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Thinking about adventuring in Eberron

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
kimura121
Jan 14, 2009 0:00:12 I'm a long time dnd junkie and my group just ended a 4th edition game that got us to level 7. We love 4th edition for the most part, but the new GM(we rotate) wants to run something beyond the cookie cutter fantasy world
and can't be bothered to create an entire custom world.

We think we might want to play an Eberron game but none of us have much background with the world. My vague and limited view of it amounts to DnD meets bladerunner which i think is great. i love the idea behind warforged and
it's real work implications!

My question is : What is the best way to get a feel for the world if we are gonna play a 4th edition game? Should i buy the the 3.5 source book or read some novels? Wait for the 4th edition source book? i know shifters and warforged have stats for 4th and the artificer has a preview but is that enough to run the game? Where should i start and what are some good campaign pointers? Any highlights or core story elements that should be used? what does eberron smell like?
#2
Alas
Jan 14, 2009 8:19:06
What is the best way to get a feel for the world if we are gonna play a 4th edition game? Should i buy the the 3.5 source book or read some novels? Wait for the 4th edition source book?

It's going to be about 6 months until the 4th edition source books come out. I think the 3.5 ECS is still a good buy (should be cheaper now, too) with plenty of fluff that will stand regardless of the rules behind it. You can also read a ton of stuff for free in the Eberron archives-- a lot of it from the creator himself. There's 4 years worth of articles there, everything from overviews of the campaign world to story hooks for forgotten corners.
I know shifters and warforged have stats for 4th and the artificer has a preview but is that enough to run the game?

You may have to do a little palette swapping here and there. For instance, Dragonmarks are a big part of the setting, and no 4th edition rules for them exist yet. However, there have been a few optional rules like spellscars from Forgotten Realms and bloodline feats from the recent dhampyr article that could be adapted to represent the marks. If memory serves, the artificer has rules through 10th level, so as long as your party doesn't level up too fast, the playtest might serve well until the full class comes out in the summer.

Also, you've come to the right boards to ask about homebrew solutions for missing chunks. Everybody's got their favorite bit of Eberron, and most are more than happy to share their 4th ed kalashtar or Phantom Knight.

Where should i start and what are some good campaign pointers?

If the players are familiar enough with the setting, I like to ask them what part(s) of the world they want to see. Eberron in particular is supposed to be very travel-friendly, so the party has a good chance to see the Mournland one session and Xen'drik the next. I think Sharn and Stormreach are ideal places to start, since the former is a transportation hub and the latter is a jumping off point into the unknown. Starting from there, your characters could really go anywhere they wanted.

What does Eberron smell like?

Saltwater, dinosaur hide, and curry.
#3
Ogiwan
Jan 15, 2009 11:07:45
Saltwater, dinosaur hide, and curry.

I dunno. If you're in Sharn, it will smell like rain, cheap liquor, and pulp.

Eberron si teh win, though. If you don't mind reading novels, the Inquisitive series and the Heirs of Ash stand out. Other series vary in awesome.
#4
thaliost
Jan 22, 2009 10:19:06 You definitely want to look thru the 3.5 Campaign Setting. It will give you a general idea of Eberron. At first glance, Eberron is a high-tech world where savage species mingle with the civilized. This, along with the various views about the religions and the struggles within them, would be sufficient contents for Eberron newbies to explore.

However, if you want to go further and see what darkness truly lurks beneath the world, read Secrets of Sarlona and Dragons of Eberron, and see what the great Prophecy is all about, and what evil schemes are in the making in the far horizon.
#5
herogoeth
Jan 22, 2009 11:20:16 You might want to have your DM run the Keep on The Shadowfell - Eberron Conversion. If he has never run or played in an Eberron game before, skimming through the ESC and then running the converted adventure will give him a good taste of what the world can be like. Mix that in with some ideas here on the boards and he should be set.
#6
Gilo
Jan 22, 2009 20:23:45
You might want to have your DM run the Keep on The Shadowfell - Eberron Conversion. If he has never run or played in an Eberron game before, skimming through the ESC and then running the converted adventure will give him a good taste of what the world can be like. Mix that in with some ideas here on the boards and he should be set.

I must disagree on that point herogoeth. I run Keep on the Shadowfell with the Eberron conversion (plus added more Eberron themed ideas of my own), yet looking back I feel that it lacked the true Eberron adventure spirit.

KotS is a good 4e showcase but I think its better to convert a 3.5 Eberron adventure (like The Forgotten Forge in the ECS) to 4e in order to showcase the Eberron theme.
#7
rauric
Jan 22, 2009 21:26:46 Buy the Sharn, Stormrach, Xendrick, Forge of War, and 5 Nations books. These are useful and are somewhat "edition free".
#8
thaliost
Jan 22, 2009 23:04:40 I did convert the forgotten forge to 4E and that went pretty well. I made Saber a level 2 solo warlord with 12 minion warforged warriors. Encounters with the dwarf sarge and the goblin merchant are made into skill challenges. And these all went smoothly.
#9
herogoeth
Jan 27, 2009 15:11:13 Agreed, Gilo. The Forgotten Forge is much heavier on the Eberron flavor, and I personally love it as a showcase. But Kimura mentioned that the DM is not interested in doing a great deal of work. Converting an adventure from one edition to another on one's own is certainly more work than reading an in-edition campaign flavor conversion.

KoTS is something that can be run quickly. Now if there is already a conversion doc that has been put together, by all means, Forgotten Forge is the way to go; but if the person running your game is the type that might decide not to run Eberron simply because there isn't enough material in 4E yet and Forgotten Forge isn't an option, KoTS is not a bad way to start.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 kimura121 Jan 14, 2009 0:00:12	I'm a long time dnd junkie and my group just ended a 4th edition game that got us to level 7. We love 4th edition for the most part, but the new GM(we rotate) wants to run something beyond the cookie cutter fantasy world and can't be bothered to create an entire custom world. We think we might want to play an Eberron game but none of us have much background with the world. My vague and limited view of it amounts to DnD meets bladerunner which i think is great. i love the idea behind warforged and it's real work implications! My question is : What is the best way to get a feel for the world if we are gonna play a 4th edition game? Should i buy the the 3.5 source book or read some novels? Wait for the 4th edition source book? i know shifters and warforged have stats for 4th and the artificer has a preview but is that enough to run the game? Where should i start and what are some good campaign pointers? Any highlights or core story elements that should be used? what does eberron smell like?
#2 Alas Jan 14, 2009 8:19:06	What is the best way to get a feel for the world if we are gonna play a 4th edition game? Should i buy the the 3.5 source book or read some novels? Wait for the 4th edition source book? It's going to be about 6 months until the 4th edition source books come out. I think the 3.5 ECS is still a good buy (should be cheaper now, too) with plenty of fluff that will stand regardless of the rules behind it. You can also read a ton of stuff for free in the Eberron archives-- a lot of it from the creator himself. There's 4 years worth of articles there, everything from overviews of the campaign world to story hooks for forgotten corners. I know shifters and warforged have stats for 4th and the artificer has a preview but is that enough to run the game? You may have to do a little palette swapping here and there. For instance, Dragonmarks are a big part of the setting, and no 4th edition rules for them exist yet. However, there have been a few optional rules like spellscars from Forgotten Realms and bloodline feats from the recent dhampyr article that could be adapted to represent the marks. If memory serves, the artificer has rules through 10th level, so as long as your party doesn't level up too fast, the playtest might serve well until the full class comes out in the summer. Also, you've come to the right boards to ask about homebrew solutions for missing chunks. Everybody's got their favorite bit of Eberron, and most are more than happy to share their 4th ed kalashtar or Phantom Knight. Where should i start and what are some good campaign pointers? If the players are familiar enough with the setting, I like to ask them what part(s) of the world they want to see. Eberron in particular is supposed to be very travel-friendly, so the party has a good chance to see the Mournland one session and Xen'drik the next. I think Sharn and Stormreach are ideal places to start, since the former is a transportation hub and the latter is a jumping off point into the unknown. Starting from there, your characters could really go anywhere they wanted. What does Eberron smell like? Saltwater, dinosaur hide, and curry.
#3 Ogiwan Jan 15, 2009 11:07:45	Saltwater, dinosaur hide, and curry. I dunno. If you're in Sharn, it will smell like rain, cheap liquor, and pulp. Eberron si teh win, though. If you don't mind reading novels, the Inquisitive series and the Heirs of Ash stand out. Other series vary in awesome.
#4 thaliost Jan 22, 2009 10:19:06	You definitely want to look thru the 3.5 Campaign Setting. It will give you a general idea of Eberron. At first glance, Eberron is a high-tech world where savage species mingle with the civilized. This, along with the various views about the religions and the struggles within them, would be sufficient contents for Eberron newbies to explore. However, if you want to go further and see what darkness truly lurks beneath the world, read Secrets of Sarlona and Dragons of Eberron, and see what the great Prophecy is all about, and what evil schemes are in the making in the far horizon.
#5 herogoeth Jan 22, 2009 11:20:16	You might want to have your DM run the Keep on The Shadowfell - Eberron Conversion. If he has never run or played in an Eberron game before, skimming through the ESC and then running the converted adventure will give him a good taste of what the world can be like. Mix that in with some ideas here on the boards and he should be set.
#6 Gilo Jan 22, 2009 20:23:45	You might want to have your DM run the Keep on The Shadowfell - Eberron Conversion. If he has never run or played in an Eberron game before, skimming through the ESC and then running the converted adventure will give him a good taste of what the world can be like. Mix that in with some ideas here on the boards and he should be set. I must disagree on that point herogoeth. I run Keep on the Shadowfell with the Eberron conversion (plus added more Eberron themed ideas of my own), yet looking back I feel that it lacked the true Eberron adventure spirit. KotS is a good 4e showcase but I think its better to convert a 3.5 Eberron adventure (like The Forgotten Forge in the ECS) to 4e in order to showcase the Eberron theme.
#7 rauric Jan 22, 2009 21:26:46	Buy the Sharn, Stormrach, Xendrick, Forge of War, and 5 Nations books. These are useful and are somewhat "edition free".
#8 thaliost Jan 22, 2009 23:04:40	I did convert the forgotten forge to 4E and that went pretty well. I made Saber a level 2 solo warlord with 12 minion warforged warriors. Encounters with the dwarf sarge and the goblin merchant are made into skill challenges. And these all went smoothly.
#9 herogoeth Jan 27, 2009 15:11:13	Agreed, Gilo. The Forgotten Forge is much heavier on the Eberron flavor, and I personally love it as a showcase. But Kimura mentioned that the DM is not interested in doing a great deal of work. Converting an adventure from one edition to another on one's own is certainly more work than reading an in-edition campaign flavor conversion. KoTS is something that can be run quickly. Now if there is already a conversion doc that has been put together, by all means, Forgotten Forge is the way to go; but if the person running your game is the type that might decide not to run Eberron simply because there isn't enough material in 4E yet and Forgotten Forge isn't an option, KoTS is not a bad way to start.