Okay, spoiler alert aside, I have an upcoming dilemma in my campaign. My group is still some time away from starting on the campaign story; Eyes of the Lich Queen (ELQ), but I like to stay prepared.. Anyways, I have a player who is a kobold summoner (quite a fun character) and kobolds are a dragonblooded race. Now, the ELQ's first adventure makes the heroes hunt for the Dragon's Eye which they don't find there, but instead they manifest a dragonmark.
My dilemma is thus; should I let my kobold player manifest a dragonmark? Or should I avoid it?
I have a few concerns of letting him manifest a dragonmark, the first is that it is extremely rare for dragonblooded characters to get dragonmarks (I can only think of Erandis/Lady Vol who has one) and she was the cause of a massacre because the dragons saw a huge threat and potential in a dragonblooded getting a dragonmark. Now a kobold is not so powerful dragonbloods in themselves, but they are still dragonblooded. If my kobold player manifests a dragonmark, what would the consequences of this be? Would the dragons not take a huge interest in him, maybe capture him to study him? Would they try to kill him out of fear? Or what?
Secondly, I do believe the dragons will be immensely interested in him and should he get a dragonmark, I fear my other players would feel overlooked because it is not so rare or interesting for humans/elves to manifest abarrant marks..
My concerns if I do not let him get a dragonmark; it is something that unites the group, make the group have something in common beyond comradeship. I fear he might feel left out and not a true part of the group when he is the only one who don't get a dragonmark. I might persuade him to not feel that way or give him something different later on... but still the dragonmarks would be something that the group shares...
So please help me with this, what is your thoughts on letting a kobold get a dragonmark?
Anyway, you assume that its mark will be found out by the Dragons. Is it a foregone conclusion? Couldn't the kobold try to hide it? it's not as if an aberrant dragonmark has to be very big...
aberrant dragonmarks are still dragonmarks.. just not connected to any house or family
but it's not a true dragonmark.
The other thing you can consider is not bestowing a dragonmark with a power, but a dragonmark with a more immediate curse. Remember that the curse of the Dragon's Eye is supposed to be a weapon against dragons and dragonkind. You could twist that to have a more immediate effect for any dragon or dragonblood creature in the presence of the Altar of the Dragon's Eye is more adversely affected.
I would say that the dragonmark bestowed by the Dragon's Eye is unnatural. If even warforged and shifters can manifest this mark, I see no reason why kobolds would be a problem. Incidentally, I'd think dragons with a particular interest in the Prophecy would manifest some worry, concern, or fascination about any dragonmark bestowed by the Dragon's Eye, even if the mark appears on a character from a dragonmarked race.
But how would the dragons of Argonnessen react to a dragonblood creature or dragon manifesting a mark induced by the Dragon's Eye?
One thing I recall about the module was that the Dragon's Eye didn't seem to draw any attention anyway. The would have to observe the effects before they can become aware of them, and so far the only dragon who knows about mark is Sur'kil. He might choose to keep that fact silent for the purposes of uninfluenced observation. Agents of the Chamber are known to take such actions despite what the Dragons of Argonnessen might prefer.
If you want to run it that a dragonblooded creature cannot recieve a dragonmark, it could be because dragons are the readers of the prophecy, not its canvas. If you have Magic of Eberron, you could perhaps give the Kobold character the Dragon prophesier feat instead: The dragon's eye bestows insight to the prophecy to a dragonblooded creature. This insight could tell it that it is bound together with the bearers of the new dragonmarks, and that they must stay together as a group for a required path to come to pass.
Or the dragons would not react at all to a lowly kobold developing a dragonmark, any more than they would a goblin. Bear in mind that Erandis d'Vol was not just a half-dragon bearer of a dragonmark, but a creature of vast potential, of possibly forbidden capabilities. It was perhaps the nature of her power that led to her being regarded as an abomination, not what she herself was.
I would say that the dragonmark bestowed by the Dragon's Eye is unnatural. If even warforged and shifters can manifest this mark, I see no reason why kobolds would be a problem. Incidentally, I'd think dragons with a particular interest in the Prophecy would manifest some worry, concern, or fascination about any dragonmark bestowed by the Dragon's Eye, even if the mark appears on a character from a dragonmarked race.
That was my take on it. The mark given by the Dragon's Eye is expressly 'outside the rules', as it makes no reference to non-dragonmarked-races being unable to acquire it.