Rating: Summary: Good, but a few problems... Review: The setting is good, and I particularly like the fact that alignment is somewhat down-played. Stereo types are down played to a large degree, and that's always been a part of my game play. (Orc Palains, apparently good Yuan-Ti)
There are some consistency problems in the text though. Example: One place states that one of the Houses is negotiating with the Goblinoid nation to secure rights to mine because they couldn't get them from the Gnomes, but then it states else where that they are completing the guild-hall in a Gnomish city after succeeding at negotiations? It's also left to the DM to determine if the Lighthing Rail travels through the Mournland still... it's odd that they showed the rail as still connected on the map. There are a number of such issues that leaves one scratching their head as to what a DM has to do to keep their story straight.
Those problems aside, this is a highly magical setting without becoming sickeningly so. Hopefully it doesn't become the monster that FR has become too soon. I tend to like somewhat blank canvasses.
Rating: Summary: I love it Review: This book is great, it is everything I wanted it to be. There was one fellow that said that it wasn't as polished and didn't have good legendary characters, and this is because it was designed to make the Player Characters stand out even more.The only gripe that I have is the maps lack much detail. They give good generalizations, but don't really carry through on them. Overall, this is a great book about a great world that the PC's can shape with their actions. If you love D&D and would like a fresh look at things, then pick this up...NOW!!
Rating: Summary: A Great Beginning Review: Though, like any other new campaign, this book lacks detail in some areas it gives a great introduction to the world of Eberron. I've just started running this campaign and my players are loving the new flavor. It's also nice to finally see a campaign written exclusively in 3E come from Wizards. Greyhawk is extremely dated and Forgotten Realms has gotten awfully stale after nearly 20 years. I personally can't wait to watch this product line develop.
Rating: Summary: A suprising instalment Review: When I first hear of Ebberon, I found the idea almost repulsive, it seemed like an attempt to blend D20 Modern and D&D together, not a good idea. However, the book was given to me as a gift, and after a few hours steady reading, I was nicely suprised. While I doubt I'll ever play this campagn setting, it is full of exelent ideas which can be applied to add variety to an existing campagn in anywhere from tiny to massive doese (example, from action points to the lightning rail and the war forged.). While I dont really like the prestige classes, they are not actualy bad, and some of the new races (warforged, changelings) are not only original but epertly crafted and perfectly playable. So, even though pulp fantasy may not be your genre, this book can still be very useful and inspirational, and I highly recomend it.
Rating: Summary: Decent Review: While this book isn't as good as the Forgoten Realm Setting, it's interesting. It has some compeling concepts for new races and character types. Also, it throws in some new angles on old races. However, even though this book has some new ideas, it's main problem is that is lacks real depth. It is not as polished as Forgoten Realms, and doesn't provide the same background (such as lengendary characters, detailed history or a real flavor for the various lands.) One of the more disappointing aspects of the book is it's maps. They aren't nearly detailed enough, especially the larger maps. Bottom line: I'd give this book 3.5 stars. Fresh concepts, decent art, good layout, but mediocre maps and limited depth.
Rating: Summary: Worth the Hype! Well done Wizards of the Coast and Mr. Baker Review: Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) scores big with the new Eberron Campaign Setting, this is more than a setting; it is a completely fresh way for D & D aficionados to play the game. I do not want to include too many spoilers because in no way can I give this volume any justice. The Illustrations are done very well and enhance the entire book. The artwork is part of what makes this book so fresh. The artwork really portrays the "feel" of this campaign setting, each piece of art fits into the written material very well and throughout most of the book enhance or explain the written material. Eberron itself is laid out much like the Players Handbook and Dungeon Masters Guide. It starts with the Introduction, races, classes, equipment, and ends with magic, history background and an introductory adventure. Additionally interlaced amongst the pages of stats and game mechanics are short snippets that detail life in Eberron. The Introduction is done very well and captures the feel of the entire setting. I can only describe it as Indiana Jones meets Camelot, and that doesn't do it justice. There are many new races and one new class. The races are well balanced compared to the core books and no ECLs. Of course, it has all the old standards and the book does a great job of developing them separately from the core rulebooks. They are statistically the same but their flavor and backgrounds are much different. In Eberron a race of "changelings", live amongst the rest of the world. They are able to alter their appearance at will. The "shifters" are a group of animal-people hybrids that walk the world. Each sub-type can manifest an animal quality for a limited number of times in order to enhance their abilities. This is balanced in a way that is much like the Barbarians rage ability. The other groups have been written about on the message boards and on the WOTC website so I will not speak of them here other than that it is worth checking them out. One new class presents itself and that is the Artificer. They are mages that can't cast magic per say, but enhance mundane items with magical abilities and craft constructs and magic items with much more efficiency then a Wizard or Sorcerer. Also, througout the chapter on characters it gives some examples of some of the personalities that inhabit this world. This is not only a great asset to the DM but also to the reader as it gives many insights into organizations, religion, and the geography. There are several new prestige classes but I only have 1000 words so I hesitate to detail all of them. The skills and feats section are what really makes an Eberron Character stand out. All of the skills from the Core Rules are present but some have a new twist to them. As an example, Search can now be used as "investigate". It allows the Investigator to pick up and analyze clues in order to progress the story. There is even a Prestige Class called a Master Inquisitor that is a Private Detective type character. The new feats are very well done and balanced. Many are race or culture specific, which I personally think makes sense. Additionally, depending on the feats taken racial abilities may also be enhanced. The magic system remains the same but magic itself is much more common. I would classify this as a high magic setting. Ships that fly, a monorail, automatic lighting, and elevators are some examples. There are two types of magic users; mundane and professional. Mundane wizards are the ones that maintain the great deal of magical items that permeate the cities of Eberron and the professionals are the adventurers. On the Divine side of the house, their are many new Domains for a cleric to choose. All of the standard Domains are still there but there is a brand new pantheon of deities. One major change is that the cleric no longer has to be one-step away from his or her deity in alignment. The magic also details what are called Dragonmarks. The people who have dragonmarks control trade. They are powerful houses that rule and control trade throughout the world. I will not go into detail about them but I must say it is a unique addition to the setting. The history and geography of Eberron is richly detailed, helpful, and imaginative. The writers have done an excellent job of intermixing facts and figures with NPCs, story arcs and just darn good entertaining literature. It is hard to put down once you get started. ACTION POINTS? I am not so sure about the action points. I will need to test them out before I can decide. A Player can spend an action point in order to activate a special ability, stop them from dying, increase a roll, and many other uses. I would think that this might end up causing some players to abuse these new rules. I do like the fact that they allow a PC to do amazing things and it enhances the cinematic, pulp action feel of the setting, but as I said, I will need to try it first. I have only one negative comment. Psionics are a big part of this world and it is mentioned that if you "don't have the new Expanded Psionic Handbook then eliminate them from your campaign." This is accomplished with difficulty as they are a very real part of the setting and one of the races is psionic based. I also have a tendency to believe that this is part of the marketing plan so more people will purchase The Expanded Psionic Handbook. I have run out of room and have so much more to say. In conclusion, excellent work but also be prepared for a marketing blitz to encourage us to buy all of the Eberron stuff that we can.
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