There are enough references in Tolkien’s work for a human magic user.

What follows is my quick and easy (i.e. lazy) way to make a human magic user.

Basically, I just mixed cultures from TOR and made the following.

My quick thoughts are as follows:

Using 18 points, I thought these would be the most appropriate skills for wizard of any human culture

Awe 2
Athletics
Explore
Song 2
Craft 1
Inspire 2
Travel
Insight 2
Healing 2
Courtesy
Battle
Persuade 2
Stealth
Search
Hunting
Riddle 2
Lore 3

Wizard’s Blessing:

A wizard character in the group increases
the company’s Fellowship rating by one point.
Additionally, when making a Wisdom roll, Wizards
can roll the Feat die twice, and keep the best result

Callings: Scholar, Warden, Wanderer

Weapons Skills: Staff 2( I have to think about damage for this) Sword 1, Dagger 1

Basic Attributes:

Body 3 Heart 5 Wits 6

Favored skill: Lore

Specialty traits: Old Lore, Leechcraft, Herb lore, Region Lore, Storytelling

Distinctive features: Cautious, Clever, Cunning, Curious, Just, Lordly, Wary



Virtues

Masteries: All

Woeful Foresight
Broken Spells
Natural Watchfulness
Staunching Song
Shadow Bane

Rewards

Cunning made
Close Fitting
Grievous
Noble armor

Comments, suggestions, etc.... are welcome. Actually, hoped for.

I am thinking of using these instead of Broken Spells: They are modified creature special abilities.

Bewilder
..Reduce the wizard's hope point score by one to reduce the Parry rating of enemy to the basic combat TN of their chosen stance.

Commanding Voice

Reduce the wizard's hope point score by one to restore one hope point to all members of the fellowship involved in the confrontation (not including the wizard using the special ability).

Staff of Light: The creature loses one point of Hate at the end of the first round of combat fought while exposed to the light of the staff. ( A reward instead of a virtue)

I think the silence is the aftermath of purists' heads exploding at the thought of PC wizards running around in the game.

Yeah ... I wasn't even gonna venture into those shark-infested waters. Sorry, hoplitenomad.

The only Human mage I've used (sofar) is an Angmarim Priest in one of my current runs. I could post what I've used, if there is an interest ... nothing along the lines of a player option, though.

Not that I want to completely threadjack here - but I personally would love to see it.

I've been looking for a adequate overarching nemesis BBEG in the area that is the focal/center of my campaign - I think an Angmarin may just be what the doctor ordered!

Probably. But, I am looking for a little tweak not a standard dnd overlay. I do not want spell slingers running around the world. Tolkien does provide some help.

I am just exploring as non-evil options, in Tolkien's letters Letter No. 144 he mentions that Beorn is " a bit of a magician. The Dunedain forged the Barrow Blades that " were wrapped in spells for the Witch-Kings downfall" and Gandalf says: "I once knew every spell in all the tongues of Elves or Men or Orcs, that was ever used for such a purprose."

Some of the Virtues for humans can be considered " magic". Just looking for some very low grade stuff and that is why I used only what was in the gaming books which is low powered and I like it that way.

HN

The Dreams of Faramir and Boromir, Malbeth the Seer, Bard understanding the speech of the thrush, his black arrow, Eowyn able to stand against the which king due to her love of Theoden, Halbarad saying his Doom lay beyond the Doors of the Dead, etc.. these things are not blatant magic use but subtle magic that ties the character to a preternatural world. I am aiming for a character with stronger ties to the subtle magic of Middle Earth not a spell slinger.

HN

Very well ... here you go.

ANGMARIM PRIEST

ATTRIBUTE LEVEL 6
ENDURANCE 20
HATE 6
PARRY 6
ARMOUR 3d (Mail shirt)
SKILLS
Personality 3
Movement 3
Perception 3
Survival 3
Custom 3
Vocation 3
WEAPON SKILLS
Club 3
Damage 4, Edge G, Injury 10, CS –
Dagger 3
Damage 3, Edge G, Injury 12, CS pierce
Quarterstaff 3
Damage 5, Edge G, Injury 10, CS –
Sword 3
Damage 5, Edge 10, Injury 16, CS break shield
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Commanding Voice
Reduce the creature’s Hate point score by one to restore one Hate point to all creatures of the same kind involved in the confrontation (not including the creature using the special ability).
Dreadful Spells (Blast)
Reduce the creature’s Hate point score by one to force one companion to make a Corruption test. If he fails it, he gains a Shadow point and suffers caster’s Attribute Level in Endurance loss.
Dreadful Spells (Heal)
Reduce the creature’s Hate point score by one to restore target ally’s Endurance by caster's Attribute Level or to remove Wounded condition.
Dreadful Spells (Stun)
Reduce the creature’s Hate point score by one to force one companion to make a Corruption test. If he fails it, he gains a Shadow point and is unable to act for 1d3 rounds.
Hatred (Dúnedain)
When the creature is confronted by the object of its hate, all its Weapon skills and Attack forms are considered to be favored.

Throrsgold thanks for the post. I do like it. Maybe a tad powerful for me. But, a great write up nonetheless.

HN

We decided on just using Dwarves as "wizards". They have Broken Spells, and a Familiar with the Raven of the Mountains. As the AB says, the backgrounds can be used to ideas to create your own. So, if you make Song or Lore your favored skill you have your "wizard" there.

HN

I'm sorry but that didn't register. Are you saying you used the dwarf directly within your campaign? Or did you re-purpose the dwarf, changing it into the aforementioned Angmarim Priest?

We just used ( or will use) the the Dwarves directly in our campaign. I just went through the cultural virtues and all the cultures have a "magical" aspect. There really is no need to make a special wizard class in the game due to this. A player can simply focus on skills like Lore and Song and take the Scholar background with its Rhymes of Lore and maybe change a few traits. Additionally, the PC would focus on virtues as opposed to rewards and one can build a character with gifts and powers that fit right into the world of LOTR.

It makes me realize what a great job the team at C7 has done.


HN

HN: This was a great observation to throw out. I have to agree with you, C7 did a great job tying each of the heroic cultures into the subtle "magic" of Middle-earth. With most people looking for something akin to a magic-user "class," it's easy to overlook the way each culture possesses something that takes on the air of "magic."

Granted, none of these "magical" qualities (usually a cultural virtue) build on Gandalf's statement to have known every spell in the tongues of Elves, Men, and Orcs. Still, I like the approach taken by TOR's designers. All though I must admit, I expect greater development in the subsequent core sets. Hopefully, future core sets will deepen this tie to the subtle "magic" by adding new cultural virtues for existing heroic cultures as well as the new cultures covered by the additnal core sets.

But, I guess we'll have to be patient and wait to see.

Regards,
E