D&D: Exploring Eberron Adds New Subclasses, New Races, Opens The World
Exploring Eberron, a new book by creator Keith Baker, expands the world and adds seven new subclasses, seven “Eberronified” races, and so much more.
If you like the world of Eberron, you need to get Exploring Eberron as quickly as you can. This new book, released over the weekend on the DMs Guild, is written by setting creator Keith Baker and it throws open the door on lore, new player options, running adventures, magic items, and a ton more. If you want to delve deeper into the industrialized-magitech world of Eberron, want to know what’s up with the Lords of Dust, or want to take a look at what adventuring looks like in the world of rings–then this is the book for you.
It’s an interesting position for a book though, because though it’s published by the setting’s creator, it’s not technically an official WotC product–it’s just put out through the DM’s Guild. But it’s some of the best support we’ve seen for a setting that isn’t the Forgotten Realms. It hearkens back to the days when D&D would explore its campaign worlds with boxed sets and splatbooks.
But Exploring Eberron is thoroughly grounded in 5th Edition, building off of the lore established in Rising from the Last War. As Baker has previewed in the past, it’s a chance to dive deeper into some of the plots and details only hinted at in the book. The book takes its time with all of the major themes of the world–for instance, let’s look at how the book handles the Daelkyr:
This whole section explores the alien themes of the major Daelkyr. Whether it’s Belashyrra of the many eyes, Valaara and the crawling sworm or more. It outlines how Baker approaches these creatures, even giving you the tools to create your own Daelkyr by way of a sort of “template” in the form of guidelines for how to run encounters:
- A daelkyr can teleport 30 feet as a bonus action. This reflects the idea that the daelkyr are loosely bound to space and time. The daelkyr shifts in space, but you can’t remember it moving. You could represent this as a constant, casual effect; even outside of combat, the daelkyr shifts between spaces, unbound by the concept of distance or time.
- The appearance of a daelkyr is subjective. The basic facs are constant: a daelkyr is a Medium bipedal creature, and its equipment doesn’t change. Beyond this, its appearance reflects its theme blended with its alien nature.
- Daelkyr have telepathy with a range of 120 feet. This is their primary form of communication and is intended to be broader in scope than typical telepathy. A daelkyr can communicate with any number of creatures within in range at once.
And that’s just the start of it. It’s some of the best advice for handling tangling with these creatures that aren’t exactly gods, but aren’t exactly meant to be fought everyday at the end of a campaign.
That’s the core of the book–it’s not about running “a typical Eberron campaign” it’s about how to build the Eberron campaign that you want to run. And that makes it an invaluable resource for DMs.
But Players have a lot to love about this book too. You’ll find Eberron versions of seven different D&D races: Aasimar, Aereni Elves, Ruinbound Dwarves, Hobgoblins, Goblins, Bugbears, and Gnolls. And as has been pointed out in the past, these are all being treated as humanoids with free will. They won’t be always evil, they reflect Eberron’s approach to sentient folk. So make that cool hyena warrior you’ve always to play, because now you don’t have to worry about being fiendish.
You’ll also find three new backgrounds, again specifically tied to Eberron, along with six new subclasses:
- Artificer: Forge Adept
- Artificer: Maverick
- Bard: College of the Dirge Singer
- Cleric: The Mind Domain
- Druid: Circle of the Forged
- Monnk: Way of the Living Weapon
The last two are Warforged-centric, in particular, reflecting how a Warforged might approach these two different classes, despite being a living robot. Way of the Living Weapon feels like it’d be so much fun to play.
Exploring Eberron is available now on the DM’s Guild.
Exploring Eberron – $29.95 (pdf)/$59.95 (Hardcover)/$64.95 (Both)
Join Eberron setting creator Keith Baker in this tour through the lands, oceans, and planes of Eberron. Exploring Eberron presents Keith’s vision of Eberron like never before, with fresh lore and rich illustrations to bring the setting to life.
In this book, Keith takes players and Dungeon Masters on a thrilling dive into the world of Eberron. Encounter the monstrous folk of Droaam, the goblinoid Heirs of Dhakaan, the Mror dwarves and their Realm Below, and the sahuagin and merfolk dwelling beneath the waves. Embrace faiths of altruism, pragmatism, and darkness. Browse the tomes of Dolurrh’s Vault of Memories, seek the Amaranthine Cities of Irian and Mabar, meditate with the githzerai monks of Kythri, and much more.
Subscribe to our newsletter!Get Tabletop, RPG & Pop Culture news delivered directly to your inbox.By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.The adventure won’t be easy! Mighty friends and foes await—from legendary archfey and proud sahuagin to nightmarish quori and alien daelkyr. Eberron is a world in need of heroes, but take heart: between these pages lie a host of character options for would-be heroes to enjoy. You’ll discover new archetypes for the artificer, cleric, druid, monk, and bard. Play unique Eberron races and subraces including gnolls, Dhakaani goblinoids, aasimar of diverse faiths, and ruinbound dwarves. Uncover a wealth of magic items from around the world, wield symbionts that bond with your very flesh, channel your dragonmark with focus items—and perhaps even manifest a Siberys dragonmark of immense power.
Happy Adventuring!
