HORSES & PONNIES #

Basic Mechanics #

Written by SirGalrim

Player-heroes may start with a pony or horse according to their culture. The table below replaces the table in the core rules page 50.

Heroic culture	Starting type of mount
Elves, Rangers, Woodmen	None
Hobbits	Small pony
Dwarves, Men of Bree, Beornings	Pack-pony
Bardings	Work horse
Men of Minas Tirith, High elves	Hobby
Men of Rohan	Battle-trained Rouncey

Horses and ponies differ from each other on many accounts, their colour, stature, their temper and swiftness, and they are all put to different uses, based on their capabilities. The types of mounts table below summarises the various kinds of horses and lists their relevant characteristics.

Type of mounts	Riding in Combat	Vigour	Special quality	Cost
Old horse or pony	no	0	weak	2 TP
Small pony or a mule	no	1	–	4 TP
Pack-pony	no	1	sturdy	6 TP
Hobby*	no	1	swift	6 TP
Battle-trained Hobby*	yes	1	swift	10 TP
Work horse*	no	2	–	8 TP
Draught horse*	no	2	sturdy	10 TP
Rouncey*	no	2	swift	10 TP
Battle-trained Rouncey*	yes	2	swift	14 TP
Palfrey	no	3		14 TP (Prosperous/1)
Battle-trained Palfrey	yes	3		18 TP (Prosperous/1)
Courser	yes, gain 1d	3	swift	24 TP (Prosperous/1)
Destrier	yes, gain 2d	3	strong, sturdy	30 TP (Rich/2)
Merah	yes, gain 2d	4	fearless, swift	Priceless

* There are breeds of ponies that Hobbits may use to gain the same benefits as listed for these horses. 

Cost: This is the cost in Treasure Points to acquire a pony or horse in a Fellowship Phase. When the Player-hero wants to have a different mount he only pays the difference in the cost between the two types of mounts. The mounts that have an additional text and number in parentheses are large horses that require a lot of food of good quality. If the Player-hero has the corresponding Standard of Living or better, he can cover the cost as part of his pocket-money. If he has a lower Standard of Living, he needs to deduct the listed number of TP every Yule to have enough hay and grain to feed the animal properly through the winter.

Ponies and horses can be laden with those riches the Player-heroes discover in the course of their adventuring. When the Player-hero rides the beast it can carry less riches than if it’s merely used as a pack animal.

A mount can carry Treasure up to 10 points of Load while giving the benefit of its Vigour the Player-hero. A mount can carry up to 40 points of Load when the owner chooses to not benefit from the mount’s Vigour. 

Horse Qualities #

Some types of horse have qualities that separates them from other breeds. Also, the horse-herds of Rohan may train their steeds further to consistently display qualities otherwise not noticeable in their untutored kin.

Strong: A Strong horse is well suited to charge its enemies headlong. Raise the Charge bonus of your horse by 2 points.

Sturdy: A sturdy horse has a solid build and can carry heavy burdens. Double the amount of load the horse can carry. 

Swift: A Swift horse may traverse light terrain (and good roads) quickly. You gain 1d when making Athletics tests related to the journey, and when making Travel tests for faster travel (Forced March) in light terrain (and on good roads).

Fearless. A Fearless horse is not easily daunted by the shouts of battle and din of arms. Whenever you succeed a Dread test, your mount also succeeds.

Weak. This horse can never carry more than 10 points of Load.

Mounts in Combat #

Using combat trained mounts in combat has several advantages, but also some disadvantages. Mounts untrained for combat will immediately flee from the noise and confusion of a battle. It takes a Song or Enhearten test to calm them down.

Skill Limit #

Riding a horse in combat is not as simple as trotting leisurely along a road. A rider must handle their mount so that the horse’s movements do not interfere with their fighting capabilities.

For this reason, a mounted character using a Weapon Proficiency can never roll more Success dice than their Athletics skill score would allow.

Difficult terrain #

At the start of a fight, the Loremaster must consider the precise circumstances and the lay of the battleground to judge whether a hero should be allowed to enter combat on horseback, or be forced to dismount to join the fight. Less favourable conditions might require instead the introduction of complications, negative modifiers reflecting the added difficulty of fighting while mounted.

Narrow passages and otherwise confined areas, and all terrains rated hard or impassable, cannot be considered to offer a battleground that is wide and regular enough for a rider. In such cases, mounted heroes must dismount if they wish to join the fight.

Otherwise, the Loremaster must consider the added difficulty of fighting while mounted upon the terrain composing the battleground, and apply to the rider a negative modifier based on the Complications table found at the core rules page 102.

Charging #

The most advantageous tactic of a warrior on horseback is to profit from the speed and size of his mount to charge his enemies headlong. Riders can employ this tactic before combat at close quarters is joined, unless they were successfully ambushed. See Resolve Charge under Combat Sequence.

Fighting at Close Quarters #

The Resolve Charge step ends whenever the fight at close quarters is joined. If a rider ended the step without failing a Riding test, then he may remain on horseback or choose to dismount from his horse and join the fight on foot (a rider who failed a Athletics test to charge cannot choose to dismount).

Combat Stance Limit #

Riders in contact with the enemy at close quarters are easily hindered and cannot move about effectively; as a result, mounted characters may only fight in a Forward or Open stance.

Height Advantage #

Combatants on foot attacking riders in close combat are considered to be moderately hindered by the height difference between them, and loose 1d to all attacks against the rider. This modifier is not applied if the attacker on foot is armed with a Spear or Great spear, or possesses the Great Size fell ability.

Escape Combat #

A fighter on horseback may attempt to Escape Combat from any stance, and gain any Riding bonus the mount provides to the required attack roll.

Attacking Horses #

Cunning adversaries will try to rob any riders of their edge by targeting their mounts when resolving opening volleys and when attacking at close quarters. Moreover, many fell creatures simply delight in the screaming of horses, so it is up to the Loremaster when other adversaries will choose

to employ this tactic. When an attacker targets a mount, the action is resolved as a standard attack against the rider, but without the height disadvantage.

When an adversary attacks your mount, their TN is your Parry rating. Weapon damage is applied to your Endurance. If a Piercing Blow is scored, the rider must make an Athletics roll with the TN set to the Injury rating of the weapon. On a failure the mount is Wounded and the rider crashes to the ground and cannot take a main action his next round. On a success the mount is Wounded, but the rider dismounts safely as the horse falls. If a successful roll produces one or more Success icons (T), the mount is not Wounded. 

After the fall, a Wounded horse either remains on the ground, or stands up and tries to flee the field of battle, riding wildly about (the horse is out of combat for the remainder of the scene). A Wounded horse may be attended to later, if the rider recovers it and succeeds in a Healing roll. If the roll succeeds, the horse is safe and can be ridden again. If the roll fails, the horse dies or becomes lame and thus useless as a mount. 

Combat Sequence #

1. Opening Volleys
2. Resolve Charge
3. All proceeding Close Quarters Rounds 

Resolve Charge #

Anyone in a combat that is not surprised by an ambush may choose to forgo one Opening Volley to make a Charge if the circumstances allow it. Charges are resolved after the Opening Volleys. The Loremaster must consider the lay of the battleground to judge whether combatants should be allowed to charge. Charges are best suitable on open battlefields. As a rule of thumb, very confined areas, extensive obstacles between combatants and hard or impassable terrain cannot be considered to offer a battleground suitable for a proper Charge. 

It’s unusual for Player-heroes and adversaries both to charge without a mount, although it is possible. Those who charge without a mount loose 2d on their Athletics roll.

Player-hero’s charge  #

Player-heroes resolve a charge by making an Athletics roll first (modified by their mount’s ride bonus, if any). If the test is successful, the charger immediately makes an attack roll upon a target of his choice in the front of the enemy line. If a successful Athletics roll produces one or more Success icons (T), the Player-hero may push deeper into enemy lines and attack one additional target of his choice (not the same target twice). If the roll fails, the rider does not get to attack at all.

In addition, Player-heroes deal extra damage equal to the mount’s Vigour on all successful Charge attacks against footed creatures. 

Adversaries’ charge #

Few adversaries will Charge the Player-heroes. When it happens, the player-hero that is charged by an adversary makes a Battle roll to avoid the Charge against him. If the Adversary has no Fell ability for Charge a successful roll results in a failed Charge and no attack on the Player-hero. If the Adversary has a Fell ability for Charge an additional number of Success icons (T) may be needed for the Player-hero to avoid the Charge. Adversaries deal extra damage on successful Charge attacks equal to their half their Attribute level (rounded down).

On the rare occasion both Player-heroes and Adversaries charge, those who charge make up the front line of the enemy, and therefore must be attacked first. Attacks are otherwise resolved in default order of combat.

Wheeling and Charging #

A group composed exclusively of riders facing a group of footmen may try to charge their foes, sweep by them, and then wheel back and charge again. For an additional charge to be allowed,

all charging characters must have passed their Athletics test in the previous charge. As soon as a rider fails a test the combatants are considered to have entered into contact and combat at close quarters is initiated.

Each charging attempt after the first requires an Athletics test at a higher difficulty; all riders loose 1d each time. Unmounted combatants do not wait idly for the onslaught though: fighters capable of ranged attacks may let loose a volley before each additional charge.

Resolving attacks #

Special Damage #

Additional special damage options:

HORSE KICK — CLOSE COMBAT ON A MOUNT

Your mount thrusts its legs out to knock back an opponent. If the opponent’s Attribute Level is less than your Strength plus your mount’s Vigour, spend 1 Success icon to push back your target. The adversary is inflicted a penalty, losing (1d) for the length of the round (in the rare case this special damage is triggered multiple times, it must be employed to push back different opponents).

SAMPLE USEFUL ITEMS #

Written by Aiden Harrison

ATHLETICS

A coil of rope with grappling hook to climb, set of climbing pitons, lightweight running shoes, gloves of supple leather to facilitate climbing, boots with a spring-heel, a long spear which can be used as a vaulting pole.

AWARENESS

A hat with a brim to screen the glare of the sun, a type of tea with a mild stimulant to assist a night watch

AWE

A suit of expensive clothing, earrings of pearl, an impressive gold chain, a remarking torque, a striking ring, a fine cloak and hood, elaborate hair combs, exquisite diadem, a tattoo*, an impressive scar*, a necklace of claws / teeth etc, war paint, prominent piercing.

BATTLE

Colour coded feathers on arrows to choose the right weight for the distance being shot over, or to fire into a wind. A small feather attached to the tip of the bow to indicate wind direction well above head height (assist in compensating when shooting in a cross wind), a finely crafted set of Dwarf made figures for setting up battle plans. A gold and silver chess set from the exotic south, a detailed map of a specific area and its surrounding terrain, useful for planning ambushes and tactics.

COURTESY

A suit of expensive clothing, earrings of pearl, an impressive gold chain, a remarking torque, striking ring, fancy waistcoat, various small gifts (details as needed)

CRAFT

A set of instruments to carve stone, fine wood-crafting tools, trusty work hammer, engraving tools, tongs, drills, magnifying lens, measuring tool, tool sharpener

ENHEARTEN

A liquor to infuse strength, a war horn, a fine crafted circlet, an engraving of meaning, a banner, A set of rattling bells tied to a spear, which he can shake (Spears will be shaken!) when roaring a battle cry, adding percussive emphasis.

EXPLORE

A detailed set of maps, wayfarer bundle, set of chalk to mark the way, trusty tinderbox

HEALING

A balm to soothe pain, a salve to dress wounds, dried herbs to alleviate aches, old remedy, trusty pestle and mortar, a foul smelling unguent, strips of cloth that can be used as ties, or as bandages. Plant extract to induce vomiting (treats food poisoning)

HUNTING

A knife for skinning rabbits, a little box of salt to cook, set of fine snares, hunting dog or bird, fishing gear, a bird call whistle, a bolas for use in the chase, a lucky quiver

INSIGHT

A fine pipe to find comfort, a deck of gaming cards or dice, that permits close observation when playing with other people.

LORE

A rare book, an ink and quill set, a worry stone to help recall your studies

PERSUADE

A bottle of good wine, exquisite umbrella, artful makeup, delicate perfume

RIDDLE

A good pipe to help you think, a smooth stone to calm your thoughts, a pack of playing cards or dice, to distract, a trained animal (probably a dog, but a hawk might do, or even a ferret!) that will perform a diversion with a coded sound or signal, A book of riddles.

SCAN

A wind-proof lantern, pocket eyeglass, magnifying lens

SONG

An exotic musical instrument a fiddle, a flute, a drum or a viol, a harp or lyre, or book of poems.

STEALTH

Well made boots, a dependable cloak, a backpack with no metal exterior loops or buckles, and interior pockets that cushion the things inside, camouflage paint/makeup, a pinpoint lantern.

TRAVEL

A sunstone to navigate in bad weather, travel biscuits, a walking stave, well prepared camping gear, sentimental handkerchief, a small tin of wax oil to waterproof boots or other leather kit, a bottle of tangy pickles as a pick me up.

COUNCIL #

Written by SirGalrim

Add the following to Councils:

1. Set Resistance  #

Before the Council, establish what the heroes want:

♦ Player-heroes set their Primary Goal, the bare minimum thing they need to achieve from this Council. 

♦ Player-heroes may set additional goals at the Council. Up to three such Secondary Goals may be set, things that would be nice in addition to the Primary Goal. The Loremster may provide guidance to what is available and achievable Secondary Goals at the Council in question.

2. Introduction #

An audience often has a preference for what type of introduction that is performed. The Loremaster may choose one skill where the Player-hero gains 1d, and one skill where he loses 1d on the introduction. If the Player-hero knows their audience, or has done research ahead, he knows what type of introductions the audience preferes and dislikes.

The time limit is determined as follows:

♦ If the Introduction roll is a failure, the time limit is 3, and if the council ends in a failure, it ends in a Disaster instead (see the End of a Council).

♦ If the Introduction roll is a success, the time limit is 4, plus 1 for each Success icon rolled (6’s)

If the circumstances for the Council permits it, the Loremaster may adjust the time limit:

♦ If the Company has only a short time, the time limit is reduced by 1. This is for occasions when there is a pressing matter at hand and the Council is kept short, or if there is a very busy audience etc.

♦ If the Company has enough time to present their case, the time limit is not adjusted. This is the default Council, used for all occasions where the Company and the audience is in no immediate hurry, and the Council may last for as long as a day.

♦ If there is plenty of time for the Company, the time limit is increased by 1. This is for occasions when the Company is allowed to stay at a location, socialise with the audience and present their case for a prolonged time, often over several days.

At the beginning of a council, the players should focus on a goal and choose their course ofaction accordingly.

Stage description useful abilities (examples) #

Introduction The spokeperson presents the Company. The roll result sets the time limit for
the council.

AWE to impress strangers quickly, revealing much about yourself COURTESY to ask for support,
especially from friends; RIDDLE to extract infonnation without revealing too much.
Interaction The main part ofcouncil. Successfull rolls accumulate to match or
exceed Resistance. ENHEARTEN to adress crowds and uplift spirits

3. Events (optional) #

Each Council may have events. The Loremaster may introduce a planned event during the council or roll a Feat die on this table. The Loremaster chooses when to introduce the random event. 

Roll	Event
Gandalf	Fortune Smiles: Amazing news reduces the Resistance by 1, increases the Time Limit by 1 and all Player-heroes are inspired for their next roll.
10	Good news: Fortunate tidings reach the council, reducing the Resistance by 1.
9	Extra Time: An opportunity for a display of skill; increase the Time Limit by 1.
7-8	Unexpected Support: Unexpected allies vouch for the company. The next roll a player-hero makes is considered Favoured.
5-6	No event
3-4	Unexpected opposition: Someone (maybe a newly arrival) questions or argues against the proposal. The next roll a player-hero makes is considered Ill-favoured.
2	Ill Fortune: Other events distract the Council and reduce the Time Limit by 1 unless a hero immediately succeeds an Interaction Roll to address the topic.
1	Terrible News: Horrible tidings cause the Resistance to be increased by 1.
Eye	Dangerous Disaster: An accident or causes a company member and a loremaster character to suffer Endurance loss (roll a Feat die). The Resistance is increased by 2.

4. Interaction #

In addition to the general attitude of the audience, attitude can further be modified depending on the skills that are being used. Different audiences and situations have different preferences for different skills. The Loremaster should choose one or two skills that are Prefered, and an equal number that are Unfitting for the audience. The Player-heroes gain 1d when using Prefered skills and lose 1d when using Unfitting skills.  

As by core rules, a Player-hero may not repeat a roll using the same skill unless some circumstances have changed. 

5. Reaching goals #

♦ Great Success: The Company surpasses the numbers of successful rolls required to achieve the Primary Goal of the Council. Each extra success may be spent to achieve one of the secondary goals. If the Company did not set secondary goals the Loremaster may choose to have the audience give some additional rewards beyond what was requested.

♦ Success: The Company matches the number of successful rolls required by the council’s Resistance — the Player-heroes achieve their primary goal that was chosen as their objective at the start of the council.

♦ Failure, or Success with woe: The Company scores a number of successful rolls, but fails to match or beat the Resistance rating within the time limit — the Player-heroes can now choose to simply fail, and be refused what they asked for, OR, with the approval of the Loremaster, they can opt to achieve one of their goals, but at a price. For example, they have to provide services or make certain promises, or they end up acquiring one or more enemies from among their audience. The price doesn’t need to be immediately apparent, and may lead to an unexpected challenge to be faced another day.

♦ Disaster: The Player-heroes fail all their available rolls, or score a number of successful rolls but fail to match the Resistance after a botched Introduction — The Company is now seen as a threat by the folk encountered — the Player-heroes may end up being imprisoned, or even attacked.

USEFUL SKILLS: The Skills listed below can be used to various
effects during Interaction.

• ENHEARTEN – This Skill requires a crowd of listeners, or, at least, the complete attention of a single individual; Player-heroes may attempt a Skill roll using

• ENHEARTEN to raise the spirit of an endangered community, or that of a downcast leader. The objective of the Skill attempt must be obvious; otherwise, even if the roll is a success, its effect will be weak.
• INSIGHT – This Skill is useful to evaluate the emotions of who the Company is inter cting with, possibly revealing unspoken purposes or hidden feelings.
• PERSUADE – Player-heroes can use their persuasiveness to win the minds of their lis ners,
  or to s engthen their hold on an already-captivated audience. Unlike ENHEARTEN, PERSUADE may be used discreetly during any kind of social interaction.
• RIDDLE – This Skill can be used in a social environment, either to formally play the ancient riddle-game – practised and respected even by the unlikeliest of wicked creatures – or to gather information and news. In the latter case, a successful RIDDLE roll allows a Player-hero to put together all sorts of tidbits that incautious speakers might accidentally give away in their conversation, or simply to gather interesting facts, all the while seeming to appear uninterested or unconcerned.
• SONG – A good song or tune is almost never out of place at a relaxed social gathering, but they
  can also be powerful diplomatic devices if the singer finds the proper song or intones well-chosen words.

SKILL ENDEAVOURS #

The following paragraphs introduce an optional system to determine the time limit of Skill Endeavours, aimed to make complex interactions and tasks more challenging.

TIME LIMIT FOR SKILL ENDEAVOURS #

As seen on page 132 of The One Ring, the Loremaster sets the total number of attempts that the Player-heroes are granted to complete the endeavour. Using these optional rules, the time limit is determined as follows:

♦ If the Company hasn’t enough time to complete the task, the time limit is set to 3;
♦ If the Company has only a short time, the time limit is equal to 4;
♦ If the Company has enough time, the time limit is set at 5;
♦ If there is plenty of time, the time limit is set at 6 or more

MORE UNDERTAKINGS – FELLOWSHIP PHASE #

All Fellowship Phases are structured as follows:

1. Set duration
2. Choose destination
3. Perform Updates
4. Spend Treasure
5. Choose Undertakings

On a few actions in the fellowship phase the player-heroes may perform skill rolls. These rolls then represent something more lasting than often skill rolls do in adventuring phases. As such the cost for spending Hope in Fellowship phases is doubled. Also, there is no Fellowship pool in the fellowship phase.

Perform Updates #

SPIRITUAL RECOVERY: During each Fellowship Phase, all Player-heroes automatically recover a number of Hope points equal to their HEART score.

Spend Treasure #

Each fellowship phase Treasure Points may be spent on one (and only one) of these things to gain benefits:

1. Raise Standard of Living
2. Raise Standing
3. Acquire a Mount
4. Raise an Heir

Raise Standard of Living #

There are six Standards of Living: Poor, Frugal, Common, Prosperous, Rich, and Very Rich. At the start of a game, Player-heroes are ranked based on their culture of origin — players must make a note of their starting Standard of Living, but all Player-heroes start with 0 Treasure points.

Raise Standard of Living one step to…	TP cost to raise one step	Number of Useful Items
Common	15	2 items
Prosperous	40	3 items
Rich	75	4 items
Very Rich	120	5 items

During the Fellowship Phase the Player-hero may invest his accumulated treasure to live a more pleasant everyday life. The Player-hero may only increase his Standard of Living by one step each time he raises his Standard of Living, and he must pay the listed cost for the increase. 

Example: Náin the dwarf starts adventuring as Prosperous. When he has gathered 80 Treasure Points he chooses at the next Fellowship Phase to spend 75 of the points to raise his Standard of Living to Rich. He immediately gains a new useful item. Now he has only 5 Treasure Points, and must gather another 115 before he has the option to raise his Standard of Living again.

Raise Standing #

The more adventurous members of most cultures indulge in the tradition of gift-giving or public spending, as a demonstration of their worth, affluence and loyalty to their culture, and as a means to acquiring influence among a folk.

Standing comes in five levels; Hostile, Reluctant, Open, Friendly and Adored. Standing among a folk comes into play at Councils, but can also be used with skills in other social interactions where the Loremaster agrees Standing is a factor. The default level of Standing for most interactions and Councils is Open. This can be adjusted by the Loremaster.

♦ Hostile  — lose (2d). The encountered group despises the Player-hero, and opposes his goals in every way save for attacking him on sight.

♦ Reluctant — lose (1d). The encountered group has reasons to be unwilling to help the Player-hero, possibly due to a level of prejudice or other source of concern.

♦ Open — (no modifier). This is the default attitude, representing a general inclination to listen to what the Player-hero has to say.

♦ Friendly — gain (1d). The encountered group is friends of the Player-hero or he is well known as a good person among the folk, and the encountered group are always willing to hear his plea. In Councils this is the default attitude of your own culture.

♦ Adored — gain (2d). The encountered group considers the Player-hero to be one of their finest, or a trustworthy ally of their folk. They will take risks to support the Player-hero.

A Player-hero may spend Treasure Points to Raise Standing with a folk (or culture) that resides at the location where Fellowship phase is set. The Loremaster may agree for Standing to be raised with a folk not at the location if there are circumstances that make such an event likely. The cost to Raise Standing one step is 12 Treasure Points, then another 24 Treasure Points for the next step. It’s unlikely any Player-hero would Raise Standing more than two steps, but if he wishes to do so it costs 36 Treasure Points for each step after the second.

Acquire a Mount #

Companions without a mount, or those wishing to enrich their stables, may buy a pony or horse as part of their activities during a Fellowship phase. The hero must find themselves in an appropriate location, a settlement of the Free Peoples with ponies or horses at ready, and then consult the Types of Ponies and horses table. The Loremaster has the final say in what horses are available where. In general Coursers and Destriers are not bred in Eriador, and even Palfreys are hard to come by. Such mighty steeds are more commonly bred in Rohan.

When a Player-hero wishes to exchange for a more expensive type of mount he may do so by paying the difference in cost between the two types. The Player-hero may exchange for a cheaper mount if he so wishes, but do not gain any Treasure Points. 

If for any circumstance a Player-hero loses his mount in an adventure other than in combat he regains the same mount if still alive, or a different mount of the same type, at the next Fellowship Phase at no cost. If a Player-hero loses his horse in battle and with a failed Healing test, he may at the next Fellowship phase (or later) acquire a new mount of the same type at half cost.

Raise an Heir  #

This is an Undertaking as described in the core rules page 122.