D&D Launches New Eberron-Themed Playtest With Dragonmarked Feats

The D&D design team has launched a new Unearthed Arcana playtest focused on the upcoming Eberron: Forge of the Artificer book, featuring Dragonmarked feats and a new Artificer subclass. The new packet contains rules for a Cartographer subclass for the Artificer, along with a handful of new magic item options and over 25 Dragonmarked feats. The Artificer base class rules also received a few tweaks to some of its features, with an eye towards more general versatility.

The other big feature is the new Dragonmarked feats, most of which are considered either Dragonmarked Feats or General Feats. The Dragonmarked Feats are specifically limited to Eberron campaigns and allow only one Dragonmark per character (thus preventing Warlocks from accumulating Dragonmarks). The General Feats are Greater Marks and specifically upgrade existing Dragonmarks as a requirement. It's interesting that D&D is keeping with campaign setting specific feats and feat trees, as both of these design traits were found in the Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen book.

You can check out the full playtest on D&D Beyond.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Artificer is still such a weird design. The martial ones work as hybrid casters, though Bladesinger and Blade/Valor Bards overshadow the gish, being full casters. The non-martial ones just seem weak. A few extra magic items do not make up for losing full casting. And that's all this class is really. The guy with half spells and a couple extra magic items. There's no expertise like an expert should have. Most of their features aren't actual features, they just let them use the items by exceeding attunement.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

It is about group buffs. That's what a cartographer does IRL. Makes stuff to help other people.

Cast free Fairy Fire, teleport away from opportunity attacks, and shoot a +1 crossbow with Truestrike and advantage. Healing Word when an ally goes down even in the fog.

The valor bard does basically all that on a 9 level caster chassis and hands out bardic inspiration.

 

[Parmandur]

The "alien tech" approach helps bridge the gap between "fey" magic and mundane guns. Less about spellcasting, more about eldritch technology.

I also find myself amused at the idea that everyone sees Goblins and Hobgoblins woth guns and just assumes they are Fey magic, while the Goblins keep trying to explain scientific principles and being dismissed as inscrutable Fey Folk.

 

[Parmandur]

Here is Keith's article on his blog about guns in Eberron.

Dragonmarks: Muskets in Eberron, 2024 Edition

I absolutely appreciate how chilled Baker is about Kanon: he has his own preferences and vision for Eberron, but he is always game to talk about doing things the exact opposite way at one's own table.

 

[DEFCON 1]

So Goblins are Fey. What are faerie guns like? With Goblins, what are "unseelie" guns like?

I like the dragonmarks focusing on a family. If the guns have Goblin origins, I prefer to see them an aspect of a specific faction, maybe even some kind of eldritch corporation manufacturing them.

House Cannith is the manufacturing dragonmarked house, although they most likely would not actually make firearms that shoot bullets (as others have said.) They made their money during the Last Wars creating cheap wands that standing armies would use instead (considering they had much less change of breaking and much longer ranges.)

If House Cannith was to get into the firearms game, they probably would make a deal with some of the Dhakaani goblinoids to begin working together on it. Although if you read the article Keith Baker posted that I linked to above, the goblinoid Kech Hashraac group of Dhakaani goblins would probably go into business for themselves and keep their secretive ways secret.

 

[Parmandur]

Artificer is still such a weird design. The martial ones work as hybrid casters, though Bladesinger and Blade/Valor Bards overshadow the gish, being full casters. The non-martial ones just seem weak. A few extra magic items do not make up for losing full casting. And that's all this class is really. The guy with half spells and a couple extra magic items. There's no expertise like an expert should have. Most of their features aren't actual features, they just let them use the items by exceeding attunement.

Yes, they are half-casters who get Cantrips and all sorts of bonus abilities. I think you vastly underestimate the cheesy possibilities their magic item abilities present.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I absolutely appreciate how chilled Baker is about Kanon: he has his own preferences and vision for Eberron, but he is always game to talk about doing things the exact opposite way at one's own table.

If only all players could be that level-headed about what appears in their D&D books.

 

[DragonLancer]

My homebrew world has an artifice based realm (Think Piltover from Arcane/LoL) so this will fit perfect for there. I'll ignore the Eberron specific requirements as it gives more options for the players.

 

[Remathilis]

My homebrew world has an artifice based realm (Think Piltover from Arcane/LoL) so this will fit perfect for there. I'll ignore the Eberron specific requirements as it gives more options for the players.

For what it's worth, the artificer is not listed as Eberron only. Only the dragonmarks are. They did a similar thing in Dragonlance where the backgrounds and feats were DK only, but the Lunar sorcerer was not.

Not that is matters, but just FYI

 

[DragonLancer]

For what it's worth, the artificer is not listed as Eberron only. Only the dragonmarks are. They did a similar thing in Dragonlance where the backgrounds and feats were DK only, but the Lunar sorcerer was not.

Not that is matters, but just FYI

My apologies. The Dragonmark feats were what I was referring to.

Fingers typing faster than my brain.