Guidelines
1.0 GUIDELINES
The Middle-earth Ready-to-Run Series
is designed for Game-
masters who want adventures which can be set up in a few minutesand played in a few hours. The adventures require little or nopreparation.
Perils on the Sea of Rhûn
has four parts. The first part, Sectionl.O, deals with guidelines regarding the use of the module.The second part consists of Sections 2.0 and 3.0. Section 2.0provides pregenerated characters for the players (which can beused as non-player characters if so desired). Section 3.0 providesan overview of the geography, cultures, and politics of the Sea of
Rhûn.
The third part consists of Sections 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0, the adven-tures. Each adventure stands on its own, although a commontheme unites the stories. They can be set any where in Middle-earthwhere the story seems appropriate.The fourth part consists of Section 7.0 which includes the Beast
Table, the NPC Table, and the Encounter Table.
1.1 HANDLING PLAY
Each adventure is geared for a different difficulty level. The onefound in Section 4.0 is challenging for 1 st or 2nd level characters,or inexperienced players. Section 5.0's adventure is aimed at 2ndor 3rd level adventurers, while the adventure in Section 6.0 isdesigned for 4th or 6th level characters.The adventures are divided into five standard parts: (1) the tale,which describes how to start in terms of the setting, the back-ground, and the plot; (2) the Non-player Characters, NPCs, aperson-by-person description of the prominent non player charac-ters; (3) the primary layouts and area maps: descriptions of themajor adventure sites, complete with numbered diagrams andfloorplans; (4) the task, a discussion of how to start the adventure,along with the aids, clues, obstacles, and rewards awaiting the ad-venturers: and (5) encounters, which cover typical or probablemeetings between the adventurers and the NPCs.The GM should skim each section of an adventure beforebeginning play. Then he can have the players pick pre-designedcharacters from those provided in Section 2.0, or he can permit theplayers to design their own PCs. (Of course, the GM can assignPCs.) Once play ensues, the GM should refer to the EncounterTable and the Beast Table at the back of the module.
1.2 ADAPTING THIS MODULE
Like the rest of the series, this module is designed for use withthe
Middle-earth Role Playing
game
(MERP)
or the moreadvanced
Rolemaster (RM)
system, but is adaptable to most othermajor FRP games. Statistics are expressed on a closed or open-ended scale, using a 1-100 base and percentile dice (D100). Noother dice are required.
1.21 CONVERTING HITS AND BONUSES
Bonuses:
When converting percentile values to a I-20 system asimple rule is: for every+5 on a D100 scale you get a+ 1 onaD20.
Hits:
The concussion hit numbers found in this module onlyrepresent general pain and system shock. They cover bruises andsmall cuts rather than wounds. Critical strike damage is used todescribe serious wounds. The hit figures shown here are lessimportant than those used in game systems where death occurs asa result of exceeding one's available hits. Should you use a gamesystem that employs no specific critical strike results (e.g., TSRInc.'s
Dungeons and Dragons),
simply double the number of hitsyour characters take or halve the hit values found in this module.
1.22 CONVERSION CHART
If you play something other than
MERP
or
Rolemaster
and youdo not use a percentile system, use the following chart to convert1-100 numbers to figures suited to your game.
2.0 PLAYER CHARACTERS
The following characters can be used in each of the threeadventures. The GM may wish to assign his or her players acharacter or allow them to select from the list. An optionalpersonality profile is included for each, and their statistics arelisted on the chart below. Of course, the GM can utilize the unusedPCs as non-player characters. After all, the players may designtheir own characters or employ characters already in use.The GM should remember, however, that regardless of how theplayers acquire their characters, each adventure is geared for adifferent difficulty level. We suggest PCs tough enough to meetthe challenge.
Codes:
See the NPC stats for an explanation of basic codes. The following
is a list of other notations and abbreviations which might be ambiguous.
Power Points:
The number (if any) given in parentheses indicates the
possession of a magical item or special ability and the amount in
parentheses indicates the total PP available with the enchantment.
Skill Bonuses:
NA, SL, RL, CH = Movement and Maneuver in No Armor,Soft Leather, Rigid Leather, and Chain; 1 HE, 1HC, 2H, TH, MI, PA =Weapon Offensive Bonus (OB) with: One-handed Edged, One-handedConcussion, Two-handed, Thrown, Missile, and Pole-arms; Dir. Spell= Directed Spells; Base Sp OB = Bonus with Base Spells.
Armor:
AT = Armor Type (see "Skill Bonuses" above); (DB) = Defen-sive Bonus; Hlm/AG/LG = Helm/Arm Greaves/Leg Greaves type (M
= metal, L = leather, * = magical, — = none).
Resistance Rolls:
Ess, Ch, Poi, Dis RR = Resistance Rolls for Essence.
Channeling, Poison, and Disease.
Secondary Skills:
2ndary Sk = Secondary Skill; Each secondary skill is
abbreviated by giving the beginning letters of each skill
(MERP
Section 2.33). The bonus for that skill rank follows the abbreviation.
Languages:
Languages are abbreviated by giving their first several letters
(MERP
Table ST-1). The rank for each language is given following the
abbreviation. (Beth=Bethteur, Dyr=Dyrian.)
Spell lists:
Spell lists are abbreviated by using the first several letters of each word, followed by the maximum level known for that list. For
example, "Det Mstry 10" = "Detection Mastery" up to level 10.
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