mykesfree
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Joined: Tue 18 Oct 2022, 23:40

What Classes and Levels are the Fellowship?

Tue 18 Oct 2022, 23:46

I am posting this old AiMe thread from the old forums, as it might be helpful for a discussion or for Reference.

What Classes and Levels are the Fellowship

Aragorn: Dunedain,Fallen Scion, Scholar 3 (Healer) /Wanderer 13 (Hunter of Shadow)
Boromir: Men of Minas Tirith, Oathsworn, Warrior (Knight) 15
Legolas : Wood Elf, Emissary, Warrior (Weaponmaster) 14
Gimli: Dwarf, Emissary, Warrior (Weaponmaster) 12

Hobbits From the Shire to Rivendell
Frodo for me is much more experienced than the rest of the Hobbits.
Frodo - Hobbit, Fallen Scion (More like just a Nobel) Wanderer 1, Treasure Hunter 2
Sam - Hobbit, Loyal Servant, Warden 2
Merry - Hobbit, Lure of the Road, Warrior 2
Pippin - Hobbit, Lure of the Road, Warrior 2

Hobbits By The Scouring of the Shire
Frodo - Hobbit, Fallen Scion (More like just a Nobel) Wanderer 1, Treasure Hunter 10 (Agent)
Sam - Hobbit, Loyal Servant, Warden 10 (Herald)
Merry - Hobbit, Lure of the Road, Warrior 10 (Knight)
Pippin - Hobbit, Lure of the Road, Warrior 10 (Knight)



What Classes and Levels are Thorin &Co.

Bilbo Baggins- Hobbit, Reluctant Adventurer, Treasure Hunter 1
Bilbo Baggins (End of the Hobbit)- Hobbit, Reluctant Adventurer, Treasure Hunter 3 (Agent), Warden 3 (Counsellor)


Not much can be said about the 13 Dwarves, if we base our considerations exclusively on the novels.

Thorin was the leader and a dwarf of royal lineage, so you would expect the highest level and Charisma score in the company. Which class enjoys high Charismas scores? Probably a Warden, or a multiclass Warrior/Warden.

Balin was the oldest, and "always the look-out". So he should have the at least same level as Thorin, and the highest Perception bonus in the company, which means the highest Wisdom score. Which class benefits from high Wisdom scores? Well, everybody, but most of all probably a Wanderer, Scholar or Warden, or a multiclass between them.

Fili and Kili were the youngest, and always the scouts. So they should be of lower level than most of the others, and have high Survival and Investigation. They are probably Wanderers, or multiclass Wanderers/Treasure Hunters.

Of Dwalin we only know that he's a good warrior, and that he died very old. This could mean a fairly high level and a high Constitution score, which qualifies him either for the Slayer or the Warrior class, or a multiclass Warrior/Slayer.

Of Bombur we only know he is the fattest, so probably a good Constitution score and a low Dexterity... but he also held his own against the three trolls, as he is said to have given "a lot of trouble and fought like mad". Sounds like a Slayer... :lol:

Of Dori, Thorin stated that he was the strongest of the Dwarves in the company. Good Strength means a good combatant, so I would say a Warrior or Wanderer. Not a Slayer, because Bilbo proclaimed Dori to be "really a decent fellow", so not exactly how I would expect a Slayer :lol:

Óin and Glóin were noted for their ability to start fires, and nothing else. Probably low-level Wanderers.

Bifur and Bofur are only noted as Bombur's relatives, while Ori and Nori have no description whatsoever. So we have complete freedom on them, but still they can be considered very low-level characters, without notable abilities compared to the others.

Regarding the levels of each one, well, they are practically fleeing all the time so they probably aren't so much experienced... :roll: . I would say (completely my suppositions) 5th level for Thorin and Balin, 4th level for Dwalin, 3rd level for Bombur and Dori, 2nd level for Fili, Kili, Oìn and Gloin, and 1st level for the others (Bifur, Bofur, Ori and Nori).
 
Elenath
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Re: What Classes and Levels are the Fellowship?

Wed 02 Nov 2022, 03:51

With the level 10 limit how would you change the above?
 
Otaku-sempai
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Re: What Classes and Levels are the Fellowship?

Wed 02 Nov 2022, 15:46

We can perhaps use the Shire supplement to look at Bilbo Baggins at the end of The Hobbit: Treasure Hunter 6 (Burglar).

The default setting is the year 2965, but Bilbo settled down to a fairly quiet life after his adventure and probably did not gain any further levels.
#FideltyToTolkien
 
Graysworn
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Re: What Classes and Levels are the Fellowship?

Wed 02 Nov 2022, 21:42

Interesting! I'll take a crack at this. Unfortunately, Legolas and Boromir's cultures are not currently represented in the game, so I cannot say for sure what their backgrounds would be.

The Fellowship
  • Aragorn: Ranger of the North Captain 3 (Chieftain) / Warden 7 (Hunter), Far-reaching Herald background. He would almost certainly have Leech-craft.
  • Legolas: Elf of Mirkwod Champion 8 (Sharp-shooter), ___ background. I would not give him level 10 (initially) because he clearly was frightened by the Balrog. Legolas may also have some multiclass into Messenger, though probably no more than 2-3 levels and with the Herald Messenger path.
  • Gimli: Dwarf of Erebor Champion 8 (Slayer), The Grief of Azanulbizar background (or a custom background). I would not give him level 10 (initially) because he clearly was frightened by the Balrog.
  • Boromir: Man of Gondor Captain 8 (Thane), ___ background. While he also moved to stand against the Balrog with Aragorn, he didn't seem to overcome the fear of the others.
The Hobbits (by the end of the Scouring of the Shire)
  • Frodo: Fallohide Hobbit Scholar 1 / Treasure Hunter 5 (Spy), Witty Gentlehobbit background. He would almost certainly have Speech-craft.
  • Sam: Harfoot Hobbit Champion 6 (Slayer), Restless Farmer background.
  • Merry: Fallohide Hobbit Captain 6 (Thane), Bucklander background.
  • Pippin: Fallohide Hobbit Captain 6 (Thane), Tookish Blood background.

When it comes to the characters presented in The Hobbit, Bilbo is already accounted for in Shire Adventures. As for the others, well, I'll probably just go with mykesfree's assessments and translate them as closely as I can. For the sake of ease, I'm giving all of them the Bitter Exile background, even though Balin's Distinctive Features in the book are totally different. We can assume they've changed in the 20 years that passed between then and the start of the LOTR 5e game.

The only thing I'm questioning is whether or not some of these dwarves wouldn't be Dwarves of Erebor. Thorin, Balin, and anyone old enough to have actually lived there before Smaug kicked them out obviously would be, but what about the others? I imagine some would fit better as Wandering Dwarves, or Dwarves of the Blue Mountains. But since there's 13 of them, I'll leave that up to debate.

Bilbo and Thorin's Company
  • Bilbo: Fallohide Hobbit Treasure Hunter 6 (Burglar), Witty Gentlehobbit background (or a custom background).
  • Thorin: Dwarf of Erebor Captain 5 (Chieftain), Bitter Exile background.
  • Balin: Dwarf of Erebor Messenger 5 (Herald), Bitter Exile background.
  • Dwalin: Dwarf of Erebor Champion 4 (Slayer), Bitter Exile background.
  • Bombur: Dwarf of Erebor Champion 3 (Slayer), Bitter Exile background.
  • Dori: Dwarf of Erebor Captain 3 (Thane), Bitter Exile background.
  • Óin / Glóin: Dwarf of Erebor Warden 2, Bitter Exile background.
  • Fíli / Kíli: Dwarf of Erebor Warden 2, Bitter Exile background.
  • Bifur / Bofur / Ori / Nori: Dwarf of Erebor Champion 1, Bitter Exile background.
Let me know what you all think!
 
Elenath
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Re: What Classes and Levels are the Fellowship?

Thu 03 Nov 2022, 10:58

Nice work there!
 
Adamsc
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Re: What Classes and Levels are the Fellowship?

Thu 24 Nov 2022, 14:44

That is a good list. The only thing I might do differently is make Frodo (post war of the ring) a messenger 5 / warden 2.

Messenger would have the councilor path and his shadow lore specialty would be the undead. All fighting style choices for him would be defensive.
 
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finarvyn
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Re: What Classes and Levels are the Fellowship?

Mon 28 Nov 2022, 02:35

With the level 10 limit how would you change the above?
When I first ran OD&D back in the 70's, I did a lot of Lord of the Rings style gaming. Here was my guideline:

Level 1 = Flunky = character with no real skills
Level 4 = Hero = well experienced, travel in groups
Level 6 = Hero+ = heroes who travel in pairs
Level 8 = Superhero = lone hero
Level 12 = Mythic = the best of all time
Level 13 = John Carter (from "Warriors of Mars" miniatures rules) ;-)

It was sort of understood in OD&D that our campaigns would cap somewhere around level 8 and characters above that were usually powerful NPCs. So, my rule of thumb was that Elric (lone hero) and Conan (same) would be around level 8, while Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser would be level 6 each. So, with this general scale in mind, I would put the Lord of the Rings characters somewhere along these lines:

Level 1 = Hobbits at the start of their quest
Level 4 = Hobbits by the end of their quest
Level 6 = Legolas, Gimli, maybe Boromir*
Level 8 = Aragorn, Gandalf the Gray, Saruman, maybe Radagast*
Level 12 = Gandalf the White, Sauron

* I kept to the scale, but Boromir probably wasn't as good as Legolas or Gimil so maybe level 5, while Radagast probably wasn't as good as Gandalf the Gray or Saruman so maybe level 7.
Marv / Finarvyn
Fell in love with Tales from The Loop, Vaesen, 5E LotRR ... Now hooked on Dragonbane, which still should be called Drakar och Demoner IMO. Played OD&D since 1975..
 
Adelard Took
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Joined: Sun 07 May 2023, 21:04

Re: What Classes and Levels are the Fellowship?

Tue 07 Nov 2023, 17:40

Good work all! The levels and classes all seem right to me, especially with the lvl 10 cap.

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