Anywho, the excitement is palpable!
Yours,
Lord Dreadman
I just want to mention that we get our first look at the upcoming Eberron Player's Guide tonight! I'm so excited! PLEASE let it be what the races are OH! or the Dragonmark mechanic! That's actually about all I really want in the previews. Any world info is just bound to be frustrating without context.
Anywho, the excitement is palpable!
Yours,
Lord Dreadman
I sincerely hope, beyond hope, that the preview will be of the Kalashtar. They'll probably do something silly like give us a preview of the Artificer class.
The Kalashtar is acceptable, the Artificer is not.
You have been warned.
Yours,
Lord Dreadman
Excuse me while I replace everybody's beverages with decaffeinated alternatives ...
I laughed. ;)
Also it is up now?
Also it is up now?
Oh, I could just spit!
Ooooooh ... Hey, if any of you are looking for a last minute gift for my upcoming birthday, I want those Eberron writers brought from their happy holiday suites, and I want them brought right here. And I wanna tell them what smug, kill-joy, annoyance happy, scruffy looking, attention seeking, secret keeping, torturous, greedy, book sucking, keyboard licking, overwritten, bags of holding full of kruthik mess, cut-and-paste job writers they are. By the Five Nations! Tower Spit!
Where's the potion of healing?
Yours,
Lord Dreadman
Notice the words Prestige Class. 
Get it right Wizards. :POoooooh ... Hey, if any of you are looking for a last minute gift for my upcoming birthday, I want those Eberron writers brought from their happy holiday suites, and I want them brought right here. And I wanna tell them what smug, kill-joy, annoyance happy, scruffy looking, attention seeking, secret keeping, torturous, greedy, book sucking, keyboard licking, overwritten, bags of holding full of kruthik mess, cut-and-paste job writers they are. By the Five Nations! Tower Spit!
Where's the potion of healing?
Yours,
Lord Dreadman
Nice spin on a good movie. The family and I watch it every year as a tradition.
Edit: Maybe Prestige Class means smething different than Paragon Path?
Well that felt like a complete waste. The most interesting thing was the schedual at the bottom of the page ...
Maybe I've misremembered it, but how long after the Last War did 3.5 Eberron happen? According to #5
The Last War, which plunged the continent of Khorvaire into civil war more than a century ago
I thought the 3.5 setting happened significantly earlier than that.
The Eberron campaign officially begins in 998 YK, four years after the Mourning and two years after the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold. That being said, the Last War began in 894 YK, which is consistent with it plunging Khorvaire into civil war more than one century earlier than the campaign start.
Yeah, I must have misinterpreted what was written. I was thinking more that the last war ended a century before rather than began.
They didn't answer some of the most important questions such as Kalashtar yes/no or how do dragonborn fit into the setting, but they put in prestige classes? What the hell is up with that. I must say that I'm disappointed. At least the art at the bottom can be enlarged, not that it is really impressive.
However, if we want to do some assuming, the picture for the 29th excerpt on religion looks to include a doppleganger, if so then some people will be happy. I guess the only way we'll find out if kalashtar are in the game is if the book gets leaked early (which will probably happen, someone always gets it early) and gives us info or on the 12th of June when they give us the heroic feat listing.
Side note: Has anyone else noticed that the warforged on the cover of the players guide has a nasty scar on his face and appears to be missing an eye?
-Shavarath still exists. It's fate is still uncertain, what with archons changing, but it's at least there. "Desolation spreads over that land like wildfire, like plague, and Eberron bears the scar of it for thirteen cycles of the
Battleground."
-Dragonborn might be linked to the Prophecy somehow. The illustration of the Champion of Prophecy is clearly a dragonborn, though of course that doesn't mean that it's only open to dragonborn. The symbol on his shield doesn't look familiar, does anyone recognise it? Note that neither the dragonborn under that epic destiny title, nor the one under the alchemy title, looks Seren.
-Changelings/Doppelgangers are in the EPG! It would be strange to use a picture of one if they weren't there.
-There's more than one class! "You can create a character who could be found only in Eberron, using the new races, classes, backgrounds, and feats found in this book." Now either the dragonmarks are indeed classes, they really did mean "Prestige Class" for the Self-forged and Juggernaut (new mechanic?), the artificer isn't alone, or they are referring to the paragon paths/epic destinies.
-Dragonborn might be linked to the Prophecy somehow. The illustration of the Champion of Prophecy is clearly a dragonborn, though of course that doesn't mean that it's only open to dragonborn.
At first I thought it might be a reprint of the Reborn Champion from Dragon #365. Here's a quote from the entry
Some say that the souls of the greatest heroes are tied to the Prophecy, and that they cannot truly rest until their destiny is fulfilled.
But having thought about it some more I think the chance of it being a different epic destiny is greater. It could be like the exarch, chosen, etc epic destinies in that the person actively seeks to defend the Draconic Prophecy.
-Changelings/Doppelgangers are in the EPG! It would be strange to use a picture of one if they weren't there.
I think its a very promising sign. But I absolutely love dopplegangers. So I'm going to be "cautiously optimistic" and say its a sign that they'll be in the PHB3.
-There's more than one class! "You can create a character who could be found only in Eberron, using the new races, classes, backgrounds, and feats found in this book." Now either the dragonmarks are indeed classes, they really did mean "Prestige Class" for the Self-forged and Juggernaut (new mechanic?), the artificer isn't alone, or they are referring to the paragon paths/epic destinies.
Before we all celebrate, the 2nd "class" could in fact be similar to the Dark Pact in the FRPG. A new build on an old class rather then a new class outright. Or it could be they consider the Dragonmarks to be a class for advertising purposes (which IMO will not be a class but instead be very similar to the Spellplague "mutli-class" or the Bloodline Feats that the Dhampyr has. It seems unusual to me that they put the Dhampyr feats in its own category in the Character Builder).
Warforged confirmed forBrawlEPG.
You're a bit late to the game, Joni, warforged have been confirmed since January!
What if Kalashtar aren't a race at all? What if they are expressed through Human feats?! I mean ... they're not in Monster Manual 2 or anything. I know that's not conclusive proof, but the way they keep dodging the whole races issue makes me think we're not going to like it.
I don't know anything about FR, but I hear WotC ruined it. They were pretty elusive about FR too, and I'd hate to see them damage this IP.
Thoughts?
Yours,
Lord Dreadman
Thoughts?
Doppelgangers aren't in the MM2 either, but there have been a few signs that point to them being in the EPG.
Besides, they probably won't be feats because you can't become a kalashtar in later life, and restricting feats to 1st level restricts design space (see warforged).
Weren't Doppelgangers in MM1?
The [3.5] Eberron campaign officially begins in 998 YK, four years after the Mourning and two years after the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold.
Then in that case, 4E Eberron occurs a year earlier than 3.5 Eberron:
From the Intro:
"At least overtly, the peace has held for just over a year as the campaign begins"
Yay for time-travel and/or alternate realities!
(The Eberron books must by now have already been sent to the publisher)
Then in that case, 4E Eberron occurs a year earlier than 3.5 Eberron:
From the Intro:
"At least overtly, the peace has held for just over a year as the campaign begins"
Yay for time-travel and/or alternate realities!
(The Eberron books must by now have already been sent to the publisher)
Not really. It would take a year for border skirmishes to calm down, forces to recieve the orders in the first place (Khorvaire's pretty big), troops who have decided that they just don't WANT to stop fighting to get reined in, and so on, and so forth.
They've done this sort of thing in prior editions, and, let's face it, they're already doing things like this in 4E. The Dhampyr feats don't need to be taken at 1st level; you might just discover that you're a Kalashtar later in life ... somehow. I don't like it, but I'm starting to suspect that WotC might do this simply because it's easier for them. They might just have the Doppleganger and the Warforged in the EPG; after all, they only had two races in the FRPG, and, of course, a Sun Elf feat.
This is making me MIGHTY nervous.
Yours,
Lord Dreadman
Hey! I'm not saying I want it! I'm just worried since WotC seems to want to keep this info away from us until we've bought the book on Amazon and they've made their money.
They've done this sort of thing in prior editions, and, let's face it, they're already doing things like this in 4E. The Dhampyr feats don't need to be taken at 1st level; you might just discover that you're a Kalashtar later in life ... somehow. I don't like it, but I'm starting to suspect that WotC might do this simply because it's easier for them. They might just have the Doppleganger and the Warforged in the EPG; after all, they only had two races in the FRPG, and, of course, a Sun Elf feat.
This is making me MIGHTY nervous.
Yours,
Lord Dreadman
Eh. Que sera' sera'.
Personally, I prefer the different-looking races of 4e to the "humans with slightly different ears or hair" that were prominent in 3e, but I also don't like retcons all that much, so I don't really mind either way.
I wouldn't be terribly surprised if they said "In Eberron, Deva are often referred to using their proper name, Kalashtar". The Deva already basically has the Kalashtar's backstory (memories of many reincarnated lives) and a racial power that fits perfectly. Just instead of being angel-souls, the Kalashtar have quori-souls. And the Deva are already set up to be great Psions with their high Wis and Int. The only big difference is that Deva are pretty different looking while Kalashtar look like humans with dyed hair. Eberron could just say Kalashtar look like Kalashtar but use all the stats for Deva, or they could pseudo-retcon and say that Kalashtar's skin ranges from pale human-ish to purple and white.
Personally, I prefer the different-looking races of 4e to the "humans with slightly different ears or hair" that were prominent in 3e, but I also don't like retcons all that much, so I don't really mind either way.
I would be HORRIFICALLY SUPRISED if they did that.
"In Forgotten Realms, Half-Orcs refer to themselves as Dragonborn."
Nonesense.
Kalashtar do not have racial memory. Kalashtar do not reincarnate. Kalashtar are not immortal beings made flesh.
Kalashtar are nothing like Devas.
Sorry, but the Deva = Kalashtar (or not) argument is just done for me. I've heard both sides and made my decision regarding it. I think I would be MORE angry if they took that rediculous loop-hole than if they used feats (and I'm appalled that I'm writing that).
*Shivers* They just need to spill the beans. I'm getting extremely nervous about purchasing the EPG (which, until that preview, I was looking forward to buying).
Yours,
Lord Dreadman
I highly doubt that they're going to make Kalashtar via feats (or via Devas), and I highly doubt that flipping out about something we don't even know a month in advance is going to do anything but make you prematurely miserable with little or no justification. Just wait and see, and enjoy the shiny new Monster Manual that comes out this month or something. I know I will. :D
At the end of the day, speculation is just that, speccy without much elation :P . So yeah, wait until next month and we shall see.
PJammaGod, the advocate of patience
I am not sure what is going to happen, but the Kal are my least favorite thing about EB. Whenever I try and come up with a concept with a pc for the race it is always the same, a calm somber guy that wants to fight the Dark and other evils. This could be just me but the race is a bit one dimensional as is at the moment. Devas are like that a little bit but since the Kal are tied to the Dark in a neverending battle deal... just meh for me. Others mileage may vary of course.
You should takee a look at the novels, specifically...gosh I don't remember the series name but one of the novels was The Killing Tree, the characters were Singe, Dandra, and Geth. While Dandra is pretty non-standard in either the first or second book they visit the Kalishtar district of Sharn and you get to see a bit more what they are like.
Think Kamina, if anyone's watched Gurren-Lagann. (I'm looking at you Joni-san. And yes, the character went out in a blaze of glory, wrestling a mind-flayer into a river of lava.)
I am not sure what is going to happen, but the Kal are my least favorite thing about EB. Whenever I try and come up with a concept with a pc for the race it is always the same, a calm somber guy that wants to fight the Dark and other evils. This could be just me but the race is a bit one dimensional as is at the moment. Devas are like that a little bit but since the Kal are tied to the Dark in a neverending battle deal... just meh for me. Others mileage may vary of course.
If we must be exact, it's technically the Kalashtar as a whole that tend to be single-minded. Much like the Aereni as a whole tend to be devoted to their small realm and their Undying Court, so too are the Kalashtar defined by their inherent struggle with the Dreaming Dark. This being said, nothing forces individual Kalashtar to battle the darkness, much like nothing forces Aereni to be devoted to the deathless ideal. Some Kalashtar, by virtue of their partially human nature, might want nothing to do with the Dreaming Dark or the dream of the age. Some might be driven outright mad by conflicts between their dual souls. Some might completely subjugate their quori heritage and exploit their psionic might to nefarious ends. Some might feel completely exhausted by their centuries-long struggle and choose to side with the Dreaming Dark.
As individuals, Kalashtar come in all sorts of colors. The whole, while technically single-minded, doesn't really exist as a monolithic entity, especially when we consider that Kalashtar tend to operate in small groups.
http://benwootten.deviantart.com/gallery/
Ok, but to me thaey are like Forgotten Realms elves. I love EB elves and dislike FR elves. I just an majorly meh about the kal. Not bad as NPCs though, just nothing I would ever want to play. To me they are the vulcans of EB. Just my opinion.
A completely respectable view. Ironically in our group's experience there has been only a single Kalashtar PC and her Quori ancestor was a Du'ulora. Definitely not a Trek Vulcan-more like this Vulcan.
I had a player in my 3.5 Eberron game that played a Kalashtar Paladin of Freedom of the Silver Flame (Chaotic Good). He saw the part in the race-writeup (or was it an Ask Keith Baker thread? I forget) that said that kalashtar that aren't in harmonious alignment with their quori spirit are a little crazy. So he played his paladin just slightly nutz and bombastic.
Think Kamina, if anyone's watched Gurren-Lagann. (I'm looking at you Joni-san. And yes, the character went out in a blaze of glory, wrestling a mind-flayer into a river of lava.)
once a player in a game of mine played as an unbalanced kal orphan with levels of psychic warrior and afew of barbarian. he was a little more than a touch of crazy sometimes. he lept from airships hunderds of feet above the ground with abandon. and when he was angery he was angery.lol. there was a kal npc in the group and struggled to balance him, they had some intersting dialogue discussing the Light and the Shadow War. it was fun.
The clockwork bomb and clear-path mist are cool items, I'm sure I'll pick some up for my artificer, but it was a bit of a lacklustre preview. Nothing about the preview screams Eberron, so it doesn't really serve as a good advertisement for the setting.
Back to the items themselves, though, the clockwork bomb seems to be a very potent item, since it explodes if you hit it with an attack and uses only a minor action to set off. It's great for setting up combos with the party controller.
Clear-path mist alters the battlefield permanently, it's control at its finest, and for that alone I love it.
Looking at the schedule we probably won't get any "new" information on the setting until June 5th. The Warforged Juggernaut has already been released, I don't imagine they changed the pantheon substantially and the Self-forged sound more or less like an update of the Renegade Mastermaker prestige class.
It also raises the question, why are people using dangerous and volatile alchemy when clearly magic is the safer solution? Could it be a new group getting ready to take on the Dragonmarked houses economically? Or is it some tips and tricks some soldiers cobbled together in the battlefield where you couldn't wait for the latest magic-shipment?
I've got a store that sells magical potions and alchemical items side by side. So I don't think I'll be using any of the above ideas. Just different people produce different things and there's always a need for a particular item in a particular situation.
I like the clear-path mist, though I know at least one player who will react very negatively to it.
On the alchemy subject, I figure outside of artificers, most people who make alchemy are going to be people who aren't 'spellcasters'; your fighters and rogues. I mean, a rogue with a clockwork bomb just strikes me as funny as heck. Crack open the door, set it loose, then run like hell.
Whenever I try and come up with a concept with a pc for the race it is always the same, a calm somber guy that wants to fight the Dark and other evils. This could be just me but the race is a bit one dimensional as is at the moment.
Interesting. My kalashtar PC was nothing like this. He was an extremely manic wilder who'd been raised outside of a kalashtar community. He was anything but calm and somber (as reflected by his being a wilder instead of a psion); due to the half-remembered images drawn from his quori spirit, he had very strange concepts of reality and liked to talk to his embedded shards.
The calm champion of the light is certainly a valid kalashtar concept. The grim avenger is another - the kalashtar who knows more about nightmares than you can possibly imagine (having the memories of tens of thousands of years in Dal Quor in the back of his soul) and who intends to bring that darkness to his enemies. Either of these could be concerned about the Dreaming Dark, or they could be more concerned about mortal evil - holding the concept that it's mortal evil that shapes the realm of dreams. This is especially appropriate for someone who takes the Quori Nightmare path. Set aside the calm vulcan image, and think about that for a moment... you ARE the vessel of nightmares. You hold the memories of a spirit of Dal Quor that has seen hundreds of thousands of years of human nightmares. You can react to that by suppressing it - or you can choose to embody that fear.
Plus, as others have said, there are different sorts of Quori spirits. The tsucora is a spirit of nightmare and terror. But the du'ulora is the embodiment of fury. In 4E, I could absolutely see a du'ulora kalashtar Thaneborn barbarian, with the rage reflecting the primal connection to the character's quori spirit (on that note, I think a kalashtar shaman is a great 4E character, with the kalashtar's spirit companions being terrors plucked out of nightmares of the character's enemies... I might have to make a feat or paragon path supporting this idea). Then you have the hashalaq, the subtle spirit of deception and joy. There you've got your seductive bard, and there's no need for such a character to be calm and serene. They are a vessel for all the pleasures you can find in dreams; where the tsucora knows what you fear, the hashalaq knows what you desire.
Perhaps these concepts haven't been made clear in the past. But I see the kalashtar as anything but one-dimensional. Of course, having created them, I might be biased.
I am not sure what is going to happen, but the Kal are my least favorite thing about EB. Whenever I try and come up with a concept with a pc for the race it is always the same, a calm somber guy that wants to fight the Dark and other evils. This could be just me but the race is a bit one dimensional as is at the moment.
This seems to happen a lot, at least with most people I play with. The key is to remember that there's no such thing as genetic personality. Every race has a full spectrum of personalities to it. If you can play an elf who isn't a tree-hugging hippie or a dwarf who isn't an ale-chugging Scot, you can play a Kalashtar who isn't calm and sober.
Kalashtar are like the various members of the Green Lantern Corp
They each have a ring that gives them the same powers, it's just how they use it.
John Stewart's constructs are built from the inside out. You look close you can see every nut and bolt that makes it work. Nothing he creates is hollow. With or without his ring.
Guy Gardner's ring is like a leaky water faucet. Sparks always fly. Even when he's just standing still. His willpower can't wait to get free. He opens it up. And attitude disappears in a storm of emerald energy.
Kilowog is the only one who's ring makes a sound. Like a cannon exploding
Kyle Rayner sketches in his head. It sharpens into view, constantly being refined by his own imagination. He's never satisfied. He's an artist.
Hal Jordan (The Man!) Is all about precision. Doing exactly what is needed to get the job done. Concentrated power. Focused ambition.
Now most often Kalashtar are portrayed to be like Hal Jordan or John Stewart, but each is different and you can have a Guy Gardner, Kilowog or Kyle Rayner just as easily.
Also, they follow the path of light.
Heh.
In brightest day,
in blackest night,
no evil shall escape my sight,
let those who worship evil's might
beware my power,
IL-YANNAH'S LIGHT!
Yep.. gotta make a Kalashtar Laser cleric of Il-Yannah. Name him Nodroj-Lah
That is of course, assuming that Kalashtar are IN the Eberron Players Guide. The previews of course aren't revealing squat. Honestly WotC, what your previewing really, really, sucks. The only thing that gives me hope is something Hellcow said:
I could absolutely see a du'ulora kalashtar Thaneborn barbarian; I think a kalashtar shaman is a great 4E character
Did he just let it slip that Kalashtar are indeed in the Eberron Players Guide?
Did he just let it slip that Kalashtar are indeed in the Eberron Players Guide?
Maybe. Or maybe I'm just talking about my personal rules for using kalashtar in my home campaign. Who can say?
I had a player in my 3.5 eberron game that played a Kalashtar Paladin of Freedom of the Silver Flame (Chaotic Good). He saw the part in the race-writeup (or was it an Ask Keith Baker thread? I forget) that said that kalashtar that aren't in harmonious alignment with their quori spirit are a little crazy. So he played his paladin just slightly nutz and bombastic.
Think Kamina, if anyone's watched Gurren-Lagann. (I'm looking at you Joni-san. And yes, the character went out in a blaze of glory, wrestling a mind-flayer into a river of lava.)
Awesome! If there was only a way to make Astral Constructs that were like Gurren Lagann, or Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. A 10 million light year tall Astral Construct, lets see the Inspired and Quori try to stop that!
Maybe. Or maybe I'm just talking about my personal rules for using kalashtar in my home campaign. Who can say?
Well, you could, but something tells me you won't.
It's not a kalashtar...but I thought up a quori mindhunter once who didn't beat his quori spirit...but rather convinced it to serve him through intimidation and deception. "We can fight it out and then you can be forced to help me, or the others can imprison you indefinitely anyway. Your choice." There was more to it, but I got a really good roll so it didn't take much. I was one of the few Mindhunters that wasn't paranoid and borderline schizo. It led to an interesting encounter where we were confronted by a particularly powerful Inspired and my quori had the opportunity to abandon me. it actually chose not to, because it believed we were capable of defeating the Inspired, and you know how evil is..."if I can beat you, I won't follow you" That was a fun game.
Anyway...I don't care if ya let anything slip KB...I just really want kalashtar to be in the EPG. lol
Could it be a second take on The Forgotten Forge maybe?
Since this is the closest we have to a thread dedicated to speculation about previews that haven't been posted... I see an adventure n June's Dungeon called "The Forbidden Forge"
Could it be a second take on The Forgotten Forge maybe?
Let's hope so!
Awesome! If there was only a way to make Astral Constructs that were like Gurren Lagann, or Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. A 10 million light year tall Astral Construct, lets see the Inspired and Quori try to stop that!
I think I just found the basis for a Kalashtasar Epic Destiny.
Is there something I've missed here, because I am finding that really jarring given I think they managed some of the better atrocities in the last war. Albeit, they didn't quite get to the level of sacking an entire city, raising the corpses as undead soldiers for their army and then merrily marching their way back burning everything as they went.
But they were certainly up there.
Is there something I've missed here, because I am finding that really jarring.
First, let's touch on a few things from the 4E EPG description of the Silver Flame. Looking at what's been posted already, its areas of influence are protection, generosity, and destruction of evil. Looking a little further ahead, the following is said:
"The Silver Flame espouses purity, steadfastness, charity, and above all, the destruction of evil... The teachings of the Silver Flame are (to) destroy evil in all its forms; (to) bring relief to those who suffer; (to) protect those who cannot protect themselves and offer aid to those who can."
Are there fanatical nutjobs in the Church of the Silver Flame? Absolutely. They're largely concentrated in Aundair, inspired by the bloodshed and horror of the lycanthropic purge. But the key point is that these people are misguided and fail to understand the true precepts of the faith... just as the Order of the Emerald Claw shows the dark side of the Blood of Vol and the Church of the Wyrm Ascendant or the monks of the Flayed Hand reflect the dark side of the Sovereign Host. Every religion in Eberron has its fanatical nutjobs and its corrupt priests. We've paid a little more attention to those in the CotSF, but they are all out there. However, the MAJORITY of the followers of the Flame aren't like this at all. The faith emphasizes compassion and charity, making sacrifices to protect and aid others. Those tenets I listed above are, in fact, clearly reflected in the Lycanthropic Purge. The Purge occurred when the curse of lycanthropy grew stronger and more virulent. It was spreading at a dangerous rate, and surging out of the Reaches on a tide of blood. The Silver Flame came west to put an end to this terror - placing its soldiers in harm's way in an attempt to protect the innocent people of western Aundair. In other words, they sought to protect those who couldn't protect themselves; to aid those in need; and to combat a fearful evil. Unfortunately, the road to Dolurrh is paved with good intentions. The actions of the Silver Flame DID save untold innocents from a bloody death. If they hadn't contained the curse, it's possible it could have spread across the land and collapsed civilization into primal chaos. However, in the aftermath, Audairian converts hungry for vengeance and a release for decades of terror turned it into a witchhunt - continuing the purge well after the threat had been broken, and catching innocents in the net.
But the fact that the noble goal went astray doesn't change the fact that things could have been far, far worse if they hadn't acted at all... or that they acted to oppose an evil and protect innocents in need.
Little in Eberron is purely black and white. The Church of the Silver Flame strives to do good, but sometimes falls short of its goals, or falls prey to corruption. But the fact that it isn't PERFECT doesn't mean that it's fatally flawed. The fact that corrupt priests and zealots exist doesn't change the fact that they are in the minority - and that the PRINCIPLES of the faith are noble. It's all a question of whether an individual worshipper can live up to those principles.
Also that the pantheonic nature of the Sovereign Host and Dark Six has been retained in full; I especially appreciate the note that most people will offer a prayer to one of the Six when they believe it's wise.
I can't figure out how they manage to get "Lawful Good" despite being, from what I understand, a bunch of fanatical nutjobs.
A big part of it is they fired their PR firm they had for 3.5e and got a new one for 4e. From what I understand,* the 3.5e books inadvertently stressed some fringe cases. In doing so it accidentally made the whole religion sound bad. So with that in mind, I'd keep an open mind when reading the 4e books.
Also that the pantheonic nature of the Sovereign Host and Dark Six has been retained in full;
Indeed. I'm wondering/hoping that either the EPG will provide channel divinities for the whole pantheon instead of individual gods. That or Divine Power will provide some hints and tips on how to handle someone worshipping a pantheon such as the Sovereign Host instead of individual gods.
* I have been wrong in the past ;)
Oh well, maybe something will show up in the EPG, though it's a shame there won't be any crunch attached.
I was expecting to see some warforged religions too, the Becoming God in particular, since there isn't going to be a "Faiths of Eberron" to expand on them this time.
Oh nice
So how much does it go into about the lore of these religions and what sort of religions are they?It'd be nice to be able to spring some Warforged religions on my players
Oh well, maybe something will show up in the EPG, though it's a shame there won't be any crunch attached.
If you're any good at writing crunch you could always try to make up your own crunch related to Warforged religions and submit it to Dragon as an article. You never know, it might get accepted.
Then again...I also liked the idea that perhaps the church was beyond saving and needed to be wiped out in a purge of its own.
Both seemed to mesh seemlessly with the notion that Eberron was pretty much potentially doomed in any one of a dozen ways at any moment...but yet could always possibly be saved by the PCs...because well, they're BIG DAMN HEROES in Eberron!
Still though, I can work pretty easily with what there is in 4e so far, I like it.
Is anyone else hoping the Warforged Juggernaught preview will be different from the version of it in the free dragon 364 issue? The only thing I hope they change about it is that you wouldn't have to use strength for the encounter power. Since it is open to any defender and its powers take the power source of the defender class that let you into it you'd think it would also take that class's attacking ability score...
Eh, I'm doubtful. Of the 4 Defender classes we have, two of them always use Strength as the primary attack score (fighters and wardens), and one of them uses it for half of their attacks (paladins). Even swordmages have a build that uses Strength as a secondary score. Not to mention that Warforged get a racial bonus to Strength, making it easy to keep fairly high...
Is anyone else hoping the Warforged Juggernaught preview will be different from the version of it in the free dragon 364 issue? The only thing I hope they change about it is that you wouldn't have to use strength for the encounter power. Since it is open to any defender and its powers take the power source of the defender class that let you into it you'd think it would also take that class's attacking ability score...
Huh? We're talking about the Eberronian equivalent to The Hulk, yes? Why -wouldn't- it use Strength? What would it use instead and still be a 'Juggernaught'? Dexterity? That sounds more like... uh... anything -but- a Juggernaught.
Oh nice
It'd be nice to be able to spring some Warforged religions on my players
Faiths of Eberron presents 3:
-The Lord of Blades (6 pages) - Followers of the LoBster, who champions warforged power over flesh bags.
-The Becoming God (4 pages) - These guys want to build a body for the god they believe gave them their souls.
-The Reforged (1 page) - More of a philosophy for warforged who embrace the living part of their nature.
There's plenty of detail in the book, including rites, quests, duties, prayers...pretty much everything you need.
If you're any good at writing crunch you could always try to make up your own crunch related to Warforged religions and submit it to Dragon as an article. You never know, it might get accepted.
I have no problem writing crunch, but it'd be nice to see something published officially! :D
Unfortunately, I don't think the submission rules for Dragon allow you to work with FR or Eberron. At least they didn't last time I checked.
Show us at least one WoTC, even if it is just the Aberrant Mark!
No pre-reqs is good for WF Barbarians and 2W rangers everywhere.
Oh and Operations we're unlikely to see anything on the Dragonmarks until the books are out. I have an inkling (unjustified, just a feeling in my stomach, that or it's the Indian from last night) that Wizards aren't going to give us a preview of one of the key elements of Eberron.
I was really looking forward to being jazzed for the release of 4Eberron, but these previews just aren't doing the job. They're gonna give us almost HALF of PH3 in advance and they can't show us one measely Dragonmark?!
It's sad that I actually go to the WotC site for the Eberron preview EXPECTING to be let down. It's probably good that I do though (see my innitial response to the first preview).
I think I am right in saying that there is not ONE Eberron player that would rather have the Warforged Juggernaught PP than ... I don't know, a Dragonmark, the Kalashtar stats, a few regional benefits ... probably just about anything, really.
*sigh* You're not my personal army, but I wish you were. I'd have some ideas for the person responsible for these previews.
Yours,
Lord Dreadman
Oh and Operations we're unlikely to see anything on the Dragonmarks until the books are out. I have an inkling (unjustified, just a feeling in my stomach, that or it's the Indian from last night) that Wizards aren't going to give us a preview of one of the key elements of Eberron.
Yeah, but many of us have not been able to play/convert out v3.5 Eberron game to 4e because we have no idea how to do Dragonmarks even close to right. Oh sure, we have a lot of theory around the boards, but that doesn't help when Dragonmakrs were so vital to our v3.5 Eberron campaigns, and we don't want to end up having to ret-con half a game that we've played wrong for over a year. So, in my case, it was a lot easier to wait.
I was really looking forward to being jazzed for the release of 4Eberron, but these previews just aren't doing the job. They're gonna give us almost HALF of PH3 in advance and they can't show us one measely Dragonmark?!
No kidding. Seriously, just give us at least some Least Marks to look at.
*Laughs*
Yours,
Lord Dreadman
:')