Lord of the Rings: 2 Towers

[Luvian]

I really see Gandalf as having some druid levels.

[ 01-24-2003, 10:38 PM: Message edited by: Luvian ]

[Dmouse]

Maybe Gandalf mutliclassed into a druid? Do you need druidic powers to talk to creaters of the woods? Go figure. But Gimli is certainly a drawf fighter to me.

[Tancred]

Originally posted by Jaramira: Hang on! I thought that this was about a "LORD OF THE RINGS" party, NOT the history of middle and Aragorn! Anyway, I think that Aragorn was almost complietly human,as he is something like 99.99999999999999999% human, 0.11111111111111110% elf, and 0.00000000000000001 Vala. So he can't be half elf, or Assamar.

If there is one person in the whole of Middle Earth who we could be justified in creating an Aasimar character for, it is Aragorn. The guy lives to 280-odd, runs 150 miles in three days, beats back Ringwraiths armed with nothing more than a torch, hunts and tracks and kills for 30 years with a broken sword, traps Gollum and defeats Sauron in a contest of willpower... this is not a normal man. This is an Epic Hero. Trust me. Aasimar. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I always thought of Gandalf the White as more of a Cleric/Mage... if you need a Druid, how about Beorn? Everyone forgets him. Big bloke, changes into a bear. Can't miss him.

[ 01-24-2003, 09:01 PM: Message edited by: Tancred ]

[Sir Exxon]

Well, if we're speaking of Druids, I think Radagast would be much better suited than Beorn. His strength is the wild nature and it's inhabitants. Beorn could be a 2nd Ed. Shapeshifter, but if he were to be in IWD2, I'd go for Fighter/Druid. [img]smile.gif[/img]

As for Aargorn, I couldn't agree more with Tancred. Making him a Human if you have the possibility to make him an Aasimar is just plain stupidity. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Eg0[)e@th]

Originally posted by Tancred: If there is one person in the whole of Middle Earth who we could be justified in creating an Aasimar character for, it is Aragorn. The guy lives to 280-odd, runs 150 miles in three days, beats back Ringwraiths armed with nothing more than a torch, hunts and tracks and kills for 30 years with a broken sword, traps Gollum and defeats Sauron in a contest of willpower... this is not a normal man. This is an Epic Hero. Trust me. Aasimar. [img]smile.gif[/img] I always thought of Gandalf the White as more of a Cleric/Mage... if you need a Druid, how about Beorn? Everyone forgets him. Big bloke, changes into a bear. Can't miss him.

This 150 miles in three days run - are you referring to the mad dash to catch up with Merry and Pippin after they were kidnapped by the orcs? If so, remember that Legolas and Gimli were with him.

[Sir Exxon]

Originally posted by Eg0[)e@th: This 150 miles in three days run - are you referring to the mad dash to catch up with Merry and Pippin after they were kidnapped by the orcs? If so, remember that Legolas and Gimli were with him.

Yes, but both these races are considered to be much more able for journey like that than the regular man. Elves are light and very fast creatures, and can run very long distances without getting tired. The last thing also counts for Dwarves. They can withstand almost any physical hardship.

[Tancred]

Originally posted by Eg0[)e@th: This 150 miles in three days run - are you referring to the mad dash to catch up with Merry and Pippin after they were kidnapped by the orcs? If so, remember that Legolas and Gimli were with him.

That is indeed the run... but Elves and Dwarves are something else. Elves don't sleep in Middle-Earth, just an hour of quiet rest is enough to refresh them - and Dwarves have almost limitless reserves of hearty energy. Aragorn and co. averaged about 3 mph across rough terrain non-stop for three days (so sayeth the atlas! [img]smile.gif[/img] ). Easy for an elf, but incredible for a man. Unless you're suggesting Legolas ad Gimli carried him...?

[ 01-26-2003, 05:09 PM: Message edited by: Tancred ]

[Eg0[)e@th]

I don't deny that Aragorn is an exceptional human. I don't believe that he should be considered aasimar though. He is granted an exceptional lifespan by his ancestors and has had a lot of time to become incredibly well conditioned. U.S. Navy SEALs go for days without sleep while being harrased by their C.O.s and performing (seemingly) pointless acts of physical labor - digging massive holes in the sand, carrying large wooden poles, and paddling rubber rafts into the surf. And this is just to become a SEAL! I don't think that Aragorn's 3 day run makes him more than human.

[Tancred]

Not to mention he travelled for a further two days on horseback after that, again without a proper rest, and fought well in a siege battle at the end of it all. Don't forget the other stuff; defeatng Ringwraiths, beating Sauron in will-duel, etc, etc... if we bring the Navy SEAL comparison back into it, Gondor had its' own hand-picked Special Forces; the Rangers, and the Tower Guard. Even they quailed against the power of the Shadow, hough they were all hardier an stronger in thew and will than a normal man.

Let's look at the Aasimar race for a moment.

Advantages:

+2 WIS, +2 CHA

It goes without saying that Aragorn has an exceptionally strong will, and his heritage, bearing and nobility give him a certain power over the hearts of others. He daunts foes with a look, and inspires others with his words. He's chieftain of the northern Rangers, all of whom recognise his claim implicitly.

Five points of resistance to acid, cold and electricity

Acid and electricity I guess I can't explain, but episodes as the climb upon Caradhras shows Aragorn is at least used to physical hardships as cold.

Darkvision

As a peerless tracker and hunter, Aragorn is most likely well-adapted to see in darkness. He leads the party through the Paths of the Dead, he is appointed rearguard during the party's trek through Moria, etc.

Sunscorch

A slightly less easy one to explain, but the sudden flashes of flame upon the blade of Anduril put me in mind of something similar. I know that's more due to the magic of the sword than any kind of magic of Aragorn's, but in a way the fact that the sword is His might suggest a certain link between the two.

"No man may draw Elendil's blade, save Elendil's heir."
- Aragorn, 'The King of the Golden Hall'

It all depends on how you're approaching this Tolkien party thing. What's your mandate? To create a Forgotten Realms 'version' of the heroes of LotR, that hadlived in the Forgotten Realms all their lives bu acted and sounded just like Tolkien's heroes? Or to imagine the heroes of LotR were transplanted somehow into the FR? Or to forget about the FR and pretend ID2 is Middle-Earth? For me, I would work to stick as close as I can to Tolkien's works, even going so far as to write custom magic items and alter profiles using cheats to achieve this end. To me, it feels 'right' to me to distinguish Aragorn from mortal men in some way. He was made to belong amongst the ranks of such characters as Hercules, Achilles, King Arthur, Gilgamesh etc etc... the Epic Hero, the superman. It would be nice to honour that by some means other than merely increasing his stats or by making him a Ranger.

[ 01-27-2003, 01:25 PM: Message edited by: Tancred ]

[Kakero]

and so the trio have exceptional ability and can run 3 days non stop, that doesn't mean much in the game. there will be a point where in the game they'll keep on complaining about " fatigue ".