Papa Bear Posted November 17, 2023 Clone Share Posted November 17, 2023 OH! Sorry, had a lot of things on my mind... like how freaking much shadow Orn was going to be burdened with... and how I'd have to turn him against the group because he turned evil. Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogueblade0729 Posted November 17, 2023 Author Clone Share Posted November 17, 2023 21 minutes ago, Papa Bear said: OH! Sorry, had a lot of things on my mind... like how freaking much shadow Orn was going to be burdened with... and how I'd have to turn him against the group because he turned evil. Nah, not quite. Orn may have a Boromir moment where his Shadow-weakness causes him to act out of desperation, frustration, anger, or any other reason, but it will pass. Boromir did not turn evil, he was begging Frodo to give him the Ring because he believed it was the only way to save his people. It was a character flaw made extreme for a few moments of anxiety. This is also why it's important for you to consider the next generation of heroes, your Heir. Opposing the Shadow takes its toll, and that is a great way to continue the story of your characters as they can no longer bring themselves to suffer the hardships of adventuring. Like how real soldiers can only bear the burden of service for so long, the time eventually comes for them to step back and let someone else take over. They emphasized this mechanic more in LOTR 5e than they did in AiME, but not only is it a great way to spend your treasure, it offers unique storytelling opportunities you don't usually get in D&D or other TTRPGs. Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Bear Posted November 17, 2023 Clone Share Posted November 17, 2023 You have a great grasp of the system. That Boromir reference was fantastic and so obvious but I didn't think of it at all. I didn't really think Orn would turn evil, but I was concerned about what too much Shadow (and what is considered too much shadow) would cause. Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogueblade0729 Posted November 17, 2023 Author Clone Share Posted November 17, 2023 4 minutes ago, Papa Bear said: You have a great grasp of the system. That Boromir reference was fantastic and so obvious but I didn't think of it at all. I didn't really think Orn would turn evil, but I was concerned about what too much Shadow (and what is considered too much shadow) would cause. No problem! I'll just summarize the Shadow rules here, though feel free to reach the section in the Player's Guide. When your Shadow score is greater than your Wisdom score, you will become Miserable, which is a condition where you have Disadvantage on attack rolls, and you automatically fail all Charisma ability checks (not saving throws). Unless you reduce your Shadow score, rolling lower than the difference between your Shadow and your Wisdom on any d20 will cause you to undergo a Bout of Madness. For example, if you have 15 Shadow points, but you roll a 3 on a d20 before modifiers, you trigger the madness. Since Orn's Shadow-weakness is Lure of Power, much like Boromir's was, Orn will most likely try to attain some greater strength for himself, depending on the narrative. He may try to dominate the wills of his allies, or forcefully take a magic item from them, or attempt to prove himself in an all-or-nothing duel against a greater foe. These are all just examples, but you get the idea. After the Bout of Madness passes (it doesn't last long), you regain full control of your character, you immediately reduce your Shadow score to 0, but you gain 1 permanent Shadow point which can never be healed. For example, when Frodo claimed the Ring in Mt. Doom, that scarred him so deeply that he eventually longed to leave Middle-earth (he probably had 2 or 3 permanent Shadow points). In addition, you gain a level of Degradation, or a negative character trait. You can draw on this trait to gain 1d4s on your rolls or Inspiration, similar to your other traits, but doing so automatically costs you 1 Shadow point per use, akin to a Misdeed. In Orn's case, his Lure of Power Shadow-weakness means he becomes Resentful: "A Resentful adventurer is often bitter and angry with the people they ought to protect, as they feel that they risk their life for individuals that fail to recognise their actions on their behalf." Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codexgigas Posted November 17, 2023 Clone Share Posted November 17, 2023 On 11/16/2023 at 10:13 AM, rogueblade0729 said: To me, it would make sense that Orn would only gain a Shadow point if he continues to hold his mistrust of Galian for being an Elf, after the adventure is over. But if Orn was threatening a foe who has not been subdued / captured / detained, then I think it's fine. This makes sense to me. It's how we handled a similar situation with Fletcher/Amdiran early in the game. He tried to scare someone, but intended no threat beyond frightening the eavesdropper. You warned me as DM that it would be a Shadow point if I took the interaction further, but I hadn't planned to be any more intimidating than that. Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogueblade0729 Posted November 17, 2023 Author Clone Share Posted November 17, 2023 10 minutes ago, codexgigas said: This makes sense to me. It's how we handled a similar situation with Fletcher/Amdiran early in the game. He tried to scare someone, but intended no threat beyond frightening the eavesdropper. You warned me as DM that it would be a Shadow point if I took the interaction further, but I hadn't planned to be any more intimidating than that. Right. Intimidation as a skill is not inherently evil. In Middle-earth, it can also cover just being impressive, glorious, making your presence known. It's the skill for being bold and leaving a lasting, powerful impression on someone. Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogueblade0729 Posted November 18, 2023 Author Clone Share Posted November 18, 2023 These brigands must be pretty overconfident, for them all to not try so hard in their attacks. How else could you explain those very poor rolls? 🙃 Anyway, the Three Hunters Orn, Fletcher and Leofwyn are up! Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogueblade0729 Posted November 18, 2023 Author Clone Share Posted November 18, 2023 @Papa Bear One thing to note: Search in combat takes an Action to accomplish. So, you unfortunately won't be able to Search and Dash in the same turn. I'll allow you to choose whichever one is your real Action for the turn, since I didn't make that clear in the beginning. Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Bear Posted November 19, 2023 Clone Share Posted November 19, 2023 naw, he's just looking. His priority is to defend Nick Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogueblade0729 Posted November 25, 2023 Author Clone Share Posted November 25, 2023 Hi everyone, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving holiday! I'll be moving us along now, thank you for your patience. 😁 Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Bear Posted November 26, 2023 Clone Share Posted November 26, 2023 I had a great holiday. So much turkey! I had 3 and a half Thanksgiving Dinners; 1 awesome potluck at work the friday before Thanksgiving week, 1 the day before Thanksgiving at my sister's (amazing smoked turkey), one on Thanksgiving proper (at my buddy's who is a high end professional chef - 'nuff said), then the half (leftovers at my mom's house). Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogueblade0729 Posted November 26, 2023 Author Clone Share Posted November 26, 2023 28 minutes ago, Papa Bear said: I had a great holiday. So much turkey! I had 3 and a half Thanksgiving Dinners; 1 awesome potluck at work the friday before Thanksgiving week, 1 the day before Thanksgiving at my sister's (amazing smoked turkey), one on Thanksgiving proper (at my buddy's who is a high end professional chef - 'nuff said), then the half (leftovers at my mom's house). Eating like a true dwarf, lol! Glad to hear you had a good holiday my friend. Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogueblade0729 Posted November 26, 2023 Author Clone Share Posted November 26, 2023 Solid hit against the Ruffian! A couple more ought to do him in. ;) Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobtheWizard Posted November 27, 2023 Clone Share Posted November 27, 2023 I added Galian's acrobatics roll to her last post. Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogueblade0729 Posted November 30, 2023 Author Clone Share Posted November 30, 2023 Good Lord, the brigands are rolling really well today. Unfortunately, even with Leofwyn's Protection reaction, all of the better rolls came first. Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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