Dedicated to the lore and legendarium of JRR Tolkien
(Lake Cuivienen at the Dawn of Awakening)
Dedicated to the lore and legendarium of JRR Tolkien
(Lake Cuivienen at the Dawn of Awakening)
Lore-Master.com is dedicated to the Mysteries of Tolkien's Legendarium. The LoreMasters of The Nine have about 250 years of combined experience on matters of canon and lore. We are a for-hire consultancy firm. We have been read by almost 200M readers on Quora, and appear on You-Tube at The Council of Tolkien. ~The Nine
May 31, 2023|Feature, Lore Decrees, Past LoreMoot Postings
Lore Decree XXI- Everything you wanted to know about what He is and how He made it All.
Eru- The One. The Creator. His Music; and the Music of the Ainur.
The best way to explain this is in the following way.
Imagine you are in your room, and it was pitch dark. Imagine you were very intelligent. So intelligent and powerful, you could make substances of life and worlds from your breath, and breath them, like fireflies, into the dark room all about you.
You are so intelligent, powerful and creative that you could make music with your humming a favorite melody that put the fireflies into a floating around your room, into a visible harmony with your humming.
Then, they start have a unity and purpose of their own. And you are happy about that.
These fireflies are the Spirits of Life (the Flame Imperishable), that follow, even obey, the thought-commands you put into the humming sounds and patterns you make with your mouth for them to follow.
And now they begin to follow the Music on their own.
Now the Music is everywhere, and in the fireflies themselves, and in everything they do.
Now imagine you want to amplify their movements and give them bodies to be physical creations of their own. So, you make 15 helpers, called Valar (angels not gods), that are like special musical instruments, all of them different. And you want them to play their music in rhythm with your song and to promote the movement of these new beings- the fireflies.
These 15 angels are masters of the Periodic Table, per se, and the Music of the Ainur at the same time. This music and harmony and order- is the building blocks of all things like the ATOMS. The song of order the atoms are singing with, and to, is called the Ainulindale.
The Angels are the Valar and you are Eru. You are giving this life and song to all things.
Your helpers, the Valar, each begin to give their own contribution to the music, to the song, and to the creations of Eru. These creations are the fireflies you first breathed into the room when it was empty- except for you.
Some of the Valar specialize in the "song" as water, air, earth, fire, and spirit. And some as life, music, empathy, memory, sadness, and fate. And you place these 15 Valar like speakers all over this room to help amplify their music and channel their sounds, like a great symphony, to combine their powers together as one.
Then, you (Eru) bring into being a world. Floating there in the middle of your room (which was empty before- except for you)... but now- there is a World and all the music you make is for this world to be in harmony and order, for it to be and to have its' own life. A place where the fireflies can live and become new physical beings in Arda on their own. Each firefly a spirit at the heart of the physical beings they will become some day.
But one of your speakers (amplifiers), a Valar known as Melkor, blows a fuse and starts to make its' own sound, and deep sound, a beating sound not like the others. You and the other 14 angels (Valar) try to sing a new song to overcome Melkor's tune, but he gets louder and some of the fireflies start to join in Melkor's new version of this new disruptive song.
Then, you start a 3rd version of the song, one that is so beautiful, elegant, deep and sad, but rich and foundational, that Melkor short-circuits because he can't (won't) play those notes anymore. He and many of the fireflies have given up but will not rejoin your song.
You invite the Valar to go into the world called Arda, by having them take a physical body and making Arda into a place where life and new creatures can live. They go, and many of the fireflies go with them to help.
The problem is, Melkor and his fireflies go with them as well. Arda is corrupted by their presence as they sing their own corrupted version of the song. Then it gets worse.
The room that was empty, when it was dark, before all these things were made, had a spirit too. The dark room, the emptiness, the fear, the unknown, all had a spirit of its' own. A spirit made possible, even created by you (Eru), by residing in an empty space to begin with.
It didn't make you afraid, but it makes others afraid. And it likes to make others afraid so it can feel some sort of existence, to have an identity, even a reality. Because- in actuality it has none of these things. It only exists because we "fireflies"/"humans" give it a place to dwell.
In the Tolkien paradigm- this thing is Ungoliant- the dark spirit of the Void that takes form in Arda as a massive demon-spider.
This "spirit", is the spirit of dark-hearted emptiness, and the resultant self-loathing that's comes from it. It hates things that exist freely in the light that shines on them. This is a metaphoric truth central to evil in the Tolkien universe, and in Christianity as well.
You, as Eru, exist on the Devine Plane, both removed and engaged with your creation at the same time. Powerful enough to give your free will to the beings you have created (as they are in your image) and thereby, you have given this free will to make your own choices (like the Valar and the fireflies) and for them to become beings in the future- in their own ways and` in their own time.
Eru wants his creations to make their own choices, to be free, so that their choices to be good or evil- are authentic and real.
The destruction of the Ring, had to be brought about by mortals making a free choice to resist evil and choose good.
The corruption of things, is all the evil nature of the world can do. They cannot make anything that's real, even if evil tries to make itself normal. It's not normal any more than the emptiness of the void is something. It's not. It can never be.
Tom Bombadil is the Arch Spirit of life that was inset into Arda at its' creation before the Valar "sang their gifts" into it to make it a place of water, tress and beauty. None of it being possible without Eru making it and setting ASA (Arch Spirit Arda=Tom) within it in totality. For further proof and citations, see my article on Tom Bombadil (also submitted to the Tolkien Society publication Amon Hen).
In Tolkien's Letter 192, he writes,
Frodo deserved all honour because he spent every drop of his power of will and body, and that was just sufficient to bring him to the destined point, and no further. Few others, possibly no others of his time, would have got so far. The Other Power then took over: the Writer of the Story (by which I do not mean myself), 'that one ever-present Person who is never absent and never named'* (as one critic has said). See Vol. I p. 65.2
This "Person" is Eru, and the Spirit of Arda is Tom who is the Master (the Master of self, free choice and the awareness of the truth of the Ainulindale). He is the timeless essence of life in Arda from the beginning- before the Dark Lord or anything else) came into Arda.
What Tolkien is saying here is the Hand of Eru in his story, is the same Hand of God that's guiding and animating Tolkien himself to write and communicate these principles. He's thanking God for being given the chance to serve Him on Earth through his literary work.
Eru and Tom, therefore, are one in the same.
They are the interveners (as in the Fall of Numenor and the reshaping of the World). They are the Spirits that make Sam say to Frodo, "There's some good in tis word Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for."
If this doesn't explain the human struggle in a world where evil walks about "like a roaring lion, seeking who it may devour.: 1 Peter 5-8
.... then nothing does.
There is Tolkien's poetic injection of faith in play here. Everyone already knows this about Tolkien. But this article is about what that looks like, as Eru. In this way, it can be better explained to you, my readers. The people who want more than just reading Tolkien and want to understand his work as well. That's where all the fun is. At least for me.
This pantheon of Nordic "angels" (the Valar), helping in creation without them being the actual Creator Himself, is brilliant.
Even more brilliant? The silly name of Tom Bombadil given to the ASA (Arch-Spirit of Arda) is a literary ruse to hide (and mimic) how silly, unserious, even laughable- Jesus appeared to the Jews and Romans of his day, 1993 years ago (when he was 30 and started his ministry). Just a crazy hippie-looking dude "preaching/singing" about things no one could really understand.... or wanted to understand... until they understood.
Tom is this happy Middle-Earth hippie, singing a song even the Elves are confused by and even Gandalf didn't fully understand Tom and his powers either. But at the end of the Return of the King, it was apparent Gandalf had to visit Tom again, and all indications point to a recconning of understanding Tom more fully. The Tom that was unaffected by the Ring of Power and could make it disappear at will, ...
No other being in the history of Middle-Earth would have been able to exert this much power at a whim, over the Ring- except Tom. By the way, Morgoth and his armies never went after him either.
The reason?
Because as the ASA, Tom was both of Arda and beyond its' Rules. The only other being in Tolkien's legendarium that could say the same- was Ery Illuvatar. And this is why they are one in the same.
In case you're wondering, this is the Christian Trinity concept. Three in one, like the three forms of water. Solid, Fluid, and Vapor,... God (Eru), Jesus (Tom), and the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Life in all of us that sings and says things like Tom and Sam).
One last thought I feel will help you understand all this in a meta-physical and philosophical way about the the nature of what IS, and what IS NOT. This is the question about something-ness and nothing-ness.
First- nothing is a concept not a reality.
What?... wait... why is that? (you ask)
Because if nothing was a real thing, the "way it was and is", the Ordinate Rule of All Things in a Non-universe of NOTHING.... then we wouldn't be writing or reading this article on Eru. There would be nothing, in non-actuality. Right?
So, if nothing was really everything.... there would be nothing....forever. Period...forever
This is why in the beginning, there had to have been something able to make everything else. It's sequential logic. There's no citation from Tolkien's mouth on this Hilario. (he knows who he is- and he's a representative of all the sophist "prove it" constructionists out there).
Either there's something that did it all, or you believe there's nothing; and you're currently "living" in a denial of reality that what you're "living" in- is actually- a nothingness.
Even if were just look at the perpondrance of evidence and an ounce of logic, Eru has to have always been in existence to make everything else, or else, the cycle would be broken and nothingness would have been all there ever "was".
I have shown how this is not possible.
Please don't ask who made Eru,... I just answered that as well.
What's striking is that there is no religion in Middle-Earth that worships Eru. The orcs and servants of Morgoth and Sauron are forced to worship them, but this is more out of fear and the base nature of orcs, than a real dark religion with it's headquarters in Mordor.
The only real exception to this was the island society of Numenor. Three times per year, the Numenoreans would ascend Mount Meneltarma to the summit for the Prayers, Praise, and Thanksgiving ceremonies to Eru. This was done on the first day of Spring "Prayers" (March 20), Mid-Summer "Praise" (July 20), and then for "Thanksgiving" (November 20th).
In Letter 156, Tolkien admits that despite the elves being the first creation of Eru, and closest in mind to the nature of Manwe, the Lord of the Valar, they had no religious practice that worshipped Eru in the way of the Numenoreans or any other way. To the elves, the peaceful contemlation that come comes from chillin' and vibein' looking at the stars in the woods or sea-side, would be the only temple they'd care about.
It would be more accurate to say the elves, and others so inclined, had a deep reverence for Him. Invoking His name in an oath or in some other reference was a serious matter. As in the case of Feanor and his brothers in their famous oath to hunt down Morgoth and reclaim the Silmarils. There are few others, but that not the point here.
The point is, the reverence and honor given to Eru Iluvatar, was from the heart of the being who knew who and what He was, and why He should be honored and respected in the way they personally lived their lives. Part of that reverence was to perfect ones'-self as Eru would want it and to oppose evil, and to do both- valiantly.
This is Tolkien's message.
May a star shine on the hour of our next meeting.
~LMHS
The Spire… is for The Nine. This is where we talk, edit and score articles. Our numerical assignments are;
Matt LM1; John LM2; Jeffrey LM3; Dutch LM4; Laurel LM5); Sid LM6; Eugene LM7; Nicolo LM8 , and Mark LM9.
We meet in a nonagon-shaped room at a nonagon-shaped table. The table is black obsidian, and at the center is an emblazoned Tengwar “9”, that is seemingly lit and moves with a goldish-scarlet fire, but is cool to the touch. There are nine chairs, 4 of scarlet, 4 of black, and one of gold, where sits the servant to The Nine.
The 2023 Schedule for Scroll One and Scroll Two is posted at The Spire comments.
John LM2 - Oct 30 - On the Origins of Hobbits
Dutch LM4 - Nov 6 - On the Nature and Scale of Dragons
Sid LM6 - Nov 13 - On Sauron’s Malice and Madness
Nicolo LM8 - Nov 20 - On the Psychology and Trauma of Saruman’s Fall
Matt LM1 - Nov 27 - On the Entity of Tom Bombadil
Laurel LM5 - Dec 4 - On the Curious Case of Elrond Peredhel
Eugene LM7 - Dec 11 - On the Relationship of Melkor and Ungoliant
Mark LM9 - Dec 18 - On the Way the Ring of Power Works
Jeff LM3 - Dec 25 - On leave.
The Lore Decrees for Scroll 2 are already underway as we continue to assemble The Secret Project.
There are no windows in The Spire, as a reminder of our slogan, inscribed around the room in Quenya- with the golden-Tengwar inscription that reads.
“The Nine sees not outward anymore, as the truth of lore lies within”.
~TNHS
The Spire Tower, located near the Ruins of Illuin (RoI), The Northern Lamp of Arda.
First, a Loremaster is a game master (Melee) or dungeon master (DND) with 30 or more years of experience. In fantasy RPGs and their legendariums, the title of Loremaster is reserved to those with total knowledge of game rules and the paradigm they occupy. They are the archivists and reference librarians of facts and data, and are master referees of gameplay. They are the trusted experts on all matters within the RPG.
Material needed to play Melee; a 25mm scale hex-mat at about 20 hexes by 20 hexes or bigger; 6 d10s of one color, and 6 d10s of another color, two six-sided die for initiative rolls; (0 through 9), lined index cards for character stats and hit damage recording; a copy of the Rules of Melee; games pieces that a fully painted and ready for play. These should be 25mm to 32 mm scale, and from the world of middle earth. Mithril, Ral Partha and Grenadier are the best.
Every character will have 13 stats needed for play. A Name, Level, Strength, Dexterity, Movement, Armor, Quickness/Shield, Weapon1, Weapon2, Weapon3, Range, Magic, Notes. Abbreviations are NA, LV, ST, DX, MO, AR, QS, W1, W2, W3, M, R, N.
Turn Order – Initiative, Magic, Missile, Movement, Melee, Actions (I-M-M-M-M-A). See TURN SEQUENCE below.
Use two d10s (0-9) to hit your target, use 3 die if your target is dodging your attack. Weapon damages are usually 1,2,3,4,5 or 6 die in damage, with -1,-2,-3,0,+1,+2,+3 modifiers to the result. Usually, 1-3 die are used for regular weapons being wielded by regular beings like elves, orcs and men, and 4-6 die being thrown for special powerful characters like Gandalf, trolls or other creatures.
Dexterity table when rolling 2 die to hit: (or 3 die to hit if the defender is dodging)
0 = x4 damage
1 = x3 damage
2 = x2 damage
3 = auto hit plus shield
4 – 15 normal range (range is 12)
16 = auto miss
17 = dropped weapon
18 = broken weapon
Range table:
Roll to miss friends is -1dx, -2 if engaged with another piece, and an auto miss is a hit against the friend. To hit a target directly behind an object or obstacle requires a 3 auto-hit, unless the GameMaster rules the shot is impossible. Every obstacle, including friends and foes, rocks or other things taller than 5 feet high (including hobbits), from attacker to the target is -1 to -5 dx each, depending on the obstruction size. Elves are x3 range, so they have no dx penalty until 3-39 (-1), and so forth.
Range penalty off of DX to hit
0-9 hexes no penalty
10-19 -1dx
20-29 -2dx
30-39 -3dx
40-49 -4dx
50-59 -5dx
Up to -11dx at 110-119 hexes,
Some Basic Rules and Terms to get started.
1. A dodging or disengaging defender adds ONE die to the attackers Dx roll;
2. 10 feet of ascending or descending of an in-flight character costs -1 movement point
3. Remounting a horse costs 1/2 movement, so does jumping over a hex.
4. Bolts effect on person/hex at 2d, balls affect anyone around the target hex (7 hexes round) at 1d each, H and G are at 4d direct and 2d dispersed.
5. When characters have Armor plus a Quickness and Shield (AQS), add the Q and S and compare it to the attackers Q (if any). This becomes the Dx penalty to the attacker IF the attackers Q is less than the defenders Q+S. If an attacker has a Q of 10, and the defender has a Q of 6 and a shield of 5 = 11, this will be a Dx penalty of -1 to the attackers Dx roll. If the attacker has a Dx of 14, and the target is not dodging, then the attacker will have to roll a 13 or less to hit with two d10s. If the attacker has a Q of 7, and the defender has no Q and a 3 point shield, the attacker has no penalty to their Dx roll because they are higher than the defender.
6. Obstacle dx penalties in addition to range: -1dx for any obstacle within 1 hex of flight path of missile per 5 feet of height. IE, a five foot rock and a 30 foot tree (within 1 hex of flightpath) is -7dx to the missile shot, plus applicable range and other penalties.
7. When a character's Strength (hits) is down to 0, exactly, they are unconscious and can only be saved by magic healing spells, or by being healed after their team wins the battle and are taken off the battlefield to be healed. If you are unconscious, and on the losing side, the victors can spare you or slay you, at the end of the game. The player who knocked you unconscious usually decides to spare or slay.
8. You must move 1/2 your movement or less to charge attack (which usually adds +3 modifier to the die rolled for damage. A movement of 11 has a 1/2 move of 6, and so forth.
9. Explanation of dx roll and damage roll vs an enemy piece. A dwarf has a dx of 14 and has 8 on for armor (full chain, helmet and grieves), for a dx penalty of 4 (1/2 armor is the penalty to base movement and dx). Therefore, the dwarf has n actual dx of 10. His target is an orc with 4 on for armor and a 3 point shield. The shield will take another -3 from the dwarf's dx, which is now 7 for the attack on the orc. The dwarf rolls a 6, and hits. Now the dwarf uses his 3 die axe to cause damage to the orc and rolls a 4,5,7 for a 16. The orc's armor of 4 is subtracted and the orc takes 12 hits (usually enough to kill a normal size orc). If the orc had survived, he would get his turn to attack the dwarf, and so forth.
13. Two actions are always allowed for each character, every turn. However, some actions may be limited to personal actions only that do not effect anything outside their own hex. This will be explained below. Every turn is based on 6 seconds, or 10 turns per minute of game time.
14. Weight estimates in Middle-Earth- your height in feet divided by two x your height in actual inches. For example, An orc at 5 foot and 4 inches is - 5/2 = 2.5 x 64 inches = 160 pounds. Gil-galad is 7 foot 6 inches and weighs 315 pounds. Sauron is 11 feet tall and weighs 726 pounds. Aragorn was 6' 4" and weighed 228. Frodo was 3' 7" and weighed 65 pounds, etc. Women are .80 of a man's weight. For example, Galadriel is also 6'4", but she is 182 lbs. Morgoth was 30', you figure that out. The Balrog was 18'.
15. When using Bolt and Ball attacks from spellcasters, the number of die used to cause damage is Lv/10 = #die. For example, Saruman is Level 50, so 50/10 is 5 die. He will roll five die and add the result together when causing damage. There is no armor protection against these attacks, so if Saruman rolls a 4,4,5,7,8 = 28, then 28 hits of damage are recorded against the target(s).
Main Stats to Play Melee
There are 11 main stats for a Melee character. Eight are main, and 3 are supplemental. They are; Name, Lv, St, Dx, Mo, Ar, Qs, We and R, M, and N.
LV
The Level number is the mental or spiritual level (MS) of a character. It is used to compare one MS to another to determine the power balance between the two characters. This is done when a spell is involved between the characters or when a spell-effect is being resisted by a magic user or a regular character who must successfully roll die to resist the powers of a spell (and the power level of that spell). The other way it is used is to determine how a character interacts with items or events that require intellect. For example, unlocking a door with an unlocking spell, believing or disbelieving a lie, or deciphering a language or symbol. There are always two levels combining to become the Total Power Level. The TPL is the level of the attacker/caster spell (or caster's level when applicable) added to the level of the defender/resister. For example, a wizard with a level of 30 casts a spell on a hobbit with a level of 10. The are added together (30+10=40) to have a TPL of 40. The wizard is 75% of this TPL of 40, and the hobbit is 25%. This means the wizard must roll to successfully "incant" (recall/recite either out-loud or in their mind) with a successful DX roll (see Dx rules below). Then, the wizard must roll a 75 or less to cast (using two d10s, one in tens and the other in ones). If successful, the defending hobbit must now resist with a 25 or less. If the defending hobbit is successful in this roll, he resists the spell and nothing happens. The hobbit can then attack or run away, or whatever. If he fails, the effect of the spell would then be applied to the hobbit, depending on what the spell was. If the challenge is to unlock something or figure out a puzzle, the lock will have (or be assigned by the GM) a level from 1-100. If the hobbit has a level of 10 and he is trying to unlock (without a key) a lock with a difficulty level of 80, the TPL is 90. The hobbit is 11%, and the lock is 89% of the TPL. The hobbit will have to roll a successful Dx roll, and then roll an 11 or less to pick the lock. The lock itself does nothing. It is inherently a lock that simply has an "80th level difficulty". A wizard of a much higher level would have a much easier time. One special note; a roll of 100 (double zeros) is always a failure, and a roll of 01 is always success.
ST
The Strength number is the number of hits a character can take or lose before they are dead. If a character is wounded to the exact number of "0", that character is unconscious and is out of the game until revived or killed. If a character survives the game with a St of 0, they get all the regular experience points as others who have survived. If they take more hits than what they have beyond the Zero point, they are dead. Any character with 3 St or less (3,2,1) are -3 to all functions. Attacking, hits scored, Q, Dx; everything related to health, dexterity, movement, etc. A character that suffers hits from one blow that is 50% of their strength or more in one strike, is knocked down and will have to spend their next turn standing up and recovering themselves (not attacking or moving away). A character with a strength of 24 is knocked down with 12 or more hits from one strike from one enemy or cause. If they are hit with 8 hits from one enemy and then 10 from another, equaling 18 hits, they are not knocked down. It has to be 50% of strength or more from one strike, even if from the same enemy.
DX
The Dx number is the dexterity of a character. This always starts at 15 for a character and is modified downward as a penalty that incumbers movement by the constraint and weight of that armor (Ar). The penalty is Ar/2. For example, a character with just a tunic on has no Dx penalty. But if they have chainmail (Ar 4), they have a -2 Dx penalty. So their actual Dx is 13. The same penalty is assessed against a character's movement. When a character is physically attacking another, they must roll two d10s (both ones) to determine if they hit. If they do, they can then roll for damage against that target/enemy. In this case, a dwarf has a Dx of 13. Rolling a 13 or les will be a hit. However, their may be other penalties involved related to range, health, position, the enemies' Q (quickness), and their shield that will have to calculated first before the final Dx can be determined and roll attempted. For example, if the dwarf is down to 2 Strength (-3Dx), is attacking a target on a horse from a lower position (-2Dx), the range to the target is 3 hexes by throwing an axe (-3dx), the enemy has a class 2 shield (-2dx), and the target has a Q of 2 and the Dwarf has a Q of 1 (the enemy is +1 in comparison), this is another -1 Dx. All of the penalties are subtracted from the dwarfs' 13 Dx. It is now a 2 Dx (after -11 Dx in penalties). However, any Dx at 3 or less is in Auto-hit territory. In this case, the dwarf would have to roll a 2 or less to hit. Normally a 3 is an auto-hit no matter what the odds are. A roll of 00 is x4 damage, 01 is x3 damage, 02 (or 1-1) is x2 damage, and a roll of 3 is any auto hit. However, when the Dx goes below 3, all that can happen is a hit with no critical damage. The only exception is rolling a "00", which is x2 damage if the Dx roll needed is already below 3. If the Dx penalties take this to 00, or lower, a roll of 00 will always be the only hit possible and will always be a x2 damage if they hit.
MO
The Mo number is the allowable hexes a character can move in one turn/round. Every round is 6 seconds and every 10 rounds is one minute of game-play. A full move is any number of hexes more than 50% of the movement allowance. A half move is any number of hexes less than 50% of the movement allowance. These distinctions are important. A full move only allows that character to move and that's all. No attacks or defensive actions are allowed. If a character move 50% of less of their move, they can charge attack, defend (against melee attacks), dodge (missile attacks), and do other maneuvers. For example, a human has a movement of 15, but is wearing full mail for Ar 6. They will have a -3 movement penalty (and -3 Dx penalty) and therefore have a movement of 12. If they move 6 or less thay can do a lot. If they move 7 or more, they can only move or do movement actions. Nothing offensive or defensive. Here's a sample of what this looks like. If a human moves 8, he can spend 2 to lie prone. He could also choose to move 7 and then mount a horse for 3 and dismount for 2, all of this being exactly 12 movement. When a character like this moves 50% or less, they can charge an enemy and add 3 to their damage roll. Moving more than 10 during a charge (if 10 is still ½ movement) adds another 3. It also make you harder to hit while moving that fast. For every 10 movement of speed, enemies will have a -1 Dx penalty to hit you.
AR
The Ar number is how much armor you have on that will protect and absorb damage from the hits scored against you (and your Strength). If an enemy scores 10 hits on you and you have Ar 6 "on", you will only suffer 4 hits to your strength. If they get 6 hits, and you have 6 Ar, you suffer nothing. The usual Armor range is 0 to 10. This is the range for cloaks, leather, chainmail, full chainmail, half-plate armor, full-plate armor, add one for greives, arms, legs, helm, or some combination thereof. This will never exceed 12, but their are some exceptions for magic or enchanted armor. For example, dragon scales are 15. Sauron's armor is 15. Usually any armor level that is 13, 14, or 15, has some bonus added to it that is magical in some form or another. Usually this comes from the descriptions in MERP (Middle Earth Role Playing) or the GM based on this type of research.
QS
The Qs number is the quickness and shield of a character. These two numbers are added together as a defense against any attacks from the front hex. For example, if an elf has a Q of 4 and a shield of 3, the total Qs is 7. This means if an enemy attacks this elf from the front, the attacker will have a -7 Dx penalty. The only thing that can help an attacker is having a Q of their own. Say an attacker has a Q of 3. The attackers adjusted Q is now 1, plus their shield of 3 = 4. The Dx penalty is now just -4. Note; the Shield can not be changed or modified, unkless the shild is broken. This can only be done on a auto-matic hit, and when the attacker declares damage hits will be applied to the shield- before being applied to the target character. A shield 5, has an inherent strength of 5, and so forth. For example, if 7 hits are scored after an auto-hit roll and the shield is part of the damage, 5 hits are applied to the shield (destroying it) and the remaining two then are applied to the target character. When a shield is declared to be a target before the damage is rolled, the hits are always applied to the shield, and if anything is remaining, only then can it be applied to the target character. Some special characters have a high Q or S or both. For example, some elves have a Q of 7, or 8, or even 11. Gandalf has a Q of 14. Most attacking characters will be -8 to -14 to their Dx. This means they will have auto-hit requirements to hit a character like Gandalf. This is realistic. The way to avoid a shield is to attack that character from the rear 3 hexes, opposite from the 3 hexes covering their front. The only way to avoid Q, is to attack that character from the rear hex, or what is called the "6" position. Note: in Melee, every single-hex character has 6-hexes around them and one of these is the rear "6" hex. The only place to avoid a character's quickness and shield at the same time, is from an attacking position from this rear hex. The Q between two characters are always compared to one another to determine who is quicker. The difference between these numbers is the always the penalty to the lower of them. It is never a bonue to the higher character. For example, an orc has a Q of 1 and a shield of 3 = 4. An elf has a Q of 4 and no shield. The orc's Dx penalty is -3. The elf's Dx penalty is -3 becasue the Orc's shield is unavoidable, even whe the elf's Q is higher. Notice here the elf does not get a bonus for having a higher Q. The difference between Qs is always a penalty to the character with the lower Q.
WE
The We number is a composite number. The first number is the number of d10s being rolled to give damage to an enemy character. The second number is the add/subtract modifier to what is rolled. For example, a troll has a club that does 3+2 in damage. This means if he hits, he will roll 3 d10s, add them up, then add the modifier to it, subtract the targets armor, and then the hit damage can be assesed against the target's strength. In this case, the troll rolls three die and rolls a 3,4,5 =12, then add the +2 now = 14. The wolf he was attacking only has hide for a Armor of 2. This means 2 hits are taken off the 14 hits rolled, and 12 hits are assessed against the wolf's Strength. The weapons chart in the rules show the range of weapons and the damage they do in die, with their modifiers. Remember, a charge attack will also add damage. So, a broadsword that does 2+2 is then 2+5 on a charge attack. If a 3 and 0 are rolled (a 0 is always 0), this is 3 hits plus the 5 = 8 hits. Then take whatever armor is protecting the target from this blow. Many characters have 2-3 weapons, denoted as W1, W2, W3, with their die damage and weapon type. For example, a 3 ba, stands for a 3 die battle axe. A 1+1 sp, stands for a 1die (plus 1) spear. A 3 die, two-handed sword would be denoted as 3 2bs, and so forth.
R
R is the range their weapon(s) can go in hexes. Each hex is 5 feet and there are 5,000 feet in a Middle-Earth mile. A missile weapon uses the missile weapon range. Thrown weapons like spears, axes and knives are -1 Dx per hex from thrower to target. Any missile weapon firing 1-9 hexes (1-45 feet) does not have a Dx penalty. It is assumed that within that range an operator of a bow is efficient to 45 feet. See range table. Other ranges or special abilities may alter these ranges.
M
M is the section where magic, spells, enchantments, etc, are declared and even listed for easy reference. This will usually detail the spells or enchantments, their abilitiy, damages, effects and other details needed for gameplay.
N
Notes is for details about the character or his weapons and abilities that are not quite magic as a spell-caster. This could be his armor, weapon, history, title, or other relationship to people, things, beings, or places that are meaningful and aid the players and GM in smooth and accurate gameplay.
Playing Melee
INITIATIVE
Initiative phase (1) determines who will move first at the beginning of the game. Traditionally this is with a 6-sided ie. The winner of this roll moves, attacks, throw spells, etc., and when all their pieces are done, the other player(s) go in their turn. For example, if Team Red (the bad guys) wins the initiative roll, they will move any and all pieces they wish, including magic users, and resolve all their combat engagements, movements, spells, etc. Ties on the initiative roll are decided by rolling again until one side wins.
The options of play is any of these can be done by one player in any order. When all pieces have moved, or attacked, or done nothing, their turn is over and the other player(s) then have their turn.
(1) Initiative- (each player/team rolls a d6 to determine who starts the game.
(2) Magic- (Any characters capable of casting or preparing a spell for a future turn- may do so. You may move 1 hex and face in any direction before or after casting/preparing. The highest level character goes first and so on down the line).
(3) Missile- (Any characters that have a bow may fire at any target. You may move 1 hex and face in any direction before or after firing. Or, you can fire and then move 1. The team that won the initiative shoots their archers first, then the other team fires).
3) Movement & Melee- (The team that won the initiative moves and attacks with their pieces first and resolves their combat rolls. Then the other team moves and attacks).
4) Actions (all other actions, book adjustments or corrections required by rule or the GameMaster. This could involve healing, poisons, saving rolls, etc. Anything that must be recorded, or performed in any way before the next turn in begun.
MAGIC
When spells are used, one spell caster vs another, the levels of both are added together. Then divide either character by the total to derive their percentage of dominance between them. Example; Gandalf the Grey (40) vs. Balrog of Moria (36). 40 + 36 = 76.
Gandalf’s 40/76=53%, therefore the Balrog is 47%. This is now the IQ relationship between them and acts as the IQ-DX. To cast any spells against the Balrog, Gandalf must first roll a 15 or less with his 2 dx die, and then he can cast. Gandalf has to roll a 53 or less to cast it, and the Balrog has to roll a 47 or less to resist it (RR). This means there has to be a successful “Casting” roll- and a failing “Resistance” roll for any spell to work. Other examples, Gandalf vs Witch King = 40 vs 60; Gandalf vs Saruman = 44 vs 56; Saruman vs Sauron = 83 vs 17 (Sauron Lv240 vs Saruman Lv50 = 290 LvPoints. 50/290=17% for Saruman and 83% for Sauron)
Turn Sequence – Initiative (ties broken by Lv)
1) Automatic Spells (naturally exuded or existing without being cast)
2) Directed Spells (directly cast by concentration with 1-4 turns in preparation)
3) Missile Spells (missile weapon type spells that are launched from hand or staff)
· Sleeping victim can be attacked where 4=4x damage; 3=3x damage; 2=x2 damage, and 1 = regular damage on a FOUR sided die.
· Bolts and Balls do the damage of the caster’s base level divided by 10 = damage points (36Lv = 4 dice, etc)
· Damage Criticals are calculated by dividing the characters level by 10, to determine the number of die to use for the critical as bonus damage.in 5 severities. (i.e. a damage critical from a character with a 36Lv, like a balrog, is 36Lv/ 10 = 3.6 (rounding up to 4) die of extra damage (these again are 0-9 d10s )
· Red/White beads represent the number of spells that can be cast at their level. (Balrog has 8 beads at 36 PP each) = 300 power points (288)
· Black beads represent the number of automatic spells a character exudes that the opposing players will have to roll to resist against before any actions are taken for the turn. This is done at the start of the Magic phase and comes before all other spellcasters throw any spells. The automatic spells from all side have to be resolved first.
· Preparing spells – 0 turns = +0 to roll
1 turn = +10
2 turns = +20
3 turns = +30
· Spell effectiveness can be improved by adding PP/beads, but cannot exceed Directed Spell limits
· Spells vs a willing target are at ½ the target’s level
· Directed spells (Elemental spells), can be avoided by the target with a RR, but are not stopped from being created. Elemental spells use the force of actual material objects, like a fire ball. Mind control spells, fear spells, sound spells, etc, are not elemental spells.
· Only Automatic and non-elemental spells give the target a RR opportunity
· Elemental spells are “bolt or ball spells”
· If a spell is “missed” by failing a DX roll, no PowerPoints are expended
· Like archers, magic users can move 1 and cast or cast and then move one hex. (or change facing)
MISSILE
· Roll to miss friends is –1dx, auto miss of 16 is a hit against the friend.
Missile weapons are
1-9 no penalty;
10 to 19–1dx;
20 to 29–2dx;
30 to 39 –3dx;
40 to 49 –4dx;
50 to 59 –5dx
…and so on up to –10dx at maximum range at 550 feet or 110 hexes. (unless range is extended my magic)
· Per 10 feet down/up or mounted (+/-1) We & Dx to all Missile and Melee attacks
· Versus Prone, dodging/defending, or retreating target – roll 3 die to hit. If target was knocked down, -2dx to hit.
· Attacking a target at a movement of 10 hexes or more is –1dx per 10 movement. So 22 hexes of movement is -2 dx to the attacker/archer.
· Orc archers have poisoned arrows (max 10) and do -1 per turn damage for every arrow that caused damage.
· Poison arrows can be cumulative (if three arrows cause damage, the effect is -3 on every Actions phase of the turn). A poison arrow that does not do damage, does not inject poison either.
· Men and Uruks have 15 arrows, and Elves have 20 arrows per game. Unused arrows can be collected.
MOVEMENT
· No move can be made on the Melee turn, but facing changes can be made by the pieces being attacked. Facing changes are when the defending piece gets to "change their facing" to meet the attach, or take any other facing for defensive purposes. The player simply moves the piece to face any one of the hex sides of the hexes they are standing in. This is a choice of six facing positions.
· En Passant rule is the interception of someone passing through any one of your three forward hexes, or leaving an engagement ie, “disengaging” from you. If the attacker is eligible to attack they can attempt to hit the disengaging piece by using three d10s and rolling a number less than the attackers Dx.
· Defend/dodge only if you move at ½ movement.
· Turn or face –1mo
· Stand up –2mo
· Backup –2mo
· Jump –3mo
· Crawl –humanoids crawl at 2hexes, unless abilities make this faster.
· After a knockdown, you can stand up but can not attack. However, you could stand and defend/dodge. You can not leave the hex you were knocked down in. You can only do two actions internal to the hex you occupy. For example, your piece could stand up and turn around. You could stay on the ground and change weapons, which is two moves...one to stow your weapon and another to draw a new one. Or other two-move combinations like this.
· Horse movement penalties are; -1mo to the horse for every 10 St of the rider. Gandalf the White has a St of 50, so his Mo penalty to Shadowfax is -5. Shadowfax Mo without Gandalf is 50, but with Gandalf aboard, he is now 45 (down from 50).
Melee (combat)
All the engagements that have resulted from the movement of pieces for their charge attacks, regular attacks, etc, are resolved for that players' characters until they have all been completed and that player has given the next player their turn. At this point, nothing can be done by the player who has just ended their turn. Grace can be given if and only if all the other players agree. The GM shall enforce these rules.
Actions
In this phase at the end of all the players turns, and before a new round begins, the Gm shall make or require the stats, books, and players to revise and record the actions from that round. This will include things like scoring hits, poison notations, position of spells or dropped and broken weapon markers, announcements of new characters coming onto the board, reminders of who is knocked down or dead, or affected by some spell. Basically this is the accounting part of the round to prepare for the next round. The GM shall keep record of the rounds and other events to keep these records accurate.
Sample of High Level Character Profiles that are converted from MERP guides and spell lists for use with the Melee system, known as the new M3 system (Melee, MERP, Mithril) for Middle-Earth Gaming.
SHELOB Lv 50 St 84 Dx 15 Mo 16 ADS 7/10/0 W1 3-3bi W2 2+2 R 1+Spells M Yes N Yes She has 8 eyes and 8 legs, and her strength and other hit penalties are divided as follows; 60St in main body, 2St in each leg x 8 = 16St, 1St in each eye x 8 = 8St. So, 24 + 60 = 84St. She gets a -1Dx penalty for each eye she loses- down to 7Dx, and -2Mo penalty for each leg she loses- down to 0Mo. Her body is 20’ long (4hexes), 10’wide (2h), leg width is 30’ (6h) and leg length 40’ (8h). She is a Mage/Sorcerer with 1,000PP. She knows all Essence and Channeling. Ranger, Nature’s Guises and Path Mastery to 30Lv. All open and closed channeling to 20Lv. Open and closed essence to 20Lv, and Mentalism list to Lv30. She is a giant creature and is -10 to hit. Her poison is 50Lv and is either instant death (failure vs poison is death), or, paralysis (failure vs poison is paralysis). She can belch Utterdark every third turn in Melee (once per minute) at no PP cost. She operates at -10dx in daylight or equivalent but can shield herself with Utterdark to compensate. She can only be killed by enchanted weapons, but can be wounded by others.
WITCH-KING Lv 60 St 60 Dx 15 Mo 10 ADS 10/10/0 W1 4-3bs* W2 2cp* R 1-50+ M Yes N Yes Vacamacil does +1 d9 damage if target is knocked down and if Vasamacil scores exactly “0” damage, the victim roles vs 60Lv attack- failure results in broken weapon. Morgul Knife- (2-1we & +5 to any knockdown and the blade breaks off in victim) Victim roles RR vs. Owner Lv and failure results in victim becoming a wraith servant in 1-10 days. Wit and exact location of anyone or anything within 2 hexes (target get RR vs. 30Lv); 180PP- Base Spell OB is 60Lv (3 spells at Lv60), or Directed Spell OB is 90Lv (2 spells at Lv90), Sorcerer List to 60Lv, Base Ranger List to 10Lv, Closed Essence and Closed Channeling to 10Lv.
Within sight of the WK, all must RR vs 9Lv Fear Spell (6Lv for the other Wraiths) see below. Wraiths must retire when down to 1, no man can make the killing blow against the WK. In any round the WK can determine the presence
The Nazgul (the other 8 ring-wraiths) *Non-magic weapons break upon contact but will only do damage if the strike is 8 hits or more. Either way- the weapon is broken. *Enchanted weapons will do damage to the Nazgul even if less than 8 hits are scored, but do not break. Upon reaching 1 or 0 St, the Nazgul will dissipate and return to Sauron where he can be reconstituted in 1-100 days. The Nazgul can not die, except with the destruction of the One Ring and their master, Sauron. *Death Touch, victim who fails RR vs Lv of the Nazgul, loses 2 strength per turn, for every turn the Nazgul touches them. *In full daylight, all bonuses and levels are halved, overcast is 75%, dusk through night is full. Includes vision and senses. *Fear of running water (must be at least 10foot wide x 1foot deep ) – the RR is vs the Nazgul’s own Lv, or, vs the width/2 + depth x 2, whichever is lower. Failure prevents him from attempting another crossing for 1-10 turns, and for every reattempt he has -10 off his RR. *Fear of natural fire – must roll RR vs wielded fire at the level of the weilder/attacker. Failure causes them to flee. (1-100 turns). The Nazgul will not walk or pass-through fire willingly, but they will go around it to achieve a goal or directive. *Khamul is effected by fire and water at ½ the RR. *Fear of the name “in the name of Elbereth Gilthoniel”, RR vs speaker’s level, failure results in flight (1-100 turns) *Opponents within sight (forward arc) must roll a RR vs Lv6 Fear Spell (Lv9 for Witch-king), 0 = flight, 1-9 is the number of turns the victims is immobilized in stunned horror. NO action or real concentration can be performed during this time. *Cast True Charm (directed spell) at any one he gazes at making the victim believe the Nazgul is a close friend and in no danger. RR vs the Nazgul’s Lv and lasts 10 minutes x Nazgul’s Lv. *Black Breath to 60 hexes, travels at 15 hexes per turn, and seeks the declared victim. The victim’s RR vs Nazgul’s level, with failure resulting in deep despair on a roll of 2-5 (1-100 turns and then slumber for 1-100 hours), or, on a roll of 6-9 (deep despair for 1-100 hours followed by un-wakeable slumber for 1-100 days). ON a roll of 0-1, the victim succumbs to horror-dreams and a cursed sleep that destroys their mind in 1-100 agonizing hours. Only the herb Athelas (King’s Foil – a “weed”) can cure the victim from any of these fates. Vision and senses in the seen and unseen world allow them to know the location of anything they concentrate on, and are nearly impossible to foil except through magic. INDUR (Nazgul, 4th of the Nine and 4th most powerful) Lv37 St28 Dx15 Mo7/29m ADS7/10/0 We1 3sc We2 2+2lb We3 2-1ss(dagger) R 1-60 In addition to the abilities of the Nazgul, Indur’s sword (Dawnsword) is Elf-slaying +4 to any hit vs an Elf, and vs a sleeping victim the sword kills automatically if the victim fails a RR vs Indurs Lv37. His bow (Cloudbow) does not have any range or visibility penalty if fired in clouds, fog or mist. Indur has 111PP = 3 spells at Lv37 max per day. Base Mage lists to Lv30, Open Essence to Lv25, One Base Ranger List to Lv5, and all Closed Essence lists to Lv20. Indur can see through all plants or trees. (see MERP Vol.II)
SARUMAN Lv 50/100 St 33 Dx 15 Mo 15 ADS 6/13/0 W1 2+2bs W2 1-1sp R 1-50+ M yes N yes Enchanted Mithril ring stores 10 spells per day, provides immunity from fire and cold, detect illusions, eludes detection, sword “Glosovagil” (+5we) on all knockdowns, can examine any non-organic object and discern everything about it. 300PP (base spell = 50; directed spell = 100), Light Law and Fire Law spell lists, all Bard, Open Essence and Channeling lists.
Tom Bombadil Lv 360 St 105 Dx 15 Mo 52 ADS 2/16/0 W1 7staff W2 6+1 R 1-50+ M Yes N Yes TB can merge with wind and trees. Communicate with any plant within 72 hexes. Ascertain plant feelings and can get the plant’s “spirit gift”. Can heal plants within 72 hexes by concentration and can heal animals he touches. He is a huge creature inside the forest and large outside the forest. In his forest he cannot be affected by any spells. He can merge with the air at 360mph and can only use this ability within 360 miles of the Old Forest. This means his movement of 31 is immediate and blinding fast. He will not be able to be hit while dodging or disengaging from an attacker. He will always attack first. He can merge and become one with any tree as though he is the tree and indistinguishable from a tree in its’ natural state. Thereby undetectable as an entity other than as a tree. He can touch any plant or rock and determine its’ origin. In the old forest he can detect any presence immediately and hear or smell anything within a 90-degree arc in front of him. He has 7920 PP. Direct spell is at 360 and he uses all animist, open channeling, Ranger, Cleric, and closed channeling lists to Lv 360.
FELAGROG (H) Lv 36(66) St 70 Dx 15 Mo 17 ADS 10/8/0 W1 5+1bs* W2 5+1wp* R 1-8* M yes N yes Balrog of Moria and Durin’s Bane, and is one of the 4 greater Balrogs of Morgoth (7 in total). Gothmog and Lungorthin were two of the others. The other greater balrog’s name is unknown after my research to find Felegrog (and Tar Garoth and Muar, below). He does +1d fire damage on hits and +1d on all knockdowns and +9 on charge, with a 8 hex range with whip, and 3 hex range with sword. He casts an 18th Lv Fear spell auto to anything within sight, and 18th Lv Domination spell (eyes covered), not covered it’s a 36th Lv to 60 hexes. Felagrog’s Mo is 17 running, 9 on charge, but his flight is poor; 1st round 12mo, 2nd 24mo, 3rd round 36mo, and reaches full speed in the 4th round at 48. He can move or hop out and into engagements. After 6 turns of failing fear roll, victim is useless/ incapacitated. Occupies 4 hexes, Height 20’/1,600lbs, reach 3h with bs/ 8h w/ wh. Spells 36th Level OB at 60 hexes, and Directed Spells at 72Lv. He knows all Fire Law, Detection Mastery, Open Channel lists to Lv100. He has 300PP. 8hex wi, 5+1bs 3 hex, +2dCrit, enflames on command, 3 turns to develop lift, 18’ tall-1,800lbs, 3+3Hba, 2+3Hgr, with 2d fire criticals, throws 100lb rocks 40h @ 2d, casts automatic 18th lv Fear, 0=death, 50% 1-7 flees, 50% 8-15 stunned 0-9 turns, 36th lv if directed, 50% controlled by F until he makes a RR if not being controlled on concentrated on, 25% victim in coma for 0-9 days, 25% kills victim by shattering mind and soul. Knows any spell up to 100th lv but only at 66thlv power if directed. 300 PP, 50 hex radius, uses all Fire & Detection Law spells
TARGAROTH (H) Lv 30/60 St 58 St 15 Mo 15 ADS 10/6/0 W1 4+3wh* W2 4+3bs* Lesser Balrog (one of three) and one of the 7 Departed/lost/hiding balrogs of Morgoth. The name of the last lesser balrog in unknown to me after my research to find Muar and Tar Garoth. He is +9 on charge, +1d on KDs, 15 Lv Fear automatic within sight of him, 15Lv domination, 30Lv with eyes not covered, 2 hex range bs, and 4 hex wh, movement running is 20, charge at 10, flight is 1st round flight mo is 10, 2nd 20, 3rd 30 and 4th 40, moves/hops in and out of engagements, After 6 turns of Fear roll failure victim becomes incapacitated. Occupies 4 hexes, Height 15’/weight 1,200lbs. MUAR of Uax (H) Lv 33/54 63 15 9 10/9/04-3/4-3 Lesser Balrog, 3-1 rock, range 2bs/4wh, 15th Lv Fear plus others, treat him as size H.
ZALG (L) Lv 21 St 35 Dx 15 Mo 5 ADS 15/7/2 We1 4-2sc We2 3+2lb R 1-50 M yes N yes Father of Hurog and Bralg and The Goblin King of Mount Gundabad. Scimitar Thrakurghash and Icehelm. Uses Poison (-1) on all weapons and has a second attack with spiked hand at 2+3. He is +6 on charges. His sword confers on him a constant Spell Defense 9- Protection III (-30 to elemental attacks rolls and +30 to RR roles). Sword will generate an aura of flame on command giving any target it damages (1 hit or more) a +1d heat critical. It also confers Deflection on Zalg at -10dx to all missile attacks against him (x4 per day), and, Bladeturn at -10dx to all melee attacks against him (x4 per day). Other servants of Darkness can wield it but others would find it difficult at -5dx. Also, they would have to roll RR vs 10th Domination spell to not be possessed by it (to do evil). Ice Helm (darkened mithril of glossy greyish black). Gives +1 to AR as enchanted (in addition to +1 AR for the helm). Zalg has 15 AR, and twice per day, Ice Helm allows Zalg to create a wall of ice (Ice Law 8- Wall of Ice) at 10’ high x 30’ around in the six hexes surrounding his hex. The wall has a St of 17 and can only be pushed over by creatures with St of 50+, who can stand and push. Ice Wall cannot be used at the same time as his Aura of Flame from his scimitar. Zalg is the most powerful Uruk or Orc in this collection and he is Mithril #93.
The Rules of Melee, and the use of Mithril miniatures and the Middle-Earth Role Playing system have undergone many revisions and adaptations over the past 30 years. The version you are reading here on Lore-Master.com is the product of that work.
The Lore-Master hopes you enjoy learning and playing this version of RPG, it is simply the best for combat action in the Tolkien universe. ~LMHS