So, one of my players and I had the idea that it would be really useful to have a bunch of additional example hazards to liven up traveling in our TOR game. We discussed it, and decided that a useful way to organize them might be to come up with 6 example hazards for each role (Guide, Hunter, Lookout, Scout) for each of 6 types of terrain (Forest, Hills, Mountains, Open, Swamp, River). Each combination of role and terrain would have 6 examples, so the LM could randomize if they wanted to. The write-up for each hazard might follow a format like this:


Forest

Guide:

1 - Deadfall - The Guide makes a travel roll. Success = he/she spots a precarious dead tree and warns the party to avoid it. Failure = the Guide fails to spot the precarious dead tree, and it falls with a crash. Two random party members most roll Awareness. Success = the hero leaps to safety. Failure = roll the feat die and take that many Endurance damage, "Eye" = wounded, "Gandalf" = 0.

I haven't gotten very far on the project yet, but I think it would be a great collaborative project, maybe on a TOR wiki (if someone has set up such a thing)?

John

The abandoned ruin
The scout rolls explore.
On a success he realizes that the ruins he found to set up camp is actually some nasty creatures lair. On a failure he doesn't but will find out once the creature returns.


The bog
Marshes, swamps.
The Guide makes a travel roll. On failure all party members roll awareness. Those that fail fall into a bog and start sinking.
A great success allows to warn 1 person, extraordinary success allows to warn 2.
Those that fell into the bog, lose their fatigue score in endurance points and another 3 each round till they pass an athletics test or drop whatever weapons they were holding in their hands.


The fire went out
Eaves of Mirkwood, Anduin vale.
Each lookout makes an awareness test. If none pass, the fire went out while the lookouts fell asleep. They just wake up to notice a pack of wolves surrounding their camp.

Slightly off topic, BUT what about travel boons if the characters roll the Gandalf rune?

Spitballing here but:

Guide:
Discovers a haven or wholesome site where the PC's are able to recover weariness from travel. An old Elven site etc etc...

Stragler
Woods, mountains, hills, fog, night

The guide has been pressing on despite the fellowship's demand for rest.
The guide makes a travel roll.
On failure a random member falls behind and gets lost.
The Fellowship will not advance the journey till they have found him.
While searching each Hunter is allowed 2 hunting rolls a day to track down the stragler or find back to the fellowship if it was the hunter who got lost.

If anyone rolls an eye of sauron, they stumble across some orcs/wolves/spiders or a troll etc.
If they get into a fight, let the hunters and lost member have another roll after the first round of combat. If anyone succeeds they come in as reinforcement.

I would also have them roll a corruption test each of these days.

I like all of these! Keep them coming. A few more I came up with (but haven't put rules to yet):

Open/Guide - Provisions poorly packed
Open/Hunter - Serpent (are there serpents in ME?)
Open/Lookout - Hidden Ditch
Open/Lookout - Sudden Storm
Forest/Hunter - Predator
Forest/Hunter - Lost!
Forest/Hunter - Charged! (prey - boar, stag, etc. charges)
Forest/Scout - Bad Water
Hills/Guide - Ups and Downs (poor choice of route tires companions)
Hills/Hunter - Cave
Mountains/Lookout - Rockslide
Swamp/Guide - Quicksand!
Swamp/Guide - Leeches
River/Guide - Sandbar
River/Lookout - Submerged log (damages boat?)

John

John,

These are great ideas & I look forward to your final compilation of travel hazards. I hope that we can eventually find some sort of happy medium between ToR's broad-based interpretation of what we all grew-up calling 'encounters,' & the D&D concept of rolling on charts, et al.

BTW, I love your ongoing chronicle over at RPG.Net - inspired!

Find back to the path below

Mountains, Hills
After straying from the intended path up the mountain/hill the fellowship tries to get back to familiar roads.

The scout rolls explore. On a failure he leads the party to a steep cliff.
The fellowship now has the choice.

1. They can try to climb down the cliff. It will take a full day and force each member to succeed at a repeated action.

Each member rolls 3 athletics tests difficulty 13 (15 in winter?).
each great or extraordinary success lets the character pass someone else's failed test (that did not show an eye of sauron?).
Each failure adds a fatigue point. An eye of sauron causes 1 feat die of endurance loss.
(if the feat die also show an eye of sauron, the character suffers a wound)

2. they can try to find another way down.

The scout rolls explore to determine how many days the fellowship loses trying to find a less dangerous way down.
Failure: 5 days.
Success: 3 days
Great sucess: 2 days
Extraordinary: 1 day

Goret,

I like the penalties (if you will) of the failures applied to the time involved - if your heroes have a time crunch, such as an epic quest for example, they will rue this & it captures the feel of Middle-earth.

In addition, it provides the LM the option of throwing something else at them, not that we sadistic LMs would ever do such a thing .

I like having them discuss and making choices and it will probably also force more travel rolls

I put together a few more Hazards here, incorporating others' suggestions, ideas and input. Not sure how much use the tables would be in play, though - now that I've run a session, I'm inclined to say they should be improvised to fit with what's happening, rather than rolled random-encounter style.

Anyone interested in me completing those tables I linked to in the last post? Would they be useful? I'm probably going to be running Tales of the Wilderland soon, so TOR is back on my radar.

I am, was thinking of doing it myself at some point.

Ovid,
Umm.... I'm kind of, sort of, mid-theft of the idea.

Although I stopped trying to come up with additional Hazard Names and started writing descriptions - I started to forget what some of the entries meant.

I didn't specifically include the hazards written of here or on RPG.net, although it is likely they overlap. No mechanics yet. Nor have I weeded out duplicates. I was basing things more around MERPs/RMs terrain types initially, but I was thinking of just dropping that entirely because I've tried to make the descriptions as inclusive of different terrains as possible.

Food poisoning is definitely overdone, although probably fairly accurate. The first I wrote and I still needed to re-read (and still do) the Hazard mechanics to make sure I would be applying them correctly.

I'll post a link into this message very shortly to show you what I've got so far. (It's currently a word processor doc right now. Will convert to PDF.)

Here is the link: Hazard List v0.1

This post has been edited by Garn on Jun 21 2012, 04:32 PM

Well, it's not my idea originally! It came from a couple of rpg.net posters, Arc Dream and zedturtle, and I just picked it up. I'd welcome ideas for completing the tables. FWIW, this post describes the principles I've been following designing the Hazards and trying to make them match the RAW and the LMB examples.

Since the last post I've done a bit more work on the Forest Hazards. Here's the current form:

Forest

Not only the great forest of Mirkwood, but also smaller woods like The Old Forest, the Chetwood and the Trollshaws.

Guide:

1 - Treacherous Ground: The guide has brought the company into an area where the leaves and undergrowth hide especially treacherous ground. The Guide makes a Travel roll. Failure = all companions must roll a feat die and lose Endurance equal to the result due to falls, stumbles and the like; "Eye" = wounded.

2 - Thick Canopy: The guide has brought the company into an area of forest so thick you can barely see. The Guide makes a Travel roll. Failure = the company is slowed by a day as it tries to find its way through the forest and all companions must make an additional Fatigue roll. If the latter causes another hazard, it is considered to take place in the dark for the purposes of Task/Test resolution.

3 - Abandoned Settlement: The guide brings the company to where he thought there was a friendly settlement, but it has been abandoned/destroyed. The Guide makes a Travel roll. Failure = the reason for the abandonment/destruction is still there and notices the company.

4 - False Trail: The guide finds an old trail that leads away from where the company wants to go. The Guide makes a Travel test. Failure = the company loses two days, as it has to double back.

5 - Slow Progress: The strange light of the forest leads the Guide to err on the side of caution when deciding when to rest. On a failed Travel roll, this leg takes half as long again, but Fatigue losses are halved as the companions get a lot of rest.

6 -

Scout

1 - Maze of Webs: The company moves through an area thickly spun with webs. All Scouts must make Explore Tests. If none succeeds, the company are lost in the maze until the spiders return.

2 - Washed-Out Camp: It rains heavily, making finding suitable shelter more difficult. All Scouts must make Explore Tests. If none succeeds, the company's gear is soaked and companions' penalties for failed Fatigue tests are doubled for the rest of the journey.

3 - Separated!: The scout becomes separated from the company. One scout must make an Explore Test. If he fails, he takes Endurance damage equal to the feat die roll or is Wounded if he rolls an Eye. The company must stop until another scout rolls a successful Explore Test each day to find the lost scout again. If there are no other scouts in the company, another companion must spend a Hope point to take on the role.

4 - Dying Elf: The company moves past an place where Wargs and Elves have fought. One scout must make an Explore test. If he succeeds, he encounters a dying Elf who has been attacked by Wargs. The Elf can warn the company so that they avoid the Wargs and if they successfully heal the Elf, they gain a +1 Tolerance bonus when dealing with Mirkwood Elves. Failure = he doesn't find the Elf and the Wargs ambush the company.

5 - Vampire Nest: The company moves past a nest of Vampire bats. One Scout must make an Explore test. If he fails, the company is attacked by a swarm (3d6) of Great Bats.

6

Hunter

1 - Poached Quarry: The hunter pursues the same quarry as a group of Elves. One Huntsman makes a Hunting Test. If he succeeds, he has killed a particularly fine stag that was being stalked by a group of Elves and they are not happy.

2 - Foul Water: The river and streams of the area are corrupted. All Huntsmen make a Hunting Test. If no one succeeds, the company are Poisoned.

3 - Magic Mushrooms: The mushrooms in the area are unfamiliar. All Huntsmen make a Hunting Test. If no one succeeds, the companions are plagued by nightmares and do not recover Endurance for one leg of the journey.

4 - Scarce Game: The company moves through an area of scarce game. All Huntsmen make a Hunting Test. If no one succeeds, the company are Weary until the next leg of the journey.

5 - The Luck of the Chase: One Hunter has especially bad luck tracking game. He makes a Hunting Test and if he fails, the company adds two days to the length of the journey as they wait around for him to return from various hunting trips.

6

Look-Out

1 - Scavengers: The company has attracted the attention of scavenging animals, who follow them on their journey. All Look-Outs must roll Awareness. If none succeed, the scavengers have looted the company's provisions and the companions count as Weary until they reach a safe place.

2 - Lost Boys: All Look-Outs must make an Awareness test. If any succeed, they discover the party being followed by a group of children, survivors of an attack on their settlement.

3 - Jumping at Shadows: In a dark and sinister part of the wood, there are many noises and movements that look threatening but may not be. One Look-Out makes an Awareness Test. If he fails, he puts the rest of the company on high alert. No one gets proper sleep for this leg of the journey and therefore does not recover Endurance.

4 - Dashed Hope: One Look-Out climbs to the top of a tree to see how far there is to go. If he fails his Awareness check, he reports that it's longer to go than it actually is and everyone in the company loses a Hope point each.

5

6

All Companions

1 - False Friends: The company meets a group of Woodmen who seem friendly. All companions must make an Insight test. If no one succeeds, they do not realise that these Woodmen have fallen to the Shadow and will seek to ambush and rob them at the first opportunity.

2 - No Way Out: The companions feel like they are going round in circles. All companions must make a Wisdom test. If fewer the half succceed, the company loses one Fellowship Point as bickering saps the company's trust.

3 - Riddle Me This: The company meets a forest spirit who poses a riddle for his permission to go further. All companions must make a Riddle test. If none succeeds, the forest turns against the company. Add +2 to the TN of Fatigue Tests for the rest of the leg or the next one.


For Swamps/Marshes/Rivers, I was thinking of one Hunting Hazard where all Hunters who fail a roll have to go far afield to find game, adding a day for each failed roll to the journey time. and a Hazard for All Companions, where they have to make a Valour roll or suffer the effects of Fear for the leg. Not sure what would cause that, though.

EDIT: Bloody hell, that's a lot! Thanks for posting the link.

Now you know why I said I had to stop creating a list of new entries and start writing up the descriptions!

BTW a description of "(Ut oh!)", literally, are the ones I've forgotten for the moment. I think a dozen or so more need to be written up. Thereafter requiring comparing for duplicates, merging the original new Hazard topic entries, adding game mechanics, editing and finally publishing. But after a couple of hours the brain is kinda , so don't hold your breath. My guess is it could take another month to finish it all up.

That is a lot Garn.

Just the work you've put in already is great for inspiration. Thanks and keep up the good work.

I'm not sure all of them are 'hazards' per say, but they can certainly be used as encounters to liven up a journey.

Thanks for that list Garn.

Very useful to brighten up any journey.

Great work Garn et al...
Would it be a reasonable request that your finalised Hazards tables be added to the TOR Resources?

Speaking for myself, I'd be very happy if people could use them.

Thanks to all of you for the encouraging words.

With Ovid's return, I was able to immediately create a WIP version mainly because I was already intending to do so. The "intro" of v0.1 was already written. I would probably have posted a sample, the first couple of pages at least, once I got all the descriptions completed. (I find, once a project is revealed, that the demands for completion start to conflict with RL issues. So I prefer to complete 85%+ of a project before letting any information slip out.)

As to my intent regarding "publishing", I had not come to a decision yet. Whether it would be posted as a PDF link in the forums, Other Minds, or whatever.

As for the Hazard content... I felt that it was important to expand the concept of a "hazard" a bit. While it seems that SG/C7 expected that the term and intent of the game mechanic was directed toward negatively focused events, their were spontaneous moments of positively focused events as well in both books. Granted, from an author's POV they are both contrived (pre-planned) situations. But just as we're tryng to emulate Tolkien's storytelling tone for the surrounding, we also need to add in moments of unexpected inspiration, humor, camaraderie, etc as well. Otherwise you cannot differentiate all the doom and gloom.

In case anyone would like to have hazards/events in a "random encounter" format...

Hazards/Events Random Tables

...roll a d6 and a d12 together: the d6 represents the table and the d12 the corresponding hazard/event. Descriptions follow and are arranged numerically by table. Table 6 (themes) can a bit overwhelming if you don't like coming up with stuff on the spot. But it keeps me on my toes and helps spice up the narrative in ways I hadn't foreseen.

And before I forget, big thanks to Ovid and Garn for their previous posts in this thread: good stuff! In fact, Garn, your "eloping" theme has spawned some ideas for a session that should be reminiscent of A Midsummer Night's Dream done Middle-Earth style. Which gives me a bit of a chuckle given Tolkien's dislike of Shakespeare (and habit of mirroring some of the Bard's plots in his work).

Cheers,

Great stuff Dankers! Will check out thoroughly later!

One question: have you used all the hazards I compiled in the fan supplement in my sig, not to mention those compiled in the PDF provided by Poosticks7?

Robin S.

Wow, I'm just blown away by this!!!

Thanks so much for doing this, Dankers!

Yes, Dankers, that is really wonderful work! Thank you for doing that.

That was me that went to the effort of putting that together so careful with the credit, chum! I'll have to go back and look at it to see if the hazards match up but on first glance Dankers has added a whole raft of extra 'random encounter' bits into his document beyond mere travel hazards so there's certainly far more in it with respect to broad content.

Yeah that was Rich not me.

Great work Dankers (and everyone else), looks very useful.

I haven't included the hazards from the fan supplement or even from the "100 hazard" list... yet (so many projects!). I wanted to include the official stuff from the LMB and TfW because they simply haven't come up very often in my own sessions (I tried to keep these in the 1-6 slots of each table so if I need a "random" but more or less "official" hazard for any role I can just role a d6 and voilà).

Quick note on themes: "Fly, you fools!" refers, of course, to the Balrog scene in LotR but depending on the context could easily be applied in a similar manner to a Sackville-Bagins moment for the characters. They must escape at all costs! Also, the "Unexpected Party" theme does not have to be pleasant: the Goblin dinner-party in Of Leaves and Stewed Hobbit is a great example.

In anyone wants the Word.doc version to more easily swap out hazards/events just let me know.

Thanks!

PM sent!

You've done a beautiful job Dankers, & I just printed this out to admire the work - very useful!

Dankers' "Alternative Hope Recovery for the Solo-Adventurer" rules, found in his sig, are pretty great too if you fancy an alternative system for replenishing Hope. I can certainly see myself using it, not just for solo play, but for group play as well.

I'm a little late, Just wanted to say thank you for such useful gaming aid!

Dankers,

Even though it's been said many times before, thanks to you and the others for this contribution. Just started playing this month and having a great time!