The Art of Eberron: AWESOME new WOTC Update!

[Hellcow]

One thing I didn't like is the "Elemental-powered dishwasher" concept that the artist tossed off the top of his head, though it was a throw-away idea, to be sure. One thing is for certain: Eberron is DEFINITELY not for people who dislike magic-pervasive settings, because the almost 1930's cosmopolitan atmosphere will be positively dripping with magical contrivances and conveniences, from the sound of it.

Actually, you can make a dishwasher pretty cheaply using prestidigitation. Make it a large command word item that can only be used, say, twice per day, throw in the limitation that it can only be used to clean (reducing the normal range of effects, since a soiling machine isn't much use), and you can probably bring home a combination dishwasher/washing machine for under 300 gp. The same technique can get you a microwave or a refrigerator, though the refrigerator would need to be continuous and thus would be considerably more expensive.

A major point to bear in mind is that all of the magic in Eberron is drawn from existing spells. If there is a dishwasher, it's because there is a way to do that using a low-level spell from the PHB. It's not just a random "well, this is a technological thing, but it's not technology -- it's magic."

But with that said, as the creator of the setting, I'd say "dripping with magical contrivances" is a bit of an overstatement. The general level of magical convenience is probably closer to the later 19th century than to 1930. There are no telephones. There are no cars. The wealthy may avail themselves of things like the prestidigitation washing machine, but for the average person 300 gp is still a fortune, and not something to throw away on a this sort of luxury. The great cities, like Sharn, have the largest concentration of magical conveniences, but even there you won't see a magic microwave in the average inn. If you're out in a farming village you may not see any magic items -- although you may have a local magewright who uses augury to advise the community or improves her mundane work through the use of magic. Magic is also a cultural thing, and is more common among the human nations than places like Darguun (where that hobgoblin is from).

The central concept is not "replace everything technological with magic." It's the idea that since arcane magic is something that obeys formulas and rituals and can be studied and understood, that over the course of centuries it would end up playing a more significant role in society and serving some of the same functions as technology -- transportation, communication, and warfare. Why develop cannons when you have someone who can throw fireballs? But it still has all the restrictions of magic, and it's not something that pervades every level of society.

(bla bla bla...)

 

[frankthedm]

If it isn't the Magipunk setting that wotc broke its own contest rules for to let it win.

I ust love the hogwash about using new artists for a new look when they are using mostly newbs to save money.

Don't know why detractors are calling this the extream D&D setting...

It's got all the depth you'd find in the Realms. But in Eberron, everything is amplified. The action is more intense. Everything is more interesting --

-- it's D&D, but better.

And its not like they are using cheap movie tricks to sell the book to the masses...

The cover art he's done for the Eberron Campaign Setting is really dynamic, using forced perspective, cocked "camera angles," and an almost over-the-top sense of action -- it's exactly what I was looking for.

There are a lot of cool mutated creatures (monsters from your typical D&D game) that you'll find in the Mournlands -- like the mutant centaur, which I'd describe as being the kind of centaur you'd run into on Mars in the movie Total Recall. The barbarians in Eberron aren't necessarily bulky, musclebound, Conan types; they're more like Manny from Brotherhood of the Wolf

 

[Gez]

Well, there's magic and there's magic. A magic cupboard that wash what you put inside is one thing. A magic towel that cleans perfectly whatever you rub with it is another. A magic figurine of a little boggan that animates at night to wash dishes is a third.

Of these, the first looks the most like an imitation of technology, the last is the most fantastic.

Of course, it depends also on how you describe it. If you have to put powder and turns one or two buttons, it's not magic. If you have to pronounce a small bout of poetry, it's magic. If you have to argue with a capricious item to get it to work, because it's lazy and don't want to do its work correctly unless you word your request perfectly, it's magic also (with a real Vancian feel -- see the sandestins).

 

[frankthedm]

&*%$ board

 

[Henry]

If it isn't the Magipunk setting that wotc broke its own contest rules for to let it win.

I think that's a little unfair, Frank. They didn't break any of the guidelines -- I know because I followed those same guidelines myself. Eberron is not that far off from my and a friend's submission (in terms of Genre inspiration), and we followed the guidelines with a fine-toothed comb.

Keith (and the other two finalists) is just the better writer.

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Keith, thanks for dropping in on this, and allaying some of my concerns. I still have my doubts about the pervasiveness of the tech (after all, why WOULDN'T every roadside inn have the magic microwave? 300gp is a pittance for a business of most any size), but I'm still looking forward to seeing this setting.

 

[Greatwyrm]

Gee, Frank, that's a mighty big axe you've got. Are you sure you need to grind it in this thread?

 

[frankthedm]

I think that's a little unfair, Frank. They didn't break any of the guidelines --

The level of technology in ebberon sure as heck seems to go past what the contest rules called for. Just calling it magic instead of technology was a poor sidestep IMHO.

 

[Hellcow]

Of course, it depends also on how you describe it. If you have to put powder and turns one or two buttons, it's not magic. If you have to pronounce a small bout of poetry, it's magic. If you have to argue with a capricious item to get it to work, because it's lazy and don't want to do its work correctly unless you word your request perfectly, it's magic also (with a real Vancian feel -- see the sandestins).

Good post, Gez. In general, I'd say Eberron is closest to the second of these three; intelligent items (beyond the warforged) are not especially common. But where there are magical items, they should feel magical; again, the goal is not to have technology and just call it magic.

But as I said earlier, I think that some people are assuming that such "magitech" is going to play a larger role in the world than it does. Setting aside the comment about magic dishwashers, look to the art itself, or to the material that has been released so far. Note that people are still using swords and bows, and wearing armor. It's D&D, not Shadowrun. Arcane magic is a force that people are aware of, and magewrights and adepts are a part of society. But wizards, especially high-level wizards -- are quite rare, and you don't get some of the elements of high magic you see in Forgotten Realms. Yes, the lightning rail can help you move between the great cities quickly, but it's no network of teleportation gates; it still takes time, and it can be dangerous in its own right.

Anyhow, I could ramble on and on about this, but I already have on other threads... if you want more information, go to http://www.coveworld.net/eberron/index2.html

 

[Nightfall]

The art looks good. I am interested in this setting. Well if only cause I love Keith's work.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I've been growing more and more interested in this setting as more has come out for it, and the non-European influences on the style and flavor of the world are a huge plus in my book.

From what it sounds like, magic isn't pervasive, it's just being used in the "duh" ways that it'd be used according to every D&D message board ever -- this is just the first setting to not play coy and say "OK, so there are giant teleport gates all over, and immortal beings and dragons, but other than that, it's JUST like a more hygenic medieval Europe," which is the horse pill we've all been swallowing for years.

And yeah, a city sourcebook! Other than the first module, do we know what the other three books of the six WotC has apparently committed to are? The wrap-around cover art looks distinctly aquatic in nature ...