Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Sivis 11-16-06, 04:55 PM	Tommorrow (November 17th) I am going to have soem friends come over and get there characters ready. They have NO idea what Eberron is and I have to explain it to them. I have already mentioned that the Eberron Camp. Book is a WONDERFUL buy and they should buy it. But until then I will need to explain it to them. I need a list of the KEY things I should explain to them. I would just give them the book but I only have 1 (and their are 2 of them) and I need it to work on their first quest. We are around lv 9 if that helps at all. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!:P
eehamburg 11-16-06, 05:04 PM	Tommorrow (November 17th) I am going to have soem friends come over and get there characters ready. They have NO idea what Eberron is and I have to explain it to them. I have already mentioned that the Eberron Camp. Book is a WONDERFUL buy and they should buy it. But until then I will need to explain it to them. I need a list of the KEY things I should explain to them. I would just give them the book but I only have 1 (and their are 2 of them) and I need it to work on their first quest. We are around lv 9 if that helps at all. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!:P Level 9??? that is awfully high. Eberron is best when you start at lower levels. In addition, there are other threads ou there about this same topic. Seek them out, they'll explain a lot.
ccerose 11-16-06, 05:22 PM	I recommend simply running the Forgotten Forge from the back of the ECS. With only two players, you'll want to modify the adventure, or let the players start at level 2 or have them gestalt. Since they are new to Eberron, you really should start them out at low levels. Running one session per week, it took about 15-16 months for the PCs to reach level 9 in my previous campaign.
Sivis 11-16-06, 09:55 PM	Level 9??? that is awfully high. Eberron is best when you start at lower levels. In addition, there are other threads ou there about this same topic. Seek them out, they'll explain a lot. I recommend simply running the Forgotten Forge from the back of the ECS. With only two players, you'll want to modify the adventure, or let the players start at level 2 or have them gestalt. Since they are new to Eberron, you really should start them out at low levels. Running one session per week, it took about 15-16 months for the PCs to reach level 9 in my previous campaign. Thanks for ur feed back! Maybe I will lower it. The reason why I started it at 9 is that we used to play Faerun. No one really liked it and we didnt want to start over because we spent so much time on it. I did lower it by 4 levels and I thought that was enough. Thanks!
Amaril 11-16-06, 11:07 PM	Have them read through some of these archived articles. Gearing Up for Eberron (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archeb/gu) Eberron Under the Glass (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archeb/ug) Dragonshards (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archeb/ds) , specifically the early articles.
eehamburg 11-17-06, 08:36 AM	The reason why I started it at 9 is that we used to play Faerun. in Faerun, you have to be high level for it to be exciting. Not so with Eberron. It doesn't work that way. Eberron is not Faerun. Try to remember that in all things. Things are not the same.
Splendide 11-17-06, 09:24 AM	1. Dwarves have all the money 2. The King is dead 3. ????? 4. Profit!
Thwyvylyn 11-17-06, 11:04 PM	in Faerun, you have to be high level for it to be exciting. Not so with Eberron. It doesn't work that way. Eberron is not Faerun. Try to remember that in all things. Things are not the same. You don't have to be high level to have fun, you just need a good DM, which tend to be in short supply in any setting.
stone_dog 11-19-06, 05:17 PM	You don't have to be high level to have fun, you just need a good DM, which tend to be in short supply in any setting. You don't need to be low level to have fun either. Low levels and mid levels and high levels are all equally supportable and have the SAME potential of fun with different feels. Sivis, don't listen to anybody telling you the "Right Way" or how to get the "True Eberron." Your ninth level plans have their own potentials for challanges and triumphs that can be amazingly fun and exciting. Primarily and above all other things it is "YOUR Eberron." The key about Eberron isn't so much that it is "best" for lower levels, but that lower levels aren't as potentially intimidated by the setting. Street level detective work or Warhammer-esque cultist hunting is just as applicable as elite swashbuckling skilled mercenaries with hearts of gold or mighty lords who can shake the orbits of the planes themselves. So play your ninth level game if that is what you have set up and what your players are comfortable with. Eberron has more than enough monsters and maniacs to challange them. Hell, set the game up for 6th level characters and run it with ninth just to drive home the big budget action movie thing if that is your kink. Have a vision, share it with your players and let them go wild with it. From 1st level to 20th, it doesn't matter where you start running so long the air is clear, the view is great and you don't get too hung up on staying on the beaten path. Enjoy.
Jancarius 11-21-06, 05:24 PM	While that's true, I think it's always best to start at L1 in a new setting. Also, in FR, every small village has it's local L12-20 hero within a days ride (leftover player characters from two decades of gaming being written into novelizations) and even if you break into epics, you have to clear L25 just to get in the top 5. I have an estimation of about how many people are high level in Eberron across Khorvaire and it's about like this: L1-3 Average People: The majority of the population fits in these three levels. Most people are Magewrights, commoners, experts, aristocrats, or warriors. Of these L1-3 people, L3 Fighters could be considered elite troops. This is something to keep in mind. L4-6 ABove Average: These are your superior soldiers, adventurers etc. If you see a large group of L6 PC race characters running around, you can bet that something's up. There are probably around 10-50k people in this level range. 7-9 Elite: These people are almost all certainly locally famous or respected. Getting to these levels indicates a certain level of success that brings hard to avoid fame. A lot of people in this level range lead religious sects, areas of their country, or sections of their house. There are probably around 1000 people tops at this level range. 10-12 Legends: You HAVE heard of these people. This includes Boranel, the Lord of Blades, Tyasha d'Phiralan, Merrix d'Cannith, etc. Even accounting for less well-sung heroes, there are probably less than 100 people of this level range in the game. These people move events around them, and are often the movers and shakers of the world. 13+: I can count on one hand every mortal character over L13. If we include templated undead, that gives us Kaius, Vol, Jaela (in Flamekeep), the tree druid, Lan Hazal, Gath, Maza Thadian (Way to take 17 levels in Commoner. What a waste of four hundred years), that crazy transmuter out in Droam, and, by mechanics rules, that Shadow Hunter barbarian girl who manifested the Siberys Mark of the Sentinel from the Dragon Below trilogy. Of those, 3 are undead (2 liches and a vampire), one is a tree, one only has her power in a certain proximity to the Silver Flame, and one's a commoner. Which essentially means that mad transmuter and the Shadow Marches barbarian girl are the only PC class characters that high level. Maybe Xu'ssar from Gates of Night and maybe Daine as well, but a bit early to tell with that.
daota 11-21-06, 08:04 PM	Xu'ssar could be in the 7-9 range I think (monk 6/scorpion wraith 3, for example). In the Dreaming Dark series Lei mentions an Heir of Siberys in House Cannith, so there's another lvl 14+.
rabidclipper 11-21-06, 08:43 PM	So I'll throw in my two cents. The whole Eberron vs FR thing is overplayed, in my opinion. Yes, they are vastly different, but that is because FR is meant to be a high fantasy setting of high magic, which is the opposite of the gritty Dragonlance Age of Mortals setting. In this pantheon, Eberron is generally "broad magic", in that high level magic is rare and often cooperative - yes, airships exist, but each one requires vast resources from Houses LYrandar and Cannith, the nation of Zilargo, House Tharask prospectors for Dragonshards, soarwood which can only come from the mystical forests of Aerenal, grown under the elves ancient and specialized practices, etc etc - but low-level utilitarian magic is commonplace and often practiced by NPC classed characters. Second - the gods are remote, and divine magic is derived from the faith or the believer, not form the god. Whether this means the gods exist or not is up to the DM, but you won't see Dol Dorn dropping by his favorite female cleric's temple for a quick "how's your father".... Third - the role filled by ultra-high level individuals is often filled by organizations. So instead of "Elminster, there is an invasion of Tanarri!" it's "a portal to Shevarath, plane of battle has opened, the Templars of the Silver Flame must be alerted!" Fourth - there is a whole different planar cosmology, and the interactions with the planes and Eberron effect life on Eberron - i.e., when Fernia, the sea of fire, is coterminous, heat waves often result as Eberron responds to it influence. As a result, planar threats are more familiar to the populace as a whole, and often more subtle than an army for CR 15-20 demons. Fifth - The action point system. Allows for PCs to try some fairly insane stunts with a decent chance of success. Acts as sort of a safety net for high-flying, over the top PC actions - i.e. a wild running battle across the towers of Sharn, need APs to make sure you don't miss a key Jump check and fall to your doom! I know this is a long message, but I just wanted to get the key points down. I won't belabor the grey alignment thing, as I assume you've been badgered about that already, and its the kind of thing that players need time to get used to....