d20 Midnight spellcasting system in play

[Waylander]

I've recently been reading through the Midnight settings (and several of the other supplements) and I am really quite taken with the setting and will be discussing using it with my players.

My only real discomfort is with the spellcasting system (I may just be too indoctrinated in the standard D&D "fire and forget" method). I was wondering if anyone who has played in the setting could let me know how it actually works in play and what its potential strengths and weaknesses are.

As an aside I have wondered whether the Iron Heroes rules would be an interesting take on the setting and just disallowing any player character spellcasters but I suspect that's just I'd musing as I do like the Midnight character classes.

 

[Qwillion]

I would direct this quesiton to the

http://www.ats.unifans.org/

This is the new link for the former Against the Shadow website a large group of fans who play in the Midnight campaign setting, whenever I have had questions, I have posted over there.

I ran this as a free form game online so I don't know much about the crunch bits sorry.

 

[GMVictory]

The advantages are that the PC has doesn't have to memorize spells, as long as they have spell points they can cast spells, and the DM has significant control over what spells they can find or learn.

The disadvantages are that the PC has a limited spell selection, will feel pretty much useless once the spell points are gone, and it costs xp to learn spells that don't come from levelling.

I used the following house rules for Channellers:

A channeller could use a spell point to gain additional castings of 0-lvl spells. (Similar in number to the Magecraft feat of 0-lvl spells per day).

At mid to high levels the caster is extremely dangerous and is capable of overshadowing the other players easily. There were two ways I kept this under control. First, the player had to tell me in advance what two spells they were researching for their next level. That way I could take that into account when creating challenges in the future.

Second, players had to follow a spell tree. For example, if the player was looking to get Heat Metal or Pyrotechnics they had to know a lower level fire-related spell first.

Keep in mind that unless they caster is way out in the wilderness, every spell cast is similar to firing a flare into the sky. The trackers will begin hunting for their location. Protracted magic use and they could be endangering everyone.

A Spell Talisman is a coveted item for a Channeller. Consider how you might be increasing the effectiveness of the character if they get one. Especially if it is for an offensive spell.

 

[DM_Jeff]

I ran a Midnight campaign for level 1-8, and I must say they really found a nice balance. The rules deliver the flavor they're looking to show, without straightjacketing or penalizing spellcasters. It was a good balance.

-DM Jeff

 

[mwaite]

I thought the system worked really well within the Midnight world. It placed a high emphasis on utilitarian spells, as the traditional blasting spells (magic missile, fireball, etc.) are higher level. With the dearth of magic items, a Channeler who could buff his friends before and during battle (and possibly heal them afterward) was worth his weight in gold. My player never once used an offensive spell, but his Channeler was still the most valuable party member.

I'd be interested to hear if anybody made use of the system outside of Midnight. I always wanted to try it, but never had the time to work on a conversion.