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Jan 14, 2013 -- 3:26PM, Edymnion wrote:

Jan 14, 2013 -- 6:15AM, Madfox11 wrote:

Furthermore, if Lyrandor really had that kind of resources, why the hack do they tolerate piracy?

Because piracy is an industry with many, many players.  The PC is one person that has caught their attention.

Like you said, its a cost to benefit ratio.  The cost of stamping out the entire pirating industry is enormous, and would cost more than they are actually losing due to it.  The PC however is a single individual.  The cost of taking down one person is much, much lower, and the benefit of not having a rogue member of the house with the power to level small cities while walking around with what amounts to your corporate logo on their backs is enormous.

You actually need to succeed on an Arcana check to recognize the mark for what it is. Most would not recognize it, although admittedly, there are not that many half-elf houses to pick from. Furthermore, there is a difference between a bit of piracy, especially if the PC(s) are not the brutal kind of pirats, and leveling cities. Lyrandor is not really a military orientated house, and while there are a few examples where Lyrandor brought down their resources upon a single pirate prince, they are rare and usually reserved for the worst of the worst. Obviously, this is my personal interpretation of House Lyrandor and the situation, your milleage might varry

Finally, and more importantly, the DM decides how much resources a group of NPCs has, what they can and cannot do and how successful they are at it. You certainly could crush the PC if you want to, just remember that chances are the player will see it as you stepping down on her for picking something. If you are going this route, I feel that you should make the player aware of the risks (and allow the player to take the necessary measures to protect themselves)

Jan 15, 2013 -- 7:03AM, Edymnion wrote:

And actually its a Spellcraft check to ID a mark, but that includes knowing what abilities it has.  I would not require a check at all to go "Yup, thats a Dragonmark.  No idea what it does, but thats definitely a Dragonmark on a half elf.  Must be one of them thar Lyranders."

No such thing as Spellcraft in 4e Anyway, it could be a Medani mark It could also be an aberrant mark, which looks different, but I am unsure whether John Doe would recognize the difference...