Races

Changeling Disguise

You alter your form to look like another person

At-Will Racial Power

Racial

• Action: Minor
• Range: Personal
• Effect: You alter your physical form to take on the appearance of any Medium humanoid. You retain your statistics in your new form, and your clothing, armor, and possessions do not change. The new form lasts until you change form again.

Any creature that attempts to see through your ruse makes an Insight check opposed by your Impress check, and you gain a +5 bonus to your check.

Changeling Trick

You feint gives you an edge

Encounter Racial Power

Racial

• Action: Minor
• Range: Melee 2m
• Target: One creature
• Effect: You gain edge against the target and don't provoke opportunity attacks from them until the end of the round.

Physical Characteristics

In their natural form changelings are slender and pale, with colorless eyes and silver-white hair. A changeling can alter its physical appearance with a thought. While this can be used to deceive others, it is a natural form of expression for the changeling. A changeling shifts shapes the way others might change clothes. A casual shape—one created on the spur of the moment, with no depth or history—is called a mask. A mask can be used to express a mood or to serve a specific purpose and then never used again.

However, many changelings develop identities that have more depth. They build an identity over time, crafting a persona with a history and beliefs. This focused identity helps a changeling pinpoint a particular skill or emotion. A changeling adventurer might have personas for many situations, including negotiation, investigation, and combat. Personas can be shared by multiple changelings; there might be three healers in a community, but whoever is on duty will adopt the persona of Tek, the kindly old medic. Personas can even be passed down through a family, allowing a younger changeling to take advantage of contacts established by previous users of the persona

Background and History

The changeling tribes refuse to let their stories be bound by the written word. The Taleshapers maintain that writing down a story traps it in a single shape; like a changeling, a story should be free to choose the face that suits the moment and the audience. This makes it difficult to pin down changeling history. The most common story goes something like the following -

"Long ago there was a woman named Jes, and she had a hundred children. Her rivals conspired against her, and swore to kill her hundred children. These enemies numbered in the thousands and wielded dark magic, and the Children would never prevail against them. Jes begged the Sovereigns for help, but their only answer was the wind and rain. She sought the aid of the Silver Flame, but its keepers would not hear her. In the depths of her despair, a lonely traveler took her hand. ‘I will protect your children if they follow my path. Let them wander the world. None will know them. They will have no kingdom but the road, and no enemy will find them. They may be shunned by all the world, but they will never be destroyed.’ Jes agreed, and the traveler gave her his cloak. When she draped it over her children, their old faces melted away, and they could be whoever they wanted to be. And so it is until this day. Though the Children are shunned by all, the gift of the traveler protects them still, so long as they follow his path."

Changeling Lands

Wherever humans can be found, there are changelings; the question is whether their presence is known. Changelings are born to one of three paths. A few are raised in stable communities where changelings are true to their nature and deal openly with the people around them. Some are orphans, raised by other races, who find their way in the world without ever knowing another like themselves. Others are part of nomadic changeling clans spread across the Five Nations who keep their true nature hidden from the single-skins. Some clans maintain safe havens in major cities and communities, but most prefer to wander the unpredictable path of the Traveler.

Dragon Breath

You unleash the deadly power of the dragons

Encounter Racial Power

Area, Racial

• Action: Minor
• Range: Melee cone 6m
• Target: Each creature in area
• Attack: Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity vs. Reflex
• Hit: 1d6 + Constitution modifier damage
• Special: The damage dice on this power increases to 2d6 at level 11 and to 3d6 at level 21
• Special: When you create your character, choose Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity as the e ability score you use when making attack rolls with this power. You also choose the power’s damage type: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison. This power gains the keyword of the damage type you choose. These two choices remain throughout your character’s life and do not change the power’s other effects.

Physical Characteristics

Dragonborn resemble humanoid dragons. They’re covered in scaly hide, but they don’t have tails. They are tall and strongly built, often standing close to 6½ feet in height and weighing 300 pounds or more. Their hands and feet are strong, talonlike claws with three fingers and a thumb on each hand. A dragonborn’s head features a blunt snout, a strong brow, and distinctive frills at the cheek and ear. Behind the brow, a crest of hornlike scales of various lengths resembles thick, ropy hair. Their eyes are shades of red or gold.

A typical dragonborn’s scales can be scarlet, gold, rust, ocher, bronze, or brown. Rarely do an individ-ual’s scales match the hue of a chromatic or metallic dragon, and scale color gives no indication of the type of breath weapon a dragonborn uses. Most dragonborn have very fine scales over most of their body, giving their skin a leathery texture, with regions of larger scales on the forearms, lower legs and feet, shoulders, and thighs.

Young dragonborn grow faster than human chil-dren do. They walk hours after hatching, reach the size and development of a 10-year-old human child by the age of 3 and reach adulthood by 15. They live about as long as humans do.

Background and History

Dragonborn originate from Argonnessen. Tales maintain that great dragonborn city-states exist in Argonnessen's interior, warring with one another over territory over interpretations of the Draconic Prophecy, or at the behest of their dragon overlords.

In Khorvaire, dragonborn are strongly associated with Q'barra. Long ago, dragonborn immigrants from Argonnessen formed an empire in the thick jungles of this region, conquering or annexing lizardfolk and kobold lands. They constructed huge monuments , tamed the wild, and stood on the verge of becoming one of Khorvaire's great powers. None today can say with certainty what happened to the empire. It fell as swiftly as it rose, leaving behind pockets of civilized dragonborn fighting for survival in a fierce jungle. Although the empire is long gone, dragonborn maintain a link to their storied past through their faith. They worship the Dragon Sovereigns, the draconic incarnations of the deities of the Sovereign Host. Evil dragonborn, on the other hand, typically worship the Dragon Below. Although dragonborn do not directly worship dragons, they respect them as emissaries of the gods, and they deeply revere the three progenitor wyrms : Siberys, Eberron, and Khyber. Dragonborn believe that the Draconic Prophecy is the way these ancients communicate with the dragons of today.

Dragonborn Lands

A few dragonborn travel the world as adventurers or merchants, but most of Khorvaire's dragonborn still live in Q'barra. After centuries of eking out a living in the jungles, dragonborn communities in Q'barra have begun to thrive, forming new governments and trading with outsiders. By contrast, a few dragonborn tribes have instead turned savage, dwelling in the wild alongside lizardfolk and troglodytes. These dragonborn are a menace to settlements in Q'barra and to Q'barra's neighbors.

A few dragonborn tribes dwell on Seren and other isles along the coast of Argonnessen. Although few travelers ever see them, dragonborn city-states are located in the continent's interior.

Cloud of Darkness

A shroud of blackness descends around you

Encounter Racial Power

Area, Conjuration, Racial

• Action: Minor
• Range: Melee close 2m
• Effect: You create a cloud of darkness that remains in place until the end of the next round. The cloud blocks line of sight, squares within it are totally obscured, and creatures entirely within it are blinded until they exit. You are immune to these effects

Darkfire

A flickering halo of purple light surrounds the target

Encounter Racial Power

Racial

• Action: Minor
• Range: Ranged 25' (Safe)
• Target: One creature
• Attack: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma vs. Reflex
• Hit: Until the end of your next turn, all attacks against the target have edge, and the target cannot benefit from invisibility or concealment.

Physical Characteristics

Drow stand just shy of human height and have slender, athletic builds. Physically, they resemble eladrin, with wiry builds, pleasing features, and midnight black skin that has a blue cast. Their eyes are fiery red, lavender, or blue. All drow have white hair, which most keep long and decorate with intricate pins and webbing wrought from precious metals. Aside from their tresses and eyebrows, drow have little facial hair, though males sometimes grow long sideburns or tufts of wispy hair on their cheeks and chins.

From infancy, a drow child must be cunning. Children can expect no kindness, no warmth, and no compassion. Such expressions engender fatal weakness. Drow are cold parents, instilling self reliance and independence, so that their offspring will become strong enough to survive a bloody adolescence.

In general, dark elves have life spans somewhat longer than those of their surface-dwelling cousins. Drow who manage to avoid dying a violent death can live for well over 700 years.

Background and History

The drow are the descendants of slaves of the Xen’drik giants. Spread across the jungles of the continent in tribal bands, they consider the ruins and magic of the giant empire to be theirs.

Several societies of drow have branched off from the main culture. The Sulatar (“firebinders” in the Giant tongue) remained loyal to the giants during the slave uprisings. Maintaining the teachings and customs of their ancient masters, the Sulatar are the practitioners of an arcane tradition that grants them mastery over elemental fire. Condemning other drow as faithless traitors, they eschew the jungles in favor of great settlements of stone, including a legendary capital known as the Obsidian City.

The Umbragen are the descendants of drow that fled the giants and found refuge underground, spending generations dwelling in the caves of Khyber. There, they tapped into a mysterious magical shadow they called the Umbra, and although they have since returned to the surface, they retain a spiritual and physical connection to the darkness.

Drow Lands

The jungles of Xen’drik are a harsh and unforgiving land; the drow dwell in the underground realm of Khyber as often as they haunt the ruins of aboveground Xen’drik. Covered by thick jungle and the ruined cities of the ancient giant kingdoms, the continent houses too many dangers for the drow to be able to establish large and stable cities such as those on Khorvaire. The largest drow settlements are underground.

Physical Characteristics

Dwarves average about 4½ feet in height and are very broad, weighing as much as an adult human. Dwarves have the same variety of skin, eye, and hair colors as humans, although dwarf skin is sometimes gray or sandstone red and red hair is more common among them. Male dwarves are often bald and braid their long beards into elaborate patterns. Female dwarves braid their hair to show clan and ancestry. Dwarven attire and equipment, including weapons and shields, are decorated with bold geometric shapes, natural gems, and ancestral faces.

Dwarves age more slowly than humans, reaching physical maturity at 30 years of age. Dwarves also live longer, remaining vigorous well past 150 years of age, often living to see 200.

Background and History

Long before the rise of Galifar, barbaric dwarven clans dwelt in the Frostfell. The dwarves believe that their people traveled south from this frigid land in search of a more hospitable home. Stories tell how they reached the mountains of northeastern Khorvaire and there began mining great riches.

The dwarves' mountain home ran with blood for centuries as clans battled one another. Only when Galifar imposed peace upon the lands did the clans learn the value of cooperation. Although ancient grudges and enmities remain, today they are expressed through economic policies and occasional espionage and sabotage rather than overt war.

Dwarf Lands

Most Dwarves still call the Mror Holds home, as the loyalty to the clan persists even while away for dozens of years. However, over the course of the last 1000 years some dwarves have broken away from the clans and made a home in the rest of Khorvaire. Rivalries between clans on the Iron Council ebb and flow.

Clan Mroranon are the current rulers and want to exterminate the Jhorash'tar Orcs.

Clan Doldarun are the second wealthiest and remain neutral to the other clans.

Clan Droranath are lack the mineral wealth of the other clans but have a rich connection to the primal world.

Clan Kolkarun are either enterpreneurs or opportunists depending on whom you ask

House Kundarak now sits as a neutral arbiter on the Iron Council since their establishment as a Dragonmarked House.

Clan Laranak despises Clan Londurak and frequently wear white and red body paint.

Clan Londurak despises Clan Laranak and frequently wear white and blue body paint.

Clan Narathun is best known for their gem mines

Clan Noldrun was mysteriously wiped out over 400 years ago, with few tears lost.

Clan Soldorak is known for working as speculators and aggressive business practices.

Clan Soranath is known for their crafting skills, refining the raw materials produced by the other clans.

Clans Toldorath and Tordannan have a long standing alliance, and have repeatedly petitioned the other clans to allow the Jhorash'tar Orcs to join the Iron Council

Dragonmarked Houses

House Kundarak bears the Mark of Warding, which enhances magic related to spells that protect areas. Using this power they run the most secure facilities on Khorvaire, including the impermeable prison island of Dreadhold.

Kundarak runs the Banking guild, which has partnered with the House Sivis Notaries' guild to make the financial systems of Khorvaire run.

The Warding Guild is less popular than the Banking Guild, providing security services for material possessions.

Subraces

The following subraces replace the Skill Bonus, Competencies, and Stand your Ground racial features.

Fey Step

With a step you vanish from one place and appear in another

Encounter Racial Power

Racial, Teleportation

• Action: Move
• Range: Personal
• Effect: You can teleport up to 25'.

Physical Characteristics

Eladrin are of human height. They are slim, and even the strongest simply look athletic rather than musclebound. They have the same range of complexions as humans, though they are more often fair than dark. Their straight, fine hair is often white, silver, or pale gold, and they wear it long and loose. Their ears are long and pointed, and their eyes are pearly and opalescent orbs of vibrant blue, violet, or green, lacking pupils. Eladrin can’t grow facial hair and have little body hair.

Eladrin children grow much as human children do, but their aging process slows to a crawl when they reach maturity. They enjoy youth and health for most of their lives and don’t begin to feel the effects of age until the middle of their third century. Most live for over 300 years, and even at the end they suffer few of the infirmities of old age.

Background and History

The seven shining cities of the eladrin are called the feyspires, and they have been appearing on Eberron since the Age of Giants. At certain conjunctions between the Feywild and Eberron, the gleaming towers of the feyspires would appear, allowing the eladrin within to emerge and experience the world. Sometimes, a few eladrin would stay, succumbing to the beauty of a place or the charm of its people. At other times, leaving the feyspires was not a choice, such as when giants conquered Shae Tirias Tolai, the City of Silver and Bone. That feyspire appeared in the wilds of Xen'drik, and giants seized the opportunity to attack and take the population of Shae Tirias Tolai into captivity. The race of elves descended from these displaced eladrin.

Eladrin have had little historical or social impact on Eberron. Before the war, when the feyspires appeared in Eberron, their inhabitants would emerge to trade with nearby settlements. This casual relationship with the world might have continued had the feyspires not been present in Eberron on the Day of Mourning. On that day, the feyspires were severed from the Thelanis, becoming permanent parts of the landscape of Eberron. The displaced eladrin are now adjusting to their new circumstances or are searching desperately for a way back to the Feywild.

Eladrin Lands

There are six feyspires known to exist in Khorvaire. Pylas Pyrial, the Gate of Joy, is located in Zilargo. Shae Joridal, the City of Emerald Lights, has been under siege in Darguun the past four years. Shae Loralyndar, The City of Rose and Thorn, is buried deep within the Eldeen Reaches. Shae Tiraleth, the Court of the Silver Tree, was lost in Cyre during the Day of Mourning. Taer Lian Doresh, the Fortress of Fading Dreams, is rumored to float somewhere in the Lhazaar Principalities. Taer Syraen, the Winter Citadel, occupies the northern foothills of Karrnath.

Elven Accuracy

You call upon the legendary accuracy of the elves

Encounter Racial Power

Racial

• Action: Free Interrupt (Trigger: You make an attack roll and don't like the result)
• Range: Personal
• Effect: Reroll the attack roll, using the second result even if it's lower.

Physical Characteristics

Elves are slender, athletic folk about as tall as humans. They have the same range of complexions as humans, tending more toward tan or brown hues. A typical elf’s hair color is dark brown, autumn orange, mossy green, or deep gold. Elves’ ears are long and pointed, and their eyes are vibrant blue, violet, or green. Elves have little body hair, but they favor a wild and loose look to their hair.

Elves mature at about the same rate as humans, but show few effects of age past adulthood. The first sign of an elf’s advancing age is typically a change in hair color—sometimes graying but usually darkening or taking on more autumnal hues. Most elves live to be well over 500 years old and remain vigorous almost to the end.

Background and History

Elves originally came from Xen'drik. They descended from the eladrin of the feyspire city of Shae Tirias Tolai. Millennia ago, the giants of Xen'drik sacked the city and enslaved its eladrin inhabitants. The eladrin toiled in slavery for years before eventually rebelling and fleeing Xen'drik. Generations of isolation from Thelanis fundamentally changed them, though. The eladrin became what the inhabitants of Eberron now call elves. The refugees colonized the small continent of Aerenal, where most have remained. Some departed Aerenal to settle on Khorvaire before the rise of Galifar, and more elves came to Khorvaire as mercenaries during the Last War under the leadership of High King Vadallia. These elves now inhabit Valenar.

Elf Lands

Aeranel, home of the elves, is an island continent to the southeast of Khorvaire. Ruled by the Undying Court, the elves of Aeranael value the preservation of tradition highly.

Most elves in Valenar follow the Tairnadel tradition, which expresses its reverence for the past through the adoption of ancestor spirits.

Elves have made a home in many of Khorvaire's cities, utilizing their long lifespans to secure their status.

Dragonmarked Houses

House Phiarlan bears the Mark of Shadow, and is popularly known for the Entertainers and Artisans guild. For the nobles of Khorvaire, the intelligence services of House Phiarlan are their primary concern and service.

House Thuranni shares the Mark of Shadow, having split from House Phiarlan during the Last War.

History tells of a thirteenth mark—the Mark of Death—that once existed among elves. However, legends say the mark was exterminated long ago.

Subraces

The following subraces replace the Skill Bonus and Competencies racial features.

Hobgoblin Discipline

You stand together with your allies

Encounter Racial Power

Racial

• Action: Free Interrupt (Trigger: You make an attack roll and don't like the result)
• Range: Personal
• Effect: You gain a bonus to the attack roll equal to the number of allies adjacent to you.

Physical Characteristics

Hobgoblins have dark orange or red-orange skin, and hair ranging from dark red-brown to dark gray. Yellow or dark brown eyes peer out beneath their beetling brows, and their wide mouths sport sharp and yellowed teeth. A male ghaal'dar might have a large blue or red nose, which symbolizes virility and power among goblinkin.

Ghaal'dar age about the same rate as humans, although their martial tendencies often cuts that life short.

Background and History

Hobgoblins used to rule Khorvaire from the Dhakaani empire, which primarily occupied the western half of the continent. Fierce and martial, the Ghaal'dar organized the dar (Goblinoids) throughout the Age of Monsters.

The Age of Monsters collapsed when invaders from Xoriat, the plane of madness, corrupted and defiled the Dhakaani empire. A spreading plague of madness disrupted the tight bonds of Dhakaani society, dissolving the empire and creating room for humans to invade and claim space. Some Dhakaani tribes chose to quarantine and lock themselves underground rather than allow their society to dissolve.

Recently, the dar have begun to organize. Lhesh Haruuc leads the dar nation of Darguun after a bloody secession that betrayed both Cyre and House Deneith. Some of the clans that chose to lock themselves away milennia ago have begun to explore the surface world again.

Ghaal'dar Lands

The dar primarily live in Darguun, but scattered groups litter the continent. The Ghaal'dar are naturally drawn to the militaries of the five nations, meaning that anywhere there's a military outpost, Hobgoblins can be found. Ghaal'dar can also frequently be found in cities, especially those with ancient roots and Dhakaani ruins (Such as Sharn).

The hidden clans that still pledge themselves to the Dhakaani empire are primarily found in the mountains near Breland, although any mountainous region could host one of these hidden clans.

Feral Hunt

Your foes find you impossible to escape from

Encounter Racial Power

Racial

• Action: Standard
• Range: Personal
• Effect: You can move your speed then make a basic attack.

Physical Characteristics

Gnolls are tall, hyena-like humanoids. Typically hunched over, many in the five nations have an image of bone-clad savages. Soldiers may have a slightly different view - highly trained hunters responsible for devastating flanks. Gnoll skin is greenish-gray, and their furry hide is usually a light or dark brown hue, sometimes marked with spots or stripes. Many gnolls also have a dirty yellow to reddish-gray crest-like mane that stands on end when they are angry

Gnolls tend to have shorter lifespans, reaching maturity by the age of ten and living upwards of fourty to fifty years.

Background and History

Although most of Eberron's gnolls are the ravenous, demon-worshiping creatures of campfire stories, a small number have risen above their chaotic, bestial natures. Called the Znir Pact—named for the location in Droaam where they abandoned their demonic overlord—these gnolls banded together in a small but remarkably stable gnoll nation. The group is strong enough to retain its independence, and the gnolls earn healthy sums of money serving as mercenaries, trackers, and raiders for the warlords of Droaam or anyone outside the borders of that nation who can pay appropriately.

Gnoll Lands

Typical gnolls still worship the demon known as the Beast of Butchery. These gnolls mostly live in the Demon Wastes, although sizable tribes also appear in the Eldeen Reaches, the Shadow Marches , and in portions of Droaam not occupied by the Znir Pact gnolls.

Ghost Sound

An eerie whisper starts to emanate from a nearby urn

At-Will Racial Power

Illusion, Racial

• Action: Standard
• Range: Ranged 25'
• Target: One object or unoccupied space within range
• Effect: You cause a sound as quiet as a whisper or as loud as a yelling or fighting creature to emanate from the target. You can produce nonvocal sounds such as the ringing of a sword blow, jingling armor, or scraping stone. If you whisper, you can whisper quietly enough that only creatures adjacent to the target can hear your words.

Fade Away

You turn invisible in response to harm

Encounter Racial Power

Racial

• Action: Immediate Reaction (Trigger: You take damage)
• Range: Personal
• Effect: You are invisible until you attack or until the end of the next round.

Physical Characteristics

Gnomes are smaller even than halflings, rarely exceeding 4 feet in height. Apart from their size, they resemble elves, with pointed ears and chiseled facial features such as high cheekbones and sharp jaws. They have a more wild look than elves do, though, particularly in the hair that sprouts from their heads in random directions. Some male gnomes sprout tufts of hair from their chins, but they usually lack body hair.

Gnome skin tone ranges from a ruddy tan through woody brown to rocky gray. Their hair can be virtually any color, from stark white to blond and various shades of brown to autumnal orange or green. Their eyes are glittering black orbs that are constantly scanning the room.

Gnomes are as long-lived as elves, living over 300 years, but they show more of the effects of age. A gnome over the age of 100 has gray or white hair and skin that shows the wrinkled and weathered lines of a century of laughter, but even the oldest gnome retains the vigor of youth.

Background and History

Gnomes originally came from Thelanis, but no one knows when or how. What is clear is that gnomes arrived in the world in numbers far greater than did the eladrin. Gnomes have spread across the world, but they have gathered in a few distinct communities, the greatest of which is Zilargo.

Gnomes are gregarious and friendly, but they are also fascinated by deception and intrigue. A gnome is happiest when he or she is unearthing a neighbor's secrets or engaging in subterfuge, even when the only result might be a slight increase in the value of his or her property. Some gnomes think bigger, engaging in espionage and conspiracy that can topple governments. When gnomes find trouble, they usually try to talk or trick their way out of it. Above all, gnomes are a social people.

Gnome Lands

Zilargo is a subtle society; the gnomes are bound together by a complex web of favors, secrets, and debts. The low incidence of crime is no coincidence. Gnome cities hold amazing architecture, marvelous magical creations infused with bound elementals, and other wonders, as well as the most comprehensive libraries in the world. Zilargo cities are places of peace and beauty, much more likely to be the setting of a quest for knowledge than a back-alley brawl.

Dragonmarked Houses

House Sivis, which bears the Mark of Scribing, House Sivis is most popularly known for the Speaker's gulid, which runs the Speaking Stones that keep Khorvaire in constant communication. More important to the underpinnings of civilized life is the Notaries guild, which keeps the standards for authenticity of documents.

Subraces

The following subraces replace the Skill Bonus, Competencies, and Reactive Stealth racial features.

Stone's Endurance

Your foes attacks bounce off your stony hide

Encounter Racial Power

Racial

• Action: Minor
• Range: Personal
• Effect: You gain resistance to all damage equal to 5 + one half your level until the end of your next turn.

Physical Characteristics

Goliaths tower over even Guul'dar, standing between 7 and 8 feet tall. Their skin is gray or brown, mottled with darker patches that they believe hint at some aspect of each goliath’s fate or destiny. Their skin is speckled with lithoderms, coin-sized growths of bone that appear like pebbles studding their arms, shoulders, torso, and head. A bony ridge juts over their gleaming blue or green eyes. Male goliaths are bald, and females have dark hair they typically grow long and wear in braids filled with traditional symbols.

Goliaths have longer life spans than humans but mature about as quickly, with the oldest Goliaths living to nearly 200.

Background and History

While commonly also called half-giants, Goliath oral tradition only has a few stories dating back to the races origin on Xen'drik. Some tales cast Goliaths as the offspring of polymorphed giant spellcasters elf captives, others as magical experiments. Whatever their origin, several tribes of Goliaths escaped the Giant empire and settled in Southwest Khorvaire, in what would later become the nation of Droamm. Since then the tribes have been mostly content to continue their nomadic lifestyle for millenia, isolated from the events of the intervening centuries. Only recently have Goliaths been introduced in relevant numbers to Greater Khorvaire as the three hag sisters that rule Droamm discovered the Goliath tribes make excellent armies.

Goliath Lands

Most goliaths in Khorvaire live in scattered tribes in the Shadowcrags and the Icehorn Mountains , where they have infrequent contact with the people of the forested lowlands. Some goliaths also dwell in the peaks of the Ironroot and the Hoarfrost mountains of the Mror Holds, where they sometimes interact with dwarves. Goliath tribes are also found in Syrkarn, the Tashana Tundra on the continent of Sarlona, and the mountains of the Frostfell.

Goblin Tactics

You edge away from a looming foe

At-Will Racial Power

Racial

• Action: Minor
• Range: Personal
• Effect: You shift 2m.
• Special: You can only use this power once per turn.

Physical Characteristics

A typical goblin is both shorter and smaller than even a typical gnome. Its eyes are usually dull and glazed, varying in color from red to yellow. A golin'dar’s skin color ranges from yellow through any shade of orange to a deep red; usually all members of a single tribe are about the same color.

Golin'dar live short lives - they mature in about a decade and reach old age at half a century.

Background and History

Goblins used to rule Khorvaire from the Dhakaani empire, which primarily occupied the western half of the continent. Quick and stealthy, the Golin'dar acted as scouts for the dar (Goblinoids) throughout the Age of Monsters.

The Age of Monsters collapsed when invaders from Xoriat, the plane of madness, corrupted and defiled the Dhakaani empire. A spreading plague of madness disrupted the tight bonds of Dhakaani society, dissolving the empire and creating room for humans to invade and claim space. Some Dhakaani tribes chose to quarantine and lock themselves underground rather than allow their society to dissolve.

Recently, the dar have begun to organize. Lhesh Haruuc leads the dar nation of Darguun after a bloody secession that betrayed both Cyre and House Deneith. Some of the clans that chose to lock themselves away milennia ago have begun to explore the surface world again.

Golin'dar Lands

The dar primarily live in Darguun, but scattered groups litter the continent. The Golin'dar excel at surviving on the fringes of society, leading to large populations of goblins filling out the slums of the cities of Khorvaire. Small packs of goblins also live in the wilds and rural areas of Khorvaire, thriving with the degradation of law enforcement capabilities caused the the Last War.

The hidden clans that still pledge themselves to the Dhakaani empire are primarily found in the mountains near Breland, although any mountainous region could host one of these hidden clans.

Bugbear brutality

Give no quarter

Encounter Racial Power

Racial

• Action: Free Interrupt (Trigger: You hit with an attack that you had edge or advantage on and don't like the damage roll)
• Range: Personal
• Effect: Reroll any number of the damage dice, using the second result even if it's lower.

Physical Characteristics

Bugbears resemble hairy, feral goblins. They take their name from their noses and claws, which are similar to those of bears. Guul'dar eyes are greenish white with red pupils, and their wedge-shaped ears rise from the tops of their heads. Most guul'dar have hides ranging from light yellow to yellow brown and their thick, coarse hair ranges from brown to brick red.

Guul'dar mature faster than humans, reaching full maturity after only 15 years or so, but their natural lifespan can be comparable to humans.

Background and History

Bugbears used to rule Khorvaire from the Dhakaani empire, which primarily occupied the western half of the continent. Big and muscular, bugbears served as the shock troops and heavy-duty laborers of the empire.

The Age of Monsters collapsed when invaders from Xoriat, the plane of madness, corrupted and defiled the Dhakaani empire. A spreading plague of madness disrupted the tight bonds of Dhakaani society, dissolving the empire and creating room for humans to invade and claim space. Some Dhakaani tribes chose to quarantine and lock themselves underground rather than allow their society to dissolve.

Recently, the dar have begun to organize. Lhesh Haruuc leads the dar nation of Darguun after a bloody secession that betrayed both Cyre and House Deneith. Some of the clans that chose to lock themselves away milennia ago have begun to explore the surface world again.

Guul'dar Lands

The dar primarily live in Darguun, but scattered groups litter the continent. The Guul'dar tend to live on the fringes of society, their size and strength sometimes posing to be too intimidating for others.

The hidden clans that still pledge themselves to the Dhakaani empire are primarily found in the mountains near Breland, although any mountainous region could host one of these hidden clans.

Second Chance

Luck and small size combine to work in your favor as you dodge your enemy's attack

Encounter Racial Power

Racial

• Action: Immediate Interrupt (Trigger: An attack hits you)
• Range: Personal
• Effect: The enemy rerolls the attack roll, using the second roll even if it's lower

Physical Characteristics

Halflings stand about 4 feet tall and weigh about 80 pounds. They resemble small humans and are proportioned like human adults. Halflings have the same range of complexions as humans, but most halflings have dark hair and eyes. Halfling males don’t have beards, but many have long, full sideburns. Halflings of both genders often wear complicated hairstyles, featuring complex braiding and weaving

Halflings live slightly longer than humans, reaching maturity at 20 years and frequently approach 100 years.

Background and History

Halflings began as a tribal people who dwelled in the Talenta Plains. There, they lived undisturbed by others for many generations. As their search for grazing lands expanded, halflings encountered increasing numbers of humans , dwarves, elves, and other races. What began as trade soon became exodus as tribes of halflings moved beyond the Talenta Plains, exploring the world with an innate curiosity and an ability to assimilate into other cultures. The halflings' nomadic traditions made them excellent couriers and traveling merchants , and their practices of tribal loyalty made them trusted companions. However, the halflings' ignorance of others' laws and their loose definitions of personal property lured many into criminal activity. One can find halflings in all the same positions and industries that one would find humans . When the Kingdom of Galifar claimed the Talenta Plains, the halflings scarcely noticed, for their lifestyle changed only slightly throughout the years of Galifar's rule and the Last War.

Halfling Lands

Halfling tribes still roam the Talenta Plains, using the great reptiles of that land as mounts, quarry, and herd stock. Occasionally the halflings assemble at camps or cities for trade and news. Although a few halfling tribes exist beyond the Talenta Plains, they are typically nomadic and don't greatly resemble their Talentan kin. Individual halflings, on the other hand, live within most cultures, occupying positions on virtually every tier of society.

Dragonmarked Houses

House Ghallanda, which bears the Mark of Hospitality, has retained a deep connection to their Talenta homelands. House Ghallanda runs the Hostelers Guild, which franchises inns and taverns.

House Jorasco, which bears the Mark of Healing, has shed many of its tribal roots. House Jorasco runs the Healing Guild, which provides all forms of medical services for the right price.

Subraces

The following subraces replace the Skill Bonus, Competencies, and Nimble Reaction racial features.

Physical Characteristics

Humans come in a wide variety of heights, weights, and colors. Some humans have black or dark brown skin, others are as pale as snow, and they cover the whole range of tans and browns in between. Their hair is black, brown, or a range of blonds and reds. Their eyes are most often brown, blue, or hazel.

Health care in Khorvaire is similar to real life's industrial societies, with the biggest risk being child mortality rather than for adults. House Jorasco offers high quality health care at a price, extending life spans for those who can afford it to 80 to 90 years.

Background and History

Humanity first arose on Sarlona. History fails to recount which of the continent's many disasters first inspired humans to leave, but leave they did, setting out in primitive ships. The earliest explorers crossed the Sea of Rage, arriving in what are now the Lhazaar Principalities and Q'barra. Later expeditions traveled east across the Barren Sea, landing in the Demon Wastes, the Eldeen Reaches, and the Shadow Marches. Few of those colonies survived.

Once it established a foothold in Khorvaire, humanity could not be stopped. Ragged bands of explorers and pilgrims advanced across the continent, and settlements emerged. Towns became cities and cities formed nations before finally coalescing into the Kingdom of Galifar. The kingdom lasted for centuries until finally the Last Wa r came, crippling humanity with over a century of warfare. Today, humans still control most of Khorvaire, although the peace between their nations is tenuous.

Human Lands

Humans claim most of Khorvaire. Human populations dominate the Five Nations and the Lhazaar Principalities. Many human communities also thrive in Q'barra, portions of the Eldeen Reaches, and the Shadow Marches . Sarlona, humanity's birthplace, is no longer governed by humans since the rise of the Inspired of Riedra. Nonetheless, humans still make up the majority of the population. Most of Khorvaire's humans care little about Sarlona or the other continents, and few even know that Sarlona is the land of their forebears.

Dragonmarked Houses

House Cannith, which bears the Mark of Making, has contributed to significant material advancements in the quality of life of Khorvaire's citizens. The Fabricators guild mass produces many forms of material goods, and profitted off of arms dealing during the Last War. The Tinker's Guild represents Cannith's roots, with members wandering the continent offering repair services.

House Deneith, which bears the Mark of Sentinel, has a number of exceptions to the normal rules for guilds carved out for it. The Blademarks Guild serves as a general body of mercenary forces, while the Defenders Guild specifically serves as bodyguards. The Sentinel Marshalls were formed in the wake of the Treaty of Thronehold to capture war criminals and bring them to justice.

House Orien, which bears the Mark of Passage, was amongst the houses most heavily damaged by the breakdown in continental infrastructure during the Last War. The Couriers Guild delivers whatever is beyond the scope of House Sivis, acting as shipping services for everything from personal packages to livestock and large pieces of equipment. The Transportation Guild is best known for running the Lightning Rail, which was ravaged by the Last War and is only now beginning to be rebuilt.

House Vadalis, which bears the Mark of Handling, is closer to an extended family than a mercantile empire. Sticking to rural communities, the Handlers Guild serves as an outreach program to promote best practices and gather data. Unlike most other houses, the House proper conducts business directly, keeping its research programs within the family.

Subraces

The following subraces replace the Bonus Skill racial feature.

Dual Mind

You bolster your allies mental fortitude in response to an incoming assault

Encounter Racial Power

Area, Racial

• Action: Free Interrupt (Trigger: An attack targets your will)
• Range: Melee close 2m
• Targets: You and each ally in the area
• Effect: The target gains a +5 bonus to Will until the end of the next round

Physical Characteristics

Kalashtar appear very similar to humans, but they have a grace and elegance that makes them seem almost too beautiful. They are slightly taller than the average human, and their faces have a slight angularity that sets them apart from the human norm, but these deviations only make them seem more attractive

Background and History

The kalashtar are a compound race: incorporeal entities from the alien plane of Dal Quor, the Region of Dreams, merged with human bodies and spirits to form a distinct species. They were once a minority among the quori, the native race of Dal Quor, hunted and persecuted for their religious beliefs. Thousands of years after the quori invaded Eberron and the connection between their plane and the Material Plane was severed, the kalashtar were the first of the quori to discover a means to reach the Material Plane once more. Fleeing persecution, they transformed their physical forms into psychic projections that allowed them to enter the Material Plane and possess willing humans. Today, new kalashtar are born, not possessed; neither spirit nor human, they are a new race that breeds true

Kalashtar Lands

The kalashtar homeland is a region of Sarlona called Adar, a land of forbidding mountains and hidden fortresses in the southeastern portion of the continent. Even in Adar their numbers are small, and the number of kalashtar found in Khorvaire is much smaller still. However, they can be found in many of the largest human cities. The largest kalashtar population in Khorvaire is in the city of Sharn.

Knack for Success

Your mere presence is enough to tip the balance of fortune for you and your allies

Encounter Racial Power

Racial

• Action: Minor
• Range: Ranged 25'(Safe)
• Target: You or one ally in range
• Effect: Choose one of the following
• • The target makes a saving throw
• • The target shifts up to 10' as a free action
• • The target gains a +2 power bonus to their next attack roll made before the end of the next round
• • The target gains a +4 power bonus to their next skill check made before the end of the next round

Physical Characteristics

Khoravar tend to be sturdier of build than elves but more slender than most humans. Khoravar have the same range of complexions as humans and elves, and like elves, khoravar often have eye or hair colors not normally found among humans. Male khoravar can grow facial hair, unlike male elves, and often sport thin mustaches, goatees, or short beards. Khoravar’ ears are about the size of human ears, but they are tapered, like the ears of their elven ancestors.

Khoravar retain a fraction of Elves' longevity, frequently living past 100 years and staying vigorous to the end.

Background and History

Few living khoravar are the offspring of human and elf parents. Since elves first came to Khorvaire, khoravar have represented a distinct cultural group, and most are descendant s of early interbreeding. Khoravar originally hail from what today is Valenar, but they have since spread across the continent, migrating with Khorvaire's human populations. Khoravar never formed their own nation. Instead, member s of the race have had formative roles in human nations. They have steered the course of governments , economies , and wars, but they have done so as individuals, organizations, or guilds, never as a unified society.

Khoravar Lands

The Khoravar have no permanent settlements on Khorvaire, and instead are integrated fully into human society. The exception is Stormhold, the remote island owned by House Lyrandar.

Dragonmarked Houses

House Lyrandar, which bears the Mark of Storm, is a proud and successful house. The Windwrights Guild runs shipping by air and by sea on Khorvaire, indirectly competing with House Orien's land shipping. In addition to the house-owned elemental-powered ships, the guild runs a licensing service that connects captains with cargo in exchange for dues. The Raincallers Guild is the other primary branch of Lyrandar's business, maintaining the continent's irrigation systems and manipulating the weather to moderate swings.

House Medani, which bears the Mark of Detection, maintains the lowest profile of any of the houses. House Medani's leadership is the most nationalist of all the houses due to the personal history and connection between King Boranel and Baron Trelib. By contrast, the Warning Guild is the most independent of all guilds, with only quarterly reports to the house leadership. While the Warning Guild offers bodyguards, they specialize in stopping assassination attempts before they happen. Warning Guild detectives are frequently hired by law enforcement when a particularly baffling case escapes their capabilites.

Subraces

The following subraces replace the Skill Bonus, Competencies, and Dilettante racial features.

Goring Charge

You charge horns first

Encounter Racial Power

Racial

• Action: Standard
• Range: Personal
• Effect: You charge and make the following attack in place of a melee basic attack
• Attack: Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity vs. Fortitude
• Hit: 1d8 + Strength damage, and you knock the target prone
• Special: The damage dice on this power increases to 2d8 at level 11 and to 3d8 at level 21

Physical Characteristics

A minotaur combines the features of human and bull, with the build and musculature of a hulking humanoid, but with cloven hooves, a bovine tail, and, most distinctive of all, a bull 's head. Fur covers a minotaur's upper body, coarse and thick on the head and neck, gradually thinning around the shoulders until it becomes humanlike hair over the arms and upper torso. The thick hair turns shaggy once more at the minotaur's waist and thickens around the loins and legs, with tufts at the end of the tail and around the powerful hooves. Minotaurs take pride in their horns, the sharpness, size, and color of which are related to an individual's place in minotaur society. Fur and skin coloring runs from albino white to coal black, though most minotaurs have red or brown fur and hair.

Labyrinthine patterns are important to minotaurs, and these decorations appear on their clothing, armor, and weapons, and sometimes even on their hides. Each pattern is particular to a clan, and the pattern's size and complexity help minotaurs iden­tify family allegiance and caste. The patterns evolve through the generations, growing more expansive based on clan members' deeds and a clan's history.

Minotaurs live as long as humans do.

Background and History

The origin of minotaurs is clouded by history - possibly originating in Sarlona or Xen'drik, the largest modern populations can be found in Droamm. As with many Droammish races, most people of the five nations imagine bestial worshippers of dark powers when they think of minotaurs. The reality is more complicated - the relationship between minotaurs and their dark worship isn't as binary as the gnolls. The savage call is less overwhelming but is also harder to completely break, leading many minotaurs to live their entire lives treading that line of order and chaos.

Minotaur Lands

A few clans of minotaurs live in the wilder regions of Khorvaire, Sarlona, and Xen'drik, but the greater part of Eberron's minotaurs inhabit Droaam. They are found within most of that region's major communities. The minotaur warlord Rhesh Turakbar also claims several territories in the region. Although Turakbar's minotaurs are violent demon-worshipers, many of Droaam's other minotaurs have personalities and beliefs more agreeable to other races. House Tharashk and the militias of Droaam respect minotaurs for their strength and their sense of honor and use them as mercenaries.

Warrior's Surge

You feel invigorated as your attack connects with an enemy

Encounter Racial Power

Healing, Racial

• Action: Free Reaction (Trigger: You hit an enemy with an attack)
• Range: Personal
• Effect: You can expend a healing surge to regain hit points equal to your healing surge value.

Physical Characteristics

An orc’s hair usually is black. It has lupine ears and reddish eyes. Orcs prefer wearing vivid colors that many humans would consider unpleasant, such as blood red, mustard yellow, yellow-green, and deep purple, and is usually adorned with tribal markings. An adult male orc is a little over 6 feet tall and weighs about 210 pounds, and females are slightly smaller.

Orcs mature faster than humans, reaching maturity at about 13 years of age, but can be very long lived, living to 120 years old.

Background and History

One of the first humanoid races to inhabit Khorvaire, orcs reside all across the western half of the continent. They dwell on the outskirts of human nations, with the exception of a few that live in the major cities where they have been accepted. Most orcs live in primitive tribes in the Eldeen Reaches, the Demon Wastes, the Shadow Marches, Droaam, and the wilds of the Mror Holds.

When most of Khorvaire's people think of orcs, they imagine savage tribes estranged from the benefits of civilization. Those who work in larger cities may be familiar with the services of house Tharashk and hired one of their detectives or investigators.

Orc Lands

There are three main region Orcs are settled on Khorvaire - The Demon Wastes, the Shadow Marches, and the Mror Holds. Orcs associated with House Tharashk can also be found in any of the major cities of Khorvaire, and some Orcs have made inroads in Breland.

Dragonmarked Houses

House Tharashk, which bears the Mark of Finding, is one of the youngest of the houses despite being one of the oldest marks. The primary business of the Finder's Guild is the acquisition and sale of dragonshards, the magical energy source that powers Khorvaire's wonders. Within the Finder's Guild is the Liondrake's Roar, a group of Orcs that act as intermediaries between Droammish mercenaries and the rest of the continent.

Subraces

The following subraces replace the Skill Bonus, Competencies, and Swift Charge racial features.

Memory of a Thousand Lifetimes

The dreamlike memories of your previous lives lend insight to aid you

Encounter Racial Power

Racial

• Action: No Action Interrupt (Trigger: You make an attack roll, saving throw, skill check, or ability check and dislike the result)
• Range: Personal
• Effect: You add 1d6 to the triggering roll

Physical Characteristics

Background and History

Deva Lands

Infernal Wrath

You call upon the hellfire in your soul to punish your enemy

Encounter Racial Power

Racial

• Action: Free Reaction (Trigger: An enemy within 25' hits you)
• Range: Ranged 25' (Safe)
• Target: The triggering enemy
• Effect: The target takes 2d6 fire damage
• Special: The damage dice on this power increases to 3d6 at level 11 and to 4d6 at level 21

Physical Characteristics

Background and History

Race Lands

Shifting

Your features become more animalistic as your primal insticts take over

Encounter Racial Power

Racial

• Action: Minor
• Special: You must be bloodied to use this power
• Range: Personal
• Effect: You expend a healing surge and gain temporary hit points equal to your healing surge value. Also, you gain benefits based on your Shifter subrace

Physical Characteristics

In broad strokes, shifters resemble humans with animalistic features based on their subrace. Beasthide shifters associate themselves with boars and bears, tending towards the larger end of the spectrum. Longtooth shifters have more lupine features, while Razorclaw shifters have more feline features. Swiftstride shifters tend to be leaner and smaller than others.

Shifters have similar lifespans to humans, although their more rural living means they rarely reach the upper bounds.

Background and History

Sometimes called the weretouched, most inhabitants of Khorvaire believe Shifters are the descendants of humans and lycanthropes. While lycanthropes existed in Khorvaire prior to the Kingdom of Galifar, they were not truly numerous until the beginning of the 9th century. Somewhere in this time something fundamentally changed in the curse of lycanthropy, leading to major outbreaks throughout Western Khorvaire. The Church of the Silver Flame responded en force, rallying holy armies into battle. In their zeal the Church slaughtered innocents, including many Shifters who were mistaken for true lycanthropes.

In the century that has passed since the Purges ended more moderate forces of self-reflection have gained authority in the church, but this mattered little to the shifters who joined with Reacher farmers who sought to secede from Aundair for economic reasons. Most shifter tribes have become reclusive and reject the outside world, but plenty of young shifters feel the world has moved on from the oppression of the past.

Shifter Lands

In Khorvaire the vast majority of Shifters can be found in the Eldeen Reaches, although small shifter communities exist elsewhere in the continent, typically in the wilder regions that were abandoned over the course of the Last War.

Beyond Khorvaire, tribes of Shifters live in the northmost reaches of Sarlona, outside of the Riedran Empire.

Thri-Kreen Claws

You lash out with all of your claws

Encounter Racial Power

Area, Racial

• Action: Minor
• Range: Melee close 2m
• Targets: Each enemy in range
• Attack: Strength, Dexterity, or Wisdom + 3 vs. AC
• Effect: 1d8 + Str, Dex, or Wis piercing damage.
• Special: The damage dice on this power increases to 2d8 at level 11 and to 3d8 at level 21

Physical Characteristics

A thri-kreen resembles a bipedal praying mantis. Its body’s exoskeleton is sandy yellow in color. Of the body’s six limbs, the lower two are used for walking, and the upper four end in four-fi ngered, clawlike hands. Thrikreen have large, dangerous mandibles and compound eyes. Two small antennae sprout from the tops of their heads. They wear little clothing beyond simple harnesses for carrying weapons and equipment.

Background and History

Not much is known about the history of Thri-Kreen. While explorers have found plenty of ancient colonies on Xen'drik, the lack of a written history leaves few clues except that the mantis people have lived on the continent for aeons.

Thri Kreen Lands

Thri-Kreen are native to the jungle continent of Xen'drik. In ages past they occupied what is modern day Stormreach, although why they stopped appears to have both been sudden and mysterious. Still, a small colony live underneath the city and are considered amongst the best guides to the cities subterranean layers due to their apparent immunity to the continent's notorious "Traveler's Curse".