An Eberron Review by SKR

[JPL]

Don't get your nose out of alignment on this, please.

I've seen mistakes that dwarf this one.

It's a mere abberation, not a serious problem.

 

[d20Dwarf]

Don't get your nose out of alignment on this, please.

What?! Is my nose lawful good?! It's chaotic evil if you ask me, but noses don't have alignments!

 

[photonenlaerm]

Congratulations to Sean K. Reynolds ... well done! A tremendous article.

 

[pensiv]

And even if that wouldn't be the case, doesn't it make sense to use artificial (or undead, for that matter) creatures if either you want to see less living folks killed, or you're running short of soldiers?

Unfortunately, the wagers of war tend to worry more about their coffers than the wellbeing of their people. Soldiers are cheap. However, I'm not sure exactly how much it costs to mass-produce Warforged (even if they are mass-produced) in comparison to the costs of maintaining a living army that requires food and lodging (and maybe salaries).

 

[Vaxalon]

Unfortunately, the wagers of war tend to worry more about their coffers than the wellbeing of their people. Soldiers are cheap. However, I'm not sure exactly how much it costs to mass-produce Warforged (even if they are mass-produced) in comparison to the costs of maintaining a living army that requires food and lodging (and maybe salaries).

If a war seriously depletes the available population of potential soldiers, they have to start caring about it.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Unfortunately, the wagers of war tend to worry more about their coffers than the wellbeing of their people. Soldiers are cheap. However, I'm not sure exactly how much it costs to mass-produce Warforged (even if they are mass-produced) in comparison to the costs of maintaining a living army that requires food and lodging (and maybe salaries).

Let's also not forget that the warforged--which are, indeed, mass-produced, at least to an extent--weren't created sentient. That aspect crept into the process after the fact. The original warforged were basically just cheap constructs.

So while it may not make economic or military sense to create constructs that are exactly as good as humans, it does make economic and military sense to create soldiers that are absolutely incapable of feeling fear or disobeying orders.

 

[Dark Jezter]

Other things you'll never see in a Sean Reynolds work:

Jonath wished that he had never struck the noble, as he was now in serious trouble.

Wished...WISHED!?!? Is he a 17th-level wizard? No? Then how could he wish anything?!

DM: You find a +2 crossbow in the hoard as well. So, who's going to take the magic missile weapon?

Magic missile weapon? Does it shoot magic missiles?! Then what are you thinking?!!


Hmm, this would make a fun thread on its own.

Even more things we'll never see in a SKR work:

We seem to be in a dire predicament.

Oh? So you mean that the problem is a large, prehistoric-looking, feral version of a normal problem?

She was small for an elf her age.

Small? SMALL?! Elves are MEDIUM creatures, NOT small.

(I'm having too much fun with this, but ever since I saw SKR chew somebody out for referering to their sorcerer as a "sorceress", he just makes such an easy target.)

 

[Henry]

Also remember that Constructs do not require sleep or food - at worst, they require repair light damage spells, infusions, or oils.

 

[~Johnny~]

For an extensive discussion of why you might use warforged instead of human soldiers, from Keith himself, check this out:

http://www.coveworld.net/eberron/rules.html#forged-rules

 

[ssampier]

Not as "Fantasy Punk" as I thought

I admit, I was biased about Eberron. From the first time I read about Eberron I was thinking, "What are they smoking?! $100,000 for that! It's not even fantasy or steam punk, it's fantasy-punk!"

Reading these reviews opened my mind. I may have to give this book a full flip through to see if I can mine ideas for my campaign setting/homebrew. Thanks.

P.S. The name "Eberron" still bugs me, though.