Lore; Academic
In/Wl/Wt, –7 Hard Untrained: –6
You are learned, possessing much lore and wisdom of dwimmer-craft, dragons, rings of power, and the Ainur.
REQUISITE: Arcane Lore skills are almost never acquired except by long and arduous study.
SAMPLE SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: The Arcane Lore skill
group represents theoretical knowledge of magical spells and ancient or obscure beings and objects, whether of natural or divine origin or crafted, or of good or evil purpose.
There is no precise classification of most Arcane Lore skills; in fact, you should feel free to add you own Arcane Lore skills as your characters’ adventures present you with the need to do so. Any Arcane Lore skill should describe a broader category of entities or objects, such as Arcane Lore: Dragons or Arcane Lore: Items of Power. Specialties within those skills can encompass just about any sub-category or in- dividual, such as Arcane Lore: Dragons (Fire Drakes, Drag- ons of the Withered Heath, Smaug), Arcane Lore: Demons (Balrogs, Bandúrhoth), Arcane Lore: Valar and Maiar (Spe- cific Ainu, Maiar of a Specific Region), or Arcane Lore: Wraiths (Nazgûl, Barrow-wights). Arcane Lore: Items of Power encompasses all magical weapons and artefacts; speci- alities include classes of items, such as weapons, palantíri, rings of power, and staves, or enchanted items produced by different races, such as Elves and Dwarves.
Only Arcane Lore: Spellcraft is defined more thoroughly. There are two distinct skills which comprehend the practice of casting spells using the two general ‘types’ or ‘forms’ of magic recognised by these rules: Spellcraft: The Art and Spellcraft: Sorcery. They are by no means the same as know- ing how to cast spells, since one may have a Spellcraft skill without possessing any proficiency in an Art or Sorcery. Having a Spellcraft skill means that you know something about how spells of a certain type behave in theory, and that you can identify them when they are cast. If you wish to identify a spell being cast by one of your foes so that you may counter-spell it, you may make a Spellcraft test with a TN equal to the spell’s basic TN. (Note that wielders of the Art may test the applicable Art instead of Spellcraft: The Art.)
Typical specialties for both Spellcraft: The Art and Spellcraft: Sorcery cover the different realms of spells (or Arts) and the two specialised casting methods, Runes and Songs of Power. Therefore, if a character with a Spellcraft skill lacks a specialty for a particular realm of spells, he may still be able to use his total skill bonus if a spell he wants to
identify is cast as a Song of Power, and he has that specialty. More information concerning magic and casting spells can be found in Chapter Eleven.
TESTING THIS SKILL: Please refer to the section on Lore,
page 103, for details on resolving tests of Arcane Lore.
ARMOUR
Combat; Physical
Ni/St/St, –7 Easy Untrained: –0
Armour is heavy, and fighting or manoeuvring with it on, no matter how light, is tricky—so you need to practise. This skill is used to offset the penalties accrued from the wearing of armour. Each piece of armour supplies a penalty to all tests governed by Deftness and/or Nimbleness. Find the total of your various armour pieces’ maximum penalties and write it down in the space of your Skill Sheet that is normally re- served for recording your General Encumbrance Penalty (GEP). This skill will allow you to negate part or maybe even all of this total maximum penalty. However, it cannot reduce the penalty below its minimum. Your actual armour penalty is either equal to your total minimum penalty or the total bonus of this skill, whichever is worse. This skill automatical- ly reduces the penalties—hence, no tests are required. See pages 183ff. for more information on armour.
REQUISITE: You cannot acquire more ranks in the Ar-
mour skill than you need to reach the minimum penalty of the heaviest armour you regularly wear.
WEARINESS: Half of your armour penalty is applied as a
weariness multiplier. For example, if you have a total armour penalty of –4, you accumulate twice the normal amount of weariness points while performing an action.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any specific suit or type of armour.
Note that the –3 penalty for lacking a specialty in this skill is only applied in the rare case of testing the Armour skill, but not for figuring the actual armour penalty!
TEST: The Armour skill is only tested when you need to
stand up after you have fallen to the ground, or when you need to get into or out of your armour quickly, and in like situations.
Routine (TN 9): Careful drop to the ground (may be a
prerequisite for a Dodge test).
Easy (TN 12): Standing up while suffering an armour
penalty of –2 or less, or donning such an armour in half the normal time.
Light (TN 15): Rapid drop to the ground (may be a pre-
requisite for a Dodge test). Standing up while suffering an armour penalty of –4 or less, or donning such an ar- mour in half the normal time.
Medium (TN 20): Standing up while suffering a –5 ar-
mour penalty, or donning such an armour in half the normal time.
Challenging (TN 25): Standing up while suffering a –6
armour penalty, or donning such an armour in half the normal time.
Hard (TN 30): Standing up while suffering a –7 armour
penalty, or donning such an armour in half the normal time.
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Standing up while suffering
an armour penalty of –8 or greater, or donning such an armour in half the normal time.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Diving for cover (may
be a prerequisite for a Dodge test).
LSF: Standing up: The AP cost to stand up is decreased by 10% for each LoS beyond LSF ±0. Donning: The time to get into a suit of armour is decreased by one more round for each LoS beyond LSF ±0. Failure at a test to don an armour in half the normal time results in an additional temporary –1 armour penalty for each LoF you suffer. This penalty also applies to the protection offered by the armour.
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: The TN of any Armour skill
test is reduced by –5 for each helping character.
ACTION TIME: Standing up: It takes (8 + GEP as a posi- tive figure) AP to pick yourself up from the ground. Donning: Getting into or out of a suit of armour usually requires a number of full action rounds equal to 5 + (armour penalty x armour penalty). A successful test of the Armour skill cuts that time in half. For example, it normally takes three minutes to don an armour that penalises you with –5 (i.e., 5 + [5 x 5] = 30 rounds), but with a successful skill test the task can be accomplished in only 15 rounds.
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Standing up: Yes. Donning: No.
ARMOURSMITH (P)
Craft; Physical
De/St/Vi, –6 Average Untrained: –4
You are an accomplished armourer and able to repair and make any type of armour or shield.
SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: Chainmail (Cowls, Corslets), Scalemail (Hauberks, Cuirasses), Steel Plates (Helms, Vambraces), Shields (Small, Medium, Large). For additional armour types and pieces in which an armourer could specialise, see Table 6.5 on page 187. Employ the Leathercraft skill to create leather or quilt armour.
TESTING THIS SKILL: Please refer to the section on
Smithcraft, page 115, for details on resolving tests of Ar- moursmith.
AXES (P)
Combat; Physical
De/St/St, –5 Average Untrained: –4
You are handy with axes and other hacking weapons of all sorts.
SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: One-handed (Battle-
axe, Handaxe), Two-handed (Battleaxe, Greataxe).
TESTING THIS SKILL:Please refer to the section on Melee Weapons, page 105, for details on testing an Axes skill.
BEASTMASTER (P)
Outdoor; Influence
Bg/In/Wl, –5 Average Untrained: –4
You are skilled at taming and training animals, teaching them to accept riders or burdens, or obey certain verbal, non- verbal, and physical commands. A character with Beastmas- ter also knows how to care for the animal. In addition, the skill can be used for calming wild beasts.
SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: Specific type or spe-
cies of animals, such as Dogs, Wolves, Horses, Oliphaunts, Hunting Birds, and so on (Any individual animal, Any spe- cific command, Befriend, Breed, Care, Herd, Tame, Treat Injuries).
TEST: Training and taming can be more or less difficult
depending on the complexity of the task or trick being taught, and the intelligence of the animal (see ‘Additional Modifiers’). Note that in many cases, the animal will need to make a test to perform the requested action successfully.
Routine (TN 9): Teaching an animal to use a litter box. Easy (TN 12): Training a good-natured horse or other
riding animal to allow it to be ridden.
Light (TN 15): Taming a docile or passive animal.
Teaching an animal to heel, or obey simple directions (forward, left, right, stop, and so on).
Medium (TN 20): Taming normal, hungry, or inquisi-
tive animal. Teaching a predatory animal to attack on command. Teaching an animal to vary its pace (trot, gal- lop, walk, and the like). Teaching an animal instinctual commands for example, training a bloodhound to follow a scent).
Challenging (TN 25): Taming an aggressive, jumpy, or
protective animal. Teaching an animal complex direc- tions (jump, twist, and the like). Teaching an animal non-instinctual commands (play dead, roll over, beg, and so on).
Hard (TN 30): Taming a belligerent, hostile, or timid
animal. Teaching a horse or other riding animal not to bolt when its rider vaults into the saddle. Teaching a non-aggressive animal to attack on command.
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Taming any other animal.
Training an animal not to flee upon encountering a dan- gerous or hostile situation. A horse cannot be consid- ered a warhorse until it learns this.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Training an animal to
operate within predefined parameters. Most search and rescue dogs fall into this category.
LSF: For each LoS, decrease the training time (see ‘Action Time’, below) by 10%, to a minimum of 50%.
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: The more intelligent the animal,
the easier it is to train. Reduce the TN by one half of the an- imal’s Wits attribute.
AFFINITY: Other skills related to animals—such as Ride
or Teamster—may be tested in appropriate circumstances to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS. For example, Ride may provide an affinity bonus to Beastmaster if training a horse to serve as a mount.
ACTION TIME: Taming and training an animal is a time-
consuming task, generally taking a number of days equal to the TN of the individual trick being taught.
Extended Test Failure: Yes.
BLACKSMITH
Craft; Physical
De/St/Vi, –5 Average Untrained: –4
You can craft horseshoes, metal tools, pots, and other or- dinary items of all sorts.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Horseshoes, Nails, Pots, Tools, and
similar ordinary everyday metal objects.
TESTING THIS SKILL: Please refer to the section on
Smithcraft, page 115, for details on resolving tests of Black- smith.
BLADES (P)
Combat; Physical
De/Ni/St, –5 Average Untrained: –3
You are skilled in the use of blades and other slashing and stabbing weapons of all sorts.
SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: Small (Dagger, Knife,
Longknife, Shortsword), Medium/One-handed (Bastard Sword, Broadsword, Falchion, Longsword, Scimitar), Two- handed (Bastard Sword, Greatsword).
TESTING THIS SKILL: Please refer to the section on Melee
Weapons, page 105, for details on testing a Blades skill.
BOWS
Combat; Physical
Aw/De/St, –6 Hard Untrained: –4
You are handy with bows of all sorts and can slay your foes at a distance, making them fear to come within your range.
REQUISITE:You must be strong enough to bend your bow
(see Chapter Six).
WEARINESS: 1 point every 2 rounds
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Longbow, Shortbow, Composite
Bow, Númenorean Steelbow, and so on.
TEST: Most tests of the Bows skill are standard tests, with
a difficulty based on the target’s Defence and the range to the target, as defined by the bow (see Table 10.1 on page 254). To avoid damage from a successful attack, the target may perform a dodge manoeuvre or parry with his shield as an opposed test.
LSF: The greater your LoS, the worse the injury your ar- row inflicts. The effects of injury, weariness, and healing are described in Chapter Nine. On the other hand, a fumble or a LoF –2 or worse can damage your bow or cause you to acci- dentally shoot a comrade (see page 220 on fumbles).
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: See Chapter Ten for details on
combat, including shield-parries, dodging, and modifiers.
ACTION TIME: Table 10.1 on page 253 lists detailed ac-
tion point costs for loading and firing bows.
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: N/A.
CLIMB
Athletic; Physical
De/Ni/St, –5 Average Untrained: –3
You know how to climb trees, scale sheer cliffs, and clamber up ropes.
DISTANCE MULTIPLIER AND WEARINESS: The Weariness
accruing from climbing directly relates to your speed, as shown on the below chart. However, the given Weariness rates only apply to moderately difficult climbing actions. At TN 25+, you accumulate Weariness as if moving at the next greater pace, to a maximum of 20 points per round. Climb tests against TN 30+ strain you as if you were moving two pace increments faster, and if the test is made against TN 40+, you automatically accumulate the maximum of 20 Weariness points per round.
PACE DISTANCE MULTIPLIER WEARINESS POINTS
Relaxed Climb BMR x 1/7 1 every 2 rounds Quick Climb BMR x 2/7 1 each round Fast Climb BMR x 3/7 5 each round Rapid Climb BMR x 4/7 20 each round
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Brick Walls, Mountain Slopes,
Rocks and Cliffs, Ropes, Ladders, Trees, and so on.
TEST: The difficulty for a Climb test depends on the smoothness and steepness of the surface you want to climb. If you succeed, you move up, down, or across a surface at a steady pace, typically one seventh of your BMR per round in combat conditions. A failure on a Climb test means you ei- ther make no progress in a given round, have to backtrack, or fall (see ‘LSF’ for details).
Increase the TN by +2 if the surface is sandy, +4 if wet, +6 if oily, and +8 if icy. In addition, apply a +3 TN modifier for each pace increment you are climbing faster than at ‘re- laxed’ pace. Ignore both of these types of TN modifiers when calculating your Weariness point cost.
Routine (TN 9): Climb a stair in combat. Easy (TN 12): Climb a ladder or knotted rope. Light (TN 15): Climb a rope or a 45° incline.
Medium (TN 20): Climb a 60° incline or a tree with
low-hanging branches.
Challenging (TN 25): Climb a stone wall with frequent
hand-holds.
Hard (TN 30): Climb a rough wall (like a cliff face) or a
tree trunk.
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Climb a smooth wall (de-
signed to have almost no hand-holds) or a 120° over- hanging stone surface.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Climb a smooth 120°
overhanging surface or upside-down along a stone sur- face.
LSF: Use the movement percentage column of Table 9.10 (page 219) to establish your progress in feet per test. A nega- tive figure indicates you have encountered an obstacle and been forced to backtrack. A Failure on a subsequent Stumble test means that you fall. Keep a running total of your pro- gress to determine when the climb is complete, or how far you fall. See ‘Falling’, page 228, for more information.
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Using a rope and climbing gear
usually grants you a test result bonus of +5 or more. Climb- ing downwards often entails a –2 (or greater) test result pen- alty.
AFFINITY: Acrobatics (Balance) may be tested to provide
an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS for climbing some surfaces, particularly when moving across them.
ACTION TIME: Varies. Most Climb tests are full round
actions (Turambar’s discretion). Since you can usually cover between one and four sevenths (i.e., 14% to 57%) of your BMR each round, it may take several rounds to cover the de- sired distance.
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: N/A.
CLOTHWORKS
Craft; Physical
Aw/De/De, –4 Easy Untrained: –3
Your skill in fashioning and mending garments, blankets, and other textile goods draws the attention of nobles and commoners alike.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Knit, Sew, Spin, Weave, Dye, Tai- lor, Embroidery, Furrier, and so on.
TEST: Most uses of Clothworks are extended tests, since
few of these tasks can be performed with both speed and ac- curacy. The difficulty depends on the intricacy of the final product as well as the durability of the garment.
Routine (TN 9): Replacing a button. Easy (TN 12): Darning a sock.
Light (TN 15): Sewing a simple, familiar pattern such as
a tunic or surcoat.
Medium (TN 20): Sewing a familiar pattern such as a
shirt or jacket.
Challenging (TN 25): Sewing a complex, familiar pat-
tern like a formal gown or ceremonial garb.
Hard (TN 30): Sewing an unfamiliar pattern. Designing
a new pattern (for example, a shirt that contains a hid- den pouch).
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Designing a complex pattern
like a ceremonial robe whose encumbering pieces can easily be removed by ripping them off, for example to fa- cilitate fighting.
Virtually Impossible (TN 40+): Sewing with uncon-
ventional materials such as metal or dragon-scales.
LSF: See the section on Craft Skills, page 78, for rules on weaving superior or inferior cloths based on varying LSF.
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS: Superior equipment may pro-
AFFINITY: Appraise, Leathercraft, or Goldsmith may be
tested in applicable situations to provide an affinity bonus of +1 per LoS.
ACTION TIME: Varies. Most Clothworks tests require
hours, or even days.
EXTENDED TEST FAILURE: Yes.
CLUBS (P)
Combat; Physical
De/St/St, –4 Easy Untrained: –3
You are skilled in the use of clubs and staffs and other bashing weapons of all sorts.
SAMPLE SUB-SKILLS AND SPECIALTIES: One-handed (Club, Mace, Warhammer), Two-handed (Quarterstaff, Warmat- tock).
TESTING THIS SKILL: Please refer to the section on Melee Weapons, page 105, for details on testing a Clubs skill.
CONCEAL
Stealth; Physical
De/In/Wt, –5 Average Untrained: –4
You know how to hide objects, such as treasure or weap- ons, so that others cannot find them.
SAMPLE SPECIALTIES: Any Specific Type of Object, Cam-
ouflage.
TEST: Most Conceal tests are opposed tests against the
Search (Hidden Items) skill of the person trying to find the hidden object. Yet, make a standard test in advance. If you fail this test, anyone who searches for the object finds it without needing to make a test of their own. The difficulty of the standard test depends on the size of the object you wish to hide, and the available hiding places.
The first example in each difficulty category supposes that the object is being hidden on yourself. Hiding an object on another person increases the TN by +3. Use the Camou- flage specialty and the corresponding examples when hiding an object or beast from casual observers by using the natural attributes of the surrounding environment, special clothes, skin dyes, and other methods.
Routine (TN 9): Concealing a small supply of a herb or
poison (less than one ounce). Camouflaging a tiny ob- ject, no larger than a small knife.
Easy (TN 12): Concealing a razor blade, lock pick, or
other tiny implement. Camouflaging a small object, no larger than a sword or backpack, or a tiny creature like a mouse.
Light (TN 15): Concealing a moderate supply of herbs
or drugs (up to one pound). Camouflaging a man-sized object or a small creature like a dog.
Medium (TN 20): Concealing a small knife so that it is
not found in a cursory search. Camouflaging a person.
Challenging (TN 25): Concealing a collection of docu-
ments (up to fifty pages). Camouflaging a large object, up to the size of a tent.
Hard (TN 30): Concealing a dagger or other small
weapon. Camouflaging a large creature such as a bull.
Extremely Hard (TN 35): Concealing a living creature