Middle-earth Campaigns using GURPS

New Advantages
New Disadvantages
Animals and Other Creatures
Calendars of Middle-earth
Weapons of Middle-earth
Magical Items
Various Items
Economics

New Advantages

Elf-friend (10 points/level)

This advantage gives the character a +1 bonus to all Reactions Roll made by the Elves per level of advantage.

Star-sight (5 points)

Exactly the same as the Night Vision advantage (p. B22), but works only when the available source of light are stars or Moon, or some light made out of it (like the phial of Galadriel). In all other cases the character gets the normal darkness modifiers. This advantage is innate to the Elves, and besides them only the characters with Elf-blood can have it.

New Disadvantages

Alignment (-1/-5/-10/-20/-50)

In contrast to some other RPG worlds, this disadvantage is of utter importance in Middle-earth. It determines which of the sides in the struggle between the Light and the Darkness the character prefers, asa well as how is he influenced by the events that result out of that struggle.

A character can be aligned towards either of the two sides, or neutral, and there are five levels of alignment. Note that the magical items can have their own alignment.

Neutral (0 points): Most of the common people of Middle-earth is not oriented to neither of the sides, caring only about themselves, their families and other things that concern them directly.

Preference (-1 point; quirk): Basic interest towards one of the sides, although the character still prefers to keep out of the way of the great events. He will react with -1 towards anyone who is obviously aligned to the opposite Power, while his reaction to someone who openly shares his preference will be +1.

Aligned to Good/Evil (-5 points): The character is obviously determined for one of the sides and will openly state his views and preferences. He will rarely turn down a request for aid from someone who is on the same side, reacting to him at +2, while his reaction for people of the opposite alignment will be -2. He also gets a +1 bonus when using the magical items that are aligned to the same side.

Devoted to Good/Evil (-10 points): The character's alignment is extreme and very hard to hide. The reaction modifiers of a devoted character is +/-4, and he will also react at -1 towards those characters who state neutrality. He can also use the similarly aligned magic items with a +2 modifier. Devoted to Good is the default alignment level for many Elves.

Obsessed with Good/Evil (-15 points): This level of alignment is similar to the Fanaticism disadvantage (p. B33), although it also includes the +/-6 reaction towards other aligned people, and a -2 reaction towards the neutral ones. He can use magical items of same alignment at +3. A character Obsessed with Evil/Good will be very active for the cause of his side, and will often (depending on his abilities) become some sort of a leader.

Completely Good/Evil (-30 points): As its name implies, this is the alignment of a person who has become one with the side he is aligned to. Since he puts his side before anything else, including his life, this alignment is extremely rare except in immortal beings such as Gandalf, Treebeard or Sauron. He reacts towards other aligned people with +/-10, and with -4 towards the neutral, while he can also use the magical items with a +4 modifier.

Animals and Other Creatures

Tolkien's Beasts

All of the creatures mentioned in the Tolkien's works and detailed in the MERP are listed in the table below. Some of them can be easily converted to the beings from GURPS Bestiaries, sometimes with a few modifications:

Other Possible Creatures

Here is list of creatures from GURPS Bestiaries which could easily fit into Tolkien's world:

Calendars of Middle-earth

* In the King's Reckoning each four years loende was replaced with 2 enderi days.

Each month has 30 days unless noted otherwise. Westron-speaking folk (except Hobbits) use the Quenya names for months, often corrupting the pronunciation in various dialects, especially in border areas (e.g. Kermy for Cermie or Yawny for Yavannie, as spoken in Tharbad).

Elvish Year

Basic division:

• 1 yén (long year) = 144 loar or corenair (years) = 8.766 enquier (weeks) = 52.596 rér (days).
• Loa (growth) or coranar (sun-sircle): a 365-day year.
• Enquie: a six-day week. Ré: a day between two sunsets.

   

• Loa was divided into six periods:

Each twelfth year there were six enderi, except for the last year of each third yén.

Yestare (new year), according to the calendar of Imladris, corresponds to 6th April (Gwirith or Viresse in Dúnedain's reckoning, Astron for Hobbits).

Weapons of Middle-earth

Númenorean Eket

Eket is a short sword of Númenorean design primarily used for stabbing, although it can be used as a cutting weapon. It was originally created as a large variant of the Elven long dagger, and in turn has strongly influenced the short swords of Middle-earth.

Reach: 1; Min ST: 8; Cost: $800; Weight: 2 lbs; Skill: Shortsword.

Númenorean Steel Bow

The great bow made of hollow steel, somewhat shorter than the average longbow, was spreading awe among the tribes of Middle-earth when the Númenoreans came to their lands. It is extremely rare now, and except in Amazôn and in some barukans of Pharazâin (where it is jealously guarded as a family hairloom) it is nowhere in use. Although special arrows are made for this bow it can also shoot standard longbow arrows. However, in that case its range is 1/3 less, and the damage is lowered by -2, while the maximum possible damage is 2d.

Skill: Bow.

Asdriag Usriev

A long weapon similar to lance, except that instead of the point it has a wide, long double blade, similar in size and appearance to the greatsword. The Asdriags use it from the horseback, ruding along the flanks of the enemy troops and cutting them, but it can efficiently be used on foot. When using from horseback, the damage is calculated according to the mount's strength, as for lance.

Min ST: 12; Cost: $1.000; Weight: 10 lbs; Skill: Usriev (phys/hard, def. 2-hand Sword-3, Lance-5, DX-6)

Magical Items

Rope of Elvenkind

The Elven ropes are made of hithlain, specially enchanted material which gives them the following properties:

• Shining in darkness: Very faint, but enough for the user of the rope to follow it.
• Firmness: The rope can support up to 2.200 lbs (1.000 kg).
• Easy climbing: +1 to Climbing rolls when using the rope.
• Obedience: In hands of an Elf, or an Elf-friend, the rope seems to "listen" to its master's wishes, e.g. tying or untying as needed).

An average Elven rope is about 30 yards long, weighing 1/4 lbs for each 10 yards.

Various Items

Dwarven Brandy (Khazad-zûl; Sindarin: Nárnen-i-Naugrim)

The recipe to this drink, of which is told that it can cure injuries and recover strength, is guarded by the Dwarves even more strongly than their own language. The only known detail is that one of its main ingredients is mistletoe, known for its healing (and magical) properties. The Dwarves rarely drink it while in their homes, but small flasks of this liquor are part of their standard equipment for long journeys and war campaigns.

This brandy is taken in small quantities, even by the Dwarves. The character who drinks one sip (one pint contains about ten sips) must make a HT roll to recover 1d-2 (minimum 1) fatigue, or 1d+1 in case of critical sucess. If he fails, he loses 1d-3 fatigue points; in case of critical failure he loses both 1d fatigue and 1 point of damage.

If the character drinks more than one sip there is no beneficial effects, but the drinker must roll vs. HT to avoid losing 1d fatigue and 1 HT of damage per sip; this roll is at -1 per sip after the first.

Economics

Coin-making Cultures

Corsairs: Umbar.

Pharazâin: The local barons make their own coins following the traditions of Númenor, so that their coins can be used in all the baronies without conversion. However, the largest coin they make is bar (see below). The Guild of Goldsmiths in Nimir is the only authority that makes coins of all sizes.

Rhovanion: The people of Dale and Esgaroth use mostly the Dwarvish money -- coined in Erebor, Grey Mountains or Moria -- but they also mint their own coins, following the Dwarvish system, to which they have added a large gold coin, equal in size and value to the ernil of Arnor.

Dorwinion: The central carvershop makes peculiar coins of ivory imported from Far Harad, but the metal coins of other peoples, especially Gondor and the Dwarves, are also widely used.

Dúnedain: At the time of the Two Kingdoms, the royal mints were located in Osgiliath and Annúminas; in late Third Age Minas Tirith has the only remaining mint, although the coins made in Annúminas, Fornost, Cameth Brin and Tharbad are still in use throughout the North.

Dwarves: The remaining mints are in Erebor and Ered Luin. Coins from Moria are still commonly used, with an occasional coin from Nogrod or Belegost.

Harad: Tûl Isra, Tûl Harar

Hobbits: The mint in Michel Delving produces only nickels and copper pieces; numerous coins from the times of the Kings are still in widespread use.

Rohan: Edoras produces a certain amount of its own coins, primarily golden pieces, while the Gondorian money is in regular use.

Sauron: Barad-dûr; the remaining coins from Angmar are normally used throughout Eriador.

Types of Coins and Their Values

Northern Dúnedain: The lost realms, from Arnor to Rhudaur -- even Angmar -- continued the Númenorean tradition of currencies, so all the coins that can be found in Eriador follow the same standard, differing primarily in pictures, languages and letters used. On the back side all of this coins have the picture which gave them their names in Westron: the three smallest coins were minted primarily by the local lords, who customarily put their own picture on the largest one (the name penny itself is a corruption of the word brannon), while the dog and the star were traditional symbols of Beren and Earendil. Two largest coins were made only under the King's orders, and they usually had the pictures of the King and his heir.

Southern Dúnedain: For practical reasons, Gondor has adopted a variation of the Númenorean tradition. Corsairs of Umbar also use this altered system, translating names and inscriptions into the Adûnaic tongue.

Dwarves: Many coins from Moria were preserved both in Erebor and Ered Luin, and the Dwarves mint new coins as needed:

Harad: see Greater Harad, p. 33. The table sums up the coins of the two greatest cities in Greater Harad, Tûl Isra and Tûl Harar; this coins are in wide use in most of the Harad, including the Ormal Kharg and even Khand to the North.