I plan to run a game of that esplendid module, Eyes of the Lich Queen, and something came into my mind. The Altar of the Dragon Eye predates the first appearance of dragonmarks and the adventure states the characters without a mark can receive any true dragonmark or aberrant dragonmark, though it wont be passed to her descendants.
So, I wonder: Is there any prohibition for a former unmarked character develop a resurgent Mark of Death, even though it won´t pass to the pc's sons and daughters? As the near total extinction of the Mark of Death (excepting Vol´s inactive one) was caused by the extermination of the lineage, unless the Prophecy has DEFINITELY something against it, I wouldn't oppose this resurgence, considering the age and power of the artifact, as:
a) It was created much before the sundering of the mark of Death and,
b) The adventure states the altar can create equally bizarre mixes, like a unmarked dwarf exhibiting House Jorasco´s Mark of Healing.
I don´t have anything planned yet, but this could be an interesting twist. The Twelve, the elves of Aerenal, Vol and the dragons would be very interested in such a character.
For the Mark of Death granted powers, I considered the following abilities
Least: deathwatch 1/day or deathknell 1/day; +2 bonus on heal checks
Lesser: speak with the dead 1/day or death ward 1/day
Greater: slay living 1/day
Resposta do Keith Baker:
It seems reasonable. Bear in mind that possession of the Mark of Death does not make a character equal to Erandis d'Vol. Many members of the line of Vol possessed the Mark of Death. Erandis was the product of generations of arcane experiments and elf-dragon eugenics, and she is essentially a living eldritch machine (or was, until she died). So whatever powers you attribute to the Mark of Death, they won't hold a candle to the powers Erandis could unleash if she regained HER mark... which after all was enough to drive both dragons and elves to join forces to seek to exterminate her bloodline.
With that said, while this character's powers may never match those of Erandis, others won't see it that way. As such, if you do have a character walking around with the Mark of Death, they'll become a target for the Deathguard, the Cairdal Blades, and in all likelihood, the Order of the Emerald Claw. Erandis won't be pleased to see someone usurping her birthright - if the person in question isn't even an elf, I would expect her to be infuriated by this abomination and go to far greater lengths than even Aerenal to see it destroyed. Beyond this, while the ALTAR may not care which mark it hands out, the dragons who exterminated the line of Vol may, and THEY may take an interest in the bearer of this mark. And the reappearance of the Mark of Death on living flesh will certainly turn up in the Prophecy, so the dragons WILL know about it. For that matter, so will the Lords of Dust, who may try to use this new heir as a weapon against Argonnessen.
So is the principle sound? Sure. But whoever gets the mark may find it to be a very weighty gift, and he'll certainly have a whole lot of new enemies determined to kill him or control him. If that suits the game you're running, go for it.
By the way, while I don't personally have any plans to officially state what the powers of the Mark of Death are or were, I like the fact that you focused on powers that relate to death but are not all inherently deadly. I've seen a lot of versions suggesting things like inflict wounds, which is really an aberrant power. The aberrant marks are the marks of fear, fire, and deadly force. The pure marks can have aggressive functions (like Storm of Vengeance or Fire Trap) but are typically defensive, informative, or passive. So including things like Deathwatch, Death Ward, and Speak With Dead is a good balance to the aggressive powers.
Again, I'm not saying it's what I'd do, because honestly, I've never planned to do it. But it's certainly better than most versions I've seen (again, with the understanding that the power Erandis holds is something darker and more fearful).