Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Sturmvogel Sep 13, 2011 21:16:09	www.wizards.com/DND/Article.aspx?x=dnd/d... Everyone's favorite monstrous criminal gang! I'm always a fan of any content that has monsters as something more then random loot sacks. So having actual plans and motivations is great.
#2 Madfox11 Sep 14, 2011 3:24:39	www.wizards.com/DND/Article.aspx?x=dnd/d... Everyone's favorite monstrous criminal gang! I'm always a fan of any content that has monsters as something more then random loot sacks. So having actual plans and motivations is great. I like the organization (can hardly call it a gang if it has a continent wide influence), but in regards to actual plans and motivations it tells nothing more than serving the Daughters of Sora Kell and becomming the primary criminals of Khorvaire (gold and magic items is most certainly not the goal). Meaning a DM still needs to come up with those if he wants to use the Daask for anything more than a typical criminal gang. Not in itself a problem, but I always feel that articles about NPCs and organizations can always contain a suggestion or two about what is truly going on. It makes it a bit more useful for DMs looking for a plot on the fly, and a DM who has the time and inclination can always ignore it as false rumors. One thing is for sure, their motivations and goals are everything but mundane ;) It is certainly a subject for some future article, because what do epic level hags of the calliber and fame as Baba Yaga in RL want? ;)
#3 Ogiwan Sep 15, 2011 7:12:28	Oh huzzah! How did I miss this? Good job, Keith! Who doesn't like a lil' bit o' monsterous love?
#4 CorrinAvatan Sep 15, 2011 11:36:28	www.wizards.com/DND/Article.aspx?x=dnd/d... Everyone's favorite monstrous criminal gang! I'm always a fan of any content that has monsters as something more then random loot sacks. So having actual plans and motivations is great. I like the organization (can hardly call it a gang if it has a continent wide influence), but in regards to actual plans and motivations it tells nothing more than serving the Daughters of Sora Kell and becomming the primary criminals of Khorvaire (gold and magic items is most certainly not the goal). Meaning a DM still needs to come up with those if he wants to use the Daask for anything more than a typical criminal gang. Not in itself a problem, but I always feel that articles about NPCs and organizations can always contain a suggestion or two about what is truly going on. It makes it a bit more useful for DMs looking for a plot on the fly, and a DM who has the time and inclination can always ignore it as false rumors. One thing is for sure, their motivations and goals are everything but mundane ;) It is certainly a subject for some future article, because what do epic level hags of the calliber and fame as Baba Yaga in RL want? ;) Giving a full "this is exactly what's going on" has never been Eberron's style.  There's plenty in there to go off of (The Hags of Droaam's motivations as listed in the ECG, soul takeovers, Draconic Prophecy, whatever), but Eberron splats have always been "we're going to tell you a lot of rumors, and the DM decides what's really going on."
#5 Madfox11 Sep 16, 2011 3:29:20	Giving a full "this is exactly what's going on" has never been Eberron's style.  There's plenty in there to go off of (The Hags of Droaam's motivations as listed in the ECG, soul takeovers, Draconic Prophecy, whatever), but Eberron splats have always been "we're going to tell you a lot of rumors, and the DM decides what's really going on." Yep, but this one doesn't even contain rumors ;) Like I said, not a big problem, and not even sure it even belongs in an article like this (the immediate goals of the Daask is clear), but it is a bit of a pet peeve. I just prefer something like they did with the presence of duegar in Neverwinter book where in a sidebar they provide a handful of possible suggestions.
#6 Hellcow Sep 16, 2011 10:47:28	Like I said, not a big problem, and not even sure it even belongs in an article like this (the immediate goals of the Daask is clear)... That's basically the issue. While Sora Katra is the shadowy manipulator, the article is about Daask. The goal of Daask is to dominate the criminal underworld, and that's all Cavallah or Fell knows. What Sora Katra plans to do with that power should she succeed in obtaining it is more something I'd see as a subject for an article on the Daughters... though I understand where you are coming from.
#7 horatioatthebridge Sep 29, 2011 19:59:06	Well timed, I'm just starting a game in Sharn where Daask is a big antagonist.  One of the characters is playing a Prince of Breland, and I'm interested in tieing in the alleged assassination of the Queen by agents of Droamm.  One problem I have is that the characters are still low level, so it's tough to bring in the Daask theme of monsters without overwhelming the characters or blowing surprises for later.  What lower level agents might they use, and how do I make them distinctly Droamm-ish (rather than Darguunish, or generic criminal-ish).
#8 Madfox11 Oct 04, 2011 4:18:14	Well timed, I'm just starting a game in Sharn where Daask is a big antagonist.  One of the characters is playing a Prince of Breland, and I'm interested in tieing in the alleged assassination of the Queen by agents of Droamm.  One problem I have is that the characters are still low level, so it's tough to bring in the Daask theme of monsters without overwhelming the characters or blowing surprises for later.  What lower level agents might they use, and how do I make them distinctly Droamm-ish (rather than Darguunish, or generic criminal-ish). There are goblins in Droaam that have nothing to do with Darguun ;) Gnolls are not particular high level either. If you want to make creatures Droam-is, you should highlight their monstrous nature. The goblins would not care one bit about their lost civilization, or even the current human ones. Whether or not you would want to step away from the generic criminalish elements at low level though is another question. Wouldn't it work better if you first use them as generic criminals, which is what they want to show the world anyway, and than later on start hinting there is more going on?
#9 Ogiwan Oct 04, 2011 7:23:45	Well, also, concerning Darguun, there are really two kinds of goblins in Darguun. The first is the "normal" gobbos under the control of Haruuc. I guess they'd be fairly...normal, in terms of fantasy stuff. The other are the Dhakaani goblins, who I would portray as kinda scary, especially the Ketch Sharaat goblins. Now, I kinda figure that the goblins from Droaam would be more...beaten up or downtrodden. Their overlords are like trolls, medusae, and whatnot.
#10 Hellcow Oct 04, 2011 11:05:49	Well, also, concerning Darguun, there are really two kinds of goblins in Darguun. The first is the "normal" gobbos under the control of Haruuc. I guess they'd be fairly...normal, in terms of fantasy stuff. The other are the Dhakaani goblins, who I would portray as kinda scary, especially the Ketch Sharaat goblins. The Ghaal'dar take pride in the achievements of their ancestors; this lets them have a "This was our land before yours, human" attitude. But for the most part they don't know much ABOUT that history beyond the fact that their ancestors were great warriors and assassins. A Ghaal'dar goblin might learn to use a spiked chain in the same way that a human of our world who likes samurai might take some kendo lessons. Per this analogy, the Heirs of Dhakaan are part of an unbroken line of samurai that have continued to practice and hone those ancient traditions for thousands of years. It's not just a hobby or academic interest; it's their way of life. Now, I kinda figure that the goblins from Droaam would be more...beaten up or downtrodden. Their overlords are like trolls, medusae, and whatnot. To me, a key difference is the relation between the goblin subspecies. Among the Ghaal'dar, the hobgoblins dominate the bugbears and goblins. They have greater numbers than the bugbears and greater strength and martial skill than the goblins. They've driven the creation of cities and clans. The goblins are perhaps less of an underclass in Rhukaan Draal than in Sharn, but they are an underclass. Among the Heirs of Dhakaan, the subraces are more like castes - each fills a different role in society, but the society recognizes that all three roles are necessary. The goblins are the laborers, but there is no shame in that; goblins farm the crops and forge the blades, and the warriors need both to survive. Outsiders might consider the goblin roles to be more menial in nature, but there is an underlying respect between the castes - a belief that the system is what gives the empire strength (As a side note, I had a PC in one of my games playing a male hobgoblin warlord who wanted to be a duur'kala but wasn't allowed to because it's a female role... so there can always be those who rebel against this mold).  In Droaam, one of the key points is that you don't usually see the same balance between the subraces. There are far more goblins in Droaam than bugbears or hobgoblins. They've got little knowledge of the Dhakaani empire, and they generally feel more kinship to the kobolds who have also been oppressed by the larger and more powerful creatures than they do to bugbears or hobgoblins. As you say, the goblins and kobolds have long been downtrodden and oppressed by trolls, ogres, oni, minotaurs, and more. Many still live in servitude to more powerful creatures; one of the reasons the Daughters are popular among the goblins is because in Graywall and the Crag these races receive a little more respect for their service (you may still work in the mine all day, but you have a bed in the hydra hall and a harpy to sing you to sleep). This is most notable in places like Little Graywall, or the newly raised warlord Kethelrax the Cunning - who has the challenge to prove that goblins and kobolds can prosper on their own in the face of warlords like Turakbar who dislike the idea of a goblin reaching above his place. So on the onehand you have the downtrodden goblin cringing at a glare from the ogre... and on the other, you have the proud lord of Kethlerax's court determined to prove that his people can do more for the Daughters than any stupid troll.
#11 focusgents Oct 07, 2011 9:43:31	I'd second Keith's assessment of goblins in Droaam. In my campaign, the unofficial Droaamite ambassador to Breland is a goblin. For me, a fresh, young nation like Droaam still has a lot of room for advancement, and merit can be a serious factor, despite racial prejudices. There are some great examples from history like the Jewish Secretary of State for the Confederacy, Judah Benjamin, or Alberto Fujimora, Japanese president of Peru (only ten years fresh from military rule). When you're starting out and need results quickly, you'll hire whoever is qualified (or very well-connected).