Symbol of Revivification

[CapnZapp]

This symbol's got the following power:

Power (Daily ✦ Healing): Free Action. Use this power
when you hit with an attack using this holy symbol.
Spend two healing surges, do not regain any hit points,
and choose a dying or dead ally within 10 squares of you.
That ally is returned to life at his bloodied hit point total.
This power does not revive an ally who’s been dead for
longer than 1 day.

Now, anyone feel the "you need to hit with an attack" requirement to be a bit silly?

I mean, technically, you can't use the symbol after the fight, because you're no longer attacking and no longer hitting. But this is a limitation exceedingly easy to get around. Just target your buddy or go find a rat in the dungeon.

(And even if the DM invokes the Bag'O'Rats clause, it's still cheesy to go find a low-level encounter for the express purpose of getting to use this power).

What do you think? Shouldn't the PC simply get to use this and have the revivification over and done with?

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Or, rather, let's look at this for another angle. I realize this makes the symbol one you won't use during combat. You'll want to have this in your pocket and only use it when there's an actual dead or dying buddy to save; keeping your Holy Symbol slot for another symbol with a more useful power or property.

However, the limit as written does not enforce this usage in any practical way.

What do you think? Should the symbol instead have a requirement along the lines of "this power requires you to have worn or used no other Holy Symbol since your last extended rest"?

Same goes for some other items, I'm sure. Symbol of Revivification is only an example in this regard.

 

[Ryujin]

"Enforcing its useage in a practical way" is the purview of the DM. The ability to bring a character back to fighting form from death or near death, in the middle of battle, is one hell of a powerful ability. Outside of combat you have the Raise Dead ritual. In combat I might well house rule it that the energy required to bring a character back to life would require a battle of no less than that character's level.

 

[CapnZapp]

In combat I might well house rule it that the energy required to bring a character back to life would require a battle of no less than that character's level.

Thank you for your contribution.

However, this still allows the party to single out that specific fight; planning to then rest for the day.

I guess I could phrase my concern a bit more directly:

I am worried this symbol is priced on the assumption the Cleric is using it on a regular basis (same as for most other items, that is); I see how the restrictions do nothing to prevent the Cleric from using another Symbol (perhaps one with a passive property) throughout the day; only switching to this one when an ally is down.

That way, you get the whole benefit for no cost (not the "using up the Holy Symbol slot" cost anyway), or next to no cost anyway (you still need to switch symbols at some point).

The design seems sloppy, that's all.

Would have made much more sense to tie a power like this to the milestone reaching mechanism of rings, for instance.

 

[keterys]

It's tricky for clerics to swap holy symbols in combat, with the "Hey, only one holy symbol restriction" in effect:

'Unlike other implements, you need only to wear a holy symbol for its property or power to function. If you are wearing or holding more than one holy symbol, none of your symbols function.'

So, it's something like three minor actions to remove, stow, retrieve holy symbols, in many cases - two at best.

At any rate, the bag of rats clause can prevent lower level encounters just as much as using it on an ally. In truth I suspect the better solution is to let it only work on someone who has died within the last 5 minutes.

 

[Ryujin]

Thank you for your contribution.

However, this still allows the party to single out that specific fight; planning to then rest for the day.

To me that would be nothing more than good planning. It's really no different that a dozen Epic Destinies that bring the character back from death and it doesn't come into play until Epic anyway. To me, planning such a use is just good game tactics.

It's tricky for clerics to swap holy symbols in combat, with the "Hey, only one holy symbol restriction" in effect:

'Unlike other implements, you need only to wear a holy symbol for its property or power to function. If you are wearing or holding more than one holy symbol, none of your symbols function.'

So, it's something like three minor actions to remove, stow, retrieve holy symbols, in many cases - two at best.

At any rate, the bag of rats clause can prevent lower level encounters just as much as using it on an ally. In truth I suspect the better solution is to let it only work on someone who has died within the last 5 minutes.

Indeed. It would have to be carried by another character, with whom a transfer would have to be arranged. The mechanics lend themselves far better to simply using the Symbol of Revivification.

 

[blargney the second]

It sounds like the symbol is a necromantic item that sucks the vitality from a powerful monster to rekindle your ally's life force. Fun!