D&D 4E Dragonmarks in 4E

I've been lurking for a long time, waiting to get 4th Edition, and I start my first 4E game next weekend. I'm planning on setting it in Eberron, in Stormreach, and there seems to be very little conversion required, as long as I avoid Druids and Psionics. However, the lack of Dragonmarks is a big problem, for me, as the houses are one of my favorite parts of the setting.

I've spent a lot of time looking around online, and have yet to track down any really good house rules for this, so I put together my own. I'd love some feedback on this, as many of the abilities didn't translate directly, and I had to try to adapt the feel of the house, rather than the specific ability. The abilities are a mix of pre-existing powers and feats, and my own inventions (especially for House Valadis). I have attached an Excel file with the kludged-together rules in it. Below are the mechanics and a couple of specific questions.

Mechanics:
Each Dragonmark requires the expenditure of two feats. There are too many feats in 4E to make a single feat expenditure balanced.

The rituals and powers associated with the dragonmarks are generally usable one time per day. If they are from the first level or two of the tier in question, or from a lower tier, they are usually usable twice per day. If they are from one of the higher levels of the tier in question, they require the use of a healing surge to activate. The casting times for the rituals remain the same; the cost is removed, but the caster must possess a dragonshard of equal value to cast the ritual. Dragonmarked houses typically charge four times the casting cost for rituals cast in this way.

Heroic Tier Feats:
Dragonmark Manifestation
Prerequisites: Must be a member of the appropriate dragonmarked race and house.
Effect: You gain a Heroic dragonmark and a feat bonus to one of your skills, depending on the dragonmark you manifest.

Heroic Mark
Prerequisite: Dragonmark Manifestation
Effect: You gain the ability to use an heroic power or ritual associated with the dragonmark of your house.

Paragon Tier Feats:
Dragonmark Boost
Prerequisite: Heroic Mark
Effect: You gain a Paragon dragonmark and you may use your heroic dragonmark ability one additional time per day. In addition, if your Heroic Mark required the use of a healing surge to activate, that requirement is removed.

Paragon Mark
Prerequisite: Dragonmark Boost
Effect: You gain access to a Paragon level ritual or power associated with your dragonmarked house.

Epic Tier Feats:
Dragonmark Mastery
Prerequisite: Paragon Mark
Effect: You gain an Epic dragonmark and you may use your Heroic and Paragon Marks one additional time per day. In addition, if your Paragon Mark required the use of a healing surge to activate, that requirement is removed.

Epic Mark
Prerequisite: Dargonmark Mastery
Effect: You gain access to an Epic level ritual or power associated with your dragonmarked house.

Questions:
Should Siberys Mark be a Paragon Path or an Epic Destiny? Could it be connected to either of those things without taking up the whole path or destiny?

Is it broken that two feats occasionally grant access to rituals or powers before the class gets them? How can I overcome this, when the original dragonmarks did the same thing?

OrienQuinn said:

I've spent a lot of time looking around online, and have yet to track down any really good house rules for this, so I put together my own. I'd love some feedback on this, as many of the abilities didn't translate directly, and I had to try to adapt the feel of the house, rather than the specific ability. The abilities are a mix of pre-existing powers and feats, and my own inventions (especially for House Valadis). I have attached an Excel file with the kludged-together rules in it. Below are the mechanics and a couple of specific questions.

Click to expand...

I disagree with your basic approach here. I think Dragonmarks ought to be done as essentially a form of multi-classing. You can a basic feat that gives you the Dragonmark skill as a trained skill (or gives you skill focus if you already have it trained) plus a per-encounter power that's roughly as powerful as an at-will ability.

Then you take Dragonmark feats that allow you to trade out Encounter, Utility, and Daily powers (depending on the feat) for special dragonmark-specific powers.

Then add in some special dragonmark rituals that can only be cast by folks with the proper dragonmark. Presto, you're done.

Questions:
Should Siberys Mark be a Paragon Path or an Epic Destiny? Could it be connected to either of those things without taking up the whole path or destiny?

Click to expand...

Epic destiny. I would make Dragonmark Heir into a paragon path. I think there's enough juice in Siberys Mark for an entire Epic Destiny, though you're really going to be developing a separate destiny for each type of dragonmark.

Is it broken that two feats occasionally grant access to rituals or powers before the class gets them? How can I overcome this, when the original dragonmarks did the same thing?

Click to expand...

Multi-classing rules. That way the marks don't suck up quite so many available feats, while still being relatively balanced.

Thanks for the ideas. I was going for more of an adaptation than a re-envisioning, but this makes sense.

Wolfwood2 said:

I disagree with your basic approach here. I think Dragonmarks ought to be done as essentially a form of multi-classing. You can a basic feat that gives you the Dragonmark skill as a trained skill (or gives you skill focus if you already have it trained) plus a per-encounter power that's roughly as powerful as an at-will ability.

Then you take Dragonmark feats that allow you to trade out Encounter, Utility, and Daily powers (depending on the feat) for special dragonmark-specific powers.

Then add in some special dragonmark rituals that can only be cast by folks with the proper dragonmark. Presto, you're done.

Click to expand...

Okay, let's try this:
Manifest Dragonmark
Prerequisites: Human. Must be a member of House Orien.

Orien: Gain Endurance as a trained skill, and access to rituals in the Travel category.

Novice Dragonmark Power
Prerequisites: Any Dragonmark feat.
(Dragonmark, Encounter)



Acoylte Dragonmark Power
Prerequisites: Novice Dragonmark Power, 11th level
(Dragonmark)
Benefit: You can swap one power you know for one of the following powers:



Ritual:
Orien Mount
Level: 1 Component cost: 10 gp
Category: Dragonmark Market Price: N/A
Time: 10 minutes Key Skill: Endurance
Duration: 12 hours
This ritual conjures a single mount, similar to a light warhorse. The horse can carry only the caster, any attempt to add another rider causes the ritual to end immediately.
Your Endurance check determines the speed at which the mount travels and whether or not it has any special movement capabilities. The mount has the special movement capabilities associated with your check result and all lower results.

Endurance check result Speed Special movement
19 or lower 10 None
20-29 12 Ignore difficult terrain
30-39 15 Move on water as if it were solid ground
40 or higher 20 Fly (up to 10 squares above ground)

Wolfwood2 said:

Epic destiny. I would make Dragonmark Heir into a paragon path. I think there's enough juice in Siberys Mark for an entire Epic Destiny, though you're really going to be developing a separate destiny for each type of dragonmark.

Click to expand...

The only problem with this is the old rule that someone with a Mark of Siberys can't have any other dragonmark. It seems like Epic Destinies are meant to grow out of the character's choices, and the Siberys Mark doesn't do that, exactly.

This is a bit more work, initially, but will end up a lot more interesting, I think. The code in this post isn't as polished as I'd like it to be, but you get the idea. Shame about that spreadsheet, though...

I disagree with the staring premise that dragonmarks need two feats to account for more feats. Because all races / classes now have more overall powers, one feat per will not break anything.

I also disagree strongly with the idea of making it a multiclass-style option. The powers of the dragonmarks are not (as a rule) combat oriented and tend to provide the equivalent of another utility power.

Those that do have combat applications (like cure light) are going to be balanced by the fact that they will be daily powers.

Overall, I don't know why this needs to be more complicated.

Oh, and Heir of Siberys would be an epic destiny IMHO. You can't get the mark until 16th level in 3e which translates to 24th level in 4e, which is only 2 levels behind when a destiny would gain its utility power.

DC

moved to 4e house rules