Dragonmarked house question [Archive] - Wizards Community

Dragonmarked house question [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Dragonsbane1313
12-27-04, 04:36 PM Can you start a new character in Eberron that already belongs to a dragonmarked house? My DM says that there is a place in the ECS book that says not to let characters start as a house member (although I cant find it). Could someone help me here. It seems to me that if most of the ECS book focuses on the dragonmarked houses, you should be able to decide whether or not you start as a chracter belonging to a house. Can someone clear this up?
THANKS!
Streamweaver
12-27-04, 05:13 PM I don't know of any limitations on not starting out in a house. In fact, evidence seems to point to the contrary since the "Favored in House" feat makes you part of a Dragonmarked house and there are no limitations on the feat.

A human could easily start with Favored in House and Least Dragonmark, though the other races may have to wait until 3rd level to actually manifest the mark, anyone should be able to start out in a house.

Even if you can never manifest a mark due to your race you should be able to be a part of a house just by taking the feat.

Now that said, if the GM wants to make you earn your way toward being Favored in House then more power too him and that could definitly be an interesting character goal.
The White Sorcerer
12-27-04, 05:51 PM My DM says that there is a place in the ECS book that says not to let characters start as a house member.

Your DM is lying.
MarkB
12-27-04, 06:02 PM In fact, the reverse is true. On page 52 of the ECS, the section at the bottom of the page suggests that DMs may require players to declare any House connection they have when creating their character, even if they're not intending to immediately take a Dragonmark or Favoured in House feat - and there's similar, and more detailed, advice upon fleshing out a character's background at the start of chapter 9: An Eberron Campaign, on page 249, encouraging players to establish details such as House affiliation in order to give their character depth and plot hooks.
Ricohard_Draconis
12-27-04, 06:34 PM As Dm for our groups eberron campaign, and haveing read the ECS cover to cover several times there is nothing that says you can't start in a house.

Out of our party of four the only human, an artificer, has indeed started with the favoured in house cannith feat and the least mark of making. The others are all members of new races, shifter, changeling and warforged respectively. and have decided not to have affilitations with the houses though they could.
Dragonsbane1313
12-27-04, 08:55 PM Thanks for your imput! I do have one more question though. My DM is making our background for us! I personally do not think this is right at all. I think one of the things the creator of Eberron wanted was a world where players could come up with their own background to make it more interesting. I dont want to be "the heir to the throne" or anything outrageous like that. I just want to be a member of a dragonmarked house!!! Does anybody else have anymore imput to help my cause? :fight!:
Ricohard_Draconis
12-27-04, 09:02 PM i think the only thing that can be said is wait and see if your dm has a reason for this he might pull it off but it is very close to railroading and so you should becareful
Streamweaver
12-27-04, 09:03 PM Thanks for your imput! I do have one more question though. My DM is making our background for us! I personally do not think this is right at all. I think one of the things the creator of Eberron wanted was a world where players could come up with their own background to make it more interesting. I dont want to be "the heir to the throne" or anything outrageous like that. I just want to be a member of a dragonmarked house!!! Does anybody else have anymore imput to help my cause? :fight!:

I think right or wrong are not the correct terms to use about games. These aren't moral issues.

What you're talking about is what is fun or not fun for you and that's what you should talk to him about. Just say "listen I'd really have a lot more fun if I created my own character" and try to talk to him about it. Maybe he has some really good reasons to do this, if you have no history with the DM this could be hard but if you know each other there would be reasons you could trust him or he you (or not).

If you have a character in mind that could help you too. Tell him about your character concept and why you would enjoy it and what story possibilities exist. If you don't really have a good idea maybe you could give him a break and try his if he has a great idea.
Dragonsbane1313
12-27-04, 09:06 PM He might have something up his sleeve... but he thinks that belonging to a dragonmarked house gives you too much power in the game. I dont see why it would concidering the ECS book talks about chracters having them so much. Am I at all wrong in my reasoning?
Ricohard_Draconis
12-27-04, 09:08 PM being a member of a dragonmarked house gives you no more power than being a low ranking cleric of a church. you will get some contacts maybe a small reputation and some friends, but you also have to follow orders. Its not like your running the house. and for those contacts to have any real ingame effect you have to spen a feat.
JabBond
12-27-04, 09:35 PM I do think it's unusual for your DM to make up your backgrounds. Perhaps ask him if he just wants to adjudicate the PC's recent history, leaving the origin stuff to you and the other players.

If he does allow you to be a part of a DM'ed house, be sure to not abuse it. This may be why he is reluctant to allow it, if he expects you to flaunt your rank all over his part of the world. Or maybe he wants to do a campaign focused on the lower classes, the dirt and grime of Eberron, and not have anyone of any sort of rank?

And, you can always manifest a mark later. Maybe you were, ummm, born on the wrong side of the blanket, as it was called? :blush: illegitimate. That might be a good plot point, fighting for recognition, facing your biological father/mother, finding out why you weren't acknowledged... perhaps not ideal for planning on a prestige class like Dragonmark Heir, but it could offer some memorable roleplaying.
Gurv
12-27-04, 11:33 PM I do think it's unusual for your DM to make up your backgrounds. Perhaps ask him if he just wants to adjudicate the PC's recent history, leaving the origin stuff to you and the other players.

It sounds like this DM has plans for the characters, but isn't telling the players that. If he just came out and said "Look, I'm running a game where the characters all came from this little town that was overrun by zombies..." or something, it would be a lot easier to swallow. Maybe he doesn't realize that half the fun is making up a character's background (or maybe he enjoys it too much and doesn't know how to share!), and you should ask to be able to provide some input.

That said, it is not part of the rules to not allow dragonmarked characters. Marked members of the houses have little authority over the masses beyond being able to throw a name around. It doesn't provide much as far as legal rights goes. There are two feats (Least Dragonmark and Favored in House) which require you to be a member of the house, and nothing to say that you can not be an unmarked member if you and your DM wants. Does your DM expect that every PC member of the dragonmarked houses discovers that he was an illegitimate child of some kind?

Of course, if your DM doesn't want to allow you to start as a marked member, be thankful that he plans to allow it at all. It is a DM prerogative to remove any option in the game that he things will disrupt his game. I once had a DM who didn't allow anyone to play elves (he just wanted them to be mysterious and -remain- that way). Although buying a published setting and not allowing the introduced feats doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Dragonsbane1313 12-27-04, 04:36 PM	Can you start a new character in Eberron that already belongs to a dragonmarked house? My DM says that there is a place in the ECS book that says not to let characters start as a house member (although I cant find it). Could someone help me here. It seems to me that if most of the ECS book focuses on the dragonmarked houses, you should be able to decide whether or not you start as a chracter belonging to a house. Can someone clear this up? THANKS!
Streamweaver 12-27-04, 05:13 PM	I don't know of any limitations on not starting out in a house. In fact, evidence seems to point to the contrary since the "Favored in House" feat makes you part of a Dragonmarked house and there are no limitations on the feat. A human could easily start with Favored in House and Least Dragonmark, though the other races may have to wait until 3rd level to actually manifest the mark, anyone should be able to start out in a house. Even if you can never manifest a mark due to your race you should be able to be a part of a house just by taking the feat. Now that said, if the GM wants to make you earn your way toward being Favored in House then more power too him and that could definitly be an interesting character goal.
The White Sorcerer 12-27-04, 05:51 PM	My DM says that there is a place in the ECS book that says not to let characters start as a house member. Your DM is lying.
MarkB 12-27-04, 06:02 PM	In fact, the reverse is true. On page 52 of the ECS, the section at the bottom of the page suggests that DMs may require players to declare any House connection they have when creating their character, even if they're not intending to immediately take a Dragonmark or Favoured in House feat - and there's similar, and more detailed, advice upon fleshing out a character's background at the start of chapter 9: An Eberron Campaign, on page 249, encouraging players to establish details such as House affiliation in order to give their character depth and plot hooks.
Ricohard_Draconis 12-27-04, 06:34 PM	As Dm for our groups eberron campaign, and haveing read the ECS cover to cover several times there is nothing that says you can't start in a house. Out of our party of four the only human, an artificer, has indeed started with the favoured in house cannith feat and the least mark of making. The others are all members of new races, shifter, changeling and warforged respectively. and have decided not to have affilitations with the houses though they could.
Dragonsbane1313 12-27-04, 08:55 PM	Thanks for your imput! I do have one more question though. My DM is making our background for us! I personally do not think this is right at all. I think one of the things the creator of Eberron wanted was a world where players could come up with their own background to make it more interesting. I dont want to be "the heir to the throne" or anything outrageous like that. I just want to be a member of a dragonmarked house!!! Does anybody else have anymore imput to help my cause? :fight!:
Ricohard_Draconis 12-27-04, 09:02 PM	i think the only thing that can be said is wait and see if your dm has a reason for this he might pull it off but it is very close to railroading and so you should becareful
Streamweaver 12-27-04, 09:03 PM	Thanks for your imput! I do have one more question though. My DM is making our background for us! I personally do not think this is right at all. I think one of the things the creator of Eberron wanted was a world where players could come up with their own background to make it more interesting. I dont want to be "the heir to the throne" or anything outrageous like that. I just want to be a member of a dragonmarked house!!! Does anybody else have anymore imput to help my cause? :fight!: I think right or wrong are not the correct terms to use about games. These aren't moral issues. What you're talking about is what is fun or not fun for you and that's what you should talk to him about. Just say "listen I'd really have a lot more fun if I created my own character" and try to talk to him about it. Maybe he has some really good reasons to do this, if you have no history with the DM this could be hard but if you know each other there would be reasons you could trust him or he you (or not). If you have a character in mind that could help you too. Tell him about your character concept and why you would enjoy it and what story possibilities exist. If you don't really have a good idea maybe you could give him a break and try his if he has a great idea.
Dragonsbane1313 12-27-04, 09:06 PM	He might have something up his sleeve... but he thinks that belonging to a dragonmarked house gives you too much power in the game. I dont see why it would concidering the ECS book talks about chracters having them so much. Am I at all wrong in my reasoning?
Ricohard_Draconis 12-27-04, 09:08 PM	being a member of a dragonmarked house gives you no more power than being a low ranking cleric of a church. you will get some contacts maybe a small reputation and some friends, but you also have to follow orders. Its not like your running the house. and for those contacts to have any real ingame effect you have to spen a feat.
JabBond 12-27-04, 09:35 PM	I do think it's unusual for your DM to make up your backgrounds. Perhaps ask him if he just wants to adjudicate the PC's recent history, leaving the origin stuff to you and the other players. If he does allow you to be a part of a DM'ed house, be sure to not abuse it. This may be why he is reluctant to allow it, if he expects you to flaunt your rank all over his part of the world. Or maybe he wants to do a campaign focused on the lower classes, the dirt and grime of Eberron, and not have anyone of any sort of rank? And, you can always manifest a mark later. Maybe you were, ummm, born on the wrong side of the blanket, as it was called? :blush: illegitimate. That might be a good plot point, fighting for recognition, facing your biological father/mother, finding out why you weren't acknowledged... perhaps not ideal for planning on a prestige class like Dragonmark Heir, but it could offer some memorable roleplaying.
Gurv 12-27-04, 11:33 PM	I do think it's unusual for your DM to make up your backgrounds. Perhaps ask him if he just wants to adjudicate the PC's recent history, leaving the origin stuff to you and the other players. It sounds like this DM has plans for the characters, but isn't telling the players that. If he just came out and said "Look, I'm running a game where the characters all came from this little town that was overrun by zombies..." or something, it would be a lot easier to swallow. Maybe he doesn't realize that half the fun is making up a character's background (or maybe he enjoys it too much and doesn't know how to share!), and you should ask to be able to provide some input. That said, it is not part of the rules to not allow dragonmarked characters. Marked members of the houses have little authority over the masses beyond being able to throw a name around. It doesn't provide much as far as legal rights goes. There are two feats (Least Dragonmark and Favored in House) which require you to be a member of the house, and nothing to say that you can not be an unmarked member if you and your DM wants. Does your DM expect that every PC member of the dragonmarked houses discovers that he was an illegitimate child of some kind? Of course, if your DM doesn't want to allow you to start as a marked member, be thankful that he plans to allow it at all. It is a DM prerogative to remove any option in the game that he things will disrupt his game. I once had a DM who didn't allow anyone to play elves (he just wanted them to be mysterious and -remain- that way). Although buying a published setting and not allowing the introduced feats doesn't make a lot of sense to me.