Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Kemmotar_veon 03-23-07, 03:46 AM	Don't hit me!!!!! *Runs for cover* ok I'm trying to take my eberron a bit overboard... so I was thinking about a new dragonmark (maybe 2) so I was wondering how did the dragonmarks were created?... how do they work in game mechanics? should I buy a kevlar for the next time i get into the boards?
Kid SixXx 03-23-07, 07:27 AM	ok I'm trying to take my eberron a bit overboard... so I was thinking about a new dragonmark (maybe 2) so I was wondering how did the dragonmarks were created?... No one knows. "The Draconic Prophecy" will hopefully remain in the Eberron Unexplained List along with what caused the Mourning and other stuff. Those details are left for you to decide. No harm in creating two more dragonmarks since it won't hurt anyone else's campaign. how do they work in game mechanics? I'm not sure if you're asking what I think you're asking. My answer to what I think you're asking is mechanically you burn a feat slot to gain a spell-like ability. There are three feats per mark in a step progression (Least-> Lesser -> Greater) & you burn feat slots to manifest the next powerful mark. You cannot manifest the Siberys version of the mark if you've already manifested the "normal" version, nor can you have more than one mark (you don't manifest a Least and Lesser mark when you have both feats: your mark becomes a Lesser mark & you get the SLA's associated with the Least and Lesser Mark.) You might also want to pick a race that you want to give the mark to & allow no one else to get it. Maybe you want to give the "Mark of Battle" to the Hobgoblins or something. There are also other fluff benefits to having a dragonmark (ie. political influence, etc). should I buy a kevlar for the next time i get into the boards? My magic 8-ball says "All signs point to yes" everytime I shake it. ;)
DragoonDarkfire 03-23-07, 11:29 AM	Some mark ideas. ___________________ - Mark of Nature - Mark of Words - Mark of Transformation - Mark of Dreams (Kalashtar prehaps) - Mark of Construct (Warforged possibly)
Magicianguy131 03-23-07, 12:43 PM	You would have to create a business that each one would belong to. :::Magicianguy131:::
Syltorian 03-23-07, 02:41 PM	You would have to create a business that each one would belong to. Regarding this... by adding these marks, do you want to have them appear now/recently, or do you want them to have been around for as long as the other marks, on average? In the latter case, they would be part of the Twelve (uhm, the Fourteen...), if only because they were pressured by the other Houses (like Medani was, apparently). It would also be difficult to find any marks that do not already exist in a way or another. In Dragoon's examples, the Mark of Nature sounds like it's going to have much in common with the Mark of Handling; that of Words with that of Scribing, and that of Construct with that of Making. The Marks usually do not step on each other toes, and do not overlap. There are rivals, but the Marks themselves are monopolies: Tharashk might rival Deneith's mercenary enerprises, but not through their Mark; they do it through relations with Droaam. Thuranni and Phiarlan are rivals, but they were the same family and share the same mark. Ironically, a Mark of Music does not yet exist, and while it would step on the business of Thuranni/Phiarlan, it would not rival the Mark of Shadows itself. I really cannot think at the moment what niche has as yet been left unexploited... With regards to the original questions: How were they created? Do you mean how they appeared in the campaign itself? Kid SiXxX pretty much said it all: people (and dragons) in Eberron would kill to find out. Or destroy entire nations, not to make any speculations here. If you mean, "how did K. Baker and J. Wyatt create them", I believe there was some discussion of that a long time ago, in the days just before Eberron was released. The Houses were, iirc, a late development to give the marks a greater influence in the setting... but indeed, Hellcow is the best to tell you about how this came about. How do they work in game-mechanics? Again Kid says it all. Compare the spell-level of the existent marks, and stay clear of damage-dealing abilities safe for the Siberys marks. Try and find "useful" abilities, rather than combat-based ones. Should you wear a kevlar outfit? I wouldn't. It's only going to make you suffer for longer... :devil:
Kemmotar_veon 03-23-07, 06:43 PM	Regarding this... by adding these marks, do you want to have them appear now/recently, or do you want them to have been around for as long as the other marks, on average? In the latter case, they would be part of the Twelve (uhm, the Fourteen...), if only because they were pressured by the other Houses (like Medani was, apparently). I want them to appear right in the 997Yk is the story motto... If you mean, "how did K. Baker and J. Wyatt create them", I believe there was some discussion of that a long time ago, in the days just before Eberron was released. The Houses were, iirc, a late development to give the marks a greater influence in the setting... but indeed, Hellcow is the best to tell you about how this came about. ok I will try to invoke the fiendish bovine to answer me... How do they work in game-mechanics? Again Kid says it all. Compare the spell-level of the existent marks, and stay clear of damage-dealing abilities safe for the Siberys marks. Try and find "useful" abilities, rather than combat-based ones. and what levels does the dragonmarks use??? how do I know that I'm not creating and overpowered mark??? Should you wear a kevlar outfit? I wouldn't. It's only going to make you suffer for longer... :devil: Glups!
Shady314 03-23-07, 06:56 PM	should I buy a kevlar for the next time i get into the boards? Oh definitely. A suit of armor to go over that wouldn't hurt either. A few bodyguards too.
Syltorian 03-23-07, 08:26 PM	I want them to appear right in the 997Yk is the story motto... As said, that would make it easier since they do not need a business. Come to think of it, one idea would be to simply make some of the aberrant marks (and their lesser and greater versions) suddenly start to function like regular ones. Some of the true marks were originally mistaken for especially common aberrant ones; Medani, for example. You'd already have some abilities in the books. But then again, they are more "powerful" since they are damaging in many cases... and balanced a bit by their requirement for a Fortitude save to avoid being dazed when you use a lesser or greater mark, which would probably not be necessary if they became a true mark. As for the spell levels: compare it to the already existing ones; the following is a rough table, and the tendency is towards the middle of each scale. Also, true dragonmarks are usually not combat spells. Beyond that, common sense and a bit of luck, as well as playtesting... Least: 0th to 2nd level; with cantrips, 2/day rather than 1/day. Lesser: 3rd to 4th level Greater: 5th to 6th level (only Lyrandar has a 7th level spell) Siberys: 7th to 9th level A few bodyguards too. But not from Deneith or Medani; they might want a say in new dragonmarks...:D
Hellcow 03-23-07, 11:43 PM	Syltorian has already covered the mechanical aspects. I'll emphasis the point that true dragonmarks are usually not combat spells; this is something that typically distinguishes aberrant marks. One of the key elements in creating the dragonmarks was determing the power each house would wield in the world. If you're introducing a new dragonmark in 997 YK, it's not going to have the power of the existing dragonmarked houses; they've had centuries to absorb business, develop proprietary techiniques, and devise dragonshard focus items to effectively harness their powers. Note that the airship was only developed in the last century. The underlying assumption is that magic is a form of science, and as such, it's as difficult to make radical advances in magic items as it is to advance other fields of science; creating a reliable flying ship is a significant challenge. So if a new dragonmark appeared tomorrow, there'd be a few factors: Dragonmarks are tied to specific bloodlines. If it only appeared on a few people, in all likelihood it would be thought to be some sort of unusual aberrant mark; it would need to be shown to breed true before many would truly accept it. It's questionable whether the Twelve would welcome it or not. It depends if the powers of the Mark threaten the monopolies of any of the existing houses. If so, it's possible that a house might actually seek to eliminate the bloodline before its existence is widely known. If the humans don't do it, the dragons might. The dragonmarks are symbols of Prophecy. Their appearance has significance, and given that the thirteen and one doctrine suggests that all dragonmarks have been seen, a new dragonmark appearing could be a cosmic aberration the dragons will seek to eliminate. On the other hand, the appearance of the dragonmark could be something engineered by either the Lords of Dust or rogue elements of the Chamber in an attempt to destabilize the Prophecy. In general, however, a newborn dragonmark would be very different from any of the others. You wouldn't have house enclaves or any of the other trappings of the modern houses. You wouldn't have specific dragonshard focus items unless you could develop them, and in the past that's been a long and involved process. You'd have people who consider you a fraud or a threat... or who want to find some way to use you. On the other hand, you might be able to find allies - as the younger houses did in the past. For all these reasons, I don't think you'll ever see a new pure dragonmark in official material. But as always, it's your world, and you should do what you need to do to make a good story.
Kemmotar_veon 03-24-07, 11:08 PM	thanks keith... it really helped me... so I will start the creation of this dragon mark soon... I will be publishing it as soon as I think I'm done with it
Werebat 03-24-07, 11:46 PM	Ironically, a Mark of Music does not yet exist, That is only because the Fraggles of Xen'Drik have not yet been discovered... :D - Ron ^*^
Highschool_Magic 03-25-07, 11:14 AM	Check out this thread about my own CHANGELING dragonmark! (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=815154) Please!!! Thank you!!! Highschool_Magic