Getting Started with the World of Eberron

Welcome to /c/eberron! This is a place to discuss the Eberron Campaign Setting, a fantasy world designed for telling great stories, particularly those of a noir or pulp variety. This is a world where evil cannot be destroyed, only held at bay—and it is straining against its bonds. This is a world in need of heroes.

Core Elements and Principles

1. Wide Magic. In a world where arcane magic behaves according to scientific laws and is suffused into the fabric of reality, civilization has advanced by mastering that magic. Trains in Eberron are powered not by coal, but by bound elemental creatures. Outlaws and bounty hunters in Eberron sling wands, not guns. Chefs use prestidigitation to heat and season meals. Low-level utility magic is widespread in major cities, providing necessities and conveniences seldom seen in traditional fantasy. Many magical technologies are made possible through the use of dragonshards, rare crystals imbued with arcane power.
2. The Last War Has Ended—Sort Of. A century of war has shattered the kingdom of Galifar. Four years ago, a massive magical cataclysm known as the Mourning completely wiped out the province of Cyre, transforming it into a fog-shrouded wasteland—and no one knows what caused it. The fear of a second Mourning led the warring factions to come together two years ago and sign the Treaty of Thronehold, ending the Last War and establishing twelve recognized nations. However, tensions remain high, and the new nations struggle for influence in the war's wake, preparing for the possibility of renewed conflict. Meanwhile, veterans of the Last War, including the sapient constructs known as warforged, struggle to find their place in the world.
3. Dragonmarked Dynasties. Industry and commerce in the post-Galifar nations are dominated by twelve families: the dragonmarked houses. These dynasties manifest hereditary mystical symbols on their skin called dragonmarks, which grant magical abilities such as control over the weather, or communication over long distances. Over thousands of years, these families have leveraged their abilities to solidify their influence, which transcends political boundaries.
4. The Draconic Prophecy. Across the world, patterns can be found in the movement of moons and the fissures of earthquakes and the actions of individuals. These patterns form a map of possible futures—a map that can shape history. This vast and complex network is more than just one prophecy; it is the source code of past, present, and future, a set of conditionals which define outcomes and the steps that must occur to manifest these outcomes. Dragons and demons study and manipulate the Draconic Prophecy, scheming over centuries to control the world. Player characters themselves may have a prophetic role to play, which could draw them into these schemes.
5. A World of Adventure. From noir detective stories in a city with mile-high skyscrapers and flying taxis, to swashbuckling action in jungles crawling with fiend-corrupted lizardfolk, Eberron is a setting built for thrilling adventures. Quests may draw heroes to far-flung corners of the world—from the ruins of an ancient goblin empire, to a major city seething with dissent on the verge of revolution, to a demon-haunted maze of canyons patrolled by orcs with a sacred duty, to the court of the archfey Queen of Winter, to another plane of existence where they must entreat the fiendish manifestation of Love Lost in Flame.
6. If it exists in D&D, then it has a place in Eberron. ...just not where you might expect. Eberron uses the elements of Dungeons and Dragons and transforms or recombines them in surprising ways. Nomadic halflings ride dinosaurs in the Talenta Plains, elves worship their undead ancestors in the cities of Aerenal, and clans of dwarves in the Mror Holds attach symbiotic aberrations to their bodies. Note that you don't need to play D&D in order to engage with the world of Eberron; many folks play Pathfinder, Savage Worlds, or countless other roleplaying games in Eberron.
7. Fill-in-the-Blank Mysteries. As mentioned above, the Last War ended because no one knows what or who caused the Mourning. So what actually was responsible for this disaster? Eberron books provide many possible answers, but they will never give you an explicit explanation; it's a question you must answer at your table. Another example: do the gods really exist, or are they just gestalt manifestations of the beliefs of mortals? What really happens after we die? These questions may have concrete answers in other campaign settings, but are left open-ended here. Eberron is full of mysteries, factions, and forces with many possible links to each other, and game masters and players can connect these together in any way that furthers the stories they want to tell. Make Eberron your own!

Where Should I Begin?

There is a ton of Eberron content out there, going back to the original Eberron Campaign Setting in 2004. Figuring out where to start can be intimidating!

If you're looking to dive in and start reading, I think the best place to begin would be the D&D 5E campaign setting book: Rising from the Last War. This book provides a broad overview of the setting, and will give you enough information to start a campaign in Eberron. Core setting books from past editions will serve you just as well, since the setting has not dramatically changed since it was first introduced; see the 4E Eberron Campaign Guide, and the 3E Eberron Campaign Setting. Each of these core setting books has some information not found in the others. Another great place to start, and something of a setting book all on its own, is Sharn: City of Towers.

While not technically canon, the recent writings of Keith Baker (the original creator of the setting) are excellent and do a great job of fleshing out the world and providing hooks for players and game masters to tell new and exciting stories. Exploring Eberron and Chronicles of Eberron are both fantastic supplements. You should also check out Keith Baker's Blog. Writings by Keith Baker that aren't WOTC-official are known as "kanon."

For a concise overview of Eberron, and instructions on where to seek out for more information on a wide variety of topics, check out the fan-made Eberronicon.

If you prefer to engage with new content in audio form, you should listen to the Manifest Zone Podcast, hosted by Keith Baker himself and mega-fans of the setting.

You can also check out the Eberron Wiki, but I'd take what you read there with a grain of salt; there are errors aplenty, as well as content taken from dubious sources such as the 3E Monster Manuals. I also maintain the Eberron Tiddlywiki, a resource which includes an interactive map and many other tools along with tons of lore info... but again, take it with a grain of salt, since I use that document for my own personal Eberron games and have taken liberties with certain things (like names, populations, timelines).

As for communities: the Discord is probably the best place to chat with other Eberron fans, and Keith Baker himself often lurks there and answers questions. There's also the subreddit, but many people are seeking alternatives to Reddit at the moment due to unfortunate decisions made by the CEO and top leadership. Hopefully, this community on the Lemmy Fediverse will grow to become a great place to discuss the world of Eberron! Let's foster a friendly, welcoming environment where we can share stories, resources, and harebrained conspiracy theories about whether or not King Kaius III really is a vampire.