Mercantile Houses in Eberron?

[Hammerforge]

Here's a question for you Eberron experts out there:

The Favored In House feat prerequisite is to be a member of appropriate dragonmarked race and house. The feat itself makes you a member of one of the dragonmarked mercantile houses. There obviously is a difference between a dragonmarked house and a mercantile house, but I can't find any explanation of what that difference is. My best inference at this point is that the mercantile houses are the guilds run by the corresponding dragonmarked houses; so, for example, the mercantile house for House Tharashk is the Finders Guild, the mercantile house for House Medani is the Warning Guild, and so on.

Any thoughts?

 

[Teemu]

The dragonmarked houses are mercantile houses. The guilds are how they operate in Khorvaire.

 

[Aeric]

It's just a bit of poor wording there. Dragonmarked houses are mercantile houses; Favored In House works on anyone in that house, regardless of what their actual job is.

 

[Glyfair]

Here's a question for you Eberron experts out there:

The feat itself makes you a member of one of the dragonmarked mercantile houses. There obviously is a difference between a dragonmarked house and a mercantile house, but I can't find any explanation of what that difference is.

I think the reason they chose to word it that way was to emphasis that you don't need to have a dragonmark to take the feat. All those "Favored in House" don't necessarily have dragonmarks and all those with dragonmarks aren't necessarily "favored."

There might be non-dragonmarked mercantile houses in Eberron. However, they certainly wouldn't have any influence in the dragonmarked houses areas. They also wouldn't have the nation independent influence of those houses, either.

 

[Hammerforge]

So, for example, then I have to be a member of House Tharashk in order to be made a member of House Tharashk by the feat? Still doesn't make sense to me. If I'm already a member of House Tharashk, the benefit of becoming a member of that house is pointless. The other benefits, however, are worthwhile, i.e., the ability to call in favors. IMO, they should have made the prerequisite something besides membership in the appropriate race and house.

 

[Arc]

Just because you're a member, it doesn't necessarily equate that you'll be able to call in favors. The feat just specifies that if you're a member, then you're guaranteed favors. It has nothing to do with your status or membership.

It's confusing because it's a mechanical way of explaining a roleplaying situation. How does one balance a "favor" against a feat like Power Attack? It depends on the DM, the player, and the campaign, I suppose.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

I think the benefit discription in the table on page 48 is deceptive. To jibe with the discription on page 53 it should probably read:

Influential member of a powerful mercantile house, call in favors