2. CHARACTER GENERATION

1) Character Generation Summary

1. Decide on a concept

2. Choose the character's race, decide on a sex, name and physical description

3. Generate the character's initial attributes

4. Apply the appropriate racial modifiers to the initial attributes

5. Work out the character's derived statistics

6. Work out the character's bonuses for each Skill Group

7. Choose a class

8. Choose between eight and ten of the listed class skills and assign 300 points over these skills

9. Modify the skills chosen by adding any appropriate base percentages and Skill Group Bonuses

10. Take (INT + DEX) x 5 extra points to personalise your character with extra skills, advantages and disadvantages.

These points will be covered in greater detail in the pages that follow.

2) Concept

Decide upon a concept – the central vision – for your character. At this stage the concept should be as simple and direct as possible but perhaps include the real basic information, such as race, sex, homeland and profession. For example:

• A Hobbit blacksmith from a sleepy village in the Shire

• A young Dunadan with ambitions to become a Ranger

• A Wood Elf scout from the Woodland Realm in Mirkwood

• A trader from Dale

• A Dwarf craftsman from the Blue Mountains

• A mysterious stranger from the East

Check with the GM which kind of hero would best fit the campaign in which you will be playing. That will give you an idea of the sort of character to make.

3) Attributes

We use the seven standard BRP attributes, namely: STRength, CONstitution, SIZe, INTelligence, POWer, DEXterity, and CHArisma. This system does not use the Call of Cthulhu EDUcation attribute. The seven attributes are described below.

a) Strength

This measures the muscle-power of the character. It is the natural ability to exert force, whether pushing, pulling, carrying, breaking or hurting things in combat.

b) Constitution

The measure of the character's health, toughness, endurance and ability to resist tiredness, disease and poisons. CON is a very important factor in determining the character's Hit Points, as described in the Derived Characteristics section.

c) Size

A compound measure of height and weight, reflecting the character's mass. This will be important if something wants to lift your character, or if he or she needs to squeeze into a small space or cross a fragile rope bridge, or even help determine who in an adventuring party is first attacked. SIZ, along with STR, is used to determine the character's Damage Bonus in combat, as discussed in the Derived Characteristics section.

The Size Chart below shows Size equivalents of traditional height and weight. The Height column shows the character's height in inches: you are free to choose any height in the given range. The Weight columns show the character's weight by body-frame type, usually dependent on the character's race, for Light, Medium or Heavy body-frames. As with Height, you may choose any Weight in the given range.

Should you want to express your character's Height in centimetres, multiply your chosen Height in inches by 2.5. To determine the character's Weight in kilogrammes, divide the chosen Weight in pounds by 2.2.

d) Intelligence

This is the ability to learn, memorise, form abstractions, solve problems and to plan future actions. It does not replace the intelligence of the player but can be used at times where a quick result to a situation is needed without the player having to puzzle out the answer.

INT is used to determine the character's Idea Roll, which is described more fully below.

e) Power

This is the character's basic ability to work magic and reflects, also, willpower and luck. POW resists spells cast at the character and provides the power to cast spells.

POW is used to determine the character's Luck Roll and Magic Points, both of which are described more fully below.

f) Dexterity

Agility, hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity and reflexes are all governed by the character's DEX. In combat, the character with the highest DEX usually hits first, hopefully disabling his opponent before being hit himself. Characters can dodge when they see something coming from a distance, such as a rolling rock or a charging bear, and concentrate on getting out of the way. The character's Dodge skill starts at DEX x 2%.

g) Charisma

This is a measure of leadership, charm and personality. It need not represent physical good looks, though there is often a high correlation. In some games, CHA is the least important stat. For role-playing in Middle-earth, CHA is very important, as it reflects the character's nobility and strength of character, and these are important qualities of the heroes who fight the Shadow.

4) Other Uses of Attributes

Other uses of these characteristics will be explained in chapters to come. In many odd situations not covered in these rules it is possible to see one of the characteristics as being appropriately influential in a decision. Sometimes it may be a combination of characteristics, such as adding SIZ+STR+CHA when trying to bluff down the local bully to leave you alone. Situations will arise not covered by the rules, and using characteristics in this way is usually the quickest and most convenient way to decide the results.

5) Generating Attributes

There are two methods for generating attributes.

a) Random Method (default)

This relies on knowing the character's Race before generating the attributes. Simply roll the dice associated with the character's Race for each attribute and note down the results.

Some leeway may be allowed in the case of extremely poor rolls or rolls which place the character outside the INT and SIZ guidelines discussed later.

b) Pick Method (experimental, untested)

In the Pick Method, a set of pre-defined scores are allotted to six of the seven primary Attributes: STR, DEX, CON, INT, POW and CHA. We ignore the SIZ Attribute until the end.

The Pick Method provides characters with the following assignable scores

15, 14, 11, 11, 8, 6

The player assigns these scores to STR, DEX, CON, INT, POW and CHA as desired. Then the player has a further 12 points to assign across these Attributes (again not including SIZ) as he sees fit. The player may not subtract points from one Attribute and add them to another. No Attribute can be more than 18 or less than 3 at this point.

Example of using the Pick Method

Based on the above, a Warrior is created by assigning the following scores to the STR, DEX, CON, INT, POW and CHA attributes

STR 15

CON 14

DEX 11

INT 8

POW 11

CHA 6

Twelve extra points are then assigned as follows, giving the totals shown below:

STR 15 + 3 = 18

CON 14 = 14

DEX 11 + 3 = 14

INT 8 + 2 = 10

POW 11 = 11

CHA 6 + 4 = 10

See the discussions of SIZ and INT below.

Attribute Modifiers and the Pick Method

Once the basic Attributes have been determined using the Pick Method, refer to the Character Races section for additional modifiers peculiar to each race. These modifiers can adjust the Attributes to above 18 or below 3.

c) Smart Enough?

For all Races, and for all methods of generating attributes, bear in mind that the minimum INT should be 8. This makes for a character who is of passable intelligence for the game.

d) SIZ matters

SIZ is an important attribute in BRP-based games as it is a determinant in Hit Points and Damage Bonus, and in situations where the character's size and body mass are critical factors (e.g. While crossing shakey rope bridges or squeezing through gaps, and so on). How is SIZ to be determined in this setting?

It is noted in the descriptions of the various races in LOTR that Dwarves are 4 to 5 feet tall and Hobbits are in the range 2 to 4 feet. In most BRP-based games, the minimum SIZ rating for a human is 8. In LOTR, 'Elves stand as tall as Men - taller than some - though they are of slighter build and greater grace'. Some Elves reach 7' in height. We can, therefore, make the following assumptions about the SIZ ratings of the various races.

• SIZ for Men must be a minimum of 8 (5' 1” to 5' 2” tall).

• SIZ for Elves must be a minimum of 10 (5' 3” to 5' 4”).

• SIZ for Dwarves should be in the range 5 to 7 (approximately 4' to 5').

• SIZ for Hobbits should be in the range 3 to 5 (approximately 2' to 4').

Thus we can determine SIZ as follows

• Mannish characters may freely choose any SIZ in the range 9 to 12 (being the average range on the roll of 3D6). For a random SIZ, Mannish characters should roll 2D6+6.

• Elven characters may freely choose any SIZ in the range 10 to 14. If a random SIZ is required, Elves should roll 2D6+8.

• For Dwarves, the player may choose any SIZ in the range 5, 6 or 7. If a random SIZ is required, roll 1D3+4.

• For Hobbits, the player may choose any SIZ in the range 3, 4 or 5. For a random SIZ, roll 1D3+2.

6) Derived Characteristics

Derived characteristics are those which depend in some way upon the primary attributes generated above.

a) Luck Roll = POW x 5 %

Luck is the indefinable quality which allows a character to be in the right place at the right time or, perhaps more importantly, out of the wrong place. The Luck Roll can be used in situations where no other skill or attribute roll is appropriate. For example, a character is searching for a villain in a crowded market place. Skills like See and Search are not useful in this case, so a Luck Roll could be used to determine whether the character glimpses the villain. Luck can also be used to soften the blow, so to speak, of a failure with another skill. Suppose a character fails a Climb roll and falls. In addition to taking damage from the fall, will any of the character's equipment be broken? A Luck Roll can help determine this.

b) Idea Roll = INT x 5 %

A player may have to play a character who is ignorant of facts the player knows, and sometimes the referee must give data to the player which the player's character normally would know but which the player doesn't, since she is unfamiliar with the game world. Thus a character sees troops with silver and black surcoats over their armour. The player may not know the significance of this livery, but the referee has him make his Idea Roll die roll on D100. A roll of less than INT x 5% means the character recognised these troops as being members of the Company of the Guard of the Citadel of Minas Tirith in Gondor. Alternatively, an Idea Roll can be used in situations where the player knows the answer but the character might not. Take, for instance, a Hobbit Artisan who has never set foot outside the Shire. His player might know that the capital of Gondor is Minas Tirith but would the character know (or even care)? An Idea Roll can be used to resolve this situation.

c) Essence = POW x 5% + racial modifiers if applicable

The Essence score (abbreviated ESS) measures the strength of the character's spirit, life force or soul. (In some BRP-based games, this quality might be called Sanity or Humanity.) In Middle-earth, ESS is used to resist the corrupting effects of the forces of the Shadow. This is fully discussed in the Middle-earth Special Rules chapter.

d) Hit Points = Average of CON + SIZ (round fractions up)

Hit Points measure the physical state of the character. Wounds in combat and other sources of injury including diseases, poisons and falls, decrease the character's Hit Point total until they reach zero, at which the character is dead or near death. Hit Points are calculated as the average of CON + SIZ, with fractions rounded up. For example, with CON 10 and SIZ 13 the character has ((10 + 13) = 23 / 2 = 11.5), which rounds up to 12 Hit Points.

Hit Points, injury and death are described more fully in the Combat chapter.

e) Major Wound Level = Half Hit Points (round fractions up)

Should a character sustain damage equal to his Major Wound Level from a single blow in combat, a single dose of poison, or a single fall, then the wound is particularly serious, perhaps a broken bone, an amputation or impalement. The character will be unable to fight on and suffers serious penalties on other skills.

Major Wounds are discussed in more detail in the Combat chapter.

f) Damage Bonus based on STR and SIZ

The bigger and stronger a character is the harder he will be able to strike a blow in combat and the more powerful a bow he will be able to draw. Add the character's STR and SIZ and consult the table below to determine the Damage Bonus.

STR + SIZ	Damage Bonus
02 - 12	-1D4
13 - 24	No Bonus
25 - 32	+1D4
33 - 40	+1D6
41 - 56	+2D6
57 +	additional 1D6 damage for each additional increment of 16 or fraction thereof

When a hit is scored with a hand-held weapon, roll the damage for the weapon and the full modifier shown above. When using a thrown weapon or bow add half the damage bonus modifier.

More details on the Damage Bonus are given in the Combat chapter.

g) Fatigue Points

Fatigue Points (FP) represent a character's resistance to tiredness in the face of arduous activity, combat, travel, work or attention to detail. Fatigue Points are calculated as the average of CON, STR and POW, reflecting physical stamina, muscle power and willpower needed to carry on when tired. Round fractions normally. For example, a character with STR of 12, CON of 13 and POW of 10 would have Fatigue Points of (12 + 13 + 10 = 35 / 3 =) 11.66, which rounds up to 12.

More details on Fatigue are given in the Game System chapter.

h) Courage

Characters in LOTR are heroes struggling against the forces of the Enemy, Sauron, the Lord of the Rings. One of the most potent weapons of the Enemy is Fear, the mind-crushing darkness that can leave a victim paralysed with terror, rob him of his will or cause him to flee in blind panic. Heroes are made of stern stuff, fortunately, and can resist this fear with pure hearts, nobility and determination. Courage is a ready means of determining the character's resistance to Fear. To calculate Courage, find the average of the character's STR, POW and CHA, rounding fractions normally.

More details on Fear and Courage are given in the Middle-earth Special Rules chapter.

i) Reputation

A character's Reputation score gives an indication of how well the character is known in the lands of Middle-earth. Even the most stay-at-home Hobbit has heard of Gandalf, for example, and in Gondor, Boromir was regarded as a hero. Reputation measures this fame, or, if the character is villainous, infamy.

Reputation must be earned, rather than simply awarded. A starting character will have a Reputation of zero – unless the GM decrees otherwise.

More details on Reputation are given in the Middle-earth Special Rules chapter.