Page 10 - Eberron -Rising from the Last War_Neat

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

WELCOME TO EBERRON
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