coniunctio
Topic Author
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Joined: Thu 09 Jul 2020, 00:09

Elf Cultural Blessing

Wed 24 Mar 2021, 23:16

I've been wondering whether there may be need to recognise another cultural blessing for Elves having just started playing one as a PC for the first time.

In the canon the inference seems to be that Elves do not really sleep or need to sleep in quite the same, extended way of other cultures. More like a form of meditation but demanding less time than a full night's rest.

So if that does seem the way of it for Elves I assume there may be some implication for surprise attacks at night time, alertness or night time wariness ability.

Another aspect of the second edition rules I've been wondering about (with a view toward the new version arriving) is the need to gather experience points to then increase wisdom and thereby gain an additional virtue. I find the current mechanic a little too linear and restrictive and that all the virtues could be available all the time from the very start rather than released one at a time so to speak. But with some limitation that creates a narrative point of interest. The ability to switch them on where the player chooses but at a cost to xp and perhaps limited to once per session per any virtue. Again I am just considering Elves here but it might apply to other cultures too.
 
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William
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu 24 Apr 2014, 16:48

Re: Elf Cultural Blessing

Thu 25 Mar 2021, 10:32

Hi!

You're right, Tolkien mentions elves sleeping (and dreaming) many times. Legolas could travel at haste while hunting the Uruk-hai, resting his mind in strange elvish dreams as he walked. One must not forget, however, that this was done under extreme circumstances. When the three hunters reached Fangorn, Legolas quickly falls asleep (The Two Towers, The Riders of Rohan):

Legolas already lay motionless, his fair hands folded upon his breast, his eyes un-closed, blending living night and deep dream, as is the way with Elves.

Legolas goes to sleep while Gimli gets the first first watch (they drew lots while making camp, poor Gimli!). I think this indicates that, while elves don't sleep the same way as men do, they do need sleep. The fact that the company keeps a watch at night also indicates that Legolas isn't fit to keep a watch while sleeping.
 
coniunctio
Topic Author
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Joined: Thu 09 Jul 2020, 00:09

Re: Elf Cultural Blessing

Thu 25 Mar 2021, 11:04

Good quote William...

But in the Two Towers we also read of Legolas,

"...and he could sleep, if sleep it could be called by Men, resting his mind in the strange paths of elvish dreams, even as he walked open-eyed in the light of this world."

and,

'Aragorn and Gimli slept fitfully, and whenever they awoke they saw Legolas standing beside them, or walking to and fro, singing softly to himself in his own tongue, and as he sang the white stars opened in the hard black vault above.

But then in the Silmarillion we have,

...and they (Turgon and Finrod) journeyed southward along the river...night came upon them...and they slept upon his banks beneath the summer stars.

So my inference is that sleeping is somewhat variable for Elves from not at all, to a few hours of meditation, through to sleep but nothing to the same extent as every night for several hours like other races and that it would be worth considering reflecting this to some degree in the Elf characteristics.
 
Sebastian
Posts: 247
Joined: Thu 01 Oct 2020, 04:58

Re: Elf Cultural Blessing

Thu 25 Mar 2021, 19:17

You should keep in mind that TOR (1 or 2 doesn’t matter) isn’t very „realistic“, when it comes to rules. It doesn’t try to include every ability. In TOR 1 you have a lot of specialities, that could cover a lot of elvish special abilities. But it is far from complete, if you look at the Decipher LotR-RPG. I like the more simple approach of TOR though.

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