Revenant up

[RefinedBean]

Deva souls reincarnate...it should be assumed deva is not ment to be a reverant...although not stopped if the PC wants to

I figured since the Devas reincarnate, they have even more of a chance to gain the RQ's attention. She could promise them a "quick" release from their immortality if they accomplish something in this lifetime. Or, she saves a fallen Deva from becoming a Rakshasa by giving him/her one last chance at redemption.

I mean, there's just as many reasons for a Deva to become a Revenant as there are for a Warforged, i.e. very few.

Not a huge deal, really, it just seemed stupid to me. They already went crazy with those "soul" feats, what's one more?

 

[Baumi]

It seems interesting, especially if you like a Crow-like Adventurer.

But it's not flexible enough if you want to play it after a character died, because the fixed Attributes might suck for your class and many Feats, Powers and even some special Items will be useless, which might destroy your whole concept.

 

[CardinalXimenes]

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.

 

[CelticMutt]

Second, this race should have Necrotic resistance. Deva gets both Radiant and Necrotic resistance, Fire Genasi and Tieflings get Fire Resistance. The Revenant has to spend two feats just to get to the Resist Necrotic. As it stands, Deva are better hunters of the undead than a race created by the Raven Queen, hater of undead!

As the very existence of the Revenant, as well as pretty much every single source on the RQ other than PHB1 says, Queenie does not hate undead. That is a purely player based misconception built off limited (at the time) info that become the popular but inaccurate view. The truth is that she only hates undead that don't follow her. She's a jealous and possessive goddess!

 

[filthgrinder]

I wonder if this race isn't OMGWTFBBQ!?!?! powered, because it is DDI exclusive and not in published books. They probably decided to be conservative on this race's mechanics so people don't start the bitching and moaning about how subscribers get over powered races and what not.

I think the article is pretty high on fluff and story ideas. The fact they aren't the DEFACTO choice for a class means we avoid seeing tons of forum posts of people claiming to be non-DDI subscriber GMs and having to deal with players who want to play in their games with some over-powered min-maxed race/class combo that isn't available to him, blah blah blah.

I think it looks pretty cool. It may not be a "go to" race for power gamers, but it's pretty neat.

 

[Moon_Goddess]

As the very existence of the Revenant, as well as pretty much every single source on the RQ other than PHB1 says, Queenie does not hate undead. That is a purely player based misconception built off limited (at the time) info that become the popular but inaccurate view. The truth is that she only hates undead that don't follow her. She's a jealous and possessive goddess!

My favorite kind.



My question, is what's wrong with a feat tax?

I was under the impression that a feat tax was a feat every player regardless of race or class will wind up taking. Effectively setting the number of available feats down by one.

If a certain effect fits a races concept but the race would be overpowered to have it, then shouldn't they pay for that somehow? The's got to be some sort of exchange, and feats seem to be the perfect thing to exchange, other races get better abilities through feats.

Everytime I read the words feat tax in this thread it comes across as "I want this ability but I think I should get it for free" and if we think the race is underpowered that may be true. But if the race is no underpowered then their is nothing wrong with a feat tax to give it more power. You've got to pay something.

 

[Squizzle]

It beggars belief that this is not a +wis race. I must also sadly agree with Rechan's assessment that the race is notably underbalanced; the option is "What racial feat do I take to be on par?", not "Should I take a racial feat?". I mean, it's nice to have options, but this is the option to pay your tax in gold or silver.

 

[Klaus]

If my human Raven Queen-worshipping rogue/warlock ends up dying and I ask for him to come back, I'd rather take the Shadar-Kai mechanics than the Revenant ones.

 

[Cadfan]

My question, is what's wrong with a feat tax?

I was under the impression that a feat tax was a feat every player regardless of race or class will wind up taking. Effectively setting the number of available feats down by one.

Well, there's no central dictionary of the internet. But the general use of the term "feat tax" means "a feat you have to take in order to be as good as other races or classes who aren't required to take the feat."

This does get muddled at times with feats that are so good that everyone takes them.

 

[Moon_Goddess]

Well, there's no central dictionary of the internet. But the general use of the term "feat tax" means "a feat you have to take in order to be as good as other races or classes who aren't required to take the feat."

This does get muddled at times with feats that are so good that everyone takes them.

Well then in this case I'm gonna have to disagree that this is a feat tax,

Becuase I do not see the race as underpowered they just have some extra options they can pay feats to get.

That's what feats are for.