Post/Author/DateTime	Post
makeshiftwings 08-10-05, 12:55 PM	So, as we know, Eberron has evolved in such a way that magic has replaced many technologies that we have in the real world. Eberron has trains, airships, a printing press, a banking system, streetlights, skyscrapers, etc. I'm wondering what other technologies they might have an equivalent for; if they've been mentioned somewhere, or if it would make sense to include. For instance: -Photography: Silent Image is a level 1 spell, and the Dragonmark of Shadow allows you to cast Minor Image. It seems like it wouldn't be too hard to make a magic item that is based on one of these, maybe a box powered by a dragonshard that you aim and then activate sort of like a wand, and it imprints the image onto the dragonshard, which you then feed to a variant of the printing press to get a paper copy of the image. -Sound/Video Recording: This is similar to the above, but would probably take a bit more magic. It could be something House Phiarlan specializes in. Ghost Sound and Minor Image could be involved. For sound, it could be stored in a dragonshard or a special resonance crystal, and then played back through some kind of magic device. For video, rather than having a screen, it could perhaps be a 360 degree "camera" that you place in the middle of a scene, and then it records it all to a shard, and then when you play it back it creates a fully 3d illusion like the spells do. There could also be a psionic variant of a camera, say, a headband you wear while observing something, which records your memories, and can later be worn by someone else so that they can experience what you did. I'd think there would be quite a few black markets in Sharn that would make big money off of selling certain questionable memory recordings. - Telephone / Walkie-Talkie: It seems to me that the armies in the war would have figured out some way to send important communications quickly. I wouldn't want this to step on House Sivis's toes though, so I'd think that kind of device would be pretty expensive, only work over short distances, and maybe require magical aptitude to use correctly. - Heating / Air Conditioning: We know Lyrandar's got the power to turn a huge storming whirlwind into a gentle pastoral island, so maybe they can create a nice fan or space heater for your palace? For large projects, I'm sure a bound fire elemental or air elemental would provide some drastic temperature controls, but for tigther budgets, maybe just an "everhot lantern" or a few magic-powered turbine fans. - Water/Sewage system: I think City of Towers mentions that Sharn's got some fairly sophisticated plumbing. Do you think the middle class of Eberron has access to showers, hot water, and toilets? Maybe some hot tubs and spas for the affluent and bored?
Charles Phipps 08-10-05, 12:58 PM	- Water/Sewage system: I think City of Towers mentions that Sharn's got some fairly sophisticated plumbing. Do you think the middle class of Eberron has access to showers, hot water, and toilets? Maybe some hot tubs and spas for the affluent and bored? These actually don't require magictech honestly even with the setting only being up to the '19th century' as Keith indicates.
nyysjan 08-10-05, 01:10 PM	those aren't magitech those are simple Wondrous devices no tech here
makeshiftwings 08-10-05, 01:10 PM	These actually don't require magictech honestly even with the setting only being up to the '19th century' as Keith indicates. That's probably true; I don't know much about the water system... when I turn the shower on in the morning and the water comes right out of the wall, it seems pretty magical to me :D those aren't magitech those are simple Wondrous devices no tech here I didn't mean the devices have to be techy; I meant magical devices that could replicate real-world technology.
nyysjan 08-10-05, 01:17 PM	I didn't mean the devices have to be techy; I meant magical devices that could replicate real-world technology. technology means techy Catapults are technology a club is technology magic is Thaumatology (Read Discworld novels if you don't get it) and as for replicating the technology with magic, there are no limits(Except your vallet).
Charles Phipps 08-10-05, 01:23 PM	Ancient Rome had running water, hot water, and even toilets oddly enough (Minoa had flush toilets). It's only going to be largely easier with the ability of minor magics to heat water and provide force for movement of it through piping. I recall also in a Dungeon Magazine, a gellatinous cube was used for sewage (It was the "Kangwulf" adventure. In that adventure there was also a usage of a spell that raised and lowered temperature also used as air conditioning with the spell cast several times and having a on/off command word to basically serve as a adjustable temperature system. We also know about street lights with continual light that you "turn off" by putting an opaque object over them.
6457890 08-10-05, 01:35 PM	A bath tub would be very easy-for some- to get. A raise water spell and lower spell could make it happen. For telephone i think a special use of Rarys telepathic bond or something; that would have worked in war. I like your ideas of sound/video recording and photograph. Heat would come, for the upper class, in various ways, lighter versions of fire/cold spells, endure elements could also work (after all the description says "exist confortably on hot or cold environments").
6457890 08-10-05, 01:38 PM	I also know some drastic way to control garbage excess. But the people should be aware and awed and scared of it. Gelatinous cube and other oozes... Or maybe some metal eating creatures for specific places, like rust monster... but they have tobe periodicly fed or we might have a problem :D