I've followed the general advice given by the Savage Worlds core book and have tried to use existing rules rather than create new ones. As such, most of these abilities are covered in the Savage Worlds Explorer's Edition (SWEX); a smaller number come from the Fantasy Companion Explorer's Edition (FCEX) -- which I'd recommend to anyone running a fantasy game for the system -- and two are borrowed from the Hellfrost Player's Guide (HFPG).
Each mark has two abilities: one general Trait bonus that is always active, and a special spell-like ability that can be activated at least once per day.
MARK OF DETECTION
- +2 Notice.
- Detect/Conceal: as Detect/Conceal Arcana (SWEX, p89), except limited to a specific object, which must be specified at the time of activation.
MARK OF FINDING
- +2 Tracking.
...I must admit I failed to find an existing Savage Worlds equivalent to the original Mark of Finding, and I am reluctant to simply build one. If any Savage Worlds fans out there have a suggestion, do let me know in the comments.
MARK OF HANDLING
- +2 Ride.
- Beast Friend (SWEX, p86).
MARK OF HEALING
- +2 Healing.
- Healing (SWEX, p89).
MARK OF HOSPITALITY
- +2 Charisma.
- Feast (HFPG, p88).
MARK OF MAKING
- +2 Repair.
- Reconstruct: as per Healing (SWEX, p89), except it only works on items like barriers, armour, weaponry, and so on. It also works on warforged and constructs.
MARK OF PASSAGE
- +2 Survival.
- Speed (SWEX, p94).
MARK OF SCRIBING
- +2 Charisma.
- Speak Language (SWEX, p93).
MARK OF SENTINEL
- +2 to resist Taunt/Intimidate actions.
- Armour (SWEX, p86).
MARK OF SHADOW
- +2 Streetwise.
- Darksight (FCEX, p33) or Obscure (FCEX, p40)
(One might want to split the two powers between Houses Phiarlan and Thuranni, but it might be more interesting and organic to not do so.)
MARK OF STORM
- +2 for Agility tests involving balance.
- Environmental Protection (SWEX, p90).
MARK OF WARDING
- +2 Notice.
- Lock/Unlock (HFPG, p90).
PDF
Here's my take on Dragonmarks for Savage Worlds. I actually allow characters to choose from a list of powers associated with the mark. Those powers are pulled from the core book as well as the Fantasy Companion and the Fantasy Worldbuilder Toolkit.
ReplyDeleteHere are the Dragonmark Background Edges, including the Aberrant mark and its list of powers. Note that I did not make these Arcane Background Edges, but it behaves very similarly to the Arcane Background Edge.
Very useful, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI decided to strip the powers down to one per mark out of a desire for simplicity; Savage Worlds as a whole doesn't have as many bits in it as D&D, and I wanted that to filter into the dragonmarks too.
Which is, of course, not the only way and every GM has different goals.
Thanks again for weighing in, and I'll certainly look through your work for inspiration; I had overlooked the Toolkit, as I had assumed that the Companion reprinted all the relevant stuff.
Cool, I'm curious what you think of it after you've taken a look at it.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the Toolkits, there are a number of powers that did not get reprinted. Some of them could be recreated (sort of) with trappings, but there are some that simply work well enough (e.g. - petrify for binding outsiders).
For the Mark of Finding Dragonmark how about the following.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning the session the player with this dragonmark may choose to select one of the following cards from the Adventure Deck instead of choosing randomly:
Mysterious Treasure
Windfall
Revelation
Nice and simple solution and a bit out of the box. You could even use the same principle for the other dragonmarks if you want.
I don't have access to the adventure deck, so it hadn't occurred to me, but that's not a bad idea. Thanks!
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