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August Questions Thread (Patreon)

Published:
2024-08-12 20:13:53
Imported:
2026-06

Content

Greetings, Patrons!

I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that I have finished writing for Frontiers of Eberron. We've been working on it for years and much of production work has already been done, so barring any major disasters it should be out in the wild in September. Even more good news, I'll be posting previews here over the next few weeks! The bad news is that between this and GenCon, I wasn't able to get to all the questions posted last month -- though I've answered a bunch in the last few days, so check the thread if you haven't done so in a while. But at this point it's August 11th and it's time to start the new thread!

Post your questions below. As always, simple questions are the best questions. If I can answer a question in five minutes here, I'll probably answer it. If it would take significant research or an hour of work to answer a question, I probably won't.

Feel free to ask questions that didn't get answered in a previous month, just know that I won't be able to get to them all... and if there's a question I've skipped over a few times it means that I need time or research to answer it and I haven't had that time. In addition, I will only answer one question per patron. You can ASK more than one, because one may be easier for me to answer than another, but I'll only answer one.

Now that I'm done with Frontiers, I'll have time for more articles and for Patreon. I definitely want to write about the Lhazaar Principalities and Darguun, so don't worry, these topics haven't been forgotten. Thanks for your support!

Files

Comments

OHeyItsRick

Repost from July: Hello! So, I'm wondering if you could perhaps elaborate on your thoughts as to the Guardians of Rushemé in Your Eberron / Kanon? What role do you see them playing in Stormreach? Do they have any kind of following beyond Xen'drik? Are there those who hold similar beliefs to the land having a soul? How would you approach a player character concept for a druid of the Guardians? That is, assuming your personal take deviates from what we have in I believe it was the 3rd edition books on Stormreach and Xen'drik!

J Aaron

Hope this question finds you well; I know that very often elemental Beings of the planes tend to represent aspects of the plane, like angels of syrania being peace and observance, and Fernia fiends the destruction of fire, etc. but what role do the genie folk play into it especially in metropolitan cities like Sharn. Are they like the neutral aspect of a plane? closer to mortals? Or are they like the fey of thelanis?

Ender Darkos

Same as last month! Karrn the Conqueror. Like, who is Karrn the Conqueror? What was his end goal in uniting Khorvaire? What is his tie to the Queen of Karrnath who made Atur a Grand Duchy? Did he truly hate goblins or was it more an elimination of rival kingdoms that happened to be goblinoid?

Oh! That Robin

What was House Vol like in Shae Deseir? What kind of monsters and magic items would be left in the ruins and the lands around it? And my most specific question about this place: I’ve been wanting to have a place here that is a temple but a temple to what, I’m not sure 🤔 House Vol wasn’t exactly buddy-buddy with the Undying Court because of the whole Mabar thing so did they have another divine power of some sort? The Blood of Vol was made later after the fact so I thought of maybe some of Illmarrows forces snuck in here to do nefarious things and made they’re own but I really wanted that super ancient temple feel yknow xD

Jamie Gardiner

Hi Keith! Just after a lovely Xen'drik encounter for my 7 level 10s again this month! Having to take a few weeks off thanks to extra shifts at work and my guys know how to dawdle! So would love for something epic and off the cuff to shake em when they finally get there! P.S. They are OP af, feel free to drop something unholy on them!

Teettan

We have expanded upon the origin and traditions of the shifters of the Eldeen Reaches and know a bit about the Tashanan nations Sarlona, but then there’s the Sun kin. They’ve always stood out to me because of their location. They are so far from other shifters that they had to have developed independently. We can infer a few things about them but there’s little official lore about them. We know that they are mostly cliffwalkers, they have a connection to the Scrags of Tempest, and there was a ancient artifact stolen. How did they get there? What are they like culturally? Do they worship a form of dol arrah?

Parker Wimberly

I know your busy with everything and frontiers coming out next month but I just wanted put this as a reminder for an article about the goblin cultures of darguun and an article about the lhazzar sea

The Bard Himself

Similar to how we have a word to describe the broad category of Aerenal undead (Undying / Deathless), is there a word a Seeker might use to describe a sentient undead made by the Blood of Vol?

Eric Smith

The Labyrinth keeps Demons in the Demon Wastes and the Ghaashk'kala further guard the exit. How would you suggest that a Carrion Tribe barbarian actually got out of the Wastes to be a PC?

Zachary Butler

BLUF: How would you design a cult dedicated to Tul Oreshka? After reading a small section in the Korranberg Chroncile: Map Perilous, I got inspired to include a cult of Tul Oreshka in an adventure. But as I dig deeper, I'm having trouble forming the cult's ideology, goals, or even methods. At first I thought they should be motivated by revealing secrets, but then shouldn't the cult be public? If they aren't operating in secret, wouldn't they have to lie about following Tul Oreshka? And they would know they're following her right, because otherwise a fiend of revealing painful truths would be hiding a painful truth from these cultists? Your 2023 article Forgotten Civilizations is my only real lead. In it you describe a civilization connected to Tul Oreshka: "Hermits and Heretics. The Truth in the Darkness revels in revelations. Any society driven by Tul Oreshka would be driven by visions and moments of inspirations. Given that Tul Oreshka delights in the fear of secrets revealed, there could be a powerful central authority—whether a church, library, or government—that is forever fighting against schims, heretics, and rebels. Poetry and other art from such a nation might be very powerful." I like the idea of the cult being embedded in a particular church of the Sovereigns, but again I come back to the paradox of a secret organization dedicated to the revelation of truths.

Will Buck

I love that art of Taleth! Question from last month: I was wondering if you could provide some ideas or general guidelines for making Brelish knightly orders? This would be other than the King's Citadel; I'm trying to brainstorm chivalric orders independent from the Brelish crown / core military, but who still presumably fought for Breland during the Last War. What would Brelish orders be up to in these "peaceful" times?

James McConnell IV

Hey Keith, thanks as always for the answers you give : ) Here's my question. What are some myths about the daughters of Sora Kell that you've used in your games and/or haven't been able to put in your books yet?

dirDav3

Hi Keith! 1) So as I recall, Kundarak banks are interconnected somewhat and allow wealthy patrons to store and withdraw their goods and gold from multiple locations. My question is that's teleporation - why aren't they competing in this regard with House Orien? If you can store something in one place and withdraw it in another why isnt that used for troop movement, etc? 2) A player of mine recently raised the point that warforged could one day figure out a way to reproduce without the need of Creation Forges. What would you say to that, yay or nay? I'm leaning towards nay personally.

chuck finley

I feel like i should know the answer to this but why does House Thuranni care about operating in the Principalities? House Phiarlan operates its high table semi for the continuance of the five nations and peace/balance. Thuranni just seems to have gold on the table for them in the isles. That's all well and good i suppose, but they're not pirates themselves or anything. I feel like there's a missing piece of the puzzle here.

GhostOfEternalTime

What are your thoughts on hengeyokai in Eberron? I'm partial to Lamannia planetouched.

Joey Norwood

Hey, Keith! I'm so excited about FoE being so close to release! I treasure my EE and CoE hardcovers and can't wait to have a third wonderful tome join them in my library! (I wish I had a hardcopy of DM:ItM) I've been participating avidly in your AMA offerings, but I haven't asked a question in this forum since December of last year. I've been cogitating on your response to my query for nearly seven months and I finally have answers to the questions you posed, so now I have a follow up. Please delete if this wall of text setup is too weighty! Per your "why not both" suggestion, I've chosen to present the Tower of the Twelve as a concatenation of formerly altruistic futurists (any sufficiently advanced technology would seem like magic) that now, post war and quite markedly post Mourning, are mostly grim dystopian monopolistic tyrants. Because of player choices (most of whom are dragonmarked) , there are both a strong Daelkyr influence and a not so subtle Quori thread in the campaign, so I've decided to lean in to certain NPCs presenting the theory that dragonmarks are a result of Xorian experimentation with the Draconic Prophecy. I really dig the 5e canon correspondence between dreams, (gold) dragons, and eye tyrants (both beholders and kalaraq), so I've woven that into the tapestry for good measure. The players are slowly uncovering (some reluctantly) the legacy that their (literal) fathers left regarding crucial technology developed during the Last War. The torso of a warforged colossus has recently been salvaged from the Mournland and brought from Lake Cyre, down the Cyre River, past Metrol (behind the Dead Gray Mist), and eventually up the Karrn River to the Tower of the Twelve in Korth. It necessarily contains proprietary knowledge from House Cannith, House Lyrandar, and House Orien (and perhaps others?). Prominent sorcerers (or warlocks, or wizards) from these Houses are likely to be exposed (by the players) as members of a (formerly Cyrean) Khyber cult. My (very) specific (and branching) question to you is: What kind of Cult of the Dragon Below would YOU use in your Eberron in this situation? Corrupted? Traditional? Transactional? What Power(s) would you consider for its source? Other than Dread Metrol, (which has many, many tantalizing hooks -- Houses Cannith and Lyrandar, plus Ghallanda, Jorasco, and Vadalis!) are there any specific demiplanes that come to mind that might have access points near the shores of Lake Cyre? Feel free to prune the above branches (even down to one or none!), answering as much as you care to, or not at all! Thanks!

Earth Seraph Edna

I have a 4e Eberron campaign that has entered the epic tier. The party's Seeker would like to pursue godhood, which is very much in reach for a 4e PC (e.g. the Demigod and Demiurge epic destinies). Said Seeker would also like to investigate the possibility of a previous Seeker who has attained apotheosis. How would you handle the idea of a small adventure to discover a previous Seeker who has already become a god? Would you say that it simply has not been done before?

Carlton Anderson

Reposting from last month, I'd love some more information on Queen Etrigani. What does her personal agenda look like? Is she behind the formation of the Red Watchers? And why does she *really* spend so much time in Atur?

Jesse

So excited to get Frontiers! Is there any hope for future Eberron content that updates things like Half-Elves and Half-Orcs to be more in line with the species options from the 2024 PHB? Maybe making dragon marks into Origin Feats? I've heard that you'll be moving on to a new setting after Frontiers releases, but it'd still be nice if smaller supplements could still trickle out here and there. Thanks for all of the hard work you've put into Eberron, it's an amazing setting!

man-of-bvz1n3ss

Where do quaggoths fit in your Eberron? Where do they draw their psionic power from? Are they in Droaam, Sarlona, or somewhere else?

hyperewok1

How does a feyspire's plane-hopping nature interact with powerful Thelanis archfey? Can the Prince of Frost enter the material plane alongside with Taer Syraen? Would he be functionally trapped there while it's on Eberron, or does he just go elsewhere in Thelanis for that duration?

Zhaumbie

Let's talk artifice. I've always been curious about your lore answers for artificer 5E subclasses. In your Eberron—what elements of the artifice collective unconscious make, say, designing arcane armour or assembling a steel defender the paths of least resistance for player characters?

Corey Blauss

How would you feel about Warforged using the Autognome Healing Machine ability? I’m about to run my first Eberron campaign and it feels like it could be a fun extra little ability for my Warforged player. Healing Machine If the mending spell is cast on you, you can spend a Hit Die, roll it, and regain a number of hit points equal to the roll plus your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 hit point).

Michael Hughes

I asked you previously about a recommend reading order. When I'm ready to run Eberron, I'll absolutely be following it. (Not that I have a campaign idea yet haha). There are a large amount of articles, q&as, and recordings you have done over the years. When is the best time to go over all of them, and what order might be best?

Rakoon1985

My question is why are you opposed to the escatological vision Faith of Eberron gives to the Church of the Silver Flame, that one day the Flame will cleanse Eberron from all evil? I personally think escatology is natural for religion and this fits the CotSF.

Matt Dance

I’m so excited about Frontiers, I can hardly stand it! Congrats on the completion! Perhaps apropos of that, I seem to be spending a lot of time with Droaam of late, wondering about its various residents. So: any quick thoughts on the origins of minotaurs? (and/or communities outside of Droaam?) (And if this is addressed in Frontiers, it’s just one more reason to be excited, I suppose!) Thanks for all your efforts, as always!

Selerian

What are the origins of naga? Are they "couatl lesser brothers"? What foul magic can transform naga to bone naga? Thank you!

Parker Wimberly

Hi Keith, Hope all is well. I'm fascinated by Hezhala and would like more information about her. I know that is not a specific question, so I will ask this: If you were using her as a foil against the daughters, where would you set up her HQ or base, assuming that she escaped the daughters when they attacked?

Patrick Reupert

Hey there! I would love to inquire further on the Dhakaani Dawn Command idea from your Phoenix DC conversion. Years ago it was said you would consider working on something for that. Is there anything elsewhere or further thoughts you have in that matter?

Jessie Harris

What happens during the transition between Eberron and dollurh? Does the soul immediately appear upon death? Is there an in between period? Do you have a psychopomp of any kind appear in your games?

Beoric

Hi Keith. I convert a lot of 1e and Basic modules for my Eberron campaigns, and I'm looking for an appropriate non-human, humanoid swamp people to replace the ubiquitous lizardfolk (which I prefer to keep in Q'barra). I was thinking orcs, even outside of the Shadow Marches, on account of them being pushed into the marginal areas of Khorvaire by the Dhakaani. But I remember you mentioning a while back that you had thoughts on a bullywug river people (which, btw, I would love you to develop at some point, or at least drop a few hints on culture). What would you do with this in your Eberron?

Spike Hemphill

With 2024 5e happening next month, I was wondering if you had any overall thoughts about your experience with 2014 5e and it's impact on Eberron? I really enjoyed Eberron the most with this incarnation of 5e. I hope you enjoyed it too. Thanks for everything.

Benjamin Tucker Marcus

Hello Keith! Do you see the Lords of Dust, Dreaming Dark, or other immortal factions weaponizing phenomena like historical hags by engineering events and shaping mortal stories to create new pawns or allies?

Jarrod Taylor

Could we get the Baker to moonlight once again as a Carpenter and provide a table of legendary Westwind Riders? (Whether they were real agents or heroes of in-world fiction/performances doesn't matter)

Daelkyr Devon

Hey Keith! Very excited for the new book, Orlassk looks excellent and the timing is perfect, as my current hyperfixation is Warframe, and the antagonist "The Man in the Wall" is a very Daelkyr-esque character that was creating very Orlassk imagery, so I already was in the headspace of some Orlassky adventures. That being said, I have a question that may be answered by the book already, or answered elsewhere, but also might not be! What in your mind constitutes the border between Droamm and the Shadow Marches? Droamm is actively being defined and establishing itself as a nation, while the Shadow Marches is a region largely unorganized. So I'm curious how the divide between them might look, or if the Shadow Marches is more like "Droamms back yard". Another tiny question I had (I hope you don't mind me throwing in), all the Daelkyr have very specific and interesting looks, how do you like to imagine Kyrzin in appearance? My gut thinks a king with some green slime apparel, but its signature creature is Gibbering Mouthers, so maybe gummy pink robes with eyes and mouths covering it? Obviously if there is ever a final iteration, that's it's own thing, but I'm curious what a more modern Kyrzin looks like in your head.

Thomas Brøgger

Hi Keith! The description of bodaks in monsters of the multiverse links them to Orcus, but how do they fit into Eberron?

Reighndragon

First question in a long time. My party is going to visit Griffonclaw. I Couldn’t find much about this location online, so I was curious how you would describe the location if your party was visiting this location. In my imagination it’s a former Cyran fortress town on the edge of the more fertile lands near Lake Cyre. The Blade dessert will start if you travel south from the fortress. So what do you think would be the look and feel of this fortress. - Would it feel Cyran, or would it have changed to a more Valenar fortress? - How is the closeness of the Mournlands noticeable. - Would your description of the Talenta Plains be noticeable here or would this start closer to Gatherhold? No need for a full description, just a few pointers what would make this fortress special. Thank you for all your answers and I’m looking forward to the new book.

Inquisitor Thomas

How common are Draconic Lamias? I mean Dragons are the mortals that has the most interactions with the Lords of Dust and Overlords, and we see a Rakshasa having romantic feelings for a Dragon in Son of Kyber, so presumably Dragons might make a plurality of Lamias.

Trinity Vaughan

Hello Keith! My question is this, what are some major impacts of House Cannith reuniting as one? Immediate and/or long term? Or a campaign specific one, what are some obstacles for Norran d'Cannith to reunite the house? As right now in my campaign he managed to escape from Dread Metrol and has worked with the party to catch up on what he has missed and to see what each of the three parts of Cannith have been up to. Now he's just gearing up to begin the process of bringing the house together, and I'm curious as to if you have any thoughts on that. PS: Met you at Gencon, thank you for signing my book!

Teacup_01

Hellow Keith, congratulation to that you finished your work on Frotiers! I am curious about how was Aerenal society belike before the Line of Vol and other Mabaran lines being eliminated or exiled? And as for these lines themselves, to what extent is their society similar to that of the Bloodsails?

Nicholas Batchelor

Hi Keith, I'd be interested to hear what it was about the ERftLW Dragonmark rules interactions with 5E24 made you decide to develop a new take for Frontiers, and what your design goals were for the new versions.

Spike Hemphill

When do you think is appropriate to use Archmage stat blocks in Eberron game , knowing they have access to 9 level spells? I admit I have some trepidation using them even as enemies. They are only CR 12 which means they show up as early as 2nd tier of play. I always feel the need to justify their power( they empowered by overlord or manifest zone). Any thoughts?

MarkoPolio

I'm currently running a campaign in and around the Starpeak Mountains, so I wanted to ask about the main thing in the area: Starpeak Observatory! I looked a little into it and saw you talked about it in relation to the The Keepers of Aureon’s Veil in IFAQ: Wizard Circles, and the Wiki says it was built in 512 YK and is kept by Larhut, but is there anything else you could share about it? Any information on Larhut, the kind of things they might be divining, what kinda defenses magical and mundane might be in place there, or anything like that is perfect :D

EllieSF

Fathen is a SF templar who fought to liberate Lower Northedge, an area of many shifters from a wererat threat. IMO, a pure flamer would've likely been in Eldeen during the purge... But he was in Sharn. I personally think its possible he was a shifter. Is this a possibility for the character, and if it is what kind of story might you tell with that? The idea of a Shifter champion turned into a symbol of shifter hatred is very compelling

Sims

Hope this is not too late, but I have two! 1.) How would you run a Thronehold campaign? Rising introduces the setting almost like a noir/mafia/League of Nations (I say this over UN since I feel like it would be far less effective) type campaign? 2.) How might you run a Blood Crescent/Demon Waste Frontier game? Threshold/Quickstone stands at the border between “civilization” and “monsters” but we know that Droaam isn’t wholly (or at all evil) and the Breland isn’t a shining bastion. However, the Demon Wastes are literally the embodiment of evil, so how would a campaign set on the precipice of the Wastes look like?

Simon

Baldurs Gate 3 and how you would change it and its characters to fit in Eberron (in a video game sense) to celebrate the final patch release! If you've beaten it yet*