Aragorn vs. The Nazgul

[Deadmanwalking]

So, I've seen this event (ie: Aragorn successfully driving off five Nazgul) presented as something that couldn't happen in the game. I disagree, and will demonstrate how he might have done this.

So, we'll start by assuming Aragorn is a Dunadan, with the 'Kingly Voice' background and thus Body 6 (8 Favored), Heart 6 (9 Favored), and Wit 5 (6 Favored). Being who he is, we'll assume he has Awe (or Battle, or both) at 6, and Long Sword, Valour, and Wisdom at 5 each (allowing some room to grow over the course of the books). This is a conservative estimate, but not an unreasonable one.

We'll assume he has Royalty Revealed and Against The Unseen, because of course he does. He also has fire, which is super nice...and he has the shards of Narsil. Now, what effect they might have is somewhat debatable, but it's not a stretch to say that it might give him one of the Enchanted Qualities of the reforged blade...and one of those qualities almost certainly should be Gleam of Terror (another should be Flame of Hope, but that's less relevant here).

So, he starts by resisting the Black Breath and Deadly Voice, something his stats set him up to do quite well. Now, assuming he starts out knowing that no mundane weapon can hurt the Nazgul (which he does), he strives to Intimidate Foes as his best option. With 6 dice (effectively 7 with an Awe Mastery), he can pretty readily average one six, so we'll say over four combat rounds he gets 2 sixes, one six, one six, and zero sixes respectively. That means that, with Gleam of Terror, he drains a total of 33 Hate from the Nazgul...but wait, the fire he's using drains another 5 (one from each) due to their Fear of Fire. That's 38 Hate and almost 8 Hate per Nazgul. Assuming they spent some in there (and the ones casting certainly have)...they are now all Weary. And think that Frodo is dying. And likely think Aragorn has a magic weapon to kill them with (since he's using a Quality from one).

Retreat at that point is a sound tactical decision on their part even assuming there isn't something in play making them Craven (which there could be, it's a unique situation in a lot of ways...plus he can attack in melee as well every turn, which might well have gotten one to 0 Endurance anyway, with a bit of luck).

So...to win that fight, Aragorn must simply survive four rounds in melee with three Nazgul (plus weather the spells of two others...only three engaged in melee). That's it. And one of those Nazgul takes at least a round to stab Frodo. So that's, what, 11 attacks at most? That's a lot to take in Forward Stance, admittedly, but not an unbelievable number if someone is, say, using Song or Inspire to back him up. And Sam, unlike the others, seems to have been conscious and available to help for that whole set of events (heck, he might've even taken an attack or three instead, or as well, as helping Aragorn). And even if he doesn't get help like that, he could pretty easily be okay if all they have are claws and some attacks miss (Nazgul claws mostly do 4 Endurance loss...and Aragorn almost certainly has 32 Endurance due to Endurance of the Ranger).

So...yeah, that seems like a thing that could happen. It would require some lucky rolling on Aragorn's part, mind you, but it seems eminently possible.

[Stormcrow]

But Aragorn never reveals himself to the Nazgul. He never draws the hilt of Narsil. He doesn't fight the Nazgul in melee except for waving a burning branch at them. The Nazgul don't speak. Aragorn shows no sign of being able to see the Nazgul any easier than Sam, Pippin, or Merry.

The purpose of the Nazgul was to take Frodo. Aragorn says he thinks they didn't expect to be resisted. The Lord of the Nazgul tried to stab Frodo in the heart with his knife, and that missed. But a fragment broke off the knife, so the Nazgul fled, to wait for Frodo to succumb to the fragment and become a wraith.

In the book, the Nazgul are weak. They can't stand up to a fight with anyone who can get past their fear. They don't even raid the Prancing Pony themselves (all other depictions of them doing so are wrong); they get their agents in Bree to do it. Once the War of the Ring has begun, the Witch-king appears to be strong in battle, but that's all we ever see of that sort of thing.

The Nazgul of the game are much more powerful than the Nazgul of the book.

[Glorelendil]

In my opinion, to recreate the battle you don't have to worry about what the likely dice rolls would have been. One doesn't need to prove that if this battle were repeated many times, Aragorn would win more than half the time.

He only needed to win it once, and I think it's fair to allow some improbable dice rolls for that event. "Wow...good thing he got that Extraordinary Success in round 3, or LoTR would have ended quite differently."*

This is just a philosophical observation, not a response/critique of your particular analysis.

*"The Witch King landed at the top of the tower, dismounted from his Fel Beast, and knelt before the Dark Lord. 'Well, I'm back,' he said."

[Deadmanwalking]

@Stormcrow: Well, first, we actually don't know how that fight actually went after round 1 or so, since that's when Frodo (and Merry and Pippin) passed out, and Sam (according to his own account) spent it looking for Frodo.

But even assuming you're correct, Royalty Revealed is kinda superfluous. And nothing about Gleam of Terror requires you to brandish the weapon.

As for him 'engaging them in melee by waving a burning branch at them'...yes. What else do you think repeated attempts to intimidate a bunch of things with Fear of Fire look like?

And I don't think I agree with your assumptions regarding the Nazgul.

@Glorelendil: Absolutely. In fact, most of the time (by this analysis), Aragorn would likely lose. But him winning (here defined as making them decide to run) isn't impossible per the rules, which was sorta my point.

[bluejay]

In the book, the Nazgul are weak. They can't stand up to a fight with anyone who can get past their fear. They don't even raid the Prancing Pony themselves (all other depictions of them doing so are wrong); they get their agents in Bree to do it.

Yes I can understand why the films depict it as the Nazgul doing the raid but most people seem to believe it was the Nazgul's agents that carry this out. Is there a definitive statement on this one way or the other? As far as I remember the books are a little ambiguous.

[Deadmanwalking]

Having just read this section of the book (in preparation to making this thread), the Nazgul are clearly involved directly. One definitively stabs Frodo ('and is described by Frodo as a 'pale king' while looked at through the lens of wearing the ring), and all figures are described identically, so assuming the others are not also Nazgul seems a bit odd.

[bluejay]

No we are talking about the attack on the beds in the Prancing Pony not the attack on Weathertop.

[Deadmanwalking]

No we are talking about the attack on the beds in the Prancing Pony not the attack on Weathertop.

Whoops. Yeah, that one's super debatable.

[Terisonen]

Objective of the Nazgul is to recover the ring for their master, no more no less. All they have to do is to harm sufficiently Frodo to call him beyond the death. The hobbits, and Aragorn can be view as a annoyance (althought Aragorn is a big nut to crack), and when Frodo is mortally wounded by morgul knife it's all over (in their mind). Don't forget one say 'Elbereth Gilthoniel' in the fight, and in my mind they (the Nazgul) had been seriously shaken by Gandalf some days ago. And the torch...

[Stormcrow]

Yes I can understand why the films depict it as the Nazgul doing the raid but most people seem to believe it was the Nazgul's agents that carry this out. Is there a definitive statement on this one way or the other? As far as I remember the books are a little ambiguous.

A little, but not very.

‘What will happen?’ said Merry. ‘Will they attack the inn?’

‘No, I think not,’ said Strider. ‘They are not all here yet. And in any case that is not their way. In dark and loneliness they are strongest; they will not openly attack a house where there are lights and many people – not until they are desperate, not while all the long leagues of Eriador still lie before us. But their power is in terror, and already some in Bree are in their clutch. They will drive these wretches to some evil work: Ferny, and some of the strangers, and, maybe, the gatekeeper too. They had words with Harry at West-gate on Monday. I was watching them. He was white and shaking when they left him.’

‘We seem to have enemies all round,’ said Frodo. ‘What are we to do?’

‘Stay here, and do not go to your rooms! They are sure to have found out which those are.'

So Strider's assessment is that it is not the way of the Nazgul to attack a place with lights and people. Instead, they recruit agents to do their dirty work. In response to Frodo's concern that there are spies everywhere, Strider tells them not to go to their rooms. The implication is clearly that those SPIES that Frodo fears have found out where their rooms are.

In the morning:

As soon as Strider had roused them all, he led the way to their bedrooms. When they saw them they were glad that they had taken his advice: the windows had been forced open and were swinging, and the curtains were flapping; the beds were tossed about, and the bolsters slashed and flung upon the floor; the brown mat was torn to pieces.

Nazgul wouldn't bother trashing the place; they'd break in, discover the beds empty, and leave. The movies always depict the Nazgul entering the rooms, slashing at the bolsters, then discovering their mistake. That explains the slashed bolsters on the floor, but why tear up the mat made to look like Frodo's hair? Why toss the beds about? Sounds like whoever discovered the hobbits missing fell into a fit of rage. Not a Nazgul sort of thing to do.