New to the game and have some questions.

[DuncanNeeds2Shave]

New to the game and would greatly appreciate clarification!

1. If I have Pallando in play as my wizard and he is holding Emerald of the Mariner, and I have Galadriel at Lorien, as well. What is my hand size? Is it 9 or 11?

2. If I have a warrior like Elrond holding a Dagger of Westernesse, Valiant Sword, and a Magic Ring of Courage, what is his prowess? I'm guessing it is 11, but I'm not sure how those numbers are calculated. Does it matter which items he has first (say if he had the ring before the dagger and sword)?

Many thanks ahead for your time and answers! Will probably post more question soon...playing my first real game tonight!

UPDATE:
To facilitate easier browsing of this thread, the following list comprises an Index briefly summarizing the subject matter of all major questions posted therein. Follow up questions which expand the conversation of and answers for initial questions will most likely be omitted unless they deviate enough from the original question that they are deemed independent subject matter (that make sense?)
1. determining hand size (page 1)
2. calculating prowess with multiple items/weapons (pg. 1)
3. storing/discarding items (pg. 1)
4. on strike sequences and initiating chain of effects (pg. 1)
5. how marshaling points are won by defeating strikes (pg. 1)
6. moving separate companies to the same non-haven site (pg. 1)
7. how cards affect both players (pg. 1)
8. legal number of copies of your wizard in a deck (pg.1)
9. Clouds, semantic rules of the term "hazard creatures" (pg. 2)
10. on playing hazards on a company/character at a haven (pg. 2)
11. Marshaling point rules on canceled attacks (ie Assassin) (pg. 2)
12. Peril Returned, and how Doors of Night is considered in play (pg. 2)
13. Canceling automatic attacks not yet faced, chain of effects (pg. 2)
14. Moving to and/or from an under-deeps site with a tapped surface site (pg. 2)
15. Drawing cards when play deck becomes exhausted (pg. 2)
16. A Short Rest rules for under-deeps (pg. 2)
17. On playing Paths of the Dead when not starting at Dunharrow (pg. 2)
18. "Cannot Be Duplicated" rules, Doors of Night (pg. 2)
19. Targeting Stormcrow with Marvels Told (pg. 3)
20. Opening hand size when starting with Elrond at Rivendell (pg. 3)
21. Surface site automatic attacks when moving to under-deeps (pg. 3)
22. Drawing up to hand size with multiple moving/non-moving companies (pg. 3)
23. Peril Return/The Will of Sauron synergy (pg. 3)
24. How many rings allowed per character (pg. 3)
25. Drowning Seas on a company not moving in (pg. 3)
26. Legal actions when not entering site, company vs. player may do nothing, Gates of Morning (pg. 3)
27. Rules for cards with optional effects/prerequisites (pg. 4)
28. When do long events leave play when Will of Sauron is canceled (pg. 4)
29. Playing Return of the King of Strider (pg. 4)
30. Can Phial of Galadriel be played during the organization phase (pg. 4)
31. Hand size change timing when Galadriel moves from Lorien (pg.4)
32. Discarding Miruvor before body checks (pg. 4)
33. Handling tapped sites when play deck is exhausted (pg. 4)
34.

[Konrad Klar]

1. 11

2. Your guess is right.
The rule is that bonuses to a prowess are applied first, before other bonuses to a prowess.

[Bandobras Took]

The prowess bonus from one (and only one) weapon is applied first. Non-weapon prowess bonuses are then applied.

Clarification: The prowess modification and maximum for a weapon is applied to a character before any other modifiers are applied. For example, the Lieutenant of Dol Guldur has a base prowess of 7 and a Broad-headed Spear (+2 prowess to a maximum of - he starts with a prowess of 8 before any other modifications are applied.
Similarly, the body modification and maximum for a shield, armor, or helmet is applied before any other modifiers are applied.

A character may only use the effects of one weapon at a time and one shield at a time and one armor at a time.

[Konrad Klar]

2. Your guess is right.
The rule is that bonuses to a prowess are applied first, before other bonuses to a prowess.

Bandobras is right. I had in mind:
The rule is that bonuses to a prowess from weapons* are applied first, before other bonuses to a prowess.

*) Swordmaster (promotional card) or a hypothetical other effects may give a character an ability to use more than one weapon at the same time.

Sage only. Playable on an untapped sage at an untapped site where Information is playable during site phase. Tap the site and the sage. Gives the sage warrior skill. If the sage is already a warrior, he can use two weapons (both modifiers count). If he uses two weapons, he can't use a shield. Cannot be duplicated on a given character.

[DuncanNeeds2Shave]

Thank you both for your answers!

So if my hand size is 11, then naturally at the end of the movement/hazard phase and end of turn, I would discard and draw up/down to 11?

To the point of one weapon/shield/armor at a time, can a character use two rings at a time? Thanks! I really appreciate your help!

[Konrad Klar]

To the point of one weapon/shield/armor at a time, can a character use two rings at a time?

Rules do not impose any limit of number of rings that a character may use at the same time.
However some special ring items, by their text, cannot be duplicated on given character.

[DuncanNeeds2Shave]

Some more questions came up after my game last night...

(3) 1.If a character is holding an item like a weapon or ring, may I discard that item at the end of my turn or at any other time during my turn? If yes, does that character need to make a corruption check?

(4) 2. While on my way to Thranduil's Halls with a three character party, my opponent played a Bairanax ahunt. I accepted this and prepared to face the strikes. Then he also played a Dragon's Curse (which specifies on a character facing a strike from a dragon). I then played a Sated Beast to cancel Bairanax ahunt, thereby cancelling the strike which my character was facing, thereby cancelling Dragon's Curse...? He then, in the same chain of effects, played Scatha ahunt, and we agreed that this would keep Dragon's Curse in play since my company was now facing another dragon attack. I feel like this sequence was not done properly. Can anyone explain this to me?

(5) 3. My three characters faced Scatha ahunt, and, miraculously, they all defeated his strikes. However, I was unable to get Scatha ahunt to fail a body check following the strikes. Would Scatha ahunt have to fail all three body checks in order for me to gain his marshaling points, or does he go to my marshaling point pile as soon as he fails just one of them?

(6) 4. My opponent moved to separate companies to Minas Tirith on the same turn. This is illegal, correct?

Thanks for your time. Will be a couple of weeks before I get to play again...

[Bandobras Took]

1. No. I only wish I could discard items whenever I wanted. Unless an item itself says it can be discarded, the only ways to get rid of it are to transfer it to another character, to store it, or to use a hazard/resource effect.

2. It is too late to cancel an attack once strikes are assigned. Also, cards that create an attack or have the potential to create an attack must start their own chain of effects.

3. The body check of each assigned strike must fail. Extra strikes allocated as a -1 penalty do not require a body check.

4. Only if they started at the same site. Any number of companies can move from separate sites to the same site.

[Konrad Klar]

Also, cards that create an attack or have the potential to create an attack must start their own chain of effects.

Not exactly. Action that has the potential to immediately create an attack must start their own chain of effects.
Dragon Ahunt cards do not create an attack when they resolve.
Attack from such cards becomes first declared action in chain of effects that follows the chain in which conditions have been fulfilled.
I.e. if company is moving through listed region(s) and Dragon Ahunt is in play, then dragon attack is first declared action of next chain of effects.

[DuncanNeeds2Shave]

3. The body check of each assigned strike must fail. Extra strikes allocated as a -1 penalty do not require a body check.

So I'm clear, considering that my company was 3, and Scatha ahunt has 4 strikes, Scatha would only have to fail 2 body checks against the normal strikes for me to get the marshaling points, and the third one with the -1 penalty would only need to be defeated?

I only have one more question, and then I will give it a rest for a while. I don't want to be annoying...

(7) How do I know which hazard events affect both players? Do they all say environment? I want to play with Shadow of Mordor, but it seems like a bad idea if it affects me too (especially with Radagast as a wizard!). If it does affect me too, what is the strategy with this card?

Thanks again! Your insight has been very helpful to me!

[Bandobras Took]

No. Each character is assigned one strike, so there are three bcs. Scatha has four strikes, but because the fourth strike was not assigned, there is no bc associated with it.

Hazards say what they affect. There are a limited number that don't affect RW/Balrog players, but those are listed in the rules.

Environment. The hazard limit for each company is increased by one for every card over one drawn by that company during its movement/hazard phase.
Additionally, if Doors of Night is in play, during each company's movement/hazard phase, the hazard player may draw one additional card for every card in excess of one drawn by his opponent.
Cannot be duplicated.

Each company does mean both your companies and your opponent's.

The strategy, as you have perhaps surmised, is to punish decks that rely on excessive card draw. It can be useful if running any sort of squatter deck where draw is produced mainly by resolving hand size.

[DuncanNeeds2Shave]

So.... I'm reading some contradictory stuff online...

(8) If Radagast is my wizard (for example), how many copies of Radagast are allowed in my play deck?

I thought it was only two, but some things are making me think it's three.

[Theo]

4. My opponent moved to separate companies to Minas Tirith on the same turn. This is illegal, correct?

4. Only if they started at the same site. Any number of companies can move from separate sites to the same site.

As in this debate, it can be argued that it is illegal for two companies of a wizard/fallen wizard player to move to the same site unless one is using region movement and one is using starter movement. The relaxation of this in the ME:LE booklet was strangely bulleted to only apply to minion companies.

[Konrad Klar]

So.... I'm reading some contradictory stuff online...

If Radagast is my wizard (for example), how many copies of Radagast are allowed in my play deck?

I thought it was only two, but some things are making me think it's three.

Up to 3 copies of one Wizard or Ringwraith is allowed in a play deck, or up to 2
copies of one and 1 copy of another. One copy each of three different Wizards or
Ringwraiths is not allowed.
You may place Ringwraiths or Wizards in your sideboard, as long as only one of them
is duplicated in the deck and sideboard combined, and you have only Ringwraiths or
only Wizards in the deck and sideboard combined.

However, in the same document:

# You may put two of the same Wizard in your deck, or you may put one copy each of
two different Wizards in your deck.

#

Tournament rules for MeCCG differ slightly from the rules as printed in the rules booklets. Most people always play by tournament rules. Rulings marked with a '#' only apply to the non-tournament rule set, so you generally need not pay much attention to them.

[DuncanNeeds2Shave]

Assuming that I choose to play with three copies of my wizard in my deck, how many other characters am I allowed to have in my play deck? Is it reduced because I have that extra card? Or does it remain ten?