In working on a campaign recently I realized that there are some actions a DM can set up or Player can instigate in-game that cause dramatic consequences. So with a doom-inspired grin I ask...
What is the most dramatic change you have made to the world of Eberron in a campaign?
(In red to emphasize sploady doom and fun for all ages)
*edit for color swaps*
... Berlin?
I believe he intended to write "Breland".
I, sadly, have only ran.....three Eberron campaigns, and none of them got into higher levels. So, I didn't have the time to make world-altering changes.
Unless he equated Karrnath with Germany......*shifty eyes*
I, sadly, have only ran.....three Eberron campaigns, and none of them got into higher levels. So, I didn't have the time to make world-altering changes.
You don't need high level characters to do that. I had a game with L4 characters who prevented some Dragon Below cultists (my favorite badguys) from using an Eldritch Machine to bring the Ring of Siberys down on Khorvaire.
I, sadly, have only ran.....three Eberron campaigns, and none of them got into higher levels. So, I didn't have the time to make world-altering changes.
You don't need high level characters to do that. I had a game with L4 characters who prevented some Dragon Below cultists (my favorite badguys) from using an Eldritch Machine to bring the Ring of Siberys down on Khorvaire.
True, but to be honest, it is not my kind of thing. It always raises the problem for me how to top that event without it becoming rediculous. It also raises the question on why, if something this nasty is happening, the PCs are the ones solving the problem since there are more able agents to deal with the issue. In that regards I am a firm proponent of the 4E philosophy of keeping things regional at heroic, multi-regional at paragon and plannar/worldwide at epic. It is a matter of gaming style though, and obviously, it depends on how far you want the campaign to go.
Personally I have not run an Eberron campaign long enough to do anything world shattering.
... Berlin?
I believe he intended to write "Breland".
I am not very good at spelling.
Need to look at books to spell Eberron
I, sadly, have only ran.....three Eberron campaigns, and none of them got into higher levels. So, I didn't have the time to make world-altering changes.
You don't need high level characters to do that. I had a game with L4 characters who prevented some Dragon Below cultists (my favorite badguys) from using an Eldritch Machine to bring the Ring of Siberys down on Khorvaire.
True, but to be honest, it is not my kind of thing. It always raises the problem for me how to top that event without it becoming rediculous. It also raises the question on why, if something this nasty is happening, the PCs are the ones solving the problem since there are more able agents to deal with the issue. In that regards I am a firm proponent of the 4E philosophy of keeping things regional at heroic, multi-regional at paragon and plannar/worldwide at epic. It is a matter of gaming style though, and obviously, it depends on how far you want the campaign to go.
Personally I have not run an Eberron campaign long enough to do anything world shattering.
One thing I learned very early on in my gaming career ... never get into the mindset that you have to top yourself game after game after game. Just leads to burnout.
I made my players sacrifice the Ashen Crow to seal Xoriat after some moron forced the plane to be coterminous with Eberron. Not a bad feat for 7th level characters. Too bad they could never reveal to the world what they just did because they got themselves locked into the plane of madness to seal it.
One thing I learned very early on in my gaming career ... never get into the mindset that you have to top yourself game after game after game. Just leads to burnout.
I never said game after game ;) It is just that once you saved the world it becomes a bit stale for me to suddenly return to saving the caravan with those same characters. It is more about keeping the challenge at an equal level. I am a storyteller at heart, and I like a good build up to the major events. Other than that, I do agree that going for the ever bigger threat is equally dangerous. It is why in general I avoid the 'save the world' plot except theoretically* for the end game of the campaign.
* In all honesty, I have never run a 'save the world' plot-line in my home campaigns, or at least, never finished them. The long lasting campaigns I did finish were usually about saving the country ;)
My first Eberron campaign is just getting to its climax after 20 sessions (each session about 3.5 hours in length) with about 3 to 5 sessions to go - and it could all end with Thrane being turned into another Mournland due to the machinations of the Lords of Dust! 
If the PCs fail in their attempt to stop it, Thrane will be consumed - no deus ex machina. I am confident in doing that as the campaign will end at that point and I don't intend to revisit it again. If I run Eberron again it will likely be using 3.5 rather than 4e and with no continuity to the current campaign.
In the same campaign the PCs have already thwarted an Inspired plot to infiltrate the Dragonmarked houses, convincing the Twelve and a Night Hag from Droam to devise and provide them with a means to travel to Dal Quor to deal with the Quori spirit behind the problem permanently.
BTW the PCs started at level 3 and one has just hit level 6 with two others not far behind.
1.) Erandis Vol is going to reach her Apotheosis.
2.) the Dead-Grey Mist is going to be removed from the Mournland.
3.) the Lord of Blades and the Godforged are each going to be displaced.
4.) the Church of teh Silver Flame is going to be severely shaken up, much as the Catholic Church was in the 60s, and with a result similar to Yevon in Spira in FFX.
5.) the Dreaming Dark are going to be exposed, and many Reidran Inspired will be liberated, where they will try to make a new home in the Mournland.
6.) the Dreaming Light will come to Dal Quor, and the Dreaming Dark will survive by going Phyrexian on Xoriat.
7.) the Gatekeepers Seals will be broken.
and 8.) several of the most beloved Leaders of recognized Nations will be killed.
also, the Daughters of Sora Kell will finally get to sign the Thronehold Treaty, but that isn't too particularly astonishing.
Well, I am about to blow-up my Eberron, either tonight or next week (we may not get to it tonight).
Long story kinda short, my campaign is in paragon tier (actually we started there with 3 flashbacks to 1st, 4th and 8th levels). From the beginning, the PC's knew they were trying to collect pieces of an ancient relic, but were not really sure what it was for. Eventually they find out it was previously used to release the Overlord, Bel Shalor, back in the day of Tira Miron. Initially they thought they must prevent the relic from ever being used again, but then later they find out the only way to stop Bel Shalor's release is to do it themselves. That's right, only they have to have the relic "altered" with a one of a kind dragonshard (the combo can only be done using an experimental technique involving the creation forge in the Mournland). The altered relic will once again trap Bel Shalor, particularly once it is delivered to Kyber.
The catch is, the heroes are too late. During their exploration of Argonnessen in search of that unique dragonshard (kept by Yllosavax of The Chamber), first they find out Vol stole the two previous pieces of the relic they had collected and deposited in Kundarak vaults (PC's were unaware that Drawmij’s Instant Summons had been placed on the separate pieces they had deposited and the House only checks for such things upon request and at an additional fee). Due to unexpected delays in Argonnessen (many many months), they later find out Vol has succeeded in releasing the Overlord. To make matters worse, if that's possible, rumor is that Vol has somehow regained the use of her Mark of Death.
Now at mid-17th level, with major parts of Khorvaire having fallen to the combined forces of Bel Shalor and Vol, the heroes must return to Khorvaire to find the previously used relic, complete the alteration they previously intended on it, then travel the Astral Sea to find a “Time Lord” whom they must convince to send them back in time, moments before Bel Shalor’s release, so they can swap the relics and save the day.
Not sure how many holes folks will find in my story plot, but one piece I do need help with is this “Time Lord” person. Who can that be? Part of my story has him connected to the creation of the main Relic of the story in the first place and so part of convincing him to send the PC’s back in time involves threatening to expose his connection in that endeavor and the repercussions to him that would follow. I want him reached through the Astral Sea because I want them to go off-world for a while.
As for the Time Lord, he could be a member of House Cannith who invented an Eldritch Machine to go back in time and stop the Day of Mourning, only to return to his own time without doing so (any number of explanations e.g. he couldn't stop it or he realised that without it the Last War wouldn't have ended etc. etc.). Seeing the corruption of House Cannith around him, he realised he couldn't let them have it, and ended up fleeing onto the Astral Plane with the machine in order to escape those who sought to steal it from them. Since then, with his god-like power and permanent space on the Astral Plane has taken it upon himself to try to make it for Cannith's crimes (the creation of the Warforged definitely, perhaps also the Day of Mourning) by using his machine for good. As to how he was involved in the creation of the relic, well, the cliche is that those who go back in time to stop something inevitably end up causing it (that could be another explanation for him not stopping the Day of Mourning), or more simply somehow a cultist or Rakhasa gained access to his machine and went back in time to create it, and he feels responsible.
Or, you could go for a far simpler option and say this individual of unexplained origin is actually The Traveler. He created the relic because he's like that, he does random and chaotic things. However, seeing the destruction that it's caused, perhaps even a semi-divine and infinitely mysterious being like him regrets what he did and wants to right the wrong. That, or he's just decided to undo it as an equally chaotic thing.
The Vol connection with Bel Shalor is being left intentionally vague, but what is clear is that it somehow enabled her to regain the powers of her mark.
I like the Traveler suggestion, this might work very well for me. Of course he could be posing as a lesser creature, like the House Cannith guy.
The tricky part for me is that my heroes will be adventuring in Khorvaire for at least a little in my post-apocolypic Eberron. Also, part of that will be in the Mournland.
But why would they look for some way to reverse the ability of the relic so it becomes a seal if Bel Shalor was still sealed?
Well, I convinced the Silver Flamer cleric of our group and one other that Tira Miron is the imperfect part of Bel Shalor's current prison, allowing him to corrupt many in Khorvaire, including the highest ranks of the Silver Flame church. The new prison will not have that flaw, but the dragonshard merely replaces Tira, not the more powerful couatl host.
Not going to let that happen to my next Eberron game.
It all began when the PCs went down the wrong street in a dark alley in Sharn...
They thought they were on the right side...
I can't blame them though, the hobgoblins were pretty confident they were trying to revive an old Dhakaany hero.
In the end, I'm glad that what killed them (the PC's) were not the daelkyr, but some big player Chamber agent.
It was a rather nice campaign, and despite the TPK, the players enjoyed it alot.
Also, in the same campaign, the goblinoids raided New Cyre (there were no survivors), and the Lords of Dust killed Boranel and the whole region of Q'Barra was partially destroyed by Rhashaak.
As for the current doom my players are facing... They are currently escorting around the Keeper of the Flame as Krozan has started to make his move for power. Why? The Shadow in the Flame believes he's reached his maximum potential and intends to cheat imprisonment by using Krozen as a host. The consequence would be a greater demon (one of the worst imo), power fully intact trading a prison in Khyber for a prison inside a human shell. If they cant stop krozan from killing the Keeper a demon takes over.
Unfortunately for the players it's a double catch... a creature from Xoriat (it works a bit different in my campaign) has threatened that if the demon is set loose, the world will be consumed by the Realm of Maddness in order to meet the new threat. (Xoriat in my world is actually a product of Khyber's sleep. Its purpose is to keep the world strong by threating them with unspeakable 'nightmares' made real who have a very Phyrexian bent)
The whole epic tier will be concerned with the PCs travelling the planes to either cut off enemy reinforcements (as the demons have decided to be a third side in the conflict) or gain allies. Anytime they're on the Material Plane I'm going to be rolling for which planes are closest, as the cosmology is collapsing from all the warfare. It'll be a hoot.
Also, I plan to have some encounter near the end where the party fights alongside the Lord of Blades. Because I believe that that is literally as awesome as Eberron can get.