Keith Baker (creator of Eberron) Q & A thread

[Staffan]

Will there be a metaplot for Eberron? In other words, will the world move forward like Forgotten Realms, or will it remain still and just get more details revealed like Exalted?

 

[BryonD]

It seemed implied that you agreed that the PrC in question was unbalanced and that you agreed with frankthedm that Keith was being irresponsible for not taking the question deadly seriously.

If this is not the case, I apologize for any bile that got spewed your way, or for derailing an otherwise wonderful thread. I guess I'm still in a fanboy froth from the original overreaction. My bad!

No problem.
I was only directly replying to the other comment.

I like that D&D 3E is supposed to be balanced. However, I don't think that WotC has released a book yet that didn't have something in it somewhere that blew that idea. So I am not going going to mind if that happens in the Ebberon book in a place or two. It is just par for the course.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

About how much does a Conductor Stone cost? And Hardness/HP?

While a friend mentioned that he'd want to use those to build a big huge railroad around the Outlands in our Planescape game, I figure that's probably impractical for a character...but if one happened to get damaged, the character might be fined the replacement cost.

Brad

 

[Gundark]

It was asked before but not answered. Would firearms be a good fit in Eberron?

 

[Hellcow]

Unfortunately, my "day job" is going to keep going until I fall asleep or my fingers fall off. But I'll try to at least get in a few answers.

What's your favorite element of Eberron that was *not* your idea, but came from one of the other WOTC lead designers?

The big point to make here is that the creation of the CSB was a group/brainstorming process. After Eberron was selected, we had a lot of meetings, conference calls, and emails to discuss various ideas. So it's not like Bill Slaviscek came in and said "OK Keith, we like Eberron, but I'm sticking action points in it."... Although with that said, that is sort of what happened with action points. The 125-page document was a pure story bible, with no mechanics at all. I had specified that the setting would need to have a system allowing the PCs to beat the odds, pulp-style; after some discussion, we decided that it would be best to use the existing action point system as opposed to coming up with something entirely new.

So it's hard for me to point to things that are not at least partially my idea, because most of the things that were added after the 125-page were our ideas as a group. But let's see... Aerenal is something that emerged from our group discussion; really everyone contributed a different element to it, as I recall. I really like the religion, history and culture of the Aerenal elves, and it's something I hope to see developed in more detail in the future.

What element specific to Eberron (be it a mechanic like action points or flavor like deathless elves) were you most excited about implementing into Core D&D?

That's a hard question. What WASN'T I excited about bringing into core D&D? The whole thing has been a really unbelievable experience. Probably if I had to pick one thing it would be having the chance to experiment with the core races. I've always felt that gnomes got the short end of the stick in most settings, and I wanted to squeeze in the "gnomes you don't want to mess with" (again, a culture I hope to explore more in the future). I really like exploring dreams in fantasy, and Dal Quor and the Quor provide a foundation for doing this in the future. And as a big Over the Edge fan, I'm always happy to bring a little conspiracy and intrigue into the world (not that Eberron is the first setting to do this, by any means).

So there's a few thoughts.

 

[Hellcow]

It was asked before but not answered. Would firearms be a good fit in Eberron?

In my opinion? No. That's what Iron Kingdoms is for. Eberron is about exploring the use of magic in the world, and I never intended to blend magic and technology. Eternal wands serve something of the same purpose, though economically they are more effective as rare fireball artillery than as a way to replace the crossbow.

However, if you want to add firearms - whether technological or magical -into your campaign, go for it. It's just not what I personally am looking for from the world.

And in general, questions are not going to get answered very quickly. I have a very busy week ahead, and it would probably take me hours to answer all of these! I'll get to 'em as fast as I can, folks.

 

[ironmani]

And in general, questions are not going to get answered very quickly. I have a very busy week ahead, and it would probably take me hours to answer all of these! I'll get to 'em as fast as I can, folks.

[Gestopo officer voice]I'm afraid that wont do Mr. Baker.[/Gestopo officer voice]
Take your time Kieth! I thinks its pretty coll that your coming here and answer questions!!!! Keep up the goos work!

 

[Hellcow]

I find it as irresponsible as the "some weapon has to be the strongest" line of the Sword and Fist author back in 3.0

As others have surmised, my answer was intended as a joke, because I did not have time to address the question fully. I do that occasionally.

It just seems a little overpowered, what with the Bear version getting a +16 to strength, on top of the strength bonuses already available through shifter feats and traits.

I didn't create the weretouched master PrC, so I really can't speak to the thoughts behind this. I believe that it was James' class to begin with, but then it went through changes as it went through the production process, so I couldn't even tell you who DID develop it. But, if you want my two cents:

1. What the weretouched master is doing with alternate form is effectively gaining the alternate form supernatural ability of a lycanthrope, with various restrictions.

2. The bonuses listed for alternate forms is the exact same table from page 178 of the MM 3.5. Do I think that they are balanced? Of course not. The problem is, the lycanthropes aren't balanced either. Yes, that werebear just kicks everyone's butt, and the wererat blows, which is a personal blow to me as I really like wererats.

3. If the weretouched master received different bonuses, (some) people would say "Why is the bear weretouched master so much lamer than a real werebear? Why is the rat weretouched master so much cooler than an actual wererat?" (And if you don't believe me, make a roleplaying game and do it. I'll bet you a doughnut.)

4. To get alternate form, you need to be at least 10th level, putting you on a par with a druid being able wild shape (large) and or the power to cast a 5th level spell (or a 4th level spell, like polymorph). You can get a +16 str for a few rounds (remember, it's tied to shifting) -- your buddy the wizard can perform baleful polymorph, and the cleric can raise the dead.

My concern is not the power of the bear -- you've chosen a class with a moderate BAB, 2 skill points/level, and no spell progression to get that cool ability, and as I said, your friend can raise the dead. Two more levels and the druid will be wild shaping into a dire bear, and he's got spells as well. It's more that the rat is just not as cool as you are. I can say "So what, the roleplayer plays the rat anyway, and the min/maxer goes for the bear", but I acknowledge that it's a raw deal for the rat. I believe that WotC just doesn't feel that they can change the pre-existing stat mods given for lycanthropes, since that is exactly what the power is, and I understand that. However, if you want the class to be fairer to the "lesser" beasts, I'd consider adding a Weretouched III providing some lesser ability to the weaker animals.

Hopefully that's less "irresponsible"...

 

[Ozmar]

My biggest complaint is that I'd love to see were the XPH races fit in.

YMMV, but I am planning to use Elan, Maenad, Synad, Xeph and Dromites in my Eberron campaign. As to where they fit in:

Elan are living among humans. They are kind of a "secret cabal" of immortals. Some know of them, but they are rare and pursue their own goals.

Maenad live in a few isolated villages among the Lhazaar Principalities. They are not entirely unknown, but few in number.

Synad are a subculture among the Kalashtar. I decided they should have similar origins as the Kalashtar, but their quori spirits merged differently with the human spirits, producing the unique "triad" spirit in the Synad. Outwardly they look human/kalashtar, so they fit in.

Dromites are living in scattered hive-villages among the Talenta plains. They trade with the halflings and get along with them, mostly. Their small population keeps them from becoming a major regional force.

Xeph come from one unique canyon in the Demon Wastes, where there is a manifestation zone that is linked to one of the planes (of darkness or eternal twilight). Their valley is shrouded in perpetual twilight, but they use magical/psionic lights to illuminate their forests.

Like I said, YMMV, but that's how I intend to write them into my Eberron.

Ozmar the GM

 

[Azazyll]

Sorry, just wanted to add my two cents, as a major in medieval history:

There were a lot less people in medieval times. You can't have big cities without telephones and mass transit. The largest cities in the world (In China, mostly) rarely reached a million people. And those were truly exceptional exception (or is that totally redundant?). There were only a billion people on this planet even at the begining of the 19th century, and (hard as it may be to believe) there are more people alive now than the total number of dead people, conservative estimate. Two people per square mile is very reasonable. Most people huddled around cultivated areas, plagues, infant mortality, war, famine, all dramatically reduced the population, and people usually didn't live past forty. Even modern dentistry has improved peoples chances of survival, as odd as it sounds (apparently a lot of the things dentists fix can be fatal if allowed to go on for twenty years or so). Farming was much more primitive than today, 90% of the population was needed just to grow food for the people that were around. And politics in the West frankly didn't encourage an urban society, which is where big populations really come in. The middle east did, Islam being a primarily urban religion, and East Asia did, since rice is the most efficient crop and administration was better and centralized. Most D&D campaigns are INCREDIBLY out of proportion as far as population and cities go. It's probably the most fantastic part of the game, really. A fireball spell is paltry compared to upping the demographics 500% or more.

That being said, one of the things that excited me most about Eberron was the promise that this was a campaign where the effects of magic would be felt at all levels. The idea of the Magewright is truly splended. But frankly, better irrigation isn't the first thing that most people would think of when they think of Fantasy in our times. Believe me, it is the first thing the average person would have thought of until about three hundred years ago.