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BUILDING EBERRON ADVENTURES

C

ET YOUR OWN EBERRON ADVENTURES UP AND

running using the inspiration in this chap­

ter. Eberron is filled with political intrigue,

extraplanar threats, magical mysteries, and

back-alley detective work-all in the context

of a world emerging from the turmoil of war.

The tables and advice in this chapter expand on the

material in chapter 3 of the Dungeon Master's Guide.

Think of this chapter as an extensive library of ideas­

villainous schemes, interesting locations, adventure

hooks, encounters, and more-to help you flesh out an

adventure you create for your Eberron campaign.

This chapter begins with a look at three key themes

that pervade many Eberron adventures: recurring

villains, action, and intrigue. Following that overview

is an in-depth look at various organizations and other

elements you can use to drive the adventures you create.

Such elements include maps of locations that can serve

as thrilling set pieces; information on the planes of

existence, elemental-powered airships, and the lightning

rail; and an introductory adventure set in Sharn.

Specific monsters and nonplayer characters (NPCs)

mentioned in this chapter can be found either in the

Monster Manual or in chapter 6 of this book. When a

creature's name appears in bold type, that's a visual cue

pointing you to the creature's stat block in the Monster

Manual or in chapter 6. If the stat block appears in chap­

ter 6, the text tells you so.

ADVENTURE THEMES

A group of adventurers leaves the dark, rainy city, put­

ting its mean streets behind them. They board a flame­

ringed airship for a journey across the continent, but

they're attacked by wyvern-riding bandits on the way

and must fight for their lives as the airship hurtles to­

ward the ground!

After surviving the crash through a combination of

quick thinking and heroic effort, they find themselves

stranded in the gray mists of the Mournland, facing the

dangers of a war-ravaged land as they try to find their

way back to their original destination. The greatest hor­

rors they are about to face might be the ones that lurk in

the depths of their own hearts.

As discussed in the introduction to this book, pulp

adventure and noir intrigue are two major themes that

interlace in Eberron. Weaving these themes together,

or exploring either one in isolation, can give Eberron

stories a unique feel. Adventures that take advantage

of those themes help to reinforce a sense of place,

immersing the players (and you) in a world that is still

reeling from the effects of a hundred years of war, that

is shaped by modern ideas and aesthetics, and that is

set apart from the rest of the D&D multiverse by a magi­

cal barrier.

This section is an introduction to those themes, de­

signed to help you tell stories that fit well in Eberron. It

explores techniques for making compelling recurring

villains, and for keeping the action moving over the

course of an adventure. It discusses how to use the Last

War as a theme and a setting for adventures, and details

the Mournland as an adventure location. It goes on to

describe adventures and encounters that can occur in

transit-on airships, on lightning rails, and at resting

spots along the way. Finally, this section discusses the

role that creatures typically defined as "monsters" play

in Khorvaire, and explores Eberron's cosmology.

RECURRING VILLAINS ������������

The most effective villains are the ones that return, over

and over, to plague their heroic nemeses. When the he­

roes foil the schemes of an evil mastermind, the clever

villain escapes to fight another day. A well-developed

recurring villain can put a face to the sinister conspir­

acies that lurk in the darkness and thus strengthen the

players' sense of immersion in the world.

You can make a recurring villain in your campaign

more intriguing by introducing moral ambiguity into the

villain's background, possibly through references to the

individual's experiences during the Last War.

How TO KEEP VILLAINS ALIVE

The first task in crafting a good recurring villain is

ensuring that the villain survives a first encounter with

the adventurers in order to come back and plague them

again. What follows are some tactics to make sure that

even the most resourceful characters can't dispose of

your villain at the first possible opportunity.

Have Lackeys Do the Work. A villain can easily post­

pone that first face-to-face confrontation with the ad­

venturers by having lackeys soften the party up, all the

while making sure that the adventurers know whom

they work for-thus enhancing the villain's reputation.

Use All Available Resources. A smart villain, espe­

cially one with access to magic, can put a lot of obsta­

cles in the way of an adventuring party. Mechanical

and magical traps, wards against divination, and pro­

tective magic items are just a few of the security mea­

sures available to a resourceful villain. Keep in mind

that reports from surviving lackeys-and news about

the adventurers from other sources-can give the vil­

lain enough information about the party's capabilities

to prepare appropriate countermeasures.

CHAPTER 4 I BUILDING EBERRON ADVENTURES