Armor and Spell Casting

First of all, I would like to comment on how much great info is here on these forums. Very impressive!

I have just started delving into the LotR RPG material and I was wondering if anyone has come across any rules, whether 'official or 'house', in regards to armor's effect on spell casting, if any.

Also, if a character was casting a spell that had a '1 minute' casting time, what TN would be used to attack the unfortunate magician? His Defense only? And if he was struck, is there a 'Concentration' skill or ability?


I am far from reading every page of every resource I have, so I may be very well missing something- but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. If someone can point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it! :)

No there are no armor penalties established for casting spells. I think the use of the Weariness mechanic introduced in the FBWM provide for a more realistic means of penalizing spellcasting. Besides, why would a mage be casting a spell that took a minute's preparation in combat? :p If you felt the need for it, set the penalty equal to the base armor rating (what i mean by "base" is before any special properties are applied for materials or magical enhancements).

I added penalties to the weariness TN for wearing armour when casting:

Armour type TN penalty
Reinforced leather +1
Armour shirt +2
Armour hauberk +3
Any shield +parry bonus