Middle Earth Campaign Setting (4e Campaign Setting)/Campaigns

Campaigns

The road goes ever on and on, or so the saying goes, and the saying is highly relevant to the Middle Earth Campaign Setting. Middle Earth is a place that is full of adventuring opportunities, beyond even the stories of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

This chapter acts as a guide for a DM running a Middle Earth campaign, and should be considered supplementary to the information in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. The emphasis of this chapter is on how a Middle Earth campaign differs from a Dungeons and Dragons campaign.

When planning a campaign set in Middle Earth, you should first refer to the Dungeon Masters Guide and use this chapter where appropriate. You should also refer to the appendices in The Return of the King, as well as encyclopedias of Tolkien’s works. There is a timeline of the Third Age of the Sun in the Return of the King as well as information regarding the languages and races of Middle Earth, all of which should be useful in planning a campaign.

This chapter contains the following sections:

• The Setting of Middle Earth: This section presents advice for presenting the setting to the players.
• Campaign Arcs: This section presents an example campaign arc—a broad storyline that take characters from levels 1-20—as well as advice for starting new campaign arcs.
• Encounters: This section gives advice on building Middle Earth style encounters, putting emphasis on the use of large numbers of minions and re-flavoring core monsters.
• Southbrook: An example starting town for a campaign and a short sample adventure.

The Setting of Middle Earth

Page 150 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide suggests a set of “core assumptions” about the world. The Middle Earth Campaign Setting has its own set of assumptions that differ from the core assumptions.

The World is Ancient. Kingdoms such as Nargothrond, Gondolin, Arnor and Khazad Dum rose and have fallen, leaving ruins that are infested with the darkness that brought them down. Specters haunt crumbling castles and demons sleep in the deep places of the world. Kingdoms such as Rohan and Gondor control large stretches of Middle Earth, but most of Eriador and Rhovanion are wild and dangerous.

Monsters Lurk in the Dark. Most monsters are rare and terrifying, though orcs mass in huge numbers. Most of the dark creatures hide in the deep places of the world or gather in Mordor, but sometimes monsters will attack the civilized world.

Adventurers are Exceptional. Few in the world are capable of fighting monsters. Player characters are heroes and exemplars of the world, and though NPCs may have a class and gain levels, they do not necessarily advance as PCs do. Not everyone in the world has a class; an army is made up of warriors and soldiers, not fighters.

The Civilized Races are Estranged. Elves and dwarves may once have been allies but now they no longer fight side-by-side. Elves retreat away from Middle Earth, avoiding the troubles of Middle Earth, while dwarves remain in the mountains, seeking riches and Hobbits hide away from the world. Towns such as Bree and Laketown where members of different races congregate are rare, and are usually human settlements at the borders of dwarven and elven lands.

Magic is Rare and Mysterious. Few possess magical powers and abilities, and magic is rarely seen. Elves are adept at magic, and some humans can learn the art, but most do not understand magic and known little but rumor about it. Most only see magic when a wandering wizard travels through, and even then thy only see small cantrips and not full-blown magic.

The Valar are Distant. The Valar remain in the Undying Lands, and though they might rarely appear in Middle Earth, they never appear openly and usually act through the Maiar. The Valar are very powerful and cannot be killed by mortals, elves or Maiar, though they aren’t omnipotent or omniscient. The Valar are mysterious to mortals and are often called “gods”.

Running Middle Earth

Although Middle Earth is a detailed setting, you have a lot of leeway when portraying the setting. The map of Middle Earth is a large-scale map and doesn’t detail every square mile of land, so there is plenty of space for you place sites of your own creation. The most important thing is, of course, staying true to the spirit of the setting. For example, though Tolkien said nothing to the contrary, it would be incredibly ridiculous if Orcus the demon prince of the undead turned up in Mirkwood. However, it would be appropriate to use skeletons or zombies because undead appear frequently in Middle Earth.

One important thing to remember is that magic is less prevalent and more subtle than in other Dungeons and Dragons settings. Fantastical features such as floating islands do not appear in Middle Earth, and temples to the gods are rare, especially among humans and elves. Instead, abandoned cities glow with ghostly light and specters lie in wait in marshes.

Tiers of Play

You should consider the range of levels you run a Middle Earth campaign over. Heroic and paragon tiers are perhaps the most appropriate tiers for Middle Earth, as epic tier is too fantastical for Middle Earth. If you do decide to go into epic tier, remember not to get carried away. You could perhaps use a party of mostly martial characters or remove epic destinies to prevent the game going too over the top.

Campaign Arcs

This section contains an example campaign arc which you can use as a model for building your own campaign.

The Second Rise of Dol Gildur

The following campaign arc takes PCs through heroic and paragon tiers. The campaign arc concludes at the end of paragon tier because Middle Earth is better suited to heroic and paragon. This arc centers on the return of the undead to the fortress of the Necromancer in Mirkwood during the War of the Ring.

Heroic Tier: Gathering Shadows

The players could begin the campaign around the area of Laketown, or perhaps they could spend the first few levels of the campaign travelling there. While at Laketown the characters are introduced to a beautiful highborn elf lady who has recently moved in from Thranduil’s halls and has taken the role of ambassador between the Lonely Mountain, Laketown and Mirkwood. This meeting seems inconsequential to the PCs at first but will become all too important later.

During the early heroic tier, the party could perhaps become a scouting group for the town, and might get asked to perform tasks such as clearing part of Mirkwood of a spider infestation or dealing with orc or goblin raiders from the grey mountains, but as they progress, they start to encounter more and more of the undead, particularly in Mirkwood. When they become suspicious of Dol Guldur, the Laketown ambassador sends them on a diversionary quest, and they are ambushed.

Luckily for the characters, they are rescued by elves from Thranduil’s halls. When the ambassador is mentioned, the elves say that there is no elven ambassador, and that the Laketown ambassador is a human with a physical description remarkably similar to the ambassador the characters have met.

When the characters confront the ambassador, she flees, and soon after Laketown is attacked by a small force of goblins from the grey mountains. Once the attack has been beaten off, the characters travel to the grey mountains and find the goblin’s underground settlement, infested not just with goblins but also with undead. At the heart of their settlement resides the ambassador, who has taken on a more terrible form and seems to be in charge of the undead.

Paragon Tier: Shadow Falls

Although the characters do not know who the ambassador was for certain, she seems to have been some kind of Maiar demon, and there is the implication that she was from Dol Guldur. There is little time for the characters to contemplate on this, however, because shortly after her fall word reaches them that Lothlórien has been assailed by orcs and they are expecting a second attack shortly. The characters make their way to Lothlórien, and reach the forest just in time to aid its defense. The attack is lead by a ringwraith, who flees when its army is broken. After the attack is defeated, the characters spend some time beating back attacks from Dol Guldur and attacking groups of orcs and undead in Dol Guldur.

Eventually, the elves form groups of raiding parties, of which the characters are a part, and begin to attack the area around Dol Guldur itself. Occasionally, parties go missing, and ringwraiths are said to be involved. Eventually, the characters reach Dol Guldur itself and make their way into the depths of the fortress.

The tunnels under the fortress are extensive, and as the characters fight their way through they occasionally find the remains of other groups that have fallen. The characters are eventually forced to flee, but not before causing great loss to the army of Dol Guldur.

When the characters return to Lothlórien, the elves agree to attack the fortress in great numbers. Galadriel and Celeborn, the rulers of Lothlórien, lead the army, but the characters play a major role in the attack—they confront some of the most powerful and dangerous of the denizens of Dol Guldur, and then fight the three ringwraiths that command the forces of Dol Guldur in Sauron’s name.

Starting a New Campaign Arc

A good place to start a new campaign arc in Middle Earth is a historical event of the War of the Ring that is outside the scope of The Lord of the Rings, but that is by no means the only way. If you don’t wish to involve your group in the War of the Ring you should consider keeping things small-scale, or perhaps you could build your campaign around an earlier war such as the fall of Arnor.

Building Encounters

Battles in The Lord of the Rings have a distinctive structure; usually the heroes will fight against large numbers of orcs led by a chieftain or with a troll in tow. In the film adaptations of the books, heroes such as Aragorn and Gimli face not one orc alone but twenty or more.

More Minions

Minions are a perfect way to bulk out an encounter without making it hard to keep track. A party can face off against large numbers of minions without the fight becoming too difficult. The bulk of an orc encounter should be dominated by minions of different kinds—Chapter 6 contains a wide selection of minions for this very purpose. However, when using large numbers of minions, you should be careful not to make the encounter too easy or too hard; grouped minions are easy prey for controllers, and large numbers of minions can prove challenging for a party not prepared for them. Remember to spread minions out and consider revealing them in stages. Perhaps you could keep the party on their toes by splitting the party up with large numbers of foes—even grouped minions can be a challenge for a wizard to deal with if he doesn’t have a fighter to hide behind.

Tougher Monsters

Be sure not to use only minions in an encounter. Strikers tend not to do so well in fights involving a lot of monsters because they focus on quantity of damage rather than the number of attacks. A group of minions should always be led by a chieftain or warlock, or should perhaps have a troll in tow. Such monsters become the ideal target for rogues and rangers—while the rest of the party is fighting waves of minions, the party rogue attempts to ambush the troll before it causes too much devastation. You should avoid using too many normal monsters in a minion dominated encounter, however, because they will eat into your minion budget.

Encounter Mix

Large groups of minions can be fun—holding back the tide of orcs is just like in The Lord of the Rings books and films. However, too much of one kind of encounter can get dull, so you should mix things up a little. Use several conventional encounters—sans minions—and perhaps use a solo monster every now and then.

Using Core Monsters

Naturally, most of the monsters from the Monster Manual would be out of place in an encounter set in Middle Earth. There are no kobolds or beholders, for example. That doesn’t mean that you cannot use core Monsters, however. It is a simple matter for a kobold to become a goblin or an ogre to become a troll. Certain monsters, such as giants or cockatrices, could fit in as they are—Tolkien used traditional monsters as well as ones of his own invention, and running a Middle Earth campaign is more about remaining true to the spirit of the setting than the letter. You should alter the creature type using the section on creature origins in chapter 6.

Below is an example of the changes you could make to a re-flavor a succubus:

• Change the name to “Maia Temptress”.
• Change the origin and type to “Medium ainur humanoid”, and remove the devil keyword.
• Change the languages to “Common, Black speech”.
• Add the shed form power from the Maia racial traits.
• Alter the physical description. A Maia temptress should look like a Maia rather than a succubus—it should still look otherworldly, but make its features subtle.

The Town of Southbrook

Southbrook is a small town south of the South Downs and north of the eastward stretch of the Greenway, so named because of the small brook that flows through the town from the South Downs. Travelers and traders using the North-South road and the Greenway sometimes stay in Southbrook on their way to Bree or Rohan.

Southbrook is largely populated by humans, though there is also a small population of halflings. There is a small elven outpost in elf-wood to the north of Southbrook which is occasionally used by elves travelling west from Rivendell. Dwarven travelers are more often seen in Southbrook.

Southbrook

A small town built among ruins from the kingdom of Arnor.

Population: 600 or so, mostly human but with some halflings.

Government: The people elect a town council that oversees the town’s affairs.

Defense: The town is defended by a company of fifty warriors, who also serve as constables.

Inns and Taverns: Brookside Tavern, Underhill’s Inn

Supplies: Thrain’s Arms and Armor, Southbrook Apothecary, Southbrook Market, Southbrook Trading House.

Key Locations

1. Southbrook Hall

Southbrook hall is a large stone building which is used for public functions, though this usually means town council meetings. On occasion, important travelers might be allowed to stay in the hall; however the town council is not very good at noticing important visitors and only invite rich guests.

2. Brookside Tavern

The Brookside tavern has its back to the brook, though windows from the better rooms look out over the brook. The tavern is owned and run by Tom Barnaby, and has a wide range of customers, from hobbits to dwarves. The Brookside tavern is also an inn and has rooms of varying quality, with prices ranging from 1 to 5 sp per night.

Tom Barnaby: Tom is a fat, middle aged human with more gut than sense. His tongue is loose, and he will happily chat and gossip for hours if anyone will listen. He is also well versed in local legend and can thus provide hooks for adventures.

3. Underhill’s Inn

Underhill’s Inn is built for hobbits, and cannot house any of the “Big Folk”—unless a guest is happy to stoop. Rooms at Underhill’s are finer than those at the Brookside Tavern, and cost between 5 and 8 sp. The Inn is also a pub, though it only sells ale in half-pints. Several out-buildings surrounding the Inn act as stables for ponies—stabling a pony costs 2 sp per night.

Underhill: The Inn is owned by a hobbit that goes by his last name—Underhill. Underhill is cheerful, but keeps to himself.

4. Thrain’s Arms and Armor

Thrain’s Arms and Armor is an arms shop and blacksmiths that has in stock most of the weapons and armor in the Player’s Handbook, as well as several lower level magic items.

Thrain: The shop’s owner, Thrain, is an aged dwarf descended from refugees from Moria. He is a master craftsman, at least by human standards, and is even capable of crafting weak magic weapons and armor. Thrain is gruff, and prefers to talk about the weapons and armor he makes.

5. Southbrook Apothecary

The apothecary sells a variety of mundane cures picked up from Dúnedain rangers, as well as a few weak magical potions. The apothecary also sells mundane and weakly enchanted magical implements. Brom: Southbrook Apothecary is owned by Brom, a young human who has picked up some knowledge of herbs and healing from travelling rangers, though he has significant gaps in his knowledge and has no magical knowledge. He is likely to question anyone who appears to have knowledge of healing and is happy to provide the benefit of his (admittedly gappy) knowledge.

6. Southbrook Stables

A group of wooden buildings act as stables for horses and ponies. Stabling costs 2 sp per mount per day, and riding horses and ponies can be bought here.

7. Southbrook Market

This open street has no buildings on either side, and so locals and merchants use the street to set up market stands and stalls. Everything from food to weapons is available here, including a small selection of enchanted items of questionable origin.

8. Southbrook Trading House

The Southbrook Trading House sells a variety of mundane items and foods. The Trading House is perhaps the most reliable way to find mundane adventuring equipment from the Player’s Handbook, as well as foods.

Jen: The Trading House is owned by Jen, a young human who inherited the business from her father, who died in an orc raid.

9. Southbrook Barracks

This building acts as headquarters and barracks for the town guard and constables. At any one time there are roughly fifty warriors housed within the Barracks.

Captain John: The captain of the town guard is middle-aged, but inexperienced. Though he is capable of punishing small transgressions, he is unable to defend the town from even small-scale attacks.

10. Elf-Wood

“Elf-Wood” is the common name for the small wood to the north of Southbrook. It is so-called because there are rumors of elves wandering under the tree-boughs; these rumors are only partially exaggerated. The people of Southbrook are somewhat suspicious of elves and magic, and avoid the wood. The wood is sometimes used as a rest point for elves travelling to the sea, and has wooden platforms and bowers concealed in the tree-boughs.

Involving the Players

When starting a new campaign, it’s a good idea to have characters grounded in the setting. It is easy to bring characters of all races and classes to Eriador, which is why this example settlement is set in Eriador. Both humans and hobbits reside in the area, with elves residing in nearby Rivendell. There are references in The Lord of the Rings to dwarven travelers wandering around Eriador, and the Maiar are also wanderers that can turn up just about anywhere. Finally, half-orcs hail from Dunland, and it is not altogether unreasonable for one to leave Dunland and wander around Eriador before turning up in Southbrook.

The Barrow

The Barrow was once the burial place of an ancient king of Arnor. It is in the South Downs, roughly twenty miles north of Southbrook. However, The Barrow is being used by goblins as a day-time bolt-hole. At night, the goblins often raid Southbrook, leading the town council of Southbrook to put a bounty on the goblins. Unbeknownst to the people of Southbrook, the nameless king of Arnor has risen as a Barrow-Wight, and has brought other undead to the barrow.

Hook: Goblin Bounty

The player characters are hired by the town council to deal with the goblin raiders. The council promises a bounty of 10 gp per goblin head and an extra 100 gp for proof that the barrow has been cleared out, such as the bones or crown of the king. When the characters return, they might be able to persuade the council to offer them extra money for the undead that they destroy. Quest XP: 500 XP for bringing proof to the council that The Barrow has been completely cleared out.

Player’s Introduction

When the PCs decide to explore the barrow, read or paraphrase the following to the players:

You travel 20 miles north from Southbrook, past Elf-Wood and into the South Downs. Among the hills of the South Downs, shrouded in mist is The Barrow. A stone slab blocks the entrance that leads down into the depths.

DM’s Introduction

“The Barrow” is a simple adventure for five 1st level players that can act as a starting point for a Middle Earth campaign. The adventure simply consists of five encounters strung together that is intended to help you start DMing a Middle Earth campaign or provide example encounters.

Treasure

This adventure does not contain treasure; this is so that you can easily include treasure suitable for your characters—simply add treasure from the treasure parcels in the Dungeon Masters Guide.

Area 1. Entrance Chamber

Encounter Level 2 (675 XP)

Setup

This area is being used as a guard chamber by the goblins. Rubble and fallen pillars act as cover for goblin archers, while a rough pit slows intruders.

This area includes the following creatures:

• 10 goblin Snaga (S)
• 4 goblin archers (A)
• 4 goblin warriors (W)
• 1 goblin hexer (H)

As the adventurers enter this chamber, read:

The stairs lead down to a huge chamber, roughly 50 feet wide and 80 feet long. A jagged pit is at the bottom of the stairs, and rubble and broken pillars heaped against the far wall. The chamber is nothing short of infested with goblins, which scream and call in their own language.

Features of the Area

Pit: The pit is 10 feet deep. The goblins removed shattered paving slabs and dug down underneath to slow intruders. Characters that fall into the pit won’t take falling damage, but they will have to climb out (DC 15).

Rubble: The rubble is difficult terrain, but it also provides cover due to the size of the pillars.

Tactics

The archers and the hexer remain within the rubble to take advantage of the cover it provides, while the other goblins try to lure the characters further into the room, before splitting them up and surrounding them.

Area 2. Burial Chamber

Encounter Level 1 (500 XP)

Setup

This area was originally a secondary burial chamber intended for the relatives of the king. The coffins could easily contain treasure or a magic item. This area includes the following creatures:

• 4 goblin Snaga (S)
• 4 giant rats (G)
• 4 decrepit skeletons (D)
• 1 goblin blackblade (B)
• 1 Dire Rat (R)

As the adventurers enter this chamber, read:

A set of stairs leads into a second, smaller chamber with four open coffins in centre, containing the skeletal remains of four humans. Rats scurry around the floor, feeding on the scraps left by the goblins. There are fewer goblins in this chamber, but they seem just as eager to attack.

Features of the Area

Statues: The three statues block out line of sight. They are 10 feet tall, and a character can climb them with a DC 15 athletics check.

Tactics

The zombie rotters and skeleton hide behind the statues until the characters move past them, while the goblin Snaga attempt to lure the characters deeper into the room in order to set up a flanking position with the undead.

Area 3. Antechamber

Encounter Level 2 (675 XP)

Setup

This area was once a treasure chamber outside of the main burial chamber, but it is now used as a guard room for the wight. The wight has provided the guards with a magic circle to protect them and has a spell cast on the room that alerts him if the guards are attacked. This area includes the following creatures:

• 4 decrepit skeletons (D)
• 2 goblin Snaga (S)
• 1 corruption corpse (C)
• 1 goblin underboss (U)

As the adventurers enter this chamber, read:

Another crude pit like the one in the entrance chamber has been dug in front of the entrance to this chamber. A magic circle of tengwar markings glows faintly in the centre, and the fetid stench of rotting flesh is thick in the air, worse than in the previous chamber.

Features of the Area

Pit: The pit is 10 feet deep. The goblins removed shattered paving slabs and dug down underneath to slow intruders. Characters that fall into the pit won’t take falling damage, but they will have to climb out (DC 15).

Magic Circle: The magic circle glows slightly, providing dim illumination with a radius of two squares (not including the squares occupied by the circle). Creatures within the circle gain a +2 power bonus to AC and attack rolls.

Tactics

The zombie corruption corpse remains within the circle, while the goblin underboss leads the skeletons and goblins to split up and attempt to surround the characters. The goblin Snaga hide inside the pit and climb out when the party are in position to be flanked.

Area 4. Antechamber

Encounter Level 2 (675 XP)

Setup

This area was once a treasure chamber outside of the main burial chamber, but it is now used as a guard room for the wight. The wight has provided the guards with a magic circle to protect them and has a spell cast on the room that alerts him if the guards are attacked.

This area includes the following creatures:

• 4 decrepit skeletons (D)
• 2 goblin Snaga (S)
• 1 corruption corpse (C)
• 1 goblin underboss (U)

As the adventurers enter this chamber, read:

Another crude pit like the one in the entrance chamber has been dug in front of the entrance to this chamber. A magic circle of tengwar markings glows faintly in the centre, and the fetid stench of rotting flesh is thick in the air, worse than in the previous chamber.

Features of the Area

Pit: The pit is 10 feet deep. The goblins removed shattered paving slabs and dug down underneath to slow intruders. Characters that fall into the pit won’t take falling damage, but they will have to climb out (DC 15).

Magic Circle: The magic circle glows slightly, providing dim illumination with a radius of two squares (not including the squares occupied by the circle). Creatures within the circle gain a +2 power bonus to AC and attack rolls.

Tactics

The zombie corruption corpse remains within the circle, while the goblin underboss leads the skeletons and goblins to split up and attempt to surround the characters. The goblin Snaga hide inside the pit and climb out when the party are in position to be flanked.

Area 5. Main Burial Chamber

Encounter Level 4 (875 XP)

Setup

A former king of Arnor was once buried in this chamber, but now he has become a barrow-wight and here he resides with his minions. Before the characters arrive, the goblin scouts are informing the wight their discoveries. If the characters defeated the enemies in the previous area in less than 3 rounds, they will catch the wight by surprise and may be able to hear some of what the goblins say—otherwise the guards will be able to alert the wight about the presence of intruders.

This area includes the following creatures:

• 8 decrepit skeletons (D)
• 4 goblin scouts (S)
• 4 mewlips (M)
• 1 cave troll (T)
• 1 Barrow-Wight (W)

As the adventurers enter this chamber, read:

This chamber is dominated by an altar on a raised platform. A stone statue towers over the altar. A coffin which may have once rested on the altar lies before it. A spectral creature stands before the altar, and when it sees you, it screams for its allies to attack.

Features of the Area

Pit: The pit is 10 feet deep. The goblins removed shattered paving slabs and dug down underneath to slow intruders. Characters that fall into the pit won’t take falling damage, but they will have to climb out (DC 15).

Rubble: The rubble is difficult terrain, but unlike the rubble in area 1, it does not provide cover.

Coffins: The coffin provides cover, and contains the remains and crown of the king. Statues: The statue block out line of sight. It is 10 feet tall, and a character can climb it with a DC 15 athletics check.

Platform and Altar: The platform if 2 feet tall (making the statue 12 feet above the ground). Any treasure in the area rests upon the altar. Consider placing a magic weapon on the altar to help the party defeat the wight.

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