New Rules: Errata and Updates

[Vardaen]

In the new book Darkening of Mirkwood, they offer up rules for PC's owning holdings.... I copy it here for you:

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Rules for Holdings
He lives in an oakwood and has a great wooden house; and as a man he keeps cattle and horses...'

Over the course of the campaign, heroes may come into possession of a holding. A holding might be a business, like a smithy or a tavern. It might be a farm, or the companion might own land that is tilled by peasants who rent the land and give the character a portion of each harvest. Holdings do not need to be limited to strictly physical possessions a Woodman's home and family might together constitute a holding.

A holding represents the hero's main occupation when he is not adventuring. Bag End might be considered part of a holding belonging to Bilbo Baggins (and later, Frodo); Sam's gardening job there would also be a holding (of less value).

Not every adventurer has a holding; a truant Hobbit far from the Shire or a merry Elf might not have any responsibilities or commitments.

There are many ways for a hero to come into possession of a holding. For example, a lucky hero might inherit a holding from a wealthy family member. Typically, a companion gains a holding as the result of an adventure, perhaps as a gift, or perhaps by finding an unoccupied holding and taking possession of it.

Holdings Table:

Rating	Description	Minimum Score	Example
9	Modest	1	Trapper's Cabin
8	Adequate	2	Farm, cottage
7	Respectable	3	Small inn, mansion
6	Superior	4	Rich hunting ground, large inn
5	Thriving	5	Iron mine
4	Opulent	6	Gold min, large estate

Rating
The value of a holding is measured in gaming terms by a numerical rating, ranging from 4 to 9. This value is comparable to the Target Number for an action, in the sense that a low number is preferable to a high number (see below). A poor farm on a rocky hillside might have a rating of 9; a rich farm in the fertile Anduin valley might have a rating of 6.

Minimum Score
Heroes cannot own a holding unless they possess a minimum score in an appropriate characteristic. The rating of a holding is limited by a character's Standing if it is found within the borders of a hero's homeland, while it is limited by a hero's Valour score if it is located anywhere else (owning property beyond one's station is seen as unusual and rather suspect almost anywhere).

Specialities
A character who owns a holding may profit from having a matching Speciality an innkeeper should learn Cooking, a Hunter Beast-Lore and so on (see the Tend to Holding Fellowship phase undertaking, below).

Running a Holding
The mundane affairs of running a business planting crops, mining ore, forging tools and so on can be ignored in the game; it is assumed that the character has the requisite skills, or can employ someone who does. What is important to determine is how a holding may change over the course of the years, and what fruits does it bear.

Holdings Upkeep
In the course of the last Fellowship phase of each year (Year's End) all players whose heroes have a holding must make a roll using the Feat die.

- If the roll result is equal to or less than the holding's rating, then the holding produces just enough wealth to keep the character at his Standard of Living.

If the Loremaster deems it appropriate to the current circumstances, a result of 1 or 2 may be interpreted to mean that the character's holding does not produce enough to cover his living expenses, forcing the hero to spend stored Treasure to maintain his Standard of Living.

- If the result is greater than the rating, then the character does not only attain his appropriate Standard of Living but, if the holding is a property capable of producing wealth (such as an inn, or tracts of land), it earns Treasure equal to the difference between the roll and the rating.

For example, if a player rolls a 9 on a holding rated 6, he earns three Treasure that year.

- If the result is Gandalf Rune, then good fortune strikes the hero! He gains no extra Treasure, but prospers in some other way a sick child recovers, an old feud is settled, the weather is unusually pleasant. The rating for the holding is permanently lowered by 1 (to a minimum of 3).

- If the result is Sauron Rune, then the holding suffers some disaster or misfortune. If the hero does not take action in the next Fellowship phase, the holding may be destroyed or have its rating increased.

For example, a farm might be damaged by flooding or bad weather; an inn might be attacked by raiders, a gold mine might be taken over from below by Goblins.

New Fellowship Phase Undertaking: Tend to Holding
A character may spend a Year's End Fellowship phase tending to his holding by choosing this undertaking. If he does so, he may roll the Feat die twice and choose the best result when determining the conditions of his property. If the hero possesses an appropriate Speciality, he additionally gains an Advancement point.

[Vardaen]

The One Ring - Revised Edition - Clarifications and Amendment's PDF is a good one to look at since we are still using the first printing. One major update I wanted to post here for reference is for Preliminary Rolls and Bonus Dice.

Preliminary Rolls
Adventurers learn fast that if they want to survive when out in the Wild, they better be prepared, whether they are leaving to go on a journey, or when facing the enemy in combat, or even when meeting strangers in an encounter upon the road. At the beginning of any one of the three main heroic ventures (journey, combat and encounter), all players are entitled to make a preliminary skill roll against TN 14 to determine their character's preparedness.

Every type of heroic venture targets a specific skill (see below), but the results are interpreted in the same way: based on the quality of the result, every successful roll grants a hero a number of bonus Success dice (advantages) to use in the coming endeavour. Each ordinary success grants the player one Success die, a great success grants two dice, while an extraordinary success grants three dice.

How to use bonus Success dice
Heroes may spend their bonus Success dice to boost their rolls during the ensuing endeavour. When a player is about to make a roll, he may add one bonus Success die to the roll. To add the die, he may spend one of his own bonus dice, or another player may spend it to give it to him.

Commonly, heroes spend their bonus Success dice on their Travel rolls when journeying, on their attack rolls or Protection tests when fighting, and on any useful roll during encounters.

During the same turn, a player may spend one or more of the dice in his reserve at any time (for his own roll or to help others), but any roll may be modified by a maximum of one bonus Success die.

Journey Advantages
When the fellowship has chosen the road they intend to follow to reach their destination, all players may make a roll of Lore to check if their characters know something useful about the lands they are going to traverse. Every successful Lore roll grants a hero a number of bonus Success dice to use during the journey the companion leaves with the proper gear, or having planned the most appropriate course, or having listened to the best counsellors.

Combat Advantages
Before combat at close quarters is joined, all players may make a roll of Battle to determine if their characters spot features of the battleground that may be exploited to gain an edge over their foes. Every successful Battle roll grants a hero a number of bonus Success dice to use during the ensuing fight the hero will exploit the battlefield or the weather conditions to gain an edge, for example repairing to a convenient spot to cover his back, or kicking a fire to raise a cloud of
sparks at the right moment.

Encounter Advantages
At the beginning of an encounter, all players may attempt an Insight roll to determine if their characters are able to divine the most appropriate course of action. Every successful Insight roll grants a hero a number of bonus Success dice to use during the ensuing encounter the companion evaluates the people he is facing, trying to glean useful information from their disposition and behaviour.

[Vardaen]

Loremaster's Guide, p37, Recovering Endurance while Travelling

A companion may be forced by the circumstances to start a journey while still recovering from injuries or harm. Moreover, an unexpected event may inflict a loss of Endurance along the journey itself for example, as the consequences of a Hazard episode. Due to the general discomfort of the travelling accomodations, an injured companion will find it much harder to rest and recover while on a journey.

Travelling heroes recover a reduced number of Endurance points for every prolonged rest they enjoy. As usual, the amount depends on the current health of the character:

A Wounded hero with an untreated injury does not recover any Endurance while travelling.

A Wounded hero with a treated injury recovers 1 Endurance point.

An uninjured hero recovers 2 Endurance points. The companions resume their normal pace of recovery when they reach the end of the journey and finally get to rest in a safe place.