Abilities

32 point buy

a calculator if need be

Race

"If it exists in D&D it has a place in Eberron"

That being said, in a game set in Khorvaire, the core seven races and the four specific to Eberron are going to have the easiest time fitting in.

Otherwise, the orcs and the three varieties of goblinoid from the monster manual, the planetouched, kobolds and lizardfolk and dragonborn all are races with roots and connections in Khorvaire (if someone wants to play a dragonborn I will need to work with the player to determine how to stat that out as 3.5 doesn't have a true-breeding dragonborn)

If playing a half-elf, half-orc or warforged scout, please consult house rules

If you want something more exotic, Xen'Drik or the planes is likely where you'll be from originally, and you will be someone people gawk at.

Games set in Sarlona or elsewhere obviously might have different races (duergar, maenads, dromite, eneko and half-giant, elan, etc.)

Skills

There are too many skills, so Pathfinder's collapsing of certain skills will lead the way!

Acrobatics: Balance, Jump and Tumble
Diplomacy: now used for Gather Information
Disable Device: now used for Open Lock
Linguistics: Decipher Script, Forgery, Speak Language (note language rules)
Perception: Listen, Search and Spot
Stealth: Hide and Move Silently

Rangers gain trapfinding and Disable Device as a skill

Perception and Disable Device can still use Intelligence (only for searching with Perception) instead of their associated ability score (Wis and Dex respectively)

Skilled City-Dweller

The various wilderness-oriented skills are valuable indeed, but make less sense -- and may prove less useful -- for an urban character.

Class: Any class that has one or more of the "skills replaced," as listed below, on its list of class skills.

Level: 1st.

Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain the "skills replaced" as listed below.

Benefit: The skilled city-dweller gains one or more skills as class skills, at the expense of other skills. If she does not have the proper skill to lose, she cannot gain the skill it grants as an urban benefit.

Note that she need not swap out all these skills. A skilled city-dweller may pick and choose, but she cannot later change her mind.


House rule: Feel free to also trade the other way, Sense Motive for Survival for instance

Feats

The feats Track, Research, Investigate and Urban Tracking are all things characters can just do with enough skill. You are exceptional.

Any feat or prestige class requiring these feats no longer requires them but does require 5 ranks at least in the skill that pertains to them.

Up to two flaws are allowed but must be approved by me. Only flaws from Unearthed Arcana, Dragon Magazine or the Excoriate flaw from Dragonmarked will be considered

Class

Any base class is allowed, prestige classes are allowed on a "unless I say no" basis, and will usually be disallowed for reasons of cheese (incantrix) or because they don't fit the setting.

Numerous classes from Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms fit Eberron though, they just require working with the DM to make them fit the world

Equipment

Max starting gold for your class. Consider the upkeep rules (DMG pg 130) for a quick shorthand of how your character lives to avoid needing to spreadsheet your expenses. If that doesn't fit your gold, remember that a suitably charismatic character likely has a patron or sponsor (rules found in Cityscape, I can provide) or could have membership in a guild or dragonmarked house (whether you're family or not depends on the house)

And remember too that you'll likely make more gold once the game starts then your character's seen before. So don't sweat small details.

Higher Levels/Leveling Up

Take average for hp gained for each hit dice, use Wealth by Level if starting at a level higher than one (any adventure path that begins higher, or if you're a player coming in later to an ongoing adventure)
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:09, Tue 04 Feb 2020.