[Tancred]

[quote]Originally posted by SixOfSpades:

Originally posted by Tancred: Why would Boromir be an Inquisitor? Surely his will is too weak to have anything like that kind of anti-magic power?

Boromir is highly distrustful of magic in general, especially Elven magic and the webs of deceit in the Golden Wood. Anything that is not Man, is not Gondor or Rohan, does not wield a sword and can be killed with a sword, is an object of deep distrust with him--and his father. (Denethor, speaking of Boromir, with a scornful reference to Faramir: "He was a true son and no wizard's pupil.") Thus, I would peg Boromir either as an Inquisitor or a Wizard Slayer: The two classes that are most anti-Magic. And Boromir was NOT weak-willed, he simply could not see the Ring as anything but a deus ex machina to rescue Minas Tirith. I have no problem seeing him as a Paladin--he simply Fell.

Boromir not weak of will? Perhaps not in the sense of being particularly disadvantaged in the will department, but rather compared to the other members of the Fellowship. Boromir is an ordinary man who is brave and proficient with a sword. He doesn’t have the kind of strength that would allow him to throw off an evil enchantment, or resist an illusion. He’s muscular and tough and has a kind of rough charisma but lacks the heroic, undefeatable quality that marks a human hero. In this he is compared to Aragorn and Faramir, who do. To me, it doesn’t seem ‘right’ to give Boromir any kind of anti-magical abilities.

Aragorn; Human, highly charismatic Ranger. Not a Stalker - Aragorn ends up with some decent armour before the end, and certainly never casts spells.

I don't know, I toyed with making him a Stalker because of the Stealth bonus, because after all, most of his job in Book I was to avoid being detected by the Black Riders. I don't think any of his actions could be construed as a Backstab, though, so that's an argument for pure Ranger--although I don't think he's ever described as wearing any decent armor....unless maybe in Return of the King. I could be wrong, though. I would consider Cure Light Wounds and Good Berries to be practical spells to try to help Frodo during Book I.

“Now men came bearing raiment of war from the King’s hoard, and they arrayed Aragorn and Legolas in shining mail. Helms too they chose, and round shields…”

It’s just as Theoden leaves Meduseld to war that Aragorn gets some decent wargear. It’s just a throwaway line, and it’s damn hard to bear it in mind – I always keep thinking of Aragorn as the man of the woods from Bree.

Gimli; Dwarf fighter, damn right. A pure 'tank'. Massive constitution, grand master of the Axe.

Let's consider the Berserker kit for Gimli. He's never mentioned using ranged weapons at all, so that leaves the possibility open; then again, he's almost paralyzed in the Paths of the Dead, and his Rage is supposed to make him immune to Fear. Perhaps he couldn't Enrage himself in a non-combat situation?

He manages to filch a small throwing axe from the scattered axes of Moria in the film… not canonical, but it would be fun to give him a decent throwing axe in the game. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Merry; Halfling Thief. Let's be honest - if there's one true backstab in the whole of the Lord of the Rings, it's Merry kneecapping the Lord of the Nazgul. Plus Merry never gets much armour, really...

Hear, Hear on the Backstab bit. He seems rather low-level to get the full x5 or x7 Backstab multiplier, though, but perhaps the Ent-draughts worked in a similar fashion to Potions of Power. Merry got the same armor that Pippin did, actually: Chain Mail, shield, helmet, although Merry's helm was only leather, I believe.

“No mail have we to fit you,” said Eowyn, “nor any time for the forging of such a hauberk; but here is also a stout jerkin of leather, a belt and a knife. A sword you have.”

Merry doesn’t ever get the same kind of armour as Pippin does; at least, not until the very very end, after the destruction of Sauron. Merry is armed from the rough-and-ready armouries of Rohan, whereas Pippin is outfitted in mail by the quartermasters of Gondor.

Pippin; Halfling Bard - probably closest to Jester, really. Gets some decent chainmail while fighting with Gondor. Irritating as hell. Sope pickpocketing ability - he does steal the Palantir, does he not?

I would call his theft equal parts Move Silently and Pickpocketing. He was also of insufficient PP skill to give the thing back.

Heh! I’d be tempted to think Pippin just lacked the bravery to put it back! Pippin seems to have a knack with spinning fine yarns – he tells many a tale in the Prancing Pony while drunk, and is generally comic relief. S’why I thought of him as a Jester…

“Be silent!” hissed Strider.
“What’s that?” asked Pippin.

Gandalf the White - Human Cleric. Gandalf's magic is far, far closer to clerical power than mage spells. He emboldens people, turns Undead (well, Nazgul) and as Gandalf the Grey even unleashes a Flame Strike... he never actually goes so far as to throw a real fireball.

Are you forgetting the battle on Weathertop versus 4 (I think it was 4) Nazgul? The lightning flashes were clearly visible from three days' walk away, and the grass was scorched and burned, as if from a fire. That kind of handiwork has "Invoker" written all over it. Also, his attack on the Worgs in The Hobbit practically *IS* Melf's Minute Meteors. His "Turn Undead" against the Witch-King at the gates of Minas Tirith might just as easily have been Hold Undead or Repulse Undead or Control Undead......and what exactly are you referring to when you mention him calling down a Flamestrike?

As has already pointed out, there are priestly versions of just about everything Gandalf does. My ‘Flame Strike’ was, erm, a reference to his repulsing of the Warg attack enroute to Moria – I think perhaps a Flame Storm would be more appropriate… The problem with the clash against Ringwraiths on Weathertop is that we never actually see what he DID, just the after-effects.
Gandalf the Grey does have many properties of an Invoker, I’ll agree.
Regardless, though, Gandalf the White seems more of a Cleric than a Mage. His ‘Turn Undead’ might well easily be a Hold/Repulse/Control Undead, except for the fact that he doesn’t wave his arms around or yell magic words; it just happens. He seems able to embolden and fortify people’s wills; Theoden being the most notable, but while wandering through Minas Tirith the soldiers’ spirits perk up immeasurably. He seems to have an arsenal of powers closely matching things like Bless and Remove Fear and others.

Perhaps a fair compromise might be to have him as a Mage dual-classed to Cleric, representing the transition between the two?

The only downside to either, I suppose, is that neither class can wield a sword…

I gave Frodo a 22 CON to make him really, really, really difficult to kill, even if he's equipped with a cursed Ring that saps your WIS and CON.

[img]smile.gif[/img] Neat idea… one of the reasons I thought it might be a good idea to leave Frodo out of it was simply that – how would you create an item that matched the powers of the One Ring?