Beyond Tol Eressëa (OOC Chat)

[tibbius]

Xp in these rules comes arduously, but advancement requires only small chunks of it, so it works out well overall. I like the way the rules reward creative players. Maybe Othden has an old Rohirrim song in his head somewhere.

[Samwell Turleton]

Greetings Darithe!

Tibbius - Please do write an old Rohirrim song!

[Old Duergar]

PROPOSED ΝΕW HOUSE RULE: CORRUPTION

Our game does not use the D&D alignment system. All PC heroes are assumed to be heroes – perhaps reluctant, perhaps ill-favoured and foul-looking, perhaps suspicious or haughty but heroes all the same. Heroes try to do good, but must contend with their own fears and failings. The Shadow does not solely rely upon instruments of war and the devious deeds of its servants to breed fear and doubt in its enemies. The temptations that dwell even in the hearts of the brave have ever been the ally of the Shadow. Valiant warriors, adventurers and kings can all stray from their path willingly, given the right circumstances. No matter how pure they believe their motives to be, or how just the ends, giving in to their darkest desires will eventually lead them to exert their power for personal gain or the domination of others.

The PCs accumulate Corruption points to represent the growing burden of grief, doubt, weariness and self-interest that comes to rest on the hearts and minds of those who oppose the Shadow. While much corruption can be attributed to the anguish caused by the Dark Lord’s deeds, the Shadow works best when exaggerating and nurturing weaknesses that are already present.

Heroes mainly risk gaining Corruption points in four ways (flavour example text in brackets):
1) Experiencing distressing events. (… suddenly he knew that he was imprisoned, caught hopelessly; he was in a barrow.)
2) Crossing or dwelling in an area tainted by manifestations of the Shadow (There was no movement of air down under the forest-roof, and it was everlastingly still and dark and stuffy.).
3) Committing despicable or dishonourable deeds, regardless of the end they sought to achieve. ("You can say that I was too strong and took it by force. For I am too strong for you, halfling," he cried; and suddenly he sprang over the stone and leaped at Frodo.)
4) Retaining willingly possession of a cursed or tainted item or treasure. (There for ages his huge bones could be seen in calm weather amid the ruined piles of the old town. But few dared to cross the cursed spot, and none dared to dive into the shivering water or recover the precious stones that fell from his rotting carcass…)

Consequences of Corruption:

Adventurers who dare to challenge the encroaching darkness face the risk of being overcome with grief or worse. In gaming terms, a PC must be careful not to accumulate more Corruption points than he is able to get rid of. When a PC’s Corruption point total reaches five (5), they have been made Miserable, as their spirit is weakened by too much grief, sorrow and dark experiences. Mechanically, this means they will roll with Disadvantage at a single roll of the GM's choosing (roll of [_1d6] instead of [_2d6]), to be announced after the said roll took place by the GM.

Moreover, the Dark Lord's baleful Eye is momentarily drawn upon the darkening that took place gradually on the said PC. Nasty surprises, extreme misfortunes and bouts of ill luck will haunt the Hero (or Heroes!) for a moment, before the Dark Lord's attentions are drawn elsewhere, by design or whim.

Removing Corruption:

Those who fight the encroaching darkness can work on removing the taint of corruption within themselves. PCs belonging to different races resort to different methods to get rid of Corruption (the following are just an example and by no means exhaustive, players feel free to improvise according to your PC's characteristics, backstory and feel): Dwarves usually turn to the forge to burn their frustration smiting the red iron on the anvil; Hobbits dedicate themselves to a beloved activity, like gardening, painting or writing a diary; and Elves and Men generally create, play or recite poems and songs. Such an undertaking tames time and requires safety and peace of mind; the Company must spend at least one week of uninterrupted game time in a location deemed safe and free of the Dark Lord's hindrances in order to attempt it.

A PC wishing to remove their corruption must make a [_2d6] check. For each success (roll of a 5 or 6), they remove 1 Corruption point. If their check results in double success (two rolls of 5 or 6), they remove 2 Corruption points. If two 6s are rolled on the two dice, 3 Corruption points are removed. PCs attempting to heal corruption in a location which is deemed a bastion of the Free Peoples (such as Lothlorien, Rivendell, Erebor, Minas Tirith etc), they make their check with Advantage (rolling of [_3d6]). If one of Middle's Earth Wise Ones is present during the undertaking (i.e. the PCs have managed to convince the likes of Elrond Half-Elven or Gandalf the Grey to offer advice or gained their sponsorship), the PCs add +1 to the result of each die.

In the case of extreme misfortune (double 1s are rolled on the check), the Player Character succumbs unto further despair, seeing his attempt go in vain and convincing himself of the futility of their own struggle against the mighty ploys of the Dark Lord. The PC in question -gains- 2 Corruption points. If three 1s are rolled in the case of rolling with Advantage, the result is impressively and disastrously grim, indeed: the PC gains 4 corruption points.

Any feedback on this most welcome, I think that Corruption is quite appropriate for Tolkien's theme. Don't hesitate to point out mistakes or obvious shortcomings, it will be appreciated If/when we settle on it, I will post it in the House Rules section.

[tibbius]

I'm in favor of this. It gives a mechanical reason to play good natured heroes, which is in keeping with the source material.

[Old Duergar]

+1 XP for Othden, please adjust your character sheet accordingly.

+1 XP and +1 Corruption point for Grimvarg, please adjust your character sheet accordingly.

[Darithe]

Greetings all!

I've been reading all your posts for awhile and they are most impressive. I hope I can rise to the standards you've all set.

~ Darithe dancing in the moonlight...

[Old Duergar]

Greetings all and welcome Darithe, I am sure you will do fine. Your PMs are an indication of a very good RPer!

Apologies for the slow reply of the prisoner, but compiling his poetic answer after Othden's casting took some time

Also, good job everyone. I am really pleased with the quality of the role play and the writing. The rhymes also that have surfaced rock!

[tibbius]

Apologies for the slow reply of the prisoner, but compiling his poetic answer after Othden's casting took some time

Also, good job everyone. I am really pleased with the quality of the role play and the writing. The rhymes also that have surfaced rock!

Sometimes forum gaming is simply better for what the players and DM want to achieve. It would take an incredibly gifted group of gamers to extemporize even the rough poetry that we've composed so far.

[Old Duergar]

A temporary bonus of +1 Fate on each character for the next 2 days of your journey is now applicable. Please adjust your character sheets accordingly.

+1 XP for Madoc Underburrow, please adjust your character sheet accordingly.

[Old Duergar]

+1 XP for Cerdic Greenhill, please adjust your character sheet accordingly.

[tibbius]

Should we cut scene to the road?

[Old Duergar]

Yes, I will post right now and if nobody else wants to do anything else at Angbor's keep, to the road it is tomorrow (a new post will follow tomorrow).

[Old Duergar]

Great RP, please carry it over to the IC thread?

[tibbius]

There's a way to "move" posts to a different thread. It's one of the options under the "gavel" button that you'll see as a moderator.

[Demilich]

Krilnar Eiloleh has joined not speaking Elvish now

[Demilich]

Dont let Krilnar keep "Disagreeing" with Grimvarg Someone else can jump in at any time

[tibbius]

Unfortunately Grimvarg's attitude seems reasonable in the setting. Krilnar needs a plausible explanation why he's willing to backtrack. Maybe he was sent from Imladris to learn news of Angmar, and would rather head back home asap rather than continuing north?

[Old Duergar]

Great RP everyone, keep it up! New post tomorrow, thanks for your patience.

[Rhukath]

can I just confirm the rolls I need to make to try attacking the wolves?

[tibbius]

can I just confirm the rolls I need to make to try attacking the wolves?

It's _3d6 if you have a specific skill for what you're doing, _2d6 if you have a relevant trait, _1d6 otherwise, you get an extra d6 if you have some kind of other advantage, lose a d6 if you're at disadvantage, but never roll more than 3d6 or less than 1d6.

In the r-a-w the rolls all are player facing, in combat you take damage on failure or deal damage on success, but this way works fine too!

https://rayotus.itch.io/taba