Terra System’s Rhûn

This section details how to play Shadows of Rhûn, a The One Ring inspired Play by Post RPG using a forked version of the Terran Engine v0.6.2. The Terran Engine is self contained in this section, and will not require reading the SRD separately.

Taxonomy

“You”/”Your” are used to refer to players and their characters, interchangeably.
“Challenge” is used to represent anything that is antagonistic to you, be that an NPC, the environment, etc.
Meta game concepts, stats and currencies are marked in italic.
Book references are marked in code, they might be accompanied by page ranges.

Books

Reference	Book and closed link
`ToR`	The One Ring

Characters

With the other players, define a cohesive group concept.
Always start with a Name and Archetype.
Roll for Attributes and assign points.
Roll for Grit and Ego.
Choose your Race and an Advancement.
Make an image.

A text version of the character sheet is available here.

Archetypes

You are defined by an Archetype, which encapsulates your Calling to adventure`. Each Archetype should offer an immediate grasp of your identity and behaviours. It is expected you will evolve beyond these initial Archetypes towards unique narratives.

d6	Archetype	Description `ToR 44-46`	Favourite Attributes
$1$	Captain	Lead with trust to save the world from ruin	Exertion, Influence
$2$	Champion	Conquer the Shadow with strength, battling foes head-on	Exertion, Finesse
$3$	Messenger	Warn the Free Peoples against the coming danger	Intuition, Reason
$4$	Scholar	Knowledge turns fear into curiosity, guiding you and others	Reason, Psyche
$5$	Tresure Hunter	Recover lost treasures, braving dangers and fell beasts	Finesse, Intuition
$6$	Warden	Defend the defenseless, even if it means being feared	Psyche, Influence

Optionally you can expand your Archetype with $2$ Aspects.

d6	d6	Aspect	Description `ToR 67-68`
$1:2$	$1$	Bold	You trust your capabilities to the point that you readily place yourself in danger.
$1:2$	$2$	Cunning	Your wit is sharp, and you are ready to use it to your advantage.
$1:2$	$3$	Eager	You are filled with excitement and impatience when an endeavour piques your interest.
$1:2$	$4$	Faithful	You are steadfastly devoted to those ideals or individuals you have chosen to follow.
$1:2$	$5$	Fair	You are considered attractive by most people, even by those not belonging to your folk.
$1:2$	$6$	Fair-spoken	Your speech and manners are naturally pleasant and respectful, and your words rarely provoke offence.
$3:4$	$1$	Fierce	When provoked, or when you deem it necessary, you may allow your savage side to emerge.
$3:4$	$2$	Generous	You give with open hands and heart, always mindful of the needs of others.
$3:4$	$3$	Honourable	You believe in acting fairly and doing what is morally right.
$3:4$	$4$	Inquisitive	Your curious nature is easily aroused, often by what is often not your concern.
$3:4$	$5$	Keen-eyed	The keenness of your eyesight surpasses that of most folk.
$3:4$	$6$	Lordly	Your dignified bearing arouses feelings of reverence and respect in onlookers.
$5:6$	$1$	Merry	Your spirit is not easily discouraged, and you can find light in the darkest of shadows.
$5:6$	$2$	Patient	You are slow to lose your temper and can suffer fools, delays, or even hardship without complaint.
$5:6$	$3$	Proud	You hold your feats and achievements, or those of your people, in high esteem.
$5:6$	$4$	Rustic	Your ways are simple, some might say even uncouth.
$5:6$	$5$	Secretive	You do not easily share your thoughts and prefer to conceal your intentions.
$5:6$	$6$	Stern	You possess a severe nature and express it in your behaviour, body language, and speech.

Attributes

There are $6$ Attributes that you can use to overcome obstacles.

Intuition: track targets, understand creatures, care, survive.
Reason: concentrate, think abstractly, build knowledge.
Finesse: dextrous manipulation, precision, subtle misdirection.
Exertion: apply physical force and power, melee.
Psyche: get in the flow and tune the arcane or technology.
Influence: compel obedience, socialise, influence.

Each Attribute has a rating (from $0$ to $4$) that determine how many Light Dice to roll when performing Risky Actions. On the character sheet, their ratings are read horizontally.

Saves are groupings of two Attributes each.

Evasion groups Intuition and Reason.
Fortitude groups Finesse and Exertion.
Resolve groups Psyche and Influence

Saves also have ratings (from $0$ to $2$) that determine how many dice to roll in a Reaction situation. On the character sheet, their ratings are read vertically.

Determine Attributes

For each Save grouping (Insight, Prowess, and Resolve) roll $1d$ and consult the table below to determine how many Attribute points you have to distribute for each.

	$1:3$	$4:5$	$6$
Attribute points	$1$	$2$	$3$

Finally, choose a Favourite Attribute from your Archetype and assign it an additional point.

In certain conditions, you might permanently lose Attribute points, this is discussed in other sections.

Example: Scuff’s Attributes

Scuff has an Attunement Attribute rating of $3$ (read horizontally). They roll $3d$ when performing a Risky Action related to Attunement. They also have Influence $0$ (horizontally), so they roll $0d$ (i.e. no chance if no advantage is found). If their Resolve is challenged, they may roll a Reaction with $1d$, based on their Resolve Save rating (read vertically).

Grit & Ego

“It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward” (Rocky Balboa)

While Grit represents your disposition, Ego represents your resilience to keep pushing. Roll $1d$ to determine your Grit and Ego. Advancements and conditions may change the number of dice you roll.

Trauma

You lose Grit when you are harmed. When your Grit reaches $0$ you start marking Trauma tracks. You have $3$ Trauma tracks: Stressed ($-1d$ Insight), Broken ($-1d$ Prowess) and Weary ($-1d$ Resolve). When all three Wound tracks are marked, you become Mortally Wounded.

While Mortally Wounded you cannot gather Light Die for your Risky Actions. You will die instantly if harmed further, or in minutes if not attended to. If you survive being Mortally Wounded, you develop a Malaise. Roll $1d$ and consult the table below. With the GM, describe it narratively.

	Malaises
$1$	No Malaise.
$2$	$-1$ Prowess, you die if it goes below $0d$.
$3$	$-1$ Insight, you die if it goes below $0d$.
$4$	$-1$ Resolve, you die if it goes below $0d$.
$5$	When you re-roll your Ego, use $-1d$ from now on. You die if it goes below $0d$.
$6$	Re-roll your Grit with $-1d$ from now on. You die if it goes below $0d$.

After a well fed and rested night, you roll and reset your Grit ($1d$). If you did not rest well you have $-1d$ to roll for Grit. Each Wound track recovers through appropriate care and a week’s rest. A Malaise never recovers.

Pushing yourself

You spend Ego when you call upon the Ainulindale and push beyond yourself in Risky Actions. However, if your Ego ever reaches $0$ you are lost to the Shadow. With the GM determine how your last scene goes.

You can re-roll your Ego die ($1d$) anytime you want to reset your Ego. Doing so causes Dissonance in the Ainulindale and brings you close to the Shadow. For that you gain a Condition. With the GM, determine the mechanical effects and how to introduce your Condition into the narrative.

Example: Scuff’s scuffs

Scuff has $1d$ for both Grit and Ego (usual for early characters). They have seen some harm, having lost $3$ Grit (from $5$ to $2$) and taken a Hazed wound. This means that any time they roll related to Insight (Intuition or Reason for Risky Actions, or Evasion Reaction), they take $-1d$.

Scuff also risked their Ego a few times, and took a Condition to reset it (from 2 to 4). Finally, they have gotten a malaise at some point, having reduced their Exertion Attribute rating because of a weakened lower back.

Advancements

As you become more seasoned, you gain Advancements. Some Advancements are only available to specific races. Choose your Race. You start the game with $1$ Advancement.

For every session you play (and survive) you gain $+2$ Experience. You also gain $+1$ Experience for each new Condition you develop.

Whenever it is narratively coherent, you may spend Experience equal to $2\times$ your current number of Advancements to gain a new one.

Advancement (Race)	Description `ToR 80-89`
Confidence	When Weary you do not take the penalty of $-1d$.
Hardiness	When Broken you do not take the penalty of $-1d$.
Mastery	When Hazed you do not take the penalty of $-1d$.
Dour-Handed	In melee combat, when you are successful, select an additional die as a second effect.
Nimbleness	When you roll, your Effect is always applied first.
Prowess	Gain $1$ in an Attribute. The maximum you can have in all Attributes together is $10$.
Cram (Men)	You and your friends do not take $-1d$ when rolling for Grit while poorly fed.
Dragon-Slayer (Men) Gleam of Wrath (Elves) Small Folk (Hobbits)	$+1d$ when fighting enemies of Challenge $3d +$
Dwarf-Friend (Men)	Dwarves are always considered to be friendlier towards you ($+1d$)
Fierce Shot (Men) Deadly Archery (Elves) Sure at the Mark (Hobbits)	$+2d$ when shooting an unaware rival.
High Destiny (Men) Stone Hard (Dwarves) Tough as Old Tree-Roots (Hobbits) Endurance of the Ranger (Númenóreans)	When you reset your Grit, roll $+1d$ and sum all the dice you rolled.
The Language of the Birds (Men)	Roll Psyche to speak with birds.
Baruk Khazâd! (Dwarves) Desperate Courage (Men) Brave at a Pitch (Hobbits)	$+1d$ whenever you roll a Resolve Save.
Dark for Dark Business (Dwarves)	You have $+1d$ on noticing things in the dark.
Durin’s Way (Dwarves)	When unarmoured, your Armour is $1$.
Untameable Spirit (Dwarves) Elbereth Gilthoniel! (Elves) Defiance (Men)	$+1d$ whenever you roll a Fortitude Save.
Against the Unseen (Elves) Bree-Pony (Men) Strength of Will (Númenóreans)	When you reset your Ego, roll $+1d$ and keep the highest.
Elvish Dreams (Elves)	You do not need to sleep, and don’t take $-1d$ when rolling for Grit while poorly rested.
Memory of Ancient Days (Elves) Ways of the Wild (Númenóreans)	$+1e$ when journeying.
Art of Smoke (Men)	If you have pipe weed, you don’t take $-1d$ when rolling for Grit while poorly rested.
Art of Disappearing (Hobbits)	$+1d$ when trying to hide.
Three is Company (Hobbits)	$+1d$ whenever you roll an Evasion Save.
Royalty Revealed (Númenóreans)	You can choose to take damage instead of one of your allies.
Friendly and Familiar (Men)	You automatically succeed acquiring non-combatant henchmen in a community.

Conditions

When you fail to resist the Shadow’s influence for the first time you choose or roll a Shadow Path. Then, for each new Condition you acquire you progress in your Shadow Path. With the GM, define the mechanical impact of each Condition. If you gain a new Condition after having reached Condition #4, you are lost to the Shadow.

d6	Shadow Path `ToR 141-142`	Common with
$1$	Curse of Vengance	Champion
$2$	Dragon-Sickness	Treasure Hunter
$3$	Lure of Power	Captain
$4$	Lure of Secrets	Scholar
$5$	Path of Despair	Warden
$6$	Wandering Madness	Messenger

Curse of Vengeance

Individuals who live by the sword are ever tempted to draw it, either literally or figuratively, when their will is thwarted or when they deem their honour to have been impugned by an insult. As corruption spreads in their spirit, their behaviour worsens, leading to more extreme violent reactions.

#1 Spiteful: You often repay real or imagined wrongs with vicious rudeness. Depending on the provocation, you may simply be very impolite, or downright insulting.
#2 Brutal: You react violently to provocations and show little restraint under most circumstances.
#3 Cruel: You don’t care if your actions cause pain and suffering to others, and are needlessly savage with your enemies.
#4 Murderous: You become Murderous when you start to consider killing as a perfectly natural way to achieve a goal or simply to make things go your way.

Dragon-Sickness

Adventurers who find themselves on the Road to seek lost riches run the risk of catching the age-old disease capable of turning a pile of enchanted gold into bitter ashes. As the Shadow tightens its grip on their hearts, the world shrinks around them and their closely guarded possessions.

#1 Grasping: If you become Grasping, you seek to accumulate gold and precious items above all else, just for the sake of possessing them.
#2 Mistrustful: When your prized possessions start to weigh you down and become a treasure to be guarded, even the good advice of friends appears to mask dubious intentions.
#3 Deceitful: You feel no shame in misleading others with lies and stratagems, as long as your machinations further your ends and corrupted needs.
#4 Thieving: You have discovered that anything you desire can be yours — you just have to take it. You have earned the right to take all you want when you sacrificed the love of your peers and your own self-respect.

Lure of Power

When individuals are given a position of authority, either by rank, lineage, or stature, they may end up mistaking their own aggrandisement for the greater good of the people they should be guiding or keeping safe. Power is the quintessential temptation, and provides the Shadow with an easy way to win the hearts of those who desire it.

#1 Resentful: You risk becoming bitter and angry with the people you ought to lead. You often feel that you risk your life for individuals that fail to see the wisdom of your words.
#2 Arrogant: You don’t miss an opportunity to underline your own importance, often belittling your peers and companions.
#3 Overconfident: Overconfidence denotes overweening pride, a sentiment that blinds you to your own limits and weaknesses. You endeavour to do anything you set your mind upon, regardless of the consequences that might befall others.
#4 Tyrannical: You escalate your actions and desires to the level of a just cause. Your disregard for the lives of others is so profound that you go to any lengths to achieve your ends, regardless of the cost or methods employed to accomplish them. Any dissenting opinion is considered as utter betrayal.

Lure of Secrets

Inquisitiveness and curiosity are desirable virtues in an individual, but knowledge can be put to malicious use, and learned individuals can look down on others as ignorant fools. Secrets are dangerous, as the very desire of uncovering them may corrupt the heart.

#1 Haughty: You don’t recognise easily the wisdom found in the words and actions of others, and tend to turn aside all advice and offers of help.
#2 Scornful: You treat the propositions of others with disdain, making use of every opportunity to mock them for their presumed inadequacy.
#3 Scheming: You keep your thoughts and intentions to yourself at all times, never giving advice and heeding only your own judgement. You might sometimes agree with the propositions of others, but only to be free to follow your own choices later.
#4 Traitorous: When you become Traitorous you cannot be trusted to keep your word. You are ready to betray your own friends and allies, if it would turn to your advantage.

Path of Despair

Self-doubt is often the way that the Shadow chooses to reach the heart of those who oppose it. For they know that the Enemy is strong and terrible and that those they protect are too naive or weak to fend for themselves. Every day they ask themselves: will my strength be enough to prevail, or will I drag down the innocent in defeat?

#1 Troubled: You feel a sense of disquiet that makes it hard for you to read a situation clearly and offer counsel to others.
#2 Wavering: Caution can be the enemy of action, and when you become Wavering you cannot set your mind upon a choice quickly and effectively. You vacillate between the various options you see before you.
#3 Guilt-ridden: The curse of those who defend others is to feel remorse when their actions go amiss, pushing you to refuse any daring course of action.
#4 Fearful: When you become Fearful you are so beset by worries and concerns that you cannot force yourself to risk doing anything that will potentially endanger yourself and those you care for.

Wandering Madness

Travelling afar might be the duty chosen by a messenger, but it carries the risk of never finding a place to fight for. The Road goes ever on and on, it’s true, but whither then?

#1 Idle: It takes a lot to stir Idle adventurers into action. You are easily distracted, and must be cajoled to fully participate in endeavours.
#2 Forgetful: Being Forgetful indicates that you are often daydreaming and absent-minded, and find it difficult to remember even important things.
#3 Uncaring: When you become Uncaring you lose touch with the world outside of yourself. You can’t bring yourself to feel compassion, and quickly lose interest in matters that do not concern you directly.
#4 Cowardly: You care only for your own safety under any circumstances, and will go to any lengths to save yourself when a threat arises.

Equipment

The following is a list of equipment tags.

Tag	Description
$-1d$	Improvised
$-1e$	Inefective: Disadvataged Effect is applied.
$\emptyset$	Base: No modifications.
$+1e$	Effective: Advantaged Effect is applied.

The table below contains example weapons, and may be expanded with the GM. For ranges, use what is narratively appropriate.

Tags	Melee Examples	Ranged Examples
$-1d$	Unarmed	Throwing Objects
$-1e$	Dagger, Sword	Short Spear, Bow
$\emptyset$	Club, Long Sword, Axe	Great Spear, Great Bow
$+1e$	Long/Great Axe, Mattock

Armours act as buffers when you take damage from Challenges. Subtract the armour modifier from the Effect before reducing your Grit

Armour	Modifier	Details
Leather	$-1e$
Mail	$-2e$	$-1d$ to run, observe, sneak, swim, etc.
Shield	$-1e$	Can be sacrificed to completely avoid an Effect.

Rules

Risky Actions

When you are trying your chances at a Risky Action, say what you intend to do. With the GM determine your appropriate Attribute or Save. Then gather 6-sided dice.

	Dice Pool
	Take a number of Light Dice equal to your applicable Attribute or Save. Relevant Advancements / Conditions may give you $\pm 1d$. You must always roll between $0d$ and $4d$ Light Dice.
	Take as many Dark Dice as you wish to risk Ego for pushing yourself for a success. For each Dark Die that rolls equal or lower than your current Ego, decrease your Ego in one.

Roll the dice and choose one die to be your Precision (generally the highest, but you might choose differently if you wish) and consult the table.

	Outcome
$1:3$	You Fail, and things get worse. With the GM describe the consequences. The GM may also allow you to succeed, but things will get worse in some other way.
$4:5$	You Succeed, but there’s some consequences. If applying Effects, they are halved. With the GM describe the complication and how you succeed.
$6$	You Succeed. With the GM describe what happens.

Risky Actions may be used when you are working on something time consuming. This favours pacing of the game.

Challenges

Sometimes, multiple actions are required to overcome Challenges. Examples of Challenges are

fighting an enemy,
duelling rhetorically,
negotiating an environment,
crawling a location,
journeying.

Effects {-}

Effects determines the quantitative result of your Risky Actions towards overcoming Challenges. Examples of Effects are:

Damage given,
Convincing done,
Distance covered,
Weakness learned.

When you roll your Risky Actions, choose one die to be your Effect (generally the second highest, if the highest was used as Precision). The Effect die is an exploding die (i.e. if the result is a $6$, keep rolling and accumulating the result). The Effect is modified depending on the approach you take. Your Effect is subtracted from the Challenge Disposition.

Tiers {-}

Challenges are divided in Tiers, which define how much Effect they take to be overcame (Disposition), and how many Effect dice they use (Dice).

	Tier	Examples
Trivial	$1$ $d/2$	Unskilled adversaries, low height climb, known journey
Dangerous	$5$ $1d$	Skilled adversaries, small predator, large prey, troublesome journey
Serious	$10$ $2d$	Expert adversaries, large predator, traverse fire or acid
Formidable	$15$ $3d$	Human prime, apex predator, climbing the Everest
Exceptional	$20+$ $4d+$	Transhuman, often fatal environments, heroic journeys

Some challenges might be multifaceted. A bulky rival might be a Dangerous Challenge to fight against, but a Trivial Challenge to be convinced to ignore you.

When Challenge Effects are applied to you narratively, use the table.

	Consequence
$1:3$	Something annoying happens. An uncertain encounter.
$4:5$	Something troublesome happens. An unfriendly encounter.
$6+$	Something devastating happens. A hostile encounter.
$12+$	$6+$ and immediately harmful. A hostile and violent encounter

When Challenge Effects are applied to you as damage your Grit might be reduced. Subtract the armour rating from the Effect, and then reduce the remainder from your Grit.

When you reduce a Challenge’s Disposition to $0$, you have defeated it for now. If the Challenge is sentient, and has a choice, the GM might roll its Dice and consult the Morale table below.

	Morale
$1:3$	They give up.
$4:5$	They push through, with a lower Tier. Reset its Disposition and Dice to the new Tier.
$6+$	They continue with the original Tier. Reset its Disposition.

Consequences {-}

The following is a non-exhaustive list of consequences.

Advance trouble
Reveal an unwelcome truth
Ask a provocative question
Put someone on a spot, worsen position or stress
Use up their resources
Remove a safety net, cut supply or connection
Remove a sense
Hurt someone, directly or collateral
Separate them
Capture someone
Turn their action back on them
Demonstrate a downside
Expose a secret
Offer an opportunity (with a tough choice)
Tell them the consequences (e.g. create a witness)
Advance a countdown, progress a new challenge
Increase risk (roll morale)
Exploit someone’s flaw
Change the environment
Provide a choice of paths
Bar the way, make them go backward
Hint at more than meets the eye
Present a discovery
Point to a looming danger
Introduce person, faction, danger
Offer riches at a price

Fortune die

When the GM wants to leave some decision to the dice, determine the chances and roll $1d$.

Heirs

If you have an heir that is known to your company, you can choose any moment as your last scene. When you do that, choose a song and then re-roll your Ego and Grit, keeping the highest values. For this scene, you only expend Ego if you roll a $1$ on Dark Dice. By the end of the scene, you have to figure out how you depart (death, madness, mission, etc.). Your heir can now be part of your company, and starts with half (rounded up) the number of Advancements you previously had.

GMing