Proposal for new character design for Eberron

 Tuesday May 15, 2012

Appologies for lateness.  Holy molly!  I haven`t blogged since the 18th of April!  Sorry folks, once again.  Xenoblade has proven many times bigger and better (and more addictive) than it had any right to be.  Here`s hoping I can get back on the horse now.

 

Proposal for new character design for Eberron

Eberron is rich in conflicts.  The first step lies in choosing both a nation, or a place to hail from as home, and an enemy, who is going to be the preferred foil.  These are personal choices, chosen from the start as ideals.  No part of this character has been confirmed with the DM of our game session, so take everything as tentative.

1.      Choosing a nation

There are two frontier nations in Eberron, Q’barra and Breeland, and in these nations just about anything goes.  There are not major conflicts to attract a PC, or rather there are conflicts that seem everyday and boring, such as King Boranel’s succession and regular battles with the Swampfolk to worry about.  Of the two, Q’barra is better for larger conflicts because of the Sarlona’s, who are puppets of the Inspired.

There are other nations in conflict, indeed Khorvaire is overflowing with conflicts.  But these conflicts do less to faze me.  Aundair is in full spy war mode, while Karnath’s King is now in a dangerous power game to reclaim control of his nation from the Blood of Vol.  Nations like Droam and the Valenar Elves seem too bloody and undirected to inspire much purpose.  The story of Cyre is very interesting to me, and the goals of the Cyre Avenger seem noble: to learn of the cause of the Day of Mourning, to punish the guilty, and to repair the damage.  The best part of this, is that there are so many Cyrans in Q’barra, being as it is close by and one of the original lauching points for Q’barra’s colonization.  I think that I may have found my character’s nation as of the time of the game (two years after the war).

Q’barra’s a fine choice for a launch pad nation, but the player character needs to know what group he came with, either the war-traumatized rogues or the original war protesters.

2.      Choosing a conflict

Q’barra has lots of conflicts to choose from, but at the end of the day all PCs need a reason to be in Sharn, far away south in Breeland.  Being Q’barran, and by design basic human, means you can travel widely again after the war.  But what brings you south to Sharn?  Cyre!  Adventuring in the Mournland is dangerous business, and you’re looking for allies, supplies, and intelligence on surviving in the Mournland, before taking the plunge.

3.      Choosing a class

Survival is a big deal, so the class should focus on either Scout or Ranger.  Both work, but neither includes any arcane power.  Survival in an arcane wasteland presently has no class, and the Mournland is but four years old, so it is unlikely the DM will create a new class to encourage the idea.  Arcane Knowledge must come from one of three classes – Wizard, Sorcerer or Artificier.  Bard can also work, as the class permits Knowledge (choose from All)

On second thought, this is rapidly becoming a smorgasborg of possible options, so I will continue this tomorrow.