Hobbits

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style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">“In
a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”

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Those words, scribbled by J.R.R. Tolkien while correcting papers as a
university professor, sparked the beginnings of the epic stories that
have arguably become the most beloved and widely-known fantasy fiction
of all time--The Hobbit, and style="font-style: italic;">The Lord of the Rings trilogy. When
we celebrate Tolkien’s works, we undoubtedly have the diminutive hobbit
to thank for it.



Hobbits are more closely related to men than either dwarves or elves.
They are short and stout, standing between 2 and 4 feet tall, with an
average height of 3 feet, 6 inches. Their ears are slightly pointed.
The soles of Hobbit feet are tough and leathery, and the tops are
generally covered with thick, curly brown hair, just like the hair on
their heads. Hobbits have longer life spans than men, living to between
100-130 years of age. Unlike men, who come of age at 21, hobbits come
of age at 33.



src="http://lotro.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album02/hobbit_burglar.gif"
style="width: 165px; height: 250px;" align="left" hspace="2" vspace="2">By
trade, hobbits are often farmers and merchants. Hobbits live a rustic
lifestyle of comfort and leisure. They enjoy ale, and like to
socialize. When they can get them, hobbits enjoy at least 6 meals a
day: breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, lunch, tea, and supper.
They are homebodies, not generally prone to travel or adventure,
although some races of hobbits are more adventurous than others. Most
hobbits live in holes in the earth called style="font-style: italic;">smials. Hobbit holes are not dark
and cold, but warm and inviting.



Other races of Middle-earth sometimes refer to hobbits as halflings;
however, hobbits find the term slightly offensive, believing that they
are not half of anything.



The Tolkien estate owns the trademark to the hobbit name, which is why
you’ll often see hobbit-like races described as halflings in other
fantasy games and stories.

There are few recorded deeds of Hobbits until late in the Third Age of Middle-earth which is just the way Hobbits prefer. There are a simple, quiet folk, preferring to dwell in hillside holes in and around the land known as the Shire. These small folk enjoy the peaceful endeavors of farming, eating and gift-giving, rather than concerning themselves with the dangerous affairs of the rest of Middle-earth. In these dark days however, it is the unassuming Hobbits with their often surprising cleverness in both word and action, who will have the greatest impact in the war between the Free Peoples of Middle-earth and the lengthing shadows of evil... from Angmar, to the north.

Source: Wikipedia and the Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar Game Manual

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Nationalities:

Hobbits, although they are all tiny usually heavy creatures, living underground, there are different types. Other than a title, your origin bears little on your character. If you do recognize these names, this will be a nice touch the game adds to roleplay and character customization.

Lovers of trees and woodlands, the Fallohides were the first hobbits to come to the Shire. They generally tend to be fairer of skin and hair, as well as taller and more slender. The Harfoots are the most prodigious hole-dwellers and were the first to cross west into Eriador. They generally tend to be browner of skin than the other kindreds, as well as smaller and shorter. The Stoors were the last of the hobbit kindreds to come to the Shire, settling in the eastern marshlands that became known as the Marish. They generally tend to be heavier and broader of build than the other kindreds

 

style="font-weight: bold;">Classes

Hobbits are nimble, intelligent creatures apt at roles requiring such attributes. A Hobbit can fill the following roles:

Burglar - A stealthy trickster, the Burglar can dart in and out of the shadows to befuddle, weaken, or damage foes. An unexpected strike from behind by a burglar can stun or trip enemies, allowing others in his party to combine their efforts for a devastating attack. Unassuming on his own, a burglar would be wise to not be caught alone.

The Burglar is the class of choice for players that enjoy using cunning and tricks to defeat their opponents. Using concealment, a Burglar can strike from the shadows, taking his opponents unawares. With his wit, a Burglar can show his allies where a foe's weakness lies -- or trap someone in a riddle. A Burglar's combat style hinges on his ability to outmaneuver and outwit opponents while hitting them where it hurts.

Guardian - A doughty fighter and protector of the weak, a skilled Guardian can face even the toughest foes and survive. The Guardian is one of the few classes willing and able to try to draw more blows onto themselves, so they can retaliate with devastating maneuvers in response.

The Guardian is the class of choice for players that enjoy drawing the attention of their foes in combat and taking advantage of their missteps. Masters of the defensive arts, Guardians use taxing attacks and irksome taunts to draw and hold opponents' attention, relying on their shield and weapon to turn aside incoming attacks with blocks and parries. A Guardian's combat style depends on creating openings during an opponent's attack to provide the opportunity for their own counter attack.

Hunter - Woodsman, pathfinder, and master of the bow, the keen-eyed Hunter can use his arrows to devastating effect from a distance. Archery is not the only thing the Hunter excels at, for he can lead his companions through the forest at greater speed than they could on their own, and can set up traps to ambush enemies. The archer is no close-quarters fighter, however, and would generally rather let his bow do the work than resort to his sword.

The Hunter is the class of choice for players who enjoy striking a target at range. Clever by nature, the Hunter is known to lure his targets into traps to hinder them, giving him time to use his bow to deadly effect. A Hunter's knowledge of nature also provides skills that help him and his fellows survive in the wild. A Hunter's combat style depends on the ability to injure a foe while staying out of harm's way.

Minstrel - With song and tale, a Minstrel brings hope to places thick with gloom. She can inspire those with desperate minds and heavy hearts to great deeds. In battle, she can turn the tide with songs that strengthen her allies and dirges which strike fear into the hearts of enemies.

The Minstrel is the class of choice for players who want to aid their friends, inspiring them to keep going through the darkest of times. With a vast repertoire of tales both fair and foul, a Minstrel restores the morale of her fellows, as well as causing enemies to despair. Though able to wield weapons, she prefers to let her words, rather than her sword, speak for her. A Minstrel's style of combat is based on maintaining hope no matter what the odds.

 

 

Passive Skills

Hobbit-Courage Improved Fear Resistance - The slow-kindled courage of the Hobbit Race. Hobbit-Toughness Improved Vitality - Hobbits are remarkably tough. Rapid Recovery Improved out of combat Morale Regeneration - Hobbits recover from trying times faster than other races. Resist Corruption Improved Shadow Mitigation - Hobbits have a great resistance to temptation. Small Size Reduced Might - Hobbits lack the physical strength of other races.

 

 

Deeds and Traits

Level Description Trait Rewarded 13 Enmity of the Wolves I Wolves have long been a scourge of the peaceful people of the Shire. In hard winters, they may come down from the North to prey upon livestock and to threaten the hobbits themselves in vicious packs. More recently, it seems that greater numbers have moved south, and there are rumours that they are being driven this way by goblins or even more sinister forces. Stoop for a Stone - You gain a short-distance ranged attack 13 Enmity of the Spiders I While no respectable hobbit has ever had much to do with spiders, it seems of late that new breeds of the horrid things -- far larger than any proper spider ought to be -- have been migrating here from somewhere across the mountains to the East. For reasons unknown, these unpleasant creatures appear to have developed a great dislike for hobbits, making them quite a hazard for Little Folk living out on the edges of the Shire or beyond. Hobbit-Stature - Adds 20 Might 19 Enmity of the Wolves II While wolves are often hostile, most folks just consider them to be dangerous predators rather than a true danger. Nowadays, though, one has to wonder...they are wandering down from the north in large packs, and they seem more than just hungry -- there are rumours that many of these packs were bred by the goblins in the north-lands to be particularly vicious and dangerous towards Men and hobbits and to ruin the herds of livestock upon which many of the towns of Eriador depend for their food.

Tactics and Conviction Bonus -

Adds 5.0% to Conjunction Power Healing Multiplier from Tactics

Adds 5.0% to Conjunction Morale Healing Multiplier from Conviction

25 Enmity of the Wolves III The stories say that back in old Bullroarer's time, the arrival of Golfimbul's goblins were presaged by an invasion of wolves much like the one people are seeing these days. That cannot be a good sign. Hobbit Club Damage Bonus - 2% by 1h and 2h club weapons 29 Enmity of the Spiders II Where have these horrors come from? What ever happened to nice little garden spiders eating flies and all that? These days your idea of a spider starts at about two feet across and goes up from there -- hardly the kind of thing you would expect to encounter in the cozy Shire, yet now they seem to be common in all the forests of Eriador. It is enough to make even the most staid and placid hobbit sit up and take notice that things are getting rather queer these days. Return to Hobbiton -

This enables you to quickly return to Hobbiton.

29 Enmity of the Goblins I The goblins were created by the Morgoth long ago, as captive Elves were tortured and twisted into mockeries of themselves and set upon the world as eternal enemies to their former kin. All that was good in them was turned to evil, and the Elves have striven for ages since to eradicate them from Middle-earth...to no avail. Hobbit-Stealth - Stealth Mode with -3 Stealth and greatly decreased movement speed. 35 Enmity of the Spiders III While Orcs dislike the sun nearly as much as their lesser brethren, the goblins, they have more tolerance for it and can be forced to endure it for a time when necessity -- or the lash of their masters -- demands. Despite this, it has long been an artifice of the Enemy to conjure forth vast clouds of smoke or darkness both to protect their troops from the rays of the sun and to conceal their movements from spies and scouts. Hobbit- Resilience - +1 Hope for 9 minutes. 35 Enmity of the Goblins II Goblins are a mockery of life, twisted by the Enemy to serve unquestioningly as an endless supply of foot-soldiers in his wars. Luckily, the breeding of unquestioned loyalty has left them unimaginative and unskilled, making them no match for trained Elven warriors. Still, their numbers are vast, and if only one Elf falls for every hundred of their kind, it is a great loss. Hobbit-Silence - Feign Death