Moons of Eberron and Lycanthropy.

[Kol Korran]

i may run a were cretures campaign in Eberron in the future, and i'm trying to figure some things out. i'm sure i read somewhere (can't remember where exactly) that due to Eberron having 12 moons, half of the month or more the misanthropes are forced to change shape at night.

Q1: does anyone has any tool that predict when are the moons full and when not? i saw a tool for the planes once, is there one for moons? if there isn't a tool, do you have a suggestion? I'm aiming for a situation where the characters can loot at a chart and say: "ok, tomorrow X and Y are full. 6 days from now it's D and M. we better watch out from the 13th of Zarathyr- 4 moons full at once! that's going to be were wolf bonanza!"

also, i remember seeing an article regarding effects moons might have on people born in their month. i am toying with the idea that the moons might exert a different influence on Lycantrhopes. in my setting the disease doesn't change your alignment, and each type doesn't have one set alignment (bad were bears, holy rat men)

what if the moons exerted influence on their alignment instead? could Dravago for example pull you towards being neutral? or Nymm towards neutral good? Sypherus towards chaotic neutral and so on?

Q2: which moon would cause what shift in alignment? why? considering there are 12 moons and 12 alignments, there is a place for some alignments "getting more than their fair share" (which is good, since i wan a bit more shift to evil and/ or neutral, to justify the "were wolves are bad!" belief) or there might be some odd effects (no effect, no shifting? increased characteristics of shifting?)

Q3: since it's likely that at some nights more than one moon will be full, how do you work them out together?

another thing might be to add themed effects to the moons similar to the themes of the dragon marks, but taken more as metaphors to the wild (storm might grant the effect of rage, handling might grant great control over their animals kind, healing greater regeneration and so on.

Q4: obviosuly some might be problematic (scribing? making? hospitality?) what is your take on the 12 moons and possibly granted powers (i'm aiming for minor but felt "boosts", nothing altering the basic power of the were creature)

lQ5: last thing, there is Eberron mysterious eluded 13th moon... i'm considering having some were creatures, perhaps an elite bunch, gain some powers from it. what isthe 13th moon? what would it gain the lycanthropes? considering the 13th mark was Death, this might be quite powerful and interesting.

thanks for any who read this bizarre inquiry, and thanks you profusely to whomever offers an opinion. :smallsmile:
Kol.

(Search word: kingpig )

[Big Fau]

i may run a were cretures campaign in Eberron in the future, and i'm trying to figure some things out. i'm sure i read somewhere (can't remember where exactly) that due to Eberron having 12 moons, half of the month or more the misanthropes are forced to change shape at night.

Q1: does anyone has any tool that predict when are the moons full and when not? i saw a tool for the planes once, is there one for moons? if there isn't a tool, do you have a suggestion? I'm aiming for a situation where the characters can loot at a chart and say: "ok, tomorrow X and Y are full. 6 days from now it's D and M. we better watch out from the 13th of Zarathyr- 4 moons full at once! that's going to be were wolf bonanza!"

Here. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebwe/20041129a)


Q2: which moon would cause what shift in alignment? why? considering there are 12 moons and 12 alignments, there is a place for some alignments "getting more than their fair share" (which is good, since i wan a bit more shift to evil and/ or neutral, to justify the "were wolves are bad!" belief) or there might be some odd effects (no effect, no shifting? increased characteristics of shifting?)

9 alignments, 12 moons. The moons should never have an impact on alignment, as it causes some classes to become unplayable (moreso than they all ready are).


Q5: last thing, there is Eberron mysterious eluded 13th moon... i'm considering having some were creatures, perhaps an elite bunch, gain some powers from it. what isthe 13th moon? what would it gain the lycanthropes? considering the 13th mark was Death, this might be quite powerful and interesting.

Xorait, the plane of Madness.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

Adding to what Big Fau mentioned, each "moon" is also a plane of reality. This is part of why Eberron is crazy, awesome, and, I dare say, crazy awesome.

Also, because of the moon shenanigans, if you have any players that do want to play a lycanothrope, just tell them to play a Shifter instead. Because, in effect, they are more control-able lycanothropes. The Campaign Setting itself makes mention of this.

[Kol Korran]

Here. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebwe/20041129a)
thanks! exactly what i was looking for. that was fast!




9 alignments, 12 moons. The moons should never have an impact on alignment, as it causes some classes to become unplayable (moreso than they all ready are).

it was meant to be an affect on lycanthropes only, and yes, i understand some classes may become unplayable. part of the curse. there will be some way to try and resist of course.


Xorait, the plane of Madness.

i know of the plane, but what does it have to do with the 13th moon? if it causes madness, it would be kind of deterrent for the lycanthropes NOT to attach themselves to it, wouldn't it?

@ Thrice Dead Cat: the moons ARE NOT the planes. yes, there are 12 (13) dragon marks, 12 (13) moons, and 13 planes, but they are not one and the same.

as to the mechanics of lycanthroy and my take on it for the campaign, that is another matter. but they will not be starting as lycanthropes.

[Big Fau]

@ Thrice Dead Cat: the moons ARE NOT the planes. yes, there are 12 (13) dragon marks, 12 (13) moons, and 13 planes, but they are not one and the same.

Actually, they are. The Eberron Cosmology has the planes orbiting Eberron itself (artwork in the ECS displays this, text in any book mentioning planar travel brings up the planar orbits, etc).

[Kol Korran]

Eberron has moons with their orbits with different names of the planes (check the link you sent me, look atthe table of the moons on the right.). the planes orbit the plane of Eberron which contains the moons. the moons orbit Eberron itsef in space, the planes orbit the material plane in the astral.

different things (though obviously too similar to be confusing)

Edit: also, while there are 13 known planes, there are only 12 known moons (and an alleged mysterious 13th moon, which was the point of the fifth question)

[Morph Bark]

Here. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebwe/20041129a)

Now I want to know when all of them save Dal Quor are coterminous...

Also, isn't the 13th moon Dal Quor, since it is never coterminous?

[avr]

This is the dragonshard article where that calendar util was first introduced. Keith Baker goes into a little more detail about the moons there.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20050307a

[supermonkeyjoe]

The 13th moon was actually tied to Dal Quor, it's heavily implied that the giants did something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhPyz_-gUfs&feature=related

To permanently force Dal Quor out of the planar alignment to end the quori-giant war, while the moons aren't the same as the planes they are inextricably linked.

[The_Snark]

Now I want to know when all of them save Dal Quor are coterminous...

Never. Risia and Fernia are offset: when one is coterminous, the other is remote. Irian and Mabar are likewise incompatible; Irian's coterminance always occurs during spring, while Mabar's always falls close to the winter solstice.

And while the moons aren't literally the same as the planes, I'd always figured that they were linked somehow, seeing as they play into the 13-with-one-missing theme. Now that I look, though, I can't actually find anything that confirms this, much less tells me which plane is linked to which moon...

[Kol Korran]

And while the moons aren't literally the same as the planes, I'd always figured that they were linked somehow, seeing as they play into the 13-with-one-missing theme. Now that I look, though, I can't actually find anything that confirms this, much less tells me which plane is linked to which moon...

i also thought them linked, but i read somewhere (again, can't remember where) that the moons, planes, and dragon marks are sort of axises of a 3D grid. one represents the X, one the Y and the last the Z. together, their affects are supposed to reflect (or be reflected by?) the Prophecy. (in Explorer's guide to Eberron there is even an Orrey of a gold dragon lore master that checks out the combinations).

however the article linked three posts up (by avr) shows that the moons reflect (or so people believe) the dragon marks.

so as usually with Eberron- some incomplete information and theories breed confusion (part of the reason i love the setting so much!)

but (cough cough) anyone has any more thoughts as to my questions?

I'll try my hand at Q2 and Q4:

- Zarathyr, The Storm Moon: pulls towards chaotic neutral, if the were creature is wounded Half HP, if flies into a barbarain rage.

- Olarune, The Sentinel: pulls towards lawful good, Aid another to increase DC by the lycanthrope or for it give a +4 bonus instead of +2.

- Therendor, The Healer's Moon:pulls towards neutral good, when under half hp gains regeneration 2

- Eyre, the Anvil:pukks toward neutral ??? perhaps this moon might weakn lycnathropes, or make weapons work better against them? this looks like a "civilization themed" kind of moon to me. thoughts?

- Dravago, the Herder's Moon: pull's towards neutral, the animal empathy bonus goes up by 4

- Nymm, the Crown or King Nymm: i view this as majestic tyranny. pulls towards lawfull evil. affects only rulers of lycanthrope groups, enabling them to plant a mass suggestion, that effects only for the time the moon is full.

- Lharvion, the Eye: according to the beliefs on the link, there are superstitions bad things happen when the eye in the sky.... hmmmmm... pulls towards chaotic evil, if the lycanthrope kills a creaturewith intlligence 6 and up when the moons is up, it gains an augury SLA used once till the moon next rises.

- Barrakas, the Lantern: i'm thinking pulls to neutral, but i've got nothing other than that. perhaps grants sharper senses, or a bonus to perception skills?

- Rhaan, the Book:Lawful neutral, another "civilization moon". not sure about this one either.

- Sypheros, the Shadow:though the beliefs don't say that the moon is evil, i think it shouldpull were creatures towards neutral evil. grants bonuses to stealth.

- Aryth, the Gateway:towards Chaotic neutral. either greater speed, or perhaps druidic powers increased (+1CL?) as the manifest to Lamania (which is usually close) grants more power)

- Vult, the Warding Moon:pulls towards lawful neutral. NA increases by 2 points, or DR by 5.

your thoughts?

[WaxingEthereal]

If you look in the 3.5 Eberron book "Races of Eberron", it actually gives some explanation of the moons and the planes that they are "believed" to be tied to in the description of the class abilities of the Moonspeaker class. Races of Eberron, p143, Moonspeaker. The class gains "blessings" from different moons.

I'd say you could use that info on the moons, their supposed ties to the given planes, and the bonuses that the class gains from each moon and plane to form a basis for some homebrew on what sort of bonuses each moon would give to lycanthropes. The other side of this is that you might want to balance whatever you create with the class features (granted you are only giving temporary affects it seems) so that you don't unbalance or make null the class. It seems, however, that the bonuses this class gains are intended to be a pretty full manifestation of the shifters connection to the moons, so you could even just take stuff right out of that text and use it to apply temporary bonuses to normal lycanthropes . Either way, there's a lot there in races of Eberron and in the Moonspeaker fluff that gives context for the moons and those of lyncanthropic heritage.

[sktarq]

Also in the Eberron Religion book I believe it makes mention of the "lost" moon tied to death and Xoriat in the section of Blood of Vol. Cy*** something but that be lost month in their calendar. Currently away from book.

[Arael666]

why up a 2011 thread?