Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Shiftkitty 10-30-07, 10:30 AM	I don't have the Eberron campaign book...yet. I will be getting it in the future, but for right now I have one question; what are the drow in Eberron like? I know they live in a jungle somewhere, are xenophobic, and they worship a scorpion god, but what are their societies like? Are they matriarchal? How are males regarded? How do they compare or contrast to their Underdark kin? I kind of need to know because my players, whose PCs are from the original setting with a fair share of FR mixed in, are now in contact with Eberron. (These guys really want me to bring this setting into our game world.) As their first contact is with the drow of Eberron, can you guys give me something to play with until I get the campaign book? (I should also get Races of Eberron. What others should I get just to start off with?)
TheKeyofE 10-30-07, 11:14 AM	Secrets of Xen'drik. Normally I wouldn't recommend that one among your first Eberron books, but if you want to know about drow then that's your source.
Alex_ 10-30-07, 11:30 AM	I don't have the Eberron campaign book...yet. I will be getting it in the future, but for right now I have one question; what are the drow in Eberron like? I know they live in a jungle somewhere, are xenophobic, and they worship a scorpion god, but what are their societies like? Are they matriarchal? How are males regarded? How do they compare or contrast to their Underdark kin? You'd be best served to forget everything you ever knew about Drow in other settings when coming to Eberron. As with most races in Eberron, several different cultures exist amongst the Drow. Living in the Xen'drik, recognizing a Scorpion deity, and fearing outsiders is mostly where the similarities end. That, and they all generally dislike Giants and place relatively great importance on family. Some cultures are more primitive tribes, moving in extended family units, and living as hunter-gatherers. There are also some, like the Sulutar, which have advanced metallurgy, towns/cities (small ones), and even elemental binding, including their own elemental vessels. Then there's all cultures in between, which a patchwork of tattooed and loin-cloth wearing poison users who practice cannibalism, and those bearing masterwork adamantine weapons and armor with bound elementals, who would rather negotiate with you. There's also the Shadow Elves: Drow who've spent a while sealed in Khyber (the Underdark of Eberron) and now rely more on infernal magic (favored class is Warlock) than the others. Their city has more recently come in contact with the surface it self, let alone the rest of Eberron. While there could very well be a society of Drow that have developed some sort of matriarchal structure, it's not any kind of general inclination of Drow society. Likewise, you could have a patriarchal society. It really does vary from community to community. Considering how pragmatic and efficient the Drow often seem to be, I think a merit based society would be the norm. Drow use the same stats as their DMG equivalents. The story goes that they were created by the Giants to oversee and sometimes combat Elven slaves, hence the ability to see in the Dark (better than Elven low-light vision) and spell resistance (Elves used lots of magic), amongst other things. As a result, relationships between Drow and Elves who still hold a grudge about the old days, or are very traditional, may be strained if not violent. People in most of the world have never heard of, let alone seen a Drow. I kind of need to know because my players, whose PCs are from the original setting with a fair share of FR mixed in, are now in contact with Eberron. (These guys really want me to bring this setting into our game world.) As their first contact is with the drow of Eberron, can you guys give me something to play with until I get the campaign book? (I should also get Races of Eberron. What others should I get just to start off with?) More information on Drow can be found in Races of Eberron, Secrets of Xen'drik, and a little bit about a specific tribe in the Explorer's Handbook. You'd do good in getting the Eberron Campaign Setting book though. Drow, while interesting, are just one of the races approached in a different way. Goblinoids, Orcs, and Gnomes are amazing.
RedRider 10-30-07, 01:57 PM	If you haven't the time, the simplest thing to do is probably put them in contact with a small tribe of Drow hunters, rather than a large civilisation like the Umbragen shadow drow or the Sulatar firebinders. Or just not throw Drow at the players until you're ready for them.
Shiftkitty 10-30-07, 03:26 PM	Thanks for the info, guys. They actually set out to contact specifically the drow. They've had extensive dealing with various drow groups in the campaign, and one very charismatic PC has convinced the others that figuring out where all of te drow are in the multiverse can somehow help heal what they see as a huge rift within the "elven nation". Right now they have sporadic, fleeting contact with a small group in an as-yet-unnamed area. I've kept the females in charge, but they're more practical about things, so they don't mistreat the males. (In fact, these boys are treated pretty well for a small tribe such as this one.) I haven't fleshed too much more out except that the tribe is currently occupying some old ruins and hiding from something that is hunting them while they try to come up with a way to turn the tables. (Small tribe, less than 50. I may make them a splinter group cut off from a larger tribe.) Their interest in the PCs is that just prior to contact, the chieftess was lost in meditation, looking for some clue or something that would giver her tribe the edge they needed. That was when the first contact through the planes tickled her mind. She's almost certain that the PCs are an answer from beyond. I just can't let them actually get there until I buy the books!
Shiftkitty 10-30-07, 03:29 PM	One more thing regarding Xen'drik. How large is the island, and is there a RW reference for what any ruins may look like? I know it's jungle, but would ruins have more of a entral-South American, Southeast Asian, or African jungle feel?
Arryn 10-30-07, 03:34 PM	I don't recall any real-world analogies to Xen'drik ruins (I personally tend to think of them as looking like the outside of the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland.) Something you probably want to consider though is that most of them will be built for giant sized creatures. (Xen'drik was the home of the Giant empire after all.)
Amaril 10-30-07, 03:38 PM	One more thing regarding Xen'drik. How large is the island, and is there a RW reference for what any ruins may look like? I know it's jungle, but would ruins have more of a entral-South American, Southeast Asian, or African jungle feel? Xen'drik is an entire continent that acts as a combination of Africa and South America. It's about as big, too. Any exotic scenes you've seen or read in any pulp fiction with ancient ruins in either of those continents is exactly what can take place in Xen'drik, and then some.
Nived 10-30-07, 05:28 PM	Its far larger than Khorvaire.
Romulus LoneWolf 10-30-07, 05:54 PM	One more thing regarding Xen'drik. How large is the island, and is there a RW reference for what any ruins may look like? I know it's jungle, but would ruins have more of a entral-South American, Southeast Asian, or African jungle feel? Short answer: Yes. Long answer: While the whole African/South American references have already been used with Xen'drik before, you don't have to limit yourself to any one culture for your descriptions. In fact, it would make things a lot more interesting and exotic if you mixed-and-matched different cultures for your locations. Perhaps some ancient Giant ruins are formed like a city that blends elements of Machu-Pichu with elements of Angkor?
larry_the_titan 10-30-07, 06:28 PM	One major note you need to make is that in Eberron Drow aren't commonly known of. So a Drow is not hated because of the rest of the worlds stereo type of them. They could walk down main street in Sharn and beside being an uncommon oddity but nothing of any note. A few explorers might know of them but the common person would probably think you were just an ordinary elf with odd skin color or an Elf druid with a preference for dark colors.
Yakman 10-30-07, 07:19 PM	In fact, it would make things a lot more interesting and exotic if you mixed-and-matched different cultures for your locations. Perhaps some ancient Giant ruins are formed like a city that blends elements of Machu-Pichu with elements of Angkor? But much bigger. And more fantastic--after all, these weren't built with the elephant as the top-of-the-line technology; they were built with MAGIC. I'd imagine the great cities of xen'drik stretched on for many miles and housed millions of giants and elves. Shanghai on 'roids might be a good analogy.
Shiftkitty 10-30-07, 09:08 PM	Ooooh! Now I HAVE to put getting this part of the game going! I am really liking this! (And I am also really learning not to like Eberron bashers much...:) ) My players are due for a good, radical shift, and this may be a good place to get them stuck while 4e comes around and the Spellplague has its way with their homeland. :plotting: :evillaugh They may not even want to go back...
Kreistor2 10-30-07, 11:12 PM	Personally, I think the closest to classic Drow are the Sulatar. They have Firebrass that simulates the Drow Chain, have a more magical/technical orientation (the gnomes may have learned elemental binding from them), and have a clear culture with a tendency towards killing everyone else. So, if you want different, then steer away from them. They have their differences with classic Drow, but there are too many recognizable parallels.
Edymnion 10-30-07, 11:51 PM	Yeah, basically Eberron Drow are nothing like Faerun drow. They aren't matriarchial, they aren't inherently evil, they don't worship an evil goddess, they don't live underground, and they're not actually hated by anyone. As has been said, most of them are on a tribal level, with a smaller hidden percentage still retaining the old ways of their Giant masters. The drow as presented in the novels written by the setting creator actually put them more on a natural world bent. Their fighters tend to be more monklike than anything else, great reverence for the world around them, with a great emphasis on family and family honor. Yes, they still attack adventuring parties on sight, but that has more to do with the fact that the adventuring parties are raiding their homeland and stealing things that the drow think they have to protect. I guess you could actually paint them in sort of a Native American light. Highly spiritual, connected to the land, strong family ties, with strange light skinned invaders trying to take their possessions and lands. Only instead of trying to be friends with the invaders, the drow basically went "Get the hell outta here!" and pushed back.
Yakman 10-31-07, 09:13 PM	As has been said, most of them are on a tribal level, with a smaller hidden percentage still retaining the old ways of their Giant masters. The drow as presented in the novels written by the setting creator actually put them more on a natural world bent. Their fighters tend to be more monklike than anything else, great reverence for the world around them, with a great emphasis on family and family honor. Yes, they still attack adventuring parties on sight, but that has more to do with the fact that the adventuring parties are raiding their homeland and stealing things that the drow think they have to protect. I guess you could actually paint them in sort of a Native American light. Highly spiritual, connected to the land, strong family ties, with strange light skinned invaders trying to take their possessions and lands. Only instead of trying to be friends with the invaders, the drow basically went "Get the hell outta here!" and pushed back. But the best part is, we have no way of knowing if that's actually representative of most drow. the great thing about xen'drik is that ANYTHING can be there... could be that the 'tribal' drow are few compared to the majority, who might be flower power hippies on the west coast.
Label 10-31-07, 09:35 PM	You already got good answers about the drows so I'm just gonna show you some pictures of eberron drows and xen'drik style in general : http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/exhbk_gallery/90627.jpg http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/eb_gallery/82140.jpg http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/sx_gallery/98395.jpg http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/eb_gallery/82138.jpg http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/eb_gallery/82139.jpg (notice the staircases in the last one... bigger ones are Giant-sized since they ruled the continent ages ago, and the smaller ones are actually medium-sized for elven slaves)
Romulus LoneWolf 10-31-07, 11:22 PM	I know the big draw about Eberron's Drow is that they're not bound to the old FR cliched "Spider-loving Nightmarish Matriarchy of the kind imagined by the recently divorced", but even then I could see a place for them in Eberron... ...What Pulp-style jungle continent is complete without a city of Amazons, after all?
Smug 11-01-07, 12:33 AM	Personally, I think the closest to classic Drow are the Sulatar... They have their differences with classic Drow, but there are too many recognizable parallels. That seems a little overstated to me. If I read your arguments correctly, it's basically "They use a form of mithral, they have sophisticated magic, and they have a disciplined culture that has an antagonistic attitude towards others." Yes, compared to the Vulkoor drow, the fact that they have cities and such makes them more like the FR drow... and also makes them more like the Aereni or the Riedrans. Is mithral, magic, and hostility really all that defines drow in other settings? I'd look to... Matriarchal Culture. The Sulatar don't have this; in what we've seen, there's no indication of any imbalance between the sexes. In the city we saw - which may or may not be the only one - there was a male high priest and a female military leader. The priest was the dominant force, but the female soldier was obviously an influential leader. Religion. The Sulatar are a drow culture that doesn't worship an arachnid of any variety... and personally, the fixation on scorpions and spiders is a more powerful and annoying overlap than wearing mithral armor. The Sulatar don't even worship an anthropomorphic deity; the Promise of Fire is an abstract concept. It is a powerful force that shapes their culture, but in a very different way from Lolth. Magic. Yes, the Sulatar are more magically accomplished than the Vulkoor drow. But their magic is all about elementals and fire... flaming swords, flaming armor, firesleds with staves of fireball. Sure, the fact that they use magic at all makes them more like the FR drow, but from a cultural standpoint it seems to have a distinctly different flavor. (Also, you're comparing firebrass to drow chain. Does drow chain still have that thing about losing its magic in sunlight?) Attitude. I'm not an FR player. But looking back to Vault of the Drow, the drow were presented as a society filled with intrigues and backstabbing. They trafficked with other races of the Underdark, making deals with kuo-toa and illithids, and the drow houses spent a great deal of time scheming against one another. By comparison, the Sulatar seem far more unified and militaristic. They aren't vying for the faith of a cruel goddess and being turned into driders; they're preparing for apocalyptic war. I just don't really get the same vibe at all. I'll accept that going to a city of Sulatar with guards outfitted in firebrass and carrying forged weapons is a different experience than dealing with a Qaltiar clan equipped with chitin and bone. But I don't think the obsidian city of militaristic fire-worshippers should feel much like the underdark city of matriarchal spider-worshippers who traffic with fiends and mind flayers. To me, the fact that they smith metal items and use magic is fairly trivial next to their beliefs and behavior. It seems to me that it's like saying that Karrnath and Thrane are the same because they both use steel armor and both ride horses; the halflings of the Talenta Plains wear leather armor and ride dinosaurs. Karrnath and Thrane are thus more similar than Thrane and the Plains. But I'd hardly rule out using Thrane because it has too many parallels to Karrnath - because the religious, cultural, and political differences seem far more significant than what kind of armor they wear and the fact that they use similar mounts.
Kreistor2 11-01-07, 09:48 AM	Snug, many of those things are not actually defined for the Sulatar. Nothing says that they have a matriarchal society, true, but nothing says it's patriarchal, either. Is Sulatar society a place of backstabbing and intrigue? Again, it's undefined. The determination of a culture is not defined by what the books say about it, but by what the players come into contact with. How many players actually come into contact with the backstabbing and intrigue in the Vault? Compare that to how many fight a squad of Drow soldiers? If all you wind up seeing is the soldiers in their Drow Chain and organized fighting style, then the backstabbing and whatnot is pretty irrelevant to anyone except the DM. Superficial elements are often all that the players get to see, and that's what's the most similar to the Drow of the other realms.
TheKeyofE 11-01-07, 10:20 AM	You know the real difference? It's not the elves themselves, but the FANS. FR fans are rabid about everything being canon, that is, the same. Eb fans are rabid about everything being up to the DM, that is, not the same. Although any kind of rabidity rubs me the wrong way, I prefer the second kind. Thus, I play Eberron.
Shiftkitty 11-01-07, 03:03 PM	I've noticed that Eberron fans aren't as canonical as FR fans. (My group is so far from canon we call it "nonac".) Is it because Eberron is (relatively) new? How many Eberron novels are there? (Forgive a newbie to Eberron. It keeps looking more and more attractive, and, as I said, my players are hungering for it.)
eehamburg 11-01-07, 05:12 PM	I've noticed that Eberron fans aren't as canonical as FR fans. (My group is so far from canon we call it "nonac".) Is it because Eberron is (relatively) new? How many Eberron novels are there? (Forgive a newbie to Eberron. It keeps looking more and more attractive, and, as I said, my players are hungering for it.) Some simple rules about Eberron: 1. Novels are not canon. Only sourcebooks. 2. DMs rule. Not authors. 3. Let story be the guide. Not the rules. 4. Sourcebooks detail info up to yr 998. That is the point at which all campaigns start. So whatever or however you change the world from that point is up to you. 5. Old stereotypes are thrown out the window in favor to a storyline that makes more sense. Keep these things in mind when dealing with Eberron. You are the ones adventuring in the world. It is your game. Make it become whatever you want and you'll have fun and it will be worthwhile. Anyone else got any pointers to provide to the newbie?
Yakman 11-01-07, 08:31 PM	1 - Alignments are fluid--there are evil orcs and good orcs, just like evil people and good people. 2 - Things make sense, or the world is a whole, rather than an agglomeration of random things next to one another, like the Realms. 3 - Elements that you want to be there are there. Elements that you don't want to be there aren't there. In other words, although the Demon Wastes are Wastelands where Demons live, it would also be perfectly within the bounds of Canon to campaign from level 1-20 in the demon wastes and never meet a single demon. If you want the Dreaming Dark to be controlling everything, then they are. If you want them to not have a single representative in Khorvaire, then they don't have a single representative in Khorvaire. It's kosher either way.
Shiftkitty 11-01-07, 10:34 PM	Hmm, I think I'm gonna like this place! I've been in D&D since '81, and I remember the number one rule being "If you don't like it, throw it out." It really bugs me when players are so hung up on what Salvatore did in one book or what someone else did in another and how it affects the game world. As I see it, that's what happened in their game world! I'm not afraid to tamper with major NPCs, mess with gods, usurp the magic system, etc. As long as my players are enjoying it, who cares what the "official" version is? (I had someone actually get mad at me because one party is now in tight with Gromph Baenre. Hey, he's my NPC in this world! I'll run him as I see fit!) Yeesh! Maybe if I can lay my hands on Eberron, I can start chatting with players who remember the concept of having fun, eh? (Um, did I read something about dinosaur-riding halflings?)
Lancer2010 11-01-07, 10:42 PM	Yes, yes you did. Halflings come in two batches. 1) They live in cities, and act are kinda like standard 3 & 3.5 Ed. halflings, and also have one of the biggest crime syndicates in one of the biggest cities in Eberron. 2) They live in the Talenta Plains, ride dinosaurs, use boomerangs, and are nomads. Also, halflings have the Mark of Healing and Mark of Hospitality. Healing is obvious, Hospitality is about food and safety and what not. (If anyone wants to expand/correct me, feel free to.) Also, interesting thing on alignment: You don't need to be in a close alignment to your god if you're a cleric. You could be a Chaotic Evil cleric of a Lawful Good god, or Lawful Good cleric of a Chaotic Evil god.
Smug 11-02-07, 12:38 AM	If all you wind up seeing is the soldiers in their Drow Chain and organized fighting style, then the backstabbing and whatnot is pretty irrelevant to anyone except the DM. Superficial elements are often all that the players get to see, and that's what's the most similar to the Drow of the other realms. I'd argue that the original poster intends the PCs to have contact beyond superficial fighting. However, setting aside the possibility that PCs might end up talking to them instead of fighting them, or seeing their city, let's just focus on the combat on neutral ground. First, going purely on superficial physical appearance, as long as you actually say more than "They're drow in metal armor", they don't look much like FR drow. Looking to The Shattered Land (as the best actual description of Sulatar), the common soldiers don't wear chainmail, but rather "leather jerkins studded with bronze scales and conical bronze helmets with chunks of black glass embedded around the rim" - which sounds like studded leather or scale mail. They have fiery designs tattoed on their skin, and their officers have flaming weapons. The high priest wears "a prayer shawl inscribed with letters of flame." As for the commander, "She wore chainmail, made with lines finer than Daine had ever seen. But the metal was glowing cherry-red with heat... Her helmet was sculpted to resemble a bonfire, and her pale eyes were surrounded by tattooed flames." She's wielding a flaming double-bladed sword, something I've never known to be a traditional drow weapon in other settings. And then you've got the guys flying around on skysleds. With FR drow, I'd expect the soldiers to be wearing black chainmail and wielding rapiers. The priest would have spider iconography. They'd probably use poison. But I've never heard of fiery weapons being a hallmark of the drow, and I certainly wouldn't expect them to have the tattoos. In illustrations, I've never actually seen a drow soldier wearing a helmet. And I wouldn't expect the skysled around. And when you get to battle, setting aside the flaming weapons, the Sulatar priest is going to be calling on fire domain spells and you'll have the skysled darting around lobbing fireballs and scorching rays. And this is just based on what we've seen. We know that they specialize in binding fire elementals, so if I was using the Sulatar in a significant fashion, I'd develop more magic items based around that concept. SoX mentions shifting weapons; I might give them grenade-like weapons that produce a single burst of flame (similar to fire seeds) or have them use summoned elementals as allies in battle. If you're really just going to say "You see some drow, they're wearing metal armor and fighting in a disciplined manner" then sure, they sound the same... but by that description, they also sound just like the Umbragen, and if you change the word "drow" to "humanoid" they could be soldiers of any of the Five Nations, Dhakaani hobgoblins, or Mror dwarves. But if you actually describe them in more detail, their armor is different, their weapons are different, their prefered spells and magic items are different, and given the tattoos on their skin even the unarmored Sulatar don't look like FR drow. Given the minimal role they play in the setting, it's hardly worth arguing about them*. But I liked the Sulatar in The Shattered Land, and in my opinion, if players can't tell the difference between them and traditional Underdark drow, the DM isn't putting much effort into the description or into making the combat draw on the unique aspects of their culture - the central role of fire. (To clarify for Shiftkitty, as others have said the novels aren't canon. I'm refering to The Shattered Land because it's really the only description we have of this particular drow culture, so if you want to use the Sulatar, it's something to check out. I personally like the material, so I use it. I feel that saying "They're pretty much just like FR drow" is flawed logic when we've seen a presentation with significant differences; and if I used them in a central role in my campaign, I'd expand on those differences, focusing on their firebinding techniques and the role of the Promise of Fire. But this doesn't change the fact that the novels aren't canon, that Xen'drik is wide open, and you could decide that the Sulatar don't even exist in your campaign.) * For Kreistor - With that said, this is the Poster Formerly Known As The Dreaming Duck (name change with the whole Gleemax thing), so as you know I'm quite capable of arguing for pages and pages on subjects that are hardly worth arguing about... ;)
eehamburg 11-02-07, 12:44 PM	(Um, did I read something about dinosaur-riding halflings?) Halflings riding dinosaurs, death-loving elves, ancestor warrior elves, peace-loving hippie orcs. Yeah, Eberron has it all.
Count Nerindil Van Seraph 11-02-07, 12:47 PM	http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd153/Nerindil981/Drow.jpg That is all.
Shiftkitty 11-02-07, 08:13 PM	Count I love the poster! But is that because there are no Drizzt clones, or because the Eberron drow haven't slid into the moral depravity that characterizes GH and FR drow? Or both? (Proud to say there are no Drizzt clones in my game! Any PC drow running around my world are either in a drow-based Underdark campaign or are motivated by money and/or "a chance to stick it to the Spider bee-atch." No thoughtful introspection and heartfelt penitence for these guys!)
larry_the_titan 11-03-07, 08:31 AM	But is that because there are no Drizzt clones, or because the Eberron drow haven't slid into the moral depravity that characterizes GH and FR drow? Or both? Your answer is both. Though I personally don't mind Drizzt clones because do to there numbers they make excellent target practice.
Neutronium_Dragon 11-03-07, 02:33 PM	> I've noticed that Eberron fans aren't as canonical as FR fans. In addition to the points above, it probably has a great deal to do with the fact that Eberron's canon generally leaves things open to question, thereby making nearly any answer the "right" one, whereas the FR generally gives you an explicit "this is what/how/why it happened". In FR canon, you know what caused the fall of Netheril. In Eberron canon, you don't know what caused the Mourning.
Count Nerindil Van Seraph 11-03-07, 09:28 PM	> I've noticed that Eberron fans aren't as canonical as FR fans. In addition to the points above, it probably has a great deal to do with the fact that Eberron's canon generally leaves things open to question, thereby making nearly any answer the "right" one, whereas the FR generally gives you an explicit "this is what/how/why it happened". In FR canon, you know what caused the fall of Netheril. In Eberron canon, you don't know what caused the Mourning. You have discovered reason #13 why Eberron is awesome.
TheKeyofE 11-04-07, 08:10 AM	In Eberron canon, you don't know what caused the Mourning. You don't, but I do...:dancin:
Shiftkitty 11-04-07, 01:54 PM	Well, the good news is that I ordered the Eberron campaign book for 15 bucks from a reputable seller on Amazon. The bad news is that he couldn't teleport to me, so I have to wait for it to get here! The next two I'll be getting (probably from this same seller, whom I've dealt with before) will be "Secrets of Xen'drik" and "Races of Eberron". I can't wait!:dancin: My husband had a question, however, regarding the mechanical dudes. I believe I read that it's a heavy-magic world, so why the need for machines?
Yakman 11-04-07, 02:04 PM	Well, the good news is that I ordered the Eberron campaign book for 15 bucks from a reputable seller on Amazon. The bad news is that he couldn't teleport to me, so I have to wait for it to get here! The next two I'll be getting (probably from this same seller, whom I've dealt with before) will be "Secrets of Xen'drik" and "Races of Eberron". I can't wait!:dancin: My husband had a question, however, regarding the mechanical dudes. I believe I read that it's a heavy-magic world, so why the need for machines? The Warforged are not machines per se... they are more like sentient golems, only not. They have free wills, self-awareness, etc.. For all intents and purposes, other than having a purely organic body (warforged are made of both a highly maleable wood AND metal, along with some other ingredients), they are living beings. The need for them arose during the Last War (the century long conflict which ended only 2 years prior to game start), when the various nations were looking for ways to create magical soldiers to reinforce their armies. The roots of their creation remain enigmatic, but a super-genius scion of House Cannith returned from years of exploration of the mysterious southern continent of Xen'drik with the seeds of what would become the warforged. During the war, thousands of warforged were created in House Cannith Forges, and fought in all theaters of the conflict. After the war, they were given their freedom (most had been considered slaves) and the Forges were dismantled. 2 years on, the warforged have yet to create a unique identity for themselves, and live in all corners of Khorvaire, doing every imagineable sort of work. As for what they are? No one really knows. Everyone has a theory, but most revolve around the ancient war between the Giants of Xen'drik and the extraplanar Quori invaders which was fought more than 400 centuries previous. As for Eberron being magic heavy yet having mechanical dudes, the idea is pretty simple. Magic is EVERYWHERE--blacksmiths use spells to make superior tools, scribes use magical quills, and hunters use magically trained dogs to track their quarry. Magic is both omnipresent and lower level than that of say Faerun or Greyhawk, where it is limited to the mighty wizards sequestered in their towers. Ebberon's magic is in the streets.
Alex_ 11-04-07, 04:37 PM	Well the thing is, Warforged aren't machines or mechanical in any sense most people would describe it. You don't put them together from pieces, and they don't have any gears or actuators, there's no real power source, etc. You have a creation forge, you pour in the ingredients, and a Warforged starts to magically "grow" out of it. When you kill them, they start rotting. It's like a Homonculus, only it's made of wood, stone, and metal instead of blood and ashes. They're made from the same stuff as Shambling Mounds, Shield Gaurdians, and the like.
Shiftkitty 11-04-07, 10:47 PM	Interesting about the warforged. Should be fun. One of the characters, a very VERY powerful wizard, made a quick foray to this new world before I was ready to employ it (i.e., after seeing it through a recently discovered portal he popped on in, intending to teleport back home if he didn't like it, only I don't have the book yet and I think he was testing my imagination). I got a little evil and decided that something in the magic didn't quite mesh with his own magic, and made his attempts at dazzling the locals with spells a bit of a hit-or-miss encounter with very high spell-failure chances. It must have worked because he teleported back in a bit of a panic, not even sure if he'd be able to get out of there before the startled hunters ran him through. I'm trying to encourage the group to send lower level characters through so they can develop with the world instead of sending in higher-level characters for whom things might be a little too easy (since I'll have to get used to the feel of the place as well and might not gauge things correctly). I'll still want them to use existing PCs, though, so Eberron will feel like it's part of the main campaign that they've been playing in all this time. If they eventually create Eberron-originated PCs, then I'll know they've decided they like it. (They'd better like it. They're the ones bugging me for it!)
larry_the_titan 11-05-07, 10:25 AM	Well when you get the book and your Players decide to send the highest level characters they have into Eberron just have the characters teleport into a Daelkyr's Lab. Daelkyr are Eberron origional CR 20, Humaniod looking let very nasty. If they get away they won't risk high level characters again. Your best bet for making an easy transition is to have the players make level one characters and start them in Sharn. It will give you time to learn everything but if you still let them come through with there current characters just remember that just because Eberron isn't written with High level NPCs doesn't mean they don't have them. I am sure the Cults of the Dragon Below or Paladins of the Silver Flame just may not like the party. Nothing quite like being hunted by a hundred smite happy oddity hating paladins or being wanted for researched on by a bunch of Aberration loving cultest who would just love to expand their orginizations into other realms.
Edymnion 11-05-07, 12:49 PM	Eberron is what we like to call wide magic. Its actually a fairly low magic setting (in that it is rare to see anything more than like lvl 3 get cast), but its very spread out to the point there really isn't anyone that doesn't see magic on nearly a daily basis.
Shiftkitty 11-05-07, 03:17 PM	My players all have multiple characters of differing levels playing in separate campaigns in the same world*, which frees us up to play at any level without losing consistency. I'll have to start nudging their lower level characters toward Eberron. Maybe I'll arrange to have their higher level characters get involved in something that will help prepare them for 4e. That'll tie 'em up for awhile. *I have an old game world. The main gameworld is known as "The Forever Game". I created it back in 1983 (and have been through a lot of players) and have various sub-campaigns running, each with its own name; "Return of the Miyeritar Kings", "Song of the Lost Eagle" (the oldest, which is drawing to a close, I think), "Sweet Home Til'Asperna", etc. It pretty much has its own canon independent of anything WOTC puts out. I'll have to find a name for the Eberron segment, but I'll need to see which way things fall. I want to tie it firmly to the Forever Game, hence my decision not to start them off in Eberron.
Shiftkitty 11-14-07, 03:24 PM	Eberron arrived yesterday and I actually had time to go through it, make notes of things I want to get more info on, and get a general idea of which way to send my players. But my initial impression is EBERRON BASHERS CAN KISS MY WARFORGED ASS! The biggest thing I liked about it has to do with our legendary Wiz119. Yes, 119. This guy is so powerful he can do whatever he wants. In a 1 on 1 session, he thought he'd test the waters since nothing can hurt him. As a crafty DM, however, I decided that the magic of Eberron doesn't work like the magic in Faerun. He teleported in and instantly got a splitting headache as his brain tried to adjust to the new magic aura. Thinking he was under some kind of attack, he tried to teleport out. Oh, evil, evil me! I got nazi with the penalties. Anything that might even remotely give him a chance at arcane spell failure got magnified as though he was in a Wild Magic area that was working solidly against him. He hadn't genuinely feared for that character's life for years! The last thing he saw when he finally got his teleport spell to work was a metal/wood humanoid crashing through the jungle headed straight for him. He didn't stick around to see what it wanted. In the aftermath, with the uber-wizard safely back in his lab, he was drenched in sweat, his pulse pounding. The player described his PC staring into the crystal ball he used to scry Eberron with. "Eyes wide, sweat pouring down his face, he grins nervously and says 'coooooooooool.....!'" Of course, he then decided that it might be prudent to send a less experienced party on a mission. His logic is that whatever attacked him might not consider them as big a threat as it must have with him. (The Uff has an ego to match his levels.)
eehamburg 11-14-07, 05:12 PM	The biggest thing I liked about it has to do with our legendary Wiz119. Yes, 119. You will find that no one (with the exception of people like the Lords of Dust, the Dreaming Dark, etc. etc.) within Eberron is level 119. But since you have started reading about the setting ... what are your thoughts? What do you like or not like?
Shiftkitty 11-15-07, 11:08 AM	That Wiz119 has been around and played heavily since 1989. His levels are all legit, no optimizing or metagaming or any other nifty tricks. I doubt he'll actually go to Eberron himself since these days the character prefers to work through agents* (my players have multiple characters of varying levels). But it's grabbed him by the short and curlies. The player definitely wants in. I'm still sorting through the details, but I must say the artistry of the warforged looks like someone traced over early Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle drawings. The hands and feet are just too similar! Ah, but that's just the artwork. I'll have a bit more time this weekend to really investigate the feel, but so far so good. (Damned job keeps getting in the way!) The Dreaming Dark has my attention, especially since I don't think there's any way a Wiz119could set foot on Eberron without drawing the instant attention of all kinds of nasties. It would be like a power surge ripping through the lines. Someone's gonna notice! One question: the Houses. How prevalent are they in daily life? Are they pretty much all over the place, or are they more like our congressmen? (You know, we know they're there, we know they're making laws, but does anybody know the names of their Representatives? Would you recognize your congressman if you met him in a bar? Nahhhh...)
eehamburg 11-15-07, 12:05 PM	The houses are somewhat akin to how the Houses were in Dune (if you are familiar). Another aspect to consider with the Houses is that they are the big companies and captains of industry. it is like asking how prevelant Microsoft, Boeing, Amtrak, Sony, Exxon/Mobil, DuPont, etc. are within our own economy. The most obvious answer is that they are big companies and have influence. As a result, what they do and say has some impact in your life. In addition, with being a big company, they are the brand names of what people look for. The houses work the same way. As far as Wiz119, as long as you keep in mind that there really aren't that many of that level in Eberron and that it will almost certainly get the attention of the big nasties, then you should be fine. Also, the cosmology is different, so keep that in mind too.
Kreistor2 11-15-07, 12:26 PM	One question: the Houses. How prevalent are they in daily life? Are they pretty much all over the place, or are they more like our congressmen? (You know, we know they're there, we know they're making laws, but does anybody know the names of their Representatives? Would you recognize your congressman if you met him in a bar? Nahhhh...) That depends on your own interpretation. I probably play them as weaker than anyone else on this forum. I view them as glorified guilds, and with my campaign set in an 1800's style setting, their relative power compared against your average artisan is diminishing. So, really, they don't have as much influence as many others would give them, but that's just my own interpretation for my unique campaign. Whether the Houses influence everyone's lives at the daily level is up to you. I would argue against it, since no House is described as controlling the food industry, housing (at least one place says they cannot own land), or water. House Vidalis, for instance, isn't going to be deciding where you sleep at night.House Cannith won't be deciding what you're having for breakfast. You might decide that each of them are vying for aspects of those industries, but that's your choice. They could, if you wanted them to.
Kreistor2 11-15-07, 12:27 PM	As far as Wiz119, as long as you keep in mind that there really aren't that many of that level in Eberron and that it will almost certainly get the attention of the big nasties, then you should be fine. Also, the cosmology is different, so keep that in mind too. Heh, I don't think there are 119th level anythings in any campaign setting. Eberron isn't that unique from that perspective.
Shiftkitty 11-15-07, 03:12 PM	I'll have more time to read deeper this weekend (especially since the internet at home is down). I was thinking about really mixing things up and having the Dark Dreaming track that Wiz to Faerun. He likes to brag "I don't use magic... I am magic!" (You can just see Mystra rolling her eyes...) One feeling I get initially (I may prove myself wrong) doesn't it seem a little race-heavy? Besides the standard races you've got those pseudo-doppelgangers, the psionic guys, the lycanthrope people (forgive me, I can't recall their names right now), the warforged... couldn't the doppelgangers and lycathropes have been a template? (FYI, I jumped to the descriptions of the lands after reading the intro and scanning the rest of the book, so I may be missing something obvious. I had the Wiz pick a land he was going to send his agents to. Knowing nothing about where he was going, he put his finger on that goblinoid kingdom... Now I have to read like crazy or else find a way to channel everyone to that introductory adventure in the back of the book.)
eehamburg 11-15-07, 04:25 PM	read it first. it will make a lot more sense. Eberron is nothing like Faerun. The comparison of everything you know are not only inadequate but unfair.
skrap-san 11-15-07, 06:01 PM	I don't see Eberron as race heavy. yeah we have 4 more races changeling(dopelganger people) warforged(machines) shifter(lycan people) and kalashtar(psionic people) here. And if you compare that to FRs 4 genasi uncountable subraces i would say Eberron is quite mellow when it comes to races since there is no subraces unless you want there to be. But Eberron is a great setting, and i really love it. Just remember that it has a bit darker tone than other settings. But that one can learn from their movie refference list. It is as i described it for a friend of mine, a scoundrels world.
larry_the_titan 11-15-07, 06:55 PM	Before you actively start running Eberron there are a few choices you need to make. First how far are you going to take the 'if its part of D&D it has a place in Eberron' thing. That can mean you could include any race from any setting into Eberron it could also mean that any class could be part of Ebberon. It can go as far as class feature, artifacts, power groups, special sites, and high Powered NPCs if you want. Second do you plan to use Action Points. They are kinda integrated into some class features of Eberron. Do you plan to have any characters with Dragonmarks? Your choices really don't change a lot but with the way your settings work you may not convert anything. Third do you plan to gain an huge amount of knowledge of the Game features that Eberron has. The four races that Eberron bring in aren't to troubling but once a you introduce certain options of said races you might find things getting a little out of hand at lower levels. On the other hand Eberron is home to one of the most powerful base Classes in the game. Artificers, once learned, might catch you completely off guard with there power level. If you are less then informed about the Artificer I will feel you in. Start with Bard style Spell casting mainly buffs then and Trapfinding, now add the animal companion as a construct and give them access to every magic item on every made, and then using that they can get access to all spell cast by spellcasters before epic, then give them the ability to add Metamagic feats as an after thought to spells on scrolls wands potions and Staffs and then they get to 13th level and no longer have to make UMD checks to do it all.
Shiftkitty 11-15-07, 07:58 PM	Like I said, I have to read through the whole book. I'm not planning anything elaborate until I get comfortable. It took me awhile to move from Greyhawk to Faerun, so now I have to sort through this new world to see how I want things to fall. (Not even going to mess with the Dragonmarked yet, but I do like the Artificer.) Since my internet access will be limited until we get our new provider, I will only have access at work. Ugh! Well, good excuse to start reading thoroughly. And yeah, I had forgotten about all those subraces and whatnot in Faerun. Oops! I don't even use them all.
Nived 11-15-07, 08:28 PM	One question: the Houses. How prevalent are they in daily life? Are they pretty much all over the place, or are they more like our congressmen? (You know, we know they're there, we know they're making laws, but does anybody know the names of their Representatives? Would you recognize your congressman if you met him in a bar? Nahhhh...) Well its been said that it varies the thing is they are pervasive in their fields of expertise. Is every Blacksmith a human heir of Cannith? No, but most are licensed or certified by Cannith and they display that certification in their establishments. For Vadalis we can compare it to buying a pure bred AKC certified dog vs a mutt from litter born down the street. A Horse with a fine documented liniage or just a draft horse. The houses don't control all business related to their marks, but they are the gold standard.
eehamburg 11-15-07, 10:23 PM	The more that you read, the more you will like ... It is quite a nice alternative.
The Ubbergeek 11-19-07, 07:33 PM	[QUOTE=Shiftkitty;14234376(Proud to say there are no Drizzt clones in my game! Any PC drow running around my world are either in a drow-based Underdark campaign or are motivated by money and/or "a chance to stick it to the Spider bee-atch." No thoughtful introspection and heartfelt penitence for these guys!)[/QUOTE] Good drow can still be very nice and good characters to play. *shrugs* The 'evil bastards' thing is about as stereotypical, really... I hate limiting great roleplayers. (No, i don't play any version of them myself - because I am a man who don't like facing jeers or complains or possible arguments from haters (I mean, just look at the furry haters...). Life is too short for this and I already got enough in the past - dub me a coward if you wish.)
Shiftkitty 11-19-07, 08:03 PM	I didn't mean to imply that I've banned Drizzt clones. There just aren't any. Given the nature of my players, a pretty rowdy bunch in RL, I'd be surprised if any of them played a character as introspective as Drizzt. They can be serious when they've got to be, but when they play their drow characters they like to cut loose. And when they get serious with their drow, they can really go to the wall with it. In fact, they've decided that they want me to take their drow to Eberron (all still level 1). They think they're throwing me a curveball, but I've got a plan...:plotting:
eehamburg 11-20-07, 11:42 AM	I didn't mean to imply that I've banned Drizzt clones. There just aren't any. Given the nature of my players, a pretty rowdy bunch in RL, I'd be surprised if any of them played a character as introspective as Drizzt. They can be serious when they've got to be, but when they play their drow characters they like to cut loose. And when they get serious with their drow, they can really go to the wall with it. In fact, they've decided that they want me to take their drow to Eberron (all still level 1). They think they're throwing me a curveball, but I've got a plan...:plotting: The curveball is yours considering that drow in Eberron tend to be an oddity limited to, but not exclusive to Xen'Drik. Furthermore, the drow of Eberron have absolutely nothing in common with the drow of FR so when they come over, they will find the Eberron drow odd and vice versa and should make for some interesting role-playing. Let us know how it works out.
Shiftkitty 11-20-07, 03:54 PM	The rather smallish tribe that they're in contact with number fewer than 50. They're the survivors of a rather horrific plan to "stomp out" the natives of Xen-drik so that the Siberys shards can be collected without all those annoying savages. (Think Indian Relocation Plan meets Final Solution.) This one tribe got to be the guinea pig and some warforged titans are chasing them down and exterminating them little by little. The tribe is currently headed by a chieftess, which already has the PCs (and players) thinking that they are matriarchal. Granted, the rest of the females in the tribe like being treated so respectfully, but some of the males are taking some offense to what looks like these outsiders moving in on their women. The males are possibly the most muscular drow these guys have ever seen. When the FR drow revealed that scars on their backs were not from any kind of honorable combat but were the result of being disciplined by their mother and sisters, the derisive laughter echoed through the jungle. So, now that we're wrapping up the strictly roleplaying part (thank you, Instant Messenger!), the situation is this: The PCs now have to salvage their manhood (which is cool because the players are a little bit macho in RL, so this means something to them). I'm torn between making them get one cockatrice plume apiece (which happen to be in a temple ruin located in a major velociraptor hunting ground) or having them bring down one of the titans and present proof of the kill. The other plan, a little more long-term, involves a trip to Khorvaire. The warchief, the biggest toughest, most valorous male warrior in the tribe (he leads the tribe in time of war while the chieftess calls the shots during the times of relative peace), lost his eldest son to the city. The boy went on a personal trip to Stormreach and never came back. To earn his manhood stripes, the second eldest son has decided to discover his brother's fate. What's happened is that the older son was captured by slavers, and if the players accompany my NPC on his quest (which they've hinted at wanting to do. After all, what does this guy know about city life?), a similar fate awaits them. I eventually want to drop them into Sharn (hopefully where they escape to if they take the leads I'm planning to throw at them). These guys have never seen a structure taller than Narbondel and consider themselves quite jaded to city life. If all goes according to plan, they should get some leads as to where on the continent to look for the missing drow. I was inspired by an illustration in the main book of the orc on stilts working what looked like a rice field. One of the players is a 'Nam vet, so I'm figuring that some powerful goblinoid bad guy is using the slaves in, oh, I don't know, an as yet undiscovered dragonshard field. Capture slaves, dope them up, and put them to work. (Eberron shards are found close to the surface, right?) Nothing like a little "free the prisoners" from the middle of a muddy, swampy, reedy field scenario for a not-weirded-out Nam vet, eh? And if things go even better, they may wind up working that same field! (Why doesn't the BBEG use warforged? Doped up slaves don't have their own minds.) So, swampy rice paddies, dragonshards, slave-labor force, evil goblinoid, where do you think I should stage this?
eehamburg 11-20-07, 04:41 PM	The thing is that if you want goblinoid then try Darguun. However, keep in mind that they are not necessarily evil. The Dhakaani Empire was the ruling empire on Khorvaire for many millenium. So they were once the symbol of civilization. Now, they are a mere shadow of themselves. Orcs in Eberron tend to be peace loving hippies as opposed to how they are in FR. They are guardians of the gates that protect the world from Fiends. What you need to do is introduce the idea to your players that all of their perceptions are not necessarily correct. They might be caught by slavers, but that doesn't mean that the goblins/hobgoblins are the bad guys. they could be the good guys and the elves be the bad. After all, the Valenar Elves (who are next to Darguun) are notorious for the warrior nation and honor above all and will pick a fight just for the sake of fighting. Furthermore, the hobs of Darguun are also constantly at battle with each other for dominance. So, it makes for neat intrigue. On the other hand, 3 hags rule the land of Droaam which is where many sentient monsters reside and control the area, so that could work as well. They frequently use medusae, minotaurs, ogres, etc. for their nation. However, the hags require obediance and control their nation like an iron hand. Another area is the Demon Wastes where the orcs are actually the good guys protecting the world from the fiends that live there and stopping evil at all cost. You need to figure out how to throw your players for a loop and have them question what they know to be true.
Shiftkitty 11-20-07, 06:46 PM	Yeah, I kinda liked that about Darguun, that they were at least trying to make something of themselves. I'll probably keep the slavers as goblinoids in this particular scenario, but if they get in too much hot water, I may have them rescued by a band of orcs. It should be fun watching them wait for the treachery and cruelty that's sure to come, or try to execute some treachery on their own to escape from a "foe" that isn't very foe-y. This has the potential to become quite humorous...
eehamburg 11-21-07, 09:07 AM	This has the potential to become quite humorous... Just make certain to play up the fact that not everything is as it seems and that everything that they once knew is different here than where they are originally from. All of that should make it quite interesting for the group and for you. Let us know how it works out.
Shiftkitty 11-24-07, 05:11 PM	Ah! First session with Eberron got played while lesser beings were fighting mobs at the mall! I pride myself on not railroading my player too much, and certainly not obviously. That said, when my players decided to go for the "Rescue Gennex's Brother" mission right off the bat, I let them go for it. I had intended Gennex to be an NPC, but a player asked to run him as a Level 1. Since I write full character sheets for major NPCs, I just handed him over. After all, I had a second NPC waiting in the wings, or rather, washing dishes at an inn. So we had Gennex, a Ftr1 from Xen'drik; Gomph X'larrez, Wiz1 from Faerun; Antroos X'larrez, Rog1 from Faerun. Rescuing the brother is Genex's chance to earn his manhood status in a big way, and it's Gomph and Antroos' chance to "earn their place at the fire", which is to say, prove their worth to the tribe. I've chosen to base the general tone of the Xen'drik drow loosely on Native American tribes with elements borrowed from the original "Elfquest" series and the Dunmer of "Morrowind: The Elder Scrolls". (I just ordered Secrets of Xen'drik. Should be here next week. I hope I've got something that fits without too much modification. As the show started, these 3 drow, relatively naive about much past the worlds they grew up in, headed for the coast, which was where Gennex's brother had headed when he disappeared. Clues found at the site of a struggle revealed that he had encountered someone from Khorvaire. Realizing they'd have to deal with foreigners, Gennex asked some men they found on a beach if they knew how to get to Khorvaire. The men were more than helpful, explaining that the ship just off the coast was headed to Khorvaire, and passage would be free. Thinking his people might be wrong about foreigners, Gennex accepted the generous offer and convinced Gomph and Antroos that it was a good idea against their paranoid instincts. The men, for their part, couldn't believe that three natives had just wandered on up, since, as slavers, they usually had a hard time rounding up slaves... Now chained and bound in the hold of a ship with several other drow, Gomph and Antroos were threatening to kill Gennex as soon as they got free. Gennex knew they were hollow threats, and when the ship docked near Wyvernskull in Darguun, it fell under immediate attack from a mysterious group of masked people. (Unknown to the players, this was a group dedicated to stomping out the scourge of slavery. The drow slaves were to be returned to their homeland immediately.) Once free of their chains, the party scrambled overboard, thinking the masked group to be pirates and not relishing the idea of spending their lives slaving on board a ship. They might have wound up trying to avoid everyone altogether if not for a "helpful" goblin, Gench. Gench gave them a quick place to hide from the fracas at the dock, then offered to help them get to Sharn, where they might find more information. Problem: It was going to cost 1000gp to get them out of the country. Gench then cheerfully pointed to a sign advertising a prizefight with a 1000 gp purse. He offered to make the arrangements. Gennex agreed to be the champion and went into the arena. After several rounds of opponents in a bareknuckle no-holds-barred combat, Gennex emerged the victor. When the party joined Gench to collect their winnings, he gave them their cut, 45gp. He had been their agent, after all... Antroos had run some side bets and went to collect his winnings, about 300gp. The hobgoblins he'd made the bet with denied ever having made the bets. A fight ensued with lethal consequences for the hobgoblins. When the authorities arrived, Gench took the 300gp, bribed the authorities, and pocketed the rest for "services rendered". Gench then told them to stay in fighting shape and not to take on any fights he didn't send them to. Seven bugbear enforcers made sure the party didn't just kill Gench right then and there with the weapons they had taken from the hobgoblins. Since they didn't like the idea of being pimped out by a lousy goblin, they made a run for it that night. Eluding their pursuers, they wound up with a caravan headed for Zilargo. The gnomes that found them were sympathetic to these strange looking elves (especially after offering 45gp) and vouched for them on the trip. More kind hearted individuals helped them get to and then get passage on the Lightning Rail, which put them in Sharn. Gennex wanted to get right to asking about where drow slaves might have been taken, but Gomph and Antroos convinced him to sit tight in the room at the inn while they "established their presence" with the locals. Drawing only curious looks from the locals, Gomph and Antroos then proceeded to "establish their presence" at the bar. Growing restless up in the room, Gennex decided to walk his pent up energy off. He wound up in the kitchen by accident where a warforged named War Story was humming in monotone to himself. War Story, so named because he had so many war stories, although he rarely actually participated in the events himself, fate often putting him just outside of the center of the action. Almost every conversation started off with "This reminds me of back during the war, when...". War Story understood on a strange level Gennex's need to stay busy, so he accepted Gennex's offer to help in the kitchen. During the conversation, War Story mentioned a dragonshard field back in Darguun where he thought he'd be able to find work, but the owner of the field wasn't using warforged. He was using slaves because he knew he could keep them sedated with drugs and not worry about them deciding to leave. When Gennex asked what kind of slaves he was using, War Story told him about goblins, humans, hobgoblins, orcs, "...and a couple that look like you. One even has the same marking on his arm." Gennex burst into the tavern common room only to find his "allies" tying one on at the bar. After a heated argument that might have turned into a fight if War Story hadn't emerged from the kitchen when he did, they asked War Story if he could lead them to this field. Looking forward to the chance to actually get involved in some kind of action, War Story respectfully took his leave from his employer (i.e., asked for a transfer) and joined the drow. War Story (Ftr1, NPC) led them to the field where, after two days and nights of scouting, they confirmed Gennex's brother being present. The only other drow they saw was a small female from a different tribe. gennex wanted to rescue just his brother, but Gomph and Antroos (due to developments in the campaign in Faerun) made up their minds to rescue both drow. Using tall grass for cover, they waited for midday, counting on the lack of shadows and some impromptu camoflauge to keep them concealed. They sent War Story around to the guard tower that was watching that part of the field. Every few steps he'd drop and curl up, looking like a large rock. The orc in the tower failed his rolls and failed to notice that the rock changed position every so often. Eventually, War Story was at the base of the tower, a fairly rickety thing. Gennex and Gomph made their Hide rolls with plenty of room to spare, but Antroos missed his. Spotted by the orc tower, a warning cry rang out and guards emerged to take this new slave down, alive if possible. The other drow told Antroos that he was now the decoy. "Run!" So with a bunch of "Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo-hoo!" he started sloshing all around the field, running as fast as he could. Gennex grabbed his brother and pulled him into hiding. Gomph went for the female, even though Gennex was telling him to leave her. She wasn't part of the tribe, so she didn't matter. Gomph shoved the female down just as a heavy crossbow bolt came from the tower. Got him midsection, I rolled for damage secretly. All I told Gomph's player was that he had been hit and due to the stagnant water in the field, it hurt like an SOB. He started screaming about being hit, dying, everything's going black, etc. Gennex grabbed him and with the female's help, pulled him to safety. Meanwhile, War Story had cut the support tendons for the tower and, with a roll of natural 20, sent the thing to the ground, grabbing the heavy crossbow from the now-dead orc. (Probably should have required a few more rolls, but made for great cinematics.) With War Story bringing up the rear (and carrying Gomph), the group made their escape, taking refuge in some caves. War Story began his bit: “This reminds me of back during the war. The 4th Regiment was decimated and trying to hide from a band of goblinoids. They sought refuge in a group of caves and it worked. The enemy never found the 4th Regiment. The bad news is, nobody ever found the 4th Regiment.” Taking a breather in the caves while Gennex’s brother and the female try to recover from the drugs, the group discovers that the crossbow bolt that got Gomph only penetrated for 1 point of damage (so much for breathing his dying breath so far from the sweet lights of Menzoberranzan). As they settle in for a break, a god-awful moaning comes from back in the cavern. War Story walked partway to investigate, finding a smallish band of shaggy, shambling non-Karnnath zombies staggering from the shadows. “Good news,” he said with enthusiasm. “We found the 4th Regiment…” We ended on a cliff hanger when cell phones started going off. I think the gang likes Eberron. I know alot of DMs set the tone with the Victorian Age, but politically I've set it a little bit older. The pre-Victorian years hold a great fascination with me. The Age of Enlightenment, etc. Xen'drik is a continent rich in Siberys shards, so "civilzation" has to remove all those pesky aboriginies so it can be properly conquered and settled. If I were running this Victorian, large forces would be doing the job, but right now it's private investments that fuel the expeditions. I was thinking a faction of House Vidalis (they do the livestock stuff in the Eldeen Reaches, right?) with less than spectacular morals might see the "savages" of Xen'drik as little more than livestock, similar to how many cultures saw slaves in the early 19th century, before abolitionists and reformers were taken seriously. Eh, it's got their attention.
AskaniPsion 11-25-07, 04:12 AM	Since the majority of the Eberron Drow aren't really underground, I don't think they should get the spell resistance, innate spell abilities or light sensitivity. I also don't see them very charismatic so wouldn't give them the CHR bonus either. I think they should be an ECL +0 or at most ECL +1 in Eberron. But that is just my opinion :D
Shiftkitty 11-25-07, 10:55 AM	The drow themselves were the first sign the party got that all was not normal from a Faerunian perspective. The Menzo drow, during the roleplaying part, asked what the Xen'drik drow considered stupid questions, like "How long did it take you guys to get used to the light?" and "You're a third son? And you're still alive?" Their habits of not looking the females in the eyes, referring to them all as "mistress" and calling the chieftess "Matron Mother" were found to be very amusing by the females, although the males took it as outsiders moving in on their women. Not being shunned or out-and-out attacked by the "surface races" (a phrase that the Xen'drik drow found curious) was another facet they found unsettling, as well as the generosity from charitable individuals that helped them get to Sharn quickly. Torn between Old Thought (matriarchal Lolth-worshipping sbmissiveness) and New Thought (egalitarian trade-oriented progressiveness, a change among the drow that occurred in my world), Gomph and Antroos were suspicious of everyone, constantly kept one hand on their weapons, and were convinced that even the orc bartender's "What'll ya have?" contained some secret signal to move buddies into place for a fight. Alcohol being the social lubricant that it tends to be, however, the extreme paranoia eventually gave way to a simple "watch your back" mindset, although a fight did almost break out when they were overheard referring to humans and such as "lesser races". Racial pride is taking a turn at the healing process, however. Gomph's wound will heal up fine on it's own (provided the zombies don't get him), but the two rescued drow will need healing to undo the ravages of their captivity as well as the physical effects of the drug. They won't survive the trip back to Xen'drik without it, but Gennex wants to take his brother back to his tribe so their healers can take care of him. "Leave the girl at the coast. She can find her own way home." Gomph and Antroos want to get to a friendly area and find a local healer. Being a bit xenophobic, Gennex doesn't trust local healers. Nobody from outside the tribe is to touch his brother. Gomph's protest was typical of drow pride, "They wouldn't dare screw with us! We're frikkin' drow! We'll cut their frikkin' heads off if they do!" Mind you, it was this arguing that got the attention of the zombies...
Smug 11-25-07, 01:15 PM	Since the majority of the Eberron Drow aren't really underground, I don't think they should get the spell resistance, innate spell abilities or light sensitivity. Personally I think Eberron's approach - that the ability to create darkness, resist magic, and see in darkness were magically infused to create assassins to prey on other elves - makes far more sense than "If you live underground you get spell resistance and the ability to create darkness". After all, I don't want to have to give everything that crawls out of Khyber spell resistance. And it also gives the drow a special place in history and a reason for drow-Aereni emnity in Eberron (since you don't have the traditional mythos)... the drow were bred to kill the ancestors of the Aereni and Tairnadal. Sort of like Morgoth and the orcs, actually. I also don't see them very charismatic so wouldn't give them the CHR bonus either. It's all how you see Charisma, I suppose. I largely see it as force of personality... the alpha wolf may be intmidating as opposed to diplomatic, but he's still got charisma. Looking to Xu'sasar in Gates of Night, she's certainly socially awkward, as she's unfamiliar with the customs of the others, but I see her as having a very strong presence.
Shiftkitty 11-25-07, 05:40 PM	The drow of Faerun have their spell-like abilities explained as a result of the faezress. While I see that as feasible, I made up a random chart, deciding that the faezress affects individuals differently. Its all low-level stuff, so nobody is born with Power Word: Death as a spell-like ability, and it was instrumental in my restructuring of the Underdark. It put a clear mark between the Old Thought drow and the New Thought drow. I agree with Smug's take on Charisma.
eehamburg 11-27-07, 03:59 PM	I think that for a great help for what you are doing, you should have the ECS, Secrets of Xen'Drik, and maybe even the Sharn Sourcebook. It might prove helpful. Even if you don't own them, maybe you should go to a Borders or Barnes and read through them somewhat. Just a thought.