Year Zero World Building creates campaign settings using Free League’s RPGs. This month features a return to Middle-earth via The One Ring Second Edition and a look at spiders as the main protagonists of a long-running campaign.
Thanks to Free League for sending me RPGs to help in writing these articles. As a frequent customer of their kickstarters, pre-orders, and webstore I appreciate their customer service and attention to detail coupled with amazingly written and supported RPGs.
The One Ring is perfect for wandering Player-heroes who travel from landmark to landmark, helping out local villages, defeating Shadow, and plundering treasure to make small impacts on the world at large. Middle-earth can also host larger connected adventures, perhaps not with the scope and finality of the Lord of the Rings trilogy but nonetheless involving an epic quest connected via several adventures.
A campaign like that evolved out of my campaign, which started small with Player-heroes wandering from landmark to landmark around Lake Evendim as covered in early articles here on Geek Native. From those small beginnings, the Player-heroes learned of a looming Shadow threatening Eriador, one that could make future wars against darkness that much harder to win.
The Player-heroes, working with Gandalf, learned that Shelob was not the final spawn of Ungoliant, but was instead the mightiest of four spawn. The other three have remained hidden, likely in Mirkwood, but growing in power and planning to seize northwestern Middle-earth and turn it into a web-covered haunted land of gnawing hunger and terror, much like Ered Gorgoroth from the First Age. The Player-heroes stumble on this plot and must decide what to do about it.
The core rulebook doesn’t have spiders, so that is a good place to start. First up are a Great Spider and a Monstrous Water Spider. Following that are the three siblings of Shelob. These siblings are inspired by three of Shelob’s spawn detailed in The One Ring First Edition. While these spiders are similar, they are tougher and far more dangerous with servants and far-reaching webs of terror they spin in Shadow.
Damhan, bloated and stinking, lies waiting and commanding other spiders to do her bidding. Prycop, frenzied and skittering, is physically the smallest, but she is an ambush predator of great cunning and speed. Ragnu, berserk and bristling, is the brother in between in size and speed with a deadly mastery over his poison attacks.
These three will be the focus of next month’s article, which weaves together an adventure in which these siblings sit at the center of a web of violence and shadow. If the Player-heroes don’t stop them, the three siblings will make Eriador a land covered in webs and darkness not seen since ancient lost Ered Gorgoroth
GREAT SPIDER Pitiless, Swift
ATTRIBUTE LEVEL 4
ENDURANCE 12
MIGHT 1
HATE 4
PARRY —
ARMOUR 2
COMBAT PROFICIENCIES: Fangs 3 (4/14, Pierce), Webs 4 (—, Seize)
FELL ABILITIES: Great Leap. Spend 1 Hate to attack any Player-hero, in any combat stance, including Rearward.
Poison. If an attack results in a Wound, the target is also poisoned (grievous Endurance loss; see The One Ring, page 134, for the effects of poison).
Snake-like Speed. When targeted by an attack, spend 1 Hate to make the attack Ill-favoured.
Thick Hide. Spend 1 Hate point to gain (2d) on a Protection roll.
MONSTROUS WATER SPIDER Cunning, Cruel
ATTRIBUTE LEVEL 9
ENDURANCE 70
MIGHT 2
HATE 9
PARRY —
ARMOUR 3
COMBAT PROFICIENCIES: Fangs 3 (6/16, Pierce), Webs 4 (—, Seize)
FELL ABILITIES: Hate Sunlight. The creature loses 1 Hate at the start of each round it is exposed to the full light of the sun.
Hideous Toughness. When an attack inflicts damage to the creature that would cause it to go to zero Endurance, it causes a Piercing Blow instead. Then, if the creature is still alive, it returns to full Endurance.
Great Leap. Spend 1 Hate to attack any Player-hero, in any combat stance, including Rearward.
Poison. If an attack results in a Wound, the target is also poisoned (grievous Endurance loss; see The One Ring, page 134, for the effects of poison).
Snake-like Speed. When targeted by an attack, spend 1 Hate to make the attack Ill-favoured.
Thick Hide. Spend 1 Hate point to gain (2d) on a Protection roll.
Thing of Terror. At the start of the first round of battle all Player-heroes in sight gain 3 Shadow points (Dread). Those who fail their Shadow test are daunted and cannot spend Hope for the rest of the fight.
DAMHAN Bloated, Stinking
ATTRIBUTE LEVEL 12
ENDURANCE 120
MIGHT 3
HATE 12
PARRY —
ARMOUR 5
COMBAT PROFICIENCIES: Fangs 4 (6/18, Pierce), Webs 5 (—, Seize)
FELL ABILITIES: Countless Children. Spend 1 Hate to summon 3 Great Spiders that arrive the next round.
Foul Reek. An overpowering stench makes any hero engaged with the monster lose (1d) on all attack rolls.
Hideous Toughness. When an attack inflicts damage to the creature that would cause it to go to zero Endurance, it causes a Piercing Blow instead. Then, if the creature is still alive, it returns to full Endurance.
Poison. If an attack results in a Wound, the target is also poisoned (grievous Endurance loss; see The One Ring, page 134, for the effects of poison).
Sweeping Stroke. Spend 1 icon to target all engaged adversaries: the same result is compared to the Parry of each target separately. Any additional Success icons can be spent on any target that was hit.
Thick Hide. Spend 1 Hate point to gain (2d) on a Protection roll.
Thing of Terror. At the start of the first round of battle all Player-heroes in sight gain 3 Shadow points (Dread). Those who fail their Shadow test are daunted and cannot spend Hope for the rest of the fight.
PRYCOP Frenzied, Skittering
ATTRIBUTE LEVEL 10
ENDURANCE 100
MIGHT 3
HATE 10
PARRY —
ARMOUR 4
COMBAT PROFICIENCIES: Fangs 4 (6/18, Pierce), Webs 5 (—, Seize)
FELL ABILITIES: Poison. If an attack results in a Wound, the target is also poisoned (grievous Endurance loss; see The One Ring, page 134, for the effects of poison).
Savage Assault. Spend 1 Hate point after an attack roll to immediately roll a second attack on the same target (using a different attack form).
Seize Victim. On a successful attack roll, the thing holds on to the target — the victim can only fight in a Forward stance making Brawling attacks. Attackers may spend an icon to free the target (the target may free themselves).
Snake-like Speed. When targeted by an attack, spend 1 Hate to make the attack roll Ill-favoured.
Sweeping Stroke. Spend 1 icon to target all engaged adversaries: the same result is compared to the Parry of each target separately. Any additional Success icons can be spent on any target that was hit.
Thing of Terror. At the start of the first round of battle all Player-heroes in sight gain 3 Shadow points (Dread). Those who fail their Shadow test are daunted and cannot spend Hope for the rest of the fight.
Webs of Illusion. Spend 1 Hate point to automatically ambush all targets.
RAGNU Berserk, Bristling
ATTRIBUTE LEVEL 11
ENDURANCE 110
MIGHT 3
HATE 11
PARRY —
ARMOUR 4
COMBAT PROFICIENCIES: Fangs 4 (6/18, Pierce), Webs 5 (—, Seize)
FELL ABILITIES: Hideous Toughness. When an attack inflicts damage to the creature that would cause it to go to zero Endurance, it causes a Piercing Blow instead. Then, if the creature is still alive, it returns to full Endurance.
Horrible Strength. If the creature hits and causes a Piercing Blow, spend 1 Hate to make the target’s Protection roll Ill-favoured.
Many Poisons. If an attack results in a Wound, the target is also poisoned (grievous Endurance loss; see The One Ring, page 134, for the effects of poison). Or choose one of the following:
- Victim is Miserable.
- Victim is Weary.
- Victim gains 1 Shadow (Dread).
- Victim suffers a bout of madness.
Seize Victim. On a successful attack roll, the thing holds on to the target — the victim can only fight in a Forward stance making Brawling attacks. Attackers may spend an icon to free the target (the target may free themselves).
Snake-like Speed. When targeted by an attack, spend 1 Hate to make the attack roll Ill-favoured.
Sweeping Stroke. Spend 1 icon to target all engaged adversaries: the same result is compared to the Parry of each target separately. Any additional Success icons can be spent on any target that was hit.
Thing of Terror. At the start of the first round of battle all Player-heroes in sight gain 3 Shadow points (Dread). Those who fail their Shadow test are daunted and cannot spend Hope for the rest of the fight.
Picture credit: Pixabay
