Wizards of the coast continues to build upon its ever-burgeoning Ebberon setting with their latest hardcover supplement, Dragonmarked. In Eberron there are twelve houses (think clans) of Dragonmarked. The Dragonmark is a symbol that appears on one's body and simply cannot be removed. It is etched in various colors and provides various magical abilities to the holder of the mark.
The thirteen different houses of the Dragonmarked are introduced in vast detail. You'll learn the rich history of each of the thirteen houses including its greatest members, notable events, house organization, guilds associated with the house, entry requirements, notes on playing as a member of that house, advancement, and much more. These various houses afford players a chance to play within a very rich tapestry of past history and current associations, something that most starting players are usually lacking. They also allow a player to join a house that closely fits his class and personality; if your DM allows you to pick which house you want to join. The houses are also associated with certain races such as the House of Jorasco, populated by halflings, and the House of Kundarak which is the house made up of dwarves. These various houses continue to lend a more mythical feel to Eberron, compared to the Forgotten Realms.
Chapter two presents a full dozen new prestige classes of Dragonmarked characters and some of them are quite enthralling. The Shadow Hunter is a special class that combines excellent combat skills with a high degree of stealth and magical powers to make themselves truly proficient combatants. They can uses their powers of darkness in defense to hide from opponents, or on offense to blind their foes. Each prestige class includes everything you need to know about joining the class, all features and powers, organizations, play tips, sample encounters, and NPC reactions.
Chapters three and four introduce dozens of new feats, spells, and magic items to flesh out your Dragonmarked character even more. The book is, of course, accompanied by the always-excellent artwork from a host of talented artists. I suppose you could fit Dragonmarked into the Forgotten Realms but I think its best to keep it within Eberron as its designed. There's an extreme amount of detail in this book but it can really create some very unique characters.
Reviewed by Tim Janson