Thorin's Company

[acctingman]

Tried googling this but nothing really popped up, so here I am asking the community here. I love Thorin's company of merry dwarves and I wanted to run them through some D&D modules, but I'm trying to narrow down some characters class. Most of them are fighters, but there a couple I'm wondering about. This is what I have and would appreciate some comments/suggestions.


Kili - Ranger
Ori - ugh...not a Fighter, or Ranger...maybe he could be a bard?
Dori - not sure on this one
Bofur- bard? He's done most of the singing in the movies :)

[JLandan]

Thorin, Paladin, Crown
Fili, Fighter, Battlemaster
Kili, Ranger, Hunter
Balin, Bard, Eloquence
Dwalin, Fighter, Battlemaster
Oin, Fighter, Champion
Gloin, Fighter, Champion
Ori, Fighter, Champion
Dori, Fighter, Champion
Nori, Fighter, Champion
Bifur, Fighter, Champion
Bofur, Bard, Valor
Bomber, Barbarian, Berserker
Bilbo, Rogue, Thief
Gandalf, Wizard, Divination

This is how I see it, though there may be some multiclassing in there. The default being Fighter Champion.

[Psyren]

Would we call Gandalf a diviner? He has to physically run off every time he needs to learn something :smallbiggrin: I'd be more likely to put Saruman in that category instead.

[Unoriginal]

Gandalf is an Aasimar Lore Bard

[JLandan]

Would we call Gandalf a diviner? He has to physically run off every time he needs to learn something :smallbiggrin: I'd be more likely to put Saruman in that category instead.

In the books, he only casts Light. In the movies, he also cast shield of some sort, and something while confronting the Necromancer. He does some fighting with sword and staff, maybe he's a Ranger?

He is clearly called a Wizard by everybody.

Maybe he just keep his spellbook in Minas Tirith? :smallwink:

[Psyren]

In the books, he only casts Light. In the movies, he also cast shield of some sort, and something while confronting the Necromancer. He does some fighting with sword and staff, maybe he's a Ranger?

He is clearly called a Wizard by everybody.

Maybe he just keep his spellbook in Minas Tirith? :smallwink:

Oh I didn't say he wasn't a wizard. Bladesinger maybe? Multiclass?

[Chronos]

Gandalf running off to find things out is the Sage background. When he doesn't know something, he knows where to find the answer. Unfortunately, sometimes "where to find the answer" is very far away.

[JLandan]

Bladesinger is interesting... still a Wizard. Fits how he fights with sword and staff, wearing no armor. He certainly does that more than spellcasting.

[Unoriginal]

He is clearly called a Wizard by everybody.

Tolkien's Wizards are more DnD Bards than DnD Wizards.

At least with anything available in for players.

[Psyren]

Gandalf running off to find things out is the Sage background. When he doesn't know something, he knows where to find the answer. Unfortunately, sometimes "where to find the answer" is very far away.

That doesn't exactly contradict "not a diviner" since he needs his background to learn things :smalltongue:


Tolkien's Wizards are more DnD Bards than DnD Wizards.

At least with anything available in for players.

Yeah especially now that Bards are fullcasters I'd lean into this.

[JackPhoenix]

In the books, he only casts Light. In the movies, he also cast shield of some sort, and something while confronting the Necromancer. He does some fighting with sword and staff, maybe he's a Ranger?

He is clearly called a Wizard by everybody.

Maybe he just keep his spellbook in Minas Tirith? :smallwink:

He was also throwing flaming pinecones at warghs after the company escaped from goblins, and "Then Gandalf climbed to the top of his tree. The sudden splendour flashed from his wand like lightning, as he got ready to spring down from on high right among the spears of the goblins. That would have been the end of him, though he would probably have killed many of them as he came hurtling down like a thunderbolt.", whatever that is.

[JellyPooga]

He was also throwing flaming pinecones at warghs after the company escaped from goblins, and "Then Gandalf climbed to the top of his tree. The sudden splendour flashed from his wand like lightning, as he got ready to spring down from on high right among the spears of the goblins. That would have been the end of him, though he would probably have killed many of them as he came hurtling down like a thunderbolt.", whatever that is.

Yeah, Gandalf clearly displays greater magical ability than the[i] Light [/i[cantrip in the books. The effects of whatever charms and glamours he uses to gain access and create the bonds he does with multiple state leaders, breaking a significant curse, resisting the power/influence of more than one significant artefact, the personal buffs used to hold his own in personal combat...that's just the obvious stuff that we see/read up-front.

[JLandan]

He was also throwing flaming pinecones at warghs after the company escaped from goblins, and "Then Gandalf climbed to the top of his tree. The sudden splendour flashed from his wand like lightning, as he got ready to spring down from on high right among the spears of the goblins. That would have been the end of him, though he would probably have killed many of them as he came hurtling down like a thunderbolt.", whatever that is.

Is lighting up a pinecone and throwing it a spell? Or even magic? Sounds like a Ranger thing to me.

[JackPhoenix]

Is lighting up a pinecone and throwing it a spell? Or even magic? Sounds like a Ranger thing to me.

Considering the multicolored flames and explosion, yes. It used to be a druid spell in previous editions (Fire Seeds, though it worked with acorns, not pinecones), but it didn't make it into 5e.

[JLandan]

Yeah, Gandalf clearly displays greater magical ability than the[i] Light [/i[cantrip in the books. The effects of whatever charms and glamours he uses to gain access and create the bonds he does with multiple state leaders, breaking a significant curse, resisting the power/influence of more than one significant artefact, the personal buffs used to hold his own in personal combat...that's just the obvious stuff that we see/read up-front.

His friendships with all the powerful entities is not necessarily charms or glamours. I see that as him being a good guy that helps when he can. Though he did help Pippin with the palantir issue.

[JLandan]

This thread has evolved into a Gandalf thread. The OP asked after the dwarves.

I posted a lot of Champions for want of a more generic fighter. Maybe Bombur as a Battlerager rather than Berserker?
There may be some other Rangers rather than Fighters amongst the company.
Or an other-than-burglar type Rogue?

[JackPhoenix]

Dwarves are all fighters or maybe barbarians. None of them is a bard, no matter how much singing they do, as they can't cast spells. Same for anything else with spellcasting, unless you assume they're level 1 rangers.

[Unoriginal]

as they can't cast spells.

Well they did in the book, but...

[Sparky McDibben]

Well they did in the book, but...

Wait, there was a book? Why has no one ever told me about this?

[Naanomi]

Lots of the dwarves could play an instrument (fiddles, viols, clarinets, a drum), probably from backgrounds

I just want to know who the artificer around was that made Bilbo's clock, familiarized him with express trains, etc

[Dienekes]

Well they did in the book, but...

Did they? I remember a good deal of old dwarven items being magical, mighty spells forged on armor and weapons, toys for hobbit children.

But I can’t remember the dwarves in the hobbit casting any spells in story.

[Naanomi]

They tried anyways... To hide the troll's treasure, and to try to open the secret door... I don't immediately recall any spells they cast working definitively though

Then they brought up their ponies, and carried away the pots of gold, and buried them very secretly not far from the track by the river, putting a great many spells over them, just in case they ever had the chance to come back and recover them.

[thorr-kan]

Sidekicks, most of them. Experts. Thorin and a few more might be Fighters.

I really need to read the Hobbit again.

[KorvinStarmast]

Bladesinger is interesting... still a Wizard. Fits how he fights with sword and staff, wearing no armor. He certainly does that more than spellcasting. Workable.

Tolkien's Wizards are more DnD Bards than DnD Wizards.
At least with anything available in for players. This, hence the post further up in re aasmiar lore bad.
Considering the multicolored flames and explosion, yes. It used to be a druid spell in previous editions (Fire Seeds, though it worked with acorns, not pinecones), but it didn't make it into 5e. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.

Sidekicks, most of them. Experts. Thorin and a few more might be Fighters.
Bilbo: level 1 hobbit thief/rogue. A couple of Dwarf Fighters. The rest sidekicks. Gandalf aasimar lore bard.
Works for me.

[thorr-kan]

Workable.
This, hence the post further up in re aasmiar lore bad. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
Bilbo: level 1 hobbit thief/rogue. A couple of Dwarf Fighters. The rest sidekicks. Gandalf aasimar lore bard.
Works for me.
Maybe Balin as a bard; maybe the twins as rogues. I'd have to review the canon for better suggestions.

And double down on Gandalf. He's a friggin' solar who's slumming. Stat him as such. :smallbiggrin:

[JackPhoenix]

They tried anyways... To hide the troll's treasure, and to try to open the secret door... I don't immediately recall any spells they cast working definitively though

It also talks about the company as a whole, including Gandalf.

Dwarves could certainly forge many woundrous things, but you don't need to be a spellcaster to create magic item in 5e either.

[Psyren]

It also talks about the company as a whole, including Gandalf.

This, it isn't definitive that the dwarves did any spellcasting in that scene.