FP Undertaking

[Hermes Serpent]

My on-line company has been searching the wilds of the Western upper Anduin vale for someone mentioned by an NPC. They've met Black Tom and formed a good opinion of him and he of them. They've come across a cottage in the Rushdown Woods and despite misgivings (much side banter about hansel and gretel and is the cottage made of gingerbread) they met Mab the Spinner. One companion has been much intrigued with her and her knowledge of things in the wider world. A dwarven collector of lore has asked if he can 'study' with her and acquire 'spells'.

OOC the player has mentioned that his character's "primary interest is in secret-lore/knowledge etc. He's always interested in learning more "Spells" (or anything he perceives to be a spell). How this plays out
could be up to you. It could be as simple as reskinning some of the Dwarven Virtues as "Spells", for example "Enchantment of Hatred" = Old Hatred. "Raven Familiar" = Ravens of the Mountain, and so on and so forth.
In truth, there are some things I'd be more interested in though, ..."

I've thought about this and looked at stats for Mab from HotW and come up with a draft of something I think I could possibly offer to sate his thirst for 'knowledge' and 'secret-lore'.
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Fellowship Undertaking
A companion can spend a Fellowship Phase studying the Lore, Healing craft, potions and salves of Mab the
Spinner at her cottage in the Rushdown Woods. The companion has to work hard for Mab not only
gathering herbs but cutting wood for her fire, tending various bubbling pots and crushing seeds and
plants in a mortar for salves.

The companion can gain the benefits of the Rhymes-of-lore speciality for the duration of the following
Adventuring phase. if the character already has Rhymes-of-lore, then he may gain two benefits from a
single Trait invocation (for example, he could automatically succeed at a roll and gain an Advancement
point).

Alternatively the companion can learn how to prepare salves and healing herbs and where to acquire the
necessary materials. Gain a +1 bonus to Healing until the companion acquires a new level in their Healing skill.

Alternatively the companion can study the plants and herbs that Mab uses in her remedies and gain the
trait Herb-lore for use only in the Anduin vales.

Alternatively the companion may study Shadow-lore with Mab to learn what she's knows of the darker
things of the world gaining a +2 on Lore tests/tasks associated with Shadow.
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Comments please and also suggestions for alternative or additional ideas.

[Rocmistro]

I'm thinking on this Hermes. As long as he doesn't have to give her the Marrow from his Bones!

[zedturtle]

I like it, it seems to be a good balance and equal to several examples in the official books.

I know you are not a big fan of them, but by magic options lore of healing and lore of beasts might also be a good fit.

[Hermes Serpent]

Hi like it, it seems to be a good balance and equal to several examples in the official books.

I know you are not a big fan of them, but by magic options lore of healing and lore of beasts might also be a good fit.

Have I given that impression

What do you suggest is covered by lore of healing that isn't covered by Healing, Herb-lore and Leechcraft?
Similarly for beast-lore vs lore of beasts. B-L is pretty unspecific, is a cave safe? and monster-lore is razor focussed or one thing.

As an aside I'm finding that characters oftimes do not keep their traits in mind and try to mis-apply them. Mirkwood-lore is a prime example; players want to use it for everything except the bonus to Travelling it's actually written as.

Perhaps a case of the wrong or confusing choice of word or phrase to identify a trait leading to the nature of the trait being mis-remembered all the time.

This might be fertile ground for the Adventurers Companion book.

[zedturtle]

Have I given that impression

What do you suggest is covered by lore of healing that isn't covered by Healing, Herb-lore and Leechcraft?
Similarly for beast-lore vs lore of beasts. B-L is pretty unspecific, is a cave safe? and monster-lore is razor focussed or one thing.

Hand of the Healer is a guaranteed wound treatment; so I guess it's equivalent to appropriate traits. There's nothing quite equivalent to Easing of Pain by using a trait; Battle Leechcraft is dependent in what the Loremaster allows in combat - either it's a powerful ability or it's equivalent to a trait invocation.

For Lore of Beasts being able to find and speak to animals can be quite useful, if the LM works with the player. For example, an owl might find companions lost at night for a meal treat. And, of course, having a loyal and strong(er) pony, hound or horse could be highly useful.

As an aside I'm finding that characters oftimes do not keep their traits in mind and try to mis-apply them. Mirkwood-lore is a prime example; players want to use it for everything except the bonus to Travelling it's actually written as.

Perhaps a case of the wrong or confusing choice of word or phrase to identify a trait leading to the nature of the trait being mis-remembered all the time.

This might be fertile ground for the Adventurers Companion book.

I understand your point, but I think that the official material helps cause the confusion... how does studying the carvings at Wuduseld make you navigate Mirkwood better? (I think that's a valid example but I don't have my books to hand right now)

[Glorelendil]

how does studying the carvings at Wuduseld make you navigate Mirkwood better?

[Glorelendil]

By the way, I think "Studying with the Lampmaker" is a good precedent for this general idea.

[zedturtle]

Ha ha ha! Point well taken.

[Hermes Serpent]

I was generally trying to avoid too much overlap with some of the other Undertakings. The animals thing is one of the Beornings possible Undertakings. The Wuduseld Undertaking offers Old-lore for a Phase rather than anything to do with Travel in Mirkwood, perhaps you were thinking of the Sentinel Oak Undertaking.

It seems to me that some Undertakings are a lot less useful than others, The Feast in the Great Clearing strikes me as one that offers little benefit whereas visiting the Kingstone to get three Hope on an initial visit and one thereafter seems somewhere in the middle especially as Hope recovery is not to simple and easy.

The possibilities suggested I thought to be in line with Mab's skills and not so powerful as to make a visit to her preferable to many of the other options. I think that it's worth considering things like this for other Undertakings with other LM characters of note.