The Stiff neck of Dwafs

[Angelalex242]

I think stiff neck is fine without further restrictions.

Go ahead, player. Abuse it.

You don't know the POWAH of the Dark Side...

The storyline irony of Stiff Neck, however, is this:

It makes Dwarven PCs the most corruptible race, which is NOT as Tolkien intended. In the actual books, if anybody screws up, it's humans that screw up first.

Dwarves usually shrug off corruption for the most part.

And elves are nigh untouchable.

[Corvo]

(...) it's humans that screw up first.

Dwarves usually shrug off corruption for the most part.

And elves are nigh untouchable.

Cough*silmaril*cough cough

[mogul76]

(...) it's humans that screw up first.

Dwarves usually shrug off corruption for the most part.

And elves are nigh untouchable.

Cough*silmaril*cough cough

Cough *Nauglamír* cough, cough

[Angelalex242]

Faenor and co...and Maeglin in Gondolin...are the only elves in history that truly screw up.

By contrast, for example, Celebrimor forged the Rings of Power, but once he realized who Sauron was, he immediately turned on him.

Elves can be tricked, but outside of a few in the first age, they never give themselves over to darkness. It's certainly true no elves in the 2nd or 3rd ages go dark.

[doctheweasel]

It makes Dwarven PCs the most corruptible race, which is NOT as Tolkien intended. In the actual books, if anybody screws up, it's humans that screw up first.

Dwarves usually shrug off corruption for the most part.

And elves are nigh untouchable.

Shadow doesn't work that way (in the game, at least). Being influenced by Shadow is more about growing petty, spiteful, distrusting, and greedy.

Elves and dwarves have consistently shown that in spades. In the Hobbit alone, both Thorin and Thranduil are more "corrupted" than any of the men (save the Master of Laketown).

[Angelalex242]

Well, Thrnaduil doesn't go off the deep end the way Faenor does, though.

Thorin...well, dwarves like gold too much. Seems to be true of all of them except Gimli, who got blessed to avoid having exactly that happen. "And with my 3 hairs comes these words, your hands shall flow over with gold, but gold shall have no power over you."

[mogul76]

Hello Angelalex242,

Thanks for your feedback. My personal view of Tolkien's world is very much influenced by the Silmarillion and The Children of Húrin.

Examples of Elves who, at some point, act in a corrupted manner: Feanor, Feanor's sons (especially Celegorm, who really seems to be a selfish and merciless guy), all Noldor who participated in the Kinslaying at Alqualondë, some of the Elves (willingly or unwillingly) who were captured, imprisoned and later released by Morgoth, Eol, Maeglin (who helped Morgoth locate/destroy Gondolin), Elwe/Thingol, all Nolder who helped Feanor's sons in the second and third Kinslaying events, Daeron, Saeros...

As to Dwarfs who are known to have acted in a corrupted way: Mîm (who cooperated with and was deceived by Orcs), the Dwarfs who killed king Thingol in order to obtain the Nauglamír and the Silmaril recovered by Beren...

We should also not forget that Tolkien almost solely focused on "heroic" characters in his books. We know little about the way of life and behaviour of common (i.e. ordinary) Elves and Dwarfs. However, Tolkien mentions that Elves had judges (king Thingol) and king Thranduil kept prison cells in his halls, making crime/immoral behaviour very much of a possibility in Elves' society...

[foomonkey]

I'm a dwarf PC in a 3 year old game my friend runs and I think that the virtue is fine as it is.

As stated by others on the effects, my dwarf either doesn't get any benefit from it for long periods of time or will have too much of it built up and then I worry about spending my hope.

I should point out, we have pretty much always been replenishing our hope at the start of the game then having to spend our characters hope during the game so this leaves me with a predicament.

I also role play out my shadow so due to the virtue my character comes across as generally stubborn, argumentative (at times), single minded (at times), unhelpful (seldomly used at my discretion against certain party members) and for the time being, petty, due to amassing 6\10 shadow points. Due to my 6 shadow, I'm really trying not to amass anymore but that might not be helped as we are currently traveling through the withered heath.

Having 3 shadow is what I'd ideally like to have at all times to safely make use of the virtue, but currently sitting at 6 makes me extremely uneasy, especially since a fellow PC just recieved their first miserable status in the game having the same amount of shadow as I currently have.

[Yepesnopes]

Wow, thanks to everybody. Very interesting reading.

Finally me fellow player did not take the virtue, he is still afraid it is too powerful, but after reading your post, I am absolutely sure it is because the way we play. I will tell our LM, more corruption tests! more challenging task in order to spend hope!!