We all agree that TOR isn't simply a good game, but an exceptional one, head and shoulder above most I've seen in the last 25 years. Heck, never have I seen a forum so unanimously enthusiast about a game!
This notwithstanding, most masters are known to create house rules to tilt a little their games to their preference. Please, tell me about. Not to criticize the game, but to brainstorm something out of it.

Some of mine:

1- Reducing Spear encumbrance from 2 to 1. Encumbrance is one of the few "hard" rules in TOR, and since the Bow is enc 1 and with infinite ammo, the encumbering, one-shot Spear isn't an alluring choice as ranged weapon goes. I think the Spear is a rather iconic weapon for the Wilderlands and need some more love.
If cornered, I can say that the Spear is less encumbering because it double as walking stick

2- The Eye/Gandalf on an attack roll grant EITHER an automatic hit OR a crit. Not both.
This way I hope to make unarmoured heroes (like most of Tolkien's characters) more playable .

3- When an archer fumble his called shot (ie roll an Eye + fail the attack roll on the called shot), roll a d6: on a result of 1-3, he got just one last arrow in his quiver.
Not to bash on archers, but being “low on ammo” makes for dramatic choices.

Good ideas all. In support of #3, Legolas was scavenging arrows at the Battle of the Hornburg (i.e., Helm's Deep) ... "...now i must grope for spent arrows; all mine are gone." This made such an impact on me that I always insist on players in my games keeping an accurate track of ammo, etc. in my games ... and, boy, do they grumble! I figure if it was important for Tolkien, it should be important to me.

YOUR way eliminates the paperwork and keeps the flavor. Thank you!

Although, I'd change it to:

• When an archer rolls an EYE, roll a d6: on a result of 1-3, he has just one last arrow in his quiver. Being “low on ammo” makes for dramatic choices.
• When an archer fumbles his shot (i.e., rolls an EYE and fails the attack roll), he has emptied his quiver and is out of arrows! Being “out of ammo” makes for very dramatic choices.

This post has been edited by Throrsgold on Mar 28 2012, 02:49 PM

My only house rules, which I have not instituted yet, will be:

1. Allowing those who successfully Ambush their opponents the ability to choose engagements in addition to gaining initiative (which is the current benefit). See my pdf "Rules Enhancements" for how this works.

2. Expanding the use of Combat advantage dice to include defense by editing the text on page 42 of the LB as follows:

"Based on the quality of the result, every successful Battle roll grants a hero a number of bonus Success dice to use for rolls or for Parry bonuses in Combat.

Each ordinary success grants one Success die, a great success grants two dice, while an extraordinary success grants three dice.

Exploiting Combat Advantages
Heroes may spend one bonus Success die to add it to any one of their rolls made during the ensuing confrontation (to boost an attack roll for example) or to add a temporary Parry bonus to his defense (by rolling the die and adding the result to his Parry rating) or he may give it to another hero to spend it on one of his own rolls (the hero who receives the die must spend it immediately when his turn to act comes or when he is attacked). A player may only spend one die per round.

Players are free to describe the advantage granted by a free Success die in any way they see fit, but should conform to the description of the battleground given previously by the Loremaster."

This post has been edited by JamesRBrown on Mar 28 2012, 06:12 PM

These I'm not certain reach "house rule" status, being more interpretations of the extant rules:
Ambushing - Extra successes: Each level of success is 1 extra round of missile fire.
Ambushing - CHARGE!: melee types may make unanswered melee attacks on the final round of missile fire instead of firing.

This one is just old-school approach:

Stupid PC Tricks: if a player comes up with a cool idea for getting a combat advantage based upon use of a non-combat ability, they may make the roll to get a temporary -1 Edge (per SL) or +2 to hit.

Well you can probably guess what my first house rule will be:

The target of a close combat attack who is aware of the attack and able to defend themselves is harder to hit if the weapon they are using has a significantly greater reach than that of their opponent. Subtract the Relative Reach of the attacker's weapon from the Relative Reach of the target's weapon and add it to the TN of the attack.

Relative Reach : Weapon
0 : Unarmed
2 : Dagger
4 : Short Sword, Axe
6 : Sword, Great Axe, Mattock
8 : Long Sword, Spear
10 : Great Spear

Thank you all, sirs.
And I'm sorry for being so late: the kid devoured my time this week.

@Throrsgold: you are an harsh master! But maybe you are right, and applying this house rule only on called shots isn't incisive enough. Lemme know if you manage some playtest!

@JamesRBrown: both rules are sensible enough, and probably I will use them too. For the first one, however, I will rule that the distance between the parties at the moment of the ambush will be decisive. Close up, you engage at will; ambush from bow range, usual rules apply.

@Aramis: for the ambush rules, same as above: prolly I will steal the rules, but engagement range will be crucial imo.
About “stupid pc tricks”: it's neat and I will gladly embrace it. Anything that encourage out-of-the-box thinking deserves to be encouraged.

@Geekdad: I will skip this one. It's a fair rule (we discussed it in another topic) but I want to de-emphasize equipment choice for this game (usually I apply reach rules in my homebrews). And knives are already weak (injury 12), while the spears have the best edge and piercing called shots (I think a fell great spear is the deadliest weapon in the game )

Here's the one's I've been using so far...

Damage Change
On a given attack, if the attacker gains a Great or Extraordinary Success they can, with each level of success, choose to either deal their Damage Rating to the Endurance Loss of their opponent or increase the Injury Rating of their weapon for that attack by +2.

So, if you get a Great Success you can either deal Weapon Damage + Damage Rating or you can do Injury +2. If you get an Extraordinary Success you can deal Weapon Rating + (Damage Rating)x2, Weapon Rating + Damage Rating AND Injury+2, OR Injury+4.

Say Eboric smashes into a Troll with is Giant Slaying Spear... he rolls his Edge and gets an Extraordinary Success.. so he is going to deal one Protection check as well as 13 END base. He also has 2 Success Levels to play with and chooses to use one on his Damage Rating (+7 END Damage, or 20 Damage total) as well as a +2 to the Injury Rating of the Spear for the Protection Test, making it an 18 rather than a 16. Or he could have done 27 END damage and a Protection Test/16 or 13 END damage and Protection Test/20.

For rolls that do not force a Protection Test, then use the normal rules (each Level of Success adds Damage Rating to the Endurance Loss).

Encumbrance
We have also instituted the rule that you reduce your Encumbrance by your Body rating to give a boost to the effectiveness of Body and to penalize armor a little less. It really hasn't changed much for us... the big guys just carry a bit more and the little folk tend to travel light. In doing this, I did change the Fatigue results, however. Failed Fatigue checks result in Travel Fatigue as follows: In Spring/Fall add 2, in Summer add 3, and in Winter add 4.

Fellowship Phase
I have added the following Action to the Fellowship Phase
Training -- A character can train a single Weapon or Common Skill during a Fellowship Phase. This costs 8x New Level in Treasure for a Common Skill or 10x New Level in Treasure for a Weapon Skill to secure a proper teacher and training facilities. Only one skill can be trained during any given Fellowship Phase and no XP nor AP can be spent on a Skill trained in this way during the same Fellowship Phase. This cannot ever raise a skill above 5.

Items of Quality
Characters can purchase Items of Quality with Treasure. For 2 Points of Treasure they can purchase/modify an item with one of the Qualities listed as a Valor Reward. For 6 Points of Treasure they may purchase/modify an item with two of the Qualities listed as a Valor Reward. This cannot be used to modify an item that already was a Valor Reward or any other kind of special item (so you can't modify your Spear of Bladorthin by throwing money at it, nor can you make Orcrist Keen or something like that) as these items are not given "plot immunity" like actual Valor Rewards. Items of Quality may be stolen, lost, damaged, or subject to any other whim the GM might have so care must be taken to protect them.
These items can only be gained during a Fellowship Phase and requires time spent in an area capable of manufacturing the item. Don't expect to get your hands on a Keen Short Sword while hanging out with Beorn, but if you want a Grievous Bow, the Elvenking's Halls are a good place to start looking.

These rules I see less as house rules and more as application of the existing rules. In this sense, they are not written to be universal but very specific to my campaign. Among my intentions was a desire to engineer scenes where Common Skills play a central role in the mechanics governing the outcome of an episode.

Make Haste! Before Nightfall We Must...!
Rules Used: Journey Rules and Fatigue Test (LMB 32, Journey Resolution: Terrain)

Perform an Athletics Task (Forced March) to attempt a vigorous pace while journeying within Mirkwood. If successful, the player-hero covers more distance in less time. Failure indicates a Forced March pace was impossible and regular Journey Rules prevail.

Simple Success: The Fatigue Test TN increases two levels

Great Success: The Fatigue TN incases one level

Extraordinary Success: The Fatigue TN does not increase

AND

Regardless of the quality of success, the terrain modifier used by the LM when calculating the Journey distance lowers one level

In Practice: For a company to make a successful Forced March, everyone in the company needs to succeed at their Athletics Task. My campaign takes place primarily in Mirkwood, hence the description reads "within Mirkwood" but this could be used in other situations I imagine. Woodmen settlements comprise like a network of villages and homesteads that radiate from the three great Houses such that a traveller, after a hard day's march will always find shelter if not the protection of stout wooden stockades or earthen ramparts. Only with a successful Forced March can travelers actually make it between these villages and homesteads in a single days travel. If a player-hero has an appropriate Trait, this can be invoked for a Simple Success of the Athletics Task. I have allowed Mirkwood-lore, Hardy, Swift, Determined, and Hardened. Regardless, a Fatigue Test is always required for a Forced March; and, given the aforementioned mechanics, it is usually best to make the roll instead of invoking the Trait. In the campaign, the usual pattern for travel by Woodmen messengers, healers and wardens involves a Forded March to arrive at the destination. Because of the lateness of the day, a full rest is not possible the night of arrival (no removal of Fatigue Points from any failed Fatigue Tests). The next day while the healer tends to the community's needs, the wardens and messenger assist in day-to-day activities around the village or homestead. This usually involves Craft or Battle: repairing things, improving defenses, etc. This is followed by a good night of rest and the removal of a Fatigue Point. Next morning, the company sets off for the next village or homestead. A month of this, ten villages or homesteads attended to with ten Forced Marches and Fatigue Tests, quite often at the end of the month's rotation the company returns to the Clan-haldan with a few Weary companions. In a few instances, I disrupted the night's rest meant to recover from Fatigue with an Orc-raid. In those moments, the companions truly start to feel the toll of the Woodmen's day-to-day life keeping intact the lines of communication within Woodmen society. Early on in the campaign, there was one instance where the company was escorting adventurers to the limits of the Woodmen's area. A Barding failed the Athletics Task so the company was short of their destination when nightfall came. They spent the evening out of doors under the darkness of the Wood. Needless to say that initiated an unexpected episode involving a few spiders!

Such Savagery...!
Rules Used: Orientation Test (LMB 29, Resolving Tests: Orientation)

Another dimension in my campaign involves wanton violence and destruction enacted by Orcs that escaped the Battle of Five Armies. A prelude to the Darkening of Mirkwood as an assault on the morale and Hope of the Free Peoples of the North. While seemingly random, these small bands of Orcs are being orchestrated by a major Aversary: Villages and homestead razed, Woodmen trails blocked through senseless destruction of the surrounding woods, etc. This rule usage captures the sense of disorientation that often occurs from such brutality. When entering a scene that could require a Corruption Test because of Anguish and some type of Task is required immediately after entering the horrific scene, an Orientation Test is required.

If successful, then regardless of the result of the Corruption Test the player-hero undertakes the subsequent Task(s) without any negative impact

If the Orientation Test is failed, then some important detail is missed that negatively influences the subsequent Task(s)

If the Orientation Test fails AND an Eye of Sauron was rolled, AND the player-hero failed their Corruption Test THEN the missed detail when it comes to light causes the player-hero to be temporarily Miserable until the scene is over

If a player-hero possesses any number of Shadow points at the time, then reduce the TN one level, OR for every permanent Shadow point reduce the TN one level. This captures the inurement of the player-hero because of their past confrontations with the Shadow.

In Practice: I've used this mostly when entering a village or homestead in the aftermath of Orc carnage and savagery. In one instance, the company's healer before setting to the Task of Healing failed the Orientation Test and missed the gravely wounded child. The child is crippled because they were not immediately tended. In another, the player-hero Scout attempting to track the departing Orcs with their prisoners failed the Orientation Test and reads the clues wrong. Instead of reaching the prisoners in time, they come too late to rescue them unscathed. In both cases, I required an additional Corruption Test for Anguish when the missed detail came to light. In one session, the player-hero Healer was crippled by Misery and many suffered that day. The drama was intense and the entire Fellowship pool was used to compensate. That was a long month for the company before returning to the safety of Rhosgobel.

Does Fear Know No Bounds?
Rules Used: Natural Watchfulness and Strike Fear (LMB 68, Adversaries: Special Abilities)

When Natural Watchfulness is employed and an Adversary is found in the area, if that Adversary has Strike Fear then they can use it to attack the player-hero with their Hate. The player-hero must make a Fear Test per the normal rules even though they are not directly engaged with the Adversary.

In Practice: The main antagonist of my campaign is a Hound of Sauron. The first time I used this, my Woodmen Warden was shaken by the event! When the Woodmen employed his Natural Watchfulness and took a birds-eye view of the surrounding area, and the Hound was in that area...woe to the Warden! The Hound sensed his presence and lashed out. The Woodmen failed the Fear Test. For the rest of that session and the next, the group was skittish and none more than the Woodmen Warden who was also the company's guide!

These are probably the most involved. Sing is used by Woodmen and Elves to communicate using the sounds of the Wood. Riddle they also use to communicate through signs and symbols such as an arrangement of rocks or branches. Most of these I've crafted and before play, explain to my players usually as a result of possessing a Trait. That is, knowledge past down...

Regards,
E

Engagement range is not the only consideration for number of rounds in an ambush - there is also he confusion and panic factors to consider... 3 rounds of missile fire, even at short ranges, is better explained by practically routing them than by approach.

As for "Stupid PC Tricks" ...
... the name is taken by adaptation from "Late Night with David Letterman" - the recurring "Stupid Pet Tricks" and "Stupid Human Tricks" segments.
... the approach to play is explicit in Tunnels and Trolls 5th Edition rules (1979 printing), and was supposedly present in the 3rd edition rules (1976)


But I've got one more - and it's a bit of elf magic:

Songs of Hope and Home - 3 XP Elf Magic spell

The Elf with this spell may spend several (3-4) hours in a relatively safe place singing songs of good cheer, in hopes of restoring the hope of weary fellows. The elf gains no hope themselves for this, and rolls Song against the local terrain's travel TN, with success level establishing the level of success others may benefit from.

Those attempting to gain hope from the songs must sing along; they roll Song vs the same TN, regaining one hope on success, two on great success, and 3 on exceptional success, but never a higher level than the elf singing obtained.

If multiple elves with the spell are singing, others are limited by the total 6's rolled between all casters, and each caster is limited by the total without their roll for their own hope gain; their song roll to cast is also their roll to regain hope.

No one may benefit from this more than once per 6 days (the elven week), tho' a given elf may perform the spell daily.

Eluadin, thanks for sharing your ideas. I particularly liked the explanations for your house rules. I think you were able to convey the feeling of your campaign, and it's a very fascinating one.

@Corvo, thanks for the kind words. You might see more about my campaign in an upcoming post. I am fast arriving at a point where I could use some creative suggestions from the forum!

More to come indeed...

Regards,
E

Corvo and others, having just playtested the game with a few players over Easter, here are the main thoughts that myself and the players came up with:

1. Hit s: Although TOR uses the idea of 'Called Shots', one of my players asked whether they could lop off an arm, hand etc. (to cut off The Ring!), so I am considering optional hit s when a Piercing Blow results in a character being Wounded, this also reflects that a Wounded character has suffered a severe injury. Any ideas as to how a PC could actually target a part of the body??

2. Wounded - the rules state that a 'Wounded character has suffered a severe injury', yet there is actually no penalty for being wounded! My suggestion: A character that is either Weary or Wounded ignores rolls of 1 & 2 on the success dice. A character that is both Weary and Wounded ignores rolls of 1-3 on both the Feat die and the Success dice - thoughts???

3. Magic - the main 'absence' I feel from this otherwise great game, generally the feeling also shared by my players. See my rules in my signature for suggestions on expanding Magic in TOR.

The biggest tick is the idea of choosing a culture first - all the players thought that this was the best concept in TOR

Robin S.

Just a quick suggestion:

instead of declaring an "aimed attack" before rolling, you can rule that after landing a Wounding hit on the opponent, you can declare some "special effect" (you lopped off his arm, or neatly sliced out his hand, etc).

After all, an amputated orc is pretty out of the fight anyway!
(PS: clearly, for Great Size opponents, it applies only to the last, killing Wound )

I know it's a bit of a cheat: after all, the rule I'm proposing can be translated as "if you are able to kill him, you can tell me how you made it"...
But on the other hand aimed blows quickly lead to abuse in most system (ie they become a shortcut to victory): in GURPS 3ed it was standard tactic to aim for the limbs in a melee, in Cyberpunk head shots ruled the day, etc.