Content Warning
Another note on content: Kobold Press' Midgard setting deals with mature topics including some that relate to the real world including political intrigue, religious conflict, violence, war, refugees, racism, and slavery. Many of these also come up when looking at vikings in our real world history, and may come up when flavoring or using the character options below. You should have a discussion with your players about their comfort with these themes and make adjustments where necessary to ensure that everyone has a positive experience at the game table.
Ancestries
Some player ancestries are better suited to a Northlands campaign in Midgard due to the setting's established demographic distribution.
The following ancestries have roots in the Northlands and could make up one clan village that includes multiple ancestries. Other clans might be less heterogeneous in composition and more antagonistic towards the players because of their village's make-up due to their past history with certain groups. For example, many groups are antagonistic towards trollkin due to their shared kinship with trolls and other lesser giants that have attacked their communities in the past.
- Alseid (Tome of Heroes)
- Bearfolk (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Northland Dwarf (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Spindrift Dwarf (Tome of Heroes)
- Frostfell Elf (Tome of Heroes)
- Firbolg (Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse)
- Goliath (Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse)
- Winterfolk Halfling (Tome of Heroes)
- Half-Orc (Player's Handbook)
- Human (Player's Handbook)
- Human (Variant) (Player's Handbook)
- Orc (Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse)
- Ravenfolk (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Shifter--no weretigers, but all others approved (Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse)
- Trollkin (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
Additionally, if you so choose you may swap out up to two of the traits derived from your ancestry for traits from the list of clan traits in Raider's Guide to Valika to reflect your experiences in the Northlands. These changes are subject to GM approval.
Classes
Approved classes include (see approved subclass section for further restrictions):
- Barbarian
- Bard
- Beastheart (MCDM)
- Cleric
- Druid
- Fighter
- Monk
- Occultist (KibblesTasty)
- Paladin
- Ranger
- Rogue
- Sorcerer
- Warlock
- Warlord (KibblesTasty)
- Wizard
Subclasses
Barbarian Subclasses
Barbarians are quintessential vikings in many respects, and these characters are great additions to a reaver clan like the one the players will be members of. Berserker ragers fighting at the battlefront or manning the shield wall will prove powerful members of any Northlands party.
- Ancestors (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Berserker (Player's Handbook)
- Carrion Raven (Raider's Guide to Valika)
- Dragon (Tome of Heroes)
- Farstriker (Planegea)
- Giant (Bigby’s Glory of the Giants)
- Herald (Tome of Heroes)
- Inner Eye (Tome of Heroes)
- Mistwood (Tome of Heroes)
- Thorns (Tome of Heroes)
- Totem Warrior (Player's Handbook)
Bard Subclasses
Bards are better known as skalds or chanters in the Northlands. They are the keepers of lore, passing on oral traditions through the epics in both song and poem of the great heroes of ancient days, and the tales of the gods and the future in prophesy. Any party benefits greatly with a skald in the Northlands, able to charm and gain welcome in strange feast halls they might otherwise be rejected from.
- Entropy (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Lore (Player's Handbook)
- Shadows (Tome of Heroes)
- Tactics (Tome of Heroes)
- Valor (Player's Handbook)
Beastheart Subclasses
Beasthearts are warriors closely tied to their animal companions. They are rare amongst the Northerners for having tamed a powerful beast, but exceptionally tied to Midgard and the forces of nature.
- Ferocious Bond
- Hunter Bond
- Primordial Bond
- Protector Bond
Approved beast companions (talk to your GM about creating one if you have another beast that you are interested in):
- Basilisk
- Bear
- Blood Hawk
- Bulette
- Chimera
- Earth Elemental
- Giant Spider
- Giant Toad
- Griffon
- Manticore
- Mohler
- Owlbear
- Otyugh
- Shambling Mound
- Skitterling
- Stirge
- Wildcat
- Worg
Cleric Subclasses
Clerics in the North are known as druids or shaman, deriving their powers from the gods and seeking to navigate the relationship between mortal and the fickle deities. The shaman, with the exception of the pantheists, focus their worship on a particular god, but they make sure to show deference to all, even the dark gods when required. One does not lightly challenge a god in Midgard, for they all have great power, and as masked deities one could actually also be another.
- Apocalypse (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Beer (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Darkness (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Death (Dungeon Master's Guide)
- Forge (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
- Hunt (Tome of Heroes)
- Knowledge (Player's Handbook)
- Life (Player's Handbook)
- Light (Player's Handbook)
- Mercy (Tome of Heroes)
- Moon (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Nature (Player's Handbook)
- Ocean (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Pantheist (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Portal (Tome of Heroes)
- Serpent (Tome of Heroes)
- Shadow (Tome of Heroes)
- Tempest (Player's Handbook)
- Trickery (Player's Handbook)
- Void (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- War (Player's Handbook)
- Willing Vessel (Raider's Guide to Valika) - Applies for any deity
- Wind (Tome of Heroes)
- Winter (Raider's Guide to Valika)
Deities of the North and their Domains:
- Baldur: Life, Light, Mercy
- Freyr: Life, Mercy, Nature
- Freyja: Tempest, War
- Loki: Apocalypse, Knowledge, Travel, Trickery, Portal, Serpent, Winter
- Sif: Beer, Hunting, Speed, War
- Thor: Mercy, Mountain, Ocean, Tempest, War, Wind, Winter
- Tyr (Horus): Justice, Light, Tempest
- Volund: Knowledge, Mountain, Travel, Forge
- Wotan: Justice, Knowledge, Moon, Mountain, Prophesy, War
Dark and lesser known deities:
- Boreas: Mountain, Tempest, Travel, Wind, Winter
- Chernobog: Darkness, Death, Shadow
- Goat of the Woods: Apocalypse, Prophesy, Void
- Jormungandr (the World Serpent): Apocalypse, Dragon, Hunger, Nature, Ocean, Prophesy, Knowledge, Serpent, Tempest
- Forseti (The Hunter): Death, Hunting, Moon
- Hel (Vardesain): Darkness, Death, Hunger, Life, Void
- Mara (Marena): Darkness, Death, Shadow
- Njord (Seggotan): Tempest, Ocean
- The White Goddess: Apocalypse, Darkness, Death, Hunger, Shadow
Druid Subclasses
Druids are religious leaders in the Northlands, communing with nature and the power of the gods manifest through it. They are often found amongst the fjords, mountains, and darkened forests of the Northlands, or building their mysterious circles of standing stones to gain power from Midgard.
- Ash (Tome of Heroes)
- Green (Tome of Heroes)
- Land (Player's Handbook)
- Moon (Player's Handbook)
- Stones (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Stoneraisers (Raider's Guide to Valika)
- Wind (Tome of Heroes)
Fighter Subclasses
Fighters are hardened warriors, more controlled than barbarians. They specialize in taking the fight to the enemy and surviving in the harsh environments of the Northlands. They make strong and disciplined raiders, well suited to combat from their longships and in the wildlands.
- Battlemaster (Player's Handbook)
- Blade Breaker (Raider's Guide to Valika)
- Champion (Player's Handbook)
- Eldritch Knight (Player's Handbook)
- Legionary (Tome of Heroes)
- Mammoth Hunter (Raider's Guide to Valika)
- Pugilist (Tome of Heroes)
- Rune Knight (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything)
- Shieldbearer (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Timeblade (Tome of Heroes)
- Tunnel Watcher (Tome of Heroes)
Monk Subclasses
Monks are known as ascetics in the Northlands. They are deeply focused, trying themselves and testing their resolve. They are deeply spiritual beings, respecting the land and gods, but not necessarily religious, rather guided by their own personal beliefs on the world. They are also fierce fighters.
- Abnegation (Planegea)
- Wildcat (Tome of Heroes)
Occultist Subclasses
Spellcasters linked to occult powers of nature, occultists are often druids, or derive their power from the natural or arcane magic of the world around them. In Midgard arcane magic flows through the earth and over it in the form of ley lines, leading many into their own self-taught studies of the arcane. Other occultists might be influenced by the hags of the Northlands or Giants, or any number of magical influences.
- Witch
- Hedge Mage
- Oracle
- Shaman
Paladin Subclasses
In the reaver clans a paladin is flavored a bit differently than normal. They are called Guardians, and while they remain great warriors tied by oaths to their deities, they are less of the shining knight in armor than highly powerful raiders, focused on cleaving down foes while supporting their allies with the divine gifts they have received from the deity or the force of nature that is the focus of their devotion.
- Ancients (Player's Handbook)
- Devotion (Player's Handbook)
- Elements (Tome of Heroes)
- Giving Grave (See Antipaladin in Midgard Worldbook)
- Guardian (Tome of Heroes)
- Hearth (Tome of Heroes)
- Justice (Tome of Heroes)
- Safeguarding (Tome of Heroes)
- Thunder (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Undying Flame (Raider's Guide to Valika)
- Vengeance (Player's Handbook)
Ranger Subclasses
In the harsh environs of the Northlands, rangers are the great navigators, sailing and traveling by the moon and stars, the hunters of might beasts and monsters, and the guides for those traveling the lands where the skies dance with arcane fire.
- Beastmaster (Player's Handbook)
- Beast Trainer (Tome of Heroes)
- Haunted Warden (Tome of Heroes)
- Hunter (Player's Handbook)
- North Wind (Raider's Guide to Valika)
Rogue Subclasses
Cunning is a great asset for warriors of the North, enshrined in their faith by the wily trickster god Loki. Rogues are often his devotees and excel at striking when least expected. They are masters of sneaking and skirmishing. Rogues are often those who are not strong enough to man the shieldwall, but who still make a dramatic impact upon the fight with their daggers or barbed arrows.
- Arcane Trickster (Player's Handbook)
- Assassin (Player's Handbook)
- Cat Burglar (Tome of Heroes)
- Duelist (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Fixer (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Sapper (Tome of Heroes)
- Smuggler (Tome of Heroes)
- Soulspy (Tome of Heroes)
- Thief (Player's Handbook)
- Whisper (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
Sorcerer Subclasses
Magic flows through the Northlands, derived from many sources. Sometimes it awakens powers within mortals, who are born with mysterious gifts. Magical powers given them from their heritage or exposure to the magic of Midgard during their life.
- Draconic Bloodline (Player's Handbook)
- Dream (Planegea)
- Hungering (Tome of Heroes)
- Living Blade (Raider's Guide to Valika)
- Resonant Body (Tome of Heroes)
- Rifthopper (Tome of Heroes)
- Shadow (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Wild Magic (Player's Handbook)
Warlock Subclasses
Warlocks of the North come by their powers through a pact with a powerful being, often accepted and bound through a ritual presided over by the druids, calling upon the greater powers. The exact identity of your patron will be determined by the GM and revealed to you at a time they determine appropriate, probably dictated by the story (unless it their identity is already included in the subclass).
- Ancient Dragons (Tome of Heroes)
- Archfey (Player's Handbook)
- Dark Forest (Planegea)
- Gormadraug -changed to Jormungandr (Raider's Guide to Valika)
- Light Eater (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Old Wood (Tome of Heroes)
- Primordial (Tome of Heroes)
- Wyrdweaver (Tome of Heroes)
Warlord Subclasses
The great leaders of the Northlands are warlords; future jarls or kings, leading their huscarls and companions on raids that take rich treasures and conquering new lands.
- Commander
- Chieftain
- Noble
- Packleader
- Paragon
- Tactician
Wizard Subclasses
Wizards in the Northlands come in the normal varieties, but those of the remote clans like yours do not keep spellbooks. Instead they wear their spells as tattoos, detailing complex diagrams across their body to remind them of the steps and ways to cast spells. They also are known to record their spells in runes on tablets and standing stones. Instead of inks and a spell book, you have tattoo inks and tools to record your spells on your body.
- Abjuration (Player's Handbook)
- Burning Mind (Raider's Guide to Valika)
- Cantrip Adept (Tome of Heroes)
- Conjuration (Player's Handbook)
- Courser Mage (Tome of Heroes)
- Divination (Player's Handbook)
- Doom Croaker (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Elementalist (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Enchantment (Player's Handbook)
- Entropy (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Evocation (Player's Handbook)
- Familiar Master (Tome of Heroes)
- Geomancy (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Gravebinding (Tome of Heroes)
- Illusion (Player's Handbook)
- Liminality (Tome of Heroes)
- Necromancy (Player's Handbook)
- Ring Warden (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Spellsmith (Tome of Heroes)
- Transmutation (Player's Handbook)
Backgrounds
The following backgrounds are approved for this campaign due to their theming and the campaign concept grounding the characters in a village which they are familiar with, having either been born there or lived there for several years. The guidelines for customized backgrounds from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything may be used to swap skill proficiencies to fit your desired character concept. Work with the GM to alter the flavor details of your background to fit the Northlands of Midgard if necessary (Sidenote: the backgrounds in Planegea make really good fits for this type of campaign set in a more remote and non-cosmopolitan community).
- Acolyte (Player's Handbook)
- Apprentice (Planegea)
- Captive (Planegea)
- Caretaker (Planegea)
- Charlatan (Player's Handbook)
- Chieftain’s Kin (Planegea)
- Crafter (Planegea)
- Criminal (Player's Handbook)
- Dancing Bear Guide (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Entertainer (Player's Handbook)
- Fisher (Ghosts of Saltmarsh)
- Folk Hero (Player's Handbook)
- Forest Dweller (Tome of Heroes)
- Former Adventurer (Tome of Heroes)
- Gamekeeper (Tome of Heroes)
- Gatherer (Planegea)
- Hermit (Player's Handbook)
- Hunter (Planegea)
- Inn Keeper (Tome of Heroes)
- Keeper of Beasts (Planegea)
- Marine (Ghosts of Saltmarsh)
- Monstrous Adoptee (Tome of Heroes)
- Mysterious Origins (Tome of Heroes)
- Noble (Player's Handbook)
- Northlands Reaver (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Northern Minstrel (Tome of Heroes)
- Occultist (Tome of Heroes)
- Outcast (Planegea)
- Outlander (Player's Handbook)
- Prophet (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Raider (Planegea)
- Sage (Player's Handbook)
- Sailor (Player's Handbook)
- Savant (Planegea)
- Seer (Midgard Heroes Handbook)
- Soldier (Player's Handbook)
- Scoundrel (Tome of Heroes)
- Sentry (Tome of Heroes)
- Shipwright (Ghosts of Saltmarsh)
- Storyteller (Planegea)
- Trader (Planegea)
- Trophy Hunter (Tome of Heroes)
- Urchin (Player's Handbook)
Languages
In this campaign all the characters speak the Northern Tongue (see Midgard Worldbook), replacing common when referenced during character creation. They can choose common as one of their additional languages if they desire. Additionally, unless they have a background, subclass, or other feature that the GM approves as allowing it, all characters cannot read nor write. However, all druids, shaman, skalds, and wizards can read and write runes in a basic form. Characters must use a language proficiency selection to learn to read and write in a language they already speak. They may learn new languages through downtime but must first learn to speak the language, then learn to read and write that language by repeating the downtime learning process.
Ring & Rune Magic
Both ring and rune magic are forms of magic practiced by the magic wielders of the Northlands in Midgard, particularly the reavers. They are appropriate for spellcasters in this campaign, and to promote their use, they will be provided to spellcasting classes as option for first level feats (see below).
First Level Feats
Characters in this campaign have been changed by their experiences surviving in the far North. Characters without the ability to cast spells can choose from the following two feats:
- Skilled
- Tough
Spellcasters can choose from the above as well as the following feats:
This article contains unofficial Fan Content for Kobold Press’ Midgard setting. Not approved/endorsed by Kobold Press or Open Design LLC. Portions of the materials used are property of Open Design LLC.
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