Things to Know

House Rules

Hero Points: A variation on action points, found in detail here.

Critical Fumbles: If a natural roll of 1 is rolled for combat, it ends your attacks for the turn, as you trip over yourself and look quite foolish. If an enemy rolls an natural 1, they do something horrendously stupid — like shooting their friend in the leg with their crossbow.

Levels of Power: You will come across NPCs that are far more powerful than you in the game, as well as NPCs that are far weaker than you. As you level up, you will find more and more NPC's that are weaker than you. This is because your characters "life decision" to constantly be in combat and travelling the land gives them a unique advantage in terms of experience, and, in out of game terms, you level up way faster than a majority of the NPCs in the world. So do not be surprised when you are unable to put a dent in the Vampire Queen as she cackles manically, and takes four attacks a turn. And also keep in mind that not everyone is at your power level, a lot are folk that have never taken up arms and likely have less than 4 HP.

Difficulty of Encounters: I will frequently throw seemingly unbeatable odds at you, the player, quite frequently. Why? Well, I probably do it because I'm bored. Not bored with the game, but tired of the same D&D routine. "The party encounters something they can defeat, expending half their resources, rest for the night, encounters something they can defeat…" Because I find this style of play generally dry and lacking in entertainment, players will fight enemies that seem unbeatable, be put in situations that seem unsolvable, and experience that feeling that comes with things always seem to go from bad to worse. The result will be a more challenging game, a more exciting action-packed Eberron adventure, and, the good news, a higher experience yield than most other games. You should feel that your characters are more than just another PC in another game; for lack of a better phrase, you are, as Zoe put it: "big damn heroes."

House Rules for Airship Combat

Ten Things Every Eberron Player Should Know

(taken from the Eberron Campaign Setting, Pg 9)

1) If it exists in D&D, then it has a place in Eberron.
A monster or spell or magic item from the core rulebooks might feature a twist or two to account for Eberron's tone and attitude, but otherwise everything in the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual has a place somewhere in Eberron.
2) Tone and Attitude.
The campaign combines traditional medieval D&D fantasy with swashbuckling action and dark adventure. Alignments are relative guagues of a character or creature's veiwpoint, and not absoulte barometers of affiliation and action; nothing is exactly as it seems. Alighnments are bluured, so that it's possible to encounter an evil silver dragon or good vampire. Traditionally good aligned creatures may wind up opposed to the heroes, while well-known agents of evil might provide assistance when least expected. To help capture the cinematic nature of the swordplay and spellcasting, there is the addition of action points to the rules mix. This spendable, limited resource allows players to alter the outcome of dramatic situations and have their characters accomplish the seemingly impossible.
3) A World of Magic.
The setting supposes a world that developed not through the advance of science, but by the mastery of arcane magic. This concept allows for certain conveniences unimagined in other medieval timeframes. The binding and harnessing of elemental creatures makes airships and rail transport possible. A working class of minor mages uses spells to provide energy and other necessities in towns and cities. Advances in magic item creation have lead to everything from self-propelled farming implements to sentient, free-willed constructs.
4) A World of Adventure.
From the steaming jungles of Aerenal to the colossal ruins of Xen'Drik, from the towering keeps of Sharn to the blasted hills and valleys of the Demon Wastes, Eberron is a world of action and adventure. Adventurers can and should draw heroes from one exotic location to another across nations, continents, and the entire world. The question for the Mirror of the Seventh Moon may take the heroes from a hidden desert shrine to a ruined castle in the Shadow Marches and finally to a dungeon keep below the Library of Korranberg. Through the use of magical transportation, heroes can reach a wider range of environments over the course of an adventure, and thus deal with a diverse assortment of monsters and challenges.
5) The Last War has ended - sort of.
The Last War, which plunged the continent of Khorvaire into civil war more than a century ago, ended with the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold and the establishment of twelve recognized nations occupying what was once the kingdom of Galifar. At least overtly, the peace has held for almost two years as the campaign begins. The conflicts, the anger, and the pain of the long war remain, however, and the new nations seek every advantage as they prepare for the inevitable next war that will eventually break out on the continent.
6) The Five Nations
The human-dominated civilizations on the continent of Khorvaire trace a lineage to the ancient kingdom of Galifar, which was made up of five distinct regions, or nations. These were Aundair, Breland, Cyre, Karrnath, and Thrane. Four of these survive to the present day as independent countries; Cyre was destroyed before the start of the campaign. The devastated territory it once occupied is now known as the Mournland. A common epithet among the people of Khorvair is "By the Five Nations," or some version thereof. The Five Nations refers to the kingdom of Galifar and harkens back to a legendary time of peace and prosperity.
7) A World of Intrigue.
The war is over, and nations of Khorvaire now try to build a new age of peace and prosperity. Ancient threats linger, however, and the world desperately needs heroes to take up the cause. Nations compete on many levels - economic, political influence, territory, magical power - each looking to maintain or improve its current status by any means short of all out war. Espionage and sabotage services create big business in certain circles. The dragonmarked houses, churches both pure and corrupt, crime lords, monster gangs, psionic spies, arcane universities, royal orders of knights and wizards, secret societies, sinister masterminds, dragons, and a multitude of organizations and factions jokey for position in the afterglow of the Last War. Eberron teems with conflict and intrigue.
8) Dragonmark Dynasties.
The great dragonmarked families are the barons of industry and commerce throughout Khorvaire and beyond. Their influence trancends political boundaries, and they remained mostly neutral during the Last War. While not technically citizens of any nation, the matriarchs and patriarchs of each house live in splendor within their enclaves and emporiums located throughout Khorvaire. These dynastic houses of commerce derive their power from the dragonmarks - unique, hereditary arcane sigils that manifest on certain individuals within the family, granting them limited but very useful magical abilities associated with the trade guilds the family controls.
9) Dragonshards.
Ancient legends and creation myths describe Eberron as a world in three parts: the ring above, the subterranean real below, and the land between. Each of these world sections is tied to a great dragon of legend - Siberys, Khyber, and Eberron. Each section of the world produces stones and crystals imbued with arcane power - dragonshards. with dragonshards, dragonmarks can be made more powerful, elementals can be controlled and harnessed, and magic items of all sorts can be crafted and shaped. These shards, however, are rare and difficult to come by, making them expensive and often the goals of great quests and adventures.
10) New Races.
In addition to the common player character races found in the Player's Handbook, players can choose to play changelings, kalashtar, shifters, and warforged in Eberron. Changelings are a race that evolved from the crossing of doppelgangers and humans, giving them minor shapechanging abilities. Kalashtar are planar entities merged with human hosts who are capable of becoming powerful wielders of psionic power. Shifters developed from the mixing of humans and lycanthropes, a union that grants them limited bestial abilities and feral instincts. The warforged are sentient constructs created during the Last War who developed free will and a desire to improve their position in the world.

And now, as the lightning rails pulls into the station at the First Tower, it's time to explore the world of Eberron and see what adventures await us. Grab your sword, gather your companions, and make sure you're ready — for anything.

Current Eberron Calendar:

The Months
Zarantyr (January),
Olarune (February),
Therendor (March),
Eyre (April),
Dravago (May),
Nymm (June),
Lharvion (July),
Barrakas (August),
Rhaan (September),
Sypheros (October),
Aryth (November),
Vult (December)

The Days
Sul (Sunday)
Mol (Monday)
Zol (Tuesday)
Wir (Wednesday)
Zor (Thursday)
Far (Friday)
Sar (Saturday)