Royalty Revealed

[Angelalex242]

This Dunedain ability seems to function as a taunt, and moreover, it buffs all your enemies as it does so. Is the taunt ability worth it? Can, or should, a Dunedain use royalty revealed, then slip back into a defensive stance and tank? What's the 'right way' to use this ability without the Dunedain getting himself killed?

[Glorelendil]

This Dunedain ability seems to function as a taunt, and moreover, it buffs all your enemies as it does so. Is the taunt ability worth it? Can, or should, a Dunedain use royalty revealed, then slip back into a defensive stance and tank? What's the 'right way' to use this ability without the Dunedain getting himself killed?

By meta-gaming and knowing which adversaries already have favoured weapons...?

[Deadmanwalking]

It's definitely worth using with high Awe when fighting Craven foes.

I mean, with a decent roll, you could readily take out three or more 1 Hate foes in a round (one slain by the sword, the rest scared off). Even if outnumbered 3 to 1, that's solid (and it's great when fighting 2 to 1 odds or less). It's also solid vs. a big single foe like a troll where their Hate is really bad for you (removing it is worth a lot to the group).

Using it specifically to tank? Maybe worth it if you've maxed your parry (you can get a total of 9 on a Dunedain with Wits 5 and a Reinforced Great Shield).

It's especially worth it if the adversaries already have Hatred directed at someone in the group, since that means it effectively doesn't buff them, just redirects them.

[Angelalex242]

The problem is then that ALL foes in the battle gain Hatred Dunedain once it's used.

So, if say Aragorn used that at the Battle of Helm's Deep...all 10,000 of Saruman's uruks now have hatred Dunedain.

Sadly, the 'no limits fallacy' doesn't seem to apply to this ability. It really is no limits.

[Deadmanwalking]

The problem is then that ALL foes in the battle gain Hatred Dunedain once it's used.

So, if say Aragorn used that at the Battle of Helm's Deep...all 10,000 of Saruman's uruks now have hatred Dunedain.

Sadly, the 'no limits fallacy' doesn't seem to apply to this ability. It really is no limits.

Sure, but most battles don't have that many foes in them, and by the time you use this, many will be engaged with your comrades already.

I mean, yeah, it's not always a good idea, but that doesn't mean it's never a good idea.

[bluejay]

A couple of relevant points here: -

Opponents get Hatred of Dunedain and try to attack them however only three melee opponents can attack at the same time. It's not as if the entire opposition attack him immediately.

Obviously you want to have a good Awe/Battle skill to use this. Once you're taking out the opponents' Hate Points then their weariness should compensate for the favoured weapons.

You simply cannot use the existing combat rules to handle a mass combat like Helm's Deep. They're not designed for that.

Surely the Royalty Revealed virtue is limited to whoever can see and hear the Dunadan who uses it?

In the specific case of Aragorn, he is wielding Anduril which surely has Gleam of Terror meaning he's likely taking anywhere between 8-12 Hate points off his opponents every round he Intimidates. That's a lot of Weary opponents!

[Angelalex242]

On top of that Flame of Hope thing it probably also has, and then some kind of 'this weapon harms Maiar' unique thing.

It's the only known weapon capable of damaging Sauron while he's wearing the One Ring. That's gotta count for something. Particularly since it did so in mortal hands. Badass Dunedain hands, but mortal nonetheless.

[Láthspell]

Personally I would run the Battle of the Hornburg (or the Siege of Minas Tirith/Battle of the Pelennor Fields) as multiple smaller engagements rather than one long slog, not unlike the Battle of the Celduin or the Last March of the Woodmen. Given that combat in the One Ring tends more towards the quick and deadly side, a Lore-master could still produce a suitably epic battle with a handful of encounters.

Helm's Deep would have a company of three companions: Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, though Éomer might be added as a fourth. Legolas would be allowed to be in Rearward stance as long as the Deeping Wall is not taken. Each encounter would count separately for the purposes of Virtues, and recovery could be allowed between the third and fourth encounters.

Battle of the Hornburg

The Siege of the gate: Aragorn, Gimli, and Éomer move through the postern gate to engage a force of Uruk-Hai and Dunlendings assaulting the main gate with a battering ram. Legolas fires volleys from the deepen wall.

Scaling of the Walls/Slipping through the culvert: Aragorn, Legolas and Éomer defend the walls from Orcs and Dunlendings scaling them with ladders. Gimli defends the culvert from a number of Orcs that manage to slip through.

The Breaching of the Wall: "Some devilry of Orthanc" blasts a hole in the deeming wall at the culvert, and Orcs and Dunlendings begin flooding in. Aragorn, Legolas and Éomer make a fighting retreat to the Hornburg, while Gimli withdraws to the Glittering caves.

The Charge of the Rohirrim: When the Orcs breach the Hornburg, Aragorn, Legolas and Éomer led by King Theoden lead the Rohirrim in a charge against their assailants. Gimli defends the Glittering Caves (and gains the benefits of Durin's Way during the fight).

With the breaking of the new dawn, Gandalf arrives with the army of Erkenbrand. The Dunlendings surrender and the Orcs are put to flight into a newly arrived forest of Huorns.
__________________________________________________________

Andúril would presumably still count as being of Dwarven make despite being reforged by the Elves. To make it even more unique (even by the Magical Treasures rules) and trying to keep with the lore, one might even add Bane of Mordor, despite Dwarven weapons not normally having Banes.

Companion: Aragorn Elessar, "Strider"
Item: Andúril, Flame of the West

Type: Long Sword
Craftsmanship: Dwarven
Banes: n/a (possibly Bane of Mordor)
Qualities:
1. Flame of Hope (Rally Comrades adds bearer's Valour score to Endurance gained)
2. Gleam of Terror (Intimidate Foes adds bearer's Valour score to Hate lost)
3. Superior Keen (Weapon's edge reduced by 2)

Notes: The Elven smiths of Rivendell reforged the Shards of Narsil, also know as the Sword-that-was-Broken, into Andúril on the behalf of Aragorn. It was given into his keeping prior to the Company of the Ring setting out from Imladris on the 25th of December 3018 of the Third Age.

[Blubbo Baggins]

You guys must check out JamesRBrown's Mythic Battles rules (see thread for TOR resources, which is stickied). It is fan-made, but pretty much has the approval of the designers for handling mass combat. It is NOT rules crunchy, it fits extremely well into the system as written (it makes sense), and most importantly is fun. The LM can create epic feeling, narrative battles, where the PCs choices do make a difference. Oh, and it is very dangerous...as such a battle should be.