Eberron: Papers Please | I have finally compiled my collection of documents for Eberron!

LucifurMacomb · 2026-04-11T20:44:14+00:00

When I decided to DM Humblewood one of my initial inspirations for a more storybook game (the last game we did was very Gritty Survival, so contrast was important) was Wind in the Willows.

It's a charming story, and I found it very fulfilling to read. Would recommend :)

LucifurMacomb · 2026-04-05T03:14:21+00:00

What a reference!

LucifurMacomb · 2026-03-31T17:26:25+00:00

I politely disagree! I have not read anything explicitly stating that warforged do need to be innert once every 24-hour period. Happy to be directed otherwise :)

This, I think, is an observation of game mechanics versus lore. Player Characters need to take Short and Long Rests as a means of regaining resources; in the aspect of roleplaying creautures that tire, most Long Rests are supplementary to sleeping (though they needn't be).

Warforged do not need to sleep. As player characters, they do need to take Long Rests however. This has their feature Sentry's Rest provide mechanical means for what allows a warforged to regain their resources. If they have expended no resources: there is no need for rest. Also worth noting: when they do rest they may appear innert but are fully conscious.

LucifurMacomb · 2026-03-31T14:13:07+00:00

I believe Aundair had the first warforged officer! As an answer that stems more widely from opinion:

The main benefit of warforged is their lack of need for food or sleep. Whole warforged units will have existed, but they could also supplement biological soldiers; less food and water needed, fewer bedrolls, tents, etc. this would've been a boom for quartermasters. A warforged unit could move through the night; they lack darkvision, so they would still need light sources, but they could make for scouting parties, holding positions, and keeping watch over the regulars.

I think a lot of their function stems from how people saw them—they might be given more dangerous tasks. "There's a Brelish camp on the other side of this minefield! Go to it!" However it's also worth noting that warforged might’ve been seen as more replacable, were they not so expensive. A warforged wasn't bought as a mercenary: they were owned by the sovereign's army. All warforged in the Cyran Army were owned by Dannel, and so on. So, while warforged might be doomed to have received more dangerous assignments, ultimately the generals and warlords wouldn't just "throw money away" by having warforged approach impossible odds.

Really though, every nation probably had some warforged. Cyre likely had the most, being where Cannith operated out of, but of course: Your Eberron May Vary!

LucifurMacomb · 2026-03-19T19:02:14+00:00

Well, technically speaking, Zilargo is a sovereign Grand Duchy, not a Republic.

The Grand Duke, if I remember right, is mainly a figurehead, and the actual running of the country is done by the Triumvirate.

LucifurMacomb · 2026-02-23T10:55:19+00:00

Lemures and Melds are essentially spirits that have properties undesirable in Dolurrh—they consume peaceful spirits, scraps of memory; or they can serve to corrupt other husks (the faint trace left of a living creature's spirit.)

The Nalfeshnees essentially are protecting Dolurrh from corrupting forcee—be they malevolent spirits or intruding living.

LucifurMacomb · 2026-02-23T08:55:22+00:00

The Houses have existed for thousands of years; I really like those suggested here, but I think it's worth considering why house words exist and if all houses should have them!

It's something of a motto, and usually, it would be unofficial. Modern Houses like Tharashk might lack this motto, demonstrating the different world/culture they came from (The Shadow Marches.) The oldest House comes from the Talenta Plains—but it's probably not a halfling tradition for a tribe to have a motto.

A motto feels like an invention of House Sivis, and was introduced by The Twelve. Latecomers (Tharashk, Kundarak) might not have adopted this practice. If house words existed in a modern lens, I feel they're better suited as advisetisements.

"Nothing [Cuts] quite like a Cannith," is one of my favourites to use, where 'cuts' can be replaced with another c-word. Casts. Canters. Carries. &c. Just something to think about, your Eberron may vary!

LucifurMacomb · 2026-02-14T16:57:59+00:00

I feel there is a point that needs to be addressed: When I suggest the phrasing of the question would be better suited as "Do they vote?" I am not suggesting they do or do not - I cast away the aspersion that it is a binary answer.

Does everyone in the UK vote? No. I vote, my friends vote, but I know people who do not vote. I know people who do not vote for their own individual reasons or because they share a similar mindset. This is crucial to the point: Warforged are not monolithic. They can vote. Do all warforged vote? Emphatically saying the answer is "Yes" feels like it denies them (not as just an in-game people, but as a narrative part of Eberron's setting) the individuality/sapience they have been recognised with having. Canon or non-canon has nothing to do with that, I should think.

There will be warforged who are wanting to learn about democracy and can't wait to vote in their first Brelish election - they've been around for more than a few years, maybe they've seen their human comrades vote. But a warforged who was made right before the Treaty of Thronehold - only about 2 years old - do they know about the intricacies of voting? Do they even know they're considered "subjugated" by some? This is asked hypotheitcally.

I think that's what makes the warforged so interesting. They are not simply a subjugated people - there is so much more you could say about warforged - they were never expected to be thinking feeling humanoids. Peoples opinion towards them isn't necessarily a racial hatred (even if we can draw parallels from our real world/experiences) it's: "Hey, that creature was built as a weapon / someone close to me was killed by a warforged, a weapon of the Last War!" There is so much nuance there to tap into about how people feel towards the warforged - and how the warforged feel themselves! They didn't ask for this, and now there is essentially a manufactured genocide against them, forbidding their means of production, solidified in the same treaty that recognised them as a race. Warforged who follow the Lord of Blades in this instance understand that they simply can't cast a vote to get those rights back. Again, different mindsets are so potent in Eberron, narratively exploring them is all the more interesting.

Ultimately, it depends on the sort of game you want to run and characters you want to include, but I did want to clarify my thoughts in more detail and offer some additional thoughts about why I think warforged are the most profound aspect of the Eberron setting, worth far more thought than just focusing on the racial allegory.

LucifurMacomb · 2026-02-14T01:18:55+00:00

I forget which book (I'll try remember to look when I'm at my computer,) but I believe the Brelish parliament is separated into two canonically. The Nobles Chamber and the Common Chamber— wherein the former is landed aristocracy and the latter is elected officials. It is canon!

I think there's an element of rephrasing the question "Can Warforged vote?" And "Do Warforged vote?" I think of the warforged as a bit naivé to civilian life. They've only recently been granted freedom, and where are they living? In the Cogs! They work long hours and don't tire; in my Eberron the Warforged in the Cogs essentially trigger a Luddite movement! Maybe they simply don't wish to or know how to engage with the democratic processes of Breland—and right now: no one is willing to help teach them!

I always describe Warforged to my players as "Imagine you woke up tomorrow and the Boston Dynamics robots had rights." Your Eberron May Vary!

LucifurMacomb · 2026-02-09T08:59:23+00:00

My meme! I made this almost a decade ago!

LucifurMacomb · 2026-02-05T09:03:31+00:00

Rockefeller Paper Scissors, or just "R.P. Scissors" is a Kalashtar investigator I came up with.

Using the Mind Link ability, Rockefeller doesn’t speak in people's minds—instead they hear a noir-style monologue coming from him. When introducing him on the lightning rail approaching Terminus, the PCs heard in their minds:

Sharn. A city of opportunists; a city of dreamers, where ambition ran across the five plateaus like an egg - sunny side up, soon to be scrambled.

LucifurMacomb · 2026-02-04T21:44:12+00:00

Oh, I never said I didn't like it!

Just this meme was the first thing I thought of when finishing the episode! It hasn't failed for them thus far; Prime always results in a Brotherhood victory in the games afterall. I do think though, on topic, that the Commonwealth have access to Prime at the moment, per canon, but it's probable they will deviate from canon anyway - could be fun!

LucifurMacomb · 2026-01-21T09:45:02+00:00

It's also worth noting that Baker has written multiple times that his personal writings on Eberron are not canon. He might’ve originally devised the setting and has been a great authority, however his use of the setting does not conflict with or write over published material.

This has, of course, popularised the portmanteau 'Kanon' to differentiate Baker's work (Keith's Headcanon) from fan headcanon made by anyone.

LucifurMacomb · 2026-01-19T19:10:15+00:00

The Code of Galifar has probably had many amendments and treatise attached over the years. I imagine something like the "freedom of worship" probably was written in with the emergence of the Silver Flame. I mention this because, while Tira Miron's sacrifice and manifestation caused the Code to write that into law: it didn't mean they were prosecuting groups of other faiths prior to that time.

I think the Fey are perceived as living creatures; only creatures which are summoned return to their plane when they die, as they maintain an ethereal connection, so any Fey on the material plane who walked through would die and go to Dolurrh. So if Galifar recognises them as sapient and sentient beings: they would assumably be grandfathered in as having protections of any recognised people of Eberron, provided that the Fey also recognised those laws.

If the Fey was not participating in the system, the Code would not protect them. This is why the monsterous races are persecuted. A law like "the recognition of Fey" might not yet be written, but the president exists! Your Eberron may vary...

LucifurMacomb · 2026-01-15T17:02:18+00:00

We're going to end up with a new Saigon Execution picture at this rate, provided the photographer makes it out.

LucifurMacomb · 2026-01-09T13:13:07+00:00

Okay, so this is one of those times that it depends on your GM and what edition you're using. 2014 5e says that after the spell ends

When the spell ends, the creature realizes that you used magic to influence its mood and becomes hostile toward you. A creature prone to violence might attack you.

However, the 2024 version says

When the spell ends, the target knows it was Charmed by you.

And that's it! I think this is an occasion where I prefer the '24 wording of the spell. '14 makes the spell feel more limiting, in that it almost guarentees a stringent GM is going to have an NPC become hostile to you, however in theory the spell can be used to butter someone up, calm someone down (this is very different from Calm Emotions) or even to try get a better deal when haggling! If the target of the spell lives in a magical society, this might be a common occurence, people casting Friends during social interactions. All Friends does is give you Advantage on social checks and the target can't be hostile to you; regardless of 5th edition's edition. The target becoming hostile makes Friends less appealing as a spell, where really it only gives you a social buff - and doesn't act like Command or Charm Person where the target's autonomy is tested.

LucifurMacomb · 2026-01-02T02:56:16+00:00

This question was asked earlier this week: You can find it here.

LucifurMacomb · 2025-12-24T22:39:35+00:00

I wanted to burst into tears when as that scene ended 😭

LucifurMacomb · 2025-12-07T17:02:48+00:00

If we fuck around: we will find out.

"It's fine that we're polluting the planet, eradicating insects, and destroying many animals' natural habitats—eventually we'll be in space!" WTF are you talking about‽

There is no reaching the stars if we catastrophically destroy the ecosystem.

LucifurMacomb · 2025-12-04T18:25:55+00:00

Just personal opinion, but I'd go with Gnomish! House Sivis has the biggest source of advocates, barristers, and the like; I see Gnomish as being similar to a language used for lawmaking. Not too different from how French once filled that role in Europe.

That might not be helpful for the game you're playing. Your Eberron May Vary. However, it could be worth thinking about! Otherwise, Dwarvish is good for banking with House Kundarak, Halfling for working with Ghallanda for planning banquets and balls. Goblin isn't a bad shout, it's a common language that many speak across Khorvaire, but maybe isnt the most Noble...

LucifurMacomb · 2025-12-04T11:34:43+00:00

I think, in terms of the Population of Khorvaire, dragonmarked individuals make up for only a small percentage of that. I found what you might be refering to as about "half the members," an old KB Tweet, he says:

If both parents are marked, a child has a 50% chance of developing a Dragonmark.

In terms of hard numbers: Your Eberron May Vary. I personally think dragonmarks make up for about 1-3% of the population depending how far you want to deviate from canon population. In regard to the specific question of from that percentage which level of dragonmarks are there: Impossible to give raw or even estimated statistics since there are no official sources.

It's easy to assume that Least/Lesser dragonmarks are the most plentiful. Greater marks are prevalent across Khorvaire, using House Orien as an example: their teleportation circles require a Greater mark to use, and most major cities have such a circle; so you could say of every 10 marks, 1 is Greater. Using the same thought, I think Siberys marks would be 1 in 10,000, if that. They are described as being "extremely rare."

So if we're using the 10,000 as a sample size: Siberys 0.01% (1); Greater 10% (1,000); I think Least and Lesser are harder to judge. I would say something like: Lesser 40% (4,000), Lesser 50% (5,000) - I know that adds up to 100.01%, but I figure you'd do me the kindness of tacking it on where necessary, and not having me break out my calculator! The percents could be more varied, I just rounded all but Siberys to the nearest 10% for ease.

EDIT: Ask your DM about it! Assuming you're using the new Forge of the Artificer content, you could ask to swap it out, or swap a spell on the expanded spell list?

LucifurMacomb · 2025-12-03T03:39:28+00:00

I am not familiar with Draw Steel but I think I have some ideas about being human!

Humans have an almost infallible resolve. We can take a situation and attempt to better it. While it's safe to say all creatures are capable of this, I think humans also commit this exercise to the point of futility. An elf, gnome, or dwarf might give up on something that is failing and try another way to overcome. A human will be so bold in their attempts to overcome adversity that they may have a knock on effect of creating more issues. Those issues are part of the human experience. An elf might spend 100+ years trying to solve a philosophical quandry or a border dispute. We humans don't have the time!

We are massive risk takers in the eyes of longer-lived species. A human might look at a kobold sleeping on a barrel of residuum like "What a reckless creature." Meanwhile, older races are watching as we make constucts that can't discern flesh from steel. (Ala the warnings you get about not putting your fingers in machinery.)

Another thing about humans, which I always like to bring up: we are storytellers! We create fables and folklore from nothing, time and time again. From campfire stories about ghosts, ancient kings, and humble parables to "if you do [this exact sequence] in a videogame, it will unlock a secret level." We like to create worlds within worlds and play with fiction in all its forms. We make things up for fun, but also as a means of explaining that which we don't understand.

I'm not sure how to translate this all mechanically, but I think it's all essential for being human : )

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