It took just one glance at the animated gif above to convince me that movie Bombur is wearing boots of striding and springing. So let’s go with what Peter Jackson and Lost Mine of Phandelver have given us, and use jolly old Bombur as the template for our Tharden Rockseeker.

Tharden is quiet as a mouse and big as a house. Gundren might explain to the party that, while his older brother understands the common speech, he does not speak it very well, choosing to instead communicate most things in his native Dwarven tongue. Otherwise, he communicates through nods, smiles, and shrugs like your grandmother from the old country, who’s been stateside for six decades but never fully embraced learning a new language. When Tharden does speak in common, perhaps it is with dire need, such as calling out a warning to allies who do not share a language with him.

Tharden’s formidable girth is maintained by his prodigious appetite. He’s always feeling peckish. Load up the wagon with a dozen or more wheels of cheese that Tharden daintily nibbles at by the wedge, barrels of apples he frequently paws through, and strings of dry-cured pork that he’s often seen gnawing at the end of.

He cooks for his brothers, so he’s always thinking about the next meal for reasons other than his proclivity for food. As the wagon journeys south on the High Road or east along the Triboar Trail, perhaps he’s passing the time by peeling potatoes for the next meal (eating the raw potato skins as he works), while humming to himself, occasionally acknowledging his companions for the journey with a friendly nod and warm smile. Whenever he has a pot over the fire, it smells wonderful. Travelling companions eat well on those nights.

Despite being a commoner, consider giving Tharden weapon proficiency with his pots, pans, and cutlery for melee and ranged attacks. Imagine a scenario where, just as a goblin is about to finish off one of the characters with a killing blow, it suddenly falls bonelessly into the dirt after being brained by a flying cast iron skillet. When the character looks up to see where the skillet came from, they catch a glimpse of Tharden, who gives the character a wink and a nod, then takes a bite out of one of the raw potatoes he’s peeling like it’s an apple. Or perhaps Tharden helps out in a combat by sneaking behind engaged foes and garroting them with a string of sausages. I’m certain there are endless options to season a combat with fun food flourishes.

Of course, Tharden’s prodigious appetite need not be accompanied by enormous girth. I’m sure we all know folks who can pack in enough calories in a single sitting to feed a family of five for an entire day without adding an inch to their waist size. But if you do decide to keep Tharden’s considerable bulk as part of his physical description, take extra care that it’s not unintentionally mean-spirited. One of the things I loved about Peter Jackson’s portrayal of Bombur in the movies is that, while this character’s weight was the subject of some humorous gags in the movie, Bombur was also portrayed as nimble, fleet of foot, and among the most interesting and skilled combatants in the Company of Thorin Oakenshield.

Up next: Nundro Rockseeker (Bifur).

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