Now, in the previous edition, this was established by taking pertinent spells and using them as they would logically be implemented.
In the current edition, though, we have rituals which are much less powerful and flexible than the spells in the previous edition. So, we must take these rituals and turn them into devices or procedures that could potentially be used in Eberron. Furthermore, we must do this with logic, www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/11/2/, and an eye towards the pulp awesomeness.
So, my first contribution is a combination of the Amanuesis and Unseen Servant rituals. Combined with a Syberis dragonshard, such a combination would allow a marked member of House Sivis to operate a kind of printing press, allowing newspapers to be printed.
I think it is important to note that House Sivis would probably not directly own newspaper presses; rather, they would probably just hire out 'marked members to newspapers.
Come up with your own! Add to the glory that is Eberron!
Amulan, like the idea, and also like the sinister possibility. Now, are your 3PM players luxuries, trinket-type things, or are you envisioning a wider usage?
Amulan, like the idea, and also like the sinister possibility. Now, are your 3PM players luxuries, trinket-type things, or are you envisioning a wider usage?
So far distribution has been limited, which has driven the price up. PC's would only likely encounter these in either a luxury setting or perhaps a high volume tavern. The current model is a bit clunky and the sound quality could use improvement. House Sivis has avoided involvement with House Cannith guilds in an effort to minimize further profit sharing and to avoid revealing their know-how to another house (the minstrils are only involved in the sound recordings).
In the current edition, though, we have rituals which are much less powerful and flexible than the spells in the previous edition.
Huh? Ritual casting is independend of class. You can design all the rituals you can think of, just as with spells in previous editions. The only thing that is different is that it requires a longer casting time, always involves a gold cost and that many rituals are now directly tied to dragonmarks. Now you don't need magewright class to cast "spells", you can just decide that there is a 7th-level NPC (and they don't even need to have any combat abilities what so-ever) who knows ritual X and be done with it. The gold cost is also much less arbitrary. In short, in my opinion the system has become much more flexible. Now the master weapon smith can craft magic weapons without being able to cast spells, and the make-up servant can just use that 1st level ritual that keeps somebody perfectly clean for 24 hours without being able to face a dozen of thugs. If anything, the ritual mechanic fits Eberron like a glove, much better then the 3E spell mechanic.
For example, there is a ritual that allows a House Sivis heir to copy texts. It is rather expensive though. Of course, in case of Eberron I always assumed that they actually have invented the printing press already.
Perhaps not movable type though, which would mean newspapers won't have many pages.
I like the idea of a "Fluid Printing Plate" that can be altered to print pretty much anything in black and white with the aid of a minor ritual for each new print run. It's something Zilargo would certainly want to develop to speed up production of books.
(The disadvantage being, of course, that you lose the old plates every time you change the plate, unlike a solid-state version where you can keep the engraved plates.)
I like the basic concept of rituals, and they fit Eberron's magic-used-as-a-tool concept far better than Vancian magic. What I dislike is how easy it is for any character with the Ritual Caster feat to use any ritual. This hurts the original concept of magewrights as someone who's job is to cast a particular spell - that I have trained to be a magical locksmith or a diviner or a torchlighter. Instead, it's just "My job is my book". So I actually have a number of house rules for rituals.
First, "Ritual Caster" as a feat is something that only PCs and brilliant NPCs have. It reflects a mastery of the principles of magic that most people don't get. The average wiard can't just grab any ritual book, flip open a page, and use it; it's a complicated thing requiring a long period of study and trial and error to master a particular ritual. An NPC wizard can likely do any ritual in time, but time is the factor; he has to learn to do it.
I then have a feat that is intended to reflect the skills of NPCs, but which PCs can take if they want. The Magewright feat allows a character to choose three rituals that they meet prereqs to cast. They can perform those rituals, perform them WITHOUT a ritual book, and get a +3 to any associated skill check. This is the typical magical professional in the world. The locksmith can do Arcane Lock, Eyes of Alarm, and Knock - but he can't just grab a book and do Comprehend Languages. He spent years in Kundarak trade school learning how to perform those rituals. The fact that you, the PC wizard, CAN just grab the book and cast Arcane Lock even though you've never done it before shows that you are AMAZING.
Finally, I restrict certain feats to characters with dragonmarks, in order to give the dragonmarks more weight in society and clearly establish the economic power of the houses. If you need to have the Mark of Healing to perform Cure Disease or Raise Dead, it's easy to see why House Jorasco is as powerful as it is. There's other places where someone with a good Heal skill with treat you and ensure a quick recovery - but if you absolutely need to be healed overnight, go to Jorasco. This restriction INCLUDES PCs, and again, makes having a Jorasco healer as a PC a big deal. With THAT said, this isn't completely hard and fast. The average priest of the Silver Flame can't whip out a book and Cure Disease. But Jaela most certainly can cure disease, or potentially raise the dead - again, emphasizing just how amazing and holy she is. And perhaps - PERHAPS - I'll let your PC cleric of the Silver Flame learn Cure Disease and Raise Dead, again emphasizing that to the world at large, these are services only Jorasco provides, and this is a sign that you are a very special person.
And FINALLY: I let people with dragonmarks perform the rituals tied to those dragonmarks without using a ritual book. They still have to use components, and they have to be TRAINED to perform the ritual - which costs the same amount as the listed market cost of the ritual. But essentially, your mark IS your ritual book. You are drawing on its power, and it's just a matter of learning to use it. This is what makes life interesting for an excoriate, or for someone who developed the Mark of Death. Normally, you just go to a house enclave and get trained there. If you can't, you've got to find someone willing to train you. So in the case of someone developing the Mark of Death, there may be all sorts of rituals it gives access to... but there's only one person (half) alive who could teach you to use them.
I don't restrict ALL of the rituals associated with a dragonmark to the dragonmarked... just a few for each house that best capture the unique flavor of the house and the key economic service it provides. My basic thought is that the rituals were developed in imitation of the dragonmarked... wizards and artificers reverse engineering things and saying "There's got to be a way to make an arcane lock without the dragonmark". And the Arcane Congress and others are hard at work on unlocking the others. Perhaps your PC wizard will be the one who CREATES the Cure Disease ritual anyone can use - though you can bet Jorasco won't like that.
Anyhow, these are just house rules I like in order to give rituals a real place in Eberron and to clearly establish the nature of dragonmarked power. If you can't use a teleport circle without an Orien mark, it's easier to see why Orien controls that form of transportation. And again, it makes PCs special in that their ability to grab a ritual book and use anything they find in it is because they are prodigies... not simply because anyone with Ritual Caster can use any ritual.
(As a side note, I do say NPCs with the Mark of Scribing are generally ritual prodigies, because that's one of the abilities of the Mark of Scribing... but it's still the case that in my Eberron, the Cure Disease ritual simply doesn't exist; it is an aspect of the Mark of Healing an heir can learn to unlock, but it does not exist as an on-paper ritual.)
Just as a sideline on rituals:
First, "Ritual Caster" as a feat is something that only PCs and brilliant NPCs have....
I then have a feat that is intended to reflect the skills of NPCs, but which PCs can take if they want. The Magewright feat allows a character to choose three rituals...
Finally, I restrict certain feats to characters with dragonmarks, in order to give the dragonmarks more weight in society and clearly establish the economic power of the houses....
I let people with dragonmarks perform the rituals tied to those dragonmarks without using a ritual book....
...these are just house rules I like in order to give rituals a real place in Eberron and to clearly
That all makes sense, but is it something you came up with after the 4e EPG & ECG came out or was it nixxed from the books? I agree without serious restrictions in how magic can spread, it would be ridiculously rampant in no time. Consider French dominance in wines; while they were able to maintain superiority for a long time, eventually the know-how (at least most of it) got out. Now, although the French labels still maintain recognition in the industry, great wines are made worldwide. Thus, without the type of PC/Dragonmark type restrictions you suggest, Eberron would go magic crazy in no time. Actually, that's probably true for any setting.
What I dislike is how easy it is for any character with the Ritual Caster feat to use any ritual.
And I've never seen a better example of this problem than with the Create Holy Water ritual in Divine Power. I have a hard time imagining, say, a barbarian of the Demon Wastes learning how to create holy water. But now as long as he gets training in Arcana or Religion he can take the Ritual Caster feat and pick up Create Holy Water.
But I think they've begun to remedy this problem, as I've started to see some rituals come with class prerequisites. Can't remember where off-hand.
In The Darkwood Mask I introduced what I imagine is Eberron's answer to microfiche: an office of the Korranburg Chronicles where past issues can be reviewed again on special House Sivis devices, storied in special little rods... Personally, I imagine every major city havine such an office.
Another thing I've thought of is running water. I figure in towns and villages, there could be running water, perhaps by using cisterns or aquaduct (is that the right plural?). In the major cities, though, there could be a Cannith-built system that either uses very cunning engineering, or more likely, a few bound elementals to provide the necessary pumping power. Toss in some Purify cisterns to purify liquid waste, let the oozes and G.C. take care of solid waste and trash, and you have a water and waste management system that could work.
Mr. Baker, I have to admit being a fan of your approach to managing rituals while retaining the power of the Dragonmarked Houses. Are there any plans for you or Mr. LeSala to write any articles for Dragon or Dungeon? Since I re-started my Eberron game, I have found quite a few issues (mainly, the ones where I have to go, "Ummm....well, you see....it's like this....." for) that need to be addressed and clarified.
[in] my Eberron game, I have found quite a few issues (mainly, the ones where I have to go, "Ummm....well, you see....it's like this....." for) that need to be addressed and clarified.
Ogiwan, I know this is your thread, but you should start an "issues" thread, don't derail this one (any more than it already has).
Oh, I seem to remember something about a pen that writes down whatever you say....I SWEAR it was a Sivis artifact, but I might just be hallucinating. Any ideas? 'Cause if its not, that would just be cool. A variant of the Amanuensis spell or some such.
Take any such device, uniquely suited to a low-technology, high-innovation setting like Eberron, and give it a magical instead of mechanical basis. Unseen servants fetch the wine, the bed polymorphs into an unobtrusive area rug, a master pen which commands several animated servant pens to write several identical documents at once, etc. If you want to get really 'mad science' with artifice, throw some Nikola Tesla into the mix. The inventions don't have to be obscure; a simple cantrip that separates the seeds from hardy but rough-seeded cotton (very difficult to do by hand) recreates the revolutionary boon to textile manufacture that was Eli Whitney's cotton gin. Terry Pratchett's Discworld books frequently showcase the effects of introducing a modern invention -- such as motion pictures and the printing press -- into a medieval fantasy society.
I hope this has sparked some ideas, and look forward to further contributions to the thread.
I want to see House Cannith's attempt at a Difference Engine - - would it be sentient like the Warforged or more like Babbage's realworld design but using Unseen Servants to operate all the little dials? Then you'll have some proper FantasyPunk - -
I want to see House Cannith's attempt at a Difference Engine - - would it be sentient like the Warforged or more like Babbage's realworld design but using Unseen Servants to operate all the little dials? Then you'll have some proper FantasyPunk - -
Why use dials?
You can make intelligent swords that can carry out conversations, why not just make an intelligent monolith imbued with the knowledge of whatever mathematics-related field you want it to handle.
Of course with sentient thinking machines from the get-go, you might avoid the garbage-in-garbage-out problem even modern computers have, but you might run into a bigger problem. Computers with opinions.
I want to see House Cannith's attempt at a Difference Engine - - would it be sentient like the Warforged or more like Babbage's realworld design but using Unseen Servants to operate all the little dials? Then you'll have some proper FantasyPunk - -
It would look and behave like Pratchett's HEX, except probably without the nascent sense of humor.
(for a look at the thing in action, check the live-action adaptation of Hogfather).
Why use dials?
Because dials are what put the punk in magepunk. It's all a matter of style. The more rough around the edges the technique is, the more punkish it feels. A magnetic elevated train is state of the art, for example, but you've got to go back to boilers and valves and pressure gagues to capture the feel of seat-of-your-pants, kludged-together, bleeding-edge-of-anachronistic-technology steampunk.
Of course with sentient thinking machines from the get-go, you might avoid the garbage-in-garbage-out problem even modern computers have, but you might run into a bigger problem. Computers with opinions.
This is why no amount of 'search overload' could ever scare me as much as the idea of the 'decision engine' of which Bing! boasts. I never want to risk my web browser popping up a screen that says:
HTTP Error 2001:
I'm sorry, Dave. I can't do that.
It is fantasy pulp.
There is no 'punk' implicit in the setting. 'Punk' denotes an anarchic or anti-establishment undertone. This undertone does not exist in the setting.
There is no 'punk' implicit in the setting. 'Punk' denotes an anarchic or anti-establishment undertone. This undertone does not exist in the setting.
Au contraire. Mass disenfranchisement, political upheaval, corporate machinations, epistemological debate, class warfare, racial tension, simultaneous erosion and resurgence of nationalist sentiment, and a vague sense of dread for an unclear future - all staples of the cyberpunk genre, and all very much present in Eberron. The only thing that's really missing is magetech that is affordable for the masses (which under both 3e and 4e item balance modes is unlikely).
Which is the basic problem with most ideas for magically-enabled tech: in order to give the same functionality it would have to be in widespread use, but due to game balance reasons all magic items are horrifically expensive. Which is why people scoff at me whenever I come up with an idea for implementing television in Eberron.
Which is the basic problem with most ideas for magically-enabled tech: in order to give the same functionality it would have to be in widespread use, but due to game balance reasons all magic items are horrifically expensive. Which is why people scoff at me whenever I come up with an idea for implementing television in Eberron.
Maybe not television, but I could definitely see there being cinema in Eberron -- black & white, with newsreels, for the whole retro noir/pulp goodness?
The magical equivalent of a projector could be powered by a fire elemental, letting you go even more Inglorious Basterds with it....
Maybe not television, but I could definitely see there being cinema in Eberron -- black & white, with newsreels, for the whole retro noir/pulp goodness?
Well, to me it's all about approaching the problem using existing magical tools. One idea I had back when first developing the world was the crystal stage. Essentially, you make a crystal ball, but much larger than necessary. Performances occur live on a number of different soundstages, at set times. The operators of the theater are magewrights trained to tune the ball to scry on any of these specific locations (it's likely that to reduce costs, the stage could ONLY tune to these specific locations - the scrying enchantment could only focus on a place with a specific focal anchor, thus preventing it from being a tool of espionage). So rather than the images being projected out across the airwaves, the stages themselves are tuning in to watch the live event that's going on.
It's not something we ended up using, but it's still something I like as a way to give you an analogue to movies, but through a magical means - scrying on a live performance.
The only thing that's really missing is magetech that is affordable for the masses (which under both 3e and 4e item balance modes is unlikely).
Which is the basic problem with most ideas for magically-enabled tech: in order to give the same functionality it would have to be in widespread use, but due to game balance reasons all magic items are horrifically expensive. Which is why people scoff at me whenever I come up with an idea for implementing television in Eberron.
Actually, I'm fairly certain that there exists a middle class in Eberron who have access, at any given time, to a couple hundred gold pieces. These are people that can "save up" for magical conveniences and luxuries, like a Cold Storage Box and an Animated Broom, which would likely be, using 4e terms, Level 1 magic items (And thus costs 320 gp).
The middle class might not be as big as it is in our current day, but still, it's a fair bit more widespread than just "the nobles and filthy rich adventurers".
Then again, D&D economics lack much basis in realism. For example, we certainly lowered the prices of the lightning rail tickets, otherwise no commoner would be able to afford it, even though various novels and materials mention it is a relatively commonly used mode of transport.
Actually, I'm fairly certain that there exists a middle class in Eberron who have access, at any given time, to a couple hundred gold pieces. These are people that can "save up" for magical conveniences and luxuries, like a Cold Storage Box and an Animated Broom, which would likely be, using 4e terms, Level 1 magic items (And thus costs 320 gp).
The original vacuum cleaner was a huge horse-drawn contraption with long transparent tubes that were fed in through windows of houses and operated on a hireable service basis.
When it was new and novel, people would hold tea parties while watching what manner of dust and fluff came out of their floors.
Anyway, I'd think having your house occasionally thoroughly swept by a Ghallandra halfling magewright capable of casting Prestigitation or the Fastidiousness ritual would suffice for the Middle classes.
Then again, D&D economics lack much basis in realism. For example, we certainly lowered the prices of the lightning rail tickets, otherwise no commoner would be able to afford it, even though various novels and materials mention it is a relatively commonly used mode of transport.
please note that two or three books of the eberron ones HAD pricing on the lightning rail, and they differed. i'm away from book so i can't tell you the exact sources, but i believe the pricing given in the ECS is the highest of them all.
that aside... we reuse all prices from 3.5 for 4e, and it works pretty ok. :-)
Also central heating - though probably too costly for individual dwellings, in places like Sharn where an entire building could use the same system it would likely be affordable.
Essentially, any convenience that can be rented out or communally used is fair game. For instance, a magical clothes cleaner/press would be too expensive for most people to have one at home, but for a large-scale laundromat operation, it's much more reasonable.
For instance, a magical clothes cleaner/press would be too expensive for most people to have one at home, but for a large-scale laundromat operation, it's much more reasonable.
What magic would be used to operate such a laundromat? Are we talking magically cleaning the clothes (in which case I'm not sure what 4e spell could do that)? Or are you talking about a magical means of rushing water around the clothes (elemental), but then what do you use for detergent? Do they have soap in Eberron?
What magic would be used to operate such a laundromat? Are we talking magically cleaning the clothes (in which case I'm not sure what 4e spell could do that)? Or are you talking about a magical means of rushing water around the clothes (elemental), but then what do you use for detergent? Do they have soap in Eberron?
Soap is an ancient innovation, so I don't see why not. However...
In 4E, a wondrous item does not have to DIRECTLY mimic the casting of a ritual or the use of a power. Look to, say, a bag of holding. It is based on principles of tiny huts, magnificent mansions, teleportation, etc. But it's not a precise, one-to-one mapping of spell onto object.
In 4E, we still have prestidigitation. The major change is the suggestion that the effects of prestidigitation do not last. Personally, I ignore this when it comes to things like cleaning clothes... I'm happy to let a wizard clean his clothes and not have the dirt come back in five minutes. However, technically, by the RAW it does.
However, there's no reason that a wondrous item that is based on the principle of prestidigitation would have to have the same limitation. This is the basis of the cleansing stone in the Twilight Palace in The Queen of Stone.
In considering ways in which a magical society would differ from our own, one of the critical things is that as depicted in the rules (consumables and charged items aside) few magical items have any ongoing costs associated with them, nor are rules given for degradation of a magic item through use. Your vacuum cleaner never gets clogged. It never needs a bag changed or has a motor break down. It doesn't need access to electricity, whether in battery form or paid for as a utility. We've never discussed the concept of a "magical appliance repair shop". Technology typically burns a resource whenever it's used - electricity, coal, whatever - and eventually breaks down. Magic has a high initial investment, but once you've made that cleansing stone, people can use it forever. It becomes an heirloom; your "vacuum cleaner' may have been in the family for 300 years, provided the material itself doesn't break down.
Now, you can certainly add the concept of enchantments degrading over time to the world, or the idea that all items need to be charged with infusions of dragonshards. But as it stands, your eternal rations ARE eternal. And that makes the magical society very different from a technological one.
Soap is an ancient innovation, so I don't see why not. However...
I only ask because some history books suggest the art/science of making soap was "lost" during the dark ages of what is now Europe. I do understand Eberron is supposed to represent something akin to a later period of our parralel history.
In 4E, we still have prestidigitation. The major change is the suggestion that the effects of prestidigitation do not last. Personally, I ignore this when it comes to things like cleaning clothes... I'm happy to let a wizard clean his clothes and not have the dirt come back in five minutes. However, technically, by the RAW it does.
Once the dirt is removed, although the spell is over, why would the dirt return? I must apologize as I've not YET read The Queen of Stone.
Once the dirt is removed, although the spell is over, why would the dirt return? I must apologize as I've not YET read The Queen of Stone.
In considering ways in which a magical society would differ from our own, one of the critical things is that as depicted in the rules (consumables and charged items aside) few magical items have any ongoing costs associated with them, nor are rules given for degradation of a magic item through use. Your vacuum cleaner never gets clogged. It never needs a bag changed or has a motor break down. It doesn't need access to electricity, whether in battery form or paid for as a utility. We've never discussed the concept of a "magical appliance repair shop". Technology typically burns a resource whenever it's used - electricity, coal, whatever - and eventually breaks down. Magic has a high initial investment, but once you've made that cleansing stone, people can use it forever. It becomes an heirloom; your "vacuum cleaner' may have been in the family for 300 years, provided the material itself doesn't break down.
erdana, 'sans-serif'; color:#000000; font-size:9pt">I think RAW doesn't address long-term costs associated with magic items as it would get too cumbersome tracking such info and runs contrary to 4e design. Nonetheless, without imposing at least some long term costs or deterioration associated with the large majority of magic items or rituals, the world of Eberron would quickly get overrun with far more magic than is described in any of the books. Once the rich clientele for vacuum cleaners ran out (subsequent generations would have no need to buy new ones as the old ones would get handed down), they would start selling to the not-so-rich and so on. It’s one thing to suggest as a world premise that the creation of low-level magic is common place, but it is an entirely different thing to suggest most of the items created never need maintenance or recharging. While I’m willing to suspend disbelief for the first suggestion, the latter would alter any world far more than most people would think. Why couldn’t there be repair shops or why couldn't eternal rations start to dwindle after a number of years? If not, it wouldn't be long before enough eternal rations were made to feed entire continents of the world.
Once the dirt is removed, although the spell is over, why would the dirt return? I must apologize as I've not YET read The Queen of Stone.
The 4E rules as written say that prestidigitation is a standard action that can "Color, clean, or soil items in 1 cubic foot for up to 1 hour." If you view this as REMOVAL of dirt - which I do - then I see no reason for it to return, which is why I say that it doesn't.
If you WANT it to return, as the rules imply, I'd say that it doesn't actually make the dirt go away; it's a minor illusion that makes it APPEAR to disappear. When the spell fades, you can see it again. I prefer to say that it's a physical effect as opposed to illusion.
erdana, 'sans-serif'; color:#000000; font-size:9pt">Why couldn’t there be repair shops or why couldn't eternal rations start to dwindle after a number of years? If not, it wouldn't be long before enough eternal rations were made to feed entire continents of the world.
I agree. Personally, I always saw dragonshards as the "coal" of Eberron - a resource consumed to power ongoing magic. My point was that someone said you couldn't create a magical washing machine because it wasn't clear what 4E spell it would replicate... and if you are SOLELY going by the rule system, as opposing to extrapolating from the rule system, nothing in the rules implies that magic items degrade. However, if you're trying to create a logical society, you can assume that COMMON magic items will degrade over time... and also, in my opinion, that if you have prestidigition magic, you can use those principles to create a washer. Create logical flaws, expand logical strengths.
Why would you want to spend 320 gp on a broom? A commoner earns 1 sp per day, so that 3200 days or 8 years. A servant is likely to be cheaper, but more importantly, more able to deal with unexpected issues. I certainly wouldn't pay 10,000 euros for a robot that would just sweep my floor ;) Personally, I would expect such magical appliances be used by bussinesses, but much less by individual citizens (except for the upper classes).
Then again, D&D economics lack much basis in realism. For example, we certainly lowered the prices of the lightning rail tickets, otherwise no commoner would be able to afford it, even though various novels and materials mention it is a relatively commonly used mode of transport.
Just to chime in again, but you're looking at commoners, not middle class. I'm fairly certain it was spelled out in a sourcebook somewhere that Eberron has a middle class who have access, at any given time, to a couple hundred gold pieces. These are not people that need to save up 8 years for 320 gp. These are people who save up for three months and buy a refigerator.
Now the SIZE of this middle class is probably MUCH MUCH SMALLER than the real world. They most likely only exist in large cities like Fairhaven, Wroat, and Sharn, and only a small portion of the population.
They are "commoners" in the sense that they're not nobility, but they are much wealthier than your 1 sp-per-day peasant.
[Of course, a person earning money by cleaning the houses of multiple people like a modern housecleaner is another story.]Like I said though D&D economics do not make much sense when looked at too closely. Mind you, it hardly matters to my games, so I don't spend too much time on it. As long as it seems believable during the game and enhances the story, it is fine by me.
Side note: Even when you belief the magic in items do not degrade over time, that is no guarantee the items last for ever. The things can be disenchanted to create new ones, and while the rules never talk about destroying items (since destroying magic items ultimately hurts the game for the players), neither does it say it is impossible. I would imagine most mundane magic items break eventually at some point even if just in a freak accident.
Mass disenfranchisement, political upheaval, corporate machinations, epistemological debate, class warfare, racial tension, simultaneous erosion and resurgence of nationalist sentiment, and a vague sense of dread for an unclear future - all staples of the cyberpunk genre, and all very much present in Eberron. The only thing that's really missing is magetech that is affordable for the masses (which under both 3e and 4e item balance modes is unlikely).
I don't disagree that those elements are present in Eberron. Inever said they weren't. They are also present in many other genres. What you are describing could in fact be something about World War 2, or the Crusades or Star Wars. None of which are (insert buzzword)punk.
Indiana Jones is not Nazipunk. Lord of the Rings is not Hobbitpunk. And Eberron is not Magipunk.
...you need to have that broom for a long time to be worthwhile and that is assuming you can put aside the majority of your income for months or find it worthwhile to do so for such a broom. ... Either way, the broom makes little sense from an economical point of view.
How long do you have to own a diamond necklace until it becomes worthwhile? Or a fashionable dress? Or artwork?
Sometimes people buy things that they wouldnt other wise need, for personal or social motivations beyond what makes fiscal sense. Perhaps buying a pointlessly expensive magic-broom helps you to fit in with a peer group and not having one procludes from the group.
What about "Tenser's floating disk" as a hoverboard for the younger ones in the eberron world?
Well, it couldn't be worse than the dread "Cyran Gliding Boots" we had a while back.
You can see Gnolls riding "Soarsleds" on the cover of Sharn: City of Towers, and there's 3.5 stats inside.
I don't disagree that those elements are present in Eberron. Inever said they weren't. They are also present in many other genres. What you are describing could in fact be something about World War 2, or the Crusades or Star Wars. None of which are (insert buzzword)punk.
I've seen World War 2 settings that qualify, and run a few Star Wars games that also qualified (haven't yet seen any Crusades ones, since the 'heavy metal' approach to warfare at the time tended to backfire more often than not, but I can think of at least two Roman Empire ones - one magicpunk, the other steampunk).
'X'punk is a milieu that combines widespread anti-establishment thinking (usually along the lines aforementioned) with cool cutting-edge toys, defined by the noun standing in the X position. Eberron has both widespread anti-establishment thinking and cool cutting-edge toys of the magical persuasion(which this thread is supposed to brainstorm additional possibilities for). Ergo, magicpunk.
Tagging off of the anti-establishment thinking noted above, isn't there endless chalk or some such in the PHB? What else would said anti-establishment types use to graffiti their slogans on walls?
I recall in one of the 3e books that Zil illusionists were all sorts of entertaining.....
Thinking about it, if Lyrander controls the rains, and thus makes sure that farms won't get too much or too little rain, doesn't that correspond to ample foodstuffs? More specifically, a collaboration between Cannith, Lyrander, and Vadalis would result in the sort of developments that you see in the Agricultural Revolution, which resulted in not only the Industrial Revolution, but also the development of the modern economic system.
...a collaboration between Cannith, Lyrander, and Vadalis would result in the sort of developments that you see in the Agricultural Revolution, which resulted in not only the Industrial Revolution, but also the development of the modern economic system.
Ah, but I think when the houses cooperate well, it is more the exception than the rule. So not seeing those modern things is easily explained by the cold-war style hostilities between Houses.
I could see anti-establishment magic that makes everyday House magic not work properly. Street lights made to flicker, service disruptions to lightning rail or messengers, etc. Such forces as well as the intra/inter-House squabbles would constantly keep or slow-down Eberron from developing more modern systems.