PDA

View Full Version : The Revenant Blade. Ancillary Contest... RIP. Withdrawn Entry. PEACH



sengmeng
2016-06-11, 02:42 PM
Revenant Blade [Weapon Special Quality]
Traditionally a sword or bladed weapon, a Revenant Blade is enchanted to trap its wielder’s soul if they should die with the weapon in hand. It usually has a 30,000 gp gem somewhere on the weapon, traditionally the pommel, but possibly elsewhere, and it could also be ground to dust and incorporated into the weapon in some other way, so it may or may not appear out of the ordinary for a weapon of its type. This gem functions somewhat like a lich’s phylactery, but it does not create a new body for the wielder and is easier to destroy. The wielder turns into a being that combines undeath with an intelligent weapon. See the Blade Revenant template. This ability can only be added to a melee or thrown weapon. To raise the wielder from death requires the Revenant Blade to be touching the body, unless using a spell or effect that does not require a body. Trying to raise the wielder without the Revenant Blade touching the body causes the spell to fail, but the caster doesn’t know why. Speak With Dead likewise fails. The transformation to Blade Revenant takes 24 hours after the death of the wielder, and the weapon can be used as normal in that time period.

Price: +1 bonus AND 100,000 gp (being a Revenant Blade counts as a +1 ability, and also adds 100,000 gp on top of that. Strong Necromancy [evil]. Requires: CL 15th, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Magic Jar, Trap the Soul. Cost +1 bonus, +30,000 gp, 1500 xp.

Blade Revenant [Template]
A Blade Revenant is created when a living creature capable of wielding weapons is killed while holding a Revenant Blade. A Blade Revenant differs from the base creature in several ways. The template refers to the Revenant Blade as the base weapon, and the wielder as the base creature.
Type: Turns to Undead (it also counts as an object, but not a construct).
Size: The base weapon that causes the transformation becomes the Blade Revenant’s new body.
Hitdice: The Revenant Blade has as many hitpoints as the base weapon, plus the base creature’s wisdom bonus multiplied by its hitdice. If it has a Wisdom of 11 or lower, it still gains one hitpoint per hitdice of the base creature. It still counts as a creature with hitdice equal to the base creature’s.
Initiative: Uses Charisma modifier instead of Dexterity modifier.
Armor Class: As base weapon, plus base creature’s Charisma modifier as a deflection bonus.
Speed: Loses all movement types, gains Fly speed 20 feet with Perfect maneuverability.
Attack: Base Creature’s base attack bonus, plus base creature’s Intelligence modifier for melee, and base creature’s Charisma modifier for ranged attacks, plus the base weapon’s enhancement bonus.
Damage: As base weapon, plus the base creature’s Intelligence modifier.
Space/Reach: 0 feet. The Revenant Blade can occupy the same space as any creature and must enter a creature’s space to attack it, provoking attacks of opportunity.
Alignment: Unchanged.
Abilities: Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution change to -.
Skills: Spot +4, Listen +4, Disguise +10*, Bluff +10*, Hide bonus based on new size, +20 to Move Silently (the Blade Revenant floats through the air, and not very quickly. It rarely makes any sound unless it touches something).
*these Disguise and Bluff bonuses are only for the purposes of appearing to be a normal weapon or appearing to be wielded by an invisible creature.
Saves: As base creature, but fortitude saves that do not affect objects do not apply, and use the Blade Revenant’s Wisdom modifier. Reflex saves use the Blade Revenant’s Charisma modifier. Will saves remain unchanged.
Special Qualities: The Blade Revenant gains all undead immunities, except it is still subject to mind-affecting effects (due to it still having a soul). The Blade Revenant heals 1 hitpoint per day naturally, and can also benefit from negative energy or any effect that can repair constructs. It can be manually repaired as a magic weapon of the type it was before the transformation. The Blade Revenant has the hardness of the base weapon plus the base creature’s Wisdom bonus. Its hardness cannot be overcome by anything that doesn’t specifically refer to overcoming hardness; even weapons that overcome epic damage reduction do not necessarily overcome hardness. The Blade Revenant also gains Darkvision out to 60 feet and can communicate telepathically to any creature with a language within 15 feet. See below: Intelligent Weapon. Partial Actions. Avenging Blade. Turn Resistance.
Special Attacks: See below.
Treasure: None
Advancement: By base creature’s character class.
Level Adjustment: +0
CR: As base creature.

Intelligent Weapon: A Blade Revenant can be a formidable foe on its own, but it truly shines when it has a wielder whose purpose aligns with its own. A Blade Revenant cannot also attack in a round in which it is wielded as a weapon. A Blade Revenant can manifest weapon special qualities equal to an enhancement bonus of 1 + the number of attacks granted by the base creature’s base attack bonus, i.e, it can manifest weapon qualities totalling to +2 if its base attack bonus is +1 to +5, up to qualities of a total of +5 if it’s base attack bonus is +16 to +20. It must use this ability to gain special qualities or not use it all (which it may decide to do if it is being wielded against its will); it cannot increase its enhancement bonus instead. These qualities are in addition to any enhancement bonus or special qualities the base weapon had. It can suppress or resume the base weapon’s qualities and change its own qualities as a swift action. The Blade Revenant can also give certain abilities to its wielder based on its class. In all cases, granting one or any of these abilities is a swift action, and taking them away is a free action. The Blade Revenant does not have hands or any innate ability to use items, wield weapons, or wear armor or clothing of any type.

Avenging Blade: At the moment of its creation, the Blade Revenant chooses a nemesis, typically the creature who killed the base creature, but if it hates another creature more, it may choose that one. When attacking this creature or being used to attack them, the Blade Revenant functions as a Bane weapon. It can always sense the presence of its nemesis if it is on the same plane. If it is also a Bane weapon against the nemesis’s creature type, the extra damage is 4d6.

Partial Actions: The Blade Revenant can only perform a standard and swift action each round. The Blade Revenant is also limited to a number of standard actions per day equal to the base creature’s base attack bonus. Once it has exceeded this limit, it can still perform swift actions, and it can grant its wielder certain abilities, but it cannot attack or move on its own. The Blade Revenant can perform certain actions not normally possible with swift or standard actions, however.
Standard Actions: Attack, Move, Possess Wielder, Use Spell-like ability, Use Psi-like ability, Charge/Throw.
If the Blade Revenant wants to, it can attempt to take over the body of its wielder. The wielder and the Revenant Blade make opposed d20 rolls, adding half their hitdice and the higher of their wisdom or intelligence modifiers. The wielder must be holding the Blade Revenant. If the Blade Revenant succeeds, the wielder performs any action the Blade Revenant commands, and the Blade Revenant can maintain possession in the next round with only a swift action. If the Blade Revenant loses, the wielder can use it as a normal weapon of the base weapon’s enhancement bonus, but the Blade Revenant can suppress or withdraw any of the base weapon’s special qualities or any of the qualities or abilities the Blade Revenant is capable of granting. The Blade Revenant is under the wielder's control in this case for 1 round plus a number of rounds equal to the wielder's Intelligence or Wisdom bonus, whichever is higher, but not less than zero.
The Blade Revenant can move up to 20 feet and attack, and can count this as a charge or a thrown weapon attack. As a charge, it adds its Intelligence modifier to the attack roll, gains +2 to attack, and -2 to AC, and activates any feat or ability that requires a charge attack. As a throw, it adds its Charisma modifier to the attack roll, and activates any special ability that requires a thrown weapon attack. If it has the Returning quality, it may instantly return to the square it started from or remain in the target’s square.
Swift Actions: Aid another (wielder only), Use Quickened spell or power, Grant abilities to wielder, Maintain possession, Communicate.
Using its telepathy on any creature but its wielder requires a swift action.


Class Abilities: The base creature loses the use of some of its class features, but retains others, and can also grant certain class features to its wielder. Class features not mentioned on this list are houseruled by the DM as to whether the Blade Revenant can use them, grant them to its wielder, or both, or neither.

Spellcasting: The Revenant Blade can cast any spells the base creature could, and it can count its wielder as itself. The wielder gets no saving throws or spell resistance against spells from the Revenant Blade. Touch spells can be made against creatures successfully struck by the Revenant Blade, whether it is attacking on its own or is wielded by another creature. The Revenant Blade’s spells now count as Spell-like abilities and do not have any components except xp, and any components that cost gold cost an equal amount of xp instead.

Manifesting: The Revenant Blade can manifest any powerss the base creature could, and it can count its wielder as itself. The wielder gets no saving throws or power resistance against powers from the Revenant Blade. Touch powers can be made against creatures successfully struck by the Revenant Blade, whether it is attacking on its own or is wielded by another creature.

Turn Undead: The Revenant Blade can turn or rebuke undead as the base creature. It is not affected by its own ability. The Revenant Blade has Turn Resistance equal to its Charisma bonus, and cannot be destroyed or commanded. Instead, it goes unconscious and becomes inert for as long as the turning would last, functioning exactly as the base weapon did before becoming a Blade Revenant.

Fighter: The Blade Revenant can grant its wielder any fighter bonus feat it had in life, except toughness. It can also grant the wielder Great fortitude, even if it did not have that feat.

Barbarian: The Blade Revenant can grant its wielder Rage, Trap sense, and DR. It can also grant the wielder Great fortitude, even if it did not have that feat. The Blade Revenant itself cannot benefit from these abilities.

Monk: The Blade Revenant replaces its 20 foot fly speed with its monk bonus speed if it was higher than 20 feet. The Blade Revenant can grant its wielder its monk bonus to armor class and speed if the wielder is unarmored. The Blade Revenant itself also gains the monk AC bonus. The Blade Revenant can also grant its wielder a secondary natural weapon attack that deals damage equal to the base creature’s unarmed damage, but the wielder can only make this attack as a secondary attack, i.e., he must also attack with the Blade Revenant in that round. If the base creature had Evasion or Improved Evasion, it can grant it to the wielder, and the Blade Revenant itself can make use of it. It cannot use any other monk abilities it had, due to its unnatural existence.

Rogue: The Blade Revenant can use Sneak Attack, and grant it to its wielder. If its wielder already has Sneak Attack, the base creature’s bonus dice are halved and added to those of the wielder. It can also grant its wielder Lightning Reflexes, even if it doesn’t have that feat. If the base creature had Evasion or Improved Evasion, it can grant it to the wielder, and the Blade Revenant itself can make use of it. The Blade Revenant can grant its wielder up to a +5 bonus to any Rogue class skill with the aid another action, but no higher than the base creature’s ranks.

Paladin: The Blade Revenant can use or grant its wielder the Smite Evil ability, and can suppress or resume its aura of good as a free action. It also benefits from the Divine Grace ability (add Charisma bonus to Reflex saves twice) and can grant the same to its wielder, and can use Lay on Hands and Remove Disease on its wielder as a free action (the Revenant Blade itself no longer benefits from positive energy). It can also use Lay on Hands on a successful hit to automatically damage creatures who are harmed by positive energy.

Druid: The Blade Revenant can grant its wielder Trackless Step, Woodland Stride, Nature Sense, and Resist Nature’s Lure, Venom Immunity, and A Thousand Faces, but only beneftis from Nature Sense and Resist Nature’s Lure. It cannot grant or use Wildshape, and loses its animal companion.

Cleric: The Blade Revenant can grant its wielder its domain powers, and can grant the wielder the Iron Will feat, even if the base creature does not have it. The Blade Revenant retains its aura.

Ranger: The Blade Revenant benefits from its Favored Enemy ability and may grant its wielder the same bonus. It automatically treats its nemesis as a favored enemy, with a bonus equal to its highest favored enemy bonus.

Sorcerer/Wizard: The Blade Revenant loses its familiar. It can become a familiar to a sorcerer or wizard with the Item Familiar feat, and gain all the benefits and abilities of a familiar. It can also grant the wielder the Iron Will feat, even if the base creature does not have it.

Bard: The Blade Revenant grants its wielder a +4 bonus with the Aid Another action.

Devigor
2016-06-11, 09:58 PM
This is awesome! This concept actually meshes perfectly with something I already had in the lore of one of my campaigns; the Battle Magician wound up getting something similar (a lich that bound a clone of itself into a blade phylactery, using multiple abilities in a weird tandem) as a cohort of opposite alignment to himself, constantly struggling to wield it against its own will, and basically dominated when it came to combat (since the lich had a mental fixation on always winning, even if it was against his own long-term goals), but had issues when it came to any sort of social encounter (all role-played out perfectly, best group chemistry I've seen in a while).

It fits so well, as-is, that I couldn't feel trustworthy to rate its balance. :smallbiggrin: But I'm giving it an 8.5 / 10 anyway.

Edit: Suggestion... Include a method for advancement for the weapon, after it becomes undead, by increasing class levels that it used to have, or some similar feature. Even if that just meant that it would eventually increase the list of abilities it would gain, that would allow it to function as a better cohort or even as an NPC that could follow alongside the villains of a campaign.

sengmeng
2016-06-12, 12:10 PM
This is awesome! This concept actually meshes perfectly with something I already had in the lore of one of my campaigns; the Battle Magician wound up getting something similar (a lich that bound a clone of itself into a blade phylactery, using multiple abilities in a weird tandem) as a cohort of opposite alignment to himself, constantly struggling to wield it against its own will, and basically dominated when it came to combat (since the lich had a mental fixation on always winning, even if it was against his own long-term goals), but had issues when it came to any sort of social encounter (all role-played out perfectly, best group chemistry I've seen in a while).

It fits so well, as-is, that I couldn't feel trustworthy to rate its balance. :smallbiggrin: But I'm giving it an 8.5 / 10 anyway.

Edit: Suggestion... Include a method for advancement for the weapon, after it becomes undead, by increasing class levels that it used to have, or some similar feature. Even if that just meant that it would eventually increase the list of abilities it would gain, that would allow it to function as a better cohort or even as an NPC that could follow alongside the villains of a campaign.

Thanks for the positive feedback! As for your suggestion, I already have it advancing by the base creature's character class after it becomes a blade revenant, but I guess It could gain more as it levels up... maybe increased hardness? It will already gain more weapon special qualities, actions, hitpoints, and class features if it levels up. Any other things it could advance?

Devigor
2016-06-20, 10:04 AM
Thanks for the positive feedback! As for your suggestion, I already have it advancing by the base creature's character class after it becomes a blade revenant, but I guess It could gain more as it levels up... maybe increased hardness? It will already gain more weapon special qualities, actions, hitpoints, and class features if it levels up. Any other things it could advance?

Oh, I didn't see it advanced the previous class; that was my intent. Cool beans.

I playtested it with the aforementioned character (in place of the houserules I used before). It was more powerful than the lich-in-sword I was using before, but as a cohort for leadership, it wasn't as strong as choosing a whole extra character. Since it had more abilities and such, it basically drew even to the Item Familiar feat, only the level you could actually acquire one of these through leadership would be at least 15th. So, I'd say it can be abused, but the real value lies in its roleplaying aspects and the benefits you can share with your allies (spells, mostly). The benefit over Item Familiar is that if it's sundered, you don't really lose anything more than the item/undead thingy itself.

sengmeng
2016-06-20, 08:58 PM
Oh, I didn't see it advanced the previous class; that was my intent. Cool beans.

I playtested it with the aforementioned character (in place of the houserules I used before). It was more powerful than the lich-in-sword I was using before, but as a cohort for leadership, it wasn't as strong as choosing a whole extra character. Since it had more abilities and such, it basically drew even to the Item Familiar feat, only the level you could actually acquire one of these through leadership would be at least 15th. So, I'd say it can be abused, but the real value lies in its roleplaying aspects and the benefits you can share with your allies (spells, mostly). The benefit over Item Familiar is that if it's sundered, you don't really lose anything more than the item/undead thingy itself.

I think that's a pretty good balance point for it. It sounds like it's functioning as designed. What was the base creature?

Devigor
2016-06-27, 09:46 AM
Human illusionist 1/shadowcraft mage 5/metaphysical spellshaper 3/bard 1/spellthief 1/dread necromancer 1/sublime chord 1/knight of the weave 1

Used flaws, grabbed requirements as soon as available, using heighten boosters. The main draw was that she'd summon illusionary monsters with her magic, and the monsters would wield her to murderize things.

sengmeng
2016-06-27, 08:51 PM
Human illusionist 1/shadowcraft mage 5/metaphysical spellshaper 3/bard 1/spellthief 1/dread necromancer 1/sublime chord 1/knight of the weave 1

Used flaws, grabbed requirements as soon as available, using heighten boosters. The main draw was that she'd summon illusionary monsters with her magic, and the monsters would wield her to murderize things.

Ingenious. Quite the build, too.

Devigor
2016-07-05, 09:56 AM
Ingenious. Quite the build, too.

It was mostly going to be Shadowcrafter and Shadowcraft Mage, but casting more 9th-levels in a day than you actually need (shadow miracles, anyone?) at early levels was overkill.

So I went more overkill and boosted the caster level to about 50. I think it's actually higher than that, but yeah. Undead battery is included, as is Master Spellthief (if you didn't guess).

The players typically love my sessions, and my brutality causes them to consider alternatives to combat, since they're smart and understand that it's (sometimes) easier that way. They thrash the combats that they fight in, because they pick and choose carefully.