Morrowind Challenge: Middle-Earth

Danae -

Foreword

I was totally inspired by this LOTR challenge for WOW classic and figured we could do something similar, maybe even better for Morrowind.
We are not trying to recreate the events and characters of The Hobbit or The Lord of The Rings, but merely using them to shape our Morrowind adventures.

Vanilla challenge: no mods, more characters.

How to win

  • Bring Calvus Horatius (Frodo) and the Pack Rat (Gollum) to the Red Mountain
  • He must carry:
    • The Engraved Ring of Healing (The One Ring)
    • Keening (Sting)
    • Adamantium Cuirass (Mithril Cuirass)
  • Grand finale: Have the Pack Rat fall into the crater while carrying the ring.

Choose your character

You are Sam

  • Bard class (Sam is a gardener =alchemy and sings well)
  • No shoes or boots
  • Collect the rarest flowers: Wolfbane and Roland's Tear
  • Sam is a temporary Ring-Bearer: he can use the Engraved Ring.
  • He is however a simple Hobbit and will not use any Legendary artifact

You are Gimli

  • Warrior class
  • Axe only
  • Never increase your speed
  • Prove the Dwarves are superior to the Elves: defeat Gaenor.

You are Boromir

  • Knight class
  • 2-Handed weapons only
  • Lord birthsign (You are the eldest son of the Stewart of Gondor)
  • Acquire the Lord's Mail
  • Never equip a ring (they make you lose your mind)

You are Gandalf

  • Mage class
  • Elderly face
  • Only fire element
  • Wear the Colovian Fur hat in lieu of a Wizard hat
  • Acquire the Staff of Magnus, the Warlock's ring and Goldbrand (Glamdring)

You are Legolas

  • Archer class
  • Lady birthsign (you're of royal blood AND pretty)
  • Male Wood Elf (I list this as a handicap ;) )
  • You cannot use anything made of metal
  • Acquire the Bow of Shadows

You are Aragorn

  • Scout class
  • Lord birthsign or Steed
  • Lawful good
  • Reforge Trueflame (Andúril)
  • Defeat King Helseth

Additionnal challenges

  • Defeat Umbra (Uglúk)
  • Defeat Divayth Fyr (Saruman)
  • Defeat the Fire Atronach in Mount Kand Cavern (Balrog)
  • Defeat the Goblin Warchiefs in Old Mournhold: Tears of Amun-Shae (Azog)

Modded Challenge

How to win

  • Bring Fargoth alive and wearing a mithril mail, Sting as well as the One Ring to Dagoth Ur (the place) and convince him to toss the Ring.
    • Get the Mithril Mail from a Dwarven Specter
    • Get Sting form a Solstheim troll
    • Level your Speechcraft to 60

Alternatively, you can have a creature companion and have them jump in the crater with the Ring like Gollum did.

  • Fargoth is utterly useless as a companion, and he won't level up. However, if you give him the following item, he will get constant buffs:
    • Mithril Mail: higher defense (duh), fortify Light Armor +100 and unarmored +50
    • Sting: fortify Agility and Speed +50
    • An Elven Cloak: frost immunity
    • Elven-Way Bread: constant +50 fortify health
    • Balrog (Fire Atronach in Mount Kand Caver) relic: immunity to Fire and Shock
    • Shelob (Red Mountain Pass) relic: immunity to poison, and diseases
    • Azog (Goblin Warchief in Old Mournhold) relic: immunity to normal weapons
    • Uglúk (Umbra) relic: Reflect and immunity to paralysis
    • Find the other Rings of Power

The relics have a limited effect on you.

Modlist

Must-have

For Sam

For Gimli

For Gandalf

For Legolas

You are Sam!

Chargen

  • Halfing, male
  • You are a Gardener, you go on a quest to destroy evil, travel long distance and like to sing: Bard, Witchhunter, Pilgrim or Scout.

Perks

  • Start game with Halfling clothing and a backpack.
  • The Friend powers (Let's be friends/charm, Patch up/restore health and Shrug It Off/dispel)
  • Fargoth lets you use Sting and the Mithril Chain Mail.
  • When havesting flower ingredients, you have a chance to find flower extracts (Slow regen effects from cheap to exclusive).

Handicaps

  • No shoes or boots
  • No bows or crossbows (thrown weapons are OK)
  • No armour other than leather or mithril mail
  • No enchanted weapons other than Sting

You are Gimli

Chargen

  • Dwarf, male
  • Warrior class

Perks

  • You start with a War Axe and a Helmet (fitted with brown hair!)
  • You start with a sturdy repair hammer, you may find more later on.
  • You get the Dwarven Sprint power as well as the Khazâd ai-mênu Shout
  • You may buy 2 new types of beer in pubs and inns. Being a Dwarf, the adverse effects of aclohol are lessen and the benefits improved.

Handicaps

  • try to role-play an inferiority complex! You are short and surrounded with mer (elves) so you always try to outdo them (have the final word when bartering, compare weapons (easier with Weapon Sheathing), duel in the Arena (BigMod lets you challenge NPCs)...
  • NEVER increase your speed when leveling up (fortify effects and potions are ok)

Additional tasks

  • You may find small chunks of mithril in ores. Bring them to Yagrum to have a new Mithril Chainmail reforged (one that Fargoth won't take).
  • Find Dwarven ingots in Dwemer ruins. Bring the ingots to Yagrum to upgrade your helmet and axe.
  • Be sure to defeat Gaenor to prove Dwarves are superior.

You are Gandalf

Chargen

  • Breton, mage
  • elderly face
  • Atronach birthsign

Perks

  • gets a defensive staff and a grey wizard hat
  • Starts with one Elven Ring of Power
  • Has insight on the other Rings of Power locations
  • You may draw magicka from the Ringing Crystals
  • You may find Pearls of Mana when slaying Daedra

Handicaps

  • fire element only
  • may only use staves, silver one-handed long blades or Goldbrand.
  • Cannot use rings besides Elven Rings of Power and Wizard's Ring
  • Robes only, and only common until you defeat the Balrog

Additional tasks

  • Acquire the Staff of Magnus and the Wizard's Ring and Goldbrand (Glamdring)

You are Legolas

Chargen

  • Bosmer Archer
  • Ranger birthsign
  • Child of Nature background

Perks

  • Craft you own arrows
  • Moonshadow, Voice of the Emperor and Eye of Night Powers (you can blend in shadows, you're pretty, you have good eyesight)
  • You start with a ranger armor (cuirass, quiver and skirt)
  • You snipe Cliff Racers clean, not damaging their plumes as much.
  • Insight on Elven Cloak location

Handicaps

  • You are a short annoying male Wood Elf, isn't that enough?
  • You cannot use anything made of metal
  • Only eat what you kill / forage

Additional tasks

  • Acquire the Bow of Shadows and Auriel's Bow and bring them to the Master trainer in Marskman to improve both bows.

Final Words

Coming up, Harry Potter challenge, stay tuned!
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Spoilers: where to find what

Information taken directly from https://en.uesp.net

  • Calvus Horatius is an Imperial warrior, and a Mercenary for hire. He can be found in the Royal Palace Courtyard, if you wish to hire him.
  • Keening: The blade is located in the citadel of Odrosal, southeast of Dagoth Ur's Citadel in the center of the island.
  • Adamantium Cuirass: Old Mournhold: Temple Sewers West (on a ledge in the same room as the boots)
  • Wolfbane: the summit of Hvitkald Peak in the Moesring Mountains
  • Roland's Tear: golden kanet near Daedric shrine of Ald Sotha
  • Gaenor in front of the Mournhold Temple
  • Staff of Magnus: Dreveni Hlaren in Assu cave.
  • Warlock's ring: Vindamea Drethan in Ashirbadon cave.
  • Goldbrand: Complete Boethiah's quest
  • Lord's Mail: the Underground Caves below Ebonheart.
  • Bow of Shadows: Venim Ancestral Tomb, north of the Zainab Camp.
  • Trueflame: The Blade of Nerevar
  • Umbra: hills east of Suran.
  • Divayth Fyr: Hall of Fyr in Tel Fyr.
  • Fire Atronach in Mount Kand Cavern: Molag Mar region.
  • Goblin Warchiefs in Old Mournhold: Tears of Amun-Shae (Azog).