Midnight: Wellspring of Resistance (D&D 5e)

A hundred years have passed since the Shadow fell...

As the Third Age came to an end, the fallen god Izrador triumphed over the free nations of Aryth. The corrupt lieutenants of the Shadow in the North, the Night Kings, rule with an iron fist over ruined cities and broken kingdoms. Twisted spirits hunt down the last true masters of magic. The dark god's vile priesthood, the legates of the Order of Shadow, seek out elven spies, dwarven insurgents, and the few brave humans who stand defiant against the night in the Last Age.

System: D&D 5e, using the Midnight 5e campaign setting. Possession of the Midnight book and familiarity with the setting (in any of its editions) is not required, but is preferable.

Here's a medium-detail (~9 page) introduction to the setting: Midnight setting primer pdf.

The Pitch: The tiny town of Culin, huddled against the foothills of the Kaladrun mountains, has survived the last century of occupation by being too small to attract any great attention. It quietly pays its tithes to the Shadow’s armies and does its best to survive in an increasingly hostile world. But their isolation threatens to catastrophically end when a legate of the Shadow learns that Culin may be a waypoint for rebels smuggling weapons into the occupied lands. A group of strangers, would-be rebels, refugees and renegades is suddenly faced with a choice; risk their lives helping strangers or watch an entire village be razed for the crimes of a few.

Content & Themes: Midnight is a dark fantasy world in which the free peoples have fallen to a malvolent, tyranical, genocidal religious and military regime. Oppression, deprivation, torture, sentient sacrifice, war crimes, slavery and child endangerment are all features of the setting, but won't be stressed too much more than the typical heroic fantasy setting.

How to Apply: Express your interest here, ideally with some thoughts, hwoever general, on the sort of character you'd like to play.

This game is explicitly friendly to LGBTIA+, POC and any other minorities or marginalized groups.

Hello! I'd be interested, I'd probably either play a bard, a paladin or a war cleric, rousing the flames of hope.

I don't know the setting beyond the pages you posted but I love dark fantasy.

I would go for an archfey warlock. An escaped slave protected by a semi-benevolent fey and now hunted for magic use as well.

Had no idea a 5e version came out. Are all 5e classes available? In the old version, they got rid/changed a lot of the classes. Seems like a perfect setting to play a paladin, but I'll wait on the answer before finalizing a character concept.

EDIT: Just saw the game info mentioning that some classes aren't available. Can you tell us which classes are available/unavailable? Also, is this starting at level 1?

The setting sounds amazing. I feel like something martial would be good... rogue or fighter perhaps?

That said, I saw multiple paladins mentioned... if melee is covered, I might look into being a caster. Haven't played as a healing focused character in quite a while, so I'd be down for that.

I'd gladly play any sort of Gish, I admit. Cannot leave home without playing one, the doctor said.

I am highly interested. I own the Midnight 3.5 book and have played in this setting before. :)

As I read your pitch the following question popped up in my head:
How dark and gritty do you plan to run this adventure? Because I always loved the different feel of Midnight in comparison to "normal" (high) fantasy. Carrying a longsword = death sentence, because the friendly, but hungry farmer family sold you out the orcs for some moldy bread. Casting a spell openly = the magehunters with their magic demon-dogs/wolfs are coming for you.


Is this something you feel, or do you plan to do it completely different? :)


I would love to play a rogue (swashbuckler maybe) that travels in the disguise of a handyman repairing old ploughs, knives, pots, ... who is feed up with the oppression of the orcs and their dark master.

Pro tip: a lot of these questions are answered already, if you click Game Details > Forum.

A little background on me. I played and loved Midnight back when it came out for D&D 3.0 and 3.5. When the 5e edition came out I was... disappointed. They made a lot of conversion choices I did not agree with (paladins are in; the unique races are out; the non-mystical martial artist class the Defender is out; magic works more like typical D&D rather than Midnight's previous unique system...) My inclination is to toss out their conversion and make my own that sticks truer to what I liked about the previous editions, but before embarking on that project I decided to play MN 5e as written. Maybe some of their bad choices are good, actually? I have my doubts, but it would be rash not to at least try.
1st level start, yep. Clerics, monks and warlocks are not available - the only clerics are those of Izrador, the Shadow in the North; ki-based martial arts are not a known thing in Aryth; and the world is cut off from the planes, making extraplanar patrons inaccessible).
Exactly that. One of the principle appeals of the Midnight setting for me is that impoverished, wartime-survival-horror, paranoid, resistance against overwhelming odds feel.

I've been a fan of the Midnight setting since I saw the Midnight Chronicles movie. :)

As I understand it, Illiteracy is the way of the land? So, if you can read or are even found with books, it's a *bad thing* ? :)

That kinda changes the character idea I had then.
Could still work as a sorcerer though.

An escaped slave who escaped slavery by hiding her powers of telekinesis and telepathy secret for a long time and used them to escape slavery, but is not on the run and wanted for two crimes.

In occupied lands, yes, lots of bookburning and destruction of culture and history. Humans and enslaved halflings are not literate by default.
In previous editions of Midnight any class could dabble in magic by investing in a few feats and skills; the magic system was almost fully divorced from the classes. You could replicate that perhaps by playing a Fighter with the Magic Initiate feat, aspiring towards the way of the Eldritch Knight. If you're going to by hanged for bearing arms, might as well learn magic as well; they can't hang you twice!
That's an excellent concept for this setting.
That sounds very suitable, though if you're talking about the telekinesis and telepathy feats from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, bear in mind I won't be allowing those. Midnight has enough going on with Heroic Paths that high concept stuff like that doesn't fit too well.

edit: Actually, let's make that a case by case basis. They don't necessarily seem too problematic.

Feel free to go paladin or melee. I can go something else, so many possible options anyway. Got so many games on here already, and you're DMing one of them!

@DM are any of these available/suitable: Blood Hunters, Psi Warrior, Swarm Ranger, Beastmaster Ranger?

Beast Master, yes, the others don't fit the tone very well. (I might suggest the UA Revised Ranger, since the PHB Beast Master is so poorly implemented).

I am mostly thinking that a sorcerer's spell list should be matching thematically.
All spells are just different shapes and manifestations of the same core power. Elsa from Frozen in an excellent example of how I'd see a sorcerer class. This is imho what mostly seperates a sorcerer (a core power) from a wizard (learn everything you can find)
(Only wild magic sorcerers could have imho a bit more freedom in their spell selections).


In my particular case:

Telepathic and telekinetic powers would mostly come from taking spells that reflect those. Mind Sliver instead of Firebolt for example. Catapult instead of magic missile.

Some spells can be explained just a bit differently without mechanically changing them. Thunderwave is not explained as a booming natural thunder, but as a sudden blast of telekinetic energy knocking over nearby enemies. The feats could or could not be added in a mix here.

For subclass this would certainly be aberrant mind. I double checked the game page. Unless I missed something I can't seem to find a clear list of allowed or banned content.


I could also take another type of magic if that would suit the world better in your view. But then I'd really prefer a good list of what is and what is not allowed.

There's too much content from too many sources for me to provide that. Focus on the tone. Think more Lord of the Rings than Forgotten Realms. Aberrant Mind is probably not a great fit; aberrations and psionics are not necessarily in keeping with the dark, low fantasy aesthetic.

edit: Although, perhaps if we reflavoured it as something like 'awakened mind', leaning away from the tentacle theme a bit... yeah, it could work.

I'm certainly amenable to reskinning spells, and your idea of the nature of sorcery fits my interpretation.

I am not too sure about what the tentacle theme is?

The way I see this class/character is someone with a strong mind. The mind to influence the minds of others. Much like an enchanter wizard, but through natural power.

I think it is quite much like lotr, which doesn't have wizards casting fireballs, but rather shows two old men throwing each other around a room with invisible force. (I only know the movies)

I don't see tentacles :)

You never see the tentacles until it's too late.

The character idea is something I have been playing along with for a while. As such I mostly have the low level abilities in mind.

Reading the aberrant mind again, I now get your concern about flavour with the level 14 and 18 abilities (although I never played a character that high), and a few bonus spells as arms of hadar (which I would just abandon).

If this is a concern, then I could still build this character based on a different subclass.
I am thinking divine soul as a "white witch" theme.

If there is still a spot going I would love to join, do not know anything Midnight Chronicles but always looking for a dark fantasy to join.

I would like to play a Fighter (Brawler)/Monk style character. Someone whom has seen to much and looking/hoping there is something better, but not really believing there will be.

Well, as previously mentioned I'm more than happy to run a human healer build of some sort... be it Divine Soul Sorcerer, Bard, Paladin, or more mundane healing. I feel like the group might need more than one healer. Lol

One question... as players, we tend to take multiclassing for granted even though it is technically an optional rule. Figured I'd as if it's still an option as we progress.

Considering the oppression and control the setting deals with, I could see thematically how multiclassing may not be allowed... or at least restricted. (Like maybe only multiclassing into martial classes as "self tought," etc.)

@Knighthawke> Thanks for reminding me of the movie. *thumbs up*
I saw it many years ago and forgot it existed. Will watch it in the upcoming days. :)

@Dirigible>
I found my campaign setting and after browsing through wanted to ask you if there a still the "Heroic Paths" in 5e? Is there still a Inconspicuous feat around? Would you allow the feats from Tasha's and Xanthar's?
Is there still a rulewise distinctions between the Erenlanders, Dorns, Sarcosans?

@soises
https://gamersplane.com/forums/10039/

Most of your questions seem to have answers.

That's a solid concept. Given the outlawing of weapons, unarmed combat is a valuable technique.
Multiclassing will be allowed. I like the idea of having to justify it narratively by finding a teacher, though.In order: Yes; yes (under the name Unremarkable); on a case by case basis (but probably yes); yes.

All right - grifter720, MaJunior, Mathfuric and soises, welcome aboard! Invites sent.

Everyone else, thank you for your interest - I'll let you know if there's an opportunity for more/replacement players in the future.

Congrats to everyone getting in and good luck! I've played Midnight with D before and you're in for a treat!

I was so busy I forgot to answer here. Good luck folks!