Airships? [Archive] - Wizards Community - Pages Merged by Solauren

Airships? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
GAMBLE_d13
03-05-07, 02:28 PM Hey, I've recently gotten back into D&D after a short break, and I am considering purchasing Eberron, however I am not enitirly sure what the actual flavour of the setting is.

I have heard it is kind of a magic-based steampunk setting. Would this be accurate?

Also, concearning the Topic, I have heard there are "trains" in Eberron and wondered if there are also Airships?

Finally if anyone can point me in the right direction, I'm looking for any Fluff-based info about Eberron, that can be found online.

Thanks.
Nived
03-05-07, 03:05 PM Its not exactly steampunk, though some of the dystopian themes can be found. Its closer to Magi-tech but that's not exactly right either, it doesn't just substitute magic for technology.

A term that I think was coined by Edy is Wide Magic. In Eberron there is a lot of magic, magic is everywhere, but its not high level magic. All major citys have lampposts and most buildings and residences have everbright lanterns created by the continual flame spell. Its not electricity, its nothing like electricity really.... but the cities are lit up at night like a modern city.

Similarly the lightning rail
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v91/Nived/DnD/Lrail.jpg
Is like to a train but relies on a bound elemental to power it, skipping along the conductor stones.

Airships similarly are not blimps
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v91/Nived/DnD/Aship.jpg
They use a superlight wood called soarwood combined with a bound fire or air elemental to keep them aloft.

Eberron philosophy is built around the concept of society developing with magic and making practical use of it, it is less Industial Revolution (because none of these magical technologies is mass produced) and more akin to the Renissance (as all these fantastic creations are hand crafted by master artisens who are loathe to give up their secrets).

Most people still travel by horse, as the rail lines don't go everywhere, and the airships are still an emerging new technology and they are difficult and expensive to produce.

Of course that doesn't stop there from being spralling megolopolises. Sharn the City of Towers is built in a manifest zone of Syrania, the Eternal Sky. Levitation magic is enhanced there... so they've been able to build a city with towers 'skyscrapers' soaring up to a mile in the sky. Over the city is a free floating district for the city's elite. This city is vertical with the slums at the base and the most afluant higher up, sky bridges connect the towers. One can certainly explore steam punk themes in such a place, and I know plenty do.

I think I'm just rambling now I hope I answered some of your questions though.
GAMBLE_d13
03-05-07, 04:58 PM Thankyou very much your post was very insightful. I love the picture of the Airship.

I don't know if I'll make Eberron my home setting, but I still think I'll purchase the setting and make use of some of the juicier bits.
Kinger
03-05-07, 05:08 PM An Artificer from Eberron and a Wizard from Greyhawk meet through some bizarre series of circumstances and decide to have a chat over tea and biscuits.

Artificer: "So, tell me, how's progress in Greyhawk?"
Wizard: "Progress? Pah! We've no need for progress. Our people live in hovels barely more than holes in the ground, it takes weeks to send a message across the kingdom, and when the sun goes down our cities grind to a halt and go to sleep, because there's nothing else to do."
Artificer: "Fascinating! So, you have no magic, then?"
Wizard: "What? Of course we have magic! We have had magic since the dawn of time!"
Artificer: "Indeed? Yet you've never considered utilizing Plant Growth for more prosperous crops, allowing your people to toil less and improve their standard of living? You've not developed a system for using Whispering Wind to relay messages across the land? You have not lit your cities with Everburning Torches?"
Wizard: "Well, no..."
Artificer: "And judging from the smell, Prestidigitation is not used regularly to clean your clothes."
Wizard: "Now see here..."
Artificer: "And judging by the poor build-quality and overall lack of goods in your possession, the concept of 'industry' is foreign to you?"
Wizard: "Indus-what? You speak nonsense, just like a gnome!"
Artificer: "A gnome? Alas, I'm not nearly crafty, deceitful, or underhanded enough to be mistaken for a gnome."
Wizard: "You mean to say the gnomes of Eberron are not simply comic relief to be kicked by larger folk?"
Artificer: "Heavens, no! To kick a gnome is to convince him to reveal your darkest secrets to those who will do you ill!"
Wizard: "I say... And what of those beastly orcs?"
Artificer: "Not all orcs are beastly, my friend. My neighbor is an orc, and a fine, upstanding citizen he is."
Wizard: "My word, you people are savages!"
Artificer: "My home is a mile in the sky atop a tower held aloft by magic and planar influence. I am surrounded by the people and cultures of a dozen nations and am in good standing with a world-spanning mercantile dynasty with more money than the king and far more influence."
Wizard: "Uh.."
Artificer: "You, on the other hand, live in a hole in the ground. Savages indeed."
From_Khyber
03-05-07, 05:33 PM The following links should serve you with some insight:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/eb/whatiseberron

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archeb/gu

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archeb/ds

Read them in the given order. Should they be able to grasp your interest, I strongly suggest that you start out with purchasing the ECS (Eberron Campaign Setting).
tallric_kruush
03-06-07, 04:36 PM The following links should serve you with some insight:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archeb/gu

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archeb/ds

Read them in the given order. Should they be able to grasp your interest, I strongly suggest that you start out with purchasing the ECS (Eberron Campaign Setting).

I strongly second these two links above; particularly the Dragonshards articles. The "Gearing Up..." articles convinced me to buy Eberron at it's launch, and I've never played in a better setting. That said, I don't find that the "Gearing Up..." series does Eberron justice. It has been a few years now since I've read those articles, but I remember thinking "man, Eberron is so much more than I expected." The Dragonshards will, at the very least, fill you in on a few of the cultures of Eberron, the Dragonmarked Houses, the races old and new, etc...

I definitely think you'll be happy with your purchase of the ECS, even if you don't use it as your home setting. And once you have gone through it, I'll think you'll find Eberron isn't steampunk, isn't Final Fantasy, and is a setting you wouldn't mind using as your "home setting". It's hard to put the setting into words or compare it to other settings, honestly, because it does so many fresh things; but it's definitely still DnD and it's definitely worth checking out.
From_Khyber
03-06-07, 05:47 PM I strongly second these two links above; particularly the Dragonshards articles. The "Gearing Up..." articles convinced me to buy Eberron at it's launch, and I've never played in a better setting. That said, I don't find that the "Gearing Up..." series does Eberron justice. It has been a few years now since I've read those articles, but I remember thinking "man, Eberron is so much more than I expected." The Dragonshards will, at the very least, fill you in on a few of the cultures of Eberron, the Dragonmarked Houses, the races old and new, etc...

I definitely think you'll be happy with your purchase of the ECS, even if you don't use it as your home setting. And once you have gone through it, I'll think you'll find Eberron isn't steampunk, isn't Final Fantasy, and is a setting you wouldn't mind using as your "home setting". It's hard to put the setting into words or compare it to other settings, honestly, because it does so many fresh things; but it's definitely still DnD and it's definitely worth checking out.

Going a bit off-topic here, I must say that there were some similarities between Final Fantasy IX (PS1) and Eberron, but yes, Eberron is generally difficult to define as such, and can't be fully related to any specific settings, movies, books, or games.
turalisj
03-06-07, 09:35 PM An Artificer from Eberron and a Wizard from Greyhawk meet through some bizarre series of circumstances and decide to have a chat over tea and biscuits.

Artificer: "So, tell me, how's progress in Greyhawk?"
Wizard: "Progress? Pah! We've no need for progress. Our people live in hovels barely more than holes in the ground, it takes weeks to send a message across the kingdom, and when the sun goes down our cities grind to a halt and go to sleep, because there's nothing else to do."
Artificer: "Fascinating! So, you have no magic, then?"
Wizard: "What? Of course we have magic! We have had magic since the dawn of time!"
Artificer: "Indeed? Yet you've never considered utilizing Plant Growth for more prosperous crops, allowing your people to toil less and improve their standard of living? You've not developed a system for using Whispering Wind to relay messages across the land? You have not lit your cities with Everburning Torches?"
Wizard: "Well, no..."
Artificer: "And judging from the smell, Prestidigitation is not used regularly to clean your clothes."
Wizard: "Now see here..."
Artificer: "And judging by the poor build-quality and overall lack of goods in your possession, the concept of 'industry' is foreign to you?"
Wizard: "Indus-what? You speak nonsense, just like a gnome!"
Artificer: "A gnome? Alas, I'm not nearly crafty, deceitful, or underhanded enough to be mistaken for a gnome."
Wizard: "You mean to say the gnomes of Eberron are not simply comic relief to be kicked by larger folk?"
Artificer: "Heavens, no! To kick a gnome is to convince him to reveal your darkest secrets to those who will do you ill!"
Wizard: "I say... And what of those beastly orcs?"
Artificer: "Not all orcs are beastly, my friend. My neighbor is an orc, and a fine, upstanding citizen he is."
Wizard: "My word, you people are savages!"
Artificer: "My home is a mile in the sky atop a tower held aloft by magic and planar influence. I am surrounded by the people and cultures of a dozen nations and am in good standing with a world-spanning mercantile dynasty with more money than the king and far more influence."
Wizard: "Uh.."
Artificer: "You, on the other hand, live in a hole in the ground. Savages indeed."

Sigged! So what would a meeting between a Faerun Wizard and an Eberron Wizard be?
BELTEMPEST
03-06-07, 10:38 PM If you wish to get the true flavor of Eberron, play Arcanum, of steamworks and magic obscura. The P.C. game introduces technology with magic, and even though Eberron does not have tech, the gist is still the same, only whatever you could do with tech, you can do with magic.
UnderworldLord
03-07-07, 11:42 AM An Artificer from Eberron and a Wizard from Greyhawk meet through some bizarre series of circumstances and decide to have a chat over tea and biscuits.

Artificer: "So, tell me, how's progress in Greyhawk?"
Wizard: "Progress? Pah! We've no need for progress. Our people live in hovels barely more than holes in the ground, it takes weeks to send a message across the kingdom, and when the sun goes down our cities grind to a halt and go to sleep, because there's nothing else to do."
Artificer: "Fascinating! So, you have no magic, then?"
Wizard: "What? Of course we have magic! We have had magic since the dawn of time!"
Artificer: "Indeed? Yet you've never considered utilizing Plant Growth for more prosperous crops, allowing your people to toil less and improve their standard of living? You've not developed a system for using Whispering Wind to relay messages across the land? You have not lit your cities with Everburning Torches?"
Wizard: "Well, no..."
Artificer: "And judging from the smell, Prestidigitation is not used regularly to clean your clothes."
Wizard: "Now see here..."
Artificer: "And judging by the poor build-quality and overall lack of goods in your possession, the concept of 'industry' is foreign to you?"
Wizard: "Indus-what? You speak nonsense, just like a gnome!"
Artificer: "A gnome? Alas, I'm not nearly crafty, deceitful, or underhanded enough to be mistaken for a gnome."
Wizard: "You mean to say the gnomes of Eberron are not simply comic relief to be kicked by larger folk?"
Artificer: "Heavens, no! To kick a gnome is to convince him to reveal your darkest secrets to those who will do you ill!"
Wizard: "I say... And what of those beastly orcs?"
Artificer: "Not all orcs are beastly, my friend. My neighbor is an orc, and a fine, upstanding citizen he is."
Wizard: "My word, you people are savages!"
Artificer: "My home is a mile in the sky atop a tower held aloft by magic and planar influence. I am surrounded by the people and cultures of a dozen nations and am in good standing with a world-spanning mercantile dynasty with more money than the king and far more influence."
Wizard: "Uh.."
Artificer: "You, on the other hand, live in a hole in the ground. Savages indeed."

That is hilarious. I love it.
Lancer2010
03-07-07, 01:57 PM Kinger... I tip my hat to you good sir.
Moccanime
03-08-07, 05:48 PM Sigged! So what would a meeting between a Faerun Wizard and an Eberron Wizard be?

I second that:D It was just plain briliant.
turalisj
03-08-07, 08:31 PM Meeting between Faerunian and Eberronian Wizard:

EW: So, how have things been?
FW: Well, we killed a red dragon wyrmling last week.
EW: WHAT?!? Surely you jest.
FW: What do you mean? Don't you kill dragons where you come from?
EW: Gods no! Such a thing is blasphemous. How is the progress in Faerun magic wise?
FW: Well, not progress at all. We can't use magica at all right now, our gods are throwing a tantrum again. I can't even clean myself in the morning....

:D

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
GAMBLE_d13 03-05-07, 02:28 PM	Hey, I've recently gotten back into D&D after a short break, and I am considering purchasing Eberron, however I am not enitirly sure what the actual flavour of the setting is. I have heard it is kind of a magic-based steampunk setting. Would this be accurate? Also, concearning the Topic, I have heard there are "trains" in Eberron and wondered if there are also Airships? Finally if anyone can point me in the right direction, I'm looking for any Fluff-based info about Eberron, that can be found online. Thanks.
Nived 03-05-07, 03:05 PM	Its not exactly steampunk, though some of the dystopian themes can be found. Its closer to Magi-tech but that's not exactly right either, it doesn't just substitute magic for technology. A term that I think was coined by Edy is Wide Magic. In Eberron there is a lot of magic, magic is everywhere, but its not high level magic. All major citys have lampposts and most buildings and residences have everbright lanterns created by the continual flame spell. Its not electricity, its nothing like electricity really.... but the cities are lit up at night like a modern city. Similarly the lightning rail http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v91/Nived/DnD/Lrail.jpg Is like to a train but relies on a bound elemental to power it, skipping along the conductor stones. Airships similarly are not blimps http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v91/Nived/DnD/Aship.jpg They use a superlight wood called soarwood combined with a bound fire or air elemental to keep them aloft. Eberron philosophy is built around the concept of society developing with magic and making practical use of it, it is less Industial Revolution (because none of these magical technologies is mass produced) and more akin to the Renissance (as all these fantastic creations are hand crafted by master artisens who are loathe to give up their secrets). Most people still travel by horse, as the rail lines don't go everywhere, and the airships are still an emerging new technology and they are difficult and expensive to produce. Of course that doesn't stop there from being spralling megolopolises. Sharn the City of Towers is built in a manifest zone of Syrania, the Eternal Sky. Levitation magic is enhanced there... so they've been able to build a city with towers 'skyscrapers' soaring up to a mile in the sky. Over the city is a free floating district for the city's elite. This city is vertical with the slums at the base and the most afluant higher up, sky bridges connect the towers. One can certainly explore steam punk themes in such a place, and I know plenty do. I think I'm just rambling now I hope I answered some of your questions though.
GAMBLE_d13 03-05-07, 04:58 PM	Thankyou very much your post was very insightful. I love the picture of the Airship. I don't know if I'll make Eberron my home setting, but I still think I'll purchase the setting and make use of some of the juicier bits.
Kinger 03-05-07, 05:08 PM	An Artificer from Eberron and a Wizard from Greyhawk meet through some bizarre series of circumstances and decide to have a chat over tea and biscuits. Artificer: "So, tell me, how's progress in Greyhawk?" Wizard: "Progress? Pah! We've no need for progress. Our people live in hovels barely more than holes in the ground, it takes weeks to send a message across the kingdom, and when the sun goes down our cities grind to a halt and go to sleep, because there's nothing else to do." Artificer: "Fascinating! So, you have no magic, then?" Wizard: "What? Of course we have magic! We have had magic since the dawn of time!" Artificer: "Indeed? Yet you've never considered utilizing Plant Growth for more prosperous crops, allowing your people to toil less and improve their standard of living? You've not developed a system for using Whispering Wind to relay messages across the land? You have not lit your cities with Everburning Torches?" Wizard: "Well, no..." Artificer: "And judging from the smell, Prestidigitation is not used regularly to clean your clothes." Wizard: "Now see here..." Artificer: "And judging by the poor build-quality and overall lack of goods in your possession, the concept of 'industry' is foreign to you?" Wizard: "Indus-what? You speak nonsense, just like a gnome!" Artificer: "A gnome? Alas, I'm not nearly crafty, deceitful, or underhanded enough to be mistaken for a gnome." Wizard: "You mean to say the gnomes of Eberron are not simply comic relief to be kicked by larger folk?" Artificer: "Heavens, no! To kick a gnome is to convince him to reveal your darkest secrets to those who will do you ill!" Wizard: "I say... And what of those beastly orcs?" Artificer: "Not all orcs are beastly, my friend. My neighbor is an orc, and a fine, upstanding citizen he is." Wizard: "My word, you people are savages!" Artificer: "My home is a mile in the sky atop a tower held aloft by magic and planar influence. I am surrounded by the people and cultures of a dozen nations and am in good standing with a world-spanning mercantile dynasty with more money than the king and far more influence." Wizard: "Uh.." Artificer: "You, on the other hand, live in a hole in the ground. Savages indeed."
From_Khyber 03-05-07, 05:33 PM	The following links should serve you with some insight: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/eb/whatiseberron http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archeb/gu http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archeb/ds Read them in the given order. Should they be able to grasp your interest, I strongly suggest that you start out with purchasing the ECS (Eberron Campaign Setting).
tallric_kruush 03-06-07, 04:36 PM	The following links should serve you with some insight: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archeb/gu http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archeb/ds Read them in the given order. Should they be able to grasp your interest, I strongly suggest that you start out with purchasing the ECS (Eberron Campaign Setting). I strongly second these two links above; particularly the Dragonshards articles. The "Gearing Up..." articles convinced me to buy Eberron at it's launch, and I've never played in a better setting. That said, I don't find that the "Gearing Up..." series does Eberron justice. It has been a few years now since I've read those articles, but I remember thinking "man, Eberron is so much more than I expected." The Dragonshards will, at the very least, fill you in on a few of the cultures of Eberron, the Dragonmarked Houses, the races old and new, etc... I definitely think you'll be happy with your purchase of the ECS, even if you don't use it as your home setting. And once you have gone through it, I'll think you'll find Eberron isn't steampunk, isn't Final Fantasy, and is a setting you wouldn't mind using as your "home setting". It's hard to put the setting into words or compare it to other settings, honestly, because it does so many fresh things; but it's definitely still DnD and it's definitely worth checking out.
From_Khyber 03-06-07, 05:47 PM	I strongly second these two links above; particularly the Dragonshards articles. The "Gearing Up..." articles convinced me to buy Eberron at it's launch, and I've never played in a better setting. That said, I don't find that the "Gearing Up..." series does Eberron justice. It has been a few years now since I've read those articles, but I remember thinking "man, Eberron is so much more than I expected." The Dragonshards will, at the very least, fill you in on a few of the cultures of Eberron, the Dragonmarked Houses, the races old and new, etc... I definitely think you'll be happy with your purchase of the ECS, even if you don't use it as your home setting. And once you have gone through it, I'll think you'll find Eberron isn't steampunk, isn't Final Fantasy, and is a setting you wouldn't mind using as your "home setting". It's hard to put the setting into words or compare it to other settings, honestly, because it does so many fresh things; but it's definitely still DnD and it's definitely worth checking out. Going a bit off-topic here, I must say that there were some similarities between Final Fantasy IX (PS1) and Eberron, but yes, Eberron is generally difficult to define as such, and can't be fully related to any specific settings, movies, books, or games.
turalisj 03-06-07, 09:35 PM	An Artificer from Eberron and a Wizard from Greyhawk meet through some bizarre series of circumstances and decide to have a chat over tea and biscuits. Artificer: "So, tell me, how's progress in Greyhawk?" Wizard: "Progress? Pah! We've no need for progress. Our people live in hovels barely more than holes in the ground, it takes weeks to send a message across the kingdom, and when the sun goes down our cities grind to a halt and go to sleep, because there's nothing else to do." Artificer: "Fascinating! So, you have no magic, then?" Wizard: "What? Of course we have magic! We have had magic since the dawn of time!" Artificer: "Indeed? Yet you've never considered utilizing Plant Growth for more prosperous crops, allowing your people to toil less and improve their standard of living? You've not developed a system for using Whispering Wind to relay messages across the land? You have not lit your cities with Everburning Torches?" Wizard: "Well, no..." Artificer: "And judging from the smell, Prestidigitation is not used regularly to clean your clothes." Wizard: "Now see here..." Artificer: "And judging by the poor build-quality and overall lack of goods in your possession, the concept of 'industry' is foreign to you?" Wizard: "Indus-what? You speak nonsense, just like a gnome!" Artificer: "A gnome? Alas, I'm not nearly crafty, deceitful, or underhanded enough to be mistaken for a gnome." Wizard: "You mean to say the gnomes of Eberron are not simply comic relief to be kicked by larger folk?" Artificer: "Heavens, no! To kick a gnome is to convince him to reveal your darkest secrets to those who will do you ill!" Wizard: "I say... And what of those beastly orcs?" Artificer: "Not all orcs are beastly, my friend. My neighbor is an orc, and a fine, upstanding citizen he is." Wizard: "My word, you people are savages!" Artificer: "My home is a mile in the sky atop a tower held aloft by magic and planar influence. I am surrounded by the people and cultures of a dozen nations and am in good standing with a world-spanning mercantile dynasty with more money than the king and far more influence." Wizard: "Uh.." Artificer: "You, on the other hand, live in a hole in the ground. Savages indeed." Sigged! So what would a meeting between a Faerun Wizard and an Eberron Wizard be?
BELTEMPEST 03-06-07, 10:38 PM	If you wish to get the true flavor of Eberron, play Arcanum, of steamworks and magic obscura. The P.C. game introduces technology with magic, and even though Eberron does not have tech, the gist is still the same, only whatever you could do with tech, you can do with magic.
UnderworldLord 03-07-07, 11:42 AM	An Artificer from Eberron and a Wizard from Greyhawk meet through some bizarre series of circumstances and decide to have a chat over tea and biscuits. Artificer: "So, tell me, how's progress in Greyhawk?" Wizard: "Progress? Pah! We've no need for progress. Our people live in hovels barely more than holes in the ground, it takes weeks to send a message across the kingdom, and when the sun goes down our cities grind to a halt and go to sleep, because there's nothing else to do." Artificer: "Fascinating! So, you have no magic, then?" Wizard: "What? Of course we have magic! We have had magic since the dawn of time!" Artificer: "Indeed? Yet you've never considered utilizing Plant Growth for more prosperous crops, allowing your people to toil less and improve their standard of living? You've not developed a system for using Whispering Wind to relay messages across the land? You have not lit your cities with Everburning Torches?" Wizard: "Well, no..." Artificer: "And judging from the smell, Prestidigitation is not used regularly to clean your clothes." Wizard: "Now see here..." Artificer: "And judging by the poor build-quality and overall lack of goods in your possession, the concept of 'industry' is foreign to you?" Wizard: "Indus-what? You speak nonsense, just like a gnome!" Artificer: "A gnome? Alas, I'm not nearly crafty, deceitful, or underhanded enough to be mistaken for a gnome." Wizard: "You mean to say the gnomes of Eberron are not simply comic relief to be kicked by larger folk?" Artificer: "Heavens, no! To kick a gnome is to convince him to reveal your darkest secrets to those who will do you ill!" Wizard: "I say... And what of those beastly orcs?" Artificer: "Not all orcs are beastly, my friend. My neighbor is an orc, and a fine, upstanding citizen he is." Wizard: "My word, you people are savages!" Artificer: "My home is a mile in the sky atop a tower held aloft by magic and planar influence. I am surrounded by the people and cultures of a dozen nations and am in good standing with a world-spanning mercantile dynasty with more money than the king and far more influence." Wizard: "Uh.." Artificer: "You, on the other hand, live in a hole in the ground. Savages indeed." That is hilarious. I love it.
Lancer2010 03-07-07, 01:57 PM	Kinger... I tip my hat to you good sir.
Moccanime 03-08-07, 05:48 PM	Sigged! So what would a meeting between a Faerun Wizard and an Eberron Wizard be? I second that:D It was just plain briliant.
turalisj 03-08-07, 08:31 PM	Meeting between Faerunian and Eberronian Wizard: EW: So, how have things been? FW: Well, we killed a red dragon wyrmling last week. EW: WHAT?!? Surely you jest. FW: What do you mean? Don't you kill dragons where you come from? EW: Gods no! Such a thing is blasphemous. How is the progress in Faerun magic wise? FW: Well, not progress at all. We can't use magica at all right now, our gods are throwing a tantrum again. I can't even clean myself in the morning.... :D