I'm looking for opinions on how the Revenant stat block is supposed to work - looking at the 2024 version but 2014 is similar. The main question is how the Vow of Revenge is intended to work. Can it be used on multiple consecutive targets?
"Vow of Revenge (1/Day). The revenant curses one creature it can see within 30 feet of itself. The revenant knows the distance to and direction of the cursed target, even if it is on a different plane of existence. The curse ends on the target if the revenant uses this Bonus Action on a different creature."
The Vow of Revenge is a bonus action AND the curse ends on a target if the revenant uses this Bonus Action on a different creature. This implies that the Vow can be re-used as a bonus action at will by the revenant. However, the title for the ability explicitly states 1/day.
Should this mean that the Vow can only be initiated once but that it can then be moved freely as a bonus action as often as the Revenant likes or can the ability only be used once/day to curse one creature?
This interpretation has a significant effect on the power of a revenant (listed as a CR5 creature) due to the interaction with its Vengeful Glare (cited below).
Every turn, a revenant can make two attacks AND use its glare as part of its Multiattack action. The glare is a DC15 wisdom save or the target is frightened. IF the target of the frightened is also cursed by the vow then it is paralysed and frightened. This means that every attack round, every revenant in a combat can potentially paralyse one target and then make two melee attacks at advantage which auto-crit on a hit. If the Vow can be used indefinitely as a bonus action then the revenant can switch to whichever target is most convenient and if its initial target dies it then retains the ability to continue paralysing its target every turn.
Anyway, just looking for opinions on how folks think it is supposed to work.
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"Multiattack. The revenant uses Vengeful Glare and makes two Slam attacks.
Vengeful Glare. Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 15, one creature the revenant can see within 30 feet. Failure: The target has the Frightened condition and repeats the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. After 1 minute, it succeeds automatically. If the Frightened target is cursed by the revenant (see Vow of Revenge), the target also has the Paralyzed condition for the duration."
By my reading the Revenant can only have the mark on a single target and they can only 'move' the mark once per day (even if they are moving it from 'nothing' to 'PC'). They don't seem to be able to just move the curse around willy-nilly. If they hit a party member with it they are unable to affect any other party member with it until the next day.
This is an ability that seems to require no Attack Roll, gives no Saving Throw, and which pretty significantly boosts one of its attacks. The current structure means that players can't just run away and let it expire, but it also means that the Revenant can't play silly games like cursing one party member, then teleporting away, then showing up the next day to curse a second party member, lather, rinse, and repeat.
(edited for clarity and because I slightly misunderstood the OP's position)
The Vow of Revenge is a bonus action AND the curse ends on a target if the revenant uses this Bonus Action on a different creature. This implies that the Vow can be re-used as a bonus action at will by the revenant.
No, I don't think it does. The (1/Day) in the title of the ability makes it pretty clear it can only do it once per day, not at will. The part about it ending if it uses it on someone else would apply if it used the ability again on someone else on a subsequent day.
I think the confusion might be that the curse doesn't end after any period of time? It lasts until a different target is cursed. So the above comments of using a BA once per day to switch the curse, if wanted, are correct.
I think the confusion might be that the curse doesn't end after any period of time? It lasts until a different target is cursed. So the above comments of using a BA once per day to switch the curse, if wanted, are correct.
Yes, but I think the confusion specifically comes from Vow of Revenge is in the Bonus Action section. It's a 1 time per day bonus action. If the revenant wants to change the target, they have to wait for the next day to use the bonus action again. The action specifically says the curse ends when the revenant uses "this bonus action" (not "a bonus action") on a different creature.
Hi All,
I'm looking for opinions on how the Revenant stat block is supposed to work - looking at the 2024 version but 2014 is similar. The main question is how the Vow of Revenge is intended to work. Can it be used on multiple consecutive targets?
"Vow of Revenge (1/Day). The revenant curses one creature it can see within 30 feet of itself. The revenant knows the distance to and direction of the cursed target, even if it is on a different plane of existence. The curse ends on the target if the revenant uses this Bonus Action on a different creature."
The Vow of Revenge is a bonus action AND the curse ends on a target if the revenant uses this Bonus Action on a different creature. This implies that the Vow can be re-used as a bonus action at will by the revenant. However, the title for the ability explicitly states 1/day.
Should this mean that the Vow can only be initiated once but that it can then be moved freely as a bonus action as often as the Revenant likes or can the ability only be used once/day to curse one creature?
This interpretation has a significant effect on the power of a revenant (listed as a CR5 creature) due to the interaction with its Vengeful Glare (cited below).
Every turn, a revenant can make two attacks AND use its glare as part of its Multiattack action. The glare is a DC15 wisdom save or the target is frightened. IF the target of the frightened is also cursed by the vow then it is paralysed and frightened. This means that every attack round, every revenant in a combat can potentially paralyse one target and then make two melee attacks at advantage which auto-crit on a hit. If the Vow can be used indefinitely as a bonus action then the revenant can switch to whichever target is most convenient and if its initial target dies it then retains the ability to continue paralysing its target every turn.
Anyway, just looking for opinions on how folks think it is supposed to work.
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"Multiattack. The revenant uses Vengeful Glare and makes two Slam attacks.
Slam. Melee Attack Roll: +7![]()
, reach 5 ft. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4![]()
) Necrotic damage.
Vengeful Glare. Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 15, one creature the revenant can see within 30 feet. Failure: The target has the Frightened condition and repeats the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. After 1 minute, it succeeds automatically. If the Frightened target is cursed by the revenant (see Vow of Revenge), the target also has the Paralyzed condition for the duration."
By my reading the Revenant can only have the mark on a single target and they can only 'move' the mark once per day (even if they are moving it from 'nothing' to 'PC'). They don't seem to be able to just move the curse around willy-nilly. If they hit a party member with it they are unable to affect any other party member with it until the next day.
This is an ability that seems to require no Attack Roll, gives no Saving Throw, and which pretty significantly boosts one of its attacks. The current structure means that players can't just run away and let it expire, but it also means that the Revenant can't play silly games like cursing one party member, then teleporting away, then showing up the next day to curse a second party member, lather, rinse, and repeat.
(edited for clarity and because I slightly misunderstood the OP's position)
No, I don't think it does. The (1/Day) in the title of the ability makes it pretty clear it can only do it once per day, not at will. The part about it ending if it uses it on someone else would apply if it used the ability again on someone else on a subsequent day.
pronouns: he/she/they
I think the confusion might be that the curse doesn't end after any period of time? It lasts until a different target is cursed. So the above comments of using a BA once per day to switch the curse, if wanted, are correct.
Yes, but I think the confusion specifically comes from Vow of Revenge is in the Bonus Action section. It's a 1 time per day bonus action. If the revenant wants to change the target, they have to wait for the next day to use the bonus action again. The action specifically says the curse ends when the revenant uses "this bonus action" (not "a bonus action") on a different creature.
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My houserulings.