Eberron--What makes it unique? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Eberron--What makes it unique? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Illithid00
11-22-07, 04:18 AM OK, I haven't been able to buy the Eberron Campaign Setting yet, but it's on my list of books to buy. My question is, can I get a basic overview of the setting? All I know right now is that Eberron is where the warforged came from. Thanks.
TheKeyofE
11-22-07, 07:18 AM Perhaps a better question would be what ISN'T unique about Eberron.

Eberron takes a different approach to history and the creation myths than just about any published setting. It has a different approach to Gods and the planes. It has a different approach to both technology and magic (by combining them, in a way). It has a different approach to the standard fantasy races (as well as adding four new ones). It has a different approach to drow (since most settings, even home-brew ones, tend to follow Forgotten Realms, and Eb doesn't). It has a different approach to death.

I could go on for a while, but you get the idea.
skrap-san
11-22-07, 07:28 AM To me the biggest eyecatcher about Eberron is the emphasis on the story. It is a scoundrels setting so to speak, players and DM's are encouraged to not just hit things but do it with flare and style. And at the same time it have definitively darker theme than most other settings. There is no clear good in the world, but there is clear evil to be dealt with. But mostly it is the idea that not everything is at it seem, the intrigues is everywhere etc.

In short it has a great feeling that I love, it has made me really love being a DM again. But it is hard to explain properly, and I don't really think my explanation is sufficient at all. But here is to hoping the thread will give of a better feel as whole.
larry_the_titan
11-22-07, 05:00 PM Eberron is by far very different from almost anything that has come before. The Planes the Gods and the People are all quite different. It does allow you to run things you might see else where but Alignment is tossed for the purposes of Race.

If you plan to get into Eberron you should pickup the Eberron Campaign Setting, Races of Eberron and Sharn City of Towers. Those should give you a great over view of the Setting and Races. If you have any Setting specific questions we will be happy to answer. Just remember something about Eberron were left up to the DM.
Illithid00
11-22-07, 05:17 PM Well, I have Races of Eberron, but a lot of stuff in that book is vague and doesn't say much about the rest of the setting. For instance, what are dragonmarks? I want to get the Eberron Campaign Setting, but I'm not sure about shelling out $40 on a book I know next to nothing about.
Fabius Maximus
11-22-07, 05:26 PM Dragonmarks are magical 'tatoos' that appear more or less randomly on the bodies of humans, dwarves, elves, half-elves gnomes, and halflings. These individuals can use different spell-like abilities depending on which of the 13 (now 12) dragonmark they have. Several hundred years ago, dragonmarked persons organized themselves in Houses, according to their marks. Members of half-elf House Lyrander, for example, have the mark of storm and can use weather-related abilities. Members of House Cannith have the mark of making, and can repair of make things with their powers.

The houses are mercantile powers in Khorvaire. They specialized in the trades their marks made easier. Cannith fabricates all kind of stuff and was responsible for the creation of the Warforged. Lyrandar offers air and sea travel.

There are so-called aberrant dragonmarks. Their powers are more random and often destructive, but include abilities like Feather Fall and Jump, too. Bearers of aberrant marks are considered to be dangerous, and usually are outcasts.
Rekko
11-22-07, 06:38 PM Quote from the book ;)

Prophesied by dragons ... tempered by magic ... forged in war ...

Welcome to the Eberron Campaign Setting, a world of swashbuckling action and dark fantasy designed for the D&D game. [...] The features that most set Eberron apart are its tone and attitude. The setting combines traditional medieval fantasy with pulp action and dark adventure ... cinematic flair... etc.

Movies to inspire you: Brotherhood of the Wolf, Casablanca, From Hell, The Maltese Falcon, The Mummy, The Name of the Rose, Pirates of the Caribbean, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Sleepy Hollow and many more.

I suggest you read the first Dragonshard articles and that you stay in touch with the Eberron boards.

To me, Eberron is a style of play where the PCs are the heroes, danger and excitement is always ahead, alignments are unpredictable and things are rarely as they seem and the story doesn't always end well. Intrigue, Espionage, Scavenger Hunt, Exploration are themes of adventures. Make use of recurring villains, unpredictable allies, backstabbing patrons, masterminds, etc. My players get to describe a lot what their characters are doing, its also one of the requirements to use action points to boost their roles.

Rekko
Nerdicus
11-22-07, 07:36 PM To your comment about not knowing if it is worth shelling out $40 for, it is. Hands down, without a question worth the cover price. Even if you only want to take certain themes, organizations, races, classes out of it for your own home brew, it is worth it.

It is one of those rare settings where once you have read through the book, and have a good idea of how the stage is set, you can run almost any type of campaign you can think of using the plots already given. It is literally teeming with adventure. If you want a full out wilderness campaign, where cities are few and far between, and most of hte land is vast expanses of forest and jungle, it's there. Or, full urban campaigns, where you focus on one city, and nearly everything takes place there, from the deep underground sewers a ruins of the Cogs of Sharn, to the floating city of Skyward.

Like everyone else who has fallen in love with the setting, I could go on and on and on....

If you want to get a feel for the setting before you buy the ECS, try reading some of the novels. THe trilogy by the creator, Kieth Baker, is probably the best one for giving you a great feel for the setting. It is cheaper then the setting book, and worth the read.
Illithid00
11-22-07, 08:46 PM So far it sounds like a great setting. I think if I don't buy the ECS myself here in the next month, it will definitely be on my Christmas list. I'm still interested in anything else that's new with this setting though, so please, tell me more!
Tiarn
11-23-07, 12:28 AM Before I describe anything about the setting at all I'd just like to add that you can likely find a copy for much cheaper than $40. I picked up a copy (albeit, used) for under $10 just the other day. Look around online, I'm sure you can find it for a better price.

Now, I believe what draws me to Eberron is it is presented in exactly the way I believe all D&D should be played: the PCs are the most important thing in the game. Not saying that they should be the most powerful just that their actions should matter. If they don't stop the hoard of undead running amok in the city, no one else can; if they don't track down the changeling spy and recover the stolen documents, war will reignite; if they don't... well, you get the idea.

For a basic overview, the world of Eberron is one with high, low magic. That is, there is a lot of low-level magics going on in the world. So much, in fact, they invented a new NPC class (magewright) to cover it. Streets are lit with everburning lanterns, crafters use magic to make better products, etc. Magic is so everpresent it acts as technology. But there's still not a lot of higher level magic. If the sorcerer of your party casts fireball in the street, people are gonna be impressed (and probably run).

The dragonmarked houses (there are 13, only 12 marks though) are wielders of magical markings called (surprise, surprise) dragonmarks. They give the wielder certain spell-like abilities, depending on the particular mark. After they appeared they began organizing themselves into houses and serve as the economic might of the world. For instance, House Orien has the mark of passage, which allows them to teleport among other things. Through this and their lightning rails (magical trains) they've turned themselves into sort of the UPS, delivering packages and moving people across the continent. So thanks to the Houses you still have all those things PCs often need (like healing) without resorting to high level casters in every city.

Combine these sort of things with the atmosphere of intrigue (you rarely truly know who is good, who is bad, and what exactly is going on) and high adventure and it is a very cool world indeed.
Rekko
11-23-07, 01:29 AM 4 new races and new takes on the old ones, 1 brand new class, the artificer, a new planar system, new spells, new feats, psionic friendly, a bunch of organization that can be both allies or ennemies for your PCs, a rich history, a lot of well described countries, an adventure for 1st level adventurers, new prestige classes, new monsters, new items

Do I miss something?

Oh yes, a productive on-line community, on-line articles, many supplements

Is that all?

Nope

4th edition Eberron is coming up (with a bit of patience) But nonetheless you'll still need the 3.5 books cause Wizards would be very stupid to re-do all those 3.5 book to 4th since it's a lot of fluff related to the setting.

Rekko
DyloniusFunk
11-23-07, 09:16 AM FAQ for Eberron Newbies (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=254109) is an FAQ sticked at the top of the Eberron General forum that should provide some good information. Also i found the ECS on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Eberron-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Roleplaying/dp/0786932740)for $26.
Alter_Boy
11-23-07, 03:36 PM What Nerdicus said. You can have any kind of adventure in this world.

The main world has four civilized multicultural nations friendly for 1st-level PCs, as well as dozens of smaller nations/zones that are ripe for adventuring.

Each nation/zone is distinct from each other, and makes sense in its surrounding. Xendrik, a continent of forgotten dungeons, isn't next-door to Sharn, Eberron's New York. It is, however, accessible from ship due to the brisk trade from explorers and natives.

The best part is that altering major parts of the campaign doesn't break the feel of the setting. Want low magic? Tone down the Dragonmarked Houses' output. Want high magic? Bump it up. Want on-going wars? Keep the Last War going. Want centuries of peace? Forget the Last War ever happened. It's just that easy.
tajene
11-25-07, 02:36 AM hey every body;)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Illithid00 11-22-07, 04:18 AM	OK, I haven't been able to buy the Eberron Campaign Setting yet, but it's on my list of books to buy. My question is, can I get a basic overview of the setting? All I know right now is that Eberron is where the warforged came from. Thanks.
TheKeyofE 11-22-07, 07:18 AM	Perhaps a better question would be what ISN'T unique about Eberron. Eberron takes a different approach to history and the creation myths than just about any published setting. It has a different approach to Gods and the planes. It has a different approach to both technology and magic (by combining them, in a way). It has a different approach to the standard fantasy races (as well as adding four new ones). It has a different approach to drow (since most settings, even home-brew ones, tend to follow Forgotten Realms, and Eb doesn't). It has a different approach to death. I could go on for a while, but you get the idea.
skrap-san 11-22-07, 07:28 AM	To me the biggest eyecatcher about Eberron is the emphasis on the story. It is a scoundrels setting so to speak, players and DM's are encouraged to not just hit things but do it with flare and style. And at the same time it have definitively darker theme than most other settings. There is no clear good in the world, but there is clear evil to be dealt with. But mostly it is the idea that not everything is at it seem, the intrigues is everywhere etc. In short it has a great feeling that I love, it has made me really love being a DM again. But it is hard to explain properly, and I don't really think my explanation is sufficient at all. But here is to hoping the thread will give of a better feel as whole.
larry_the_titan 11-22-07, 05:00 PM	Eberron is by far very different from almost anything that has come before. The Planes the Gods and the People are all quite different. It does allow you to run things you might see else where but Alignment is tossed for the purposes of Race. If you plan to get into Eberron you should pickup the Eberron Campaign Setting, Races of Eberron and Sharn City of Towers. Those should give you a great over view of the Setting and Races. If you have any Setting specific questions we will be happy to answer. Just remember something about Eberron were left up to the DM.
Illithid00 11-22-07, 05:17 PM	Well, I have Races of Eberron, but a lot of stuff in that book is vague and doesn't say much about the rest of the setting. For instance, what are dragonmarks? I want to get the Eberron Campaign Setting, but I'm not sure about shelling out $40 on a book I know next to nothing about.
Fabius Maximus 11-22-07, 05:26 PM	Dragonmarks are magical 'tatoos' that appear more or less randomly on the bodies of humans, dwarves, elves, half-elves gnomes, and halflings. These individuals can use different spell-like abilities depending on which of the 13 (now 12) dragonmark they have. Several hundred years ago, dragonmarked persons organized themselves in Houses, according to their marks. Members of half-elf House Lyrander, for example, have the mark of storm and can use weather-related abilities. Members of House Cannith have the mark of making, and can repair of make things with their powers. The houses are mercantile powers in Khorvaire. They specialized in the trades their marks made easier. Cannith fabricates all kind of stuff and was responsible for the creation of the Warforged. Lyrandar offers air and sea travel. There are so-called aberrant dragonmarks. Their powers are more random and often destructive, but include abilities like Feather Fall and Jump, too. Bearers of aberrant marks are considered to be dangerous, and usually are outcasts.
Rekko 11-22-07, 06:38 PM	Quote from the book ;) Prophesied by dragons ... tempered by magic ... forged in war ... Welcome to the Eberron Campaign Setting, a world of swashbuckling action and dark fantasy designed for the D&D game. [...] The features that most set Eberron apart are its tone and attitude. The setting combines traditional medieval fantasy with pulp action and dark adventure ... cinematic flair... etc. Movies to inspire you: Brotherhood of the Wolf, Casablanca, From Hell, The Maltese Falcon, The Mummy, The Name of the Rose, Pirates of the Caribbean, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Sleepy Hollow and many more. I suggest you read the first Dragonshard articles and that you stay in touch with the Eberron boards. To me, Eberron is a style of play where the PCs are the heroes, danger and excitement is always ahead, alignments are unpredictable and things are rarely as they seem and the story doesn't always end well. Intrigue, Espionage, Scavenger Hunt, Exploration are themes of adventures. Make use of recurring villains, unpredictable allies, backstabbing patrons, masterminds, etc. My players get to describe a lot what their characters are doing, its also one of the requirements to use action points to boost their roles. Rekko
Nerdicus 11-22-07, 07:36 PM	To your comment about not knowing if it is worth shelling out $40 for, it is. Hands down, without a question worth the cover price. Even if you only want to take certain themes, organizations, races, classes out of it for your own home brew, it is worth it. It is one of those rare settings where once you have read through the book, and have a good idea of how the stage is set, you can run almost any type of campaign you can think of using the plots already given. It is literally teeming with adventure. If you want a full out wilderness campaign, where cities are few and far between, and most of hte land is vast expanses of forest and jungle, it's there. Or, full urban campaigns, where you focus on one city, and nearly everything takes place there, from the deep underground sewers a ruins of the Cogs of Sharn, to the floating city of Skyward. Like everyone else who has fallen in love with the setting, I could go on and on and on.... If you want to get a feel for the setting before you buy the ECS, try reading some of the novels. THe trilogy by the creator, Kieth Baker, is probably the best one for giving you a great feel for the setting. It is cheaper then the setting book, and worth the read.
Illithid00 11-22-07, 08:46 PM	So far it sounds like a great setting. I think if I don't buy the ECS myself here in the next month, it will definitely be on my Christmas list. I'm still interested in anything else that's new with this setting though, so please, tell me more!
Tiarn 11-23-07, 12:28 AM	Before I describe anything about the setting at all I'd just like to add that you can likely find a copy for much cheaper than $40. I picked up a copy (albeit, used) for under $10 just the other day. Look around online, I'm sure you can find it for a better price. Now, I believe what draws me to Eberron is it is presented in exactly the way I believe all D&D should be played: the PCs are the most important thing in the game. Not saying that they should be the most powerful just that their actions should matter. If they don't stop the hoard of undead running amok in the city, no one else can; if they don't track down the changeling spy and recover the stolen documents, war will reignite; if they don't... well, you get the idea. For a basic overview, the world of Eberron is one with high, low magic. That is, there is a lot of low-level magics going on in the world. So much, in fact, they invented a new NPC class (magewright) to cover it. Streets are lit with everburning lanterns, crafters use magic to make better products, etc. Magic is so everpresent it acts as technology. But there's still not a lot of higher level magic. If the sorcerer of your party casts fireball in the street, people are gonna be impressed (and probably run). The dragonmarked houses (there are 13, only 12 marks though) are wielders of magical markings called (surprise, surprise) dragonmarks. They give the wielder certain spell-like abilities, depending on the particular mark. After they appeared they began organizing themselves into houses and serve as the economic might of the world. For instance, House Orien has the mark of passage, which allows them to teleport among other things. Through this and their lightning rails (magical trains) they've turned themselves into sort of the UPS, delivering packages and moving people across the continent. So thanks to the Houses you still have all those things PCs often need (like healing) without resorting to high level casters in every city. Combine these sort of things with the atmosphere of intrigue (you rarely truly know who is good, who is bad, and what exactly is going on) and high adventure and it is a very cool world indeed.
Rekko 11-23-07, 01:29 AM	4 new races and new takes on the old ones, 1 brand new class, the artificer, a new planar system, new spells, new feats, psionic friendly, a bunch of organization that can be both allies or ennemies for your PCs, a rich history, a lot of well described countries, an adventure for 1st level adventurers, new prestige classes, new monsters, new items Do I miss something? Oh yes, a productive on-line community, on-line articles, many supplements Is that all? Nope 4th edition Eberron is coming up (with a bit of patience) But nonetheless you'll still need the 3.5 books cause Wizards would be very stupid to re-do all those 3.5 book to 4th since it's a lot of fluff related to the setting. Rekko
DyloniusFunk 11-23-07, 09:16 AM	FAQ for Eberron Newbies (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=254109) is an FAQ sticked at the top of the Eberron General forum that should provide some good information. Also i found the ECS on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Eberron-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Roleplaying/dp/0786932740)for $26.
Alter_Boy 11-23-07, 03:36 PM	What Nerdicus said. You can have any kind of adventure in this world. The main world has four civilized multicultural nations friendly for 1st-level PCs, as well as dozens of smaller nations/zones that are ripe for adventuring. Each nation/zone is distinct from each other, and makes sense in its surrounding. Xendrik, a continent of forgotten dungeons, isn't next-door to Sharn, Eberron's New York. It is, however, accessible from ship due to the brisk trade from explorers and natives. The best part is that altering major parts of the campaign doesn't break the feel of the setting. Want low magic? Tone down the Dragonmarked Houses' output. Want high magic? Bump it up. Want on-going wars? Keep the Last War going. Want centuries of peace? Forget the Last War ever happened. It's just that easy.
tajene 11-25-07, 02:36 AM	hey every body;)