Eberron Marked Races - Are they balanced?

[Merudo]

I've not had much experience with the Dragonmark races, as thematically they are native to Eberron which is not usually the setting I play in.

One of my player recently requested to play as a Dragonmarked. I was wondering if there are balance issues with the Marked races, or if they were fine as player choices.

I know Mark of Healing Halfling is a strong choice for Wizards. Other such as Mark of Warding Dwarf, Mark of Scribing Gnome, Mark of Hospitality Halfling, and Mark of Handling Passage & Sentinel Human are also supposed to be pretty good.

Are those mark races all balanced? The expended spell list can really increase the versatility of a caster, and no other published race give a similar benefit.

[Kuulvheysoon]

They're on the more powerful side (especially for prepared spellcasters over spells known spellcasters), but they're not on the level of Yuan-ti or Satyrs.

As you noticed, Mark of Healing Halfling is a very strong choice for the synergistic spell access with something like a Wizard, but something like a Mark of Making Human Artificer benefits far less.

[strangebloke]

They're on the more powerful side (especially for prepared spellcasters over spells known spellcasters), but they're not on the level of Yuan-ti or Satyrs.

As you noticed, Mark of Healing Halfling is a very strong choice for the synergistic spell access with something like a Wizard, but something like a Mark of Making Human Artificer benefits far less.

The point I've generally seen argued is that most of them are sort of like mountain dwarf. Extremely powerful but with abilities that don't synergize with their stat bonuses. Which I'm all for, honestly! It leads to weird characters that don't precisely fit the mold of what you expect.

Maxwilson has a big post about the one that summons elementals though. That's some BS.

EDIT: really good for sorcerers all around, though.

[T.G. Oskar]

Short answer: No, but not in a bad way.

Longer answer requires checking on each, and to be honest, it depends on what you'd consider overpowered. The main draw of the Dragonmarked Races is the list of spells, and one of the things that has existed since Dragonmarks were created (back in 3.5) is that no spell is explicitly meant to cause damage, save for the rare exception of the Mark of Storm and the specific exception of the Aberrant Dragonmark. Most are utility spells, which can break a game only if used smart - for instance, a spell like Divination. However, the trick is that you need to be part of a spellcasting class in order to gain the ability to add them to your spell list, and in most cases, the class that could take the most advantage from them is the class that least benefits from the other features.

To give an example: the Mark of Healing has a lot of healing spells, and from those, Clerics and Druids already get most of them. Bards get a fraction, Sorcerers, Warlocks and Wizards get none. (Well, barring the Divine Mind Sorcerer and the Celestial Warlock, that is.) From those four last classes, none really takes advantage of high Wisdom, as they require high Intelligence or Charisma instead - neither of which gets improved by the racial ability scores. (Assuming you're not using the ability score rules from Tasha's.) The Mark of Healing also provides a +d4 bonus to Wisdom (Medicine) checks and checks made with a herbalism kit, which only Bards could potentially get, and would require becoming a Hermit. Then there's Healing Touch, which has Wisdom as a spellcasting ability - meaning that Cure Wounds will depend on your Wisdom to provide extra healing, which neither of these classes get.

If you consider getting some of the best healing spells important (Healing Word, Mass Healing Word, Aura of Vitality), then there's a possibility that you may consider the Mark of Healing OP. Otherwise, it's merely a way to add healing spells to a class that might need them, but might not have the possibility of using them - Sorcerers have very few spell slots and may only find Aura of Vitality worthwhile, Warlocks get just as many spell slots and they have to compete with their Patron spell list in terms of spell slots, and you could get these spells from Magical Secrets anyways, so most likely the Wizard gets a better chance to exploit these. (And maybe Artificer.) Otherwise, you could probably get a +Int/+Cha class with better features (High Elf for Wizards, or maybe one of the Tieflings from MMotP.

The key here is to find which Marks have the best synergies. Mark of Finding is pretty good for, say, Arcane Trickster Rogues or any kind of Ranger, what with the free bonus on Perception and Survival (two important skills for trackers), Hunter's Mark for free since level 1 and definite Darkvision. Mark of Making is an odd but effective choice for Eldritch Knights as it gives them both Magic Weapon and Elemental Weapon, as well as a boost to Intelligence and one other ability score (Strength, maybe?). Mark of Passage is arguably one of the best because it boosts Dexterity (one of the best scores to build up), has Misty Step as a spell AND a freely cast spell, a boost to walking speed and a ton of excellent mobility spells, which more than benefits Arcane Trickster Rogues, any kind of Ranger, the odd Dex-based Paladin, and even an Artificer. Mark of Sentinel suffers a bit since it was nerfed (Vigilant Guardian used to work more times per day - 1/LR is just too limited given its range), but it has a good set of spells that are great additions to any Paladin (even with the Wis penalty). Mark of Shadow is excellent for Bards, particularly if they boost their Stealth skill - between proficiency, Expertise and Cunning Intuition, you probably have the best chance to hide almost any time, and you also get to use Minor Illusion as a free cantrip and Invisibility for free (once, but for free), plus it has some of the best spells for the job.

However, as you can notice, most of these Dragonmarked Races' synergies are no different than hunting for the best race - the main difference is that you also get expanded spell lists if you happen to cast spells through your class.

A final addendum - there's a reason why the Ravnica Guilds are considered more broken than the Dragonmarked Races. The latter locks your race into a specific one (aside from Mark of Finding which locks you into a choice of two) and the former maybe influences your background, but not even then - just join one of those guilds and you get the guild spells into your spellbook, which is pretty easy to achieve in a way. With a wider variety of spells at their disposal, the Ravnica Guilds can definitely add power to your character without sacrificing much.

[Merudo]

The point I've generally seen argued is that most of them are sort of like mountain dwarf. Extremely powerful but with abilities that don't synergize with their stat bonuses.



To give an example: the Mark of Healing has a lot of healing spells, and from those, Clerics and Druids already get most of them. Bards get a fraction, Sorcerers, Warlocks and Wizards get none. (Well, barring the Divine Mind Sorcerer and the Celestial Warlock, that is.) From those four last classes, none really takes advantage of high Wisdom, as they require high Intelligence or Charisma instead - neither of which gets improved by the racial ability scores. (Assuming you're not using the ability score rules from Tasha's.)

What if we use Tasha's rules allowing swapping ability scores around? Are any of the Mark races OP then?



Maxwilson has a big post about the one that summons elementals though. That's some BS.

Is this the one? https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?627953-Ultimate-Summoner-Mini-guide-to-Lyrandar-(Mark-of-Storms)-warlocks-and-padlocks

[T.G. Oskar]

What if we use Tasha's rules allowing swapping ability scores around? Are any of the Mark races OP then?

I'd say, again, depending on the build, but I think you can use another metric. It'll be phrased as a question, though.

Is a Dragonmarked Race constantly better than a variant Human/custom Lineage for anything but its intended build? VHumans and custom Lineages already offer you a free feat in exchange for fixed ability scores (+1 to three for VHumans, +2 to a single one for custom Lineages). Conversely, VHumans and custom Lineages are great for EVERY class, because they're blank states. Consider if a VHuman or custom Lineage is better for a Wizard than a Mark of Healing Halfling, and then consider if it's better for, say, a Cleric or Druid that might be their intended build.

IMO, they're not OP, though some combinations can leave you with a really good set of abilities. I personally love Mark of Sentinel Human Paladins because of Warding Bond/Counterspell/Guardian of Faith/Bigby's Hand, coupled with what's basically 1/LR Divine Allegiance (from Oath of the Crown Paladin) and free Shield, but I could also consider a VHuman Paladin for the free feat (PAM/Sentinel/Shield Master) and a score array that boosts STR/CON/CHA easily, or a Dwarf Paladin for that +2 Str/Con or +1 HP/level - or a Protector/Scourge Aasimar if I really feel like going all out.

I'd say: if it's not Yuan-Ti Pureblood, Satyr, Simic Hybrid or Aasimar, it's not really OP - it can be considered OP, but nowhere near as close as these four unless you really find something that ruins the game you're playing. (Those last four are certifiably OP.)

[stoutstien]

All and all they are strong but hardly going to break anything. Some can be argued as the best option for certain concepts bit not to a degree that makes anything else seem pointless. The shifters in the same book are just as good but don't get the same press.

[Merudo]

I think some of the spells you get from the expended spell list can be problematic when they are class defining.

Examples:

Handling (Human): Conjure Animals, Aura of Life
Passage (Human): Misty Step, Pass Without Trace, Phantom Steed, Dimension Door
Sentinel (Human): Counterspell, Death Ward, Bigby's Hand
Healing (Halfling): Cure Wound, Healing Word, Lesser Restauration, Aura of Vitality, Mass Healing Word, Greater Restoration
Hospitality (Halfling): Goodberry, Aid, Leomund's Tiny Hut
Shadow (Elf): Pass Without Trace, Greater Invisibility
Storm (Half-Elf): Sleet Storm, Conjure Minor Elemental, Conjure Elemental
Warding (Dwarf): Armor of Agathys

Getting Conjure Animals on a Twilight Cleric ends up being potentially even more powerful than a Shepherd Druid as summoning. Getting the Mark of Healing spells on a Sorcerer or Wizard gives the top tier healing; the Sentinel Mark gives Counterspell and Bigby's Hand which are spells a Bard might spend their Magical Secrets on.

I feel there is real potential for a full spell caster to step on even more toes than they usual do by picking one of these Mark races.

[stoutstien]

I think some of the spells you get from the expended spell list can be problematic when they are class defining.

Examples:

Handling (Human): Conjure Animals, Aura of Life
Passage (Human): Misty Step, Pass Without Trace, Phantom Steed, Dimension Door
Sentinel (Human): Counterspell, Death Ward, Bigby's Hand
Healing (Halfling): Cure Wound, Healing Word, Lesser Restauration, Aura of Vitality, Mass Healing Word, Greater Restoration
Hospitality (Halfling): Goodberry, Aid, Leomund's Tiny Hut
Shadow (Elf): Pass Without Trace, Greater Invisibility
Storm (Half-Elf): Sleet Storm, Conjure Minor Elemental, Conjure Elemental
Warding (Dwarf): Armor of Agathys

Probably more of a clue that any spell shouldn't have been a class defining feature to begin with. The spell list was going to end up muddled together eventually.

Concentration is also a pretty common element on the spells given. So a Twilight Cleric using conjure animal is being compared to the same cleric using the standard fair of SG or conjure. Celestial. I don't think taking the race for a different form of the same tool(arguably weaker because then you have to worry about resistance and placement) is breaking anything. Not to say there isn't some good combos like a warding dwarf moon druid or shadow elf EK Archer.

In the same book you have the hobgoblin which has action free die result manipulation.

[Chronic]

If used with tasha's, they usually are top notch, some are extremely powerful, and sorcerers benefit greatly of pretty much any mark. A base sorcerer knows 15 spells if I'm not mistaken, a dragon marked aberrant mind or clockwork soul knows 34. That's absurd. And many classes benefit from one of the mark. Most of the classes like paladin, eldritch knight, arcane trickster, which already are among the most powerful options, get a lot from it. Sure it's utility, but let's be honest, spellcasting isn't valued for the damage, it's valued for it's ability to circumvent or even trivialize situations.

Including the dragon mark to your game will widen the gap between casters and non caster even more.
Is it a major problem? Well that's gm dependant and only you can judge.

[Mastikator]

If used with tasha's, they usually are top notch, some are extremely powerful, and sorcerers benefit greatly of pretty much any mark. A base sorcerer knows 15 spells if I'm not mistaken, a dragon marked aberrant mind or clockwork soul knows 34. That's absurd. And many classes benefit from one of the mark. Most of the classes like paladin, eldritch knight, arcane trickster, which already are among the most powerful options, get a lot from it. Sure it's utility, but let's be honest, spellcasting isn't valued for the damage, it's valued for it's ability to circumvent or even trivialize situations.

Including the dragon mark to your game will widen the gap between casters and non caster even more.
Is it a major problem? Well that's gm dependant and only you can judge.

You don't automatically know the spells, they are merely added to your available knowable ones.

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

I think that caveat is what makes them not game breaking. Good, amazing even, but not too good.

[Waazraath]

Are those mark races all balanced? The expended spell list can really increase the versatility of a caster, and no other published race give a similar benefit.

No. Not that they are per se problematic, but I think the design is flawed in 2 ways.

First, part of the race features (the most important part, arguably) only benefits a number of classes. Most racial features are usable no matter what class you play. With this kind of design, either they are too weak for classes for which this class feature (extra spells available), or too strong for those that can benefit from it.

Second, it already is a problem in 5e that casters have a far too broad spell selection - you don't have healers (white mage), blasters, summoners - almost alll casting classes can do almost everything, though the focus differs a little. But with these races, and Ravnica's backgrounds, you can trample those few borders that there were... you can have your druid or cleric teleport and counter spells, or have your paladin disguise self.

So while they don't break the game, they are bad design imo.

[strangebloke]

Probably more of a clue that any spell shouldn't have been a class defining feature to begin with. The spell list was going to end up muddled together eventually.

Concentration is also a pretty common element on the spells given. So a Twilight Cleric using conjure animal is being compared to the same cleric using the standard fair of SG or conjure. Celestial. I don't think taking the race for a different form of the same tool(arguably weaker because then you have to worry about resistance and placement) is breaking anything. Not to say there isn't some good combos like a warding dwarf moon druid or shadow elf EK Archer.

In the same book you have the hobgoblin which has action free die result manipulation.
The only time I like spells as class features is when it lets something like an EK or a ritual caster rogue pick up find familiar or the like. Blatant double standard on my part, admittedly

What would be a list of spells that should have been class features? Of the top of my head

find familiar
find (greater) steed
hunter's mark
hex
...the smite/strike spells maybe?



If used with tasha's, they usually are top notch, some are extremely powerful, and sorcerers benefit greatly of pretty much any mark. A base sorcerer knows 15 spells if I'm not mistaken, a dragon marked aberrant mind or clockwork soul knows 34. That's absurd. And many classes benefit from one of the mark. Most of the classes like paladin, eldritch knight, arcane trickster, which already are among the most powerful options, get a lot from it. Sure it's utility, but let's be honest, spellcasting isn't valued for the damage, it's valued for it's ability to circumvent or even trivialize situations.

Including the dragon mark to your game will widen the gap between casters and non caster even more.
Is it a major problem? Well that's gm dependant and only you can judge.
Sorcerers were kinda soft-patched by dragonmarked races if you allow them tbh.

Getting ten more spells known really eases a lot of their issues, even if it doesn't fix them outright.

[Kuulvheysoon]

The only time I like spells as class features is when it lets something like an EK or a ritual caster rogue pick up find familiar or the like. Blatant double standard on my part, admittedly

What would be a list of spells that should have been class features? Of the top of my head

find familiar
find (greater) steed
hunter's mark
hex
...the smite/strike spells maybe?



Sorcerers were kinda soft-patched by dragonmarked races if you allow them tbh.

Getting ten more spells known really eases a lot of their issues, even if it doesn't fix them outright.

Eldritch Blast should absolutely be added to that list of yours, and tied to class level for the progression instead of character level.

As Mastikator pointed out, the dragonmarked races merely add to your spell lists, not to your spells known. So without an explicit house rule, it's not soft-patching Sorcerors, I'm afraid.

[J-H]

No*.

*Only against each other.

[Chronic]

You don't automatically know the spells, they are merely added to your available knowable ones.

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

I think that caveat is what makes them not game breaking. Good, amazing even, but not too good.

Uh, you are right, I misread. Not as problematic as I thought for sorcerer, still good tho.

[Gtdead]

They are balanced because there is a lot of overlap with the mark spells and the class spell lists and the opportunity cost if fairly high. For example I'd love to add PWT to my AT. My options are either shadows or passage and there are way too many redundancies.

Shadows gives Darkvision, Invisibility/LR and access to PWT
Passage gives Misty Step/LR and access to PWT/Freedom of Movement (way too late).
I don't think that either of these are better than a free feat.

In contrast, I consider Ravnica's backgrounds very strong because opportunity cost is minimal. If I choose Dimir Operative for my AT I can get both the free feat (vhuman) and PWT.

[TaiLiu]

No. Not that they are per se problematic, but I think the design is flawed in 2 ways.

First, part of the race features (the most important part, arguably) only benefits a number of classes. Most racial features are usable no matter what class you play. With this kind of design, either they are too weak for classes for which this class feature (extra spells available), or too strong for those that can benefit from it.

Second, it already is a problem in 5e that casters have a far too broad spell selection - you don't have healers (white mage), blasters, summoners - almost alll casting classes can do almost everything, though the focus differs a little. But with these races, and Ravnica's backgrounds, you can trample those few borders that there were... you can have your druid or cleric teleport and counter spells, or have your paladin disguise self.

So while they don't break the game, they are bad design imo.
Excellent analysis. I think Wayfinder's dragonmarked get closer to being good design, though the spellcasting ability scores that many of the marks are attached to still favors spellcasters. I have no idea why they decided to go with a more spell-centric version of the dragonmarked for Rising from the Last War.

[Dork_Forge]

No, no they are not and the adding spells to lists thing is egregious design that favours only casters.

My personal approach to them is to remove the spells added to lists and say no to moving stats around. I'm not a fan of that rule to begin with, but the argument of making a character your own holds even less water when you're wanting to play a Dragonmark.

Ask the player why they want to play one, if the answer is to break spell list boundaries then they're just looking to powergame and I'd tell them no. If their answer is they find the concept and actual abilities cool then I'd just strip out the spells added and say sure.

[BigRedJedi]

Mark of Making Human on, specifically, a Battle Smith Artificer is a very strong option, as it gives you Mending, to use to heal your Steel Defender, without costing a precious Cantrip slot (of which Artificers are in significantly short supply). Perhaps doubly so, as Battle Smith benefits from staying pure Artificer, perhaps more than any of the other subclasses.

The free, 1-hour, non-Concentration Magic Weapon is an additional bonus for the Battle Smith, as it allows them to add an additional weapon to their arsenal that will qualify to use Int to attack, on the fly, potentially freeing up Infusions to enhance other areas of their kit or be distributed to the party.

[Dr.Samurai]

I think the best answer you will find is it that it depends on the build and what your idea of "balanced" is. I personally don't care for the design because I prefer the 3rd edition version where anyone gained the spellcasting ability of the dragonmark, but that doesn't mean the races are imbalanced.

There are some minor interactions to consider. The ones that come to mind for me because I am a giant Mark of Sentinel fan is the ability to be better at counterspelling or Bigby's Hand.

If you take a Mark of Sentinel human and create an Artificer, you now have access to Counterspell. So using the Tools Required ability of your Spellcasting feature, you can use a tool proficiency to create a "Nullifying Wand" and add your proficiency bonus to your Counterspell checks. (Artificers already have access to Bigby's Hand so they could already do this at level 17 by using their tools to make a "Power Glove" or something.)

Similarly a Mark of Sentinel Circle of the Stars Druid now has access to Counterspell and (eventually) Bigby's Hand. With the Dragon constellation, not only do they roll at least a 10 on the die for Concentration checks, but also on Wisdom checks, such as those required with Counterspell and Bigby's Hand.

Is this broken? I don't think so. But is it unexpected? Kind of. Just something to consider. To the point other people are making, people don't typically think of Artificer or Druid when they think Mark of Sentinel. If you play a Deneith human, typically you'd be looking to play some sort of melee warrior character. Similarly, halflings with the Mark of Healing are generally expected to be healers, as opposed to wizards that now have access to healing spells.

But again, it really depends on what your players are looking to do and what your tolerance as a DM is. I don't think players can get up to too much trouble with the Eberron races.

[PhantomSoul]

If you take a Mark of Sentinel human and create an Artificer, you now have access to Counterspell. So using the Tools Required ability of your Spellcasting feature, you can use a tool proficiency to create a "Nullifying Wand" and add your proficiency bonus to your Counterspell checks. (Artificers already have access to Bigby's Hand so they could already do this at level 17 by using their tools to make a "Power Glove" or something.)


Worth highlighting that, as previous threads have shown, this is at best controversial (and, as I recall, a minority parse of the rules that the DM could be expected to refuse even if they find that interpretation plausible).

[Dr.Samurai]

I'm not sure how it would be controversial. You use the tools to cast your spells, which require an ability check roll, which you can add your proficiency to if you're proficient in the tools, which you have to be in order to use them as a spellcasting focus.

Fair enough to mention it, but I don't see the controversy. Not sure why "proficiency" would not mean anything in this context all of a sudden. Maybe not RAI but that's fine to note.

[PhantomSoul]

I'm not sure how it would be controversial. You use the tools to cast your spells, which require an ability check roll, which you can add your proficiency to if you're proficient in the tools, which you have to be in order to use them as a spellcasting focus.

Fair enough to mention it, but I don't see the controversy. Not sure why "proficiency" would not mean anything in this context all of a sudden. Maybe not RAI but that's fine to note.

It's all in "use" and whether a focus is really using the tools. At my tables, both as player and as DM, reasonable reading and outcome inevitably mean that I have absolutely 0% confidence it would be allowed (or really, 100% confidence it wouldn't be).

[Dr.Samurai]

It's all in "use" and whether a focus is really using the tools. At my tables, both as player and as DM, reasonable reading and outcome inevitably mean that I have absolutely 0% confidence it would be allowed (or really, 100% confidence it wouldn't be).
I appreciate that at your table this is the ruling and it is considered a "reasonable reading" of the rules. But the artificer class literally says you must have proficiency to "use" the tools in this way. You are adding a material component to your spells because you are now required to use a tool to make use of the "Tools Required" feature.

I can see many people not allowing the interaction, as I said I don't think it was expected. But I wouldn't consider the interpretation at your table to be a reasonable reading. It's pretty clear you're using the tools to cast the spells, and if an ability check is required, you get to add your proficiency bonus to it.

EDIT: I think if the OP is concerned about the power level of these races, it is likely they will not allow this interaction anyways.

[stoutstien]

No, no they are not and the adding spells to lists thing is egregious design that favours only casters.

My personal approach to them is to remove the spells added to lists and say no to moving stats around. I'm not a fan of that rule to begin with, but the argument of making a character your own holds even less water when you're wanting to play a Dragonmark.

Ask the player why they want to play one, if the answer is to break spell list boundaries then they're just looking to powergame and I'd tell them no. If their answer is they find the concept and actual abilities cool then I'd just strip out the spells added and say sure.
I think everyone has that point where they think it's crossing a line. For some it's dragon marks and others its V human, taking one of the big combat feats early on, or even just armor proficiency from a race.

One issue Ive noticed is that what perks you would consider a boon to being a martial are still somewhat useful for those who cast but not vice versa. The shifters make great barbarians because of a nice pool of THP but THP are good for anyone, half orc's once a day unconscious protection is universal in application, weapon and armor prof usually are bigger boosts for casters, and skill bonuses are skill bonuses. The only sort of example is the bugbear but they are good for anyone making melee attacks and casters can utilize those as well. Spell just take up so much design space it's hard to avoid them and still feel like you have any real options. I can't fault players from taking advantage of the obvious.
Rune knights and soul knifes are hinting at stuff that martials needed from the get go.

[Thunderous Mojo]

No*.

*Only against each other.

Using this quote more as a springboard, but I am a player in an Eberron game, and in over a year of play, I haven't felt the two Dragonmarked races overshadowed my feat from Vhuman.

A Mark of Storm, Storm Sorcerer isn't going to be overshadowing, or doing anything a Storm Sorcerer shouldn't be doing.

The 5e spell list, broadly speaking, is fairly balanced within the first five spell levels. Granting access to particular spells to express a character's' 'theme', improves a game in my opinion.

A Cleric of Trickery that has access to Minor Illusion and Major Image via the Dragonmark of Shadow isn't going to make an Illusionist Wizard, of any race, feel obsolete.

[Telwar]

I think they're fine, but I wouldn't allow them in a non-Eberron game, unless you have a reasonable explanation for something like the Marked Houses existing in the game setting.

I have a vastly easier time justifying shifters and warforged outside Eberron, personally.

[Valorant]

They are fine. Don't sweat over them. If you are afraid of players using them to power game then it won't matter. If player is dedicated power gamer he will power game even with just PhB, since they know every little power move in system. So don't worry about that since if someone want to make unbalanced character he will do it anyway because they are hundreds ways for it. Mark races are official and are fine and very interesting. Just go with the flow.

[Sception]

I think they're fine, but I wouldn't allow them in a non-Eberron game, unless you have a reasonable explanation for something like the Marked Houses existing in the game setting.

I have a vastly easier time justifying shifters and warforged outside Eberron, personally.

I agree with this. The marked races are on the strong end, but not outside the established power curve outside of them. But they are pretty distinctly themed and trickier to incorporate into other games than things like warforged, shifters, and changelings, which are just more exotic fantasy peoples to incorporate into settings already populated by a variety of the same.

[PhantomSoul]

They are fine. Don't sweat over them. If you are afraid of players using them to power game then it won't matter. If player is dedicated power gamer he will power game even with just PhB, since they know every little power move in system. So don't worry about that since if someone want to make unbalanced character he will do it anyway because they are hundreds ways for it. Mark races are official and are fine and very interesting. Just go with the flow.

I agree with the idea (if they want to powergame, they will), but not the conclusion (that doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't exclude things you feel don't fit thematically or that you find too strong).

[Evaar]

My personal view is they are fine, with a couple “quite good” options if you require them to use the published ability score bonuses.

If you allow Tasha’s flexible bonuses, that’s where I think they just barely tip over the line into “too good.” As above, they’re still not YuanTi or Satyrs. But it becomes a little too easy to grab powerful spells from other classes at no real cost. With a few exceptions, most of the spell lists don’t synergize super well with the classes that would use the published ability scores.

The exceptions of course as things like Mark of the Sentinel with Counterspell and +wisdom, Mark of Storm and +charisma, Mark of Hospitality and +charisma, probably some others I’m not coming up with off the dome. These are all things I’d call “quite good” but I still don’t consider them exactly overpowered.

[Thunderous Mojo]

I'm intrigued by a Mark of Hospitality Warlock. Goodberry on Short Rest timer results in quite a bit healing.

[stoutstien]

I'm intrigued by a Mark of Hospitality Warlock. Goodberry on Short Rest timer results in quite a bit healing.

Aid is pretty nice as well if you can swing an extra SR at the start of the day.

[Second Wind]

I think they're fine, but I wouldn't allow them in a non-Eberron game, unless you have a reasonable explanation for something like the Marked Houses existing in the game setting.
Dragonmarked powers make more sense without the Eberron lore. You have [themed powers] because you were blessed/cursed by [source of power].

[Thunderous Mojo]

Aid is pretty nice as well if you can swing an extra SR at the start of the day.

An Upcast Aid spell can also serve as a version of Mass Cure Wounds...
Tiny Hut is also nice...especially for a Tomelock.

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