Revenant up

[Dausuul]

Interesting. This may be the only time I've seen one of these "quasi-races" and liked it. (By "quasi-races," I mean, "races where people really want to play X but the designers can't think of a way to make it balanced so they give you an X wannabe race that's basically a human in an X suit." Dragonborn, dhampyrs, warforged, etc.)

Revenants are undead wannabes, of course, but they're also a nifty solution for those of us who dislike standard cheap D&D resurrection yet still want a way to bring back beloved and/or plot-centric PCs. With revenants, we have the perfect mechanic for a variant form of resurrection, wherein you do get to come back... but you come back wrong.

As far as the race mechanics go:

• Dex/Con: Weird choice, but I can sorta see it. Revenants are supposed to be unnaturally tough, and stealth is appropriate. Unfortunately, it severely limits their options. There are only 2.5 classes that use Dex as primary (rogue, monk, and half of ranger), and Con is of course the red-headed stepchild of stats with only half a class. On the other hand, revenants do get access to the "compensatory" racial feats like Hellfire Blood that make up for stat deficiencies.
• Dark Reaping Racial Power: Bleh. I say again, bleh. Effectiveness mediocre, evocativeness zero. Do we really need yet another "Look, Ma, more damage!" power?
• Unnatural Vitality: Now this is a good ability! I think people are underestimating the value of this, especially for a revenant defender. What it means is that you never have to lose a round to being dropped to zero; if you go negative, and your turn comes up before the cleric has a chance to lay some healing on you, you still get to act. Every 4E fighter and paladin I've ever seen would kill for that. Now if only we had a Con-based defender class...
• Heroic Feats: The fact that you can get your old racial power back somewhat redeems the lame-ass revenant racial power, although I agree with those who say it's a bit of a feat tax. (And I'm very sad that there's no way to get the tiefling bloodhunt ability back.) Death's Quickening looks lame but is actually almost insanely good, because it lets you get a minor action which you can use to heal yourself, while still using the standard action to attack. Most of the other heroic-tier feats are so-so at best.
• Paragon/Epic Feats: Reaping Burst and Reaper's Strike actually make Dark Reaping useful. Death Scorned and Unnatural Stamina are solid. The epic-level feats are all very nice.
• Avenging Haunt Paragon Path: Most of this PP is nothing to write home about, but the 12th-level utility power is made of win. I would take this paragon path just for that one power.
• Free Soul Epic Destiny: The fluff is so-so, the mechanics are blah. Nothing about it screams "I AM AWESOME INCARNATE!" the way a good epic destiny should.

Overall, seems like a decent race to me, with some flaws. Will have to play around with it a bit before making a final judgement. Just looking at it, though, I'd say the "get your old racial power back" feat should come free of charge; Dark Blessing, Reaper's Resistance, and Resilience of Death should be combined into one or at most two feats; and Dark Reaping should let you take your second wind instead of getting bonus damage.

I kinda want to play a revenant fighter now. Get a flame weapon and hellfire blood to make up for the lack of a Strength bonus, perhaps.

 

[Asmor]

I think people are selling Unnatural Vitality way too short. Consider what happens every time you drop below 0 HP- you go prone and you drop what you're holding. Some class abilities might well turn off too, like Swordmage Aegis. Even if the healer smacks you immediately thereafter with a healing effect, you still have to spend a move action standing up and probably a minor to pick up your gear- assuming your enemies haven't snatched it up away from you while you're lying there bleeding out.

Revenants don't have to deal with that. Give them a bandolier of cheap healing potions, and the only possible way to put them down is to either take them from positive to -half HP before they get a chance to act or run them completely out of healing surges. Let them take the "use a minor as well as a standard while Unnaturally Vital" feat, let them grab a minor-action source of healing, and getting pounded into the negatives won't even break their stride. Moreover, enemies will keep pounding on the revenant because he's still standing up, and every point of damage they do to him in the negatives will be wasted the minute he gets a surge.

Combine it with their paragon path's "Unkillable" level 16 ability, and every revenant gets an absolutely obscene amount of effective temporary hit points, because it doesn't matter how deep they are in the negatives when they get a healing surge. Instead of worrying about healing them when they get bloodied, you start to worry about healing them when they _go negative_... and the revenant operates at 100% until the minute they keel over dead.

Personally, I really like the feel of this race. Unnatural Vitality turns them into high-quality zombie unstoppables, the sort you have to hack to pieces before they stop coming at you. With that in mind, I think Con/Dex is a perfect fit for the "living corpse animated with the awfulest livelieness" thing they've got going.

Wow, that's a great point. I'd been thinking that the feature was reasonably nice, but you make some great points. Particularly the negative HP healing thing, which I hadn't even considered.

Yeah, this race is actually really, really powerful. A Revenant Paladin w/Warforged Soul would be all but unkillable... A nice, high hit point total means a nice, low death threshold. Lay on Hands and Warforged Resolve both provide minor action healing (in the latter case, you are still bloodied when you're in the negatives, so it also heals you in addition to temp hp), Paladins just don't run out of healing surges, and you've still got second wind and other party members to back you up after you run out of those.

 

[Drkfathr1]

Heh, so far I'm glad the exclusive has turned into such a dud. Makes those of us who don't subscribe feel better!

Now I don't feel like I'm missing anything at all!

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I don't think that Dex and Con are bad choices for ability scores. A lot of classes can benefit from a high Dexterity and Constitution. Constitution feeds directly into your Healing Surges, Dexterity impacts AC and Reflex. Even if neither is your attack statistic, it's not too bad. Other ability scores are far more "situational". Of course, it is not the min-max optimum.
Monks will use Dexterity as their attack stat, at least that's what the playtest does.

A Propos Healing Surges. Dwarven Revenant with Durable, Dwarven Durability and this new Revenant Feat for +1 Healing Surge will certainly have a lot of Healing Surges. You just need more ways to spend them.

 

[Stalker0]

I'll echo Rechan's sentiments, this one didn't do it for me.

Also on the ability scores, I wish they had gone with (+2 Dex, +2 Con....or the ability adjustments of your past race).

A lot of times I can see a character wanting to take on the old class they were in, and +dex, +con might be a big power down.

I do wish they had done....more with this race.

 

[CubeKnight]

I'll echo Rechan's sentiments, this one didn't do it for me.

Also on the ability scores, I wish they had gone with (+2 Dex, +2 Con....or the ability adjustments of your past race).

A lot of times I can see a character wanting to take on the old class they were in, and +dex, +con might be a big power down.

I do wish they had done....more with this race.

I was thinking something along the lines of +Con (for undead toughness), and +2 to one of the ability scores your past race had a bonus to, other than Con. So, a Dwarf Revenant would be +Con/+Wis, an Elf Revenant could be +Con/+Dex or +Con/+Wis, etc.

 

[kenmarable]

Finally got a chance to read it, and I like it - mostly for the fluff. Although I have no problem with the crunch, it just doesn't stand out from other fun races as much as the fluff does for me.

I've been seeing on messageboards the obvious references to the Crow, but reading the part about memory flashes from your past guiding you, the movie that came to my mind was Memento. Seeing as how that is one of my all time favorite movies, that gives me a ton of fun ideas for a revenant PC. Maybe past life memories are elusive - they appear, but fade quickly, so you could even work in the tattooing side of things.

(Oh, and I also couldn't help but think of Nameless from Planescape: Torment as well. that seemed to be a good angle to use for inspiration if people wanted a different angle than emo-birdman.)

I would love to have a revenant PC in my campaign now and develop and elaborate mystery to their past life that unfolds over the campaign (and have it actually resolve more action-movie like Crow than drama like Memento without going into spoilers). I just love that idea of a past life mystery to solve for the PC and that's what struck me the most from the article.

 

[Klaus]

Finally got a chance to read it, and I like it - mostly for the fluff. Although I have no problem with the crunch, it just doesn't stand out from other fun races as much as the fluff does for me.

I've been seeing on messageboards the obvious references to the Crow, but reading the part about memory flashes from your past guiding you, the movie that came to my mind was Memento. Seeing as how that is one of my all time favorite movies, that gives me a ton of fun ideas for a revenant PC. Maybe past life memories are elusive - they appear, but fade quickly, so you could even work in the tattooing side of things.

(Oh, and I also couldn't help but think of Nameless from Planescape: Torment as well. that seemed to be a good angle to use for inspiration if people wanted a different angle than emo-birdman.)

I would love to have a revenant PC in my campaign now and develop and elaborate mystery to their past life that unfolds over the campaign (and have it actually resolve more action-movie like Crow than drama like Memento without going into spoilers). I just love that idea of a past life mystery to solve for the PC and that's what struck me the most from the article.

I'm not seeing Memento here. It's mostly The Crow meets Highlander (specially the Epic Destiny).

My biggest complain, though, is Baxa's art. I wasn't a fan of it back in Dark Sun, and I'm not liking it better now.

 

[CelticMutt]

As far as the race mechanics go:

• Dex/Con: Weird choice, but I can sorta see it. Revenants are supposed to be unnaturally tough, and stealth is appropriate. Unfortunately, it severely limits their options. There are only 2.5 classes that use Dex as primary (rogue, monk, and half of ranger), and Con is of course the red-headed stepchild of stats with only half a class. On the other hand, revenants do get access to the "compensatory" racial feats like Hellfire Blood that make up for stat deficiencies.

Assassin is pretty much guaranteed to be Dex primary too. And for all we know it may have Con as a secondary.

• Free Soul Epic Destiny: The fluff is so-so, the mechanics are blah. Nothing about it screams "I AM AWESOME INCARNATE!" the way a good epic destiny should.

What? The fluff is "you tell the gods and Fate to go f*** themselves, and they have to accept it." How is that no the very definition of awesome?

Heh, so far I'm glad the exclusive has turned into such a dud. Makes those of us who don't subscribe feel better!

Now I don't feel like I'm missing anything at all!

Actually, it's one of the best articles Dragon has had since going digital. It's as far from a dud as a nuclear explosion.

 

[thecasualoblivion]

I think Revenant is going to be a non-obvious top tier choice, like Dwarf Fighters. Dwarf Fighters don't get a bonus to Strength, but get a pile of other stuff thats really good.

It all keys off of Unnatural Vitality, which I believe really is that good. Its specific though, as it really aims the Revenant race at Strikers and Defenders. Its the one piece of sexy Revenants get, and a character who isn't a suicidal glass cannon or a damage sponge isn't going to get much out of it.

That being said, Revenant lines up at least moderately well with all seven striker classes:

Ranger--Con/Dex makes for a tolerable Str/Dex TWF, and TWF Rangers are glass cannons who will appreciate the unkillability. Also makes a beefy archer ranger

Rogue--Con/Dex makes for a nice and sturdy Artful Dodger, and if you don't mind dumping your Will Defense Brutal Scoundrel. Rogues are glass cannons, and Unnatural Vitality is great on a glass cannon.

Warlock--Con/Dex is a reasonably solid array for an Infernal or Vestige Warlock. The self-destructive tactics of an Infernal Warlock is made for the Revenant

Avenger--Con/Dex isn't a bad array for a Pursuing Avenger, but the added durability is overkill on the most durable non-Defender class in the game.

Barbarian--Con/Dex is a pretty solid array for a Rageblood Barbarian(use a Fullblade), and what Barbarian doesn't want to stay up when knocked to zero.

Sorcerer--Con/Dex isn't a bad fit for a Wild or Storm Sorcerer. You can go 18/14/11 for 18Cha, 16Dex, 13Con which will get you where you need to go.

Monk--Monks aren't really all that durable, so Dex/Con plus unkillability is a nice fit.


With Defenders, they don't line up as nice. Con/Dex isn't ideal for Fighters, but not a disaster. Wardens are a decent fit, and you'll have a better than average Reflex. Swordmages use Con but not Dex, so thats a so-so fit. Paladins you're pretty much SOL.