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Midgard Heroes for 5th Edition $5.99
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Midgard Heroes for 5th Edition
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Midgard Heroes for 5th Edition
Publisher: Kobold Press
by Rob T. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/15/2017 01:16:58

This is a wealth of PC creation options and has many fun options. I recommend the Fantasy Grounds version as well.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Midgard Heroes for 5th Edition
Publisher: Kobold Press
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 11/11/2016 08:54:16

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This pdf clocks in at 30 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page advertisement, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 25 pages of content, so let's take a look!

If you've been following my reviews, you'll know that I'm a pretty big fan of Kobold Press' Midgard-setting - in fact, I pretty much own almost everything for it. There is a reason for this - it is an unconventional, yet very easy to run setting that is closer in mentality and structure to the medieval than e.g. Golarion. Anyways, one defining characteristic of Midgard most certainly would be the fact that is less Tolkienesque in its racial option array. This book, then, would be devoted to translating several of the unconventional Midgardian player options to the context of 5e.

Regarding the presentation of the races herein, we begin each entry with appropriately flavorful text, enhancing one's immersion in the respective entry. As a complaint in that regard, and the only one I can field pertaining the fluff structure, would be that the respective races do not feature sample names. In my book, a specific nomenclature does a lot to endear a given race to me. Anyways, we begin with two centaur-like races, the first of these being the alseid, with bodies of deer and antlers. These fellows increase Dexterity by 2 and Wisdom by 1, are Medium, have a base speed of 40 feet, darkvision 60 ft and gain proficiency with spears and shortbows as well as the Stealth skill. They also leave no tracks within forests and are treated as the monstrosity type...oh, and as quadrupeds, ladders and obstacles like them actually present hindrances. No, I'm not kidding you. This may be the first time that a book actually acknowledges the ladder-conundrum. sniff I...kinda got a bit teary-eyed there. In a good way.

The midgardian centaurs increase Strength by 2, Wisdom by 1 and are Large monstrosities with a 40 feet speed and proficiency in pike and longbow as well as the Medicine skill. They also have proficiency with their hooves, which deal 2d6 bludgeoning damage. (Ouch - personally, I would have included a scaling mechanism here that increases the base damage to this level at 3rd, but oh well. As a minor complaint: No average damage value for the hoof attack) They also inflict +1d6 piercing damage when charging with pikes and moving at least 30 feet in a straight line, increasing this by +1d6 at 6th and 11th level. Oh, but before you scream OP - they also acknowledge the ladder conundrum, suffer from disadvantage on Stealth and, with a humanoid torso, they do not wield Large weapons, but only Medium ones.

Midgard has one of the few iterations of draconic humanoids I do not intensely loathe - the dragonkin and their culture are fascinating and they pretty much replace the default dragonborn. They increase their Charisma score by 2 and have a base walking speed of 25 feet, but do not reduce it due to wearing heavy armor. They also gain darkvision 60 ft. and Proficiency in Persuasion. Beyond that, there are a total of 5 subraces for them: Flame/Fire dragonkin increase Strength by 1 and are resistant to fire damage and gain produce flame as a Cha-based cantrip. Wind/Storm dragonkin increase their Intelligence by 1, gain resistance to lightning damage and may cast shocking grasp as a Cha-based cantrip. Stone/Cave dragonkin increase their Constitution-score by 1, gain resistance to acid and may cast blade ward as a Cha-based cantrip. Finally, the Edjet/Soldier dragonkin may cast shillelagh as a Cha-based cantrip and are resistant to poison damage. They increase their Dexterity by 1.

Now elves are a very particular lot in Midgard and thus, core elven options are appropriately codified to represent them. Now the gearforged, the living construct-y race of Midgard is one of my favorites - and it quite amused me to see in the design commentary here that the author came to the same conclusion as I did in my scaling of the gearforged for PFRPG - namely that just going full-blown construct is not the best way of tackling the concept. Indeed, the pdf employs a humanoid (subtype) formula here as well - smart choice! Sorry for the digression, where was I? Oh yeah! Obviously, gearforged with their everwound springs and soul gems require a tad bit more exposition and the language of Machine Speech is similarly noted, making this section a neat introduction to the matter at hand. Gearforged choose two ability scores to increase by 1, have a walking speed of 30 feet and immunity to disease, poison damage and the poisoned condition. They may not eat, drink or breathe and thus may not consume potions or gain any associated benefits. They also do not sleep naturally (but magic CAN put them to sleep!). Failing to properly maintain yourself is potentially lethal for the gearforged - each day sans maintenance incurs a level of exhaustion. During maintenance, which is usually taken care of when resting, they suffer from disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception)-rolls... I have finally found something to nitpick here: "All exhaustion gained this way disappears after your next long rest." - this sentence can be problematic, considering that is does not speak specifically about performing maintenance. The intent s clear and functional, though, so consider this just me being a prick. ;) Gearforged cannot be stabilized via the usual means - instead, they require an Intelligence check or a mending cantrip. As long as your soul gem and memory gears remain intact, you can also have your body rebuilt...which is a pretty amazing angle. Pretty powerful, right? Well...you only gain 1/2 hit points from healing, curing, etc. spells and effects. As a whole...no complaints!!

The second race I find myself returning to a lot would be the darakhul - the subterranean, intelligent ghoul-race with its quasi-Roman aesthetics (Can we have a mega-adventure-sequel to Empire at one point? Pretty please?) I digress - they are humanoids with the darakhul subytpe, increase their Constitution by 2 and gain darkvision 60 ft. The race has a bite attack that inflicts 1d6 piercing damage and failure to consume a full meal of raw meat a day incurs one level of exhaustion and may neither heal, nor remove these until you have consumed a sufficient array of meat. They suffer from sunlight sensitivity and gain resistance to necrotic damage and immunity to poison damage and are immune to exhaustion and the charmed/poisoned condition and may not be returned from the dead via regular means, instead, a single-targeted create undead suffices, which adds a pretty frightening proposal to their war effort. As a minor nitpick, immunity to exhaustion and the starvation-based exhaustion RAW contradict each other - while the hunger aspect is obviously intended to supersede the general immunity, an explicit statement would have helped here. Now darakhul are unique in that they are born from one of the other races - hence, whether you're Medium or Small, your base walking speed, extra language and +1 ability score increase are all based on that choice: You can play dragonkin darakhul, tieflings, etc. Nice!

The kobolds of Midgard increase their Dexterity by 2 and Wisdom by 1, are Small, have a speed of 30 feet, darkvision 60 feet and sunlight sensitivity. They also gain advantage on attack rolls versus enemies within 5 feet if they have a non-incapacitated ally within 5 feet of the target, but only to one attack per round. They also have proficiency with artisan's tools of their choice. The noble corsair minotaurs of Midgard increase their Strength by 2 and COnstitution by 1, are Medium and have a speed of 30 feet as well as darkvision 60 ft and proficiency with their horns, which inflict 1d6 piercing damage. They may retrace their steps sans error and when charging at least 10 feet towards a target, they inflict +1d6 damage with their horn attack and may shove the target 5 feet as a bonus action, but again, only once per turn. This increases to a 10 foot shove at 11th level and may only be used Constitution modifier times before it requires a long rest to recharge.

The amazing ravenfolk, also known as huginn and named for Wotan's ravens, increase their Dexterity by +2 and Charisma by 1. They are Medium and have a walking speed of 30 feet. They gain advantage on attacks versus surprised creatures and may mimic any sound they have heard with Charisma (Deception) versus Wisdom (Insight). They gain proficiency in the Deception and Stealth skills. While I still don't think we should play shadow fey, they are treated here as a subrace of the elven race, increasing Charisma by 1 and gaining proficiency with rapier, shortsword, shortbow and longbow. They have advantage on Intelligence (Arcana) checks to learn about fey roads and suffer from sunlight sensitivity. They also may cast misty step Charisma modifier times per day (long rest to recharge) when within dim light or shadows large enough to cover the shadow fey. Charisma is obviously the spellcasting attribute here.

The trollkin race increases Constitution by 2,a re Medium with a speed of 30 feet, gain darkvision 60 feet and are proficient with their 1d4-inflicting claws and bites. They are proficient in the Intimidation skill and may 1/day, as a bonus action expend a Hit Die as though you had finished a short rest, with the number of expendable HD increasing by +1 at6th level and every 6 levels thereafter. Nice way of depicting regenerative powers sans upsetting balance! Trollkin also have two subraces: Night Whisper trollkin increase Wisdom by 1 and may choose to heed the whispers of spirits to gain advantage on an ability check or save before rolling it. The feature recharges on a finished long rest. Stonehide trollkin increase Strength by 1 and gain +1 AC. The trollkin may be a little bit too strong, though the lack of multiattack or the like keep the natural weapons in check.

This is not where the pdf ends, though - the pdf also contains several fully depicted backgrounds - corsair, darkling (touched by the ephemeral, dark forces), fey-touched, master craftsman, nomad and raider. The Guild Artisan variant guild merchant with an alternate feature can be found here as well. The backgrounds are well-crafted, are a nice read and sport relevant features - no complaints!

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good on both a formal and rules-language level - I noticed no significant violations of rules-language or the like. Layout adheres to a beautiful 2-column full-color standard and the pdf sports absolutely GORGEOUS full-color artworks for the races herein and the some of the backgrounds. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience.

The Four Horsemen's D&D 5e-specialist Dan Dillon delivers big time in this book. Ladies, and gentlemen, please, a drumroll - for I honestly consider ALL races herein to be balanced (almost) perfectly with the core races. The options herein will work perfectly in ANY D&D 5e game and add some truly amazing options to the fray. Even traditionally more powerful races have been translated in a way that makes them viable, balanced choices in just about every way...all while maintaining their unique peculiarities. In short: This is an amazing all killer, no filler-supplement of evocative races. Full recommendation without even the slightest hesitation - my final verdict will clock in at 5 stars + seal of approval.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Midgard Heroes for 5th Edition
Publisher: Kobold Press
by Ismael A. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/08/2016 01:52:12

This is an amazingly well done book that gives a broad swath of new options for your 5th edition game. First of all, the races are amazing and varied; kobolds, bird people, playable and undeadare among the different options, and they are done well! The reason I got this book, I admit, is for the minotaur, as it is my favorite class, and I remain thoroughly impressed with the way that they balanced the minotaur as a class option. The other races get equal attention, and some of them are even given racial ability choices in a manner similar to pathfinder (in that you can swap out racial abilities you don't like for ones you do).

Whether or not you play in the Midgard setting (as I'm sure that the architects of this book are hoping) then this book is essential, as it presents options that are inherent to that setting. But if you don't, it is still an amazing book of options.

Did I mention the backgrounds? There are more backgrounds that expand the choices even further, and give an excellent insight into the Midgard setting, as well as a professional example of what a background could be, given that they are meant to be personalized.

The art in this book is equally impressive, driving home the care and quality that was put into this product. It also helps in the immersion of the setting when you have such detailed pictures that show you what your character might look like.

All in all, this book is nothing but net. Get it if you love 5th edition fantasy. 5 Stars and my royal seal.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Midgard Heroes for 5th Edition
Publisher: Kobold Press
by Cole H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/25/2015 12:16:17

Awesome resource! All the races included were well thought out and could be placed directly in my game.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Midgard Heroes for 5th Edition
Publisher: Kobold Press
by Andrew T. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/07/2015 15:45:46

This book is very well written and the art is fantastic. If you're a fan of Kobold Presses Midguard setting this book is for you. I am going to use these races to represent races from Abeir in my post spellplague realms game. The backgrounds are a nice welcome addition to my 5th edition game. I really like the production value of this book.

If I could request a product from Kobold Press it would be this kind of book with a more general setting so the races can just be plugged into any setting in any game.

Once an OGL from WOTC finally hits I suspect that flood gates will open at Kobold Press and we will see many more fine products like this being released.

Good job Dan Dillon and Kobold Press. Now to go and back their new kickstarter for their tome of beasts book.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Midgard Heroes for 5th Edition
Publisher: Kobold Press
by Jim L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/05/2015 14:37:51

This is a good 5th Edition release from Designer Dan Dillon and Editor Steve Winter.

Drawing on previously published Midgard setting material and flavor, mixed with new 5E mechanics, this book does what it sets out to do. It provides a gateway to Midgard world through Racial Archetypes mixed with potential setting Backgrounds to immerse your players into a great setting. Is this a Midgard for 5th Edition? No it is not. If Kobold Press designs a full Midgard for 5E, I will be sure to check it out.

A major strength of this book is the ease to extract pieces for your own homebrew or published setting such as Forgotten Realms, Dark Sun, Ebberon, or even Ravenloft. I run a hybrid Forgotten Realms (WotC) + Al-Qadim (TSR) & Southlands (Kobold Press) world, and have extracted the Backgrounds and many of the races for my world.

The 11 Races presented are diverse enough to really get you thinking about your world, but you may not find a place for each and every one. I am a huge fan of the Shadowfey (my Feywild/Shadowfell mash-up), Trollkin (my Forgotten Realms North & Sword Coast), Dragonkin & Gearforged (my Ebberon/Underdark mash-up), Ravenfolk (my borderlands between Al-Quadim & Southlands).

I would have liked more detailed Age/Aging, Height, and Weight by females/males similar to what was presented in some of Kobold's Advance Races (Werelions comes to mind). I also would have liked a "Playing this Race" blurb in each race, as presented in the Darakhul section to help guide player expectations of potentially playing very rare races, and how "normal" civilizations might view them. Finally, I wish there was a Printer Friendly optional PDF, so I could print the book without wasting ink & toner.

Overall, this book will not only get you into rolling in Midgard, but also really add a lot of interest to your own world. Buy this book.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Midgard Heroes for 5th Edition
Publisher: Kobold Press
by Javier G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/10/2015 09:25:25

I bought the pdf yesterday. Now, I'm fairly new to DnD in general, and I'm no rules expert, but I've enjoyed reading this book. The crunch matches the fluff nicely, which is more important to me than any concern for balance, and the little changes made to former monsters when converting them to PC material are really clever and well thought. The Darakhul and the Gearforged are not exactly treated like undead and construct types, respectively, but more like a hybrid subtype of Humanoid. The trollkin has some regenerative capabilities that are flavorful without looking too powerful.

The only thing I didn't like was the inclusion of the Alseid instead of a more iconic creature, like the Dust Goblin. The race has weak hooks for going out adventuring, and the traits really didn't strike me as particularly attractive to play.

Also, I've found particularly annoying that many races don't have a known life expectancy. I mean, if you are supposed to play one of these races, you would think they would know how much they can expect to live, right? It's not an account from a foreigner, this is supposedly information commonly known by individuals of said race. It just doesn't make any sense to me.

All in all, this is a solid product for the line. I'm hoping here WotC will finally release an OGL or some other clear guideline that would allow KP to publish more books for 5th edition. The line deserves more books like this one.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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