Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Psymnotica 01-27-06, 04:32 PM	One of my players recently asked me how Arcane Signet Rings work. After I was done explaining it to him, he shook his head and said "No, how does everyone else know that the arcane rune in the signet ring is your personal mark?" I explained how each ring was specifically designed for its wearer, and only its wearer could invoke the arcane rune in the gemstone. To this he replied, "But what if someone casts a cantrip to create the illusion of a mark in the stone? And how can a guard in a town you've never been to before identify that the mark in the ring is legitamate and is yours?" To this, I told him I'd get back to him on it. So, my question is this: How do people in Dragonmarked houses verify a person's identity through an Arcane Signet Ring? Do all major house enclaves have a master list somewhere that is referenced whenever a distant cousin drops by? Any thoughts, ideas or suggestions? Psymnotica
Edymnion 01-27-06, 05:19 PM	Well, basically, its a gray area. In Faerun, there's a goddess that goes around smiting people that forge arcane marks, making them a pretty safe way of doing things. In Eberron though, an Arcane Mark is going to be more like a your signature +. Way I'd handle it is to have the guard cross-referance the arcane signet ring with your ID papers to see if they match (not foolproof, but it would be along the same line of checking your driver's liscense when you use a credit card, not that you couldn't forge both, but they back each other up, meaning you're probably who you say you are). For important areas, you could always say that its standard procedure to check in when somebody tries to enter, which means there would be a chance for them to use a sending stone to contact the nearest house enclave and ask for confirmation. After all, if you've got one of those rings, you're a bigshot in the house, and your fellow d'Whatevers would likely have heard of you before.