Mithrandir is here described conservatively, and while I have not tested him against a moderate version of the Balrog of Khazad-Dum, I have tried to make his abilities correspond to a careful interpetation of the books. HOWEVER: he is laden with Special Abilities that offend me, but might be important to a fervant teenage player of this game. Hence, any devoted student of Arda should excise all Special Abilities from Mithrandir. The Special Abilities truly tire me, but I cannot help but feel compassionate towards the damn Diablo fans.
Posted by Anonymous ( 216.75.xxx.xxx ) at 2004-06-23 06:29:00
hey guys, i would just like to point out that the Balrog was not, in fact, hanging from Gandalf's ankle. if you watch the movie more carefully next time, you will notice that the whip doesn't catch onto his ankle, it slips off when it pulls him off the edge. so Gandalf was not holding both himself and the Balrog. Even if he had the strength to, which is unlikely even for him, the bridge of Kazad-dum was only a few feet of stone thick. It couldn't have held them both, especially considering it was already busted in half.
This is a compilation of the old system into a single score. There were 3 that made this score of 5.33 then rounded to 5.
Posted by The_Druid ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2003-11-03 11:38:00
Still, to even comment concerning Gandalf is just straight idiotic. Sodtiwaz is an FREEKING IDIOT... end of story. Gandalf the Grey was only 'the Grey' in the first movie, and that idiot only saw the first movie, didn't read any of the books... But I have read the LotR and some of the information posted in this thread is interesting.
Oh and by the way... a 13 INT??? WTF!!!! Gandalf, clearly would be a high level sorcerer or wizard converted to NwN. God, what a freeking retard!
Posted by Ashlar ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2003-11-02 11:13:00
Just a few quick comments. Have to agree with the guy that said anyone with complaints has the opportunity to create their own version of Gandalf. Next, also have to agree with those who say that Tolkein's creation can't really be fit into D&D rules accurately. Finally, guys, don't bash Sodtiwaz so bad...I can see how, after seeing only the first movie, he might come to such a blitheringly wrong conclusion. His only mistake was to try to jump into a conversation that he was not qualified to jump into, due to lack of information.
Posted by September ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2003-10-15 20:54:00
My apologies if I've caused even a minute controversy, although it appears I've unshelved a bit of discussion on the Tolkien issue. Gandalf was indeed a spirit among the Istari, but as to being of a race? I tend to imagine him more as a choirboy to the Song of Eru, an old choirboy at that.
I am going to work a bit more with his characteristics and perhaps add an Aragorn II character as well. I doubt that Aragorn II would be a ranger strictly to the D&D 3e rules (which seem to portray fighters with dual weaponry -- silly enough -- although archery is fitting), but he would definitely have tracking ability. My portrayal of Aragorn would be as a paladin with a masterwork sword, perhaps with minor enchantments.
Posted by Holy Conquerer ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2003-04-04 17:41:00
My god! Do you people even know what Gandalf is? Well, technically, Gandalf is of the Valinorean race, and the chief Istari (after Saruman was cast from the order), sent to bring about the overthrowing of Sauron, as were all five wizards (only three are mentioned in the book). As for the Balrog, it was from Udun, summoned by Morgoth to aid him in the wars of the first age. The one in Moria was the only one to survive and fled to the safest place it knew, the roots of the Misty Mountains. There it satyed until it was disturbed by the dwarves in the year 1980 Third Age. So there! I love being a New Zealander, the films by Peter Jackson are fantastic and he should be filming "The Hobbit" instead of shooting a remake of "King Kong".
Posted by Lige ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2003-03-01 17:06:00
To redcap036: What the heck do you mean by "Steve Jackson"?
It was PETER JACKSON who made the movies. But I still think
he did an awesome job with the movies.
Posted by HiddenTolkeinFan ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2003-01-06 15:07:00
Just FYI for those who care: Gandalf's sword was
named "Glamdring'. It translates as "foe-hammer".
Posted by anonymous ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-12-26 11:10:00
To whomever the +blocked+ was that said 2 times your body weight
is the acceptable bench press... You are such a complete
idiot. And plus, do you even know anything about
Tolkien's works? I'd wager you don't know hardly any real
facts about it. Just shut your mouth, and go elsewhere
where you can actually contribute correct information.
Your own body weight is the acceptable bench by the way,
retard. That's considered a quite good weight, and then
every percent point after that is harder than the last to
get to. So to bench 200% of your body weight is very rare
thing. I wouldn't normally respond to something like
this, but you just let your stupidity seep through your
words so strongly I just couldn't sit idly by.
Posted by Viv ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-12-15 07:49:00
[11/08/02 22:47] redcap036 claimed:
"just a thought, but far as i can recall gandalf wasn't
even human. he was the same as the balrog."
- This is true.
"i belive that they were avatars of they gods. then again
it's been awhile."
But that is most incorrect.
- Gandalf the Grey, was a Maia spirit, servant of Manwë
Súlimo and Varda Elbereth.
- "Durin's Bane", the balrog of Moria was a spirit of
power, once a powerful Maia, but in the Beginning
corrupted by Morgoth, the First Dark Lord.
After Morgoth was defeated by Valar and forever bahished
behind the door of Night, "Durin's Bane" hid itself and
fell asleep for Two Ages.
Posted by redcap036 ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-11-08 22:47:00
just a thought, but far as i can recall gandalf wasn't even
human. he was the same as the balrog. i belive that they
were avatars of they gods. then again it's been awhile.
Steve jackson did a good job with his movies, but the
tolkin book are still better reading.
Posted by September ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-10-10 14:53:00
Gandalf, as far as I know, did not "cling onto the bridge" but was quickly drawn into the depths where he fought with every ounce of will he had and with the power of his ring, Narya.
Now, if you keep in mind that the character given here is to not use any automatic spells or magical powers en large or en masse, but rather depends on the DM to subtly arrange odd events that might be "coincidence" or occasionally less subtle events that are outright magic.
This is not a Mithrandir for people unfamiliar with Tolkien, unless the special abilities are allowed to remain, something I plead against in the description file that comes with the character.
Posted by Half a Brain ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-09-20 13:32:00
sodtiwaz,
Yea, I have to agree, you're kind of a fool to have THAT
MUCH judgement based upon so little knowledge. Ever think
about getting into politics? Even if you are judging based
solely upon the movie, why the strength of 9? Besides the
afore-mentioned clinging to a stone bridge while the 20
foot tall balrog hangs from a whip of FIRE off him, rewatch
the first battle in Moria, where Gandolph is dual wielding
his staff and his sword (what WAS the name of it?). If
we're going to continue along this narrow-minded path,
based on the D&D rules, he would HAVE to have at least a
somewhat decent strength modifier in order to effectively
use them both without spending his first three feats on
ambidexterity, dual-wield, and weapon specialization. Plus
the fact neither are light weapons. He'd be at like -6
and -5 for his attack rolls or something. So there :P
Posted by Brynder ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-09-05 10:01:00
sodtiwaz:
Have you ever tried to climb up from a (without having read
the books in English) pit or something like that with a
(propably over) 500 lbs weighting guy whose whip has become
tied to your ankles? Hell I'd like to see anyone doing so.
RTB(s) (Yes you see correctly there is no F between the T
and B (would be blasphemy))
Posted by Laivino ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-08-31 21:00:00
Lol what kinda stupid comment is that
It's tolkien fans vs a dude who knows nothing
were you high or something ?
Posted by Jimmus ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-08-31 19:43:00
Yet another circular, pointless, and ludicrous argument by
self-appointed "Tolkien Fans" about who has more knowledge
of the books by virtue of having read the series 100 times
more than some other "Tolkien Fan".
Elsewhere, on a Star Wars or Star Trek board somewhere,
similar unimportant, pathetic and idiotic arguments are
posted. Maybe by the same people, who can tell?
Posted by NotSoObessedTolkienFan ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-08-31 13:56:00
I would have to agree with ObessedTolkienFan you off your
rocker at least read the hobbit even whatch the animated
movie or at the very least check if what your doing is
legal interplay made two lord of the rings games book 1 and
2 so you might be arrested for your horrible dipiction of
Gandalf
Posted by Morfalath of Lorien ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-08-29 01:13:00
Grrr.... hahahaha!
One thing you did wrong, Sodtiwaz, you sat there in your
post and tried to convert Middle Earth to D&D, that is a
mistake in it's own right. D&D must be converted to Middle
Earth.
***Power of Song***
I'd shudder to think of Gandalf sitting down resting and
memorizing his 6 spells for the day. (Or whatever number.)
I have never posted on any message board about Nuclear
Physics, because I know NOTHING of nuclear physics. A novel
idea!
For a genuine D&D conversion to ME using NWN: Link
Posted by ObsessedTolkienFan ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-08-28 08:01:00
Hey you last guy who posted, READ THE GOD-DAMNED BOOKS!
The movie is an okay movie but it's wrong in relation to
the books. I find that this Gandalf is rather weaker than
he should be although this is not as bad as if he was
supposed to be an acurate interpretation of Gandalf the
White who is incredibly powerful. Also the Balrog was not
a "demon" it was Corrupted Maiar, Gandalf is Maiar and not
powerful enough to just destroy the Balrog outright at this
point as he has not yet progressed to becoming Gandalf the
White. As for INT by the way, to help prove your point you
are using a quote which does not exist in the books and by
you stealing it for use in your own argument Tolkien fans
everywhere are compelled to hate you. With all due
respect, you are a +blocked+ to even comment on something
that is even loosely related to Tolkien if you have not
read the books (original trilogy and the hobbit as well as
the Silmarillion). More insane and rabid Tolkien fans
would find where you live and burn your home for daring to
pass judgement on Tolkien-related matters without
sufficient knowledge of any of Tolkien's work except for a
screwed-up, compressed, watered-down version of the first
book of the trilogy.
Posted by sodtiwaz ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-08-26 21:53:00
heres what i would say for gandalf
mage 6/ ranger 4
str 9
dex 11
con 15
int 13
wis 14
chr 16 (9 to hobbits, orcs, goblins, ad nausium)
ok i'm not a huge LOTR fan i havent read the books and ive
seen the movie once, but from that 3 hour movie i gathered
the following mind you im going by D&D rules i dont really
care what you think of my oppinion as it is just that MY
oppinion...10 is average if you've ever benchpressed just
to see what kinda D&D str you have you know what i mean...
having an 18/00 str (2nd ed) when you are 150 lbs isnt easy
think you can bench 3 times your weight? i doubt it... 2x
your own weight is the acceptable fitness rate for
benchpress and for some reason i dont think a skinny old
man is gonna weigh 240 lbs. (480 is max bench for 18/00 str)
as for the mage/wizard aspect: i know they tamed his
magical abilities for the movie but from what i recall all
he did that was "magical" was use his staff as a
light...hmm can you say first level light spell....or just
a magical staff that happens to glow? OH wait he broke a
bridge too...gee that required a lot of magical power...bah
(or maybe it was simply an old bridge the stairs did
collapse just minutes ago)
Str: not very strong to say the least im sorry but either
he chose to fall down with the demon or he's weak enough
that he cant pull himself up...
Dex: didnt seem to be all that nimble but was slightly
above average
Con: He's pretty hardy and pretty healthy walking thru a
mountain thats covered in snow then having snow cover
you... im sorry but he gets my props for that (climbed
mount fuji and the air gets real thin up there...)
Int: book smarts you say, how quick does he learn how good
is he at reasoning... average at best. he obviously used a
little too much of the hobbits "weed" and was quite absent
minded, or maybe he simply chose not to remember but from
what i've seen he's not brilliant
Wis: didnt seem to have supernatural common sense he
followed his nose, he couldnt even figure out a simple
riddle... i mean im sorry maybe i just have a high wisdom
but that riddle was solved in my head before it was even
finished...(though i thought it should have been the
dwarven word since it was a dwarven mine)
Chr: from what i saw not too many liked him he wasnt overly
charming he didnt have jedi persuasion tactics, however he
was a good leader because of that and that alone he
deserves a slightly high chr.
i've been PnPing for close to 20 years now and to be honest
gandalf didnt seem to be an exceptional character
Posted by Vovka ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-08-25 10:20:00
uh? excuse me but how do you use this?
Posted by September ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-08-22 04:44:00
As to Intelligence: Gandalf was wont to forget things of eld, and was not always as quick as he might be, nor was his intelligence of the superhuman quality; he would spend long times contemplating simple issues and while not human, he was also limited to a human body and never really showed evidence of having greater than human intelligence.
As to Character Class: Gandalf was not a "Wizard" in the D&D sense of the class, but rather he was called a Wizard by the mortals and out of gregarious friendliness, called himself one as did the other Istari. He did not seem to work with exhaustible spells, and if you read my suggestions, the DM will create effects for Gandalf rather than have him cast spells himself. His combat effectiveness as a wizard is limited in terms of D&D.
As to Alignment: Gandalf obeyed the laws of Eru and was obedient to the Song of Eru. Were he of chaotic ethos, he would have probably fallen to temptation much in the way Saruman did. There is not much room for the Chaotic in Middle Earth, in that particular war, at least among the people of power. The seperation of alignment was more like the oldest of D&D rules, when it was just Chainmail add ons, with Lawful, Chaotic, and Neutral being the options.
I specifically avoided the ICE assumption that Gandalf bore a magical robe and a number of magical items beyond what he held. I do not believe that the mantle he wore was anything else than a simple, well woven robe. If it were somehow powerful, perhaps it would imbue a simple +1 to armor class or shimmer slightly, perhaps providing comfort to the wearer, maybe even a Concentration and Discipline bonus if anything.
This is an Alpha version and I am going to touch it up slowly as time progresses.
Posted by Bellack ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-08-21 06:32:00
I disagree with Knightsky, no PC or NPC should ever be set
to Plot. I can understand if an item is set to plot but
not NPC, PC or Monsters.
Even in PnP I never do this. If the Party happens to kill
a major NPC before they should then I work with it (that
is part of the fun of DMing.) I'm also the type of DM that
never fudge dice.
Posted by Witchblade ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-08-20 05:06:00
Here are Gandalf's equipment as they are in Angband-variant
known as ToME.
# The Mage Staff of Gandalf
# Realy powerful for a mage but extremely rare
# The ULTIMATE "weapon" for a Sorceror or a magic class
N:127:of Gandalf
I:6:1:12
W:127:220:20:9000000
P:0:1d1:-19:-19:0
F:INT | CHR | WIS | MANA | SPELL | ACTIVATE |
F:RES_ACID | RES_ELEC | RES_FIRE | RES_COLD | LUCK
F:SEE_INVIS | ESP_EVIL | ESP_DEMON | NEVER_BLOW | INFRA
F:PRECOGNITION | IM_FIRE | ULTIMATE | SPELL_CONTAIN
D:A simple, wooden wizard's staff. Unremarkable in all
aspects...
D:except that it pulses with overwhelming power.
# The Robe of Incanus [aka Gandalf]
N:130:of Incanus
I:36:2:3
W:30:20:20:60000
P:2:0d0:0:0:20
F:INT | WIS | SEARCH | HIDE_TYPE | SPELL_CONTAIN
F:SUST_INT | SUST_WIS | FREE_ACT | SEE_INVIS |
F:RES_ACID | RES_ELEC | RES_FIRE | RES_COLD |
Z:weigh magic
D:Gandalf's long, flowing robe. It provides insight and
allows the
D:wearer to see things not seen by all.
# The Ring of Power 'Narya'
N:10:of Power 'Narya'
I:45:34:1
W:70:30:2:100000
P:0:1d1:6:6:0
F:STR | INT | WIS | DEX | CON | CHR | SPEED | HIDE_TYPE |
LUCK
F:ACTIVATE | FREE_ACT | SEE_INVIS |
F:SUST_STR | SUST_CON | SUST_WIS | SUST_CHR | SPECIAL_GENE |
F:IM_FIRE | RES_NETHER | RES_FEAR | REGEN |
F:INSTA_ART
D:The Ring of Fire, set with a ruby that glows like flame.
Narya is one
D:of the three Rings of Power created by the Elves and
hidden by them from
D:Sauron.
Posted by Vivian ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-08-20 03:55:00
Intelligence should be really higher, as others have said.
22 would be more on right path, he is demigod (maia) after
all (not of course to be compared the power of Sauron or
Meleian which probably were most powerful of maiar).
I think aligment should be neutral or chaotic good, Gandalf
doesn't seem to be so... lawful after all in my eyes. And I
would also vote for higher level.
I haven't tested that file yet, but sure he has Narya, the
Ring of Fire with him?
Posted by Knightsky ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-08-20 01:35:00
Actually, I'm of the opinion that Gandalf should be
set 'plot' and left at that. It's impossible to recreate
Gandalf faithfully in a D&D game. That's not to disparage
D&D, but rather to show Gandalf's greatness. Gandalf is
much MUCH more than a sum of skills, feats, stats, and misc
abilities.
(Also, for those interested, Samwise is possibly one of the
most powerful characters in the Lord of the Rings.)
Posted by Aravon ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-08-20 00:46:00
I agree that gandalf should have high int. But I think that
he is more than a pure wizard. Don't forget he can also
yield a famous magical longsword. What's its name? You may
consider to add a feat to allow him to use sword to
simulate this ability.
Posted by Sephinroth ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-08-19 17:57:00
Why is gandalf's intelligence more lower than his
constitution!??!!that's so fake!And what is his class?he
has to be just plain wizard!!!!DON'T YOU PEOPLE KNOW
ANYTHING ABOUT MAKING CHARACTERS???If you're going to make
wizards,their intelligence is more than their constitution
and strength!That's why people don't download your dumb
character!You made him a warrior mage!!!!!
Posted by Anonymous ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-08-19 07:58:00
True Neutral once he became gandalf the grey unless you
forgot. Lawful good before he fell into the abyss.
Posted by Corndog ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2002-08-19 07:17:00
I noticed the alignment thing too. My vote is for Neutral
Good. I do not see him as chaotic or 'un'lawful. He
obviously has a respect for law and order, but he does bend
the rules every once in a while.
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