D&D 5E Keith Baker: Exploring Eberron

Paul Farquhar · Mar 5, 2020

How about now?

doctorbadwolf · Mar 5, 2020

Paul Farquhar said:
EBRFLW makes two things clear:

1) Dragonmaked houses fiercely enforce their monopolies.

2) The law in Sharn is corrupt.

So the PCs don't have to do anything explicitly "against the law". If the PCs do something any one of the powerful organisations described in ERFTLW doesn't like they will simply pay off the Sharn Watch to make life difficult for the PCs.

The canon is quite clear that foundlings aren't actively interfered with by the Houses.

You can play how you want, but what you’re advising to others isn't in line with actual canon.

doctorbadwolf · Mar 5, 2020

Paul Farquhar said:
Page 10: "Powerful dynastic guilds dominate and regulate the magical economy. The Dragonmarked houses include barons of industry whose influence rivals that of monarchs." "House Jorasco dominates the medical trade with it's mark of healing." "Even independent businesses are typically licenced by a house and conform to the standards it sets. Not every tavern is run by House Ghallanda, but the Ghallanda seal in the corner of an inn sign assures customers it meets health and safety standards".

Page 37: "Long ago, the families that carry the dragonmarks joined together... to establish powerful monopolies." "This control over vital services gives the houses tremendous power".

You can interpret that to mean they harass foundlings, if you want, but that directly contradicts explicit canon, so it’s a weird interpretation.
It also explicitly says that the license assures customers of the quality of a business, and it does not say that the house tries to get non-licensed businesses shut down.
There absolutely are successful unlicensed businesses in Khorvaire, and the houses only mess with PCs who are using their mark however they want if the DM wants to tell that story.

Bolares · Mar 5, 2020

doctorbadwolf said:
You can interpret that to mean they harass foundlings, if you want, but that directly contradicts explicit canon, so it’s a weird interpretation.
It also explicitly says that the license assures customers of the quality of a business, and it does not say that the house tries to get non-licensed businesses shut down.
There absolutely are successful unlicensed businesses in Khorvaire, and the houses only mess with PCs who are using their mark however they want if the DM wants to tell that story.

well, there is contradictions in canonwith this issue, I can't recall the specific passage right now, but there are older books the paint a more agressive policicy for the houses regarding unlicensed businesses

Paul Farquhar · Mar 6, 2020

doctorbadwolf said:
It also explicitly says that the license assures customers of the quality of a business, and it does not say that the house tries to get non-licensed businesses shut down.

They don't need to. If the house branding is a guarantee of quality, then not having the branding guaranties a lack of quality. All it takes to shut them down is market forces.

There absolutely are successful unlicensed businesses in Khorvaire

Khorvaire is a big place, the dragonmarked houses couldn't service the whole continent even if they wanted to. But in major population centres like Sharn they will act to protect their monopoly. That doesn't mean they will necessarily act outside the law. There are plenty of standard business practices they can use. As I said, Eberron is not a Star Trek setting, it simply does not make sense for big business to behave with a morality and altruism not found in real life.