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I have been a huge fan of Eberron since it burst onto the D&D scene back in 3.5 edition. The steampunk setting was new, a breath of fresh air into an exciting RPG system that had been around for 30 years.
Blessed of The Traveler, is a very brief publication that tries to introduce a current social issue of non-binary/transgender into the existing setting. The guide does not go into much depth in how this improves on existing material or gameplay in general.
Painting the world with a very wide brush, the guide states that Transgender people exist among all the races of Eberron, and are just that—people—with no exceptional circumstances or traditions relating to their identity. All races should have some distinct background that makes them what they are. Traditions and circumstance shapes the identity of cultures and races.
Of the races, Changelings and Shapeshifters are already ambiguous in regards to their sexuality and gender. Having the ability to be either sex it already exists in Eberron as part of the race. This was never a major selling point of Eberron. There was nothing new that really added to the existing race descriptions.
Warforged being Queer is the biggest misfit and anomaly. Warforged have no physical distinction of gender; all of them have a basically muscular, sexless body shape. In personality, some Warforged seem more masculine or feminine, but different people might judge the same Warforged in different ways. The Warforged themselves seem unconcerned with matters of gender. Trying to change the sexuality of this race severely changes an important aspect of these beings. The beings have no sexual organs and would not need to identify as bI sexual, queer or straight. It would have been better to completely leave this race out of the booklet rather than force it.
A short section on religion tries to introduce this new doctrine without any conflict whatsoever. This is totally unrealistic and would not occur in any fantasy world or setting. Conflict arrises in every culture, religion, race or belief system and it is naïve to believe this system would have no conflicts in Eberron. Unless everyone in Eberron drank the cordial, there would at least be some members to society who would have adverse feelings towards those with Queer Gender Identity. Conflict already exists within the religions in Eberron over beliefs. Saying that adding transgender elements is universally accepted just doesn’t make sense.
Page 7 states “The major faiths of Khorvaire have no strong beliefs about transgender individuals, in the same way that their doctrines don’t specifically refer to dwarves or those with green eyes; one’s gender matters less than their piety and deeds. Transgender people can be found in places of worship across the continent as members of the flock or clergy like any other.”
Eberron works with both pulp and noir themes. This publication doesn’t really add or suit either of these settings and as such, feels forced. Like trying to add an additional layer over an already finished masterpiece.
Overall I felt this guide was too forced and didn’t suit the existing world of Eberron. No doubt it will appeal to the transgender population but overall it was not well integrated into the existing Eberron setting. Perhaps it would have been better to create a new world and not attempt to introduce these elements into an existing setting.
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