Eberron: Rising from the Last War (Dungeons Dragons, 5th Edition) by Wizards of the Coast

Eberron: Rising from the Last War (Dungeons Dragons, 5th Edition) Reviews

• 
  Douglas Berry

  Oh, what a relief to have a supported D&D setting that isn't some pseudo-medieval milieu with magic added haphazardly. Eberron is a dynamic, exciting place, just starting to recover from the century-long Last War and the horror of the Mourning, which destroyed the kingdom of Cyre and left it shrouded in impenetrable mists.
  
  This is a fully-formed world, with deep mythology and history and where the scars of war are fresh. No one really won the Last War, so tensions remain high. New nations run by monsters threaten the old order, and the Dragonmarked houses work to expand their influence at the expense of all others. This is a world of change and intrigue where the characters can end up as the clients of a powerful patron or just follow the path of discovery and adventure. You could spend an entire campaign inside Sharn, the legendary City of Towers if you like. Or take an airship on a perilous quest to the southern continent of Xen’drik - a cursed, warped land home to the shattered remains of the Giants' empire.
  
  Magic is addressed logically and exploited in the same way we exploited the steam engine and electricity. Lightning trains race along magical pathways (and you know I'm going to contrive a desperate fight on top of a train at some point) while airships use bound elementals to sail the skies. Magical cannon and rods exist for warfare, giving a good gunpowder age feeling. Some farmers may own plows that drive themselves or other useful magical implements.
  
  In short, if you're looking for a very different D&D setting, one with a more pulp feel with elements of noir mysteries, Eberron is the perfect fit.
• 
  Ivan

  Eberon je sada već skoro dve decenije mator proizvod, inače plod velikog konkursa koji su Wizards of the Coast raspisali 2002. kako bi dobili novi originalan CS za tada važeću 3.5 ediciju D&D-a.
  
  Eberon je tada bio pomalo kontroverzan. Tadašnja publika je izmešano reagovala na magitech/psionics orijentisani Eberon, ali tokom godina ovaj CS je stekao brojne poklonike. Premda nikada nisam ni vodio ni igrao u njemu, pratio sam njegov razvoj kroz 3.5 splatbukove i u načelu mi se vrlo dopadalo to što sam čitao.
  
  Potpuno novi svet, nesputan važećom D&D kosmologijom ili stereotipima bio je korak od sedam milja za D&D kao igru ali i za zvaničnu ponudu WotC-a.
  
  Fast forward dve decenije i niz imbecilnih poslovnih odluka velike korporacije i stiže nam Eberron: Rising from the Last War za D&D 5e. Ovaj proizvod je - da odmah razjasnimo - veličanstven, ali upravo u svojoj veličanstvenosti pokazuje maćehinski odnos WotC prema D&D. Za početak, ovo je prvi pravi campaign setting za sve godine postojanja 5e, što je skaredno. Sledeća ogromna zamerka je što je ogromna većina ilustracija u ovoj knjizi reciklirana bilo iz starih RPG proizvoda bilo korišćenjem ilustracija za romane smeštene u Eberon (kojih ima poprilično).
  
  Glavni razlog zašto ovo ne upada u oči baš toliko zapravo je ogromna količina teksta smeštenog u ovih 320 stranica. Bejker (autor sveta) je dao sve od sebe da sažme što više materijala objavljenog u 3.x eri i da igračima i masterima ponudi proizvod koji je u najvećoj mogućoj meri samodovoljan za godine igranja u ovom setingu -valjda svestan činjenica da nema ništa od širenja setinga novim priručnicima.
  
  Eberon u 5. ediciji je isti kakav se pojavio izvorno, odnosno sva dešavanja u setingu tokom 3.x i 4e su rolbekovana i seting ponovo kreće od nulte tačke, odnosno kraja Poslednjeg rata. Razlika u odnosu na izvorni seting je u tome što ovaj tom sadrži i informacije o drugim delovima sveta, odnosno svih sedam kontinenata - ne samo glavnom, Korvaru (vrlo slobodna transliteracija).
  
  Prvo poglavlje je ujedno i najduže u knjizi i na skoro 100 stranica izlaže pravila neophodna za kreiranje likova u ovom setingu. Rečena pravila uključuju informacije o rasama novim i starim, jednu novu klasu kao i sve što igrači treba da znaju o zmajskim belezima (dragonmarks), koji su ključan element setinga.
  
  Drugo poglavlje se bavi glavnim kontinentom setinga, gde će se i odigravati najviše pustolovina i nažalost je najslabije napisano. Tačnije, pisanje je na odličnom nivou, ali su zbog prostora nacije Korvara opisane vrlo šturo, a čak su izbačene i ilustracije njihovih grbova, što mi je potpuno nejasna odluka - jedino ako nisu imali fajlove iz 3.5e.
  
  Treće poglavlje je posvećeno Šarnu, eberonskom ekvivalentu Njujorka, četvrto kreiranju avantura i kampanja u Eberonu, odnosno raznim frakcijama i interesnim grupama koje čine (geo)politički milje sveta, peto poglavlje dotiče magične predmete tipične za Eberon, a šesto i poslednje je u suštini monster's manual.
  
  Knjizi nema šta da se zameri sa strane teksta: fluff je opsežan, ali jezgrovit, tako da daje more bang for the buck od većine sličnih RPG proizvoda, a svakako od celokupne postojeće ponude WotC za 5e. Igrači na raspolaganju imaju obilje mehaničkih opcija, a sama postavka setinga je takva da naglavačke okreće silesiju fantazijskih tropa (pa tako imamo anded elfove, fantazi robote itd.) i masterima otvara pregršt pravaca za istraživanje nekih koncepata kampanja koje jednostavno ne mogu da piju vodu u recimo Forgotten Realms.
  
  Ovo je svakako jedan od najboljih RPG proizvoda objavljenih prošle godine, ako ne i najbolji.
  
  5* i Nightflier's Seal of Approval.
  
• 
  Andrew Nguyen

  This is a great campaign setting and a great introduction to Eberron, but this source book really left me wanting more.
  
  Eberron is a probably my favorite DnD setting. Everything that is introduced in a canonical DnD setting is totally remixed in Eberron. It’s just way too much stuff for me to even try to mention, but almost all of it is done in a positive, progressive way. I would say the two distinctive features of Eberron are The Last War and the widespread use of low magic, almost to the point where it is studied scientifically.
  
  The Last War was a 100 year war that broke up the Kingdom of Galifar into five kingdoms. Eberron is set two years after the Treaty of Thronehold ended the Last War. Eberron is currently in this post-WWI state where the war has ended, but international tensions are insanely high. The really cool thing about Eberron is that even though this setting has existed since 2004, every source book is set two years after the end of The Last War. I don’t want to get into the details, but this central point of conflict drives everything in really interesting ways.
  
  The development of widespread magic also heavily influences the Eberron setting. Eberron is far more about ships and trains powered by crystals than it is about getting around everywhere on horseback. This sounds like it’s dipping into steampunk, but the setting is more about noir and pulp than cool steamy guns and gadgets.
  
  I love all the cool, rich ideas in Eberron: Rising from the Last War. This book is overflowing with plot hooks and the sniff of a fantastic adventure. My gripe with this book is that in order to run an Eberron campaign, you pretty much need another supplement to this book. I just wish that this book would serve as a compendium for all things Eberron. Whenever I research Eberron, I have to look through four different books, two blogs and a podcast. That last sentence was not a joke.
  
  Maybe it’s not fair because this book wasn’t meant to be an Eberron encyclopedia. Dear Wizards of the Coast, could you please make one?
• 
  Jasmine

  Excellent, rich setting with fascinating magical technology, great amounts of lore, and lots of fun player options. I really want a full-length adventure in this setting!
• 
  Scott Robinson

  A great setting book for D&D 5e. I've always been interested in running a campaign set in Eberron, ever since I picked up a used copy of the original setting book a loooong time ago. It feels quite different from traditional fantasy setting, and allows the genre to stretch in different ways.
  
  For those who don't know, Eberron is basically the answer to the question "what if the Industrial Revolution happened, but with magic?" It hangs on to many big D&D staples, such as the core fantasy races and class archetypes, but expands the scope and usefulness of magic items. There are trains and airships powered by magic, and there are strong themes of industrialization and corporate control because many of the magical services are dominated by families born with magical abilities to make these things work. The world is also in a post-war haze, after a continent spanning conflict, the Last War, that had been ongoing for a century. This allows interested groups to explore how societies take care of their veterans, how civilians have been impacted by the war, and how private interests can take advantage of and benefit from international conflict.
  
  I think this book does an amazing job of giving an overview of the continent of Khorvaire, with a lot of time given to helping players and games masters come up with story ideas that they want to draw on for their games.
  
  I am also a fan of the new rules provided in this book, particularly the new race and class options. Warforged, the large sentient constructs built for the Last War, are the most iconic of these options, allowing players to be a big magical robot who is searching for purpose and life after their reason for being made has ended. All warforged are veterans and former slaves, having been considered property until quite recently. Changelings are a fantastic and really fun option that I cannot wait to play around with. They can take any humanoid form, which opens the door to some fun opportunities for characters to shift identities with relative ease. I particularly enjoy the fact that writers chose to recognize how this innate ability would influence how changelings view gender, which is essentially meaningless to them. They are inherently non-binary and can choose to present however masculine, feminine, or androgynous as they want. It is a welcome inclusion, as I am always in favour of giving D&D players more options to be who they want to be and explore their own identity or an identity they do not inhabit day-to-day.
  
  This book has made me so excited to play more D&D, which seems like the best praise I can give it. It has inspired me to start writing my own campaign, and I know that I am going to be going back and pouring over these pages time and again as I work on my own writing and find more threads I want to follow in this world and ideas I want to expand upon.
• 
  Matthew Gilliland

  This is the first Game Supplement I have read cover to cover, in order. I learned a lot about Eberron and it has caused me to be excited about running a D&D Campaign. That is something I have never been.
  
  Eberron is a world with tons of Low Level Magic. They have magical trains, air ships, restaurants, healers, etc... most people in their world are Magic Initiates or Mage Writes.
  
  It is kind of like Steam Punk with Magic. Arcanopunk or something like that. (Without the Rebellion)
  
  Pros:
  Character Options are awesome!
  Playing Monster Races is encouraged.
  Each country write up is short and to the point.
  The Gods either don't exist or are unable to actively manifest.
  Sharn is well developed, with places and things to do all over.
  The GM section has so many ideas and plot hooks that my Campaign was created and refined just by reading it. I didn't have to put in much work.
  
  Cons:
  No Index!!!
  Sharn is the only city described.
  I don't understand Manifest Zones or where most of them are.
  Many of the houses don't have unique magitech or it doesn't tell you how it functions. Such as house Orien has Magebreed animals, but no explanation of what they are or how to modify existing animals.
  
  I don't recommend reading it in order. You should cross reference words and ideas as they come up. Such as the Religions, Delkyr and Regions.
  
  Overall:
  Great Book, that I am excited to Focus on in our next campaign!
• 
  Itamar

  This is one of the best D&D books I've read, and the best D&D world sourcebook.
  It not only details a lot of what makes Eberron an interesting world to play in, both in terms of new rules and places, it's also chock-full of adventure ideas, potential conflict points (geographical and motive-based) and enough cool locations and intriguing organizations to support a plethora of campaigns.
  
  It also takes care to stress the to main modes of play in an Eberron campaign - Noir intrigue and Pulp action.
  
  
• 
  Markus

  As the Forgotten Realms is pretty much my comfort zone, I was unfamiliar with Eberron before browsing through this one. Must say I'm questioning my DM choices.
• 
  Daniel A.

  I fell in love with Eberron as a setting for Dungeons & Dragons ever since I discovered it in 4th edition D&D; I eventually picked up the
  3rd edition Eberron Campaign Setting and quickly determined that Eberron was "native" to 3rd edition, such that it works (or worked; see below) most ideally in that edition. However, just as 5th edition D&D—as I've said elsewhere—is, in my estimation, the apotheosis of everything that has come before in the grandpappy of all fantasy RPGs,
  Eberron: Rising from the Last War, Wizards of the Coast's adaptation of Eberron for 5th edition, is arguably the best distillation of the setting that Wizards of the Coast has published.
  
  For the uninitiated, Eberron is a high-technology, noirish setting for D&D, in which political intrigue, corruption, and a continent-wide cold war pervade the setting, and in which low-level magic provides almost endless examples of substitute for technology, including airships, railways, and the like, almost, if not virtually, akin to steampunk. The "core" D&D setting in 5th edition is Forgotten Realms, which
  Ed Greenwood fleshed out almost perfectly, but Eberron provides enough framework to make personal, homebrewed worldbuilding relatively easy, but with enough spaces between the set pieces to allow the DM and PCs to breathe; Rising from the Last War does this more than capably, with all the finesse of 5th edition D&D in general. Rising from the Last War isn't perfect, but it more than does the trick for any upcoming campaign I run for the foreseeable future.
• 
  Keith Davis

  Eberron is one of the most interesting of the D&D campaign settings. Most fantasy worlds are stalled in a permanent Middle Ages. Eberron is a world that has had a magical industrial revolution. There are magic powered trains and airships. There are big cities with universities, newspapers, hotels and restaurants. The tone is post-WWI Europe meets steampunk, which is a bit unique as steampunk tends to be a bit more Victorian.
  
  As a campaign setting Eberron is very rich in mysteries and potential threats. The authors are going for a Noir feel with lots of criminal organizations and political conspiracies, but retaining the traditional D&D elements such as mad cults and demonic incursions from other dimensions. There is even a slightly woke touch to Eberron in that Orcs and Goblins are not automatically assumed to be evil and Elves and Halflings are not assumed to be good. Overall, a useful supplement if you are looking to launch a new campaign in a fairly unique setting.
• 
  b

  Best sourcebook addition in 5e that I’ve read. Weird omissions (no airship statblock, for example), but otherwise, very rich content on the whole! New races, new class, and a ton of great sandbox lore. Still revisiting different sections and drawing inspiration from them. Definitely worth picking up, especially if you get the gorgeous variant cover!
• 
  B. Barron

  Some really good ideas - not sure if they are executed as well as they could be (Looking at you, Artificer!).
• 
  Pádraic

  A good setting, but not a good setting book. There's lots going on in Eberron that is extremely cool, or else appeals to my personal tastes, which is basically the same thing. Magical tech, resulting in airships and lightning trains and warforged and essentially telephones. A sense that race doesn't determine your morality. Additional magical powers, cities more vertical than horizontal, and halfings riding dinosaurs.
  
  All of which is great, but not a lot of it is useful. An encyclopaedic account of a world, no matter how interesting, does not help me as a DM create adventures. The section here on faction ideas mostly contains factions that aren't even unique to the setting. Oh, an adventuring guild, how thrillingly original (although admittedly working for a newspaper could be good fun). I don't want lists of countries and their histories and interconnected relationships with each other; that's just more stuff for me to keep track of. What I want is plot hooks, and NPCs, and locations. There is some of that here, but the percentage of useful to non-useful isn't in the book's favour, especially when compared to the last setting book I read, Ravnica, which although way less specific, provided way more tools.
  
  But also the 1st level adventure contained here, Forgotten Relics, has a train setpiece finale, which is a sure-fire way to get me, um, on board, so.
• 
  Dylan

  Eberron: Rising from the Last War is an exceptional addition to the worlds of Dungeons and Dragons as it reskins classic high fantasy with a steampunk/industrial landscape filled with deep lore, history, and gives DMs a high level of pre-built tension in a world trying to salvage itself after war divided the various factions. The magic is rooted more in logic and explained through the means of industrialization who prefer to ground their casters in something tangible. However, this setting will not interest everyone, particularly with the addition of guns and other more modern weaponry, especially prevalent in the new Artificer class. Regardless, it is a good read for those wanting to see how worlds can be created and expanded outside of the regular Dungeons & Dragons mythos.
  
  TL;DR: Great expansion to Dungeons & Dragons lore that creates a pseudo-steampunk world for DMs to base their campaigns within.
• 
  Daniel Macgregor

  Great addition to the D&D world. As someone who one day wants to run a D&D session, to have such a huge and rich world such as Eberron to jump into is amazing. It is such a giant world that it does not feel boring or generic, it creates a template that a DM can use to make an amazing campaign for their players with many moving parts.
• 
  a Matos le gusta leer

  Eberron es uno de los mejores settings de Dungeons&Dragons
  Desde el comienzo ha traído cosas nuevas: razas, tecnología, magia, imaginarios raciales renovados, la reflexión sobre las postguerra, en fin, nuevas posibilidades en una versión del juego que ya de por sí era intersante
• 
  Emmy Neal

  a lot more dynamic than the Forgotten Realms, there's also a lot more to remember. Still, I think players who are tired of medieval will devour this world. I look forward to running a campaign here even though it might actually kill me.
• 
  Kurt Vosper

  As a D&D player I had heard of the Eberron setting but never got into detail about it. This book provides all the info you will need to run an excellent campaign in a unique setting. Lots of settings and a lot of available enemies and storylines possible here.
• 
  Eric

  Good source book. but nothing that breaks the mold.
• 
  Nic Morgan

  Next to Ravenloft, Eberron is my favorite campaign setting for Dungeons and Dragons.
• 
  Brad Fonseca

  I love this setting. There's plenty of material here you can drop into any game, no matter what system you use.
• 
  Jaq

  I love this concept - great idea, well thought out....
• 
  Diego

  By far one of the BEST D&D 5E supplements around.