Are you a loyal heir to a noble house who proudly wields the magic woven into your blood? Perhaps you bear a mark that defies tradition, pulsing with power no one expected? Eberron: Forge of the Artificer, releasing December 9, introduces 28 new feats that explore one of Eberron's greatest mysteries: dragonmarks!
Inside its pages, you'll find new Dragonmark feats that represent your connection to one of Eberron's family lines—or to otherworldly influences. You'll also discover greater dragonmark feats that signify the growing power of your dragonmark and a new Epic Boon feat for when you manifest the pinnacle of your dragonmarked abilities.
Read on to learn more about these arcane gifts that bring power, prophecy, and legacy!
What Are 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.
- Eberron: Rising from the Last War
Dragonmarks are mystical sigils that appear on the skin of some people across Khorvaire. Twelve of the known dragonmarks are tied to a specific family line and fuel the wielder's magical talents in a particular area: healing, transportation, illusion, and more. The thirteenth kind of dragonmark—the aberrant dragonmark—can manifest on any individual regardless of family ties, and individuals who bear such a mark threaten to undermine the power structure of Khorvaire.
The families that wield dragonmarks—known as the dragonmarked houses—have used these arcane gifts to shape the very structure of Eberron's civilization. Through careful consolidation and centuries of influence, each house has turned its mark into a powerful monopoly, for example:
- House Jorasco controls the healing arts.
- House Orien dominates overland travel and courier services.
- House Lyrandar's heirs are the only ones who can pilot elemental airships.
A brief description of each dragonmark, how it ties to a house, and the power it provides can be found below:
Mark of Handling
House Vadalis
Strengthens the command and connection with Beasts and Monstrosities.
Mark of Shadow
House Phiarlan / House Thuranni
Bends light and produces illusions to conceal and deceive.
How Do Dragonmarks Work?
In Eberron: Forge of the Artificer, dragonmarks are represented by feats. You can choose a background tied to one of the thirteen dragonmarked houses—or the Aberrant Heir background—to gain a Dragonmark feat at level 1. Or, you can choose a different background and select a Dragonmark feat whenever you gain a new one.
Each dragonmark grants you magical traits that reflect its themes and powers—such as spellcasting abilities, bonuses to checks made with certain abilities or tools, or other unique features. If you have the Spellcasting or Pact Magic features, your dragonmark adds spells to your class's spell list, allowing you to channel its power in creative and thematic ways.
Take the Mark of Storm, for example, which can be gained by taking the House Lyrandar Heir background at character creation or any other time you can choose a feat:
Mark of Storm
Dragonmark Feat (Prerequisite: Eberron Campaign, Can't Have Another Dragonmark Feat)
You gain the following benefits.
Windwright's Intuition. When you make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check or an ability check using Navigator's Tools, you can roll 1d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check.
Storm's Boon. You have Resistance to Lightning damage.
Storm Magic. You know the Thunderclap cantrip. When you reach character level 3, you also always have the Gust of Wind spell prepared. You can cast it once without a spell slot, and you regain the ability to cast it in that way when you finish a Long Rest. You can also cast it using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells (choose when you select this feat).
Spells of the Mark. If you have the Spellcasting or Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Storm Spells table are added to that feature's spell list.
Mark of Storm Spells
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Spell Level |
Spells |
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1 |
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2 |
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3 |
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4 |
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5 |
Greater Dragonmarks
Dragonmarks have the potential to evolve in potency, portrayed by new feats that represent greater dragonmarks.
To take one of these feats, you must have the matching Dragonmark feat and be level 4 or higher.
For example, you took the House Lyrandar Heir background at character creation, which grants the Mark of Storm feat. At level 4, you decide to take the Greater Mark of Storm feat:
Greater Mark of Storm
General Feat (Prerequisite: Level 4+, Mark of Storm Feat)
You gain the following benefits.
Ability Score Increase. Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20.
Improved Intuition. When you use the Windwright's Intuition benefit of your Mark of Storm feat, you can roll 1d6 instead of 1d4.
Improved Storm. When you use the Storm Magic benefit of your Mark of Storm feat to cast Gust of Wind without a spell slot, you also gain a Fly Speed of 60 feet for the duration of the spell.
Beyond representing an evolution of power, greater dragonmarks are recognized by the dragonmarked houses as significant signs of destiny and are sometimes seen as crucial to the unfolding Draconic Prophecy. Choosing to grow your mark not only produces mechanical benefits; it may paint a target on your back or chart your path toward dominion over your house's legacy.
Origins of the Mark
A flicker of electricity runs through your body. As you look down, a sigil burns into your palm—shifting lines and glowing curves that you recognize all too well.
It's a dragonmark, a birthright you've waited for your whole life…or one you never expected to bear. The symbol hums with potential, binding you to the legacy of a house, or to a prophecy older than time. In that moment, you feel the weight of destiny and the spark of power that could change your life forever.
While these strange markings traditionally appear on members within certain family lines, recent years have seen marks emerging on members of all species, which is reflected in the new rules found in Eberron: Forge of the Artificer.
Here are some ways a dragonmark may manifest on your character:
Dragonmarked Heir. You are born into one of the powerful dragonmarked houses—perhaps a halfling of House Jorasco or a khoravar of House Lyrandar. These houses rigorously train their heirs, culminating in a rite of passage known as the Test of Siberys, a trial meant to trigger the mark's manifestation under pressure.
Distant Offshoot. You carry a mark but have no formal ties to the house. Maybe your family splintered off generations ago, or maybe your mark manifested out of nowhere. If the house finds out, expect a knock on your door.
Mark of Prophecy. Your dragonmark defies tradition. Perhaps you're a tiefling with the Mark of Warding, or a dwarf with the Mark of Storms. Some say the Draconic Prophecy guides such manifestations. Others call it heresy.
Aberrant Mark. Houses view those with aberrant dragonmarks as unpredictable and are not trusted. They don't follow house lines and often bring raw, dangerous magic. If you bear one, tread carefully. The houses have been known to eliminate what they cannot control.
Embrace the Power—and Peril—of a Mark
A dragonmark is a birthright, a burden, and sometimes, a beacon. It can be hidden beneath gloves or flaunted with pride. It can open doors—or mark you for death.
No matter your background, the symbol you bear shapes your future. Will you walk in the footsteps of your house? Or break the cycle and forge a legend of your own?
Pre-order Eberron: Forge of the Artificer and prepare to claim your place in the Draconic Prophecy when the book releases December 9!
Mike Bernier is the Content Marketing Manager for D&D Beyond, where he helps bring the worlds of Dungeons & Dragons to life. When he isn't adventuring across the multiverse in search of his next great story, Mike can be found gaming, hiking with his partner, or cooking something delicious while his dog waits for him to drop a bite.
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Posted Dec 8, 2025Maybe it's force? so it's just raw magic but because it's raw magic it ends up arching and such like electricity?
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Posted Dec 9, 2025They are elemental powered so don't think that is it.
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Posted Feb 19, 2026The Elementals that power Eberron's airships are magically bound to them, so perhaps the binding process also prevents the Elemental's energies from electrocuting things. The airship could also be specially insulated to allow it to land in water, and since the Elemental's electricity is technically magical, it might not behave like normal electricity.
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Posted Mar 17, 2026"Anyone can be anything as long as you buy our products." There used to be rules to Dragonmarks; they were something you were born with that proved you were a member of a certain house and developed as you do. Now they're just another way for someone to make a main character or min-max themselves into being broken. It's like what they did to tieflings and aasimar all over again, being whatever color, taking whatever shape, and having whatever power you want as long as you buy the corresponding books. Constraint leads to creativity, and excessive freedom leads to chaos. I know people will just say, "If you don't like the new rules, you don't have to use them," but because they exist, people will see the old rules as too restrictive without even trying them, so the lore and narrative that came with them will slowly fade into obscurity in spite of it being objectively better for storytelling.
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Posted Mar 17, 2026Keith Baker says that it's okay because player characters are supposed to be remarkable individuals. That's inherently not true. They're meant to be above-average individuals who BECOME remarkable through their accomplishments, not their powers. To make the opposite true is to invite people to develop main character syndrome and believe they can do whatever they want and their actions don't have consequences because they're special. That might be fine for the little kids with access to their parents' credit cards WotC is trying to lure in, but for older players who actually want a compelling narrative with fair rules that apply to everyone and no plot holes or badly implemented cliches, this is just bad for the community.
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Posted Mar 17, 2026I would like to apologize in advance if my reply angers you or comes off as rude. I have some challenges with my social skills and with identifying my tone, your two comments have really irked me, and I found the one quoted above particularly irritating.
First of all, I would like to point out that Keith Baker is the guy who originally created Eberron, and, while the final version of Eberron that was released for 3.5e back in 2004 differs greatly from what he originally submitted and is WotC's property, Baker has had a role in the setting's development throughout its history. There is a reason why many fans of Eberron treat all of the things he's published on his blog, his Patreon, and DMs Guild as canon, despite his insistence that it isn't. He has also stated that the idea that PCs are extraordinary has been present and a core part of Eberron from day one. To quote the relevant blog post: "From the beginning, a central idea of Eberron was that player characters are remarkable. They’re the heroes of the movie, the protagonists of the novel… and especially in pulp adventures [which Eberron is inspired by], such heroes are larger than life. Even at low levels, player characters are more capable than most people in the world." I don't care if you think players are meant to be "above-average individuals who [become] remarkable through their accomplishments," or if that's how it works in other settings, because that's not how it's intended to work in Eberron.
He has also suggested a potential way of explaining how and why a PC could get a Dragonmark even if they aren't a member of a Dragonmarked race without it invalidating the lore: "The fact that your halfling rogue can have the Mark of Storm doesn’t mean that there are hundreds of halflings who have it; it means that you are special. Dragonmarks are themselves manifestations of the Prophecy. Player characters are prime candidates for being focal points for the Prophecy, and having an unusual Dragonmark would just be a clear sign of that. Personally, I’d be inclined to say that it’s happened before throughout history, and that the people who have had unusual marks have often been remarkable people who have done great things… But they didn’t pass their marks onto their offspring and so they were blips in history. The point is that with the Houses, it is the FAMILIES that have a role to play in the Prophecy and as such it’s the FAMILIES that carry the Dragonmarks. If you are an INDIVIDUAL who has a role to play in the Prophecy, you might have a mark as a sign of that… but you won’t pass it on."
WotC themselves have stated that Eberron: Forge of the Artificer is intended to be a companion to Eberron: Rising From the Last War, not a replacement. Everything in Forge of the Artificer isn't meant to replace or invalidate any of the content and lore presented in Rising From the Last War. Letting any PC have any Dragonmark, regardless of their species, doesn't automatically change the demographics of the Dragonmarked Houses. You want creativity? How about players and DMs getting creative and contemplating the potential implications of a PC getting a Dragonmark they shouldn't normally get and the ramifications of said implications. As Keith Baker has said, "When we play an RPG, we are creating a story."
And as for your comment about tieflings and aasimar "being whatever color" and "taking whatever shape", first of all, I like that about them, and second of all, that's what they were like back in 2e (when they were first introduced) and 3e. Plus, there have been hundreds of different kinds of Fiends and Celestials across D&D's various editions and numerous settings. Why should their tiefling and aasimar descendants all look similar to each other, or to those descended from specific gods, or to those with stranger origins like being born in a region influenced by one of Eberron's planes? Going back to your professed desire for creativity, why not get creative and weird with your tiefling or aasimar, or find something fun and obscure for them? Sure, you might need to homebrew some changes to the species to better reflect what you want, but as long as you're having fun, your DM is cool with it, and you aren't breaking the game, I don't see anything wrong with it.