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Finrar wrote:

Terisonen wrote:Elrond above all else provide some invaluable and lost lore...

Agreed. But in terms of Magical Boons which is also one of Elrond's Resources as a Patron, what would he provide?

Erestor's Travelling Cordial, or Erestor's Medicinal Tonic (p. 17 Rivendel). They might be only given to a company if Elrond is their Patron.

Falenthal wrote:Erestor's Travelling Cordial, or Erestor's Medicinal Tonic (p. 17 Rivendel). They might be only given to a company if Elrond is their Patron.

Are those gifts part of a Virtue award, Falenthal? I don't have the books to hand.

I think there is something to be said for restricting gifts and magical boons offered by Patrons to something other than what a character may have paid XP for (eg, Twice-baked Honey Cakes) so I can understand the concern being expressed here of allowing that.

Perhaps there's an opportunity to detail two or three such boons for each patron that may offer them? We have Radagast's from TfW and Elrond's from Rivendell. Should we come up with some for the others, Gandalf et al?

Perhaps there's an opportunity to detail two or three such boons for each patron that may offer them? We have Radagast's from TfW and Elrond's from Rivendell. Should we come up with some for the others, Gandalf et al?

I think that would be very useful.

Gandalf was not a peddler with bags of stuff so any boons he might offer would likely be boons from others that he has acquired (except maybe fireworks). Such boons could therefore be things that might be given by Elrond, Galadriel or Cirdan (depending where he was last). I could imagine him pulling some honey cakes out of his satchel and even the finest pipe-weed may seem magical to fellowship expecting to go on a wearisome journey.

The main problem comes when the whole fellowship sees the patron, all looking for magical boons, risking turning the patron into some sort of magical dispensary.

Rich H wrote:

Falenthal wrote:Erestor's Travelling Cordial, or Erestor's Medicinal Tonic (p. 17 Rivendel). They might be only given to a company if Elrond is their Patron.

Are those gifts part of a Virtue award, Falenthal? I don't have the books to hand.

No, they're objects for the LM to use as he sees fit. Elrond giving them or not to a company might be tied to him being a Patron.

For example, for an adventure that doesn't imply directly facing the Shadow (like What Lies Beneath), one of the potions might only be given if Elrond is a Patron of the fellowship AND they get a high score in the Encounter.

On the other hand, in Shadow Over Tyrn Gorthad, he migh give some automatically if he's a Patron, or with a good Encounter resolution if he's not.

Gandalf has Narya, the Ring of Fire.

I'm inclined to think he more does stuff like 'recover all someone's hope in one go' or 'reduce temp shadow to 0' or even 'Weary, miserable, and wounded all go away in one go.'

On the other hand, of all Patron choices, you're only likely to run into him when directly confronting the Shadow. Otherwise, he's got better things to do, being the only Wizard really 'on task' from the Valar's point of view.

Falenthal wrote:No, they're objects for the LM to use as he sees fit. Elrond giving them or not to a company might be tied to him being a Patron.

Yeah, I suspected so. I'd therefore be fine with those being offered as Magical Boons but not something like Twiced-baked Honey Cakes, which is a Virtue that costs XP.

I still think that means a few examples of such Magical Boons for each patron would be useful to have to hand, and as this is something the OP has requested:

Finrar wrote:I think that would be very useful.

I think we could come up with some. I'll have a think about them and try and come up with a few.

Rich H wrote: I still think that means a few examples of such Magical Boons for each patron would be useful to have to hand, and as this is something the OP has requested:

Finrar wrote:I think that would be very useful.

I think we could come up with some. I'll have a think about them and try and come up with a few.

Yes, that would be a very good idea.
For Radagast we already have some. The two cordials for Elrond. Based on those, others could be thought of.
Ponies for Beorn, that might even grant some small benefit during Travels, seems like a canonical one.

Falenthal wrote:Ponies for Beorn, that might even grant some small benefit during Travels, seems like a canonical one.

That's something I already use in my house rules so I think as you're saying the same thing it would work.

Something that could add flavour to that list is also to include Goals for every Patron.
That is, what kind of missions would he give Boons, Information, etc for? And even, to what missions he won't?

For example: Elrond might give help for missions that imply confronting the Shadow and recovering ancient Lore and Artifacts. But he won't give extra help for missions related to protecting the Eriador settlements.

On the other hand, Aragorn will give extra help for missions on spying on the Shadow (but not confronting it!) and that imply protecting or fortifying settlements in Eriador.

Radagast will help with spying on the Enemy in the southern parts or Mirkwood, and protecting the fauna and flora. But nothing for recovering artifacts and powerful items, or storming some creature's lair (a goblin's lair, a spider's nest,...).

Beorn won't give any help that implies direct confrontation with the Viglunds, for example.

Dáin II won't give any help that implies trying to recover one of the lost dwarven settlements (as noticed by his refusal to Frár's request, and also to Balin's).

Thranduil will help with anything related to rot out spiders from his Realm. But nothing if the problem is situated outside of his Realm.

Etc.