D&D: Five New Feats That Make Eberron Feel Absolutely Magical
One of the wildest things in the new Eberron book, Forge of the Artificer, is the selection of feats that explain why there’s so much magic.
One of the iconic things about Eberron is the idea of bearing a dragonmark. Dragonmarks are “mysterious and magical symbols that appear on the skin of some people across Khorvaire.” There are twelve well-known, well-established dragonmarks that are tied to family lines – the Dragonmarked Houses of Eberron are a big part of any Eberron game. But the world at large has a lot of magic running through it.
And not every dragonmark is known. Some are aberrant – outside the normal dragonmark milieu, while others are greater expressions of power. And as is the case in Eberron’s first incarnation, you can represent your character having a powerful mark by taking the right combo of feats at higher levels. For now, here’s a quick look at some of the dragonmarks of Eberron: Forge of the Artificer and why these feats feel so magical.
Aberrant Dragonmark
The catchall term for any dragonmark that exists outside of one of the well-established great Houses of Khorvaire. It’s a single feat, but it’s flexible enough to represent any kind of magical connection to the great Draconic Prophecy that winds its way through the lives of the people of Eberron.
When you take this feat, you gain a few different benefits. First, you can add 1d4 to any failed Constitution save as a Reaction (including Death Saves and Concentration checks) once per long rest. Second, you know a Cantrip and a level 1 spell both taken from the Sorcerer’s spell list. You can cast the level 1 spell once per day for free, and whenever you cast that spell, you can spend one of your hit dice to either gain temporary hit points or do extra Force damage to nearby creatures. Flexible, fun, and a great wrinkle on any character, this is probably one that could exist outside of Eberron the easiest.
Mark of Handling
The Mark of Handling is typically reserved for House Vadalis. And it’s always been one of the weirder ones – but what a glowup it gets in 5.5E. This is one of my favorite Dragonmark Feats now. It’s focused on the natural world, on the beauty and power inherent to life and the miracles that happen between the mysteries of birth and death. Cool stuff and an interesting perspective for Eberron in particular.
Mechanically, you get to add 1d4 to a Nature or Animal Handling check, and always have Animal Friendship and Speak with Animals prepared. And at level 3, you can target a Monstrosity, meaning you can speak with more than just animals with those spells. A ton of fun as any BG3 veteran will doubtless know. Plus you get a surprisingly good list of spells, including Command, Beacon of Hope, and Aura of Life.
Mark of Sentinel
The Mark of Sentinel is another great glow-up feat in 5.5E. Again, it’s tied to one of the Dragonmarked Houses (House Deneith), but it might be another easy one to translate to outside of Eberron if you’re not playing in the world. And it’d be worth it for some of the interesting abilities the feat gives you that are of surprising benefit to martial characters like a Fighter or Barbarian.
First of all, you get to add 1d4 to Insight or Perception checks. But more importantly, you always have Shield prepared and can cast it once for free. But then on top of that, you get the ability to magically intercept an attack that would otherwise hit a creature within 5 feet of you – and you can do this up to your Proficiency Bonus times per day. Which is a great option for protector characters. The bonus spells make any gish happy, too. Eldritch Knights will be eating this one up.
Boon of Siberys
If you make it to level 19, you can unlock the special Eberron-specific epic boon. Although again, I don’t think this one is a problem outside of the campaign setting. You just need to reflavor it a little. But essentially this epic boon feat gives you either a level 8 or lower spell from the Sorcerer spell list (Dominate Monster or Sunburst is a great choice) or you can pick one of the specific ones from the Siberys List, which consists of: Animal Shapes, Control Weather, Demiplane, Heroes’ Feast, Maze, Mind Blank, Plane Shift, Project Image, Regenerate, Symbol, Teleport, or True Seeing.
And you get it for free once per rest without a spell slot or any components (even costly material ones). Again, you regain it oncer per Short or Long Rest, meaning you can have multiple 8th level spells per day for free. It’s a lot of fun, and perfect for high-powered high-level play.
Potent Dragonmark
Last but not least, Potent Dragonmark. This feat might be a little busted. But I tend to like a higher powered game. Your mileage may vary, but there’s no arguing this feat is strong. It gives you the spells on your dragonmark spell list as “always prepared spells” meaning you expand your prepared list in a big way.
But the centerpiece here is the ability to get an extra spell slot that lets you cast the spells granted you by your dragonmark feat. Which is a free spell slot that scales with you all the way up to level 5. You regain this bonus spell slot after a Short or Long Rest. The possibilities are not endless – but they’re pretty broad. But again, it only applies to spells you have prepared from your Dragonmark feat (though the Aberrant Dragonmark opens the gates wide).
Happy adventuring!
