(RECRUITING) Justice League of Eberron

It was called the Last War as a warning.

For a hundred years, ever since the rite of succession in the Five Kingdoms was ignored and a thousand years of relative peace came to an end, the continent of Khorvaire has been seized by war. Desperation pushed the limits of magic to destructive heights undreamed of, birthing a new race of animate constructs, delivering new modes of flying transport, and culminating in an unclaimed act of magical terrorism, wiping the nation of Cyre off the face of the continent.

Sick and weary of war, two years ago the Treaty of Thronehold was signed, putting an end to the Last War, with the best of intentions of ensuring it was the Last War - because another, on the scale witnessed, could end all life on the world of Eberron. The magical constructs called the warforged have been granted personhood, and struggle to adapt to a world without war - as does everyone else. With a hundred years of grudges across national lines, with everyone knowing someone who died or suffered in the war, there are a lot of people in Khorvaire not willing to let bygones be bygones.

Those are just the threats within the Five Nations. The emissaries from Sarlona are eagerly stepping in to help with refugees and shortages, but nothing comes without a price. The lost continent of Xen'drix is opening to exploration, and could contain anything - including nothing more than a sad repeat of the history of colonialism against its drow natives. There are stirrings of activity within the Cult of the Dragon Below, their long-term insane goal being the revival of the dread wyrm Tiamat - and the dragons of Argonessen are heard to be taking an unusual interest in the affairs in Khorvaire. There are tales of a warforged god building a nation in the ruins of Cyre, and the Dragonmarked houses - centers of magical trade, and relatively unscathed by war - are up to something.

To hold the world together may be an impossible task.

But for some of the individuals emerging worldwide, only nothing is impossible.



What's the game? A superhero game set in Eberron.

Where's it hosted? Off-site, located here. It's currently in progress, but we've lost a few members and are recruiting new ones. I've decided to try off-site recruitment in addition to recruiting on-site.

Why Eberron? Eberron is a setting for Dungeons and Dragons that advances the general feel and timeline of the "fantasy consensus universe" from medieval Ye Olden Times to the stories of the post-World War 1 pulp era. Less Bilbo Baggins and more Indiana Jones.

In the consciousness of Western society, the pulp heroes gave way to the superheroes in the late 1930s and early 1940's. This is a game about Eberron making that transition.

Why superheroes? They're awesome, and I feel that a pulp fantasy universe allows for fresh possibilities with the genre, either taking fantasy archtypes up to the level of superheroics, or lending superheroic archtypes a fresh perspective within Eberron's borders.

Where in Eberron is this set? Initially, Khorvaire. Not to say that you have to come from there, but that you have to wind up there by the time the team is ready to form.

What's this about a team? One of the unusual things I want to do with this game is that I want to run it comics-universe style - as in, every character initially has a solo thread where you have your own adventure, then you get together with the team in a group thread, then we have both your solo thread and your group thread going simultaneously. Like how members of the Justice League or the Avengers have their solo books and then the team book - or if movies are your frame of reference, how we get Captain America or Superman movies in between Avengers and Justice League films.

So how will that work? Like this.

• Solo threads: origin story for you
• Then team thread: the team comes together for its first big adventure.
• Then solo threads and team thread running in parallel: or close to parallel, with perhaps some time off in between. Future story ideas may be seeded in group threads and followed through in solo threads, or vice versa. If something life-changing happens in one thread, we assume that the other thread took place before that.

That's a little unusual. It is! But play-by-post gives us an ideal place to pursue it, since the slower pace means more attention can be focused on the individual members.

Also, if you don't want a solo thread, you don't have to have one past your introduction, so if you think it's a bad idea, it won't directly affect you. If you don't want to be in the group thread, that's also something I can accommodate.

What system are you using? Mutants & Masterminds 3rd Edition. Starting PL is 10; starting PP for new players will be 155.

What style or tone of play are you looking for? Akin to the DC Animated Universe of the 90's and 00's, or the better Marvel movies. Realistic on an emotional level - as in "this crazy thing that happened is crazy" - but not necessarily on a physics level ("what tensile strength is required for Big Crazy Thing to be real?") and with the social impact level limited so that it doesn't get in the way of the genre. Essentially, the core truth of the game's tone is that it's a world with superheroes and that needs superheroes.

How many people are you looking for? I'm looking for three new recruits!

Can you give me an example of a superhero in Eberron? Sure. Here's the three we have currently:

• Acolyte Tobias, who hosts a sliver of the Silver Flame within him, and can use it to harm, heal and ensnare. He is a rare manifestation of the power of the Silver Flame, and people such as him are called, in the history of the church, The Torchbearer.
• Lysa, on the eve of the Mourning that wiped out the nation of Cyre, found her mind transplanted by her father into the body of a prototype warforged with great strength, force missile cannons, and the ability to fly. She makes her home in Sharn, and has taken on the name of Steel Falcon.
• Faz, whose background is mysterious and who appears to be a changeling - but his shapeshifting abilities, wherever they come from, are an order of magnitude above any other changeling's powers.

And here's the three that have stepped down due to time constraints or that have outright quit:

• Adaa, who was bred to be an Inspired and a host for the quori her whole life, but at the crucial moment, decided to fight back and found a psionic strength within her she never knew she had. She travelled to Khorvaire to elude her pursuers, and has found a home there.
• Matteus, a nobleman and thief-catcher who was cursed by a demon to burn everything he laid eyes on. With the help of an artificer friend, he wears a set of goggles to help contain his cursed gaze - goggles he lifts the lenses on with great hesitation.
• Captain Cyre, a soldier from the midst of the Last War who was meant to be enhanced with a variety of mystical artifacts and carefully implanted traits to be Cyre's ultimate weapon, and a symbol of all it stood for.

I'd rather any new concepts step on their toes should they return to us. Eberron has a lot of room for everyone.

What restrictions are you putting on powers? Basically, Teleport - especially round-the-world teleport - is off limits, and don't get too out-there with arrays or with one-hit-and-they're-down powers.

What other things should I consider when making a PC?

• In terms of background, the game's scope is Khorvaire, so you should either be from there, or be living there/about to start living there. Don't feel you can't go intercontinental with your concept, but you do have to wind up in Khorvaire at some point.
• The game can accommodate both scaled-up D&D characters as well as superheroic archetypes, but I tend to tilt towards superheroic archetypes as a personal preference.
• Ideally, your background should contain at least two, if not more, of the following types of characters: parental figure, rival, partner or ex-partner, love interest or ex-love interest, nemesis, friend, or mysterious figure.
• Give me a rough idea how you want your first "origin issue" to go. Bearing in mind that all threads are public, so any information in these threads will be readable by anyone.
• You don't need a "superhero name," but if you don't pick one, the papers are probably going to give you one once your activities are noticed.

I still have questions! ​Ask them below!

I'm interested! Sign me up! Again, looking for three players. If you want in on this, pitch me on your concept and we'll see how good it looks. And again, this game is off-site, so if that's a dealbreaker, I'm letting you know up front.

I'll throw my hat in here- I love Eberron, and I'm just getting back into M&M.

Let me think about a concept for a bit- too tired right now after crushing day of work.

G'day all! Just wanted to chime in here and say I'm playing in this game currently, and have had a great time playing through my 'origin' story. Lysa, the Steel Falcon, is envisioned as a kind of thematic cross between Iron Man and Superman, with some unique twists from the setting. In game terms, a flying bricky sort with a solid punch. In character terms, a good person who struggles with questions of identity, and with the question of how 'good' can fight 'bad' when it seems like 'bad' holds so many more cards.

So- definitely interested. I'll sign up on rpgpost and read through some of the game thread to get an idea of play style and so on.

As is usual for me, I have bunch of ideas. I'll toss out a few of my initial concepts- let me know if any of them look interesting (or conversely, if any look definitely unappealing). Left to my own devices, I will chew on these for a day or two, to see if I can get a full background (and appropriate mechanics) to line up.

>First round of concepts, in no particular order:
1. The River Hag (archetype= Hulk): From the 'monster nation' of Droamm, she is freakishly strong even for her kind, one of the favorites of the Daughters of Sora Kell (possibly one of their direct daughters, in fact). But when she was sent out into the world, she ran into more than she could handle- and a powerful priest (maybe of the Silver Flame, to tie in a bit?) geased her to Do Good. Oddly enough, she has found that it suits her, though her methods are a bit 'unconventional'- and it means she probably can't go home. Basically a brick, with some senses (and maybe some kind of disguise spell?), and a particular champion of the downtrodden and 'monstrous' races- who else protects the poor gnolls and goblins of Sharn?

2. "The Swordmage": So 4th Edition PCs are basically superheroes compared to most other editions- this idea takes the basics of a 4e Swordmage and cranks things up to 11. An Aundairian with a military education who became a mercenary archaelogist in Xen'drik after the War ended (in the Lara Croft/Indiana Jones vein)- she was captured by the jungle drow, who attempted to sacrifice her. The sacrificial ritual went wrong, instead empowering her- and she has returned to Khorvaire intent on using her new abilities for Good. Some healing/immunities, and some 'magic items' from her work, but mostly Swordmage-type powers refluffed as super abilities. Main question for this would be: Are ALL teleport abilities off the table, or just long range ones? Swordmages use lots of short range 'combat teleport' tricks- if all teleport powers are out I can work around with reactive defenses and Leaping/Flight tricks...

3. "The Blur": a low-level member of House Orien, who was infused with the power of the famous Lightning Rail trains after a terrible accident. She is still coming to terms with her new abilities, and despite her loyalty to her House, she feels these gifts may be destined for a better purpose than being a secret agent for Orien. Basically a speedster, with some minor electricity-based tricks.

4. "The Ghost": An Inquisitive by trade (and a member of the Finder's Guild of House Tharashk, specialized in finding arcane artifacts), she found more than she could handle when a unique dragonshard exploded in her face. Now she has discovered that she can take a ghostly form- and she has discovered that there are more important things in life than the constant struggle of the Houses and the nobility... Magically boosted 'Detective' with limited Incorporeal/flight powers, and a sack of magical trinkets that would make House Cannith envious...


Some other possible ideas would include a House Lyrandar wind/weather controller ("Storm") and a pixie with a slew of useful arcane powers (a former familiar carrying on the good deeds of a deceased master mage)

Is the Tech Level still D&D Standard, or was the 30's/40's comparison apt?

It's Eberron standard, which is to say it's 'mostly' D&D, but with the magewright industry making magical 'technology' more prevalent in urban areas. Inexpensive, industrially produced magic items like lamps, magic wands, and so on give Eberron a less medieval feel, at least in the areas where such things are available.

It's not a direct correlation to the 30's and 40's though. There's no automobile-equivalent for example...and the magic wands that are 'guns' are considered military weapons and aren't generally available to citizenry by legal means. There's nothing that works like broadcast radio; you have Sending Stones that work like walkie-talkies, but you don't have people tuning in to the nightly news on anything. Media is still newspaper-based. There's no commercial air travel...bulk transport is via the lightning rail.

The sense I get from what I've seen so far as a player is that the level of 'technology' has advanced a bit from the core Eberron rules, but not a lot. If you have access to that rulebook it'll give you a much better and more detailed account of where things stand than my post here.

[MENTION=48394]pathfinderq1[/MENTION]: all good stuff. To answer your questions and address concerns:

1) The River Hag looks neat, though you don't need a curse on you to do good in Eberron since any creature can have any alignment. A better idea might be that the monster somehow acquires the ability to become a normal person, perhaps? Like a werebeast in reverse.

2) Swordmage also looks neat, and short-range teleporting is okay as long as it's not radically abused (no teleporting objects into the middle of people to kill them, for example.) Essentially I don't want it to be a solve-everything Swiss Army knife of superpowers. A sacrifice by drow gone wrong is something I'm a little leery of since it feels a little bit like the those-crazed-savages trope, but tying in the drow is good since no one's touched on them and you'd have exclusive purview. (The swordmage could also be from Xen'drik, like the Black Panther is from Wakanda.)

3) The Blur is also neat - there's a little Dragonmarked intrigue with Lysa, but Cannith and Orien are different houses and there's plenty of room for both.

4) The Ghost also is neat (I swear I will stop using that phrasing someday, but not today, Satan) The others have dealt with mysteries, but not in an actual full-on professionally inquisitive style.

Also dig the former familiar which is a great take, and the Lyrandar controller. Lots of good ideas!
[MENTION=36150]Herobizkit[/MENTION]: Essentially it's Eberron standard, but "tech level" is a bit of a misonomer. Eberron is less "magic and technology" and more a world where magical advancement has taken the place OF technological advancement, if that makes any sense. People can be straight up brought back from the dead in some cases, but the TV hasn't been invented yet.

The advancement of society is a hair ahead of where you'd expect standard Eberron to be, but the overall feel is "a little bit past post-World War 1 Europe." And of course, this IS superheroes, so suddenly you'll have people in the magical equivalent of Iron Man suits show up even though you won't expect to see them in the military too often.

Also, the Technology skill has been repurposed into applying to said artifice - the creation, repair, maintenance and understanding of magical items that are in some ways mass produced. So "magic" isn't the catch-all knowledge skill for matters metaphysical.

Update:
1. I signed up on rpgpost and joined the game thread. Still reading to get a handle on playstyle and so on.

2. Concept list has narrowed to three- I'm working on expanded backgrounds and character sheets to see if I can narrow things further.

>Current concept incarnations (again, in no particular order- longer backgrounds in process):
A. "Vex"- Genevieve Lizette 'Jennie' ir'Dezain is the youngest daughter of a successful merchant/scholar family (Recently elevated to the gentry as Aundair begins to rebuild after the War). Her family lineage has long carried more than a trace of elven blood. With no obvious magical talent, she was trained in combat and tactics, with an eye towards a military career- but the treaty of Thronehold cut that path short. Her swordmaster sponsored her to the Defenders Guild, and after some easy assignments she was attached to an expedition to the jungles of Xen'drik, acting as a bodyguard to one of the archaelogical scholars. Pursued by a drow hunting party, the group stumbled into an ancient fortress from the Age of Giants- and into some kind of ancient arcane machine. In a flash of light, Jennie was transformed- her latent arcane gifts were activated, and her physical skills were boosted (especially her metabolism). In the same flash, though, almost all of her party were wiped out- Jennie and the few survivors barely made it back to Stormreach. On probation with the Guild, she has returned to Khorvaire- and is trying to understand just what happened to her. Primarily a 'scaled-up' D&D character, but 4e swordmages were basically superheroes anyway. Basically a weapon master archetype, though she is learning some blade magic tricks- combat teleportation and magical blasts and shields, for the most part. While she is technically a minor noble, she is not in her family's good graces right now (so as to leave the active noble intrigue mostly to Matteus, if he comes back). Also a member of Deneith's Defenders Guild, but not a House member, or dragonmarked.

B. "The Hag"- When the legendary annis Sora Maenya helped found the monstrous nation of Droaam, she left behind a terrible legacy in the Eldeen Reaches- in addition to her own atrocities, she left a number of horrible offspring. Zarekka was one such monster- a hag whose ancestry included annis, fiend, river troll and stone giant. A savage creature, more beast than 'person', Zarekka was a terrible predator- at least as strong as her legendary ancestor. In desperation, the Gatekeeper druids in her territory bound her with a ritual prison- and an elderly shifter druid tried to convert the hag into an ally. The process took years- as expected the hag was not inclined to cooperate, and she had been exposed to little in the way of language (and nothing at all in terms of philosophy, reason, or education). The old shifter was quite patient, and VERY persuasive- in time the hag learned to reason, and the basic concepts of caring and empathy; she even found that these concepts spoke to the deeper, previously untouched reaches of her soul. She began to honestly WANT to do good and to care for or protect those who were in a position of weakness or need. She even began to learn of druidic philosophy, and the tenets of the Gatekkepers. But when a group of bandits stumbled upon the isolated retreat, Zarekka was till bound within her circle- and she could only watch as the marauders cut down her teacher. Until, with her last dying act, the druid swept her arm across the barrier and broke the circle- Zarekka'a old fury arose in an instant, and the bandits did not stand a chance (though at least now Zarekka felt regret for what she inflicted upon them). She buried her old teacher in that clearing, and conducted the rites as best she could before she set out into the larger world. Zarekka did not believe that the other Gatekeepers would accept her (and she might be right), and she was not content to return to her old ways. While the stories of Droaam that she heard were intriguing, she instead set out into the so-called civilized lands, seeking to further the learnings which she had only begun. She quickly learned that 'civilized' people were often (legitimately) terrified at the mere sight of her form- but luckily, like most hags, she could assume a less-threatening appearance; it was never a gift she had practiced, though, so she found herself capable of taking only one form- in this case, the shape of a young shifter, as her dear teacher might once have looked. In this guise, she set out on the roads- and she found herself compelled to help those who seemed to be in need, though her methods were a bit unconventional, and she still derived perhaps a bit too much enjoyment from answering trouble with violence... (Basically a Hulk archetype, though in this case the Hulk form is her true one. The two shapes share a mind- mostly; her hag shape is far more instinctive and feral- she CAN think, but often acts first). Mostly a brick, with a bit of senses (and a single level of metamorph for her other shape- most hags are more adept at this but I didn't want to crowd Faz's niche).

3. "Shard"- Katri Thern'aashta is a young half-orc woman, born in the Shadow Marches. Undersized by the standards of her folk, she was remarkably smart and clever- so she was educated with an eye towards a career of a scribe or maybe a magewright. She manifested her Mark of Finding at an early age, though, and she was apprenticed in her House's operations, as part of the Finder's Guild. She specialized in finding arcane items- her mark allowed her detect and identify magic items with a touch. She had a bit of a gift for going unnoticed- a definite asset; she also found that many people tended to underestimate the brains of a half-orc... One assignment sent her in pursuit of an unusual dragonshard- but when she finally found it, her touch unleashed a wave of strange energy. She found herself changed by that strange pulse- she could assume a blurred, ghostly form. In the year since, she has learned a lot- and she has begun to believe that there may be things in the world more important than the great houses... (Shard is a bit of a 'magical detective' who is headed towards a ninja-esque role. Think The Shadow, or Kitty Pryde>Ariel>Shadowcat, or in time, a Batman with magic instead of tech. She carries a dragonshard dagger which constitutes the majority of her offense- powers aside, her best asset is her brain and detective skills (Eidetic/Well-informed/Jack of All Trades/etc.); her still-improving dragonmark may also be useful.) Member of House Tharashk (basically 'Favored in House')- she doesn't play the game much, but will probably have complication related to demands from House and Guild...

[MENTION=48394]pathfinderq1[/MENTION]: All of these sound great and they'd fit well within the game. I'm glad you put as much effort into them as you have.

Anyone else: I'm still looking for players, so I'm bumping this thread to see if anyone else wants in!

I might be interested. I'm new to the Mutants and Masterminds system, which I play in a game here. I love Eberron, though have yet to actually play in the setting.

I don't have any solid ideas yet, but a few hooks:

1. I've always loved the idea of Karrnath, the nation with the undead army.

2. Your drow Black Panther idea sounded really cool, too.

Are there any particular niches you need filled? I have stables of "X-Men" style characters from writing rpg groups I can convert into something more crunchy and tied to Eberron.