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Frosty
2009-03-24, 11:58 PM
I'm thinking of running a campaign based in the city of Stormreach and its surroundings. I have the Stormreach sourcebook itself and can get access to the Eberron Campaign Setting if need be. How well do I need to know Eberron before I can run a campaign set in Stormreach? I know very little of the general Eberron fluff except that low-level magic is ubiquitous, high level characters are rare, and that there are these strange things called Dragonmarks.

I don't have a lot of time to prepare...maybe only a few days. I'm not sure I want to wade through the entire ECS. What do I need to know?

Kyeudo
2009-03-25, 12:21 AM
I know very little of the general Eberron fluff except that low-level magic is ubiquitous, high level characters are rare, and that there are these strange things called Dragonmarks.


Eberron has a fair share of higher level characters (they just got done with 100 years of war, so lots of XP for everyone). There are entire orders of level 5-7 characters in many nations and the average level of named characters is 10, with some as high as level 18, so Eberron is replete with high level characters for when you need them, but there are no current epic level characters.

You'll want to better understand Dragonmarks, as their abilities is what drives the magitech commerce of Eberron. The Dragonmarked Houses are big movers and shakers.



I don't have a lot of time to prepare...maybe only a few days. I'm not sure I want to wade through the entire ECS. What do I need to know?

You'll want to know about the Quori and Sarlona, the elves of Aerenal, the continent of Xen'drik, and the Dragonmarked Houses. Possibly Breland as well, since Sharn is the nearest major port to Xen'drik.

Watch Indiana Jones alot.

mohdri
2009-03-25, 12:35 AM
Glancing through some of the relevent "Dragonshards" articles (mostly if not all written by Keith Baker himself) is a great way of famliarizing yourself with certain aspects of Eberron without reading the whole Campaign Setting book.

IMO, understaning the Houses in a Stormreach/Xend'rik campaign, while helpful, is not a absolute must. They do have some power there, in that they fall outside of the Korth Edicts that bind their power in Khorvair (specifically to the old Galifar Kingdom, now gone). But the Storm Lords of Stormreach have all the power there and the Houses can just be very influencal mercantile organizations.

The Dragonmarks are a different story. You probably will want to know more about them, as they open up alot of player options. They're not just a set of (subjectivly) cool feats. They open up prestige classes, magic items, new spell and other things.

sonofzeal
2009-03-25, 12:49 AM
Eberron has a fair share of higher level characters (they just got done with 100 years of war, so lots of XP for everyone). There are entire orders of level 5-7 characters in many nations and the average level of named characters is 10, with some as high as level 18, so Eberron is replete with high level characters for when you need them, but there are no current epic level characters.

I disagree. Compared to most other settings, there's a serious paucity of characters above level 15. When you said that "the average level of named characters is 10", that's probably true, but those "average level 10" characters are the movers and shakers and world leaders, where in most other settings they'd be a dime a dozen. The three most powerful beings in the world that I know of are Vol (Vampire, 16th level Wizard), Jaela (little girl, 18th level Cleric, but only inside Flamekeep), and Oalian (awakened tree, 20th level Druid). All three have heavy limitations on them, and there's really very little else in terms of high level magic. If you need 7th level spells or higher cast for you, you'd better have one of the three who owes you a favour.

Kyeudo
2009-03-25, 12:56 AM
There's also a 17th level wizard somewhere out in the Shadow Marches, but I guess I see your point. It's definately not the Forgotten Realms, where you can't throw a rock without hitting an epic level spellcaster.

mohdri
2009-03-25, 01:06 AM
Mordain the Fleshweaver. I think he's an elf trasmuter.

And finding a 15+ level character is rare, though not impossible (there's a 17-18 level commoner chef in Sharn somewhere) in Khorvair.

Outside Khorvair however... (a CR 36 named dragon with his CR 36 Efreet ninja 20 minion in "Dragons of Eberron" is a nice epic threat).

And don't forget, Vol is also a half (green) dragon too.

Random NPC
2009-03-25, 01:08 AM
To run something on Stormreach

- Know what Xend'rik is, and everything about it, even the history
- Know about the Dragonmarked houses
- Know about Galifar, the five nations and Sharn
- Know about Quori and Sorlana and what they want (they want your soul)
- Know what a Dragonshard is
- Know what the lolipope is (just because it's always useful to know your level 18 lolis)

Kyeudo
2009-03-25, 01:14 AM
Mordain the Fleshweaver. I think he's an elf trasmuter.

And finding a 15+ level character is rare, though not impossible (there's a 17-18 level commoner chef in Sharn somewhere) in Khorvair.

Outside Khorvair however... (a CR 36 named dragon with his CR 36 Efreet ninja 20 minion in "Dragons of Eberron" is a nice epic threat).

And don't forget, Vol is also a half (green) dragon too.

Some of the Sarlonnan Psions and Psychic Warriors are nasty too. Several are also possessed by CR 20ish demons, so they have those spell like abilities and ability boosts to play with.

Frosty
2009-03-25, 01:19 AM
To run something on Stormreach

- Know what Xend'rik is, and everything about it, even the history
- Know about the Dragonmarked houses
- Know about Galifar, the five nations and Sharn
- Know about Quori and Sorlana and what they want (they want your soul)
- Know what a Dragonshard is
- Know what the lolipope is (just because it's always useful to know your level 18 lolis)

What is Galifar? One of the nations?
I presume Quori and Sorlano are people.
Dragonshards are...items? Which book do I read to find out more about them?
Lolipope = attract young high level cleric?

sonofzeal
2009-03-25, 01:28 AM
What is Galifar? One of the nations?
I presume Quori and Sorlano are people.
Dragonshards are...items? Which book do I read to find out more about them?
Lolipope = attract young high level cleric?
Galifar = dude who drew up the treaty that ended the last great war. Apparently I haven't read ECS in too long.

Quori are creatures from the world of dreams; Sorlano I don't know.

Dragonshards are items, yes, but somehow connected to "The Prophesy" or somesuch that nobody really knows much about. Anything to do with dragons is all "prophesy" this and "mysterious" that.

Lolipope = Jaela, who I already mentioned. Little jailbait girl who happens to be tapped into awesome divine energy as long as she's in her little Vatican castle. Does her best to be a wise and benevolent ruler, but... yeah, loli much.

Venerable
2009-03-25, 01:29 AM
What to read? Eberron Campaign Setting: introduction, chaps. 1-3 (races, classes, dragonmarks, action points, feats); skim chapter 4 (prestige classes) if characters start at low levels. Read chapter 5 (magic). You can postpone chapter 6 (adventuring equipment) for a session or two (read the sections on "transport" and "services and spellcasting", though). Chapter 7 (Life in the World): read the introduction, the section on Breland, and "Beyond Khorvaire" for a general overview of the world. Read the timeline to understand how the giants shaped the history of Xen'drik. Skim chapter 8 (Organizations) to get a feel for the major powers in Eberron. Read chapter 9 (An Eberron Campaign) to get a feel for the style of play Eberron was designed for. Skim chapters 10 (Magic Items -- dragonshards are here) and 11 (Monsters).

And of course, read the Stormreach book.

I don't think you'll need detailed info about Sarlona and the Quori right at the beginning of a campaign set in Stormreach, unless you plan some Quori involvement in Stormreach's affairs. (I'm not that familiar with Stormreach, so take this with a pinch of salt.)

Kyeudo
2009-03-25, 01:37 AM
What is Galifar? One of the nations?


The nation that shattered apart into the current mass of nations. The Last War was the civil war that tore Galifar apart.



I presume Quori and Sorlano are people.


Sarlona is a continent, notable for having more psionic characters than ordinary spellcasters.

Quori are living nightmares from the plane of dreams.



Dragonshards are...items? Which book do I read to find out more about them?


Yes, and they are in the core book. A quick primer:

Eberron Dragonshards deal with ambient magic. They are used to power and enhance spells. They blood red with black veins and are mined like geodes.

Syberis Dragonshards deal with internal magic. They are used to power and enhance spell-like abilities and other internal abilities, like Dragonmarks and psionics. They are white with gold veins and fall from the sky and land in Xen'drik and Argonessen. These are one of the big industries in Stormreach.

Khyber Dragonshards deal with extraplanar magic. They are used to bind demons and elementals and are one of the key components in many of Eberrons major magical artifacts, like the lightning rail and skyships. They are dark blue with black veins and found in the depths of Khyber (think Underdark, but worse).



Lolipope = attract young high level cleric?

Right on the money. Jaela is an 18th level Cleric, is about 12 years old, and is the head of a major religion.

Random NPC
2009-03-25, 01:38 AM
What is Galifar? One of the nations?
I presume Quori and Sorlano are people.
Dragonshards are...items? Which book do I read to find out more about them?
Lolipope = attract young high level cleric?

Galifar was the name of the kingdom in which the Five Nations were. Now Galifar is lost and the Five Nations are only four, except that they have also become like 12 due to independence, rebellion or otherwise.

Quori are the name of the outsiders from the plane of dreams. Sorlana is a country technically ruled by them, but no one knows.. Quori want to get some Xendrik goodies

Dragonshards are shards of the Three Big Dragons. Eberron, Syberis and Khyber. They either enhance, bind or attune magical powers.

The Lolipope is a 12 year old Religious leader that lives really far away and has nothing to do with Stormreach, but it is good to know because you ALWAYS want to know them 18 level Lolis

All of this is found our your trusty Eberron Campaign Setting.

Pages you might want

- 5, it contains the index :smallwink:
- 224, History of the world
- 223, contains info of Xen'drik
- 142, contains info on Breland, the closest thing to the main continent where people live
- 259, contains info on magic items and Dragonshards
- 62, information on Dragonmarks
- 231, information on the Actual Dragonmark houses


That's all you need I think. BUT!!!

I would suggest reading the whole Campaign Setting. It's awesome, my favorite world and it has a lot of cool info.

Teron
2009-03-25, 02:02 AM
What is Galifar? One of the nations?
The empire that collapsed into a hundred year civil war because of really stupid succession rules, ultimately leading to the current geo-political situations in Khorvaire.


I presume Quori and Sorlano are people.
The Quori are the primary inhabitants of Dal Quor, the plane of dreams. In short, they're lawful evil, psionic nightmare spirits who can only interact with Eberron through dreams and by possessing willing humans, and want to force the entire world into 1984-esque stasis to keep their mutable home plane in its current state. Sarlona is a continent, the bulk of which consists of the fascist, isolationist nation of Riedra. Riedra is secretly ruled by the Quori through psychic influence and the trope-naming Path of Inspiration (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PathOfInspiration). Sarlona also includes Adar, a mountain refuge-nation that's essentially Tibet to Riedra's China and the main home of the Kalashtar. Together, they accounts for the majority of psionic content in Eberron.


Dragonshards are...items? Which book do I read to find out more about them?
Dragonshards are three kinds of crystals used in the creation of many magic items. Mechanically, they're mostly assumed to be covered by the generic gold cost of item crafting, but they have an important place in the fluff as a sort of oil equivalent.


Lolipope = attract young high level cleric?
That's a fan nickname for Jaela Daran, the Keeper of the Flame, spiritual leader of one of Eberron's major religions. As it happens, she's eleven years old.

I really recommend reading the Eberron Campaign Setting book. In fact, I'd say it's the only book you really need, with others being largely optional.

EDIT: I guess I brought the ninja mob down upon myself by switching tabs to another site for a while partway through writing this post. Oh well.

Frosty
2009-03-25, 02:41 AM
What to read? Eberron Campaign Setting: introduction, chaps. 1-3 (races, classes, dragonmarks, action points, feats); skim chapter 4 (prestige classes) if characters start at low levels. Read chapter 5 (magic). You can postpone chapter 6 (adventuring equipment) for a session or two (read the sections on "transport" and "services and spellcasting", though). Chapter 7 (Life in the World): read the introduction, the section on Breland, and "Beyond Khorvaire" for a general overview of the world. Read the timeline to understand how the giants shaped the history of Xen'drik. Skim chapter 8 (Organizations) to get a feel for the major powers in Eberron. Read chapter 9 (An Eberron Campaign) to get a feel for the style of play Eberron was designed for. Skim chapters 10 (Magic Items -- dragonshards are here) and 11 (Monsters).

And of course, read the Stormreach book.

I don't think you'll need detailed info about Sarlona and the Quori right at the beginning of a campaign set in Stormreach, unless you plan some Quori involvement in Stormreach's affairs. (I'm not that familiar with Stormreach, so take this with a pinch of salt.)

Party will start at level 10 actually. I don't know much about psionics, so I'll try to involve anything to do with that as little as possible.

Oooh...I found a chibi Jaela!
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_899oQMp4EE0/SVmS4MKe3TI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/T5hSYs_jKvc/s320/Jaela.jpg

mohdri
2009-03-25, 10:01 AM
BTW, Galifar is the name of the old Khorvairian kingdom (now broken up), AND the name of it's founder, Galifar ir'Wynarn.

Reidra does have a settlement on the west coast of Xen'drik. But if you're leaving psionics out of this (or at least on the fringe) for now, you can just ignore that it's there.

Another book relevent to a Stormreach campaign is Secrets of Xen'drik. It's a great guide for exploring the rest continent. But you can easily just keep it in the city until you get a chance to read it (and the ECS book which has been already recomended). Beyond that you probably don't need anything else.

Zaq
2009-03-25, 10:58 AM
...Wait, Jaela is already a named D&D character? Really? (I've never read the Eberron fluff.) I was toying with naming one of my future characters Jaela, but I was basing it off of this:

http://dukenostalgia.com/mnd/BSImages/Jaela.jpg

Magi-Nation, anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

(For the record, Magi-Nation came out in late 1999 or 2000. When was Eberron first published? Was it ever 3.0 or was it strictly 3.5?)

Person_Man
2009-03-25, 11:58 AM
There's also a 17th level wizard somewhere out in the Shadow Marches, but I guess I see your point. It's definately not the Forgotten Realms, where you can't throw a rock without hitting an epic level spellcaster.

Or a god or goddess that's just walking around, depending on the historical time period your setting is in.

Anywho, you can also just start the campaign in a prison or deep dungeon. Let the PCs spend the first couple of weeks escaping and whatnot, apart from the larger campaign world. That will give you more time to familiarize yourself with everything.

chiasaur11
2009-03-25, 12:11 PM
Party will start at level 10 actually. I don't know much about psionics, so I'll try to involve anything to do with that as little as possible.

Wow, level ten?

If what I've read is right, that means those guys start as persons of significant interest.

Just a few more levels, and they can get a good solid cult going.

Kyeudo
2009-03-25, 02:06 PM
Reidra does have a settlement on the west coast of Xen'drik. But if you're leaving psionics out of this (or at least on the fringe) for now, you can just ignore that it's there.


Actually, there are 2 major kinds of ruins in Xen'drik: Giant Ruins (with accompanying elf slave barracks) and Quori Ruins, from their previous invasion attempt on the Material Plane. Reidra also really, really likes Siberys Dragonshards, so they are working to expand their operations in Xen'drik. They've even got a hablanai set up down there (the only one outside of Sarlona).

Psionics is available and perfectly usable through the SRD if needed. PM me if you want a quick primer on it.

Frosty
2009-03-25, 11:08 PM
Wow, level ten?

If what I've read is right, that means those guys start as persons of significant interest.

Just a few more levels, and they can get a good solid cult going.

They will start off just getting off of a ship, and not captured or anything. Assuming that they are not that well known to begin with (some groups might be fairly interested, but they're not famous to most people), what might their first day be like?

And yes, I'd like a primer on psionics plz!

chiasaur11
2009-03-25, 11:11 PM
Hey, I ain't read much.

Basically, if you read this whole thread, you and I are about even.

Oh, and there are dinosaurs and magic robots.

Colmarr
2009-03-25, 11:27 PM
Wow, level ten?

Chia has a point.

Eberron (at least according to the fluff) sort of caps out at about level 12 to 13.

Above that, PCs are more powerful than almost any other living opponent, and there aren't many of anything in the world that can challenge them.

I suspect that was in large part intentional, because Baker knew that the sweet spot for 3.5 ended at around level 12.

You might want to consider starting your Eberron campaign at a lower level.

Bugbeartrap
2009-03-25, 11:28 PM
Ok, the closest thing to Stormreach is Tortuga from Pirates of the Carribean mixed with Mos Eisley. The city is ruled by the Coin Lords who work together (and against each other) to control, loosely, the city. It's got few protections, little restriction, and a badass crew of warforged police. Pretty much only outright lethal violence is illegal. I know its cliche, but after a few hours in Stormreach, the PCs are probably going to get into a tavern brawl, whether they started it or not. You could find almost anything in Stormreach, and expect to.

Let's not forget Xen'drik's long history. You could have Giant ruin's, elf slave ruins, quori ruins, and tribal drow.

Kalirren
2009-03-25, 11:58 PM
In Eberron, being level 10 and not somewhat famous is almost a contradiction. Either there's a good reason for them to be obscure as a group, or at least one of them can be expected to have some renown.

If word gets around that 4 dudes of approximately level 10 competence are running around in Stormreach, which is basically the Eberronian equivalent of Alexandria/Damascus crossed with Hong Kong/Shanghai, pretty much everyone in the city is going to be wondering who rented the heavy artillery and whom it's going to be fired upon.

Frosty
2009-03-26, 02:03 AM
Well, this group has kinda been working incognito for the past like...6 levels. People know of a powerful group (3 people) who suddenly disappeared from Sharn, never to be seen again. 3 years later, the group resurfaces in Stormreach, ditching their past aliases, disguises, etc.

sonofzeal
2009-03-26, 02:12 AM
Well, this group has kinda been working incognito for the past like...6 levels. People know of a powerful group (3 people) who suddenly disappeared from Sharn, never to be seen again. 3 years later, the group resurfaces in Stormreach, ditching their past aliases, disguises, etc.
You're going to have a severe "shopkeeper dilemma" on your hands. Basically, the PCs are going to be way stronger than most of the shopkeepers, bouncers, palace guards, and hired hitmen in the area. If they clue in to this (which they might not), then they might start abusing that power and looting rather than buying, or staging a coup. You'll need to have a deterrent prepared, something that'll encourage them to keep a low profile, or some dangerous entity (a dragon in human form would work, as Eberron dragons are t3h h4x0rz). And you'll need to have this set up before they get the idea in the first place, or things can fall apart fast.

Otherwise, sure, go for it.

Frosty
2009-03-26, 02:19 AM
Well, their previous identities have...numerous enemies, shall we say? If they don't keep a low profile, people willl start figuring things out sooner or later.

Kyeudo
2009-03-26, 02:21 AM
You're going to have a severe "shopkeeper dilemma" on your hands. Basically, the PCs are going to be way stronger than most of the shopkeepers, bouncers, palace guards, and hired hitmen in the area. If they clue in to this (which they might not), then they might start abusing that power and looting rather than buying, or staging a coup. You'll need to have a deterrent prepared, something that'll encourage them to keep a low profile, or some dangerous entity (a dragon in human form would work, as Eberron dragons are t3h h4x0rz). And you'll need to have this set up before they get the idea in the first place, or things can fall apart fast.

Otherwise, sure, go for it.

Oh please. A House Kundarak vault is 1) secure enough to thwart most mid-level adventurers and 2) a great place to make an enemy of a Dragonmarked House.

Loot one of their vaults and dwarven hit squads will start coming out of the woodwork as they try to recover the funds. Kundarak has a reputation to maintain and they don't mess around with security. Everything that can be trapped will be trapped. And then some.

sonofzeal
2009-03-26, 02:30 AM
Oh please. A House Kundarak vault is 1) secure enough to thwart most mid-level adventurers and 2) a great place to make an enemy of a Dragonmarked House.

Loot one of their vaults and dwarven hit squads will start coming out of the woodwork as they try to recover the funds. Kundarak has a reputation to maintain and they don't mess around with security. Everything that can be trapped will be trapped. And then some.
Not necessarily a Kundarak Vault (though a bunch of low/mid level dwarves is starting to lose its threat at this level), but there's plenty of juicy targets lying around if they work up the nerve. I'm just saying, at that level they're starting to be fairly big fish in a moderately small pond, and the problem's going to get worse as they level up. By level 15 at the latest, I'd expect they could get a nice "protection" racket going on with Kundarak itself.

vegetalss4
2009-03-26, 02:46 AM
Well, this group has kinda been working incognito for the past like...6 levels. People know of a powerful group (3 people) who suddenly disappeared from Sharn, never to be seen again. 3 years later, the group resurfaces in Stormreach, ditching their past aliases, disguises, etc.

while this explains why they aren't THAT well known, at least here if they where from another area.
know two things

1. they are as a group going to be able to take on the champions of the various nations (their best soldier)
2. some of the movers and shaker WILL know about them. even if they did
work incognito some of the dragonmarked houses, specifically house Phirlan and house Thuranni, as they have too many spies to count, and then there's the Qouri. you can't really hide from THEM (they find you in your dreams)

Kyeudo
2009-03-26, 11:02 AM
Not necessarily a Kundarak Vault (though a bunch of low/mid level dwarves is starting to lose its threat at this level), but there's plenty of juicy targets lying around if they work up the nerve. I'm just saying, at that level they're starting to be fairly big fish in a moderately small pond, and the problem's going to get worse as they level up. By level 15 at the latest, I'd expect they could get a nice "protection" racket going on with Kundarak itself.

And then the Silver Keys bust down their doors in the middle of the night and fill them full of crossbow bolts in the suprise round. There are people who have taken all ten levels of the house's dragonmark prestige class, you know. Heck, the House's head is level 14 and he's just a bureaucrat.

Venerable
2009-03-26, 01:12 PM
Yeah, having adventurers start at high level will change the nature of the campaign. You'll have to familiarize yourself with the various power blocs (dragonmarked houses, nations, religious orders, secret societies, etc) sooner, because they will want to either control the characters or kill them. No way will these groups leave a bunch of high-level adventurers running around mucking up their carefully crafted long-term schemes.

You may not need to worry about this for the first adventure, if the adventure doesn't directly affect the powers that be (e.g. a dungeon crawl). But a bunch of adventurers returning to Stormreach with a fair-sized haul of treasure after being gone for a few days/weeks will definitely get talked about. And as soon as you involve one power bloc, all the rest are going to know about it.

Keld Denar
2009-03-26, 01:40 PM
Everything you've ever wanted to know about causing mischief in Ebberon, but were afraid to ask. (http://www.angelfire.com/dragon3/captainjarlot/index.html)

Beware, free up your schedule, this could take a while. Its TOTALLY worth it though!



You will not refer to a wand of fireballs as your "Boom Stick"

Frosty
2009-03-27, 10:45 PM
Pontiff Jaela is not to be referred to as "Ruri" or "Rei Ayanami" :smallbiggrin:

Now, does it make a difference that one of the group's main goals is to eventually carve out and form an entirely new nation in Xendrik? And that they plan on making lots of creation forges and make lots of Warforged? As free citizens, not soldiers bred for war mind you, but the other nations might see that as a threat.

Raging Gene Ray
2009-03-27, 11:05 PM
Dragonshards are...items? Which book do I read to find out more about them?
Lolipope = attract young high level cleric?

Like a lion kills an antelope...
Like a hammer hits a cantelope....
Like a neck in a hanging rope...
Like a germ in a microscope...
Like a cutter opens up an envelope...
Jaela is the LOLIPOPE!!!

Let me give you a quick background on the Silver Flame.
Eberron was once ruled by Demons...in an age known appropriately as the Age of Demons. The Demons were beaten into remission by the Couatls and the Dragons (BTW, Dragons can be of any alignment in Ebberon. Chromatics are not necessarily Evil and Metallics are not always Good).
Anyhow, one day a Paladin saw a Couatls locked in combat with a Demon. She did the paragon of virtue thing and threw herself into the fray, where her soul joined with the Couatls and overpowered the demon. These two united souls formed a Silver Flame, which is enshrined in Thrane, home of Jaela the Lolipope.

Now, the Silver Flame directed its paladins to wipe out all Lycanthorpes with extreme prejudice. Unfortunately, this led to many innocent Shifters (Lycantorpe descendants) being slaughtered needlessly. Eventually, the Shifter Druids formed a group called the Lorekeepers, whose job was to act as diplomats between the Shifters and "uncivilized" races and the Silver Flamers to make sure such a tragedy never happened again.

The Paladins and many other Lawful Goods followed the teachings of the Silver Flame, believing that their own souls would join their new god after their deaths.

Unbeknownest (is that a word?) to them, the Silver Flame contained not only the paladin and the Couatl, but the original demon still lived on in it. The demon took great pleasure in twisting the good intentions into zealotry, fueling the hatred of Shapechangers, turning justice into spite and all that.

Jaela the Lolipope greatly mourns how many of the Silver Flame's followers have been corrupted by this demon. Still, she must please the rest of the Church. The majority of the Silver Flamers consider the idea that the demon still survives in the Flame to be blasphemy. This makes the demon happy. It keeps the suspicion off of him.

Da Beast
2009-03-28, 02:46 AM
There is potential for high level adventure in Eberron, just not as much as some of WotC's other settings. Lord of Blades works well for mid level characters, Vol is in desperate need of some killing, Riedra is full of high level psychic demons bent on world domination, and if you make it to epic levels the Daelkyr could emerge from Khyber to stir up some chaos. The CR 20 daelkyr in chapter 11 is just the bass stats; most daelkyr will have a bunch of levels on top of that.


:smallbiggrin:

Now, does it make a difference that one of the group's main goals is to eventually carve out and form an entirely new nation in Xendrik? And that they plan on making lots of creation forges and make lots of Warforged? As free citizens, not soldiers bred for war mind you, but the other nations might see that as a threat.

One of the after effects of the magic the giants of Xen'drik used to defeat the Quori is that the land is unstable. An ancient ruin that's in one spot today may have moved across the continent tomorrow and disappeared completely the day after that. Between that and the tribes of murderous giants and drow running around, building a new nation would be risky.

mostlyharmful
2009-03-28, 05:43 AM
Between the Chamber and the Lords of Dust fighting over the prophecy, the Blood of Vol and the Emerald Claw trying to screw everything in general, the political/appocalyptical fallout from the end of the great war, the Cyre fiasco, the founding of the monster nation of Drooam and the Hobgoblin resurgence there's plenty of stuff to be dealing with as a high level PC group without smashing the setting or unleashing hordes of wacky weirdness from Xoriat, Quor or Khyber (although you can do that too).

High level Ebberon is just more political and thoughtful than most settings, the balance of power and the consequences of a groups actions have to be given more thought rather than just slinging spells and playing whack-a-mole with NPCs in the market square. Ebberon does just fine for a high level group if they're careful and mature. If you routinely have to break out the guild hitsquad to keep them in line then maybe FR is more to their taste.

Frosty
2009-03-28, 12:06 PM
See, that's the thing. There are SOOO many different factions and political groups and cults vying for power, and I haven't learned them all yet! Bah! So much to read...

sonofzeal
2009-03-28, 12:39 PM
:smallbiggrin:

Now, does it make a difference that one of the group's main goals is to eventually carve out and form an entirely new nation in Xendrik? And that they plan on making lots of creation forges and make lots of Warforged? As free citizens, not soldiers bred for war mind you, but the other nations might see that as a threat.
We~ell.... creation forges in Xendrik? The Lord of Blades is going to be all up in that shizznit, and he is NOT a pleasant fellow. If Warforged were black, and Khorvaire was 1960's America, then he'd be leading the Black Panthers. There's also rumours he has a creation forge up and running himself. Now, it might be possible for them to get him on their side, or he could object for any number of reasons. Either way, helping or hurting, if Warforged are involved on that level then he will know and he will care.

Devils_Advocate
2009-03-28, 11:39 PM
Only skimmed the thread, so forgive me if I'm repeating anything already mentioned.

Eberron differs from most D&D settings in a lot of the ways that the real world differs from most D&D settings:

- There aren't a bunch of superhumans (i.e. high-level characters) running around.
- Scientific/magical knowledge and power isn't used just for the benefit of a small elite. Maybe it was before, but now there's a middle class. And streetlights that don't need gas.
- It's fairly questionable whether any deities exist. You're certainly not likely to meet one, no matter where you go.

Basically, it's not oddly similar to medieval Europe despite including magic, monsters, and a pantheon of often-opposed interventionist deities (which is questionably plausible). It's closer to, say... the 19th century, but with magical technology, and far more distinct races, and global conspiracies run by evil extraplanar beings and dragons (which is also questionably plausible, but in a refreshingly different way).

A few more points:

- Groups, organizations, and ideologies (races, nations, religions, alignments, etc.) are interrelated in a complicated web, and it's probably misleading to describe an important issue in terms of just two sides. This is largely because single group isn't perfectly unified, but rather divided into various factions and subfactions all the way down to its individual members.
- The setting's creator has mentioned a point that the books perhaps don't get across too well: The dragonmarked houses didn't achieve magical monopolies primarily through their spell-like abilities. After all, those are just things that regular spellcasters can do. (Ooh, you can duplicate the sending spell once per day? Woop dee doo!) The dragonmarks also make it easier to activate various magic items. It's fairly significant that the Mark of Making let House Cannith be the group that developed creation forges and thus the warforged, for example.
- You're probably best off ditching almost all alignment restrictions. Out of the class restrictions in the PHB, none but maybe the Cleric's and the Paladin's made much sense, and Eberron ditches the Cleric's. In that context, disallowing e.g. non-Lawful Bards just seems... even more stupid than it did before.

Frosty
2009-03-29, 01:03 AM
We~ell.... creation forges in Xendrik? The Lord of Blades is going to be all up in that shizznit, and he is NOT a pleasant fellow. If Warforged were black, and Khorvaire was 1960's America, then he'd be leading the Black Panthers. There's also rumours he has a creation forge up and running himself. Now, it might be possible for them to get him on their side, or he could object for any number of reasons. Either way, helping or hurting, if Warforged are involved on that level then he will know and he will care.

Yeah, the Warforged in the group wishes to create his own Creation forges and lead his people to complete freedom. I'm picking up some notions of Zionism here.

Kyeudo
2009-03-29, 01:34 AM
The secrets of creating Warforged was NOT discovered by House Cannith. They only recovered the secret from the ruins of Xen'drik. It was actually the Quori that origionally created the Warforged as cannon fodder in the Quori-Giant War. The Quorcraft Warforged are much cruder, to be sure, but they are the prototypes from which Cannith worked.

This does mean that there are Creation Forges already in Xen'drik. All you need to do is find them, fix them, and get your raw materials (livewood, plenty of iron, rare metals like mithril and adamantine, etc.) to start cranking out your newest civilization of sentient constructs.

The_Snark
2009-03-29, 01:40 AM
There are a number of people who'd be unhappy with creation forges; making new warforged is illegal since the Treaty of Galifar. Breaking the treaty that ended the 100-year-long cataclysmic war is... frowned upon, even before you get to the assumption that they're creating an army. Most people will assume that; warforged are heavily associated with war. Hence the name. A warforged that can't fight is an oxymoron to a lot of people.

In other words, make sure they know to keep it secret. Notable people who might have different feelings about creation forges are House Cannith and the Lord of Blades, both of whom (may) already have their own... but while they're obviously not opposed to creating warforged, that doesn't necessarily mean they'd be friendly. The Lord of Blades might be competition or an ally, depending on your portrayal of him. (His exact goals and history are never fully explained in the books; it's one of those things the setting leaves as mysteries for DMs to fill in if they want, along with the causes of the Mournland.)

ketjak
2009-08-16, 03:26 PM
Does anyone recall the sourcebook that has the value of each of the different dragonshards? I have every Eberron book except Faiths and I just can't recall. Explorers Guide? Argh.

PinkysBrain
2009-08-16, 04:45 PM
You might want to give out Dragon Marks as freebies for anyone willing to write them into their background. It's a nice concept with terrible feats.

PinkysBrain
2009-08-16, 04:49 PM
Yeah, the Warforged in the group wishes to create his own Creation forges and lead his people to complete freedom. I'm picking up some notions of Zionism here.
If he talks about this to other warforged the Lord of Blades will probably try to get him to swear loyalty to him (and otherwise eliminate him as a loose cannon).

AslanCross
2009-08-16, 05:54 PM
Pontiff Jaela is not to be referred to as "Ruri" or "Rei Ayanami."

Never knew where this came from. o_O Jaela doesn't look like either of them.

Anyway, here's a brief primer on some ubiquitous power groups that the PCs are likely to run into no matter where they are in Eberron:

-The Chamber: A draconic agency based in Argonnessen, the continent of dragons. Along with the Eyes of Chronepsis, they pretty much watch the entire planet to watch the Draconic Prophecy unfold and/or delay/hasten its fulfillment. The Draconic Prophecy is deliberately vague and multifaceted, so the DM is free to throw in whatever he wants. It was the dragons who burned Xen'Drik to the ground in the ancient past, so it's likely they might meet the PCs there.

-The Emerald Claw: Think Indiana Jones's Nazis, or Team Rocket (except more competent). They're an agent dedicated to the Blood of Vol, and they're constantly trying to find new and improved (or old and antiquated) ways to further their Lich Queen's agenda. They're originally based in Karrnath, but they go around the world looking for artifacts.

-The Lords of Dust: Rakshasa agents of the imprisoned Demon Overlords who are trying to unleash their masters. Many are Rakshasa or Ak'Chazar Rakshasa with class levels.

-The Dreaming Dark: The Quori rulers who secretly hold the nation of Riedra in their hands. Since Xen'Drik has a lot of Quori heritage, their descendants may be combing Xen'Drik for artifacts of their forebears.

InkEyes
2009-08-16, 06:25 PM
Like a lion kills an antelope...
Like a hammer hits a cantelope....
Like a neck in a hanging rope...
Like a germ in a microscope...
Like a cutter opens up an envelope...
Jaela is the LOLIPOPE!!!

Let me give you a quick background on the Silver Flame.
Eberron was once ruled by Demons...in an age known appropriately as the Age of Demons. The Demons were beaten into remission by the Couatls and the Dragons (BTW, Dragons can be of any alignment in Ebberon. Chromatics are not necessarily Evil and Metallics are not always Good).
Anyhow, one day a Paladin saw a Couatls locked in combat with a Demon. She did the paragon of virtue thing and threw herself into the fray, where her soul joined with the Couatls and overpowered the demon. These two united souls formed a Silver Flame, which is enshrined in Thrane, home of Jaela the Lolipope.

Now, the Silver Flame directed its paladins to wipe out all Lycanthorpes with extreme prejudice. Unfortunately, this led to many innocent Shifters (Lycantorpe descendants) being slaughtered needlessly. Eventually, the Shifter Druids formed a group called the Lorekeepers, whose job was to act as diplomats between the Shifters and "uncivilized" races and the Silver Flamers to make sure such a tragedy never happened again.

The Paladins and many other Lawful Goods followed the teachings of the Silver Flame, believing that their own souls would join their new god after their deaths.

Unbeknownest (is that a word?) to them, the Silver Flame contained not only the paladin and the Couatl, but the original demon still lived on in it. The demon took great pleasure in twisting the good intentions into zealotry, fueling the hatred of Shapechangers, turning justice into spite and all that.

Jaela the Lolipope greatly mourns how many of the Silver Flame's followers have been corrupted by this demon. Still, she must please the rest of the Church. The majority of the Silver Flamers consider the idea that the demon still survives in the Flame to be blasphemy. This makes the demon happy. It keeps the suspicion off of him.

Most of what you said about the Church of the Silver Flame is accurate, but I'd like to correct a few points: First off, the Silver Flame itself wasn't created when a random paladin wandered across a couatl and demon fighting and hopped in the fray. The few couatls left in Eberron (most were wiped out in the ancient demon war) are the jailers of the demon princes now imprisoned in Eberron. The paladin, Tira Miron, met one in a dream. The couatl warned her that the bonds of a particularly nasty demon prince were coming lose, so she assembled an army to wage war against its minions. The demon prince himself could only manifest as a pillar of red flame, and when his forces were beaten back the Couatl and Tira dove into the flame and merged with it to stop him from emerging.

Also, the Eberron source books I've read were never explicit about the demon speaking through the flame and inspiring the purge of lycanthropes. I always thought that was left more open to allow DMs to spin the church however they felt was appropriate.

To the OP: it really is important to read all of the fluffy chapters of the Eberron Campaign Setting, or at least the stuff most relevant to what you include in the game. All sorts of valuable information is spread throughout it and that can make it hard to find information on parts of the setting without some digging. For instance, you wouldn't know that Vol, Half-Green Dragon Lich/Head of the Blood of Vol religion, is also the last heir of the thirteenth dragonmark (the mark of death) if you didn't read the section of the ECS that talks about the Lhazaar Principalities in addition to all the sections on the Blood of Vol. :smalleek:

Roland St. Jude
2009-08-16, 08:05 PM
Does anyone recall the sourcebook that has the value of each of the different dragonshards? I have every Eberron book except Faiths and I just can't recall. Explorers Guide? Argh.

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