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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hellcow" data-source="post: 1380906" data-attributes="member: 15800">Exactly. The juggernaut from Monster Manual II is a nonhumanoid construct and a clear example of how a magical vehicle (if a heavily armored one) could be made. Such horseless carriages are sure to be found somewhere in Eberron (more likely in some places than others). However, they would be very expensive to make, and unless they ended up being much faster than horses (speed not being something magical constructs are noted for) it usually isn't worth the expense. Mainly they would be status symbols, although the tireless aspect obviously has its advantages. So it's not that there are NO personal magical conveyances anywhere in Eberron; it's just that they are still rare luxuries, not the common mode of transport. I should note that when I mentioned the 19th century, I didn't mean to imply that Eberron is a mirror of 19th century Earth, any more than it reflects 1930s Earth. My point was more that where there is magical "technology", it is generally less widespread and less advanced than 20th century technology. Fundamentally, Eberron is still a medieval setting, but with a number of magical enhancements - things that just seem to make sense in a world where arcane magic exists. Rather than saying that people acquired magic around the time that Western civilization started working with gunpowder, and then saying Eberron is now in the 19th century, a more accurate parallel would be to say that the Roman Empire discovered magic and that the western world is now in the Middle Ages or the Renaissance (depending where you are) -- and that magic has simply been incorporated into the evolution of cultures over the centuries. Of course, Eberron is home to a number of different cultures... there is a considerably difference between the Sarlonan cultures, the kingdoms of old Galifar, and, say, the Shadow Marches (as seen in the recent art article).  As for cannons, well, any old shlub can fire an arbalest or a catapult, too. Without going into a big essay -- which I'd love to do if I only had the time -- "not in the vocabulary" is the basic idea. All of the traditional pre-gunpowder tools of war are still seen on the battlefield, possibly enhanced by magic (so get that flaming arbalest loaded). There are a few new options for wands that I can't go into at this point, but comparing the wand of fireballs to the cannon -- it's true that it can't be used by any old schlub, but assuming you have someone who can use it, it has the advantage of being far more mobile, extremely accurate, and more difficult for the enemy to spot; if you add flight into the mix, a flying character with a wand becomes a very versatile and dangerous opponent. Though with that said, not everyone can use wands (let alone fly). This is still a world where the common soldiers use crossbows; you don't have magic missile blasters all over the place.   Could cannons be useful? Absolutely. But the basic idea is that magic has always been a part of society, and it is what the scholars and philosophers have focused their energy on. They know that fireball exists, and have therefore worked on ways to produce fireballs more efficiently. They know how to enchant weapons, so they have produced enchanted siege weaponry. Perhaps some culture will eventually produce gunpowder weapons. But at the moment, magic is a versatile enough tool that people have not felt the need to look beyond it.Though again, all of this really applies to the nations of old Galifar than to Eberron as a whole. Warfare, magic, and other cultural elements may vary dramatically from nation to nation.  Anyhow, it is rather late where I am at, so this may or may not make sense... and I may or may not retract it all in the morning. But there it is!</blockquote>

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