I’m an enormous Tolkien nerd. Like fascinated. And I was wondering if my fellow Middle Earth geeks would help me in translating that into dungeons and dragons, just for fun. I’m particularly curious what the Fellowship’s character builds would look like, especially the hobbits. Give me your ideas, or even your stats below!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbithole, and that means comfort.”
For the Hobbits, I think it really depends on where you look—but primarily I would say they are NPCs with mediocre stat blocks.
It is fundamental to the story that the hobbits are decidedly ordinary—they are regular folk, small in stature and importance, who find themselves forced into incredible positions and rise to the challenge. Where they succeed, it isn’t through their class abilities or any real specific talent—it is perseverance and a willingness to do the right thing, even if it seems impossible. Even in the one big fight the Hobbits actually are at the primary combatants in—the Scouring of the Shire—they are fighting against other non-classed, low-level bandits, not super trained military combatants (and Sharkey, who is decidedly more than a low-level bandit, is not even defeated by any of the Hobbits).
At best, Merry and Pippin might have a couple levels of Fighter at the end of the series. But, overall, they are just particularly effective CR 1/8ths who manage to get the job done. Higher than that, and you start to lose an important aspect of the story—the idea that these diminutive characters, who can get crushed by pretty much everyone they meet, are the true heroes, not the more traditional heroes like Aragorn.
Free League publishing has had the TTRPG rights to LOTR for a bit. They produced the 2nd edition of The One Ring Role Playing which is it's own rules system not at all like D&D. However over a year back they opted to adapt The One Ring to 5e, and publish it as The Lord of the Rings Role Playing Game using the rules for 5e. It modifies the rules to include mechanics for things that D&D doesn't really have, like holding and attending counsel and such. If you enjoy 5e, and want to add more a Tolkien feel to it, I'd look into The Lord of the Rings Role Playing for 5e. They're gorgeous books.
I don't know if anyone's gotten any of the stuff from it to work in Homebrew here on DDB, and if someone did, they can't share it with you outside of a campaign, but it's possible someone has some experience trying and may be able to report back on the feasibility.
I'd lean more to Rogues for the Hobbits' That Sneak Attack on the Witch-King was sweet. Fairly low level, though.
Boromir is a Fighter.
Aragorn was a Ranger.
Legolas is a hard one. His sheer number of attacks suggests Dex-based Fighter, but his archery isn't in-line with the Arcane Archer subclass, and I'd love to see what Legolas could do if properly built, if what we see is him hobbled by the wrong subclass. Maybe a Ranger instead?
Gandalf is, perhaps controversially, lean towards Warlock. Wizard is obvious, but has far too many spell slots for what we see Gandalf doing. Perhaps he is a Warlock with Eru for a Patron.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Free League publishing has had the TTRPG rights to LOTR for a bit. They produced the 2nd edition of The One Ring Role Playing which is it's own rules system not at all like D&D. However over a year back they opted to adapt The One Ring to 5e, and publish it as The Lord of the Rings Role Playing Game using the rules for 5e. It modifies the rules to include mechanics for things that D&D doesn't really have, like holding and attending counsel and such. If you enjoy 5e, and want to add more a Tolkien feel to it, I'd look into The Lord of the Rings Role Playing for 5e. They're gorgeous books.
I don't know if anyone's gotten any of the stuff from it to work in Homebrew here on DDB, and if someone did, they can't share it with you outside of a campaign, but it's possible someone has some experience trying and may be able to report back on the feasibility.
I have TOR, and graphically it's really lovely. I avoided the 5e version to keep some distinction, but I hadn't considered putting it onto DDB.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Legolas is a hard one. His sheer number of attacks suggests Dex-based Fighter, but his archery isn't in-line with the Arcane Archer subclass, and I'd love to see what Legolas could do if properly built, if what we see is him hobbled by the wrong subclass. Maybe a Ranger instead?
I've always been absolutely certain that Legolas is a Champion Fighter with the Elven Accuracy feat. Crits for days.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny. Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
Frodo is a Warlock. He gets his power to turn Invisible through the One Ring. He is constantly having to fight off the darkness.
Sam is a Paladin. He can fight, he has an intimidating aura as he's walking up those stairs, he's helpful and (at least) emotionally heals his companions. Just being near Sam aids Frodo in resisting the darkness.
Pippin is a Bard. His expert performance during the dinner and his quotable lines indicate a high charisma. And he can fight and sneak as well.
Merry is a Rogue. He starts off as a thief and uses his quick reflexes in battle.
Gimli is a Barbarian. He's got that "If violence isn't working for you, you're not using enough of it" attitude. And his passion for battle would count as his rage.
Legolas original class was Elf. But that's not a class any more. With his dual wielding and archery he's what everyone envisions as a Ranger. But he doesn't have an animal companion, so a Fighter is equally viable.
Aragon is a Ranger. It's actually specified. Seemingly more at home in the wilds than in civilization, he can't escape his Noble background.
Gandalf is a Wizard. It's also actually specified. He's knowledgeable, learned and intelligent. His ability to fight with a sword indicates he's either a Bladesinger or he took a level in Fighter.
Boromir is a Fighter. He is sturdy in battle and well versed with the sword. He literally becomes the bulwark that allows his friends to escape.
There are only three classes in LotR: Fighter (Champion, Cavalier, or Battle Master), Rogue (Thief or Scout), or Barbarian (Berserker). Magic is something that's limited to semi-divine beings like the ancient elves or Gandalf who's a type of Celestial.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Aragorn? Crown paladin + hunter ranger, if we abstract from the spells. Athelas=lay on hands. Hobbits? Commoners all, and it's not even really close. The only one who almost appears heroic is Merry, but in reality he probably just got really lucky against the witch king. Gandalf could be considered a light cleric, but is really more of an NPC/monster.
Aragorn? Crown paladin + hunter ranger, if we abstract from the spells. Athelas=lay on hands. Hobbits? Commoners all, and it's not even really close. The only one who almost appears heroic is Merry, but in reality he probably just got really lucky against the witch king. Gandalf could be considered a light cleric, but is really more of an NPC/monster.
“The only hobbit who was heroic was Merry”. If I could put the skull emoji on D&DB, I would do it here.
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbithole, and that means comfort.”
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbithole, and that means comfort.”
Hobbits? Commoners all, and it's not even really close
No commoner with single-digit HP would survive a tiny fraction of what the hobbits, especially Frodo and Sam, went through
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
I'd recommend you use the dynamics of the Fellowship as loose inspiration, rather than trying to translate the characters and their mechanical capabilities to D&D too literally. Unlike D&D's official settings, Middle-Earth is for most of its inhabitants a low-magic world (or at least a subtle-magic one) which means you'll end up with very little variation among character builds in a D&D sense. Your group may very well enjoy an adventuring party that consists of 8 fighters and 1 wizard, but going that route doesn't really let you tap into all the mechanical richness D&D has to offer.
Also these are really helpful, thanks! Is TOR a booster for dnd 5e , or it’s own game?
The One Ring is it's own game system, rules are totally different from 5e. The publisher of The One Ring, Free League, a year or so back released Lord of the Rings Roleplaying, adapting The One Ring to 5e. To play it you need either the 5e PHB or SRD, but from there it plays a little different. This review should explain how it diverges from "regular" D&D in ways that try harder to capture the specific spirit of LOTR, rather than the broader fantasy mix of D&Ds DnA:
Also these are really helpful, thanks! Is TOR a booster for dnd 5e , or it’s own game?
TOR is it's own game with quite different mechanics. It uses d6s and d12s to resolve mechanics, has a Shadow System and is much more of an actual Roleplaying Game than D&D (which is really better described as a combat game with roleplaying bodged in).
The 5e version (LotRRP) is mostly a reskin of 5e, with a couple of things bolted on and a few things removed. Personally, I feel TOR is the better game at what it does, benefitting from being designed from the ground up to give a LotR feel.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
There are only three classes in LotR: Fighter (Champion, Cavalier, or Battle Master), Rogue (Thief or Scout), or Barbarian (Berserker). Magic is something that's limited to semi-divine beings like the ancient elves or Gandalf who's a type of Celestial.
Both of those are members of the Fellowship. Both perform magic feats in the books as well.
Aragorn? Crown paladin + hunter ranger, if we abstract from the spells. Athelas=lay on hands. Hobbits? Commoners all, and it's not even really close. The only one who almost appears heroic is Merry, but in reality he probably just got really lucky against the witch king. Gandalf could be considered a light cleric, but is really more of an NPC/monster.
Athelas would be better handled by Goodberry than Laying on of Hands. I'm not sure Paladin is a good fit since he never Smites, and what is a Paladin that never Smites?
All the Hobbits are heroic, just not necessarily frontline fighter style in every instance. One cripples the Witch-King of Angmar, another slays the spawn of a Maiar or at least cripples them with what should be a mortal wound and we never hear from them again, the third tanks a hit from a troll and manages to be the only bearer of the Ring to resist it's corruption while in Mordor while the last gets a kill-assist on Gandalf.
In all seriousness though, the only one who doesn't jump to mind as having heroic deeds is Pippin. I mean two between them managed to cripple or kill a half-Maiar as well as the greatest wraith to ever exist - the only heroic deed we see match either of these is Gandalf slaying Durin's Bane, while being a Maiar himself and dies doing it.
The Hobbits put men like Boromir and Faramir to shame. Even Aragorn, who'd be accused of being a Mary-Sue if the book weren't so old, doesn't match these.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Athelas would be better handled by Goodberry than Laying on of Hands. I'm not sure Paladin is a good fit since he never Smites, and what is a Paladin that never Smites?
I'd agree with you if not for the following quote: "The hands of the king are the hands of a healer, and so shall the rightful king be known." Aragorn's skill could heal those wounded by the witch king, which implies more power than a goodberry. Also if we stretch the definition a little, one could argue that Aragorn was smiting things left and right with his fancy broken sword in the Tolkienesque low-magic way. I'd say a crown paladin fits the proud-to-a-fault Aragorn thematically. But I could give on this point.
All the Hobbits are heroic, just not necessarily frontline fighter style in every instance. One cripples the Witch-King of Angmar, another slays the spawn of a Maiar or at least cripples them with what should be a mortal wound and we never hear from them again, the third tanks a hit from a troll and manages to be the only bearer of the Ring to resist it's corruption while in Mordor while the last gets a kill-assist on Gandalf.
In all seriousness though, the only one who doesn't jump to mind as having heroic deeds is Pippin. I mean two between them managed to cripple or kill a half-Maiar as well as the greatest wraith to ever exist - the only heroic deed we see match either of these is Gandalf slaying Durin's Bane, while being a Maiar himself and dies doing it.
The Hobbits put men like Boromir and Faramir to shame. Even Aragorn, who'd be accused of being a Mary-Sue if the book weren't so old, doesn't match these.
On the other hand... Merry landed an extremely lucky hit, which broke his own weapon and arm, due to the weight of prophecy. Pippin does what to who? What's a half-maiar? Okay, he manages to get the lucky blow on a troll, which promptly falls on him, ending his role in the final battle. Frodo gets himself stabbed, bashed, captured, etc and was lucky enough to have worn his uncle's armor when he got shivved by an orc bad enough to have otherwise been insta-fragged. He's a classic commoner, and in fact this status is almost essential to the plot. Sam, the gardener, gets one good solid lucky swing at Shelob with the aid of two powerful magic items (well, at least for the power level of Middle Earth) and the DM subsequently ruled that shelob just ran away.
I'd say that what ties the hobbits together is their incredible luck and courage, which is given by the base halfling race. If any of them have PC levels, I'd mayyyybe say it'd be Sam. But even then, what class features does he have? Remember, a first-level fighter gets a fighting style. Which hobbit has enough skill in combat to have trained in a fighting style? No way they come close to having the skills of even a basic soldier in the Gondorian army, who would be represented by an NPC block.
There's one exception I'd make. By the end of the RotK, when the hobbits return to the shire and get into it with the severely weakened, staff-less Saruman, they may have earned a single level in... something.
Boromir and Faramir have years of experience in both combat and leadership. Aragorn's lived it up with the elves, hunted Gollum, and developed a keen set of skills that border on supernatural. No comparison. You could argue that the men have done fewer heroic deeds, fair enough, but levels come down to experience and skill, not just luck IMO.
Thank you for attending my Ted talk.
P.S. I really don't take this very serously. All in good fun, yeah?
I’m an enormous Tolkien nerd. Like fascinated. And I was wondering if my fellow Middle Earth geeks would help me in translating that into dungeons and dragons, just for fun. I’m particularly curious what the Fellowship’s character builds would look like, especially the hobbits. Give me your ideas, or even your stats below!
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbithole, and that means comfort.”
For the Hobbits, I think it really depends on where you look—but primarily I would say they are NPCs with mediocre stat blocks.
It is fundamental to the story that the hobbits are decidedly ordinary—they are regular folk, small in stature and importance, who find themselves forced into incredible positions and rise to the challenge. Where they succeed, it isn’t through their class abilities or any real specific talent—it is perseverance and a willingness to do the right thing, even if it seems impossible. Even in the one big fight the Hobbits actually are at the primary combatants in—the Scouring of the Shire—they are fighting against other non-classed, low-level bandits, not super trained military combatants (and Sharkey, who is decidedly more than a low-level bandit, is not even defeated by any of the Hobbits).
At best, Merry and Pippin might have a couple levels of Fighter at the end of the series. But, overall, they are just particularly effective CR 1/8ths who manage to get the job done. Higher than that, and you start to lose an important aspect of the story—the idea that these diminutive characters, who can get crushed by pretty much everyone they meet, are the true heroes, not the more traditional heroes like Aragorn.
Not gonna lie, I think most of the hobbits'd be fighters but idk.
BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explain
HERE.Free League publishing has had the TTRPG rights to LOTR for a bit. They produced the 2nd edition of The One Ring Role Playing which is it's own rules system not at all like D&D. However over a year back they opted to adapt The One Ring to 5e, and publish it as The Lord of the Rings Role Playing Game using the rules for 5e. It modifies the rules to include mechanics for things that D&D doesn't really have, like holding and attending counsel and such. If you enjoy 5e, and want to add more a Tolkien feel to it, I'd look into The Lord of the Rings Role Playing for 5e. They're gorgeous books.
I don't know if anyone's gotten any of the stuff from it to work in Homebrew here on DDB, and if someone did, they can't share it with you outside of a campaign, but it's possible someone has some experience trying and may be able to report back on the feasibility.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
I'd lean more to Rogues for the Hobbits' That Sneak Attack on the Witch-King was sweet. Fairly low level, though.
Boromir is a Fighter.
Aragorn was a Ranger.
Legolas is a hard one. His sheer number of attacks suggests Dex-based Fighter, but his archery isn't in-line with the Arcane Archer subclass, and I'd love to see what Legolas could do if properly built, if what we see is him hobbled by the wrong subclass. Maybe a Ranger instead?
Gandalf is, perhaps controversially, lean towards Warlock. Wizard is obvious, but has far too many spell slots for what we see Gandalf doing. Perhaps he is a Warlock with Eru for a Patron.
Gimli is a Fighter.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
I have TOR, and graphically it's really lovely. I avoided the 5e version to keep some distinction, but I hadn't considered putting it onto DDB.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
I've always been absolutely certain that Legolas is a Champion Fighter with the Elven Accuracy feat. Crits for days.
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny.
Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
Frodo is a Warlock. He gets his power to turn Invisible through the One Ring. He is constantly having to fight off the darkness.
Sam is a Paladin. He can fight, he has an intimidating aura as he's walking up those stairs, he's helpful and (at least) emotionally heals his companions. Just being near Sam aids Frodo in resisting the darkness.
Pippin is a Bard. His expert performance during the dinner and his quotable lines indicate a high charisma. And he can fight and sneak as well.
Merry is a Rogue. He starts off as a thief and uses his quick reflexes in battle.
Gimli is a Barbarian. He's got that "If violence isn't working for you, you're not using enough of it" attitude. And his passion for battle would count as his rage.
Legolas original class was Elf. But that's not a class any more. With his dual wielding and archery he's what everyone envisions as a Ranger. But he doesn't have an animal companion, so a Fighter is equally viable.
Aragon is a Ranger. It's actually specified. Seemingly more at home in the wilds than in civilization, he can't escape his Noble background.
Gandalf is a Wizard. It's also actually specified. He's knowledgeable, learned and intelligent. His ability to fight with a sword indicates he's either a Bladesinger or he took a level in Fighter.
Boromir is a Fighter. He is sturdy in battle and well versed with the sword. He literally becomes the bulwark that allows his friends to escape.
There are only three classes in LotR: Fighter (Champion, Cavalier, or Battle Master), Rogue (Thief or Scout), or Barbarian (Berserker). Magic is something that's limited to semi-divine beings like the ancient elves or Gandalf who's a type of Celestial.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/the-lord-of-the-rings-roleplaying/
Terra Lubridia archive:
The Bloody Barnacle | The Gut | The Athene Crusader | The Jewel of Atlantis
Aragorn? Crown paladin + hunter ranger, if we abstract from the spells. Athelas=lay on hands.
Hobbits? Commoners all, and it's not even really close. The only one who almost appears heroic is Merry, but in reality he probably just got really lucky against the witch king.
Gandalf could be considered a light cleric, but is really more of an NPC/monster.
“The only hobbit who was heroic was Merry”. If I could put the skull emoji on D&DB, I would do it here.
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbithole, and that means comfort.”
Also these are really helpful, thanks! Is TOR a booster for dnd 5e , or it’s own game?
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbithole, and that means comfort.”
No commoner with single-digit HP would survive a tiny fraction of what the hobbits, especially Frodo and Sam, went through
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
I'd recommend you use the dynamics of the Fellowship as loose inspiration, rather than trying to translate the characters and their mechanical capabilities to D&D too literally. Unlike D&D's official settings, Middle-Earth is for most of its inhabitants a low-magic world (or at least a subtle-magic one) which means you'll end up with very little variation among character builds in a D&D sense. Your group may very well enjoy an adventuring party that consists of 8 fighters and 1 wizard, but going that route doesn't really let you tap into all the mechanical richness D&D has to offer.
Yeah, they started as commoners, but by the end of the story they had obviously gained a few levels.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
The One Ring is it's own game system, rules are totally different from 5e. The publisher of The One Ring, Free League, a year or so back released Lord of the Rings Roleplaying, adapting The One Ring to 5e. To play it you need either the 5e PHB or SRD, but from there it plays a little different. This review should explain how it diverges from "regular" D&D in ways that try harder to capture the specific spirit of LOTR, rather than the broader fantasy mix of D&Ds DnA:
https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/19/19133.phtml#:~:text=Game%20Mechanics&text=The%20Lord%20of%20the%20Rings%20Roleplaying%20core%20book%20is%20not,not%20all%2C%20of%20those%20now.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
TOR is it's own game with quite different mechanics. It uses d6s and d12s to resolve mechanics, has a Shadow System and is much more of an actual Roleplaying Game than D&D (which is really better described as a combat game with roleplaying bodged in).
The 5e version (LotRRP) is mostly a reskin of 5e, with a couple of things bolted on and a few things removed. Personally, I feel TOR is the better game at what it does, benefitting from being designed from the ground up to give a LotR feel.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Both of those are members of the Fellowship. Both perform magic feats in the books as well.
Athelas would be better handled by Goodberry than Laying on of Hands. I'm not sure Paladin is a good fit since he never Smites, and what is a Paladin that never Smites?
All the Hobbits are heroic, just not necessarily frontline fighter style in every instance. One cripples the Witch-King of Angmar, another slays the spawn of a Maiar or at least cripples them with what should be a mortal wound and we never hear from them again, the third tanks a hit from a troll and manages to be the only bearer of the Ring to resist it's corruption while in Mordor while the last gets a kill-assist on Gandalf.
In all seriousness though, the only one who doesn't jump to mind as having heroic deeds is Pippin. I mean two between them managed to cripple or kill a half-Maiar as well as the greatest wraith to ever exist - the only heroic deed we see match either of these is Gandalf slaying Durin's Bane, while being a Maiar himself and dies doing it.
The Hobbits put men like Boromir and Faramir to shame. Even Aragorn, who'd be accused of being a Mary-Sue if the book weren't so old, doesn't match these.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
I love lobbing some hand grenades into threads like these. But I really mean to say "heroic" as in "having heroic levels".
I'd agree with you if not for the following quote: "The hands of the king are the hands of a healer, and so shall the rightful king be known." Aragorn's skill could heal those wounded by the witch king, which implies more power than a goodberry. Also if we stretch the definition a little, one could argue that Aragorn was smiting things left and right with his fancy broken sword in the Tolkienesque low-magic way. I'd say a crown paladin fits the proud-to-a-fault Aragorn thematically. But I could give on this point.
On the other hand... Merry landed an extremely lucky hit, which broke his own weapon and arm, due to the weight of prophecy. Pippin does what to who? What's a half-maiar? Okay, he manages to get the lucky blow on a troll, which promptly falls on him, ending his role in the final battle. Frodo gets himself stabbed, bashed, captured, etc and was lucky enough to have worn his uncle's armor when he got shivved by an orc bad enough to have otherwise been insta-fragged. He's a classic commoner, and in fact this status is almost essential to the plot. Sam, the gardener, gets one good solid lucky swing at Shelob with the aid of two powerful magic items (well, at least for the power level of Middle Earth) and the DM subsequently ruled that shelob just ran away.
I'd say that what ties the hobbits together is their incredible luck and courage, which is given by the base halfling race. If any of them have PC levels, I'd mayyyybe say it'd be Sam. But even then, what class features does he have? Remember, a first-level fighter gets a fighting style. Which hobbit has enough skill in combat to have trained in a fighting style? No way they come close to having the skills of even a basic soldier in the Gondorian army, who would be represented by an NPC block.
There's one exception I'd make. By the end of the RotK, when the hobbits return to the shire and get into it with the severely weakened, staff-less Saruman, they may have earned a single level in... something.
Boromir and Faramir have years of experience in both combat and leadership. Aragorn's lived it up with the elves, hunted Gollum, and developed a keen set of skills that border on supernatural. No comparison. You could argue that the men have done fewer heroic deeds, fair enough, but levels come down to experience and skill, not just luck IMO.
Thank you for attending my Ted talk.
P.S. I really don't take this very serously. All in good fun, yeah?