There are no epic level allies. The are plenty of epic level enemies.
The highest level good or neutral NPCs are confined to a specific place (Jaela to Flamekeep, Oalian is a tree), so they aren't going to be skipping along with the PCs on their adventures.
The point is that the PCs are the best heroes the setting has to offer, as opposed to somewhere like FR where your PCs are acting in the shadow of greater heroes like Elminster etc.
So one of my party members over the course of many years has tried to assert that Eberron is a low-level world only, that epic characters do not exist in it, and that the highest level NPCs in it are lvl 13 tops. Is this true or untrue?
Sort of, its more that there are no really high level good guys to help the characters out, and those that are Paragon tier (to use 4E parlance) are too busy doing other things, like running countries, or limited in some other way. For example King Borenael of Breland is 10th or 11th level in 3E but he can't just go off and run around some dungeon somewhere. Jaela is an 18th level cleric, but only inside of Flamekeep, and Olian is a 20th level druid awakened tree and he can't move.
On the other hand bad guys, or other miscreants are high level and effective threats but for the most part they tend to work behind the scenes, or are crazy and just want to be left alone.
Edit: Ninja'd by a troll.
Olian can move. He can wildshape into a bird. He would probably be weakened outside of Greenheart somewhat, but I don't think he's exactly immobile.
But he is still the leader of one of the biggest druidic sects and therefore quite tied to his location. Just as Jaela is.
And your PCs are the only people alive who have a chance to do anything about it.
So one of my party members over the course of many years has tried to assert that Eberron is a low-level world only, that epic characters do not exist in it, and that the highest level NPCs in it are lvl 13 tops. Is this true or untrue?
As others have said, this is only partially true. The significant majority of NPCs that have important roles in the world are not high-level adventuring class individuals. The thing is, character level is not a measure of how important the character is in the world. King Boranel of Breland was an adventurer for a time and a veteran of the Last War, but his reign isn't defined by these. He's still a very connected individual and royalty, no less. He doesn't need to have high-level adventurer features to play his role in the world. This is why most famous NPCs will be relatively low-level.
This being said, there are plenty of high-level characters in Eberron, but they tend to keep busy with other high-level characters, thus often personally involved with them. High-level villains bent on unleashing the ravages of an obscure eldritch device will be faced by high-level heroes that are fully aware of the impact such a device would have and that will seek to stop them at all costs.
In essence, character level, in Eberron, is more of a tool suited to the interaction required by the player characters, rather than a scale of influence over the world.
As far as not being a high level setting, I can't think of anytime I didn't feel challenged in the setting. I have gotten two characters to epic level in Eberron, (one being in a party with a lich) and the excitement never dulled.
in conclusion: I am a windbag.
.... that epic characters do not exist in it...
I was assuming that the word epic here was describing heroics as well as a description for level 20's.
If I was wrong, please read my concluding statement on my original post for my explanation.
In that case, yeah. Eberron totally has room for epic tier heroics.
Shangrilla (sp?)
Shangri-La
Just an FYI
Carry on!
In that case, yeah. Eberron totally has room for epic tier heroics.
What do epic level characters in Eberron get up to out of curiosity? I have some ideas, but I'm just wondering what stuff people have been doing up in epic level sort of regions in 3rd edition previously (assuming they don't do the obvious and go beating people up on the planes?).
Which will hopefully get them to travel to Khorvaire and plunge (again) into Mabar to seal another rift. Saving the world like Big Damn Heroes.
Of course the end game involves the return of a Demon Overlord who (according to the prophecy) could not break free from his prison until Mabar invaded and was pushed back. His agents have been actively helping both sides, the Shadow cultists whove been trying to kick open the doors to Mabar and yes the heroes. Both sides against the middle. The Scar that Abides will be freed then Stormreach.... it will not be pretty.
Not much really...
So the pcs are 15th level and I am having no problem throw threats at them, even when they are humanoid I level them to match the PCs. It works for our group and they are monor celeberties at this point.
If we had taken it further, we could have eventually challenged Rajahs.
"Why didn't X NPC save the world, they have the power to do it with a single hand gesture" was often a problem in other... let us say Campaign Settings (I won't name them ;) ). Eberron attempts to avoid this, you are the only hope Obi-Wan Kenobi, now go foil the plans of a 100,000 year old immortal Fiend...
What do epic level characters in Eberron get up to out of curiosity?
Gothrom Du Ghal was one epic warlock (v3.5) who had a personal grudge against the Dragons of Argonessen. He would constantly snipe at them, actually going so far as to do hit-and-run stuff. He was active with the Blood of Vol. Not because he was religious but because he had levels of Blood Magi and he had as much to teach them as he had to learn. He became a trusted advisor to Erandis herself, much to the annoyance of several elder vampires whom he had bested. Gothrom had dealt with the Lords of Dust several times with mixed results and walked the streets of Ashtakala without fear. He dabbled in all kinds of forbidden magic, ranging from necromancy and blood magic to wielding the power of Xoriat. At one point his symbionts and grafts became such a concern that he set up a contingent astral projection spell just in case; the day he was forced to escape from his own body and flee to a prepared clone was indeed epic. Gothrom's use of the epic spell Eclipse had shocking effects on the Draconic Prophecy, and the planes themselves trembled at his unholy power.
The idea behind a lack of high-level goodies is a simple one.
This is one thing that does greatly appeal to me about Eberron. I've always hated good aligned high level NPCs, because I find it provides barriers towards using certain regions or villains. Plus if we're talking 3rd edition especially, it always confused me why they didn't just scry threats, teleport in whack them and leave. Only high level epic level monsters would oppose them and they'd end up in more of a cold war stalemate where neither side could threaten one another more than anything else.
* Rooted in place, either figuratively (Jaela) or literally (Oalian.)
* Evil, and probably somewhere along the spectrum from crazy to flat-out chaotic and destructive. (Kaius, Krozen, the daelkyr, Mordain, the rakshasas.... etc.)
* People you don't want to get involved, because they're not concerned about collateral damage (the dragons.)
I like that last group, it seems like a good source of pressure on the PCs.
"We found the plans of a mad giant under Sharn who wants to sacrifice the entire city for blood magic!"
"Why don't we tell the Chamber? That seems like something they'd want to stop."
"Because they'll probably stop it by turning Sharn into a smoking crater, and then kill us for good measure now that we've seen the plans."
"... good point. Guess it's up to us."
The PCs vs an army of dragons. Should keep a demi-god, archlich, eternal seeker, et al busy.
How bout elitely trained but young dragons in service to the Light of Siberys? An army of young dragons, trained enough to possibly hit demi-gods and damage them, but hell, they're just children.