The Western Frontier draws characters from all backgrounds. There are Soldiers who fought in the Last War, Hermits in the hills, Merchants plying their trades, Farmers working the land, and much more. However, there are a few backgrounds that are especially appropriate for Frontier campaigns—or Eberron games in general.
Three of these backgrounds provide a character with the Lesser Dragonmark feat. To manifest a dragonmark, you must have a direct blood tie to a Dragonmarked House. A Dragonmarked Bravo or Scion was raised as part of a dragonmarked house, while a Dragonmarked Foundling is someone who has a blood tie to a house and who has manifested the house mark, but who was born and raised outside of the house. The Lesser Dragonmark feat has prerequisites, and a character who takes a Dragonmarked background must meet those prerequisites. So, a halfling who takes Dragonmarked Bravo gains the Lesser Dragonmark feat, but they must choose either the Mark of Healing or the Mark of Hospitality, the dragonmarks that are available to halflings. These details are summarized on the Dragonmarked Background table and the Lesser Dragonmark Benefit table later in this chapter. Keep in mind, a character doesn’t need to have a dragonmark to have a background connection to a Dragonmarked house! A character with the Scribe background may have worked for House Sivis. A character with the Guard background could have been a Deneith Blademark bodyguard or served in a Kundarak bank. These backgrounds are specifically for characters that possess dragonmarks.
The Magewright and Wandslinger backgrounds reflect the widespread nature of magic in Eberron. Each of these backgrounds provides access to the Magic Initiate feat. While there’s no concrete limitation on the spells and cantrips a character can take, thematically a Magewright should focus on practical, peaceful magic—Alarm, Identify, Mending, Prestidigitation—while a Wandslinger should have more aggressive magic, such as Fire Bolt, Magic Missile, Mage Armor, or Thunderclap.
| Lesser Dragonmark | Prerequisite | House | Tool Proficiency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detection | Khoravar (Half-Elf) | Medani | Choose one kind of Gaming Set |
| Finding | Human, Orc, Half-Orc | Tharashk | Choose one kind of Gaming Set |
| Handling | Human | Vadalis | Leatherworker’s Tools |
| Healing | Halfling | Jorasco | Herbalism Kit |
| Hospitality | Halfling | Ghallanda | Choose Brewer’s Supplies or Cook’s Utensils |
| Making | Human | Cannith | Choose one kind of Artisan’s Tools |
| Passage | Human | Orien | Choose one kind of Gaming Set |
| Scribing | Gnome | Sivis | Calligrapher's Supplies |
| Sentinel | Human | Deneith | Choose one kind of Gaming Set |
| Shadow | Elf | Phiarlan or Thuranni | Choose one kind of Artisan’s Tools |
| Storm | Khoravar (Half-Elf) | Lyrandar | Navigator’s Tools |
| Warding | Dwarf | Kundarak | Thieves’ Tools |