Issue 86

April 2013

In This Issue

GL SLA ERIN L GOVADED VN...

Welcome to another issue of Hall of Fire. We
have some excellent articles for you. A new
Olog-Hai enemy appears to hinder your Heroes.
There are also some new items that can be
found through out Middle-Earth. And lastly we
have an article on how a Narrator might be able
to simplify their rolls.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A NARRATORS SO-CALLED LIFE

Using d12 instead?

ALLIES AND ADVERSARIES

Durg, Olog-Hai Warrior

FAN FLAVOUR
An Assortment of Legendary Items

LETTER

FROM THE

EDITOR

WHATS OUT THERE

CALLING ALL GAMERS

Please also check out the letter from the Editor

for an important announcement on the future
of Hall of Fire.
Farad vaer.
Micah A. Walles (Razor77) &
Celebraen
Co-Editors Hall of Fire

CONTACT THE HALL OF FIRE AT:

[email protected]

CREW
MICAH A. WALLES (RAZOR77), CO-EDITOR
[email protected]
CELEBRAEN, CO-EDITOR
JEFF IFLAND (BLACKFOX), LAYOUT
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: http://twitter.com/halloffire
LIKE US ON FACKEBOOK: http://fb.halloffire.org

This is an unofficial fan webzine created for players of Role Playing Games (RPGs) set in the world of Middle-earth created by J.R.R. Tolkien. There
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Hall of Fire * The Unofficial Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game Webzine

Issue 86 * April 2013

A NARRATORS SO-CALLED LIFE

USING D12 INSTEAD?
By Jose L. Garca (Naul)
As many know, two six-sided dice generate values between two and twelve, with a strong tendency towards the
average (seven). As a result, when making opposed tests the opponent with a lesser bonus is unlikely to win very unlikely if the difference between both bonuses is greater than two. Although unrealistic, it may suit many
players tastes -as it is my case.
So, why use d12? My position, which I will explain hereafter, is that the narrator, in most non-combat
situations, should use d12 for convenience.
D12 drops a result from one to twelve. Under the Coda rules, a roll of twelve (two sixes on two six-sided dice)
happens only once every thirty-six rolls on average. This makes the dice explode (re-roll one of the dice and
add the result, repeating the operation if this result is a six, etc.) But getting a 12 in a twelve-sided die is much
more likely (once every twelve rolls on average), so critical rolls would be much more common. Perhaps too
common. If the narrator uses d12, and the players use 2d6, more often than not a weak orc will strike a
critical dramatically improving the mortality rate of characters.
However, there may be some circumstances under which a narrator would find using d12 more convenient. As
a narrator, I always make hidden rolls for the characters spot, empathy, search, or similar skills, as well as for
wisdom. (Whenever I want my players not to know whether they have succeeded of failed.) Taking into
account that my players number is four not excessive-, that means throwing two six-sided dice four times
in a row! (And adding the dice, bonuses, and taking notes of every roll!) So, for conveniences sake, I have four
12-sided dice, with one different colour assigned to each player, so I can quickly know who got the best roll and
who the worst one, who spotted the orc first or who discerned the true nature of the merchant they were
dealing with
Yes, dodecahedrons may be ugly, and they definitely lack the beautiful simplicity of hexahedrons, but they may
still prove useful when dealing with multiple skill checks.

Hall of Fire * The Unofficial Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game Webzine

ALLIES

AND

Issue 86 * April 2013

ADVERSARIES

DURG, OLOG-HAI WARRIOR

by daedel
Durg was sent to Mount Gundabad, along with his master Uzlug,
some years before the War of The Ring. Sauron knew that after the
heavy losses inflicted to Gundabad Orcs in the War of the Five
Armies, the Orc-tribes there were in need of a strong leader, one
that could guarantee the support of Gundabad to Angmar, where
The Dark Lord was about to unleash a terrible evil. Uzlug was a
powerful Uruk sorcerer and advanced student of the sorcerous ways
taught by Sauron, so the Dark Lord dispatched him to the northern
Orc fortress with the mission of ensuring Gundabad was ready for the
imminent war. Durg, being the main bodyguard of Uzlug, travelled
with him.
Both found a place ravaged with constant internal fights for power.
Uzlug had to fight hard to earn himself respect from the Orcs of the
fortress, sometimes using his above-average cunning and unusual
intelligence, sometimes using the sheer force of Durg.
It took time but finally Uzlug managed to win the loyalty of the most
numerous of all the Orc-tribes in Gundabad - the Ongbrz Orcs.
Soon the rest of the tribes sworn allegiance, and Durg was
appointed Lieutenant of Gundabad. The mission commanded by
Sauron had been successfully executed.

ATTRIBUTES
Bearing 10 (+2)
Perception 8 (+1)
Vitality 15 (+4)*

Nimbleness 10 (+2)
Strength 16 (+5)*
Wits 7 (0)

REACTIONS
Stamina +8*
Willpower +4

Swiftness +3
Wisdom +1

DEFENSE
MOVEMENT RATE
ORDER

12
12

Warrior, Captain (18 advancements)

ORDER ABILITIES

Favoured Weapon (Large 1-handed sword), Swift

Strike (1 pick), Riposte**, Air of Command,
Tactics

SKILLS

Armed Combat: Blades (Swords) +12, Inquire

(Interrogatory) +9, Inspire +9, Intimidate (Power)
+11, Language: Black Speech +6, Language:
Westron +3, Observe (Spot) +8, Ranged Combat:
Spears (Javelin) +9, Siegecraft (Unit Leadership)
+9, Track (Scent) +6

EDGES

Hammerhand, Hardy, Night-Eyed 2, Tireless,

Weapon Mastery (Swords), Dodge, Quick Draw

FLAWS
None

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Armour (3, stackable with any other armour worn)

Then, an emissary from Angmar arrived, bringing shocking news:

the War of the Ring had started, Sauron of Mordor was mobilizing
his armies all around Endor, and most important, a new power was
rising in the Witch-Kings lands. The emissary spoke of Mordirith,
The False King, who wanted the Orcs of Gundabad to join him by
command of Sauron itself. So, Uzlug and Durg went to Angmar,
providing Mordirith with the invaluable force of Gundabad Orcs.

SIZE
Large (6 Wound Levels, 2 Healthy)
HEALTH
20
EQUIPMENT
Troll Chain Mail (DR 6, stackable with Armour
Special Ability, -1 to all Nimbleness tests), 1Handed Large Longsword (3d6+1 damage), 2
Javelins (2d6+6 damage), Large Iron Shield (+5
parry / -5 ranged attacks)

USAGE
Durg can be found in any of the many Ongbrz campments that are established in south Angmar. He never
lets any of his warriors to fight for him, and always chooses the hardest opponent to cross weapons with. Hes
not suicidal, though, and if his life is in danger, he will ask for help from his minions (normally, Ongbrz Orcwarriors).

** Changed from Hall of Fire #61: When using his sword, Durg may turn a parried attack into a strike back on his foe. If a successful attack is
parried by Durg, he makes one immediate, free attack against his foe. If successful, the riposte cannot be defended against and strikes for normal
damage (the riposte doesnt take into account superior or extraordinary success, just deals normal damage) . Durg can make a riposte attack once
per turn, once per enemy, but never on his own turn.

Hall of Fire * The Unofficial Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game Webzine

Issue 86 * April 2013

FAN FLAVOUR
AN ASSORTMENT OF LEGENDARY ITEMS
by daedel

RING

OF

NENUIAL

This simple steel band is said to have been crafted at the beginning of the Third Age by some Sinda crafter in
Lindon. It was lost in Forochel when King Arvedui and his men travelled to this distant land after their defeat
in Arthedain against the forces of the Witch-King. The ring grants a +4 against Weariness tests when
swimming or performing any other activity on water. Also protects from soaking due to immersion in water or
to rain.

RING

OF THE

BARANDUIN

This mithril ring is the result of the combined efforts of an elven conjurer and a dwarf artisan from the Ered
Luin. Given to one of the great lords of Arthedain in the Third Age, it grants a +1 to Willpower and a +3 to
Insight and Persuade (Oratory) tests made against any Arthedain Dunadan. This ring was part of the heirlooms
of this lord but was lost in Fornost when the city was taken by the Orcs of Angmar.

RHNHATHOL, THE EASTERN AXE

This 2-Handed Great Axe was crafted in the Second Age as a gift to a mighty king of some distant land far
beyond Rhn. It grants a +2 bonus to hits, that turns +3 against trolls. It is said that the axe was used against
the troll Guard of the Nazgl Dwar itself. It was lost at the end of that age and appeared again in the hands of a
Waildung Prince of Rhovanion at some point in the middle Third Age.

GOBLIN-HUNTER BOW
This beautiful mallorn-crafted longbow was created in the Second Age in Lorien, and ended somehow in the
hands of a sylvan warrior of Mirkwood, who died in the Battle of the Five Armies. The bow grants the edge
Accuracy, and an additional +3 to hit goblins. (Note: if you use the optional rules for bows of Issue 51, you can
create this longbow with any Draw Weight to make it more or less
powerful.)

Dear Readers,
I am saddened to say that Hall of Fire is going on a long, and
quite possibly permanent, holiday as Bilbo put it.
For almost 5 years I have tried to keep Hall of Fire going. It has
been fun, but it has also been a greater challenge than I thought
it would be. While there are many mistakes that I have made
over the years of trying to keep the webzine going, there are also
a number of external factors that have led to this slow demise.
The main site will be left up as an archive of Hall of Fire for the
foreseeable future. I am planning on changing the forum to read
only and will work on cleaning up the spam posts so that it will
be easier to find any useful threads on there.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at:
[email protected]. If anyone is interested in trying to run the
webzine, I would be happy to help transfer administrative duties.
You can contact me at the above email address.
So I leave you with Gandalfs final words as he is about to leave
with Frodo and Bilbo to the Undying Lands:
'Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes
the end of our fellowship in Middle-earth. Go in peace! I will
not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.'
Sincerely,
Micah A. Walles (Razor77), Hall of Fire co-editor

WHATS OUT THERE

This is a list of Web sites along with Decipher's official Web sites. We have found they supply useful Lord of the Rings game
information.

THE HALL OF FIRE WEBZINE

http://halloffire.org
THE HALL OF FIRE WIKI
http://wiki.halloffire.org
THE HALL OF FIRE FORUMS
http://fourms.halloffire.org
THE ONE RING RPG
http://www.cubicle7.co.uk/our-games/the-one-ring/
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ARDA
http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/
FAN MODULES FOR MIDDLE-EARTH
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fan-modules
CHRONICLES OF THE NORTH
http://rpg.avioc.org/
MERP.COM
http://www.merp.com
OTHER MINDS MAGAZINE
http://www.othermindsmagazine.com
LORD OF THE RING RPG ARCHIVE
http://www.wix.com/skinnerman02/lord-of-the-rpgarchive

THE MAD IRISHMAN

http://www.mad-irishman.net
THE LAST ALLIANCE
http://thelastalliance.com
RPG TOOLS FOR DECIPHER'S CODA GAMES
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rpgtools/
THE STEWARD AND THE KING
http://www.stewardandking.net
THE TOWER HILLS
http://homepage.mac.com/jeremybaker/towerhills
TREK-RPG.NET
http://forum.trek-rpg.net/index.php
CODA WEBZINE REPOSITORY
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/coda_webzine
THE ONE RING.COM
http://www.theonering.com/
THE ONE RING.NET
http://www.theonering.net

CALLING ALL GAMERS!

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