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Good points, all. I'll probably dink around with adding different types of bonuses. If y'all have any specific suggestions as far as throwing in what bonus with what background, please let me know. Even though I'm the one writing it up, I'm perfectly happy to throw in community input.

In retrospect, while I agree that some things could entirely understandably give permanent shadow points, I feel that it does unbalance the risk vs. reward of the table. Maybe if we throw in some of the attribute bonuses/skill bonuses/extra XP things, those would help to balance it out with those?

I added one thing for Renown Battles, and decided to stick with Lure of Power there - I feel the event I came up with fits that better than Curse of Vengeance, but that might be personal preference.

I like the ideas of changing up the patriarchal feel, I'll throw some more of that in.

Yeah, I don't know how to make the it fit all of the cultures too well, as it's pretty varied. Maybe some of the cultures could have a part that says 'replace ___ event with ___ event'?

And I'll definitely change up the 1 to 6 thing, thanks! Completely didn't think of that! (OK, actually, I did, I was just too lazy to change it until someone pointed it out )

-TMG

Table 1: Lordly Endeavors:
1) Your father was selected as an ambassador to an elven haven, either The Halls of Thranduil or Rivendell. He returned enamored with their high ways and spoke constantly of them.
Result: +1 Wisdom

2) Your father occupied much of his time with his musical instruments, using them both to woo ladies of the court and entertain his important guests. Fascinated by the sounds emanating from the complex wooden instruments, you decided to follow in his footsteps and learn the art of music.
Specialty: Minstrelsy

3) A just man, your father taught you at an early age never to lie nor to bend the truth. Lies were the domain of the enemy and the enemy only. Realizing the wisdom in his statement, you have followed his code of honesty the entirety of your life.
Distinctive Feature: Forthright

4) Your father was intimate with many women in the court; you are the product of a brief and meaningless union. If this knowledge has tainted your life, gain
1 Shadow Point
But if you accept the fact, gain your father’s wife as an
Enemy (Loremaster Character)

5) Your father discredited another noble and his family dishonestly during an argument for the King’s favor. In doing so, he ruined that noble and his family, unintentionally causing them to be hunted down and killed as traitors. If you feel guilt over this, gain
1 Shadow Point and a surviving son of that family as an Enemy (Loremaster Character)
If you considered the gain worth their loss, then receive
2 Shadow Points

6) Your father educated you in the intrigue and political machinations of the nobles and they have always held you spellbound. Knowing how to secretly influence others has grown your self-importance; you don’t consider others quite your equal.
Shadow Trait: Lure of Secrets

Table 2: Renowned Battles:
1) Result: +1 Valor
2) Specialty: Mountaineering
3) Distinctive Feature: Steadfast
4) 1 Shadow Point or an Enemy (Loremaster Character)
5) 2 Shadow Points or -1 Body (Minimum 1)

6) When your father was killed in an infamous battle against the servants of the Shadow, you swore an oath that you would make the world a better place. Now, you begin to see that the only way you can do that is by ruling it with an iron fist. Only then can you truly destroy the Shadow.
Shadow Trait: Lure of Power

Table 3: Studies of Lore:
1) Result: +1 Wisdom
2) Specialty: Rhymes of Lore
3) Distinctive Feature: Keen-eyed
4) 1 Shadow Point or a book stolen from the Shadow that they seek
5) 2 Shadow Points or -1 Wits (Minimum 1)
6) Shadow Trait: Lure of Secrets

Table 4: Mercantile Affairs:
1) Your father was a travelling merchant – a dangerous occupation in those times, and even more so now. When he returned home from his travels, he regaled you with the finest tales of bravery against the servants of the Shadow – those struck a chord in your heart, and inspired you to great deeds.
Result: +1 Valor

2) Determined that his son would be a learned man in the ways of crafting and making, your father apprenticed you to a local blacksmith while you were still yet a lad. Although you went resentfully at the time, you have remembered your training to this day, and consider it some of the most valuable time of your life.
Specialty: Smith-craft

3) Inspired by your father’s suave way with words, you listened to him speak with folk from all parts of life – both the nobles and the peasants alike – and practiced such speech to yourself when others weren’t around.
Distinctive Feature: Fair-Spoken

4) Your father’s business ventures usually paid off – but one of them didn’t. Your family’s debt began to accumulate after that. If you ran and disowned your name, gain
1 Shadow Point
If family was more important to you than money, and you helped your parents to pay off their debt, gain
The remainder of a large debt to be paid

5) Soon before you struck out on your own, your family received grievous news one morning. Your father had been killed by a raiding band of orcs. After much discussion on the part of your family and your father’s associates, you were asked if you would take over your father’s place in his business. If you refuse because you have your own plans, gain
2 Shadow Points
If you accepted that your plans would have to wait and solemnly took your father’s place, gain
-1 Heart (Minimum 1)

6) You were born into a rich family who’s money carried them a long way on the backs of others. Although you haven’t always agreed with their business practices, you sometimes feel a tendency at your core to consider your needs before the needs of others.
Shadow Trait: Lure of Secrets

Some of these feel more like Background options which already exist in the rules as part of character generation and provide PCs with their attribute spread and a favoured skill. Also, with that in mind some would therefore appear to be incompatible with such backgrounds - ie, they are somewhat contradictory, sit within the same space with regard to building your character's background and so on.

Rich H wrote:Some of these feel more like Background options which already exist in the rules as part of character generation and provide PCs with their attribute spread and a favoured skill. Also, with that in mind some would therefore appear to be incompatible with such backgrounds - ie, they are somewhat contradictory, sit within the same space with regard to building your character's background and so on.

True. Any suggestions on how to fix this?
-TMG

TheMonarchGamer wrote:True. Any suggestions on how to fix this?
-TMG

Sorry, been away for a while so haven't been able to post.

I'd look into the feasibility of tailoring these options you're creating to each of the six Backgrounds (for each Culture). That way, you can avoid the contradictory elements, when something you've created would appear at odds with 1 or more backgrounds, but also use what you've created so far to enhance each Background that can be selected. There may be some that are generic and you can repeat for each of backgrounds of each of the cultures which would allow some overlap between them. This would maintain the existing step in creating a character of the cultural background choice that is made within the RAW but enhance what is there, fleshing out the background further with your optional rules.

Personally, I'm not too sure about additional points of Wisdom and the like being given out as part of this. Characters and their starting level of expertise is very finely balanced with Hope usage and other mechanics. Adding additional points to char gen may upset that and create a less than desirable play outcome but that may be something you aren't concerned about.

TheMonarchGamer

Interesting you are doing this project, as I am currently working on a Compendium of Backgrounds for Middle earth
I have also written a random Background generator which I modified from the Central Casting books. If you are interested I can Pm you with this generator

I don't see the Compendium being ready until the end of the year (so little spare time)

Robin S

Rich, fair point about the stat bonuses, my hope is that individual lore masters (if they decide to use these tables) will choose whether to make the tables just background 'fluff,' or add the mechanical bonuses as well. As per your other point about tailoring each set to a background per culture, are you suggesting a table of 6 options per background per culture? With twelve cultures soon to be (maybe thirteen?), and 6 backgrounds per culture, that would equate to 6 * 6 * 12 = 432 paragraphs! That's half a normal sci-fi/fantasy novel!
Even reusing a couple, that's still a lot of writing!

Robin, that'd be great, I'll PM you about that here shortly. You are, of course, more than welcome to use these backgrounds as they are or for ideas in your generator, if you'd like.
-TMG

TheMonarchGamer wrote:... my hope is that individual lore masters (if they decide to use these tables) will choose whether to make the tables just background 'fluff,'

Then as they stand they are somewhat redundant, which was my initial point; the idea of Background options already exists in this game. Much of what you've done would be a better fit if you simply developed further Background options to add to the 6 for each culture that are currently available (Poosticks did this and you can find them in my rules pdf in the link in my sig). What you're proposing here, from a design perspective when compared to the RAW, is a needless further layer in my opinion as it already exists.

Personally, if I was going to develop some further options to support a character's background I'd go with more generic tables that provide a player with information on things like: whether their parents are both alive, the number of siblings they have, what their parents and siblings attitudes are to them, where in the cultural region they hail from, etc. Even some of these could be contradicted by certain backgrounds but those could be caveated. Then at least such tables aren't providing options that would be better placed in an already existing part of the rules. Some of what you've done could fit into this kind of thing.

TheMonarchGamer wrote:... As per your other point about tailoring each set to a background per culture, are you suggesting a table of 6 options per background per culture? With twelve cultures soon to be (maybe thirteen?), and 6 backgrounds per culture, that would equate to 6 * 6 * 12 = 432 paragraphs! That's half a normal sci-fi/fantasy novel!
Even reusing a couple, that's still a lot of writing!

I was more suggesting your mechanical bonuses should just be a list under each background but personally I wouldn't bother with some due to the potential of breaking the fine balance of the game.