Eberron Campaign Setting [Archive] - Wizards Community

Eberron Campaign Setting [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Scandal
09-24-04, 03:40 PM Question, is Eberron a good source book to buy and does it mesh well with cross campaign style play.. I DM mainly for faerune but allow material from the complete line and OA and LG settings..

Also is the action point system an optional part of Eberron or is it a main feature??

-Scan
Saurenda
09-24-04, 03:47 PM Question, is Eberron a good source book to buy and does it mesh well with cross campaign style play.. I DM mainly for faerune but allow material from the complete line and OA and LG settings..

Also is the action point system an optional part of Eberron or is it a main feature??

-Scan

Monster Mesh, items mesh, you can simply omit dragon shards if you choose. Bind elemental is a nice feat for any mage crafter in any campaign. The actions points are optional.

I hope this has been enlightening for you.
Scandal
09-24-04, 03:55 PM THanks that answers most of my questions.. How about Classes do they work with any campaign??

-Scan
Edymnion
09-24-04, 04:13 PM Action Points are an integral part of Eberron, with feats and even entire PrC devoted to them. They're what let the characters pull off the trademark impossible stunts when they really need to.

The individual monsters and races can mesh well into other settings, although the Warforged are going to take some serious explaining.

The only new class is the Artificer, and they would fit into any game as an excellent addition.

The PrC generally are not suitable for use in other settings, as many of them revolve around Eberron specific things (like they're supposed to). There are PrC for enhancing dragonmarks, for enhancing action points, etc. But then, PrC were always supposed to be world building tools available to the DM, not PC character creation tools.

But if you just "borrow" bits and pieces out of Eberron, I think you're really missing the point of this setting. Its new, its fresh, and its not just a Tolkien clone like the Realms or Greyhawk, or even Dark Sun/Dragonlance are. Its entirely new, the focus of the gameplay is differant, its really a breath of fresh air in a game thats been getting a bit stale for years.
Brastan
09-24-04, 04:23 PM You can use just about everything (rule wise) for the book. Action points can be omitted with some loss of overall power of some PrCs. Its not as bad as Edymnion places it. Although it will start to hurt once you start reading into the things you can do with action points. Examples: Artificers can reduce the casting time of some spells using actions points, if you don't use them they'll take much longer.

Also you can use the fluff text to get some character ideas and develop new ways to use old creatures. Read up on the goblins from the setting.
Scandal
09-24-04, 04:27 PM Thanks the big thing I am not wanting to deal with is the action points, since my players and I don't really feel like learning a new system.. I play a pretty mixed realms game and allow stuff from jsut about all campaign settings and that is what molds my world.. For the most part we play in Faerun with a twist.. Thanks for all the replies..

-Scan
Saurenda
09-24-04, 05:19 PM Well Artificer as my player put it, a mage that crafts items for the party is a great character. So Artificers would in turn fit in nicely to any campagin setting where item creation is need as a part of the team.

As for the races Warforged could be a new type of weapon in fauren. Shifters, no. Lycanthropy runs wild in certain areas, and natural lycanthrpes are not hunted for the most part like illithids are. Changelings would be a good addition. One could possibly pretend to be Drittz or Elminister. Kalashiter could be an execellent psyhic for any psychic friendly campaign.
Scandal
09-24-04, 05:23 PM How hard is it to get used to the action point system is it overly confusing or pretty straight forward??

-Scan
q'afuu
09-24-04, 05:29 PM How hard is it to get used to the action point system is it overly confusing or pretty straight forward??
*Extremely* straightforward.
Josh Wilhoyte
09-24-04, 05:31 PM You can pull just about about anything out of Eberron and stick it in another game. if you don't use action points, then there are some feats you won't pull out and a prestige class that won't be available. The Dragonmarked Heir and Mark of Siberys prestige classes can both still be used with only minor changes. You'll just have some other backstory for them. I really like Eberron and am enjoying playing in it, but there's really nothing keeping you from just pulling in the elements that you want to.
On a side note, use of Action Points requires very little new mechanics. You have X Action Points. You can only spend Action Points once in a round. You can spend an Action Point to add 1d6 to a 1d20 roll. You can spend an Action Point to stabilize instead of rolling that 10%. Some feats and classes expand upon Action Point use. That's it. It's not a new system at all, it's a minor addition to one.
Scandal
09-24-04, 05:41 PM Sounds pretty easy.. I will have to check it out.. What drew me to Eberron in the first place were the war forged and the Artificer.. I love the ideas behind them.. How ever I will probably change the back story on the war forged a little to fit my world a little more..

-Scan
Roxlimn
09-24-04, 05:59 PM Eberron is one of the most minable pieces of game design to come out in a long while. Much more minable than a good chunk of the Realms.

Action Points require next to nothing to learn. They're just like a set number of "dice fudges". That's it. But this time, the players are "fudging" the dice in their favor, not you, and it's all above table.

Basically, you take a certain type of d20 roll and using an action point, you add d6 to it to improve your chances. If you know the Audacious Ancestor feat, then it's something like that only better.

Additionally, you can let players use action points to do stuff they wouldn't otherwise be capable of. There are some official uses for them, but basically, if the action is cool, moves the storyline forward and steps on nobody's toes, then it's free fodder for action-pointing. Especially the ones you think are extra dramatic, like the last jump from the helicopter in Mission Impossible.

The feats are insertable almost anywhere, and the artificer and the warforged are things I consider long overdue, even for settings like Faerun. The Gnomish Gondsman thing is really quite pathetic. About the only things you can't mine are the fluff, but even those you can use for inspiration.
Edymnion
09-24-04, 06:23 PM Action points can be omitted with some loss of overall power of some PrCs. Its not as bad as Edymnion places it.The Extreme Explorer is a completely gimped PrC without Action Points. Half of it is built around nothing but AP (boosted AP, Extreme Hustle, Extreme Action, etc). Heir of Syberius doesn't work at all without Dragonmarks. The Weretouched Master and Warforged Juggernaught don't work without the new races (duh).

PrC like Master Inquisitor or Ranger of the Eldeen Reaches could be dropped into another game with relative ease, though.
Saurenda
09-24-04, 06:39 PM The Extreme Explorer is a completely gimped PrC without Action Points. Half of it is built around nothing but AP (boosted AP, Extreme Hustle, Extreme Action, etc). Heir of Syberius doesn't work at all without Dragonmarks. The Weretouched Master and Warforged Juggernaught don't work without the new races (duh).

PrC like Master Inquisitor or Ranger of the Eldeen Reaches could be dropped into another game with relative ease, though.

Without thier appropriate sects?

Master Inqusitive is a PrC for any campgin setting =D
A potion of gilbness though will overcome all his powers for a short time.
Edymnion
09-24-04, 07:11 PM Without thier appropriate sects?Why not? If the Red Wizard of Thay can make it into the DMG, WotC obviously doesn't think actual organizational ties are worth anything anymore.
Rolapin
09-25-04, 03:33 AM Question, is Eberron a good source book to buy and does it mesh well with cross campaign style play.. I DM mainly for faerune but allow material from the complete line and OA and LG settings..
The real danger is you'll like the world too much and would like to quit gaming in FR and begin a new campaign in Eberron !

:D

Rolapin
The White Sorcerer
09-25-04, 06:26 AM Why not? If the Red Wizard of Thay can make it into the DMG, WotC obviously doesn't think actual organizational ties are worth anything anymore.

The Red Wizard is obviously in the DMG as an example of a setting/organization specific prestige class.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Scandal 09-24-04, 03:40 PM	Question, is Eberron a good source book to buy and does it mesh well with cross campaign style play.. I DM mainly for faerune but allow material from the complete line and OA and LG settings.. Also is the action point system an optional part of Eberron or is it a main feature?? -Scan
Saurenda 09-24-04, 03:47 PM	Question, is Eberron a good source book to buy and does it mesh well with cross campaign style play.. I DM mainly for faerune but allow material from the complete line and OA and LG settings.. Also is the action point system an optional part of Eberron or is it a main feature?? -Scan Monster Mesh, items mesh, you can simply omit dragon shards if you choose. Bind elemental is a nice feat for any mage crafter in any campaign. The actions points are optional. I hope this has been enlightening for you.
Scandal 09-24-04, 03:55 PM	THanks that answers most of my questions.. How about Classes do they work with any campaign?? -Scan
Edymnion 09-24-04, 04:13 PM	Action Points are an integral part of Eberron, with feats and even entire PrC devoted to them. They're what let the characters pull off the trademark impossible stunts when they really need to. The individual monsters and races can mesh well into other settings, although the Warforged are going to take some serious explaining. The only new class is the Artificer, and they would fit into any game as an excellent addition. The PrC generally are not suitable for use in other settings, as many of them revolve around Eberron specific things (like they're supposed to). There are PrC for enhancing dragonmarks, for enhancing action points, etc. But then, PrC were always supposed to be world building tools available to the DM, not PC character creation tools. But if you just "borrow" bits and pieces out of Eberron, I think you're really missing the point of this setting. Its new, its fresh, and its not just a Tolkien clone like the Realms or Greyhawk, or even Dark Sun/Dragonlance are. Its entirely new, the focus of the gameplay is differant, its really a breath of fresh air in a game thats been getting a bit stale for years.
Brastan 09-24-04, 04:23 PM	You can use just about everything (rule wise) for the book. Action points can be omitted with some loss of overall power of some PrCs. Its not as bad as Edymnion places it. Although it will start to hurt once you start reading into the things you can do with action points. Examples: Artificers can reduce the casting time of some spells using actions points, if you don't use them they'll take much longer. Also you can use the fluff text to get some character ideas and develop new ways to use old creatures. Read up on the goblins from the setting.
Scandal 09-24-04, 04:27 PM	Thanks the big thing I am not wanting to deal with is the action points, since my players and I don't really feel like learning a new system.. I play a pretty mixed realms game and allow stuff from jsut about all campaign settings and that is what molds my world.. For the most part we play in Faerun with a twist.. Thanks for all the replies.. -Scan
Saurenda 09-24-04, 05:19 PM	Well Artificer as my player put it, a mage that crafts items for the party is a great character. So Artificers would in turn fit in nicely to any campagin setting where item creation is need as a part of the team. As for the races Warforged could be a new type of weapon in fauren. Shifters, no. Lycanthropy runs wild in certain areas, and natural lycanthrpes are not hunted for the most part like illithids are. Changelings would be a good addition. One could possibly pretend to be Drittz or Elminister. Kalashiter could be an execellent psyhic for any psychic friendly campaign.
Scandal 09-24-04, 05:23 PM	How hard is it to get used to the action point system is it overly confusing or pretty straight forward?? -Scan
q'afuu 09-24-04, 05:29 PM	How hard is it to get used to the action point system is it overly confusing or pretty straight forward?? Extremely straightforward.
Josh Wilhoyte 09-24-04, 05:31 PM	You can pull just about about anything out of Eberron and stick it in another game. if you don't use action points, then there are some feats you won't pull out and a prestige class that won't be available. The Dragonmarked Heir and Mark of Siberys prestige classes can both still be used with only minor changes. You'll just have some other backstory for them. I really like Eberron and am enjoying playing in it, but there's really nothing keeping you from just pulling in the elements that you want to. On a side note, use of Action Points requires very little new mechanics. You have X Action Points. You can only spend Action Points once in a round. You can spend an Action Point to add 1d6 to a 1d20 roll. You can spend an Action Point to stabilize instead of rolling that 10%. Some feats and classes expand upon Action Point use. That's it. It's not a new system at all, it's a minor addition to one.
Scandal 09-24-04, 05:41 PM	Sounds pretty easy.. I will have to check it out.. What drew me to Eberron in the first place were the war forged and the Artificer.. I love the ideas behind them.. How ever I will probably change the back story on the war forged a little to fit my world a little more.. -Scan
Roxlimn 09-24-04, 05:59 PM	Eberron is one of the most minable pieces of game design to come out in a long while. Much more minable than a good chunk of the Realms. Action Points require next to nothing to learn. They're just like a set number of "dice fudges". That's it. But this time, the players are "fudging" the dice in their favor, not you, and it's all above table. Basically, you take a certain type of d20 roll and using an action point, you add d6 to it to improve your chances. If you know the Audacious Ancestor feat, then it's something like that only better. Additionally, you can let players use action points to do stuff they wouldn't otherwise be capable of. There are some official uses for them, but basically, if the action is cool, moves the storyline forward and steps on nobody's toes, then it's free fodder for action-pointing. Especially the ones you think are extra dramatic, like the last jump from the helicopter in Mission Impossible. The feats are insertable almost anywhere, and the artificer and the warforged are things I consider long overdue, even for settings like Faerun. The Gnomish Gondsman thing is really quite pathetic. About the only things you can't mine are the fluff, but even those you can use for inspiration.
Edymnion 09-24-04, 06:23 PM	Action points can be omitted with some loss of overall power of some PrCs. Its not as bad as Edymnion places it.The Extreme Explorer is a completely gimped PrC without Action Points. Half of it is built around nothing but AP (boosted AP, Extreme Hustle, Extreme Action, etc). Heir of Syberius doesn't work at all without Dragonmarks. The Weretouched Master and Warforged Juggernaught don't work without the new races (duh). PrC like Master Inquisitor or Ranger of the Eldeen Reaches could be dropped into another game with relative ease, though.
Saurenda 09-24-04, 06:39 PM	The Extreme Explorer is a completely gimped PrC without Action Points. Half of it is built around nothing but AP (boosted AP, Extreme Hustle, Extreme Action, etc). Heir of Syberius doesn't work at all without Dragonmarks. The Weretouched Master and Warforged Juggernaught don't work without the new races (duh). PrC like Master Inquisitor or Ranger of the Eldeen Reaches could be dropped into another game with relative ease, though. Without thier appropriate sects? Master Inqusitive is a PrC for any campgin setting =D A potion of gilbness though will overcome all his powers for a short time.
Edymnion 09-24-04, 07:11 PM	Without thier appropriate sects?Why not? If the Red Wizard of Thay can make it into the DMG, WotC obviously doesn't think actual organizational ties are worth anything anymore.
Rolapin 09-25-04, 03:33 AM	Question, is Eberron a good source book to buy and does it mesh well with cross campaign style play.. I DM mainly for faerune but allow material from the complete line and OA and LG settings.. The real danger is you'll like the world too much and would like to quit gaming in FR and begin a new campaign in Eberron ! :D Rolapin
The White Sorcerer 09-25-04, 06:26 AM	Why not? If the Red Wizard of Thay can make it into the DMG, WotC obviously doesn't think actual organizational ties are worth anything anymore. The Red Wizard is obviously in the DMG as an example of a setting/organization specific prestige class.