First-time DM in Eberron... Advices?

[Regitnui]

I've been asked to run a D&D game. Upon acquiring the relevant materials (PHB, DGM, MMI-V, XPH and a lot of other books) I found I had a lot of Eberron sourcebooks, and discovered the world was brilliant. A wide world of intrigue that doesn't feel like a Standard Fantasy Setting. Dinosaur-riding halflings, spiritual orc druids, two nations of 'monster' races just trying to get along with everyone else, alignment not being a hard-and-fast rule, living robots as a player race and jet-powered airships(!)... /fanboying

But anyway, I'm relatively inexperienced as a DM, and I wonder if the 3.5 veterans here could offer me any advice, Eberron-specific or otherwise. What did you do, if you DMed an Eberron game? Any house rules you found made things easier?

Thanks in advance.

[KillingAScarab]

Bumping this so you can get some real advice.

When I get back to DMing for my group with 4th ed., it's going to be an Eberron game. On top of all the things you've mentioned, there's the lightning rail. Dungeon # 143 has a 3.5 adventure based around a train robbery. My other big idea seems to have already been covered in The Lost Mark trilogy.

[Ketiara]

Well the planar Shepard Druid prc is very easy to overpower if you aren't carefull what you allow. (Planes where time is different can get your party 10rounds head start on a fight).

[drax75]

Im in the 7th month of my Eberron Campaign at 3 games a month im pretty deep into it.

My party started as lowly merc's with house Deneith, quelled a civil uprising by the Blood of Vol, rescued the little elven girl with the mark of death on her face.

Took a tour of the 5 kingdoms via lightning rail, stopped 1 attempted train jacking, was implicated in 2 murder plots, escaped 4 prisons, killed a House Deneith spy, became wanted by the entire city of Sharn, KILLED THE ELVEN GIRL WITH THE MARK OF DEATH.

Pissed off Lady Vol, made a Lich a immortal enemy, made a Dracolich angry enough to start hunting them.

Found a magic ship in a lost Island of the coast of Q'Barra, and was nearly eaten by a Behir.

My suggestion? Keep the game open and free, read up on the area's and write a few encounters up ahead of time. keep the Campaign setting book handy, and mark the sections that outline the kingdom's this way you can find them quickly.

As for plot? you can do anything "Marked for Death" is a great series of books, and gave me some idea's. So has "the Draconic prophecies"

You could even assign them a keep (or find one) and let them be merc's hiring out their service to all. This is a great way to get the game rolling and get people into the world and learning their characters while you come up with a overall plot. I was actually going to do this after my party shocked me by killing the child, i found i did not need this as the party found its own plot.

Just some things to think over. If you need some extra tips feel free to PM me. GOOD LUCK!

[Regitnui]

Thanks everyone.

Drax, about your idea of assigning them a keep; I have the plan that after the initial adventure they sign on with a Lyrandar airship gone 'rogue' (Operating outside of the House officially, but still able to get called in if the plot needs it). The captain and two crew members are NPCs, so I have a certain amount of control over where they go and when.

That idea was inspired by Firefly to a degree, I'll admit. :smallwink: I enjoyed that series, and most of the players are as well. At this point, I plan to have a stowaway plot, perhaps involving that one princess who wants to go adventuring... She's mentioned in Five Nations... I've read through most of the books I have (Missing just Dragons of Argonessen), and have a reasonable idea of how Eberron as a setting works.

@Ketiara: I'll keep an eye on that class, but I suspect that my players won't be looking for prestige classes just yet.

Another specific question: Has anyone had a 'ship-to-ship battle', in their game? Either airship or ocean-based?

[supermonkeyjoe]

If you're an inexperiences DM some of the the published adventures for Eberron are excellent. starting from The Forgotten Forge in the back of the campaign setting and going Shadows of the Last War> Whispers of the Vampires Blade > Grasp of the Emerald Claw can be a good adventure path.

Alternatively if your players like intrigue and investigating Chimes of Midnight (Dungeon 113)> Quoth the Raven (Dungeon 150) > hells heart (Dungeon 151) are all very good fun

[Shining Wrath]

That bit about alignment not being hard and fast? That is your hook into adventures. Because anyone they run into can be working with anyone else they've run into. About the only safe rule is the Emerald Claw; whatever they are doing, good people don't want it done. Even the Lords of Dust, while totally evil, play such a long game that they can work toward the same goals as good PCs for the duration of a campaign, because it suits their long term goals for good to win for a little while in a small space.

So have the PCs hired by a cleric of the Traveler and find out they are serving the cause of good, while their foe is a healer of House Jorasco who is a greedy grasping little creep. Or whatever.

One idea for a campaign I ran, briefly, was a patron. Someone who wants to figure out what really happened on the Day of Mourning, and has the resources to hire lots of people, of whom the PCs are only a few. You can justify going almost anywhere and talking to almost anyone to figure out The Mourning. To really do this right you will at some point have to figure out what really happened in your world; there is no canonical "right" answer and never will be per Baker. I'd tell you my idea but I might want to use it someday.

[Regitnui]

Thanks, Supermonkeyjoe (do you mind if I abbreviate that to smj?) I'm running the Forgotten Forge at the moment so I can get the hang of running an Eberron adventure. For the actual campaign I'm doing something a little different...

ShiningWrath, I have an idea for what happened on the Day of Mourning. I found it online, but I really do want to use it. Let's just say Cyre isn't as gone as everyone thinks... I plan on tossing my PCs into the results (war) when they reach a decent level. I'm planning on adapting adventures for the most part, until I've gotten them in enough trouble to provide their own hooks.

In an unrelated note, does anyone know if Changelings can change size categories, i.e. Become a halfling as a disguise. I'm 90% sure they can't, and I'm just wondering whether that'll end up as a 'common sense' rule like Inspire Competence and Move Quietly checks. or if it's official.

[Joshinthemosh]

Might I suggest focusing on one part of the of the continent? I played an Ebberon campaign where by second level we had pissed off all but two countries, making low level adventuring very very difficult. If you do might I suggest planning campaign arcs in certain regions? 1-5 in one area, and so forth.

Also as you seem interested in the Day of Mourning and Cyre might i suggest and NPC or even a PC take some Cyran Avenger from 5 Nations? It would help justify hunting around the Mournland Sweet sweet PrC that really really helps rangers, gishes, and rogues.

And as to the Changling question I believe they do not change size categories

[Regitnui]

I plan on limiting the adventures to Khorvaire for the most part. That's why I have the PCs on a semi-stolen airship. The resources for intercontinental travel are controlled by House Lyrandar almost entirely. The PCs therefore cannot show their face in Xen'drik until the make amends. Also, Khorvaire has enough intrigue and factions to make moving away unnecessary unless a PC has business or history elsewhere.

[Shining Wrath]

Thanks, Supermonkeyjoe (do you mind if I abbreviate that to smj?) I'm running the Forgotten Forge at the moment so I can get the hang of running an Eberron adventure. For the actual campaign I'm doing something a little different...

ShiningWrath, I have an idea for what happened on the Day of Mourning. I found it online, but I really do want to use it. Let's just say Cyre isn't as gone as everyone thinks... I plan on tossing my PCs into the results (war) when they reach a decent level. I'm planning on adapting adventures for the most part, until I've gotten them in enough trouble to provide their own hooks.

In an unrelated note, does anyone know if Changelings can change size categories, i.e. Become a halfling as a disguise. I'm 90% sure they can't, and I'm just wondering whether that'll end up as a 'common sense' rule like Inspire Competence and Move Quietly checks. or if it's official.

I think I know the idea - involves an attempted protective spell gone awry. Didn't like that myself, as it didn't provide quite as many hooks for the patron to investigate.

[Regitnui]

I think I know the idea - involves an attempted protective spell gone awry. Didn't like that myself, as it didn't provide quite as many hooks for the patron to investigate.

I'm going the other way. The hook is the spell reversing, the Mournland disappearing, and all those in the ashen wastes now finding a vibrant culture convinced the Last War never ended...

[Shining Wrath]

I'm going the other way. The hook is the spell reversing, the Mournland disappearing, and all those in the ashen wastes now finding a vibrant culture convinced the Last War never ended...

But also aware that 5 years have passed, or did time flow at a different rate? Either way, the sudden mobilization of armies around Khorvaire would be ... disturbing.

[Regitnui]

But also aware that 5 years have passed, or did time flow at a different rate? Either way, the sudden mobilization of armies around Khorvaire would be ... disturbing.

Five years passed. In that time, House Cannith improved the warforged and other machines of war, the Cyran army has been building and training, and the government has reinforced the notion that every other nation on Khorvaire would like nothing more than to raze Cyre to the ground.

[Kol Korran]

First of all- Welcome to Eberron! I love it, and hope you will like it as well. I'll first answer some of your more direct questions, and then will add some ideas:

1- ship to ship combat: you can use some of the rules for that from Stormwrack, but these are worthwhile only if you plan quite a lot of air combats, as they are quite complex. not everyone likes them either, some say they are not well balanced. If it's one (or but a few) battles you're planning, I belive there is such a scene on the module Whispers of the Vampire's Blade (terrible module other than that, unless your characters likes to be railroaded). I think it might also have maps?

In a book called "Traveler's guide to Eberron" (or something similar, I can't remember) there are good details (including maps) of a decent airship you can use for your party's ship.

My suggestion for the air combat though? try to read about the rules a bit, and then come up with your own.

2- changelings can't change size. they can change minor features PHYSICALLY on their person, and their height a bit (i think up to a foot up or down? don't remember). it's like disguise self, only it can't be disbelieved upon interaction (since it's not an illusion). I suggest any changeling you have get some magic item/ spells that can change clothes quickly as well. There is some disagreement about the prestige class warshaper concerning changelings, but that's a matter of interpertation.

some other ideas:
1- First, realize how much immersion in the specific world do your player want. Do they want to know the intricates of Sharn, the politics of dragon marked houses, delve to the histories of the dragons, and the myths of the various religions? (By the way- Faiths of Eberron is their best DM supplement I think!) Or do they just want to ride lightning rails, airships, dinosaurs and have light hearted fun? adapt to their desires.

2- like wise, Eberron has a lot of stuff that can be done in it- from politics, intrigue, film noire, to high fantasy and so on. what sort of game are the players interested in?

3- a few things very important to the Campaign:

PCs are special! there are very, very few high level characters. the leaders of the dragonmarked houses and 5 nations are about level 9-11! at levels 5-6 the PCs are allready well known, at levels 10 they are major forces on Khorvaire, level 13-14 they are legends, and so on. of course, they find appropriate challenges for heroes.
magic is common, but it's low level magic, unless artificed by competent powerful artificers over the ages. magics up to about 3rd level shoul be common place, levels 4-5 are rare and usually kept for temples, nobles and high power ups, 6th and above are the stuff of legends, used by the monstrous and ancient ciuvilizations of the world, or very few high powered individuals.
action points action points! beware of these, at the first few levels they are nice, but as they become more numerous and the players know how to use them, they can wreck encounters or force you to beef up boss challenges just co compensate for this mechanic. it is problematic, but players quite like it. (at least mine did)
moving on the red dotted line: unlike most fantasy setting, Eberron's transportation system enables you to move to vastly different locals swiftly. USE that! In my game they went from Aundair to Xen'dric to the shadow marches to th Mournland and more. it was greatfun.
The Mournland: if you really have to, you can try to explain it, but I think the Mournland works best when it defies explanation. it defied the minds of the best explorers in Eberron, and serves as a great place where EVERYTHING can happen, and give it rationalization and explanation just ruins that. If you wish to give it an explanation, I suggest to go for the most strange, far fetched, weird, inconceivable, unfathomable, bizarre explanation you can find. Anything else won't do it justice. Oh- and if your players don't get to adventure there? you missed a great deal of Eberron adventuring. Make sure you get to some understanding about healing in the Mournland, different books give somewhat different explanations/ rules.
Ambiguity: from alignement to races to monsters to faiths to goverments and more- ambiguity rules in Eberron. nothing is exactly as it seems, and no- they are not it's opposite either (The silver flame is not a goody two shoes holier than god church of goodiness, but it's neither a corrupted merciless unthinking buthcering religious uptights zealots) everything is more complex, everyhting is many things, everything is more mature... play to that. If you're players are up to that as well.


One last thing- I've made a DMing log in Eberron (quite detailed, dealing with DMing issues of design, handling the party and more) which you can find in my sig. My group preferred it to be a high fantasy Eberron- light game (in terms of lore), but it still might have some ideas or inspiration.

Have fun with your campaign! looking forward to hear more about it!

[Regitnui]

I'll certainly take a look at that log, Kol Korran.

New Question: Has anyone ever had their PCs do the 'Climb to the Clouds'? You know, that event in a sidebar about Stormhome's docking tower? I'm considering using it as the focus of a 'mini-adventure', a event-based romp through the resort island of Stormhome for the roleplayers in my group.