Midgard Heroes Handbook: Fighter Class Analysis Guide

Crit Academy covers Kobold Press’ Midgard Heroes Handbook. The Midgard Campaign Setting is a dark world of deep magic started by Wolfgang Baur and fleshed out by his team. It’s flavored with Central European myth and folklore - from the frozen Northlands to its wild steppes, dark forests, and craggy mountains. Today they cover their favorite Fighter Class Archetypes.

Midgard Heroes Handbook has over 200+ pages of pure gold! Including:

New Races, Subclasses, Feats, and more. In this episode, we cover the Bard of College of Entropy and the Greenleaf College.

FIGHTER: Clanking Mercenary

The Clanking Legion is a legendary mercenary company, composed of roughly half gearforged and half beings of flesh and blood. Fighters who emulate the Clanking Mercenary archetype see the flexibility of flesh in steel and the strength of metal in their own bodies and minds.

FIGHTER: Edjet

The peerless Edjet is the backbone of the mighty Dragon Empire’s military. These brutal warriors are trained to fight in deadly formations. Hardy and resolute, the Edjet are most commonly dragonkin, but lesser races sometimes surprise their scaled masters by aspiring to

draconic perfection.

FIGHTER: Ghost Knight

The Order of Knights Incorporeal, or Ghost Knights, arose in the principalities of Morgau and Doresh. Fighters who follow the Ghost Knight archetype draw power from undeath and bring themselves closer to that grim fate in service to their vampiric and ghoulish masters.

FIGHTER: Griffon Knight The griffon riders of Zobeck were devastated during the fall of House Stross, so they now have only a shadow of their former glory. These days, most griffon riders are mercenaries and hedge knights, but a few still nobly defend the realm as members of the Order of the Griffon Knights. Led by their doughty dwarven commander Sir Markus Lineguard, the Griffon Knights patrol the Great Northern Road and keep the Free City safe from attackers. Griffon knights swear an oath of allegiance to both the order and to their griffon mounts. The knights put the safety and health of their steeds above all else; you are not a griffon knight without a griffon to ride.

FIGHTER: ShieldBearer

The archetypal Shieldbearer of the Ironcrag Cantons is a staunch bulwark against any foe. Fighters who emulate this archetype become one with their shields, bolstering their defensive power and even turning it into a crushing weapon.

FIGHTER: Sword-Dancer

Sword-dancers blur the line between warrior and courtier. The first sword-dancers hailed from the sultan’s court in the city of Siwal in the Southlands. Sword-dancers are graceful and charming, with wits as sharp as their flashing blades. Fighters who follow the sword-dancer archetype often attach themselves to powerful lords as bodyguards, spies, and diplomats.

Give a listen to hear our thoughts on the subclasses and their unique features.

Unearthed Tips and Tricks: We bring you new and creative content for you to bring with you on your next adventure!

Character Concept:

Facebook user Chad D.

Asmadayus

This works best as an NPC or a spellcaster with find familiar spell or a chain of the pact warlock.

Asmadayus is a low-level imp who carries a very well used disguise because he keeps being summoned when summoners mispronounce Asmodeus’ name. Seeking the king of the nine hells, they are often surprised by this far less imposing specimen, nevertheless, he often convinces them he is in fact Asmodeus and “grants them part of his power” in exchange for their offerings and loyalty.

Monster Variant:

Edjet Shieldbearer

The peerless Edjet is the backbone of the mighty Dragon Empire’s military. These brutal warriors are trained to fight in deadly formations. Hardy and resolute, the Edjet are most commonly dragonkin, but lesser races sometimes surprise their scaled masters by aspiring to draconic perfection.

Origin: Half-Red Dragon Veteran

Replace: Plate and Short Sword with Chain mail and shield.

New Features:

Weapon Sweep: While the Edjet shieldbearer is wielding a shield and a versatile weapon, it can use its Attack action to make a wide, sweeping attack. Make a shove attempt against a creature within reach. If it knocks the creature prone or pushed it away, the edjet shieldbearer can immediately make another Shove against a different creature within reach. The edjet can Shove up to three creatures in this manner. After using this ability twice, the edjet must complete a short or long rest before using it again.

Shield Wall: While the edjet is wielding a shield, its foes treat the area within 5 feet of it as difficult terrain. If the edjet didn’t move on its turn, it has advantage on any ability check or saving throw made against being knocked prone or being moved from its current location.

Two Weapon Shield Fighting: Edjet shieldbearer is proficient with improved attacks made with a shield and improvised attacks with a shield deal 1d6 bludgeoning damage.

Encounter:

Vaettir Statues

The Vaettir are ancestral spirits, sometimes protective and helpful but demanding of reverence and wrathful if offended. When our heroes enter a dungeon room, or even a collectors home, anyplace you may find mystical artifacts works really. They discover a icy blue totem statue that appears to have white veins coursing thru it, similar to lightning. A top the totem is a carved head of a bearded skeletal figure with flashing blue sapphire gems for eyes.

Maddening Gaze: When a creature locks eyes with the statue, it can drive them mad. Any creature within 30 feet of the vaettir statue must make a successful DC 12 Charisma saving throw or become confused(as the spell) for 1d4 rounds. If the save is successful, the target is immune to the effects for 24 hours.

When the effect ends, if a creature was under the effects of the Vaettir statue for more than three rounds, then they must roll on the short term madness table. If the creature rolled a natural 1 on the failed saving throw, they must instead roll on the long term madness table.

(Confusion - This spell assaults and twists creatures' minds, spawning delusions and provoking uncontrolled action. An affected target can’t take reactions and must roll a d10 at the start of each of its turns to determine its behavior for that turn.

At the end of each of its turns, an affected target can make a Wisdom saving throw. If it succeeds, this effect ends for that target.

Magic Item:

Cyric’s Tea Cups

Attunement

These white ceramic teacups appear to most to be mundane. The side of each cup has a formed face, one of a sly menacing grin, the other has closed eyes and a look of contempt.

These cups are laced with a powerful suggestion. If a humanoid you hand the cup with the contempt face on it accepts it willingly, while you hold the cup with the menacing grin, they must succeed a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or use the teacup, consuming its contents at their first opportunity. After the first use, they’re under no compulsion to continue using the object or even keep it.

While the cups are more than 100 feet apart, they lose their suggestion effect.

Dungeon Master Tip:

Progressive Kingdoms

When trying to build a massive world, it's important to make it feel alive, which we’ve stated many times.

Warring kingdoms are a large part of fantasy adventure, so make sure to include that in your game, even in passing.

If the kingdom that the adventurers are apart of is at war with a neighboring kingdom, take time to consider how much time has passed in-game, and whether or not there has been any gain or loss on either side.

This doesn’t have to be relevant to your story currently but is a powerful tool, to let the players know what is going on even though they aren’t involved at all.

These could be thru guards chatting as the PC’s approach.

“Did you hear that we were able to sack the city of Tyrn?”

Or maybe when they meet a local noble they overhear something like;

“We lost another outer village to those filthy barbarians!”

Regardless of the context, little comments like these can make the kingdom's battles seem real to the players, and that even though they aren’t involved, the kingdom still has plenty of going ons. Bringing it to life.

Player Tip: Don’t be a Dick

Feature and Power Cards

Using excel I created power cards for my students. I realized, much like spell cards, these bad boys could be great in a regular game.

Similar to spell cards

Great if you forget what your abilities do

Helps remember lesser-used abilities

If you have any feedback, unearthed tips and tricks, or topics you would like us to discuss, please send them to us. You can email them to us at critacademy@gmail.com or find us on Twitter and Facebook @critacademy.

We hope you’ve enjoyed your experience here at Crit Academy. If you did, you can help others find the show by leaving a hopefully 5-star review on iTunes. Or just send us a message telling us how much you enjoy the show.

Also, be sure to give us a like and a share!

Make sure to subscribe to our show at www.critacademy.com, and Youtube so we can help you on your future adventures as well as a chance to win cool prizes each and every week. Make sure to check out our fellowship members as well. Or support us on Patreon and get weekly Dungeons and Dragons loot!