D&D 5E using a revenant

[pukunui]

Hi all,

Last session, the PCs encountered a half-ogre cleric and his orcish minions in a peat bog. Rather than parley, the PCs decided to set up an ambush and attacked. When they had the half-ogre on his knees, he begged for a truce so he could talk, but the half-orc cleric and dwarf fighter in particular weren't interested and hacked him down, along with his minions.

I was thinking it would be fitting to have the half-ogre return as a revenant ... but I'm a bit concerned that it might be too powerful for my group. They're all only 4th level, and while they've proven they can handle encounters with a single CR 5 monster before (they've already taken care of a shambling mound and an otyugh - on separate occasions - with little trouble), which the DMG classes as merely a "Hard" encounter, the revenant's unique setup might make it too hard for them to handle.

For one thing, it can potentially kill one of its special targets in two rounds: if it successfully uses Vengeful Glare, the target becomes paralyzed, which means an auto-crit. If it hits with both fists, that would be 24d6 + 8 damage, more than enough to kill either the half-orc or the dwarf fighter instantly!

On top of that, the only way to permanently get rid of a revenant is to cast wish, which is way out of reach of 4th level PCs. Yes, technically the party could also be pragmatic and let the half-orc and dwarf die, which would also put the revenant's soul to rest, but I can't really see this particular party doing that. So if I were to unleash a revenant on them, they'd most likely end up fighting it every few days, unless they found some way of getting far away from it very quickly ... which again is not something 4th level PCs can reasonably be expected to do.


What do you guys think? Should I do it? Or should I not risk it? What would you do?

 

[Jaelommiss]

For one thing, it can potentially kill one of its special targets in two rounds: if it successfully uses Vengeful Glare, the target becomes paralyzed, which means an auto-crit. If it hits with both fists, that would be 24d6 + 8 damage, more than enough to kill either the half-orc or the dwarf fighter instantly!

Minor correction on the math: the paralyzed condition from Vengeful Glare would end after the first attack. Since the second punch wouldn't autocrit, that's only 18d6 damage.

Personally, I think that a revenant would present an interesting challenge to your players. At worst a character ends up dying. If I didn't use monsters because it might kill a PC I might as well chuck out half the monster manual. Most players are entirely unprepared for enemies that can't be defeated purely through HP damage. This will be a radically different creature to what your players are used to.

There are a few ways that they could stop it. Per the MM, a revenant only has one year to get revenge. If they manage to lock it away then they would be safe, assuming it is unable to destroy its own body in that time. Using magic to trap its soul would prevent it from rising in a new body. I'm a huge fan of giving players obstacles that I can't see a solution to because I know that their collective brainpower will manage to find a solution that I overlooked.

In game, I would run the revenant a few ways:
-The characters see the revenant slowly shambling towards them. They recognize it as the half ogre that they slew. They will most likely attack it at range until it goes down. I'd keep it down to regenerate the first time.
-The characters see the half ogre chasing them again. It again follows them slowly. This time when they defeat it, it will continue standing up to fight as long as it can regenerate. They may decide to run away quickly if they cannot find its weakness. Several hours later (probably when they camp for the night) it shows up again if not destroyed. It chases them slowly and endlessly until they manage to overcome its regeneration. During this time the players will likely learn of its Vengeful Glare.
-The third time it shows up it will be in a new body, but keeping its original voice so they can recognize it. This should come as a surprise and convince them that this is a serious threat that they need to deal with. The bonus damage vs sworn target would likely come up here. If players ask about identifying this creature I would require a DC 20 religion check to know its name, DC 25 to know that it endlessly chases a sworn enemy, DC 30 to know that it only has a year to succeed. Further knowledge will require dedicated study.
-Every few (2d6?) days the revenant attacks the party. After failing twice more, it learns to hang back and observe them. It decides to only strike when the party is distracted or unable to flee (such as after they leave a dungeon and are trying to rest).
-After being defeated a half dozen times, it attempts to contact one of the characters it has not sworn to destroy. It will try to convince them to give up the marked targets or to help it next time.
-After being defeated a dozen times, or if it is no longer threatening alone, it starts recruiting allies to help it. From here the attacks will escalate if they do not manage to contain or destroy the revenant.
-To top it all off, I would not award XP for slaying it until it is permanently destroyed. When they finally triumph, I would award the XP (1800) multiplied by the number of times they had to slay it before finally rendering it harmless, or 1800 if they decided to run to the middle of nowhere and wait it out.
-I would wait until the party was level 5 before it first catches up with them. You were right in saying that level four characters just aren't tough enough to survive reliably.

 

[pukunui]

Minor correction on the math: the paralyzed condition from Vengeful Glare would end after the first attack. Since the second punch wouldn't autocrit, that's only 18d6 damage.

Good point. Still, that's a lot of damage and could potentially kill even the dwarf fighter (who currently has a max of 40 hp).

Personally, I think that a revenant would present an interesting challenge to your players. At worst a character ends up dying. If I didn't use monsters because it might kill a PC I might as well chuck out half the monster manual. Most players are entirely unprepared for enemies that can't be defeated purely through HP damage. This will be a radically different creature to what your players are used to.

Agreed. I didn't meant to imply that I was wary of using the monster because it might kill the PCs. It was more the combination of how much damage it can do and the fact that it's virtually unstoppable that's making me hesitate.

-I would wait until the party was level 5 before it first catches up with them. You were right in saying that level four characters just aren't tough enough to survive reliably.

Thanks for all the constructive suggestions. I'll definitely make a note of them. I think I will provide some hints until then - like maybe the dwarf and the half-orc both regularly dream about the revenant, and maybe they both frequently feel like they're being followed (their end of the psychic connection that lets the revenant always know where they are).


EDIT: Since the half-ogre was a cleric, do you think I should keep his spellcasting ability? I'm not sure myself.

 

[Saeviomagy]

The revenant makes for a unique, interesting recurring villain.

Things to keep in mind:

PCs are really, really hard to instantly kill, and impossible to permanently kill.
Your scenario is likely to go as follows:
*Vengeful glare + failed save
*Party gets a round. Despite the regeneration, they probably hurt the guy a lot.
*Revenant hits for 12d6+4 damage (ie - 42 damage). I doubt that even drops the dwarf fighter. It might drop the cleric, depending on how your player has built him.
*Revenant hits for 6d6+4 damage (ie - 21 damage). This won't instant-kill the target, so he racks up a death save.
*Party gets a round. Target is almost certainly healed. The party hammer the target again.

Maybe he gets a second shot at the combo, but in a straight up fight it's unlikely.

Even if the PC dies - death is temporary. I probably would have the curse persist if the target is resurrected.

PCs do a lot of damage
I'm always surprised by how much sheer damage my players can put out. Odds are they will kill this thing before it gets a second chance at the combo.

The revenant can show up whenever you like
It comes back somewhere on the same plane of existence when it dies. You can set the clock to anything you want.
It is intelligent. It most likely will not come at the PCs the same way twice.

 

[pukunui]

*Revenant hits for 12d6+4 damage (ie - 42 damage). I doubt that even drops the dwarf fighter. It might drop the cleric, depending on how your player has built him.

42 damage would certainly drop the fighter. He's got 40 hp. The cleric only has 31 hp but he's also got that half-orc trait that lets him stay at 1 hp instead of being dropped to 0.

The revenant can show up whenever you like
It comes back somewhere on the same plane of existence when it dies. You can set the clock to anything you want.
It is intelligent. It most likely will not come at the PCs the same way twice.

True.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I vote use it.

 

[Jaelommiss]

Since the half-ogre was a cleric, do you think I should keep his spellcasting ability? I'm not sure myself.

Assuming this question comes after reading the variant rule, I won't bother pointing you there.

Myself, I would avoid using more than a couple new powers each time they meet. The first time they learn that there's a revenant after them. The second they learn it regenerates and possibly that it has Vengeful Glare. The third time they learn it can inhabit new bodies after being destroyed and that it does massive damage to its marked enemy. The fourth time, that is to say the second time it grabs a new body, I would start using its spellcasting abilities.

Gradually uncovering new abilities will keep your players guessing, and that keeps the tension high. I find that facing a foe that I know everything about can be boring.

Postponing spellcasting also helps avoid outclassing the party from the beginning. As always, you as the DM will be able to gauge your party's capabilities better than us. Be aware that the default revenant has 16 wisdom, which may make it a more potent cleric than while it was alive (unless you modify its Wisdom back to normal, or don't bother adjusting for it).

 

[Saeviomagy]

Myself, I would avoid using more than a couple new powers each time they meet. The first time they learn that there's a revenant after them. The second they learn it regenerates and possibly that it has Vengeful Glare. The third time they learn it can inhabit new bodies after being destroyed and that it does massive damage to its marked enemy. The fourth time, that is to say the second time it grabs a new body, I would start using its spellcasting abilities.

I think that ramping the challenge each encounter with it is a good idea, but I don't think that stopping it from using it's innate powers is the way to go. If you don't let it use vengeful glare, extra damage and regeneration in the first encounter, it will be a laughingstock, not something the players are spooked by. Even WITH those powers, it is highly likely to not get it's combo off, resulting in an encounter that's basically a high HP orc with a pie.

Adding spellcasting, minions and ambush the party when they are otherwise occupied seem like the prime candidates for ramping things up to me.

 

[pukunui]

I like the idea of ramping up the monster each time they encounter it. The first time they encounter it, they might just be like "Whoa! That half-ogre cleric we killed earlier just came back as a zombie! And somehow it knew where we were!" Next time, it might be like, "Wait a minute. That human zombie thing that just attacked us spoke with the half-ogre's voice! What's going on here?" And so on.

That being said, the entry on revenants does say that, "Regardless of the body the revenant uses as a vessel, its adversary always recognizes the revenant for what it truly is." I presume that to mean that its sworn targets know that it's out to get *them* -- and that it's an intelligent undead, not just a mindless zombie -- but not necessarily that it is a "revenant" and all that that entails.


EDIT: By the way, I decided I'd leave the half-ogre's mental ability scores unchanged. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me to have it suddenly become a lot more intelligent, wise, and charismatic than it was in life. As for letting it keep its spellcasting, I'm just not sure on account of it being a cleric. It makes sense that a sorcerer or wizard or whatever might retain its powers as a revenant, but a cleric? I dunno. I guess it might depend on the deity. And this half-ogre's deity is Grolantor, the hill giant and ogre patron deity. Wikipedia describes him as being "evil second and stupid first". I suppose he might let his former cleric continue to cast spells in order to help him achieve his goal of revenge.

 

[Herobizkit]

I also vote for 'use it'. Sometimes it's good to remind players that killing every foe isn't always the best option. ^_^