It’s now easier than ever to play Dungeons and Dragons in the world of Lord of the Rings. Free League Publishing’s Lord of the Rings Roleplaying book, which adapts the rules of DnD 5e to fit the world of Middle-Earth, is now available on Wizards of the Coast’s official online platform DnD Beyond.
Released in May 2023 as an adaptation of Francesco Nepitello’s The One Ring RPG, the game is set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, allowing players to adventure in a gradually darkening DnD setting, familiar, but not precisely the same as the one they know. The 240-page digital DnD book costs $29.99 right now, but this is a sale price, and soon it’ll go up to $39.99.
It’s notable that this is one of the biggest departures from base 5e to have been added to DnD Beyond since Wizards of the Coast began to include third party products on the platform. Lord of the Rings Roleplaying is built on the 5e system, but adds lots of extra rules like Fellowship points that enable advantage on particular rolls, new skills like Explore, Riddle, and Travel, as well as patrons (not Warlock patrons but famous sponsors for the party like Bilbo, Gandalf, or Tom Bombadil).
As far as we can tell, the game has not been adapted to DnD 2024 norms – judging by the way the new DnD races are presented – but is an identical digitized version of the book published last May.
Probably most excitingly for players, Lord of the Rings Roleplaying also adds six new DnD classes, or ‘callings’. I imagine one of the difficulties in bringing Lord of the Rings to DnD was the low-magic setting of Middle Earth, very different from the systemized or gamefied approach to sorcery in 5e, where casters have spell slots and magic items have charges. It’s worth warning you that in this game you can’t play Gandalf.
The classes are not just six different types of ‘dude with sword’ though. As well as Treasure Hunter, a take on the DnD Rogue, and Warden, which looks quite like the DnD Ranger, there’s also the Messenger, a nimble type who can zip around the battlefield distracting enemies, and the Scholar, who hands out Bardic Inspiration by offering sage bits of lore, and has non-magical healing powers.
With Lord of the Rings introducing six classes, plus the Illrigger from last week, that’s seven new classes Wizards has added to DnD Beyond in a fortnight.
For more Dungeons and Dragons content, check out our review of the new 2024 Player’s Handbook, or get strategic, with our guide to the best DnD 2024 feats.
Source: Wargamer
