Unlock with PatreonHow We Roll: Sovereign Saints and Relics
Each month I take questions from my Patrons. This month, someone asks…
Could you provide any details on specific relics, saints, or stories of the Sovereign Host?
I’m afraid I don’t have a secret stash of Sovereign relics I’ve been saving for a special occasion. I could make up some examples off the top of my head, but in the words of Jurian the Wise, “Give a DM a relic and they have fuel for one adventure; give them a table and they have fuel for a campaign.” Far be it from me to ignore the wisdom of one beloved by Aureon—and so, here’s a table for you to work with!
But first, it’s important to define what we mean by saint. It’s commonly understood that some people form an especially close bond to the Sovereigns, and are capable of performing miracles or sharing the blessings of the Sovereigns with others. However, the Pyrinean faith doesn’t believe that these people continue to affect the world after death. The Sovereigns are always with us; you don’t need Saint Isti to bless your blade, because Dol Dorn and Dol Arrah are with you right now. However, there were saints, and they left their mark on the world. There are still stories of Saint Isti the Beacon, how she defeated hordes of undead with her shining blade. There’s a battlefield named after her, and her sword is one of the great treasures of the Sovereign Temple of Passage. You won’t call on Saint Isti to intervene on your behalf, but you might invoke her as an inspiring example, or seek out her undead-smiting blade, or stumble into a cemetery dedicated to her memory. It’s also the case that this table could be used to generate living Sovereign saints. Perhaps the small village you’re passing through turns out to be home to Davan the Old, a devotee of Arawai who is said to have brought an end to a terrible plague!
So with all that said, let’s see some saints and relics!
| d20 | Name | Trait | Tied To | Relic | Associated With A… |
| 1 | Asta | The Old | Arawai | Favored Weapon | … Plague |
| 2 | Davan | The Strong | Arawai | Tool | … Rebellion |
| 3 | Isti | The Quick | Aureon | Instrument | … Temple |
| 4 | Moras | The Beacon | Aureon | Ring | … Beloved Song |
| 5 | Tara | The Unloved | Balinor | Cloak or Robe | … War or Battlefield |
| 6 | Drago | The Kind | Balinor | Belt | … Prison |
| 7 | Besre | The Forgotten | Boldrei | Hair | … Village or Town |
| 8 | Jurian | The Wise | Boldrei | Book | … Fountain or Pond |
| 9 | Ket | The True | Dol Arrah | Boots or Shoes | … Tree or Forest |
| 10 | Urik | The Young | Dol Arrah | Armor or Shield | … Cave or Peak |
| 11 | Theda | The Gentle | Dol Dorn | Amulet | … Ruin |
| 12 | Laris | The Small | Dol Dorn | Mirror | … Cemetery or Vault |
| 13 | Beleth | The Clever | Kol Korran | Scroll | … University or Library |
| 14 | Kaine | The Bold | Kol Korran | Gloves | … Marketplace |
| 15 | Hariel | The Grim | Olladra | Lantern | … Dragonmarked House |
| 16 | Cord | The Frail | Olladra | Fingerbone | … Noble Family |
| 17 | Sede | The Arcane | Onatar | Eye | … Manifest Zone |
| 18 | Vedim | The Warrior | Onatar | Tooth | … Undead or Aberrations |
| 19 | Chantalyn | The Unseen | The Host | Skull | … Fiend |
| 20 | Lukar | The Beautiful | The Dark Six | Martyring Weapon | … Dragon |
Using the Table
A few things to keep in mind…
- Names. I’ve given you twenty names to work with, but you can always make up a new name. You can certainly have Bob the Bold. Or take the name of a player character and roll to see which legendary saint they were named after! “Fasil, did you know you’re named after Fasil the Frail, a saint of Onatar who founded this town?”
- Traits. Think about how the chosen trait matches up to the Sovereign associated with the character. Sede the Arcane makes perfect sense as a saint of Aureon, but Kaine the Frail may feel like a weird choice to be a saint of Dol Dorn. I say embrace and explore that. We know that the virtues of Dol Dorn are strength and courage. It could be that Kaine the Frail had fragile bones from a curse, but when his town was attacked by brigands he displayed impossible strength in fighting them; or it could be that while he was physically weak, he had indomitable courage that others knew was a gift of Dol Dorn. The trait is something that stands out about the saint, but it could be an aspect that’s in addition to the blessings they received from the Sovereigns.
- Associated Sovereign. Vassals revere all the Sovereigns. However, saints are often associated with a particular Sovereign, and this suggests their background or skill set. Most likely, a saint associated with Dol Dorn will be celebrated for courage or skill at arms, whether they were a career soldier or a folk hero; a saint tied to Aureon might have been a scholar, a wizard, or a judge. combine this with their Trait and see what story suggests itself. A saint associated with the Dark Six could be tied to one of the Three Faces cults—they were blessed by the Mockery in the role of Dol Azur—or it could be that what they’re best known for is opposing one of the Dark Six.
- Relic. What has the saint left behind? Have these relics been found, or have people been searching for the Gloves of Laris the Quick for generations? As with traits, think about the associated sovereign when establishing the details of the relics. Gloves associated with Dol Dorn are likely gauntlets that provide excellent protection, while gloves tied to Olladra are probably gloves of thievery. “Tool” and “Instrument” are intentionally vague because of this. A saint of Onatar will have smith’s tools, while a tool of Olladra could be dice or a deck of cards. A key question is was the relic a tool used by the saint in life, or is it simply all they’ve left behind? The point of having a skull on the table isn’t that the saint carried a skull in life; it’s that the saint’s actual skull has been preserved and is thought to be blessed.
- Association. This suggests one of the best known legends of the saint, and the mark they’ve left on the world. The question is what they had to do with the thing in question. If they’re tied to a village, did they found the village? Protect it from disaster? Die there? If they’re associated with a plague, did they stop the plague or fight the demon that unleashed it? If they’re tied to a Dragonmarked House, was the saint a scion of the house or did they take a stand against it? If they’re associated with a prison, is it because they imprisoned a fiend (as Tira imprisoned Bel Shalor)? Because they died in a prison, which is now a cursed ruin? Or because they founded a prison, perhaps associated with their Sovereign—a debtor’s prison that’s also a temple to Kol Korran, or a prison associated with Dol Arrah that seeks to lead criminals back to the light?
You don’t need to use all these rows at once. You CAN create a saint with ties to a relic and a village… but you could also use this table when someone finds a magic item to add flavor to it. It’s a +1 sword, but guess what, it’s the sword of Hariel the Grim, who we all know from that beloved song! You might assume that because it’s a sword, it’s tied to Dol Dorn… but you could instead roll for a Sovereign and change the sword accordingly. If it’s the sword of a saint of Aureon, were they an eldritch warrior who inscribed their favorite spell into the steel of the blade? Or is the sword itself a key to a hidden vault of knowledge?
An example that came up on the Eberron discord was Jurian the Unseen, Saint of Boldrei, associated with a Ring and a Plague. On the surface, this might seem like a jumble of entirely unrelated things. My suggestion is that Saint Jurian had a ring of invisibility and traveled unseen through villages that had been sealed up due to fear of the plague, whispering messages of hope or bringing tiny gifts that lifted the spirits of those left to die, giving them the strength to fight the plague. It’s believed he eventually succumbed to the plague, but no one knows; if he died, he was still wearing his ring, and his body was never found. The main point is that if you’ve just found a ring of invisibility and it turns out it’s actually the Ring of St. Jurian, wow, are you just going to use it to pick some pockets? Or are you going to try to live up to its history? This is also an interesting way to explore sentient magic items; perhaps a fragment of Jurian lingers with the ring, and if you use it wisely and well, he will offer you guidance and unlock the additional powers of the ring.
I’ve shared Aureon’s knowledge with you—what you do with it is up to you! Thanks as always to my Patreon supporters for making these articles possible; check out the Patreon if you want to ask your own questions or see the exclusive articles!
IFAQ Roundup: Bugbears, Deathless Drow, Seeker Funerals and More!
Every month, my Patreon supporters can ask me questions. Here’s a lightning round of questions from September!
In Exploring Eberron the Dhakaani Bugbears are characterized as Bulwarks in the military structure, and the Dhakaaani Bugbear playable race has no reference to bugbears innate gift for Stealth and ambushing… is there a reason for this?
Largely, it was ignored because the Dhakaani needed the bugbear’s strength more than their stealth. Under the base 3.5 rules, the bugbear has a substantial strength bonus and more hit points than either goblin or hobgoblin. Essentially, the goblins COULD serve as spies and scouts; they COULDN’T serve as shock troops or heavy laborers, while the bugbears could. Overall, Dhakaani military strategy wasn’t based on stealth; so again, for the Dhakaani, the bugbear’s strength was the tool they had a greater use for. Per the canon Dragonshard, “From an early age, bugbears are raised to think of themselves as the heroes and martyrs of Dhakaani civilization. They are taught to believe that their strength is the single greatest weapon of the Empire.” They are described as being skirmishers and typically having barbarian levels, so they often would serve as scouts and harriers; it’s certainly useful for scouts to be sneaky. But the Dhakaani focused more on the Golin’dar for stealth and the Guul’dar for strength; even their name translates to “Strong People.”
An important part of this is the idea that the hobgoblins effectively controlled the stronger bugbears through narrative; they didn’t WANT the bugbears to focus on their cunning. The Dhakaani intentionally downplayed that talent because they wanted the bugbears to embrace the bold vanguard role, something that comes up with the modern Marguul bugbears…
Since there isn’t much written on the Marguul tribes of the Seawall Mountains, what do you see as unique to the Marguul that differentiates them from other goblinoid cultures?
What’s been established is that the Marguul are a league of bugbear tribes whose ancestors “rose up against their hobgoblin oppressors to seize control of their own destiny.” While they’re fewer in number than the Ghaal’dar, “For centuries, the bugbears have raided the larger hobgoblin communities… slaughtering the arrogant hobgoblins.” While some have come down to take part in the Darguul experiment, most remain in the Seawall Mountains, “where they continue to battle any creatures that cross their path.” As noted above, they place great value on martial skill and guerilla warfare, and worship the Mockery and the Lhesh Shaarat (“King of Swords”), an interpretation of Dol Dorn.
The Marguul are supposed to be a challenge that makes it dangerous for adventurers and others to travel in the Seawall Mountains. But this isn’t because they’re somehow innately evil: it’s because they have valid reasons to despise and fight outsiders. The people of the Five Nations are the chaat’oor who drove their ancestors into the hinterlands and who built their cities on the bones of the great Dar fortresses. The catch is that they then also hate the Ghaal’dar, who sought to dominate the displaced dar and to rule those hinterlands. While their records don’t go back that far, Marguul anger can be traced all the way back to Dhakaan, where as noted above, bugbears were effectively indoctrinated to support the ruling hobgoblins and to serve as laborers and front-line troops. The Marguul essentially say we are the strongest of our kind. For countless generations you have feared us and sought to control us. Well, you SHOULD fear us and you will never control us again. So again, the Marguul are supposed to be dangerous. But there is reason for their anger, and if their grievances and their traditions are understood, they could become friends or allies. But their initial stance is aggressive, because they believe that only bugbears have ever done what’s best for the bugbears.
Going more into unique aspects of the bugbears, this is where I’d bring in the traditional bugbear affinity for stealth mentioned earlier. The Marguul have always been outnumbered by the Ghaal’dar, and they embrace guerilla warfare. It is in this aspect that they revere the Mockery—what this article calls The Lord of Victory. Just because you’re strong doesn’t mean you have to be reckless. When your enemies have greater numbers and resources, the Mockery will show you the path to victory, even if it leads you through the shadows. Bugbears have a natural gift for stealth, and the Marguul have refined this to an art. I see the Marguul as exceptional hunters and stalkers, viewing the greatest warrior as the one whose enemy never sees them. I imagine them as having a long tradition of stealth duels, with six Marguul entering a hunting ground from different points and stalking and counter-stalking… though to be clear, in such Marguul duels victory would come from striking an enemy firmly with a blunted weapon; the Marguul wouldn’t carelessly spill their own blood. I could absolutely see an adventure in which explorers venture into Marguul territory playing out like Predator, with unseen Marguul hunters stalking their prey, laying traps and slowly weakening them before a final conflict. This is also where the challenge of diplomacy comes in. Again, the Marguul have reason to distrust and hate the people of the outer world; and when you enter their territory, the first time you see one of them may be when they strike to kill.
I can easily imagine a Marguul player character; the ECS notes that a few of the Marguul have descended into Darguun and become mercenaries, and this could lead them out into the wider world. I’d just emphasize that they come from a culture that sees the rest of the world as oppressors and betrayers; they are always suspicious, always ready for danger, and surprised by altruism and kindness. What others might see as dishonorable strategies, they see as smart tactics; look back to this article at Redblade Rrac’s story of the two wolves.
The undead of Kech Nasaar are cut off from the Uul Dhakaan, but did a ghaal’dar of the kech ever rise to Marhu, ruling for centuries, or does the Emperor need a living connection to the dream, much like the edicts of Galifar prevent the dead from claiming the crown?
From Exploring Eberron: “The edict of a long-dead emperor asserted that no dead creature could wear the imperial crown; while the services of the Nasaar were valued, the dead are severed from the Uul Dhakaan and cannot draw on the wisdom of the past or see Jhazaal’s dream.” It’s quite likely that at some point there was an undead marhu because they’d need a reason to MAKE such an edict—most likely a marhu who became undead after taking office—but clearly their reign was disastrous enough that the edict was made. Which is to say, I doubt that they ruled for centuries, because that would require people to be content with their rule… and the edict suggests that they were not.
A Valenar warband plans to conduct a raid into Darguun in 998 YK, Besides Darguun opposition, are there any political or social obstacles the raiders would need counter or avoid; factions within the Valaes Tairn, Khorovar, or House Lyrandar?
That depends. At any given time, a certain number of warbands are assigned to the Host of Valenar. They have specific duties and answer to the High King, and definitely can’t raid Darguun, any more than a platoon in the US army could just decide to attack Canada. The catch is the bands that AREN’T assigned to the Host. They’re free to do whatever they wish. They could sell their services as mercenaries, roam as adventurers, or act as raiders. They don’t have to tell anyone what they’re doing or request permission to act, and the High King will accept no responsibility for their actions nor shield them from consequences… though the Host doesn’t extradite raiders either, so if you want them, you’ll have to come to Valenar and get them. Which is, of course, what the Valenar actually want and why the High King allows these raids, even if he doesn’t authorize them. Having said that, warclan leaders actually do keep track of the general positions and intentions of their bands; they may not know the specifics of what they plan, but effectively there’s a lot of Knowing winks when warband X says that they’re going to spend the summer “hunting” on the border of Darguun.
If the Blood of Vol see death as the gods’ cruel joke, how does a Blood of Vol priest perform a funeral? What do they say to offer comfort if their congregation believes that the departed soul has been cheated out of their rightful apotheosis?
Seeker funerals don’t focus on the loss; they focus on remembering the person who has been lost, sharing stories and ensuring that *they won’t be forgotten.* HOWEVER, a Seeker funeral is also about focusing on the people who have been left behind. Community is important to the Blood of Vol. There’s nothing to be done for the dead, but we can still help the living. If a child has been orphaned, who in the community will take them in? If a family is left with debts, who will offer them support? One of the key principles of the BoV is to defy the cruelty of the universe by standing together and looking out for each other. You may have taken Maia’s mother, cruel fate, but she won’t be left alone.
Could a drow from Xendrik become deathless? what about a half elf? how could a half elf or drow become worthy enough to become a member of the Undying Court?
So first of all, I’ve said before that there could be drow and drow/elf hybrids integrated into Tairnadal and Aereni culture who trace their roots back to the original exodus from Xen’drik—and that because of this, there may well be drow members of the Undying Court. But the key point is that while they’re biologically drow, these elves are culturally Aereni and Tairnadal and have been for tens of thousands of years… so very different from a Sulatar drow showing up from Xen’drik today.
COULD a Xen’drik drow or half-elf become a deathless member of the Undying Court? Sure, though in my Eberron it hasn’t happened yet. In principle, anyone could. But the key factor is that they have to be adored by the Aereni; they have to be welcomed by the Court and sustained by the living Aereni. We’ve called out that the energy required to sustain the deathless is a limited resource, which is why standards are so high and why so few Aereni become deathless. The principle of the Undying Court is that the living people don’t want to ever lose the deathless individual—that they value their skills or insights so highly that they wish to preserve them forever. It’s not just about a few priests bestowing this on the drow in question; the PEOPLE have to know of them and love them. To become one of the lesser deathless they only need the adoration of a relatively small population, like a town; but to become a Councilor they need to be loved by the Aereni as a whole. How could they accomplish that? You tell me. They’d have to be known and loved by the Aereni as a whole, granted a space that could go to a member of an Aereni line. Perhaps if they publicly saved Aerenal from a major threat — a Draconic attack, an Overlord, a Daelkyr, Lady Illmarrow. Perhaps if they made some sort of discovery or creation that significantly improved life on Aerenal. It would need to be something on that level — something significantly greater than the deeds of the current members of the Court, something so remarkable people are willing to break millennia of tradition to honor this individual.
Tis the season. The Pumpkin Spice Season! So what in Eberron is like the equivalent of pumpkin spice—something that everyone associates with that autumnal pop culture crowd?
When autumn rolls around, it’s time to bring out the sandfruit spice! This delightful staple of the Brelish frontier is sure to become a beloved fall tradition across the Five Nations. Any day now.
This message brought to you by Vesper and the Threshold Sandfruit Society.
For context, Sandfruit grows in the region covered by my upcoming Frontiers of Eberron: Threshold book. It’s highly unappetizing, and there’s an ongoing quest to find ways to improve the experience. Just as pumpkin spice doesn’t actually contain pumpkin, sandfruit spice is a blend used to flavor sandfruit. And trust me, if it can make sandfruit bearable, you’re going to love it!
That’s all for this month! I won’t be answering follow-up questions but feel free to discuss these topics in the comments. And if you want to ask your own questions, check out my Patreon!
Frontiers of Eberron Preview: Sylbaran
IFAQ: Blood Hunters in Eberron
When time permits, I like to answer interesting questions posed by my Patreon supporters, such as…
How would you incorporate Matthew Mercer’s blood hunters into Eberron?
At its core, the blood hunter is a warrior who can strengthen their own attacks and weaken their enemies at the expense of their own health. A blood hunter can invoke the Crimson Rite to infuse a weapon with elemental power or invoke a Blood Curse on an enemy, but this requires them to take damage based on the role of their Hemocraft die. A secondary aspect is a knack for hunting monsters. From the beginning, they have advantage on checks made to track or recall information about fey, fiends, or undead; the Brand of Castigation allows a blood hunter to mark a creature and always know the path toward it. Ghostslayer blood hunters specialize in dealing with the undead; Lycan blood hunters take on aspects of the curse of lycanthropy; Mutant blood hunters alter their own physiology; and Profane Soul blood hunters forge pacts with dangerous entities to gain their powers. Ultimately, the defining feature to me is monster hunters who burn their own essence to bring down their foes.
The critical question is what aspects of the existing blood hunter we want to keep. Is it important that the character is part of an order, or could they be a unique individual who has found their own path to this power? Does the power have to be based on blood, or as long as the core mechanics remain the same, could it be about consuming the character’s soul? I’ve never used blood hunters in my campaign, but here’s a few different ways I could imagine doing it.
The Order of the Silver Night (Ghostslayer)
When the jealous gods cursed our people with mortality, they filled the night with countless terrors—tempting demons, slavering werewolves, hungry corpses, and more. They sought to sever our path to divinity, to trap us in our flesh and to tear us apart. But I will seize that power and use it to slaughter these horrors, even if burns my body from within. I will be the silver sword in the night, the blade that stands between the innocent and terror.
The Seekers of the Divinity Within—also known as the Blood of Vol—know that there is a spark of divinity within mortal blood. They also know that the universe is a hostile place, that the gods have stacked the odds against mortals, and that only by standing together can humanity survive. So it was that long ago the wizard-priest Duran devised the ritual known as the Hunter’s Bane. Its name comes from the fact that the rite is incredibly painful, and can cripple or even killed those who undertake it. But those few Seekers with the strength and faith to complete the ritual of the Hunter’s Bane can draw on the power of their own divine essence, channeling their own power into their blades or laying curses on their enemies. But this power hasn’t been earned through enlightenment; the hunter can channel their divine spark into their blood, but it literally burns them from within.
The Order of the Silver Night protects seekers from supernatural threats. While they are far fewer in number, these Night Hunters serve much the same role as the templars of the Silver Flame—though a hunter will point out that their order is nearly a thousand years older than Tira’s church. They are ever watchful for scheming fiends, horrors emerging from Khyber, and other beasts… but their true and greatest enemies are the restless dead. Outsiders see Seekers using skeletons as laborers and learning from oathbound martyrs and assume that the Blood of Vol embraces all undead. But a ravenous ghoul is no one’s ally, and an exorcist is the only answer when a maddened ghost possesses an innocent in a quest for bloody vengeance. With its proliferation of Mabaran manifest zones, Karrnath deals with more spontaneous, malefic undead than any of the other Five Nations—and the hunters of the Silver Night stand ready to deal with these terrors. With this in mind, the hunters of the Silver Night typically use the Ghostslayer archetype; others use the Profane Soul archetype with an Undying Patron.
It may be that there is another aspect to the Night Hunters, one not known even to the hunter initiates themselves. The Seekers of the Divinity Within view sentient undeath as both a gift and a sacrifice. The faithful support vampires and oathbound with a tithe of blood, but this is based on the implicit understanding that the undead serve the living. It’s possible that the lich Duran—the oldest member of the Crimson Covenant and the creator of the Hunter’s Bane ritual of the Silver Night—has recruited an elite group of Night Hunters to police the Seeker undead, and to eliminate those who have been corrupted by greed or by the influence of Mabar. If a player character is drawn into this secret order, they could be tasked to investigate the Order of the Emerald Claw, to eliminate the undead who aren’t truly devoted to the well-being of the Seekers… perhaps even Lady Illmarrow herself. Whether the character uses the Profane Soul or Ghostslayer Archetype, Duran would effectively be an Undying patron.
It would be simple enough to posit a Ghostslayer order within the Church of the Silver Flame—one could even say that the damage the hunter suffers is “being burnt by the Flame.” However, I like the visceral contrast between the templar paladin calling on the Flame and the Seeker hunter ripping their unearned power from their own divine spark, doing whatever it takes to protect the innocent even if it may kill them. I’d love to play in a campaign with those two characters fighting side by side.
Olarune’s Blessed (Lycan)
Long ago, Olarune gave our people a gift. We could fully embrace the Beast Within, wielding all the power of the wild. But an ancient evil snatched her gift and twisted it, so any who channeled its power would become predators bound to its will. We refuse to surrender Olarune’s blessing. We defy the ancient evil, and use this power to destroy every monster it has unleashed within our woods.
The Towering Wood is filled with terrors. Capricious fey, plantlife twisted by the daelkyr Avassh, the fiendish minions of the Wild Heart—these are just a few of the dangers of the deep wood. The shifter tribes of the Towering Wood are guided by Moonspeaker druids, by cunning rangers and bold barbarians. But some of their most legendary champions are those who have reclaimed Olarune’s Blessing—fierce warriors who can unlock the full potential of their shifting gift.
Olarune’s Blessing doesn’t come easily. The rite of the Hunter’s Bane is one of the mysteries of the Moonspeaker druids; it can only be performed when the moons are properly aligned, and if the aspirant lacks spiritual strength they will become a monster bound to the will of the Wild Heart. A triumphant hunter receives Olarune’s gift, but the curse is always a part of it, and this is the principle of the damage dealt by blood hunter abilities; when the hunter draws on these powers they are actively fighting the curse of the Wild Heart, pushing through the corruption to seize the primal gift.
In playing one of Olarune’s blessed, the main question is why have you left the Towering Wood? You are a champion of your people, and there are many threats in the Eldeen you could deal with; why, then, would you become a wandering adventurer? Here’s a few possibilities…
- You lost control and the Wild Heart’s influence turned you against your people. Your Moonspeaker restored you at the cost of their own life. You have left the Towering Wood to distance yourself from the influence of the ancient evil; you must master the blessing and strengthen your resolve before you can risk returning to your home.
- A feud with other blood hunters drove you from the Wood. This could have been fueled by tragic romance, by tribal politics, or something else—but it is a mortal feud that drove you from your home, not fear of an immortal power. Do you intend to one day return and settle the matter, or have you closed the door on your old life?
- The Eldeen Reaches are a young nation living in the jealous shadow of Aundair. The survival of the Reaches may depend on the recognition and support of the people of other nations. You’ve been sent into the world to be a hero—to perform great deeds that will raise awareness of and support for your people.
- You have a nemesis—a fiend tied to the Wild Heart? A particularly cunning and cruel lycanthrope? Whoever they are, they inflicted great suffering on your people in the Towering Wood but have since fled. You are determined to hunt them down and make them pay. If you’re starting as a low-level character, it could be that this nemesis slew your blood hunter mentor. You know that you don’t currently possess the power necessary to defeat them. Finding and defeating your nemesis is your endgame, but as an adventurer you are working to develop the skills and allies you will need to defeat them; it’s not a race.
Mutant blood Hunters
With Mutant blood hunters. there are so many interesting possibilities that I find it difficult to choose one over the other. The Mutant hunter ingests mutagens that temporarily alter their physical capalities, and which possess both positive and negative side effects. Here’s just a few ideas…
- The Gifts of the Traveler. As a changeling, you were born into a nomadic family with a secret gift they’ve kept hidden even from other changelings—a system of rituals and formulas that allow them to push the bounds of changeling shapeshifting. How have they used this power? Are they agents of the Traveler, challenging traditions and promoting change? Are they locked in a feud with another changeling clan—a shadow war singleskins know nothing about? As an adventurer, are you acting as an agent of your family, or are you perhaps its last surviving member?
- Narathun Commandos. The dwarves of Clan Narathun are driven by the pursuit of arcane knowledge. Over the last century they have struggled to wrest the secrets of fleshcrafting from the Realm Below. The Narathun commandos are the product of that work—soldiers transformed to fight aberrant fire with fire. Your Hunter’s Bane rite essentially merged a symbiont with your nervous system, and your basic blood hunter abilities reflect this painful bond. Your mutagens are short-lived symbionts or formulas that interact with the embedded force. You surely served in the War Below; why have you left? Did you serve your time and retire with honor? Have you been banished from your hold after an incident in Sol Udar you won’t speak of? Are you pursuing a Cult of the Dragon Below—or are you afraid that such a cult has sunk its claws into your family?
- Seryan Heir. As a dragonmarked heir of House Vadalis, you have discovered that you have ties to the infamous Seryan family—a Vadalis line that practiced vile magebreeding techniques and created horrifying monsters. You’ve read your ancestors’ notes and experimented on your own body using their techniques, undergoing the excruciating Hunter’s Bane rites; now you are continuing to experiment with their mutagens. While your ancestors may have been monsters, you believe that their work can be used for the greater good; you just need to perfect it, and you’re the only test subject you’re willing to endanger. You’re an adventuring Doctor Jekyll. It could be that you actually harvest ingredients from the creatures your party defeats—Hang on, let me get the eye from this bullette; it’ll be perfect for my experiments!
Profane Soul blood Hunters
Even more than Mutants, Profane Soul blood hunters present a vast array of possibilities based on the patron that they choose. An Undying hunter could be tied to the Silver Night, while an Undead hunter could be connected to Katahska the Gatekeeper or the Bone King of Mabar. In Aundair, there could be an order of Archfey hunters who use their gifts to hunt down renegade fey; Hexblade hunters could have ties to the Court of Shadows, knowingly or unwittingly drawing power from Sul Khatesh. On the other hand, a Hexblade hunter could have been transformed when they unwittingly accepted a cursed weapon—perhaps from one of the Daughters of Sora Kell! The Great Old One works well for a hunter with a tie to one of the daelkyr or even the Dreaming Dark; is the hunter fighting the force that transformed them, or do they revel in its gifts?
Most of these ideas work best for characters who are starting at 3rd level, allowing the connection to the patron to be part of the character’s story from the very beginning. However, you could still establish the story even if the character doesn’t receive the full benefits of the relationship initially. The main thing to keep in mind is the principle that it’s painful for a blood hunter to draw on their powers. This suggests the idea that the Hexblade hunter is cursed; that the Great Old One hunter is dealing with painful daelkyr modifications; that the Archfey hunter pays a price for channeling fey power. This article on warlocks might provide additional ideas!
That’s all for now! As this is an IFAQ, I won’t be answering questions on this topic, but feel free to discuss these ideas and share what you’ve done with Blood Hunters in your Eberron! And thanks as always to my Patreon supporters for making these articles possible!
Siberspace Continues
Last month I wrote an article about how I’d combine Spelljammer and Eberron—a space race to reach the Ring of Siberys and the moons. I was so intrigued by the idea that I decided to run the campaign for my Patreon supporters. If it sounds interesting, there’s still time to get on board—I’m running the second session next week!
How Does This Work?
Each month, I run an online Eberron session for my Threshold patrons. The story and the characters are persistent from session to session, but the players change each time. I run the session at a different time each month, to ensure people in different time zones have a chance to play. Once a time is set (patrons are currently voting on the time for this month’s session!) I pose a creative challenge: last month it was tell me which character you want to play, and what they’re leaving behind as they go into space. The rules of Patreon won’t let me pick players randomly; as it is, this creative challenge gives me material I can work into the adventure itself. All patrons have access to the edited audio and video recordings of each session.
While only five patrons get to play in each session, I do what I can to give all of the patrons an opportunity to influence the story. I run one adventure each month; between sessions, I post polls on Patreon and occasional interactive story hours on the Threshold Discord that allow everyone to shape the future of the events. Oh, and did I mentioned that there’s a Discord channel where I discuss the campaign and Eberron in general with patrons? One of my favorite things about TTRPGs is how the story evolves over the course of a campaign, and I enjoy finding ways for bring that experience to this format.
Not everyone has time to watch every episode, of course. To help with this, there’s a campaign website that maintains descriptions of all the characters and summaries of all previous sessions—both short overviews like the one here (spoiler alert for Siberspace session 1!) and more detailed breakdowns. And, of course, patrons have access to exclusive previews of upcoming books, like the recent preview of Medusa Characters from Frontiers of Eberron: Threshold, as well as helping to shape the short and long articles I post on this site… and determining the amount of time I have to spend on them.
Now the valiant Dragonhawk crew is preparing to venture beyond the Ring of Siberys. If you’d like to join them, check out the Threshold level of my Patreon!
Frontiers of Eberron Preview: Medusa Characters
IFAQ: New Cyrans
I’m traveling this month and won’t have much time for articles, but as time permits I do like to answer interesting questions posed by my Patrons. Here’s one from August.
I am going to be running a campaign centered around New Cyre with the players as refugees with an interest of improving the town. Can you provide some tips on making important New Cyran NPCs?
When thinking about an interesting NPC from New Cyre, there’s the usual basic questions… how old are they? What species are they?
Who are they now? New Cyre is barely four years old. It’s a quickly growing community, filled with refugees all seeking some form of gainful employment or at least a way to help out. What role does your NPC play in that community? In terms of broad occupations, just look at Backgrounds for inspiration—Acolyte, Artisan, Entertainer, and Soldier (Watch) are all useful roles. The town sadly surely has some Criminals, Charlatans, and Urchins. Add to that politicians (by which I mean practical civic leaders performing vital organizational tasks), farmers, hunters, and more. Is your NPC the only person in New Cyre capable of performing their job, or are they one of many?
Who were they before? Part of the fun of New Cyre is that you might have a former count shining your shoes, while a common soldier who was transporting military supplies might have turned that cargo into wealth and influence. Who was your NPC before the Mourning? What did they lose in the Mourning? How did they survive, and what challenges or opportunities did they face en route to New Cyre? Are they still hoping to find friends or loved ones lost in the Mourning or are they on their own? Taking things back a step farther, what did your NPC do during the Last War? Are they a celebrated war hero, or did they commit war crimes they fear will soon come to light?
What do they want? Is this NPC driven by faith, patriotic spirit, or altruism? Or are their motives more personal—whether simple greed or opportunism, or materialism driven by a need to help family or loved ones? Are they invested in the success of New Cyre? Do they hope to rebuild Cyre itself? Or are they just trying to scrape together enough gold to make a home anywhere but New Cyre? Are their goals personal, or are they rallying others to their cause or cult?
What do they have? Many Cyran survivors lost everything in the Mourning. If your character has any form of wealth, where did it come from? Did they recover valuable salvage from the Mournland? Did they always have investments beyond Cyre? Have they taken what they possess by force or guile, or do they have a patron—Brelish or otherwise—who’s supporting them? Just as a New Cyran’s current occupation may not reflect their past, they could have unexpected possessions; a farmer fleeing the Mourning could have stumbled upon a treasured artifact that once belonged to a noble family. On the other hand, an NPCs most valuable possession could be knowledge. Do they know about treasures hidden in the Mournland, or some other secret that could be extremely valuable in the write hands?
Allies and Enemies. Everyone in New Cyre has a story. Everyone has survived a cataclysm and suffered tragic losses. Sometimes this brings people together; other times it drives them apart. Does the character have family in New Cyre? Are they tied to a particular religious sect or secretive cult? If they served in the Last War, do they have any former squadmates in town—and if so, what secrets do they share? If they were part of a criminal organization in Cyre, has that organization survived? Conversely, do they have any enemies from before the Mourning, or have they made enemies since they’ve arrived? These could be tied to old family feuds, conflicting beliefs, conflict over local resources, or more; perhaps members of a rival family blame your NPC for taking medical supplies they feel would have saved their late son.
The table below can help generate an interesting resident of New Cyre on the spur of the moment. Mind you, not every resident of New Cyre has improbable wealth or dangerous debts; these are interesting residents.
Interesting Residents of New Cyre
| d12 | They Were… | But Now Are… | With… |
| 1 | A Powerful Noble | A Beggar | Improbable Wealth |
| 2 | A Devout Priest | An Innkeeper or Bartender | Dangerous Debts |
| 3 | An Influential Courtier | Part of the City Watch | A Sinister Reputation |
| 4 | A Simple Farmer | A Magewright | A Severe Injury |
| 5 | A Beggar | An Entertainer | A Large Family |
| 6 | A War Hero or Criminal | A Priest | A Terrible Secret |
| 7 | A Successful Artist | A Merchant | A Salvaged Treasure |
| 8 | An Undercover Spy | A Criminal | Religious Fervor |
| 9 | A Clever Criminal | A Politician or Civic Official | A Desire to Help Others |
| 10 | A Wealthy Merchant | A Cultist | An Aberrant Dragonmark |
| 11 | A Celebrated Scholar | An Artisan | A Surprising Talent |
| 12 | A Gifted Artisan | A Farmer or Hunter | A Deadly Vendetta |
In other news, I’ve just posted the first episode of my Spelljammer-in-Eberron Siberspace campaign—if you want to see the video or to play in the next session, join my Patreon. Otherwise, I’ll see you in New Cyre!
IFAQ: Dunamancy, Fey Changelings, and Quori Dreams
It’s been a busy month. In addition to all of my usual work, I’ve been putting together a Spelljammer in Eberron campaign I’ll be running for my Threshold Patrons; that’s taken up most of my D&D energy. But I do try to answer questions from my patrons when I have time, and here’s a few that have come up this month.
In your Eberron, how would you introduce and incorporate the Dunamancy school of magic from Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount ?
There’s two approaches I’d consider. The Wildemount sourcebook says “Dunamis is the primal magical energy of potentiality and actuality, an anticipatory arcane force that helps shape the multiverse and might very well be what holds its elements together, like an infinite web of unseen tethers… Those who study to control and tap into this near-invisible power can subtly bend the flow of time and space by controlling the forces of localized gravity, peering into possible timelines to shift fate in their favor…” One possibility this brings to mind is the Draconic Prophecy, which is a power that shapes reality and the path of the future. On the other hand, it doesn’t really map well to the actual effects of Dunamancy. I don’t see why the Prophecy would allow you to specifically manipulate gravity, and while the Prophecy can allow you to anticipate the path of the future, it’s not generally associated with alternate timelines or, for that matter, time travel; it’s the force that establishes the future, not a force you use to travel between possibilities.
So with that in mind, I’d actually say that the source of Dunamancy in my campaign would be Xoriat. As I discuss in Exploring Eberron, Xoriat exists beyond time and is the vantage point from which you could travel through time or visit alternate realities (the other rats in the Maze of Reality). I could easily see a Dunamancer as drawing a duplicate or other aspects from one of these alternate Eberrons… and when it comes to gravity, Xoriat is all about bending natural law; the idea that you use the power of Xoriat to make gravity perform in illogical ways is entirely reasonable. With all this in mind, I could see there being a strong bias against the use of Dunamancy, on the fear that it has the potential to destabilize reality—if you keep reaching across and drawing power or elements from alternate Eberrons, one day you might trigger a cascading effect that shifts that an alternate with the prime material. Keep bending gravity and you might just break it! I wouldn’t make it something where a player character would be persecuted for practicing dunamancy, but I could see it being either forbidden or at least highly restricted in Arcanix; to learn it, you’d have to find a rare mentor or sneak into the restricted stacks in the library.
So, I’d tie Dunamancy to Xoriat. But there’s another point, which is that dunamancy doesn’t have to be dunamancy. Let’s take the Echo Knight archetype for fighter. The default lore is that they are “using dunamis to summon the fading shades of unrealized timelines to aid them in battle.” But the practical effect is that they summon an echo to fight alongside them… and there’s lots of interesting ways to explain that depending on the nature of the character.
- Thuranni Shadowdancer. An Echo Knight with the Dragonmark of Shadow could tie their echo to their mark, literally calling their own shadow into battle. To give it more depth, I’d probably tie this tradition to a particular family—let’s say Thuranni—and say that they use it both for art and assassination; there’s a specialized form of performance that essentially involves dancing with yourself. Any elf with the Mark of Shadows could learn these techniques; it’s just that it’s a Thuranni tradition, and Thuranni is where you’d find the masters of the art.
- Quori Nightmare. Previous editions presented the idea of the Quori Nightmare, a kalashtar tradition that manifested an ectoplasmic shroud resembling the kalashtar’s quori spirit. You could easily represent the same idea with a Kalashtar Echo Knight; it’s just that instead of the echo resembling YOU, it’s a shadowy depiction of your quori spirit. If I went this path, I’d say that there are Inspired who use a similar technique, just to have a fun Echo Knight vs Echo Knight fight at some point in the campaign.
- Revenant Blade. Tairnadal champions seek to channel their heroic ancestors; perhaps a truly gifted Tairnadal can draw an echo of their ancestor to fight alongside them. With the player’s permission, I’d assert that the echo can’t be forced to perform an action that goes against their nature; if the patron was known for their mercy, the echo won’t strike a helpless foe. If the player was willing to accept this limitation, I might balance it by saying that the echo sometimes displays skills the player character doesn’t actually have; it’s not their echo; it’s their inspiration.
These are just a few possibilities. Perhaps the Knights Phantom of Aundair can conjure phantom echoes as well as phantom steeds. Maybe there’s a tradition among the Blood of Vol that allows a champion to manifest their Divinity Within. I wouldn’t personally add all of these concepts into the same campaign, just because it would end up with too many Echo Knights—I’d pick one or two options, focusing on the best story for the player who wants to play an Echo Knight. So you can add Dunamancy to Eberron—but you don’t have to work Dunamancy into a campaign if all you actually want is to play an Echo Knight.
How would the lore of Changelings change, if at all, if I wanted to use the new races from “Monsters of the Multiverse” (mostly about being a fey)?
Rues change, and I’m fine with using the new changeling rules from Monsters of the Multiverse—but in my campaign, I’m not changing anything about changeling history or culture because of it. If this is the path you want to take, one option is to use the new rules and simply to ignore the change that makes them fey. On the other hand, FEY AREN’T ALL FROM THELANIS. In the lore as described, changelings are literally defined by a mythical story—the tale of Jes and her bargain with the Traveler—and it’s entirely plausible to say that as a species they began as NATIVE FEY. I’d say they are super-grounded compared to most fey—that the Fey type is largely a legacy of their origin—but I don’t have a problem with it. On the other hand, I also have no trouble with the idea that changelings’ fluid nature causes magic to interact with them differently that it does for most humanoids—IE, they REACT TO MAGIC the same way as fey creatures, but they aren’t actually true fey. Essentially, the question is if you want changelings to be immune to Charm Person but vulnerable to Magic Circle. If so, use the MotM rules as written, with the idea that they’re distantly native fey or that it’s tied to their chaotic nature; if not, ignore that particular change. I don’t have an issue with the fact that MotM allows them to impersonate small creatures; now they can have fun in Zilargo and on the Talenta Plains.
On the other hand, I’m happy to say that there are ALSO changelings who DO come from Thelanis. These could be mortals of other species who were taken to Thelanis as children and altered by this supernatural sojourn, or they could be members of the supporting cast of Thelanis—spirits who by their nature change form to fit the needs of a story—who have somehow been cast out of Thelanis to find a story of their own. Such changelings would be extremely rare in Eberron—basically, they’re all player characters—and they would have no ties to the native changelings; with this in mind I’d give each one an entirely different natural form, based on their backstory. They aren’t a SPECIES as the native changelings are, they’re exotic individuals.
Quori are described as spirits of nightmares, but hashalaqs are spirits of pleasure and kalaraqs are spirits of pride; aren’t those usually associated with pleasant dreams?
It’s an oversimplification to say that quori are “nightmare spirits.” Quori are evil dream architects. A hashalaq quori isn’t an embodiment of pleasure; it knows how to use and manipulate pleasure. It has no interest in actually giving you a pleasant dream, unless it serves a malefic purpose; in this it’s like a succubus or incubus, a fiend that uses pleasure as its tool. Exploring Eberron describes hashalaq quori as “seducers and deceivers, feeding on doubt and desire.” Likewise with the kalaraq: pride is the tool they use to manipulate mortals. So a hashalaq may very well give you a pleasant dream, if that dream steers you down the path the Dreaming Dark wants you to follow. The kalaraq specialize in pride and ambition, and kalaraq dreams urge dreamers to seize power, to start revolutions, to kill a brother and claim their crown… because gosh darn it, you deserve it. Hashalaq weave dreams to tempt you to fall in love with the wrong person, to choose pleasure over duty, or to doubt yourself. Quori-inspired dreams don’t have to be what WE would consider nightmares; they can create whatever dream best suits their purposes.
What we’ve said about quori is that they excel at evoking particular emotions and that on some level they feed on those emotions. But any quori can create any dream. Quori have the ability to cast the dream spell, and there’s no limits on what they do with this. Tsucora specialize in fear, and I’ve suggested that they may have even more specific talents. Exploring Eberron describes a tsucora who “wove dreams of gothic horror, playing on her victims’ fears of death and the undead.” That’s what she LOVES—but if she wanted to, she COULD create a dream of evil clowns, she just LIKES gothic horror. It’s the same way that an amazing Jazz musician CAN play a piece of classical music straight as written; it’s just not going to take full advantage of their skills and won’t be as remarkable a performance as when they are playing what they love. Quori can create whatever dreams are required by the task at hand; but they’ll always be more effective when they’re doing what they love. If I was actually using the Dream spell mechanics for a particular quori dream, I might give the victim disadvantage on the saving throw if the quori they’re dealing with specializes in the subject of their dream—such as when Lurashtai weaves a dream of gothic horror. While on the other hand, if the quori is making a dream that’s the opposite of what it loves to do—a du’ulora create a dream about miserable apathy—I might give the victim advantage on that saving throw. Of course, keep in mind that most quori dreams don’t involve saving throws; it’s only if they’re trying to trigger a dramatic effect (blocking rest and/or inflicting psychic damage) that saving throws come into play.
That’s all for now! Feel free to discuss these in the comments, but I don’t answer questions on IFAQs; if you want to ask me questions like these ones, check out my Patreon!
Siberspace: Dragonhawk Begins!
In my last article, I described how I’d combine Eberron and Spelljammer… and realized that I want to run that campaign! As a result, I’m putting my current Patreon Eberron campaign on hold, and for the rest of the year I’ll be running a Siberspace space race campaign. We’re currently wrapping up session zero, but I wanted to quickly explain how the campaign works in case you’d like to get on board.
I’ve had a Patreon for some time; this support determines how much time I can put into the articles I post on this blog. A few years I decided to expand this and added the Threshold Tier, giving patrons a chance to take part in an ongoing Eberron campaign. The story is ongoing, and the characters are consistent… but the players change each session. In the week before the session I hold a poll to choose the game time, since I have patrons in different time zones. The rules of Patreon won’t let me choose players at random, so once a time is set, I pose a creative challenge. For example, in this first Siberspace session I might say “Tell me which character you want to play, and tell me what they hate to leave behind as they head into space.” Does the Captain have an ailing sibling? A new love? A dog with separation issues? I look at the answers and pick my five favorites, and those five people play in the session… and their stories become hooks I can use in the adventure. I don’t stream the sessions live, but I record them and patrons have access to audio and video recordings of all sessions.
While only a few people get to play in each session, the story belongs to everyone. I used Patreon polls to create the characters and to establish key directions for the story. I have a Threshold Discord channel where people can discuss the campaign—and I occasionally do choose-your-own-adventure style story hours on Discord, where patrons can vote on things that happen between sessions. That’s going to be especially important in this Siberspace campaign, where months may pass between each session—and negotiations or decisions made by the leaders of the Dragonhawk Initiative could have a vital impact on the next mission. I’ll also be creating new content for the campaign—interstellar hazards, random encounters, navigational challenges—that I’ll be sharing with patrons.
So every patron gets to be part of the story, whether or not they play in it. This is especially true right now, as we’re building the foundation of the campaign. Over the course of the week, I’ve been running polls on Patreon and discussions on Discord. The patrons have chosen the Dragonhawk Initiative—Aundair’s feytouched explorers—as the focus of the campaign, and we’ve been working through the characters. I’ve pitched a variety of interesting concepts, but even I have been surprised by some of the outcomes; I never expected Dragonhawk’s captain to be an Aundairian noble cursed into the shape of a grung, but the patrons have spoken and we have our frog prince. Currently the final character poll is active on Patreon, determining the nature of the ship’s medic and chief scout; it runs until the morning of Saturday, August 20th, so if you want to help shape the Dragonhawk crew, now’s the time!
The first Siberspace session will happen in the next two weeks, and I expect it to run through the end of the year. If you’d like to join the journey, check out the Threshold tier on Patreon! To the Moons, and beyond!