Red Ralph ('original' NPC)

This NPC is drawn from the character Red Ralph from the book The Red Keep (the redness is actually not related at all) by Allen French, in which he plays a large part. I was attracted to him because I'm a fan of Boromir-like characters, and he is much like him (I mean; the obviously-flawed-but-in-his-heart-good guy).

It is not remote; not largely; it is almost exactly like the Red Ralph from the book. That's one thing I love about the LotR RPG; you can take a character from a book and translate him exactly into the game! Usually this can be a little difficult if the character is either over-descripted (i.e. Gandalf... there's so much about him that you are afraid you'll miss tons of stuff) or under-descripted (i.e. Nob... I don't believe it gives a description of what he looks like or anything, and what he's done or what he does besides help out at the Prancing Pony, so you have to invent things). Over-descripted is actually harder (people will always point out "you forgot this of course", heh; or worse, "that's not how I envision him") than the under-descripted (putting in Games (Marbles) for Nob is easy enough, and nobody will really question you), but the rewards are greater if you get an important character correct.

So, here he is, Red Ralph; please tell me what you think and if you use him in your chronicle! :) (P.S. if you want a step-by-step like I usually do, I'll try to dig one up for you, hehe)

Red Ralph

Race: Man (Middle Man; no package)
Racial Abilities: Adaptable, Dominion of Man, Skilled

Attributes: Bearing 10 (+2)*, Perception 7 (+0), Vitality 8 (+1), Nimbleness 9 (+1), Strength 8 (+1), Wits 8 (+1)*
Reactions: Stamina +2, Willpower +4*, Swiftness +2, Wisdom +2

Order: Warrior (Basic Warrior package)
Order Abilities: Battle-hardened, Swift Strike, Warrior-born
Advancements: 3

Skills:
Armed Combat: Blades (Longsword) +8
Armed Combat: Clubs (Mace) +4
Healing (Treat Wounds) +1
Inspire +1
Intimidate (Power) +1
Language: Westron +4
Lore: History (Men) +4
Lore: History (Family Lineage) +6
Lore: Race (Men) +4
Lore: Realm (Bree) +6
Observe (Hear) +2
Ranged Combat: Bows (Longbow) +3
Ride (Horse) +5
Run +2
Siegecraft (Defence) +2
Survival (Forests) +3

Edges: Bold, Hardy, Warrior's Heart, Warwise
Flaws: Arrogant, Code of Honour (will never fight underhandedly or backstab), Enemy 2 (running from the law back home), Proud, Reckless

Health: 9
Courage: 5

Gear:
Leather Armor w/ Plates (absorbs 3 damage, 15 lbs.)
Buckler (+3 Parry, -3 to enemy Ranged Attacks, 5 lbs.)
Mace (2d6+2 damage, +0 Parry, medium size, 5 lbs.)
Inherited Sword (2d6+6 damage, +3 Parry, medium size, 11 lbs.)
Horse

Backstory:
Ralph's countenance is worn with exposure and hardened with campaigning. The plan he has come upon is as wolfish and bold as his looks: the Southern bandits know that robbers must live, therefore many have settled near them; he means to establish himself on their border, to get the pickings of any Breeland travellers.

His lineage is noble; he bears his grandfather's knightly sword, and with it he has avenged his father's wrongs and his own (he is extremely attached to this sword).

He has left behind him in the south a name that he means to forget; here he goes by Red Ralph, which will do well enough until he gets a fief.

Description:
A long and lean man, with wild red hair and beard. He is still young, and not ill-looking, intelligent, and as yet not wholely evil, the robber's visage is already deeply marked, not merely by the weather, but by the struggles of the mind. The brow is habitually knit, the thin lips are firm and down-drawn.

Ralph is an accomplished horseman; he wears on his head a leather cap, and on his body a quilted garment sewn with rusty iron discs. A knightly sword with a golden hilt, out of keeping with such shabbiness, jingles at his side; at his saddlebow hangs a mace and a round buckler.

Lookd good to me, KoR. I might just use him in my chronicle sometime.

One question though, are the weights for the buckler and mace and sword pulled right out of the core book (don't have it handy). If so, they're so dead wrong it's not even funny.

I use a buckler from time to time, and there's no way it's 5 pounds. And a sword that weighs 11 pounds is nigh-useless in combat!

Like the character, though. :)

Thanks, I have no idea how much a real sword or shield should weigh!

Shields are listed as 4-8... I put it as 5 just to be average but leaning on the small side.

Maces are listed as 9, but it's a small mace (only like a secondary weapon) so it's only 5.

Swords are 4-7, but the inherited sword was noticeably heavier than a normal sword, so I put it at 11, ignorant me. :D

What poundage do you suggest? Thanks! :)

I'll jump in here, since I'm sitting in my living room looking at ten swords, five daggers, two maces, a flail, a harpoon, and a shield, not to mention armour.

Assuming your sword is something similar to Aragorn's sword, I'd classify it as a bastard sword which ought to weigh between four and five pounds. (That's just the sword. Add about two or three pounds more for a decent scabbard and sword belt.)

If it's a slightly smaller sword, like a one handed broadsword, I wouldn't go any higher than four pounds. Three would be about average.

A bigger sword, like a Braveheart two hand claymore, would be more like six or eight pounds.

My flanged mace is about two and a half pounds.

Shields can weigh as much as you want. It all depends on how big and how strong you want them to be. I've seen bucklers ranging from eight inches to two feet in diameter. How big is Ralph's, and what's it made from?

As Sarge & Ineti have mentioned, swords can be very deceptive in weight. "Nancy" is a 36" folded Katana that can cut through just about anything (including falling silk), however, she is insanely light to the point that you can easily over-weild her and get knocked off balance by your own strength.

If a sword is too heavy (any weapon really), the one weilding it will tire too quickly and become too slow in combat. Armed combat is fierce enough, let alone when you've got a sword that's too heavy and making your shoulder ache to the point of wanting to take a knee (which will probably result in having the head removed from the body free of charge).

A buckler, depending on the era, can be something that just belts onto the forearm to keep daggers at bay. Normally just covers the arm and not much else. A small shield would give you a bit of cover for the head (if raised) or torsoe, but normally not both. Large shield, gives decent cover to torsoe and head. Tower shield is pretty much a walking wall - better be Ahnold if you want to enter melee with a tower. Nice spiked small shield can double as a bash weapon. Weight also depends on the material: wood & leather = pretty light (unless walnut). Steel = a bit heavier, depends on size of shield.

War-hammers and maces --- which always tend to get a "heavy" weapon classifier normally were not much heavier than your normal ball-peen or claw hammer. Something that you could swing all day long and not get tired of using. I use 8 - 32 lb. sledges and mauls along with 2 - 4 lb. axes ---- I can go with the axe for 1/2 a day, but the 8 lb. maul normally I have to take a break after only 20 - 30 mins. The 32 lb. sledge is mostly just for overkill fun and display, if I were to use that for combat, I'd be knocked out of combat before I even got the first swing.

One of my favourite weapons was a 4' long "Demon Slayer". Looked heavy as hell and bad-ass (Conan woulda been proud). However, it was incrediblly light (almost threw it over my head when I went into combat stance).

Rapiers and fencing swords (unless of course you're Rob Roy and fense with a broad sword) only go 2 - 3 pounds, if that (not that I've put them on a scale, but the 5 lb. plate feels heavy compaired to them). Can go for long periods of time, but don't do much damage (not intended to do much damage except to honour).

Speaking of honour, I still have an issue with code of honour = flaw. I can see how not wanting to be underhanded can bite you in the butt in combat (I won't hit him while he's down, but he won't hesitate to do the same to me). Just personal opinion on how honour is read. I like the write-up of the character.

Thanks for the info, Sarge and Grutos!

So I think his sword will be 5 pounds maybe. I haven't seen Braveheart so don't know what the two-handed claymore looks like (I'm 15 (is it rated R? I've seen three R movies so far) and watch no TV and few movies, more of the reader-type, but I've heard that's a good movie). I don't think this sword is insanely big and heavy, it's just noticeably heavier in the book.

His mace is a rather small one so it will be 2 pounds.

K, his shield... he carries it while riding, I'd say it's maybe a foot and half long, wood and leather; suggestion for weight?

The sword's only bonuses are the normal +1 damage from being Masterwork, and a Parry +3 instead of +1; I didn't want it too powerful, because really it's not incredibly good except that it's a family heirloom.

About the Code of Honour flaw; right now it reads 'will never fight underhandedly or backstab'. I think I should reword that... basically, he's the kind that definitely won't assassinate someone. But say his opponent fumbles his weapon; he'll slay him anyway if he's just a normal foe, but if he respects his opponent then he'll let him pick up his weapon. Ideas on rewording it?

Thanks for the comments, guys! By the by, what do you think of Telpedo, on Valinor? (please tell me if you think I should post her here)

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Originally posted by ben hur
Thanks for the info, Sarge and Grutos!

So I think his sword will be 5 pounds maybe. I haven't seen Braveheart so don't know what the two-handed claymore looks like .

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Look here:

http://store.museumreplicas.com/cgi-...650.storefront

Dratted frames - go there and do a search for Early Claymore and you should see it.

And it weighs 5 pounds, too!

Wow, thanks, that looks neat! Does it have to be wielded with two-hands to be effective?

Jason, do you buy from Museum Replicas? That's where I get a lot of my weapons. And I know this guy who's a merchant in the SCA and can get them for less than list price. If you're interested, I'll send you his email address.

Ben Hur, I've never tried or even seen that Early Claymore, but I think it would be awkward for a man with Strength 8 to use one handed.

For a buckler of wood and leather, foot and a half across... I'd say 3 to 5 pounds, depending on how thick and strong you want to make it. You might want to add a steel or iron rim to it if you want it to last through more than one heavy battle. A lot of medieval warriors used shields as ablative armor; good for one fight, then it's time for a new one.

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Originally posted by Sarge
Jason, do you buy from Museum Replicas? That's where I get a lot of my weapons. And I know this guy who's a merchant in the SCA and can get them for less than list price. If you're interested, I'll send you his email address.

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Nope, I don't buy from them. Too much markup. I don't do much purchasing any more, though, so no need to send the info. (Also, my friends and co-workers use a guy in Dallas who has unbelievable prices - one friend was able to get three LotR replicas - Sting w. scabbard, Narsil , and Witch-King's blade - for around $450 or so.)

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Ben Hur, I've never tried or even seen that Early Claymore, but I think it would be awkward for a man with Strength 8 to use one handed.

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I concur. While it's not that heavy, it is very unwieldy at that length.

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A lot of medieval warriors used shields as ablative armor; good for one fight, then it's time for a new one.

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As did a lot of Norse warriors - sometimes going through several shields in a single fight, whether it be a holmgang duel, or a large-scale combat.

Neat, that's very interesting about the one-timer shields. Do you think that happened in LotR as well? Especially since the Rohirrim are seen by many as the 'Horse-Vikings'. :)

In LotR, most things seem to be made to last. Since the Rohirrim mentioned forming shield-walls in the book, and their fighting women were known as shield-maidens, I'm guessing their shields were reasonably durable. Just MHO.

Oh, almost forgot: Boromir carried his shield on a very long journey, and I suspect it saw plenty of use and abuse even before he joined the Fellowship. Besides, that shield he had in the movie was just too good-looking to be disposable. I generally don't like round shields, but I'd pay good money to have that one mounted on my wall.

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Originally posted by ben hur
Especially since the Rohirrim are seen by many as the 'Horse-Vikings'. :)

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::Phantom stands back with a questioning look.::

Where does this "Horse-Vikings" come from anyway? Nothing in the book or the movies, for that fact, shows them as "Scandinavian" in origin. Every source I've seen has placed them as coming from a more "Saxon" based background. In fact all the armour and swords the Rohirrim used in the movie were almost direct copies of those found at Sutton Hoo in England.

Sorry for the hijack, it was just something I had to vent. :)

Good points Sarge and Phantom!

Sarge: Good point. However, a couple things... first, where do they say shield-wall in the book? Not doubting you, just interested. :) Maybe they were more tower shield types and not discardable? And also; when does Boromir use his shield? ;) No, he uses it I'm sure; I believe his shield is in the books so you never know when he uses it then, but in the movie he uses it temporarily in Moria, but then he just carries it (intact, heh) for the rest of the way (too bad he didn't have it when Lurtz attacked, maybe that would have helped, heh).

Phantom: The reason why I said 'many' and not 'most' or 'all' is because it is only many. :) I've also heard of them as being Saxonish. But they do look sort of like Vikings, hehe. By the way, what are their names from again? I was reading a few pages of Beowulf the other day and saw several Rohirrim names (I think Eomer and Hama were among them), but can't remember whether Beowulf is Scandinavian (Vikings) or (and I think it is this) Old English (Saxons)?

Thanks for the thoughts, guys! Being only a teenage American, I haven't read too much into Old England (although I think it's extremely interesting!) and I don't have a collection of weaponry and armor. :D

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Originally posted by ben hur
By the way, what are their names from again? I was reading a few pages of Beowulf the other day and saw several Rohirrim names (I think Eomer and Hama were among them), but can't remember whether Beowulf is Scandinavian (Vikings) or (and I think it is this) Old English (Saxons)?

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I have also been reading Beowulf, great story. Hard to get thorugh however, I find I have to put it down then get back to it. To answer your question Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon Epic.

To get the idea of what 3 - 5 pounds would feel like as a shield on yer arm, take a kitchen chair and bind it to your arm. Granted, the legs & back will make it very ungangly, but it should give you the idea of what 5 pounds feels like on your arm.

You could also go into the gym and bind a 5 lb. weight to your arm, but with it being metal and so small, it may not give you the effect of area spreading out the weight which can make a huge difference in the feel. Kinda like a 5 lb. claymore v. a 5 lb. long-sword (damn heavy longsword) - the long sword could easily be a 1 hander, but with the length of the claymore, it's gonna be very hard for a dude with less strength than Dolph Lundgren to wield with 1 hand.

To get the feeling of what a sword would feel like in combat, take one of those nerf weights used in aerobics classes and start swinging it around your head & torso. See how long it takes to work up a sweat. Or, go out back and pick up the axe and start splitting the cord of wood --- then pick up the aul and continue splitting - give you the idea of what a 2 - 3 lb. axe going through shield and armour would be like and how tiring it can be + what an 8 lb. sledge / mace / war-hammer would be like going through the same shield and armour. Gets lots of aggression out too *big evil grin* = free work-out & you get the added benefit of an expanding chest & boulder shoulders.

Stern now was Eomer's mood, and his mind clear again. He let blow the horns to rally all men to his banner that could come thither; for he thought to make a great shield-wall at the last, and stand, and fight there on foot till all fell, and do deeds of song on the fields of Pelennor, though no man should be left in the West to remember the last King of the Mark.

Apparently the Riders could form a shield wall with the shields they carried on horseback, so they couldn't be talking about tower shields or wall shields. Medieval sources like the Bayeux tapestry show shield walls formed with kite shields, which are probably the largest practical shields for riders. I also seem to recall illustrations of Vikings forming shield walls with their round shields. And of course you can make a shield wall with the classic knightly "heater" shield; that's what I use in SCA combat and I really get a kick out of standing in the front rank of the battle lines. :D

As for Boromir's shield, it doesn't seem to be mentioned at all in Tolkien's description of the battle at Amon Hen. In my mind, he had it with him during his last stand. Of course, my mind is influenced by the fact that I really like fighting with sword and shield.

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Originally posted by Sarge
As for Boromir's shield, it doesn't seem to be mentioned at all in Tolkien's description of the battle at Amon Hen. In my mind, he had it with him during his last stand. Of course, my mind is influenced by the fact that I really like fighting with sword and shield. [/B]

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I am pretty sure he left it behind when he went in search of Frodo.
Frodo went away, in order to make his decision regarding their route to Mordor. When it is taking too long, Aragorn and Sam suddenly realize that both Frodo and Boromir are gone, with Boromir's pack and shield lying by the fire.
Boromir returns, Sam accuses him of doing evil things and they run off in search of Frodo. Then the Orcs attack.
So I guess he most have left it behind.

Thanks for the reference from the books, Sarge. :)

I reread the end of the FotR and the start of TTT, and found that it doesn't mention his shield at all. He didn't have it with him when he chased after Frodo, then he returns to camp; everyone panics and runs off to find Frodo, so Aragorn tells Boromir to follow the young Hobbits.

Then in TTT Aragorn finds Boromir, who dies; then Aragorn, Legolas, and Boromir set Boromir in a boat and send him down stream. In the boat they place Boromir's sword, and broken horn, and the swords and shields of his foes; but two strange things are that it doesn't mention Boromir's shield, and instead says that they placed Boromir's helm in! I didn't know he brought a helm with him, that's awesome.

So basically; I think in the books, as they are just leaving Rivendell it mentions that Boromir has a shield (but does not mention a helm); then when he's dead it mentions his helm (but does not mention what became of his shield). I can easily imagine his shield being lost in the melee with the Watcher or in Moria, but I don't know where he'd get the helm, hmmm.

You're right KoR, the shield is shown in the movie.
Damn the movies...it mixes up all the little details! ;)

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Originally posted by Meneltin
Darn the movies...it mixes up all the little details! ;)

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Ah, but I would not be so obsessed if the movies hadn't come out! :)

But wait... does that mean the movies were a good thing or a bad thing? :D

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Originally posted by Meneltin
You're right KoR, the shield is shown in the movie.
Damn the movies...it mixes up all the little details! ;)

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That's okay. :) Enjoy the movies, then read the books and enjoy the books. Both can co-exist.