D&D 5E Running Eberron in 5E

[Hellcow]

While I believe that there will be official support for Eberron in the new edition, I don't know when that's going to happen or how extensive it's going to be... and I know there are people who want to start playing in Eberron now. I've thrown together a few of my thoughts and suggestions on my website - hopefully they'll help!

 

[doctorhook]

While I believe that there will be official support for Eberron in the new edition, I don't know when that's going to happen or how extensive it's going to be... and I know there are people who want to start playing in Eberron now. I've thrown together a few of my thoughts and suggestions on my website - hopefully they'll help!

This is great! Thanks Keith! Honestly the only reason I'm even running FR right now is because there isn't much official support for Eberron in 5E yet. Soon hopefully!

 

[TwoSix]

Awesome, thanks Keith!

Eberron forever!

 

[Astrosicebear]

Eberron is by far the best setting ever. I love the story arcs, the ability for players to be immersed in a world with very little background info... players just get it in every way. I also really like the way technology is handled and the setting makes the players feel like action stars. The Eberron adventure paths were by far some of the best from WOTC.

I cant wait to revisit Eberron in an official way in 5E, and as soon as I can revisit the world in my own campaigns.

 

[doctorhook]

Eberron is by far the best setting ever. I love the story arcs, the ability for players to be immersed in a world with very little background info... players just get it in every way. I also really like the way technology is handled and the setting makes the players feel like action stars. The Eberron adventure paths were by far some of the best from WOTC.

I cant wait to revisit Eberron in an official way in 5E, and as soon as I can revisit the world in my own campaigns.

QFT.

 

[Andor]

Mechanically backgrounds look to me where 5e provides the design space to fit the Dragonmarks.

The problem is that Dragonmarks are more powerful than most backgrounds. Especially given that they have implied social benefits equal to the normal background benefits.

I think there are a couple of avenues of approach. 1st is to strip out a skill or proficiency to balance things a bit. Secondly we have the acolyte background which does not grant spellcasting, but does designate an organization which will cast spells on your behalf. So perhaps you have a dormant dragonmark, but can go to your house to get appropriate magics performed.

It's probable that the Dragonmarked House backgrounds will be a bit more powerful than the baseline ones. On the other hand the potential value of some of the hospitality background runs to hundreds of gold a year, not to mention the pirates 'get away with petty crime' ability. So i think its an adequate design space to fit the houses into.

 

[Astrosicebear]

As far as Dragonmarks go, they are complicated insofar as a good way to integrate them into the mechanics while maintaining balance.

I would imagine a good way to deal with them might be to make them feats, as Keith suggested, Lesser Dragonmark, Greater Dragonmark, etc. But that makes humans the only ones to get dragonmarks before level 4. Integrating them into backgrounds makes sense, but pushes backgrounds into game balance territory... everyone would be dragonmarked just because it was so much more beneficial.

My suggestion would be to make general Backrounds for being a Dragonmarked House Member. And then use feats for the lesser/greater etc dragonmarks... with the background allowing one special caveat....

Background Dragonmarked House Member
You are a member of a chosen Dragonmarked house. You are accepted as a member of that house and gain advantage on all social checks with member of that house. etc. etc. You are also able to select Dragonmarked feats (without this background characters can only select aberrant dragonmarked feats). Non-human races who wish to start with a dragonmark at level 1 may choose to ignore all racial ability score increases and instead select the lesser dragonmark feat.

For example, John is playing a High Elf he wishes to be in House Phailarn. Normally a High Elf starts play with a +2 bonus to Dexterity and a +1 bonus to Intelligence, however, John wishes to start play with a dragonmark, so he takes the Dragonmarked House (Phailarn) background and chooses to ignore the base ability score increases at character creation and instead start with the Lesser Dragonmark (Phailarn) feat.

 

[Keldryn]

As far as Dragonmarks go, they are complicated insofar as a good way to integrate them into the mechanics while maintaining balance.

There were a lot of things that I didn't like about feats in 3e and 4e, and while I prefer 5e's approach to feats overall, I feel like we've lost something. Feats represented a mixed bag of concepts, but they provided a built-in hook for campaign-specific themes.

Background Dragonmarked House Member
You are a member of a chosen Dragonmarked house. You are accepted as a member of that house and gain advantage on all social checks with member of that house. etc. etc. You are also able to select Dragonmarked feats (without this background characters can only select aberrant dragonmarked feats). Non-human races who wish to start with a dragonmark at level 1 may choose to ignore all racial ability score increases and instead select the lesser dragonmark feat.

I think this sounds like a pretty good way to handle Dragonmarks. A simpler alternative might be to grant all PCs in the campaign a bonus feat at 1st level. I'm not sure how much that would mess with the balance of the game.

I would like to see the Dragonmarks being less class-specific in their utility than they were in 4e.

 

[TwoSix]

I'd go with just making a passel of backgrounds that are Eberron specific and are mechanically stronger than the default 5e core. Maybe some give you the least dragonmark right off the bat, and make you a member of one of the Houses. Maybe some give you action points (Extreme Explorer background?). Maybe some give you psionic powers (Adaran Refugee? Empty Vessel?). Maybe a Tairnadal hero background that gives you benefits from your linked ancestor?

Another possibility would be custom subclasses. I could see a dragonmark noble subclass for rogue or fighter, for example. Make the Dragonmark powers like Warlock Invocations, and allow for multiclass dipping.

I think the real sticking point, as Keith attested to, is where you use the Eberron flavor as a hook for reskinning, and where there are concepts that simply beg for an actual novel mechanical implementation. Dragonmarks, to my mind, fall firmly into the latter camp.

 

[Astrosicebear]

I'd go with just making a passel of backgrounds that are Eberron specific and are mechanically stronger than the default 5e core. Maybe some give you the least dragonmark right off the bat, and make you a member of one of the Houses.

I agree to a point... however, I think basic Dragonmark House membership backgrounds are too generic to qualify as a good, encompassing background... perhaps allow dragonmark houses to be a bonus background choice. The choice to take the dragonmark feats is optional of course.