Inkpot wrote:
NYou know, after all these years, I've never once gamed in Middle Earth. Awesome job, man!
Ink
I like to revisit every once in awhile.
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I'll tell you what I do like though: a killer, a dyed-in-the-wool killer. Cold blooded, clean, methodical and thorough. ~Zorg
'Tis an awesome thread. It needed to be reborn. However, I'm not sure how much could be added to vast knowledge already contained within.
~O
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> Omote's Advanced C&C stuff <
Duke Omote Landwehr, Holy Order of the FPQ ~ Prince of the Castles & Crusades Society
@-Duke Omote Landwehr, Holy Order of the FPQ ~ Prince of the Castles & Crusades Society-@ VAE VICTUS! >> Omote's Advanced C&C stuff <<
I have been using C&C in a Middle Earth campaign for a few years. It is a fun environment because most people have seen the movies and have a good feel for it.
I have used some of Rabin's ideas for my campaign. He has a good sense for things.
I don't try to be 100% true to Tolkien's works, but about 90% true. I like to add monsters that *could* fit into the Middle Earth easy. I have added monsters such as griffins, hypogriffs, harpies and the like.
My player's and I really enjoy it.
Baron Falinor of Cherokee, Empire State of the South.
Please tell us more about the campaign Falinor! Details.
~O
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> Omote's Advanced C&C stuff <
Duke Omote Landwehr, Holy Order of the FPQ ~ Prince of the Castles & Crusades Society
@-Duke Omote Landwehr, Holy Order of the FPQ ~ Prince of the Castles & Crusades Society-@ VAE VICTUS! >> Omote's Advanced C&C stuff <<
We have been running a C&C game in Middle Earth for about 4 years. It is set 1500 years before the time of the Hobbit and LOTR. It is set in the area between the Shire to the East and the Misty Mountains to the West. The setting is a town called Riverford. it is a crossroads of two trade routes.
This area is descending into anarchy after plagues and orc raids.
The main two characters are a thief and a barbarian. Other characters have come and gone. They characters started off doing minor tasks like cleaning out nests of stirges, then moving on to hunting down bands of orcs. They tend to run in to the Tolkien version of trolls (Think souped-up versions of the C&C Ogre). Other things they ran into were manticores and zombie deer.
Once they gained reputation (and gained a wizard in the party), they undertook a quest to destroy an uber battering ram (it was a predecessor to Grond) being built in the Orc fortress of Mount Gundabad. That took about a year and a half to complete.
Their current quest is to find and destroy pieces of a ring that can be used to turn a dragon to Saurons will. They have to sneak into Towers of the Teeth in Mordor, grab the piece and destroy it and get it out with out being caught.
Baron Falinor of Cherokee, Empire State of the South.
Thanks for sharing Falinor. Though I don't run a Middle-Earth campaign, I have experimented and dreamed of running one for many years. Always looking for good material from others to get ideas from.
~O
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> Omote's Advanced C&C stuff <
Duke Omote Landwehr, Holy Order of the FPQ ~ Prince of the Castles & Crusades Society
@-Duke Omote Landwehr, Holy Order of the FPQ ~ Prince of the Castles & Crusades Society-@ VAE VICTUS! >> Omote's Advanced C&C stuff <<
Quote:
Though I don't run a Middle-Earth campaign, I have experimented and dreamed of running one for many years.
So what your saying is that you'd like to start an online M-E campaign, and will have room for me to play a bit after I gett back off this deployment, and before I move back to Oklahoma ...
Falinor, rgr on that, I've some good memories from them back in the day, and mine them for ideas when I can.
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"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain
Forgive all spelling errors.
Knight Errant & Humble C&C Society Contributor
C&C Society
"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain
Forgive all spelling errors.
Knight Errant & Humble C&C Society Contributor
C&C Society
Just wanted to share my take on ME C&C, having started playing yet but my general philosophy is that I'd rather be rules light and stick to core C&C/D&D conceits with a few flavor modifications. The magic is not incredibly changed, and I wish I could think of a good way to get an elven warrior with magical abilities into a single class (druidspells but able to wear armor with swords?). I basically intend to use flavor like knowledge of cultures and lots of DM rulings to accomplish the middle earth feel. I don't care if wizards seem alittle overpowered, I edited the spell list to achieve want I wanted (no teleportation/plane/infinite bag of holding type stuff). Anyway, here you go:
Noldor (Int), Sindar (Int), Silvan/Avari (Dex) <- prime chosen
Dunedain (human lineage half-elf powers, add Herbalism: considered trained at all checks with herbs, +2 Lore Checks (Int) instead of choice of skill improvement, representing Numenorean training.)
Men (3 trained abilities)
Dwarves (+2 Con, -2 Dex, Smithcraft: +2 to Craft, can craft masterwork arms and armor)
requirements: Knights must pledge loyalty to a liege lord, be lawful, no dwarf, hobbits.
Specialists: Rogue Bard
Loremasters: Wizard
Elf, Men, Dunedain only, must speak Quenya.
Descendents of Kings: Paladin
LG, Elf & Dunedain only.
Uncivilized: Barbarian Assassin
Barbarians, unciv. men only. Assassins must be evil.
4. Alignment(Lawful Chaotic - Good Neutral Evil)
Good: Favors friendship, acts of kindness. Hate clearly evil beings and must seek to kill them.
Lawful: dutiful, follows commands of kings and lords, keep oaths.
Evil: Enjoys cruelty and vengeange, sowing discord, oppressing the weak. Sometimes cowardly.
XP: Good characters get XP for saving innocent life and killing monsters, enemys servants. Lawful characters get XP for fulfilling assigned quests or bringing law & order, but lose lawfulness for disobeying, or not making & keeping promises. Chaotic characters get XP for gold found or earned. Evil characters get XP for killing innocents and causing others to not act to thwart evil.
4. Languages & Background (start racial, +1 for every INT bonus)
5. Equipment: starting gold, equipment in PHB (probably replace with random starting goods, see Hill Cantons)
Herbs: Healing spells require basic herbal mixture to succeed, but add the herbs healing to the HP recovered. Herbs can be used to heal without a spell, but require a successful Int check. Herbs can also be found in the wilderness with a successful Wis check.
Common Herbs Application Healing Cost
rest need food 1d4/dy -
Arnuminas leaves/bandage +d4/dy 5
Breldiar smoked flower halluc. 15
Gylvir ingest algae waterbr. 50
Kilmakur ungent/root heat res. 10
Yavethelion fruit/ingest restore 90
Athelas leaf/ointment cure+6 350
2d10 hp
Ulnaza leaf/ingest antipoi. 250
Bursthelas stalk/brew rest.limb 100
Darsurion leaf/brew 1d6 hp 50
Mirenna berry/ingest 1d8 hp 100
Tyrfira leaf+berry/ingest restor 250
Edram moss/brew rest.brok 100
Other House Rules:
Damage & Death
Characters start at full HP at Level 1.
At zero or less, must make a Con save. Failure means a DM's choice limb is broken, concussion incurred, or other lingering bad thing given at least -2 to one common type of action. If anything else happens to character, save again. Failure is death, success is a coma.
Character can choose to make a Wis save and keep fighting, but after 1d4+Con mod rds, will collapse as above.
Shields Shattered
Character can always choose to sacrifice a shield to prevent one enemy attack from landing.
Criticals do full damage. Two handed weapons allow the shattering of an enemy arm/armor. If the character has an off-hand weapon or shield, can use that to land another attack (autohit). Shields do 1d4 points of damage. Alternatively, character can choose to knock an enemy down or back.
The Valar, Faith of the West
Manwe the High King Elbereth, Queen of Stars Yavanna the Fertile Orome the Huntsman Aule the Smith Nienna, Lady of Tears Ulmo, Lord of Waters Mandos the Doomsman. The weapon of the Valar is the Sword, sometimes the spear for those who honor Elbereth.
Three High Festivals:
Hope & Despair
Many enemies will lose hope and cowardly flee. This is reflected in a morale/Wis. save every time the characters seem intimidating/slay a leader. This is very common with orcs, especially when they lose a chieftain or monster lord.
Conversely, many enemies and most big or magical monsters will cause the characters to lose hope. Feel free to add a terror attack/Wis. save to monsters if a hero is knocked out of the fight or the monster truly does something devastating. Failure means the player must choose between being fixed/stunned or fleeing at full speed. This is very common with wights, nazgul and demons.
Lore (Int)
Lore is not only the ability to know history and geography, but also represents the practical skills of herblore and crafting magical items. Not only magical swords, shields, etc, but also items of power, from chairs and necklaces to whole towers and gates. Obviously, to actually produce a magic item appropriate materials must be gathered, like stones, gems, metals, etc and a lore crafted construction area must be built as well. Checks to craft magic items start out at CR5. A PC's background/culture determines if he or she can create or know something with Lore (dwarves can build tunnels, smithcraft while Numenoreans good at building towers, Rohirrim/Eothraim good at tracking/taming horses).
Rewards
In addition to normal gold and random magic items (should be a bit rarer, think one item for 2 levels), characters can earn Lore about magical crafting sites, items to get in future. Also, characters can earn Titles from various potenates giving them powers, such as Captain or Seer.
