Keith Baker (creator of Eberron) Q & A thread

[haiiro]

That one is easy, since on the timeline, the year 1 is marked -998. -1000 is 2 years before the founding of the kingdom (the startpoint for the year-counting).

Bugger. Now how did I miss that? Thanks, DanMcS.

 

[Hellcow]

I found Argonth intriguing -- can you share any other details about it, or about the second mobile fortress (which the text suggests is also in Breland)?

Not at this time, I'm afraid. Hopefully we can cover it soon in a web article or sourcebook.

What do elemental galleons actually look like? The description in the book leaves me scratching my head, for some reason.

It's hard for me to explain without being able to draw a picture. It's sort of like a hydrofoil. The air elemental is bound into a ring mounted at the rear of the vessel, like the fire elemental pictured on the airship.

Do healing potions and curative wands work in the Mournlands?

As it stands, spells and spell-like effects of the healing subschool do not function. This includes wands. However, see my previous answer.

On the regional map for the Mror Holds, Korunda's Gate is marked with a symbol that doesn't appear on any of the other maps, or in the legend: a black square with a white line on top of it. Is this a misprint, or is it significant?

I didn't design the final map, so I couldn't say. It may be that it was supposed to indicate the "capital" of a dragonmarked house.

In the timeline, is the year -1,000 one thousand years before the present day, 998 (IE, the year "-2"), or does it follow the BC/AD model -- which would make it 1,998 years before the present day?

As DanMcS has said, -1000 is 2 years before the founding of the kingdom.

 

[Hellcow]

Is it possible to use the Use Magic Device skill to emulate having a dragonmark for the purposes of activating mark-based magic items? For example, to fly a skyship or drive a lightning rail? If so, what's the DC?

No, it's not possible.

 

[Gargoyle]

The limitation on healing is something that is still being debated by the design team. I have two thoughts on the matter:
a) I believe that any creature that is native to the Mournland - whether it's a new species that has appeared since the Mourning, or a mutated being - should be immune to this effect, If you wanted to be odd about it, you could say that such creatures don't heal naturally OUT of the Mournlands; that their physiology has adapted to the unnatural nature of the region. But I agree, it would be hard to imagine such a predatory environment with no healing on the part of the native creatures, case in point, the young carcass crab in Shadows of the Last War is described as "recovering" from its battle.

b) Given that the Mournlands is as dangerous and as large as it is, I think that it is important to allow characters access to some form of healing in the region. A few possibilities: disallow natural healing and reduce any other healing effect to 50%; have their be certain regions within the Mournland (manifest zones to Irian or Lammania?) where healing still functions; or provide something rare that can be found in the Mournland itself - a warped herb, or something like that - that can be used to craft a "Mournland healing potion". The goal is to emphasize the unnatural nature of the Mournland, to challenge adventurers, and to make it a region that clearly can't be reclaimed by settlers - but the complete ban on healing may be too harsh.


I would apply the previous answer to this. A Mournland troll should get full benefit of its regeneration. A troll that handered into the Mournland would either get no benefit, 50% benefit, or full benefit but only in select areas, using the possibilities mentioned above.

But again, my answers are not official rulings, and an official decision on this will be forthcoming.

I'll be looking forward to the ruling. I like the Mournlands as an area in the generally low-level continent of Khorvaire that can easily challenge higher level characters, and where lower level characters would tread lightly...a sort of danger zone.

My thoughts on it for the design team, if anyone is interested:

- I like the harshness of the Mournlands, and wouldn't want to see "Mournland potions of healing" or other portable ways to get around it. After all, if the player characters are hurt badly, they can always leave and come back, and this would keep them from going deep inside the Mournlands, preserving some of the mystery for later in the campaign.

- I do like the idea of manifest zones of Irian or Lammania within the Mournlands. Finding such an oasis, and interacting with the creatures there would be an interesting twist. This is much better than the potion idea in my opinion, it keeps the Mournlands dangerous instead of replacing one type of potion with another. Assaulting the fortress of the big bad guys becomes much more difficult without being able to heal on the spot, and allying with the residents of these zones becomes important, and most importantly, tactics such as retreating become part of the player character's playbook.

- If you are going to have "native" creatures of the Mournland be able to heal and regenerate, I would define that with a template and a possible CR adjustment. Saying that such native creatures cannot heal normally outside of the Mournlands is irrelevant...we'll never see Mournland trolls outside of the mists. It would be like a player character druid who could cast spells at +1 caster level in the forest...but who suffers a -1 elsewhere, all in a campaign where he never leaves the forest. It's a false balance.

- Player characters will use whatever method they have to in order to heal themselves while in the Mournlands, so any method you allow will be something they will use. If regeneration works there, higher level parties will craft rings of regeneration for each member. If Mournland potions are needed, they'll craft plenty of them.

- There is a paradox in a land where no healing takes place. The way I would deal with it, and plan to handle it in the meantime, is to say that no healing can take place in the Mournlands of any type (except possibly in those rare manifest zones). Creatures that die are replaced by other creatures from some horrible source, possibly eldritch machines that caused the devastation in the first place. If it becomes too harsh, maybe I'll allow some limited magical healing. Having healing spells work for half the effect, like they work on warforged, might be good enough to make life hard. Shutting down one of the eldritch machines in the Mournlands might be what the player characters need to do to let healing magic work at half strength. It would make a great adventure for higher level characters who want to feel like they are changing the world.

 

[haiiro]

It's hard for me to explain without being able to draw a picture. It's sort of like a hydrofoil. The air elemental is bound into a ring mounted at the rear of the vessel, like the fire elemental pictured on the airship.

This helps quite a bit -- I'm picturing a cross between a hydrofoil, a galleon, and one of those bayou swamp boats with the big fans on the back. Pretty neat, in any case.

Thanks for answering my questions.

 

[Henry]

I'll add "ditto" on Gargoyle's post, and have discussed this on the Eberron Official Site, as well. Even allow half-healing, and you allow the Mournland to become a distinctly less dangerous place. In my experience, characters will have access to one or two wands of cure light wounds and clerics, and will have access to a ton of healing - whether that's a ton, or a half a ton, makes little difference. If the Mournlands mean NO healing, it means creatures will rely on stealth and getting in surprise to survive, and it means creatures with high damage capacities and high movement rates will dominate, as will undead.In fact, unless I missed something, the Mournland has no porohibition against Inflict spells, so undead would absolutely LOVE the place.

In short, I prefer it with no healing, if nothing else to make it the players think THRICE before going.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I like the concept of minimized healing....all dice rolled to heal hit points are considered 1's. Or limited levels...your caster level for healing spells = your Wis modifier. Or attracting attention....every healing spell cast automatically increases the chance of random encounter by x amount, and increases the CR of the creature you will encounter by the level of the spell.

But yeah, ditto to Gargoyle, basically.

 

[Plane Sailing]

They could even go for "impeded" healing, requiring a DC35 spellcraft check to allow the healing spell to work (for instance).

(although in my campaign I think the most likely thing I'd do is allow circumstances where natural healing can take place and ALWAYS keep magical healing blocked out)

 

[mythusmage]

How about unnatural healing? That is, healing appears to take place, but this perversion of healing is only effective within the Mournlands. When the recipient returns to normal environs the 'healing' is undone and all accumulated damage returns to the subject.

If this is used I would recommend adding a transition zone between the Mournlands and the outside world where the Mournlands healing remains effective, and natural healing can take place. Or the loss of unnatural healing takes place at the same rate natural healing occurs. But natural healing cannot then commence until all the unnatural hit points are gone, and only magical healing can be done to replace the points lost.

 

[Hellcow]

How about unnatural healing? That is, healing appears to take place, but this perversion of healing is only effective within the Mournlands. When the recipient returns to normal environs the 'healing' is undone and all accumulated damage returns to the subject.

Interesting idea, MM, and the mists could serve as the transition zone.

Just to let folks know, I am going to be attending Comic Con and will be traveling for the next week, so I won't be answering any questions for a while. I will do my best to address any backlog when I get back. Until then, thanks to everyone for their interest in the world!