Babylon 5 in Eberron (contains a few Babylon 5 spoilors)

[Solarious]

How does it go? "If it's in D&D, it's in Eberron"?

-Hyp.

Actually, I believe the spirit of that phrase (and if that's not important in a campaign setting, what is?) is "If it's in the Core Rulebooks, it is in Eberron".

You have no idea how much that particular phrase was misinterpeted and butchered. That being said, many elements can be inserted into Eberron without too many problems: factors like the Last War, previous ages, Xen'drik, and the Mournlands are all easy explainations for various new phenomena.

A nice little thread from not so long ago:
The year is 998; the place: Argonth 5

You stole the very thread from my mind, in the future no less! Yeah, Argonth 5 sorta lends itself to Babylon 5 analogies, even if it is a Breland fortress. It is a mobile fortress that could be anywhere, though. The other good idea is Thronehold, although it looses it's 'self sufficient space station' shtick.

The Kalashtar?

And if you are think that they are "too nice", consider this:

Their ultimate goal is to kill all Creatures of Dream.

Not quite. Their ultimate goal is to turn the age... which will involve a complete wipe of Dal Quor and everything in the plane, which is a little terrifying if you think about it. Of course, the new generation of atavist kalashtar can be a bit more zealous in their actions to counter the Dreaming Dark... which doesn't exist, but the Inspired definitely will take every chance to badmouth the 'terrorists'.

And what can I say? The best lies have a juicy seed of truth in the center.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Not quite. Their ultimate goal is to turn the age... which will involve a complete wipe of Dal Quor and everything in the plane, which is a little terrifying if you think about it.

Why do you see genocide against multiple species as only "a little terrifying"?

 

[Umbran]

Psi Corps

One illithid named "Bester", and the jig is up....

 

[Solarious]

Why do you see genocide against multiple species as only "a little terrifying"?

It might have something to do with the fact that it is hard to sympathize with a race of living nightmares that view mortals as little more than dream-cattle and want to lock roughly half of Eberron's population into a state of utter social stasis. I tend to value my free will highly, for some strange reason.

Besides, they'll be reincarnated in the next age anyways. They already are being reincarnated each time they're killed right now, after all.

 

[Meloncov]

A nice little thread from not so long ago:
The year is 998; the place: Argonth 5

Thanks for that link.

 

[The_Old_one]

I like this, I like it a lot...so now I'm stealing it.

I reckon having the Shadow/Vorlon conflict switched with Quori/Dragons would work, and especially having an Inspired ambassador in the Morden role.

Bester and the Psi-Corps become The Twelve, simply wanting to cement their hold on ALL magic under their own guidance.

Artificers=Technomages? Or does that analogue work better with the (reasonably) misunderstood psionics...hmm, maybe Incarnum, since very few folks know of it, and the use of soul energy could give them a unique insight into the coming conflict.

Z'Ha'Dum (spelling?) "If you go to Sarlona, you will die."

The rangers are easily done in any D&D setting, but maybe give them ties to Aerenal?

Final thought, Narn & Centuari?

I like the fit of Dhakaani and Narn, both once powerful cultures that were laid low by warfare, although I'm not sure who to cast in the Centauri role. Maybe humanity, given that it was humans arrival that began the downfall of the Dhakaan, and they now serve human masters?


Just a few thoughts, now I'm off to ruminate some more.

 

[Nifft]

For Narn vs. Centauri, how about the obvious: Lizard Folk vs. Centaurs?

Alternately, if you want them to be more accessible: Narn = Kobolds, Centauri = Gnomes. They already hate each other, and one of them kinda looks like us, so we sympathize a bit.

Yay Psi Corps!

-- N

 

[Khairn]

These are some absolutely outstanding idea's!

Mining B5 for Eberron storylines will be a hoot!

I particularly like Mimbari=Elves ... Narn= Dhakaani ... Vorlon & Shadow = Dragon factions battling over the Prophecy ... Psicorp = The Twelve ... and my absolute favorite is purple and green kobolds battling one another for color supremacy ... Brilliant!

 

[Dragonhelm]

"The Babylon Project was our last, best hope for peace. It failed."

It seems to me that if the Last War is analogous to World War I, then "Babylon 5" would be the analogy to the League of Nations, which in turn failed.

I have to say, I really like this idea. Eberron suddenly has new appeal to me.

 

[Ashanderai]

I have been playing with this idea for some time now, but have never acted on it. I like some of the ideas presented here, though I think looking for an exact translation in every case is a disservice to the Eberron setting and the new spin flavor it can bring to the B5 conflicts and relationships.

I like the idea of the dragons as the equivalent to the Vorlons and the Quori/Riedra/Dreaming Dark as the Shadows. Naturally, the elves should be like the Minbari as the oldest of the PC races, but unlike the Minbari, they have an ongoing conflict with their Vorlon analogues, the dragons.

I think the “station” should be a moving fortress, like the Breland one, discovered in the Mournlands. It was unearthed by the Cyrans from that huge chasm in the Mournlands, but was a state secret while it was being converted into a mobile fortress, even though it had not been fully explored yet. Unknown to anyone living now, after the fortress was made operational it caused the cataclysm that signaled the death of Cyre and the creation of the Mournlands. After it is discovered in the Mournlands, it is then made into the equivalent of B5 by the multinational efforts of the civilized nations, Dragonmarked Houses, and powerful factions. Naturally, it should be a huge Ptolus-sized thing, that is not fully explored yet (Aw heck, just use Ptolus with some slight modifications if you want!).

I think the best Narn/Centauri analogue would be the Lord of Blades/Warforged and the factions of House Cannith. Their relationship with the House feeling that Warforged are so far beneath them and enslaving the warforged, much to the anger of the Lord of Blades, draws a lot of parallels to the Centauri/Narn relationship at the beginning of the B5 storyline. If the station is put in the Mournlands, then the warforged faction led by the Lord of Blades will have more influence than it would otherwise as just a large band of bandits and terrorists. They might gain recognition from the other nations and houses, excepting Cannith and Karrnath, in order to make the mobile fortress more viable without having to worry about attacks from the Lord of Blades’ forces. This could eventually even lead to warforged as security forces as the plot develops later, just as it did for the warforged. Maybe the Lord of Blades could have revelations later that alter his outlook on life, just as it did for G’Kar. Merrix D’Cannith might make for a very interesting Londo and with his house divided as it is, that leads for a lot of in-House intrigue as he and the others leading their factions of the House try to regain the House’s glory days in their own way while scheming against one another.

The human nations are of course the equivalent of Earth at civil war with itself. The plight of Q’Barra and the Eldeen Reaches might make for a decent equivalent to the plight of Mars and other colony worlds. Many of the new nations recognized after the last war, combined with the Dragonmarked Houses could make for an interesting League of Non-Aligned Worlds. The dragonmarked houses being included because they want more power for themselves after the fall of the empire and the other nations being forced to recognize them because of their innate power and the realization that the Korth Accords may have to be redrawn. The Twelve is an interesting take on a Psi-Corps possibly answerable only to itself and slightly answerable to the dragonmarked houses of this analogue to the League of Non-Aligned Worlds.

When you consider the history of House Kundarak and the Mror Holds, they might make for a pretty decent equivalent to the Drazi.