Ranger's Hope/ Noldor Shadow Skill

[Hermes Serpent]

Interestingly in our weekend-long mini-campaign we had a High elf and a Dunedain. In both cases it the Woodman who had made himself a decent healer (and had zero game-system knowledge prior to the game) who was often the pivotal figure keeping several of us functioning due to his leech-craft and Healing level 4. It just proves that the original cultures have a lot to offer.

[Tolwen]

Related to the question about how to remove Shadow/recover Hope, I only changed the mechanic for the High Elves, which I don't like and don't quite understand flavour-wise:
Now, whenever a High Elf can reduce his Shadow score, he just reduces half (rounding up) points.

This way I consider that the Rivendell elves need to play music, sing song and compose poetry (Use Song for Heal Corruption Undertaking) double as any other culture.

Not that hobbits would ever acquire quite the Elvish appetite for music and poetry and tales. They seem to like them as much as food, or more.

That sounds like a sensible approach to me - both in terms of game-related questions and flavour/Arda Lore. That could be even made finer grained if you go for greater detail, but the basic idea of making Hope recovery/Shadow reduction harder instead of inventing an entire new rule is both easy and elegant IMO

Cheers
Tolwen

[zedturtle]

Related to the question about how to remove Shadow/recover Hope, I only changed the mechanic for the High Elves, which I don't like and don't quite understand flavour-wise:
Now, whenever a High Elf can reduce his Shadow score, he just reduces half (rounding up) points.

This way I consider that the Rivendell elves need to play music, sing song and compose poetry (Use Song for Heal Corruption Undertaking) double as any other culture.

Not that hobbits would ever acquire quite the Elvish appetite for music and poetry and tales. They seem to like them as much as food, or more.

That sounds like a sensible approach to me - both in terms of game-related questions and flavour/Arda Lore. That could be even made finer grained if you go for greater detail, but the basic idea of making Hope recovery/Shadow reduction harder instead of inventing an entire new rule is both easy and elegant IMO

Cheers
Tolwen

I have to board the "me too" train... I think this is a great alternative to the standard rules. The standard rules provide an answer as to why High Elves don't go out very much; this is a bit of that, but not as strongly restrictive. My mind is split on this issue, but I do think that heroes should be allowed to adventure.

[Glorelendil]

Hmm. I do like the symmetry. However, Noldor are even more powerful than Dunedain (in terms of beginning stats) but I would call double-cost for Shadow a milder downside than double-cost for Hope. But we're wandering into House Rules territory in this thread.

[Angelalex242]

Quite.

For me, at least, RAW has been within my ability to handle. Just gotta realize shadow is the enemy and build to avoid it.

[Falenthal]

But we're wandering into House Rules territory in this thread.

I'm up to my knees in it...

That's why I moved this part of the discussion to the HR Thread:
viewtopic.php?f=56&t=4113

[Majestic]

When I read this thread and all your ideas of modification and house rules because they dont look like what we read in the novel, It's remember me similar discussion in fantasy flight game forum about jedi character in their star wars rpg. Some people were complening about how they look weak compare to other character because the large amount of XP needed to achieve what the characters in the movies do. Other people responded saying; "Nah it's cool. For once the jedi are part of the group, not some half-gods overshadowing their mundane companions"

I think the same parallel can be draw here with the Noldor and the Dunedain.

There is most certainly a parallel, vilainn6. In my own recent Star Wars campaign (using D6, rather than FFG's game), I had two Jedi (a full Knight and a Padawan), and it was tough keeping them balanced with the others in the party. I felt that they had a number of things they couldn't do - basically they were forced to be ultra good, and couldn't make some of the 'gray' choices the other PCs made. But they still tended to outshine and outperform the others, especially in combat. I completely "get" the mechanics that TOR has to try to keep these longer-lived or more experienced characters in line with the other PCs.