D&D 5E Tomb of Annihilation in Eberron

#SPOILERS AHEAD#

I'm expecting to run Tomb of Annihilation in Eberron in the foreseable future, but I'm having a little creativity-gap in how to adapt some tings, so here I'm to ask for help!

If anyone knows how to set up a button to hide/collapse parts of the text (as used in may guides), please let me know how!

After reading a few sources (below), I'd like to discuss options for the following:

[SBLOCK=DECIDING ON ADVENTURE LOCATION]ADVENTURE LOCATION
There's a great point for Q'Barra, but I think Xen'drik have more flavor going for it, plus anything goes vibe and a good reason not to swipe the whole forest in an Airship to search the Death Curse's origin.
That way I'll switch Port Nyanzaru to Stormreach, and adapt things accordingly.[/SBLOCK]

[SBLOCK=ADAPTING VILLAINS]VILLAINS:
*Acererak: I don't like the idea of Acererak coming form wherever he cames to Eberron (my Eberron doesn't exist in the D&D Multiverse, but in it's own Eberron-verse). Since this is is a "Death Plot", he could be replaced by Erandis d'Vol but that doesn't seem a nice fit as Emerald Claw and the Blood of Vol are better substitutes to other factions within the game. So I'm going with this: Acererack was an Elf Necromancer from Aerenal who was rejected to become part of the Undying Court, due to influence and manipulation of an asset of the Lords of Dust. After years he ended up as a Lich in service of a Rakshasa Rajah that wanted a Lord of Dust released from Xen'drik.
*Atropal: What to do with this??? Best idea I read was to turn him into an undead giant (maybe the Emperor of former Giant Kingdom in Xen'Drik), but still... that doesn't fit with the best replacement for Acererak, as in, Elves don't work with Giants... ... So the Atropal is nothing less than an aspect of Katashka, the Lord of Dust that rules over Death and Undeath (DoE pg. 36; Dragon #337 pg. 70; ECG pg. 30)
*Ras Nsi: I liked the idea of he being an fallen Guarduan of Rushemé (Secrets of Xen'drik/Stormreach)... so here's the story: Ras Nsi was one half-giant champion of the Guardians of Rushemé that used a Mabar manifest zone to create an Undead Army to deal with the growing Yuan-Ti threat to Xen'driks forests... the plan backfired, he got expelled from the Guardians of Rushemé for dealing with the unnatural and ended up caught by the Yuan-ti, who seeing him, once a powerful enemy, as a broken person, convinced him to turn against his old friends who rejected him, and so he got turned into a Yuan-ti.After the collapse in the Fane of Night Serpent that killed his former boss, he ended up leading the Yuan-ti sect in Omu.[/SBLOCK]

[SBLOCK=ADAPTING THE PLOT AND MAJOR QUESTLINES]PLOT:

• Soulmonger: This device is bringing Mabarr (makes more sense than Dolurrh) coterminous to all Eberron, but especially to Xen'drik! Hence the worldwide Death Curse and all the Undead in the continent, as a side effect of the growing presence of Katashka and the proximity to Mabarr.
• Motivation: In my opinion, Eberron is a low-level world in a way that there's no "Ressurection Magic". Maybe the Kings and major players within the Dragonmarked Houses could be able access this? Bu then again, why get lowly player characters involved when you're Boranel, King of Breland... or the major Heir in House Cannith... or some of those major NPCs (in terms of power, not level).
• Artus Cimber: He'll be basically Indy - a highly regarded member of the Morgrave University (or other educational institution in Khorvaire), specialized in Xen'drik... he went alone to the continent to search an ancient giant artifact/lore and ended up with the Ring of Winter in his hand, partly responsible to turn the city of Mezro and all its inhabitants in a perpetual ice-sculpture museum. He may be accompanied by his Hobgoblin friend Dragonbait ('cos I hate Saurials and Drgaonborns in Eberron), and can't leave Xen'drik because the ring magically won't let him (Thanks a lot for @fuindordm for the seeds of those ideas)

OTHER DETAILS:
Ubtao: Traveler for shrines and mazes, otherwise it's just "Xen'drik magic inffluence" that makes weird stuff. I'm not sure if I can switch him wih one of the Dark Six (or the Host)... or just call him "forest spirit from legends" and go with it as it's just supersticion
Trickery Gods: They're were originally powerful Gyrderi Elves (Secrets of Xen'drik, pg.53), mythc elves that made a pact with Nature itself and roam as awakened animals, whose souls were trapped in Eberron and became... Alternatively, @CrimsonCaracharodon said: they're remnants of the most powerful giants before the dragons of Argonnessen destroyed giant civilization.
Dinosaur Names: In Eberron, Dinosaurs have particular names like Clawfoot. See ECS pg 280 for a comprehensible list.[/SBLOCK]

[SBLOCK=ADAPTING FACTIONS]FACTIONS:
Also, Stormreach already have its own Factions that could be taken into account:
Criminal Organizations: Stormreach have its own list of criminal organizations

• Bilge Rats (CoS)

Militia: Basically each of the original Five Nations have some kind of militia in their thematic ward within Stormreach, I think they are fine for worldbuilding, but don't add anything interesting for this campaign.
Prophecy: Factions from Xen'driks Expeditions that were interested in the Caldwyn Fragments of the Draconic Prophecy. If you, like me, played XE, you'll have found memories from those factions. However, I don't have any ideas on how to integrate them with this adventure plot and also think we already have too many Factions as it is.

• BWC (CoS)
• Cabal of Shadows (CoS)
• Covenant of Light (CoS)
• Crimson Codex (CoS)

Dragonmarked Houses:

• Strong presence: Deneith, Jorasco, Ghallanda, Lyrandar, Phiarlan/Thuranni, Tharashk, Kundarak, Sivis
• Weak presence: Cannith, Medani, Orien, Vadalis (settlement outside Stormreach)

The Twelve
Wayfinder Foundation: Yellow Banner? Opposing expedition?[/SBLOCK]

[SBLOCK=RACES AND CULTURES (Tomb of Annihilation)]RACES AND CULTURES (Tomb of Annihilation):

• Aarakocra: I'm using them as a race long lost in Xen'drik, instead of Raptorans (PGtE, pg. 154) for the sake of simplicity. Maybe they were treated as pets or messengers by Giants?
  • Omuan Royalty will be part of what's left of tribe of Wyven Riding Drows (footnote on SoX, pg. 51) that now lives as refugees with the Aarakocra in Kir Sabal. Their elder knows the Dance of Seven Winds ritual.
• Batiri: They're descendants of Goblins that came from Dhaakani Empire to form a settlement in Xen'drik, but fell over the inffluence of the Du'rashak Tul Curse (SoX, pg. 53)
• Dwarves and Albino Dwarves: Don't exist. Change encounters to Vulkoor Drow raiding parties.
• Frost Giants: Come from Everice from the south. They're searching for Artus Cimber, who stole their ancient relic (the Ring of Winter).
• Grungs: They're a lost race deep within Xen'drik for Dungrulung (ToA pg. 49) but they don't exist in Omu.
  • Alternativelly: use Drows adept of Vulkoor in the same situation in this location as their poison doesn't work on undead, switch the ritual being performed to become an "avatar of Vulkoor" (Scorrow)
• Pterafolk: They're a lost race within Xen'drik, no change required.
• Tabaxi: Don't exist. Ideally, change Tabaxi major NPCs to Shifters (Longtooth, Longstrider).
• Yuan-Ti: They're refugees from Argonesse and servants of the Devourer (SoX, p.67), besides that I don't think any other adaptation is needed.
• Weretigers: Don't exist. Most lycantropes were purged by the SIlver Flame, and the 13 moons of Eberron would make it nearly impossible for a lycantrope to live in a urban area as Stormreach. Switch important ones to Shifters (Beasthide).

[/SBLOCK]

[SBLOCK= RACES AND CULTURES (Xen'drik)]RACES AND CULTURES (Xen'drik): Besides the ones seen in Tomb of Annihilation, there are local cultures from Eberron that should be taken into account during Chapter 2:

• Drow, Vulkoor (Sox, p. 72): classic Drow of Eberron that follows Vulkoor, an aspect of the Mockery from the Dark Six, divided into at least 3 mindsets:
  • Vulkoor the Hunter: Nomadic, self-sufficient... maybe more prone to conversation.
  • Vulkoor the Wrathful: Territorial, make constant living sacrifices to Vulkoor
  • Vulkoor the Cunnig: Xenophobic, search for magic and relics from the past
• Drow, Sulatar (SoX, p.51): The "Firebinders", they're more "civilized" Drow and still loyal to Giants with a martial culture. Very few exists in Xen'drik, they live in the Obsidian City (PgTE, pg. 115) which lies at least 800 miles away from Stormreach.
• Drow, Umbragen (SoX, p.52): A tribe that lives near the Ring of Storms, were driven out of Khyber by the Daelkyr in 997 YK.
• Elf, Qabalrin (SoX, pg. 52): Ancient civilization of powerful Elven necromancers, obliterated by the fall of a massive Dragonshard from Syberys 40.000 years ago, lived near the Ring of Storms. May be used as legends and rumors.
• Elf, Gyrderi (SoX, pg. 53): Mythic elves that made a pact with Nature itself, may roam Xen'drik as awakened animals with powerful Druidic abilities. They're legendary for Tairnadal elves (Valenar).
  • Hook: Nine Trickster Gods were, actually, Gyrderi elves!
• Giant (SoX, p. 60):
  • Battalion of the Baasalt Tower: Fire Giants that rever ancient hero Adaxus and make alliances with fiends
  • Dominion of Purity: Group compposed of all kinds of giants who want to regain former glory of Giant race
  • Scriventers of the Sky: Cloud and Storm Giants that want to preserve giant history and knowledge
  • Advanced Tribe: Tribes of giants of different kinds, tend to be reclusive but not aggresive
  • Orphan Tribe: Simpler tribes composed of only one giant race. Could be a "savage" (less intelligent, more aggressive) tribe.
• Other races (for Encounters): Dinosaurs, Abeirs, Formorians, Nagas, Thelanis Court, Sahuagin, Gray Render, Bulette, Hydra, Lizardfolk

[/SBLOCK]

[SBLOCK=CITY RUMORS]CITY RUMORS: These should reflect the state of things in Eberron, so I'm changing them accordingly, ditching what I'm not using and including new ones. Also, they should be even less detailed than the ones in ToA, since there are less knowledge about Xend'rik's Jungles than there are about Chult. I'll add new rumors in deep blue. Thanks to @CapnZapp for the compílation in the other topic (see sources).

• Birdfolk Monastery (Kir Sabal): Reports of birdfolk not only in the Titan's Teeth, but also down The Hydra (river). Sometimes they seem accompanied by what seems to be drow riding a winged creature (those are Wyvern Riding Drow, a tribe originally from Omu)
• Minotaur City (Omu): There are snake-people deep within the jungle, they take ruins of Giants and Elves for themselves and are extremely cruel
• Terrorfolk (Firefinger): Some claim there are ruins deep withing the forest so big they reach the sky (The Azure Tower, SoX) or that seem like a beacon in a see of jungle (Firefinger), and can be seen from dozens of miles away. Some explorers say they reached those places, but can't seem to bring proof about it. Others tell they tried to reach these ruins, but could never reach them
• Charter of Exploration (Fort Beluarian): Adapt to point to House Tharashk within Stormreach.
• Queen Zalkoré (Nangalore): Make this about an Elven Queen or a Dryad
• Green Dragon (Needle's Bones): Maybe expand with Belericax quest (see Guides)?
• Ruin City (Mezro): There are legends of a Giant city that was frozen in time during the fall of Giant Empire and has stayed that way since, probably due to some lingering effect of Giant's apocalyptic magic
• Red Dragon (Wyrmheart Mine):Skip, since I'll use Belericax instead of Tinder, and this plot will be driven by Dyn'celia (see Guides).
• Nature Spirits (Chwinga): This is perfect!
• Star Goddess (Wreck of): The Star Godess is an Lyrandar Airship, they recently departed to Zantashk (SoX, pg. 22) to get a supply of Syberys Shards. Players may see the ship depart from Stormreach and hear a NPC saying how suicidal it is to travel these storm-filled land with an Airship. Due to the difference in distance between Chult and Xen'drik, that works better than only hearing the rumor, as it will take more than 20 days to reach the ship anyway.
• King Toba (Snapping Turtle Bay): Skip.
• Order of the Gauntlet (Camp Vengeance): Use Church of the Silver Flame instead, including: "some Flame Missionares also went that way to help nearby communities". That's a hook for the quest Missing Missionaries (SoX, pg. 111)
• Blue Mist (Mad Monkey Mist): Skip. It's more interesting to make them discover the effects of the Mist in game.
• Aaremag (Bay of Chult): Skip (I'm having a hard time letting Aaremag go because he's so cool... but I prefer my Shargon's Teeth with Sahuagins... may as well use him if they leave Stormreach by sea)
• Naga Ruins (Orulunga): The city seems to lie in The Hydra leftmost "neck"
• Ubtao (-): Skip (I'm not using Ubtao as described in ToA, so ...)
• Aldani monsters (Aldani Basin): Skip (I'm not using Ubtao as described in ToA, so...)
• Ghost village (Mbala): The city seems to lie between The Hydra's "necks"
• Mazes (-): There are legends of Drow and Giants that revered an aspect of The Traveler related to mazes, and build shrines in His name in some places in the continent. In these shrines, it's a sign of respect to Him to trace the path of the maze detailed in the place.
• Tharashk Outpost (Zantashk): Far to the east, near the shore, there's a Tharashk outpost called Zantashk (SoX, pg. 22) that mines a significant amount of Syberys Dragonshards. This small farming community is overseen by Duuth Velderan (human).
• Jungle Safehouse (Last Chance): Near the southern wilds there's a small community built around a large inn called "Last Chance", managed by Alask d'Jorasco and supported by a joint venture between Jorasco and Galhandra. It's almost 20 days of travel from Stormreach and a great starting point for journeys deep into the unknown jungles.
• Traveler's Curse (-): When outsiders travel in the jungles of Xen'drik they're at the mercy of the Traveler's Curse, which bends time and space and make distances between settlements or ruins seem many times longer or shorter than expected. Another side effect of the Traveler's Curse is that the jungles of Xen'drik are practically impossible to map, since each charter drawn a different map for a set location. Expert explorers say the Curse is stronger within the deeps of the forest.
• Drow (Varies): When talking to a drow in Stormreach, the characters may learn that there are many different tribes of drow. Even if most of them are Vulkoori, there are even some Drow that tries to establish true cities in the ruins within the jungle, while others don't care for Vulkoor and His teachings and can even be talked out of a fight.
• Giant, Battalion of the Basalt Tower (SoX, p. 60): A few years ago, a group of Giants tried to take Stormreach for them using an artifact that called meteor swarms from the sky. In the end people from Stormreach prevailed, thanks to the help of the forest-loving folk (those are the Guardians of Rushemé)
• Other places/things in need of lore: Belericax (evil dragon that lurks in the forest), Titan's Teeth (huge wall dividing the Skyfall Peninsula and the Southern Jungle), Thelanis Court (court of extra planar fey beings trapped in Eberron), Obsidian City (ransacked ruins somewhat near Stormreach), Gyrderi Elves (supernatural elves that used to take the form of animals), Fog Lake (interesting location from SoX, pg. 34)

[/SBLOCK]

[SBLOCK=GUIDES]GUIDES (pg. 33-35): Some need just cosmetic changes, other completely doesn't fit, so here we go:

• Azaka Stormfan (Weretiger): She's a Shifter (Beasthide) looking for and old artifact, but she's not being here long.
• Eku (Couatl): Couatl are extinct in Eberron and should be reserved for higher roles within plot, so I'll replace Eku with Sessataria.
  • Sesstaria (Shulasskar paladin, SoX, pg. 68), a descendant from Couatls that resemble a Yuan-Ti Abomination in form, but had multicolored feathers covering their bodies. She'll be posing as Human, and maybe I'll use Coualt statistics or Yuan-ti statistics with a Paladin twist if that's not that's too powerul.
• Faroul and Gondolo (Halfling and Human): I don't like the flatulent triceratops, so he'll lose half of his right horn just to look cooler. Otherwise, might use them without changes.
• Flask of Wine and River Mist (Tabaxi): They're Tabaxi linked with Artus Cimber Questline. I'll just skip them.
• Hew Hackenstone (Dwarf): Don't use. Replace his part with Dyn'celia.
  • Dyn'celia (young white dragon, SoX, pg. 59), which also hates the Adult Green Dragon Belericax (SoX, pg. 59) and wants to get rid of her.
• Musharib: Don't use. Replace his part with "Xu'sassar's Clone" (who needs a better name, yes, I know)
  • ​Xu'sassar Clone (half-drow): Idea partly inspired by Xu'sassar (Gates of Night novel by Keith Baker), she can trace her lineage back to Omuan Drow and is interested in the city.
• Qawasha and Kupalue (human druid): Qawasha is part of the Guandians of Rushemé (see Factions). Maybe change him to Half-giant (use Goliath stats). I'm skipping Kupalue (probably all Vegepygmy), 'cos I don't think he's adding anything interesting that a Guardian of Rushemé already isn't.
• Salida: Now that's some perfect guide we've got here! Only problem is: will she just guide players to Omu too fast?
• Shago: Probably a son of a Merchant Prince, works for House Tharashk or Deneith. Or he could be a non-marked Heir? Still needs some juice.
• Erag (half-elf scout, SoX, pg. 102): This half-elf has dealings with the Blood of Vol and wants to sacrifice PC's for his evil studies, see quest Hunting Party (SoX, pg 102).
• Ulina Pyranim (human apprentice, SoX, pg. 93): She's an academic from Morgrave University. Maybe she's wants to find Artus Cimber and have a leand on where we went first when he left Stormreach, or maybe she just need a hand to reach said destination, using quest Academic Errand (SoX, pg. 93) and leads the characters to The Colossal Monument (SoX, pg 29).
• I don't know if I'll add another options (CoS says Thri-kreen are common guides!), list other possible NPCs (from Quests), or just let it be.

[/SBLOCK]

[SBLOCK=SIDE QUESTS]SIDE QUESTS: These will be used to guide the party to the jungle to get money, and then to guide them to major locations. For now I'll add new ideas I borrowed from Secrets of Xen'drik:

1. Hunting Party (SoX, pg. 102), brought by new guide Ereg and leads to The Forsaken City (SoX, pg. 36)
2. Academic Errand (SoX, pg. 93), brought by new guide Ulina and leads to Colossal Monument (SoX, pg. 27), which points players to Orolunga
3. Missing Missionaries (SoX, pg. 111), expanding Quest #2 (Escort a Priest to Camp Vengeance), may be given at Camp Vengeance and deals with a group of Missionaries from the Church of the Silver Flame that went missing, where in fact captured by Grimlocks and are being used in a profane ritual that will end up with them turned into Lycantropes, will use the Old Growth Ruins (SoX, pg. 41) or Zigurat Ruins (SoX, pg. 48) locations.
4. Snake Hunt (SoX, pg. 115), simple/easy quest to find Dream Snakes for one of the Coin Lords and raise some money near Stormreach, using the location not used in the quest above.

Comments on the books original quests (ToA, pg 16-17):

1. Collect a Debit: Change the Executioner's Run to Red Ring, and we're done.
2. Create a Distraction at Fort Belurian: I won't be using Zentharim nor Fort Belurian as is, so I'm gonna skip this one
3. Escort a Priest to Camp Vengenace: Urundil Silvertusk is a human acolyte of the Silver Flame
4. Explore the Aldani Basin: Skip the Aldani Basin, but this could be a hook to Fog Lake (SoX, pg 34)
5. Find Artus Cimber: I think he works best as Motivation (for PC's who are part of Morgrave University) or a straightforward quest motive (find Artus Cimber to go forward)
6. Help a Dyeing Man: This is interesting, but need a lot of adaptation to change Merchant Princes to Storm Lords
7. Help the Lord's Alliance: Don't use, it doesn't make sense in Xen'drik with the Traveler's Curse
8. Hunt Pirates: This is also interesting, but need a bit of adaptation
9. Save an Innocent Man: Don't use, even if this is interesting, but I think I already have too many Side Quests to begin with.
10. Seek Wistom at Orolunga: Don't use, it's cheap "exploration: easy mode" to Tomb of Annihilation.

[/SBLOCK]


[SBLOCK=NPCs]
[SBLOCK=STORMLORDS]STORMLORDS: They're the rullers of Stormreach, and take the role of Merchant Princes in the adventure

• Yorrick Amanatu (dwarf), controls Stormreach Guard and is the only original Storm Lord yet alive
  • Allied: Kundarak and Red Ring (gladiators)
  • Hates: Lyrandar, Omaren and Wylkes
  • Districts: Respite, Silverwall
• Varen Lassite (human), controls diplomacy and commerce
  • Allied: Ghallandra, Tharashk and Sel Shadra
  • Enemies: none
  • Districts: Cross, Marketplace
• Paulo Omaren (human), controls Stormreach Forge, least powerful member of the Storm Lords due to assassination attempt of Yorrick Amanatu of Castal Omaren in 890 YK (~100 years ago)
  • Allied: Cannith, Deneith and Iron Watch
  • Enemies: Amanatu
  • Districts: Forgelight, Temple
• Kirris Sel Shadra (gnome), the Spider of Stormreach, controls Crime and Punishment - she’s the Law
  • Allied: Thuranni, Hollow Shards (“gang” of illusionist an con artists)
  • Enemies: Independent criminals, Swords of Karrn (militia)
  • Districts: Oldgate, Southwatch
• Jonas Wylkes (half-elf), controls the Harbor/Docks and entry fees, the Wylkess family was included among the Stormlords by Galifar to have someone he could trust amongst them
  • Allied: Lyrandar, Golden Lions (“gang” of Dragonmarked heirs and young rich people from Stormreach), Aurum
  • Enemies: Yorrick Amanatu
  • Districts: Harbor

[/SBLOCK]

[SBLOCK=MERCHANT PRINCES]Adapting Merchant Princes to Stormlords

• Ekene-Afa: Deals in weapons, shields, gear
  • House Cannith and local merchants can take his role
• Ifan Tal’roa: Deals in beats. He is in league with Yuan-ti and Zentharim
  • House Vadalis have the monopoly in beasts
  • Sel Shadra can take his role of contact Yuan Ti and the Emerald Claw, since she’s in constant contact with gangs and has ties to Southwatch (Karrnathi distric)
• Jessemine: Deals in plants, poison and assassination. She has the death curse and the power to make murder legal
  • House Thuranni deals with poison and assassination
  • Sel Shadra is the one who makes murder legal, since she’s the law
  • Varen or Paulo could have the Death Cuse and be potential allies/sponsors for the party
• Jobal: Deals in Guides and Mercenaries. Issues letters allowing expeditions
  • Split his roles between House Deneith and House Tharashk
• Kwayothe: Deals in food, perfume, insect repellent. Is linked to Help a Dyeing Man (Quest) and Shogo (Guide).
  • House Ghallanda takes over the merchant role
  • Help a Dyeing Man actually upset Yorrick Amanatu (why?), and the players are asked to convince him the offence is minor (very hard) or kill Shago, son of Paulo Omaren
• Wakanga: Deals in magic and lore. Friends with Syndria (main quest giver), he has a journal that can lead to Vron and has ties to the Harpers
  • House Cannith and local merchants deal with magic items
  • Varren Lassite could take his role as first-contact for players as he’s neutral and deals foreigners with diplomacy and commerce
• Zhanti: Deals in jewels. Mother of Shago (Guide), is aware of Liara Portir’s plot and sponsors harbormaster Zindar to Hunt Pirates (Quest
  • Zin is the harbormaster, working for Jonas Wylkes
  • Shago may be a son (or cousin) of Paulo Omaren
  • Liara Potir is a Deneith agent unconcerned with the pirates, under allegiance with both the Pirates of Jahaka Bay and Yorrick Amanatu[/SBLOCK]

[/SBLOCK]

ADVENTURE FLOW: Thanks to @extralead posts (see below), I can think of the adventure a little bit more clearly than before, but this section is a work in progress.

1. Intro: Characters meet in Sharn, get motivation to travel to Xen'drik and get a Windgalleon/Wavegalleon (EHB)
2. Shargon's Theeth: During the 3-day trip to Xen'drik the PC's will face a Sahuagin threat
3. Stormreach (P1): Explore the city, contact 1-3 Coin Lords, get "Tier 1" guides
4. Jungle (Skyfall Peninsula): First trips to the jungle to complete basic/initial quests and get some gold, maybe see the most common sites that are near Port Nyanzaru
5. Stormreach (p2): Access/approached by "Tier 2" guides
6. Jungle (Last Chance and Titan's Teeth): Quickly pass the Skyfall Peninsula and reach the South Jungle, see a few sites that are nearby
7. Jungle (Xen'drik South Jungle): Explore sites that would be far from Port Nyanzaru (ex.: Kir Sabal)
8. Jungle (Xen'drik Deep Jungle): Explore sites farther from Port Nyanzaru and finish side quests before Omu
9. Omu, Fane and Tomb: This part is more linear.

Well... after figuring those things I can go around fitting Races, Factions, City Rumors, Guides, Side Quests, NPCs, Destinations and Encounters... outch!


Structured thoughts about the topic:
https://silverflamer.wordpress.com/2017/09/20/first-blog-post/ (Thanks for some of the awesome ideas here!)
http://www.tribality.com/2017/09/29/running-tomb-annihilation-eberrons-xendrik/
http://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/story-lore/7449-tomb-of-annihilation-in-eberron

And some discussion about the topic:
http://www.thepiazza.org.uk/bb/viewtopic.php?t=18030&p=198104
https://www.reddit.com/r/Eberron/comments/71ctr5/adapting_tomb_of_annihilation_to_eberron_spoilers/

Other sources:
http://keith-baker.com/eberron-flashback-the-lords-of-dust/ (details about the Lords of Dust from Hellcow himself)
http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...Annihilation-Leads-and-Clues-(spoilers)&pp=10 (list of Chult rummors)

Overall useful stuff:
Review with comments: https://newbiedm.com/2017/09/30/newbiedm-review-tomb-of-annihilation/
PoweScore Step-by-Step Guide: http://thecampaign20xx.blogspot.com....o-tomb-of.html (this guy always do some amazing work at each new 5e adventure)
PoweScore "How to Run": http://thecampaign20xx.blogspot.com....n-tomb-of.html
Skaldforge Hex Crawl Guide: https://skaldforge.wordpress.com/201...awl-procedure/
Extralead on the adventure flow:
1- http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...-of-Annihilation/page10&p=7232182#post7232182
2- http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...ation/page17&p=7246571&viewfull=1#post7246571

Books:
ECS - Eberron Campaign Setting (3.5e)
ECG - Eberron Campaign Guide (4E)
DoE - Dragons of Eberron
CoS - City of Stormreach
PgtE - Player's Guide to Eberron (3.5e)
SoX - Secrets of Xen'drik

The motivation thing is fairly easy. There is resurrection magic in Eberron. It's just fairly rare. What if this death curse has effects on the Undying of Aerenal? What if some of the current monarchs/nobility/Dragonmarked heirs are affected?

Getting the characters involved really depends on the characters themselves. Maybe they know someone who fought in the Last War, a hero who was killed, resurrected, and now that the War is over, has set aside their former life for a cushy retirement. That person, who the PCs are acquainted with, now needs this cure. Maybe the PCs aren't going to Xen'drik because of the death curse, but while they're there, they discover it, either because they're told about it in Port Nyanzaru, or because you throw a nasty encounter at them and one of the PCs is killed and brought back.

For Dragonmarked Houses, if one of the PCs is attached to a House that has someone affected by the curse, they get sent out to Xen'drik to find the cure because most politically powerful Dragonmarked Heirs can't just abdicate their posts to go gallivanting around the jungle. If it's a Cannith baron affected, for example, and they take off to Xen'drik, one of the other barons is going to see that absence as opportunity and take over that faction of the House. That's where the players come in.

In Eberron, the number one rule is "player characters should be the ones involved in big, world-changing events." There's always a reason to have them front and center in this kind of shenaniganry and a way to get them there.

CrimsonCarcharodon said:

The motivation thing is fairly easy. There is resurrection magic in Eberron. It's just fairly rare. What if this death curse has effects on the Undying of Aerenal? What if some of the current monarchs/nobility/Dragonmarked heirs are affected?

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One of the best ideas from those links I posed was to change Acererak to an Elf Lich that wanted to be an Undying Elf and make the Death Curse affect the Undying Court, making them decay slowly.

CrimsonCarcharodon said:

Getting the characters involved really depends on the characters themselves. Maybe they know someone who fought in the Last War, a hero who was killed, resurrected, and now that the War is over, has set aside their former life for a cushy retirement. That person, who the PCs are acquainted with, now needs this cure. Maybe the PCs aren't going to Xen'drik because of the death curse, but while they're there, they discover it, either because they're told about it in Port Nyanzaru, or because you throw a nasty encounter at them and one of the PCs is killed and brought back.

For Dragonmarked Houses, if one of the PCs is attached to a House that has someone affected by the curse, they get sent out to Xen'drik to find the cure because most politically powerful Dragonmarked Heirs can't just abdicate their posts to go gallivanting around the jungle. If it's a Cannith baron affected, for example, and they take off to Xen'drik, one of the other barons is going to see that absence as opportunity and take over that faction of the House. That's where the players come in.

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That... makes a lot of sense! Thanks!

CrimsonCarcharodon said:

In Eberron, the number one rule is "player characters should be the ones involved in big, world-changing events." There's always a reason to have them front and center in this kind of shenaniganry and a way to get them there.

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I agree with that 100%

But since I'm not usually the DM, I have a hard time dealing with some of the basic stuff...

Onslaught said:

One of the best ideas from those links I posed was to change Acererak to an Elf Lich that wanted to be an Undying Elf and make the Death Curse affect the Undying Court, making them decay slowly.

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I like that idea so much more than putting Erandis Vol in Acererak's place. I could see Acererak being affiliated with Vol, though. Maybe he broke away from her at some point before Tomb of Annihilation goes down. That could point to another adventure dealing with Vol after the death curse is taken care of.

Having said all that, I haven't had the chance to read Tomb of Annihilation yet, but I plan on picking it up this week if I can.

I'm running it as Acererak being a Lord of dust, and the Soulmonger being an eldritch device that brings dolurrh coterminous with its location, allowing an imprisoned Overlord to feed off the souls there. The Overlord has gained enough power to manifest a minor avatar on Eberron (the Atropal) and if allowed to continue will eventually break free.

I reduced the effects of the curse because I wanted to reduce the urgency of the plot and because there are very few people who have been resurrected on Eberron. However the movers and shakers (mostly the churches) are aware of what is happening in dolurrh and looking for people to put a stop to it.

For Ubtao and the Trickery Gods, maybe they're the remnants of the most powerful giants before the dragons of Argonnessen destroyed giant civilization. Not quite on par with true deities like the Sovereigns and the Six, but close enough for the adventure's purposes.

A thought just now inspired by [MENTION=6904790]CrimsonCarcharodon[/MENTION]...

Haven't even looked at ToA, though, so don't know if this fits...

PCs are recruited by some noble/dragonmarked/general/etc. patron who was resurrected at some point and is now suffering from the death curse. He thinks its just him, and has the PCs investigate.

The death curse is known among the upper echelon, but it's being kept secret (in the noir style). What would happen if the secret got out not only that some of the most powerful people in the Five Nations are suffering this curse, but, perhaps more dangerous, the secret got out that all of these people had at one point died?

As the PCs investigate, they discover the death curse is a wider-ranging phenomenon. And are hounded by those from all corners to make sure it's kept secret...

hbarsquared said:

A thought just now inspired by [MENTION=6904790]CrimsonCarcharodon[/MENTION]...

Haven't even looked at ToA, though, so don't know if this fits...

PCs are recruited by some noble/dragonmarked/general/etc. patron who was resurrected at some point and is now suffering from the death curse. He thinks its just him, and has the PCs investigate.

The death curse is known among the upper echelon, but it's being kept secret (in the noir style). What would happen if the secret got out not only that some of the most powerful people in the Five Nations are suffering this curse, but, perhaps more dangerous, the secret got out that all of these people had at one point died?

As the PCs investigate, they discover the death curse is a wider-ranging phenomenon. And are hounded by those from all corners to make sure it's kept secret...

Click to expand...

Possibly because resurrection is so rare, the laws of Galifar were not written with it in mind. By the law, if a noble, royalty, or member of a Dragonmarked house dies, then their heir inherits, regardless of whether the deceased is later returned to life. Suffering the death curse is proof that that person should have passed on all of their wealth and power, but possibly didn't.

CrimsonCarcharodon said:

For Ubtao and the Trickery Gods, maybe they're the remnants of the most powerful giants before the dragons of Argonnessen destroyed giant civilization. Not quite on par with true deities like the Sovereigns and the Six, but close enough for the adventure's purposes.

Click to expand...

I'm thinking the trickery gods might be Coatl spirits, fractured from the bonds holding the Overlord in check when it began to stir. Their minds are not whole, some have been corrupted a little by the Overlord's presence, and they all originate from a time before the existence of the humanoid races. Hence their odd and sometimes whimsical nature. They have used the prophecy to try to guide previous generations of the local inhabitants to leave clues and artifacts that will allow the PCs to prevail.

Or they could be actual ghosts, wishing to possess and aid the party. Maybe they escaped from Dolurrh through the portal? Maybe the Restful Watch has been right all along, and the Keeper has released the spirits of great heroes to fulfil their destiny in this time of need?


Acererak has allowed them and incorporated this and other guidance into the tomb. As far as he is concerned, having heroes make it through the tomb, after having been tested by it and weaken his master may give the opportunity to usurp the Overlord's power rather than freeing it.

Me too! But I'm not going to make too many changes to the book. You can follow my thoughts and snippets of the campaign to start soon at "acererakUnholy" on twitter.

Acererak is a plane-hopper, who sets up his traps all over the multiverse. So I have no problem with bringing him to Eberron. Likewise, the atropal came from outside. And Eberron is agnostic, so I don't need to mess with Ubtao or the trickster gods--people can worship whomever they want without worrying whether there are real entities behind the religion or not. The trickser gods were real magical spirits, and that's enough for me.

What I'm concentrating on is mapping the human populations and factions to Eberron. Here's what I have so far:

Chult is the large jungle island to the west of Stormreach. It was populated centuries ago by Sarlonan refugees fleeing the expanding the Rierdran empire. The Rierdrans ignored them, and they were able to develop in tranquility for a while. These Chultans were religious isolationists. But with the fall of its major cities and the royal line, they retreated to the coast and the culture began to be dominated by secular forces. The Merchant Princes embody this tendency. For a long time they traded only with Sarlona, but with the settlement of Stormreach they discovered opportunities to the east as well. The Merchant Princes are mostly eager to expand their market, and dream of becoming absurdly wealthy in their own lifetimes. But some of them fear the military might of Khorvaire and are looking for ways to protect the Chultan legacy. This creates some nice politics as backdrop and explains some of the alliances and betrayals in the story adequately.

So people in Breland have known about Chult for many years now, and a Sharn-Stormreach-Chult trade route is aready established.

I replace the Red Wizards faction with the Emerald Claw: they want to find the soulmonger and steal its tech.

The Factions normally tied to Baldur's Gate or Waterdeep can easily be replaced with Khorvaire factions:
Flaming Fist --> House Tharask or Deneith
Zhentarim --> The Trust or the Aurum
Emerald Gauntlet --> Wardens of the Wood or Silver Flame crusaders

My first idea was that the creation of the Mournland was Acererak's fault; it happened when he breached the planar barrier and brought the atropal into Eberron. But then I had another idea which I think will be even more fun: Acererak is a true interloper, to the extent that the Death Curse and the atropal are not mentioned anywhere in the Draconic Prophesy, even obliquely! So when it appears, the dragons completely freak out! They know that Eberron is facing an existential threat, but have no idea how to manage it, and the Chamber has become very active looking for information and recruiting explorers to do the dirty work for them.

Cheers,
Ben