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TIMELINE and HOUSE RULES

Started by tomcat, Mar 19, 2005, 02:01 PM

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tomcat

Mar 19, 2005, 02:01 PM Last Edit: Jun 08, 2015, 11:28 AM by tomcat
The Third Age - Chronicles of the North

Year
1591Dirnhael is born of Ardil
1616Ardil is slain during an attack of Wargriders out of Rhudaur
1636The Great Plague sweeps up from the south; our story begins...
octA Company of three men and an Elf and dwarf out of Tharbad, seek a cure for the plague; they travel north through Barrow downs to Bree, then to Weathertop and east to Rivendell - they meet Gandalf for the first time before the Weather Hills
novThe Company reaches Rivendell and learns about Ephanial, along the way they meet Camentir; they then head north into the Trollshaws to find the flowering plant; the Ephanial fields in ruin from the great wyrm, Scatha; the Company are besieged by Angmarim only to be saved by Camentir and his host along with Gandalf. The message of the Prince in Fornost being sick with the plague causes the Company to change direction. November ends in a terrible winter storm, an ambush by Angmar Orcs, and the capturing of Camentir.
decThe Company is saved from the winter storm by Yarë-Kelek-Herú. In his hidden home, Ephanial grows abundant. The Company proceed to Fornost only to run into more Angmarim; Angbor is slain by an Easterling. The remaining companions make it to Fornost and the Ephanial is used to save the prince.
1637
janDirnhael meets Ioreth and falls in love; the Company commences searching for Camentir; they confront the vile undead Gorvorsang; and re-capture the ancient keep of Barad Eldanar. The remaining troops of Camentir's host aid in the capture and holding of the keep while the Company rides north to rescue Camentir. The allies are sundered at Eldanar, but Camentir is saved. The dragon Scatha attacks upon the Witch-king's request and Lûnduf is consumed in the flame. Scatha is wounded by the sword Andúring and its shard remains in his gut. The Company return home to great fanfare though it is solemn for them.
marThe Company returns home to Fornost Erain with great fanfare, though it has been a solemn month of travel for them. Over the restless weeks, Fengel decides it is time to return to his homeland - his companions decide to join him.
aprThe Company commences their sojourn east, to cross over the Misty Mountains to the lands of the Éothraim. They run into trouble with wights in Bree and save a young child; they stop in Rivendell once more and Vorandúr (enduring devotion) is forged. In Hollin they are taken captive by the Dunlend men, only to end up aiding them with the sickness that still has the lands stricken. In Minas Ithil, Celdrahil leaves his family home for the north
mayThe Company spends half of may with the people of Hollin before setting off for the gates of Khazad-dûm. They pass through the underground kingdom, see a friend to the gates of Lothlorien, and then move east.
junFengel rides once more onto the green pastures of his home, only to find that Easterlings have now taken the lands. Fengel's sister, Gléowyn, has been taken captive, her husband slain.
julThe Company take up arms against the invading threat of Koskas and Harizän; Koskas is slain in the city of Ilanin, the Easterling leader Harizän is slain at the Battle of Cliffwall.
augThe Company stays in the lands of the Éothraim for a time until message is received that Durgil's father has taken ill and the young noble must be home.
octThe Company arrives in Bree. Edrahil after the long journey and having faced many wounds decides to leave the Company to return to his homeland where he might heal in body and mind. The remaining companions move on to Fornost Erain where Durgil learns of his father's death.
novThe Company travels to Dorthad, Durgil's estate. There they find that the Lady Ioreth has been promised to another noble, Methilir, who has spent his wealth and needs the marriage. He is willing to do anything to achieve this and has his own brother slain, setting up Durgil for the murder. Durgil is taken and his companions must find a way to clear him.
decDurgil is exonerated of the charges against him due to his friends efforts and Methilir's greed.
1638
marDirnhael marries Ioreth; Durgil marries Gléowyn. The Company separate and all go to their own homes and find health and rest.
1639
junEdrahil returns from Lindon; Gandalf comes once more with an urgent need; and Nain comes back from the east.

The following future is yet to be seen:
1640Ardil II is born of Dirnhael and Ioreth
1673Fengel dies in his homeland of Rhovanion
1688Arahael is born of Ardil II
1701Dirnhael dies of age
1720Edrahil visits Khazad-dûm to see his friend Nain; it will be the last time the two see each other as the aged dwarf dies later that year
1722Ardil II dies while on a scouting mission for the King of Arthedain
1748Belecthor is born of Arahael
1793Arahael dies of old age
1817Gelmir is born of Belecthor
1873Lothiriel is born of Gelmir, he will have no sons - Begins the Second House
1877Belecthor dies of old age
1912Gelmir dies still relatively young; no reason can be found
1920Lothiriel gives birth to a son and he is named Dirnhael II in honor of his forefather
1947Edrahil visits the city of Fornost and is pleased to see that his friend, long past, has an heir that bears his name; Edrahil can see the same spirit of Dirnhael within the young lad; Edrahil spends the next twenty-five years teaching him
1971Dirnhael II is blessed with the birth of twins - Ardil III and a daughter Ioreth
1974The forces of Angmar capture Fornost; the remnant of the North-kingdom is destroyed; Dirnhael leads his family out of the conquered lands of Arthedain south towards his family's old home land of Cardolan
2001Edrahil notes that with the ending of the millennia come the closing of Khazad-dûm and the death of the great wyrm Scatha
2029Belecthor II is born of Ardil III
2068Dirnhael lives to a very old age; in his time he would join his family with the Chieftains of the North and reside in the Angle; upon his death he hands over Vorandúr to his successor - Ardil
2107Ardil III dies
2109At a rather late age, Belecthor II is finally graced with the birth of a son - Araval
2153Belecthor II dies
2172Giloaren is the headstrong daughter born of Araval, he will have no sons - Begins the Third House
2175Araval is slain by a werewolf in the foothills of the Misty Mountains
2220Arahael II is born of Giloaren
2265Edrahil again visits the family of Dirnhael in the spring of this year; he finds that they are well though times have been very tough; again he tutors the heir to the family
2284Gelmir II is born of Arahael
2318Arahael II dies
2319Aragorn I is born to the Lord of the Chieftains of the North
2351Edrahil is born to Gelmir, named so to honor the elf that had always kept relations with the family
2397Gelmir II dies
2403Dirnhael III is born to Edrahil
2406Edrahil the Elf, while in Rivendell has a vision of a young woman to be born in the coming years and it will be her child that will be the hope of all of the West. This woman will come from the line of his long dead friend, Dirnhael

Time gap... needs filled in:

2728Edrahil, Sindarin Elf of Lindon at last lets into his desire and leaves for the West
2873Arathorn II is born
2903Edrahil II is born of Dirhael, his only son
2907Gilraen is born to Dirhael
2929Arathorn II and Gilraen wed
2931Aragorn II, Elessar the Elfstone, is born of Arathorn and Gilraen - he will someday reunite the kingdoms
2933Arathorn II is slain by orcs while fighting with Elladan and Elrohir
2941The Hobbit
2969in the hidden lands of the northern Dúnedain, and third in his line to bear the name, Arahael is born of Edrahil II
3006Arahael III begins to conduct explorations into the northern lands of old Rhudaur in search of any traces of Scatha and where the beast may have finally fell; his goal is to find the remains and recover the shard of the family heirloom - Andúring - whose broken hilt still resides in Rivendell



Titles and Honorifics

This is a list of titles for nobility and a few other groups, based on english standards and for my use, so I know the level of rank among the society. Tolkien was English and so it seems appropriate that rank and title would extend from his culture (although Egyptian society is also mirrored in the Dunedain).

Title - Address - Notes
Emperor, Empress
- Rules an empire.
  Your (Royal) Majesty, My Lord/Lady, Emperor/Empress

King, Queen - Rules a country or married to the ruler. In some cases you can only inherit the title of King, if you marry the Queen you are Prince Consort.
  Your (Royal) Majesty, My Lord/Lady, My King/Queen, King/Queen

Prince, Princess - Typically the son or daughter of a ruler but sometimes rule a country such as the Principality of Monaco.
  Your (Royal) Highness, My Lord/Lady, Prince(ss)

Regent - Regents rule in the stead of the crowned monarch if he/she is too young to rule or occasionally if incapable of ruling due to infirmity.
  Addressed as Regent or by inherited title

Steward - Steward administers and guards the 'house' of the king and may rule on his behalf while away, if there are no other Regents or hereditary nobles to step in
  Addressed as Steward or by inherited title

Duke, Duchess - Nobility which holds lands within a prinicpality/kingdom, a hereditary title for the ruler of a duchy.
  Your Grace, Duke(Duchess)

Margrave, Margravine - Equivalent in rank to a duke but holds land in the "marches" or border area; because conflict on borders is frequent they had broad power.
  My Lord/Lady, Lord Pat, Margrave(Margravine)

Earl, Landgrave, Count, Countess - Roughly equivalent titles, since there is no feminine term for Earl Countess is used.
  My Lord/Lady, Earl(Landgrave, Count etc.)

Viscount, Viscountess - Title granted to someone not quite important enough to be a count but too important to be a baron.
  My Lord/Lady, Lord(Lady) Pat, Viscount(ess)

Baron, Baroness

Knight, Dame

Reeve

Squire

Yeoman - Peasant who holds land in his/her own right.

Peasant - Anyone not a noble. Collectively referred to as "the commons".

Serf - Person bound to the land, virtually a slave to the landowner, but can free themselves by running away (usually to the city) for a year and a day.
Narrator: Darkening of Mirkwood | Chronicle of the North | Tempest Rising | To Boldly Go | Welcome to the 501st!
Esgalwen [♦♦♦♦♦○] Dmg 10/12  |  Edge 8  |  Injury 16/18
Nimronyn [Sindarin Pale gleam] superior keen, superior grievous longsword - orc bane
Foe-slaying - when attacking a bane creature, reduce Edge of weapon by value of bearer's Valour

Shadow bane [when in Forward stance, add 1 success die to each attack]
Skirmisher [if carried encumbrance is 12 or less, increase Parry by +3 when in close combat stance]

tomcat

Dec 26, 2006, 06:32 PM #1 Last Edit: Jun 08, 2015, 12:03 PM by tomcat
The following House Rules will be used in our game. These rules will supercede any rule from the CRB or any other supplement.

Special Traits: Any type of Trait that is "once per gaming session" is to be played as "once per game day".

Courage points will return at 1 point per game day.

Racial Skills: During character development, the first SIX Picks that are made are considered RACIAL skills for purpose of Advancement. Mark them accordingly in the Skill Category column. (See Character Sheet)

Stamina: A Character can perform any Extreme Activity for the number of rounds equal to his STAMINA times 2. After this point, the character will need to make a Weariness Test and the interval from that point forward will be equal to his or her STAMINA. I.e. Dirnhael has a Stamina of +5 (with all modifiers). He may combat for 10 rounds before he need make a Weariness Test, and then each 5 rounds thereafter.

Magic Willpower: Instead of using the Stamina Reaction when casting spells, Willpower shall be used to achieve the spells TN. Any failure result of the tests will have the same Weariness effect from casting the spell. Multiple spell casts, and spells that are active will incur the penalties to Willpower tests on future castings. The Willpower casting test result will also set the TN for any victim saves (see the next House Rule).

Saving Throws: There are some spells that have listed a Saving Throw that a character may make to avoid the affects of the spell (or at least reduce the affects). For any spell that does not have a Saving Throw listed, the following shall be applied: The Character may make an Opposed Willpower Test versus a TN set by the casting success of the mage.

Mastery of Shape - TN 10
The primary thing the caster needs to have is a very good mental image of what it is they wish to turn into - in other words you can't easily change shape into something you've never seen. If the caster has no visual knowledge of a beast into which they wish to change, the spell's TN is increased by +10.

Also, a caster may change into beings of the same or lesser size without any more challenge than stated (TN 10), but if he or she wishes to take the form of a being or beast of greater size, increase the TN by a cumulative +2 per size band (i.e. Medium to Large TN 12; Medium to Mammoth TN 14; etc.)

Ghost Scorn gives and Elf an innate bonus to resist the fear or Terror created by any undead creatures. The character gains an additional bonus of their Willpower x 2 to add to their base Willpower, along with any other mods from abilities or traits. If an undead creature is a ghost of a mortal man, this bonus increases to Willpower x 4 (including Nazgûl).

Dodge Edge: The Dodge edge may be improved two time - for 2 picks, you may take an additional +2 (total +7).

A Parry roll's results, whether successful or not, will set the Degree of Success for the attack, or the target's Defence score, whichever is higher.

Opposed Reaction tests are free actions.

Size modifiers only apply to the attack, they are not to be figured into any parry or dodge attempts. If they were, this has the effect of doubling the penalty against the target.

Extra Successes: This revision expands the range of possible outcomes, replacing the "maximum damage" effect as written (p. 231).  A character who scores a superior success on any attack test inflicts +1d6 extra damage, and for every full increment of 5 above a superior success +1d6 is added.  A player-character or feature NPC may choose a special effect (p. 231) instead of extra damage.  Regular damage is still dealt with automatically gain initiative / crippling wound / unhorse opponent but not with break equipment / attack bonus / defensive bonus (crippling wound / unhorse opponent / break equipment all require an extraordinary success).  Alternatively, on an extraordinary success the attacker may choose to disarm the opponent's weapon (or shield) instead of inflicting damage; if an unarmed attack disarms the opponent, then the attacker seizes the weapon (or shield).

Armor Damage: This optional rule provides a simple method for keeping track of damaged armor.  Armor has a Damage Threshold equal to its Damage Absorbed rating +10.  If an Armed Combat or Ranged Combat attack achieves at least a superior success and deals damage exceeding the Damage Threshold, then one "chink" is inflicted on the armor.  Each chink reduces the armor's Damage Absorbed rating against subsequent attacks by 1 (which, in turn, reduces the Damage Threshold).  Armor can be repaired by making a Smithcraft (Armoursmith) test at TN 5 per chink (plus situational modifiers) with a time interval of 1 hour per chink.  The degree of success modifies the time interval (Table 9.11 on p. 220); a complete failure on the test inflicts one more chink on the armor, two more on a disastrous failure.  Armor is completely destroyed if its Damage Absorbed rating is ever reduced to 0.

Healing: This revision makes possible quicker recovery as well as damage from infection.  Successful "leechcraft" (p. 248) heals damage equal to the recipient's base Health rating plus additional Health based on degree of success (3 extraordinary, 2 superior, 1 complete, 0 marginal).  Healing damage in the "Healthy" level is TN 5 and the TN increases by +5 for each higher wound level.

A character at "Near Death" loses 1 Health per hour until successfully treated (TN 30) or at least stabilized (TN 15). A character at "Near Death" that is stabilized will have a number of hours equal to their Vitality modifier to find a healer who can perform a normal TN 30 healing test to secure the wounds. Stabilizing does nothing else than to stop a character from bleeding it out. It does not restore hit points, but it may be performed multiple times. For each additional stabilization made, the wounded PC will also suffer a level of weariness. Lastly, the PC must make a Stamina test against a test TN 5 +2 (per stabilization test) to stave off any infections.

After the initial successful leechcraft Healing test, at the end of each day, a damaged character must make a Stamina test (TN 10, applying his injury penalty); this replaces Table 9.36 (p. 247).  If successful, the character heals his Vitality bonus (if any) plus additional Health based on degree of success (3 extraordinary, 2 superior, 1 complete, 0 marginal).  On a failure the character's wounds become infected, and he suffers 1d6 damage (2d6 on a complete failure, 3d6 on a disastrous failure).  There is no set time of day at which the Stamina test must be made, so a dying character's final moment can come at a dramatically appropriate time (or, if randomness is desired, 4d6 hours after midnight).

If under the care of a healer, the character gets to make a bonus Stamina test to heal extra damage (as above, no damage on a failure).  Advanced treatment in a haven (p. 248) provides a +5 bonus to all Healing skill tests and Stamina damage recovery tests.

The Swift Recovery edge doubles the healing for each day's success.

Size and Wound Levels: This revision amends the size rule (p. 219) so that small characters still possess all six Wound Levels.  Remove a number of points equal to the character's base Health rating, as evenly divided as possible, from the five Wound Levels above Healthy; any remainders first reduce the Near Death level by one and then each lower level in turn (e.g., a small character with 8 Health would have 8 points in the Healthy level, 7 points in the Dazed and Injured levels, and 6 points in the Wounded, Incapacitated, and Near Death levels).

Rolling double 1's on Dice Roll: This optional rule makes it possible for even highly skilled heroes to fail at tasks due to bad luck.  Whenever double ones are rolled on the dice for any test, you must roll 1d6 and subtract it from the test result. If this die rolls a 6, roll another 1d6 and subtract it, repeating this process until something other than 6 is rolled. These penalty rolls can reduce the test result to a negative number.

Overland Travel: This optional rule simplifies Weariness for long overland travel.  Rather than making many Stamina tests over time intervals, one roll is made with the TN of the test equaling the number of miles traveled (i.e. 20 miles = TN 20). Apply modifiers for Pace (Walk -2, Jog/Trot +0, Run +2, Sprint/Gallop +4), Terrain (easy ground -2, average ground +0, rough ground +2, very rough ground +4), and if any Beasts of Burden are used to make the travel (i.e. riding a horse) +5, +3, +1, or +0 may be added to the to Stamina Test roll based on Pace above. Degree of success determines the number of Weariness levels suffered: 3 on a disastrous failure, 2 on a complete failure, 1 on a failure, 0 on any success. Also, if a Disastrous failure is rolled, the character must stop there and then, too exhausted to keep going for that day. Roll 2d6 and subtract it from the TN to determine how many miles were actually covered before the character needed to stop.

Sleeping in the Rough: This optional rule makes camping out in the wilderness more tiring.  A character recovers Weariness from the previous day normally, but upon waking after sleeping in the rough he must make a Stamina test at TN 5, plus modifiers for the following conditions: sleeping on the ground (+2), insufficient or interrupted sleep (+2), not sufficiently protected against cold, wind, or rain (+2), insufficient food or water (+2), sleeping in leather armor (+3) or in mail armor (+5).  On any success, the character does not suffer additional Weariness; on a failure the character suffers 1 level of Weariness (2 levels on a disastrous failure).

Multiple Actions: Character may only perform a number of Offensive actions, per round, equal to their standard Action Allowance (plus any bonus actions from the Swift Strike/Swift Shot Edge). They may perform as many Defensive actions as they need until, of course, it becomes futile. I.e. Dirnhael has 3 Actions per round - 2 standard and 1 more from Swift Strike. He may attack no more than three times in the round, although he may make as many Parry and Dodges as he needs until the Action Allowance penalty reduces his rolls to low to be of any value.

Masterworks and Enchantments: A masterwork weapon, although it may get a bonus to attack or damage, is not considered enchanted for purposes of harming undead. Only weapons that gain a plus to attack or damage from a magical enchantment may do full damage to an undead creature - and this is based upon the resistance of the undead (see the edited Fell-Creatures post)

Fighting Creatures of Different Sizes: Can a Man parry an attack from a Cave Troll? Isn't there more to combat where a Huge creature fights a Small one besides bonuses/penalties to attack tests? NOTE: These rules deal with melee combat between two opponents (Armed Combat and Unarmed Combat tests).

• If a defender fails to dodge or parry and is struck by a larger creature, they must make a Strength test with a TN 7 plus the Aggressor's Strength modifier(possible affinity from Acrobatics).
• If the Defender fails the Strength test, see the degree of Failure results below (the listed damage is in addition to the damage caused by the attacker's weapon):


RESULTEFFECTDAMAGE
FAILUREKnock-down proneno damage
COMPLETE FAILKnock-down prone1d6 + Aggressor's Strength modifier damage
DISASTROUS FAILKnocked-back a distance equal to the Strength test TN minus the dice result1d6 + Aggressor's Strength modifier damage +1d6 per 10 feet thrown back (If the Aggressor made a Sweep maneuver, the Defender is knocked back an additional +5 feet

Dodging
• A character may try to dodge the attacks from a larger opponent - there is no additional penalty modifiers when trying to Dodge.
• If failed, the above affects from being struck by a larger opponent are applied.

Parrying
• Defenders can parry attacks from Aggressors that are up to 3 Size categories bigger than them (e.g. Medium creatures can parry attacks from creatures up to the Size category Huge); any larger disparity and the weapon or natural weapon is too large and creature too strong to resist the blow and the defender only has the option to dodge (see above).
• If a Defender attempts tp parry a larger aggressor, the normal Size modifiers are taken as a penalty for the defender, -2 per Size category.
• If failed, the defender must make the above Strength test to avert also being knocked back and suffering additional damage.

Stun Effects/Non-Lethal Damage: Stun effects or non-lethal damage may result from any blunt type attack or unarmed combat. A player must announce the option that they wish to only cause non-lethal damage or to try and stun their opponent.

Non lethal damage and its effect
Characters in Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game have Health points to determine the amount of lethal damage that they can take in each wound level. The character also has a limited amount of non-lethal damage that they can sustain, which I will refer to as Stun points.

Stun effects use the same check boxes as Weariness and are determined as follows. When a victim is struck by a blunt attack, the damage of the weapon is rolled as normal and any adjustments due to armor or other protection is made. This modified number is now used as the TN for an opposed Stamina test, only if the damage is greater than or equal to the characters Vitality score; if it is less, than no tests need be made. If the Stamina test is successful, the character merely sustains the lethal damage (see below) that comes from the attack. If it is unsuccessful, the character is reduced one Weariness level per Degree of Success (1 for Marginal, 2 for Complete, etc.) The stun effect is cumulative with any weariness that the character may have already suffered.

Even though non-lethal damage or trying to knock someone out is the goal, physical damage will still occur but will not be as dangerous as if the attacker was using the sharp end of the blade. For each non-lethal blow landed, a character will sustain the half of the damage caused in Health points.

If a character is reduced to the Exhausted level due to non-lethal damage, they will fall unconscious. Should they take an equal amount or greater than their Health points could sustain (i.e. they had been wounded prior), they could be slain.

Stun points can be taken from the following type of attacks, only if stated by the attacker as the intent:

Armed Combat
Blunt Attack – damage is rolled as normal and treated as Stun damage. It is also divided by two and Health points are reduced accordingly.

Unarmed Combat
Grab (Throw) – damage is rolled as normal and treated as Stun damage. It is also divided by two and Health points are reduced accordingly.
Punch/Kick – damage is rolled as normal and treated as Stun damage. It is also divided by two and Health points are reduced accordingly.

Called Shots
Sometimes a player wants to incapacitate a potential victim quickly and hopefully quietly, or they just need to stop the individual so that they can deal with another threat; this requires a much more decisive blow of non-lethal damage. To do so will require a called-shot to the neck or head and the called-shot modifiers below are applied. Understand that non-lethal knock out damage can only be applied to a target that is a maximum of 1 size larger than the attacker. For example, a dragon could not be subdued in this way by a whack from the blunt of a warrior's blade.

Called Shot Modifier**Wary victim +12 to Defence TN
Unwary* victim Defence TN 15
*victim must fail at opposed Stealth/Observe test
**an Aim action will aid in the attacker's roll, as well as, Rogue's ability Treacherous Blow


If the called-shot is successful, the victim will make a Stamina test versus the following TN based on the Degree of Success of the attack. If the Stamina test is failed, the victim suffers the duration period unconscious; if it is successful, she suffers the penalty to all tests for the same duration period.


Degree of SuccessTNDurationEffect
Marginal52d6 rndsUnconscious / -3 penalty to all tests
Complete103d6x3 rndsUnconscious / -5 penalty to all tests
Superior152d6+3 minUnconscious / -9 penalty to all tests
Extraordinary201d6x10 minUnconscious / -12 penalty to all tests

Example of Stun Effects or Non-lethal combat:
Arahael is attacked by a Dunman of the Misty Mountains but realizes the man has been told lies as to who his real enemy.  Arahael has no desire to kill his opponent but at the same time does not wish to die from him – he chooses to use Blunt attacks to subdue his enemy. With a successful attack, the Dunman is struck by Arahael's sword and the damage is rolled: 2d6+5+1 resulting in a 14.

The damage is reduced by 2 for the Dunman's armor and the new number 12 is used as the TN for the opposed Stamina test. He rolls 2d6 plus his Stamina modifier and achieves a 10. Spending a Courage he avoids the stunning effect, but would have been reduced to the Winded level had he failed and suffer those penalties. The Dunman still reduces his Hit Points by 6 (12 / 2).

Finally, let's assume that Arahael has snuck into the Dunman's camp and wishes to subdue him quickly – here is where are last rule is used.

Arahael makes a normal attack and the victim, if surprised, cannot defend and thus must make the appropriate test based upon the Degree of Success of the attack.




Plague Mechanics:

After being infected, a charater or NPC will have a period of days equal to their Vitality modifier that the virus incubates. The Plague then causes the loss of Vitality until the person dies (at 0 Vitality), slowly weakening as it fills their lungs with fluids. Fevers are a symptom along with dehydration.

1) Sick character loses 1d3 Vitality per day, may make a Stamina Test TN 20 to negate the Vitality loss. Though they may successfully avert the loss, they are still carrying the sickness. The character may spend no more than half of his Courage points on any test. When a character is reduced to 0 Vitality, they expire.

2) Healers may make a Healing (Treat Sickness) TN 15 per day, which grants:
- an additional Stamina Test TN 15 to avert that days Vitality loss; Though they may successfully avert the loss, they are still carrying the sickness.
- allows victim to make a Stamina Test TN 20 to rid themselves of the plague (see below*)
- sick character need only make one roll for both tests above and may apply results based upon the modified die roll
- If Healing test is a Superior Success, reduce above tests by 1
- If Healing test is a Extraordinary Success, reduce above tests by 3
- Each Healing test is a full days care

3) For each loss of 1/5 of a character's Vitality reduces them 1 wound level

4) With Ephanial, all tests are reduced by 5; the Ephanial plant is brewed and administered as a broth

5) *The plague requires an extended Healing test to cure. When the Healing (Treat Sickness) TN 15 test is successful and then the character makes the additional TN 20 Stamina test, if it also is successful, the character gains back 1 Vitality point. When the character has been restored to his original Vitality, he will be cured of the plague.

6) After being cured, the character needs to roll 1d3 and permanently reduce their Vitality. This is a 'scarring' from the disease.

Sample of tests needed:
Day 1:

Sick character makes a Stamina TN 20 test- Roll (2d6)+5: 3,6, +5 Total: 14 FAILED, loses 1d3 Vitality

Healer comes along and makes a Healing Test TN 15 Roll (2d6)+8: 3,6, +8 Total: 17 SUCCESS

This grants the victim an additional Stamina Test TN 15 to negate the Vitality loss for that day, plus a chance (TN 20) to beat the plague. If the success had been greater, the healer may have conveyed additional bonuses.

If Ephanial is in the hands of the healer, all of the test's TN's the healer must attempt are reduced by 5.




New Order Abililty and Trait:

Riposte (Warrior Order)
A warrior who has taken mastery in a weapon may turn a parried attack into a strike back on his foe. If a successful attack is parried by a warrior with this ability, the warrior may then make one immediate attack against his foe. If successful, the riposte cannot be defended against and strikes for normal damage based upon degree of success. The weapon master may only make one riposte against an individual foe in a combat round, although he may make a riposte against another attacking enemy. The riposte actions are subject to the -5 multiple action penalty.

Requisite: Armed Combat 11+, Weapon Mastery edge (ripostes may only be made by the mastered weapon).

Skill Mastery (Edge)
Through years of practice, you have advanced a favoured skill to levels that are virtually unknown. A character that purchases this edge may pick a skill to master and may increase the ranking of this skill to a maximum of 15 (the 3 ranks above 12 cost 2 picks per rank whether they are an Order skill or not). The Skill Mastery edge does not include any combat skills, as these are covered in the Favoured Weapon Master ability in the Warrior's Sourcebook.
Requisite: none
Improvements: This edge may be taken multiple times to master other skills but a character may only have a number of mastered skills equal to the attribute controlling the skill. Even if a character's controlling attribute is 0, he still may assign a mastered skill in this category. If the character's attribute modifier is negative, he may not master a skill of this type.
If a character increases his attribute, and triggers the modifier to also increase, the number of mastered skills allowed will also increase.
Example: Arahael has taken the Skill Mastery Edge and has chosen the Ride skill. He currently is at 9 ranks in ride, but may now take the skill up to a maximum of 15. Because Arahael's Bearing is 9, and his attribute modifier is +1, this is the maximum number of mastered skills that are controlled by the Bearing attribute. Arahael could take this edge again, but would have to pick a skill that is controlled by a different attribute.




OTHER RESOURCES: Most of the new Traits, Order Abilities and Skills in the Hall of Fire are accepted as House Rules for our game, but please verify with me if you bring any in (and reference the issue that the new item came from). -Thanks

Also, the Orders of Magnitude articles in the Hall of Fire, written by David Issachar, are definitely suggested reads for you. I have consolidated them into this handy PDF file and will update the file as new orders come out.


The Hall of Fire
Orders of Magnitude - pdf
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Narrator: Darkening of Mirkwood | Chronicle of the North | Tempest Rising | To Boldly Go | Welcome to the 501st!
Esgalwen [♦♦♦♦♦○] Dmg 10/12  |  Edge 8  |  Injury 16/18
Nimronyn [Sindarin Pale gleam] superior keen, superior grievous longsword - orc bane
Foe-slaying - when attacking a bane creature, reduce Edge of weapon by value of bearer's Valour

Shadow bane [when in Forward stance, add 1 success die to each attack]
Skirmisher [if carried encumbrance is 12 or less, increase Parry by +3 when in close combat stance]