D&D 4E [Eberron] Dragonmarks in 4E

[jeffhartsell]

I'm for dragonmarks as power-swap feats. But the dragonmark heir as a paragon path is not on my list for things to do. I've always thought of the DMH as more suited to fluff and the favored in house feat. If you have a greater mark and FiH then you are an heir. The PRC was there to give you some free stuff for the concept, but it ended up not being a good trade compared to other options. The PRCs in Dragonmarked where much cooler than the DMH.

I'd rather they not try to recreate PRCs as paragon paths.

I think a beta-version of a least dragonmark can be a bonus daily utility power with skill training sinilar to the initial MC feat. Favored in House works "as is" as a feat in 4e.

The out-of-combat effects for DMs should probably be rituals.

 

[Graf]

I agree completely with OP on fluff.
Been thinking a lot about Dragonmarks myself and we do need to hack up some sort of lesser marks.
But I think the proposed system is just too complex. 4e makes thing easier/simpler. Why make Dragonmarks more complex that they were in 3.5?

Granted, this means all the basic dragonmark abilties will be fleeting, combat-useful stuff.

Respectfully, this is a terrible idea.

The most of dragonmarks were never really useful in combat. The ones that were were usually the only ones that got played, but, honestly, turning all the marks into "combat marks" is just a bad bad idea.

4e is a chance to push the rules set in the direction of matching the existing cool Eberron mindset.
There are plenty of ways, in DnD, to get awesome combat powers. Dragonmarks are interesting despite that.

I'd prefer something where the feat granted some versatility (skill bonus, right to use items/rituals, a weak power (like a cantrip) and some generally useful ability*) and the "powerful" powers (Lyrandar dropping lightning bolts or stronger healing) being separate extra feats.

*=Extra action points, for instance.

That gives you a nice solid baseline to work with. Giving everyone lots of different spell-like powers? Balance is irritating, one or two marks get great powers and everyone else is weak...


Personally I'd

• make one skill trained (or give an extra +5 bonus to it if it's already trained, so Kundarak are very good at search)
• Give a +2 at negotiation/haggling
• an appropriate cantrip
• Extra action points (1 a day?)
• right to use items/rituals

It's a good, heroic feat, but generalized. It matches the idea of merchant princes (using Prince here in a gender neutral sort of way). People won't be picking it up just because they want to teleport on the cheap.

If you want awesome powers that are outside of your role (your halfling rogue striker getting CLW three times a day?) you spend an extra feat on it. That way you can balance each spell-like ability on it's own terms.
The situation where one guy gets to teleport around and the other gets mending from the same feat and you're struggling to justify it in game balance terms goes away.

And you can make spell like abilities seriously buff for the marks that warrant it... lyrander -should- have a chance to chuck lightning bolts (very cool, very DnD).... which isn't possible now because of balance issues.

For the houses that don't have awesome powers you can work up other house specific feats. For example: Hospitality could get a feat to read people's intentions (resist combat advantage) since they've been trained by "clan assassins", without having that be the "standard issue power for the mark of hospitality".

 

[Graf]

For some inexplicable reason this thread conversation seems to be continuing here....