The Mournland Express - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

The Mournland Express

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
rekko
May 15, 2009 7:03:40 It has been a while since we had our last Eberron article, and with the 4E books coming out in the next months we are giving some article to help us go through the last days of waiting.

I personally don't have a DDI subscription and haven't read the article. However, I must say I'm very curious of hearing what people think about it and of the previews starting on monday.

So, does it give hints of how healing works in the Mournland? Does it gives you hooks on how to run a battle on a train?

Rekko
#2
rauric
May 15, 2009 7:44:01 It is a cool article about a Lrail that goes near the Mournlands and describes some of the NPCs that run it. It also shows and details the carts of a Lrail.
I liked it.
#3
davethebrave371
May 15, 2009 9:01:08 This is a great article, for sure. The interpersonal relationships of the NPCs and all the great hooks make me drool at the thought of our RP-intensive group tackling this particular lightning rail's challenges and mysteries.
#4
AvonRekaes
May 15, 2009 11:26:00 I thought it was an okay article. The dragonmarked Orien npc has some really interesting teleportation powers.
There were also battle-scale maps of all the carts, which I thought was okay. They didn't seem especially inspired though.

There was also zero player content. A wondrous item or two, or maybe the lightning rail itself written up in the Adventurer's Vault vehicle stat block style, would have made me upgrade the article from "meh" to "pretty cool".

My major nitpick with the article is that one of the NPCs has a fake dragonmark "tattooed" on him to fool his house. While it was possible to forge a dragonmark with a high forgery check in 3.5, I believe it required an Arcane Mark to do. Whether I am mistaken about that or not, I wish the author had made the process of faking a dragonmark not sound so mundane. Sure, the guys lives in fear that he'll be found out, and there's an adventure hook that says someone might be blackmailing him, but he apparently has gotten away with it so far. And there's no implication that the forgery is anything but a mundane tattoo, which wouldn't fool anyone inspecting it.
#5
_radagast__dup
May 15, 2009 11:34:26 Do you think the "Teleportation Savant" power on Alaria is a dragonmark power? Or is that from something else?
#6
Talae
May 15, 2009 11:37:42 This seems to be our first glimpse at the way dragonmarks work. The NPCs all belong to one of three houses and have appropriate powers. Nothing spectacular though.
#7
AvonRekaes
May 15, 2009 12:11:18 The Deneith guy has no dragonmarked powers, he's just more or less a "Warlordish" type guy. (His dragonmark is fake)

As for the Cannith guy, his powers might just be "artificerish" rather than Mark of Making. But then again the Mark of Making itself is "artificerish".

Also, I don't believe that dragonmarked NPCs will have the same sorts of powers as PCs.
#8
Talae
May 15, 2009 12:28:08 Good point. I didn't really look into the house Deneith guy too hard and posted before I read the background text on that guy. If I were to use him though, he would definitely have an arcane mark for a tattoo and it wouldn't be mundane.

As for PC vs NPC powers...why would they be different? NPCs get racial powers much in the same way as PCs do. Why would they have two sets of powers?
#9
AvonRekaes
May 15, 2009 12:41:35 Well, some NPCs have been noted to be able to use rituals because of their marks. Some NPCs have thematic abilities in combat. It all just seems... too arbitrary for a PC system. I think it's just the 4e mentality that NPCs don't have to operate in the same system that PCs do.

Also, I'm not sure how much access the author would have to future material to be released in June. He's a freelancer. My assumption is that he just designed the NPCs like you design monsters in 4e. Think of a cool, thematic ability, and give it to them.
#10
Phobos
May 15, 2009 13:41:31 It was a nice article, nothing too deep, nothing too different than what we know of 3.5e Eberron.

Honestly though, hardly DDI material. This is the kind of stuff I expect to see for free on the site. And, I might ad, we use to get for free.
#11
AvonRekaes
May 15, 2009 13:54:12 You know, I think that's it. I'm usually very hesitant to jump on the "THIS ISN'T WORTH PAYING FOR" bandwagon. The only article I ever did that for is the Dungeon Delve one (which was basically an extended Use This Book Tonight).

I'm still not ready to say this article should've been completely free. If anything, the cart maps are purchase-quality. It's just that the rest of the article is rather uninspired.
#12
Talae
May 15, 2009 16:01:27 I felt that the cart maps were nice, but they were small layouts and it bugs me that they put 11 on a page where 12 would clearly fit.
#13
Nived
May 15, 2009 16:13:06 Don't expect this to be a preview of how dragonmarks work.

Remember in 4th edition player abilities =/= monster or NPC abilities.

Expeditionary Dispatches are supposed to serve as backdrops for adventures, and this article succeeds at that greatly. Good 'location', good npcs, good hooks. I wouldn't expect to see items or vehicle rules in a ED article.
#14
rauric
May 15, 2009 20:31:09
Don't expect this to be a preview of how dragonmarks work.

Expeditionary Dispatches are supposed to serve as backdrops for adventures, and this article succeeds at that greatly. Good 'location', good npcs, good hooks. I wouldn't expect to see items or vehicle rules in a ED article.

Exactly. I buy into DDI for the character builder, the awesome compendium and the things I can loot from Dungeon magazine (I am a DM). The campaign stuff is just gravy on the stuffing for me.:D
#15
RedRider
May 17, 2009 14:12:20 I really like the idea of a Ghost Cart forming on the rail though.
Perhaps it could even open out into a whole Ghost Train based on the trains lost during the Mourning. Insane passengers, bizzare non-euclidean cart layouts and at one end or the other, what really happened to Jarick d'Orien.
#16
AvonRekaes
May 17, 2009 15:07:14
I really like the idea of a Ghost Cart forming on the rail though.
Perhaps it could even open out into a whole Ghost Train based on the trains lost during the Mourning. Insane passengers, bizzare non-euclidean cart layouts and at one end or the other, what really happened to Jarick d'Orien.

...You've played Final Fantasy 6, haven't you?

Damn. Now I HAVE to run this.
#17
RedRider
May 17, 2009 15:45:42 Mainly I was drawing on the idea of having someone go into the ghost cart and disappear.
That he tried to leave but ended up opening a door to somewhere completely different...

FF6 could be drawn upon as an inspiration, though I do not reccomend your Fighter should try to punch out a moving train.
#18
AvonRekaes
May 17, 2009 21:16:01 Haha, no, probably not. Though I do like the idea of the PCs being trapped on a ghost train and trying to get to the engine cart at the front, but not being able to just head in a straight line. And once they get there, the lightning elemental is actually a necromental, being a "ghost" along with the rest of the train. They'd probably have to fight it to get the train to disappear and let them fall off (taking a suitably high amount of damage. THink of it as a "when the necromental reaches 0 hp" final attack)
#19
fey_feline
May 23, 2009 19:21:28
I really like the idea of a Ghost Cart forming on the rail though.
Perhaps it could even open out into a whole Ghost Train based on the trains lost during the Mourning. Insane passengers, bizzare non-euclidean cart layouts and at one end or the other, what really happened to Jarick d'Orien.

Ooh.
Fun.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 rekko May 15, 2009 7:03:40	It has been a while since we had our last Eberron article, and with the 4E books coming out in the next months we are giving some article to help us go through the last days of waiting. I personally don't have a DDI subscription and haven't read the article. However, I must say I'm very curious of hearing what people think about it and of the previews starting on monday. So, does it give hints of how healing works in the Mournland? Does it gives you hooks on how to run a battle on a train? Rekko
#2 rauric May 15, 2009 7:44:01	It is a cool article about a Lrail that goes near the Mournlands and describes some of the NPCs that run it. It also shows and details the carts of a Lrail. I liked it.
#3 davethebrave371 May 15, 2009 9:01:08	This is a great article, for sure. The interpersonal relationships of the NPCs and all the great hooks make me drool at the thought of our RP-intensive group tackling this particular lightning rail's challenges and mysteries.
#4 AvonRekaes May 15, 2009 11:26:00	I thought it was an okay article. The dragonmarked Orien npc has some really interesting teleportation powers. There were also battle-scale maps of all the carts, which I thought was okay. They didn't seem especially inspired though. There was also zero player content. A wondrous item or two, or maybe the lightning rail itself written up in the Adventurer's Vault vehicle stat block style, would have made me upgrade the article from "meh" to "pretty cool". My major nitpick with the article is that one of the NPCs has a fake dragonmark "tattooed" on him to fool his house. While it was possible to forge a dragonmark with a high forgery check in 3.5, I believe it required an Arcane Mark to do. Whether I am mistaken about that or not, I wish the author had made the process of faking a dragonmark not sound so mundane. Sure, the guys lives in fear that he'll be found out, and there's an adventure hook that says someone might be blackmailing him, but he apparently has gotten away with it so far. And there's no implication that the forgery is anything but a mundane tattoo, which wouldn't fool anyone inspecting it.
#5 _radagast__dup May 15, 2009 11:34:26	Do you think the "Teleportation Savant" power on Alaria is a dragonmark power? Or is that from something else?
#6 Talae May 15, 2009 11:37:42	This seems to be our first glimpse at the way dragonmarks work. The NPCs all belong to one of three houses and have appropriate powers. Nothing spectacular though.
#7 AvonRekaes May 15, 2009 12:11:18	The Deneith guy has no dragonmarked powers, he's just more or less a "Warlordish" type guy. (His dragonmark is fake) As for the Cannith guy, his powers might just be "artificerish" rather than Mark of Making. But then again the Mark of Making itself is "artificerish". Also, I don't believe that dragonmarked NPCs will have the same sorts of powers as PCs.
#8 Talae May 15, 2009 12:28:08	Good point. I didn't really look into the house Deneith guy too hard and posted before I read the background text on that guy. If I were to use him though, he would definitely have an arcane mark for a tattoo and it wouldn't be mundane. As for PC vs NPC powers...why would they be different? NPCs get racial powers much in the same way as PCs do. Why would they have two sets of powers?
#9 AvonRekaes May 15, 2009 12:41:35	Well, some NPCs have been noted to be able to use rituals because of their marks. Some NPCs have thematic abilities in combat. It all just seems... too arbitrary for a PC system. I think it's just the 4e mentality that NPCs don't have to operate in the same system that PCs do. Also, I'm not sure how much access the author would have to future material to be released in June. He's a freelancer. My assumption is that he just designed the NPCs like you design monsters in 4e. Think of a cool, thematic ability, and give it to them.
#10 Phobos May 15, 2009 13:41:31	It was a nice article, nothing too deep, nothing too different than what we know of 3.5e Eberron. Honestly though, hardly DDI material. This is the kind of stuff I expect to see for free on the site. And, I might ad, we use to get for free.
#11 AvonRekaes May 15, 2009 13:54:12	You know, I think that's it. I'm usually very hesitant to jump on the "THIS ISN'T WORTH PAYING FOR" bandwagon. The only article I ever did that for is the Dungeon Delve one (which was basically an extended Use This Book Tonight). I'm still not ready to say this article should've been completely free. If anything, the cart maps are purchase-quality. It's just that the rest of the article is rather uninspired.
#12 Talae May 15, 2009 16:01:27	I felt that the cart maps were nice, but they were small layouts and it bugs me that they put 11 on a page where 12 would clearly fit.
#13 Nived May 15, 2009 16:13:06	Don't expect this to be a preview of how dragonmarks work. Remember in 4th edition player abilities =/= monster or NPC abilities. Expeditionary Dispatches are supposed to serve as backdrops for adventures, and this article succeeds at that greatly. Good 'location', good npcs, good hooks. I wouldn't expect to see items or vehicle rules in a ED article.
#14 rauric May 15, 2009 20:31:09	Don't expect this to be a preview of how dragonmarks work. Expeditionary Dispatches are supposed to serve as backdrops for adventures, and this article succeeds at that greatly. Good 'location', good npcs, good hooks. I wouldn't expect to see items or vehicle rules in a ED article. Exactly. I buy into DDI for the character builder, the awesome compendium and the things I can loot from Dungeon magazine (I am a DM). The campaign stuff is just gravy on the stuffing for me.:D
#15 RedRider May 17, 2009 14:12:20	I really like the idea of a Ghost Cart forming on the rail though. Perhaps it could even open out into a whole Ghost Train based on the trains lost during the Mourning. Insane passengers, bizzare non-euclidean cart layouts and at one end or the other, what really happened to Jarick d'Orien.
#16 AvonRekaes May 17, 2009 15:07:14	I really like the idea of a Ghost Cart forming on the rail though. Perhaps it could even open out into a whole Ghost Train based on the trains lost during the Mourning. Insane passengers, bizzare non-euclidean cart layouts and at one end or the other, what really happened to Jarick d'Orien. ...You've played Final Fantasy 6, haven't you? Damn. Now I HAVE to run this.
#17 RedRider May 17, 2009 15:45:42	Mainly I was drawing on the idea of having someone go into the ghost cart and disappear. That he tried to leave but ended up opening a door to somewhere completely different... FF6 could be drawn upon as an inspiration, though I do not reccomend your Fighter should try to punch out a moving train.
#18 AvonRekaes May 17, 2009 21:16:01	Haha, no, probably not. Though I do like the idea of the PCs being trapped on a ghost train and trying to get to the engine cart at the front, but not being able to just head in a straight line. And once they get there, the lightning elemental is actually a necromental, being a "ghost" along with the rest of the train. They'd probably have to fight it to get the train to disappear and let them fall off (taking a suitably high amount of damage. THink of it as a "when the necromental reaches 0 hp" final attack)
#19 fey_feline May 23, 2009 19:21:28	I really like the idea of a Ghost Cart forming on the rail though. Perhaps it could even open out into a whole Ghost Train based on the trains lost during the Mourning. Insane passengers, bizzare non-euclidean cart layouts and at one end or the other, what really happened to Jarick d'Orien. Ooh. Fun.