arnon
Explorer
Magic in Midnight is rare and powerful and illegal. In the Midnight campaign setting, practitioners of magic are a hunted breed, unless said practitioner is “working” for the dark god Izrador. Sorcery and Shadow is a sourcebook expanding upon the magic in the Midnight setting, both mechanically and setting-wise. This makes this book an asset to both DMs and Players, though a DM will want to read the book first and probably limit the information available to the player by asking him/her not to read specific sections (mainly the first two chapters).
A disclaimer is need here: I do not consider myself a good judge of rules, prestige classes, spells, feats, and actually any other thing that relates to the mechanics of d20; and while I will certainly describe some of these rules here, know that I cannot say if they are balanced or not, just how fitting they are in the world of Midnight. I will focus my review on the content of the book accompanying said rules.
As is usual for Midnight supplements it is a 64-page, black and white soft-cover.
The front cover of the book is a full color drawing depicting three warriors defending a spellcaster that is in the middle of casting a spell or practicing some ritual that will save the party from the onslaught of many monstrous enemies. In a very Midnight-y mood, the spell cast is not flashy and dangerous, but subtle and ominous; the way magic is in Midnight. The interior art is very good, dark and moody showing us both the desperation and hope of the world of Midnight.
This sourcebook has five chapters which I will break down for you:
Chapter 1 is short but is very good. It starts by describing the importance of sorcery and its practice by the resisting forces, and then goes into discussing the tragedy that was the systematic destruction of all knowledge by the forces of Izrador in the wake of their conquest, and the hope that is in finding and recovering knowledge thought lost. I found several ideas while reading this chapter that could be used in any campaign either randomly to demonstrate the loss of knowledge, or as ideas for whole adventures or short encounters.
Chapter 2 presents 15 new power nexuses and two sites important to the study of magic for both the forces of good and evil. Power nexuses are locations (a tree, a standing stone, a lava flow, the top of a mountain, etc.) specific to the Midnight setting that have a limited amount of power that may be harnessed to either fuel spells or create magical items, and for that reason they are sought after by both sides of the conflict. The power nexuses are spread throughout the continent of Eredane and each one on its own could provide a DM with one or two adventure arcs. In fact, several side-bars throughout this chapter describe how a search for a nexus could be the culmination of an adventure, or at least a highlight; monsters that might be found in the vicinity of such a powerful site and the plans that the Order of Shadow has for these places.
Two important sites are described in detail, one for the forces of good and the other for the forces of evil: The Five Towers is probably the only safe haven for spellcasters outside of Caradul, the elven capital; and the site for the forces of evil… I’ll just say that it is appropriately dark and corrupted and evil (I’m trying to avoid too many spoilers). Both sites are described in detail (map included), including their importance, and a general description of the people there though no NPC is given. While I (personally) do not have any need for stat blocks and such, I do wish there was even a short description of perhaps the prominent figure in each place.
Chapter 1 and 2 also introduce to the reader (in the form of several side-bars) the story of Aradar, a legendary Power Nexus that might or might not exist, and its importance to the resistance and to the Shadow’s forces. A possible cryptic location is provided that could actually be almost anywhere on Eredane, and even this description does not say with certainty that this is the location of Aradar.
Chapter 3 starts the more mechanical aspect of the book. First up we are introduced to a new form of magic call Runes of Power. Runes are similar to scrolls or potions in that they are a medium for spells, but offer much more flexibility. They could be activated through the “pouring” in of spell energy or by reading the rune; it might be single use, multiple, or continuous; it might allow a reader to learn the spell etched in the rune or not. This might sound too good if not for the fact that runes are not very portable, so for example a rune of create water that is constantly active would need to be carved on an object that weights at least 125 lbs and an area of at least 2.5 sq. ft, and that’s a 0-level spell. Runes could present interesting options for DMs (especially DMs, since not many players would want to create things they cannot carry with them) as they could use strategically placed runes to give players access to a one time powerful spell that might save them, or to give the channeler player a new spell to learn among other things. Throughout the chapter nice little side-bars with examples of runes from the different cultures of Eredane are presented for the different schools of magic, given the reader a small insight into the tradition of said race.
30 new spells are introduced in this chapter, and while I’m sure that most might be used in other settings other than Midnight, they all have the Midnight flavor. An idea is also presented in this chapter that new spells could be learned through quests such as finding an earth spirit to learn stoneskin. Several one sentence ideas are given divided into schools (of magic) or spell descriptor (acid, fire, etc.), and I most confess that I love these, as most of them are an adventure\campaign-in-a-sentence.
Chapter 4 presents us with several feats (all of course directly related to magic), four new heroic paths, and four new prestige classes. The prestige classes are, of course, all magic related, and while the Gardener of Erethor is a bit bland with an interesting enough introduction that is sadly not backed up by its abilities, the Snow Witch and the Syphon (sort of a warrior with some magical abilities that learns how to use the magic of his enemies as he fights and kills them) more than make up for it.
Chapter 5 first offers a random charm table which would have been more interesting if it included some random power table as well along with the material from which the charm is created. Second part of the book presents nine new covenant items; and the final part of the chapter gives us four new creatures, most of which are spellcasters themselves or are dangerous to spellcasters.
I cannot wholeheartedly recommend this book to people not playing in Midnight. The prestige classes, new creatures, and feats are all directed and designed for Midnight. Most of the new spells I guess could be used elsewhere and the Runes of Power mechanic could easily be ported over to core d20 spell mechanic (just change number of spell energy needed to activate rune, into appropriate level spell slot) I guess. But with the plethora of spells, and new mechanics available from other sources… I don’t believe non Midnight users will find it very useful.
This book, while full to the brim with technical stuff such as new spells, feats, and prestige classes, is likewise full of ideas that might be used to anything from small encounters to short adventures, to a whole epic campaigns taking the players on a mystical and dangerous journey to find if Aradar is myth or not. As a Midnight DM, even if you are not interesting in adding the Runes of Power mechanic and more spells into you Midnight game, this book still offers plenty, and is a good read.
A disclaimer is need here: I do not consider myself a good judge of rules, prestige classes, spells, feats, and actually any other thing that relates to the mechanics of d20; and while I will certainly describe some of these rules here, know that I cannot say if they are balanced or not, just how fitting they are in the world of Midnight. I will focus my review on the content of the book accompanying said rules.
As is usual for Midnight supplements it is a 64-page, black and white soft-cover.
The front cover of the book is a full color drawing depicting three warriors defending a spellcaster that is in the middle of casting a spell or practicing some ritual that will save the party from the onslaught of many monstrous enemies. In a very Midnight-y mood, the spell cast is not flashy and dangerous, but subtle and ominous; the way magic is in Midnight. The interior art is very good, dark and moody showing us both the desperation and hope of the world of Midnight.
This sourcebook has five chapters which I will break down for you:
Chapter 1 is short but is very good. It starts by describing the importance of sorcery and its practice by the resisting forces, and then goes into discussing the tragedy that was the systematic destruction of all knowledge by the forces of Izrador in the wake of their conquest, and the hope that is in finding and recovering knowledge thought lost. I found several ideas while reading this chapter that could be used in any campaign either randomly to demonstrate the loss of knowledge, or as ideas for whole adventures or short encounters.
Chapter 2 presents 15 new power nexuses and two sites important to the study of magic for both the forces of good and evil. Power nexuses are locations (a tree, a standing stone, a lava flow, the top of a mountain, etc.) specific to the Midnight setting that have a limited amount of power that may be harnessed to either fuel spells or create magical items, and for that reason they are sought after by both sides of the conflict. The power nexuses are spread throughout the continent of Eredane and each one on its own could provide a DM with one or two adventure arcs. In fact, several side-bars throughout this chapter describe how a search for a nexus could be the culmination of an adventure, or at least a highlight; monsters that might be found in the vicinity of such a powerful site and the plans that the Order of Shadow has for these places.
Two important sites are described in detail, one for the forces of good and the other for the forces of evil: The Five Towers is probably the only safe haven for spellcasters outside of Caradul, the elven capital; and the site for the forces of evil… I’ll just say that it is appropriately dark and corrupted and evil (I’m trying to avoid too many spoilers). Both sites are described in detail (map included), including their importance, and a general description of the people there though no NPC is given. While I (personally) do not have any need for stat blocks and such, I do wish there was even a short description of perhaps the prominent figure in each place.
Chapter 1 and 2 also introduce to the reader (in the form of several side-bars) the story of Aradar, a legendary Power Nexus that might or might not exist, and its importance to the resistance and to the Shadow’s forces. A possible cryptic location is provided that could actually be almost anywhere on Eredane, and even this description does not say with certainty that this is the location of Aradar.
Chapter 3 starts the more mechanical aspect of the book. First up we are introduced to a new form of magic call Runes of Power. Runes are similar to scrolls or potions in that they are a medium for spells, but offer much more flexibility. They could be activated through the “pouring” in of spell energy or by reading the rune; it might be single use, multiple, or continuous; it might allow a reader to learn the spell etched in the rune or not. This might sound too good if not for the fact that runes are not very portable, so for example a rune of create water that is constantly active would need to be carved on an object that weights at least 125 lbs and an area of at least 2.5 sq. ft, and that’s a 0-level spell. Runes could present interesting options for DMs (especially DMs, since not many players would want to create things they cannot carry with them) as they could use strategically placed runes to give players access to a one time powerful spell that might save them, or to give the channeler player a new spell to learn among other things. Throughout the chapter nice little side-bars with examples of runes from the different cultures of Eredane are presented for the different schools of magic, given the reader a small insight into the tradition of said race.
30 new spells are introduced in this chapter, and while I’m sure that most might be used in other settings other than Midnight, they all have the Midnight flavor. An idea is also presented in this chapter that new spells could be learned through quests such as finding an earth spirit to learn stoneskin. Several one sentence ideas are given divided into schools (of magic) or spell descriptor (acid, fire, etc.), and I most confess that I love these, as most of them are an adventure\campaign-in-a-sentence.
Chapter 4 presents us with several feats (all of course directly related to magic), four new heroic paths, and four new prestige classes. The prestige classes are, of course, all magic related, and while the Gardener of Erethor is a bit bland with an interesting enough introduction that is sadly not backed up by its abilities, the Snow Witch and the Syphon (sort of a warrior with some magical abilities that learns how to use the magic of his enemies as he fights and kills them) more than make up for it.
Chapter 5 first offers a random charm table which would have been more interesting if it included some random power table as well along with the material from which the charm is created. Second part of the book presents nine new covenant items; and the final part of the chapter gives us four new creatures, most of which are spellcasters themselves or are dangerous to spellcasters.
I cannot wholeheartedly recommend this book to people not playing in Midnight. The prestige classes, new creatures, and feats are all directed and designed for Midnight. Most of the new spells I guess could be used elsewhere and the Runes of Power mechanic could easily be ported over to core d20 spell mechanic (just change number of spell energy needed to activate rune, into appropriate level spell slot) I guess. But with the plethora of spells, and new mechanics available from other sources… I don’t believe non Midnight users will find it very useful.
This book, while full to the brim with technical stuff such as new spells, feats, and prestige classes, is likewise full of ideas that might be used to anything from small encounters to short adventures, to a whole epic campaigns taking the players on a mystical and dangerous journey to find if Aradar is myth or not. As a Midnight DM, even if you are not interesting in adding the Runes of Power mechanic and more spells into you Midnight game, this book still offers plenty, and is a good read.
