Some questions

[Azrael Macool]

Hello. I've got all the books, and read most of them, but have only played a couple sessions of TOR, so I thought I'd come here and ask some questions of those that know the system and the setting better than I. I had a whole bunch of them that I wanted to ask, but unfortunately my brain is kind of fried right now (I stayed up all night with my sick kitten, and now he's at the vet with a 50-50 chance of living), but I need to stay active, so I'll go ahead and ask the ones I remember and just ask the rest later.

First off, (and so far this is only theoretical, it has not come up in a game), one of my players wanted to know if, if he was disarmed (which normally takes a full round action to recover your lost weapon), he could pick up a weapon from a fallen foe, and still attack in the same round. I thought it sounded fair, since generally speaking he would have to have first downed an enemy, who was armed, and even then the odds that he's got the right skill to wield it effectively is rather low, though maybe there's something I'm missing. Which led to a related question:

He also asked if looting were a thing in this (he's more of a D&D player, only familiar with LotR from the movies, in his defense). I told him that it really wasn't, but he was curious about maybe picking up a Heavy Scimitar from a fallen Orc and using it has his weapon, either permanently or for a time. His logic was that he could use it to intimidate/infuriate Orcs by using one of their blades. I feel like this doesn't really fit with the setting, but I honestly haven't read much beyond the main books (Hobbit and LotR, so no Silmarillion or anything), so... I dunno. I figure he'd probably get a penalty when dealing with Free People for carrying such a thing, at least... and he wouldn't have the skill in it, except if he's got the (Swords) skill, maybe. I'm kind of at a loss on this one, though I usually try and be accommodating as a DM/GM/LM, he's prepared to accept that it doesn't fit, I just figured I'd ask if others have dealt with or heard of something like this.

Oh, and, a question about a shield being broken; when does it get replaced? Like... I know that if it's a Reward, it's got some amount of plot immunity, but only one Quality that i'm aware of actually makes a shield immune to being broken. Would that be assumed to be replaced after the battle? Once they reach a settlement? At the end of an Adventuring Phase? I don't know if it says anywhere, and I missed it, or if it's supposed to be up to the LM. Which also leads to another looting question: if you lose your shield, would it be appropriate to pick up another one on the battlefield, or is that considered a no-no?

Thanks for any answers, advice, or comments

[zedturtle]

There's no good definition of what a shield being smashed has in game terms; I'd be nice and have the damage be in measure to the liklihood of repair... i.e. in utter wilderness, a shield smash means a broken strap but close to a down the shield might be split in twain.

I think it's not necessarily wrong to take an enemy's weapons or gear (Frodo and Sam did so for good reasons), but it might be worth a Corruption test depending on the weapon and the circumstances. It should certainly affect Tolerance in Encounters, for good or ill depending on how the character presents himself and what the subject of the Encounter thinks about that presentation.

[Glorelendil]

Well, there's the fact that adversary weapons generally have worse stats than player-hero weapons.

Also that a great scimitar is just a different weapon than a longsword. So skill rank might be an issue.

[zedturtle]

Well, there's the fact that adversary weapons generally have worse stats than player-hero weapons.

Also that a great scimitar is just a different weapon than a longsword. So skill rank might be an issue.

If the character had (Swords) it might be ok, after all Laketowners can get a Serpent Scimitar...

[Azrael Macool]

Okay, I guess I can tell him that he can do it if he wants... Turns out there might have been some powergamer-thinking going on in his head, though, because he then asked that if he took a sword from a powerful minion of Sauron, if he might be allowed to make a test to see if it's magical. Off top my head, I figure I would only allow it if it were, say, a very powerful leader of some kind, and even then, you'd have to roll an Eye of Sauron or Gandalf and get at least two 6's on the roll; a result of Gandalf means it has only 1 curse, and you must make a Corruption test, and an Eye would mean you make a Curuption test at +2 TN and it comes with 2 curses. Or something. Or I could just not allow it at all. I think he just thinks it would be easier to find enchanted items off of fallen foes, and is willing to put up with Shadow and Curses to get them.

And yeah, I know using Orc-gear would be common when in disguise, I just didn't know if it would be appropriate to have them use otherwise. I guess if he wants to screw himself over, he can (though I'll probably allow him to reduce the TN of Intimidation tests by 1, if he was say, taunting his foes about taking the weapon from one of their own maybe), and generally reduce the Tolerance of encounters by 1 or more, depending.

I guess I could allow a Craft roll to repair a broken shield (which would be likely unnecessary if near a friendly town, though that might depend on Standard of Living). And if they took a fallen foe's shield, no roll would be needed, but it might cause trouble if the shields have, like, the Eye of Sauron on it or something

[Rue]

1) I hope your kitten is home and doing better soon; that's rough.

2) If I ran into a PC toting an Orc blade I'd be much less likely to trust them/help them, etc, unless they could convince me why the foul thing was necessary.

[Glorelendil]

Well, there's the fact that adversary weapons generally have worse stats than player-hero weapons.

Also that a great scimitar is just a different weapon than a longsword. So skill rank might be an issue.

If the character had (Swords) it might be ok, after all Laketowners can get a Serpent Scimitar...

Oh, yeah, I didn't even think of (swords). I was thinking that it's a two-handed sword and there's no player-hero equivalent. Wasn't really concerned as much that it's a different shape.

[Otaku-sempai]

Oh, yeah, I didn't even think of (swords). I was thinking that it's a two-handed sword and there's no player-hero equivalent. Wasn't really concerned as much that it's a different shape.

A blade like Narsil/Anduril might be classed as a great sword which, as the term is used by Tolkien, seems to be a hand-and-a-half or bastard sword. Such blades, as you know, can be used in either a single hand or two-handed. After Frodo and Sam are rescued from Mount Doom and when they meet Aragorn for the first time as the King of Gondor and Lord of the Western Lands, he is described thus: "...a mail-clad man, a great sword was laid across his knees, but he wore no helm." The great sword was presumably Anduril.

[Glorelendil]

I don't think Tolkien meant "great" in the technical sense. Anduril certainly fit into a scabbard. So bastard sword at the largest.

In any event, I wasn't claiming lack of canon, I just meant there's no sword for players, in the rules, that requires two hands.

[Otaku-sempai]

I don't think Tolkien meant "great" in the technical sense. Anduril certainly fit into a scabbard. So bastard sword at the largest.

In any event, I wasn't claiming lack of canon, I just meant there's no sword for players, in the rules, that requires two hands.

There seems to have been a period when the term "great sword" could be equally applied to a bastard sword or to a two-hander. And, if I remember right, Tolkien used the term in at least a couple of other instances. So, yes, Narsil/Anduril could very well have been a bastard sword (which is what I was going for in the first place).