Free aberrant dragonmark. Comments? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Free aberrant dragonmark. Comments? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Altaris
03-07-05, 04:34 PM I am probably going to do this regardless of opinions, but I am interested on hearing your thoughts, ideas, critiques. It is my intention to grant a player the Aberrant Dragonmark for free. The character is a LG human Monk named Yin.

Yin's was a family of farmers in souther Cyre. Yin's family was poor but loyal to the Cyran crown, and his parents refused to leave their ancestral home. (Even if it was just a small plot of over-used farmland.) Having been prolific during hard times, there was little food to be had. And so Yin was given to a monestary of the Sovreign Host. Several years later, the monks of said abbey decided to relocate to Aundair due to the increasing violence of the Last War. The only family member than Yin can clearly recall is his oldest sister, who cared for him and his other siblings.

Then the Day of Mourning occured and Yin's family was lost to him forever. Recently, in the vast city of Sharn, Yin has heard rumors of a woman who reminds him of his oldest sister. One of Yin's companions saw this woman who's hair color and facial features reminded said companion of Yin. This woman has distinctive eye color.

Yin is a good soul who is ridigly disciplined and sometimes morally strict. Yin is often more morally strict than the Exorcist of the Silver Flame in the group.

My goal in having an aberrant mark manifest on this young, goody-two-shoes, cloistered monk is to drive story and plot. What will Yin do with the dark and potentially corruptive powers of an Aberrant Mark?

Will he yield to the potentially madness-inducing powers? What will Yin's companions do when they find out? What will the PC Blademark of the Sharn Deneith do? What will Yin do when he's 'recruited' by House Tarkanan? What happens when he finds out that his Sister has the exact same mark, and fled to Sharn to escape persecution?

I have discussed this with the player to an extent. He is willing to take the mark, but would not have chosen it with a feat slot.

Opinions, comments, flames?

Specifically, would this be unbalancing? My other players are fine with this, as it foments plot. Also, which power should I assign to the mark?
Siduakal
03-07-05, 04:39 PM -shrug- If none of the players mind, and you want to do it. Then by all means.

As for powers, if you want it to be dark and corrupting..

Chill Touch or Burning Hands, imo.. They seem the least "Goody good" (Namely Chill Touch.. which is a necromancer spell normally)
Gunrock
03-07-05, 04:40 PM Since the goal is plot advancement, I see no problems with that part. I just want to make sure you and the player are aware that all the houses have what appears to be a "kill on sight" policy with regards to Aberrant Dragonmarks. I may be wrong on this (and even if I am it could be different in your Eberron) but that seems like a major drawback.

As for powers, the listed ones all correspond to the assorted hourses. Which one you choose seems to be based on which house you want Yin to have an ancestral connection to. Obviously it needs to be one of the Human - capable houses, but the rest depends on your plot.
Sarlax
03-07-05, 06:44 PM Since the goal is plot advancement, I see no problems with that part. I just want to make sure you and the player are aware that all the houses have what appears to be a "kill on sight" policy with regards to Aberrant Dragonmarks. I may be wrong on this (and even if I am it could be different in your Eberron) but that seems like a major drawback.
The Houses may have different policies, but it's not universal that aberrants are killed. Her name escapes me, but there is a 384 year-old (give or take) elf in Sharn who was expelled from House Phiarlan for manifesting an aberrant mark. She runs the Augury, a group of magewrights who specialize in things like Clairvoyance and Scry.

Given the Galifar Code of Justice, I don't believe that the houses or states would be able to simply execute people for having marks.
Restless
03-07-05, 07:10 PM Sounds good to me. IMO the Abbarent powers are hardly powerful enough to merit a feat slot in the first place. But that's just me.

My question ,however, is: When are we going to see new Aberrant Mark feats to improve on the powers of the old one, or a PrC to develop the power of an Aberrant Mark, if the PCs, or maybe a member of House Tarkanan, want to become like the Aberrant lords of old. I think that's an awesome idea.
Hellcow
03-07-05, 10:02 PM I just want to make sure you and the player are aware that all the houses have what appears to be a "kill on sight" policy with regards to Aberrant Dragonmarks.
Not at all - the War of the Mark was long ago. There's just a lot of bad supersitions about them. People who learn of it may treat you with fear or suspicion. Dragonmarked houses consider you tainted and would certainly sever you from the house if you were a member. But aberrants aren't killed on sight these days.
MageofMyth
03-08-05, 12:14 PM Are you giving all the other PCs a free feat, also?

If not then it is kind of unfair to the other players. But if they don’t mind then go for it.
Gunrock
03-08-05, 12:23 PM Not at all - the War of the Mark was long ago. There's just a lot of bad supersitions about them. People who learn of it may treat you with fear or suspicion. Dragonmarked houses consider you tainted and would certainly sever you from the house if you were a member. But aberrants aren't killed on sight these days.
Thanks for the clarification. And for letting me know that it did use to happen. I'm glad I'm not completely lost with regards to those.

One of these days I'll have to run a "historical Eberron" adventure / campaign, one set in some period of the past. Not that the modern Eberron isn't great (it is) but I keep noticing great adventure ideas hidden in the history. And I'm not really clever enough to get them all to work into my Eberron games.
Edymnion
03-08-05, 12:26 PM At least in the novel, an Aberrant Dragonmark is accompanied by physical deterioation, or pain while using it. Couple of NPCs are mentioned to have festering sores, or angry rashes around their mark. Others are mentioned to have terrible pain when they use the mark (one has Burning Hands as an ability, and his blood is described as being set on fire and then focused through his hands when he uses the mark, while another has Chill Touch and is said to be in terrible pain when he uses it, but not as much pain as the guy on the other end of the touch).

Especially if you are giving it out for free, up play the downsides of the mark. And remember, Aberrant Marks are seen as darkness and evil by all of the dragonmarked houses, and if they go through Sharn, you can be assured that House Tarkannan is going to be trying to get ahold of them.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Altaris 03-07-05, 04:34 PM	I am probably going to do this regardless of opinions, but I am interested on hearing your thoughts, ideas, critiques. It is my intention to grant a player the Aberrant Dragonmark for free. The character is a LG human Monk named Yin. Yin's was a family of farmers in souther Cyre. Yin's family was poor but loyal to the Cyran crown, and his parents refused to leave their ancestral home. (Even if it was just a small plot of over-used farmland.) Having been prolific during hard times, there was little food to be had. And so Yin was given to a monestary of the Sovreign Host. Several years later, the monks of said abbey decided to relocate to Aundair due to the increasing violence of the Last War. The only family member than Yin can clearly recall is his oldest sister, who cared for him and his other siblings. Then the Day of Mourning occured and Yin's family was lost to him forever. Recently, in the vast city of Sharn, Yin has heard rumors of a woman who reminds him of his oldest sister. One of Yin's companions saw this woman who's hair color and facial features reminded said companion of Yin. This woman has distinctive eye color. Yin is a good soul who is ridigly disciplined and sometimes morally strict. Yin is often more morally strict than the Exorcist of the Silver Flame in the group. My goal in having an aberrant mark manifest on this young, goody-two-shoes, cloistered monk is to drive story and plot. What will Yin do with the dark and potentially corruptive powers of an Aberrant Mark? Will he yield to the potentially madness-inducing powers? What will Yin's companions do when they find out? What will the PC Blademark of the Sharn Deneith do? What will Yin do when he's 'recruited' by House Tarkanan? What happens when he finds out that his Sister has the exact same mark, and fled to Sharn to escape persecution? I have discussed this with the player to an extent. He is willing to take the mark, but would not have chosen it with a feat slot. Opinions, comments, flames? Specifically, would this be unbalancing? My other players are fine with this, as it foments plot. Also, which power should I assign to the mark?
Siduakal 03-07-05, 04:39 PM	-shrug- If none of the players mind, and you want to do it. Then by all means. As for powers, if you want it to be dark and corrupting.. Chill Touch or Burning Hands, imo.. They seem the least "Goody good" (Namely Chill Touch.. which is a necromancer spell normally)
Gunrock 03-07-05, 04:40 PM	Since the goal is plot advancement, I see no problems with that part. I just want to make sure you and the player are aware that all the houses have what appears to be a "kill on sight" policy with regards to Aberrant Dragonmarks. I may be wrong on this (and even if I am it could be different in your Eberron) but that seems like a major drawback. As for powers, the listed ones all correspond to the assorted hourses. Which one you choose seems to be based on which house you want Yin to have an ancestral connection to. Obviously it needs to be one of the Human - capable houses, but the rest depends on your plot.
Sarlax 03-07-05, 06:44 PM	Since the goal is plot advancement, I see no problems with that part. I just want to make sure you and the player are aware that all the houses have what appears to be a "kill on sight" policy with regards to Aberrant Dragonmarks. I may be wrong on this (and even if I am it could be different in your Eberron) but that seems like a major drawback. The Houses may have different policies, but it's not universal that aberrants are killed. Her name escapes me, but there is a 384 year-old (give or take) elf in Sharn who was expelled from House Phiarlan for manifesting an aberrant mark. She runs the Augury, a group of magewrights who specialize in things like Clairvoyance and Scry. Given the Galifar Code of Justice, I don't believe that the houses or states would be able to simply execute people for having marks.
Restless 03-07-05, 07:10 PM	Sounds good to me. IMO the Abbarent powers are hardly powerful enough to merit a feat slot in the first place. But that's just me. My question ,however, is: When are we going to see new Aberrant Mark feats to improve on the powers of the old one, or a PrC to develop the power of an Aberrant Mark, if the PCs, or maybe a member of House Tarkanan, want to become like the Aberrant lords of old. I think that's an awesome idea.
Hellcow 03-07-05, 10:02 PM	I just want to make sure you and the player are aware that all the houses have what appears to be a "kill on sight" policy with regards to Aberrant Dragonmarks. Not at all - the War of the Mark was long ago. There's just a lot of bad supersitions about them. People who learn of it may treat you with fear or suspicion. Dragonmarked houses consider you tainted and would certainly sever you from the house if you were a member. But aberrants aren't killed on sight these days.
MageofMyth 03-08-05, 12:14 PM	Are you giving all the other PCs a free feat, also? If not then it is kind of unfair to the other players. But if they don’t mind then go for it.
Gunrock 03-08-05, 12:23 PM	Not at all - the War of the Mark was long ago. There's just a lot of bad supersitions about them. People who learn of it may treat you with fear or suspicion. Dragonmarked houses consider you tainted and would certainly sever you from the house if you were a member. But aberrants aren't killed on sight these days. Thanks for the clarification. And for letting me know that it did use to happen. I'm glad I'm not completely lost with regards to those. One of these days I'll have to run a "historical Eberron" adventure / campaign, one set in some period of the past. Not that the modern Eberron isn't great (it is) but I keep noticing great adventure ideas hidden in the history. And I'm not really clever enough to get them all to work into my Eberron games.
Edymnion 03-08-05, 12:26 PM	At least in the novel, an Aberrant Dragonmark is accompanied by physical deterioation, or pain while using it. Couple of NPCs are mentioned to have festering sores, or angry rashes around their mark. Others are mentioned to have terrible pain when they use the mark (one has Burning Hands as an ability, and his blood is described as being set on fire and then focused through his hands when he uses the mark, while another has Chill Touch and is said to be in terrible pain when he uses it, but not as much pain as the guy on the other end of the touch). Especially if you are giving it out for free, up play the downsides of the mark. And remember, Aberrant Marks are seen as darkness and evil by all of the dragonmarked houses, and if they go through Sharn, you can be assured that House Tarkannan is going to be trying to get ahold of them.