D&D 5E Running Eberron in 5E

[TwoSix]

I agree to a point... however, I think basic Dragonmark House membership backgrounds are too generic to qualify as a good, encompassing background... perhaps allow dragonmark houses to be a bonus background choice. The choice to take the dragonmark feats is optional of course.

Well, ideally, I'd like to see Dragonmarks not baked into the Feat mechanics. I think backgrounds are a great place to put new mechanical customization, much as theme did midway through 4e's development.

I do agree that generic House membership is a bad idea for a background. I'd rather see a House Orien background, a House Medani background, etc, with the dragonmark mechanics for each built in. I think there's room for plenty of other backgrounds that can tie into House membership without necessarily gaining a dragonmark.

When I say add new backgrounds for Eberron, I'm thinking at least 40 to 50.

 

[Wrathamon]

Backgrounds are meant to be what you did before you became an adventurer, not a mechanic system for giving you abilities.

The most important question to ask about your background is what changed? Why did you stop doing whatever your background describes and start adventuring? — Player’s Basic Rules, pg 36.

I am not sure that Dragonmarks work as a background.

But, a Dragonmark house member background could give you benefits with that house, similar to how some of the other backgrounds give benefits when visiting a temple or military area. You could get discounts or service with the house. Really the most powerful part of being a member of a dragonmarked house. Also, not all members of the house have a dragonmarked manifested ( I think its like 80% don't), they are just part of the bloodline.

I may want to be a former House Cannith magewright as a background but not have a dragonmark, I also might want a dragonmark but be a solider in the last war before I manifested my mark.

I do believe that "Creativity" can go a long way into re-flavoring your abilities. Maybe you are a wild chaos sorcerer and all your abilities are because of your aberrant dragonmark. You dont need a "mechanic" to say you have a mark, its just how you are describing how you got your sorcerer abilities.


I do think the Feat system is a good place to start or at least how you "pay" for feats. I think an optional Eberron rule could allow for a player to trade in an ability score boost for a dragonmark feat. I could also see Dragonmarked being a subrace or subclass. Trade a feature for a feature.

I also feel that psionics fits into the feat system.

Warforged where in the playtest at one point +1 str +1 con med 30 speed, I think they got +1 ac and got trance and immunity to disease.

I think all characters should get a feat at first level to be honest, but maybe Eberron characters start off at level 4

 

[Astrosicebear]

Mechanically there seem to be two options: Backgrounds or feats. Backgrounds provide the correct pillar, but lack the balance... feats on the other hand provide the balance but disjoin the story elements. But overall i think feats are where they need to be... dragonmarks are powerful, and in line with most 5e feats (granting spells, etc.).

The other option is to make a complicated background that offers choices based on character level. For example:

Background Dragonmarked of Deneith
You gain a dragonmark of House Deneith. The mark manifests as you wish in line with the guidelines for the dragonmarks of this house. You gain advantage on all social interactions when dealing with members of House Deneith as long as your dragonmark is clearly visible. As you grow in power your dragonmark has a chance to manifest different powers. At each level of growth make a choice, once chosen it cannot be changed.

Level 1: You gain proficiency in Strength based skills, as well as proficiency with martial weapons. OR Your dragonmark manifests as a lesser mark, and you may choose 1 ability from the lesser Deneith dragonmark table.

Level 4: You gain proficiency in any 2 exotic weapons and may use the Dash, Disengage, or Dodge action once per short rest as a bonus action OR your dragonmark manifests as a lesser mark and may choose 1 ability (or add 1 ability) from the lesser Deneith dragonmark table.


etc..

 

[AverageCitizen]

I feel like feats are the way to go for dragonmarks. They are already in the system, and 5e feats are much more in line with dragon mark power levels than they were in 4e.

I am surprised that so many people are worried about first level feats. Why can't eberron just have a caveat that the DM should seriously consider giving everyone a feat at 1? 3e eberron had action points, for Pete's sake. We don't all have to play by the same rules.

 

[Wrathamon]

We don't all have to play by the same rules.

1e Darksun players started off at 3rd level and you had backup characters ready to go encase they died!

Eberron had action points is a very good point!

If you are all playing in eberron then they are all playing by the same rules, you dont need to worry about balance between players.

Encounters might need to have a CR adjustment if anything.

 

[Plaguescarred]

While I believe that there will be official support for Eberron in the new edition, I don't know when that's going to happen or how extensive it's going to be... and I know there are people who want to start playing in Eberron now. I've thrown together a few of my thoughts and suggestions on my website - hopefully they'll help!

Thanks Keith, these are sound advice, i'm a big fan of reflavoring/reskinning and while its tempting to convert older Eberron races and Dragonmark feats, it could also be served through reflavoring to some extent i agree. I also like your suggestion to explain some of your class abilities as being derived from your mark.

I heartly wish and truly hope for a Eberron 5E as its a great original and exciting setting!

 

[Gradine]

I agree that backgrounds aren't really the way to go for Dragonmarks. My preferred way to handle them mechanically is actually with sub races or racial variants. Both the Drow and the Tiefling provide solid mechanical examples of racial features that involve magical abilities that grow with level. Reskinning the Magic Initiate feat works reasonably well (and is how I would probably handle Aberrant Dragonmarks), but variant racial features is definitely how I would handle True Dragonmarks.

 

[Gradine]

Some other thoughts I've been having with regards to Eberron:

I was at first surprised about Action Points not being core to 5e, especially given the edition's fascination with handing out bonus dice to rolls instead of flat bonuses. I realize now that Inspiration fills the same niche that Action Points did in 3.5. I would suggest that DMs looking to capture that same cinematic spirit should simply seek to hand out Inspiration more often than they normally would in a typical 5e game. I wouldn't be surprised to see 5e Eberron to include rules for increasing the impact Inspiration has in game.

I've also been thinking about how I'd like to see psionics incorporated into 5e. Rather than just being slightly weirder Vancian casters, with Sorcerers and Sorcery Points as the model, I'd actually prefer to see them modeled more closely to Monks, particularly the Way of the Four Elements. Every psionic character I've used so far has been a reskinned Monk. Four Elements makes for a great Kineticist; Mind Blades work well as reflavored unarmed strikes; even the Way of Shadows stealth features can be reskinned for psionic spies (i.e. I don't just suddenly hide real well, I telepathically erase my presence from your mind). The core Monk doesn't cover every psionic archetype, obviously, but it covers a surprisingly large number of them if you squint hard enough (and maybe throw in a slightly reskinned Magic Initiate and/or Ritual Caster feats). To that end I've given Kalasthar bonus Ki, as a replacement for their usual bonus Power Points.

As for the chance in permanent magic item rarity, I've incorporated that into the current story arc; a massive Dragonshard shortage across Khorvaire had caused the three House Cannith factions to stockpile their now limited resources, shut down their forges and shutter most of their stores. This has, needless to say, had serious ramifications for the world at large, most notably a boom in the prospecting market in Xen'drik. Been a blast seeing where that storyline is going to take the party.

 

[MarkB]

Incidentally, there's already been a recent discussion about implementing dragonmarks in 5e that turned up several pretty good suggestions.

 

[Hellcow]

Warforged where in the playtest at one point +1 str +1 con med 30 speed, I think they got +1 ac and got trance and immunity to disease.

I wasn't satisfied with that initial pass at Warforged, and in addition at that time dwarves also had a +1 to AC that has since been removed, raising the question of balance. It's a viable placeholder, but I'm still considering other possibilities.