Eberron as a movie?

[Lancaster_Road]

Had the craziest idea ever at work today. Now we all hopefully know that there was a Dungeons and Dragons movie (even though we would probably like to forget). But the campaign setting of Eberron just seems so . . . cinematic and awesome. If there was a movie of it, what do you fellow playgrounders think would be the plot? Who would star?

[X2]

Is it wrong that I thought you meant Eragon?

Yes... yes it is.

(But seriously, tabletop RPGs and cinema = a bad idea)

[FoE]

That could be crazy awesome or gawdawful. But I'm drawing a blank as to the plot.

[Moose Fisher]

Make it a spy movie, only in a fantasy setting.

Exposition would be a problem, depending on how much would need to be explained so people don't get confused when spells and robots start flying.

[Athaniar]

Wasn't Eberron partly based on old movies?

It is an interesting idea, though.

[Cheesegear]

It would be a story about an ethnically diverse group. Consisting of a male Dragonmarked human. His ambiguously gendered Changeling best friend. A female Elf. And their Warforged friend who tags along for the ride.

Together they catch the Lightning Rail across Khorvaire trying to figure out what the male's Dragonmark means and getting up to zany adventures in every stop along the Rail and meeting and making friends with the crazies that catch the train.

Their adventures regard the male's sex life, and his eventual realisation that he's loved the the Elf all along, what the Chageling really wants to be in life, and getting the Warforged to think for himself.

At some point, they end up in Sharn, hilarity ensues. Especially when the Changeling disguises himself as female whilst under the influence of alchohol and the male tries to 'pick up' his best friend. At some point "Can't sleep, Quiori will eat me." must happen.
And the Elf girl must find a guy she really likes to get the male jealous. Why? Don't know. That's how movies work.

The Warforged, at some point, must say "What do I look like? An alchemist?"

Working Title; Eberron; Rail Trip! (Uncut)

[Nameless]

Mr. T would so be a Warforged in an Eberron movie.

"I blast your a$$ foo'!"

[kamikasei]

There are a bunch of stories you could tell, that's how Eberron works. But the most natural fit would probably be a noirish tale starting in Sharn that takes a few detours into other places of interest around Khorvaire.

Our core character is a human paladin/rogue/inquisitive of the Silver Flame investigating a murder in Sharn. He becomes entangled with a changeling wizard and her warforged bodyguard who it turns out are next on the murdering roster for Knowing Too Much. Fleeing Sharn and pursuing a lead, they team up with a Shifter druid and realize that the evil undead plot they thought was responsible for everything is actually a scheme by corrupt elements in the Silver Flame to have Karrnath invade Breland - but everyone is really being played by the Blood of Vol. The climax of the movie features an airship race to a ruined temple in Xen'drik where the MacGuffin that will empower the conspirators to achieve their ends is fought over.

I'm not totally happy with the gender roles and would prefer the warforged to be his own person who "adopts" someone to protect during the story, and I'm not sure how to work in the Quori and a kalashtar hero without overcomplicating it, but you get the idea...

edit: Anyway, let's consider what we'd want to see in one single Eberron movie if it was all we were going to get (no hope of multiple movies to spread things out over).

Warforged and changelings are a must, shifters and kalashtar would be nice but are less distinctive. Including kalashtar kind of demands including Quori as a plot element, if only as a hands-off manipulative force working in the shadows and never fully confronted.

So: our core cast includes a changeling and a warforged, and the extended allies should include a shifter and kalashtar.

It'd be nice to see some of the other races to see their non-standard treatment. Talona halflings, Darguun hobgoblins, Eldeen half-orcs, Valenar/Aerenal elves, Zilargan gnomes. These could all be included as "NPCs", they don't need much spotlight time.

The main character should be human, and it would probably make sense for him to be some kind of detective or in some other way faced with a mystery that he feels an obligation to solve. This means he'd be stepping on the changeling's toes a little bit. Hmmm, it could work if the "hero" is simply a paladin without any rogue skills, the changeling's the rogue who helps him out, and the warforged is the one who takes it upon himself to act as a protector. Maybe the hero's partner or someone he was somehow responsible for is killed, and he's unable to let it go as his superiors think he should, so he starts turning over stones better left unturned and finding unpleasant things underneath. The kalashtar could fit in as a psion, but I think a straight-up wizard should be in there somewhere - the Morgrave postgrad with an overdue thesis that somehow relates to the quest? Alternatively, the changeling could be a beguiler instead of a rogue.

Setting elements to include: Karrnath and the undead; Great House politics; airships, of course; Xen'drik; the dark side of the Silver Flame (but not overwhelmingly so); the Blood of Vol; a fight atop the lightning rail; and the Quori somehow behind it all. Oh, and dragons, of course. And a dungeon too I guess.

You know, the second D&D movie wasn't very good by any means, but it did do a good job of playing the 3.5 rules entirely straight. It'd be entertaining to see something like that wedded to actual writing.

[Cheesegear]

Mr. T would so be a Warforged in an Eberron movie.

Wrong. The Warforged is played by Michael Ironside.

And as his time (200 years?) as a Warforged, and a grizzled veteran (serving the Lord of Blades?), he knows just what it takes to 'be your own man'. And he imparts all his wisdom onto the 'young adult' male right before the Warforged dies.

At some point, the Warforged can also say to the male,
"Listen, I don't have a heart...But, even I can see she loves you..."

...And now all I can hear is Ironside's voice saying it...

[Prime32]

The Warforged, at some point, must say "What do I look like? An alchemist?"Gahahaha! :smallbiggrin:

[Ormagoden]

Wrong. The Warforged is played by Michael Ironside.


Wrong. The Warforged is played by Arnold. House Cannith sent him back in time to protect A young boy artificer who would prevent a group of evil Warforged from conquering the world. The young boy is destined to supply the resistance with magical weapons and armor, eventually he makes the Warforged (played by arnie) and sends him back in time to protect himself...

[Prime32]

I had a thread on importing plots into Eberron. I can no longer find it.

[bosssmiley]

Indiana Jones, only ruined with buckets of glowy CG, cheaply rendered dragons and three or four Quirky Sidekick characters. It would look almost exactly like a Sci-Fi Channel original movie. :smallmad:

@v: Sorry. I was sent to Earth by my father, Buzz Kil-El-ington, to p*ss in everyone's chips. :smalltongue:

[kamikasei]

Indiana Jones, only ruined with buckets of glowy CG, cheaply rendered dragons and three or four Quirky Sidekick characters. It would look almost exactly like a Sci-Fi Channel original movie. :smallmad:

Augh, you're right - the OP did say would, not should. I don't want to think about how the movie would turn out.

[GoufCustom]

I vote Ron Perlman for the Warforged.

[Talya]

Kristoffer Tabori needs to voice the warforged. He needs to refer to all organics as "meatbags."