Birthmarks -- Good, Bad or Ugly?

[Nifft]

From the classic strawberry birthmark in the shape of a crown that marks certain lost scions to the mark of the beast that adorns witches of certain times & places, from the cursed mark of Caine to the blessing of a puissant 3rd nipple, cosmetic abnormalities have always meant "you're special".

In your campaign, is this "special" usually Good, Bad or just plain Ugly? Any examples?

(Note: this is intended as a NON-RELIGIOUS continuation of the Eberron / Revelations thread. I don't want to know anyone's real-world religion, but you may cite myths and superstitions -- things that no-one calls a religion anymore.)

I'm adding a Poll, too.

-- N

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

We have a member in our campaign that is the great great great great great (you get the picture) grandson of the Big Bad Evil Wizard/Lich known as the Bluestar. Surprise, the Bluestar has a big blue star over one of his eyes...

His grandson, Archonus, also has the mark.

Despite the fact that Archonus is a Lawful Good character with a thirst for justice rivaled by no one in our group, he is almost always seen by those that do not know him as Evil. The star alone is enough to strike fear into the heart of almost anyone we encounter. As such, he keeps it hidden almost all the time-- only showing it when he is TRYING to strike fear into the heart of someone.

It has caused us several problems and, in some cases dimished our credibility when dealing with various NPCs... however, it also provides an increase to intimidate.

So, his birthmark is both good, bad, and ugly.

 

[Nifft]

*bonk*

-- N

 

[Gez]

I haven't used birthmarks yet.

But if I do, it could be nearly of the poll choices, actually.

• Demons and Devils mark their worshippers: Yup. I haven't used a cabal of evil cultists yet, but a mark is always a great thing for the evil cultist. First, it can be used as a recognition tool, to avoid getting infiltrated. Second, it makes leaving the cult harder -- even if you stop going to the black mass, you'll still keep a mark telling you you're owned. Third, if you're restive, the fiend can blackmail you, or rat you out; the sign being a proof of your guilt.
• The Gods mark their chosen: I don't like predestination too much (fate is very vague IMC, and concern more populations as a whole than individuals in particular).
• Those of tainted blood show visible signs: Possible.
• Those of high birth have the marks to prove it: If I use that, the mark would rather be a family curse or blessing than a show of nobility. Which means familial marks could also exist in common families, and that they would be rare even among nobles.
• Fey often leave pesky changelings with icky marks: Could be, but I'd rather go more folkstale, and give things like duck feet or horns or other odd deformities.
• Those gifted by Nature with special powers are marked as such: See "marks imply power" below.
• Birthmarks may mean special ancestry, not necessarily special power (e.g.: rightful king, not chosen of a god): It's a bit cliché, but then again, archetypes are good. If I use that, I'd likely twist it a bit: the "rightful inheritor" would actually be a reincarnation of his ancestor, and the birthmark a side-effect of the magic used to reincarnate, or a way to retrieve the memories of the past life.
• "He's just born ugly, that's curse enough": Nothing like a good red herring. Either a mundane birthmark that superstitious folks deem supernatural; or a supernatural birthmark that dull people deem mundane.
• Power is not inherently moral -- it's the use of power that can be judged Good or Evil -- but marks still imply power: Depending on the mark, it could be. Runes of power, esoteric diagrams, and arcane symbols are a very important part of arcane magic IMC (they serve as lei-trap; the more you keep in mind, the more lei you can accumulate; and thus the more spells you can cast). Thus, having such a mark on someone could be the sign of inborn arcane power -- perhaps a side-effect of a feat like Spellcasting Prodigy.
• We use 'em, but in some way that's not represented here: No, I haven't used them.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

I have not read the thread that sparked this and I don't know if this is something Eberron specific, but in my campaign any or none of those options might apply. I do not have a specific rule about a birthmark. If a player wanted to have one, I would probably let them decide how it was reacted to by the local population in their backstory (The mother was run out of town under a hail of stones clutching the baby to her, or three wise people heard of the marked child and brought gifts). Then, I would decide, if the mark is visible, how areas travelled to respond, it will vary with the local climate (Very superstitious, very logical, stargazers, etc.) Whether or not the mark is truly a sign of some kind, well, that will be decided partly by me, and partly by the player's choices for the character. I won't railroad the player into being an object of prophecy unless it seems like it is seems it will fit the story as it develops, and the player seems to like the idea.

 

[Piratecat]

You forgot the bloodmark related to psionics that my psiwarrior is stuck with.