WHY Do You NEED 200 GOLD PrncEs?
A regret helps shape your personality as an element of
your past that plays an ongoing role in your story. But
perhaps you have a problem that needs to be resolved
right now. Another way to define a character's flaw is to
roll on the Debts table.
Why would you want to take on a debt? The obligation
adds depth to a character and provides a compelling,
immediate motive for adventuring-you're not just out to
get rich; you need gold to get that bounty off your head.
It's also an opportunity to establish an element that can
be part of a character moving forward. If you're trying
to reclaim a magic item from a pawnshop, you declare
that your character once owned that magic item-an
heirloom, something you created, or a gift from a men
tor-you've just temporarily lost it. If you're trying to
raise money to join a secret society, it suggests that
membership in this organization may be a part of the
story later on.
Establishing a debt requires collaboration and ap
proval by both player and DM. Work together to develop
the details: Who's blackmailing you? Which secret so
ciety are you trying to join? What's the story behind the
magic item you've pawned, and what sort of item is it?
You can present ideas, but the DM has final approval.
DEBTS
dlO Debt
You committed a crime during the Last War, and now
you're being blackmailed by someone who has proof.
You can justify yo ur actions, but the law won't care.
2 You've got a gambling problem. If you can't repay
Daask (see chapter 3), you're going to be playing tag
with a cockatrice.
3 You own an uncommon magic item, but you had to
sell it to a pawn shop. If you can't reclaim it within the
month, they'll sell it off.
4 You were making a delivery on behalf of the Boromar
Clan (see chapter 3) and you lost the merchandise.
5 Someone knows the whereabouts of a sibling or loved
one you thought lost in the Mourning, but that infor
mation is going to cost you.
6 You have a degenerative disease that can't be cured
by mundane means. If you can't get a lesser restoration
soon, you're going to start showing symptoms.
7 Your fa mily lost everything in the Last War. You could
get them a stake in a new farm, inn, or stagecoach
with 200 gp.
8 You've got a price on your head. Until you settle
things with House Tharashk, you'd better keep an eye
out for bounty hunters.
9 You have an opportunity to join an influential secret
society. But you've got only one month to raise the
membership dues.
10 Roll again. It's not your debt: it's your lover's problem.
Can you solve the problem before they have to face
the consequences?PERSONAL MOTIVES
Not every conflict involves a fight between light and
darkness. The vast majority of people are driven by sim
ple motives: greed, fe ar, pride, or ambition. One person
just wants to get some gold in their pocket. Another
wants to impress a paramour. A leader guiding their na
tion into war is motivated both by fear of their neighbors
and the sincere belief that Khorvaire would be better off
under their rule.
Primordial forces strive to change or destroy Eberron.
But more often, characters encounter misguided patri
ots, religious extremists, dragonmarked houses looking
to wring a few more pieces of gold out of Khorvaire,
spies who will do anything to protect their nations, and
petty criminals trying to build empires. Eberron holds a
place for selfless heroes and truly vile villains, as well as
everyone in between.SHADES OF GRAY
In Eberron, it's not always easy to separate the heroes
from the villains. Good people can do terrible things,
while cruel or heartless people might serve the greater
good. An inquisitor might torture innocents in a quest
to root out a cult of the Dragon Below; if she's stopped,
the cult will survive and flourish. A group of ores peri
odically raids a human settlement because the settlers
built their village on land sacred to the ores and are
disrupting wards that hold evil at bay. The heroes find a
powerful magic weapon in a tomb, but the artifact is the
sword of an ancient hobgoblin general, whose descen
dants want it back. The ways to resolve these problems
aren't always simple.
Certain situations demand straightforward decisions.
If Emerald Claw cultists are about to detonate a necrotic
resonator that will kill half of Sham, they need to be
stopped. But in a good Eberron story, the simplest solu
tion may not be the best one.SOMETHING TO LOSE
In a noir story, things don't necessarily end well. But any
adventure carries a risk of death or failure, so what ad
ditional factors might be at risk for the characters? They
should have something to lose beyond hit points, vul
nerabilities not reflected in game statistics: fear of a tar
nished reputation, a threat to a friend or lover, a favorite
business destroyed or taken over. Character relation
ships require players to invest in the story and work best
when the DM and player collaborate to develop details
(the group patrons in chapter 1 provide a framework for
fleshing out such details).
ADM who introduces an old buddy who served with
the player characters during the war could describe the
person and then ask each player to define a connection
to them. Present each player with a prompt: Player
one, how did Smitty save your life? Player two, you and
Smitty were both in a prison camp; how did you escape?
The answers to these questions provide details to use in
a campaign, and they give the players a personal invest
ment, which makes it more significant when the Emer
ald Claw targets Smitty for assassination!WELCOME TO EBERRON
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