Level Up (A5E) If Eberron was converted to A5e, would the Dragonmarks be heritage specific gifts?

Corinnguard said:

A while back I remember reading an Eberron novel where one of the characters had a Dragonmark, but wasn't a member of a Dragonmarked House. There was some speculation that their Dragonmarked parent had a relationship outside of their House. This would mean that the marks are genetic in nature, and therefore would be a Gift tied to a specific heritage. The Dragonmarked Houses would be a Culture within the setting. Hmm...would there be one Dragonmarked Culture or could there be one for each House?

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I mean, for someone who really wanted to go all-in, make the genetic parts of Dragonmarks a gift and the rest of the House aspects Culture. Then, as a player, pick both the relevant gift and culture, and you are now in as deep as you can get.

Corinnguard said:

A while back I remember reading an Eberron novel where one of the characters had a Dragonmark, but wasn't a member of a Dragonmarked House. There was some speculation that their Dragonmarked parent had a relationship outside of their House. This would mean that the marks are genetic in nature, and therefore would be a Gift tied to a specific heritage. The Dragonmarked Houses would be a Culture within the setting. Hmm...would there be one Dragonmarked Culture or could there be one for each House?

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To use BSG terms, wasn't she pretty strongly hinted at being an advanced* skinjob type warforge with her "parents" having been part of the original team unraveling the mysteries of creation forges? I can't remember her name but am pretty sure Keith has given reasons to think of it being a possability that was more than just mere hint in some of his blogposts/potcasts.

There was also a male fighter type in house D who wound up bearing an aberrant mark at some point.

*edit: by virtue of seeming to have flesh & blood rather than wood & stone

Lei d'Cannith I think this is who you might have been referring to. She considered the Warforged Ranger, Pierce, to be her brother. But that's no real indication that she could have been an advanced type of Warforged. Her abilities stem from her training as an Artificer.

VenerableBede said:

It seems everyone has already agreed on making Dragonmarks a Gift feature! I guess I'll be first voice to suggest another direction, then.
Yes, Dragonmarks are associated with certain houses and bloodlines—some of them anyway. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but someone doesn't have to be a blood member of a certain family (not in all instances, anyway) to have a Dragonmark, yes? People with specific Dragonmarks are expected to know certain people, be trained in certain things, etc. There's as much culture as genetics (if not more) involved in Dragonmarks, so I definitely imagined it fitting at least as well as a character's Culture.

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The dragonmarks themselves are semi-genetic (it's not a given that a child will have a mark even if one or both parents do, but it's likely), and provide the actual magical abilities. The dragonmarked Houses are essentially megacorps/guilds who have formed around those family lines that often possess marks, and who leverage the advantages of the marks into dominating that particular industry. One can be a member of a House without having a mark, in which case you are either doing support stuff or things that are within the House's wheelhouse without requiring an actual mark (e.g. a House of Sivis scribe that only deals with mundane documents, not speaking stones or arcane marks), and one can have a mark without being a member of a House (either because someone's been sowing wild oats, or because you've left the House for some reason).

So it would make sense to have the magical aspects of a dragonmark be part of your heritage, and the social aspects be a Dragonmarked Scion culture.

It should be noted that most industries have a lot of semi-independent actors who are licensed by guilds associated with the dragonmarked houses, but aren't part of them. House Ghallanda doesn't run every inn or tavern in Khorvaire, but they do license them to make sure they're up to certain standards. Some of these are operated independently by marked heirs, and some by unmarked people. It is a bit unclear to what degree the licensing is legally enforced, and to what degree it's just a matter of "Why would you risk going to an unlicensed inn where the beer will be watered down and you'll have bed bugs for companionship overnight.".

Corinnguard said:

A while back I remember reading an Eberron novel where one of the characters had a Dragonmark, but wasn't a member of a Dragonmarked House. There was some speculation that their Dragonmarked parent had a relationship outside of their House. This would mean that the marks are genetic in nature, and therefore would be a Gift tied to a specific heritage. The Dragonmarked Houses would be a Culture within the setting. Hmm...would there be one Dragonmarked Culture or could there be one for each House?

Click to expand...

I would create a Dragonmarked culture that's generic, like the Noble culture. You were raised in a Dragonmarked House and learned the ins-and-outs of it. It may even involve gaining a cantrip or free skill specialty to show an innate ability (which depends on your Mark). In Eberron, IIRC, however, only a percentage of people born into a Dragonmarked House actually have a mark--and sometimes, illegitimate children (or grandchildren, or great-grandchildren) born outside the House end up with a mark.

Meaning you could do both Gift and Culture. If you have both, you were likely born into the House. If you only have the Culture, you were born into the House (and therefore know people with the Gift) but don't have the talent. If you only have the Gift, then you either weren't born into/raised by the House, or you were but something else in your life was more important than House culture.

Yeah, Dragonmarked people are special, and the families that have Marks are very careful to maintain the power of their bloodline. In the past, mixed marriages resulted in Aberrant Dragonmarks with bizarre powers that caused a lot of problems for everyone. Even though a player character with an Aberrant Mark isn't really all that powerful, the stigma remains, and you can be hunted down for it.

Then there's that time a little Elf girl found herself with the Mark of Death, a Dragonmark that was supposedly wiped out of existence...

That would have been House Vol. House Vol Erandis Vol. Half-Dragon Elf.

The first time, yes. Then it happened again...

There's some nerds in this house and I like it!

This is an old thread but I was just thinking about the topic today. If the character gets their dragonmark early (before their adventuring career begins), then take a culture that provides all the powers of the mark. (Ex.
Storm culture provides sea/air vehicles prof with an expertise dice, resistance to lightning, and the gust cantrip.) If they are active in their house, take either the Noble or House Agent background.