LotR RPG Combat musings

I picked up this game to put in my JRRT collection and in the end decided to play it. Nice to see that other people are still playing the game as I have some questions.

I like most of what I see, but after crunching the numbers I have some comments on certain parts of the combat system. I am interested in what GMs who have run the game have to say on these issues.

Defense = 10 + nimbleness mod

This strikes strikes me as making it very easy to hit a target unless the target is using a shield. Monsters often have low DEF scores, usually 11-13. A character who is serious about fighting can easily have a skill combined with bonus of 5 or 6, this means on average will hit the monster every time they swing their sword. In addition, basing DEF entirely on the nimbleness bonus removes any effect of training from defending in combat; a scarred veteran is as hard to hit as a green recruit if they have the same nimbleness score.

Armour

Monsters seem to have very low armour scores, a typical Balrog is listed with 5 armour, even though the combined value of their strength and vitality mod is 12. The Helegrog has an armour score of 4, despite the combined bonuses being 8. The given values of 5 and 4 for dangerous demonic foes seem low for a game where a long sword is doing 2D6+5 before strength bonuses.

How do the GMs here handle this? How have your battles played out?

A question on the Combat reference sheet on the file sharing site linked here, under ranged combat modifiers the listed penalty for shooting at a defender using a small shield is shown as +5 (the same as a large shield). The core rules show this as +3. Typo or intentional change? Also, per the core rules shields only offer defensive bonuses against ranged attacks, the combat reference sheet expands this to melee also, I take it this is a local convention?

Defense = 10 + nimbleness mod

A character's Defense score is nothing more than their passive natural ability to avoid being hit with little exertion - and so it means very little except to set a basic target for a dice roll to achieve.

Once the attacker rolls is when it gets more interesting. If the defense score is overcome by the dice roll, the defender now has 1 of three choices (if melee):

1) do nothing and save an action, but be hit by the attack and take damage
2) attempt to Dodge
3) attempt to Parry

The dice roll sets the TN for either option 2 or 3, and the defender now uses an action to more aggressively defend.

This is where it now gets interesting because characters with greater skills can create high TN's for the defender to try and defend against.

Example: an attacker with a +10 skill rank, +2 Nimbleness, and a +2 specialty rolls a 7 and sums an effective hit against a character with defense of 12. Now, if that defender does nothing and takes the hit, then the 21 is a Superior Success. If he decides to parry, then he takes his skill rank of +8, nimbleness of +2, specialty of +2, weapon parry bonus of +1, and if he carries a small shield +3. Add all that up and you get +16, so he only needs to roll a 5 or greater to block the attack.

The challenges arrive for either attacker or defender when wounds and weariness, and physical situations begin to affect their skills.

As far as the armor question, don't worry about it. The fell creatures have plenty of health points and other innate defenses (i.e. Terror) that make attaking them a big challenge. Look to the Hall of Fire webzine to see an article on an example of the Fellowship attacking the Balrog. It is really good.

Small shields have a +3 parry bonus and a -3 penalty to ranged attacks against the character. Medium shields give a +4/-4, and large shields give a +5/-5.

If you're referring to some of the things found on the site in my sig, not all of it is completely accurate. Some of the things I posted were made before errata came out. I haven't had the time nor energy to fix them and make them all pretty. There are a good deal of useful things in there though; I've done my best to collect all the useful things I could over the years. I actually have a good deal more than I've posted, I've made the best available. I plan on reformatting many of those items to give them a more "official" appearance eventually.

Right now I'm picking topics for papers and beating my head against the table in German. But at least I'm keeping busy, "idle hands" and all that.

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Look to the Hall of Fire webzine to see an article on an example of the Fellowship attacking the Balrog. It is really good.

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I'd like to read that, would you happen to know the issue number?

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If you're referring to some of the things found on the site in my sig, not all of it is completely accurate.

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There is still a lot of useful stuff there, thanks taking the time to create, edit, and or collect it.

Yea, it is in Issue 13.

Article is called Step-by-step Encounters.

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Originally Posted by Soulclaw

There is still a lot of useful stuff there, thanks taking the time to create, edit, and or collect it.

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You're welcome! It's nice to hear when hard work is appreciated. Is there anything you'd like to see, or that you might think is useful that isn't up there?