Mark of Heroes - Reflections of the Multiverse (*Spoilers*) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Mark of Heroes - Reflections of the Multiverse (*Spoilers*) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Takasi
01-26-05, 02:41 PM THIS WHOLE THREAD MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

I just sanctioned an event for 2/12 and to my surprise I was able to download Reflections of the Multiverse, the first Eberron Mark of Heroes adventure!

My first impression is that it's very overwhelming! It will take a good read to digest. A few things that leaped out at me:

-A whisper gnome is a central figure
-Wroat is fleshed out a little
-The illustrations show rooms that look like they're from the 19th century
-The maps are made by using the tiles from the D&D Basic Adventure Game (though there are a lot of additions)
-The storyline is a classic pulp mystery
-A new spell is introducted that is a staple in D&D Miniatures Skirmishes
-A new race and PLANE OF EXISTENCE is introduced!
stone_dog
01-26-05, 04:00 PM -A new race and PLANE OF EXISTENCE is introduced!
... I'm going to have to ask you to explain that last part. And the first part. Please.
Takasi
01-26-05, 04:19 PM OK prepare to be spoiled:

"In 845 KY the established order of the universe was challenged by the troubled (whisper gnome) genius, Belental Heirm...In his life's work, the Deriant Celestia, Heirm advanced the theory that planes' sometimes erratic movement could only be adequately explained by the existence of numerous rogue planes lying just outsdie the paths of the main thirteen in a place he called the Deeper Astral...He further theorized that while many rogue planes typically don't directly interact with Eberron, on rare occasions some could, and even proposed that one of these rogue planes may float close enough to Eberron to become coterminous."

The adventure is about a race of Nerra (from the Fiend Folio) who reside on the outer plane of Speculum.

Another note of interest is a secret order: The Society of the Deeper Astral.

Now personally I'm not sure if I like this if it were official "canon". On the other hand, it does make a pretty neat adventure. However, I probably wouldn't recommend adventure as an "intro to Eberron" despite the fact that it's the first RPGA Eberron module and is designed for level 1 characters. It's hard enough for a DM to explain that there's a unique cosmology to begin with and no subraces. It would be even more difficult if you start off with your first module that has both subraces and the possibility for an infinite multiverse beyond Eberron's planar "solar system". As someone who's read a lot about Eberron, I do personally think this "outside the box" stuff is kind of neat though.

It does seem to make for a decent story that stays true (IMO) to the pulp spirit of Eberron. They could have easily done it without the whisper gnome, but I wonder how they would have done it without the new plane.
stone_dog
01-26-05, 04:28 PM Nifty. Thank you. :)

I was afraid for a moment that there would just be some vague and suspect "phantom plane" out there that nobody ever heard about, but putting a mad scientist at the center of it all and letting Eberron grow into a wierd kind of multiverse makes it much better. It jives with my fortean brain and the various 10th planet theories that have been floating about fringe "science."

Now if only the RPGA wasn't so hidebound by the rules I'd probably sign up, but it just doesn't seem like they accept the kind of microbrewed rules I like to flavor my games with.
Takasi
01-26-05, 04:40 PM Now if only the RPGA wasn't so hidebound by the rules I'd probably sign up, but it just doesn't seem like they accept the kind of microbrewed rules I like to flavor my games with.

You can sanction games for home use if you'd like and use whatever microbrewed rules you want. You just can't use those characters at retail events or conventions. You still get the campaign points though (at half cost I think).

It's always neat to read through the Forgotten Realms Legacy of the Green Regeant modules and see references to other D&D products. Whereas the old RPGA and the current Living Campaigns are fan-centric, the new RPGA and the D&D Campaign Seasons (including the Mark of Heroes) is obviously driven by the WotC marketing department. This one adventure wets the appetite for the Fiend Folio, D&D Miniatures (the exact sets and figs are listed in the module), Races of Stone and the Eberron Campaign Setting.
Gez
01-26-05, 04:58 PM OK prepare to be spoiled:

"In 845 KY the established order of the universe was challenged by the troubled (whisper gnome) genius, Belental Heirm...In his life's work, the Deriant Celestia, Heirm advanced the theory that planes' sometimes erratic movement could only be adequately explained by the existence of numerous rogue planes lying just outside the paths of the main thirteen in a place he called the Deeper Astral..."

OK, that's not silly or out-of-place. It has been hinted at that the Daelkyrs have already destroyed worlds in the past, and that would presuppose other planes.
Takasi
01-26-05, 05:27 PM I actually think it's pretty cool. One neat aspect is that there's a correlation between these rogue planes and the stars, just as there's a relationship between the moons and the thirteen planes. Perhaps the rogue planes are actually planets in the same prime? I wish we knew more about the nature of the moons. What do they look like? If you had a telescope or could magically aplify your sight would you see an atmosphere? Oceans? So many mysteries...
clearshades
01-26-05, 07:06 PM Hey, I'm not signed up for the Mark of Heroes Campaign. I didn't realize they'd be fleshing out the Eberron world more with that game. Right now I'm a full Eberron junkie and I even plan on buying the novels though I never do that for any setting. Is there any way to get a copy of the modules or even an edition of how the setting was expanded? I'm not a player trying to cheat, even stuff that is six months old would still be a boon to me.
stone_dog
01-26-05, 07:40 PM You can sanction games for home use if you'd like and use whatever microbrewed rules you want. You just can't use those characters at retail events or conventions. You still get the campaign points though (at half cost I think).
Is that right? Hmmmm.... might be worth another look then.
Takasi
01-26-05, 08:27 PM Hey, I'm not signed up for the Mark of Heroes Campaign. I didn't realize they'd be fleshing out the Eberron world more with that game. Right now I'm a full Eberron junkie and I even plan on buying the novels though I never do that for any setting. Is there any way to get a copy of the modules or even an edition of how the setting was expanded? I'm not a player trying to cheat, even stuff that is six months old would still be a boon to me.

I'm pretty sure one of them is going to be published in an upcoming Dungeon issue. If you have a local game store ask them to order a retail kit for you:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=rpga/hq/campaignseasons

This usually contains a D&D Campaign Seasons adventure; January was the Forgotten Forge and I'm assuming next month's will be a Mark of Heroes module. The kits are $10 and if you ask your store they might order it for you. You can also get it for free by taking the RPGA DM test and sanctioning your home games. They're basically giving you free adventures in return for letting them know a little bit about how you play. It isn't that much work, even from the retail side, and I recommend that everyone give it a try.
Puppy
01-26-05, 09:06 PM ...the outer plane of Speculum...
:rofl:
Gez
01-27-05, 03:50 AM I suppose they went for definition #1, not definition #2... Maybe definition #6 or #7 (http://www.google.com/search?q=define%3Aspeculum). :)
rakesh
01-27-05, 08:43 PM I'm interested in running the Mark of Heroes modules but I'm not sure how to go about ordering the Reflections of the Multiverse module. Any help would be appreciated.
Ch@pel
01-28-05, 12:08 AM Yeah, I'm with clearshades. I don't really have the patience to deal with RPGA; I run my games my way and I'm not really very strict. (well, about some things anyway) I just want a copy of any Eberron related product, since we junkies are starved for material, as anyone on this board will tell you. I think WotC/ RPGA could make a nice chunk of change by selling last month's modules over the web.

Does it make a difference to them if they sell it? Does it mess up their storyline or anything? More importantly, does anyone know if I could buy these things from some website?
mearls
01-29-05, 08:30 AM Yeah, I'm with clearshades. I don't really have the patience to deal with RPGA; I run my games my way and I'm not really very strict. (well, about some things anyway) I just want a copy of any Eberron related product, since we junkies are starved for material, as anyone on this board will tell you. I think WotC/ RPGA could make a nice chunk of change by selling last month's modules over the web.

Does it make a difference to them if they sell it? Does it mess up their storyline or anything? More importantly, does anyone know if I could buy these things from some website?

RPGA modules are free. Once you're a member of the RPGA (which is also free), you can download modules and run them at home, keep them on your hard drive, or whatever. I'm not sure if they've all been posted yet, but they should eventually show up on the RPGA's site.

I've played the first two Mark of Heroes events here at Winter Fantasy, and both were quite fun.
ArthurQ
01-30-05, 11:28 AM RPGA modules are free. Once you're a member of the RPGA (which is also free), you can download modules and run them at home, keep them on your hard drive, or whatever. I'm not sure if they've all been posted yet, but they should eventually show up on the RPGA's site.

I've played the first two Mark of Heroes events here at Winter Fantasy, and both were quite fun.

Wow Mike, I didnt realize you were at Winter Fantasy.

I ran both of those adventures. You werent at one of my tables were you?
Ch@pel
01-30-05, 09:17 PM But don't you have to schedule an authorized game and report everyone's progress in order to run the game? The thing is I probably wouldn't even run the module, at least not without some modification. I just want it for the Eberron fluff, and I don't think they'd let me have the module for that.

Am I wrong?
Embrodak
01-31-05, 05:00 PM I am a member of the RPGA and passed the Heralds Test.

I tried to create a HOME Game and it has no MOD's under MOH.

I really would like to Download this mod and run it.

Suggestions,
Arbosh
02-01-05, 05:38 AM I tried to create a HOME Game and it has no MOD's under MOH.

The MOH adventures are only available for home play from 6/1/2005. At the moment you can only sanction them under retail games. Find out if your local store will be willing to host a game day!

J
fizzbang
02-01-05, 08:06 AM Wow Mike, I didnt realize you were at Winter Fantasy.

I ran both of those adventures. You werent at one of my tables were you?

Hrmm.. I don't recognize either of you by your screennames, but I was there, too. I had a great deal of fun going through the two Eberron mods and the Eberron special, but I think my character (Grim Ballarick d'Kundarak, Dwarven Bank Investigator) got the most out of "Reflections". It was definitely the most investigation-heavy of the modules there, and I was really impressed by the way that it kept us all on our toes.

Admittedly, at first I balked at the fact that the first Eberron mod I saw in the RPGA seemed to be taking such liberties with the setting, but when I thought about it, the idea of a "mysterious rogue plane" prophesized by a mad sage seemed just right. But I would prefer that there were no whisper gnomes, or at least that they were recognizably something rare, rather than being presented so casually. "Oh him? He's a whisper gnome. You can tell by the ears, or something."

Anyway, it was fun playing with you folks, and I look forward to more!
mearls
02-01-05, 10:44 AM Wow Mike, I didnt realize you were at Winter Fantasy.

I ran both of those adventures. You werent at one of my tables were you?

Yeah, I was there to finally play Eberron - I've been running it since it first came out. I don't think you DM'ed any of the slots I played.

I agree with fizzbang that Reflections was the best of the adventures - I had similar reservations about throwing a new plane into the mix, but now that I think about it I really, really like the idea.

It was a blast finally playing a warforged. My MoH character is a warforged barbarian named Rust. He was pulled out of a swamp about a year ago and has no memory of what happened to him before he fell head first into the muck. He's not very smart, either, so it's fun playing a dimwitted warrior who, for example, has no idea what pirates are but is excited to find out.
fizzbang
02-01-05, 10:49 AM It was a blast finally playing a warforged. My MoH character is a warforged barbarian named Rust. He was pulled out of a swamp about a year ago and has no memory of what happened to him before he fell head first into the muck. He's not very smart, either, so it's fun playing a dimwitted warrior who, for example, has no idea what pirates are but is excited to find out.

Oh, I had really wanted to try playing a Warforged (and a monk on 25 points, no less!), but I quickly realized that almost everyone who was new to the system was playing one of the new races, so I felt I had to go with one of the old races... Gotta balance it out, after all!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Takasi 01-26-05, 02:41 PM	THIS WHOLE THREAD MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. I just sanctioned an event for 2/12 and to my surprise I was able to download Reflections of the Multiverse, the first Eberron Mark of Heroes adventure! My first impression is that it's very overwhelming! It will take a good read to digest. A few things that leaped out at me: -A whisper gnome is a central figure -Wroat is fleshed out a little -The illustrations show rooms that look like they're from the 19th century -The maps are made by using the tiles from the D&D Basic Adventure Game (though there are a lot of additions) -The storyline is a classic pulp mystery -A new spell is introducted that is a staple in D&D Miniatures Skirmishes -A new race and PLANE OF EXISTENCE is introduced!
stone_dog 01-26-05, 04:00 PM	-A new race and PLANE OF EXISTENCE is introduced! ... I'm going to have to ask you to explain that last part. And the first part. Please.
Takasi 01-26-05, 04:19 PM	OK prepare to be spoiled: "In 845 KY the established order of the universe was challenged by the troubled (whisper gnome) genius, Belental Heirm...In his life's work, the Deriant Celestia, Heirm advanced the theory that planes' sometimes erratic movement could only be adequately explained by the existence of numerous rogue planes lying just outsdie the paths of the main thirteen in a place he called the Deeper Astral...He further theorized that while many rogue planes typically don't directly interact with Eberron, on rare occasions some could, and even proposed that one of these rogue planes may float close enough to Eberron to become coterminous." The adventure is about a race of Nerra (from the Fiend Folio) who reside on the outer plane of Speculum. Another note of interest is a secret order: The Society of the Deeper Astral. Now personally I'm not sure if I like this if it were official "canon". On the other hand, it does make a pretty neat adventure. However, I probably wouldn't recommend adventure as an "intro to Eberron" despite the fact that it's the first RPGA Eberron module and is designed for level 1 characters. It's hard enough for a DM to explain that there's a unique cosmology to begin with and no subraces. It would be even more difficult if you start off with your first module that has both subraces and the possibility for an infinite multiverse beyond Eberron's planar "solar system". As someone who's read a lot about Eberron, I do personally think this "outside the box" stuff is kind of neat though. It does seem to make for a decent story that stays true (IMO) to the pulp spirit of Eberron. They could have easily done it without the whisper gnome, but I wonder how they would have done it without the new plane.
stone_dog 01-26-05, 04:28 PM	Nifty. Thank you. :) I was afraid for a moment that there would just be some vague and suspect "phantom plane" out there that nobody ever heard about, but putting a mad scientist at the center of it all and letting Eberron grow into a wierd kind of multiverse makes it much better. It jives with my fortean brain and the various 10th planet theories that have been floating about fringe "science." Now if only the RPGA wasn't so hidebound by the rules I'd probably sign up, but it just doesn't seem like they accept the kind of microbrewed rules I like to flavor my games with.
Takasi 01-26-05, 04:40 PM	Now if only the RPGA wasn't so hidebound by the rules I'd probably sign up, but it just doesn't seem like they accept the kind of microbrewed rules I like to flavor my games with. You can sanction games for home use if you'd like and use whatever microbrewed rules you want. You just can't use those characters at retail events or conventions. You still get the campaign points though (at half cost I think). It's always neat to read through the Forgotten Realms Legacy of the Green Regeant modules and see references to other D&D products. Whereas the old RPGA and the current Living Campaigns are fan-centric, the new RPGA and the D&D Campaign Seasons (including the Mark of Heroes) is obviously driven by the WotC marketing department. This one adventure wets the appetite for the Fiend Folio, D&D Miniatures (the exact sets and figs are listed in the module), Races of Stone and the Eberron Campaign Setting.
Gez 01-26-05, 04:58 PM	OK prepare to be spoiled: "In 845 KY the established order of the universe was challenged by the troubled (whisper gnome) genius, Belental Heirm...In his life's work, the Deriant Celestia, Heirm advanced the theory that planes' sometimes erratic movement could only be adequately explained by the existence of numerous rogue planes lying just outside the paths of the main thirteen in a place he called the Deeper Astral..." OK, that's not silly or out-of-place. It has been hinted at that the Daelkyrs have already destroyed worlds in the past, and that would presuppose other planes.
Takasi 01-26-05, 05:27 PM	I actually think it's pretty cool. One neat aspect is that there's a correlation between these rogue planes and the stars, just as there's a relationship between the moons and the thirteen planes. Perhaps the rogue planes are actually planets in the same prime? I wish we knew more about the nature of the moons. What do they look like? If you had a telescope or could magically aplify your sight would you see an atmosphere? Oceans? So many mysteries...
clearshades 01-26-05, 07:06 PM	Hey, I'm not signed up for the Mark of Heroes Campaign. I didn't realize they'd be fleshing out the Eberron world more with that game. Right now I'm a full Eberron junkie and I even plan on buying the novels though I never do that for any setting. Is there any way to get a copy of the modules or even an edition of how the setting was expanded? I'm not a player trying to cheat, even stuff that is six months old would still be a boon to me.
stone_dog 01-26-05, 07:40 PM	You can sanction games for home use if you'd like and use whatever microbrewed rules you want. You just can't use those characters at retail events or conventions. You still get the campaign points though (at half cost I think). Is that right? Hmmmm.... might be worth another look then.
Takasi 01-26-05, 08:27 PM	Hey, I'm not signed up for the Mark of Heroes Campaign. I didn't realize they'd be fleshing out the Eberron world more with that game. Right now I'm a full Eberron junkie and I even plan on buying the novels though I never do that for any setting. Is there any way to get a copy of the modules or even an edition of how the setting was expanded? I'm not a player trying to cheat, even stuff that is six months old would still be a boon to me. I'm pretty sure one of them is going to be published in an upcoming Dungeon issue. If you have a local game store ask them to order a retail kit for you: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=rpga/hq/campaignseasons This usually contains a D&D Campaign Seasons adventure; January was the Forgotten Forge and I'm assuming next month's will be a Mark of Heroes module. The kits are $10 and if you ask your store they might order it for you. You can also get it for free by taking the RPGA DM test and sanctioning your home games. They're basically giving you free adventures in return for letting them know a little bit about how you play. It isn't that much work, even from the retail side, and I recommend that everyone give it a try.
Puppy 01-26-05, 09:06 PM	...the outer plane of Speculum... :rofl:
Gez 01-27-05, 03:50 AM	I suppose they went for definition #1, not definition #2... Maybe definition #6 or #7 (http://www.google.com/search?q=define%3Aspeculum). :)
rakesh 01-27-05, 08:43 PM	I'm interested in running the Mark of Heroes modules but I'm not sure how to go about ordering the Reflections of the Multiverse module. Any help would be appreciated.
Ch@pel 01-28-05, 12:08 AM	Yeah, I'm with clearshades. I don't really have the patience to deal with RPGA; I run my games my way and I'm not really very strict. (well, about some things anyway) I just want a copy of any Eberron related product, since we junkies are starved for material, as anyone on this board will tell you. I think WotC/ RPGA could make a nice chunk of change by selling last month's modules over the web. Does it make a difference to them if they sell it? Does it mess up their storyline or anything? More importantly, does anyone know if I could buy these things from some website?
mearls 01-29-05, 08:30 AM	Yeah, I'm with clearshades. I don't really have the patience to deal with RPGA; I run my games my way and I'm not really very strict. (well, about some things anyway) I just want a copy of any Eberron related product, since we junkies are starved for material, as anyone on this board will tell you. I think WotC/ RPGA could make a nice chunk of change by selling last month's modules over the web. Does it make a difference to them if they sell it? Does it mess up their storyline or anything? More importantly, does anyone know if I could buy these things from some website? RPGA modules are free. Once you're a member of the RPGA (which is also free), you can download modules and run them at home, keep them on your hard drive, or whatever. I'm not sure if they've all been posted yet, but they should eventually show up on the RPGA's site. I've played the first two Mark of Heroes events here at Winter Fantasy, and both were quite fun.
ArthurQ 01-30-05, 11:28 AM	RPGA modules are free. Once you're a member of the RPGA (which is also free), you can download modules and run them at home, keep them on your hard drive, or whatever. I'm not sure if they've all been posted yet, but they should eventually show up on the RPGA's site. I've played the first two Mark of Heroes events here at Winter Fantasy, and both were quite fun. Wow Mike, I didnt realize you were at Winter Fantasy. I ran both of those adventures. You werent at one of my tables were you?
Ch@pel 01-30-05, 09:17 PM	But don't you have to schedule an authorized game and report everyone's progress in order to run the game? The thing is I probably wouldn't even run the module, at least not without some modification. I just want it for the Eberron fluff, and I don't think they'd let me have the module for that. Am I wrong?
Embrodak 01-31-05, 05:00 PM	I am a member of the RPGA and passed the Heralds Test. I tried to create a HOME Game and it has no MOD's under MOH. I really would like to Download this mod and run it. Suggestions,
Arbosh 02-01-05, 05:38 AM	I tried to create a HOME Game and it has no MOD's under MOH. The MOH adventures are only available for home play from 6/1/2005. At the moment you can only sanction them under retail games. Find out if your local store will be willing to host a game day! J
fizzbang 02-01-05, 08:06 AM	Wow Mike, I didnt realize you were at Winter Fantasy. I ran both of those adventures. You werent at one of my tables were you? Hrmm.. I don't recognize either of you by your screennames, but I was there, too. I had a great deal of fun going through the two Eberron mods and the Eberron special, but I think my character (Grim Ballarick d'Kundarak, Dwarven Bank Investigator) got the most out of "Reflections". It was definitely the most investigation-heavy of the modules there, and I was really impressed by the way that it kept us all on our toes. Admittedly, at first I balked at the fact that the first Eberron mod I saw in the RPGA seemed to be taking such liberties with the setting, but when I thought about it, the idea of a "mysterious rogue plane" prophesized by a mad sage seemed just right. But I would prefer that there were no whisper gnomes, or at least that they were recognizably something rare, rather than being presented so casually. "Oh him? He's a whisper gnome. You can tell by the ears, or something." Anyway, it was fun playing with you folks, and I look forward to more!
mearls 02-01-05, 10:44 AM	Wow Mike, I didnt realize you were at Winter Fantasy. I ran both of those adventures. You werent at one of my tables were you? Yeah, I was there to finally play Eberron - I've been running it since it first came out. I don't think you DM'ed any of the slots I played. I agree with fizzbang that Reflections was the best of the adventures - I had similar reservations about throwing a new plane into the mix, but now that I think about it I really, really like the idea. It was a blast finally playing a warforged. My MoH character is a warforged barbarian named Rust. He was pulled out of a swamp about a year ago and has no memory of what happened to him before he fell head first into the muck. He's not very smart, either, so it's fun playing a dimwitted warrior who, for example, has no idea what pirates are but is excited to find out.
fizzbang 02-01-05, 10:49 AM	It was a blast finally playing a warforged. My MoH character is a warforged barbarian named Rust. He was pulled out of a swamp about a year ago and has no memory of what happened to him before he fell head first into the muck. He's not very smart, either, so it's fun playing a dimwitted warrior who, for example, has no idea what pirates are but is excited to find out. Oh, I had really wanted to try playing a Warforged (and a monk on 25 points, no less!), but I quickly realized that almost everyone who was new to the system was playing one of the new races, so I felt I had to go with one of the old races... Gotta balance it out, after all!