Impressions on Eberron

When the Eberron campaign setting came out in 3rd edition, I had dismissed it as uninteresting. Also, as I already had purchased the materials for 5 other published campaigns, I did not want to invest money in yet another one. However, I had started playing Dungeons & Dragons Online recently – which as you may know is set in Eberron – and it intrigued me enough to purchase the Eberron Campaign Guide and the Eberron Player’s Guide.

The first thing that I noticed was the panel in the beginning of the campaign setting advising that DM’s "Loot This Book". I really like this ideology. Mny people feel that they have this great idea for a setting (or other creative work) and want others to experience it they way that they intend. However, James Wyatt and Keith Baker are just as happy to have dungeon masters take their ideas and incorporate them into their own unique campaigns. This way of thinking really shows as well; numerous concepts are easily broken out of the whole.

This is not to say that the campaign is not cohesive. The setting feels like it all fits together to create a whole, but yet pieces can still easily be picked out and used elsewhere. For instance, the information related to using magic as technology (i.e. elemental ships) does not require anything innate about Eberron. Or, "The Age of Giants" could be pulled out and used in any other world’s history to explain why there are massive ruins dotting the landscape.

The second thing that I noticed is that Eberron is not just another cookie cutter campaign setting; there are many things unique to its world. Chief among the novelties are the draconic prophesies, dragon marks, and the relationship with supernatural beings.

The dragons – instead of being monsters that attack villages – are mostly portrayed as scholars who study who intricate prophecies shape – or may shape – the future. The chromatic dragons are more easily swayed to evil, but they are mostly unaligned and in most cases do not pose a threat to the world.

Dragonmarks are like birthmarks that appear on some members of the powerful lines in Eberron. Each house has different duties, responsibilities, and powers based upon the mark of their house. The true nature of the marks is uncertain and is a topic of scrutiny in the prophecy.

Many of the evil gods from other worlds exist in Eberron’s cosmology. However, they are bound demons with influence over a small dominion. For instance Tiamat has no direct influence in the world, but can sway dragons towards evil. A major concern though is that a powerful demon will break its restraints and wreak havok on the world. Even more threatening is the risk that aberrations from Xoriat (Eberrons Far Realm) will come streaming through a rift again. Needless to say, there is no end to potential problems for PCs to solve – even at high levels.

For lower level characters, there are numerous plot devices as well. A major war has ended and there is an unsteady peace; the party could be asked to perform diplomatic missions, covertly spy on neighbors, or maintain peace along borders. Furthermore, the houses play major roles in politics, the economy, religion, and all other aspects of life. The nobility never like getting their hands dirty and may have tasks that are beneath them that may need to be performed. Oh, and did I forget to mention the extensive sewer systems that many of the major cities have? Yeah, I know, that’s kind of cliche, but sometimes a good low-level dungeon crawl is just what the shaman ordered.

I have not had a chance to run a (or play in anyone else’s) campaign set in Eberron yet, but I hope to soon and am expecting it to be a very enjoyable experience.