peoples

of wilderland

joshua kinnear (Order #34718655)

 PEOPLES OF WILDERLAND

Beornings
Beorn indeed became a great chief afterwards in those regions and ruled
a wide land between the mountains and the wood...

When Beorn broke his isolation after the Battle of Five Armies, chosen as their own. All foes of the Beornings are mortal foes,
many Men chose him as their chieftain — mountain-­hunters but friends who prove to be trustworthy are friends for life.
and fighters without allegiance, warriors who lost their fam- It is not unusual for Beornings to answer the call of adven-
ilies or who forsook their clans due to their violent tempers, ture as early as at 14 years of age, especially if their families
and needful souls drawn to his protective nature. have suffered at the hand of the servants of the Enemy. The
Though initially few in numbers, these Beornings rap- hardiest (and luckiest!) among them continue up to their
idly demonstrated that only those who are welcomed by the forties. Favouring efficiency over subtlety, Beornings usually
skin-­changer can hope to cross the Great River Anduin with carry sharp axes and long spears to battle.
their lives. And Beorn does not welcome anybody with ease.
CULTURAL BLESSING — FURIOUS

Characteristics
Beornings are tough to kill and fight like cornered animals:
when they see their own blood they are filled with a red wrath.
Beornings are rugged men with brawny arms and legs, and
lively women with undaunted eyes. Their spirit is reflected When you are Wounded, all your Attack rolls and
in their appearance: the women have long, wild hair and the ­P ROTECTION rolls are Favoured.
men unkempt beards. Born free, they pay no tribute nor bow
Swiftly he returned and his wrath was redoubled…
to any crown, keeping at peace the strip of land they have

joshua kinnear (Order #34718655)

 PEOPLES OF WILDERLAND

STANDARD OF LIVING — COMMON DISTINCTIVE FEATURES

The Beornings sustain themselves by breeding cattle and horses Choose two Distinctive Features among those listed: Bold,
and keeping hives of great bees. Sometimes, they request the Fierce, Generous, Honourable, Rustic, Stern, Tall, Wary.
payment of a safe-­passage toll from travellers crossing their
lands, but this additional income does not make them rich. LANGUAGES AND TYPICAL NAMES
The Northmen inhabiting the Vales of the Anduin River speak

Attributes
the same language and share a common vocabulary of per-
sonal names. The Beornings and the Woodmen are set apart
Choose one set of Attributes, or roll a Success die: especially by their peculiar use of bynames and nicknames.
ROLL STRENGTH HEART WITS The Beornings are gradually embracing the custom of
choosing for themselves names honouring their renowned
1 5 7 2
chieftain, either by having a B as the first letter or containing
2 4 7 3 the word for Bear (for example, Balderic, Beranald, Beor-
mud, and so on). They further individualise their names by
3 5 6 3
adding a byname, referring to their provenances or occu-
4 4 6 4 pations, or physical or temperamental qualities (Arnulf the
Old, Berangar the Eloquent). Bynames are often bestowed
5 5 5 4
by an event, especially if connected to a special feat of skill
6 6 6 2 or deed of renown.

DERIVED STATS
Calculate the following scores based on your chosen ­Attribute
ratings:

Endurance STRENGTH + 22

Hope HEART +6 MALE NAMES

Agilfrid, Arnulf, Avagis, Baldac, Barald, Berangar,
Parry WITS + 12
Cilderic, Eberulf, Eboric, Evermud, Frideger,
Garivald, Geberic, Gerold, Grimfast, Hartmut,
SKILLS Hathus, Heriwulf, Ingund, Iwald, Leudast,
Copy the listed Skill ranks onto the character sheet; then, choose Magneric, Maracar, Otbert, Ramnulf, Rathar,
one Skill among the two underlined and mark it as Favoured. Rigunth, Sigeric, Theodard, Thorismund, Walcaud,
Widuven, Wulferd.
AWE 3 ENHEARTEN 1 PERSUADE 0

ATHLETICS 2 TRAVEL 1 STEALTH 1 FEMALE NAMES

Adosinda, Amalfrida, Amalina, Avagisa, Avina,
AWARENESS 2 INSIGHT 3 SCAN 1
Basina, Beranhild, Brunihild, Deuteria, Gailavira,
HUNTING 2 HEALING 1 EXPLORE 0 Garsendis, Geleswinta, Gelvira, Grimhild, Gunteuch,
Hermesind, Heva, Hilduara, Ingund, Radegund,
SONG 0 COURTESY 0 RIDDLE 1
Sichild, Verich, Waldrada, Wisigard.
CRAFT 1 BATTLE 1 LORE 0
BEORNING BYNAMES
COMBAT PROFICIENCIES …from or of a specific place (Amalina from the High
Copy the following Combat Proficiency ranks onto the char- Pass, Beran of the Mountains), the Bald, the Black,
acter sheet, selecting a preferred Proficiency when offered the Bold, the Captain, the Cloaked, the Crooked,
a choice. the Eloquent, the Foresighted, the Good, the Good-
sword, the Loyal, the Old, the Pugnacious, the Quick-
Axes OR Spears 2
witted, the Quiet, the Red, of the Red-shield, the
Choose one Combat Proficiency 1 Rich, the Runner, the Sad, the Sharp, the Smith, the
Thin, the Trouble-maker, the Wise, the Young.

joshua kinnear (Order #34718655)

 PEOPLES OF WILDERLAND

Virtues of the Beornings SKIN-­C OAT

Due to the extraordinary nature of their leader, the Beorn- It is said that a warrior’s own courage will turn steel and iron
ings are said to possess all sorts of queer and dangerous qual- better than the smith’s hammer-­work.
ities. Some of these Virtues seem to bear a resemblance to ♦ If you wear a suit of Leather armour or no armour at
the fabled powers of the skin-­changer himself, and could be all, you gain (1d) on your PROTECTION rolls.
attributed to the chieftain’s teachings.
… nothing could withstand him, and no weapon seemed to bite
BEORN’S ENCHANTMENT upon him.

Some say that Beorn is under his own enchantment, and that
he has extended its influence upon his folk. SPLITTING BLOW
♦ Choose three STRENGTH Skills and mark them with a Your strokes are so heavy that you are capable of rending the
dot (or bear paw!) on your character sheet. Whenever armour of your adversaries, a hold-­over from a time when a
you use any one of the three marked Skills, you can Northman needed the strength to pierce the skin of a Dragon.
spend 1 Hope to achieve a Magical success. ♦ When you score a Piercing Blow on a close com-
bat attack, the PROTECTION roll of the target is
“At any rate he is under no enchantment but his own.”
Ill-­favoured.

BROTHER TO BEARS …he slew Scatha, the great dragon of Ered Mithrin, and the land
had peace from the long-­worms afterwards.
Beorn has taught you to heed the call of your ancient ani-
mal heritage. You hear it especially when the wrath of battle
takes you. TWICE-­B AKED HONEY-­C AKES
♦ Raise your maximum Endurance by 1 point. In addi- The honey-­cakes of the Beornings are legendary among trav-
tion, you don’t lose (1d) on your Brawling attacks, and ellers. You have been shown the secret of their making and
your unarmed attack rolls produce a Piercing Blow on can prepare them for the consumption of all members of
a result of , with an Injury rating of 12. your Company.
♦ Additionally, you can communicate with bears by mak- ♦ Each time you gain Fatigue from a Journey Event, you
ing appropriate Skill rolls, usually using COURTESY , gain 1 point less.
PERSUADE , or SONG , to receive tidings, deliver mes- ♦ Additionally, raise your Company’s Fellowship rating
sages, and so on. by 1 point.

“… I once saw him sitting all alone on the top of the Carrock at The making of these was one of his secrets; but honey was in them,
night watching the moon sinking towards the Misty Mountains, as in most of his foods…
and I heard him growl in the tongue of bears.”

GREAT STRENGTH
When attacking your enemies, your physical power pushes
you to favour brute force over precision.
♦ When inflicting Special Damage in combat, add +2 to
your STRENGTH rating on a Heavy Blow.

Standing near was a huge man with a thick black beard and hair,
and great bare arms and legs with knotted muscles.

joshua kinnear (Order #34718655)

 PEOPLES OF WILDERLAND

Elves
of Mirkwood
In a great hall with pillars hewn out of the living stone sat the Elvenking on a chair of carven wood.

Also called Wood-­elves, the denizens of Northern Mirkwood STANDARD OF LIVING — FRUGAL
are the followers of Thranduil the Elvenking. They are a The Elves of Mirkwood consider themselves under siege at
reclusive folk, considered by many to be less wise or ambitious all times, and dedicate much of their wealth to their defence.
than Elves of nobler lineage, just because they seem content

Attributes
to rejoice in leading hunts and holding feasts, even under the
threat of what lurks in the dark of Mirkwood.
In truth, it is this love for Middle-­earth and their hope of Choose one set of Attributes, or roll a Success die:
reclaiming the entire forest from the Shadow of Dol Guldur ROLL STRENGTH HEART WITS
that has made them staunch fighters, dedicated to resisting
1 5 2 7
the encroaching darkness, either alone or side-­by-­side with
trusted allies. 2 4 3 7

3 5 3 6

Characteristics 4 4 4 6
The Elves of Mirkwood are a fair but hardy folk, even though
5 5 4 5
their power is slowly waning. They are immortal warriors, as
they share the fate of all Firstborn, and are devoted to the 6 6 2 6
preservation of their hidden realm.
Wood-­elves rarely become adventurers before they reach DERIVED STATS
at least a few centuries of age. Leaving the Woodland Realm Calculate the following scores based on your chosen ­Attribute
too early is generally frowned upon, as wishing to go on adven- ratings:
tures is seen as forsaking their duty as keepers of the forest.
Endurance STRENGTH + 18
A martial folk, Silvan Elves are rarely found without a bow or
spear at the ready. Hope HEART +8

Parry WITS + 14
CULTURAL BLESSING — FOLK OF THE DUSK
While fond of the Sun, the Elves of Mirkwood find themselves
at greater ease under moonlight or starlight, or among the SKILLS
shadows of a forest; their senses are keener, their burdens Copy the listed Skill ranks onto the character sheet; then, choose
lighter, their movements exceedingly sure and graceful. one Skill among the two underlined and mark it as Favoured.

AWE 1 ENHEARTEN 0 PERSUADE 0

When you are in a forest, or at night, you can spend
1 point of Hope to achieve a Magical success on a ATHLETICS 2 TRAVEL 0 STEALTH 3
skill roll.
AWARENESS 2 INSIGHT 0 SCAN 2
…the Wood-­elves lingered in the twilight of our Sun and Moon but
HUNTING 2 HEALING 1 EXPLORE 1
loved best the stars; and they wandered in the great forests that grew
tall in lands that are now lost. SONG 2 COURTESY 0 RIDDLE 0

CRAFT 1 BATTLE 1 LORE 2

joshua kinnear (Order #34718655)

 PEOPLES OF WILDERLAND

COMBAT PROFICIENCIES
Copy the following Combat Proficiency ranks onto the char-
acter sheet, selecting a preferred Proficiency when offered
a choice. MALE NAMES
Amras, Aredhel, Beleganor, Belegon, Calanhir,
Bows OR Spears 2
Carmagor, Dagorhir, Durandir, Edrahil, Ellahir,
Choose one Combat Proficiency 1 Fincalan, Fuindor, Galdagor, Galdor, Hallas,
Hirimlad, Ithildir, Lascalan, Linaith, Mablin, Malanor,
Nauros, Orgalad, Pelegorn, Sargon.
DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
Choose two Distinctive Features among those listed: Cunning, FEMALE NAMES
Fair, Fierce, Keen-­eyed, Merry, Proud, Secretive, Swift. Anórel, Aranel, Arbereth, Baraniel, Calanril,
Celebrindal, Celenneth, Elanor, Elwing, Eraniel,
LANGUAGES AND TYPICAL NAMES Fimbrethil, Gloredhel, Idril, Irilde, Laurelin,
The Silvan Elves used to speak an original Woodland tongue, Lôrwend, Lothíriel, Meneloth, Moriel, Narieth,
but are gradually embracing the use of Sindarin. Their names Narniel, Nimloth, Nimrodel, Níniel, Tarandîs.
are usually in that language.

joshua kinnear (Order #34718655)

 PEOPLES OF WILDERLAND

Virtues of the Elves ELVISH DREAMS

of Mirkwood The spirit of Elves is so strong that their bodies recover swiftly
The ancient tribes from which many Wood-­elves descend from many ills and injuries. As your WISDOM has grown you
never went over the Sea to grow fairer and more learned, have felt less and less the need to lie down to get better.
and devoted their arts to devising cunning ways of deceiving Instead, you can recover from your exertions while awake,
the Enemy and its servants. This is probably why they are finding repose in the secret way of your folk.
deemed to be more dangerous and less wise. ♦ You don’t need to sleep, as long as you can engage
in simple, repetitive activities. When you take a Short
AGAINST THE UNSEEN Rest you are considered to have had a Prolonged Rest
Elves can perceive creatures that dwell in the wraith-­world, be instead.
they spirits or ghosts, even when they are normally invisible to the
...he could sleep, if sleep it could be called by Men, resting his mind
eyes of the living and appear only as a chilling whisper of voices.
in the strange paths of elvish dreams, even as he walked open-­eyed
You have learnt to strengthen your heart against such terrors.
in the light of this world.
♦ All your Shadow Tests due to Dread are Favoured, and
you additionally gain (1d) on those rolls forced upon
you by an evil spirit or ghost (including creatures pos- GLEAM OF WRATH
sessed by one). Your folk have seen many defeats, and many fruitless victories
in their wars against the Shadow. The deadly rage that your
“I also will come,” said Legolas, “for I do not fear the Dead.”
kindred harbour for the Enemy infuses your weapons with a
gleam of chill flame.
DEADLY ARCHERY ♦ On a successful attack roll your adversary additionally
Elves possess a natural talent for hitting the mark when using loses one point of Hate or Resolve, plus one point for
their bows. You have honed this talent almost to perfection, each Success icon .
and your arrows find their targets with uncanny precision.
The Elves were the first to charge. Their hatred for the Goblins is
♦ When using a Bow (not a Great Bow) and fighting in
cold and bitter.
Rearward Stance, you may attempt the Prepare Shot
combat task as a secondary action.
SHOTS IN THE DARK
...their small knives... would have been of no use against the arrows
For you, the dusk of night and the dark canopy of the forest
of the Elves that could hit a bird’s eye in the dark.
are a time and place for merriment and feasting. But this is
a time for war, and you have learnt to exploit darkness to
ELF-­L IGHTS your advantage.
You can make a torch or a lamp burn with a magical flame ♦ When you are in a forest, or at night, you are Inspired
capable of enchanting Mortals and humanoid creatures. on all your combat rolls.
♦ Spend 1 point of Hope to light a torch, or a lamp. The
They dwelt most often by the edges of the woods, from which they
Lore­master must choose a group of creatures among
could escape at times to hunt, or to ride and run over the open lands
those observing the light whose total MIGHT score does
by moonlight or starlight…
not exceed your WISDOM rating — the selected crea-
tures must draw near to the flame by any means possible.
You can control the light at will, even from a dis-
tance, either to extinguish the flame quickly and qui-
etly, or to surprise those that have been attracted by
your magic by causing the light to flare suddenly.
♦ If attacked, enemies standing by the light are surprised,
and won’t be able to make opening volleys nor take
actions in the first Close Quarters Round. Additionally,
they are temporarily confused and fight as if Weary for
the first two rounds of combat.

Though their magic was strong, even in those days they were wary.

joshua kinnear (Order #34718655)

 PEOPLES OF WILDERLAND

Woodmen
of Wilderland
There were many of them, and they were brave and well armed, and even the Wargs
dared not attack them if there were many together, or in the bright day.

The Woodmen of Wilderland are frontiersmen of the North, STANDARD OF LIVING — FRUGAL
sharing their heritage with the Bardings. They live in sparse, The Woodmen carve a living out of meagre hunts, burning
isolated villages and homesteads surrounded by wooden stock- charcoal and breeding animals. Their constant fight with the
ades, built along the borders of the great forest, or in the val- Wood and its wild things leaves them struggling to do more
leys to the west of the river Anduin. Threatened by the shadow than simply survive.
of Dol Guldur and what lurks in the depths of Mirkwood, the

Attributes
Woodmen are hunters and trackers of wild animals, battling
Orcs and Spiders in self-­defence.
The Wizard Radagast, one of the Wise of Middle-­earth, has Choose one set of Attributes, or roll a Success die:
chosen to live amongst the Woodmen since time immemorial, ROLL STRENGTH HEART WITS
taking residence in Rhosgobel. A master of shapes and a tender
1 2 5 7
of beasts, his teachings have proven invaluable to the forest folk.
2 3 4 7

Characteristics
3 3 5 6

The Woodmen of Wilderland are commonly light-­haired and 4 4 4 6

tall, but often brown-­skinned with a little red in their cheeks
5 4 5 5
thanks to a life in the open. Sometimes they are deemed surly
of speech and unforthcoming by other folk, characteristics 6 2 6 6
they owe to their life under the Shadow.
All Woodman fathers and mothers fear the day when they DERIVED STATS
will see the eyes of their favoured sons and daughters gleam Calculate the following scores based on your chosen ­Attribute
with faraway thoughts, for they know that the secrets of the ratings:
wild-­wood may entangle them with a longing that cannot be
Endurance STRENGTH + 22
satisfied if they remain at home. This call to adventure may
arrive as early as a Woodman’s 16th year of age, and may keep Hope HEART +8
them away from home well beyond their forties. Woodmen
Parry WITS + 10
encountered along the road are often skilled warriors, fight-
ing with bows of yew and long-­hafted axes.
SKILLS
CULTURAL BLESSING — WOOD-­G OER Copy the listed Skill ranks onto the character sheet; then, choose
The long fight of the Woodmen against the Hill of Sorcery one Skill among the two underlined and mark it as Favoured.
has led them to exploit every feature of their world to help
AWE 0 ENHEARTEN 1 PERSUADE 0
them in their struggle. They know the woods so well that they
can put a name on every shade of green found in a forest, ATHLETICS 2 TRAVEL 0 STEALTH 2
and can trick the eyes of others and use the many obstacles
AWARENESS 3 INSIGHT 0 SCAN 0
found in the woods to their advantage.
HUNTING 3 HEALING 2 EXPLORE 2
Add +2 to your Parry rating when fighting in a forest.
SONG 1 COURTESY 0 RIDDLE 1
In spite of the dangers of this far land bold men had of late been CRAFT 1 BATTLE 1 LORE 0
making their way back into it...

joshua kinnear (Order #34718655)

 PEOPLES OF WILDERLAND

COMBAT PROFICIENCIES
Copy the following Combat Proficiency ranks onto the char-
acter sheet, selecting a preferred Proficiency when offered
a choice. MALE NAMES
Amalric, Ansegisel, Audovald, Balderic, Beranald,
Axes OR Bows 2
Beormud, Ebrimuth, Euric, Gisalric, Grimbald,
Choose one Combat Proficiency 1 Gundovald, Hartgard, Hartnid, Imnachar, Ingelram,
Malaric, Munderic, Odo, Odovacar, Reginar, Ricfried,
Sigibert, Sunnegisil, Theodebert, Theodemir,
DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Theudebald, Theuderic, Waleran, Willicar.
Choose two Distinctive Features among those listed: Cun-
ning, Eager, Faithful, Patient, Stern, Swift, True-­hearted, Wary. FEMALE NAMES
Adosinda, Amalfrida, Amalina, Avagisa, Avina,
LANGUAGES AND TYPICAL NAMES Basina, Beranhild, Brunihild, Deuteria, Gailavira,
The Northmen inhabiting the Vales of the Anduin River — Garsendis, Geleswinta, Gelvira, Grimhild, Gunteuch,
the Beornings and Woodmen — speak the same language Hermesind, Heva, Hilduara, Ingund, Radegund,
but favour different names. They are further set apart by Sichild, Verich, Waldrada, Wisigard.
their use of bynames and nicknames. The Woodmen do
not show particular preferences, but it is a common prac- WOODMAN NICKNAMES
tice among adventurers to keep their real name a secret, The Bird-­keeper, the Bowman, the Bride, the Bright
preferring to let themselves be known only by a nickname one, the Eagle, the Healer, the Hound, the Hunter,
(the Bride, the Hound). the Quick, the Shepherd, the Shield-­bearer, the
Silent one, the Spear-­shaker, the Wood-­goer.

joshua kinnear (Order #34718655)

 PEOPLES OF WILDERLAND

Virtues of the Woodmen

of Wilderland
A wounded hound is considered to be out of com-
bat for the remainder of a scene and will return at your
The qualities that let the Woodmen clans survive in one of the side at the start of the next session if you succeed in a
most dangerous corners of Wilderland are subtle and diverse, HEALING roll. On a failure, the hound won’t recover
and all have been put to the test during years of constant until the beginning of the next Adventuring Phase.
struggle against the darkness of Dol Guldur.
… in trotted… several large, long-­bodied grey dogs.
A HUNTER’S RESOLVE
You have learnt to tap into the inner strength of the indefat- NATURAL WATCHFULNESS
igable and relentless hunter of Orcs and Spiders. Whether travelling, exploring or resting, the behaviour of
♦ If you are not Wounded or Miserable, you can spend 1 animals can communicate much to those who know how to
Hope to recover a number of Endurance points equal interpret the signs — be it the sudden silence of a bird or the
to your HEART or VALOUR score, whichever is higher. distant rustling of a beast in flight. You read your surround-
ings with uncanny precision.
On and on he led them, tireless and swift…
♦ Whenever you are making a roll using AWARENESS ,
EXPLORE , or SCAN , you can spend 1 Hope to achieve
HERBAL REMEDIES a Magical success.
Mirkwood is shunned by many men and beasts, yet its shadowy ♦ Also, you are allowed to cover the Look-­out role in
eaves are still good for the growing of herbs. You are learning addition to any other role during a journey.
the ancient craft of concocting salves and herbal remedies
The wood was full of the rumour of him, dreadful tales even among
from your village elders and wise-­women.
beasts and birds.
♦ You gain (1d) on all your HEALING rolls.
♦ Additionally, at the end of a journey, you can roll HEAL-
ING to reduce your accumulated Fatigue (in addition to STAUNCHING SONG
rolling TRAVEL to do so, see The One Ring, page 111). This song has been taught to the worthiest members of your
clan since your people first travelled down the banks of the
Radagast… has much lore of herbs and beasts…
Great River. Singing its words can reduce the loss of a war-
rior’s life-­blood to a trickle, letting it flow back to the heart.
FOREST HARRIER ♦ Raise your maximum Hope rating by 1 point.
The Woodmen are redoubtable warriors, excelling in forest ♦ Additionally, you can roll SONG to administer First Aid
warfare. You have long practised their surprise tactics, learn- or to save Dying heroes (in addition to rolling HEALING
ing to always be ready to strike first. to do so, see The One Ring, page 101).
♦ Your opening volleys and close combat attacks made
Then they came to lands where people spoke strangely, and sang
during the first combat round of a battle are Favoured.
songs Bilbo had never heard before.
“…he that strikes the first blow, if he strikes it hard enough, may
need to strike no more.”

HOUND OF MIRKWOOD W R I T ER

Your folk have always delighted in training great, long-­jawed Francesco Nepitello
hounds, stronger than wolves. You have chosen a wolfhound A D D I T I ONA L D EV ELOPM ENT
Michele Garbuggio
of Wilderland to accompany you in your wanderings.
A RT
♦ When you make an AWARENESS or HUNTING roll you
Jan Pospíšil
gain (1d) if the hound is with you.
GR A PHI C D ESI GN
♦ In combat, the hound counts as another Player-­hero Dan Algstrand, Christian Granath,
fighting in a Close Combat stance, and the first close Niklas Brandt
combat attack aimed at you each round loses (1d). PR OOFR EA D I NG
♦ Finally, if you are hit by a Piercing Blow, you can Brandon Bowling
choose to cancel it, wounding your hound instead. B R A ND M A NA GER
Robert Hyde / Sophisticated Games
The One Ring, Middle-earth, and The Lord of the Rings and the
characters, items, events, and places therein are trademarks or
registered trademarks of the Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-
earth Enterprises (SZC) and are used under license by Sophisticated
Games Ltd. and their respective licensees. All rights reserved.
10

joshua kinnear (Order #34718655)