The dragonmark houserules are intended to get niche 'marks out of niche territory, and make them more generally usable, or else bring them in line with my flavor-view of the marks. I'm rather proud of my generalization of the Mark of Storm benefit - now it helps any class, not just wizards, sorcerers, and swordmages.
Many of the races I have listed here have ways to get natural weapons. In standard 4e, that's not very good - without a way to enchant them, they very quickly lose their potency, and if you directly enchant them, it's very difficult to give out new weapons. So I use a Magic Item called an emblem. Basically, an emblem takes up one of the arms, neck, or head slot, and can be enchanted as a magic weapon. If you are wearing an emblem and have a natural weapon belonging to a group that could be enchanted with that enchantment, your natural weapon functions as though it were enchanted with that enchantment.
I also have a list of basic PP reskinnings, as well as very minor HRs regarding residuum and dragonshard augments.
Common, choice of one other.
Heroic Tier Feats
Persona Immersion [Changeling]
Prerequisites: Changeling
Benefit: Your bonus to bluff checks made against insight checks to see through your disguise is +10.
Disturbing Visage [Changeling]
Prerequisites: Changeling
Benefit: You may have your changeling trick power gain a range of Ranged 10. If you do, it gains the fear keyword.
Paragon Tier Feats
Improved Disturbing Visage [Changeling]
Prerequisites: Changeling, Disturbing Visage
Benefit: You may have your changeling trick power gain a range of Close burst 3, and have it target all enemies in the burst. If you do, it gains the fear keyword.
I do, however, like a lot of what you did with the dragonmarks (especially the Mark of Storm) and how shifting works. However, it seems like the shifters get a lot of miscellaneous bonuses.
Regarding your feats, I wasn't too impressed with Valenar proficiency, because I swapped the elven proficiencies in the PH with scimitars and double scimitars anyway (didn't think about falchions, though). I like that they get the increased bonuses, though.
Also, the Greensinger Druidic Initiate bonus (regen 5 + 1/2 level) looks waaaaaaaay strong, especially for a heroic feat.
I really, really like Dragonmark Adept.
Everything else looked interesting but I'm more or less ambivalent about it. Will still try these rules out later.
As for the Valenar feat, I can't really take credit for it. Someone else here on the boards suggested it, and I liked it, so BAM. In fact, a number of the non-racial feats are like that. I could swear I got the idea for dragonmarked adept somewhere on these boards...
Regarding the Greensinger druid feat, yeah, that does seem like a lot. It actually crossed my mind as I was posting it. Would 2+1/2 level be a bit much? I may just be that regen's too good to give out for a feat; in which case, what should I replace it with?
+5 to saves against being immobilized/stunned?
As for the bonus to AC; It's not really game breaking. The math for AC is exactly the same as for NADs, except for a few points higher, which the math already accounts for. Racial bonuses to AC are no different than bonuses to the other defenses (well, AC IS targeted more often, so I guess you could say you'd get more mileage out of it, but I'm not convinced it'd be drastic enough to be broken.)
As for the bonus to AC; It's not really game breaking. The math for AC is exactly the same as for NADs, except for a few points higher, which the math already accounts for. Racial bonuses to AC are no different than bonuses to the other defenses (well, AC IS targeted more often, so I guess you could say you'd get more mileage out of it, but I'm not convinced it'd be drastic enough to be broken.)
True it's not game breaking, but it is flavor breaking. If a creature whose skin is literally metal doesn't get a bonus, I don't think having lite-canthropy should get one either.
I'll be switching Razorclaw to Reflex and Longtooth to Fortitude. I'll be leaving Beasthide as AC, because I personally like that, but if you don't think that fits, Fortitude would be the obvious choice.
Persona Immersion [Changeling]
Prerequisites: Changeling
Benefit: Your bonus to bluff checks made against insight checks to see through your disguise is +10.
+10 might be a bit too much for a heroic tier feat. Skill Focus in PHB1 only gives +3 to trained skills. And, the highest bonus from a heroic tier feat I can see (looking at PHB1&2 ATM) are +4 for Improved Bull Rush and Improved Grab. A suggestion might be to possibly scale the benefits of the feat throughout the different tiers, similar to how Toughness adds health. So at 1st level you get +5 to bluff, at 11 you get +10, and at 21 you get +15 to bluff.
On another note, I was quite amazed at the lack of Changeling feats in the EPG. One heroic and one epic feat... seriously?
Also, ditto on the dearth of changeling feats. I hope that's rectified in a Dragon article.
EDIT: I forgot to mention; I made up some PPs. I'll post them if people are interested;
Master Inquisitive
Revenant Blade
Spellcarved Soldier (based on the unfinished PP in the Five Nations Paragon Paths thread)
I am going to make improved dragonmark feats for each dragonmark (including abberant) and also a siberys paragon path that gives them a mark of siberys. Do you have any ideas on that?
Also, I was thinking that while normal dragonmarks are heroic tiered, they would be equal to least dragonmarks. Lesser dragonmarks should be paragon and greater dragonmarks should be epic level. But considering Eberrons levels perhaps that could be adjusted..
Methinks the creators of 4e Eberron forget the "Baker's Dozen" rule. It's 13 planes (with Dal Quor being "lost), not 15!
I've a fairly easy house rule. Baator and the Abyss are not planes that make up my world of Eberron. Devils and demons are either from Shavarath or Khyber's depths. Angels are from Syrannia.
Methinks the creators of 4e Eberron forget the "Baker's Dozen" rule. It's 13 planes (with Dal Quor being "lost), not 15!
When I look at my EPG I see 13 planes... The abyss is a region of the chaos, with less stability than fernia or risia or kythri, it bleeds into the area around it, so it is hard to tell where the regular elemental chaos ends and the abyss begins.
Xoriat, also has been demoted/promoted from plane-hood to 'beyond' the planes.
I still see 12+1 planes there!
If you look across to page 261, Baator is mentioned in the second column, two thirds down the page. Flip over to 263, again second column, midway through the Abyss is talked about.
Long story short, 2 extra planes. At least the writing appears that way (to my eyes). So yeah, they've been Wayne's World Wiggly Fingers deconstructed into nothing ;) .
Pull open your ECG (I'm assuming you've got access to one and your DM won't slap your hand for reading it :P ) and head over to page 260. Firstly check out the rather nifty half-page picture of the various planes. You'll see Baator hiding to the left beneath Syrania (in the upper middle of the image). Next is the Abyss at the very bottom, which takes up all the flaming bottom.
If you look across to page 261, Baator is mentioned in the second column, two thirds down the page. Flip over to 263, again second column, midway through the Abyss is talked about.
Long story short, 2 extra planes. At least the writing appears that way (to my eyes). So yeah, they've been Wayne's World Wiggly Fingers deconstructed into nothing ;) .
Look at the picture though no Symboly things! therefor, not planes in the normal sense!
so, +1 Baator, -1 Xoriat, +0 Abyss = 12+1
I'd be interested in seeing your homebrewed dragonmarks - I'm in the process of making some myself - but they seem to not have survived the transition...
The d'mark info is in the first post, but it's difficult to find and to read because of the accursed lack of BBcode, So I reposted it here with the code removed. Also, I hate WYSIWYG editors.
Heroic Tier Feats
Improved Dragonmark
Prerequisite: Non-aberrant dragonmark
Benefit: You gain a +5 bonus on skill checks made when performing a ritual you gained access to through your dragonmark. Paragon Tier Feats
Dragonmarked Adept
Prerequisite: Non-aberrant dragonmark
Benefit: Choose a ritual you have mastered through your dragonmark. You may use the ritual once per day as a standard action. You must still expend components, as normal.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take this feat, choose another ritual. Dragonmarks Remove the last paragraph from all standard marks except the Mark of Scribing.
Add the following after the last paragraph of all marks;
Each dragonmark grants access to a list of rituals. A character with the appropriate dragonmark can master and perform those rituals as if they had the Ritual Caster feat, except that you do not need to keep any of those rituals in a ritual book; your dragonmark essentially is the ritual book. Additionally, you halve the component cost of any of these rituals; this halving does not stack with any other reduction in component costs.
All Dragonmarks
Arcane Mark
Mark of Detection
Divination Rituals
Banish Illusions
Eavesdropper's Foil
Scry Trap
Ward the True Name
Whispers of the Edifice
Wizard's Sight
Mark of Finding
Detect Object
Detect Secret Doors
Detect Treasure
Find the Path
Inquisitive's Eyes
Seek Rumor
Mark of Handling
Animal Friendship
Animal Mesenger
Beast Growth
Call Wilderness Guide
Speak with Nature˚
Steed Summons
˚Only with animals, not plants.
Mark of Healing
Restoration Rituals
Status
Mark of Hospitality
Create Campsite
Eye of Alarm
Fantastic Recuperation
Fastidiousness
Purify Water
Secure Shelter
Traveler's Feast
Unseen Servant
Wizard's Curtain
Mark of Making
Creation Rituals˚
Bolster Object
Make Whole
Preservation
Shrink
˚Enchant Magic Item's component cost is not reduced due to the dragonmark.
Mark of Passage
Travel Rituals
Analyze Portal
Clear the Path
Enhance Vessel
Find the Path
Passwall
Phantom Steed
Scramble Portal
Seal Portal
Signal of Pursuit
Steed Summons
Teleport Catcher
Trailblaze
Water Walk
Mark of Scribing
Amanuensis
Battlefield Elocution
Comprehend Languages
Fool's Speech˚
Magic Mouth
Planar Sending
Scribe
Secret Page
Sending
Silence
Telepathic Bond
True Sending
˚You may ignore the prerequisite and focus of this ritual.
Mark of Sentinel
Eye of Alarm
Eye of Warning
Magic Circle
Sentinel Eye
Soul Guard
Status
Mark of Shadow
Deception Rituals
Scrying Rituals
Dark Light
Knock
Masking Shroud
Secret Page
Shadow Bridge
Shadow Walk
Mark of Storm
Control Weather
Endure Elements
Enhance Vessel
Lower Water
Overland Flight
Summon Winds
Waterborn
Water Walk
Mark of Warding
Warding Rituals
Detect Treasure
Fluid Funds
Knock
Leomund's Secret Chest
Mark of Sentinel
Add the following text after the first paragraph;
Whenever one of your powers grants a bonus to a defense, increase that bonus by 1.
Mark of Shadow
Add the following text after the second paragraph;
Whenever you hit an enemy with an attack against the target's Will defense, you may slide the target one square.
You gain the prestidigitation power as an at-will power.
Mark of Storm
Replace the first paragraph with the following;
Whenever you hit an enemy with an attack that causes forced movement, you may move them one additional square
Add the following text after the second paragraph;
You may ignore difficult terrain while shifting.
Paragon Path Changes
Lyrandar Wind-Rider
Replace the Storm Adept with the following;
Storm Adept (11th Level): You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and a bonus equal to your Constitution or Charisma modifier (whichever is higher, minimum 1) to damage from powers that cause forced movement.
I swear the Dragonmarks weren't in the first post when I looked - it was much shorter than it is now, as well... probably a forum bug of some kind.
Thanks for reposting them - I like what I see but I'll come back to it. My own take was somewhat closer to the 3.5 dragonmarks.