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The World
The world (standard spherical sort of thing) is called Eberron. There are a number of large continents, namely:
Khorvaire – where most of the action takes place, and heavily detailed in the ECS and other supplements. Detailed below.
Sarlona – the original birthplace of humans, and currently dominated by the Riedran Empire, a sort of theocracy where the Inspired, psionically powerful and eerily beautiful humans, rule as hereditary rulers and living gods. While they have been providing material assistance to a number of governments in the aftermath of the Last War (more on this below) travel to Riedra is discouraged by its rulers. Sarlona is also the home of the kalashtar, a psionically powerful humanoid race at odds with the Inspired, who dwell in the region of Adar. Kalashtar are one of the new PC races in the ECS (see below).
Xendrik – a wild jungle continent, formerly the home of an ancient giant civilisation which collapsed into barbarism 10,000 years ago. Little is known about the interior.
Argonessen – a continent where dragons rule supreme and value their privacy. Again, little is known about the place – visitors tend not to be heard of again.
Aerenal – a smallish, tropical continent. Home to the Aerenal elves (see below) viewed by some as a morbid race who worship death.
Frostfell – an arctic continent in the north.
Khorvaire
Khorvaire is the key continent for Eberron as it is the most detailed and, consequently, most diverse. Historically, Khorvaire was effectively ruled in its entirety by the Kingdom of Galifar. This situation lasted for almost 1000 years, up until about a century ago, when the Last War commenced. Galifar was traditionally divided up into five provinces, known collectively as the Five Nations and ruled as the fiefdoms of the various children of the king. A dispute over the succession led to a century-long civil war, which ended about two years ago. In the aftermath, four of the Five nations remain in diminished form as independent states, while the chaos of the War has led to the rise of a number of other nations carved from the remains of Galifar. Specifically, the Five Nations are:
Breland – the largest of the Five nations, and left in a reasonable state at the end of the war. Economically powerful, with the industrial metropolis of Sharn as its largest city (though the capital is in Wroat). Breland sits in the southern portion of Khorvaire, and has a mild, sub-tropical climate. It is also the gateway to Xendrik, as Sharn is the nearest major port to this mysterious continent.
Aundair – relatively prosperous with an agrarian economy, Aundair is also home to the continents greatest university and also its most prominent magic school. Aundair lost a lot of territory in the Last War, losing the Thaliost region to Thrane in the east and a lot of its western territory to the Eldeen Reaches. Aundair is to the northwest of the continent.
Thrane – sandwiched between Aundair to the west and Karrnath to the east, Thrane is a theocratic state dedicated to the Silver Flame (see below). Thranes have a reputation for priggishness and a rigid mindset, and while the Silver Flame is considered a force for good, Thrane committed its fair share of atrocities in the Last War. There is widespread prejudice against non-worshippers of the Flame and non-humans. The economy is primarily agrarian.
Karrnath – a military dictatorship, Karrn troops and officers were probably among the best in the war. However, Karrnath suffered a number of setbacks in the War, and consequently the economy is in a parlous state. Karrnath is also the home of the Blood of Vol cult (see below), formerly the state religion of Karrnath. The land is relatively cool, being to the north of Korvaire.
Cyre – now called the Mournland, Cyre no longer exists, obliterated in the Day of Mourning two years before the end of the War, an event as mysterious as it was apocalyptic. Cyre now comprises an unlivable wasteland of rock, surrounded by a curtain of grey mist, home only to the tormented souls of the dead and a few renegade warforged (see below). There are a number of expatriate Cyrans in various of the remaining nations, generally living in poverty. The largest community is in Breland, where King Boranel offered them land to build a new community.
The Five Nations as they exist today effectively occupy the central portion of Khorvaire. The further extremities of the continent to the east and west have seen the rise of new nation states as peoples previously suppressed by the might of the Galifar have founded their own nations, either through diplomacy or (more often) blood and fire. These are:
The Shadow Marches – at the far west of Khorvaire, this is a land of swamps and marshes and also the homeland of the orcs (and half-orcs). Many follow the druidic path of the Gatekeepers, while others follow the darker teachings of the Dragon Below (see below).
Droaam – the Land of Monsters, to the west of Breland. Ruled by a triumvirate of powerful hags, this is home to a large number of non-human groups such as harpies, medusas, ogres and so on. It is a hard land and, while the inhabitants are not universally evil, it is extremely dangerous for the traveller.
The Eldeen Reaches – west of Aundair, this is a forested realm ruled by druids. It is also the primary centre for the continents population of shifters, a humanoid race descended from lycanthropes that travel in nomadic groups beneath the canopy. (Shifters are another new race in the ECS.)
The Demon Wastes – not a nation exactly, more a place: a hellish reminder of the ancient history of Eberron when it was ruled by rakshasa rajas. No one lives here apart from savage barbarian tribes and a few desperate exiles. Cold winds and boiling lava predominate.
Zilargo – to the west of Breland, the gnomish homeland. Superficially a pleasant and harmonious place, the inquisitive nature of the gnomes hides a calculating, hierarchical society where knowledge is power. Home to the most respected news sheet in Khorvaire, the Korranberg Chronicle, and at the forefront of arcane research into such topics as elemental binding.
Darguun – carved from the belly of Cyre by goblinoid troops hardened by mercenary duty in the Last War, this is a new nation ruled by hobgoblins and risen from the ashes of the ancient hobgoblin Dhakaani Empire of millenia past.
Q’barra – founded by Galifaran idealists hoping to escape the War and found a new society, this nation was established in the clammy jungles of the south, filled with mostly hostile lizardfolk. Life is perilous in this tough frontier environment, hanging by a thread between ignominious starvation and attacks from the jungle. Rumours persist of lost cities in the depths of the rain forest.
Valenar – home to the aggressive Valenar elves, originally mercenaries from Aerenal but now claiming a stake in Khorvaire. Peerless cavalry, they venerate their ancestors by trying to outdo them in deeds of bravery and warfare. Their constant raiding is a thorn in the side of Karrnath as they probe the southern defences of this realm.
Talenta Plains – a broad swathe of grassland running east from the shattered remnants of Cyre, and home to the Talenta halfling tribes, barbarians who herd the native dinosaurs. Generally only aggressive in defence of their possessions, they clash frequently with the Karrns and the Valenar, sandwiched as they are between the two.
Mror Holds – the mountain fastness of the dwarven clans. The formerly war-like clans were forged into a banking and mercantile powerhouse under the Kingdom of Galifar, which broke free from Karrnath to the west during the War. The clans still bicker, but are held together by ties of commerce to eachother and the rest of Khorvaire.
Lhazaar Principalities – at the far east of Khorvaire, a series of island realms ruled by a number of individual “princes”, their power linked to their fleets of war ships. Many are little more than glorified pirates. However, it has the distinction of being the first region settled by humans from Sarlona, led by the legendary Lhazaar.
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Races
All of the standard races are available in Eberron, with very little change from the core mechanics. However, there are some flavour changes, as follows:
Humans
No significant rule changes. Humans are the dominant race in the Five Nations, though these all have significant minorities of other races too. Humans did not originate on Khorvaire, but came from Sarlona several thousand years ago. They spread rapidly across a continent depopulated in the wake of the wars which destroyed the hobgoblin Dhakaani Empire.
Dwarves
No significant rule changes. The major population centre for the dwarves is the Mror Holds. It is though they originated from Frostfell, but so long ago no one can remember. They tend to be clannish amongst themselves, though they also have a strong entrepreneurial bent.
Elves
Elves originated on Xendrik as the slaves of the giant civilisation which ruled there over 10,000 years ago. Escaping from their bondage as the empire collapsed, they moved to Aerenal and established a unique civilisation based on ancestor worship. Since then, four major strands of the elven race have emerged:
Aerenal elves – the current inhabitants of Aerenal are members of this cultural strand. Regarded with some suspicion by some outsiders, they are relatively reclusive, practising a form of ancestor worship that looks suspiciously like necromancy. They have fought a number of conflicts with the dragons of Argonessen. This has no actual rules implications, but the culture is very different from the normal, sylvan elf culture described in the core setting.
Valenar elves – an offshoot of a particular branch of the Aerenal elves, which has established itself in Valenar in Khorvaire. Rather than the seemingly morbid form of ancestor worship practised by the mainstream Aerenal elves, the Valenar venerate their warrior ancestors through emulation. As such, they are warriors, generally cavalry, and aggressively expansionist as a nation. Valenar elves are the same as standard elves, except their favoured class is Ranger and they have different weapon proficiencies.
Khorvaire elves – these are the descendants of elves who migrated in small number to Khorvaire from Aerenal millennia ago, due to upheavals in their homeland. They have since become fully integrated into the culture of Galifar/the Five Nations. They are not especially common, and congregate primarily in the urban areas. They have standard elven traits and abilities.
Drow – drow are the elves who remained in Xendrik. They have a very primitive culture, being nomadic hunter tribesmen. They are extremely rare elsewhere, as they tend to be extremely xenophobic. They have standard drow traits, except that they have different weapon proficiencies.
Gnomes
No significant rule changes. Gnomes hail from Zilargo. They have a relatively peaceful and placid society, though one with significant undercurrents of political struggle in all levels and walks of life. Very little can be taken at face value in Zilargo. However, they value learning (and information gathering) and are well-respected magic researchers - a number of notable advances of recent years, such as elemental ships, are partly the result of gnomish inventions.
Half-elves
No significant rule changes. Half-elves form a distinctive race in Khorvaire – that is, most half-elves are the descendants of half-elves, rather than from elven and human parents. The originally arose from the mixing between Aerenal emigrants to Khorvaire and the local human population. They are well-integrated into the society of the Five Nations.
Half-orcs
No significant rule changes. Half-orcs are relatively uncommon, and where they do arise it tends to be in the Shadow Marches. There, orcish and human tribes frequently interact.
Halflings
No significant rules changes. However, there are two major groupings of halflings in Khorvaire. The halflings of the Talenta Plains are tribal herdsmen, and have a primitive animistic culture based on their relationships with their dinosaur herds. Khorvaire halflings are the urbanised descendants of these tribesmen, and are integrated into the broader community in what was Galifar.
The ECS also provides details on four other character races. These are as follows:
Changelings
Descendants of humans and doppelgangers, changelings have since formed their own distinctive race. In their natural form, they are slightly built, grey-skinned humanoids with putty-like features. However, very few changelings are found in their natural form, as they have the natural ability to take on the appearance of other humanoids. This naturally makes them adept as disguise and larcenous activities, and as such they are often subject to prejudice from the wider population. They have Rogue as their favoured class.
Kalashtar
The kalashtar are very similar to ordinary humans in appearance, if somewhat more delicately built. They are naturally psionic, being able to link minds with those nearby, and their favoured class is Psion (I think – this is all from memory). They are generally kindly but somewhat aloof, and tend not to mix much with other races.
Shifters
Shifters are the descendants of lycanthropes, but rather than being an affliction their bestial nature has been internalised in a process call shifting. When a shifter shifts, this animalistic trait is released, enhancing the shifter in a number of ways. (In game terms, a shifter chooses a shifter trait which can be used, a bit like a barbarian rage, to enhance them for a limited period of time. There are a number of traits with different effects to choose from, ranging from increased AC, growing claws or fangs as natural weapons, enhanced senses, and so on.) Shifters have a bestial appearance, with hairy arms, legs and sideburns in both sexes, and stand about 5’6” tall. They are subject to a degree of prejudice because of their somewhat frightening appearance, and are most prevalent in the Eldeen Reaches. Their favoured class in Ranger.
Warforged
Warforged were created by House Cannith as intelligent, mass-produced soldiers. They have bodies composed of composite plating and a tough, fibrous wood-like material. They are generally the size and shape of a man, though variants exist. Most warforged are relatively young (having been manufactured in the last 30 years of the War) and have known little apart from conflict and taking orders. As such, many are out of their depth in peacetime, and their passive nature has led to their exploitation. (Warforged are living constructs, which results in a number of traits incuding that they don’t need to eat, breathe or sleep, are immune to poisons and so on. They also have built-in armour plating, and cannot wear armour, though they can take feats which can improve their plating.) Their favoured class in Fighter.
The Eberron setting is has room for some races which would otherwise be considered monsters to be treated credibly as PC races.
Goblin and hobgoblins
The Kingdom of Galifar was built upon the ruins of the Dhakaani Empire, a goblinoid hegemony which ruled southern Khorvaire for several millennia before its eventual collapse. As such, goblins, hobgoblins and bugbears are relatively common throughout the continent. Most cities have an underclass of goblins, and there is now the nation of Darguun, ruled by hobgoblins.
Orcs
Many orcs live in the Shadow Marches. Their religion is based upon a druidic tradition called the Gatekeepers. The orcish tribes of the Marches tend to more hospitable that the human tribes of the region, as many of those worship the Dragon Below, and insane veneration of evil and madness (see below).
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Religion
The gods of Eberron are grouped into two major pantheons, plus a series of other unrelated religions. With a few exceptions, noted below, the religions are not racially based. Even where a religion is practiced exclusively by a single race, the reasons are cultural rather than a facet of the gods themselves. The gods of Eberron are impersonal forces – they do not interfere at all in the ways of mortals. Some philosophers even doubt whether they truly exist at all.
A number of these gods have domains that are not in the core rulebooks – they are set out in the ECS, and probably the Spell Compendium too. It is possible to worship a pantheon rather than a specific god, and thereby a cleric can choose two domains from that pantheon even if they come from different gods.
Priests of deities in the broader Eberron setting tend not to be of the Cleric class. They are often adepts, or even experts with no magical powers. Clerics tend to be the knights militant of a faith, rather than the local parish priests.
Alignments and clerics
One rule change from the core setting is that a cleric of a god does not need to be within one alignment step of his chosen deity. In fact, he could have a wildly different alignment and still draw power from that deity. A good cleric can cast spells with the Evil descriptor (or perform other acts of evil), and vice versa, without recourse to Atonement spells.
The Sovereign Host
This pantheon is the most commonly worshipped in Khorvaire. It is the mainstream religion of the Five Nations, with the exception of Thrane. It is typically worshipped as a pantheon, rather than on a god-by-god basis.
Arawai, God of Agriculture – NG – Good, Life, Plant, Weather
Aureon, God of Law and Knowledge – LN – Knowledge, Law, Magic
Balinor, God of Beasts and Hunting – N – Air, Animal, Earth
Boldrei, God of Community and Hearth – LG – Community, Good, Law, Protection
Dol Arrah, God of Honour and Sacrifice – LG – Good, Law, Sun, War
Dol Dorn, God of Strength at Arms – CG – Chaos, Good, Strength, War
Kol Korran, God of Trade and Wealth – N – Charm, Commerce, Travel
Olladra, God of feast and Good Fortune – NG – Feast, Good, Healing, Luck
Onatar, God of Artifice and the Forge – NG – Artifice, Fire, Good
The Dark Six
The negative counterparts to the Sovereign Host, they are rarely openly worshipped. However, it is a rare citizen who hasn’t offered a surreptitious prayer to them, such as the farmer hoping to propitiate the Devourer to prevent his crops being ruined in a flood. Worship tends to be of a specific god, rather than of the pantheon.
The Devourer, God of the Tempest – NE – Destruction, Evil, Water, Weather
The Fury, God of Violence and Hatred – NE – Evil, Madness, Passion
The Keeper, God of Death – NE – Death, Decay, Evil
The Mockery, God of Treachery – NE – Destruction, Evil, Trickery, War
The Shadow, God of Dark Magic – CE – Chaos, Evil, Magic, Shadow
The Traveller, God of Deception – CN – Artifice, Chaos, Travel, Trickery
The Church of the Silver Flame
The Silver Flame is the force that binds the rakshasa and demon lords within Khyber (see below). While it has existed since the end of the Age of Demons, humanity only became aware of it when Tira Miron, a paladin of Dol Arrah, sacrificed herself to help a couatl defeat a demon that was about to shrug its bonds. Through her selfless act, she merged with the flame and became its voice, able to communicate with mortals. The Church sprang up from that moment, its mission to purge the world of evil and corruption. With its stronghold in Thrane, it is a powerful crusading force against the machinations of fiends and other foulness. It is also the instigator of a number of atrocities carried out in the name of the Silver Flame, either though excessive zeal or corruption from within.
The Church of the Silver Flame – LG – Exorcism, Good, Law, Protection
The Blood of Vol
The doctrine of the Blood of Vol is that blood is the source of life, and that death is an abomination. Undeath is a way to achieve divinity, and many within the cult aspire to become one of the sacred undead like Vol, Queen of the Dead. Formerly the state religion of Karrnath, it is now discouraged within that country to some extent, though not outright banned. Karrnath is still the stronghold for the religion.
The Blood of Vol – LE – Death, Evil, Law, Necromancer
The Dragon Below
The various cults of the Dragon Below are rarely connected with one another. Instead, a charismatic leader gathers a small band of similarly insane followers to worship some aspect of the works of Khyber, either through trafficking with fiends, the adoration of aberrations from the depths, or dwelling within the deep places of the earth and practicing hideous rites.
The Dragon Below – NE – Earth, Evil, Madness
The Path of Light
The religion of the kalashtar, it emphasises the perfection of body and mind, the importance of the kalashtar communities, and readiness to strike against darkness.
The Path of Light – LN – Law, Meditation, Protection
The Undying Court
The Aerenal elves revere their ancestors. Indeed, their reverence has granted the ancient dead post-mortal animation as members of the deathless. As such, they continue to act as councillors and rulers within that realm.
The Undying Court – NG – Deathless, Good, Protection
The druid sects
A number of sects exist of which the key leaders are druids. They revere the natural world, though some of them different in doctrine (some wildly) and in their relationship with the more civilised lands. The most prominent, and doctrinally mild, are the Wardens of the Wood, who also rule the Eldeen Reaches. They see agriculture as compatible with the natural order, provided that the land is respected. At the other end of the spectrum are the Children of Winter, who revere death and decay as the key natural forces of the world, and the Ashbound, a terrorist-like group who consider any form of civilisation and arcane magic as an abomination. The Gatekeepers are a sect based in the Shadow Marches, mostly comprised of orcs, who were instrumental in the defeat of the daelkyr (see below) and maintain constant vigil to prevent further incursions from Xoriat.
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History
Age of Dragons: date ????
The world as it exists was created following the struggle between the three progenitor wyrms: Eberron, Siberys and Khyber. The struggled ended in their mutual destruction. In the end, Siberys formed the heavens and created the dragons, Eberron the surface world and all manner of other living things, and Khyber created the underdark and vomited forth the fiends.
Age of Demons: date -10,000,000 – -100,000
The fiends of Khyber overran the earth and ruled supreme for eons, creating a hellish environment where night hags and rakshasa rajas were supreme. Eventually, the dragons of Argonessen fought a war against the fiends, allied with other draconic races such as the couatls. Eventually, the couatls sacrificed most of their numbers to bind the most powerful fiends within Khyber. The dragons retreated to Argonessen and ignored the “lesser” races emerging from hiding after the conflict.
Age of Giants: date -80,000 – -40,000
An empire of giants emerged on Xendrik, which rapidly enslaved the elven population and, with draconic aid, grew to massive arcane power. However, an invasion by the inhabitants of Dal Quor, the plane of dreams, led to the giants unleashing devastating draconic magic. The invasion was driven off but severely weakened the empire, causing mass devastation across Eberron through earthquakes, floods and plagues. A subsequent uprising by the enslaved elves led the giants, in a bid to quell the conflict, into attempting to reuse the powers that drove off the previous planar invasion. The dragons pre-emptively reacted by destroying the giant empire, which collapsed into barbarism.
Age on Monsters: date -38,000 – -5,000
Goblinoid and orcish kingdoms arose in Khorvaire. Eventually, the goblinoids united into the Dhakaani Empire, which dominated western Khorvaire. About nine thousand years ago, the daelkyr of Xoriat, the plane of madness, attempted an invasion of Eberron. The Dhakaani Empire and the orcs drove off the invasion, but at great cost. Eventually the Empire fell into civil war and destroyed itself.
Current age: -5000 –
In this age, several of the humanoid races began to manifest dragonmarks. About three thousand years ago, the pioneer Lhazaar led the first human colonists from Sarlona to Khorvaire. About fifteen hundred years ago, the War of the Mark was launched to eliminate the bearers of aberrant dragonmarks, and the system of the twelve dragonmarked houses was established. About one thousand years ago, Galifar united the human kingdoms into the empire that bore his name. In 299 YK the Church of the Silver Flame was established in Thrane, when the self-sacrifice of the paladin Tira Miron bound a marauding demon and created the pillar of silver fire from which the religion takes its name. In 894 YK, the last king of Galifar, Jarot, died. Although tradition dictated than Mishann of Cyre should become the new monarch, her right of succession was challenged by Thalin of Thrane, Wroann of Breland and Kaius of Karrnath, with only Wrogar of Aundair supporting his sister’s claim. The Last War resulted from the ensuing dispute. In 965 YK, the first of the “modern” warforged were built in Cyre by House Cannith. In 994 YK, Cyre was utterly destroyed in the Day of Mourning. After a century of conflict, and the birth of several new nations from the ashes of Galifar, the Last War formally ended with the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold in 996 YK. It is now 998 YK.
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Dragonmarks
Within the last few thousand years, a number of the humanoid races have manifested dragonmarks, strange sigils which appear on the skin and grant the bearer specific magical powers. The causes and meanings of the marks are mysterious, though the dragons of Argonessen have taken some, albeit aloof, interest in lesser races since they began appearing. The marks appear to be heritable, and as such families bearing the marks have formed themselves into twelve “Houses” which have, over the centuries, accrued considerable economic power to themselves though the use of their marks. The dragonmarks are partly responsible for one of the key elements in the Eberron campaign – the relative prevalence of low level magic in the setting. Because the Houses are arranged on commercial lines, their magical powers are for sale. For example:
- long range communications are facilitated through House Sivis speaking stones
- House Orien runs the lightning rail (effectively, magic trains) across the Five Nations to speed up long distance travel, or you can charter a House Lyrandar airship if you have the money and a more out-of-the-way destination in mind
- House Kundarak runs a series of magically protected banks, and you can always take out the items you have lodged there, from any branch, irrespective of where you placed it in their safekeeping in the first place
- House Tharashk can track down anything, or anyone
- House Jorasco can cure whatever ails you (in fact, no one “goes to the temple” for healing as the priest is usually not a cleric, they go to House Jorasco)
- House Cannith manufactures all manner of magic items, from potions of Cure Light Wounds to lightning rail carriages or warforged (though the manufacture of warforged is now expressly forbidden by the Treaty of Thronehold).
The lesser powers of the Houses can be purchased by the man on the street. The more powerful abilities require serious money, from the wealthy individual or even states. Either way, it all adds to the commercial power and political clout of the Houses.
Other, aberrant, marks exist but are much less common following the War of the Mark, which established the current House system. The holders are not arranged into houses, and the nature of their powers can vary wildly, though they are rarely particularly powerful. Indeed, holders of aberrant marks are often shunned by society and can suffer from madness. The War of the Mark pitted the holders of the aberrant marks against the nascent dragonmarked houses, and led to their virtual extermination (in the ages following the War, the Houses still killed holders of aberrant marks, though this is no longer common).
The Houses stayed neutral in the Last War, and indeed profited mightily in some cases (especially House Deneith and House Cannith). The Houses technically are not involved in politics and cannot aspire to office or power. However, given their wealth, they are often deeply involved in political machinations, often in concert or against one another.
The particular marks of the different Houses grant specific, related powers that allow them to dominate in particular fields of enterprise. These are as follows:
House Cannith - Mark of Making - Humans - Manufacture and repair of goods, especially magical items
House Deneith - Mark of the Sentinel - Humans - Personal physical protection and mercenary services
House Ghallanda - Mark of Hospitality - Halflings - Inns, taverns, dining
House Jorasco - Mark of Healing - Halflings - Healing
House Kundarak - Mark of Warding - Dwarves - Banking, security of property
House Lyrandar - Mark of the Storm - Half-elves - Sea transport, air transport, weather-control
House Medani - Mark of Detection - Half-elves - Investigation, personal protection
House Orien - Mark of Passage - Humans - Courier and land-based transport services
House Phiarlan - Mark of Shadow - Elves - Entertainment
House Sivis - Mark of Scribing - Gnomes - Communication, notarisation of documentation
House Tharashk - Mark of Finding - Humans, Half-orcs - Investigations, finding dragonshards
House Thuranni - Mark of Shadow - Elves - Entertainment
House Vadalis - Mark of Handling - Human - Animal husbandry and training
In game terms, receiving a dragonmark requires a feat to be taken. There are four types of dragonmark: least, lesser, greater and siberys. The first three can be obtained by taking the relevant feats (a lesser mark requires that the least mark feat has been taken, and so on) or by taking the Dragonmarked Heir prestige class (in the ECS). The siberys mark requires the Heir of Siberys prestige class to be taken (and this can’t be taken if the character has any dragonmarks already). The dragonmark allows a specific spell-like ability, to be activated one or more times a day.
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Dragonshards
Dragonshards are magical crystals that can be incorporated as key elements of magic items. They come in three types: eberron, siberys and khyber.
Eberron – these shards are found in rocky nodules buried shallowly under the ground. They are useful for attuning to various spells, which has numerous applications. For example, a specially attuned shard can be used instead of a spellbook for a wizard, or in the everglowing lamps which light many of the cities of Eberron.
Siberys – siberys shards appear to have an affinity for dragonmarks, and can be incorporated into items to enhance the effects of dragonmark spell-like abilities. Siberys shards fall from the sky like meteorites, and are obtained by prospecting the areas where they are likely to fall.
Khyber – khyber shards are used in binding elementals and other such creatures. They are found deep under the earth, growing around lava pools.
House Tharashk makes a lot of its money prospecting for dragonshards.
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Sharn
Sharn is the largest city in Breland, and the whole of Khorvaire. Sharn is built in a manifest zone with the plane of Syrania, the Azure Sky (a manifest zone is where the effect of a plane “bleeds” into the material plane, boosting certain types of magic). The effect of this zone is to enhance magic connected with flight and leviation, and has helped Sharn to achieve its distinctive style: Sharn, the City of Towers, its lofty buildings held aloft by unique magic which would not work anywhere else in Khorvaire.
Sharn itself is bordered to the west and south by the Dagger and Hilt rivers, and to the north and east by cliffs. It is built on a series of volcanic plateaux that rear up above the river, with the towers stretching further skyward (with some structures being completely free-floating). This has led to Sharn developing a somewhat vertical complexion, with individual districts being divided into upper, middle and lower segments. Generally, the “lower” the district, the lower its cachet and wealth. A brief overview of the areas:
Central Plateau – an upper class area, with embassies, grand temples and the seat of Sharn’s government.
Menthis Plateau – the entertainment district, and also home to Morgrave University.
Northedge – a mostly residential district.
Dura – the largest district, the oldest and worst, with extensive slums in Lower Dura. The home to the majority of Sharn’s goblinoid population.
Cliffside – the dockside region set below the cliffs where Dura squats. A rough area.
Tavick’s Landing – the eastern edge of the city and the landward route in, holding the terminus for the Orien lightning rail line and trade road.
Skyway – magically floating above the rest of the city, and home to the city’s ultra-wealthy.
The Depths – the ruins upon which Sharn is built are still present underneath the bustle of the city above, and have their own population of scavengers.
The Cogs – the industrial heart of the city, sited below even the Depths and drawing its power from volcanic vents.
Sharn has a mixed population – generally, most races and cultures are represented somewhere. Getting about is either by foot, utilising elevator platforms to move vertically, or by skycoach (small aerial taxis).
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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More than acceptable. Thought you weren't playing...? ;-P
Well, I'll be happier once the campaign deviates decisely away from my other PbP (ex., moves out of Sharn). But I'll cope.
Starting at Level 1?
And, every DM has a different way of handling races with level adjustment. What's your way?
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In coming up with character concepts, you need to consider a number of factors. By far the number one factor is... What were you doing during the Last War? How did it affect you, and what impact has the peace had? If you read the stuff above, a lot of new nations arose during the war. Are you from one of these, and so newly emancipated? Or were you dispossessed - maybe not as badly as a Cyran, but even so you could have lost wealth, influence, power and maybe (probably) loved ones? Some areas, conversely, were little impacted - Aerenal, the Shadow Marches, to a lesser extent Q'barra. The War is a big deal, and should be addressed in every character background - it ripped the continent apart, after all, and only finished about 18 month ago.
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Yes, level 1. 32 point buy. If it is a +1 LA, I can live with it as is (i.e. a 1st level character) and you will be assumed to effectively need an extra 1000xp per level. I would also use the rules on "normalising" LA's to gradually eliminate them as set out in the UA (SRD too? - I don't own the UA but have read them and they seem OK). However, the concept will be subject to vetting for appropriateness to the setting. +2 LA or above - that will depend on the idea.
Sharn is probably less emphasised in this PbP than in my other Eberron campaign. A lot of it, probably most, will happen outside the city.
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Yes, level 1. 32 point buy. If it is a +1 LA, I can live with it as is (i.e. a 1st level character) and you will be assumed to effectively need an extra 1000xp per level. I would also use the rules on "normalising" LA's to gradually eliminate them as set out in the UA (SRD too? - I don't own the UA but have read them and they seem OK). However, the concept will be subject to vetting for appropriateness to the setting. +2 LA or above - that will depend on the idea.
Sharn is probably less emphasised in this PbP than in my other Eberron campaign. A lot of it, probably most, will happen outside the city.
Going With the Human Male, Colvare, and working up a Paizo profile as I think of things, I will finalise tonight or tomorrow morning, and post again.
Going to be a Sorcerer, but I will need to read though the other posts properly before I can work out the background.
I'm contemplating an Aerenal elf cleric (i.e., death-worshipper), a minor functionary or family member of a diplomatic mission sent to Breland after the War.
Have to look at my book . . .
Howzat?
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Ooooo! Deeply twisted. He'll need a good backstory, but I'm sure you will accommodate.
I shall endeavor to meet your standards. I'll need to bone up on the histories of a few regions that I'm considering for his/her (yeah, one of those) place of origin to see if it makes sense, but I've got a good idea of why s/he is what s/he is.
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OK, we have:
Luke
Billzabub
Nevynyxxx
PsionicFox? (maybe)
Chris Mortika
Pat o' the Whatsit
Fatey
Dreamweaver
Oliver von Sprek
Man, that's loads. OK, capping it there.
If anyone isn't particularly committed, you might want to reconsider. Eight is really my maximum and I have nine. No pressure on anyone, but it would make my life easier.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Man, that's loads. OK, capping it there.
If anyone isn't particularly committed, you might want to reconsider. Eight is really my maximum and I have nine. No pressure on anyone, but it would make my life easier.
Hrrm. Well, I'm already in two of your games and, while I have become rather attached to this character concept, if no one else bows out, I will in order to make your life easy.
I'll hold out to see if anyone else has commitment issues first, though. I can say with certainty that I shall continue to be a regular and frequent presence on the boards.
Gaaahhh. Work really is busy, and I really shouldn't be joining another game. So, okay, I'll step aside and live vicariously by reading the thread, IF Aubrey keeps me in mind for any future games.
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Let me know what you want to do, with a reference, and I will approve it (or not, but expect a yes unless you want something insane) on a case by case basis. I own all of the Eberron books, most of the WotC other stuff (Complete.., Races of..., etc.) so if it is WotC it is likely I will have it. Anything else which I don't own I will need to be given specific details, and generally I'm uncomfortable if I don't own the thing in question. Re psionics, in which you expressed an interest, the Expanded Psionics Handbook and the Complete Psionic are both fine. For flavour reasons, I am unkeen on psionics which doesn't have some tie to the kalashtar (though an Adaran human or some other race - on an individually approved basis - is ok).
It's looking like we really need to be throwing in someone who can fight, yes?
I think I'm seeing a Beguiler, a Warlock, a Sorcerer, a Psion, and a Cleric.
So, meatshields in high demand! And maybe even someone with a positive BAB.
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A healer or two might be good, though I think we have one cleric already.
On the paladin idea - a good one and appropriate, but bear in mind that it is possible to be a Knight of the Silver Flame without being a paladin, necessarily, just a martial class and LG/LN/NG in alignment. I mention it solely in case you want to maximise the combat potential of that (or any other) characters and feel a bit hemmed in by the notion of a paladin specifically, not to steer anyone.
On the Silver Flame front, it would be nice if one of the characters was connected with the Church, or at least a Thrane.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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A healer or two might be good, though I think we have one cleric already.
Oooh, yeah, we are a little low on fighter-types, aren't we? I've already got an Eberron meatshield, though, so I'm sticking with my warlock. :P
Also, for healing, I plan on having a stupidly high UMD skill with my warlock, so I can use healing wands effectively if needed.
Aubrey:
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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I have played a shifter barbarian in a one-shot, and I had lots of fun with him. I'd scale him down to 1st level.
Shifters are pretty universally hated by the Church of the Silver Flame if I recall correctly. There may be some issue with that, but Aubrey would have the final say.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Hrrm... now that I'm seeing what other people are up to, I think having a Beguiler, a Warlock, AND a Sorcerer might be a little overkill. I was planning a fairly high-Charisma "face" character with my warlock, but I think the Beguiler will probably do a better job in that position than I will. (Unless Dreamweaver is planning a skill-monkey/trapfinder/dungeon-crawler kind of Beguiler, in which case there's little fear of overlap.)
Maybe I'll do a rogue.... maybe.
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Also, for healing, I plan on having a stupidly high UMD skill with my warlock, so I can use healing wands effectively if needed.Aubrey:** spoiler omitted **
I was also going to max my UMD for the same reason.
I figure I can cover the trapfinding aspect of the party but I am going to focus on mostly social skills and very little 'classic' rogue skills.|
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Hrrm... now that I'm seeing what other people are up to, I think having a Beguiler, a Warlock, AND a Sorcerer might be a little overkill. I was planning a fairly high-Charisma "face" character with my warlock, but I think the Beguiler will probably do a better job in that position than I will.
Maybe I'll do a rogue.... maybe.
No, no, no. Keep the warlock. Between that and the beguiler, we'll have good cop and really scary cop.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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It's definitely looking like Dreamweaver and I were going in the same direction, hehe.
Alright, I'll reconsider my character. In fact, it seems like you'll have all the bases covered anyway so I might just drop out to make Aubrey's life a little easier. I know that big games can be a pain in the butt and I'm blessed to be in two of his games already.
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I have played a shifter barbarian in a one-shot, and I had lots of fun with him. I'd scale him down to 1st level.
Shifters are pretty universally hated by the Church of the Silver Flame if I recall correctly. There may be some issue with that, but Aubrey would have the final say.
There is a degree of prejudice, but not outright hatred. It is possible to be a shifter and survive quite happily in thrane. The Church has an unwritten bias against most non-humans, frankly. There are very few in Thrane.
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It's definitely looking like Dreamweaver and I were going in the same direction, hehe.
Alright, I'll reconsider my character. In fact, it seems like you'll have all the bases covered anyway so I might just drop out to make Aubrey's life a little easier. I know that big games can be a pain in the butt and I'm blessed to be in two of his games already.
Up to you, Fakey, but I'm happy with eight. On the alignment thing, you would likely have someone doing a Detect Evil number on you at some stage, so LE might be a tough one to pull off, especially if we end up with a paladin in the party. Anyway, Dreamweaver was talking about a Medani inquisitive before...