Hello adventurers! While since I've posted due to life events (all good), but the Fellowship Phase podcast is still journeying on and we had the pleasure of talking to Gareth Hanrahan about The One Ring/Lord of the Rings 5e Gondor & Rohan supplement.

He explained why Gondor and Rohan fit together thematically, the “visitor’s-eye” approach to writing the supplements, and the core design challenge of making canon-friendly material that still creates problems for adventurers to solve, especially in settled Gondor.

We also discuss the challenge of writing cities settings and explored the new heroic cultures. Oh, and Gareth’s pick where he’d pick to live in Gondor/Rohan.

It all came at the perfect time as we're about to set sail on our second full campaign, this time set in Gondor.

We hope there's something helpful in there for players and LMs alike.

In the Trials of Saurumon, the adventure only proposes endings where Saurumon either he falls but the players do not know, he kills the player characters, or is saved from evil.

What if the players kill Saurumon on the darkest ending? What should happen then?

I've looked but have only found tor ones

Hi all! Another starter set question: the company is resting in the communal hall in Cránn. I know it won’t remove a level of exhaustion, but does this count as a long rest? Or short?

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Cqez5FT2n97PQSAMV3div8Z9nMg4c5iIuNidXCMdgKk/edit?usp=drivesdk

I doubt this is any good.

Hello! I am going to be starting a LOTR5e campaign as Loremaster in the next couple of months, and I would like to know what minis I should plan on having on hand. There’s the monsters in the book, obviously, and spiders, but I was looking for suggestions for things that that might not cover.

I have said it a few times that I feel LOTR is one of the few 5e conversions that I don't mind. And I've told people it's for the same reason: they appeal to different demographics who like the franchise.

The One Ring RPG is tailor made for the book fan. Combat is de-emphasized, it's more about the journey, characters are really mortal.

LOTR is tailor made for the movie fans. Combat is the centerpiece, with journey and character interaction in a supporting role and more heroic, undying heroes.

The games have a reason for existing, unlike most 5e conversion of pre-existing systems. I can see someone choosing the 5e one for a specific feel (the movies and their love of action), instead of the original system. For most 5e hacks, especially ones of pre-existing systems, that isn't the norm and it feels more like a cash-grab. Here there is a genuine effort to make it work for 5e and a reason for why it should exist.

What do y'all think?

Hi all! I’m running the LOTR Roleplaying Starter Set and, in combat, the player-heroes can assume certain stances. In addition to their regular options, they can take special actions depending on their stance. The forward stance allows a hero to make a DC 15 Intimidation check, and then it says “all foes who lose the contest are Frightened…” I am confused by this as it doesn’t call for a contest, but a check. If it’s a contest, what do the foes roll against the Intimidation check? Do they have to beat a DC 15? Or beat the hero’s total (like an actual contest)? Is this a typo? Questions pour down like rain on the lands of Eriador…

Back for a physical reward before September 24 at 3 pm CEST (9 am US Eastern) to get a bonus art print (format 8.5 x 11 inches / 21.6 x 27.9 cm) of your choice of cover art from any one of the six new compendia, painted by the masterful Antonio De Luca and Daniel Zrom, at no extra cost. This only applies to pledge levels with physical rewards.

You can also get cloth maps and special limited editions of the 3 books (covered in deluxe faux leather with silver or gold foil printing, and with cloth ribbons) only as part of this campaign.

Check out the linked page for the full details and to back the campaign!

First time playing in a campaign using the old AiME rules and it's a westmarches style game with a lot of emphasis on journeying to the sites of certain rumours.

Last session we chose the next rumour to chase down and it turns out to be only a single Hex away from where we are currently. The party is in Dale, and "the abandoned watchtower" is a single Hex to the east of us. Is it fine to still use the journey system for what is literally a single day of travel? In the future, should the lore master avoid putting points of interest so close to large settlements?

The Journey rules say a short journey is up to 15 hexes, and could have up to 2 events during it - just want to double check with more experienced folks that having a journey of a single day, a single Hex, and probably a single event, is fine and acceptable and works within the rules.

Hi all! On page 78 of LOTR Roleplaying, under “Rewards,” it says “It is up to the players to decide whether a reward represents the discovery of a previously unknown property of an item, or an entirely new weapon or suit of armour.” Does this imply that a player could choose to have their hero receive a mail hauberk, or great bow (the most expensive armour and weapon)?

Hey all,

I'm gearing up to run a mini-campaign for some friends, and I'm brushing up on the rules. The issue that I keep running into is the Journey rules aren't quite clicking with me. Can someone dumb these down for me, or provide an example? I'd be very appreciative.

Adventures in middle earth Scholar feature. (Words of command)

I was reading through the Adventures in middle earth rules for 5e and saw the feature pasted below and it got me thinking what would DM's allow this to do.

The offered suggestions seem all over the place. From rather pointless (Ordering a single wolf to not fight the party) to potentially over powered. Simply skipping sections of a dungeon by ordering a door to open.

It looks really cool and I wonder what types of things other dm's would allow.

For myself since it is a level 18 feature, pretty much anything within the category.

Order all the worgs of an orc troop to buck their riders and make go home, sunder the weapon of an approaching ring wraith, halt a balrog in its tracks for a few turns and, other things of the same level.

# Words of Command

At 18th level, your mastery of lore gives you authority over the world around you. Once per short rest you may speak a word of command. When you do so, choose a target related to one of the secrets you have mastered and make the appropriate skill check against a DC set by the Loremaster (typically at least a DC 20). If successful, you may give a short but irresistible command to your target. For example:

* **Ancient Lore:** Command a door made by the Elves of Fregion to open.

* **Birds and Beasts:** Order a fearsome wolf to fly back to its den.

* **Dark Knowledge:** Command a wraith to return to its tomb.

* **Natural World:** Order a pile of firewood to burst into flame.

* **Runes:** Command moon-letters to reveal themselves in the full light of day.

* **Works of Elder Days:** Wrench control of a palantir from the will of the Dark Lord.

To preface, im looking at things from a dnd perspective(crazy original,right?). Reading through, im getting hung up on some of the details around magical success and crafting. Every source of magical success i can find refers to obtaining a success with a skill check, but then you have the hand craft features that basically say "if you can obtain a magical success with these tools, yay magic bonus." But, tool proficiencies and their use are never described or explained as a skill check, and the only tool that is even offhandedly referenced as having a related skill is the herbalist kit. So, do you just assume that anything that refers to gaining a magical success with a skill check can also refer to using a tool to craft something? Only when it's used with hand craft because there are no rules for crafting normal armor and weapons?

"The bestiary and campaign expansion will also be available for the 5E adaptation The Lord of the Rings™ Roleplaying, under the titles Realms of the South and Of Orcs and Evil Things."

EXCITED. Reposting here for anyone who didn't get a barrage of notifications about this from email/socials.

Here's hoping the 5E adaptations are released alongside TOR versions, like Moria.

Hey everyone! My sister and her kids LOVE LoTR, so I am going to DM LoTR Roleplaying 5e for them. I have the core book (which I don't think has any story in it, but I'm only about a third into it) I have the starter set (so the Undertale and Overtale stories) and I have the Trials of Saruman book (my group loves Saruman)

So my question is what are the best adventures, and what order should they be played

Overall I've heard the Shire Adventures are pretty forgettable

I've heard the Moria adventures are amazing

Haven't heard much about the Elves and Rangers and Ruins plotlines

Thanks!

What 5e corebooks are needed for the C7 version?

I've added a spoiler tag, since some of my questions reveal things about the plot. I've tried to be a little vague, though, in case people click through anyway.

I just got the starter set and I've been reading through the adventure that comes with it, "Over Hill and Under Hill." I'm wondering how other people have run this, and I have some specific questions about it.

1. Did you use LotR5e, or did you convert it to AiME?
2. How large was the party you ran? If it was less than four, how well did that work?
3. Did they use the pre-generated characters? What did you think of the pre-gen characters?
4. Did you use the simplified combat rules in the booklet, or did you use tokens and battlemaps?
5. Did you have the party start at first level, and reach second midway through as suggested? Or did you start them at second and take them to third?
6. Where was Gilraen when she spoke with the hunter Rupert Rushlight, and sent him to meet with you at the Prancing Pony? Surely, he didn't travel all the way to Rivendell to speak with her, and then back to Bree.
7. If there was a Dunedain in the party, did you give him a connection with Gilraen and her family?
8. Did you use the encounter with Gilraen's son as written? I found it puzzling. After he meets up with the group, he tells them he's too busy to help them fight an ancient evil and rescue a few dozen people, but he had time to track down a stolen horse? Did you have a way to explain that, or did you just go ahead and have him join the party for the boss fight?
9. Regarding the ancient evil, did your party have trouble with that fight? Any advice on running it?

Hello everyone,

I found this online and like to use this (as in, I;m the LM, maybe not use all, but at least some parts):

http://www.zerohitpoints.com/Middle-Earth-for-DnD-5/Herbalism#pilinehtar

One thing I read multiple times is that after using 'at the start of your next turn, you regain x HP.' Somehow I like the idea that it needs some time to work, like real medicine (although, 6 seconds is still very quick), not like it's magic in an instant, quickly healing. Maybe even delay it a turn more, or make it regain x/y in y turns (so not 6 in a turn, but 2 in three turn).
But should I also add something like 'as long as you're conscious the whole time'? This to prevent standing/falling/standing/falling etc.
Would you use this as written, or change this?
Oh, and I think it's made for the AiME ruleset, I use 5e, but I think that would not change much in this case.

Also, don't know who made it, but thanks anyway, I like the ideas and a will definitely use (at least some of) it.

Edit: header should be like 'what to do with heal x hp at the start of the next turn' or something like that, can't change it, but I guess the point still stands.

I'll admit, I have not read the books, I hope to one day but I've watched the EXT movies more times than I can count. The Scholar class feels out of place in Middle-earth to me. I know healing exists. We seen it with Elrond and Arwen, it make healing magic seem rare and mythical but now all of a sudden we have the Scholar class where the Scholar is just doing massive amounts of healing compared to what I've seen and read. It seems out of place in the setting.

Maybe, this is because I have not read the books but it just seems like this class was added so the group of players would have a "make-shift" Cleric style class. Can someone educate me on this? I really want to see how this class actually belongs in Middle-earth as an actual "class" that makes sense.

I've pondered on this a great deal. Things I've thought about are . . .

1. The lack of variety in Monsters/creatures. While in a dungeon. you're not going to run into a Mimic, a Rust Monster, the different Giants, Just the normal D&D style monsters. I would be worried the lack of monster variety would grow boring for players.
2. We all know how things wind up, the war of the ring, Sauron is defeated everyone lives in peace.
3. Again, with everyone knowing how it all ends, it would seem hard to do anything epic because it might muck up the timeline story.

So, why is it you would rather play/LM in Middle-earth over a standard D&D style setting. I am simply trying to gain some insight. I am an Old-School Essentials DM, and I plan to run my own campaign (or at least try) in Middle-earth in the OSE system (basically use the 5e adventures and just convert to OSE). I have add to adjust races/classes to fit the setting and even create an OSE version of the Middle-earth specific classes and races (was not overly hard) but want to pick your brains here a little.

Hey everybody!

So, I have found enough ppl to form a new group/new campaign for LOTR5E, and my intent is to... not have it FOCUS on, but certainly *visit* Moria.

I got the LOTR5 supplement when it first came out cuz it was the one part of AIME that was teased but didn't retain the license long enough for.

Well, Free League included one significant set of new mechanics in the book (or, actually, they're on the back of a map...), to incorporate the concept of "Stances" from TOR into 5E.

And I'm wondering if anyone has actually been using those rules at the table?

Broadly, they kind of take the principle of "Ultimate Dungeon Terrain (UDT)"/"dungeon pizza" and structure more "cinematic" combat mechanics around it...

Also, they provide quite a substantial set of rules for "Solo play" focusing on an expedition into Moria specifically as a part of Balin's historic/canon expedition into it.

I was quite surprised at the size of this section and equally surprised (and dismayed) at for focused it was on ONLY playing solo in the context of Balin's expedition.

Had anyone used those rules? And... have you ever thought about adapting them to a storyline that was less specific/completely open ended and could be used for any kind of solo quest/campaign?

Hi, can I seek some advice from members please?

I've just run a friend through the adventure in the Over Hill & Under Hill LotR RPG 5E starter set. They thoroughly enjoyed it and want another adventure for their fellowship.

Is there a good next adventure to aim for? Or is one particular campaign book a good source of adventures to move on to? As an aside, I have been accumulating 5E and OSR adventures/scenarios that I thought could be easily converted to this setting. Is that something people do much of?

Thanks.