Post/Author/DateTime	Post
mosaic 09-30-07, 02:57 AM	Greetings All- I searched around a little and found threads on blimps in Eberron, guns in Eberron, and even powertools in Eberron, but no thread that lists out all the different kinds of magical technology people are putting in the Eberron campaigns. So I'd like to start one. [Please note, I've also seen a few nasty arguments about whether Eberron is steampunk or magipunk or whatever. I'm not really looking for that. I just want a place where folks can brainstorm a little about what kinds of magical technology might develop in a place like Eberron. Thanks.] *Canned food! Come on, what's pulpier than heroes sitting around a campfire eating a can of beans! Or finding a tin can strewn goblin lair? Our thought was a tin pot or can with some kind of low-grade Preserve spell. It would work on clay pots and glass jars as well, but those tend to be too fragile for adventures. *Arcane imaging boxes. You can look through and preserve the image you see on alchemically treated panes of glass. Just image, the heroes slay a wyvern and then pose next to the body as the dwarf runs to set up the imager. Poof! The moment is recorded for posterity. The spell would probably be some low-level illusion spell. One could look at the pane of glass with the naked eye to see the image again, or mount it in a frame. Or, slip it into another box, arcane demonstrators, that would use a magical light source to project the image onto a wall or other surface. Note that if these imagers record still images, some could probably be created using a higher-level illusion spell to actually record moving images! *Broadsending. Every home in the kingdom (or at least in the capital city) might have a broadsending receiver in the form of a small statue of the king (or hierarch or some other notable). At certain times of the day, the king's daily message could be heard emanating from the statue. Words of wisdom, proclamations, updates on the ongoing war, whatever propaganda the king wished. Built into every statue is a receiving rod attuned the large and expensive broadsending emitter in the king's audience chamber. The king need only speak into his sending staff (or orb of sending?) and his subjects can hear his voice. While not emanating the king, the receiver might emanate patriotic music, news from across the kingdom, or even performances by the finest bards in the land. Now, for those with a bit more money, broadsending receivers would be available with a slot for removable receiving rods or even multiple slots for multiple receiving rods. Receiving rods might be also be given away by churches or to off-duty guard and militia members, they might be sold by theaters so those who can't attend the performances can still be entertained or by colleges so folks could listen in on lectures. Unfortunately, while the broadsending magic is strong, its range is fairly short, maybe a few miles at best. This can be extended somewhat building a tall emitting towers of metal and enchanted crystal, but still, the wonders of broadsending are still off limits to those who live anywhere but in the most cosmopolitan cities. *Tracking maps. Either knowingly or surreptitiously, a person or an object could be marked with a tracking glyph (some form of a locate spell). Until the mark is removed with dispel magic, the location of that person/object could be followed on a magical tracking map. Now, tracking maps cannot draw maps of unknown areas, but as long as the subject travels in areas know to the tracking map, its location could be shown (mundane maps of all areas to be “known” by the tracking map would be consumed in the creating of the tracking map). Also, if the original maps were of different scales, say a continent and a country and a city, then the tracking map could zoom in on that area, up to the magnification of the most detailed map. Imagine maps of armies that literally traveled across the map so generals in the capital city could follow their progress, or merchants following the progress of shipments across the continent, or of assassins knowing the location of their target at all times. Imagine further, ships with tracking glyphs and broadsending receivers sailing into a busy, foggy harbor in the dark of night. The harbormaster’s tower has a large tracking map pinned to the wall showing the location of all registered ships within 10 miles. Using a sending staff attuned to the receiving rods in the ships, she warns this one to avoid the rocks and that one that it is too close to another ship. Shee directs each one to an open dock or has them form a queue a wait. *Sound capturing devices. A traveling professor holds in front of her an enchanted hoop crisscrossed with fine, crystalline wires. They vibrate and hum softly as the sounds of the bugbear war chant strike the net. A moment later an electrum sphere, the size of a child’s fist and covered in arcane symbols, drops from a short tube at her waist. Sound spheres (sorry for the constant alliteration) store sounds “caught” by the capturing device. They can be played back later by inserting the spheres in a liberator, something that looks like a circular muffin-baking pan, connected to one or more emanators (usually rods or spheres, but they can be any shape; see broadsending). When a particular sound sphere is to be heard, a tiny enchanted needle penetrates the sphere and releases the sound. The quality of the sphere determined the length of the sound that can be captured and the number of times it can be released before it begins to fade. Some sound spheres are rumored to be able to hold two sounds, one releasable by any liberator and a second playable only on liberators keyed to certain individuals or by persons knowing special passwords. Despite being made of metal, sound spheres are quite delicate and can rupture if dropped, releasing all of the stored sound at once in a very load burst. Arcane sound liberators and image demonstrators can be combined for rather entertaining performances and have been used by some enthusiastic archeologists to “recreate” their adventures for students and potential financial backers. Sound liberators have recently been connected to broadsending emitters, allowing pre-recorded messages and by-gone performances to be heard by the public. *Arcane current. I never liked the idea that a magical effect can be made permanent with just one casting. Continual flame is a great spell, but does it really work FOREVER?! I like the Iron Kingdoms idea that magic items and effects need to be recharged once in a while, which could potentially lead to the equivalent of [I]arcane batteries or power sources with wires leading to continuously operating magic items and effects . *Arcane current leads to [I]arcane telegraphs! *If you’ve got flying boats, airships, zeppelins and/or flying mounts, you’ve got everything you need for the Blitz! Now you need super powerful magical searchlights with beams of detect invisibility, etc. to spot them. You might also want flares, rockets and levitating exploding runes to keep them at bay. *Magically canned heat, canned chill, canned wind, etc. Water-purification and poison-removal swizzle sticks. *Bandages that cure minor wounds and splints that mend bone. *Pills and shots that give temporary ability bonuses but have nasty after affects and may be addicting (that’s pretty noir!) [One of the principals I've working off was that in order to be cheap and usable by non-wizards, these devices probably needed to be big and might need a power source (see arcane current). A ring of water breathing would be awesome but would also be out of reach for most people. But a big arcane air purifier, attached to long tubes and a diving helmet might be affordable for some ship captains who want to loot ships after they’ve been sunk. And all this assumes a world with lots of low-grade magic items, but not too many high-level spell casters. One comes to expect a certain amount of magic advantages in a modern world like our own, but the arcane sciences aren’t for everyone ;)]
Alex_ 09-30-07, 08:50 AM	*Arcane imaging boxes. You can look through and preserve the image you see on alchemically treated panes of glass. Just image, the heroes slay a wyvern and then pose next to the body as the dwarf runs to set up the imager. Poof! The moment is recorded for posterity. The spell would probably be some low-level illusion spell. One could look at the pane of glass with the naked eye to see the image again, or mount it in a frame. Or, slip it into another box, arcane demonstrators, that would use a magical light source to project the image onto a wall or other surface. Note that if these imagers record still images, some could probably be created using a higher-level illusion spell to actually record moving images! House Phialarn/Thurrani already has something like this actually. It's a ring with several wires holding a Dragonshard in the middle. You point it at something and activate, and it begins recording images. They use it for spying/recon and probably entertainment I think.
Label 09-30-07, 03:29 PM	Actually, most of your ideas already exists... There is the Barrels of Preserving Pine that act pretty much as cans, with purify spells, There is a spell or even an item to record sounds... As Alex said the elven houses have their image recorder... In Reidra there is the monoliths that actually serves to broadcast their propaganda to the whole land... Arcane telegraphs? You mean House Sivis' speaking stone ? Water-purification and poison removal sticks? You mean wands? Your pills and shots already exist too, in different varients. IIRC there is bandage-like magical items to heal wounds...
Psionycx 09-30-07, 10:48 PM	The canned beans thing makes sense though. There's no real technology inherent in canned food articles themselves, just in the process used to manufacture them. Given that Khorvaire just emerged from a war, and that moving and preserving food rations is a major logistical concern during war time, I wouldn't be at all surprised for magic-powered Cannith assembly lines to crank out packaged foods not unlike what we have in the real world. So kick back and pop a can of brew! Eberron (mercifully) overcomes the traditional stodginess that argues that "magic shouldn't be used like technology". Bollocks! I agree with one of Larry Niven's laws (a reversal of one of Asimov's laws): any sufficiently arcane magic will be indistinguishable from technology. In any world where magic is real, and abundant as is the case on Eberron, people aren't going to use it solely for obscure aims in hidden dungeons or isolated towers. They're going to be flying around the soaring city of Sharn in magical taxis. Likewise, they're going to use it to empower the creation of goods just like steam and electricity were used to change the way we manufactured goods in the real world.
Cifer 10-01-07, 06:57 PM	But a big arcane air purifier, attached to long tubes and a diving helmet might be affordable for some ship captains who want to loot ships after they’ve been sunk. Actually, the much more affordable version for captains would probably be hiring warforged.
Lord_Madrigan 10-01-07, 11:06 PM	*Canned food! Come on, what's pulpier than heroes sitting around a campfire eating a can of beans! Or finding a tin can strewn goblin lair? Our thought was a tin pot or can with some kind of low-grade Preserve spell. It would work on clay pots and glass jars as well, but those tend to be too fragile for adventures. Monsters have found that that Spam tastes better than your average adventurer, Spam also won't swing swords at you.
Nerdicus 10-02-07, 05:26 PM	I have it in my eberron where many farming tools are magically made. Like small earth elementals bound to handles that get used for plowing and what not.
mosaic 10-02-07, 06:45 PM	Arcane telegraphs? You mean House Sivis' speaking stone? Okay, speaking stones are pretty much telegraphs. I'll give you that. But my broadsending idea works a lot differently. Sending stones can only transmit from one stone to another when the other stone is in a know location. [i]Broandsending could be picked up by ANY properly attuned receiver within range. And, yes, the monoliths in Sarlona are kinda like this, except they are psychic and go straight to your dreams. I'm looking to push the "technology" of Khorvaire forwards, based on existing "technology."
mosaic 10-06-07, 04:32 PM	Water-purification and poison removal sticks? You mean wands? Absolutely true, but ... I'm kinda tired of wands. Everybody in Eberron seems to carry a wand or three. I'm trying to do two things - one, mix things up a little so they don't get boring, and two, come up with technologies that might make these magics accessible to regular folk. What's more interesting (and more likely to be available 'over-the-counter'), another Wand of Purify Water with fifty charges, or a packet of 50 little magic sticks, each of which can purify water once? Similarly, potions are getting kinda blasé. What are some other ways a wizard or artificer could put spells into single use items? I read an idea in an article once (who knows where) about using ceramic tiles carved with arcane runes. Snap it in half and the spell-effect is released. Mechanically identical to a potion, just different in flavor. Maybe more appropriate for a desert culture or an elemental plane without a whole lot of liquid. Fruit grown on trees fertilized with magical powders that have potion-like effects until they spoil. Enchanted cookies. Same effects, different (and more interesting) packages.
Remmster 10-08-07, 09:24 AM	Eberron (mercifully) overcomes the traditional stodginess that argues that "magic shouldn't be used like technology". Bollocks! I agree with one of Larry Niven's laws (a reversal of one of Asimov's laws): any sufficiently arcane magic will be indistinguishable from technology. You know, what I often worry about is that this concept is misunderstood as "Magic should be able to duplicate any technological discovery of our modern world!", which is not wrong in the basic, but it gets utterly ridiculous when the items in question actually look like their real-life-counterparts and just use "magic fuel" instead of electricity. While the idea mentioned above, canned food, is not off (people have been trying to preserve food in all kinds of ways), I would strongly suggest to NOT go with a can-o-beans, exactly because that's, uhm, "so totally earth". Where allusions might be fun in something that already draws strong parallels to another world and context, Eberron does not try to transcend the industrial revolution of Earth into fantasy and thus be a steampunk-Arcanum with just a little bit more magic. It's like with that sidebar in the Player's Guide, where it says that you should not overdo it and put a trenchcoat guy next to the speaking stone, sipping brandy and cynically reminiscing about his latest moves and the femme fatale that got to him. That's more parody and satire than anything else. Why I'm all for fun, if you don't take care to measure things carefully and let the arcane-technoloy-thing get out of hand, you end up with Fred Flintstone. well, that octopus-dishwasher was cute. That's why the preserving barrels are still more a classic barrel, and speaking stones still have that seer's-crystal-ball-thing going. The bottom line is that it's fantasy-magic used like technology, yes, but not earth-technology in disguise. What's more interesting (and more likely to be available 'over-the-counter'), another Wand of Purify Water with fifty charges, or a packet of 50 little magic sticks, each of which can purify water once? Purely a matter of taste, but I think a lighter is more handy than a box of matches. Though both have a right to exist. Especially since in this case, it's a box of a lot of tiny wands with just one charge. Thats's purely cosmetics, aye. Similarly, potions are getting kinda blasé. What are some other ways a wizard or artificer could put spells into single use items? I'm not so sure actually this is just another cosmetics issue too, though. Someone help me out, please, since I've never been strong on the whole magic-item-creation process, and maybe I'm confusing something from another game system, but wasn't Alchemy, and thus manufacturing potions, kinda a way to bypass traditional spellcasting? Like, making scrolls without being able to cast the spells in the "normal fashion" that would enable you to make and use scrolls? If that's the case, then potions still retain their rights to serve as a broad ressource for all kinds of persons to produce and profit from magic-like effects. I guess the problem with that ceramic tile is that it really only appears plausible if it's actually enchanted, or produced like another magic items as wands, rings or other stuffs (with charges). I guess potions are so common because you can, eh, "just mix stuff that goes POOF! and you got WHAM!". Or something like that. Enchanted cookies work though. I guess it's a matter of what it's supposed to be and look like beyond the mere effect on ye olde PC. Anyway. My suggestion still is: Don't overdo it and go on an industrial-revolution-spree, or you end up with wacky cyber/steam-punkish stuff and you probably will ask yourself "Why didn't I go and play Shadowrun then in the first place?" Okay, that's splitting the hair pretty thin, I know, but really, I personally dislike the Flintstone-imagery hovering around like the sword of Damocles. Sorry for ranting on the topic >_>
Cifer 10-09-07, 12:43 PM	I'm not so sure actually this is just another cosmetics issue too, though. Someone help me out, please, since I've never been strong on the whole magic-item-creation process, and maybe I'm confusing something from another game system, but wasn't Alchemy, and thus manufacturing potions, kinda a way to bypass traditional spellcasting? Like, making scrolls without being able to cast the spells in the "normal fashion" that would enable you to make and use scrolls? You are confusing things here. Alchemy has nothing to do with potions like CLW. With the alchemy skill, you can craft stuff like sunrods and thunderstones, while for potions, you need the Brew Potion feat - and you need to know the spell inside the potion (unless you're an artificer).
Edymnion 10-09-07, 01:04 PM	Actually, the much more affordable version for captains would probably be hiring warforged.Or a potion of water breathing. Or a suit of Aquatic armor, or one of those gill collars, or... ;)
Arz 10-09-07, 01:34 PM	*Canned food! Come on, what's pulpier than heroes sitting around a campfire eating a can of beans! Or finding a tin can strewn goblin lair? Our thought was a tin pot or can with some kind of low-grade Preserve spell. It would work on clay pots and glass jars as well, but those tend to be too fragile for adventures. Magebred Crow AKA Canning Crow (needs better nickname; too modern) This magebred pest is an accidental byproduct of experiments with familiars. These crows seem unable to digest corn and have a unique manner of ridding their body of this food. Corn triggers a ferility cycle in which they cream and encyst the corn kernels and lay them in eggs. Creamed corn eggs seem able to last 10-30 days if kept cool. Vadalis seems to be rushing to make deals with trusted farmers in the Aundairan heartland. Expect to see them in rail depots next year.
GuyrtheadamantineOne 10-11-07, 09:47 AM	For my taste,arcane technology in Eberron should stay quiet, much like(pardon me Jeebus!) in the Harry Potter movies. Sure, the Flintstones look should be nerfed(Auto-cleaning dishes, anyone?) but seems like a good start.