Middle Earth Campaign Setting (4e Campaign Setting)/Character Classes
Contents
Character Classes[edit]
Your choice of class for your player character defines not just that character’s abilities but also many of his or her characteristics. In the Middle Earth Campaign Setting, the core classes are used, however because the power sources do not fit the setting quite as well as with core Dungeons and Dragons, this chapter explains how Arcane, Divide and Primal classes fit into setting.
The Martial classes are not explained in this chapter, as would be expected, because the classes need no background modification to fit, whilst Psionic classes are omitted because they simply do not work within Middle Earth. Thus if a player wishes to play a Psionic class and the Dungeon Master chooses to allow it they should re-write the background and flavor text to fit one of the other power sources.
This chapter contains the following sections:
- The Arcane Power Source: A description of how arcane magic functions in Middle Earth, as well as a description of how each of the Arcane classes fit into the setting. Arcane characters use words of power that bend reality around them.
- The Divine Power Source: A description of how divine characters fit into Middle Earth and how they interact with the Valar, including specific descriptions of the Divine classes. Divine characters are blessed by the Valar and gain power from these blessings.
- The Primal Power Source: A description of how primal magic functions in Middle Earth, as well as a description of how each of the Primal classes fit into the setting. Primal characters draw upon the power of nature and spirits such as Ents and Maiar.
The Arcane Power Source[edit]
Arcane characters are masters of words, both written and spoken aloud. When a wizard or a swordmage speaks the right words with the right inflection and tone, reality itself bends around the speaker enabling him or her to wield the awesome power of magic. Even within the power source, magic is a subjective term. Elves and Maiar rarely use the word ‘magic’, and even then they use the term to refer to the sorcerous powers of the Enemy, of the servants of Melkor and Sauron.
The arcane power utilised by the servants of darkness is fell and terrible, machinations that work against the structure of the natural world that are often likened to the machinery of war that is favoured by the armies of Mordor. The words used by such arcanists are derived from Melkor’s dark arts that he devised at the beginning of time.
The magic utilised by the elves and Maiar is derived from the arts of the Valar and is in tune with the workings of nature. The elves think of their magic as ‘art’, a form of creative expression. The elves like to experiment with tone, inflection and combination of the words they use and they love to invent new words to expand their range of creative expression. Elves are also known for using other forms of expression to manipulate magic including music and dance and even combine multiple forms of expression to cast their spells.
Arcane magic is rare among other races, particularly the dwarves who favour divine magic, however some exceptional individuals pick up some understanding of the words of either the Enemy or the elves and some that possess an inherent knowledge of the power of the words. Arcane magic is often confused with divine or primal magic, and whilst it is true that all three make the use of words, the exact source and use of the power is different; arcane magic is directly drawn from the words of power used by arcanists to invoke spells, whilst divine magic is drawn from the blessings of the Valar and primal magic from nature. The exact use of the words in arcane magic is vastly more important than in other sources of magic, as each word and its inflection has a direct effect on the spell.
Despite the fact that arcanists are not directly reliant upon the Valar for their power, the words first used in arcane magic were derived by the Valar, and because of this many arcanists have a great respect, even reverence, for the Valar.
Arcane powers are called spells and they are often seen as the epitome of the supernatural powers commonly called magic, though they are also termed “words” or “words of power” by arcanists, especially by those that are elves or Maiar. By using the right words, arcanists can create blasts of elemental energy, become invisible or even fly.
Bard[edit]
Bards are practitioners of the arts, masters of music, dance and storytelling, and a bard can use arcane magic through the arts of music. The traditions of the bard were first devised by the elves. Elves love the arts, and realised that the words of magic could equally be applied in song.
The bard class fits into Middle Earth very well—after all, songs are frequently used to tell tales within The Lord of the Rings. When playing a bard, you should instead consider how you picked up the art, as it is rare outside of the elven communities. Did you become an elf-friend early in your life and learn from the elves, or did you learn from a wandering bard? You could even be so adept at musical arts that the bardic method of spell casting came naturally to you.
Sorcerer[edit]
Sorcerers have an innate understanding of words. A sorcerer intuitively knows the exact words to use to invoke magic, but their words are often raw and unrefined; powerful but lacking in subtlety and this is reflected in their magic. A sorcerer’s magic is raw and powerful, highly dangerous but it does not have the nuances and subtleties of other arcanists’ spells.
When playing a sorcerer, you must consider how your spell source fits into the world. Naturally, storm and cosmic magic both fit into Middle Earth very well, but dragon magic and wild magic do not fit in quite so well. Consider rewriting the background for these sources if you decide to use them—perhaps you are tainted with the destructive power of Melkor’s servants.
Swordmage[edit]
Swordmages apply the magical arts to swords, mastering the arts of swordplay by magical study rather than martial skill. Sword-magic was first used by the Maiar in their first war against Melkor, when they were still new to the arts of swordplay. These arts they brought to the elves of Middle Earth in kingdoms such as Doriath, and sometimes the elves may choose to pass on their knowledge to one of another race. However it is among Maiar that the art is best known, for they are better suited to the art than any other race.
The swordmage class already fits Middle Earth very well, and it is easy to imagine a Maiar or an elf practicing the art. If you are considering playing an elf swordmage, consider asking your Dungeon Master let you replace Intelligence for Charisma in your attack rolls, to represent the elven style, or perhaps you should consider using the fey pact hexblade to represent an elven-style swordmage. If you are from another race, consider how you learnt the art—did you learn it from an elf that was impressed by your inherent magical talent, or did you simply pick up the art on your own?
Warlock[edit]
Warlocks use powerful, ancient and highly destructive magic with all the subtlety of wizards. Warlocks know ancient words of power devised by the Valar themselves. Many warlocks use words derived by Melkor and favoured by the servants of darkness, and so are often mistrusted.
When playing a warlock, it is important to consider from where you derive your words of power. The fey and star pact use words devised by Yavanna and Varda respectively, while the infernal pact uses the words of Melkor and his servants. The Vestige pact calls upon the names of the dead that linger in the world, though some vestige pact users are instead familiar with words devised by Námo.
Wizard[edit]
Wizards are an intrinsic part of Middle Earth and in the Third Age of the Sun, the Istari, such as Gandalf and Saruman, make a huge impact upon the world. But the art of wizardry is not just limited to the order of Istari.
When playing a wizard, you should consider what kind of wizard you are. Are you one of the Istari—or one of their students—or are you a hedge-mage, studying the remnants of a forgotten tome that you have scavenged?
The Divine Power Source[edit]
In the beginning, Ilúvatar created the Ainur—ancient spirits older than the world—and to these he gave small aspects of his power, some greater and some less. The greatest of these spirits are the Valar, and each of the Valar are an aspect of Ilúvatar’s power, and represent a part of his plan for the world.
Then the Valar and Maiar entered the world and began to craft it to Ilúvatar’s design, and each of the Valar was responsible for crafting a part of the world, and though Melkor hindered the forging of the world in every way he could, eventually the world was forged to Ilúvatar’s design. The Children of Ilúvatar learnt much from the Valar, and humans have often called them “gods”. The Valar sometimes bless those that they feel are most worthy, granting them the power to influence Middle Earth in their stead, as the Valar rarely go to Middle Earth and no longer influence it directly.
Divine characters are charged with the task of spreading the ideals rather than the worship of the Valar. A cleric of Yavanna, for example, will encourage respect for all life especially that of plants, while a cleric of Tulkas will encourage honourable conduct in both war and sport. A divine character calls upon the name of their patron Vala or Valië in order to perform divine miracles—this power is invested in the character in question and unleashed with the name, rather than granted when the name is called.
Divine characters hold the Valar in great respect, but that does not necessarily mean that they worship them. Humans first learnt of the Valar from the elves and thus some humans follow the elven tradition of respecting the Valar and following their ideals rather than direct reverence, however the dwarven tradition is far more reverential, and thus most dwarves (and many humans) call upon the names of the Valar in prayer.
Divine powers are called prayers, as it is the names of the Valar that unleashes divine power; however the term “blessing” or “miracle” is sometimes used, especially in cases where direct prayer is not used, like in the case of elf clerics.
Avenger[edit]
Avengers are rare in Middle Earth, as only Melkor among the Valar is vengeful. That does not mean that there are no avengers among followers of the other Valar. Most avengers work to correct the wrongs committed by the servants of Melkor.
When playing an avenger you should consider why you took up such a bloody profession in the name of the Valar—did you suffer at the hands of Melkor’s servants, or do you simply have a taste for vengeance?
Cleric[edit]
Clerics are most common among the dwarves, who are the most reverent towards the Valar of all the races, particularly towards Aulë, who they name Mahal, the Maker. Humans also have tendency to worship the Valar, and often call them gods. Among the elves, who rarely favour divine magic, clerics are the most common of divine classes because the elves call to the Valar most for the gift of healing.
When playing a cleric, you should consider how you regard the Valar—with the devotion of a worshipper or respect towards a guide? Do you spread the worship of the Valar, or simply their ideals?
Invoker[edit]
Invokers are the most destructive of the divine classes, because they channel divine power through small extracts and echoes of the Music of the Ainur, where other divine characters can only call upon the names of the Valar in their prayers. Invokers are rare, not only because they have to grasp the nature of the Music, but because the Valar rarely grant such power to any of the Children of Ilúvatar. It is in fact Maiar that most frequently become Invokers, because they were part of the Music and can dimly recall their part in it.
When playing an invoker, you should consider how you learnt so much about the Music of the Ainur.
Paladin[edit]
Paladins are warriors blessed by the Valar and have pledged themselves to upholding the ideals of the Valar and protecting the natural order of the world. Paladins are often found among the dwarves, and next to clerics they are the most common diving characters among the elves.
When playing a paladin you should consider, as with clerics, how you regard the Valar. You should also consider why you have chosen a more warlike variation on the use of divine power.
Runepriest[edit]
When the elves were yet young, they devised several scripts, including angular runic scripts intended to be marked on rock or metal. From the Vala Aulë, the elves learned to forge metal with runic scripts containing his blessing, and later this craft was turned to armour and weaponry. Through runic weaponry, a runepriest can channel divine power, an art that the dwarves took to and mastered beyond even the elves.
When playing a runepriest you should consider how you learnt the art of forging to the extent required of a runepriest—are you a student of the elven smiths, or of the dwarves?
The Primal Power Source[edit]
In the early days of the days of the world, the Valië Yavanna created the Olvar, or plants. Among the Olvar, Yavanna held trees dearest to her, and feared that they would be destroyed by the Children of Ilúvatar and by the servants of Melkor. She therefore created the ents, tree-herds, and huorns, tree-spirits. These ancient beings were given the task of guarding nature, particularly the forests.
Primal characters have a special kinship with ents and huorns, as they share the same concerns—the protection of nature. Primal characters can channel the power of ents and huorns, and even the wild untamed power of nature itself, and they can use this power to manipulate the natural world around them.
Primal magic is somewhat akin to the arcane magic of the elves in that it is in tune with the workings of nature, however it is also somewhat akin to divine magic because it can draw upon the power of the tree spirits of ents and huorns. The main distinction between arcane magic and primal is the source of the power; arcane magic is drawn from the power of the words or music used, while primal magic directly calls upon the powers of nature.
Primal characters are at home in the wild, and are often uncomfortable in civilised areas or around large numbers of people, however they are not against civilisation; rather it is those that seek to despoil nature that they oppose. Primal characters hold Yavanna, Nessa and Vána in the highest respect because they among the Valar represent the natural world most, but they also hold others among the Valar in great respect.
Primal characters reserve a special hatred for orcs and trolls, because they abuse nature more than any others, but they are also foes of the undead that resist the natural end to life. Primal powers are called evocations, because primal characters evoke the power of nature in order to influence the world. Some primal characters channel primal power through their bodies in order to change their shape, while others can manipulate the primal power of nature around them to create external effects.
Barbarian[edit]
Barbarians are savage warriors who can channel primal power through their bodies to evoke devastating rages. Barbarians are most common in human tribes such as the Dunlendings or the Druedain, and are slightly less common among the Beornings. They are, unlike other primal classes, unheard of among the elves.
When playing a barbarian you should consider why you have such a crude method of channelling the powers of nature—are you one of the remnants of a fallen civilisation such as the Dunlendings, or are you ignorant of the subtleties of nature?
Druid[edit]
Druids are primal mages capable of channelling the power of nature through their bodies to transform into animals. The druidic art was first devised by the elves that stayed behind in the forests of Middle Earth and leant of the balance of nature with all its intricacies. Druids task themselves with the protection of the ancient forests and are common amongst the elves of Lothlórien and Mirkwood, though there are also druids among the Beornings—a race of humans with a kinship with bears.
When playing a druid you should consider your connection with nature and how that impacts your character.
Seeker[edit]
Seekers are primal warriors that can combine primal evocations with archers. Seekers scour the wilderness for those that would defile it and are well versed in the arts of hunting and forestry. The seeker’s art was devised by the elves, which combined the skills of the ranger with the primal magic of the druid.
When playing a seeker, you should consider how you learnt to combine archery with primal magic—were you chosen by the elves to learn the arts, or do you simply have an innate bond with the wilds that lets you draw upon primal magic without training?
Shaman[edit]
Shamans are primal spell-casters that can summon powerful primal spirits and manipulate the workings of nature around them. The shamanic art first began among the elves as a variation of the druidic art, while other shamanic traditions began among tribes such as the Druedain like the barbarian class. The elven style of shamanism usually calls upon Huorn tree-spirits as spirit companions, while the Druedain style tends to rely on Maiar spirits in animal form.
When playing a shaman, you should consider how you call upon your spirit companion and your spirit companion’s nature—is it a Maia in animal form or a Huorn?
Warden[edit]
Wardens are primal warriors that use the powers of earth and stone to protect their allies from harm. It was the dwarves that first devised the class, drawing upon the powers of the mountains which they share kinship with, and the class is still most prevalent among the dwarves, though it is not unknown for humans and half-orcs to become wardens.
When playing a warden, you should consider how you learnt to combine the use of weapons with primal magic. Were you a martial warrior before you picked up the use of primal magic, or were you chosen to become a defender of the wild?
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