Hobbits of the Shire

Written by: Free League

…han ønsket å dra og se de store fjellene, høre furutrærne og fossene, utforske hulene, og bære et sverd i stedet for en vandrestav.

Hobbiter er et lite og muntert folk, med en kjærlighet for ærverdige tradisjoner og respektable vaner, og en sterk aversjon mot alt utenom det vanlige. Hvis hobbiter fikk bestemme, ville dagene gå sin vante gang i en uforanderlig verden, slik de har gjort så lenge noen kan huske. I hvert fall i deres land, Hobsyssel. Men siden herr Bilbo Lommelun vendte tilbake fra sitt eventyr med en gruppe dverger og en vandrende trollmann, har noe forandret seg. Historier om fjerne land, mørke skoger, kjemper, alver og glemte haller under jorden har begynt å sirkulere blant hobbiter av en mer eventyrlysten sort. Og hvert år forsvinner en eller to diskret for å dra på eventyr.

Characteristics #

Hobbiter er mye mindre enn menn, enda mindre enn dverger, og kan forveksles med menneskebarn av de som ikke kjenner til deres eksistens. De har aldri vært krigerske, men til tross for deres milde utseende er de overraskende tøffe, og vanskelige å skremme eller drepe. Hobbiter er et muntert folk med en glad ånd og vennlighet som gjør dem til gode følgesvenner. Hobbiter forlater ikke sine komfortable liv lett, men når de gjør det, venter de vanligvis til de blir myndige ved 33-årsalderen. En spesielt hensynsløs hobbit kan føle kallet til eventyr i sine «tweens», som hobbiter kaller tjueårene. Når de må ty til våpen, velger hobbiter korte sverd og jaktbuer, som de kan skyte med enestående presisjon.

CULTURAL BLESSING — HOBBIT-SENSE #

Hobbiter har for lenge siden lært sin plass i verden, og de viser en robust evne til innsikt som mange folk forveksler med mangel på mot. Ingen visjoner eller ville fantasier kan friste dem, da de ikke søker makt eller kontroll over andre.

Your WISDOM rolls are Favoured, and you gain (1d) on
all Shadow Tests made to resist the effects of Greed.

_{… they have a fund of wisdom and wise sayings that men have mostly never heard or have forgotten long ago.}

HALFLINGS #

På grunn av deres mindre størrelse kan hobbiter ikke bruke større våpen effektivt. Våpnene tilgjengelige for hobbiter er:

Axe, bow, club, cudgel, dagger, short sword, short spear, spear. Additionally, Hobbits cannot use a great shield.

STANDARD OF LIVING — COMMON #

Hobbiter lever i fred, deres land er godt oppdyrket og deres grenser beskyttet, men deres land er en isolert øy midt i en øde region, og handel er en sjelden foreteelse.

Attributes #

Choose one set of Attributes, or roll a Success die:

ROLL	STRENGTH	HEART	WITS
1	3	6	5
2	3	7	4
3	2	7	5
4	4	6	4
5	4	5	5
6	2	6	6

DERIVED STATS #

Calculate the following scores based on your chosen Attribute ratings:

Endurance	STRENGTH + 18
Hope	HEART + 10
Parry	WITS + 12

SKILLS #

Copy the listed Skill ranks onto the character sheet; then, choose
one Skill among the two underlined and mark it as Favoured.

AWE 0	ENHEARTEN 0	PERSUADE 2
ATHLETICS 0	TRAVEL 0	STEALTH 3
AWARENESS 2	INSIGHT 2	SCAN 0
HUNTING 0	HEALING 1	EXPLORE 0
SONG 2	COURTESY 2	RIDDLE 3
CRAFT 1	BATTLE 0	LORE 0

COMBAT PROFICIENCIES #

Copy the following Combat Proficiency ranks onto the character sheet, selecting a preferred Proficiency when offered a choice.

Bow OR Swords	2
Choose one Combat Proficiency	1

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES #

Choose two Distinctive Features among those listed: Eager, Fair-spoken, Faithful, Honourable, Inquisitive, Keen-eyed, Merry, Rustic.

LANGUAGES AND TYPICAL NAMES #

Hobbiter snakker kun det felles språket, men bevarer bruken av noen få ord og navn fra deres eget glemte språk. Navn består av et fornavn og et familienavn. Fornavn for menn er vanligvis enkle og korte, mens kvinner ofte får navn etter blomster eller edelstener. Blant de eldre familiene overlever imidlertid en skikk med å gi mer heroiske og storslåtte navn, hvis opprinnelse kan spores tilbake til en tid før Hobsyssel.

MALE NAMES #

Andwise, Berilac, Bungo, Cottar, Doderic, Dudo, Erling, Fastred, Ferumbras, Folco, Gorhendad, Griffo, Halfred, Hamson, Ilberic, Isembold, Isengar, Longo, Marmadas, Marroc, Mungo, Odo, Orgulas, Otho, Posco, Reginard, Robin, Rudigar, Sadoc,
Saradas, Tobold, Tolman.

FEMALE NAMES #

Adaldrida, Amaranth, Asphodel, Belba, Bell, Berylla, Camellia, Daisy, Eglantine, Estella, Gilly, Hanna, Lily, Malva, Marigold, May, Melilot, Menegilda, Mentha, Mirabella, Myrtle, Pearl, Peony, Pervinca, Pimpernel, Primrose, Primula, Prisca, Rosamunda, Ruby, Salvia.

FAMILIY NAMES #

Baggins, Boffin, Bolger, Bracegirdle, Brandybuck, Brown, Brownlock, Bunce, Burrows, Cotton, Gamgee, Gardner, Goldworthy, Goodbody, Goodchild, Grubb, Headstrong, Hornblower, Maggot, Noakes, North-tooks, Proudfoot, Puddifoot, Roper, Rumble, Sackville, Smallburrow, Took, Twofoot, Whitfoot.

Virtues of the hobbits #

Hobbits rarely display Virtues considered to be heroic by other Cultures, which partly explains their absence from history as written by Elves and Men. But to the discerning eye, these merry fellows reveal subtle qualities, often excelling in fields where stronger individuals might fail.

ART OF DISAPPEARING #

Hobbits are said to have little or no magic about them, but the way they can choose to disappear quickly and quietly can be described by others only as supernatural. You have learnt to choose exactly the right moment to turn away from the attention of others, sometimes unconsciously anticipating the need to disappear.

♦ If a location or a situation offers even the smallest opportunity to hide or sneak silently away, make a STEALTH roll: if you succeed, you simply disappear. If anyone expects you to be there, it will seem as if you have vanished into thin air. You can choose to reveal yourself at any moment by simply stepping out into the open from your hiding place.

They possessed from the first the art of disappearing swiftly and silently, when large folk whom they do not wish to meet came blundering by…

BRAVE AT A PINCH #

One of the Wise once said that you have to put a Hobbit in a tight place before you find out what is in them. You prefer to avoid finding yourself in one, but you are also sure you would be able to take good care of yourself in the circumstances.

♦ As long as you are Miserable, Weary, or Wounded, you are Inspired on all your rolls.

«…he is one of the best, one of the best — as fierce as a dragon in a pinch.»

SMALL FOLK #

Hobbits are a little people, but their resourcefulness far exceeds their stature. You have learnt how to exploit your small size to your advantage in a fight.

♦ When you are engaged in close combat with a creature bigger than you (very often!) you add +2 to your Parry rating. Additionally, you can assume a Rearward stance in combat even if there is only one other Company member fighting in a Close Combat stance.

For they are a little people, smaller than Dwarves…

SURE AT THE MARK #

Hobbits are nimble and keen-eyed, qualities that make them good archers. You have honed this natural talent to perfection, so much so that you just need to stoop for a stone to find yourself armed with a deadly weapon.

♦ All your ranged attacks are Favoured. If you attack by throwing a stone, the roll produces a Piercing Blow on a result of , with an Injury rating of 12.

They shot well with the bow, for they were keen-eyed and sure at the mark. Not only with bows and arrows.

THREE IS COMPANY #

The Wise say that it is sometimes best to trust to friendship than to great wisdom. This is particularly true for Hobbits, as everyone knows that it is hardly possible to separate them from their friends. You have given your trust to your fellow Company members, and a true friendship has grown from the bond unifying you.

♦ Raise your Company’s Fellowship rating by 1 point. Additionally, you may select a second Fellowship Focus.

«We hobbits ought to stick together, and we will. I shall go, unless they chain me up.»

TOUGH AS OLD TREE-ROOTS #

They say that Hobbits are difficult to dismay or kill, and that they recover their health at a prodigious pace if allowed to enjoy some peace and quiet. You have discovered that you recover wonderfully from falls and bruises (at the cost of some considerable pain).

♦ When you are Wounded and must roll to determine the severity of your injury, you roll two Feat Dice instead of one and choose the better of the two results. In addition, double your STRENGTH score when calculating the number of Endurance points you recover when resting.

«They are a remarkable race,» said the Warden, nodding his head. «Very tough in the fibre, I deem.»