ZEITGEIST Guidance on Monument of War prestige class in 5e

von_recklinghausen · Mar 9, 2021

One of the characters in my Zeitgeist campaign is a veteran of the Yerasol wars, and is shaping up to be the leader of our party. The team is 11th level, and he just took his second level of Monument of War. We're playing 5e. I'm looking at the "Do You Want to Live Forever?" ability, and want to make sure I'm understanding it right. As I read it, it's effectively a +2 to AC and dex saves against ranged attacks/spells unless (a) the character is obscured (darkness, fog, an enemy that is blind); or (b) the character is under cover of some kind (in which they get the cover bonus, but it doesn't stack with this bonus). This strikes me as very powerful (a +2 AC bump alone is a huge deal, and here it will apply for most, though not all, circumstances), so want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

Am I reading this right?

Here's the text of the class ability:

Do You Want To Live Forever?
At 2nd level, you have survived bullet rains where the crossfire should have killed anyone — a story so well-known and powerful that it protects you. When you have no physical cover or are not obscured, you gain the benefit of half cover (+2 to AC and Dexterity saving throws) against ranged attacks and spells.

Morrus · Mar 10, 2021

That’s my reading of it.

von_recklinghausen · Mar 10, 2021

Morrus said:
That’s my reading of it.

Thanks! Just seemed pretty strong, wanted to make sure I wasn't inflating it...

RangerWickett · Mar 10, 2021

It's intended to encourage PCs to lead the charge and feel invincible. A similar benefit could be achieved by cautiously sticking to cover. I like the image of a commander standing tall in the middle of a war zone, knowing that he's just as safe out in the open as he would be in a trench.

von_recklinghausen · Mar 10, 2021

Yeah -- that makes sense. It's a perfect fit for the character in this case. "Bones" is the head of our RHC squad, is a veteran of the Yerasol Wars, and wears a magic military uniform that always looks clean and perfectly crisp. Always. So the PCs are coming out of days in the swamps of Risur, or fighting across the plains in Ber, and he looks battered beyond belief, but his uniform is spotless. He used the Instant Boot Camp ability to rally the railroad workers when Merton and Rush roused the undead to attack the railroad in adventure 6 -- it was one of the most epic battles we've had so far, with the party ending up about a half inch from a TPK. That moment lives on in legend, and the sole surviving railroad guard went on to become a friend and employee for Bones. He now represents the Griento railroad (which Bones is heavily invested in, along with the Family) as it works to get the Ber/Risur rail line connected.

They're headed up north to Knutpara now, just having narrowly avoided capture by the Ob in Trekhom. I can't wait to see what he does with this new ability

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Tormyr · Mar 10, 2021

Don't forget that they are giving up level 19 and 20 in their primary class for this feature, so it had better be good.

One of the things I really like about ZEITGEIST is how it took the trope of words and ideas having power and made it more tangible. Monument of War, Logos, and Urban Empath really pick up on this.