Spell-casting characters

[jeremy]

Hello all,

I just picked up this game at a bookstore and really like it. I'm currently trying to get a group together to run it, but I'm a little concerned that the lack of any spell-casting characters will turn off all but the most loyal Middle Earth fans, particularly people who are used to that kind of character from having played games like D&D, Pathfinder, etc.

Has there been any talk or ideas about working in a magic-using type of character? Even if it's not an all-out spell-caster as in D&D but just a character with some limited casting ability, it might help to draw in players who have that sort of expectation.

[Hermes Serpent]

Err, you've not read the books yet have you?

Dwarves have spells and so do Elves and some of the Adversaries, just not flashy magic. That's reserved for Maia like Gandalf as is written in the books.

If your players expect flashy magic then they aren't playing the right game.

[jeremy]

Thanks. No, I haven't read the books all the way through yet. Like I said, I only just got them. For some reason I thought there was no spell-casting at all; perhaps it was some misinformation I picked up on the Internet somewhere.

At any rate, your answer was what I was hoping for: at least some magic for some characters. Whether it's "flashy" or not is irrelevant to me. I just think it's something to offer players who are used to game systems that ooze magic spells. It's not the same thing, but at least it's something that will help keep them from being turned off altogether.

[Corvo]

Hi Jeremy!

Welcome onboard
Your concerns are far from uncommon, and many a user of this forum has concocted some magic system in the past.
Now I'm in a hurry, but with a bit of luck later I can search for some threads about magic systems. Sure there were some in the old forum.

[Vlue]

I understand that the lack of "magical-characters" may be a little disappointing for those players used to general fantasy RPGs. I tried to create a way to satisfy this type of players that could maintain a sort of coherence with Tolkien's setting. The only thing that came in my mind is the Whitch-King of Angmar. I mean the idea that a magical artifact (like a ring) may grant magical powers to it's bearer. However, I don't know enough informations of this figure. In addition, all the documentation seems to suggest that this type of power is always connected to "evil", so it may be necessary to create a new system and new rules for Shadow management (at this point, a new type of sheet maybe). It's only a vague idea that surely needs a deep analysis of Tolkien's books. Maybe it's achievable, maybe not.

[jeremy]

Not all magic was tied to evil and corruption. Some of the toys at Bilbo's birthday party, for example, were magical and of dwarf-make, as I recall.

That said, it seems that, going by the books, spells and magic were for those of extremely great power, such as Gandalf, Sauron, etc. Everyone else were common folk or fighter-types. Even though they may have been very powerful, such as Aragorn, they didn't cast spells.

There are some hints, though, that there was a body of spells/magic knowledge written down. Gandalf, for example, at one point said that he used to know every spell for opening doors in various languages. I don't have the exact quote, but I believe he said it when he was trying to open the gates of Moria. A loremaster could conceivably run with that implication and allow those scribed spells in his or her campaign. The big question would then be: How much should be allowed?

[James Harrison]

I have just come to the forums to copy the text from the Eregrin & Meglinon of Imladris post I half read earlier this week - they are two fantastic NPC's that would be fun to use.

Anyway before opening the thread and copying I read this thread. Then after I'd copied I noticed in Robin smallborrow's signature "Magic in Middle Earth V2" (and many other downloads)... upon inspection I've discovered it's an 86 page fan-made document with rules for magic in the one ring! As Gandalf might say "it was not chance that brought you to these forums"

Anyway here is the post you want Eregrin & Meglinon of Imladris

Happy wizarding! God bless,
james

[jeremy]

Thanks for sharing that, James. I'll definitely have to check it out.

[Corvo]

About using spells to open a door... se page 127 of the Adventurer's Book, the dwarfish "Broken Spells"

About rules for spells...
look for the names of Robin Smallburrow, Kaltharion and a fellow who wrote a supplement under the name Thel Whowas. They all created fan supplements for magic users in The One Ring (I just found the third one in my hd, still looking for the others...)

[Corvo]

Here I'm with some links:

-to download Robin Smallburrow's rules... well, go to his profile page and dowload from the signature space
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=185
-Kaltharion rules, as far ai I know, are here: http://cubicle7.clicdev.com/f/index.php ... =33&t=2383
-The1whowas rules were discussed here: http://cubicle7.clicdev.com/f/index.php ... topic=3394
the link to download the rules is missing, but if you want I can email them to you.