From Lotro-Wiki.com
Description
Monster play gives you the opportunity to create your own army of monsters and join the Dark Lord Sauron in the War of the Ring. Whether it is as a savage Uruk crushing Hobbits or a Warg in search of unsuspecting prey, you can skulk across the northlands in service to Angmar and its master, the evil Witchking. Monster play allows you to experience life as a foot soldier of the Enemy, fighting against the Free Peoples of Middle-earth (played by both players and NPCs) who are attempting to halt the advancing shadow of Angmar. The region of the Ettenmoors is dedicated to the battle against the forces of evil, and it is the only place where players can directly fight against other players (as Monsters versus Heroes). Here the battle rages without end.
Creating Your Monster
Because monsters are all about fast, fun, explosive combat, there is no separate character creation process. Instead, each monster comes fully loaded with its own race, gender, appearance, equipment, skills and abilities. There are currently five different monsters to choose from. See the section below for Monster Play Races.
All you have to do is select the kind of monster you want to play, name the creature, and get started! Your current Hero character will be logged out and you are transported to the Ettenmoors. Be warned: Once you arrive, you will be an actual monster. You are now the evil that others fight so valiantly to defeat. You will commit atrocities in the name of Sauron — and will be hunted unmercifully by the Free Peoples of Middleearth. Monster play is not for the faint of heart.
Monster Play Races
As with the free peoples, there are 4 races available to the Armies of Angmar in Monster Play. There are far fewer options for class selection so races and classes are often combined and players are referred to by their class more so than by their race directly such as:
Each race has its own racial traits available, which are shared across the classes that can be played by that race.
Orc
The Orcs are a race invented by Tolkien, not present in earlier mythology. Since he created the race, and since he wanted little confusion in his children's story "The Hobbit" Tolkien translated the unknown "Orc" into the well known "goblin" of earlier mythos. The word "Orc" is a corruption of the Elvish word "Orch" (plural "Yrch"). Rumored to have originally been Elves taken and twisted by Sauron's ancient master, Morgoth, they have ever served the powers of evil in Arda.
Orc Racial Traits
There are 2 classes available to those that wish to play an Orc in Monster Play.
Orc Defiler
Monster Player Class: Orc Defiler
Orc Defiler
| The Orc defiler has learned of plagues and venoms, and can put them to use restoring the forces of the Dark Lord or bring low the free people.
Hailing from lands filled with toxins and disease, the orc Defiler uses his knowledge of these virulent fungi and slime to aid his allies and hamper his enemies.
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Combat Roles
| Primary Role:
| Healing
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| Secondary Roles:
| Debuff
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Orc Reaver
Monster Player Class: Orc Reaver
Orc Reaver
| Savage, brutal and deadly, the Reaver is at home on the field of battle - and few places else.
His swift attacks and ability to dual-wield weaponry make him a formidable foe. When pressed, the Reaver is capable of tapping the strength of his blood to become a frenzied warrior who rains blows on his enemy with frightening speed.
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Combat Roles
| Primary Role:
| Damage (Burst)
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| Secondary Roles:
| Damage (Sustained)
Debuff
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Spider
Excerpt from The Lorebook:[1]
These small eight-legged creatures, known for capturing their prey in intricate webs, were evidently as common in Middle-earth as they are today. Characters in The Lord of the Rings often refer to them descriptively, whether it be Gandalf discussing his capture by Saruman, Sam climbing ropes across the Silverlode, or Gollum clambering down a rock wall.
There was a more sinister side to the spiders of Middle-earth, though, that entered it with the monstrous Ungoliant in the years before the First Age. A gigantic creature of spider-shape, it was she who destroyed the Two Trees of Valinor, and escaped with Morgoth into the lands of Middle-earth. Though Ungoliant herself disappeared into the far south, she left the northern lands infested with her offspring. During the First Age, the mountains north of Beleriand were infested with these monsters, and became a place of dread.
Spider Racial Traits
The Spiders in Monster Play are the only race that are considered female.
There is only 1 class currently available for spiders:
Spider Weaver
Monster Player Class: Spider Weaver
Spider Weaver
| Cunning, patient and fearsome, the Weaver's home is not within the heart of the battle, but rahter at its edge, where she can best employ her strengths and shield her weaknesses.
With poison, clinging webs and the ability to burrow beneath the ground, the Weaver is a mistress of woe who skulks the fringes of battle.
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Combat Roles
| Primary Role:
| Unspecified after book 13 due to web changes
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| Secondary Roles:
| Damage Over-time
Surprise
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Uruk
Uruk is a term for the large soldiers more fully referred to as Uruk-hai which were the great soldier-Orcs that first appeared in the late Third Age; they were larger and stronger than their forebears, and could withstand the light of the Sun.[2]
Uruk Racial Traits
There are 2 classes available to those who wish to play an Uruk in Monster Play:
Uruk Blackarrow
Monster Player Class: Uruk Blackarrow
Uruk Blackarrow
| Accurate, vindictive and violent, the Blackarrow employs the bow against foes, striking from behind the front-line warriors of Angmar's army.
Employing fire and deadly gifts of shadow from Angmar, the Blackarrow is a potent foe who drives his arrows deep into his targets' midst.
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Combat Roles
| Primary Role:
| Ranged Damage
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| Secondary Roles:
| Ranged Damage (Over-time)
Crowd Control
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Uruk Warleader
Monster Player Class: Uruk Warleader
Uruk Warleader
| On the battlefield, the Warleader shines as a warrior on the front line and inspiration to his allies.
Through mocking, humiliation and force of will, the Warleader can inspire the meekest of troops to greatness. His fearsome howls augment his strong arm and shield to make his blows all the more deadly.
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Combat Roles
| Primary Role:
| Tank
Buff
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| Secondary Role:
| Rabble-rousing (Healing)
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Warg
Excerpt from The Lorebook:[3]
The ferocious and intelligent race of wolves that lived in the northern Vales of Anduin, and probably elsewhere in the north of Middle-earth.
Warg Racial Traits
There is only 1 class that can be played by those who wish to be a Warg in Monster Play.
Warg Stalker
Monster Player Class: Warg Stalker
Warg Stalker
| At home in a pack or stalking the woods silent and stealthy, the Stalker strikes suddenly and does not offer escape to his foe.
Strong jaws, hardened claws and fierce determination drive the Stalker, making him on of the most feared opponents in battle.
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Combat Roles
| Primary Role:
| Stealth/Scout
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| Secondary Roles:
| Damage (Burst)
Debuff
Limited Crowd Control
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References
- ↑ The Lorebook: Lore on Spiders, Turbine's Lorebook
- ↑ The Lorebook: Lore on Uruk-hai, Turbine's Lorebook
- ↑ The Lorebook: Lore on Wargs Turbine's Lorebook]
PVMP (Player vs Monster Player
The Ettenmoors
The Ettenmoors are a dangerous place, right in the heart of the War of the Ring. It is here — in these rugged lands — that the Free Peoples have fought countless times over the ages against the shadow of Angmar. These treacherous lands lie just to the north of Rivendell, and it is here that the Witch-king of Angmar fled after his defeat in the Battle of
Fornost.
Encompassed within the Ettenmoors are ruins that once served an ancient civilization of Men. These ruins provide tactical positions that are controllable by Monsters or Heroes. In addition to these ruins, there is a rich mine in the frozen north near Arador’s End and a lumberyard nestled in the forest to the south by Hithlad.
Monsters and Heroes each begin in a safe area. For Monsters, your journey begins at Gramsfoot, a fort in the northwest corner of the Ettenmoors. For Heroes, you begin at the majestic fortification of Glân Vraig. At these safe locations you can purchase goods, repair items, seek quests, train skills, treat with Bards, and assemble your forces for the battle ahead. While the areas surrounding these entry points are relatively safe, the same cannot be said for the remainder of the Ettenmoors. Across this massive theatre of war you will find not only the Enemy, in the form of Angmar’s Dark Army, and the Free Peoples, but a host of creatures both friend and foe:
- Eagles and bears have aligned with the Free Peoples, heeding the call to defend against the ravages extending from the north.
- The Warg packs and spiders broods have been conscripted into the service of the Dark Lord Sauron, and they stalk the woodland and moors with ferocity.
- Other indigenous creatures have joined neither side and pose a threat to both Monsters and Heroes alike. There is no end of conflict available in the Ettenmoors.
