[3.5] Looking for Sugestions and Refinements for an Eberron Game

[ThisOne]

Okay, I'm running a campaign in Eberron for the first time, and I'm looking for some advice. I have a general idea of what the plot is, but I'm putting this up here for CCing and sugestions from people who know the setting better than I do.

First, the party: I have 3 PCs plus a DMPC to make a party of 4. (Warforged artificer, changeling rouge, Human swordsage, and a spellcaster/psion (I've not commited to a background until my PCs are finished)

Basically, I intend to start my group using a heavily modified version of the introductory adventure in the Eberron campaign setting book. Rather than being sent to retreive a stereotypical mcguffin, the party witnisses the murder of a Cannith scholar by hired Thurani assasins (more later), and discover a sealed scroll case and pendant on his person.

They are then hired by a Cannith representative to locate a secret research facility hidden in the sewers of Sharn. They are tasked with retreiving the facility's documents and records

The truth of the matter is that the facility was part of a hidden house project during the last war. Looking through old documents, Merrix d'Cannith happened to find clues about this secret research, and has taken an interest in the matter. The artificer who was assasinated was a survivor of the spectacular accident that killed most of the researchers in the station. He was on his way to meet with a representative of Merrix when he was killed, still being very much loyal to his house, and keeping quiet about the matter.

Basically, my big question is what should the secret research be? It will shape the plot of the entire game, and as such it has to be large, and militarily signifigant. Currently, the complex was trshed by living spells, but I'm looking for monsters that will give clues about the nature of the research. The party will probably be caught in the conflict between the sections of Cannith, as well as other interested parties. Their checkered past may also come back to bite them. I intend to reveal clues slowly, probably by uncovering a journal or catching a glimpse of notes, etc.

Other general sugestions, elaborations , etc. are apreciated.

[Kalirren]

One idea:


Karrnath is known for its undead armies. It's also known for the tension it has with the Blood of Vol, even if no one knows the real reasons why the tension exists. It wouldn't be surprising if Kaius III has been looking for something to replace the undead contingent of his armed forces and got involved with House Cannith. The question is, given that confluence of backgrounds, exactly what have the Karrnathi Cannith magewrights come up with over the past several decades? And precisely what bone does Merrix as head of Cannith South have to pick with Karrnathi-based Cannith East?


Of course, for any to be meaningful, you really should tailor the idea to the the player characters. It'll be easy to bounce any Merrix angle off of the Warforged artificer, but changeling rogue and human swordsage will want a reason just as strong to be personally involved in the mess you'll be throwing them into.

[ThisOne]

Generally speaking, the group is hired, but increasingly, they'll probably find themselves in too deep with no way of escaping from the situation. I'm looking for something with world changing implications to some extent, hopefully (this seems to be a grand tradition with my group).

The question then, I suppose (I'm not quite following you, I think) is why this is going on in Sharn. The facility would also have been running during the last war and shut down before Thronehold. Given Merrix is involved, warforged are always possible, but it's a cop-out IMO.

[mohdri]

Are you looking for a couple of short adventures or a large 20 level (or whatever you can get to) campaign?


As for a research facility in Sharn you could try...

House Cannith is doing research on abberant marks, specifically those used during the War of the Mark by Halas Tarkanan and the Lady of the Plague. This could be a good way to introduce the new abberant feats from the book Dragonmarked. And he would want to keep it very secret, especially from the other houses.

Or maybe...

House Cannith found a Prophecy mark (similar to Dragonmarks but found in nature) and are trying to harness the power of it. This could bring other interested parties in to story including the other houses, the Lords of Dust, or even the dragons themselves.

BTW, I have all the WotC Eberron published book, all of the novels (and read them all) and even the comic book. I think it's a great setting and so do my players.

[Kol Korran]

just some ideas:

1- house cannith used mindless golems and some elite warforged as a special force to delve into Khyber, and bring back whatever they could of the Daelkyr. some highups in the house felt they reached their potential crafting nonliving material with the warforged, it was time to progress to actually engineering life, and living weapons.
the research facility won't hold everything they got, but perhaps some deranged or mutated dolgrims, or perhaps creatures of other races that went through some horrible mutations? (perhpas several halfling mashed together like dolgrims are?)
later on they find clues to manipulations of flesh, from enhanced symbionts (the first line of "products" the house succeeded in making) and unto other more exotic creations, from adding abilities to creatures, to combining them, up to creating whole new beings!
why in sharn? it was easy to get various creatures without being notcied, the various criminal organizations that could be hired, and importing creatures from xenderix.

2- one of my favorite ideas- "legion" type of enemies: house cannith found how to link conciousnesses of either a normal fighting unit or a warforged unit (you decide). this gives the fighting unit an unparalleled combat advantage and ability. so far those who share the link are few (the process is still expensive), but the ones who share the link observe through each other's eyes, share each other' thoughts, abilities, and act in unison. someone might have gotten hold of an "improved" unit and is using them to their own needs. they will learn from each battle with the characters (if you ever seen "invasion of the body snatchers, try to invoke the same feel")
in the facility at first they can meet failed experiments, either mad or sharing a partial link or both, later on they meet the parties that control an improved unti, and those who want to gain one for themselves.
why sharn? same reasons...

3- secrets of the day of mourning: if, and only if you have your own version to what transpired on that day (my version is complex and invoves the house, daelkyr, rakshasa, and ultimatley the hags of Droaam) then you can have an inkling of whathappened to be discovered by the research. (all other researchers were killed by thurani or phiarlan spies who might also suspect the reason behind the tragedy and why it must remain a secret). the secret might shatter the fragile peace that exist, so knowing it, or keeping it a secret might well change the world.
why sharn? the researchers thought they could "disappear" here, and that no one will find them, or they thought the place is the most cosmopolitan that can be, or... and here's a thought- they lived there? or had a family there?

4- a bit of a darker idea: in xenderic or in temples of the dark six, or for whatever reason cannith researchers found a lethal agent of disease (hey, maybe you could join this with the mark of the plague mohdri suggested). a different branch of the house made an entirely different discovery- how to transfer conbciousness into a construct body (could be a warforged body but i suggest something else). a bunch of these construct bodies were created, and then a test was done in some remote battle of the war- the disease agent was spread, and the now protected unit went through the battlfield unharmed (the disease could be short lived when applied to avoid complications). this could be the perfect weapon! but there are greater implications and considirations involved:
- can the conciousness be turned back to the body? what if that process wasn't figured out yet? what if the trapped mind slowly goes insane?
- if the process is complete, this is the road to both immortality, as well as becoming free of many of life hassles. heck, you could even modify yourself to your own needs
- such a lethal disease and it's liberal application would mean the murder of thousands? what of the moral implications?
barron merrix may be interested in all or part of these, but other "interested parties" may well have their own agenda.
in the forge the party meets either diseased people who only suffer a mild disease, or they could meet the "vessels" that are either still empty but work as constructs do, or maybe with a trapped/ mad mind within them.

hope this all helped, please tell us what you've chosen,
Kol