Riders of Rohan Cultural Virtues

Born to the Saddle

With astonishing speed and skill they checked their steeds, wheeled, and came charging round.

  All Rohirrim know much about horses, but you’ve spent your life in the saddle, riding over the wide plains of Rohan and fighting the enemies of the Mark.   You have advantage in Wisdom (Animal Handling) ability checks whenever dealing with horses. In addition, you add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.

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Household Esquire

… a man came summoning him, the king’s esquire, to wait at the king’s board.

  A noble family has entrusted you with the raising and training of a young person from their household. They will serve you as your personal esquire, assisting you in all knightly matters. They will travel on their own riding horse and wait at your table; they will make sure that your mount and belongings are ready at the start of a journey, that your weapons are sharpened and your armour mended before a battle, and that you wear your best clothes and bring your most precious drinking cup at a feast. In return, you will provide your esquire with a proper martial education and will care for and protect them at all times.   Having an esquire with you gives you advantage in Wisdom (Insight) and (Perception), and Intelligence (Traditions) ability checks. Additionally, your esquire will promptly recover your mount should you fall from the saddle or be thrown down from it by failing a Dexterity saving throw. They will bring you a spare shield or weapon should you see it smashed or dropped (he effectively grants a bonus action to allow recovery of such items) and finally they will carry you from the field should you be knocked unconscious by the blows of an enemy, automatically stabilising you. While you won’t allow your esquire to be directly engaged in combat, they are is considered to be always about and eager to perform their duties.

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King’s Guard

But the men of the king’s household they could not yet bring from the field…

  The Lord of the Mark has granted you a permanent position among the Riders of the King’s own House. While most young lords among the Rohirrim serve in the King’s Guard for at least a few years, it is an honour to be granted to serve among them for life. Whenever you are in Edoras you train with some of the finest warriors of the Mark, and while away you are expected to enforce the King’s will.   You learn one of the three listed abilities of your choice when you first select this virtue. You may later acquire another ability as an undertaking during a Fellowship phase. (You may acquire all three abilities in any order).  

Horse-archery

You are allowed to use a bow from horseback without drawing disadvantage on your attack roll against foes within 5 feet of you. Additionally, you gain a +1 bonus to ranged combat attack rolls while mounted on a horse.  

Shield-raising

When you are using a shield while mounted, your shield increases your Armour Class by +3.  

Sword and Spear

When you are using a broadsword, long sword or a spear while mounted on a horse, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls.

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Master of Doom

Doom hung over them, but they faced it silently.

Many among your folk believe that the destiny of every man is determined already when he comes first unto this world. But some scorn this belief, deeming that by his own strength a man may master his doom. Wise men consider this to be a thought born of vain pride, and dangerous. What you think is that if you cannot conquer your fate, you will fall while trying.   At the start of any Adventuring phase you may choose to temporarily reduce your Wisdom by a number of points up to the total of your Proficiency Bonus. For each point that you reduce your Wisdom you add a number of temporary Hit Points equal to 1d10 + your Constitution modifier to a pool that lasts, unless reduced by damage, till the end of the Adventuring phase. During the following Fellowship phase, anything left in the pool is removed and your Wisdom returns to its normal score.   Note that lowering your Wisdom changes your Wisdom modifier and lowering it beneath the number of Shadow points you presently have will instantly render you subject to the Miserable condition (see page 183) and in danger of a Bout of Madness.

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Old Songs and Children’s Tales

"They are… wise but unlearned, writing no books but singing many songs, after the manner of the children of Men before the Dark Years."

  In these strange days you have learnt that the songs of the old days tell of many things that have been long forgotten, and what is often deemed to be the matter of legends may return to walk under the Sun. There is worth in each word of every rhyme, and wisdom in each dark stave of song that have come down from father to son in the House of Eorl.   Yours is an oral culture and you retain far more knowledge of old lore than most. By drawing on old snippets of lore and fragments of stories you can grant yourself advantage on ability checks using the following skills: History, Insight, Investigation, Lore, Medicine, Nature, Performance, Riddle, Survival and Traditions.   You can do this a number of times during an Adventuring phase equal to your Intelligence modifier, minimum of 1.   This ability covers many strange bits of lore, you may very well know pieces of hidden knowledge about the Shadow, or other seemingly lost tales at the Loremaster’s discretion. It is worth noting that using this ability does not imply that you suddenly burst into song, but rather that you run over snatches of old rhymes from your memory, murmuring a few words or maybe singing softly to yourself.