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Sure, why not - it's already full of robots and trains...so I vote we create those cool Robotech battle cyclones from the invid invasion!
Sure, why not - it's already full of robots and trains...so I vote we create those cool Robotech battle cyclones from the invid invasion!
lol. That was my first thought when I saw the title too.
Robotech is awesome!
…and clerics of The Mockery in leather jackets riding them!
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Any of you Eberron guys go to making cool 20th century gadgetry for Eberron based on magic?
Funny you should ask. My wife and I just came back from Santa Barbara (2-3 hour drive) and spent a good chunk of the drive thinking up "arcane technology." She doesn't play D&D but we both read The Golden Compass, which has some pulpy industrial magic in it. None of this stuff is stat'ed out but here are some of our ideas:
*Canned food! Come on, what's pulpier than heroes sitting around a campfire eating a can of beans! Or finding a tin can strewn goblin lair? Our thought was a tin pot or can with some kind of low-grade Preserve spell. It would work on clay pots and glass jars as well, but those tend to be too fragile for adventures.
*Arcane imaging boxes. You can look through and preserve the image you see on alchemically treated panes of glass. Just image, the heroes slay a dragon and then pose next to the body as the dwarf runs to set up the imager. Poof! The moment is recorded for posterity. The spell would probably be some low-level illusion spell. One could look at the pane of glass with the naked eye to see the image again, or mount it in a frame. Or, slip it into another box, arcane demonstrators, that would use a magical light source to project the image onto a wall or other surface. Note that if these imagers record still images, some could probably be created using a higher-level illusion to actually record moving images!
*Broadsending. Every home in the kingdom (or at least in the capital city) might have a broadsending receiver in the form of a small statue of the king (or hierarch or some other notable). At certain times of the day, the king's daily message could be heard emanating from the statue. Words of wisdom, proclamations, update on the ongoing war, whatever propaganda the king wishes. Built into every statue is a receiving rod attuned the large and expensive broadsending emitter in the king's audience chamber. The king need only speak into his sending staff and his subjects can hear his voice. While not emanating the king, it might emanate patriotic music, news from across the kingdom, or even performances by the finest bards in the land.
Now, for those with a bit more money, broadsending receivers would be available with a slot for removable receiving rods or even multiple slots for multiple receiving rods. Receiving rods might be also be given away by churches or to off-duty guard and militia members, they might be sold by aspiring colleges so folks can listen in on lectures or by theaters so those who can't attend the performances can still be entertained. Unfortunately, while the broadsending magic is strong, its range is fairly short, maybe a few miles at best. This can be extended somewhat building a tall emitting tower of metal and enchanted crystal, but still, the wonders of broadsending is still off limits to those who live anywhere but in the most cosmopolitan cities.
*Tracking maps. Either knowingly or surreptitiously, a person or an object could be marked with a tracking glyph (some form of a locate spell). Until the mark is removed with dispel magic, the location of that person/object could be followed on a magical tracking map. Now, tracking maps cannot draw maps of unknown areas, but as long as the subject travels in areas know to the tracking map, its location could be shown (mundane maps of all areas to be “known” by the tracking map would be consumed in the creating of the tracking map). Also, if the original maps were of different scales, say a continent and a country and a city, then the tracking map could zoom in on that area, up to the magnification of the most detailed map. Imagine maps of armies that literally traveled across the map so generals in far off camps could follow their progress, or merchants following the progress of shipments across the continent, or of assassins knowing the location of their target at all times.
Now imagine further, ships with tracking glyphs and broadsending receivers sailing into a busy, foggy harbor in the dark of night. The harbormaster’s tower has a large tracking map on the wall showing the location of all registered ships within 10 miles. Using a sending staff attuned to the receiving rods in the ships, he warns this one to avoid the rocks and that one that it is too close to another ship. He directs each one to an open dock or has them form a queue a wait.
*Sound capturing devices. A traveling professor holds in front of her an enchanted hoop crisscrossed with fine, crystalline wires. They vibrate and hum softly as the sounds of the bugbear war chant strike the net. A moment later an electrum sphere, the size of a child’s fist and covered in arcane symbols, drops from a short tube at her waist. Sound sphere (sorry for the constant alliteration) store sounds “caught” by the capturing device. They can be played back later by inserting the spheres in a player, something that looks like a circular muffin-baking pan, connected to one or more emanators (usually rods or spheres, but they can be any shape; see broadsending). When a particular sound sphere is to be played, a tiny enchanted needle penetrates the sphere and releases the sound. The quality of the sphere determined the length of the sound that can be captured and the number of times it can be released before it begins to fade. Some sound spheres are rumored to be able to hold two sounds, one releasable by any player and a second playable only on players keyed to certain individuals or by persons knowing special passwords. Despite being made of metal, sound spheres are quite delicate and can rupture if dropped, releasing all of the stored sound at once in a very load burst.
Arcane sound players and image projectors can be combined for rather entertaining shows and have been used by some enthusiastic archeologists to “recreate” their adventures for students and potential financial backers. Sound players have recently been connected to broadsending emitters, allowing pre-recorded messages and by-gone performances to be heard by the public.
[I’m not a great writer and that’s about the limit of my ability to write in character, but we had several more, less-well-developed ideas …]
*Arcane current. I never liked the idea that a magical effect can be made permanent with just one casting. Continual flame is a great spell, but does it really work FOREVER?! I like the Iron Kingdoms idea that magic items and effects need to be recharged once in a while, which could potentially lead to the equivalent of arcane batteries or power sources with wires leading to continuously operating magic items and effects [I also liked the lightning catchers in “Stardust”].
*Arcane current leads to arcane telegraphs!
*If you’ve got flying boats, airships, zeppelins and flying mounts, you’ve got everything you need for the Blitz! Now you need super powerful magical searchlights with beams of detect invisibility, etc. to spot them. You might also want flares, rockets and levitating exploding runes to keep them at bay.
*Magically canned heat, canned chill, canned wind, etc. Water purification and poison removal swizzle sticks.
*Bandages that cure minor wounds and splints that mend bone.
*Pills and shots that give temporary ability bonuses but have nasty after affects and may be addicting (that’s pretty noir!)
One of the principals we were working off was that in order to be cheap and usable by non-wizards, the devices probably needed to be big and might need a power source (see arcane current). A ring of water breathing would be awesome but would also be out of reach for most people. But a big arcane air purifier, attached to long tubes and a diving helmet might be affordable for some ship captains who want to loot ships after they’ve been sunk.
And all this assumes a world with lots of low-grade magic items, but not too many spell casters. One comes to expect a certain amount of magic advantages in a modern world like our own, but the arcane sciences aren’t for everyone ;)
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OOOOH! I love it all.
You could have an air elemental bound vacuum sealer at the can factory. Every once in a while, might have industrial accidents when the air elemental gets loose.
Oh and I didn't see or read Stardust, but the mention of lightning catchers reminds me of Dunsany's King of Elfland's Daughter (I think that's the name;) one guy had a sword made out of lightning bolts that had fallen to earth.
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You could have an air elemental bound vacuum sealer at the can factory. Every once in a while, might have industrial accidents when the air elemental gets loose.
I hope you're not kidding, 'cause that's genius! So far they've mostly used elementals in transportation but I could totally see them in industrial settings too. Actually, as cool as I think elemental airships are, in my mind, they'd all be air elementals because IIRC fire elementals don't fly. Fire elementals would be bound into huge forges and smelters or the boilers on steam engines. Water elementals in cooling systems or (sorry water elementals) pushing up massive hydraulic pistons. There you go, you want Jules-Vernesque steampunk, have a pneumatic tubes system (either for letters or passengers) driven by air elementals!
Any of you Eberron guys go to making cool 20th century gadgetry for Eberron based on magic?
Isn't that what artificers are for?
Personally I had mentioned about minature airships designed to carry one or two people essentially an airborne motorcycle if you will so why not motorcycles?|
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Bound ice elementals at slaughter houses = meat packing plants. Or special carriages or lightning rail coaches with bound ice elementals = refrigeration cars. This is a little much even for my arcane-technology-is-cool tastes, but very small fire and ice elementals could be bound into some kind of heater or cooler. Great for those traveling to the tropics or Frostfell.
um wow... maybe this is why most people hate Eberron. I coudl just see agents of the Mockery wearing were~poodle pelts.
You are correct Crimson. It is my sincere hope that Gooberon will see less and less publication in the post-3.5 game. It continues to confound me why established campaigns such as Greyhawk, which have Always sold very well, continue to be left in obscurity (deliberately in my opinion) while this pathetic excuse for a campaign setting continues to be given publication after publication. And the more they publish of it, the dumber it gets.
IMC, at some post-game party for the Sharn Hrazhak team, there was band playing some hardcore shifter rock music with magically-amplified instruments.
Also, on numerous occasions Daask used hollow metal balls enchanted with fireball spells (grenades) to blow up taverns and the like.
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You could have an air elemental bound vacuum sealer at the can factory. Every once in a while, might have industrial accidents when the air elemental gets loose.I hope you're not kidding, 'cause that's genius! So far they've mostly used elementals in transportation but I could totally see them in industrial settings too. Actually, as cool as I think elemental airships are, in my mind, they'd all be air elementals because IIRC fire elementals don't fly. Fire elementals would be bound into huge forges and smelters or the boilers on steam engines. Water elementals in cooling systems or (sorry water elementals) pushing up massive hydraulic pistons. There you go, you want Jules-Vernesque steampunk, have a pneumatic tubes system (either for letters or passengers) driven by air elementals!
No way, I wasn't kidding. Well, any more than I usually do. I think there's a concept called "technoshock" from Cyberpunk--it's what happens to society when technology outstrips peoples' ability to deal with it. I think there's a vast and undertapped potential there for Steampunking it with Eberron.
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um wow... maybe this is why most people hate Eberron. I coudl just see agents of the Mockery wearing were~poodle pelts.You are correct Crimson. It is my sincere hope that Gooberon will see less and less publication in the post-3.5 game. It continues to confound me why established campaigns such as Greyhawk, which have Always sold very well, continue to be left in obscurity (deliberately in my opinion) while this pathetic excuse for a campaign setting continues to be given publication after publication. And the more they publish of it, the dumber it gets.
Yes, but think about all the new and novel ways to butcher p.c.'s!!!
um wow... maybe this is why most people hate Eberron. I coudl just see agents of the Mockery wearing were~poodle pelts.You are correct Crimson. It is my sincere hope that Gooberon will see less and less publication in the post-3.5 game. It continues to confound me why established campaigns such as Greyhawk, which have Always sold very well, continue to be left in obscurity (deliberately in my opinion) while this pathetic excuse for a campaign setting continues to be given publication after publication. And the more they publish of it, the dumber it gets.Yes, but think about all the new and novel ways to butcher p.c.'s!!!
I would be so ashamed to butcher characters with werepoodles.
Now, werehamsters or werewombats, that would be kewl.
Small brick shaped cakes with crème filling that have Preserve Food and Drink cast upon them.
THINK. Of the humiliation. To die under poodle fang. Things like that birth support groups.
But ... they're frickin' poodles man ... *twitches* ... and I have deathbugs available ...
Is anyone else starting to wonder when thinly veiled characters stolen right out of FFVII or FFVIII are going to start makeing appearences on Eberron?
The Iron Kingdoms stuff has rules for actually constructing a gunblade, for example. I know its not Eberron, but I know people who are thinking, Guns, Eberron...well they already have trains so.....
Eberron DOES NOT need motorcycles. I generally like the setting but sometimes it goes over the edge of being too modern. Motorcycles would take it over that edge.
Over the edge is just about it. Eberron with motorcycles just keeps making me think of the motorcycle chase at the end of Advent Children. Cool in that case...too much for Eberron.
Eberron DOES NOT need motorcycles. I generally like the setting but sometimes it goes over the edge of being too modern. Motorcycles would take it over that edge.
Aww, c'mon, Eberron jumped the shark with the first book.
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Cool. I'm thinking back to those movies, when (IIRC) they'd move to another place on the world in an airplane, and they'd show an old cheesy globe with a plane going there and a line being drawn on the globe...
Exactly, and they even referenced that in one of the How to run Eberron articles... sometimes the adventure is where you are going, sometimes the trip is the adventure.
As I understand Eberron, ships, trains and such have an elemental bound in them. It takes a lot of training/skill/magic to control these critters. In fact I think that is what one of the dragon marks does right? A motorcycle as a one person craft means the pilot would have to have these training/skills/magic/mark and NOT your typical adventurer. At least not the go-gang that Akira and his pals were--but yeah that would be cool and the movies should serve as an inspiration for Eberron.
That being said two DMG wondrous items that work with only a cosmetic change (like adding wheels): magic carpet, the nimbus 2000.
Hmmm I may have to stat this one out tonight.
I'm feeling inspired.
Akira as a warforged.
Akira as a warforged.
Blasphemy.
...with frickin' laser beams attached to its head.
Actually, there's a very, very good reason why motorcycles should not exist in Eberron, and nobody's brought it up yet:
Eberron should not have motorcycles because the D&D rules for vehicles are terrible and nobody knows them.
What rules for vehicles?
Exactly. They were cleverly hidden in Arms and Equipment Guide and revisited somewhat in Stormwrack. I think they were also referenced in... Explorer's Handbook, maybe?
Akira as a warforged.Blasphemy.
:) not quite. The whole of the Mournland could have been created by that one uber-powerful-warforge-experiment gone wrong. :)
What kinda leather...Naga hide? (ducks)
nice, very nice
:D
so eberron was it the campaign that won that "submit the next D&D campaign world" contest?
the thing that bothers me about eberron is, it sounds like someone took my old DM's campaign world and some others and mashed them together and added more cheese.
I often wondered if they didnt just take others peoples ideas and do that
but wotc isnt THAT evil are they?
Not unless your old DM was Keith Baker.
Eberron strikes me as steampunk in a different wrapper.
That being said, I hereby grant you 5000 bonus gargoyles for introducing Robotech Cyclones into this thread.
Motorcycles were available around the turn of the 20th century. If you saw Big Jake, they had a motorcycle and cars too. It's not too much of a stretch to think that motorcycles and motorcycles that change into power armor would be something that mages would come up with.
Velocipede. 1867. All you need is magic as an alternative power source and you are in business. Mordenkainen's Unseen Cyclist anyone?
OOOOH! I love it all.
You could have an air elemental bound vacuum sealer at the can factory. Every once in a while, might have industrial accidents when the air elemental gets loose.
I've got it buried in a box somewhere or else I'd reference it more directly but didn't D&D's AC11: The Book of Wondrous Inventions have stuff like this? I recall a washing machine that worked by having animated goblin(?) skeletons inside washing your clothes, a stove with trapped fire elementals, or a house vacuum with an air elemental in it (not unlike your example above.) I recall each thing had a failure rate built into it with hooks for that (like the skeletons getting loose.)
- Chris Shadowens
