Beorning Thane Title

[PencilBoy99]

2 of my player's companions got the title Thane from Beorn (it's an undertaking if you do something awesome for Beorn). So they get a plot of land and some standing.

What cool things might they have to do as Thanes that might count as plots?

What stuff is there out there about Beornings?

[Stormcrow]

It depends a great deal on what their Standings are and what year it is. The Beornings are largely concerned with the doings of goblins in the mountains, keeping open the High Pass, and guarding the Old Ford. Their internal politics are probably volatile, since the Beornings are a collection of Northmen from various backgrounds. They see a lot of travelers, any of whom could cause trouble.

Dealing with outlaws and politics are likely to be the biggest events in the lands of the Beornings, unless someone introduces something new.

[Blubbo Baggins]

Don't forget trouble from the Viglundings!

[zedturtle]

Yeah, there's a lot of trouble that the Beornings can get into with the Viglundings. There are also neutral folks around the area that Beorn might be interested in having the hero talk to first.

There are also hints that the Beornings and the Elves of Mirkwood sometimes step on each other's toes. The hero could be asked to be a diplomatic go-between.

[PencilBoy99]

Great ideas!

Culturally, they're kind of like chill Vikings, right?

Beorn is powerful both as a leader and warrior, but is very reluctant to take action. Why is that? He doesn't seem to really like being a leader .

[zedturtle]

If you're very strong, you might try to solve your problems with strength. And you might make a mistake, and someone who didn't deserve it got hurt. That might make you cautious of using your strength again.

Just a random thought.

[Majestic]

From a Doylist perspective, having some of the major characters from the stories (Beorn, Thranduil, Radagast, etc.) doing too much impedes what the PCs will feel responsible for taking on. So to keep things firmly in the PCs' hands, it's good not to have characters like Beorn doing too much.

[PencilBoy99]

One of the challenges I've run into in games I've GM'd is the PC's perception of all of the NPC's as incompetent. That's not the case (mechanically), and it isn't that way in the lore?

How do you show major figures like these as competent and important WITHOUT having them overshadow the player's actions.

That is, because people are always asking for the player's help, the NPC's seem incompetent.

[Stormcrow]

I try my hardest not to have adventures started by important Loremaster characters asking the player heroes for help. Ideally, an adventure should be self-evident to the players. If you have to introduce one, use less important characters. The important ones should generally be busy with their own work. Perhaps an important character has delegated part of an important quest to an underling, and that underling hires the player heroes to do a job.

Basically, heroes should be going on adventures that couldn't be done by anyone else, because only they are in the right place at the right time.