1. Could you specify if the natural 20 is always a Magical Success, or you NEED to have a skill or an item to get the Magical Success to occur. I've read through this rule few times and I'm not sure, so I'm guessing I will not be the only one. It is written that:
"Possessing a talent or artefact capable of unlocking a magical success on an ability check grants a Player-hero automatic success, regardless of the DC and ignoring conditions."
However, as a natural 20 already does that I'm not sure if nat 20 in this version of 5E rules no longer does that without items and skills giving you a Magical Success, or is the nat 20 also a Magicall Success.
If you read the rule carefully, it doesn't state that a magical success equals a natural 20, it only says that it is an
automatic success. In fact, standard 5e rules never state that a natural 20 on an ability check is an automatic success: for example, according to the current 5e rules, if your bonus to the check is +5, a natural 20 will only let you succeed at an ability check with DC 25 or lower, but you will always fail at ability checks with DC 26 or higher.
A magical success, however, is different from a natural 20, because it lets you succeed
even on a DC 30 check, regardless of your bonus to the check. In other words, if the Loremaster says that it isn't impossible, just very, VERY difficult, a magical success will nevertheless let you succeed, while a natural 20 will not. Your confusion probably comes from what is written later:
"Whenever it is necessary to know the exact result of the roll, a Player-hero who achieves a magical success counts as having rolled a 20 on the d20." (emphasis added).
So, to answer your question: no, a natural 20 is
never a magical success, not even if it has been scored by a character capable of achieving a magical success. Conversely, a magical success is
not a natural 20, it only
counts as a 20 when it is necessary to know the exact result of the roll (for example, when the total result yields a number that must be used in certain game mechanics - think about certain Crafts, for instance).
2. Will there be a PDF version of the Loremaster screen and Rivendell compendium before the official release?
Yes!
3. I was not able to find this information anywhere, so just in case, as a form of feedback, I will add that it would be nice to have the physical copies of the LotR 5E books on the same paper as the TOR 2E Collector's Edition. I'm not sure if the standard editions were as well.
Unfortunately, I'm not able to provide this information!
4. The "Fellowship Phase Undertakings" contradict themselves a bit. It is written:
"This section lists the various activities available to the Company during a Fellowship Phase. Players select a different number of undertakings, based on whether the Fellowship Phase is an ordinary one, or if it’s Yule — the end of a year.
♦ During an ordinary Fellowship Phase, the Company as a group chooses one single undertaking.
♦ During a Yule Fellowship Phase, each player chooses one undertaking instead.
♦ Finally, during each Fellowship Phase (ordinary or Yule), the Company is entitled to choose one additional undertaking, selecting it from among those that are listed as free, based on the callings or proficiencies of the Player-heroes.
To sum things up, during an ordinary Fellowship Phase the Company will choose a maximum of two undertakings, and a number of undertakings equal to the number of Player-heroes plus one during Yule. Players must always select different undertakings, unless they are marked as Yule activities — such endeavours can be chosen by any number of Player-heroes."
In the "To sum up..." section it is written that the player-heroes can take up to 2 undertakings (which is corroborated by point 1 nad 2), however it also is written "and a number of undertakings equal to the number of player-heroes" which is not corroborated by any one of the 3 points.
Well, the "To sum up..." section actually says
"... and a number of undertakings equal to the number of Player-heroes plus one during Yule." (emphasis added), which makes it consistent with points 2 and 3.
It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.