Combat Reference- General
🗡 Combat in The One Ring (2nd Edition)
📜 A guide for players and Loremasters alike. This reference condenses the rules of battle in Middle-earth as found in the Core Rulebook, faithful to the design of Francesco Nepitello.
⚔️ Combat Round Structure
🕘 Each round follows this sequence:
- Stance Declaration – Each hero in close combat selects a stance.
- Action Resolution – Heroes act in stance order.
- End of Round – Handle fatigue, injuries, and effects.
🛡 Combat Stances
⚠️ Choose your stance wisely!
Your stance defines when you act and how exposed you are in melee.
| Stance | Order | Who Can Attack You? | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
Forward |
First | Any enemy | +1d to attacks, -1 Parry |
Open |
Second | Any enemy | No modifiers |
Defensive |
Third | Only enemies in the last group | +Parry to defense, -1d to attacks |
Rearward |
Last | Not engaged in melee | Ranged only. Requires 2 allies in melee. |
💡 Enemies do not declare stances, but are affected by yours.
🎯 Combat Actions
Each round a hero may take:
- 1 Main Action (attack, combat task, etc.)
- 1 Secondary Action (move, ready weapon, speak)
📘 Combat Tasks (in place of a regular attack):
- 🛡 Protect Companion – Guard an ally in the same stance.
- 🎺 Rally Comrades – Restore Hope or reduce Weariness.
- 😠 Intimidate Foe – Force an enemy to act with disadvantage.
- 🏹 Prepare Shot – Required for ranged attack from Rearward.
💥 Wounds, Endurance & Armor
💔 Combat wears you down in two ways:
- Endurance Loss – Reaching 0 = unconscious.
- Piercing Blows – On a 10 or Gandalf rune (🛡), enemy forces a Protection Test.
Protection Test
Roll:
- 1d12 + armor dice
Fail = Wounded. Two wounds = Dying.
| Equipment | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Armor | Adds d6s to Protection test |
| Shield | Increases Parry or absorbs damage |
⚠️ Only magical weapons can harm certain foes (e.g., Wraiths, Spirits).
❤️ Hope & Shadow
☀️ Hope: Spend to add your Favored Attribute to a roll.
🌑 Shadow: Gained from dread, lies, and despair.
🔥 If Shadow ≥ Hope, you become Miserable.
Miserable heroes cannot use Hope and may falter in times of need.
🧠 Loremaster Notes
::: gm
- Knockback: Some monsters or attacks force heroes back, costing their next Main Action to recover.
- Special Foes: Elf-lords, spirits, or creatures of the Shadow may act outside normal initiative order or cast sorceries.
- Magical Success (Gandalf rune): Often triggers special effects (e.g., automatic hits, insight, or resisting dread). :::
❝ Valor is not the absence of fear, but the choice to stand when darkness rises. ❞
— Elrond Halfelven