D&D 5E Eberron Is Here Today!

Eberron: Rising from the Last War hits local gamestores today. Eberron creator Keith Baker talks on his blog about what's changed!

So, what's changed? The Mror Dwarves, races, Dragonmarks, the Mournland, Lady Illmarrow, monsters... but not guns!

And what's new? The artificer class, group patrons, warforged colossus, and scary monsters!

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Explore the lands of Eberron in this campaign sourcebook for the world’s greatest roleplaying game.

This book provides everything players and Dungeon Masters need to play Dungeons & Dragons in Eberron—a war-torn world filled with magic-fueled technology, airships and lightning trains, where noir-inspired mystery meets swashbuckling adventure. Will Eberron enter a prosperous new age, or will the shadow of war descend once again?

• Meld magic and invention to craft objects of wonder as an artificer—the first official class to be released for fifth edition D&D since the Player’s Handbook.
• Enter the world of Eberron in a 1st-level adventure set in Sharn, the City of Towers
• Dive straight into your pulp adventures with easy-to-use locations, complete with maps of train cars, battle-scarred fortresses, and fallen warforged colossi.
• Explore Sharn, a city of skyscrapers, airships, and intrigue and a crossroads for the world’s war-ravaged peoples.
• Flesh out your characters with a new D&D game element called a group patron—a background for your whole party.
• Explore 16 new race/subrace options including dragonmarks, which magically transform certain members of the races in the Player’s Handbook.
• Confront horrific monsters born from the world’s devastating wars.
• Prepare to venture into the Mournland, a mist-cloaked, corpse-littered land twisted by magic.

 

[Shardstone]

Nice review, over all, but I have one nit to pick:

This is, honestly, a WTF point, from me. I don't see how Eberron is related to the Realms, at all. I'd actually say something more like, "If you like the D&D game but want something other than the Forgotten Realms, especially if you want cooler aesthetics, this book's for you."

Maybe this is the end result of what I was afraid was going to happen with 5E and the emphasis on the Realms -- the setting is inseparable from the game in some people's minds. If so, that's a real travesty, since the Realms didn't show up until 15 years after the game was launched, when it was already mature and established. You could delete the entirety of the Realms from existence and it wouldn't be a big deal (some of us would even say that it'd be a net positive for the game).

All the races are in Forgotten Realms as of 5E. This is what I'm referring too. It has a different version of the cookpot theory that is Realms.

 

[PsyzhranV2]

All the races are in Forgotten Realms as of 5E. This is what I'm referring too. It has a different version of the cookpot theory that is Realms.

... I don't see how saying Eberron is "a cool spin on Forgotten Realms" follows from that statement. Eberron is its own thing.

I'm also pretty sure that the quoted statement is false. I don't recall seeing Changelings, Kalashtar, Shifters, and Warforged in the Realms in any official capacity.

 

[DWChancellor]

All the races are in Forgotten Realms as of 5E. This is what I'm referring too. It has a different version of the cookpot theory that is Realms.

See, this and the Ravnica point are really confusing to me.

Realms was, originally, a Renaissance-fair version of D&D. Greenwood can really pull out that aesthetic, but from a world-building perspective it is extraordinarily messy and "jam things in because" after all the years of other authors meddling in. At this point the thing is a total tonal mess which is fine if you're playing a "generic D&D but with recognizable names" campaign.

Ravnica is even worse, since Ravnica is like a cheap knock-off of Planescape but shoved onto a planet to make interesting Magic cards about. It is like they designed it by playing Smashup. Every time I see Ravnica compared to Eberron, I can't get it.

Eberron has multiple coherent histories and a strong twist on the planar stuff woven together to supportseveral specific game-types that "generic" D&D wasn't as good at: pulp, action-adventure, spy thriller, and war/defeat stories (think inter-war period and the movies set in it). The bones of Eberron were totally thought out and it is this coherence that makes it feel like a real place and gives DMs a huge amount of "natural consequence" support when bashing PCs and organizations together.

That and "has the same races" as core 5E is... not a point at all? If Eberron feels generic to you, you're missing important things about it.

 

[Dr. Bull]

Honestly? I'm surprised at all the accusations about Wayfinder's and Rising from the Last War. We all saw this coming from a mile away. I, for one, am grateful.

For me, this new book (that arrived 2 hours ago) is pure gold.

If you feel like you've been ripped-off... Don't buy it?

Personally, I would pay triple the price of Wayfinder's in order to have everything (all the previous publications) combined into this single, beautiful volume. This text encapsulates the entire Eberron experience into a single, inexpensive book. ($30.00 for years of entertainment? Priceless!)

As the years go by, I bet people will consider this to be the definitive work of Keith Baker's award-winning setting.

This content (like all setting content) is a re-hash of previously published material mixed with new material (what else were you expecting?). In the 3.5 era, I owned 6 or 7 books in the Eberron series. There was Eberron 3.5, there was Eberron 4.0, there was Eberron 5.0 (Wayfinder's) and now there is this new, shiny, beautiful book. Honestly, it's the best text so far.

It's inexpensive. It's high-quality. It's got an amazing binding and durable cover. It's a world in a book. The writing is excellent. The art is a combination of new and traditional pieces. (It's now 4 hours after I've received the book and I really appreciate the high quality of writing and art).

Can we focus on something else? PLEASE?

What will we all call this new book? "E:RFTLW"? "5.0 Eberron"? "Rising from the Last War"?

Sorry for the "re-direct"... I am now open for direct assaults, backstabs, and Ad Hominem attacks.

- Dr. Bull

 

[Dr. Bull]

Honestly? I'm surprised at all the accusations about Wayfinder's and Rising from the Last War. We all saw this coming from a mile away. I, for one, am grateful.

For me, this new book (that arrived 2 hours ago) is pure gold.

If you feel like you've been ripped-off... Don't buy it?

Personally, I would pay triple the price of Wayfinder's in order to have everything (all the previous publications) combined into this single, beautiful volume. This text encapsulates the entire Eberron experience into a single, inexpensive book. ($30.00 for years of entertainment? Priceless!)

As the years go by, I bet people will consider this to be the definitive work of Keith Baker's award-winning setting.

This content (like all setting content) is a re-hash of previously published material mixed with new material (what else were you expecting?). In the 3.5 era, I owned 6 or 7 books in the Eberron series. There was Eberron 3.5, there was Eberron 4.0, there was Eberron 5.0 (Wayfinder's) and now there is this new, shiny, beautiful book. Honestly, it's the best text so far.

It's inexpensive. It's high-quality. It's got an amazing binding and durable cover. It's a world in a book. The writing is excellent. The art is a combination of new and traditional pieces. (It's now 4 hours after I've received the book and I really appreciate the high quality of writing and art).

Can we focus on something else? PLEASE?

What will we all call this new book? "E:RFTLW"? "5.0 Eberron"? "Rising from the Last War"?

My vote is for "Eberron 5.0".

Sorry for the "re-direct"... I am now open for direct assaults, backstabs, and Ad Hominem attacks.

- Dr. Bull

 

[Bolares]

I personally don't see how the Alchemist is trash. It seems you preferred the UA version and was dissapointed on the changes.

About the WGtE rip-off narrative, well, they've been very honest about what wayfinder's is, and where Eberron would go from there. WotC announced what was going to be repeated from WGtE before Rising came out. There would be no Rising from the Last War if the first book didn't sell well and in no way Rising is not usefull if you have wayfinder's...

 

[Remathilis]

Nice review, over all, but I have one nit to pick:

This is, honestly, a WTF point, from me. I don't see how Eberron is related to the Realms, at all. I'd actually say something more like, "If you like the D&D game but want something other than the Forgotten Realms, especially if you want cooler aesthetics, this book's for you."

Maybe this is the end result of what I was afraid was going to happen with 5E and the emphasis on the Realms -- the setting is inseparable from the game in some people's minds. If so, that's a real travesty, since the Realms didn't show up until 15 years after the game was launched, when it was already mature and established. You could delete the entirety of the Realms from existence and it wouldn't be a big deal (some of us would even say that it'd be a net positive for the game).

I think it's a law that says you cannot discuss another official D&D setting without taking a pot shot at the Realms while doing it.

 

[vpuigdoller]

I love the touch of Color in some of the new Dyson Logos maps in Eberron: Rising from the Last War. I think is a nice compromise between simplicity, printer friendliness and color gorgeousness for vtt.

 

[Remathilis]

I personally don't see how the Alchemist is trash. It seems you preferred the UA version and was dissapointed on the changes.

About the WGtE rip-off narrative, well, they've been very honest about what wayfinder's is, and where Eberron would go from there. WotC announced what was going to be repeated from WGtE before Rising came out. There would be no Rising from the Last War if the first book didn't sell well and in no way Rising is not usefull if you have wayfinder's...

Wayfarer Guide was a test the waters project; it showed that there was a market for settings and not just supplements and adventures. From inception, people wanted an Eberron book and lots either wanted an official hardback or a PoD option. Reaction was good enough that they opted for a hardback rather than an ebook.

I bought the ebook day one. I used it for the last year plus to run Eberron. I don't feel ripped off and I have a copy of Rising in the mail as we speak.

 

[Bolares]

Wayfarer Guide was a test the waters project; it showed that there was a market for settings and not just supplements and adventures. From inception, people wanted an Eberron book and lots either wanted an official hardback or a PoD option. Reaction was good enough that they opted for a hardback rather than an ebook.

I bought the ebook day one. I used it for the last year plus to run Eberron. I don't feel ripped off and I have a copy of Rising in the mail as we speak.

that's my feeling exactly. And I will buy Exploring Eberron when it comes out next month too.