In traditional sword and sorcery campaigns magic is the shaper of the world. For the adventurers portrayed by the gamers, spells shape tactics in combat and a roster of available spells is a prime concern of anyone planning an adventure. The most powerful magiks, logically used, can rewrite the game-world's history. Both the D&D and RM systems harbor spells that can level buildings, annihilate companies of soldiers, and wipe out villages of hapless peasants. High-level clerical spells, rather than disease and misfortune, determine who lives and dies among the wealthy and powerful.

Middle-earth, in spite of the best efforts of Saruman and Sauron, is not spell-dominant. In most of the dramatic scenes from Middle-earth history castable magic, as opposed to the powers of great artifacts, plays only a peripheral role. Mighty kings live their lives without being dependent on high level wizards and priests for their health and survival. Messages are, for the most part, carried by riders and walkers; battles are resolved by swords, hammers, axes, bows, and lances.

To preserve the "personality" of Tolkien in my Middle-earth campaign with a minimum of confusion and fuss I "interpreted" the spells from RM (and MERP, its simpler cousin) in a very conservative fashion. Where I considered spells unusable in their original form, I weakened them in ways requiring a minimal amount of bookkeeping, often only by shortening ranges and durations. Spell casters in my campaign still carry a tremendous amount of firepower for direct use, but they find that many magical "short cuts" common in D&D/RM campaigns do not work dependably here. The physical and mental skills of characters are just as important, and players adjust their tactical style accordingly.

The unifying principle of my spell interpretations is that magic (or "power," or "essence") is not, in the later days of Middle-earth, reliably capable of creating and acting. Instead, it is used to bind and aid. A sword conjured out of the air would be a weak and undependable thing, while a sword forged and inscribed with runes of power can slay the most powerful of beings. Similarly, a conjured stone wall crumbles readily and quickly, while a rampart laid with skill, good stone, and Dwarven chants of binding can stand against armies and the worst trembling of earth. All the judgments made below, and any others made by any Middle-earth GM, should tend toward this principle. The players are thus encouraged to use all the skills of all in their company in their adventurers.

Why storm the ramparts when you can soar over them? Why climb mountains when flying across them is quicker and safer? To keep flying spells manageable, I interpret them as unreliable in two important ways:

Flight and levitation depend entirely on the spellcaster's concentration for control; neither provides stability or strength. If the caster tries any spell while in flight and gets a result of "fumble" or "failure" the fly is instantly dispelled; even if the caster is protected against a fumble (Gandalf and Saruman are both so protected) the spell is still lost after a bad roll. Whatever the spell's listed duration, it dissipates after one rd/level of concentration; that is, actual movement.

Because the fly spell is derived from magical energies (no wings) any strong breeze can blow a flyer off course. The GM should judge local wind speed and turbulence and make appropriate judgments each round, visualizing the flyer as having the airworthiness of a box kite. Any effective weapon or spell attack on the flyer (crit, stun, fear, etc.) tends to de-stabilize him. The resulting uncontrollable tumble generates 30' of random drift and an A unbalancing critical each round, damage applying only if the flyer strikes an obstacle or the ground. To avoid tumbling, the flyer must make a standard Medium maneuver check, adding his intelligence bonus, subtracting the amount of base damage from the hit, multiplying the damage by the level of any critical inflicted. The caster needs to make another maneuver roll each round after that to stabilize himself.

One of the most used and abused spells in role playing. Why plan your spying missions, or hire a thief, when you can turn invisible and walk right past the guards? There are three types of invisibility used in RM and D&D: camouflage, illusion, and etherealness. Each has its own weaknesses and penalties. Camouflage is caused by an aura or covering that magically blends into the character's surroundings. It typically functions only when the wearer is stationary or moving very slowly. If a covering such as a cloak as involved, the wearer suffers from restricted vision (halved perception), as he is wrapped in the covering and peering out through some narrow gap.

Invisibility spells are illusions. They create a magical aura that translates light around the object/creature involved. The invisible creature is totally enveloped in the spell. Its vision is so reduced that it can make out only the most blurred of images at distances of more than 10' (-80 to perception). Whatever the general duration given for an invisibility spell, it lasts no more than one round per level (D&D or RM) once the object/target moves or is moved from its original location.

The standard effect of invisibility is a -100 to all detection rolls for the object/creature involved if the detection is based primarily on the sense of sight. It affects other senses only when the detecting creature might ignore them if his eyes are not confirming the data. If the creature is detected, attacks against him are still made at -50, as noted in the Detect Invisibility spell.

Etherealness is the invisibility caused by the great Rings of Power in Middle-earth. Etherealness puts the wearer partially into the realm of shadow, in Middle-earth, or in the Ethereal Plane, in D&D and most other systems. There is a general blurring of the senses with etherealness (halve perception; see Sam's experience in LotR III) and the danger of encountering ethereal undead or other deadly creatures (GM's choice).

Whenever these powerful magiks are used, knowledgeable NPCs regard the situation with the greatest seriousness. There is always a price to be paid (it is never a purely cash transaction) and the person raised must be well-considered. In Middle-earth, Lifegiving is a gift given only to a few select individuals (such as Gandalf) and most people are unaware that it even exists as a distinct spell. If a spell of this sort used without deific authority, and particularly if some form of preservation is not used to maintain the freshness of the body, it will have a most loathsome effect. The revenant so created might despise and plot to destroy its summoner.

These acceleration magiks do not give extra spells or attacks. They are dispelled by any critical strike on the hasted creature. Their basic effect is to double normal movement and increase the creature's MM, DB, and OB by an amount equal to the spell's level. In RM/MERP, spellcasting and missile fire are normally judged as simultaneous within their respective segments; if a character is hasted these actions are judged by the (enhanced) MM with regard to that character only.

In the long term, characters should have to forage, hunt, and bargain for their sustenance. On food: emphasize that the this is not "natural" food. While it is nutritious, it is drawn from local organic matter and does not have to look appetizing. This spell cast around wild grains produces something like bread, but if cast in a barnyard....In barren areas, such as in deserts or caves, food output is reduced. Constant sequential use of a nutrient spell also results in diminished effect, typically a fall of 10% per day in effectiveness. Abuse has unpleasant side effects, including addiction, a loathing for normal food, and magical mutation. The Middle-earth spell Nutrient Conjures, if not used in conjunction with natural ingredients baked in a specially prepared oven, also suffers the effects noted above.

On water: This also suffers from reduced effect with repetition and when used in desiccated terrain. The caster must draw some water from his own substance, resulting in the loss of 1-10 points from the Constitution stat with each casting after the first.

In RM/MERP, this means ball and bolt spells, along with the "wall" spells involving conjured energy. In D&D, a raft of spells of this sort exist, including some of the most decisive in the game. For the most part, RM spells have a smaller area of effect and generally are not overwhelming in combat. Any platoon of Orcs caught by a RM Cold Ball will take casualties, but most will survive the blast. If the spell succeeds in breaking their attack, it will be primarily because of morale failure. In D&D, on the other hand, the elemental spells have absolutely devastating effects on soldiers and battles. Most of them can slaughter Men and Orcs in droves; any spellcaster of quality can dominate a D&D battlefield. If both sides have wizards in their ranks, the combat usually ends with few survivors on either side.

Dampening the effects of D&D elemental spells is a daunting task, particularly when the GM is threatened with harm by players used to cleaning out entire rooms of monsters with a fireball. However, the following suggestions are offered; note that I have tested none of them:

1) A +4 is added to the saving throw of anyone not at the center of an elemental spell attack.

2) A saving throw is allowed against all elemental attacks. A creature making its saving throw can take no more than ½ its current hit points in damage from the attack.

3) To be reduced below one hit point by a single round's exchange of elemental attacks, a creature affected must have failed its saving throw and rolled an unmodified ("natural") ten or less on its saving throw die. This rule does not apply to any creature already below 50% of its base hit points at the time of attack.

The more lethal of these spells can slay the garrison of a castle with a wave of a conjurer's hand. The most extreme I've seen was in Warhammer, where one necromantic spell was mathematically capable of exterminating every living creature in a ¼ mile radius. The GM was left to explain why the hideous demons who knew this spell did not use it to wipe all of Mankind.

Death spells are useful primarily in keeping gaming sessions from bogging down; most players avoid the labor of cutting down a mob of opponents one die roll at a time. Applying the rules noted above under elemental magic could alleviate the problem. The GM may also wish to reduce the area of effects to the equivalent of a single room.

Teleport, Dimension Door, Long Door
This spell is typically used in Middle-earth only between certain fixed locations, from structures built using magiks from the First Age. There are some rare items and creatures capable of true teleportation. Even in the First Age, most rational spellcasters shunned teleport magic, as it involves a moment of non-existence and passage through alternate dimensions. Any fumble could render this non-existence permanent (resist a 50^th level attack) and the caster's body could arrive at his destination without its soul or containing the spirit of some being from beyond the Pale. Most older spellcasters, even those with the Lofty Bridge list, have never learned the teleportation spells and know only horror stories concerning them. Only one Leaving, Long Door, or Dimension Door is possible per day per spellcaster in Middle-earth. It leaves the caster sick and exhausted (80% of normal Constitution) until he has gotten a full night's sleep.

This includes Detect, Analysis, Assessment, Commune, Delving, Finding, Know, Locate, Lore, Tale, and similar informational magiks. The principle here should be that these spells seldom present a clear vision. Further, any creature, especially one trying to hide or remain hidden, has an inherent resistance to magical scrying. Any spell that violates a creature's body aura, to read its intentions, alignment, or nature, is automatically resisted by the target. Resistance by +20 (RM) results in some awareness of the scrying. Spells that read past events, such as Path Tales or Stone Tell, are judged as though any creatures being traced were living and resistant; judge the aura by the attitude of the creature who left it as evidence.

Detection magiks give only a general reading of the auras they sense. It is not normally possible to hide the concentration and gestures necessary to make these spells work. Most beings resent being scried, even for peaceful purposes; sentient beings often take aggressive action to prevent it.

PCs can become addicted to these magiks, regarding them as the normal and routine way to deal with wounds. To maintain some verisimilitude, the GM should dramatize the process and emphasis, whenever possible, how "unnatural" this process is. Some suggestions:

Side effects. Intense pain from a wound that knits in seconds instead of hours; residual itching and aches for days after. Characters have to check will-power to take their cures silently; passersby faint at the sound of bones snapping back into place. Recreational activities after the adventure are compromised by creaking muscles and exhaustion.

Permanent scarring. Something common with severe injuries, aggravated here by the "quick fix" of magical healing. Example: a fighter is struck in the heart and is saved from death by a magical salve, directly applied by a quick-thinking companion who thrusts her hand deep into a tangle of shattered ribs and muscle. The cure works, but leaves behind a permanent heart murmur, the character never regaining his full endurance. Another example: a wizard has a pipe imbedded in his chest after a misfired teleport spell drops him into the midst of a basement heating system. He is saved, but carries a twelve-inch circular scar across his front and back for the rest of his life. In addition, he congests easily and periodically coughs up small chunks of lead and asbestos.

Emotional scarring. Anything from "hangovers" from severe curatives to permanent twitches and crankiness. Characters become moody, suffer from nightmares, nervousness, and drinking binges.

Mundane prejudice. Folk dependent on "trick" healing are regarded with suspicion and even contempt. Powerful healers refuse spells when danger has passed, recommending "natural" healing as better for the body and spirit.

Contrary to the common superstitions, most animal species do not have real languages as we understand them. Such information that they can convey, such as sounds, gestures, and "feelings," are interpreted through the spell. While the caster is very likely to understand this information and express it to his comrades in linguistic terms, the entities contacted are going to sound very stupid. Most have limited powers of observation, a minimal and simplistic long term memory, and little or no future tense. If a character tracking a band of Easterling raiders took up conversation with a hawk, for instance, the bird would register the bandits as little more than another group of herd animals, barely noting the differences between the bipeds and quadrupeds. If the band had a permanent camp, scouting its perimeter for mice might be part of the hunting bird's routine. If asked to fly up and reconnoiter, it would likely return with a report on rabbit and grouse lurking nearby.

Not a troublesome spell, unless the caster tries to warp it to destroy mud or clay walls. Dig works only on a horizontal surface. Any sort of blessing or magical protection in the material reduces the effects of this spell by an order of magnitude. This is not a disintegration; a spell of this sort takes a full round to dig its pit and the geyser of material it raises is spectacular to watch and hear. For the RM spell, anyone in the area of effect must make an RR or take an "A" Unbalancing crit as they scramble clear. Anyone failing the save by 50 or more sinks to the bottom and take a "B" crit. All involved will come out dirty and coughing.

Anyone with a reasonable interest in observing the weather, which includes all peasant farmers, has a chance of noting the unusual warping of local weather rhythms. Calling rain, for instance, creates a narrow "pillar" of cloud and rain visible for miles.

The GM must avoid allowing too great a range of size or skill to the person using this sort of spell. A magician taking the form of an elemental, for instance, could move about after their fashion: walking, flying, swimming, but would not have the supernatural strength associated with these beings. Taking on the form of another humanoid does not give the caster their form of speech, body language, or skills. Usage of this sort of spell can have severe social implications, as no one trusts a shapechanger. Reactions might range from simple leeriness to attempted lynching, depending on the people involved.

Most of these spells are tapping deep within the caster's own memory and intellect. If the caster has absolutely no thread of lore on which to make a judgment the spell cannot function. Even if the spell has a means of drawing information by supernatural means, it functions better after the caster has researched and gathered information by mundane means.

No light spell is permanent in Middle-earth. The light generated by a spell radiates softly from a 1' diameter globe centered on the caster's target. It produces shadows as any other light source, though weaker than most. Magical darkness is not broadcast from a point, but is a negation of light through the area of effect. Unlike the light spell, it is not mobile. Note that the darkness produced is never undetectable outdoors or in except in absolute natural darkness. On a moonlit night, it can be quite conspicuous.

All wall spells must be cast in a "standing" position and with appropriate support—a solid floor, at least—or they will crumble as they are conjured. They cannot be cast to "embed" living creatures. If cast into a crowd or at a stationary creature, the spell will crumble as it is summoned. Walls conjured out of pure magical energy crumble/evaporate back into it after one/rd per level of casting. Walls of earth are drawn from the surrounding terrain, with the appropriate noise and flying debris; the wall erodes and crumbles away in a few days, at most. Note that the binding magic in Rock to Mud, Mud to Rock, Earth/Mud, and Earth/Stone works similarly to that of walls. These spells can fail in similar ways.

Remember that you are creating only an image of some creature or object. Illusions manipulated to cause direct damage can typically do no more than twice their level in concussion damage and a single "A" crit. A resistance roll is allowed if there is anything remotely suspicious about the created image. There is +20 bonus if the character knows (or thinks he knows) there is an illusion present. Remember, logic is the great enemy of illusions; it can be used to justify additional resistance rolls. If a character sees through an illusion, it becomes translucent to him. It may inhibit his vision slightly but has no other effect.

These spells tap the caster's own memory and intellect. If the caster has absolutely no thread of lore on which to judge the speech or text involved the spell cannot function. Spells used in direct conversation offer no more than rudimentary communication (MERP level 2, RM level 4) and are quite conspicuous in action. True interpretation requires knowledge of a foreign culture, its habits and history.

Most magically protected buildings resist spells of this sort. The portal created is semi-ethereal and does not damage the targeted wall. Only living creatures may pass through it.

Unless noted otherwise, these creatures are of magical substance, formed around a conjured spirit. Helplessness or unconsciousness caused by wounds results in the dissipation of the creature.

The spells and magic items used by the various beings and monsters should reflect some physical or mental/emotional inclination or limitation. These reflect common sense in most areas: fire elementals do not cast water bolts, demons cannot touch holy swords, and so on. Spell use should also reflect individual personalities or racial prejudices and dignity. The Faerie creatures described in my Arnor and Shire modules have extensive spell-casting powers, but do not use them; most never look at their problems in ways any mortal wizard would consider logical.

Elrond does not summon demons, evil clerics seldom learn healing spells—or if they do, they do not admit to their followers that they have them. Orcs avoid Elvish swords, while a Dúnadan would not deliberately carry Hobbit-sized bows and shields. Saruman has a very strong sense of his own dignity (Gandalf only slightly less so) and is loathe to cast spells that reduce it: he would be unlikely, for instance, to cast a fly spell in a strong wind, and would be repelled by the notion of polymorphing into a female Hobbit with a runny nose just to gain information.

As a final note, always remember that most beings in Middle-earth are not familiar with spells and magic. Many would react with fear or anger the first time a lightning bolt went off around them, even if it were cast by an ally or friend. The wise spellcaster restrains himself when appropriate-casting healing spells in private for instance—and plays upon his opponents' ignorance and superstition whenever possible. An Orc who runs in fear from a flash of light is as defeated as one burned by a firebolt. Clever gameplaying of this sort can gain a magician or animist far more success than the strength of his spells could ever provide.