Eberron Designer Q&A Session
On July 16, 2004, three members of the Eberron design team joined an online chat to take questions from dozens of inquisitive Eberron fans. The following Q&A was hosted by the psionics.net Eberron chatroom and was moderated by Arthur "BrooklynKnight" Borko, whose comments appear below in bold. If you're curious about who asked a particular question, or if you'd just like to see the uncut chat transcript with all the original banter, click here.
Welcome, everyone, to the first Fan Run Eberron IRC Q&A Chat. Tonight we welcome Keith Baker, Bill Slavicsek, and Chris Perkins. Unfortunately, Jesse Decker and James Wyatt could not attend. The topic of today’s chat is Eberron, the Eberron Campaign Setting book, and Shadows of the Last War.
Bill Slavicsek: For those keeping score, Keith is the creator and co-designer of Eberron, Chris Perkins is the RPG/Miniatures Design Manager at WotC, and I'm Director of RPG/Miniatures Design and Development, and co-designer of Eberron.
What sort of orbital paths do the 12 moons take? Are they all on one-month cycles or are some slower and some faster?
Chris Perkins: Our website will feature a lunar calendar that you can use to chart the phases of the moons. Expect to see that very shortly. It will also keep track of when the outer planes are coterminous. It's really nifty.
Bill: (It's complicated.)
Keith: I want that as a screensaver, Chris!
Chris: It is VERY complicated. Lots of math.
Bill: (But very neat.)
Can we get a brief description of the Lightning Rail coaches and engine? Are they multi-level affairs, or more like real life trains? Do they normally contain things like dining cars and sleeper berths?
Bill: You'll get to see some of that in the next adventure, Whispers of the Vampire's Blade, but they serve the same basic function as trains in the Old West.
Chris: I envision some lightning rail coaches being more "ornate" than others. You can expect to see detailed maps of lightning rail coaches in a future Eberron book.
Keith: Agreed with Chris -- some would be fancier than others.
What inspired you folks to use “comic book”-style art? I really enjoy how it sets the mood.
Bill: Robert Raper, our Art Director, pitched this approach and we liked it too.
Do the Kalashtar remember what they originally looked like?
Keith: Ooh, can I answer?
Bill: Go for it.
Keith: The kalashtar do not possess the full consciousness of the quori spirit. The memories come to them more like dreams. So they have vague memories of Dal Quor, but it's not exactly them.
Chris: It's like trying to remember the face of the doctor who delivered you.
It seems to me that simply looking at the Elven Undying Court and Xen'drik ruins, there seem to be groups such as these that are based on historical cultures like Ancient Egyptian and Mayan. Can someone confirm they were indeed based on this and if so how much and are there any else?
Bill: We tried not to purposely replicate any specific cultures, but instead to take elements we liked and merge them in new ways. Plus, our great concept artists, Steve Prescott, Mark Tedin, and Dana Knutson inspired us with the art they created based on the meetings we had.
Can characters climb around on the outside of the lightning rail cars (a la old pulp films fighting on top of trains)? If so, are they in any danger from the "effects" of the LR?
Bill: Yes! We want them to climb around on them! …Mostly have to watch falling off.
Keith: I had a lot of fun in Whispers with a big fight scene on moving vehicles (…and I'll leave it vague).
Chris: It's probably no more dangerous than climbing on top of a real train ... which is to say that it's extremely dangerous!
Bill: But fun!
Chris: In fact, I’m running atop a train this weekend. Next question!
How many products, total, can we expect to see for Eberron in the next year? I need to know how much to ask for when I sell my soul.
Bill: We have a very robust schedule ... and it could get larger if sales continue to stay strong... Between now and the end of next year, you can expect somewhere around 8 products.
Chris: We have scores of cool product ideas
Bill: Plus, of course, Eberron monsters and characters in our D&D Miniatures sets!
Keith: And don't forget weekly web articles!
Bill: And Dragon and Dungeon Magazines!
And Eberron Fan sites! (Sorry, felt left out.)
It’s never specifically stated in the ECS -- but seems implied -- that there are only certain recognized royal lines. That is, only certain names can be ir'Whatever, is this true or can one simply make up a royal line?
Bill: DMs and players (with DM permission) can make up new names, but in the world, the recognized royal families can bestow titles for appropriate services.
Chris: Take the British royals, for instance. They have lots of different names and titles.
Bill: It all goes back to the Galifar family.
Would a charm warforged spell that only targets warforged be appropriate for the setting? What spell level do you recommend? Any chance of seeing this in the future?
Chris: The game already has charm monster, which affects warforged. I don't think you need a spell that specifically targets any one kind of creature.
The dragonshard items intended for enhancing dragonmarks seem a bit pricey in some cases when a house might want to have a mass of said item. Is this meant to say that those items are not too common or that the houses can either foot the bill or have means of discount?
Keith: There are a few factors here. First, old magic items never die. So you have a high initial investment, but it then becomes an heirloom of the house. Second, it's something you use specifically to make money. And then you've got the idea of artificers with craft reserves and the possibility of power components (as mentioned in the DMG) that might be reducing the cost.
Bill: Plus, we didn't want them to be extremely common.
What relationship is there between the dragonmarks and the planes? Would a mark correspond to a plane? What about the constellations?
Bill: Dragonmarks are mysterious things that the dragonmarked races still don't fully understand ...
Keith: Indeed, ask the dragons. :)
Bill: ... they have some knowledge that dragons have an interest in them and believe they are tied to the stars, and I'm sure that some believe they are tied to the planes, but no solid proof exists as yet.
Keith: 13 planes, 13 moons, 13 marks... It's probably a coincidence. ;)
Concerning the Thronehold accord, is there any act that might threaten to null and void it? Say one country brutally invading another, thus ending the peace.
Keith: That usually does bust a peace treaty.
Bill: Lots of things could end the fragile peace.
Chris: Certainly that would be true in the case of one country invading another.
Keith: Indeed, a treaty is only as good as the promises of the people involved.
Does Eberron support the traditional 'dragon in a lair with a hoard", or are all dragons in Argonnessen contemplating prophecies?
Bill: Certainly, dragons and hordes have their place in Eberron, and not every dragon gives a hoot about the prophecy.
Keith: Rhashaak in Q'barra is a dragon in a lair with a hoard.
Chris: Dragons are complicated creatures, and every one has its own motivations and agenda. Eberron includes both the treasure-hoarders and the prophecy-seekers.
Bill: And even the “power behind the throne” types.
Chris: Some are reclusive, while others like to meddle.
When an artificer makes a UMD check for emulating a spell while crafting, can this check be enhanced by say a Skill Enhancement Infusion? How about the “last ditch effort” check?
Chris: The short answer: yes. I love yes or no questions!
A lot of D&D fans also enjoy Japanese animation and videogame RPGs. Did Eberron take any inspiration from games and anime, such as Fullmetal Alchemist?
Keith: I've still never seen Fullmetal Alchemist or played Final Fantasy. The last anime I've seen was Read or Die.
Bill: While I play video games and certainly some influence seeps in, I'm not a big fan of anime ... so in some of these cases, any similarities are coincidental.
How do you feel about the response to Eberron so far?
Bill: I'm very pleased. It's very gratifying to see that the majority of people I've talked to or read on the boards understand what we were creating.
Keith: From my end, I'm very happy with the feedback I've seen.
Is a Xen'drik book in the works?
Bill: Yes, we plan to do a Xen'drik book.
Keith: I'd love to work on a Xen'drik book if I had the chance.
What is the name of the thirteenth moon? The Council of Twelve was developed before all dragonmarks appeared, and knew there would be 13 dragonmarks based on the moons. When did the 13th moon disappear? How did it disappear?
Bill: Lots of questions hiding in this one! It’s all related.
Chris: Funny ... we were just talking about the 13th moon today.
Keith: Indeed... I don't know what you all want to reveal at this time, so I'm leaving it to you two.
Bill: The 13th moon probably disappeared when the mark went away (see the timeline). As for the name, it's not general knowledge in the world, and we're not ready to reveal it at this time.
Keith: Wasn't it when Dal Quor got booted out of alignment?
Chris: Maybe we should have a "Name the 13th Moon!" contest. :)
Bill: History is a cloudy concept ... we will cover the aspects of the 13th mark in all its glory eventually.
So the moons and marks are directly linked....meaning if the mark came back (for example, if Vol was resurrected or wished back to life) the moon would come back too?
Chris: Good question!
Bill: Interesting question. Chris, what do you think?
Chris: Vol's pretty bummed about the whole "I'm undead" thing. I think the answer to the question would be yes.
Keith: I'd agree.
Bill: But in all these centuries, it never occurred to her to try it.
Chris: Fortunately for the rest of the world, she can't bring herself back from the dead.
How do the common physical traits (hair, eye, skin, features) vary amongst the human dragonmarked Houses?
Chris: There might be physical commonalities among members of an immediate family, but those would be less evident as you drifted through the gene pool. I think the differences could be quite radical. Even in my immediate family, we have four people (mother, father, sister, brother) with four different eye colors.
Bill: We'd rather get into cultural differences (and we will in an upcoming product) than physical differences.
Keith: In my view, you have a few traits that people see as common to a house, but like Chris said, there's nothing that links everyone together. They are huge families. And I agree with Bill. One more note, actually... This is relevant because of the comment made about Lei's hair in Death at Whitehearth. The point there was that it's something where people say "that's a Cannith red" -- not that even 1% of people in Cannith have that color.
In regards to how big each family is, can we get some kind of "number" for how many people are actually in each family. Immediate and extended?
Keith: With 1 in 100 people having family ties, you're dealing with around 15,000 people per family. Though Thuranni is presumably smaller.
Bill: Plus their retainers and hired hands
Chris: The dragonmarked houses are probably deserving of more attention in a future product.
And that’s blood-related, right?
Keith: Yes.
Have any of you read James Wyatt's adventure in Dungeon 113? If so, what suggestions might you offer for including more roleplaying scenes?
Bill: I have only briefly looked at it, so I can't give a solid answer here
Keith: Have the adventurers go shopping!
Chris: The Adventure Hooks section provides some suggested ties to "The Forgotten Forge" adventure in the ECS. Also, it would be cool if you could find a way to introduce the character of Vestan early in your campaign. Or maybe some other members of his family… Maybe one of the heroes is also receiving strange dreams of the Queen with Burning Eyes.
Keith: Throw in an encounter with a Tharashk inquisitive looking for information -- which becomes relevant in the next adventure you have planned.
How much of the Great Wheel stuff (such as Archfiends and Paragon Celestials) can you apply to present Eberron Cosmology? Examples?
Keith: I personally dislike using archdevils and other beings that have a tie to earthly religion. So to me, it's mainly a question of whether you can find a place for a particular aspect in Eberron. If you want to use an archfiend, fine -- but you'll need to decide where it belongs. The planes weren't designed with them in mind.
Chris: Eberron's orrery cosmology tries to be inclusive, so I can imagine Demogorgon occupying a stronghold somewhere on Shavarath or some other unpleasant plane. This might be a topic worth approaching in a product that talks about the planes in greater detail.
Bill: One could always be trapped in Khyber from the time of the Age of Demons
Keith: True. You could use such a thing as one of the old demons.
Have you written any novels, Keith?
Keith: No. [My Eberron novel] would be my first published fiction, aside from Death at Whitehearth [the short story included with Shadows of the Last War]. Death at Whitehearth is something of a prequel to my first novel.
Will the party featured in Death at Whitehearth (the short story included with Shadows of the Last War) play a role in your novel?
Keith: Yes.
One thing I caught from Death at Whitehearth is how each human house has different racial traits.
Keith: That's not a requirement. Some traits are more common than others, but it's not like everyone from Cannith has to have red hair. Pull 15,000 people from the same family and you'll find some with similarities, but you'll also have a lot of diversity. I like the idea that there are common family traits. I'm sure it will be expanded on in the future. But we're not going to say you can't have red hair if you want it.
When are we going to see some Greenshadow stats?
Keith: Maybe I'll see if Dragon wants them for “A Novel Approach.”
Which one of Daine's companions died?
Keith: You'll have to find out in the future! Or guess... you've got a one in three shot. Death at Whitehearth bookends my novels that will be coming out.
Don’t
you mean bookstart?
Keith: No -- the main action is a prequel... The begining
and end (returning to Whitehearth) take place afterwards.
Regarding Eberron novels, I know many players and DMs that do not like the Forgotten Realms because of the rather strong impact the novels have on the setting. How will Eberron novels be different in more then just setting/style? Will they not focus so much on such broad events and more on those that might never affect player and DM? Also, are any of you (the designers) involved with the open call? If so, any comments and suggestions?
Keith: I can speak to mine. My goal in writing Eberron novels is to focus more on the tone of the setting and actions that players themselves could have. Indiana Jones & the Maltese Falcon are great stories that don't change the world.
Bill: R&D reviews and discusses novels and proposals with the Book Department, and I think we're both in agreement that we don't want world-shattering events in Eberron, unless they are planned and coordinated between the departments. Some of us designers would love to work on novels as time and opportunity present themselves
While inbreeding between European monarchs resulted in a strange blood disease and a number of drooling lunatics, how would the dragonmarks react to such? Also, does it happen?
Keith: Aberrant Marks. Bear in mind that dragonmark houses do bring talented outsiders into the house, so there is an infusion of fresh blood.
Chris: Drooling dragonmarked lunatics? Hmm...
Speaking of Aberrant Marks… Why only one level of power? Were feats/PRC's left out due to space? Or was it a specific design decision to only allow one level of power?
Bill: We wanted to concentrate attention on pure dragonmarks to start the campaign. We'll explore aberrant marks in the future.
Is there a detailed map of Sharn in any of the upcoming releases?
Bill: Yes, in the upcoming Sharn: City of Towers book by Keith and James.
Keith: And Sharn is a very complicated place to map out!
Chris: We gave the book a decent map budget for that reason.
Sharn = New York when you're on Shrooms and Acid with some Corscuant and Nal Hutta tossed in. That’s my opinion.
Bill: And you're entitled to it!
Chris: Yep, that's about it.
Can you tell us a bit more about the 'Empty Vessels as characters' bit on page 291?
Keith: It's mainly if you want stats for NPC empty vessels. Bear in mind that there are entire families that are waiting to receive the quori spirit. These handle many of the administrative functions of Riedra. If you wanted to use one as a PC, you could, but it would be going against centuries of cultural indoctrination.
Chris: The Empty Vessel isn't as good as the kalashtar, but then, they're really intended to be NPCs.
I noted that there are 13 abilities an Aberrant dragonmark can grant you. I didn't compare them with the least marks, but I found it intriguing that there are 13 aberrants and there used to be 13 true dragonmarks. Are they intended as some sort of mirror image (e.g. marks of Khyber as opposed to Siberys)?
Keith: Mysteries to be revealed in the future, perhaps.
When Frostburn is released, will we learn any new information about Frostfell?
Chris: Secrets to be revealed in the Frostburn chat. ;)
Keith: We're being extra-cryptic today.
Chris: Honestly, all of the information in Frostburn can be applied to the Frostfell.
Will we be seeing more warforged components or add-ons in future products?
Chris: Yes, absolutely. We're currently wrapping up a book that delves more deeply into he various races of Eberron, including the warforged.
Keith: Hence my excitement whenever Kalashtar are mentioned. :)
Can we get a title, and perhaps release month for that book? Or quarter at least?
Chris: No, sorry. Not until it appears in the catalog ...
Bill: What would we call a book about the races of Eberron ...?
Any chance of a Daelkyr miniature in the Aberrations set?
Bill: We can't reveal what's in that set, but the Minis team is very excited about the possibilities provided by Eberron
Chris:
I'll talk it over with my designers. The daelkyr is a very complicated
monster to make into a mini.
Keith: Sure, I think a 50 HD Daelkyr would fit right
in... (tries to calculate skirmish cost)
Chris: We have some cool Eberron minis in upcoming sets.
Is it possible for DMs to create special areas within the Mournland where PCs can naturally (and magically) heal?
Bill: DMs can do anything they think is appropriate for their campaign, but we are involved in a deep discussion about the Mournlands even as we speak.
Chris: Conceivably, yes. The Mournland is filled with untempered magical after-effects. Conceivably, there could also be living spells prowling the wastes that have healing properties.
Will we ever see more details on the airships, such as a map, in case a fight breaks out on an airship?
Bill: Whispers also has details on that!
Keith: Go Whispers!
In an Eberron game, what suggestions might you have to discourage the "killing monsters for XP" and "we have to do it ourselves or else we won't get any XP" mentality that standard D&D games sometimes have?
Keith: Story awards & conditional XP modifiers. Especially in a mystery game, story awards are very important.
Bill: Yup. I love story awards, when appropriate.
Are you planning an Inspired/Quori sourcebook any time soon (say, '05 or '06), or are you steering clear of that on account of the heavy psionics content such a book would have?
Chris: We're not afraid to include psionics content in our books, so you can probably expect to see something on the Inspired and their homeland in the future.
Bill: I've got to get going, but I'd like to say… thanks to Keith for bringing this cool idea to us in the first place, and thanks to all of you for embracing this new campaign world!
Keith: Ditto that, and thanks for the amazing opportunity, Bill!
Chris: Goodnight, Bill. See you on Monday, if not before.
Bill: Watch for a bunch more Eberron products ...
Our wallets are waiting!
Bill: ... and our website and Dungeon and Dragon Magazines!
Keith: I can hang around a bit longer.
Since the professions of the various Dragonmarked houses don't really overlap, is there a rivalry between them?
Keith: Don't tell Thuranni and Phiarlan. And Deneith and Tharashk are begining to get into mercenary services conflicts, due to Tharashk's contacts in Droaam. Some houses -- Kundarak and Sivis, for example, have very strong alliances. Others have rivalries for any number of reasons, going down to pure personal ego. I'm sure it will be explored in more detail in the future.
Keith, how long will you be writing Dragonshards articles? Are they supposed to become quasi-regular, like those of Ed Greenwood?
Keith: I don't know, but I have a list of 50 or so I'd like to write, so I hope so!
Chris: If you'll excuse me, I have a dinner engagement, so I need to run as well. It's been a pleasure. Thank you, everyone!
Keith: Take care, Chris! Next question?
Given that you have scores of cool product ideas, any chance of some freelance writers getting a shot at writing for Eberron?
Chris: Yes. If you're interested in freelancing for WotC, drop me a line at christopher.perkins@wizards.com. Please include a list of published credits, if any.
Does that include “"to be published" works as well, or only stuff immediately available?
Chris: Both. In the case of "to be published" works, please note the name of the publisher.
How common are drow in the Phiarlan house?
Keith: Not at all. The drow are virtually unknown on Khorvaire. Sages who have studied Xen'drik would recognize them, but that's about it. But, the idea of Phiarlan or Thuranni seeking drown and recruiting them is an interesting one if you wanted to explore it.
Where would you put ninjas in Eberron? While we're at it... where would you put in the rest of the Oriental Adventures stuff?
Keith: Well, that's a nice, simple question. :) First off, as Bill said, there is no one place in Eberron that is a direct analogue for oriental culture. There is a thread on the WotC/Eberron/General board -- "Need Samurai BAD" -- where I discussed Samurai. Some quick general suggestions: The Dhakaani hobgoblins had an empire focused more on martial discipline and skill than on the use of magic. The Sharaat'Khesh goblins of that tradition are currently referred to as monk/rogues, but could be ninja. Samurai could also come from that culture. In Riedra, the Inspired are also building a military culture with less of a focus on magic -- and both Riedra and Adar place a great focus on mental discipline. Finally, the Valenar elves might have a wide variety of traditions dating back to Xen'drik; different bands within the Valenar might follow entirely different military styles. As for Oriental magic... I'm not really familiar enough with it to say. I know there's a strong elemental aspect, which might make it interesting to tie to the gnomes (who are the experts at elemental binding). Or you could work it back to Dhakaan again, if you wanted, giving you samurai in the Kech Sharaat and shugenja in the Kech Volarr. (Now you just have to come up with a story for your human or demihuman being raised by hobgoblins). So, that's a start, at least.
Keith, I would like to thank you very much for coming today. You are a testament to game designers and an inspiration to us all.
Keith: You're welcome. Thanks to all of you for listening!
I'm sure we'll all be here to continue to support Eberron via fan work and our pockets! Just keep giving us good stuff.
The remainder of the questions are posted here. Hopefully, we'll be doing a chat for all products as we can. Everyone is welcome here 24/7 to chat about eberrron, and to organize Eberron IRC games! Thank you all for coming!