[Rohan Spoilers] The <<Blank>> of Nan Mordeleb

[zedturtle]

I guess in order to avoid giving too much away, we'll spoiler the title. Here, we will say it true: The Balrog of Nan Mordeleb. So it's word-of-creators that there's a Balrog in the valley (sure there were also words like 'maybe', 'might' and 'possibly' in there too, but those don't matter, right?). Let's stat it up!

Before we get too far, I should point out that this is a game without movement types or specific rates. In other words, we don't care about the famous debate. Plus, different balrogs can be different. And it's not very interesting from a gaming point of view if the Balrog of Moria was a unique creature, completely the last of its kind throughout the wide world.

Oh, also... I'm posting this in the main forum, because I anticipate that we'll just be attaching numbers to pre-existing things (at least for the most part). But if it gets moved, I won't be too upset.

In any case, here's my try (#1, at least):

Lesser Balrog

Attribute Level: 10
Endurance: 100
Hate: 12
Parry: 7
Armour: 2d

Skills:
Personality: 3
Survival: 4
Movement: 4
Custom: 1
Perception: 4
Vocation: 2

Weapon Skills:
Whip 3
Sword 5

Special Abilities:
Cruel Stroke
Deadly Elusiveness
Darker than the Darkness
Fell Speed
Great Size
Seize Victim
Thing of Terror (TN 18)

Weapons
Whip of Many Thongs Damage: 5, Edge: Eye, Injury: 14, Called Shot: Disarm
Red Sword: Damage: 9, Edge: 9, Injury: 18, Called Shot: Disarm

[Glorelendil]

I'd give the Whip a skill of 4, unfavoured. It should be all about the Called Shots, and attribute bonuses don't really help with that, and skill: 2 won't go very far.

[zedturtle]

I'd give the Whip a skill of 4, unfavoured. It should be all about the Called Shots, and attribute bonuses don't really help with that, and skill: 2 won't go very far.

Well, what I wanted was reliable Seize Victim and then smash 'em hard with the sword.

[Glorelendil]

Ah, got it. Yeah, that's pretty cool. I'd still make it favoured: 3. True that with the +10 you don't really even need Success dice, but 2 just seems wussy.

[zedturtle]

Ah, got it. Yeah, that's pretty cool. I'd still make it favoured: 3. Yeah, with the +10 you don't really even need Success dice, but 2 just seems wussy.

Well it is a lesser balrog. Got to have some room to grow...

(Yeah, you're probably right.)

[Arthadan]

To be honest, I wouldn't make stats for a balrog. Gandalf tells the Fellowship to run for their lives and he, the second most powerful Istari, defeat it at the cost of his life. Heroes shouldn't stand a chance against creatures able to empty a whole Dwarven kingdom...

[Terisonen]

Surely, as everyone who have fight with a Balrog pay with his life, without exception. They are Angel of Death, whoever crossing their path is doomed to die.

[Glorelendil]

Except that at least two individuals, of a race/culture available to player-heroes, have slain Balrogs (and died themselves) in one-on-one combat. Nor do we have any reason to assume that all Balrogs are of equal (or even approximately equal) power.

Certainly it's valid to rule that no man or elf of the 3rd age can stand against any Balrog. Nor does it break canon to choose otherwise.

[zedturtle]

To be honest, I wouldn't make stats for a balrog. Gandalf tells the Fellowship to run for their lives and he, the second most powerful Istari, defeat it at the cost of his life. Heroes shouldn't stand a chance against creatures able to empty a whole Dwarven kingdom...

It all depends on what purpose the balrog serves in the story and the game. I doubt very many 'typical'* companies would fare well against my lesser balrog, and there's plenty of room to pump him up. And if the balrog's purpose in the adventure is to say "NO EXIT THIS WAY", then he doesn't need stats. But if his purpose in the game is to be something that must be fought, even for a little, just to keep him contained long enough so that someone else may escape, even if it comes at the cost of a hero's life, then he does need stats. We need to be able to mechanically reproduce the impact to the story that fighting a balrog would create. We need to give the heroes a way to engage for a round or two and then Escape Combat, or to keep at it, no matter the cost.

And this thread is for fun ways to represent that. My answer might not be best (it probably isn't, I just wrote it last night into the browser window with no super-long consideration of anything), but I'd love to see others.

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* Because someone is going to say that their Company of Nine High Elves (all with Magical Weapons and 200 XP of improvements) could beat his butt.

[Glorelendil]

I think I'd also bump his Hate up to 20.

Or, better yet, give him Dreadful Spells with the effect that whenever a hero gains a Shadow point from it, the Balrog gains a Hate point. And then give him the Driven ability so it doesn't cost Hate to use.

I think I'd also give him Great Might, too.

Between those two changes it would be really hard to make him Weary.