This message was last edited by the GM at 11:24, Sat 11 Dec 2021.

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HOPE
It is important to note, for those used to TOR 1E, that there are changes to using Hope us-- and simply to learn the mechanics for those new to TOR.
Before you roll a check, you can decide to put your heart into this, to really strive to succeed. Pouring your energy into the task (if you do spend Hope, try to add an RP line about this extra push!) means, mechanically, that you spend 1 point of Hope.
Spending Hope means you get a Hope Bonus: one extra Skill die to roll (gain 1d).
If you do this, you can invoke one of your Distinctive Features to become Inspired.
The Loremaster must agree that your Feature will impact the roll (ie. Fierce will probably work for Awe, but might not for Song-- unless you RP that you are doing a punk-rock cover of My Way! So, please RP this part for sure to back your request of use).
If it is okay to use, then you become Inspired: meaning your Hope Bonus is bumped from 1d to 2d-- you add two Skill dice to your roll.

Others can help a Companion achieve their goal by giving Support.
To be able to give support the Loremaster must rule the circumstances apply (are you close enough etc.) AND you must have at least one rank (one dot) in the Skill.
If conditions are met, you RP what you are doing-- and you give one extra Skill die (1d) to the one making the roll (this can be added to other bonuses).

Only one person can Support.

Player­-heroes providing Support to their Fellowship Focus make them gain (2d) instead of (1d).

ie. if Sam spends 1 Hope to give sSpport to his Fellowship Focus... Frodo, and Frodo spends Hope himself, invoking his Distinctive Feature, Frodo would gain 4d, four extra Skill Dice to roll.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:40, Mon 13 Dec 2021.

EXPERIENCE
Training: Skill Points are for raising Skills.
Growth: Adventure Points are for raising Combat Proficiencies (weapon groups) and Valour & Wisdom.

Spending & using experience takes place during the Fellowship Phase.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:20, Mon 13 Dec 2021.

About Treasure

• one Treasure Point (1 TP) = 1 Load
You can have your pack animal carry some (each pack animal can carry Treasure up to 10 points of Load, or 10 TP)

• I have not been able to find anything in the 2E Book re. 'stashing' your Treasure, as was in 1E (if any have, I am happy to be directed to the pages!).
So I will start by letting you 'stash' your Treasure (TPs) in a safe place. This will be in your Safe Haven. The TPs you leave will NOT be stolen/lost etc..
The Safe Haven will be decided upon when you form a Company (for now I will say it is in Bree, ie. the Dwarf-house for the Dwarves, the Pony for this  with a room there as Butterbur guards gear you leave with him, Galar's family home etc.).

• I have not yet found in the 2E book that TPs can be used during Adventuring phases (in 1E you sometimes could bribe people, purchase a sailing boat etc.). In 1E that meant you had to choose whether you take some TP with you for those cases, vs. keeping your Load light.
For now: I will let people 'stash' all the TP (to have light loads) and if it ever turns out that TPs can be needed in Adventuring Phases, I will let you have what you need on you, and we will then change these rules after.

The only info in the 2E book I found is:
If the Player-heroes are not willing to carry the amount of gold, silver, gems, or other valuables they have found while adventuring, the Player-heroes may opt to hide it close to where they found it, with the intention of returning to recover it later.

USE OF TPs

• TPs can be spent to appoint a Heir
More on those mechanics when we will need them, but, in a nutshell: you choose to have a Heir (a child, a sibling, a close friend, business associate...) and you can "invest" in them.
Then, when your PC retires (dies, is too old, you want to change characters) you start this heir, as you ew PC with more XP etc. at creation.

• TPs can be spent to raise your Standard of Living

Skill Endeavours

To complete a Skill Endeavour, the participating Player­-heroes must achieve a set number of successful rolls.

1. Resistance
This indicates how many successful rolls must be made:
• Simple (Resistance 3) ie. put out a house-fire, search a room
• Laborious (Resistance 6) ie. dig a deep trench in hard terrain, search a wide area
• Daunting (Resistance 9) ie. repair a rope bridge over chasm, search for obscure lore in a great library

2. Time Limit
The amount of rolls allowed, linked to how long the players have ; or else a way to see how long a task takes (ie. how many rolls it took to reach completion):
• Short time: rolls = resistance
• Enough time: resistance +1
ª Plenty of time: resistance +2

3. Execution
• Success ("For the Shire!")
• Failure ("Fly, you fools!")

RISK LEVELS
Another major change in 2E for those used to 1E
If the Loremaster says nothing, then Skill rolls are considered Standard Actions.
(player-heroes making a Standard roll are performing under a limited level of pressure or risk, and thus exert a higher control over their circumstances)

But the Loremaster can warn ahead of time if the Risk Level of the Skill about to be rolled for is higher than Standard:

♦  HAZARDOUS ACTIONS
Player-heroes attempting a Hazardous roll are attempting something daring, accepting the risk of suffering serious negative consequences upon a failure

♦  FOOLISH ACTIONS   ("Fool of a Took!")
Attempting something Foolish and failing is sure to result in grievous negative consequences

Examples:
• Standard: climbing a wall
• Hazardous: climbing up a crumbling and decrepit wall
• Foolish: climbing very high up a wall that is starting to crash to the ground

A Standard Action that fails is either just a failure OR the player can choose to have a Success with Woe

A Hazardous Action that fails is a Failure with Woe (you fail AND there is a serious negative consequence added-- a new concern that needs to be addressed)

A Foolish Action that fails is a... Disaster! (you fail AND get a grievous negative event on top of that-- these negative effects cannot be prevented)

SUCCESS WITH WOE
The most important rule to remember (since the other Risk Levels are given with a warning).
This rule applies to all Skill rolls (not Weapon Proficiency rolls).
If you attempt a Skill, and fail your roll--
--either just accept the failure
OR
--have your character succeed, but at the cost of an unexpected incon­venience, a negative side effect.
For example: Bilbo sneaks in, fails his Stealth roll, but chooses a Failure with Woe: Smaug didn’t sniff out the sneaking hero, but he did stir in his sleep and, having moved, now he totally blocks the exit!

The Loremaster does not have to remind you of this possibility.
It is up for grabs on all Skill rolls.
Up to you to choose to go for it or not and announce if you do.

SPECIAL SUCCESSES
When making Skill rolls, if a finer level of detail is desired, players can specify what their superior result means, by ‘spending’ their rolled 6s to trigger a number of special results.
For each 6 rolled on a Skill Die, a Playe-­hero can choose one of the options listed.
If a roll scores multiple Success icons, they are normally used to achieve multiple special results, such as assisting a fellow Player-hero AND doing it silently.
Note that ‘spending’ a Success icon does not detract from the numerical result of a roll, and does not reduce the overall success level — a great success remains such even when a Success icon is used to trigger a Special Success result.

ENDURANCE & WOUNDS
To recover lost Endurance you can normally take one Short Rest per day, and one Prolonged Rest per day (given the circumstances etc.).
The Short Rest has you recover your Strength value in Endurance (nothing if you are Wounded).
The Prolonged Rest gives all Endurance back (or Strength value in Endurance if Wounded).

When you are Wounded, you have no penalties other than recovering Endurance at a slower rate.
But you check the Wounded box and roll for Wound Severity.
Your Wound can remain for several days.
If you are Wounded a second time you drop, and are Dying.

COMBAT
1. Opening Volleys
2. Close Quarters Rounds
2.A Stances
Forward means you are fighting aggressively (easier to hit the Troll, but the Troll can hit you easier too) - you lean forward, you slash harder...
Open is a 'balanced' way of fighting
Defensive means you are more into protection (harder to hit but harder to be hit) - you fight conservatively, you parry more...

Forward gives you a gain of +1d to hit, but gives the same to the Enemy
Defensive has you lose -1d to hit, but the Enemy loses a -1d too

Each Stance also gives you access to a Combat Task.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:29, Sun 23 Jan 2022.

SPECIAL DAMAGE

If your attacks is successful and you have 6's on your Skill dice-- you can spend each of those 6s for the following effects:

• Heavy Blow (any weapon) - add your Strength in damage (and an extra +1 w. a 2 handed weapon) Note: for me, you have to be using the weapon 2 handed

• Fend Off (any Close Combat weapon) - modify your Parry rating for the round by +1 using Axes and all Brawling weapons, +2 using Swords, and by +3 using Spears

• Pierce (bows, spears & swords) - if you rolled anything but a Gandalf or an Eye on your Feat die, modify the Feat die total-- by +1 if using Swords, +2 if using Bows, and by +3 if using Spears (this is to trigger a Piercing Blow)
ie. if you have a Keen Spear, which triggers on a 9, and you rolled two 6s and 3 on your Feat die, you can thus add +3 twice = 9, thus have the Enemy roll protection (or, instead, add your Strength twice, +1 twice for using a weapon two-handed ; or, of course, mix and match)

• Shield Thrust (all shields) - your Strength has to be higher than the Enemy's (their Attribute level). If it is, you push them back and they lose (-1d) for the round.
Note: "in the rare case this special damage is triggered multiple times, it must be employed to push back different opponents"-- so, this can only be use once per enemy (?)

KNOCKED BACK
Once each round, Player-heroes can halve the Endur- ance loss caused by a successful attack (rounding fractions up) by choosing to be knocked back: they will spend their next main action recovering their fighting position.
(note: this does not enable you to exit the fight)

FAMOUS WEAPONS & ARMOUR - Unlocking Qualities

Using VALOUR
Each time that the Player­-heroes are entitled to gain a new Reward as the consequence of gaining a new rank in VALOUR, they may choose instead to activate one quality of a Famous Weapon or Armour that belongs to them.

Visiting the Treasury
When Player­heroes gain possession of a Famous Weapon or Armour, they can return home as a Fellow­ship Phase undertaking, to leave a piece of war gear enhanced by one or more Rewards as a gift to their folk.
These gift-giving acts alter the identity of the Player-heroes in the eyes of their folk: they become the bearers of their newly-found enchanted items, and the objects left behind become ‘cultural treasures’.
In game terms, upon their visit to the treasury of their folk, Player­-heroes trade the number of Rewards pos­sessed by the piece of war gear given as a gift with the activation of an equal number of qualities on a Famous Weapon or Armour.