| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| The Masked Mage |
Posted - 24 Feb 2013 : 09:07:11
In my ongoing effort to get caught up on 3rd/4th edition D&D material I have come across the concept of dragonmarks in Eberon books. It seems to me that converting these into a kind of magical tattoo / rune magic that must be learned and developed in stages would be a relatively easy to apply in a Realms campaign.
Has anyone tried this? Did you have success? Does anyone have any other thoughts on the idea? |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| The Masked Mage |
Posted - 03 Mar 2013 : 00:25:36
I would probably do the tie in as suggested, except I plan on having the dracorage mythal be re-created eventually... first a couple of dragons will become dragon-lords. After the elves realize history is repeating itself they get together to restore the mythal (in a different location of course - have not decided where, perhaps Maztica or Zahkhara). The mythal will have the additional measure of restricting planar dragons from Toril as demons and devils are restricted from the prime material plane (one of the dragon-lords will be a planar dragon). |
| Markustay |
Posted - 02 Mar 2013 : 18:34:45
I like all of this a lot.
I had no plans to use the 'Rage of Dragons', but connecting them to actual dragons and some recent WSE seems like a really good idea.
My own current spin (base on Arcanamach's ideas) is that they were confined to Halruaa, but are now 'popping up' elsewhere. I still need the Deus ex Machina, even if I do use a 'Rage of Dragons' tie-in. I will probably have to re-read the background of the Eberron dragonmarks again, but I'm thinking that the original Dracorage Mythal somehow stored draconic power, similar to how a capacitor works. The energies (all that pure, 'dragonyness') gets siphoned-off into the Mythal, and when the Kingkiller star came around it was released all at once (driving the Dragons into a power=mad orgy of dragon rage). Since I am not using the canon storyline, I could say that the earthly (Torillian) focus of the Mythal was some sort of uber-artifact, once stored in Halruaa, and the Halruaans have been getting a sort of 'radiation area effect' from it. Now that the device has been destroyed (By whatever - I don't even need to think about that now), those energies have been dispersed back all over Toril, the way they were during the days of the Dragon Empires.
I can even use this to explain Dragonborn as well. 
I love 'brainstorming' threads like these. |
| The Arcanamach |
Posted - 02 Mar 2013 : 17:18:17
When I say 'just starting to show up' what I really mean is in noticeable numbers. My take on it boils down to this...the dragonmarked houses required a good deal of time to solidify their hold on their continent (given the wars they fought there just wasn't enough time for a strong push into other continents in the world). Add to this that Faerun is HUGE and that it will take time to create solid inroads into the financial world of a new continent...well you get the point. Right now they Houses mainly operate in Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate (and points between) with a small presence in Cormyr and Sembia. They are also being CAREFULLY watched by the Harper, War Wizards, etc.
I also use the Birthright rules in my campaign but have yet to decide if I want the bloodlines to exist (the rules themselves still allow a half decent framework for dealing with activities on a government level). My main area of concern is 'shaking up' the Realms with all of the regicides and meshing the financial clout of the Houses with those of the Guilders from Birthright. A strict cross-over would require that the Houses answer to the Guilders (since their divine energy causes the 'common folk' to [more or less] accept their authority).
The meshing I mentioned above is another reason why I haven't fully integrated the Houses into mainland Faerun. |
| The Masked Mage |
Posted - 02 Mar 2013 : 09:08:19
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Why don't you tie it in some way with the end of the Rage of Dragons cycle. Perhaps the mythal was keeping the emergence of dragonmarks in check. Perhaps the elves created their mythal for multiple reasons, not the least of which were that it kept dragonmarks quiescent - they were a holdover from the Time of Dragons and were used by dragon rulers to both empower and control their servants. With the destruction of that mythal and warping caused by the Spellplague, dragonmarks have "bred true" and now occur in bloodlines that sported them millennia in the past.
-- George Krashos
Very creative idea George. |
| George Krashos |
Posted - 02 Mar 2013 : 09:01:09
Why don't you tie it in some way with the end of the Rage of Dragons cycle. Perhaps the mythal was keeping the emergence of dragonmarks in check. Perhaps the elves created their mythal for multiple reasons, not the least of which were that it kept dragonmarks quiescent - they were a holdover from the Time of Dragons and were used by dragon rulers to both empower and control their servants. With the destruction of that mythal and warping caused by the Spellplague, dragonmarks have "bred true" and now occur in bloodlines that sported them millennia in the past.
-- George Krashos |
| Markustay |
Posted - 01 Mar 2013 : 13:25:08
LOL - a majority of it is in my head, but for the project I am working on ATM (detailing my 'Misbegotten Realms' over on the Piazza forums), I will be finally writing down all of my thought in a coherent manner. Up until recently, I hadn't actually gamed in years, but now I am running a campaign so things have to be more 'concrete'.
Its a stepping-stone for me to finally start doing some serious work on my own setting, which I have big plans for.
On Topic:
Any good ideas on how to blend this (Dragonmarks) with other, related things, such as Spellscars? I really do like what you did Arcanamach, but I have to wonder why the 'dragomnmarks' are just staring to show up outside of Halruaa (or that other continent in your setting). I need some sort of Ex Deus Machina to provide an answer, and I am not really feeling much love for the spellplague as-is (although changing the details of it could work).
Other similar systems from other D&D worlds would be Inheritors from Mystara/Red Steel and bloodlines(?) from Birthright, as Ayrik brought up (good call). I also like what Masked Mage added with rune magic. I want to use both types - tattoos, and some form of naturally (random) occurring 'Dragonmarks' type of thing, but I also want them related. I am not sure how to blend everything together, though. My current thoughts are the 'sinister' route, which works well for Red Wizards. They find someone born with an 'Arcane mark' and they can transfer it... but it kills the victim. In fact, I can see a group (like the Thayans) 'collecting' Arcane marks in this manner, hunting down folks that bear them. The mightiest mages of that group would have a dozen or more such marks.
Hmmmm... that sounds like something I should have saved for my homebrew world. Ah well, it doesn't really fit the theme. |
| The Arcanamach |
Posted - 28 Feb 2013 : 23:33:52
Thanks for the complement Markustay. One of these days I'm going to have to bribe you into sending me all your personal campaign material...the level of detail you put in amazes me.  |
| Markustay |
Posted - 28 Feb 2013 : 23:19:41
Good stuff.
quote:
Originally posted by The Arcanamach
My homebrew is a collection of ideas from many game worlds, including Eberron. In mine the dragonmarked houses are from another continent and are just now establishing a presence in Faerun. This allows me to make use of the marks without radically altering the power structure throughout the Realms, although the marks have existed within the Realms for centuries...just not the houses. This has also allowed me to make use of the aberrant marks which are more prevalent in Faerun. As the houses establish themselves they will come into conflict with the aberrants.
I guess I should add that the aberrant marks are more prevalent in part due to the fact that many of their ancestors escaped to Faerun during the War of the Mark. As a general rule, most of them tend to be very independent in nature, often using their unique abilities as mercenaries. Very few choose to operate in numbers...a fact that can change when the time comes for the houses to move against them.
I like this a lot - I think I'll be using mine in much the same way.
My 'elsewhere' is Halruaa, but my Halruaa is a chain of islands, with five main islands (each named after one of the Five Kingdoms of Eberron). I basically squeezed most of that setting down into those islands. |
| Marc |
Posted - 25 Feb 2013 : 06:34:18
We had the option of using them in a campaign long time ago.
Asgorath the World-Shaper - Eberron-Siberis-Khyber
mark of construction - belonged to a clan from Lantan
mark of shadow - secret arcane tradition from Talfir
mark of fast travel - trading coster from Iriaebor or Westgate
half-orc mark - group of half-orcs in Vaasa who could sniff out bloodstone
hospitality mark - blessing from Cyrollale (sp?)
I don't remember all of them, the campaign was more about symbionts. |
| The Arcanamach |
Posted - 25 Feb 2013 : 02:14:25
I have those Gazeteer's (good stuff in those old tomes). Dracology+Rune Magic=Dragonmarks? Sounds like an interesting take on them to me. |
| The Masked Mage |
Posted - 25 Feb 2013 : 02:03:16
I've been thinking about making a "Knights of the Seven Secret Mysteries" class based off of the old "Seven Secret Crafts" from Galantri (that's old D&D gazetteer stuff, for those who don't go that far back). What happens when someone is a student of both Dracology and Rune Magic? Dragonmarks Methinks. |
| The Arcanamach |
Posted - 25 Feb 2013 : 00:42:36
My homebrew is a collection of ideas from many game worlds, including Eberron. In mine the dragonmarked houses are from another continent and are just now establishing a presence in Faerun. This allows me to make use of the marks without radically altering the power structure throughout the Realms, although the marks have existed within the Realms for centuries...just not the houses. This has also allowed me to make use of the aberrant marks which are more prevalent in Faerun. As the houses establish themselves they will come into conflict with the aberrants.
I guess I should add that the aberrant marks are more prevalent in part due to the fact that many of their ancestors escaped to Faerun during the War of the Mark. As a general rule, most of them tend to be very independent in nature, often using their unique abilities as mercenaries. Very few choose to operate in numbers...a fact that can change when the time comes for the houses to move against them. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 24 Feb 2013 : 20:56:10
I've never actually used Eberron's dragonmarks. Nor things like Birthright's (divine) bloodlines, the Savage Coast's legacies, Dark Sun's psionic wild talents, or the Forgotten Realms spellfire. The list of special "intrinsics" (which I don't use) could go on and on ...
My reasoning being that these gifts or curses tend to dominate the character or the campaign, especially when everybody gets one - and it's difficult to balance a group where some characters (unfairly) receive these powers/burdens while others do not. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 24 Feb 2013 : 15:19:34
Going the angle of a tattoo and feat is prolly a good way to play it. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 24 Feb 2013 : 11:32:38
In my mind, Ive placed that down in my revamped Halruaa. I like the concept, and I want it around, but I don't want to have to change great swaths of Faerūn lore to incorporate it. Beyond just knowing where they are from (in my game), I haven't gone much further then that.
I may make them more into a Tattoo thing myself - I don't care for the 'family-oriented' set-up for the guilds. I should really look at all of that again - I plan to put an airship company in Sembia and I really should link the two. |
