The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Hits D&D Beyond
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Hobbit lovers rejoice: the popular The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying campaign setting from publisher Free League is now available on D&D Beyond. This marks a continuing trends from Wizards of the Coast to publish more third-party content on the platform, which has until recently only featured official Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition products.
It’s also a historic first given that Lord of the Rings is considered by many to be a major influence on DnD, but has never really been a fully licensed product. It also comes at an auspicious time for Wizards of the Coast (who is never late and arrives precisely when they mean to) following the release of the new 2024 Player’s Handbook and 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide.
So just what’s included in this digital foray into the realms of Middle-earth? Below, we grab a second breakfast and uncover all the details.
What is “Lord of the Rings Roleplaying”?
The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying is a Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition campaign setting created by third-party publisher Free League that takes place in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Much of the material (and the official license from the Tolkien estate), however, is based on the second edition of The One Ring roleplaying game originally created by Italian RPG and board game designer Francesco Nepitello.
For DnD 5e, the campaign setting is focused largely on the Third Age of Middle-earth, a period preceding the legendary War of the Ring and the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron. It’s a time in which ancient evil is returning to the lands of men, elves and hobbits and the shadow of war is everywhere.Much of the action takes place in Eriador, a sprawling land in northern Middle-earth located between the Blue Mountains and the infamous Misty Mountains which feature prominently in The Hobbit.
Like other DnD 5e campaign settings, players take on the roles of adventurers who must venture beyond the safety of their homes to confront dangers, recover lost relics and uncover forgotten knowledge. The narrative allows for both personal and larger-scale stories, reflecting the themes of heroism, loss, and perseverance that are central to Tolkien’s works. It also offers a number of new rules that have not appeared in DnD 5e before, including new options for travel and exploration.
What’s included in the Lord of the Rings Roleplaying on D&D Beyond?
The D&D Beyond version of Lord of the Rings Roleplaying is essentially a digital version of what has been previously published by Free League in physical copies of the campaign setting. It retails for $29.99 USD and includes the following:
- 6 Callings (the equivalent of DnD 5e classes)
- 6 Heroic Cultures of Middle-earth (a combination of DnD species and Backgrounds)
- 6 Rewards (traits that improve gear)
- 42 Virtues (the equivalent of DnD Feats)
- 22 new monster stat blocks
- A full setting guide to Eriador in the Third Age
- 6 Patrons (including Gandalf!)
- New rules, including Shadow points, Councils and Journeys
There are, however, a few important distinctions between Free League’s existing version of The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying and what’s included in the D&D Beyond version.
First, all of the maps and tokens developed by Free League have been integrated into D&D Beyond’s toolset. This means you can use the D&D Beyond Maps VTT and encounter builder. Additionally, players can create Middle Earth characters that fully integrate with the D&D Beyond Character Builder.
Additionally, all of The Lord of the Rings D&D Beyond materials are using the updated 2024 DnD Core Rules, which is particularly important for species and backgrounds and was not something that’s featured in the original Free League publication which came out in early 2023.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve already purchased Free League’s The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying (which by the way, is an absolutely gorgeous book and worth picking up) you’re not going to be missing out on any substantial new content with the D&D Beyond version. That being said, if you’re new to the product then snagging a digital copy for $29.99 is definitely worth it (notably, the hardcover retails for about $60 USD on Amazon and there is no PDF or digital version available from Free League). I
t’s also a solid option if you’re already familiar with the ook and looking to integrate it with D&D Beyond (which is always a popular option for players who often use the platform to manage characters during both online and in-person games).
You can currently snag your precious copy of The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying on D&D Beyond.
Below is also a video from the official Dungeons & Dragons YouTube channel, which offers more information on what to expect.
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Ollie Delano is a Staff Writer who lives in Chicago, Illinois where he majored in Journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He’s been playing Dungeons & Dragons for over 10 years and currently plays in a weekly game group where he rolls way too many natural 1s and chugs way too much Mountain Dew. His favorite D&D campaign setting is Eberron and his favorite character to play was a Tiefling rogue named Draxiss who enjoys both literal and figurative backstabbing.
