Old Toby

[Stormcrow]

The Loremaster may choose to reward players with extra Hope at any time. We see it occasionally in the published adventures. He should only do so when the player-heroes experience a moment of joy or eucatastrophe, when their hope (lowercase) surges. For instance, when Bilbo saw the eagles coming to the Battle of Five Armies, he would probably have gotten a point of Hope.

Managed to salvage a pouch of Old Toby from the river? Nah, not worth a point of Hope. Lost in goblin-tunnels without light, food, or pipe-weed when you come across a pouch of Old Toby lost by Bilbo during his time there? Stop for a smoke, and gain a point of Hope.

[barefoottourguide]

I was thinking of this as the first experience with Old Toby, exposing the heroes to something else wonderful, soothing and reminding them of the good in the world.
Garrett

[Rich H]

I was thinking of this as the first experience with Old Toby, exposing the heroes to something else wonderful, soothing and reminding them of the good in the world.
Garrett

I think it would make more sense to tie it to circumstances surrounding when it is used rather than a 'first use' thing. After all, not everyone enjoys smoking! Stormcrow's examples in the earlier post fit how I'd employ it in my campaign.

[barefoottourguide]

Gotch. Make it more the miracle light found in darkness if I use it mechanically.
garrett

[aramis]

I'd be a bit more mechanical with it - make a suitable social roll for a smoking-trait character, when he lights up. On a success or 2, cure 1 endurance; 3 successes, a fellowship point is restored. The waxed paper pouch loses its quality after a year, or if the contents are allowed to get wet or dried out. Good for about 10 uses, maximum once per week. On a fumble, however, the character costs himself 1d6 endurance which cannot be recovered except by sleep or magic, by overdoing it.

See, it's not that he's getting the benefit from the pipe weed, but that he's using it to entertain the others, and it's so pleasant with memories of home...

[Majestic]

...as I don't refresh the Fellowship Poo at the end of each sessions

It's when your players start throwing the Fellowship Poo that you realize you have serious problems!

[venger]

In my campaigns passing around some Old Toby before/during a social encounter adjusts the Tolerance for that encounter.
"Hey before we get down to business... lets have a smoke of Old Toby to get our minds right!"

Assuming the subject of the Encounter is a smoker. I play it that pretty much every NPC is to some degree.

[barefoottourguide]

I like that as a modifier adjustment.
Garrett

[SirGalrim]

Nice. I would increase the tolerance by one. From my experience offering smoke don't make people more inclined to agree with you, but they they do become better at stopping up and listen and have a good conversation. Long time since I smoked though. But I imagine even so more with pipes as you spend more time filling the pipe, light it, rinse it. From old guys I've met smoking pipes it seems like its quite some work. Comes really easy to them of course. But never the less it takes time. And in middle-earth pipe-weed is also more rare than here. So maybe people are even more grateful. I think a tolerance increase fits quite well.