Eberron? What's what >.>

[Adahn]

Can anyone tell me what kind of Setting, Eberron is? I mean, I consider myself a strickly "Forgotten Realms" kind of DM as well as player and fan. I don't like Grayhawk that much, though I enjoy Planescape even if it can be a bit confusing at times. But Eberron, what is that exactly? Is it even similar to the others? I'm completely ignorant about it, if someone can enlighten me, I'd be in your debt.

[Rob-hin]

Eberron is a different setting, just like Greyhawk and the Forgotten Realms.

There are some differences with basic rules since it's a different world. All and all, it's not that big a change though.

There are some new playable races like the Warforged, golem race.

Alignment works a bit different as not everything that is evil in the FR is automatically evil in Ebberon.

I can't say to much about it though as I'm (since recently) also a FR man.

[The Great Hairy]

Eberron is a huge new setting with a great deal of change from the more "core" DnD style worlds of Faerun and Greyhawk.

The major changes can be summarised as such:

1) Magic, specifically low level magic, is very common. A new core class (Artificer) makes potions, wands, etc., for a very low cost. As such, the "technology" level is higher than other settings (think of people having a fridge in their house - magical rather than tech, of course).

2) Not everything/creature depicted as evil in the core books actually is in Eberron. It is possible to have evil priests of good gods and visa versa. This also means that goblinic races are accepted and have their own empire. Undead can be found working alongside ordinary people in a city (and aren't necessarily evil either).

3) The setting is much more political. Think Europe in the 1500s for a good comparison. Whilst there are large areas of the globe yet to be explored, the core realms are very well estabilshed, completely explored and heading into a period similar to our Renaissance (rapiers and powdered wigs are all the rage).

4) The Planes are completely new, along with new gods, new churches and so on. The gods are much further removed from the people - no one gets spells directly from their god, but rather from the ideals espoused by that belief system.

5) It's a very low level setting. The highest level NPC *in the entire setting* is a 16th level cleric. Anyone higher than that is seen as at demi-god status and power.

Those are the core changes I took from reading through the Eberron Campaign Setting book.

Cheers,
TGHO

[Adahn]

Hmm... sounds kind of like the time established in Arcanum. And that's not really my cup of tea. I fing Forgotten Realms is really much more interesting, in the sens that the whole racism against other races, constant warefare and poor living conditions really related to a more realist aproach combining magic into the mix. I have a rp with my girlfriend in which there is one city where undead roam free without persecution, but I wouldn't be all for there being a melting pot of races where a city can have a hundred races living in harmony. It's a refreshing Idea, but I just wouldn't feel comfortable there is all. I dunno what you guys think.

[Rob-hin]

I knew I was right not trying it, it's not my cup of tea either.
FR please.

[Aegis]

I've dabbled a bit in Eberon, and must say, with a good DM, I found it quite refreshing from FR (Which I am quickly learning to abhor). It could possibly be because it's new, or maybe the DM is just taking a good spin on it, but it's nice to rediscover a whole new world.

The setting I like more, is the Plancescape setting, and it's hard for me to find books on that.

[Gwalchmai]

Some posts in this thread have brought a question to mind: I wonder why Wizards of the Coast felt the need to create a new campaign world? Were they trying to inject new life into their D&D products? Were older worlds becoming too stale or too complex? Was there demand from their clients? Were they tired of some of their more pendantic rule systems (e.g. alignment) and wanted a chance to change them? Or is this somtheing they just do every couple of years just for the fun of it?

[Aegis]

From what I understand, it was a contest created by WotC. Someone submitted the Eberron world, with almost all the work already done. IF you ask me, it was simply another one of their schemes to make money with minimal work.

[Adahn]

Originally Posted by Aegis

From what I understand, it was a contest created by WotC. Someone submitted the Eberron world, with almost all the work already done. IF you ask me, it was simply another one of their schemes to make money with minimal work.

I agreed with you, it must be for the money. Because honestly, they have such a beautiful, complexe and great world like Forgotten Realms, or Planescape, even Greyhawk. Why would they want to change or create a new one? Now IF they did want to create a new one, maybe someone would be more comfortable with a high tech laser type thing. Though it wouldn't be *my* cup of tea either.

[The Great Hairy]

The main reason that WotC wanted a new world was because their original vision for 3rd Ed (and 3.5) was that there would be five worlds - Greyhawk as the "core world" used in all the books as the base example, Faerun simply because so much material has been produced for it that they could not abandon it, and three others, as yet only Eberron has been released.

I'd have to agree with Aegis, Planescape is easily my favourite too (Planescape: Torment helped me forment this choice). I'm not big on Faerun, mostly because of the extremely high-powered flavour of the world. But Eberron has too many problems for me to consider it viable as a playing setting (and I'm bloody well not going to spend another thousand dollars on a world I don't use).

Anyway, Ravenloft 3rd Ed is available, as is Dark Sun (by a third party) and I'd prefer either of those over Eberron.

@Adahn
Eberron is not that close to Arcanum, as there is no technology in Eberron. No flying ships, no railways, no guns, no steampunk, etc., etc. Everything is based on magic. There is actually a "Lightning Railway" but that exists through enslaving elementals to perform the work, not a steam engine.

Cheers all,
TGHO

[Ekental]

There is a planescape book no?... maybe two... I know I've seen at least one.
As for Eberron, it seems too banal and normal to me. Who wants to play a game with no turmoil, backstabbing, etc.?

[The Great Hairy]

Originally Posted by Ekental

There is a planescape book no?... maybe two... I know I've seen at least one.

Nothing for 3rd Ed. There are heaps of Planescape books around for second ed, but you'll have to source them second hand. At the moment, there is no word on whether or not WotC is going to produce a 3rd Ed version of Planescape. There is a third party producing 3rd Ed Planescape stuff at the moment, but I don't have the link here.

Originally Posted by Ekental

As for Eberron, it seems too banal and normal to me. Who wants to play a game with no turmoil, backstabbing, etc.?

Oh, no no no! There is *tons* of intrigue in Eberron. The main countries have just finished a hundred years war, and recently signed a major peace treaty. However, their spy networks have all geared up dramatically, and there is now a war of subterfuge going on. Plenty of scope for adventure.

Cheers,
TGHO

[Ekental]

But the highest lvl guy is something like lvl 16... thats like... bleh I want to be able to take out hundreds of ninjas etc. Not die from some dinky acid arrow.

[The Great Hairy]

Well, considering that no ninjas exist in Eberron, you'd have trouble doing that regardless.

Cheers,
TGHO

[Ekental]

Im sure I could convince the GM to put them in... If I was the GM I would use them regardless of whether they exist or not. Maybe ill call them different things... like that movie Equilibrium did i.e