Eberron is a setting inDungeons and Dragonsthat was developed more recently than some of its other settings. With more emphasis on technology than high fantasy, it became a popular setting with many players. Included in theEberronsourcebook is the Artificer class, which has since become one of the most popular classes inDungeons and Dragons.
One of thefoundations of Eberron’s societyare the dragonmarks that manifest in Eberron’s twelve dragonmarked Houses. Dragonmarks play an important role in Eberron’s worldbuilding and character creation, with links to both the lore of the setting and being functional on a mechanical level.
The Lore of Eberron’s Dragonmarks
There are twelve dragonmarks, one for eachHouse of Eberron. Each dragonmark is passed through a bloodline. There used to be thirteen dragonmarks, with the Mark of Death of House Vol bloodline being wiped out 2500 years ago.
Dragonmarks come in three forms: least, lesser, and greater. Typically, an individual will manifest the lowest form, which then evolves to the next level, which grows in power. The exception to this pattern is the rare Siberys Mark, which can manifest in any House, including unmarked members of a House bloodline. The Siberys Mark covers an individual’s entire body, and is considerably more powerful than ordinary dragonmarks.
The current Dragonmarks are:
Individuals aren’t born with dragonmarks, and members of the Houses aren’t guaranteed to manifest them. Dragonmarks grant the userunique magical abilities related to their mark, resulting in the Houses' establishment and domination of certain guilds and industries.
Aberrant Dragonmarks
An individual with parents from two different Houses may manifest an aberrant dragonmark. Rather than a uniform appearance, an aberrant dragonmark is unique to its owner, with no two aberrant dragonmarks looking the same. However, the magical abilities that aberrant dragonmarks grant may still match another’s aberrant dragonmark, even if the appearance doesn’t.
Implementing Dragonmarks in Campaigns
Theupcoming sourcebookEberron: Forge of the Artificer, which is due to be released in August 2025, will include some rule changes for dragonmarks. These rule changes will include the removal of limiting Houses to a single lineage, with any character able to join any House if they manifest the corresponding dragonmark. This change was likely introduced because of the2024 Player’s Handbookremoval of hybrid lineages such as half-elves and half-orcs, which made up many of the Twelve Houses of Eberron. Another change thatEberron: Forge of the Artificeris introducing is the implementation of dragonmarks as feats, rather than as a separate system.
Players could implement the dragonmark system into their ownDungeons and Dragonscampaignsonce theEberronsourcebook is out. Because of the changes to the rules, one idea for a character is the manifestation of a mark from a character who isn’t a member of a House’s bloodline, throwing the system into disarray. Another possible storyline would be to reintroduce the thirteenth House, House Vol, which bore the now-extinct Mark of Death.
