Draconic ancestry (amongst other creatures) was always one of the many causes of sorcerous abilities from my understanding. I don't see much that needs to be changed fluff wise compared to the earlier editions.
Not true for Eberron. The sorcerers primarily attribute their abilities to the progenitors, not actual dragons.
Honestly I'm more curious about how the dragonborn are supposed to fit.
With a shoehorn that will become canon.
Not true for Eberron. The sorcerers primarily attribute their abilities to the progenitors, not actual dragons.
Many, although not necessarily all... and I suspect the Cosmic Magic talent from Arcane Power would be a snazzier way of invoking the Dragon Above for your sorcerous powers.
Many, although not necessarily all... and I suspect the Cosmic Magic talent from Arcane Power would be a snazzier way of invoking the Dragon Above for your sorcerous powers.
Oh, you're talking 4e. I still think of Eberron with respect for the edition for which it was written. ;) (I kid.)
Yeah, I'm not discrediting the possibility of draconic lineage for sorcerers in Eberron, but official canon does specifically dictate that sorcerers do not regard their powers as bestowed from a draconic heritage. That's the general v3.5 concept, but not in Eberron. Even kobold sorcerers in Eberron attribute the progenitors as the source of their powers.
Kobolds produce a surprising number of sorcerers, which is a phenomenon they attribute to their supposed bond to the progenitor dragons. Irvhir sorcerers typically possess spells tied to corruption and darkness, while iredar sorcerers usually have powers of defense and binding. This is not an absolute rule, and a kobold PC can take any spell that she desires. However, an iredar kobold that makes use of spells such as fear, darkness, or chilling touch may be viewed with suspicion by her companions, who see these as the powers of the Dragon Below.
PS - The Eberron Campaign Setting states the following:
In many worlds, sorcerers claim descent from dragons, insisting that the dragon blood in their veins is the source of their power. The sorcerers of Eberron likewise point to dragons as the source of their power, but they speak of cosmic dragons: Siberys, the Dragon Above; Khyber, the Dragon Below; and Eberron, the Dragon Between. They speak of dragons who have ascended to godhood: Revaillukh the Gold, Dolleirranasha the Red, Vallidarrath the Silver, and others. They point to the magical dragonmarks, and sometimes whisper about a prophecy carved in Draconic runes on the very bones of the world. Dragons are tied to the magic of the world—and sorcerers claim to wield the magic of dragons.
I don't think there's anything barring a particular sorcerer from claiming their power is due to actual draconic heritage, but I grant that they'll be the exception rather than the rule.
I think I might like the idea of using, as a rule of thumb, Cosmic Magic for sorcerers who claim Siberys as their source, Dragon Magic for sorcerers tied to Eberron, and Wild Magic for sorcerers who say they draw from Khyber. The only problem with that is that it leaves Storm Magic (the 4th option we'll supposedly see in Arcane Power) out of the loop... perhaps they could have planar ties, drawing their thunderheads and blizzards from Lamannia, Syriana, and Risia, or to stick with the dragon theme, maybe they claim some sort of connection to the blue dragons near Adar.
Aren't the Fiendish beings of Eberron supposed to be the source some Sorcerers too?
Mostly warlocks.
Draconic ancestry (amongst other creatures) was always one of the many causes of sorcerous abilities from my understanding. I don't see much that needs to be changed fluff wise compared to the earlier editions.
I'm not familiar with the current Eberron explanation, but if I were to make up my own I'd have it be something like this:
Because I might actually use it
Within the Dragons on Argonessen there are many political forces at play. From the outside the continent of course appears to be united, but within they're extremely divided. There are those who think the Dragonmarked races are going to replace the Dragons because they have failed to follow the prophecy correctly. While others believe that the other races can perhaps one day rise to become the equals of the Dragons, much like the Couatl from long ago.
Experiments begun centuries ago on Khorvaire in raising the Lizardfolk to a much greater status then their squalid lives in the swamps. Eventually the experiments were discovered and stopped. There was much debate as to whether the enhanced Lizardfolk should be destroyed. However through trickery, subterfuge and political maneuvering, the enhanced Lizardfolk managed to survive extinction. They would go on to become the Dragonborn of today.
Now today a Merchant House is experimenting on imbuing people with energies from the planes themselves (chaotic sorcerer). They are highly experimental and the experiments are kept very quiet. Although test subjects can be difficult to acquire and so sometimes people are taken and experimented upon without them realising. They are then watched from afar to see how well they survive.
One Dragon has managed to infiltrate the House and gain access to the material and notes developed in these experiments. With slight modifications, this lone dragon has begun imbuing people with his own essence before similarly releasing them, only to observe them from afar (draconic sorcerers).
Following Amaril's post I see I'm contradicting canon by having sorcery be a new thing. But I think there's more plot potential with it being new and dangerous
Experiments begun centuries ago on Khorvaire in raising the Lizardfolk to a much greater status then their squalid lives in the swamps. Eventually the experiments were discovered and stopped. There was much debate as to whether the enhanced Lizardfolk should be destroyed. However through trickery, subterfuge and political maneuvering, the enhanced Lizardfolk managed to survive extinction. They would go on to become the Dragonborn of today.
Now today a Merchant House is experimenting on imbuing people with energies from the planes themselves (chaotic sorcerer). They are highly experimental and the experiments are kept very quiet. Although test subjects can be difficult to acquire and so sometimes people are taken and experimented upon without them realising. They are then watched from afar to see how well they survive.
One Dragon has managed to infiltrate the House and gain access to the material and notes developed in these experiments. With slight modifications, this lone dragon has begun imbuing people with his own essence before similarly releasing them, only to observe them from afar (draconic sorcerers).
Following Amaril's post I see I'm contradicting canon by having sorcery be a new thing. But I think there's more plot potential with it being new and dangerous