Necrozius
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I've just started running Cubicle 7's Adventures of Middle Earth (which basically is a conversion of their beloved One Ring RPG into the D&D 5th edition engine).
In the Loremaster's Guide, it recommends going beyond the books and various adaptations in film when coming up with new locations, beings and creatures.
So, the challenge is introducing new elements drawn from the same sources so as to maintain a certain "feel".
I'm guessing that Tolkien drew from myths from Norse and Celtic (especially Irish and Welsh) sources.
With that in mind, I invite people to recommend things to incorporate into a Middle Earth campaign to keep it fresh and interesting.
To get started here's one from Celtic myth:
Merrows
Spirits from watery domains who are usually monstrous in appearance but can take on a beautiful guise to entice or befriend mortals (for reasons good or ill). Gentle by nature, they often fall in love with mortal men and women (probably because they find their own true appearances repugnant; their illusions do not work on their own kind).
However, like many magical peoples of Middle Earth, they are easily tainted by the Shadow. Many have allied themselves with the Enemy and use their abilities for cruel and malevolent purposes. The fishers of Laketown especially are affected; the Master has made proclamations to all to not linger near the deepest parts of the lake lest they too vanish beneath the cold dark waters...
(Notes: traditionally only the males are ugly and females beautiful, but I thought I'd change things up a bit to give a chance for female PCs to get entranced by gorgeous "water elf dudes").
In the Loremaster's Guide, it recommends going beyond the books and various adaptations in film when coming up with new locations, beings and creatures.
So, the challenge is introducing new elements drawn from the same sources so as to maintain a certain "feel".
I'm guessing that Tolkien drew from myths from Norse and Celtic (especially Irish and Welsh) sources.
With that in mind, I invite people to recommend things to incorporate into a Middle Earth campaign to keep it fresh and interesting.
To get started here's one from Celtic myth:
Merrows
Spirits from watery domains who are usually monstrous in appearance but can take on a beautiful guise to entice or befriend mortals (for reasons good or ill). Gentle by nature, they often fall in love with mortal men and women (probably because they find their own true appearances repugnant; their illusions do not work on their own kind).
However, like many magical peoples of Middle Earth, they are easily tainted by the Shadow. Many have allied themselves with the Enemy and use their abilities for cruel and malevolent purposes. The fishers of Laketown especially are affected; the Master has made proclamations to all to not linger near the deepest parts of the lake lest they too vanish beneath the cold dark waters...
(Notes: traditionally only the males are ugly and females beautiful, but I thought I'd change things up a bit to give a chance for female PCs to get entranced by gorgeous "water elf dudes").