Eberron - How do you flavor...

[vongarr]

Dragonmarked houses? In my campaign, all of the houses know their place and stay away from encroaching upon another houses niche (Thurrani aside.) That doesn't stop some scion from going private and trying to harm his house as much as he can, business wise.

Lords of Dust? Doesn't that sound like a metal band's name? Anyway, they're the ultimate villains in my campaign. They were the original source of trouble for Khorivaire, and remain so. Now, no one knows who the hell they are. Not even fairly high ranking members know they're part of em. Very cellular in organization.

Psionics? I use it, but not too much. None of my players seem to like it, and I try not too use too much stuff against the PC's that they couldn't reasonably have themselves.

Book of Nine Swords? Again, no PC uses it. But I love it. Kind of hard to work into Khorivaire.

What about "If it is in D&D, it has a place in Eberron" bit. Do your players try to exploit that?

I am a big fan of Eberron. I don't play it too pulpy, though. More of a "the world is doomed, and we don't know it" theme.

 

[Klaus]

Dragonmarked Houses - The Houses don't overtly step on each others' toes, and collaborate quite a bit (as in Cannith + Orien = Lightning Rail), but all Houses are automatically suspicious of their fellow Houses.

Lords of Dust - They aren't an organization. Like the Cults of the Dragon Below, it's a blanket name to cover a wide variety of fiends, their agents and their worshippers. The term has in Khorvaire the same meaning as "Great Old Ones" has in Call of Cthulhu.

Psionics - Love 'em, and I can't wait to get my hands on Secrets of Sarlona.

Book of Nine Swords - Could easily be martial disciplines that originated with the Giants of Xen'drik, then made its way to Sarlona, and then came to Khorvaire with the kalashtar. I can see monasteries devoted to the Sublime Way spread throughout Khorvaire, dedicated to Dol Dorn, Dol Arrah, the Mockery or the Silver Flame.

 

[blargney the second]

Dragonmarked Houses: source of intrigue and plots galore.
Lords of Dust: source of intrigue and plots galore.
Psionics: just another type of magic.
Book of Nine Swords: just another type of magic.
-blarg

 

[Syltorian]

Dragonmarked Houses: They stand united against outsiders (read: the governments), but are anything but united amongst themselves. Beyond the Phiarlan/Thuranni split (which I prefer to see as not a split at all, but a ploy by the House of Shadows), Orien doesn't get on with Lyrandar, both actively sabotaging each other, Deneith and Tharashk are at loggerheads, Vadalis doesn't like Cannith but tends to side with Orien, and so forth.

Lords of Dust: Like Klaus, I don't take use them as a proper, unified organisation. They are a loose confederation, but they have differing agendas. Some try to free a rajah, some like the fact that there is no interference from the rajahs and would like to just gain their powers themselves; and some sabotage each other because, IMC, the rajahs of the Age of Demons were far from united either and old grudges survive in the immortals. Each group or alliance of groups is a dreadful force, however, and have their claws in every part of politics, economics and even religion.

Psionics: Like Klaus again, I love it. To the untrained, the power-user does not even seem to be doing anything, which makes Kalashtar and Inspired excellent spies. But I do treat them as a mysterious and misunderstood force, something that people are afraid of. If my players don't use it, I have little scruples using it against them. Though without ranks in Knowledge (Psionics) or Psicraft, they have no idea what exactly is happening to them. I also use it as being slightly different from magic, to bring out the weirdness of this kind of power.

Book of Nine Swords: I ignore the flavour text, to start with. But otherwise, I'm quite fond of it. From traditions going back to ancient Dhakaan, past the Valenar and their scimitars to the beastial combat styles of Eldeen shifters, I see a lot of ways to incorporate such styles. I don't restrict any one style to any one group. My players and NPCs can differentiate in the description of the effect whether they were trained in what the book calls the Iron Heart style at Rekkenmark or amongst the Valenar.

If it is in D&D, it has a place in Eberron: Often quoted, this is meant to apply only to the Core Material. That said, I allow most published material as long as either the player or I myself can find a way to integrate it without upsetting the ecology of the campaign setting. Of course, if I don't see a reasonable way of getting something in, it won't happen.

 

[Merkuri]

If it is in D&D, it has a place in Eberron: Often quoted, this is meant to apply only to the Core Material.

It's not quite "core material only," IMO. I've seen a lot of people interpret it as "if you want to use something, you can find a place to put it in Eberron," and that's how I choose to interpret it. If it's not core and I don't like it, it's not in my Eberron. If I like it, I can always find a place to put it. Xen'drik is a good catch-all for a lot of unusual creatures and abilities.

 

[Klaus]

It's not quite "core material only," IMO. I've seen a lot of people interpret it as "if you want to use something, you can find a place to put it in Eberron," and that's how I choose to interpret it. If it's not core and I don't like it, it's not in my Eberron. If I like it, I can always find a place to put it. Xen'drik is a good catch-all for a lot of unusual creatures and abilities.

That's precisely the meaning WOtC intewded. If you like something in DnD, there's a place for it in Eberron. It doesn't mean that *everything* in DnD has to be in Eberron.

 

[WayneLigon]

Right now in my campaign, the Dragonmarked houses are seen as we looked at expanding multinational corporations in the 80's: large, powerful entities that might or might not care about the nationstates. They are the de facto ruling class, due to their immense wealth and untouchable social postion. They allow governments to make laws that don't favor them becuase it also shackles some of their rivals and also to give the rulers a sense of security.

Once they get so large and become so entranched in society, they effectively become 'shadow governments' in some respect. Society can't function without House Cannith, House Orien, House Jelasco and a few others. The Houses probably kept the War going much past the point it would have died out on it's own, in order to secure their own profits by selling to several sides at once. The PC's don't trust any of them save House Medani, whom they work for and see as the underdog, the House least likely to see itself as a seperate entity from the governments.

Only one PC has even an inkling the Lords of Dust even exist. Once they come to the forefrton as campaign villains, the rest will see how deeply their fingers are in everyything. Those hints have been built into the current campaign since about episode 4.

I haven't used any psi and they have not met any Kalashtar. It's not something we dislike, just we're not familiar with it and forget it even exists. I'll try to incorportate more of it later.

The 'if it's in D&D' aspect we've played with a little bit; I've made sure they're aware of that, but that it doesn't mean 'just because it's here doesn't also means it's there and there as well'.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Right now in my campaign, the Dragonmarked houses are seen as we looked at expanding multinational corporations in the 80's: large, powerful entities that might or might not care about the nationstates. They are the de facto ruling class, due to their immense wealth and untouchable social postion. They allow governments to make laws that don't favor them becuase it also shackles some of their rivals and also to give the rulers a sense of security.

I'm glad I'm not the only person to have thought of this. I don't know if I'd run them like that in a "normal" Eberron game, but I've given some serious thought to running a game focused on the Houses, and in that, I'd definitely portray them very much like this.

Actually, I've thought of running a game that is, essentially, Shadowrun in Eberron, where the party are basically "runners" (mercs hiring out their skills to the various Houses).

I call the concept "Khyber-punk."

 

[Zurai]

ToB actually isn't that hard to integrate into Eberron. Iron Heart, for example, fits absolutely perfectly with the militant hobgoblins - almost like they were intended that way. Devoted Spirit works just fine with the Silver Flame, Diamond Mind is pretty much just a fencing school, etc.

 

[Nifft]

I call the concept "Khyber-punk."

That's so brilliant, I now wish my group was into Eberron.

Thanks! -- N