A review copy of the module was provided. Read more Roll20 Reviews and watch the video reviews on my YouTube channel.
Support my video work via Patreon.
The Forgotten Realms have been the focus for almost the entirety of Dungeon & Dragons Fifth Edition‘s existence. But D&D’s world-building extends far beyond the likes of Waterdeep and the Sword Coast. Eberron was created in the early 2000s for D&D 3.5 Edition as an even more magically-influenced world, one of lighting-trains and sentient arcane-powered robots, with themes of world wars, rival factions, and noir-drenched cities.
Eberron: Rising from the Last War captures all the history, lore, and adventure seeds of Khorvaire, along with player character options and a level 1 adventure to provide and all-in-one campaign setting sourcebook for this unique high-magic world.
MAJOR SPOILERS – DM’s only!
The following content is included in the $49.95 Eberron: Rising from the Last War Roll20 module:
- Introductory Level 1 Adventure, Forgotten Relics, as a module add-on.
- Eberron Compendium and character art pack as module add-ons.
- 14 5-ft battle maps with dynamic lighting (Plus/Pro sub required).
- 2 non-gridded world and region maps.
- 1 blank random battle map.
- Alphabetized token page.
- 1 new class – Artificer, with 2 subclasses.
- 8 new races and subraces (not including Dragonmarks).
- 12 Dragonmarks that can modify or replace subraces.
- Journal organized into six chapters of Eberron information and adventure-building.
- Over 50 monster stat sheets with matching tokens and handouts.
- 10 Unique Named NPC character sheets with tokens and handouts.
- Over 100 player art handouts (not including monster art handouts).
- Over 20 Magic Item handouts.
- Over 100 rollable macro tables.
- Supplemental rules from the Player’s Handbook and Dungeon Master’s Guide.
The journal is organized into six chapters with multiple subheadings, such as group patrons, Dragonmarks, and travel. Chapter 1 covers all the new player options for character creation, including unique Eberron races such as Changelings, Shifters, and Warforged, as well as the new Artificer class, having officially graduated from the Unearthed Arcana.
The 12 Dragonmarks add additional player options, as each of these bloodline magical tattoos modify or replace a subclass. Every single one of them is given a separate journal entry and player art handout. I believe this is the first time Roll20 has placed copies of all the excellent art handouts in a final Player Handouts section, allowing me to count (and then lose count) well over 100 art handouts, and that’s not including the monster pictures!
Chapters two and three provide helpful regional information on the continent of Korvaire, as well as a deeper breakdown of the city of Sharn, a cyberpunk-like city of high-rises and flying cars. There’s a ton of solid information, lore, and artwork, though to be fair you can just as easily get that from the physical book.
Chapter four is my favorite section, which specifically details and highlights how to build adventures around all this material, from general DM tips to highlighting adventure seeds, NPCs, and story nuggets among the various regions of Khorvaire.
Chapter four also includes the level one adventure, “Forgotten Relics.” It’s an introductory adventure designed for new level 1 PCs. It takes place in the city of Sharn, as the PCs are hired to question a warforged informant, rescue a kidnapped son of a noble house, and track down the criminal organization responsible.
The adventure touches on many of Eberron’s unique qualities and fun themes, including urban adventure, flying machines, and new races like the Changelings. The story is simple and linear, as befits a level one adventure, but also features exciting moments and set-pieces, like an alley chase after a bar explosion, and an attack by disk-flying gnolls while the party travels on a skycoach .
The short and sweet adventure only includes two battlemaps, however: the lighting rail station called Terminus and the train itself. Terminus is a neat area that superimposes the 2D side view to show off the extreme elevation differences alongside the standard top-down grid map, and I loved the modular train design, including a separate map where the DM can mix and match the train cars.
Unfortunately, once again Wizards of the Coast uses a map style that I do not like. All the included maps are competent, often showcasing areas that are unique to Eberron, such as a Warforged factory, but I detest the black and white, minimalist style of Dyson Logos. I also found it weirdly lacking that we weren’t given any pre-gen level 1 characters to roll right into the adventure with.
The final two chapters detail new magic items and monsters. Eberron shares much of its DNA with other D&D settings and reuses many of the same monsters and items, so don’t expect a whole lot of new content here. The only part I found lacking in these chapters was the almost complete absence of artwork for magic items.
Pros:
- Includes all the history, lore, and geographical details of Eberron.
- Exotic races and Dragonmarks expand character creation.
- Chapter 4 highlights specific NPCs, events, and locations that would make ideal hotspots of adventure.
- Over 100 art handouts for players, helpfully organized into their own section.
- Modular train battle map.
- “Forgotten Relics” is a fun level 1 adventure that emphasizes many of Eberron’s unique features.
Cons:
- No pre-generated level 1 PCs.
- Dyson Logos map style.
- Only 2 of the 20+ magic item handouts include a picture.
The Verdict: With a wealth of information, art, new player options, and maps, Eberron: Rising from the Last War features everything you need to conduct your Eberron adventures.
A review copy of the module was provided. Read more Roll20 Reviews and watch the video reviews on my YouTube channel.
Support my video work via Patreon.
RogueWatson 