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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hellcow" data-source="post: 4888887" data-attributes="member: 15800">Speaking specifically to "the rules allow NPCs to have dragonmarks"... it's true. They do. They allow the DM to do whatever he wants. but it's clearly called out that this is abnormal for the setting. Looking to page 18 of the ECG:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The character might be a member of the dragonmarked house and its bloodline. The character’s race must match the bloodline of the house exactly—a half-elf who has the Mark of Shadow (an elf mark) can’t be part of the bloodline. Such a character has the most in common with NPC dragonmarked characters and seems normal to the house. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The character might be a member of a race unconnected to the dragonmarked houses... Such a mark has nothing to do with bloodline and everything to do with the touch of the Prophecy. These characters are extremely rare—It’s not recommended that you create NPCs who fall into this category unless the story of your campaign demands it.</li> </ul>It's your story. Do what you want. But it's not the default of the world. A key point here is that all 4E books are designed to be accessible to all people. Dragonmarks are a unique element of the Eberron campaign setting, but they want you to be able to say "I like those - I'll use them in my homebrew." And in your homebrew, you may decide that you want gnomes to have the Mark of Making and dwarves to have the Mark of Scribing. Within the Eberron setting, the marks are associated with the races listed on the table on page 19 of the ECG and page 21 of the EPG. A mark that clashes with these tables is, within the setting, a remarkable reflection of the Prophecy or aberrant in nature, either of which could make life difficult for the PCs. But if you simply like the concept of the Mark of Shadow and want to use it OUTSIDE the setting, there's no reason it has to be tied to elves. So. The rules allow you to do what you want. But the tables on ECG 19 and EPG 21 clearly state the way the marks manifest on NPCs in the setting and thus the way they have influenced the world to this point. The rules ALLOW you to break this restriction - but they call out that this is remarkable for the setting and discourage it for NPCs - because in doing it, you change the flavor of the setting.</blockquote>

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