D&D 3.x Running a 3.x Eberron Campaign Now

Reynard · Sunday at 1:28 PM

I am considering running a 3.x Eberron campaign as my next thing. I will take care with some of the powergaming concerns of 3.x, but what I am more interested in input on is what are the best resources for 3.x Eberron, and where would YOU set a 3.x Eberron campaign?

I feel like there are a couple options: you could run a globetrotting pulp adventure where the PCs hit all the key points throughout it (I am pretty sure that is what the official "adventure path" did), or you could settle on a specific area of Eberron (of which Eberron has a number of really cool places).

So what would you do?

Also, are there any really great 3.x era Eberron adventures (even including ones from old Dungeon magazines)?

Alas · 2026-03-24T16:43:12+0000

If you're looking for specifically 3.x material, I rate the Dragonmarked and Five Nations sourcebooks pretty high for their culture and setting information. For adventuring beyond Khorvaire, I rank Secrets of Sarlona highest for its depth and breadth, though (I don't have it in front of me right now) it doesn't offer much in the way of ready-to-go encounters. I seem to recall The Explorer's Handbook being most interesting for its sidebars-- suggestions on where in the setting to place odd player favorites from other sourcebooks.

If you're okay with other edition sources, Keith Baker's 3rd party stuff like Wayfinder's Guide and Chronicles/Frontiers of Eberron are chock full of lore. In-depth planar explorations, the different cultures of the Mror Holds clans, how to incorporate the nobility-- it's super evocative stuff that's edition agnostic and easy enough to retrofit for 3.x.

If I were to set a 3.x campaign in Eberron, these days I'd probably lean towards Newthrone and the New Galifar experiment in Q'Barra. I'd frame the hub town like a fantasy New Orleans-- a little patch of imperial architecture and manners on the edge of a big, mysterious, barely mapped wilderness. It's like a time capsule of old Galifar in miniature, set against a classic jungle full of demon ruins and dinosaurs. You can have courtly drama, pirates, river/jungle exploration, monster hunting, dungeon crawling, all sorts of stuff.

Alternately, I'd turn my players loose in Droaam. My younger players tend to look for monstrous character options first, so, might as well crack open Savage Species and just let 'em go nuts. The Daughters of Sora Kell are always hiring! Talk to your local Tharashk recruiter about the Adventuring Abroad program!