Dragonmark of Death

[Falontani]

In Eberron the Dragonmark of Death has gone extinct and therefore has no stats. However if one were to run an Eberron Campaign set in the setting's past you may come across the need for stats on this Dragonmark. According to every official resource I can find the Dragonmark of Death's base dragonmark (like all other True Dragonmarks) would not be able to cause direct harm to someone, and be beneficial in nature. So I have come up with the following abilities to stat the Dragonmark. What I am looking for is to balance this dragonmark with the other dragonmarks in the Eberron Campaign Setting and Dragonmarked, while also keeping it as thematic as I can manage. Any and all criticism is desired, however please attempt to word such criticism in as constructive a way as you can.
Examples being: "You suck, this whole idea sucks, and you shouldn't try to do something clearly out of bounds." will have me kindly reporting you to an administrator; however: "I do not think you are on the right track here, and I believe it would be best if you scrapped all of this and tried again." would be while unfortunate, feedback desired.

Dragonmark of Death

Least Dragonmark of Death: Deathwatch 3/day, False Life 1/day, or Gentle Repose 1/day
Lesser Dragonmark of Death: Animate Dead 1/day or Speak with Dead 2/day
Greater Dragonmark of Death: Create Undead 1/day, Awaken Undead 1/day, or Animate Dread Warrior 1/day

Dragonmark Prodigy: Command Undead 1/day or Healing Sting 1/day
Dragonmark Adept: Halt Undead 2/day or Vampiric Touch 1/day
Dragonmark Visionary: Control Undead 1/day or Revive Undead 1/day

Breath of Siberys: Requires Any Dragonmark of Death; When you create an undead from a dragonmarked creature they may continue to use their dragonmark in undeath and retain any personality that they had if created as an intelligent undead.

Heir of Siberys: Plague of Undead


Death Marked

Requirements: Lawful
Lesser Dragonmark of Death (Animate Dead), and one of: Dragonmark Prodigy (Command Undead), Dragonmark Visionary (Control Undead), Rebuke Undead, able to cast the spell Command Undead, or the spell Control Undead



Death Marked

D8



lvl

bab

fort

ref

will

Special

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th



1

0

2

0

2

Heir’s Mark, Rebuke Undead

3








2

1

3

0

3

Contract, Workforce

4

3







3

2

3

1

3

Corpsecrafter

4

4







4

3

4

1

4

No Decay

4

4

3






5

3

4

1

4


5

4

4

3





6

4

5

2

5

Bolster Resistance

5

5

4

4





7

5

5

2

5


5

5

4

4

3




8

6

6

2

6

Freedom

6

5

5

4

4

3



9

6

6

3

6

Necromantic Presence

6

6

5

5

4

4



10

7

7

3

7

Awakening

6

6

5

5

4

4



Class Skills (4 + Int mod per level): Appraise, Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Forgery, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty), Knowledge (Religion), Profession, Sense Motive, Spellcraft





Heir’s Mark: Levels in the Death Marked prestige class count as levels in the dragonmarked heir prestige class when it comes to determining the caster level for the spell like abilities of your dragonmark. You can have a maximum of five levels in the Dragonmarked Heir prestige class for the purpose of determining the caster level of your dragonmark.

Rebuke Undead: Levels in the Death Marked Prestige class advance your Rebuke Undead from another class and grants it for itself.

Contract: You may write up a contract with someone with terms and conditions as to the purpose and treatment of a corpse in undeath, if signed by a willing creature in life then you may use your Dragonmark to cast Animate Dead, Create Undead, or Animate Dread Warrior without using one of your uses of that dragonmark for the day.

Workforce: If you possess a contract from a creature in life that details how they will be treated in unlife then they do not count towards your total undead HD, a destroyed contract is void.

Corpsecrafter: You gain the feat Corpsecrafter as a bonus feat

No Decay: Undead you create do not suffer decay

Bolster Resistance: You gain the feat Bolster Resistance as a bonus feat

Freedom: You may now relinquish control of an undead with a Contract to someone else, usually as part of a sale or as part of the agreement

Necromantic Presence: You gain the feat Necromantic Presence as a bonus feat

Awakening: You may now awaken any undead creature that has a Contract as part of the writing of the creation process or at any point as stated in the Contract. This Awakening is free on your end, and does end the contract, grants them full freedom, and allows them to keep their old memories without changing.



A note for all afb, the Lesser Dragonmark of Death requires at least 2 skills to have 8 ranks in them, making the minimum level to enter this class be level 7, unless there is a glaring oversight that I do not see as of now.

[noob]

You can write a contract but is there is any restriction on the medium?
Can someone go on the border of the sea and write the contract in sand with a foot?
I can write up the contract with someone.
Can I just let the person write nearly all the contract by himself?

[Falontani]

You can write a contract but is there is any restriction on the medium?
Can someone go on the border of the sea and write the contract in sand with a foot?
I can write up the contract with someone.
Can I just let the person write nearly all the contract by himself?

you are absolutely correct on all counts; however remember that a contracted undead doesn't count towards your HD control, and that a contract is null/void if destroyed. So if you were to write it in the sand with your foot then the moment the sand stirs the undead would count towards your HD control and therefore just be another undead.

And yes you can have the other person write the contract, it just needs to be reviewed by both parties and signed. ^_^

[noob]

you are absolutely correct on all counts; however remember that a contracted undead doesn't count towards your HD control, and that a contract is null/void if destroyed. So if you were to write it in the sand with your foot then the moment the sand stirs the undead would count towards your HD control and therefore just be another undead.

And yes you can have the other person write the contract, it just needs to be reviewed by both parties and signed. ^_^

Yes but animate dread warrior already does not have a control limit and make the target obey you(and it is not written that the existence of a contract make the target not obey you) so by the time you have animate dread warrior you no longer need the contract to make any sense or to be intact as long as the target is fine with the contract and willing to become a dread warrior.(and thus you would use contracts only to animate more dread warriors in a day)
Maybe you could say that if the contract is not respected there is a possibility for the undead to break free?

[Falontani]

Perhaps a code of conduct of sorts. If they willingly break a contract they lose all benefits of the class