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Hello! Already thankful for this community.

I'm currently running a campaign for 5 hobbits that are almost ready to leave the Shire and head out on their own.

**We as a group have modified the game to where hobbits cannot damage armored opponents unless they are clever and make a compelling reason, this was to keep the game similar to the source material and dissuade the players from leaning towards combat, we all wanted a game that encouraged being sneaky, clever, and using ingenuity to overcome enemies and obstacles**

Soon they'll hear about a rumor of a long abandoned Ranger Lodge several days east of the Shire somewhere in the hills.

The lodge will be hidden away, years of overgrowth and foliage taking back what was once a prominent and frequented stop for travelers.

The party will need to travel roughly 7 days and then clear out the infested building (some sort of beasties will have taken up residence).

Once they clear out the enemies they can begin cleaning it up, restoring, and furnishing the lodge to return it to it's former glory.

If you have any ideas or suggestions for encounters, I'd love the discussion. Thank you!

The lodge will be hidden away, years of overgrowth and foliage taking back what was once a prominent and frequented stop for travelers.

This won't be immediately apparent, but the foliage IS the beastie occupying the lodge. Mislead the players with creaking and other noises, suggesting there might be more common adversaries somewhere in the lodge. Instead the creeper that has overgrown the site is, similar to Old Man Willow, a sentient being with its own motives and desires. Perhaps it embodies the spirit of an Elf who died under traumatic circumstances: she failed to protect the Rangers, didn't get them key information or aid in time, and so the creeper stands guard over the lodge for all time... It would take an Elf to communicate with the spirit, but if the Hobbits were to receive some clue from their Patron (esp. Tom B.) or sing a Council or Journey song, they would make the creeper spirit less hostile, or develop a rapport on a Great or Extraordinary Success.

The lodge will be hidden away, years of overgrowth and foliage taking back what was once a prominent and frequented stop for travelers.

This won't be immediately apparent, but the foliage IS the beastie occupying the lodge. Mislead the players with creaking and other noises, suggesting there might be more common adversaries somewhere in the lodge. Instead the creeper that has overgrown the site is, similar to Old Man Willow, a sentient being with its own motives and desires. Perhaps it embodies the spirit of an Elf who died under traumatic circumstances: she failed to protect the Rangers, didn't get them key information or aid in time, and so the creeper stands guard over the lodge for all time... It would take an Elf to communicate with the spirit, but if the Hobbits were to receive some clue from their Patron (esp. Tom B.) or sing a Council or Journey song, they would make the creeper spirit less hostile, or develop a rapport on a Great or Extraordinary Success.

Dude this is amazing idea! I've been running games for almost 20 years now, but never a LotR style game and I want to infuse as much of that flavor as I can to keep it from becoming some sort of DnD clone. Thank you for this idea.

Dude this is amazing idea! I've been running games for almost 20 years now, but never a LotR style game and I want to infuse as much of that flavor as I can to keep it from becoming some sort of DnD clone. Thank you for this idea.

Well there goes my brilliant idea about rats in the cellar.

The lodge will be hidden away, years of overgrowth and foliage taking back what was once a prominent and frequented stop for travelers.

This won't be immediately apparent, but the foliage IS the beastie occupying the lodge. Mislead the players with creaking and other noises, suggesting there might be more common adversaries somewhere in the lodge. Instead the creeper that has overgrown the site is, similar to Old Man Willow, a sentient being with its own motives and desires. Perhaps it embodies the spirit of an Elf who died under traumatic circumstances: she failed to protect the Rangers, didn't get them key information or aid in time, and so the creeper stands guard over the lodge for all time... It would take an Elf to communicate with the spirit, but if the Hobbits were to receive some clue from their Patron (esp. Tom B.) or sing a Council or Journey song, they would make the creeper spirit less hostile, or develop a rapport on a Great or Extraordinary Success.

This deserves to receive a bit more praise. This is a truly awesome idea and very thematically appropriate.

To say I love the theme of this game is an understatement. (And yeah, that applies to most everyone on this forum.) Thanks for the validation