Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Shadowalk Nimblefeet 10-08-04, 06:05 PM	The Eberron campaign setting is, as we all know, one of swashbuckling high adventure and pensive noire drama, however-- what is a DM to do if nearly none of the player characters fit into the featured genres, yet they all desperately want to campaign in the aftermath of Khorvaire's Last War? And not only do most of the characters not have the antique quality of the pulp genre, but between the five of them they have yet to establish close ties or any sort of internal organisation; there is no nominal leader, and they all seem to be working in different directions. The Cast Elephas ir'Ruary; male [Aereni] Elf, Bard Level 1. Elephas is a dynamic, melodramatic poet, philosopher and naturalist with a passion for archaeology. Although of Aereni descent, the Ruary family has worked closely with the crown of Breland for so many centuries that they were granted a parcel of land on the Zilargo border and the aristocratic prefix "ir." Shuttled between Breland, Zilargo, and Aernal for most of his life, Elephas has a warm, open-minded nature and a keen interest in exotic cultures. He was raised both in the Brelish countryside and the Ruary estate on Aerernal which kindled in him a great love and respect for the power and will of nature. During the Last War, he completed his education in Korranberg and became involved in an abolitionist movement which sought to free the warforged from slavery. Elephas now resides in Sharn and works with the University of Morgrave, which he views as a great opportunity to discover ancient wonders and be involved with the most cutting-edge, modern poetry, literature and art. --Elephas' player based his character's personality and demeanor on a number of English literary figures, including Lord Byron and S.-T. Coleridge. His is one of the few characters which really seems to fit the Eberron setting. Felicity Montane; female [Brelish] human, Wizard Level 1. Felicity, the daughter of an influential bourgeois merchant family, has always been a disappointment to her father: she wasn't born a boy, she has no aptitude for business or finance, she is always complaining about the unfair treatment of women. Although raised in Breland's capital city, Wroat, Felicity was sheltered by her domineering father and rarely allowed to travel the city unaccompanied, but she found a source of some small solace in her books and lessons. Upon completing her basic education, Felicity enrolled at Morgrave University with the help of a family friend, Bonal Geldem-- much to her father's dismay; he did not approve of the facility and didn't believe that women had a place in higher education. Her father's objections are precisely what drew Felicity to the "University of Grave Robbers" in the first place, that and all the tales Bonal had told her of excitement and danger. At Morgrave, Felicity also became involved with the same abolitionist movement as Elephas and the two became fast friends, both sharing similar ideals of an egalitarian society that looked to the past and to nature for clues about how to solve Khorvaire's problems. Of course, Felicity thinks that Elephas would be wise to temper his passion and zeal with a bit of reason and practicality, and her more even and rational demeanor does on occasion cause her to clash with her Aereni companion. Felicity also lives in Sharn, having just completed her education at Morgrave. --Felicity is a nod to the strong female archetypes found in the pulp genre, yet-- similar to Polly Perkins in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow-- she can still be a bit naive, stereotypically concerned with her looks, and prone to accidents. --Although Felicity's player has developed her background and given quite a lot of thought to her character, yet is still struggling to pull it off when it comes to actually role-playing her in game. Do any of you have suggestions that might help her? Personality quirks, cues, et cetera common to pulp/noire genre women? Ged; male [Brelish] changeling, Rogue Level 1. Ged was born deep in the bowels of Sharn, and knows nothing but the ways of the street. Abondoned at a young age, Ged never knew his parents and learned early on that without anyone to protect you life was worse than tough. As a changeling, Ged has continually managed to trick and avoid the authorities as he thieves and cons, but more importantly he has learned to avoid the true higher-ups of Sharn's criminal underworld: the crime families and thieves' guilds. --Unfortunately Ged's player has yet to develop his character anymore than this, which is very disappointing. Right now his character seems nothing more than a stereotype, a kind of picaro wannabe. His character could really use more development, but I'm not so sure how to encourage him or in what direction, and without offending him. Eidas; male personality warforged, Fighter Level 1. Eidas is an adamantine-laced warforged commisioned and purchased by a Khoravar magistrate in Sharn, Kylin Kohrmani, to protect his family after they received a number of violent threats from crime families whose members he had found guilty in trial. For two years he served the Kohrmani family faithfully, and became extremely attached to them and them to he. When the Last War ended and the Thronehold Accords ratified, Magistrate Kohrmani asked Eidas to stay on with them as his family's body-guard and offered him a wage for his position for the first time. Eidas continued to work for the family, until one day he failed in his duties. One year after the end of the Last War an assassin attacked the family at night when they were coming home from a Mroran opera held at the Grand Stage. Eidas managed to defend the Kylin from the attacker, unfortunately Kylin's wife, the beautiful Lady Clara Kohrmani, was left severely disfigured and his daughter, Ada, was killed in the incident. The death of Ada, who had given the warforged his name and had grown extremely attached to him, affected Eidas deeply; he left the service of the Kohrmani family and has been living on what gold he had from his last payment since then. Three months before the beginning of the campaign's first adventure, The Forgotten Forge, the identity of the mysterious assassin came to light: he was a member of the notorious terrorist organisation, the Emerald Claw. Now, with a face to put to the previously unknown assassin, Eidas seeks to make right his mistakes by taking on the Emerald Claw. --Eidas' history has a dark, brooding quality common to the Noire genre, however his player is not pulling it off very well yet; his character just seems sullen and impassive, not morose or vengeful in anyway. What might he do to flesh-out his character and give a little more depth to his relationship with the Kohrmanis and the Emerald Claw? At least, I am certainly glad that he has a long-term goal in mind regarding the Order of the Emerald Claw; stories of retribution and vengeance are certainly a staple of pulp literature. Shamas; male [Talenta] halfling, Barbarian Level 1. Shamas is a tenacious, spirited halfling from the Talenta Plains. Raised in the Talenta wilderness, Shamas' family has a long-standing tradition of masked spirit-warriors who learn to take on the demeanor of their dinosaur companions through intense training of the body and mind. Shamas was initiated into these mysteries at a very young age, and though he takes pride in the prestigious position he holds within the tribe he longs for something more. Since he was very young Shamas has always been curious a halfling, he constantly questioned the elders and participated in lively debates around the nightly camp fires. Shamas constantly challenged traditionally held beliefs and ideas, not because he disagreed with them (in fact he is a particularly pious Talenta), but because he wanted to know their origins and why the traditions had lasted for so long. Never to be completely satisfied, Shamas left on what he called an ideological and spiritual pilgrimage at the close of the Last War. First he toured Talenta, traveling from tribe to tribe and learning how their beliefs differed from his own tribes until he could form a complete picture in his mind of what it meant to be from the Talenta Plains. Now, his travels have brought him as far as Darguun and this foreign, alien land has taught him that there is much more in the world than his homeland, and that in order to understand his place in Talenta culture he must understand Talenta's place in the world. --Shamas is representative of yet another staple of the pulp genre, the noble but naive savage. Shamas feels sheltered and isolated from the rest of Khorvaire because of his upbringing and heritage, and he is never to be satisfied because he understands that there is something greater to be learned from the world than can be taught by the tribal elders and shaman of Talenta. --Shamas is an excellent character, and I am particularly fond of his aspirations. That said, I am not sure how to tailor events so that he can begin to achieve his goals; suggestions? I apologise for the length of this post, but I thought it was necessary for you to understand the characters and their motivations if you are to help me. And please, feel free to criticize, and suggest-- anything at all would be of help at the moment as I am not quite sure how to encourage my players to develop their characters or get them work well together. They have no leader, no common goal. Thank you in advance, Shade
SirLoin 10-08-04, 06:59 PM	[Shadowalk Nimblefeet]The Eberron campaign setting is, as we all know, one of swashbuckling high adventure and pensive noire drama, however-- what is a DM to do if nearly none of the player characters fit into the featured genres, yet they all desperately want to campaign in the aftermath of Khorvaire's Last War? And not only do most of the characters not have the antique quality of the pulp genre, but between the five of them they have yet to establish close ties or any sort of internal organisation; there is no nominal leader, and they all seem to be working in different directions. You cannot expect everyone to just pick up on the genre, you will have to guide them. You (I hope) know more about the setting then they do. i would supply them with articles written and bits of info from the ECS book to help them along. With that said, let see if I can help you out. Elephas' player based his character's personality and demeanor on a number of English literary figures, including Lord Byron and S.-T. Coleridge. His is one of the few characters which really seems to fit the Eberron setting. It sounds like this person has a good grasp of the setting and has a good view of how he/she percieves their character. Let this one develope on its own. Although Felicity's player has developed her background and given quite a lot of thought to her character, yet is still struggling to pull it off when it comes to actually role-playing her in game. Do any of you have suggestions that might help her? Personality quirks, cues, et cetera common to pulp/noire genre women? Smash her with reality. I do not mean that in a bad way. develope specific male encounter to sway/swoon her into realizing a good relationship with NPC's, keeps those NPC's constantly around, protective to the borderline of stalking her vieing for her attention. Keep her off-balance with moral decision of commitment and shower her with trinkit type gifts. The only woman that comes to mind is the girl from "The Mummy" Cute, sophisticated, educated, but still needs support. If she can see some benefit from this I gaurantee better role-playing. Unfortunately Ged's player has yet to develop his character anymore than this, which is very disappointing. Right now his character seems nothing more than a stereotype, a kind of picaro wannabe. His character could really use more development, but I'm not so sure how to encourage him or in what direction, and without offending him. Sadly I have two of these people in my game. My proposal is this. Offer him two alternatives in the form of role-playing. To be blunt, the light side and the dark side. Either present him with the opportunity to join a bad guild, which will involve you manipulating him into doing things that will make him squirm. If he goes down this path tie it in with him having to directly harm financially/physically/or socially on of the other players. Or start leaning him toward doing specific tasks in the name of the houses/guilds/the people and reward him with the benefits of doing goodly tasks. That should motivate him good or bad into developing his character to a player chosen path. Eidas' history has a dark, brooding quality common to the Noire genre, however his player is not pulling it off very well yet; his character just seems sullen and impassive, not morose or vengeful in anyway. What might he do to flesh-out his character and give a little more depth to his relationship with the Kohrmanis and the Emerald Claw? At least, I am certainly glad that he has a long-term goal in mind regarding the Order of the Emerald Claw; stories of retribution and vengeance are certainly a staple of pulp literature. With some GM savey you could have a blast with this one. Befriend him with NPC(s) help him out doing meanial tasks, eventually reward him with the knowledge that he has been benefitting the very organization which he despieses, but the catch is, they don't know he hates them, then he could be an insider to uprooting a corrupt organization and be the informant to the Players of all the Emerald Claws moves. The best part is he finds a kindred spirit within the ranks with the same passion and hatred for the EC as he has. Shamas is an excellent character, and I am particularly fond of his aspirations. That said, I am not sure how to tailor events so that he can begin to achieve his goals; suggestions? Sounds like you got a good player on your hands! <gasp> Roll with it, do not discourage his interests. You will have your hands full developing all the subcultures, and eventually it sounds like he is looking for one to adheir to. I think your answer is Droaam. Let him see the ways and whys of their cultures and show him thet they are not all bad, gradually institute a history lesson with every encounter that explains the alien cultures reasonings. I think this player will run long and far with any information you feed him. They have no leader, no common goal. NPC's, NPC's, NPC's. It sounds like you are wanting to run a roleplay heavy campaign. Excellent. You sound smart enough to pull it off, and so do your players. Always feed them leads make them take the initiative, and eventually you will see a leader rise to the top. I do not know how, but try to tie all the NPC encounters toward a common goal and give them info that they MUST share to puzzle together the grand scheme of what you hope to lead them to. Sorry I am vague in some aspects, but as you may know role-play heavy campaigns are very open ended and can lead down many different pathes.
stembolt 10-09-04, 01:30 AM	Part of the problem is you have nominally 1st level PCs with the backgrounds of much more experienced characters. A first level character has done basically nothing more than start adventuring after learning his/her craft. So, for example, It would be more realistic to say the warforged was newly purchased when things went bad. As for tying the characters together, my thought is you should have put them together in the first place. But given that you didn’t do that, start with the second adventure. Make the players come p with how they got together and just start playing as if they are a group. Nitpick alert: You also have a number of setting based error. Purchasing a warforged to protect someone’s family is unusual. I mean in the real world to protect someone you hire a bodyguard, not a soldier. The Aerenial elves do not have the kind of relationship with Khovarians that Elephas seems to have. The elves are distant and act superior to humans. To the Aereni simply being an elf is a superior position to being a human king. There seems to be no “womens” plight in Khorvaire.
TwoSix26 10-09-04, 02:34 PM	Part of the problem is you have nominally 1st level PCs with the backgrounds of much more experienced characters. A first level character has done basically nothing more than start adventuring after learning his/her craft. So, for example, It would be more realistic to say the warforged was newly purchased when things went bad. I have to disagree. Eberron is a low-level game, where 1st or 2nd or 3rd level NPCs can have long, distinguished backgrounds. The fact that the PCs have PC classes at all distinguishes them as having a lot of training and exposure that your typical commoner or aristocrat would not have. Besides that fact, Shadowalk's PC's backgrounds show very little actual adventuring, with the exception of Shamas. Even that is easy enough to handwave away as saying he was in little personal danger in his travel from Talenta to Breland. Nitpick alert: You also have a number of setting based error. Purchasing a warforged to protect someone’s family is unusual. I mean in the real world to protect someone you hire a bodyguard, not a soldier. The Aerenial elves do not have the kind of relationship with Khovarians that Elephas seems to have. The elves are distant and act superior to humans. To the Aereni simply being an elf is a superior position to being a human king. There seems to be no “womens” plight in Khorvaire. On the contrary...there were tens of thousands of warforged produced between 965 and 994. It's certainly feasible that a noble with ties to Cannith could have purchased a warforged as a bodyguard. Who wouldn't want a bodyguard that doesn't get distracted by the need to sleep, eat, or use the restroom? I'm also sure that many bodyguards in our real world come from a military background. Not every Aereni has a disdain for humans, also. Aereni products are certainly accessible to more wealthy Khorvairans (witness leafweave armor, frex), which implies trade and contact between the two areas. An Aereni family could certainly develop affection for a human family that they have close contact with over the years. Half-elves came from somewhere, after all . :) While I'm sure many Aereni feel any elf is superior to even a human king, that doesn't mean an individual elf can't develop a respect for a strong human family, particualarly the leaders of the most powerful human kingdom on Khorvaire. There are simply too many elves in Eberron to draw racial characteristics with such a strong brush and to say it breaks the feel of the setting. And as for women's plight, even gender equality does not mean identical gender roles (look at our society). It's very likely there are large areas of Khorvaire that feel men should behave and act a certain way and women another. Developing such notions for the PCs simply helps to flesh the campaign setting feel more alive and vibrant, which is a great thing for a new campaign setting. Eberron is a very large setting, which means any background you have can be made to fit. That's one of the joys of Eberron.
Shadowalk Nimblefeet 10-09-04, 03:14 PM	SirLoin, Thank you for your suggestions, they will doubtlessly be very useful in my upcoming sessions. I have already let the players pick through parts of the ECSB that relate to what would be common knowledge about their homeland and the surrounding areas, mostly basic information about Droaam, Zilargo, Aundair, et cetera, and of course more detailed information on Breland and Sharn. I hadn't thought about printing out any of the Dragonshard articles, but that's an excellent idea; 'Welcome to Sharn!' and 'What do You Know?' would be particularly useful, 'So it Begins...,' 'Religion in Eberron,' '...Magewrights,' and 'The Khoravar...' would all be very useful in helping my players to better grasp the tone and style of Eberron. Your suggestions regarding Felicity, I am sure, will prove very helpful. I have already brewed up several NPCs that may show a special interest in her: Myran d'Medani, an attractive but decadent young Khoravar with a cruel streak (think Dorian Gray, sans the immortality, or Bosie Douglas), and Rory Geldem, the son of the late provost Bonal Geldem-- Rory is more the protective, sincere type while Myran will be a seemingly perfect, but actually corrupting figure. What about his idea?-- what if Geoffrey Montane, Felicity's father, stepped into her life on occasion and did some mettling? The ideas for Ged are going to prove very fruitful, I'm certain the player will respond to to being threatened or coerced, or made to choose between himself and his friends. I will have to begin thinking in earnest about what the thieves' guilds and crime families of Sharn are like, what methods they might use to 'convince' people like Ged to work with/for them; more development in that area is certainly necessary. Helping Eidas to develop throughout the course of this campaign, as you have suggested, will be rewarding in the long run. I know Eidas' player is right now just feeling like the tank of the group, merely muscle with no further use-- if I can work in the Emerald Claw bit I know he will feel much more a like he can make a difference, and that will lead to excellent character development. Shamas' player will go take and run with information, he is always rather philosophical when approaching the characters he plays. However, as his character hasn't actually been introduced into the game yet, he has decided to change his race, class, and place of origin. He is, thankfully, sticking with the same personality. I think that the group will work well together once they see that it is essential to solving their problem(s), so to speak. Your hints and suggestions have already been a great deal of help, they have put me to thinking and ideas are already beginning to form. Thanks again! Stembolt, I am not so sure that I agree about the character backgrounds my players have developed, none of them actually entail much that would make them experienced. Indeed, Felicity's and Elephas' background only include events that many people have experienced by the time they complete college; they have received an education, protested a war, and Elephas has a done a bit of traveling. Nothing particularly grand. Shamas has toured his homeland, doing nothing more than talking with his own people and attempting to experience the gamut of his culture; however, even he believes that no thorough understanding or experience of his culture can be had until he can put it in context with other cultures-- which he hasn't done yet. Eidas, too, has not done much in his life. He has served as the bodyguard for a family that was only attacked once, and during that attack he failed in his duties to protect the Kohrmanis. That is it. Since then he has roamed the streets of Sharn living on his savings. As for how experienced Ged should be by his background, there I might agree with you. A changling who has spent his whole life avoiding the dangerous vice-grip of Sharn's criminal underworld should certainly be more experienced than a level one rogue, yes, unless the fact that he is a rogue and most of the people he was trying to avoid were experts or warriors is representative of that 'experience.' I understand your nitpicks, although I would also be quick to explain that we each have our own, slightly different, Eberron. And I certainly consider some of my choices accurate the setting as written. For example, King Kaius of Karrnath has a warforged bodyguard to protect his 'harem'-- he had the money to purchase a warforged as a bodyguard and did so, it sets precedent for the choice of Magistrate Kohrmani, who is a paranoid, nervous (and wealthy) man since he started to receive the threats to his family. The roll of women in the world of Eberron is not specifically stated, but in my campaign the Last War was -somewhat- similar to WWII, including its effects of the roll of women in society. This makes Felicity a unique character with a cause to fight for, 'the equality of warforged was recognized now how about the equality of women?' I was not under the impression that Aeranal were so bigoted, racist, and ethnocentric. To me they are often aloof, cold, and have an attitude of superiority, but not racial supremacists. They have accomplished a lot, their deities walk among them, they have brought down an empire of giants and warded off dragons-- the Aereni have a right to be proud, maybe even a little arrogant. I recongise -some- similarities between their closed-off, island culture and that of Shogunate Japan; both are isolated, and have a strong sense of national identity and traditional culture. That is not to say that a non-caste executioner in Shogunate Japan thought he himself was better than a foreign monarch, but he certainly thought that his culture was better. Now, as for how Elephas fits into this: his family has been one of merchant delegates for centuries, they represent the business interests of their family and Aerenal as a whole. Those of the Ruary who live abroad certainly have a different persective than Aereni who have been socialised in Aerenal alone. Elephas has a multi-cultural perspective that sets him apart from most Aereni, and that is what makes him so novel in my mind. He embraces his Aereni heritage, but recognses the accomplishments of other cultures. That was much more of a long-winded explanation than I intended! Now: I have a second question relating to these characters and my Eberron campaign; I am going to run The Forgotten Forge, Shadows of the Last War, Whispers of the Vampire's Blade, and the module that follows it, what might anyone suggest as to customising the modules to fit the aforementioned group? Thanks again for all the suggestions you've provided thus far, they've been rather helpful! keep the ideas coming!-- And I apologise if I am asking to much or seem to be completely lost as to how to DM, I have been playing Dungeons and Dragons for years, but I haven't had much experience DMing. Thanks Again! Shade
stembolt 10-09-04, 04:37 PM	The problems are less about specific problems and more about generalities. All of the characters have backgrounds that imply they are more experienced then they should be. A first level should have the following chain of experiences: Childhood -> Early Adolescence -> Class training -> Venturing out into the world Furthermore, remember that if the characters start with 0XP they have not done anything to yield an experience point (unless that was part of class training). To use Felicity as an example, she has not actually done anything of any significance, but hopes to, in the near future. Women’s rights are actually implied in the setting. Women and Men have the same stats. Either can be adventurers. Either can inherit positions of nobility. The setting seems to try purposefully to remove the gender schism. (The exception is in hobgoblin society where there is a separate but equal policy) Normally I prefer to play up the inherent difference of men and women but in this case it seems somewhat refreshing to have a gender equal society, it is certainly a different take on things. That leads into my next point, you can change things in your own setting, but you should be aware of the change. If you want to have a womens rights struggle, go for it. If you want to make the Aereni buddy buddy with humans, go for it. The Aereni are alien creatures to the inhabitants of Khorvaire. Their wants and desires are so different that they have difficulty communicating in any specific way. I am going to run The Forgotten Forge, Shadows of the Last War, Whispers of the Vampire's Blade, and the module that follows it, Don’t. These characters have extensive backgrounds that preclude the need for external adventures. You should offer up a campaign based on the backgrounds given, otherwise what is the point? You have all these background hooks, use them. Did your player characters write these backgrounds or did you (the DM)?
Brastan 10-09-04, 05:43 PM	I agree that the Aereni characher has a slightly problematic background. The fix is easy though. Move her into house Phiarlan. Just about every member of that house is a descendent from Aereni. This also gives the character and excuse to be a bard and eventually access to a dragon mark if desired. But I can't really help with the role-playing issues. As to the pre-published adventures, use them. I trust you have read Forgotten Forge so you can see how it works with the PCs abilities. Also focusing on internal adventure tacks base on your characters backgrounds would not be as fun, at this point. Give the characters a few level ( 5 or 6 by the time you get though Vampires Blade) and sometime away from what their lives were. Once they've gotten to that point they should be acting like a group and have some common enemies ( Lord of Blades & Emerald Claw). Also Eidas will have a reason to nuts during Shadows of the Last war. After those three adventures you can being bringing the backgrounds back into play. Modifications for your party, I can't exactly think of any. Maybe add an additional person or two to combat encounters. Skill and talent wise it should work out. Bards can become party healers in a pinch, which maybe what happens. You've got two combat characters so the party will probably take less damage. There's the combat spell cast and a combat aid caster. And there's also the rogue. Things may get crowed in small space. Seems like you should run the pre-made stuff and see what develops loss. :thumbsup: Think about how Felicity's father will be feeling once he finds out his daughter is running around with lowlife adventures like Shamas and Ged. ;) He won't be happy and might hire someone (the emerald claw?) to recover his wayward daughter. This gets the whole party involved base on team ties and personal reasons. After adventures get out of low levels thats were the background fun can being. :D
SirLoin 10-09-04, 09:14 PM	Your hints and suggestions have already been a great deal of help, they have put me to thinking and ideas are already beginning to form. Thanks again! Glad to be of assistance. These boards have fertilized numerous creative seeds within me as well.
Shadowalk Nimblefeet 10-10-04, 05:39 PM	Thank you for the input, I need all the help I can get! I still disagree about the character backgrounds being too extensive, they still follow the mold of childhood/early adolescence/class training/adventuring; only Shamas and Eidas begin to break that mold, but Shamas is no longer in existence and Eidas doesn't break it so much as bend it. Please keep the comments, suggestions coming if you would!-- I continue to be endlessly appreciative, this is exactly the sort of resource and input every new DM could use! Thanks, Shade
Shadowalk Nimblefeet 10-11-04, 04:34 PM	Did your player characters write these backgrounds or did you (the DM)? Each player wrote his or her own background and physical description, I've paraphrased them here. -- Sorry I didn't answer your question earlier. Shade
stembolt 10-11-04, 07:24 PM	Each player wrote his or her own background and physical description, I've paraphrased them here. Good, excellent in fact. This now plays into a big pet peeve of mine. The “DM who insists on character backgrounds and then never makes any use of them.” My advice, use the leads your players gave you. With or without the published adventures.
Gurv 10-11-04, 08:07 PM	The problems are less about specific problems and more about generalities. All of the characters have backgrounds that imply they are more experienced then they should be. A first level should have the following chain of experiences: Childhood -> Early Adolescence -> Class training -> Venturing out into the world Furthermore, remember that if the characters start with 0XP they have not done anything to yield an experience point (unless that was part of class training). To use Felicity as an example, she has not actually done anything of any significance, but hopes to, in the near future. Women’s rights are actually implied in the setting. Women and Men have the same stats. Either can be adventurers. Either can inherit positions of nobility. The setting seems to try purposefully to remove the gender schism. (The exception is in hobgoblin society where there is a separate but equal policy) Normally I prefer to play up the inherent difference of men and women but in this case it seems somewhat refreshing to have a gender equal society, it is certainly a different take on things. That leads into my next point, you can change things in your own setting, but you should be aware of the change. If you want to have a womens rights struggle, go for it. If you want to make the Aereni buddy buddy with humans, go for it. The Aereni are alien creatures to the inhabitants of Khorvaire. Their wants and desires are so different that they have difficulty communicating in any specific way. Although we are all entitled to our opinions about what makes an adventurer, I think that a big part of the Eberron setting is that most people, nearly everyone except the PCs, have NPC classes. See, if the "chain of experinces" concept was what made a person a PC, then everyone would be a PC. But they are not...so the "chain of experinces" must produce people of NPC classes. For example, if someone were a 1st level warrior, then you might say that they have completed their class training and ventured into the world (hired as a guard, gone to war, etc). I think that the more extensive experinces of Shadowalk's PCs are perhaps part of what makes them more than the average person. As far as women's rights...you may be correct that they are implied in the setting. It certainly doesn't say they don't have them. But the genre, the setting, does seem to emulate a time in Earth's history when women were considered less capable than men. Just because there are no rules preventing women from being PCs, or giving them stat adjustments or such, doesn't mean that the various societies think of them as 'just one of the guys'. Keep in mind that reality doesn't support the idea that women are less intellegent, less capable, or in any serious way unable to do the things men can do. But just because the rules don't say so, they have been held to a different role for a very long time (and continue to be so held in many cases). I imagine that the setting designers don't want to say that women in Eberron are less significant than men, but I don't think that a little nod to the conventions of the pulp 'times' is out of the question. The way I might phrase it is, female adventurers are, as a rule, likely to be PCs. On the last point of your post, I agree that the part about the Aereni didn't sit well with me either. But not all elves are alike. Perhaps the Ruary line is trying the same tactic that the elves leaving the homeland did in Keith's article on half-elves. Having learned the lesson about cross-breeding, they are now currying favor with a kingdom that might not be around as long as they are.