The Art of Magic

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Other Minds Magazine

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The Art of Magic

over the Edge of the Wild An Alternative Magic System for TOR

“Magic” has always been a matterof much debate for roleplaying gamesset in Middle-earth. I have alreadywritten extensive articles on thistopic in Issues #8 as well as an appli-cation for it in Issue #10 of Other

Minds.The new official roleplaying game

for The Hobbit and The Lord of theRings, The One Ring – Adventures overthe Edge of the Wild (TOR for short),has made a very elegant and satisfac-tory approach to magic in Middle-earth. That is, it avoided completelythe use of a magic system and intro-duced instead the subtle magic of

Elves and Dwarves as Virtues thecharacters may acquire in the courseof the game. This has been approved by the TOR community as a greatachievement in clear contrast to themagic systems of the previous li-censed games MERP and The Lord ofthe Rings Roleplaying Game.

Anyway a part of this communityplays with the thought of building afitting magic system for TOR, pro-

vided that it be subtle, in accord tothe legacy of Professor Tolkien andmaintaining the spirit of TOR.

In this article I offer as an alterna-tive the adaptation of my own afore-mentioned magic system for Middle-earth to the game mechanics of TOR.

by Daniel “Vaco” Vacaflores([email protected]) © 2012

per the terms of the CC license: b n a

The publication of Cubicle 7’s new gameThe One Ring—Adventures Over theEdge of the Wild has brought many fresh

and marvellous ideas to Middle-earth gaming.The system is all the more remarkable, as itdoes not yet contain a “classic” magic system.It is interesting to see whether one will offi-cially be published, but in the meantime, fansare developing their own ideas. Long-timecontributor Vaco has had some ideas of hisown on this topic, which are presented in the

following article.

A few thoughts about magic

in Middle-earth

Many people think that there is no“magic” (in the classical RPG style) inMiddle-earth. At least not at the endof the Third Age, in the time of TheHobbit and The War of the Ring. I tack-led this point in the previous articles, but I think it necessary to briefly dis-cuss it here again.

I think Middle-earth is full ofmagic, subtle and not-so-subtle, andnot limited to Elves and Dwarves.For me magic is a fundamental part ofMiddle-earth—even at the end of theThird Age. It is not unusual, but partof reality.

But who can tap into it? I think itis not limited to Elves, Dwarves orIstari, but is possible to all. It is anaspect of the secret flame in all thechildren of Eru Ilúvatar. Even if sub-tle. The way I see it is like any othermundane skill, but spiritual in nature.As the Elves would put it: it is whatmortals call “magic”.

I am painfully aware that such anidea is anathema for many Tolkien

‘They will think we had a very strongmagic to pass through all those lockeddoors and disappear. Disappear!’

—The Hobbit.Barrels Out of Bond



Issue 13, March 2012

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fans, and as such I offer it as an alter-native, to be used or ignored asdeemed proper. I suggest revising myprevious articles on magic in Middle-earth over this theme.

But letting esoterics aside, let’sturn to concrete examples. Who usesmagic in The Hobbit and The Lord of theRings? Let’s begin with the obvious:Gandalf, Saruman and Radagast, all ofthem Wizards (or Istari to those ‘inthe know’). Elrond, Galadriel, Glor-findel, the company of Gildor Inglo-rion, the Wood Elves, the Galadhrimand the elven minstrels. TheDwarves, even if their magic seemslimited to the crafting of secretdoors, artefacts and magic toys. TomBombadil and Goldberry.

Then come Aragorn (and not justwith his healing arts and command ofthe Army of the Dead), Dírhavel,Gilraen, Ivorwen and Malbeth, all ofthem with prophetic powers. And theNúmenórean kings as intermediarieswith Eru Ilúvatar.

Then we come to the well docu-mented human magic users (not as“wizards”, but as “user of magic”):Beorn the shapechanger, the Wosesand their watchful statues, the Rang-ers of the North and Denethor.

And finally the dubious like Barli-man Butterbur, or the highly ques-tionable (but plausible): Farmer Mag-got and Tobold Hornblower.

Well, and what roles would theseusers of magic play in the TOR sce-nario? They can be Woodmen healersor hunters taught by Radagast theBrown; Beorning holy bear-warriors;

prophets and warriors for the Men ofDale; dwarven master-crafters; elvenminstrels or even down-to-earthHobbits.

The Art of Magic

And so we come to the concretemagic system for TOR.

The magic roll is made with one ofthe normal skills on the TOR charac-ter sheet. The TN depends on the

mastery level of the “magic spell”,and is noted in each case. The use ofovert and offensive magic has a diffi-culty TN of +3 (as noted in the Vir-tues descriptions, also).

Normally for the activation of amagic spell a magic roll is necessaryand the expenditure of one or moreHope points. Extraordinary successesallows the maintained effects to beused without extra Hope expenditure

(one round free for each Rune) orimproved effects.

The magician must learn thesevirtues sequentially. Thus he needsto learn the first levels before beingable to learn higher ones.

Though a skin-changer and no doubta bit of a magician, Beorn was a Man.

—Letters. #144

If you must know more, his name isBeorn. He is very strong, and he is askin-changer. […] He is a skin-changer. He changes his skin; sometimeshe is a great strong black-haired manwith huge arms and a great beard. […] At any rate he is under no enchantmentbut his own. […] he keeps cattle andhorses which are nearly as marvellous ashimself. They work for him and talk to

him. —The Hobbit. Queer Lodgings

…in the wild lands beyond Bree therewere mysterious wanderers. The Bree-

folk called them Rangers, and knewnothing of their origin. They were tallerand darker than the Men of Bree andwere believed to have strange powers ofsight and hearing, and to understandthe languages of beasts and birds.

—The Lord of the Rings. At the Sign of the Prancing Pony

“You don’t know much even aboutthem [humankind], if you think oldBarliman is stupid,” said Gandalf. “Heis wise enough on his own ground. Hethinks less than he talks, and slower; yet he can see trough a brick wall in

time (as they say in Bree)” —The Lord of the Rings.

Important Note: In the fol-lowing descriptions I use the ex-pression “level of special success”.

This pertains to the number of spe-cial “Tengwar” symbols –B – (or“6” on normal dice) achieved whenrolling the success dice—and notthe feat die.




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Option 1: Cultural Virtues

The Path of Manwë

Manwë is the patron of kingship,air and vision. He is the spouse ofVarda.

Apprentice: Inspiration

(Inspire, TN 12)

The character can spend one Hopepoint so that all his nearby allies re-cover one point of Hope.

Novice: Farsight (Awareness, TN 14)

The character can spend one Hopepoint to be able to make an awareness

roll for far away things, up to the ho-rizon. Darkness and other climaticfactors penalize the roll normally.

This spell is complemented by the“Farhearing” spell in the Path ofVarda.

Journeyman: Inspire Awe(Awe, TN 16)

With a successful magic roll andthe expenditure of one Hope pointthe character can force an opponent(or group of opponents) to stop be-fore the caster, so long as they arenot attacked. The caster can maintainthis stance by spending a new Hopepoint per round. The opponent canexpend one Hate point to force thecharacter to make a new Awe roll

(TN 10+attribute level).Magician: Weather Mastery(Song, TN 18 or 21)

The character can control theweather in his vicinity to call winds,or rains, or whatever. If the weathersummoned is extreme for the region,or if the player wishes to use it in adestructive way, use the highest TN.It may take hours to build the desired

weather pattern.This magic has a great narrative

potential, and that is why the Lore-master should take care with it. Andno mortal has complete control overthe weather.

Wizard: Awe Armor (Awe, TN 23)

In a burst of light the caster canstop all attacks in his vicinity, dis-abling the weapons directed against

him for the next round. The casterexpends one Hope point to do it.

Then Aragorn led the way [into thePaths of Dead], and such was thestrength of his will in that hour that allDúnedain and their horses followedhim. And indeed the love that the horsesof the Rangers bore for their riders wasso great that they were willing to faceeven the terror of the Door, if theirmasters’ hearts were steady as theywalked beside them.

—The Lord of the Rings.The passing of the Grey Company

The Lord of the City sat now in ahigh chamber above the Hall of theWhite Tower with Pippin at his side;and through the dim windows, north

and south and east, he bent his darkeyes, as if to pierce the shadows of doomthat ringed him round. Most to thenorth he looked, and would pause atwhiles to listen as if by some ancient arthis ears might hear the thunder of hoofson the plains far away.

—The Lord of the Rings.The Siege of Gondor

The Balrog reached the Bridge. Gan-dalf stood in the middle of the span[…] His enemy halted again, facinghim […] Gandalf stood firm. ‘Youcannot pass,’ he said. The orcs stood

still and a dead silence fell. —The Lord of the Rings.The Bridge of Khazad-dum

“Halt!” cried Gandalf, who appearedsuddenly, and stood alone, with armsuplifted, between the advancingdwarves and the ranks awaiting them.“Halt!” he called in a voice like thun-der, and his staff blazed forth with a

flash like the lighting. —The Hobbit. The Clouds Burst

They could hear few words, but itseemed plain to them that the song wasa rain-song, as sweet as showers on dryhills, that told the tale of a river fromthe spring in the highlands to the Sea

far below. —The Lord of the Rings.

In the House of Tom Bombadil

His Hood and his grey rags were flung away. His white garments shone.He lifted up his staff, and Gimli’s axeleaped from his grasp and fell ringingon the ground. The sword of Aragorn,stiff in his motionless hand, blazed witha sudden fire. Legolas gave a greatshout and shot an arrow high into theair: it vanished in a flash of flame.

—The Lord of the Rings.The White Rider




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The Path of Varda

Varda is the patron of stars, holylight and hearing. She is the spouse ofManwë.

Apprentice: Starlight (Song, TN 12)

The caster can surround himself

and his company in the glow of star-light, enough to use elven vision, andto activate the elven cultural back-ground in complete darkness. Thisglow is barely visible, and will remainundetected under torch light, for ex-ample. The spell uses one Hope pointto activate, plus another one eachhour thereafter.

Novice: Farhearing (Awareness, TN 14)

The character can try to hearsounds in the distance, up to one mileper point of Wisdom. The caster

must specify the direction and dis-tance (in miles) he wants to try tohear. Each try costs one Hope point.

Journeyman: Flash (Song, TN 16)

This spell has two aspects. First,the mage can cause his staff to glowwith a faint light, enough for anybodyto be able to see. In this version eachHope point allows him to maintainthis effect for one hour.

And second, it can be used tocause an explosion of light (a flash)that stuns all creatures in the vicinity.Daylight creatures are stunned forone round, unless they make an In-sight roll to avoid it. Creatures withthe special ability “Denizens of theDark” or “Hate Sunlight” are stunnedfor one round plus one round per

number of successes in the magicroll.

Magician: Rumors of the World(Awareness, TN 18)

The character can hear far awayevents. It does not work to eaves-drop, but to get a feeling of the gen-eral activity in the region. It costs oneHope point per region.

Wizard: Holy Light (Song, TN 20)

The mage can call for a Holy lightthat sprouts out from his hand. Thislight is painful to the creatures of theShadow, and prevents them fromcoming near the character. This use

consumes one Hope point per fiveminutes.

It can be also used as an attackagainst specters and utterly corruptcreatures. To them it works like anormal ranged attack (Damage 9,Edge 10, Injury 18), using the Songskill as weapon skill. This costs oneHope point per attack.

Before long the Elves came down the

lane towards the valley. They passedslowly, and the hobbits could see thestarlight glimmering on their hair andin their eyes. They bore no lights, yet asthey walked a shimmer, like the lighton the moon above the rim of the hillsbefore it rises, seemed to fall about their

feet. —The Lord of the Rings.

Three is Company

So far there had been no sign or soundof pursuit that the hobbits could see orhear; but often Glorfindel would haltand listen for a moment, if they laggedbehind, and a look of anxiety cloudedhis face.

—The Lord of the Rings.Flight to the Ford

Faint to my ears came the gatheredrumour of all lands: the springing andthe dying, the song and the weeping,and the slow everlasting groan of over-burdened stone.


Gandalf struck a blue light on the endof his magic staff, and in its firework glare the poor little hobbit could be seenkneeling on the hearthrug…

—The Hobbit. An Unexpected Party

All of a sudden you gave one of yourblinding flashes, and we saw the goblinsrunning back yelping.

—The Hobbit. Out of theFrying-pan into the Fire

…it seemed to Pippin that he raisedhis hand, and from it a shaft of whitelight stabbed upwards. The Nazgûl gave a long wailing cry and swervedaway[.]

—The Lord of the Rings.

The Siege of Gondor

For a moment it glimmered, faint as arising star struggling in heavy earth-ward mists, and then as its powerwaxed, and hope grew in Frodo’s mind,it began to burn, and kindled to a silver

flame, a minute heart of dazzling light,as though Eärendil had himself comedown from the high sunset paths withthe last Silmaril upon his brow. Thedarkness receded from it, until it seemed

to shine in the centre of a globe of airycrystal, and the hand that held it spar-kled with white fire.

—The Lord of the Rings.Shelob’s Lair




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The Path of Ulmo

Ulmo is the patron of water, mu-sic and mists. He is alone.

Apprentice: The Voice in the Water(Insight, TN 12)

The character can hear the voiceof running water, learn its wisdomand recover hope. This is the onlyspell that uses no Hope, but restores

it (one Hope point, plus one for eachlevel of special successes on the magicroll). The Loremaster can also givehidden counsels to the Fellowshipthrough this way. But most impor-tant, it is the only active way to re-ceive a Message in the Water (see below).

Novice: Magic Song (Song, TN 14)

The character can give essence tohis songs and captivate his audience.Mostly it has a narrative effect withgreat performances. But it can also beused to calm ferocious animals or

intelligent beings, so long as these laststay to hear the words.

Journeyman: Message in the Water(Song, TN 16)

The character can talk to the wa-ter to send a message to someonealong its waters. If this one knowsThe Voice in the Water spell, therecipient can use it to hear the mes-sage in any body of running water. Ifnot the only way for him to receivethe message is if by chance he sleepson the bank of flowing water. Tosend the message costs one Hopepoint.

Magician: Obscuring Mists(Stealth, TN 18)

The character fills his surround-ings with a light mist that hides his

passing. For all normal creatures itfunctions like normal mists, but forthe servants of the Shadow it makesthe character and his fellowship unde-tectable (so long they do not activelyattack them). It costs one Hope pointper hour to maintain this magic.

Wizard: Water Mirror (Song, TN 20)

The character can look into a mir-ror of water and have far away vi-sions. As is clear in the quote, thecaster may guide the mirror or let itshow what it wants to. This spell uses

one Hope point to activate.To learn this spell the charactermust know at least one spell of thePath of Manwë, and one spell of thePath of Estë or of Námo if he wantsto guide his visions into the past orthe future, respectively.

The Path of Aulë

Aulë is the patron of craftsman-

ship, mountains and the treasures ofthe earth. He is the spouse ofYavanna.

Apprentice: Minor Craft(Craft, TN 12)

The character can craft a weaponor armor with one special effect ofthe general Qualities list or onemagic effect that he already masters.This spell costs one Hope point andone permanent Shadow Point.

At length a silence fell, and they

heard the music of the waterfall run-ning sweetly in the shadows. AlmostFrodo fancied that he could hear a voicesinging, mingled with the sound of thewater.

—The Lord of the Rings.Lothlórien

Almost it seemed that the words took

shape, and visions of far lands andbright things that he had never yetimagined opened out before him…

—The Lord of the Rings.Many Meetings

…they slept upon his banks beneaththe summer stars. But Ulmo coming upthe river laid a deep sleep upon themand heavy dreams; and the trouble ofthe dreams remained after they awoke,

but neither said aught to the other, fortheir memory was not clear, and eachbelieved that Ulmo had sent a messageto him alone.

—The Silmarillion.Of the Return of the Noldor

‘Many things I can command theMirror to reveal,’ she answered, ‘and tosome I can show what they desire to see.But the Mirror will also show thingsunbidden, and those are often strangerand more profitable than things which

we wish to behold. […] it shows thingsthat were, and things that are, andthings that yet may be.

—The Lord of the Rings.The Mirror of Galadriel

Whether by some virtue in thesesheaths or because of the spell that layon the mound, the blades seemed un-touched by time, unrusted, sharp, glit-tering in the sun.


Fog on the Barrow-Downs




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Novice: Mason’s Hand (Craft, TN 14)

With this magic the character maygive strength to what they build, ormake really invisible secret doors. Orthey can use it to break or open such.Each wall, structure or secret door built with this spell has a rating equalto the number of successes of themagic roll made in their creation.This rating must be overcome by a

new magic roll by anyone who wantsto break or open them.

A Dwarf adds one extra success tohis rating, and a second one if heknows the Miner’s Gift spell (see be-low).

Journeyman: Greater Craft(Craft, TN 16)

The character can craft a weaponor armor with two special effects ofthe Qualities list, a magic effect orone of the cultural Rewards of hispeople. This spell costs two Hope

points and two permanent ShadowPoints.

Magician: Miner’s Gift(Search, TN 18)

The followers of Aulë have aninnate underground sense. In a very basic way they are able to find thetreasures of the earth in their miningexpeditions, and know how to shapetheir tunnels following the forms ofthe earth. Normally a (Dwarven)character can spend part of his Fel-lowship Phase searching for gold in a(dwarven) mine: on a successfulSearch roll he gets one TreasurePoint plus one per level of specialsuccess. With this spell he gets fiveTreasure Points plus five per level ofspecial success.

This magic also helps by allowingthe caster to know where to go in anunderground scenario (like orc tun-nels), in a very general way (the wayout, the main chamber, etc.).

This magic costs one Hope pointper Fellowship Phase or per hour ofexploration.

Wizard: Masterwork (Craft, TN 20)

The character can craft a weaponor armor with three special effects ofthe Qualities list, magic effect or oneof the cultural Rewards of his people.This spell costs three Hope points andthree permanent Shadow Points, andcan only be cast in a FellowshipPhase.

‘Dwarf-doors are not made to be seenwhen shut,’ said Gimli. ‘They are in-visible, and their own masters cannot

find them or open them, if their secret is forgotten.’


A Journey in the Dark

The Sword of Elendil was forged anewby elvish smiths […] Very bright wasthat sword when it was made wholeagain; the light of the sun shone redlyin it, and the light of the moon shonecold, and its edge was hard and keen.

—The Lord of the Rings.The Ring goes South

His are the gems that lie deep in theEarth and the gold that is fair in thehand… —The Silmarillion. Valaquenta

…even in the gloom and despite allwindings of the road he knew whitherhe wished to go, and he did nor falter,as long as there was a path that ledtowards his goal.

—The Lord of the Rings. A Journey in the Dark

From that the talk turned to the greathoard itself and to the things thatThorin and Balin remembered. Theywondered if they were still lying thereunharmed in the hall below: the spearsthat were made for the armies of the

great King Bladorthin (long since dead)each had a thrice-forged head and theirshafts were inlaid with cunning gold,but they were never delivered or paid

for; shields made for warriors longdead; the great golden cup of Thror,two-handed, hammered and carven withbirds and flowers whose eyes and petalswere of jewels; coats of mail gilded andsilvered and impenetrable; the necklaceof Girion, Lord of Dale, made of fivehundred emeralds green as grass, whichhe gave for the arming of his eldest sonin a coat of dwarf-linked rings the likeof which had never been made before,

for it was wrought of pure silver to the power and strength of triple steel. But fairest of all was the great white gem,which the dwarves had found beneaththe roots of the Mountain, the Heart ofthe Mountain, the Arkenstone ofThrain.

—The Hobbit.Inside Information




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The Path of Yavanna

Yavanna is the patron of the earth,plants and animals. She is the spouseof Aulë.

Apprentice: Healing Herbs & Pipe-weed (Search, TN 12)

The character can use healingherbs found in the wild or in gardens,improving the healing effects of aHealing roll: one extra point of En-durance plus one per level of specialsuccess on the Magic roll. This spellcosts one Hope point and three hoursof searching.

For Hobbits, who are not knownas great healers, this magic spell isused to remove the Weary or Miser-able state while smoking a pipe. Thisuse uses no Hope but needs ten min-utes of peace. A very few other peo-ple (like Gandalf and the Rangers ofthe North) can learn this aspect also.

Novice: Plentiful Harvest(Craft, TN 14)

The character can bless crops sothat they have a plentiful harvest atthe end of the season. This magicraises the temporary standard of liv-ing of a region by one (including theplayers themselves), and even morein extraordinary successes. Each timeit is cast (each crop to be blessed)

uses up one Hope point. Journeyman: The Words in the Leaves(Insight, TN 16)

The character can understand thetrees and other plants speaking tothemselves, and so can learn of thingsthat happened or trouble the zone.His Magic roll functions as Awarenessfor such matters, but the character

can only see what happened throughthe “eyes of the trees”, and so it may be not always easy to interpret it.This spell costs one Hope point tocast.

Magician: Forest Paths (Travel, TN 18)

The fellowship can reduce theterrain difficulty of traveling throughforest by one, plus one per level of

special success on the magic roll. OneHope point lasts one full day oftravel.

Wizard: Huorns (Song, TN 23)

The character can wake theHuorns in an area (one plus one perlevel of special success), even if theyare dangerous and difficult to con-trol. In the first TOR publicationthere is no game data for Huorns, but

you could use Troll’s stats for them.This spell costs one Hope point perHuorn.

With that leaf she staunched Beren’swound, and by her arts and by her loveshe healed him…

—The Silmarillion.Of Beren and Lúthien

Bilbo Baggins was standing at hisdoor after breakfast, smoking an enor-mous long wooden pipe that reachednearly down to his woolly toes […] andblew out a beautiful grey ring of smokethat sailed up into the air without

breaking and floated away over TheHill.

—The Hobbit. An Unexpected Party

‘Though you should find all barrenand laid waste, there will be few gar-dens in Middle-earth that will bloomlike your garden, if you sprinkle thisearth there.’

—The Lord of the Rings.Farewell to Lórien

“I wish that there were leisure now towalk among them [among the trees]:they have voices, and in time I mightcome to understand their thought.”

—The Lord of the Rings.The Road to Isengard

“I do not think the wood feels evil,

whatever tales may say,” said Legolas.He stood under the eaves of the forest,stooping forward, as if he were listen-ing, and peering with wide eyes into theshadows. “No, it is not evil; or whatevil is in it is far away. I catch only the

faintest echoes of dark places where thehearts of the trees are black. There is nomalice near us; but there is watchful-ness, and anger.”


Many of the trees seemed asleep, or asunaware of him as any other creaturethat merely passed by; but some quiv-ered, and some raised up their branchesabove his head as he approached.

—The Lord of the Rings.Treebeard

There is a great power in them [theHuorns], and they seem able to wrapthemselves in shadow: it is difficult tosee them moving. But they do. They canmove very quickly, if they are angry.You stand looking at the weather,maybe, or listening to the rustling of

the wind, and then suddenly you findthat you are in the middle of a woodwith great groping trees all around you.

—The Lord of the Rings.Flotsam and Jetsam




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The Path of Námo Mandos)

Námo is the patron of death,doom and fate. He is the spouse ofVairë.

Apprentice: Chance (Song, TN 12)

The character can bend the flowof fate to his needs, as if by chance.He can use this spell to change minordetails in the flow of the story to fithis situation. This are always minorchanges with no direct gaining for thecharacter, and the Loremaster mustalways allow it. The casting of this“spell” takes no time at all, but con-sumes one Hope point anyway.

Only Humans and Hobbits can usethis magic. All other peoples in thePath of Mandos begin directly in the“novice” mastery level.

Novice: Prophecy(Riddles, TN 14 or 17)

The main use of this magic is pas-sive, calling on it to see if the charac-

ter can learn something about a spe-cific theme. The Loremaster de-scribes in broad strokes and with aview on his adventure storyline whatfate is to come. This use costs oneHope point to use.

The character can actively make aprophecy over something, which will become true. If this has nothing to dowith the direct actions of the charac-

ters it costs one Hope point to cast.But if it has to do with the charactersthe TN is higher and its costs threeHope points; in this case there is nocomplete certainty of its fulfillment(even if the Loremaster should try tomake it true), but the character in-volved will receive a number of addi-tional Hope points in the prophesiedmoment as equal to the level of spe-cial success on the Magic roll.

Such a prophecy cannot contradictMiddle-earth as presented by J.R.R.Tolkien, and the Loremaster has al-ways complete control over it. In facthe can simply inform the player thathe feels that this prophecy has not thepower of fate behind it.

Journeyman: Eyes of Truth(Insight, TN 16)

The successful use of this spell notonly shows that somebody lies(because that is what Insight as mun-dane skill does), but what is the truth behind his words. This Magic skill isopposed by the Persuade skill of the

liar. The casting costs no time, butone Hope point.

Magician: Not this hour(Healing, TN 18 or 21)

This magic gives one person oneextra wound level to prevent hisdeath. The lowest TN is for casting itin advance; the higher for casting iton the spot, as reaction. It cost oneHope point.

Wizard: Pronounce Doom

(Song, TN 20)

Even if each lord can judge, thecharacter can pronounce doom withthe voice of Mandos himself. This

Just chance brought me then, if

chance you call it. —The Lord of the Rings.

In the House of Tom Bombadil

Therefore he [Ilúvatar] willed thatthe hearts of Men should seek beyondthe world and should find no resttherein; but they should have a virtue toshape their life, amid the powers andchances of the world, beyond the Musicof the Ainur, which is as fate to allthings else.

—The Silmarillion.Of the Beginning of Days

If these two wed now, hope may beborn for our people; but if they delay, itwill not come while this age lasts.

—The Lord of the Rings. Appendix A

Thus spoke Malbeth the Seer, in thedays of Arvedui, last king at Fornost[…] the hour is come for theoathbreakers: at the Stone of Erech theyshall stand again and hear there a hornin the hills ringing.

—The Lord of the Rings.ThePassing of the Grey Company

Gandalf sat up and gripped the armsof his chair; but he said nothing, andwith a look stopped the exclamation onPippin’s lips. Denethor looked at their

faces and nodded his head, as though in

sign that he had read much there beforeit was spoke. —The Lord of the Rings.

The Siege of Gondor

‘Beregond, by your sword blood wasspilled in the Hallows, where that is

forbidden. Also you left your post with-out leave of Lord or of Captain. Forthese things, of old, death was the pen-alty. Now therefore I must pronounce your doom.

‘All penalty is remitted for your valorin battle, and still more because all that you did was for the love of the LordFaramir. Nonetheless you must leavethe Guard of the Citadel, and you must go forth from the City of Minas Tirith.’

—The Lord of the Rings.The Steward and the King




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doom must follow a just and opentrial, and the doom must be in accor-dance with it. If it is so the words ofthe character bear the whole powerof Námo, and the victim is magicallyforced to abide by it. If fate wouldforce the target to break the doom,

he must spend so many Hope/Hatepoints as the number of successesplus one of the Magic roll, and thecaster will know immediately of it.

The Path of Vairë

Vairë is the patron of weaving,history and past. She is the spouse ofNámo.

Apprentice: Weaving (Craft, TN 12)

With this art the character canweave elven ropes, elven cloaks andother magical vestments. The elvenropes can be made directly, after oneday of work, a Magic roll and theinvestment of one Hope point.

To make elven cloaks the charac-ter must be initiate in the Paths ofUlmo and of Varda. This roll canonly be made in the FellowshipPhase.

As it is this spell can only be used

by the Galadhrim Elves. All otherpeoples begin this Path directly withthe Novice mastery level. If the Lore-master allows other magical vest-ments, this spell could be open toother peoples.

Novice: History (Lore, TN 14)

This spell can be cast on a place,and the character will recall the his-tory of it. The quality of the informa-tion gets better on extraordinary suc-cesses. The spell takes 15 minutes tocast and costs one Hope point.

Note that this spell does not re-veal specific personal information(see “Vision of the Past” below).

Journeyman: Interwoven Paths(Riddle, TN 16)

With this spell the caster inter-weaves the paths of two beings, en-suring that they meet again whateverthe odds. This is not, however, a

guarantee against character death.The Loremaster should work narra-tively on this spell. This spell costsone Hope point.

To learn this spell the charactermust know at least one spell from thePath of Námo.

Magician: Vision of the Past(Song, TN 18)

With this magic the character isable to glimpse into the past of anobject, place or person. He needs halfan hour of revision, presence or talkto peer into that particular past.

Then, with a magic roll and oneHope point, the character can seewith accuracy into the past of thesubject; extraordinary successes al-low the seer insights into veiled de-tails.

‘[These ropes] are made of hithlain,’said the Elf, ‘but there is no time nowto instruct you in the art of their mak-ing. Had we known that this craft de-lighted you, we could have taught youmuch.’

—The Lord of the Rings.Farewell to Lórien

…they could see in the wide valleyshadowed by the Mountain’s arms the grey ruins of ancient houses, towers,and walls.

‘There lies all that is left of Dale,’said Balin. ‘The mountain’s sides were

green with woods and all the shelteredvalley rich and pleasant in the dayswhen the bells rang in that town.’ —The Hobbit. On the Doorstep

‘Alas! Aragorn my friend!’ saidÉomer. ‘I had hoped that we should rideto war together; but if you seek thePaths of the Dead, then our parting iscome, and it is little likely that we shallever meet again under the Sun.’

‘That road I will take, nonetheless,’said Aragorn. ‘But I say to you, Éomer,that in battle we may yet meet again,though all the hosts of Mordor shouldstand between’


The Passing of the Grey Company

That day he [Elrond] looked at theswords they had brought from the troll’slair, and he said: ‘These are not troll-make. They are old swords, very oldswords of the High Elves of the West,

my kin. They were made in Gondolin for the Goblin-wars. […] This,Thorin, the runes name Orcrist, theGoblin-cleaver in the ancient tongue ofGondolin; it was a famous blade. This,Gandalf, was Glamdring, Foe-hammerthat the king of Gondolin once wore.Keep them well!’

—The Lord of the Rings. A Short Rest

‘You have talked long in your sleep,

Frodo,’ said Gandalf gently, ‘and it hasnot been hard for me to read your mindand memory.’





29

Wizard: The Other Side (Song, TN 20)

The Fëanturi grant access to theother side, or spirit world. With thisspell they allow the character to crossthe veil. His physical being remainsconcrete in the spirit world, withoutlosing his materiality in the here andnow, and to a normal person there isnothing out of the ordinary about thecharacter. The character can now

perceive clearly spirit beings (likespecters) and attack them normally.On the other hand he can be clearlyseen and attacked by spirits. OneHope point last for one completeencounter.

To learn this spell the charactermust know at least one spell of thePath of Irmo.

The Path of Irmo Lórien)

Irmo is the patron of dreams,hope and illusions. He is the spouseof Estë.

Apprentice: Gentle Sleep(Song, TN 12)

The character can cause sleep inother creatures. This cannot be usedin direct combat (since they are

watchful) or under consistent outsideinput (like somebody who talks toyou to keep you awake). And onceasleep, these creatures can be woken by physical attacks, loud sounds ordirect shaking. The victim can ex-pend one Hope or Hate point plus

one per success in the magic roll toavoid falling into this magic slumber.This spell costs one Hope point, af-fects one creature plus one per levelof special success, and lasts about halfan hour.

Novice: Restful Dreams(Insight, TN 14)

Irmo gives a restful sleep allowingone creature to recover two points ofHope plus one per level of special

success on the magic roll. This spellcosts one Hope point and can be usedon the caster or any other member ofthe Fellowship.

Journeyman: False Visions(Riddle, TN 16 or 19)

The followers of Irmo are adept atcreating mental images (or illusions)that can confuse onlookers. The illu-sions have no reality, and as such can-not harm the victims in a direct way.The viewers can make Awarenessrolls to overcome this effect, but theymust achieve more successes than theoriginal magic roll. This spell costsone Hope point to maintain for ashort scene.

This spell can also be used towork as a night of rest in respect to

the effects of the “Restful Dreams”spell (see above), and lasts half anhour.

‘I thought that saw a white figurethat shone and did not grow dim likethe others. Was that Glorfindel then?’

‘Yes, you saw him for a moment as heis upon the other side[.’]


Many Meetings

Very soon the chief guard nodded hishead, then he laid it on the table and

fell fast asleep. The butler went ontalking and laughing to himself for awhile without seeming to notice, but

soon his head too nodded to the table,and he fell asleep and snored beside his friend.

—The Lord of the Rings.Barrels Out of Bond

Strangely enough, Frodo felt re- freshed. He had been dreaming. Thedark shadow had passed, and a fairvision had visited him in this land ofdisease. Nothing remained of it in hismemory, yet because of it he felt gladand lighter of heart. His burden wasless heavy on him.

—The Lord of the Rings.The Passage of the Marshes

At first the beauty of the melodies andthe interwoven words in the Elven-tongue, even though he understoodthem little, held him in a spell, as soonas he began to attend to them. Almost it

seemed that the words took shape, andvisions of far lands and bright thingsthat he had never yet imagined openedout before him… […] Swiftly he sankunder its shining weight into a deeprealm of sleep.







31

Journeyman: Weary Feet(Insight, TN 16)

This magic lets a character un-check his Weary label if his Endur-ance score is higher than his Fatiguescore, e.g. as if he had rested a wholenight. This spell costs one Hope pointto cast.

Magician: Major Healing(Healing, TN 18)

Every character whose injuries aretreated with this magic recovers twoextra Endurance points the next nightof rest. This number is increased bytwo extra Endurance per level of spe-cial success on the magic roll if thecharacter to be healed is notWounded. The spell costs one Hopepoint per casting, and takes ten min-utes to cast.

Wizard: Hands of the Healer (Healing,TN 20)

Every character whose injuries aretreated with this magic recovers di-

rectly a number of Endurance pointsequal his Heart score, plus two perlevel of special success on the magicroll. Additionally it heals theWounded state and, if the Enduranceis higher than the Fatigue score, alsothe Weary state. This spell is difficultto cast, and costs two Hope points.But its effects are immediate.

The Path of Nienna

Nienna is the patron of tears, suf-fering and spiritual healing. She isalone.

Apprentice: Soothing Tears(Insight, TN 12)

The application of this magic stopsa Bout of Madness on the part of an-other character, who will break downin tears for two rounds before beingable to act again. For this the castermust confront the character openlyand talk to him, expending one Hopepoint to cast the spell. With this spellthe bout of madness does not resultin Degeneration, but nor does it resetthe character’s Shadow rating.

Novice: Calm Spirit (Insight, TN 14)

If travelling in “Shadow” lands, theFellowship is immune to its taint forone full day, during which time theyare not required to make the usualCorruption tests. The spell cost oneHope point per day.

Enchantment healed his weary feetThat over hills were doomed to

roam… —The Lord of the Rings.

A Knife in the Dark

As the evening drew on, Frodo wokeup again, and he found that he nolonger felt in need of rest or sleep, buthad a mind for food and drink, and probably for singing and story-tellingafterwards. He got out of bed and dis-covered that his arm was already nearlyas useful again as it had ever been.

—The Lord of the Rings.Many Meeting

He searched the wound on Frodo’sshoulder with his fingers, and his face grew graver, as if what he learned dis-quieted him. But Frodo felt the chilllessen in his side and arm; a little

warmth crept down from his shoulder tohis hand, and the pain grew easier. Thedusk of evening seemed to grow lighterabout him, as if a cloud had been with-drawn. He saw his friends’ faces moreclearly again, and a measure of newhope and strength returned.

—The Lord of the Rings.Flight to the Ford

…he [Boromir] fell sprawling andlay upon his face. For a while he wasstill as if his own curse had struck himdown; then suddenly he wept.

He rose and passed his hand over hiseyes, dashing away the tears. ‘Whathave I said?’ he cried. ‘What have Idone? Frodo, Frodo!’ he called. ‘Comeback! A madness took me, but it has passed. Come back!’

—The Lord of the Rings.The Breaking of the Fellowship

When he [Bilbo] could, he saw allround him a sea of dark green, ruffledhere and there by the breeze; and therewere everywhere hundreds of butterflies.[…] [Bilbo] enjoyed the feel of thebreeze in his hair and on his face […][The Dwarves] did not care tuppenceabout the butterflies, and were onlymade more angry when he told them ofthe beautiful breeze, which they were

too heavy to climb up and feel. —The Hobbit. Flies and Spiders




32

Journeyman: Vision of Hope(Awareness, TN 16)

By the vision of something pure inthe middle of taint, the Fellowshipcan overcome part of the temporaryShadow points they have accumu-lated. The Magic roll enables eachmember of the Fellowship to make an

Awareness roll (TN 16), so that eachone has a personal result. Each char-acter recovers of one temporaryShadow point in a successful roll, plusone per level of special success. Thismagic costs one Hope point to thecaster (only).

This spell is controlled by theLoremaster, who will decide if themoment (as vision of hope) works forthis magic.

Magician: Healing Tears(Insight, TN 18)

The Fellowship is able to heal alltheir temporary Shadow points dur-ing a Fellowship Phase.

Wizard: To Overcome the Shadow(Healing, TN 20)

With this spell one character canovercome his shadow. After a heroicact the degeneration path of one char-acter can be undone. A successfulmagic roll reduces the degeneration by one (eliminating the highest Flaw),plus one per level of special successachieved. This effect is almost imme-diate, but the Loremaster must agree

on what is to be considered a heroicact. The power of this spell is suchthat even a completely corruptedcharacter can overcome his shadow.The cost of this spell is five Hopepoints plus two per additional re-moved Flaw. This spell does not re-move the permanent shadow pointsof the character.

The Path of Tulkas

Tulkas is the patron of physicalstrength, unarmed combat and laugh-ter. He is the spouse of Nessa.

Apprentice: Unarmed Fury(Battle, TN 12)

After the successful use of thisspell the hands of the character func-tion like weapons: Damage 3, Edgerune, Injury 12. The spell is a freeaction, and cost one Hope per com-

bat.Novice: Break Shackles(Athletics, TN 14 or 17)

The character is capable of greatfeats of strength, being able to breakshackles, bend iron-bars, etc. If thefeat attempted is really extreme, usethe higher TN. The Loremaster canalways decree that a feat is impossi- ble, even with this magic. The char-acter must sacrifice one point ofHope to cast this spell.

Journeyman: Unarmored Might(Awe, TN 16)

So long as the character wears noarmor, he receives an armor protec-

tion of 2d. One Hope point lasts onehour; two Hope points last a day.This spell needs one minute of prepa-ration, and it cannot be cast in themiddle of combat.

They had trudged for more than anhour when they heard a sound thatbrought them to a halt. Unbelievable,but unmistakable. Water trickling.[…] Sam sprang towards it. ‘If ever I

see the Lady again, I will tell her!’ hecried. ‘Light and now water!’ —The Lord of the Rings.

The Land of Shadow

She is acquainted with grief, andmourns for every wound that Arda hassuffered in the marring of Melkor. […]But she does not weep for herself; andthose who hearken to her learn pity,and endurance in hope. […] …allthose who wait in Mandos cry to her,

for she brings strength to the spirit andturns sorrow to wisdom. —The Silmarillion. Valaquenta

‘Farewell, good thief,’ he said. ‘I gonow to the halls of waiting to sit besidemy fathers, until the world is renewed.Since I leave now all gold and silver,and go where it is of little worth, I wish

to part in friendship from you, and Iwould take back my words and deeds atthe Gate.’

—The Lord of the Rings.The Return Journey

‘Smoke then, and think of him!’ said Aragorn. ‘For he was a gentle heart anda great king and kept his oaths; and herose out of the shadows to a last fairmorning.’


The Houses of Healing

…he smote Freca such a blow withhis fist that he fell back stunned, anddied soon after.

—The Lord of the Rings. Appendix A (The House of Eorl)

It was believed that if he bore noweapon no weapon would bite him.





33

Magician: Greater Unarmed Fury(Battle, TN 18)

After the successful use of thisspell the hands of the character func-tion like deadly weapons: Damage 6,Edge 10, Injury 16. The spell is a freeaction, and costs two points of Hopeper combat.

Wizard: Greater Unarmored Might(Awe, TN 20)

So long as the character wears noarmor, he receives an armor protec-tion of 5d. This spell last one day andcost three Hope points. This spellneeds at least five minutes of prepara-tion, and it cannot be cast in the mid-dle of combat.

The Path of Nessa

Nessa is the patron of dancing andfleetness. She is the spouse of Tulkas.

Apprentice: Leap of Beren(Athletics, TN 12 or 15)

A character who knows this spellcan make all normal leaps with a TN

12, without expending Hope. Forreally mythic jumps he uses one pointof Hope and has a TN of 15. Onecannot jump over the ocean with thismagic; the Loremaster judges whatkind of leaps are mythic or impossi- ble.

Novice: Deer Running(Athletics, TN 14)

For a short time the character canoutrun any creature. For this he usesone point of Hope.

Journeyman: Outward Stance(Battle, TN 16)

His quick reflexes allow a charac-

ter to attack in an outward stance butdefend as if on the defensive. This is afree action, but each time he mustmake a new magic roll, uses a Hopepoint and it lasts only one round.

Magician: Lúthien’s Dance(Courtesy/Inspire/Athletics, TN 18)

The dance of the character is ableto put all viewers into an enchant-ment. So long as the magician dancesand succeeds in his magic rolls eachround, no creature can take an actionwithout expending one Hope or Hate

point. For the character this spellcosts only one Hope point for thewhole duration.

Wizard: Blur (Athletics, TN 20)

With this spell the character cantake two actions in one round. Themagic roll is made only once, but thecharacter must expend one Hopepoint per round to maintain it.

Helm grew fierce and gaunt for fam-ine and grief; and the dread of himalone was worth many men in the de-

fence of the Burg. He would go out byhimself, clad in white, and stalk like a

snow-troll into the camps of his ene-mies, and slay many men with hishands.


One night men heard the horn blow-ing, but Helm did not return. In themorning there came a sun-gleam, the

first for long days, and they saw a white figure standing still on the Dike, alone, for none of the Dunlendings dared comenear. There stood Helm, dead as astone, but his knees were unbent.


Appendix A (The House of Eorl)

Then Beren sprang from before Cele-

gorm full upon the speeding horse ofCurufin that had passed him; and theLeap of Beren is renowned among Menand Elves. He took Curufin by thethroat from behind, and hurled himbackward, and they fell to the groundtogether.


Deer she loves, and they follow her

train whenever she goes in the wild; butshe can outrun them, swift as an arrowwith the wind in her hair. —The Silmarillion. Valaquenta

…he came upon Lúthien, daughter ofThingol and Melian, at a time of eve-ning under moonrise, as she dancedupon the unfading grass in the gladesbeside Esgalduin. Then all memory of

his pain departed from him, and he fellinto an enchantment… —The Silmarillion.

Of Beren and Lúthien




34

Journeyman: Mounted Speed(Travel, TN 16)

When the character rides a horsehe can travel at twice the normalspeed of his steed and overcome allnormal obstacles on his way. This usecosts one Hope point.

Magician: Helm’s Horn (Awe, TN 18)

When blowing on his horn all ser-vants of the Shadow within earshotlose one Hate point plus one per levelof special success on the magic roll. Ifany creature ends with no Hate left,he flees the combat area.

The Path of Oromë

Oromë is the patron of hunting,archery and horses. He is the spouseof Vána.

Apprentice: Horse Tongue(Insight, TN 12)

The character is able to communi-cate with horses and hounds, andthey react to his call. Its use expendsone point of Hope.

Novice: Horn of Araw (Inspire, TN 14)

Blowing with a hunt- or warhornthe character stuns his opponents forone round, and summons help fromthe vicinity. The help must arrive bynormal means, but will come. Its usecosts one Hope point.

Wizard: Oromë’s Wrath (Awe, TN 20)

With this magic the character re-ceives a bonus to his Body, Endur-ance and Hope scores of +5 plus 1per level of special success on hismagic roll, and all combat skills areconsidered favoured. This bonuseslast one combat (or half an hour in alarge scale battle), and consumes twoHope points to come into effect.

The Path of Vána

Vána is the patron of youth andspring. She is the spouse of Oromë.

Apprentice: Youthful Energy(Athletics, TN 12)

With this magic spell the charac-ter reduces his Fatigue rating by fiveplus one per level of special successon the magic roll. It uses one Hopepoint and lasts until the next dawn.

“Did you hear them, Legolas? Didthey sound to you like beasts in terror?”“No,” said Legolas. “I heard them

clearly. But for the darkness and ourown fear I should have guessed thatthey were beast wild with some sudden gladness. They spoke as horses willwhen they meet a friend that they havelong missed.”


Gandalf whistled and called aloudthe horse’s name, and far away hetossed his head and neighed, and turn-ing sped towards the host like an arrow.

—The Lord of the Rings.The King of the Golden Hall

…a great horn of the wild ox of theEast, bound with silver, and writtenwith ancient characters. That horn theeldest son of our house has borne formany generations; and it is said that ifit be blown at need anywhere within thebounds of Gondor, as the realm was ofold, its voice will not pass unheeded.

—The Lord of the Rings.The Window on the West

He spoke a word to Shadowfax, andlike an arrow from the bow the greathorse sprang away. Even as they lookedhe was gone: a flash of silver in thesunset, a wind over the grass, a shadow

that fled and passed from sight. Snow-mane snorted and reared, eager to fol-low; but only a swift bird on the wingcould have overtaken him.

—The Lord of the Rings.Helm’s Deep

Helm had a great horn, and soon itwas marked that before he sallied forthhe would blow a blast upon it thatechoed in the Deep; and then so great a

fear fell on his enemies that instead of gathering to take him or kill him they fled away down the Coomb. […] mensaid that the horn was still heard attimes in the Deep and the wraith ofHelm would walk among the foes of

Rohan and kill men with fear —The Lord of the Rings. Appendix A (The House of Eorl)

And then, sudden and terrible, fromthe tower above, the sound of the greathorn of Helm rang out. All that heardthat sound trembled. Many of the Orcscast themselves on their faces and cov-ered their ears with their claws. Back

from the Deep the echoes came, blastupon blast, as if on every cliff and hilla mighty herald stood.


…but Théoden could not be over-taken. Fey he seemed, or the battle-furyof his fathers ran like new fire in hisveins, and he was borne up on Snow-mane like a god of old, even as Oromëthe Great in the battle of the Valar

when the world was young. His goldenshield was uncovered, and lo! It shonelike an image of the Sun, and the grass

flamed into green about the white feetof his steed.

—The Lord of the Rings.The Ride of the Rohirrim




35

Novice: Bird Friends (Courtesy, TN 14)

The character has a special affinitywith birds. He can make Insight rollsto understand their intentions, andCourtesy rolls to avoid that their be-ing panicked by his presence. Butmore important, each people hassome kind of special bird which herelates (Bardings to thrushes,Dwarves to ravens and Elves to night-ingales), with whom they can freelycommunicate and ask for services.

Journeyman: Young Beauty(Persuade, TN 16)

The character is able to charm oneperson in a romantic way. This per-son will do all he can to protect thecaster and to win his affection. Thisspell affects only one person at atime, and must be renewed each day.It uses one point of Hope per day. Ifthe character does something to make

the charmed person feel awful or be-trayed, then that person will remem- ber that and act according to it.

Magician: Spring Cometh(Song, TN 18)

The character can cast this spell atthe end of a (winter) FellowshipPhase. The Fellowship gets for thenext season as many extra FellowshipPoints as characters in it, plus one perlevel of special success on the magicroll.

Wizard: Forever Young

(Healing, TN 20)

The character seems to have aneternal youth. He gets to reroll theFeat die (and choose the best result)for all his personality and customskills. He makes his magic roll eachseason, and uses one point of Hope

for it.

The Path of Eönwë

Eönwë is the patron of weaponmastery and leadership.

Apprentice: Song of Victory(Song, TN 12)

With this magic the character andhis allies add their Heart rating totheir Parry score. The spell uses onepoint of Hope per round and lasts aslong as the character keeps singing (asa free action in combat).

Novice: Strength of Arms(Battle, TN 14)

The character receives an auto-

matic bonus to weapon damage equalto his Body score (or to his favouredBody score on an extraordinary suc-cess). The character can increase itnormally by expending Hope points.This spell consumes one point ofHope and lasts a whole combat. Itscasting is considered a free action ifthe character has a weapon in hishand.

Journeyman: Rally (Inspire, TN 16)

The character can rally his allies,giving them the benefit of “Strength

of Arms” for a combat scene. Thisspell uses one point of Hope, butneeds a whole round to be cast.

Nightingales went always with her,and she taught them their song…

—The Silmarillion.Of Thingol and Melian

…and all birds sing at her coming. —The Silmarillion. Valaquenta

Suddenly out of the dark something fluttered to his shoulder. He started –but it was only an old thrush. Unafraidit perched by his ear and it brought himnews. Marvelling he found he couldunderstand its tongue, for he was of therace of Dale.

—The Hobbit. Fire and Water

…and the song of Lúthien releasedthe bonds of winter, and the frozenwaters spoke, and flowers sprang fromthe cold earth where her feet had passed.


The spouse of Oromë is Vána, theEver-young… —The Silmarillion. Valaquenta

A song of victory they sang with clearvoices…


The Road to Isengard

Slowly Théoden stretched forth hishand. As his fingers took the hilt, itseemed to the watchers that firmnessand strength returned to his thin arm.Suddenly he lifted the blade and swung

it shimmering and whistling in the air.The he gave a great cry. His voice rangclear as he chanted in the tongue ofRohan a call to arms. Arise now, arise, Riders of Théoden!Dire deeds awake, dark is it eastward.Let horse be bridled, horn be sounded!Forth Eorlingas!

—The Lord of the Rings.The King of the Golden Hall

Three times Aragorn and Éomer ral-lied them, and three times Andúril

flamed in a desperate charge that drovethe enemy from the wall.





36

Novice: Fire Kindling (Lore, TN 14)

The character can magically start afire, no matter the weather condi-tions. Normally it is best to use mun-dane skills for this, but this spell canoften come in handy. The fire needsfuel to burn. The character makes hismagic roll and expends one point ofHope for it.

Journeyman: Dark Smoke and BurningSparks (Craft, TN 16)

The character can cause a bonfireto go out, releasing a cloud of darksmoke and sending burning sparksinto the air. The smoke blinds allcreatures in the area, forcing them tomake Awareness rolls to attempt any

action (TN 18 if surprised, TN 14 ifexpecting it). The burning sparks do1d6 fire damage per round to allnearby creatures. The effects last 2d6rounds and use one point of Hope.

Magician: Majesty (Awe, TN 18)

The character receives additionalarmor protection: one d6 plus one d6per level of special success on hismagic roll. This spell lasts one com-plete combat scene, costs two pointsof Hope and is cast in one wholeround.

Wizard: Might of Arms (Battle, TN 20)

The character and his immediateallies improve their Edge by one, and

their Injury range by two plus oneper level of special success on themagic roll. This spell costs one pointof Hope if cast only for himself, twoif cast for his Fellowship, or three ifcast for a greater group.

Servant of the Secret Fire

The character has learnt the se-crets of fire, as opposed to the darkmagics of the Enemy.

Apprentice: Fire Toys (Craft, TN 12)

The character has learnt to pre-pare fireworks and such. The charac-ter must prepare them beforehand(using at least one night to do it), andcan carry a maximum of two of them.Their main use is for a performance(like in Bilbo’s party), but they canalso be used in adventuring. First,they can be used to illuminate a zonefor one round plus one per level ofspecial success on the magic roll. Sec-ond, they can be used as night signal,to be seen from afar. Third, they can be used to surprise their opponents,giving the Fellowship a free successdie in their Surprise roll. And last,they can be used to force a Fear rollon animals. The character must use apoint of Hope for each firework heprepares.

Gimli and Legolas looked at theircompanion in amazement, for they hadnot seen him in this mood before. Heseemed to have grown in stature whileÉomer had shrunk; and in his living

face they caught a brief vision of the

power and majesty of the kings of stone.For a moment it seemed to the eyes ofLegolas that a white flame flickered onthe brows of Aragorn like a shiningcrown.

—The Lord of the Rings.The Riders of Rohan

At that sound the bent shape of theKing sprang suddenly erect. Tall and proud he seemed again; and rising inhis stirrups he cried in a loud voice,more clear than any there had everheard a mortal man achieve before:

Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden!Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter!

Spear shall be shaken,shield be splintered,

A sword-day, a red day,ere the sun rises!

—The Lord of the Rings.The Ride of the Rohirrim

‘I am a servant of the Secret Fire,wielder of the flame of Anor. You can-not pass’

—The Lord of the Rings.The Bridge of Khazad-dûm

The fireworks were by Gandalf: theywere not only brought by him, but de-signed and made by him…

—The Lord of the Rings. A Long-expected Party

At last reluctantly Gandalf himselftook a hand. Picking up a faggot heheld it aloft for a moment, and thenwith a word of command, naur an ed-raith amen!, he thrust the end of hisstaff into the midst of it. At once a

great spout of green and blue flamesprang out, and the wood flared andsputtered. […] ‘I must have somethingto work on. I cannot burn snow.’

—The Lord of the Rings.The Ring goes South

…the great fire went off poof! Into atower of blue glowing smoke, right upto the roof, that scattered piercing whitesparks all among the goblins. […] Thesparks were burning boles in the gob-lins, and the smoke that now fell fromthe roof made the air thick for eventheir eyes to see through.

—The Hobbit.Over Hill and Under Hill




37

Option 2: Free magic

The fundamental idea of thismagic system is to allow free use ofmagic, not restricted by specific“spells descriptions”. If the Loremas-ter thinks he can handle it, he can

allow the characters to shape themagic of each path in accord to therespective mastery level. If so thecharacters must learn each masterylevel, but use their imagination togive form to their magic.

In this case the listed magic spellsare guidelines of what kind of magicpower the character can handle.

It is extremely important to re-member, if this option is used, that in

Middle-earth there exist some“impossibilities” to magic. This arecalled únati and are only partially de-scribed by Tolkien. Neville “Osric”Percy made a great article on them inOther Minds, Issue 11 (pp. 107-116),and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Cultures and Magic Paths

TOR has achieved a low magicscenario, and to maintain that it can

be useful to use the following raciallimitations for the different paths.The maximum level of ability is givenfor each race and path.

Bardings: Manwë (Apprentice),Aulë (Journeyman), Námo(Journeyman), Vána (Novice),Eönwë (Journeyman).

Beornings: Aulë (Apprentice),Námo (Apprentice), Tulkas(Journeyman), Oromë

(Journeyman), Vána (Apprentice).Dwarves: Aulë (Wizard), Eönwë

(Journeyman), Servant of the SecretFire (Apprentice).

Elves of Mirkwood: Varda(Wizard), Ulmo (Wizard) Irmo(Wizard), Vairë (Journeyman), Nessa(Wizard), Oromë (Wizard).

Magician: Fire Cones (Lore, TN 18)

The character can put magic fireinto some kind of weapon (pine conesare also useful here). Each creaturehit by it catches fire and burns for1d6 fire damage per round. It takesthree full rounds to put the fire out(or one if completely submerged in

water), or it will burn for the wholecombat scene. The fire spreads toother creatures if they come in con-tact with it. The casting costs onepoint of Hope, and works for three burning attacks plus one per level ofspecial success on the Magic roll.

Wizard: Fire Burst (Song, TN 20)

The character can summon a greatfire explosion centered on himself,

that causes 5d6 points of fire damageplus 1d6 per level of special successon the magic roll. The caster cancause the explosion to begin outside acircular area away from himself, so asnot to affect his fellowship compan-ions.

Hobbits: Yavanna (Novice),Námo (Apprentice).

Woodmen: Aulë (Apprentice),Yavanna (Magician), Námo(Apprentice), Estë (Journeyman),Oromë (Journeyman), Vána(Apprentice).

Modifications to the

Virtues and Rewards system

I suggest to use the Rewards asTreasures, and to use Virtues andMagic Paths for advancing in the Val-our and Wisdom scale. If the Lore-master prefers to make a distinction between Valour and Wisdom, he candeclare that the Mental Rewards (andMagic Paths) are to be used with

Wisdom, and the more martial ori-ented ones to be used with Valour.

Besides, it will be evident thatwith a maximum of ten Virtues a nor-mal character cannot really get muchmagic power, and it is good so. ForElves and Istari I suggest allowingfurther progression over the maxi-mum scores for Valour and Wisdom.

Final Note

I hope this magic system appealsto the TOR fan-community, and putsa few ideas of the nature of magic inMiddle-earth. I also hope that forthose who use my generic magic sys-tem for their own games, that thiscomplete presentation offers a broader view of what kind of magicsare to be associated with each of theValar.

Good gaming to all!

He gathered the huge pine-cones fromthe branches of his tree. Then he set onealight with bright blue fire, and threwit whizzing down among the circle ofthe wolves. It struck one on the back,and immediately his [the Warg’s]

shaggy coat caught fire […] —The Hobbit.

Out of the Frying-Pan into the Fire

High in the air he [Gandalf] tossedthe blazing brand. It flared with asudden white radiance like lighting;and his voice rolled like thunder.

‘Naur an edraith ammen! Naur dan Ingaurhoth!’ he cried.

There was a roar and a crackle, andthe tree above him burst into a leaf ofblinding flame. The fire leapt fromtreetop to tree-top.

—The Lord of the Rings. A Journey in the Dark

Documents

The Art of Magic