Musings on removing skill prerequisites for dragonmarks in E6 Eberron

[123456789blaaa]

While I like the concept of dragonmarks, the execution always seemed a little lacking. Why do the dragonmarked houses hold so much power when the abilities of their dragonmarks really aren't anything special compared to what a sorcerer or wizard can do? E6 helps with this problem by restricting the levels of spells spellcasters can gain access to but also stunts dragonmarks since the better ones require prerequisite ranks in skills that you can't take at 6th level.

I'm wondering if it might make more sense if you removed the skill prerequisites for Dragonmarks in E6 Eberron? Obviously the players would have to agree to not take them since that would make them unequal in power to the non-dragonmarked characters. Still, lesser and greater dragonmarks can give characters with NPC classes access to 4th and 5th level spells! Why does House Orien hold so much power? Because some of its members can use Overland Flight or Teleport! Why does House Cannith hold so much power? Because some of its members can use minor and major creation! The least marks are still kind of crappy but NPC's with them have he potential to get better marks. What makes this even more special is that the NPC's that have these feats don't have to be exceptional. They can take the feats while being in NPC classes and having crappy stats.

This rule also helps justify the fear of aberrant dragonmarks as well. Imagine a first level human commoner in some remote village getting the least and lesser aberrant dragonmark feats. He would be able to use Charm Person twice per day and Bestow Curse once per day. That's actually pretty scary.

And of course there are the many feats that give more uses, options, and abilities for your dragonmarks.

I'm pretty sure there are problems with this idea though. Feel free to point them out.

EDIT: I put this in Talespinning since I was primarily thinking in terms of the fluff impact on E6 Eberron. Mods, feel free to move it if you don't think it fits.

[oslecamo]

What you seem to be forgeting is that most NPCs already have crappy stats by default.

Think from the viewpoint of the inhabitants of D&D world.

Only a few peopleb out of the total population have the actual stats to make decent wizards/sorcerors.
Plus a sorceror/wizard needs years of training before they even get the first level of their spells (also known as character starting age).

Regular Eberron Dragonmarks however mean that House whatever can harness high-level spells from average people whitout needing to sink years in their training.

If anything, I always saw dragonmarks as a way you could get a bunch of level-apropriate magic whitout actually being a fullcaster.

Anyway, claiming "Low level NPCs can now get high level SLAs and you can't nyah nyah!" sounds like an horrible plan to me.

[Prime32]

Dragonmarks aren't just useful for their direct effects. There's a lot of items in Eberron which can only be used properly by someone with a dragonmark (e.g. a cheap teleportation circle powered by charges from a Mark of Travel, or the reins used to control elemental vessels). Then there's those PrCs with dragonmarks as prereqs, though they probably don't have much impact on the larger scale.

[123456789blaaa]

What you seem to be forgeting is that most NPCs already have crappy stats by default.

Think from the viewpoint of the inhabitants of D&D world.

Only a few peopleb out of the total population have the actual stats to make decent wizards/sorcerors.
Plus a sorceror/wizard needs years of training before they even get the first level of their spells (also known as character starting age).

Regular Eberron Dragonmarks however mean that House whatever can harness high-level spells from average people whitout needing to sink years in their training.

If anything, I always saw dragonmarks as a way you could get a bunch of level-apropriate magic whitout actually being a fullcaster.

To get the Lesser and Greater marks though, a character will have to be 6th and 9th level respectively. This means that in order to cater to most of the population, a significant portion of NPC's in the Houses will be 6h and 9th level (especially considering they can only use their Dragonmark powers once or twice a day). This seems a bit weird (I don't really recall seeing any statted NPC's with NPC classes in the books that are that high in level). And if the NPC's with NPC classes in the Houses are that high level than why aren't the NPC classes out of the Houses that high level? Do the ones in the Houses just work harder? 

It's not a bad option at all but I think it invalidates my idea either.

Anyway, claiming "Low level NPCs can now get high level SLAs and you can't nyah nyah!" sounds like an horrible plan to me.

I definitely wouldn't recommend springing this on an unsuspecting group. Present it to them and ask if they're okay with it. This is an idea that is intended to primarily have flavor-based impact on the setting after all.   
 
I suppose you could allow the PC's to get the feats but the group would have to be okay with the non-dragonmarked characters being less powerful than the dragonmarked ones. The ones with the dragonmarks would also have to be okay with being under the control of their House.

Dragonmarks aren't just useful for their direct effects. There's a lot of items in Eberron which can only be used properly by someone with a dragonmark (e.g. a cheap teleportation circle powered by charges from a Mark of Travel, or the reins used to control elemental vessels). Then there's those PrCs with dragonmarks as prereqs, though they probably don't have much impact on the larger scale.

Kieth Baker gave this as the explanation for the Houses prominence as well. Frankly, I personally don't like it. What's the point of even giving the dragonamrks these weak primary effects when the real power comes from the magic items that use them? It feels forced and artificial to me. Having someone use the innate power of the Mark of Travel to Teleport you somewhere just seems cooler to me than using it to power a magic item that will then take you somewhere.

[Prime32]

Dragonmarks aren't just useful for their direct effects. There's a lot of items in Eberron which can only be used properly by someone with a dragonmark (e.g. a cheap teleportation circle powered by charges from a Mark of Travel, or the reins used to control elemental vessels). Then there's those PrCs with dragonmarks as prereqs, though they probably don't have much impact on the larger scale.

Kieth Baker gave this as the explanation for the Houses prominence as well. Frankly, I personally don't like it. What's the point of even giving the dragonamrks these weak primary effects when the real power comes from the magic items that use them? It feels forced and artificial to me. Having someone use the innate power of the Mark of Travel to Teleport you somewhere just seems cooler to me than using it to power a magic item that will then take you somewhere.

Eberron magic items are designed for mass consumption, like modern technology. Having a rotating team of (Least Dragonmark) staff for your teleportation device has vastly different effects on the setting from tying everything to one powerful wizard. Among other things, anyone with the right mark can break in and hijack it.

[123456789blaaa]

Dragonmarks aren't just useful for their direct effects. There's a lot of items in Eberron which can only be used properly by someone with a dragonmark (e.g. a cheap teleportation circle powered by charges from a Mark of Travel, or the reins used to control elemental vessels). Then there's those PrCs with dragonmarks as prereqs, though they probably don't have much impact on the larger scale.

Kieth Baker gave this as the explanation for the Houses prominence as well. Frankly, I personally don't like it. What's the point of even giving the dragonamrks these weak primary effects when the real power comes from the magic items that use them? It feels forced and artificial to me. Having someone use the innate power of the Mark of Travel to Teleport you somewhere just seems cooler to me than using it to power a magic item that will then take you somewhere.

Eberron magic items are designed for mass consumption, like modern technology. Having a rotating team of (Least Dragonmark) staff for your teleportation device has vastly different effects on the setting from tying everything to one powerful wizard. Among other things, anyone with the right mark can break in and hijack it.

Who said anything about one powerful wizard? 

[linklord231]

I've never been a fan of saying "Sorry, players, this feat is NPC Only."  The fact that PCs and NPCs are built the same way using the same rules was one of the big selling points of d&d for me.  I'd be fine with taking the level requirements off, but you should let players take the Dragonmark feats too if you do that.  They still costs feats, so taking them is still a meaningful decision.

[123456789blaaa]

I've never been a fan of saying "Sorry, players, this feat is NPC Only."  The fact that PCs and NPCs are built the same way using the same rules was one of the big selling points of d&d for me.  I'd be fine with taking the level requirements off, but you should let players take the Dragonmark feats too if you do that.  They still costs feats, so taking them is still a meaningful decision.

I believe I addressed this:

I suppose you could allow the PC's to get the feats but the group would have to be okay with the non-dragonmarked characters being less powerful than the dragonmarked ones. The ones with the dragonmarks would also have to be okay with being under the control of their House.

So you can do it but the players have to be ready for the consequences.

I see the restricting of feats in this case as kind of like feats that have prerequisites that can only be taken by NPC's (like the aboleth feats in Lords of Madness).

[linklord231]

I believe I addressed this:

I suppose you could allow the PC's to get the feats but the group would have to be okay with the non-dragonmarked characters being less powerful than the dragonmarked ones. The ones with the dragonmarks would also have to be okay with being under the control of their House.

So you can do it but the players have to be ready for the consequences.

I see the restricting of feats in this case as kind of like feats that have prerequisites that can only be taken by NPC's (like the aboleth feats in Lords of Madness).

I know, I was just stating my opinion on how I personally would prefer it to be handled.  And even the Aboleth feats could be taken by PCs, if they could somehow count as being an Aboleth.