Ranger's Hope/ Noldor Shadow Skill

[Southron]

Just curious to others' thoughts about the hope pool recovery for Rangers and shadow-skill marring for Noldor?

IMO they are a little harsh. However, I have not thought of an alternative at the moment of how I might alter them.

[zedturtle]

Just curious to others' thoughts about the hope pool recovery for Rangers and shadow-skill marring for Noldor?

IMO they are a little harsh. However, I have not thought of an alternative at the moment of how I might alter them.

I'd be careful with that... as a purely mental exercise the other day I made a starting Noldo character that has four dice in Great Spear and a Parry of 9.

Sure, his Common Skills weren't great, but I was careful to pick favoured skills so that the two that I really wanted (Awe and Travel) could be raised very soon.

As for Rangers, I have one in one of my groups. He's been a good assist character, but hasn't shone too brightly yet. However, he's about to have an opportunity to prove his mettle in just a little while.

[Tolwen]

Just curious to others' thoughts about the hope pool recovery for Rangers and shadow-skill marring for Noldor?

IMO they are a little harsh. However, I have not thought of an alternative at the moment of how I might alter them.

Concerning the Noldor's skill-marring I understand the rationale of balancing the characters versus the more normal ones from Wilderland. This is also fortunately rationalized not just by balancing needs but also the special situation and experience of the Noldor. Still, I can't agree on the RAW, as the texts have examples of Noldor being actively engaged in Eriador over extended periods of time (e.g. the sons of Elrond actively campaigning against the orcs throughout 500 years). Even by pure chance they wouldn't have left any skill unmarred by the time of the LotR IMO.

My solution is to allow Noldor the reduction of Shadow (or even the "healing" of marred skills), but only by a long, uninterrupted stay in an elven haven (e.g. Imladris). My idea is about a decade per point of Shadow or even longer for a marred skill. That serves the game balance purpose (i.e. effectively removing them from a group or campaign while recovering in this way) while in the same instant prevent Noldor from being removed from involvement in Middle-earth too much.

Cheers
Tolwen

[Deadmanwalking]

Personally, I think the rules are a bit harsh on Dunedain and High Elves. The combination of the problems you list and their increased Experience Costs is really quite severe...quite probably too severe.

Therefore, I feel that removing one of those two restrictions is probably reasonable for most games. Me, I'm inclined to keep their unique relationship to Hope/Shadow and regularize their xp costs, but the reverse (removing those restrictions, but leaving the heightened xp costs) might also work fairly well.

[Angelalex242]

I play a Noldor, and I haven't had a problem with the restrictions. Then again, I'm also very good at minimizing Shadow on my Noldor, realizing it's going to bring him down if I let up on controlling it for even a second.

[Glorelendil]

I'm afraid to spend any Hope on my Ranger, especially since we are in Wilderland where I can't use any of my special hope-restoring FP undertakings. (I wish there were a generic "visit site meaningful to Sea Kings" undertaking that could, at LM's discretion, be anywhere.)

It's hard to say though whether the costs outweigh the benefits. The inability to restore Hope is certainly more noticeable during play than the advantage of higher stats and skills.

[poosticks7]

Just curious to others' thoughts about the hope pool recovery for Rangers and shadow-skill marring for Noldor?

IMO they are a little harsh. However, I have not thought of an alternative at the moment of how I might alter them.

Concerning the Noldor's skill-marring I understand the rationale of balancing the characters versus the more normal ones from Wilderland. This is also fortunately rationalized not just by balancing needs but also the special situation and experience of the Noldor. Still, I can't agree on the RAW, as the texts have examples of Noldor being actively engaged in Eriador over extended periods of time (e.g. the sons of Elrond actively campaigning against the orcs throughout 500 years). Even by pure chance they wouldn't have left any skill unmarred by the time of the LotR IMO.

My solution is to allow Noldor the reduction of Shadow (or even the "healing" of marred skills), but only by a long, uninterrupted stay in an elven haven (e.g. Imladris). My idea is about a decade per point of Shadow or even longer for a marred skill. That serves the game balance purpose (i.e. effectively removing them from a group or campaign while recovering in this way) while in the same instant prevent Noldor from being removed from involvement in Middle-earth too much.

Cheers
Tolwen

This is a nice idea, but not sure of the practical application in game.

'I'm going to rest for 30 years.'

Loremaster: 'Okay.... Just so you know my planned campaign is roughly another 25....'

That being said, it would be pretty cool to play an elf in an earlier time, watch him get jaded. Then have him show up again all fresh and restored.

[Tolwen]

This is a nice idea, but not sure of the practical application in game.

'I'm going to rest for 30 years.'

Loremaster: 'Okay.... Just so you know my planned campaign is roughly another 25....'

That being said, it would be pretty cool to play an elf in an earlier time, watch him get jaded. Then have him show up again all fresh and restored.

You're right. I thought more about the effect of this mechanic on the inner logic of the world rather than the direct application (and its implications) on a game/campaign. Thus my remark on Elladan and Elrohir and their determined campaigning against orcs for more than 500 years.
So I thought more how the Noldor could act and function with this the way they do throughout the centuries of the Third Age rather than a - comparatively - short game campaign.

For a specific campaign, I would leave the mechanic as it is, perhaps a bit softened from the RAW. Concerning the Rangers and their "Hope problem", I would also soften it. A solution here would also be to make Hope renewal harder than usual. For example, in a group not composed entirely of Rangers, a Ranger of the North would have to invest double as much as anyone else in the group, i.e. he has to take two points from the Fellowship Pool to regain one point of his own Hope. This can also be applied to him using Pool Points (=he has to use two Pool Points to receive the benefit of one). You might also make this even harder (e.g. 3 for 1).

Cheers
Tolwen

[Glorelendil]

For example, in a group not composed entirely of Rangers, a Ranger of the North would have to invest double as much as anyone else in the group, i.e. he has to take two points from the Fellowship Pool to regain one point of his own Hope. This can also be applied to him using Pool Points (=he has to use two Pool Points to receive the benefit of one). You might also make this even harder (e.g. 3 for 1).

This is exactly what I was just thinking of.

[Southron]

I have found the inability to recover tough during game play. I do like the above mentioned suggestion by Tolwen.