What does marking a target do?

[Vanye]

For example, the 1st level cleric power Healing Strike says
"Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier radiant damage, and the target is marked until the end of your next turn."

Unfortunately (and maybe I'm just blind) I cannot find any rules for what that mark does. Can someone help me find what I'm missing? We've just started a 4E game, and so far like it, but some things are still puzzling us.

Thanks!

 

[fba827]

Marked is a condition, check PHB p277 (or whatever that magic page is with all the conditions like dazed and such).

All defender classes (fighter, paladin) get a special type of thing that goes with marking (such as the paladin's divine challenge) that does things in addition to marking. But anything that just says marked is refering to the general condition marked.

Oh, and in general, a target can only have one mark (the most recent). So your cleric's mark would get rid of the paladin or fighter's mark, etc.

 

[Caliban]

Marked is a condition, and is on the list of conditions in the combat section at the back of the Player's Handbook (sorry, can't give a page number right now - away from my books).

Basically, it meas that the target has a -2 to attack anyone other than the person who marked them. Some classes (such as fighter or paladin) have additional effects that can occur when you mark them, but that's that basic marked condition.

 

[mlangsdorf]

See the list of conditions on p 277.

"You take a -2 to attack rolls for any attack that doesn't target the creature that marked you."

 

[Staffan]

By itself, "marked" means "attacks that don't include the marker have -2 to hit." A creature can't be marked by more than one opponent, a later mark overrides an earlier one.

It is often combined with another class ability that inflicts other penalties. A fighter has Combat Challenge, which lets him get a free attack against a marked adjacent opponent who shifts or attacks someone else, and a paladin has Divine Challenge which zaps the opponent if he attacks someone else.

 

[Vanye]

Thank you, everyone. I figured I was just missing it.