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# Character Creation - Dragonmarks - Eberron: Rising from the Last War - Dungeons & Dragons - Sources - D&D Beyond

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CH.1: CHARACTER CREATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CLASS: ARTIFICER
Chapter 1: Dragonmarks

A halfling healer touches a dying man; the mark on her forehead blazes with blue fire as his wounds close and vanish. A half-orc bounty hunter reaches out with the power of his mark to find his prey. A human artificer touches a creation forge, and the symbol on her hand flares as the eldritch machine rumbles to life. Each of these people possesses a dragonmark, a symbol etched on the skin in colors more vivid than any tattoo, magical power made flesh.

A dragonmark enhances the user’s ability to perform certain tasks. For example, the Mark of Making guides the hands of the smith, while the Mark of Shadows helps its bearer avoid enemies. The power of a dragonmark can also manifest in more dramatic ways. The Mark of Storms can scatter enemies with a blast of wind, while the Mark of Shadows can weave illusions.

You can’t buy or choose to develop a dragonmark; each mark is tied to bloodlines within specific species, as summarized in the Dragonmarks and Their Houses table. A dragonmark appears on a person around adolescence, though not every heir manifests the mark.

Long ago, the families that carry the marks joined together to form the dragonmarked houses. Over the course of centuries, these houses have used their gifts to establish powerful monopolies. For example, only House Lyrandar heirs with the Mark of Storms can pilot airships. This control over vital services gives the houses tremendous power.

In the past, the dragonmarked houses were held in check by the united kingdom of Galifar. But in the wake of the Last War, people wonder if any nation has the power to enforce its wishes on the houses.

All about the Houses

Every dragonmarked house has traditions and secrets. Here’s a few facts that apply to most of the houses:

Enclaves. Most dragonmarked houses maintain enclaves in major cities. These serve as strongholds and hubs for house businesses. A city may also have any number of businesses tied to the house, but these are simply providing services and don’t have any direct connection to house leadership.

Names and Ranks. Any heir of the house who develops a dragonmark is allowed to add the d’ prefix to the house name: for example, Merrix d’Cannith. Despite the Korth Edicts’ proscription against house members holding noble titles, regional leaders within the houses are called barons. Most houses are led by a matriarch or patriarch, though some are led by a council.

Emblems. Each dragonmarked house has an emblem, a distinctive symbol that features on their heraldry, official seals, crafted goods, and anything else that warrants the house’s stamp of authenticity. Each house’s emblem appears along with the related dragonmark on the following pages.

The Twelve. The Twelve is an organization that facilitates cooperation among the dragonmarked houses.

Excoriates. Excoriates are dragonmarked heirs who have been cut off from their houses.

Foundlings. Foundlings are people who have a dragonmark yet have no tie to a dragonmarked house.

Test of Siberys. Dragonmarks manifest around adolescence. Each house puts its heirs through a trial called the Test of Siberys. The specific trials vary by house, but they place the heir in circumstances where they are likely to manifest the mark, if they have it. About half of the members of a bloodline manifest the mark.

Korth Edicts. The Korth Edicts prevent the houses from owning land, holding noble titles, or maintaining military forces (with an exception for Deneith). The edicts were established when the Five Nations were united. Today, many in the houses feel the edicts have become obsolete in the wake of the Last War.

Creating a Dragonmarked Character

Dragonmarks manifest on certain members of a few species, represented in the rules by variant race options:

For humans and half-orcs, a dragonmark is a variant race that replaces traits associated with those races.
For half-elves, a dragonmark is a variant race that lets you keep some half-elf traits and replace others with the traits associated with your mark.
For dwarves, elves, gnomes, and halflings, the dragonmark replaces your subrace.

So, if you’re making an elf character, you can choose to take the Mark of Shadow instead of being a wood elf or a high elf.

There is another option related to dragonmarks if your group uses feats: the Aberrant Dragonmark feat (see below) grants potentially dangerous magical abilities. Aberrant dragonmarks aren’t tied to the dragonmark houses and can be taken by a character of any race.

Dragonmarks and Their Houses
Dragonmark	House	Race	Guild Specialties
Detection	Medani	Half-elf	Bodyguards, investigation, risk management
Finding	Tharashk	Human, half-orc	Bounty hunting, investigation, prospecting
Handling	Vadalis	Human	Animal training and breeding
Healing	Jorasco	Halfling	Healing
Hospitality	Ghallanda	Halfling	Food, lodging, urban information
Making	Cannith	Human	Manufacturing
Passage	Orien	Human	Land transportation
Scribing	Sivis	Gnome	Communication, translation, verification
Sentinel	Deneith	Human	Bodyguards, mercenaries
Shadow

Phiarlan

Thuranni

Elf

Entertainment, espionage

Entertainment, assassination

Storm	Lyrandar	Half-elf	Air and sea transportation
Warding	Kundarak	Dwarf	Banking, storage, prisons
Dragonmarks and Backgrounds

Dragonmarks are bound to certain bloodlines, and by choosing a mark, you are establishing your character’s blood connection to one of the families in the dragonmarked houses. It’s up to you to define your relationship to the house. Were you brought up in the house? Or are you independent from it? This is best represented by your background. Consider the following options:

Agent. You have a close, ongoing relationship with your house. The house agent background is a good choice if you are actively working for the house. Alternately, you could take the noble background to reflect a blood tie to the leaders of the house.

Independent Scion. You were raised or trained by the house, but you’ve kept your independence. This means you don’t have many special privileges, but you also don’t have responsibilities. Guild artisan is a good choice to reflect basic house training, but you could choose entertainer for the Mark of Shadow, sailor for the Mark of Storms, soldier for the Mark of Sentinel, sage for the Mark of Scribing, and so on.

Excoriate. When a dragonmarked heir defies their house, they might be cut off from their family. In the past, your mark would be flayed from your body. Although this mutilation is no longer practiced, such exiles are still called excoriates. If you’re an excoriate, consider what you did to deserve this punishment. Were you a criminal? A charlatan? Or perhaps a sage who engaged in forbidden research?

Foundling. Your ancestors left the house long ago. You have no ties to the house and may not have known you were connected by blood before you manifested your dragonmark. As an outlander or an urchin, you might know nothing about the houses. As an acolyte or a hermit, you could have put your faith ahead of worldly things, choosing not to pursue a connection with the houses. Whatever you decide, this is an opportunity to talk with your DM about the role you’d like the house to play in a campaign. Do you want them to be your enemy? Would you prefer to avoid them completely? Or do you want to work your way into a position of power in the house, despite being an outsider?

The Powers of the Mark

Each dragonmark grants a set of abilities that reflect the inherent powers of the mark. Your dragonmarked race gives you a set of traits derived from the magic of your mark. If you are a spellcaster, your dragonmark also fuels or channels some of your spells. Each dragonmark’s description includes a list of dragonmark spells that flow from the magic of the mark. If you play a character with the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, your dragonmark spells are added to the spell list for each of your spellcasting classes, thereby expanding the spell options available to you.

You might also consider your dragonmark the source of any or all of your spells or class features. As a cleric with the Mark of Healing, for example, you could say your mark is the sole source of the healing and supportive spells you cast, or your magic might come from a combination of your mark’s power and your faith in the gods. As a warlock, your aberrant dragonmark might actually be your fiendish patron, the source of all your magic. These descriptions add flavor to your character but don’t change your character’s abilities, beyond the dragonmark spells added to your spell list.

Over the centuries, the houses have developed tools that enhance and channel the powers of a mark, and these items (some appear in chapter 5) give the houses much of their economic power.

Dragonmark Appearance

A dragonmark appears on the skin. There are twelve known dragonmarks, each unique in design and power. A dragonmark can appear on any part of the body. One half-elf could have the Mark of Detection across an eye, while another has it in the palm of the hand. Dragonmarks appear with vivid shades of blue and purple and shimmer or even move slightly. When used, they grow warm to the touch and sometimes glow (though this doesn’t produce useful illumination). A dragonmark can’t be removed—even if a limb bearing a dragonmark is cut away, the mark eventually manifests on another part of the bearer’s body. All dragonmarks share a similar initial appearance, but a dragonmark can grow in size and complexity as a character gains levels and uses it to cast more powerful magic.

While dragonmarks share the same general appearance, your dragonmark could have a unique quality. Roll on the Dragonmark Quirks table for inspiration.

Dragonmark Quirks
d8	Quirk
1	Your dragonmark is unusually small or faint.
2	Your dragonmark is exceptionally large.
3	Your dragonmark appears somewhere else on your body whenever you finish a long rest.
4	Your dragonmark emits dim light in a 5-foot radius for 10 minutes whenever you use it.
5	Your dragonmark tingles and changes color for a moment when you’re within 10 feet of someone with the same mark.
6	When you use your dragonmark, it animates and adopts the appearance of your dragonmarked house’s emblem for 1 minute.
7	Your dragonmark is an unusual color.
8	Your dragonmark changes size whenever you use it.
MARK OF DETECTION
MARK OF FINDING
MARK OF HANDLING
MARK OF HEALING
MARK OF HOSPITALITY
MARK OF MAKING
MARK OF PASSAGE
MARK OF SCRIBING
MARK OF SENTINEL
MARK OF SHADOW
MARK OF STORM
MARK OF WARDING
The Mark of Detection

If you want a wall of muscle to get between you and a blade, go to House Deneith. If you want someone to anticipate the threat and make sure you aren’t even in the room with whoever’s holding that blade, that’s what we do.

—Baron Trelib d’Medani

The Mark of Detection is an inquisitive’s dream. It sharpens powers of observation and intuition, allowing the bearer to draw connections and interpret clues others might miss. By actively drawing on its powers, the bearer can detect poisons and study the energies of magic.

House Medani

Leader: Baron Trelib d’Medani

Headquarters: Tower of Inquisition (Wroat, Breland)

Represented by the basilisk’s eye, the Warning Guild of House Medani brokers the services of bodyguards and inquisitives. Medani advisors specialize in risk assessment and management, protecting clients from both physical and social threats. While Medani overlaps with the inquisitives of House Tharashk and the bodyguards of House Deneith, the Warning Guild specializes in subtle threats and complex mysteries. Baron Trelib manages the guild’s affairs from the Tower of Inquisition in Wroat, where the house also interrogates prisoners for King Boranel of Breland.

The members of House Medani are half-elves with deep roots in Breland. Medani has little interest in the power struggles that sometimes break out between the other dragonmarked houses. Many Medani heirs are more interested in helping their communities than in raw profit, and Medani heirs often work with local law enforcement or help those who can’t afford their services.

Variant Half-Elf: Mark of Detection

If your half-elf character has the Mark of Detection, the following traits replace the half-elf’s Ability Score Increase and Skill Versatility traits in the Player’s Handbook.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Deductive Intuition. When you make an Intelligence (Investigation) or a Wisdom (Insight) check, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check.

Magical Detection. You can cast the detect magic and detect poison and disease spells with this trait. Starting at 3rd level, you can also cast the see invisibility spell with it. Once you cast any of these spells with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells, and you don’t require material components for them.

Spells of the Mark. If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Detection Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.

Mark of Detection Spells
Spell Level	Spells
1st	detect evil and good, detect poison and disease
2nd	detect thoughts, find traps
3rd	clairvoyance, nondetection
4th	arcane eye, divination
5th	legend lore
The Mark of Finding

My ancestors used their gift to track beasts in the swamps. I use mine to find fugitives in the slums of Sharn. I’m still a hunter. I always find my mark.

—Hondar’Aashta, Tharashk bounty hunter

The Mark of Finding sharpens the senses, guiding the hunter to prey. Alone among the dragonmarks, the Mark of Finding is carried by two races: humans and half-orcs. It first appeared in the Shadow Marches, where clan hunters used it to find their prey.

House Tharashk

Leader: The Triumvirate (Maagrim Torrn, Khandar’aashta, and Daric Velderan)

Headquarters: Zarash’ak, Shadow Marches

House Tharashk traditionally licenses inquisitives and bounty hunters. Recently the house’s Finder’s Guild has expanded into dragonshard prospecting. As dragonshards are the lifeblood of the magical economy, the house’s talent has given them new wealth and influence.

Tharashk is the youngest of the dragonmarked houses and hasn’t embraced all the customs of the others. The distinct clans that united to form the house remain important, and heirs of the family usually retain their family names rather than adopting “d’Tharashk” as tradition dictates. Each of the three major clans—the Aashta, the Torrn, and the Velderan—has a representative on the Triumvirate that governs the house, and the city of Zarash’ak in the Shadow Marches. Together, they stand as one under the emblem of the dragonne (a lion-dragon hybrid).

Variant Half-Orc or Human: Mark of Finding

If your half-orc or human character has the Mark of Finding, the following traits replace the character’s racial traits in the Player’s Handbook, aside from age, alignment, size, and speed.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.

Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Hunter’s Intuition. When you make a Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) check, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check.

Finder’s Magic. You can cast the hunter’s mark spell with this trait. Starting at 3rd level, you can also cast the locate object spell with it. Once you cast either spell with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Goblin.

Spells of the Mark. If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Finding Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.

Mark of Finding Spells
Spell Level	Spells
1st	faerie fire, longstrider
2nd	locate animals or plants, locate object
3rd	clairvoyance, speak with plants
4th	divination, locate creature
5th	commune with nature
The Mark of Handling

Don’t get sentimental. A beast is a tool. Our role is to find the right tool for the task and to make sure they’re of the finest quality. Nature is our kingdom; never forget that we were born to rule it.

—Dalin d’Vadalis

The Mark of Handling gives its bearer a primal connection to beasts and the natural world, granting the power to calm and coax. This extends beyond purely natural animals; the mark allows its bearer to guide a hippogriff as easily as a horse.

House Vadalis

Leader: Dalin d’Vadalis

Headquarters: Foalswood (near Varna, Eldeen Reaches)

Represented by the hippogriff, House Vadalis plays an important role in daily life, offering meat, mounts, and more. Vadalis isn’t one of the most powerful houses, but its barons are generally content; they’re more interested in discovering new monstrosities than engaging in politics. The current head of the house, Dalin d’Vadalis, disdains the use of a title and has no aspirations to nobility or greatness for himself or his house.

House Vadalis breeds and trains beasts for a wide range of purposes. While the house maintains vast cattle ranches and trains horses and hounds, the Mark of Handling allows Vadalis to work with more exotic creatures as well. Griffons, hippogriffs, and even bulettes can be bred and trained. Even with the Mark of Handling, this is dangerous work; there’s a lot of turnover at the bulette ranch. But these exotic creatures aren’t enough to satisfy the most innovative members of the house, leading to the practice of magebreeding. Using dragonshard focus items, Vadalis has found ways to create magical creatures. Typically, this results in a superior version of a creature—an animal that is stronger, faster, and smarter. But rumors claim that Vadalis has crafted monsters of its own. Some rumors even insist that Vadalis is trying to magebreed better humans.

Variant Human: Mark of Handling

If your human character has the Mark of Handling, the following traits replace the human’s Ability Score Increase trait in the Player’s Handbook.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Wild Intuition. When you make a Wisdom (Animal Handling) or Intelligence (Nature) check, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check.

Primal Connection. You can cast the animal friendship and speak with animals spells with this trait, requiring no material component. Once you cast either spell with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a short or long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

The Bigger They Are. Starting at 3rd level, you can target a beast or monstrosity when you cast animal friendship or speak with animals, provided the creature’s Intelligence score is 3 or lower.

Spells of the Mark. If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Handling Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.

Mark of Handling Spells
Spell Level	Spells
1st	animal friendship, speak with animals
2nd	beast sense, calm emotions
3rd	beacon of hope, conjure animals
4th	aura of life, dominate beast
5th	awaken
The Mark of Healing

What’s the price of a life? Well, I’ve got a rate sheet right over here. I’d be happy to discuss it.

—Bessi d’Jorasco, Fairhaven healer

A halfling with the Mark of Healing can save a life with a touch, restoring vitality and the will to live. When dealing with mundane medicine, the mark helps its bearer sense the nature of maladies, aiding them in finding a cure. When equipped with dragonshard focus items, the mark can even draw the dead back from the depths of Dolurrh.

House Jorasco

Leader: Ulara d’Jorasco

Headquarters: Vedkyar Enclave (Vedykar, Karrnath)

The Healer’s Guild provides a vital service to Khorvaire, and the Last War ensured there was great need for healers. The leader of the guild, Baron Ulara d’Jorasco, is much beloved in northwestern Khorvaire for her instrumental role in combating an epidemic in that region a decade ago, and Jorasco medics served in every nation’s army during the war.

The guild runs schools that teach medicine, as well as houses of healing that provide both mundane and magical services. If it could save a life, it’s probably marked by the House Jorasco griffon emblem, and it will come with a cost. If you have the gold, Jorasco healers can remove a disease instantly with lesser restoration. If you can’t afford such a service, they will treat you with mundane techniques. House Jorasco is also the source of potions of healing. While many criticize Jorasco’s demands for payment, the house maintains that it’s not about greed; it’s about ensuring the prosperity of the house, so they can continue to help future generations.

While the public face of Jorasco is that of the healer, there are rumors that the house engaged in disturbing experiments during the Last War, working with House Vadalis to develop biological weapons and new creatures. A Jorasco heir has to decide if they want to investigate these rumors.

Halfling Subrace: Mark of Healing

If you’re a halfling with the Mark of Healing, you have this subrace, with the following traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Medical Intuition. When you make a Wisdom (Medicine) check or an ability check using an herbalism kit, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check.

Healing Touch. You can cast the cure wounds spell with this trait. Starting at 3rd level, you can also cast lesser restoration with it. Once you cast either spell with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Spells of the Mark. If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Healing Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.

Mark of Healing Spells
Spell Level	Spells
1st	cure wounds, healing word
2nd	lesser restoration, prayer of healing
3rd	aura of vitality, mass healing word
4th	aura of purity, aura of life
5th	greater restoration
The Mark of Hospitality
[s3compimg]erftlw/gUpzMxoSIpzODWEG/02-021.hospitality.png ;left;280[/s3compimg]

Welcome, welcome! So good to see you again. Let me get your drink—blackroot tal with honey, yes? And then you have to listen to this story I’ve heard about the strange things going on in the Cogs.

—Alara d’Ghallanda, halfling bartender

They may not always have gold, but a halfling with the Mark of Hospitality is sure to be rich in friends. The magic of the mark allows the bearer to keep a place clean, and to heat, chill, and season food. But it also helps the bearer connect with others.

House Ghallanda

Leader: Yoren d’Ghallanda

Headquarters: Gatherhold (Talenta Plains)

The majority of inns, taverns, and restaurants in the Five Nations are either directly owned by House Ghallanda or licensed by its Hosteler’s Guild. Most people give little thought to House Ghallanda; when compared to the soldiers of House Deneith and the factories of House Cannith, an alliance of innkeepers seems harmless and inconsequential. But Ghallanda’s strength lies in charm and connections. A Ghallanda innkeeper hears many things—if you want to know what’s really going on in a community, talk to the halfling bartender. The leaders of House Ghallanda don’t sell information; they prefer to build friendship and deal in favors. But should a Ghallanda baron ever truly need something, they likely have a favor they can call in.

Ghallanda has a number of “bound businesses”—franchises run directly by the house. The Gold Dragon Inn is such a business, with Gold Dragon Inns being found in every major city, each serving a familiar menu and providing similar services. But many Ghallanda heirs take pride in creating their own unique businesses. There are also many independent restaurants, inns, and taverns licensed by House Ghallanda. The blink dog emblem is an assurance that a locale meets Ghallanda standards of health and quality—but not every inn is run by a halfling.

House Ghallanda’s mandate extends beyond providing creature comforts to travelers. Every one of the house’s enclaves—which are more numerous than those of any other dragonmarked house—is a sanctuary beyond the legal reach of any government or dragonmarked house. Baron Yoren and his daughter Chervina have greatly expanded the house’s presence even in remote areas such as the edge of the Demon Wastes, guided by their study of the Draconic Prophecy.

Halfling Subrace: Mark of Hospitality

If you’re a halfling with the Mark of Hospitality, you have this subrace, with the following traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.

Ever Hospitable. When you make a Charisma (Persuasion) check or an ability check involving brewer’s supplies or cook’s utensils, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check.

Innkeeper’s Magic. You know the prestidigitation cantrip. You can also cast the purify food and drink and unseen servant spells with this trait. Once you cast either spell with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Spells of the Mark. If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Hospitality Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.

Mark of Hospitality Spells
Spell Level	Spells
1st	goodberry, sleep
2nd	aid, calm emotions
3rd	create food and water, Leomund’s tiny hut
4th	aura of purity, Mordenkainen’s private sanctum
5th	hallow
The Mark of Making

My house built the modern world. Orien may drive the lightning rail, but it’s Cannith who builds the cars and lays the stones it travels on. Cannith makes the everbright lanterns hold the night at bay. Smith, carpenter, alchemist—the best all carry my seal.

—Baron Merrix d’Cannith

The Mark of Making guides its bearer through any act of creation. The bearer of the mark can mend broken things with a touch, and always has a minor magic item they’ve been working on. An artificer or a wizard will get the most out of the mark, but anyone can find a use for an enchanted blade.

House Cannith

Leaders: Cannith East, Zorlan d’Cannith; Cannith West, Jorlanna d’Cannith; Cannith South, Merrix d’Cannith

Headquarters: Cannith East, Korth Enclave (Karrnath); Cannith West, Aundair Enclave (near Fairhaven, Aundair); Cannith South, Cannith Tower (Sharn, Breland)

House Cannith dominates all forms of manufacturing, both mystical and mundane. Gorgon-marked Cannith forgeholds use streamlined forms of production to quickly produce common goods. Even independent artisans often learn their trade at Cannith academies and adhere to Cannith standards. The House of Making builds the tools the other houses rely upon, and it has always been the unspoken leader of the Twelve.

The Last War was a time of great opportunity for Cannith. Every nation wanted weapons and warforged, along with mundane arms and armor. The war raised the house up, and then tore it down. House Cannith was based in Cyre, and the Mourning destroyed the house leadership and key facilities. Now three barons jockey to fill the leadership vacuum: the alchemist Jorlanna of Fairhaven, weaponsmith Zorlan of Korth, and Merrix of Sharn, innovator of warforged. It remains to be seen whether one of these leaders will unite the house, or if it will shatter under the strain. If you’re an heir of House Cannith, you should decide which of these barons you serve or if you have other ideas about the house’s future.

Variant Human: Mark of Making

If your human character has the Mark of Making, the following traits replace the human’s Ability Score Increase trait in the Player’s Handbook.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Artisan’s Intuition. When you make an Arcana check or an ability check involving artisan’s tools, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check.

Maker’s Gift. You gain proficiency with one type of artisan’s tools of your choice.

Spellsmith. You know the mending cantrip. You can also cast the magic weapon spell with this trait. When you do so, the spell lasts for 1 hour and doesn’t require concentration. Once you cast the spell with this trait, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Spells of the Mark. If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Making Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.

Mark of Making Spells
Spell Level	Spells
1st	identify, Tenser’s floating disk
2nd	continual flame, magic weapon
3rd	conjure barrage, elemental weapon
4th	fabricate, stone shape
5th	creation
The Mark of Passage

We get things where they need to go. It doesn’t matter if it’s a letter, a person, or a hundred tons of steel. Whether we have to cross mountains, rivers, or the Mournland itself, Orien finds a way.

—Bali d’Orien, veteran courier

The Mark of Passage governs motion, allowing its bearer to move with uncanny speed. The bearer of the mark can even slip through space in the blink of an eye.

House Orien

Leader: Kwanti d’Orien

Headquarters: Journey’s Home (Passage, Aundair)

The House of Passage manages land transportation. The lightning rail is the house’s most dramatic tool, but Orien also runs caravans and coaches across the length of Khorvaire. Dragonshard focus items ensure that the fastest vehicles are those driven by heirs with the Mark of Passage, but the house also licenses unmarked teamsters. The Courier’s Guild of House Orien delivers mail and packages and has a branch that handles more covert and dangerous deliveries.

Orien has dominated transportation for centuries, but now the house is facing challenges. The Mournland is a dramatic obstacle for ground transportation, and Baron Kwanti d’Orien has had tremendous difficulty securing funds to rebuild the lightning rail line across the blasted landscape. Indeed, he spends most of his time away from his headquarters in Aundair, trying to raise funds for the project while keeping an eye on house operations. He travels across western Khorvaire in his personal lightning rail coach, the Silver Unicorn—a reference to the house’s unicorn emblem.

House Orien’s problems don’t end with the Mournland, though. The expanding role of Lyrandar airships threatens the house’s business. Baron Kwanti would like to be able to offer more instantaneous transportation, but long-distance teleportation is a service only the strongest Orien dragonmarks can provide. So the house is working with House Cannith in an effort to unlock and enhance this gift of the Mark of Passage. Orien heirs might be caught up in these experiments or in the rivalry with House Lyrandar.

Variant Human: Mark of Passage

If your human character has the Mark of Passage, the following traits replace the human’s Ability Score Increase trait in the Player’s Handbook.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Courier’s Speed. Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet.

Intuitive Motion. When you make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check or any ability check to operate or maintain a land vehicle, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check.

Magical Passage. You can cast the misty step spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to cast it when you finish a long rest. Dexterity is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Spells of the Mark. If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Passage Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.

Mark of Passage Spells
Spell Level	Spells
1st	expeditious retreat, jump
2nd	misty step, pass without trace
3rd	blink, phantom steed
4th	dimension door, freedom of movement
5th	teleportation circle
The Mark of Scribing

Communication is the foundation of civilization.

—Baron Lysse Lyrriman d’Sivis

The Mark of Scribing deals with communication—both the written and spoken word. A gnome who bears the mark can feel words as though they are living creatures, struggling to make their meaning known. The mark provides a range of gifts. It translates languages, but it also allows its bearer to communicate with others at a distance.

House Sivis

Leader: Lysse Lyrriman d’Sivis

Headquarters: The Labyrinth (Korranberg, Zilargo)

Bearing the emblem of the cockatrice, the gnomes of House Sivis facilitate communication. This is seen most literally in speaking stones, magic items allowing a Sivis heir to send a short message to another speaking stone. House Sivis’s message stations employs these items as the backbone of their long-distance communication network. The house also trains and licenses scribes, notaries, interpreters, cartographers, barristers, heralds, bookbinders, and others who work with words. House Sivis has an especially close relationship with House Kundarak, as Kundarak letters of credit must be notarized with a Sivis arcane mark.

House Sivis takes great pains to maintain the trust of its clients and holds a position of absolute neutrality in all disputes, whether between houses or nations. Sivis gnomes are typically friendly, curious, and engaging, but that kindly exterior might conceal a scheming mind. Gnomes have a natural love of intrigue, and the different families within the house often engage in subtle schemes and feuds. Doyenne Lyssa Larriman, the leader of the house, takes pains to ensure that these intrigues never threaten the house or its reputation.

Gnome Subrace: Mark of Scribing

If you’re a gnome with the Mark of Scribing, you have this subrace, with the following traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.

Gifted Scribe. When you make an Intelligence (History) check or an ability check using calligrapher’s supplies, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check.

Scribe’s Insight. You know the message cantrip. You can also cast comprehend languages once with this trait, and you regain the ability to cast it when you finish a short or long rest. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the magic mouth spell with this trait, and you regain the ability to cast it when you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Spells of the Mark. If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Scribing Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.

Mark of Scribing Spells
Spell Level	Spells
1st	comprehend languages, illusory script
2nd	animal messenger, silence
3rd	sending, tongues
4th	arcane eye, confusion
5th	dream
The Mark of Sentinel

Protection is my purpose. I defend the innocent from those who would do them harm. For my siblings, this is a job; for me, it’s a calling.

—Harric d’Deneith, Sentinel Marshal

The Mark of Sentinel warns and protects. It heightens senses and reflexes, allowing an heir to respond to threats with uncanny speed. It can shield its bearer from harm. Whether on the battlefield or the ballroom, someone who carries the Mark of Sentinel is prepared for danger.

House Deneith

Leader: Breven d’Deneith

Headquarters: Sentinel Tower (Karrlakton, Karrnath)

House Deneith was born in Karrnath, and war flows in its veins. For centuries, the Blademarks Guild of House Deneith has governed the mercenary trade. While warriors with the Mark of Sentinel are among its most elite forces, House Deneith brokers the services of a wide range of soldiers, including Valenar war bands and the goblins of Droaam. Beyond the battlefield, the Defender’s Guild provides exceptional bodyguards for those who can afford their services. House Deneith is also renowned for its Sentinel Marshals, agents who hold the authority to pursue criminals and enforce the law across the length of Khorvaire. The Sentinel Marshals hold the honor of the house in their hands. Being a Marshal is a privilege, and it comes with high expectations.

Despite its might and the desire of some house members to flex their military muscles, House Deneith has always maintained absolute neutrality, selling its services to all sides of a conflict. Baron Breven d’Deneith shows no inclination of using the massive, chimera-marked military forces of his house for his own ends, but he’s surrounded by aggressive advisors who would like to see a Deneith ruling all Khorvaire. House Deneith is also caught in an escalating rivalry with House Tharashk, as it edges into the mercenary trade.

Variant Human: Mark of Sentinel

If your human character has the Mark of Sentinel, the following traits replace the human’s Ability Score Increase trait in the Player’s Handbook.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Sentinel’s Intuition. When you make a Wisdom (Insight) or Wisdom (Perception) check, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check.

Guardian’s Shield. You can cast the shield spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to cast it after you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Vigilant Guardian. When a creature you can see within 5 feet of you is hit by an attack roll, you can use your reaction to swap places with that creature, and you are hit by the attack instead. Once you use this trait, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

Spells of the Mark. If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Sentinel Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.

Mark of Sentinel Spells
Spell Level	Spells
1st	compelled duel, shield of faith
2nd	warding bond, zone of truth
3rd	counterspell, protection from energy
4th	death ward, guardian of faith
5th	Bigby’s hand
The Mark of Shadow

The illusions that I weave dazzle and deceive. Sometimes that deception eases your burdens, letting you forget your troubles for a moment. But I can also ease your burdens by ending your life.

—Lady Elara d’Thuranni, shadow dancer

The Mark of Shadow lets an elf weave illusions, crafting magic to distract or delight. It also allows its bearer to sculpt shadows, making it easy to avoid detection.

The Houses of Shadow

Leader: House Phiarlan, Elvinor Elorrenthi d’Phiarlan; House Thuranni, Elar d’Thuranni

Headquarters: House Phiarlan, the Demesnes (various); House Thuranni, Regalport (Lhazaar Principalities)

Elves have carried the Mark of Shadow for thousands of years. The mark’s bearers left Aerenal after the conflict that wiped out the Mark of Death and established House Phiarlan in Khorvaire. These elves are expert entertainers, giving them access to all manner of places and secrets. Known to few, there has always been an elite force of spies and assassins within House Phiarlan. Only special clients—nobles, merchant lords, and the like—have access to these spies.

Toward the end of the Last War, a bitter feud broke out between the major families of the house. Known as the Shadow Schism, it resulted in a split withinin Phiarlan—and the foundation of House Thuranni. House Phiarlan continues to offer entertainment and espionage in the lands west of the Mournland, while Thuranni operates in the eastern lands. As a rule, Phiarlan elves are the better spies and Thuranni agents are superior assassins. Thuranni and Phiarlan maintain a peaceful relationship, but rivalries run deep.

Baron Elar d’Thuranni is said to be responsible for the Shadow Schism. Ruling the house from an enclave in Regalport, he is always accompanied by a shadowy pair, rumored to be embodiments of shadow itself. The displacer beast serves as the young house’s emblem.

The lands of House Phiarlan, known as the Demesnes, are the foremost centers of the arts in the Five Nations, each focusing on a specific artistic tradition: the written word, movement arts, music, material arts, and the arts of illusion, puppetry, oratory, and acting. Baron Elvinor Elorrenthi leads the house from the last of those, the Demesne of Shadow, which is located in Sharn. The hydra serves as House Phiarlan’s emblem.

Elf Subrace: Mark of Shadow

If you’re an elf with the Mark of Shadow, you have this subrace, with the following traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.

Cunning Intuition. When you make a Charisma (Performance) or Dexterity (Stealth) check, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check.

Shape Shadows. You know the minor illusion cantrip. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the invisibility spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to cast it when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Spells of the Mark. If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Shadow Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.

Mark of Shadow Spells
Spell Level	Spells
1st	disguise self, silent image
2nd	darkness, pass without trace
3rd	clairvoyance, major image
4th	greater invisibility, hallucinatory terrain
5th	mislead
The Mark of Storm

Sovereigns and Firstborn, grant me the four blessings promised to our people: dominion over the air, dominion over the water, fortune for my family, and fortune for my future.

—From the Oath of Lyrandar

Wind and water welcome the half-elves who carry the Mark of Storm, and some learn to call on the power of the storm itself.

House Lyrandar

Leader: Esravash d’Lyrandar

Headquarters: Stormhome (Aundair)

House Lyrandar has long ruled the seas. Their kraken-marked galleons harness air and water elementals and are faster than any mundane vessel. Control of sea and river trade gave Lyrandar considerable power. Now they reach out to the skies. Merely a decade old, Lyrandar airships have undermined the lightning rail’s domination of overland travel.

House Lyrandar also controls the air in a literal way. The Raincallers’ Guild can use the Mark of Storms to control the weather for its clients.

For many of the house’s members, the house is more than a family or business—its private island enclave, Stormhome, is the closest thing they have to a homeland. Baron Esravash is ambitious and often steers the house to act in what she sees as the interests of all half-elves. Lyrandar heirs help the Valenar elves run their young kingdom, and some believe that Valenar could become a true homeland for the Khoravar.

Variant Half-Elf: Mark of Storm

If your half-elf character has the Mark of Storm, the following traits replace the half-elf’s Ability Score Increase and Skill Versatility traits in the Player’s Handbook.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Windwright’s Intuition. When you make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check or any ability check involving navigator’s tools, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check.

Storm’s Boon. You have resistance to lightning damage.

Headwinds. You know the gust cantrip. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the gust of wind spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to cast it when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Spells of the Mark. If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Storm Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.

Mark of Storm Spells
Spell Level	Spells
1st	feather fall, fog cloud
2nd	gust of wind, levitate
3rd	sleet storm, wind wall
4th	conjure minor elementals, control water
5th	conjure elemental
Gust

Transmutation cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

You seize the air and compel it to create one of the following effects at a point you can see within range:

One Medium or smaller creature that you choose must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 5 feet away from you.
You create a small blast of air capable of moving one object that is neither held nor carried and that weighs no more than 5 pounds. This object is pushed up to 10 feet away from you. It isn’t pushed with enough force to cause damage.
You create a harmless sensory effect using air, such as causing leaves to rustle, wind to slam shutters closed, or your clothing to billow impressively in a breeze.
The Mark of Warding

My family has the finest vaults you can imagine. They forge the locks that secure royal jewels. And I learned to pick those locks when I was barely out of the crib.

—Cutter, burglar and Kundarak excoriate

The Mark of Warding helps its bearers protect things of value. Using the mark, a dwarf can weave wards with mystic force. It also provides its bearer with an intuitive understanding of locks used to protect and seal.

House Kundarak
KUNDARAK VAULT

Leader: Morrikan d’Kundarak

Headquarters: Korunda Gate (Mror Holds)

If you want to keep something safe—jewels, secrets, prisoners—Kundarak is there to help. The Defenders Guild of House Kundarak trains locksmiths, security specialists, and more. It maintains the prison of Dreadhold, along with a number of smaller prisons. As useful as these services are, it’s the Banking Guild that truly defines the house. Kundarak’s lands in the Mror Holds include deep veins of precious metals, which the dwarves used to establish the banking industry of Khorvaire. Anyone who makes a living from coin—from bankers to goldsmiths—likely learned their skills at House Kundarak. The security of banks bearing the Kundarak manticore emblem is legendary. The house also provides a special service to those who can afford it: a system of extradimensional vaults, allowing a client to store their goods in one location and retrieve them at any other Kundarak enclave.

House Kundarak has a close alliance with House Sivis. Like the House of Scribing, Kundarak has worked to earn the trust of its clients and to establish a reputation for unshakable integrity. The house has no love of renegade dwarves using their marks to turn a profit, and such rogues strive to avoid the eye of Kundarak.

As the dwarves of the Mror Holds have come into increasing conflict with the daelkyr, Lord Morrikan d’Kundarak has instructed house heirs to establish connections with the Gatekeeper druids. The druids have much in common with the house, being the creators of the wards that protect Eberron from the daelkyr.

Dwarf Subrace: Mark of Warding

If you’re a dwarf with the Mark of Warding, you have this subrace, with the following traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Warder’s Intuition. When you make an Intelligence (Investigation) check or an ability check using thieves’ tools, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check.

Wards and Seals. You can cast the alarm and mage armor spells with this trait. Starting at 3rd level, you can also cast the arcane lock spell with it. Once you cast any of these spells with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells, and you don’t need material components for them when you cast them with this trait.

Spells of the Mark. If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Warding Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.

Mark of Warding Spells
Spell Level	Spells
1st	alarm, armor of Agathys
2nd	arcane lock, knock
3rd	glyph of warding, magic circle
4th	Leomund’s secret chest, Mordenkainen’s faithful hound
5th	antilife shell
Aberrant Dragonmarks

Your sigil creates, child of Cannith. Mine holds the power to destroy.

—Rotting Bal, Tarkanan enforcer

The twelve dragonmarks are predictable, and their powers are generally constructive. But there is another kind of dragonmark, which is dangerous to both the bearer and the people around them. Aberrant marks often appear when people from different dragonmarked families produce a child, and for this reason such unions are forbidden by the Twelve. But aberrant dragonmarks can appear on members of any race, at any age, regardless of bloodline. No two aberrant dragonmarks are exactly alike—even if they grant the same power, they might manifest in different ways.

It usually takes time for a character to learn to control an aberrant mark, and in time, people might be hurt by it. This factor has led to the general superstition that people with aberrant dragonmarks are dangerous.

Aberrant marks are feared for another reason, too. Long ago, aberrant marks were more common and some held great powers. Aberrant leader Halas Tarkanan could devastate cities with powerful earthquakes. The Lady of the Plague wielded disease and commanded hordes of vermin. The dragonmarked houses united in an inquisition called the War of the Mark. Some say this was a persecution of innocents, but most feared the aberrants and stood by as the houses hunted them down. Following the War of the Mark, aberrant dragonmarks were few in number and relatively weak. But since the Mourning, aberrant marks have been appearing in greater numbers.

Feat: Aberrant Dragonmark

Prerequisite: No other dragonmark

You have manifested an aberrant dragonmark. Determine its appearance and the flaw associated with it. You gain the following benefits:

Increase your Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
You learn a cantrip of your choice from the sorcerer spell list. In addition, choose a 1st-level spell from the sorcerer spell list. You learn that spell and can cast it through your mark. Once you cast it, you must finish a short or long rest before you can cast it again through the mark. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
When you cast the 1st-level spell through your mark, you can expend one of your Hit Dice and roll it. If you roll an even number, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the number rolled. If you roll an odd number, one random creature within 30 feet of you (not including you) takes force damage equal to the number rolled. If no other creatures are in range, you take the damage.

You also develop a random flaw from the Aberrant Dragonmark Flaws table.

Aberrant Dragonmark Flaws
d8	Flaw
1	Your mark is a source of constant physical pain.
2	Your mark whispers to you. Its meaning can be unclear.
3	When you’re stressed, the mark hisses audibly.
4	The skin around the mark is burned, scaly, or withered.
5	Animals are uneasy around you.
6	You have a mood swing any time you use your mark.
7	Your looks change slightly whenever you use the mark.
8	You have horrific nightmares after you use your mark.
Option: Greater Aberrant Powers

At the DM’s option, a character who has the Aberrant Dragonmark feat has a chance of manifesting greater power. Upon reaching 10th level, such a character has a 10 percent chance of gaining an epic boon from among the options in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. If the character fails to gain a boon, they have a 10 percent chance the next time they gain a level.

If the character gains a boon, the DM chooses it or determines it randomly. The character also permanently loses one of their Hit Dice, and their hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to a roll of that die plus their Constitution modifier (minimum reduction of 1). This reduction can’t be reversed by any means.

Background

The house agent background is the perfect background option for a character tied to a dragonmarked house.

House Agent

You have sworn fealty to a dragonmarked house. If you have a dragonmark, you’re likely a member of one of the house’s influential families; otherwise you’re an outsider who hopes to make your fortune through the house. Your main task is to serve as the eyes of your house, but you could be called on at any time to act as its hand. Such missions can be perilous but lucrative.

Skill Proficiencies: Investigation, Persuasion

Tool Proficiency: Two proficiencies from the House Tool Proficiencies table

Equipment: A set of fine clothes, house signet ring, identification papers, and a purse containing 20 gp

House Tool Proficiencies
Your House	Proficiencies
Cannith	Alchemist’s supplies and tinker’s tools
Deneith	One gaming set and vehicles (land)
Ghallanda	Brewer’s supplies and cook’s utensils
Jorasco	Alchemist’s supplies and herbalism kit
Kundarak	Thieves’ tools and tinker’s tools
Lyrandar	Navigator’s tools and vehicles (air and sea)
Medani	Disguise kit and thieves’ tools
Orien	One gaming set and vehicles (land)
Phiarlan	Disguise kit and one musical instrument
Sivis	Calligrapher’s tools and forgery kit
Tharashk	One gaming set and thieves’ tools
Thuranni	One musical instrument and poisoner’s kit
Vadalis	Herbalism kit and vehicles (land)
Role

You always gather information for your house, but when a baron give you a specific mission, what sort of work do you do? The House Agent Role table gives possibilities.

House Agent Role
d8	Role
1	Acquisition
2	Investigation
3	Research & Development
4	Security
5	Intimidation
6	Exploration
7	Negotiation
8	Covert Operations
Feature: House Connections

As an agent of your house, you can always get food and lodging for yourself and your friends at a house enclave. When the house assigns you a mission, it will usually provide you with the necessary supplies and transportation. Beyond this, you have many old friends, mentors, and rivals in your house, and you may encounter one of them when you interact with a house business. The degree to which such acquaintances are willing to help you depends on your current standing in your house.

Suggested Characteristics

House agents are diverse. Consider the house you serve and the work you do when choosing characteristics.

Personality Traits
d6	Personality Trait
1	I’m always looking to improve efficiency.
2	I love to share trivia about my house’s business.
3	I never forget an insult against me or my house.
4	I’m enthusiastic about everything my house does.
5	I represent my house and take pride in my looks.
6	I’m critical of monarchies and limits on the houses.
Ideals
d6	Ideal
1	Common Good. My house serves a vital function, and its prosperity will help everyone. (Good)
2	Tradition. I uphold traditions of my house and bring honor to my family. (Lawful)
3	Innovation. Abandon old traditions and find better ways to do things. (Chaotic)
4	Power. I want to ensure the prosperity of my house and wield its power myself. (Evil)
5	Discovery. I want to learn all I can, both for my house and for my own curiosity. (Any)
6	Comfort. I want to ensure that me and mine enjoy the best things in life. (Any)
Bonds
d6	Bond
1	My house is my family. I would do anything for it.
2	I love someone from another house, but the relationship is forbidden.
3	Someone I love was killed by a rival faction within my house, and I will have revenge.
4	I don’t care about the house as a whole, but I would do anything for my old mentor.
5	My house must evolve, and I’ll lead the evolution.
6	I’m determined to impress the leaders of my house, and to become a leader myself.
Flaws
d6	Flaw
1	I’m fixated on following official protocols.
2	I’m obsessed with conspiracy theories and worried about secret societies and hidden demons.
3	My house and bloodline make me the best!
4	My secret could get me expelled from my house.
5	My religious beliefs aren’t widespread in my house.
6	I’m working for a hidden faction in my house that gives me secret assignments.

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