Post/Author/DateTime	Post
fizzbang 02-04-05, 10:21 AM	I was wondering when the February Theme would pop up, here. But then I figured I might as well just make one of my own! So, February is commonly seen as the month that falls inbetween the cracks. It's got some good celebrations in it, but usually everyone's too busy trying to make it through Winter to really enjoy it. It's fine with me, because it's my birthmonth, so I get to hijack every weekend for another party, but for most people, it just sort of falls between the cracks. Now, to use a painfully jarring segue, there are similar cases in Eberron. It's a tremendously rich world where anything can fit in. But there's already so many excellent ideas out there, clamouring for our attention that it can be easy to forget about some of the nifty little races and places for concepts that aren't overtly mentioned in the book. Do you have a favorite obscure concept, race, class, or whatever that you always enjoy playing? The Eberron Campaign Setting covers lots of the classics and provides even more new takes on them, but maybe it didn't cover your old standby. There's a lot of great stuff out there, and the book couldn't fit it all in! Well, in your campaign, where would you fit it in? How would you work it into Eberron's pulpy blend of everyday magic and overarching intrigue? Would your favorite race have a grand history like the goblins, or maybe a new envisioning on their origins like the drow? Is your version of Deck of Many Things actually an insidious creation of the unpredictable Lord of Madness, or perhaps a warped and unstable version of magical cards used in an everyday game of chance in the ancient heights of the Giant Empire? Are Battleragers almost unheard of in Eberron's civilized Dwarven empire, or is it a common response to the shame of losing all of one's material possessions? Don't let your old favorite get lost between the cracks! Pick it up and find a new home for it in Eberron!
Golbez57 02-04-05, 03:08 PM	MAN, this is a tougher question than it seemed to me at first, Fizzbang. Thankfully, most of the little-used things that I have long loved exploring D & D--namely, the place of gnomes in a game world and cultural and technological implications of magic being a very real thing--are well-developed in Eberron. .... Still trying to think of something.... Ah! Got it. Permanent illusory paintings! Wait, no, magic is used in an artistic fashion, whether in glamerweave or in the performances of House Phiarlan/Thuranni bards. Curses! .... Well, even before Quiddich became a household word, I always thought a magic spo... wait, no, Race of the Eight Winds. .... Well, I'm mostly stumped but, like most players, no magic item has been more of a mainstay in the games I've been a part of than the bag of holding. I see their origin in Eberron as being with House Orien. Imagine the gold they've saved over many years by transporting items efficiently, and the gold they've earned by doing so inconspicuously. For particularly sensitive jobs, maybe two couriers are dispatched, each bearing a satchel: one an authentic bag, and another a mundane sack affected by nystul's magical aura. So, the next time you get a new/used bag of holding, look for the House Orien crest! Hm, well, that was more a pondering of a sacred cow of magic items rather than trying to fit a favorite-but-underused concept into Eberron. I did my best, boss! :bigeyes: ...cookie?
fizzbang 02-04-05, 03:11 PM	I guess I'll start it off with a race that's always been tremendously popular with my local gaming groups, and which often gets the short end of the gaming stick: Kobolds Traditionally, kobolds are the puny cousins of dragons, touched by their sorcerous lineage, but far lesser than their great ancestors. They're usually portrayed as nasty and vicious, with tremendous gifts for laying cruel traps and training dire weasels. A group of kobolds may be the classic push-overs in the field, but only a fool ventures into their caverns without being prepard for perpetual harrassment from booby traps and stealthy skirmishers. Their hatred for gnomes is well-known, and well returned from their racial enemies. In Eberron, however, this draconic ancestry opens a lot of potentials. It's quite possible that the kobolds were once trusted servants and children of the great dragons, worshipful heirs to their secrets and guardians of their interests in the primitive Khorvaire. While the giants ruled in Xen'drik, the dragons trusted their reverent and sometimes fanatical kobold children to stealthily tend to their interests in Khorvaire without drawing the attention of their powerful neighbors to the south. In these early days, kobolds were not the fallen race they were: still weaker than their ancestors, their sorcerous powers were rivaled only by their drive to study the clues of the prophecy and dedication to their ancestors. They strove to keep a low profile, lest the giants discover their studies and use their power against the dragons themselves. To ensure this safety, they stayed deep below the ground, guarding their warrens well with traps and beasts. They rarely kept written records, passing the results of their studies down through complex tales and stories that took on a religious significance when combined with their reverence of their draconic progenitors. The greatest scholars of the kobolds were seen as prophets of the dragons, combining draconic sorcery with divine magic. However, it was their devotion to research of the dragonshards that lead to their downfall: as they kept their society secret beneath the ground, their tunnels led further and further into the depths of Khyber. The whispering darkness fed their fanaticism and twisted their worship into an enslavement to the Dragon Below. They fought viciously with other delving races when their tunnels crossed, lest their great mission be compromised. They especially targeted the gnomes, considering their arcane talents to be a perversion of their own sorcerous gifts, and offensive abuses of the powers of the arcane. As their degeneration continued, their bodies slowly warped and weakened from their original grace, and they withdrew from their dragon ancestors. By the time they were finally called upon by their ancestors to aid in the war against the elves, the kobolds had become so obsessed with their own power and madness that they refused to serve their creators. spurned by those who had once been their servants, the dragons were enraged, but their wars with the elves meant they couldn't spare the power to properly punish the kobolds. Even today, after thousands of years, retributive dragons have not scourged the kobolds from the land, although there are still some who would like to do so. Today, the kobolds are a broken race, thoroughly degenerated by the influences of Khyber and clinging to twisted remnants of their ancient beliefs. Their holy texts still recall scraps of ancient prophecy, however, and sometimes a gifted one will slip free of Khyber's influence and unlock one of their ancient discoveries. Such a kobold may lead his people out of darkness, or perhaps simply brave the outside world to discover what lies beyond their ancestral warrens...
fizzbang 02-04-05, 03:14 PM	Hah! By the time I got around to writing the bit to start it off, you already had it up and running, Golbez! Definitely a cookie!
ORC_Paradox 02-04-05, 09:21 PM	The February theme was announced on the Boards Business board. (That's where I post them every month.) This month's theme is Love and Romance. And don't start with "I love Eberron" threads. That's not the point. :P
Alac Luin 02-04-05, 09:26 PM	I'm haveing images of a warforged scout with wings useing a bow wearing a diaper. :embarrass
Makabriel 02-05-05, 08:52 AM	Eh... I like this theme better :D I have one, working on it now. Just have to get the right House name for it.
Makabriel 02-05-05, 10:48 AM	This isn't quite a "forgotten", more of a... taken for granted. I may have taken liberties with some rules and such, forgive me in advance.. If there are any constants in war, it is Injury and death. During the Last War, this was never more true. While one was dificult to overcome, the other was almost as much a detriment in the fact that it pulled soldiers from the battlefield. Unlike the Warforged, human physiology was frail. Certain things could happen to put an otherwise fit fighter out of a battle. Sprained ankles, broken wrists, a variety of cuts to certain locations, while not fatal could slow one down. It could be argued that the House that was most in demand during this time was Jarasco. With it's affinity to the healing arts, many a Dragonmarked or aprentice from the House could be seen running from body to body, lending enough aid to get a fighter back on his feet and back in the battle. The staple for any adventurer is well known. The healing potion.. During wartime, however, the Potion became a commodity, almost being handed out alongside water and food rations. There were drawbacks to the design of the Potion. It's inherent fragility and bulkiness made carrying more than a couple a burden to a soldier. More potions were spilled on the field of battle than used most times. And the expense of making them became a burden to the war machine. Jarasco was soon given the task to come up with something better. After more than a few months of experimentation and planning, a new item was created. Alongside some of the best artificers in the realms, Jarasco released the Dragonmarked Bandage. These bandages, when rolled up, were about the size of a normal man's fist. Easy to carry, easy to use, it's surface was inscribed with the sigils of House Jarasco. Infused with the ability to heal, these bandages were meant to treat "walking injuries", injuries that were not life threatening, but slowed down a soldier in battle. A fighter simply had to unravel a bandage, and wrap it around the afflicted wound. Whether it was a deep gash, a broken bone or pulled muscle, when the runes were wound around the skin, it activated the healing powers and began to mend any injury. The bandages were made to only be used once, and on non life threatening wounds. Deep punctures that affected organs, or missing libs could not be saved with these. There were some cases in which a badly injured fighter would use one, healing the skin, but only to drop dead later from internal bleeding. All in all, the bandages were exactly what was needed on the field of battle, and proved to be of great use. After the war, the bandages were no longer used, considering the manpower needed to create them, and slowly the frequency at which they are being found is dwindling. _Stats_ There are 2 types of bandages Cure Light and Cure Moderate. They may only be used once and can only be used to treat the amount of damage taken. No more. (Ie, if a character has taken 4 points of damage, a cure light cannot be used, but a cure moderate can.) The bandage will seal any wounds, and heal up to the max amount capable for that spell.,