than the Beornings and Silvan Elves.
ing the Second Age. Utterly at home in the woodlands, their tracking, climbing,
They have long dwelt under the eaves of Western Mirk- hiding, hunting, and foraging techniques are superb.
wood, the great forest of Rhovanion. They are a loose tribe of MARRIAGE PATTERN: Monogamous. The line is traced
hunters and gatherers who live in or below the trees as ex- through the male. Marriage is outside the family but within
tended families, bands, or clans. They are Northmen and the clan. The wife resides with her husbands family.
thus related to the Beornings in the nearby Anduin Vales
BELIEFS: Religious practices are mostly personal and occur
and the foothills of the Grey Mountains; the Rohirrim and within the family or band. Female Wuitan (N. Knowing
the Lake-men are their distant kin as well. Ones) serve as shamans who act as seers, healers, and spir-
itual leaders. They manage the ancient Cult of Growing (N.
RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS AND ABILITIES Alanakyn) which meets for rare tribal ceremonies. The Vala
Araw (Orom) is revered above all others.
ADJUSTMENTS: +1 Nimbleness, +1 Strength, +1 Vigour,
+1 Awareness.
ASTUTE: Like all Men, Woodmen excel in learning skills OTHER FACTORS
at a young age. Their astute nature merits a one time bonus DEMEANOUR: Quiet, independent, and reclusive.
of 10 apprenticeship development picks which may be spent LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Woodmans Wits
on any appropriate skills. by 3 and assign the total in skill ranks to language, lore, and
SKILLED: With minds capable of unwavering focus, the
hobby skills appropriate for his people. See the box on page
Woodmen have learned much lore and developed a great 36 for details on what skills may qualify as a hobby.
body of skills. After you have completed your characters Native Tongues: They speak the Rhovanion tongue
youth development, add +2 ranks to one skill, or +1 rank to Nahaiduk. Some also speak a little Westron and Sindarin
each of two skills. The(se) skill(s) should be particularly im- (up to rank 6).
portant to the Woodman culture. Foreign Tongues: Woodmen also have the opportunity
TREE-FOLK: Among all children of Ilvatar, maybe only to learn Atliduk or Logathig, up to the number of ranks indi-
the Silvan Elves and the Woses rival the Woodmens skill at cated in Table 4.2 on page 73. Ranks in these tongues can
living in forests. Consequently, they may acquire any edges only be acquired with development picks.
related to manoeuvring in woodlands at half their normal PREJUDICES: Woodmen hate Orcs, Wargs, Trolls, and Gi-
pick cost (for example, Camouflage, Walk Without Trace, ant Spiders.
or Woodcrafty), but their effects are limited to forests. How-
RESTRICTIONS: Woodmen may only take up unguilded or
ever, when a Woodman has long enough lived in a different
non-urban occupations (see page 320). Their (rare) female
type of wilderness, he may expand an edges effect to that
shamans concentrate on sorceries dealing with wilderness
kind of environment by spending another quarter of its pick
and nourishment.
cost (once its full pick cost has been spent, the edge applies to
all environments).
OUTFITTING OPTIONS
PHYSICAL CHARACTER FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Club, Hatchet,
Quarterstaff; Melee, Class B: Dagger, Shortsword, Shield;
BUILD: Average to stocky, with strong but angular fea-
Ranged, Class A: Longbow, Shortbow, Hatchet; Ranged,
tures. The men possess large amounts of facial hair and aver-
Class B: Dagger, Javelin.
age 175 pounds at a height of 511; women weigh about 130
ARMOUR: None or soft leather.
pounds at 53. See page 28 for the guidelines on determining
CLOTHING: Smock of beige or soft white wool; short tu-
an individual characters height and weight.
nic of buff, moss green, or grey wool, ornamented with con-
COLOURING: Fair skin with reddish highlights. They have
trasting crewelwork across the shoulders, chest and at the
blond hair and blue or green eyes.
lower hem; woollen leggings and full trousers ending at the
ENDURANCE: Average.
knee, gather into a cuff or full trousers gathered at the knee
LIFESPAN: Woodmen reach maturity at around the age of
into a narrow sheath extending to the ankle; short woollen
sixteen. If not slain in battle, taken by illness, or laid low by
coat in subdued colours; long woollen cloak with hood; fur
mischance, most Woodmen live about sixty-five to eighty
hat; fur boots, soft but strong for excellent traction on tree
years. See page 67 on age and aging.
limbs.
STARTING WEALTH: Goods (like indigenous herbs) to be
CULTURE bartered or exchanged for coinage, worth 4d6 silver pennies.
See page 180 for modifications due to Social Rank.
CLOTHING & DECORATION: They wear crude woollen
tunics and short pants with leggings. Most favour coats,
cloaks, and fur hats.
58
THE MEN OF DARKNESS PHYSICAL CHARACTER

BUILD: Dorwinrim are slightly larger than most other
Men of Darkness. Males average 150 pounds at a height of
T he Easterlings are Men who came late to Beleriand,
did not belong to one of the Three Houses of the
Edain, and who for the most part fell under the dominion of
57; females weigh about 112 pounds at 51. See page 28 for
the guidelines on determining an individual characters height
Morgoth and, later, Sauron. As the name records, they came and weight. Overall, they are somewhat stocky and have wide
from the East (and South), and live there still in the Third features; narrow noses and eye slits are the only exception.
Age, having many realms, kingdoms, and tribes. The Wain- COLOURING: Their fair, slightly yellowish complexion is
riders and the Balchoth are of this stock, as are the Haradrim unique. They have subdued eyes which are usually brown
(Southrons) and the Variags of Khand. The Dunlendings, (like their straight hair), although some are blue or green.
descendants of Men who once lived in the White Mountains ENDURANCE: Average.
and worshipped dark idols, are also commonly counted LIFESPAN: Dorwinrim reach maturity at around the age of
among the Men of Darkness. sixteen. If not slain in battle, taken by illness, or laid low by
Compared to the Dnedain and Middle Men, they are mischance, most Dorwinrim live about sixty to seventy years.
shorter, broader, darker haired and darker eyed, and they See page 67 on age and aging.
usually have swart or sallow skin, from the duskier shades of
the Men of Rhn to the black of the southernmost CULTURE
Haradrim. The Men of Gondor often refer to these Men as
wild. CLOTHING & DECORATION: A wide variety of wools and
Most Men of Darkness, having lived long under the sway linens. They wear shirts and pants and adorn themselves
of the Shadow, bear no love for the Men of the West and war modestly.
against them frequently. Thus, this type of Man makes a FEARS & INABILITIES: As a group, the Dorwinrim suffer
poor choice of player characters for most tales. Only the Men from no particular weaknesses, although they are always anx-
of Dorwinion trade peacefully with the West. (In the Fourth ious about how their vintage is going to be.
Age, King Elessar makes peace with many, but not all, East- LIFESTYLE: They are traders and river-men who aban-
erling and Southron realms.) doned their nomadic past in favour of an urban, albeit rustic
life. Dorwinion is known for its fine wines and strong oils.
Hardy vines cover the land and provide the principal sources
DORWINRIM of income: grapes and wine. Trees produce olives and olive
oil. Additional revenue comes from the Sea of Rhn: shell-
The Dorwinrim occupy the lower Carnen and Uldona fish products, food, and dyes bring good money to the Dor-
valleys and the hilly region running south from the Redwater winrim.
to the northwest shore of the Sea of Rhnthe land called MARRIAGE PATTERN: Monogamous. The line is traced
Dorwinion. They are a mixture of Northman and Easterling through the male as often as through the females.
stock. BELIEFS: Dorwinadan religion is a prominent and stable el-
ement. It is a unifying force among a people who have no
formal law and equate authority with power. Donu, a local
RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS AND ABILITIES manifestation of Yavanna, is the Queen of their pantheon.
ADJUSTMENTS: +1 Vigour, +1 Insight. She is their one Mother Goddess.
ASTUTE: Like all Men, the Dorwinrim excel in learning Worship centres around the clannish totems (L. Igana),
skills at a young age. Their astute nature merits a one time holy symbols which represent deified heroes blessed by
bonus of 10 apprenticeship development picks which may be Donu. The heroes are believed to have power over the places
spent on any appropriate skills. they influenced during life and hold sway over their descend-
ELOQUENT: All Dorwinrim start with one level of the El- ants. Therefore, a family or clan guards its territory religious-
oquent edge. ly. The totems are also crucial, since they are believed to have
SKILLED: With minds capable of unwavering focus, the real power and are the sole means of communication with the
Dorwinrim have learned much lore and developed a great hero they represent.
body of skills. After you have completed your characters
youth development, add +2 ranks to one skill, or +1 rank to OTHER FACTORS
each of two skills. The(se) skill(s) should be particularly im-
portant to the Dorwinrim, like Cook: Potables (Wine). DEMEANOUR: The Dorwinrim are known for their hardy,
TOLERANT STOMACH: The Dorwinrim are able to take hospitable character. Most favour strong drink and story-
tremendous amounts of wine and other spirits before they telling and never shy away from celebration. Their distinct
get sick. However, their occasionally abusive drinking habits rolling laughter and physical closeness (for instance, hugging)
have also resulted in a general tolerance against any drugs. adds to their reputation of friendliness, although it is some-
They receive a +5 bonus to Stamina tests to resist poisons. what deceiving; a Dorwinadan may appear closer than he
59
really is. The Dorwinrim are amazingly loyal to friends, and DUNLENDINGS
distinctly short or cruel with enemies.
LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Dorwinadans
Wits by 3 and assign the total in skill ranks to language, lore, Also called Hillmen, this group of Men traditionally
and hobby skills appropriate for his people. See the box on lives in the hills and highlands west of the Anduin valley.
page 36 for details on what skills may qualify as a hobby. Many have become settled farmers and herders and make up
Native Tongues: The Dorwinrim are well-versed in the majority populations in Eriador. Others remain pure and live
commercial tongues of northwest and north-central Middle- in the foothills and mountain vales.
earth. They speak fluent Westron (up to rank 8) and
Logathig, the latter their own home tongue. Since they fre- RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS AND ABILITIES
quently deal with the Silvan Elves of Mirkwood, many have
acquainted themselves with Sindarin (up to rank 6). ADJUSTMENTS: +1 Nimbleness, +1 Strength, +1 Vigour,
Foreign Tongues: Dorwinrim also have the opportunity 1 Wits.
to learn Atliduk, Bethteur, Haradaic, Labba, Nahaiduk, and ASTUTE: Like all Men, Dunlendings excel in learning
Varadja, up to the number of ranks indicated in Table 4.2 on skills at a young age. Their astute nature merits a one time
page 73. Ranks in these tongues can only be acquired with bonus of 10 apprenticeship development picks which may be
development picks. spent on any appropriate skills.
PREJUDICES: Renowned as explorers, traders, and travel- HARD MARCH: Dunlendings are accustomed to journey-
lers, they have learned much of the spirit of others and enjoy ing through hard lands and can travel through them as swift-
dealing with a wide variety of Elves and Men alike. ly as ordinary men cross unbroken ground. Identical to the
RESTRICTIONS: The Dorwinrim have need of a wide range
edge of the same name, this racial ability exclusively applies
of occupations (see page 320), but sorcerers are exceedingly when travelling through hills and mountains, though. It al-
rare. lows to reduce the travelling difficulty by one level (for exam-
ple, from Rough ground to Average ground).
OUTFITTING OPTIONS Dunlendings have learned much lore (which they hand down
FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Battleaxe, Broad- orally) and developed a great body of skills. After you have
sword, Scimitar, Dagger, Shield; Melee, Class B: Club, Pole- completed your characters youth development, add +2 ranks
arm, Quarterstaff, Greatsword; Ranged, Class A: Javelin, to one skill, or +1 rank to each of two skills. The(se) skill(s)
Dagger; Ranged, Class B: Longbow, Shortbow. should be particularly important to the Dunlendings culture.
ARMOUR: Any. Dorwinrim prefer the lighter types of
armour, although a warrior garbed in a full suit of chain- or PHYSICAL CHARACTER
scalemail is not unknown.
BUILD: They are of medium to stocky build and rugged,
CLOTHING: Males: Linen shirt or blouse, usually cream or
with little body hair. Males average 143 pounds at a height of
white; short woollen waistcoat, sometimes cut straight, usu-
56; females weigh about 120 pounds at 52. See page 28 for
ally with panels of fabric in contrasting earthy hues (rust and
the guidelines on determining an individual characters height
black, soft brown and dull yellow, brick and dark brown,
and weight.
etc.); loose woollen trousers in subdued colours (black, dark
COLOURING: They have a tanned or ruddy complexion
grey, tan, sienna, bone, taupe, umber, and the like); linen sash
and brown hair.
or leather belt; wooden clogs or sturdy leather boots; long,
ENDURANCE: They are superb mountaineers and handle
full coat, often with quilting and trapunto to provide protec-
tion in the severe weather that visits the area in winter. tough terrain with little additional effort.
Females: Linen shirt or blouse, usually cream or white; LIFESPAN: Dunlendings reach maturity at around the age
woollen vest, usually more form-fitting on women of mar- of fifteen. Even if they are not slain in battle, taken by illness,
riageable age, looser on children and matrons, with panels of or laid low by mischance, most Dunlendings live but fifty to
fabric in contrasting earthy shades (orange and charcoal, sixty-five years. See page 67 on age and aging.
black and bone, taupe and dark brown, and the like); full
woollen skirt in subdued colours (rust, dark grey, tan, sienna, CULTURE
brick, dull yellow, umber, and the like); linen sash or leather
CLOTHING & DECORATION: Crude wool and hide tunics
belt; wooden clogs or sturdy leather boots; long, full coat,
with leggings. They also wear rough over-coats, short cloaks,
with elaborate quilting and trapunto.
and fur hats. The woollens are woven in bright plaids, the
STARTING WEALTH: Local coinage worth the equivalent of
colours indicating the wearers family lines and clan. Ritual
3d10 silver pennies. See page 180 for modifications due to
tattooing is widespread.
Social Rank.
FEARS & INABILITIES: Numerous superstitions, notably a
fear of darkness centring around the spirits in the earth and
plants which come forth at night.
60
LIFESTYLE: Hillmen are herders, hunters, and gatherers scalp like a fistful of daggers. Females: Linen or wool shirt
who live in extended families and reside in villages and forti- (usually white or cream); full woollen skirt (vibrant stripes or
fied clan-holds. Extremely theatrical, they are gifted poets, plaid); woollen bodice (sometimes a solid colour); woollen
musicians, singers, and storytellers. Pugnacious, they often jacket or cape worn over one shoulder; soft leather footgear
settle disputes by raiding, fighting, or even warring on one or stout boots; fur over-coat and hat; hair worn long, usually
another (and of course others). in multiple braids which are then woven together to form
MARRIAGE PATTERN: Monogamous, but one must marry elaborate buns or twists.
outside the family. Political marriages are common. The line STARTING WEALTH: Goods to be bartered or exchanged
is traced through the female. for coinage, worth the equivalent of 3d6 silver pennies. See
BELIEFS: Superstitious rituals devoted to a complex group- page 180 for modifications due to Social Rank.
ing of vengeful petty deities predominate. Many are vaguely
based on the Dunlendings peculiar interpretations of the
Valar. Oral traditions are crucial to the keeping of histories EASTERLINGS
and law. Sacrifices are widespread and the clergy are both
revered and feared. This term refers to a collection of peoples who live in
north-central Middle-earth, the area to the east of the west-
OTHER FACTORS ern shore of the Sea of Rhn. These nomadic confederations
are ever in search of territory and wealth and periodically in-
DEMEANOUR: Suspicious and self-centred, yet vocal and vade the lands of their neighbours. The Balchoth and Wain-
animated. They love to talk, laugh, sing, and scream. riders are two such peoples. Each group has its own subcul-
LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Dunlendings ture and language, although most are related. The following
Wits by 3 and assign the total in skill ranks to language, lore, is a general description; where specifics are mentioned, the
and hobby skills appropriate for his people. See the box on discussion centres on the westernmost Easterling people
page 36 for details on what skills may qualify as a hobby. the Sagath.
Native Tongues: Most only speak their native tongue
Dunael, though some have picked up a little Westron (up to RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS AND ABILITIES
rank 7). Even fewer have adopted one of the Elvish or
Dwarvish scripts to write in Dunael, but Dunnish society ADJUSTMENTS: +1 Deftness, +1 Nimbleness, +1 Vigour,
places a premium on oration and the performing arts anyway. 1 Bearing, +1 Insight, 1 Wits.
Foreign Tongues: Dunlendings also have the opportuni- ASTUTE: Like all Men, the Easterlings excel in learning
ty to learn Rohirric or one of the many dialects of Dunael skills at a young age. Their astute nature merits a one time
(like Blarm), up to the number of ranks indicated in Table bonus of 10 apprenticeship development picks which may be
4.2 on page 73. Ranks in these tongues can only be acquired spent on any appropriate skills.
with development picks. SKILLED: With minds capable of unwavering focus, the
PREJUDICES: Dunlendings generally hate the Rohirrim and Easterlings have learned much lore and developed a great
Woses above all, although many also despise the Dnedain, body of skills. After you have completed your characters
Dwarves, and Orcs. youth development, add +2 ranks to one skill, or +1 rank to
RESTRICTIONS: Outside their few major villages, most each of two skills. The(se) skill(s) should be particularly im-
Dunlendings take up unguilded or non-urban occupations portant to the Easterlings culture, like Ride (Horses).
(see page 320). Even though the Dunlendings have associat- HORSEMASTER: The Easterlings have a special rapport
ed themselves with the Shadow frequently, they hardly pro- with horses. Whenever an Easterling succeeds with an Am-
duce any accomplished sorcerers. bar test to improve a Ride test, he receives a +9 bonus in-
stead of the normal +5. (Note that this ability is identical
OUTFITTING OPTIONS with the talent of the same name.)
WAINRIDER: While most people can hardly keep their
FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Broadsword, balance in a fast-moving wain or a charging chariot, the East-
Hatchet, Spear, Shield; Melee, Class B: Club, Dagger; erlings experience no such problems. They do not suffer the
Ranged, Class A: Hatchet, Javelin; Ranged, Class B: Dag- 3 (or greater) penalty to physical tests that other do when
ger, Shortbow. riding such a vehicle, and never have to make Stamina tests
ARMOUR: None or soft leather. Some elite warriors fight to resist sickness.
naked.
CLOTHING: Males: Woollen (vibrant plaid in a variety of PHYSICAL CHARACTER
colours: forest green, scarlet, royal blue, white, yellow, dark
blue, orange, and the like) or hide-tunic; breeches or a short BUILD: Compact and agile. Men average 139 pounds at a
skirt of wool or hide; short woollen jacket or cape worn over height of 55; women weigh about 108 pounds at 51. See
one shoulder; stout leather belt; decorative torque around the page 28 for the guidelines on determining an individual char-
neck; hide leggings; soft leather footgear permitting superb acters height and weight.
manoeuvring in rough terrain; fur over coat and hat; hair COLOURING: Swarthy, with a tan or yellowish quality.
worn in a braid or many small braids or bleached with a lime- ENDURANCE: Normal, although they can ride horses,
wash causing it to clump in spikes standing away from the wains, or chariots for long periods without tiring.
61
LIFESPAN: Easterlings reach maturity at around the age of ARMOUR: Easterlings normally do not don any armour,
sixteen. Even if they are not slain in battle, taken by illness, or but they wear helmets and bear shields.
laid low by mischance, most Easterlings live but forty-five to CLOTHING: Males: Woollen or linen tunic (white, cream,
fifty-five years. See page 67 on age and aging. lemon, or buff with bright crewelwork on the collar and
along the front opening) with long, close fitting sleeves,
CULTURE stand-up collar, a back vent for ease on horseback, opening in
front from neck to hem with buttons or individual ties at in-
CLOTHING & DECORATION: Colourful linen cloaks, wool- tervals to secure it closed; leather weapons belt; leather pants;
len tunics, leather pants, and lower leg armour. They also soft, unfitted, knee-high leather boots with lacing on the out-
wear fur hats with ear flaps, or fur-covered pot helms. Some side calf to snug them to the leg; colourful linen cloak pieced
groups paint their upper bodies and faces. together from scraps dyed a variety of colours (red, blue,
FEARS & INABILITIES: The Easterlings fear the darkness green, yellow); fur hat with ear flaps. Females: Woollen or
and thunderstorms. linen ankle-length smock (white, cream, lemon, or buff with
LIFESTYLE: They are nomads who live in mobile camps bright crewelwork on the collar and along the front opening)
and move their camps using great wains (waggons). Warriors with long, close-fitting sleeves, stand-up collar, with buttons
all, they also herd horses and cattle. The leaders travel in, and or individual ties at intervals to secure it closed; soft, knee-
fight from, rugged war chariots. high leather boots with lacing on the outside calf to snug
MARRIAGE PATTERN: Men may take more than one wife, them to the leg; colourful linen cloak pieced together from
but this is rare and costly since they must pay a bride-price. scraps dyed a variety of colours (red, blue, green, yellow); fur
The line is traced through the male. hat with ear flaps.
BELIEFS: Their religion centres around superstitious rituals STARTING WEALTH: Draught-kine or other livestock
concerning nature spirits and heroic ancestral deities. Many worth the equivalent of 4d6 silver pennies. See page 180 for
worship Darkness and Morgoth. modifications due to Social Rank.
OTHER FACTORS HARADRIM

DEMEANOUR: Cold, determined, brave to the point of
foolhardiness. They relish, or are at the least unconcerned This is a collective name for the peoples who occupy the
with, death in battle. great arid and semi-arid lands south of Harondor and
LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Easterlings Wits Mordor, the land called Harad. Since this is rough and un-
by 3 and assign the total in skill ranks to language, lore, and blessed territory, their greatest populations lie beside the sea-
hobby skills appropriate for his people. See the box on page coast, rivers, bays, and myriad oases. However, Harad con-
36 for details on what skills may qualify as a hobby. tains little true desert, and sparse groups settle or roam the
Native Tongues: Asdradja is the mother tongue of the whole region. Haradrim (S. Southmen) are also called
Asdriags who occupy portions of the central and eastern Southrons or Haradwaith (a term also referring to the
Talath Harroch, just east of Dagorlad; the Balchoth speak land).
Ioradja; Logathig and its various dialects are spoken by the The Haruze (H. Godly People) are the northernmost of
Sagath and the Wainriders; the language of the inhabitants the people the Dnedain call Haradrim. After Gondor re-
of the northern basin of the Talathrant river is Tyran; many treated from Harondor, the Haruze occupied the dry land
of the Easterlings who dwell near the Westlands also know a between the Poros and Harnen rivers. Their cities hold sway
smattering of Westron (up to rank 5). over the rich arable lands of the Harnen and Ode Pezar river
Foreign Tongues: Depending on their homeland, East- valleys.
erlings also have the opportunity to learn the tongues of their
neighbouring tribes (see above), Haradaic, Varadja, and the RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS AND ABILITIES
Black Speech Morbeth, up to the number of ranks indicated
in Table 4.2 on page 73. Ranks in these tongues can only be ADJUSTMENTS: +1 Nimbleness, +1 Awareness, +1 Will,
acquired with development picks. 1 Bearing.
PREJUDICES: Easterlings have little regard for anyone ex- ASTUTE: Like all Men, the Haradrim excel in learning
cept their own people. They hate the Dnedain. skills at a young age. Their astute nature merits a one time
RESTRICTIONS: A nomadic people, the Easterlings normal- bonus of 10 apprenticeship development picks which may be
ly take up unguilded, non-urban occupations (see page 320). spent on any appropriate skills.
Their relatively primitive culture rarely produces accom- DESERT-EYES: Their eyes are attuned to extremely bright
plished sorcerers. light, and they are unaffected by brilliant displays which
might blind others.
OUTFITTING OPTIONS Haradrim have learned much lore and developed a great
FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Spear, Lance, body of skills. After you have completed your characters
Scimitar, Shield; Melee, Class B: Shortsword, Longsword, youth development, add +2 ranks to one skill, or +1 rank to
Dagger; Ranged, Class A: Javelin, Shortbow; Ranged, Class each of two skills. The(se) skill(s) should be particularly im-
B: Dagger, Longbow. portant to the Haradan culture your character hails from.
62
PHYSICAL CHARACTER OTHER FACTORS

BUILD: North and Central Desert: Most groups are small DEMEANOUR: Passionate, fiery, and instilled with a fierce
and wiry, particularly those of the open country. Males aver- but peculiar honour. Some consider them cruel and vengeful,
age 133 pounds at a height of 55; females weigh about 110 especially since life is not particularly valued.
pounds at 5. Coastal Areas and Far Harad: Most are relat- LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Haradans Wits
ed to the Men of Mmakan, and are tall and wiry. Males av- by 3 and assign the total in skill ranks to language, lore, and
erage 165 pounds at a height of 6; females weigh about 140 hobby skills appropriate for his people. See the box on page
pounds at 58. See page 28 for the guidelines on determining 36 for details on what skills may qualify as a hobby.
an individual characters height and weight. Native Tongues: The home tongue of the northern
COLOURING: Northern groups have greyish or brown groups is Haradaic; quite a few speak a little Westron and
skin, straight black hair, and dark brown eyes. Southern Apysaic as well (up to rank 6). The southern groups normal-
groups have dark grey, brown, or black skin, straight or curly ly use Apysaic, but some are also familiar with Haradaic (up
black hair, and dark brown or black eyes. to rank 6).
ENDURANCE: Haradrim can travel great distances in hot Foreign Tongues: Depending on their homeland, a
climes and need little water. They are slowed only slightly by Haradan also has the opportunity to learn Westron, Varad-
sand, but manoeuvre poorly in the cold. ja, and Logathig, up to the number of ranks indicated in Ta-
LIFESPAN: Generally short-lived, the Southrons reach ma- ble 4.2 on page 73. Ranks in these tongues can only be ac-
turity at around the age of sixteen. Even if they are not slain quired with development picks.
in battle, taken by illness, or laid low by mischance, most PREJUDICES: Most hate Dnedain, Elves, Dwarves, and
Haradrim live but fifty-five to sixty-five years. See page 67 on anyone who looks particularly differentalthough they are
age and aging. suspicious of most peoples.
RESTRICTIONS: The Haradrims choice of favoured occu-
CULTURE pations (see page 320) largely depends on their home region:
some dwell in big cities, others live at the edge of the endless
CLOTHING & DECORATION: Red, purple, and gold are fa- deserts. Note that particularly Nomadic sorcerers have access
voured colours, although white and black are used in practi- to but a few spells.
cal cases. Both men and women wear their wealth, mostly in
the form of gold. They favour silk or cotton blouses and OUTFITTING OPTIONS
breeches, loose on the form but closed at the wrists to keep
damp air around the body. Over this, to further keep in pre- FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Scimitar, Fal-
cious moisture and keep out the dust, they wear voluminous chion, Dagger, Shield; Melee, Class B: Shortsword, Spear;
robes, broad cloth sashes, and a torft, an elaborately wrapped Ranged, Class A: Shortbow, Javelin, Dagger.
headdress that covers the neck and ears and can be drawn up ARMOUR: Most of the time, the Haradrim restrain from
to mask the face. Shirts and leggings are either white or wearing armour due to the climatic conditions of their home-
black, but outer garments are brilliant reeds, purples, and lands. Sometimes, however, their elite warriors wear corslets
gold, most of them with intricate embroidery and tassels. of small, overlapping brazen plates for protection (i.e., scale-
FEARS & INABILITIES: The Haradrim suffer from no par- mail armour). Though not as strong as steel mail, this kind of
ticular weaknesses. armour is lighter and more comfortable to wear in the fierce
LIFESTYLE: Laughter, partying, and violent games are Southron sun.
common. Although some groups are nomads, most are used CLOTHING: Long-sleeved cotton, silk, or gauze blouse
to urban life. Generally well travelled, they are used to inter- (white or cream) with embroidered (red, purple, gold) neck
action with foreign men. Many are or were involved with the yoke and wrist cuffs; cotton pants with leather panels on the
caravan trade, and most ride well: horses and camels in inner leg for riding protection; stout leather boots; loose cot-
northern Harad, horses and elephants in southern Harad. ton tunic (white or black) falling to the knees or ankles or-
There is a distinct separation between males and females and namented with tassels and embroidery at the neck opening,
very strong bonds between members of families and clans. across the shoulders, at the wrists of the wide sleeves; leather
MARRIAGE PATTERN: Men may take more than one wife, weapons belt; cotton head-wrap with trailing portions that
but this is expensive since it involves a bride-price. The line is protect the neck from the sun; gold bracelets and torques.
traced through the male. STARTING WEALTH: Gold bracelets, local coinage, or oth-
BELIEFS: Religion plays an important role in most er valuables worth the equivalent of 4d6 silver pennies. See
Haradan societies; their elaborate rituals centre on service to page 180 for modifications due to Social Rank.
idols which represent various High Gods. Altars for house-
hold gods are carried everywhere.
63
VARIAGS MARRIAGE PATTERN: Woman take more than one mate,

and there is no marriage. A womans brother helps raise the
children. The line is traced through the female.
The Variags live in the region of Khand, a semi-arid plat- BELIEFS: Variags worship a pantheon of cruel gods and
eau which lies southeast of Mordor. They are a distinct race, have elaborate night time ceremonies; sacrifices abound. The
but are occasionally confused with the Haradrim of Far Lord of Darkness is the strongest deity, and is actually a
Harad. In reality, they have as many ties to the Easterlings. modified incarnation of Morgoth or Sauron. Female priests
Brutal and semi-nomadic, they have long been influenced by interpret laws.
Mordor and the constant wars with their neighbours.
OTHER FACTORS
DEMEANOUR: Confident, fearless, jealous, abrupt, impul-
ADJUSTMENTS: +1 Nimbleness, +1 Strength, +1 Vigour, sive and cold hearted.
+1 Awareness, 1 Will, 1 Wits. LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Variags Wits by
ASTUTE: Like all Men, Variags excel in learning skills at a 3 and assign the total in skill ranks to language, lore, and
young age. Their astute nature merits a one time bonus of 10 hobby skills appropriate for his people. See the box on page
apprenticeship development picks which may be spent on 36 for details on what skills may qualify as a hobby.
any appropriate skills. Native Tongues: Their mother tongue is Varadja. Some
BORN TO THE SADDLE: The Variags are superb riders and also speak Haradaic (up to rank 6).
handle horses and camels equally well. They can coax greater Foreign Tongues: Variags also have the opportunity to
effort from their mounts without causing them harm. The learn Westron, Logathig, and, occasionally, Morbeth, up to
effects of this ability are identical to the talent of the same the number of ranks indicated in Table 4.2 on page 73.
name (see page 134), but every Variag has it automatically. Ranks in these tongues can only be acquired with develop-
SKILLED: With minds capable of unwavering focus, the ment picks.
Variags of Khand have learned much lore and developed a PREJUDICES: The Variags despise all Men except those
great body of skills. After you have completed your charac- who have recently defeated them in battle. They have grudg-
ters youth development, add +2 ranks to one skill, or +1 ing respect for the races of Mordor, but generally hate all
rank to each of two skills. The(se) skill(s) should be particu- non-Mannish folk.
larly important to the Variags culture. RESTRICTIONS: A primitive and martial people, the Variags
favour rough outdoor occupations (see page 320). Some of
PHYSICAL CHARACTER their cunning priestesses are said to be cruel necromancers.
BUILD: Of medium build, men average 153 pounds at a
height of 58; women weigh about 117 pounds at 52. See OUTFITTING OPTIONS
page 28 for the guidelines on determining an individual char- FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Greataxe, Scimi-
acters height and weight. tar, Spear; Melee, Class B: Dagger, Shield; Ranged, Class
COLOURING: Extremely dark brown or black skin, A: Javelin, Shortbow, Sling, Dagger.
straight black hair and red or reddish brown eyes. ARMOUR: Light armours made of soft or hardened leath-
ENDURANCE: Variags can travel for extreme periods on er, as well as scalemail armour, is commonly donned by the
horseback with little or no rest. Variags. They also use small, reinforced oval shields and lay-
LIFESPAN: Generally short-lived, the Variags reach ma- ered leather helms.
turity at around the age of sixteen. Even if they are not slain CLOTHING: Males: Short or long-sleeved tunic (red or
in battle, taken by illness, or laid low by mischance, most black) spun from camel hair; leather tunic, its front and back
Variags live but fifty to sixty-five years. See page 67 on age surfaces entirely covered with the stylised image of a beasts
and aging. snarling face; leather belt; breeches (red or black) spun from
camel hair; leather riding greaves covering the inner surfaces
CULTURE of the thigh and calf; sandals; helmet of layered leather with
brightly hued tassels and plumes; black camel-hair cloak, its
CLOTHING & DECORATION: Variags favour black and red
surface entirely encrusted with gold embroidery and metallic
clothing and wear richly adorned garb. Their armour is de-
red and purple appliqu. Females: Short or long-sleeved tu-
signed around hideous, frightening beast designs. They carry
nic (red or black) spun from camel hair; camel hair over-
gold or gilded weapons. Many wear gold trinkets in their
tunic, loose flowing sleeves, hem at the ankles; black or red
ears, noses, cheeks or lips. Ornate, ritual scarring (as opposed
tabard, its surface entirely encrusted with gold embroidery
to tattooing) is frequently present.
and metallic red and purple appliqu; camel hair breeches
FEARS & INABILITIES: Variags fear darkness (but not the
(red or black); leather riding greaves covering the inner sur-
night) and illness or infirmityanything that might infringe faces of the thigh and calf; sandals; head dress, taking the
upon their physical prowess. stylised form of a bat, serpent, lizard, hawk, wild cat, or horse.
LIFESTYLE: Always at war, Variags live a brutal and excit-
STARTING WEALTH: One or more spare mounts (usually
ing life. Most are herders and raid the stocks of their ene- camels) that may be traded in for goods worth the equivalent
mies. Elite warriors and the female priesthood control life. of 4d6 silver pennies. See page 180 for modifications.
64
THE WILD MEN CULTURE

CLOTHING & DECORATION: Fur, leather, and sea mam-
mal hides. Some posses one colourful, patterned coat made of
A few races of Men, called by the Gondorians wild,
truly fit that term. Short, squat, and ugly, living
rudely in the wilds with strange customs and equally strange
spun fabric and lined with fur. All wear colourful, lined coni-
cal hoods.
speech, they nevertheless possess a certain nobility and pow- FEARS & INABILITIES: Many fear the darkness of the long
ers of their own. They include the Dredain (Woses) who arctic night.
live in the Drwaith Iaur, and the Lossoth (the Snowmen of LIFESTYLE: The Lossoth are poor, nomadic hunters and
Forochel) who inhabit the Northern Waste. gatherers. They use stonework, bone and limited amounts of
wood and metal (mostly copper). Most are primarily fisher
folk, employing light (but steady), ocean-ready boats called
LOSSOTH meriki. Some herd reindeer and all make use of hunting
dogs. Furry horses or reindeers draw their sleighs, although
The Lossoth live in the Far North of western Middle- the dog sledge is used in areas of extreme cold. Extended
earth and are often called Snowmen or Forodwaith (the lat- families and bands are normally the largest groups.
ter is also a name for their land). They are a sparsely settled, MARRIAGE PATTERN: Monogamous. The line is traced
nomadic folk who move with the seasonal migrations of big through the female.
game and rarely interact with other peoples. BELIEFS: They worship nature spirits who they believe to
be akin to enchanted or godlike beasts. Dance and story-
telling rituals make up the bulk of ceremonial life.
ADJUSTMENTS: +2 Vigour, +1 Awareness, +1 Will, 1 OTHER FACTORS
Bearing, +1 Insight, 1 Wits.
ASTUTE: Like all Men, the Lossoth excel in learning skills DEMEANOUR: Generous, quiet, slow-paced, reserved, and
at a young age. Their astute nature merits a one time bonus shybut fearless and persevering.
of 10 apprenticeship development picks which may be spent LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Lossadans Wits
on any appropriate skills. by 3 and assign the total in skill ranks to language, lore, and
KEEN-NOSED: The Lossoth have an acute sense of smell hobby skills appropriate for his people. See the box on page
and start with two levels of the talent of the same name. 36 for details on what skills may qualify as a hobby.
Thus, they receive a +2 bonus for Observe (Smell & Taste) Native Tongues: The Lossoth speak Labba, but do not
and Track (Scent) tests. Additionally, this racial ability ena- have a script. Some speak a little Westron or Sindarin (both
bles them to pick up a mans scent a mile downwind and one up to rank 4).
hundred feet upwind (1000 otherwise). Foreign Tongues: The Lossoth also have the opportuni-
SKILLED: With minds capable of unwavering focus, the ty to learn Atliduk or Tyran, up to the number of ranks indi-
Lossoth have learned much lore and developed a great body cated in Table 4.2 on page 73. Ranks in these tongues can
of skills. After you have completed your characters youth de- only be acquired with development picks.
velopment, add +2 ranks to one skill, or +1 rank to each of PREJUDICES: They hate Wargs, Dragons, Giants, and
two skills. The(se) skill(s) should be particularly important Trolls above all things. Those that know of Orcs hate them
to the Lossadan culture. as well.
TIRELESS: All Lossoth start with one level of the Tireless RESTRICTIONS: Due to their dire living conditions, their
edge. However, this bonus only applies in cold climates and choice of occupations is very limited; Fishermen, Herdsmen,
turns into a penalty in hot regions. and Hunters make up the majority of the Lossoth (see page
320 on occupations). The rare shaman exclusively uses the
riimut runes to achieve magical effects.
PHYSICAL CHARACTER
BUILD: Stocky and hard, with pronounced muscles. They OUTFITTING OPTIONS
have wide features and large, podgy hands and feet. Men av-
erage 150 pounds at a height of 54; women weigh about FAVOURED WEAPONS: Melee, Class A: Knife, Spear;
140 pounds at 52. See page 28 for the guidelines on deter- Melee, Class B: Hatchet, Shield; Ranged, Class A: Javelin,
mining an individual characters height and weight. Shortbow; Ranged, Class B: Hatchet, Knife.
COLOURING: Fair, with reddish highlights. They have ARMOUR: Their normal clothing acts as soft leather ar-
pale blue eyes and fair hair. mour. Besides these clothes, they never wear any armour.
ENDURANCE: They are extremely rugged and can travel CLOTHING: Soft, suede tunic decorated with beadwork;
great distances with little or no rest. soft, suede pants also boasting beadwork; females wear a
LIFESPAN: The Lossoth reach maturity at around the age beadwork suede skirt over plainer pants; soft, leather mocca-
of eighteen. If not slain in battle, taken by illness, or laid low sins; heavy, fur-lined leather or wool coat trimmed with de-
by mischance, most male Lossoth live about fifty to sixty signs embroidered using animal hair, fringed leather, and
years. Women frequently live much longer, usually dying at beadwork; heavy, fur-lined leather outer pants; animal (snow
an age of seventy. See page 67 on age and aging. hare, snow fox, rodent) pelt pouch (sometimes skinned so
65
that the beasts mouth serves as the opening) on a leather half the normal pick cost, but they are limited to enchanting
thong or strap worn over the shoulder; thick, fur-lined outer Pkel-men. Individual spells may need to be altered to fit this
boots; heavy fur-lined mittens attached at the wrist to a cord limited purpose, and others may by totally inappropriate.
which passes through the sleeves and body of the coat, pre- The statues crafted by their most skilful ancestors have en-
venting the loss of a mitten; conical, fur-lined hood with dured many Ages of the World.
elaborately beaded, fringed, and embroidered exterior sur- SKILLED: With minds capable of unwavering focus, the
face. Woses have learned much wilderness-lore and developed a
STARTING WEALTH: Goods which may be bartered or ex- great body of skills. After you have completed your charac-
changed for coinage in markets of lower lands, totalling 3d6 ters youth development, add +2 ranks to one skill, or +1
silver pennies. No modifications due to Social Rank apply. rank to each of two skills. The(se) skill(s) should be particu-
larly important to the Drughu culture.
TREE-FOLK: The Woses may acquire any edges related to
WOSES manoeuvring in woodlands at half their normal pick cost (for
example, Camouflage, Walk Without Trace, or Wood-
Of all Men, none surpass the Woses in the arts of woodcrafty), but their effects are limited to forests.
lore and wood-craft. This very ancient and diminutive race
has long been tied to the forests and has remained the great- PHYSICAL CHARACTER
est lot of woodland warriors ever produced by the Second-
born. Their skills have in fact guarded their narrow survival, BUILD: Woses generally have a broad, stumpy profile
for they are considered ugly by Men and Elves alike and have marked by wide, flat features, and deep-set eyes. Short, thick
been hunted and persecuted since the days of the First Age. legs, heavy lower bodies, and pronounced brows help give
The Woses are few in number, and their clans are only them an eerie characterunlike any other Men.
found in the region of Andrast, the high regions of the Ered This uniqueness is accentuated by their peculiar hair
Nimrais, and the ancient forest of Drwaith Iaur in Anrien. growth, for few Wose Men have any hair below eye level.
It is rumoured that an isolated clan survives in the Rast Those that do are revered, although even they have no more
Vorn. than a slender patch of black chin hair which lies well below
The Woses have many names. They call themselves their wide mouths. Nearly all Wose Men are bald from the
Drughu. Dredain is the label given them by the Elves, while forehead to the back centre of their squat skulls, but take
men use various terms: Pkel-men, Wild Men, Drgs, or pride in the hair they have along the flanks of the head.
Woses. Orcs fear the Woses and have named them Oghor- Men average 130 pounds at a height of 47; women
hai. weigh about 100 pounds at 311. See page 28 for the guide-
lines on determining an individual characters height and
RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS AND ABILITIES weight.
COLOURING: Ruddy skin, black hair, and black eyes. Be-
ADJUSTMENTS: +1 Nimbleness, 1 Strength, +2 Vigour, cause the Woses have guarded eyes which are dark and set
+2 Awareness, +1 Will, 2 Bearing, +1 Insight, 1 Wits. with black pupils, they appear to gaze from shadowy pools
ASTUTE: Like all Men, the Woses excel in learning skills which might be mistaken at a distance for a pair of cavities.
at a young age. Their astute nature merits a one time bonus One must get quite close to a Wose to notice any eye move-
of 10 apprenticeship development picks which may be spent ment at all, much less any subtle distinctions in the eyes
on any appropriate skills. themselves. This haunting feature is made even more unset-
KEEN SENSES: The wide noses of the Woses are the most tling when a Wose is angry; then the pupils glow with a fiery
sensitive found in Men. Even in an open field, they can smell red hue.
an Orc before another man can see him. They start with ENDURANCE: Average.
three levels of the Keen-nosed talent. Together with their LIFESPAN: An extremely short-lived race, the Woses reach
strong eyesight, they can track better than almost any hunt- maturity at around the age of fourteen. Even if they are
ing hound. Only running water will stay their pursuit. This is spared by ill chances, most Woses live but thirty to fifty
even true at night, since the Woses also start with one level of years. See page 67 to learn more about age and aging.
the Night-eyed talent and the Keen-eyed talent.
PKEL-MAN: The Woses have the ability to sit for days on CULTURE
end without movement. With legs crossed, hands on their
laps or knees, and eyes closed or facing downward, they can CLOTHING & DECORATION: They often braid their hair,
remain silent as a statue. This affords them peace and allows pulling it back to join behind in multiple tails. Woses wear
for recall or meditation. Unfortunately, it apparently does little or no clothing or adornments. Instead, they prefer to go
nothing to lengthen their years, for the Woses generally die about relying on their rugged bodies, using pigments to cre-
at a young age. However, mastering this state of meditation is ate imagery. Those that are most acquainted with other Men
a prerequisite for carving the guardian statues (Pkel-men) occasionally don hide leggings and a breechcloth, and in rug-
the Woses are famous for. These watch-stones (usually de- ged terrain they employ a distinct high, thick-soled laced
picting Drughu in deep meditation) are crafted and animated shoe. Beyond these trappings, they have little use for the cos-
by using the Art of Enchantment. Woses can acquire any de- tumes of other Men.
sired rank in this realm of the Art, up to their Fa score, at
66
FEARS & INABILITIES: Woses do not like towns or cities. for, nor familiarity with, traditional runes or scripts, the
LIFESTYLE: Woses are hunters and gatherers. They live in Woses have developed their own system of pictographic
clans of thirty to forty individuals, made up of four to six signsmost quite simplewhich they utilise for the most
family groups. Wose culture revolves around the forests and practical purposes, notably to mark paths or signal their
plants they hold so dear. They are frugal and eat little, even brethren while out in the wood (i.e., use the Signal skill).
in the best of times, and they partake of no drink but water. PREJUDICES: Woses hate Orcs, Wargs, and Rohirrim. The
Being exclusively vegetarian, they live on the gifts of the latter group has occasionally made sport of hunting them.
woodlands and are quick to acquire an understanding of the RESTRICTIONS: All trades that are needed by the Woses
nature and location of nearly every plant in an area centre around their woodland home; thus, only a few occupa-
regardless of its size. Only the Elves and Ents exceed their tions are appropriate for Wose characters (see page 320 on
skills in carving and plant-lore. occupational packages). Despite the fact that some show a
It is for their stone sculpture that the Woses are best remarkable talent for the Art of carving enchanted Pkel-
known. They carve a variety of motifs and beasts, and employ men, the Woses produce no other wielders of magic.
a particular form in the making of life-like watch-stones
(Pkel-men). These are guardian statues which they place to OUTFITTING OPTIONS
protect paths, entries, crossroads, and the like. Legends sur-
round the watch-stones, most of which are true. It is clear FAVOURED WEAPONS: Most weapons of Wose make pos-
that they are enchanted. Orcs fear them most of all, and with sess stone blades or tips and wooden hafts. Any such primi-
good cause, since the Woses can communicate with watch- tive weapons suffer a 1/LoS penalty to their damage code.
stones of their making and can derive knowledge from the However, the Woses compensate the inferiority of their arms
carvings experiences. Some very powerful watch-stones ac- quite effectively by smearing poison on them. Melee, Class
tually come to life in order to guard their postsacting in- A: Club, Spear, Quarterstaff; Melee, Class B: Dagger,
stead of their creatorsalthough in such a case, the Wose Hatchet, Mace, Shield; Ranged, Class A: Shortbow, Javelin;
sculptor will feel all the pain of his creation. They place these Ranged, Class B: Hatchet, Dagger.
watch-stones and hideous statues around the borders of their ARMOUR: Woses rarely wear armour, but tortoise shell,
lands and at various sensitive sites. Some are used to do no eel hide, and bark strips are the favoured types when it is re-
more than dishearten their foes. quired. This kind of makeshift-armour usually offers protec-
MARRIAGE PATTERN: Monogamous, producing few tion equivalent to that of a leather garb.
young. The line is traced through the female. CLOTHING: Hide leggings; suede breechcloth; suede collar
BELIEFS: Many of the watch-stones stand over the Wose covering the shoulders and falling to the lower ribs; swirling
holy sites. Unlike many of the other men, particularly the designs in body paint on the face, arms, thighs, and stomach;
Dunlendings with whom the Woses are often associated, the knee-high shoe with thongs along the outer side of the leg.
Woses have a strong tradition of organised worship. This is a STARTING WEALTH: Indigenous herbs worth the equiva-
pronounced animism which revolves around a reverence for lent of 4d6 silver pennies if bartered for goods. No modifica-
nature. They hold Eru and the Valar in proper awe, although tions due to a characters Social Rank apply.
they have their own view of the nature of the masters of the
world. Of all the Valar, they worship none more than Ya-
vanna, the Giver of Fruits and Queen of the Earth, whom
they call Mm-ugu-Mm (Pu. First Mother). It is she who
AGE
presides over the kelvar (Q. Plants), and it is the plants
which breath life into the world of the Woses.
T o all but the Elves and Ents, who remain ageless by
mortal standards, life is short. As the winters accu-
mulate, one by one, Dwarves, Hobbits, and Men become
OTHER FACTORS
feebler, though perhaps wiser through experience. At the be-
DEMEANOUR: Woses generally seclude themselves from ginning of the game, you must decide what age your charac-
other folk and do not take on friends easily, but when they ter is, using the accompanying Table 3.1 as a guideline.
do, they are unwaveringly loyal. Those that do get to know If appropriate, the Turambar can alter these guidelines.
them will be impressed by their frequent bouts of laughter, For example, a Dnadan of exceptionally pure blood, such as
since the Woses will laugh when others sing. Their rich and Aragorn, may live much longer than indicated in the table,
unrestrained joviality forms quite a contrast to their usual especially if he leads an easy, healthy life.
demeanour; normally they appear unemotional and slow to
speak.
LANGUAGES & HOBBIES: Multiply your Woses Wits by 3 STARTING AGE
and assign the total in skill ranks to language, lore, and hobby
skills appropriate for his people. See the box on page 36 for As explained in more detail in Chapter Four, Ambar-
details on what skills may qualify as a hobby. quenta breaks down skill and ability development into two
Native Tongues: When they do talk, the Woses use the distinct steps: youth and apprenticeship. During each step,
guttural Pkael tongue which is ideally suited to their deep you receive a number of development picks (see page 71 on
voices and is alien to that of other Men. Some also speak a how to calculate your available picks). These picks can be
little Westron or Dunael (up to rank 6). Having neither use used to acquire skills, edges, and talents. To receive the full
67
TABLE 3.1: AGE CATEGORIES

RACE CHILD* YOUTH ADULT STARTING MIDDLE-AGED OLD AGED
AGE
Elf
All Elves 0120 2149 50+ 144
Dwarf
All Dwarves 0114 1529 30129 45 130174 175219 220+
Hobbit
Fallohide 0109 1032 3354 40 5579 8094 95+
Harfoot 0109 1032 3354 40 5574 7589 90+
Stoor 0109 1032 3354 40 5574 7589 90+
Man
Dnadan, pure 0111 1224 2559 30 6079 80104 105+
Dnadan, lesser 0110 1119 2044 25 4569 7089 90+
Middle Man 0109 1015 1634 23 3549 5059 60+
Man of Darkness 0109 1015 1629 20 3044 4554 55+
Wild Man 0108 914 1524 18 2534 3550 51+
*: A character who is still a child receives only two thirds of his youth development picks and no apprenticeship development picks at all.
: A character who is still in his youth receives all of his youth development picks and one third of his apprenticeship development picks.
: An adult character who has not yet reached the indicated starting age receives only two thirds of his apprenticeship development picks.
number of development picks, your character must have required to obtain all your chosen edges and occupational
reached at least the starting age indicated in Table 3.1. packages to the last year given for your characters youth age
However, if you choose to start off at a younger age (usu- category (i.e., for example, 15 years for a Middle Man).
ally this only happens when creating an NPC), the following If the so determined minimum age is lower than the
limitations apply: normal starting age of your race, you must decide on his ac-
tual age. You could either choose:
A character who is still a child receives only two thirds
(66.7%) of his youth development picks and no ap- your character to be younger than normal, thus forfeit-
prenticeship development picks at all. ing part of his apprenticeship development picks, or
A character who is still in his youth receives all (100%) that he has already reached the normal starting age,
of his youth development picks and one third (33.3%) thus receiving all of his apprenticeship picks.
of his apprenticeship development picks.
Of course you may also figure your characters minimum
An adult character who has not yet reached the indi-
age as described above if he does not start off with more than
cated starting age receives only two thirds (66.7%) of
three levels of edges or at a masters level of proficiency.
his apprenticeship development picks (and, of course,
However, you should only do so if you really wish him to be
the full set of youth picks).
younger (or perhaps even older) than normal.
A DEVELOPMENT PICKS OPTION

AGE EFFECTS AND AGING
Optionally, you could determine the number of available
development picks more precisely by dividing the percentages
given above through the number of years an age category Very young characters do not only receive less develop-
comprises. In the next step, multiply this result by a characters ment picks, but they are also subject to age-related attribute
actual age, respectively by the number of years he has accu- adjustments. The latter also is the case with older characters.
mulated in a given age category. For example, a seven year old Table 3.2 summarises these adjustments:
Mannish child receives 66.7% 9 x 7 = 52% of his youth
picks. TABLE 3.2: AGE EFFECTS
Likewise, a thirteen year old would receive 66.7% +
(33.3% 6 x 4) = 89% of his youth picks: the Middle Mens AGE
youth category comprises 6 years, and he has been in that cat- CATEGORY EFFECTS
egory for 4 years. The unmodified 66.7% are the youth picks Child 6 Strength and Will, 5 Vigour, Bearing, and
he received during his childhood. In addition, he receives Insight, 4 Deftness, Nimbleness, Awareness,
33.3% 6 x 4 = 22.2% of his apprenticeship picks. and Wits
To give a last example, a twenty year old Middle Man re- Youth 3 Strength and Insight, 2 Vigour, Will,
ceives all of his youth picks and 33.3% + [66.7% (23 15) x Bearing, and Wits, 1 Deftness, Nimbleness,
and Awareness
(20 15)] = 75% of his apprenticeship picks.
Adult None
Middle-aged 1 Nimbleness, Vigour, and Awareness,
Note that the time required to achieve up to a journeymans +1 Bearing, Insight, and Wits
proficiency in any one occupation (see page 320) and up to Old 2 Deftness, Nimbleness, Strength, Vigour, and
Awareness, +1 Will, Bearing, and Insight
three edges is already accounted for in the typical starting age Aged* 3 Deftness, Nimbleness, Strength, Vigour, and
given for each race. If you wish to acquire a masters profi- Awareness, +1 Bearing and Insight
ciency or additional occupational packages and/or edges, you
must figure your characters minimum age by adding the time * : An additional roll on Table 3.3 is required each year.
68
Attribute adjustments due to age are applied only after THE AGING PROCEDURE: Aging uses two tables in se-
you have determined your basic attribute scores as normal. quence. The Aging Table shows the number of dice rolled on
Record them in the designated column of your Character the Attribute Degeneration Table, where attribute scores are
Sheet (under miscellaneous adjustments). Basically, these actually reduced.
age effects work just like adjustments due to race or gender. To determine aging, roll 2d10 and add your characters
total adjusted Vigour score. Then consult Table 3.3 to find
YOUNG CHARACTERS the number of attributes affected by aging this year. This is
given in terms of the number of dice rolled on Table 3.4. For
A young characters attribute scores cannot drop below 1 example, if the aging test yields a 22, this calls for 3 dice to be
due to age penalties. Alternatively, you could avoid the prob- rolled on the Attribute Degeneration Table. Sometimes, the
lem of attribute scores dropping below 1 by interpreting the number of dice called for by the Aging Table will be zero.
attribute penalties for being very young as proportional re- After determining the required number of d10s called
ductions: simply divide a given penalty by 10 and treat the re- from the Aging Table 3.3, consult the Attribute Degenera-
sult as a factor by which an attribute should be decreased. tion Table 3.4 to find out which attribute scores, if any, were
For example, a character with a meagre Strength score of reduced by one point. For example, if three dice are rolled,
5 who is still a child suffers only a (5 x 0.6 =) 3 penalty in- and all are 4s, the character loses three points of Vigour
stead of the normal 6 modification. This method must not making the next aging roll more likely to be fatal. Note that a
be used for characters suffering from old age penalties! roll of 10 on Table 3.4 indicates that no attribute was de-
Regardless of which way you choose to determine the at- creased from that die roll. However, a character may still die
tribute adjustments for being very young, the number of as a result of the second (or any further) roll.
picks a character has available for skill and ability develop-
ment is always calculated from his unmodified total attribute TABLE 3.3: AGING
scores (i.e., only racial and gender adjustments are applied,
2d10 + NUMBER OF AFFECTED
but no age penaltiessee page 71 for more details on devel- VIGOUR ATTRIBUTES
opment picks). 15 8
16 7
17 6
OLD CHARACTERS 18 5
20 4
Aging is a serious threat to all mortal characters and will 22 3
eventually take them out of play. The first signs that age is 23 2
taking its toll become evident as soon as a character reaches 24 1
his middle years. Yet, normally not until a character is vener- 25+ 0
ably aged do those impairments become perilous. Note that
the age effects given in Table 3.2 are not cumulative: For ex- ATTRIBUTE DEGENERATION: Besides aging, Table 3.4 is al-
ample, if a middle-aged character reaches the old age cate- so used when a character drops to the Near Death Health
Level. Occasionally, complications during the healing process
gory, the 1 penalty on Nimbleness is replaced by a 2
modification, and he loses the +1 bonus on Wits. call for rolls on this table, too. See Injury, Weariness, and
Once your character has reached the aged category (or Healing, starting on page 225, for more information.
the earliest possible end of his natural lifespan as indicated by When an attribute loss is the result of aging, the player
the description of his race, whichever occurs first), you must (or, if necessary, the Turambar) should come up with a plau-
roll on Table 3.3 below every game year. Starting at the min- sible explanation for the degeneration. For example, a loss of
Wits could represent increasing senility; a dwindling Deft-
imum age for being aged +10 years, you must roll every six
months; starting at the minimum age for being aged +20 ness score could be the result of arthritis or gout; and so on.
years, you must roll every three months.
The result of an aging roll is a random reduction of one
TABLE 3.4: ATTRIBUTE DEGENERATION
or more of the characters attributes which applies in addition 1d10 AFFECTED ATTRIBUTE
to the set adjustments given in Table 3.2. When, after many 1 Deftness
2 Nimbleness
winters, any attribute reaches a score of 3 or less, the charac- 3 Strength
ter is bedridden and may no longer participate in active play. 4 Vigour
When any attribute finally drops below 1, the character dies. 5 Awareness
6 Will
7 Bearing
8 Insight
9 Wits
10 None
69
Chapter Four
SKILLS
very character knows how to do certain things. A Rohir warrior learns how to wield weapons,
E ride horses, and conduct battles. An Elven minstrel can sing, play instruments, and entertain
people. Craftsmen hailing from any of the Free Peoples know how to brew beer, bake bread,
tend gardens, sew clothes, or do many other things. Gondorian scholars study their peoples history
and other bodies of ancient lore.
Ambarquenta refers to these learned capabilities as skills. A skill represents something a character
knows or knows how to do through experience and study. Most actions are performed by testing the
various skills; please give this chapter your utmost study and attention.
with, and so forth. For example, if he knows Cook: Food (a

sub-skill of the parent skill Cook, see below), how does he
SKILL ORGANISATION use it? Is he better at baking bread or preserving food? Is he
more fond of making sweets or cooking meals? Depending on
how you answer those questions, you would choose Bake,
A
ll skills have ranks indicating how accomplished and Meals, Preserve, or Sweets as specialties for your character. A
learned a character is at them. Ranks usually range skill represents broad expertise; a specialty tells you what
from 0 (untrained) to 20 and sometimes higher. The your character is best at within that field.
greater your characters rank in a skill, the better he is with it, Of course, having a specialty does not mean your charac-
because each rank raises your total skill bonus (TSB) by one ter knows nothing about the other aspects of the skill. It just
point. Besides skill ranks, governing attributes, abilities, and means he is not quite as proficient with them. A character
items of superior make may contribute to a TSB. with Cook: Food (Bake) can still prepare the finest meat
For easy reference on the Skill Sheet and the Master Skill dishes, but he is just not as good at that as he is at baking
List (Table 4.5, page 76), each skill is grouped with other waybread. When making a test with your specialtyBake
similar skills in a specific skill category, like Artistic, Combat, instead of Cook: Food, for instanceyour TSB is applied.
or Lore. Within these categories, you will find three types of But when none of your specialties matchfor instance, if the
skills: normal skills, parent skills with their specific sub-skills, above character wants to cook a meal, you suffer a 3 pen-
and skill groups. For the purpose of game play, this difference alty to your TSB.
does not matter, and all three types are simply referred to as
skills. The point in that distinction is merely a question of EXAMPLE: A character who uses his Bows (Shortbow) skill
choosing a specific variant of a given skill (if applicable), and with a total bonus of +13 to fire a longbow adds only (133=)
correctly recording it on your Skill Sheet. +10 to the dice roll when making that test. But if he has a
shortbow at hand and fires this specialty weapon instead, he
gets to add his full skill bonus of +13 for that test.
SKILL SPECIALTIES
Many skill descriptions include a list of suggested special-
Most skills represent broad areas of knowledge and expe- ties, the ones most commonly associated with the skill. Of
rience. For example, the Bows skill in the Combat skill cate- course, these are not necessarily all specialties each skill could
gory reflects a characters ability with all sorts of arrow-firing have. You can create others that seem appropriate, though
ranged weapons, ranging from shortbows to Nmenrean you must obtain your Turambars approval for them. Simi-
steelbows. But within these broader fields of learning, a per- larly, you could, with your Turambars approval, create en-
son often focuses on specific abilities or bodies of lore that tirely new skills to cover areas of expertise in which you want
most appeal to him. An archer may have trained with all your character to excel.
types of bows, but he favours the longbow over all others and When noting your characters skills on your Skill Sheet,
so learns to use it better than the shortbow or the composite write them this way: Skill (Specialty). Thus, your character
bow. Ambarquenta simulates this by requiring you to choose might know Traps (Disarm). If you learn an additional spe-
a specialty for most of your characters skills. cialty for a given skill, write it as Traps (Disarm, Build). If a
Your choice of specialties reflects your characters partic- skills description does not list any specialties, the 3 penalty
ular training or preferences, the topics he is most familiar for lacking a specialty does not apply.
70
CHAPTER FOUR: SKILLS
STACKING SPECIALTIES SKILL GROUPS

Sometimes, more than one specialty may be applicable in
a given situation. For instance, many Lore skills list specific A few skills actually are neither single nor parent skills at
areas and specific subjects as specialties. If a character has all. They are groups of related skills (marked with a G after
two or more specialties that are applicable in a test, his skills their names on the Master Skill List), each of which is still
total bonus is increased by +1 for that task. No matter how independent of each other. Having ranks in one skill in the
many stacking specialties might apply in a given situation, the group does not offer you any benefits when using another
bonus is always +1. skill in the group. Languages, for instance, are organised in
skill groups, with a separate skill for each different language.
Just because you are fluent in Westron does not mean that
EXAMPLE: A character who knows Region Lore: Gondor you know a thing about the Black Tongue.
(Minas Tirith, Merchants) with a total bonus of +8 adds an ad- When you note down such a skill, you write it like this:
ditional bonus of +1 when determining which merchant in Mi-
nas Tirith would most likely stock a desired good. But when
Skill Group: Skill (Specialty, if any). For instance, History:
looking for a similar merchant in Pelargir, the special +1 bonus North-west (othraim).
does not apply. A character can possess several skills that fall under a skill
group, each with its own number of ranks and treated as a
separate skill. For instance, a character could have Language:
PARENT SKILLS AND SUB-SKILLS Westron and Language: Sindarin alike.
While each skill group includes a list of related skills, the-
se are by no means exhaustive. You should feel free to create
Some skills represent such a broad field of expertise that
additional skills within a group as needed. Of course, before
the use of their numerous variants hardly have much in
you can use such skills in a tale, you need to get your Turam-
common. These skills are called parent skills (marked with a
bars approval.
P after their names on the Master Skill List), and their vari-
ants are called sub-skills. Sub-skills are treated like separate
skills; thus, you must always designate which sub-skill you
actually learn when you wish to pick up a parent skill. A ACQUIRING SKILLS
character can possess several sub-skills that fall under a par-
ent skill, each with its own number of ranks and specialties.
When you record such a sub-skill, write it like this: Par-
ent Skill: Sub-skill (Specialty). For instance, your character
T hroughout their lives, characters learn and improve
their skills by acquiring skill ranks. Ambarquenta
breaks up this continuous learning process into three distinct
could have Blades: Medium (Longsword).
steps: youth, apprenticeship, and later life. The former two
If you want to learn any further sub-skills of a parent skill
steps are part of the character creation process, while the lat-
in which you have acquired one or more sub-skills before,
ter usually reflects a characters advancement during his ad-
you automatically start off with half of the ranks (rounded
ventures. During character creation, you use development
down) of the sub-skill with the most ranks. You begin devel-
oping the new sub-skill from that basis rather than with zero picks to purchase ranks in the various skills.
ranks. This rule also applies if you ever have to use a weapon
similar to your favoured one that is new to you.
Note that it is always the sub-skill with the most ranks
DEVELOPMENT PICKS
that determines with how many ranks you may begin skill
development in other sub-skills. Therefore, a sub-skill that Your total attribute scores dictate how many development
you have selected in the second place could well prevail over a picks you will have available to spend on skills and abilities
previously developed one after some practice or learning, (see Chapter Five on abilities): Both during youth and ap-
adding a couple of ranks to the old sub-skill. prenticeship, you receive one development pick for each
point you have in each of your nine primary attributes.
At both steps of character creation, these development
EXAMPLE: The Combat skill category lists the Axes parent picks are assigned to three different pick classes, as shown on
skill, comprising of sub-skills for one-handed and two-handed
axes. Gori the Dwarf began his career with a one-handed Battle- Table 4.1:
axe and acquired 8 ranks in Axes: One-handed (Battleaxe) over
the time. Later in his adventures, he was bestowed with a fine TABLE 4.1: PICK CLASSES
Greataxe, an heirloom of his tribe. Having no experience with
ATTRIBUTES PICK CLASS
that weapon in particular, but an aptitude towards axes from
Deftness, Nimbleness, Strength Physical
his previous battles, he began to develop Axes: Two-handed
Vigour, Awareness, Will General
(Greataxe), starting with 4 ranks. Bearing, Insight, Wits Mental
Being a veteran warrior of renown nowadays, Gori has 20
ranks in Axes: Two-handed (Greataxe). Nostalgic a lad as he his,
he whips off the dust from his old one-handed Battleaxe and Skills (as well as abilities) can only be acquired with the
finds out that he is more accomplished with that weapon, too, appropriate kind of picks. Each skill has up to three govern-
having 10 ranks in Axes: One-handed (Battleaxe). ing attributes (see Table 4.5), and each governing attribute
belongs to a particular pick class. You may only purchase
skill ranks with development picks from those pick classes
71
that the governing attributes of the skill in question belong TABLE 4.3: YOUTH SKILL PICK COST
to. In this way, your capability in any skill area is directly
LEARNING DIFFICULTY
proportional to the natural aptitude you have for it. SKILL RANK EASY AVERAGE HARD
The Blades skill, for example, is governed by De/Ni/St 1st 1 2 3
and may thus exclusively be increased with physical picks. 2nd and 3rd 2 3 4
The Physician skill, on the other hand, is governed by 4th and up 3 4 5
Aw/De/Wt and may therefore by purchased with any type
of picks. The Bows skill, to give one more example, is gov- ing village in Anfalas learns different things than one who
erned by Aw/De/St, which allows you to acquire ranks in it grew up in the bustling streets of Minas Tirith.
with both physical and general class picks. For the purpose of distinguishing such regional differ-
If there are any picks left after you have purchased all de- ences and your characters personal preferences, Table 4.2
sired and affordable skill ranks and abilities in one step of occasionally lists entire skill categories, parent skills, or skill
character creation, they may only be allotted towards the very groups instead of a limited scope of specific skills. Select any
next skill or ability that you wish to obtain with the same number of suitable skills from Table 4.5 on page 76 and ask
type of picks. your Turambar if you are not sure whether a particular skill
is appropriate for your culture. However, if a different num-
EXAMPLE: Menelor, the noble Dnadan scholar from one of
ber of obtainable ranks is shown for a skill category and par-
our previous examples, has the following total attribute scores: ticular skills within that category, any specifically listed skills
may only be learned if any ranks are listed for them.
De 13, Ni 12, St 12, Vi 14, Aw 14, Wl 17, Bg 18, In 17, and Wt 18.
Your races description in Chapter Three informs you
In total, Menelor has remarkable 135 development picks about your peoples favoured weapons, arranged into classes
which he gets to spend twice: once during his youth, and once by their general type (melee or ranged) and overall popularity
during his apprenticeship as a student of Saruman. Of these 135
picks, 37 are physical class type picks, 45 are general class type
(i.e., class A weapons are more common than those listed
picks, and 53 are mental class type picks. under class B). You may acquire skill ranks for any number
of weapons falling under the respective weapon classes, up to
the rank limit given in Table 4.2.
YOUTH
PLAYERS TIP: Note that your characters youth develop-
ment is the only time in his entire life that he will be allowed to
First, characters pick up certain skills while growing up, obtain talents, while edges, skills, and skill specialties may be
as they discover the world around them. These skills depend acquired at any point.
both on the characters cultural background and his individu- Also note that if its appropriate, its usually the best to as-
al aptitudes. For each of the peoples described in Chapter sign your free hobby and language skill ranks (see the box on
Three, Table 4.2 lists a variety of skills that a character can page 36) before or immediately after youth development be-
obtain during his youth, having grown up within a particular cause they cannot be used to obtain a skill rank greater than 4.
culture. If you were raised in a different culture than your
parents, you should refer to the culture you have grown up ASSIGNING SPECIALTIES
in, instead of the one indicated by your race.
The numbers in the columns corresponding to the vari- After you have recorded all skills and ranks developed
ous peoples tell you how many skill ranks you may acquire at during your characters youth on his Skill Sheet, you may as-
most in a given single (sub-)skillbut you are not required to sign one culturally appropriate specialty to each skill for free.
acquire any, if a skill does not fit your liking or your charac- You will likely want to assign more than one specialty,
ters background story. Each skill is also listed with its gov- because any time a specialty is asked for that you do not have,
erning attributes, telling you which class(es) of development you suffer a 3 penalty on your skill test. Additional special-
picks you can spend on it, and a learning difficulty. A skills ties can be acquired just the same way as ranks. Based upon a
learning difficulty determines how many development picks skills learning difficulty, simply pay the number of develop-
you have to spend in order to acquire a single rank; these ment picks required for obtaining its second rank, and you
picks can be obtained from any class to which one or more of may then assign a second specialty. This process can be re-
its governing attributes belong to. (Please refer to the Master peated at the same pick cost as often as you wish, provided
Skill List on page 76 to determine a skills governing attrib- that each of the selected specialties is culturally appropriate.
utes and learning difficulty in cases where only whole skill
categories are given in Table 4.2, instead of individual skills.)
While it is fairly easy to comprehend the basics of a lot of APPRENTICESHIP
skills, it is harder to really master a few. Therefore, the num-
ber of development picks required for obtaining a new rank Considering his cultural and family background, your
increases with the number of ranks you already have. Table characters skill development is somehow limited during his
4.3 tells you how many picks you must spend to acquire a youth (i.e., by the maximum number of ranks obtainable in a
given skill rank, based on the skills learning difficulty. skill, as given in Table 4.2). But after his early years, becom-
Within the cultural limitations suggested in Table 4.2, ing more and more independent as he grows up, he will even-
you should purchase skill ranks based on where and how tually find his own way to look onto the world and try to live
your character was raised. After all, a Gondorian from a fish- up to his individual endowments and preferences.
72
TABLE 4.2: YOUTH SKILL DEVELOPMENT
DNEDAIN, INLAND
DNEDAIN, COAST
DUNLENDINGS
GONDORIANS
SILVAN ELVES
ERIADORIANS
EASTERLINGS
DORWINRIM
BEORNINGS
WOODMEN
HARADRIM
DIFFICULTY
LEARNING
LAKE-MEN
ROHIRRIM
CORSAIRS
DWARVES
VARIAGS
LOSSOTH
NOLDOR
HOBBITS
SINDAR
WOSES
SKILL ATTRIBUTES
Artistic
Any skill Varies Varies 8 8 8 6 5 5 6 5 4 4 5 5 4 4 5 6 4 5 5 5 4
Athletic
Acrobatics Ni/Ni/St Hard 3 3 5 0 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 4 2 4 2 4 3 2 2 2 3
Climb De/Ni/St Average 1 2 4 2 3 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 5 1 5 1 1 1 1 4
Jump Ni/St/St Easy 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Run Ni/St/Vi Easy 4 4 4 3 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Swim Ni/St/Vi Average 3 3 4 0 0 6 3 6 3 2 3 4 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 3 3
Combat
Armour Ni/St/St Easy 1 1 0 4 0 2 2 2 0 1 0 1 2 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0
Dodge Aw/Ni/Ni Hard 3 3 4 1 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 3 2 2 3 2 3 2 3
Melee, Class A* Varies Varies 2 2 2 5 1 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 3 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3
Melee, Class B* Varies Varies 1 1 1 2 0 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0
Ranged, Class A* Varies Varies 2 3 4 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 3 3 2 3 4 5
Ranged, Class B* Varies Varies 1 2 3 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
Warfare In/Wl/Wt Hard 0 0 0 3 0 2 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 1 2 2 1 0 0
Craft
Armoursmith De/St/Vi Average 4 2 0 5 0 2 2 2 0 1 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0
Goldsmith Aw/De/Wl Hard 6 4 2 4 0 1 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Seafaring De/Ni/St Average 0 5 0 0 0 5 0 6 0 0 2 3 0 0 3 0 0 3 0 3 0
Shipwright De/St/Wt Hard 0 5 0 0 0 3 0 4 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0
Stonecraft Aw/De/St Average 4 0 0 8 1 4 4 3 0 2 3 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
Weaponsmith De/St/Vi Average 4 2 1 5 0 2 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 1
Healing
First Aid Aw/De/Wl Easy 3 3 3 1 1 2 3 1 2 1 1 1 1 3 1 2 3 2 1 2 3
Herbcraft Aw/In/Wt Hard 3 3 4 1 4 1 3 1 2 2 1 1 1 3 2 2 3 2 3 1 4
Physician Aw/De/Wt Hard 3 3 3 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 2 2 2
Lore
Culture Lore Bg/In/Wt Easy 8 7 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
History In/Wt/Wt Hard 7 6 5 5 3 4 4 4 2 3 4 3 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2
Language* Aw/Bg/Wt Varies 6 5 4 5 5 6 6 6 5 4 4 5 4 5 6 4 4 4 3 3 0
Nature Lore Aw/In/Wt Hard 3 3 5 1 4 3 4 3 5 4 3 3 4 5 3 4 4 3 4 5 6
Region Lore Aw/Aw/Wt Easy 6 6 7 6 6 5 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 7
Outdoor
Ride Bg/In/Ni Average 3 3 3 0 0 3 3 2 2 3 2 0 8 0 4 0 7 6 7 0 0
Survival Aw/Wl/Wt Average 1 2 4 2 3 2 4 2 5 3 2 2 3 5 2 4 3 3 3 6 6
Teamster Aw/De/Ni Average 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 1 1 1 0 3 0 6 3 5 5 0
Perception
Observe Aw/Aw/Aw Easy 5 5 5 4 6 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 4 4
Search Aw/In/Wt Easy 1 2 4 2 3 2 4 2 5 3 2 2 3 5 2 4 3 3 3 6 6
Track Aw/In/Wt Average 1 2 4 2 2 1 4 0 4 2 0 1 2 4 2 3 4 3 3 4 6
Social
Discern Bg/In/In Hard 4 3 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 1 1 1 2 3
Intimidate Bg/Bg/Wl Average 2 1 1 3 0 2 2 2 3 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 3 3 3 1 2
Steward Bg/Wl/Wt Average 3 1 0 2 1 3 3 2 0 0 1 2 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0
Lead Bg/In/Wl Hard 2 2 1 2 0 2 2 2 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 2 2 1 0 0
Stealth
Hide Aw/Ni/Wl Easy 3 4 5 2 6 1 3 1 4 2 1 1 1 4 1 3 1 1 2 4 5
Locks Aw/De/De Average 1 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Sneak Aw/Ni/Ni Average 3 4 5 0 6 1 3 1 5 2 1 1 1 5 1 3 1 1 2 4 5
Traps Aw/De/Wt Average 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
*: See the description of the characters race in Chapter Three on culturally appropriate weapons or languages. If no ranks can be acquired
in a Class B weapon skill during a characters youth, he may learn the skill during his apprenticeship (Turambars discretion).
: Normally, a character may only learn a skill pertaining to his own culture of origin or homeland.
: Any skill within the category, except for the ones listed below.
73
In game terms, you get to pick your skill ranks more LATER LIFE
freely. More often than not, skill development is only limited
by the time and dedication you can afford for practising, as
represented by your available picks. After your character has finished his apprenticeship de-
Of course, Turambari who are concerned that their play- velopment, he has reached the starting age of his race (see
ers might create over-powered champions instead of well- Table 3.1 on page 68) and isalmostready to set out on
rounded roleplaying characters may rule that no character his first adventure. Normally, he will from now on advance
may start with more than 6 ranks in any Combat skill (or his skills, improve his attributes, and acquire new edges as
more than 9 ranks, if any ranks from occupations are added). described in Chapter Eight (see pages 202 to 209).
As in your characters youth development, you once more However, sometimes it can be more fun to play a sea-
receive one development pick for each point you have in your soned character. A few tales may even demand that the char-
nine primary attributes total scores. With these picks, you acters taking part in them have already gained some experi-
may acquire any number of ranks in any skill, provided you ence before the game starts; other players may be intrigued
can pay the due cost with picks from the suitable class(es) as by the idea of playing a middle-aged or old character who
indicated on Table 4.1. However, a Turambar may still rule has, up to now, lived an ordinary, perhaps even boring life,
that a particular skill is culturally or otherwise inappropriate but is now invited to come along on his first adventure by
for your character, and you must have certain abilities to pick that strange wizard clad in grey...
up skills related to spellcasting and other forms of magic. For what reason ever you should want to play a veteran
Table 4.4 below tells you how many picks you must character, you must get your Turambars approval. The rules
spend to acquire a given skill rank, based on the skills learn- presented in this section are primarily intended as an aid for
ing difficulty. If you have already picked up some ranks in a the Turambar to create experienced NPCs. While your vet-
skill during youth or hobby development, these ranks are eran characters background story may serve as a clue, his age
counted in: For example, if you have already developed three is decided by the Turambar. The years that have passed since
ranks in Ride (a skill of average learning difficulty) and wish reaching the starting age establish the time he may have spent
to pick up a fourth rank, you must pay 6 picks. practising or doing his trade, and are thus a measure of his
potential additional experience as a veteran. Also see the box
TABLE 4.4: APPRENTICESHIP SKILL PICK COST on optional Experience Levels on the next page.
LEARNING DIFFICULTY
SKILL RANK EASY AVERAGE HARD VETERAN DEVELOPMENT PICKS
1st 1 2 4
2nd and 3rd 2 4 6 For each primary attribute, a veteran character receives a
4th to 6th 3 6 8 number of development picks per additional year of experi-
7th to 10th 5 8 10 ence that depends on his race, his personal level of activity,
11th and up 8 10 12 and his Will and Vigour attribute scores. Will and Vigour
reflect your characters patience and endurance, while his race
ASSIGNING SPECIALTIES affects his overall learning focus: immortal and long-lived
peoples lack the unwavering minds of short-lived Men.
After you have recorded all skills newly developed during The formula for determining the amount of development
apprenticeship (including any hobby skills and skills from oc- picks earned per attribute reads as follows:
cupational packages) on the Skill Sheet, you may assign any
one specialty to each of these new skills for free. Hence, each Total Attribute Score x (Will33) x (Vigour33)
developed skill should have been assigned one free specialty race factor x activity level factor x number of years =
at the end of this step of the character creation process. = development picks, rounded down
Additional specialties can be acquired the same way as
skill ranks. Based upon a skills learning difficulty, simply pay Apply the above formula once per attribute and set time
the development picks required for obtaining your second increment, using years as a multiplier. You must also apply
or greaterskill rank, with the number of specialties you al- the due race factor:
ready have determining the pick cost of which rank (i.e., WILD MEN: ............................................................ 0.75
2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on) you have to pay. MIDDLE MEN, MEN OF DARKNESS: ........................... 1
DNEDAIN: .............................................................. 1.5
OCCUPATIONS HOBBITS: ..................................................................... 2
DWARVES: ................................................................... 3
In a world like Middle-earth, most people need to earn
ELVES: ........................................................................ 72
their living by working in an everyday job. The heroic charac-
ters taking part in a typical Ambarquenta game are certainly The number of veteran picks earned further varies with
an exception to this, as are most Elves. Still, it can add much the characters level of activity, as determined by the Turam-
flavour to a characters background story if he has undergone bar. Round down the final result of the above equation.
some kind of occupational training and works in that job for
REGULAR, like most characters: ............................. x 0.5
some time before he sets out on his first adventure.
ADVENTUROUS, like some key characters:............... x 1
Appendix A presents a variety of typical occupations, HEROIC, like some major characters during
along with their associated skills and earnings (see page 320). a few chapters of their lives: ................................ x 1.5
74
If a seasoned character ends up in another age category

than the one in which he began his veteran development, you USING SKILLS
should determine and apply the picks earned during each age
category separately because aging affects attribute scores.
SPENDING VETERAN PICKS

A s explained in the Introduction and, in more detail,
in Chapter Nine, characters use their skills to deter-
mine if they accomplish tasks. They do this by making tests.
To make a test, roll 2d10, then add the characters total skill
Most likely, a character will need to be several years older
bonus (TSB). A skills total bonus is the sum of:
than the starting age of his race to really benefit from later
life experience. Once you have figured his overall develop- SKILL RANK BONUS: The number of ranks you have in a
ment picks and allotted them to their respective classes, you skill is converted into a bonus on a one-to-one basis. For ex-
can spend them according to Table 4.4. You must resume ample, if you have six ranks in a skill, write down +6 in the
buying skill ranks where you stopped before. For example, if appropriate field of your Skill Sheet.
you already have six ranks in a skill from racial abilities, hob- ATTRIBUTE BONUS: Add the average (rounded off) of the
bies, youth, and apprenticeship development, youd now have three listed governing attributes total scores. For example,
to obtain ranks number seven and up. the Act skill is governed by Bearing, Insight, and Wits. As
You may use up to one third of your veteran develop- you already know, our sample character, Menelor, has out-
ment picks to acquire new edges or raise attribute scores as standing total scores in these three attributes: 18, 17, and 18,
described on page 208. Naturally, attributes may only be im- respectively. Thus, he adds +18 for his attributes.
proved with the picks gained for the respective classes. However, the bonus from attributes can never be greater
than +20 (with magic skills based on Fa being the only ex-
VETERAN EQUIPMENT ception). If the three governing attributes average more than
20, record a bonus of +20 instead (i.e., before applying the
Although most of the money earned is spent simply to skills basic cutback). This reflects the fact that attributes
survive, seasoned characters usually accumulate some equip- may have a vast effect on skills, but even at very high levels
ment and savings. As a general guideline, a veteran character they cannot increase a characters proficiency with a skill be-
accumulates a percentage of his starting wealth equal to his yond a certain point; large numbers of ranks acquired by
Will score per year. Divide the result by the above race factor hard training and/or practical experience are the only means
(or 1 for Dwarves), and multiply it by his activity level factor to boost a characters total skill bonuses to extraordinarily
and the number of years of additional experience to deter- high levels. Note that player characters normally dont need
mine the veterans total wealth in equipment or coinage. to worry about this limitation, while NPCs with superior at-
If a veteran character works as a journeyman or master tribute scores still benefit from having lots of development
before play resumes, use the guidelines on occupational in- picks and their amazing derived attribute scores.
come to determine his savings (see page 322). BASIC CUTBACK: Each skill is subject to a basic cutback
(i.e., a set penalty), measuring how hard it is to accomplish a
task of the skills nature. For instance, for a beginner it is al-
EXPERIENCE LEVELS ways easier to hum a tune than it is to play it on an instru-
Although Ambarquenta does not normally use the abstract ment. You may eventually surmount the basic cutback by ac-
concept of experience levels to describe character advance- quiring skill ranks (and as a person with some musical train-
ment, some Turambari may wish to have such a measure when ing, you would perhaps not even realise that one thing is, in
creating potent NPCs or gauging relative group strengths. essence, harder than the other). Still, the basic cutback itself
One possible measure is to count the number of full sets
never changes, and is always applied. The Act skill, for ex-
of development picks (as gained each during youth and ap-
prenticeship) a character has earned since completing appren- ample, is subject to a basic cutback of 5.
ticeship. For an average Man with a regular activity level, it UNTRAINED USE: Some skills can hardly be used success-
takes about 10 to 18 years of veteran development to accumu- fully by characters who have not undergone proper study and
late one full set of development picks. More active periods of training. You should jot down the untrained use penalty (or-
hazardous adventure may drastically shorten this span. No dinarily ranging from 0 to 4, but sometimes higher) in the
matter how long it takes to accumulate the required picks, one column of your Skill Sheet which is designated for recording
full set of development picks can be referred to as an experi-
ence level or simply level when creating NPCs.
skill ranks. But as soon as a character has acquired at least
one rank in such a skill, the penalty is replaced by the number
SKILL RANK LIMITATIONS of skill ranks he has developed, and the skill can now be used
Picks gained from experience levels can be spent on skills normally. A few skills have the word No listed instead of a
according to Table 4.4. Up to one third may be used to in- numerical untrained use penalty; those skills cannot be used
crease attributes and acquire additional edgessee page 208. without prior training or study.
When buying skill ranks, there is a limit on how many ABILITIES: Some abilities may impart special test result
ranks a character may have in a skill at any given level: modifiers which are directly applied to a skills total bonus.
Maximum Skill Rank = 5 + (2 x Level) or 15, whichever is less ITEMS: Items of extraordinary make or enchanted with
Obtaining a skill rank above 15 requires a successful im- wondrous capabilities may add a bonus to a skill as well.
provement roll as described on page 203. If an improvement MISCELLANEOUS MODIFIERS: Some permanent modifiers
roll fails, the designated picks are still lost. Only two im- do not fit into either of the above categories. Examples in-
provement rolls may be attempted per level and skill.
clude a characters Stature modifier or penalties from curses.
75
TABLE 4.5: MASTER SKILL LIST

GOVERNING BASIC LEARNING UNTRAINED
CATEGORY AND SKILL ATTRIBUTES CUTBACK DIFFICULTY USE SUB-SKILLS (AND/OR SAMPLE SPECIALTIES)
ARTISTIC (Influence, Physical)

Act* Bg/In/Wt 5 Average 2 (Lie, Impersonate, Onstage Performance, Pretend Emotion)
Dance Bg/Ni/Vi 5 Average 4 (Any Specific Style of Dance, Dances of a Specific People)
Draw (P) Aw/De/In 6 Hard 2 Maps (Specific Location), Paintings (Specific Style), Drafts (Buildings)
Mimicry Aw/Bg/Vi 7 Hard 4 (Beasts, Voices, Ventriloquism)
Musician (P) Aw/De/In 6 Hard 5 Compose (Dances, Marches, Lays), Drums, String instruments
(Harp, Lute, Mandolin), Wind instruments (Fife, Horn, Shalm)
Sing Bg/In/Vi 4 Easy 2 (Battle Songs, Chants, Folk Songs, Lays, Lullabies)
Wordsmith Bg/In/Wt 5 Average 4 (Jests, Narrate, Poetry, Prose)
ATHLETIC (Physical)
Acrobatics Ni/Ni/St 7 Hard 4 (Balance, Swing, Tumble)
Climb De/Ni/St 5 Average 3 (Cliffs, Mountains, Ropes, Trees, Walls)
Escape* De/Ni/St 7 Hard 4 (Bonds, Grapples, Narrow Openings)
Jump Ni/St/St 4 Easy 0 (High Jump, Long Jump, Running Jump, Standing Jump)
Run* Ni/St/Vi 4 Easy 0 (Endurance, Speed)
Swim Ni/St/Vi 5 Average 5 (Dive, Endurance, Currents & Undertows, Speed)
COMBAT (Physical)
Armour Ni/St/St 7 Easy 0 (Any Specific Type or Suit of Armour)
Axes* (P) De/St/St 5 Average 4 One-handed (Battleaxe, Hatchet), Two-handed (Greataxe)
Blades* (P) De/Ni/St 5 Average 3 Small (Dagger, Shortsword), Medium (Bastard Sword, Long-
sword, Scimitar), Two-handed (Bastard Sword, Greatsword)
Bows Aw/De/St 6 Hard 4 (Longbow, Shortbow, Composite Bow, Nmenrean Steelbow)
Clubs* (P) De/St/St 4 Easy 3 One-handed (Club, Mace, Warhammer),
Two-handed (Warmattock, Quarterstaff)
Dodge Aw/Ni/Ni 7 Hard 0 (Melee, Missiles, Natural Disasters)
Flails (P) De/De/St 7 Hard 4 One-handed (Morningstar), Two-handed (Warflail)
Polearms* (P) De/St/St 5 Average 4 One-handed (Javelin, Spear), Two-handed (Halberd,
Pikestaff, Spear), Mounted (Lance, Spear)
Siege Engines (P) Aw/St/Wt 5 Average 5 Battering Ram, Catapult
Shields* (P) Ni/Ni/St 5 Easy 0 Small (Specific Form), Medium (Specific Form),
Large (Specific Form)
Throw (P) Aw/De/Ni 5 Average 4 Axes (Hatchet), Blades (Dagger, Knife), Objects (Stone, Egg),
Spears (Javelin, Spear), Spells (Lightning, Flame of Anor)
Unarmed Combat* (P) De/Ni/St 5 Average 2 Brawling (Punch, Kick, Headbutt), Wrestling (Grapple,
Throw, Trip), Natural Weapons (Paws, Jaws)
Warfare* In/Wl/Wt 7 Hard 4 (Besieging, Campaigns, Field Battles, Naval Battles, Scouting,
Siege Defence)
Whips Aw/De/De 5 Average 5 (Cat-o-Nine-Tails, Whip)
CRAFT (Physical)
Armoursmith (P) De/St/Vi 6 Average 4 Chainmail, Scalemail, Steel Plates (Specific Piece), Shields
Blacksmith De/St/Vi 5 Average 4 (Horseshoes, Tools, Wares)
Clothworks Aw/De/De 4 Easy 3 (Knit, Sew, Spin, Weave, Dye, Tailor, Embroidery, Furrier)
Cook (P) Aw/De/In 4 Easy 3 Food (Meat Dishes, Bake, Preserve), Potables (Beer, Wine)
Fletcher Aw/De/De 4 Easy 4 (Arrows, Bows)
Gardener De/In/Wt 4 Easy 3 (Flowers, Fruits, Grains, Herbs, Trees, Vegetables)
Goldsmith Aw/De/Wl 7 Hard 5 (Enamelling, Etching, Gemcutting, Work Specific Metal)
Leathercraft De/De/Wl 5 Easy 4 (Armourer, Cobbler, Garments, Parchment, Saddler, Skinner,
Tanner)
Ropecraft De/St/Wt 4 Easy 4 (Knots, Nets, Ropemaker, Throw Grappling Hook,
Tie Prisoner)
Seafaring De/Ni/St 5 Average 4 (Boating, Sailing, Navigate, Pilot)
Services (G) Bg/In/Wl 4 Easy 2 Barber, Guide, Innkeeper, Maid, Prostitute, Valet
Shipwright De/St/Wt 7 Hard 4 (Boats, Ship-hulls, Sails & Rigging)
Stonecraft Aw/De/St 5 Average 4 (Building, Carving, Fortification, Mining, Quarrying)
Weaponsmith (P) De/St/Vi 6 Average 4 Axes (Battleaxe, Greataxe), Blades (Dagger, Longsword)
Woodcraft Aw/De/St 5 Average 3 (Cabinetmaker, Carpenter, Carver, Cooper, Wheelwright,
Woodcutter)
HEALING (Academic, Physical)

First Aid Aw/De/Wl 4 Easy 3 (Field Care, Patch Wound, Treat Shock)
Herbcraft Aw/In/Wt 6 Hard 4 (Herbal Remedies, Herblore)
Physician Aw/De/Wt 7 Hard 5 (Cauterise, Diagnose, Midwifery, Surgery, Treat Illness,
Treat Infection, Treat Poisoning, Treat Wounds)
*: Frequently employed in opposed tests.
76
GOVERNING BASIC LEARNING UNTRAINED

CATEGORY AND SKILL ATTRIBUTES CUTBACK DIFFICULTY USE SUB-SKILLS (AND/OR SAMPLE SPECIALTIES)
LORE (Academic)
Alchemy (G) Aw/In/Wt 7 Hard 4 Acids, Fireworks, Itching Powders, Perfumes, Poisons, Potions
Appraise Aw/In/Wt 5 Average 4 (Armour, Weapons, Gems, Gold, Silver, Livestock, Tools)
Arcane Lore (G) In/Wl/Wt 7 Hard 6 Dragons (of a Specific Region), Items of Power (Specific Type),
Spellcraft: Sorcery (Specific Realm), Spellcraft: The Art (Spe-
cific Art), Valar & Maiar (Specific Ainu, of a Specific Region)
Culture Lore (G) Bg/In/Wt 5 Easy 4 Specific Culture or Race (Specific Group of People, History,
Legends and Myths, Customs, Politics)
Devise (G) De/Wt/Wt 7 Hard 4 Architecture, Machinery, Siege Engines, Vehicles, Workshops
Heraldry Aw/Wt/Wt 5 Average 4 (Specific Family, Specific Realm, Specific Group)
History (G) In/Wt/Wt 7 Hard 4 Specific Realm, Race, or Event (Specific Individual, Group of People)
Language, primitive (G) Aw/Bg/Wt 4 Easy No Orkish, or any other primitive and disjointed language
Language, average (G) Aw/Bg/Wt 5 Average No Westron, Rohirric, Dunael, or any other normal language
Language, complex (G) Aw/Bg/Wt 7 Hard No Quenya, Sindarin, Khuzdul, or any other complex language
Law* Bg/Wl/Wt 7 Hard 3 (Contracts, Trials, Wills, Specific Region)
Nature Lore (G) Aw/In/Wt 7 Hard 4 Fell Beasts, Wild Beasts, Domesticated Beasts, Plants (Specific
Region, Specific Species), Starlore, Survival
Reckon Wl/Wt/Wt 7 Hard 4 (Bookkeeping, Calculating, Geometry)
Region Lore (G) Aw/Aw/Wt 5 Easy 4 Specific Realm or Land (Specific Territory, Specific Landmark,
Inns, Hideouts, Havens, Forests, Rivers, Mountains)
Research In/Wl/Wt 5 Average 4 (Specific Body of Lore, Search Libraries, Skim Tomes)
OUTDOOR (Physical)
Beastmaster (P) Bg/In/Wl 5 Average 4 Specific Species of Animal (Any Individual Animal, Befriend,
Care, Any Specific Command, Herd, Tame, Treat Injuries)
Fish De/Wl/Wl 4 Easy 2 (Hook, Net, Fishing Spear, Weir-basket)
Hunt Aw/In/Ni 5 Average 4 (Specific Environment)
Ride* Bg/In/Ni 5 Average 4 (Specific Species of Animal)
Signal (G) Aw/De/Wt 5 Average 4 Flag-signals, Hand-signals, Marking-signs, Smoke-signals
Survival (P) Aw/Wl/Wt 5 Average 5 Specific Environment (Find Path, Find Shelter, Find Water,
Forage, Orienteering, Protective Clothing, Start Fires)
Teamster Aw/De/Ni 5 Average 3 (Carts, Chariots, Sledges, Wains)
Weather-sense Aw/In/Wt 5 Average 2 (Specific Climate)
PERCEPTION (Physical)
Lip-reading Aw/Aw/In 5 Average 4 (Specific Individual)
Observe* Aw/Aw/Aw 4 Easy 0 (Hear, Smell & Taste, Spot, Touch)
Search* Aw/In/Wt 4 Easy 3 (Forage, Forgeries, Hidden Items, Traps)
Track Aw/In/Wt 5 Average 4 (Any Specific Environment, Scent)
SOCIAL (Influence)
Debate* Bg/In/Wt 5 Average 3 (Bargain, Negotiate, Oratory)
Discern* Bg/In/In 7 Hard 4 (Specific Race, Specific Group of people)
Etiquette (P) Bg/Bg/In 4 Easy 4 Specific Realm (Behaviour, Protocol, Speech)
Games* Bg/De/Wt 4 Easy 4 (Cards, Dice, Tactical, Riddles, Sleight of Hand)
Inquire* Bg/Wl/Wt 5 Average 4 (Converse, Interrogate)
Inspire Bg/Bg/In 7 Hard 4 (Specific Group of People)
Intimidate* Bg/Bg/Wl 5 Average 4 (Fear, Majesty, Power, Torture)
Lead Bg/In/Wl 7 Hard 4 (Attack, Hold Formation, Prevent Rout, Recruit)
Locate Bg/In/Wt 5 Average 4 (Specific City, Specific Group of People or Type of Items)
Persuade* Bg/In/Wl 6 Hard 3 (Fast Talk, Oratory, Seduction)
Steward Bg/Wl/Wt 5 Average 4 (Specific Office, City, or Realm; Court, Obfuscation)
Streetwise Bg/In/Ni 5 Average 4 (Specific City or Underworld Organisation)
STEALTH (Physical)
Conceal* De/In/Wt 5 Average 4 (Specific Type of Object, Camouflage)
Disguise* Bg/De/Wl 5 Average 4 (Specific Type of Disguise)
Fake* De/De/Wt 7 Hard 4 (Badges, Coins, Deeds, Sigils, Signatures)
Hide* Aw/Ni/Wl 4 Easy 2 (Specific Environments like Castles, Forests, or Deserts)
Legerdemain* Aw/De/De 7 Hard 5 (Pickpocket, Trickery)
Locks Aw/De/De 5 Average 5 (Lockpicking, Lockmaking, Fine Mechanics)
Sneak* Aw/Ni/Ni 5 Average 2 (Specific Environments like Castles or Forests; Mingle, Shadow)
Traps Aw/De/Wt 5 Average 5 (Disarm, Build, Set)
*: Frequently employed in opposed tests.

: More skills of the Magical skill category are described in Chapter Eleven.
77
COMMON PENALTIES: A skill test is always affected by a evaluate or analyse objects and situations relating to the skill.
characters Universal Penaltythe sum of his Injury and This usually applies to any academic class use of physical
Weariness penalties. Tests of skills that are governed by skills. For example, if a character wants to gauge whether a
Deftness and/or Nimbleness are further modified by your dented suit of armour could be repaired, Armoursmith based
General Encumbrance Penalty (GEP). See page 218 for on Wits works better than Armoursmith governed by Deft-
more information on penalties. ness, Strength, and Vigour. Similarly, Cook: Potables
(Wine) based on Wits could be tested to make a Wine Lore
PLAYERS TIP: You can do most of the math needed to fig- test, and so on.
ure out your skills total bonuses ahead of time on your Char- Characters can also make academic tests (typically based
acter Sheet. You will find the Microsoft Excel-based Character on Wits) with physical skills to judge the difficulty of a task.
Sheet very helpful in that task.
If they succeed, the Turambar informs them of the difficulty
category (but not the exact TN). See page 214 for more
The Target Number (TN) of a task will quite often be
about difficulty categories.
modified according to environmental circumstances and con-
ditions. Modifiers accruing from external sources are always
applied to a tests difficulty (i.e., the TN), and not to the skill SKILL AFFINITY
bonus. The sum of a skills total bonus (frequently penalised
by 3 due to missing specialties, and further modified by ra- Sometimes characters can better make use of a skill if
cial abilities, talents, edges, and flaws) and the roll is called they know other, related, skills. Ambarquenta refers to this as
the test result. If the test result equals or exceeds the TN the
a skills affinity. In a situation where two or more skills seem
Turambar set for the task, the character succeeds. The more applicable or related to a given task, the Turambar must de-
by which he exceeds the TN, the greater his level of success cide which one is the primary skilland therefore used to
(LoS). Each skill description below provides example tasks make the testand which ones may provide an affinity bo-
for each TN level as a guide for players and Turambari. nus. Make a test (against the set TN) for each applicable skill
and add a +1 affinity bonus for each LoS the test yields to
the primary skills test. A character never suffers a penalty for
TEST CLASSES not having an affinity skill or producing any LoF with the
test(s) made for the secondary skill(s).
Ambarquenta groups tests into three classesAcademic,
Influence, and Physicalto make it easier to determine
which modifiers affect them. Test classes are usually deter- LEVELS OF SUCCESS (LOS)
mined for whole skill categories:
ACADEMIC TEST CLASS: Healing, Lore, Spells (spells may As explained in detail on page 219, the more a characters
also be subject to physical and/or influence test modifiers, test result exceeds the TN of the test, the greater the level of
depending on the situation). success (LoS). With attack skills, you inflict the more dam-
INFLUENCE TEST CLASS: Artistic, Social, (Spells). age the more LoS you achieve. With non-combat, non-
PHYSICAL TEST CLASS: Athletic, Combat, Craft, Healing, movement skills, each LoS usually reduces the time needed
Outdoor, Perception, Stealth, (Spells). to perform a task, as shown on Table 9.10. In tactical situa-
tions, any such time reduction should be applied to the
All physical tests, for example, can be affected by lighting, amount of action points (AP) spent. For example, a LoS +3
terrain, cover, or similar factors. Chapter Nine groups all of trims the time by one fourth; thus, any action usually requir-
these modifiers in one place (pages 216ff.) to make them easy ing 12 AP would only cost 9 AP at LoS +3. With movement
to locate and use. skills, additional LoS normally increase the distance covered
Some skills have aspects that fall into more than one cat- in a given time interval.
egory, so you may find your Turambar applying different The skill descriptions following below give more detailed
modifiers at different times. guidelines for determining the effects of extra levels of success
or failure (LSF). The Turambar may apply other appropriate
effects if he prefers.
VARYING TEST ATTRIBUTES
By default, every skill is governed by those three attributes CRAFT SKILLS
that most commonly apply to tests made with that skill.
However, depending on the nature of a given test, the Tu- This section suggests a few optional rules that may come
rambar may decide that only one of these attributes, or even a into play when using skills from the Craft skill category.
different one, is more appropriate. In this case, replace the
average of the three governing attributes by the alternative at- CRAFTING YOUR OWN STARTING ITEMS
tributes total score.
The Turambar determines when to use a different at- The various Craft skills add a lot of flavour to any charac-
tribute than the ones listed. He could call for tests based on ters background. However, in a typical tale they seldom can
Wits whenever it is necessary to determine the extent of a be employed. To provide a character with the chance to take
characters knowledge of a particular subject, or his ability to advantage from such a skill despite the lack of time to do so
78
frequently during an adventure, the Turambar may allow a PRODUCT QUALITY

character to craft one item for every three skill ranks he has
in a Craft skill before setting out on a tale. The player states Sometimes an items resistance to damage is more im-
what kind of item(s) he wishes to craft (usually determined portant than how much it is worth. An example of this is
by his skill specialties) and makes the applicable skill test(s) weapon-crafting. When a sword is made, one needs to know
as normal. He then gets to choose one item per skill to keep if it is more or less breakable than the average sword. Table
for himself (for example, one suit of armour, one weapon, 4.7 is used to determine this. For example, if a weaponsmith
and one rope). Items he crafted in excess of that number are with a total skill bonus (TSB) of +14 makes a broadsword
normally kept by his master. (average breakage number 17) and achieves LoF 1 on the
test, the value from the table is 2. This means the broad-
VALUE ENHANCEMENT swords breakage number would be 15.
Craft skills, as well as some Artistic skills, are used to TABLE 4.7: PRODUCT QUALITY
make things. All coopers can make barrels, but not always LoS +3 LoS +2 or LSF 0 or LoF 2
good barrels. Similarly, a goldsmith combining cut gems and TSB or better LoS +1 LoF 1 or worse
gold into a bracelet is attempting to enhance the value of the 6 or less 1 2 3 4
raw materials. Unless the raw materials are damaged or de- 7 to 12 +0 1 2 3
stroyed by a badly failed test, the goldsmith will either in- 13 to 18 +1 1 2 3
crease or maintain the base value of the materials. 19 to 21 +1 +0 1 2
22 to 24 +2 +1 1 2
Table 4.6 can be used when a craftsman attempts to pro- 25 to 27 +2 +1 +0 1
duce an item from raw materials. Test a Craft skill and cross- 28 to 30 +3 +2 +0 1
index the LSF with the craftsmans total skill bonus (TSB). 31 to 33 +3 +2 +1 +0
The result is the factor by which the base value is multiplied 34 or greater +4 +3 +1 +0
to find the new value. However, to enhance the base value by
more than factor three, the craftsman must have the Master- Similar procedures can be used whenever making items
work edge (see page 153). LoF 2 or worse indicates any ma- that frequently test the dice (2d10 or 1d100) against their
terials that could be destroyed have been destroyed or re- quality to determine if they are damaged.
duced in value; indestructible materials retain their base value.
Masterwork Pieces
TABLE 4.6: VALUE ENHANCEMENT
Outstanding craftsmen with the Masterwork edge (see
LoS +3 LoS +2 or LSF 0 or page 153) can use the values from the Product Quality table
CRAFTSMANS TSB or better LoS +1 LoF 1
in some additional ways:
0 or less 1.1 0.9 0.6 First, when crafting armour, they may apply any quality
1 to 3 1.3 1.0 0.7
4 to 6 1.6 1.1 0.8
bonuses obtained from Table 4.7 to the protective value of
7 to 9 2.0 1.2 0.9 the armour piece. However, those who lack the Masterwork
10 to 12 2.5 1.3 0.9 edge cannot create superior armour; they may apply no bet-
13 to 15 3.0 1.5 1.0 ter modifier than +0 to the armour pieces they craft. In other
16 to 18 4.0* 2.0 1.0 words, ordinary craftsmen can at best produce average ar-
19 to 21 5.0* 2.5 1.1
22 to 24 6.0* 3.0 1.2 mour and will, in fact, often craft inferior pieces. See page
25 to 27 7.0* 3.5* 1.3 189 for more on armour quality.
28 to 30 8.0* 4.0* 1.4 Second, truly gifted weaponsmiths sometimes succeed at
31 to 33 9.0* 5.0* 1.5 crafting masterwork weapons that do more damage than av-
34 or greater 10.0* 6.0* 1.6
erage weapons. To determine the actual bonus of a master-
*: One must usually have the Masterwork edge to achieve this level work weapon, refer to the below chart:
of potential value enhancement.
+1 PRODUCT QUALITY: ............. +0.5 damage per LoS
The results obtained from Table 4.6 do not necessarily +2 PRODUCT QUALITY: ................ +1damage per LoS
reflect market value. Just because an item is worth ten times +3 PRODUCT QUALITY: ............ +1.5 damage per LoS
the value of its base materials does not mean anyone will pay +4 PRODUCT QUALITY: ............... +2 damage per LoS
this much. Some finished goods may involve several stages of
It would be beyond the scope of this rulebook to describe
enhancement. Uncut gems may be enhanced by cutting and
each possible type of masterwork item in detail. Therefore,
then further enhanced by mounting in a gold necklace.
the Turambar should improvise on the effects of such items.
Moreover, the table may be used in other ways. It basical-
A masterwork gown, for example, could grant the character
ly provides a system for assessing the success of an attempt
who wears it a +1 bonus to all Influence tests, while enjoying
on an absolute numerical scale of one to ten. It could, for ex-
a masterwork meal could refresh the fortunate eater, or even
ample, be used to determine how well a singer sings a song.
heal him for 1 wound point per +1 product quality, and so on.
79
SKILL DESCRIPTIONS TABLE 4.8: WEARINESS AND PACE

PACE STANDARD WEARINESS
PACE MULTIPLIER TN MODIFIER MODIFIER
T he remainder of this chapter provides descriptions of

the skills your character can learn. For easier refer-
ence, the skills are listed in alphabetical order, with the skills
Walk
Jog
Run
x1
x2
x3

+5
x1
x5
x 50
Sprint x4 +10 x 500
category and standard test class given in the text. Except for
Arcane Lore, which can be learned by any character (provid-
DISTANCE MULTIPLIER: Multiply the characters base
ed he has a knowledgeable teacher or access to a suitable li-
movement rate by this value (and, if applicable and possible,
brary), all skills dealing with magic are described in Chapter
the desired pace multiplier) to determine his effective move-
Eleven. Each description follows the same format:
ment rate while performing the skill.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Two or more specialties for the skill,
SKILL NAME (P/G) if it has specialties. When a specialty is not self-explanatory, a
short description is included, too. With your Turambars
approval, you can make up additional appropriate specialties.
Skill Category; Test Class
Needless to say, the 3 penalty for missing a specialty does
Attributes, Learning Untrained not apply if no specialties are given at all.
Basic Cutback Difficulty Use Penalty TEST: Common ways in which characters use the skill, in-
cluding circumstances or factors that can affect the difficulty
Each skills description begins with a short text, inform- of tests made with the skill, and examples of use in each dif-
ing you about its main objectives. A P or a G in brackets ferent difficulty category (Routine, Easy, Light, Medium,
following the skills name indicates that it actually is a parent Challenging, Hard, Extremely Hard, Virtually Impossible).
skill or a skill group, and that you have to designate the spe- LSF: This section lists sample benefits for achieving addi-
cific (sub-)skill you wish to learn. The italicised part of the tional LoS with a skill test and guidelines on how to handle
header tells you to which skill category the skill belongs, and dramatic LoF if these issues were not already touched under
what test class modifiers usually apply to tests made with it. the Test entry. Most of the time, a Turambar should make
In bold type, on the left, the abbreviations of the three at- up appropriate effects himself. Depending on the situation,
tributes that normally govern the skill are given, along with the descriptions of the various difficulty categories may be a
the basic cutback which you must subtract from the average good starting point to determine the outcome of a particular-
of the attributes when calculating the skills total bonus. ly successful or a miserably weak test.
Note that the Microsoft Excel-based Skill Sheet automatically ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: In addition to the common test
subtracts the basic cutback. class modifiers discussed in Chapter Nine, some skills are af-
In the middle, the skills learning difficulty is given. It fected by modifiers specific to them. This section lists some
tells you how hard it is to learn and improve in the skill. of them, if there are any, though the Turambar may create
On the right, its untrained use penalty is shown. This others based on circumstances.
can either be a number that you would have to subtract from AFFINITY: Any skills that may frequently be tested to pro-
the bonus provided by attributes if you havent developed any vide affinity bonuses to this skill (depending on the LoS you
ranks in it yet, or a No. A No indicates that you cannot use achieve), and the situations in which they may apply.
the skill unless you have acquired at least one rank in it. As ACTION TIME: The base time, expressed either in action
soon as you pick up even a single rank in the skill, the un- points or units of time (minutes or hours), needed to per-
trained use penalty is ignored. form tasks with the skill. Any non-action-point time re-
REQUISITE: Some skills have requisitesother skills or quirements are guidelines only. Based on circumstances, the
abilities you must have to be able to develop it. Usually, this Turambar may alter the time needed to accomplish a task.
happens when a more sophisticated skill is based on, and is in EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: With some skills, a failure dur-
some ways an outgrowth of, a more simple one. You must ing an extended test (see page 223) may prevent the character
always have at least two more ranks in any requisite skills from making further tests to finish the task. A N/A indi-
than in the skill requiring the requisite. cates that characters normally do not use the skill in extend-
WEARINESS: Following the basic description of the uses of ed tests. A Yes indicates that even if the character fails a test
any physical test class skill, this entry indicates how quickly during the extended test, he can keep making further tests,
weariness points are accumulated when the skill is used at a though he may suffer penalties for his failure. A No indi-
normal pace (i.e., usually at a walking pace). Increased paces cates that if he fails one part of the extended test, he fails al-
raise the weariness point costs of strenuous movement ac- together and cannot make further tests for this attempt.
tions. Note that despite their names, the various paces may
be applied to any kind of movement action, including swim-
ming, climbing, rowing, and the like. If no other weariness
point costs are given for moving faster than at the basic pace
(i.e., x 1), refer to the following table:
80
ACROBATICS Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Balancing on a 0.5

wide surface, flying eleven or more feet between two
ropes while swinging.
Athletic; Physical
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: If the character tries to balance
Ni/Ni/St, 7 Hard Untrained: 4 on sloped, slippery, or rough surfaces, apply terrain modifiers
from Table 9.7. Using a slippery rope to swing entails a 3
Lithe and agile, you have little trouble balancing on nar- (or greater) test result penalty.
row mountain ledges, swinging across chasms, and perform- AFFINITY: Climb, Jump, and other Athletic skills may be
ing similar feats. tested in appropriate circumstances to provide an affinity bo-
WEARINESS: 1 (or more) point(s) every 10 rounds nus of +1 per LoS.
DISTANCE MULTIPLIER: BMR x 1 ACTION TIME: Varies. Most Acrobatics tests are full
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Balance, Swing, Tumble. round actions or require at least one half of a characters ac-
TEST: A successful test allows you to complete athletic tion allowance.
tasks such as balancing, swinging, or tumbling. You make it EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: No, unless the applicable Test
across the chasm or keep from falling off the ledge. The Tu- entry specifically states otherwise.
rambar determines the TN based on how difficult or dan-
gerous the task is. Also see Falling, page 228.
Routine (TN 9): Balancing on a 3 wide surface, holding ACT
onto a swinging rope. LoF 1 requires a second test to
determine whether or not the character has lost grip. Artistic; Influence
Easy (TN 12): Balancing on a 2 wide surface, swinging Bg/In/Wt, 5 Average Untrained: 2
across a pit or other opening provided the rope is already
in hand. Again, LoF 1 requires another test. Whether on stage or while dealing with other people, you
Light (TN 15): Balancing on a 1 wide surface, swinging convincingly portray the emotions and traits you wish to ex-
to a specific location. Failure indicates that the swing press. If it cannot be avoided, you are even good at telling lies.
may still be successful, but misses the intended location SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Lie, Impersonate Specific Individual
by a percentage determined by the movement percentage or Race, Onstage Performance, Pretend Specific Emotion.
column of Table 9.10. For example, Idril wants to swing TEST: This skill represents your ability to counterfeit
from one balcony, across the room to the top of a stair- moods, emotions and beliefs, and to lie convincingly over a
case (a total of 40). With a LoF 2 on her test, she period of time. It allows you to simulate actions or reactions
misses the intended location by 20 (50%). The Turam- of others, as often used in theatrical performances. An Act
bar decides that Idril has instead landed on the banister test may also be attempted to impersonate others, or to hide
twenty feet down the stairs. your own reactions from others. You may use this skill any-
Medium (TN 20): Balancing on a 6 wide surface, time you wish to behave or appear in a manner other than
swinging onto or into a combatant. A successful test normal and natural to you under any given circumstances.
forces the victim to make a Strength test, opposed by the Conversely, the Turambar may require an Act test when-
acrobats Prowess. If the acrobat lands on the victim, the ever you try to fool someone, lie to them, and the like. When
victim suffers a 3 test result penalty, but the acrobat attempting to fool a target, the target may be entitled to an
falls if the victim wins the opposed test. If the victim los- opposed Wisdom or Discern test. Normally, its best to
es the opposed test, he takes 1d10 points of blunt dam- compare the participating characters respective LSF (rather
age for each LoF. This is a Challenging action if the ac- than their numerical test results) as described on page 223.
robat has a weapon or other object in one hand. Impersonation of a particular person is a special type of
Challenging (TN 25): Balancing on a 3 wide surface, acting. To mimic a particular person, you must first success-
riding a curtain or a sail with a knife. Failure indicates fully disguise yourselfsee the Disguise skill, page 90.
the acrobat falls more quickly than intended and may
take falling damage as described on page 228. For exam- Routine (TN 9): Hiding a specific brief response. Suc-
ple, Sakalthor leaps out of a crows nest and attempts to cess indicates that the actor has replaced his natural re-
use the sail to brake his fall. He rolls the dice and sponse with one chosen by him.
achieves but LoF 1. Since the crows nest was 50 high, Easy (TN 12): Hiding one characteristic trait for an ex-
Sakalthor takes damage for a 25 fall (i.e., 50% of 50) tended period of time. Each time the trait would have
and must also make a TN 20 Stumble test. been exhibited, the actor makes a test to hide it. See
Hard (TN 30): Balancing on a 2 wide surface, swinging LSF below for consecutive modifiers.
from rope to rope, vine to vine, or the like. LoF 1 indi- Light (TN 15): Adding one characteristic trait for an ex-
cates that the acrobat covers less than the normal dis- tended period of time. Each time the trait is exhibited,
tance. If one rope must be released prior to grasping the the actor makes a test. See LSF below for consecutive
next, the action becomes more difficult and all results of modifiers.
LoF 1 must be rolled again to avoid falling. Medium (TN 20): Portraying a simple character. The
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Balancing on a 1 wide sur- character has no emotional depth and is plausible only
face, flying 110 between two ropes while swinging. for a short time. Most minor theatrical roles fall into this
category.
81
Challenging (TN 25): Portraying a specific individual to Routine (TN 9): Extracting a dissolved compound from
an audience or target who has only heard of the individ- a solution (for example, extracting salt from salt water).
ual. Easy (TN 12): Separating a non-acidic liquid from a sol-
Hard (TN 30): Portraying a complex character. The id (for example, separating wood into an oil and char-
character has real emotional depth and is plausible for coal).
an extended time. Most main and supporting roles fall Light (TN 15): Purifying a common element or com-
into this category. pound.
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Portraying a specific individ- Medium (TN 20): Recreating a known compound that
ual to an audience or target who is familiar with the in- produces general results.
dividual, but not a close friend or family member. The Challenging (TN 25): Identifying a compound that con-
actor could, for example, portray the king at official tains no obscure elements.
functions to thwart assassination attempts.
Portraying a complex character whose ethos is anti-
thetical to that of the actors. Many actors simply refuse ALCHEMY: POISONS
such roles, due to the difficulty of the task.
Your skill with plants and herbs, animal organs, and ven-
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Portraying a specific
omous beasts allows you to brew poisons to smear on weapons
individual to that individuals close family and friends. or introduce into an enemys food.
Note that this implies that the actor has spent a great REQUISITE: Normally, only tribesmen, Orcs, wicked herb-
deal of time with the individual. masters, and assassins will develop this skill. The Turambar has
the final word on whether you may select it. In addition, he
LSF: In a series of Act tests, each consecutive LoF 1 the may require you to have the same number of ranks in an ap-
actor scores confers a +2 bonus to the targets opposed Wis- propriate skill such as Herbcraft or Nature Lore.
dom or Discern test. Upon LoF 2 or worse, the target real- TEST: When brewing a known poison from a single type of
ises that the actor is lying to him. Any LoS +1 (or better) in- herb or bestial venom, look up its Prepare TN in Appendix B.
flicts a cumulative 2 penalty to the targets opposed test, un- When preparing a poison from a new or unlisted specimen, or
when mixing a poison of two or more components, use the
til the actor scores LoF 2 or worse.
following guidelines and Table B.1 on page 337 to establish the
AFFINITY: Disguise and Mimicry (Voices) may be tested Prepare TN:
in appropriate circumstances to provide an affinity bonus of
With a successful Alchemy: Poisons test against TN 15, you
+1 per LoS.
may prepare injury or ingested poisons with an onset time of
ACTION TIME: Varies. Acting usually requires no more 20 minutes or more, a Potency of 0 (i.e., Stamina TN 15), a
than 10% of the characters action allowance. Treatment of 0 (i.e., Physician TN 15), minor effects (i.e., ran-
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes, but only if the extended dom effects 1 through 4 on Table B.1), and 1 stage.
Act test is resolved as a series of opposed tests as described You may attempt to brew stronger poisons, though at a
under LSF above. greater Prepare TN. Add the shown TN modifiers to the basic
TN of 15 to enhance the poisons effects in one or more of the
following ways:
ALCHEMY (G) Brew poison of any type: +5 Prepare TN (inhaled poisons
automatically have continuous stages)
Decrease or increase onset time: +2 Prepare TN for each
Lore; Academic step away from the basic onset time of 20 minutes
Aw/In/Wt, 7 Hard Untrained: 4 Increase the Potency TN by +3, to a maximum of TN 40:
+2 Prepare TN for each +3 Potency TN increment
Increase the Treatment TN by +5, to a maximum of TN
With your deep knowledge of the elements that comprise 40: +2 Prepare TN for each +5 Treatment TN increment
Arda, your are a master at analysing, devising, and producing Create poison with serious or extreme effects (i.e., random
alchemical compounds. effects 5 through 8 on Table B.1): +3 Prepare TN
REQUISITE: The use of this skill requires access to the nec- Create grievously damaging or paralysing poison (random ef-
essary equipment, tomes of alchemical lore, and materials. fects 9 and 10 on Table B.1): +6 Prepare TN
Increase the stages by one step, from 1 to 1d3, to 1d6, to
SAMPLE SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: Acids, Fireworks, Itching
1d10, to 2d10: +3 Prepare TN for each step
Powders, Perfumes, Poisons, Potions, or any other chemical
compound (Identify, Devise, Prepare). LSF: On LoF 1, the poisoner wastes one dose worth of in-
gredients but does no other harm to his effort. On LoF 2,
TEST: This skill allows to identify and mix various sub-
however, things go wrong but the poisoner fails to realise his
stances with relatively predictable results. Each type of com- mistakeusually, the poison will be ineffective or otherwise
pound requires a separate skill. However, some general tasks spoiled, as the Turambar sees fit. Achieving LoS +1 or greater
such as extracting, separating, or purifying common ele- normally grants no benefits, but the Turambar may rule that
mentscan be attempted with any type of Alchemy skill, re- the poisoner has created more doses, or a more effective poi-
gardless of the nature of the involved elements. son.
The creation or identification of an alchemical compound ACTION TIME: Provided you have access to the appropri-
ate ingredients, it usually takes you about one hour to pre-
is the alchemists goal. The more general the results, the easi-
pare a single dose of poison, enough for one blow or to put in
er it is to create or identify a given compound. The Turam- one persons food.
bar must be very careful about which substances he will allow
to be created.
82
Hard (TN 30): Creating a new compound that produces LoF 3 or worse mean you misestimate the value between
general results. Recreating a known compound that 10% to 20%, 30% to 50%, or 60% to 100% of actual worth,
produces specific results. respectivelyeither over or under.
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Identifying a compound that AFFINITY: A Craft skill used to craft the object may be
contains obscure elements. tested in appropriate circumstances to provide an affinity bo-
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Creating a new com- nus of +1 per LoS. For example, Goldsmith (Silver) may
pound that produces specific results. grant affinity bonuses for valuing objects made of silver.
ACTION TIME: 1 minute or more, depending on the na-
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Without a reasonably equipped
ture and obscurity of the object.
laboratory at his disposal, an alchemist suffers a test result
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
penalty from 5 to 15.
AFFINITY: If applicable, Herbcraft, Observe, Physician,
and Research may be tested in appropriate circumstances to
provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
ARCANE LORE (G)
ACTION TIME: From several minutes to weeks or months.
Lore; Academic
In/Wl/Wt, 7 Hard Untrained: 6
You are learned, possessing much lore and wisdom of
APPRAISE dwimmer-craft, dragons, rings of power, and the Ainur.
REQUISITE: Arcane Lore skills are almost never acquired
Lore; Academic except by long and arduous study.
Aw/In/Wt, 5 Average Untrained: 4 SAMPLE SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: The Arcane Lore skill
group represents theoretical knowledge of magical spells and
You have a fine eye for the value of objects, be they ancient or obscure beings and objects, whether of natural or
worked items of great worth, raw gold and gems fit for craft- divine origin or crafted, or of good or evil purpose.
ing into heirlooms of beauty, precious wines and spices, or There is no precise classification of most Arcane Lore
fertile farmlands and stately homes. skills; in fact, you should feel free to add you own Arcane
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Gems, Gold, Silver, mithril, Armour, Lore skills as your characters adventures present you with
Weapons, Tools, Grain, Livestock, Wool, Wine, Manors, or the need to do so. Any Arcane Lore skill should describe a
any other merchandise. broader category of entities or objects, such as Arcane Lore:
TEST: Appraise has two uses: valuing objects, which in- Dragons or Arcane Lore: Items of Power. Specialties within
cludes evaluating their quality in general, and determining if those skills can encompass just about any sub-category or in-
an object is fake. See LSF, below, for details. dividual, such as Arcane Lore: Dragons (Fire Drakes, Drag-
ons of the Withered Heath, Smaug), Arcane Lore: Demons
Routine (TN 9): Evaluating the value of a commodity
(Balrogs, Bandrhoth), Arcane Lore: Valar and Maiar (Spe-
whose price is strictly regulated.
cific Ainu, Maiar of a Specific Region), or Arcane Lore:
Easy (TN 12): Evaluating the value of a raw commodity
Wraiths (Nazgl, Barrow-wights). Arcane Lore: Items of
whose price is tracked by a large number of merchants.
Power encompasses all magical weapons and artefacts; speci-
Light (TN 15): Evaluating the value of trivial, everyday
alities include classes of items, such as weapons, palantri,
objects (most ordinary market purchases, such as a pot,
rings of power, and staves, or enchanted items produced by
clothing, and the like).
different races, such as Elves and Dwarves.
Medium (TN 20): Evaluating common objects (gold
Only Arcane Lore: Spellcraft is defined more thoroughly.
nuggets, low-value gems, ordinary weapons and ar-
There are two distinct skills which comprehend the practice
mour).
of casting spells using the two general types or forms of
Challenging (TN 25): Evaluating uncommon objects
magic recognised by these rules: Spellcraft: The Art and
(valuable gems, quality Dwarven goldsmithing).
Spellcraft: Sorcery. They are by no means the same as know-
Hard (TN 30): Evaluating the value of rare items with
ing how to cast spells, since one may have a Spellcraft skill
little or no practicaland no artisticvalue (but possi-
without possessing any proficiency in an Art or Sorcery.
ble historical significance, like a tome of lore whose ma-
Having a Spellcraft skill means that you know something
terial is outdated).
about how spells of a certain type behave in theory, and that
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Evaluating rare objects (a
you can identify them when they are cast. If you wish to
weapon or armour made by Telchar of Nogrod).
identify a spell being cast by one of your foes so that you may
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Evaluating unique ob-
counter-spell it, you may make a Spellcraft test with a TN
jects (the fragments of Aiglos).
equal to the spells basic TN. (Note that wielders of the Art
LSF: When evaluating an item, LSF 0 indicates you cor- may test the applicable Art instead of Spellcraft: The Art.)
rectly judged its quality and can value it within 10% of its ac- Typical specialties for both Spellcraft: The Art and
tual value. LoS +1 tells you the value within 5%. LoS +2 Spellcraft: Sorcery cover the different realms of spells (or
gives you the correct value. LoS +3 or greater also tells you Arts) and the two specialised casting methods, Runes and
where it came from and who made it, if such facts are Songs of Power. Therefore, if a character with a Spellcraft
knownand if not, you can hazard a rough guess, such as skill lacks a specialty for a particular realm of spells, he may
the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains. LoF 1, LoF 2, and still be able to use his total skill bonus if a spell he wants to
83
identify is cast as a Song of Power, and he has that specialty. Hard (TN 30): Standing up while suffering a 7 armour
More information concerning magic and casting spells can be penalty, or donning such an armour in half the normal
found in Chapter Eleven. time.
TESTING THIS SKILL: Please refer to the section on Lore, Extremely Hard (TN 35): Standing up while suffering
page 103, for details on resolving tests of Arcane Lore. an armour penalty of 8 or greater, or donning such an
armour in half the normal time.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Diving for cover (may
ARMOUR be a prerequisite for a Dodge test).
LSF: Standing up: The AP cost to stand up is decreased by
Combat; Physical
10% for each LoS beyond LSF 0. Donning: The time to get
Ni/St/St, 7 Easy Untrained: 0 into a suit of armour is decreased by one more round for each
LoS beyond LSF 0. Failure at a test to don an armour in
Armour is heavy, and fighting or manoeuvring with it on, half the normal time results in an additional temporary 1
no matter how light, is trickyso you need to practise. This armour penalty for each LoF you suffer. This penalty also
skill is used to offset the penalties accrued from the wearing applies to the protection offered by the armour.
of armour. Each piece of armour supplies a penalty to all tests ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: The TN of any Armour skill
governed by Deftness and/or Nimbleness. Find the total of test is reduced by 5 for each helping character.
your various armour pieces maximum penalties and write it ACTION TIME: Standing up: It takes (8 + GEP as a posi-
down in the space of your Skill Sheet that is normally re- tive figure) AP to pick yourself up from the ground. Donning:
served for recording your General Encumbrance Penalty Getting into or out of a suit of armour usually requires a
(GEP). This skill will allow you to negate part or maybe even number of full action rounds equal to 5 + (armour penalty x
all of this total maximum penalty. However, it cannot reduce armour penalty). A successful test of the Armour skill cuts
the penalty below its minimum. Your actual armour penalty that time in half. For example, it normally takes three
is either equal to your total minimum penalty or the total minutes to don an armour that penalises you with 5 (i.e., 5
bonus of this skill, whichever is worse. This skill automatical- + [5 x 5] = 30 rounds), but with a successful skill test the
ly reduces the penaltieshence, no tests are required. See task can be accomplished in only 15 rounds.
pages 183ff. for more information on armour. EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Standing up: Yes. Donning: No.
REQUISITE: You cannot acquire more ranks in the Ar-
mour skill than you need to reach the minimum penalty of
the heaviest armour you regularly wear. ARMOURSMITH (P)
WEARINESS: Half of your armour penalty is applied as a
weariness multiplier. For example, if you have a total armour Craft; Physical
penalty of 4, you accumulate twice the normal amount of
weariness points while performing an action. De/St/Vi, 6 Average Untrained: 4
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any specific suit or type of armour.
Note that the 3 penalty for lacking a specialty in this skill is You are an accomplished armourer and able to repair and
only applied in the rare case of testing the Armour skill, but make any type of armour or shield.
not for figuring the actual armour penalty! SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: Chainmail (Cowls,
TEST: The Armour skill is only tested when you need to Corslets), Scalemail (Hauberks, Cuirasses), Steel Plates
stand up after you have fallen to the ground, or when you (Helms, Vambraces), Shields (Small, Medium, Large). For
need to get into or out of your armour quickly, and in like additional armour types and pieces in which an armourer
situations. could specialise, see Table 6.5 on page 187. Employ the
Leathercraft skill to create leather or quilt armour.
Routine (TN 9): Careful drop to the ground (may be a TESTING THIS SKILL: Please refer to the section on
prerequisite for a Dodge test). Smithcraft, page 115, for details on resolving tests of Ar-
Easy (TN 12): Standing up while suffering an armour moursmith.
penalty of 2 or less, or donning such an armour in half
the normal time.
Light (TN 15): Rapid drop to the ground (may be a pre- AXES (P)
requisite for a Dodge test). Standing up while suffering
an armour penalty of 4 or less, or donning such an ar- Combat; Physical
mour in half the normal time.
Medium (TN 20): Standing up while suffering a 5 ar- De/St/St, 5 Average Untrained: 4
mour penalty, or donning such an armour in half the
normal time. You are handy with axes and other hacking weapons of
Challenging (TN 25): Standing up while suffering a 6 all sorts.
armour penalty, or donning such an armour in half the SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: One-handed (Battle-
normal time. axe, Handaxe), Two-handed (Battleaxe, Greataxe).
TESTING THIS SKILL: Please refer to the section on Melee
Weapons, page 105, for details on testing an Axes skill.
84
BEASTMASTER (P) ACTION TIME: Taming and training an animal is a time-

consuming task, generally taking a number of days equal to
the TN of the individual trick being taught.
Outdoor; Influence Extended Test Failure: Yes.
Bg/In/Wl, 5 Average Untrained: 4
You are skilled at taming and training animals, teaching BLACKSMITH

them to accept riders or burdens, or obey certain verbal, non-
verbal, and physical commands. A character with Beastmas- Craft; Physical
ter also knows how to care for the animal. In addition, the De/St/Vi, 5 Average Untrained: 4
skill can be used for calming wild beasts.
SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: Specific type or spe- You can craft horseshoes, metal tools, pots, and other or-
cies of animals, such as Dogs, Wolves, Horses, Oliphaunts, dinary items of all sorts.
Hunting Birds, and so on (Any individual animal, Any spe- SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Horseshoes, Nails, Pots, Tools, and
cific command, Befriend, Breed, Care, Herd, Tame, Treat similar ordinary everyday metal objects.
Injuries). TESTING THIS SKILL: Please refer to the section on
TEST: Training and taming can be more or less difficult Smithcraft, page 115, for details on resolving tests of Black-
depending on the complexity of the task or trick being smith.
taught, and the intelligence of the animal (see Additional
Modifiers). Note that in many cases, the animal will need to
make a test to perform the requested action successfully. BLADES (P)
Routine (TN 9): Teaching an animal to use a litter box.
Easy (TN 12): Training a good-natured horse or other Combat; Physical
riding animal to allow it to be ridden.
De/Ni/St, 5 Average Untrained: 3
Light (TN 15): Taming a docile or passive animal.
Teaching an animal to heel, or obey simple directions
You are skilled in the use of blades and other slashing and
(forward, left, right, stop, and so on).
stabbing weapons of all sorts.
Medium (TN 20): Taming normal, hungry, or inquisi-
SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: Small (Dagger, Knife,
tive animal. Teaching a predatory animal to attack on
Longknife, Shortsword), Medium/One-handed (Bastard
command. Teaching an animal to vary its pace (trot, gal-
Sword, Broadsword, Falchion, Longsword, Scimitar), Two-
lop, walk, and the like). Teaching an animal instinctual
handed (Bastard Sword, Greatsword).
commands for example, training a bloodhound to follow
a scent).
Weapons, page 105, for details on testing a Blades skill.
Challenging (TN 25): Taming an aggressive, jumpy, or
protective animal. Teaching an animal complex direc-
tions (jump, twist, and the like). Teaching an animal BOWS
non-instinctual commands (play dead, roll over, beg, and
so on).
Combat; Physical
Hard (TN 30): Taming a belligerent, hostile, or timid
animal. Teaching a horse or other riding animal not to Aw/De/St, 6 Hard Untrained: 4
bolt when its rider vaults into the saddle. Teaching a
non-aggressive animal to attack on command. You are handy with bows of all sorts and can slay your
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Taming any other animal. foes at a distance, making them fear to come within your
Training an animal not to flee upon encountering a dan- range.
gerous or hostile situation. A horse cannot be consid- REQUISITE: You must be strong enough to bend your bow
ered a warhorse until it learns this. (see Chapter Six).
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Training an animal to WEARINESS: 1 point every 2 rounds
operate within predefined parameters. Most search and SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Longbow, Shortbow, Composite
rescue dogs fall into this category. Bow, Nmenorean Steelbow, and so on.
LSF: For each LoS, decrease the training time (see Action TEST: Most tests of the Bows skill are standard tests, with
Time, below) by 10%, to a minimum of 50%. a difficulty based on the targets Defence and the range to the
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: The more intelligent the animal,
target, as defined by the bow (see Table 10.1 on page 254).
the easier it is to train. Reduce the TN by one half of the an- To avoid damage from a successful attack, the target may
imals Wits attribute. perform a dodge manoeuvre or parry with his shield as an
opposed test.
AFFINITY: Other skills related to animalssuch as Ride
LSF: The greater your LoS, the worse the injury your ar-
or Teamstermay be tested in appropriate circumstances to
provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS. For example, Ride row inflicts. The effects of injury, weariness, and healing are
may provide an affinity bonus to Beastmaster if training a described in Chapter Nine. On the other hand, a fumble or a
horse to serve as a mount. LoF 2 or worse can damage your bow or cause you to acci-
dentally shoot a comrade (see page 220 on fumbles).
85
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: See Chapter Ten for details on LSF: Use the movement percentage column of Table 9.10
combat, including shield-parries, dodging, and modifiers. (page 219) to establish your progress in feet per test. A nega-
ACTION TIME: Table 10.1 on page 253 lists detailed active figure indicates you have encountered an obstacle and
tion point costs for loading and firing bows. been forced to backtrack. A Failure on a subsequent Stumble
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: N/A. test means that you fall. Keep a running total of your pro-
gress to determine when the climb is complete, or how far
you fall. See Falling, page 228, for more information.
CLIMB ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Using a rope and climbing gear
usually grants you a test result bonus of +5 or more. Climb-
Athletic; Physical ing downwards often entails a 2 (or greater) test result pen-
alty.
De/Ni/St, 5 Average Untrained: 3
AFFINITY: Acrobatics (Balance) may be tested to provide
an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS for climbing some surfaces,
You know how to climb trees, scale sheer cliffs, and
particularly when moving across them.
clamber up ropes.
ACTION TIME: Varies. Most Climb tests are full round
DISTANCE MULTIPLIER AND WEARINESS: The Weariness
actions (Turambars discretion). Since you can usually cover
accruing from climbing directly relates to your speed, as
between one and four sevenths (i.e., 14% to 57%) of your
shown on the below chart. However, the given Weariness
BMR each round, it may take several rounds to cover the de-
rates only apply to moderately difficult climbing actions. At
sired distance.
TN 25+, you accumulate Weariness as if moving at the next
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: N/A.
greater pace, to a maximum of 20 points per round. Climb
tests against TN 30+ strain you as if you were moving two
pace increments faster, and if the test is made against TN
40+, you automatically accumulate the maximum of 20
CLOTHWORKS
Weariness points per round.
Craft; Physical
PACE DISTANCE MULTIPLIER WEARINESS POINTS
Relaxed Climb BMR x 1/7 1 every 2 rounds
Aw/De/De, 4 Easy Untrained: 3
Quick Climb BMR x 2/7 1 each round
Fast Climb BMR x 3/7 5 each round Your skill in fashioning and mending garments, blankets,
Rapid Climb BMR x 4/7 20 each round and other textile goods draws the attention of nobles and
commoners alike.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Brick Walls, Mountain Slopes,
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Knit, Sew, Spin, Weave, Dye, Tai-
Rocks and Cliffs, Ropes, Ladders, Trees, and so on.
lor, Embroidery, Furrier, and so on.
TEST: The difficulty for a Climb test depends on the
TEST: Most uses of Clothworks are extended tests, since
smoothness and steepness of the surface you want to climb.
few of these tasks can be performed with both speed and ac-
If you succeed, you move up, down, or across a surface at a
curacy. The difficulty depends on the intricacy of the final
steady pace, typically one seventh of your BMR per round in
product as well as the durability of the garment.
combat conditions. A failure on a Climb test means you ei-
ther make no progress in a given round, have to backtrack, or Routine (TN 9): Replacing a button.
fall (see LSF for details). Easy (TN 12): Darning a sock.
Increase the TN by +2 if the surface is sandy, +4 if wet, Light (TN 15): Sewing a simple, familiar pattern such as
+6 if oily, and +8 if icy. In addition, apply a +3 TN modifier a tunic or surcoat.
for each pace increment you are climbing faster than at re- Medium (TN 20): Sewing a familiar pattern such as a
laxed pace. Ignore both of these types of TN modifiers when shirt or jacket.
calculating your Weariness point cost. Challenging (TN 25): Sewing a complex, familiar pat-
tern like a formal gown or ceremonial garb.
Routine (TN 9): Climb a stair in combat.
Hard (TN 30): Sewing an unfamiliar pattern. Designing
Easy (TN 12): Climb a ladder or knotted rope.
a new pattern (for example, a shirt that contains a hid-
Light (TN 15): Climb a rope or a 45 incline.
den pouch).
Medium (TN 20): Climb a 60 incline or a tree with
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Designing a complex pattern
low-hanging branches.
like a ceremonial robe whose encumbering pieces can
Challenging (TN 25): Climb a stone wall with frequent
easily be removed by ripping them off, for example to fa-
hand-holds.
cilitate fighting.
Hard (TN 30): Climb a rough wall (like a cliff face) or a
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Sewing with uncon-
tree trunk.
ventional materials such as metal or dragon-scales.
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Climb a smooth wall (de-
signed to have almost no hand-holds) or a 120 over- LSF: See the section on Craft Skills, page 78, for rules on
hanging stone surface. weaving superior or inferior cloths based on varying LSF.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Climb a smooth 120 ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Superior equipment may pro-
overhanging surface or upside-down along a stone sur- vide a test result bonus, usually ranging from +1 to +5.
face.
86
AFFINITY: Appraise, Leathercraft, or Goldsmith may be Challenging (TN 25): Concealing a collection of docu-
tested in applicable situations to provide an affinity bonus of ments (up to fifty pages). Camouflaging a large object,
+1 per LoS. up to the size of a tent.
ACTION TIME: Varies. Most Clothworks tests require Hard (TN 30): Concealing a dagger or other small
hours, or even days. weapon. Camouflaging a large creature such as a bull.
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes. Extremely Hard (TN 35): Concealing a living creature
like a small cat. Camouflaging a huge object, up to the
size of a small house.
CLUBS (P) Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Concealing a sword or
other medium weapon. Camouflaging a huge creature
Combat; Physical like an Oliphauntalthough it could be smelled a fur-
long away.
De/St/St, 4 Easy Untrained: 3
LSF: Use your Conceal test result to establish the TN for
You are skilled in the use of clubs and staffs and other an opposed Search (Hidden Items) test. When you try to
bashing weapons of all sorts. hide yourself in the wilderness, you gain a +1 bonus per LoS
SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: One-handed (Club, with a Conceal (Camouflage) test to all Hide tests.
Mace, Warhammer), Two-handed (Quarterstaff, Warmat- AFFINITY: Search (Hidden Items) may be tested in appli-
tock). cable situations to judge the quality of the concealment, thus
TESTING THIS SKILL: Please refer to the section on Melee providing an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
Weapons, page 105, for details on testing a Clubs skill. ACTION TIME: 1 minute or more.
CONCEAL
COOK (P)
Stealth; Physical
Craft; Physical
De/In/Wt, 5 Average Untrained: 4
Aw/De/In, 4 Easy Untrained: 3
You know how to hide objects, such as treasure or weap-
ons, so that others cannot find them. You know how to prepare a decent meal even if you are
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any Specific Type of Object, Cam- short of supplies. Moreover, you have a nose for detecting
ouflage. bad food and know how to prepare and neutralise dangerous
TEST: Most Conceal tests are opposed tests against the food ingredients.
Search (Hidden Items) skill of the person trying to find the SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: Food (Soups, Meat
hidden object. Yet, make a standard test in advance. If you Dishes, Bake, Sweets, Preserve, and so on), Potables (Beer,
fail this test, anyone who searches for the object finds it Wine, and so on).
without needing to make a test of their own. The difficulty of TEST: The difficulty of a Cook test depends on how elab-
the standard test depends on the size of the object you wish orate or exotic a meal is to be. This partly stems from the dif-
to hide, and the available hiding places. ficulty in obtaining fresh ingredients, but the number of
The first example in each difficulty category supposes courses you plan to serve, and for how many people you are
that the object is being hidden on yourself. Hiding an object cooking the meal, is even more important.
on another person increases the TN by +3. Use the Camou- Routine (TN 9): Prepare a simple dish like a sandwich.
flage specialty and the corresponding examples when hiding Easy (TN 12): Determine if an ordinary ingredient has
an object or beast from casual observers by using the natural
gone bad (provided it is not obvious).
attributes of the surrounding environment, special clothes,
Light (TN 15): Cook a small, everyday meal when all of
skin dyes, and other methods.
the ingredients are readily available and fresh.
Routine (TN 9): Concealing a small supply of a herb or Medium (TN 20): Brew a simple beer (i.e., without any
poison (less than one ounce). Camouflaging a tiny ob- extra ingredients such as hops). Preserve a food, for in-
ject, no larger than a small knife. stance by pickling or curing.
Easy (TN 12): Concealing a razor blade, lock pick, or Challenging (TN 25): Cook a small, complex meal. Pre-
other tiny implement. Camouflaging a small object, no pare a dish when some of the ingredients must be substi-
larger than a sword or backpack, or a tiny creature like a tuted. Invent a new dish that uses a specific ingredient.
mouse. Select the wine most appropriate for a given meal.
Light (TN 15): Concealing a moderate supply of herbs Hard (TN 30): Cook a large, complex meal. Preserve
or drugs (up to one pound). Camouflaging a man-sized meat while in a makeshift camp.
object or a small creature like a dog. Extremely Hard (TN 35): Cook a very large, very com-
Medium (TN 20): Concealing a small knife so that it is plex meal. Brew a beer that has a very specific flavour.
not found in a cursory search. Camouflaging a person. Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Cook an exotic dish
when nearly all of the ingredients must be substituted
for other ingredients.
87
TEST: The difficulty for a Dance test depends on the

LSF: See the section on Craft Skills, page 78, for rules on
complexity of the footwork and other motions involved, as
preparing superior or inferior meals based on varying LSF.
well as on the audience you wish to entertain.
AFFINITY: Observe (Smell & Taste) may be tested to pro-
The Dance skill may also apply to any circumstances in
vide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
which complex and precise footwork is necessary, such as
ACTION TIME: Varies greatly, from minutes to hours or
when negotiating a pattern on the floor, performing certain
sometimes even days.
magical rituals, and so on. Especially practitioners of the Art
often dance to their songs to enhance their magic.
Routine (TN 9): Perform a childs dance.
CULTURE LORE (G) Easy (TN 12): Dance with a crowd of tiddly Hobbits.
Light (TN 15): Perform most folk dances or a simple
Lore; Academic ballroom dance.
Medium (TN 20): Perform a moderately complex ball-
Bg/In/Wt, 5 Easy Untrained: 4 room dance. Embody the magic you are weaving in a
dance (note that a Turambar may require a test against
You know much about a particular culture: where its the spells or other magical effects own TN instead).
members live, how they think and act, and their customs, po- Challenging (TN 25): Dance in a kings ballroom.
litical affairs, and traditions. Hard (TN 30): Dance with Elvish courtiers.
REQUISITE: You can acquire knowledge of Middle-earths Extremely Hard (TN 35): Seduce a proud queen by the
cultures and races through one of three ways: being one of grace and elegance of your dance.
them, living among them, or reading or hearing about them Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Dance with the Valar.
through written accounts or tales. The first two are the most
reliable and most popular means, as the third may provide LSF: Besides the obvious interpretations of success and
knowledge from unreliable sources. failure at a Dance test, a 1 per LSF modifier may be applied
SAMPLE SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: The Culture Lore skill in appropriate situations to tests of other skills, such as Per-
group represents knowledge of the many different peoples of suade (Seduction) or Debate (Negotiate), and to some uses
Middle-earth. It encompasses understanding of the various of the Art and Sorcery.
cultural, political, historical, and economic elements that ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Increase the difficulty by one
shaped them. Recent historical events (those within living category if the dance is unfamiliar. Once you have successful-
memory) are also a part of such bodies of lore, as is ly performed a dance three times, it is familiar. Certain phys-
knowledge of famous individuals still living or only recently ical handicaps make this skill effectively impossible.
passed away. ACTION TIME: Varies.
Culture Lore skills are classified by the people that they EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
describe, such as Culture Lore: Beornings, or Culture Lore:
Elves of Mirkwood. Specialties within those skills can de-
scribe just about any facet of a peoples culture, such as Cul- DEBATE
ture Lore: Shire Hobbits (Entertainments), or Culture Lore:
Rohirrim (Agriculture). Specialties can also cover knowledge Social; Influence
of a prominent individual or a small collection of individuals
Bg/In/Wt, 5 Average Untrained: 3
belonging to that culture, as in Culture Lore: Dwarves of the
Lonely Mountain (King Din Ironfoot) or Culture Lore:
You are skilled with words and arguments, and you know
Rohirrim (Marshals). In the latter instance, this specialty co-
well how to bargain for what you need, or how to parley with
vers both knowledge of the current Marshals of Rohan and
another to obtain some advantage in war or rulership.
an understanding of their office and duties.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Bargain, Negotiate, Oratory.
TESTING THIS SKILL: Please refer to the section on Lore,
TEST: Debate represents your ability to convince others
page 103, for details on resolving tests of Culture Lore.
with reasoned arguments rather than force of personality or
will, which requires Persuade instead. You use it in an op-
DANCE posed test against the targets Wisdom (such as when one
captain tries to convince another to agree with his plan of at-
tack) or against another characters Debate (say, when two
Artistic; Influence
courtiers try to sway a king to their respective viewpoints).
Bg/Ni/Vi, 5 Average Untrained: 4 The effects of a successful Debate test last indefinitely: as
long as the Turambar believes they should, or until some
You are a graceful dancer and quickly find your feet at other person or event changes the targets mind. But Debate
new dances. is not domination. It cannot force the target to do what the
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any specific style of dance, such as speaker suggests, and the target always remains free to reject
Folk, Ballroom, Ritual, Erotic, and so on, or the Dances of a absurd proposals, regardless of the test result.
Specific People. As with most Social skills, it is probably the best choice
to test Debate as seldom as possible. Instead, most situations
involving Debate should be resolved by roleplaying. Only af-
88
ter some time of roleplaying should the Turambar call for a (for example, can a catapult propel a water-filled balloon
test to determine the final outcome of the influence attempt. over a fire such that the balloon breaks in mid-flight).
But rather than simply cutting off the Debate after the test, Design a complex structure like a guild hall.
the test result should serve as a guideline for the final resolu- Hard (TN 30): Design a new device to solve a general
tion of the situation by the means of roleplaying. class of problems (for example, designing an aqueduct
AFFINITY: A successful Persuade test provides an affinity that can deliver water to any number of locations). De-
bonus to Debate. So does knowledge of a skill related to the sign a collection of simple structures like an apartment
subject being debated, such as Appraise when bargaining for building.
the price of goods, or Warfare (Besieging) when discussing Extremely Hard (TN 35): Determine the most efficient
the best way to assault a fortress. Ability to debate in the tar- system to address a given problem with respect to a par-
gets native Language may also provide a bonus, if appropri- ticular variable such as money, time, or the like. Design a
ate (it may even be a prerequisite, though). collection of complex structures like a castle complete
ACTION TIME: Varies, but debating is always a full round with towers, walls, and keep.
action. Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Design a complex de-
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes. vice whose component parts can be interchanged in or-
der to address a wide variety of problems (for example,
an optical device with interchangeable and reversible
DEVISE (G) lenses such that the device can magnify and reduce). De-
sign a structure that mimics the style of another archi-
Lore; Academic tect (if you score LoS +2 or better at this test, future
scholars will be convinced that the structure was built by
De/Wt/Wt, 7 Hard Untrained: 4 the architect being copied).
You are skilled at designing complex structures and ma- ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: If you (the player) can give the
chinery, and you knowin theoryhow to build and oper- Turambar a good description of what you want to do, he
ate them. may grant you a +1 to +6 test result bonus.
SAMPLE SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: Architecture (Towers, AFFINITY: Applicable Craft skills and/or Reckon may be
Castles, Temples), Infrastructure (Bridges, Roads, Sewers, tested in appropriate circumstances to provide an affinity bo-
Waterways), Machinery (Looms, Mills), Siege Engines (Bat- nus of +1 per LoS.
tering Rams, Catapults), Vehicles (Carts, Sledges, Wains), ACTION TIME: Depending on the complexity and scale of
Workshops (Breweries, Smithies), and so on. the project, Devise may require any amount of time from a
TEST: Devise allows you to determine what a device does, few rounds to several months or even years.
design new machinery, vehicles, or buildings, or streamline EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
these systems. The difficulty of a Devise test depends on the
complexity of the device and the obscurity of the theory be-
hind the item, orin the case of designing a buildingthe DISCERN
intricacy of the structure and on how strong it must be. Use
the corresponding Craft skills for the practical application of Social; Influence
your plans. Bg/In/In, 7 Hard Untrained: 4
Routine (TN 9): Determine how a simple device such as You see deeper than other people, into the hearts and
a lever, pulley, or magnifying glass works. Determine the minds of those you meet, easily discerning the motives for
style in which a building is created (at the Turambars their deeds. Your senses tell you when lies are told, when
discretion, this may allow you to gain rough insight into things are not right, and even when someone near you is hid-
the floor plan). ing great power or force of personality.
Easy (TN 12): Determine how a compound device like a SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Specific Race or Group of People.
an elevator works. Design a simple remodelling (such as TEST: Most Discern tests are opposed tests against the
adding a window or door to an existing wall). skill another person uses to deceive, bluff, dupe, or conceal
Light (TN 15): Determine whether or not a simple de- motives and intentions from the character, such as Act (Tell
vice can be used to solve a particular problem without Lies), Persuade (Fast Talk), or Disguise.
simply attempting the potential solution (for example, If no TN is available for an opposed test, or if a person
you might calculate whether or not a pulley system is does not actively try to trick the character, but simply masks
powerful enough to move a bull). Determine a buildings his motivations and feelings for some reason, the Turambar
architect, provided you are familiar with his work. De- can establish a difficulty based on how well he thinks the per-
sign a simple structure like a single-story dwelling. son dissembles. The same applies for persons trying to hide,
Medium (TN 20): Design a new device to solve a partic- or at least not reveal, their power (however defined) or their
ular problem such as moving a large object from one impressiveness (their Social Rank or their rank in Inspire, In-
place to another. Determine the integrity of a building. timidate, and like skills).
Design a simple, multi-story structure like an inn.
Challenging (TN 25): Determine whether or not a Routine (TN 9): Discerning an outrageous lie.
complex device can be used to solve a particular problem Easy (TN 12): Discerning poorly concealed motivations
or feelings.
89
Light (TN 15): Discerning a typical persons concealed Easy (TN 12): Appear to belong to a specific group of
motivations or feelings. people (soldier or pirate, for example). Your identity is
Medium (TN 20): Discerning a plausible lie. not changed (except that your friends might not expect
Challenging (TN 25): Discerning well-concealed moti- to see you in such garb).
vations or feelings. Light (TN 15): Pretend to be of another race, or even a
Hard (TN 30): Discerning very well concealed motiva- beast. The disguise does not intend to fool the audience,
tions or feelings. only to portray key characteristics of the race or beast.
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Discerning a lie that is more Medium (TN 20): Alter your identity completely so as
plausible than the truth. to appear to be someone else. This might include adding
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Discerning deeply hid- facial hair, changing your age, and the like.
den motivations or feelings. Challenging (TN 25): Alter your identity completely to
that of a representative of a specific group of people (a
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Several conditions may vary the
sailor or noble, for example). The disguise masks your
result of a Discern test:
actual identity.
CONDITION TEST RESULT MODIFIER Hard (TN 30): Design a costume that convincingly al-
Outrageous lie +5 * ters your sex, culture, or even race (if that is possible at
Lie is more plausible than the truth 5 * all) from a distance of 10 or more. Closer inspection
Familiar with the liar +2 may reveal certain flaws in the disguise.
Very close with the liar +4
Unfamiliar with the liar 2 Extremely Hard (TN 35): Assume the identity of a spe-
Cannot see liar 3 cific individual whose appearance is vaguely familiar to
Cannot hear liar 5 the audience. This might include disguising yourself as a
Less than 5 ranks in liars language 2 ruler in order to deliver a speech.
No ranks in liars language 5
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Design a costume that
*): This test result modifier is only applied in an opposed test. can convince an audience that you are a specific individ-
ACTION TIME: Full round. ual whose appearance is very familiar to the audience.
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes. The disguise is good enough to pass all but the closest
scrutiny.
AFFINITY: If appropriate, successful use of Act (Imper-
DISGUISE sonate) may provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS, as
may Mimicry (to disguise the voice or to imitate the
Stealth; Physical voice of another) or an applicable Lore skill that covers
the person (or culture other than your own) whose guise
Bg/De/Wl, 5 Average Untrained: 4
you have assumed. Persuade could also help to convince
someone that you are who you appear to be.
With clever changes of clothing, look, and manner, you
ACTION TIME: Altering ones appearance usually requires
can alter your appearance, preventing your enemies from spy-
several minutes, if not an hour or more. Trying to trick
ing on your doings.
another person into believing the character is someone
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any specific type of disguise, such as
else requires at least a full round, but normally longer.
Gondorian Noble, Haradan Merchant, Dunnish Peasant,
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: No.
and so on.
TEST: Most Disguise tests are opposed tests pitting your
skill against the Wisdomor sometimes Discern, Observe
(Spot), or Searchof anyone who looks closely at you and
DODGE
tries to discern that you are not who you seem. Yet, make a
Combat; Physical
standard test in advance. If you fail this test, anyone you meet
will notice that you are disguised without needing to make a Aw/Ni/Ni, 7 Hard Untrained: 0
test of their own. If you succeed at this test, use its result as
the TN for tests to see through the disguise. The test diffi- Swift and agile, you have developed great skill in avoiding
culty depends on how radically your appearance is being al- the blows of your enemies.
tered and how convincing the disguise must be. WEARINESS: 2 points per round (payable only once per
Ordinarily, characters only use this skill to disguise them- round, and only if you have not already accumulated any
selves as members of their own race. After all, no disguise can Weariness for attacking or parrying in a given round).
help a Man pass as a Dwarf, or a Hobbit as an Elf! If disguis- SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Melee, Missiles, Natural Disasters.
ing ones self as a member of another race is even possible, at TEST: In response to any melee or ranged attack that you
the very least it gives onlookers a +6 (or greater) bonus to are aware of, you may dodge to attempt to avoid injury (i.e.,
their opposed test result. you may not dodge an attack from your back hex). The TN
Routine (TN 9): Add a new facial characteristic that for your Dodge test is your opponents result with his attack
does not conceal your identity in any way (for example, a skill test. With a successful Dodge test, you evade the attack
wart or beauty mark). and avoid all damage. If your Dodge action fails, damage is
based on your Defence as if you had taken no defensive ma-
90
noeuvre (i.e., even a close failure does not improve your situa- Drawing advanced geometric shapes such as ellipses
tion). Note that you cannot resort to another defensive ma- or cones.
noeuvre to avoid an attack that you already tried to dodge. Light (TN 15): A simple, elegant sketch that captures
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: You suffer a 3 test result penal- the essence of a location, item, or person. Many artists
ty when you dodge an attack from a side hex. Furthermore, begin with such a sketch.
you may not dodge a ranged attack from a foe outside your Designing a map of a small geographical region (for
field of vision. See page 260 for more information on dodging. example, a county) that includes contours, major paths
AFFINITY: Acrobatics may be tested once per round to try and roads, and land ownership.
a fancy Dodge action. You may define this as jumping over a Drawing the layout of an existing simple dwelling.
sword-blow, cart-wheeling away, or whatever else you like. If Medium (TN 20): A simple painting, devoid of charac-
you succeed, you get an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS to your ter or life, that accurately depicts its subject.
Dodge test; if you fail, you suffer a 1 per LoF test result Designing a road map of a small town or city that in-
penalty. cludes the important buildings and features.
ACTION TIME: Dodging is an interrupt action and costs 2 Creating the construction plan for a simple dwelling.
action points (AP), or a number of AP equal to 1 + your Challenging (TN 25): A detailed portrait that captures
GEP as a positive value, whichever is greater (for example, every nuance of the subject in stark clarity.
with a GEP of 3, your Dodge AP cost is 4). There is no Designing a map of a large geographical region (for
limit to the number of times you may dodge in one round, example, a barony or a farthing) that includes all promi-
except that you must be able to pay the AP cost for each nent features and terrain. The Turambars map of the
Dodge action and that you cannot try to dodge the same at- area is probably drawn at this level.
tack more than once. Drafting a simple object with a small number of mov-
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: N/A. ing pieces.
Hard (TN 30): An elegant painting that captures the
spirit or essence of the moment. Persons viewing the
DRAW (P) work feel drawn into the painting.
Designing a road map of a large city or capitol that in-
Artistic; Influence cludes every building and many minor features (such as
fountains or sewer entrances).
Aw/De/In, 6 Hard Untrained: 2 Generating the design of a simple object or average
dwelling. This might include a house or catapult.
You are skilled in painting images of great beauty, draft- Extremely Hard (TN 35): A magnificent work that com-
ing precise maps and true-to-scale sketches alike. pletely captures the painters reaction to the subject in
SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: Paintings (Watercol- subtle ways without sacrificing the mood of the painting.
ours, Oils, Charcoal, or any other Specific Medium, Specific Designing a map of a huge geographical area (for ex-
Style), Maps (of a Specific Location or Region, Road Maps, ample, a kingdom or sub-continent).
Contour Maps), Drafts (Buildings, Tools, Workshops, Ve- Drafting an object with multiple moving pieces that
hicles, Siege Engines). interact with one another. Generating the blueprints for
TEST: Use Draw (Paintings) to create a graphical repre- a complex dwelling, such as a fortress built on a slope.
sentation of a real object, scene, or person. This representa- Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): A masterpiece that in-
tion may be realistic, symbolic, or emotive. The test difficulty spires fear or awe, depending on the subject matter.
depends on the beauty and depth of expression of the piece Designing a map of the known world. The creation of
of art to be produced. this map may take a lifetime of work.
Draw (Maps) allows you to maintain a crude map of your Generating the blueprints for an extremely complex
way, well enough to find back home. Given the proper carto- object. A building might have secret passages that cross
graphic tools and ample time, you can also use it to create an on multiple levels and rooms that span partial stories
accurate and detailed map of a larger region that can easily be (creating crawl-ways and other access tunnels).
understood by others.
Draw (Drafts) hast two main applications: drafting a de- LSF: Accurate blueprints facilitate a craftsmans work
tailed and accurate representation of an actual object, and apply a +1 test result bonus to appropriate Craft skill tests
drafting a blueprint from which an object can be built. Note for each LoS with the test to Draw the construction plan.
that the actual design of the object requires the Devise skill. Flawed blueprints, on the other hand, impose a 3 per LoF
test result penalty to subsequent Craft skill tests.
Routine (TN 9): A symbolic sketch using stock symbols. ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: When painting from memory,
Some primitive cave paintings are of this quality. you suffer a 3 or greater test result penalty. Conversely,
Designing a map of a tiny geographical region, for ex- when painting from a posed image or person, you receive a
ample, a city park. +2 bonus to your Draw (Paintings) test results.
Drawing basic geometric shapes. ACTION TIME: Varies depending on the nature of the
Easy (TN 12): A basic sketch that is recognisable as a task.
poor representation of a specific location or person. EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
Designing a road map of a village or hamlet that in-
cludes the roads, paths and a couple of buildings.
91
ESCAPE In any high society situation where an Esteem test is

called for (see page 242), you may substitute an Etiquette test
instead; all normal Esteem modifiers apply to the Etiquette
Athletic; Physical test. LSF 0 gives you a Neutral reaction. Each additional
De/Ni/St, 7 Hard Untrained: 4 LSF shifts the reaction by one level accordingly.
Light (TN 15): Behave appropriately among the gentry
Use this skill to slip bonds or manacles, wriggle through of a relatively little sophisticated realm such as Rohan.
tight spaces, or escape the grip of a monster that ensnares Medium (TN 20): Behave appropriately at a royal court
you, such as the Watcher in the Water. that does not follow an overly strict etiquette (for exam-
WEARINESS: 1 every 10 rounds ple, the Court of Edoras) or in the houses of most Gon-
DISTANCE MULTIPLIER: BMR x 0.1 dorian lords.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Bonds, Narrow Openings, Grapples, Challenging (TN 25): Behave appropriately at a court
and the like. with a quite formal etiquette (for example, the Court of
TEST: A successful test allows you to escape from bonds Gondor).
or squeeze through narrow openings safely. The Turambar Hard (TN 30): Behave appropriately at a court with a
determines the TN based on how you are bound. When strict etiquette (for example, the Court of Arthedain).
squeezing through an opening, make a Routine test if the Extremely Hard (TN 35): Behave appropriately at a
opening is about the same size as you. For every 10% differ- High-elven Kings court in the Undying Lands.
ence in a single dimension, the difficulty is increased by one. Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Behave appropriately
(For example, a 6 tall man must squeeze through a gap that among the Valar.
is only 4 high but comfortably wide. This would be Medium
test since he must reduce his height by one third.) Further- ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Apply a +3 test result bonus if
more, you can make an Escape test opposed by your enemys you have a higher rank than the NPC you are trying to im-
Unarmed Combat: Wrestling (Grapple) test to get out of a press. Conversely, you suffer a 3 test result penalty if your
grapple. The cost of your Escape test to break from the grap- Social Rank is lower. If you seem to have important friends,
plers hold is 8 AP. you receive a +2 bonus. When dealing with someone from a
very different culture than your own, apply a 3 penalty.
Routine (TN 9): Touch your own toes. It can also be difficult to pass yourself off as a wildly dif-
Easy (TN 12): Perform feats of agility like bending over ferent Social Rank than yours. The prince would have a hard
backwards. a time portraying a commoner, and vice versa. In general, an
Light (TN 15): Remove a shoulder from its socket. Etiquette test is required to impersonate anybody more than
Medium (TN 20): Escape from leather bonds. three Social Ranks away from your own. If your true Social
Challenging (TN 25): Escape from rope bonds. Drink Rank is negative and you are trying to pass yourself off as
from a glass held in your feet. Remove a blindfold while someone from Rank 1 or better, or vice versa, an Etiquette
bound. testpenalised by 3is required.
Hard (TN 30): Escape from cloth bindings like a strait AFFINITY: Debate, Steward, or Streetwise may be tested
jacket. in appropriate circumstances to provide an affinity bonus of
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Remove a gag while bound. +1 per LoS.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Escape from chains. ACTION TIME: Varies according to the duration of the in-
AFFINITY: Acrobatics may be tested in appropriate cir- teraction. However, usually only one test per party or meet-
cumstances to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS. ing is required.
ACTION TIME: Varies, but Escape tests usually require EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: N/A.
several full round actions.
FAKE
ETIQUETTE (P) Stealth; Physical
De/De/Wt, 7 Hard Untrained: 4
Social; Influence
Bg/Bg/In, 4 Easy Untrained: 4 You are skilled at replicating works of art and creating
false but believable writings, illustrations, or records from
You always display good and graceful manners, regardless scratch.
of whom you meet. REQUISITE: Many task require that the forger also suc-
SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: Any Specific Realm ceeds in a test with the applicable Craft skill.
(Behaviour, Protocol, Speech). SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Badges, Coins, Deeds, Sigils, Signa-
TEST: A successful Etiquette test is required to get along tures, Paintings of a Specific Artist or Style, and so on.
in the upper ranks of society without embarrassing your- TEST: Many Fake tests are opposed tests against the
selftest the skill once for each party or meeting. A success- Search (Forgeries) or Appraise (Artwork) skill of the person
ful test can also detect someone who is pretending to be of trying to identify a forgery. Yet, make a standard test in ad-
high rank or good breeding. vance. If you fail this test, anyone who examines the object
92
realises that is faked without needing to make a test of their FIRST AID
own. The difficulty of the standard test largely depends on
the amount of care that went into preventing someone from
counterfeiting a particular object. Such techniques may in- Healing; Academic/Physical
clude water-marks, special dyes, intricate emblems, and so Aw/De/Wl, 4 Easy Untrained: 3
on. Generally, the more important an object is, the harder it
is to fake. When forging a piece of artwork, the difficulty of Calm and deft, you are a capable healer on the battlefield.
the Fake test largely depends on the quality of the forgery. A SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Field Care, Patch Wound, Treat
simple fake is easy to create, but will be noticed by any casual Shock.
observer. Only experts can catch well-done forgeries. TEST: First Aid can be used to treat a variety of ailments.
Routine (TN 9): Fake a coin when the value of the coin However, it is mainly employed in the field to patch bleeding
depends on its weight. (In other words, the counterfeiter wounds, alleviate a patients pain, and to treat characters in
is merely affixing some stamp on the coin that means shock. The section on Healing (particularly see pages 233f.)
very little.) Produce a forgery that can fool someone provides detailed rules for all of these applications.
with no knowledge of the subject who has never seen the ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: A character attempting to dress
object being copied. his own wounds suffers a +3 or greater TN modifier.
Easy (TN 12): Counterfeit a note from your mother. AFFINITY: A Physician test may provide an affinity bonus
Produce a cheap imitation to sell in souvenir shops. to First Aid, but such a test should rarely occur because First
Light (TN 15): Create a document that looks official, Aid represents emergency treatment.
but does not change any records. Produce a forgery that ACTION TIME: Proper emergency treatment takes ap-
will pass a cursory comparison. proximately one or two minutes, if not longer.
Medium (TN 20): Modify an official document by re- EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: N/A.
placing the original with an altered copy. Produce a for-
gery that will fool someone familiar with the subject who
does not look closely. FISH
Challenging (TN 25): Counterfeit money when little
has been done to prevent such an attempt. Minor coun- Outdoor; Physical
ter-measures include milling the edges of coins. Produce De/Wl/Wl, 4 Easy Untrained: 2
a forgery that will pass a close examination by most peo-
ple familiar with the original (but not an expert). You are well versed in the art of fishing, whether with rod
Hard (TN 30): Counterfeit a complete collection of pa- and hook, net, weir-basket or fishing spear.
pers that effectively create a new identity (for example, a SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Hook, Net, Fishing Spear, Weir-
record of birth or marriage). Produce a forgery that will basket.
only be discovered by an expert who examines the work TEST: Make one test per hour you spend fishing. On a
closely. success, you catch one fish for every point your test result ex-
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Modify an official document ceeds the TN if you are fishing with hook or spear (i.e., you
directly. Any changes are made to the document itself. catch no fish on LSF 0). If you are using a net or weir-
Produce a forgery that can only be discovered if an ex- basket, triple that amount.
pert compares the forgery to the original.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Counterfeit official Routine (TN 9): Fish in a fish hatchery.
documentation when an original has never been seen. Easy (TN 12): Bait-fishing in the spawning season.
The counterfeiter must guess what the documents Light (TN 15): Spear-fishing in the spawning season.
should look like. Produce a forgery that experts believe Medium (TN 20): Bait-fishing in averagely populated
to be the original instead of the actual original. waters.
Challenging (TN 25): Fly-fishing in averagely populated
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Superior equipment may pro-
waters.
vide a test result bonus, usually ranging from +1 to +5. Hard (TN 30): Fly-fishing in sparsely populated waters.
AFFINITY: Appraise, Draw, and a variety of Craft skills
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Ice-fishing when you are
may be tested in applicable situations to provide an affinity miles away from coast or open sea.
bonus of +1 per LoS. Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Fishing in a salt lake.
ACTION TIME: Varies. Many Fake tests require hours, or
even days. ACTION TIME: Typically one hour per test. Relaxed talk-
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes. ing and similar activities are possible at the same time.
93
FLAILS (P) ACTION TIME: Varies. As a rule of thumb, it takes about

(TN x TN) seconds to fletch an arrow (for a example, a
poor-quality arrow can be crafted in 15 x 15 seconds or ap-
Combat; Physical proximately 3 minutes and 45 seconds).
De/De/St, 7 Hard Untrained: 4 EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
You are skilled in the use of morningstars and other flails

of all sorts. GAMES
SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: One-handed (Morn-
ingstar), Two-handed (Warflail). Social; Influence
TESTING THIS SKILL: Please refer to the section on Melee Bg/De/Wt, 4 Easy Untrained: 4
Weapons, page 105, for details on testing a Flails skill.
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: A flail grants you a +3 test result You are skilled at games, ever ready to turn your hand to
bonus on your attempts to disarm a foe (including the test to a throw of the darts, or your mind to a clever riddle.
avoid being disarmed yourself if you fail to disarm your foe). SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Cards, Dice, Tactical, Riddles,
You can also use a flail to make trip attacks as described on Sleight of Hand, and so on.
page 259. TEST: Most Games tests are opposed tests against an op-
ponent. The winner is the person with the highest test result.
FLETCHER For games of accuracy, the Turambar may prefer to set a base
TN to reach the objective of the game (e.g., to hit the target).
Again, the winner would be the person with the highest suc-
Craft; Physical cessful test result.
Aw/De/De, 4 Easy Untrained: 4 ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: If youre new at a mental game
and dont yet know the rules and tactics well, you suffer a 3
You know how to craft an arrow out of almost any avail- (or greater) test result penalty. Every time you play that
able wood, metal, paper, and feathers. Moreover, you are game, make a TN 15 Wits test. If you pass, you have become
skilled at making fine bows. familiar enough with the game that this penalty disappears.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any Specific Type of Arrow or Bow. The Turambar can change the difficulty of the Wits test to
TEST: The difficulty of a Fletcher test depends on how reflect the complexity of the game.
sophisticated the arrowhead is supposed to be and how AFFINITY: Intimidate or Inspire may influence the target
straight the shaft must be. and, if tested successfully, provide an affinity bonus in appro-
priate circumstances.
Routine (TN 9): Fashion an arrow that flies half as far as ACTION TIME: Varies with the game being played, alt-
a normal arrow (ranges are halved). hough it is often 1 minute.
Easy (TN 12): Fashion an arrow designed for target EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
practice. (This arrow deals only half of the normal dam-
age, and the damage is blunt damage.)
Light (TN 15): Fashion a poor-quality arrow that con- GARDENER
fers a 1 test result penalty.
Medium (TN 20): Fashion a normal arrow. Craft; Physical
Challenging (TN 25): Fashion an armour-piercing (+1P
damage/LoS against scalemail, chainmail, and plate ar- De/In/Wt, 4 Easy Untrained: 3
mour) or hunting (+1P damage/LoS against leather
armour and animal hide) arrowhead. These arrowheads You have green fingers and know how to feed, care for,
do 1P damage/LoS against all other armour types. and harvest plants.
Hard (TN 30): Fashion an arrow with curved feathers SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any specific type of plants, such as
that spins while it flies. These arrows confer a +2 test Flowers, Fruits, Grains, Herbs, Trees, or Vegetables.
result penalty and may be fitted with armour-piercing or TEST: Use this skill to maintain a garden or crop. The test
hunting arrow-heads. difficulty depends on the hardiness of the plant in the local
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Fashion an arrow that flies climate (for example, Grass is a resilient plant, but not in a
50% farther than a normal arrow (1 test result penal- desert). Plants that are not native to the area are more diffi-
ty). Fashion an arrow with a hollow-tip that can be filled cult to care for.
with poison or modified to cause the arrow to whistle Routine (TN 9): Grow plants that are native to the area
while in flight. and require no special attention (e.g., grass).
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Fashion an arrow that Easy (TN 12): Grow wild-flowers or fruit in a controlled
flies twice as far as a normal one (1 test result penalty). manner. Such plants tend to overpower their competi-
LSF: See the section on Craft Skills, page 78, for rules on tors for nutrients and water (e.g., raspberries).
fletching superior or inferior arrows based on varying LSF. Light (TN 15): Grow flowers that are native to the area
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Superior equipment and materi- that require some special attention (e.g., regular water-
als may provide a test bonus, usually ranging from +1 to +5. ing, fertilising, and the like).
94
Medium (TN 20): Grow a cash crop under normal con- Common crests are those displayed by lords and rulers.
ditions. This includes watering, fertilising, weeding, and Uncommon crests are worn by organisations and merchant
harvesting the crop. families. Personal crests are unique to a family name, but
Challenging (TN 25): Grow a healing herb in natural families that are closely connected will have similar crests.
conditions. The herb must be native to the area. The
Routine (TN 9): Identify a common crest as local. Rec-
yield of saleable product is generally quite low.
ognise the kings crest.
Hard (TN 30): Grow a plant from a different climate (or
Easy (TN 12): Reproduce the most common crests an
region) in a controlled environment like a greenhouse.
the area.
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Maintain a garden that is al-
Light (TN 15): Knowledge of the rulers that use a spe-
ways in bloom by mixing plants of different types whose
cific common crest.
productive cycles differ. Kings pay handsomely for such
Medium (TN 20): Reproduce all common crests and
gardens.
some rare crests. Identify the general alignment of a
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Grow a healing herb
group based on the crest they display.
under unnatural conditions (e.g., indoors).
Challenging (TN 25): Identify uncommon crests and
LSF: Use the multipliers given in Table 4.6: Value En- knowledge of those groups affiliations.
hancement (see page 78) to determine the yield of your har- Hard (TN 30): Reproduce an uncommon crest. Identify
vest in relation to an average harvest. a personal crest and knowledge of the family-head that
ACTION TIME: Varies, though it often takes three seasons uses that crest.
(spring to autumn), or even several years, until a Gardener Extremely Hard (TN 35): Identify an individual by his
test may be completed. crest.
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes. Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Identify the coat-of-
arms of a foreign family that visited the area years ago.
GOLDSMITH AFFINITY: History, Culture Lore, or Region Lore may be

tested in appropriate circumstances to provide an affinity bo-
nus of +1 per LoS.
Craft; Physical
ACTION TIME: Depending on how common a crest is, it
Aw/De/Wl, 7 Hard Untrained: 5 may be a free or a full-round action to identify it. If some re-
search is required, it may take up to several hours to identify
You excel at creating precious golden rings and other del- a coat-of-arms.
icate jewellery. EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Enamelling, Etching, Gemcutting,
and similar techniques, Work Specific Precious Metal.
TESTING THIS SKILL: Please refer to the section on Smith- HERBCRAFT
craft, page 115, for details on resolving tests of Goldsmith.
Healing; Academic and/or Physical
HERALDRY Aw/In/Wt, 6 Hard Untrained: 4
In your skilled hands, a clump of weeds can draw out poi-

Lore; Academic
sons, halt the progress of a disease, or remove the crippling
Aw/Wt/Wt, 5 Average Untrained: 4 fatigue of a long march.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Herbal Remedies, Herblore.
You recognise many coats of arms, colours and devices, TEST: Use the Herbcraft skill to identify, prepare, and
plaid sets and other emblems. You are also skilled in design- apply the various plants described in Appendix B: Herbs and
ing heraldic crests. Poisons (see page 336). There you will also find detailed rules
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any specific Realm, Family, Group, on finding and handling herbs.
or Organisation. ACTION TIME: Identifying, preparing, and effectively ap-
TEST: Crests are used to identify friend from foe. Thus, a plying a herbal remedy may take anything from a minute to a
herald can identify his enemies and allies if they are display- day (see Appendix B, page 336).
ing a banner or shield. In addition, coats-of-arms are used to EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: N/A.
trace lineage. As families branch and merge, their symbols al-
so evolve. A herald is familiar with the genealogy of an area in
which he has specialised.
95
HIDE HISTORY (G)

Stealth; Physical Lore; Academic
Aw/Ni/Wl, 4 Easy Untrained: 2 In/Wt/Wt, 7 Hard Untrained: 4
You know how to hide yourself using a place of conceal- You are well versed in history, both of Middle-earth in
ment, silence, shadow, and camouflage. general and some realm or subject in particular.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any specific environment such as REQUISITE: History is most commonly learned through
Castles, Forests, Deserts, and so on. study, whether formal or informal. While it is possible to
TEST: Hide requires an opposed test against an appropri- learn a lot of history by listening to tales told by those who
ate Observe test by whomever you are trying to hide from. know them well, more frequently, one must read history in
Yet, make a standard test in advance. If you fail this test, an- tomes and scrolls. The more ancient the knowledge you seek,
yone who looks for you finds you without needing to make a the more likely it is that you will have to read it, rather than
test of their own. The difficulty of the standard test depends listening casually to bards and loremasters.
on the quality of the available hiding place. SAMPLE SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: The History skill group
represents knowledge of past events, both near and ancient,
Routine (TN 9): There are ample places to hide that
and the great figures who moved and shaped them by their
provide complete concealment. A warehouse of empty
deeds. This includes knowledge of individuals very old or
crates and a cluttered attic are two examples.
long dead, such as Elrond Half-Elven, Beren One-Hand, and
Easy (TN 12): There are many locations that provide of
even Sauron himself.
least 75% cover. For example, behind a curtain, in a large
History skills are classified by political entities (History:
basket, under a bed, or in a natural cavern.
Umbar, History: Lothlrien, and so on), or races or cultural
Light (TN 15): There are many locations that provide at
groups (History: Hobbits, History: Lossoth, and so on).
least 50% cover and ample deep shadows or other dark
Specialties within these skills often refer to prominent indi-
cover. A dense forest or jungle, or a garbage-filled alley
viduals. If you specialise in History: Dwarves (Durin the
are two examples.
Deathless), for instance, that means you know the tales of the
Medium (TN 20): There are some physical obstructions
life and deeds of the legendary first King of the Dwarves.
(for example, pillars, curtains, and the like) as well as
Other specialties cover a specific aspect of a nation or groups
ample dark corners or cubbyholes.
history; if you have the specialty History: Gondor (Kings),
Challenging (TN 25): There are many locations that
that means you have learned at least some of the lore sur-
provide 25% cover and many locations with partial cover
rounding the royal succession of Gondor from Anrion
(like bushes or smoke). For example, a mature forest, or
down to the last king, the ill-fated Ernur. History skills may
a pavilion.
also encompass general classes of historical events such as
Hard (TN 30): There are no physical barriers, but there
wars (History: The War of the Ring), natural disasters (His-
are many locations that obscure observation (for exam-
tory: The Long Winter of TA 2758-9), and so on.
ple, tall grass, stained glass or paper walls).
Extremely Hard (TN 35): There are no solid objects
page 103, for details on resolving tests of History.
behind which to hide, but there is some cover provided
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: The farther back in history an
by less dense objects. For example, hiding in a green-
event lies, the harder it is to remember rightly or gather accu-
house or behind a picket fence.
rate information about it. Therefore, a Turambar may wish
Virtually Impossible (TN 40): There are no physical
to apply a TN modifier based on the amount of time that has
obstructions, but there are some irregular features that
passed since the event that a characters wants to recall:
cast shadows. The smoke provided by a campfire might
also be used. 200+ Years +1 TN
Absurd (TN 45+): Hide in an otherwise empty room. 500+ Years +2 TN
1000+ Years +3 TN
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Dim lighting and loud back- One Age +6 TN
ground noises often aid Hide attempts. See Chapter Nine, Two Ages +9 TN
under Physical Test Modifiers (page 216). Three Ages +12 TN
AFFINITY: Observe may be tested to provide an affinity Elves and other immortal or long-lived characters who
bonus, since you know what others look for. have witnessed an event themselves are not normally affected
ACTION TIME: Full-round. by this kind of TN modifier.
96
HUNT or even any information at all. You must often extract the
truth from an abundance of lies. The difficulty depends on
the subject being interrogated or the obscurity of the subject
Outdoor; Physical youre inquiring about:
Aw/In/Ni, 5 Average Untrained: 4 Routine (TN 9): Glean relevant information from an ar-
ticulate and cooperative subject. Learn an obvious fact
A passionate hunter, you are skilled at finding, leading, (which inn serves the best beer in town).
and driving game. Easy (TN 12): Determine if the subject is deliberately
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any Specific Environment or Re- withholding information (this does not imply guilt,
gion. however).
TEST: Use this skill to find game and manoeuvre it into a Light (TN 15): Extract useful information from an inco-
position where it is within your range. A Hunt test does not herent, but cooperative subject.
include bringing down or trapping the game, merely identify- Medium (TN 20): Obtain clues from an uncooperative
ing good hunting locations. With a successful test, the hunter subject. Such clues generally provide non-information
has found game at long range (roughly 300 to 400). Every (for example, the murder weapon is not in the fireplace).
50 difference modifies the TN by 2 (to a maximum of 6). Challenging (TN 25): Piece together information from a
The hunter can try once every watch (i.e., four hours). A suc- number of sources, none of whom are particularly ob-
cess indicates that the hunter has found enough game to feed servant. Most witnesses at a crime scene seem to fall into
four people, provided he can kill it. this category. The testimony is often contradictory or
Routine (TN 9): Find game in a stocked preserve. inaccurate.
Easy (TN 12): Find game in an area where most of the Hard (TN 30): Obtain actual information from an un-
natural predators have been killed. cooperative subject (for example, the location of the
Light (TN 15): Find game in a young forest. murder weapon).
Medium (TN 20): Find game in a mature forest; the lack Extremely Hard (TN 35): Obtain clues from an intelli-
of undergrowth limits the supply of food. gent subject that has a personal stake in the result of the
Challenging (TN 25): Find game in a plains. inquiry (for example, he is the murder, the information
Hard (TN 30): Find game in an area that has been hunt- will be used against his people, or the like).
ed heavily (or the game scared off by impending danger). Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Obtain actual infor-
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Find game in a normal de- mation from an intelligent subject that has a personal
sert. stake in the result of the inquiry. Learn an extremely se-
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Find game in an espe- cret fact (that Grma is a traitor) by piecing together
cially arid desert. dozens of conversations and other tidbits of information
gathered over months.
LSF: Test results above or below LSF 0 indicate more
plentiful/larger or less plentiful/smaller game. Note that the specialty Inquire (Interrogate) differs from
AFFINITY: Track may be tested to provide an affinity bo- Intimidate (Torture). The former involves using willpower
nus of +1 per LoS. and harsh questioning to convince the subject to reveal in-
ACTION TIME: A Hunt test can be made once every four formation. The latter, a tool of the Shadow, involves wring-
hours. Higher LoS may trim that time as indicated on Table ing answers from unwilling victims by application of pain.
9.10, but if the hunt lasts less than one watch no additional As with most Social skills, it is probably the best choice
game will be found (see LSF above). to test Inquire as seldom as possible. Instead, most situations
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes. involving interrogation or conversation should be resolved by
roleplaying. Only after asking a series of questions should the
Turambar call for a test to determine the final outcome of
INQUIRE the (brute or subtle) inquiry. But rather than simply cutting
off the questioning after the test, the test result should serve
Social; Influence as a guideline for the final resolution of the situation by the
means of roleplaying.
Bg/Wl/Wt, 5 Average Untrained: 4 ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Inquire works best in cities and
towns in which you can find many people to talk to. In rural
Through the strength of your personalityand by know- areas where few people live, you may suffer test result penal-
ing how to talk to people, and who to talk toyou have a ties of 3 or greater, or be unable to use Inquire at all.
great skill at uncovering secrets and learning things others AFFINITY: Persuade or Intimidate may be tested in order
prefer to keep hidden. to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS if they would help
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Converse, Interrogate. convince people to talk to you. The same may apply to ap-
TEST: You make Inquire tests to gather general infor- propriate Lore skills.
mation about a person or place, pursue a rumour, or interro- ACTION TIME: Varies, but inquiring is always a full round
gate a prisoner. The higher your test result, the more reliable action.
the information you obtain tends to be. Of course, the Tu- EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
rambar determines exactly what you learn. A successful In-
quire test isnt a guarantee of wholly accurate information
97
INSPIRE INTIMIDATE
Social; Influence Social; Influence
Bg/Bg/In, 7 Hard Untrained: 4 Bg/Bg/Wl, 5 Average Untrained: 4
Through nobility of spirit, heroic deeds, or powerful will, So great is your power or presence that you can cow your
you have the ability to inspire others, dispelling their fears enemies, causing foes to fear your majesty or power or simply
and encouraging them to bolder deeds and greater efforts. feel the dread and terror you inspire.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any Specific Group of People. SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Fear, Majesty, Power, Torture.
TEST: You can use Inspire in several ways. First, you can TEST: Intimidate resembles Inspire in some ways, yet it
kindle fires of will and courage in those companions near serves not as an aid for your allies, but as a weapon to use
you, helping them resist fear and confusion. Make an op- against those who oppose you. It requires an opposed test
posed test, using your Inspire against the Intimidate test re- against the targets Fortitude or, in some cases, Inspire. After
sult that unmanned them. If you succeed, they may all make determining the results, consult the Fear Table on page 239.
a new Fortitude test against the fear (or like effect), with a +1 That tells you the result. When using the Majesty or Power
bonus for every LoS that you made. See page 239 for details. specialties, use the Fear Table but adapt the terms and re-
Second, even when those around you have not felt the sults to make them more appropriate.
bite of terror, you can rouse their heroism. To do so, make a Intimidate need not be used only to instil fear. Often he-
TN 15 Inspire test. If you succeed, you can grant your com- roes must persuade others with Intimidate, as when Aragorn
panions a +1 bonus to apply to any appropriate test (typical- used Intimidate (Majesty) to convince omer to aid him. In
ly a weapon or defensive skill) in the next round. For each such cases, compare the desired result (which should of
LoS above LSF 0, you can extend the effect for one round course be indicated by the characters words or actions) to
or increase the bonus by +1. the Fear Table results to determine what level of effect is
Third, once per game sessionor more frequently, at the necessary. Convincing a guard to let you pass unhindered
Turambars optionyou can use Inspire to reduce the Wea- might only require a Panicked result, while persuading a re-
riness felt by you and your comrades. The TN for the test is luctant warrior to join your noble but dangerous cause might
15 if the most weary character in the group is Winded, 20 if require an Unmanned result.
hes Weary, 25 if hes Tired, 30 if hes Spent, and 40 if hes In combat, a character can use Intimidatefor a cost of
Exhausted. If you succeed, everyone you inspire automatical- 10 (7) APto make an opponent hesitate, back down, or
ly recovers one lost Weariness Level. A LoS +3 allows the falter. If the character succeeds with an Intimidate test
recovery of two lost levels. against the targets Fortitude test and attains at least a Pan-
Fourth, a commander can rally his troops to greater cour- icked result, he may select one of the following bonuses: +2
age and vigour in combat. Success with a TN 20 Inspire test bonus on his initiative number (IN) against the target for
gives a +1 bonus per LoS to the Morale of the commanders two rounds, +2 test result bonus for attacks against the tar-
units. See page 285 for rules on running mass battles. get that round or the next round, or a +2 bonus on attempts
Most uses of Inspire require you to speak to those whose to parry or dodge the targets attacks that round or next
hearts you would lift, and that they be able to hear your round. An Unnerved result can double one of these bonuses,
words. But sometimes, as when Aragorn unfurled his banner while an Unmanned result may cause the target to flee or
and brought hope renewed to the defenders of Minas Tirith, elicit any other reaction the Turambar considers appropriate.
deeds alone suffice. Most uses of Intimidate require you to speak, if for no
The effects of Inspire last as long as seems appropriate to other reason than to inform the target why he should feel
the Turambar. In some cases, inspiration may linger for days fear or do whatever else you intend. At other times, your ac-
or even for a lifetime. But in most instances, they only last a tions alone can cause your enemies to succumb to dread. The
little while after the source of the inspiration leaves, turns his Turambar judges the effectsboth of your words and your
attention elsewhere, or changes his attitude. deedswhen you try to Intimidate another.
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: If your side appears to be win- The effects last as long as seems appropriate to the Tu-
ning the battle, you receive a +3 (or greater) test result bo- rambar. In some cases (particularly when the servants of
nus. If your side seems to be losing, you suffer a correspond- Sauron use Intimidate (Fear)), the terror may linger for days
ing penalty. or even for a lifetime (or any specified period of time per
AFFINITY: Intimidate (typically Majesty or Power), Sing, point of Bearing). But in most instances, the effects only last
or Musician may be tested in appropriate situations to pro- a little while after the source of the intimidation leaves, turns
vide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS. his attention elsewhere, or changes his attitude.
ACTION TIME: Full round to several minutes. Only servants of the Enemy should take the specialties
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes. Fear and Torture. While the majesty or power of the Wise
may bring fear to the hearts of those who serve the Shadow,
those of true heroism and nobility do not seek to inspire ter-
ror in others.
98
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: The Fear Table (page 239) has a Extremely Hard (TN 35): Leap your Base Jump x 4.5 in
list of various modifiers that apply to efforts to inspire fear. feet.
By extension this can be applied to many other uses of Intim- Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Leap your Base Jump x
idate. Additionally, if the Turambar feels an attempt to In- 5 in feet.
timidate dramatically appropriate, or that a characters recent
LSF: See the movement percentage results on Table 9.10
actions might dismay his enemies, he can grant bonuses.
(page 219) for the effect of achieving additional LSF.
Conversely, he can do the same for Fortitude rolls to resist
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: If the character is involved in
intimidation by the Enemy.
combat, raise the difficulty of the jump by one.
A targets hostile or aggressive interaction stance (see In-
AFFINITY: Acrobatics may provide an affinity bonus in
fluence Modifiers, page 217) does not make it harder to In-
proper circumstances.
timidate him. Its assumed that anyone a character wants to
ACTION TIME: Including the run-up, jumping is usually a
intimidate is automatically hostile (or at least neutral) to him.
full round action. Alternatively, an AP cost of (TN 2)+5
When dealing with people of approximately your size or
can be assumed.
smaller (be it Hobbit, Man, or Orc), your Stature modifier
(see page 28) may apply to your attempts to intimidate them.
AFFINITY: Depending on the situation, the purpose of a
characters use of Intimidate, and how well he speaks, In-
spire, Persuade, and Debate may be tested in order to pro-
LANGUAGE (G)
vide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
Lore; Academic
ACTION TIME: 10 (7) AP, or longer, depending on the
nature of the attempt to Intimidate a target. You can speak a language, be it your native one or a for-
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes. eign tongueand write it is well, if it has a written form and
if you know the appropriate script (see the Literate edge,
page 153). Each language is a separate skill in this skill group.
JUMP Depending on its grammar and vocabulary, it is either classi-
fied a primitive, average, or complex language.
Athletic; Physical
Ni/St/St, 4 Easy Untrained: 0 PRIMITIVE LANGUAGES
Aw/Bg/Wt, 4 Easy Untrained: No
You can leap with agility, covering greater distances than
most and landing without harm. Examples of primitive languages include Orkish dialects
WEARINESS: 1 point per jump and any other primitive and disjointed tongues. Characters
DISTANCE MULTIPLIER: The distance a character can leap who learn Orkish must specify the place or tribe where they
depends on his Base Jump score, a fraction of his Base learned it, since Orcs from one region or tribe generally can-
Movement Rate (BMR) defined by the type of the attempted not understand the speech of another. When they meet, they
jump: use debased forms of Westron to communicate. Ranking
Orc-captains from Mordor also know the Black Speech
TYPE OF JUMP CORRESPONDING BASE JUMP IN FEET
Long jump, running 1/7 of characters BMR
(Morbeth), but generally use it only when conversing
Long jump, standing 1/16 of characters BMR amongst themselves.
High jump, running 1/30 of characters BMR
High jump, standing 1/35 of characters BMR
AVERAGE LANGUAGES
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: High Jump, Long Jump, Running
Jump, Standing Jump. Aw/Bg/Wt, 5 Average Untrained: No
TEST: The difficulty category of a Jump test depends on All common tongues of Men are considered average lan-
how far the character wishes to leap. Adding somersaults or guages. Below is a list of the most important tongues of
flips increases the TN of the test by +2 for every 180 of ro- North-western Middle-earth and its surrounding territories
tation. For long jumps with a running start, the difficulties and its speakers. Not all of these languages may exist or be in
listed below assume that the character is running at a Sprint use at all times; see Chapter Three for details.
at the time of takeoff. For every pace category below the MANNISH TONGUES: Westron (the Common Speech,
Sprint rate (Run/Jog/Walk), raise the TN of the running mother tongue of most folk in the late Third Age), Adnaic
jump by +2. The optimal speed for a high jump with a run- (Nmenreans), Rohirric (earlier called Eothrik), Atliduk
ning start is a Run. (Beornings), Nahaiduk (Woodmen), Gramuk (Rhovanion
Routine (TN 9): Leap your Base Jump x 1 in feet. Northmen), Eriedaic (early Northman dialects of Eriador
Easy (TN 12): Leap your Base Jump x 2 in feet. like Breeish, closely related to Westron and substituted by it
Light (TN 15): Leap your Base Jump x 2.5 in feet. in Mid-Third Age), Dunael (Dunlendings), Blarm (Dunnish
Medium (TN 20): Leap your Base Jump x 3 in feet. Hillmen of Eriador), Pkael (Woses or Dredain), Haradaic
Challenging (TN 25): Leap your Base Jump x 3.5 in feet. (northern Haradrim), Apysaic (southern Haradrim), Varad-
Hard (TN 30): Leap your Base Jump x 4 in feet. ja (Variags of Khand), Logathig (Dorwinrim and some East-
erlings), Asdradja (Asdriag Easterlings), Ioradja (Balchoth),
99
Labba (Lossoth), Tyran (spoken in the northern basin of the Skill Rank 8: Fluency plus the ability to recognise the re-
Talathrant), Urdarin (spoken in the far north-east of Endor). gional and cultural origin of all speech (although such
Morbeth, the Black Speech, is no Mannish tongue by origin speech will still prove troublesome to speak or under-
(as it was invented by Sauron), but is often used when serv- stand). Allows one to read relatively complex material
ants of the Enemy from different realms collaborate. and recognise (but not fully understand) the nature of
archaic or unusual dialects and concepts.
COMPLEX LANGUAGES Skill Rank 9: Absolute fluency in the chosen dialect plus
simple understanding and speaking ability in closely re-
Aw/Bg/Wt, 7 Hard Untrained: No lated dialects. Allows one to write very complex passag-
es, even tomes of lore, and read the same.
The Elven tongues Quenya, Sindarin, Bethteur (some-
Skill Rank 10: Absolute fluency of the language and all
times called the Nandorin of the Silvan) and Avarin, as well
closely related dialects. Extremely archaic and complex
as the secret Khuzdul of the Dwarves and Entish are all
concepts may prove troublesome. Allows reading and
complex languages. However, no player character may learn
writing of the most complex nature.
Entish as a language. Its too complex and difficult to pro-
Skill Rank 10+: Needed for understanding the obscur-
nounce for non-Ents to speak. Few non-Dwarven characters
est lore, such high skill ranks can only be learned from
learn Khuzdul, for the Dwarves keep the tongue secret, rarely
Wizards or other ancient and erudite beings.
(if ever) teaching it to outsiders.
Easy (TN 12): Simple phrases or sentences (asking di-
COMMON RULES rections).
Light (TN 15): Simple conversation (What news from
TEST: As the number of skill ranks indicates the level of Bree?).
comprehension of a spoken or written language, there is sel- Medium (TN 20): Average conversation (almost speak-
dom need to make a test. Sample TNs are still provided for ing like a native).
the case that the Turambar does require a test when you try Challenging (TN 25): Complex conversation (under-
to read, speak, or understand a language other than your na- standing obscure idioms or dialects).
tive tongue(s). Such a test must often be made by all partici- Hard (TN 30): Subtle or obscure conversation (discuss-
pants in a conversation. ing deep lore with a scholar).
Skill Rank 1: Allows to recognise the language. Extremely Hard (TN 35): Understanding ancient ver-
Skill Rank 2: Allows to communicate and understand sions of the language.
very basic concepts in the form of single words or very ACTION TIME: Varies.
short phrases (such as eat, danger, money, enemy, pain, EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
and so on). Read or write such simple words and possi-
bly understand the context of very simple passages.
Skill Rank 3: Allows to communicate moderately basic LAW
concepts in the form of phrases, and understand basic
phrases spoken at a slow pace. Read or write very short Lore; Academic
sentences of a moderately simple nature.
Skill Rank 4: Allows to converse on very simple subjects, Bg/Wl/Wt, 7 Hard Untrained: 3
using whole sentences instead of broken phrases. Un-
derstand everyday conversation when spoken slowly. You are well versed in the local law, knowing which de-
Read moderately simple writings and understand most crees apply to a particular situation, and how to settle a dis-
of the details. pute.
Skill Rank 5: Allows to converse freely in everyday con- SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Contracts, Trials, Wills, any Specific
versation of an average nature (such as market talk, Region or Culture.
peasant discussions, conversation with guards, and the TEST: A successful test lets you remember, deduce or fig-
like). You still have a strong accent; rapid and/or sophis- ure out the answer to a question about the law. But remem-
ticated speech is still troublesome. Allows to read most ber that few legal questions have a clear-cut answereven an
everyday writings and normal books. expert will hedge his advice.
Skill Rank 6: The normal speaking level of the native An opposed Law (Trials) test may be required if you (or
population, the common man. Subtle or particularly so- your client) wind up in court. This depends largely on the le-
phisticated concepts still prove troublesome. Reading gal system of a particular realm.
and writing level of the average literate man. LSF: Your LSF may have an impact on the sentence of the
Skill Rank 7: True fluency. Allows understanding of, defendant.
and conversation with, the most learned of native speak- AFFINITY: Debate, Persuade, Intimidate, Inspire, Stew-
ers. Sophisticated folk may still brand you as an out- ard, or Culture Lore may be tested in applicable situations to
lander, however, and archaic or unusual concepts will provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
still prove troublesome. Reading and writing ability is ACTION TIME: Varies.
that of an average member of the nobility. EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
100
LEAD LEATHERCRAFT
Social; Influence Craft; Physical
Bg/In/Wl, 7 Hard Untrained: 4 De/De/Wl, 5 Easy Untrained: 4
Your inspiring personality allows you to command others You know how to work with hides and create leather
to follow you, and to make them believe that you are compe- goods such as armour or parchment.
tent to lead and that you know what you are doing. SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Armourer, Cobbler, Garments,
REQUISITE: You must have some military experience. Parchment, Saddler, Skinner, Tanner.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Attack, Hold Formation, Prevent TEST: Most uses of Leathercraft are extended tests, since
Rout, Recruit at a Specific Location. few tasks can be performed with both speed and skill. The
TEST: You can use Lead in three ways. First, you can at- difficulty depends on the number of pieces of leather in-
tempt to recruit an army. In this case, you must first raise a volved, and the intricacy of the stitching or other work re-
small army (Routine test), and build from there. You can quired. Like many Craft skills, this skill assumes that the
continue making Lead tests to grow your army until you fail craftsman has an adequate supply of tools.
a test, or until there are no more available recruits in the area.
Routine (TN 9): Cut a piece of leather into a simple
Roughly 1% of a population can be recruited unless the lead-
shape.
er is also a ruler. Rulers can recruit up to 10% of the popula-
Easy (TN 12): Sew an object that requires a single piece
tion unless the safety of the realm is at stake.
of leather (a pouch or a hood, for example).
Second, Lead is used to maintain morale. The difficulty
Light (TN 15): Dye a piece of leather. Tan a hide into
of the test depends on the gravity of the situation. Even an
soft leather.
excellent leader cannot prevent his troops from fleeing over-
Medium (TN 20): Sew an object that requires only a few
whelming odds (unless his troops are fanatics). The tactical
pieces of leather (for example, a shoe or vest).
battle rules (see page 285) provide an alternative and more
Challenging (TN 25): Boil a hide to produce hardened
detailed way to handle leadership and morale in battles.
leather. Add weaving to simple leather garment.
Third, Lead may be tested to provide an affinity bonus of
Hard (TN 30): Sew an object that requires multiple
+1 per LoS to Warfare tests.
pieces of leather (for example, a full suit of armour or a
Routine (TN 9): 1 to 5 people. Marching an army. saddle).
Easy (TN 12): 6 to 20 people. Maintaining a formation. Extremely Hard (TN 35): Sew an object that incorpo-
Light (TN 15): 21 to 60 people. Manoeuvring an army rates hard and soft leather flawlessly (for example, a
at a forced march. Attacking an equal or smaller force. breastplate and cape).
Medium (TN 20): 61 to 120 people. Attacking a larger Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Sew an object that re-
force. quires multiple pieces of leather that is waterproof and
Challenging (TN 25): 121 to 200 people. Maintaining can be worn underwater.
morale after suffering 25% casualties.
Hard (TN 30): 201 to 500 people. Maintaining morale
producing superior or inferior items based on varying LSF.
after suffering 50% casualties. Maintaining formation
while retreating.
vide a test result bonus, usually ranging from +1 to +5.
Extremely Hard (TN 35): 501 to 1000 people. Main-
Without the necessary implements, there is little a craftsman
taining morale while facing an opponent led by a Nazgl
can doincrease all test TNs by at least +5.
or another awesome beast.
AFFINITY: Appraise, Clothworks, or Armoursmith may
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): 1001+ people. Main-
be tested in applicable situations to provide an affinity bonus
taining morale after suffering 75% casualties.
of +1 per LoS.
ACTION TIME: Varies. A simple command may be given ACTION TIME: Varies. Most Leathercraft tests require
in a half-round, while an encouraging speech may take several hours, or even days.
minutes. EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
101
LEGERDEMAIN Light (TN 15): The speaker is speaking crisply or whis-

pering.
Medium (TN 20): Normal conversation.
Stealth; Physical Challenging (TN 25): The speaker stutters.
Aw/De/De, 7 Hard Untrained: 5 Hard (TN 30): The speaker is mumbling.
Extremely Hard (TN 35): The speakers lip make
Like a juggler or a thief, you can manipulate objects with meaningless motions when he is not speaking.
skill and dexterity, making them seem to disappear. Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): The speakers lips rare-
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Pickpocket, Trickery. ly move (because, for example, the speaker is under the
TEST: Most uses of Legerdemain are opposed tests pitting influence of a narcotic).
your deftness against the Observe (Spot) of the victim or on- ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: You suffer a 1 test result penal-
looker. If he beats your test result, hes seen through your ty for every 5 feet over 20 feet distance to the target. If you
trickwhich may have dangerous consequences for you, if use a palantr or a spell to watch the target, you suffer a 3
you were trying to pick his pocket! (or greater) test result penalty.
However, the Turambar may require a standard test in AFFINITY: The Language spoken may be tested to provide
advance. If you fail this test, the victim (or a casual onlooker) an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
notices your attempt to rob or trick him without needing to ACTION TIME: Varies, but reading someones lips usually
make a test of his own. The difficulty of the standard test de- requires at least 75% of the characters action allowance.
pends on how accessible the victims pockets are. EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
Routine (TN 9): The target is asleep.

Easy (TN 12): The target is drunk. LOCATE
Light (TN 15): The pouch (or pocket) is outside of ar-
mour. Social; Influence
Medium (TN 20): The pouch is outside of clothing.
Bg/In/Wt, 5 Average Untrained: 4
Challenging (TN 25): The pocket is internal, but the
item being stolen is relatively large, like a pouch.
You know where to look for individuals of influence or
Hard (TN 30): Pick deep pockets or small items.
knowledge, and to come up with the places where particular
Extremely Hard (TN 35): The pouch is worn under-
goods can be found in a town.
neath armour.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any Specific City, any Specific
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Remove a ring from
Group of People, any Specific Type of Items.
the targets finger, or steal a weapon from a scabbard.
TEST: This skill is normally used in an urban setting to ei-
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: If you wear gloves, you suffer a ther locate items that have been discarded (and are therefore
3 test result penalty. free) or are illegal, or to contact influential individuals or spe-
AFFINITY: Observe (Spot) may be tested in applicable sit- cialists (for instance, an important figure of the underworld,
uations to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS since you a scholar, or a politician). When locating an item, the diffi-
know what others might look for. culty of the test depends on its rarity; when locating a person,
ACTION TIME: Full round. the test difficulty depends on the amount of influence being
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: No. sought and the risk involved in having the influence.
Routine (TN 9): Locate an item that is frequently dis-
LIP-READING charged (clothing, for example). Locate the city guard or
other constabulary. Locate a person with 3 ranks in a
particular skill.
Perception; Physical
Easy (TN 12): Locate a specific common item or part.
Aw/Aw/In, 5 Average Untrained: 4 Locate a petty official, someone who can process paper-
work and little else. Locate a merchant that provides
You know how to read lips and interpret sign language. common services. Locate a person with 6 ranks in a par-
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any specific individual. ticular skill.
TEST: Lip-reading is only possible with languages you Light (TN 15): Locate an illegal good that is common
know (and only to the known spoken skill rank). You must and for which the penalty for possession is minor. Lo-
maintain line of sight with the subjects mouth. The difficulty cate a merchant that provides goods of above average
of the test depends on the amount of lip movement you are quality. Locate a person with 9 ranks in a particular skill.
able to observe. It is interesting to note that one must enun- Medium (TN 20): Locate a discarded item with a minor
ciate to be understood while whispering! resale value or an uncommon item or part. Locate a mi-
nor fence, one willing to trade in goods that cannot easi-
Routine (TN 9): The speaker is deliberately directing his ly be traced and are not particularly valuable. Locate an
words towards the lip-reader. official with enough influence to provide minor services
Easy (TN 12): The speaker is a trained actor enunciating (for a example, a permit, guild membership, and the
perfectly. like). Locate a person with 12 ranks in a particular skill.
102
Challenging (TN 25): Locate a discarded item of little Challenging (TN 25): Pick a padlock.
value. Locate a minor military officer who has access to Hard (TN 30): Pick a lock of amazing quality. Open a
some confidential tactical information, but not strategic door that is secured with a sliding bolt.
information. Locate a person with 15 ranks in a particu- Extremely Hard (TN 35): Open a door that is barred,
lar skill. not locked.
Hard (TN 30): Locate an illegal good that must be
LSF: See Extended Tests, page 223, for the effect of
smuggled into the area at some risk. Locate a person
achieving additional LSF in dramatic situations.
willing to sell goods that are illegal, but can easily be
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Without your tools, you suffer
smuggled. Locate a fence willing to deal in valuable
the standard +5 to +10 TN modifier for lack of equipment
goods that can be traced (such as jewellery). Locate a
or may not be able to attempt the test at all. For each time
person with 18 ranks in a particular skill.
you have unsuccessfully attempted to pick the lock, you suf-
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Locate a discarded item of
fer a 3 test result modifier. If you have successfully picked
moderate value or a specific rare item or part. Locate a
the lock before, you receive a +6 test result bonus. If you
high-ranking government official with real influence.
have successfully picked that type of lock before, you receive
Locate a person with 21 ranks in a particular skill.
a +3 test result bonus. If you have a description of the mech-
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Locate an illegal good,
anism of the lock, you receive a +1 test result bonus.
possession of which is dangerous. Locate a military of-
ACTION TIME: Typically, it takes at least one full round
ficer with access to important confidential information.
per TN increment of 10 to pick a lock (i.e., it would take ap-
Locate a fence willing to deal unique items. Locate a per-
proximately three rounds to pick a TN 25 lock).
son with 24 ranks in a particular skill.
Locate tests involve a lot of interaction, like approaching
the right people in the right manner. Thus, locating a specific
item or person may actually involve many tests of other So- LORE (SUMMARY)
cial skills and Esteem, and certainly requires a good deal of
roleplaying. Lore; Academic
LSF: If the Turambar sees fit, LoF 3 or worse may indi-
cate that contact is made with someone who only claims to be The skills in the Lore skill category cover the improbable
influential or having the desired item. Otherwise, contact is art of knowing everything there is to know under the sun
either made or not. that shines on Middle-earthimprobable because the bodies
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: The size of the city does not of lore that course through it run so vast and so deep.
normally modify the test difficulty. There are fewer people in Thus, the Lore skill category encompasses several skill
small towns, and there is less influence, but people tend to groups. Each group, which contains a multitude of skills
know one another. However, in rural areas where few people (each of which contains many possible specialties), is de-
live, you may suffer test result penalties of 3 or greater, or scribed in this chapter in alphabetical order. However, even
be unable to use Locate at all. though a large number of Lore skill groups and skills are cov-
AFFINITY: Inquire may be tested in appropriate circum- ered in this book, there may be many more. Be prepared to
stances to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS. introduce new specialties, skills, or even entire skill groups as
ACTION TIME: Varies.
your player characters delve into the vast depths of the wis-
dom of Middle-earth.
Though different in scope and subject, a number of Lore
skills (those listed below) are resolved quite similarly. There-
LOCKS fore, the procedure for testing these skills is summarised in
this entry. Other skills that fall into the Lore skill category
such as Alchemy, Devise, or Researchhave a unique test
Stealth; Physical
method and their own, separate descriptions.
Aw/De/De, 5 Average Untrained: 5
LORE SKILLS
You are skilled at the art of picking locks using special
tools, and at crafting locks or similar fine mechanisms. ARCANE LORE: You possess much lore and wisdom of
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Lockpicking, Lockmaking, Fine Me- spells, dragons, rings of power, the Ainur, or other beings
chanics. and objects obscure and ancient. See page 83 for details and
TEST: The difficulty of the test depends on the complexity additional rules pertaining to tests of Arcane Lore.
of the lock. In general, smaller locks are more difficult to pick. CULTURE LORE: You know much about a particular cul-
ture: where its members live, how they think and act, and
Routine (TN 9): You have the key (and can therefore see
their customs and traditions. See page 88 for details and ad-
the key bit and choose the proper picklock).
ditional rules pertaining to tests of Culture Lore.
Easy (TN 12): You can see the locking mechanism.
HISTORY: You are well versed in history, both of Middle-
Light (TN 15): The keyhole is larger than a finger (i.e.,
earth in general and some realm or subject in particular. See
picking a poor lock). Pick handcuffs or shackles.
page 96 for details and additional rules on tests of History.
Medium (TN 20): The keyhole is larger than a pencil
(i.e., picking a lock of average quality).
103
NATURE LORE: You have a deep knowledge of beasts and If the TN does not exceed the characters knowledge lev-
plants, whether wild or domesticated, as well as of the ways el, he can attempt the test without any resources. Otherwise,
of the water, air, and earth. See page 106 for details and addi- the test will require research. Most non-research tests can be
tional rules pertaining to tests of Nature Lore. accomplished in one round. If research is required, the test
REGION LORE: You are learned in the geography of a par- will at least require a number of hours equal to the TN of the
ticular kingdom or land. Usually you have obtained this lore test. A character cannot attempt a Lore skill test if its TN ex-
by travelling in that land. See page 110 for details and addi- ceeds twice his knowledge level.
tional rules on tests of Region Lore.
COMMON RULES
OVERLAPPING LORES
REQUISITE: When testing a Lore skill to remember a fact,
Inevitably, Ambarquentas system of handling Lore skills you must have heard or read about this fact beforeor at
will create many areas of overlap between different skill least about some closely related events or pieces of infor-
groups, skills, and specialties, and it will not appear obvious mation on which you could base a fair guess.
how they differ. For instance, what is there to distinguish the TEST: You must make a test to answer questions pertain-
skill History: Dwarves from the specialty Culture Lore: ing to your lore or to recall obscure facts known to you through
Dwarves (History)? In practical terms, very little. All of the study or long experience. Note that you cannot earn experi-
skills and specialties presented or suggested here are, after all, ence markers by simply recalling known lore (see page 204).
abstractions of what facts, tales, rhymes of lore, and so on
Trivial (TN 5): Remember a commonly known fact
characters might actually know. Both History: Dwarves and
(that Gondor is ruled by a Steward rather than a King in
Culture Lore: Dwarves (History) represent the same basic
the third millennium of the Third Age).
body of knowledge; the difference in how they are classified,
Routine (TN 9): Remember a basic, significant fact (a
if it represents anything, demonstrates that two different
major war between two realms).
characters might come to it by different routes. Therefore, a
Easy (TN 12): Remember important facts that influ-
Turambar should demonstrate flexibility in determining
enced and shaped an event (how that war started, major
whether a possible Lore test fits a characters specific skills.
battles).
Light (TN 15): Remember general facts (the participants
RESOLVING LORE SKILL TESTS and captains in that war).
The aforementioned Lore skills can be resolved in one of Medium (TN 20): Remember specific facts (the in-
two ways. First, the Turambar may want to provide each volvement of minor characters in that war, such as aides
player with background information prior to play. The or heroes).
amount and type of information provided would depend on Challenging (TN 25): Remember obscure facts (new
the characters skill in any relevant Lores. Alternatively, the weapons used in that war, or how that war relates to
characters may desire a specific piece of information. This current affairs in the participating realms).
requires a test during play. Hard (TN 30): Remember detailed or extremely obscure
The target number of a Lore skill test depends on the ob- facts (troop movements in that war, or all the history of
scurity of the information as determined by the Turambar, those new weapons and who created them).
and the amount and depth of knowledge requested. Use the Extremely Hard (TN 35): Remember extremely ob-
sample test difficulties provided below to establish the TN of scure, distantly related facts (how that war affected the
a Lore skill test. development of a nearby realm that arose two centuries
later).
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Remember the minuti-
Knowledge Levels ae of an event (which individuals were where on a battle-
The absolute number of ranks in a Lore skill governs the field).
amount of knowledge a character has in the subject. In other LSF: Additional LoS in a Lore skill test usually increase
words, the characters knowledge level determines the maxi- the amount of detail the character remembers or is able to re-
mum TN of any Lore skill test he can attempt: search. LoF 1 means that the character simply cannot re-
member or find the required information. LoF 2 or worse
TABLE 4.9: KNOWLEDGE LEVELS results in false or misleading information.
RANKS KNOWLEDGE LEVEL (MAXIMUM TN OF TEST)
0 5
1 9
2 12
3 15
4 20
56 25
78 30
910 35
11+ 40
104
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: If none of your Lore skills

matches a given question, you may still have a chance to at-
MELEE WEAPONS (SUMMARY)
tempt that test of Loreprovided one of the Lore skills you
do know is at least distantly related to the question. Depend- Combat; Physical
ing on the proximity of the substitute skill and the subject of Skilled at the use of melee weapons, you are a warrior to
the question, the Turambar will establish an adequate TN be feared. Use the skills described below to fight with close-
modifier for the test, derived from the below table: combat weapons.
Close relation +2 TN
Intermediate relation +4 TN
MELEE WEAPON PARENT SKILLS
Distant relation +8 TN
Very distant relation +12 TN AXES: You are handy with axes and other hacking weap-
No relation n/a ons of all sorts. See page 84 for sample sub-skills and special-
ties and other details.
BLADES: You are skilled in the use of blades and other
EXAMPLE: Menelor has the skill History: Gondor (Dol Am-
slashing and stabbing weapons of all sorts. See page 85 for
roth) +15. Answering a question about the past of his home-
town, he gets to use his full skill bonus. If he wants to recall a sample sub-skills and specialties and other details.
detail of the history of Pelargir, his TSB drops to +12 because CLUBS: You are skilled in the use of clubs and staffs and
his specialty does not apply, but the TN of the test remains other bashing weapons of all sorts. See page 87 for sample
the same. sub-skills and specialties and other details.
However, if Menelor needs to remember an event from FLAILS: You are skilled in the use of morningstars and
the days when Eorl the Young was the first King of Rohan, his
other flails of all sorts. See page 94 for sample sub-skills and
skill History: Gondor does not quite apply. Yet, as many
events from these early days of Rohan are closely related to specialties and other details.
the fortunes of Gondor, the Turambar may allow him to test POLEARMS: You are skilled in the use of long, shafted
the skill History: Gondor, though at a +2 TN modifier. weapons with sharp ends. See page 109 for sample sub-skills
Events that took place in Rohan over the following centu- and specialties and other details.
ries could have been of intermediate importance to Gondor SHIELDS: You are skilled in the use of shields, both to pro-
(+4 TN modifier), while the deeds of the othod in the west- tect yourself and to bash your foes. See page 113 for sample
ern vales of the Anduin would probably only be distantly re-
lated to Gondors past (+8 TN modifier).
sub-skills and specialties and other details.
In fact, most regional History skills include some limited WHIPS: You are skilled in the use of whips and other
knowledge about the history of all parts of North-western weapons with thongs. See page 123 for sample specialties and
Middle-earth. For example, Menelor may be allowed to use his other details.
skill History: Gondor to recall an event that transpired in Ost-
in-Edhil of old (+12 TN modifier). However, it would still be
impossible to use that skill to remember anything about the
COMMON RULES
history of the Far East, as there is virtually no relation be-
tween the southern kingdom of the Dnedain and these far-
REQUISITE: In order to wield a melee weapon effectively,
abroad lands. you ought to meet the minimum Strength and Stature scores
Note that this system can equally well be used for other listed on Table 6.3 (see pages 182 and 185).
skills from the Lore skill category. For instance, an allied, WEARINESS: 2 points per round
neighbouring people could be considered to be related to TEST: Make a test with your melee weapon skill of choice
ones own, allowing to use Culture Lore: Gondorians for ques- to hit a target in hand-to-hand combat, or to parry your foes
tions pertaining to the Rohirrim at a typical +4 TN modifier.
assault. When attacking, your base TN is the targets De-
fence. To avoid damage from a successful attack, the target
ACTION TIME: One round, or (at least) a number of may perform a defensive manoeuvre as an opposed test.
hours equal to the TN of the test, depending on the charac- See Chapter Ten for details on combat, including parry-
ters knowledge level. ing, dodging, attack options, and modifiers. The effects of in-
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes. jury, weariness, and healing are described in Chapter Nine.
LSF: The greater your LoS, the worse the wound you in-
flict on your foe. With a little luck and sound skill, you may
even wreak a Critical Injury upon him (see page 226). On the
other hand, if your test fails by LoF 2 or worse, your Tu-
rambar may ask for a weapon breakage roll (see page 263).
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Chapter Ten introduces a varie-
ty of special combat actions which will modify your melee
weapon tests.
ACTION TIME: Table 10.1 on page 253 lists detailed ac-
tion point costs for attacking and parrying with all sorts of
melee weapons.
105
MIMICRY Medium (TN 20): Compose or play a good piece of mu-

sic. Consistent work of this quality may earn a composer
a patron.
Artistic; Influence Challenging (TN 25): Compose or play a piece that ap-
Aw/Bg/Vi, 7 Hard Untrained: 4 peals to those who enjoy the particular style of music.
Catchy tunes like dances, marches, or lays that portray a
You can imitate the voices of men and beasts, allowing single emotion or idea.
you to trick others or to signal your comrades without alert- Hard (TN 30): Compose or play a work with broad ap-
ing your enemies. peal. Complete works (nocturnes, improvisations, con-
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Beasts, Voices, Ventriloquism. solations, and the like) that tell a story, or convey a com-
TEST: The difficulty of a Mimicry test depends on how plex emotion.
easily a characters voice can imitate the sound. The familiari- Extremely Hard (TN 35): A work that will be consid-
ty the audience has with the sound also modifies the difficul- ered great many years from now. Masterpieces like oper-
ty. It is easier to convince a general audience that you sound as, symphonies, and the like that capture a range of emo-
like the king; it is much more difficult to convince the queen. tions.
Moreover, if a listener suspects what you are doing, he may Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Flawlessly compose
be allowed to make an opposed test with his Observe (Hear) and play a great piece of music on the spot. A work that
skill. creates a new style of composition.
Easy (TN 12): Imitate a simple, common animal cry. LSF: Whenever you compose a piece of music of Hard or
Light (TN 15): Imitate the voice of a person of the same greater complexity, or whenever you conduct such a great
gender, age, and race as you. Imitate most animal noises. work in front of an important audience, a LoS +2 or greater
Medium (TN 20): Imitate the voice of a person of the success allows you to roll 2d10. If you roll 19, 20, or any oth-
same race but different gender than you. Imitate multi- er number greater than your current Renown score, you re-
tone sounds, such as birds trilling. ceive a +1 Renown award. Conversely, you may defile your
Challenging (TN 25): Imitate the voice of a person of fame if your performance fails by LoF 2 or worse (Turam-
the same gender but different race than you. bars discretion).
Hard (TN 30): Imitate the voice of a person of different ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: A receptive, friendly audience
gender, age, and race. Reproduce a simple inanimate may provide a +1 test result bonus, while a harsh, critical, or
sound. heckling one may impose a 2 (or greater) test result penalty.
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Reproduce a complex inani- In addition, a larger audience increases the TN as follows:
mate sound. 5 to 10 people +1 TN
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Imitate the voice of a 11 to 20 people +2 TN
person the listener knows very well. 21 to 50 people +3 TN
51+ people +4 TN
ACTION TIME: Varies. Imitating a voice or sound usually
requires about 50% of the characters action allowance. ACTION TIME: Varies depending on nature of perfor-
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: No. mance, but usually at least 1 minute, if not longer.
MUSICIAN (G)
NATURE LORE (G)
Artistic; Influence
Lore; Academic
Aw/De/In, 6 Hard Untrained: 5
Aw/In/Wt, 7 Hard Untrained: 4
You are a skilled musician, able to play an instrument and
compose songs of great beauty. You have a deep knowledge of beasts and plants, whether
SAMPLE SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: Compose (Dances, Lays, wild or domesticated, as well as of the ways of the water, air,
Marches), Drums, String instruments (Harp, Lute, Mando- and earth.
lin), Wind instruments (Bagpipe, Fife, Horn, Shalm). REQUISITE: Nature lore is the one category of knowledge
TEST: The difficulty of a Musician test depends on the that is most commonly acquired through hard experience, for
greatness of the composition. Playing a piece of music on an it is certain that the easiest way to learn about a wild beast is
instrument is equal to the difficulty of writing the work. to study it face to face. Those who travel long or frequently
through uninhabited lands, such as rangers, may learn much
Routine (TN 9): Play a simple chord. about olvar (S. growing things with roots in the earth,
Easy (TN 12): Compose or play a simple song.
plants) and kelvar (S. living things that can flee, animals)
Light (TN 15): Compose or play a piece of music with
over the course of a lifetime. Even so, it is not impossible to
limited appeal (i.e., music with technical flair, but no
learn Nature Lore through the study of books or tales. For
emotion).
instance, some among the Dnedain of the North have left
written accounts, both narrative and analytical, of their expe-
riences as rangers, and these constitute useful bodies of lore.
106
Nor should one overlook Merry Brandybucks essay on OBSERVE

pipeweed, written after his return from the War of the Ring.
SAMPLE SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: The Nature Lore skill
group covers all manner of knowledge of beasts and plants, Perception; Physical
whether wild or domesticated; the ways of the water, air, and Aw/Aw/Aw, 4 Easy Untrained: 0
earth; and craft that enables one to survive in the wilderness.
This group consists of a handful of skills. Nature Lore: You are alert and wary, possessing a keen eye. You are
Fell Beasts refers to creatures that are distinctly evil in na- apt to sense unusual or noteworthy things.
ture, such as Wargs, or monstrous beings that have ever tor- SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Hear, Smell & Taste, Spot, Touch.
mented the Free Peoples, such as the Giant Spiders of TEST: Observe tests should normally be rolled by the Tu-
Mirkwood (note that mystical beasts such as Dragons or rambar, regardless of whether a character indicates that he
Balrogs are covered by skills from the Arcane Lore group). actively tries to perceive something or whether he simply has
Nature Lore: Wild Beasts covers all other creatures that live the chance to notice something unconsciously. This leaves
in the wild. Nature Lore: Domesticated Beasts covers ani- the players with a feeling of uncertainty that they might have
mals in the service of Men, such as horses, cattle, pets, and missed something!
familiars. Nature Lore: Plants covers all manner of plant life, In many cases, Observe requires an opposed test against
whether found in the wild or cultivated. It includes such skills as Conceal, Hide, Legerdemain, or Sneak. If no one
knowledge of healing herbs, such as athelas (though it does actively opposes your ability to observe, the difficulty of the
not provide as much information as the Herbcraft skill), but test depends on the size, distance, cover, and obviousness (in
excludes Ents, who constitute a race (and are hence covered relation to the background) of what youre trying to perceive.
by the skill Culture Lore: Ents). Nature Lore: Starlore covers Observe (Spot) and Observe (Hear) are by far the most
knowledge of the stars in the sky, their names, and the cours- common applications of this skill. Therefore, some addition-
es they follow. Those who know it also understand the al guidelines are given for these two specialties; other special-
movement of the sun and moon across the sky. Finally, Na- ties can be extrapolated from the examples given.
ture Lore: Survival describes knowledge of how to preserve Spot: An average Man can spot a single man-sized figure
life and limb in a difficult spot. It overlaps to some extent at a distance of 500 yards. Below are the average distances at
with the Survival skill (and has similar specialties), but it is which various objects can be discerned. Details cannot be
distinguished from it by the fact that one may know Nature discerned until the object is one range category closer.
Lore: Survival from having read or heard of certain proce-
dures without having much skill at putting that information OBJECT SIZE AVERAGE DISTANCE TO DISCERN
into practice. Minute 10 feet
Common specialties within these skills focus on specific Tiny 100 feet
Small 100 yards
regions, species, and climates, or on specific purposes, such as
Man-sized 500 yards
Nature Lore: Starlore (Orienteering) or Nature Lore: Plants Large beast 1,000 yards
(Agriculture). Huge beast 1 mile
TESTING THIS SKILL: Please refer to the section on Lore, Small dwelling 1 mile
page 103, for details on resolving tests of Nature Lore. Medium dwelling 3 miles
Huge dwelling 5 miles
Each factor modifies the test result by 1. For example,

TRACKING THE HEAVENS spotting a Dragon at a range of half a mile has a bonus of +1.
In Middle-earth, belief in prophecy sometimes mixes with Noticing a minute detail at 30 has a penalty of 2. If the ob-
lore about the starts that illumine the night sky. Those with ject is moving, apply a +2 test result bonus (unless you are
the Nature Lore: Starlore skill who also have the Foresighted trying to perceive details).
talent are at a great advantage when attempting to see the Hear: An average Man can discern a normal conversation
course of events to come. Such characters may opt to use their
skill instead of the Insight attribute when attempting to fore- from 50 feet away. Below are the average distances at which
tell the future as described on page 135. various volumes can be discerned. Details cannot be dis-
As an optional rule, a Turambar may allow those with 10+ cerned until the object is one range category closer. Again,
ranks in Nature Lore: Starlore (but who do not have the Fore- each factor modifies the test result by 1:
sighted talent) to read a doom once each month in the night
sky. Such characters cannot use their skill instead of their In- TYPE OF SOUND AVERAGE DISTANCE TO DISCERN
sight attribute, though. Very quiet sound 5 feet
As always, a successful test result doesnt mean the Tu- Whisper 10 feet
rambar must provide a clear-cut answer. Prophetic visions Normal conversation 50 feet
should always be couched in riddles, puzzles, or symbolic im- Yelling 50 yards
ages, for tracking the heavens is more art than science, and Trumpet or drum 200 yards
more inexact than definite. Bears roar 500 yards
Dragons roar 1 mile
107
Routine (TN 9): Spot: On top of a mountain. Hear: In The effects of a successful Persuade test last indefinitely:
complete silence. as long as the Turambar believes they should, or until some
Easy (TN 12): Spot: On an empty plain. Hear: In a quiet other person or event changes the targets mind. But Per-
alley. suade is not domination. It can never force the target to do
Light (TN 15): Spot: On a deserted city street. Hear: what the speaker suggests, and the target always remains free
While walking normally. to reject absurd proposals, regardless of the test result.
Medium (TN 20): Spot: On a plain with occasional trees. As with most Social skills, it is probably the best choice
Hear: While moving in metal armour. to test Persuade as seldom as possible. Instead, most situa-
Challenging (TN 25): Spot: At twilight. Hear: During a tions involving Persuade should be resolved by roleplaying.
Only after some time of roleplaying should the Turambar
conversation.
call for a test to determine the final outcome of the influence
Hard (TN 30): Spot: In light fog or on a busy street.
attempt. But rather than simply cutting off the Persuade af-
Hear: During a storm.
ter the test, the test result should serve as a guideline for the
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Spot: In a forest or swamp, or final resolution of the situation by the means of roleplaying.
on a crowded street. Hear: During melee.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Spot: In dense fog or Routine (TN 9): Convince someone to allow you to do
on a moonless night. Hear: While a Dragon is roaring nearby. something that is normally allowed, but appears suspi-
cious. Convince someone to do something he was prob-
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: If the object stands out against ably going to do anyway.
its environment (it has contrasting colours or glows brightly, Easy (TN 12): Distract a guard for a brief time to allow
its an unusually strong or sweet smell, its loud and jarring), another person to perform some action unnoticed (the
apply a +2 (or greater) test result bonus. Conversely, trying guards Observe skill can still be used, but at the stand-
to perceive objects that blend with their surroundings entails ard 10 test result penalty for unconscious observations).
a 2 (or greater) test result penalty. Sway a target to your side in a conflict, when that target
If a player does not specifically demand an Observe test is unsure of his own position.
be made for his character, a Turambar may still choose to se- Light (TN 15): Convince someone to allow you to bend
cretly roll a test. However, he should normally apply a 5 (or the rules (for example, allowing a janitor to remain an a
greater) test result penalty to any such unconscious observa- building to finish a task even though the building should
tions. be secure). Cause a target to fulfil a strong desire with no
Note that some of the physical test modifiers from Table chance of discovery.
9.7 on page 216 may not apply in certain circumstances Medium (TN 20): Convince a guard to allow you past a
(namely those for bad lighting and fog or smoke may be re- low-security check point. Convince someone to succumb
dundant). This is usually the case if the difficulty category of to a normal desire when there is little risk or chance of
the test is based on the above list. However, when making an discovery.
opposed test, all suitable physical test modifiers should be Challenging (TN 25): Distract a guard and convince
applied. them to leave their post long enough for someone else to
ACTION TIME: Varies. A rapid observation (10 test re- slip by (Dont you think you should make sure that no-
sult penalty) is a free action, while a careful observation is a body is lurking in the alley?). Sway a target to your side,
full-round action (which may take up to several minutes, de- provided the target has little stake in the outcome.
pending on the nature of the task). Hard (TN 30): Convince someone to do something that
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes. is blatantly illogical or contrary to obvious facts. Distract
two or three guards at the same time. Convince a target
to succumb to a normal desire when there is a significant
PERSUADE chance of discovery (for example, seduce a noble whose
reputation is at stake).
Social; Influence Extremely Hard (TN 35): Convince someone to do
something that will cause them serious harm (for exam-
Bg/In/Wl, 6 Hard Untrained: 3
ple, drink a vial of cool, refreshing acid uh, water). Se-
duce a target with little interest in the offer.
You possess great personal force and skill with words,
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Convince someone to
and you can use them to convince others to agree with you.
take your place at the gallows. Convince a target to do
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Fast Talk, Oratory, Seduction.
something that is dangerous or lethal.
TEST: Persuade represents a characters ability to convince
others with charm, personality, and honeyed words rather AFFINITY: Debate may be tested in applicable situations
than reason or logic, which requires Debate instead. You use to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS. Furthermore, any
it in an opposed test against the targets Wisdom (such as specific knowledge or ability with a skill related to the subject
when you try to convince a beautiful maiden to stroll with being discussed may provide an affinity bonus, such as Sing
you in the garden), against another persons Persuade (such when trying to convince someone of the quality of a song.
as when two minstrels both try to convince a king to become ACTION TIME: Varies, but persuading is always a full
their patron), or against a set TN from the below list of ex- round action.
amples (such as when you try to distract a guard or convince EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
another that some action is reasonable, when in fact it is not).
108
PHYSICIAN RECKON
Healing; Academic/Physical Lore; Academic
Aw/De/Wt, 7 Hard Untrained: 5 Wl/Wt/Wt, 7 Hard Untrained: 4
Your ability to diagnose and treat ailments and wounds You know how to make calculations with numbers, keep
makes you a sought-after healer. You even know how to per- books of accounts, and draft geometric shapes.
form surgery, including limb amputation, stanching and sew- REQUISITE: One must be Literate (see page 153) to per-
ing wounds, or removing stuck arrowheads and other objects form any complex calculations.
form a patients body. SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Bookkeeping, Calculating, Geome-
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Cauterise, Diagnose, Midwifery, try.
Surgery, Treat Illness, Treat Infection, Treat Poisoning, TEST: The goal of this skill is the correct application of
Treat Wounds. mathematics to an actual problem. Reckon includes simple
TEST: Physician can be used to treat the direst of injuries counting through proficiency at basic mathematical manipu-
and a variety of other ailments. It is best employed in a clean lations. Generally, the major mathematical functions (multi-
environment such as the Houses of Healing in Minas Tirith plication, division, addition, and subtraction) may be ac-
to increase a patients natural healing rate, to cure diseases, or quired through the use of this skill. At much higher ranks,
to treat poisonings, but emergency treatment can be adminis- skill in geometry and even algebra is possible.
tered in the field as well. The sections on Illness and Healing
Routine (TN 9): Counting beyond ones fingers and
(see pages 230 to 237) provide detailed rules for all applica-
toes. Single digit addition and subtraction.
tions of this skill.
Easy (TN 12): Addition and subtraction. Basic account-
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Access to a large, fresh stock of
ing.
herbal remedies, clean clothes, salves, and other tools of
Light (TN 15): Multiplication. Average accounting.
leechcraft provides standard equipment bonuses, whereas
Medium (TN 20): Integer division. Complex account-
performing healing in the field with few supplies may result
ing. Simple geometry (for example, squares and trian-
in penalties (see Table 9.7 on page 216).
gles). Calculating the area of a rectangular space.
AFFINITY: Herbcraft may be tested in applicable situa-
Challenging (TN 25): Fractions and ratios. Intermediate
tions to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
geometry (for example, circles and trapezoids). Calculat-
ACTION TIME: A quick evaluation of a surface wound re-
ing a persons location based on his distance from three
quires but a few rounds (about 2d5 rounds), while diagnos-
distinct points (i.e., triangulation).
ing and treating other sorts of ailments may take plenty of
Hard (TN 30): Advanced geometry (for example, ellip-
time. Thorough treatment of wounds usually takes 1 to 10
ses and solids).
minutes times the TN (i.e., multiply the TN of the test by
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Basic (linear) algebra. Solving
110 minutes), depending on the severity of injury.
simple time-dependent relationships.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Intermediate algebra.
Solving non-linear algebraic equations, like a trajectory.
POLEARMS (P) LSF: Higher LoS will decrease the amount of time re-
quired for completing a calculation as indicated on Table
Combat; Physical 9.10 (see page 219). Conversely, any LoF below LSF 0 will
increase the time until one realises that he has failed.
De/St/St, 5 Average Untrained: 4
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: If a character lacks proper writ-
ing implements, the Turambar may want to increase the TN
You are skilled in the use of long, shafted weapons with
of the test by up to +5.
sharp ends.
AFFINITY: With a suitable library at hand, Research may
SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: One-handed (Javelin,
be tested to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
Spear), Two-handed (Halberd, Pikestaff, Spear), Mounted
ACTION TIME: Varies greatly based on the complexity of
(Lance, Spear).
the task (i.e., from minutes to hours or even days).
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: At the Turambars discretion,
Weapons, page 105, for details on testing a Polearms skill.
yes.
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Since it is not designed for me-
lee, you suffer a 3 penalty when using a javelin in close com-
bat.
109
REGION LORE (G) The difficulty of a Research test depends on the difficulty
of the question of Lore being researched (see page 104), or on
the organisation of the library. Gandalfs search for the Scroll
Lore; Academic of Isildur was, for example, rather hard and time-consuming
Aw/Aw/Wt, 5 Easy Untrained: 4 because there were no records in the library of Minas Tirith
that the scroll existed.
You are learned in the geography of a particular kingdom LSF: Note that any failure with a Research test may either
or land. Usually you have obtained this lore by travelling in mean that the character has not succeeded in locating the de-
that land. sired information, or that the information is not present (but
REQUISITE: Region lore may be acquired by either experi- he will have wasted a good deal of time). If the information is
ence or formal study. Travelling frequently or for extended not contained in a library or tome, a high LoS means that the
periods through a certain part of Middle-earth will give you character quickly realises that there is nothing to find.
knowledge of that regions geography. You may also learn it AFFINITY: Any Lore skill pertaining to the subject of the
though to a limited extentby studying maps and other research may be tested to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per
such documents. LoS.
SAMPLE SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: The Region Lore skill ACTION TIME: Complex research normally takes at least a
group covers geographical knowledge. This is defined as number of hours equal to the TN of the test. Simple research
knowing the landscape of a particular region, where its major tasks (i.e., when it is obvious in which rightly accessible book
features are in relation to each other, what regions border on the information would be contained) can usually be complet-
it, and whether the terrain consists of mountains or marshes, ed within a few minutes.
farmland and wilderness. If you have a Region Lore skill, you EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
are able to picture a map of that place in your mind.
Skills in this group represent regions of Middle-earth de-
fined by contemporary political boundaries, such as Rohan, RIDE
the Shire, and Umbar. They may also represent regions de-
fined by tradition and convention, such as Rhn and Foro- Outdoor; Physical
chel, or by political boundaries that no longer exist, such as
Arthedain and Rhudaur. Specialties within these skills repre- Bg/In/Ni, 5 Average Untrained: 4
sent smaller geographical units within these regions. They You are a skilled rider, able to handle a mount in battle.
may be cities, such as Minas Tirith in Gondor and Hobbiton SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any Specific Type of Animal (Horse,
in the Shire, or significant individual features of the land- Donkey, Warg, and so on).
scape, such as Mount Doom in Mordor and the Emyn Muil
TEST: In most situations, riding requires no test (provided
in Southern Rhovanion. Region Lore skills may also encom-
the rider has at least a single rank to keep from constantly
pass types of landscape features, such as Region Lore: Cities
falling off his mount). Only when difficulties arise, you try to
and Region Lore: Rivers, rather than individual realms.
perform a stunt (such as leaping an obstacle), or you take
your mount into battle, must you make a test.
page 103, for details on resolving tests of Region Lore. The difficulty of the test depends on the degree to which
the mount naturally wants to perform the action. Natural
RESEARCH horse actions include walking, eating, fleeing danger, and the
like. A horse can accelerate up to two pace categories per
round (for example, from walk to canter) and decelerate a
Lore; Academic like amount without triggering a mandatory Ride test. If even
In/Wl/Wt, 5 Average Untrained: 4 greater acceleration or deceleration is desired, or whenever
the Turambar sees fit, a Ride test is required. The difficulty
Well-versed in the use of libraries and books, you know of such a test depends on the target pace.
where to find any desired piece of informationif it can be
Routine (TN 9): Walk.
found at all!
Easy (TN 12): Trot or Step. A slow turn.
REQUISITE: Literate, and a good reference library or tome.
Light (TN 15): Canter. Walking up an incline or stair.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Search Libraries, Skim Tomes, or
Medium (TN 20): Gallop. Leaping a low obstacle.
any Specific Body of Lore.
Challenging (TN 25): Crossing water. Charging.
TEST: Research allows to use multiple sources of reference
Hard (TN 30): Leaping an obstacle the height of the
to assimilate the knowledge and information necessary to
horses chest. A controlled rear. Keeping your mount
solve a problem, support a creative effort, or otherwise an-
calm in a typical battle.
swer questions important to the individual. It includes the
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Swimming. Keeping your
skills necessary to organise a search through reference mate-
mount calm near something frightening (say, a horse
rial, and collate the results.
near a mmak or Olog).
Note that this skill can only be used to research infor-
mation that already exists, but not to create new knowledge. Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Keeping your mount
Some other Lore skill must be used for that. calm near an awesome danger (say, a Dragon or the
Lord of the Nazgl).
110
A Turambar may decide that some actions performed in TEST: Ropecraft covers any action with a rope that does
the saddle qualify as Athletic tests. For example, standing in not involve the character moving; such actions are covered by
the saddle (Acrobatics (Balance)), riding along the side of the Climb and Acrobatics. The skill is useful for securing prison-
horse (Escape (Grapple)), leaping from horse to horse (Jump ers, tying a boat to a dock, producing rope, and so on.
and/or Acrobatics), and so on.
Routine (TN 9): Tying shoes or boots.
In a chase or a race, a single successful Ride test, resolved
Easy (TN 12): Braiding three ropes together.
at the beginning of the pursuit, normally suffices to keep in
Light (TN 15): Securing an inanimate object.
the saddle and control the mount. If any special actions are
Medium (TN 20): Tying two ropes together to increase
attempted or something unexpected happens, additional
their length without decreasing the amount of load that
Ride tests will be called for. Increasing the mounts speed be-
can be suspended.
yond its normal movement rate, however, requires a Run test
Challenging (TN 25): Securing a person or beast, pro-
by the beast. Cross-index the steeds test result with the per-
vided they are unconscious or otherwise subdued. Once
centage column of Table 9.10 on page 219 to determine the
he is awake, the target may make an opposed Escape
covered distance. Any LoF indicating a Stumble test also
(Bonds) test to free himself.
triggers a Ride test. How often the Turambar calls for a Run
Hard (TN 30): Attaching two ropes of different sizes.
test, and how he interprets the result, depends on the situa-
Splicing two ropes together.
tion: In a dramatic chase, he may require a new test each
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Securing an animate target
round. If he only needs to know how long it takes a mount to
with a normal rope. The target may make an opposed
reach a certain point, a single test may suffice.
Strength test to hamper this attempt.
A character with Ride also knows how to care for his
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Securing an animate
mount. See page 271 for further rules on horses and riding.
target using a chain or a very thick mooring rope.
FIGHTING FROM HORSEBACK: A characters total skill bo-
nus in Ride may limit his combat abilities. That is to say, LSF: See the section on Craft Skills, page 78, for rules on
when dodging or using a weapon or shield in mounted com- producing superior or inferior ropes based on varying LSF.
bat, your applicable combat skill bonus cannot exceed your ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Superior equipment may pro-
total Ride skill bonus. Ranged combat from horseback is par- vide a test result bonus when making a rope, usually ranging
ticularly tricky. Mounted characters typically suffer a 5 test from +1 to +5.
result penalty when trying to shoot or throw missiles. AFFINITY: Escape (Bonds) may be tested when tying a
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: If your mount has suffered inju- prisoner to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
ry, you suffer the same penalties for your Ride tests as if you ACTION TIME: Varies greatly depending on the task. Se-
were injured. If both you and your mount are injured, add curely tying a prisoner normally requires several rounds.
the penalties together. EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
Moreover, the TN of a Ride test is modified according to
the amount of APs you spend on controlling the mount:
# OF ACTION POINTS USED FOR RIDE TN MODIFIER
RUN
1 AP +5
2 APs +4 Athletic; Physical
34 APs +3
Ni/St/Vi, 4 Easy Untrained: 0
56 APs +2
78 APs +1
9 APs 0
You can run with great speed, covering ground and ter-
1011 APs 1 rain more swiftly that others. When travelling overland, you
1213 APs 2 know how to marshal your internal resources to last
1415 APs 3 throughout days of wandering.
16+ APs 4 DISTANCE MULTIPLIER AND WEARINESS: The rate at which
ACTION TIME: Controlling a mount in combat is usually a
Weariness points are accumulated mainly depends upon
free action once you have led it into battle with a successful your pace, as shown on the below chart. However, the given
initial Ride test, but it sometimes requires another test if the Weariness rates only apply when moving on relatively even
horse is unruly or fearful (choose the desired TN modifier ground. If the TN of the Run test is 25+, you accumulate
and AP cost from the above table). Weariness as if moving at the next greater pace, to a maxi-
mum of 10 points per round if you are sprinting. Run tests
against TN 35+ strain you as if you were moving two pace
ROPECRAFT increments faster, and if you are running or sprinting, you
automatically accumulate 10 Weariness points per round.
Craft; Physical PACE WEARINESS
PACE MULTIPLIER POINTS
De/St/Wt, 4 Easy Untrained: 4 Walk x1 1 every 10 minutes
Jog x2 1 every 3 minutes
You are skilled at tying and unravelling knots, splicing Run x3 1 every 2 rounds
and braiding ropes, and throwing lines or grappling hooks. Sprint x4 5 each round
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Knots, Nets, Ropemaker, Throw
Grappling Hook, Tie Prisoner.
111
See Chapters Seven (page 194) and Nine (page 212) for SEAFARING
details on determining a characters base movement rate and
movement action point costs.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Endurance, Speed. Craft; Physical
TEST: There are two applications of this skill, as deter- De/Ni/St, 5 Average Untrained: 4
mined by its specialties. Run (Endurance) is normally only
used when moving at a strategic level as described under You know how to steer a boat and sail, and you can even
Travelling on page 245. Run (Speed), on the other hand, is navigate on the open sea.
most often used in tactical (round-to-round) situations, but WEARINESS: 1 per minute if rowing at Walk (x 1) pace. See
it may also be tested to increase the distance one can walk Table 4.8 on page 80 for Weariness rates at greater paces.
over a longer period (i.e., when hes on a force march). DISTANCE MULTIPLIER: See Water Travel Modifiers on
Speed: Ordinarily, running requires no test. Only if you Table 9.30 (page 246). Aboard an oar-powered vessel, you
have to run in battle or on uneven or steep terrain, or if you may also choose to apply a pace modifier.
try to run further in a round than normal must you make a SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Boating, Sailing, Navigate, Pilot.
test. Cross-index the test result with the movement percent- TEST: Seafaring test are standard ones. The TN often de-
age column of Table 9.10 on page 219 to determine the cov- pends on the water on which you travel. In general, the
ered distance. How often a Turambar calls for a Run test de- smaller the vessel is, the easier the test. The below examples
pends on the situation: In a dramatic pursuit, he may require also assume that boats are used for river travel and ships for
a new test each round. If he only needs to know how long it ocean travel. If this is not the case, the tests should be made
takes you to reach a certain point, a single test may suffice. more difficult.
While on a force march, a group of characters who need Routine (TN 9): Steering a boat down a slow, easy river.
to travel quickly may make a combined Run (Speed) test eve- Sailing a ship through calm seas.
ry watch (i.e., every four hours) to increase their basic travel Easy (TN 12): Determining if a craft is capable of navi-
speed as determined by the guidelines provided on Table gating a particular water course. This includes determin-
9.30 (see page 246). The leader of the combined test is al- ing if the craft is too deep to for the water, too wide to
ways the character with the worst total Run skill bonus. Af- navigate the corners, or too small to avoid capsizing un-
ter all, a group may only travel as fast as its slowest member. der the waves. Note that some hazards are impossible to
The TN depends on the terrain and raises by +5 if the group overcome, while others are merely dangerous.
is jogging (running or sprinting is usually impossible over Light (TN 15): Successfully navigating through a well-
such extended periods). The test result is referenced with the marked port or harbour.
movement percentage column of Table 9.10, as described Medium (TN 20): Steering a boat down a fast, easy riv-
above. If the characters fare poorly on the test, they may have er. Sailing a ship through typical seas. Navigating a route
come across an obstacle and be forced to retreat. that doesnt include hidden dangers like undercurrents.
Endurance: Make a test if you wish to pace yourself while Challenging (TN 25): Steering a boat down a slow,
walking or running great distances. Each LoS decreases the choppy river. Sailing a ship through rough seas. Navi-
amount of Weariness points you accumulate by 10%, while gating a route that includes hidden dangers such as reefs,
each LoF increases it by 10%. Run (Endurance) is normally sand bars, and the like.
tested once every watch (i.e., every four hours) or after any Hard (TN 30): Steering a boat down a fast, choppy riv-
other period of time the Turambar sees fit. er. Sailing a ship through very rough seas. Navigating a
Easy (TN 12): Pavement, open road. dangerous route while attempting to outrun another
Light (TN 15): Smooth trail. vessel or storm.
Medium (TN 20): Poor trail. Run in combat. Extremely Hard (TN 35): Steering a boat down a very
Challenging (TN 25): Open plains. Sprint in combat. fast, choppy river. Sailing a ship through extremely
Hard (TN 30): Broken ground, forest. rough seas. Piloting a vessel through rapids or a whirl-
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Soft ground, such as snow or pool (LoF 1 and LSF 0 indicate that the vessel sur-
sand. vives the experience, but one or more crew members are
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Mountains. lost in the attempt).
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Piloting a boat over a
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Test TNs normally increase by waterfall. LoS +1 indicates that the craft has found the
+5 if you are involved in a combat situation. When travelling safest path over the waterfall. This may still result in the
overland, the Turambar may allow modest bonuses for good destruction of the craft upon impact, but there will be
maps and walking shoes. minimal crew losses (0% to 30% based on the circum-
ACTION TIME: In tactical situations, running and sprint- stances).
ing are full-round actions. See page 212 for details on move-
ment action AP costs and limitations. When travelling over- ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: If you know only the Boating
land, this skill is normally tested once every four hours. specialty, you suffer a 3 test result penalty on any use of
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes. Seafaring pertaining to seagoing ships, and vice versa.
AFFINITY: Shipwright may be tested in applicable situa-
tions to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
ACTION TIME: Full round.
112
SEARCH SHIELDS (P)

Perception; Physical Combat; Physical
Aw/In/Wt, 4 Easy Untrained: 3 Ni/Ni/St, 5 Easy Untrained: 0
Sharp-eyed and alert, you can find things that remain You are skilled in the use of shields, both to protect your-
hidden to other men. self and to bash your foes.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Forage, Forgeries, Hidden Items, SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: Small, Medium, and
Traps. Large Shields (choose a particular shape as your specialty).
TEST: Most of the time, you use Search in opposed tests TESTING THIS SKILL: Please refer to the section on Melee
against Conceal, Fake, Disguise, Traps, and other skills per- Weapons, page 105, for details on testing a Shields skill.
taining to hiding or concealing people or things. If necessary,
the Turambar can simply set a TN for the Search test based
on the sample difficulties of the opposing skill. SHIPWRIGHT
Search can also be used to gather food in the wilds. See
the Survival skill for details (page 117). Craft; Physical
AFFINITY: Conceal and Fake may be tested in applicable
De/St/Wt, 7 Hard Untrained: 4
situations to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
ACTION TIME: At least a full round, often 1 minute or
You know how to design, build, and repair ships and
more. Foraging often requires several hours.
boats.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Boats, Ship-hulls, Sails & Rigging.
TEST: A successful Shipwright test will let you determine
SERVICES (G) whether a ship is seaworthy and approximately what it is
worth. When designing or building a boat or a ship, the test
difficulty depends on the intricacy of the vessel and on how
Craft; Physical and/or Influence
strong it must be. A Turambar may require an extended test,
Bg/In/Wl, 4 Easy Untrained: 2 using some additional corresponding Craft skills, for the
practical application of your plans.
You know how to perform service duties, such as those of
Routine (TN 9): Building a raft or a dugout canoe; re-
a valet, maid, or innkeeper. Each Service in this skill group is
pairing a small boat.
a separate skill.
Easy (TN 12): Determining if a vessel is seaworthy; cob-
SAMPLE SKILLS: Barber, Guide, Innkeeper, Maid, Prosti-
bling a canoe.
tute, Valet, and many others.
Light (TN 15): Building a canoe or a rowboat.
TEST: The difficulty of a Service test depends on the de-
Medium (TN 20): Ordinary ship maintenance and re-
meanour of the person being served. Cheerful people are
pairs. Designing a keelboat.
much easier to please than are cranky codgers. Note that a
Challenging (TN 25): Designing a longship.
test is made only if the server is interested in pleasing the tar-
Hard (TN 30): Designing a sailing ship.
get.
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Designing a large warship.
Routine (TN 9): Serving an optimist. Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Inventing and design-
Easy (TN 12): Serving a cheerful person. ing a new type of seagoing ships.
Light (TN 15): Serving someone having a bad day.
Medium (TN 20): Serving an average person, such that
building superior or inferior ships based on varying LSF.
the person is pleased with the service.
AFFINITY: Applicable Craft skillssuch as Woodcraft or
Challenging (TN 25): Serving someone having a really,
Ropecraftand/or Reckon may be tested in appropriate cir-
really bad day.
cumstances to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
Hard (TN 30): Serving a dour or cranky person.
ACTION TIME: Depending on the complexity and scale of
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Serving a pessimist.
the task, Shipwright may require any amount of time from a
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Serving a condescend-
few rounds to several months or even years.
ing noble.
AFFINITY: Etiquette and many Artistic skills may be test-
ed in applicable situations to provide an affinity bonus of +1
per LoS.
ACTION TIME: Varies.
113
SIEGE ENGINES (P) SING

Combat; Physical Artistic; Influence
Aw/St/Wt, 5 Average Untrained: 5 Bg/In/Vi, 4 Easy Untrained: 2
You are skilled at the operation of siege engines. You are a gifted vocalist, able to faithfully and emotional-
WEARINESS: 1 point per round ly reproduce songs of great beauty.
SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS: Battering Ram, Catapult. SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Battle Songs, Chants, Folk Songs,
TEST: Tests for using siege engines are standard tests, Lays, Lullabies, and so forth.
with a difficulty based on the range of the weapon (or the TEST: The musical complexity and intensity of the emo-
available run-up, if using a battering ram). The term target tion of the song determines the difficulty of the test. The im-
usually denotes a 10 x 10 area rather than a specific spot. pact of the performance is limited by the greatness of the
composition, although a talented singer can increase the im-
Easy (TN 12): Hitting a target at point blank range.
pact of even a simple song.
Light (TN 15): Hitting a target at short range. Using a
battering ram on an even, downhill ramp. Routine (TN 9): A scale.
Medium (TN 20): Hitting a target at medium range. Easy (TN 12): A simple melody or air.
Using a battering ram on a flat, even surface. Light (TN 15): A piece with limited appeal. Music with
Challenging (TN 25): Hitting a target at long range. Us- technical flair, but no emotion.
ing a battering ram on an even, uphill ramp. Medium (TN 20): A good piece of music. The audience
Hard (TN 30): Hitting a target at up to one extended is entertained, but not moved.
range increment beyond long range. Using a battering Challenging (TN 25): A piece that appeals to those who
ram on rough ground or with obstacles in the run-up. enjoy the particular style. A single emotion can be con-
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Hitting a target at up to two veyed.
extended range increments beyond long range. Hard (TN 30): A performance with broad appeal.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Hitting a target at up Complex emotions or multiple ideas can be conveyed.
to three extended range increments beyond long range. Extremely Hard (TN 35): A performance that will be
considered great many years from now. A masterpiece
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: See page 289 for more infor-
that conveys an entire story or emotional interaction.
mation on employing siege engines.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): A performance artisti-
AFFINITY: Stonecraft may sometimes be tested to provide
cally matching Lthiens enthralling song to Morgoth
an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS when attacking with a siege
(but without reproducing its magical effect!).
engine (see page 289).
ACTION TIME: At least two full rounds, but usually 1 mi- LSF: Whenever you sing a song of Hard or greater diffi-
nute or longer (see page 289). culty in front of an important audience, a LoS +2 or greater
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: N/A. success allows you to roll 2d10. If you roll 19, 20, or any oth-
er number greater than your current Renown score, you re-
ceive a +1 Renown award. Conversely, you may defile your
SIGNAL (G) fame if your performance fails by LoF 2 or worse (Turam-
bars discretion).
Outdoor; Physical AFFINITY: Inspire may be tested in applicable situations to
provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
Aw/De/Wt, 5 Average Untrained: 4 ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: You suffer a 1 test result penal-
ty for each rank below 5 you have in the language of the song.
You know how to communicate with a special type of Improvised performances are subject to a 5 test result pen-
sign-language. alty. A receptive, friendly audience may provide a +1 test re-
SAMPLE SKILLS: Flag-signals, Hand-signals, Horn-signals, sult bonus, while a harsh, critical, or heckling one may im-
Marking-signs, Smoke-signals, and so forth. pose a 2 (or greater) test result penalty. In addition, a larger
TEST: Make a Signal test to use any non-verbal form of audience increases the TN as follows:
communications you have learned. Treat this skill as a Lan-
guage skill, but heed the following modifications: 5 to 10 people +1 TN
11 to 20 people +2 TN
Halve the number of skill ranks when referencing the 21 to 50 people +3 TN
Language rank chart provided on page 100. 51+ people +4 TN
Both the sender and the receiver must make successful
ACTION TIME: Varies depending on nature of perfor-
tests. If either fail, the information is garbled. Neither
mance, but usually at least 1 minute, if not longer.
can provide the other with a bonus.
AFFINITY: Mimicry may be tested in applicable situations
to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
ACTION TIME: Full round.
114
SMITHCRAFT (SUMMARY) Siege Engines: Catapult helps when creating the iron fittings
for a catapult.
ACTION TIME: To make a simple repair to a metal object
Craft; Physical typically takes 1030 minutes. Creating a weapon, suit of
The skills described in this section cover the art of craft- armour, or other metal object usually requires several hours
ing metal objects of all sorts, be they sharp swords, useful or days, even weeks or months. To determine how long a
tools, strong armour, or delicate works of great beauty. task takes, the Turambar can look up the typical production
ARMOURSMITH: You are an accomplished armourer and time in Table 6.3: Weapons, and Table 6.5: Armour Pieces,
able to repair and make any type of armour or shield. See or he may multiply the TN by some period of time (usually
page 84 for sample sub-skills and specialties and other details hours or days).
pertaining to the Armoursmith skill. EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
BLACKSMITH: You can craft horseshoes, metal tools, pots,
and other ordinary items of all sorts. See page 85 for sample
specialties and other details on the Blacksmith skill. SNEAK
GOLDSMITH: You excel at creating precious golden rings
and other delicate jewellery. See page 95 for sample special- Stealth; Physical
ties and other details pertaining to the Goldsmith skill. Aw/Ni/Ni, 5 Average Untrained: 2
WEAPONSMITH: Whether sword or axe, flail or spear,
your craftsmanship allows you to create almost any weapon. You know how to move silently, disappear into a crowd,
See page 122 for sample sub-skills and specialties and other and shadow others without being seen.
details pertaining to the Weaponsmith skill. WEARINESS: 1 point every 5 minutes
DISTANCE MULTIPLIER: BMR x 1/3 for stealthy sneaking,
COMMON RULES BMR x 1 for Sneak (Mingle) or Sneak (Shadow).
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any specific environment, such as
REQUISITE: All Smithcraft skills require that the crafts-
Forests, Mountains, Castles, and so on; Mingle, Shadow.
man has an adequate supply of tools and access to all neces-
TEST: Sneak requires an opposed test against an appro-
sary facilities and resources such as a forge, charcoal or burn-
priate Observe test by anyone who could spot or hear you.
ing wood, and the like. Without the needed implements,
However, make a standard test in advance. If you fail this
there is little a smith can doincrease all test TNs by at least
test, anyone who could notice you will notice you without
+5.
needing to make a test of their own. The difficulty of the
TEST: Smithcraft tests are standard or extended tests,
standard test particularly depends on how noisy the ground
with a difficulty based on the quality or complexity of the
is and on what armour you wear. Apply a special penaltyin
work attempted:
addition to the GEPif you wear metal armour: 2 for
Routine (TN 9): Creating a crude object such as a nail or scalemail or steel plates, 3 for chainmail, or 4 for a combi-
spike. nation of mail and steel plates.
Easy (TN 12): Creating ordinary everyday metal objects Sneak (Mingle) helps to disappear into a crowd in order
(farming tools, horseshoes). to evade pursuers or remain unnoticed. Sneak (Shadow) al-
Light (TN 15): Creating ordinary small or simple metal lows to tail another person by maintaining a safe distance in
weapons (daggers, spearheads, arrowheads). order not be seen.
Medium (TN 20): Smelting metal and producing a sim-
Routine (TN 9): Sneaking across pillows or a thick car-
ple cast (required for many items).
pet. Mingle: Disappearing into an immense crowd when
Challenging (TN 25): Creating ordinary large or com-
the pursuit is well behind the character.
plex metal weapons (swords, axes), creating simple ar-
Easy (TN 12): Sneaking over moss.
mour parts or jewellery.
Light (TN 15): Sneaking across a thin carpet.
Hard (TN 30): Creating an elaborate work (most types
Medium (TN 20): Sneaking across a wooden floor.
of jewellery, an ordinary weapon with engraving and
Mingle: Disappearing in a huge crowd when the pursuit
gold inlay).
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Creating an exquisite weapon is close behind. Shadow: Following an unaware target.
(a well-balanced, light, sturdy, and ornate longsword). Challenging (TN 25): Sneaking through leaves.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Crafting an elaborate, Hard (TN 30): Sneaking through undergrowth. Mingle:
delicate work (Bilbos mithril mail, the Nauglamr). Disappearing in a large crowd when the pursuit is close
behind. Shadow: Following a target who is actively avoid-
Tests to repair an object are at one category of difficulty ing pursuit.
less than for creating them. Extremely Hard (TN 35): Sneaking across squeaky
LSF: See the section on Craft Skills, page 78, for rules on floorboards or gravel.
creating superior or inferior items based on varying LSF. Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Sneaking while carry-
AFFINITY: You may receive an affinity bonus if you have a ing a large bag of coins, a living being (such as another
skill that lets you use what you create. For example, Blades: person or an animal), or other noisy objects. Mingle:
Medium (Longsword) helps when creating a longsword, and Disappearing in a small crowd when the pursuit is close
behind.
115
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Visual and physical cover, or Proposing and adopting a minor law or regulation.
loud background noises, often aid Sneak attempts (see the This law should affect a relatively small part of the
Physical Test Modifiers on page 216). Trying to sneak while population, or affect everyone in some small way. Exam-
moving at a faster pace than your BMR x 1/3 entails a test ples include the addition of a holiday that does not dis-
result penalty equal to the applicable pace multiplier times turb business, and requiring all civilians carrying arms to
three. For example, sneaking at walking pace (i.e., BMR x 1) be licensed and certified every five years.
entails a 3 test result penalty. Hard (TN 30): Obtaining the release of an innocent per-
AFFINITY: Conceal (Camouflage) may be tested in appli- son. This may be modified by the importance and per-
cable situations to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS. ceived threat of the individual.
ACTION TIME: Full round. Extremely Hard (TN 35): Preventing the prosecution
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes. of a guilty person. This may be modified by up to 5
TN by the evidence available and by the public percep-
tion of the individual.
STEWARD Proposing and adopting a major law or regulation.
This law affects everyone in some significant way. Ex-
Social; Influence amples include the introduction of a new tax, or removal
of some department or office.
Bg/Wl/Wt, 7 Average Untrained: 4 Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Obtaining the release
of a guilty person. This may be modified by the im-
You are intimately familiar with the way how a realm is portance and perceived threat of the individual.
governed and how its officials fulfil their duties. Proposing and adopting a major law or regulation that
REQUISITE: An adequate Social Rank is required for at- contradicts the local beliefs and traditions.
taining most high-ranking positions and major goals. Being elected to or awarded a significant position. Ex-
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any specific Office, Department, amples might include Lord Advisor to the Crown, Guild
Guild, City, or Realm; Household, Court, Obfuscation. Master, and the like.
TEST: In general, Steward allows to administrate an office,
a household, or even an entire realm in a due and just man- AFFINITY: Law, Etiquette, Debate, or Persuade may be
ner. However, PCs mainly use this skill to successfully apply tested in applicable situations to provide an affinity bonus of
political influence, graft, and legal loopholes towards some +1 per LoS.
specific goal. That goal must be within the means of the body ACTION TIME: Usually weeks, if not many years.
in question. Thus, gaining office and changing a law may be EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
possible goals. Yet, if only the king can declare war, another
Social skill should be used to persuade the king. (Although
gaining an audience will probably require a Steward test). STONECRAFT
The difficulty of the attempt is determined by the size of the
effect desired. The publics willingness to accept the change Craft; Physical
can further modify the difficulty.
Aw/De/St, 5 Average Untrained: 4
Routine (TN 9): Applying for and obtaining a license.
Some counties require a permit or license to carry a You are skilled at delving and building with stone. You
sword or to modify or build a dwelling. can dig mines, build strongholds and fortresses, and con-
Easy (TN 12): Being elected to or awarded a trivial posi- struct walls.
tion. Examples might include Lamp Inspector, Ratter of SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Building, Carving, Fortification,
the Second Tier, and the like. Mining, Prospecting, Quarrying.
Light (TN 15): Proposing and adopting a trivial law or TEST: The most common use of Stonecraft by PCs is to
regulation. Such a proposal should modify an extant improve existing fortifications or to help besiegers destroy
law, and produce only the smallest of results. For exam- walls and towers. The difficulty for such tests depends on the
ple, changing the order of post delivery within a small existing nature and strength of the stronghold, the availabil-
area or requiring all licensed blacksmiths to display cre- ity of materials and workers, and like factors. Attempts at
dentials. standard delving, mining, or building are also standard tests,
Medium (TN 20): Preventing the prosecution of an in- with a difficulty based on the complexity of the task.
nocent person. This may be modified by up to 5 TN
Routine (TN 9): Making a crude object such as a brick.
by the evidence available and by the public perception of
Easy (TN 12): Making an object that requires a single
the individual (it is easy to gain a conviction against a
stone, and no detailed crafting (for example, quarrying).
known killer, even if the charges are trumped). Being
Light (TN 15): Standard delving and mining.
elected to or awarded a minor position. Examples might
Medium (TN 20): Building a typical stone structure or
include Magistrate, City Inspector, and the like.
wall. Improving, or aiding an attack on, a very weak or
Challenging (TN 25): Eliminating records pertaining to
poorly-built fortification (such as the ruins on Weath-
a special incident. This may be modified by up to 5
ertop).
TN by the amount of evidence to be deleted and by the
importance of the incident.
116
Challenging (TN 25): Building, improving, or aiding an Routine (TN 9): The criminal is a petty thief or pick-
attack on, a weak or poorly built fortification (such as a pocket.
maintained border fortress). Easy (TN 12): The criminal is a street thug.
Hard (TN 30): Delving and mining in easily-collapsed Light (TN 15): The criminal is a member of an organ-
stone. Building, improving, or aiding an attack on, an av- ised gang.
erage fortification (such as the Tower of Cirith Ungol). Medium (TN 20): The criminal is part of a formal un-
Building a structure that has many arches, domes, or derworld organisation.
other challenging portions. Challenging (TN 25): The criminal has been arrested
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Building, improving, or aid- recently.
ing an attack on, a strong or well-built fortification (such Hard (TN 30): The criminal runs his own organisation,
as the walls of Minas Tirith or the Hornburg). or is guilty of one or more serious offenses (like murder
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Building, improving, or or rape).
aiding an attack on, a very strong fortification (such as Extremely Hard (TN 35): The local authorities are ac-
Orthanc or Barad-dr). tively pursuing the criminal.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): The criminal runs a
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: If the character only has poor-
large organisation with multiple investments and rack-
quality stone to work with, negative equipment modifiers ap-
ets.
ply. Without the proper tools, Stonecraft is impossible.
AFFINITY: Devise: Architecture and Reckon may be tested LSF: A Turambar may choose to consult Table 9.29: Esteem
in applicable situations to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per Tests on page 244 for the effects of achieving a given LSF.
LoS. ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Apply a 3 test result penalty if
ACTION TIME: Making minor repairs or the like usually you obviously belong to the upper echelons of society. If you
requires at least 3060 minutes. Extensive building or min- seem to have important friends in the underworld, you re-
ing tasks can take days, weeks, months, or years, depending ceive a +2 bonus.
on the size of the structure or tunnel. AFFINITY: Persuade (Fats Talk) may be tested in applica-
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes. ble situations to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
ACTION TIME: Varies depending on how trustworthy you
seem to the criminal.
STREETWISE EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
Social; Influence
SURVIVAL (P)
Bg/In/Ni, 5 Average Untrained: 4
Outdoor; Physical
You are aware of events and the protocol in the street so-
ciety and underworld, and you are able to interact with those Aw/Wl/Wt, 5 Average Untrained: 5
who run and live in the common or underworld society.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any specific City or Underworld You know how to live in the wilds: how to find potable
Organisation. water, shelter, or overgrown paths, snare small animals, make
TEST: The primary use of Streetwise is to win the trust of fire, forage for edible plants and useful herbs, and protect
criminals or low-ranking commoners. It helps to know the yourself from the elements.
slang, who to hate and who to respect. A successful test is re- SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: Any Specific Envi-
quired when a character interacts with a person who has le- ronment, such as Forests, Jungles, Mountains, Northern
gitimate reason to fear the law. If the test fails, the criminal Wastes, Oceans, Southern Wastes, and so forth. Any spe-
will not deal with the character for fear of discovery. Officials cialties you have apply to all sub-skills of Survival simultane-
need this skill to infiltrate criminal organisations. ously. Common specialties include Find Path, Find Shelter,
Once a character is a member of a given organisation, he Find Water, Forage, Start Fires, Orienteering, Protective
need make a test only when interacting with other organisa- Clothing, and so on.
tions, or with the leaders of his own organisation. The diffi- TEST: Survival is a standard test. The difficulty depends
culty of the test depends on how much the criminal has at on the environment youre in. You can usually find food, wa-
stake. The Turambar may adjust the difficulty of the test if ter and shelter in a forest with ease, but doing the same in the
the character has been particularly faithful to the organisa- wastes of Harad is another matter. Survival includes the
tion or individual. knowledge needed to stay alive against the dangerous ele-
As with most Social skills, it is probably the best choice ments of an environment (for example, blistering heat, cold,
to test Streetwise as seldom as possible. Instead, most situa- nasty insects, and the like), but it does not allow you to find
tions involving Streetwise should be resolved by roleplaying. game larger than a rabbit or a partridge (that requires Hunt)
Only after some time of roleplaying should the Turambar or track huntable animals (that requires Track).
call for a test to determine the final outcome of the influence
Easy (TN 12): Locating food, water, or shelter in a trop-
attempt. But rather than simply cutting off the talking after
ical environment.
the test, the test result should serve as a guideline for the final
Light (TN 15): Locating food, water, or shelter in a mild
resolution of the situation by the means of roleplaying.
temperate or subtropical environment.
117
Medium (TN 20): Locating food, water, or shelter in a TN 25+, you accumulate Weariness as if moving at the next
temperate or cool temperate environment. greater pace, to a maximum of 10 points per round. Swim
Challenging (TN 25): Locating food, water, or shelter in tests against TN 30+ strain you as if you were moving two
a cool or warm, but dry environment. pace increments faster, and if the test is made against TN
Hard (TN 30): Locating food, water, or shelter in most 40+, you automatically accumulate the maximum of 10
mountainous regions. Weariness points per round.
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Locating food, water, or shel-
PACE DISTANCE MULTIPLIER WEARINESS POINTS
ter in the southern wastes. Water-treading 1 every 5 minutes
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Locating food, water, Relaxed Swim BMR x 1/5 1 every 10 rounds
or shelter in the northern wastes. Quick Swim BMR x 2/5 1 every 5 rounds
Fast Swim BMR x 3/5 1 each round
SPECIAL: When foraging for food or trying to find drinka- Rapid Swim BMR x 4/5 10 each round
ble water, a roll of 3 on the dice means you poisoned yourself.
Make a Stamina test (usually against TN 20); reduce your SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Dive, Currents & Undertows, En-
Vigour attribute score by 1 if you succeed with the test, or by durance, Speed.
1d5 if you fail it. A roll of 2 on the Survival test means you TEST: Ordinarily, swimming requires no test (provided
shared with your friends and the whole party suffers likewise. you have at least one skill rank). Only if you have to swim in
See page 336 for more details on poisons. battle (which normally raises the TN by +5) or try to swim
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: In poor weatherhard or per- further in a round than normal must you make a test.
sistent rain, winter or snowfall, long droughtcharacters Cross-index the test result with the percentage column of
suffer a 6 (or greater) test result penalty to some Survival Table 9.10 on page 219 to determine the covered distance.
tasks such as starting fires, finding adequate shelter, or gath- How often a Turambar calls for a Swim (Speed) test de-
ering food. pends on the situation: In a dramatic pursuit, he may require
AFFINITY: Lore of the region youre trying to survive in a new test each round. If he only needs to know how long it
may be tested in applicable situations to provide an affinity takes you to reach a certain point, a single test may suffice.
bonus of +1 per LoS. Observe or Search may also grant an Test your Swim (Endurance) skill specialty if you wish to
affinity bonus, since that makes you better at spotting things. pace yourself while swimming great distances. Each LoS de-
ACTION TIME: Starting a fire typically takes 1 to 5 creases the amount of Weariness points you accumulate by
minutes. Searching for edible plants, locating drinkable wa- 10%, while each LoF increases it by 10%. Swim (Endurance)
ter, or building a shelter usually takes at least one hour, and is normally tested once per hour or after any other period of
may take many hours. time the Turambar sees fit.
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes. Routine (TN 9): Swimming in an indoor pool.
Easy (TN 12): Swimming in a smooth lake.
Light (TN 15): Swimming against a slight current.
FORAGING Medium (TN 20): Swimming underwater or while
In hospitable terrain, you can supplement your rations by wearing heavy clothes.
foraging for food. On any day, each character can forage as Challenging (TN 25): Swimming against a strong cur-
the party travels. Each LoS with a Survival or Search (Forage) rent or while wearing leather armour.
test allows to collect enough edible plants and berries for one Hard (TN 30): Swimming in rapids or while wearing
meal. The TN depends on the specific environment and must quilt or hardened leather armour.
be established by the Turambar according to the guidelines
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Swimming against a power-
described above.
Alternatively, the party can take some time off from trav- ful undertow or while wearing metal armour.
el and do some serious foraging. Each character can make one Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Swimming in extreme-
Survival or Search (Forage) test per hour, but no more than ly fast and treacherous rapids or while wearing multiple
five tests per day. In a harsher environment, the time required layers of armour, including chain- or scalemail.
for a single foraging test should be raised to four (or more)
hours. LSF: Use the above guidelines to establish your progress
in feet per test. If you suffer LoF 2 or worse and are in deep
water, you sink and begin to drown (see page 228).
SWIM ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: If you are encumbered by any
burden other than your armour (which is accounted for in
Athletic; Physical the sample difficulties), make sure to apply the due encum-
brance penalty.
Ni/St/Vi, 5 Average Untrained: 5 ACTION TIME: Swimmingor even treading water
You swim with speed and strength, crossing rivers and requires a minimum of 8 AP per round, but is usually a full
lakes that would daunt other men. round action. See Table 9.1 and the accompanying rules on
DISTANCE MULTIPLIER AND WEARINESS: The Weariness page 212 for details.
accruing from swimming directly relates to your speed, as EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
shown on the below chart. However, the given Weariness
rates only apply to moderately difficult swimming actions. At
118
TEAMSTER THROW (P)

Outdoor; Physical Combat; Physical
Aw/De/Ni, 5 Average Untrained: 3 Aw/De/Ni, 5 Average Untrained: 4
You know how to drive carts and wains andif an East- You are handy with thrown weapons of all sorts: Hurling
erling warriorperhaps chariots as well. hafted missiles such as spears or javelins, as well as smaller
DISTANCE MULTIPLIER: Animal-powered vehicles cannot ones like daggers, axes, or stones. Use them to slay your foes
go faster than a Run (BMR x 3). Depending on the size and at a distance, making them fear to come within your range.
load of the vehicle and the animals pulling it, it takes one to REQUISITE: You must be strong enough to throw your
three rounds to accelerate one pace category (from Jog to weapon (see Chapter Six).
Run, for example). WEARINESS: 1 point every 2 rounds
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Carts, Chariots, Sledges, Wains. SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: Axes (Handaxe),
TEST: Ordinarily, Teamster requires no test (provided Blades (Dagger, Knife), Objects (Rotten Eggs, Stones),
you have at least one skill rank). Only when the ground, Spears (Javelin, Spear), Spells (Lightning), and so on.
speed, or other condition make it likely that your vehicle TEST: Most Throw tests are standard tests, with a diffi-
could get stuck or fall over must you make a test. See page culty based on the targets Defence and the range to the tar-
248 for additional information on travelling on vehicles. get, as defined by the thrown weapon (see Table 10.1 on
Routine (TN 9): Driving on a paved road in flat terrain. page 254). To avoid damage from a successful attack, the tar-
Easy (TN 12): Driving on a paved road in hilly lands. get may dodge or parry with his shield as an opposed test.
LSF: The greater your LoS, the worse the injury your at-
Light (TN 15): Driving on an unpaved, but dry road.
Slowing down one pace category. tack causes. The effects of injury, weariness, and healing are
Medium (TN 20): Driving on a muddy dirt road in flat described in Chapter Nine. A fumble or a LoF 2 or worse
terrain. Driving a chariot on the outskirts of a battle. can damage your weapon or cause you to accidentally shoot a
Controlling a vehicle that brushes against another (ei- comrade (see page 220).
ther intentionally or not). ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: See Chapter Ten for details on
Challenging (TN 25): Driving on a muddy dirt road in a combat, including shield-parries, dodging, and modifiers.
rolling landscape. Slowing down two pace categories. ACTION TIME: Table 10.1 on page 253 lists detailed ac-
Hard (TN 30): Driving a chariot in the midst of a battle. tion point costs for throwing weapons.
Controlling a vehicle that collides with another (either EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: N/A.
intentionally or not). Slowing down three pace catego-
ries in one round (from Run to stop).
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Driving on a muddy moun-
TRACK
tain trail.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Driving on a narrow Perception; Physical
and slippery mountain trail. Aw/In/Wt, 5 Average Untrained: 4
LSF: See the movement percentage results on Table 9.10
(page 219) for the effect of achieving additional LSF. If you You can read signs left upon the ground by those who
fare poorly on the test, this may indicate that the animals ig- walk upon it, discerning how swiftly they passed or whether
nore you, or you that you have come across an obstacle and they carried burdens. You can also listen to the ground to
be forced to retreat. If you also fail a subsequent Fumble test hear the movement of groups of men at a great distance.
(use the Teamster skill), the vehicle crashes or overturns. SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any Specific Environment (Needle-
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: The above examples assume that leaf Forests, Heathland, Swamps, and so forth), Scent.
the vehicle is moving at a walking pace. Apply a 3 test result TEST: Tracking is normally a standard test, with a diffi-
penalty at a jogging and a 6 penalty at a running pace. culty based on the type of terrain. If the person you are track-
Moreover, if the animals pulling your vehicle are unruly, ing has Track himself, he can use it to hide the signs he
panicky, or stubborn, apply a 3 (or greater) penalty. leaves, forcing you to make an opposed test in addition to the
AFFINITY: Beastmaster or Ride reflect your skill with an- standard test.
imals and may be tested in applicable situations to provide an You can also use Track to roughly follow the movements
affinity bonus of +1 per LoS. of people by listening to the ground. This provides little in-
ACTION TIME: Normally, driving a vehicle is a full round formation, save whether the group is large or small, afoot or
action. However, if you wish to take another action besides horsed, but even that can prove helpful at times.
controlling the vehicle and the draught animals, you may do Routine (TN 9): Following tracks through dust, thick
so, but you will suffer a 1 test result penalty on the Team- mud, or the like; the person being tracked left bloody or
ster test for every 2 AP spent less than your total AA in a muddy footprints. Roughly determining the size of the
given turn. With an AA of 16, for example, you would suffer tracked beast (tiny, small, medium, large, or huge). Lis-
a 3 test result penalty if you only spend 10 AP. tening to movements within half a mile.
119
Easy (TN 12): Following tracks trough snow. Determin- TRAPS

ing if tracks belong to a person or a beast. Listening to
movements within 1 mile.
Light (TN 15): Following tracks across wet earth. De- Stealth; Physical
termining the number of persons or beasts. Listening to Aw/De/Wt, 5 Average Untrained: 5
movements within 2 miles.
Medium (TN 20): Following tracks through a forest or You are skilled at disarming, building and setting traps.
across packed soil. Determining what type of beast left SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Disarm, Build, Set.
the tracks (for example, dog, wolf, cat, and so forth). Lis- TEST: Traps is a standard test, with a difficulty depending
tening to movements within 34 miles. on which specialty you use, and of course the complexity of
Challenging (TN 25): Following tracks across grass, the task. See page 240 for a variety of sample traps and fur-
hard earth, gravel, or the like. Determining the speed of ther information on how to use traps in your game.
the tracked being or the age of the tracks. Listening to Traps (Disarm) allows to identify and disarm, but not lo-
movements within 56 miles. cate (use the Search (Traps) skill specialty for that purpose),
Hard (TN 30): Following tracks through a swamp or af- an inanimate trap. The difficulty of a Traps (Disarm) test
ter rain, snow, or other phenomena obscure them. De- depends entirely on the complexity of the trap. Some traps
termining the race and approximate weight of the per- can simply be triggered safely. Other traps may require an
son. Listening to movements within 710 miles. elaborate system of counter-balances. Once a trap has been
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Following tracks trough a discovered, it is usually fairly obvious how difficult it will be
narrow stream or across coarse stone. Determining the to disarm it. Note that Search (Traps) may reveal the trigger,
frequency with which a specific type of beast uses a game but not the trap itself. The victim may not know the level of
trail. Listening to movements within 1115 miles. danger he is facing.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Following tracks across Traps (Build) allows to build simple or complex mecha-
pavement or smooth stone. Determining if a known in- nisms designed to injure or immobilise other persons or
dividual made the tracks. Listening to movements 16 or beasts. The difficulty of the test depends on the number of
more miles away. moving pieces in the trap. A Traps (Set) test must normally
The Scent specialty is usually for animals and keen-nosed be made to effectively place and activate the trap. The diffi-
people (such as Woses or Orcs) only, who can often follow culty of setting a trap depends on the amount of effort in-
trails using their sense of smell. volved in hiding the trigger, thus determining the TN of the
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: The TNs above assume you Search (Traps) test needed to discover the trap.
track one person. For every doubling of the size of the group Routine (TN 9): Disarm: Triggering a trap safely. For
(2, 34, 58, and so forth), you receive a +1 test result bo- example, turning a door knob without grabbing the por-
nus. If your quarry is on horse, he usually cannot hide his tion of the knob in which a needle is hidden. Build: A
tracks, and you receive a +2 test result bonus to hear him simple trap involving no moving pieces (for example, a
through the ground. pit). Set: Traps triggered by a rope strung across a corri-
On the other hand, for each hour that has elapsed since dor.
the track was made, apply a 1 test result penalty (to a max- Easy (TN 12): Disarm: The trap can be triggered and
imum penalty of 5) unless there are hardly no outside influ-
blocked or diverted in some way. For example, covering
encessuch as wind or gamethat could mar the track.
the hole out of which a dart flies. Build: A simple trap
AFFINITY: Observe may be tested in applicable situations
with a single moving piece (for example, a falling net or
to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
cage). Set: Portable traps triggered by pressure plates,
ACTION TIME: Finding and interpreting a track or trail
usually requires 1 minute per category of difficulty: 1 minute such as a bear-trap.
for a Routine task, 2 minutes for an Easy task, and so forth. Light (TN 15): Disarm: Disarming a trap that you de-
Actually following a trail may take hours or days, depending signed. Build: A simple portable trap (for example, a
on how far ahead of the character his quarry is. mouse-trap or a bear-trap). Set: Traps triggered by
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes. weight, such as a pit trap.
Medium (TN 20): Disarm: Disarming the trap requires
removing a counterweight. The traps natural position is
not activated. This often includes pit traps and rotating
walls. Once the counterweight is removed or disabled,
the traps components cannot move. Build: A trap in-
volving counterbalances (for example, covered pits, pres-
sure plates, and so forth). Set: Traps triggered by turning
a door knob or opening latch.
120
Challenging (TN 25): Disarm: Disarming a lever-based UNARMED COMBAT (P)

trap. For example, a pressure sensitive plate that causes a
lever to move, activating the trap. Build: A spring loaded
Combat; Physical
trap. Set: Traps whose effect spans a large area (for ex-
ample, a collapsing wall or flooding room) unless the De/Ni/St, 5 Average Untrained: 2
trigger is listed above.
Hard (TN 30): Disarm: Disarming the trap requires dis- You are skilled at using your hands and feet in combat,
abling a spring or other similar mechanism. Traps that making your body a weapon all of its own. Sub-skills within
propel darts or arrows are one example. Build: A trap this parental skill represent certain styles of weaponless
with many moving pieces (for example, a rolling stone fighting.
trap). Set: Gas traps.
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Disarm: Disarming the trap UNARMED COMBAT SKILLS
requires removing a trigger. Removal of a trigger usually
causes the trap to be sprung, so the trigger must be disa- BRAWLING: You are handy at fighting in the bare-knuckle
bled without activating the trap. The natural state of the style favoured on battlefields and the roughest inns of the
trap is active, the trigger prevents activation. Build: A largest city. Common specialties include Punch, Kick, and
trap with multiple moving pieces (for example, a room Headbutt.
with walls that crush its occupants). Set: Traps whose WRESTLING: You are skilled at wrestling your foe to the
ground. Common specialties include Grapple, Throw, and
trigger is on the other side of a door.
Trip.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Disarming the trap re-
NATURAL WEAPONS: This skill may only be acquired by
quires removing a trigger that is attached to another
Beorning shapechangers who use it to attack and defend
trigger such that one trap is triggered if the other is disa-
themselves in Bear-form. Common specialties include Paws
bled. Both triggers must be disabled simultaneously.
and Jaws.
Build: Portable traps with multiple moving pieces (for
example, a trap that flings oil on its victim, followed by
piece of flint striking steel). Set: Traps whose trigger is COMMON RULES
specific to a given individual. WEARINESS: 2 points per round
LSF: See Extended Tests, page 223, for the effect of TEST: Make a test with the Unarmed Combat skill of
achieving additional LSF in dramatic situations. LoF 3 or your choice to hit a target in close combat, or to block (i.e.,
worse with a test to disarm a trap results in triggering it. parry an unarmed attack) your foes assault. When attacking,
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Without proper tools, you suffer your base TN is the targets Defence. To avoid damage from
the standard +5 to +10 TN modifier for lack of equipment a successful attack, the target may perform a defensive ma-
or may not be able to attempt the test at all. For each time noeuvre as an opposed test. See Chapter Ten for details on
you have unsuccessfully attempted to set or build the trap, combat, including blocking, dodging, attack options, and
you suffer a 3 test result modifier. If you have successfully modifiers. The effects of injury, weariness, and healing are
disarmed, built, or set the trap before, you receive a +6 test described in Chapter Nine.
result bonus. If you have successfully disarmed, built, or set Note that the damage inflicted in Unarmed Combat is
that type of trap before, you receive a +3 test result bonus. If subdual damage per default (see page 226). However, you
you have a description of the mechanism of the trap, you re- may choose to deal regular blunt damage instead if you are
ceive a +1 test result bonus. willing to accept a 3 test result penalty on your unarmed at-
AFFINITY: Locks or Search (Traps) may sometimes be tack.
tested to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS. LSF: The greater your LoS, the harder you hit your foe.
ACTION TIME: Typically, it takes at least one minute per With a little luck and sound skill, you may even wreak a Crit-
category of difficulty to disarm or set a trap (for example, it ical Injury upon him (see page 226). On the other hand, if
would take approximately five minutes to disarm a TN 25 you fumble your Unarmed Combat test, or if it fails by LoF
trap). Building a trap usually takes a considerable amount of 2 or worse, your Turambar may ask for a Stumble test (see
time (maybe even months or years, depending on its com- page 220).
plexity and size). ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Chapter Ten describes each spe-
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes. cialty and how these combat actions will modify your Un-
armed Combat tests.
ACTION TIME: Table 10.1 on page 253 lists detailed ac-
tion point costs for attacking and blocking with all sorts of
Unarmed Combat skills.
121
WARFARE WEAPONSMITH (P)

Combat; Physical Craft; Physical
In/Wl/Wt, 7 Hard Untrained: 4 De/St/Vi, 6 Average Untrained: 4
You know much about the tactics and planning of ex- Whether sword or axe, flail or spear, your craftsmanship
tended military operations such as besieging fortifications allows you to create almost any weapon.
and cities, leading campaigns, or commanding in battles. SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: Axes (Battleaxe,
REQUISITE: You must not have more ranks in Warfare Handaxe), Blades (Dagger, Longsword), Polearms (Spear,
than in Lead. Halberd, Lance), or any other type of metal weapon.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Besieging, Campaigns, Field Battles, TESTING THIS SKILL: Please refer to the section on
Naval Battles, Scouting, Siege Defence, Unit Maintenance, Smithcraft, page 115, for details on resolving tests of Weap-
or any other specific military operation. onsmith.
TEST: Warfare is most often used in an opposed test
against an enemy captains Warfare. It represents a captains
ability to perceive and plan an appropriate and effective strat- WEATHER-SENSE
egy in tactical military situations such as a field battle. See
page 277 for rules on mass battles. Outdoor; Physical
Warfare (Unit Maintenance) is a standard testnormal-
ly made once per month against TN 20required to proper- Aw/In/Wt, 5 Average Untrained: 2
ly billet and supply a unit, post watches, run patrols, and sim-
ilar military duties to maintain a unit. If the test fails, the You can read the weather, determining what turns it may
take or how much time will pass before a storm arrives.
units Morale and Combat scores will begin to deteriorate by
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any Specific Climate.
1 point per LoF, and the TN of next months Warfare (Unit
Maintenance) test increases by +5. TEST: Weather-sense requires a standard test with a diffi-
The Besieging and Siege Defence specialties also require culty based upon how far in advance you want to gauge the
standard tests. They encompass the knowledge of conducting weather. The greater the LoS, the more certain you are about
respectively defending againsta siege, including the best what course the weather will take. Weather-sense is never
positioning of siege weapons, determining weaker portions of foolproof, though, especially when the Dark Lord himself
a wall, building ramps, digging trenches and horse traps, and can alter the weather in need.
the like. The difficulty of this kind of Warfare tests depends Routine (TN 9): Determining what the weather will be
on the quality of the structure under siege (see the below ex- like in one hour.
amples). The actual implementation of any measures may re- Easy (TN 12): Determining what the weather will be
quire the use of a variety of skills such as Siege Engines or like later today.
Stonecraft. Light (TN 15): Determining what the weather will be
Routine (TN 9): Besieging a straw hut. like tomorrow.
Easy (TN 12): Besieging a wooden dwelling. Medium (TN 20): Determining what the weather will
Light (TN 15): Besieging a stone dwelling. be like in 2 days.
Medium (TN 20): Besieging an outpost or wooden pali- Challenging (TN 25): Determining what the weather
sade. will be like in 34 days.
Challenging (TN 25): Besieging a palace or an average Hard (TN 30): Determining what the weather will be
city wall. like in 5 days.
Hard (TN 30): Besieging a fortress or an extremely solid Extremely Hard (TN 35): Determining what the
city wall. weather will be like in 6 days.
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Besieging a heavily fortified Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Determining what the
keep. weather will be like in one week.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Besieging a fortress SPECIAL: At skill rank 12 and above, the characters sensi-
built out of a mountain, rather than on. tivity to wind and weather becomes so great that at times the
AFFINITY: Lead may be tested to provide an affinity bonus air brings messages to him. With a TN 30 test, he can gath-
of +1 per LoS. er rough information, such as the movements of armies or
ACTION TIME: Warfare is tested once per battle round in
fleets, through Weather-sense. The Turambar determines
an opposed test. The duration of a battle round varies ac- when this applies and what the character learns.
cording to the scale of the battle, from a couple of minutes to AFFINITY: Observe may be tested to provide an affinity
several hours. See page 278 for details. bonus of +1 per LoS.
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes, for standard tests of War- ACTION TIME: 1 minute per category of difficulty: 1 mi-
fare. N/A, for opposed tests. nute for a Routine task, 2 minutes for an Easy task, and so
forth.
122
WHIPS WORDSMITH
Combat; Physical Artistic; Influence
Aw/De/De, 5 Average Untrained: 5 Bg/In/Wt, 5 Average Untrained: 4
You are skilled in the use of whips and other weapons You are a skilled entertainer, able to jest, write poems and
with thongs. books, or tell amusing stories.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Cat-o-nine-tails, Whip. SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Jests, Narrate, Poetry, Prose.
TESTING THIS SKILL: Please refer to the section on Melee TEST: Wordsmith is used for entertaining an audience.
Weapons, page 105, for details on testing the Whips skill. The ultimate goal is successfully conveying a story in an en-
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: When using a whip, you get a gaging manner. Longer, less exciting stories or lays are more
+3 test result bonus on your attempts to disarm a foe (in- difficult to tell or write. Wordsmith is primarily for the pur-
cluding the test to avoid being disarmed if you fail to disarm pose of entertainment and subtle instruction; attempts to in-
your foe). In addition, a whip can be used to entangle an op- form or influence large groups of people should use Debate
ponent. See the description of the entangle attack manoeuvre (Oratory) or Persuade (Oratory) insteadbut these skills
on page 259 for details. will benefit from you rhetorical ability.
You may use Wordsmith for relating improvised or
memorised stories. Generally, you can memorise one epic ad-
WOODCRAFT venture for every skill rank of Wordsmith. When attempting
to memorise a new story, you may also test this skill.
Craft; Physical
Routine (TN 9): Retelling an epic tale, full of exaggerat-
Aw/De/St, 5 Average Untrained: 3 ed detail.
Easy (TN 12): Telling a bar of revellers about an adven-
You are skilled at fashioning wooden objects and struc- turers latest heroics.
tures. Light (TN 15): Telling an abbreviated first-hand ac-
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Cabinetmaker, Carpenter, Carver, count of an adventure.
Cooper, Wheelwright, Woodcutter, and so forth. Medium (TN 20): Narrating a tale with occasional slow
TEST: Woodcraft is a standard test whose difficulty de- points.
pends on the intricacy of the final product. An ornate carving Challenging (TN 25): Telling someone elses story with
is more difficult than a simple dwelling. a complicated plot.
Hard (TN 30): Relating an epic tale, full of the usual re-
Routine (TN 9): Making a crude object such as a staff or dundancies and long lists of places visited or people met.
club. Extremely Hard (TN 35): Telling a story concerning
Easy (TN 12): Making an object that requires a single mundane activities.
piece of wood and no real craftsmanship (for example, a Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Reciting a genealogical
shovel). list or philosophical treatise in an entertaining manner.
Light (TN 15): Fashioning a simple object that requires
multiple pieces of wood (for example, a box or crate). ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Improvised tales or poems are
Medium (TN 20): Building a simple wooden palisade. subject to a 5 test result penalty. A receptive, friendly audi-
Challenging (TN 25): Making a simple wood carving ence may provide a +1 test result bonus, while a harsh, criti-
whose features are more symbolic than realistic. cal, or heckling one may impose a 2 (or greater) test result
Hard (TN 30): Building a dwelling with multiple rooms. penalty.
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Making a realistic wood carv- AFFINITY: At the Turambars discretion, Wordsmith may
ing. provide an affinity modifier for almost all Social skills, and it
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Making a life-like carv- may itself receive an affinity bonus from applicable Artistic
ing. Building an architects masterpiece that includes skills. At skill ranks 6, 9, 12, 15, and so forth, you can select
dramatic curves and careful attention to detail. one Social skill (other than Discern, Games, and Lead) and
receive a +1 bonus when you use it. You can select the same
skill repeatedly to get a greater bonus (to a maximum of +3).
producing superior or inferior items based on varying LSF.
ACTION TIME: Varies depending on the length of the po-
em, tale, or jest.
vide a test result bonus, usually ranging from +1 to +5.
Without the necessary implements, there is little a craftsman
can doincrease all test TNs by at least +5.
AFFINITY: Appraise or Devise may be tested in applicable
situations to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
ACTION TIME: Varies. Most Woodcraft tests require
hours, or even days.
123
Chapter Five
ABILITIES AND FLAWS

n addition to their skills and racial abilities, Ambarquenta characters, being remarkable indi-
I vidualsand sometimes the subjects of prophecy and foretellingspossess certain qualities

(or maybe even weaknesses) that set them apart from ordinary folk. These are referred to as
abilities and flaws.
A
bilities come in two types: talents and edges. Both number is called a characters ability allowance . Note that
types are equally beneficial or useful, but while you picks gained for a high Grace score do not count against this
can acquire edges by training, you must be born with limit if they are used for obtaining an above-average Social
a particular talent. A flaw, on the other hand, hinders the Rank.
character or complicates his life. Thats right: Even the truest Young characters who do not start off with the full
of heroes have flaws. In fact, one of the things that makes a amount of youth or apprenticeship picks may still spend a
person a hero is his capacity to overcome his own problems, number of picks up to their normal ability allowance on edg-
inadequacies, and difficulties. es and talents, thus reducing their available picks for skills.
Unlike skills, abilities and flaws affect characters all the Distribute any desired amount of picks among talents and/or
time and usually do not require any tests to activate or use. In edges as you see fit.
game terms, many of them apply modifiers to certain skills, For some abilities, the pick cost is fixed. Others can be
but that is just the way the rules represent how a particular bought at levels, with each level costing the indicated number
ability (such as being valorous or hardy) or flaw (like being of picks. Note that the effects of the different levels are not
arrogant) affects the character. cumulative unless the description of an edge specifically says
A lot of abilities and flaws represent personality traits so. You can upgrade an edges level during play, as described
that your character possesses. You should remember them under Spending the Picks on page 209.
during the game and roleplay them properly. For example, a Like skills, abilities can only be acquired with picks from
Curious character should sometimes poke his nose in where the appropriate class. Most abilities require either physical or
it does not belong, and a Stern character should be serious mental class picks. General class picks can be used to acquire
most of the time. If you roleplay your abilities and flaws well, any ability. Similarly, some abilities may be purchased with
your Turambar may grant you one of the awards for an ex- any kind of picksin this case, use any combination of phys-
cellent character performance (see page 206). On the other ical, mental, and/or general picks that you see fit.
hand, if you do not roleplay them at all, he may deny you the The below table, repeated from Chapter Four, summa-
use of these abilities or flaws. rises these guidelines and shows which picks can be spent on
which abilities:
ACQUIRING ABILITIES TABLE 4.1: PICK CLASSES

ATTRIBUTES PICK CLASS
W
Deftness, Nimbleness, Strength Physical
hen it comes to acquiring abilities, the most im- Vigour, Awareness, Will General
portant thing to remember is that talents are in- Bearing, Insight, Wits Mental
nate traits which a character may only be given during his
youth development. After that, there is no way to gain or
earn them (i.e., you cannot spend apprenticeship develop-
TRAINING TIME FOR EDGES
ment or advancement picks on talents). Edges, on the other In addition to their pick costs, the descriptions of the var-
hand, may be acquired at any time by some sort of special ious edges also give a required training time. The time to ac-
training, or even over the course of a journey. quire up to three edges (or three levels of edges) is already in-
Each ability has a pick cost, and edges also have a required cluded in the typical starting age given for each race. Howev-
training time. The maximum number of picks a character can er, if more than three edges are obtained during character
spend on abilities during character creation is equal to the creation, you have to figure your characters actual starting
sum of his nine primary attributes total scores (i.e., one age as explained on page 67. If you wish to acquire a new
full set of development picks, as received during both your edge (or a higher level in one that you already have) over the
characters youth and apprenticeship development). This course of a tale, the events of the game must justify it.
124
CHAPTER FIVE: ABILITIES AND FLAWS
TABLE 5.1: MASTER ABILITIES AND FLAWS LIST
NAME TYPE AND CATEGORY PAGE NAME TYPE AND CATEGORY PAGE
Absent-minded Flaw, mental 164 Dull-eyed Flaw, physical 160
Accurate Edge, warlike 139 Dull-nosed Flaw, physical 160
Accurate Recall Talent, mental 130 Duty Flaw, special 175
Addict Flaw, mental 164 Dwarfism Flaw, physical 160
Aged Flaw, physical 157 Ear for Music Talent, social 132
Agile Edge, warlike 139 Eidetic Memory Talent, mental 131
Air of Command Edge, special 149 Elf-friend Edge, social 148
Allergic Flaw, physical 158 Eloquent Edge, social 148
Ally Edge, social 147 Empathy Talent, social 132
Ambidextrous Talent, physical 127 Enemy Flaw, special 175
Ambush Edge, warlike 140 Epileptic Flaw, physical 160
Ancient Scripts Edge, special 149 Eunuch Flaw, physical 160
Animal Bane Flaw, physical 158 Evasion Edge, warlike 141
Animal Empathy Talent, mental 130 Expertise Edge, special 151
Armour of Heroes Talent, special 134 Facility with Armour Edge, physical 138
Arrogant Flaw, social 171 Fair Talent, social 132
Artificer Edge, special 150 Faithful Edge, warlike 141
Artist Talent, social 132 Fanatic Flaw, mental 166
Athlete Edge, physical 137 Far Shot Edge, warlike 141
Bane Talent, special 134 Favour of Fortune Talent, special 135
Bardic Gift Talent, social 132 Fealty Flaw, social 171
Battle Confusion Flaw, mental 164 Fear of Pain Flaw, mental 166
Battle Focus Edge, warlike 140 Fell-handed Edge, warlike 141
Battle Reflexes Edge, special 150 Fey Flaw, mental 166
Battle-fury Flaw, mental 165 Fires of Devotion Edge, warlike 141
Battle-hardened Edge, warlike 140 Fleet-footed Edge, physical 138
Bleeder Flaw, physical 158 Fleetness Talent, physical 128
Blessed Edge, special 150 Fluent Edge, special 151
Blind Flaw, physical 158 Foresighted Talent, special 135
Bold Talent, special 134 Fortunate Edge, special 151
Born to the Saddle Talent, special 134 Fragile Wrists Flaw, physical 160
Bowyer Edge, special 150 Friends Edge, social 148
Breaker Flaw, special 174 Furtive Edge, outdoor/stealthy 145
Calm Talent, mental 130 Getaway Edge, outdoor/stealthy 145
Champion Edge, warlike 140 Gift of Tongues Talent, mental 131
Charismatic Edge, social 147 Gigantism Talent, physical 128
Charmed Life Talent, special 134 Gladden Edge, special 151
Clumsy Flaw, physical 158 Glutton Flaw, mental 167
Code of Honour Flaw, mental 165 Government Ties Edge, special 152
Cold Resistance Talent, physical 128 Grasping Flaw, mental 167
Cold Sensitive Flaw, physical 158 Great Arm Edge, warlike 141
Colour Blind Flaw, physical 158 Gullible Flaw, mental 167
Combat Paralysis Flaw, mental 165 Hammerhand Edge, warlike 142
Command Edge, special 150 Hard March Edge, outdoor/stealthy 145
Common Sense Talent, mental 131 Hardy Edge, physical 138
Compulsive Behaviour Flaw, mental 165 Hatred Flaw, social 171
Corpulent Flaw, physical 159 Healing Hands Talent, special 135
Corsair Edge, warlike 140 Heat Resistance Talent, physical 128
Courtier Edge, social 147 Heat Sensitive Flaw, physical 161
Craftmaster Edge, special 151 Heir Talent, special 135
Craven Flaw, mental 166 Herbalist Edge, outdoor/stealthy 145
Crippling Wound Flaw, physical 159 Heros Strength Edge, warlike 142
Curious Talent, mental 131 Hideout Edge, special 152
Cursed Flaw, special 174 High-ranking Talent & Edge, social 133/148
Danger Sense Talent, special 134 Hoard Edge, special 152
Dark Secret Flaw, special 174 Honey-tongued Talent, social 133
Deadly Shot Edge, warlike 140 Honours Insight Talent, social 133
Deep Sleeper Flaw, physical 159 Horse Archer Edge, warlike 142
Deference Edge, social 148 Horsemaster Talent, special 135
Deft Edge, special 151 Humourless Flaw, social 171
Delusionary Flaw, mental 166 Illiterate Flaw, special 176
Dependent Flaw, special 175 Ill-tempered Flaw, social 171
Disarm Skill Edge, warlike 140 Immune Talent, physical 128
Diver Edge, physical 138 Impervious to Sorcery Talent, mental 131
Domain Edge, special 151 Impervious to the Art Talent, mental 131
Doom Edge, special 151 Incompetent Flaw, special 176
Doughty Edge, physical 138 Incorruptible Talent, mental 132
Dramatic Luck Talent, special 134 Indomitable Talent, mental 132
Dullard Flaw, mental 166 Inner Ear Problem Flaw, physical 161
Dull-eared Flaw, physical 159 Inquisitive Flaw, mental 167
125
NAME TYPE AND CATEGORY PAGE NAME TYPE AND CATEGORY PAGE
Inspiring Performance Edge, special 152 Sage Edge, special 154
Intense Eyes Talent, social 133 Sailors Eye Edge, outdoor/stealthy 146
Internal Clock Talent, special 135 Scoundrels Fortune Talent, special 136
Intolerant of Burdens Flaw, physical 161 Scroll Hoard Edge, special 154
Intuition Talent, special 136 Sea Legs Edge, outdoor/stealthy 146
Jealous Flaw, social 172 Secret Identity Flaw, special 177
Keen-eared Talent, physical 128 Sense of Duty Flaw, mental 170
Keen-eyed Talent, physical 128 Shield Mastery Edge, warlike 143
Keen-nosed Talent, physical 128 Shield-Wall Edge, warlike 143
Kindling of the Spirit Edge, special 152 Ship Edge, special 154
Lack of Range Flaw, physical 161 Short of Breath Flaw, physical 162
Lazy Flaw, mental 167 Shy Flaw, social 173
Leader Edge, social 149 Sickly Flaw, physical 162
Lecherous Flaw, social 172 Skilled Talent, special 136
Legal Enforcement Powers Edge, special 153 Skinny Flaw, physical 162
Light Sleeper Talent, special 136 Sleight of Hand Edge, physical 139
Light-blind Flaw, physical 161 Sloth Flaw, physical 162
Lightning Calculator Edge, special 153 Slow Flaw, physical 162
Lion-hearted Talent, special 136 Slow Recovery Flaw, physical 162
Literate Edge, special 153 Speed Reading Edge, special 155
Longevity Talent, physical 129 Speedy Work Edge, special 155
Lordly Presence Edge, social 149 Staunch Defender Edge, warlike 144
Loss of Memory Flaw, mental 167 Steel Grip Edge, warlike 144
Loss of Vision Flaw, physical 161 Stern Talent, social 133
Lost Favour Flaw, social 172 Stiff-necked Flaw, social 173
Love Flaw, mental 168 Stutter Flaw, social 173
Low-ranking Flaw, social 172 Superstitious Flaw, mental 170
Lucky Talent, special 136 Suspicious Flaw, social 174
Lucky Blow Edge, warlike 142 Swift Recovery Talent, physical 129
Lurking in Shadows Edge, outdoor/stealthy 146 Swift Shot Edge, warlike 144
Master of Heights Talent, physical 129 Swift Strike Edge, warlike 144
Masterwork Edge, special 153 Tactics Edge, warlike 144
Mighty Shot Edge, warlike 142 Tender Skin Flaw, physical 162
Miser Flaw, mental 168 Terrible Luck Flaw, special 177
Mobile Archer Edge, warlike 142 Tired Legs Flaw, physical 162
Mounted Combat Edge, warlike 142 Tireless Edge, physical 139
Mute Flaw, physical 161 Tolerance Talent, physical 130
Night-eyed Talent, physical 129 Tough Edge, physical 139
Noble Mien Talent, social 133 Traumatised Flaw, mental 170
Nose-bleeding Flaw, physical 161 Travel-sense Edge, outdoor/stealthy 146
Oath Flaw, special 176 Truthful Flaw, mental 170
Oblivious Flaw, mental 168 Two-handed Fighting Edge, warlike 144
Obsessed Flaw, mental 168 Ugly Flaw, social 174
Odious Habits Flaw, social 172 Uncontrollable Strength Flaw, physical 162
Off-hand Training Edge, physical 138 Unfaltering Talent, physical 130
Orphan Flaw, special 177 Ungainly Flaw, physical 163
Outsider Flaw, social 172 Unhealthy Flaw, physical 163
Overconfident Flaw, mental 168 Unlucky Flaw, special 177
Pale Flaw, physical 161 Unusual Background Talent, special 137
Passive Flaw, mental 168 Unwakeable Flaw, physical 163
Peace-loving Flaw, mental 168 Vala Virtue Edge, special 155
Peripheral Vision Talent, physical 129 Valiant Talent, special 137
Phobia Flaw, mental 169 Valorous Deeds Edge, social 149
Place of Trade Edge, special 153 Valour Talent, mental 132
Poor Flaw, social 173 Voice of Power Edge, special 155
Poor Concentration Flaw, mental 169 Vulnerable to Sorcery Flaw, mental 170
Portage Skills Edge, physical 138 Vulnerable to the Art Flaw, mental 171
Precision Edge, warlike 143 Wakefulness Edge, physical 139
Preferred Weapon Edge, warlike 143 Walk Without Trace Edge, outdoor/stealthy 146
Preservation Edge, special 154 Wanted Flaw, special 177
Proud Flaw, social 173 Warriors Heart Edge, physical 139
Queasy Flaw, mental 169 Warrior-born Talent, physical 130
Quick-draw Edge, warlike 143 Warwise Edge, warlike 144
Quirks Flaw, special 177 Wary Talent, physical 130
Rage Edge, warlike 143 Weak Flaw, physical 163
Reckless Flaw, mental 169 Weak-willed Flaw, mental 170
Refuge Edge, special 154 Weapon Control Edge, warlike 145
Resilient Talent, physical 129 Weapon Mastery Edge, warlike 145
Resolute Edge, special 154 Wilderness Lore Edge, outdoor/stealthy 146
Rival Flaw, special 177 Wind-mastery Edge, outdoor/stealthy 147
Rope-mastery Edge, outdoor/stealthy 146 Woodcrafty Edge, outdoor/stealthy 147
Ruffian Flaw, social 173 Woven Words Edge, special 156
Sadist Flaw, mental 170 Young Flaw, physical 163
126
Whether you will also need to spend the indicated training

time to acquire a new edge once the game has begun is solely TALENTS
at the Turambars discretion. If he does insist on training or
T
studying for the indicated amount of time, some 30 to 60 alents are abilities that a character is born with
minutes each day will usually do. Of course, the Turambar there is no way of acquiring talents through practice
could choose to ignore the time to acquire a particular edge or training. Thus, talents can only be picked during your
(or any number of them) altogether. characters youth development. Unlike edges, talents cannot
Note that most of the talents and edges pertaining to be improved during the game, even if more than one effect
magic are described in Chapter Eleven, rather than in the fol- level is listed. If you wish to benefit from a talents second or
lowing sections. greater effect level, you must purchase the desired level
straight away with your available youth development picks.
For easy reference, each talent belongs to one of four
THE BENEFIT OF TAKING FLAWS broad categoriesphysical, mental, social, or special. These
category labels do not necessarily say anything about the type
As described in more detail on page 156, flaws also have a of picks a given talent requires. Neither do they accurately
pick costthe worse the flaw, the higher this cost. Howev- describe each talents naturefor instance, being of Fair ap-
er, instead of demanding them, flaws give you extra picks pearance is a physical feature, but the corresponding talent is
which will let you improve your character in other ways. classified a social one because of the benefits it bestows. And
Note that these extra picks count against your ability allow- least of all should a categorys name dictate your choice of
ance if you spend them on talents or edges. abilitiesfor example, any cloistered scholar would benefit
greatly from a physical talent like Longevity.
WORKING OUT THE STORY
INCREASING PICK COSTS
As you read the descriptions of the different abilities and
flaws, you will undoubtedly see many that seem perfect for Optionally, a Turambar may rule that the pick cost of the
second talent from the same category as a previously chosen
your character. Jot down their names and desired levels on a talent is increased by 50%. The pick costs of any further tal-
piece of paper. Once you have scanned through all of them ents from the same category are increased by 100% each.
and noted the ones you are interested in, remove those abili- However, these additional picks may come from any pick
ties that do not closely fit your characters story or for which class, regardless of what type of picks is required for the basic
you cannot justify the pick cost. When you have shortened cost of a talent. Note that all characters presented in this book
the list to a manageable length, think about how your charac- and any supplements to Ambarquenta are created with this
optional rule in use.
ter gained each of his abilities. These abilities should be more
than just bonuses to your character. They should tell the his-
tory of your character: what he did as a child, how others feel
about him, even how he received his education. PHYSICAL TALENTS
Every ability, as well as every flaw, should have some
form of history with it. In fact, the Turambar may insist that The abilities belonging to this category are of a physical
a short description of how the character acquired a particular nature. At the Turambars discretion, some physical talents
ability or flaw be provided before he will approve the charac- may only be possessed by all members of a race, while others
ter. These descriptions should be more detailed than merely are available to individual characters. In any case, a character
my character was born with this talent or my character was should not possess more than two or three of these abilities.
raised by a group of rangers who taught him how to do this.
Those statements may be true, but they do not tell the entire AMBIDEXTROUS
story. If your character was born with a particular talent,
then how did he qualify for it? Was his father blessed by the Pick Cost: 15 per level Pick Type: physical
Valar for some good deed? Is the character related to a for-
Most folk have one hand they favour over the other, but
gotten noble house, or is there a faint trace of Elvish blood
not you. You can use either hand with equal ease.
running through his veins? Or perhaps the characters birth
REQUISITE: Deftness 9+
itself was a unique occasion that blessed him with the talent.
The answers to these questions will not only prove to the EFFECT: You suffer only a 4 test result penalty for using
Turambar that an ability is critical to the characters back- your off-hand, rather than the usual 8. You still have to ex-
ground, it will also help solidify the characters history in the pend the normal number of AP for taking an action with
players mind. your off-hand.
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at level two,
thus eliminating the off-hand penalty entirely.
127
COLD RESISTANCE IMMUNE

Pick Cost: 8 per level Pick Type: physical Pick Cost: 20 Pick Type: physical
You are comfortable in the cold, and often do not need to Your body naturally resists all disease organisms.
wear heavy clothes until the very coldest of winter nights. REQUISITE: Vigour 13+
EFFECT: You receive a +2 bonus to Stamina tests to resist EFFECT: You never catch any infection or disease natural-
the ill effects of extreme coldness. ly. If you are forcibly injected with a disease organism, your
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at a greater body will throw it off immediately. Virus and fungus inva-
level. Each additional level increases the bonus by +2 (maxi- sions are also considered diseases, though larger parasites (a
mum of +8). tapeworm, for example) are not.
FLEETNESS KEEN-EARED
Pick Cost: 8 per level Pick Type: physical Pick Cost: 5 per level Pick Type: physical
Speed courses through your limbs, and you seem to fly as Not even the softest footfall or quietest whisper escapes
you run, so swift is your movement. your hearing.
EFFECT: Your Base Movement rate is increased by +1. REQUISITE: Awareness (8 + 2 per level) or greater
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at a greater EFFECT: You receive a +1 bonus for Observe (Hear) tests.
level. Each additional level increases your BMR by +1 (max- IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at a greater
imum of +5 or one quarter of your BMR, whichever is less). level. Each additional level increases the test result bonus by
+1 (maximum of +5).
GIGANTISM
KEEN-EYED
Pick Cost: 20 Pick Type: physical
Pick Cost: 8 per level Pick Type: physical
You are bigger than most people of your race. Though
you have found some advantages to being as big as you are, You have sharp eyes that can pierce distance and gloom
you have also experienced that the world was made for peo- to see truly.
ple smaller than you, and so you must deal with small beds REQUISITE: Awareness (8 + 2 per level) or greater
and clothes, smaller food portions, and low ceilings. EFFECT: You receive a +1 bonus for Observe (Spot) tests.
REQUISITE: Your height as determined according to the IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at a greater
rules presented on page 28 must be at least 1 above the aver- level. Each additional level increases the test result bonus by
age of your race. For example, a Fallohide must stand at least +1 (maximum of +5).
35 (i.e., 41) tall to be allowed to acquire this talent.
EFFECT: Determine your height normally (see page 28), KEEN-NOSED
and then increase it by 20%. Weight is in proportion to
height and must be recalculated upon taking this talent, as is Pick Cost: 5 per level Pick Type: physical
the case with Stature and Girth and any attributes and modi-
fiers derived from these scores (Health and Prowess, for ex- Others may have only eyes and ears to rely upon, but you
ample). You suffer a 2 penalty on Esteem tests, and your possess so keen a sense of smell that you can follow beasts or
basic Nimbleness score cannot be greater than 18. men by scent alone.
REQUISITE: Awareness (8 + 2 per level) or greater
EFFECT: You receive a +1 bonus for Observe (Smell &
HEAT RESISTANCE Taste) tests. Additionally, if you have Track (Scent), the bo-
Pick Cost: 8 per level Pick Type: physical nus applies to it as well.
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at a greater
You rarely become too hot, being comfortable in the hot- level. Each additional level increases the test result bonus by
test summer days of the Southlands. +1 (maximum of +5).
EFFECT: You receive a +2 bonus to Stamina tests to resist
the ill effects of extreme heat.
level. Each additional level increases the bonus by +2 (maxi-
mum of +8).
128
LONGEVITY
Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: physical EFFECT: Whenever something dangerous or interesting
happens behind your back, the Turambar makes an Aware-
You belong to a family that possesses longevity of life.
ness test against TN 20 for you. A success means you saw it,
REQUISITE: Grace 12+
or saw enough to alert you in case of an attack. Thus, if you
EFFECT: When you make an aging test (see page 69), you
are attacked from the right or left hex, you defend without
may roll an extra die (3d10 total), keeping the two highest
penalty. Moreover, you may even defend against attacks from
dice. The normal rule for rolling 19 or 20 still applies. Char-
the rear, but if you do so, you suffer a 3 test result penalty
acters with this talent only get half the normal amount of
to any uses of defensive skills.
picks for taking Age as a flaw.
If you are playing with a game map, you can attack into
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at level two,
your right and left hexes as well as front hexes. Note that
allowing you to roll two extra dice (4d10 total) when making
with a one-handed weapon wielded in your right hand, an at-
an aging test.
tack to the left is clumsy and is still considered a wild swing
(see page 258). You still cannot attack a foe directly behind
MASTER OF HEIGHTS you (unless you make a wild swing).
Furthermore, you have a wider arc of vision for ranged at-
tacks. The figure below shows the arc of vision for a normal
The crest of mountain, far from filling you with dread, character (white) and for someone with Peripheral Vision
leaves you exhilarated. You are most comfortable on such (grey plus white).
heights, where the air is crisp and clear, and are not bothered
by the altitude. In particular, you have trained to fight at
such heights, and are more comfortable there than on the
ground.
REQUISITE: You must hail from a mountainous region.
EFFECT: You gain a +1 bonus to all Combat, Climb, and
Acrobatics tests while atop mountains or cliffs. However,
this talent does not allow you to automatically ignore test
modifiers due to uneven or broken terrain (see page 216).
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this
talent. Each level increases the test result bonus by +1 (max-
imum of +4).
NIGHT-EYED
Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: physical RESILIENT
While the darkness blinds others, you see almost as well Pick Cost: 30 Pick Type: physical
on a star-lit night as at the height of the day.
REQUISITE: You must be Elven-blooded (or faintly related You never really bleed much, and your wounds seem to
to any other night-eyed species) to acquire this talent. quickly stop bleeding on their own.
EFFECT: In the presence of even the faintest source of EFFECT: Any bleeding wounds (i.e., injuries giving a num-
light, such as the light from a torch or the stars, you reduce ber of wound points of damage per round) that you receive
the penalties for seeing in the dark by 5. For example, in full have their rates reduced by half (rounded down).
darkness, you suffer only a 7 test result penalty, not the
usual 12. SWIFT RECOVERY
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at level two.
Doing so reduces the darkness penalties by 10. Pick Cost: 30 Pick Type: physical
Through strength of body and will, you heal quickly,
PERIPHERAL VISION shrugging off the effects of injury while others lie nursing
their wounds.
REQUISITE: Vigour 15+
You have an unusually wide field of vision and always try EFFECT: When allowed to heal naturally, you heal twice as
to keep track of everything on the battlefield. If someone fast as others, recovering 2 points of Health while they recov-
starts to move around you, you keep track of them to the best er but 1. The time to heal up critical injuries is also halved.
of your ability. You keep an inventory of where everyone is in
your head, ready to spin around and show them the error of
trying to sneak up on you.
129
TOLERANCE MENTAL TALENTS

The abilities belonging to this category reflect the power
You have a high threshold for pain. When other people of the mind. These rare virtues manifest only in a selected
would fall unconscious, you still keep going. Yet, you are as few characters, and most people will not possess more than
susceptible to injury as anyone else, but you do not feel it as one or two mental talents.
much.
REQUISITE: Vigour 12+, Will 10+ ACCURATE RECALL
EFFECT: You do not have the Incapacitated and the Near
Death Health Levels, but you may take wound points of Pick Cost: 15 per level Pick Type: mental
damage equalling 150% of your Health score in the remain-
You have an unusually good memory, even for someone
ing four Health Levels. Once you have lost all wound points
of exceptional intelligence. Whether you read something in a
in the Wounded Health Level, you die. Note that this talent
tome or hear it in a rhyme of lore, it remains with you, even
does not increase your Health score for the purpose of calcu-
when you are under duress.
lating injury thresholds or recovering wound points.
REQUISITE: Wits 16+
EFFECT: You receive a bonus of +2 to all Lore skill tests.
UNFALTERING IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this
Pick Cost: 15 Pick Type: physical talent. Each level increases the bonus to Lore skill tests by +2
(maximum of +6).
Whenever a blow dazes you, you are able to shake off its
effects much quicker than most people. ANIMAL EMPATHY
EFFECT: Any time you are stunned, you reduce the total
rounds of stun by one. If a strike results in only one round of Pick Cost: 10 Pick Type: mental
stun, then it has no effect.
You understand animals and like them, and they like you.
REQUISITE: Insight 10+
WARRIOR-BORN EFFECT: You have a deep understanding of the feelings
Pick Cost: 18 per level Pick Type: physical and thoughts of good animals like eagles or horses and re-
ceive a +2 bonus with all skills related to such beasts, except
From the moment you first picked up sword and shield, for Ride. The bonus also applies if the Turambar makes an
all could see that you had a natural talent for the warriors Esteem test for any animaltame or wildto see how it re-
art. Your limbs respond almost instinctively to give you the acts to you, or if he checks the characters Ambar scores to
best aim or strike the best blow. determine who is attacked by a certain beast (see Other Uses
REQUISITE: Deftness, Nimbleness, and Strength 14+ of Ambar, page 197). However, you may never kill an animal
EFFECT: You may make an Ambar test to receive a +1 bo- without a very good reason, and you should try to prevent
nus to all Combat skill tests during a single battle, as defined others from doing so. Note that killing for food is perfectly
by the Turambar. The successful use of this talent causes acceptableyou get a +3 bonus to Hunt tests to find game.
your current Ambar score to drop by 1 point. You may gar-
ner the benefits of this talent only once each battle. CALM
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at level two to
increase the bonus to +2. Pick Cost: 15 per level Pick Type: mental
Gifted with a remarkable power of concentration and
WARY naturally calm in the direst situations, you can react to peril
more quickly than others.
Pick Cost: 20 per level Pick Type: any
EFFECT: You receive a +1 bonus to your action allowance
Naturally cautious and alert, you can react to peril more (AA) for performing mental feats. Bonus AP from this talent
swiftly than others. cannot be used on physical actions such as attacking, parry-
EFFECT: You receive a +1 bonus to your action allowance ing, or moving.
(AA) for performing physical feats. Bonus AP from this tal- IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at a greater
ent cannot be used on mental actions such as casting a spell. level. Each additional level increases your AA for performing
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at a greater mental actions by +1 (maximum of +5).
level. Each additional level increases your AA by +1 (maxi-
mum of +5).
130
COMMON SENSE IMPERVIOUS TO SORCERY

Pick Cost: 20 Pick Type: mental Pick Cost: 4 per level Pick Type: mental
You are a naturally cautious and prudent person. Your Blessed with a strong spirit and an adamant resolve, you
instinct often tells you when it would be better to stop in- easily withstand most attempts to beguile or harm you with
stead of taking rash action. means of Sorcery.
EFFECT: Any time you start to do something that the Tu- EFFECT: You are less likely to be affected by sorceries than
rambar feels is stupid, he makes a TN 20 Wits test on your most people. However, if you take this talent, you cannot ac-
behalf. A success means he must warn you, Hadn't you bet- quire any ability related to Sorcery (see Chapter Eleven); in-
ter think about that? This talent allows an impulsive player deed, if you are Impervious to Sorcery, you cannot cast spells
to take the part of a thoughtful character. at all (though you can still use items enchanted with such
spells). Also, you cannot turn off this talent to let friendly
CURIOUS spells be cast on you.
Whenever someone targets you with a spell that can be
Pick Cost: 10 Pick Type: mental resisted in one way or the other (by making a Fortitude or a
Wisdom test, for instance), add your level at this talent to the
The unknown and the hidden lure you like a moth to the
result of your resistance test. In other words, Impervious to
flame. You must find out what the locked chest holds and
Sorcery makes it easier to resist spells which (1) entitle you
the shut door conceals. You cannot help but investigate every
to a resistance test and (2) are directly aimed at you. Whats
dark corner and forbidden room.
more, it also adds to your resistance against magical potions
EFFECT: When you succeed at an Ambar test to improve
and similar substances created with means of Sorcery.
the result of any Lore skill test, you receive +9 to your test
Impervious to Sorcery does not defend you against (1)
result, instead of the usual +5. But there is oft a price to pay
ranged spells such as Fiery Missile or Lightning; (2) attacks by
for satisfying ones curiosity
enchanted weapons; (3) mass-effect spells in which the spell
is not thrown directly on you, like Misdirection or a scaled
EIDETIC MEMORY Blinding Flash; and (4) any uses of the Art, even if they are
Pick Cost: 30 Pick Type: mental specifically directed at you.
You can picture in your minds eye anything you have level. Each additional level increases your test result bonus
seen before. If you have studied something for even a brief for resisting spells of Sorcery targeted against you by +1
amount of time, you can remember exactly what it looks like. (maximum of +8).
Your mind is a powerful repository for information, and you
use it to its fullest. IMPERVIOUS TO THE ART
EFFECT: Anything you study for more than 10 minutes
will be placed into your memory, to be recalled whenever you Pick Cost: 4 per level Pick Type: mental
need. You can remember entire books if you need to, given
the proper time to study. You cannot glance at a book and Strong-willed and slow to believe in what you cannot
then remember everything the page saidyou still have to achieve yourself, you have a strange resistance to magic as
read it. When you need to remember something that you wielded by the Elves and some other peoples.
have studied, make a TN 25 Wits test. If you achieve LSF EFFECT: Impervious to the Art interferes with all uses of
0 or better, you fully remember what you want. If the test the Art, by or against you, friendly or hostile. It can never be
fails, you recall only part of the information you sought (de- turned off. Whenever you are the target of a spell of the Art
pending on the actual LoF and the Turambars discretion). that can be resisted in one way or the other (by making a
This talent also grants a +2 bonus to all Lore skill tests. Fortitude or a Wisdom test, for instance), add your level at
this talent to the result of your resistance test. However, you
must also add your level at this talent to the TN of any uses
GIFT OF TONGUES of the Art you attempt yourself. Hence, if you are highly Im-
Pick Cost: 5 per level Pick Type: mental pervious to the Art, it will be hard for you to develop any
significant abilities of your own.
You have a fine ear for languages and speak them with Impervious to the Art has no effects whatsoever on spells
ease and fluency. of Sorcery directed against or wielded by you.
REQUISITE: During character development, you must IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at a greater
learn two or more Languages at rank 6+, and at least one of level. Each additional level increases your test result bonus
them must be a non-native language for your race. for resisting the Art, as well as the TN for your own at-
EFFECT: You receive a +1 bonus for tests with all lan- tempts to use the Art, by +1 (maximum of +8).
guages you know.
level. Each additional level increases the test result bonus by
+1 (maximum of +4).
131
INCORRUPTIBLE BARDIC GIFT

Pick Cost: 15 per level Pick Type: mental Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: any
Pure of heart and motive, you can well resist temptation. You posses an exceptional talent for the arts of a minstrel,
REQUISITE: Grace 10+, Insight 10+ enthralling and comforting those who listen to your songs or
EFFECT: You receive a +2 bonus to Fortitude tests to re- poetry.
sist temptation, seduction, and Corruption. The number of EFFECT: You receive a +1 test result bonus with all Artis-
Corruption points each Corruption Level can hold does not tic skills.
change, though. IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at a greater
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at a greater level. Each additional level increases the test result bonus by
level. Each additional level increases the test result bonus by +1 (maximum of +5).
+2 (maximum of +8).
EAR FOR MUSIC
INDOMITABLE
Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: mental
You have a gift when it comes to music. Whenever you
You possess great strength of will and can more easily re- hear a song, you can picture the music written down on a
sist attempts to dominate or command you. music sheet. You can replicate virtually any sound you hear,
EFFECT: You receive a +2 bonus to Will or Fortitude tests given the proper instruments. You also can identify different
to resist torture, interrogation, domination, and similar influ- unique sounds, like recognising a type of bird by its song.
ence. REQUISITE: Artist
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at a greater EFFECT: You can reproduce any sound you hear. If the
level. Each additional level increases the test result bonus by noise could not be reproduced by your vocal cords, you can
+2 (maximum of +8). reproduce it on an appropriate instrument. You can also play
any piece of music you hear once (though not necessarily
VALOUR played well). You receive a +5 bonus to Mimicry and Musi-
cian tests to replicate sounds.
Stout-hearted and courageous, possessed of a nobility EMPATHY
and virtue that not even the Nazgl can entirely overcome, Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: mental
you withstand terror better than most men.
EFFECT: You receive a +2 bonus to Fortitude tests for the You instinctively perceive what a person is feeling by be-
purpose of resisting fear. ing near them.
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at a greater REQUISITE: Insight 12+
level. Each additional level increases the test result bonus by EFFECT: You receive a +2 bonus to Discern tests as long as
+2 (maximum of +8). you are within 20 feet of the person whose emotional state
you are trying to perceive.
SOCIAL TALENTS level. Each additional level increases the test result bonus by
+2 (maximum of +8).
The abilities belonging to this category aid a character in
his social dealings or artistic efforts. Some social talents are FAIR
only available to high-born individuals, and just a handful of
characters will ever possess more than two or three of them. Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: any
You are wondrous fair to look upon. You win the hearts
ARTIST of all whose gaze comes to test upon your countenance.
REQUISITE: Bearing (7 + 2 per level) or greater
Pick Cost: 10 Pick Type: any
EFFECT: You receive a +2 bonus to Esteem and Persuade
From the minute you first picked up an instrument, tried (Charm) tests, andat the Turambars discretionto ap-
your hand at composing verse, or used your quick wits and propriate Inspire tests. This bonus applies only to Esteem
silver tongue to convince others, you proved to have a natural and Persuade tests made to attract members of your own
talent for the arts of a minstrel. race, or one that is similar to yours (for example, a Fair Elf
EFFECT: When you succeed at an Ambar test to improve gets this bonus against Men as well, and vice versa). The bo-
the result of any Artistic skill test, you receive +9 to your test nus is +4 against members of the opposite sex.
result, instead of the usual +5. IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at a greater
+1 (maximum of +5). Against members of the opposite sex,
the bonus per additional level is +2 (maximum of +10).
132
HIGH-RANKING HONOURS INSIGHT

Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: any Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: mental
You possess authority, perhaps even rulership, over some Your honour and honesty let you see into the hearts and
realm or body of men. minds of others, making it difficult for them to deceive you.
REQUISITE: Some positions require that you come from a REQUISITE: Grace 13+
particular people, belong to a particular family or group, or EFFECT: You receive a +2 bonus for Wisdom, Fortitude,
be descended from a certain ancestor. Thoden, as King of or Discern tests to prevent others from tricking or deceiving
Rohan, must belong to the House of Eorl, and Elessar can you with, say, Persuade (Fast Talk).
only become King of Gondor and Arnor because of his status IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at a greater
as the Heir of Isildur. Other ranks merely require a higher level. Each additional level increases the test result bonus by
power appoint you to them or that you attain them through +2 (maximum of +8).
your own strength and force of personality (see Improve-
ment below for increasing your Social Rank during the INTENSE EYES
game). Aragorn earned rank in the militaries of Gondor and
Rohan through his skill and bearing. Orc-chieftains achieve Pick Cost: 15 Pick Type: physical
power by slaying their rivals and bullying their underlings,
You have arresting eyes. They seem able to meet anyones
and Elrond has authority over the Elves due to their respect
gaze, often allowing you to stop people in their tracks by glar-
for his wisdom and experience.
ing at them.
EFFECT: This talent allows to modify a characters Social
EFFECT: Your powerful eyes grant you a +3 bonus to all
Rank as based on his Grace score. Unless a Turambar uses
the option on Esteem tests (see pages 17 and 242), a charac- skill tests in which you interact with other people, such as
tests of most Social skills, or certain Artistic skills like Act or
ters Social Rank has no effect on its own, but it acts as a req-
uisite for a variety of abilities such as Command, Deference, Wordsmith. Your eyes must be visible to whomever you are
or Domain, to name but a few. However, it may have sub- talking to for you to gain this bonus.
stantial story effects, in that a high Social Rank confers many
privileges, such as obedience and deference from NPCs. NOBLE MIEN
However, it does not grant the character military power (that
Pick Cost: 15 Pick Type: mental
requires Command), wealth (that requires Hoard), or actual
rulership (that requires Domain). You have the gifts of leadership needed to rule well or
The Social Rank Table on page 16 indicates the level re- triumph in battle. Your liege men and soldiers flock to your
quired for specific titles or positions in society. If you charac- banner when you call, and they tremble with shame and fear
ters race is not listed on that table, make up a similar table when you are angry.
with the help of your Turambar. REQUISITE: Grace 14+, Social Rank +3 or greater
IMPROVEMENT: Classified a talent, this ability only allows EFFECT: You receive a +3 bonus to all Lead, Inspire, and
you to improve your characters starting Social Rank. How- Intimidate tests made with your people.
ever, when the events of the game warrant or require it, a Tu-
rambar may award additional levels of this talent as he sees STERN
fit, thus increasing a characters original Social Rank without
forcing him to spend the picks. Pick Cost: 5 per level Pick Type: mental
Your severe and exacting demeanour often makes others
HONEY-TONGUED uneasy and thus the more ready to bow before your will.
Pick Cost: 15 per level Pick Type: any EFFECT: You receive a +2 bonus to Debate and Intimidate
tests in which your sternness might help you cow others.
Sweet-tongued and courteous, you can speak with kind- However, you may have difficulty putting others at ease. The
ness even when angered, winning favour with words. Turambar may impose a 1 test result penalty on your uses
EFFECT: You receive a +2 bonus to all skill tests where of other Social skills and any Esteem tests made on your be-
pleasant speech is involved or might have an effect, such as half.
most uses of Act, Sing, Debate, or Persuade, but not Intimi- IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at a greater
date. If the character gets the chance to talk to a newly en- level. Each additional level increases the test result bonus by
countered NPC before the Turambar makes an Esteem test, +2 (maximum of +8) and the penalty to other Social skills
the bonus applies to such a test as well. and Esteem tests by 1 (maximum of 4).
+2 (maximum of +8).
133
SPECIAL TALENTS BORN TO THE SADDLE

Some people have abilities that are hard to believe. Some
special talents go far beyond what a normal person would You have a natural gift for riding horses and can coax
think possiblethose who possess them are truly gifted. greater effort from them without causing them harm.
Generally, it is recommended that a character have no more REQUISITE: Bearing and Insight 12+, 14+ ranks in Ride,
than two or, at most, three of these abilities. Horsemaster
EFFECT: For one hour, you can increase a horses pace by
ARMOUR OF HEROES up to 30% without demanding more weariness points. Addi-
tionally, you accumulate only half the normal amount of wea-
Pick Cost: 20 Pick Type: any riness points for riding.
Forthright, great-hearted, and valorous, you are a true
hero, and fate smile kindly upon true heroes. Even when cir- CHARMED LIFE
cumstance or necessity force you to go into peril unclad in Pick Cost: 25 for level 1, 35 for level 2 Pick Type: any
armour, the subtle magic of Middle-earth protects you.
EFFECT: When you wear no armour, you are always con- Fate smiles kindly on you, preserving your life when need
sidered to have the equivalent of 2 points of armour. If you or your own folly imperil it.
don a mail-shirt or other armour, you lose this benefit, EFFECT: Once per game session, when you suffer injury
though your minimum protection against any damage aspect sufficient enough to decrease your Health Level, you may
always remains the equivalent of 2 points of armour. Using a make a TN 30 Vigour test. If you succeed, you lose no
shield does not cancel the protection of Armour of Heroes. Health Levels. Instead, you retain a single Health point in
your current level, no matter how many levels you would
BANE have lost. Critical injuries are mitigated or prevented accord-
ingly. If you fail, you remain as injured as before.
Pick Cost: 30 per level Pick Type: any IMPROVEMENT: You may select this talent at level two.
Doing so reduces the TN for the Vigour test to 20.
You are not sure if it is general intolerance or if you have
been chosen to be a champion against a particular evil, but
you have the ability to destroy members of a type of creature DANGER SENSE
with ease. You can feel your weapon ripping into these crea- Pick Cost: 30 Pick Type: any
tures, hear them scream with agony. You have little fear from
these creatures. You only hope that someone else does not Whenever you get near to some source of danger, you can
have the same intolerance for you and your kind. feel it. You cannot always depend on it, but it has certainly
EFFECT: You may select a limited group of enemies or a saved your life on more than one occasion.
specific type of beasts (such as Mountain Goblins but not all REQUISITE: Insight 12+
Orcs, Balchoth but not all Easterlings, Wargs, and so on) EFFECT: In any situation involving an ambush, impending
against which you do +2 wound points of damage per LoS. disaster, or a similar hazard, the Turambar may secretly
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at a greater make an Insight test (or, if more appropriate in a given situa-
level, improving it in one of two ways. First, you can increase tion, an Awareness test) against TN 20 on your behalf. If
the damage bonus by +1/LoS (to a maximum of +4/LoS). successful, he will give you a warning that something is
Second, you can add a second defined group of enemies, or wrong, but he will not reveal any details about the nature of
broaden one of the groups of defined enemies you can affect the threat unless you achieve at least LoS +3. You also re-
to, for example, all Orcs or all Easterlings. ceive a +2 test result bonus to all uses of skills of the Percep-
tion skill category.
BOLD
DRAMATIC LUCK
Forthright and determined, you press on when others
shrink from the rigours of the task. All your life, you have had wide swings of luck. Things
REQUISITE: Bearing 10+, Will 10+ often seem to work out your way, but when they go badly,
EFFECT: When you succeed at an Ambar test to improve they go down hill quick. You do not rely on your luck, but it
the result of a physical test, you receive +9 to your test result, certainly makes your life more interesting.
instead of the usual +5. EFFECT: You have very unusual luck, both good and bad.
Your high open-ended roll range is increased by 1 from 19
20 to 1820, and your low open-ended roll range is increased
by 1 from 23 to 24.
134
FAVOUR OF FORTUNE HEALING HANDS

Pick Cost: 20 per level Pick Type: any Pick Cost: 10 Pick Type: any
Fate smiles upon you, and fortune follows you wherever You possess the hands of a healer, a natural gift for the
you go. healing arts that often brings succour and comfort to the in-
EFFECT: Once per game session, one Ambar test automat- jured and the sick.
ically succeeds, regardless of how low your current Ambar REQUISITE: Grace 13+, and you must be an Elf or at least
score is. However, your Ambar score still diminishes as nor- faintly Elven-blooded to acquire this talent
mal. EFFECT: Whenever you test a skill from the Healing skill
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at level two. category, you gain a test result bonus equal to your Social
Doing so grants you one additional automatic success with Rank (for example, the King of Gondor has a +10 bonus).
an Ambar test per game session. When you use this talent, you must make a Stamina test or
lose an entire Weariness Level for every two Health Levels
FORESIGHTED your patient has lost. The TN for the Stamina test equals 12,
+4 for every Health Level the patient has lost. Thus, for in-
Pick Cost: 15 Pick Type: any stance, the TN to use Healing Hands on someone Near
Death is 32.
You have premonitions of future days, seeing dimly
something of what is to come. Your control over this power
may be little or great, and your foresight of the future some- HEIR
what clearer at times, but your prophetic insight is never a Pick Cost: 20 Pick Type: any
sure thing, or easily understood.
REQUISITE: Insight 18+, Wisdom 15+ You are the heir to a great hero or Lord. Few people of
EFFECTS: Once per game session, a character with this tal- your positionin fact, you may not know it either.
ent may ask to foretell the future. He makes an Insight test at EFFECT: You may discover your lineage while retrieving a
TN 30. If he succeeds, he receives a brief vision of events that great item once belonging to your parents or some equally
may occur later in the episode. Usually this vision is couched important quest. The Enemy may know more about your an-
in obscure terms, symbolism, and the like, making a precise cestry than you do, and you may well be hunted by his serv-
interpretation of its meaning impossible. Thus, no guarantee ants because of it. (Note that with an appropriately high
exists that the doom he foretells will come to pass, since only Grace score and a low Social Rank, you do not need to ac-
with hindsight can he determine what his vision truly means. quire this talent to match such a background story unless
The Turambar has total control over what characters can your Turambar insists on it.)
learn by using this talent. In many cases foretelling provides
flavour and atmosphere for the game but has little effect on HORSEMASTER
the tale itself. For example, a character might foresee that an-
other characters line will never fail. These prophecies, since Pick Cost: 10 Pick Type: any
they have little (if any) game effect, may be quite clear and
You have a special rapport with horses and some other
precise. Sometimes, even foretellings that can directly affect
beasts of burden.
the gamesuch as not by the hand of man will he be slain
REQUISITE: Bearing and Insight 9+, 3+ ranks in Ride
or in your hour of greatest need, take the Paths of the
Deadcan be stated in relatively clear terms, particularly
the result of a Ride test, you receive +9 to your test result, in-
when the Turambar wishes to use them to guide the charac-
stead of the usual +5.
ters actions. But in many cases, such as Faramirs dream, the
story is best served by obscure or vague prophecies the char-
acters must unravel, the outcome and counsel of which are INTERNAL CLOCK
unclear. See page 293 for more information on fate and fore-
telling.
NOTE: Special circumstances (such as a fateful confronta- Your internal clock is very precise, and can often time
tion with one of the great servants of the Enemy, or a person- things accurately down to the second.
al revelation) may occasionally allow a character to obtain EFFECT: You always know what hour it is, being able to
this talent as an edge later during the game. This holds par- tell how much time has elapsed since a particular event (such
ticularly true for magic-using characters and Elves. as sunrise or midday) took place. You can even make yourself
wake up at any desired time.
135
INTUITION LION-HEARTED
Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: mental Pick Cost: 20 Pick Type: any
When you come across a situation where you have no Your destiny shines through in battle, protecting you
idea what to do next, you like to relax and attune to the from injury.
world around you. If you concentrate hard enough, you can EFFECT: You may expend Ambar to reduce or avoid the
see which way will lead you to your goal. effects of injury. This Ambar must be spent immediately af-
EFFECT: You usually guess right. When you are faced with ter the character suffers a wound; doing so requires no Am-
a number of alternatives, and no logical way to choose be- bar test. Your Ambar does not provide instant healing but
tween them (for example, when you need to determine which rather reflects the fact that you dodged, parried, or otherwise
corridor leads outside the quickest), you can use your intui- avoided the attack at the last minute. For each point of Am-
tion as follows: The Turambar adds your Wisdom score to bar spent, reduce the damage inflicted by a number of wound
the number of right choices, subtracts the number of possi- points equal to 2d10. You can entirely negate incoming dam-
ble wrong choices, and secretly rolls with 2d10 against the age, but not reduce damage sustained from previous injuries.
resulting Target Number. A roll equal to or less than this
TN means he steers you to a good choice; a roll of 2, 3, or 4 LUCKY
means he tells you the best choice. A roll greater than this
TN means you are given no information. If you roll 18, 19, Pick Cost: 30 Pick Type: any
or 20 and the test fails, the Turambar steers you towards a
All your life, you have thought yourself lucky. Things
bad choiceyour intuition betrayed you. The Turambar can
seem to work out your way. Even when things go badly, they
modify this system as he sees fit for other situations in which
never seem as bad as they could be. You do not rely on your
intuition might logically help.
luck, but it certainly makes your life a little easier.
This talent can only be used once per day. Turambari
EFFECT: You are lucky. Your high open-ended roll range is
must not let this talent be used to short-circuit adventures
increased by 1 from 1920 to 1820.
by letting the intuitive character walk into a room, slap the
cuffs on the guilty party, and close the case. At the most, in-
tuition would point the character in the direction of a good SCOUNDRELS FORTUNE
clue. Turambari who do not think they can control this tal-
ent should not allow it at all.
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at any desired Fortune shines on you. You have far more luck than most
level, with each additional level gaining you an additional people, and it often helps you when you engage in roguish ac-
chance to use this talent in a given day. However, you still tivities.
can use it only once per question. EFFECT: Once per game session, you may spend one point
of Ambar to re-roll one test with any skill of the Stealth skill
LIGHT SLEEPER category, adding a +3 bonus to the second roll. You use the
better of the two results. You dont need to make an Ambar
Pick Cost: 10 Pick Type: any test to activate this talent.
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at any desired
You have always been a light sleeper. You sleep well, but
level, with each additional level garnering you an additional
you always seem to keep your ears open. At the first sign that
re-roll per game session.
something is not right, you are awake and ready to take
whatever action is necessary.
EFFECT: You may make an Observe (Hear) test against SKILLED
TN 15 to immediately wake from sleep and be ready to act
Pick Cost: 15 Pick Type: variable
with a successful Surprise test (while those without this tal-
ent must succeed at an Observe (Hear) test against a TN set Through devoted training and natural talent, you have a
by an opposing characters or beasts Sneak test or, in the case special knack for a particular skill.
of a natural threat, by the Turambar). EFFECT: When you acquire this talent, select any one non-
Combat skill. The skills learning difficulty is shifted one step
in your favour (for example, from hard to average). If you
have selected a skill of easy learning difficulty, its pick cost
and the TN for improvement rolls made for it is reduced by
1, to a minimum of 1. This talent becomes effective during
your characters apprenticeship development and remains so
throughout his future life.
IMPROVEMENT: You may take this talent multiple times
for multiple skills.
136
UNUSUAL BACKGROUND During the game, the time to acquire a new edge (or an
improved level in one of your previously developed edges)
Pick Cost: 20 or more Pick Type: any acts as a mere guideline and is not to be confused with the
training time to acquire a skill rank: Instead of actually train-
In one way or another, something that happened in your
ing at an edge the whole day, you subconsciously adapt to
past sets you apart from others.
iteither over the given period of time, or by virtue of a cru-
EFFECT: This is a catch-all talent that can be used when-
cial experience. If required at all, actual practicing would be
ever it is needed. For instance, if your parents were travelling
done in about half an hour or an hour per day. Hence, the
merchants, you could reasonably claim to have two or three
given amount of time to acquire an edge may be changed (or
native languages which are not listed in the description of
ignored) by the Turambar as he sees fitfrom instantaneous
your race. But that is clearly an unusual background, which
to decades, and vice-versa.
costs development picks.
For easy reference, all edges are assembled in five catego-
Similarly, if you have access to skills not available to the
riesphysical, warlike, outdoor & stealthy, social, or special.
people around you, that is unusual. In general, any time a
Of course, any character who meets the requisites of a de-
player comes up with a character story that would reasona-
sired edge may purchase it (given the Turambars assent), no
bly give him some special benefit, the Turambar might allow
matter whether its nameor the label of the category to
this, but require Unusual Background to cover it.
which it belongs tofits the characters background story or
The Turambar may charge extra picks if he rules the
the concept you have in mind for him. For example, Warri-
background is very unusual. For example, being a Mannish
ors Hearta physical edgewould be a great choice for any
child raised by Dwarves, or a wizards student, should nor-
learned character who hopes to become a wizard one day.
mally be considered very unusual.
VALIANT INCREASING PICK COSTS

Pick Cost: 20 per level Pick Type: any During initial character creation, a Turambar may rule
that the pick cost of the second edge from the same category
The fires of true courage and noble determination burn as a previously chosen edge is increased by 50%. The pick
within your breast. When only heroic action can win through costs of any further edges from the same category are in-
to victory, you can succeed where others fail. creased by 100% each. However, these additional picks may
come from any pick class, regardless of what type of picks is
REQUISITE: Bearing 15+, Will 15+
required for the basic cost of an edge. Note that this option
EFFECT: Once per game session, you may make a TN 25 should not be applied when purchasing edges with veteran de-
Bearing test. If you succeed, you receive one additional point velopment picks or advancement picks. All characters present-
of Ambar to spend on any one action in that scene. You must ed in this book and any supplements to Ambarquenta are
still succeed at an Ambar test, adding the bonus point to created with this optional rule in use.
your current Ambar score for this purpose. If you do not use
it, the bonus Ambar vanishes when the scene ends.
Note that the optional Dramatic Heroism bonus (see PHYSICAL EDGES
page 293) has a similar function, but unlike the bonus from
this talent, that option is completely arbitrary and applied in Given a particular place and set of circumstances, almost
truly heroic situations only, as the Turambar sees fit. anyone who is in good shape can acquire these edges through
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at any desired physical exercise, labouring, or journeying. The training rep-
level, with each additional level allowing you to make an ad- resented by the edges of this category is not common, but it is
ditional Bearing test to receive bonus Ambar. not quite as mystical as some of the talents described earlier
in this chapter. Physical edges should be made available to
any character, with no limit in number.
EDGES
ATHLETE
E dges are abilities that can be acquired and sometimes

even improved by training or studying. Though you
could basically acquire any edge at any time by spending the
Pick Cost: 15 per level
Time to Acquire: 6 months per level
Pick Type: physical
appropriate amount of development picks (with youth, ap- Brawny and nimble through hard exercise, your body is
prenticeship, and advancement picks being equally suitable), perfectly suited for any athletic endeavours.
a Turambar will usually require that the events of the game REQUISITE: Deftness, Nimbleness, Strength, and Vigour
justify the purchase of any new edges. (8 + 2 per level) or greater
In addition, the description of each edge lists a certain EFFECT: You receive a +1 test result bonus with all Ath-
time to acquire. While the time to acquire up to three levels of letic skills.
edges is already included in your characters starting age, you IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this
would have to recalculate your starting age if you wish to edge. Each level increases the test result bonus by +1 (maxi-
begin with more than three levels of edges (see page 67). mum of +4).
137
DIVER FLEET-FOOTED
Time to Acquire: 3 months per level Time to Acquire: 6 months per level
You are a strong swimmer, accustomed to rough waters You have the swiftness of the wind, enabling you to elude
and to diving underwater for long times. pursuersor catch fleeing preywith ease.
REQUISITE: Strength or Vigour 10+ REQUISITE: Nimbleness (8 + 2 per level) or greater
EFFECT: Due to a special technique of hyperventilating, EFFECT: You gain a +1 bonus to Run and Swiftness tests,
you may hold your breath 50% longer than other people be- including Swiftness tests to settle initiative ties. (Note that
fore suffering the effects of drowning (i.e., for a number of this bonus does not apply to your Swiftness score in general.)
rounds equal to your Stamina score times three; see page 228 IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this
for more information on suffocating). In addition, you re- edge. Each level increases the test result bonus by +1 (maxi-
ceive a +2 bonus to all Swim tests. mum of +4).
edge. Each level extends the amount of time you can hold HARDY
your breath by another 25% (to a maximum of +100%, i.e. a
number of rounds equal to your Stamina score times four) Pick Cost: 20 per level Pick Type: physical
and provides an additional +2 bonus to Swim tests (to a Time to Acquire: Turambars discretion
maximum of +6).
A hard life and perilous has inured you to pain, allowing
you to withstand more than other folk.
DOUGHTY REQUISITE: Vigour 12+, Will 10+, and a number of pain-
Pick Cost: 15 per level Pick Type: physical ful injuries sustained in your past life
Time to Acquire: 4 months per level EFFECT: Reduce the Injury Penalty you suffer by 1. For
example, when Wounded, you perform tests at a 4 test re-
Your brawny thews and mighty frame give you capacities sult penalty instead of the usual 5.
of strength beyond those of normal men. IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire a second level in this
REQUISITE: Basic Strength (13 + 2 per level) or greater edge. Doing so allows you to reduce the Injury Penalty you
EFFECT: You receive a +1 special adjustment to Strength. suffer by 2.
edge. Each level increases the test result bonus by +1 (maxi- OFF-HAND TRAINING
mum of +3).
FACILITY WITH ARMOUR Time to Acquire: 6 months
Pick Cost: 20 per level Pick Type: physical Through hard training, you can use your off-hand almost
Time to Acquire: 1 year per level as effectively as your favoured hand.
REQUISITE: Deftness 12+
Unlike most people, you have no problem manoeuvring EFFECT: You suffer only a 3 test result penalty for using
while wearing armour. You seem to wear armour like a se- your off-hand, rather than the usual 8. You still have to ex-
cond skin; armour is only as uncomfortable as wearing a pend the normal number of AP for taking an action with
heavy jacket. your off-hand.
EFFECT: Both your maximum and your minimum armour
penalties are reduced by one sixth (16.67%). Note that this PORTAGE SKILLS
edge has no impact on the encumbrance penalty accruing
from weapons and other gear whatsoever. Pick Cost: 15 per level Pick Type: physical
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire up to three levels in this Time to Acquire: 6 months per level
edge. Each additional level allows you to reduce your maxi-
mum and minimum armour penalties by another sixth (to a Most people cannot pack equipment well, though it
minimum of three sixths, or 50%). makes travelling much easier. You know just where to put
everything so it will pack nice and tight, wondering why oth-
ers do not pack like you do.
EFFECT: Reduce the encumbrance penalty accruing from
any non-armour equipment (such as weapons, shields, and
other gear) by one sixth (16.67%). Note that this edge has no
impact on your armour penalties whatsoever.
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire up to three levels in this
edge. Each additional level allows you to reduce your encum-
brance penalty by another sixth (to a minimum of three
sixths, or 50%).
138
SLEIGHT OF HAND WARRIORS HEART

Time to Acquire: 6 months per level Time to Acquire: Turambars discretion
Having trained in the arts of the juggler, you can manipu- The cry of battle is a song to your heart, granting you the
late objects and perform many other tricks with ease and power to fight on when weariness has forced other warriors
grace, astounding audiences with your cleverness and deft from the field.
fingers. REQUISITE: Strength, Vigour, and Will 12+
REQUISITE: Deftness (8 + 2 per level) or greater EFFECT: Reduce all Weariness Penalties you suffer by 1.
EFFECT: You receive a +1 bonus with all Acrobatics, Leg- For example, when Tired, you perform tests at a 3 test re-
erdemain, Locks, Throw, and deftness-based Games tests. sult penalty instead of the usual 4.
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this edge at level two, al-
edge. Each level increases the test result bonus by +1 (maxi- lowing you to reduce all Weariness Penalties by 2.
mum of +4).
TIRELESS WARLIKE EDGES

Pick Cost: 15 per level Pick Type: physical Whether acquired through formal training in the ranks
Time to Acquire: 3 months per level of an army, or self-taught in countless battles, warlike edges
always come in handy. Needless to say, only the most ac-
You possess unflagging endurance and can push yourself complished swordsmen and archers will ever have more than
past the point where others would collapse from exhaustion. a handful of these abilities, but there is no limit on who may
REQUISITE: Vigour (10 + 2 per level) or greater possess how many of them.
EFFECT: Add +1 to the basic number of weariness points
each Weariness Level can hold.
ACCURATE
edge. Each level increases the number of weariness points Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: physical
each Weariness Level can hold by another +1. The maxi- Time to Acquire: 3 months per level
mum number of bonus points depends on your Vigour score.
Sharp-eyed and swift-handed, you can shoot targets oth-
TOUGH ers could never hit. Be it a low-flying fell beast or a mmaks
eye, your arrow or javelin can strike it while other shots go
Pick Cost: 20 per level Pick Type: physical astray.
Time to Acquire: 3 months per level REQUISITE: (3 + 3 per level) or more ranks in the applica-
ble weapon skill
Hardened from battle or long toiling, you can withstand
EFFECT: Select one ranged weapon from your Combat
more pain and injuries than most people.
skill specialties. You receive a +1 test result bonus when us-
REQUISITE: Vigour (10 + 2 per level) or greater
ing this kind of weapon.
EFFECT: You receive a +1 bonus to your Health score.
edge. Each level increases the test result bonus by +1 (maxi-
edge. Each level increases the bonus to your Health score by mum of +4).
+1. The maximum number of bonus points depends on your
Vigour score (see Requisite above).
AGILE
WAKEFULNESS Pick Cost: 25 per level Pick Type: physical
Time to Acquire: 1 year Through hard experience of painor a desire to preserve
your own skin whole and unharmedyou have developed a
Your strength of body and will allows you to remain knack for avoiding peril and moving quickly in face of imme-
awake without ill effect far longer than most people. diate danger.
REQUISITE: Vigour 12+, Will 10+
REQUISITE: Nimbleness 15+, Awareness 12+
EFFECT: Whereas most characters must sleep some each
EFFECT: You gain a +1 bonus to all purely defensive ma-
day, a character with this edge can remain awake a number of noeuvres (i.e., dodging and parrying, but not counterstrikes)
nights in a row equal to his Stamina divided by four (mini- andprovided that you are aware of the attackyour De-
mum of three nights). Though awake, he can still recover lost fence score. Note that the armour penalty may offset this bo-
Weariness Levels by resting. However, the character may nus to Defence as normal.
still lose one or more Weariness Levels per day he goes with-
out sleep, and he may not recover these lost levels until he
sleeps. See Sleeping in the Wilderness, page 247, for further
mum of +4).
information.
139
AMBUSH IMPROVEMENT: You may select this edge a multiple times,

improving it in one of two ways. First, you can increase the
Pick Cost: 15 per level Pick Type: physical test result bonus by +1 (to a maximum of +4). Second, you
Time to Acquire: 4 months per level can add a second defined group of enemies, or broaden one of
the groups of defined enemies you can affect to, for example,
You have a particular skill at bringing down your prey all Dunlendings or all Orcs.
from behind or by surprise.
REQUISITE: Nimbleness 12+, 8+ ranks in Sneak
EFFECT: When you attack an unsuspecting victim, you re- CORSAIR
ceive a +4 bonus on your attack tests. The Turambar deter- Pick Cost: 15 per level Pick Type: any
mines whether the bonus applies in any given situation. A
successful Sneak test will be required almost every time. At
best, it usually only applies to the first attack you make You excel at naval combat.
against a target. REQUISITE: Sea Legs, Strength 9+
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire a second levels in this EFFECT: You may make an Ambar test to receive a +1 bo-
edge, thus increasing the bonus to +8. nus to all Combat skill tests while fighting on a ship, bridge,
riverbank, or ford. This bonus lasts for the rest of the battle
BATTLE FOCUS scene, as defined by the Turambar. The successful use of this
edge causes your current Ambar score to drop by 1 point.
Pick Cost: 20 per level Pick Type: physical IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this edge at level two to
Time to Acquire: 1 year per level increase the bonus to +2.
Your focus while in combat is as sharp as your blade.
EFFECT: While engaged in combat, you may make an DEADLY SHOT
Ambar test to cancel out up to 3 worth of penalties due to Pick Cost: 18 for level 1, +9 per additional level
injuries, weariness, or other distractions. If the Ambar test
Pick Type: physical
succeeds, this effect lasts for 3 rounds and causes your cur-
rent Ambar score to drop by 1 point.
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this No matter how difficult it is to hit a target, you always
edge. Each level allows you either to cancel out another 3 strike with lethal accuracy, hitting vulnerable spots.
worth of penalties (maximum of 9), or to extend the effect REQUISITE: Deftness 14+, 12+ ranks in the Bows skill,
of this edge by 3 rounds (maximum of 9 rounds). Mighty Shot
EFFECT: Choose one particular type of bows. When you
BATTLE-HARDENED use such a bow, you may choose to receive a +1 bonus which
can be used to offset the test result penalty (TRP) for called
Pick Cost: 9 Pick Type: any shots, or to change the result of your 1d100 roll to randomly
Time to Acquire: 3 years determine which body part you have hit by up to 3. As with
any called shot, you must take an Aim action to garner either
You are a veteran of many battles and sieges, and you have
benefit provided by this edge.
learned through hard experience how best to achieve victory.
edge. Each level increases the bonus available for cancelling
the result of any Warfare or Lead skill test, you receive +9 to
out called shot TRPs by +1 (maximum of +8) or allows to
your test result, instead of the usual +5.
change the result of the 1d100 roll by up to another 3
(maximum of 24). You could also apply additional levels to
CHAMPION a different kind of bow.
Time to Acquire: 6 months per level DISARM SKILL
You are one of the chief protectors and warriors of your Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: physical
people, charged with defending your lands and brethren Time to Acquire: 6 months per level
against the attacks of enemies.
You are very skilled at intentionally disarming a foe.
REQUISITE: 12+ ranks in at least one Combat skill
REQUISITE: Deftness 12+, 9+ ranks in any applicable
EFFECT: When you fight to protect your people or lands,
Combat skill
or to harm a specific enemy defined when you first acquire
EFFECT: You receive a +2 test result bonus for attempts to
this edge, you receive a +1 bonus to all attack tests and to
disarm an opponent.
tests to dodge or parry. The Turambar determines whether
you receive the bonus in any given situation and may also opt
to apply it to other tests.
mum of +5).
Examples of defined enemies include a single tribe (for
instance, a Dunlending clan), the Orcs of a particular region
or stronghold, or the like.
140
EVASION FELL-HANDED
Pick Cost: 20 Pick Type: physical Pick Cost: 12 (or 18) per level Pick Type: physical
Time to Acquire: 2 years Time to Acquire: 6 months per level
Through natural ability and long experience, you have You are a fearsome warrior whose hands and heart are
developed great skill in avoiding the blows of your enemies. filled with death for the foes you hate the most.
REQUISITE: Nimbleness 12+, Awareness 10+ REQUISITE: (6 +3 per level) or more ranks in the applica-
EFFECT: When you make a Dodge skill test, you may roll ble weapon skill
an extra die (3d10 total), keeping the two highest dice. The EFFECT: You receive a +1 test result bonus to hit foes be-
normal rule for rolling 19 or 20 still applies. longing to a limited group (Uruks but not all Orcs, knights
or Men of Gondor but not all Men, Grey Elves but not all
FAITHFUL Elves, and so on). Note that the bonus does not apply to de-
fensive uses of weapon skills, such as parrying.
Pick Cost: 10 for level 1, +5 per additional level IMPROVEMENT: An additional level expands your group of
Time to Acquire: variable Pick Type: any foes to a broad group (all Orcs, all Men, all Elves, and so on).
A third level expands this to all foes. You can also acquire ex-
You possess great devotion to and love for a person, tra levels to improve the bonus, though at a higher pick cost.
group, or realm, and that inspires you to fight the harder and Each additional level obtained for this purpose costs 18 picks
risk greater dangers to preserve it and keep it safe. and increases the bonus by +1 (maximum of +3).
EFFECT: You select a person (Frodo, Faramir, Thoden,
your beloved), a group (the Wise, the Shadow, the Rangers,
your children), or a realm (Gondor, Rohan). When fighting FIRES OF DEVOTION
on behalf of that which you hold dear, you receive a +1 test Pick Cost: 25 Pick Type: mental
result bonus for parrying, dodging, and otherwise defending Time to Acquire: 3 years (combinable with other edges that
against direct assaults upon it, and for attacking foes who di-
have Command as requisite)
rectly threaten it. (The Turambar determines whether you
receive the bonus in any given situation.) You also receive You inspire such loyalty and devotion in those who fol-
bonuses for resisting fear in these situations (see page 239). low you that they can withstand most attempts to break or
However, your loyalty to and desire to protect that to terrify them.
which you are Faithful may tempt you to actions you would REQUISITE: Air of Command, 12+ ranks in Lead or In-
otherwise avoid. When confronted by possible Corruption spire
related to defending the object of your faithfulness (If I put EFFECT: When you lead an entire army in a battle (see
on the Ring, I can save Mr. Frodo from the Orcs!), you suf- page 277), your troops receive a +2 bonus to Morale. If you
fer a 1 Fortitude test result penalty to resist the temptation. lead only a single formation, your units receive a +4 bonus to
IMPROVEMENT: You may select this edge a multiple times. Morale instead. Additionally, you receive a +3 bonus with
Each additional level garners you increased bonuses to resist Lead and Inspire tests to keep your units together, help the
fear. However, each additional pick also increases the Forti- men resist fear, and so forth.
tude test result penalty to resist Corruption by 1. These bonuses only apply so long as you remain alive, ac-
tive, and in command of the unit. If you are injured so badly
FAR SHOT that you cannot continue to fight, the unit loses its Morale
bonus, and you lose the bonus to Lead and Inspire. If you are
Pick Cost: 15 per level Pick Type: physical slain, the unit not only loses the bonus, it suffers an addition-
Time to Acquire: 6 months per level al 3 penalty to its Morale for the next 1d3 battle rounds.
You can shoot more accurately at great distances than
most bowmen can. GREAT ARM
REQUISITE: Mighty Shot
EFFECT: You add +5 yards to each category of range for a
single type of bows of your choice (see Table 10.1, page 254).
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire multiple levels in this You can throw items more accurately at great distances
edge. Each additional level either applies the standard bonus than most people can.
to another type of bows or increases the bonus by +5 yards EFFECT: You add +1 yard to each category of range (see
(for a maximum of +10 yards total with a single type of Table 10.1, page 254) for all thrown weapons.
bows). IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this
edge. Each level allows you to add +1 yard to each category
of range for all thrown weapons (maximum of +5 yards).
141
HAMMERHAND normal rule for rolling 19 or 20 still applies. If your attack

hits, you receive a +1 bonus per LoS to the damage dealt by
Pick Cost: 15 per level Pick Type: physical that attack. You may use this edge only once each battle sce-
Time to Acquire: 8 months per level ne. No Ambar test is required to activate it.
While others must fight with weapons, you have strong,
powerful fists that can inflict great injuries on others. MIGHTY SHOT
REQUISITE: Strength 14+ Pick Cost: 15 per level Pick Type: physical
EFFECT: You inflict regular blunt damage instead of sub-
dual damage with unarmed attacks.
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this So skilled are you with bow and arrow that conditions
edge. Each level allows you to increase the damage you inflict which hinder other archers mean little to you.
with your unarmed attacks by +0.5B per LoS (maximum of REQUISITE: Deftness 13+, 8+ ranks in Bows
+2B per LoS). EFFECT: You may cancel out up to 2 worth of penalties
applying to your tests of the Bows skill.
HEROS STRENGTH IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this
edge. Each level allows you to cancel out another 2 worth of
Pick Cost: 25 Pick Type: mental penalties (maximum of 6).
Time to Acquire: 3 years (combinable with other edges that
have Command as requisite) MOBILE ARCHER
So powerful a warrior are you that with you at their head Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: physical
your men can take on foes of greater strength and defeat Time to Acquire: 12 months per level
them.
REQUISITE: Command, Bearing 12+, 16+ ranks in at least Most archers prefer to stand and aim, but that is not al-
one Combat skill, 9+ ranks in Inspire, Intimidate, and Lead ways possible. You have mastered the art of aiming and firing
EFFECT: When you lead an entire army in a battle (see while on the move.
page 277), your troops receive a +1 bonus to Melee Combat. REQUISITE: Nimbleness 8+, 5+ ranks in Bows and Run
If you lead only a single formation, your units receive a +3 EFFECT: Most archers suffer a test result penalty when
bonus to Melee Combat instead. shooting while in motion. Thanks to your training, your
Either bonus only applies so long as you remain alive, ac- penalty for firing in such situations (see character and target
tive, and in command of the unit. If you are injured so badly motion penalties on page 267) is 3 less than it would other-
that you cannot continue to fight, the unit loses the bonus. If wise be (i.e., you could walk and make ranged attacks with-
you are slain, the unit not only loses the bonus, it suffers an out suffering a penalty). This edge has no effect on the penal-
additional 3 penalty to its Morale for the next 1d3 rounds. ty associated with firing while on horseback.
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this edge at level two,
HORSE ARCHER thus reducing your test result penalty for firing while on the
move by 6 (thus allowing you to jog and make ranged attacks
Pick Cost: 12 per level Pick Type: physical without suffering a penalty).
You have trained long and hard to shoot and throw accu- MOUNTED COMBAT
rately while riding. Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: physical
REQUISITE: Nimbleness 8+, 9+ ranks in Bows and Ride Time to Acquire: 6 months per level
EFFECT: You suffer only a 3 test result penalty when at-
tempting to shoot arrows or throw missiles from horseback, Thanks to the many hours you have spent in the saddle,
rather than the usual 5 penalty. training at arms and practicing battle manoeuvres, you are ac-
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this edge at level two, tually better at fighting from horseback than on foot.
thus eliminating the standard 5 penalty for ranged attacks REQUISITE: Nimbleness 10+, 12+ ranks in Ride, 9+
from horseback entirely. ranks in any one applicable Combat skill
EFFECT: You receive a +1 bonus to all weapon skill tests
LUCKY BLOW you make while mounted. This edge also allows your appli-
cable total weapon skill bonus to exceed your total Ride skill
Pick Cost: 20 Pick Type: physical bonus by +1.
Time to Acquire: 1 year IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this
Your courageous heart blesses you with good fortune, mum of +3) and allows your total weapon skill bonus to ex-
and sometimes you land a lucky blow that would otherwise ceed your total Ride skill bonus by +1 (maximum of +3).
be turned aside.
EFFECT: When making an attack with a Combat skill, you
may spend a point of Ambar and roll an extra die (3d10 to-
tal) for your attack test, keeping the two highest dice. The
142
PRECISION
Pick Cost: 20 for level 1, +10 per additional level If you are tied for initiative with your foe after you have
Pick Type: physical both declared an attack (and, if appropriate, applied any IN
Time to Acquire: 6 months per level modifiers), and your foe also has Quick-draw, whoever has
the greatest level in this edge may choose to resolve his attack
Your teacher taught you one important aspect of combat: first. If both have the same number of levels, use an opposed
know exactly where you are going to strike. You can take Swiftness test to determine who may go first.
time waiting for your strike, but when you do, you strike pre- IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this
cisely where you want to. edge. Each level reduces the AP cost to ready, load, or draw
REQUISITE: Deftness 14+, 12+ ranks in the applicable the specified weapon by 1, to a minimum cost of 2 AP.
melee specialty weapon Note that additional levels in Quick-draw may also make you
EFFECT: Choose one particular melee weapon in which faster than others with this edge (see above). With three lev-
you have specialised. When you use this weapon to strike at els in Quick-draw, the attack IN penalty you suffer on your
your foe, you may choose to receive a +1 bonus which can be first attack is nullified.
used to offset the test result penalty (TRP) for called shots,
or to change the result of your 1d100 roll to randomly de-
termine which body part you have hit by up to 3. As with
RAGE
any called shot, you must take an Aim action to garner either Pick Cost: 20 per level Pick Type: any
benefit provided by this edge. Time to Acquire: 1 year per level
edge. Each level increases the bonus available for cancelling When locked in desperate combat, you can fly into a wild
out called shot TRPs by +1 (maximum of +8) or allows to rage and shrug off the strain of injury and fatigue.
change the result of the 1d100 roll by up to another 3 REQUISITE: You must belong to a fairly primitive society.
(maximum of 24). You could also apply additional levels to EFFECT: As the normal benefit of spending Ambar de-
a different kind of melee weapon. scribed under Adrenalin, page 197, but the duration is in-
creased to a number of rounds equal to your Stamina score
PREFERRED WEAPON 3 (minimum of 1 round), and the TN for the consecutive
Stamina test is only 25. You may use this edge only once
Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: physical each battle scene.
Time to Acquire: 3 months per level IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this
edge. At level two, the TN for the Stamina test is decreased
You favour one weapon above all others and have learned to 20; at level three, the duration becomes equal to your
to use it with exquisite skill, neglecting other fighting arts. Stamina score 2; and at level four, this edge costs only 1
EFFECT: When you acquire this edge, define one Combat point of Ambar to trigger.
skill (melee or ranged weapon) and one specialty weapon for
it. You receive a +2 bonus to your improvement rolls to de-
velop new ranks in this weapon skill. However, when you use SHIELD MASTERY
another weapon governed by the same skill (for example, a Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: physical
hatchet if the battleaxe is your preferred weapon), you suffer Time to Acquire: 3 months per level
a special 2 test result penalty.
IMPROVEMENT: Each additional level increases the bonus You have learned how to use a shield to its utmost.
to the improvement roll by +1, but it also increases the test REQUISITE: 10+ ranks in Shields
result penalty with other weapons of the same kind by 1. EFFECT: You receive a +1 bonus to all tests of the Shields
You may take this edge multiple times for multiple weapons. skill.
QUICK-DRAW edge. Each level increases the test result bonus by +1 (maxi-
mum of +3).
Time to Acquire: 3 months per level SHIELD-WALL
Your life of battle and wariness has taught you how to Pick Cost: 25 Pick Type: physical
ready your favourite weapon with blinding speed. Time to Acquire: 6 months
REQUISITE: Deftness (6 + 2 per level) or greater, at least
(6 + 2 per level) ranks in any applicable weapon skill You are especially skilled at protecting yourself and your
EFFECT: Your AP cost to ready, draw, or load a specified adjacent brother-in-arms with your shield.
weapon is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 2 AP. In addi- REQUISITE: 10+ ranks in Shields
tion, each level you have in Quick-draw reduces the attack EFFECT: When you fight side-by-side with another allied
IN penalty you suffer on your first attack in a round in which person using a shield, each of you gains an additional +3 bo-
you need to draw your weapon by 3 points. nus for parrying with the shield.
143
STAUNCH DEFENDER TACTICS

Pick Cost: 30 Pick Type: physical Pick Cost: 30 per level Pick Type: any
Time to Acquire: 1 year Time to Acquire: 2 years per level (combinable with other edges
that have Command as requisite)
You are a stalwart fighter, adept at defending against
many foes. You are skilled at the conduct of battles and sieges, able
REQUISITE: Evasion to order your forces for greatest effect.
EFFECT: When you are simultaneously engaged by two or REQUISITE: Command, Bearing 12+, 12+ ranks in War-
more opponents, the AP cost of any defensive manoeuvre(s) fare
you take is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 1 AP). EFFECT: Once per game session, you may spend one point
of Ambar to re-roll one test with any skill of the Combat skill
STEEL GRIP category, adding a +3 bonus to the second roll. You use the
better of the two results. No Ambar test is required to acti-
Pick Cost: 30 Pick Type: physical vate this edge.
Time to Acquire: 2 years IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this edge at any desired
level, with each additional level garnering you an additional
Your weapon is your life, so you learned as a soldier.
re-roll per game session.
When you are in combat, you hold onto your weapon tightly
as you do not want someone to send it flying from your hand
with a strong blow or a surprise jab. TWO-HANDED FIGHTING
REQUISITE: Strength 14+
EFFECT: You receive a +5 bonus for tests to resist at-
Time to Acquire: developing the off-hand weapons skill
tempts to disarm you. In addition, all fumble ranges for me-
lee weapons are reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 2). You can fight with a weapon in either hand, and you can
make additional attacks or parries with the extra weapon.
SWIFT SHOT REQUISITE: Deftness 10+
EFFECT: When fighting with a weapon in either hand, you
Pick Cost: 20 per level Pick Type: physical gain an extra set of action points equal to your action allow-
Time to Acquire: 6 months per level ance divided by two (rounded down). These extra AP may
only be spent on actions performed with your off-hand
You can string an arrow, draw your bow, and fire with
weapon, and you have to develop a separate sub-skill for this
blinding speed, allowing you to shoot more often than other
weapon (for example, Blades: Small/Off-hand (Dagger)).
bowman.
Unless you are Ambidextrous or have received some Off-
REQUISITE: Deftness 15+, 12+ ranks in the Bows skill,
hand Training, you still suffer the 8 penalty for using your
Far Shot and Mighty Shot
off-hand. You cannot use a shield or a two-handed weapon
EFFECT: Your AP cost to fire any bow is reduced by 1.
when fighting with two weapons.
To reduce the time to (re)load the bow, you need the Quick-
The initiative number (IN) for an attack carried out with
draw edge.
your off-hand weapon is based on your extra action allow-
ance, not on the number of standard AP. You may only per-
edge. Each level reduces the AP cost to fire the bow by 1, to
form an extra attack in a suitable extra turn of yours, but you
a minimum of half the normal AP cost (rounded off normal-
could make an interrupt parry at any time.
ly).
SWIFT STRIKE WARWISE

Time to Acquire: 1 year per level
Through experience or natural skill, you possess a gift for
You fight with speed and grace, striking blows and dodg-
matters of tactics and battle.
ing counterattacks more quickly than enemies can follow.
REQUISITE: You must have (6 +3 per level) or more ranks
REQUISITE: Nimbleness 15+, 12+ ranks in an applicable
in two of the affected skills, and at least one of them must be
melee weapon skill (which defines your personal weapon)
Lead or Warfare
EFFECT: Your AP cost to use any personal melee weapon
EFFECT: You receive a +1 test result bonus with Lead,
is reduced by 1.
Warfare, and two more Combat skills of your choice.
edge. Each level reduces the AP cost to use the melee weapon
by 1, to a minimum of half its normal AP cost (rounded off
mum of +3).
normally).
144
WEAPON CONTROL GETAWAY

Pick Cost: 12 per level Pick Type: physical Pick Cost: 15 Pick Type: physical
Time to Acquire: 6 months per level Time to Acquire: 4 months
Your control of your favoured weapon is exquisite, and You excel at slipping out of sight and hiding from your
you rarely make a mistake while wielding it. foes.
REQUISITE: Deftness 14+, 8+ ranks in the designated REQUISITE: Lurking in Shadows, 10+ ranks in Sneak
weapon skill EFFECT: During a fight, as a full-round action you may
EFFECT: Select one melee weapon from your Combat skill stealthily move at up to a Run pace in order to get behind
specialties. This weapon has its fumble range reduced by 1 nearby concealment (such as a dense grove, a dark shadow, or
(to a minimum of 2). behind a wall). As long as you do not move, no enemies can
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this attack you unless one of them first moves toward your loca-
edge. Each level reduces the fumble range by 1 more point (to tion and wins an Observe (Spot) test opposed by your Hide
a minimum of 2). You could also select this edge multiple test. If you are not discovered, when you stop hiding your
times for multiple weapons. foes will not be aware of you and you may strike with sur-
prise or from behind.
WEAPON MASTERY
HARD MARCH
Time to Acquire: 3 months per level Pick Cost: 20 per level Pick Type: physical
Time to Acquire: 2 years per type of terrain
Your skill with blade and spear is legend. Allies look on
you with awe, and foes regard you with fear. You are accustomed to journeying through hard lands
REQUISITE: (3 + 3 per level) or more ranks in the desig- and can travel through them as swiftly as ordinary men cross
nated weapon skill unbroken ground.
EFFECT: Select one melee weapon from your Combat skill EFFECT: Choose one type of rough terrain: hills, moun-
specialties. You receive a +1 test result bonus when using tains, marshes, forests, northern wastes, southern wastes, or
this kind of weapon. the like. When travelling through that terrain on foot, you
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this move as if it were average ground (see Travelling, page
edge. Each level increases the test result bonus by +1 (maxi- 245). Of course, this may do you little good if your compan-
mum of +4). You could also select this edge multiple times ions lack your mobility. Nor does this edge allow you to ig-
for multiple weapons. nore geography altogether. If there is no pass through a range
of mountains, for instance, your ability to travel swiftly in
mountainous terrain does not allow you to cross them.
OUTDOOR & STEALTHY EDGES IMPROVEMENT: Additional levels can improve this edge in
one of two ways. First, they can add more types of terrain
This category encompasses a variety of edges that may this ability affects. Second, they can each extend the benefit
help a character in a variety of environmentsbe it forest or of this edge to either your mount or one additional person
sea, city or countrysideand situations. Therefore, roguish who travels with you.
abilities can be found alongside the virtues of a ranger.
HERBALIST
FURTIVE
Pick Cost: 15 per level Pick Type: any Time to Acquire: 3 years
You are very knowledgeable about enchanted herbs and
Wary and clever, you know well how to hide both your- deadly poisons, being able to find them in their natural state
self and small objects. and put them to the appropriate use. You also know what
REQUISITE: Deftness, Nimbleness, Awareness, Will, and various plants taste like and can liven up a meal or even make
Wits (10 + 2 per level) or greater a meal out of the surrounding Olvar (Q. Plants).
EFFECT: You receive a +1 test result bonus when using EFFECT: When you succeed at an Ambar test to improve
skills of the Stealth skill category. the result of any test of the following skills, you receive +9 to
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this your test result, instead of the usual +5: Cook, Herbcraft,
edge. Each level increases the test result bonus by +1 (maxi- Alchemy: Poisons/Potions, Survival (Forage), and Search
mum of +4). (Forage).
145
LURKING IN SHADOWS TRAVEL-SENSE

Pick Cost: 15 Pick Type: any Pick Cost: 10 Pick Type: any
Time to Acquire: 1 year Time to Acquire: 3 years
You excel at all stealthy activities: sneaking, hiding in shad- You have spent years travelling the Wilds and have
ows, following people without being suspected, and the like. learned many roads and many ways to tell where you are.
EFFECT: When you succeed at an Ambar test to improve You can always remember how to return to or travel through
the result of any Stealth skill test, you receive +9 to your test a place you have been.
result, instead of the usual +5. (Note that the bonus you get EFFECT: You never get lost travelling to or through any
for spending Ambar on a Stealth skill test increases to +12 if place you have been to, nor do you ever lose the ability to de-
you also have the Bold talent.) termine north, south, east, and west (unless you are in un-
derground terrain). This edge functions automatically, re-
ROPE-MASTERY quiring no tests. In subterranean caverns, you receive a +3
bonus to Survival: Underground (Orienteering) tests.
Time to Acquire: 3 months per level WALK WITHOUT TRACE
A sailor or docker, you use rope every single day to lash Pick Cost: 8 per level Pick Type: any
down cargos, control the sails, and climb up into the rigging. Time to Acquire: 1 year per type of terrain
(Note that this edge may be equally appropriate for trappers
or other folk that often use ropes. For them, however, the So woodcrafty are you that you can walk through the
requisite skill should be changed accordingly.) wilds without leaving tracks or other traces for your enemies
REQUISITE: Deftness 10+, 5+ ranks in Ropecraft and Sea- to follow.
faring REQUISITE: 9+ skill ranks in Survival or 6+ skill ranks in
EFFECT: You are particularly skilled at tying knots, splic- Track
ing, and other rope-related tasks. When you make a Rope- EFFECT: When you acquire this ability, define one type of
craft test or any other test involving ropes (such as climbing terrain or land: plains, forests, mountains, hills, marshes, or
them), you receive a +2 bonus. the like. When you move through it, you leave so few traces
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this that all attempts to follow your trail suffer a 6 penalty to
edge. Each level increases the test result bonus by +2 (maxi- Track tests.
mum of +6). When using this edge, you move stealthily (at half travel
rate; see Travelling, page 245).
SAILORS EYE IMPROVEMENT: Additional levels can improve this edge in
one of three ways. First, they can add more types of terrain
Pick Cost: 12 Pick Type: any this ability affects. Second, they can increase the test result
Time to Acquire: 3 years penalty for Track for any one terrain you can move through
by 3 (maximum of 12). Third, they can each extend the
More so even than for farmers or travellers, weather is an
benefit of this edge to either your mount or one additional
important factor in a mariners life. Fortunately for your ship,
person who travels with you.
you have a particular talent for reading the weather, allowing
you to avoidor at least prepare fordeadly storms.
REQUISITE: 5+ ranks in the Weather-sense skill WILDERNESS LORE
EFFECT: You receive a +5 bonus to all Weather-sense Pick Cost: 10 Pick Type: any
tests made while on or near the water.
Time to Acquire: 3 years
SEA LEGS Your skill with matters of woodcraft is high indeed, at
times causing amazement even in others trained in the wil-
Pick Cost: 15 Pick Type: any derness arts.
Time to Acquire: 1 year EFFECT: When you succeed at an Ambar test to improve a
test with any wilderness-based skill (like Conceal (Camou-
Landsmen often find shipboard life uncomfortable. They
flage), Fish, Hunt, Survival, Track, or Weather Sense), you
cannot keep their balance on a rocking deck, and the move-
receive a +9 bonus to your test result, instead of the usual
ment of the ship makes them queasy and ill. You experience
+5. (Note that the bonus you get for spending Ambar on a
no such problems, having gained your sea legs through prac-
wilderness-based skill test increases to +12 if you also have
tice. (Properly renamed, this edge may be equally suitable for
the Bold talent.)
characters who spent a long time riding a mmakil or wains
and chariots.)
EFFECT: You do not suffer the 3 (or greater) test result
penalty to Nimbleness-related tests that others do aboard a
rocking deck, and never have to make Stamina test to resist
sea-sickness.
146
WIND-MASTERY You must talk with him, taking account of his whims and
fancies, justifying your requests with kindly and persuasive
Pick Cost: 25 per level Pick Type: any words. At times, it may be that he will seek your aid as well,
Time to Acquire: 5 years per level asking a boon of you in return for favours past.
IMPROVEMENT: Spending additional picks on this edge
Through years of experience, you have learned how to strengthens the bond between you and your ally:
read the winds and use them to best effect when sailing a
INSTRUCTOR: An instructor is a close ally (perhaps even a
ship.
friend) who is a great warrior, a renowned champion of the
REQUISITE: 14+ ranks in Seafaring
Free Peoples, such as Glorfindel or Boromir. Befriending an
EFFECT: When you travel by water on a craft with sails,
instructor and convincing him to train you costs 15 picks in
you can improve the ships speed by 25%. addition to the basic pick cost for taking him as a normal ally.
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire a second level in this His tutelage allows you to select any one Combat skill. The
edge, so that you can increase a sailing ships speed by 50%. skills learning difficulty is shifted one step in your favour (for
example, from hard to average). If you have selected a skill of
WOODCRAFTY easy learning difficulty, its pick cost and the TN for im-
provement rolls made for it is reduced by 1, to a minimum of
Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: any 1. If applicable, this edge becomes effective during your char-
Time to Acquire: 1 year per level acters apprenticeship development and remains so through-
You possess matchless skill in the wild and can follow out his future life.
tracks or hide where others cannot. MENTOR: A mentor is a close ally (perhaps even a friend)
EFFECT: You receive a +1 bonus with all wilderness-based who is a wizard or an Elf-lord accomplished in the Art, a
skillslike Conceal (Camouflage), Fish, Hunt, Survival, faithful aide of the Free Peoples, such as Gandalf or Elrond.
Track, or Weather Senseand with Hide and Sneak when Befriending a mentor and convincing him to actually teach
used to hide in or move silently through natural areas. you some spells costs 15 picks in addition to the basic pick
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this cost for taking him as a normal ally. Any detailssuch as
edge. Each level increases the test result bonus by +1 (maxi- your closeness to your mentor, or which spells he willingly
mum of +4). teaches youare at the Turambars discretion.
CHARISMATIC
SOCIAL EDGES
A social edge can be anything from a virtuous trait to a Time to Acquire: 6 months per level
dear friend or an exalted status. Thus, a Turambar will cer- Witty and charming, you easily win the hearts of
tainly wish to closely monitor a players choice of these abili- strangers.
tieseven if his character fulfils all due requisites. REQUISITE: Bearing (10 + 2 per level) or greater
EFFECT: You receive a +1 bonus to any Esteem tests the
ALLY Turambar makes on your behalf.
Pick Cost: Allys Renown +10 Pick Type: any
edge. Each level increases the bonus to Esteem tests by +1
Time to Acquire: Turambars discretion (maximum of +5).
A person great and powerful is known to you and consid-
ers you a boon companionor at least worthy of respect. If COURTIER
you seek his aid, he will give it to you if he is able.
EFFECT: You must speak with your Turambar and togeth- Pick Cost: 20 Pick Type: mental
er decide who your Ally is. He could be someone known Time to Acquire: 2 years
across all of Middle-earth (Elrond) or a person of lesser im- Adept at judging social situations, you know how to be-
port (a chieftain of a tribe or people), but he must be able to have properly and argue convincingly.
aid you, either with counsel or deeds. When you seek his REQUISITE: Social Rank +3 or greater
help by making social tests, he is always friendly (+5 test re-
EFFECT: You receive a +3 bonus to Etiquette, and to all
sult bonus, no Esteem test required) to you. But you must
Persuade and Debate tests made when trying to convince a
take care not to press him too closely or too often, lest he find
king or other person of greater rank than you. Furthermore,
himself unable or unwilling to help you. Nor should you ask
if you spend ten minutes or more with any group of people,
for what you know he cannot provide. Elrond, for instance,
you can make a Discern test against a TN set by the Turam-
cannot give you an army of Elven warriors, no matter how
bar (usually 25) to evaluate the relationships within the
highly he regards you.
group: who defers to whom, who is in charge (or thinks he
Because your Ally is a person with his own hopes and
is), who has romantic feelings for whom, and so forth.
fears, you cannot seek his assistance through dice rolls alone.
147
DEFERENCE ELOQUENT
Pick Cost: 35, minus the number of bonus attribute points re- Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: mental
ceived for Grace (see Table 1.1, page 16) Time to Acquire: 6 months per level
Pick Type: any
You speak well, with force or sweetness as the occasion
Time to Acquire: variable (this edge may usually not be ac- demands, winning others to your side with bold speech.
quired or improved once the game has begun) EFFECT: You receive a +1 bonus when making Debate, Et-
A just and rightful ruler, the common folk treats you iquette, and Persuade tests.
with respect and deference. IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this
REQUISITE: Grace 16+, Social Rank +4 or greater, Do- edge. Each level increases the test result bonus by +1 (maxi-
main, and a corresponding Duty flaw (determined by the mum of +3).
Turambar, but counting for picks)
EFFECT: Whether it takes the form of Sams respectful FRIENDS
behaviour toward Frodo and willingness to help him in any
way he can, Prince Imrahils acknowledgement of his duties Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: mental
to Aragorn even without a formal claim, or the simple expec- Time to Acquire: variable
tation that a noble will do whatever is right and necessary to You know many people and can call upon them for in-
keep his people safe, those who are worthy are treated with formation or for help in acquiring it.
deference by the Free Peoples of Middle-earth. Even the sub- EFFECT: You must define a place or group where you have
tle magic of the world recognises the right of nobles to rule friends, such as Bree, the Rangers, Minas Tirith, or the
their just domains by granting them healing powers and oth- Wandering Companies. When you use Inquire or Locate to
er abilities. obtain information there, from that group, or in places that
To reflect this attitude of respect and deference in game group frequents, you receive a +3 test result bonus. Friends
terms as well, you receive a +4 test result bonus with all So- provide no help beyond this, though. They will not aid you
cial skills (except Games, Inspire, Intimidate, and Streetwise) with arms, money, or in any other way unless you also have
used with or against your own people, and a +2 bonus when an appropriate Allyor the Turambar feels generous.
using Social skills with or against other peoples (except serv- IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this
ants of the Shadow). edge. Each level increases the test result bonus by +3 (maxi-
mum of +9) or adds another group or place to your circle of
ELF-FRIEND Friends.
Time to Acquire: Turambars discretion HIGH-RANKING
The Elves have named you their friend, one who has Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: any
done them great service and is entitled to call upon them at Time to Acquire: Turambars discretion
need. See the corresponding talent on page 133 for a full de-
REQUISITE: You must have done something to earn the
scription of this edge.
favour of the Elves, be it fighting on their behalf, performing
REQUISITE: Turambars approval
a task for them that entailed great danger, or saving Elven
IMPROVEMENT: The High-ranking talent is repeated here
lives at the risk of your own.
to allow a veteran character to raise his Social Rank beyond
EFFECT: You receive +3 Renown when Elves determine
its initial score. While a Turambar would normally award
whether they know of you, and a +2 test result bonus for all additional levels of this ability as he sees fit, thus increasing a
friendly uses of Social skills with Elves. characters original Social Rank without forcing him to spend
This privilege comes with responsibilities. At times, the any picks, a character who starts off with some pre-game ex-
Elves may seek your aid, and refusal to help them could lead perience (i.e., who receives veteran development picks) usual-
them to revoke your status as Elf-friend. They may do likely needs to expend picks to acquire a higher Social Rank.
wise if you abuse their friendship by seeking favours from
them too often. You need an Elven Ally for such uses.
The Turambar may, at his choice, allow you to take this
edgeproperly renamedas a reflection of a special friend-
ship between you and some other people, such as the Dwa-
rves or the Rohirrim.
148
LEADER AIR OF COMMAND

Pick Cost: 30 Pick Type: mental Pick Cost: 20 Pick Type: mental
Time to Acquire: 3 years (combinable with other edges that Time to Acquire: may be acquired simultaneously with the
have Command as requisite) Command edge
As a captain, you must command others, leading each You emanate an aura of authority and decisiveness, pre-
member of your group or unit to do his best to accomplish destining you to lead a force of men as their captain.
the groups goals. Truly skilled at leading men, you can actu- REQUISITE: Command, Bearing 12+, 12+ ranks in any
ally inspire those under your command to perform tasks bet- Combat skill, 9+ ranks in Inspire and Lead, and 6+ ranks in
ter than they otherwise would. Intimidate
REQUISITE: Air of Command, 12+ ranks in Lead EFFECT: When you make a Will or Fortitude test, you roll
EFFECT: As a full-round action, you may make a Lead test 3d10, keeping the highest two dice. The standard rule for
(TN 20, +2 per number of characters led). All who are to re- rolling 19 or 20 still applies.
ceive the benefit of your skills as a Leader must be in your
presence (within 10 hexes or 30 feet of you) and able to hear ANCIENT SCRIPTS
you speak or see you act. If you succeed with the test, all the
men under your command double the bonus they confer by Pick Cost: 30 Pick Type: mental
participating in combined tests. They grant a +2 bonus per Time to Acquire: 10 years
LoS, rather than the usual +1 bonus per LoS. If the test is an
extended test, you must participate for the entire task, with Throughout the three ages of Middle-earth, the Free
each successful Lead test adding to the test result for the Peoples have created dozens, if not hundreds, of tongues and
round. If anything interrupts your use of the Lead skill, you scripts, but most are now lost, even to the masters of lore.
lose the benefits of this edge and must make a new Lead test Not so to you, who have made a special study of speech and
to recover them. writing. Though you may not be well versed in any of the an-
cient tongues, through long and diligent study you ca deci-
pher them.
LORDLY PRESENCE REQUISITE: 8+ ranks in two or more non-native Language
Pick Cost: 18 per level Pick Type: mental skills and (if required for the characters race) the Literate
Time to Acquire: 2 years per level edge
EFFECT: Deciphering an unknown script (one for which
You possess a lordly demeanour that bolsters your the character does not possess a Language skill) takes a long
friends during times of crisis. timeas much as an hour to a day or even a week per para-
REQUISITE: Noble Mien, 8+ ranks in Inspire graph translatedand requires uninterrupted effort and
EFFECT: During a battle scene, all allies who can see and study. At the end of that time, the character makes a Wits
hear you receive a +2 bonus on all tests to resist fear, terror, test. The TN for the test depends upon the complexity of
and Intimidate. the writing studied: 15 for simple texts (typical records, tales,
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this edge at a greater or superficial historical accounts), 25 for complex texts (de-
level. Each additional level increases the test result bonus by tailed records of advanced or technical subjects, such as battle
+2 (maximum of +6). reports), and 35 for very complex texts (magical or arcane
lore). He receives a +1 test result bonus for each Language
VALOROUS DEEDS skill he has (at any level, native or non-native). At the Tu-
rambars discretion, a test with an applicable Lore skill may
Pick Cost: 10 Pick Type: any bestow an additional +2 test result bonus for each LoS the
Time to Acquire: variable (this edge may not be acquired once character achieves.
the game has begun) If the test to decipher an unknown script yields LSF 0,
he understands the gist of what he has read, but he may miss
In your past background, you played a notable role in some some pertinent details. If he scores LoS +1, he has a better
great event. Make up the story together with your Turambar. understanding of what he has read, but he may not know the
EFFECT: You begin play with 3 Renown points, and those meaning of a few phrases here and there. If he scores LoS +2,
who benefited from your famous deeds get +2 on tests made he knows what it is that he has read, and he is confident that
to recognise you. This bonus also applies to Esteem tests made his understanding of it is nearly complete, barring a few
for any people who know you and benefited from your deeds. words. If he achieves LoS +3 or better, he can read and un-
derstand the entire text without mishap.
SPECIAL EDGES
This category is too broad to specify all types of edges it
encompasses in detail. To name but a few, there are academic
and mental abilities as well as magical powers and occupa-
tional achievements. Given the proper requisite skills and at-
tributes, though, any character could pick any special edge.
149
ARTIFICER EFFECT: You receive a +5 bonus to Fletcher, and to

Weaponsmith when using it to forge arrowheads. Further-
Pick Cost: 30 Pick Type: any more, even if you lack the proper tools for shaping wood into
Time to Acquire: 10 years bows or arrows, you can fashion crude weapons from un-
formed wood. Such bows impose a 3 penalty on Bows tests,
So skilled are you at crafting objects of beauty and and the arrows inflict a 2 penalty. These penalties are cu-
strength that you sometimes weave your very imagination mulative. An arrow without a head does 1.5/LoS less dam-
and power of spirit into them, imbuing them with minor en- agepointed damage if it has a sharpened point, or if left
chantments. (Note that this edge actually is a minor form of
completely blunt it can be used to inflict subdual damage (see
the Art, available to all craftsmen who are dedicated and ac- page 226).
complished enough.)
REQUISITE: 18+ ranks in an appropriate Crafts skill, as
well as the edges Masterwork and Preservation BLESSED
EFFECT: When you succeed in creating a masterwork item Pick Cost: 20 per level Pick Type: any
(see page 153), you may add one low-powered magical effect
Time to Acquire: special (an act of bravery, or a one-time suc-
to it. Examples include: An up to +2 test result bonus for an
cess against all odds)
appropriate skill (say +2 to Sneak for enchanted boots), re-
duced weight (the item weighs only 80% of its normal Sometimes, your actions seem to blessed or do you
weight, or the armour penalty is reduced by 20%), virtual simply have more luck than judgement?
unbreakability (item receives a +10 bonus to its Breakage EFFECT: You may test and spend Ambar twice in any giv-
Number), durability (item cannot be damaged by fire, water, en situation, for instance to improve a test result twice. Each
or other everyday phenomena that would ordinarily ruin it), use of Ambar still requires its own test and trigger cost.
returning (item makes its way back to you after use, as with IMPROVEMENT: Each additional level allows you to test
Elven-rope), or floating (item does not sink in water). The and spend Ambar one more time per situation or dice roll, to
Turambar must approve all enchantments and should exer- a maximum of 4 tests of Ambar per each situation.
cise his discretion to ensure that enchanted items remain rare
and contribute to the flavour and feel of the story. See En- COMMAND
chanted Items, page 319, for more information. Remember
that this edge only allows to imbue low-powered enchantments. Pick Cost: 15 per level Pick Type: any
Truly skilled wielders of the Art who have this edge may, Time to Acquire: 4 years per level, added to the starting age
though maybe only once or twice during their entire lifetime,
create exceedingly powerful artefacts, such as a palantr or a Ring You have the captaincy or authority over a force of men
of Power, if they are allowed to permanently sacrifice Ambar perhaps an army or ship.
while working them. See page 319 for details. REQUISITE: Through kind chance or the choice of wise
men, leadership often comes to those both deserving and ca-
pable, but most who take up the mantle of command have
BATTLE REFLEXES rank in accord with their power. Unless the Turambar makes
Pick Cost: 20 per level Type: any (advancement picks only) special provision, a character cannot acquire a level in Com-
mand exceeding his Social Rank divided by 2. Thus, to have
You can adapt to any perilous situation very quickly, as- Command 3, a character must have Social Rank +5 or high-
sessing the whirlwind of information that assaults you in bat- er.
tle and mayhem. EFFECT: You are the rightful captain of a group of up to
REQUISITE: This edge cannot be purchased using youth or 50 men, such as squad of Gondorian warriors or a ship-full
apprenticeship picks. Awareness and Insight 12+ of bold mariners.
EFFECT: Instead of rolling two dice and adding the worse IMPROVEMENT: The higher the level you acquire in this
result to your action allowance in a given round, you roll only edge, the larger the force you command:
a single die (a 0 rolled grants no extra AP). COMMAND 2: 51150 men (the Rangers of the North; a
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this edge at level 2. Do- company of Gondorian knights and warriors; an ored).
ing so allows you to roll two ten-sided dice and apply the bet- COMMAND 3: 1511,000 men (the force of knights
ter result to your action allowance. Prince Imrahil leads to the defence of Minas Tirith; Fara-
mirs Rangers of Ithilien).
BOWYER COMMAND 4: 1,0015,000 men (the Riders led by Elf-
helm to assault the Enemy in Anrien after the Battle of the
Pick Cost: 15 Pick Type: physical Pelennor Fields).
Time to Acquire: 6 months COMMAND 5: Over 5,000 men (King Thodens authori-
ty over the Riders of Rohan).
A versatile archer, you know how to keep yourself sup-
plied with arrows and how to keep your bow in good repair.
REQUISITE: Deftness 13+, 12+ ranks in Bows
150
CRAFTMASTER to your tests LoS (i.e., 1 for LoS +1, 2 for LoS +2, and so
on). If the enemys current Ambar score is so reduced to 7 or
Pick Cost: 12 per level Pick Type: any less, he also suffers a 5 penalty on all tests governed by
Time to Acquire: 1 year per level Bearing and/or Will for the rest of the scene (including For-
titude and applicable skill tests). You may use this ability on-
Your hands have marvellous skill in the arts of making, ly once each scene.
and your mind has an unbounded ability to conceive of new
things for your hands to create.
EFFECT: You receive a +1 bonus to all tests made for skills EXPERTISE
of the Crafts skill category. Pick Cost: 12 per level Pick Type: mental
Time to Acquire: 4 years per level
mum of +4). Among all the wise men of Middle-earth, you are special-
ly known for your expertise on a particular body of lore. Few
DEFT loremasters can match your mastery of that subject.
REQUISITE: (9 + 3 per level) or more ranks in a Lore skill
Pick Cost: 12 Pick Type: any dealing primarily with your chosen subject of expertise
Time to Acquire: 1 year EFFECT: Select one general subject, such as Orcs or Gon-
dor or Rings of Power. When you make any test the Tu-
You are deft at making and appraising craft-works. rambar deems to involve knowledge of that subjectnot just
EFFECT: When you succeed at an Ambar test to improve Lore skill testsyou receive a +2 test result bonus.
the result of any Crafts skill or Appraise test, you receive +9 IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this
to your test result, instead of the usual +5. (Note that the edge. Each level increases the test result bonus by +2 (maxi-
bonus you get for spending Ambar on a Crafts skill test in- mum of +8).
creases to +12 if you also have the Bold talent.)
DOMAIN FLUENT
Pick Cost: 10 x level Pick Type: mental
Time to Acquire: variable (this edge may usually not be ac-
quired or improved once the game has begun) You have either studied a language in depth, or lived in
an area that uses that language constantly. You are complete-
You rule over or have great authority within a particular ly fluent in this language and master it like an educated na-
keep, city, kingdom, or other realm. tive.
REQUISITE: Appropriate Social Rank (depending on your EFFECT: This edge grants you 10 extra skill ranks to apply
culture of origin and the size of the governed area) and a cor- to one or more of your starting languages. You may ignore
responding Duty flaw (determined by the Turambar, but the normal upper limit of ranks for the languages that benefit
counting for picks). from this edge.
EFFECT: In an area determined by the Turambar in com- IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this edge multiple times,
pliance with your Social Rank and any other appropriate with each additional level gaining you another 10 skill ranks
abilities, and according to the responsibilities given to you, to distribute among your starting languages, or, at the Tu-
you make and enforce laws, see to the safety and health of rambars discretion, any other languages. However, the pick
your people, keep the armyand perhaps navyfit for duty, cost for acquiring any level greater than level 1 is 10 x level.
build roads and structures, and otherwise govern as you see For example, three levels of this edge cost 60 picks (= 10 +
fit. (Note that this edge may not be a good choice for player 10 x 2 + 10 x 30).
characters, since it tends to tie them to a particular location.
Consult with your Turambar before selecting it. The Tu-
rambar may award this edge freely to a character if the events FORTUNATE
of the game demand it.) Pick Cost: 20 per level Pick Type: any
Time to Acquire: variable
DOOM
When all odds are against you, you still have your luck
Pick Cost: 30 Pick Type: any and skill to trust in.
Time to Acquire: variable EFFECT: Whenever you roll an Ambar test, subtract 1
from the result the dice yield, thus increasing your chance to
You speak with a voice of authority, pronouncing doom pass the Ambar test.
upon those who dare stand against you. IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this
REQUISITE: Deference, 9+ ranks in Intimidate (Majesty) edge. Each level allows you to subtract another 1 from the
EFFECT: As a full-round action, you may make an Intimi- dice roll (maximum of 5).
date (Majesty) test against a specific enemy at a TN equal to
that enemys Bearing or his basic Ambar score, whichever is
higher. That enemy loses a number of points of Ambar equal
151
GLADDEN HOARD
Pick Cost: 20 Pick Type: mental Pick Cost: 20 per level Pick Type: any
Time to Acquire: 4 years Time to Acquire: variable (this edge may usually not be ac-
quired or improved once the game has begun)
Your words and music are so soothing that those who lis-
ten to you take great comfort from them. You possess great stores of gold, silver, gems and other
REQUISITE: 7+ ranks in a suitable Artistic skill things of value.
EFFECT: Make a Musician or Sing test against TN 20. If EFFECT: You own wealth equal in value to 50 silver pen-
you succeed, while you play or sing, anyone who spends time nies, of Gondorian silver coins. However, this wealth often is
resting and listening to you recovers lost Weariness Levels at not in the form of coins but rather in objects of great value,
twice the normal rate (see page 238 for additional infor- such as jewellery, golden cups, heirlooms, horses, or an inn.
mation). Since you are actively performing, you cannot re- You must speak with your Turambar to determine the na-
cover Weariness Levels at this accelerated rate, but you can ture of your Hoard.
recover them at the normal rate. IMPROVEMENT: Taking this edge at a higher level increas-
This edge only affects characters who can hear you per- es the amount of wealth a character owns:
form. If something prevents thatdeafness or unconscious- HOARD 2: 5d10 x 10 silver pence (sp).
ness, for examplethe listener cannot recover Weariness HOARD 3: 5d10 x 100 silver pence (sp).
Levels at the faster rate. HOARD 4: 5d10 x 1,000 silver pence (sp).
At the Turambars discretion, other Artistic skills may HOARD 5: 5d10 x 10,000 silver pence (sp).
also trigger the effects of this edge. For example, watching a
graceful dancer or a marvellous painting could put the be- INSPIRING PERFORMANCE
holder into a similarly peaceful state of mind.
GOVERNMENT TIES Time to Acquire: 4 years
Pick Cost: 15 Pick Type: any When need requires, you can play and sing so that your
Time to Acquire: variable (Turambars discretion) music enheartens and inspires all of your comrades and allies
who hear you.
You have a reputation for aiding government figures. REQUISITE: 10+ ranks in a suitable Artistic skill
REQUISITE: Applicable only in realms with a relatively EFFECT: Make a Musician or Sing test against TN 20.
formalised government, such as Gondor, Arthedain, or Dale. With LSF 0, you receive a bonus to Inspire equal to +1
EFFECT: You will usually receive aid from the local con- while you perform. Add another +1 for each additional LoS.
stabulary (in the form of shelter, subsistence, protection, and You may make Inspire tests while continuing to perform.
maybe even money). You receive a +3 bonus to any Esteem This edge only affects characters who can hear you per-
tests made by good government figures who know you or form. If something prevents thatthe noise of battle, for ex-
have heard about you. However, you have also earned a repu- ampleyou cannot apply the Inspire bonus to interactions
tation in the underworld as being associated with the gov- with people you cannot hear you.
ernment, and thus suffer a 3 penalty to Esteem tests made At the Turambars discretion, other Artistic skills may
by criminals and their ilk. also trigger the effects of this edge. For example, watching a
graceful dancer or hearing the encouraging words of a poem
HIDEOUT could inspire the audience as well.
Pick Cost: 20 for level 1, +10 per additional level KINDLING OF THE SPIRIT
Pick Type: any Time to Acquire: variable
Unbeknownst to anyone else, you have a well-concealed
place to hide. This could be a few rooms in the basement of a
Time to Acquire: developing the requisite edge
house in Minas Tirith, a cave right off the Greenway in Er- Your stirring exhortations can renew courage and faith in
iador, an old barrow, a secret room within a castle, or the the hearts of your friends.
like. There you can store supplies and weapons, rest without REQUISITE: Voice of Power, Bearing 15+
fear of discovery, and plan operations. EFFECT: You may spend 1 point of Ambar (no test is re-
EFFECT: The Turambar must approve all hideouts. If quired) and make a Sing or Wordsmith test against TN 30.
someone else suspects the existence of the hideout and tries Every ally who can hear your words immediately recovers a
to find it, the difficulty for Observe or Search tests to do so is number of Ambar points based on your LoS: 1 for LoS +1, 2
TN 20. (Note that this edge may not be a good choice for for LoS +2, 3 for LoS +3 or better. These points can only re-
player characters, since it tends to tie them to a particular lo- store spent Ambar and cannot exceed the characters basic
cation. Consult with your Turambar before selecting it.) Ambar score. You may use this ability only after your fellow-
IMPROVEMENT: For each additional level acquired in this ship has performed a deed that earned each character at least
edge, increase the difficulty to find the hideout by +5. 1 point of Renown.
152
LEGAL ENFORCEMENT POWERS not belong to one of these races or wish to learn a new script
would need to expend development picks for this edge.
Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: any EFFECT: Regardless of whether you acquire this edge by
Time to Acquire: 2 or more years per level spending picks or receive it automatically due to your racial
background, consult with your Turambar which script(s)
You are an officer of the law (a shirrif, ranger, or city- your character actually knows. The two main scripts and let-
guard, for example), with all the accompanying rights, pow- ters used in the Third Age are both of Eldarin origin, yet of
ers and restrictions. independent kind: the Tengwar, devised for writing with
EFFECT: Depending on the area and the local laws, the ef-
brush or pen, and the Certar or Cirth, mostly used for
fect benefits of this edge may varyin some places and
scratched or incised inscriptions. The latter, a runic alphabet
ranks, this amounts to a license to kill; in others, it is little
created by Daeron of Doriath, became favoured by the Dwa-
more than the right to carry a badge and do routine guard
rves who helped to spread an adapted form of it, the famous
duty. In any case you are recognised as an officer of the law
Angerthas Moria. Despite the overwhelming importance the-
(unless you are undercover) and may be called on by citizens
to perform various legal tasks. se three basic alphabets have in north-western Middle-earth,
At level one, your jurisdiction is no more than a single there are dozens, if not hundreds, other letters in use in other
city, town, or county, and you are generally limited to the parts of the world.
rights to arrest suspected criminals, perform searches with an This edge allows you to write any language you know.
appropriate warrant, and carry a weapon. Legal Enforcement How correctly your spelling and fast your hand is depends on
Powers usually go hand-in-hand with an appropriate Duty your proficiency with the tongue (i.e., the number of skill
flaw and will likely earn you the scorn of the local under- ranks you have in a particular language). You can also read
world, meaning that your Renown modifier is applied as a any accounts written in a familiar language (again with the
penalty to any Esteem tests made by outlaws. number of skill ranks determining your level of understand-
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this ing), provided the text comes in a script you know.
edge. Each level either allows you to expand your jurisdiction IMPROVEMENT: You may take this edge multiple times for
to a greater area (a whole province or even an entire realm, as multiple scripts.
the Turambar sees fit), or to pay little heed to the civil rights
of others (if such rights exist at all in a given society), or to MASTERWORK
engage in covert investigations, or to kill with relative impuni-
ty. Thus, most royal guardsmen must acquire at least two
levels in this edge, and a spy would need even more levels.
At times, your skill surpasses even its usual high level, al-
LIGHTNING CALCULATOR lowing you to create items of surpassing quality and beauty.
REQUISITE: 12+ ranks in an appropriate Crafts skill and
Pick Cost: 15 Pick Type: mental the Place of Trade edge. You may only create masterworks
Time to Acquire: none (acquired along with Reckon) with a skill of the Crafts skill category that you possess at the
required level. A character with Weaponsmith can forge
Your skill at mental calculating is remarkable. masterwork swords, but he cannot create masterwork ar-
REQUISITE: 10+ ranks in Reckon mours unless he has 12+ ranks in Armoursmith, too.
EFFECT: You can instantly calculate virtually any mathe- EFFECT: When you craft an item, consult the sections on
matical formula known to your culture in your head. If you Product Quality and Masterwork Pieces on page 79. If Table
have this edge, then you as a player may use a calculator at 4.7 indicates you have produced a superior item (+1 to +4
any time, to figure anything you wanteven if your charac- product quality bonus), you have actually created a master-
ter is fleeing for his life at the time. Alternatively, for simple work as described in these guidelines. Such works are rare
math problems, the Turambar may just say the character indeed, commanding prices far beyond those of ordinary ob-
knows the answer. You also receive a +2 bonus to all Reckon jectsat least triple, if not much more.
tests, and a +1 bonus to all Debate (Bargain) tests.
PLACE OF TRADE
LITERATE
Pick Cost: 20 for level 1, +5 per additional level
Pick Cost: 15 per script, or free Pick Type: mental Pick Type: any
Time to Acquire: 6 months per script Time to Acquire: 5 years in the employ of a master
Unlike most other members of your race, you know how You own a business or place of commerce of your own
to read and write. (or have been assigned one by your guild), such as an inn, a
REQUISITE: Although more like a skill in real life, the abil- forge, a tailors shop, or the like.
ity to read and write is so unusual among many peoples of REQUISITE: 6+ ranks in an appropriate Crafts skill
Middle-earth that it must be considered an edge for some EFFECT: For every full month you work at your place of
Ambarquenta characters. Since most Elves, Dwarves, trade, you either earn a minimum of 6d6 copper pieces (CP)
Dnedain, and Hobbits learn to read one or more scripts as a or, if your character qualifies for a particular occupation de-
part of their normal education, only those characters who do scribed in Appendix A, the normal monthly income of your
153
occupation plus 2d6 copper pieces. The Turambar can de- EFFECT: You receive a +1 bonus to Fortitude and Will
cide that you earn more in any particular month, perhaps tests (but not to the respective attribute scores).
working the opportunity into the story somehow. (Note that IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this
this edge may not be a good choice for player characters, edge. Each level increases the test result bonus by +1 (maxi-
since it tends to tie them to a particular location. Consult mum of +4).
with your Turambar before selecting it.)
IMPROVEMENT: For each additional level acquired in this SAGE
edge, add +4d6 CP to your monthly income.
PRESERVATION Time to Acquire: 8 years per level
Pick Cost: 10 Pick Type: any You are accounted among the wise, one whose sage coun-
Time to Acquire: 2 years sel others seek.
REQUISITE: (6 +3 per level) or more ranks in at least two
So skilled are you at crafting and shaping objects that skills of the Lore skill category
they can withstand the ruinous effects of age and weather. EFFECT: You receive a +1 bonus with all Lore skills and
REQUISITE: 12+ ranks in an appropriate Crafts skill and Wisdom tests.
the Masterwork edge. IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this
EFFECT: Any masterwork items you create suffer no harm edge. Each level increases the test result bonus by +1 (maxi-
from cruellest ravages of time or the harshest wind or rain, mum of +4).
remaining always seemingly new, though they can be dam-
aged by attacks. SCROLL HOARD
REFUGE Pick Cost: 20 per level Pick Type: any
Time to Acquire: variable
Time to Acquire: 2 years Through long years of careful searching and purchasing,
or perhaps as an inheritance from your master, you have ac-
Through your skill and careful attention, you have creat- quired an extensive library of books, scrolls, and other rec-
ed a small area, such as a garden or inn, where you uncon- ords of learning.
sciously harness the subtle magic of Middle-earth for benefi- EFFECT: When you have the opportunity and time to read
cial effects. through your books and scrolls while seeking an answer to
REQUISITE: 10+ ranks in an appropriate Crafts skill such some question, you receive a +2 bonus to any corresponding
as Gardener or Services: Innkeeper. Lore skill tests.
EFFECT: Anyone who spends time resting in the Refuge IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this
you created recovers lost Weariness Levels at twice the nor- edge. Each level increases the test result bonus by +2 (maxi-
mal rate (see page 233 for more information on recovering mum of +8).
Weariness).
It takes one month of dedicated work to create a Refuge. SHIP
You must spend at least seven days a month maintaining the
Refuge. If for any reason you fail in this duty, the Refuge los- Pick Cost: 40 per level Pick Type: any
es its powers until you spend one month correcting the ef- Time to Acquire: variable (this edge may usually not be ac-
fects of your neglect. (Note that this edge may not be a good quired or improved once the game has begun)
choice for player characters, since it tends to tie them to a
particular location. Consult with your Turambar before se- You possess a ship of your own, with sufficient crew to
lecting it.) sail her safely.
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this REQUISITE: 12+ ranks in Seafaring
edge. By doing so, you continue to halve the time it takes to EFFECT: Typically, you will possess a trading ship, but
recover a lost Weariness Level there. However, each addi- with the Turambars permission it may be a warship, particu-
tional level doubles the time it takes to create the Refuge, the larly if you also have the Command edge and/or a Social
number of days per month you must tend it, and the number Rank of +4 or greater. The player and the Turambar must
of months required to put it to right after neglecting it. work together to determine the size and capabilities of the
characters ship. This should at least partly be in line with the
RESOLUTE characters wealth and power. Otherwise, the character is
likely to soon find his ship taken from him by pirates or mu-
Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: mental tineers.
Time to Acquire: 6 months per level The Turambar creates and runs the crewmen as NPCs.
These crewmen are there to operate the ship as a transport,
Strong-willed and determined, you cannot be swayed not to serve as henchmen for the character and his compan-
from your chosen path, either by harsh action or wily coun- ions. They may be willing to help out in dire need (maybe an
sel. Esteem test will help to decided), but they are no adventurers
REQUISITE: Will (10 + 2 per level) or greater themselves and probably have no desire to be. NPC crewmen
154
who are ordered to do things they are not comfortable with EFFECT: This edge has several effects. First, if a character
often refuse to comply or simply quit. invokes the power of words to master his fate (see page 293),
(Note that this edge may not be a good choice for player he gets a +9 bonus, instead of the usual +7. Second, if he
characters, since it tends to tie them to seaborne adventures. does so to provide inspiration, he grants a +4 bonus, instead
Consult with your Turambar before selecting it.) of the normal +2.
IMPROVEMENT: For each additional level, you have one Third, you must select on Vala whose virtues your char-
more ship. acter best embodies. It is this Vala he usually calls upon to
get the bonuses described above, and he receives additional
SPEED READING benefits for this as follows (i.e., the above bonuses and the
specific ones described immediately below stack):
Pick Cost: 10 per level Pick Type: mental Aul: +3 bonus to all Armoursmith, Blacksmith, Gold-
Time to Acquire: 2 years per level smith, Stonecraft, Weaponsmith, and Appraise tests.
Elbereth: +3 bonus for all tests to resist spells cast by evil
You have read voraciously for years, ever since you were powers (such as the Witch-king, the Mouth of Sauron, Sar-
taught how. Over the years, you have noticed the increase in uman after he has fallen from grace, and so on).
speed at which you read, often being able to read an entire Est: +3 bonus to all tests of skills from the Healing skill
book in the span of one hour. You keep in practice by read- category, and to Inspire tests to reduce Weariness.
ing as much as you can. Lrien (Irmo): +3 bonus to Inspire tests and to Wisdom
REQUISITE: Literate, 8+ ranks in at least one Lore skill, or Lore skill tests to interpret dreams.
and sufficient proficiency with the language in which a par- Mandos (Nmo): +3 bonus to all tests involving
ticular text is written. memory (such as most Lore skill tests, or Fortitude tests to
EFFECT: You can read books, maps, and other documents resist the spell Forgetfulness) and prophecy (such as the Fore-
at a rate of five pages per minute.
sighted edge or similar magical effects).
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this edge at level two, al-
Manw: +3 bonus to Wisdom, Discern, and Observe
lowing you to read ten pages per minute.
(Spot) tests.
Nessa: +3 bonus to Dance, Run, and Swiftness tests.
SPEEDY WORK Nienna: +3 bonus to Bearing, Will, and Fortitude tests
involving endurance of spirit (i.e., coping with grief and pre-
serving oneself when all hope seems lost).
Time to Acquire: 1 year Orom: +3 bonus to Hunt, Survival, and Ride tests, and
You work swiftly, but without diminishment of skill or to Combat tests for bringing down wild beasts.
quality. Tulkas: +3 bonus to Unarmed Combat and Strength
REQUISITE: 6+ ranks in an appropriate Crafts skill tests, and to Fortitude tests to resist fear.
EFFECT: By spending 1 point of Ambar (no test is re- Ulmo: +3 bonus to all tests involving the Sea and resist-
quired), you can create an item in half the time it would ing Corruption. A character only gets this bonus to resist
normally take, without suffering any test result penalties or Corruption if he is standing nearby some water which is con-
requiring extra LoS. The base time required to create any nected to the ocean and if he is resisting Corruption in good
item is shown under Production Time in the equipment faith (i.e., a character cannot willingly commit an action that
lists of Chapter Six. It takes at least three times as long to provokes a Corruption test and apply this bonus to the roll).
create masterwork items. Vair: +3 bonus to all tests involving history (for exam-
ple, History or Region Lore: Gondor (History) tests), and to
VALA VIRTUE all tests involving the Charmed Life edge.
Vna: +3 bonus to Sing and Persuade (Charm) tests.
Pick Cost: 30 Pick Type: any Yavanna: +3 bonus to all tests involving kelvar (Q. Ani-
Time to Acquire: developing the pertinent Lore skill mals, Things that move) and olvar (Q. Plants, Growing
things with roots in the earth), except tests to harm, kill, or
In the twilight days of the late Third Age, few among the otherwise abuse them.
peoples of Middle-earth remember or revere the Valarbut
you are different. You not only pay homage to them accord-
ing to the ancient forms, but through your study of their lore VOICE OF POWER
and devotion to them you have developed a particular affinity Pick Cost: 20 Pick Type: any
for one of them. You have, in a sense, come to embody the Time to Acquire: developing the requisite edges
virtues and qualities that Vala represents, and as such you at-
tract more of that Valas attention than the average person. So powerful is your voice and your spirit that when you
When you call upon that Vala by name, for inspiration or to utter words of power, you have a greater effect than most folk
ward off evil, you achieve a greater effect than others can. do.
REQUISITE: Grace 10+, no greater Corruption Level than REQUISITE: Gladden, Inspiring Performance, Bearing 12+
Intrigued, and 6+ ranks in a Lore skill pertaining to your EFFECT: When you use the Power of Words rules (page
chosen Vala 293), you achieve a 50% greater effect than what is described
in these rules.
155
WOVEN WORDS ACQUIRING FLAWS

Time to Acquire: 5 years To receive a benefit for having a flaw, it must be acquired
before the character first comes into play. As a rule, a charac-
So skilled are you, and so resonant the music you make, ter may only be given flaws when he is first created. An im-
that you can create an illusion or image of that which you de- pairment that is the result of the events taking place in a tale
scribe with your verse. (Note that this edge is a minor form is usually not regarded a flaw, even if its effects would match
of the Art, available to all minstrels who are dedicated and a flaws description.
accomplished enough.) Each flaw earns you a number of extra picksthe worse
REQUISITE: 15+ ranks in Sing, Gladden, Inspiring Per- the flaw, the more picks you receive. Once you have decided
formance which flaws to take, find the total number of extra picks you
EFFECT: Make a Sing test against TN 25. If you achieve receive for flaws. Picks from flaws may be assigned to any
LSF 0 or LoS +1, you create an image of that which your combination of pick classesphysical, mental, and general
verse describes, but it is obviously a phantasm. If you achieve as you see fit. There are almost no limitations on how to
LoS +2 or better, you may choose to make the illusion you spend these extra picks, but they do count against your abil-
create so thorough that it seems real. Anyone viewing it must ity allowance if you spend them on edges or talents.
make an Observe test, with a TN equal to your test result, to Next, you must declare when exactly your character has
realise it is but an image. Anyone who fails this test thinks acquired a given flaw. If he was born with it, or acquired it
whatever it depicts actually exists, and he reacts accordingly. during his childhood or youth, the extra picks provided by
The image still lacks substance. Any who touch it realise at the flaw are added to any desired class of his youth develop-
once that it is but an image. ment picks. If he acquired the flaw later in his life, the extra
Turambari should monitor the use of this edge closely picks must be added to a class of apprenticeship development
and work with players to ensure that it contributes to the fla- picks of your choice. Extra picks gained during a characters
vour and fun of the game. When used cleverly, it can provide youth development can be spent on talents, edges, or skills;
a significant advantage for a character, but it has its limits. extra picks received at a later point can only be spent on edg-
For one, the illusion created must be something sung of, and es or skills.
that restricts what the character can realistically create.
There are no songs in Middle-earth about pits suddenly ap- BUYING OFF FLAWS
pearing in the ground, walls of ice springing up out of no-
where, or dragons that heed the beck and call of Men. On- If the events of the game warrant it, you may buy off cer-
lookers automatically realise that an inappropriate illusion is tain flaws to get rid of them. But if a character eliminates a
nothing more than an image. For another, the illusions creat- flaw without spending the advancement picks to buy off that
ed cannot actually touch or harm anything. Third, the images flaw, the Turambar may assign a replacement flaw. For ex-
only last as long as the character keeps playing and singing, ample, unless you spend the advancement picks to buy off the
and they cannot extend beyond the range of his voice. Enemy flaw, the Turambar will give you a new foe once you
have killed your original blood-enemy.
FLAWS GOOD AND FIENDISH FLAWS

It may seem strange that virtues such as being Truthful
F laws are disadvantageous traits: hindrances, complica-

tions, problems, and threats that affect a character,
often making it more difficult for him to accomplish his ob-
and following a Code of Honour are listed as flaws. Never-
theless, these virtues limit your freedom of action. For in-
stance, a Truthful person will have trouble lying, even for a
jectives and achieve his goals. Flaws are an excellent way to good cause.
round out your character. You may choose to have only one Therefore, within the framework of the game, several vir-
eye; you can then develop a story of how you lost your other tues are treated as flaws. This has one very worthwhile bene-
eye. You may have been ambushed by brigands and lost your fit: if you want to create a wholly heroic character, you do not
eye in the ensuing fight. You have since sworn vengeance have to take any inappropriate flaws at all. You can get extra
against the band and its leader. When you find them, you development picks by choosing only those flaws that are ac-
will repay the pain and hardship you endured all these years. tually virtuous.
When planning a tale, the Turambar should review each On the other hand, there are some flaws which may not
characters flaws and see how they might affect, or play a part be suitable for all heroic characters. The Turambar is free to
in, the story he has in mind. This way he can better tailor the forbid such flaws to player characters. But they are often
story to the characters. found in the more fiendish villains of Middle-earth, so they
are included in the interest of non-player character creation.
156
LIMITING FLAWS or lessindicates that you suffer the flaws effects. (You
must roll 6 or higher because otherwise extremely strong-
The following rules and guidelines will help a Turambar willed people would effectively be unaffected by their own
to limit the amount of extra picks characters can receive for bad habits.) However, this is an optional self-control test
taking flaws: its usually good roleplaying to give in willingly!
First, you cannot take a flaw that one of your abilities On the other hand, if the attribute test fails and you feel
would mitigate or negate. For instance, if you have Keen- that you absolutely must avoid giving in to the flaw in a par-
eared, you cannot take Dull-eared. ticular situation, you may spend a point of Ambar to avert its
Second, it is strongly recommended that flaws should not effect. Yet, if you do so, you will not be allowed to recover a
total more than 60 picks. However, if only a single severe point of Ambar at the beginning of the next session. Be sure
flaw (for example, blindness) is taken, it may garner any to take a note of this and remind your Turambar when he
number of picks. This not only keeps the character from be- considers who will gain back spent Ambar! See page 198 for
ing hopeless, but it also insures that the character does not more information on Recovering Ambar.
have an unusually high number of abilities or skill ranks.
Note that a low Social Rank with a negative pick cost does CATEGORIES OF FLAWS
count as a flaw for the purpose of determining a characters
limit of picks from flaws. For easy reference, each flaw belongs to one of four broad
Optionally, the maximum number of extra picks a categoriesphysical, mental, social, or special. Occasionally,
character could receive for taking flaws could be calculated these category labels do not accurately describe each flaws
using the following formula: naturefor instance, being Ugly is a physical feature, but the
corresponding flaw is classified a social one because of the en-
maximum picks from flaws = 180 ability allowance suing detriments.
This way, the number of flaws a character can obtain is di-
rectly related to his attribute scores, representing the un-
blemished nature of Elves and heroes with high Grace scores.
DIMINISHING RETURNS FROM FLAWS
However, it is not recommended to use this option for Optionally, a Turambar may rule that the number of ex-
Dwarvish characters, because their martial lifestyle often re- tra picks you gain for the second flaw of the same category as
sults in permanent physical marring and, sometimes, a stub- a previously chosen flaw is reduced by 25%. If you acquire
born or awkward behaviour (i.e., a lot of flaws!). even more flaws of the same category, you would gain only
50% of the normal recompense. Note that the Quirks flaw
If a characters background story absolutely requires to (see page 177) is not affected by this rule. All characters pre-
take a number of flaws totalling more than 60 picks, a Tu- sented in this book and any supplements to Ambarquenta are
created with this optional rule in use.
rambar may allow a player to take all the flaws necessary to
mirror his (tragic) tale. However, any picks from flaws taken
in excess of the normal limit of 60 must be halved or even
quartered. To determine which flaws give you less picks, or- PHYSICAL FLAWS
der them by the number of extra picks they grant. Those that
bestow the fewest extra picks count fully; once these lesser These flaws affect you physically. They may hinder your
flaws total more than 60 extra picks, add one half of the picks movement or prevent you from performing certain activities.
granted by greater flaws until your running total reaches 80
picks. If you still have not accounted for all flaws, the remain- AGED
ing flaws only contribute one quarter of their normal picks.
Picks Gained: 20 per level
In a tale where all player characters have a certain flaw, it
does count for picks, but should not count against the limit By the standard of your people, you have reached the au-
of 60 picks. For example, in a tale depicting the Kin-strife of tumn years of your life and are considered venerably aged.
Gondor, all PCs could have 60 picks of flaws in addition to REQUISITE: You must belong to a mortal race.
their required Duty (King Eldacar). On the other hand, a EFFECT: You have reached at least the minimum age for
flaw that does not inhibit you is not a flaw and is worth no your race to be considered Old (see Table 3.1 on page 67).
picks (for example, Duty (Castamir the Usurper) might not You suffer the effects of being Old as indicated in Table 3.2
count for picks if the tale exclusively takes place in the on page 68.
Usurpers palace). IMPROVEMENT: You may even choose to have reached at
least the minimum age for your race to be considered Aged.
LATENT FLAWS Not only do you suffer the effects of belonging to this age
category, but you also have to make one Aging Roll for each
Some flaws do not affect you all the time. Whenever cir- year over the minimum age for being Aged (see Old Charac-
cumstances are likely to trigger your flaw (as indicated by its ters, page 68f., for details). However, as a trade-off you re-
description), you may make an attribute test of some sort to ceive +3 picks per Aging Roll made (during character crea-
control your urges. With a success at that test (most of the tion, but not thereafter), plus the picks granted for having
time, Wisdom, Will, or Fortitude tests will be required), you this flaw at level two.
can shrug off your problem, while a failureor any roll of 5
157
ALLERGIC per day until properly treated. Only a successful Physician

(Surgery) test can really cure internal bleeding. If proper
Picks Gained: 10 per level treatment is not available, you will eventually die.
You have an allergy to one or more substances.
EFFECT: You have an allergy to an uncommon object (for BLIND
example, coniferous plants). You may choose what you are
Picks Gained: 100
allergic to, subject to the Turambars approval. When you
are exposed to the substance for more than one minute, your By birth or injury, you are blind and cannot see at all.
eyes start to water and your nose runs. While this is happen- EFFECT: You suffer a 12 penalty on all tests involving
ing, you suffer a 3 test result penalty to all of your actions. sight (including combat), as though in complete darkness. As
This will continue for 1d100 minutes after you are no longer a partial compensation, you may acquire the talents Keen-
exposed to the substance. eared and Keen-nosed at half the normal pick cost. Further-
IMPROVEMENT: Some are Allergic to more common sub- more, you never suffer extra penalties due to bad lighting
stances: conditions. In unfamiliar territory, you must travel slowly
ALLERGIC 2: As above, except that you have an allergy to a and carefully, or be led by a companion or guide animal.
common substance (like pollen) that appears seasonally. Many actions and abilitiestoo many to listare impossible
ALLERGIC 3: As above, except the allergy is to something to you; Turambari should use common sense.
that is common and is present year-round. Once you are accustomed to blindness and have acquired
a total of at least three levels in the talents Keen-eared and/or
ANIMAL BANE Keen-nosed, you will be at only 8 on Combat skill tests.
You can use hand weapons, but cannot aim a blow at any
Picks Gained: 10 to 20 (Turambars discretion) particular part of a foes body, and cannot fire a ranged weap-
on (except randomly, or at something so close you can hear
You produce an odour that immediately drives one type
it).
of animal to attack you. You cannot mask this smell, no mat-
ter how you try.
EFFECT: Your smell permeates everything that can mask CLUMSY
it. It seems that the only beast that can smell this particular
Picks Gained: 40
odour are of one animal type. You may choose the type of an-
imal, subject to the Turambars approval. Whenever one You are relatively ungraceful in your movements.
such beast sees you, it will immediately attack ferociously. If EFFECT: You suffer a 3 penalty to tests of skills of the
you are near an animals territory, there is a 50% chance that Athletic skill category, and to Swiftness tests. (Note that this
it, or a pack of them, will hunt you down. penalty does not apply to your Swiftness score in general.)
Depending on the commonality and prowess of the cho-
sen type of beasts, the Turambar will assess the number of COLD SENSITIVE
picks gained for having this flaw.
Pick Cost: 20
BLEEDER You are abnormally sensitive to the cold.
Picks Gained: 60 EFFECT: The colder it gets, the more you suffer from the
colds effects. When the temperature is lower than 5C
You suffer greatly from bleeding wounds. Even a small (41F), you suffer a penalty to all of your actions. You suffer
wound, unless well bandaged, will not heal by itselfand a test result penalty of 1 for every fraction of 5C (9F) the
you may bleed to death. temperature is below 5 C (41F).
REQUISITE: You may not have a basic Vigour of more
than 13, and you may not be an Elf. COLOUR BLIND
EFFECT: Any critical injury that bleeds for a number of
wound points per round has these wounds doubledand Picks Gained: 18
thus sets a higher TN for the First Aid (Patch Wound) or
Physician (Cauterise or Surgery) test. If a strike with an You cannot see any colours at all.
EFFECT: Completely colour-blind, everything is white,
edged weapon is not severe enough to cause a critical injury
(i.e., to open a bleeding wound), you will bleed at a rate equal black, or a shade of grey for you. This is more of a nuisance
to its original damage every minute. For instance, an untreat- than a serious flaw, but it can cause problems (for example, if
ed hit for 3 wound points of damage will do another 3 wound you are looking for a green-cloaked man). In any situation
points after the first minute, and so on, until staunched. The requiring colour identification (appraising goods, heraldry, or
TN to treat such a wound is 5 per wound point of damage, livery identification, and so on), the Turambar should give
to a maximum TN of 25. you appropriate penalties. Therefore, certain skills will al-
A successful First Aid (Patch Wound) test will be satis- most always be harder for you. In particular, you may suffer a
factory to treat most wounds. However, any impaling wound 2 test result penalty on any Alchemy, Appraise, Debate
to the torso will cause slow internal bleeding. Such a wound (Bargain), Teamster, or Track tests.
will continue to do damage equal to its original damage once
158
CORPULENT time for only 15 picks. The Turambar will assess all reasona-
ble penalties for this handicap, according to the situation. In
Picks Gained: 20 per level any case, you cannot use sword and shield simultaneously, or
any two-handed weapon, or do anything requiring two arms.
Like Bombur of Thorin Oakenshields company, you are
Anything requiring only one hand can be done without pen-
considerably overweight for your race.
alty. In borderline cases, it is best to allow the character to at-
REQUISITE: Your weight as determined according to the
tempt the action at a 5 (or greater) Deftness penalty.
rules presented on page 28 must be above the average of your
However, you may replace your lost hand by an appro-
race for an individual of your height. An average-sized Dwarf
priate prosthetic (usually a hook). Such an obvious replace-
(i.e., standing 44), for example, must weigh at least 121
ment entails a 1 penalty on all Esteem tests the Turambar
pounds to be allowed to acquire this flaw. Note that Elves
makes for you, and a 5 (or greater) on all Deftness-based
may not take this flaw.
tests performed with the replacement. A hook counts as a
EFFECT: Determine your weight normally (see page 28),
knife in combat (+3 Intimidate if waved at a foe); alternative-
and then increase it by 50%. Make sure to recalculate your
ly, an ally could strap a shield to it. (30 picks)
characters Girth and any attributes and modifiers derived
ONE ARM: As One Hand above, except that you have
from this score (Health and Prowess, for example). Your of-
lost the whole arm, and that there is no way to replace it by
ten unwieldy layer of body fat protects as if you were wearing
mechanical means, unless a craftsman of Maedhros skill is
thick clothesadd a layer of cloth when figuring your com-
available. (40 picks)
pound armour protection as described on page 188.
ONE EYE: You have lost one of your eyes. You may wear a
However, your basic Vigour score cannot be greater than
glass eye, or cover the missing eye with a patch. You suffer a
16, and your basic Nimbleness score is limited to a value of
1 test result penalty on melee combat, and on anything in-
15 or less. In addition, you suffer a 3 test result penalty on
volving hand-eye coordination, and a 5 on anything involv-
all tests of Esteem and Social skills in any area with a short-
ing bows, thrown objects, or driving any vehicle faster than a
age of supplies, and you cannot be of Fair appearance.
horse and buggy. (30 picks)
IMPROVEMENT: Truly fat, your weight as determined
normally is increased by 100%. Your basic Vigour score can-
not be greater than 15, and your basic Nimbleness score is DEEP SLEEPER
limited to a value of 13 or less. In addition you suffer a 6
Picks Gained: 15
test result penalty on all tests of Esteem and Social skills in
any area with a shortage of supplies, and you cannot be of You sleep very deeply, especially during the first hour of
Fair appearance. rest.
EFFECT: You cannot be awakened during your first hour
CRIPPLING WOUND of sleep, no matter what occurs around you. In certain rare
circumstances, the Turambar may allow a drastic action to
Picks Gained: variable awaken you from deep slumber. After the first hour, you may
awaken but suffer a 5 penalty to your Observe (Hear) test
You suffered a terrible injury in battle that crippled you,
to awaken.
leaving you less able to fight and adventure than before.
EFFECT: You must speak with your Turambar and deter-
mine what wound you suffered and its effects. Below are a DULL-EARED
few examples:
CRIPPLED LEG: You have one bad leg. Your Base Move-
ment Rate (BMR) is reduced by half, and you suffer a 4 Your hearing is poor. Others often must speak loudly to
penalty to all Nimbleness-based tests (except for Throw). In ensure that you hear their words.
fact, the penalty applies to any melee tests, even if a particular EFFECT: You suffer a 5 penalty to Observe (Hear) tests.
weapon skill is not governed by Nimbleness (such as the Ax- This penalty also applies to tests of language skills whenever
es skill). (30 picks) you must understand someone (i.e., if you are the one talk-
ONE LEG: You have lost a leg. You can only move at one ing, this flaw does not affect you).
quarter of your normal Base Movement Rate (BMR), pro- IMPROVEMENT: Some unfortunate individuals are com-
vided you use crutches or a peg leg (otherwise, you cannot pletely deaf:
walk at all). In addition, you suffer a 8 penalty to any melee DULL-EARED 2: You can hear nothing at all. Any infor-
and Nimbleness-based tests (except for Throw). (50 picks) mation you receive must be communicated in writing (if you
ONE HAND: You have lost a hand. You may choose are literate) or through sign language. In addition, your basic
which hand you have lost, but need your Turambars approv- cutback for any language skills but your primary native
al. You may have developed proficiency in your one remain- tongue is 10. However, you get a +3 bonus on any Signal
ing hand, even if it was not your original hand preference: (Hand-signs) tests.
you are allowed to acquire the Ambidextrous talent at any
159
DULL-EYED (Health and Prowess, for example). Since most folks either
deem you cute and charming or noticeably unappealing, you
Picks Gained: variable suffer a 3 penalty on Esteem tests. In addition, your basic
Strength score cannot be greater than 15, and you cannot be
Your sigh is poor. You have trouble seeing objects others
of Fair appearance.
perceive plainly.
EFFECT: You are either nearsighted or farsightedchoose
which you are when you take this flaw. In general, there are EPILEPTIC
no means of correcting your impairment; however, if the Tu-
Picks Gained: 60
rambar deems it appropriate for a particular culture (like
Nmenor of yore) to produce glasses, this flaw only grants You suffer from seizures, during which your limbs trem-
you only half the normal amount of picks. ble uncontrollably and you cannot speak or think clearly.
FARSIGHTED: You cannot read a book except with great EFFECT: This represents a severe case of epilepsy. When-
difficulty (triple the normal time), and you are at 4 penalty ever you are subject to very stressful situations (especially if
on any close manual labour (i.e., most skills governed by your life or the life of a friend is threatened), you must make
Deftness, as well as some tests based on Nimbleness). a Stamina test against TN 20. A failure will bring on a sei-
30 picks zure lasting for 2d5 minutes. You lose your ability to think
NEARSIGHTED: You cannot read small print (and the like) and speak clearly, and your body starts having violent shakes.
more than a foot away, or clearly perceive any objects at more Anything you are holding in your hands will fall to the
than about 20 feet. In melee, you suffer a 2 test result penal- ground, and you lose 1d10 weariness points each minute the
ty; when using a bow or a thrown weapon, apply the test fit lasts. If you have any sort of Phobia, exposure to the object
modifier appropriate to double the actual distance to the tar- of fear is automatically a stressful situation; make a Stamina
get (or a minimum penalty of 4). Note that a Turambar test every ten minutes.
may completely disallow Observe (Spot) tests at more than By concentrating, you may attempt to wilfully induce a
about 20 feet, but sometimes it might be better to allow the seizure. This requires one minute and a successful Will test
character to attempt the test at a 5 (or greater) penalty. against TN 20. If you are Foresighted (see page 135), you re-
50 picks ceive a +10 bonus to the Insight test to trigger that talent.
Primitives, not understanding such fits, are sometimes
DULL-NOSED awed by them, and may think your seizure shows a commu-
nication from a deity. The Turambar will make an Esteem
Picks Gained: 10 test on your behalf, adding a bonus of +2. Very good results
indicate worship; poor results will cause the savages to flee
You have no sense of smell and taste.
but never to attack.
EFFECT: You cannot make any Observe (Smell, Taste)
tests, but at least you are not bothered by any stench or bad
taste. However, you cannot tell if your food is poisoned or EUNUCH
foul either. Picks Gained: 10
DWARFISM Due to a tragic accident or as a sign of status, you (male

characters only) no longer have your manhood.
Picks Gained: 25 EFFECT: You can neither be seduced by someone nor se-
duce them. You are also not quite as quick to anger.
You are shorter than most folks. You are stuck in a world
that is designed for people taller than you, but there are at
least some advantages to being small. You are, for example, FRAGILE WRISTS
harder to hit in combat, often able to duck under furniture Picks Gained: 15
and other obstructions. It is also easier for you to hide from
people, since there are many available hiding places for you. Your wrists are susceptible to sprains.
REQUISITE: Your height as determined according to the EFFECT: When you leap, fall, climb, hang, throw an object,
rules presented on page 28 must be at least 1 below the aver- or attack with a melee weapon, there is a 3% (non-
age of your race. A Fallohide Hobbit, for example, must not cumulative) chance that you will sprain your wrists. If a test
be greater than 33 (i.e., 39) to be allowed to acquire this is involved in such a situation, a roll of 2 or 3 (which is usual-
talent. ly a fumble, too) indicates that you sprain your wrists; oth-
EFFECT: Determine your height normally (see page 28), erwise, roll 1d100on 0103, you suffer from the same ef-
and then reduce it to two thirds (i.e., 67%) of that value. fect. If you do sprain your wrists, you will be Stunned for
Weight is in proportion to height and must be recalculated 1d10 rounds, and operate at 6 for 1d10 days whenever you
upon taking this flaw, as is the case with Stature and Girth attempt an action that uses or requires wrist movement.
and any attributes and modifiers derived from these scores
160
HEAT SENSITIVE LOSS OF VISION

Pick Cost: 20 Picks Gained: 20
You are abnormally sensitive to heat. You may suffer temporary blindness whenever you are
EFFECT: The hotter it gets, the more you suffer from the struck in the head.
heats effects. Whenever the temperature is higher than 25C EFFECT: Any time you receive a blow to your head, there is
(77F), you suffer a penalty to all of your actions. You suffer a 10% chance (i.e., 0110 on a 1d100) that you will be blind-
a test result penalty of 1 for every fraction of 5C (9F) the ed for 1d10 minutes, after which your vision will return to
temperature is above 25C (77F). normal. See the Blind flaw, page 158, for more information
on blindness.
INNER EAR PROBLEM
MUTE
Picks Gained: 10
Picks Gained: 50
You suffer from a rare Inner Ear Problem that makes you
sensitive to water and pressure changes. You cannot speak.
EFFECT: Whenever it is raining or your head is underwa- EFFECT: Any communication you make with someone else
ter, you will be deafened. See the Dull-eared 2 flaw for details must be non-verbal. You may write or use sign language, and
on deafness. The deafness last for 1d10 minutes, or as long as it is strongly recommended that you as the player do not
you are exposed to water. speak to other players to simulate your characters muteness.
(It is all right for the Turambar and the player to talk about
INTOLERANT OF BURDENS what the character is doing, though, if necessary, they should
go into a separate room.) A Mute character receives a +4 test
Picks Gained: 20 per level result bonus on any Signal (Hand-signs) test. However, no
test is allowed when you try to communicate with other play-
You are very intolerant of the weight you are carrying.
er characters who do not know your sign languageroleplay
You feel as if your backpack was full of lead and dragging you
this on your own.
slowly down toward the ground.
EFFECT: Increase your General Encumbrance Penalty
(GEP) by one sixth (16.67%). In other words, both your ar- NOSE-BLEEDING
mour penalties and your encumbrance penalty for carrying Picks Gained: 20
other gear are affected by this flaw.
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire up to three levels in this You suffer from nose bleeds caused by changes in alti-
edge. Each additional level increases your GEP by another tude.
sixth (to a maximum of nine sixths, or 150%). EFFECT: For every full multiple of 1000 above sea level,
you suffer a 1 test result penalty to all your actions (from
LACK OF RANGE pressure in your head, as well as a bleeding nose). If you re-
main above 1000 for more than an hour, you start taking 1
Picks Gained: 40 wound point of damage per minute from the constant bleed-
ing. The bleeding and pressure subside when you go lower
You have a difficult time targeting from a long range, as
than 1000 or while you rest (unless you are 3000 above sea
your eyes blur if you look at something distant for too long.
level).
EFFECT: All of your ranged combat ranges (for bows,
thrown weapons, and spells alike) are halved (round down).
PALE
LIGHT-BLIND Picks Gained: 20
Picks Gained: 10 per level You have no natural body pigment. Your hair and skin
are pale-white, and your eyes are pink.
The light of day seems harsh to you, causing you to blink
EFFECT: You may seem Fair or (which is more likely) Ug-
and wince.
ly, but you must pick either of these traits. You can never
EFFECT: You suffer a 3 penalty to all tests while you are
blend into a crowd, you are simply too conspicuous. You
exposed to daylight. have no resistance to sunburn, and thus must take precau-
IMPROVEMENT: Some have an even stronger aversion
tions against the sun. If you are in the sun without protec-
against the light of the sun, and they may take this flaw at a tion, you take 1d5 wound points of damage for every 30
greater level: minutes of ordinary direct sunlight you are exposed to, or
LIGHT-BLIND 2: You suffer a 6 penalty to all tests while every 15 minutes of hot summer or desert sun. You also suf-
you are exposed to daylight. fer a 3 penalty to any Observe (Spot) and ranged attack test
made against direct sunlight.
161
SHORT OF BREATH SLOW

Picks Gained: 8 per level Picks Gained: 5 per level
You have less endurance than other people an find your- Your body is not built for speed. You like to stand strong on
self gasping for breath after any physical activity. the battlefield, not sprinting around, darting from foe to foe.
EFFECT: You have fewer weariness points than your Stam- EFFECT: Your Base Movement rate is reduced by 1.
ina score would dictate. Reduce the number of weariness IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this flaw at a greater lev-
points each Weariness Level can hold by 1. el. Each additional level decreases your BMR by another
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire additional levels in this 1 (to a minimum of 75% of your normal BMR).
flaw. Each level decreases the number of weariness points
each Weariness Level can hold by another 1 (to a minimum SLOW RECOVERY
of 50% of the normal amount).
Picks Gained: 30
SICKLY Sickly, or perhaps simply weak in body or will, you heal
Picks Gained: 20 slowly when injured or laid low by illness.
REQUISITE: Stamina 12 or less
You are particularly susceptible to a certain disease that EFFECT: When allowed to heal naturally, you heal twice as
causes your body to swell up and you to feel ill. slowly as others, recovering but 1 point of Health while they
EFFECT: Every week, there is 2% chance (i.e., 0102 on a recover 2. The time to heal up critical injuries is also doubled.
1d100) that you will develop symptoms of your disease.
While suffering from this disease, all your actions are subject TENDER SKIN
to a 5 test result penalty due to the swelling, and your Bear-
ing score will be temporarily halved (if applicable, you also Picks Gained: 20
lose the benefits of the Fair talent during that time). After
Whenever you wear metal (including armour), your body
1d10 days, the swelling and sickness go away, and your Bear-
breaks out into a itchy and painful rash.
ing score will return to normal.
EFFECT: The rash causes you to suffer a 2 test result
penalty to all your actions while you are wearing any metal
SKINNY (except for mithril). The rash stays until you remove the met-
Picks Gained: 20 al and then lasts another 1d10 hours after you have removed
the armour. There is nothing that can prevent your allergic
You are notably underweight and far too slender for one reaction to metal armour; wearing gloves while you are deal-
of your race. ing with coins seems to help, though.
REQUISITE: Your weight as determined according to the
rules presented on page 28 must not be above the average of TIRED LEGS
your race for an individual of your height. An average-sized
Rohir maid (i.e., standing 55), for example, must not weigh Picks Gained: 15
more than 130 pounds to be allowed to acquire this flaw.
EFFECT: Determine your weight normally (see page 28), Your legs are significantly weaker than typical for a
and then decrease it by one third (i.e., multiply it by 0.67). member of your race.
Make sure to recalculate your characters Girth and any at- EFFECT: You cannot walk more than five hours without
tributes and modifiers derived from this score (Health and resting for at least two hours. If you walk for more than five
Prowess, for example). Your basic Vigour score cannot be hours, there is a 25% chance (i.e., 0125 on a 1d100) that
greater than 16. If you make a Charge attack (see page 258) each of your legs will develop cramps (roll once for each leg).
or are its victim, your Strength test is modified by 3. You If they cramp, they will stay cramped for 2d10 hours, and be
suffer a 3 penalty to Guise tests, and to Streetwise (Mingle) completely useless during that time.
and Sneak (Shadow) tests if you are trying to follow someone
in a crowd. UNCONTROLLABLE STRENGTH
Picks Gained: 15
SLOTH
You have great strength at times, but you have a very dif-
Picks Gained: 25 per level ficult time controlling it.
You are slow in combat and by no way fearful, for your EFFECT: Whenever you are in an extreme emotional state
moves are obvious, awkward, and weak. (love, happiness, hate, and so, butat least normallynot the
EFFECT: Your action allowance (AA) is decreased by 1. excitement of battle) there is a 10% chance (i.e., 0110 on a
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this flaw at a greater lev- 1d100) that you will receive a special +10 bonus to your
el. Each additional level decreases your AA by 1 (maximum Strength for one round. You use this strength whether you wish
of 3). or not. You could maul an enemy you utterly hate, or break the
ribs of a friend while hugging him. You often crush or break things
without meaning to. You cannot choose when to get this bonus.
162
UNGAINLY YOUNG
Picks Gained: 30 Picks Gained: variable
Whenever you try to move quietly, you prove a miserable You are underage by your cultures standards.
sneak. In fact, the more you try to be subtle and quiet, the NOTE: The primary disadvantage arising from this flaw is
louder you are. that you will lose a considerable amount of development picks; the
EFFECT: You suffer a 2 penalty to tests of skills of the picks you gain for taking this flaw by no means compensate for
Stealth skill category. In addition, you suffer a special test re- this loss. On the other hand, you may start your adventuring ca-
sult penalty of 3 to any Hide or Sneak actions (thus result- reer at a young age if you pick this flaw, thus beginning your char-
ing in a total penalty of 5). acters regular improvement at an earlier point than most others.
EFFECT: You are a young adult by your cultures standard,
UNHEALTHY merely years under the normal starting age of your race. You
suffer a 1 penalty to all tests of Esteem and Social skills
Picks Gained: 20 per level when you try to deal with elders as a peer, and you do not re-
You are not as muscular, healthy, and massive as most of ceive the full amount of apprenticeship development picks (as
race are. described on page 68). You must keep track of time, and buy
REQUISITE: Vigour, Strength, and Girth 12 or less
off this flaw with advancement picks when you reach the
EFFECT: Your Health score is reduced by 1.
starting age of your race. (10 picks)
IMPROVEMENT: Even younger characters are treated with
less respect and lose a greater amount of development picks:
flaw. Each level reduces your Health score by another 1 (to
YOUNG 2: By the standard of your people, you are still in
a minimum of 50% of your normal Health score).
the youth age category (see Table 3.1 on page 68). You suffer
from the underage effects listed on Table 3.2 (see page 68)
UNWAKEABLE and lose a corresponding number of your development picks.
Picks Gained: 30 In addition, any Esteem test the Turambar makes for you, as
well as any Social skill test you make suffers a 3 test result
You are an exceptionally sound sleeper and your com- penalty when you are dealing with others as an adultthey
rades find it extremely difficult to wake you once you have may like you, but they do not fully respect you. You may also
fallen asleep. be barred from inns at night, war parties, guild membership,
EFFECT: You cannot be awakened while you are sleeping. and so on. You must keep track of time, and buy off this
In addition, you have to sleep at least six hours every night. If flaw with advancement picks when you reach the next age
you are somehow (perhaps magically) awakened before re- category. (25 picks)
ceiving a full six hours of sleep, you will suffer a 2 tests re- YOUNG 3: You are still a child (see Table 3.1 on page
sult penalty to all actions for every hour less than six you 68). You suffer from the underage effects listed on Table 3.2
slept. and lose a corresponding number of your development picks.
In addition, any Esteem test the Turambar makes for you, as
WEAK well as any Social skill test you make suffers a 5 test result
penalty when you are dealing with eldersthey may like you,
Picks Gained: 20 per level but they do not fully respect you. You are also greatly limited
in what you are allowed to do, often being told when its time
You have little tolerance for pain.
to go to sleep, and so on. You must keep track of time, and
EFFECT: Increase the Injury Penalty you suffer by 1. For
buy off this flaw with advancement picks when you reach
example, when Wounded, you suffer a 6 test result penalty,
the next age category. (40 picks)
not the usual 5.
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire a second level in this
flaw. Doing so increases the Injury Penalty you suffer by 2.
163
MENTAL FLAWS
These flaws change the way you perceive the world. Eve- (not overly addictive in the beginning, but incapacitating you
ryone is a little neurotic, you are just more so. for at least a few hours each day if you choose this kind of
addiction) is somewhat of an exception, as it is both legal and
ABSENT-MINDED insidious; a serious addiction to alcohol grants you 30 picks.
DRUG EFFECTS: An incapacitating drug will render its user
Picks Gained: 30 unconscious (or blissfully, uselessly drowsy) for about two
You have difficulty paying attention to anything not of hours (four hours for characters with a Stamina score of 10
immediate interest. or less, one hour for those with a Stamina score over 16). A
EFFECT: You suffer a 6 penalty on any Wits-based tests
stimulating drug will affect its user for the same period of
(including tests of skills governed by Wits) except those for a time: the user thinks he is smarter, but in fact suffers a tem-
task you are currently interested in and concentrating upon. porary 1 penalty to all tests based on Wits. However, he
If no engaging task or topic presents itself, your attention will does receive a +1 bonus to his action allowance (AA). A hal-
drift to more interesting matters in five minutes; you will ig- lucinogenic drug renders its users useless for work or combat,
nore your immediate surroundings until something catches though they may be active and talkative. Some drugs (pipe-
your attention and brings you back. Once adrift in your own weed, for example) have none of these effects, and some
thoughts, you must succeed at a Wits test against TN 25 to drugs have unique effects. Side effects are also possible; a Tu-
even notice any event short of physically harming you. rambar should feel free to look up or invent side effects for
An Absent-minded character may attempt to rivet his at- any unknown drug a character consumes.
tention on a boring topic through sheer strength of will. To WITHDRAWAL: Sometimes, voluntarily or otherwise, a
do so, he must succeed at a TN 25 Will test once every five drug Addict must try to give up his vice. This may happen if
minutes. Boring topics include guard duty, gossiping or oth- he is imprisoned, if he travels to a place where his drug is not
er forms of meaningless conversation, repetitive manual available, or just because he can no longer afford it. With-
tasks, riding over an open plain, and the like. drawal is a painful process requiring two weeks (14 days) of
Absent-minded individuals also tend to forget trivial successful Stamina tests (the Turambar may vary this time as
tasks (like paying the bills) and items (like purses and spare he thinks appropriate for a particular drug). Each day, the
arrows). Whenever it becomes important that an Absent- Addict makes a Stamina test against TN 20, modified by the
minded character has performed such a task or brought such addiction factor listed above (i.e., +0, +6, or +12). A success
an item, the Turambar should call for Wits test against TN puts him one day closer to shaking off the addiction. A fail-
20. On a failure, this detail slipped his attention. ure means the Addict must (if his drug is available) give in to
the craving and take a dose of the drug. He must then start
ADDICT withdrawal all over again if he still wants to try. If the drug is
not available, the Addict takes 2d5 wound points of damage
Picks Gained: variable and may continue to try to withdrawbut that day does not
count toward the 14 successful Stamina tests in a row needed
You are addicted to a drug (such as alcohol, pipeweed, ga- to withdraw. Wound points lost due to withdrawal are not
lenas, or the like), which you must use daily or suffer from recovered normally until the withdrawal has succeeded or
withdrawal symptoms. been abandoned.
EFFECT: The number of extra picks you gain for this flaw You must buy off this flaw before you voluntarily with-
depends on the nature of the drug addiction, as follows: draw, or immediately after forced withdrawal succeeded.
If each daily dose costs 6 cp or less: 10 picks
If each daily dose costs 7 to 30 cp: 20 picks BATTLE CONFUSION
If each daily dose costs over 30 cp: 30 picks
If the drug is incapacitating or hallucinogenic: 20 picks Picks Gained: 30
If the drug is highly addictive (+6 TN to the Stamina
You tend to be single-minded in combat, concentrating
test for withdrawal): 10 picks
on one foe at time. If ever two or more opponents attack you,
If the drug is totally addictive (+12 TN to the Stamina
you often become confused about whom to attack. In fact,
test for withdrawal): 10 picks
they both distract you, which prevents you from attacking ei-
If the drug is legal: 10 picks
ther.
EXAMPLES: Pipeweed is cheap, highly addictive, and legal; EFFECT: Whenever more than one foe is fighting you at a
thus, a pipeweed-Addict gains 10 picks. Sweet galenas is very time, you must succeed at a TN 25 Observe (Spot) test each
expensive, hallucinogenic, illegal, and highly addictive; one round. If you fail this test, you lose 80% of your action points
dependent on galenas receives 60 picks as a trade-off. Alcohol that round.
164
BATTLE-FURY A success means you can act normally. On a failure, how-

ever, you suffer a 1 test result penalty to all actions per LoF.
Picks Gained: 12 per level IMPROVEMENT: As above, except that a failure means that
you are Stunned and must repeat the Fortitude test every
In war, a lust or fury for battle overcomes you. You can-
round, at +1 to the TN each round, to break the freeze. A
not leave the field of combat until no foe remains able to op-
quick slap from a friend will give you a +1 test result bonus.
pose you.
Once you unfreeze, you will not freeze again until the
EFFECT: When you fight, you cannot withdraw or surren-
immediate danger is over. Then, in the next dangerous situa-
der while any foeman remains standing, even if you have suf-
tion, you may freeze once again.
fered severe injuries or other matters demand your attention.
Your battle-fury keeps you in the fray unless you succeed at a
Will test against TN 20. Make sure to apply your Universal COMPULSIVE BEHAVIOUR
Penalty to the Will test!
Picks Gained: variable (usually 10 to 30 picks)
IMPROVEMENT: In some, the fires of fury burn the hotter,
and they may take this flaw at a greater level: You have a habit (usually, but not always, a vice) which
BATTLE-FURY 2: Not only can you not leave a battle until you feel compelled to indulge on a daily basis. You waste a
all enemies are beaten, you cannot refrain from slaying de- good deal of your time indulging in your habit.
feated enemies unless you succeed at a Will test against TN EFFECT: Examples of Compulsive Behaviour include gam-
25. A Will test is also necessary to accept a surrender, or bling, attraction to another person, arguing, or even fighting.
even to take a prisoner under orders. If you wish to avoid your compulsion in a specific instance
BATTLE-FURY 3: In battle, you lose all control of yourself (or for a specific day), you must succeed at a Fortitude test,
and continue attacking everyone, even your comrades and al- typically against TN 20 or greater. Note that it is very bad
lies, until no one remains able to fightor you succeed at a roleplaying to attempt to avoid your compulsion often.
Will test against TN 30. Based upon what exactly your Compulsive Behaviour is,
how much it costs (as regards time and money), and how
CODE OF HONOUR much trouble it is likely to get you into, the Turambar will
determine how many picks you receive for taking this flaw;
Picks Gained: 10 to 30 picks (Turambars discretion) trade-off picks gained for Compulsive Behaviour ordinarily
range from 10 to 30 pickssee the below example.
You live your life by a moral code, caring little for the
COMPULSIVE LYING: You lie constantly, for no reason
harm you may suffer because of it for the satisfaction and
other than the joy of telling the tale. A compulsive liar, you
honour it brings you.
delight in inventing stories about your deeds, lineage, wealth
EFFECT: You must choose a standard by which to live your
whatever might impress your audience. Even when ex-
life, and the Turambar must approve it. For example, you
posed as a liar, you will cling tenaciously to your stories, call-
might refuse to tell falsehoods, refuse to attack foes una-
ing your accuser a liar and a scoundrel. In order to tell the
wares, refuse to obey the commands of any man who has not
pure, unvarnished truth, you must succeed at a TN 25 Forti-
proven himself your better, resent any insult to you or your
tude test. (A charitable Turambar might allow a liar to tell a
lord, or swear to enjoy the company of no women but your
slightly-fractured version of the truth if he narrowly fails this
true love. If you violate your code, even without meaning to,
test.)
other characters who make Renown tests to determine if they
When a player character-liar makes a test to tell the truth
know who you are receive a +3 test result bonus, and they
to his fellow party members, he should roll out of sight of the
automatically know of the violation if they succeed. If an
other players. Thus, they can never be sure that they are get-
NPC really knows who you are, you may (at the Turambars
ting accurate information from their comrade. (30 picks)
discretion) suffer an up to 3 penalty to all of your tests of
ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES: Other forms of Compulsive Be-
Social skills made against that NPC. The penalty also applies
haviour include Compulsive Honesty (i.e., the desire to obey
to any Esteem tests made to determine the NPCs reaction to
the law at any time, and to do ones best to do so as well: 10
you, but it may turn into a bonus if the NPC is a villain who
to 20 picks, depending on the strictness of the laws you feel
delights in your failures.
bound by), Compulsive Stealing (i.e., you are compelled to
stealnot necessarily things of value, but anything you can
COMBAT PARALYSIS get away with: 30 picks), Compulsive Love of Flames (i.e.,
you like to set fires and indulge in watching flames: 10 picks),
Compulsive Carousing (i.e., you must go in search of a social
You tend to freeze up in combat and other dangerous gathering at least once a day, try to liven up things if neces-
situations, even though you are not necessarily a coward. In sary, and have as many drinks as you can take or afford: 10
fact, you may be bravebut your body betrays you. picks), Compulsive Spendthrift (i.e., you are noticeably casu-
EFFECT: In any situation in which personal harm seems al with your expenses and probably loved by the local mer-
imminent, make a Fortitude test against TN 25. You do not chants: 10 to 20 picks, depending on the seriousness of your
have to make the test until the instant when you need to problem), and so on.
fight, run, loose the arrow, and so on.
165
CRAVEN DULLARD
Picks Gained: 20 Picks Gained: 20
You do not possess the heart of a warrior. Fear of battle Your mind does not turn easily to matters of study or
and of other perils overwhelms you, unmanning you at times lore, and you have little concern for them.
when bravery is needed. EFFECT: You cannot make Ambar tests to improve (or re-
EFFECT: When confronted by any danger, such as battle, roll) the result of any Lore or Magical skill tests, and you
or threats (any use of Intimidate achieving a test result of 18 have a hard time acquiring such skills: During character crea-
or higher), you must flee, give in to the threat, or react in an- tion, you receive only your Wits score times 2 to assign as
other proper manner, unless you succeed at a Fortitude test. skill ranks to Lore skills, and their pick costs are at +2 for
The standard TN for the Fortitude test is 20, but if there is a you, as are the TNs for improvement rolls.
risk of death, the TN is 30. Soldiers, brigands, and other
men of war will react badly to you (i.e., apply a 3 penalty to FANATIC
your uses of Social skills against them, and to Esteem tests
made by them) once they know you are craven. Picks Gained: 25
You fanatically believe in one ideal or person. Most often,
DELUSIONARY this would be a ruler, a loved one, or a country.
EFFECT: Your faith is more important to you than any-
thing else, even to fault. You will probably not notice any fail-
You suffer from delusions and believe in things that ings in what you believe in, and you may even be willing to
simply are not true. For instance, before the Return of the die for it (depending on your degree of personal bravery).
King to Gondor, you may believe that you are the rightful You rigidly follow the code or commands of what you believe
heir to the realms throne. in faithfully and fanatically. You can see no greater way to
EFFECT: You suffer from a minor delusion that affects serve what you believe in. You must roleplay your fanaticism.
your behaviour and is likely to be noticed quickly by anyone
around you, but it does not keep you from functioning more FEAR OF PAIN
or less normally. Strangers who notice your fallacy react
poorly to you, and you receive a 2 penalty on all tests of Es- Picks Gained: 40
teem and Social skills.
Your Turambar must approve any delusion, and you You fear pain and try to avoid it at any cost. Sometimes
must roleplay it every time a moment becomes available. the mere threat of receiving pain causes you to pass out. You
Note that a trivial delusion (such as a Hobbit being con- are not weak-willed, merely more susceptible to pain than
vinced that shoes cause disease of feet) does not affect your most people. You will often surrender at the threat of pain,
everyday behaviour, and is not likely to be noticed by a casual and you will almost always disclose any information you pos-
acquaintance. Hence it should be considered a Quirk (see be- sess under the threat of torture.
low) from which no penalty to Social skill tests accrues. EFFECT: Your low pain threshold forces you to make a
IMPROVEMENT: Some suffer from more severe fallacies: Stamina test any time you take damage. The TN of the test
DELUSIONARY 2: Although your delusion affects your life is equal to 10 plus the number of wound of points of damage
strongly, it does not keep you from living a fairly normal life. you received from a blow. A failure means that you fall un-
However, others may think you are slightly mad. In any situ- conscious.
ation where this flaw becomes evident, you receive a 4 pen-
alty on all tests of Esteem and Social skills. FEY
DELUSIONARY 3: Your delusion affects your behaviour so
Picks Gained: 30
much that it may keep you from functioning in the everyday
world. You suffer a 6 penalty on any test of Esteem or a So- Stricken with despair or hopelessness, you desire death,
cial skill, meaning that most people look down on you. Even or at least do not seek to avoid it.
though your delusion may have fatal repercussions, others EFFECT: When you meet with any danger, be it a fearsome
are more likely to fear or pity you than to attack. A Turam- foe such as the Lord of the Nazgl or a nigh-insurmountable
bar should limit this sort of delusion carefully, or the charac- obstacle like the passage of Moria, you must confront and
ter may not be able to participate meaningfully in the story. chance it, unless you succeed at TN 25 Wisdom test. Each
round that you are in combat, make a Wisdom test against
TN 20 to avoid taking only offensive actions.
Most sensible people avoid you (you suffer a 3 penalty
to all Esteem tests the Turambar makes for anyone who real-
ises that you are Fey). Barbarians and nave people will mis-
take your disregard for your own life for bravery, giving you a
+3 bonus to Esteem tests.
166
GLUTTON
Picks Gained: 10
You are overfond of good food and drink. IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this flaw at a greater lev-
EFFECT: Given the chance, you must always burden your- el. Each additional level increases the TN for the Wisdom
self with extra provisions. You should never willingly miss a test by +5 (maximum TN of 30).
meal. Presented with a tempting fine morsel, or a cup of
Dorwinadan wine which, for some reason, you should resist,
you must succeed at a TN 20 Will test to do so. It is not a
LAZY
terrible weakness to be a glutton, but by its nature it will Picks Gained: 20
soon be obvious to everyone who meets you.
You are almost violently averse to physical labour.
GRASPING EFFECT: You must avoid work, especially hard work, and
roleplay it accordingly. If you are under the command of a
Picks Gained: 20 master, liege-lord, or similar person, he will ignore you when
it comes to promotions. You cannot take any ability related
Avaricious and miserly, you desire gold and riches above to a craft or any job which requires a high level of personal
all other things. ambition (such as Command), and any income from an oc-
EFFECT: When wealth falls into your path, you must suc- cupation is halved.
ceed at TN 25 Fortitude test to resist its lure. Otherwise,
you must do whatever you can to obtain it. The Turambar
may modify this TN if the money involved is small relative to LOSS OF MEMORY
your own wealth. Small amounts of money will not tempt a
rich character (much), but a poor character will suffer a +5 Picks Gained: 20 or 50
TN modifier (or even greater) if a rich prize is in the offing. You have lost your memory and cannot remember any of
your past life, including your name.
GULLIBLE EFFECT: You suffer from a partial Loss of Memory and
can see your Character Sheet, but the Turambar may reserve
Picks Gained: 20 up to 60 picks for use as he sees fit for flaws. Other than the-
You are very credulous person, believing almost anything se secret flaws, you know that you can do certain things and
you are told, regardless who pulls your leg. use certain skills, but have no idea where you learned how to
EFFECT: If you want to see trough a lie or an incredible do them. You are likely to have enemiesand possibly
story, you must engage in opposed test, pitting the deceivers friendsthat you cannot remember. If you turn yourself in
applicable skill (usually Act, Debate, or Persuade) against to the city-guard, they might help to discover who you are
your Wisdom. If the story seems to be realistic, or if you but you might turn out to be a wanted criminal. Even if you
cannot know the truth, your Wisdom test suffers a 8 penal- are an honest citizen, finding out your name will not restore
ty. To see trough an obvious lie or a story related to a topic your memory.
you are familiar with, your Wisdom test is penalised by only This flaw can only be bought off if there is some ra-
4. You cannot develop the Discern skill, and you suffer a 4 tionale for the victim recovering his memory. Meeting an old
penalty to all Debate (Bargain) tests. friend, reliving some fateful event, or the ever-popular blow-
to-the-head are all reasonable. In most cases, the cure will be
related to the cause of the memory loss. (20 picks)
INQUISITIVE IMPROVEMENT: A total Loss of Memory is far more seri-
Picks Gained: 10 per level ous. The skills falling under the Physical test class are unaf-
fected, but the Turambar makes all tests for you because you
You are naturally very curious. have no idea what you can do until you try it. Likewise, the
EFFECT: When you are presented with an interesting item Turambar makes all of your Academic and Influence test
or situation, you must succeed at a TN 20 Wisdom test to class skill tests, but at a 3 test result penalty. You have no
avoid examining it, even if you know it will be dangerous. idea what talents, edges, flaws, and skills you have. If a player
Good roleplayers should not try to make this test very often. chooses to play a character with this flaw, the only things he
This is not the kind of curiosity that affects all player can choose when designing it are those things that can be
characters (Whats in the cave? Where did the crebain come seen in a mirror. Everything else is assigned by the Turambar
from?), but real nosiness (What happens if I put on that (and the Turambar holds on to the original Character Sheet
ring?). You will generally do everything in your power to in- until his memory is restored).
vestigate any situation with which you are not completely If you are playing a character with a total Loss of
familiar; when faced with a real mystery, you simply may not Memory, the Turambar knows what your mental traits and
turn your back on it. You will rationalise your inquisitiveness characteristics arebut you do not. So, from time to time,
to others who try to talk you out of it. Having the Common he will overrule your statements about what you are doing.
Sense talent wont helpyou know you are taking a risk, but For instance, you will not know you have the Battle-fury flaw
you are Inquisitive anyway. until you go berserk. (50 picks)
167
LOVE OVERCONFIDENT
You are deeply in love with your spouse, an unattainable You think you are far more powerful, intelligent, and
person of desire, or you simply love and worry about your competent than you really are, and you miss no opportunity
children or parents. to show it to others.
EFFECT: You cannot do anything that could bring harm EFFECT: Any time (in the Turambars opinion) you show
on the person you love. Instead, you would risk quite a lot an unreasonable degree of caution, you must succeed at Wis-
(even your life) before she is hurt or insulted in any way. Fur- dom test against TN 25. A failed test means you cannot be
thermore, you are not willing to part from your beloved one, cautious and must go ahead as though you were able to han-
and must succeed on a TN 25 Wisdom test to do so if abso- dle the situation. Against young or nave characters, your re-
lutely necessary. If you have to leave her for more than one ceive a +3 bonus to all Esteem and Social skill tests, but you
day, you need to make a Wisdom test each day, starting at suffer a 3 test result penalty when you are dealing with ex-
TN 20. The TN increases by +1 each week you are parted perienced and wise characters.
from your beloved one (to a maximum TN of 30). If you ever
fail the test, you must do all you can to immediately return to PASSIVE
your love.
Picks Gained: 20
MISER You are difficult to aggravateyou are not aggressive or
Picks Gained: 15 confrontational. You prefer to talk your way out of a fight
and, failing that, let the aggressor work out his frustrations
You are extremely concerned with keeping your money. without him hitting you. However, you can motivate yourself
EFFECT: You are not necessarily Grasping, although you to excitation if absolutely necessary.
could be. You undeniably want to keep the money you have. EFFECT: Whenever you get involved in a fight, you suffer a
You must succeed at a TN 20 Will test any time you are special 3 test result penalty to all offensive actions until you
called on to spend money, and you must always hunt for the get worked up. At the end of each round, make a TN 20
best deal possible. If the expenditure is large, the Will test Fortitude test to see if you are worked up. On a success, you
may be against TN 25 or higher. A failed test means you will have and no longer suffer the test result penalty to offensive
refuse to spend the moneyor, if the money absolutely must actions.
be spent, you should bargain and complain interminably.
PEACE-LOVING
OBLIVIOUS
Picks Gained: variable
Picks Gained: 30
You are opposed to violence, for you feel that it accom-
You have a hard time noticing things. plishes little or nothing.
EFFECT: You suffer a 3 penalty to all tests of skills of the EFFECT: There are three different forms of this flaw, each
Perception skill category. with its own pick value:
TOTAL NON-VIOLENCE: You will not lift a hand against
OBSESSED another intelligent creature, for any reason. You must do
your non-violent best to discourage violent behaviour in oth-
Picks Gained: variable ers, too. You are free to defend yourself against attacks by an-
imals, mosquitoes, and so on. (60 picks)
Your will is fixed upon a single goal. Everything you do is
SELF-DEFENCE ONLY: You will only fight to defend your-
intended to further this goal. This is not a daily habit, but an
self or those in your care, using only as much force as may be
overpowering fixation which motivates all your actions.
necessary. Pre-emptive strikes are not allowed. You must do
EFFECT: To play an Obsessed character, you must be able
your best to discourage others from starting fights. (30 picks)
to rationalise all of his actions as an attempt to reach his goal.
CANNOT KILL: You may fight freely, and even start a
A TN 25 Fortitude test is required any time you are request-
fight, but you may never do anything that seems likely to kill
ed or forced to do something that does not further your goal.
another. This includes abandoning a wounded foe to die.
A short-term goal, like assassinating someone or successfully
You must do your best to keep your companions from kill-
seducing a particular person, grants you 10 picks. A larger
ing, too. If you kill someone by accident or feel responsible
goal, like getting to a hard-to-reach place or becoming a
for a death, you immediately suffer a breakdown. You will be
Lord, would merit 20 or even 30 picks. If and when your goal
totally morose and useless for 3d6 days. During this time,
is reached, you must substitute a new goal or buy off this flaw
you must succeed at a TN 20 Fortitude test to offer any sort
with advancement picks.
of violence toward anyone, for any reason. (30 picks)
168
PHOBIA PHOBIA 2: The thing you fear will be encountered more

often, or your phobia denies you the use of something rather
Picks Gained: 10 per level (x 2 in case of a severe phobia) helpful (for example, the fear of blood, death and the dead,
dirt, heights, insects, loud noises, large bodies of water, open
A phobia is a fear of a specific item, beast, or circum-
spaces, Orcs, armour, or magic).
stance, and you suffer from one or more. Many fears are rea-
PHOBIA 3: The thing you fear will be encountered almost
sonable, but a phobia is unreasonable, unreasoning, morbid
daily, or your phobia otherwise greatly affects your life (for
fear.
example, the fear of crowds, darkness, enclosed spaces, wom-
EFFECT: The more common an object or situation, the
en, strange and unknown things, or weapons).
more picks your Phobia warrants. Phobias may be mild or
severe; the severe version is worth twice the listed amount of
picks. POOR CONCENTRATION
If you have a mild phobia, you may master it by making a
Picks Gained: 20
successful Fortitude test against TN 20. For example, if you
have fear of heights, you may still go onto the roof of a tall Your attention span is shorter than most. You are easily
building if you can first pass the Fortitude test. However, the distracted: whenever you try to concentrate on the matter at
fear persists: Even if you master your phobia in this way, you hand, you notice all of the things around you.
will be frightened (i.e., suffer a 2 penalty on all tests), and EFFECT: Due to your short attention span, any task that
you must pass another Fortitude test every ten minutes to see requires you to concentrate on for more than half a minute
if the fear finally overcomes you. If you fail a Fortitude test, (i.e., most uses of Lore skills, some spells, loading siege-
you become unmanned and will cringle, flee, panic, or other- engines, and so on) suffers a 5 test result penalty.
wise react in a manner that precludes sensible action.
If you suffer from a severe phobia (worth double picks), QUEASY
you are deathly afraid. Normally you would simply refuse
contact with the feared situation. If forced into contact with Picks Gained: 20
the object of your fear, make a Fortitude test against TN 25.
Any time you see blood, it makes you uneasy.
Even upon a success, you will suffer a 4 penalty on all tests
EFFECT: Each time you even glance at something gory, you
while the cause of your fear persists. In addition, you have to
must succeed at a TN 25 Fortitude test. If the test fails, you
make another Fortitude test every ten minutes to see if you
suffer a3 test result penalty per LoF to all of your actions
finally become unmanned and suffer the effects described
until you can get away from the scene.
above.
If a phobia victim is threatened with the feared object, he
must immediately make a Fortitude test against TN 25 RECKLESS
(whether the phobia is mild or severe). If enemies actually in- Picks Gained: 25
flict the feared object on him, he must make the Fortitude
test against the normal TN (as above). If the test fails, the You scorn to waste time and effort on subtle plans and
victim breaks down, but does not necessarily talksee the preparations, preferring action, even hasty action, above all
Inquire (Interrogate) skill. Some people can panic and fall else.
apart but will still refuse to talk, just as some people will not EFFECT: You tend to act first and think later. You do not
talk under torture. wait around for events to unfold themselves, you charge into
Below is a list of some common phobias; remember to fray and see what happens around youyou just take life as
double the picks gained if you suffer from a severe form. (To it is sent to you. You should try hard to accurately roleplay
give your character depth, you may take any of the below this flaw. If it is absolutely necessary to wait and ponder, you
phobias, in a very mild form, as dislikes. These are Quirks, must either succeed at a TN 25 Wisdom test to do so, or
worth 2 picks each, and have no specific penalties; they are others must try to dissuade you from your chosen course of
merely an opportunity for roleplaying. Or, if you suffer from action. However, any tests they make to do so are subject to a
a real phobia, you may try to pass it off as a mere dislike 8 penalty.
until the moment of truth comes and you fail a Fortitude
test. The Turambar may be requested to make your tests in
secret, to help conceal your phobia as long as possible.)
PHOBIA 1: The thing you are afraid of will only be encoun-
tered occasionally or will not require you to interact with it
very much, like the fear of a certain number (13, for exam-
ple), dogs, spiders, dragons, or mechanical devices.
169
SADIST trauma that causes them. Flashbacks are very appropriate as

results from failed tests to resist Fear, regardless of other re-
Picks Gained: 30 sults (LSF 0 on a test to resist Fear counts as a failure for
this purpose). In any other situation which the Turambar
You enjoy causing pain, either mentally or physically.
feels is stressful and (at least faintly) related to your trauma,
REQUISITE: This is a particularly evil flaw, more appro-
he may roll 2d10on a 5 or less, you will experience a flash-
priate to NPC villains than to heroic player characters. Most
back.
likely your Turambar will completely prohibit this flaw (as
At the basic level, a traumatic flashback lasts only 1d5
he can prohibit any other flaw he does not wish to be ob-
rounds, and the attendant hallucinations do not seriously
tained by anyone taking part in his tale as a PC).
impair your actions (i.e., you suffer a general 3 test result
EFFECT: Whenever you can, you must indulge your sadis-
penalty), and the accompanying delusions are minoryou
tic habits. You may conceal your weakness from close friends
realise that you are having a flashback.
for a little while, but eventually they start to notice the pain
IMPROVEMENT: Some suffer from a more severe Trauma:
you inflict on those around you. People react negatively to a
TRAUMA 2: The duration of your flashbacks is 1d5
known Sadist (resulting in a 5 penalty to all your tests of
minutes, and the seemingly real delusion seriously impairs
Esteem and Social skills), unless they are from cultures hold-
your actions (i.e., you suffer a general 6 test result penalty).
ing life in little esteem (as is the case with Orcs, for instance).
TRAUMA 3: The duration of your flashbacks is 2d10
Many will want to see you burn at the stake.
minutes, and the hallucinations you suffer are so severe that
When a sadistic character has an opportunity to indulge
they preclude all actions. The flashback seems completely re-
his desires, but knows he should not (for example, because
al and can be potentially fatal, as you perceive nothing at all
the prisoner is one that should be released unharmed), he
of the real world. (32 picks)
must succeed at a TN 25 Fortitude test to restrain himself.
SENSE OF DUTY TRUTHFUL

Picks Gained: 15
You hate to tell a lieor you are just bad at it.
By your own sense of honour, you feel that you have a re-
EFFECT: To keep silent about an uncomfortable truth (i.e.,
sponsibility towards someone or something.
lying by omission), you must succeed in a TN 20 Will test.
EFFECT: A Sense of Duty is an internal feeling, one you
To actually tell a falsehood, you must succeed in a TN 25
have placed upon yourself. You will never betray, harm, or
Will test. A failed test means you blurt out the truth, or
mislead those to whom you have a Sense of Duty. Your
stumble so much that your lie is obvious. (If someone is using
Sense of Duty is towards a close friend or small group.
Discern on you to detect a lie, he receives a +7 test result bo-
IMPROVEMENT: Some feel a Sense of Duty towards a larg-
nus.)
er group of people:
SENSE OF DUTY 2: As above, except you have a Sense of
Duty towards a town or a city. VULNERABLE TO SORCERY
SENSE OF DUTY 3: As above, except you have a Sense of
Duty towards an entire realm or equally large group.
You are particularly susceptible to Sorcery.
SUPERSTITIOUS EFFECT: You are more likely to be affected by sorceries
than most people. However, this does not increase your
Picks Gained: 10 chances to use Sorcery yourself.
Whenever someone targets you with a spell that can be
You are superstitious, often reading omens into anything
resisted in one way or the other (by making a Fortitude or a
you encounter.
Wisdom test, for instance), your level at this flaw is subtract-
EFFECT: You always observe the various good luck and
ed from the result of your resistance test. In other words,
bad luck practices of your culture. Your mood and morale are
Vulnerable to Sorcery makes it harder to resist spells which
often affected by these omens.
(1) entitle you to a resistance test and (2) are directly aimed
at you. Whats more, it also lowers your resistance against
TRAUMATISED magical potions and similar substances.
Vulnerable to Sorcery does not make you more prone to
Picks Gained: 8 per level (unless stated otherwise) (1) ranged spells such as Fiery Missile or Lightning; (2) at-
When confronted with something that reminds of a tacks by enchanted weapons; and (3) mass-effect spells in
traumatic experience, you may suffer from flashbacksvivid which the spell is not thrown directly on you, like Misdirec-
hallucinations, full-participation replays of memories, or any tion or a scaled Blinding Flash.
other similar phenomena. IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this flaw at a greater lev-
EFFECT: During character creation, you may choose what el. Each additional level increases the test result penalty for
triggers your flashbacks (subject to the Turambars approv- resisting spells of Sorcery targeted against you by 1 (maxi-
al), but it should be at least loosely connected to the mum of 8).
170
VULNERABLE TO THE ART EFFECT: By virtue of your oath, you must obey the lawful
commands of your liege-lord, and he in turn must render to
Picks Gained: 2 per level you the rewards and honours due one of your stature and
service. If you break your oath, he can punish you as he sees
You are especially susceptible to magic as wielded by the
fit, and you suffer a 10 penalty on all Esteem and Social
Elves and some other peoples.
skill tests with those who know of your faithlessness, until
EFFECT: Whenever you are the target of a spell of the Art
you find a way to repair your fault.
that can be resisted in one way or the other (by making a
Usually, you may only swear Fealty to nobles one at a
Fortitude or a Wisdom test, for instance), subtract your level
time. The Turambar may allow you to declare allegiance to
at this talent from the result of your resistance test.
other men, as she sees fit. Many Fealties end after a specified
Vulnerable to the Art has no effects whatsoever on your
period of time. You must buy off the extra picks gained for a
chances to resist spells of Sorcery, and it does not interfere in
Fealty by spending an appropriate amount of advancement
any way with your own attempts to wield the Art.
picks when it ends. If a character wants to end a Fealty before
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this flaw at a greater lev-
its stated time, the liege-lord will exact a penaltya quest or
el. Each additional level increases your test result penalty for
other penance could be appropriate.
resisting the Art by 1 (maximum of 8).
WEAK-WILLED HATRED
You feel loathing and spite for a person or people and
You possess little will and often have difficulty resisting
cannot hide your scorn except with great effort.
the blandishments or threats of others.
EFFECT: You must select a person, group, or people whom
EFFECT: You suffer a 1 penalty to Bearing, Will, and
you hate. The subject of your hate must be one with whom
Fortitude tests of any kind (but not to tests of skills governed
you might usually enjoy cordialor at least neutral
by these attributes).
relations. You cannot have a Hatred of any servants of the
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this flaw at a greater lev-
Shadow, for all Free Peoples hate the Shadow as it hates
el. Each additional level increases the test result penalty by
them. When you treat with the object of your hatred, you
1 (maximum of 8).
must succeed at a TN 25 Fortitude test, or else your dislike
is plain and causes you to suffer a 5/LoF test penalty for all
SOCIAL FLAWS Esteem and Social skill tests.
IMPROVEMENT: Some have an aversion against more than
just one people, and they may take this flaw at a greater level:
These flaws hinder your ability to interact with other
HATRED 2: You despise anyone not of your own race (or,
people, fellows and strangers alike, in way or the other.
alternatively, rank).
ARROGANT HUMOURLESS
Picks Gained: 15
Picks Gained: 15
Scornful of those beneath you or of peoples other than
You never get any jokesyou think everyone is earnestly
your own, you have trouble understanding them or speaking
serious at all times. Likewise, you never joke, and you are
kindly with them.
earnestly serious at all times.
EFFECT: You cannot spend Ambar points on tests with
EFFECT: In any situation where this flaw becomes evident,
Social skills, and lower-ranking characters who get to feel
you receive a 3 penalty on all tests of Esteem and Social
your arrogance react badly towards you (unless they are naive
skill, since people react poorly to you.
or compliant enough to get cowed by you). Any Esteem tests
by those you treat arrogantly suffer a 3 penalty.
ILL-TEMPERED
FEALTY Picks Gained: 20
Picks Gained: 20 You are not in full control of your emotionsswift in
anger and quick to laugh.
You have sworn an oath of allegiance and obedience to a
EFFECT: In any stressful situation, you must make a TN
lord or ruler and must now comply with his commands and
25 Fortitude test. A failed test means you lose your temper,
the other requirements of your oath. If you fail to keep faith
and must insult, mock, attack, or otherwise act against the
in this matter, you suffer the full weight of your lords dis-
cause of the stress. Likewise, in any funny situation, you must
pleasure, and other men scorn you.
play the joke unless you succeed at a Fortitude testeven if
your behaviour could embarrass you.
171
JEALOUS direct effect on its own, but it may have substantial story ef-
fects: Higher-ranking folk may treat you with disrespect, you
Picks Gained: 15 may be bound to your native soil and have to labour from
sunrise to sunset, and so on. See the Social Rank Table on
You dislike any person who seems to be smarter, more
page 16 for sample occupations and positions in society. If
attractive, or otherwise better-off than you.
you characters race is not listed on that table, you might wish
EFFECT: First and foremost, you must convincingly
to make up a similar table together with your Turambar.
roleplay your jealousy. Second, you must try to resist any
plan proposed by any seemingly better-off rivalyou hate it
if someone else is in the limelight. If someone notices you are ODIOUS HABITS
Jealous of him, your tests of Social skills (and Esteem)
against (or by) him will suffer a 3 penalty.
You behave, some or all of the time, in a fashion repug-
LECHEROUS nant to others.
EFFECT: The worse your behaviour, the more extra picks
Picks Gained: 30 you gain as a recompense. You may specify the behaviour
when the character is first created, and determine the num-
You suffer from an unusually strong desire for romance.
ber of picks gained together with the Turambar. For each 10
EFFECT: Whenever in more than the briefest contact with
picks you gain for your Odious Habits, you suffer a 2 pen-
an attractive member of the opposite sex (i.e., someone Fair
alty to all tests of Esteem and Social skills made by or against
or with a Bearing of 12 or higher), you must try to allure her
someone in a position to notice your problem.
(or him) to you, no matter what else is happening. This
Below is a list of some commonly encountered awkward
could lead to a serious breach of etiquette, a nasty disease, or
habits or features. Note that a single habit or trait suffices to
even a new spouse, but you cannot help yourself. If you feel
gain the picks for a particular level; if you choose more than
the need to restrain yourself from seducing someone, you
one Odious Habit in any level, you receive another set of ex-
must succeed in a Will test against TN 20 (+5 for each level
tra picks as a trade-off.
of the Fair talent the desired person has).
ODIOUS HABITS 1: Body odour, constant scratching, tune-
Unless the object of your affection is Fair, you need not
less humming, and so on. When people notice your habit,
make a test more than once a day to avoid making an ad-
they will tend to regard you with disdain, possibly loathing.
vance. If a specific character turns you down very firmly, the
Yet, even though your habit annoys people, you do not utter-
Turambar may allow you a bonus on further tests. Note also
ly disgust them.
that a Lecherous character may change his or her standards
ODIOUS HABITS 2: Constantly bad puns, nose-picking,
of attractiveness if no truly attractive members of the oppo-
spitting on the floor, foul breath, and so on. People are cer-
site sex are available.
tainly disgusted by your repulsive behaviour.
ODIOUS HABITS 3: Nasty habits at this level are possible,
LOST FAVOUR but left to the imagination of those depraved enough to want
them. In any case, your Odious Habits make everyone in the
Picks Gained: 5
room get up and leave.
You were once close with a member of the upper echelon
of society. Some event occurred that caused you to lose fa- OUTSIDER
vour with the person and now they will have nothing to do
with you. Picks Gained: 20
EFFECT: You and the Turambar should determine what
You are of a race, rank, or sex that your culture considers
happened an whether or not you are innocent. Regardless,
inferior. Examples include people descended from Dunlend-
the person will no longer have anything to do with you, will
ings or Woses who live in Rohan, a peasant or a servant from
provide no assistance, and may try to hinder you whenever
the local population in a realm ruled by Black Nmenreans,
possible (but will certainly do so whenever your paths cross).
or a woman in Haradrim society.
EFFECT: You suffer a 3 test penalty to all Social skill and
LOW-RANKING Esteem tests when dealing with a member of the oppressing
majority, but you receive a +3 bonus when dealing with other
members of your minority or group.
Born a lowly and hard-toiling commoner, you have led a
troublesome, yet careless life in your past.
EFFECT: This flaw allows you to obtain a Social Rank be-
tween 5 to 1. Unless a Turambar uses the option on Es-
teem tests (see pages 17 and 242), a negative Social Rank has no
172
POOR SHY
Picks Gained: 10 per level Picks Gained: 12 per level
You were born poor, relative to the norm of your culture, You feel uneasy in the presence of strangers.
or have lost your wealth and possessions somehow. EFFECT: You are somewhat uncomfortable around
EFFECT: You start with only half (50%) of the wealth strangers, especially assertive or attractive ones. You must
normal for a beginning character of your race. roleplay your shyness and suffer a 2 penalty whenever you
If you were born poor and grew up in poverty, your are required to deal with the public (i.e., especially tests of
choice of skills should reflect this lifestyle. For instance, it is Artistic and Social skills are affected by this flaw).
fairly unlikely that you have learned how to wield a sword or IMPROVEMENT: Some suffer from an almost crippling
manoeuvre effectively in chainmail armourmastering in- shyness. Note that this flaw can only be bought off one level
stead the weapons of a peasant, such as club, spear, or bow. at a time.
Even in educated cultures where most people can read, it is SHY 2: Your uneasiness in the presence of strangers is ra-
quite probable that you are Illiterate. However, as a special ther strong, and you tend to be reserved and quiet even in the
recompense, you may double the picks gained for this flaw. company of your friends. The penalty to applicable tests of
IMPROVEMENT: You start with an even smaller fraction of Social skills is 4.
the wealth normal for a beginning character: SHY 3: You avoid strangers whenever possible and are in-
POOR 2: As above, except that you start with only one capable of public speaking. You may not develop any skill
fifth (20%) of the wealth normal for a beginning character of that involves dealing with the public; the penalty for the un-
your race. trained use of any such skill is increased by 4.
POOR 3: As above, except that you have no other belong-
ings than the ragged clothes you are wearing. STIFF-NECKED
PROUD Picks Gained: 10
Picks Gained: 20 Stubborn and prideful, you refuse to obey others when
you find their commands insulting, or to change your mind
Headstrong and possessed of overweening pride, you do once you have made your decision.
not suffer insults or taunts well and rarely accept any counsel EFFECT: You always want your own way. Make yourself
but your own. generally hard to get along withby roleplaying accordingly.
EFFECT: If someone mocks or insults you, even gently, you Your fellows may have to resort to duping you to get you to
must succeed at a Will test against TN 20 or greater, or take go along with perfectly reasonable plans. If you set your mind
offence. If you take offence, you must react in an appropriate to a contrary course of suggested action, you must resist all
manner, whether that be remembering the insult so you can attempts to sway your decision not to obey, unless you suc-
redress it later, responding in kind, or attacking your tormen- ceed at a TN 25 Wisdom test. Alternatively, if others active-
tor. In like manner, if another taunts you with your lack of ly try to dissuade you from your chosen course of action, you
bravery or skill, you must succeed at a TN 25 Wisdom test receive a +3 bonus for your opposed Wisdom test to resist
or accept the challenge implied by the taunt, no matter how persuasion.
foolish or dangerous it may be. If you receive strong advice
on a matter of import, you must succeed at a TN 20 Wis- STUTTER
dom test or reject that counsel utterly, no matter how sound.
Picks Gained: 20
RUFFIAN You suffer from a stammer or other speech impediment
Picks Gained: 20 (like a disturbing voice) that makes it hard or unpleasant to
listen to you.
Like Bill Ferny, you indulge in pushing around and hin- EFFECT: Any skill test that requires speech suffers a 3
dering people whenever you can get away with it. test result penalty, and you may not obtain any specialties in
EFFECT: Depending on your personality and position, such skills (i.e., for example, Debate, Inspire, or Persuade).
your behaviour may take the form of physical attacks, intel- The Turambar may require you to act out your speech im-
lectual harassment, or social cutting. Make a TN 25 Forti- pediment.
tude test to avoid gross intimidation when you know you
shouldntbut to roleplay your character properly, you
should bully anybody you can (and, obviously, this character
should be an NPC the Turambar prepares). Since nobody
likes a Ruffian, you suffer a 3 penalty to all tests of Esteem
and Social skills.
173
SUSPICIOUS CURSED
You believe that everyone wants to cause you harm. You Maybe unbeknownst to you, you have been cursed with
stay constantly alert, watching those who are plotting against some foul sorcery of the Shadow.
you. You may have one or two true friends you can trust, but EFFECT: When anything goes wrong for your party, it
you are wary of everyone else. Although, how do you know happens to you first and worst, or, if possible, exclusively. If
you can really trust your friends? Maybe they are trying to something goes right, it misses you. And any time the Tu-
lead you into a false sense of security. rambar feels like tormenting you (usually in a non-literal, but
EFFECT: People tend to react negatively to Suspicious mean way), he can, and you have no complaint coming, be-
characters (resulting in a 3 penalty to all your tests of Es- cause you are Cursed.
teem and Social skills), and you could suffer from delusions You cannot buy this flaw off just by spending advance-
as well. You should try your best to roleplay your distrust. ment picksyou must determine what has cursed you and
Remember, just because you are Suspicious does not mean deal with it, and then spend the picks.
that they are not out to get you.
DARK SECRET
UGLY
Your heart holds some dread secret, one so terrible it
For one reason or another, you look unappealing, if not would shame you if others were to learn of it.
ugly. EFFECT: Speak with your Turambar and determine what
EFFECT: You look vaguely unappealing and suffer a 1 type of secret you have. It must be something that would
penalty to tests of Esteem and Social skills when dealing with harm you if revealed, but not something so unheroic that it
members of your own people. The penalty does not apply prevents you from joining your comrades on noble adven-
when dealing with strangers because your unattractiveness is tures. For example, Sarumans treachery was a Dark Secret
too subtle for them to notice. he carried for many long years, but no true hero could have
IMPROVEMENT: Those who look ugly (or downright hide- such a secret, since it means hes not a hero at all. Proper
ous) suffer even worse reactions from their neighbours: Dark Secrets for heroes include having once shown coward-
UGLY 2: Upon taking this flaw, specify what makes you ice, carrying on a love affair with another mans wife, or false-
look ugly. This could be anything minor like stringy hair or ly claiming high ancestry.
snaggle teeth. You suffer a 3 penalty to all tests of Esteem If your secret is discovered, it will cause you much embar-
and Social skills. rassment and pain: When you meet one who knows your
UGLY 3: Upon taking this flaw, specify what makes you Dark Secret, you suffer a 10 penalty on all Esteem and So-
look hideous: a hunchback, a severe skin disease, a crippled cial skill testsand any other tests the Turambar judges
limbpreferably several things at once. You suffer a 5 pen- would be affected.
alty to all tests of Esteem and Social skills. IMPROVEMENT: Some may hide even worse secrets:
DARK SECRET 2: As above, except if your ark Secret is dis-
covered, it could cause you to be either exiled or imprisoned,
SPECIAL FLAWS or it could cause you to be injured severely (but not killed).
DARK SECRET 3: As above, except if your Dark Secret is
These are flaws that do not quite fit into either of the discovered, it could cause your death.
other categories.
BREAKER
Picks Gained: 30
You tend to break equipment more often than would
seem to be normal. You either force it too much, or stress it
to the point where it snaps.
EFFECT: All Breakage Numbers for any weapons you use
are automatically reduced by 2. Additionally, all breakage
tests the Turambar calls for you make for equipment other
than weapons suffer a 4 penalty.
174
DEPENDENT IMPROVEMENT: Some are called to duty more often:

DUTY 2: As above, except that the chance of being sum-
Picks Gained: 10 per level moned is 50% (i.e., 0150 on a 1d100).
DUTY 3: As above, except that the chance of being sum-
You have a person in your life that you deeply care about.
moned is 75% (i.e., 0175 on a 1d100).
EFFECT: Your Dependent may be used against you in or-
INVOLUNTARY DUTY: Some duties are enforced by per-
der to persuade (or force) you to do something you would
sonal threats, or by threats to loved ones, and therefore grant
normally be against. In addition, your Dependent could in-
an extra 10 picks. Such a forced Duty can result in difficult
advertently walk into a situation that requires you to rescue
decisions or surprising insights for the affected character. An
them. For instance, your child could follow you into a haunt-
Involuntary Duty would not include being enlisted as a sol-
ed house wanting to see what you are doing. Your Depend-
dier (although service by impressment, as sometimes prac-
ent requires you to protect him in some way (to be a flaw);
ticed by the Umbarean navy, would qualify), nor would any
normally, you need to stay with your Dependent most of the
other normal service. Only cases where life or sanity are di-
time (or take them with you if you are going on a journey;
rectly at stake qualify.
therefore, this flaw is different from Love). A family that
stays at home in the country, free from harm is not a De-
pendent. Nor is your brother who happens to be the greatest ENEMY
swordsman in the Anduin Valesif they are able to protect
Picks Gained: variable
themselves, they are not dependents. Your Dependent is a
single person of average ability. Your heroic conduct and goals have earned you an enemy
IMPROVEMENT: One who needs to care for a group of who grudges your achievements and would keep you from
people, or somebody weak and vulnerable, may take this flaw further success if he could. Be this foe one man, a small group
at a greater level: of men, or the entire host of the Dark Lord, they are bound
DEPENDENT 2: As above, except you have more than one to stop at nothing to defeat you.
Dependent, or you have one person who has below average EFFECT: After speaking with your Turambar, you must
capabilities (for example, a child or an old relative). choose a single person (Saruman, a Dunlending chieftain,
DEPENDENT 3: As above, except you have more than one and so on) or a small group (a tribe of Orcs, the Rangers of
Dependent and they all have below average capabilities. the North, and so on) to be your Enemy. Though he or they
may not work against you in every adventure, your Enemy
DUTY always bears you ill will and often finds ways to hinder you
or even try to slay you. The pick value of an Enemy is gov-
Picks Gained: 10 per level erned by his power, plus the likelihood that it will show up in
any given adventure.
An obligation has been laid upon you, whether by a
Your Enemys actions depend on the Turambars plans.
promise you made or the responsibilities you and your family
Typically when preparing an adventure, the Turambar rolls
possess from position or inheritance. If you fail to fulfil your
1d100. Depending on the outcome of the roll and the Fre-
duty, others think less of you.
quency of Appearance you chose (see below), your Enemy
EFFECT: You have a significant responsibility to a particu-
may become part of the story. This may mean he attacks you,
lar individual, a group of people, or a realm, and you are per-
but it could involve other ways of interfering with your plans,
sonally committed to that responsibility. Duties may come
such as taking hostage your wife or child, or stealing the book
from an arduous trade, a feudal responsibility, or elsewhere.
of lore you need.
A Duty is something imposed upon you from the outside,
not something you feel you have to do (i.e., a Sense of Duty POWER: The more powerful your Enemy, the more picks
as described above). You may determine exactly who or what you receive for taking this flaw. The Turambar sets this value
you have a Duty to, but the Turambar must approve it. As a according to the following guidelines:
rule of thumb, a Duty should (at least occasionally) force you A single fairly dangerous villain like Bill Ferny or a rival
to risk your life or rank; otherwise, reduce its value by 10 wizards pupil: 10 picks
picks. A single very formidable individual, or a group of 3 to 5
Once per month, or at the beginning of each chapter of a normal or average people, such as Grma Worm-
tale, the Turambar will make a roll to determine if you are tongue, Gollum, or the four brothers of the man you
called to Duty during that time. The percentage chance that killed in a duel: 20 picks
you will be summoned is 25% (i.e., 0125 on a 1d100). The A medium-sized group (6 to 20 people) such as a clan
effects of a Duty depend upon your obligation. A character of rogues (which may number several scores, but they
known to have failed to fulfil his Duty usually suffers a 5 are not all after you at once), or a single extremely
(or greater) penalty on all tests of Social skills and Esteem. powerful individual like Saruman: 40 picks
Nobles often have Duties relating to their position. A A large group (20 to 1,000 people) such as an entire
noble who shirks his Duty, whether one set down by the law Orc-tribe, or a medium-sized group which includes
or simply assumed due to long custom or the expectations of some formidable individuals, like the priesthood of
his people, loses any special abilities he has which require it, Carn Dm: 60 picks
until he finds a way to make amends for his failure.
175
An entire realm, or all servants of the Shadow (which ILLITERATE

number in the tens of thousands, but they are not all
after you at once): 80 picks Picks Gained: 15
FREQUENCY OF APPEARANCE: As stated above, at the be- Unlike most other members of your race, you do not
ginning of each adventure, or each chapter of a continuing know how to read and write.
tale, the Turambar rolls 1d100 for each Enemy to see if he REQUISITE: You must belong to a race whose members are
appears. Literate by default to be allowed to take this flaw; of the peo-
If the Enemy appears almost all the time (roll of 01 ples dwelling in North-western Middle-earth, it is assumed
90): triple the listed pick gain that the vast majority of Elves, Dwarves, Dnedain, and
If the Enemy appears quite often (roll of 0170): Hobbits know how to read and write at least one script.
double the listed pick gain EFFECT: You cannot express yourself in written form, and
If the Enemy appears fairly often (roll of 0140): neither can you read. Note that it is no flaw to be illiterate in
use the listed pick gain one script while you know another one which is frequently
If the Enemy appears quite rarely (roll of 0110): used in the area where your tale takes place.
halve the listed pick gain (round up)
ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES: You are responsible for deter- INCOMPETENT
mining the nature of your Enemy when you first create your Picks Gained: 2 per skill
character; you should explain to the Turambar why this en-
emy is after you. However, the Turambar should feel free to You are inept or have a mental block against learning a
fill in the detailsbecause the Enemies, once created, are his particular skill (or a number of skills).
characters. Whenever the Turambar determines that an En- EFFECT: Define any number of skills in which you are In-
emy should show up, he must decide how and where he will competent. However, you may only choose from those skills
become involved. If an enemy is very powerful, or if several in which you could acquire ranks during your characters
characters Enemies show up at the same time, the whole youth development (see Table 4.2, page 73). Being Incompe-
chapter may be influenced. tent always affects all varieties of a defined skill, not only a
If you take a very powerful Enemy, you are likely to be single specialty, sub-skill, or skill group. You cannot obtain
imprisoned or killed before long. On the other hand, if you any ranks in a skill at which you are Incompetent, and if the
start with a weak Enemy or play cleverly, you may manage to skill can be used untrained at all, you suffer a special 5 test
kill or eliminate your foe, or permanently change his attitude result penalty with it.
toward you. When you eliminate an Enemy this way, you For every skill you define your character to be Incompe-
must choose to do one the following: tent in, you receive 2 pick as a trade-off. You are not allowed
(1) Pay enough advancement picks to buy off the origi- to be incompetent in more than five skills, and the Turambar
nal extra picks you gained for that Enemy. may disallow any skills that seem silly or abusive in his par-
(2) Take another appropriate flaw to make up for the ex- ticular tale.
tra picks. For instance, you might have been kicked in the
head during the final battle, leaving you partially deaf. Or you OATH
might have been attacked by a Giant Spider, leaving you with
a phobia about bugs. The new flaw should grant the same Picks Gained: 25
amount of extra picks as the Enemy (or less, if you want to
You have sworn a deep and powerful oath, one that binds
buy off part of the flaw). If you cannot think of a good substi-
you more strongly than the mightiest bands of steel. Should
tute flaw, the Turambar should supply one.
you break your pledge, a terrible doom will befall you.
(3) Take another Enemy of the same type and start over.
EFFECT: Speak with your Turambar to determine the na-
You may have destroyed the fiendish wizards apprentice
ture of the Oath you have sworn. He will remember it and
but his brother is continuing his evil work.
find ways to make it part of your tale. When called upon to
Since too many enemies can disrupt a game, no character
fulfil your oath, you must do so, no matter what it cost you.
may take more than two enemies, or total more than 120 ex-
If you do not, the one to whom you swore can lay upon you a
tra picks from Enemies. (If all the servants of the Shadow are
curse (see page 293). If he cannot or does not, the subtle
out to get you, the fact that your old master has lost his
power of fate punishes you in proper manner, even beyond
mind, and is also after you, will pale to insignificance.)
the grave if need be. Only when you find a way to satisfy the
The Turambar always has the right to veto a players
terms of your vow, or one with the right to do so frees you of
choice of Enemies, if it seems absurd or if it will be too hard
it, can you escape your doom and know peace.
to fit into the campaign.
176
ORPHAN SECRET IDENTITY

Picks Gained: 5 Picks Gained: 0 to 20 (Turambars discretion)
You are an orphan. You have no family and no records of You have an alternate identity that you keep hidden from
who they might be. the general public, or even your travelling company.
EFFECT: It would be difficult to track down your birth EFFECT: You lead a double life, one as yourself, and one as
parents. You may be scorned in society, depending on how your alter-ego. You also have a group of people who are in-
important lineage is to that society. In addition, you have terested in who you really are, thus making you cautious
some emotional scars from your life in the orphanage (or about who you disclose your identity to. The Turambar
your host family) that you are probably still learning to cope must ascertain that there is really a need for a Secret Identity,
with. or that there is someone or something that cares about your
real identity. Otherwise, he will award 0 to 10 picks for this
QUIRKS flaw; this could, for example, be the case if a noble travelling
abroad cautiously keeps his real name and rank secret, even if
Picks Gained: 2 picks per quirk (maximum of 5 quirks) there is no immediate threat.
A quirk is a minor personality trait. It is definitely not a
beneficial ability, but it is not really a flaw eitherit is just TERRIBLE LUCK
something unique about your character. For instance, a trait Picks Gained: 20
like Grasping is a flaw. But if you insist on being paid in coins
instead of barter, that is a quirk. Examples of quirks include At times, you seem to have really terribly bad luck.
minor beliefs and goals, likes and dislikes, habits, expressions, EFFECT: Whenever you roll a 2 on 2d10, the action you
peculiarities of dress, and so on. are attempting fails in the most complete way possible.
EFFECT: You may take up to five quirks and record them Equipment you are using breaks (make a breakage test only
on your Character Sheet. More important, you must act out for enchanted items); you fall and injure yourself; virtually
your quirks. If you take the quirk dislike of heights, but anything the Turambar can conceive. The only restriction is
blithely climb trees and cliffs whenever you need to, your Tu- that whatever happens cannot be instantly fatal. For example,
rambar will penalise you for bad roleplaying. a rope you are climbing could break, provided that there was
a way, no matter how small, that you could survive the fall.
RIVAL
UNLUCKY
Picks Gained: 25
For reasons deserved or undeservedand perhaps even
unknown to youyou have earned the rivalry of another All your life, you seemed to have bad luck. Things never
person of station and power like unto yourself. quite work out your way, and are close to believe that there is
EFFECT: After speaking with your Turambar, you must nothing you can do about it.
choose a single person, at least your equal in power and pres- EFFECT: You are unlucky. All of your fumble and failure
tige, as your Rival. He must be one with whom you might ranges are increased by 1 (for example, your low open-ended
usually enjoy cordialor at least neutralrelations, such as roll range is increased by 1 from 0203 to 0204).
a servant of the same lord or a soldier in the same army.
Though he may not work against you in every adventure, WANTED
your Rival often seeks ways to hinder you and make you
seem inferior to him. Though he does not desire to physically Picks Gained: 10
harm you or cause your deathif he did, he would be an En-
You have been accused of a major crimetheft, treason,
emy insteadyour Rival does his best to thwart your aims
murder, assassination, or the like.
insofar as they do not agree with his ownand humiliate
EFFECT: You may or may not have committed the crime
you.
(that is up to you and the Turambar, but preferably you
Your Rivals actions depend on the Turambars plans.
should be innocent; otherwise, you may wish to take a modi-
Typically, when preparing an adventure, the Turambar rolls
fied form of the Dark Secret flaw). There is a significant
1d100. If he rolls 0125, your Rival becomes part of the sto-
force looking for you (take an appropriate Enemy flaw, too),
ry. He may seek to outdo you in a contest or feat of arms,
and they may try unorthodox methods to bring you back for
woo your love away from you, obtain favours of your lord
sentencing. It is up to you to either try and clear your name
that would ordinarily go to you, or find like means of imped-
(in which case you would have to buy off this flawand any
ing or aggravating you.
other that goes along with itwith an appropriate number
IMPROVEMENT: If you want your Rival to harass you more
of advancement picks) or evade the authorities.
frequently (on a 0150 on 1d100), you may select this flaw
at level two.
177
Chapter Six
WEAPONS AND GEAR

haracters on bold adventures often find themselves in need of weapons, armour, and other
C gear of war, for the servants of the Enemy hesitate not to slay the weak and defenceless if they
find them. Also, as Samwise well knows, even simple items like rope and cooking gear can be a
comfort on the road and a great help in times of need.
MONEY DNADAN COINS

Following the traditional Nmenrean coinage system,
T
hat which characters cannot make for themselves, they the mints of Annminas and Osgiliath (which were later
must acquire through purchase or trade. Much of the moved to Fornost Erain and Minas Tirith, respectively) have
commerce in Middle-earth, such as the traffic between issued standard coins in gold, silver, and copper, and Gondor
Dwarves and Men, takes the form of barter. Men trade food does still. As stated above, these four-pennyweight coins are
and other goods to Dwarves for ore and metalwork, for ex- often cut into quarters. Only the mint of the Princely House
ample. But at other times, folk must use coins to buy what of Dol Amroth regularly stamps one-pennyweight coins of
they need. silver and gold. For convenience, Ambarquenta addresses the-
Ambarquenta player characters are in the small group of se smaller coins and any cut quarters as pennies, while the
people who regularly buy things with coins (and are therefore larger and uncut coins are called pieces.
often charged higher prices than the local folk). Members of The coins of least value commonly found in Gondor and
the peasantry trade mostly in goods, bartering for what they Eriador are the copper piece (CP) and its cut quarter, the cop-
need and paying taxes in grain and cheese. Members of the per penny (cp). These pennies are used for minor purchases
nobility trade mostly in legal rights, such as the rights to a and, sometimes, as at Bilbos party, given to children as a pre-
mine, a port, or farmland, or they trade in gold bars, measur- sent. In Gondor, the copper piece is called peret, while benhar
ing gold by the pound rather than by the coin. is the common name of the copper penny.
For greater purchases, people use small silver coins usual-
ly called silver pennies (sp), although different regions will
MIDDLE-EARTH COINAGE have their own names for these, such as tharni in Gondor. A
silver penny equals twelve copper pieces (or forty-eight cop-
As the peoples of Middle-earth vary in culture, size, and per pennies) by the reckoning of the Dnedain. Silver pen-
appearance, so do their coins. This core rulebook presents a nies are the cut quarters of the larger silver piece (SP), the
selected few different coinage systems of North-western
castar of Gondor. A silver piece is a not inconsiderable
Middle-earth. But whenever the PCs venture into a region
amount of money, enough to purchase a pony in most rural
with a currency of its own that is not covered in this book,
areas.
the Turambar should make up its unique monetary system
For even greater purchases, wealthy folk may use gold
and give some thought to the issue of possible exchange rates.
In most cases, foreign money will only be exchanged for its pieces (GP) or gold pennies (gp), but these precious coins are
material value. Hence, the exchange rates given in Table 6.1 not in common circulation. In Gondor, they are called
are based on the weight of the various coins. Keep in mind, harancor and erin, respectively. One gold penny equals four
though, that per cent money changers will charge a fee of at silver pieces, and four gold pennies make a gold piece.
least ten to thirty, and often up to one hundred per cent.
NOTE: All prices in the below equipment lists are given in
NOTE: By ancient custom, most peoples of North-western Dnadan coins. For simplicitys sake, the Starting Wealth of
Middle-earth divide one pound into 12 ounces. Each ounce is the different peoples is also given in this standard currency,
further broken up into 20 pennyweights. Based on the latter even though characters would of course need to purchase (or
weight unit, it is a frequent practice in many areas to mint barter for) their starting gear with their respective peoples
240 pence from one pound of metal (usually silver and cop- own money.
per), though coins of other sizes are also quite common. For Any spare money must be recorded in the culturally most
example, the Dnadan realms issue coins at four pennyweights appropriate denomination. Alternatively, you could acquire
each which can easily be cut into quarters at need. some additional items to trade later during the game.
178
COINS OF THE DWARVES
Similarly to the one-to-four exchange rate applying to one ziguldar, while one kibildar can be exchanged for seven
most denominations of Gondor, each Dwarven coin is worth ghuladar (Kh. Bronze-issue), each cast of a seven-penny-
seven of the next smaller ones. But while the Nmenreans weight portion of a copper, tin, and silver alloy. In turn, one
of yore introduced the one-to-four relation for practical rea- ghuladar equals seven copper ghaladar (Kh. Coppery-issue).
sons, the Dwarves use it to revere the Fathers of their Seven The ghaladar is the smallest coin of the Dwarves and equals
Houses. in weight and value about two Gondorian copper pennies.
Most strongholds of the Dwarves produce five coins and Note that when the mazuldar and the ziguldar are ex-
base their exchange system upon a gold standard (rather than changed for coins of other peoples, their material value is a
the usual silver standard of Men). A peculiar disparity in little higher than it is for the Dwarves themselves, because
metal content and weight allows to maintain the one-to- the Khazad hoard such vast amounts of gold.
seven exchange rate. The seven-pennyweight gold mazuldar Besides the standard coins described above, the Dwarves
(Kh. Gold-issue) equals seven ziguldar (Kh. Silvery-issue) of the Blue Mountains also mint silver and copper pieces to
of the same weight. Though the ziguldar appears to be just a conduct their trade with the folk of Eriador. In weight and
larger type of silver coin, it actually contains a small propor- value, these coins equal the Arnorian and Arthedainian mon-
tion of gold (7.7% , to be precise). ey of old and can be cut into quarters. This way, the Dwarves
Only the two-pennyweight kibildar (Kh. Silver-issue) are helped to keep up commerce in Bree and other parts of the
minted of pure silver. Seven kibildar make up the value of northlands long after the defeat of Arvedui Last-king.
TABLE 6.1: COINS AND EXCHANGE RATES

DNADAN COINS
COIN COIN WEIGHT cp CP sp SP gp GP
Copper Penny (cp) 1 pw. or 1/240 lbs. 1 1/4 1/48 1/192 1/768 1/3,072
Copper Piece (CP) 4 pws. or 1/60 lbs. 4 1 1/12 1/48 1/192 1/768
Silver Penny (sp) 1 pw. or 1/240 lbs. 48 12 1 1/4 1/16 1/64
Silver Piece (SP) 4 pws. or 1/60 lbs. 192 48 4 1 1/4 1/16
Gold Penny (gp) 1 pw. or 1/240 lbs. 768 192 16 4 1 1/4
Gold Piece (GP) 4 pws. or 1/60 lbs. 3,072 768 64 16 4 1
Conversion Rate: 1 GP = 4 gp; 1 gp = 4 SP; 1 SP = 4 sp; 1 sp = 12 CP; 1 CP = 4 cp.
COINS OF THE DWARVES

DNADAN
COIN COIN WEIGHT gha ghu kib zig maz COINAGE
Ghaladar (gha) 2 pws. or 1/120 lbs. 1 1/7 1/49 1/343 1/2,401 2 cp
Ghuladar (ghu) 7 pws. or 1/34.3 lbs. 7 1 1/7 1/49 1/343 3 CP, 2 cp
Kibildar (kib) 2 pws. or 1/120 lbs. 49 7 1 1/7 1/49 2 sp
Ziguldar (zig) 7 pws. or 1/34.3 lbs. 343 49 7 1 1/7 3 SP, 3 sp*
Mazuldar (maz) 7 pws. or 1/34.3 lbs. 2,401 343 49 7 1 1 GP, 3 sp
Conversion Rate: 1 maz = 7 zig; 1 zig = 7 kib; 1 kib = 7 ghu; 1 ghu = 7 gha.
*: If the ziguldar is exchanged for the currency of a people that does not recognize its gold content, it is only worth 1 SP, 3 sp apiece.
COINS OF ESGAROTH AND DALE

DNADAN
COIN COIN WEIGHT hma ma hmi mi COINAGE
Haelfamael (hma) 1 pw. or 1/240 lbs. 1 1/2 1/100 1/200 1 cp
Mael (ma) 2 pws. or 1/120 lbs. 2 1 1/50 1/100 2 cp
Haelfamietan (hmi) 2 pws. or 1/120 lbs. 100 50 1 1/2 2 sp
Mietan (mi) 4 pws. or 1/60 lbs. 200 100 2 1 1 SP
Conversion Rate: 1 mi (= 2 hmi) = 100 ma (= 200 hma); 1 mi = 2 hmi; 1 hmi = 50 ma; 1 ma = 2 hma.
COINS OF DORWINION
DNADAN
COIN COIN WEIGHT Qc Cp Sp Ky Gp COINAGE
Quartercopper (Qc) 1.25 pws. or 1/192 lbs. 1 1/4 1/200 1/400 1/4,000 1.25 cp
Copper piece (Cp) 5 pws. or 1/48 lbs.. 4 1 1/50 1/100 1/1,000 1 CP, 1 cp
Silver piece (Sp) 5 pws. or 1/48 lbs. 200 50 1 1/2 1/20 1 SP, 1 sp
Kysri (Ky) 5 pws. or 1/48 lbs. 400 100 2 1 1/10 N/A
Gold piece (Gp) 5 pws. or 1/48 lbs. 4,000 1,000 20 10 1 1 GP, 1 gp
Conversion Rate: 1 Gp = 10 Ky; 1 Ky = 2 Sp; 1 Sp = 50 Cp; 1 CP = 4 Qc.
179
CHAPTER SIX: WEAPONS AND GEAR
ESGAROTH AND DALE the original Rohirric silver penings were only issued to com-
memorate victories and crown-events.
Trade has always been the very essence of Esgaroths ex- Imbued with the Running Horse of Rohan on the ob-
istence. Although barter remains the norm in northern Rho- serve and the ruling kings name in Certar on the reverse, the
vanion, the high quality silver coins of Esgaroth, the mietan, one-pennyweight penings have now become an appreciated
were soon considered to be the standard throughout the currency, although the Rohirrim still prefer goods to money
towns and hamlets between the eastern rims of Mirkwood unless they plan to travel. One pening equals the value of one
and the western shores of the Inland Sea of Rhn. Weighing silver penny of Dnadan mint. For smaller purchases, Gon-
roughly four pennyweights, the mietan is equivalent to the dorian copper pieces and pennies are readily accepted in most
silver pieces minted in Arthedain, Gondor, and Dorwinion. places, though often at a disadvantageous exchange rate.
Following the death of Smaug, King Bard rallied the On rare occasions (and then mostly for commemorative
towns of the area under his banner and transferred the mint purposes), Edoras also issues the twelve-pennyweight silver
to Dale. Yet, the old currency of Dale which had been issued scylling (equalling twelve penings or three Gondorian SP) and
before the Coming of the Dragon was now abandoned in fa- the gold mark. The name mark derives from an ancient
vour of Lake-towns coinage. Dales Maela (No. Coiner) also othraim weight unit measuring three fifths of a pound. As
occasionally mints a smaller two pennyweights copper piece, twelve scyllings or 144 penings of silver would make up one
the mael, butas it is the case with the mietanonly at the mark, the gold mark weighs approximately nine penny-
specific request of the King and then always in strictly lim- weights and thus equals nine Gondorian gold pennies.
ited quantities. One mietan is worth one hundred mael.
Both the mietan and the mael are often cut in half to pro- ELVEN COINS
vide smaller denominations, and both the haelfamietan and
the haelfamael are accepted wherever the full-sized coins are. In the late Third Age, the Elves of Middle-earth rarely
As in Eriador and Gondor, this presents some danger be- exchange goods with other peoples, and if they do, they pre-
cause it is easier for unscrupulous types to clip these halved fer to barter. The Wood-elves of Mirkwood, for example,
Northron currencies (usually the higher valued mietan). supply wood and other bounties of the forest to the mer-
Hence it is a common practice for Bardings involved in a chants of Esgaroth in return for the fine wine of Dorwinion
transaction to rub their fingers along the edge of a coin in or- and other trade goods they long for.
der to feel for tell-tale burrs that might indicate a recent At the height of their glory, however, the Noldorin mas-
trimming and then to gently bite the coin to test its solidity tersmiths of Beleriand and Ost-in-Edhil minted a famed sil-
(and therefore its purity). These are normal precautions ex- ver coin, the mirian. As the mirian was often cut into quar-
ercised almost without exception among the wily merchants ters or canath, it seems quite likely that the Nmenreans
operating upon the wharfs of Lake-town and the squares of adopted their coinage customs from the Noldor. Greater
Dale, where many of the shops and stalls peddling wares are purchases were paid for with gold ingots, jewellery, or finely
located. Even on market days during the coldest months crafted items.
most merchants wear fingerless gloves or mittens while at
their stalls to allow them to check the currency they receive.
STARTING WEALTH
DORWINION
Each character begins the game with the wealth indicated
The mints and ivory-cutting workshops of Szrel-kain, by the description of his race, modified according to his So-
the cultural and commercial centre of Folyavuld (or, by its cial Rank. For simplicitys sake, a characters starting wealth
better known Sindarin name, Dorwinion), issue only one- is either given in Dnadan coinage (i.e., the standard curren-
quarter-ounce standard coins of gold, ivory, silver, and cop- cy used in the equipment tables) or as a number of tradable
per. By common practice, copper pieces are cut into quarters items (again with a value expressed in the standard
to form smaller change. Dnadan currency) that can be bartered for other goods.
Due to Dorwinions relative shortage of gold, one gold Starting wealth as given in Chapter Three is multiplied
piece equals twenty silver pieces or ten ivory Kysri. Conse- by a characters positive Social Rank, or reduced by 20% for
quently, the smart Folyavuldan businessmen avoid to pay each point a characters Social Rank is below 0. Thus, a charac-
foreigners with gold, but they accept it more than happily ter with Social Rank +3 typically receives 300% of the normal
from their far away customers. But even in domestic trade, starting wealth of his race, while one with Social Rank 3
the ivory, silver, and copper denominations (the latter two gets only 40% of that average amount. Characters with Social
are exchanged on a 1-to-50 basis) are predominant. Rank 5 still receive 10% of the normal starting wealth.
Make sure to heed the applicable area price modifiers (see
ROHAN below) when purchasing your starting gear. Once you have
acquired all desired items you can afford, record any spare
Not before the reign of Aldor the Old (T.A. 2570 money in the culturally most appropriate currency or in the
2645), the third King of the Mark, did Rohan begin to mint form of suitable trade goods. Veteran characters add their
its own coins on a regular basis. In the days of Eorl the savings (see page 322) to their starting money, but these sav-
Young and his son Brego, Gondorian currency was used and ings are not subject to any modification due to Social Rank.
180
AREA PRICE MODIFIERS TRADE AND COMMERCE

Equipment prices vary depending on where purchased. As explained before, the economy of Middle-earth is not
Each item listed in Table 6.7: Other Gear (see page 191) is heavily dependent on coinage. Though money is used in
assigned a typical area of availability: many regions, few people carry large numbers of coins. In-
stead, bartering and trading valuable commodities (for exam-
a C indicates an item that is normally only sold in
ple, wines, livestock, or ores) is vital. Thus, the below price
large cities such as Minas Tirith, Pelargir, or Umbar
lists should not be used as a fixed constant across all of Mid-
a T denotes a good which is typically found in towns dle-earth. Prices should fluctuate based on local conditions,
like Edoras, Dale, or Esgaroth supply and demand, and the quality of a particular item.
an R stands for rural products that would best be pur- Since the Dwarves, for instance, have to trade for all their
chased in villages like Bree food, provisions are far more expensive in their underground
an A means that the item usually is available anywhere, cities than in nearby Mannish villagesa Dwarven ghaladar
and that there is no significant price difference might just be enough to buy the same amount of beer one
Items that are expensive and hard to find in a rural area could get for a copper penny of half its weight. Masterwork
might be more commonand cheaperin a large city, and items, to give another example, should cost at least three
the reverse is true as well. As a rule of thumb, a piece of times and perhaps as much as ten times the normal price.
equipment purchased:
in the same area as its typical area of availability costs
BUYING AND SELLING
the listed price and is available on a roll of 216 with Buying and selling are personal, face-to-face encounters
2d10; think of Strider in Bree paying through the nose to buy Bill
one area away (for instance, an item typically sold in a the Pony. A Turambar can use the following simple system to
town which is looked for in a rural village), the item is resolve a deal: Actual prices are normally determined by an
available on a result of 211 with 2d10 and costs 150% opposed Debate (Bargain) test. Alternatively, a seller may use
of the listed price (if the availability roll yielded a result his Persuade (Fast Talk) skill modified by 3, opposed by
of 12 or 13, the item may be purchased for 200% of the the buyers choice of a Wisdom or a Debate (Bargain) test.
listed price); Either way, the price remains as listed on LSF 0, but it
two areas away (for example, a sophisticated piece of shifts 10% in the winners favour for each LoS he achieves.
craftsmanship, normally only available in Minas Tirith A buyer may further influence the exchange by testing his
or similar cities, which is to be purchased in a rural vil- Persuade skill (or Intimidate, though this is surely a corrupt
lage), an item is only available on a result of 25 with act) at a TN equal to the sellers Wisdom or Fortitude +10.
2d10 and costs 200% of the listed price (if the availabil- The buyer gets a +1 bonus to the opposed haggling test for
ity roll yielded a result of 6 or 7, the item may be pur- each LoS he scores, but at the same time he risks to suffer a
chased for at least 300% of the listed price). 1 penalty for each LoF. A LSF 0 has no effect on the op-
Rural goods are an exception to the above guidelines. posed Debate (Bargain) test whatsoever.
Normally, they are available anywhere and never cost more Note that this system can also be used for trading goods
than 150% to 200% of the listed price. Table 6.2 summarises based on appraised values.
the standard price multipliers for easy reference.
WEAPON AND ARMOUR PRICES WEAPONS

The prices listed for weapons and armours in the tables
below are for purchases made in major cities like Minas Ti-
rith. To determine the cost of a weapon or bit of armour in T he folk of Middle-earth have created many weapons
in forge or forest over the long years. Some mark
those who crafted them, being of distinctive make or metal.
one of the other areas of availability, multiply the base price
by the multiplier indicated in Table 6.2. Note that no price Others are found from farthest North to warmest South.
multipliers apply for Dwarves who buy their gear of war in a
Dwarf-hold, while outsiders are charged much higher prices.
WEAPON TYPES
TABLE 6.2: PRICE CONVERSION
Weapons are grouped into several interlocking sets of
ITEM COST IN A COST IN A COST IN A categories. These categories pertain to usefulness in close
AREA CODE RURAL AREA TOWN CITY
C x2 x 1.5 x1 combat (melee) or at a distance (ranged, which includes both
T x 1.5 x1 x 1.5 thrown weapons and bows), what parent skill is needed to be
R x1 x 1.5 x2 proficient in their use (for example, Axes, Blades, or Bows),
A x1 x1 x1 andif applicablethe required sub-skill (for example,
GEAR OF WAR One-handed or Two-handed Axes). Note that Table 10.1 on
Weapon x3 x2 x1 page 253 provides additional information on a weapons AP
Armour x5 x3 x1
costs, reach, and initiative modifiers.
181
TABLE 6.3: WEAPONS

MELEE WEAPONS
DAMAGE AP PARRY FUMBLE BREAKAGE MINIMUM PRODUCTION
WEAPON CODE* COST MODIFIER RANGE NUMBER STRENGTH STATURE WEIGHT TIME PRICE
AXES
One-handed
Battleaxe 2B/4.5E 10/8 2 4 16 15 9 710 lbs. 2 days 2 sp, 8 CP
Hatchet 1.5B/3E 8/6 3 3 15 8 8 45 lbs. 1 day 1 sp, 7 CP
Two-handed
Battleaxe 2.5B/5E 11/8 1 3 16 10 8 710 lbs. 2 days 2 sp, 8 CP
Greataxe 2.5B/6E 13/10 2 4 17 15 12 1217 lbs. 3 days 5 sp, 4 CP
BLADES
One-handed, Small
Dagger 1E/2.5P 6/4 3 2 16 5 5 1 lb. 1 day 6 CP, 2 cp
Knife 0.5E/1.5P 5/4 6 2 15 4 4 0.5 lbs. 8 hours 3 CP
Longknife 2.5E/2.5P 6/5 2 2 16 6 6 1.5 lbs. 1 day 1 sp, 6 CP
Shortsword 1B/3E/2.5P 7/5 1 2 17 7 7 24 lbs. 2 days 2 sp, 8 CP
One-handed, Medium
Bastard Sword 1.5B/4.5E/2.5P 10/8 2 4 17 15 12 610 lbs. 45 days 2 SP
Broadsword 1.5B/4E/2P 9/7 +0 3 17 10 9 48 lbs. 4 days 3 sp, 8 CP
Falchion 1.5B/4.5E/0.5P 9/7 +0 4 17 8 9 48 lbs. 45 days 1 SP, 2 sp
Longsword 1B/4E/2.5P 9/7 +0 3 17 9 10 47 lbs. 4 days 1 SP
Scimitar 1B/4E/0.5P 9/6 +0 3 16 7 10 45 lbs. 3 days 3 sp
Two-handed
Bastard Sword 1.5B/5E/3P 11/8 +0 3 17 10 11 610 lbs. 45 days 2 SP
Greatsword 2B/6E/3P 12/9 1 4 18 13 12 915 lbs. 5 days 3 SP
CLUBS
One-handed
Club 2.5B 7/5 3 3 14 9 6 47 lbs. 6 hours Free
Mace 4.5B 9/8 2 2 16 12 9 69 lbs. 2 days 3 sp, 3 CP
Warhammer 4B/2P 10/8 2 3 16 14 9 69 lbs. 2 days 3 sp, 2 CP
Two-handed
Quarterstaff 3B 7/6 +3 3 15 9 10 35 lbs. 1 day Free
Warmattock 5.5B/2.5P 12/9 3 4 16 14 8 1215 lbs. 2 days 3 sp
FLAILS
One-handed
Morningstar 5B (+1P) 11/8 3 4 17 14 12 68 lbs. 3 days 1 SP, 2 sp
Two-handed
Warflail 6B (+1.5P) 13/10 3 4 16 12 12 1015 lbs. 4 days 2 SP
POLEARMS
One-handed
Javelin 1.5B/3P 8/6 2 4 15 6 8 2 lbs. 1 day 8 CP
Spear 3B/4P 9/7 1 4 16 11 10 57 lbs. 1 day 1 sp, 4 CP
Two-handed
Halberd 4B/6E/3P 13/10 2 4 16 14 11 1316 lbs. 2 days 3 sp
Pikestaff 3B/5P 11/9 2 4 16 11 11 815 lbs. 1 day 2 sp
Spear 3B/4.5P 10/8 +2 3 16 8 8 57 lbs. 1 day 1 sp, 4 CP
Mounted
Lance 4B/6P 12/10 3 4 16 14 11 815 lbs. 1 day 2 sp
Spear 3B/5.5P 11/8 2 3 16 12 10 57 lbs. 1 day 1 sp, 4 CP
SHIELDS
Small 2B (1.5P) 7/5 +3 2 1215 7 7 57 lbs. 3 days 1030 CP
Medium 2.5B (2P) 8/6 +6 3 1215 10 9 1015 lbs. 5 days 2060 CP
Large 3B (2.5P) 9/7 +9 3 1416 13 11 2530 lbs. 6 days 2 SP
WHIPS
Cat-o-nine-tails 1.5E/1.5P 9/7 5 4 14 8 10 34 lbs. 2 days 1 sp, 8 CP
Whip 0.5B/1.5E 12/10 5 4 14 6 10 5 lbs. 1 day 6 CP
*: Add the full damage modifier derived from a characters Prowess (page 33) to blunt attacks, and the half to edged and pointed attacks.
Damage Code: Choose one of the weapons applicable damage aspects before resolving an attack: blunt (B), edged (E), or pointed (P). The ac-
companying number indicates how many points of damage the attack inflicts for each LoS (including LoS 0, up to the damage cap).
AP Cost: How many action points (AP) an attack/a parry with the weapon requires by standard. See Table 10.1 on page 253 for details.
Parry Modifier: When the character uses the weapon to parry, modify his parry test by this number.
Fumble Range: Whenever the 2d10 roll for a weapon skill test is equal to or lower than this number, the test automatically fails and the
character must make a Fumble test (see page 220). In armed melee, the character must also roll against the weapons Breakage Number.
Breakage Number: This rating measures the weapons quality. Sturdy metal weapons like swords have higher breakage numbers (BN) than
hafted weapons like spears. In certain combat situations, you must roll against your weapons BN to test if it breaks (see page 263 for
details). Higher quality weapons roughly double in price for each +1 BN; see the Product Quality table on page 79 for details.
Minimum Strength/Stature: The minimum attribute scores to wield the weapon effectively (see page 185).
Weight: How heavy the weapon is, used for determining the characters General Encumbrance Penalty (GEP).
182
RANGED WEAPONS
DAMAGE AP FUMBLE RANGE (IN YARDS) MINIMUM PRODUCTION
WEAPON CODE* COST RANGE (PB/S/M/L/+X) STRENGTH WEIGHT TIME PRICE
BOWS
Shortbow 3P 6/7 3 5/25/50/90/+20 7 2 lbs. 2 days 1 SP
Longbow 3.5P 8/8 3 5/30/60/140/+25 9 3 lbs. 59 days 2 SP
Composite Bow 3.5P 7/9 4 5/30/60/150/+30 11+ 3 lbs. 14 days 3 SP
Nmenrean Steelbow 4.5P 7/11 3 5/40/80/200/+40 15+ 4 lbs. Unknown Priceless
THROWN WEAPONS
Axes
Hatchet 3E 5/7 2 5/10/15/20/+5 9 45 lbs. 1 day 1 sp, 7 CP
Blades
Dagger 2P 4/4 2 3/6/10/15/+3 7 1 lb. 1 day 6 CP, 2 cp
Knife 1.5P 3/3 2 3/6/12/18/+3 6 0.5 lbs. 8 hours 3 CP
Polearms
Javelin 2.5P 6/4 3 5/15/25/45/+10 10 2 lbs. 1 day 8 CP
Spear 3.5P 8/4 3 5/10/15/20/+5 13 57 lbs. 1 day 1 sp, 4 CP
Miscellaneous Objects
Stone 1B 3/5 2 3/6/10/15/+5 6 0.25+ lbs. N/A Free
*: Add half of the damage modifier derived from a characters Prowess (see page 33) to attacks with thrown weapons (regardless of damage
aspect). Bow attacks are not affected by Prowess.
Damage Code: How many points of damage the attack inflicts for each LoS (counting LoS 0 separately), and what aspect the weapon uses:
blunt (B), edged (E), or pointed (P). The damage cap for one-handed and ranged weapons is LoS +4, for two-handed LoS +6 (i.e., any
LoS in excess of the damage cap is ignored when calculating the damage inflicted by a successful attack; see page 263).
AP Cost: How many action points (AP) it normally requires to fire/to reload (or draw) the weapon. See Table 10.1 on page 253 for details.
Fumble Range: Whenever the 2d10 roll for a weapon skill test is equal to or lower than this number, the test automatically fails and the
character must also make a Fumble test (see page 220). An ordinary arrow automatically breaks upon a fumbled Bows test.
Range: The various ranges (in yards) at which the weapon is effective: point blank (PB, 3 TN), short (S, 0 TN), medium (M, +3 TN), long
(L, + 6 TN), and extended (X, another +3 TN per increment past L). See page 266 for more information on ranged combat.
Minimum Strength: The minimum Strength score to wield the weapon effectively (see page 185).
Weight: How heavy the weapon is (excluding arrows), used for determining the characters General Encumbrance Penalty (GEP).
MELEE WEAPONS
Melee weapons are used for making attacks in close com- Called eket by the Dnedain, for whom it is a primary in-
bat, though some of them can be thrown as well. Do not for- fantry weapon, the shortsword is a foot to a foot and half
get to apply your Prowess modifier to damage dealt by melee longof greater length than a longknife but shorter and
weapons. broader-bladed than a longsword.
AXES: A battleaxe consists of a long, sturdy, wooden haft The typical sword found among the warriors of Middle-
with a short, crescent-edged blade on one end. Oft used with earth, the longsword has a straight blade with a length of
great skill by the Dwarves, it is not wielded only by them about three to four feet. Andril, Gthwin, and Herugrim,
many Men fight with axes as well. However, only the Dwa- among others, are longswords. A broadsword is quite similar
rves regularly wield it two-handed to inflict more damage. A in appearance and handling to the longsword, though a bit
hatchet is lighter than a battleaxe and balanced for throwing. shorter and perhaps of a little more rustic make. It has a
Dwarves favour these axes as off-hand weapons. The greataxe broader and more fearsome blade, but lacks the sharp tip that
is larger than the battleaxe, often with a spike at the rear side makes the longsword so dangerous when it is thrust.
of the blade. It requires two hands to wield and is used by In shape and usage, the bastard sword is also similar to the
tall, strong folk like the Men of Lossarnach, the Variags of longsword, but it is about one foot longer and can either be
Khand, and some Orcs and Trolls. wielded with one or two hands. The greatsword is still longer,
BLADES: A common tool and weapon carried even by measuring anywhere between four up to five and a half or
many folk who are not warriors and have no desire to fight, a sometimes even six feet. No Man or Elf can hope to wield a
dagger is a short length of bladed steel. Though usually greatsword in a single hand.
wielded in the hand, it can also be thrown. Orcs use daggers Most Orcs, and the Haradrim as well, favour the scimitar,
of horrific appearance. Black-hilted and black-bladed, they a sword of similar length to a longsword, but with a curved
have sharp, jagged edges that inflict painful wounds. They blade and but one edge. The blade of a falchion is shorter,
can be thrown as a dagger, but at a 3 test result penalty. broader, and slightly less curved than that of a scimitar, but
Longer than a dagger or an ordinary knife, the longknife is its edges are honed on both sides.
a blade favoured by the Elves of Mirkwood and some other CLUBS: The club is the most basic and primitive weapon
peoples. It is a good weapon for an archer or other warrior found in Middle-earth: a short, often knobbed or gnarled,
who fights only when pressed, rather than readily entering length of wood. A person with no other skill at arms can still
the thick of combat. It can be thrown as a dagger, but awk- pick up a short length of woodor like objects, such as a
wardly (3 test result penalty). stooland make a club of it, though such crude weapons
183
may do a point or two less damage than ordinary clubs. A RANGED WEAPONS
staff is a long, stout stick of wood, similar in some ways to a
club, but wielded in both hands and capable of swifter and Ranged weapons are thrown weapons or projectile weap-
more precise strikes. ons (i.e., bows) that are not effective in melee. You apply half
Dwarves favour the warhammer, a shaped head of metal of your Prowess modifier to damage dealt by thrown weap-
on a wooden shaft. Orcs and Trolls, and some strong Men, ons, but not to damage dealt by bows. Most weapons that
use it as well. Like unto a warhammer, a mace has a metal can be thrown are described above under Melee Weapons.
headsometimes a spiked ballmounted on a thick, wood- BOWS: Shorter folk (like Hobbits and Dwarves) and
en shaft. Originally a tool for mining an delving, the Dwarves Wood-elves (who spend their days amid thick forests) use
adopted the mattock for use in war. It requires two hands to shortbows, which are easier to carry but have less range than
use but delivers powerful, deadly blows that can shear other bows. Men and Orcs generally prefer longbows, taller
through armour with ease. weapons of greater range and power, but of course this de-
FLAILS: A flail-weapon consists of a spiked metal ball pends on their habitat.
which is with a chain attached to a wooden shaft. A warflail Only a few peoples craft composite bows. These fine
bows are made from laminated horn, wood, or bone and built
or its one-handed equivalent, the morningstar, grants you a
with a recurve, meaning that the bow remains bow-shaped
+3 test result bonus on your attempts to disarm a foe (in-
even when unstrung. They can be made with especially heavy
cluding the test to avoid being disarmed if you fail to disarm
pulls to take advantage of a characters above-average
your foe). See page 258 for more information on making dis-
Strength (see Customised Bows below).
arm attempts. You can also use this kind of weapon to make
Rarest and deadliest of all bows is the Nmenrean
trip attacks as described on page 259.
steelbow, made from shining, hollow steel crafted by the arts
POLEARMS: The javelin is a light, flexible spear primarily
of Westernesse. The skill of making them has long been lost
intended for throwing. Since it is not designed for melee, you among Men, and the bows themselves have, one by one, been
suffer a 3 penalty when using it in close combat. Far better lost or destroyed, but it may be that one or two remain, hid-
suited for melee attacks is the spear. This weapon has a long, den in barrows or long-forgotten armouries. So powerful is a
wooden shaft, usually of ash or oak, topped by a dagger-like steelbow that arrows it fires do more damage and fly farther.
head of sharp steel. Horsemen and knights, particularly the It is rather likely that any steelbow retrieved from an ancient
Rohirrim favour it. Although occasionally held with both armoury was once customised for its wielder. Thus, a charac-
hands to inflict greater wounds, a spear can also be thrown. ter who finds it might be too weak to draw it.
The pikestaff with its long, thick shaft and its large, sharp
metal head like a larger spear is often used by footmen to de-
fend lines and walls. A lance is basically a pikestaff deployed CUSTOMISED BOWS
from horseback. When using a bow customised for a very strong archer, a
Instead of a dagger-like end, the halberd features an axe- character of sufficient strength can greatly increase the range
shaped head with a spike that is useful against charging op- of his shots. To find a characters maximum range modifier for
customised bows, divide his total Strength score by 11; the result
ponents. Because of the hook on the back of the halberd, you
is a multiplier by which each increment of range (i.e., the num-
can use it to make trip attacks. ber of yards given for PB, S, M, L, and X shots) may be increased.
SHIELDS: As shields are primarily carried to obtain addi- However, the price of a customised bow is equal to:
tional protection, they are described in more detail on page
(bows basic price) x (range modifier) x (range modifier) x 3
189. However, a shield can also be deployed offensively to
bash an opponent standing in front of you or at your shield- Hence, you may have to be content with a cheaper bow
and an actual range modifier smaller than your maximum one.
arms side. THROWN WEAPONS: Usually, thrown weapons cannot be
WHIPS: A whip is long, braided leather thong, sometimes customised for stronger characters (except to do more damage).
studded with sharp bits of iron, used mainly by Orcs to drive Still, a strong character can throw axes, daggers, and the like
slaves and torture prisoners. It can only damage bare flesh. farther than an average person and may thus apply one half
Warriors protected by armour do not feel its sting, but be- of his bonus range modifier with bows to his thrown ranges.
cause the whip can wrap around a foes leg or other limb, EXAMPLE: A character with a total Strength score of 16 has
a maximum range modifier of 1.45 (= 16 11). A composite bow
they could become subject to a trip attack. When using a customised for this maximum range modifier costs the vast sum
whip, you get a +3 test result bonus on your attempts to dis- of 19 SP (= 3 SP x 1.45 x 1.45 x 3), but it also has the following
arm a foe (including the test to avoid being disarmed if you ranges in yards: 7/44/87/218/+14 (i.e., PB +2, S +14, M +27,
fail to disarm your foe). In addition, a whip can be used to L +68, and X +14). If the same character throws his spear, his
entangle an opponent. An entangled target suffers a 5 pen- categories of range are multiplied by 1.23 (= 1 + [0.45 2]) to
alty to any action tests other than trying to break free. By reach the following scores: 6/12/19/25/+6.
spending 5 AP each round, you can use the entangling weap-
on to keep hold of the target until he breaks free or you re- An archer must always keep an eye on his supply of ar-
lease him. To break free, the entangled character must spend rows. An arrow is a long, straight shaft tipped with feathers,
8 AP on a discrete turn and win an opposed Strength test and sometimes named a dart. Most peoples use distinctive
against you. See page 259 for details. arrows. Those of Dwarves and Hobbits are somewhat short-
A cat-o-nine-tails has several iron-spiked thongs, but it is er than others. Orc-arrows are black-shafted, often poisoned
far worse at achieving the whips special forms of damage. and crudely fletchedand also shorter, unless crafted for
Uruks. Orc-arrows of poor quality do 0.5/LoS less damage,
184
but unfortunately these are rarely used in battles against the amount; even plain cloth can help to prevent a blade from
Free Peoples. cutting. But of course, an attacker can try to aim at unpro-
Those knowledgeable in the ways of war can even tell a tected parts of the targets body. See Chapter Ten for more
Southron arrow from one of Gondor. information.
Throughout the history of Middle-earth, armour has al-
ways been a compromise between manoeuvrability and pro-
WEAPON SIZE AND tection. The heavier armour types afford better protection,
ATTRIBUTE REQUIREMENTS but restrict movement and cost significant amounts of mon-
ey. The nature of this trade-off between armour types tends
to reflect the economic and technological development of a
As noted in the Weapons Table, all weapons require cer- people, although cultural preferences are also a determinant.
tain minimum attribute scores to wield them effectively. Some cultures favour heavy armour, others prefer light ar-
Generally, the larger the weapon, the greater these require- mour, and a few consider wearing any armour to be cowardly
ments and the more damage it can do. However, larger or irritating. Climate is also a considerationwearing heavy,
weapons have two drawbacks. First, they are more difficult to padded armours in a tropical climate is simply too exhausting
conceal. See the description of the Conceal skill (page 87) for to be practical.
some examples. Second, larger weapons weigh more and are
more awkward to carry, creating a greater burden for those
who use them. ARMOUR TYPES
MINIMUM ATTRIBUTE SCORES: If a character fails to meet
a weapons required minimum Strength and/or Stature The advantages of different armours against various types
score, he cannot use it properly. Every point of each attribute of weapons only become apparent when an attacks damage
which he is short of the minimum reduces his total skill bo-
aspect is considered. Chainmail, for example, is good against
nus by 1. If the total of these penalties is 4 or greater, the
edged strikes, but quilt is better against blunt strikes, which
weapon must be wielded in both hands. No bonus for using
explains why quilt is generally worn under a suit of chain-
the weapon two-handed would apply in such a situation. If a
mail. The armour types are rated for their protective value
single minimum attribute requirement is missed by 5 or more
against blunt (B), edged (E), pointed (P), and fire (F) strikes.
points (for example, if a weapons minimum Strength is 12
and the character merely has Strength 7), the weapon cannot
be used at all.
TABLE 6.4: ARMOUR PROTECTIVE VALUES
CONCEALMENT: Roughly speaking, classify any weapon MATERIAL BLUNT EDGED POINTED FIRE
that weighs less than two pounds as Small for purposes of Cloth 1 1 1 1
Leather/Hide 2 4 3 3
concealment. A weapon that weighs two to seven pounds Quilt/Fur 5 3 2 4
would be considered Medium, while still heavier ones (i.e., Hardened Leather 4 5 4 3
weapons weighing more than seven pounds) should be rated Scalemail* 5 9 4 5
Large. Shorter folk like Dwarves and Hobbits can hardly Chainmail 2 8 5 1
wield Large weapons. To them, a Small weapon counts as Chainmail, Dwarf 3 10 6 2
Chainmail, Orc 3 9 4 1
Medium, and a Medium as Large for purposes of conceal- Chainmail, mithril 5 16 10 4
ment. The damage they inflict does not change, however. Steel Plates 6 10 6 2
OVERSIZED WEAPONS: Tall, strong folk, such as Trolls, *: Scalemail armour already includes a leather base.
can craft and use even larger versions of Medium and Large
weapons. A Troll (or like) version of a Medium weapon does CLOTH: Heavy, coarse cloth, typically linen, wool, or cot-
+2 damage/LoS, and a Troll version of a Large weapon does ton, worn over or under other types of armour, or alone as
+1 damage/LoS. The minimum attribute requirements for everyday garb. Fine linen clothing offers no armour protec-
such oversized weapons increase by 3 for every point of addition.
tional damage they do per LoS, making it extremely hard for LEATHER: Made from cured animal hide, this type of ar-
other races to wield them properly. mour also is a common undercoat for heavier armours such
as chainmail or scalemail.
QUILT: Simple armour constructed of two layers of heavy
ARMOUR cloth with thick wool or straw padding sewn in between. It is
equivalent to the thick fur some animals have as natural ar-
mour.
T o protect themselves from the blades of their ene-

mies, warriors often wear shining mail and carry
stout shields. As with weapons, some armour comes only
HARDENED LEATHER: Thick leather that is hardened by
boiling in wax or oil is used to produce lightweight, resilient
leather-plates for spot protection.
from certain peoples and places. Dins folk possess the skill SCALEMAIL: This type of armour consists of a leather base
to make a fine, metal mesh unlike any other in Middle-earth, which is reinforced by a continuous layer of thin, overlapping
for example. metal plates. Brazen corslets ate favoured by the warriors of
Each time an attack inflicts damage to a character, his the Haradrim, for they are lighter and more comfortable to
armour absorbs a number of points of that damage, reducing wear in the fierce Southron sun than any other type of heavy
the amount that gets passed on as injury by the same armour.
185
CHAINMAIL: A mesh of linked metal rings, always worn them all. Therefore, Ambarquenta abridges the issue of ar-
over some padding such as leather or quilt. It was first con- mour pieces to create a simple, flexible system of customising
trived long ago by the Dwarves of Belegost. Some warriors armour.
favour a simple shirt or short corslet of mailenough to pro- Note that prices and penalties shown in Table 6.5 for
tect the chest, waist, and upper armswhile knights prefer a armour pieces like vambraces, jambes, or pauldrons are given
full hauberk that covers almost the entire body. in pairs. For one piece (for example, a single vambrace to pro-
CHAINMAIL, DWARF: Dwarves make two types of mail tect only your weapon arm), pay half the indicated retail
that are superior to other types. One has thicker metal rings price and count half the given penalties.
and so is heavier but offers greater protection (as listed in Also note that Table 6.5 lists the body parts each armour
Table 6.4). Only Dwarves are willing to bear the burden of it. piece protects. The abbreviations used relate to the various
The other protects like normal mail, but is finer and body parts as follows:
more flexible, easier and lighter to wear. Such a suit of ar-
mour weighs only 80% of its normal mail equivalent (i.e., re- Ab: Abdomen (= be, gr, hp) ha: Hands
duce the armour penalties of normal chainmail by 20%). be: Belly hp: Hips
ca: Calves kn: Knees
The mail of Nmenor of old offered like protection to ch: Chest nk: Neck
the heavier type of Dwarf-mail and without the greater el: Elbows sh: Shoulders
weight, but it and the skill of making it are long lost. fa: Face sk: Skull
CHAINMAIL, ORC: Orcs sometimes scavenge mail from fo: Forearms th: Thighs
ft: Feet Tx: Thorax (= ch, sh)
those they kill, but they also craft their own. Their mail is
gr: Groin ua: Upper Arms
stronger than the mail of Men, but heavier and harder to
wear as well. BOOTS: Protect the feet and most parts of the calves.
CHAINMAIL, MITHRIL: Should a warrior have the for- Knee Boots extend to just above the knee, while shoes only
tune to acquire a mithril corslet like Frodos, he is lucky in- cover the feet (and sometimes the lower parts of the calves).
deed, for it offers the greatest protection one can wear and is CAP: See Helm.
light and comfortable as well as of great beauty. COAT: See Hauberk.
STEEL PLATES: Some knights and other warriors augment
CORSLET: Covers the entire torso (i.e., thorax and abdo-
their chainmail with a few plates of shining steel: vambraces,
men) and the upper arms.
pauldrons, gorget, jambes, and the like.
COWL: See Gorget.
Note that full-plate armour does not exist in Middle-
earth. Therefore, the additional protection offered by steel CUIRASS: See Jerkin.
plates exclusively applies to the spots specifically protected by GAUNTLETS: Gloves of heavy leather, reinforced with
them. metal plates. Protect the hands and wrists.
GORGET: Protects the neck. A Cowl also protects the
skull.
BODY PART PROTECTION HAUBERK: Protects the torso (i.e., thorax and abdomen),
arms (forearms and upper arms alike), and thighs. The cloth
A set of armour is composed of several discrete pieces de- or leather equivalent of a hauberk is a Coat.
signed to protect specific body parts from damage; only the HELM: Protects the skull. Unless it has a visor, a helm
armour worn at the body location struck is relevant. For ex- does not protect the face. Even a Cap or a hat may offer some
ample, if a character wears a chainmail corslet over a leather basic protection to the skull.
jacket, his upper arms are far better protected than his fore- Unfortunately, wearing a helm limits a characters per-
arms. Technically, Ambarquenta distinguishes the following ception. Any Observe test suffers a 1 penalty if a leather
distinct body parts (of which some come in pairs): helm (i.e., a Cap) is worn; a plate helm distracts your senses
HEAD: Skull, Face, Eye, and Neck. for a 2 penalty, and a visored helm imposes a 3 penalty.
EACH ARM: Shoulder, Upper Arm, Elbow, Forearm, and Despite this penalty, even a helm with a visor offers no ar-
Hand. mour protection to your eyes.
THORAX: Chest (front and rear, i.e. including the upper JACKET: Only available in cloth or leather, a sleeved jacket
back) and Vital Organs (such as Heart, Lungs, or Spine). covers the torso (i.e., thorax and abdomen) and the arms
ABDOMEN: Belly (front and rear, i.e. including the lower from the wrists to the shoulders.
back), Hip, and Groin. JAMBES: Also known as greaves, jambes usually cover the
EACH LEG: Thigh, Knee, Calf (i.e., the lower leg), and calves, but sometimes stretch out to the knees.
Foot. JERKIN: Usually made of leather, quilt, or cloth, a jerkin
protects the shoulders, chest, and belly, ending above the
ARMOUR PIECES hips. Its scale- or chainmail equivalent is called a Cuirass.
KNEEPADS: Protect the knees.
Below is a list of some common terms used to describe LEGGINGS: Protect both legs from hip and groin to just
each piece of armour and its basic function. Naturally, this is above the feet.
not a complete list of armour piecesthe different peoples of PAULDRONS: Protect the shoulders.
Middle-earth designed dozens of armour pieces to protect VAMBRACES: Also known as bracers, vambraces cover the
different areas of the body. It would be impossible to list forearms.
186
TABLE 6.5: ARMOUR PIECES

PENALTIES, FITTED ARMOUR PENALTIES, UNFITTED ARMOUR PRODUCTION
LEATHER COVERAGE MAXIMUM MINIMUM MAXIMUM MINIMUM WEIGHT TIME PRICE
Cap sk 0.15 0 0.3 0.05 0.8 lbs. 0.5 days 1 CP, 2 cp
Cowl nk, sk 0.2 0.05 0.4 0.1 1.6 lbs. 0.5 days 3 CP
Gloves ha 0.4 0.1 0.8 0.2 0.8 lbs. 1 day 2 CP
Coat Ab, el, fo, th, Tx, ua 2 0.5 4 1 13 lbs. 2 days 2 sp, 1 CP
Jacket Ab, el, fo, Tx, ua 1.2 0.3 2.4 0.6 8.8 lbs. 2 days 1 sp, 5 CP
Jerkin be, Tx 0.8 0.2 1.6 0.4 5.6 lbs. 1 day 10 CP, 2 cp
Leggings ca, gr, hp, kn, th 1.2 0.3 2.4 0.6 8.8 lbs. 2 days 1 sp, 5 CP
Shoes ft 0.15 0 0.3 0.05 1.2 lbs. 1 day 2 CP, 2 cp
Calf Boots ca, ft 0.2 0.05 0.4 0.1 3.2 lbs. 1.5 days 6 CP, 2 cp
Knee Boots ca, ft, kn 0.4 0.1 0.8 0.2 3.8 lbs. 1.5 days 7 CP, 2 cp

QUILT COVERAGE MAXIMUM MINIMUM MAXIMUM MINIMUM WEIGHT TIME PRICE
Cap sk 0.3 0.05 0.6 0.1 1.2 lbs. 0.5 days 1 CP, 2 cp
Cowl nk, sk 0.9 0.15 1.8 0.3 2.4 lbs. 1 day 3 CP
Coat Ab, el, fo, th, Tx, ua 7.2 1.2 14.4 2.4 19.5 lbs. 2 days 2 sp, 1 CP
Jacket Ab, el, fo, Tx, ua 4.5 0.75 9 1.5 12.3 lbs. 2 days 1 sp, 4 CP
Jerkin be, Tx 3 0.5 6 1 8.4 lbs. 1 day 11 CP
Leggings ca, gr, hp, kn, th 3.3 0.55 6.6 1.1 9.2 lbs. 2 days 1 sp, 6 CP

HARDENED LEATHER COVERAGE MAXIMUM MINIMUM MAXIMUM MINIMUM WEIGHT TIME PRICE
Helm sk 0.8 0.1 1.6 0.2 1 lbs. 1 day 4 CP, 3 cp
Breastplate be, ch (front) 2 0.25 4.8 0.6 3 lbs. 2 days 1 sp, 2 CP
Backplate be, ch (rear) 2 0.25 4.8 0.6 3 lbs. 2 days 1 sp, 2 CP
Pauldrons sh 1.2 0.15 2.4 0.3 1 lbs. 1.5 days 5 CP
Vambraces fo 1.6 0.2 3.2 0.4 1.3 lbs. 1 day 5 CP, 2 cp
Kneepads kn 0.8 0.1 1.6 0.2 0.8 lbs. 0.5 days 3 CP, 2 cp
Jambes ca 2 0.25 4 0.5 2.5 lbs. 1 day 1 sp

SCALEMAIL COVERAGE MAXIMUM MINIMUM MAXIMUM MINIMUM WEIGHT TIME PRICE
Hauberk Ab, el, fo, th, Tx, ua 12.5 2.5 25 5 45.5 lbs. 10 days 3 SP, 6 CP
Corslet Ab, Tx, ua 8.5 1.7 17 3.4 30.8 lbs. 7 days 2 SP, 6 CP
Cuirass be, Tx 5.5 1.1 11 2.2 19.6 lbs. 4 days 5 sp, 5 CP
Boots ft 1.5 0.25 3 0.5 3.2 lbs. 2 days 1 sp, 9 CP

CHAINMAIL COVERAGE MAXIMUM MINIMUM MAXIMUM MINIMUM WEIGHT TIME PRICE
Cowl nk, sk 1.5 0.25 3 0.5 4 lbs. 6 days 2 sp, 4 CP
Hauberk Ab, el, fo, th, Tx, ua 11.7 1.95 23.4 3.9 32.5 lbs. 45 days 4 SP, 3 sp
Corslet Ab, Tx, ua 7.8 1.3 15.6 2.6 22 lbs. 30 days 3 SP, 8 CP
Cuirass be, Tx 6 1 12 2 17 lbs. 20 days 2 SP, 2 sp
Leggings ca, gr, hp, kn, th 7.8 1.3 15.6 2.6 22 lbs. 30 days 3 SP, 8 CP

CHAINMAIL, DWARF COVERAGE MAXIMUM MINIMUM MAXIMUM MINIMUM WEIGHT TIME PRICE
Hauberk Ab, el, fo, th, Tx, ua 15.3 2.55 30.6 5.1 43 lbs. 60 days 6 SP, 1 sp
Corslet Ab, Tx, ua 10.5 1.75 21 3.5 29.5 lbs. 40 days 4 SP, 1 sp
Leggings ca, gr, hp, kn, th 10.2 1.7 20.4 3.4 29 lbs. 40 days 4 SP, 9 CP

CHAINMAIL, ORC COVERAGE MAXIMUM MINIMUM MAXIMUM MINIMUM WEIGHT TIME PRICE
Corslet Ab, Tx, ua 10.5 1.75 21 3.5 25.7 lbs. 15 days N/A
Cuirass be, Tx 8.4 1.4 16.8 2.8 20 lbs. 10 days N/A

CHAINMAIL, MITHRIL COVERAGE MAXIMUM MINIMUM MAXIMUM MINIMUM WEIGHT TIME PRICE
Corslet Ab, Tx, ua 1.05 0.35 2.1 0.7 5.5 lbs. Unknown Priceless
Cuirass be, Tx 0.75 0.25 1.5 0.5 4.3 lbs. Unknown Priceless
Leggings ca, gr, hp, kn, th 1.05 0.35 2.1 0.7 5.5 lbs. Unknown Priceless

STEEL PLATES COVERAGE MAXIMUM MINIMUM MAXIMUM MINIMUM WEIGHT TIME PRICE
Helm sk 2 0.25 4 0.5 3.2 lbs. 3 days 2 sp
Visored Helm fa, sk 3.2 0.4 6.4 0.8 5.6 lbs. 7 days 3 sp, 5 CP
Gorget nk 2.4 0.3 4.8 0.6 4 lbs. 5 days 2 sp, 5 CP
Pauldrons sh 4 0.5 8 1 3.2 lbs. 4 days 2 sp
Vambraces fo 4.8 0.6 9.6 1.2 4 lbs. 3 days 2 sp, 5 CP
Gauntlets ha 2 0.25 4 0.5 2.5 lbs. 8 days 3 sp
Jambes ca, kn 7.2 0.9 14.4 1.8 8 lbs. 5 days 1 SP, 10 CP
187
COMPOUND LAYERS ARMOUR PENALTIES

Different types and pieces of armour are often worn in
overlapping layers, such as a coat made of cloth over chain- Players must find a balance between the protection of-
mail over quilt. Except for the armour penalty and common fered by armour and the penalties it brings. A character fully
sense, there is no limit as to how many layers of armour may equipped with chainmail and a quilt jerkin underneath, for
be worn. However, only one layer of armour provides its full example, will usually have an armour penalty of at least 3.
protective value when determining compound protection Your armour penalty adds to the General Encumbrance
against a specific damage aspect. A second layer of armour al- Penalty (GEP) which applies in a variety of situations (see
lows to add one half of its normal protective value to the page 195 on how to determine the GEP):
overall protection, a third layer provides one third of its nor- SKILL AND ATTRIBUTE TESTS: Being part of a characters
mal protective value, and so on. Physical Penalty, the GEP applies to all tests governed by
Players may freely choose which layer adds which pro- Deftness and/or Nimbleness.
portion of its protective value to the compound protection MOVEMENT: A characters Base Movement Rate (BMR)
against a specific damage aspect (usually the best protective is lowered by a number of feet equal to twice his GEP.
value is counted fully, the second best is halved, and so on). DEFENCE: While heavy armour absorbs much of a strikes
Keep any fractions while adding together the applicable pro- force, it also slows your evasive movements, making you easi-
tective values of all worn layers of armour; only the final reer to hit. Thus, Defence is penalised by the GEP as well, but
sult is rounded off normally. it cannot drop below 10 regardless of how bulky your chosen
Record the specific compound protection for any relevant suit of armour is.
body part on your characters Combat Sheet ahead of time. SPELLS: The GEP also applies when casting spells of Sor-
See the below table for common pre-calculated armour com- cerythe more gear you carry and the heavier armour you
pounds: wear, the more susceptible you are to the marring influence
of the dispersed Morgothian element which infests all matter
TABLE 6.6: ARMOUR LAYERS of Arda. (See page 198 for more information.)
Note that ordinary clothes do not bestow an extra ar-
MATERIALS B E P F
mour penalty. Instead, their weight adds to the encumbrance
Leather 2 4 3 3
Quilt 5 3 2 4 caused by your other equipment (such as weapons and
Hardened Leather 4 5 4 3 shields) and may thus increase your GEP.
Chainmail 2 8 5 1
Quilt + Cloth 6 4 3 5
Leather + Cloth 3 5 4 4 FITTED AND UNFITTED ARMOUR
Leather + Leather 3 6 5 5
Leather + Quilt 6 6 4 6 If a character wishes to acquire a suit of armour or to buy
Leather + Quilt + Cloth 6 6 4 6 (or craft) a particular armour piece, it must specifically be
Hardened + Cloth 5 6 5 4 crafted to fit the individual who is purchasing the armour.
Hardened + Quilt 7 7 5 6
Characters wearing unfitted armour suffer a substantial pen-
Hardened + Quilt + Cloth 7 7 5 6
Chain + Cloth 3 9 6 2 alty above the normal armour penalties. Even if characters of
Chain + Quilt 6 10 6 5 similar height and build exchange pieces of armour, the ar-
Chain + Quilt + Cloth 6 10 6 5 mour is automatically treated as unfitted armour. This rule
Chain + Leather 3 10 7 4 also applies to any armour found in treasure.
Chain + Leather + Cloth 3 10 7 4
Chain + Leather + Leather 4 11 8 6
Characters may have unfitted armour pieces fitted by
Chain + Leather + Quilt 7 11 7 6 paying 10% of their original price, plus the cost of any addi-
Chain + Leather + Quilt + Cloth 7 11 7 6 tional material required when the piece to be fitted is smaller
Chain + Hardened + Cloth 5 11 7 4 than the person it is being fitted to.
Chain + Hardened + Quilt 8 12 8 6
Chain + Hardened + Quilt + Cloth 8 12 8 6
Chain + Chain + Cloth 3 12 8 2 FINDING THE ARMOUR PENALTIES
Chain + Chain + Leather 4 13 9 5
Chain + Plate + Cloth 7 14 9 3 Table 6.5 above contains all the basic information that a
Chain + Plate + Quilt 9 15 9 5 character needs to assemble his unique set of armour. To
Chain + Plate + Quilt + Cloth 9 15 9 6
create a custom set of armour, decide whether a given piece
Chain + Plate + Leather 8 15 10 4
Chain + Plate + Leather + Cloth 8 16 10 5 will be fitted or unfitted, and then total the maximum and
Chain + Plate + Leather + Quilt 10 16 10 6 minimum armour penalties. You must also total the price of
Scale + Cloth 6 10 5 6 each piece of armour and the protection granted to each body
Scale + Quilt 8 11 5 7 part.
Scale + Quilt + Cloth 8 11 5 7
Plate + Cloth 7 11 7 3 MAXIMUM PENALTY: The penalty representing the maxi-
Plate + Quilt 9 12 7 5 mum restriction of mobility caused by the weight and bulki-
Plate + Quilt + Cloth 9 12 7 5 ness of the armour worn. Depending on whether a particular
CHAINMAIL MODIFIERS B E P F piece of armour has been crafted to fit you or not, use either
Dwarf 0 +2 +1 0 the fitted or the unfitted maximum penalty shown in Table
Orc 0 +1 1 0 6.5. The total maximum penalty accruing from all armour
Mithril +2 +8 +5 +2
188
pieces must be recorded in the field of your characters Skill Then again a Turambar may assign a special penalty due to
Sheet that is normally reserved for taking note of your Physi- tangling armour at his discretion. In any case, a character
cal Penalty. Your Armour skill (see page 84) can reduce this whose armour has been severely damaged should see an ar-
maximum penalty. moursmith as soon as possible.
MINIMUM PENALTY: The penalty representing the mini-
mum restriction of mobility caused by the weight and bulki- ARMOUR QUALITY
ness of your armour. Depending on whether a particular
piece of armour has been crafted to fit you or not, use either Table 6.4 on page 185 shows the protective values of ar-
the fitted or the unfitted minimum penalty shown in Table mour pieces of average quality. Yet, by virtue of enchantment
6.5. Even utilising your Armour skill, you cannot reduce the or extraordinary skill, craftsmen sometimes succeed in pro-
total penalty accruing from your choice of armour pieces be- ducing armours of superior qualitywhile less gifted smiths
low this value. Thus, the actual armour penalty (which is occasionally create flawed suits of armour.
part of your GEP) is either equal to your total minimum The effect of a given armours quality rating is to increase
penalty or the total bonus of the Armour skill, whichever is or decrease all protective values by a set score. For example, a
worse for you. +1 chainmail hauberk has protective values of B3, E9, P6,
and F2. The protection offered by armour against any dam-
EXAMPLE: Gori, the well-off Dwarven warrior from one of age aspect cannot be reduced below 1, nor increased above
our previous examples, wisely refuses to enter combat without double its average quality, meaning that +2 chainmail would
his Dwarf-mail corslet which he wears over a quilt jerkin. In ad- have a maximum fire protection of 2.
dition, he usually dons a plate helm and a pair of plate vam- The guidelines on Product Quality (see page 79) provide
braces, as well as leggings, gloves, and calf boots made of leath-
er.
more information on how to determine armour quality.
His full suit of armour gives him a maximum penalty of However, keep in mind that superior armour is extremely ra-
22.1, which rounds down to 22, and a minimum penalty of re, especially by the end of the Third Age. Only a handful of
3.55, which rounds up to 4. The total price of his armour is 6 secluded craftsmen may still have the knowledge and the skill
SP, 5 CP, and 2 cp (expressed in Dnadan coinage). to create true masterpieces of armour. Therefore, a +1 mas-
With an adjusted Strength of 19 and Nimbleness 16, Goris terwork suit of armour should cost at least five times as much
attribute bonus for the Armour skill is 18. Modified by the basic
as its more mundane equivalent; a +2 item would be almost
cutback of 7, a bonus of 11 remains. So to manoeuvre as effec-
tively as possible in his chosen suit of armour, Gori must invest
unaffordable, and even better armour cannot be purchased at
7 ranks in his Armour skill to reduce the penalty to 4 (= 11 all.
22 + 7). With an 8 th rank, a penalty of only 3.55 is added to
his GEP, but this still rounds off to 4. GETTING INTO AND OUT OF ARMOUR
The following body parts are protected by Goris armour:
As explained in the Armour skills description, the time
Skull: Steel plates (B6, E10, P6, F2)
to put on or remove a suit a armour directly relates to the
Chest, Shoulders, and Belly: Quilt and Dwarf-mail (B7, E12, P7,
F5)
penalty you suffer from wearing it: It takes a number of full
Upper Arms: Dwarf-mail (B3, E10, P6, F2) action rounds equal to 5 + (armour penalty x armour penal-
Forearms: Steel plates (B6, E10, P6, F2) ty) to don or doff your armour. A successful test of the Ar-
Hip and Groin: Leather and Dwarf-mail (B4, E12, P8, F4) mour skill cuts that time in half, and additional LoS reduce it
Thighs, Hands, and Feet: Leather (B2, E4, P3, F3) by another round each. For example, it normally takes three
Calves: Two layers of leather (B3, E6, P5, F5) minutes to don an armour that penalises you with 5 (i.e., 5
+ [5 x 5] = 30 rounds), but with a successful skill (i.e., LSF
0) test the task can be accomplished in only 15 rounds.
ARMOUR OPTIONS A failure at a test to don armour in half the normal time
results in an additional temporary 1 armour penalty for
This section deals with some more important issues con- each LoF you suffer. This penalty also applies to the protec-
cerning armour. Nevertheless, this material should be con- tion offered by the armour, though it cannot drop below 1.
sidered optionaluse it or ignore it as you see fit.
ARMOUR DAMAGE SHIELDS

When a body part covered by armour is hit by the edge
or point of a weapon and a Serious or worse injury results,
the armour at that spot has a hole in it. If the same body part
is struck again, there is a chance the blow will go through the
M any warriors carry shields to provide additional
protection. They can vary in size (the shields that
some Men carry would provide complete cover for a
hole and be unaffected by the armour. The chance this will Halfling) and shape (oblong, round, and the like):
happen is 50% (0150 on a d100) if an edge damaged the SMALL SHIELD: Comes in a variety of shapes (choose a par-
armour, or 25% (0125 on a d100) if a point damaged it. ticular shape as your specialty) and usually covers the de-
These odds should be changed in the targets favour if a rela- fender from the shoulders to the waist. Typically, small
tively large body part is struck; assuming a 50% chance of hit- shields are round in shape which offers the defender the abil-
ting the damaged spot of an armour piece may be fair if it ity to move it quickly and at different angles while still
protects a foes shin, but not if it covers his entire breast. providing good protection. Most of the time the shield is
189
gripped in the centre by a single handle (no forearm strap) bands. Table 6.3 on page 182 accounts for these peculiarities
which would allow it to be used in either hand equally well. of make by providing two different values for a shields
MEDIUM SHIELD: Comes in a variety of shapes (choose a breakage number, weight, and pricethe lower values are for
particular shape as your specialty) and typically covers a de- wooden shields, the higher for those reinforced with metal.
fender from the shoulder to mid-thigh or above the knee. If
crafted for a Man, a medium shields typical length is about
four feet and two to three feet wide. This shield is usually
gripped by a single handle and a forearm strap.
OTHER GEAR
LARGE SHIELD: This shield can vary in shape: oval, rectan-
gular, or teardrop styles are common (choose one as your
specialty). Typically, a large shield covers the defender from
the shoulder to just above the ankle. Usually four to five feet
C haracters embarking on adventures will want to
take more with them than just weapons and ar-
mour. While contending with the servants of the Enemy,
long and two and a half to three feet wide. This shield is they may need such things as horses, food, rope, firewood,
normally gripped by a single handle and a forearm strap. torches, blankets, wine, and the like. Some of these things
they can, at times, find for themselves in the wild, but others
they must obtain in advance.
SHIELD EFFECTS The accompanying table list the value of various items of
gear commonly used by adventurers and travellers. All prices
Shields may have two effects, provided they are used to are approximatelocal conditions or the quality of the goods
defend against attacks that come from the front or the shield- may change prices (for good or ill) drastically.
side of the defender: Of course, characters can acquire gear in other ways. If
they have the time and the appropriate skills, they may be
In melee, they provide a test result bonus for parrying
able to make what they need. Or if they have the aid of a
attempts. Look up the bonus in the Parry Modifier
powerful or wealthy ally or patron, such as Elrond, he may
column of Table 6.3 on page 182. Note that you do
grant them their needs.
not suffer a penalty for using a shield in your off-hand.
Facing ranged attacks, a shields Parry Modifier is au-
tomatically subtracted from the test result of the at-
tacker, provided the defending character is aware of the HEALING HERBS
attack.
Properly attaching a shield to ones arm takes a number
of rounds equal to the shields parry modifier. M iddle-earth abounds with healing herbs of all kinds,
giving its bounty to those who know what to look
for. There are plants that can cure poison or disease. There
are others that greatly aid in the healing of burns, cuts, and
MATERIALS many other types of wounds. Appendix B (see page 336) de-
tails a variety of sample herbs and presents all rules required
Shields are normally either crafted of hard wood, usually to allow a skilled naturalist to gather, prepare, and apply
reinforced with a leather covering and sometimes an iron rim, herbal remedies.
or of several layers of laminated wood armoured with steel
190
TABLE 6.7: OTHER GEAR

ITEM PRICE1) AREA WEIGHT2) OTHER NOTES
ADVENTURING GEAR
Arrows (20) 2 CP, 2 cp A 2 lbs. Wooden shafts and iron tips. No reuse on 210
Backpack 3 CP, 2 cp A 2 lbs. Holds 20 lbs./1 cubic foot
Bedroll (light) 2 CP, 2 cp A 5 lbs. Wool blanket and mat (2 seasons)
Bedroll (heavy) 7 CP A 10 lbs. Wool and fur blankets (4 seasons)
Blanket 1 CP, 1 cp A 3 lbs. Thick, quilted wool blanket (winter)
Candles (2) 1 cp T 0.25 lbs. Wax or tallow. Lights 5 radius, burns 2 hours
Canvas 1 cp T/C 1 lbs. Price and weight is per square yard
Chain 1 sp T/C 2 lbs. Price and weight is per 10
Chalk 2 cp T/C 0.25 lbs. 10 pieces, white, 5 long
Charcoal 1 cp A 1 lb. Creates a hot fire. Brick burns for 4 hours
Chisel 3 cp T/C 1 lb. Iron
Climbing Pick 1 sp T/C 10 lbs. Can be used with Mattock skill, 4B/2P damage
Crowbar 4 CP, 1 cp T/C 5 lbs. Iron bar for levering things open
Firewood 1 cp or free A 20 lbs. Per day. Can usually be collected
Fishhook 1 cp A * Iron
Fishing net 6 CP A 5 lbs. 25 square feet
Flint and steel 1 CP, 2 cp T/C 0.5 lbs. Starts fires in 3 minutes
Framepack 6 CP A 3.5 lbs. Canvas. Holds 45 lbs./2 cubic feet
Grappling hook 3 CP, 2 cp C 4 lbs. Must be tied to a rope. Use Ropecraft skill to throw
Hammer 1 CP T/C 2 lbs. Iron head
Hammock 1 CP, 3 cp A 2.5 lbs. Rope-net, wood spreaders, iron hooks
Lamp 1 CP, 1 cp A 1 lb. Lights a 15 radius, burns 6 hrs/pint of oil
Lantern, bullseye 1 sp, 7 CP T/C 3 lbs. Single shutter, 60 long / 20 wide cone
Lantern, hooded 11 CP T/C 2 lbs. Lights a 30 radius, burns 6 hrs/pint of oil
Mirror 1 sp, 3 CP T/C 0.5 lbs. Polished steel
Nails (20) 1 CP, 1 cp A 0.5 lbs. Iron. 3 length
Oil 2 cp T/C 1 lb. 1 pint, burns for 6 hours in a lantern
Pegs (12) 1 cp A 2 lbs. Wood
Piton 2 cp T/C 0.25 lbs. Steel spike for climbing, with eye for rope
Pole 2 cp A 8 lbs. Wood. 10 feet
Pouch 1 CP, 3 cp A 0.5 lbs. Leather. Straps to belt, holds 5 lbs.
Quiver 1 CP, 1 cp A 0.5 lbs. Holds 20 arrows
Ram, portable 2 sp C 20 lbs. Iron-shod wooden beam
Rope, heavy ( 3/4) 2 CP T/C 9 lbs. Hemp. 50 feet long, supports 1.100 lbs.
Rope, light ( 3/8) 3 cp T/C 3 lbs. Hemp. 50 feet long, supports 300 lbs.
Scabbard (belt) 6 CP A 1 lb. Holds one 1-handed weapon
Scabbard (shoulder) 8 CP, 2 cp T/C 1.5 lbs. Holds one 2-handed weapon
Signal whistle 1 CP, 1 cp C * Noise can be heard up to 1 mile away
Sledge 2 CP, 2 cp T/C 10 lbs. Two-handed, iron-headed hammer
Spade or shovel 5 CP T/C 8 lbs. Required for digging
Tent 1 sp, 3 CP A 15-20 lbs. Canvas with metal fittings. Two man
Tinderbox 1 cp T/C 0.25 lbs. Wood. Content enough for starting 7 fires
Torch 1 cp A 1 lb. Lights a 20 radius, burns 1 hour
Waterskin 1 CP, 2 cp A 0.5 lbs. Holds 1/2 gallon (2.25 litres), filled 5 lbs.
Weapon belt 8 CP A 1 lb. Holds 2 scabbards, 3 pouches
Whetstone 1 cp A 1 lb. For sharpening edged weapons
BEASTS AND VEHICLES

Horse, light 2 SP, 2 sp R 900 lbs. 220 lbs. capacity. Walking pace 18 yards/round
or approx. 6 miles/hour. Price +100% for Steady,
+300% for War-trained animal ability
Horse, medium 4 SP R 1,100 lbs. 260 lbs. capacity. Walking pace 20 yards/round
or approx. 6.5 miles/hr. Price +100% for Steady,
Horse, heavy 6 SP, 2 sp R 1,400 lbs. 320 lbs. capacity. Walking pace 16 yards/round
Pony 1 SP R 500 lbs. 190 lbs. capacity. Walking pace 14 yards/round
Ox 2 SP, 6 CP R 2,500 lbs. 600 lbs. capacity. Walking pace 11 yards/round
or approx. 3.5 miles/hour
Bit and bridle 3 CP A 1 lb. For directing a mount
Harness 8 CP A 4 lbs. Includes collar, bit and reins
Saddle, riding 1 sp, 1 CP A 25 lbs. Standard riding saddle, with stirrups & blanket
Saddle, pack 8 CP, 2 cp A 15 lbs. Only suitable for attaching gear and supplies
1)
: If a price is marked with an asterisk (*), a Locate (Specific City/Specific Group of Items) test against TN 20 or higher is usually re-
quired to find a vendor.
2)
: If a single asterisk (*) is given for an items weight, it can be neglected.
191
1) 2)
ITEM PRICE AREA WEIGHT OTHER NOTES
BEASTS AND VEHICLES, CONT.
Saddlebags 6 CP T 8 lbs. Hold 5 cubic feet/50 lbs.
Feed 1 cp or free A 10 lbs. Nutrition for one day. Grazing may be possible
Stabling 3 cp A Per beast and day. Includes food and grooming
Cart 2 sp T 450 lbs. 1,000 lbs. capacity. 2 wheels, requires one beast
Wain, open 1 SP, 1 sp T 600 lbs. 3,200 lbs. capacity. 4 wheels, requires 2 beasts
Wain, closed 1 SP, 3 sp T 850 lbs. 3,500 lbs. capacity. 4 wheels, requires 2 beasts
Boat 3 sp, 2 CP T 200 lbs. 800 lbs. capacity. 812 long. With 2 paddles
Raft 1 sp, 9 CP R 500 lbs. 2,000 lbs. capacity. 1520 long. With a pole
Canoe 2 sp, 6 CP R 100 lbs. 550 lbs. capacity. 1015 long. With 2 paddles
Longship 80 gp C N/A 50 tons capacity. 75 long. Requires 50 crewmen
Keelboat 25 gp C N/A 40 tons capacity. 50 long. Requires 10 crewmen
Sailing ship 90 gp C N/A 150 tons capacity. 90 long. Requires 20 crewmen
CLOTHING
Clothes, poor 2 cp T/C 2 lbs. Loose shirt, baggy breeches, rags as shoes
Clothes, ordinary 6 CP A 4 lbs. Complete suit, with belt, hat/cap, shoes
Clothes, travelling 1 sp A 5 lbs. Complete suit, with boots, cloak, gloves, etc.
Clothes, fine 1 SP T/C 6 lbs. Complete suit. Fancy, tailored clothes
Clothes, noble 2 SP, 2 sp C 10 lbs. Complete suit. With precious metals, gems, furs
Cold weather outfit 2 sp A 7 lbs. Complete suit. Warm cloak, boots, underwear
Robe 2 sp, 6 CP C 8 lbs. Covers the entire body. Equals 1 point of armour
Weapon belt 8 CP A 1 lb. Holds 2 scabbards, 3 pouches
FOOD AND DRINK

Ale or beer, mug 1 cp A 1 pint
Ale or beer, gallon 3 cp A 9 lbs. 1/2 gallon. In a clay jug
Brandy 2 cp T 1 half-pint
Mead or Cider 1 cp R/T 1 half-pint
Wine, ordinary 2 cp A Per glass (1/4 pint)
Wine, fine 2 CP T/C Per glass (1/4 pint)
Wine, Dorwinion 4 CP Dorwinion/C Per glass (1/4 pint)
Wine, ordinary 6 CP A 5.5 lbs. Per skin (1/2 gallon or 2.25 litres)
Wine, fine 2 sp T/C 5.5 lbs. Per skin (1/2 gallon or 2.25 litres)
Wine, Dorwinion 1 SP Dorwinion/C 5.5 lbs. Per skin (1/2 gallon or 2.25 litres)
Pipeweed 6 CP, 2 cp Shire/Bree 0.25 lbs. One pouch. Enough for 3040 fillings
Pipe 2 sp2 SP Shire/Bree 0.1 lbs. Hard, fire-resistant wood
Food, ordinary 3 CP, 2 cp A 15 lbs. For 1 week. Normal spoilage
Food, fine 9 CP A 25 lbs. For 1 week. Normal spoilage
Food, travel rations 6 CP A 8 lbs. For 1 week. Jerky, dried fruits, hardtack, nuts
Meal at an inn, poor 1 cp A E.g., bread, baked turnips, onions, water
Meal at an inn, ordinary 3 cp A E.g., bread, chicken stew, watered ale or wine
Meal at an inn, fine 2 CP A E.g., bread, pastries, beef, peas, ale or wine
Banquet 1 sp C Per person. Excellent food & entertainment
Bread 1 cp A 2 lbs. 1 small loaf
Cheese 1 cp R 0.5 lbs. 1 hunk
Meat 25 cp R 0.5 lbs. 1 chunk. Price varies according to type and cut
LODGING AND SERVICES

Inn, poor, one nights stay 2 cp A Place on floor near hearth, blanket, fleas
Inn, ordinary, one nights stay 1 CP, 1 cp A Straw mattress in common room, pillow
Inn, fine, one nights stay 3 CP, 2 cp A Private room with 1 bed, covered chamber pot
Stabling 3 cp A Per beast and day. Includes food and grooming
Laundry 1 cp T/C Per laundry load. Simple laundry care
Leather Care 1 cp A Per item to be handled. Simple repairs/cleaning
Metal Care 2 cp A Per item to be handled. Simple repairs/cleaning
Hospitalisation 6 CP+ C For healing. Fee is a required contribution
Library access 1 CP C 4 hour visit. No withdrawals. Research (Search
Libraries) test required to gain information
Public bath 1 cp C Catch disease on 23. Gender separation
Private bath 2 cp T/C Must pay extra for oils and perfumes
Scribe 1 cp C Per page of simple text
Research 6 CP C Per simple topic
Crier/Herald 1 cp C Per announcement. Announced 1 x/hr for 4 hours
Legal services 6 CP C Per legal appearance. Appr. 3 hours of work
Personal grooming 2 CP+ T/C Per visit. Approximately 1 hour
Coach service 0.25 cp Price per mile
Ferry service 3 cp Per fare
Ship passage 1 cp Price per mile
Toll charge 1 cp Per person and beast. May be much higher
1)
2)
192
ITEM PRICE1) AREA WEIGHT2) OTHER NOTES

MISCELLANEOUS
Barrel 6 CP T/C 30 lbs. Holds 60 gallons (270 litres)
Basket 3 cp A 1 lb. Holds 20 lbs./2 cubic feet
Bell 1 CP, 3 cp C * Tin. Cost for other metals is higher
Bottle 3 CP T/C 0.25 lbs. Glass. Holds 1 1/2 pints (1 litre)
Brush (writing/painting) 3 cp T/C * Wooden shaft with hair bristles. Capped
Bucket 1 CP A 2 lbs. Wood. Holds 2 gallons (9 litres)
Case (for map or scroll) 2 CP, 2 cp C 0.5 lbs. Capped leather tube, holds rolled papers
Chest 4 CP, 3 cp T/C 25 lbs. Wood. Price is for a roughly crafted piece
Flask 1 cp A 0.25 lbs. Ceramic, glass or metal. Holds 1 pint
Ink 1 sp T/C * Black ink, 1 ounce vial
Inkpen 2 cp T/C * Wooden stick with carved tip
Jug 1 cp A 9 lbs. Clay, fitted with a stopper. Holds 1 gallon
Ladder 3 CP A 20 lbs. Wooden, 10 feet
Mug or tankard 1 cp A 1 lb. Clay, fitted with a stopper. Holds 1 pint
Paper 2 cp C 0.25 lbs. 10 sheets of white paper, made from cloth
Parchment 3 cp T/C 0.25 lbs. 10 sheets, made of goat hide or sheepskin
Pitcher 1 cp A 5 lbs. Clay. Holds 1/2 gallon (2.2 litres)
Plank 1 cp A 12 lbs. Wood. 10 x 6 x 2. Bears 350 lbs.
Pot 1 CP A 2 lbs. Iron. Holds 1 gallon
Sack 1 cp A 0.5 lbs. Burlap. Holds 20 lbs./1 cubic foot
Saw 2 sp T/C 2 lbs. Iron. 24 wood-tool
Sealing wax 1 CP, 2 cp T/C 1 lbs. For closing envelopes
Sewing needle 3 cp A * Iron or bone
Signet ring 1 sp+ C * Bears your unique, personal sign
Soap 1 CP T/C 1 lbs. Made of lard
Vial 1 CP, 3 cp C * Fitted with a tight stopper. Holds 1 ounce of liquid
Waterskin 1 CP, 2 cp A 0.5 lbs. Holds 1/2 gallon (2.25 litres). Filled weight 5 lbs.
SOPHISTICATED ITEMS
Artisans tools 1 sp+ T/C 5 lbs. Special tools needed for any craft. Note that
the Place of Trade edge provides all necessary
tools automatically
Artisans tools, superior 2 SP*+ C 5 lbs. As above, but requisite for masterworks
Block and tackle 8 CP T/C 5 lbs. For lifting heavy goods
Caltrops 1 CP, 3 cp A 2 lbs. Foot-traps. Cover approx. 5 square
Climbers kit 2 SP, 2 sp* T/C 5 lbs. Pitons, boot tips, gloves, harness. +2 bonus
Disguise kit 1 SP, 3 sp C 8 lbs. Cosmetics, hair-dye, small props
Dwarven magical toys 2 cp+ near Dwarf-hold 0.1 lbs.+ See page 319
Healers kit 1 SP, 2 sp T/C 1 lb. Herbs, salves, bandages (10 uses)
Lock, poor 3 sp T/C 1 lb. TN 15 to pick with appropriate tools
average 1 SP, 1 sp T/C 1 lb. TN 20 to pick with appropriate tools
good 2 SP, 3 sp* C 1 lb. TN 25 to pick with appropriate tools
amazing 5 SP* C 1 lb. TN 30 to pick with appropriate tools
Musical instrument, ordinary 2 sp+ T/C 3 lbs. E.g., fife, harp, horn, lute, mandolin, or shalm
Musical instrument, Dwarven 4 SP+ near Dwarf-hold 3 lbs. See page 319. Musician +3, Persuade +2
Scale, merchant 3 CP, 2 cp T/C 1 lb. For determining weights
Thieves tools 1 SP* C 1 lb. Skeleton keys, lock picks, small saw, etc.
Thieves tools, superior 3 SP, 1 sp* C 1 lb. As above. Locks (Lockpicking) +3
1)
2)
193
Chapter Seven
FINISHING TOUCHES
our Ambarquenta character is almost finished. At this point, you should have filled in most of
Y your Character Sheet, and checked your math to be sure that everything balances. Before your
character can set out on his first adventure, just a few more vital game statistics have to be de-
termined.
MOVEMENT AND EXAMPLE: Grimgr, a Beorning hunter, stands 62 tall, giv-

ing him a BMR of 29 feet per round. With Nimbleness 13 and
ENCUMBRANCE Strength 17, he adds an additional +4 feet per round to his BMR
as the two attribute have an average score of 15. Thus,
Grimgrs final Base Movement Rate is 33 feet, or 11 yards, per
T
he next step in the character creation process is to action round.
record your characters Base Movement Rate (BMR)
on your Character Sheet. A characters Base Move-
ment Rate determines how far he can move in a six-second PACE
round. This rate represents a characters normal walking
speed in feet per round, and is based on a characters height. The Base Movement Rate represents a characters normal
In addition, the average of a characters total Nimbleness and stride. If moving at a faster pace, his BMR is modified ac-
Strength attribute scores can either add to or penalise his cording to Table 7.2 below. The table also lists standard
stride. None of the modifications found on the table below TNs for tests of the Run skill to further increase the distance
may reduce a characters BMR below 6 feet per round, covered within a certain amount of time (each LoS beyond
though. LSF 0 increases the distance covered within a round by
10%, or allows you to decrease the time to cover a given dis-
TABLE 7.1: BASE MOVEMENT RATES tance by 10%), as well as the number of weariness points you
AVERAGE OF accumulate when moving at a given pace. See pages 212 and
HEIGHT BMR NIMBLENESS & STRENGTH BMR 219 for more information on conducting movement tests.
711 81 36 26 +15
78 710 35 25 +14 TABLE 7.2: PACE
75 77 34 24 +13
72 74 33 23 +12 PACE WEARINESS
611 71 32 22 +11 PACE MULTIPLIER RUN TN POINTS
68 610 31 21 +10 Crawl/Step x 0.33 1 every 15 minutes
65 67 30 20 +9 Walk x1 1 every 10 minutes
62 64 29 19 +8 Jog x2 1 every 3 minutes
511 61 28 18 +7 Run x3 15* 1 every 2 rounds
58 510 27 17 +6 Sprint x4 20* 5 each round
55 57 26 16 +5
*: A test is required only if the character is engaged in combat or
52 54 25 15 +4
attempts to move farther than normally. If the moving character is
411 51 24 14 +3
involved in a combat situation, test TNs normally increase by +5.
48 410 23 13 +2
See the description of the Run skill on page 111 for details.
45 47 22 12 +1
42 44 21 11 0
311 41 20 10 1 These paces apply when characters use tactical move-
38 310 19 9 2 mentmovement during combat, other forms of physical
35 37 18 8 3 conflict, and situations where precise measuring of move-
32 34 17 7 4
211 31 16 6 5 ment is important. For casual situationswhen performing
28 210 15 5 6 tasks where not every second is critical, such as exploring a
25 27 14 4 7 ruined towermultiply the BMR by 10 to find out how
22 24 13 3 8 many feet a character can move per minute. For long journeys
111 21 12 2 9
and other types of overland travel, see Travelling, page 245.
194
CHAPTER SEVEN: FINISHING TOUCHES
ENCUMBRANCE TABLE 7.3: ENCUMBRANCE

PACE
Once your character has acquired some armour and other GEP* LIMITATION
0 to 3
helpful items such as weapons and provisions, his Base 4 to 6 no Sprint
Movement Rate will normally be lowered by a number of feet 7 to 9 no Run
equal to twice his General Encumbrance Penalty (GEP). The 10 or greater no Jog
GEP is the total of (1) your characters armour penalty and *: A characters BMR is decreased by 2 for each point of his GEP.
(2) the encumbrance penalty accruing from carrying around
weapons, shields, ordinary clothes, and other gear. Note that a heavily encumbered character will also tire
To determine the encumbrance penalty caused by weap- out more quickly, as the number of weariness points he can
ons and other gear, you must first find the total weight (in accumulate within a given Weariness Levelnormally equal
pounds) of any equipment carried by your character which to his Stamina scoreis reduced by his GEP. As a rule of
has not already been accounted for by the armour penalty. thumb, you should apply the GEP your character suffers
Then subtract your characters Prowess score from that while armed and armoured when recording that value on
total weight to determine the excess load of gear he carries. Of your Character Sheet. For more on Weariness, see page 237.
course, a characters excess load cannot drop below 0.
SKILL AND ATTRIBUTE TESTS: Being part of a characters
Next, divide the excess load in pounds by your characters
Physical Penalty, the GEP applies to all tests governed by
Prowess score. Keep any fractions.
Deftness and/or Nimbleness.
Finally, add your characters armour penalty to the en-
cumbrance penalty caused by other gear and round off the fi- DEFENCE: An encumbered character is hampered in his
nal value to find his GEP. evasive movements and easier to hit. Thus, Defence is penal-
ised by the GEP as well, but it cannot drop below 10, regard-
EXAMPLE: Besides his heavy armour, whichafter a lot of less of how bulky a suit of armour is.
trainingimposes an armour penalty of only 3.55 (see the ex-
SPELLS: The GEP also applies when casting spells of Sor-
ample on page 189), Gori the Dwarf carries additional gear
weighing 37 lbs. Thus, with a Prowess of 16, he carries an excess cerythe more gear you carry and the heavier armour you
load of 21 lbs. and suffers an encumbrance penalty of (21 16) wear, the more susceptible you are to the marring influence
= 1.31. of the Morgothian element infesting all the matter of Arda.
The sum of these two penalties is 4.86, which rounds off to Uses of the Art, however, are not affected by the GEP (un-
a GEP of 5. Since Gori usually gets rid of his heavy-loaded less they depend on Deftness and/or Nimbleness if the Tu-
backpack before violence erupts, his player also calculates the rambar varies the test attributes for some reason).
encumbrance penalty accruing from the stout Dwarfs 18 lbs. of
weapons and other combat gear: 0.13. Thus, Goris GEP in bat-
tle is only 4 (i.e., 0.13 + 3.55 = 3.68, rounded off).
MOVEMENT AND ACTION POINTS
Optionally, a Turambar may rule to treat the over-
weight of particularly fat characters like Bombur as an addi- So far, it was assumed that movement is taken as a full
tional source of encumbrance. Simply determine the weight round action. But since Ambarquenta handles tactical situa-
that a character of a given Strength, height, and race would tions with an action point (AP) system, characters will usual-
have on average and subtract this number from your charac- ly want to move just a part of each six-second round.
ters actual weight. One half of this above-average body While each character has a different amount of AP to
spend each round (see page 31 on establishing a characters
weight is added to the weight of the characters equipment.
action allowance), no character may spend more than 10 AP
on movement in a given round. Any AP remaining after
EXAMPLE: As we have learned from the example on page
movement may be spent on other actions such as drawing a
29, Gori has an overweight of 16 lbs. and must therefore add 8
lbs. to the total weight of his gear when determining his en- weapon orif within reachmaking an attack, unless a
cumbrance penalty. In combat, for instance, he actually carries character attempts to Run or Sprint (these are full-round ac-
26 lbs. of weapons and unwieldy body mass, giving him a total tions, see below).
penalty of 5.18 (= 3.55 for his armour penalty + 1.63 for his en-
cumbrance penalty), which rounds off to a GEP of 5.
COMMON ACTION POINT
COSTS FOR MOVING
APPLYING THE ENCUMBRANCE PENALTY
As you will often need to determine how many AP it
The General Encumbrance Penalty (GEP) applies to a costs you to move from one point (for example, a foe in bat-
variety of statistics: tle) to another, you should do a little math ahead of time and
MOVEMENT: A characters Base Movement Rate is low- jot down the following information on your Character Sheet:
ered by a number of feet equal to twice his GEP. A character AP COST PER FOOT (APF): The most important thing to
with a BMR of 28 and a GEP of 3, for example, has a mod- know is how many AP it costs to move one foot, as you can
ified BMR of 22. Characters suffer additional restrictions to establish the AP cost for moving any distance by multiplying
their movement rates when wearing bulky armour or carry- this valueyour APF (action point cost per foot)by the
ing heavy or very heavy loads, as shown on Table 7.3.
195
number of feet you need to move in a given situation. Use the

following formula to determine your characters action point AMBAR
cost per foot:
APF = 10 BMR ( Pace Multiplier)
As stated above, by multiplying your characters APF
P layer characters in Ambarquenta are shining examples
of their races. Not only are they heroes of Middle-
earth and often an inspiration to the Free Peoples, they are
with the number of feet he needs to cover, you will learn how
the most important characters in your game. As such, they
many AP it requires to move that distance.
possess qualities of heroism and noble destiny that set them
EXAMPLE: Grimgr, the Beorning hunter, has a BMR of 33
apart from most people. In short, they are special. To repre-
(i.e., 33 per round at a walking pace). He crouches behind a sent this, they have an attribute called Ambar (Q. Fate).
rock, just 30 away from a huge Forest-troll. He wishes to sneak You must have completed all steps of character creation
up on the Troll and ambush it. Since he wants to sneak up on described in Chapters One to Six before you may determine
the Troll, his pace multiplier will be at 0.33. The AP cost of your characters Ambar. Not until he is a fully fleshed-out
moving 30 is 27.55 (= 30 x [10 33 0.33]), which rounds personality with a background story and all relevant game
off to a AP cost of 28. If Grimgr had (foolishly) chosen to ap-
statistics, can the Blessing of Eru Ilvatar come to rest upon a
proach the Troll at a jogging pace, the AP cost would have
been 4.55 (= 30 x [10 33 2]), which rounds off to 5 AP.
character. As a matter of fact, this beneficial effect tends to
favour the weak but sincere, thus compensating for some dis-
advantages certain characters may suffer when compared to
AP COST PER YARD (APY): For easy combat resolution,
their more powerful brethren.
we suggest to use miniatures and combat maps marked off in
To determine your characters basic Ambar score, you
hexes which are one inch across. As each hex represents one
must have a number of six-sided dice at hand. For a Hobbit
yard (i.e., three feet), you should also record how many AP it
character, roll 9d3; for all other characters, roll 7d3 to de-
costs your character to move that distance. Use the same
termine their basic Ambar score. If the roll of dice yields
formula as for determining your APF, but multiply the result
three or more sixes (four or more sixes for a Hobbit charac-
by 3 to learn your APY. Since most characters choose to
ter) before adding up and halving the result, you may choose
move at a jogging pace in combat, specifically mark that par-
to add another 3d3 to your Ambar score, but if you do so,
ticular APY cost.
this also means that your mother has died in childbed. Op-
tionally, the Turambar may also allow an Elven character
EXAMPLE: Grimgrs basic AP cost per yard (APY) is 0.91
(= 3 x 10 33). At a jogging pace (the standard pace in com- who has lived in Valinor under the Light of the Trees to add
bat), his APY is 0.46 (or 0.5 for practical reasons), which still another 3d3 as well.
rounds off to 1 AP if he moves but a single hex. Optionally, a characters basic Ambar score must not
be lower than his Grace score at this point. Note that this
FEET PER ACTION POINT (FAP): Sometimes you will also option is usually inappropriate if Grace is arbitrarily assigned
need to know how far you can move per action point. This by the Turambar, rather than randomly determined.
value is labelled FAP (feet per action point) on your Charac-
ter Sheet and can be determined as follows: A characters basic Ambar score, as determined by the
roll of dice, is then modified by 1 for each flaw he has that
FAP = BMR 10 (x Pace Multiplier) earns him 10 or more picks as a recompense. Optionally, in-
stead of applying such a flat penalty, the Turambar may look
EXAMPLE: After throwing his spear and drawing his battle- over a characters list of flaws and exclude some flaws that he
axe, Grimgr has 5 AP left in the current round and wants to thinks are harmless. For example, while the Dark Secret
know how close he can get to the last standing Orc who has just
flaw would certainly justify a penalty to the characters basic
knocked out his friend Halward. As he has already taken too
many actions this round, the maximum pace at which he can Ambar score, the Poor flaw might not. This is entirely up to
progress is Jog (Running and Sprinting are full-round actions). the Turambar, though. Generally, its better to include all
Grimgrs basic FAP is 3.3 (= 33 10). At a jogging pace, his flaws when determining the penalty to a characters basic
FAP is 6.6 (= 3.3 x 2), which rounds off to 7 per action point. Ambar than leaving out too many, since Ambar is, at least in
Thus, Grimgr could narrow the gap between his current posi- part, intended to act as a compensatory virtue.
tion and the Orc by 35. Finally, a characters basic Ambar score is reduced by 1
point every time he enters a new Corruption Level.
RUNNING AND SPRINTING The attribute you have just generated measures your
characters basic Ambar score. You start the game with the
Running and sprinting are usually full-round actions be- same number of points in your current Ambar score (i.e.,
cause you need a little time to accelerate, and because you your running total of Ambar points). Whenever you expose
need to exercise your whole body, not just your legs. There- yourself to a fateful situation and successfully test Ambar,
fore, you may only use (AA 10) 2 action points on other your current score decreases by one or two points, as indicat-
actions while moving at a running pace. When you choose to ed by the various effect descriptions.
sprint, you cant take any other actions (unless the Turambar At the beginning of each new game session, the Turam-
allows you to shout or perform like free actions). bar may decide that a particular character recovers a single
point of spent Ambar (and 1d5 Corruption points). See Re-
covering Ambar, below, for details.
196
TESTING AMBAR mum 1 round). You accumulate double the normal amount
of weariness points during that time. Once the adrenalin has
worn off and the immediate threat is removed, your Univer-
During the course of the game, you can spend Ambar in
sal Penalty is doubled for a number of minutes equal to the
many ways. Yet, whenever you decide to do so, you must first
number of rounds it was ignored, unless you pass a TN 30
pass an Ambar test: simply roll 2d10 and compare the result
Stamina test. The successful use of this kind of effect causes
to your current Ambar score. If the roll is lower than or your current Ambar score to drop by 2 points.
equal to your current Ambar score, you succeed and can
OVERCOME WEARINESS: Fifth, some beneficial circum-
choose one of the effects described below. Following a suc-
stances may help a character overcome the effects of Weari-
cess, your current Ambar score drops by one or two points,
ness. Gimli claims he can throw off all Weariness when he
as indicated in the description of the chosen effect.
has some Orcs to attack, and the good news that Frodo still
If the Ambar test fails, you cannot use Ambar as normal,
lives after Shelobs attack helps Sam to overcome his exhaus-
but your current Ambar score remains unchanged until you
tion and keep going. In appropriate circumstances, the Tu-
achieve your next success. However, if you desperately need
rambar may allow a character to make an Ambar test to re-
to achieve the desired effect (perhaps to save your live), you
cover two lost Weariness Levels automatically due to inspira-
may simply subtract the due points from both your current
tion or an increase in morale. The successful use of this kind
and your basic Ambar score without making a test, thus irre-
of effect causes the characters Ambar score to drop by 1 point.
versibly lowering your basic Ambar score.
Note that Ambar can only be tested once in any given
situation. For example, you cannot try to boost the result of OTHER USES OF AMBAR
an attack test more than once, but you could again test Am- In addition to the possibilities described above, Ambar
bar in the same action round to get a bonus to a parry test as can be used to handle a variety of other situations. What is
well. If the parry fails, you could also test your Ambar to re- special about these uses is that they either do not require a
duce the sustained damage. However, only one Ambar test successful Ambar test, or that they do not affect a characters
can be made for each of these events. current Ambar score. Also see The Power of Words on
Also note that a character may be granted a temporary page 293 on even more possibilities to use Ambar.
bonus to his current Ambar score, as described in the option
presented on page 293. RESIST FEAR: First, in some circumstances the Turambar
may require you to expend 1 Ambar simply to attempt an ex-
tremely difficult but useful task, such as attacking the Lord of
BENEFITS OF SPENDING AMBAR the Nazgl. In other words, you must pay 1 Ambar as a pre-
requisite for making a test, but you do not need to pass an
Following a successful Ambar test, you can spend Ambar Ambar test to do so. In this situation, the character receives
for your character in five different ways. However, regardless no other benefits for the Ambar pointspending it just al-
of how many points of Ambar he currently has, no more than lows him to make the effort. Most of the time, attempting
one of the below effects can be chosen in a given situation. such a task also calls for a Fortitude test against Fear. A play-
IMPROVE TEST RESULTS: First, you can use Ambar to im- er may opt to expend additional points of Ambar to gain a
prove test results. A successful Ambar test allows you to add bonus (+5 per point) to the Fortitude test, again without the
a +5 bonus to any desired test (except for Ambar tests). You necessity to succeed at an Ambar test to be allowed to do so.
do not have to specify in advance that you intend to use Am- LUCK: Second, a characters current Ambar can be tested
bar to improve a test result. Instead, you can make the test, to determine whether he has brought along some particular
and then after seeing the results decide whether to try to piece of gear, whether he steps on the floorboard which
spend Ambar on it. The successful use of this kind of effect breaks or squeaks, who will be attacked by a certain foe, and
causes your current Ambar score to drop by 1 point. so on. Testing Ambar for resolving such arbitrary situations
RE-ROLL THE DICE: Second, you can use Ambar to re-roll does not cause its current score to drop.
one die roll of any sort. You may then choose whichever re- ENCHANTMENTS: Third, the greatest masters of the Art
sult (original or re-rolled) pleases you the most. You could of Enchantment may permanently sacrifice Ambar to create
also demand from the Turambar to re-roll any one die roll truly exceptional items (see page 319 for more details). For
made on behalf of or against your character (for example, a example, only by reducing his original Ambar score to
foes attack test), but in this case, the second roll always ap- naught, Fanor, greatest of the Noldor, was able to make the
plies, even if its result is worse for your character than the three silmarili, but by doing so he eventually brought a fell
original roll. The successful use of this kind of effect causes doom upon his kin.
your current Ambar score to drop by 2 points.
LESSEN INJURIES: Third, you can use Ambar to half the
number of wound points of damage you sustained from a AMBAR FOR OTHER CHARACTERS
single attack. The successful use of this kind of effect causes
your current Ambar score to drop by 2 points. Only the most important characters in your tale should
ADRENALIN: Fourth, Ambar can be used in dramatic sit- have Ambar. Obviously this means the player characters, but
uations to offset your Universal Penalty for a short while. it also includes important NPCs, such as major antagonists.
With a successful Ambar test, you get the adrenalin flowing On the other hand, the average NPC, including low-level
for a number of rounds equal to your Stamina 4 (mini- opposition like your average Orc, has no Ambar at all.
197
RECOVERING AMBAR Ainulindal (Q. The Music of the Ainur) by Melkor and his
followers among the Holy Spirits (Ainur) whom he had se-
duced in the Timeless Halls ere the creation of E. Later,
As stated above, at the beginning of each new game ses- when Melkor incarnated himself permanently as Morgoth,
sion a character has the chance to recover a spent point of the Black Enemy of the Elder Days, he did this
Ambar. The Turambar evaluates the achievements of each
character and judges his bearing in the past session according [] so as to control the hro, the flesh or physical matter
to the guidelines found in The Quality of Heroes section on
of Arda. He attempted to identify himself with it. A vaster, and
pages 18f.. If he finds a character (and the plot of the last ses-
more perilous procedure, though of similar sort to the operations
sion) worthy of itbecause, for instance, the character im-
proved the story or helped move it along in fun and dramatic of Sauron with the Rings. Thus, outside the Blessed Realm, all
ways, or because he pursued heroic, noble, and self-sacrificing matter was likely to have a Melkor ingredient, and those who
purposes, that character recovers a single point of Ambar had bodies, nourished by the hro of Arda, had as it were a ten-
at this point, as well as 1d5 Corruption points (see Decreas- dency, small or great, towards Melkor: they were none of them
ing Corruption, page 200). wholly free of him in their incarnate form, and their bodies had
No more than one point of Ambar can be recovered per an effect upon their spirits.
session, and none will be recovered if the character behaved But in this way Morgoth lost (or exchanged, or transmuted)
unheroic, ignoble, or selfish during the previous session. In the greater part of his original angelic powers, of mind and spir-
particular, he shouldnt recover a point of Ambar if he has it, while gaining a terrible grip upon the physical world. For this
committed a deed (other than casting a normal spell) that reason he had to be fought, mainly by physical force, and enor-
earned him some Corruption. In fact, recovering a point of mous material ruin was a probable consequence of any direct
spent Ambar should be the exception rather than the rule. combat with him, victorious or otherwise. This is the chief expla-
nation of the constant reluctance of the Valar to come into open
battle against Morgoth. Manws task and problem was much
CORRUPTION more difficult than Gandalfs. Saurons, relatively smaller, power
was concentrated; Morgoths vast power was disseminated.
W henever a character is exposed to dangerous influ-

ences (such as the One Ring), resorts to foul
deeds, casts a spell of Sorcery, or succumbs to evil temptation
The whole of Middle-earth was Morgoths Ring, though tem-
porarily his attention was mainly upon the North-west. Unless
swiftly successful, War against him might well end in reducing all
(as Saruman did), he may suffer the effects of Corruption. Middle-earth to chaos, possibly even all Arda [] Moreover, the
Eventually, if no one saves him, or if he cannot or will not final eradication of Sauron (as a power directing evil) was
save himself, he becomes totally Corrupt, a servant of Dark- achievable by the destruction of the Ring. No such eradication of
ness. Morgoth was possible, since this required the complete disintegra-
tion of the matter of Arda. Saurons power was not (for exam-
ple) in gold as such, but in a particular form or shape made of a
CORRUPTION LEVELS particular portion of total gold. Morgoths power was disseminat-
ed throughout Gold, if nowhere absolute (for he did not create
Your character has six Corruption Levels: Pure (uncor-
Gold) it was nowhere absent. (It was this Morgoth-element in
rupted), Intrigued, Exposed, Tainted, Captivated, and Cor-
matter, indeed, which was a prerequisite for such magic and
rupt. Each level can hold a number of Corruption points equal
other evils as Sauron practised with it and upon it.)
to the sum of his Grace, Will, and Insight scores. As your
It is quite possible, of course, that certain elements or condi-
character is exposed to sources of corruption, he accumulates
Corruption points and risks dropping to the next level, thus tions of matter had attracted Morgoths special attention (main-
becoming more corrupted and more prone to yield to temp- ly, unless in the remote past, for reasons of his own plans). For
tation and evil. example, all gold (in Middle-earth) seems to have had a specially
Once a player character reaches the sixth level, Corrupt, evil trendbut not silver. Water is represented as being almost
he becomes a servant of the Shadow and the Turambar im- entirely free of Morgoth. (This, of course, does not mean that any
mediately takes control of him as an NPC. If a Corrupt char- particular stream, river, well, or even vessel of water could not be
acter somehow manages to get rid of a number of Corruption poisoned or defiledas all things could.)
points sufficient to lower him to Captivated (or better), the J.R.R. Tolkien, Morgoths Ring, pages 399401.
player regains control of him. However, a Corrupt character
who accumulates more Corruption points than his sixth and Despite the fact that everything around them, even their
last level can hold becomes so evil or selfish that he may never own hror, contains traces of Morgoths dispersed power, the
be controlled by his player again. members of the Free Peoples of Middle-earth have a free will
and the chance to make their own decisionsfor good or
evil. You must choose for yourself whether to succumb to the
SOURCES OF CORRUPTION temptation of occasionally accepting dubious means to
achieve your goals, or to strictly rely on an honourable code
In Middle-earth, all that is evil eventually springs from of conduct.
one source: The disharmony that was brought into the
198
ACQUIRING CORRUPTION POINTS TABLE 7.4: CORRUPTION

In Ambarquenta, these metaphysical conditions are re- LEVEL EFFECT*
flected by the three major ways in which characters usually Pure None
Intrigued 1 test result penalty
acquire Corruption points: Exposed 2 test result penalty
Tainted 4 test result penalty
Casting Spells Captivated 8 test result penalty
Corrupt Character becomes a servant of the Shadow
First, as the far (Q. souls) of Men are normally too *: The penalty applies to all Corruption tests, and, at the Turam-
weak to wield spells of Sorcery without drawing from the bars discretion, to tests of Social skills when dealing with the Wise.
disseminated power of Morgoth, anyone who casts a sorcery
automatically acquires a set number of Corruption points, as SITUATION TN
indicated in each spells description. If a spell is cast with an EXPOSURE TO THE ONE RING (CIRCA TA 3018)
evil motive, for a selfish purpose, or just carelessly, and the Under normal circumstances 20
casting test fails, the character acquires even more Corrup- Near Mordor 25
tion. See Table 7.4 and Chapter Eleven for details. Note that In Mordor 30
For every time the Ring is worn +2 to TN
the Elven Art is not normally corrupting, unless of course the
intent of its user is evil. EXPOSURE TO TEMPTATION
Mild temptation 1217
Moderate temptation 1823
Temptation Strong temptation 2429
Very strong temptation 3036
Second, if a character is exposed to or does anything the
Turambar believes could corrupt him, he must make a Cor- SORCERY
ruption test. A Corruption test is a Fortitude test modified by Casting a spell of Sorcery No roll
the penalty associated with the characters current Corrup- Character receives Corruption automatically,
as indicated in the spells description
tion level against a difficulty determined by the Turambar. Spell is cast with an evil motive or purpose and
See Table 7.4 for some examples. Note that in this context a fails +2 per LoF
temptation could be anything from struggling with oneself succeeds +1 per LoS
whether to accept an unjustified gift to the wish to slay a de- Spell is cast with a good motive or purpose and
fails +0 per LoF
fenceless foe, from the lust for power to plain greed. A Tu- succeeds 2 per LoS
rambar may wish to vary the TN for one and the same ac- Spell is cast with a neutral motive or purpose and
tion, depending on the particular circumstances. fails +1 per LoF
If the character fails in the Corruption test, he acquires 3 succeeds 1 per LoS
points of Corruption for each point short of reaching the TN : A spells basic Corruption cannot drop below 0 due to high LoS,
(i.e., count each point of failure instead of normal LoF; for and the basic Corruption of any spells of Necromancy cannot be
example, with a test result of 16 and a TN of 20, the charac- lowered at all.
ter acquires 12 Corruption points). If he achieves LSF 0 or
LoS +1, he acquires no Corruption. With LoS +2, he reduc- Of course, some characters may not want to resist temp-
es his existing Corruption total by 1d10 points. If he manag- tation or corrupting influences. If so, they must act accord-
es LoS +3 or better, he reduces his existing Corruption total ingly, and the Turambar assigns them Corruption automati-
by 2d10 points. callytypically a minimum of 30. The below suggestions on
Additionally, when the character suffers LoF 2 or worse punishing wilful evil deeds can serve him as a guideline.
on the Corruption test, he must take an appropriate action to
demonstrate the effects of Corruption upon him. For exam- Evil Deeds
ple, suppose a servant of the Shadow offers Hilgo Boffin a
bribe to report anything unusual you see to me. Hilgo suf- Third, characters become corrupted by wilfully or acci-
fers LoF 2 in his attempt to resist because he misses the dentally committing dim-witted, unsavoury, domineering, or
TN by 6 points. So he acquires 18 Corruption points and downright evil deeds. For example, suppose Sulronadil fires a
must take the money. If he knows anything useful, he reports flaming arrow on a Dunnish village to distract its inhabitants
it at that time. from an attempt to rescue some of their prisoners. As
After a character has suffered LoF 2 or worse, the Tu- planned, the brand ignites the thatched roof of an isolated
rambar may later allow him to make additional Fortitude house in the centre of the village, but unfortunately a sudden
testsat the same or greater difficultyto shake off the cor- gust spreads the fire over the entire hamlet. In the end, Sul-
rupting influence. If he succeeds, the character does not lose ronadil and his friends are able to rescue the prisoners, but
any of the Corruption points he gained, but he snaps out of it the village is razed to the ground, and many children and
and can stop taking corrupted actions. On the other hand, if women are killed in the incident.
he fails, he acquires no additional Corruption. For example, a For this imprudent and unintentionally cruel act, the Tu-
few hours after Hilgo agrees to spy, the Turambar might al- rambar assigns Sulronadil 30 Corruption points automatical-
low him another Fortitude test. If he succeeds, he realizes lythe typically minimum for doing such a wrong. If it had
what an awful thing hes done and stops spying. He still been Sulronadils deliberate intention to burn down the vil-
doesnt lose the Corruption points, though. lage, thereby killing so many innocent people, the Turambar
199
could have assigned him enough Corruption points to raise DECREASING CORRUPTION
him to the Corrupt level straight away.
These two interpretations of Sulronadils misdeed make
it clear that no precise rules on assigning Corruption points Characters can decrease their Corruption total by strong-
for committing evil acts can be provided. A Turambar must ly resisting temptation and corrupting influences (see Temp-
judge the characters intention (doing something bad wilfully tation, above), through honest repentance and confession
certainly deserves far more Corruption points than doing the (for a formalised approach, see the optional skill Cleansing
same thing by accident), the actual crime (stealing a loaf of Meditation on page 295), orin some casesby perform-
bread when you are hungry is a venial sin, while treason or ing noble and heroic deeds. If a character with Corruption
murder is a serious felony), and other relevant circumstances does something particularly noteworthy and heroic out of the
(being traumatised or under the sway of the One Ring could goodness of his heart (such as saving helpless Hobbits from
be an extenuating cause) before assigning Corruption points. Orcs, even though he stands nothing to gain), the Turambar
If a Turambar feels uncomfortable about assigning a cer- may reduce his Corruption score by however many points he
tain amount of Corruption points automatically, he may re- considers appropriate, typically at least 10.
sort to Corruption tests. Use the sample difficulties for re- Whats more, whenever the Turambar allows a character
sisting temptation (assigning each crime an appropriate diffi- to recover 1 point of spent Ambar, he also decreases his Cor-
culty category, such as very strong for murder, or mild for ruption total by 1d5.
stealing someones purse), but increase the TN by at least 10
points in case of a premeditated wicked act. However, even TAINT
upon a success, the character should still be assigned at least
1 to 10 Corruption points. Even if a character manages to decrease his Corruption
total, his soul remains marred forever. This is reflected by his
Taint scorethe minimum number of Corruption points
EFFECTS OF CORRUPTION below which he cannot drop, regardless of how heroic or no-
ble he behaves after once having acquired Corruption. A
Every player must keep track of his Corruption. Just like characters Taint score equals one third (rounded off normal-
wound points and Weariness, Corruption is recorded in lev- ly) of his all-time high Corruption score. Therefore, make
els. Once a character has accumulated a number of Corrup- sure to check (and, if necessary, record) both of these
tion points within a Corruption Level equal to the sum of his scoresyour all-time high Corruption and your Taintas
Grace, Will, and Insight scores, he begins accumulating Cor- soon as you acquire additional Corruption.
ruption in the next level and suffers penalties to Corruption
tests as a result. The Corruption monitor can be found on EXAMPLE: Over the time, Sulronadil acquires 67 Corrup-
the Magical Capabilities sheet, as characters who frequently tion points, making him Intrigued. After showing true repent-
ance and selflessly saving the life of one of his companions, his
cast spells most often fall prey to Corruption. Turambar allows him to reduce his Corruption total by 30
Although Corruption is not visible, other characters can points. However, his all-time high Corruption still remains 67
often tell theres something wrong. To reflect this, apply the points, thus leaving a Taint of 22 points. If Sulronadil is later
characters Corruption penalty to the use of all Social skills allowed to erase another 30 Corruption points, his running
when he is dealing with good-hearted people or the Wise. total drops only to 22, instead of 7.
The penalty does not apply to Intimidate tests, though. In
addition, a player should portray his somehow sinister atti-
tude in appropriate situations (for example, when faced with
a temptation). RENOWN
Alternatively, if the nature of the characters past misde-
meanour allows it (for example, if he has acquired most of his
Corruption by casting apparently harmless or benign spells),
his Corruption point score can be interpreted as a measure of
T he heroes of any Ambarquenta game, particularly
lead characters like the player characters in your tale,
are usually larger than life, with qualities to match. These
his preoccupation with his own interests and affairs, rather qualities and the accomplishments they allow cause charac-
than a growing tendency towards darkness. This was, for ex- ters to become well known, to develop a reputation among
ample, the case with Radagast: The Brown Wizard was so their folk and maybe eventually throughout Middle-earth.
captivated by the beauty of Middle-earths nature that he ne- Ambarquenta represents this fame (or notoriety) with an at-
glected the greater duties for which he was sent from across
tribute called Renown. Generally, the higher a characters
the Sea. Saruman, to give another example, fell victim to the
Renown, the better known and more recognisable he is. Oth-
lure of power and eventually served nothing but his own evil
er folk, including NPCs he encounters, may have heard of
needs. Yet, before becoming Corrupt, he did strive to save
him and know something about him.
the Free Peoplesbut as the events of the War of the Ring
show, his approach was foolish and lead to his doom.
The fallen wizards fates illustrate just two more ways ACQUIRING RENOWN
how Corruption may manifest. The final decision on what
happens to a Corrupt character is up to the Turambarbut
Renown uses a scale similar to the one introduced for
in any case, the character becomes a NPC controlled by the
primary attributes, but it has no upper limit. A character
Turambar.
200
could have a Renown of 20, 30, or more, though even for Recognition tests are usually Wits tests. However, if a
most nobles and kings Renown 10 to 15 is high. Normally, character has an appropriate Lore skill (such as Culture Lore
all characters start the game with Renown 0no one really or Region Lore), the Turambar should allow him to use that
knows who they are yet, unless the Turambar rules other- instead.
wise for purposes related to a particular tale. If, for instance, Regardless of the attribute or skill used, the Renown
the Turambar wanted to run a game in which all of the char- modifier (see the accompanying table) of the target character
acters are nobility, he might have them each start out with modifies the test results. For example, if Menelor tries to de-
Renown 5 or higher. termine who Glorfindel (Renown 16) is, he applies a +5 test
Characters develop their Renown through game play result modifier because Glorfindel is so renowned.
upon accomplishing noteworthy deeds, a Turambar may If a recognition test fails, the character has not heard of
award them one or more points of Renown. See Renown the other person or cannot remember anything he might
Awards, page 209. have learned about him. If the test succeeds, the character
does know of him. The greater the LoS, the more he knows.
Typically, a character knows an NPC (or vice-versa) based
USING RENOWN on his traits or because of specific famous deeds he has ac-
complished.
Renown has two uses in the game. It lets you determine
whether one character knows another; and it may modify the EXAMPLE: After many adventures, Menelor earns a Renown
outcome of Esteem tests as well as the use of some Social of 8. While in Minas Tirith, he encounters a Gondorian lord
skills. from Linhir. Ordinarily the lord would use his Wits to make a
recognition test, but since they are both nobles from Gondor,
RECOGNITION TESTS the Turambar decides to let him use his Region Lore: Gondor
(Nobles) +13 skill. The lord rolls a 10, for a test result of 27 (=
First, Renown allows a character to make a recognition test 10 + 13 [TSB] + 2 [Menelors Renown modifier] + 2 [target of
the same people]). Since they are both from Dor-en-Ernil, the
to find out if he has heard of another characterand, if so, TN is 20. The lords test achieves a LoS +2. He has heard of
what he knows about him. The TN for the test depends on Menelor and knows him not only as a member of the Princely
the size of the region or society the two characters have in House of Dol Amroth, but also for his knowledge of arcane
common, as shown on the Recognition Tests Table. things and his strong will (from Menelors Resolute edge).
TABLE 7.5: RECOGNITION TESTS

RENOWN IN SOCIAL SITUATIONS
BASE DIFFICULTY
The modifiers listed on the Renown Modifiers Table can
DIFFICULTY SAMPLE REGION/SOCIETY also apply to Esteem tests, as well as to some uses of Social
TN 15 LOCAL: within Hobbiton or Minas Tirith skills and some Bearing tests. How it applies, and whether it
TN 20 AREA: within the Southfarthing or Dor-en-Ernil acts as a bonus or a penalty, depends on the situation.
TN 25 REGION: within the Shire or the Eastfold When appropriate, have a character make a recognition
TN 30 REALM: within Eriador, Gondor, or Rohan
TN 40 WORLD: within Middle-earth test to determine if he knows someone. If he succeeds, the
recognised person may apply his Renown modifier to Esteem
RECOGNITION MODIFIERS tests and the use of Social skills on that character. If the per-
son is known for something the character considers positive,
SITUATION TEST MODIFIER beneficial, or admirable, the Renown modifier is a bonus. If
Target of same people +2 he is known for something negative, despicable, wicked, or
Target of friendly/allied people 0
hurtful, the Renown modifier is a penalty.
Target of hostile people 2
RENOWN MODIFIERS EXAMPLE: In the above example, the lord reacts well to
Menelor for he has a deep love for the House of Dol Amroth. If
RENOWN* TEST MODIFIER Menelor tried to use his Persuade skill to convince the lord of
Renown 13 0 something, his Renown modifier would act as a bonus to his
Renown 46 1 test, since the lord regards him favourably. If, however, the lord
Renown 79 2 were a dissipated noble who scorned scholars and ancient lore,
Renown 1012 3 Menelors reputation as a loremaster might cause his Renown
Renown 1315 4 modifier to act as a penalty to his test.
Renown 1618 5
Renown 1921 6
Renown 2224 7
Renown 2527 8
Renown 2830 9
For each additional multiple of 3 1
* Renown modifiers can be applied both negatively and positively,
depending on the situation. With recognition tests, though, these
are always applied positively. A character trying to recognise
someone with a high Renown uses that persons positive Renown
modifier to increase his die roll, making it easier to succeed.
201
Chapter Eight
CHARACTER IMPROVEMENT
s they experience things through their adventures, characters learn, grow in knowledge, and
A become more capable and powerful. For example, Merry, Pippin, and Sam all started the
Quest of Mount Doom with little to contribute compared to Aragorn, Boromir, or Gandalf.
But by the end of the story, Merry and Pippin had achieved renown as warriors, and Sam was famed
for helping Frodo complete the quest.
not a stressful situation eitherbut doing it in one action

round as a Troll approaches is very stressful indeed, and
SKILL IMPROVEMENT surely deserves a marker. In addition, there must be a logical
reason for the character to perform an action, and, as men-
tioned above, there must be a significant risk of failing the
I
n Ambarquenta, character growth is reflected by improve- test. After all, there is not much you could learn from em-
ment rolls and advancement picks. Any time a character at- ploying a skill in a task that has become a routine for you.
tempts a task of sufficient difficulty, or studies and prac- Although the procedure of qualifying for an experience
tises at a skill for a given time, he is allowed to make an im- marker basically works the same for all kinds of tests that
provement roll. A success on that roll indicates that he has Ambarquenta commonly asks for, some minor differences ex-
advanced his expertise in a given skill, and he may assign an ist. Please refer to page 220 to learn more about test variants.
advancement pick to one of the pick classes of the skills gov- STANDARD TESTS: To deserve an experience marker for a
erning attributes. These picks, representing a characters standard test, you must achieve at least LSF 0, and the TN
steady increase of proficiency and might, will eventually help of the test must be 10 or more points greater than your mod-
to raise his attributes, or may allow him to pick new edges. ified total skill bonus (TSB).
Skill increases reveal how recent game events or training
have affected a characters ongoing development. By building NOTE: Make sure to apply all pertinent penalties Univer-
and enhancing your characters innate characteristics and at- sal, Physical, and otherwhen determining the TSB for assessing
tributes, you can adapt him over time, simulating the person- the learning value of a test. Modifiers accruing from abilities or
al development that results from his exploits. flaws are also directly applied to a characters TSB.
OPPOSED TESTS: To deserve an experience marker for an

LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE opposed test, you must achieve at least LSF 0, and your
opponents test result (i.e., his modified TSB, plus his roll on
Whenever a character employs a skill in a situation that 2d10) must be 10 or more points greater than your own
involves some kind of danger, and has a considerable risk of modified TSB (i.e., your TSB with all due penalties and bo-
failure, the Turambar may allow him to tick off the checkbox nuses applied, but before adding your roll of 2d10 to deter-
in front of the skills name. This is called making an experi- mine your final test result).
ence marker. Under which circumstances a character is al- COMBAT SKILL TESTS: Combat resolution requires quite a
lowed to make such a marker is described right below. lot of tests and die rolls. Hence, it would be impractical to
As you look over your Skill Sheet, you will notice that all closely monitor TSBs and test results of all foes. Instead, ex-
skills can be marked this way. However, using a Lore skill in perience markers might be deserved (Turambars discretion)
game is usually only about recalling knowledge on a specific if your opponents total weapon skill bonus is greater than
topic, but not about increasing it. Therefore, you normally yours, or if you are fighting against a new type of foe (i.e., one
have to study tomes of lore or listen to a teachers lectures to you have never battled before) whose TSB is no more than 5
be allowed to improve those skills (see below on training in a points below your own applicable TSB.
skill). Only under special conditions (described on page 204) EXTENDED TESTS: To qualify for gaining experience mark-
can skills in the Lore category receive experience markers. ers (one for each individual skill involved) from an extended
Experience markers should only come from tests that test, each of the individual tests involved in the task must
have relevance or bearing on the story or its objectives, and yield at least LSF 0, and the task must be completed within
they should only be awarded for using a skill in stressful situ- a precise deadline dictated by the events of a scene. If no such
ations. An attack against a helpless foe would not merit an dramatic time limit applies, no experience markers are earned
experience marker. Likewise, taking an hour to pick a lock is for successfully completing an extended test.
202
CHAPTER EIGHT: CHARACTER IMPROVEMENT
COMBINED TESTS: To deserve experience markers for a MAKING AN IMPROVEMENT ROLL

combined test, the groups leader must achieve at least LSF
0 on his test, and the TN of the test must be 10 or more When the Turambar calls for improvement rolls, exam-
points greater than the leading characters applicable TSB, ine the Character Sheet to see what skills have received an
modified by the bonuses accumulated by his contributors. If experience marker. For each marked skill, the player rolls
these conditions are met, each participant may (at the Tu- 2d10. The target number of this improvement roll depends
rambars discretion) receive an experience marker. on the skills learning difficulty and the number of ranks you
currently have in it, and can be looked up in Table 8.1 below:
When it comes to learning from experience, some-
times it does not matter whether you succeed or fail at a test. TABLE 8.1: IMPROVEMENT ROLLS
Provided the task was neither beyond ones reach, nor too
trivial, people might learn just as much from failure as from CURRENT SKILLS LEARNING DIFFICULTY
# OF RANKS EASY AVERAGE HARD
success. To learn from a failure, the TN of the test must be 6 0 2 3 4
to 12 points higher than the applicable modified TSB. With 1 2 3 5
the TN outside this range, the task would either have been 2 3 4 6
too simple or too complex to learn anything from failing it. 3 4 5 7
4 5 6 8
One can only learn from avoidable mistakes, but not from 5 6 7 9
simply having bad luck, or attempting tasks that are so hard 6 8 9 10
that many things could go wrong. In case of an opposed test, 7 9 10 11
treat the opponents test result as the TN. 8 10 11 12
9 11 12 13
Only the Turambar can finally decide what situations 10 12 13 14
qualify for awarding experience markers. The simplest pro- 11 13 14 14
12 13 14 15
cedure is for a player to appeal for an experience marker im- 13 14 15 15
mediately following an attempt to use a skill. The Turambar 14 14 15 16
assesses the learning value of the test (based on the TN and 15 15 16 16
all relevant penalties and bonuses), and accepts or rejects the 16 15 16 17
17 16 17 17
appeal. No matter whether a test class modifier changes the
18 16 17 18
TN of a test, or whether a test result penalty reduces a char- 19 17 18 18
acters total skill bonus: Even a simple task, if performed un- 20 17 18 19
der adverse conditions or against overwhelming odds, may be 21 to 25 18 19 20
sufficiently challenging to justify a marker. 26 to 30 19 20 20
31+ 20 20 20
TURAMBARS TIP: Obviously, assessing tests becomes some- NEW SPECIALTY 12 13 14

thing of a judgment call. Every Turambar has his own prefer-
ences about how frequently to grant experience markers. Some If the result of an improvement roll is equal to or higher
give out few, so they can keep the characters growth slow and than the number indicated in Table 8.1, then the char-
steady. Others prefer to be more generous. In any case, it is acter improves in that skill and immediately adds one
one of the greatest pleasures of roleplaying to participate in the rank to its current number of skill ranks.
advancement of ones character from humble beginnings. As In addition, the player gets to choose one of the
characters solve mysteries, overcome challenges, and improve
skills, players remember the circumstances of the changes, and skills governing attributes and assigns a single ad-
savour them. vancement pick to its pick class. If a skill is governed by
When it comes to determining applicable tests, Turambari Strength, the advancement pick may alternatively be
need to be fair to their players, while at the same time servicing assigned to the general pick class (due to Strengths af-
the needs of the story. Try to spread important tests which may finity to Vigour). This is usually done by noting the
qualify for experience markers across the skill set of the entire running total of unspent advancement picks in the des-
group. If the wizard is always making all of the important story-
related tests, the other players quickly become disillusioned. To
ignated field next to the total attributes scores.
run a great game, you need to ensure that everyone is partici- If the player rolls less than the number indicated in Ta-
pating. Players will forgive a great deal as long as they feel they ble 8.1, then the character has not learned from the ex-
have a personal stake in the outcome of the story. perience, and the number of skill ranks and advance-
ment picks does not change.
If a player is allowed to record a marker, he gets the right
to make an improvement roll for that skill. An experience ACQUIRING NEW SPECIALTIES
marker for a particular skill is made only once per adventure,
no matter how many times the skill is used. After completing Acquiring new specialties by using and gaining proficien-
an adventure (or the chapter or a long scene of a tale), when cy with them works similar to the above described procedure.
the Turambar rules that the characters have had time to Again, the TN for the skill test must have been at least 10
think about what has happened, a player may make one im- points higher than the skills total bonus (modified by the 3
provement roll for each skill that has a marker. Typically, penalty for missing the required specialty).
three to five days of resting or relatively unexciting activity If the Turambar grants you an experience marker for the
suffice for the lessons learned to sink into the characters sub- test, note which unknown specialty was used in the test as
conscious. well. After you have made the normal improvement roll for
203
checking if your number of skill ranks increases by one, make To implement this optional rule, simply underline a
another 2d10 roll, but refer to the number indicated in the skills name with a pencil the first time it is used during the
bottom line of Table 8.1 for acquiring a new specialty. Make current game year; it doesnt matter whether the attempted
sure to roll on the column corresponding to the skills learn- test succeeds or fails. Any underlined skills are automatically
ing difficulty. protected from decline. At the beginning of the next game
year, roll once on Table 8.1 for each skill that has not been
If the result is equal to or higher than that number, you
used (i.e., which is not underlined) over the last year. Make
have had sufficient training with the new specialty and sure to roll on the column corresponding to any unused
can write it down on your Skill Sheet. skills learning difficulty.
A result below the given number means that you still
need more practice with the respective specialty. If the result of the skill decline roll is equal to or higher
than the number indicated on Table 8.1, then the
EXPERIENCE MARKERS FOR LORE SKILLS number of skill ranks you have with it does not change.
If the result of the skill decline roll is less than the
As explained above, the use of Lore skills ordinarily is on- number indicated in Table 8.1, then the number of
ly about recalling information that has been learned before. skill ranks you have with it drops by one. No skill can
Lore skill tests of that kind can never bestow a character any decline below one rank this way.
experience markers. However, in the course of a tale, charac-
Note that your characters native tongue never is subject
ters sometimes need to consult renowned scholars to obtain
to skill decline rolls, unless he lacks someone to talk to in this
crucial pieces of knowledge pertaining to the story, or they
language for several years.
travel foreign lands and mingle with exotic peoples. Events
If you later receive an experience marker for a declined
like these might well warrant qualifying for experience mark-
skill, you do not need to make an improvement roll for it
ers, even if the time spent talking to a loremaster or treading
one previously lost rank is automatically restored for each
into the far countries of Rhn and Harad where the stars are
experience marker. You do not gain advancement picks for
strange is far too short to meet the requirements for skill
restoring skill ranks in this manner, though.
training as described further below.
Whenever the Turambar gauges that plenty of new
knowledge might have been learned, he may allow the char-
acters to make open-ended rolls of 2d10 against their per-
SKILL TRAINING
taining Lore skill. If the roll is greater than a characters total
Though often the best teacher, experience is nowise the
bonus with the skill, sufficient new information has been
only way to improve skills. A character could also train at a
gained to justify an experience marker. But if the roll is equal
skill by getting instructions from somebody who has more
to or less than a characters TSB, a characters knowledge in ranks in that particular skill than he himself. Usually, such an
the skill already encompasses that particular body of lore instructor is a non-player character. Most skills require a dif-
(although he might have forgotten about it for the moment, ferent sort of teacher, and each skill costs different amounts
or wasnt able to draw the right conclusions without the help of time (and money) to learn. The reward for undergoing
and wisdom of a scholarly NPC). training at a skill is to receive an improvement roll for it.
If the characters stay for a while in a foreign country and
interact with its inhabitants, the Turambar should frequently
(say every two to four weeks) consider awarding experience
FINDING AND PAYING A TEACHER
markers for the following skills pertaining to that country, There is no guarantee of finding a teacher (or a guild of
provided the characters still have less than 5 ranks in them: masters, or an exclusive order) of sufficient proficiency in a
Culture Lore, Region Lore, and Language(s) native to the particular skill in a given city, and even if you can locate one,
travelled area. Such awards of experience markers should, as it is still not sure whether he will take you as a student.
far as possible, involve short scenes of roleplaying (not neces- Needless to say, if a fellow player-character is available as a
sarily related to the main story) and a test of the respective teacher, the below guidelines are ignored.
skill. If the test fails, the characters will have to face the con- To find and contact a suitable teacher, you must succeed
sequences of their ignorance, and thus may learn something at a Locate test (with the skill you seek to increase, and the
new about their host country and qualify for an experience area where you are looking for a teacher, determining appli-
marker. To actually receive the marker, a character must suc- cable specialties) against a TN set according to the guidelines
ceed at a Wits test against TN 20 (otherwise, he hasnt real- given for the Locate skill on page 102. Once you have found a
ised the faux-pas his group has just committed). In case of character who has more ranks in the skill you wish to in-
Language skills, the Turambar may require some additional crease than you, you still have to convince him to accept you
training before he finally calls for an improvement roll. as a student. Normally, this should be done by roleplaying,
but sometimes the Turambar may also require a good (or
UNUSED SKILL DECLINE better) result on an Esteem test, or a successful Persuade or
Debate test, with high LoS reducing a possible training fee.
Neglected or unpractised skills may decline. For example, For what reasons ever a teacher (or a guild) accepts you
a character who has not climbed mountains for years would as a student, you still have to pay him in some fashion, or he
discover the peaks to be higher than expected. will not teach you. Obviously, payment can be in money or
204
goods, but some may demand favours, services, or other The actual training time for a given skill rank further de-
items instead, or even send you on a special quest. For exam- pends on a teachers quality and the facilities he can offer to
ple, if you become a member of the Rangers of the North and the character. Decrease the training time obtained from Ta-
are trained in various skills by them, you will not be charged ble 8.2 by one eighth (12.5%) for every five ranks the teacher
money or required to do any commonplace services. Instead, has more than his student. Proper facilities can reduce the
you take on the duty of protecting, preserving, and defending training time by another eighth (12.5%) (subject to the Tu-
other folk, often so that they remain unaware of the dangers rambars discretion). If the student also has access to books
that all too often threaten them. or other helpful resources (for example, the care of a healer
Therefore, Ambarquenta gives only optional guidelines while training Combat skills), training time is again de-
for determining training costs (see under Training Time be- creased by one eighth (12.5%). All of the listed decreases are
low). While these guidelines assume that a payment in coins cumulative, though to a total maximum reduction of 25%.
has been agreed on, a Turambar should remember that bar- How much time a character can effectively spend on
ter is the norm in large parts of Middle-earth, and that prices training each day depends on the test class of the skill. When
(affecting a teachers living cost) can vary dramatically over training a physical skill, a characters endurance dwindles af-
the years, and from region to region. Eventually, how much ter a number of hours equal to: 6 x (Will + Vigour)/22.
you will have to pay (and in what form) mostly depends on When studying an academic or an influence skill, a char-
the required training time. acters concentration effectively lapses after a number of
hours equal to: 8 x (Will + Wits)/22.
TRAINING TIME Note that a teachers endurance and concentration may
fade much quicker than his students!
The time required to train is based upon the skills inher-
TRAINING COST: On a full-time basis (i.e., approxi-
ent learning difficulty, and the rank that the character would
mately fifty hours per week), a single teacher can train up to
get with a success at the improvement roll. The higher the
sixteen students in skill ranks 1 to 5, eight in skill ranks 6 to
desired rank, the longer it takes to learn or practise. For each
10, four in skill ranks 11 to 15, two in skill ranks 16 to 20, or
rank, Table 8.2 shows two different amounts of required
one in any skill rank beyond the 20th. In return, those stu-
training time, based upon a scale using hours. The first value
dents must pay him at least his normal living expenses. Thus,
(on the left of the slash) is the basic training time: The mini-
the training expenses are split between sixteen students who
mum number of hours a character has to spend training to be are learning for skill ranks 1 to 5, eight students who train for
allowed to make an improvement roll. The second value (on skill ranks 6 to 10, and so on. If there are not enough stu-
the right) gives the additional training time: A number of dents available for a normal class, the remaining students
hours that can be spent on additional training in order to re- must make up the difference. As his proficiency with a skill
ceive a +1 bonus to the improvement roll. Additional train- increases, a student must pay more per hourthe teaching
ing time can be taken multiple times, thus increasing the bo- must be more subtle and individual.
nus to the improvement roll. It costs a teacher (and his family) about two silver pen-
nies to live for a week. Therefore, a student of rank 1 to 5
TABLE 8.2: TRAINING TIME must pay 13 copper pennies (1/16th of 2 sp) per week, a stu-
DESIRED SKILLS LEARNING DIFFICULTY dent of rank 6 to 10 must pay 25 copper pennies (1/8th of 2
RANK EASY AVERAGE HARD sp), and so on. But if the teacher likes lavish living, then he
1 8/2 hrs. 16/4 hrs. 32/8 hrs. will charge lavish prices to get it. Moreover, if the teacher is
2 16/4 hrs. 32/8 hrs. 64/16 hrs.
3 24/6 hrs. 48/12 hrs. 96/24 hrs. the only one around who can teach a popular skill to high
4 32/8 hrs. 64/16 hrs. 128/32 hrs. ranks, he has no competition, and probably will raise prices.
5 40/10 hrs. 80/20 hrs. 160/40 hrs.
6 56/14 hrs. 112/28 hrs. 210/52 hrs.
7 72/18 hrs. 144/36 hrs. 270/68 hrs.
TRAINING IMPROVEMENT ROLLS
8 88/22 hrs. 176/44 hrs. 330/82 hrs.
9 104/26 hrs. 208/52 hrs. 390/98 hrs. Basically, an improvement roll which has been earned by
10 120/30 hrs. 240/60 hrs. 450/112 hrs. training is conducted just the same way as one that is made
11 144/36 hrs. 288/72 hrs. 504/126 hrs. after gaining an experience marker. However, a training im-
12 168/42 hrs. 336/84 hrs. 588/147 hrs. provement roll is modified in one or two ways before you
13* 192/48 hrs. 384/96 hrs. 672/168 hrs.
14* 216/54 hrs. 432/108 hrs. 756/189 hrs.
look up its outcome on Table 8.1 on page 203.
15* 240/60 hrs. 480/120 hrs. 840/210 hrs. First, as described above, you receive a +1 bonus to the
16* 272/68 hrs. 544/136 hrs. 884/221 hrs. improvement roll for taking additional training time. This
17* 304/76 hrs. 608/152 hrs. 988/247 hrs. bonus is received once for every full multiple of additional
18* 336/84 hrs. 672/168 hrs. 1092/273 hrs.
training time as indicated in Table 8.2. However, you are not
19* 368/92 hrs. 736/184 hrs. 1196/299 hrs.
20* 400/100 hrs. 800/200 hrs. 1300/325 hrs. required to take any additional training time.
21 to 25* 440/110 hrs. 880/220 hrs. 1375/344 hrs. Second, your teacher must test the skill he is teaching you
26 to 30* 500/125 hrs. 1000/250 hrs. 1500/375 hrs. against your current total skill bonus as a TN. For each LoS
31+* 600/150 hrs. 1200/300 hrs. 1800/450 hrs. he achieves, add +1 to your training improvement roll. For
*: An experience marker is required for obtaining this skill rank; each LoF by which he fails the test, you suffer a 2 penalty to
training time gives you a bonus to the improvement roll.
your improvement roll. A LSF 0 has no impact on your
improvement roll.
205
Third, if you have an experience marker for a skill and As with any training improvement roll, having an experi-
train at it as well (the marker is mandatory if you wish to ence marker for a practised skill can give the character a con-
train for rank 13+, as described below under Limits of siderable bonus for the rollbut a marker never is a prereq-
Training), your training improvement roll is modified by +3 uisite, not even for skills that already have more than 12
for any academic test class skills, by +2 for any physical test ranks. However, if the improvement roll yields a result from
class skills, and by +1 for any influence test class skills (the 2 to 4 (consider both its unmodified and modified result),
latter are harder to increase by mere training). and that number is not high enough to achieve a success, a
Once all applicable modifiers have been established, make characters number of skill ranks decreases by one. The new
the improvement roll. As normal, if the rolls result is equal information or practice might be misinforming or misguid-
to or higher than the number indicated in Table 8.1, you add ing, but only later use of the skill would show it.
one rank to your skill, and may assign one advancement pick The new proficiency acquired by practising a skill can be
to an applicable pick class. However, if the roll results in a 2 taught to others.
or a 3 (consider both its unmodified and modified result),
and that number is not high enough to achieve a success,
your number of skill ranks decreases by one. A student can
lose hard-won expertise by exposure to the wrong teacher,
SPECIAL REWARDS
even if the teacher has helped many others.
LIMITS OF TRAINING N ot alone by succeeding (or sometimes even by fail-

ing) at skill and attribute tests (see page 208 on re-
ceiving experience markers for attribute tests) does a charac-
If there were no limits on training, a player could have his ter improve. Achieving major story objectives or other note-
character train indefinitely in selected skills, eventually rais- worthy accomplishments, exceptional roleplaying, and jour-
ing a skill to 20 or even more ranks. In this way, the character nal-keeping may warrant some kind of special reward. A few
could improve without much risk, though the privilege would sample situations that could trigger such special rewards are
be expensive in time and money. Training to 20 or more described below.
ranks is possible only for the skills in the Lore category.
However, no loremaster of repute will likely be willing to af-
ford such vast amounts of time for teaching, thus requiring TYPES OF REWARDS
the student to increase his knowledge on his own.
Mastery in most skills requires field experience. Any skill From a rules-centred point of view, there are two ways of
not belonging to the Lore skill category has a training limit of rewarding good character performances: bonus advancement
12 ranks. Any increase thereafter must be warranted by ex- picks and bonus improvement rolls (many other rewards may
perience markers (or be self-taught, as described right become upon the characters within the story). More often than
low). Still, taking lessons in a marked skill that already has not, a Turambar will grant only one type of special reward
more than 12 ranks can be a wise idea, for doing so increases per character and game session. Generally, bonus picks
your chances of achieving a success with the improvement should be more common than bonus improvement rolls.
roll, especially if you take some additional training time as
well. BONUS ADVANCEMENT PICKS
A Turambar may dole out bonus advancement picks. As
PRACTISING AND STUDYING a rule of thumb, no more than 2 or 3 picks should regularly
ON YOUR OWN be awarded per character and game session, but of course this
depends on the situation that calls for the reward. If there
were hardly any tests required in a game session (i.e., if there
Many skills can also be increased by practising or study- is virtually no chance to obtain advancement picks from suc-
ing them on your own. Lore skills are studied by delving into cessful improvement rolls), this overall limit might be in-
ancient tomes. Perception skills are sharpened by wandering creased to 4 to 6 picks. Such great rewards could, for exam-
about in the countryside and observing. Athletic skills are ple, be appropriate if a chapter centred around social interac-
practised by exercising without the help of a teacher. Some tion and all crucial situations were successfully resolved by
form of solitary practice or study is possible for almost any roleplaying instead of testing Social skills.
skill (subject to the Turambars discretion). Once a Turambar has decided which character receives
Practising or studying a skill on your own generally takes how many bonus advancement picks, he must also determine
the same amount of time to accomplish as guided training to which pick classes they are assigned. Most of the time, the
(see Table 8.2 above), but the character will hardly be able to situation that triggered the reward will automatically suggest
decrease the required training time and would, in fact, be the applicable class. For example, if bonus picks are awarded
well-advised to take some additional training time. After the for slaying a terrible foe, the physical pick class would qualify;
overall training time, the player makes an improvement roll in a game session centring around social interaction, the men-
which, however, suffers a 2 penalty (this penalty is the rea- tal pick class would likely be a good choice; and so on. Only if
son why its usually clever to take some additional training he wants to be very generous, a Turambar should allow the
time). players to choose the pick classes themselves.
206
BONUS IMPROVEMENT ROLLS EXCEPTIONAL ROLEPLAYING

While only one experience marker may be gained in each Depending on the Turambars personal style and the type
skill during a given adventure (or, in case of a tale that cannot of the game he runs, good roleplaying may be just as im-
easily be broken up into chapters or scenes, every two or portant as the completion of story objectives. During the
three play session), the Turambar may sometimes allow a course of an adventure, characters are constantly interacting
player to re-roll a failed improvement roll a single time. with the setting and its inhabitants. Players who truly em-
Normally, the Turambar will not dictate which failed brace their characters and the setting, who get in character
improvement roll must be re-rolled. Thus, a player could opt and try to react to circumstances as their character would,
to re-roll any improvement roll received for training or prac- surely deserve a special reward.
tising as well. He simply needs to keep track of the total Again, this could range from allowing to re-roll a single
number of re-rolls he has been granted. Usually, only a single failed improvement roll to awarding 1 to 3 bonus advance-
re-roll may be granted per game session, and rarely more ment picks, depending on how excellent a players character
than two. When a player fails an improvement roll, he can performance was. Even greater rewards should be extremely
decide whether to use up one such re-roll attempt or to keep rare and would only be appropriate if a character helped his
it for a future improvement roll. No improvement roll can be fellows by exposing himself to a considerable risk of death or
re-rolled more than once, though (unless the Turambar rules injury, and if the player controlling the character helped to
otherwise). increase the dramatic feel of the situation by excellent
roleplaying.
Alternatively, the Turambar may choose to award expe-
TRIGGER SITUATIONS rience markers for skills belonging to the Social skill catego-
ry, even if they have not been tested successfully. However,
A variety of situations may warrant some kind of special only those skills may receive markers that might have applied
reward for any character(s) who playedin one way or the during the last adventure.
otheran outstanding role over the course of an adventure.
KEEPING A JOURNAL
FULFILLING STORY OBJECTIVES
Another way to advance your rapport with your charac-
When designing the individual chapters of an epic tale, ter is to write an account of his adventures. Journals may be
the Turambar normally gives each chapter a primary goal in any form, such as letters to family members, a diary, po-
which is directly related to the main plotand a secondary ems or lays, a novel, and so on. The point is to be creative,
goalthe subplotfor the characters to overcome. Depend- and for players to privately let their Turambar know what
ing on the impact these goals have on the further course of their characters thought about the events that happened dur-
the story, the Turambar may grant the characters one of the ing the chapter.
following special rewards: Rewards should be based on the literary quality and the
number of pages a journal entry comprises. In this context, a
BONUS ADVANCEMENT PICKS: As a group, the characters page is supposed to contain approximately 500 (German) to
could receive 10 to 15 bonus picks for overcoming a chapters 550 (English) words. Whenever the Turambar receives the
primary objective. Achieving a secondary goal normally war- chapter of a journal, he may grant one (or both, if the quality
rants 0 to 8 bonus picks for the group. Note that these bonus of the journal suggests it) of the following rewards:
advancement picks are divided among the participants; not
Award one bonus advancement pick for approximately
each character receives up to 15 picks. (For this purpose, a
every two pages
group is assumed to comprise of three to five characters. If
Grant the right to re-roll one failed improvement roll
there are more characters, the overall number of bonus picks
for approximately every four pages
should be adjusted accordingly.)
BONUS IMPROVEMENT ROLLS: As a rule of thumb, allow- A Turambar may also wish to keep a players dedication
ing each character to re-roll one or two failed improvement (which is reflected by such a journal) in mind when he con-
rolls is appropriate for defeating or overcoming a chapters siders whose characters will recover a point of spent Ambar
primary objective. Overcoming a chapters secondary objec- at the beginning of the next session.
tive normally never warrants more than a single re-roll.
A comprehensive journal will require a player to take very
Usually, each character in the group should be granted precise minutes of your gaming sessions. Such a minute
the same type of reward, and the same amount. In certain should always include the current chapters title, the sessions
special cases, however, it may be appropriate to weigh this date, and a scene-by-scene description of the events that take
privilege more heavily in favour of one or more characters. place during the adventure. This should also cover any in-
While this practice should not occur too often, the Turam- formation gained during a scene, a short description of all
bar can occasionally use it to reward truly exceptional people the characters talk to, noteworthy quotes by these
eventsa character who makes an unusual sacrifice, a char- NPCs and the PCs alike, as well as any other valorous deeds
acter who saves the lives of the entire group, or a character and remarkable incidents.
who single-handedly solves most of a chapters objectives.
207
NOTEWORTHY ACCOMPLISHMENTS RAISING PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES

While any battle must bear the considerable risk of death Table 8.3 lists the nine primary attributes and how many
or severe injury for the characters to warrant experience advancement picks it costs to raise each score by one point.
markers, at rare occasions a group will encounter foes that The pick cost depends on how far an attributes basic score is
even the greatest heroes of Middle-earth would be frightened currently below its genetic limit: the closer a character gets to
to face: the Nazgl, the Balrog of Moria, Shelob, or Smaug his genetic limits, the harder it is to raise his basic scores.
the Golden, to name but a few. Although no group can light- Evidently, any attribute can only be raised with the picks
heartedly hope to escape a confrontation with a foe of that you have accumulated for its particular pick class over the
kin alive and unscathed, with their enemy destroyed, the course of the game (i.e., use physical picks to raise Strength,
characters may still be lucky enough to defeat them for a use mental picks to increase Wits, and so on). Pick costs vary
whilejust like Sam overcame Shelob. However, defeating according to an attributes naturewhile it is fairly easy to
an opponent does not necessarily mean to kill him. An ene- steel your sinews, it is much harder to sharpen your acumen.
my could also be forced to retreat or to rethink his plans.
Defeating such an ancient enemy of the Free Peoples in TABLE 8.3: ATTRIBUTE PICK COSTS
one way or the other is certainly an accomplishment that GENETIC LIMIT IS ... POINTS GREATER THAN BASIC SCORE
would deserve a special reward. This could range from allow- ATTRIBUTE 10 TO 9 8 TO 7 6 TO 5 4 TO 3 2 TO 1
ing to re-roll failed improvement rolls more than once, Deftness 8 16 24 32 40
awarding an appreciable amount of bonus advancement Nimbleness 6 12 18 24 30
picks, restoring more than one point of spent Ambar at the Strength 5 10 15 20 25
Vigour 6 12 18 24 30
beginning of the next session, to granting a number of addi- Awareness 8 16 24 32 40
tional improvement rolls for applicable marked skills, thus Will 9 18 27 36 45
giving the characters the chance to increase those skills sever- Bearing 9 18 27 36 45
al times. Insight 10 20 30 40 50
Wits 10 20 30 40 50
SPENDING THE PICKS EXAMPLE: After many adventures, Grimgr has accumulated
47 physical class advancement picks and wants to increase his
Strength attribute. His genetic limit is 18, and his current basic
Strength score is 15. Thus, the cost to raise Strength by one
W ith the advancement picks earned for successfully

improving skills or as a special reward, a player will
eventually be able to acquire new edges and raise his attrib-
point is 20 picks. Since he has still 27 picks left, and it costs him
25 picks to improve his basic Strength from 16 to 17, he does so
and keeps 2 physical picks for later use.
utes, thereby enhancing his characters abilities and skill bo-
nuses, and making survival more likely. Any increases in an attribute are added to its basic score.
If the (recommended) optional rule on Genetic Limits is in
NOTE: Only one third of the picks gained through veteran
development or experience levels (see page 75) may be spent on use (see page 29), an attributes basic score cannot be raised
increasing attributes and acquiring edges. Picks can be accumu- beyond that predetermined limit. Otherwise, no attributes
lated over any number of years or levels to afford expensive basic score can be raised above 20. In this case, use the pick
improvements. However, only a single edge may be acquired costs given in the column genetic limit is 4 to 3 points greater
(or improved) per experience level. than basic score, regardless of the attributes actual score.
A derived attribute cannot be increased directly, unless
you acquire an edge pertaining to it. Yet, derived attributes
ATTRIBUTES are affected by any changes to their contributing primary at-
tributes. For example, raising ones Bearing might well lead
A character may receive advancement picks for testing his to increases in Fortitude, Wisdom, and Esteem.
attributes as well. Whenever an attributeprimary or de-
rivedis successfully tested against a TN (or an opponents FAVOURED ATTRIBUTES
test result) that is 10 or more points higher than his pertain-
ing attributes total score, the character gets (at the Turam- Optionally, those three primary attributes that have the
bars discretion) an experience marker. When the Turambar highest basic scores after initial character creation are consid-
calls for improvement rolls, the player simply rolls 2d10 for ered a characters favoured attributes. If two or more attrib-
each marked attribute. If the result of a roll is greater than the utes are tied for third place, a player can choose which one
attributes total score, one advancement pick is allotted to the will be his third favoured attribute.
pick class of the attribute. If the advancement pick is received The pick cost to raise a favoured attribute by one point is
for a derived attribute, choose which of its contributing clas- reduced by 5 (to a minimum of 5 picks). For example, it
ses is allotted the pick (if its based on more than one class of would cost 45 instead of 50 picks to raise your Wits up to its
attributes). genetic limit, provided that Wits is one of your favoured at-
tributes.
208
ACQUIRING NEW EDGES RENOWN AWARDS

The second way to spend your accumulated advancement
picks is to acquire additional edges. While talents are inborn
abilities that cannot be obtained or improved during your C haracters gain Renown during play through excep-
tional (or ignoble) actions called triggers. As a
broad general rule, if an action or accomplishment draws un-
characters life, edges represent various kinds of special train-
ing he may undergo under certain circumstances. One pre- usual notice or acclaim, the character performing the action
requisite for acquiring new or improving existing edges is that gains Renown of some type. Killing a notorious Corsair along
you have saved enough advancement picks of the due class to the southern coast of Gondor or negotiating an important
pay the entire pick cost of the desired edge in one go. treaty among a group of warring Easterling factions would
Another common precondition is to train at an edge for both garner a character varying levels of Renown.
the amount of time indicated in its description (see Chapter Turambari should normally limit Renown awards to a
Five for the descriptions of individual edges). If the Turam- point or two at a time. However, groundbreaking accom-
bar deems it necessary, he may also demand to find an ap- plishments or world-spanning events could conceivably earn
propriate teacher, or require other conditions to be met. a character five, ten, or even a dozen points of Renown.
The pick costs for acquiring edges during your adventur- Table 8.4 provides a list of sample triggers and their sug-
ing career are the same as the standard pick costs listed in gested Renown awards; the Turambar should divide these
Chapter Five. If you wish to improve a low-level edge to a rewards among the participating characters as he sees fit (the
higher level and your Turambar allows you to do so, you only given awards are intended for parties of four or five heroes
have to pay the pick cost of the desired new level, not for its adjust them accordingly for parties of different size). De-
aggregate level. Most importantly, the optional rule that the pending on the setting and the nature of your tale, almost any
pick cost for taking the second (or any further) edge from a action could theoretically generate Renown for a character.
particular category is increased does not apply after initial Do not consider this list the only authority on Renown
character creation! awards; rather, use it as a guide to apply to your own story.
TABLE 8.4: SAMPLE RENOWN TRIGGERS

TRIGGER AWARD
Defeating an enemy servant or major villain in single combat servants Renown 3 (round down)
Defeating an enemy servant or major villain in an important battle against the forces of the Shadow +2
Defeating an enemy servant or major villain in a critical battle against the forces of the Shadow +35 or more
Saving the life of an important NPC NPCs Renown 5 (round down)
Saving the life of an important NPC during a publicised event (diplomatic, military, etc.) +1
Saving the life of an important NPC during a highly publicised event (diplomatic, military, etc.) +23 or more
Thwarting the plans of an enemy servant, spy, or agent during a routine encounter
or in enemy territory servants Renown 4 (round down)
Thwarting the plans of an enemy servant, spy, or agent during a dangerous mission
or in friendly territory +2
Thwarting the plans of an enemy servant, spy, or agent during a critical mission or in close proximity
to friendly power brokers (the Steward of Gondor, for example) +35 or more
Showing uncommon bravery in the midst of battle with a renowned commander
at hand or in the face of great adversity commanders Renown 5 (round down)
Showing uncommon bravery in an important battle against the forces of the Shadow +1
Showing uncommon bravery in a critical battle against the forces of the Shadow +2
Showing uncommon bravery in a world-shaping battle against the forces of the Shadow +35 or more
Successfully completing an intricate and publicised negotiation or treaty
with a renowned diplomat or noble diplomats Renown 6 (round down)
Successfully completing a major public negotiation or treaty +1
Successfully completing an extremely critical or intricate public negotiation or treaty +2
Successfully completing a public negotiation or treaty of world-spanning scope or importance +35 or more
Making an arcane or exploratory discovery of importance +1
Making an arcane or exploratory discovery of major or critical importance +2
Making an arcane or exploratory discovery of world-spanning importance +35 or more
Discovering a new or innovative use for existing magic, lore, or technology +13 or more
Crafting a masterwork item for a noble or a leader of the Free Peoples nobles Renown 6 (round down)
Crafting a lesser artefact for a noble or a leader of the Free Peoples +12
Crafting a major artefact for a noble or a leader of the Free Peoples +35 or more
209
Chapter Nine
ADVENTURING
hen characters try to hide from marauding Orcs, slay dragons, or find hidden treasure, the
W
result.
rules of the game dictate how the Turambar must determine the outcome of their attempt.
The rules describe what type of test to use, how many dice to roll, and how to interpret the
Chapters Nine, Adventuring, and Ten, Combat, feature the entire rules for resolving character ac-
tions, ranging from simple timekeeping to deeper matters such as battles, journeying, and injuries.
They contain everything the Turambar needs to know to resolve the actions and situations occurring
in your Ambarquenta adventures.
TIME
each round) defines the exact number of actions he can per-
T
ime holds sway over even the most powerful kings and form in a given round. See Actions, below, for more infor-
wisest wizards, as one of Gollums riddles cleverly ob- mation.
served. If an army comes not to the rescue of a be- Although action time moves swiftly, round after round, it
sieged city in time, disaster befalls. If a warrior does not begin takes longer to play through a short period of a tales chapter
his quest soon enough, he finds his enemies closing in before using action time because players make lots of tests and the
he can reach his goal. Time plays a crucial role in many game Turambar must describe what transpires during every six-
adventures. second round. Action rounds represent the default manner
During a game session, the Turambar and the players to- for handling combat encounters and other fast-paced action
gether establish the pace at which events transpire. At first, sequences.
the Turambar sets the pace by describing events that have al-
ready occurred and presenting the current circumstances to
which the players can respond. Depending on what the char- NARRATIVE TIME
acters do, he may handle each action one by one, calling for
tests where necessary to determine the result of independent In contrast, narrative time advances the story line of a tale
actions. Or he may simply jump forward in time to describe much more rapidly by enabling the Turambar to jump ahead
the eventual outcome of the characters actions. These two to important events and gloss over the intervening down
different modes of handling the story action call for distinct time. Narrative time is the default method for recounting
methods of handling action in game time: breaking events most events that occur in a scene or chapter of a tale, as well
down into action time or maintaining more fluid pacing in as for resolving game tests made to perform extended actions
narrative time. lasting minutes, hours, or days, such as researching an ob-
scure point of lore in the archives of Gondor.
The passage of narrative time breaks down into four ab-
ACTION TIME stract intervals: scenes, chapters, tales, and interludes.
Action rounds (also called rounds) and the action points SCENE
(abbreviated AP) constituting them are useful for determin-
ing whether one character can initiate an action before an- Scenes are increments of time of varying length that pre-
other or finish a task before another event begins. An action sent the characters with a particular objective or serve a par-
round represents about six secondsroughly speaking the ticular purpose in the overarching story line, such as intro-
amount of time needed to avoid a sword-blow, draw your ducing an enemy, presenting a challenge, or giving the char-
own weapon, and counterattack. Much of the drama in Am- acters a chance to find the clues they need to continue their
barquenta resolves around bold and deadly moments of ac- adventure. Scenes can last from several minutes to an hour or
tion, so whenever the characters perform fast-paced feats one more, depending on the setting and circumstances. They end
after another, the story moves in sequential rounds. A char- when the goal is achieved or they have served their purpose.
acters action allowance (i.e., the number of AP he may spend The characters then move on to the next scene.
210
CHAPTER might not have sufficient focus to remember a spell in a
northern Orc-tongue while fleeing from a pack of Wargs.
A chapter can, much like chapters in Tolkiens The Lord In fact, many of the actions characters attempt translate
of the Rings, span any amount of game time, from several better into a series of sequential actions, such as loading,
hours or day to even weeks or months. Composed of a dozen drawing, aiming, and firing a bow. While this looks like a
or more scenes, plus narrative interludes between them as single fluid motion when pictured in your mind, these four
needed to advance the story, a chapter fills one or more game acts represent separate actions in game terms, since failure at
sessions. A sample chapter might begin when the characters any one of them could have specific, potentially dangerous
set out from Rivendell to reach Erebor, and it may end sever- consequences for the character. To handle such feats in the
al weeks later, when the characters arrive at the Lonely game, the Turambar needs to break them down into man-
Mountain after many adventures. ageable actions which occur one after another in sequential
action rounds.
TALE (QUENTA)
A tale consists of two or more chapters: a sequence of ad- POINT-BASED ACTION RESOLUTION
ventures, often ending in an important milestone in the char-
acters lives. For example, a tale might include a journey to a In the most dramatic scenes of an Ambarquenta adven-
far-off realm, learning about the customs of the people who ture, the precise timing of actions becomes crucial (i.e., when
live there, a few skirmishes, and a final battle between the the game moves in action rounds). This is done with the help
Enemy and the forces of the West. of a point-based action resolution system which determines
(1) how many actions a character can perform within a given
round and (2) when these actions take effect.
INTERLUDE Each character has a number of action points (AP) to allo-
Turambari use interludes when describing events beyond cate each round. Everything that he does (for example, draw-
the firsthand experience of the player characters or to ac- ing a sword and attacking or parrying with it, casting a spell,
count for ordinary activities that do not warrant detailed nar- or loading, aiming, and firing a longbow) will use some of
ration, such as an uneventful travel trough Eriador. In other these action points. Tables of sample actions are provided be-
words, they represent time that elapses off camera. General- low to show how many action points are required for specific
ly, the Turambar inserts interludes between scenes and chap- actions; in addition, the descriptions of the various skills in
ters to gloss over what occurs between pivotal scenes and to Chapter Four list typical AP costs.
convey a sense of how much time has passed since the last
dramatic event. He can even provide important information ACTION ALLOWANCE AND INITIATIVE
through interludes, but only when such information or
events come to the characters automatically, without requir- The number of available action points is determined by a
ing specific choices and tests. Scenes and action rounds exist characters action allowance (AA, see page 31). Each differ-
to handle those situations. ent type of action requires a certain amount of action points
to be spent. Each character adds up any spent AP as he acts
during a round. A character can take no further actions once
his running AP tally equals his AA. Likewise, he may take no
ACTIONS further action if its AP cost would raise his running AP tally
beyond his AA.
In a given round, characters act in a fixed order deter-
I n Ambarquenta, characters accomplish things by at-

tempting and performing actions. An action represents
a singular feat such as running down a hall, attacking an Orc
mined by their respective initiative numbers (commonly ab-
breviated IN). A characters IN is equal to his AA, modified
by the worse die of 2d10, his Physical Penalty, andif appli-
with a sword, or climbing a cliff. You can often assume that cablehis weapons attack IN modifier. The character with
many of the actions a character attempts automatically suc- the highest initiative number gets the first turn in which he
ceed. In other words, they do not require any type of dice test can perform any suitable combination of actions allowed by
to determine success. Walking, conversation, picking up an the Turambar, followed by the character with the second
object, chopping down a treecharacters can automatically highest IN, and so on. This is called an initiative pass. If two
do these sorts of things in most circumstances without wor- or more characters are tied for initiative, the one with the
rying about failing. highest Swiftness acts first. (See page 251 for details on re-
Other actions require tests. Crossing a narrow ledge, find- solving initiative ties).
ing and following a trail, lifting a fallen Trolls body to free an Once all characters have had a turn to act in, the first ini-
injured companionthese actions often prove challenging to tiative pass ends, and a second begins, provided any charac-
the average PC and require specific dice tests to determine ters still have some AP left for taking further actions. This
his success or failure. Moreover, these feats represent actions process is repeated until all characters have either used up all
that prevent the character from performing other activities at of their available AP, cannot take any further desired actions
the same time. While a wizard can explore a strange area and (e.g., because they do not have enough AP left), or simply
lecture his friends on a related subject simultaneously, he choose to forfeit their remaining AP (if any).
211
NOTE: Since keeping track of the characters activity is par- Sprinting are full-round actions because you need a little
ticularly important in combat, more detailed guidelines on han- time to accelerate, and because you need to exercise your
dling action points and determining initiative are presented in whole body, not just your legs. Therefore, you may only use
Chapter Ten, page 250. In most other situations resolved in action (AA 10) 2 action points on other actions while moving
rounds, the Turambar will likely be able to create a tense feeling at a running pace. When you choose to sprint, you cannot
of dramatic action without paying too much attention to the pre- take any other actions (unless the Turambar allows you to
cise reckoning of action pointsat least until violence ensues. shout or perform a similar free action).
Besides the limit of spending no more than 10 AP per
round on movement actions, two more restrictions may ap-
COMMON ACTIONS ply under specific circumstances:
In combat, no more than two movement actions can be

The actions commonly performed by characters fall into
attempted in a given round, regardless of their total AP
one of several categories, including movement actions (run-
cost (i.e., even if none of the desired movement actions
ning, diving, climbing, swimming), combat actions (aiming,
would cost more than 1 AP, you couldnt take more
shooting, striking a blow), mental actions (casting a spell, us-
than two movement actions per round).
ing the Art), free actions (dropping an object, issuing a com-
mand), and full-round actions (searching for a concealed ob- Characters who wear heavy armour or carry other
ject, deciphering an unknown script). Within each category, loads suffer penalties to their movement rates, as
the action descriptions tell you: shown on Table 7.3 (reprinted below).
(a) the intended effects,

TABLE 7.3: ENCUMBRANCE
(b) the type of dice test required (if any), and PACE
GEP* LIMITATION
(c) the action point (AP) cost of performing the deed.
0 to 3
4 to 6 no Sprint
MOVEMENT ACTIONS AND LIMITATIONS 7 to 9 no Run
10 or greater no Jog
During a round, a character may perform any of the *: A characters BMR is decreased by 2 for each point of his GEP.
movement actions listed on Table 9.1. Each movement op-
tion requires at least one AP to achieve the desired effect. For additional information on making movement tests,
While each character has a different amount of AP to spend see pages 194ff. and particularly the descriptions of the vari-
each round, no character may spend more than 10 AP on ous skills. The above rules apply when characters use tactical
movement actions in a given round. movementmovement during combat, other forms of phys-
Any remaining AP may be spent on other actions (such ical conflict, and situations where precise measuring of
as drawing a weapon or, if within reach, making an attack) movement is important. For casual situationswhen per-
unless a character attempts to Run or Sprint. Running and forming tasks where not every second is critical, such as ex-
TABLE 9.1: SAMPLE MOVEMENT ACTIONS

ACTION AP COST EFFECT TEST BASIC WEARINESS
Crawl/Step 1 to 10 Move (BMR x .033 x AP) feet No test 1 point every 15 minutes
Walk 1 to 10 Move (BMR x .1 x AP) feet No test 1 point every 10 minutes
Jog 1 to 10 Move (BMR x .2 x AP) feet No test 1 point every 3 minutes
Run Full round Move (BMR x 3) feet Run (TN 15+)* 1 point every 2 rounds
Sprint Full round Move (BMR x 4) feet Run (TN 20+)* 5 points per round
Sneak 5 to 10, or F/R Move as Crawl/Step above Sneak (TN 9+, see pg. 115) 1 point every 5 minutes
Jump, long (TN2)+5, or F/R See Jump, page 99 Jump (TN 9+) 2 points, plus run-up
Jump, high (TN2)+5, or F/R See Jump, page 99 Jump (TN 9+) 2 points, plus run-up
Climb Full round See Climb, page 86 Climb (TN 9+) 1 point every 2 rounds
Swim 5 to 10, or F/R See Swim, page 118 Swim (TN 9+) 1 point every 10 rounds
ACTION AP COST ACTION AP COST

Rapid dismount from a riding animal 5 Stand up from a seated position 2 + GEP
Careful dismount from a riding animal 12 Stand up from on knees/crouch 4 + GEP
Mount a riding animal 12 + GEP Move up from prone to on knees/crouch 5 + GEP
Retreat from melee (see page 256) F/R Stand up from a prone position 8 + GEP
Pick something up off the ground 8 + GEP/2 Rapid drop to the ground 3
Drop object 0 Careful drop to the ground 6
*: Normally, a test is required only if the character is engaged in combat or attempts to move farther than his BMR (base movement
rate). If the moving character is involved in a combat situation, test TNs normally increase by +5. If the test fails, the character can only
move part of his maximum intended move; with LoF 3 or worse, the character trips and falls prone (see Table 9.10, page 219, for details).
: The AP cost required for this kind of movement actions varies based upon the character (for example, his General Encumbrance Pen-
alty applied as a positive figure), the situation, and other variables. Therefore, they are just suggestions. Each time a character takes one of
these actions, the Turambar should make a ruling on the actual AP cost.
212
ploring a ruined towermultiply the BMR by 10 to find out spent AP. An interrupt action automatically allows to cancel
how many feet a character can move per minute. For long another action that has been declared before. However, if you
journeys and other types of overland travel, see Travelling, still have enough AP left this round, you may declare a new
page 245. action immediately after you have resolved the interrupt ac-
tion. An interrupt becomes effective immediately and you
COMBAT ACTIONS may make the applicable skill test at any time the Turambar
requires, thus parrying or otherwise evading your enemys
During a round, a character may perform combat actions strike precisely at the moment you need to do so.
such as the ones listed on Table 9.2. See pages 258ff. for de- STANDARD ACTION: If an action is neither classified an
scriptions of these actions. interrupt nor a cross-round action, it is a standard feat for
Note that some combat actions are either classified as in- which you have to have a sufficient amount of AP available to
terrupts or cross-round actions: complete it the round you initiated it. The action becomes ef-
fective at your normal initiative number.
CROSS-ROUND ACTION: While you must normally have
When fighting, a character necessarily expends more en-
sufficient AP available to complete an action within the same
ergy than he would while walking. Thus, the following rates
round you announced and started it, a cross-round action
of accumulating weariness points should apply:
may be completed in a subsequent roundprovided you
take no other action before you have completed it.
TABLE 9.3: WEARINESS IN COMBAT
A cross-round action that is completed the round after
you initiated it becomes effective at your standard initiative CHARACTERS WEARINESS POINT
number in the new round. To determine your running AP SITUATION ACCUMULATION
Melee 2 points per round
tally for the new round, subtract the number of AP you were Ranged Combat 1 point every 2 rounds
able to spend in the first round from its total AP cost. Next, Concentration 1 point every 3 rounds
add the remaining AP cost to your AP tally for the second
round. For example, a character with an AA of 16 and 5 AP MENTAL ACTIONS
left in the current round wants to reload his longbow. The
AP cost for doing so is 8 APthus, 3 AP must be spent at Characters who wish to cast spells of Sorcery or unfold
the beginning of the next round. the power of the Art in a tactical situation should refer to
INTERRUPT ACTION: Typically, interrupt actions (or, for Chapter Eleven, Magic, for detailed rules on performing
short, interrupts) are defensive manoeuvres such as parrying such mystical feats. For any other actions involving concen-
armed or blocking unarmed attacks, dodging, or making a tration (such as maintaining balance or employing academic
counterstrike. You must be able to spend the interrupts en- skills in stressful situations which are resolved in action
tire AP cost the round you take such an action. If you can af- rounds), the Turambar should make an improvised ruling on
ford this AP cost, simply add it to your running total of their actual AP cost by judging how much time (and AP) it
TABLE 9.2: SAMPLE COMBAT ACTIONS

1) 2)
ACTION AP COST EFFECT TEST
Aim, melee combat (C) 4 +1 bonus to subsequent Melee attack (maximum of +3) No test
Aim, ranged combat (C) 2 +1 bonus to subsequent Ranged attack (maximum of +5) No test
Block (I) Unarmed parry AP cost Block incoming attack (apply parry modifier) Shield test (TN opposed)
Counterstrike (I) Full attack AP cost Attack with melee weapon (3 test result penalty) Weapon test (TN opposed)
3)
Dodge (I) 1 + GEP (min. 2) Dodge incoming attack Dodge test (TN opposed)
Draw weapon (C) See below Draw weapon No test
Melee attack Weapons attack AP cost Attack with melee weapon Weapon test (TN is targets Defence)
Parry (I) Weapons parry AP cost Deflect incoming attack (apply parry modifier) Weapon test (TN opposed)
Ranged attack Weapons attack AP cost Attack with bow or thrown weapon Weapon test (TN is targets Defence)
Recover weapon 8 Pick up dropped weapon No test
Reload (C) Bows reload AP cost Ready another arrow No test
Unarmed attack Unarmed attacks AP cost Make an unarmed attack Unarmed Combat test (TN is targets Defence)
DRAW WEAPON AP COSTS

WEAPON SIZE WEAPON SIZE
WEAPON LOCATION SMALL MEDIUM LARGE WEAPON LOCATION SMALL MEDIUM LARGE
Scabbard (belt) 3 5 n/a Straps (belt) 5 7 n/a
4)
Scabbard (shoulder) 4 6 8 Ground (loose earth) Reload 2 3 4
1): A (C) indicates that the feat is a cross-round action, while an (I) indicates an interrupt action. See Combat Actions, above, for an
explanation of these terms.
2): Weapon test refers to a test of the applicable weapon or Unarmed Combat skill. In case of a Parry action, make sure to apply the
weapons parry modifier.
3): To determine the AP cost of a Dodge action, apply your GEP as a positive figure (e.g., with a GEP of 3, your Dodge AP cost is 4).
4): The AP cost to (re)load a bow is reduced by 2 AP if you have an arrow sticking in the loose ground readily available. Large weap-
ons include Spears and the like, Medium ones Longswords and other pointed arms that can be stuck into the ground in front of you.
213
TABLE 9.4: SAMPLE FREE ACTIONS

Command 0 Issue a several-word command No test*
Drop Object 0 Drop item/weapon to ground No test*
Rapid Observation 0 Notice something obvious Observe (TN variable, 10 test result penalty)
Target 0 or 1 per hex-side Acquire a new target in combat No test*
Warn/Alert 0 Shout a warning/sound alert No test*
*: Environmental factors such as obscuring haze, choking smoke, or loud noise may warrant tests for specific actions.
: It costs 0 AP to target a new foe who is standing in front of you. However, it costs 1 AP per hex-side you need to turn to directly
face your new target. If necessary, additional AP must be spent to close in or move to your new foe; this counts as a movement action.
TABLE 9.5: SAMPLE FULL-ROUND ACTIONS

BASIC FULL-ROUND ACTIONS

Careful Observation F/R Notice something Observe (TN variable)
Hide F/R Hide in cover or shadows Hide (TN variable)
Inspirational speech F/R, or several rounds Inspire others with words Inspire (TN variable)
Search F/R Search 1 yard x 1 yard area Search (TN variable)
EXTENDED FULL-ROUND ACTIONS

Patch wound F/R ext. Treat wounds First Aid (TN variable)
Repair weapon F/R ext. Fix damaged weapon Weaponsmith (TN variable)
likely requires to perform them under the given circumstances. treat non-combat skill tests as full-round actions. Each full-
For most characters, one second roughly equals 2 to 4 AP; if round action consumes a characters entire action allowance
very precise numbers are required, a Turambar may simply for the round. Under dramatic circumstances, skill-based ac-
divide a characters action allowance by 6 to determine how tions that require several full rounds to complete should be
many AP are the equivalent of one second for this character. conducted as extended tests (see Test Variants: Extended
All Mental actions are cross-round actions. If a mental Tests, page 223).
action is completed the round after it has been initiated (or a
subsequent round), the character determines his remaining
action allowance for the new round by adding the remaining
AP cost of the action to the running AP tally of the new TESTS
round, as exemplified above.
FREE ACTIONS I n Ambarquenta, the outcome of a characters actions

depends on the result of tests. A standard test consists
of rolling 2d10, adding the characters applicable total skill
During a round, a character may perform the free actions
listed on Table 9.4. Free actions usually do not cost any ac- bonus (or total attribute score)and any other relevant modi-
tion points and may be conducted simultaneously with other fiersand comparing the final test result to a target number
actions. Of course, even free actions can take up time if a (TN) determined by the actions difficulty. The amount by
character takes too many of them in a row or devotes too which the test result exceeds or misses the TN determines
much of his attention to them. Whether this happens or not the overall level of success or failure (LSF) of the test.
is the Turambars decision.
FULL-ROUND ACTIONS TEST DIFFICULTY

During a round, a character may perform a single full-
round action instead of multiple, singular actions. Full-round A tests difficulty establishes the severity of the challenge
actions include any number of deeds or feats the Turambar posed by the action the character attempts, ranging from
believes can be accomplished within the span of six seconds, Routine to Virtually Impossible. Climbing a ladder in a tower
such as tossing a burden into a waggon and then trying to represents an easier task than scaling a sheer cliff face without
ride away on the waggon quickly, or holding a door shut so proper gear, just as lifting a 10-pound sword is easier than
others can escape before Orcs arrive. Generally, you should wresting a mithril helm from the clutches of a dying Dwarf.
214
DICE ROLLING CONVENTIONS

The entirety of the game mechanics in Ambarquenta can be resolved with a roll of two simple ten-sided dice. Used together, the
combination is either referred to as a 2d10 or a 1d100 roll. This section details the specific dice rolling conventions and terms
found throughout Ambarquenta (also see page 12).
2d10 ROLL: Most of the die rolls in Ambarquenta are conducted by rolling two ten-sided dice simultaneously and adding the
numbers together. Read the numbers as rolled, but count a 0 as 10.
1d100 ROLL: On some occasions, particularly in combat, two ten-sided dice are used to obtain a random result from 1 to 100.
To carry out a 1d100 roll, roll two dice of different colours together, counting one die as the tens place and the other as the ones
place. Make sure you designate before the roll! Results of 00 are counted as 100.
In addition to these basic rolls, there are two optional rules on making die rolls. Especially the first one on open-ended rolls is
highly recommended:
OPEN-ENDED ROLLS
Whenever you make a 2d10 roll to resolve a skill or attribute test and the roll yields a very high or very low result, you may be
required to roll an additional die. If you roll 19 or 20, you may roll another d10 and add it to the total result. If this die scores a 10,
roll another die and add it, repeating this process until you roll something other than a 10.
On the other hand, if you roll 2 or 3 on the dice, you must roll an another d10 and subtract it from the result. If this die scores
a 10, roll another die and subtract it, repeating this process until you roll something other than a 10. Note that with a weapon skill
test, any roll scoring a result between 2 and up to 5 may be a fumble, depending on your weapons fumble range. If you do fumble
a weapon skill test roll, proceed as described on page 220.
BEWARE THOSE DOUBLE NUMBERS

Whenever you roll double numbers (i.e., both dice show the same number, like 1 and 1, or 8 and 8), your test will be particular-
ly good or bad, depending on whether you succeed or fail in the action you were trying to perform. If a test succeeds for which
you rolled double numbers, add +1 LoS. Conversely, if you fail a test for which you rolled double numbers, subtract 1 LoF.
Alternatively, apply the above rule only to rolls producing double sixes (i.e., a 12 on 2d10).
WHEN THE TURAMBAR ROLLS TARGET NUMBERS

When a character tries to do something, most tests will be
To determine the difficulty for a particular test, the Tu-
made by the player himself. But there are two important cases rambar must first decide what general difficulty category the
in which the Turambar makes the test and does not let the action belongs to. This difficulty category tells the Turambar
player see what he rolls: the base target number (TN) for the characters test. The ac-
First is any situation in which the character should not be companying table reveals average TNs for each difficulty cat-
able to tell whether he has succeededespecially when he is try- egory. The ability and skill descriptions in previous chapters
ing to get information. Examples would be skills such as Discern,
Search, Weather-sense, Inquire, the various Lore skills, as well as
provide specific TNs covering typical game situations.
the attributes Insight and Wisdom.
When the player says that he wants to test such a skill or TABLE 9.6: STANDARD TARGET NUMBERS (TNS)
attribute, the Turambar rolls in secret. If the test succeeds, the
DIFFICULTY BASE TN DIFFICULTY BASE TN
Turambar gives the player true information. If the test fails, the Routine 9 Challenging 25
Turambar lies or gives no information at allwhatever seems Easy 12 Hard 30
more appropriate. The worse the failure, the worse the Turam- Light 15 Extremely Hard 35
bar lies. Medium 20 Virtually Impossible 40+
Second is any situation in which the player simply should
not know what's going on. This includes most Observe, Sense After the Turambar determines the base TN, he must
Power, Danger Sense, and similar tests. Suppose the party is
consider any factors that might increase or decrease the over-
walking along a forest trail. An Orc-scout hides behind a tree
ahead. The Turambar should not say, There's an Orc ahead of all difficulty, and then modify the base TN accordingly. The
you. Roll to see if you notice it. Neither should he say, Every- ability and skill descriptions in this book offer some guide-
body make an Observe test against TN 25. Does anybody have lines for various tasks, and the section on Test Modifiers
the Danger Sense talent? Either of these approaches gives too (see page 216) provides additional suggestions. For example,
much away. performing actions in adverse lighting, inclement weather,
Instead, the Turambar should refer to a control sheet, check without sufficient tools or equipment, or without enough
the necessary information for each character, and roll. If any-
time usually increases the TN of a test. On the other hand,
one makes their test, the Turambar can say: Menelor! You no-
tice an Orc hiding behind a trunk 20 yards ahead! If nobody taking extra time or performing a task under ideal conditions
makes their testthey're in for a surprise. can significantly lower the TN of an action. The Turambar
215
must use his judgement when evaluating an action, encoun- TABLE 9.7: PHYSICAL TEST MODIFIERS
ter, or scene, and alter the TN accordingly.
CONDITION1) TEST MODIFIER2)
VISIBILITY & LIGHTING
TEST MODIFIERS Clear visibility/ideal lighting 0 TN
Dim lighting 3 TN
Heavy shadows 6 TN
The Turambar derives the base target number from the Dark 9 TN
nature of an intended action and its estimated difficulty, but Pitch black 12 TN
many circumstances can influence a specific test. Complicat- Light smoke/fog 3 TN
ing factors include a variety of environmental conditions Medium smoke/fog 6 TN
Dense smoke/fog 10 TN
(rain or poor lighting), cultural biases (racial hatreds), mate- Light rain/snow 1 TN
rial considerations (unsuitable equipment or insufficient re- Medium rain/snow 3 TN
sources), and so on. For this reason, the rules group all skill Heavy rain/snow 5 TN
tests into one of three general categoriesphysical, influ- EXTREME TEMPERATURE
Temperate 0 TN
ence, and academicaccording to the type of modifiers that Uncomfortable heat/cold +3 TN
commonly apply to them. (Note that only tests of a few skill Extreme heat/cold +6 TN
categories, such as Healing or Magical, may be subject to TERRAIN
more than one type of test modifiers.) Flat/unobstructed terrain 0 TN
Except in unusual circumstances, few modifiers should Uneven/lightly obstructed terrain 3 TN
Broken/heavily obstructed terrain 5 to 15 TN
apply to any individual test. The test difficulty guidelines set On moving ship/boat/wain +3 TN
forth in this book already account for a number of factors Slick surface/uncertain footing +5 TN
that combine to establish base TNs for various tests. The Slippery surface/poor footing +10 TN
Turambar should apply test modifiers conservatively, includ- Disadvantageous position +3 to +9 TN
Advantageous position 3 to 9 TN
ing only the most important ones.
EQUIPMENT MODIFIERS
NOTE: When two character engage in an opposed test (see (FOR TESTS REQUIRING EQUIPMENT) TEST MODIFIER
page 222), TN modifiers should be applied as test result penal-
ties (or bonuses, respectively). Also, if both characters partici- Adequately equipped 0 TN
pating in the opposed test are subject to the same test modifi- Inadequately equipped/using inferior tools +5 to +10 TN
Using jury-rigged/makeshift tools +15 TN
er, it should be ignored altogether.
Totally unequipped +20 TN
Well-equipped/using superior tools 5 TN
PHYSICAL TEST MODIFIERS SIZE MODIFIERS TEST MODIFIER

Physical test modifiers define the complications that Character is two sizes larger than target 6 TN (+6 TN)
might arise from abnormal physical, material, and environ- Character is one size larger than target 3 TN (+3 TN)
Character and target are the same size 0 TN
mental conditions. They apply to physical actions, such as Character is one size smaller than target 3 TN (3 TN)
weapon skill, Observe, or Stamina tests. For example, search- Character is two sizes smaller than target 6 TN (6 TN)
ing in total darkness is much more difficult than searching in
bright lighting. By the same token, searching for something OTHER MODIFIERS TEST MODIFIER
on a flat, even surface is simpler than searching for something Off-hand penalty
3)
+8 to +12 TN
in an area obstructed by a great deal of clutter. In these in- Character engaged in melee
4)
+6 TN
stances, both lighting conditions and material considerations Character in a melee environment
4)
4)
+4 TN
(obstructions) apply as modifiers to physical tests. Character under missile fire +2 TN
For a list of common physical modifiers, see Table 9.7. If 1): Characters making opposed tests against characters suffering
multiple modifiers apply, apply them all together. Though the same modifiers need not factor modifiers into the test except in
combat tests and their modifiers are handled in greater detail cases where relative modifiers favour one of the adversaries.
in Chapter Ten (see page 262), as physical actions they can 2): indicates that the modifier is relative. For example, a char-
be influenced by these physical test modifiers, too. acter trying to hide in broken ground gains a benefit from cover
(5 TN), whereas a guard searching broken ground for an Orc
archer suffers a penalty (+5 TN).
Size 3): The off-hand penalty applies whenever a character relies on
his non-dominant hand to perform a physical action. The more del-
Most of the time, its harder for larger creatures to physi- icate such an action is, the worse should be the penalty (for combat
tests, apply a 8 penalty; Shield skill tests are not affected).
cally affectin one way or the othersmaller ones. Con-
4): Modifier applies only if a character tries to perform a non-
versely, its often easier for a small character to affect a larger combat action amidst a battle.
target. Basically, this holds true for most physical tests, from
spotting someone to engaging in various forms of combat. termine whether a character hits his opponent. But when it
However, there are some important exceptions to this comes to determining the damage inflicted with a successful
fact, and therefore the size modifiers shown in Table 9.7 are attack, the size modifier does not count. How this may affect
relative. In an opposed Strength test, for instance, the ad- the damage done by larger or smaller foes is described below.
vantage is always on the side of the larger of two opponents. There are three levels of size that crop up in most situa-
Furthermore, in combat size modifiers are only applied to de- tions: Small (from 24 to 59 in height), Medium (from 60
216
up to 89 in height), and Large (from 90 up to 15 feet in multiple modifiers apply, the Turambar should apply them
height). Hobbits and most Dwarves are considered Small. all together.
Most Men and Elves are considered Medium. To establish When using Social skills or making other influence tests,
the size level of a creature that is too small or too large to fit players should not simply roll dice and look up the result. In-
into one of these categories, please refer to Appendix D. stead, they should roleplay the exchange, speaking and acting
While foes in the same size level do not have any size- as their characters would. Players who roleplay well should
related physical test modifiers, those of differing sizes do. receive bonuses for their tests. But do not penalise a player
Opponents of different sizes apply a 3 TN modifier for for poor roleplaying, unless he completely ruins his attempt,
each size level apart from each other they are. For example, a like revealing a lie when fast-talking a guard. Even a ham-
(Medium) Man trying to attack a (Small) Hobbit would suf- handed attempt to contribute to the story should count for
fer a 3 test result penalty. The same Hobbit repaying the something.
favour to that Man would gain a +3 test result bonus. (In As a matter of fact, influence tests should be avoided
this example, size TN modifiers are given as test result modi- whenever the outcome of a situation can be determined by
fiers because combat is commonly resolved as a series of op- the means of roleplaying. If a test seems inevitable, the dice
posed tests where two characters pit their skills against each should only be rolled after some time of roleplaying. But ra-
other. Relative test result modifiers are only applied to one ther than simply cutting off the roleplaying after the test, the
side.) test result should serve as a guideline for the final resolution
However, as stated above, when determining the damage of the situation by the means of roleplaying.
inflicted with a successful attack, the size modifier is ignored.
Obviously it would be unreasonable to assume that a smaller TABLE 9.8: INFLUENCE TEST MODIFIERS
character inflicts a more severe wound on a larger foe only
INTERACTION STANCE TEST MODIFIER
because his target is so hard to miss. On the other hand, if a
larger attacker successfully hits a smaller target, it would be Subject is loyal/devoted 9 to 15 TN
Subject is friendly/pacifist 3 to 6 TN
equally illogical to assume that he does less damage than if he
Subject is indifferent 0 TN
had hit a foe of the same size as his own. Therefore, proceed Subject is aggressive/hostile +3 to +6 TN
as follows when resolving an attack: Subject is hostile/violent +9 to +15 TN
Subject speaks a different native language 0 to +20 TN
When a smaller attacker strikes at a larger target, do Subject is the same race as character 0 to 6 TN
not apply his size bonus unless he fails to hit the larger Subject and character are of different races 0 to +15 TN
foe. If the initial attack test fails, then add the size bo- Environmental factors make communicating difficult +3 to +12 TN
nus to the test result. However, the result of an attack Character demonstrates evidence or sincerity 3 to 12 TN
test thus modified by the size bonus of a smaller at- MODIFIERS AT TURAMBARS DISCRETION TEST MODIFIER
tacker is limited to LSF 0: the target may be hard to
miss because of its bulkiness, but the attack is still not Subject has heard about character Renown modifier
(see page 201)
very effective. Result of a preceding Esteem test varies (see page 244)
When a larger attacker strikes at a smaller target, ap- Characters Corruption penalty varies (see page 200)
ply the size penalty to the initial attack test. However,
if the attack succeeds, recalculate the test result to de- ACADEMIC TEST MODIFIERS
termine the damage inflicted, this time without apply-
ing the size penalty and thus potentially increasing the While the base TN of most academic skill tests depends
severity of injury. on the obscurity of the information a character tries to re-
member, academic test modifiers arise from circumstances
Note that size modifiers normally apply to close and
that complicate his ability to recall, gather, or utilise lore.
ranged combat tests alike. However, a Turambar may choose
Wits attribute tests and Lore skill tests are examples of tests
to ignore the size modifier for ranged combat tests if the tar-
often subject to mental modifiers.
get is at least at the archers medium range. Also note that
For a list of common mental modifiers and their suggest-
only one of two opponents engaged in an opposed test must
ed TN modifiers, see Table 9.9. If multiple modifiers apply,
be affected by a size modifier (i.e., a defenders test result
the Turambar should apply them all together.
with a defensive manoeuvre is not normally affected by his
size modifier).
TABLE 9.9: ACADEMIC TEST MODIFIERS
INFLUENCE TEST MODIFIERS CONDITION TEST MODIFIER
Character is situated in comfortable surroundings 0 TN
Influence test modifiers represent factors that affect abili-
Memory Loss
ties a character uses to interact with other persons, such as Character suffers from mind-altering drug/toxin +5 to +15 TN
most tests of Social skills, and Bearing or many Wisdom at- Character suffers from selective amnesia +3 to +12 TN
tribute tests. By far, the most common influence modifiers Character suffers from near total amnesia +10 to +20 TN
involve the disposition of the person the character attempts Distractions
to affect. A character can more easily persuade a friendly lis- Character is engaged in life-threatening situation +5 to +15 TN
Character is surrounded by loud noise/talking +3 to +9 TN
tener with a plea for help than he can his enemies. This in- Character is affected by environmental 1/2 physical modifier
teraction stance, as well as other common influence modifiers factors (see Table 9.7: Physical Test Modifiers)
and their suggested TN modifiers, appear on Table 9.8. If
217
ACTION PENALTIES sionate healer to treat your wounds should not become hard-
er the worse you are injured!
There are many types of action or test result penalties.
Some of themlike those originating in flawscommonly THE PHYSICAL PENALTY
apply at all times, but only to a limited range of tests. Other Most physical activities are not only hampered by injuries
types of penalties affect all or almost all actions, but are usu- and exhaustion, but also by the load a character carries.
ally triggered by special situations or conditions. This section Thus, a characters Physical Penalty (PP) consists of his Uni-
deals with this latter type of test result penalties. versal Penalty plus his General Encumbrance Penalty (GEP,
see page 195).
THE UNIVERSAL PENALTY The Physical Penalty applies to all tests of Deftness and
Nimbleness, as well as to any tests governed by either or both
A character who is injured or fatigued cannot function as
of these attributes (i.e., to almost all physical test class skill
well as a character in good health and well-rested. Hence,
tests and to Swiftness tests). In addition, the Physical Penal-
penalties are applied to attribute and skill tests to reflect the-
ty applies when casting spells of Sorcery, and to any Stamina
se factors. A characters Universal Penalty (UP) is the sum of
test to resist losing one or more entire Weariness Levels
his Injury Penalty and Weariness Penalty.
straight awaycarrying heavy burdens or wearing armour is
Injury Penalty a strenuous exercise, after all, and armour and other metallic
gear strongly interferes with the Morgothian element.
Combat, and other activities, may hurt a character. Each The Physical Penalty can be decreased or even totally
critical injury is rated in terms of Injury Levels: M1, S2, S3, avoided by taking off ones armour and backpack. Whenever
G4, or G5. A character with, for example, one M1 and one you put aside your equipment, you should apply the Univer-
S3 injury has a total of four Injury Levels (ILs) which directly sal Penalty instead of the Physical Penalty.
translate into test result penalties. However, a characters
impairment may also be represented by the action penalty as-
sociated with his Health Level. Hence, his Injury Penalty is SPECIAL PENALTIES
equal to the greater of (1) the sum of all his Injury Levels or Special Penalties are assigned by the Turambar to reflect
(2) the penalty associated with his current Health Level (see temporary handicaps not covered by Health, Injury, Weari-
Table 9.15 on page 225). ness, and Encumbrance penalties. A character who is carry-
ing an awkward item, or is tied or tangled in some way, may
EXAMPLE: A badly hurt character who has dropped to the
Wounded Health Level (5 penalty) and sustained one M1 and be assessed such a penalty. A Special Penalty applies as long
one S3 critical injury (worth 4 ILs which translate into a 4 as the conditions that bring it about; if the cause is removed,
penalty) suffers a 5 Injury Penalty. If the same character sus- so is the penalty.
tains an additional S2 injury but still remains Wounded, his In-
jury Penalty increases to 6 because he has to cope with 6 ILs.
LEVELS OF SUCCESS OR FAILURE
Weariness Penalty
Physical exertion, such as fighting, running, or swimming Whereas TNs interpret difficulty by considering all rele-
causes a character to grow weary as he accumulates weariness vant factors involved in the test, levels of success or failure
points. Casting spells or wielding the Art can likewise result (LSF) evaluate the outcome of a characters efforts by com-
in dropping to the next lowest Weariness Level; the charac- paring his final test result to the TN. In Ambarquenta, calcu-
ter will then suffer the corresponding action penalty listed on lating the LSF for any test is simple. A test result that equals
Table 9.24 (see page 237). the TN has a level of success of 0 just enough to achieve
the basic objectives of a test with, at worst, only minor com-
Applying the Universal Penalty plications or setbacks. Every increment of 5 (or fraction
As a rule of thumb, the Universal Penalty is applied to all thereof) above or below the TN represents one level of suc-
tests of attributes and skills. There are only a few exceptions cess or failure, respectively. See Table 9.10 for more infor-
to this rule. First and foremost, it does not apply to Health mation.
and Vigour tests made to recover from injury. The severity of Whenever the rules specifically refer to levels of success,
injury already factors into the TN of such tests. (Weariness the abbreviation LoS is used, while levels of failure are abbre-
penalties, on the other hand, should be applied to these tests viated LoF in such instances. The more LoS you achieve, the
injured characters are supposed to get lots of rest.) quicker and better you perform an action. Conversely, the
Ambar tests, as well as Fortitude tests to resist or shake more LoF you accumulate, the worse you dopossibly mak-
off Corruption, are also never penalised by a characters UP. ing things even worse than before and maybe even triggering
The Turambar may come up with similar situations and is a Fumble or a Stumble test.
the final authority on whether to apply the UP or not. Aside from qualifying a characters overall performance
For instance, a Turambar may occasionally decide to ig- during a test, levels of success or failure can also determine
nore part of or even the entire UP under certain circum- specific effects of abilities, skills, and flaws. For certain char-
stances. For a example, a Persuade test to convince a compas- acter abilities and traits, the LoS achieved determines how
218
TABLE 9.10: LEVEL OF SUCCESS OR FAILURE (LSF)

TIME PERCENTAGE
TEST RESULT LSF GENERAL EFFECT MODIFIER RESULTS
16+ below TN LoF 4 or worse The character makes a thorough mess of his attempt and x5 25 F30
suffers a 5 test result penalty on his next two actions.
1115 below TN LoF 3 The attempt makes matters worse if possible. x3 0 F25
610 below TN LoF 2 The attempt fails and may prevent further action. x2 50 F20
15 below TN LoF 1 The attempt fails, but the character may try again with x 1.5 75
a cumulative 3 test result penalty, if appropriate.
Result = TN LSF 0 The character achieves the basic objective with, at worst, x 1.25 90
only minor complications or setbacks.
15 above TN LoS +1 The character achieves his objectives with no setbacks whatsoever. x1 100
610 above TN LoS +2 The character performs beyond expectations, possibly gaining x 0.9 110
an additional advantage such as reduced test duration.
1115 above TN LoS +3 The character performs far beyond expectations, possibly gaining x 0.75 125
an additional advantage such as 1d5 bonus AP in the next round, or
the ability to perform an additional action at half the normal cost.
16+ above TN LoS +4 or better The character stretches the boundaries of his own abilities. He x 0.5 140
receives a non-cumulative +1 test result bonus to all future attempts
to use the tested skill or attribute, until he scores LoF 3 or worse.
long an effect lasts or quantifies how much of a bonus or tion, he must make a Fumble (Deftness) or Stumble (Swift-
penalty a character get when performing subsequent actions. ness) test against the indicated TN (i.e., TN 20, 25, or 30,
respectively). See Fumbles and Stumbles below for details.
USING TABLE 9.10 Some movement actions must be thought of as All-or-
Nothing actions which can only either succeed or fail. A
Since tests cover a wide variety of game situations, Am- character is successful with a test achieving at least 100%. Ex-
barquenta provides several ways in which character actions amples include to lift a great weight or somersaulting onto
can be resolved. Whichever method a Turambar chooses in a the back of a horse.
particular situation, he will refer to Table 9.10:
GENERAL EFFECTS: With the exception of movement and FUMBLES AND STUMBLES
combat tests, the General Effect column in the accompany-
ing table can be used to resolve most kinds of actions. It pro- Fumbles and stumbles are the result of an extremely un-
vides the Turambar with a general guideline on how to inter- lucky occurrence that prevents a character from accomplish-
pret a characters LSF with any suitable test and can, if neces- ing the performed action. With the exception of weapon skill
sary, be used together with the Time Modifier column. tests, fumbles and stumbles usually occur when the rules in-
TIME MODIFIERS: As the Time Modifier column shows, dicate it, orat the Turambars discretionwhen a test fails
varying LSF can affect how long it takes to perform a test with by LoF 2 or worse. As for weapon skill tests, each weapon
a non-combat skill. At LoF 2, for instance, the action time has its own fumble range; if the 2d10 roll for any offensive or
is doubled, wasting even more time than normal. A LoS +3, defensive weapon skill test produces a result equal to or lower
on the other hand, allows a character to complete a task in than the weapons fumble range, you should make a Fumble
three quarters (75%) of the normal time. The Turambar may test as described below and check if the weapon breaks.
apply other appropriate effects from particularly good or bad The TN of any Fumble or Stumble test following a failed
tests if he prefers. If a character wishes to perform a task in movement action depends on the actual LoF and is given in
less time than normal, he simply needs a high LoS. He does Table 9.10. A LoF 2 on a movement test, for instance, al-
not have to declare his intention to do so ahead of time, and lows a character to move up to 50% of the desired distance,
doing so should not increase the difficulty of the task. but as the table also lists a F20 for this test result, he must
PERCENTAGE RESULTS: The Percentage Results column is also make a Fumble or Stumble test against TN 20.
best reserved for resolving movement tests. The listed values For non-movement tests, the TN of a Fumble or Stum-
indicate the percentage of the attempted action that is ac- ble test equals the TN of the failed action or 20, whichever is
complished. For example, a 75% result means that three higher. If no TN is givenas is the case with Fumble and
quarters of an action was performed, or that a character Stumble tests following a critical injury or a botched weapon
moves up to three quarters of his applicable movement rate. skill rolluse a standard TN of 20.
A result over 100% indicates that the intended action was ac- Whatever basic TN the rules suggest, make sure to apply
complished, and that the distance covered may be increased the characters Physical Penalty and all applicable physical
accordingly if the player wishes so. test modifiers as shown on Table 9.7 (see page 216). Addi-
A negative percentage means that the character has en- tional situational modifiers are given below.
countered an obstacle and been forced to backtrack. A result Remember, though: Even upon a success on a Fumble or
that lists F20, F25, or F30 indicates that the char- Stumble test, the attempted action still fails! Only movement
acter runs the risk of fumbling or stumbling while perform- and extended tests may be an exception to this rule since they
ing the action. Depending on the nature of the attempted ac- can sometimes be resumed after minor setbacks.
219
Fumble and Grab Tests (Deftness) 3 he sustains 2d102 points of damage). See Falling, page
228, for details. On a success, the character neither falls nor
Deftness is tested to determine if an item held in the hurts himself, but his movement is still slowed down.
hand is dropped (i.e., a Fumble test), or to perform a feat of
manual dexterity under difficult circumstances (i.e., a Grab
test). Fumble tests may be triggered by combat or ordered by WEAPON FUMBLES
the Turambar according to the rules.
Optionally, the Turambar may ask a character who has
The standard TN for Fumble and Grab tests is 20, but
fumbled a weapon skill test to roll on the below table instead
the exact TN may vary according to the situation (see above). of simply assuming that he risks to drop his weapon. Rolling
Favourable test result modifiers are justified when an object on this table replaces both the Fumble (Deftness) test and the
is held in both hands or is tied on; these typically range from breakage roll. Note that the table is suitable for determining
+1 to +3 for weapons, or from +2 to +6 for tied-on shields. the outcome of fumbled offensive and defensive, close and
Regardless of whether a Fumble test following a botched ranged combat actions alike. However, any fumble triggered by a
roll for a melee weapon skill test succeeds or fails, the charac- critical injury should be still resolved as a Deftness test as described
above.
ter must also roll with 2d10 against the weapons breakage
number (BN). If the roll is equal to or greater than the TABLE 9.11: WEAPON FUMBLES
weapons BN, it shatters (see page 263 for details). Note that
2d10 Effect
you dont have to make a breakage test when a critical injury
23 Your weapon breaks and may be useless (see Broken
calls for a Fumble test; only if you rolled equal to or less than Weapons, page 263). Exception: Masterwork, heroic, and
your weapons fumble range do you need to check its BN. enchanted weapons are resistant to breakage. If you have a
weapon like that, roll again. Only if you get a broken
FUMBLE TESTS: If the Deftness test fails, the item is weapon result a second time does the weapon really break.
dropped and the Turambar rolls 1d10: number 1 to 6 indi- If you get any other result, you drop the weapon instead.
cate the item has fallen in an adjacent hex (1=N, 2=NE, 4 You manage to hit yourself in the arm or leg (50% chance
3=SE, 4=S, 5=SW, and 6=NW); a roll of 7 to 10 indicates each way). For determining damage, roll 1d31. The result
is the LoS you score with your attack. Exception: If this is a
the item has fallen in the same hex. Success on a Fumble test
pointed or ranged attack, roll again. Its hard to stab your-
means that the item is not dropped, but the action that trig- self, but it can be done. If you get a hit yourself result a
gered the Fumble still fails and all APs spent on it are lost. second time, count that result. If you get something other
Picking up an item off the ground normally costs 8 AP. than hit yourself, use that result.
For small items, the Turambar may lower this AP cost (say, 5 As 4 above, but roll 1d21 for determining the damage.
6 You lose your balance. You can do nothing else but de-
to 5 AP). However, particularly unwieldy items such as two- fend yourself until the next round. All your uses of defen-
handed weapons or shields must also be readied. Readying a sive skills are at 3 until the next round.
large weapon requires a number of AP equal to its attack AP 78 The weapon turns in your hand. Spend a number of AP
cost. It takes a number of rounds equal to a shields parry equal to its attack AP cost before using it again.
modifier to ready it on your arm after you have picked it up. 912 You drop the weapon. Exception: A cheap weapon breaks.
See above for dropped, or page 263 for broken weapons.
GRAB TESTS: If two characters attempt to simultaneously 1314 The weapon turns in your hand. Spend a number of AP
equal to its attack AP cost before using it again.
seize the same item, or if a character tries to take an item
15 You lose your balance. You can do nothing else but de-
from another character, both make Deftness tests: fend yourself until your next round. All your uses of de-
If both tests succeed by the same LoS, make an op- fensive skills are at 3 until your next round.
posed Strength test; the winner has the item. 16 Your weapon flies 2d10 feet from your hand50% chance
If one succeeds and the other fails, the winner has the straight forward or straight back. Anyone on the target
spot must succeed with a TN 20 Swiftness or Dodge test or
item. take the falling weapons damage at LSF 0. Exception: If
If both tests fail, the item is fumbled; roll 1d10 (as ex- this was a pointed attack, you simply drop the weapon, as
plained above) to see where the item ends up. in 912 above. A ranged weapon will not fly from your
handit just drops.
17 You fall down and drop your weapon. Exception: Ranged
Stumble Tests (Swiftness) weapon users, see 6 above instead.
18 You strain your shoulder. Your weapon arm is crippled for
Swiftness is tested to determine whether a character falls the rest of the encounter. You do not have to drop your
down whenever the rules or the Turambar require a Stumble weapon, but you cannot use it either to attack or defend,
test: Stumble tests are usually triggered by encountering an for 30 minutes.
1920 Your weapon breaks. See 23 above.
obstruction in the course of movement (as represented by
failed Run tests, for instance), receiving a blow to a leg during
combat, and so on. VARYING FUMBLES
The standard TN for a Stumble test is 20, but the exact Of course it may be a nice idea to vary the outcome of
TN may vary according to the situation and the characters any fumble or stumble, not just of fumbled weapon skill tests.
condition (see above). Additional penalties apply if the char- Obviously, no rule or table could possibly account for all
acter is moving backwards (+5 TN) or faster than at jogging types of actions that can fail in an unlucky manner. Yet, a Tu-
pace (+3 TN for Run, +5 for Sprint). rambar should feel free to make up a graphic description of
A test result of LoF 1 on a Stumble test indicates the the consequences of any fumbled or failed test on the spot,
such as ruling that a picklock breaks during a badly failed
character falls prone. Beginning with LoF 2, the character
Locks test, and the like. Be creative, but not overly mean!
also sustains 1d101 points of damage per LoF (e.g., at LoF
220
TEST TYPES are made with a characters derived attributes (see Chapter
Two of this book). There are five common types of tests of
derived attributesFortitude, Stamina, Swiftness, Wisdom,
There are two primary types of tests: attribute tests and
and Esteemeach corresponding to a different set of prima-
skill tests. Whereas the first type represents using raw natu-
ry attributes.
ral ability, and the latter extensive education and training,
both are practically resolved the same way:
To make a test, roll 2d10. If the optional rule on open- CONTESTS OF WILL
ended rolls is in use and the roll yields a very high or a very
Characters often engage in a contest of wills to see whose
low result, you may be required to roll an additional 1d10 authority, desires, or power hold sway in some matter. Simi-
(see page 215 for more information). To this number, add larly, one who would, like Aragorn, wrest a palantr from the
your characters corresponding total attribute score or his ap- control of Sauron must fight a battle of wills with the Dark
plicable total skill bonus (TSB), as well as any special modifi- Lord to do so. This becomes a prevailing theme in many of
ers from his talents, edges, or flaws, the circumstances, and so the important events of the War of the Ring, and we are wit-
ness to similar battles among the powerful throughout The
forth. The total of all dice and accumulated modifiers yields
Lord of the Rings.
your final test result. Compare this to the TN of the test to To fight a contest of wills, the participating characters
determine its level of success or failure (LSF). make Fortitude tests to determine initiative. The character
with the better test result becomes the aggressor and the other
TESTS OF PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES becomes the defender. The participants then make an opposed
test with the aggressor using his choice of Bearing, Will, or
All characters possess nine defining primary attributes: Fortitude, and the defender using his Fortitude. The loser
notes the loss by making a mark on some scratch paper. For
Deftness, Nimbleness, Strength, Vigour, Awareness, Will, every LoS the victor achieves, the loser makes one mark.
Bearing, Insight, and Wits (see Chapter Two for details). When one of the participants in the contest has a number of
Attribute scores (ranging from 1 to 20, sometimes higher) marks equal to or greater than his current Fortitude score, he
measure a characters personal endowment in each of these loses the contest. He must acknowledge defeat in some way
areas. typically by looking away or giving wayand, as appropriate,
Characters use primary attributes to accomplish actions do what the victor wants.
A character does not have to enter a contest of wills. He
based exclusively on their innate capabilities. In other words,
can instead turn away, leave the presence of the challenge, or
characters make attribute tests when they do not need skill to disdain the challenge in some manner.
succeed at a particular effort or no skill applies to a given
task. Lifting a heavy object, catching an item before it falls to
the ground, and resisting the effects of some Orc poisons are SKILL TESTS
all examples of attribute tests any character can attempt.
Ambarquenta characters demonstrate a wide range of skills.
TESTS OF DERIVED ATTRIBUTES In addition to the many skills anyone can possess, such as Ob-
serve or Run, characters also possess unique skills tied to their
Although characters generally test their primary attrib- race, education, or individual pursuits. As with attributes,
utes when exercising their raw faculties directly, many occa- characters show different levels of achievement among their
sions require them to rely on their natural gifts to resist men- skills, measured by skill ranks. Besides other qualities, skill
tal or social influence (such as intimidation or fear) or to sur- ranks factor directly into total skill bonuses (TSB). When mak-
vive physical ordeals (like attacks or disease). Most such tests ing a skill test, add your TSB to the result rolled on the dice.
TABLE 9.12: SAMPLE ATTRIBUTE TESTS

SITUATION TEST TYPE ATTRIBUTE TN/OPPOSING TEST/REFERENCE
Overcome fear, resist intimidation Opposed Fortitude Intimidate; see page 239
Resist interrogation, seduction Opposed Fortitude Inquire, Persuade
Resist corruption Standard Fortitude Varies by source of temptation; see page 198
Defy physical threat, resist torture Opposed Will Inquire, Intimidate (Torture)
Resist charm, flattery Opposed Wisdom Persuade
Resist rhetoric, propaganda Opposed Wisdom Debate or Persuade
See through lie or bluff Opposed Wisdom Act or Persuade
Determine best course of action Standard Wisdom Varies by situation
Withstand extreme temperature Standard Stamina Varies by degree; see page 232
Resist poison Standard Stamina Varies by potency; see page 336
Avoid disease Standard Stamina Varies by potency; see page 230
Avoid injury while falling Standard Swiftness TN 15; see page 228
Avoid surprise Standard Awareness Varies by situation; see page 251
Avoid fumbling Standard Deftness Varies by attempted action; see page 219
Avoid stumbling Standard Swiftness Varies by attempted action; see page 219
Keep footing on slippery ground Standard Swiftness Varies by terrain; also see Climb, page 86
Catch item before it shatters on the floor Standard Swiftness Varies by item, distance, and terrain
Incline someone to treat you favourably Standard Esteem Varies by encounter; see page 240
221
Characters rely on skills to accomplish tasks requiring Alternatively, when the characters success is essential for
some amount of education, training, or experience, such as sail- the chapter to reach a satisfactory conclusion, the Turambar
ing a ship, repairing damaged armour, or judging the value of can rule that an action is impossible unless the character ex-
goods. While requiring experience and training, these types of pends one or more Ambar to overcome the inherent difficul-
activities also draw on personal faculties such as Wits, Deft- ty (see Resist Fear, page 197, for an example). Using this
ness, or Bearing. For this reason, every skill links to a few key method, the Turambar should set the TN at 40 and make
character attributes, which bestow a significant contribution to the character perform the test, testing and spending Ambar
the total skill bonus. as needed to increase the test result to a level of success.
Skill Specialties and Affinities Repeat Attempts

As described in Chapter Four, a characters specialties in The nature of some tests, such as dodging a punch, pre-
a skill must apply to a test in order to receive his full skill bo- cludes characters from making repeated attempts. Other
nus. When none of his specialties match, he suffers a 3 pen- tests, like trying to fix a dented blade, may allow repeated at-
alty to his TSB. On the other hand, if more than one specialty tempts. A character can make repeated attempts to accom-
is applicable in a given situation, he adds +1 to the test result. plish a task if (a) he has enough time to do so and (b) he does
Likewise, successful tests of appropriate affinity skills allow not botch any of the test attempts so badly as to ruin the po-
to add +1 per LoS to the primary skills test result. tential for further endeavours. As a general rule, a character
can retry failed attempts until he either suffers LoF 3 or
Untrained Skill Use worse, or succeeds. For each additional attempt, impose a
cumulative 3 test result penalty. Thus, the first re-try is at
While a few skillssuch as language and lore skills +3 TN, the second at +6 TN, and so forth. For an alterna-
represent capacities characters can only acquire through ex- tive method for resolving repeatable actions, see the rules on
tensive study and experience, otherssuch as Observe or Extended Tests below.
Runinvolve general aptitudes and abilities anyone can ex-
ercise to some degree. Tests of still other skillslike Seafar-
ing or First Aidcould also be attempted by anyone, provid- TEST VARIANTS
ed he has at least once witnessed how they are properly em-
ployed or had their use described in detail. In other words, Regardless of type, some tests warrant special rules be-
any skill with an untrained use penalty (ordinarily ranging cause of the nature of the challenge. The following entries list
from 0 to 4, but sometimes higher) can be tested by char- a few of the most common test variants players will encounter.
acters even if their rank in that skill is zero. This is called us-
ing a skill untrained. Chapter Four of this book lists all of OPPOSED TESTS
the skills characters may use untrained.
When making an untrained skill test, conduct the test Whenever the success or failure of a characters actions
normally, adding all due modifiers from attributes and abilities, depends largely on the performance of an opponentsuch as
as well as the basic cutback, but apply the respective untrained in a foot race or wrestling matchthe Turambar may call for
use penalty to reflect the characters unfamiliarity, lack of prac- an opposed test. Opposed tests differ from standard tests in
tice and experience. Untrained skills do not confer affinity bo- that the Turambar usually does not set a TN for the test (for
nuses, but characters may get affinity bonuses to untrained a variant that uses pre-assigned TNs, see below). Instead, the
skill tests if they possess related skills at rank 1+ or higher. participants each make the specified test and compare their
If a skill does not permit untrained usage but the charac- test results. Therefore, any TN modifiers are applied as test
ter attempts to do something relating to this skill, the Tu- result penalties (or bonuses, respectively). Relative test result
rambar must determine whether the character can substitute modifiers, such as a size modifier, only affect one of the two
another closely related skill or the action is impossible to per- parties engaged in an opposed test. If both sides suffer from
form without the required skill. If no other skills seem rele- the same test result modifiers, they should be ignored.
vant, the Turambar might also consider an attribute test Whichever character scores the higher result wins the
typically using on of the attributes linked to the required testand uses his opponents test result to determine the
skillinstead of disallowing the intended action outright. LoS. Equal results indicate a tie; if the test represents a con-
But in most circumstances, untrained characters automatical- tinuing contest, the characters can make additional tests to
ly fail any test requiring a skill that does not permit untrained resolve the deadlock. Otherwise, the one with the greater
usage. skill bonus or attribute score wins the opposed test.
Impossible Tasks EXAMPLE: Grimgr and Gori engage in an arm wrestling

contest. The Turambar calls for Strength attribute tests.
Sometimes characters attempt to perform seemingly im- Grimgr get a test result of 31, and Gori gets a test result of
possible actions. In these cases, the Turambar can allow a 28. Thus, Grimgr wins the opposed test and achieves LoS +1.
character to make an appropriate attribute or skill test but set If Gori had also gotten a 31, the two would have tied, and the
the target number at 50 or higher. If the character has practi- contest would have continued to the next round, when they
could make another opposed test. The contest continues until
cally no chance of meeting such a high TN, he should better one or the other beats his opponents test result.
conceive a different way to reach his goal!
222
TABLE 9.13: SAMPLE OPPOSED TESTS

SITUATION CHARACTERS TEST OPPONENTS TEST COMPARE
Acting in disguise Act or Disguise Discern or Wisdom LSF
Bargaining Debate (Bargain) Debate (Bargain) Test Results
Block blow Unarmed Combat Unarmed Combat Test Results
Counterstrike Weapon skill Weapon skill Test Results
Dodging arrows or thrown weapons Dodge (Missiles) Bows or Throw Test Results
Dodging melee attacks Dodge (Melee) Weapon skill Test Results
Foot race Run Run Special (BMR x percentage)
Hiding Hide Observe (Spot, Smell) LSF
Sneaking Sneak Observe (Hear, Spot) LSF
Parry blow Shields or Weapon skill Weapon skill Test Results
Searching Observe or Search Hide, Sneak, or Conceal LSF
Characters can use opposed tests for many different situ- EXAMPLE: A wily Dwarf tries to smuggle goods into the
ations. See the skill descriptions in Chapter Four for some city. The Turambar calls for a TN 30 Conceal test to deter-
guidelines. Looking through these descriptions, you will no- mine how well hidden the goods are and notes the test result,
tice that for many skills which are frequently employed in a LoF 1. Later, when a watchman searches the Dwarfs wag-
opposed tests there is also a list of sample test difficulties. If gon, the Turambar makes a TN 20 Search testeven a hasty
both skills involved in an opposed test have such a list of search has a fair chance to uncover a brazen smuggling at-
tempt. Unsurprisingly, the Search test yields a LoS +1 and the
sample TNs (describing different circumstances under which Dwarf soon finds himself hard-pressed to come up with a cred-
the respective action is performed), it is normally better to ible excuse.
make two separate standard tests against the suggested TNs
and then compare their respective LSF to resolve the op-
posed situation. This method is especially worthwhile if one Using the most suitable of either method, many game
test is made ahead of the other, and/or if the two tests are events can be resolved as opposed tests. For example, a guard
pits his Observe against a thiefs Hide, a powerful captain
made against different TNs. If both tests yield the same LSF,
the Turambar must settle the situation. As a rule of thumb, trying to Intimidate his foes must contend with their Forti-
he should favour the side facing the easier task (i.e., whose tude, and two lords trying to sway their kings policy might
test is made against the lower TN)or simply the one he use opposed Debate testsand then compare the winning
wants to win the test. Debate test result to the kings Wisdom test.
This variant method of resolving opposed actions by In some situations, rather than have the opponents de-
termine their test results simultaneously, the Turambar may
comparing the LSF of two standard tests can also be used if
only the chronologically first test has a fixed TN but no evi- have one of them make their test in advance, and then use his
dent TN can easily be established for the second, opposing test test result as the TN (or basis of comparison) for the other
(as could be the case with Observe or Search tests). Whenever characters test later in the chapter. As stated above, most
you are unsure about which TN to set for the challenger, re- such situations will be resolved by comparing the respective
fer to the below table. To win the opposed test, the challeng- tests LSF. The Turambar decides what method to use based
on the circumstances.
er must at least achieve the same LSF as the character whose
test was made in the first place, so effectively beating a LoS
+2 test has a higher TN than beating a LoS +1 test. EXTENDED TESTS
Extended tests apply to complex and protracted actions.
TABLE 9.14: OPPOSED TEST TARGET NUMBERS
Repairing broken chainmail might constitute a single, stand-
FIRST TESTS RESULT OPPOSING TESTS TN ard Armoursmith test that takes a certain number of hours
LoF 4 15 to complete. But dramatic circumstances might warrant con-
LoF 3 15 ducting the repair as an extended test to account for different
LoF 2 15 skills that come into play, complications that arise during the
LoF 1 20
LSF 0 20
work, or time deadlines requiring careful monitoring of the
LoS +1 25 characters progress.
LoS +2 25 For example, the Turambar might choose to treat a
LoS +3 30 lengthy repair job as a series of different skill tests to repre-
LoS +4 30
sent different stages of the operation. The first stage might
involve a Wits-based Armoursmith test to figure out exactly
whats wrong with the armour and how best to repair it. The
second step might involve a normal Armoursmith test to do
the work itself. Lastly, an Appraise (Armour) test allows the
character to find out if his work fixed the problem.
223
To conduct this sort of test, the Turambar might estab- EXAMPLE: Stig, a Lake-man of dubious reputation, finds
lish three separate skill tests with the second and third stages himself trapped in the dead-end corridor of the basement of a
requiring a successful test in the preceding stage before the castle, with guards coming any minute. From a map he has stud-
character can continue. The TN of subsequent stages might ied before venturing into the castle, he knows that there must
depend on the LSF of the action in the prior stage. Alterna- be a secretand probably lockeddoorway somewhere in
tively, the Turambar can group all three tests into one ex- front of him. The Turambar decides that an extended test of
Stigs Search and Locks skills would be the best choice to ac-
tended test, using the following guidelines to determine the
count for the characters desperate situation.
final outcome. The Turambar further rules that the hidden lock could at
best be found within three roundsif it can be found at all,
Resolving Extended Tests considering that the Search test has a TN of 30. Once found,
picking the lock would require a TN 25 test and usually take at
To resolve an extended test, the Turambar decides what least three rounds. Thus, the aggregate TN Stig must reach with
attribute(s) and/or skill(s) play a role in the extended action his extended test is 165: 90 for three rounds of Hard searching,
plus 75 for another three rounds of Challenging lock-picking.
and breaks the test into a number of discrete time intervals,
Stigs player botches his first Search test and only scores a
such as rounds, minutes, hours, or days. Each time interval result of 22. Luckily, extended Search tests can be continued
defines the action time needed to make one test. One stage even after a result indicating a potential fumble. His next two
of an extended operation may encompass one or more tests Search tests yield a 31 and a 35, respectively, totalling up to 88
of the same type. Next, the Turambar sets a TN for each after three rounds. Stig continues the search and produces an-
type of test and adds the sum of all TNs together to deter- other failure with his fourth Search testbut the result of 25 is
mine an aggregate TN for the extended test. As a player rolls still more than enough to complete the first stage of the extend-
ed test. However, the Turambar rules that Stig loses the 23 ex-
each test sequentially, add up his consecutive test results.
tra points he has achieved in excess of the aggregate TN of the
When the sum of his test results reaches the aggregate TN of first stage. With a different combination of skills, he might have
the extended test, the character has completed his designated ruled that some or all of these excess points may be applied to
objective. the next stage of the extended test.
If testing multiple attributes and/or skills, players do not With a deep but silent breath, he pulls out his picklock and
begin testing a new attribute/skill until they have surpassed begins the next stage of the test. Unfortunately, after meagre
the individual test TN for the previous stage of the extended results of 25 and 23 on his first two Locks tests, he still hasnt
managed to open the secret door and escape after six rounds.
test. Individual stages within an extended test may be re- Holding his breath in excitement, Stig can tell from the sound
solved as standard, combined, and/or opposed tests as cir- of their footfalls that the guards have almost come around the
cumstances dictate. In most extended tests, retrying failed at- last bend of the corridor. Luckily, he rolls a 27 on his ultimate
tempts should be permitted because extended tests almost Locks testjust enough to reach the aggregate TN of the se-
always pertain to actions that can be repeated until success- cond test stage of 75! Barely in time, Stig stealthily slips through
ful. However, LoF 2 or worse may bring work to a halt if the door and closes it behind himself...
the Turambar deems it appropriate after consulting Table
9.10 on page 219. COMBINED TESTS
Count the number of individual test rolls it takes for the
players to accumulate a final result in excess of the aggregate Some challenges are so broad or encompassing that mul-
TN. Multiply their number of attempts by the established tiple characters may combine their efforts to confront the
action time for the test (say, 10 minute intervals). This de- problem as a group. Examples might include a Stonecraft test
termines how long it takes for the characters to complete the to build or repair a wall, or a Search test to examine a large
extended test. By conducting tests in this manner, it is possi- area for hidden treasure. To account for teamwork, the Tu-
ble for the characters to succeed very quickly by scoring high- rambar can allow characters to perform a particular test as a
er results on fewer tests, thereby shortening the total test combined test. Combined tests work the same as standard at-
time. But it may take characters much longer than expected if tribute and skill tests with the following exceptions.
they roll poorly on individual tests and need numerous addi- After the Turambar sets a TN for a combined test, the
tional tests to meet the extended tests aggregate TN. participants must designate one character as the leader or co-
Because extended tests translate a number of repeated ordinator of the test. Every participant but the leader makes
tests into elapsed game time, they are especially useful for the test at a 5 TN to determine how effectively they con-
heightening the drama as characters race against the clock. tribute to the effort. For each level of success a participant
Regardless of whether the characters are aware of a precise achieves, the leader receives a +1 test result bonus. On the
deadline, knowing they must complete an extended action other hand, each level of failure imposes a 1 test result pen-
quickly to avert impending disaster adds a great deal of sus- alty. Add the bonuses and penalties together to obtain one
pense to their extended test results. modifier. Then the leader makes his test at the specified TN,
adding the modifier obtained from the other characters. Use
his test result to determine the groups success at the task.
224
Naturally, not all tests are conducive to team effort. For described on page 69). Dropping below Near Death indi-
example, you cannot fit a whole group of people into a nar- cates the character has died from his sustained injuriesa
row gully to try to build a dam across it. Furthermore, com- fate which could also befall him in Hale condition, though, if
bined tests become problematic if the group of characters is he suffers a critical injury to a vital spot.
not accustomed to working in concert. If the Turambar de-
termines that a combined test is possible but he has some EXAMPLE: A character with Vigour 13 and Girth 11 has a
doubt that particular characters can perform well as a group, Health of 12. If he suffers 13 wound points of damage, he
he may impose negative modifiers to reflect that fact. drops from Hale to Hurt. (With only 12 wound points he
would still be Hale, though a mere one wound point shy of
dropping to Hurt.) Another 12 points reduces him to Injured,
MERGING TEST VARIANTS and so on.
Depending on circumstances, the Turambar can merge

any of the aforementioned test variants to determine the out- Once a character has accumulated a number of wound
come of the characters actions. Two teams of woodworkers points of damage within a Health Level equal to his Health
competing to develop a new type of magical toy might be- score, he begins accumulating damage in the next Health
come involved in an opposed, extended, combined test. By Level and suffers action penalties as a result. Wounds impair
merging test variants in this manner, the Turambar can a characters ability to act, and this is reflected by action pen-
simulate virtually any action involving any number of charac- alties that increase as his condition becomes worse. See the
ters. accompanying table for wound effects. This process contin-
ues until either the damage ceases to accumulate and the
character begins to heal, or the character dies from his
wounds, whichever comes first.
INJURY, WEARINESS, AND
TABLE 9.15: HEALTH LEVELS
HEALING LEVEL EFFECT*
Hale None
W henever a character sustains damage, he may be in-

jured or killed, depending on which part of his
body is hit, the severity of the injury, or the total amount of
Hurt
Injured
Wounded
1 test result penalty
Incapacitated 7 test result penalty
damage he has accumulated. As characters suffer damage Near Death Character falls unconscious
from attacks or other sources of injury, they may lose the *: The shown action penalties may constitute a characters Injury
ability to walk or wield a weapon, and they will (unless they Penalty which is part of his Universal Penalty; see page 218.
are killed on the spot) progress from hale to injured, then in-
capacitated to near death. Similarly, as characters act, they
become tired, eventually suffering penalties due to Weari- SPECIAL TYPES OF DAMAGE
ness. The following sections describe how injuries and Wea- To simplify matters, it is normally assumed that wound
riness accumulate, how they affect characters, and how char- points are recovered at a fixed rate (see Healing below), re-
acters recover from them through healing and rest. gardless of what has caused the damage. This option offers a
more realistic approach and suggests to distinguish between four
types of damage for the purpose of regenerating wound points:
RECORDING DAMAGE REGULAR DAMAGE: As the name suggests, this is the kind
of damage delivered by most attacks and other hazards. When
In Ambarquenta, you have to keep track of the damage recording wound points of regular damage, you do not need to
mark them specifically because they heal normally.
your character sustains in two different ways: First, you must
Note that this is the only type of damage which normally
record the running total of wound points of damage he has ac- causes critical injuries to specific body parts. Bleeding and poi-
cumulated, and second you must keep track of the critical in- son damage do no harm to specific parts but to the entire body
juries to various parts of his body. (i.e., you only accumulate wound points but suffer no critical
injuries). Subdual damage can also trigger certain special injury
effects, but it usually wears off within hours.
(1) WOUND POINTS BLEEDING DAMAGE: At times, injuries caused by edged or
impaling weapons will bleed for a number of wound points per
Every character has a Health rating equal to the average round until properly treated (see page 265). When recording
of his Vigour and Girth scores (see page 32). This number wound points of bleeding damage, mark them with a B, for
represents the amount of wound points of damage the char- this kind of damage heals a little faster than contusions, cuts,
acter can sustain within each Health Level (HL). and like injuries.
As characters suffer damage, they progress through six POISON DAMAGE: While poisoning can pose an extremely
Health Levels describing their overall degree of injury. Start- dangerous threat, potentially killing a character or drawing al-
most all of his Health Levels within a short time, a surviving
ing with Hale, the Health Levels include Hurt, Injured, character will often recover relatively quickly from a venoms
Wounded, Incapacitated, and Near Death. Falling to Near effects. When recording wound points of poison damage, mark
Death automatically causes the character to faint; in addition them with a P.
he must make an attribute degeneration roll (the procedure is (Continued on next page.)
225
SUBDUAL DAMAGE: Unarmed strikes and some attacks car- (2) CRITICAL INJURIES
ried out with suitable weapons deal subdual damage rather than
regular damage. When recording wound points of subdual dam- Besides recording how many wound points of damage
age, mark them with an asterisk (*). Critical injuries inflicted by your character has accumulated and what Health Level he is
attacks to subdue should be marked this way, too. currently in, you must also keep track of the critical injuries
You can use any melee weapon that deals regular blunt sustained in a variety of specific body parts.
damage to deal subdual damage instead, but you suffer a 3
penalty on your attack test because you have to use the flat of NOTE: The rules on critical injuries presented in this section
the blade, strike in non-vital areas, or check your swing. may be left out by players who are new to Ambarquenta without
Usually, subdual damage is non-lethal. Yet, a character who unbalancing the system too much. However, once you are famil-
drops below Near Death due to subdual damage (or any com-
bination of subdual damage and other types of damage) dies as iar with the game, we strongly recommend to make use of the be-
normal; but if he survives, subdual damage wears off much fast- low guidelines.
er than regular damage does.
Subdual damage is treated like regular damage for the pur- Any time a character is the target of a successful attack or
pose of determining suitable critical injury effects such as otherwise sustains damage, you must take the following
Knockbacks or Shock tests, but the target cannot be killed (i.e., steps:
he falls unconscious instead). Injury Levels ensuing from subdual (1) DETERMINE BODY PART: It is important to know where
damage wear off one by one; each time a number of wound a strike lands for two main reasons: First, only the armour
points of subdual damage equal to the targets basic injury
worn at the body part struck is relevant. Second, injury ef-
threshold (i.e., his IT #1see Table 2.6 on page 32) is recov-
ered, a single IL of the targets choice can be erased. fects vary by body parta blow to the skull is more serious
than a strike to the foot, for instance. There are two ways
Keeping Track of Wound Points how to determine which body part is hit:
Normally, the easiest way to record the running total of A character attacking with a melee or ranged weapon
wound points accumulated in a Health Level is to add up the may declare a called shot to a specific body part. A called
damage caused by each attack, crossing out the previous run- shot requires that the attacker takes an aim action (see
ning total every time it changes: 3 9 13, and so on. (Remember page 258). In addition, his attack roll suffers the test
to transfer any excess damage to the next Health Level.) result penalty (TRP) shown in Table 9.16. If two dif-
However, with this option in use, it is better to write down ferent TRPs are given for a pair of body parts, apply
the whole equation whenever you suffer a special type of dam-
age: 3 + 6* + 4P, and so on. Keep a running total in a separate
the greater one only if aiming at a specially protected
margin near or on your Health Level monitor. strike location (i.e., the arm to which a foes shield is at-
tached, or an eye partially covered by a helms visor).
If no called shot was declared, or if
the target suffers damage from natural
TABLE 9.16: CRITICAL INJURIES disaster, misfire, or area effects, the body
RANDOM BODY CALLED DAMAGE AFTER ARMOUR PROTECTION part is determined randomly after the at-
(1D100) PARTS SHOT TRP IT #1 IT #2 IT #3 IT #4 IT #5 tack test has been resolved; roll 1d100
98 00 Skull 9 M1 S2 S3 D4 D5 and look up the result on Table 9.16.
95 97 Face 9 M1 S2 S3 G4 D5
Against female targets, strikes to the
Eye 11/12 S2 G4 D4 D5 Death
92 94 Neck 8 M1 S2 S3 D4 D5 Groin are treated as Hip strikes. A
breakdown table is provided for blows to
84 91 Shoulder 4/6 M1 S2 S3 G4 D4
76 83 Upper Arm 4/7 M1 M1 S2 S3 G4
the Facethis may be significant if, for
74 75 Elbow 6/10 M1 S2 G4 G4 G5 example, the target has a helm with a
68 73 Forearm 5/8 M1 M1 S2 S3 G4 nose and cheek guard. The Eyes are nev-
64 67 Hand 6/10 M1 S2 G4 G4 G5 er protected against pointed strikes, but a
48 63 Chest 2 M1 M1 S2 S3 D4 full helm with a visor protects them
46 47 Vital Organ 8 S2 G4 D4 D5 Death against edged and blunt strikes.
34 45 Belly 3 M1 S2 S3 G4 D5 (2) FIND DAMAGE AFTER ARMOUR:
28 33 Hip 5 M1 S2 S3 G4 D4
Your weapons damage code at the dam-
25 27 Groin 8 M1 S2 S3 G4 G5
age aspect you choose for your attack and
15 24 Thigh 3 M1 M1 S2 S3 D4 the LoS your skill test yields determine
13 14 Knee 6 M1 S2 S3 G4 G5
05 12 Calf 4 M1 M1 S2 S3 G4
the gross damage you inflict on your foe.
01 04 Foot 5 M1 S2 S3 G4 G5 (Note that this process is discussed in
detail in Chapter Ten.)
: Odd rolls indicate a strike to the left, even rolls a strike to the right side of the body. If Next, you or your Turambar must
the roll indicates a strike to the shield side, roll again 1d100: on 0125, the strike gets by
the shield and inflicts damage as normal; on 2600, the shield absorbs the force of the subtract the armour protection against
blow but may shattermake a Breakage test as described on page 263. the applicable damage aspect at the hit
: Face: 01 15 Jaw 51 65 Nose 76 85 Mouth body part to determine how many wound
16 50 Cheek 66 75 Ear 86 00 Eye (re-roll B&E strikes if visored)
points of damage your foe actually sus-
: TN 20 Fumble (strike to the arm) or Stumble test (strike to leg, hip, or groin) required.
: Amputation test required (Edged strikes only). tains (i.e., net damage after armour).
226
(3) FIND SEVERITY OF INJURY: Whenever the damage ef- EXAMPLE: After some time in battle, the Gondorian soldier
fectively done to a body part reaches or exceeds a certain from our previous example has grown Weary and sustained one
amount of wound points (i.e., a fixed injury threshold), a criti- serious (S2) and two minor (M1) injuries. He now takes one
cal injury has occurred. Table 2.6 on page 32 lists a charac- more serious (S2) wound, leaving him at a Universal Penalty of
ters five individual injury thresholds as determined by his 8 (2 due to Weariness, 2 for two minor injuries, and 4 for
Health. These injury thresholds (abbreviated IT #1 to IT two S2 wounds). Thus, the TN for his Shock test is 20: the new
injurys IL of 2 x 6, plus 8 for his current Universal Penalty
#5) relate to the columns of Table 9.16: Critical Injuries. By (applied as a TN modifier in this example to simplify matters);
cross-indexing the hit body part with the applicable damage if he had suffered an S3 injury to the Skull, the TN would have
after armour-column of that table, you will be able to deter- been 33 instead.
mine the injurys severity.
The rest of this section presents the most important rules
on critical injuries. Additional optional material can be found Shock Effects
in Chapter Ten, Combat, on page 265. Characters who scarcely fail a Shock test are stunned: for
(IL 1) rounds if they fail by LoF 1, or for (IL +1) rounds
Injury Levels if they fail by LoF 2. While stunned, a character may not
attack, and he suffers an additional 3 test result penalty to
Wounds are identified as Minor (green), Serious (yellow), his defensive actions. The only other allowable actions are
Grievous (orange), or Deadly (red). They are also rated from movement (at half the normal BMR) and simple physical
one (1) to five (5), indicating their value in Injury Levels (IL). tasks; concentrating and spellcasting are impossible.
Thus, M1 is a Minor injury (1 IL), G4 is a Grievous injury (4 Characters who fail a Shock test by LoF 3 or worse fall
ILs), and so on. unconscioususually, for a number of minutes equal to the
critical injurys IL, or at least several rounds (say, 1d5 per
EXAMPLE: A Gondorian levy-man with an average Health LoF). In either case, any skill, attribute, or magic test the
score of 11 has the following injury thresholds: 6+, 9+, 12+, 15+, character was engaged in fails.
and 18+. Struggling with an Orc, he is struck for 10 wound However, if a Shock test fails (by whatever margin) and
points of damage (i.e., after armour protection has been sub- the dice have produced double numbers, the character is in
tracted) on the Skull. This means that he must refer to the se- shock instead, displaying a variety of symptoms including
cond column of Table 9.16 which shows a Serious critical injury
sickly pallor, cold sweats, weakness, nausea, incoherence, or
(yellow) valued at S2, meaning two Injury Levels.
gazing helplessly at his injuries. Characters in shock may rest,
orif their wounds allowbe led away at half their normal
Injury Levels directly translate into test result penalties. BMR, but they can neither defend themselves actively nor at-
A character who has sustained 6 Injury Levels, for example, tempt any other kind of action.
suffers a 6 Injury Penalty (unless the penalty associated with Recovery from shock takes awhile: Every two hours, or
his current Health Level is greater: in this case, the latter val- whenever the Turambar deems it dramatically appropriate,
ue constitutes his Injury Penalty); see page 218 for details. the patient makes a Stamina test against a TN depending on
his overall state of healthsee Table 9.22: Healing Tests, on
Recording Critical Injuries page 233; his Universal Penalty does not apply to this test.
Upon a success, the patient recovers from the shock and
Each new critical injury, along with its body part and the functions normally again. Each of an attending healers LoS
standard abbreviation for the damage aspect (i.e., B for with a First Aid (Treat Shock) test will provide a +3 bonus
blunt, E for edged, P for pointed, or F for fire/frost dam- to the patients next Stamina test. See page 233 for details.
age) by which it was caused, is recorded in the injury section
of the Combat Sheet. For example, a S2 to the right Elbow Deadly Injuries
dealt with a blunt club is recorded as Elbow (R) S2-B. Addi-
tional wounds to that Elbow are recorded on separate lines. Some wounds may be immediately fatal. Where a D4 or
D5 result is noted, make a Stamina test against the indicated
Shock Tests IL x 6 (for example, the TN for a D5 injury is 30). Do not
apply your Universal Penalty to this test, but increase the
Each time a character sustains a new Serious or worse TN by +6 if it is an injury to the head or a Vital Organ. If
critical injury to his head, thorax, or abdomen, there is a the Stamina test fails, instant death occurs. If successful, rec-
risk that he will be downed from trauma, bloodloss, or pain. ord the injury as a Grievous wound (D5 becomes G5, for in-
To determine shock effects, make a Stamina test against a stance) and make a normal Shock test.
TN equal to the IL of the new wound x 6; be sure to apply Subdual damage (inflicted by unarmed attacks or blunt
the Universal Penalty (including the new injury) to the test. strikes to subdue, see page 226) cannot be lethal. Thus, any
The TN of such a Shock test is further modified by +6 if the critical injury caused by subdual damage which is rated D4 or
new injury was sustained to the head, a vital organ, or a male D5 should be treated as a Grievous wound of equal level in-
characters Groin. stead. The normal rules for Shock tests still apply.
227
OTHER SOURCES OF HARM TABLE 9.17: FALLING DAMAGE

DISTANCE FALLEN DAMAGE (BLUNT)
Aside from combat, characters can suffer damage and in- 1 or 2 yards 1d103 per yard
jury from a variety of sources, such as fire, falling, or poison. 3 or 4 yards 1d102 per yard
5 or more yards 1d101 per yard
The following sections describe the methods for handling
these types of hazards during play. LANDING SURFACE DAMAGE MODIFIER
Deep water (5 feet or more) 3 per die
Shallow water (less than 5 feet) 2 per die
DROWNING AND SUFFOCATION Soft ground (mud, bog, snow, etc.) 1 per die
Normal ground (grass, earth, etc.) 0 per die
When immersed in water for long periods of timeor Hard ground (paving stone, etc.) +1 per die
otherwise unable to breathecharacters may suffocate. A Rocky ground +2 per die
character can hold his breath to delay the onset of suffocation
for a number of rounds equal to his Stamina score times two NOTE: Instead of rolling huge quantities of dice, the Tu-
(i.e., 1 minute per 5 points of Stamina). Halve this time if he rambar will often wish to reduce their number to a manageable
is caught totally by surprise and does not have a chance to amount. In such a case, he should simply take one half, one
take a deep breath. As long as the character is unable to third, one fifth, or even one tenth (whatever fraction seems fea-
breathe, triple all weariness point costs; a minimum of 2 wea- sible and appropriate) of the required number of dice and mul-
riness points is automatically accumulated each round. tiply their aggregate result by the chosen divisor. Any leftover
dice should be rolled separately and added to the result.
Once this time has expired, the character must make a
For example, a fall of 26 yards deals 26d1026 points of
successful Stamina test each round or lose an entire Weari- damage. The Turambar decides to roll only one fifth of these
ness Level until he falls unconscious from lack of air (i.e., un- dice. Thus, he rolls five times: 3, 5, 2, 4, and 10, which adds up
til he becomes Exhausted). The basic TN for the Stamina to 24. Then he multiplies this number by 5, adds another 1d10
test is 15. However, the TN increases by +3 each round after (for the leftover die), and finally subtracts 26 for a total of (120
the first Stamina test has been made, and of course the test is + 8 26 =) 1 02 points of damage. The unfortunate character
affected by the Universal Penalty as normal. will hardly survive the fall...
Once unconscious, the character will die after a number
of rounds equal to his Vigour score times two, unless he gets FIND AFFECTED BODY PARTS: Which and how many body
air. If the victim was actually drowning (i.e., has water in his parts may get hurt is determined randomly. As a rule of
lungs), a rescuer will also need to make successful First Aid thumb, divide the distance fallen by 5, rounding up the re-
(Field Care) tests against TN 20 to save him. Otherwise, just sult; again, any distance beyond 50 yards is treated as only 50
getting clean air will bring the victim around. The victim re- yards for this purpose. The result is the number of sides the
covers lost Weariness Levels normally. die should have with which the actual number of injured
There is a chance of brain damage if the victim is saved body parts will be determined. For example, a fall of 18 yards
only after a number of rounds without air equal to or greater causes 18d1018 points of blunt damage and affects 1d4
than his Vigour score. Brain damage may result in a perma- body parts. Then, roll the indicated number of times on Ta-
nent 1 adjustment to one or more of the following attrib- ble 9.16: Critical Injuries to find the specific parts of the vic-
utes (including their genetic limits): Awareness, Will, Bear- tims body that are hurt and divide the sustained damage
ing, Insight, and Wits. Make a separate TN 25 Vigour test evenly between these body parts. Re-roll any seemingly inap-
for each attribute to avoid these impairments. propriate body locations.
Smoke inhalation can be handled in the same manner as MODIFY DAMAGE: Various surfaces modify the damage
described above, except that the Turambar might also in- caused by a fall. Use the most appropriate modifier from Ta-
clude toxin effects if he deems the smoke to be poisonous in ble 9.17 and add it to or subtract it from each damage die.
nature, as is the case with some fumes created by the Dark Note that landing in deep water can only reduce the damage
Lord. See Poisons, page 336, for more information. Yet, a if the falling character succeeds with an immediate TN 20
character may also suffocate in substances other than water Swim (Dive) test. Provided the water is at least 15 feet deep
or smokequicksand (also see page 241), fine dust, sand, or where the character enters, additional LoS with the Swim
even a silo full of grain are fine examples. (Dive) test further decrease the damage by one point per die.
For example, if you fall 5 yards, you would take 5d105
FALLING points of damagethat is, roll 5 dice and subtract 5 from the
total rolled. If you fall 5 yards but land on something soft,
When a character stumbles or falls, even a short distance, roll 5 dice and subtract 10 from the result.
he may suffer injury. The amount of damage sustained de- In a clear fall of more than 5 yards, make a TN 15 Acro-
pends on the distance he falls and a few other factors. See batics (Tumble) or, alternatively, a TN 20 Swiftness test to
Table 9.17. moderate the fallfor instance, by landing on ones feet ra-
Terminal velocitythe maximum speed a falling object ther than ones head. Each LoS the test yields will reduce the
can achievevaries for people, but is normally reached after effective distance of the fall by 2 yards.
three or four seconds of falling. Therefore, treat any fall of If applicable, the slope of the surface may cause a falling
more than 50 yards as only 50 yards. character to hit several times o the way down. When this oc-
curs, the long fall is broken down into several shorter falls.
228
GRABBING: A character may be able to stop falling by FIRE

grabbing protrusions, bushes, and the like. This rarely stops
the fall, but may slow it and reduce the landing impact. When a character comes into contact with extreme heat
Make a TN 20 Acrobatics (Tumble) or Swiftness test. or open flame, he suffers fire damage for each round of expo-
Each LoS the test yields will reduce the effective distance of sure as indicated on Table 9.18. If he spends only part of a
the fall by 2 yards. However, LoF 2 or worse indicates that round exposed to a fire, reduce the damage by 3 points per
the character has wrenched one or both arms, giving a blunt damage die. For example, 2d10+4 becomes 2d102.
M1 critical injury.
If a grabbing attempt reduces the distance fallen to naught, TABLE 9.18: FIRE DAMAGE
the grab has succeeded. The character now hangs from the SIZE OF FIRE/HEAT DAMAGE/ROUND TN
protrusionbut can it bear his weight, and how long?
Torch 1d10 + 2 15
Campfire 2d10 + 4 20
FALLING OBJECTS Small bonfire 3d10 + 6 25
Large bonfire 4d10 + 8 30
If you are hit by a hard falling object, calculate the dam- Raging conflagration 6d10 + 24 35
age done as follows: Round its weight off to the nearest 5
CATCHING ON FIRE: If exposed to fire long enough
pounds, and the distance it fell to the nearest 10 yards. Mul-
usually an entire round, see the box on Torches below for
tiply the number of 5-pound and 10-yard increments and
detailsa character must make a Swiftness test to avoid
take that many dice of damage.
catching on fire himself. The TN depends on the size of the
fire, as shown on Table 9.18.
EXAMPLE: A 20-lbs. rock, falling 30 yards, does (4 x 3 =)
If a character catches on fire, he does not immediately
12d10 points of damage. A 43-lbs. suit of armour, falling 39
yards, does (9 x 4 =) 36d10 points of damage. take additional damage from the fire. He can try to put out
the fire on his turn with a TN equal to that he originally
failed. This is a full-round action. If he succeeds, he takes no
Terminal velocity is reached after something falls far
further damage. Otherwise, he suffers 2d10+4 points of
enough that air resistance stops further acceleration. Exact
damage every round he remains on fire.
terminal velocity depends on the objectthe more air re-
Others can help the burning character snuff out the
sistance, the less its maximum speed. For simplicity, when
flames. Treat this as a combined test. However, those who
dealing with falling inanimate objects, treat any fall of more
come into contact with the burning character also risk catch-
than 200 yards as 200 yards. Falling people and animals
ing on fire themselves. The TN for the Swiftness test to
reach terminal velocity at approximately 50 yards, as de-
avoid catching fire in such a situation is equal to that the
scribed under Falling, above. Straw mattresses and the like
burning character face, but the helper gets a +5 bonus to his
reach terminal velocity sooner, but dealing with this is left to
roll. Note that burning clothes and hair normally extinguish
the Turambarif he cares about that much detail.
automatically after 1d5+1 rounds.
A very light object, or one that falls a short distance, does
less damage. Any weight of 2 lbs. or less should be treated as
5 lbs., and any distance of 2 yards or less should be treated as TORCHES
10 yardsbut halve the final damage, rounding down.
A torch or lantern reduces the penalty for darkness. In
caves, dungeons, and similarly dark places, any such light
EXAMPLE: A 2-lbs. weight falling 29 yards does half of (1 x within line of sight reduces the TN modifier from 12 (pitch
3) dice of damage. Rather than trying to roll 1.5 dice, you can black) to 4.
roll 3d10 and halve the result, rounding down. Thus, an object A torch can be used as a weapontreat it like a light
of 2 lbs. (or less) which falls 2 yards (or less) does only one club, adding one point of fire damage for the flame (if the vic-
quarter die of damageso unless you roll 4 or more, there is tim is protected against fire, the fire damage may be absorbed
no damage at all. That is not to say that it won't hurt, but it by his armour). And, of course, a torch can be used to set
would not do any real injury. other things on firegiven enough time. Most oil will catch
fire three seconds after contact with an open flame; ordinary
clothing will catch fire in 1 round; kindling will take 2 rounds
Soft objects (living things, for instance) do half damage, to set ablaze. Other types of objects will vary, as the Turam-
or less, for their weight. If a large item is tipped over onto bar sees fit.
you, rather than falling freely, it does much less damage. Di- It is possible to carry a torch in your off-hand, leaving
vide its weight by 50, round down, and roll that many dice. your weapon hand free for combat. It is even possible to par-
Any bulky objectover 50 lbs. and/or 8 cubic feet (i.e., 2 ry with itbut you must apply your offhand penalty. Bear
feet square or approximately 0.2 m)will impede the in mind that a torch or ordinary lantern will smash on the
movement of anyone it falls against. The victim will have to first blow if used to parry a weapon of significant heft.
dodge or jump over it, giving him a 4 penalty for the re-
mainder of the round. ARMOUR: Armour may protect you completely against
If you drop a rock on someone, treat it as a Throw: Ob- ordinary heat or flame, depending on its protective value
jects (Stone) attack and make your skill test normally. Your against fire. However, after a number of half-rounds (i.e.,
target cannot avoid the rock unless he knows its coming. If three second intervals) equal to the fire protection you have
he is aware of it, he will be allowed to make a Dodge (Natu- at your chest, it may still protect against flame, but you must
ral Disaster) test. make a Stamina test every round to resist the heat of the fire.
229
Again, the TN depends on the size of the fire, as shown on Water

Table 9.18. For each LoF, you add 1d10 weariness points.
For example, quilt protects against 4 points of fire damage, In pleasant areas, where water is easy to come by, just as-
but after 2 rounds, the wearer starts making Stamina tests. sume that supplies are renewed as needed. But if water is in
SHIELDS: A shield offers no protection if you are walking short supply, watch out! In temperate climates, a character
through flame. It can parry a jet of flame (dragon breath, for needs at least two quarts (or litres) of water a day. This in-
instance) as it could parry any other attack. If you have to go creases to three to four quarts in hot climates, and five quarts
near a source of intense heat, but not actually in it, the in the heat of the desert.
shields parry modifier will count as armour protection be- If you get less than you need, you accumulate 1d10 points
cause it reflects the heathowever, use only the greater of of weariness and damage alike each day. If you drink less than
your armours or your shields protection against fire instead a quart a day, you sustain 2d10 points of weariness and dam-
of adding them together. Increase a shields protective value age. When you become Exhausted or fall Near Death from
by 50% (round down) if it is highly polished. lack of water (even if that is not the only cause) you become
FIND AFFECTED BODY PARTS: Whenever a character liter- delirious andif in the desertdie within a day if no help
ally walks through fire or has his entire body engulfed in arrives. Weariness accumulated due to lack of water only
flames, determine the number and nature of injured body wears off after a day of rest with ample water supplies.
parts randomly. Roll a die with as many sides as fire damage Wound points of damage are recovered as normal.
dice were rolled. For instance, a small bonfire causes 3d10+6
points of damage and thus affects 1d3 body parts. The result ILLNESS
of the rollin our example, the result of 1d3tells you how
often you must roll on Table 9.16: Critical Injuries to find Disease strikes almost everywhere at one time or another.
which specific parts of the victims body are hurt. Divide the The search for a curewhether for friends wasting illness,
sustained fire damage evenly between these body parts. Re- or for a plague ravaging a kingdomis an excellent plot de-
roll any seemingly inappropriate body locations. vice. If you catch a sickness yourself, you will not know until
However, when recounting the disaster for your players, the symptoms start to show: the Turambar makes your
you should also describe what happens to the other parts of Stamina test to avoid it!
the victims body, even if the roll indicates that they are not
directly affected. On most occasions, scorched hair and gar- The Nature of Diseases
ments are a good starting point.
Unbeknownst to even the greatest of healers in Middle-
HUNGER AND THIRST earth, a disease is usually a plague caused by some type of
micro-organismvirus or bacteriaand spread by infected
When buying equipment, do not forget to supply your- people or animals. Yet, the deadliest illnesses were originally
self with an ample amount of travel rations and water-skins. fostered by the Enemy, and spread with dark winds out of
Otherwise, you may soon find out that there are other perils the East to devastate the lands of the Free Peoples.
to brave on the road than just Orcs and vagabonds! News about disease-ridden areas travels fast. A successful
Physician (Diagnosis) or Wits test (typically made against a
Food TN ranging from 20 to 30 or higher, depending on the
symptoms of, and the physicians familiarity with, the disease)
The rations and meals listed in Table 6.7: Other Gear are tells when many people around you have the same illness.
the minimum necessary to keep you healthy on the road;
missing even one meal will weaken you. Potency and Contagion
For each meal that you miss, add 1d10 weariness points.
When recording these points of hunger-caused weariness, The potency of a disease is a measure of its infectivity and
mark them with an H, for this kind of weariness can only be lethality, expressed as the TN of the Stamina test to resist
recovered by one or more days of restno fighting or travel, contagion. The Turambar assigns a potency TN of 15 (bare-
and three full meals per day. Each day of rest will make up ly contagious and harmless in effect, such as an ordinary
for three skipped meals, thus allowing you to recover 3d10 cold) to 40 (highly contagious and extremely lethal, such as
points of hunger-caused weariness. the Great Plague at the height of its contagiousness).
When you become Spent due to hunger, you start suf- Most viral and bacterial diseases are either carried in the
fering normal damage instead, at the same rate. This damage air (classified a pneumonic disease transmitted by breath or
is recovered as normal (see page 233). Note that in hospita- mist), or they reside in the blood, other bodily fluids, or ex-
ble terrain, you can supplement your rations by foraging for crements (classified a bubonic disease). Anyone in a plague-
food. See the skills Fish, Hunt, and Survival for more infor- ridden area, or encountering a plague carrier, is in danger.
mation.
230
The Turambar secretly makes a Stamina test on behalf of PNEUMONIC DISEASES: These are transmitted by the air
the character(s) against the potency of the disease once per (i.e., you inhale them unsuspectingly) and normally strike in
day of exposure. Table 9.19 allows to determine the symp- 1d100 hours after contagion. Typical symptoms include:
toms a character will suffer. Unless the disease is described Mild: Fever; sweating; dizziness (20% activity).
otherwise (for example, the sickness delivers only moderate ef- Moderate: Raging fever (25% activity); infected wounds
fects), the amount by which the Stamina test was failed indi- (if any, 50% activity); instability (+10 TN for all
cates the severity of the effect. From the below table, also movement and combat actions).
choose the least advantageous Stamina test modifier each Severe: Complete immobilisation (100% activity, and a
day: 50% chance of coma for 2d10 days).
Extreme: Death due to viral or bacterial infection in
TABLE 9.19: DISEASES 1d100 hours (100% activity).
CONTAGION RISK FACTORS TEST MODIFIER
Avoided all contact with possible victims 5 TN Diagnosis and Treatment
Entered dwelling or shop of victim 4 TN
Spoke with victim at close quarters 3 TN When symptoms of a disease are apparent, any attending
Touched victim briefly 2 TN
Used victims clothes, blankets, and the like 1 TN
characters should test their Physician (Diagnose) skill. See
Ate infected animals cooked flesh +1 TN The Nature of Diseases, above, for establishing the TN.
Ate infected animals raw flesh +2 TN Success means the character identifies the sickness. Totally
Prolonged contact with living victim(s) +3 TN new illnesses cannot be identified, but a very good test result
Kissing or other intimate contact with victim +4 TN might give enough information to do some good.
STAMINA TEST RESULT EFFECT SEVERITY Once an illness is identified, a healer may administer his
LSF 0 Mild help to the patient. He makes a Physician (Treat Illness) test
LoF 1 Moderate against the potency TN of the disease. For each LoS he
LoF 2 Severe achieves with the test, the patient receives a +1 test result
LoF 3 Extreme
bonus for his recovery test. Failure usually has no adverse
impact on a patients chance to recover. For some diseases,
Symptoms recovery will be aided by use of appropriate herbs.
Disease symptoms vary greatly, but some typical effects
are described below. For disease descriptions located else- Recovery
where in Ambarquenta supplements, treat the stated effect as
After a disease has set in, make a Stamina test to deter-
extreme, applying the mild, moderate, and severe symptoms mine how long it takes to recover from the illness. Index the
given below if the victims Stamina test indicates a lesser se- plain test result (note that there is no level of success or fail-
verity level. Effect descriptions always include a percentage ure, as there is no TN for recovery rolls) on the appropriate
activity penalty, such as 20%. This penalty applies to the section of Table 9.20 to learn the number of days needed to
victims action allowance (thus reducing the number of action recover from the disease:
points he has available) and translates into a general test re-
sult penalty as well: for each 5% (or fraction thereof), apply TABLE 9.20: DISEASE RECOVERY
a 1 penalty to all tests the patient attempts.
Symptoms are cumulative, so that a victim beset with two STAMINA EFFECT SEVERITY
TEST RESULT MILD MODERATE SEVERE EXTREME*
ailmentsone reducing his activity by 20% (+4 TN) and
the other by 15% (+3 TN)is actually at 35% (+7 TN). 6 or less 14 35 70 180
7 to 12 9 23 45 140
A victim experiencing severe effects must also weather mod- 13 to 18 6 15 30 120
erate and mild effects. The symptoms of upper level severities 19 to 24 4 10 20 80
include all the lower severity results. Note that most diseases 25 to 28 3 8 15 60
are not contagious until after symptoms appear. 29 to 32 2 5 10 40
33 or more 1 3 5 20
BUBONIC DISEASES: These are transmitted by the blood or
other bodily fluids and normally strike in 1d10 days after *: Extreme cases of disease always result in death. Use this column
contagion. Typical symptoms include: only if the patient is cured somehow before death occurs.
Mild: Rashes; mild glandular swelling; fever (15% activity). Patients start off with a variable percentage activity pen-
Moderate: Inflammations and swelling in the glands, par- alty (which also translates into a 1 test result penalty for
ticularly in the armpit and groin areas (25% activity); each 5% activity penalty or fraction thereof), according to
puss-filled infections (10% chance of temporary use- the severity of the symptoms he suffers. To recover, the pa-
lessness for each limb or eye). tient must spend the indicated amount of time in bed rest
Severe: Lesions ooze puss; bleeding through pores; high see Table 9.20. The penalty will be lowered for each day of
fever (50% activity); complete immobilisation (50% rest. To determine how much to lower the percentage activi-
chance of coma for 3d10 days). ty penalty, divide it by the number of days needed to recover.
Extreme: Death due to viral or bacterial infection in 2d10 Round off any fractions and apply any leftover penalty to the
days (100% activity). amount recovered in the first day. If the patient moves
231
around, the recovery process is temporarily halted (and the A related problem, and a very real danger in some places,
current penalties will apply to all he does). is sunburn. After a day of full sun on unprotected skin, a Pale
character will be sorely singed (see page 161), and a light-
Immunity and Susceptibility skinned Northman will be very uncomfortable as he takes 1d5
points of damage. Darker characters may itch, but are not in
Some illnesses may not affect members of certain races or as much danger. Details must be left to the Turambar. Ingen-
groups. For instance, the Turambar may decide that Dwa- ious characters will quickly find ways to protect themselves.
rves never get the Purple Shakes at all, and that Hobbits re- In hot weather, the time to recover lost Weariness Levels
ceive a +3 Stamina test result bonus against itbut that the should at least be doubled or tripled. When resting, try to
mortality rate among male Lossoth is 100% unless they are find a shady and relatively cool place.
treated within two days. Such cases of differential suscepti-
bility may be known to experienced physicians. TABLE 9.21: HEAT & COLD
Some individuals are immune to a specific disease. If the
TEMPERATURE (C) STAMINA TN
Turambar rolls an unmodified 19 or 20 for your first attempt
26 to 30 1 to 10 21
to resist a disease, you are immune. He should note this fact 31 to 35 11 to 20 24
and not tell youunder normal circumstances, you have no 36 to 40 21 to 30 27
real way of knowing about your immunity. 41 to 45 31 to 40 30
Anyone who survives a given plague or disease may be im- Every additional +5C Every additional 10C +3
mune in the future. This depends on the illness. You only catch
measles once, for example, but mumps can come back over and over. Cold
POISONS In freezing weather, make a Stamina test every hour, no
matter whether you are active or resting. The TN for the
During their adventures, characters may be exposed to a Stamina test is 21, plus 3 for every fraction of 10C (18F)
great variety of toxic substances, from the venom of Shelob the temperature is below 10C (14F); see Table 9.21.
and her spawn, the sickening charnel-smell of the flowers of Strong wind (the wind chill factor) can reduce the effective
the Morgul Vale, to the poisons Orcs smear on the blades of temperature dramaticallythis is up to the Turambar to in-
their swords. Appendix B (see page 336) details a number of vestigate. Apply your characters Physical Penalty to the test.
poisons and presents all rules required to determine their ef- For each LoF, add 1d10 weariness points. When you are
fects and on how they can be resisted or cured. Spent, you sustain normal damage instead.
The TNs assume you are wearing normal winter clothing.
WEATHER Apply a 5 (or greater) test result penalty if you are wearing
light clothing or metal armour; if your clothes are wet, apply a
Far from being a mere source of discomfort, ill weather 10 penalty. On the other hand, if you are dressed for really
and extreme temperatures may pose a considerable threat, cold weather, you receive a +5 (or greater) test result bonus.
especially if the characters are inadequately equipped. An appropriate Survival test (such as Survival: Northern
Wastes) may provide an affinity bonus for the Stamina test.
Heat Note that lost Weariness Levels cannot be recovered in
freezing weather. A character must find appropriate shelter
In weather of 26C (79F) or above, make a Stamina test and maintain a fire to cosily warm the place to be able to rest
every hour of activity. The TN for the Stamina test is 21, properly. However, even under relatively favourable condi-
plus 3 for every fraction of 5C (9F) the temperature is tions, the time to regain lost Weariness Levels is still doubled.
above 30C (86F); see Table 9.21. If the weather is very Actual damage represents more severe ailments such as
humid, the Turambar may increase the effective temperature. frostbite or mortal cold (hypothermia) and heals normally in a
Apply your characters Physical Penalty to the test. For each warm environment, provided that adequate treatment is start-
LoF, add 1d10 weariness points. When you are Spent, you ed soon enough. Usually, all damage sustained in a single peri-
sustain normal damage instead. od of outdoor activity is added together to determine if a char-
The TNs assume you are wearing appropriate clothing, acter suffers a critical injury from frostbite. Depending on how
light-coloured and loose. If you are wearing heavy clothing or long he was exposed to the arctic cold, and on how well his
armour, the Turambar may inflict a special test result penal- most vulnerable body partsface, hands, and feetare pro-
tybut usually the Physical Penalty covers that issue duly. tected, the Turambar will decide which areas are actually
An appropriate Survival test (such as Survival: Desert) may frostbitten. The damage is then divided among the frostbitten
provide an affinity bonus for the Stamina test. extremities as the Turambar sees fit. If frostbite is allowed to
In addition to the hourly Stamina test, any exertion in persist, then gangrene (the death and decay of tissue) may set
hot weather should have its weariness point cost increased by in, requiring amputation. See Infections, page 236, for details.
25% to 50% or more, as the Turambar sees fit. On a hot day,
a character will also need extra water as described below.
232
HEALING TABLE 9.22: HEALING TESTS

PATIENTS HEALTH LEVEL TN
With time and sometimes a healers skill, injuries heal. Hale 15
Since Ambarquenta distinguishes between overall damage Hurt 20
Injured 25
represented by wound pointsand critical injuries, you must Wounded 30
consider both of these factors in the healing process. Injuries Incapacitated 35
naturally heal over time, although leechcrafta term referring Near Death 40
to the skills of a healercan speed the natural healing pro-
cess dramatically. Without the benefit of the healing arts, PENALTIES: Injury and encumbrance penalties are ignored
characters must rely on their natural vitality and toughness to on Health and Vigour tests made to recover from injury. The
severity of injury already factors into the TN of these tests.
restore them to health. Weariness penalties, on the other hand, should be applied
injured characters are supposed to get lots of rest.
(1) RECOVERING WOUND POINTS
ALLEVIATE PAIN: Second, an accomplished healer can ei-
Healing requires rest, food, andif possiblea clean ther test his First Aid (Field Care) or his Physician (Treat
and comfortable environment. Assuming a character sleeps at Wounds) skill to soothe an injured characters pain. The TN
least six hours a day (a shorter amount of time might suffice for the test depends on the subjects Health Level. An Inca-
for Elven, Dnadan, or Dwarven characterssee Chapter pacitated character proves much harder to treat than one
Three, Races and Cultures, for details), eats well, and keeps who is only Hurt, for instance (see Table 9.22).
open wounds clean, he recovers a number of Health points With a successful First Aid test, the character immedi-
equal to his Health score divided by 5 per day, rounded ately recovers a number of wound points equal to either (1)
down (to a minimum of 1). For example, a character with one half of his Health, or (2) all damage sustained in his cur-
Health 10 normally recovers 2 Health points per day, where- rent Health Level, whichever is less. In the latter case, the pa-
as one with Health 9 would only regain 1 point. tients degree of injury is effectively reduced by one level
The number of Health points restored on a daily basis is although he is but one Health point away from sinking to his
called a characters healing rate. If you precisely need to know former state.
how long it takes a character to regain 1 Health point, simply With a successful Physician test, the subject of the
divide the 24 hours of a day by his healing ratefor example, treatment immediately recovers a number of wound points
a character with Health 15 recovers 1 Health point every equal to his Health, effectively reducing his degree of injury
eight hours, or 3 per day. by one complete Health Level. Unfortunately, it takes longer
If the Turambar determines the character has not taken to administer this more thorough kind of treatment: A Phy-
the proper precautions during a particular day, he may sus- sician test requires 5 minutes times the TN of the test, while
pend the recovery of Health points for the day. a First Aid test typically only requires 5 rounds per TN.
A character may benefit only once from this effect of
Recovering from Attribute Reductions leechcraft (healers choice of skill), unless he later sustains
additional damage serious enough to let him drop to an even
Some hazards, such as poison, disease or spells, tempo- lower Health Level than he was in before the last treatment.
rarily reduce attributes. Although leechcraft may help in the- TREAT SHOCK: There are three types of shock effects, as
se matters, generally characters recover lost attribute points described on page 227: stun, unconsciousness, and shock.
naturally at a rate of 1 point per day, unless another rate is Stunned and unconscious characters recover to normal after
specified. Recovering lost attribute points depends on the same a short while automatically, but an attending healer may help
conditionsrest, food, cleanlinessas healing normal injuries. a patient to recover more quickly by making a First Aid
(Treat Shock) test against a TN depending on the patients
Leechcraft overall state of health, as given on Table 9.22 above. This
normally takes only one or two rounds and often involves
The attention of those trained in the arts of healing al- administering smelling salts or soft slaps and cuffs.
lows characters to recover from wounds and sickness far A successful First Aid test allows the patient to make a
more swiftly than they can on their own. Stamina test against the TN indicated on Table 9.22 (his
EMERGENCY TREATMENT: First, a skilled character can Universal Penalty does not apply). Each of a healers LoS on
make a First Aid test to keep an injured persons wounds the First Aid test provides a +3 bonus to the patients Stami-
from worsening, or to save him from bleeding to death. See na test; failure on either test doesnt make things worse.
the guidelines on treating Special Damage in the box on the If a patient suffers from shock, he may make a Stamina
next page for details. test as described above every two hours, or whenever the Tu-
Optionally, a healer may also test his Physician (Diag- rambar deems it dramatically appropriate. Upon a success,
nose) skill to quickly identify an ailment and its best cure the patient recovers from the shock and functions normally
(this takes about 2d5 rounds). Table 9.22 can be used as a again. Each of a healers LoS with a First Aid (Treat Shock)
guideline to establish the TN of the test. For each LoS, the test provides a +3 bonus to the patients Stamina test.
healer applies a +2 test result bonus to subsequent tests of HASTEN RECOVERY: Once the patient has been stabilised
skills from the Healing skill category. Failure on a hasty di- through leechcraft and rests in a clean and healthy environ-
agnosis usually bears no adverse consequences. ment, he can make a Health test (see Table 9.22 for TNs) at
233
SPECIAL DAMAGE: TREATMENT AND RECOVERY

If the option on special types of damage is in use, characters will sometimes recover more quickly from certain wounds than un-
der the normal rules. However, before the healing process may begin, special treatment may be required.
BLEEDING DAMAGE: Fast and proper treatment of bleeding wounds (see page 265) is of utter importanceotherwise, an injured
character will bleed to certain death! For this purpose, the best choice of Healing skills is First Aid (Patch Wound), although a Physi-
cian (Surgery) test may eventually be the only way to completely stop a bleeding wound (i.e., if the First Aid test only partially suc-
ceeds, or if the wound bleeds for more than 5 wound points per round). Each bleeding wound must be treated separately.
The basic TN to treat a bleeding wound is 20. For each Level of Success the test yields (starting with LSF 0), the bleeding can
be reduced by 2 wound points of damage per round. Thus, for example, the actual TN to completely stop an injury bleeding for 5
points per round would be 30. However, even LoS +1 would allow to slow the bleeding by 4 points, effectively reducing it to a sin-
gle point of bleeding damage per round. A character attempting to dress his own wounds suffers a +3 or greater TN modifier.
A successful First Aid (Patch Wound) test allows to halt or slow bleeding up to 5 wound points per round, provided the neces-
sary equipment is available (a compress and bandage, for instance). Physician (with Cauterise and Surgery qualifying as potentially
applicable specialties), on the other hand, theoretically allows to stop any bleeding, but it may only be attempted with the proper
equipment at hand. Failure on either kind of skill test may result in infection as described on page 236.
Once a bleeding injury has been successfully treated, the victim cannot engage in any activity (such as movement or combat)
that might strain the wounded area without re-opening the wound. Also note that should a bleeding wound merely be reduced by
First Aid (but not stopped completely), it cannot then be further reduced by additional First Aid testsonly the Physician skill will
do in such cases. Typical treatment times are 2 rounds per point of bleeding damage for First Aid tests, and 5 or more rounds per
point of bleeding damage for Physician tests. Hence, First Aid should normally be tested prior to Physician skill.
As soon as all bleedings are completely stopped, the character begins to recuperate from the loss of the blood. Until all bleeding
damage is regenerated, he makes one Health test per day against a TN determined by his general state of Health (see Table 9.22 for
details). For each LoS the Health test yields, the character recovers one additional point of bleeding damage that day. Failure on the-
se Health tests incur no ill consequences. The character just does not show remarkable progress in his healing.
POISON DAMAGE: As with bleeding wounds, immediate treatment of poisoned characters is crucial. A Physician (Treat Poison-
ing) skill test can be attempted to prevent a poison from taking effect, provided the treatment is administered before any symptoms
manifest (i.e., before the Onset Time has elapsed). This treatment typically involves making a small incision and drawing the venom
out of the blood, orin case of a Contact type of poisonthoroughly washing off the toxic substance. If the poison was ingested,
the healer must instead induce vomiting. Once the Onset Time has passed, treatment with a successful Physician skill test can only
mitigate a poisons effect to its secondary level, but the character will at least once suffer the poisons full effect if he fails his Stami-
na test to resist the poisons effect.
How fast a poisons effects wear off is determined by the Turambar. Typically, though, a character should be allowed to recover
an additional number of Health points equal to his normal healing rate once or even twice per day. Of course, these additional
Health points only help to recuperate from poison damage.
SUBDUAL DAMAGE: This type of damage wears off quickly, usually within a few hours or no more than a day or two. A charac-
ter who has sustained subdual damage recovers an additional number of Health points equal to his normal healing rate every six
hours until all subdual damage is gone (i.e., he recovers up to five times his normal healing rate per day).
Injury Levels of critical injuries caused by subdual damage wear off one by one. Each time a number of wound points of subdu-
al damage equal to the targets basic injury threshold is recovered, a single IL of the targets choice can be erased.
the end of every week. For each LoS beyond LSF 0 the administer care on a daily basis. Under these circumstances,
Health test yields, he recovers a number of Health points he can perform one suitable Healing skill test each day to
equal to his healing rate. For example, a character with double the normal rate of natural healing. Each successful
Health 11 would recover 4 additional Health points after test enables the patient to recover twice his healing rate in
one week if his test yields LoS +2. Failing such a Health test Health points that day.
incurs no adverse consequences. The character just does not
show remarkable progress in his healing. (2) RECOVERING FROM CRITICAL INJURIES
ADVANCED TREATMENT: Whereas characters can test
Healing skills in the field to stabilise a character and hasten The healing routine assumes that convalescent characters
the process of healing naturally, some injuries and maladies, will mainly be restingpreferably in a clean and comfortable
such as the Black Breath, require greater leechcraft and better environmentwhile recovering from injuries. This is partic-
care to heal properly. ularly important if a character has sustained damage severe
Characters can only receive this level of care in special enough to manifest in critical injuries. In addition, if a char-
places, such as the Houses of Healing in Minas Tirith, El- acter gets involved in unreasonable physical exertion before
ronds home in Rivendell, or Lrien. When a patient receives enough time has passed to fully heal an Injury Level (IL), the
treatment in such a favourable environment, the character days of rest accumulated since the last IL has been recovered
making the Healing skill test gains a +5 test result bonus. are forfeitedwounds are often aggravated or reopened by
When the healer succeeds with an appropriate Healing premature activity.
skill testusually Physician (Treat Wounds)in such a fa- Since most injured characters will seek the aid of a healer,
cility, a person under his care recovers a number of wound have a skilled friend administer treatment, or at least try to
points equal to his Health score over the next 24 hours, effec- treat themselves, this section does not strictly separate the
tively raising his Health Level by one within a day. If the rules for natural healing and leechcraft. Hence, injury recov-
healer keeps the patient under his direct supervision, he may ery may involve any of the following steps:
234
Step 1 Diagnosis COMPRESS: Apply cold compress for 5d6 minutes. Herbal
remedies and balms that reduce swelling grant a +3 to +6
Optionally, a healer may test his Physician (Diagnose) test result bonus. Use First Aid (Field Care) or Physician
skill to closely examine a critical injury and to decide on the (Treat Wounds) skill; First Aid tests suffer a 3 penalty.
best cure. Look up the tests TN on Table 9.23. If diagnosis SPLINT: Setting a broken bone and splinting the limb
succeeds, a +2 per LoS test result bonus applies for treat- takes 5d6 minutes. Use Physician (Treat Wounds) skill.
ment; a failed diagnosis normally entails no penalty. SURGERY: Includes cleaning and dressing the wound and
takes 10d6 or more minutes. Requires sharp knives, and a
Step 2 Treatment needle and thread for sutures. Anaesthetic is highly recom-
mended since patients tend to struggle and whimper other-
Table 9.23 suggests treatments which, if successfully pro- wise, and it is a good idea to keep open wounds and surgical
vided, will shorten the time the patient needs to recover from instruments as clean as possible, too. Use Physician (Sur-
an injury. Minor (M) wounds usually heal well by them- gery) skill.
selves, but Serious (S) and Grievous (G) injuries may cause WARMING: Gentle warming (with a blanket, a healthy
permanent impairment or even death if they are not treated, persons flesh, or the like) of the injury for 1d3 hours. Use
or if the treatment fails to reach a certain standard. If neither First Aid (Field Care) or Physician (Treat Wounds) skill.
stunned nor in shock, a character can self-treat Minor and Se-
If a character with the required Healing skill (and a satis-
rious wounds (though at a +3 or greater TN modifier), but fying total bonus at it) is at hand, he can administer the sug-
not Grievous injuries. gested treatment to the patient. Some treatments require
Depending on the nature and severity of an injury, the special equipment and supplies; the quality and availability of
following types of treatment may be recommendable: these may bring about any TN modifiers the Turambar sees
AMPUTATE: Surgical amputation is the only treatment for fit. Treatment of injuries can be delayed, but if it is post-
Grievous Frost injuries and may also be used to halt infection poned more than 24 hours, the test TN increases by +1 per
spreading. The afflicted part of the body (a single toe, for in- day. However, since each critical injury can only be treated
stance) is removed, but a new Serious or Grievous wound is once, it may still be worth to seek an experienced healer.
created according to the operations successsee the corre- The healers LSF with his skill test establishes the basic
sponding line of Table 9.23. Use Physician (Surgery) skill. recovery time the patient will need to rest until the injury
CLEAN & DRESS: Takes five minutes per IL and requires healssee Table 9.23. Basic recovery time is given in days
water and bandages. Use First Aid (Field Care) or Physician per Injury Level and will further be modified by the patients
(Surgery) skill; First Aid tests suffer a 3 penalty. Vigour test as described under Step 3 Healing.
TABLE 9.23: TREATMENT OF CRITICAL INJURIES

TREATMENT BASIC RECOVERY TIME (DAYS PER INJURY LEVEL)
INJURY TYPE AND DESCRIPTION TREATMENT TN UNTREATED LOF 2 LOF 1 LOS +0/+1 LOS +2
BLUNT
M Bruises, welts, or swelling Compress 20 3 4 3 2 1
S Simple fracture/contusion Splint 25 5* 6* 5* 4 3
G Compound fracture Surgery, Splint 30 7* 8* 7* 6 5
EDGED
M Cut or gash, 12 long Clean & Dress 25 4 5 4 3 2
S Cut or gash, 26 long Surgery 30 5 6 5 4 3
G Cut or gash, over 6 long Surgery 35 6* 7* 6* 5* 4
POINTED
M Puncture, 1 deep Clean & Dress 25 4 5 4 3 2
S Puncture, 3 deep Clean & Dress 30 5 6 5 4 3
G Puncture, over 3 deep Surgery 35 6* 7* 6* 5* 4
FIRE
M 1st degree burn, blisters Compress 20 3 4 3 2 1
S 2nd degree burn, open wound Clean & Dress 30 5 6 5 4 3
G 3rd degree burn, charred skin Clean & Dress 35 6 7 6 5 4
FROST
M Chilled flesh, shivering Warming 15 2 3 2 1 Healed
S 2nd degree frostbite Warming 20 4 5* 4 3 2
G 3rd degree frostbite Amputate 30 Infection G5 G4 S3 S2
* : The patient will have a permanent 1d3 reduction of a single basic attribute score after the injury has healed. The attribute affected may be
obvious (Deftness, Nimbleness, Awareness, or the like) or can be determined as described on page 69. The affected attributes genetic limit
is reduced by one point less than its basic score (for example, 1 if the 1d3 calls for a 2 reduction).
235
Step 3 Healing As explained above, any time a Vigour test to recover

from such an injury yields LoF 2 or worse, the wound be-
Once treated, each critical injury has a basic recovery time comes infected and the healing process comes to a halt. If a
determined by the LSF of the healers skill test. Next, the pa- wound does become infected, record the wounded body part
tient must make a Vigour test against a TN equal to 10 plus a second time on the Combat Sheet, this time specifying its
the injurys current IL x 5 (for example, the TN for a level 3 injury type as INF for infection (i.e., instead of something
injury is 25). Since the severity of injury already factors into like S3-E). Infection is tracked in levels and starts at the crit-
this TN, only his Weariness Penalty (if any) should be ap- ical injurys current IL. A character unfortunate enough to
plied. The healing routine assumes that a character gets 12 suffer from gangrene in several body parts must recordand
hours of rest each day. The Turambar may modify the TN recover fromeach infection separately.
of the Vigour test if the character gets more or less rest (up
to 5). Advanced care administered in places such as INFECTION REALITY: Historically, it was more common to
Rivendell or the Houses of Healing usually grants a +5 test die of infected wounds than to die outright in battle. The
chance of infection in Ambarquenta is less than is historically
result bonus.
justified for playability purposes.
Each LoS (beyond LSF 0) the Vigour test yields reduc- A Turambar who wants a more realistic approach may have
es the basic recovery time by one day, to a minimum of 12 infection set in at LoF 1 on the Vigour test to recover from a
hours (i.e., instead of zero days). Conversely, each LoF in- critical injury. If he deems the environmental conditions par-
creases the basic recovery time by one day. In addition, fail- ticularly hazardous (considering factors such as heat, moisture,
ure by LoF 2 or worse means that an open wound becomes or dirt), he may even rule that a Vigour test succeeding by LoS
+0 still results in the infection of an open wound.
infected (see below for a definition of these terms). Infected
injuries do not heal until the infection is defeated. Once a wound is infected, the patient makes a Vigour
The result is the modified recovery time that gives the test against a TN equal to 10 plus the infections level x 5
number of days which must be spent resting until the current each day (usually at sunset). For each LoS this Infection test
IL heals and the penalty associated with it wears off. Once yields, decrease the infection level by 1. Conversely, increase
the current IL is healed, the character makes another Vigour the infection level by +1 for each LoF. With LSF 0, the in-
test to determine how long it takes until the next IL is recov- fection remains stable for that day. The character defeats the
ered, repeating this process until all ILs have gone. infection at level 0, and dies at infection level 6. As soon as an
NOTE: Elves and any characters with the Swift Recovery tal- infection has been defeated, it can be erased from the Com-
ent have their modified recovery time cut in half. Also, by virtue bat Sheet and the normal healing process resumes; the days
spent struggling against the infection do not count as days of
of their nature, Elves are immune to infection.
rest for the purpose of recovering from critical injuries.
As stated above, if a character gets involved in unreason- An attending healer may help the patient to recover from
able physical exertion before enough time has passed to fully infection by making a Physician (Treat Infection) test. Use
heal the current IL, the days of rest accumulated since the the same TN as for the patients Infection test. Each LSF
last IL has been recovered are forfeited. When an injury is this test yields will modify the patients Infection test by 3.
healed, the character may still be impairedthat your bro- If all other methods of treatment fail, amputation is the last
ken arm has healed does not mean it was set straight. resort. See Amputate above for details but keep in mind: the
higher the infections level, the bigger portion of the infected
EXAMPLE: A blunt strike that results in an S3 critical injury body part must be removed. For instance, while it may suffice
represents a simple fracture. Treating such an injury requires a to amputate a single toe at infection level 1, a level 3 gangrene
TN 25 Physician (Treat Wounds) test which takes 5d6 minutes may require to remove the entire foot.
to perform. Assuming the Physician test succeeds with LoS +1,
the patients basic recovery time for this injury is 4 days per
EXAMPLE: Grimgr the Beorning receives a critical injury
IL. The patient then makes his first Vigour test against TN 25
classified S3-E (i.e., a Serious wound worth 3 ILs that has been
(i.e., 10 + IL 3 x 5). Unfortunately, the test fails by LoF 1;
inflicted with an edged weapon) to his left upper arm. Despite a
thus, the modified time to recover the current IL is 5 days.
remarkable attribute score of 16, his TN 25 Vigour test to re-
Once the first IL has healed, the patient makes another Vigour
generate the first of the injurys three ILs fails by LoF 2 and
test, this time against TN 20. Assuming LoS +1 on this and the
infection sets in, stopping the healing process. Later that day
final third Vigour test against TN 15, the character must rest
the Turambar calls for Grimgrs first Infection test which un-
for eleven days until he fully recovers from the critical injury.
fortunately fails by LoF 1, thus increasing the infections level
to 4 and raising the TN of the next test to 30. Disturbed by
the Beornings worsening condition, his friends quickly take
Infections him to Rhosgobel, the sanctuary of the wizard Radagast. The
Istar readily aids Grimgr in his struggle against the gangrene
Open wounds can become infected; a bandaged or stitched
and achieves LoS +2 with his Physician skill test. Owing to this
injury is still an open wound. The following types of critical +6 test result bonus, the Beorning makes his next Infection test
injuries are considered open wounds: and reduces the infections level to 3 again. Under the care of
Radagast, he soon defeats the illness and begins to recover
all injuries inflicted by edged (E) or pointed (P) attacks; from the critical injury.
any Grievous injury inflicted by blunt (B) attacks;
any Serious or Grievous injury inflicted by fire (F).
236
CAUTERISATION: A successful Physician (Cauterise) test TABLE 9.24: WEARINESS LEVELS

can close an open wound. Cauterisation is a secondary treat-
LEVEL EFFECT*
ment to sterilise and seal a Minor or Serious wound; unfor-
Fresh None
tunately it cannot be used on Grievous wounds. The proce-
Winded 1 test result penalty
dure is employed after the modified recovery time of an inju- Weary 2 test result penalty
ry has been established by the normal healing rules. Tired 4 test result penalty
In the preparation, a metallic object must be thoroughly Spent 8 test result penalty
heated over a fire. Placing the red hot tool on the wound Exhausted Character falls unconscious
causes it to seal up, potentially halting any bleeding damage *: A characters Weariness Penalty is part of his Universal Penal-
(see the box on page 234) and preventing infection. Cauteri- ty; see page 218.
sation is painful and leaves ugly scars, but a successful test
closes an open wound and cuts the recovery time by one ad- TABLE 9.25: WEARINESS RECOVERY
ditional day per LoS.
LEVEL TO BE REST NEEDED TO RECOVER
A character who wants to cauterise his own wounds must RECOVERED TO NEXT LOWER LEVEL
first make a TN 20 Will test. If successful, he still suffers the
1st 10 minutes
usual +3 TN test modifier for attempts to treat himself; if 2nd 30 minutes
the test fails, the character fails to act. 3rd 1 hour
SPREADING INFECTIONS: When the level of an infection 4th 2 hours
increases, it is assumed that the gangrene has spread to adja- 5th 4 hours
cent body parts. If this continues unchecked, the patient will
CURRENT LEVEL REST NEEDED TO RECOVER TO FRESH
die. A Turambar has the option to take this spreading into
Winded 10 minutes
account by having a character generate infections (rated at Weary 40 minutes
the same level as the initial infection) in 1d3 adjacent body Tired 1 hour & 40 minutes
parts, any of which can spread further. Naturally, this is a Spent 3 hours & 40 minutes
deadly (not to mention complex) process that should be used Exhausted 7 hours & 40 minutes
with discretion.
TABLE 9.26: WEARINESS RATES
WEARINESS ACTIVITY/SITUATION WEARINESS POINTS
COMBAT
Melee 2 each round
Even the strongest and boldest of heroes cannot fight on for- Ranged 1 every 2 rounds
ever or journey day and night without rest. After a time, Weari- Concentration 1 every 3 rounds
ness overtakes even the sternest Dwarf or doughtiest Man. MOVEMENT
Sneak Move BMR x 0.33 1 every 5 minutes
Walk Move BMR 1 every 10 minutes
ACCUMULATING WEARINESS POINTS AND Jog Move BMR x 2 1 every 3 minutes
LOSING WEARINESS LEVELS Run Move BMR x 3 1 every 2 rounds
Sprint Move BMR x 4 5 each round
As noted in Chapter Two, every character has six Weariness CLIMBING
Levels: Fresh (fully rested), Winded, Weary, Tired, Spent, and Relaxed Climb BMR x 1/7 1 every 2 rounds
Exhausted. Each level can hold a number of weariness points Quick Climb BMR x 2/7 1 each round
Fast Climb BMR x 3/7 5 each round
equal to his Stamina score, minus his General Encumbrance Rapid Climb BMR x 4/7 20 each round
Penalty. As your character exerts himself, he accumulates SWIMMING
weariness points and risks dropping to the next level, thus Relaxed Swim BMR x 0.2 1 every 10 rounds
becoming more tired and less able to function effectively. Quick Swim BMR x 0.4 1 every 5 rounds
You accumulate weariness points depending on the type Fast Swim BMR x 0.6 1 each round
Rapid Swim BMR x 0.8 10 each round
of action in which the character is engaged. See the accompa-
nying Weariness Rates Table for some examples. At specific OTHER PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES
Jumping See page 99 2 each, plus run-up
occasions (particularly after long-term exertions of undefined Relaxed craftwork (e.g., Clothworks) 1 every 12 minutes
length), your Turambar may require you to make a Stamina Average craftwork (e.g., Ropecraft) 1 every 6 minutes
test to resist losing an entire Weariness Level straight away. Demanding craftwork (e.g., Stonecraft) 1 every 3 minutes
Characters progress through six stages of Weariness, from Cursory searching 1 every 5 minutes
Intense searching 1 every 2 minutes
Fresh to Exhausted. The Weariness Levels Table illustrates
the Weariness Levels and associated penalties. Once a charac- HEALING AND ACADEMIC PROCEEDINGS
Nursing, First Aid 1 every 6 minutes
ter has accumulated a number of weariness points within a Surgery 1 every 3 minutes
Weariness Level equal to his Stamina score minus his appli- Reading 1 every 15 minutes
cable GEP, he begins accumulating weariness points in the Intense studying 1 every 10 minutes
next level and suffers the listed penalties. If the character con- Recalling lore under pressure 1 every 3 minutes
tinues to push himself and drops to the next-lower Weariness SOCIAL AFFAIRS
Level, he becomes even more worn out and the penalties in- Informal chatting, Narrating 1 every 10 minutes
Keen conversation, Lecturing 1 every 5 minutes
crease accordingly.
Heated debate, Urgent plea 1 every 2 minutes
237
These penalties are cumulative with a characters Injury fatigue, he must first recover these newly lost Weariness Lev-
Penalty, thus adding to his Universal penalty (see page 218). els (again with the first level requiring ten minutes of rest, the
For example, a character who is both Injured (3 to all tests) second thirty minutes, and so on). However, the time to re-
and Tired (4 to all tests) suffers a Universal Penalty of 7 cover any Weariness Levels remaining from previous exer-
to all tests. tion must not decrease compared to the recovery time deter-
mined beforehand. Thus, if unexpected events interrupt a
Exhausted Characters characters rest, make a note of his remaining recovery time.
If a character has accumulated but a few weariness points
Should a character continue to push himself when Spent, in his Fresh level, he can remove one point per minute of rest
he collapses into unconsciousness as soon as he drops to Ex- (or all of them after ten minutes).
hausted. He then can take no further actions until he regains
at least one Weariness Level. To recover to Spent, the col- EXAMPLE: A Tired character has lost three Weariness Lev-
lapsed character must simply rest ten minutes. Alternatively, els. Therefore, he must rest for one hour and forty minutes to
he may make a TN 20 Stamina test (to which his Universal become Fresh once more. However, after only ten minutes of
Penalty applies). This test can be attempted once each round rest he will have recovered the first level and now be Weary.
in a combat situation, once per minute outside combat, or at After thirty more minutes (i.e., after resting forty minutes in a
row) he will recover a second level and be restored to Winded.
dramatically appropriate moments designated by the Turam-
bar. A companion may make a First Aid (Field Care) test to help
an Exhausted character come around. Each LoS he achieves Lost Weariness Levels cannot be recovered as long as the
reduces the Exhausted characters Stamina test TN by 5. source of the Weariness persists. For example, a starving
However, ifby whatever meansan Exhausted (or character does not recover until he gets something to eat.
nearly so) character accumulates more weariness points than Also, the recovery times shown in Table 9.25 only apply
his last Weariness Level can hold, he risks to die from a heart to activities that have not been performed over a long period.
attack or stroke. Make a TN 20 Stamina test, applying the For any Weariness Levels lost through long-term exertion
characters Universal Penalty. If the test fails by LoF 2 or (like running a long distance, carrying a heavy load all day, or
less, the character survives, but suffers a permanent 1d51 engaging in heavy labour all afternoon), the character can re-
reduction to each of 1d51 primary attributesuse Table cover only with a good meal and a good nights sleep. It is up
3.4 on page 69 to determine which attributes are affected. If to the Turambar to determine the nature of the exertion and
the Stamina test fails by LoF 3 or worse, the character dies. whether the character can recover as per the Weariness Re-
covery Table or through food and sleep only. A rule of thumb
Staying Awake and Losing Sleep is to consider the most strenuous activity that caused the
Weariness. Thus, if a character ran a short distance, then en-
A character can remain awake and active for a number of gaged in combat, then hiked all day, losing three Weariness
hours equal to 10 + half his Vigour score (or for 16 hours, Levels, recovery should take considerably longer than it
whichever is longer) without suffering from additional Wea- would for any of these singly because of the long-term hiking.
riness. Thus, a character with Vigour 16 can remain awake On occasion, the subtle magic of Middle-earth affects a
for 18 hours without problems. Beyond this point, the char- characters ability to overcome Weariness. The smell of ath-
acter must make a Stamina test (TN 20 +2 per additional elas steeped in hot water is refreshing and invigorating (see
hour) every hour to avoid losing an entire Weariness Level page 339), and Legolas notes that the waters of the Nimrodel
straight away. Weariness caused by lost sleep is automatically are said to be healing to the weary. On the other hand, Fro-
regained after one full night of sleep, but is not regained until do and Sam found it difficult to get proper rest while in
you get that night of sleep. Mordor. Thus, the Turambar may decrease or increase the
amount of rest time needed to regain a lost Weariness Level
RECOVERING WEARINESS in some areas or under some circumstances.
Other beneficial circumstances may help a character
Regaining lost Weariness Levels is easy. All the character overcome the effects of Weariness. Gimli claims he can
has to do is rest. He will regain one level at a time, starting throw off all Weariness when he has some Orcs to attack,
with the most fatigued level. Table 9.25 is a guideline to help and the good news that Frodo still lives after Shelobs attack
you determine how long it will take a character to recover helps Sam to overcome his exhaustion and keep going. In ap-
from Weariness. Rest means sleeping, relaxing, or the like. propriate circumstances, the Turambar may allow a charac-
The character can do nothing more strenuous than cooking ter to make an Ambar test to recover two lost Weariness
or other light chores while resting. Levels automatically due to inspiration or an increase in mo-
Whereas a worn out character shakes off the worst ef- rale. The successful use of this kind of effect would not cause
fects of Weariness relatively quickly, it may take quite some the characters Ambar score to drop in proper circumstances.
time until his full strength is renewed and he returns to On the other hand, sometimes the situation makes a
Fresh. Therefore, the time to recover the first Weariness character feel fatigue more strongly. For example, as King
Level (i.e., the level with the greatest penalty) is ten minutes, Thoden notes, Weariness can more easily affect the aged.
while it takes another thirty minutes to regain a second level, An Old character accumulates twice the normal amount of
and so on. weariness points per time interval (for example, 4 points per
If a character loses one or more additional Weariness round he is engaged in melee), and an Aged character accu-
Levels before he has completely recovered from any previous mulates three times the normal amount.
238
UNUSUAL HAZARDS or is destroyed. However, if sufficient cause arises, the char-

acter may make additional Fortitude tests to throw off the ef-
fects of fear. Examples include seeing a comrade in peril (as
when Merry saw owyn facing the Lord of the Nazgl
T he life of an adventurer is filled with hazards, espe-
cially in the wilderness locales or forgotten ruins that
speak to an adventurers desire to explore. This section de-
alone), the cause of the fear is moving further away, or being
subjected to an Inspire test (see page 98) by someone who
tails a number of hazards that might be encountered occa- has not been exposed to or has successfully resisted the fear.
sionally, along with rules for handling such an event. Note Whenever a character is allowed to repeat his Fortitude
that a variety of more common perils (such as drowning, fall- test, ignore any penalty he may suffer for having failed his ini-
ing, or illness) are described under Other Sources of Harm tial test. If the Turambar feels generous, he may even grant
above, opening on page 228. any character who also succeeds with an Ambar test (no
points are lost for this use of Ambar) a +3 bonus on the new
test. Also, if it is an allys successful Inspire test that entitles a
FEAR character to make the new Fortitude test, his condition can-
not become worseafter all, the encouraging experience of
Whether it comes from powerful spells or simply the ter- seeing a companion brave the cause of the fear will certainly
rifying presence of beings such as the Nazgl, one of the En- not create even greater dread in a character.
emys most powerful weapons is fear. The fear his servants Characters who oppose the Shadow may use these rules
inspire in the Free Peoples creates despair, causes weakness to create fear and awe in the servants of the Enemy by mak-
and anguish, and leaves those who stand against him unable ing Intimidate (Majesty or Power) tests against them too.
to act. See the Intimidate skill, page 98, for more details.
Every creature or being capable of inspiring fear (such as
Smaug, the Lord of the Nazgl, or a Balrog) or like emotions
has the skill Intimidate (usually with the specialty Fear).
IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE
Some may also have spells or abilities that provide bonuses to In combat, you are usually too excited to be scared. Any
that skill for the purpose of arousing dread. Fortitude test against fear made in the heat of battle has a +5
To create fear, the creature or being makes an Intimidate bonus. This applies only if you are already in combat when
test, which the victim opposes with a Fortitude test. Table the source of the fear appears or is first noticed. If a character
fighting a host of Orcs suddenly spots a Balrog appearing on
9.27 describes the results of this opposed test from the vic- the scene, he receives a +5 bonus. His companion, staying be-
tims point of view. A Turambar should make a note of the hind several feet away to prepare a spell, makes his Fortitude
attackers exact numerical test result for later reference. test without the bonus.
Once a character is subject to a fear effect, it continues to
hinder him until the source of the fear leaves the area entirely
TABLE 9.27: FEAR

VICTIMS TEST RESULT EFFECT
LoS +1 or better No effect: Victim can resist the fear and act normally.
LSF 0 Frightened: Victim suffers a 1 penalty to all tests.
LoF 1 Panicked: Victim suffers a 3 penalty on all tests.
LoF 2 Unnerved: Victim may take no actions for one round, and he suffers a 6 penalty on all tests.
LoF 3 or worse Unmanned: Victim flees as fast as he can, or he falls to the ground and cowers.
TABLE 9.28: FEAR MODIFIERS

INSPIRING FEAR
SITUATION MODIFIER TO INTIMIDATE (FEAR)
Target is in a stronghold of evil or a place of darkness +3 to +12
(Mordor, Dol Guldur, Moria, and so on)
Target is near an evil place +1 to +5
Target is in a haunted place about which he has heard frightening legends +1 to +3
Target is at a disadvantage (outnumbered, disarmed, disheartened, and so on) +3 to +6
The cause of the fear is nearby +1 to +9
Attacker utters terrifying soliloquy +1 to +9
Appropriate display of power/might +1 to +9
Brandishing an object the target has cause to fear +1 to +6
RESISTING FEAR
SITUATION MODIFIER TO FORTITUDE TEST
Target is in a stronghold of the Wise, or a place of goodness +3 to +12
(Minas Tirith, Rivendell, Lrien, and so on)
Target is fighting for or protecting that to which he is faithful +1 to +5
The cause of the fear is at a distance +3 to +6
Defender utters inspiring soliloquy +1 to +9
239
TRAPS complex and have more complicated effects which are de-
scribed in more detail. When assigning damage for traps of
your own design, consider the damage done by weapons
A trap is any mechanical device built to injure or capture similar to the trap (see page 182); by other dangerous effects
the creature that triggers it. Traps work best when used to inherent to the trap such as falling, drowning, and fire (see
make an already dangerous situation even more perilous. page 228); or simply use your creativity and best judgement.
They can also serve as deterrents and threats that allow char-
acters less skilled in combat to take centre stage. A trap has NOTE: While traps can add tension and danger to any ad-
the following game statistics, which describe the danger it venture, they can also feel arbitrary and force the characters to
poses. spend more time seeking out hidden dangers than proceeding
DETECT TN: The Detect TN is actually two numbers. with the story. In some ways, they run counter to the spirit of
The first is the TN of Search (Traps) tests to notice the trap
Middle-earth. Thus, you should introduce traps into your game
when the characters actively search. The second number, in
with care. All traps should have a logical reason for their exist-
parentheses, is the TN of the Observe test to spot the trap
when no particular effort is made to look for it. Generally, ence. While the servants of the Enemy are undeniably evil, they
the second, passive test is made when a hero approaches do not needlessly seed their lairs with pitfalls. If they did, they
within ten feet of the trap, but for some traps this distance would soon find themselves unable to move about without falling
may be larger or smaller, at the Turambars discretion. into their own snares. By the same token, traps built by the Free
The more complex and intricate a trap, the higher is the Peoples should be confined to areas that require the extra security
Detect TN. For example, a simple tripwire created by an Orc provided.
is much easier to spot than an expertly crafted pressure plate
built by a Dwarf-craftsman. When creating your own traps, SAMPLE TRAPS
use the Detect TNs of the sample traps listed further below
as a guide. The sample traps listed below should serve as a guide in
DEFEAT TN: By using certain skills, the characters can creating your own. Use them as models or modify them for
disarm or overcome a trap. Each trap lists a Defeat TN and your own purposes.
the skills that may be used to disable it. A character may use
any of the listed skills against the Defeat TN; the best choice Crushing Block
is usually the Traps (Disarm) skill. On a success, the charac-
ter disables the trap. DETECT TN: 30 (40)
If the players undertake a plan to deactivate or bypass a DEFEAT TN: 30 (Traps, Stonecraft)
trap without using one of the listed skills, use your own AVOID TN: 25 (Dodge, Swiftness)
judgement. For example, a trap designed to drop a net on the EFFECT: A mechanism commonly used by Dwarves to protect
characters might list Traps and Ropecraft as the skills appli- tombs, treasuries, and other important locations in their
cable to defeat it. If, instead, the characters use a long spear strongholds, a crushing block drops a massive piece of
to snap the nets tripwire while standing beyond the area it stone down upon whoever triggers a pressure plate set into
covers, they have clearly defeated the trap, even though they the floor, dealing 5d10+12 points of blunt damage. The
neither used Traps (Disarm) nor Ropecraft. The Defeat TN plate is usually disguised as a flagstone or brick. Stepping
is an abstract method for handling traps. Never allow it to on it causes a chain that holds the stone above in place to
overshadow the players ideas or plans. unlatch, dropping the stone down.
Some traps cannot be defeated through use of a skill.
Such traps have naught listed for the Defeat TN. It bears Net Trap
noting, however, that such traps can usually be avoided or de-
feated through a plan, as described above. A pit trap is an ex- DETECT TN: 12 (20)
cellent example. A pit cannot be un-dug, but could be DEFEAT TN: 15 (Traps, Ropecraft)
walked around (avoided) or filled back in (plan). AVOID TN: 20 (Swiftness)
AVOID TN: Even after an unwitting victim has set a trap EFFECT: Triggering this trap causes a fine-mesh net to drop
off, he can often get out of the way in the nick of time. The directly on the character who breaks its tripwire line. Un-
Avoid TN is the target number necessary to do so, and the less avoided, the character who set off the trap and anyone
attribute or other statistic in parentheses describes the score within six feet of him is trapped in the net. (Each character
that must be used. Swiftness is the attribute most typically in the area of effect makes an individual Swiftness test to
used to avoid traps, but other attributes or skills are possible. avoid the net.) Characters caught in the net may take no
Some traps cannot be avoided once they have been triggered. actions aside from sawing their way out with a blade or
Such traps have naught listed for their Avoid TN. tearing the net into pieces. Breaking the net requires a
EFFECT: A traps Effect describes how it is triggered, how Strength test (TN 25). Sawing through takes 1d3 rounds,
it operates, how much damage it does, and so forth. The provided the character has a suitable weapon. Characters
most uncomplicated traps simply assail their victim with the caught in the net suffer a 6 penalty to their tests of defen-
equivalent of a melee attack. They have an effective attack sive skills. A character who is not trapped can spend one
score, which the trap tests against the targets Defence. Ar- full-round action to break the net or cut it.
mour can absorb this damage as normal. Other traps are more
240
Pit Trap
Characters trapped in quicksand may also be aided by
DETECT TN: 15 (30) nearby companions with rope or equipment long enough to
DEFEAT TN: Naught reach. This act of rescue requires a TN 20 (or greater)
AVOID TN: 30 (Acrobatics) Strength test, too. However, characters helping to pull out
EFFECT: A favourite trap amongst primitive folk and hunters, the sinking character may make a combined Strength test.
this consists of a pit dug into the ground which is then
covered with foliage or a grey cloth sprinkled with light
dirt and debris. Anyone who walks onto the pit immedi- OTHER DANGERS
ately tumbles down into it. Most pits are no more than two
or three yards deep. Refer to Falling on page 228 for dam- The perils detailed above (and under Other Sources of
age sustained based on the depth of the pit. Harm, page 228) constitute the major hazards that charac-
ters are likely to encounter, but there remain a few worth
Spear Trap mentioning.
DETECT TN: 25 (35)

DEFEAT TN: 25 (Traps, Stonecraft, Woodcraft)
LANDSLIDES AND AVALANCHES
AVOID TN: 25 (Dodge, Swiftness) Whether of rocks or snow, landslides are always deadly.
EFFECT: A spear trap is designed to snap out and impale an Characters caught on the outskirts may attempt a TN 30
intruder, attacking with the equivalent of a +12 bonus. On Swiftness or Dodge (Natural Disasters) test to try and es-
a successful hit, the trap deals 4P damage per LoS. Spear cape the effects. Characters caught in the middle are subject
traps only work once, but can easily be reset to affect the to the equivalent of a +25 attack every round until it passes;
next unfortunate to encounter them. unless they succeed with an opposed Dodge (Natural Disas-
ters) test, they suffer 4B points of damage per LoS the at-
Spiked Beam tack yields. The character may attempt a TN 40 Swiftness
or Acrobatics (Tumble) test to leap out of dangers path.
DETECT TN: 15 (25)
DEFEAT TN: 15 (Traps, Ropecraft, Stonecraft) STORMS
AVOID TN: 30 (Dodge, Swiftness)
EFFECT: A spiked beam is a long, flexible piece of wood stud- With heavy winds that prevent ranged attacks, storms al-
ded with sharpened stakes. When triggered it lashes out, so bring thick sheets of rain that reduce the distance a char-
raking its victim and anyone else in close proximity. (Any- acter can see clearly, sometimes down to only a few feet (see
one in arms reach of the character who triggered the trap Table 9.7 on page 216 for suggested TN modifiers). In
is affected, but receives a +5 bonus to the test to avoid the thunderstorms, there is a chance of being struck by lightning,
beam.) The beam strikes its target with the equivalent of a or drowning (also with sand storms), or even freezing to
+15 attack. On a hit, it inflicts 4.5B/3P damage per LoS. death in a blizzard. Strong winds from a tornado may even
lift a character from the ground. Characters are best advised
to wait it out and take cover immediately if possible.
QUICKSAND
CAVE-INS
The bane of many travellers, quicksand can be found in
locations where sand and water mix dailyjungles, coasts, Underground exploration is a staple in the life of an ad-
and sandy river beds, and generally ranges from a few inches venturer. Unfortunately, sometimes the ceiling of a cave is
deep to more than several feet in some instances. Quicksand unstable and will suddenly collapse give the right circum-
behaves like water; anyone stepping into quicksand immedi- stances; fierce battles and powerful works of destructive sor-
ately begins to sink as if slipping under water. cery may well be the right circumstances! Characters unfor-
Characters caught in shallow quicksand can leave by re- tunate enough to be caught in a cave-in are treated as if they
tracing their steps, being only an inconvenience. Characters are caught in a landslide, though the area is usually much
immersed in deeper quicksand can float, and may gently and smaller.
carefully dog paddle to firmer terrain. Swimming through
quicksand is a TN 20 test. Even if an immersed character SMOKE
sinks to the bottom, they may not drown if they are standing
uprightthe quicksand may simply be not deep enough. Smoke can obscure vision and cause breathing problems
Characters that panic and begin thrashing around are likely for characters. An area filled with dense smoke makes all
to drown. Panicked characters will sink at the rate of 6 per physical tests harder (see Table 9.7 on page 216 for suggest-
round, and once below the surface will drown using the same ed TN modifiers). For every round that a character must
rules found above on page 228. With nearby shrubbery, breathe heavily polluted air, they receive a cumulative 1 test
characters may attempt to pull themselves out; this act re- result penalty. This penalty is reduced at a rate of one point
quires a Strength test against TN 20 or greater, depending per minute once the character is no longer exposed to the
on how deep they are immersed. smoke.
241
ESTEEM TESTS APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR by the players: This type of Es-

teem test modifiers is another chance to reward good
roleplaying. A good approach should be worth a +1 bonus,
maybe more. A wholly inappropriate approach which antag-
W hen the characters meet an NPC whose reaction to
them is not predetermined, the Turambar makes
an Esteem test by rolling 2d10, adding the Esteem score of
onises the NPCs should cost the party a 1 to 3 penalty on
the Esteem test. Dont tell the players, You blew it!just
the character who plays the dominant part in the meeting (or roleplay the offended character, and let them figure it out.
the Esteem of the character with the lowest score, if all char- RENOWN: When appropriate, have the NPC make a
acters participate equally in the negotiation) and all due mod- recognition test to determine if he knows one or more of the
ifiers. The higher the result, the better the NPCs will react, characters (see page 201). If he succeeds, apply the recog-
and the better treatment they will give the PCs. In other nised characters Renown modifier to his Esteem test. If the
words, the Turambar plays the NPCs according to the character is known for something the NPC considers posi-
guidelines on Table 9.29: Esteem Tests (page 244). tive, beneficial, or admirable, the Renown modifier is a bo-
Esteem test results should be kept secret from the play- nus. If he is known for something negative, despicable, wick-
ers. They do not know, for instance, whether that friendly- ed, or hurtful, the Renown modifier is a penalty.
looking old farmer is giving them straight advice or sending
them into a trap. Moreover, Esteem tests are meant to flesh
out a situation, not to control it. If an encounter is vital, the
USES OF ESTEEM TESTS
Turambar should decide in advance how he will play the
NPCs. Only for less important situations, or for cases where Based upon the result of an Esteem test, Table 9.29 sug-
the players must use their wits to negotiate, should Esteem gests potential character reactions for a variety of situations:
tests be used. But the Turambar can always pretend to roll, GENERAL: Use this section to see, in general, how any
so the players wont know for sure what is going on. NPC feels about the characters. When nothing else seems
Many factors can influence an Esteem test. An Esteem appropriate, make a general Esteem test and adapt its result.
bonus is a factor which will make the NPCs more friendly, The Turambar can use any modifiers he thinks appropriate.
and an Esteem penalty is something that will bias the NPCs POTENTIAL COMBAT SITUATIONS: Use this section in any
against the characters. Apply all permanent Esteem modifiers encounter where combat is possible, but not certain. For a
from abilities and flaws to your Esteem score in advance; foe in a pitched battle, no test is necessary. For a group of
other common Esteem modifiers include: armed strangers on a wilderness trail, an Esteem test is ap-
SOCIAL RANK: A characters apparent Social Rank fre- propriate unless the Turambar has predetermined their ac-
quently modifies his Esteem. When a Turambar decides to tions. When the NPCs are losing a fight, a combat Esteem
make an Esteem test for a given encounter, he should assign a test can be made during the fight as a morale check. Good
+1 modifier per Social Rank difference between the two in- or higher results indicate flight or surrender, as appropriate,
teracting characters. For example, if you have Social Rank 3, but not sudden friendship.
those of Social Rank 1 would react to you at a +2, and those Special modifiers for Combat Esteem tests:
of status 0 would react to you at a +3. (Except, of course, for +1 to +6 if the party seems notably stronger than the
villains who resent Social Rank.) If your Social Rank is so NPC group.
low that it is negative, those of higher class will react badly to 1 to 6 if the party seems to be notably weaker than
you. Take the difference between your Social Rank and the the NPC group.
NPCs as a penalty for the Esteem test, but no worse than 3 if the party has no language in common with the
5. However, when you are dealing with an NPC who is, on NPCs.
the whole, friendly, your Social Rank wont matteras long 3 if the characters are intruders on the NPCs home
as it is positive. After all, a king has a far higher status than turf.
his knights, but he reacts well to themmost of the time. 6 if the NPC thinks the characters are his enemies.
But if the NPC is neutral or already angry, a lower Social
Rank makes it worse: How dare you, a mere knight, tell me COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS: Use this section when the
my battle plan is foolish? PCs try to buy or sell goods, find a job, or hire someone. If
APPROPRIATE SKILLS for the situationfor example, no bargaining is involved, no test is necessaryunless there
Streetwise in an underworld situation, Steward when dealing is a chance that the merchant wont deal with the PCs at all.
with an official. Let the character test the applicable skill As used below, fair price means the normal price, at that
(usually against TN 20) and apply a 1 modifier per LSF. particular time and place, for the goods or services in ques-
RACIAL OR NATIONAL BIASES between the NPCs and the tion. The PCs can try to get a better price, at a 1 penalty for
character(s) in the partythese are usually penalties. Dwa- every 10% difference. Likewise, offering more than the fair
rves do not like Elves; Rohirrim despise Dunlendings, and so price, or asking less than the fair price, will give a +1 bonus
on. These modifiers will ordinarily range from 3 to for every 10% difference. If players vary their offer, determine
9, sometimes higher. the NPCs counteroffer based on the proposed price instead
of fair price if that is less favourable to the PCs. For example,
if they ask 120% of fair price and get a bad test result, the
NPC will offer half of that, or 60%.
242
Bargaining will never reduce the price below 50% of fair LOYALTY: When the PCs hire someone, the Turambar
unless the NPC has an ulterior motive. Also note that this should determine his loyalty. This determines only the
use of Esteem tests should only replace the standard rules on NPCs attitudenot his competence. If the NPC is im-
Buying and Selling as described on page 181 if both the Tu- portant, the scenario (or the Turambar) will predetermine
rambar and the players opt so. both his skills and his general attitude. Otherwise, an Esteem
Special modifiers for Commercial Esteem tests: test is fine. When the PCs take service with an employer, the
Turambar should also determine (randomly or otherwise)
1 for every 10% by which proposed price favours the
how the employer feels about them.
PC, relative to the fair price.
Loyalty Esteem test results are known to the Turambar,
+1 for every 10% by which proposed price favours the
but not to the players (unless a successful use of Discern or
NPC.
Insight is made). The Turambar should record each NPCs
1 per LSF on a Debate (Bargain) test made by the
loyalty secretly, and let it guide him in determining all that
PC (usually against TN 20).
NPCs later behaviour. Note that loyalty can change.
REQUESTS FOR AID: Use this section when the PCs ask for Special modifiers for Loyalty Esteem tests:
any sort of help. (If appropriate, a test for potential combat
+1 for every 10% the PCs offer above the normal pay.
must be made first.) Examples would include dealing with a
1 for every 10% the PCs offer below the normal pay.
bureaucrat; an attempt to get a guards captain to listen to
+2 or more if the PCs are serving a cause that the
your story about the plot of a spy of the Enemy; or just a cry
NPC believes in or a leader to whom the NPC is very
for help to the bystanders watching you get mugged.
loyal.
Special modifiers for Request for Aid Esteem tests:
Renown modifier of the PCs in the area (if any).
+ 1 if the request is very simple.
1 to 5 (or more) if the request is very complex or
unreasonable. PREDETERMINED ESTEEM MODIFIERS
1 if the request would inconvenience the NPC or cost
him money. When making an Esteem test to see how an NPC reacts
3 or more if the NPC's employment, Renown, or So- to the characters, certain NPCs may themselves have Esteem
cial Rank would be endangered. modifiers (mostly bad) worked out in advance. For instance,
1 or more if the request would physically endanger an Esteem test made to determine how a band of brigands
the NPC. This depends on the degree of the risk and reacts to the characters might have a 6 test result penalty. A
the bravery of the NPC. mountain man could be a reclusive type, with a 3 penalty
applying to any Esteem tests made by an outsiderand no
REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION: Use this section when the matter what, the hermits reaction will never be better than
characters ask NPCs for directions, advice, and similar in- neutral. In this case, any Esteem test better than neutral is
formation. Note that if the NPC is a professional seller of in- simply treated as neutral.
formation, it is a commercial transaction. If the NPC is being
interrogated, the characters must use the Inquire skill. REPEATED ESTEEM TESTS
Remember that no NPC can tell more than he knows.
Sometimes the NPC will tell the truth as he knows itbut If the players get an Esteem test result they do not like
be terribly mistaken. And certain NPCs may pretend to have unless the first tests failure started a fightthey may change
more knowledge than they do, in order to earn money or im- their approach and try again. Some ways to change their ap-
press the characters. proach are: (1) offer a bribe of some kind; (2) offer a better
If there is a question as to whether a given NPC (or play- deal; (3) have someone else ask; (4) present new information;
er character, for that matter) knows some specific fact, make (5) use a particular skill (see above). If the NPC, as played by
an Inquire test (opposed by the NPCs Wisdom) instead. the Turambar, feels that the characters are becoming a nui-
Special modifiers for Information Request Esteem tests: sance, apply a 3 penalty to the second test, a 6 penalty to
the third, and so on. This penalty can be avoided by a rea-
1 for a complex question; 3 for a very complex ques-
tion. sonable wait between requests; reasonable is entirely up to
the Turambar.
4 if the NPC thinks its none of their business.
4 or more if an answer would endanger the NPC.
+1 to +4 if a bribe is offered. To be effective, a bribe
must be appropriate in size and discreet. Not everyone
will take coins, favouring another kind of payoff in-
stead. A Turambar should reward intelligent use of
disguised bribes.
+2 to +5 if the NPC is a librarian, historian, scribe,
teacher, or the like. Such people are naturally disposed
to help any seeker of knowledge.
243
TABLE 9.29: ESTEEM TESTS
10 OR LESS: DISASTROUS INFLUENCE TEST TNs +10 22 TO 24: NEUTRAL (CONTINUED) INFLUENCE TEST TNs 0
General: The NPC hates the characters and will act in their worst Commercial transactions go routinely. The merchant will buy and
interest. sell at fair prices.
In a potential combat situation , the NPCs will attack viciously, Requests for aid are grantedif they are simple. Complex re-
asking no quarter and giving none. quests are denied, but the PCs can try again at a 3 penalty.
Commercial transactions are doomed: The merchant will have Requests for information will be successful. The NPC will give the
nothing to do with you. Make a potential combat test at 3. information requested if it is simple. If the question is complex,
Requests for aid are denied totally. Make a potential combat the answer will be sketchy.
test at 5. If combat is called for but not possible, the NPC will Loyalty: The NPC thinks youre just another master, and this is just
work against the PCs in any way possible. another job. He will work hard enough to keep you happy, but no
Requests for information are met with anger. Make a potential harder. He will not leave unless he is sure the new job is better, and
combat Esteem test, at 3. will not betray you unless the temptation is very strong.
Loyalty: The NPC hates you or is in the pay of your enemies,
25 TO 28: GOOD INFLUENCE TEST TNs 1
and will take the first good chance to betray you.
General: The NPC likes the characters and will be helpful within
11 TO 14: VERY BAD INFLUENCE TEST TNs +5 reasonable, everyday limits.
General: The NPC dislikes the characters and will act against In a potential combat situation , the NPCs find the characters
them if its convenient to do so. likeable, or else too formidable to attack. The characters may re-
In a potential combat situation , the NPCs attack, and flee only if quest aid or information: +1 bonus on a second Esteem test. (If a
they see they have no chance. (A fight in progress will continue.) fight is in progress, the NPCs will flee.)
Commercial transactions are next to impossible. The merchant Commercial transactions go pleasantly. The merchant will buy
asks three times the fair price, or offers one third the fair price. and sell at fair prices, and will volunteer useful information or
Requests for aid are denied. Make a potential combat test; no small bits of help if possible.
better result than neutral is possible. Requests for aid will be granted if the request is reasonable. The
Requests for information are met with malicious lies. NPCs attitude is helpful. Even if the request is silly and must be
denied, they will offer helpful advice.
Loyalty: The NPC dislikes you, and will leave your service (taking
everything he can carry) or sell you out as soon as possible. Requests for information will be successful. The question will be
answered accurately.
15 TO 18: BAD INFLUENCE TEST TNs +3 Loyalty: The NPC likes you and/or the job. He will be loyal, work
General: The NPC cares nothing for the characters and will act hard, and accept any reasonable hazard that you will accept.
against them if he can profit by doing so. 29 TO 32: VERY GOOD INFLUENCE TEST TNs 3
In a potential combat situation , the NPCs will attack unless out-
General: The NPC thinks highly of the characters and will be
numbered. If they are outnumbered they will flee, possibly to at-
quite helpful and friendly.
tempt an ambush later. (Any fight in progress will continue.)
In a potential combat situation , the NPCs are friendly. The PCs
Commercial transactions go badly. The merchant asks twice the
may ask for aid or information: +3 bonus. Even sworn foes will
fair price, or offers half the fair price.
find an excuse to let the PCs gofor now. (If a fight has already
Requests for aid are denied. The NPCs go about their business, started, the NPCs will flee if they can, or surrender otherwise.)
ignoring the player characters.
Commercial transactions will go very well. The merchant will ac-
Requests for information are denied. NPCs will lie maliciously or cept your offer unless you try to buy below 80% of the fair
demand payment for information. If paid, the NPC will give true, price or sell above 150% of the fair price. In that case, he will of-
but incomplete, information. fer those rates. He will also offer help and advice.
Loyalty: The NPC has no respect for you. He will leave or betray Requests for aid are granted unless they are totally unreasonable.
you given even moderate temptation, and will be a sluggish worker. Any useful information NPCs have will be volunteered freely.
19 TO 21: POOR INFLUENCE TEST TNs +1 Requests for information will be successful. The NPC will answer
in detail and volunteer any related information he has.
General: The NPC is unimpressed. He may become hostile if
Loyalty: The NPC will work very hard, and risk his life if need be.
there is much profit in it, or little danger.
Under most circumstances, he puts your interests ahead of his own.
In a potential combat situation , the NPCs will shout threats or in-
sults. They will demand the PCs leave the area. If the PCs stick 33 OR BETTER: EXCELLENT INFLUENCE TEST TNs 5
around, the NPCs will attack unless outnumbered, in which case General: The NPC is extremely impressed by the characters, and
they will flee. (If a fight is in progress, it will continue.) will act in their best interests at all times, within the limits of his
Commercial transactions are unprofitable. The merchant asks own ability. Merchants will offer very good deals.
125% of the fair price, or offers 75% of the fair price. In a potential combat situation , the NPCs are extremely friendly.
Requests for aid are denied, but bribes, pleas, or threats might They may even join the party temporarily. The PCs may ask for
work. If applicable, make a new Esteem test, at 3. aid or information: +6 on this Esteem test. (If the fight has al-
Requests for information are unproductive. The NPCs will claim ready started, the NPCs will surrender.)
not to know, or will give incomplete data. A bribe may improve Commercial transactions will go extremely well. The merchant
their memory; roll again if a bribe is offered. will accept your offer unless you try to buy below 50% of fair
Loyalty: The NPC is unimpressed with you and/or dislikes the price or sell above 200% of fair price. In that case, he will offer
job; he thinks hes overworked and underpaid. Hell probably be- those rates. He will also offer help and advice.
tray you if offered enough, and would certainly take a better Requests for aid will be granted. NPCs will help in every way
job if he thought he had one. within their power, offering extra aid.
Requests for information will be extremely successful. The ques-
22 TO 24: NEUTRAL INFLUENCE TEST TNs 0
tion will be answered completely. If the NPC doesnt know every-
General: The NPC ignores the characters as much as possible. He thing you need, he will exert himself to find out. He may even
is totally uninterested. offer to help: make a request for aid test (at +3), with no result
In a potential combat situation , the NPCs are inclined to go their worse than poor possible.
own way and let the PCs go theirs. (If a fight is already in pro- Loyalty: The NPC worships you (or your cause), will work in-
gress, the NPCs will try to back off.) credibly hard, puts your interests ahead of his own at all times,
and would even die for you.
244
TRAVELLING penalties and convert them into a multiplier. For instance, an

aggregate penalty of 15% becomes a x 0.85 multiplier (as 1
minus 0.15 equals 0.85).
The result of multiplying the basic speed by all due modi-
W hether they go on long quests to destroy the devices
of the Dark Lord, lead armies to the rescue of be-
sieged cities, or journey across mountains and through for-
fiers is the miles covered in one hour. Note that the results
for multiple types of movement, terrains, and paces may be
ests to slay evil dragons, characters often have to travel over combined to derive an average during periods when a group
the face of Middle-earth. To determine how long it takes to moves by more than one type of transportation, through dif-
travel from one place to anotherbarring attacks, disasters, ferent types of terrain, or at varying paces. Sprint and Gallop
and other delaysconsult the Travel Speed Table (9.30) paces are not listed, since neither horses nor characters can
and the Middle-earth Travel Matrix Table (9.31). Of course, normally keep up such speed over an hour. They may, how-
different characters may travel at different rates, and a group ever, be used sparingly to increase the average of an otherwise
can only travel as fast as its slowest member. slow gait (intermittent running, for example, when combined
The Travel Speed Table lists movement rates for a num- with a sneaking pace, may average to a brisk Walk).
ber of terrain types under three topography classes: flat, Regardless of the situation and modifiers, the minimum
rough/hilly, and mountains. Foot means hiking at a steady speed for any form of travel is .1 mile per hour, unless the
pace, as the Horse rates assume the mount is moving at a Turambar rules otherwise or Table 9.30 indicates that pro-
slow trot or a swift walk. Cart and Wain rates assume aver- gress is impossible.
age loads and draught animals (see Vehicles and Vessels, be-
low). Generally, pack animals move at the Foot rate. EXAMPLE: A band of bold heroestwo Hobbits, two Men,
Besides terrain and type of movement, the travel rates an Elf, and a Dwarfset out from Hobbiton for Rivendell on
foot, following the (on average) unpaved Great East Road. The
and modifiers factor a number of different elements. They Turambar further decides that their journey takes them
assume, for instance, that the travellers take regular rests through flat ground (two thirds of the way) and rough terrain
whenever needed, to keep themselves from becoming overly (the remaining third of the way) alike, so he allows an average
fatigued. However, these short breaks neither completely basic speed of 2.97 miles per hour (= 3.2 x 2/3 + 2.5 x 1/3).
prevent Weariness from setting in, nor do they really allow to However, the Hobbits are a little slower (x 0.9) and carry
recover from the exertions of travelling. Thus, the charac- what they call an adequate amount of rations and other sup-
plies with them (with a GEP of 2, they are subject to another
tersor their mountsaccumulate Weariness as if walking
x 0.9 speed multiplier), so the group can only travel at 2.4
(unless, of course, they move at a faster pace) and must take miles per hour (= 2.97 x 0.9 x 0.9). Assuming they travel for
extra rests to recover (see page 238 for recovering from long- eight hours a day, thats (2.4 x 8 =) 19.2 miles per day. Since
term exertions). Some races can go longer without resting its approximately 167 leagues (500 miles) from the Shire to
than others, on average, which is why, for instance, a Dwarfs Rivendell, their journey will take 26 days. This, however, as-
travel speed is greater than a Mans. sumes that the weather remains fine. If the group gets caught
in a storm for three days (use the x 0.5 speed multiplier for
heavy rain), they lose (19.2 x 3 x 0.5 =) 28.8 miles, adding one
TRAVEL MODIFIERS and a half days to their journey. If they leave the road for
five days, travelling through rough heathland to avoid pursu-
ers, their speed drops to (1.5 x 0.9 x 0.9 =) 1.2 miles per hour,
Most travel modifiers act as multipliers: Simply find the or 9.6 miles per day. At their normal rate of 19.2 miles per
characters basic speed and multiply it with each applicable day for the rest of the trip, this adds ([19.2 9.6] x 5 19.2 =
speed multiplier listed on the bottom half of Table 9.30. If the = 2.5) two and a half days to their journey.
table lists percentage values instead, add up all applicable
TABLE 9.31: MIDDLE-EARTH TRAVEL MATRIX

Indicated distances are in leagues (1 league = 3 miles). Most distances are as the crow flies. The actual distance on the ground may be
up to 50% greater (or even longer).
Hobbiton
Rivendell
Tharbad
Isengard
Pelargir
Morgul
Edoras
Lrien
Minas
Minas
Tirith
Bree
Dale
Bree 225 200 40 150 140 290 285 315 100 67

Dale 225 235 270 225 145 240 245 290 125 220
Edoras 200 235 225 48 100 122 102 117 172 133
Hobbiton 40 270 225 175 183 327 321 342 167 90
Isengard 150 225 48 175 83 165 150 163 135 83
Lrien 140 145 100 183 83 162 158 192 77 100
Minas Morgul 290 240 122 327 165 162 15 54 215 240
Minas Tirith 285 245 102 321 150 158 15 43* 200 229
Pelargir 315 290 117 342 163 192 54 43* 243 252
Rivendell 100 125 172 167 135 77 215 200 243 100
Tharbad 67 220 133 90 83 100 240 229 252 100
*: This is a journey by water, up or down the Anduin. The river lies from one to five leagues from Minas Tirith itself, and the docks at
Harlond are approximately 3.5 miles overland from the city.
245
TABLE 9.30: TRAVEL SPEED OVERLAND TRAVEL MODIFIERS, CONTINUED

CONDITION SPEED MULTIPLIER
OVERLAND TRAVEL
SIZE OF GROUP
TERRAIN BASIC SPEED (MILES PER HOUR)
1 to 10 x1
FLAT FOOT HORSE CART WAIN 11 to 100 x 0.95
Paved road 3.2 6.25 3.2 3.2 101 to 1,000 x 0.9
Unpaved road 3.2 6 3 2.5 1,001 to 5,000 x 0.85
Trail 3 5.5 2.5 1.8 5,000 or more x 0.8
Cropland/Pasture 2.5 3.8 1.25 0.6 TIME OF DAY
Mixed woodland 2.25 3.5 1.25 0.6
Daytime x1
Heathland 2 3.2 0.3 0.3
At night, no Night-eyed characters x 0.25
Mixed forest 1.8 2.5 0.3 0.3
At night, less than 50% Night-eyed x 0.5
Needleleaf forest 1.8 3 0.5 0.3
At night, more than 50% Night-eyed x 0.75
Swamp 0.6 Dismount n/a n/a
At night, all characters are Night-eyed x1
ROUGH/HILLY FOOT HORSE CART WAIN
STEALTHY TRAVEL
Paved road 2.5 5.5 2.5 2.5 Characters are sneaking x 0.33
Unpaved road 2.5 5 2.25 1.8 Characters try to avoid leaving tracks x 0.5
Trail 2.25 4.5 1.25 0.75 Characters are watchful x 0.75
Cropland/Pasture 1.8 3.5 0.6 0.5
Mixed woodland 1.7 3.2 0.6 0.3 WEATHER
Heathland 1.5 3 0.3 0.3 Fine, or only light rain x1
Mixed forest 1.25 1.25 0.3 n/a Normal rain, or bad weather x 0.75
Needleleaf forest 1.25 1.8 0.3 n/a Heavy rain, fog, snowfall, or storm x 0.5
Mud x 0.5
MOUNTAINS FOOT HORSE CART WAIN
Snow, hard-packed x 0.8
Paved road 1.8 3.75 1.8 1.25 Snow, reaching over the ankles x 0.66
Unpaved road 1.8 3.5 1.25 0.6 Snow, reaching over the knees x 0.25
Trail 1.7 3.2 0.6 0.3 Blizzard x 0.1 to x 0.25
Cold woodland 1.25 2.5 n/a n/a
Alpine vegetation 1.25 2.5 n/a n/a
Mixed forest 0.6 0.6 n/a n/a
WATER TRAVEL
Needleleaf forest 0.6 1.25 n/a n/a TYPE OF VESSEL BASIC SPEED (MILES PER HOUR)
Snow- or rockfield 0.3 Dismount n/a n/a
Raft 1
Rowboat 1.5
OVERLAND TRAVEL MODIFIERS Canoe 2
CONDITION SPEED MULTIPLIER (OR PENALTY) Longship 3
Keelboat 1
PHYSICAL PENALTIES* Sailing ship 2
Encumbrance (GEP) 5% per 1 test result penalty Warship 2.5
Injuries 5% per 1 test result penalty
Weariness 5% per 1 test result penalty WATER TRAVEL MODIFIERS
PACE
CONDITION SPEED MULTIPLIER
Walk x1
Jog x2 WATER SURFACE
Run x3 Calm water x1
Rough water x 0.8
RACE Very rough water Not possible
Dwarf x1
Elf x 1.1 DRIFTING AND PADDLING
Hobbit x 0.9 Drifting with the current x1
Man x1 Paddling with the current x2
Orc x 1.05 Paddling against the current x 0.5
HORSE PACE SAILING WITH THE CURRENT
Walk x1 Strong current x 1.5
Trot x2 Average current x 1.25
Canter x3 Weak current x 1.1
HORSE TYPE SAILING AGAINST THE CURRENT
Pony x 0.7 Strong current x 0.5
Light horse x 0.9 Average current x 0.75
Medium horse x1 Weak current x 0.9
Heavy horse x 0.8 SAILING WITH THE WIND
Mearas x 1.1 (or more) Strong wind x3
Elven-steed x 1.2 (or more) Average wind x2
Weak wind x 1.25
*: When travelling on foot, use the characters Physical Penalties to
determine how much their travel speed is decreased. While mounted, SAILING AGAINST THE WIND
use the Physical Penalties their horses are suffering instead. Add up Strong wind x 0.25
all applicable penalties and convert them into a multiplier. For in- Average wind x 0.5
stance, an aggregate penalty of 15% becomes a x 0.85 multiplier. Weak wind x 0.75
246
WEATHER MODIFIERS
SLEEPING IN THE WILDERNESS
Whereas most speed multipliers should be self-explana- The first night in the wilderness, a character recovers long-
tory, the way how some weather conditions may modify and short-term Weariness from the previous day as normal.
movement rates must be discussed in a little more detail. But upon awaking after sleeping in the wilderness, he must
MUD: Rain falling for at least eight hours will create mud make a Stamina test against a base TN of 15.
on trails and unpaved roads, cutting movement rates in half. Modifiers for any of the following conditions apply: Sleep-
Ground cover, such as grass or gravel, prevents mud except ing on the ground without any bedding (+3 to +9), interrupt-
ed or insufficient sleep (+1 to +9), poor protection against ill
for very heavy rain falling one or more days. If there is no
weather (+1 to +6), insufficient food or water (+3 to +9),
mud, rain reduces movement as indicated on Table 9.30. sleeping in quilt or leather armour (+5) or in metal armour
SNOW: Snow less than knee-high slows movement by one (+12), being injured (characters injury penalty).
third (i.e., apply a x 0.66 travel speed multiplier). While trav- On any level of success, the character is able to cope with
elling on a road or trail, hard-packed snow only entails a x 0.8 his unpleasant situation and gains no additional Weariness.
speed multiplier. Snow deeper than knee-high slows move- However, on a failure, the character loses one entire Weariness
ment dramaticallyfor this, and for blizzards, all movement Level straight away per LoF (to a maximum of three levels).
Weariness caused by lost sleep is automatically regained
should be at most one-quarter the normal rate. Characters
after one full night of sleep, but is not regained until you get
wearing skis can move at the standard Foot speed; snowshoes that night of sleep.
allow the user to move at one half of that rate.
TRAVEL SKILL TESTS TRANSPORTATION

Normally, travelling overland requires no skill tests at all. This section summarises the capacities and requirements
(Note that it is assumed that a character travelling on horse- of porters, mounts, and various draught animals. Note that
back has at least one skill rank in Ride, and one who steers a these are average capacitiesoutstanding horses like Asfaloth,
wain or a boat must also have at least one rank in his Team- Shadowfax, or Brego have strength and endurance far be-
ster or Seafaring skill.) Only if the characters try to move at a yond these limits and should be handled according to the de-
faster pace than ordinary walking speed, or if they pass tailed rules on horses provided in Chapter Ten (see page 271).
through particularly rough or hazardous terrain, should a
Turambar call for appropriate skill tests. These tests are typi- PORTERS
cally made once per watch (i.e., a four hours period), but some
conditions may require a new test every one or two hours. Mannish porters are not normally used in North-western
However, the characters may voluntarily test an applica- Middle-earth, but are fairly common in Umbar, Harad, and
ble skill to increase their travel speed, provided the situation other lands under the dominion of the Shadow. Where slav-
and the Turambar allow it: ery is permitted, some caravan masters include slaves with
First, if the group is not already travelling on a road or their expeditions, partly to haul goods, and partly as guards.
trail, one of its members may make a Survival (Find Path) The cost of hiring a freeman porter is one to three copper
test. The TN depends on the environment and should be pence per day.
raised by +1 to +10 if the area is populated very sparsely. On
a success, the character is able to find a natural or manmade FOUNDERING
path on which the company will be able to proceed faster
than normaladd ten per cent to the groups travel speed for Animals (and men) may normally keep going for two
each LoS (for example, LoS +3 allows to apply a x 1.3 speed watches per day, but require one hour of rest, grazing, and
multiplier), to a maximum equal to applicable Trail rate. watering after each watch of moving. If animals force march
Only one such test may be attempted per group and day (or for one watch (see Forced Marches, below), they require two
any other time interval the Turambar sees fit). hours of rest, grazing, and watering after it. Grazing must oc-
Second, a group of characters who need to push them- cur in daylight hoursanimals will not graze at night, but
selves may make a combined test of an applicable skill will eat fodder if provided. Expeditions sometimes carry fod-
usually Run, Ride, Teamster, or Seafaringevery watch to der and water for their animals if grazing and natural water
increase their travel speed. The leader of the combined test is sources are likely to be insufficient, but this additional load
always the character with the worst total bonus in the appli- must also be carried.
cable skill. After all, a group may only travel as fast as its If the proper resting periods are ignored, or if adequate
slowest member. Test TNs depend on the terrain and the in- food and/or water is unavailable, animals are subject to
tended pace and should be looked up in the respective skills foundering. A chance of foundering is given in Table 9.32.
description in Chapter Four. The test result is referenced This is a cumulative daily chance; partial availability of food
with the movement percentage column of Table 9.10 on page and/or water reduces the risk at the Turambars discretion.
219. If the characters fare poorly on the test, they may have
come across an obstacle and be forced to retreat. On the oth- EXAMPLE: With horses, the foundering chance is 10% after
er hand, if the characters combined skill test is a success, one day without any food and water (i.e., a result of 0110 on
they are able to increase their travel speed (or trim their wea- 1d100), 20% after the second day, and 30% after the third.
riness point accumulation).
247
Gorging TABLE 9.32: BEASTS OF BURDEN

LOAD DAILY DAILY DAILY
Whenever mounts or draught animals are denied food or TYPE (lbs.) FOOD (lbs.) WATER (lbs.) FOUNDER
water for any length of time, they will tend, if either becomes
Porter 60 5 5 5%
available, to gorge themselves. This can result in bloating, ill- Horse, light 230 15 80 10%
ness, and, in extreme cases, death or incapacitation. Horse, medium 280 18 90 10%
Horse, heavy 320 20 100 10%
Pony 200 10 60 10%
FORCED MARCHES Donkey 220 15 80 25%
Mule 250 20 100 15%
A force march is moving for over two watches per day, or Ox 650 35 100 20%
moving faster (25%) than normal over a watch. Force marching Camel 350 10 (70) 15%
justifies a foundering roll at the end of each watch as applicable. Oliphaunt 2,200 180 400 15%
EXAMPLE: A mounted party travels for four consecutive

watches (i.e., sixteen hours). After the third watch, there is a VEHICLES AND VESSELS
10% chance for the horses to founder. After the fourth watch,
there is a 20% chance for them to founder. There are dozens of different wains used in Middle-
earth. For simplicitys sake, we have reduced these to two
PACK-, DRAUGHT-, AND RIDING ANIMALS principal types: two-wheeled carts and four-wheeled wains
(waggons). Each vehicle requires a teamster and draught an-
HORSES: Horses are sometimes used as pack- or draught- imals.
animals, but more commonly as mounts. The load capacities CART: Any two-wheeled vehicle for hauling goods, with
noted are for average light, medium, or heavy cobs; they may an average load capacity of 1,000 pounds. Their movement
be modified for superior or inferior horses, and the Turam- rate is generally the same as the Foot rate on roads or trails,
bar may wish to modify them for other types of horses. and they can be used on rougher trails than can wains. Carts
Higher- or lower-quality food will change the feeding re- are generally pulled by a single ox, and the load capacity and
quirements accordingly. speed given assumes this. If a pair of oxen are used, increase
PONY: Used as steeds by Mannish and Elven children and capacity by 50%, but decrease speed by 10%. Horses may be
by Hobbits. They are also employed as pack animals, alt- used instead of oxen; for horses, decrease the capacity by
hough their skittishness makes it difficult to take them into 20%, but increase speed by 50%. The chance of mechanical
confined or dangerous places. breakdown is 5% per watch moved (i.e., roll 1d100 every four
DONKEY: Used mainly as pack animals. Their daily food hours; on a result of 01 to 05, the cart breaks down). The
and water requirements and foundering chances are similar Turambar may vary this chance based on terrain, force
to horses. Although slower than horses, donkeys are sure- marching, and the quality of the cart: Higher-quality vehicles
footed and can carry heavy loads over rough terrain. are less prone to breakdown. See the Product Quality table
MULE: A crossbred horse/donkey, the mule is an efficient on page 79 for details. A +1 cart, for example, could have a
pack animal, but almost impossible to train as a draught an- 4% chance of breakdown.
imal. They are able to withstand hardships and perform WAIN: Any four-wheeled vehicle for hauling goods, with
work under conditions too severe for many other draught an average load capacity of 3,200 pounds (see Table 6.7, page
and pack animals. 192, for details). Wains can only be used on the best of
OX: Sometimes used as pack animals, but more often as roadsthey are almost useless for off-road travel. Wains are
draught animals to pull wains, carts, and ploughs. They are generally drawn by two oxen, and the load capacity and speed
capable of pulling heavier loads than any other beast, but be- given assumes this. If four oxen (never three) are used, or
cause of their sensitive, unshoeable hooves, they must be horses are used instead of oxen, percentage adjustments to
driven slowly and with great care. capacity and speed are the same as for carts. The basic chance
CAMEL: The most common beast of burden on the longof mechanical breakdown is 8% per watch.
distance caravan roads of Khand and the Northern Ha- SLEDGE: Travelling over snow and ice, sledges move at
radwaith. They are often used as mounts in these areas. double the Foot rate, but are, of course, useless without such
Their movement rate is the same as for heavy horses. Their conditions. Sledges are most commonly used in Forochel and
humps contain a fat reserve which is burned under adverse the Northern Wastes, but are seen in other parts of Middle-
conditions. They can survive for some time with inadequate earth when the climate is favourable. Sledges can be drawn
food and water, depending on load and weather conditions. by any draught animal, often by trained dogs. Their typical
Camels are notoriously ill-tempered and intractable; they will load capacity is 500 pounds, assuming a team of six dogs
sometimes refuse to move for no apparent reason. whose food and water requirements are roughly equivalent to
OLIPHAUNT: Oliphauntsalso known as elephants or one light horse. A Turambar may check for foundering for
mmakil are huge, dark-grey beasts native to the once vast the team as a whole or for individual dogs as desired. The
forests of Haradwaith. With their pair of curved tusks and a basic chance of mechanical breakdown of a sledge is 2% per
long, heavily muscled trunk, they makeif domesticated watch.
formidable weapons of war and beasts of burden. In the
Southron lands, they help speed construction projects and
move goods from city to city.
248
RAFTS, BOATS, AND SHIPS

LONGSHIP: A 75-foot-long ship with forty oars and a total
Of the many types of boats and ships employed on the crew of fifty. It has a single mast and a square sail. It can car-
rivers, lakes, ands seas of Middle-earth, only a selected few ry some fifty tons of cargo or one hundred twenty soldiers. A
can be presented in this book. Ships are the most efficient longship can make sea voyages.
means of transport when their use is possibleroughly five SAILING SHIP: This larger, more seaworthy version of the
times as efficient as land transport. See Table 6.7, page 192, coaster (a kind of sailing ship) is 75 to 90 feet long and 20
for an outline of the below information and a few additional feet wide. It has a crew of twenty and can carry cargo up to
types of boats. 150 tons. It has square sails on its two masts and can make
ROWBOAT: An eight- to twelve-foot-long boat for two or sea voyages.
three people, or a total load of 800 pounds. WARSHIP: This 100-foot-long ship has a single mast, alt-
KEELBOAT: A 50- to 75-foot-long ship that is 15 to 20 hough oars can also propel it. It has a crew of sixty to eighty
feet wide and has a few oars to supplement its single mast rowers. This ship can carry up to 160 soldiers, but not for
with a square sail. It has a crew of eight to fifteen and can car- long distances, since there is not enough room for supplies
ry forty to fifty tons of cargo or one hundred soldiers. With for that many. The warship cannot make sea voyages and
its flat bottom, a keelboat can make sea voyages as well as sail sticks to the coast. It is not used for cargo.)
down rivers.
249
Chapter Ten
COMBAT
ombat resolution is an elusive struggle to balance playability with realism. Players invest a
C good deal of time in their characters and ought to resent any combat system that dispatches
them with arbitrary random. The Ambarquenta combat system rewards players with a variety
of tactical options, and extensive weapon and armour details (depicted in Chapter Six), but remains
highly playable. Still, the perils of mortal combat favour players who know when to fight and when to
flee.
COMBAT BASICS ACTION ROUNDS
O W
f all the action sequences typical to an adventure, hen violence erupts, the Turambar should imme-
combat scenes generally create the most dramatic diately begin describing events in terms of action
tension because of the potential for physical injury rounds, each about six seconds long. All characters
and death. Although you can generally resolve combat ac- involved in the combat may take as many actions each round
tions as standard or opposed skill and attribute tests, combat as they can afford with their available actions points (AP), as
tests are somewhat more involved in terms of the number determined by their action allowance (AA). See pages 211
and types of test modifiers and character options available. to 214 for an introduction to Ambarquentas point-based ac-
The combat system presented in this book describes a va- tion resolution system.
riety of actions and tests used to simulate combat scenarios in
the world of Middle-earth.
INITIATIVE
BASIC AND OPTIONAL RULES At the beginning of each new action round, all characters
roll with two ten-sided dice to reflect the imponderables and
The Ambarquenta combat rules are modular. A basic fortuities of combat, and each characters reactions to them.
combat resolution system is given along with optional rules This is not a normal roll of 2d10, though: only the worse of
that add (or, sometimes, reduce) detail and realism. Alt- the two dice (for example, the 2 if the dice yield rolls of 2
hough its fine to browse the optional rulesas customary and 7, respectively) is added to the characters action allow-
marked with a checkbox (), please resist the temptation ance for this round. Whats more, a roll of 0 grants no extra
to add too many to play until you are comfortable with the AP (i.e., results range from 0 to 9).
basic rules. Each different type of action requires a certain amount of
action points to be spent. Each character adds up any spent
AP in a running AP tally as he acts during a round. A char-
SCALE AND MINIATURES acter can take no further actions once his running AP tally
equals his AA. Likewise, he may take no further action if its
The Ambarquenta combat system is compatible with 32 AP cost would raise his running AP tally beyond his AA.
or 25 mm miniatures representing individual characters. For In a given round, characters act in a fixed order deter-
easy combat resolution, it is suggested to use combat maps mined by their respective initiative numbers (commonly ab-
marked off in hexes which are one inch (25 mm) across. Each breviated IN). A characters IN is equal to his AA, modified
hex represents one game yard; therefore, it is easy to work by the worse die of 2d10, his Physical Penalty, andif appli-
without a hex gridsimply read all references to hexes as cablehis weapons attack IN modifier. Initiative numbers
units of three feet or one yard. do not normally change over the course of a given round; on-
Miniatures are assumed to be anywhere within the hex ly a weapons attack IN modifier may change during a round,
they occupy. Normally, two figures are engaged (see En- but an increase of a characters Physical Penalty is ignored.
gagement Zones, page 255, for a definition of this term) The character with the highest initiative number gets the
when they occupy adjacent hexes or share the same hex, or first turn in which he can perform any suitable combination
when their bases touch if a hex grid is not in play. of actions allowed by the Turambar and the below guide-
250
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
lines, followed by the character with the second highest IN, Conversely, when a turn arrives that is a characters turn
and so on. This is called an initiative pass. If two or more to act, the character may intentionally choose to go after an-
characters are tied for initiative, the one with the highest other character and declare that he is delaying his action until
Swiftness acts first (see below for details). another characters turn later in the same or a subsequent ini-
Once all characters have had a turn to act in, the first initiative pass. While the character waits, he may do nothing
tiative pass ends, and a second begins, provided any charac- except take free actions as normal.
ters still have some AP left for taking further actions. This Delayed actions normally become effective before anyone
process is repeated until all characters have either used up all else can act at the specified IN. However, if two or more
of their available AP, cannot take any further desired actions characters are each seeking to go at the same IN, only the
(e.g., because they do not have enough AP left), or simply character who would win an initiative tie gets to choose
choose to forfeit their remaining AP (if any). whether to act first or last on that turn, no matter whether he
has delayed his action or if it is his regular turn to act.
ATTACK INITIATIVE MODIFIERS: It may be a considera-
If a character skips an entire initiative pass by delaying an
ble advantage in melee combat to use a wieldy weapon, or one
action, he usually forfeits between one third and one half of
with a long reach. Such weapons will either allow you to
his AP, as the Turambar deems appropriate. Whats more,
strike an opponent faster and more often, or before he can
characters cannot use a delayed action to effectively go twice
even get close enough to attack you. Therefore, your initia-
in the same initiative pass. They still get to act in the next ini-
tive number may be modified according to the attack speed
tiative pass, as normal, if they have enough AP left to act and
and length of your weapon, as well as your own reach.
thus have a turn.
Since fast and wieldy weapons tend to be short, these two
You may also delay an action to any point in any subse-
factors (i.e., attack speed and reach) partially neutralise each
quent round, but you must be able to pay its entire AP cost
other. The attack IN modifiers listed on Table 10.1 account
in the round in which you declare the delayed action and may
for this. In addition to the listed fixed attack IN modifiers, a
do nothing (except for taking free actions as normal) until
characters size may also entail an IN modifier.
you choose to resolve the action, thus maybe forfeiting some
Each character has a personal Stature-based attack IN
AP. You may, however, choose to launch the delayed action
modifier which is determined by the following formula:
before anyone else gets the chance to act in the new round
(Stature 11) 2, rounded off and receive your normal action allowance, minus the AP cost
Apply the result as a modifier to your IN along with the of the delayed action, for the remainder of that round. Again,
attack IN modifier derived from Table 10.1. Ranged and any tied delayed actions are resolved in the order chosen by
magical attacks have a 0 (zero) attack IN modifier. the character who would win an initiative tie.
In addition to these standard attack IN modifiers, the
following modifiers may apply (Turambars decision) in a SURPRISE
number of situations:
If a character is unaware of assailants or simply doesnt
Weapon not ready (first strike only) up to 9 IN expect violence, an attacker may surprise him. To determine
One-handed weapon (1 and 1,2 reach weapons) 0 IN if a character is surprised, the Turambar can require an
Two-handed weapon (first strike only) +3 IN Awareness attribute test (TN 20 if he didnt quite expect the
Polearm weapon (first strike into hex 2+ only) +6 IN
Polearm weapon (when striking into hex 1) 6 IN
fight or if surprised by odd tactics in the middle of a fight,
Short weapon (first strike with C and C,1 TN 30 if surprised by an ambush, each plus any applicable
reach weapons only) 3 IN physical TN modifiers). Characters who score an LSF 0 on
their Awareness test receive 50% of their action allowance
The various first strike attack IN modifiers only apply if during the upcoming round. Each additional LoS increases
a character hasnt already parried an attack by a new foe. For their AA by 10% (to a maximum of 90%), while each LoF
a definition of the listed melee weapon reach increments, see reduces it by another 10% (to a minimum of 10%). Initiative
the optional rules on Weapon Reach on page 255. numbers are based on these lowered AA scores during the
Note that attack IN modifiers (as well as his Physical current round of combat only.
Penalty) do not change a characters action allowance; they
merely change when in an initiative pass his turn occurs at
which his action takes effect. Hence, if he suffers an attack VARIABLE ACTION POINT COSTS
IN penalty and also a considerable Physical Penalty, he may Some actions, particularly attacks and parries, have both
even get to act at a negative IN. a standard and a minimum AP cost, which is noted like this
on Table 10.1:
INITIATIVE TIES AND DELAYED ACTIONS # S (# M).
If two or more characters are tied for initiative, the one The S number is the standard AP cost of the action,
with the highest Swiftness acts first. If several have the same while the M number in brackets shows its minimum AP
Swiftness, the one with the greatest attack IN modifier at- cost. A character suffers a 3 test result penalty for each AP
tacks first. If this still doesnt settle the IN tie, attacks and ef- devoted less to an action than its standard AP Cost. If he
fects are simultaneous. cannot at least spend as many AP as the minimum AP cost
of the action, he cannot take the action.
251
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
COMBINING ACTIONS the due AP cost of his declared action(s) to his AP tally for
the current round. (Of course, players could also subtract the
At the Turambars discretion, characters may combine due AP costs of their actions from their AA if they feel more
two actions and perform them sequentially in a single turn comfortable doing the math the other way round.) Once the
(i.e., at the same IN of a given initiative pass). Of course, the- character with the highest IN has acted, he must immediate-
se actions must reasonably complement each other, and only ly declare his next desired action.
a single action may be an attack action. Common combina- Then the character with the second highest IN gets his
tions of actions include (among others): first turn in which he resolves his first action and declares his
Aim + Melee Attack; Draw Melee Weapon + Melee At- intended next action, and so on, until all characters have had
tack (an up to 9 attack IN modifier may apply, depending on a turn in the first initiative pass. Once the first initiative pass
how fast a character can draw or ready his weapon); Ready is completed, a second begins, provided any characters still
have some AP left for taking further actions. This process is
Ranged Weapon + Fire; Aim + Fire Ranged Weapon; Ready
repeated until all characters have either used up all of their
Ranged Weapon + Aim; Fire + Ready Ranged Weapon. available AP or cannot take any further actions.
Needless to say, even if two actions are combined so that
they may performed in the same turn, the character must still TACTICAL INTRICACIES
pay the entire AP cost of both actions.
Optionally, the Turambar may assign a special attack IN Rarely, the actions declared at the beginning of a new
penalty to any combination of actions that requires more round may result in a deadlock where no one is able to exe-
than 15 AP to complete. cute his desired action. To prevent this, one character from
each opposing party may change his declared first action
without losing any AP or suffering other ill consequences.
ACTIONS IN COMBAT Usually, the character with the highest IN within his party
will be allowed to change his declared first action, but if the
group chooses a different character, the Turambar will nor-
I n battle, characters will try to perform many different mally approve their decision.
types of actions, but attacking, defending, and moving As stated before, if an enemys attack or a similar threat
make up the largest part of tests and manoeuvres. As forces a character to take an interrupt action, such as parry-
characters usually react to the actions of their opponents, it is ing or dodging, he may freely change his declared action and
vital to shed some additional light on the sequence of play. perform the interrupt action instead. He then adds the inter-
rupts AP cost to his running AP tally and decides whether
or not to take the originally declared action on his next turn.
THE BATTLE-ROUND SEQUENCE Generally, all participants in a game of Ambarquenta
should heed that declared actions are not hewn in stone. In-
At the beginning of a new round, each player must de- stead, a Turambar should always be prepared to apply com-
scribe what his character attempts to do first. The Turambar mon sense and flexibility. The only thing that must not be
then assigns an AP cost to each declared action that has no changed is the AP cost of a declared attack underway; how-
set AP cost; if the action has a variable AP cost, the player ever, the attack itself may be cancelled at any time in order to
must indicate how many AP he wants to spend on that ac- be able to perform a defensive interrupt action, or the attack-
tion. If a player forgets to declare the AP cost of an attack, he ing character may choose to take a Pass actionor any other
must pay its standard AP cost (unless he could obviously on- suitable action the Turambar deems acceptableand delay
ly afford to carry it out at a reduced AP cost). Once an attack the strike until an IN occurring later that round.
has been declared, its AP cost cannot be changed any longer, For instance, more often than not it would be alright to
but a character may at any time take a defensive interrupt ac- perform a movement action before placing an already de-
tion instead of a declared attack 8or any other declared ac- clared strike (Turambars discretion), particularly if your foe
tion), using any amount of AP that suffices to pay the varia- moves away while you wait for your next turn to act. De-
ble AP cost of the defensive action. Also, movement actions pending on whether or not the Turambar allows to combine
may be aborted before their designated end if the situation the movement action with the pending attack, your attack
has changed. may become effective in the same turn as your movement ac-
Next, each player rolls with two d10 and adds the worse tion, or in the next turn. As a guideline, any movement action
result to his action allowance for that round (a 0 rolled adds that does not require more than 5 AP may be combined with
zero AP; the Battle Reflexes edge may change the number or an attack action in the same turn; in addition, a 2 yards move
result of the dice rolled at this point). He then notes his is included for free in any attack and defensive manoeuvre
characters AA for the current round on his AP Tally, or any (see Free Move on page 256).
other scratch paper. Next, he modifies the AA he has just Whats more, if two or more foes are within the reach of
recorded by his characters Physical Penalty and attack IN your attack (including the 2 yards free move that comes with
modifier and jots down this number on the AP Tally as well. any attack manoeuvre), you do not have to declare whom you
After that, the action resolution process starts. The char- will attack until the turn of your declared attack occurs. This
acter with the highest IN has the first turn and resolves his forces all potential targets to expect to be attacked, making it
declared action (or combination of two suitable actions that a wise choice to save some AP for defending themselves ac-
has been approved by the Turambar). He starts by adding tively.
252
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
TABLE 10.1: COMBAT STATISTICS

MELEE WEAPONS
DAMAGE AP COST PARRY FUMBLE BREAKAGE MINIMUM ATTACK REACH
WEAPON CODE ATTACK PARRY MODIFIER RANGE NUMBER STRENGTH STATURE IN MODIFIER (HEXES)
AXES
One-handed
Battleaxe 2B/4.5E 10 (7) 8 (6) 2 4 16 15 9 +0 1
Hatchet 1.5B/3E 8 (6) 6 (4) 3 3 15 8 8 +1 1
Two-handed
Battleaxe 2.5B/5E 11 (8) 8 (6) 1 3 16 10 8 1 1,2
Greataxe 2.5B/6E 13 (9) 10 (7) 2 4 17 15 12 2 1,2
BLADES
One-handed, Small
Dagger 1E/2.5P 6 (4) 4 (3) 3 2 16 5 5 +2 C,1
Knife 0.5E/1.5P 5 (4) 4 (3) 6 2 15 4 4 +2 C
Longknife 2.5E/2.5P 6 (4) 5 (4) 2 2 16 6 6 +2 C,1
Shortsword 1B/3E/2.5P 7 (5) 5 (4) 1 2 17 7 7 +1 1
One-handed, Medium
Bastard Sword 1.5B/4.5E/2.5P 10 (7) 8 (6) 2 4 17 15 12 +0 1
Broadsword 1.5B/4E/2P 9 (6) 7 (5) +0 3 17 10 9 +0 1
Falchion 1.5B/4.5E/0.5P 9 (6) 7 (5) +0 4 17 8 9 +0 1
Longsword 1B/4E/2.5P 9 (6) 7 (5) +0 3 17 9 10 +0 1
Scimitar 1B/4E/0.5P 9 (6) 6 (4) +0 3 16 7 10 +0 1
Two-handed
Bastard Sword 1.5B/5E/3P 11 (7) 8 (6) +0 3 17 10 11 1 1,2
Greatsword 2B/6E/3P 12 (8) 9 (6) 1 4 18 13 12 1 1,2
CLUBS
One-handed
Club 2.5B 7 (5) 5 (4) 3 3 14 9 6 +2 1
Mace 4.5B 9 (6) 8 (6) 2 2 16 12 9 +0 1
Warhammer 4B/2P 10 (7) 8 (6) 2 3 16 14 9 +0 1
Two-handed
Quarterstaff 3B 7 (5) 6 (4) +3 3 15 9 10 +4 1,2
Warmattock 5.5B/2.5P 12 (8) 9 (7) 3 4 16 14 8 1 1,2
FLAILS
One-handed
Morningstar 5B (+1P) 11 (8) 8 (6) 3 4 17 14 12 1 1
Two-handed
Warflail 6B (+1.5P) 13 (9) 10 (7) 3 4 16 12 12 3 1,2
POLEARMS
One-handed
Javelin 1.5B/3P 8 (6) 6 (4) 2 4 15 6 8 +3 (3)* 1,2
Spear 3B/4P 9 (6) 7 (5) 1 4 16 11 10 +2 (4)* 1,2
Two-handed
Halberd 4B/6E/3P 13 (8) 10 (7) 2 4 16 14 11 +1 (5)* 1,2,3
Pikestaff 3B/5P 11 (7) 9 (6) 2 4 16 11 11 +3 (3)* 1,2,3
Spear 3B/4.5P 10 (6) 8 (5) +0 3 16 12 10 +2 (4)* 1,2
Mounted
Lance 4B/6P 12 (8) 10 (8) 3 4 16 14 11 +3 3,4
Spear 3B/5.5P 11 (8) 8 (6) 2 4 16 12 10 +1 1,2
SHIELDS
Small 2B (1.5P) 7 (5) 5 (4) +3 2 1215 7 7 +0 C
Medium 2.5B (2P) 8 (6) 6 (4) +6 3 1215 10 9 1 C
Large 3B (2.5P) 9 (6) 7 (5) +9 3 1416 13 11 2 C
WHIPS
Cat-o-nine-tails 1.5E/1.5P 9 (6) 7 (5) 5 4 14 8 10 +1 1
Whip 0.5B/1.5E 12 (8) 10 (7) 5 4 14 6 10 +2 1,2,3
UNARMED COMBAT
BRAWLING
Headbutt 2.5B* 3 (2) Surprise attack only 3 N/A N/A Opponents +4 C
Kick 2.5B* 6 (4) 5 (4) +0/5 3 N/A N/A N/A +1 C,1
Punch 2B* 5 (4) 4 (3) +0/5 2 N/A N/A N/A +2 C
WRESTLING
Grapple 2B* 8 (5) 6 (4) +0/5 2 N/A N/A N/A +0 C
Throw 2.5B* 7 (5) 5 (4) +0/5 3 N/A N/A N/A +0 C
Trip Special 4 (3) Surprise attack only 3 N/A N/A N/A +0 C
253
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
RANGED WEAPONS
DAMAGE AP COST WEAPON FUMBLE BREAKAGE RANGE (IN YARDS) MINIMUM
WEAPON CODE FIRE READY LOCATION RANGE NUMBER PB/S/M/L/+X STRENGTH
BOWS
Shortbow 3P 6 (4) 7 (5) Quiver 3 15 5/25/50/90/+20 7
Longbow 3.5P 8 (6) 8 (6) Quiver 3 16 5/30/60/140/+25 9
Composite Bow 3.5P 7 (5) 9 (6) Quiver 4 15 5/30/60/150/+30 11+
Nmenrean Steelbow 4.5P 7 (5) 11 (8) Quiver 3 18 5/40/80/200/+40 15+
THROWN WEAPONS
Axes
Hatchet 3E 5 (4) 7 Straps (belt) 2 15 5/10/15/20/+5 9
Blades
Dagger 2P 4 (3) 4 Scabbard (belt) 2 16 3/6/10/15/+3 7
Knife 1.5P 3 (2) 3 Scabbard (belt) 2 15 3/6/12/18/+3 6
Polearms
Javelin 2.5P 6 (4) 4 Stuck in ground 3 15 5/15/25/45/+10 10
Spear 3.5P 8 (6) 4 Stuck in ground 3 16 5/10/15/20/+5 13
Miscellaneous Objects
Stone (0.25 lbs.) 1B 3 (2) 5 Ground 2 N/A 3/6/10/15/+5 6
Note that Table 6.3: Weapons on page 182 offers additional information on weapon weight, prices, and production time.
Damage Code: How much damage the weapon does with a hit. Choose one of the weapons applicable damage aspects before resolving an at-
tack: blunt (B), edged (E), or pointed (P). The accompanying number indicates how many points of damage the attack inflicts for each
LoS (including LoS 0). For example, 3B means that the weapons deals 3 points of blunt damage for each LoS the attack yields (say, 12
points of damage at LoS +3). Pointed damage in brackets is optional; if chosen, the weapon has one or more spikes attached, but its
breakage number (BN) is reduced by 1. Spiked flail weapons deal pointed damage in addition to the regular blunt damage (determine
armour protection separately), while shields with a spike may either deal blunt or pointed damage (attackers choice).
All weapons have a damage cap indicating the maximum number of LoS that may be counted when determining the damage inflicted
by an attack. When calculating the damage inflicted by a one-handed or a ranged weapon, any LoS greater than +4 is ignored. When
attacking with a two-handed weapon, any LoS greater than +6 is ignored.
Add the full damage modifier derived from a characters Prowess (page 33) to blunt melee attacks, and the half damage modifier to
edged and pointed melee attacks, as well as to all attacks with thrown weapons (regardless of damage aspect).
Unarmed attacks deal subdual damage (*) instead of regular damage (page 226), but characters who accept a 3 attack test result penal-
ty may inflict regular blunt damage. Conversely, you may check your swing and take a 3 test result penalty to inflict subdual damage
instead of regular blunt damage when attacking with a suitable weapon.
AP Cost, Attack or Parry: How many action points (AP) an attack or an attempt to parry with the weapon requires. The first number is the
standard AP cost of the action, while the second number (in brackets) shows its minimum AP cost. A character suffers a
3 test result penalty for each AP devoted less to an action than its standard AP Cost.
AP Cost, Fire or Ready: How many action points (AP) it requires to fire or to ready (i.e., to load, reload, or draw) the weapon. The first
number is the standard AP cost of the action, while the second number (in brackets) shows its minimum AP cost. A character suffers a
3 test result penalty for each AP devoted less to an action than its standard AP Cost.
Weapon Location: The given AP cost to ready the weapon assumes that it is kept in the listed location. If it is stored somewhere else, consult
Table 9.2: Sample Combat Actions on page 213 to learn how many AP it costs to draw or reload the weapon.
Parry Modifier: When the character uses the weapon to parry, modify his parry test by this number. An unarmed character suffers no pen-
alty if he blocks an unarmed attack, but any attempt to block an armed attack suffers a 5 test result penalty and may, at the Turam-
bars discretion, result in an injury to the blocking limb even if the block is successful (see page 260).
Fumble Range: Whenever the 2d10 roll for an attack skill test is equal to or lower than this number, the test automatically fails and the
character must make a Fumble test (see page 220). In armed melee, the character must also roll a breakage test against the weapons
Breakage Number. In ranged combat, an ordinary arrow automatically breaks upon a fumbled Bows test.
Alternatively, the Turambar may ask a character who has fumbled a weapon skill test to roll on Table 9.11: Weapon Fumbles on page
220 instead of making a Fumble (Deftness) test and a separate breakage roll.
Breakage Number: This rating measures the weapons quality. Sturdy metal weapons like swords have higher breakage numbers (BN) than
hafted weapons like spears. In certain combat situations (such as when fumbling a melee weapon skill test), you must roll against your
weapons BN. If the roll equals or exceeds the BN, the weapon shatters. See page 263 for details.
Minimum Strength/Stature: The minimum attribute scores to wield the weapon effectively. For each point short of either minimum attribute
score, the character suffers a 1 test result penalty. See page 185 for details.
Attack IN Modifier: The initiative number (IN) at which an attack becomes effective may vary according to the attack speed and/or length
(reach) of the weapon used. A characters IN is further modified by his Physical Penalty and his personal Stature-based attack IN modifi-
er which is determined by the following formula: (Stature 11)/2, rounded off. Additional attack IN modifiers may apply at the Turam-
bars discretion; see page 251 for details.
Polearm weapons marked with an asterisk (*) suffer a 6 attack IN penalty when used to strike into hex 1. Numbers in brackets include
this special penalty and give the aggregate attack IN modifiers.
Reach (Hexes): If the optional rules on Weapon Reach (see page 255) are in use, the hexes into which you can attack (i.e., the maximum and
minimum distances in yards for a melee attack) are defined by the reach of a melee weapon.
Range: The various ranges (in yards) at which the weapon is effective: point blank (PB, 3 TN), short (S, 0 TN), medium (M, +3 TN), long
(L, + 6 TN), and extended (X, another +3 TN per increment past L). See page 266 for more information on ranged combat.
254
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
MOVEMENT AND ENGAGEMENT Normally, you can only attack forward. The distance you
can attack depends on your weapons reach (see below). For a
right-handed fighter, the right side is the weapon side, and
While each character has a different amount of AP to the left side is the shield side. For a left-handed fighter, these
spend each round (as determined by his AA), no character are reversed.
may spend more than 10 AP on movement actions in any It is a free action to change your facing by one or two hex-
given round. Moreover, no more than two movement actions sides; each additional facing change costs 1 AP per hex-side
can be attempted per round, regardless of their total AP cost. of change (thus, turning 180 costs 1 AP). You may take a
Since running and sprinting are full-round actions, char- free action to change your facing at any time, unless you are
acters typically choose to move at a jogging pace in combat currently defending against an enemys attack or have your-
which allows them to take other actionssuch as attacking self declared an attack which has not yet been resolved (i.e.,
or parryingwith their remaining AA in the same round. you cannot turn to a foe attacking you from behind, and then
When a moving character encounters an obstacle, the Tu- turn to your target again).
rambar may order a Stumble test (see page 220). On a movement action, you must change facing appro-
priately for each hex you enter, as follows: When going for-
ENGAGEMENT ZONES ward, either turn to face the hex you enter or sidestep into it,
thus keeping your original facing (normal movement AP
Because the potential exists to attack or otherwise influ- cost). When you move to the side or backwards (double AP
ence foes and objects that come within reach, each character cost), you keep the same facing (but may, as always, then take
has an engagement zone consisting of the hex occupied and all a free action to change it by up to two hex-sides).
adjacent hexes (or his front hexes, if Facing rules are used).
Any character within an enemys engagement zone is en-
WEAPON REACH
gaged with that enemy. Characters who are engaged may at-
tack each other. Medium-sized and large beings can be en- The hexes you can engage and thus hit are defined by the
gaged with up to six enemies at a time, small with four. En- reach of a melee attack (see Reach (Hexes), on Table 10.1).
gagement zones of friendly characters have no effect.
Close reach (C): You can strike only at targets in your
Engagement zones do not extend into hexes blocked by own hex. See Close Combat below for details.
terrain features such as high walls or closed doors. 1-yard reach (1): You can strike into any of your front
The engagement zone of a conscious, prone character hexes (as shown on the illustration).
is only the hex occupied. This means a standing char- 2-yard reach (2): You can strike into any of your 2
acter is not engaged by an adjacent prone enemy, alt- hexes. See Long-reach Weapons below for details.
hough the prone character is engaged by the standing 3-yard reach (3): You can strike into any of your 3
character. Similarly, two adjacent prone characters do hexes. See Long-reach Weapons below for details.
not engage each other.
Unconscious characters have no engagement zones Most weapons have a 1-yard reach, and can hit only your
(not even the hex they occupy), but may constitute ob- three front hexes. Some weapons have two reaches. For in-
stacles. stance, a dagger can strike at close and 1-hex range. With a
spear (and some other weapons), you can have a reach of ei-
EVADING: A moving character must halt upon entering an ther 1 yard or 2 yards, depending on how you hold or wield
enemys engagement zone. If the enemy wants to attack the the weapon.
moving character, both make an opposed Swiftness test. If Some polearms can have a reach of 1, 2 or 3 yards. Spend
the moving character wins the test (or if the enemy doesnt 3 AP to change grips and go from one reach to another. For
try to stop him), he evades and may proceed, but loses at example, if you are holding a halberd with a grip that allows
least 1 yard of his desired movement. If the enemy wins the you to strike 3 hexes away, you will have to spend 3 AP be-
opposed Swiftness test, the moving character is stopped and fore you can use it to strike someone 1 or 2 hexes away.
must engage in combat. You do not have to spend any AP to change the reach of
non-polearm weapons that have two reaches (such as dag-
FACING gers, greatswords, or quarterstaffs).
Each miniature on the combat map ordinarily occupies

one hex, and faces towards one of the six adjacent hexes.
Your facing defines your front, right side, left side, and rear
hexes, as shown on the accompanying illustration.
Your front hexes are the hexes you can see into, and easi-
ly move into: they constitute your engagement zone if this
optional rule is in use. You can move into any adjacent hex,
but sideways and backwards movement are at half the nor-
mal rate (i.e., double the normal AP cost to move) if you
dont change your facing.
255
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
CLOSE COMBAT: In close combat, two adversaries occupy COMMON MOVEMENT AND
and share the same hex. No further special rules apply if both
wield close-reach weapons or engage in Unarmed Combat.
MISCELLANEOUS ACTIONS
However, if one character has a 1-yard-reach weapon and FREE MOVE: Unless stated otherwise, any attack and de-
the other is unarmed or uses a close-reach weapon, an op- fensive manoeuvre you take allows you to move up to 2 yards
posed Swiftness test is required before an attack may take (and change facing accordingly, if desired). This included free
place. The winner of the opposed Swiftness test may close in move does not count against the limit of two movement ac-
or step away, as required by his weapon, and attack the loser tions per round, but it may only be used to move towards and
as normal, but the loser cannot attack in return before the engage an opponent, or to step away from a foe in order to
winners attack has been conducted and he has defended suc- attack him with a long-reach weapon on your next turn. A
cessfully against an attack by the winner (LSF 0 or better). free move cannot be used to completely disengage from melee
The loser of the Swiftness test needs a success with a de- (this requires a Retreat action), even if it is included in a de-
fensive skill of his choice to attack in return because only the fensive manoeuvre.
evasive movement involved in defending allows him to close RETREAT: A Retreat is a full-round action used to disen-
in or step away as required by his form of attack. If the loser gage from melee. While retreating, you may move up to your
of the Swiftness is unable to defend successfully against a se- BMR (no pace multiplier may be applied) in any direction
ries of attacks, this means that he fails to close in or step away away from your foe(s). You may not retreat into an occupied
as required by his weapons reach and thus cannot attack in hex or through a hex that is occupied by an enemy.
return. However, once he has defended successfully, both Even if a retreat eventually takes you out of the reach of
combatants may attack as normal for the remainder of their your enemies weapons, each previously engaged foe may still
close combat. attack you once (provided they have enough AP left). Fortu-
Instead of attacking, the winner of the initial opposed nately, though, you may use a number of AP to defend your-
Swiftness test may also choose to slip past his enemy without self while retreating equal to your AA 5. However, the only
contact. After at least one attack has been resolved, only a defensive manoeuvres you may perform are interrupt parries,
Retreat action will allow a character to disengage from melee. blocks, and dodges.
LONG-REACH WEAPONS: Weapons used at a reach of 2 or You cannot retreat while in a sitting or kneeling position,
3 yards are considered long-reach weapons. A character en- or while stunned. You can retreat (by rolling) if you are lying
tering the extended engagement zone of such a weapon must down, but conscious.
stop. If he wishes to proceed to some other point, he may try DRAW: Draw an arrow from your quiver, or a weapon
to evade an attack by making an opposed Swiftness test as from its scabbard or any other nearby location. See Table 9.2
described on the previous page under Engagement Zones. on page 213 for sample AP costs. A Draw action is automat-
However, if he cannot proceed past the weapons extend- ically successful unless the character is forcibly held down,
ed engagement zone with his current movement action (be- suffering from a serious or grievous critical injury, or current-
cause he has failed the evading test or run out of AP), or if he ly engaged. The Turambar may require a Swiftness test to
himself wishes to engage the bearer of the long-reach weap- resolve these situations.
on, he may have to defend against an attack by the long-reach LOAD: Load or reload your strung bow. Look up detailed
weapon on its bearers turn before he may attempt to attack Ready AP costs for all kinds of bows on Table 10.1 on page
his foe in return. 254. Note that these AP costs include drawing an arrow
This would be the case if the entering character has a from the quiver and putting it on the bows string. Loading a
shorter weapon than his enemy, because a long-reach weapon bow succeeds automatically, unless the character is engaged
can be used to keep an opponent at bay. In such a situation, in melee combat or otherwise distracted (see Draw, above).
normal initiative rules are temporarily suspended and the REST: This action is available only to unengaged charac-
character with the long-reach automatically weapon gets the ters. The character does nothing except possibly sit or lie
first strike. Only if the target achieves a success with a defen- down. Resting characters may (within reason) perform non-
sive skill test (LSF 0 or better), he may then move into the combat actions such as attending to wounds, doing minor
standard one-hex engagement zone and conduct a melee at- weapon repairs, and the like. If attacked later in the combat
tack on his turn. Any AP lost while waiting for the long- round, they may defend normally with their remaining action
reach attack to strike can be used for the defensive skill test points (Turambars discretion how many AP the character
but are otherwise forfeited. has left).
Characters with long-reach weapons may not use them to NON-COMBAT ACTIONS: If unengaged characters attempt
parry when attacked from an adjacent hex, but can do so if non-combat actions during a combat, conduct the tests nor-
attacked at long range by an enemy character also bearing a mally, but pay special attention to the amount of time (meas-
long-reach weapon. Once the wielder of a long-reach weapon ured in action points or rounds, as suitable) needed to com-
has been attacked by an opponent with a hand weapon, he plete the intended action. Depending on his proximity to the
must himself achieve a success with a Dodge action (the only conflict, a character disengaged from combat might be inter-
defensive skill available in such a situation) or Retreat before rupted by combat participants. In such cases, the Turambar
he can again strike at his foe with the long-reach weapon. must determine whether injury, evasion, or any other type of
This is the reason why most halberdiers also carry a hand distraction affects a non-combat action in progress and, if so,
weapon to which they can switch if necessary. to what extent.
256
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
PASS: This option is available to engaged characters who STEP 1: ATTACK DECLARATION
wish to forfeit or delay their actions (or a part of their action
allowance). They may defend (or attack) later in the combat The attacker describes the nature and target of the at-
round with their remaining action points. The Turambar tack, declaring, as necessary, each of the following:
will determine how many AP are lost while waiting for a turn
to act, according to the guidelines on page 251. Target Declaration
RISE: Stand up from a prone position, for example after If engaged with more than one enemy, the attacker must
having stumbled (see page 220), or from any other position. declare which enemy is being attacked (i.e., the target does
See Table 9.1 on page 212 for sample AP costs. The action is not need to be declared before the attackers turn arrives). A
always successful unless the character is forcibly held down, prone enemy cannot be attacked unless all engaged standing
suffering from a serious or grievous critical injury, or current- enemies are also engaged by other friendly characters.
ly engaged. The Turambar may require a Strength, Swift-
ness, and/or Stamina test to resolve these situations (make Attack Weapon
an opposed test, if necessary).
GRAB: Any action taken in combat which requires manu- In choosing an attack weapon, the attacker is limited to
al dexterity other than drawing a weapon or loading a bow. those available and ready in hand. Hands and feet (and natu-
For example, an attempt to string a bow, retrieve an item ral weapons such as paws, claws, hooves, horns, or tails) can
from the ground, or pick up an item from a table. See Table be used as weapons in Unarmed Combat. If the attacker does
9.1 on page 212 for sample AP costs. A Grab action is always not declare an attack weapon, it is assumed that he attacks
successful unless another character tries to grab the same with the weapon held in his primary hand.
item (see page 220), the character is forcibly held down, suf-
fering from a serious or grievous critical injury, or currently Weapon Aspect
engaged. The Turambar may require a Swiftness test to re- If the attack weapon has more than one damage aspect
solve these situations. (blunt, edged, pointed), the attacker may declare the aspect
being used for the attack. If no declaration is made, it is as-
sumed the character is using whichever aspect inflicts the
MELEE COMBAT most damage per LoS. However, there may be situations
where another damage aspect is more suitable. For example,
A melee attack is an attempt to strike an engaged oppo- pointed attacks with a greatsword may better exploit a defi-
nent with a melee weapon or unarmed attack. The character ciency in the opponents armour and even result in an Impale
taking an attack manoeuvre (see below for a list of common (see page 265).
attack manoeuvres) is the attacker, while the target is the de-
fender. A melee attack has up to six distinct steps: Called Shots
(1) ATTACK DECLARATION: Attacker declares target, The attacker may take an aim action before choosing his
weapon, damage aspect, and attack manoeuvre(s). Op- attack manoeuvre in order to make a called shot to a specific
tionally, he may aim at a specific body part and declare part of the targets body. Where you should hit your foe de-
a called shot, or use the random hit location rules. pends on many thingsyour skill, your foes armour, and
(2) DEFENCE DECLARATION: Defender chooses one of whether you want to kill him. You do not have to state which
Dodge, Parry, Anticipatory Parry, Counterstrike, or body part you want to target until your turn to attack arrives.
Ignore defensive manoeuvre. Optionally, he may
choose a Desperate Defence. HEAD: Hard to hit, but lets you stun or knockout with lit-
(3) SKILL TESTS: According to the preceding choices, each
tle damage, and kill easily with a good shot.
combatant modifies and tests his applicable skill. BODY: An easy-to-hit target for strong, clumsy types or
(4) COMBAT RESULTS: The base difficulty of the attack test
long-range attacks. The best target for an impale.
equals the targets Defence score. Whether an attack LIMBS: Lets you defeat a foe in combat, but may leave him
actually hits or misses the target may depend on the alive for questioning or prisoner exchange. It you do not want
test result of the relevant defensive manoeuvre taken. to kill, this is the best target. Attacking the limbs is often a
(5) INJURY DETERMINATION: If the attacker (or the defend-
good choice if you have high skill, but low strength.
er succeeding with a Counterstrike) lands a blow, de- HANDS OR FEET: Hard targets, but give you a chance to
termine damage and affected body part, then reduce cripple the foe with little damage. Dont try this if your real
the damage by the applicable armour protection (if objective is to kill.
any) to get the number of wound points of damage ac-
tually inflicted. If the effective wound points of damage
Random Hit Location
exceed one of the targets injury thresholds at the If the attacker doesnt aim to make a called shot, 1d100 is
struck body part, a critical injury occurs. rolled in step (5) Injury Determination to learn where his
(6) RESOLVE CRITICAL INJURY: A critical injury triggers a blow falls. Until then, proceed normally with the attack,
variety of special rules (expanded from Chapter Nine). without applying any called shot test result penalties.
257
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
Attack Manoeuvres ing him that round receives a +3 test result bonus to hit him,
but he receives a +2/LoS bonus to the damage he does if he
The attacker selects and declares one of the following at- hits. A power attack costs 3 AP more than a basic attack.
tack manoeuvres he can afford with his available action al- PRECISE ATTACK: A character using this manoeuvre fo-
lowance. Not all manoeuvres may be suitable for all kinds of cuses on hitting his enemy, not on inflicting the worst possi-
attacksfor example, an unarmed attacker cannot choose a ble wound. He receives a +3 test result bonus to his attack
weapon attack manoeuvre, and vice versa. roll, but suffers a 1/LoS penalty to the damage total.
AIM: An aim manoeuvre can be used for one of two pur- SWEEP: If two or three foes stand close together, a charac-
poses: First, you may aim at a specific body part of the target ter can try to attack all of them with one strike. Visually, this
to make a called shot. You do not have to state which body may consist of one great sweeping blow, a swift blow fol-
part you want to target until your turn to attack arrives. lowed by an equally quick return stroke, or the like. He de-
Second, it may give you a +1 bonus to your subsequent clares how many of the foes standing in one of his front hexes
attack (cumulative maximum of +3). You may combine (and he wishes to attack (up to a maximum of three) and suffers a
pay) both types to augment your subsequent attack. 3 test result penalty for each one (thus, 6 to attack two, 9
Aim itself does not allow to attack a target, but it can be to attack three). He then makes a separate attack roll against
combined with any attack manoeuvre except for Sweep, each target (though all take place at the same turn), deter-
Charge, and Wild Swing. Aim does not include a free move mining strike locations and damage separately for each one
and costs 4 AP in melee combat. Aim is a cross-round action, he hits. If one of the targets successfully parries the attack he
but you must not attempt to perform another action while faces, the attacker cannot make further attack rolls. A Sweep
aiming (though you may delay your blow). You lose the ben- costs 5 AP more than a basic attack.
efits from aiming if you are attacked yourself or otherwise TWO-HANDED ATTACK: A character can use both hands
distracted. to wield some weapons, such as maces or longswords, that
BASIC ATTACK: A standard attack with a melee weapon, only require one hand to use. This allows him to strike a
in an attempt to slay the target. more powerful blow, but at the cost of not being able to use a
SUBDUAL ATTACK: A strike with the flat of the blade or shield. He receives a +1/LoS bonus to the damage he does if
other blunt part of a weapon, to subdue the opponent rather he hits. A two-handed attack costs 2 AP more than a basic
than kill him. You can use any melee weapon that deals regu- attack. Note that bastard swords or battleaxes can be wielded
lar blunt damage to deal subdual damage instead, but you with either one or two hands without taking this manoeuvre,
suffer a 3 penalty on your attack test. Subdual damage is provided the character has developed both required sub-
non-lethal and wears off faster than regular damage. See pag- skills.
es 226 and 234, respectively, for details. CHARGE: Charging permits a character to use his mass,
DEFENSIVE ATTACK: A character using this manoeuvre strength, and momentum to deliver a particularly forceful at-
fights defensively, perhaps to gain the measure of his enemy. tack after running a short distance. He must move at least
He suffers a 5 test result penalty to his attack, but receives a three yards towards his foe in that combat round and then
+3 bonus to his Defence score, and to all dodge and par- make his weapon skill test for the attack. He suffers a 5
ry/block tests to defend against the opponent he attacks on penalty to any dodge and parry tests during the same round,
his turn. The defensive bonuses apply against that opponent but if his attack hits, he multiplies the damage (before ar-
until the character takes any action other than defensively at- mour protection) he does by 1.5 and forces the target to
tacking that foe or dodging/parrying his attacks. make an opposed Strength test to avoid being knocked
FENCING: A character using this manoeuvre attempts to prone. The charger receives a +2 bonus to his Strength test.
drive his foe backwards, rather than to inflict the highest pos- A charge costs 5 AP more than a basic attack. It com-
sible damage. Fencing attacks can only be carried out with a bines the cost of jogging a distance up to ones BMR (no pace
suitable weapon such as a small or medium blade. multiplier may be applied to further increase that distance),
If the defender fails or foregoes to defend against a suc- plus a single attack, into one manoeuvre. Hence, a charge
cessful fencing attack, he can at most sustain as much damage cannot be combined with another action.
as the weapon inflicts with an attack LoS of +1, but he is WILD SWING: A wild swing is a blow thrown at a target to
forced to step backwards 1 hex per LoS the attack yields. your side or rear. A wild swing is at a 8 test result penalty or
The associated movement is free for both the attacker and the current Darkness penalty, whichever is worse. You can-
the defender. not aim at any particular part of the targets body.
If a defender was successfully driven back with an attack, A wild swing costs 3 AP less than a basic attack (mini-
the attacker may immediately make another fencing attack as mum 3 AP), but does not include a free move as you turn
an interrupt action which takes place outside of the normal around on the spot. Your change of facing becomes effective
initiative order. The subsequent fencing attack costs only one after your attack test has been resolved.
half (rounded down) of the normal attack AP cost. However, If you have the Peripheral Vision talent, your right and
the attacker can take no other action between two fencing at- left hexes count as front hexes, too. Therefore, an attack into
tacks if he wants to attack at the lowered AP cost. Such a se- your right hex is not a wild swing. An attack into your left
ries of fencing attacks may be prolonged until the target suc- hex is a wild swing (unless you have a two-handed weapon)
cessfully defends or the attacker runs out of AP. you can see, but the angle of attack is clumsy.
POWER ATTACK: A character using this manoeuvre per- DISARM: As a melee attack, you may make a disarm at-
forms an all-out attack, ignoring the risk to himself in the tempt. If your foe chooses to parry your disarm attempt, you
hope of inflicting a greater injury on his foe. Anyone attack- and the defender make opposed tests with your respective
258
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
weapon skills. If your foe doesnt parry your disarm attempt, easy to strike if both combatants are roughly the same size.
or if you try to knock a ranged weapon from his hand, the de- Furthermore, the Turambar may require the target to make a
fender tests his choice of Strength or Deftness instead. The TN 20 Awareness test to avoid the worst effects (such as be-
defender receives a +1 test result bonus if his weapon is heav- ing forbidden to defend) from being surprised (see page 251).
ier than yours, +3 if it is twice as heavy, +5 if it is three times However, a headbutt failed by LoF 2 or worse causes
as heavy (or if you are unarmed), and so on. He receives an damage to the attacker. His LoF equals the LoS of a
additional +3 test result bonus if he uses a two-handed headbutt he receives. Like all unarmed attacks, a headbutt
weapon. deals subdual damage per default.
If you win, the defender is disarmed. If you attempted the GRAPPLE: This unarmed attack manoeuvre allows a char-
disarm manoeuvre unarmed, you now have the weapon, un- acter to get a hold on an enemy. He makes an Unarmed
less it is a weapon you cannot grab (like a dagger)then you Combat: Wrestling skill test to seize the target. If he suc-
can force him to drop it by winning an opposed Strength ceeds, he grabs the target, who now suffers a 8 penalty to
test. Otherwise, its on the ground at the defenders feet. any action test other than trying to break free. The Turam-
If you fail by LoF 3 or worse, you are disarmed. If you bar may rule that certain actions are impossible instead.
fail by LoF 2, then the defender may immediately react and The attacker keeps hold of the target until he releases the
make an attempt to disarm you, using the same procedure. target or the victim breaks free. To break free, the grappled
This costs him no AP and occurs at your turn, but you need character must spend 8 AP on a discrete turn and win an op-
to pay the AP cost to parry if you wish to use your weapon posed Strength test against the attacker. Alternatively, the
skill rather than your Strength or Deftness. target may opt to pit his Escape skill against the attackers
ENTANGLE: With a suitable weapon, such as a whip or a Wrestling skill (or Strength) in an opposed test. While the
flail, you may try to entangle the target instead of dealing attacker still has a hold on the target, he may do any of the
damage to him. Entangle attacks may also be attempted with following as an additional attack action:
nets, cloaks, blankets, ropes, bolas, or other suitable items.
Make a grapple attack test to squeeze or throttle the
Attempts to entangle a weapon are resolved according to the
target. This does subdual damage as indicated on Ta-
rules for attacking a weapon (see page 263). An entangle at-
ble 10.1 (2B per LoS, plus Prowess modifier).
tack is treated as a melee attack, unless the weapon is thrown.
Actively maintain the hold (5 AP, but no discrete turn
The defender may choose any defensive manoeuvre.
or test required). If the defender tries to break free this
If the defender tries to parry your entangle attack, but
round, the attacker gets a +5 bonus to the aforemen-
your attack scores LoS +1, the parrying weapon is entangled.
tioned opposed test.
With a greater LoS, or if the defender hasnt parried your
Make an Unarmed Combat: Wrestling (Throw) attack
successful attack, an entire body zone (head, torso, right or
test to throw the target to the ground or against a wall.
left arm, or right or left leg) of the target is entangled. In ei-
This does subdual damage as indicated on Table 10.1
ther case, the target suffers a 5 test result penalty to any ac-
(2.5B per LoS, plus Prowess modifier) if the attacker
tion tests other than trying to break free. Entangled weapons
wishes, or he can simply maintain the hold, but at no
may be dropped to escape this effect.
bonus.
By spending 5 AP each round (no discrete turn is re-
quired), you can use the entangling weapon to keep hold of If the attacker doesnt take at least one of these actions
the target until he breaks free or you release him. To break per round, he must release the target.
free, the entangled character must spend 8 AP and win an TRIP: Though normally a close combat-only unarmed
opposed Strength test against you on a discrete turn. Alter- wrestling attack, characters can also use some suitable weap-
natively, the target may opt to pit his Escape skill against ons (such as whips, flails, or halberds) to trip or unbalance a
your Strength in the opposed test. foe, making their opponent fall to the ground. Provided the
PUNCH/KICK: These are the standard forms of Unarmed attack succeeds, this requires a Nimbleness test (apply a +1
Combat: Brawling skill attacks. An unarmed attack deals bonus per LoS the attack test yields), which the target can
subdual damage per default, but you may inflict regular blunt automatically oppose with his Nimbleness or Swiftness (his
instead if you accept a 3 penalty on your Unarmed Combat choice) at a cost of 0 AP.
skill test. If the attacker succeeds, his enemy falls, taking no dam-
HEADBUTT: In close combat (see page 256), this unarmed age but suffering a 8 test result penalty for being prone until
attack manoeuvre allows a character to clash his head onto he gets up. The stumbling character may be required to make
his opponents skull or face. A headbutt is a rather surprising a Fumble test (see page 220) to avoid dropping his weapon,
attack and may therefore usually be used only once per com- as the Turambar sees fit. Getting to ones feet requires a
bat, unless the Turambar rules otherwise. In any case, a movement action costing 8 AP.
headbutt does not include a free movethe attacker has to If the attacker fails, the defender may immediately react
approach his (hopefully unsuspecting) victim by moving to- and make a Nimbleness test opposed by the attackers Nim-
wards him, or they must already be in close combat. Of bleness or Swiftness (his choice) to trip the attacker. This is a
course, a movement action could be combined with a free action for both characters.
headbutt attack action. A character may make a trip attack against a mounted
A headbutt doesnt require an aim action to target the opponent (be sure to apply modifiers). The defender may use
victims head, and the called shot penalty for targeting the his Ride skill in place of his Nimbleness or Swiftness. If the at-
skull or face is only 6 (instead of 9) as these body parts are tack succeeds, the rider is pulled from his mount.
259
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
STEP 2: DEFENCE DECLARATION modified test result becomes the TN for the weapon or
Shields skill parry test of the defender. With a successful
After the attack is declared, the defender selects and de- parry test (LSF 0 suffices), the defender thwarts the incom-
clares one of the following defensive manoeuvres he can af- ing attack and avoids all damage. If the attackers attack test
ford with his available action allowance. If he has not enough fails, the AP designated for the Parry action are still lost.
AP left in the current round, he cannot actively defend him- A one-handed weapon may only be used to parry attacks
self and must take the ignore manoeuvre (i.e., he must solely from the defenders front hexes or his weapon-side hex (the
rely on his Defence). Almost all defensive manoeuvres are in- right, unless he is left-handed). Conversely, a shield may only
terrupt actions and may thus be performed at any time (see be used to parry attacks from the defenders front hexes or
page 213). his shield-side hex. A two-handed weapon can parry attacks
from either side hex. Parrying attacks from ones side-hex
Defensive Manoeuvres suffers a 3 penalty. Note that the off-hand penalty is not
Regardless of whether a defender chooses to ignore or ac- applied to Shields skill tests.
BLOCK: A block is an unarmed parry, and resolved just
tively defend against an attack, the base TN for the attacker
to determine the LoS (and thus damage) of his attack test like a parry, except that attacks from either side-hex may be
equals the targets Defence attribute. (The only exceptions to blocked (at the usual 3 test result penalty). An unarmed
this are the desperate defence and anticipatory parry ma- character suffers no penalty if he blocks an unarmed attack,
noeuvres, or a defenders success on a counterstrike.) There- but any attempt to block a weapon attack suffers a 5 test re-
fore, an attack test isat the firstconsidered successful if it sult penalty and may, at the Turambars discretion, result in
beats or exceeds the targets Defence. an injury to the blocking limb even if the block is successful.
To avoid damage from such a successful attack, the de- Most of the time, the arms would need to be used to
fender may perform a defensive manoeuvre as an opposed block a weapon attack. Roll 1d100 and refer to the following
test. If the target wins the opposed test pitting his defensive breakdown chart to determine the part of the arm that may
skill against the attackers weapon skill test result, he emerges be injured (odd results indicate the left arm is affected, even
unscathed. If, however, the defender fumbles his defensive rolls the right):
skill test or rolls so badly that its result is below his Defence Shoulder 0128
score, the LoS of the attack is still based on the targets De- Upper Arm 2956
fence. In other words, a failed defensive manoeuvre can never Elbow 5764
make things worse for the target of an attack! Lower Arm 6586
Hand 8700
A character may only defend against attacks made from
his front or side hexes, but not from his rear hex. Tests to de- The defender sustains damage to the blocking limb as if
fend against attacks from ones side-hex suffer a 3 penalty. the weapon attack scored a LoS equalling 1d3, minus the de-
Only a single defensive manoeuvre can be attempted to avoid fenders LoS with the block action; no damage is sustained if
any one attack. the LSF can so be reduced to 0 or below (i.e., if the block
IGNORE: This action is normally taken only by characters test yields LoS +3, the defender takes no damage).
who are foolishly brave, unaware of the attack, cannot afford ANTICIPATORY PARRY/BLOCK: An anticipatory parry or
the AP for an active defence, or otherwise incapable of de- block is basically resolved like a standard parry or block, ex-
fending themselves. The defender makes no roll and must cept that it is not an interrupt action which may be taken at
solely rely on his Defence score. any time to react to an opponents attack. Instead, an antici-
DODGE: In response to any melee attack the character is patory parry must be declared as your first action at the be-
aware of, he may dodge to attempt to avoid injury. Dodging ginning of a new round, or as your next action immediately
costs a number of AP equal to 1 plus the defenders general after you have completed a movement or attack action. Spe-
encumbrance penalty (GEP) applied as a positive figure, or a cifically, an anticipatory parry cannot be declared as your
minimum of 2 AP. Thus, for example, dodging costs 3 AP next action after you have just performed an anticipatory par-
for a defender with a GEP of 2, or 2 AP for an unencum- ry or any other kind of defensive action. Hence, only a stand-
bered defender. ard defensive manoeuvre may follow an anticipatory parry.
A dodge manoeuvre must be declared prior to the attack- A declared anticipatory parry can normally only be can-
er rolling his skill test. The attacker then makes the appro- celled in favour of an interrupt action, but not an attack. On-
priate skill test. If successful, the attackers test result be- ly the character with the greatest IN may, at the beginning of
comes the TN for the targets Dodge skill test. With a suc- the round, cancel a declared anticipatory parry and perform
cessful Dodge test (LSF 0 suffices), the defender evades the another action instead without losing the due AP. Once any
attack and avoids all damage. If the attackers attack test fails, action has been resolved in a given round, all declared antici-
the AP designated for the Dodge action are still lost. patory parries must be executed, unless a character chooses
PARRY: In melee combat, a character may attempt to par- to take an interrupt action, or to forfeit the designated AP
ry a weapon attack to avoid injury. Resolving a parry works and perform another non-interrupt action at an accordingly
similar to resolving a dodge manoeuvre. Parrying costs a later point instead. Likewise, if a character has declared an
number of AP as listed for the parrying weapon on Table anticipatory parry and does not become the target of an at-
10.1. You must declare your intent to parry prior to the attack in the running initiative pass, he loses the due AP.
tacker rolling the skill test. The attacker then makes the ap- The benefit of an anticipatory parry is that after having
propriate weapon attack skill test. If successful, the attackers rolled his skill test, the defender may choose whether the
260
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
tests result or his Defence score is used as the TN of the at- so saving his own hide. Counterstrikes tend to be bloody and
tack. This way, even a failed anticipatory parry may improve favour the original attacker.
the defenders situation as the attackers LoS (and the corre- A counterstrike costs the same amount of AP as making
sponding damage) will more often than not be based on a a basic attack. The defender must declare a counterstrike
higher TN than targets Defence. prior to the attacker rolling his skill test. While the attacker
DESPERATE DEFENCE: In any given round, a defender may may conduct any attack manoeuvre he desires, the defenders
choose to do nothing else but defend himself. He must de- counterstrike attack suffers from the following restrictions:
clare such a desperate defence at the beginning of the round,
A defenders counterstrike must be resolved as a basic
or before he takes any action other than a dodge or a parry/
or a punch/kick attack (i.e., no special attack manoeu-
block. Once he has declared a desperate defence, he may use
vres such as charging or sweeping are allowed).
his remaining action allowance to dodge, parry, or block any
The defender suffers a 3 penalty on his weapon skill
attacks made against him as normal.
test.
After having rolled his applicable defensive skill test, the
The defender cannot aim on a counterstrike to make a
defender may choose whether the tests result or his Defence
called shot, nor can he aim to receive a test result bonus.
score is used as the TN of the attack against which he is des-
If the attacker has aimed for a called shot and the de-
perately defending himself. This way, even a failed defensive
fender declares a counterstrike, the attacker may recon-
skill test may improve the defenders situation as the attack-
sider his choice and cancel the called shot along with all
ers LoS (and the corresponding damage) will probably be
due attack test penalties prior to making his roll.
based on a higher TN than the targets Defence.
The defender must apply his weapons parry penalty (if
Declaring a desperate defence costs no AP itself, but any
any), but he must not apply a parry bonus (if any).
defensive manoeuvres taken require the normal amount of
AP to be spent. The combatants then resolve their respective attacks as
COUNTERSTRIKE: A defender may attempt to strike the at- an opposed test. If the attacker wins the opposed test, he
tacker first, thus maybe not only injuring the attacker, but al- strikes the defender and calculates the LoS of his attack
261
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
based on a TN equalling the targets Defence score (i.e., as TABLE 10.2: MELEE COMBAT MODIFIERS
normal). If the defender wins the opposed test, he strikes the
SITUATION TEST RESULT MODIFIERS
attacker, but the LoS of the defenders counterstrike attack is
based on the attackers attack test result rather than his De- Defender prone (attackers bonus) +8
1)
Attacker in advantageous position +1 to +5
fence. If the opposed test results in a tie, both parties land a Attacker in disadvantageous position 1 to 5
1)
blow and determine the LoS as described above (i.e., the de- Defender behind cover, 100% Impossible to shoot around
fender deals damage for a LSF 0 attack, while the original 8099% (head, arm exposed) 12
2)
2)
attacker will probably inflict a more severe wound on his foe). 5079% (some or all of upper body exposed) 9
2)
2549% (all upper, some lower body exposed) 6
2)
1024% (most of body exposed) 3
STEP 3: SKILL TESTS Off-hand penalty 8
3)
1): The Turambar must determine the exact attack test modifier
Once the attacker and defender have declared their ma- (penalty or bonus) based on his assessment of the situation.
noeuvres, the attacker makes his attack skill test against the 2): Apply a special 3 test result penalty when making a called
targets Defence score as his TN. Scoring LSF 0 or better shot against a target who is partially behind cover.
indicates a successful attack. If the defender has declared one 3): The off-hand penalty applies whenever a character relies on
of the above defensive manoeuvres, he then makes his appli- his non-dominant hand to perform a melee combat test (such as
swinging a club or blocking a punch) other than parrying with a
cable skill test, against a TN equal to the attackers test re- shield or blocking an unarmed attack.
sult. Each characters roll may be modified by one or more of
the following modifiers: CALLED SHOTS: With most attack manoeuvres, a charac-
PHYSICAL PENALTY: A characters combat skill test is sub- ter may declare a called shot to a specific body part. A called
ject to his Physical Penalty (i.e., the sum of his injury, weari- shot requires that the attacker takes an aim manoeuvre in
ness, and encumbrance penalties) as described on page 218. addition to the attack action. His attack roll suffers the test
SITUATIONAL MODIFIERS: Each character adjusts his test result penalty (TRP) shown on Table 9.16 (see page 226, the
result by whatever situational modifiers the Turambar deems Turambars Screen, or on his foes Combat Sheet). If two dif-
applicable. This includes the modifiers detailed on Table 10.2 ferent TRPs are given for a pair of body parts, apply the
(which normally only apply to the attacker) as well as the phys- greater one only if aiming at a specially protected strike loca-
ical modifiers found on Table 9.7 on page 216. tion (i.e., the arm to which a foes shield is attached, or an eye
When applying any TN modifiers from Table 9.7 (or a protected by a helms visor). Similarly, if the target of a called
similar source), please heed the following points: shot is partially protected by some kind of hard cover (a wall
or a tree, for example), the attack suffers an additional test
If the target of an attack has declared to perform a de- result penalty as indicated on Table 10.2 (typically, 3).
fensive manoeuvre, the attack is effectively resolved as CRAMPED QUARTERS: In the cramped confines of a
an opposed test (even though its base TN is still the narrow passageway, a dense forest, or a fighting crowd, long
targets Defence). Therefore, any TN modifiers should (and in particular swung) weapons are difficult to wield. The
be applied as test result penalties (or bonuses) of equal Turambar may assess a special test result penalty on charac-
extent. To avoid confusion, its generally better in ters who wield medium-sized or large weapons in cramped
combat to treat any TN modifiers as test result pen- quarters. Daggers and knives can be considered Small weap-
alties. ons which do not entail any penalties when used in cramped
In an opposed test, a relative test result modifier (such quarters (these are generally not longer than a foot and half,
as a size modifier) only affects one of the two parties and weigh no more than two pounds). Any weapon bigger
involved. Normally, only the test result of the active than that, but not longer than three feet and weighing less
character (e.g., the attacker) will be subject to a relative than seven pounds, can be considered Medium, while still
modifier. Otherwise, the modifier would be doubled. longer and heavier weapons should be rated Large.
If both sides participating in an opposed test suffer the Characters who wield Large weapons in cramped quar-
same test result penalties (e.g., a converted TN modifi- ters suffer a 6 penalty to all weapon skill tests. Furthermore,
er for bad lighting), they should be ignored. on a fumble, an attacking character accidentally hits an ally, if
one is nearby. Roll a new basic attack test against that ally.
EXAMPLE: If two Men are struggling in dim lighting, the
Medium-sized characters who fight with Medium weap-
due +3 TN modifier can be ignored whenever the defender ons in cramped quarters suffer a 3 penalty to their weapon
takes a defensive action to oppose the attackers test, as both skill tests. These characters size combined with their weap-
characters would be subject to the same test result penalty. If ons length makes it difficult for them to utilise their training
the target doesnt actively defend himself, relying on his De- and skill in tight areas.
fence instead, the attackers test is a standard test and should Small characters, such as Dwarves and Hobbits, ignore
accordingly suffer a 3 test result penalty (which replaces the
these modifiers. They cannot wield Large weapons, and
standard +3 TN modifier used for non-combat tests).
When a Man is fighting with an Orc in dim lighting, the when fighting with Medium arms, their short stature nor-
Man suffers a 3 test result penalty to all of his attempts to mally compensates for their weapons length and bulk. Simi-
strike at, or defend against, the Orc. The night-eyed Orc, on larly, they gain the full benefit of a small shield, whereas larg-
the other hand, ignores the penalty brought about by the er characters suffer the above penalties for any uses of the
poor lighting. Shields skill in cramped quarters, too (3 when using a small
or medium shield, 6 when using a large shield).
262
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
STEP 4: COMBAT RESULTS PARRYING: A successful parry may cause damage to the
weapons involved, and this is an advantage to characters
As stated above, scoring LSF 0 or better against a TN bearing higher quality weapons. Breakage tests could occur
equalling the targets Defence score indicates a successful at- (Turambars discretion)
tack. To avoid damage from a successful attack, the target
may make a defensive skill test (which he must have declared when a parry test yields exactly LoS 0,
prior to the attacker rolling his skill test, and whose AP cost he if the parried attack scored a test result of 40 or better,
must pay even if the attack test fails) as an opposed test. If the or if an attacker whose blow was successfully parried is
opposed test results in a tie, the defender thwarts the attack. extraordinarily strong, such as a Troll.
Successful attacks that couldnt be averted inflict a certain The weapon with the lower BN must check for breakage
amount of wound points of damage on the defender which first; if both weapons have equal BNs, the attacker makes his
varies by the LoS and damage aspect of the attack. Each breakage test first. For the second weapon, a breakage test
weapon has a damage code that consists of up to three pairs must only be rolled if the first weapon is undamaged.
of numbers and letters. The letters indicate what aspects of ATTACKING A WEAPON: You may strike at a weapon be-
damage the weapon can inflict: blunt (B), edged (E), or cause you want to take its user aliveor because (in the case
pointed (P). The accompanying numbers tell you how many of a polearm) the weapon is the only thing you can reach. A
wound points of damage the weapon deals for each LoS (in- hit on a weapon may chop through the wooden shaft of an
cluding LoS 0) using a particular damage aspect. The at- axe or polearm, or knock down or break a metal weapon.
tacker must decide which aspect to use before rolling his at- To strike at a weapon, the attacker must aim and declare
tack skill test. Any fractions of damage are rounded off only a called shot to the targets weapon. His base TN is the tar-
after you have established the total number of LoS dealt with gets Defence, but he suffers an attack test result penalty ac-
an attack. The attackers Prowess may modify the basic dam- cording to the size of the foes weapon: 7 for striking at a dag-
age inflicted per LoS (see page 33), and the damage cap may ger or other small weapon, 3 for striking at a polearm, spear,
limit the number of LoS that are counted. greatsword, or greataxe, and 5 for striking at any other weapon.
A broadsword, for example, has an unmodified damage The defender may dodge an attack on his weapon. He
code of 1.5B/4E/2P. Thus, an attack which scores LoS +2 may also parry, thus turning his weapon so that the attackers
could deal 4.5 points of blunt damage, 12 points of edged blow misses or slides off harmlessly. He may not attempt a
damage, or 6 points of pointed damage. Depending on the Shield parry against an attack on his weapon (unless the
type of armour the target wears, it may still be a wise idea to shield is the target of the attack).
choose the swords blunt or pointed damage aspect. If an attack to a weapon is successful and not warded off
DAMAGE CAP: A weapons size sometimes limits the by the defender, the targets weapon must check for breakage
damage it can inflict. When calculating the damage inflicted first. If the defenders weapon is undamaged, make a break-
with a one-handed or a ranged weapon, any LoS greater than age test for the attackers weapon as well. A strike to a weap-
+4 is ignored. When attacking with a two-handed weapon, on never inflicts damage on the defender.
any LoS greater than +6 is ignored. Since LoS +0 is counted WEAPON MAINTENANCE: If a character neglects the
separately, this effectively limits one-handed and ranged care of his weapons, their BNs will slowly deteriorate. While
weapons to dealing their basic damage code times 5, and two- its safe to assume that characters will perform minor repairs,
handed weapons to dealing their basic damage code times 7. oil and otherwise care for their weapons after a battle, situa-
tions may arise in which they cannot apply the proper
Weapon Breakage maintenance because they lack the required tools and supply.
If so, a weapons BN will decrease by 1 point for every battle
Some combat test results may trigger a weapon breakage
after which it was not adequately tended to.
test. Whenever the rules or the Turambar require such a test,
you must roll with 2d10 against your weapons breakage Broken Weapons
number (BN). If the roll is equal to or greater than the BN,
the weapon shatters. Knives, bows, and similar small or multi-component
If superior craftsmanship has raised a weapons BN above weapons are always useless after breaking. For other weap-
20, or if the weapon is a masterwork or an enchanted piece, ons, there is a 50% chance that they are still partially usable:
the breakage test is conducted slightly different. First, roll SWORDS: A broken sword is almost useless as an impaling
2d10. Only if this initial roll yields a result from 18 to 20, a weapon, but may become a shortsword with no point.
second roll of 2d10 is required (on a result below 18 with the BATTLEAXES: There is a 50% chance you now have a club,
initial roll, the weapon remains intact). Breakage numbers for and a 50% chance the shaft breaks near your handin which
the second roll of 2d10 are as follows: 18 for enchanted case, there is a clumsy (5 to hit) 1-yard reach battleaxe lying
weapons; 15 for masterwork pieces; 12 for any other type of in front of you.
superior-quality weapons. AXES AND MACES: The head is broken off, leaving you
The following situations frequently entail breakage tests: holding a club.
MELEE FUMBLES: Any time a player fumbles a roll for a SPEARS: There is a 50% chance the head will break off
melee weapon skill test, he must also roll a breakage test, no where it joins the shaftin which case, you now have a quar-
matter whether the actual Fumble test succeeds or fails. (No terstaff. Otherwise, you have a club, and there is a 1-yard
such automatic breakage test needs to be rolled if the option- reach spear, doing normal damage, lying on the ground in
al rule on random weapon fumbles is in use; see page 220.) front of you.
263
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
POLEARMS: It all depends on where it breaks. There is a bottom of his Combat Sheet. By cross-indexing the hit body
40% chance you are left with an 8-foot pole (parries normal- part with the applicable damage after armour protection-
ly, attacks as a blunt pike); a 30% chance you are left with a column of that table, you will be able to determine the inju-
quarterstaff, and there is a very clumsy (5 to hit) axe on the rys severity.
ground; and a 30% chance you are left with a club and there
is a clumsy (3 to hit) battleaxe on the ground. STEP 6: RESOLVING CRITICAL INJURIES
STEP 5: INJURY DETERMINATION This section repeats the rules on critical injuries found in
Chapter Nine and presents some new optional injury effects.
The following steps are taken when a blow lands:
Injury Levels
Determine Body Part Critical injuries are identified as Minor (green), Serious
If the attacker hasnt aimed for a called shot, roll 1d100 (yellow), Grievous (orange), or Deadly (red). They are also
and look up where his blow falls on Table 9.16 (see page 226, rated from one (1) to five (5), indicating their value in Injury
the Turambars Screen, or the targets Combat Sheet). Levels (IL). Thus, M1 is a Minor injury (1 IL), G4 is a
Affected body parts should also be determined randomly Grievous injury (4 ILs), and so on.
if a target suffers damage from natural disaster, traps, extended Injury Levels directly translate into test result penalties.
range missile fire, and similar unfocused sources of harm. If a A character who has sustained 6 ILs, for example, suffers a
random attack comes from above (for example, a traps stroke, 6 Injury Penalty (unless the penalty associated with his cur-
or falling rocks), add 20 to the roll before referring to the ta- rent Health Level is greater: in this case, the latter value con-
ble. This makes the head and arms the most likely targets. stitutes his Injury Penalty); see page 218 for details.
A similar procedure is suggested when the option on dif-
ferent character sizes (see page 216) is used. If an attacker is Recording Critical Injuries
one size level larger than his target, add 10 to the random hit
Each new critical injury, along with its body part and the
location roll. If he is two size levels larger, add 20 to the roll
standard abbreviation for the damage aspect by which it was
on 1d100. Conversely, if a foe is one size level smaller, sub-
caused, is recorded in the injury section of the Combat Sheet.
tract 10 from his random hit location roll, or 20 if he is two
For example, a S2 to the right Elbow dealt with a blunt club
size levels smaller than his target.
is recorded as Elbow (R) S2-B. Additional wounds to that
Note that strikes to a targets head (i.e., his skull, face,
Elbow are recorded on separate lines.
neck, and eyes) and a male targets groin are particularly nas-
ty as an ensuing shock test suffers a +6 TN modifier. Groin Shock Tests
strikes to female (or neutral) targets are treated as strikes to
their hip. Each time a character sustains a new Serious or worse
A breakdown table is provided for strikes to a targets critical injury to his head, thorax, or abdomen, there is a
face. This may be significant if, for example, the target has a risk that he will be downed from trauma, bloodloss, or pain.
helmet with a nose or cheek guard. Eyes are never protected To determine shock effects, make a Stamina test against a
against pointed strikes, but a helm with a visor protects them TN equal to the IL of the new wound x 6; be sure to apply
against edged and blunt strikes. the Universal Penalty (including the new injury) to the test.
The TN of such a Shock test is further modified by +6 if the
Determine Inflicted Wound Points new injury was sustained to the head, a vital organ, or a male
characters Groin.
Based on the targets Defence score, the LoS of the attack
SHOCK EFFECTS: Characters who scarcely fail a Shock test
is established. Gross damage (before armour reduction) is
are stunned: for (IL 1) rounds if they fail by LoF 1, or for
determined as described above under (4) Combat Results.
(IL +1) rounds if they fail by LoF 2. While stunned, a
The net number of wound of points of damage the target
character may not attack, and he suffers an additional 3 test
sustains represents the force actually delivered through any
result penalty to his defensive actions. The only other allow-
intervening armour. It is determined by subtracting armour
able actions are movement (at half the normal BMR) and
protection at the relevant body part from the gross damage
simple physical tasks.
generated for the strike according to the LoS of the attack.
Characters who fail a Shock test by LoF 3 or worse fall
Armour may absorb the entire force of a blow. For more in-
unconscioususually, for a number of minutes equal to the
formation on armour, see the pertinent section in Chapter
critical injurys IL, or at least several rounds (say, 1d5 per
Six on pages 185 to 189.
LoF). In either case, any skill, attribute, or magic test the
Determine Critical Injury character was engaged in fails.
However, if a Shock test fails (by whatever margin) and
Whenever the net damage effectively done to a body part the dice have produced double numbers, the character is in
reaches or exceeds one of the targets injury thresholds, a crit- shock instead, displaying a variety of symptoms including
ical injury has occurred. Table 2.6 on page 32 lists a charac- sickly pallor, cold sweats, weakness, nausea, incoherence, or
ters five distinct injury thresholds as determined by his gazing helplessly at his injuries. Characters in shock may rest,
Health. These injury thresholds (abbreviated IT #1 to IT orif their wounds allowbe led away at half their normal
#5) relate to the columns of the injury table found on the BMR, but they can neither defend themselves actively nor at-
264
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
tempt any other kind of action. Amputations ()

Recovery from shock takes awhile: Every two hours, or
With a Grievous (or converted Deadly) edged strike, the
whenever the Turambar deems it dramatically appropriate,
body part noted may be amputated. Make a Prowess test
the patient makes a Stamina test against a TN depending on
against the indicated IL x 6 (for example, the TN for a G4
his overall state of healthsee Table 9.22: Healing Tests, on
injury is 24). Do not apply your Universal Penalty to this
page 233; his Universal Penalty does not apply to this test.
test. If the test fails, the part is severed. With the amputation
Upon a success, the patient recovers from the shock and
of a limb, an automatic fumble or stumble occurs. For the
functions normally again. Each of an attending healers LoS
purpose of healing, the injury is always rated G5. Whether
with a First Aid (Treat Shock) test will provide a +3 bonus
amputation occurs or not, also make a Shock test.
to the patients next Stamina test. See page 233 for additional
details. Knockbacks
A sufficiently powerful blow to the torso or head can
Deadly Injuries send a target staggering backward. The distance to which a
Some wounds may be immediately fatal. Where a D4 or character is knocked back depends on the total damage done,
D5 result is noted, make a Stamina test against the indicated ignoring armour protection, and the victims Prowess. If the
IL x 6 (for example, the TN for a D5 injury is 30). Do not victims Prowess is greater than the overall damage of the
apply your Universal Penalty to this test, but increase the strike, there is no knockback. But if the damage done is
TN by +6 if it is an injury to the head or a Vital Organ. If greater than the targets Prowess, the target is knocked back
the Stamina test fails, instant death occurs. If successful, rec- one foot for every 2 excess points of damage.
ord the injury as a Grievous wound (D5 becomes G5, for in- If knocked back more than 3 feet, the target must also
stance) and make a normal Shock test. pass a Stumble test or fall down on his back. If the character
Subdual damage (inflicted by unarmed attacks or blunt is riding, a Ride test may be made; if successful, the riding
strikes to subdue, see page 226) cannot be lethal. Thus, any beasts Prowess may be added to his own. If he fails the Ride
critical injury caused by subdual damage which is rated D4 or test, knockback is figured only against the characters own
D5 should be treated as a Grievous wound of equal level in- Prowess score, and he gets knocked off his mount.
stead. The normal rules for Shock tests still apply.
Impales
Special Effects of Critical Injuries When a pointed strike carried out with a suitable weap-
on such as a spear, longsword, or arrow deals enough wound
The way how Ambarquenta deals with critical injuries to points of damage to reach or exceed the targets third injury
specific body parts offers a variety of possibilities for applying threshold, the weapon is said to have impaled the target, ac-
additional game effects. tivating different rules. If an impale occurs, the weapon en-
ters deeply the body of the victim, perhaps even partially
Bleeding Wounds emerging from the other side. An impale inflicts a bleeding
Each critical injury inflicted with an edged weapon opens wound (as described above) and does extra damage to the
a bleeding wound. The victim sustains one wound point of target if it hits his torso. Further, the impaling weapon may
bleeding damage per IL each round and continues to accu- become stuck within its body, perhaps caught on a bone. If
mulate damage until the wound is properly treated with a the blow failed to deal enough damage after penetrating the
successful First Aid (Patch Wound) or Physician (Cauterise armour of the target to be considered an impale, the weapon
or Surgery) test. Bleeding damage starts the round after the is not stuck and there is no need to specially extricate it.
injury was sustained and is applied at the beginning of each IMPALING DAMAGE: If an attack with a pointed weapon
new round, before characters declare their first actions. hits the targets torso (thorax or abdomen) and results in an
impale, add +50% to the net damage that got by the targets
Limb Injuries (Fumbles and Stumbles) armour protection and adjust the severity of the critical inju-
Any Serious injury on the arm or Shoulder requires a ry accordingly.
TN 20 Fumble (Deftness) test, and one to the leg, Hip, or Damage done to other body parts remains unchanged,
Groin requires a TN 20 Stumble (Swiftness) test. Both types but the impale still has some consequences: An impaled
of tests are modified by the characters Physical Penalty. If character cannot be healed until the impaling weapon is re-
the injured character holds an item in both hands, he may removed. If he moves, he will take the weapons basic damage
ceive a Fumble test result bonus ranging from +1 to +3; if he (i.e., the greatest damage the weapon can do at LSF 0) di-
is injured in his shield arm and has the shield tied on, he may rectly to the injured body part because the extruding weapon
receive a test result bonus ranging from +2 to +6. See page is catching on nearby walls or like obstacles, quivering in and
219 on details concerning Fumble and Stumble tests. widening the wound. This additional damage may even result
Any Grievous injury to a limb is an automatic fumble or in a new critical injury to the impaled body part.
stumble (i.e., proceed as if the test failed) and renders the REMOVING AN IMPALING WEAPON: An impaling weapon
limb unusable. A character with an unusable leg can crawl may be stuck in the victims body. Make an Ambar test
unaided, or rise and walk (at half his normal BMR) with the against the victims current Ambar: if successful, the weapon
aid of a staff, a crutch, or a similar device. See the Crippling can easily be removed at a cost of 6 AP. In melee, the weapon
Wound flaw, page 159, for details. Unusable limbs become will usually be retrieved by the attacker, but any other nearby
usable again when they heal to IL 2. character (including the victim himself, if he is still able to
265
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
act) can try to do so as well. Suitable opposed tests will settle STEP 1: ATTACK DECLARATION
any conflicts; the attacker normally receives a bonus to his at-
tempt to retrieve his weapon if he still holds its hilt. If, on the The attacker may fire or throw a missile at any target in
other hand, the Ambar test fails, the weapon is stuck. his line of sight. The attacker declares the target, ranged
Removing a stuck weapon is a full round action and re- weapon, andif applicablea called shot to a specific body
quires either a Strength or a Physician (Surgery) test. The part of the target. Special rules apply if the attacker is en-
TN for the Strength test equals the weapons greatest basic gaged in melee, or tries to target a foe who is in melee.
damage times four, while the TN for the more gentle Physi- LINE OF SIGHT: If a straight line can be drawn to the target
cian test equals the weapons basic damage times five. If the that does not pass through any part of another characters
weapon is removed with a Strength test, or any time the Phy- hex, and is not blocked by a physical obstacle, such as a build-
sician (Surgery) test fails, the target suffers 1d10 wound ing or higher ground, the target is in line of sight.
points of damage. An archer may fire over a friendly or enemy character to
PARRYING AN IMPALE WITH A SHIELD: If the victim of an hit a screened target, provided the target is further away from
impale tried to parry the attack with his shield (obviously to the obstacle than the firer is to the obstacle. That is, if the
no great avail, though), there is a chance that the weapon is obstacle is three yards from the firer, the target must be at
stuck in the shield which it has penetrated through. Make an least three yards from the obstacle.
Ambar test against the attackers current Ambar score: if suc- FIRING INTO MELEE: A ranged weapon may be fired at a
cessful, the weapon can easily be pulled out at a cost of 6 AP. target engaged in melee. This is a risky practice, though.
Otherwise, the weapon is stuck in the shield. Depending on Characters missing their targets must make a separate attack
the size of the weapon, the shield may become useless: against the next potential target in the missiles path. A po-
tential target may be any character, friend or foe, who is
If the weapon is more than three feet long, or weighs within 5 feet from the intended target.
five pounds or more, or if the attacker is still clutching MISSILE USE IN MELEE: Characters using ranged weapons
the weapon, the shield is useless until the character while in melee combat are at a distinct disadvantage, as a foe
holding the shield can remove the weapona task that may disrupt the shot by holding the bow or by striking a
may take him several rounds to complete, as the Tu- blow. Being attacked while firing a ranged weapon results in
rambar sees fitor break it off (he can break the stuck a 20 modifier to the ranged attack, even if the attack fails. A
weapon by striking at it as described above under At- character who wants to disrupt a ranged attack must engage
tacking a Weapon on page 263). If the attacker is still the firing character, and must be able to act before the foe can
holding the impaling weapon, then defeating him is at fire (i.e., he must have the higher IN).
least a start toward a solution.
If the weapon weighs between two to five pounds and Attack Manoeuvres
the attacker is not holding onto the impaling weapon,
the shield-holder can employ his shield only at half his In ranged combat, there is a very limited array of ma-
normal applicable TSB until the weapon is removed. noeuvres available to an attacker (although some suitable
If the weapon weighs less than two pounds, then the weapons could be thrown to make an Entangle attack).
shield is unaffected until enough weapons add up to a AIM: An aim manoeuvre can be used for one of two pur-
total weight of two pounds. If enough small weapons poses: First, you may aim at a specific body part of the target
stick in the shield to equal a weight of five or more to make a called shot, unless the target is beyond the medium
pounds, the shield is useless until the stuck weapons range of your weapon. You do not have to state which body
are removed. Due to their length, arrows are consid- part you want to target until your turn to attack arrives.
ered to weigh .25 lbs. each for the purpose of determin- Second, it may give you a +1 bonus to your subsequent
ing this weight figure. attack (cumulative maximum of +5). You may combine (and
pay) both types to augment your subsequent ranged attack.
Graphic Descriptions Aim itself does not allow to attack a target, but it can be
Once all due game effects have been determined, a Tur- combined with a ranged attack. Aim does not include a free
ambar should provide a vivid description of the critical injury move and costs 2 AP in ranged combat. Aim is a cross-round
in graphic terms, such as Your mighty blow crushes your action, but you must not attempt to perform another action
foes headhe dies instantly. Youre speckled with blood and while aiming (though you may delay your shot). You lose the
bits of his brain. benefits from aiming if you are attacked yourself or otherwise
distracted.
RANGED ATTACK: Characters use this standard attack ac-
RANGED COMBAT tion to fire arrows, throw knives, or make other attacks at
range. Table 10.1 on page 253 lists detailed action point
Ranged combat rules are used when a character fires a costs for firing bows and throwing weapons.
bow or throws a suitable weapon or object. Ranged weapons DOUBLE-SHOT: A character may put two arrows on the
are listed on Table 10.1 (see page 254). All can be employed string of his bow and fire them simultaneously. While the
by characters on foot and by characters mounted on a steed, AP cost for firing the bow remains unchanged, the cost for
although the latter suffer a 5 test result penalty. As with loading it is doubled. The archer suffers a 3 test result pen-
melee combat, ranged combat is also resolved by the same se- alty, but receives a +1/LoS bonus to the damage he does if he
quence of sub-routines. hits.
266
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
STEP 2: DEFENCE DECLARATION TABLE 10.3: RANGED COMBAT MODIFIERS

RANGE INCREMENT TEST RESULT MODIFIERS
The defensive options available depend on whether the
Point blank range +3
target is aware of the attack (or not) and on the velocity of
Short range 0
the missile. Arrows and slingshot-stones are high-velocity Medium range 3
missiles, whereas all other are low-velocity. Long range 6
An unengaged target who has the attacker in his field of Extended range Another 3 per
vision (see page 129) is generally considered to be aware of increment past long range
any attack. However, the Turambar may request an Aware- SITUATION TEST RESULT MODIFIERS
ness test in conditions of poor visibility, ambush, surprise, or Defender prone (attackers penalty) 6
1)
when the target is busy performing a task requiring concen- Attacker in advantageous position +1 to +5
1)
tration. Targets engaged with an enemy are generally una- Defender in advantageous position 1 to 5
Attacker on horseback 5
ware of a ranged attack, but again an Awareness test can be Attacker on moving wain/boat/ship 3
made if there is doubt. The TN for either Awareness test is Off-hand penalty 8
2)
20, plus any applicable TN modifiers. 3)

DEFENDER BEHIND COVER TEST RESULT PENALTY
100% (nothing exposed) Impossible to shoot around
Defensive Manoeuvres 8099% (head, arm exposed) 9
5079% (some or all of upper body exposed) 6
SHIELD-PARRY: If the target is aware of the attack and has a
2549% (all upper, some lower body exposed) 3
shield, he may attempt to parry any type of missile with his 1024% (most of body exposed) 0
full Shields skill bonus to avoid injury, as described for melee 4)
TARGET AND ATTACKER MOTION TEST RESULT PENALTY
parries on page 260 (i.e., the target must declare a shield-
Moving 5 to 10 yards per round (walk) 3
parry prior to the attacker rolling the skill test, and pay the
Moving 11 to 20 yards per round (jog) 6
due AP cost). Anticipatory shield-parries are also possible. Moving 21 to 40 yards per round (run) 9
If a target has no shield, he may attempt to parry a low- Moving 41 to 60 yards per round (sprint) 12
velocity missile at one half (50%) of his applicable weapon Moving 60 to 100 yards per round 15
skill bonus. A limb may be used in lieu of weapon to block Moving 101 to 160 yards per round 18
Moving 161+ yards per round 24 or more
the ranged attack at 50% of the targets Unarmed Combat
skill bonus. Targets without a shield cannot block high- 1): The Turambar must determine the exact attack test modifier
velocity missiles. based on his assessment of the situation.
2): The off-hand penalty applies whenever a character relies on
DODGE: A target aware of the attack can attempt to evade his non-dominant hand to perform a thrown ranged attack.
a low-velocity missile at his full Dodge skill bonus, or a high- 3): The cover penalty applies to random, non-called shots against
velocity missile at 50% of his Dodge skill bonus. All other as- a target who is partially behind cover.
pects should be resolved as described above under Melee 4): Penalty also applies if the attacker is moving himself. Target
motion in yards/rd. 3 roughly equals speed in mph, 2 in kph.
Combat.
IGNORE: If the target is unaware of the attack, the ignore being used. Then consult Table 10.3 to determine test result
option is automatically selected. Otherwise, this option is on- modifiers for that range interval, and apply these to the at-
ly taken by characters who wish to impress someone, cannot tack skill test. The test result penalty for attacks at extended
afford the AP for an active defence, or are incapable of de- range is 3 for each listed increment in excess of long range.
fending themselves. The defender makes no roll and must The absolute maximum range is equal to 5 times the listed
solely rely on his Defence score. long range for bows, and 5 times the listed medium range for
thrown weapons. The maximum distance for called shots is
STEP 3: SKILL TESTS the weapons medium range.
A typical shortbow, for example, has the following ranges
Once the attacker and defender have declared their ma- and test result modifiers:
noeuvres, the attacker makes his ranged weapon skill test
against the targets Defence as his basic TN. If the target is RANGE YARDS TEST RESULT
aware of the attack, his shields parry modifier is subtracted INCREMENT (HEXES) MODIFIER
from the attackers test result. Scoring LSF 0 or better in- Point blank 1 to 5 +3
dicates a successful attack. If the defender has declared one of Short 6 to 25 0
the above defensive manoeuvres, he then makes his applica- Medium 26 to 50 3
Long 51 to 90 6
ble skill test, against a TN equal to the attackers test result.
Extended 1 91 to 110 9
Ranged combat tests may be modified by one or more of Extended 2 111 to 130 12
the following modifiers, all of which are cumulative: Extended 3 131 to 150 15
RANGE: The accuracy and impact of ranged weapons de-
pend on missile type and range. The rules define five range CONFINED SURROUNDINGS: Far ranges for most weap-
increments: point blank, short, medium, long, and extended. ons assume they can be fired or thrown on a rising trajectory,
To find the test result modifier, determine the physical dis- but this may not be possible in a dense wood, narrow pas-
tance in yards from shooter to target and consult Table 10.1 sageway, or like surroundings. Extended and long range fire
on page 254 to find whether the distance qualifies as point in such situations should be prohibited, and medium range
blank, short, medium, long, or extended range for the weapon fire should suffer an additional special penalty of 3.
267
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
PHYSICAL PENALTY: Both attacker and target must apply with the block. No damage is sustained if the LSF can so be
their Physical Penalty (i.e., the sum of a characters injury, reduced to 0 or below (i.e., if the block test yields LoS +3,
weariness, and encumbrance penalties) to any skill test per- the defender takes no damage), meaning that the missile is
formed in combat. redirected in a harmless direction instead of being a strike on
SITUATIONAL MODIFIERS: Each character adjusts his test the blocking body part. See page 260 for further details. Tar-
result by whatever situational modifiers the Turambar deems gets without a shield cannot block high-velocity missiles.
applicable. This includes the modifiers detailed on Table 10.3 Successful shots that couldnt be averted inflict a certain
(which only apply to the attacker) as well as the physical modi- amount of damage on the target. The amount of damage var-
fiers found on Table 9.7 on page 216. When applying any TN ies by weapon, range (the due modifier will affect the preci-
modifiers from Table 9.7 (or a similar source), treat them as sion of the shot), and the LoS of the attack (up to LoS +4,
test result modifiers. For example, a +3 TN modifier becomes the regular damage cap), as described above and on page 263.
a 3 test result penalty, and a 2 TN modifier a +2 bonus. The damage code of any thrown ranged attack is modi-
fied by the attackers half Prowess-based damage modifier.
Bow attacks are not directly affected by the archers Prowess,
WEATHER CONDITIONS but if a bowman employs a customised bow (see page 184),
In addition to the weather conditions treated on Table 9.7,
superior strength will indirectly affect the damage level by in-
wind often affects the accuracy of ranged attacks, especially at creasing the range at which he can fire his bow without suf-
greater distances. The Turambar may assess a wind penalty of fering a penalty.
2 (light), 4 (medium), or 6 (heavy) for stormy weather that FUMBLES: Any time a player fumbles a Bows skill test, an
is further increased by 2 per range increment beyond short. ordinary arrow automatically breaks. Superior or enchanted
For example, a shot at medium range fired in a medium arrows get a breakage roll; the standard BN for a high-
breeze suffers a 6 test result penalty. Ill weather and poor vis-
quality arrow is 14. Masterwork and enchanted arrows may
ibility conditions cannot sum up to a ranged combat penalty
greater than 20. have a higher BN, typically ranging from 15 to 20.
Alternatively, you may use the optional rule on random
BOWS AND RAINFALL: Wet bowstrings lose their tautness
and are easily ruined if the bow is strung. When rain sets in,
weapon fumbles (presented in the box on page 220) instead
experienced archers commonly unstring their bow and keep of assuming that the arrow breaks automatically.
the bowstring dry by storing it under their helmet. The same option, or the standard procedure for fumbling
If an archer doesnt mind risking a bowstring, a bow can a skill test, can be used for fumbled thrown attacks. If normal
be fired during a rainstorm. Bowstrings have a BN of 14. Test Fumble tests are used, the fumbling thrower must also roll a
this BN after each fire. weapon breakage test, no matter whether the actual Fumble
BOWS AND AIR TEMPERATURE: Very cold wooden bows test succeeds or fails.
often shatter when drawn. If the air temperature is freezing, MISFIRE: When a ranged attack fails by LoF 2 or
archers who attempt to fire their bow must first make a
worse, the astray weapon may strike another character near-
breakage test to see if the bow remains intact when drawn.
by the target, even if the target is not engaged in melee (see
Firing into Melee on page 266). The attacker must roll a
TARGETS SHIELD: If the target is aware of a ranged attack, separate attack against a randomly determined nearby char-
the parry modifier of his shield is automatically subtracted acter. The potential target may be any character, friend or
from the test result of the ranged attack. The target may still foe, who is within 5 yards from the intended target.
apply his shields parry bonus to any Shields skill test he
makes when performing a parry manoeuvre, but not to dodg-
ing attempts.
STEP 5: INJURY DETERMINATION
SIZE: Note that size modifiers may optionally apply to If the attacker hasnt aimed to make a called shot, roll
ranged combat tests (see page 216). However, a Turambar 1d100 and look up where his missile hits on Table 9.16 (see
may choose to decrease or ignore the size modifier for Bows page 226 or the targets Combat Sheet). The affected body
tests if the target is at least at the archers medium range. part should also be determined randomly if a target suffers
damage from a long or extended range attack, or from misfire.
STEP 4: RANGED COMBAT RESULTS No size modifiers apply when randomly determining which
body part is struck by a ranged attack.
As stated above, scoring LSF 0 or better against a TN If a randomly located ranged attack strikes a body part
equalling the targets Defence score indicates a successful behind cover (shield, tree, wall, or the like), the shot is on the
ranged attack. To avoid damage from a successful shot, the covering item and not on the target. In some cases, the mis-
target may make a defensive skill test (which he must have sile might penetrate the covering item and still hit the target,
declared prior to the attacker rolling his skill test, and whose though with lesser impact. If the covering is a shield, treat it
AP cost he must pay even if the ranged attack test fails) as an as plate armour for this purpose (i.e., 6 points of pointed
opposed test. If the opposed test results in a tie, the defender damage are absorbed). Other covering items can be handled
thwarts the attack. according to the guidelines found on page 270.
If the target of a ranged attack has successfully blocked a Determining the number of wound points inflicted by a
low-velocity missile by using half his Unarmed Combat skill ranged attack, as well as generating and resolving critical inju-
bonus, the blocking limb sustains damage as if the ranged at- ries, works just the same way as in melee combat. See page
tack scored a LoS equalling 1d3, minus the defenders LoS 264 for details.
268
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES Any inanimate object has two attributes: Protection and
Structure. Protection represents its armour: how much
damage it can absorb without harm. Structure represents its
Some more considerations may become relevant in close Health: how much damage it can withstand, beyond its Pro-
and ranged combat alike. tection, before it is cut, broken, or smashed.
Almost any attack on an inanimate object can be general-
WEARINESS IN COMBAT ised as (a) cutting through a rope or bar, (b) breaking through
a flat surface, or (c) smashing a solid object to rubble. Note
As said in Chapter Nine, a character accumulates a con- that attacks to a weapon actively employed by a foe are re-
siderable amount of weariness points when fighting: solved in a different way because the target can react to the
strike and because there is a significant risk that the attackers
TABLE 9.3: WEARINESS IN COMBAT weapon breaks in the attempt. See Attacking a Weapon on
CHARACTERS WEARINESS POINT page 263 for details.
SITUATION ACCUMULATION From Table 10.4, use the item ratings nearest to the ob-
Melee 2 points per round
ject you are attacking and modify the attack test as appropri-
Ranged Combat 1 point every 2 rounds
Concentration 1 point every 3 rounds ate. To attack an object:
(1) Figure test result modifiers for target size, motion,
Weariness point are applied only once per action round, range, and like factors (see pages 216 and 267). If you are us-
at the end of each round, regardless of the number of actions ing a hand weapon and take an aim manoeuvre, your blow at
a character performs, and what combination of manoeuvres a motionless object receives a +5 test result bonus.
attacking, moving, defending, or elsehe takes. The single Note that a target objects size normally only plays a role
type of action (melee or ranged combat, for instance) with when attacking a small inanimate object. Test result penalties
the greatest weariness rate defines how many weariness typically range from 10 for attacking minute objects smaller
points a character accumulates in a given round. than a mans eyeball to 3 when cleaving a block of wood. As
According to these rules, an average character could en- always, the size-based test result penalty is ignored when de-
gage in melee combat for about two or three minutes without termining the damage inflicted by the attack.
pausing before he becomes Exhausted. Most combat encoun- (2) Make an attack test against TN 10 (there is still a lit-
ters are resolved in far less than 20 to 30 action rounds, tle chance that you could fail to hit the object). Obviously,
though. Therefore, its perfectly alright to apply weariness inanimate objects can take no defensive manoeuvres.
points only after a number of rounds sufficient to fill up an (3) Determine damage normally for your weapon if you
entire Weariness Level. For example, if each of a characters hit. Make sure to apply your weapons most suitable damage
Weariness Levels can hold a maximum of 12 points, he could aspect (edged for cutting ropes or wood, blunt for most other
participate 6 rounds in melee combat before one more point types of strikes on inanimate objects) and cancel out any size-
would cause him to drop to the next Weariness Level. In the based test result penalties when determining damage.
first 5 rounds of combat, he could thus neglect the bookkeep- (4) Subtract the objects Protection rating.
ing concerning Weariness. (5) Apply the remaining damage to the object. When the
object has sustained damage equal to or greater than its
Structure rating, the object has been cut, broken, or other-
ACTION ROUND PHASES wise destroyed.
Structure of a bar or rope is the edged damage required
From whats been said in this chapter so far, its clear that to cut it. Structure of a wall or slab is the blunt damage re-
each action round has three distinct phases. At the beginning
of a new round, stunned or unconscious characters make their
quired to force a 2-foot-diameter hole. Pointed damage of
Shock tests (see page 264) to see if they can shake off their the listed amount will only make a small hole in a slab. Of
impairments. Bleeding characters also apply the damage they course, suitable pointed tools or weapons, such as picks, mat-
sustain from their untreated bleeding wounds at this point. tocks, or warhammers, will also open 2-foot-diameter holes
Next is the main action phase, in which characters declare in a brick or stone wall.
their desired actions and act in order of initiative numbers un- A complex object will have two Structure ratings. The
til all characters have expended all their APs or forgo to take first breaks it and makes it non-functional; the second de-
any further actions.
The round ends with a bookkeeping phase in which play-
stroys it. For example, a treasure chest might have a Protec-
ers and Turambari allot weariness points and ensure that all tion of 6 (wood, reinforced with iron straps), and a Structure
damage and critical injuries have been recorded properly. of 80/200. If you use it to block a door, it will take 200
points of damage to reduce it to rubble. But 80 points of
damage will ruin it as a chest.
ATTACKING INANIMATE OBJECTS Not all types of weapons and damage aspects may be
suitable to attack an object. Make sure that the weapon being
Sometimes you need to attack or break an inanimate ob-
used is one that could reasonably affect its target. A hard-
ject, such as when you want to smash a statue, cut a rope, or
driven spear could easily penetrate a door, but that would not
break open a door. Objects are easier to hit than creatures
break the door down. A sword may eventually cut down a
because they usually dont move, but many are tough enough
door, but the sword will be dulled before the job is over. And
to shrug off some damage from each blow.
so on.
269
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
TABLE 10.4: SAMPLE INANIMATE OBJECTS

SUBSTANCE PROTECTION AND STRUCTURE OBJECT PROTECTION AND STRUCTURE
PROTECTION STRUCTURE PROTECTION STRUCTURE STRENGTH
OBJECT (ARMOUR) (HEALTH) OBJECT (ARMOUR) (HEALTH) TN
Rope 2 40/inch of thickness Rope, heavy ( 3/4) 2 30 35
Wooden pole 4 20/inch of thickness Rope, hawser ( 2) 2 80 50
Iron or bronze bar 3 80/inch of thickness Weak wooden door 4 50 24
Steel bar 8 125/inch of thickness Good wooden door 5 75 27
Wooden slab 5 50/inch of thickness Strong wooden door 6 100 33
Reinforced wooden slab 6 75/inch of thickness Iron door, 2 thick 8 250 40
Iron slab 8 200/inch of thickness Wooden wall, 6 thick 5 300 40
Steel slab 10 320/inch of thickness Brick wall, 1 thick 6 480 50
Mithril slab 18 400/inch of thickness Stone wall, 1 thick 8 900 60
Brick wall 6 40/inch of thickness Stone wall, 3 thick 8 2,700 70
Stone wall 8 75/inch of thickness Treasure chest 6 80/200 35
Glass window 1 5/inch of thickness Wardrobe, large 4 50/300 25
Ice sheath 0 15/inch of thickness Manacles, steel 10 50 37
Breaking Items
When you try to break something with sudden force ra- Second, you may go without a hex grid, and perhaps even
ther than by dealing regular damage, make a Strength test to without miniatures representing the characters. Facing and
see whether you succeed. The TN depends more on the con- all kind of short movement actions can thus be neglected.
struction of the item than on the material. For instance, an Only if the distance between two characters who wish to en-
iron door with a weak lock can be forced open much more gage each other in melee combat is obviously too long to be
easily than it can be hacked down. If an item has lost half or covered by the free movement included in a combat manoeu-
more of its hit points, the TN to break it drops by 5. vre must the Turambar assess the AP cost of a dedicated
movement action. Hence, combat is resolved as a steady se-
Cover ries of offensive and defensive manoeuvres, performed in or-
der of initiative. If you choose to use this option, all aspects
As mentioned before, if a randomly located attack would of weapon reach are ignored as well.
hit a targets body part behind cover, the strike is on the cov- Third, you may ignore the AP costs of the actions per-
ering item and not on the target. Cover will absorb a number formed by the NPCs you control, and maybe even of those
of points of damage equal to its Protection rating and so re- taken by the PCs. Instead, simply establish a fixed number
duce the amount that gets passed on as injury. However, the and/or combination of actions they may normally take each
same amount of damage will also be applied to the Structure round. For example, have each NPC perform no more than
of the cover. This way, attacks may destroy the cover, leaving one attack and one defensive action per round, plus one
the character vulnerable. movement action if it is required. You may then even waive
to roll the dice for determining an NPCs action allowance
COMBAT PACING and apply a flat +3 bonus to establish his IN. If you choose
to go with a fixed number of actions for player characters as
In Tolkiens novels, combat and battles are exciting, fast- well, the initiative order could be determined by the charac-
paced scenes. Unfortunately, in roleplaying games, combat ters unmodified AA, without rolling any dice.
encounters take the longest, since they involve lots of dice Fourth, apply weariness points only after the end of a
rolling and trigger many rules. But there are several ways you battle, or after every 10 rounds of combat. Unless there is a
can speed up the pace of game combat. Note that each of the- risk that the PCs may run into another group of enemies be-
se rules is entirely optional, and that you may use or reject fore long, this effectively means to ignore Weariness alto-
any combination of these suggestions, as seems appropriate gether as they will probably be able to rest a while. Usually,
in a given battle. Weariness is not recorded point by point for NPCs, but in
First, you dont need full game statistics or a complete levels. That is, cross off an entire Weariness Level as soon as
Character Sheet for every NPC involved in a battle. All you an NPC has fought a number of rounds sufficient to fill up a
need for full-detail combat resolution is the Quick Reference level, as described above.
Sheetwhich is more or less the same as the Combat Sheet Fifth, for minor NPCs dont worry about keeping track
used for PCs, but it includes an AP tally and a few more sta- of wound points, specific effects of critical injuries, or Weari-
tistics frequently asked for in combat. For most types of en- ness. NPCs like that are cannon fodder. They are not in-
emies, Appendices C and D provide all the information that tended to give the PCs serious competition in a one-on-one
is required to quickly fill out an NPCs Combat Sheet. If the combat, but to demonstrate how mighty the hero is by hav-
NPC is just one of many similar NPCs, such as a member of ing him slay a lot of them, just like Boromir slew twenty Orcs
a horde of Orcs, you only need a single NPC Combat Sheet before he died, or Legolas and Gimli each slew more than
and the NPC Spreadsheet to note each individual NPCs in- forty at Helms Deep. Instead, label them two-, four-, six-, or
juries and status. Then you just cross each of the similar eight-Injury Level opponents, depending on how tough you
NPCs off as he dies or flees the battle.
270
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
want them to be. A two-Injury Level opponent dies after he

has sustained one or more critical injuries inflicting a total of HORSES AND
2 ILs. A four-Injury Level opponent is defeated after he has
sustained a number of critical injuries worth 4 ILs, and so on. MOUNTED COMBAT
A strike that doesnt inflict at least 1 IL is assumed to hit a
H
foe, but not hard enough to really hurt him. If you use this orses may play an important part in your characters
option, heed the following points: adventures. Theyand their enemiesuse them to
Do not keep track of the damage and weariness points ride into battle, to escape from danger, and to cross
the NPCs sustain. Furthermore, no injury penalties trough the Wild as quickly as possible.
and no effects from critical injuries are applied. Record Horses are the principal riding animal of Middle-earth.
only the running total of sustained ILs, but without re- They carry people, bear burdens, andat least in Gondor
gard to the critical injurys type or the affected body are raced for sport. They come in many sizes, colours, and
part. Optionally, a Turambar may make Shock tests as temperaments. The horses that roam wild on the plains of
normal for six+ IL foes. Rohan are considered the best in Middle-earth, although by
At the Turambars discretion, any single attack that in- the end of the Third Age raiding parties from Mordor have
flicts three or more Injury Levels may be immediately stolen most of the black ones.
fatal.
Hit location rules may be used as normal to learn
which body part is struck, or they may be completely BREEDS OF HORSE
ignored. In the latter case, apply the targets average
armour protection as given in the NPCs description. The following section provides detailed game statistics
Instead of attacking, any NPC may grant a +3 test bo- for six types of horses: ponies, three breeds of standard hors-
nus to a fellow NPC who attacks a hero that the first es, the mearas, and Elven-steeds such as Asfaloth. In addi-
NPC could also attack in melee combat. Thus, a large tion, there is a package for warhorses, meant for quick appli-
number of minor NPCs who surround a hero could cation to the statistic block of an ordinary horse.
each grant a (cumulative) +3 bonus to one of their Generally, horses have low attribute scores, except for
comrades. The only limit lies in the number of NPCs Strength and Awareness. Better breeds of horses, or horses
who can surround and thus engage a given target. This trained for combat, have higher than normal attributes, re-
limit is six for medium-sized targets and four for small flecting their superior stock and training. Like most animals,
targets. horses do not have all the attributes a character has.
Keep in mind that inferior NPCs may try to flee or
surrender when they see many of their comrades fall
(unless they fear the consequences of their cowardice
HORSE ATTRIBUTES
more than death from the heroes swords). To prevent The attributes listed below are averages for a healthy, ma-
a rout, the NPC captain may have to make a Lead skill ture horse of each breed. Superior ostlers breed horses with
test as described on page 101. better attributes. The easiest method to handle variation is to
reduce an attribute by 7 and add 2d6.
Product quality modifiers (see page 79) could possibly al-
ter these rolls, but a separate Beastmaster: Horses (Breed) skill
test would be required for each primary attribute. Minimum
RANDOMISING COMBAT attribute score is 1, maximum is double the average given. De-
rived attributes and total skill bonuses are then modified at
This option has a different goal than the ones presented
Turambars discretion. It normally takes several generations of
above: Instead of speeding up combat resolution, it emphasises
horses until any substantial attribute variations occur.
the random element and puts even experienced characters at a
Prices for better horses can be prohibitive; mearas and El-
slightly higher risk. Generally, this option should not be used
ven-steeds cannot be bought at all. Good warhorses tend to
when the characters face serious oppositionbut it may add
have unfriendly dispositions to anyone but their owner.
to the excitement of minor skirmishes and scuffles.
If this option is used, simply resolve all attack and defen-
sive skill tests with 1d20 instead of 2d10. All other rollssuch Horses usually only have some of the following skills:
as Shock tests, or any other tests involved in combatare Dodge, Intimidate, Jump, Observe, Run, Sneak, Survival,
made with 2d10 as usual. All combat skill test modifiers and Swim, and Unarmed Combat. Unarmed Combat: Natural
other rules also remain unchanged.
Weapons represents their ability to kick or bite, though only
If the option on open-ended rolls is also in effect, a roll of
20 on the d20 indicates that you may roll another d10 and
horses trained for combat are truly skilled at this. Survival
add it to the total result, as described on page 215. represents their ability to thrive in the wild, not any learned
On the other hand, if you roll a 1 on the d20, you have ability to hunt or build shelters.
fumbled your weapon or Unarmed Combat skill test and
should proceed as described on page 220. Optionally, a Tu-
rambar may allow to roll another d10 when fumbling with a
PONIES
weapon with a fumble range of 2 on Table 10.1: only a 13 on
Ponies are used as steeds by Mannish and Elven children
that roll would then be a fumble. Likewise, if the weapons
fumble range is 3, only a 16 would be a fumble. No addition- and by Hobbits. They are also employed as pack animals,
al d10 should be rolled for weapons with a fumble range of 4. although their skittishness makes it difficult to take them in-
to confined or dangerous places. Some poniesparticularly
271
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
those from Breemay actually be small horses bred especial-

ly for Hobbits. Ponies weigh about 400 to 600 pounds. STRIKING AT HORSES
ATTRIBUTES: Nimbleness 11, Strength 24, Vigour 9, Less detail than normal is required when a character at-
Awareness 16, Will 8, Insight 6, Wits 3 tacks a horse. First of all, their soft hide provides horses of all
DERIVED ATTRIBUTES: Fortitude 7, Stamina 14, Swiftness types the same armour protection at all body parts:
and Defence 14, Action Allowance 17, Prowess 30 Blunt: 2 Edged: 3 Pointed: 1 Fire: 3
LOAD CAPACITY: 192 pounds
BASE MOVEMENT RATE: 14 yards/round Barding (horse armour) is rare on Middle-earth, partly due
to its high cost, partly because the protection gained doesnt
SKILLS: Dodge (Natural Disasters) +7, Jump (Long,
justify the encumbrance. The occasional chanfron (plate cover-
Running) +14, Observe (Hear, Smell, Spot) +15, Run (En- ing the horses skull and face, except eyes and muzzle) is seen
durance, Speed) +14, Sneak (Grass) +4, Survival: Plains +7, on the steeds of rich Gondorian knights; a chanfron weighs
Swim (Treading Water) +6, Unarmed Combat: Natural about 20 lbs. and costs 9 sp. Some very rich knights armour
Weapons (Kick, Bite) +8 their horses with chainmail barding (covering the steeds flanks
NATURAL WEAPONS: Kick (6B), Bite (3E) and reaching down just below its belly) which weighs about
150 lbs. and costs 9 gp, 6 sp. Even without barding, a flank
HEALTH: 22 INJURY THRESHOLDS: 9/15/21/26/32
strike may have a chance of striking the saddle which offers
armour protection equivalent to hardened leather.
STANDARD HORSES Secondly, only a few body parts are recognised when at-
tacking a horse. Use the below chart to determine where a
Many distinct breeds of horses can be found on Middle-
strike hits and refer to the most appropriate body part de-
earth. Despite the differences in origin, coat, frame, and tem- tailed on Table 9.16 to learn the effect of the critical injury (if
per, most breeds fall into one of three categories of typical any). The given percentages assume that the attacker stands
horses: light, medium, or heavy. near the front of the horse; subtract 10 from the random hit
location roll if the attacker stands close to the steeds rear.
Light Horses If possible, double numbers on the random hit location
roll indicate a blow to a particularly vulnerable spot. For ex-
Weighing about 800 to 1,000 pounds, light steeds are ample, a 44, 55, or 66 (flank) indicates that a vital organ is in-
seldom trained as warhorses, but they are fast and popular jured, whereas a 77 (fore leg) should be resolved as an elbow
riding palfreys. or hand strike instead of one against the upper arm.
ATTRIBUTES: Nimbleness 12, Strength 28, Vigour 11, Called shots suffer the standard penalties from Table 9.16,
but apply the due size modifier for attacking a large creature
Awareness 17, Will 9, Insight 7, Wits 4 (for example, a medium attacker receives a +3 bonus). Note
DERIVED ATTRIBUTES: Fortitude 8, Stamina 16, Swiftness that not all body parts may be targeted depending on where
and Defence 15, Action Allowance 18, Prowess 37 attack stands.
BASE MOVEMENT RATE: 18 yards/round RANDOM 1D100 BODY PART TREAT AS STRIKE TO
SKILLS: Dodge (Natural Disasters) +10, Intimidate 9100 Head Skull
(Power) +4, Jump (Long, Running) +16, Observe (Hear, 7990 Neck Neck
Smell, Spot) +17, Run (Endurance, Speed) +17, Sneak 6978 Fore leg Upper Arm
3968 Flank Chest
(Grass) +6, Survival: Plains +9, Swim (Treading Water)
2538 Belly Belly
+8, Unarmed Combat: Natural Weapons (Kick, Bite) +12 1124 Quarter Hip
NATURAL WEAPONS: Kick (8B), Bite (4E) 0310 Hind leg Thigh
HEALTH: 28 INJURY THRESHOLDS: 9/15/21/27/33 0102 Tail Calf (w/o Stumble test)
Medium Horses Heavy Horses

Medium horses weigh about 900 to 1,200 pounds. They
Heavy horses, weighing from 1,300 up to 2,200 pounds,
are used for riding, carrying burdens, and many other tasks.
make good warhorses for well-armoured cavalry, but with
Most breeds of medium horses are superb mounts for light
their untiring nature they are also often used as draft and
cavalry.
pack animals.
ATTRIBUTES: Nimbleness 13, Strength 32, Vigour 10,
ATTRIBUTES: Nimbleness 11, Strength 40, Vigour 12,
Awareness 18, Will 11, Insight 8, Wits 4
Awareness 18, Will 12, Insight 8, Wits 4
DERIVED ATTRIBUTES: Fortitude 10, Stamina 18, Swift-
ness and Defence 16, Action Allowance 18, Prowess 40
ness and Defence 15, Action Allowance 18, Prowess 47
BASE MOVEMENT RATE: 20 yards/round
BASE MOVEMENT RATE: 16 yards/round
SKILLS: Dodge (Natural Disasters) +11, Intimidate
SKILLS: Dodge (Natural Disasters) +9, Intimidate (Pow-
(Power) +5, Jump (Long, Running) +16, Observe (Hear,
er) +5, Jump (Long, Running) +16, Observe (Hear, Smell,
Smell, Spot) +18, Run (Endurance, Speed) +18, Sneak
Spot) +18, Run (Endurance, Speed) +20, Sneak (Grass) +5,
(Grass) +7, Survival: Plains +10, Swim (Treading Water)
Survival: Plains +10, Swim (Treading Water) +11, Un-
+9, Unarmed Combat: Natural Weapons (Kick, Bite) +14 armed Combat: Natural Weapons (Kick, Bite) +15
NATURAL WEAPONS: Kick (8.5B), Bite (4E)
NATURAL WEAPONS: Kick (10B), Bite (4.5E)
272
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
Warhorses RULERS OF HORSES: A mear is a natural leader of horses.

All other unridden horses that have not been corrupted defer
Warhorses arent a unique breed of horses, but specially to the. In battle, all regular warhorses receive a +2 bonus to
trained and fostered standard horses. Simply apply the fol- Fortitude tests when within 30 yards of a mear.
lowing modifiers to the attribute scores listed for your type of
standard horse and replace its total skill bonuses by those
given below; note that the statistics provided for mearas and
Elven-steeds already account for warhorse training. ELVEN-STEEDS
ATTRIBUTES: Nimbleness +1, Strength +2, Vigour +3, Native to Rivendell, Elven-steeds are the last surviving de-
Awareness 1, Will +2, Insight 0, Wits +1 scendants of the horses brought by the Elves from Valinor.
DERIVED ATTRIBUTES: Fortitude +1, Stamina +3, Swift- Theyre more intelligent than normal horses and can under-
ness and Defence 0, Action Allowance 0, Prowess +1 stand the Elven tongues. The horses of the noblest Dn-
LOAD CAPACITY: Strength x 8, in pounds edainsuch as Aragorns steed Roherynare also probably
BASE MOVEMENT RATE: As the standard horse Elven horses. Elven horses refuse to carry anyone except their
SKILLS: Dodge (Melee, Natural Disasters) +14, Intimi- masters and those whom their masters order them to bear.
date (Power) +8, Jump (Long, Running) +18, Observe ATTRIBUTES: Nimbleness 16, Strength 48, Vigour 18,
(Hear, Smell, Spot) +18, Run (Endurance, Speed) +22, Awareness 22, Will 16, Insight 12, Wits 10
Sneak (Grass) +7, Survival: Plains +11, Swim (Treading DERIVED ATTRIBUTES: Fortitude 14, Stamina 27, Swift-
Water) +15, Unarmed Combat: Natural Weapons (Tram- ness and Defence 19, Action Allowance 20, Prowess 49
ple, Kick, Bite) +21 LOAD CAPACITY: 384 pounds
NATURAL WEAPONS: Kick (11B), Bite (5E) BASE MOVEMENT RATE: 24 yards/round
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Steady, War-trained, Trample SKILLS: Dodge (Melee, Natural Disasters) +25, Intimi-
HEALTH: +1 date (Power) +14, Jump (Long, Running) +24, Language:
The relationship between a warhorse and its rider is pro- Understand Rohirric +12 (#6), Observe (Hear, Smell, Spot)
found, almost telepathic in its depth of communication. The +28, Run (Endurance, Speed) +28, Sneak (Grass) +17,
relationship takes years to forge and is not lightly undertak- Survival: Plains +21, Swim (Treading Water) +19, Un-
en. A knight found weeping on the battlefield is as likely armed Combat: Natural Weapons (Trample, Kick, Bite) +26
grieving over a fallen horse as a dead comrade. NATURAL WEAPONS: Kick (12B), Bite (5E)
The best warhorses require extensive bonding and pa- SPECIAL ABILITIES: Steady, War-trained, Trample
tient training. Horses are not seriously ridden until they are HEALTH: 34 INJURY THRESHOLDS: 9/15/21/27/33
two years old, and very few are combat trained before age
three. Although warhorses dont have the capacity for lan-
guage, they can be trained to respond to verbal commands. HORSE MOVEMENT
MEARAS A horses movement rate must be declared each round
before starting to move. The effective movement rate is equal
Descended from Felarf, Eorls stallionwhich itself was to its BMR minus the steeds Physical Penalty, then multi-
a descendant of the horses of the Valarthe mearas are the plied by its pace. Horses have four standard paces or gaits
greatest horses in Middle-earth, except for the Elven-steeds (stepping is any movement slower than a walk, but not a
of Rivendell, and perhaps the Black Horses of the Nazgl. discrete pace for the purpose of horse movement rules):
They instinctually allow only the King of Rohan and his fam-
ily to ride them, although there are rare exceptionsmost TABLE 10.5: HORSE MOVEMENT
notably Gandalf. When a mear accepts a rider, it bonds with PACE TEST WEARINESS
him for life. Mearas are intelligent enough to understand GAIT MULTIPLIER TN POINTS
speech, though they cannot speak it. Most mearas are either Step x 0.5 12 1 every 15 minutes
Walk x1 9 1 every 15 minutes
white or grey. Trot x2 12 1 every 5 minutes
ATTRIBUTES: Nimbleness 15, Strength 45, Vigour 16, Canter x3 15 1 each minute
Awareness 20, Will 15, Insight 10, Wits 8 Gallop x5 20 1 each round
ness and Defence 18, Action Allowance 19, Prowess 48 EXAMPLE: A horse with a BMR of 20 yards and a Physical
LOAD CAPACITY: 360 pounds Penalty of 3, has an effective movement rate of 17. This horse
BASE MOVEMENT RATE: 22 yards/round can walk 17, trot 34, canter 51, and gallop 85 yards per round.
SKILLS: Dodge (Melee, Natural Disasters) +21, Intimi- A Ride test is normally only required if the character has
date (Power) +12, Jump (Long, Running) +22, Language: less ranks in Ride than the horses current pace multiplier
Understand Rohirric +10 (#6), Observe (Hear, Smell, Spot) (for example, 5 ranks in Ride are required to gallop without
+25, Run (Endurance, Speed) +26, Sneak (Grass) +13, making a test), or if the character is engaged in combat or at-
Survival: Plains +17, Swim (Treading Water) +19, Un- tempts to move farther than normally allowed by the gait. In-
armed Combat: Natural Weapons (Trample, Kick, Bite) +23 creasing a mounts speed beyond its effective movement rate
NATURAL WEAPONS: Kick (12B), Bite (5E) times the pace multiplier may require only a single Ride test,
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Steady, War-trained, Trample, and but several Run tests by the mount, as described on page 111.
273
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
If a rider is involved in a combat situation, a single Ride HORSE STUMBLES

test, resolved at the beginning of the battle, may be enough to
control the mount during the entire encounter, but if any Horses must make a Stumble test whenever a movement
special actions are attempted (such as making a trampling at- test fails (i.e., a Ride or a Run test: if applicable, failure on ei-
tack or riding faster than a trot) or something unexpected ther type of test represents some kind of obstruction in the
happens, the Turambar may require a new Ride test which is course of movement), or when the rules or the Turambar
modified according to the amount of APs spent on the test. dictate it. A Stumble test is conducted as a Swiftness test
PULLING A VEHICLE: If the horse pulls a chariot, wain, against a basic TN of 25 for a mount bearing a rider, or TN
waggon, or the like, reduce its movement by half or more, as 20 for an unridden horse. Additional penalties apply if the
appropriate. Depending on the strength of the horses and the horse is moving faster than walking: +3 TN if trotting, +5
weight of the load pulled, a waggon may reduce movement TN if cantering, and +8 TN if galloping.
much more severely or prevent it altogether. As a rule of With any failure, the horse stumbles and automatically
thumb, the absolute maximum load that allows at least some unhorses its rider. Starting at LoF 2, the horse also sustains
progress is equal to the weight of the horses pulling the wain. 1d101 wound points of damage per LoF (e.g., at LoF 3 it
Swimming and jumping generally are not possible for a horse sustains 2d102 points of net damage). If uninjured, the
hitched to a vehicle. A character may be able to attempt a horse rises immediately and may run away.
Teamster test to overcome some of these difficulties. On a success, the mount neither falls nor unhorses its
rider, but its movement is still slowed down to approximately
MOVEMENT RESTRICTIONS one half of the intended distance.
SPEEDING UP AND DOWN: A horse can accelerate up to Unhorsing

two pace categories per round (for example, from walk to An Unhorsing test is required when (a) a rider suffers a
canter) and decelerate a like amount without triggering a critical injury or (b) the mount refuses to obey a riders com-
mandatory Ride test. If a still greater (or lesser) pace is demand, as represented by any failed Ride test which hasnt
sired, or whenever the Turambar sees fit, a Ride test is re- triggered a Stumble test. An Unhorsing test is conducted as a
quired. The difficulty of such a test depends on the target Ride test against TN 20, again modified according to pace.
pace as described on page 110. On a success, the rider stays in the saddle. On a failure,
TURNING: A horse can change direction without re-
the rider is thrown off and may suffer damage. The impact of
striction when walking or stepping. At faster gaits, turning the fall is determined by adding up the horses pace multiplier
restrictions apply. The distance required to turn depends on and the riders LoF read as a positive figure; apply that many
the speed of movement. That is, a trotting horse can only d10 points of blunt damage, sustained at a randomly deter-
turn one hex-side (60 degrees) after traversing 4 yards. At mined body part (armour protects). For example, if the horse
canter speed, this would be one hex-side every 8 yards, and was cantering (BMR x 3) and the Unhorsing test scored LoF
16 yards when galloping. 2, the rider receives 3 + 2 = 5d10 points of damage.
MINIMUM MOVEMENT: Horses have a minimum move-
ment of one third their BMR, times the current pace multi- Riderless Horses
plier. That is, a horse with BMR 18, has a minimum move-
ment of 6. If galloping, it must travel 6 x 5 = 30 yards. An When a horse finds itself without a rider, it will either
emergency stop may be attempted at half this minimum dis- stand in place or wander off. Test the horses Fortitude (TN
tance, followed by both a Stumble and an Unhorsing test. 20). On a success, the mount stays with its rider. On a fail-
ure, the steed wanders off. With LoF 2 or worse, it actually
SPECIAL MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES flees in panic (typically cantering).
JUMPING: When a horse tries to leap over or across an ob- LOAD CAPACITY AND ENCUMBRANCE
stacle, use the rules presented for the Jump skill on page 99.
The only changes are that all jumps require a running start Each horse has a load capacity in pounds. As long as the
with canter and gallop being the most suitable pacesand horses load (including rider and gear) doesnt exceed its ca-
that a horses Base Jump score differs from that of a charac- pacity, actions by the horse are not penalised. An overloaded
ter. The basic distance a steed can leap is to be applied in feet, horse suffers an encumbrance penalty for the excess deter-
but its a fraction of its BMR in yards: mined by the following formula:
TYPE OF JUMP BASE JUMP IN FEET Encumbrance penalty = excess load Stamina
Long jump 1/4 of horses BMR in yards
High jump 1/12 of horses BMR in yards
For example, given a load capacity of 320 pounds and
Stamina 21, a horse carrying 360 lbs. (including the rider, his
SWIMMING: Horses are neither particularly fast nor com- armour, and gear) would have an encumbrance penalty of 40
monly keen swimmers, but they are well able to keep them- 21 = 2. This penalty reduces the horses BMR by 2 yards
selvesand their riderabove the water and make some before determining speed, and give a 2 penalty to all tests of
progress. Use the rules presented for the Swim skill on page physical skills.
118, but note that the maximum allowable pace is a quick When calculating a horses load, the steed normally car-
swim. Moreover, when applying the swimming distance mul- ries about 30 lbs. of equipment (bit and bridle, saddle, blan-
tiplier, the horses BMR in yards is used as feet per round. ket, horseshoes) before the rider mounts.
274
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
WEARINESS each round. (Cantering and galloping are full-round actions,

as normal.) However, unridden horses normally use their
Horses are extremely tireless over long distances, but ac- APs to flee.
cumulate a considerable amount of weariness points when
cantering or galloping, as shown on Table 10.5 above. As a ANIMAL ABILITIES
rule of thumb, the rider acquires about one quarter of the
horses weariness points when travelling great distances, but Some animals have abilities all their own. Two of these
no more than 1 weariness point per minute when galloping. are common to horses, as shown here.
STEADY: Because battle is loud, full of horrible smells, and
PHYSICAL PENALTIES generally terrifying, all Ride tests made in battle are subject
to a +5 TN modifier. Mounts with the Steady ability are
When mounted, a riders Weariness and Encumbrance trained for combat and do not spook so easily, so the penalty
penalties are halved for the purpose of Ride tests. The horse does not apply to the rider, or may at least be reduced.
may have its own Physical Penalty, equal to the sum of its In- WAR-TRAINED: Horses with this ability have been taught
jury, Weariness, and Encumbrance penalties. Both the riders to use their bodies, hooves, and teeth in battle without caus-
and the horses penalties apply to Ride tests, while any Run ing serious problems for their riders. At the riders command,
tests made by the steed suffer only from the horses Physical a war-trained mount can attack once per round. The rider
Penalty. designates a target in adjacent hex and first makes a Ride test
at a freely chosen AP cost. The base TN of such a Ride test
is 20, modified according to the designated APs, but the base
HORSES IN COMBAT TN may be greater if attacking a particularly frightening foe
(see the sample Ride skill difficulties on page 110). Upon a
Horses can play a large role in combats of all scales, from successful Ride test, the character then rolls a suitable Un-
a simple joust all the way up to a cavalry charge. armed Attack: Natural Weapon skill test for his mount.
TRAMPLE: Warhorses with this ability can use their speed
RIDING IN BATTLE and bulk to charge over their opponents, causing them griev-
ous harm. At the riders command, the mount takes a full-
In combat situations, horses with riders do not have a round action and moves (at a trot or faster) over or through a
separate action allowance. They are considered an extension target it can reach within the round. The charge distance
of the rider. The rider simply substitutes the horses move- cannot be less than one half the maximum movement at the
ment for his own, making Ride tests as required by the Tu- given pace, and must follow a straight path.
rambar. In most cases, these tests are considered free actions, A trample attack is resolved like any melee attack, except
but controlling a particularly unruly or fearful horse, or mak- that the character must first succeed on a TN 25 Ride test to
ing a horse ride into the thick of battle, or performing a stunt avoid being unhorsed, and to properly direct the horse at the
(such as leaping an obstacle) may require the rider to use a target. The horse then makes an Unarmed Combat: Natural
deliberate action to make the test. Weapon (Trample) test which may be averted by the target
The AP cost of such a deliberate action may be set by the by using any defensive manoeuvre. However, the defender
Turambar (6 to 12 AP being the norm), or the character may holds the hex he occupies only if he lets himself being tram-
be allowed to choose himself how many AP he wishes to pled; therefore, a successful defender should move 1 hex to
spend on controlling his mount. In the latter case, consult the either side to avoid injury (though this could mean that he is
following chart to learn what TN modifier ensues when ded- being pushed off a bridge or over a cliff). If the defender loses
icating a freely chosen amount of AP to the Ride action: the opposed test, he is either knocked down and sustains
double the horses Kick damage, or he is pushed off 1 hex to
TABLE 10.6: RIDE ACTION POINT COSTS the sideriders choice which.
# OF ACTION POINTS USED FOR RIDE TN MODIFIER
1 AP +5 FIGHTING FROM HORSEBACK
2 APs +4
34 APs +3 Characters fighting from horseback sometimes experi-
56 APs +2 ence problems. Generally, a characters total skill bonus in
78 APs +1 Ride limits his combat abilities. That is to say, when using a
9 APs 0 weapon or shield in mounted combat, your applicable com-
1011 APs 1
1213 APs 2
bat skill bonus cannot exceed your total Ride skill bonus.
1415 APs 3 However, with the proper use of Charge manoeuvres,
16+ APs 4 fighting from horseback can still create a distinctive ad-
vantage. Moreover, a rider on horseback is significantly tall-
An unridden horse gets an action allowance of its own, er than some opponents on foot: Hobbits, Dwarves, short
like other characters. Most AP costs are identical to that of Men, and so on. If so, modify any random hit location rolls as
ordinary characters. For example, moving the full movement described on page 264; called shots targeting a body part
rate requires 10 AP or a full-round action, depending on above the riders elbows may suffer an additional 3 test re-
pace. Horse attacks generally have a cost of 8 AP, allowing sult penalty or even be impossible. Other size modifiers are
many steeds to attack once and walk or trot their full BMR not normally applied unless the rider himself is a large target.
275
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
Using ranged combat from horseback is a different story. front hex. Reaching over the horse and shield to attack a foe
Mounted characters typically suffer a 5 test result penalty on the other side is extremely difficulty and entails a 8 pen-
when trying to shoot or throw missiles. alty. A warrior without a shield may suffer a lesser penalty
and have more options at the Turambars discretion.
Mounted Combat Manoeuvres The Turambar may also apply discretionary random hit
location roll modifiers and called shot test result penalties for
During an action round, a rider may select and declare
the rider and his foe afoot.
any combination of the following combat manoeuvres he and
MOUNTED CHARGE: A mounted charge works similar to a
his mount can afford with their respective action allowances.
horses trample attack, except that the rider carries out the
MOUNT/DISMOUNT: In combat, a TN 20 Ride test may attack. Therefore, a mounted charge can also be attempted
be required to mount or dismount ones horse. Any failure by a rider whose horse doesnt have the Trample ability.
requires an Unhorsing test. Dismounting costs 12 AP (5 AP The rider must be unengaged and first make a TN 25
for a rapid TN 25 dismount), mounting (12 + GEP) AP. Ride test to command his horse to canter or gallop towards
MOUNTED MOVE: Only unengaged characters may per- the designated target. The charge distance cannot be less
form this manoeuvre. A mounted move is made at any of the than one half the maximum movement at the given pace, and
four paces, but may not end in or go through a hex occupied must follow a straight path.
by another character (friend or foe). While riding, the char- If an enemy afoot intercepts the path of the steed, he au-
acter may make ranged attacks at their normal AP cost. tomatically faces a Trample attack. If the enemy loses his de-
Cantering and galloping are full-round movement actions fensive skill test (if any), he sustains one form of trample
for the horse; a Ride test is obligatory for the character when damage (see above) and the steed continues its move. If the
accelerating more than two paces in a given round. enemy succeeds on his defensive manoeuvre, he must decide
A mounted move at walking or trotting pace may cost up whether to move out of the steeds path or halt the horse and
to 10 AP of the horses action allowance. However, no horse sustain trample damage. If the horse is halted, the rider may
may spend more than 10 AP on movement actions, or take find himself in the middle of a somewhat hostile crowd.
more than two movement actions, in a given round. Make If the rider reaches the designated target, he makes a me-
sure to heed the horses minimum movement distance when lee attack as normal, but he multiplies any damage (before
splitting up its movement into two separate actions. armour protection) he does by 1.5 if the horse was charging
The Turambar has the final say on whether a mounted at a canter, or by 2 if the horse was galloping. Even worse, a
move requires a Ride test by the character, and whether such successful attack also forces the target to make an opposed
a test may be performed as a free action or costs some AP. In Strength test to avoid being knocked prone and suffer tram-
the latter case, the character uses Table 10.6 to determine the ple damage in addition to the attacks damage. The charger
exact AP cost and TN modifier of the Ride test. may substitute his Strength by the Prowess of his horse.
MOUNTED ENGAGE: An unengaged rider may command Charging is a full-round action for both the rider and the
his horse to walk or trot towards an enemy character, afoot horse. Therefore, they cannot defend themselves actively, un-
or mounted, and engage him. The rider may then carry out a less the Turambar allows each a single defensive attempt, pe-
rider attack as a separate manoeuvre. The mounted engage nalised by 5 or worse.
manoeuvre is considered a movement action and can cost up MOUNTED DISENGAGE: An engaged rider may command
to 10 AP if it is desired to cover the horses full movement his horse to turn in place and move up to three yards. If
rate. The AP cost of this manoeuvre is often added to both mount and rider are now unengaged, the horse may walk or
the horses and the riders AP tally because there is little an trot up to its effective movement rate (times 2, if trotting).
unengaged rider can do. This move may be intercepted by an enemy attack if another
RIDER ATTACK: A mounted character may attack an adja- foes engagement zone is entered, but the rider may only de-
cent or nearby enemy, mounted or afoot. The horse can fend himself for the remainder of the round. Depending on
move up to three hexes, and change facing by 1 hex-side, be- the outcome of the enemy attack, the horse may or may not
fore the foe is engaged (if necessary) and the attack is made. be able to partially continue its move (a Stumble test might
Rider attacks are resolved help resolve the situation).
like normal melee attacks (and
have the same AP cost), but Rider Defences
the Turambar may restrict the
hexes which can be attacked When attacked, a mounted defender may choose any of
by the rider according to the the below defensive actions (or just ignore the attack). They
length of the weapon and are generally resolved like their melee equivalents (see page
hand used. A lance may attack 260), with the following exceptions or peculiarities:
any front hex, as well as the MOUNTED PARRY: The rider may attempt to parry an at-
hexes tagged with a 2 or 3 on tack on himself or his steed. It is not normally possible for a
the illustration on page 255. A rider to parry a strike against his mount with a weapon under
shorter melee weapon, like a three feet long.
sword or mace held in the MOUNTED DODGE: The rider has two dodging options in
right hand, can be employed combat. First, he may duck attacks using one half of his own
to attack the two right hexes Dodge skill bonus. Second, he may make a TN 25 Ride test
and possibly the rightmost to command his steed to dodge the attack. A successful
276
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
Dodge test by the horse is presumed to be a successful dodge

by the rider; note that only trained warhorses have the suita- BATTLES
ble skill specialty Dodge (Melee).
L
COUNTERSTRIKE: Resolved just like a melee counterstrike, arge, deadly battlessuch as the ones fought at the
except that discretionary random hit location roll modifiers Pelennor Fields and Dale in the War of the Ring
and called shot test result penalties may apply if the enemy occur during tumultuous times in Middle-earth. He-
attacker is afoot. roes often find themselves in the thick of combatfighting
GRAPPLE: The defending rider may try to leap from his their very lives against Orcs and Trollsor behind the walls
mount to wrestle with the attacker. This is effectively a coun- of a fortress or city, defending it against besiegers.
terstrike carried out with the defenders Unarmed Combat: The rules in this section detail how to recreate the effects
Wrestling skill. The defender must first test his choice of Ac- of epic battles in your game. These guidelines explain the
robatics, Jump, or Swiftness (TN 25+) to leap towards the characteristics of armies and present two optionsone ab-
attacker. If successful, the defender then makes his Unarmed stract, the other tacticalfor resolving battles.
Combat: Wrestling test to oppose the attackers test. If the Note, though, that not all battles require rules to resolve.
defender wins, it is assumed that both parties are grappling If the heroes arent there or cant affect the outcome of the
on the ground. If the rider fails either test, he is unable to battle, you dont need to do any of the work described in this
gain a hold of his opponent and automatically suffers damage section. Simply decide which side will be triumphant and in-
as if he had failed an Unhorsing test (see page 274). form the characters as they perceive the results.
STEEDS ON THE BATTLEFIELD

PARAMETERS OF BATTLE
Cavalrymen do not risk their extremely valuable horses
galloping over battlefields, which are usually well supplied Great battles have many complex elements. The follow-
with furrows, rabbit holes, man-made pits, and caltrops. Gal- ing paragraphs address the roles of the Turambar and the
loping normally occurs only on good roads. Therefore, a cav- players in battle, the ingredients of battle, and a number of
alry charge is mostly trotting into position, with perhaps other considerations you should ponder when planning epic
twenty to sixty yards of canter at the end. conflict in your tale.
Horses are extremely reluctant to charge into each other Yet, this system is not a set of war game rules for resolv-
and will normally veer apart beyond the range of most melee ing a long battle in full detail. Instead, it gives quick answers
weapons before clashing together. Charges against mounted to the most important questions for a roleplaying campaign:
opponents are rare except in organised tournaments. If the Who won? and What happened to the PCs? If you wish a more
Turambar allows them at all, a TN 30 Ride test is required detailed system, you may want to use the rules presented in
to control ones mount. Deciphers Helms Deep sourcebook or Games Workshops
Lord of the Rings tabletop game.
Polearm Defence
Horses have great difficulty committing suicide. Faced THE TURAMBARS ROLE
with a wall of sharp spears or stakes they generally balk and
refuse to proceed. This survival instinct can only be overcome As Turambar, you have many responsibilities related to
at great risk to the rider. the battle. The first is to keep narrative control over the con-
The rider must make a TN 30 Ride test to command his flict, to make sure it serves the needs of your tale. The second
steed. If this succeeds, the mount will then attack normally. is to choose the rules, scale, location, and troops that will be
If the Ride test fails, the horse makes an emergency stop, involved. The last is to make the mechanics behind the con-
bucks, then flees. This requires a Stumble test, followed by flictthe rules described later in this sectioncome alive in
an Unhorsing test against TN 30. See page 274 for details on the story.
emergency stops, stumbling, and unhorsing.
Narrative Control
Remote Commands
Narrative control over the battle begins when you decide,
A dismounted rider may be able to command his own privately, which side of the conflict you believe should carry
steed with a verbal or hand signal. Make a TN 30 Ride test the day. The nature of your tale may require a dramatic de-
to learn whether the horse obeys a remote command. feat or two on the heroes side before they finally win out at
the last battle. You might also decide that the nearly inevita-
Attacking Horses ble outcome is not at all apparent, or not to favour any side if
an unpredictable result seems to be the most satisfying one
Warhorses are valuable booty and can usually be enslaved
(i.e., let the dice fall where they may).
to serve the mannish troops of the Dark Lord, ransomed, or
If you decide in advance that one side should win the bat-
sold. The Free Peoples, as well as many Easterling and
tleor at least, have an overwhelming chance of success
Southron tribes, consider it immoral to attack horses, alt-
you can affect the outcome of the battle by stacking the deck
hough footmen about to be trampled are less reluctant. Orcs
for or against the heroes. You can do this in many ways, for
do enjoy horsemeat, but even they normally focus on bring-
instance by giving one side a bigger army, or a better trained
ing down the riders before provisioning themselves.
army, or allowing reinforcements to arrive at an unexpected
277
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
point. You may even fudge the die rolls (i.e., secretly ignore The Battle of the Pelennor Fields, the largest battle of any
the result of the dice in favour of another result youd prefer). kind in the Third Age of Middle-earth, pitted roughly
If done obviously, however, this can leave the players feeling 12,000 Free People against hosts of Sauron numbering at
cheated, as though they did not actually win the day. There- least 45,000.
fore, die rolls are best fudged for troops allied with the heroes
(but not controlled by them), not for the enemy forces. The Field of Battle
System Choosing the location where battle will take place is more
than simply picking a spot in Middle-earth. Armies cant
As has been mentioned, two different systems of battle meet and fight just anywhere; they must have large open are-
resolution are described in this book. You must choose as in which to engage each other. Its your responsibility to
which one you will use in any given conflict. The abstract provide such a place, by ensuring that when the events in
rules are the simplest and do not require a map or tracking of your tale come to a head, they do so in an area conducive to
troop movements. You simply total up forces on each side war.
and roll to determine casualties. This can simulate days of Youll notice that in each location Tolkien placed a battle,
constant battle in relatively little time and effectively answers there was a large plain near the objective. The Lonely Moun-
basic questions about the battle such as who won, what hap- tain had Smaugs treasure inside, and there was a large field
pened to the heroes, and how the armies were affected. outside of which the Battle of Five Armies could be fought.
If you are looking for a system with more opportunities Minas Tirith, to give another example, is built into the side
for decision-making, however, the tactical rules describe a of a mountain, at the foot of which are the Fields of the
system for mapping the battlefield and keeping track of Pelennor, perfect for fighting the greatest battle of the War
where units are. This is more satisfying for players who want of the Ring. You must carefully ensure when your battle
to feel as though the battle is its own game within the game. takes place, it does so in a suitable location.
The location you choose for the fight also has a concrete
Scale effect on the likelihood a given side will prevail. Fortifica-
Once you know which system you will use, you must de- tions, native soil, and other features of terrain all give an ad-
termine at what scale the battle will occur. Scale simply de- vantage to one side or the other. The Battle of Helms Deep
scribes the overall magnitude of the conflict. Is it a small would not have lasted long at all had it been joined on the
skirmish, or a massive campaign? Table 10.7: Scale of Con- plains of Rohan rather than at Rohans mightiest stronghold.
flict lists the three scales at which battle can take place, the
number of soldiers that compose each unit at those scales, The Combatants
and the typical length of one battle round. The first step in constructing a battle is to know who is
fighting. This should be obvious as a result of the narrative
TABLE 10.7: SCALES OF CONFLICT events of your tale. Those factions in your game upon whom
SCALE UNIT SIZE ROUND LENGTH the heroes have made a good impression are potential allies,
Skirmish 10 soldiers 15 minutes or may be the forces the heroes join or lead into battle. Those
Battle 100 soldiers 1 hour factions the players have upset, or set themselves against, are
Epic battle 1,000 soldiers 4 hours the enemy.
Although in most cases it will be obvious, you must also
For a battle of average rules complexity, choose a scale identify a single leader for each side. Even in cases where
where each side in the conflict will have between 10 and 100 there are many heroes, nobles, and villains present on the
units at its command. For example, if you know that 3,000 battlefield, one must be chosen to lead each army. In addi-
Dwarves will battle 8,000 Orcs, youd choose the Battle scale, tion, each formation of an army may (optionally) have a des-
because that would result in 30 nits of Dwarves versus 80
ignated captain under the tactical system.
units of Orcs. You can, if you like, make the conflict faster
Note that allied forces should be grouped together into a
(easier to resolve mechanically) or slower (but more detailed single army for simplicitys sake. If forces of Dwarves and
and perhaps more satisfying) by choosing a scale one higher Men fight together against those of the Enemy, for example,
or lower that what would normally be suggested. For exam- the Turambar should group the Dwarves and Men together
ple, 3,000 Dwarves and 8,000 Orcs could fight one another into a single army with one leader. However, the army may
in a short period of time at the Epic Battle scale (where it
be split into two or more formations, each led by a captain
would be three units versus eight units), or could fight a con-
who himself observes the command of the armys leader.
flict that might take the better part of a gaming session or
two to resolvebut with more options for the playersat the
Skirmish level (where it would be 300 units versus 800
Describing Battle
units). Just as in normal combat, rolling dice and determining re-
As a useful point of reference when thinking about army sults isnt the end of the action. Its your responsibility to de-
sizes, recall the number of troops present at some of the bat- scribe what is happening on the field of battle to the PCs. Be-
tles depicted in the Lord of the Rings. At the Battle of Helms cause determining the outcome of a clash of armies requires
Deep, for example, Thoden arrived from Edoras with 1,000 many abstractions in terms of the rules used and rolls made,
Rohirric Medium Cavalry. There, Gamling had been defend- you must turn outcomes that can sometimes seem strange in-
ing the ancient fastness with 1,000 Rohirric Light Infantry. to exciting, concrete events that make story sense.
278
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
THE PLAYERS ROLE tains. More information on unit types, as well as on arma-
ment and military ranks can be found in the section of Ap-
Although the work of battle preparation lies with the pendix A dealing with Military Careers (pages 328 to 335).
Turambar, the players have a significant role in the battle it- MELEE COMBAT: This attribute describes the units effec-
self. If the players characters are personally leading armies or tiveness with melee weapons such as swords and axes and
formations in battle, the players should clearly assume con- serves as a bonus to Melee Combat attacks. Melee Combat
trol of their side of conflict, choosing and executing move- rates the units capacity to inflict damage, its general level of
ments and attack, rolling on the various battle tables, and skill and ability, the quality of its arms, and other factors.
dealing with the outcome of the battle. If the PCs are merely RANGED COMBAT: Ranged Combat is a units effective-
present at a battle while allied NPCs lead the troops, howev- ness with ranged weapons such as bows or javelins. It serves
er, the Turambar may still choose to grant control of the as a bonus to Ranged Combat attacks. A unit equipped with
troops to the players to give them a sense that their decisions suitable ranged weapons can attack other units within range
are what will carry the day. of their weapons (under the tactical system only).
On the other hand, if the players do not want this re-
TOUGHNESS: Every unit has a Toughness that represents
sponsibility, youd best use the abstract battle system and roll
how hard it is to damage. This reflects the armour worn by
the dice to determine each characters fate as described fur-
soldiers in the unit, the soldiers ability to defend themselves
ther below. Alternatively, you could simply confront each
from their attackers, their resistance to pain and injury, as
character with a handful of typical enemies he must defeat
well as their medics skill at the healing arts.
one by one over the course of a battle round.
MOVEMENT: In battle, a unit that can move and react
more quickly than its opponent has an important advantage.
ARMIES, UNITS, AND FORMATIONS The Movement attribute represents a units speed and agility.
If you have a map on which you wish to plot out tactical
Armies are made up of soldiers, and soldiers are organ- movement, the Movement attribute indicates the number of
ised into units. In game terms, a unit is a group of warriors of hexes the unit can move in one battle round. Depending on
the same race who all have the same sort of arms and armour the scale of the map, it may be necessary to adjust that num-
and perform the same function on the battlefield. For exam- ber accordingly.
ple, a unit of Dwarven Heavy Infantry is composed of Dwa- MORALE: Perhaps the most important attribute of any
rves, outfitted with heavy arms and armour (like mattocks unit is its Morale: its sense of purpose, willingness to fight,
and Dwarf-chainmail), and expected to engage the enemy on bravery, group strength of will, and so forth. A unit with
foot. good Morale can remain cohesive and keep fighting even
A unit is composed of a specific number of soldiers, against the worst odds, while one with poor Morale quickly
which varies based on the scale of the battle as listed for each breaks and runs the moment the battle turns against it.
scale on Table 10.7. For example, 300 Elf-archers fighting in BATTLE VALUE: Sometimes abbreviated BV, this is an ab-
a Skirmish would make up 30 units, while the same archers stract value that lets the Turambar determine at a glance how
fighting a Battle would only compose three units. potent a given force is on the battlefield. As a game statistic,
When defining units you need not concern yourself with Battle Value is only used under the abstract system. You can
precisely what weapons and armour the members of a unit determine a units BV by averaging its highest Combat at-
are carrying. This level of detail, while of narrative interest, tribute (i.e., Melee or Ranged Combat), Toughness, Move-
has no impact on the outcome of the battle. You may de- ment, and Morale.
scribe one unit of light infantry as having leather armour and
another to be wearing simple clothes, but both are light in- FORMATIONS
fantry with the same attributes.
To simplify record-keeping under the tactical system,
UNIT ATTRIBUTES collections of units of the same type in the same army are of-
ten treated as a single formation. This allows many units to be
Units have attributes, just as characters do, that describe listed on the same line of the army record sheet and dealt
their effectiveness in battle. Unlike characters, however, units with as a group. If desired, armies leaders are allowed to split
have only a handful of attributes. This keeps things simple, their formations into their component units in order to send
allowing you and your players to manage many dozens of different parts of their armies to different battle locations. In
units at once. Each unit attribute is described below. the abstract system, armies clash as a whole by pitting their
TYPE: Type is a general description of the unit, such as aggregate Battle Values against each other.
Rohirric Medium Cavalry or Orkish Light Infantry. Type
defines the units race (such as Rohirric, Orkish, or Elven), SAMPLE UNITS
arms and armour (such as light, medium, or heavy) if appli-
cable, and battlefield function (such as infantry, cavalry, or The table that follows provides average statistics for a va-
archers) if relevant to that race. It is important to note that riety of units of different races. The Turambar may conserva-
all units of a given type have the same attribute values. Heavy tively alter these statistics according to the origin and training
Dwarven Infantry from the Iron Hills have the same attrib- of a unit, and he may also create new units, assigning them
ute values as Heavy Dwarven Infantry from the Blue Moun- statistics as he sees fit, using those here as guides.
279
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
TABLE 10.8: UNIT ATTRIBUTES

MELEE RANGED BATTLE
UNIT/FORMATION TYPE COMBAT COMBAT TOUGHNESS MOVEMENT MORALE VALUE
DWARVEN UNITS
Dwarven Light Infantry 15 12 15 9 16 14
Dwarven Medium Infantry 18 9 19 7 18 16
Dwarven Heavy Infantry* 21 9 22 6 21 18
ELVEN UNITS
Elven Medium Infantry 20 13 20 14 19 18
Elven Light Archers 13 20 16 16 18 18
Elven Medium Archers 16 23 20 15 20 20
Elven Light Cavalry 16 21 18 26 19 21
Elven Medium Cavalry* 18 24 22 23 21 23
HOBBIT UNITS
Hobbit Shirriffs 6 7 7 6 10 8
DNADAN UNITS
Dnadan Medium Infantry 18 10 19 11 16 16
Dnadan Heavy Infantry* 21 10 22 10 18 18
Dnadan Medium Archers 14 20 18 12 17 17
Dnadan Medium Cavalry 21 14 20 21 18 20
Dnadan Heavy Cavalry* 24 14 23 18 20 21
ROHIRRIC UNITS
Rohirric Medium Infantry 17 9 19 10 14 15
Rohirric Medium Archers 13 19 18 11 15 16
Rohirric Light Cavalry 13 17 16 25 14 18
Rohirric Medium Cavalry 20 13 20 22 16 20
Rohirric Heavy Cavalry* 23 13 23 19 19 21
DUNLENDING UNITS
Dunnish Light Infantry 11 7 11 12 9 11
Dunnish Medium Infantry 14 9 15 10 11 13
Dunnish Light Archers 9 14 10 14 10 12
Dunnish Light Cavalry 14 11 12 24 11 15
Dunnish Medium Cavalry 17 13 16 21 13 17
ORKISH UNITS
Orkish Light Infantry 12 8 13 11 10 12
Orkish Medium Infantry 15 9 17 9 12 13
Orkish Light Archers 11 15 12 13 11 13
Orkish Warg-riders 18 12 18 21 14 18
Uruk Infantry 20 9 20 12 14 17
Uruk Archers 13 18 18 13 14 16
TROLL UNITS
Troll Infantry 28 10 22 15 10 21
Olog Infantry 36 14 26 16 15 27
*: Units normally comprised of nobles, and therefore not very numerous.
: Dunlending units can be used as templates for most other Mannish armies. The Turambar must specify what unit types actually exist in a
given culture, and what unit attribute modifiers should apply according to the abilities and preferred armament of that people.
: Troll Units are normally only one-tenth to one-fifth the numerical size of an ordinary unit.
would have to wait until they may replace destroyed allied
ENGAGING AND OUTNUMBERING UNITS units). In the abstract system, battle between a larger and a
smaller host starts at the normal two-on-one ratio (i.e., at
As a rule of thumb, no more than two units may engage a Even). With each step towards Victory the larger force
single enemy unit at a time. If one side has more than twice achieves, this ratio may be increased by one (i.e., to 3:1 with
as many units as the opposing army, any excess units will the first step, and possibly to 4:1 with a second step towards
normally have to wait until they can step in for destroyed Victory), provided the larger army has that many units. Con-
comrade units before they can participate in battle. versely, the smaller army may decrease the ratio to one-on-
However, terrain features and successful tactics may one if it gets closer towards Victory than the larger host.
change this ratio. In a forest, units may only engage each oth- Under the tactical system, outnumbering and unit en-
er on a one-on-one basis (which gives a considerable ad- gagement can normally be ignored (since theres always some
vantage to small, but well-trained forces). The cramped con- movement on the battlefield that cannot be tracked by rules)
fines of a mine and the wobbly foothold of mountain slopes unless terrain features prevent outnumbering altogether. Al-
or swamps bring along the same restrictions. ternatively, tokens can be used to represent one unit each. By
In a battle fought on an open field, on the other hand, a their relative position, movement, and number, these tokens
successful army may be able to confront each enemy unit adequately indicate which units are currently engaged and
with up to four of its own units (again, any excess units what outnumbering ratio applies.
280
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
BATTLE TEST MODIFIERS TERRAIN AND SITUATIONAL MODIFIERS

Terrain plays a significant role in battle as does the situa-
Both in the abstract and the tactical system, two different tion the armies find themselves in. Elves fighting in a forest
types of modifiers commonly apply when resolving a battle: usually have an advantage over other races; troops whove
taken a hill usually have an advantage over those trying to
LEADERS POSITION take the hill from them. There are an almost unlimited num-
ber of factors that could play a role depending on how much
At the beginning of a new battle round, each sides leader detail you wish to consider. The terrain and situational mod-
must determine where he will position himself. This choice ifiers listed below cover the most important possibilities.
may confer an attack bonus to the army and affects how like- When using the abstract system, its up to the Turambar
ly the leader is to be captured or injured in combat. to determine whether a given modifier applies, and to which
Under the tactical system, formation captains also need side, based on the story and what he knows of the situation.
to position themselves, but instead of providing an attack bo- Terrain and situational modifiers (and all other unit modifi-
nus to their individual formations, theyas well as the ar- ers, for that matter) are cumulative unless noted otherwise.
mies leadersmay be allowed to perform an optional
Commander manoeuvre or two (see page 285). Terrain Modifiers
OUTSKIRTS: The leader is able to observe and support the
troops, but is not directly involved in the battle. If he wins an To determine which modifiers apply, simply go down the
opposed Warfare test against the enemy armys leader, his list and identify those conditions present on the battlefield.
troops receive a +1 attack bonus per LoS. However, no Some modifiers are applied only to one army in the battle
Commander manoeuvres may be performed. while others affect all sides. Terrain modifiers usually do not
THICK OF BATTLE: The leader fights with the main body change over the course of a battle, so rounds after the first
of soldiers. If he wins an opposed Warfare test against the will not typically involve recalculation of terrain modifiers.
enemy armys leader, his troops receive a +2 attack bonus per ARCTIC: All but the most hardy have extreme difficulty
LoS. Captains and leaders who fight in the Thick of Battle fighting in the bitter cold of the Northern Wastes. Units that
may each perform one Commander manoeuvre. are not accustomed to arctic conditions suffer a 3 penalty to
HEART OF BATTLE: The leader moves to the heart of the Melee and Ranged Combat and a 5 penalty to Movement.
conflict, usually somewhere on the front lines. If the leader CAVERNS: Fighting underground is alarming and strenu-
wins an opposed Warfare test against the enemy armys lead- ous for those not used to confined spaces and dark condi-
er, his troops receive a +2 attack bonus per LoS for this tions. Units unfamiliar with such environs suffer a 4 penalty
round. Captains and leaders who fight in the Heart of Battle to Melee Combat and Movement, and a 3 penalty to Mo-
may each perform two Commander manoeuvres. rale when forced to fight underground.
HEROES IN BATTLE
Heroes are often involved in battle, even when they are not themselves the leaders of armies. A Turambar has a number of op-
tions for dealing with heroeswho may be player characters, important NPCs, or their counterpart in the armies of Shadowwhen
battle is joined and the battle resolution system is being used.
The first option and quickest is to allow each hero to choose, just as an armys leader or a captain does, what position he will
take in the battle. Will he fight on the Outskirts, Thick of Battle, or Heart of Battle? This choice should be made just after the ar-
mys commanders make the same choice. At the end of each battle round each hero rolls on Table 10.10: Heros Fate to determine
what happened to him in that round of battle. The level of danger the player characters subject themselves to determines how many
experience markers they earn during that round of battle. A character on the Outskirts gains no experience marker, a character in
the Thick of Battle earns 1 experience marker, and a character in the Heart of Battle gains 2. These experience markers may be allot-
ted to suitable skills related to battle and fighting (Turambars discretion).
The second option, a bit more complex, is to allow player characters to lead individual formations in battle. If this is allowed, a
character with an appropriate Lead or Warfare skill rank or the Command edge (Turambars judgement) chooses, just like any other
captain of war, where to position himself (Outskirts, Thick of Battle, or Heart of Battle). PC captains may, of course, earn Com-
mander manoeuvres as described above, and the Turambar should allow them to be used. In this case, the Turambar should also
provide the enemy army with a few villains of its own who can lead formations, lest the characters army overpower its foe by car-
rying out Commander manoeuvres more frequently. As with the first option, each PC rolls on Table 10.10: Heros Fate at the end of
each battle round to determine what happened to him in that round of battle.
The third option, which requires the most from the Turambar, is for the players to decide precisely where their characters are
going and what they are doing while the battle rages around them. The Turambar then orchestrates those events as he would any
other in the tale, resolving combat against individual foes or other tests according to the normal rules. (Note, of course, that battle
rounds and action rounds do not at all correspond to each other on a one-to-one basis. Heroes will be able to do many different
things while a single battle round rages around them.) The things characters do should typically be resolved before any attacks are
launched. The Turambar may decide that the actions of the PCs, if they are successful in accomplishingor failing to accomplish
some important objective like holding a crucial point, taking a certain hill, or slaying a particular enemy, bring about modifiers to
some formations unit attributes when the winner is determined on that round of battle.
281
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
DESERT: Fighting in desert conditions is an arduous affair they are defendingbut only as long as the fortification re-
for those not used it. Units not trained and equipped for de- mains intact. Moreover, all mounted troops are dismounted
sert campaigns suffer a 3 penalty to Melee Combat and and serve as infantry (unless a cavalry sortie is attempted).
Toughness and a 4 penalty to Movement. See page 288 if more detailed rules for conducting a siege are
FOREST: Fighting within a forest makes troop movement desired.
almost impossible and ranged attacks completely useless for LIGHT FORTIFICATION: This covers simple obstructions to
those used to more open spaces. Units without special forest- an advancing army: a fence, moat, or short wall, for example.
combat training (such as Elves, Woses, or Woodmen have) Anything short of an actual stone building or keep qualifies
have their Ranged Combat score reduced to 0 and their as light fortification. The High Hay, the defensive perimeter
Movement score halved. built by the Brandybucks to defend the Buckland from incur-
HILL: If both sides are fighting atop a hill there is no mod- sions from the Old Forest, is an example of a light fortifica-
ifier. If, on the other hand, one side holds a hill while another tion. Units defending a light fortification gain a +2 bonus to
is trying to assault it, who hold the hill have the advantage. their Toughness and Ranged Combat scores.
Holding a hill grants a +1 bonus to Melee Combat and a +2 MEDIUM FORTIFICATION: This includes keeps and small
bonus to Ranged Combat. castles, usually without a moat or outlying defensive perime-
MOUNTAINS: Mountainous territory can be very treach- ters. The hall of Meduseld and the walls surrounding Edoras
erous. Steep passes, uneven footing, and the absence of vege- are examples of medium fortifications. Units defending from
tation make manoeuvring extremely difficult. Units fighting within a medium fortification gain a +3 bonus to their
in mountainous territory without special mountain-combat Toughness and Ranged Combat attributes.
training suffer a 4 penalty to their Melee and Ranged Com- HEAVY FORTIFICATION: Heavy fortifications are castles,
bat attributes and their Movement score is halved. usually surrounded by walls or a moat. Prince Imrahils castle
PLACES OF POWER: In many places throughout Middle- at Dol Amroth is an example of a heavy fortification. Units
earth the land itself is infused with subtle power. This power defending from within a heavy fortification gain a +4 bonus
is sometimes aligned with some purpose or people. Imladris, to their Toughness and Ranged Combat attributes.
for example, is a place of power for the Elves. Men, allied LEGENDARY FORTIFICATION: These strongholds, built ag-
with the Elves, might find their activities blessed by the es ago on a scale grander than any mere castle, have with-
magic of the Elves, but that same power would oppose any stood the onslaught of mighty armies generation after gener-
Orcs who came to the place. Units aligned with a place of ation. Helms Deep, Minas Tirith, and the Morannon are all
power gain a +4 bonus to Morale and Toughness when examples of legendary fortifications. Units defending a leg-
fighting on such ground. Those allied with members of that endary fortification gain +8 to their Toughness and +4 to
race gain a slightly smaller bonus of +2 to those attributes. their Ranged Combat.
On the other hand, those clearly opposed to the aims of
those races suffer a 4 penalty to their Morale and Tough- Situational Modifiers
ness attributes.
Situational modifiers cover special circumstances sur-
Similarly, a location can be aligned with some purpose,
rounding the ways the armies come into conflict. As with ter-
such as destruction, preservation, or defence. Such activities
rain modifiers, all possible situational modifiers would be
at those locationsno matter who performs themare easi-
impossible to include here. You should use the following ex-
er to carry out. Units that act in accordance with a place of
amples to create your own situational modifiers if the need
powers purpose receive a +3 bonus to their Morale and
arises in your tale. To determine which modifiers the units in
Toughness attributes, while those clearly opposed to them
each army may benefit or suffer from, simply read down the
suffer a 3 penalty. In the few places of power that have both
following list, applying all modifiers that fit the circumstanc-
racial alignments and alignments of purpose, the maximum
es of the battle. Situational modifiers often change from bat-
modifier that can be applied is 5.
tle round to battle round.
PLAINS: Most battles in Middle-earth take place on vast
AMBUSHED: Units not expecting battle suffer a severe dis-
plains. Flat and lacking obstructions that might impede the
advantage as they scramble to defend themselves. Ambushed
course of battle, plains offer neither bonus nor penalty.
units suffer a 3 penalty to all their attributes. These penal-
SWAMP: A thick bog of swamps such as the Dead Marsh-
ties, however, apply only on the first round of battle.
es makes movement difficult, often impossible. Units forced
BADLY SUPPLIED: Armies require extensive supply chains
to fight in a swamp have their Movement scores quartered
to maintain their efficiency in battle. If an army has marched
and suffer a 3 penalty to their Morale.
beyond its normal territories into enemy lands where no
friendly towns or cities exist to help supply the troops with
Fortifications food the units must either forage, raid, or depend upon their
Fortifications are any structures intentionally designed to depleted supplies. Units suffering in this way incur a 4 pen-
slow down or stop an oncoming army. (While a forest or a alty to their Morale and a 2 penalty to their Toughness.
river could be used for this purpose, they are natural for- DARKNESS: Mannish units battling night-eyed troops in
mations and have their own special modifiers.) A special type darkness suffer penalties to their Melee and Ranged Combat
of terrain modifier, fortification bonuses only apply when one scores as well as to their Toughness. Depending on how dark
side is defending from within the fortification against an ar- the night is, these penalties typically range from 1 to 4.
my attacking from outside the fortification. Those within the DAYLIGHT: Orkish units forced to fight in bright daylight
fortress gain bonuses depending on what kind of fortification suffer a 4 penalty to all their attributes. No penalties apply
282
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
at night, and if the sky is cloudy the penalty typically ranges battles fought against the same army in the past month or so,
from 1 to 3. but does not apply to one battle extending over a series of
DEFENDING HOMELAND: Armies defending their home- days or weeks.
land fight with enhanced vigour and greater spirits. They STRUCK FROM THE REAR: Armies are rigidly structured
gain a +2 bonus to their Morale and Toughness. entities. Infantry must be at the front, archers at the rear.
DISMAYED: An army that is otherwise well-fed and forti- When an army is attacked from behind not only are its most
fied may have its potency reduced by ill-tiding, such as news vulnerable members being assaulted first, it must scramble to
that its leader has perished or defeat has befallen allies on an- mount an effective resistance. An army struck from the rear
other field of battle. Dismayed armies suffer 2 to their Me- suffers a 4 penalty to Ranged Combat and 2 to Toughness
lee and Ranged Combat, and 1 to their Morale and Tough- and Movement. Like Ambushed, this modifier is unlikely to
ness. apply after the first round of battle.
ENTRENCHED: Often, opposing armies dont meet at the UNTRAINED: Armies composed of conscripts, youths, or
same time on the field of battle. One side arrives early, or has the aged are at a disadvantage against seasoned warriors. Un-
been there for days or months, awaiting and anticipating the trained forces suffer a 4 penalty to Morale and Toughness,
battle. This gives those units the opportunity to prepare by a 3 penalty to Melee and Ranged Combat, and a 2 penalty
training, surveying the field, and erecting simple fortifica- to Movement. Apply these penalties to the attribute scores
tions. Units that have been at the battlefield for at least two given for any suitable light unit; better armour provides a +4
days before the enemy arrives gain a +1 bonus to their bonus to the Toughness of untrained units (i.e., the penalty
Toughness. This bonus increases to +2 if the units have been is cancelled out).
at the battlefield for at least one week, or +3 if they have been WIND: High winds make firing arrows difficult. Hence,
present for two or more weeks. Ranged Combat attacks are subject to a 3 penalty.
ESCAPE BLOCKED: Any time one army in a battle has its
escape routes blocked, such as by an impassable river, gorge,
or sheer cliff wall, it becomes difficult for the units in the ar- ABSTRACT BATTLE RESOLUTION
my to move freely. Routes can be blocked by natural features
or man-made walls and fortifications. Other armies do not Once all modifiers have been applied, recalculate the Bat-
block movement (but their units may need to be defeated to tle Values of all participating unitsand youre almost ready
permit movement), and those fighting within a fortification to begin the battle. The abstract rules in this section do not
ignore this condition. Units fighting with their escape route track movement or other strategic aspects of battle, but they
blocked suffer a 4 penalty to their Morale, and their do allow you to run through an entire battle quickly.
Movement is halved. After calculating the BVs of his units, each leader deter-
EXHAUSTED: Units that have marched for long days with- mines his Armys Battle Value (ABV). This is done by add-
out rest arrive exhausted and are less capable than well-rested ing all the units BVs together and dividing the sum by the
units. Such units suffer a 3 penalty to their Toughness and number of units in the weaker force. Round the result off to
Movement. the nearest figure. As explained under Engaging and Out-
MERCENARIES: Many leaders are forced to hire mercenar- numbering Units (see page 280), the larger host can start
ies. While mercenaries are usually experienced combatants with no more than double the number of units the smaller
they are not motivated solely by profit and do not fight as army has. An example will show how these calculations are
passionately as those driven by patriotic zeal or a charismatic made.
leader. Owing to their battle expertise, mercenary troops gain
a +2 bonus to their Melee and Ranged Combat (to a maxi- EXAMPLE: A force of 120 well-armed Rohirric warriors, pa-
mum score of 20), but they also suffer a 2 penalty to their trolling the Westfold on their swift horses, encounters a band
Toughness and Morale because they are more likely to throw of 310 marauding Orcs. The sky is covered with clouds, saving
the Orcs from the negative effects of sunlight. In the Skirmish
down their weapons and go home than troops motivated by scale, 12 units of medium Rohirric cavalry clash with 31 units
allegiance to their nation. of medium Orkish infantry. Thus, the Rohirrim have an ABV
NOBLE-LED: Soldiers who see their king striding onto the of 20 x 12 12 = 20, and the Orcs have an ABV of 13 x 24
battlefield to engage the enemy directly are inspired to valiant 12 = 26, because no more than 2 Orkish units may engage
deeds. Units in an army that is led by one of their nations each Rohirric unit in the first round of battle. The brave rid-
nobles gain a bonus to their Morale equal to one half the ers of Rohan will need superior tactics (as represented by the
leaders opposed Warfare test) to prevail.
leaders level in the High-ranking talent.
If the Orcs manage to step closer toward victory (i.e., the
RAIN AND SNOW: Both rain and snow provide a serious characters side draws nearer to Defeat, see below), they may
obstacle to waging war. In each case visibility is reduced and outnumber their opponents by a ratio of up to 3 on 1, thus
movement is hindered. Units fighting under such conditions increasing their ABV to the maximum of 13 x 31 12 = 34.
suffer a 3 penalty to their Movement and a 5 penalty to
their Ranged Combat. At the beginning of each new battle round, the armies
RECENTLY BEATEN: Regardless of how well-supplied, how leaders make an opposed Warfare test. The winning leaders
well-led, or how prepared a force is, if it was recently beaten army receives the corresponding bonus (ranging from +1 to
by the army it faces the troops will be less confident and find +2 per LoS, depending on his position) to its attack test.
their spirits flagging. Troops recently beaten by the force Each round of battle, the leaders of both armies roll
they face suffer a 2 penalty to their Morale. This includes 2d10. These rolls are modified by the ABV of their force,
283
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
and the winner of the rounds opposed Warfare test also HEROES FATES
adds his attack bonus (if any). Regardless of the relative
strength of the conflicting armies, the battle starts at an After each round of battle, the fate of all leaders and
Even chance of victory for both sides, as indicated on Table characters must be determined. Recall each characters posi-
10.9. If the characters side has the higher modified roll, ad- tion (see Leaders Position, page 281) and test a suitable
vance the battle one step up the chart, toward Victory. If it combat skill (typically, Warfare or any melee weapon skill
has the lower modified roll, the battle takes one step down used in the battle) against TN 25. Apply a 5 TN modifier
the chart, toward Defeat. If the rolls tie, nothing happens. if the character was fighting on the Outskirts, or a +5 TN
If the battle reaches Victory, the characters side wins. modifier if he spent the round in the Heart of Battle.
Perhaps they slay all their foes or drive them from the field or In the abstract system, the TN is further modified by 1
force them to surrender. On the other hand, if the battle for each step the characters side draws closer toward Victory
reaches Defeat, the characters side loses. While the charac- (1 TN) or Defeat (+1 TN). In the tactical system, the test
ters themselves have a good chance of surviving (see Heroes is also modified: +3 TN if the characters unit was imperilled
Fates below), their friends and comrades may be slaughtered, this round and +5 TN if it was destroyed. Compare the test
or they and the other characters may have to retreat. The result to Table 10.10: Heros Fate.
Turambar interprets the results and determines exactly what
happens in any given battle. TABLE 10.10: HEROS FATE
TEST RESULT CHARACTERS FATE
TABLE 10.9: ABSTRACT BATTLE RESOLUTION LoF 3 Killed or Captured (Turambars choice)
Victory LoF 2 Wounded
Enemy army may withdraw in disorder and is routed LSF 1 to +1 Injured or Deadly Combat (Players choice)
Enemy army may withdraw in disorder LoS +2 Uninjured
Enemy army may withdraw in order LoS +3 Valorous Deed or Uninjured (Turambars choice)
Even
Characters side may withdraw in order KILLED: The character is killed. If he was the leader of an
Characters side may withdraw in disorder army or formation, his units suffer a 3 penalty to their Mo-
Characters side may withdraw in disorder and is routed
Defeat
rale attribute for 1d3 rounds (see page 287 for details).
CAPTURED: The character falls into the hands of the ene-
Either side may choose to withdraw before complete Vic- my. Those who capture him may do anything they like from
tory or Defeat occurs, but will suffer losses as indicated on killing him to setting him free (though player characters
Table 10.9 and described in the following option. should never be killed arbitrarily in this way). The entire bat-
tle may stop as the people of a captured leader try to negoti-
THE AFTERMATH OF BATTLE ate his return, or an entire adventure could result as his com-
rades quest to liberate him.
When the events on the battlefield have finally been de- WOUNDED: The character is incapacitated for the rest of
cided, the Turambar may wish to determine the losses suf- the battle. When the battle is over, the character will have
fered by an army according to its fortune. taken all but 1 wound point of his Wounded Health Level
A victorious army has 5% of its soldiers killed and 10% (or he will have sustained 1 wound point in his Near Death
wounded. Wounded soldiers are well enough to stay with Health Level if he was Injured before). If additional detail is
their army. Those who have suffered more serious injuries desired, divide the due number of wound points by 1d5 and
than that fall into the categories of killed (having died soon apply the damage to that many randomly determined body
after the battle) or missing/stragglers (having been left be- parts. Before critical injuries are determined, the character
hind). Usually, one sixth of the wounded recover each week. may subtract his armours protection from the damage each
An army that withdraws in order has 5% of its soldiers affected body part sustains. However, this will not decrease
killed, 10% wounded, 5% taken prisoners, and 10% are miss- the overall damage.
ing/stragglers. The fates of prisoners-of-war depend on their INJURED: The character is incapacitated for the next
captors. The Free Peoples often disarm and release their round of battle but may return afterward. When he returns
Mannish prisoners after a victory. For instance, after the bat- to battle, the character will have taken all but 1 wound point
tle at Helms Deep, the surrendering Dunlendings were al- of his Injured Health Level (or he will have sustained 1
lowed to return home after having sworn an oath not to at- wound point in his Incapacitated Health Level if he was In-
tack Rohan again. Less civilised armies will enslave or slaugh- jured before). If additional detail is desired, distribute the
ter their prisoners, depending on what is feasible at the mo- due damage among 2d3 randomly determined body parts as
ment. Evil beasts may even devour their prisoners. Few ar- described above.
mies bother with capturing Orcs, and Orcs rarely surrender. DEADLY COMBAT: The character meets up with a power-
An army that withdraws in disorder has 10% of its sol- ful foesuch as an Orc-chieftain or captain of the Haradrim
diers killed, 15% wounded, 10% taken prisoners, and 15% are and must engage him in single combat. Resolve the combat
missing/stragglers. If an army that withdraws in disorder is normally. If you desire a faster resolution of the encounter,
also routed, it has 15% of its soldiers killed, 15% wounded, use the rules on Combat Pacing as described on page 270.
15% taken prisoners, and 15% are missing/stragglers. An UNINJURED: The character emerges unscathed from this
army that is defeated has 25% of its soldiers killed, 20% round of battle.
wounded, 20% taken prisoners, and 20% will be missing.
284
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
VALOROUS DEED: The character has the chance to ac- Step 2: Leaders Positions and Order of Battle
complish something bold, noteworthy, or heroic. Examples
include breaking a strong enemy line, capturing an enemy At the beginning of a new battle round, the commanders
banner, rescuing a beleaguered ally, or single-handedly slay- of each side must determine where they will position them-
ing a mmak. This may or may not involve normal combat selves as described on page 281.
resolution. The Turambar determines exactly what each The armies leaders then make an opposed Warfare test.
Valorous Deed entails. Characters typically should not have The winning leaders army receives the corresponding bonus
more than one or two opportunities to perform Valorous (+1 or +2 per LoS, depending on his position) to all attack
Deeds during a single days battle. tests it attempts this round.
The result of this opposed Warfare test also determines
the order of battle. During the following steps, the winner
TACTICAL BATTLE RESOLUTION has the option to either execute all his actions first or defer to
his opponent and act after his opponent has executed all of
Tactical battle resolution starts with the Turambar draw- his actions in the current step.
ing out a map of the battlefield on a suitable hex-grid. The An army whose leader was incapacitated or killed on a
scale of the map should be pretty small since you should be previous round of battle automatically fails the opposed
prepared to give all units enough room to move at least a few Warfare test by LoF 3 until the leader recovers or another
rounds of battle on the map. Next, the leader of each army captain assumes command of the army. If both sides are
must find ample tokens to represent each of his units and ar- leaderless, each side simply rolls 2d10 and the higher roll
range them on the battlefield in formations as desired and al- prevails (but earns no attack bonus).
lowed by the terrain features of the deployment zone (and, of
course, the Turambar).
Step 3: Movement Phase
By using a map and some kind of tokens, the players get a During each battle round, formations or individual units
decent feel for the strategic shape of the battle and will be may move a number of hexes equal to their Movement score.
able to move their formations and individual units as re- Movement occurs in order of battle and may cover any dis-
quired by the course of events. Its best to use oblong tokens tance from one hex up to the units full Movement score in
because these can easily be used to represent unit engagement hexes. Clever movement of ones troops may offer a consider-
if such a level of detail is desired (see Engaging and Out- able tactical advantage (think about a pincer movement, for
numbering Units on page 280), but any type of counters will example) which otherwise is not represented by these rules.
be fine as long as they are roughly equal in shape and size. (In Depending on the scale of the battle-map and the size of
fact, with a little abstraction, it is possible to resolve a battle the tokens, it may be necessary to deduct more than one
according to the tactical rules without using a map or any to- point of a units Movement to cover a single one-inch hex. If
kens.) so, moving through a single hex could, for example, cost two
or maybe even three points of a units Movement score.
THE BATTLE ROUND SEQUENCE Note that terrain features may slow down or prevent
movement altogether, as described under Terrain Modifiers
Now that youve drawn a map of the battlefield and as- above or decided by the Turambar.
sembled the armies, its time to fight! Battle is conducted by
performing the following steps, in order. Each one of these Step 4: Commander Manoeuvres
steps is described in detail in the following sections. Every it-
eration of Steps 17 makes up one round of battle. At the Turambars discretion, leaders of armies and cap-
tains of formationsand maybe even player characters
(1) Calculate terrain and situational modifiers. may each be able to perform one or two special manoeuvres,
(2) Determine the positions of commanders and im- depending on their position (see page 281). Commander
portant characters and the order of battle. manoeuvres are executed according to the order of battle.
(3) Move your units. The commanders of an army that acts first cannot execute
(4) Execute the commanders manoeuvres. one manoeuvre and decide to save further manoeuvres until
(5) Launch attacks against the enemy. after the commanders of the opposing army have acted.
(6) Determine Casualties. When a commander performs more than one manoeuvre in a
(7) Determine the fate of important characters. round, he may never perform the same manoeuvre more than
once, even if he failed the first time.
Step 1: Terrain and Situation To execute a commanders manoeuvre, the acting charac-
A range of terrain and situational modifiers are described ter must succeed on an appropriate skill test, made against a
under Battle Modifiers on pages 281283above. Apply TN indicated in the description of the manoeuvre. Manoeu-
them as appropriate and recalculate unit attributes accord- vres executed by a formations captain only affect his own
ingly. formation or a single target enemy formation.
INSPIRE: By displaying the kings standard, blowing an an-
cestral horn of his people, or driving the troops with whips, a
commander may rally his troops to greater courage and vig-
our in combat. Success with a TN 20 Inspire test gives a +1
bonus per LoS to the Morale of a commanders formation(s).
285
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
INTIMIDATE: By using his innate Terror ability, or by or- bonus to the attack tests of his formations. The attack test is
dering his troops to shout a fearsome battle-cry, display cruel made against a TN equal to 10 plus the Toughness of the
atrocities, or slaughter their foes without remorse, a com- formation that was chosen as the target of the attack. Any
mander may try to spread fear and chaos amongst his ene- unmodified dice roll of 15 or greater is an automatic success
mies. The commander makes an Intimidate test against a (LoS +0 or better), regardless of the target formations modi-
TN equal to 10 plus the target formations Morale. fied Toughness.
If the test results in LSF 0 or LoS +1, a number of If the attack test results in LSF 0 or LoS +1, a number
units in the target formation equal to the commanders num- of units in the target formation equal to the number of units
ber of ranks in the Intimidate skill are panicked. On LoS +2 in the attacking formation are imperilled. On LoS +2 twice
twice that number of units are panicked, and on LoS +3 or that number of units are imperilled, and on LoS +3 or better
better three times that number are panicked. The fate of any three times that number are imperilled. If the test fails the at-
panicked units is determined as described under Maintaining tack has no effect.
Morale on page 288. The easiest way to remember which units have been im-
RALLY: Many unit casualties represent not the literal perilled is to turn their tokens by 90. Generally, imperilment
death of the soldiers but failures of morale and command first affects those units in a target formation that are the clos-
that cause otherwise ready warriors to inadvertently split est to the attacking units (or those within range of a missile
from their unit and lose their way. A commander who suc- attack). If its not obvious which units should be imperilled,
ceeds with a TN 25 Lead test reforms one unit in his army or the defender chooses which units are actually imperilled.
formation that was destroyed on the previous round of bat- If an attack imperils more units than exist in the target
tle. formation, the extra imperilment may be applied to units in
SINGLE COMBAT: Often heroes of opposing armies seek any other nearby formation as long as the second formations
each other out and engage in single combat. If the hero at- Toughness is less than or equal to the Toughness of the orig-
tempting this manoeuvre succeeds on a TN 25 Warfare test, inal target formation. As a rule of thumb, the second target
he meets his chosen foe in the middle of battle and fight us- formation must be within a distance no greater than one
ing the normal rules for combat between single characters. If quarter of the attacking formations Movement score (in hex-
a hero attempts this manoeuvre after an opposing hero at- es), and no terrain features may hamper the attackers move-
tempted it (but failed) in the same round, the TN is reduced ment. Damage cannot spill over onto a third formation.
to 20. If both heroes are trying to find each other on the bat- Alternatively, the attacker could choose to imperil an al-
tlefield, its more likely that combat will result. ready imperilled unit a second time. If he does so, the doubly
imperilled unit must immediately make a Toughness test as
Step 5: Launch Attacks described under Step 6 on which it suffers a 3 penalty. If it
fails the Toughness test, the unit is destroyed and cannot at-
Once all movement and commander manoeuvres have
tack this round (assuming it hasnt already attacked).
been resolved, each formation attacks in turn. Note that a
unit may only launch one attack per round of battlethis
may either be a Ranged Combat or a Melee Combat attack. ATTACKS BY UNIT
Attacks are resolved in order of battle. On a given side
formations may attack in any order their leader chooses, and You may elect to launch a separate attack with each unit
individually rather than rolling only once for each formation.
each formations attack is fully executed before the next is be-
This takes a little longer but may be more satisfying for some
gun. Instead of attacking, a formation may confer a +5 attack players.
test result bonus to an allied formation of the same size if it When using this option, each attacking unit chooses an
could attack the target formation itself (i.e., if the target for- enemy formation to attack. It makes an attack test as de-
mation is within reach and can be adequately outnumbered). scribed, testing its Ranged Combat or Melee Combat against a
Archer units often employ this tactic. TN equal to 10 plus its targets Toughness. The attacking unit
Each formations attack consists of two steps: imperils one enemy unit in the target formation on LSF 0 or
LoS +1, two enemy units on LoS +2, and three enemy units on
CHOOSE TARGET: The attacking formation chooses a LoS +3 or better. If it fails, none of the enemys units are im-
formation on the opposing side that will be the target of its perilled. Extra imperilment may spill over onto nearby second
attack. Obviously, the target formation must be within range formations just as it can under the formation-based rules and
of attack. Generally, Ranged Combat attacks have a range of the normal option to compel an immediate Toughness test of
two hexes (i.e., there may be one hex between the archers and already-imperilled units can also be chosen.
their target formation), even though this is a fairly unrealistic
assumption at Epic battle scale. Melee Combat attacks may
only target adjacent units (i.e., at least some of the tokens
Step 6: Determine Casualties
representing the opposing formations should be attached to Once all formations have attacked, each side must deter-
each other). However, as there always is movement on the mine how many of its imperilled units will become casualties
battlefield which cannot be tracked by the players, it is possi- of battle. Each imperilled unit makes a TN 30 Toughness
ble for an attacking formation (or even a single unit) to dam- test (Elven units receive a +3 test result bonus). Each unit
age a remote unit in the target formation. that fails the test is destroyed, while each unit that succeeds
MAKE ATTACK TEST: The attacking formation makes a shakes off the effects of imperilment and survives to fight in
Ranged Combat or Melee Combat test. The winner of the the next round of battle. Any unmodified die roll of 7 or less
rounds opposed Warfare test adds his corresponding attack is an automatic failure, regardless of the units Toughness.
286
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
When many units must be tested, the Turambar may Whenever a situation occurs that threatens an armys co-
rule thatto save time and die rollingunits may be tested hesion, the Turambar must first determine how many units
in groups of two, three, five, or any other convenient number. will be affected. Any panicking units may then try to main-
Obviously, units tested together must have the same Tough- tain their morale. Failure on this second test causes a unit to
ness and modifiers to Toughness. break.
Step 7: Heroes Fates (1) Determine Number of Panicked Units

After unit casualties have been resolved, the fate of all Morale is most often at stake during one of two steps:
leaders, captains, and other important characters must be de- First, if a leader (or a fell beast using its innate Terror ability)
termined. This is done the same way as described for the ab- tries to intimidate the troops of his enemy, a test of morale
stract battle resolution system on page 284. Make sure to ap- may be required at the end of Step 4: Commander Manoeu-
ply a +3 TN modifier if the characters unit was imperilled vres. As stated above, the leader first makes an Intimidate
this round, or a +5 TN modifier if it was destroyed. test against a TN equal to 10 plus the target formations Mo-
In the event an armys leader (or, in the tactical system, rale. (Normally, no test result modifiers from Table 10.11
also a formations captain) is Killed, Captured, Wounded, or apply to Intimidate tests.) If the test results in LoS 0 or +1,
Injured, the army (or formation) becomes leaderless. Leader- a number of units in the target formation equal to the com-
less units suffer a 3 penalty to their Morale attribute until manders number of ranks in the Intimidate skill are pan-
their leader (or captain) recovers or a new leader assumes icked. On LoS +2 twice that number of units are panicked,
command. In addition, leaderless units must test their Mo- and on LoS +3 or better three times that number are pan-
rale to check if they break upon losing their leader (see below icked. Panicked units must try to maintain their morale or
for detailed mechanics). break, as described below.
It is possible for a heroic player character or appropriate
NPC to assume command of a leaderless army or formation. TABLE 10.11: TESTS OF MORALE
In order to successfully assume command during the chaos of
TEST RESULT
battle, such a character must make a Lead test whose TN ENEMY FORMATION IS ... MODIFIER
usually depends on his position in the last battle round: TN Four or more times the size of the target formation +9
30 if he was fighting on the Outskirts, TN 25 if he was in the Three times the size of the target formation +6
Thick of battle, or TN 20 if he spent the round in the Heart Twice the size of the target formation +3
of Battle. However, the TN will be equal to the number of One half the size of the target formation 3
One quarter the size of the target formation 6
units in the army or formation if that TN is greater than the
one depending on the characters position. If provisions were TARGET FORMATION HAS SUFFERED ...
made before the combat was joined, either TN is halved. 25% casualties +3
Clearly, it is very difficult to assert control over a large army 50% casualties +6
75% casualties +12
while battle rages. In any case, if the original leader recovers,
he automatically retakes command of the army. LEADERS FATE
Armys leader has been killed or captured +10
Armys leader has been incapacitated +5
FIGHTING ON Formations captain has been killed or captured +8
Formations captain has been incapacitated +4
Once a round of battle has been resolved each side has
the opportunity to withdraw from the field of battle or fight Second, if an army loses its leader or suffers grievous cas-
on. If both sides chooseor are forced, because of their posi- ualties, a test of Morale may be required at the end of Step 7:
tionsto press the battle, go through another round. If one Heroes Fates. The Turambar rolls 2d10 against a TN equal
or both sides withdraw, the battle is over and the adventure to 10 plus the threatened formations Morale, adding what-
narrative resumes, with the consequences of battle obvious to ever modifiers seem appropriate. Think of the circumstances
all who participated. If one side withdraws and the other still as having an inherent Intimidate rank, and apply the corre-
wants to press the attack the Turambar must decide, based sponding test result modifiers from Table 10.11 as if making
on the circumstances, whether another round of battle must a skill test. Again, if the result exceeds the TN, a certain
be fought or whether the fleeing side can successfully escape. number of units are panicked:
TESTS OF MORALE If the test was made because the formation has suffered
great casualties over the course of the battle and the
Several situations may require to test the morale of an test results in LoS 0 or +1, a number of units equal
army or formation. This could be the case when despair to the number of units the formation has lost during
might overwhelm outnumbered soldiers who see their com- the current battle round are panicked. On LoS +2
rades and commanders fall, or when an enemy leader tries to twice that number of units are panicked, and on LoS
intimidate his foes. Of course, the Turambar can require a +3 or better three times that number are panicked
test of morale whenever he sees fit, but the test must be re- If the test was made because the afflicted units have
solved as soon as the morale-shaking situation occurs. Thus, lost their commander in the current round of battle
a successful intimidation attempt could break a unit before it and the test results in LoS 0 or +1, a number of units
can launch an attack. in the target formation (or army) equal to the test re-
287
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
sult modifier applied for losing its leader are panicked. PREPARING A SIEGE
(For example, 5 units will be panicked if the armys
leader was incapacitated.) On LoS +2 twice that num- The leaders of both the assaulting and the defending
ber of units are panicked, and on LoS +3 or better force need to achieve a success on a standard test of the appli-
three times that number are panicked. cable Warfare skill specialty (Besieging or Siege Defence) to
properly prepare a siege. A defending force who fails this test
The Turambar may also require a test of morale whenev- suffers a 5 penalty to its Toughness, Melee and Ranged
er a unit is asked to do something dangerous or unreasonable Combat attributes for the remainder of the siege (but it re-
(for example, fight at unreasonable odds, go without food, tains the bonuses offered by the fortification as given on page
water, or pay, scale a castle wall despite the fact that the de- 282). An assaulting force that fails its Warfare (Besieging)
fenders are dumping sewage over the walls, and the like). test must often withdraw empty-handed, or it will also suffer
Again, the Turambar must assess a certain test result modifi- a 5 penalty to its Melee and Ranged Combat scores as well
er as if the circumstances had an inherent Intimidate skill as 5 penalty per LoF to any tests of the Siege Engines skill
bonus. (Turambars discretion).
The relevant Warfare skill specialties encompass the
(2) Maintaining Morale knowledge of carrying outrespectively defending against
a siege, including the best positioning of siege weapons, de-
A character commanding one or more units may use his
termining weaker portions of a wall, building ramps, digging
Lead skill to hold his units together. He makes a separate
trenches and horse traps, and the like. The difficulty of this
Lead test for each panicked unit against a TN that depends
kind of Warfare tests depends on the quality of the structure
on his position in battle: TN 20 if hes fighting in the very
under siege (see page 122 for examples). The actual imple-
Heart of Battle, TN 25 if hes fighting in the Thick of Battle,
mentation of any measures may require the use of a variety of
or TN 30 if he has positioned himself on the Outskirts. If he
skills such as Siege Engines or Stonecraft.
succeeds, the unit does not break and continues to function
normally. On a failure, though, the unit breaks and the Tu-
rambar determines how it reacts. Usually, the members of a STRATEGIC DEFENCE
broken unit try to flee from the field of battle or surrender to Just like any other inanimate object (see page 269), every
their enemies if there is hope of survival. stronghold has two attributes: Protection and Structure.
Of course, this captain must have some way to communi- Protection represents its armour: how much damage its
cate his encouraging message to his comrades, such as a loud walls, gates, and towers can absorb without harm. Structure
voice, a horn-cry, a banner, or mounting a valiant defence represents its Health: how much damage it can withstand,
within sight of the rest of the unit. beyond its Protection, before it collapses or is destroyed. Ta-
Alternatively, if a formation doesnt have a captain or if ble 10.12 provides average Protection and Structure ratings
the captain is unable or unwilling to make a Lead test, the for various fortifications:
Turambar (or the player controlling the formation) rolls
2d10 for each panicked unit and adds its Morale attribute TABLE 10.12: FORTIFICATIONS AND STRUCTURES
score. If the modified roll is equal to or greater than TN 30,
the unit shakes off the panic. Otherwise, it breaks. DOORS PROTECTION STRUCTURE
When many units must be tested, the Turambar may Wooden door, weak 4 10
Wooden door, average 5 15
rule thatto save time and die rollingunits may be tested
Wooden door, strong 6 20
in groups of two, three, five, or any other convenient number. Metal door 8 3050
Obviously, units tested together must have the same Morale Stone door 8 5070
and modifiers to Morale. GATES AND BRIDGES
Weak 5 1020
Average 6 3050
SIEGES Strong 7 5080
Very Strong 8 70200
In many battles, one side tries to take a city, tower, or for- TOWERS
tification, while another does its best to defend it. This con- Weak 57 1,0002,000
stitutes a siege. A siege can either be resolved by simply ap- Average 68 1,8003,500
plying the fortification terrain modifiers listed on page 282, Strong 79 2,5004,500
Very Strong 810 4,0006,000
orif greater detail is desiredby using the rules presented
in this section. In either case, all mounted troops are dis- WALLS
mounted and serve as infantry (unless a cavalry sortie is at- Weak 5 4060
Average 6 50100
tempted and an open field battle ensues). Strong 8 90200
Conducting a siege properly requires the use of the skills Very Strong 810 250600
Warfare and Siege Engines (see pages 122 and 114, respec-
tively). Anyone can, in theory, besiege a place of defence, but Note that the above Protection and Structure ratings,
a skilled captain has a far better chance of success. Similarly, unlike those given for inanimate objects on Table 10.4, do
a defender who understands how sieges work is better able to not correspond to the damage inflicted by ordinary weapons.
protect his citadel from them. Instead, it is assumed that siege engines are used to attack a
288
CHAPTER TEN: COMBAT
TABLE 10.13: SIEGE ENGINES

DAMAGE FUMBLE RANGE (IN YARDS)
ENGINE CODE RANGE (PB/S/M/L/+X) CREW SHOTS
Battering ram, small 12/+4 2 Impact 6 1 every 2 rounds
Battering ram, large 24/+8 3 Impact 12 1 every 3 rounds
Blasting fire 16/+6 5 5/10/20/40/+10 4 1 every 5 minutes
Catapult, small 24/+8 3 15/40/80/160/+25 3 1 every 5 minutes
Catapult, large 40/+15 4 20/80/160/300/+50 4 1 every 10 minutes
Damage Code: How much damage the engine does with a hit. The first number shows the amount of damage dealt with LoS 0, while the se-
cond number gives the additional amount of damage dealt for each additional LoS. A close failure (typically no worse than LoF 1 or 2)
often denotes a hit of the target (such as a wall), though 1d6 yards per LoF away from the intended area of impact. If the Turambar al-
lows a close failure to hit somewhere near the target spot, the engines basic damage is reduced by one increment of additional damage.
Fumble Range: Whenever the 2d10 roll for a Siege Engines test is equal to or lower than this number, the test automatically fails and the
crew may have to bear grim consequences (such as setting themselves on fire or wrecking their catapult).
Range: The various ranges (in yards) at which the siege engine is effective: point blank (PB, TN 12), short (S, TN 15), medium (M, TN 20),
long (L, TN 25), and extended (X, +5 TN per increment past L). See the skill description on page 114 for more information.
Crew: A crew smaller than the listed may still be able to use a siege engine. However, for every person less than a full crew, impose a 3
penalty on all Siege Engines tests. For example, a crew of two fires a large catapult at 6.
Shots: How often the siege engine can attack within a specified period of time.
fortification. Should an individual character be unfortunate Stonecraft

enough to be hit by a siege engine, you can estimate the
number of wound points he sustains by multiplying the dam- Characters who possess knowledge of how to work stone
age the engine does by 5or you may simply assume that and build fortifications can aid in the defence of a siegeor
the character is slain. help besiegers batter down walls and towers more quickly.
Damage to a wall that exceeds its Structure does not Characters with sufficient timedays or weeks, some-
normally collapse the entire wall. Instead, it creates a hole times even monthscan strengthen a fortification to protect
1d6 yards in diameter. Also note that some legendary towers it from a siege. The Turambar assigns a difficulty to the task
and fortifications, such as Orthanc or Barad-dr, may have based on the existing nature and strength of the stronghold,
higher Protection ratings and withstand far more structural the availability of materials and workers, and like factors.
damage before collapsing. The skill description on page 116 provides some guidelines.
If the character succeeds with a Stonecraft (Fortification)
test, he increases the Structure of the fortification by +10 per
SIEGE ENGINES LoS (stone doors and gates only receive a +5 per LoS bonus
When attacking a fortress, a besieger typically uses siege to their Structure). Following a successful test to improve the
engines: enormous, destructive engines of war that can batter Structure of a fortification, another Stonecraft (Fortification)
down walls and towers. Employing them requires a sufficient test may be attempted to increase the Protection of the forti-
crew, at least one member of which must have the appropri- fication by +1 per LoS, to a maximum Protection of 10.
ate Siege Engines skill (page 114). See Table 10.13 for in- Improvements to fortifications are usually permanent if
formation on various types of engines used in Middle-earth. the character had time to make them so. If pressed for time
As stated above, the damage codes listed for siege engines such as when hurrying to strengthen a wall before the
represent the damage done to fortifications, not regular com- hosts of the Enemy arrivecharacters often make quick,
bat damage. Normally, a successful hit by a siege engine on easy improvements that last only for a single battle. Once a
an individual person automatically slays that personexcept character permanently improves a fortification or structure,
for blasting fire which deals regular fire damage to a person he cannot do so again to the same fortification or structure
(see Fire, page 229). Blasting fire is a device of the Enemy until he gains at least 1 new skill rank in Stonecraft.
a product of foul sorceryand is not used by the Wise or On the other hand, a characters Stonecraft can help be-
those allied with them. siegers destroy a citadel more swiftly. The character makes a
Also note that the damage done by siege engines is com- Stonecraft (Fortification) test. See the skill description on
puted differently than normal. A simple hit at LoS 0 does a page 116 for suggested TNs. If he succeeds, his Stonecraft
lot of damage, more than any further LoS adds to the overall provides a +1 affinity bonus per LoS to his (or his allies)
damage. See the Damage Code bottom line of Table 10.13 tests of Siege Engines. The affinity bonus also applies to the
for details. Most siege engines inflict blunt damage, but this Warfare test made by the leader of his army to prepare the
usually isnt an issue. siege.
Note that tests of Stonecraft (Fortification) normally re-
quire the collaboration of many workers. Thus, they are of-
ten resolved as combined tests (see page 224).
289
Chapter Eleven
MAGIC
agic suffuses Middle-earth. From the bottoms of the deepest pit of Sauron to the tops of the
M highest mountains of the Hithaeglir, it is an integral part of the land and the people, even if
most folk never see a spell cast or a dragon in flight.
Even when they largely use the same magical powers in a

THE NATURE OF MAGIC technical sense, each race works them differently. All races
even Orcscan learn how to cast spells of Sorcery, though
IN MIDDLE-EARTH not all of them necessarily take advantage of this fact. For ex-
ample, no records exist of any Hobbits having ever studied
magic or cast sorceries, and Dwarves practice magic rarely,
M
agic in Middle-earth has two aspects you must usually through their craftwork or by graving runesbut
consider: the general manipulation of magic by such enchantments are most often achieved by superior skill,
characters (usually through casting spells) and the and are thus a minor form of the Art rather than Sorcery.
subtle magic found throughout the land. Although different races may technically be casting the
same spells as described in this rulebook, they are not neces-
sarily casting the same spells according to tradition. Moreo-
SPELLCASTING AND TYPES OF MAGIC ver, their methods of casting, as well as their preferred choic-
es of spells, are also vastly divergent. Elven magic (the Art) is
Broadly speaking, the magic used by characters is divided powerful, refined, widely untainted, and nearly effortless,
into two types: Art and Sorcery. The Art represents the little employing spells through song, craftsmanship, and artwork,
formalized, often spontaneous and sometimes even subcon- or even manifesting at will in some cases. Orc-magic (Sor-
scious form of true magic as mainly practised by the Elves, cery), on the other hand, is harsh and crude, used mainly to
whereas Sorcery describes a variety of more formalistic spell- harm and slay. The magic of Men (mostly, but not solely,
casting traditions of different origins. While both forms are Sorcery) can vary wildly from people to peopleand even
powered by the fa (Q. soul) of a magic-wielding character, from magician to magiciandepending upon the traditions
Sorcery also drawsto some extentfrom the disseminated studied and the lore available to the caster.
power of Morgoth, no matter whether a spell of Sorcery is of Different races also perceive magic differently. This is
good or evil origin, or whether it is cast for good or evil pur- particularly true for Elves who even use a different kind of
poses (see Sources of Corruption, page 198, for details). magic, with a differing set of rulesthe Art. To them, magic
is so natural and so much part of their being that they dont
PRACTICES AND TRADITIONS OF MAGIC consider it unnatural or odd, like other races do. Educated
Men regard magic as something to study and learn, a body of
Although practitioners of magiccommonly called ma- lore open only to the truly wise and powerful. Dwarves views
gicians, wizards, sorcerers, witches, shamans, or necro- seem to fall somewhere in between these extremes, and Hob-
mancers by the folk of Middle-earth, or simply spellcasters bits and most ordinary Men regard it with suspicion.
in this rulebookare rare and often secretive, there exists in
Middle-earth a robust tradition of magical exercise. For some Necromancy
things, such as opening and locking doors, there are dozens
of different spells, though some may apply in such limited Necromancy is a particularly dark and evil form of Sor-
conditions (they only work on one specific door, for instance) cery, a foul legacy of powerful spells employed primarily by
that they have little use for most characters. No matter the Enemy and his servants, such as the Mouth of Sauron
whether a particular spell has a limited or broad scope of ap- and the Witch-king. Despite what the game term Necro-
plication, or whether it is cast as a sorcery or takes effect as a mancy may suggest if interpreted in a literal sense, these sor-
manifestation of the Art, there is only a single, generic de- ceries are not limited to conjuring and communing with the
scription of each spell (with varying parameters, though). Of Unbodiedghosts, wraiths, and houseless spirits. However,
course, the Turambar may alter certain aspects of a spells de- many necromancers do obtain their power by exploiting dis-
scription to further reflect differences between the various embodied spirits, sometimes in addition to, or maybe even
forms and traditions of magic as he deems appropriate. instead of, tapping the disseminated Morgothian power.
290
CHAPTER ELEVEN: MAGIC
Necromancy includes spells of torment, ruin, anguish, Magic as an Element of the Game
despair, and death. Its essence lies in the domination and
subjugation of others, in terror, violence, and harm. In a The most important thing to remember about spells and
philosophical sense, any sorcery cast for evil purposes falls magic for your game of Ambarquenta is that magic, as an in-
within the domain of Necromancy. herent part of Middle-earth, is both defined by and reflects
Necromancy provides greater power more quickly than the flavour of the setting. In Middle-earth, magic spells tend
normal Sorcery doesand even some powers unavailable to be low-powered and simple compared to spells in other
through regular sorcerybut at the cost of even worse taint- fantasy settings and games. Magicians, even wizards, cannot
ing the casters soul. Only the wicked, the foolish, and the fly, summon demons, walk through walls, or blast their foes
power-hungry learn it. Wise folk and heroes avoid it at all with bolts of arcane energy. Even Gandalf, the most powerful
costs. wizard in the land during the War of the Ring, could not slay
Generally, player characters should not know any Necro- a Troll with a wave of his hand, toss balls of fire to destroy
mancy spells. It is not a form of magic for heroes to practice. legions of Orcs, repair the gates of Minas Tirith with a spell,
For each spell of Necromancy a character learns, he immedi- or instantly transport himself and Frodo to Orodruin. How-
ately acquires the indicated amount of Corruption points. ever, he and other spellcasters could open and lock doors,
These points are permanent and cannot be gotten rid of in shatter objects, converse with beasts, and start fires. In Mid-
any way. Of course, the character still acquires the due Cor- dle-earth, a land of subtle and flavourful magic, these abilities
ruption as normal each time he casts the spell. make spellcasters powerful and awe-inspiringeven if they
Furthermore, any character who knows even a single spell dont allow them to effortlessly kill enemy after enemy.
of Necromancy suffers a 9 test result penalty when casting
any Secret Fire spell (see below).
THE ISTARI
Wizardry The most powerful practitioners of magic among the Free
Peoples of Middle-earth belong to the Heren Istarion, the Or-
In a sense, Wizardry is the opposite of Necromancy: a der of Wizards. The mightiest of these, the chiefs of the order,
tradition of Sorcery developed and practised by the Wise. are the Five Wizards: Saruman the White (leader of the order),
Despite its unmarred origin and well-meaning aims, Wizard- Gandalf the Grey, Radagast the Brown, and the two Blue Wiz-
ry may still be dependent on the Morgothian element to ards, Alatar and Pallando, who passed into the East and came
never into the records of the West. Although fewaside from
some degree and is therefore a potential source of corruption,
certain Elven-lords like Elrond, Crdan, and Galadrielknow
though less so than ordinary Sorcery, let alone Necromancy. it, these five and the other early members of their order are
Spells of Wizardry tend to be beneficial and are mainly emissaries from the Uttermost West. The Valar sent them to
about preserving, amending, aiding, and communicating, but aid and encourage the Free Peoples to resist the Shadow. They
also include powerful offensive feats such as Flame of Anor or first began arriving in Middle-earth about the year 1000 of
miraculous effects such as Springtime. If a character mostly the Third Age.
Though they are in truth something more than Men, the
casts Wizardry spells, and then for the good of others or the
Five Wizards and others of their kind from across the Sea are
Free Peoples in general, but not for selfish purposes or base constrained by the shapes they must take in Middle-earth.
motives, he stands a good chance of escaping the danger of They resemble Men of age and wisdom, and though long-lived
falling (as was the fate of Saruman), especially if his mind is and powerful, they are subject to the same ills that affect Men:
strong enough to fuel most, if not all, of his spells without hunger, weariness, pain, death. The rules governing them in-
tapping the disseminated power of Melkor Bauglir. hibit as well what they can do on behalf of the Free Peoples.
Wizardry encompasses the realm of Secret Fire and a va- They may not aid them directly, either by fighting directly
against the Shadow or attempting to oppose its power with
riety of spells scattered among other realms. While some of power. Instead, the wizards strive to counsel, support, and de-
the effects of the latter may also be achieved by casting ordi- fend, encouraging the Free Peoples to resist and endure. How-
nary sorceries, spells of Secret Fire are special. In a sense, Se- ever, at least one wizard, Saruman, eventually fell from this
cret Fire spells are more like an Art than normal sorceries be- lofty path and took power to himself in an effort to dominate
cause they require that an extraordinarily skilled caster has and control others, and some, such as Radagast, ignored their
an extraordinarily strong spirit (as represented by the requi- duties for love of other things.
Although its a controversial point among Tolkien schol-
site edges, Wizard or, in case of some lesser spells, Teach-
ars, a Turambar may wish to adopt the idea that after arriving
ings) and, if the Turambar wishes to adopt this notion, the in Middle-earth, the Five Wizards (and their kin) sought out
consent of Eru Ilvatar (i.e., if the Turambar doesnt wish a those among the Free Peoples who might by worthy of mem-
character to cast a spell of Secret Fire, the spell will automati- bership in the order. Finding gifted magic-users of noble heart
cally fail). After all, Gandalf was an appointed servant of the and valorous mien, they trained and tutored them, introduc-
Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. ing the worthiest of their students as wizards themselves. These
Consequently, the vast majority of player characters will wizards, in turn, trained others, all sworn to the rules govern-
ing the Five. Slowly, over the course of centuries, they built a
never know any major Secret Fire spells. But less powerful group of wise and powerful spellcasters whose greatest test
wizardries (that mostly belong to other realms) are more of- the final struggle against Sauroncame at the end of the
ten taught to trustworthy, talented individuals of noble heart Third Age. However, wizards are far rarer than other types of
and mind. As a matter of fact, these wizardries should be the spellcasters, and no adventuring group should normally have
preferred choice of spells for any characters hailing form the one as a player character.
Free Peoples who are incapable of wielding the Art.
291
THE SUBTLE MAGIC OF The Shadow has infected nearly all of Mirkwood with its
horror.
MIDDLE-EARTH And not only evil can mark the land, but great tragedy as
well. Eregion echoes with the lament for the long-departed
As mentioned above, magic exists throughout Middle- Noldor who dwelt there ages ago. The voice of Nimrodel can
earth. Subtle, flavourful, and evocative, it is a key element of be heard near the stream named for her. The ground where
the setting, one the Turambar must always remain aware the Witch-kings beast was burned remains black and barren
ofand which he can use to enhance the feel and flavour of forever. Subtle magic can affect objects as well. Witness Den-
the tale. ethors burning hands showing evermore in the palantr he
Because Middle-earth is innately magical, it possesses died holding.
certain qualities lacking in mundane lands. Similarly, events The subtle magic also reflects the use or effect of some
and occurrences take place that could not in other lands. The spells and skills. For example, in the right circumstances, the
Turambar can work these qualities and events into his sto- use of Intimidate or the casting of Evoke Awe may cause the
ries, allowing the characters to take advantage of themor weather to suddenly change. Clouds may gather and thunder
run afoul of them. Players, by understanding the rules that rumble, or perhaps the clouds part and allow a beam of sun-
govern how this subtle magic works, can find ways to use it, light through.
enhancing both their own abilities and the tale as a whole. In some places, the land seems almost aliveor at least
Here are just some examples. possessed of feelings and motives. For instance, Gimli de-
scribes Caradhras as motivated by ill-will, ascribing to it a
THE RIGHTNESS OF THINGS degree of stubborn malice. Winds from the West dispel the
last remnants of the spirits of both Sauron and Saruman.
The subtle magic of Middle-earth has its greatest dra- The very existence of the Ents, manifestations of the spirit
matic effect when it displays, reflects, or reinforces the right- and needs of trees, is the ultimate form of this personification
ness (or wrongness) of certain actions. It echoes strong emo- of the natural world.
tions, particularly good or kindly ones but also negative feel- The Turambar can represent these effects in many ways
ings. It helps to make the world what it should be, in an ideal in a tale. Spellcasters, Elves, and other sensitive characters
or romantic sense, and it allows That Which Is Right to might be allowed a Perception, Lore, or other appropriate
show through. For example, it might cause flowers to always test to recognize the shadow that lies upon a land, or a re-
bloom at a place where two heroes confess their love for each gions beneficent qualities. To reflect the feel of a region, the
other, or it could ensure that the weather remains clear and Turambar can provide bonuses or penalties to suitable tests
fine for a kings coronationbecause it is Right that things of attributes and skills, increase or decrease the rate at which
should be that way. characters recover lost Weariness Levels or heal from inju-
ries, or impose modifiers to the effects or TNs of particular
THE MIRROR OF NATURE spells.
In Middle-earth, the weather and other natural effects re- Beast Speech
flect and embody great events that take place, or the moral
qualities of certain actions. When Sauron sends his forces to In Middle-earth, many animals can think and even talk.
war, a dark storm arises from the East (his stronghold), blot- Beorns cattle and horses can speak with him. The spiders of
ting out the hope of Gondor. But when the fortunes of battle Mirkwood have an evil, hissing speech. The Dwarves of Ere-
shift and the Captains of the West gain the upper hand, sun- bor have long spoken with the local ravens and recognized
light breaks through the clouds, dispelling the darkness and the wisdom of thrushes. Foxes wonder about the wanderings
bringing new hope. When the Nazgl fly overhead, or their of Hobbits through the Shire at night. The Great Eagles can
cry is heard, the wind suddenly becomes chill. Near Mordor, speak aloud. Sometimes, as with the Eagles, characters and
the sunlight seems defiled to Frodo and Samcorrupted by animals can converse freely. At other times, spells are needed.
the evil will of the Enemy.
The subtle magic shapes and affects even the land itself. HONOURING THE VALIANT
In places like Rivendell and Lrien, the land is bright and
beautiful, whether it is allowed to remain wild or shaped by The subtle magic also honours and aids those who are
the hand of Elf or Man. But in or near places controlled by heroic and valiant, while giving no succourand perhaps
the Enemy, blight, foulness, and desiccation govern. This even hinderingthe malicious and wicked. For example, it
quality affects not only the appearance of the land, but the helps Bard slay the dragon Smaug, showing him just the
people who live or visit there. In Rivendell, fear and anxiety right place to shoot the dragon and then guiding the bow-
vanish like fog in morning sunlight. Those who bathe in mans arm. The Anduin protects Boromirs body, ensuring
Nimrodel feel weariness wash away from them. Travellers in that none dishonour it. Magic brings great tidings from afar,
Saurons ravaged lands find it difficult to rest or heal. so Boromirs brother and father can hear the blowing of his
Similarly, where evil has been done or evil once dwelt, a horn at his death, though he is many leagues away. And,
shadow lies upon the land. Where Smaug fell into the Long combined with dramatic need, the world sees to it that he-
Lake, no ship sails, and no one dares swim. Where Trolls roes and their companions arrive where they need to be in a
once lived, things do not feel right to the enemies of Sauron. timely fashion. Witness the meeting of Halbarad and his
292
Rangers with Aragorn near Isengard, or the arrival of Ara- he could choose to modify the roll made for an Ambar test by
gorn at Pelargir in time to stop the Corsairs and take their 2 (or more, at the Turambars discretion, up to a maximum
ships. of 5). The successful use of either kind of effect causes your
current Ambar score to drop by 1 point. See Improve Test
Dramatic Heroism Results on page 197 for the basic form of this effect.
INSPIRATION: Speaking or hearing the names of the Valar
The Turambar can simulate this quality of subtle mag- or other inspiring words grants a +3 bonus for Inspire or
icsuch as help with the slaying of fell beastsby providing Fortitude tests to resist Intimidate (Fear) and like effects.
a dramatic heroism bonus. When a character undertakes a PAIN EVIL: When confronting the chief servants of the
crucial and heroic task and the player roleplays well, the Tu- Enemy, or other creatures of great evil such as the Witch-
rambar can grant him a temporary bonus to his current Am- king, Shelob, or the Mouth of Sauron), the names of the
bar score. Depending on the situation, this bonus will nor- Valar cause them discomfiture and pain, imposing a 2 pen-
mally range anywhere from +1 to +5 points of Ambar. The- alty to all tests for one round. To improve this effect, a char-
se points can be spent as described on page 197, but whats acter can opt to make an Ambar test. This costs him 1 point
probably more important, they also greatly increase a charac- of Ambar and increases the penalty to 4. In addition, the ef-
ters chance of success with any Ambar test he attempts while fect lasts for a number of rounds equal to the characters For-
the dramatic heroism bonus is in effect. Once the task is titude 5 (with a minimum of 1 round).
completed (for good or for bad), any leftover bonus Ambar DISPEL DESPAIR: If the characters are in a place, such as
points vanish. Mordor, where the subtle magic makes it harder to rest or
Turambari should not try to simulate other facets of the- regain Weariness Levels, and if they succeed with an Ambar
se matters with game rules. Instead, they can simply include test, speaking names or words of inspiration and power can
them as elements of the story that illustrate the nature of dispel those effects for one hour once per day. This use of
Middle-earth. Some aspects of subtle magic, particularly Ambar does not cause its current score to decrease.
timely arrivals, may require careful structuring of an adven-
ture or orchestrating of the actions of the player characters, Restrictions
but with a little forethought that should not prove much of a
problem. Of course, there are some restrictions on characters abili-
ties to invoke the power of words; they cannot simply go
THE POWER OF WORDS around shouting Elbereth! and getting bonuses whenever
they like. First, invoking the power of words requires a min-
Thanks to the subtle magic of Middle-earth and the Mu- imum of 8 action points, sometimes as much as a full round
sic of the Ainur which dimly resonates throughout Arda, or even longer increments of time.
words themselves can have power. Elven-speech often re- Second, characters can only get a bonus from invoking
mains graven on the minds of those who hear it, and the in- the power of words when it is dramatically appropriate to do
vocation of Elbereth, other Valar, and sometimes other pow- sofor example, when they are facing a powerful, evil foe,
erssuch as Tom Bombadilcan bring hope and courage not just whenever they fight some lowly Orcs.
to good folk trapped in dark places. On the other hand, as Third, they must roleplay the situation appropriately, not
Gandalfs speaking of the Ring-inscription in the Black just say, My characters shouting Elbereth! I want an in-
Speech shows, evil words can darken shadows and make creased bonus for my next Ambar test.
stout hearts quail. The use and effects of invoking the power of words is en-
Turambari can use any appropriate effect from the fol- tirely at the Turambars discretion.
lowing list to simulate the power of words. They can also
make up other effects to fit his needs. OATHS AND CURSES
Requisites Related to the general power of words is the effect of
oaths and curses. In Middle-earth, sworn oaths have real ef-
To use any of the effects from the below list, a character fect and so do the curses placed upon those who break them.
must not have accumulated more than three Corruption Lev- The curse laid by Isildur on the Dead Men of Dunharrow is
els (i.e., the acceptable maximum level is Exposed). Obvious- the best-known example, but it is by no means the only one.
ly, he also needs to know the name of the Vala he wants to In Ambarquenta, binding oaths are usually represented by
invoke; normally, 5+ ranks in an applicable Lore skill (usual- the Oath flaw (page 176), though they can also occur as the
ly History) or acquaintance with another character who result of roleplaying and story development. If a character
openly reveres the Valar satisfy this condition. Note that swears an oathflaw or nohe must abide by it. If he does
these prerequisites only apply if a character desires to achieve not, the consequences of his oathbreaking shall fall upon him
a benevolent effect. in full measure.
As for what consequences those might be and how they
Sample Effects affect the oathbreaker, they depend upon the oath sworn, or
the curse laidif any. Some oaths may contain within them
MASTER OF FATE: When a character invokes the name of the punishment for their violation: If I fail to meet you at the
Elbereth or another Vala and succeeds at an Ambar test to Fords of Bruinen on midsummers day, may my line falter
receive a test result bonus, he gets a +7 bonus. Alternatively, and no male child be born of my seed. Other oaths are more
293
general, leaving the victim of the oathbreaking to specify the ing a quantifiable part of the settingsomething that the
punishment with a curseas Isildur didor the Turambar rules can define with numbers, charts, and modifiersit is a
to decide upon a fittingly dramatic penalty. nebulous thing, always present in the background, rarely
For some oaths and curses, the punishment can be ex- thrusting itself forward into the story. There are no rules by
pressed in game terms. For example, a curse of feebleness which the Turambar can force a player character to follow
may result in a reduction of Strength, Vigour, or Stamina, or his destiny.
a penalty to tests involving them. A curse that no sword will However, there are ways to reflect the role of fate
ever rest easy in your hand could be simulated by imposing a through the rules or deft narrating. For example, the Ambar
penalty on Blades skill tests. Others, such as failure of a attribute and some abilities, such as Armour of Heroes or
bloodline or service even after death, simply become an ele- Favour of Fortune, represent, at least in part, the fact that
ment of the game. Few rules, if any, are needed for them. fate looks out for charactersnot protecting them, exactly,
Curses, too, may be laid for other faults than the breaking but smiling upon them. Similarly, if a Turambar wishes to
of oaths: for great wrongs done, such as the slaying of ones weave a story in which a burden or quest is placed upon a
child, or for bitter torment inflicted. Such curses are usually characters shoulders, he can orchestrate events in his tale to
conditional: a specified punishment shall beset the wrongdo- ensure that the character must confront this potential duty.
er unless he makes amends in some fashion. Unfortunately What the character chooses to do about it remains up to
for player characters, curses seem to have little, if any, effect him, of course. But theres nothing wrong with arranging an
on the servants of the Shadow. They can lay curse after curse encounter to steer him towards a decision, or even with
on Sauron or the Witch-king, and nothing happens, perhaps providing an extra point of Ambar or two as a dramatic hero-
because such creatures are already cursed by their very na- ism bonus to help see him through the dangers he must con-
ture. Only the PCs themselvesand NPCs not directly in front before he discovers the burden fated for him.
service to the Eastare susceptible to their effects.
Curses are subject to the same restrictions as invoking the
power of words. Characters must take the proper time, play- Prophecy
ers must roleplay the laying of the curse well, andabove
allthe cursing must be dramatically appropriate. Addition- Many persons in Middle-earth seem gifted with the abil-
ally, the Turambar may demand an Ambar test and charge ity to foretell the future, even if that ability comes to them
the cursing character a point of Ambar to represent the im- only onceand cryptically, as with Faramirs dream. Magi-
passioned fury that inspires him and powers the curse. The cally inclined characters, in particular, seem prone to insights
use and effects of oaths and curses is entirely at the Turam- regarding the days to come. Sometimes, as with Glorfindels
bars discretion. If a character lays an apparently unjustified prophecy regarding the Witch-kings doom or Malbeth the
or overly cruel curse on someone who maybe doesnt really Seers pronouncement about the Paths of the Dead, their
deserve to be cursed, the Turambar may assign him any words come down through the long years, providing wisdom
number of Corruption points. and guidance when they are most needed.
Foresight is not the ultimate boon it might at first seem.
FATE AND FORETELLINGS When characters experience forebodings, prophetic dreams,
and moments of prophetic insight, they do not receive crys-
Last but certainly not least, the subtle magic of Middle- tal-clear visions of what will happen later today, or tomor-
earth manifests itself through the role of fate and prophecy. row, or in a month or a year. Rather, foresight most often
comes upon them as vague feelings and beliefs or mysterious
Fate dreams or the like. It rarely provides specific information or
guidance, except when it touches on matters of little import
In Middle-earth, fate is a concept of importance, but one to a game tale (I foretell that the span of your life shall be
which has certain restrictions placed upon it of which the greater than the measure of Men, unless evil befalls you or
Turambar must remain aware. Fate never dictates a charac- you fail at the test. Elrond, The Return of the King). Ra-
ters actions or strips him of his free will. The Ring may have ther, its meaning is plain only in hindsight or when analysed
been fated to come to Frodo, but he was not fated to take it by those of great learning and wisdom. The significance of
to Mount Doom. He might have chosen to do anything with Faramirs dream only became evident when it was presented
it: throw it away, keep it and do nothing, try to claim its to an entire council of Elven-lords, wizards, and members of
power. Similarly, though Elrond notes that the persons pre- the Free Peoples. Even Denethor, renowned for his loremas-
sent at his council were drawn there by order and not seem- tery, could not unravel it.
ing chance, they were not forced to remain. Any of them In game terms, characters who are Foresighted (see page
could have declared his disinterest and walked away. Despite 135) sometimes experience prophetic insight, dreams that
the ominous overtones of the word, fate is not a shackle bind- warn of some calamity, or the like. Occasionally, other char-
ing characters to unavoidable courses of action. It may place acters may have similar insightsmuch the way Aragorn
them in the midst of those courses of action and force them foretold that Gandalf should beware Moriabut theirs are
to choose one, but it never strips them of their free will. less frequent and less helpful (note, though, that such charac-
Thus, for the most part, fate is simply an aspect of the ters might be allowed to acquire Foresighted as an edge). The
world of Middle-earth, something for PC and NPC alike to Noldor and the Dredain seem particularly likely to have
mention to explain events or provide advice. Rather than be- prophetic gifts or flashes of foresight.
294
The most important guideline for foretelling is that the FA

Turambar controls what characters can learn through fore-
sight. Foretelling isnt a way for characters to discover every-
thing thats going to occur in the culmination of the tale, the The lower of a characters basic Fortitude or Wisdom.
vulnerabilities of their enemies, or the location of hidden While the Quenya term fa simply denotes the indwell-
treasures. Prophecy may provide guidance on these ques- ing spirit of an incarnate being, or the soul that constitutes
tions, but it should never answer them directly and openly. any individual, the Fa attribute is a measure of the strength
In many cases, foresights best role in the game is to pro- of a characters mind regarding his chances to wield magic.
vide atmosphere. If a player, in the midst of good roleplaying, Theoretically, any character might learn spells of Sor-
utters a minor prophecy of some sort (A foresight is on me, cerybut no teacher will likely accept a student with a Fa
and I warn you: Do not read the scrolls of Minardil!), the score much lower than 16. Representing a gift to a particular
Turambar might reward that player by doing his best to people (i.e., a racial ability), the Art is not normally bound to
work the prophecy into the story and follow through on it. a minimum Fa score. However, a characters Fa determines
As Elrond notes ( under the Shadow all is dark to me, the scope and power of his attempts to wield the Art.
The Fellowship of the Ring), foretelling is much more difficult, Since Fa is normally only relevant for spellcasters, it is
if not impossible, when directed against people, places, or recorded on the Magical Capabilities sheet rather than on the
things covered by the Shadow. In these cases, the Turambar Cover Sheet. Magically unmusical characters do not need to
should apply a penalty of 6 or more to the Foresight test. know their Fa score.
On the other hand, approaching death is said to clarify pow-
ers of foresight. If a character is Near Death, he receives a +3
(or greater) bonus to his Foresight test. SKILLS
For characters using Sorcery, each of the magic spells de-
MAGICAL CHARACTERISTICS scribed from page 309 onward is a separate skill. For wielders
of the Art, each category or realm of spells is a separate skill,
with the individual spells of a given realm potentially belong-
M agically skilled characters acquire their powers in
one of two ways. The first is through an innate tal-
ent or capacity for magic. These spellcasters are, in a sense,
ing to their repertory. These terms and game mechanics are
described in more detail under Spells below.
Besides these actual spellcasting skills, magic users do not
attuned to the magic of Middle-earth, and they learn how need many skills or specialties in addition to those commonly
to employ it as they will. This is most commonly seen among acquired by ordinary people. Some sorcerers may wish to ac-
the Elves, whose innately magical nature often leads them to quire the Throw: Spells sub-skill, with Lightning or a similar
develop great powers with the Art. The second method,
directed spells as a specialty. Another example is the Arcane
mostly seen among Men, is through study and lore. Eager for
Lore skill group. While any character may develop these
magical power, this sort of spellcasters spends long hours
skills, a spellcaster might have a deeper understanding of the
poring over ancient tomes and scrolls, and seeking places and
matter and may, at the Turambars discretion, acquire more
items of enchantment. Though not fundamentally evil, this ranks, or acquire them more easily (i.e., in less time), than an
method of learning and wielding magic is suspect, since it is
uninitiated person.
inherently tainted by Morgoth and often leads to a fascina-
With corruption being an inevitable accompaniment of
tion with dark arts and a descent into the practice of Nec-
Sorcery, the need to purify ones fa from the marring effects
romancy. Irrespective of whether a magically gifted character
of spellcasting becomes an important issue. As stated on page
is a wielder of the Art or Sorcery, you must record an addi-
200, characters may be able to partially decrease their Cor-
tional attribute for him, Fa.
CLEANSING MEDITATION
Lore; Academic
Bg/In/Wl, 7 Hard Untrained: No
Warned by your mentor, you are aware of the dangers of casting spells. Sometimes, you even seem to notice a shadow creep-
ing into your heart. Fortunately, though, you were also taught how to purify your soul by meditation.
REQUISITE: This skill can only be learned if you have a teachera Wizard, for instancewho is willing to teach it to you.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: None.
TEST: Cleansing Meditation tests are standard ones. The TN depends on your current Corruption Level, the time you can af-
ford to meditate, and the place where you do so.
Light (TN 15): Purifying yourself of Corruption as long as you are Pure.
Medium (TN 20): Purifying yourself when you are Intrigued.
Challenging (TN 25): Purifying yourself when you are Exposed.
Hard (TN 30): Purifying yourself when you are Tainted.
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Purifying yourself when you are Captivated.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Purifying yourself when you are already Corrupt.
295
LSF: For each LoS you score, you are purged of 1d5 Corruption points, to a minimum equal to your Taint score (see below).
Upon LSF 0 or LoF 1, you neither lose nor gain any further Corruption. However, if your test yields LoF 2 or worse, the
Shadows grip on your soul becomes even stronger and you acquire 1d10 additional Corruption points per LoF in excess of LoF 1
(for example, you acquire 2d10 Corruption points upon LoF 3).
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: If you are in a stronghold of the Wise or a place of goodness (such as Minas Tirith, Rivendell, or L-
rien), you receive a +6 test result bonus. Elsewhere in a peaceful country, you receive a +3 test result bonus. On the other hand,
if you are in a stronghold of evil or a place of darkness (such as Mordor, Dol Guldur, or Moria), you suffer a 10 test result penal-
ty. Near such an evil place, you still suffer a 5 test result penalty.
AFFINITY: Arcane Lore and Discern may be tested in appropriate circumstances to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
ACTION TIME: The normal time to cleanse yourself of one point of Corruption is one day (i.e., a ten to twelve hours period
of deep, exhausting meditation). For every doubling of this period, you receive a +3 test result bonus (i.e., to receive a +6 bonus,
you must meditate for four days per Corruption point lost). Conversely, for every halving of this time, you suffer a 5 test result
penalty (i.e., if you can only afford only one day to be cleansed of four points of Corruption, you would suffer a 10 penalty).
ruption total by strongly resisting temptation and corrupting propriate amount of picks during character creation, or by
influences, through honest repentance and confession, by successfully improving the skills over the course of the game.
performing noble and heroic deeds, by recovering Ambar, IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this talent at a greater
orif the Turambar feels generousby occasionally em- level. Each additional level raises the rank limit by +1 (to a
ploying the optional skill Cleansing Meditation. maximum of 150% of your Fa score).
MAGICAL ABILITIES GRIMOIRE

Pick Cost: 5 per rank Type: Edge (Sorcery)
For reasons of clarity, the abilities directly pertaining to
You have studied a tome of lore and magic and thereby
casting spells are presented in this section rather than in
learned how to cast some spells of sorcery.
Chapter Five (although that chapter introduces several po-
REQUISITE: Access to a book of spells, Wits 15+, Fa 15+
tent magical abilities of a more general scope, such as Fore-
(or maybe less, if a character seems otherwise particularly
sighted, Healing Hands, or Artificer, to name but a few, as
suited to become a user of Sorcery)
well as some talents and flaws affecting a characters re-
EFFECT: Each time you take this edge, you get 1 to 12 spell
sistance to magic). The magical abilities presented below can
be acquired as normal, but only mental and general class skill ranks (rarely more), depending on the extent and quality
picks may be used to obtain them. Therefore, no pick type of the studied book of spells. Together with your Turambar,
entry is listedit is instead replaced by an entry indicating choose a number of spells of Sorcery to which you would like
the type of ability (talent or edgethough almost all are edg- to assign these ranks. You can at most choose as many spells
es) and the type of magic (Art or Sorcery) to which it applies. as you can afford to acquire at their minimum rank. More of-
No required training time is shown for these magical ten than not, the chosen spells belong to a single realm or are
abilities because the amount of time a given individual must otherwise closely related. The Turambar has the final say on
dedicate to studying tomes of lore or attuning himself to the what spells are actually described in the grimoire.
IMPROVEMENT: You may pick this edge more than once,
magic of Middle-earth varies so greatly, depending on the
quality of his teacher, available books, and, of course, his per- each time gaining access to a new grimoire and acquiring
sonal aptitude, that only the Turambar can assess a due more ranks for spell skills. Once a spell has been successfully
training time, based on the guidelines given on page 303. cast for the first time, it can also be improved like any normal
The following list starts with the most fundamental abili- skill of average learning difficulty.
ties related to spellcasting (i.e., those regulating the access to
magic and an individuals learning process) and is then con- TEACHINGS
tinued in alphabetical order, right up to the Wizard edge.
Pick Cost: 4 per rank Type: Edge (Sorcery)
You have been accepted as student of magic by a wizard
GREATER GIFT or loremaster and been taught how to cast some spells.
Pick Cost: 5 per level Type: Talent (Art) REQUISITE: Access to an appropriate teacher, a very good
or excellent result on an Esteem test to be accepted as a stu-
You are exceptionally gifted in wielding the Art, with dent (though this could be bypassed through a plausible sto-
greater power at your hand than others of your ilk. ry or proper roleplaying), Wits 16+, Fa 16+ (or maybe less,
REQUISITE: The Art as a racial ability, Fa 15+ if a character seems otherwise particularly suited to become a
EFFECT: When calculating the maximum number of ranks student of Sorcery)
(expressed as a fraction of your Fa score) you may obtain in EFFECT: Each time you take this edge, you get 1 to 15 spell
any Art, add +1 rank. For example, a Dnadan with Fa 15 skill ranks (rarely more), depending on the knowledge of
and one level in this talent could acquire up to 6 ranks (i.e., your teacher and his willingness to share his insight with you.
one third of his Fa score, +1) in the Art of Enchantment and Together with your Turambar, choose a number of spells of
the Art of Thought, Speech, and Perception by spending an ap- Sorcery to which you would like to assign these ranks. You
296
can at most choose as many spells as you can afford to ac- METHOD OF SORCERY
quire at their minimum rank. The chosen spells may belong
to different realms. Naturally, your teacher must know them Pick Cost: 25 per method Type: Edge (Sorcery)
and be willing to teach them to you.
You have learned or developed a special way of casting
If your teacher also has an adequate library with tomes of
spells of Sorcery, either through runes or songs of power.
lore describing the chosen spells, and you are allowed to
REQUISITE: You must know at least one spell that can be
study these grimoires intensively, you mayat the Turam-
cast using another method than standard.
bars discretionacquire up to 20 spell skill ranks under
EFFECT: Upon picking this edge, choose a methodrunes
such favourable circumstances.
or songs of power (see Spellcasting Methods, page 302, for
IMPROVEMENT: You may pick this edge more than once,
details) . You may, if you wish, cast some applicable spells us-
each time receiving new teachings and acquiring more ranks
ing this method instead of the usual method of gestures and
for spell skills. Once a spell has been successfully cast for the
incantations.
first time, it can also be improved like any normal skill of av-
IMPROVEMENT: You may pick this edge a second time,
erage learning difficulty.
thus learning all three ways of casting sorceries: standard,
song, and runes.
DISTIL DRAUGHT
Pick Cost: 20 Type: Edge (Art & Sorcery) SANCTUM
You can create elixirs that mimic the effects of certain Pick Cost: 20 per level Type: Edge (Art & Sorcery)
spells, essentially bottling the essence of your magical craft.
You possess a sanctum, a place of power and refuge.
REQUISITE: 6 or more ranks in Alchemy, knowledge of at
REQUISITE: You must know at least three spells.
least one of the applicable spells listed below.
EFFECT: Your sanctum could be a strange mansion in the
EFFECT: You know how to create draughts through distil-
wilds (such as the Last Homely House), a tower in a city or
lation, boiling herbs or other ingredients to extract their es-
town, a cave, or any other sort of place the Turambar ap-
sence before imbuing them with a spell you know. Magical
proves. The sanctum cannot cover more than one acre (ca.
draughts may mimic the effects of any one of the following
4,050 m) for every point of Fa you possess. (Note that this
spells: Change Hue, Dull Senses, Enhance Food, Guarding-spell,
edge may not be a good choice for player characters, since it
Keen Senses, Rain-ward, Renew, Revive, Slumber, Steady Hand,
tends to tie them to a particular location. Consult with your
Stout Body, Strength of Limb, and Swift of Foot. Turambar before selecting it.)
Determine the amount of time needed to distil an en- IMPROVEMENT: For each additional level acquired in this
chanted draught according to the rules for enchanting items edge, you have another sanctum in an additional location, or
on pages 319ff. Draughts are considered small items for pur- you may multiply the size of an existing sanctum by your Fa
poses of determining size factor. Note that a draught of En- score. For example, with Sanctum 3 and Fa 15, your sanc-
hance Food must be poured onto the food that it is intended tum could cover up to 3,375 acres (15 x 15 x 15), a stretch of
to improve. No more than one enchantment may be laid into land with a side length of approximately 3,700 x 3,700 me-
a single draught. tres.
DWIMMER-CRAFTY SANCTUM POWER

Pick Cost: 15 per level Type: Edge (Sorcery) Pick Cost: 30 per level Type: Edge (Art & Sorcery)
You possess great skill with, and passion for, the arcane So familiar are you with the lands surrounding a sanctum
arts which allows you to better cope with the weariness that of yours, and so attuned to the subtle magics of Middle-earth
comes about when casting spells. there, that you can exert some control over them if the need
REQUISITE: Sanctum arises.
EFFECT: You accumulate one point of weariness less than REQUISITE: Sanctum
normal when casting a spell, even if the spellcasting test fails. EFFECT: By making a Fa test, you can raise or lower the
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire up to three levels in this temperature in your sanctum slightly, control the ebb and
edge, with each additional level decreasing the number of flow of any bodies of water (perhaps even causing a raging
weariness points you accumulate when casting a spell by one flood, if necessary), direct the course and strength of the
more point. winds as you choose, and so forth. Table 11.1 lists possible
things you can do, and suggested TNs for each. The Turam-
If the optional rule is in effect that the pick cost of the se- bar and player should work together to develop other uses
cond ability from the same category as a previously chosen for this power if necessary.
one is increased by 50% (and the cost of any further ability This edge works best when you use it to manifest the
by 100%) during initial character creation, the magical abili- subtle magic of Middle-earth in evocative, flavourful ways.
ties should be treated as a distinct category. Any additionally Its not meant as an absolute form of guardianship or an in-
required picks may come from any pick class, including physi-
vulnerable bulwark against invaders. Causing a deadly flood,
cal. All characters presented in this book and any supplements
to Ambarquenta are created with this optional rule in use. such as Elrond did when the Ringwraiths tried to cross the
Fords of Bruinen, should be rare and difficult.
297
TABLE 11.1: SANCTUM POWER If the character is formally inducted to the Order of
Wizards, he will have to take a corresponding flaw (see be-
EFFECT FA TEST TN
low) to represent his allegiance. The due picks of the flaw
Raise/disperse fog (see Table 9.7, page 216, for effects) 20
Control/strengthen/diminish winds 20
may be subtracted from the pick cost of this edge, even
(up to a 5 test result penalty on all ranged attacks) though flaws normally do not grant any extra picks after ini-
Make undergrowth inhibit movement by 50% 25 tial character creation.
Raise/lower water (may interfere with or aid 23 EFFECT: Depending on how the Turambar interprets the
sailing or fording)
traditions of magic and the history of the Istari in general,
Cause flooding 30
Improve/worsen weather (may interfere with 20 and this edge in particular, you may actually be a member of
travel or suitable tests) the Heren Istarion (see page 291 for further information
about the Order of Wizards), or you might just be an ex-
The exact game effects of this edge are up to the Turam- tremely advanced and powerful wielder of magic, while an
bar. The player suggests a possible use of the powerI want NPC in the service of the Shadow with this edge may either
to make all the plants and trees interfere with the Orcs belong to a dark order of necromancers or work on his own
movement, slowing them down and tripping themand the account. In other words, used as a game term in the context
Turambar decides whether it lies within the scope of the of this edge, a wizard may be a wielder of any form of mag-
edge. If it does not, he may suggest a lesser, related use or re- icArt, Wizardry, Sorcery, or even Necromancy, provid-
quire an Ambar test (and a point of Ambar or two) to sumed he is powerful enough to meet the requisites.
mon up the strength necessary to do what the player wants. However, if you indeed belong to the ancient and noble
IMPROVEMENT: You may acquire this edge multiple times Order of Wizards, you are a particularly skilled magician of
if you have multiple sanctums to which you may apply it. true heart who has been taught greater lore and wisdom by
one of the original Five Wizards or one of their elder stu-
SORCEROUS APTITUDE dents. When you are inducted to the Heren Istarion, you
must subscribe to a code of conduct: Wizards must swear to
Pick Cost: 18 per realm Type: Edge (Sorcery) oppose Sauron and all of his servants and to help others to
do the same. Yet, they may only do so indirectly, through
You have focused your study of magic on particular areas
counsel and aid. They may not take command of realms or
of lore, such as fire or beasts.
forces, nor lead open attacks against the Enemy. Only after
REQUISITE: You must know at least two spells from the
the Enemy has attacked may they take the field and use their
designated realm of Sorcery. awesome powers to strike down his servants. Of course, some
EFFECT: Select one realm of spells. These are listed on wizards fall from this lofty patheven Saruman, the chief of
page 301. When casting sorceries of that realm, you gain a the order, did sobut most hold to it gladly, recognizing its
+1 bonus to any tests needed to cast the spell, including the wisdom. In game terms, characters represent these re-
spellcasting test itself as well as attack rolls to hit targets. strictions with at least one of the following suitable flaws (the
IMPROVEMENT: You may pick this edge multiple times, ei- extra picks of which may be used to acquire this edge): Code
ther to increase your bonus with a particular realm of spells of Honour, Duty, or Oath.
by +1 (to a maximum of +5), or to develop a sorcerous apti-
tude for many different realms of spells.
FINAL STRIKE
WIZARD Pick Cost: 20 Type: Edge (Art & Sorcery)
Pick Cost: 50, or less Type: Edge (Art & Sorcery) It is dangerous to trap a wizard, for even in ultimate de-
feat he can strike his enemies down.
You are a powerful practitioner of the arts of magic, in REQUISITE: Wizard
fact one of the most powerful in these days of the world. EFFECT: If he chooses, a wizard can unleash all of his mag-
REQUISITE: To become a wizard, you must have Fa 18+, ical power in a single, terrible blast, slaying dozens of foes at
at least five Lore skills at skill rank 10+, and at least 50 skill once at the cost of his own life. He dies, but as he goes he
ranks in spells or the Art (ranks in any Arts are doubled). does a number of points of damage equal to his overall num-
PICK COST: If a character fulfils all of the above require- ber of skill ranks in spells or the Art (ranks in any Arts are
ments (and has proven worthy to become a member of the doubled, as explained on page 306). Apply the damage to an-
Order of Wizards, if this edge is interpreted literally), the yone in an area with a radius equal to one half of his overall
Turambar may grant him this edge for less than 50 picks, or number of skill ranks in spells or the Art in yards, centred
maybe even for free, as it primarily acts as requisite for other upon the wizard. The damage is treated as fire damage for
edges and the most potent Secret Fire spells, rather than of- the purpose of armour protection.
fering much of an advantage itself (aside from the honour of At the Turambars option, a final strike may not kill the
belonging to such an illustrious order). When developing wizard, but simply leave him injured, weary, and weak, and
veteran characters, however, a significant pick cost should be unable to cast spells for a long timeperhaps forever.
charged at any rate.
298
IMPOSING EFFECT: Whenever you cast a counter-spell (see page

307), you gain a +2 bonus to both your casting test and the
Pick Cost: 15 Type: Edge (Art & Sorcery) subsequent opposed Fa test.
IMPROVEMENT: You may improve this edge up to four
Wizards possess great wisdom, majesty, and power, and
times to gain additional +1 bonuses to both of the tests this
this shows through in their dealings with others.
edge modifies (to a maximum bonus of +6).
REQUISITE: Wizard
the result of any Social skill test, you receive a +9 bonus to STAFF [TALISMAN]
your test result, instead of the usual +5.
Pick Cost: 30 per level Type: Edge (Art & Sorcery)
MASTERY OF MAGIC You possess a wizards staff (or maybe another powerful
talisman) that aids you when casting spells.
Pick Cost: 30 Type: Edge (Art & Sorcery) REQUISITE: Wizard
EFFECT: When you have your staff, you receive a +1 bo-
More than any other practitioners of magic, wizards pos-
nus to all spellcasting tests. If this personal talisman is taken
sess great lore and a deep understanding of the magic of
from you, it does not provide this bonus for others.
Middle-earth.
REQUISITE: Wizard
edge. Each level increases the bonus to spellcasting tests by
+1 (to a maximum of +3).
the result of any magic-related testincluding spellcasting
tests, or tests to strike foes with magic, you receive a +9
bonus to your test result, instead of the usual +5. STAFF OF POWER [TALISMAN OF POWER]
Pick Cost: 30 Type: Edge (Art & Sorcery)
QUICK CASTER
A wizards staff (or, if the Turambar approves it, another
Pick Cost: 15 per level Type: Edge (Art & Sorcery) object functioning as a personal talisman) grows to reflect his
increasing power and advancement. When a wizard chooses
Hard experience, gained by striving against other spell-
this edge, he forms a deep bond with his staff that transforms
casters, has taught you how to read the intentions of a foe
it from a personal talisman or trinket to a physical represen-
and counter them with dexterity.
tation of his magical skill.
REQUISITE: Wizard, Deftness 13+
REQUISITE: Staff, Wizardly Power
STAVES
In the hands of a traveller, a staff is no more than a walking stick to ease the way along a rocky, winding trail. While a wizard
may at times use his staff in a similar manner, its true value lies in its magic. The Five Wizards each bore a staff, and as a traveller
leans on a plain staff to help ease his journeys, so too do the Five and lesser wizards rely on their staves to support their magic.
It is difficult to overstate the importance of a wizards staff to the one who wields it. The destruction of Sarumans staff was a
powerful statement of his banishment from his order.
Staves are the province of wizards: only members of the arcane order founded by the Five Wizards have the talent and
knowledge to craft these wondrous objects. Lesser magicians often carry walking stick, canes, and similar items, but none are im-
bued with the magic of a true wizards staff.
Therefore, a staff is quite unlike a blade of Elvish make or a Dwarf-forged coat of armour. One cannot simply take hold of it
and make use of its arcane secrets. Rather, each staff is wrought and carried by a single wizard who may use its powers. In the
hands of one who has no knowledge of magic, a staff is wooden stick. A lesser magician may be able to sense some of a staffs abil-
ities, but even an accomplished spellcaster cannot use the least powers of another wizards staff.
A wizards staff reflects his power and ability. As he masters more spells and gains more lore, so too does his staff develop new
capabilities to aid his magic and enhance his skill. Creating a staff is not simply a matter of carving a length of wood. All magic of
Middle-earth is subtle, an art rather than a science. A wizard shapes his staff over long years of carrying it and practising his mag-
ic. Much like the subtle magic of Middle-earth causes regions to reflect the hearts of those who dwell there, a staff grows to mirror
its bearers magical talents.
OTHER TYPES OF TALISMANS
If the Turambar adopts to the view that the Wizard edgeand, as a consequence, the edges for which it acts as a requisite
should be available to all experienced practitioners of magic who meet its requirements (and not only to formal members of the
Heren Istarion), he may also allow other types of items to become personal talismans functioning similar to a wizards staff (i.e., as
described for the edges Staff and Staff of Power). This approach is particularly suitable for Elven users of the Art who favour light
gowns, girdles, or decorative jewellery to act as their talismans, but it also possible that a robe or any other type of charm fulfils
the function of a staff for a Mannish spellcaster.
However, not all forms of talismans may be suitable for all effects obtainable with the Staff of Power edgethe Turambar has
the final say on that matter. Whats more, only a single personal talisman can be active at a time and grant its bonus to its
wielder. Also note that metal items, or items containing more than an ounce or two of ore, do not qualify as talismans because
metal interferes with the Morgothian element. (Hence, items wrought of mithril or star-iron may be suitable, and wielders of the
Art may be allowed to use any metal item as their personal talisman, as the Turambar sees fit.)
299
EFFECT: A Staff of Power has several discrete abilities. MANIFESTATION: A wizard must achieve LoS +3 or bet-
These do not immediately manifest when this edge is pur- ter when parrying with his staff in order to gain this ability.
chased, however. Rather, the staff develops them one by one This success must come in battle, not while he practices or
in response to the wizards magic and deeds. Once activated, duels with a friend.
triggering any of a staffs abilities requires 8 AP. These abili-
ties are not exclusive; some may be used at once as long as Scribe Sign
each has been activated.
A wizards staff is difficult to sunder. The magic flowing With the spike of his staff, the wizard can leave a secret
through it strengthens its form and shields it from harm. A sign that only he and his friends can comprehend. The wiz-
staff cannot be destroyed by mundane physical means, ards runes are not recognisable as such by others. The mark-
though powerful magic such as a spell or a Dragons fire may ings appear as nonsense to most onlookers. The wizards
ruin it. If a wizards staff is destroyed or lost, the character friends immediately grasp the signs meaning when they see
immediately becomes Exhausted (though he can recover it.
normally) and suffers a 6 modifier to all tests for one week. EFFECT: The wizard may scratch a short message onto any
However, he may then attune to a new staff by re-purchasing solid surface, with a single sign. The sign appears as nothing
this edge. The new staff retains all the abilities and features more than an indecipherable rune. The wizard and any allies
of the wizards old staff. he designates understand the signs message, which may be
In addition to losing a staff through accident or violence, up to a dozen words in length. The wizards chosen allies un-
a wizard may be deprived of his staff and magical talents derstand the sign even if they do not share a language, though
should he betray an oath or succumb to the Shadow. When a they must have wits enough to read or potentially become lit-
wizard has irrevocably turned his back on his one-time allies erate. The sign lasts for one week or until the wizard erases it
and foresworn his oath, his staff shatters to pieces and may by striking it with his staff. A wizard may have only three
never be replaced. He loses all ability to work magic forever signs in existence at a given time.
more and is cast from the Order of Wizards in utter disgrace. MANIFESTATION: The wizard must have eight or more
He may not even work spells of Necromancy, and all other ranks in any three languages before this ability manifests in
magic is beyond him. Never again may he craft a staff and call the staff.
himself a wizard. All wizards, from the youngest adept to the IMPROVEMENT: For every additional language (in excess of
most accomplished of the Wise, face this terrible fate should the basic requirement of three) the wizard knows at rank 8+,
they stray from their path. he may have an additional sign in existence at once.
The following staff abilities may manifest over time when
a wizard fulfils their manifestation requirements: Spell Patterns
Beacon of Hope Wizards who bear staves use them to focus and channel
their abilities. The staffs form and handling make it an ideal
A wizards staff serves as a symbol of his power and will. tool for the practitioners of the arcane arts. Over time, a
The mere sight of it inspires hope in all his allies and despair staffs frequent exposure to a wizards spells subtly changes its
amongst his foes. Like a shining standard, it signals the wiz- form, turning it into a powerful personal tool of spellcasting.
ards approach and foretells his enemies doom. EFFECT: A wizard chooses any spell of Wizardry he knows
EFFECT: While bearing his staff, the wizard gains a +3 test with basic TN 16 or lower. Using this staff ability, he can
bonus to all Inspire and Intimidate tests. The wizard must cast that spell once per day without making a spellcasting test
use an action to hold his staff aloft and attempt the skill test. (i.e., the casting succeeds automatically, and the wizard ac-
The wizard may use this ability only once per scene or battle. cumulates neither Weariness nor Corruption). Furthermore,
MANIFESTATION: A wizard must achieve LoS +3 or bet- the spell does not count as one cast by the wizard for purpos-
ter with either an Inspire or Intimidate test to gain this staff es of determining penalties for other spells he casts shortly
ability. thereafter (see Common Penalties on page 305).
MANIFESTATION: The wizard must designate a suitable
Defence spell of Wizardry he wishes to imbue in his staff and attain
LoS +4 or greater when casting it. When he does so, his staff
A wizards staff not only sustains his magic but may help gains this ability.
preserve his life. In battle, he wields his blade in one hand IMPROVEMENT: Once his staff has attuned to a particular
and his staff in his other, felling his enemies with his weapon spell, the wizard may designate another suitable spell of
while warding off their blows with his staff. Wizardry he wishes to imbue, thus adding the ability to cast
EFFECT: In combat, the wizard counts his staff as a large more than one spell in this way after scoring LoS +4 with it.
shield, though not against ranged attacks. In addition, his SPECIAL EFFECTS: If the wizard elects to cast one of the
staff is light and easy to handle, reducing the AP cost to par- spells moulded into his staff by making a spellcasting test as
ry to 5 (4). Note that not all other types of talismans may be normal, he may choose one of the following effects:
suitable to substitute a shield. Instead, they often provide a ENDURING MAGIC: Increase the duration of the spell by
bonus to the wizards Defence attribute; as a rule of thumb, a 50% without increasing its TN and rank requirement.
small charm might provide up to a +3 bonus to Defence, STEADY MAGIC: A spell with a duration of concentration
whereas a piece of garment could provide up to a +6 bonus. persists for up to five minutes after concentration is broken.
300
Smiting WIZARDLY POWER

Those wizards who stand at the forefront of conflicts Pick Cost: 20 Type: Edge (Art & Sorcery)
against the Shadow must often aid their allies in battle.
While a wizard serves to rally and support the armies of the Because they command great magical lore, wizards can,
Free Peoples, he may also be pressed to stand at the forefront when the need arises, cast spells of much greater power than
and lead the charge. At these times, the wizards staff can be a other spellcasters.
mighty weapon, cleaving through armour and scattering his REQUISITE: Two edges that list the Wizard edge as a req-
foes before him. uisite
EFFECT: Once per game session, a wizard may make a test
EFFECT: When the staff strikes the wizards opponent, its
damage code reads as follows: 4B/4E/2P. If anyone other of Ambar to activate this edge (no points are expended in
than the wizard wields the staff, it functions as a normal this effort, though). Upon a success, the range, area, damage,
quarterstaff, but it cannot break as long as its rightful owner and other quantified effects of a spell he casts are doubled.
is alive. However, he loses one Weariness Level in addition to the
MANIFESTATION: For this ability to manifest, the wizard
normal drain of the spell.
must achieve LoS +4 or better when attacking in melee with
his staff. This success must come in battle, not while he prac-
tices or duels with a friend. SPELLS
Strength of the Staff
While a wizard may lean on his staff for physical support, N o matter whether a character uses Art or Sorcery,
the vast majority of magical effects the Ambarquenta
game rules account for are resolved as casting spells. When
so too can he rely on it to strengthen his body and mind in
the face of overwhelming weariness. The wizard draws power properly directed, a spellcaster can use either form of magic
through his staff, refreshing his spirit and allowing him to re- to create unusual and wondrous effects, from healing the in-
double his efforts. jured to letting flowers blossom in the winter.
EFFECT: When recovering Weariness Levels, the wizard
cuts in half the time needed to restore himself. His staff
draws on the subtle magic of Middle-earthand the dissem-
REALMS OF SPELLS
inated Morgothian element, which is gladly purified by the
staff when using this abilityto freshen his mind and nour- For game purposes, spells are organised in distinct cate-
ish his body. The staff may be used to recover a total of three gories or realms. This distinction may or may not have a
Weariness Levels in this manner per day. Needless to say, practical impact when casting spells of Sorcery, but it mani-
this ability provides no recovery or cleansing of the Corrup- fests by all means when employing the Art. Wielders of the
tion acquired by too heavy spellcasting whatsoever. Art develop global skills for one or more entire realms, thus
MANIFESTATION: To draw forth this ability from his gaining access to potentially all spells within a known realm,
staff, a wizard must be reduced to the Exhausted Weariness while practitioners of Sorcery must develop all desired spells
Level due to casting spells or engaging in similarly demanding as separate skills (and first pick the edges Grimoire or Teach-
toil. ings to initially learn the spells). On the other hand, charac-
ters may study particular aspects of Sorcery more deeply and
specialise in one or more realms. This is represented by tak-
Wizards Endurance ing the Sorcerous Aptitude edge. Note that some spells fall
By leaning on his staff and drawing on the inner strength into more than one realm.
and support it offers, a wizard can stave off the effects of AIR, STORM, AND WATER: Spells pertaining to weather,
Weariness for a short time before succumbing to it. The wiz- storms, clouds, fogs, wind, rivers, streams, and water in gen-
ards staff temporarily sustains him when his body and mind eral, such as Fog-raising, Lightning, and Watershaping.
begin to fail. BEASTS AND WILDERNESS: Spells pertaining to animals and
EFFECT: Once per day, the wizard may lean on his staff nature both specifically and in the broadest sense, such as
and ignore the effects of his Weariness Levels for one round. Animal Messenger, Beast Speech, and Hides Virtue.
Any additional levels he incurs due to his actions immediate- DARK RITES AND CURSES: Saurons minions often special-
ly add to his current level of fatigue after the round ends. ise in evil magical practices, such as Blast of Necromancy, Dark
MANIFESTATION: This staff ability appears after the wiz- Stench, and Evoke Fear. All spells within this realm are spells
ard achieves LoS +3 or better on a spellcasting test under of Necromancy by origin, or a Dark Art which only those
stressful conditions despite suffering a 4 or worse test result would dare to employ who were seduced by Melkor ere the
penalty due to Weariness. creation of Arda, or those who serve Sauron.
IMPROVEMENT: At the Turambars discretion, this feature DECEPTIONS AND GUISES: Spells pertaining to stealth and
may manifest more than once in a staff, providing the wizard delusion, such as Change Hue, Obscure, and Veil. Some of the
an additional use per day each time the manifestation re- spells in this realm are necromancies.
quirements are fulfilled. However, a wizard may never use DESTRUCTION AND ENFEEBLEMENT: Spells to weaken peo-
this staff ability more than once per hour, regardless of how ple and destroy things, such as Dull Senses, Fatigue, and Shat-
many times has met the manifestation requirements.
301
ter. Most of the spells within this realm are spells of Necro- During the casting time, the spellcaster must write the runes
mancy, but some are normal sorceries. Uncorrupted users of on the affected object or thing. Therefore, the casting time
the Art would of course only employ the latter type of spells. may be much longer (Turambars discretion), depending on
ENCHANTMENT: Spells used for enchanting and enhanc- the material of the object and the writing technique.
ing items and structures, such as Crafting-spell, Fortify Works, The caster makes two different tests against the basic TN
and Preservation. Enchantment is by far the realm most of the spell: One with the due spell-skill, and, if successful,
commonly employed as an Art. another one with an applicable Craft or Artistic skill. The
FIRE, SMOKE, AND LIGHT: Spells pertaining to the various duration of the spell increases by 50% per LoS on the Craft
aspects of fire, such as Blinding Flash, Burning Sparks, Create or Artistic skill test (to a maximum of 300%).
Light, and Kindle Fire. Note that users of the Art do not necessarily have to en-
MASTERY OF THE BODY: Spells to refresh and strengthen
grave specific runes on an object to imbue it with their magic
the body, such as Healing-spell, Keen Senses, and Strength of any adornment they create might qualify as a rune regard-
ing these rules.
Limb.
SONGS OF POWER: Wielders of the Art, in particular the
MASTERY OF THE MIND: Spells pertaining to the control
Elves, favour this method, though it may be used with some
and manipulation of the mind, such as Slumber, Voice of Sua-
spells of Sorcery as well. A song of power, while requiring
sion, and Command. Many of the spells within this realm are more time to cast (sing), has greater power than an ordinary
spells of Necromancy, but even more are normal sorceries. spell. The casting time for spells that can be sung is equal to
Elves and other honest users of the Art naturally only wield at least one minute or double the listed standard casting time,
the latter type of spells. whichever is longer.
SECRET FIRE: Spells that manifest the power of goodness The caster makes two different tests against the basic TN
and freedom, the powers that the Wise serve, such as Resist of the spell: One with the due spell-skill, and, if successful,
Fear, Detect Foe, and Flame of Anor. The spells in this realm another one with the Sing skill (the Turambar may allow to
are reserved for the mightiest users of Wizardry or the Art, substitute a Wordsmith or Dance skill test in some situa-
and most require that the character has the Wizard edge, or tions). The spells damage and other quantifiable effects (in-
is a wizards student. See page 291 for more information. A cluding range, duration, and number of targets) increase by
character who knows even a single spell of Necromancy suf- 25% per LoS on the Sing test (to a maximum of 200%).
fers a 9 test result penalty when using any Secret Fire spell. Note that the caster may voluntarily increase the casting
THOUGHT, SPEECH, AND PERCEPTION: Spells pertaining to time. For every minute (or multiple of a longer basic casting
communication and perception, such as Mind-speech, Reading time) he sings longer than required, he receives a +1 bonus to
the Heart, and Sense Power. This realm is particularly often his Sing test (to a maximum bonus equal to his Fa score).
practised as an Art.
ACQUIRING AND LEARNING SPELLS

SPELLCASTING METHODS
Corresponding the two general types of magic, there are
Spells are most often cast using the standard method of two ways in which characters may acquire spells to cast:
gestures and incantations described under Casting Spells, SORCERY: Practitioners of Sorcery (which, as you know,
below. However, many spells may be cast through runes or also encompasses Wizardry and Necromancy) must first se-
songs of power, as indicated in the individual spell descrip- lect either the Grimoire or the Teachings edge. Both provide
tions. Practitioners of Sorcery must devote special effort to a character a certain number of skill ranks which he may allot
learn how to cast spells using another method than the to a limited array of spells, as defined by the Turambar and
standard fashion. In game terms, they do this by taking the the respective edge. Each spell is developed as an individual
Method of Sorcery edge described under Magical Abilities, skill of average learning difficulty which is governed by the
above. Even though there is no equivalent of this edge for Fa attribute (use mental and general class picks for devel-
wielders of the Art, they may still choose from the same array opment) and suffers a basic cutback of 7. In order to cast a
of casting methodsthey may simply work their Art the way spell, a sorcerer must have a number of ranks in the spell-skill
they wish or that best fits a given situation. equal to the minimum rank requirement indicated in the
RUNES: A spellcasting method often used by Dwarves and spells description.
other people who create works of enchantment through their Optionally, a Turambar may allow a sorcerer who has ac-
craft, employing runes involves drawing, etching, or engrav- cess to a grimoire or a teacher and ample time to study, but
ing runic symbols of power onto or into an object the caster lacks the advancement picks to obtain any ranks through the
wishes to protect, improve, or use. Because of this require- Grimoire or Teachings edges, to learn a spell as described
ment, characters cannot cast many spellsincluding most at- under Learning Spells without Picks on the next page.
tack spells, such as Lightningthis way, as there would be THE ART: Wielders of the Art develop global skills for
nothing for the caster to write or grave the rune upon. entire realms of spells, such as the Art of Enchantment or
Casting a spell this way requires much more time than Mastery of the Mind. Each realm, or Art, is represented by a
normal, but the effects last longer than normal as well. The separate skill of average learning difficulty which is governed
casting time (see page 308) is at least equal to one minute or by the Fa attribute (use mental and general class picks for
double the listed standard casting time, whichever is longer. development) and suffers a basic cutback of 7. An Art can
302
be developed just like any other normal skill, provided the LEARNING SPELLS TAKES TIME
character has a racial ability that allows him to do so. The re-
spective racial abilities also regulate how many ranks a char- Those are the rules for learning spells. How characters
acter may pick in an Art, and what Arts (or realms) may be learn spells in the game, as part of the tale, is another issue.
developed at all. Refer to Chapter Three for details. Wielders of the Art may simply add new spells to their rep-
For each skill rank a character has in an Art, he may des- ertories as they explore the extent of their magical powers
ignate one spell from that realm as part of his repertory. If a and acquire additional skill ranks in an Art. On the other
spell lists another spell as a requisite, the requisite spell must hand, practitioners of Sorcery, Wizardry, and Necromancy
first become part of a characters repertory if it belongs to the have to study long and hard to acquire each new spell. The
same realm. In order to cast a spell using an Art, the charac- Turambar should address this matter with each spellcasting
ter must have a number of ranks in that Art equal to the min- PC, working it into the tale as necessary.
imum rank requirement indicated in the spells description, A character who has to study to learn new spells must
and the spell must be part of the characters repertory. first acquire either the Grimoire or the Teachings edge (un-
As a characters proficiency with an Art improves over less the Turambar allows to learn spells without picks, as de-
the time, he may eventually add all suitable spells within a scribed in the below option), allocate the due skill ranks, and
given realm to his repertory. Before that point, he must im- then take the time to learn the new spells. The character
provise any yet unknown spell when he first casts it. A 12 cannot study for a new spell if hes away from his teacher or
penalty applies to the casting test when improvising a new his collection of books and scrolls. Once he gets to his collec-
spell. Any requisite spell the character also lacks in his reper- tion (or teacher) and has the time to delve into it, he must
tory adds an additional cumulative 6 penalty to this initial as a rule of thumbstudy for about one week for each rank
casting test. If the character chooses to improvise the spell as allocated to the spell. This process can normally be inter-
a song of power, he first makes a Sing test against the basic rupted and restarted without penalty; only after breaks long-
TN of the spell. Any LoS he achieves on the Sing test reduc- er than a month or two the character must devote an addi-
es the penalty to the consecutive spellcasting test by 3 points tional week to his studies. Also, at the Turambars discretion,
each, but no other bonus effect ensues from singing an im- a character can study in other appropriate libraries as well
provised spell. and might even start studying in one collection and take up
After having successfully improvised a spell for the first study again in another (this isnt an option with teachers,
time, it may be added to the repertory (provided the charac- though). The Turambar may rule that a certain spell can on-
ter has a free slot for a new spell) or from now on be impro- ly be learned from a particular library, but the process of
vised with a basic penalty of only 6. Once a given spell has studying other spells may be fairly portable.
become part of a characters repertory, it remains so and can-
not be replaced by another spell. RESEARCHING NEW SPELLS
Note that Elves and good Maiar such as Gandalf or
Tom Bombadil would never use the Art to produce any mag- Formally researching new spells, or finding ways of re-
ical effects that can also be achieved by Necromancy, or even producing the effects of unknown or lost spells, is only an is-
add such spells to their repertory. sue for users of Sorcery. Wielders of the Art may improvise
any desired magical effect according to the rules presented
above, provided the Turambar agrees with the suggested de-
RANKS AND PROFICIENCY scription of the new spell.
Most spells require three or more ranks to cast. The Players who wish to introduce new spells for their spell-
more powerful or the more secret a spell is, the greater the casting characters must first come up with a detailed descrip-
rank requirement. The individual spell descriptions note the tion of each new spell and attain their Turambars approval.
respective minimum rank requirements. As a broad rule, the Turambar should be rather reluctant
As characters obtain experience markers by successfully about the new spells he allows to be researched so as to main-
casting spells in stressful situations (or directly acquire addi- tain the relatively modest power level and subtlety of Middle-
tional spell skill ranks by receiving further teachings or study- earth magic. Consequently, its generally better to reject a
ing different grimoires), their proficiency with particular players appeal for a new spell than to accept it!
spellsor entire realms of spells, in the case of the Artwill In order to research a new spell, a character must know at
improve over the time, as described under Skill Improve- least five spells from the realm of the new spell, or have at
ment on page 202. (Note that the option on learning from least 20 ranks in spells of that realm. The research is con-
failure must not be used with spells.) The more skill ranks a ducted as an extend test, with a basic time interval of one
character has in a spell or an Art, the greater are his chances month per test roll made (see page 223 for details). The ag-
to successfully cast the spell in generalbut extra ranks may gregate TN of the extended test is equal to the TN to cast
also be used to improve the effectiveness of any scalable spell the new spell (including all scaling options, if any are desired)
by increasing one or more of its quantifiable parameters (see times 10.
Scaling Spells, below, for details). The extended test is resolved by testing Research, Arcane
The advancement picks a character earns with each suc- Lore: Spellcraft: Sorcery, and all requisite spells (if any) by
cessful improvement roll for a spell or Art are normally allot- turns, starting with Research. The TN of each individual test
ted to his mental pick class, but some may occasionally be as- is equal to the researched spells casting TN, including all de-
signed to his general pick class instead. sired scaling options. Scoring LoF 2 or worse during any
stage of the extended research may prohibit further studies if
303
the Turambar deems it appropriate. At any rate, a LoF 2 on skill ranks in the applicable spell (or Art) equal to the mini-
a Spellcraft test brings the effort to a halt. mum rank requirement indicated in the spells description. If
The number of rolls required to reach or exceed the ag- a caster does not have enough skill ranks in a spell (or Art) to
gregate TN of the extended test indicates how many months match the rank requirements, including any scaling options
a character must spend researching the new spell. A character to be used, then he may not cast that spell.
who successfully researches a spell automatically receives the
minimum number of ranks required to cast the new spell. GESTURES AND WORDS OF COMMANDS
LEARNING SPELLS WITHOUT PICKS If a character meets the rank requirements of a spell, he
can try to cast it whenever he likes, provided he can also
As stated above, a Turambar may allow a character who make gestures with his hands and speak words of command:
has access to a spellbook or a teacher and ample time to learn incantations, invocations, exclamations, and the like. A spell-
a spell using a variation of the above rules, even if he lacks the caster who cannot speak or singperhaps because his ene-
advancement picks to obtain any skill ranks through the edg- mies have captured him, or because he wants to sneak past a
es Grimoire or Teachings. However, only those characters guard and would be heard if he spokecannot cast spells.
who have acquired either of these edges before may learn Spells require gestures as well. To light a fire, a magician
spells of sorcery in this way. Uninitiated people will find has to pick up and hold a piece of kindling or thrust his staff
spellbooks of little use even when this option is in effect. into the woodpile. To open a door, he must touch it or wave
In order to learn a spell through arduous study, the spell- his hands over it. To create or project light, he must raise his
caster makes an extend test, with a basic time interval of one hand. To enchant an item, he must craft it, or at least hold it
week per test roll made (see page 223 for details). The aggre- in his hands for a while. A spellcaster who is bound or shack-
gate TN of the extended test is equal to the basic TN to cast led cannot cast some or all of his spells, depending on how
the spell times 10. The extended test is resolved by testing restricted his movements are and the type of gestures the Tu-
Arcane Lore: Spellcraft: Sorcery and all requisite spells (if rambar requires for a particular spell.
any) by turns. The TN of each individual test is again equal
to the spells basic TN. Scoring LoF 2 or worse during any Avoiding Words and Gestures
stage of the extended test may prohibit further studies if the
Turambar deems it appropriate. For some spells, characters can avoid to use words of
The number of rolls required to reach or exceed the ag- command (unless the spells are cast as Songs) or gestures,
gregate TN of the extended test indicates how many weeks a provided they have enough skill ranks in the spell or applica-
character must study the spell. Once the extended test has ble Art to meet the additional rank requirements listed in the
been successfully completed, the character receives the mini- spells description under Scaling Options. Some spells, when
mum number of ranks required to cast the spell. He will then cast both without gestures and words of command, may also
be able to further increase his proficiency with that spell by be cast at will, at a cost of 10 (8) AP, provided the character
casting it in stressful situations and receiving experience has enough skill ranks to meet the additional rank require-
markers as normal. ments of all three options at the same time.
The same rules may be applied when a spellcaster learns a If a character casts a spell with all three options in effect,
spell from a fellow spellcaster who is willing to teach the spell and the spell is a spell of Sorcery, he must still make a spell-
to him. However, the aggregate TN of the extended spell is casting test as normal, with all potential ill side-effects such
then equal to the basic TN to cast the spell times 5. as corruption and weariness setting in. However, if a wielder
Note that the actual time to learn a spell is probably of the Art has so many ranks that he is able to cast a spell at
much shorter than suggested by the result of either type of will, without gestures and words of commands, he doesnt
extended test (maybe just a matter of days), but this span also have to make a spellcasting test anymore. In other words, he
accounts for the time in which the characters mind is unable may activate such a spell as if it was an innate ability any time
to comprehend the peculiarities of any further spells (i.e., he likes, at a cost of 8 AP.
these mechanics help to maintain the game balance). The Turambar may even rule that some of these ability-
Also note that if the character has less than 8 to 10 ranks like spells are always active if that makes more sense. The
in the language in which the spellbook or scroll is written, the spell has its normal duration, but of course the character can
Turambar should also require a one-time test of the appro- immediately activate it again when the duration expires, so in
priate language skill against TN 25 or greater, depending on effect it can last as long as he likes. If necessary and desirable,
the complexity of the spell. the player and Turambar should work together to refine
such a magic ability, making it both a logical thing within the
world of Middle-earth and reasonable to use. Perhaps the
CASTING SPELLS character can allocate additional ranks to the governing Art
to eliminate or alter other aspects of the spell he finds objec-
As explained above in more detail, Ambarquenta treats tionable.
spellcasting like any other skill test. Each spell (or, in the case Since people like Beornwho arent wielders of the Art,
of the Art, each realm of spells) must be learned individually but do have magic abilitiesexist in Middle-earth, the Tu-
and not all spells are equally simple to learn. Spell difficulty is rambar might rarely (if ever) allow non-Art-using characters
reflected both in the casting TN and the rank requirement. to acquire magic abilities as well. Typically this requires lim-
In order to cast any spell, the caster must have a number of ited access to any one Art and a single spell within that Art.
304
The character must develop as many ranks in the applicable ment to which he has become utterly attuned, and his fa no
Art as are required to cast that spell at will, without making longer subconsciously tries to resist its marring influence.
gestures and uttering words of command. The Turambar can Wielders of the Art also merely apply the Universal Penalty
vary the rank requirement depending upon the usefulness when they work their magic, but they do so because they do
and power of the desired ability. (Incidentally, the Beornings not depend on the residual power of the Black Enemy at all.
skin-changing ability doesnt require such an improvised rul- Furthermore, the more spells a character attempts to cast
ing as it is detailed on page 53.) in a short period of time, the harder it becomes to power
them (and, as a consequence, to resist the ill effects of Sor-
SCALING SPELLS cery as described below). For each spell cast within one mi-
nute of casting any other spell, the character suffers a 4 test
Many spells are scalable. This means that a character can result penalty per additional spell for the spellcasting test.
alter them from their base forms at the time of casting if he For example, if a character casts one spell per round for three
has enough skill ranks in the applicable spell or Art to effect rounds (a total of 18 seconds), the first spellcasting test suf-
the alteration. Only those options listed for a spell should be fers no penalty, the second suffers a 4 test result penalty,
allowed for that spell. and the third suffers a 8 test result penalty. If he casts an-
The description of each spell lists a minimum rank re- other spell 30 seconds later, he suffers a 12 test result penal-
quirement and a basic casting TN. Each scalable spells de- ty on the spellcasting test.
scription also includes several options for increasing its effect Spellcasters also find it harder to work their magic when
or power at the time of casting, or lists the requirements for they have multiple spells active at once. Some spells have
avoiding words of commands and gestures when casting it. lengthy durations. For example, Create Light lasts for 10
Each of these options raises the basic rank requirement and minutes times the casters number of ranks in the spell or the
the basic casting TN of the spell. Whereas the additional Art of Fire skill, respectively. For every spell a character has
rank requirements are cumulative, the TN modifiers are di- active, he suffers a 4 test result penalty to spellcasting tests
minishing: The highest TN modifier is applied fully, the se- for other spells cast during that time period. This penalty is
cond highest is divided by 2, the third highest is divided by 3, cumulative with the penalty for multiple castings within a
and so on. Alternatively, if this seems too cumbersome, add minute.
up all TN modifiers and divide this sum by the number of Besides these specific penalties, the standard modifiers
selected scaling options. Then, add the single highest TN presented in Chapter Nine under Test Modifiers, page 216,
modifier to that result to learn the overall TN modifier. For should also be applied as the Turambar sees fit. As a rule of
example, a spell is to be cast with three scaling options, rais- thumb, spellcasting attempts are subject to academic test
ing the rank requirement and casting TN by +4, +3, and +3, modifiers, and environmental factors only apply at one half of
respectively. Hence, the spells rank requirement increases by their normal rate, as stated in Table 9.9: Academic Test
+10, while its casting TN increases only by +7, because 4 + Modifiers.
3/2 + 3/3 = 6.5, rounded off to 7, orif the quicker variant
is preferred10/3 + 4 = 7.33, rounded off to 7 as well.
Weariness
RESOLVING SPELLCASTING TESTS
Casting magic spells is very wearying, particularly for us-
If a character meets all of the above requirements, he may ers of Sorcery. Even the least spells can tire out a character.
make a spellcasting test to effect his spell. Each spell listed This factor, perhaps more than any other, restricts spell-
below has a basic TN to which the TN modifiers of any scal- casters and governs their use of their powers.
ing options to be used are added. When a character casts the THE ART: Wielders of the Art have to focus their minds
spell, he must make an applicable skill test against this TN while working their magic. This kind of deep concentration
using either his total skill bonus in the due spell or the ap- results in the accumulation of 1 weariness point for every 3
propriate Art. If he succeeds, he casts the spell as normal. If rounds the spell takes to be cast, as indicated on Table 9.26.
he fails, he cannot complete the spell. For further effects of Considering the fact that many uses of the Art, such as song-
failing or succeeding at a spellcasting test, see the sections duels or enchanting, take hours to complete, it may be quite
about Weariness and Corruption right below. taxing to unfold ones power in this manner.
What's more, if the spellcasting test fails, a wielder of the
Common Penalties Art accumulates a number of weariness points equal to the
rank requirement (including any scaling options to be used)
Characters who wear armour and carry great loads of of the spell in addition to the weariness points accumulated
other metal equipment inevitably draw deeper from the dis- while he was concentrating on the spell.
seminated power of Morgoth when casting sorceries than SORCERY: On a successful spellcasting test, the character
those who are clad in lighter robes, thereby increasing their accumulates a number of weariness points equal to the rank
risk of becoming weary and corrupted. This is reflected by requirement (including any scaling options to be used) of the
the fact that the Physical Penalty applies whenever a not yet spell, or he loses an entire Weariness Level, whichever is less.
totally corrupted character casts a spell of Sorcery. As soon Upon scoring LoS +2, any scaling options are ignored when
as a character becomes Corrupt, he only applies the Univer- calculating the weariness drain. Upon scoring LoS +3 or bet-
sal Penalty to his tests to cast spells of Sorcery because it is ter, the spells basic rank requirement is cut in half when cal-
assumed that he then readily embraces the Morgothian ele- culating fatigue.
305
If the spellcasting test fails, a user of Sorcery loses one Gandalf, one of the most powerful spellcasters in Middle-
Weariness Level per LoF (or accumulates as many weariness earth during the late Third Age, carried and used a sword.
points per LoF as the overall rank requirement of the failed Minimizing the casting of spells also helps to maintain
spell dictates, whichever is worse for the character). the flavour and feel of your tale. Middle-earth is not a world
where spellcasters are common, magic is easily and frequently
Corruption worked, and spells have extremely powerful and flashy ef-
fects. Magic here is more low-key, used only in emergencies.
Whereas wielding the Art is not in itself corrupting (un- For example, Gandalf didnt use his Kindle Fire spell to start
less, of course, the motive or purpose of its user is evil or self- the Fellowships campfire every night. Only when they were
ish), any form of Sorceryeven Wizardry, but particularly in the Redhorn Gatewhen no other means sufficed to start
Necromancyunavoidably resorts to the dispersed power of the fire and the lack of a fire could have meant the deaths of
Morgoth because the far of Men are generally too weak to his comradesdid he employ magic. Similarly, the PC spell-
practice true magic (i.e., the Art, in the context of this game) casters in your tale should try to rein themselves in, saving
on their own. Hence, the very concept of learned magic (as their magic (and their stamina) for situations in which spells
distinguished from innate magic, or Art) is perilous as it are truly needed.
traces back to the Enemy of the Elder Days.
Anyone who casts a spell of Sorcery automatically ac- Echoes of Power
quires a set number of Corruption points, as indicated in
each spells description. If a spell is cast with an evil motive, Although this optional rule does not increase the imme-
for a selfish purpose, or just carelessly (i.e., without a plausi- diate harm to spellcasters as they cast spells, nor make spell-
ble need, as the Turambar interprets the situation), and the casting more difficult, it can increase a characters peril many
casting test fails, the character acquires even more Corrup- times more than any rule can inflict, for it allows the minions
tion. On the other hand, if a spell is cast with neutral or of the Shadoweven the Enemy himselfto sense the activ-
good intentions (again as judged by the Turambar), and the ities of any who invoke magic.
spellcasting test yields a high LoS, only a fairly small portion Under this optional rule, any time a spellcaster attempts
of the Morgothian element must be channelled to power the to cast a spellwhether successful or notanyone within a
spellperhaps even none at all, resulting in less Corrup- given range who has the capacity to Sense Power is allowed a
tion points than normal. Still, the basic Corruption of any test to detect this use of magic. The base TN is 40 minus the
sorcery or wizardry cannot drop below 0, and the basic Cor- spells casting TN (including any scaling options). The dis-
ruption of a necromancy cannot be lowered at all, no matter tance over which the test may be attempted depends on two
how great the casters LoS on the spellcasting test. Consult factors: the number of spells the caster has active and the to-
the bottom part of Table 7.4 (reprinted here from page 199 tal number of skill ranks the spellcaster has in his in all of his
for your convenience) for details: spells and/or Arts combined. When figuring this number,
the ranks a character has in any Arts are doubled (note that
TABLE 7.4: CORRUPTION the number is shown on the Spellcasters Sheet). Exact dis-
SORCERY tances are listed on Table 3.1: Spell Detection Distance:
Casting a spell of Sorcery No roll
Character receives Corruption automatically, TABLE 11.2: SPELL DETECTION DISTANCE
as indicated in the spells description*
Spell is cast with an evil motive or purpose and SUM OF SPELL SKILL RANKS DISTANCE
fails +2 per LoF
136 1 mile
succeeds +1 per LoS
3772 5 miles
Spell is cast with a good motive or purpose and
73120 20 miles
fails +0 per LoF
121180 50 miles
succeeds 2 per LoS*
181240 100 miles
Spell is cast with a neutral motive or purpose and
241360 300 miles
fails +1 per LoF
361+ 1000 miles
succeeds 1 per LoS*
If the spellcaster already has one (or more) spells active when he
*: A spells basic Corruption cannot drop below 0 due to high LoS,
casts again, the distance bracket over which the spellcaster can be
and the basic Corruption of any spells of Necromancy cannot be
detected increases by one increment for each active spell. For exam-
lowered at all.
ple, if a character with a total of 20 ranks in spells attempts to cast
another spell while he has already two spells active, he can be de-
EXERCISING RESTRAINT tected up to 20 miles away, not just within 1 mile.
Generally speaking, charactersparticularly sorcerers On LSF 0 at the Sense Power test the observer learns
must be careful about spellcasting. Casting too many spells in nothing other than that a spell has been cast somewhere
quick succession will almost certainly cause them to lose within his capacity to detect it. On LoS +1, the observer also
Weariness Levels, and each level lost only increases the knows in which general direction the spellcaster is located.
chances of losing more levels and suffering more penalties, On LoS +2, the approximate distance to the caster is known.
making the character unable to accomplish much of any- On LoS +3 or better the identity of the caster can be divined
thing. The best tactic for spellcasters in many situations is to if ever before the observer has witnessed that spellcasters
cast no more than one or two spells in dangerous situations handiwork and connected it to him. For any LoS, an Arcane
and to rely on skills and abilities otherwise. After all, even Lore: Spellcraft (Appropriate Type and Realm of Spells) test
306
can be made to identify the spell that was cast as described COUNTER-SPELLS
below under Counter-spells. Wielders of the Art may test
the applicable Art instead of Spellcraft. A spellcaster can cast a counter-spell to any spell that he
Clearly, the peril represented by this rule is based com- knows. A counter-spell counteracts and dispels the effects of
pletely on the proximity of the spellcasters enemies with the a spell, though it cannot reverse or repair permanent effects
capacity to Sense Power. The locations and statistics of ma- already achieved, such as the wounds inflicted by Blast of
levolent foes such as Saruman or the Nazgl will be de- Necromancy or the destruction wrought by Sundering. De-
scribed in future editions of Ambarquenta. Whether Sauron pending on the situation and how obvious it is what spell is
himself takes interest in a particular spellcasters activities (in being cast, a Turambar may require a Spellcraft test with a
the Third Age, anyway) depends on only two factors: wheth- TN equal to the spells basic TN to identify the spell your
er the distance of the spells emanation reaches Barad-dr (or foe casts before you may counter-spell it. Wielders of the Art
Dol Guldur prior to TA 2941) and whether the Turambar may test the applicable Art instead of Spellcraft.
believes Saurons notice would enhance the story. Even so, a Casting a counter-spell requires almost the same casting
Turambar who wishes to frighten spellcasting characters may timeonly 5 AP less than casting the original spelland an
choose to roll a pair of dice while mumbling about the likeli- appropriate spellcasting test against the basic TN of the spell
hood the Lidless Eye is turned in their direction. If Sauron being countered (i.e., any TN modifiers from scaling options
did note spellcasters unknown to him casting spells of Nec- are ignored). Even an Art may be used to counter a spell of
romancy he would certainlyat the leastdispatch one of Sorcery (provided the spell is part of the characters reperto-
his Black Riders or other sorcerous minions to investigate. ry), and vice versa.
A counter-spell must become effective at the same time as
COMBINING SPELLS the countered spell. Therefore, the caster of the counter-spell
may either be forced to delay his counter-spell, thus losing
The sparks were burning holes in the goblins, and the smoke some APs while waiting for his opponent to complete the
that now fell from the roof made the air too thick for even their casting, or he may have to speed up the casting of his coun-
eyes to see through. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit ter-spell so that it is completed at the same initiative number
(or turn) as the original spell. Fortunately, casting a counter-
There are times when a spellcaster needs to combine two spell is an interrupt action, so the countering spellcaster can
or more spells into a single casting. For example, in the quote pay the due AP cost later during the same round, but the
above, Gandalf is casting three spells at once: Burning Sparks, counter-spell does count towards his action allowance for the
Quench Fire, and Smoke-weaving. By combining their effects round. If he cannot afford to pay the entire AP cost of the
into one, he accomplishes several things at once. Similarly, counter-spell in the current round, he may still cast it, but he
when Elrond raised the waters of the Bruinen to wash away suffers a cumulative 1 penalty to his spellcasting test for
the Nazgl, Gandalf combined his magic with Elronds to every additional AP required in excess of his remaining AA.
shape the water into the form of white horses and riders. At this point, both characters make an opposed Fa test.
For a spellcaster to combine two spells, select the one that If the attacking magician wins, his spell functions as normal.
has the highest casting TN (including any scaling options to If the opposing spellcaster wins, his counter-spell disrupts
be used), then increase that by one third of the casting TN of the spell, preventing it from taking effector countering its
the second spell. If the character succeeds with that spellcast- effects.
ing test, both spells are cast as normal, taking effect in a se- At the Turambars discretion, a character can learn a
quence chosen by the spellcaster. The overall casting time is Necromancy spell only as a counter-spell. Such a counter-
equal to casting time of the primary spell, but the various spell does not count as a Necromancy spell when casting any
spell effects may either take place one after another or simul- Secret Fire spell, but by delving into dark lore, the character
taneously, as appropriate. For each additional spell beyond still earns some Corruption points. A Necromancy spell may
two added to the combination, increase the spellcasting test be acquired at any desired rank to function as a counter-spell,
TN by another sixth of each additional spells casting TN. even at a lower rank than the normal minimum. The charac-
The caster must be able to fulfil the rank and other require- ter earns a number of Corruption points equal to the amount
ments of all individual spells to be combined, but he doesnt indicated in the spells description, multiplied by the fraction
need to have as many skill ranks in the primary spell as the of the spells minimum rank requirement the character ac-
sum of all the spells combined rank requirements. quires. For example, if a Necromancy spell has a rank re-
The Turambar must approve all proposed spell combina- quirement of 4 and earns a caster 8 Corruption points any
tions after evaluating them for appropriateness and possible time it is cast, a character who acquires only a single rank so
effects. He can disallowor impose additional restrictions that he can barely use it as a counter-spell earns 2 Corruption
onany combination that does not seem to suit the game, is points (8 x 1/4) upon studying for the single rank. No addi-
unbalancing powerful, or is otherwise objectionable. For ex- tional Corruption is earned when casting the counter-spell.
ample, combining Burning Sparks and Quench Fire seems like Note that a character does not have to counter-spell his
a reasonable thing to do, since both are fire-related spells and own spells to terminate them. Merely by willing it so, he can
the effects of one flow logically from the other. The same end a spell he has cast at any time prior to the normal ending
might apply to Watershaping and Quench Fire. On the other of its duration.
hand, Burning Sparks and Watershaping would rarely, if ever,
make an appropriate combination.
307
THE MIDDLE-EARTH
GRIMOIRE Like all mental actions, spellcasting attempts are generally
cross-round actions and may be completed in another round
than the one in which they have been initiated, as long as the
D escribed below are over a hundred spells known and

practised by at least some people dwelling in Mid-
dle-earth. Each is presented using the following format:
caster continuously concentrates on the spell. If he his dis-
tracted or subject to an attack, he may not defend himself ac-
tively unless he aborts the spellcasting attempt. If he wants to
NAME: Each description begins with the name of the sustain the spell while he is under attack, he must win a Will
spell. If [Necromancy] follows the name, the spell is of evil test against a TN equal to the attack test result of his foe, or
origin and destructive purpose, something that heroic charac- 10 plus the gross damage (before armour protection) the at-
ters learn and use only at great peril. tack deals, whichever is less.
TYPE: The general types or forms of magic that can be RANGE: The effective range of the spell, typically in yards,
used to cast the spell. This may include almost any combina- or in yards per skill rank in the spell or applicable Art. Be-
tion of Sorcery, Wizardry, Necromancy, and the Art. If yond it, the spell cannot function. A range of Self indicates
[Necromancy] follows the name of the spell and the Art is the spell only works on the caster. A range of Touch indi-
listed as a suitable type of magic, the spell is a Dark Art ex- cates he must touch the target or recipient of the spell, which
clusively available to fallen Maiar (such as Sauron) and per- usually requires the consent of the target or a successful Un-
haps some other evil wielders of the Art. armed Combat test as a part of the casting. This attack
REALM: The realm(s) the spell belongs to. See page 301. counts as a free action, but inflicts no damage on the target.
METHOD: How characters can cast the spell, regardless of DURATION: How long the spells effects last. If Instant
type. Standard indicates the spell can be cast using gestures the duration of many dangerous spells like Lightningthe
and words of command. Runes means it can be cast using spell takes effect at once (it damages its target, for example),
runes or, in the case of the Art, crafting any kind of pictorial though the effects of the spell (the damage suffered) may lin-
adornment. Song means a character can cast it as a song of ger for much longer.
power. See page 302 for details. A duration of Concentration means the spell remains in
REQUISITE: Any special requisites, beyond the normal re- effect as long as the caster focuses upon it to the exclusion of
quirements for casting a spell. other activities. If the caster is distracted (by an attack, being
RANKS: The minimum number of skill ranks the caster subjected to Intimidate or Fear, loud noises, or the like) or
must have in the spell or applicable Art in order to cast it. tries to perform any task requiring a test, he must make a
BASIC TN: The TN for the spellcasting test, resolved TN 25 Wits test to maintain the spell. If he fails, the spell
with the due spell-skill or the appropriate Art. TN modifiers ceases to function.
from scaling options are applied to the basic TN as described EFFECT: How the spell works in game terms.
on page 305. RESISTANCE: The attribute or skill a target character may
CORRUPTION: The number of Corruption points a practi- test to resist or otherwise avoid the spells effect, along with
tioner of Sorcery automatically acquires if his spellcasting the applicable TN. If no TN is given, the target must pit the
test yields LSF 0. Depending on his motives and the actual indicated attribute or skill against the result of the spellcast-
test result, this number may be modified. The Art is spared ing test in an opposed test. An entry such as Fortitude vs.
from this source of Corruption. Fortitude means that both the target and the spellcaster use
CASTING TIME: The time it takes for characters to cast the indicated attributein this example, Fortitudein an
the spell. Short casting times are given in AP. Other entries opposed test. Resistance tests are optional: a target does not
(1 minute or the like) indicate specific units of time. Spells have to make one if he wants to be affected by the spell.
cast as runes or songs of power take longer (see page 302). If no Resistance entry is listed for a spell that specifically
Just as with most other skills, the LSF on the spellcasting targets or affects a character, there is usually no point in re-
test can affect how long it takes to cast a spell (see Table 9.10 sisting, but the spell can be resisted at the players discretion,
on page 219). LoS +4, for instance, can cut the time in half of even if his character is unconscious. Alternatively, there may
what is normally required. Any spell that costs more than 12 be a short text detailing some special way of resisting or miti-
AP to fuel cannot be cast before the second initiative pass. gating a spells effect.
Characters cannot reduce the casting time for spells cast SCALING OPTIONS: How a scalable spells effects or pa-
using runes or songs of power. However, any LoF can cause rameters can be enhanced, how many ranks the caster must
the character to waste even more time using such methods. have in addition to the spells basic rank requirement to do,
Note that its usually the best to ignore any casting time and what TN modifiers he must apply. Any quantifiable pa-
modifiers if the spell takes only a few AP to complete and the rameters with a per increment listing can be increased up to
test yields a moderate LSF. four times by the given increment, unless noted otherwise.
308
ANIMAL MESSENGER SCALING OPTIONS: If a character has at least 12 ranks

with this spell and succeeds at a TN 30 spellcasting test (i.e.,
TYPE: Art, Wizardry before adding any other scaling options), he can expand the
REALM: Beasts target group to cover more than one type of being; for exam-
METHOD: Standard ple, Orcs and Trolls, beasts of prey, servants of Sauron, or
REQUISITE: Beast Speech the Free Peoples.
RANKS: 2 Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
BASIC TN: 15 Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN
CORRUPTION: 2, if cast as a wizardry Additional Targets (per target) +4 ranks & TN
CASTING TIME: 16 AP Increase Bonus (+4 attack bonus) +2 ranks & TN
RANGE: Touch Increase Bonus (+5 attack bonus) +4 ranks & TN
DURATION: Up to 1 hour per rank Increase Duration (2 minutes/rank) +3 ranks & TN
EFFECT: With this spell, the caster can use a beast or bird Increase Duration (5 minutes/rank) +6 ranks & TN
as a messenger, imparting to it words of advice or infor-
mation and sending it to take those words to someone else. BEAST CLOAK
The caster must have the creature available to himperhaps
because it is a pet or companion, perhaps through Beast TYPE: Art, Sorcery
Summoning or other magic. Provided he has Beast Speech ac- REALM: Beasts, Deceptions
tive or scales the spell accordingly, he may then speak his METHOD: Standard, Song
message to it and describe to it who to take the message to RANKS: 3
and where that person can be found. The creature leaves to BASIC TN: 20
search for that person. It travels and searches for a number of CORRUPTION: 3, if cast as a sorcery
hours equal to the spellcasters number of ranks. If it finds CASTING TIME: 1 round
the person, it tries to get close enough to him to communi- RANGE: Touch
cate its message. The recipient must have Beast Speech active, DURATION: 1 hour per rank
or the spell must be scaled accordingly so that he can under- EFFECT: Travelling long distances in Middle-earth is
stand the message. If the creature fails to find its quarry with- fraught with hazards, as much of it, deserted by Man, Elf,
in the spells duration, the spell ends, and the creature returns and Dwarf alike, has fallen into wilderness by the late Third
to its normal pursuits. Age. This spell aids travellers by shielding them from the
SCALING OPTIONS: Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN eyes (and other senses) of wild and domesticated beasts.
Animal shall understand the caster +2 ranks & TN Whenever such beasts try to spot, hear, or smell the target of
Recipient shall understand the animal +2 ranks & TN this spell, they suffer a penalty to all types of Perception and
Increase Duration (2 hours/rank) +3 ranks & TN Awareness tests equal to the casters LoS on the spellcasting
Increase Duration (5 hours/rank) +6 ranks & TN test times 2; a casters LoS +0 entails a 1 penalty.
Increase Range (3 yards) +2 ranks & TN At its basic level, this spell has no effect on people or fell
beasts, whether they serve the Enemy or their own ends.
SCALING OPTIONS: If a character has at least 10 ranks
BANE-SPELL with this spell and succeeds at a TN 30 spellcasting test (i.e.,
TYPE: Art, Sorcery, Wizardry before adding any other scaling options), the Perception and
REALM: Enchantment Awareness penalty may, if the caster wishes so, affect any
METHOD: Standard, Runes, Song sentient being, but the penalty would then be based on the
RANKS: 7 result of his TN 30 spellcasting test. However, the spell still
BASIC TN: 25 only works in the wilderness, and only if the target moves si-
CORRUPTION: 3, if cast as a wizardry; 9, if cast as a sorcery lently and covertly, whenever thats possible.
CASTING TIME: 1 minute Any quantifiable parameters with a per increment listing
RANGE: Touch can be increased up to four times by the given increment.
DURATION: 1 minute per rank Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
EFFECT: With this spell, the caster can lay upon a weapon Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN
the power to cause special harm to a particular type of crea- Cast at Will +4 ranks & TN
ture or being. The caster must specify the type of creature af- Additional Targets (per target) +4 ranks & TN
fected. Examples include Orcs, wolves, dragons, Trolls, or Increase Penalty (per +1 total penalty) +2 ranks & TN
Dunlendings. A Bane-spelled weapon provides a +3 bonus to Increase Duration (2 hours/rank) +3 ranks & TN
Increase Duration (5 hours/rank) +6 ranks & TN
any weapon skill tests to attack and strike the type of being
against whom it is enchanted.
309
BEAST SPEECH RESISTANCE: Only particularly clever or special animals

(such as the mearas or Roc the raven) are entitled to Forti-
TYPE: Art, Wizardry tude tests to resist being summoned.
REALM: Beasts, Thought SCALING OPTIONS: Any quantifiable parameters with a
METHOD: Standard per increment listing can be increased up to four times by
RANKS: 3 the given increment.
BASIC TN: 15 Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
CORRUPTION: 1, if cast as a wizardry Increase Duration (2 min. per rank) +3 ranks & TN
CASTING TIME: 8 AP Increase Duration (5 min. per rank) +6 ranks & TN
RANGE: Self Increase Range (per +50 yards/rank) +1 rank & TN
DURATION: 1 minute per rank
EFFECT: This spell grants to the caster the power to speak BLADE PRESERVATION
with birds and animals. He can speak with any creature close
enough to hear him, and that creature can automatically un- TYPE: Art, Sorcery, Wizardry
derstand him and respond with Wits equal to those of a typi- REALM: Enchantment
cal Man. Other people listening to the conversation merely METHOD: Standard, Runes, Song
hear sounds like animal noises. RANKS: 3
SCALING OPTIONS: Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN BASIC TN: 15, plus the objects weight in pounds
Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN CORRUPTION: 2, if cast as a wizardry; 4, if cast as a sorcery
Cast at Will +4 ranks & TN CASTING TIME: 1 minute per decade of preservation and
Increase Duration (2 min. per rank) +2 ranks & TN affected object
Increase Duration (5 min. per rank) +5 ranks & TN RANGE: Touch
Increase Range (Touch) +2 ranks & TN DURATION: 10 years per rank
EFFECT: Casters use this spell to preserve swords, axe-
BEAST SUMMONING heads, and other metallic objects, keeping them from becom-
ing dull, rusted, pitted, or weakened by the passage of time.
TYPE: Art, Wizardry An object under the protection of Blade Preservation can still
REALM: Beasts be damaged or harmed directly, but it remains untouched by
METHOD: Standard, Song the wear of years. The TN of the spellcasting test is equal to
RANKS: 3 15, plus the objects weight in pounds. If a single object is to
BASIC TN: 20 be preserved for a hundred years, casting this spell takes 10
CORRUPTION: 2, if cast as a wizardry minutes (i.e., 1 minute per decade of protection).
CASTING TIME: 16 AP SCALING OPTIONS: Any quantifiable parameters with a
RANGE: 100 yards per rank per increment listing can be increased up to four times by
DURATION: 1 minute per rank the given increment.
EFFECT: This spell allows a caster to call to himself beasts Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
and birds. When he casts it, he must specify the type of ani- Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN
mal he wishes to summon, either specifically (horses, thrush- Additional Objects (per object) +3 ranks & TN
es, foxes, and so on) or broadly (large four-footed animals, Increase Duration (20 years/rank) +3 ranks & TN
small four-footed animals, fish, birds, and so on). Any crea- Increase Duration (50 years/rank) +6 ranks & TN
tures within range that fit the description travel to him at
best possible speed while the spell lasts. Once they arrive at BLINDING FLASH
his location, they wait calmly near him, or at his feet, for the
remaining duration of the spell. If the duration expires before TYPE: Art, Sorcery, Wizardry
they can arrive, they stop traveling toward him when the spell REALM: Fire
ends. Animals who have reached him may leave when the METHOD: Standard, Song
spell ends, or may choose to remain nearby, converse with REQUISITE: Create Light
him if possible, and so forth. They will not attack or harm RANKS: 3
the caster unless he threatens or hurts them. BASIC TN: 20
The spell confers no ability to command beasts. If the CORRUPTION: 3, if cast as a wizardry; 6, if cast as a sorcery
caster asks the summoned beasts to perform some task, they CASTING TIME: 8 AP
consider it and may agree. This is a Beastmaster (Befriend) RANGE: 5 yards per rank
test. See the skills description on page 85 for sample difficul- DURATION: Instant
ties of some typical tasks. Standard Influence test modifiers EFFECT: This spell creates a bright flash of light to blind
from Table 9.8 are applied as the Turambar sees fit. If the one of the casters foes. If the caster succeeds with his spell-
caster doesnt have a means of speaking with the beasts, he casting test, he blinds the target for 1d5+1 rounds. While
may suffer a 20 penalty for speaking a different language, blind, a character suffers a 12 test result penalty to attacks
depending on the complexity of the request. An attempt to and all other actions requiring sight, just as if he were in total
guide the beasts with hand signals, for instance, would not darkness. The Turambar may impose other penalties or even
incur this penalty. forbid certain actions as seems appropriate.
310
RESISTANCE: The target may make an Awareness test CLOAK OF SHADOW

against TN 25 to reduce the duration of the blindness by
half, rounding up. If successful, the target blinked or turned TYPE: Art, Sorcery, Necromancy
his head away in time to avoid the full effects. REALM: Deceptions
SCALING OPTIONS: The basic spell, which blinds one per- METHOD: Standard, Runes, Song
son, requires three ranks to cast and a TN 20 spellcasting RANKS: 3
test. With +3 ranks & TN, the spellcaster can expand the BASIC TN: 20
spells power, causing the flash to cover an area with a five- CORRUPTION: 6, if cast as a sorcery; 18 if cast as a necro-
foot radius and blind everyone within that area, both friend mancy
and foe. Every +3 ranks & TN double the radius of the area: CASTING TIME: 10 AP
10 feet with +6 ranks & TN, 20 feet with +9 ranks & TN, RANGE: Touch
and so forth. Each target within the radius can still make an DURATION: 1 round per rank
Awareness test against TN 25 to halve the duration. EFFECT: In spite of what its name might suggest, this spell
The other quantifiable parameters of this spell can be in- is not originally a work of the Enemy. Rather, it dims the tar-
creased up to four times by the given increment. gets form, blending its edges into a hazy halo that surrounds
Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN its body. The target of the spell thus becomes harder to see,
Increase effects duration (2d5 rds.) +3 ranks & TN and therefore harder to strike in combat. All Observe (Spot)
Increase effects duration (2d10 rds.) +6 ranks & TN tests and physical attack tests against the target suffer a 5
Increase Range (per +2 yards/rank) +1 rank & TN penalty. Cloak of Shadow does not affect attacks carried out
by beings from the Wraith-world.
BURNING SPARKS SCALING OPTIONS: The Enemy has developed a more
powerful variant of this spell which allows the target to tem-
TYPE: Sorcery, Wizardry porarily enter the Wraith-world, thus becoming invisible
REALM: Fire (though not incorporeal) in the world of the living. It re-
METHOD: Standard quires 10 ranks and a TN 30 spellcasting test to cast Cloak of
REQUISITE: Kindle Fire Shadow as a Necromancy. Any target may still resist its effect
RANKS: 3 at will, without making a Fortitude test.
BASIC TN: 20 As for the scaling options available to any caster, the
CORRUPTION: 3, if cast as a wizardry; 6, if cast as a sorcery quantifiable parameters with a per increment listing can be
CASTING TIME: 8 AP increased up to four times by the given increment.
RANGE: 2 yards per rank (10 feet effect radius) Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
DURATION: Instant Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN
EFFECT: With this spell, the caster can cause an existing Additional Targets (per target) +4 ranks & TN
fire to flare, casting deadly, burning sparks at those within 10 Increase Duration (2 rounds/rank) +3 ranks & TN
feet of the fire. The damage caused by Burning Sparks de- Increase Duration (5 rounds/rank) +6 ranks & TN
pends on the size of the fire the caster uses for it. See the ac-
companying table for details. COLD WARD
Except for with candle flames, this spell does not extin-
guish the fire used to fuel it. TYPE: Wizardry
REALM: Beasts, Air/Water
TABLE 11.3: BURNING SPARKS DAMAGE METHOD: Standard
SIZE OF FIRE DAMAGE
RANKS: 3
BASIC TN: 15
Candle 1 (to only one target)
Torch 1d5 CORRUPTION: 2
Campfire 1d10 CASTING TIME: 8 AP
Small bonfire 2d10 RANGE: Self
Large bonfire 4d10
DURATION: Concentration
EFFECT: This handy spell first appeared in the North of
RESISTANCE: Anyone affected by the spell may reduce the
Middle-earth in the days when the Nmenorean kingdoms
damage sustained by half by succeeding with a TN 25 Swift- traded and exchanged knowledge with the Lossoth of
ness or Dodge test. Forochel. It combines the magical skill of the Dnedain with
SCALING OPTIONS: Any quantifiable parameters with a the survival craft of the Snowmen, and it protects the caster
per increment listing can be increased up to four times by from all effects of cold and falling snow. It does not alter the
the given increment. weather itself, but instead forms a protective barrier against
Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN the elements around the caster.
Control Targets (decide whom to hurt and whom to SCALING OPTIONS: Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
spare within the effect radius) +3 ranks & TN Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN
Increase Damage (per +1 die) +2 ranks & TN Increase Range (Touch) +2 ranks & TN
Increase Effect Radius (per +3 feet) +2 ranks & TN Additional Targets (per target) +3 ranks & TN
Increase Range (per +1 yard/rank) +1 rank & TN
311
CREATE LIGHT without any tests. Note that an arrow fired from an enchant-
ed or heroic bow is not itself enchanted or heroic for the pur-
TYPE: Art, Sorcery, Wizardry poses of this spell.
REALM: Fire Deflect Missile may be cast on a shield or suit of armour
METHOD: Standard, Song using the Runes method. In this case, all ranged attacks
RANKS: 3 against the wearer or wielder of the enchanted item suffer a
BASIC TN: 16 3 penalty. This effect lasts for 10 minutes per rank the cast-
CORRUPTION: 2, if cast as a wizardry; 4, if cast as a sorcery er has with this spell. When the spell expires, the runes dis-
CASTING TIME: 8 AP appear. This spell may not be cast more than once on the
RANGE: Touch same item for cumulative effect.
DURATION: 10 minutes per rank SCALING OPTIONS: Any quantifiable parameters with a
EFFECT: The caster may create light, typically on his hand per increment listing can be increased up to four times by
or at the end of a staff. The caster can vary the intensity and the given increment.
colour of the light as he wishes, though it is equal to that of a Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
strong torch at most, sufficient to light a 5-yard radius, under Additional Missiles (per missile) +3 ranks & TN
most circumstances, or a slightly larger area at night or un- Increase Range (per +2 yards/rank) +1 rank & TN
derground.
To achieve this spells effect using the Art, the caster may DISARM
be required to have a suitable physical object which he can il-
luminate with his magictypically a crystal, a gem, a phial, TYPE: Art, Sorcery, Wizardry
or another translucent item the Turambar deems appropri- REALM: Body
ate. Of course, he may also require a caster who uses Sorcery METHOD: Standard
or Wizardry to have such an item at hand. RANKS: 5
SCALING OPTIONS: Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN BASIC TN: 25
Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN CORRUPTION: 2, if cast as a wizardry; 5, if cast as a sorcery
Increase Duration (20 min. per rank) +3 ranks & TN CASTING TIME: 8 AP
Increase Duration (1 hour per rank) +6 ranks & TN RANGE: Touch
Increase Radius (up to 10 yards) +3 ranks & TN DURATION: Instant
Increase Radius (up to 20 yards) +6 ranks & TN EFFECT: This spell causes the target to lose his grip on a
Utterlight (Art and Wizardry only; all darkness single weapon or shield the caster touches with his hands or
within the radius is dispelled) +12 ranks & TN his own melee weapon. The target is entitled to an opposed
Fortitude test against the caster, but suffers a 3 test result
DEFLECT MISSILE penalty. If the item is enchanted or heroic, the target suffers
no penalty on the opposed Fortitude test.
TYPE: Art, Sorcery, Wizardry If the target loses the opposed Fortitude test, the item
REALM: Air/Water leaps from his hand, and he may not pick it up until the next
METHOD: Standard, Runes round; if he wins, he retains his grip on the item. The size of
RANKS: 3 the item has no bearing on the effectiveness of the spell.
BASIC TN: 20 RESISTANCE: Fortitude vs. Fortitude (details see above)
CORRUPTION: 2, if cast as a wizardry; 4, if cast as a sorcery SCALING OPTIONS: Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
CASTING TIME: 8 AP, payable like any other defensive in- Increase Range (3 yards) +2 ranks & TN
terrupt action Increase Range (3 yards/rank) +4 ranks & TN
RANGE: 3 yards per rank
DURATION: Instant (or as per the spells description) FINDING AND RETURNING
EFFECT: This spell causes a strong gust of wind to deflect
any single fired missile of any kind of the casters choice, TYPE: Art, Sorcery, Wizardry
whether it is an arrow, a javelin, or a even boulder. The caster REALM: Beasts
must be able to see the source of the missile. A deflected mis- METHOD: Standard, Runes, Song
sile misses all potential targets, including friends and foes. RANKS: 4
When reckoning the timing of actions, treat Deflect Missile as BASIC TN: 25
a defensive interrupt action (or, more precisely, a counter- CORRUPTION: 2, if cast as a wizardry; 5, if cast as a sorcery
spell) to the act of firing a missile or throwing a projectile. CASTING TIME: 1 minute
If the projectile is enchanted or heroic, the caster must RANGE: Touch
make an opposed Fortitude test against the character, crea- DURATION: 1 month per rank
ture, or beast firing or throwing it. If the caster wins, the mis- EFFECT: This spell protects travellers, making it more like-
sile is deflected as per the spells normal effect; if the attacker ly that they can find their way to their destination and then
wins the attack is resolved normally. If the enchanted projec- return, safe and unhindered. It grants to the recipient the vir-
tile is fired by a siege engine or similar device, assume an at- tue of the Travel-sense edge (see page 146), though he must
tackers Fortitude score of 10. If the projectile is not enchant- make a TN 18 Wits test to use it. Additionally, he receives a
ed or heroic, the spell succeeds (unless a counter-spell is cast) +3 bonus on all tests to overcome the obstacles of the road:
312
to climb cliffs, ford rivers, run or hide from pursuers, find makes to avert an attack. Furthermore, any Ambar he spends
shelter and food, and the like. It never grants a bonus to at- to enhance attempts to dodge, block, parry or otherwise pro-
tacks, dodging, or the like, however. The Turambar decides tect himself grants a +7 bonus, instead of the normal +5.
what constitutes an obstacle of the road for purposes of this SCALING OPTIONS: Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
spell. Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN
If cast on an animal, such as a horse, this spell is some- Additional Targets (per target) +4 ranks & TN
times known as words of guiding. Increase Bonus (+4 Defence) +2 ranks & TN
SCALING OPTIONS: Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN Increase Bonus (+5 Defence) +4 ranks & TN
Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN Increase Duration (2 minutes/rank) +3 ranks & TN
Additional Targets (per target) +4 ranks & TN Increase Duration (5 minutes/rank) +6 ranks & TN
Increase Duration (2 months/rank) +3 ranks & TN
Increase Duration (6 months/rank) +6 ranks & TN HEALING-SPELL
FOG-RAISING TYPE: Art, Sorcery, Wizardry
REALM: Body
TYPE: Art, Sorcery, Wizardry METHOD: Standard, Song
REALM: Air/Water RANKS: 3
METHOD: Standard, Song BASIC TN: 20
RANKS: 3 CORRUPTION: 1, if cast as a wizardry; 4, if cast as a sorcery
BASIC TN: 20 CASTING TIME: 1 minute
CORRUPTION: 1, if cast as a wizardry; 4, if cast as a sorcery RANGE: Touch
CASTING TIME: 1 minute DURATION: See text
RANGE: 15 yards per rank EFFECT: This spell grants a caster the power to heal inju-
DURATION: See text ries, illness, and other harms of the body. When he casts it,
EFFECT: This spell allows a caster to create a thick bank of he gains a +8 test result bonus with all Healing skills and can
fog. The natural conditions must be right for fog: there must apply them using the standard rules (see page 233). The
be a source of water, the proper temperature, and so forth. spells effects last long enough to treat one person for a major
Not even the most powerful spellcaster can create fog out of wound, illness, or similar conditiona Grievous injury, for
nothing on a warm, sunny day. instance. It could be used to treat two Serious injuries, or
The cloud of fog created by this spell can have a radius of four Minor injuriesor any combination thereofinstead,
up to 10 yards per rank. Once created, it lasts until the caster no matter how many people suffer from these injuries.
stops concentrating or natural conditions remove it, which- SCALING OPTIONS: Any quantifiable parameters with a
ever comes first (but it doesnt dissolve instantaneously when per increment listing can be increased up to four times by
the caster stops concentrating). It counts as dense fog for the given increment.
purposes of determining physical test modifiers (10 TN, Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
see page 216). The fog moves normally, according to the Increase Bonus (per +2 bonus) +3 ranks & TN
wind and lay of the land. The caster has no control over its Increase Duration (+1 Serious Injury) +3 ranks & TN
movement once he creates it. Increase Duration (+1 Grievous Injury) +6 ranks & TN
SCALING OPTIONS: Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN ITHILDIN-FIRE
Increase Duration (1 minute/rank) +3 ranks & TN
Increase Duration (5 minutes/rank) +6 ranks & TN TYPE: Art, Wizardry
Increase Range (50 yards/rank) +2 ranks & TN REALM: Enchantment
Increase Radius (20 yards/rank) +2 ranks & TN METHOD: Standard, Song
Increase Radius (50 yards/rank) +4 ranks & TN REQUISITE: Create Light
RANKS: 3
GUARDING-SPELL BASIC TN: 15
CORRUPTION: 1, if cast as a wizardry
TYPE: Art, Sorcery, Wizardry CASTING TIME: 1 minute
REALM: Body RANGE: Touch
METHOD: Standard, Runes, Song DURATION: Concentration (maximum of 10 minutes per
RANKS: 7 rank)
BASIC TN: 30 EFFECT: This spell activates ithildin, a magical, metallic
CORRUPTION: 3, if cast as a wizardry; 7, if cast as a sorcery substance Elves make of mithril. It mirrors only starlight and
CASTING TIME: 1 minute moonlight, and it sleeps until touched by one who knows this
RANGE: Touch spell. Until activated, ithildin remains invisible, and if activat-
DURATION: 1 minute per rank ed in sunlight seems only like faint lines or tracery. Only at
EFFECT: This spell makes the caster, or any upon whom dusk and night is its true silvery beauty revealed. This is the
he confers its virtues, more difficult to hurt and injure. He material from which the outlines of the door the Fellowship
receives a +3 bonus to his Defence and any defensive test he uses to get into Moria was made.
313
SCALING OPTIONS: Characters with sufficient ranks in RANKS: 5

this spell (and a due supply of mithril and adequate tools) can BASIC TN: 25
also use it to engrave an ithildin ornament or letters. This of CORRUPTION: 7, if cast as a sorcery
course also requires a Goldsmith (Work ithildin) or Stone- CASTING TIME: 16 AP
craft (Carving) test against TN 30 or greater, as the Turam- RANGE: 2 yards per rank
bar sees fit. Writing ithildin letters on a piece of paper or DURATION: Instant
parchment usually doesnt require a Crafts skill test. EFFECT: From his hand or staff, the spellcaster looses a
Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN blast of lightning powerful enough to slay even mighty warri-
Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN ors. The caster must make a Throw: Spells ranged combat
Cast at Will +4 ranks & TN attack test to hit a target with it, and the target can attempt
Writing ithildin Letters +7 ranks & TN to dodge (shields are of no avail). If the bolt strikes a target,
Engrave ithildin Ornaments +12 ranks & TN the target takes 4F points of fire damage per LoS (damage
Increase Duration (1 hour per rank) +5 ranks & TN cap: LoS +6). A LoF 2 or worse on the Throw test may hit
Increase Range (3 yards) +2 ranks & TN nearby people, whether friend or foe (treat the Throw tests
LoF as the random attacks LoS when determining damage).
Using the Art, a character may be required to be under
KINDLE FIRE the open, stormy sky to cast this spell, as the Turambar
TYPE: Art, Sorcery, Wizardry deems appropriate.
REALM: Fire RESISTANCE: Dodge, vs. the Throw: Spells test result.
METHOD: Standard, Song SCALING OPTIONS: Any quantifiable parameters with a
RANKS: 3 per increment listing can be increased up to four times by
BASIC TN: 16 the given increment (e.g., to a maximum of +4 damage).
CORRUPTION: 2, if cast as a wizardry; 5, if cast as a sor- Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
cery; when used for a ranged attack, add 2 Corruption points Increase Damage (per +1/LoS) +2 ranks & TN
CASTING TIME: 8 AP Increase Range (per +1 yard/rank) +1 rank & TN
RANGE: Touch
DURATION: Until flames burn out naturally or are put out MIND-SPEECH
EFFECT: By touching some readily flammable object
TYPE: Art, Sorcery, Wizardry
typically a bit of kindling or a stick of woodthe caster can
REALM: Thought
cause it to burst into flame, even if its wet. Living flesh does
METHOD: Standard
not count as readily flammable, but at the Turambars dis-
REQUISITE: Spoken Thoughts, if learned as a sorcery
cretion, hair, fur, or clothing may. Once kindled, the fire
burns normally, and may be quenched normally. RANKS: 5
SCALING OPTIONS: If a character has at least 6 ranks with BASIC TN: 25
this spell and succeeds at a TN 20 spellcasting test (i.e., be- CORRUPTION: 2, if cast as a wizardry; 5, if cast as a sorcery
fore adding any other scaling options), he can make this spell CASTING TIME: 1 minute
function at a range of up to one yard per rank. If he uses it as RANGE: 1 foot per rank
an attackto set a wolfs fur on fire, for examplehe must DURATION: Concentration
succeed with a Throw: Spells attack test, and the target can EFFECT: This spell grants to a caster the power to talk to
avoid the effects by making an opposed Swiftness test. Apply another person without speech, communicating directly from
the rules for catching on fire (page 229) when determining mind to mind. It only works with other persons who also
damage from this effect. Any Swiftness test to put the fire on have this spell active. Communication takes place at the rate
a consecutive round has a TN of 20. of normal speech, and all persons involved in the conversa-
If a character has at least 10 ranks with this spell and suc- tion must maintain line of sight.
ceeds at a TN 25 spellcasting test, he can affect multiple ob- RESISTANCE: Fortitude, or terminating ones own active
jects: up to one readily flammable object per rank he possess- Mind-speech spell.
es. All objects kindled must be within a certain radius of each SCALING OPTIONS: Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
other: twice the casters ranks in feet. Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN
The scaled spells quantifiable parameters can be in- Cast at Will +4 ranks & TN
creased up to four times by the given increment. Increase Range (per +1 foot per rank, to a maximum
Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN of 5 feet per rank) +1 rank & TN
Increase Radius (per +1 foot/rank) +3 ranks & TN OPENING-SPELL
LIGHTNING TYPE: Art, Sorcery, Wizardry
REALM: Enchantment
TYPE: Art, Sorcery METHOD: Standard, Song
REALM: Air/Water RANKS: 3
METHOD: Standard, Song BASIC TN: 18
REQUISITE: Create Light CORRUPTION: 2, if cast as a wizardry; 5, if cast as a sorcery
314
CASTING TIME: 1 round all friendly or allied peoplewithin a 2 feet per rank radi-
RANGE: Touch uswith a +5 bonus on all Fortitude tests to withstand fear
DURATION: Instant and terror. This last effect includes himself.
EFFECT: This spell allows a caster to open locked doors, SCALING OPTIONS: Any quantifiable parameters with a
whether they are hold by magic or simple, mundane latches. per increment listing can be increased up to four times by
The spell opens any normal lock automatically, even if the the given increment.
caster does not possess the key. Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
Magically sealed locks often prove harder to open, how- Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN
ever. The Turambar assigns a difficulty to the lock, usually Cast at Will +4 ranks & TN
equal to the Fa test result of the person who cast the Shut- Increase Bonuses (per +1 bonus) +2 ranks & TN
ting-spell (see page 316). The caster of the Opening-spell then Increase Duration (2 rounds/rank) +3 ranks & TN
makes a Fa test. If he equals or exceeds the TN, the door Increase Duration (5 rounds/rank) +6 ranks & TN
opens. Increase Radius (per +1 feet/rank) +1 rank & TN
SCALING OPTIONS: Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN REVIVE
Increase Range (3 yards) +2 ranks & TN
TYPE: Art, Wizardry
REALM: Body
READING THE HEART METHOD: Standard, Song
TYPE: Art, Sorcery, Wizardry RANKS: 3
REALM: Thought BASIC TN: 15
METHOD: Standard, Song CORRUPTION: 1, if cast as a wizardry
REQUISITE: Mind Speech, Insight 17+ CASTING TIME: 8 AP
RANKS: 4 RANGE: Touch
BASIC TN: 25 DURATION: Instant
CORRUPTION: 3, if cast as a wizardry; 8, if cast as a sorcery EFFECT: This spell gives the caster the power to infuse
CASTING TIME: 1 minute strength into the tired limbs of a single character or beast,
RANGE: 10 feet though it saps his own strength in equal measure. If success-
DURATION: 1 round per target fully cast, the target recovers 1 Weariness Level, though the
EFFECT: This spell allows the spellcaster to gaze into the caster of this spell sustains 1 Weariness Level.
eyes of a single target person and read what lies within his SCALING OPTIONS: If a character has at least 6 ranks with
heart: his hopes, dreams, fears, worries, loves, hates, and this spell and succeeds at a TN 20 spellcasting test (i.e., be-
temptations. The Wise use this power to find the ills that lie fore adding any other scaling options), he can provide even
within a persons soul, that they might be alleviated or cured. greater relief to a single character or beast worn with the la-
Malevolent sorcerers sometimes learn it to better torment bours of the road or hard fighting. If successfully cast, the
their victims with the knowledge gained. target recovers 3 Weariness Levels, but the caster sustains 2
RESISTANCE: Fortitude Weariness Levels.
SCALING OPTIONS: Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN
Cast at Will +4 ranks & TN SENSE POWER
Additional Targets (per target) +4 ranks & TN
TYPE: Art, Sorcery, Wizardry
REALM: Thought
RESIST FEAR METHOD: Standard
TYPE: Art, Wizardry RANKS: 3
REALM: Secret Fire BASIC TN: 15
METHOD: Standard, Song CORRUPTION: 1, if cast as a wizardry; 4, if cast as a sorcery
REQUISITE: Wizard (edge) CASTING TIME: 8 AP
RANKS: 4 RANGE: 2 yards per rank
BASIC TN: 20 DURATION: 3 rounds per rank
CORRUPTION: 1, if cast as a wizardry EFFECT: With this spell, a spellcaster can perceive the
CASTING TIME: 8 AP power possessed by another or residing in an object or a
RANGE: Self place. While the spell is active, he may make another Sense
DURATION: 1 round per rank Power test (or use the result of the spellcasting test, if the
EFFECT: As the servants of the Shadow can cause fear and spell has just been cast) to detect the presence or gauge the
dread, so can the spellcasters of the West counter it. This power of another spellcaster, a creature of supernatural pow-
spell strengthens hearts and banishes terror, allowing those er, the subtle magic in an area, an enchanted item, or the like.
affected to stand and face their foes. The caster may use it in The TN for the test depends upon the entitys level of pow-
one of two ways. First, it can provide a +8 bonus to his In- erwith a success on a virtually impossible test, the spell-
spire tests to help others resist fear. Second, he can provide caster can even sense the presence of a mundane thing or be-
315
ing. See the accompanying table. EFFECT: With this spell, a caster can magically lock doors,
Note that merely being an Elf confers upon someone preventing anyone from opening them. The door remains
power sufficient for most users of this spell to detect or sense. shut for the duration of the spell. Not even the proper key
At the Turambars discretion, no test may be needed to per- can open it. However, the caster can specify a command
ceive sufficiently strong, obvious, or apparent sources of word that does open the door when anyone speaks it. Addi-
power. Also note that one power may overlay anotherfor tionally, the door can still be broken by strength or with
example, a far greater TN than normal may be required to weapons. See the Protection and Structure Table on page
sense the presence of an enchanted item in a dragons lair. 270 for details on this.
This spell simply allows the caster to determine the pres- Immediately after he has successfully cast this spell, the
ence of power, not its precise location. In many cases, the caster must also make a TN 20 Fa test. His test result be-
precise location is obvious, but the caster cannot use Sense comes the TN for Fa tests made by spellcasters using the
Power to, for example, locate and target another spellcaster in Opening-spell to try to counteract his magic. Dont count the
a darkened chamber. casters LoS, just record his precise test result; but if the Fa
In addition to simply detecting the presence of power, the test is failed, the spell fails as well.
caster may also be able to determine the general nature of the To open any magically sealed door that has a code word
power in question. The power of the Wiseor power used without casting an Opening-spell, a character must either
for good and noble endsfeels different from the power know the code word or make a suitable Arcane Lore: Spell-
used by the servants of Sauron. However, this spell is not craft test to deduce it. The TN for the test varies from door
suitable for determining the nature and extent of the power to door, but its usually 30 or more. Standard academic test
of particularly sophisticated items such as a greater ring of modifiers apply. Such a test normally requires at least 1 hour.
poweror of any person, place, or object the Turambar does SCALING OPTIONS: Many Shutting-spells last for longer pe-
not want to be assessed in detail by this spell. Hence, Gan- riods of time than the listed duration. For a 3 penalty to the
dalf was able to perceive the power of Bilbos ring, but he Fa test, the caster may change the spells duration from
could not be sure what ring it actually was before he had hours to years. For a 6 penalty, he can improve it from
studied the scrolls of Isildur and seen the rings inscription. hours to decades. For a 9 penalty he can change it from
hours to centuries.
TABLE 11.XYZ (11.5): SENSE POWER DIFFICULTY The most powerful Shutting-spells also strengthen the
TN SAMPLE POWER LEVEL doors they lock, making them more difficult to break down
9 VERY STRONG POWER: Saruman, Gandalf, Elrond, a Balrog, or chop through. For a 4 penalty to the Fa test, the caster
the One Ring. can increase the doors Protection by 5, and its Structure by
15 STRONG POWER: An Elf-lord, a typical wizard, a dragon, a 100. For a 8 penalty, the caster can increase the doors Pro-
greater enchanted item (Ring of Power, palantr ). tection by 10, and its Structure by 300.
20 AVERAGE POWER: An experienced magician, an enchanted
Fortunately for him, the caster of a Shutting-spell may in-
item from the Elder Days, a typical Noldorin Elf.
25 MINOR POWER: A magician who knows only a few spells, a crease his chances with the Fa test: For every +2 ranks &
character with a magical talent such as Woven Words or TN requirement he adds to his spellcasting test, he receives a
Foresighted, a typical Grey or Silvan Elf. +1 bonus to the ensuing Fa test. However, any bonus points
30 WEAK POWER: An Elf-friend, a character with Grace 15+, a may only be used to offset the penalty accruing from the
masterwork item (with no greater enchantments imbued)
40 MINUTE POWER: Any character or intelligent animal above options.
Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
SCALING OPTIONS: Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN
Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN Increase Range (3 yards) +2 ranks & TN
Cast at Will +4 ranks & TN
Increase Duration (1 min. per rank) +3 ranks & TN SLUMBER
Increase Duration (5 min. per rank) +6 ranks & TN
Increase Range (per +1 yard/rank, to a maximum of 10 TYPE: Art, Sorcery
yards per rank) +1 rank & TN REALM: Mind
METHOD: Standard, Song
RANKS: 5
SHUTTING-SPELL BASIC TN: 25
TYPE: Art, Sorcery, Wizardry CORRUPTION: 5, if cast as a sorcery
REALM: Enchantment CASTING TIME: 16 AP
METHOD: Standard, Runes, Song RANGE: 2 yards per rank
REQUISITE: Opening-spell DURATION: 1 hour per rank
RANKS: 5 EFFECT: With this spell, a caster can place one person into
BASIC TN: 20 a deep sleep from which they cannot awake on their own.
CORRUPTION: 2, if cast as a wizardry; 4, if cast as a sorcery Others can awaken the sleeping person in the usual ways: jos-
CASTING TIME: 1 minute tling them, shouting at them, splashing water on their faces,
RANGE: Touch and the like. The spellcaster and the victim must make op-
DURATION: 1 hour per rank posed Fortitude tests. If the caster wins, the victim falls
asleep. Otherwise, the victim remains awake and unaffected.
316
RESISTANCE: Fortitude vs. Fortitude thoughts in the mind of another as expressed through that
SCALING OPTIONS: Any quantifiable parameters with a persons speech. For the duration of the spell, it is as if the
per increment listing can be increased up to four times by spellcaster had 10 ranks in any language spoken to him. He
the given increment. cannot, however, read writing he has not learned normally,
Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN nor speak the language. All he can do is understand its spo-
Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN ken words. Still, this spell cant be used for eavesdropping or
Additional Targets (per target) +4 ranks & TN overhearing a conversation as it only confers the ability to
Fortitude bonus (per +1 bonus) +2 ranks & TN understand words spoken directly to him.
Increase Duration (2 hours per rank) +3 ranks & TN When the spells range is scaled to Touch, it can also be
Increase Duration (5 hours per rank) +6 ranks & TN cast on any number of additional persons. Each affected per-
Increase Range (per +1 yard/rank) +1 rank & TN son receives the virtue of this spell, allowing two-way speech.
RESISTANCE: Fortitude
SPELLBINDING SCALING OPTIONS: Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN
TYPE: Art, Sorcery Cast at Will +4 ranks & TN
REALM: Mind Increase Duration (1 hour per rank) +3 ranks & TN
METHOD: Standard, Song Increase Range (Touch) +2 ranks & TN
RANKS: 6 Additional Persons (per person) +3 ranks & TN
BASIC TN: 25
CORRUPTION: 6, if cast as a sorcery VOICE OF SUASION
CASTING TIME: 8 AP
RANGE: 2 yards per rank TYPE: Art, Sorcery
DURATION: Concentration (maximum of 1 round per REALM: Mind
rank) METHOD: Standard
EFFECT: With this spell, a caster can temporarily bind an- RANKS: 4
other persons limbs, preventing him from moving or attack- BASIC TN: 25
ing, but not from talking. If the caster succeeds with his CORRUPTION: 4, if cast as a sorcery
spellcasting test, he and the victim must engage in an op- CASTING TIME: 8 AP
posed Fortitude test. If the caster wins, the victim becomes RANGE: Within the sound of the casters normal speaking
paralyzed and drops any objects carried in his hands. Other- voice
wise, the spell has no effect. DURATION: 1 minute per rank
A spellbinding lasts as long as the caster concentrates EFFECT: This spell increases the casters powers of persua-
to a maximum of one round per rank the caster has with this sion. His every word seems sweet and reasonable, his opin-
spellor until he or anything else attacks or a physically ions and policies most worthy of consideration. He receives a
threatens the victim. If the caster stops concentrating or a +8 test result bonus to all uses of Persuade.
physical threat arises, the victim is immediately freed. RESISTANCE: The victim may make an opposed Wisdom
RESISTANCE: Fortitude vs. Fortitude test to resist being persuaded as usual (see page 108).
SCALING OPTIONS: Any quantifiable parameters with a SCALING OPTIONS: Any quantifiable parameters with a
per increment listing can be increased up to four times by per increment listing can be increased up to four times by
the given increment. the given increment.
Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN
Avoid Gestures +3 ranks & TN Cast at Will +4 ranks & TN
Additional Targets (per target) +4 ranks & TN Increase Bonus (per +2 bonus) +3 ranks & TN
Increase Duration (2 rounds/rank) +3 ranks & TN Increase Duration (2 minutes/rank) +3 ranks & TN
Increase Duration (5 rounds/rank) +6 ranks & TN Increase Duration (5 minutes/rank) +6 ranks & TN
Increase Range (per +1 yard/rank) +2 ranks & TN Increase Range (shouting distance) +3 ranks & TN
SPOKEN THOUGHTS WIZARD'S HAND [NECROMANCERS HAND]

TYPE: Art, Sorcery, Wizardry TYPE: Art, Wizardry [Necromancy]
REALM: Thought REALM: Secret Fire [Destruction]
METHOD: Standard METHOD: Standard
RANKS: 3 REQUISITE: Wizard, or Teachings of a wizard
BASIC TN: 18 RANKS: 5
CORRUPTION: 2, if cast as a wizardry; 4, if cast as a sorcery BASIC TN: 25
CASTING TIME: 16 AP CORRUPTION: 3, if cast as a wizardry
RANGE: Self [15, if cast as a necromancy]
DURATION: 20 minutes per rank CASTING TIME: 8 AP
EFFECT: A caster with this spell active can overcome his RANGE: 1 yard per rank
ignorance of anothers language, for it reveals to him the DURATION: Instant
317
EFFECT: With this spell, a caster can grasp an object at a A Word of Command is so powerful that it may have un-
distance and move or fling it. The object must be one the intended side effects. For example, when Gandalf used one to
caster could lift with his own Strength, such as a pitcher of hold the door of the Chamber of Mazarbul against the
ale, a weapon, a or a figurine. The effect is instantaneous, so Balrog of Moria, the door couldnt stand the strain and shat-
while the caster can fling the object away from him or draw it tered. Many other such effects are possible, all at the Turam-
swiftly to his hand, he cannot move it back and forth or cause bars discretion. They are particularly likely to occur when
it to dart about a room. the character using a Word of Command fails his spellcasting
To determine how far the caster can throw an object with test or an opposed test associated with the underlying spell.
Wizards Hand, he has a Strength equal to his Fa score. SCALING OPTIONS: For every +3 ranks & TN the caster
The caster can use his Throw skill to aim the thrown item at adds to the basic requirements of this spell, he may choose
someone or something else, although he does not need to do and apply one more of the above effects.
so to draw something into his hand. The spell does not allow
for fine manipulation in any case.
RESISTANCE: If another person holds the object in ques-
tion, that person may make an opposed Strength test to
counter the spells effects and retain his grasp on it. The
spellcaster has an effective Strength equal to his Fa score for
the purposes of this contest.
SCALING OPTIONS: Any quantifiable parameters with a
per increment listing can be increased up to four times by
the given increment.
Avoid Words +3 ranks & TN
Additional Objects (per object) +4 ranks & TN
WORD OF COMMAND
TYPE: Art, Wizardry [Necromancy]
REALM: Secret Fire [Curses]
METHOD: Standard
REQUISITE: Wizard [Teachings of a Necromancer]
RANKS: 10
BASIC TN: 30
CORRUPTION: 3, if cast as a wizardry
[15, if cast as a necromancy]
CASTING TIME: 3 AP
RANGE: See text
DURATION: See text
EFFECT: This spell, different from both Command and
Voice of Command, is among the most potent in Middle-
earth. By invoking a Word of Command, a caster can enhance
the power of any other spell, even if he fails to meet the re-
quirements of its standard scaling options. This power comes
at a price: the character automatically loses one Weariness
Level. Any weariness points accumulated according to the re-
sult of the spellcasting test are in addition to this.
When a character utters a Word of Command in conjunc-
tion with another spell, he may choose to do any one of the
following to the other spell:
Double the spells range (basic or scaled)

Double the spells duration (basic or scaled)
Cause the spell to do maximum damage (i.e., apply all
pertinent scaling options)
Provide a +6 bonus for any test needed to cast or use
the spell
The duration and range of a Word of Command are the

same as those of the spell it augments. Its effects end when
the other spell ends.
318
Appendix A
OCCUPATIONS
n a world like Middle-earth, most ordinary people need to earn their living by working in an
I everyday job. However, manyif not mostof the heroic characters taking part in a typical
Ambarquenta game are an exception to this. Maybe they have sought adventure from their
childhood days on and did not care to take up an occupation that seemed dull to them, or they were
privilegedby strange fate, their origin, or whatever reason you could come up withand never need-
ed to earn their living like their more common brethren. Still, it can add much flavour to a characters
background story if he has undergone some kind of occupational training and worked in that job for
some time before he sets out on his first adventure.
WHAT OCCUPATIONS ARE COMMONERS, GUILDSMEN,

NOBLES, AND SOLDIERS
T he material on occupational training is presented in
the appendices to emphasise its optional character. In
Ambarquenta, an occupation has no influence whatso-
ever on what a character can do or learn. Occupations are no E ach of the sample occupations presented below falls
into one of four categories: unguilded, guilded, noble,
or military. Depending on which culture a character hails
arbitrary way to limit the number or combination of a char-
acters skills, but their availability is limited by a characters from, these labels may need to be considered game terms;
culture of origin, his natural capabilities, and his desires. this holds particularly true for guilds. Such professional asso-
An occupational package simply represents the profes- ciations are almost unknown outside the boundaries of civi-
sional experience a character gains in an everyday jobin lised realms or bustling trade towns.
game terms, he receives a fixed number of skill ranks at a re- Use the guidelines below and Table 1.2 on page 16 to de-
duced pick cost. Thus, an occupation is not necessarily a life termine which Social Rank offers access to which category of
commitment that would keep a character from excelling in occupations for characters from a given culture.
other fields of skills. Although many roleplaying opportuni-
ties could follow from beginning play with a certain job, an UNGUILDED OCCUPATIONS
Ambarquenta character is by no means forced to take up an
occupation. In fact, it would be rather awkward to think of As a rule of thumb, unguilded occupations are suitable
an Elf or any heroic type of character as somebody who has for characters with a Social Rank between 5 and 1 (or
to work in an everyday occupation to earn his living. sometimes 0, depending on their culture of origin) or who
The occupations available to a particular character de- hail from a culture that is relatively primitive compared to
pend mainly on his Social Rank, although his birthplace and the hierarchical societies offor exampleGondor or Ro-
natural aptitudes (i.e., attributes and abilities) may open or han. However, even less refined cultures occasionally produce
close some doors as well. Some vocations (knight and herald, members of guilded occupations, although such characters
for example) are only available to high-born characters; some would lack the support of a formal guild.
require exceptional natural or learned capabilities. Birthplace Among the Free Peoples, an unguilded commoner is a
is also relevanta character born in landlocked Rhudaur freeman who may choose his occupation as he wishes. Only
should have a hard time convincing the Turambar that run- in Umbar and the realms under the sway of the Dark Lord, a
ning away to sea is a reasonable choice, and even the son of a character with a Social Rank of 5 or 4 would be a slave or
Beorning chieftain couldnt become a herald. a serf who is limited in his choice of occupations.
NOTE: Although the terms used in this section sometimes GUILDED OCCUPATIONS
seem to imply complex organisation and social stratification,
you need to think of them as game terms. For example, terms To qualify for joining a guild, a character must usually
like guild or master simply refer to a classification of people have a Social Rank of 0 to +3. A Turambar may call for
with similar training and skill, but not necessarily to exclusive any other requirements he sees fit, like apprenticeship fees,
groups or a characters social rank in such a group.
enforced marriage with a masters daughter, or similar duties.
320
APPENDIX A: OCCUPATIONS
Quite a few of the guilded occupations are only in de- acter creation. However, this involves lengthy re-training, for
mand in the culturally more advanced realms or in the largest one thoroughly adopts the techniques and mental patterns of
cities of Middle-earth. It is in those areas where actual guilds his initial occupation. Thus, the training time to acquire a se-
would most likely be found. However, many guilded occupa- cond occupation is doubled, tripled for the third, and so on.
tions are equally praised and needed by folks who live in less Consequently, the starting age of a character who has picked
civilised lands. A character from such a culture who enters a up more than one occupation must be re-calculated (see be-
guilded trade does not join a guild, but his family ties (or like low and page 68 for details).
circumstances) allow him to take up the occupation. The Turambar always has final authority of your choice
Which occupations are available to the members of a giv- of occupation(s), judging their suitability according to your
en people is at the Turambars discretion; as stated above, a characters Social Rank, birthplace, and capabilities. It is rec-
Social Rank of at least 0 is required everywhere. ommended that an Elf should not be allowed to acquire an
occupation unless it perfectly matches his background story.
NOBLE OCCUPATIONS
As the name suggests, these occupational packages may PICK COSTS AND BENEFITS
only be acquired by noble characters with a Social Rank of at
least +3 or +4. However, most nobles never select an occupa- The chief benefit of submitting yourself to occupational
tional package, preferring instead to pursue their individual training is that you automatically develop a number of skill
interests. ranks at a reduced pick cost. In addition, the picks required
to obtain an occupational package can come from any pick
MILITARY OCCUPATIONS class, regardless of which skills it contains (if possible, it is
particularly clever to purchase an occupational package with
As diverse as the battlefields of Middle-earth are the sol- leftover picks you couldnt spend otherwise). Finally, you
diers who march upon them. Most peoples have come to fa- may mark the skills listed for your first occupation with an
vour a selected few tactics and arms, depending on the envi- asterisk (*). The TN for improvement rolls (see page 203)
ronment they live in and long to defend. Therefore this rule- to acquire additional ranks in such skills is reduced by 1.
book presents a variety of typical military occupations or ca-
reers, not just that of a generic soldier. Military careers are If he deems it appropriate, a Turambar may rule that
normally open to all characters who meet the due physical the time to acquire certain edges which are closely related to
and mental requirements, regardless of their social standing. an occupation (for example, the Sea Legs edge for a mariner)
However, attaining the rank of officer or being a knight al- may be cut in half or completely ignored, provided that the
most always requires a sufficiently high Social Rank. character actually works in his occupation during the training
time required by the edge. This optional rule should apply to
any appropriate edges taken beyond the third edge, as the
CHOOSING AN OCCUPATION training time for three edges is already included in a charac-
ters starting age.
A characters initial Social Rank always represents the so-
A character starts his occupational training as an appren-
cial standing of his parents. Thus, it may be a nice start to
think of the occupation of a characters parents. If he is the tice, but he may gain additional proficiency in his chosen pro-
eldest born survivor and comes along well with his parents, fession by becoming a journeyman and, eventually, maybe even
he would be expected to follow the family occupation. Later a master. For each of these three levels of proficiency, a char-
born offspring, on the other hand, have more freedom in acter receives a certain amount of skill ranks, and each level
choosing their occupation, especially if they happen to be less has its own pick cost. This cost can only be paid for with ap-
dear to their parents. prenticeship and/or veteran development picks. Advance-
Keep in mind, though, that taking up an occupation may ment picks cannot be used to buy an occupational package.
not be a good choice for player characters, since it often tends
to tie them to a particular location and limits their leisure TIME TO ACQUIRE
time. This holds particularly true for guilded and military oc-
cupations which cannot easily be abandoned. The time to acquire an occupational package should be
Each package lists the odds that the occupation is taken regarded as a suggestion rather than as a strict rule. For most
up by a character who lives in a city (i.e., Urban: xy%). You characters, occupational training starts at the end of their
are not required to roll the d100 to see whether your charac- youth (i.e., around age 14 or 15 in case of most Mensee
ter lives in a town or in a rural area, but you can use the in- Table 3.1, page 67). Per default, the time to acquire one oc-
formation as a guideline to determine which jobs might fit to cupational package up to a journeymans level of proficiency
his background. How many cities there are in a realm, and is already included in a characters starting age (as is the time
how big they are, is a good indicator for how developed a giv- to acquire up to three levels of edges). Since a character must
en culture is. Generally it can be said that the less advanced a have actually worked in any chosen occupation, make sure to
society is, the fewer specialised (i.e., guilded) occupations are account for that time in his background story.
knowneveryone has to be a jack of all trades. If he wants to become a master of his chosen occupation,
Characters can change jobs during play, or undergo the you have to determine his minimum age as described on page
occupational training required for multiple jobs during char- 68. Similarly, if he wants to take on a second occupation, he
321
needs to train for twice the given amount of time and account A NOTE ON NEW SKILLS AND WEAPONS
for that training time when figuring his minimum age: it
simply takes longer to truly master an occupation, or to ac- Some occupations list new skills (shown in italicised let-
custom oneself to a new vocation. In both cases, the required ters) which are not explained in Chapter Four. For example,
training time should be modified by a percentage equal to: the embalmerwho holds a particularly important position
in any Dnadan societylearns the skill Embalm. Most of
3 x (Will 11) these new skills are self-explanatory; otherwise, they are
briefly described.
EXAMPLE: If a character has a Will score of 15, he would Instead of noting a weapon skills like Pole-arms: One-
gain the benefits of becoming a master of an occupation 12% handed (Spear), weapons are mostly given as specialties in
earlier than someone with a Will score of 11 (i.e., 88% of the italics. The Turambar may allow weapon substitutions, but
normal time). However, if the character has a Will score of 7, it as a rule of thumb, he should be rather restrictive.
would take him 12% longer to gain the benefits (i.e., 112% of
the normal time).
BY YOUR OWN DESIGN
INCOMES
A Turambar (or a player with the approval of his Tu-
The average monthly wages earned from an occupation rambar) can easily make up additional occupational packages
are based on 25 days, the average number of days worked per for his individual Ambarquenta setting. While the required
month after holidays. Wages often vary by season. training time and income of such a new occupation can
GUILDED OCCUPATIONS: Wages are given for bonded roughly be estimated by comparing it with the packages pre-
masters for whom room and board may also be provided. sented in this book, it is important to accurately figure its
The employer would bear the additional cost of providing pick cost.
materials and supplies, but tools are normally owned by the In a first step, jot down the skills (and, if applicable, their
master. Exceptionally skilled masters could earn fees up to six specialties) and the number of ranks a character would ob-
times higher, but such incomes are rare. Freemasterswho tain in them with each level of proficiency. Then look up the
make up the majority of Middle-earths craftsmen outside pick cost for each skill in Table A.1 and find the total cost of
Gondor (and similarly refined cultures)have variable in- all skills. When determining the pick cost for a journeymans
comes because demand for their services can vary. or a masters level of proficiency in an occupation, make sure
Apprentices receive room and board and sometimes get a to subtract the pick cost for the number of ranks that were
little pocket money from generous masters. Journeymen re- already developed in the lower level(s) of proficiency.
ceive 30 to 60% of a masters wages, depending on experience,
and free room and board. TABLE A.1: OCCUPATIONAL SKILL PICK COSTS
UNGUILDED OCCUPATIONS: Wages are for average experi-
NUMBER OF LEARNING DIFFICULTY
enced workersothers might earn more or less, depending
SKILL RANKS EASY AVERAGE HARD
on their actual skill. They also tend to be higher in summer 1 1 2 3
and lower in winter. In less civilised regions, wages usually 2 3 5 8
come in the form of goods, food, or lodging. For example, a 3 5 9 13
Lossadan fisherman shares his catch with his entire clan and 4 7 13 19
5 10 18 26
receives part of the goods they procure in return.
6 13 23 33
MILITARY OCCUPATIONS: In the realms of the Dnedain, 7 16 28 40
military wages are traditionally paid quarterly, but are listed 8 19 34 48
monthly for comparison with other incomes. Considering 9 22 40 56
the danger, wages are low, but armies offer various other
benefitsand sometimes deliver them. These include food EXAMPLE: A Turambar needs to create the Tinker occupa-
and shelter, and the opportunity to collect booty; see page tional package for an Ironfist Dwarf. He rules that none of the
328 for details. It is not unusual for a soldier to work long Craft skills of the Master Skill List really covers this trade and
stretches followed by long furloughs. Armies are generous introduces the new Tinker skill in which an apprentice obtains
4 ranks. (With another character background, he might have
with (unpaid) leave in peacetime.
also ruled that this metier is covered by the Blacksmith (Wares)
SAVINGS: Although most of the money earned is spent skill specialty.) Since the Turambar further specifies that the
simply to survive, a journeyman or a master who is older than skill is of average learning difficulty, its pick cost is 13. A jour-
the average starting age of his race has likely accumulated neyman tinker receives another 2 ranks, for a cumulative total
some savings in addition to his starting wealth. As a general of 6 ranks. Thus, the journeymans 2 ranks in the Tinker skill
guideline, assume he has accumulated his Will score read as a cost (23 13) = 10 picks.
percentage of his total income.
As a rule of thumb, you should try to keep the total
EXAMPLE: A bonded-master miller who has worked for ten number of ranks a character could possibly obtain in a single
years since reaching the starting age of his race and a Will occupational skill by picking all three levels of proficiency
score of 13 has a hoard of 26 silver pence: 80 cp x 12 months x apprentice, journeyman, and masterbelow 10. Ordinarily,
10 years x 0.13 = 1.248 cp, or 26 sp. however, a maximum of 5 to 8 ranks in an occupations chief
skill(s) is totally appropriate.
322
TABLE A.2: UNGUILDED OCCUPATIONS
PICK TIME TO
OCCUPATION COST ACQUIRE SKILLS AND SKILL RANKS
Beggar Monthly Income: variable; Urban: 95%
Apprentice 23 3 months Dagger +2, Inquire +2, Persuade (Fast Talk) +2, Streetwise +2
Journeyman 31 9 months Dagger +2, Inquire +1, Persuade +2, Streetwise +2
Master 21 1 year Dagger +1, Inquire +1, Persuade +1, Streetwise +1
Cartographer Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: 80 cp; Urban: 90%
Apprentice 16 2 years Draw (Maps) +2, Reckon +1, Region Lore +3*
Journeyman 21 3 years Draw +2, Reckon +1, Region Lore +2*
Master 25 4 years Draw +2, Reckon +1, Region Lore +2*
Charcoal Burner Monthly Income: 40 cp; Urban: 10%
Apprentice 19 1 year Blacksmith +1, Charcoal-burner +2, Hatchet +2, Survival +2, Woodcraft +1
Journeyman 22 2 years Blacksmith +1, Charcoal-burner +2, Hatchet +1, Survival +1, Woodcraft +1
Master 26 3 years Blacksmith +1, Charcoal-burner +2, Hatchet +1, Survival +1, Woodcraft +1
Cook Monthly Income: 30 cp; Urban: 60%
Apprentice 17 1 year Cook: Food +2, Gardener +2, Herbcraft +1, Nature Lore +1,
Services: Waiter +2, Steward (Household)+1
Journeyman 21 2 years Cook: Food +2, Gardener +1, Herbcraft +1, Nature Lore +1, Services +1, Steward +1
Master 19 3 years Cook: Food +2, Gardener +1, Herbcraft +1, Services +1, Steward +1
Farmer or Farmhand Monthly Income: 25 cp; Urban: 0%
Apprentice 26 2 years Beastmaster +2, Gardener +3, Nature Lore +1, Region Lore: Own +2,
Weather-sense +2, Woodcraft +2
Journeyman 28 2 years Beastmaster +1, Gardener +2, Nature Lore +1, Region Lore: Own +1,
Master 26 3 years Beastmaster +1, Gardener +2, Nature Lore +1, Region Lore: Own +1,
Fisherman Monthly Income: 45 cp; Urban: 50%
Apprentice 21 2 years Fish +3, Ropecraft +2, Seafaring +2, Shipwright +1, Weather-sense +2
Journeyman 28 3 years Fish +2, Ropecraft +1, Seafaring +2, Shipwright +1, Weather-sense +2
Master 28 3 years Fish +2, Ropecraft +1, Seafaring +2, Shipwright +1, Weather-sense +1
Herdsman Monthly Income: 25 cp; Urban: 0%
Apprentice 25 6 months Beastmaster: Species of Animal (Herd) +2, Region Lore: Own +3, Survival +2,
Track +2, Weather-sense +2
Journeyman 26 18 months Beastmaster +2, Region Lore +1, Survival +2, Track +1, Weather-sense +1
Master 26 2 years Beastmaster +2, Region Lore +1, Survival +1, Track +1, Weather-sense +1
Hunter Monthly Income: 40 cp; Urban: 10%
Apprentice 34 2 years Bows +2, Fletcher +1, Hide +2, Hunt +2, Leathercraft (Skinner) +1,
Search (Forage) +2, Sneak +2, Survival +2, Track +2
Journeyman 41 3 years Bows +2, Fletcher +1, Hide +2, Hunt +2, Leathercraft +1, Search +1, Sneak +2, Survival +1, Track +1
Master 42 4 years Bows +2, Fletcher +1, Hide +1, Hunt +2, Leathercraft +1, Search +1, Sneak +1, Survival +1, Track +1
Labourer Monthly Income: 40 cp; Urban: 95%
Apprentice 13 6 months Climb (or another Average complementary or Craft skill) +1, Ropecraft (or another Easy
Craft skill) +1, Stonecraft (or another Average Craft skill) +2, Streetwise +2
Journeyman 24 1 year Climb +1, Ropecraft +1, Stonecraft +1, Streetwise +2; Portage Skills 1 (Physical Edge, page 138)
Master 24 18 months Ropecraft +1, Stonecraft +1, Streetwise +2; Portage Skills 2
Midwife Monthly Income: 50 cp; Urban: 60%
Apprentice 17 1 year First Aid +2, Herbcraft +1, Inquire +2, Inspire +1, Physician (Midwifery) +1
Journeyman 28 2 years First Aid +2, Herbcraft +1, Inquire +1, Inspire +1, Physician +2
Master 21 3 years First Aid +1, Herbcraft +1, Physician +2
Ratter Monthly Income: 55 cp; Urban: 70%
Apprentice 22 18 months Beastmaster: Rats +3, Beastmaster: Dogs +2, Club +3, Herbcraft +1
Journeyman 27 18 months Beastmaster: Rats +2, Beastmaster: Dogs +2, Club +2, Herbcraft +1
Master 26 2 years Beastmaster: Rats +2, Beastmaster: Dogs +2, Club +2
Scholar Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: 80 cp; Urban: 80%
Apprentice 22 2 years Culture and/or Region Lore +2*, History (or another Hard Lore skill) +2*,
Language: Complex +2*, Reckon +1
Journeyman 36 3 years Culture/Region Lore +2*, History +2*, Language +2*, Reckon +1; Literate (2nd script)
Master 39 4 years Culture/Region Lore +2*, History +2*, Language +2*, Reckon +1
*: Ranks may be distributed among any number of applicable skills, but one half (rounded down) should go into a single skill.
: The skill Charcoal-burner (De/Vi/Wl, basic cutback 5, Average learning difficulty) is used to properly run charcoal piles to produce
charcoal.
323
PICK TIME TO
Scribe Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: 60 cp; Urban: 90%
Apprentice 24 2 years Draw +2, Language: Complex +2*, Reckon +1, Wordsmith +2
Journeyman 30 3 years Draw +2, Language +2*, Reckon +1, Wordsmith +2; Literate (2nd script)
Master 27 4 years Draw +2, Language +2*, Reckon +1, Wordsmith +2; Literate (3rd script)
Servant Monthly Income: 25 cp; Urban: 60%
Apprentice 32 1 year Clothworks (or another Easy Craft skill) +2, Discern +2, Etiquette +2,
Inquire +2, Persuade +2, Services: Valet +2, Steward (Household) +1
Journeyman 27 2 years Clothworks +1, Discern +1, Etiquette +2, Inquire +1, Persuade +1, Services +2, Steward +1
Master 31 3 years Clothworks +1, Discern +1, Etiquette +1, Inquire +1, Persuade +1, Services +2, Steward +1
Tamer Requisite: Animal Empathy (page 130); Monthly Income: 70 cp; Urban: 75%
Apprentice 21 18 months Beastmaster [choose three species of animals] +2/+2/+2, Leathercraft +1, Ride +2
Journeyman 22 2 years Beastmaster +2/+1/+1, Leathercraft +1, Ride +1
Master 24 3 years Beastmaster +2/+1/+1, Leathercraft +1, Ride +1
Teamster Monthly Income: 70 cp; Urban: 90%
Apprentice 22 9 months Beastmaster +2, Ride +2, Teamster +2, Whip +2, Woodcraft +1
Journeyman 23 15 months Beastmaster +1, Ride +1, Teamster +2, Whip +1, Woodcraft +1
Master 26 2 years Beastmaster +1, Ride +1, Teamster +2, Whip +1, Woodcraft +1
Thatcher Monthly Income: 50 cp; Urban: 5%
Apprentice 22 2 years Acrobatics +2, Climb +3, Woodcraft +2
Journeyman 25 2 years Acrobatics +1, Climb +2, Devise: Architecture (Roofs) +1, Woodcraft +2
Master 26 3 years Acrobatics +1, Climb +1, Devise: Architecture (Roofs) +1, Woodcraft +2
Toymaker Monthly Income: 45 cp (Dwarves receive 70 cp as guilded Toymakers); Urban: 75%
Apprentice 22 2 years Devise: Toys +1, Draw +1, Leathercraft +1, Locks (Fine Mechanics) +2, Woodcraft +3
Journeyman 21 3 years Devise: Toys +1, Draw +1, Leathercraft +1, Locks +1, Woodcraft +1
Master 23 4 years Devise: Toys +1, Draw +1, Leathercraft +1, Locks +1, Woodcraft +1
Trapper Monthly Income: 40 cp; Urban: 10%
Apprentice 25 2 years Conceal +2, Hide +2, Leathercraft +2, Search +2, Sneak +1, Survival +1, Track +1, Traps +2
Journeyman 31 30 months Conceal +1, Hide +1, Leathercraft +1, Search +1, Sneak +1, Survival +1, Track +2, Traps +2
Master 37 3 years Conceal +1, Hide +1, Leathercraft +1, Search +1, Sneak +1, Survival +1, Track +2, Traps +2
Whore/Ponce Monthly Income: variable; Urban: 75%
Apprentice 21 6 months Act +2, Dagger +2, Persuade (Seduction) +1, Services: Prostitute +2, Streetwise +2
Journeyman 25 6 months Act +1, Dagger +1, Persuade +1, Services +2, Streetwise +2
Master 24 18 months Act +1, Dagger +1, Persuade +1, Services +2, Streetwise +1
TABLE A.3: GUILDED OCCUPATIONS

PICK TIME TO
Actor Monthly Income: variable; Urban: 70%
Apprentice 28 3 years Act +3, Disguise +2, Musician +2*, Persuade +1, Sing +2
Journeyman 32 4 years Act +2, Disguise +1, Musician +1, Persuade +2, Sing +2
Master 36 5 years Act +2, Disguise +1, Musician +1, Persuade +2, Sing +1
Apothecary Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: 55 cp; Urban: 90%
Apprentice 20 3 years Alchemy: Potions +1, Herbcraft +2, Nature Lore (Olvar) +1, Physician +1, Reckon +1
Journeyman 31 3 years Alchemy +1, Herbcraft +2, Nature Lore +1, Physician +1, Reckon +1
Master 27 4 years Alchemy +1, Herbcraft +1, Nature Lore +1, Physician +1, Reckon +1
Barber Monthly Income: 50 cp; Urban: 90%
Apprentice 18 2 years Inquire +2, Knife +2, Services: Barber +3, Physician +1
Journeyman 22 3 years Inquire +2, Knife +1, Services: Barber +2, Physician +1
Master 20 4 years Inquire +1, Knife +1, Services: Barber +2, Physician +1
Blacksmith Monthly Income: 70 cp; Urban: 15%
Apprentice 15 3 years Armoursmith +1, Blacksmith +3, Stonecraft (Mining) +1, Weaponsmith +1
Journeyman 18 3 years Armoursmith +1, Blacksmith +2, Stonecraft +1, Weaponsmith +1
Master 22 4 years Armoursmith +1, Blacksmith +2, Stonecraft +1, Weaponsmith +1
Bookbinder Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: 60 cp; Urban: 95%
Apprentice 18 2 years Draw +2, Inkcraft +2, Leathercraft +2
Journeyman 24 3 years Draw +1, Inkcraft +2, Leathercraft +2; Literate (2nd script)
Master 24 4 years Draw +1, Inkcraft +2, Leathercraft +2
324
PICK TIME TO
Carpenter Monthly Income: 60 cp; Urban: 30%
Apprentice 15 3 years Blacksmith +1, Clothworks +1, Leathercraft +2, Woodcraft +3
Journeyman 16 4 years Blacksmith +1, Clothworks +1, Leathercraft +1, Woodcraft +2
Master 18 5 years Blacksmith +1, Clothworks +1, Leathercraft +1, Woodcraft +2
Chandler Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: 50 cp; Urban: 95%
Apprentice 21 2 years Alchemy (or another Hard Craft or Lore skill) +2*, Appraise +2, Clothworks (or another
Easy Craft or Lore skill) +2*, Debate (Bargain) +2, Reckon +1
Journeyman 26 2 years Alchemy +1, Appraise +1, Clothworks +2*, Debate +2, Reckon +1
Master 23 3 years Alchemy +1, Appraise +1, Clothworks +2*, Debate +1, Reckon +1
Chimneysweep Monthly Income: 50 cp; Urban: 75%
Apprentice 16 1 year Acrobatics +2, Climb +2, Ropecraft +2
Journeyman 23 2 years Acrobatics +2, Climb +2, Ropecraft +2
Master 23 3 years Acrobatics +1, Climb +2, Ropecraft +2
Courtesan Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: variable; Urban: 99%
Apprentice 39 2 years Act +2, Dance +2, Etiquette +2, Musician +2*, Persuade (Seduction) +2,
Services: Prostitute +3, Sing +3
Journeyman 40 3 years Act +2, Dance +1, Etiquette +1, Musician +1, Persuade +2, Services +2, Sing +2
Master 40 4 years Act +1, Dance +1, Etiquette +1, Musician +1, Persuade +2, Services +2, Sing +1
Embalmer Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: 70 cp; Urban: 95%
Apprentice 21 3 years Alchemy: Perfumes +1, Culture Lore +3, Embalm +2, Region Lore +2, Woodcraft +1
Journeyman 28 4 years Alchemy +1, Culture Lore +2, Embalm +2, Region Lore +2, Woodcraft +1
Master 22 5 years Alchemy +1, Culture Lore +1, Embalm +1, Region Lore +1, Woodcraft +1
Glassworker Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: 60 cp; Urban: 90%
Apprentice 16 3 years Alchemy: Stains +1, Glassworks +2, Pottery +2
Journeyman 20 4 years Alchemy +1, Glassworks +2, Pottery +1
Master 23 5 years Alchemy +1, Glassworks +2, Pottery +1
Hideworker Monthly Income: 55 cp; Urban: 40%
Apprentice 15 2 years Clothworks +1, Knife +3, Leathercraft +3
Journeyman 18 3 years Clothworks +2, Knife +2, Leathercraft +2
Master 16 4 years Clothworks +2, Knife +1, Leathercraft +2
Innkeeper Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: 55 cp; Urban: 35%
Apprentice 26 2 years Cook: Food (Meals) +2, Cook: Potables (Beer) +2, Inquire +2, Language: Average +2,
Steward (Household) +2, Wordsmith (Jests) +2
Journeyman 28 3 years Cook: Food +2, Cook: Potables +2, Inquire +1, Language +2, Steward +1, Wordsmith +1
Master 29 4 years Cook: Food +2, Cook: Potables +2, Inquire +1, Language +1, Steward +1, Wordsmith +1
Jeweller Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: 80 cp; Urban: 99%
Apprentice 20 3 years Appraise (Gems) +2, Goldsmith +2, Locks (Fine Mechanics) +2, Stonecraft (Mining) +1
Journeyman 26 4 years Appraise +2, Goldsmith +2, Locks +1, Stonecraft +1
Master 32 5 years Appraise +2, Goldsmith +2, Locks +1, Stonecraft +1
Litigant Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: 70 cp; Urban: 95%
Apprentice 39 3 years Debate (Negotiate) +1, Discern +2, Etiquette +2, Inquire +2, Language: Average +2, Law +2,
Persuade (Oratory) +2
Journeyman 42 4 years Debate +2, Discern +1, Etiquette +1, Inquire +1, Language +2, Law +2, Persuade +1
Master 41 5 years Debate +1, Discern +1, Etiquette +1, Inquire +1, Language +1, Law +2, Persuade +1
Locksmith Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: 55 cp; Urban: 95%
Apprentice 20 3 years Blacksmith +1, Devise: Locks +2, Goldsmith +1, Locks +2, Woodcraft +1
Journeyman 24 3 years Blacksmith +1, Devise: Locks +1, Goldsmith +1, Locks +2, Woodcraft +1
Master 29 4 years Blacksmith +1, Devise: Locks +1, Goldsmith +1, Locks +2, Woodcraft +1
Mason Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: 90 cp; Urban: 60%
Apprentice 24 3 years Devise: Architecture +2, Draw (Plans) +1, Reckon +1, Stonecraft +2, Woodcraft +2
Journeyman 27 4 years Devise: Architecture +1, Draw +1, Reckon +1, Stonecraft +2, Woodcraft +1
Master 30 5 years Devise: Architecture +1, Draw +1, Reckon +1, Stonecraft +2, Woodcraft +1
: The skill Inkcraft (Aw/De/Wt, basic cutback 5, Average learning difficulty) covers the arts of producing ink and writing in neat.
The skill Embalm (Bg/De/Vi, basic cutback 7, Hard learning difficulty) allows to preserve corpses against deterioration and conveys
knowledge about burial and cremation customs.
Glassworks (Aw/De/Vi, basic cutback 7, Hard learning difficulty) and Pottery (Aw/De/De, 4 basic cutback, Average learning difficulty)
handle the creation of glassware and pottery items, respectively. Results are limited by the quality of materials and equipment.
325
PICK TIME TO
Merchant Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: variable; Urban: 90%
Apprentice 38 3 years Act +1, Appraise +2, Dagger +1, Debate (Bargain) +2, Language: Average +2,
Law +1, Persuade +2, Reckon +2
Journeyman 45 3 years Act +1, Appraise +2, Dagger +1, Debate +2, Language +2, Law +1, Persuade +1, Reckon +1
Master 45 4 years Act +1, Appraise +1, Dagger +1, Debate +2, Language +1, Law +1, Persuade +1, Reckon +1
Miller Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: 80 cp; Urban: 10%
Apprentice 23 3 years Blacksmith +1, Devise: Mills +1, Gardener +2, Miller +3, Stonecraft +2, Woodcraft +2
Journeyman 23 3 years Blacksmith +1, Devise +1, Gardener +1, Miller +2, Stonecraft +1, Woodcraft +1
Master 25 4 years Blacksmith +1, Devise +1, Gardener +1, Miller +2, Stonecraft +1, Woodcraft +1
Miner Monthly Income: 80 cp; Urban: 1%
Apprentice 22 3 years Appraise: Veins +2, Blacksmith +1, Devise: Tunnels +2, Stonecraft +2, Woodcraft +1
Journeyman 26 3 years Appraise +1, Blacksmith +1, Devise +1, Goldsmith +1, Stonecraft +2, Woodcraft +1
Master 28 4 years Appraise +1, Blacksmith +1, Devise +1, Goldsmith +1, Stonecraft +1, Woodcraft +1
Minstrel Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: 40 cp; Urban: 80%
Apprentice 35 3 years Culture Lore +2*, Inspire +1, Musician +5*, Sing +3, Wordsmith +2
Journeyman 42 4 years Culture Lore +2*, Inspire +2, Musician +3*, Sing +2, Wordsmith +2
Master 41 5 years Culture Lore +2*, Inspire +2, Musician +2*, Sing +2, Wordsmith +1
Ostler Monthly Income: 75 cp; Urban: 75%
Apprentice 17 2 years Beastmaster: Horses +3, Leathercraft (Saddler) +2, Ride: Horses +2
Journeyman 21 3 years Beastmaster +2, Leathercraft +2, Ride +2
Master 23 4 years Beastmaster +2, Leathercraft +1, Ride +2
Physician Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: 70 cp; Urban: 75%
Apprentice 24 3 years Alchemy: Potions +1, First Aid +3, Herbcraft +2, Physician +2
Journeyman 26 4 years Alchemy +1, First Aid +2, Herbcraft +1, Physician +2
Master 31 5 years Alchemy +1, First Aid +2, Herbcraft +1, Physician +2
Pilot Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: variable; Urban: 95%
Apprentice 32 4 years Draw (Maps) +2, Reckon +1, Region Lore: Own (Coast Line) +2, Seafaring (Pilot) +2,
Shipwright +1, Signal +2, Weather-sense +2
Journeyman 43 4 years Draw +1, Reckon +1, Region Lore +2, Seafaring +2, Shipwright +1, Signal +2, Weather-sense +2
Master 42 5 years Draw +1, Reckon +1, Region Lore +2, Seafaring +2, Shipwright +1, Signal +1, Weather-sense +1
Salter Monthly Income: 45 cp; Urban: 30%
Apprentice 15 2 years Cook: Food (Preserve) +2, Fish +2, Stonecraft +1, Survival +2
Journeyman 21 2 years Cook +2, Fish +1, Herbcraft +1, Stonecraft +2, Survival +1
Master 26 3 years Cook +2, Fish +1, Herbcraft +1, Stonecraft +2, Survival +1
Seaman Monthly Income: 45 cp; Urban: 90%
Apprentice 33 2 years Climb +3, Club +2, Dagger +2, Fish +2, Seafaring +2, Shipwright +1, Weather-sense +2
Journeyman 40 3 years Climb +2, Club +2, Dagger +2, Fish +1, Seafaring +2, Shipwright +1, Weather-sense +1
Master 39 4 years Climb +1, Club +1, Dagger +1, Fish +1, Seafaring +2, Shipwright +1, Weather-sense +2
Shipwright Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: 85 cp; Urban: 90%
Apprentice 28 3 years Blacksmith +1, Reckon +1, Seafaring +2, Shipwright +3, Woodcraft +2
Journeyman 33 4 years Blacksmith +1, Reckon +1, Seafaring +1, Shipwright +2, Woodcraft +2
Master 32 5 years Blacksmith +1, Reckon +1, Seafaring +1, Shipwright +2, Woodcraft +1
Tailor Requisite: Literate (page 153); Monthly Income: 55 cp; Urban: 95%
Apprentice 24 3 years Appraise +2, Clothworks +3, Draw +2, Leathercraft +2, Reckon +1
Journeyman 24 3 years Appraise +1, Clothworks +2, Draw +1, Goldsmith +1, Leathercraft +1, Reckon +1
Master 28 4 years Appraise +1, Clothworks +2, Draw +1, Goldsmith +1, Leathercraft +1, Reckon +1
Tentmaker Monthly Income: 60 cp; Urban: 95%
Apprentice 12 2 years Clothworks +2, Leathercraft +1, Ropecraft +2, Woodcraft +2
Journeyman 14 3 years Clothworks +2, Leathercraft +1, Ropecraft +1, Woodcraft +1
Master 14 4 years Clothworks +2, Leathercraft +1, Ropecraft +1, Woodcraft +1
Thief Monthly Income: variable; Urban: 75%
Novice 29 1 year Dagger +2, Hide +2, Legerdemain +1, Locks +1, Observe +2, Search +2, Sneak +2, Streetwise +2
Apprentice 33 2 years Acrobatics +1, Dagger +1, Hide +1, Legerdemain +1, Locks +1, Observe +2, Search +2, Sneak +1, Streetwise +1
Journeyman 34 3 years Acrobatics +1, Dagger +1, Hide +1, Legerdemain +1, Locks +1, Observe +1, Search +1, Sneak +1, Streetwise +1
Master 39 4 years Acrobatics +1, Dagger +1, Hide +1, Legerdemain +1, Locks +1, Observe +1, Search +1, Sneak +1, Streetwise +1
Grand Master 42 5 years Acrobatics +1, Dagger +1, Hide +1, Legerdemain +1, Locks +1, Observe +1, Search +1, Sneak +1, Streetwise +1
: The skill Miller (Aw/St/St, basic cutback 4, Easy learning difficulty) is used to operate and maintain mills, thus determining efficiency
and yield when milling grain and the like.
326
PICK TIME TO
Weaponcrafter Monthly Income: 100 cp; Urban: 75%
Apprentice 27 3 years Appraise +2, Armoursmith +1, Blacksmith +2, Broadsword +2,
Fletcher +2, Stonecraft (Mining) +1, Weaponsmith +2
Journeyman 32 4 years Appraise +1, Armoursmith +2, Blacksmith +1, Broadsword +1, Fletcher +1, Stonecraft +1, Weaponsmith +2
Master 32 5 years Appraise +1, Armoursmith +1, Blacksmith +1, Broadsword +1, Fletcher +1, Stonecraft +1, Weaponsmith +2
Woodcutter Monthly Income: 75 cp; Urban: 10%
Apprentice 24 3 years Hatchet +2, Survival: Forests +2, Weather-sense +2, Woodcraft (Woodcutter) +3
Journeyman 29 3 years Hatchet +2, Survival +1, Weather-sense +2, Woodcraft +2
Master 29 4 years Hatchet +2, Survival +1, Weather-sense +1, Woodcraft +2
TABLE A.4: NOBLE OCCUPATIONS
PICK TIME TO
Bachelor/Squire Recommendation: Military training as a knight (see pages 333335); Urban: 30%
Apprentice 21 3 years Dance +1, Debate +1, Etiquette +2, Heraldry +3, Inquire +2, Musician +1, Sing +1
Journeyman 21 4 years Dance +1, Debate +1, Etiquette +1, Heraldry +1, Inquire +1, Musician +1, Sing +1
Master 24 5 years Dance +1, Debate +1, Etiquette +1, Heraldry +1, Inquire +1, Musician +1, Sing +1
Bailiff Requisite: Literate (page 153); Recommendation: Military training as a knight (see pages 333335); Urban: 5%
Apprentice 26 3 years Dance +1, Debate +1, Etiquette +2, Gardener +1, Heraldry +3, Law +2, Steward +2
Journeyman 25 4 years Dance +1, Debate +1, Etiquette +1, Gardener +1, Heraldry +1, Law +1, Steward +2
Master 26 5 years Dance +1, Debate +1, Etiquette +1, Gardener +1, Heraldry +1, Law +1, Steward +1
Gentry Urban: 5%
Apprentice 21 2 years Culture Lore: Own +2, Debate +1, Gardener +1, Inquire +1, Intimidate (Majesty) +1,
Language: Complex +1, Region Lore: Own +2, Steward +2
Journeyman 28 2 years Culture Lore: Own +2, Debate +1, Gardener +1, Inquire +1, Intimidate (Majesty) +1,
Master 32 3 years Culture Lore: Own +1, Debate +1, Gardener +1, Inquire +1, Intimidate (Majesty) +1,
Herald Requisites: Literate (page 153); Military training as a knight (see pages 333335); Urban: 80%
Apprentice 42 2 years Culture Lore: Any Race +4*, Debate +2, Draw +2, Etiquette +3,
Heraldry +4, Inspire +1, Language: Complex +2, Persuade +1
Journeyman 40 3 years Culture Lore: Any Race +2*, Debate +2, Draw +1, Etiquette +2,
Master 40 4 years Culture Lore: Any Race +2*, Debate +1, Draw +1, Etiquette +1,
Lady Urban: 30%
Apprentice 30 3 years Clothworks +2, Culture Lore: Own +2, Dance +2, Discern +1, Etiquette +3,
Heraldry +2, Inquire +2, Persuade +1
Journeyman 36 4 years Clothworks +1, Culture Lore: Own +2, Dance +1, Discern +1, Etiquette +2,
Heraldry +1, Inquire +1, Persuade +2
Master 42 5 years Dance +1, Discern +2, Etiquette +1, Heraldry +1, Inquire +2, Persuade +2
Lord Recommendation: Military training as a knight and officer (see pages 333335); Urban: 30%
Apprentice 41 4 years Culture Lore +2, Dance +1, Debate +1, Discern +1, Etiquette +2, History +1, Inquire +2,
Inspire +1, Intimidate (Majesty) +1, Language: Complex +2*, Region Lore +3*, Steward +2
Journeyman 46 5 years Culture Lore +1, Dance +1, Debate +1, Discern +1, Etiquette +1, History +1, Inquire +1,
Inspire +1, Intimidate (Majesty) +1, Language: Complex +1, Region Lore +1, Steward +2
Master 52 6 years Culture Lore +1, Dance +1, Debate +1, Discern +1, Etiquette +1, History +1, Inquire +1,
Inspire +1, Intimidate (Majesty) +1, Language: Complex +1, Region Lore +1, Steward +2
Tribal Chieftain Requisite: Equivalent expertise in a suitable military package (see page 335); Urban: 0%
Apprentice 27 3 years Culture Lore: Own +2, Debate +1, Discern +1, Lead +1, Inspire +1,
Intimidate +2, Region Lore: Own +2, Steward +2
Journeyman 34 4 years Culture Lore: Own +2, Debate +1, Discern +1, Lead +1, Inspire +1,
Master 33 5 years Culture Lore: Own +1, Debate +1, Discern +1, Lead +1, Inspire +1,
: Noble packages may be acquired simultaneously with any military packages. Use the longer of any two respective training time periods.
327
background and martial experience. A recommendation from

someone in the unit might be helpful, and some units (noted
MILITARY CAREERS in italics) require applicants to be noble.
For each unit type, a factor denoting a characters chance
of being accepted as a new member is given. Multiply your
A Hobbit shirrif patrolling the peaceful Shire and de-

livering letters, a Galadhrim sentinel guarding the
borders of Lothlrien, a staunch rider of Rohan, or a Dwarf-
characters Stamina score by the indicated chance of recruit-
ment and roll 1d100. If the roll is equal to or less than the
given multiple of his Stamina, he is accepted. The Turambar
warrior wielding his mighty axethese are all examples of may modify the roll to reflect the characters family connec-
characters who have enlisted in some type of military unit. tions and power of persuasion, the military situation, bribes,
A military career provides good weapon skills, useful so- and the like:
cial contacts, and a good opportunity for advancement in so-
CONDITION MODIFIER
ciety. Of course, it might also be dangerous and limits a char-
Good referral +10
acters freedom of action for quite a long time. Consult with Equipped for that unit +10
your Turambar before joining up as a soldier. Per year of military experience +5
NOTE: The terms apprentice, journeyman, and master High military demand +10
are only retained as game terms for this category of occupations Low military demand 10
Per year of age over 30 (see text) 5
and may have little impact on a characters military rank. You Persuade (Fast Talk) +TSB
should also heed that the below guidelines on various topics such
NOTE: It is possible for a character to undergo the training
as recruitment or unit organisation provide generic information
for several unit types. However, unlike civilian occupations, the
only. Depending on a characters nationality, these suggestions
skill ranks bestowed by multiple military occupations do not stack
will need to be changed (see the article on Gondorian Warcraft
if they go into the same skill or skill specialty. Instead, the charac-
on this and the following pages for a detailed example).
ter must choose the package from which he wishes to receive the
ranks for any duplicate skill (i.e., the one that grants the most
RECRUITMENT ranks in a particular skill). For example, an Arnorian apprentice
yeoman who later becomes a master medium infantryman only
Characters can be admitted to a military unit during has 6 ranks with his Spear, not the aggregate 8 ranks. Therefore,
character creation, or later in the course of play. Most units it is usually better to buy a package for only one unit type and ac-
let characters enlist at the beginning of their adult age catego- quire any other skill(s) through normal training or practice.
ry (for example, at age 16 in case of a Middle Man), and dis- The only general exception to this rule are basic military
courage those near the end of that age category (Middle Men packages: the skill ranks provided by such a package do stack
over 30, for example). Interested characters must contact a with the ranks gained for any other package(s), including civilian
unit. The recruiting officer will ask about the characters occupations.
GONDORIAN WARCRAFT*
WARRIORS AND KNIGHTS
The heart of Gondorian warcraft was the ohtar (Q. warrior, pl. ohtari). Serving in his hrs (S. warleader, pl. hrath) boronas (S.
warband, pl. berenais) in the dagorwaith (S. host) of the king or steward, the ohtar won battles against incredible odds, campaigned
in foreign lands, and defended his own shores and borders for over three thousand years.
The ohtar came from the prosperous and numerous agricultural freeman class of Gondor. Originally of pure Dnadan stock,
more and more mixed-blooded Gondorians served over time. Every five households were required by custom, tradition, and law to
provide one man to muster for military service when called by the local hr at the kings command. Since the same individual usual-
ly served over and over again, ohtari tended to be experienced and well-trained.
Training, when not mustered, took place at least once every season. These sessions, sometimes called weapon-takes, lasted two
to three days and took place under the guidance of the local hrs full-time warriors, the roqueni (Q. knights, sing. roquen). An
ohtar trained with the spear, eket (shortsword), and steelbow, wore body-mail, a conical helm (often decorated with the gull wings of
Gondor) and carried an oval shield. The weapons and armour were the property of the crown, made by the Royal Guild of Weap-
onsmiths, and stored in armouries at havens and fortresses or in the hrs hall when not in use.
On campaign, ohtari carried two days rations, a need-wallet of emergency supplies, a personal kit, a sleeping bag and spare
clothes. One baggage pony per twenty men was typically furnished to carry extra supplies. While mustered for war, ohtari received
a royal stipend of coins, rations, and materials through the hr.
When not mustered for war or training, an ohtar was to be supported by the five households he was recruited from, allowing
him to continue his training. Ohtari and their families often farmed their own lands and served as key men in their communities,
due to their access to the local structures of governance.
The roqueni who led and trained the ohtari were full-time, professional warriors maintained by the hrath as personal retainers,
estate managers, or officials during times of peace. Roqueni were semi-hereditary, for their sons had to serve first as ohtari, proving
*: This text is based on an article by Lance R. Blyth which was first published in issue 33/34 of Other Hands (July 2001, pages 68). Additional new
and other published materialthe latter mainly adopted from ICEs Arnor (MERP #2005) and Southern Gondor: The People (MERP #2020)has
been added by the authors of this book.
328
CONSCRIPTS
In some realmslike those of the Dnedain of the Most units require a one year contract at the end of
North under the siege of Angmarall able-bodied males of a which a re-enlistment incentive may be offered to sign up for
certain draft-age class are subject to military service by law. another twelve months. Irregular units have less formal con-
Similarly, in most other regions a lord will mobilise all able- tracts, most likely just a handshake or an oath, but the game
bodied men to the militia in case of a serious threat. routine is the same:
Such an organised militia force or yeomanry is usually
badly equipped because the recruits must provide themselves Beginning with the second year of service, roll once per
with weapons and armour. If there is no separate yeomanry year on Table A.5 (i.e., roll three times after four years
package provided for a given race, treat their unit as Light In- of service). Ignore all results except Promotion one
fantry for the purpose of assessing the skills picked up by mi- rank. A characters current military rank can be deter-
litia-men. mined as described on page 331.
Roll once more on the same table to determine the in-
PERIOD OF SERVICE centive offered (if any) to re-enlist for another year.
The character may now choose to re-enlist or muster-
Per default, the typical period of service for a freshly- out from the army.
mustered soldier is assumed to be four years. However, note
that the minimum number of years a soldier actually has to TABLE A.5: RE-ENLISTMENT INCENTIVES
sign on for may vary drastically from army to army.
1d100 INCENTIVE OFFERED
For each level of proficiency (i.e., apprentice, journeyman,
0120 None
or master) a character acquires as a soldier, he is further as- 2150 10 day furlough
sumed to have spent about two years in service. Yet, this 5180 10 day pay bonus
basic time to acquire a level in a military occupation will be 8190 Promotion one rank
adjusted by the Turambar according to the characters race 9100 Roll two more times, adding the results
and the units type. Table A.7 on page 333 suggests typical
MODIFIERS
training times.
+10 High military demand
10 Low military demand
RE-ENLISTMENT +TSB Best weapon skill
Having completed their four (or more) years of service, Characters mustering-out generally do not leave with
characters may now elect to continue their military career or their weapons and armour, unless they provided them in the
muster-out of the army to follow some other occupation. first place.
themselves before ascending to their fathers positions. An especially valiant or competent ohtar could expect to be made a roquen.
Roqueni used the same arms and armour as the ohtari, but of finer quality and with the addition of a macil (a longsword, often con-
sidered the symbol of their rank) and round shield with their own personal symbol.
In contrast to the ohtar, a roquen received support from his hr even while not mustered for a campaign (through a salary, by a
bequest of lands, or by living in the hrs household). During times of war, the Crown provided a stipend to each roquen (as it did to
each ohtar, but of greater quantity and quality).
THE WARBAND
Ohtari and roqueni served their hr in his boronas (S. warband, pl. berenais), the basic unit of Gondorian warcraft. The strength
of a boronas typically consisted of several hundred men (usually 200 to 500). Some berenais, especially those of kings and princes,
could be over 1,000 strong, though numbers often were less during a long campaign.
Each boronas was led by a hr (or his kin) who had received lands from the king for the express purpose of providing his boronas
whenever the king demanded it. Each roquen typically led a tulkarim (squad, pl. tulkairim; lit. steadfast men) of twenty ohtari in
order to provide the internal articulation needed to perform battlefield manoeuvres. The spear and shield dominated the armament
of the boronas, but normally only one bow was carried per twenty men. When on detached service or serving on a ship, a boronas
carried one bow for every five men; when serving in a fortress, every ohtar had a bow.
The boronas practised two basic tactical formations: the thangail (S. shield wall) and the drnaith (S. spearhead). The thangail
was a defensive formation, meant to get as many spear points forward as possible. Typically, each roquen arrayed his ohtari in two
lines, with himself in the centre of the front line and any archers in the second. If terrain allowed, the ohtari in the first line could
plant their spears and use their eketi. The second line would then fight over their sword-arms with spears. Normally the entire bo-
ronas would fight in a single thangail.
The drnaith served as the primary offensive formation. In it, each roquen arrayed his ohtari in a wedge behind him, and then
took position at the spearhead of his squad. The boronas was arrayed in a wedge, too, with its leader in the formations second line.
Beginning initially at a slow walk, then a trot, and then, finally, a run with the ohtari throwing their spears and closing in with eketi,
the drnaith was a formidable foe.
329
UNIT TYPES INFANTRY

Infantry are foot soldiers who engage the enemy directly
Armies are made up of soldiers, and soldiers are organ- and usually make up the front line of any battle.
ised into units. In game terms, a unit is a group of warriors of YEOMEN: These are unarmoured foot soldiers, most often
the same race who all have the same sort of arms and armour found in militia formations. Such troops wear ordinary
and perform the same function on the battlefield. For exam- clothing and may be equipped with homemade weapons.
ple, a unit of Dwarven Heavy Infantry is composed of Dwa- Most realms require all males over a certain age to serve in
rves, outfitted with heavy arms and armour (like warmat- the yeomanry for some time.
tocks and Dwarf-chainmail), and expected to engage the en- LIGHT INFANTRY: Typical light footmen wear incomplete
emy on foot. leather armour and are equipped with a spear, shield, and a
It is important to note that unit is a term used by play- knife or dagger. Light infantry is the fundamental troop type
ers. Characters within the world of Middle-earth use terms and forms the bulk of most standing armies. The majority of
like host, legion, and company to describe collections of sol- most city watch corps consists of light footmen; the rest are
diers, and the precise definitions of such terms vary widely. usually medium infantrymen.
Use these terms colourfully when talking in character, but MEDIUM INFANTRY: Medium foot soldiers have better
remember that unit is a game designation. Likewise, a Dwarf weapons, most likely a spear, shield, and axe or sword. They
who was accepted into the Heavy Infantry of his peoples also have better armour, perhaps some scale- or chainmail,
stronghold should be described as a member of the Kings and are nearly always better trained and more experienced.
Guard, not simply as a heavily armoured warrior. HEAVY INFANTRY: The only permanent heavy foot sol-
Unit Type is a description of the military formation, such diers found among the Free Peoples of North-western Mid-
as Rohirric Medium Cavalry or Elven Light Archers. It de- dle-earth are Dwarven warriors who serve in their Kings
fines the units race (such as Rohirric or Elven), arms and Guard, and the valiant Dnadan knights. They carry heavy
armour (such as light, medium, or heavy), and battlefield weapons like a greataxe or a macil (longsword) and are cus-
function (such as infantry, cavalry, or archers). It is im- tomarily armoured with chainmail and quilt.
portant to note that all units of a given type receive the same
occupational training. Medium Dnadan Infantry from
Gondor start off with the same amount of skill ranks as Me-
dium Infantry from Arthedain.
THE ARMY
There was no standing Gondorian dagorwaith (S. host). It had to be mustered, organised, and trained for each campaign. The
king (or, later, the steward) called upon specific hrath to bring their berenais to the muster point, usually a fortress or haven which
could protect the muster, and from which the campaign force could draw supplies. These royal fortresses were defended by a bo-
ronas mustered specifically for that duty. Traditional mustering points developed: Osgiliath or Minas Anor for campaigns to the
north, and Pelargir or Umbar for southern campaigns.
Usually 30 to 35 berenais were mustered for a campaign on or over the borders. The resulting dagorwaith of 10,000 to 12,000
men was all that could be logistically supported in such sparsely-settled regions. For major campaigns with intensive logistical prepa-
ration, a force of 20,000 to 25,000 could be supplied. In the rich settled regions of interior Gondor during the Kin-strife, even
larger war-hosts were mustered by both sides, though command and control of more than 50,000 men proved nearly impossible.
Once mustered, the dagorwaith was commanded by a member of the royal (or stewards) household. The commander organised
his force into a centre (led by himself), a right wing (whose captain was the dagorwaiths second-in-command), and a left wing (often
captained by a prominent noble). Each of these three cnor (Q. captains; sing. cno) flew a banner as a signal device and rallying
point for his wing. The centre usually held one half to two thirds of the muster, the remainder being split between the wings.
On the march, Gondorian commanders utilised scouts who advanced ahead of the main body with units to improve roads,
strengthen bridges and secure their rear and flanks. The entire force was expected to march, fully armed, eight leagues (24 miles)
per day. This superior operational mobility allowed a Gondorian dagorwaith to manoeuvre in order to block an enemy advance at a
critical point or quickly threaten an enemy force. Once the enemy force was engaged, Gondor preferred defensive battles anchored
on terrain or fortifications. Allied or mercenary units were usually placed between Gondorian units in the line of battle, while cav-
alry (often Northman or Southron units) were usually assigned to the wings, though they often manoeuvred separately to strike an
engaged enemy force unexpectedly.
Early on, Gondorian armies counted upon the superior size and strength of the Dnedain, but eventually came to rely on supe-
rior armament, logistical arrangement and forcing battle on their terms.
330
ARCHERS RANKS AND TROOPS

Archers are foot soldiers who stay away from the front
line, usually behind the infantry, and assault the enemy with The military traditions of the Free Peoples of North-
ranged weapons, usually bows. western Middle-earth are too varied to describe them each in
LIGHT ARCHERS: A light footman equipped with a bow, this book. Therefore follows an exemplary overview of the
often bearing light melee weapons and a small shield. military ranks and troop organisation prevailing throughout
MEDIUM ARCHERS: A well-trained medium footman most of the history of the Nmenrean Realms-in-Exile;
equipped with a bow, sword, and a small shield. more detailed information can be found in the essay on Gon-
dorian Warcraft. If a player character from a different people
wants to join the army of his realm, the Turambar may wish
CAVALRY to make up a list of military ranks similar to the below one.
Cavalry are mounted soldiers who are faster than infantry
and typically better armed. Cavalry are capable of striking SOLDIERS (OHTARI)
swiftly and wheeling away from the front line, out of danger,
to strike again, and provide a considerable tactical advantage. Three ranks of ohtari (Q. warriors, sing. ohtar) are in
LIGHT CAVALRY: A light horseman is usually equipped general use among the Dnedain. These levy ranks are rarely
with a lance or spear, shield, sword, and mostly leather ar- filled by senior nobles, who would consider them beneath
mour. He can be used for intelligence gathering, courier ser- their station.
vice, and light skirmishing. In large numbers, light cavalry- OHTAR: The common mustered soldier. Most ohtari are
men perform well in battle. medium infantrymen. Status and remuneration vary accord-
MEDIUM CAVALRY: These riders are well-armoured in ing to special skills and unit type.
scale- or chainmail and carry a good assortment of weapons. MACAR: A macar (Q. corporal, lit. swordsman; pl. mac-
In most realms, medium horsemen are invariably knights or ari) commands a cambarim (S. hand) of five men: himself
squires. and four ohtari.
HEAVY CAVALRY: The heavy cavalryman has well- MAHTAR: The most senior ohtar in a squad of twenty
padded chainmail from neck to foot and a plate helm. He men, the mahtar (Q. sergeant, lit. warrior; pl. mahtari) is
carries lance, sword, and shield, and usually other weapons as the principal liaison between knights and men, and is often
well. Heavy horsemen are almost always noble and are pri- the real commander of a tulkarim led by a freshly appointed
marily used as shock cavalry on the battlefield. roquen.
THE NAVY
Gondors navy enjoyed a uniformly high level of morale and competence. Man for man, they were arguably the best afloat. The
crews of the kings warships were enlisted professionals. (In emergencies, they could be augmented by drafted men.) The sailor
signed on for seven or fourteen years. Depending on rank, he could retire after twenty-one or twenty-eight years, receiving a small
plot of land in a coastal area. During the first fourteen years after retirement, the sailor was eligible for draft in times of war.
Although all crewmen were obligated to defend the ship, and were at least familiar with hand-to-hand combat, the bulk of the
ships defence fell to trained marines armed with swords, small shields, and bows. They were well protected with a hardened leather
breastplate and a steel helm, with strong leather sleeves and pants. Above all, it was ensured that armour could be quickly removed
in the case of a marine gone overboard, and chainmail links were abandoned in the face of extreme missile fire. The rest of the sail-
ors were armed with a shortsword, cutlass, or handy belaying pin, andif they wore armour at allrelied upon leather jackets for
protection.
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
During the time of the Pelargirean League (ca. S.A. 2350 T.A. 754), berenais were the personal followings of nobles who had
escaped Nmenor with the Faithful. In order to secure the continued service of these forces, the kings of Gondor rewarded them
with land-grants, making them hrath in return for their boronas service. These hrath were now able to reward followers with the
use of land, leading to the rise of the roqueni as full-time warriors and retainers.
The Ship-kings saw continual offensive and defensive warfare that necessitated fortresses and regular campaigns beyond the set-
tled areas of Gondor. This led to the royal host consisting of berenais called up for regular campaigns and fortress-duty (alternating
with only one out of three mustered at a time). The stresses of these continuing campaigns and fortress duty saw the one-third-rule
constantly violated. This caused unrest among the southern hrath, contributing, in some part, to the Kin-strife.
After the Kin-strife and during the time of ruling stewards, continuing border pressures led to the creation of a Kings Corps
(later, Stewards Corps) of mustered berenais and Territorial Corps of local hearths berenais for local offence and defence. This sys-
tem slowly lost ground, so that the only forces that the stewards could muster were their guards and those berenais close to the
borders. Berenais on fortress duty settled in and near their fortresses, ceasing to rotate with other units. This time also saw the rise
of mercenaries, both as individuals and as complete units and armies. It was just such a force that mustered at Minas Tirith, joined
with the muster of Rohan, to fight the final battle of the War of the Ring at the Morannon.
331
MILITARY WAGES
KNIGHTS (ROQUENI)
Requisites: Command 1 or greater (see page 150), depending Military wages are traditionally paid quarterly (if they
on the units size. Also, to become a roquen one must first ac- come in coins at all), but are listed monthly for comparison
with other incomes. Considering the danger, the pay is low
quire a masters level of proficiency as an ohtar.
for common soldiers, but armies offer various other benefits,
Roqueni (Q. knights, sing. roquen) are gentlemen and and sometimes deliver them. These include food and shelter,
full-time warriors who act as officers fighting along with and and the opportunity to collect booty.
commanding the mustered ohtari. A commoner rising to this Elite units may get more, although some elite units in
rank is invariably knighted. However, even their sons have to which men serve for honour may get less. It is not unusual
serve first as ohtari, proving themselves before ascending to for a professional soldier to work long stretches followed by
their fathers positions. Three ranks of roqueni exist: long furloughs. Armies are generous with (unpaid) leave in
ROQUEN: A roquen commands a tulkarim (S. squad, lit. peacetime. Mustered ranks are only remunerated for the time
steadfast men) of twenty men: himself, one mahtar, two they actually spend in service, including reserve duty training
macari, and sixteen ohtari. sessions.
EHTYAR: A senior knight, each ehtyar (Q. spearman; pl.
ehtyari) acts as the deputy commander of a tirrim. BOOTY
CALLO: The most venerable of knights, a callo (Q. heroic
Traditionally, a soldier may keep two thirds of the booty
man; pl. callor) leads a tirrim (S. company, lit. guard-men)
he collects, giving one third to the next highest rank, who
of one hundred men. gives one third to the next highest rank, and so on. High
ranking officers can get very rich with this scheme.
WARLEADERS (HRATH)
Requisites: Command 3 or greater (see page 150), depending PAY BONUSES
on the units size. Most hrath have also served as roqueni in Pay bonuses are sometimes given for long, distinguished
their youth. service, or as a re-enlistment incentive. There is no typical
All hrath (S. warleaders; sing. hr) are members of the amount, but a bonus would rarely exceed a months pay.
higher nobility, and most are also shining examples of per-
sonal bravery and tactical finesse. Joined together, their troops PENSIONS
form the bulk of any Dnadan army.
Armies typically offer land grants to full-time warriors af-
HRION: Usually the son or another close relative of a hr,
ter twenty-one years of service. Monetary pensions are rare,
a hrion (S., lit. warleaders son) is the deputy commander of
but a perpetual half-pay for life might be awarded to a sol-
a boronas and an important adviser to his hr.
dier who has served for at least twenty-eight years and distin-
HR: Whenever the king or steward demands it, a hr has guished himself in some way.
to provide his boronas (S. warband; pl. berenais) of knights When a soldier is maimed in the course of duty, he is dis-
and mustered warriors. The overall strength of a lords charged with a lump sum bonus rather than a pension. The
warband typically consists of 200 to 500 men. amount is two to twelve months pay, depending on the na-
CNO: As one of the three wing-captains of a dagor- ture of the injury and wealth of the unit.
waith (S. host), each cno (Q. captain; pl. cnor) usually Few armies provide survivor benefits. A bonus of about
leads five to fifteen berenais into battle. The highest-ranking six months pay might be provided to a widow in exceptional
cno belongs to the royal (or stewards) household and ap- cases. More commonly, the deceaseds comrades will make a
points two prominent hrath as lesser cnor. collection.
TABLE A.6: MONTHLY MILITARY WAGES

LIGHT MEDIUM HEAVY LIGHT MEDIUM LIGHT MEDIUM HEAVY
RANK INFANTRY INFANTRY INFANTRY ARCHERS ARCHERS CAVALRY CAVALRY CAVALRY
Soldier 20 cp 40 cp 32 cp 48 cp 64 cp
Corporal 28 cp 56 cp 40 cp 64 cp 80 cp
Sergeant 40 cp 72 cp 56 cp 88 cp 108 cp
Knight, junior 144 cp 144 cp 200 cp
Knight, senior 200 cp 200 cp 288 cp
332
TABLE A.7: MILITARY OCCUPATIONS

BASIC MILITARY PACKAGES*
PICK TIME TO
BASIC PACKAGE COST ACQUIRE SKILLS AND SKILL RANKS
Soldier
Apprentice 12 First Aid +2, Heraldry +1, Search (Forage) +2, Survival +2, Weaponsmith +1
Journeyman 12 First Aid +1, Heraldry +1, Search +1, Survival +1, Weaponsmith +1
Master 12 First Aid +1, Heraldry +1, Search +1, Survival +1, Weaponsmith +1
Marine
Apprentice 16 +6 months Ropecraft +2, Seafaring +2, Shipwright +1, Weather-sense +2
Journeyman 19 +9 months Ropecraft +1, Seafaring +2, Shipwright +1, Weather-sense +1
Master 21 +1 year Ropecraft +1, Seafaring +2, Shipwright +1, Weather-sense +1
Officer
Apprentice 24 +1 year Lead +2, Heraldry +2, Inspire +2, Steward +1, Warfare +1
Journeyman 26 +2 years Lead +2, Heraldry +1, Inspire +1, Steward +1, Warfare +1
Master 30 +3 years Lead +1, Heraldry +1, Inspire +1, Steward +1, Warfare +2
Sapper
Apprentice 18 +6 months Blacksmith +1, Devise: Bridges/Fortifications/Siege Engines/or any other appropriate
structure +1, Ropecraft +1, Siege Engines +2, Stonecraft +1, Woodcraft +2
Journeyman 25 +9 months Blacksmith +1, Devise +1, Ropecraft +1, Siege Engines +2, Stonecraft +1, Woodcraft +1
Master 24 +1 year Blacksmith +1, Devise +1, Ropecraft +1, Siege Engines +1, Stonecraft +1, Woodcraft +1
Scout
Apprentice 15 +6 months Disguise +1, Hide +2, Signal +2, Sneak +2
Journeyman 22 +9 months Disguise +1, Fake +1, Hide +2, Signal +1, Sneak +2
Master 21 +1 year Disguise +1, Fake +1, Hide +1, Signal +1, Sneak +1
Stretcher-bearer
Apprentice 13 +3 months First Aid +4, Herbcraft +1, Physician +1
Journeyman 21 +6 months First Aid +2, Herbcraft +1, Physician +2
Master 20 +9 months First Aid +1, Herbcraft +2, Physician +1
*: Usually, a player may freely choose whether to pick a suitable basic military package or not. Basic packages can only be acquired simul-
taneously with one of the below packages, but picks must be expended as normal. Some civilian occupations like ostler or weaponcrafter
are equally sought-after by any army and may thus qualify as basic military packages, too. However, such craftsmen are usually mustered
and attached to non-fighting auxiliary units. The Turambar has the final word on which packages are available to a particular character,
and how they may be combined. As a rule of thumb, any number of appropriate basic packages may be combined.
: To become an officer, one must at least have acquired a journeymans level of proficiency in one of the below packages. There is wide-
spread belief that especially high-ranking officers must be noble, but not everywhere there is law to that effect. A sufficiently high level in
the Command edge (see page 150) will be required at any rate, though.
ELVEN UNITS
PICK TIME TO
UNIT TYPE COST ACQUIRE SKILLS AND SKILL RANKS
Elven Medium Infantry Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 3)%
Apprentice 27 variable Armour +1, Dodge +1, Longknife +3, Shields +3, Spear +3
Journeyman 35 variable Armour +1, Dodge +1, Longknife +2, Shields +2, Spear +3
Master 34 variable Armour +1, Dodge +1, Longknife +2, Shields +2, Spear +2
Elven Light and Medium Archers Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 4)%
Apprentice 24 variable Fletcher +2, Longbow +3, Longknife +2, Shields +2
Journeyman 29 variable Fletcher +2, Longbow +2, Longknife +2, Shields +2
Master 25 variable Fletcher +1, Longbow +2, Longknife +1, Shields +1
Elven Light Cavalry Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 2)%
Apprentice 37 variable Lance +2, Longknife +2, Ride +3, Shields +3, Shortbow +3
Journeyman 43 variable Lance +2, Longknife +2, Ride +2, Shields +2, Shortbow +2
Master 37 variable Lance +1, Longknife +1, Ride +2, Shields +1, Shortbow +2
Elven Medium Cavalry* Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 2)%
Knight 39 variable Armour +3, Lance +2, Inspire +1, Lead +1, Longknife +1, Ride +1, Steward +1, Warfare +1
*: To join this unit, one must be a noble and first acquire a masters level of proficiency as a light cavalryman. Skills and ranks are cumula-
tive. Knights should also have the skills and ranks listed for the Officer package at a masters level, or acquire them as soon as possible.
: For a one-off payment of 5 picks, a medium archer adds 3 ranks to his Armour skill.
333
DWARVEN UNITS
PICK TIME TO
Dwarven Light Infantry Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 4)%
Apprentice 22 2 years Hatchet +2, Shields +2, Spear +3, Throw: Axes +2
Journeyman 25 2 years Hatchet +2, Shields +2, Spear +2, Throw: Axes +1
Master 25 3 years Hatchet +2, Shields +2, Spear +1, Throw: Axes +1
Dwarven Medium Infantry Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 3)%
Apprentice 30 2 years Armour +2, Battleaxe +3, Dagger +2, Shields +2, Spear +2, Throw: Axes +2
Journeyman 31 3 years Armour +1, Battleaxe +2, Dagger +1, Shields +2, Spear +2, Throw: Axes +1
Master 36 4 years Armour +1, Battleaxe +2, Dagger +1, Shields +2, Spear +2, Throw: Axes +1
Dwarven Heavy I nfantry Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 2)%
Apprentice 34 3 years Armour +5, Dagger +2, Battleaxe +3, Shields +3, Warhammer +3
Journeyman 34 4 years Armour +2, Dagger +1, Battleaxe +3, Shields +2, Warhammer +2
Master 33 5 years Armour +2, Dagger +1, Battleaxe +2, Shields +2, Warhammer +2
HOBBITS
PICK TIME TO
Shirrif Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 3)%
Apprentice 24 2 years Inquire +1, Region Lore: Shire +2, Services: Postman +2, Shields +2, Shortbow +2, Spear +2
Journeyman 30 2 years Inquire +1, Region Lore +1, Services +2, Shields +1, Shortbow +2, Spear +2
Master 23 3 years Inquire +1, Region Lore +1, Services +1, Shields +1, Shortbow +1, Spear +1
DNADAN UNITS
PICK TIME TO
Yeomanry Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 6)%
Apprentice 8 6 months Shields +2, Spear +2
Journeyman 17 1 year Shields +2, Shortsword +2, Spear +2
Master 16 2 years Shields +1, Shortsword +2, Spear +1
Dnadan Light Infantry Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 4)%
Apprentice 17 2 years Shields +2, Shortsword +2, Spear +3
Journeyman 21 2 years Shields +2, Shortsword +2, Spear +2
Master 21 3 years Shields +2, Shortsword +2, Spear +1
Dnadan Medium Infantry (ohtari) Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 3)%
Apprentice 23 2 years Armour +2, Run (Endurance) +2, Shields +2, Shortsword +2, Spear +3
Journeyman 27 3 years Armour +1, Run +2, Shields +2, Shortsword +2, Spear +2
Master 29 4 years Armour +1, Run +2, Shields +2, Shortsword +2, Spear +1
Dnadan Heavy I nfantry (roqueni )* Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 3)%
Knight 45 5 years Armour +4, Inspire +1, Lead +1, Longsword +3, Ride +3, Shields +1, Steward +1, Warfare +1
Dnadan Light and Medium Archers Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 4)%
Apprentice 19 2 years Composite Bow +2, Fletcher +2, Shields +2, Shortsword +2
Journeyman 25 2 years Composite Bow +2, Fletcher +1, Shields +2, Shortsword +2
Master 24 3 years Composite Bow +2, Fletcher +1, Shields +1, Shortsword +1
Dnadan Medium Cavalry (ohtari) Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 2)%
Apprentice 21 2 years Armour +2, Lance +2, Longsword +2, Ride +2, Shields +2
Journeyman 30 3 years Armour +1, Lance +2, Longsword +2, Ride +2, Shields +2
Master 33 4 years Armour +1, Lance +2, Longsword +1, Ride +2, Shields +2
Dnadan Heavy Cavalry (roqueni )* Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 2)%
Knight 42 5 years Armour +5, Inspire +1, Lance +1, Lead +1, Longsword +1,
Ride +1, Shields +1, Steward +1, Warfare +2
*: To become a roquen (knight), one must first acquire a masters level of proficiency as an ohtar . Skills and skill ranks are cumulative.
Knights should also have the skills and ranks listed for the Officer basic package at a masters level, or acquire them as soon as possible.
: For a one-off payment of 5 picks, a medium archer adds 3 ranks to his Armour skill. Medium archers are regular ohtari with a chance of
recruitment equal to (Stamina x 3)%, whereas light archers usually are yeomen. If available, medium archers use steelbows.
334
ROHIRRIC UNITS
PICK TIME TO
Rohirric Medium Infantry Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 3)%
Apprentice 23 2 years Armour +3, Broadsword +2, Ride +2, Shields +2, Spear +2
Journeyman 26 2 years Armour +1, Broadsword +2, Ride +1, Shields +2, Spear +2
Master 30 3 years Broadsword +2, Ride +1, Shields +2, Spear +2
Rohirric Light Cavalry Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 4)%
Apprentice 26 2 years Broadsword +2, Ride +2, Shields +2, Shortbow +2, Spear +2
Journeyman 29 2 years Broadsword +1, Ride +2, Shields +1, Shortbow +2, Spear +1
Master 29 3 years Broadsword +1, Ride +1, Shields +1, Shortbow +2, Spear +1
Rohirric Medium Cavalry Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 3)%
Master 29 4 years Armour +1, Broadsword +1, Ride +2, Shields +2, Spear +1
Rohirric Heavy Cavalry* Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 2)%
Knight 39 4 years Armour +4, Broadsword +1, Inspire +1, Lead +1, Ride +1,
Shields +1, Spear +1, Steward +1, Warfare +2
*: To join this unit, one must first acquire a masters level of proficiency as a medium cavalryman and earn knighthood. Add up skills and
ranks. Knights should also have the skills and ranks listed for the Officer package at a masters level, or acquire them as soon as possible.
TRIBAL UNITS*
PICK TIME TO
Clansmen Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 5)%
Apprentice 18 1 year Hatchet +2, Shields +2, Spear +2, Throw +2
Journeyman 18 1 year Hatchet +1, Shields +1, Spear +2, Throw +1
Master 18 2 years Hatchet +1, Shields +2, Spear +1, Throw +1
Light Infantry Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 4)%
Apprentice 21 1 year Hatchet +2, Shields +2, Shortbow +2, Spear +2
Journeyman 25 2 years Hatchet +1, Shields +1, Shortbow +2, Spear +2
Master 26 3 years Hatchet +2, Shields +2, Shortbow +1, Spear +1
Medium Infantry Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 3)%
Apprentice 18 1 year Armour +1, Battleaxe +3, Broadsword +2, Shields +2
Journeyman 26 2 years Armour +1, Battleaxe +2, Broadsword +2, Inspire +1, Shields +2
Master 25 3 years Armour +1, Battleaxe +1, Broadsword +1, Inspire +2, Shields +1
Cavalry Chance of Recruitment: (Stamina x 2)%
Master 25 3 years Armour +1, Broadsword +1, Ride +2, Shields +1, Spear +1
*: The Turambar must make a ruling on what unit types actually exist in a specific tribal society. The Beornings, for instance, maintain no
cavalry, whereas some Easterling tribes solely rely on mounted warriors. Weapon specialties also vary from tribe to tribe.
335
Appendix B
HERBS AND POISONS

hile herbs of all kinds abound in Middle-earth, they do not always reveal themselves or yield
W their virtue lightly. Even the most learned apothecary may lack the field-craft to locate an
otherwise familiar herb in the wild, just as an eagle-eyed woodsman may yet be at a loss when
asked to compound the herbs he has gathered into an obscure elixir requiring the erudition and
equipment of an experienced druggist. To enjoy its full potency, a medicinal or poisonous plant must
first be found, identified, and then properly prepared.
POISONS STAGES: Some poisons can affect a target over a longer pe-
riod of time. This tells you the number of onset periods that
the poison can affect its victim. With the passage of each on-
D
uring their adventures, characters may be exposed to set period, apply the appropriate effect to the victim, depend-
any number of deadly substances, from the venom of ing on whether he made his initial Stamina test or not. Do
Shelob and her brood, to the poisons Orcs smear on not have him make another Stamina test each time. The re-
the blades of their swords. The effects, onset time, and le- sult of the first test applies to all subsequent onset periods for
thality of poisons can vary greatly. Use Table B.1 to con- a single exposure to a poison. Characters remaining in the ar-
struct any type of poison you need. Poisons are generally ex- ea of effect of an inhaled poison continue to suffer effects un-
pressed in the following terms: til they leave.
PREPARE TN: The TN a character needs to beat with an
TYPE: This refers to the poisons method of delivery Alchemy: Poisons skill test to properly prepare the venom.
inhaled, contact, injury, or ingested. See the skills description on page 82 on how to determine
ONSET TIME: This is the period of time between exposure the Prepare TN of a poison constructed using Table B.1.
to the poison and the onset of effects. Once this time passes,
the victim makes a TN 15 or greater Stamina test to resist
the poisons primary effects. SAMPLE POISONS
POTENCY: This is a measure of the poisons toxicity, ex-
pressed as the TN of the Stamina test to resist the poisons The following descriptions detail a few sample poisons;
effect. more bestial venoms are described in Appendix D, and the
TREATMENT: This is the TN of any Physician skill tests Turambar may make up additional poisons as needed using
made to neutralise the poison. If the nature of the poison is Table B.1 as a guideline. If applicable, a description also indi-
unknown, have a healer first make a Physician (Diagnose) cates the favoured environment of a venomous plant and the
skill test to identify the poison (the Turambar sets the TN TNs to find and prepare it. See Healing Herbs, below, on
according to the origin of the poison and the characterthe foraging for plants and other specimens.
more unfamiliar a poison likely is to the healer, the greater
the TN). If this is successful, the poison can be treated with a ORC BLADE-POISON
Physician (Treat Poisoning) test. If treatment succeeds be-
fore the onset time has passed, the poison is entirely neutral- Many Orcs smear foul poison on their blades, helping
ised, and it doesnt affect the patient. Otherwise, a healer can make even the slightest scratch from their weapons much
only mitigate a poisons effect to its secondary level (see page more dangerous.
234). Particularly nasty poisons cant be treated at all. TYPE: Injury; ONSET: 1 minute; POTENCY: TN 15;
EFFECT: This is the poisons primary effect, applied after TREATMENT: TN 20; EFFECT: 2d5+5 damage; SECONDARY
the onset time if the victim fails a Stamina test to resist the EFFECT: 1d5 + 2 damage; STAGES: 1; PREPARE TN: 20.
poison. If the victim succeeds at the Stamina test, he suffers
the secondary effect instead. Attribute reductions, such as a AGLOTH
Vigour loss, are temporary. Once an attribute drops to 1, the
character suffers 5 points of damage per point of attribute Orcs sometimes gather this plant in the Dead Marshes to
reduction instead. Characters recover from temporary attrib- procure a most lethal poison. Agloth (Sindarin for abhor-
ute reductions as described under Healing on page 233. rent bloom) is a ghastly purple and white flower roughly the
SECONDARY EFFECT: This is the effect that the victim suf- size and shape of a tulip. It is only found in the deepest and
fers if he succeeds at the Stamina test to resist the poison. most dangerous part of the swamp, and it is so potent that if
336
APPENDIX B: HERBS AND POISONS
TABLE B.1: RANDOM POISON EFFECTS it is mishandled (TN 15 Herbcraft test) the handler suffers
the effects of the poison.
TYPE TYPE: Injury; ONSET: 1 minute; POTENCY: TN 30;
SELECT ONE RANDOM ROLL (d5)* TREATMENT: TN 30; EFFECT: One full Health Level of dam-
Inhaled 1 age; SECONDARY EFFECT: One-half Health Level; STAGES: 3;
Contact 2 PREPARE TN: 35.
Injury 34
Ingested 5
DEADLY SERPENTS BITE
ONSET TIME
SELECT ONE RANDOM ROLL (d10)*
The bite of a viper can be lethal to even the heartiest warrior.
Immediately (as soon as introduced into system) 1 TYPE: Injury; ONSET: 1 round; POTENCY: TN 30; TREAT-
1 round (6 seconds) 23 MENT: TN 35; EFFECT: One full Health Level of damage;
1 minute 45 SECONDARY EFFECT: One-half Health Level of damage;
20 minutes 67
STAGES: 6.
1 hour 8
6 hours 9
1 day 10 MORGULBLOOM POISON
POTENCY (BASE TN 15) The pale white flowers of the Morgul Vale are very dan-
SELECT ONE RANDOM ROLL (d10)* gerous, as they give forth a faint sickening charnel-smell, an
0 (TN 15) 1 odour of rottenness. Every hour walking through the valley, a
+3 (TN 18) 2 company of heroes must make a Survival (Find Path or Pro-
+6 (TN 21) 34
+9 (TN 24) 5 tective Clothing) test against TN 18, rolled by the character
+12 (TN 27) 6 with the best total skill bonus. Failure indicates the heroes
+15 (TN 30) 7 have come too close to a glade of especially noxious flowers
+18 (TN 33) 8 and need to make a Stamina test or fall subject to
+21 (TN 36) 9
+25 (TN 40) 10
Morgulbloom poison.
TYPE: Inhaled; ONSET: Immediate; POTENCY: TN 25;
TREATMENT (BASE TN 15) TREATMENT: TN 25; EFFECT: 1d5 Vigour loss and 1d5 Nim-
SELECT ONE RANDOM ROLL (d10)*
bleness loss. If the victim scores LoF 2 or worse on his
0 (TN 15) 12 Stamina test, he gains 1d10 Corruption points as well; SEC-
+5 (TN 20) 34 ONDARY EFFECT: 1d5 Wits loss; STAGES: 2.
+10 (TN 25) 57
+15 (TN 30) 8
+20 (TN 35) 9 THE WATERS OF MORGUL
+25 (TN 40) 10
The waters of Minas Morgul are a baneful poison to the
EFFECT/SECONDARY EFFECT Free Peoples. They do not refresh thirst, except when death
SELECT ONE RANDOM ROLL (d10)* ends it forever.
MINOR DAMAGE: 1d5 or more/No effect 1 TYPE: Ingested; ONSET: 1 minute; POTENCY: TN 25;
NAUSEA: Reduce Vigour by 1/No effect 2 TREATMENT: TN 25; EFFECT: 1d5 Insight loss and 1d5
WEAKNESS: Reduce Strength by 1/No effect 3
Awareness loss. If the victim scores LoF 2 or worse on his
BEFUDDLEMENT: Reduce Wits by 1/No effect 4
SERIOUS DAMAGE: 2d5 or more/1d5 or more 5 Stamina test, he gains 1d10 Corruption points as well; SEC-
EXTREME NAUSEA: Reduce Vigour by 1d5/ 6 ONDARY EFFECT: 1d5 Wits loss; STAGES: 2.
Reduce Vigour by 1 NOTE: A TN 25 Survival (Find Water) test can be used to
EXTREME WEAKNESS: Reduce Strength by 1d5/ 7
locate safe drinking water in Morgul Vale. In all likelihood, melt-
Reduce Strength by 1
EXTREME BEFUDDLEMENT: Reduce Wits by 1d5/ 8 ing mountain snows from the Ephel Dath and rain water pro-
Reduce Wits by 1 vided for the people of the vale (such as Orcs) who needed to slake
GRIEVOUS DAMAGE: One full Health Level, or more/ 10 their thirst, though the inhabitants do drink the Morgul waters
One-half Health Level of damage, or more
PARALYSIS: Cannot move for 1d5 minutes/ 9 when they have to choose between sickness and death.
Cannot move for 1 minute
STAGES
THE WATER OF MORIA
SELECT ONE RANDOM ROLL (d5)* All of the water found in Moria after its infestation, save
1 1 for supplies sealed away in Dwarf-casks hundreds of years
1d3 2
ago, has turned foul. Orcs, Trolls, and other servants of the
1d6 3
1d10 4 Shadow can drink it without fear. However, the Free Peoples
2d10, or continuous while in area 5 and natural animals grow sick, weaken, and eventually die
(appropriate for inhaled poisons only) should they consume it.
*: Random herb effects are the equivalent of poisons. Roll 1d5 or TYPE: Ingested; ONSET: 6 hours; POTENCY: TN 15;
1d10, respectively, once on each suitable sub-table above to deter- TREATMENT: TN 25; EFFECT: 1d5 Vigour loss; SECONDARY
mine all of a spoilt herbs toxic effects. EFFECT: Reduce Vigour by 1 point; STAGES: 6.
337
HEALING HERBS Fourth, a group may decide to split into smaller groups
(or individuals), allowing a separate test for each. These
smaller search parties, however, must cover entirely separate
areas for one or more watches (i.e., a four hour period), usu-
I n the hands of a skilled naturalist a clump of weeds can
draw out poisons, halt the progress of a disease, or re-
move the crippling fatigue of a long march. In game terms,
ally out of earshot.
characters use the Search (Forage) and Survival (Forage)

skills to gather herbs, and the Herbcraft skill to identify, pre-
PREPARING HERBS
pare, and apply the various plants described below.
Once a herbalist has gathered a herb, he must make a
Herbcraft (Herbal Remedies) test against its Prepare TN to
FINDING HERBS ready the herb. Up to LoF 2, each LoF wastes one dose
worth of the plants gathered but does no other harm. How-
To the untrained, herbs and medicinal plants may seem ever, on LoF 3 or worse (or upon any LoF, if the foraging
hard to find, especially when a particular variety is called for test resulted in LoF 3), things go wrong, but the herbalist
in an urgent situation. Alone in the wildbe this forest, fails to realise his mistake and must roll on Table B.1: Ran-
grassland, or mountainous slopethe would-be herbalist dom Poison Effects to see what happens.
quickly realises that even a familiar herb purchased in the The procedures used to prepare different herbs vary.
marketplace and studied that morning is hard to pick out Although the Turambar may wish to specify what is being
from a confusing array of similar-looking plants. Neverthe- done for narrative effect, there is no game difference between
less, to the skilled eye, nearly every form of plant life har- brewing a herb, crushing a herb, and so forth.
bours some sort of distinguishing mark. Once a herb has been prepared, it can be applied for ef-
Searching for herbs is much like a hunt. For every hour fect with a test of any Healing skill (TN 9). Failure always
that a group or individual searches in the most appropriate results in the loss of one dose. As with herb preparation,
clime and terrain, a Search (Forage) or Survival (Forage) test there is no mechanical difference between the various ways
may be attempted. The following procedure may be followed herbs can be applied or consumed, though the Turambar
to determine the outcome: may wish to describe characters chewing on bark, inhaling
First, determine the TN for finding the herb in question. vapours, applying poultices, and so on.
The Find TN represents the difficulty of finding enough of The period of time between consuming a herb and the
the herb for one dose, identifying it among similar plants, onset of its effects varies with its form of application and typ-
and properly harvesting it. A character searching for a herb ically ranges from seconds or rounds if inhaled, to several
where it does not grow automatically fails at the foraging test. minutes or even hours if ingested. The Turambar should
Second, modify the TN of the foraging test by the fol- normally make an arbitrary ruling depending on the exact
lowing conditions: +10 TN if combing an area already circumstances of application, but may alternatively roll on
searched within the last six months, 1 TN for each addi- Table B.1 to determine the herbs onset time.
tional hour spent searching (to a maximum of 10), and 1 Unless otherwise noted, consuming more than one dose
TN for every LoS each member of the group achieves with a of a given herb does not increase its effects. In fact, consum-
Herbcraft (Herblore) or Nature Lore: Plants test against the ing extra doses requires Stamina tests (usually against a TN
Find TN of the herb (to a maximum of 5). If an individual ranging from 20 to 30) to avoid sickness and nausea effects as
has never seen that particular herb before (indicated, for ex- described on Table B.1.
ample, by a failure on his Herbcraft or Nature Lore: Plants Consuming more than one type of herb at once or con-
test, or the fact that he neither has a rank in the Survival nor suming a second herb while a previously consumed herb is
the Region Lore skill pertaining to the foraged environment), still active in ones system requires a TN 25 Stamina test. (A
he suffers a test result penalty of 20. A brief, but complete herb is active in ones system for four hours or until its effects
description by a knowledgeable source is all that is needed to wear off, whichever is longer.) If successful, the second herb
cancel this penalty, however. takes effect as normal. If failed the second herb causes ran-
Third, one of the groups characters makes a foraging test dom effects per Table B.1. Consuming even more herbs past
of his choice against the modified TN. LoS +2 indicates that the second type is certainly possible, though each additional
the searchers have found 1d5 doses of the herb in question; herb increases the Stamina tests TN by another +5.
for each additional LoS, another 1d5 doses of the herb are It is possible to purchase, trade for, and receive as gifts
found; LoS +1 means that only one dose is found; LSF 0 doses of fresh or prepared herbs, but a herb will keep (in ei-
allows to make another test at a +5 test result bonus after ther state) for only a finite period of time, which varies from
one more hour of searching; LoF 1 or 2 results in no herbs herb to herb. These periods are known as the fresh term and
found; and LoF 3 or worse means that the searcher mis- prepared term.
takes some other herbdetermined by the Turambarfor Skilled herbalists can try to revive a herb even after it is
the one sought. When a herbalist winds up preparing and past its prime, which requires a Herbcraft test against a TN
applying this herb, roll on Table B.1: Random Poison Effects equal to 8 times the number of full or fractional terms that
to find out what happens unless he achieves at least LSF 0 the herb is older than one. For example, if a given herbs fresh
on his prepare test. term was one week, reviving a dose harvested three weeks ago
would require a TN 16 test, because the herb is two full
terms older than one term. On LoF 2 or worse, the herbal-
338
ist does not realise he has failed to revive the herb. If eventu- BLUEREED
ally consumed, these herbs cause effects determined by roll-
ing on Table B.1. Bluereed isas its name impliesa tall, thin reed with a
slight blue tinge. It is well known among the Rohirrim, who
use it to sustain their scouts and messengers.
SAMPLE HERBS LOCATION: Banks of the Entwash.
FIND TN: 15
The below list introduces a variety of sample herbs found PREPARE TN: 18
throughout Middle-earth. Following these detailed descrip- FRESH TERM: 2 days
tions, Table B.2 on page 341 presents a range of additional PREPARED TERM: 3 months
herbs in condensed form which the Turambar may use as a EFFECT: Valued by messengers, scouts, and others who
creative springboard if he wants to add more herbs to his game. must toil for hours at a time without rest, bluereed banishes
sleepiness and allows those who take it to go a day without
AELGUS sleep. While this herb has no effect on a patient who is al-
ready exhausted, if taken as a preventive measure it staves off
Aelgus is a small, green, leafy fern that grows in thick the need for sleep. For 24 hours after consuming a properly
patches. It is a common herb, and like athelas was originally prepared dose of this herb, a character does not need sleep
grown and used by the Nmenreans. Shepherds and farm- and suffers no penalties for going without it. After 24 hours
ers consider it a nuisance and work to uproot and burn it. have passed, though, fatigues toll returns and tests to resist
The knowledge of its use has been lost in the mists of time to weariness from lack of sleep are made as normal (see page
all but the wisest herbalists; only those with 10+ ranks in ei- 238) counting the full numbers of hours awake. Bluereed has
ther Herbcraft or Nature Lore: Plants know of its beneficial no noticeable effect on Elves.
effects.
LOCATION: Throughout Arnor. CARNESTAD
FIND TN: 12
PREPARE TN: 15 This short, squat mushroom has a bright red cap and a
FRESH TERM: 1 week thick, brown stem. When collected and properly prepared,
PREPARED TERM: 1 month carnestad (Sindarin for red healing) neutralises diseases,
EFFECT: Aelgus is used to treat poison. When properly breaks fevers, and clears up the bothersome symptoms of
prepared and eaten, it induces vomiting that cleanses the sys- most sicknesses. The Elves of Mirkwood jealously guard the
tem and purges it of venom, rendering inactive any poison in areas where carnestad flourishes. Many intruders such as
the victims body. Men and Orcs venture into Mirkwood to recover as many of
the mushrooms as possible. While the Men do so to sell
ATHELAS them or make use of their healing properties, the foul Orcs
seek only to deny others access. The giant spiders of Mirk-
Known to most folk as kingsfoil, and to the learned as wood commonly build nests above patches of these mush-
asa aranion, the herb athelas is rare, growing in the North rooms or lurk near them, eager to fall upon those who seek to
only where the Dnedain once lived and camped, and in the gather them.
South in a few forests. LOCATION: Mirkwood
LOCATION: Throughout Arnor, though only in the vicin- FIND TN: 20
ity of Dnadan settlements or their ruins, and in the forests PREPARE TN: 12
growing on the southern slopes of the White Mountains. FRESH TERM: 1 month
FIND TN: 25 PREPARED TERM: 4 months
PREPARE TN: 9 EFFECT: After taking a dose of this herb, a character may
FRESH TERM: 1 week immediately make a Stamina test (TN 25) to recover from
PREPARED TERM: 2 weeks any diseases he currently suffers. If this test fails additional
EFFECT: Properly prepared, athelas leaves can have strong doses have no effect on the existing diseases. Recovery is a
healing powers. The leaves smell sweet and strong when gradual process which takes place over the course of 1d5
crushed. When this is doneor when the leaves are made days.
into a teathe scent will allow to recover one Weariness
Level, cure a headache or relieve cold symptoms for one day. EATER S LEAF
Only Dnadan characters have any chance of using the
Westmans Weed for greater healing effects. While their pa- Greatly valued in the Shire, this herb strengthens and
tients are exposed to the scent of athelas, they receive a bonus fortifies the digestive system, allowing those who take it to
to their Healing skills, ranging from +3 to +9, depending on consume great quantities of food and alcohol without suffer-
their proximity to the royal line of Nmenor. If a noble ing gastric distress or becoming ill. The Brandybucks gather
Dnadan also has the Healing Hands talent, he adds the bo- it for sale across the Shire, though the daunting prospect of
nus provided by this ability as well, and all who smell athelas entering the Old Forest prevents this trade from becoming
prepared by such a character recover twice as quickly as nor- too widespread. Still, young, adventurous Hobbits have been
mal from weariness and any injuries they have suffered. known to brave the forest to gather eaters leaf on a dare.
339
LOCATION: Old Forest. HWANESTAD

FIND TN: 20
PREPARE TN: 12 A thin, pale green fungus. Its name means, literally, heal-
FRESH TERM: 1 week ing fungus in Sindarin.
PREPARED TERM: 2 weeks LOCATION: This mould grows only upon the Ents of
EFFECT: Consuming this leaf prior to a meal protects the Fangorn Forest. The smell and feel of its growth pleases most
digestive system from distress and the (unpleasant) effects of Ents and makes them loath to allow its harvest, but it is not
alcohol. Additionallyalthough the Hobbits do not realise unheard of for Ents to gift those in need with it.
iteaters leaf gives a +6 bonus to Stamina tests against any FIND TN: 20
poison for four hours after it is consumed. PREPARE TN: 18
FRESH TERM: 1 year
EQUIAL PREPARED TERM: 1 decade
EFFECT: Hwanestad is a powerful antidote to most poi-
Equial, also known in Sindarin as sdhroch (horse-rest), sons. When consumed, it grants a +6 bonus to resist poison
is a hardy, thick-stemmed weed that is difficult to find be- effects for the next 24 hours and immediately cures half the
cause many wild animals feed on it for its mildly narcotic damage caused by any poisons in the last 1d10 rounds.
properties. It is valued by the Men of Rohan as a mild anaes-
thetic that calms their horses nerves and allows beasts to re- GWATHLAS
lax under even the most trying circumstances.
LOCATION: Eastern slopes of the Misty Mountains. Gwathlas (Sindarin for shadowleaf) is a leafy plant
FIND TN: 15 whose thick, round root can be compressed to produce an
PREPARE TN: 15 oily fluid that is consumed. In Gondor, this plant is associat-
FRESH TERM: 1 week ed with the forces of the Shadow, whose greatest servants use
PREPARED TERM: 1 month it to fortify themselves against their rivals and improve their
EFFECT: Well-suited to calming animals, equial has no ef- ability to study their masters dark lore. It was first cultivated
fect on humanoid creatures or fell beasts. For 2d10 hours af- by the Black Nmenreans, who were taught its virtues by
ter consuming a dose of this plant, a creature benefits from a Sauron himself. In Gondor, possessing, extracting, or con-
+5 bonus to resist the effects of fear or panic. During that suming gwathlas is a crime punishable by death.
time, horses and other mounts are also easier to ride; their LOCATION: Eastern reaches of the White Mountains.
riders receive a +3 bonus to all Ride tests. Using this herb FIND TN: 15
too frequently can prove deadly, however. For each dose past PREPARE TN: 20
the third consumed in a single week, the creature must make FRESH TERM: 3 weeks
a TN 25 Vigour test. Failure results in the loss of 1d5 points PREPARED TERM: 1 year
of Vigour. A creature reduced to 0 Vigour by equial perishes. EFFECT: When consumed, this noxious drink sharpens
the mind and gives speed to thoughts and ideas, increasing
FRESH DEW ones Wits score by 3 for two hours.
Fresh dewknown as amrnan, or sunrise-gift, in Sin- NAURANT

darinis a small, leafy plant with a tough, white, woody
stem and small, circular leaves that develop purple bruises Naurant (Sindarin for red-vein) is a large, leafy fern with
when handled. When crushed, fresh dew creates a pungent, bright red veins running throughout its leaves. It is used by
invigorating odour. Fresh dew grows too high in the moun- the healers and herbalists of Gondor as a sedative.
tains for anyone but an experienced woodsman or tracker to LOCATION: Gondor, east of the Sirith River.
reach it. The Houses of Healing in Minas Tirith sponsor a FIND TN: 12
yearly expedition to recover stores of this herb, despatching a PREPARE TN: 20
small band of warriors, scouts, trackers, and herbalists to find FRESH TERM: 3 days
sufficient quantities for the coming year. PREPARED TERM: 2 months
LOCATION: High in the Misty Mountains near regions EFFECT: A single dose of naurant causes drowsiness, re-
where snow remains on the ground throughout the year. sulting in a 3 penalty to all tests until the character goes to
FIND TN: 25 sleep. This effect can be resisted with a TN 25 Stamina test,
PREPARE TN: 15 though a character may choose to forgo this test and accept
FRESH TERM: 1 week the herbs effects. Once asleep, the character recovers lost
PREPARED TERM: 1 month Weariness levels at double the normal rate.
EFFECT: A single dose of fresh dew immediately removes
all shock effects, including unconsciousness and severe nau- NORROG
sea, caused by critical injuries. Additionally, it can be admin-
istered to one who has fallen to the Exhausted Weariness A puffy, brown fungus with a gritty, dusty taste. Because
Level; doing so immediately returns the subject to spent. of its taste, it is easy to hide poisons within the prepared fun-
gus. Many an Orc-chieftain has achieved his office by slip-
340
ping a dose of poison into his former leaders supply of these tains to forbid its use and the Elves of Rivendell to purge the
mushrooms. plant when they find it. Anyone who consumes soldiers root
LOCATION: In deep underground caverns throughout must make a Will test (TN 30) or be affected as with the
Middle-earth. Battle-fury 3 flaw, for the duration of the herbs effect. Fur-
FIND TN: 20 thermore, in a stressful situation, those under the herbs in-
PREPARE TN: 15 fluence must make a Will test (TN 25) or resort to violence
FRESH TERM: 1 month to resolve any problem that presents itself.
PREPARED TERM: 1 year
EFFECT: A mere handful of norrog (one dose), even un- SPIRIT FIRE
prepared, can sustain a Man for a day. In addition, when
properly gathered and prepared, norrogs natural virtue to The Men of the region surrounding the Lonely Moun-
lend vigour to those who consume it is amplified. After eat- tain risk many dangers to gather this tall, thin reed, as it has a
ing prepared norrog a character gains a +3 bonus to all Vig- tremendous ability to lift spirits and impart renewed vigour
our-based tests for a number of hours equal to his injury to weary limbs. Spirit fire is highly sought-after throughout
threshold #1. Middle-earth, and the Men of Lake-town rely on its trade for
much of their income. Competition for prime gathering areas
SOLDIER S ROOT is both vicious and intense. Business rivals have been known
to resort to swords when their jealousy and resentment grow
One of the rarest and most treasured herbs in all of Mid- too strong for words. The Orcs of the Misty Mountains also
dle-earth, soldiers root is a small, stringy plant whose stem use spirit fire in their foul liquors. Bands of those creatures
and leaf are no larger than a clover. The plants orange, pulpy frequently sally forth to gather supplies of the herb, making
root is greatly valued for its ability to lend strength to those an already dangerous trade more perilous.
who eat it. It is known as dagorthond (battle-root) among LOCATION: The shores of the Long Lake.
the Elves at Imladris. FIND TN: 18
LOCATION: Among the rocks alongside the Loudwater PREPARE TN: 20
near Rivendell. FRESH TERM: 1 week
FIND TN: 25 PREPARED TERM: 1 month
PREPARE TN: 25 EFFECT: A single dose of spirit fire halves test penalties
FRESH TERM: 1 hour due to weariness. (Apply any modifiers to a characters Wea-
PREPARED TERM: 1 week riness penalty before halving it.) It also allows to add +3 to
EFFECT: When prepared by a herbalist, a dose of soldiers the basic number of weariness points each Weariness Level
root imparts a +3 bonus to ones Strength score for 24 hours. can hold. Both effects last until the one who consumed it
Soldiers root has one serious drawback that leads most cap- sleeps.
TABLE B.2: ADDITIONAL HERBS

HERB AREA/FIND TN FORM/PREPARATION EFFECT
Aloe t-H-20 Leaf/apply Doubles healing rate for burns and minor cuts
Arnuminas m-S-12 Leaf/apply Doubles healing rate for sprains and cartilage damage
Bursthelas c-F-25 Stem/apply Doubles healing rate for fractures
Cusamar c-H-30 Flower/ingest Heals 1d5 wounds within an hour and another 2d10 within two days
Delrean c-C-12 Bark/apply Repels any insects. Smells foul
Fek h-O-30 Root/apply Stops bleeding by clotting wounds within 2d10 rounds. Patient must
not move quickly before one day has passed, or the wound opens
Kelventari t-T-15 Berry/apply Heals 1d10 wound points from 1st and 2nd degree burns
Latha t-F-20 Moss/apply Cures fever from a common flue or cold, or lowers heavy fever
Mirenna s-B-25 Lichen/brew Doubles the Weariness recovery rate for 2 hours. Usable once a day
Oiolair m-O-40 Leaf/brew Restores any attribute reductions other than those from age
Suranie t-F-15 Berry/ingest Relief of 1 round of stun. Eating more than 3 doses per day causes sickness
Thurl t-D-9 Clove/brew Heals 1 wound. Patient must throw up after a number of doses equal
to his Vigour attribute score and cannot drink more Thurl for a day
Veldurak h-O-25 Kelp/apply Cures frostbite and heals 2d10 wounds resulting from cold
Vinuk h-J-30 Leaf/ingest Relief of 1d10 rounds of stun. Usable once per hour. Prepared term 10 days
Yavethalion m-O-25 Fruit/ingest Heals 1 wound per hour for 4d10 hours
AREA/FIND TN: The first letter gives the climate a plant prefers: a = arid and hot; c = cold; f = frigid (everlasting cold); h = hot and hu-
mid; m = mild temperate; s = semi-arid; t = cool temperate.
The second letter closer indicates a plants typical environment: B = Breaks/wadis; C = Coniferous forest; D = Deciduous/mixed forest;
F = Freshwater coasts & banks; G = Glacier/snowfield; H = Heath/scrub/moor; J = Jungle/rain forest; O = Ocean/saltwater shores;
M = Mountains; S = Short grass; T = Tall grass; U = Underground; V = Volcanic; W = Waste; Z = Desert.
The number is the Find TN for the Search (Forage) or Survival (Forage) skill test.
FORM AND PREPARATION: BrewEffective when drunk 3 minutes (30 rounds) after water is boiled. Herbcraft (Herbal Remedies) TN 15 test
required; IngestImmediately usable and may be eaten, chewed, drunk, or inhaled, whichever is appropriate. Herbcraft (Herbal Reme-
dies) TN 9 test may occasionally be required; ApplyRequires 2d10 rounds to prepare. Herbcraft (Herbal Remedies) TN 20 test re-
quired. Herb is then applied directly onto injured area.
341
Appendix E
BY YOUR OWN DESIGN

bstract here: creating NPCs of enemy races and fell beasts
A
Guidelines on creating (characters of) enemy species: Deciphers LotR to AQ conversion guidelines
- create characters according to average population rules
(i.e., all attributes should normally have the average basic - generally speaking, 1 AQ level (as described on page
score of 11, as if 99 buy points were used) 75) roughly equals 2 to 3 LotR advancements (based on a
- do not use occupational packages (unless one perfectly basket of typical edges, attribute increases, and skills of vary-
fits an individual character) when creating racial templates; ing learning difficulty and pick costs)
- preferably, only acquire talents and edges that closely fit - as stated in the box on page 208, only one third of the
the characters race (e.g. some kind of Forest-training for picks gained for such an AQ level may be spent on increas-
Forest-breed Orcs); per default, only a few selected talents ing attributes and acquiring edges, and only one edge (or im-
are racial abilities (e.g., Night-eyed for Orcs) while any edges provement in an edge) can be acquired per experience level
representing the species upraising should be acquired with - be aware, though, that any AQ characters will have a far
picks; broader array of skills than their LotR equivalents (OTOH,
- therefore, the vast majority of picks should be spent on there are about twice as many skills in AQ than in LotR);
skills; generally speaking, AQ characters will be better balanced and
- create well-balanced characters, i.e., not single-minded have greater bonuses in skill categories which are rather al-
fighting machines, even if this would fit the species culture ien to their LotR brethren but their most important skills
(think about a real, colourful culture!) (those with the greatest number of ranks) should be on a
roughly equal scale, and spellcasters may have approximately
the same number of spells
generally, any high-level NPCs, as well as the character
archetypes, are created with the following rules/guidelines/
options applying:
- 130 buy points are used for generating attribute scores
- genetic limits are determined assuming a set series of
rolls: 8, 9, 10, 11, 11, 12, 12, 13, 14 these results are allot-
ted to the various basic attributes as the Turambar sees fit
- pick costs of talents and edges increase according to the
number of previously chosen abilities within the same catego-
ry, as described in the options boxes in Chapter Five (also,
picks gained from flaws decrease by a similar amount)
xyz
TABLE C.1: ENEMY RACES ATTRIBUTE ADJUSTMENTS

RACE DE NI ST VI AW WL BG IN WT
ORCS
Common +1 +0 +0 +1 +1 +2 2 3 2
Forest-breed +1 +2 2 +1 +2 1 2 2 1
Mountain-breed +0 +0 +1 +2 +0 +1 1 3 2
Uruk-hai +0 +1 +2 +3 +1 +2 +0 2 +0
TROLLS
Hill-trolls 2 2 +12 +4 1 2 2 2 3
Snow-trolls 3 1 +12 +5 1 1 2 2 3
Cave-trolls 2 2 +15 +4 1 2 1 3 4
Ettens 1 3 +10 +3 +1 3 +0 +1 +0
Olog-hai 2 +0 +14 +4 +0 1 +0 2 1
348
APPENDIX E: CREATURE DESIGN
TABLE C.2: ENEMY RACES YOUTH SKILL DEVELOPMENT STATURE (HEIGHT)

Table C.3 shows the average height (in
MOUNTAIN-BREED ORCS
inches) and the corresponding average Stat-
FOREST-BREED ORCS
ure score of some of the most common
COMMON ORCS
breeds of Orcs and Trolls:
SNOW-TROLLS
CAVE-TROLLS
HILL-TROLLS
DIFFICULTY
OLOG-HAI
LEARNING
URUK-HAI
TABLE C.3: HEIGHT AND STATURE
ETTENS
SKILL ATTRIBUTES RACE MALE FEMALE
Artistic ORCS
Any skill Varies Varies 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 Common 52 (8) 50 (8)
Athletic Forest-breed 46 (7) 44 (7)
Acrobatics Ni/Ni/St Hard 2 4 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 Mountain-breed 56 (9) 54 (9)
Climb De/Ni/St Average 2 5 4 2 3 2 2 2 1 Uruk-hai 65 (11) 62 (10)
Jump Ni/Ni/St Easy 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 TROLLS
Run Ni/St/Vi Easy 4 4 5 5 3 2 2 3 2 Hill-trolls 144 (27) 132 (24)
Swim Ni/St/Vi Average 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Snow-trolls 150 (28) 138 (26)
Combat Cave-trolls 168 (32) 142 (26)
Armour Ni/St/St Easy 3 2 3 4 0 0 0 0 3 Ettens 142 (26) 132 (24)
Dodge Aw/Ni/Ni Hard 2 3 2 3 1 1 1 1 1 Olog-hai 165 (31) 140 (26)
Melee, Class A* Varies Varies 4 3 4 5 4 4 5 3 6 If you need to find the adjusted height
Melee, Class B* Varies Varies 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 3 of a specific Orc or Troll, add the result of
Ranged, Class A* Varies Varies 2 3 1 3 2 2 1 2 1 the following equation to the average height
Ranged, Class B* Varies Varies 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 of his race: (basic Vigour + 2d10 22) 2.
Warfare In/Wl/Wt Hard 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 The beasts Stature score is then deter-
Craft mined by dividing its (height in inches 10)
Any skill Varies Varies 4 4 4 4 2 2 2 2 2 by 5; round off the result.
Armoursmith De/St/Vi Average 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1
Goldsmith Aw/De/Wl Hard 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 GIRTH (WEIGHT)
Seafaring De/Ni/St Average 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Shipwright De/St/Wt Hard 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 To determine the weight (in pounds) of
Stonecraft Aw/De/St Average 3 2 4 0 1 0 2 1 1 a specific character, subtract the average
Weaponsmith De/St/Vi Average 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 height of his race (as given in Table C.3
Healing above) from his adjusted height and multi-
First Aid Aw/De/Wt Easy 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 ply this figure by a race factor: x 4 for an
Herbcraft Aw/De/Wt Hard 2 2 2 2 1 1 0 1 0 Orc, x 10 for a Troll.
Physician Bg/In/Wt Hard 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 Then add (2d10 + basic Strength 22) x
Lore 2 to that number. Read the final result as
Any skill Varies Varies 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 pounds added to the average weight of the
Culture Lore In/Wt/Wt Easy 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 characters race as given in Table C.4 below:
History In/Wt/Wt Hard 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Language* Aw/Bg/Wt Varies 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 TABLE C.4: WEIGHT AND GIRTH
Nature Lore Aw/In/Wt Hard 3 4 3 3 3 2 0 3 0 RACE MALE FEMALE
Region Lore Aw/Wt/Wt Easy 4 5 5 4 5 4 3 5 3
ORCS
Outdoor
Common 92 lbs. (7) 88 lbs. (7)
Any skill Varies Varies 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 1
Forest-breed 70 lbs. (5) 68 lbs. (5)
Ride Bg/In/Ni Average 2 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 0
Mountain-breed 110 lbs. (8) 102 lbs. (8)
Survival Aw/Wl/Wt Average 2 5 4 3 4 6 4 3 1 Uruk-hai 150 lbs. (12) 140 lbs. (11)
Teamster Aw/De/Ni Average 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TROLLS
Perception
Hill-trolls 740 lbs. (42) 650 lbs. (40)
Observe Aw/Aw/Aw Easy 3 3 3 3 3 4 2 5 4
Snow-trolls 800 lbs. (43) 710 lbs. (41)
Search (Forage) Aw/In/Wt Easy 2 3 3 1 2 3 2 3 1
Cave-trolls 1,020 lbs. (48) 760 lbs. (42)
Track Aw/Aw/In Average 1 3 1 1 3 2 1 3 2 Ettens 720 lbs. (41) 640 lbs. (39)
Social Olog-hai 980 lbs. (47) 740 lbs. (42)
Any skill Varies Varies 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Intimidate Bg/Bg/Wl Average 1 1 1 2 4 4 4 3 5 The Girth score of an Orc is determined
Lead Bg/In/Wl Hard 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 by dividing his weight in pounds by 13, and
Stealth rounding off the result.
Any skill Varies Varies 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 Trolls, like any beasts weighing more
Hide Aw/Ni/Wl Easy 2 4 3 1 1 1 0 1 0 than 260 pounds, use a different formula to
Locks Aw/De/De Average 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 determine their Girth score: 20 + lbs. 260
Sneak Aw/Ni/Ni Average 2 3 4 1 1 1 0 1 0 (round off the result).
Traps Aw/De/Wt Average 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
*: See the description of the characters race in Chapter Three on culturally appropriate weapons or languages. If no ranks can be acquired
in a Class B weapon skill during a characters youth, he may learn the skill during his apprenticeship (Turambars discretion).
: Normally, a character may only learn a skill pertaining to his own culture of origin or homeland.
: Any skill within the category, except for the ones listed below.
349

Ambarquenta CRB 2012.2

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ambarquenta CRB 2012.2

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

BETA VERSION / JANUARY 2012

LAYOUT: Inspired by Deciphers The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: David Bruce, Whitford Bates, Thomas Morwinsky

CHAPTER ONE: Your Characters Story ............................................................................................ 14

APPENDIX A: Occupations ................................................................................................................ 320

Skill Affinity .................................................................... 78 Musician (G) .................................................................106

WEAPONS AND GEAR.......................................................... 178 Action Penalties ............................................................ 218

OCCUPATIONS ...................................................................... 320

HERBS AND POISONS ........................................................... 336

a game to which you are kindly invited to contribute by send-

W hats the point in writing yet another roleplaying

NOTES ON TERMINOLOGY PERCENTILE ROLLS (1D100)

T his section acquaints you with the whole Ambarquen-

YOUR CHARACTERS STORY

bits make them difficult to roleplay convincingly. Further-

TABLE 1.1: GRACE BENEFITS

THE QUALITIES OF HEROES

RESPONSIBLE FREE WILL

HONESTY AND FAIRNESS

HONOUR AND NOBILITY

CREATING A PLAYER CHARACTER GROUP

HEIGHT: 510 STATURE: 12

PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES: Deftness 16, Nimbleness 16, Strength 13,

RACIAL ABILITIES: Astute, Contacts: Esgaroth, Skilled

SKILLS: Draw: Drafts (Buildings) +12, Sing (Lays) +11, Word-

GORI, SON OF NORI

HEIGHT: 46 (137 cm) STATURE: 9

PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES: Deftness 15, Nimbleness 16, Strength 19,

RACIAL ABILITIES: Animal Aversion, Craftsmanship, Fear of Water,

SKILLS: Act (Lie) +9, Musician: Wind Instruments (Horns) +7,

PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES: Deftness 16, Nimbleness 13, Strength 18,

RACIAL ABILITIES: Astute, Contacts: Dale, Skilled

PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES: Deftness 13, Nimbleness 12, Strength 12,

PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES: Deftness 18,

RACIAL ABILITIES: The Art, Beast-skill, Comfort,

also affects the amount of damage you deal with an attack,

P rimary attributes can be generated in one of two ways:

HEIGHT AND WEIGHT A characters Stature score is determined by dividing his

B esides his primary attributes, a characters adventur-

T hough its a hard and time-consuming process, any

such adjustments merely for a few attributes, and thus an at-

TABLE 2.5: RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS SUMMARY

maiden is a Fortitude test. The Turambar decides which de- SWIFTNESS

Stamina represents your toughness: your ability to with- ACTION ALLOWANCE

R ACES AND CULTURES

E lves were the first of the Children of Ilvatar to awak-

PHYSICAL CHARACTER OTHER FACTORS

D warves (or Khazd in their own tongue) are a short

THE BROADBEAMS THE STIFFBEARDS

OTHER FACTORS MEN

T hese are the Men descended from the Edain who

LIFESPAN: The lesser Dnedain reach maturity at around

CULTURE OUTFITTING OPTIONS

CLOTHING & DECORATION: Corsairs favour purple, red, OUTFITTING OPTIONS

BLACK NMENREANS BELIEFS: Organised religion is the norm among Black

T hese Men are descended from the same peoples from

Also called Beijabar, Berninga, or Bajaegahar, this dis- CULTURE

OTHER FACTORS BEORNING SKIN-CHANGERS

PHYSICAL CHARACTER OUTFITTING OPTIONS

LAKE-MEN LIFESTYLE: Their towns are ruled by Masters who are

WOODMEN FEARS & INABILITIES: As a group, the Woodmen suffer

THE MEN OF DARKNESS PHYSICAL CHARACTER

OTHER FACTORS HARADRIM

PHYSICAL CHARACTER OTHER FACTORS