I once had a player that was murdered by another member of the party. His soul split into four parts and went across the planes, eventually turning up as a reincarnation with a very weak soul (eventually made whole by a God at birth.) Two of the pieces went the way of undeath and were reformed in the prime material as a Fext and a Revenant. The Revenant took refuge inside of the Fext as a possessing spirit. When the Fext was killed the Revenant exploded from his body and attacked the weakened party. Closest to a TPK ive ever had.
The frightened victim: "You! I know you. I knew I knew you. But you ain't you. You can't be you, we put you through the window. We killed you, dead, there ain't no comin' back. There ain't no comin' back." - T-Bird, "The Crow"
I bet one of the things that keeps the Church of Bhaal in check is the swaths of revenants they create, that than target them. They're always having to deal with undead murder hobos, from being murder hobos.
now i get the idea that the objects of the pc revenants hatred might be the party itself, because,lets be honest, player parties are dangerous to themselves and everyone around them
Also The Crow is a great example of when the "monster" is in the right from a moral perspective. Revenants are in a great place to do that as the line between "Justice" & "Revenge" can be fuzzy thus great themes to explore in any story.
I really really love these monsters. For one I like the idea of literally being to angry to stay dead. But also I like the story potential. Revenants are undead that act like the living and can genuinely be good people. You also can get a buddy who died on one last ride before he's gone for good.
Story ideas have to come from somewhere, & James O'Barr had to take it from somewhere. My understanding is the legends Revenants is one half of the inspiration, the other half being a fiance killed by a Drunk Driver in real life. www.dallasobserver.com/arts/hurst-resident-and-creator-of-the-crow-james-obarr-on-the-comic-that-made-him-famous-8561547
So basically... all a revenant has to do is use the spell Gentle Repose once every 10 days. Could also try sleeping in ice, salt, or vinegar. :D Or, depending on GM interpretation, you could theoretically get away with using the 0 level spell 'purify food/water' once a day.
I once made an RP encounter w/ a Revenant who would help the only PC beat the BBEG. the PC ended by killing it. I'm to blame: I asked "are you really gonna let that Zombie go upstairs to the city?". in the end, the solo PC survived the last encounter, but his Accolite & Soldier aids didn't.
I feel like Revenants are a great way to deal with those murderhobo "lol randomn" players that just violently murder NPCs because "I'm Chaotic Evil hur dur" Like; ok sure you did that.... But now *this* is coming to kick your ass.
Absolutely. If fact, there may be some sort of powerful creature on the Ethereal plane who is deliberately sending Revenants back to deal with that player.. kind of like a neutral angel ghost.
@@AJPickett I might get a few angry nerds telling me that I'm being "That DM" but hey. You can't expecr a setting full of paladins, angels amd various good aligned gods amd races to *not* consider a violent, powerful and ambitious person a threat to justice everywhere haha
@@DCdabest Just tell them the souls of the people they killed cry out for vengeance. And if they are not more circumspect they can expect more powerful beings to show up and trash them. Especially if they keep winning. After all, imagine the threat the heavens would consider them if an angel came to set matters straight and they killed it? Yeah, they gonna be on a divine hit squad's to do list.
I don't play D&D, but still enjoy these lore videos. I think revenants could be a fitting solution to murder hobos. Make a rule that any NPCs the players murder will come back as revenants and at a particularly inconvenient time for the players.
Not everyone is gonna be so wrathful they willingly give up the peace of the afterlife for the pain of living in death chasing after some waste their father's seed murderhobo. But that is another reason why it is so effective. Not many revenants appear but they are relentless and anybody who knows what they are are gonna be looking askance at the one recieving the revenant's attentions. It should take something vile to cause one of these tortured abominations to give rise to itself. After all this undead is so obsessed with whomever wronged them they literally came back from the dead and starting chasing those responsible. Thr revenant doesn't have to be successful, just end up chasing the perpetrators out of anywhere they go because this husk of a person just refuses to stay dead and there is no way to slow them down from catching up. They can't be tricked. They know where the guilty one is at all times. They do not require rest or sustenance and so will only ever keep moving. Also they are intelligent so they will figure out ways around whatever barrier you put up eventually. I suppose they can be bartered with...but what could you offer in return for them laying down their vengeance? What atonement could be laid at the feet of this hateful thing that would be accepted? Remember this is an objectively evil thing. It only cares for the release of vengeance. Yes, it has all the morals it had in life. But one must remember it came back from the dead because of its fury and hatred for those who did it wrong. This is not that person in their right mind and when they were alive. This is that person now more than half mad with the anguish of the ill deeds done to them and existing in a cruel mockery of their living self. Its hatred is the center of its world now.
This is an amazing opportunity for some great role play and story building! Does the revenant need to KNOW who was involved with their death or do they magically know all who are guilty?🤩 Will the player revenant unknowingly fly into a rage with their friends when they see a random bar keep's face and not know why?
I used to play a human revenant ranger who was the prison for the fragment of a demonic dragon, and his task was to either find a new prison (one that couldn't be temporarily controlled) or destroy it. He had died 300 years before the campaign and was slowly brought back by an unknown goddess to fulfill his task.
So, here's an interesting question about revenants: can people rise as revenants if the event of their death is an act of human sacrifice, such as being murdered by a cultist as an offering to Bhaal, God of murder, in Dungeons and Dragons?
About the only thing that would impact it is whether the soul is claimed directly after death, like how demons or devils would. If the taking of the life is all that is involved...why not?
Not truly possible. Sure, they would be chaotic good in anything that doesn't impact their hunt for the one who wronged them...but the lore itself makes it clear it is their obsession with their enemy that fuels them. So they would push forward relentlessly, chaff at any delay, and have zero patience for those who knowingly impede the quest for vengeance. This isn't a comfortable existence for them and they want it over with asap. The only reason they bear with it is because of this driving need to punish their murderer. They want to release their hold on the mortal coil. A revenant should be tortured and wretched. Maybe they would put off the hunt momentarily to save a child from a burning building but as soon as the child is in no danger from the flames they would rush to make up lost time. Leaving the child to whatever fate finds them from then on. Always remember the hate of the revenant is the center of the revenant's world now.
How about a lawful evil conquest paladin that was executed by his king after killing the evil lord?. Revenge stories are often very bloody the revenant wants vengeance NOW not later its obsessed.
If I recall correctly there's a novel that takes places in FRs about a reverent called Ghostwalk (or Ghostwalker?) If memory serves it was pretty good ^^
First time DM here, had a player in my Dragon Heist group who wanted to play the UA player character version of this since it's a level 1-5 module. He was betrayed and killed by his lover and spent most of the module with killing that jerk and their family on the back burner. He permadied a couple of sessions ago and I have to say, this was a fun learning experience in "PCs as weird monster shit." The player has since rolled up a more conventional (read: alive) character for DotMM.
Here is a tidbit of real world lore I think would make revenants more interesting. They are blood drinkers. This can be why revenants are hunted down despite being obsessed with revenge against those that wronged them before death. Their unnatural life needs occational fuel and in their drive for vengeance they willingly feed this fire. But unlike real vampires they lack the means to drain it without killing. So a revenant will just murder someone and lap the blood off the ground like an animal. Or maybe suck on the stump of a severed limb they cut off. Their need for revenge overriding any moral restraint that would have held them back from harming innocents. They are a perversion of the person they were in life. Driven to inflict vengeance, bloodthirsty in the literal and metaphorical sense, they are a blight upon the land as they chase down their targets.
Two things: On strangulation, a second reason why choking would do more damage than merely holding one's breath, is that when an individual is choked it's not just air to the lungs that's being cut off, but also blood to the brain as the carotid arteries in the neck are also being cut off. Also in the World Of Darkness setting by White Wolf an individual could become that setting's equivalent of a revenant called a Risen. This could be a player character for the game Wraith: The Oblivion. The best cinematic example of this would be Eric Draven from the comic book & movie The Crow. While The Risen didn't have the year limit, their war with their own Dark Side could make the time even shorter, or they could have a vengeance that lasted longer. They had a few templates that could be interesting hooks for characters if for example they blame an entire race for their death. The example given was a young Goth who was promised by a vampire that he'd make him one of the glamours undead, instead he left of the "un" and left him simply dead, drained of blood in a dumpster. Now that young fellow has a vendetta against all vampires & is able to infiltrate their society as most assume anyone without a pulse or breath is also a vampire. This could make for an intersting NPC encouter as an undercover agent in a vampire heavy area willing to use the party as a tool/ally in it's war against vampire kind in a D&D setting full of vampires.
OOOOOH I think I just found the perfect way of terrorizing my murderhobos and making sure they think twice before playing with their food... as in intimidating, interrogating and gutting their captives just because they are genuinely not smart enough or not important enough to provide plot-crutial information...
I had a very good time playing a revenant in 4e. The rules are, of course, super different than they are now and as they were previously. A thing I really want to stress about incorporating or playing a Revenant in your game is that you should have a very clear idea about who is on their list - maybe even MAKE one. The revenant basically has a quest marker on any target they're chasing - they can't hide so you really need to consider what obstacles are between the revenant and their target that has stopped them from just walking to where ever their target is. They don't need sleep, they don't need air, they could literally just hop into the ocean and work their way wherever they need to go. This is especially true for players, or DMs considering allowing a player to play or return as a revenant. WHY are they hanging around with adventurers when they NEED to pursue vengeance? Yes, theyre smart enough to build allows but since they can't die why are they working with the players, instead of say, a necromancer who could supply an undying army to their quest for vengeance (assuming the revenant isn't anti-undead)? You should be keenly aware WHY you arent just relentlessly pushing toward your goal. It's literally the reason why you crawled your way out of the grave to begin with, this is something important enough that you were willing to trade something to someone for the ability to exact your revenge. I reccomend The Crow, or The Count of Monte Cristo for stories about vengeance, the former being _literally_ a story about a revenant's quest for vengeance. The Crow explores what a revenant with vengeance as a short term goal does vs. The Count which explores what a revenant who acts with vengeance as a long term goal does. I know theres like, some addendum that the Revenant only has a *year* to get their task done, but for PCs you may want to hand-wave this restriction - it can take weeks to get from point A to point B, and you only have about 52 of those in a standard year. Imagine if you were told "You have 365 days to do the most important thing to you in your entire life" then you spend 3 of those days camping with your friends, then another 2 backpacking to the next town, yet another 4 doing some work in the area, and finally another 3 just *waiting* for a friend's Amazon package. Your deadline just dropped to 353 days and you are NO closer to your goal.
I think the curse ends with the death of the victim of lycanthropy in 5th edition, so, probably not. Oh, but some are born with lycanthropy.. so... I dunno
Of course! Though I can't see them lasting long. A dragon revenant would likely get their rest in days, or their mark would need to be so strong that they would be able to take out the revenant in a similarly short amount of time, and giants are a similar subject
Honestly, with how grappling works, it's easy enough to treat choking as a follow-up grapple check. (Round 1: grapple check. Round 2: grapple check to choke). And then just have a successful escape check break the grapple entirely. (Not sure if this is the actual way it works, but I've found it keeps choking from being a constant problem.) As an extra point, if the character trying to strangle someone catches them off guard (stealthy strangle fun) I just let the initial grapple check count for both. Keeps my rogues happy.
Hollywoods best Revenants......."Jason Vorhees" of Friday the 13th films,Jason Lees character "The Crow" and"Michael Myers" of the Halloween franchise to a lesser extent! Great video kiwi thanks a bunch man....get your ass back to Sigil,i hate seeing things not finished...lolx10! 😳 as for having variable alignments that's something i cant agree with you on AJ,but only because i play 1st and 2nd edition! 😊
I imagine a mercenary army of revenants being the central plot of a campaign; sent unawares on a suicide mission because the kingdom they served could not afford to pay them. So they return from the grave and they begin plotting their vengeance, while keeping their military structure and their willingness to negotiate terms and conditions of their service. Maybe there's warring kingdoms who are all promising to aid the revenant army to get their revenge, if the revenant army solves one problem or the other. Maybe necromancers offer to keep the revenant army alive past 6 months if they help the necromancers raise a dracolich. The players have 6 months to figure out how to keep the revenant army from being used for nefarious means. Heck, the players might even be on speaking terms with the revenants, repeatedly parleying with them and trying to influence their trajectory to where they will do the least amount of harm while the players navigate the political landscape. Imma run this campaign now.
Heck, imagine that within the revenants ranks, they believe their leader might be too soft, but they can't get rid of him. But he can channel True Resurrection as a gift of the gods who raised this army, by which means he can truly get rid of dissenters. But that has also given the dissenting revenants the idea of finding a Scroll of True Resurrection to replace their leader. Maybe making secret deals with necromancers to do it. There's a lot of interesting politics here.
I have a house rule for PC Revenants. If the PC Revenant succeeds in his undead vendetta, his newly created character earns double experience points until his new experience points are equal to his former character's experience points. Also, until that happens, twice the rolls for treasure (does not stack with other multiple role situations).
I'd rather face these than a Ghazneth any day! If you don't know what that is read the Cormyr Saga. They are similar in concept to a revenant but vastly more powerful. Luckily ghazneths are pretty much exclusive to that story line.
I would say so, but most compassionate gods would likely not do it. Being undead is not a fun experience for most. A god of death or dark justice maybe?
I've actually run missions with Revenants vs. Epic NPC enemies that the players helped kill because they loved the role-play of the NPC Revenant and joined the cause. The original idea was to defeat the Revenant but some times the players helped and my campaigns required me to do a LOT of story re-writing... a challenge I loved because I hated its challenge but loved because of the way it was given to me. Oh? You think you fixed it? Here is how you f^cked it all up! Muahahaha!
Alt grapple rule, after a number of rounds = to con bonus, suffer dam to victim hd + stranggler’s strength, giving warriors and mellee classes more time before chokeout, ticks every round after the con runs out, and strangling for a number of turns equal to con bonus beyond passing out makes it lethal. Also, makes it harder to choke things out if theyre higher hd than you.
Yay Is it a revenant half risen undead stuck between life and death? like what happens if a resurrection spell goes wrong Isn't it a player character race? Or am I thinking of something else? The only caveat here is they can't be psionic as it's a very fundamental thing undead can never be psionic
7:45 When a revenant takes over another body/corpse, would it be possible for them to take over another unintelligent undead like a zombie or skeleton? Or does it have to be a completely dead body. If it is the former, I can see a revenant (especially a former spell caster) create zombies/skeletons as portable backup bodies to not have to worry about traveling for miles if their current body is destroyed, maybe even with a quicker timeframe than a 24 hour period as the zombies/skeletons are already full with negative energy and moving around. The time shave, if any, based on a DM’s call of course.
Paladins hate them. I managed to get my sorcerer (at the time, they were equipped with a rod focus the murderer) to calm the revenant down and found out it's a secret plot hook. Now we managed to sway our cleric, but the paladin. They wanted to smite the undead and my sorcerer. Basically it was 3 painful sessions with the lawful stupid player's paladin. Keeping them from smiting the revenant and keeping the rod hidden so the revenant doesn't berserk again. Yeah needless to say, the paladin plotted to hand the rod over to some random mage and have the revenant attack them finally giving him a reason to smite. This was where the DM had enough and told the player his paladin will lose his God's favor if he goes with this plan. (I believe it was a justice aligned god and while disdaining the undead they had no problem with revenants. This was a homebrew so I'm not sure it's based on a vanilla god). Fortunately DM didn't have to do anything since I had my sorcerer ice blast the paladin with their draconic breath ability. I got clocked out of game but that player was booted from the group because of this outburst. In game the paladin was frozen solid and a new player who played a half elf daughter of the revenant aided our quest for some final battle against the murderer and a wholesome father/daughter moment before the revenant finally became ash. And that was the time our party became level 13 and the Half-Elf player multiclassed into fighter with her father's fighting style mixed with rogue.
Been playing for 40 years man and i sounds as if that paladin played exactly the way he was supposed to play....it makes no differance what deity they worship....when undead are encountered they will generally be expected to do their duty and destroy the undead which is an anathema to the paladins existence....on the other hand, if tha paladins player was becoming overly aggro then it would be,in my mind, the DMs responsability to pull that player aside and explain WHY its a bad thing to disrupt the flow of the game and to do their best to reach an agreement on how to best deal with the issue at hand with out losing a player from the campaign! 😊
@@michaelkelligan7931 I disagree. With most undead sure but revenants are spirits of vengeance. I see most paladins as trying to grant them peace by enacting justice rather than just blindly smiting.
OrangeManBad it was very out of character when the paladin concocted that plan and it was my fault since back then I was far more abrasive as a person. Don't pity me, shame me for it. It reminds me to continue working on being a better person. Me and the paladin player eventually got together in another forum group and I apologized for my own behavior. As for the DM, yeah that DM did make good story arcs but this secret plot hook and the inclusion of a replacement player so soon was a red flag for me. I think they reveled in drama since I remember them holding back a chuckle when I got smacked. Then again who doesn't love it when an asshole is punished? This campaign and group wasn't my proudest, but it was relevant to the revenant topic though. It certainly does make things interesting when one is introduced to a party with a paladin.
I imagine that, taking into account the amount of violence and injustice happening in forgotten realms, encountering a revenant would be like encountering an ant in an anthill :) ...boom theres a revenant, bam theres one too, everyone gets a revenant :) some count burns a village of a rival lord...a whole bunch of them rise up and haunt him :)
That is the thing. Becoming a revenant is a terrible fate. You are quite tortured while in this state. To turn away from your rightful afterlife and instead endure the torment of walking the lands of the living you would have to be almost insane with rage or the like. That alone makes it unlikely most would become revenant.
Great video AJ. I had nearly forgotten about Revenants. I remember them from the old Fiend Folio from AD&D 1e. Your video stirred up all kinds of ideas to put one in my current Greyhawk game. Thanks
You can meet that very Female drow priestess revenant in Adventures League mod DDAL03-15 she is not alone but will help you and in true drow form will backstab you with her priestess sister of Kiaransalee😈🕷🕷🕸🕸💯
Wait it the Revenant can regen damage, then why does it look like an undead creature? shouldn't it look whole and complete like it did when it was alive?
The force animating it is not biological, it is more like it constantly regenerates the will to keep on seeking its revenge. You may have it pick a severed limb up and stick it back onto the stump, but it doesn't regrow, the wounds don't heal, they just hold together and the body stays functional. A Revenant that has been through a lot of combat is a gruesome mess, but it keeps on ticking.
1.) Do you have any advice for making a revilement for half orcs or any later published races that do not have subraces? 2.) Can they be created for other unfinished tasks, or just revenge? 3.) What do you think of a deity of vengeance that lets its followers (or those that gain its attention) become revetments, with extended lifespans and the holy symbol branded on it. 4.) Can things that effect a soul destroy a revenant? 5.) Can they regain the familiar? 6.) what is the difference between turning and rebuking undead? 7.) If they possess another corps, dose it change to fit them, or can you have a completely new race, sex, age, height, etc? 7.) Can they only possess the bodies of creatures of the same type (humanoids, constructs, dragons, etc.) or can you come back as a dragon revanant if you are lucky? 8.) Can draconic creatures become revanents? 9.) can undead be used as a body? If so, do they just push the other spirit or do they have to fight for control? What about there being multiple revanent spirits and not enough bodies to go around? 10.) Can a revanent enter a body in another sphere (probably spending its time earning money for bounty hunters to finish its job. 11.) Can this work in sigil? 12.) If their target is revived, or becomes undead, dose the revanent come back? 13.) Can they go after the soul of a person in the afterlife to prevent revival? 14.) Can they go after a organization, religion, philosophy, etc. 15.) Can an ancient revanent arise due to something recent, like its resting-place being defiled.
One kind of Revenant that exists in folk tales is called "The Grateful Dead" (the term had a meaning before the band existed.) These Revenants cross back to the mortal realm for a different sort of payback, specifically doing a good deed to repay someone who helped it or it's family. With a slight rules change this could include being the one who managed to bring it's killer to justice, or simply helping the dead fellow's living loved ones. It's an idea if you need a good Deus Ex Mechina to get your players out of trouble in an encounter that is proving to be too much for them either due to DM miscalculation or dice behaving badly. This way you can help bail them out instead of ending the story with a disappointing TPK over a random encounter or overpowered minion. A number of these questions would be up to the individual DM. There is a similar kind of creature to the Revenant in the modern setting the World Of Darkness called The Risen, for the game Wraith: The Oblivion & they had one template of a Risen who was going after all vampires.
If a Revenant's target skips the dying process and becomes undead, would the revenant pass on then? or would it dedicate itself to destroyin the undead body? if the prior, if the Revenant's target has the undead-wild-shape ability of a blighter, could shifting into undead form throw them off the scent?
I would rule nothing would change in relation to the revenant. They might become aware of the change in status of their target and that could give them pause...but I think they would still be just as relentless and unerring in their pursuit as ever. Since undeath is usually something brought on by greater powers this may cause a conflict as now the powers behind the revenant and those behind the new undead may now be eyeing each other. This could be a good plot hook though. Maybe the revenant realizes it is not up to the task so finds a way to bring outsiders into it so as to skew the odds in its favor. Let the party flush out and weaken the target at which point the revenant comes in for the coup de grace
Revenants can be turned into a decent campaign encounter if utilized correctly. Imagine an Aarakocra Revenant who has risen from the aerie to seek revenge upon the human slavers who raided it's communal nest, slaying it and it's tribe. Doom would come swooping in on tattered wings baring ichor-drenched talons. Or as you suggested they can group up with like-minded allies to enact their vengeance. A Revenant aided by an Inevitable and a Justicar/Cleric of St. Cuthbert would be any fugitives worst nightmare.
You get bonus points for spelling all of that correctly. Also, for an interesting spin on the Revenant, since undead don't need to breathe (air or water) you could have an aquatic species that has come onto the land in order to take revenge on some fishermen or some such.
That is the kind of spooky tale people would use to instill respect for the things one hunts. A small army of undead and what would be otherwise powerless animals rise up and turn the tables on their killer. The kind of grim fairytale stuff that puts fear into your soul.
Running Curse of Stahd right now and I had Ismark return as a revenant because the events of his death were such that it looked like the PCs were in league with Strahd. So now he's hunting them. They kicked his ass once, although he managed to drop a character with the ridiculous extra damage, but now he is going to recruit Doru using Vistani blood and maybe visit the hags for more power
You may want to give the players a Scroll of True Resurrection and see them wrestle with the moral dilemma of using it to restore the Revenant to life :)
More like underfed and vengeful vampires. One of the traits of revenants in real life lore is they would drink the blood of those living they encountered on their journeys. But where your typical vampire can pass for human in many situations the revenant cannot. They are obviously dead and very angry. Part of the reason they are so frightening is because you are confronted with a wrathful corpse that is very obviously interested only in taking your life in one way or another. It hates you very personally and wants you to understand intimately how you wronged it and how it is gonna wrong you in turn. That kind of malice curdles the blood
With your discussion of the abilities and look of the Silver Claw, I am curious if you had seen the armour videos I linked you previously from Ian? In particular, the one he did on fantasy armour design grounded in realism, which had a excellent discussion in it. (In case it comes off wrong, know that I do enjoy fantasy armour. I also thought you may like the improved design that Ian helped her make.) There are links, in the comment below.
Since I was talking about it, I suppose I'll link it here so you don't have to dig. ua-cam.com/video/q8DaGHL8WzM/v-deo.html Then there's this one, where Ian shares his own experiences in modern plate carrier type armour, and in a modern reproduction of a mid 14th century English foot armour. ua-cam.com/video/2FB0goDq38Q/v-deo.html
@@LurkerDaBerzerker Well, the claw is a perfect case of the articulated bit of metal and chain that is basically the container for intense magical power.
AJ Pickett I have seen a couple of such props, especially in movies. They can look pretty damn good, and they can look terrifying if designed in "crude" fashion. (I see that the design most commonly used in cinema, seems to be the "gold" coloured ones.)
So after a year-and-a-half if the revenant can't exact its revenge and it crumbles to dust does it soul find another corpse to attach itself to or does it just vanish?
All emotion burns away eventually. Also whatever source they are drawing from is gonna eventually run dry. Think of it as their initial soul scream opens a hole that they draw power from but this hole does slowly seal itself shut. So eventually they just lack the power to keep their lifeless husk animate.
I think Caleb from "Blood" could be considered a revenant. He is an evil cultist and undead gunslinger who was betrayed by the dark god Tchernobog, and returns to seek vengeance on both the cult and the god who wronged him. Except rather than strangling his victims, he prefers to shred them with gunfire, blow them to pieces with dynamite and set them on fire in his wrathful quest for revenge.
Strangling is just a very personal and darkly satisfying way to kill. You literally can watch the life be squeezed out of them, feel their flesh give under the pressure of your fingers. It is a very hateful thing to do. And revenants are very hateful beings. All the more terrible for the fact their wrath is centered on very specific targets. You do not get between a revenant and their target. Best to just use them as an undead battering ram while you mop up the leavings.
Awesome video AJ. I was hoping you would cover AD&D's Revenants. I LOVED using them. Whenever a player character died horribly and unfairly to another PC or a monstrous NPC, I offered the Revenant gamble option. For the pious type PC characters, I even gave a dialog to their god as the god considering giving them the option. However, I am a Role Playing guy... always was. Revenants were more often a thing when I ran campaigns where my players made evil characters. Quite often, NPCs died quite horrible... yes, I was one of those DMs that allowed really evil sick fantasies to be played out by my gamers. I disallowed nothing except making the role play and gaming not fun. With every horrible death of significant NPCs, I rolled for their chances to become a Revenant. If you DM games with dark fantasy players, you'd be surprised about how often those rare undeads are problems for your player characters. Also, this undead creature makes me go back to seeing AD&D as a hero-centric game no matter the options.
Hey AJ, I have a quest about something similar to this video. Why when using the clone spell to create multiple clones does only one clone activate, while in lore the wizard Manshoon did this very thing but all of his clones activated? Also is it possible to create an artificial soul?
According to D&D lore, souls come from a specific demiplane and there are some sort of cosmic, overgod level rules involved in soul trading and such. Warforged possibly have artificial souls though.
I once had a player that was murdered by another member of the party.
His soul split into four parts and went across the planes, eventually turning up as a reincarnation with a very weak soul (eventually made whole by a God at birth.) Two of the pieces went the way of undeath and were reformed in the prime material as a Fext and a Revenant. The Revenant took refuge inside of the Fext as a possessing spirit. When the Fext was killed the Revenant exploded from his body and attacked the weakened party. Closest to a TPK ive ever had.
The frightened victim: "You! I know you. I knew I knew you. But you ain't you. You can't be you, we put you through the window. We killed you, dead, there ain't no comin' back. There ain't no comin' back."
- T-Bird, "The Crow"
A true man of culture
If your party kills an npc you could make them a revenant, boom you got a repeating bad guy or good guy depends your party
An example of Lawful Good revenant, the Crow. Great idea for a one off, or even a short campaign.
Raziel, Scorpion.
Revanant mob could be a good way to fix hobo murdering players.
Revanent Mob is a good metal band name
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Thanks melon plant
Zant
Repair corpse takes care of the damage on the Revenants body, and gentle repose will keep it looking "fresh"
I bet one of the things that keeps the Church of Bhaal in check is the swaths of revenants they create, that than target them. They're always having to deal with undead murder hobos, from being murder hobos.
I’m today’s news, man literally too angry to die
now i get the idea that the objects of the pc revenants hatred might be the party itself, because,lets be honest, player parties are dangerous to themselves and everyone around them
One of the more creative ways to fight against murderhobos
They are almost like Terminators: " It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead."
Sometimes they are in the right too. See Eric Draven in The Crow for an example of a Revenant in a modern setting.
I could see a campaign where a group of player character revenants are trying to take out super powerful character who betrayed them
The Crow is basically a revenant with some different flavor.
Correct
Also The Crow is a great example of when the "monster" is in the right from a moral perspective. Revenants are in a great place to do that as the line between "Justice" & "Revenge" can be fuzzy thus great themes to explore in any story.
When I see a Revenant, I think of Iron Maiden's mascot in medieval armor.
... Shit, i think I want to play one now. You're a terrible influence, A.J.
I really really love these monsters. For one I like the idea of literally being to angry to stay dead. But also I like the story potential. Revenants are undead that act like the living and can genuinely be good people. You also can get a buddy who died on one last ride before he's gone for good.
Makes me think of The Crow
am I the only one that is getting "the Crow" feel from the discrpition of a Revenant? Awesome video as always A.J
Story ideas have to come from somewhere, & James O'Barr had to take it from somewhere. My understanding is the legends Revenants is one half of the inspiration, the other half being a fiance killed by a Drunk Driver in real life.
www.dallasobserver.com/arts/hurst-resident-and-creator-of-the-crow-james-obarr-on-the-comic-that-made-him-famous-8561547
So basically... all a revenant has to do is use the spell Gentle Repose once every 10 days.
Could also try sleeping in ice, salt, or vinegar. :D
Or, depending on GM interpretation, you could theoretically get away with using the 0 level spell 'purify food/water' once a day.
Revenants have always been one of my favorite undead to tweak a bit just to truly mess with or help the players. Bravo, sir!
I once made an RP encounter w/ a Revenant who would help the only PC beat the BBEG. the PC ended by killing it.
I'm to blame: I asked "are you really gonna let that Zombie go upstairs to the city?". in the end, the solo PC survived the last encounter, but his Accolite & Soldier aids didn't.
AJ if we,your fans, band together to make your own custom opening animation and song would you, would you use it?
Of course I would, that would be AWESOME
This sounds like an amazing potential NPC
I feel like Revenants are a great way to deal with those murderhobo "lol randomn" players that just violently murder NPCs because "I'm Chaotic Evil hur dur"
Like; ok sure you did that....
But now *this* is coming to kick your ass.
Absolutely. If fact, there may be some sort of powerful creature on the Ethereal plane who is deliberately sending Revenants back to deal with that player.. kind of like a neutral angel ghost.
@@AJPickett
I might get a few angry nerds telling me that I'm being "That DM" but hey. You can't expecr a setting full of paladins, angels amd various good aligned gods amd races to *not* consider a violent, powerful and ambitious person a threat to justice everywhere haha
@@DCdabest Just tell them the souls of the people they killed cry out for vengeance. And if they are not more circumspect they can expect more powerful beings to show up and trash them. Especially if they keep winning. After all, imagine the threat the heavens would consider them if an angel came to set matters straight and they killed it? Yeah, they gonna be on a divine hit squad's to do list.
Lady Stoneheart from Game of Thrones
Local Woman Literally Too Angry To Die
I don't play D&D, but still enjoy these lore videos. I think revenants could be a fitting solution to murder hobos. Make a rule that any NPCs the players murder will come back as revenants and at a particularly inconvenient time for the players.
Not everyone is gonna be so wrathful they willingly give up the peace of the afterlife for the pain of living in death chasing after some waste their father's seed murderhobo. But that is another reason why it is so effective. Not many revenants appear but they are relentless and anybody who knows what they are are gonna be looking askance at the one recieving the revenant's attentions. It should take something vile to cause one of these tortured abominations to give rise to itself. After all this undead is so obsessed with whomever wronged them they literally came back from the dead and starting chasing those responsible.
Thr revenant doesn't have to be successful, just end up chasing the perpetrators out of anywhere they go because this husk of a person just refuses to stay dead and there is no way to slow them down from catching up. They can't be tricked. They know where the guilty one is at all times. They do not require rest or sustenance and so will only ever keep moving. Also they are intelligent so they will figure out ways around whatever barrier you put up eventually. I suppose they can be bartered with...but what could you offer in return for them laying down their vengeance? What atonement could be laid at the feet of this hateful thing that would be accepted?
Remember this is an objectively evil thing. It only cares for the release of vengeance. Yes, it has all the morals it had in life. But one must remember it came back from the dead because of its fury and hatred for those who did it wrong. This is not that person in their right mind and when they were alive. This is that person now more than half mad with the anguish of the ill deeds done to them and existing in a cruel mockery of their living self. Its hatred is the center of its world now.
You’re telling me that they aren’t eight feet tall and have rocket launchers fused to their spine?
Yes, that is what I am telling you.
I gotta build a grappler character. That choking rule is gonna tick off my DM so bad! Mwahahaha!
This is an amazing opportunity for some great role play and story building! Does the revenant need to KNOW who was involved with their death or do they magically know all who are guilty?🤩 Will the player revenant unknowingly fly into a rage with their friends when they see a random bar keep's face and not know why?
Another good one. Wont fit my current campaign but I'll remember these guys. Massive RP potential. Thanks again AJ.
Whoa, that's great. Time to choke out as many people as I can as my barbarian. Cause instant kill~
Don't say I never throw any bones to the players in these videos :)
I just want to let you know that again. Every video you make gives me dozens of ideas to add to my campaign and I absolutely love it thank you.
You are most welcome :)
I used to play a human revenant ranger who was the prison for the fragment of a demonic dragon, and his task was to either find a new prison (one that couldn't be temporarily controlled) or destroy it. He had died 300 years before the campaign and was slowly brought back by an unknown goddess to fulfill his task.
So, here's an interesting question about revenants: can people rise as revenants if the event of their death is an act of human sacrifice, such as being murdered by a cultist as an offering to Bhaal, God of murder, in Dungeons and Dragons?
Yes
About the only thing that would impact it is whether the soul is claimed directly after death, like how demons or devils would. If the taking of the life is all that is involved...why not?
So I would love to make a chaotic good barbarian who is a revenant. Getting revenge on the evil lord who killed him and his family
Not truly possible. Sure, they would be chaotic good in anything that doesn't impact their hunt for the one who wronged them...but the lore itself makes it clear it is their obsession with their enemy that fuels them. So they would push forward relentlessly, chaff at any delay, and have zero patience for those who knowingly impede the quest for vengeance. This isn't a comfortable existence for them and they want it over with asap. The only reason they bear with it is because of this driving need to punish their murderer. They want to release their hold on the mortal coil. A revenant should be tortured and wretched. Maybe they would put off the hunt momentarily to save a child from a burning building but as soon as the child is in no danger from the flames they would rush to make up lost time. Leaving the child to whatever fate finds them from then on. Always remember the hate of the revenant is the center of the revenant's world now.
How about a lawful evil conquest paladin that was executed by his king after killing the evil lord?.
Revenge stories are often very bloody the revenant wants vengeance NOW not later its obsessed.
If I recall correctly there's a novel that takes places in FRs about a reverent called Ghostwalk (or Ghostwalker?) If memory serves it was pretty good ^^
Important to not, I don't think the playtest info has the year time limit
First time DM here, had a player in my Dragon Heist group who wanted to play the UA player character version of this since it's a level 1-5 module. He was betrayed and killed by his lover and spent most of the module with killing that jerk and their family on the back burner. He permadied a couple of sessions ago and I have to say, this was a fun learning experience in "PCs as weird monster shit." The player has since rolled up a more conventional (read: alive) character for DotMM.
Here is a tidbit of real world lore I think would make revenants more interesting. They are blood drinkers. This can be why revenants are hunted down despite being obsessed with revenge against those that wronged them before death. Their unnatural life needs occational fuel and in their drive for vengeance they willingly feed this fire. But unlike real vampires they lack the means to drain it without killing. So a revenant will just murder someone and lap the blood off the ground like an animal. Or maybe suck on the stump of a severed limb they cut off. Their need for revenge overriding any moral restraint that would have held them back from harming innocents. They are a perversion of the person they were in life. Driven to inflict vengeance, bloodthirsty in the literal and metaphorical sense, they are a blight upon the land as they chase down their targets.
I WAS JUST LOOKING INTO THIS OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS THEY ARE ALWAYS RIGHT ON TIME FOR WHAT I'M RESEARCHING.
Thanks a Ton AJ I've been waiting a while for the Revenant video.
AJ is the Man!
Sir Daniel Fortesque of MediEvil.
Lemon Elemental That was one of my favorite PS1 games, I loved that adorable goofball Sir Dan.
(The whole jaw thing was pretty funny too.)
Two things:
On strangulation, a second reason why choking would do more damage than merely holding one's breath, is that when an individual is choked it's not just air to the lungs that's being cut off, but also blood to the brain as the carotid arteries in the neck are also being cut off.
Also in the World Of Darkness setting by White Wolf an individual could become that setting's equivalent of a revenant called a Risen. This could be a player character for the game Wraith: The Oblivion. The best cinematic example of this would be Eric Draven from the comic book & movie The Crow. While The Risen didn't have the year limit, their war with their own Dark Side could make the time even shorter, or they could have a vengeance that lasted longer. They had a few templates that could be interesting hooks for characters if for example they blame an entire race for their death. The example given was a young Goth who was promised by a vampire that he'd make him one of the glamours undead, instead he left of the "un" and left him simply dead, drained of blood in a dumpster. Now that young fellow has a vendetta against all vampires & is able to infiltrate their society as most assume anyone without a pulse or breath is also a vampire. This could make for an intersting NPC encouter as an undercover agent in a vampire heavy area willing to use the party as a tool/ally in it's war against vampire kind in a D&D setting full of vampires.
OOOOOH I think I just found the perfect way of terrorizing my murderhobos and making sure they think twice before playing with their food... as in intimidating, interrogating and gutting their captives just because they are genuinely not smart enough or not important enough to provide plot-crutial information...
murderhobos love it
Long day at work an I come home to the most soothing voice this side of the multiverse
I had a very good time playing a revenant in 4e. The rules are, of course, super different than they are now and as they were previously.
A thing I really want to stress about incorporating or playing a Revenant in your game is that you should have a very clear idea about who is on their list - maybe even MAKE one. The revenant basically has a quest marker on any target they're chasing - they can't hide so you really need to consider what obstacles are between the revenant and their target that has stopped them from just walking to where ever their target is. They don't need sleep, they don't need air, they could literally just hop into the ocean and work their way wherever they need to go.
This is especially true for players, or DMs considering allowing a player to play or return as a revenant. WHY are they hanging around with adventurers when they NEED to pursue vengeance? Yes, theyre smart enough to build allows but since they can't die why are they working with the players, instead of say, a necromancer who could supply an undying army to their quest for vengeance (assuming the revenant isn't anti-undead)?
You should be keenly aware WHY you arent just relentlessly pushing toward your goal. It's literally the reason why you crawled your way out of the grave to begin with, this is something important enough that you were willing to trade something to someone for the ability to exact your revenge.
I reccomend The Crow, or The Count of Monte Cristo for stories about vengeance, the former being _literally_ a story about a revenant's quest for vengeance.
The Crow explores what a revenant with vengeance as a short term goal does vs. The Count which explores what a revenant who acts with vengeance as a long term goal does.
I know theres like, some addendum that the Revenant only has a *year* to get their task done, but for PCs you may want to hand-wave this restriction - it can take weeks to get from point A to point B, and you only have about 52 of those in a standard year.
Imagine if you were told "You have 365 days to do the most important thing to you in your entire life" then you spend 3 of those days camping with your friends, then another 2 backpacking to the next town, yet another 4 doing some work in the area, and finally another 3 just *waiting* for a friend's Amazon package. Your deadline just dropped to 353 days and you are NO closer to your goal.
Hmm how bout a Revenant Werewolf???
I think the curse ends with the death of the victim of lycanthropy in 5th edition, so, probably not. Oh, but some are born with lycanthropy.. so... I dunno
So not just humanoids can be revenants right? There could be a giant or dragon revenant.
Of course! Though I can't see them lasting long. A dragon revenant would likely get their rest in days, or their mark would need to be so strong that they would be able to take out the revenant in a similarly short amount of time, and giants are a similar subject
Yep.
Honestly, with how grappling works, it's easy enough to treat choking as a follow-up grapple check. (Round 1: grapple check. Round 2: grapple check to choke). And then just have a successful escape check break the grapple entirely. (Not sure if this is the actual way it works, but I've found it keeps choking from being a constant problem.)
As an extra point, if the character trying to strangle someone catches them off guard (stealthy strangle fun) I just let the initial grapple check count for both. Keeps my rogues happy.
Hollywoods best Revenants......."Jason Vorhees" of Friday the 13th films,Jason Lees character "The Crow" and"Michael Myers" of the Halloween franchise to a lesser extent! Great video kiwi thanks a bunch man....get your ass back to Sigil,i hate seeing things not finished...lolx10! 😳 as for having variable alignments that's something i cant agree with you on AJ,but only because i play 1st and 2nd edition! 😊
My party killed an innocent bystander too many times.
That's how you use them lol
*knock knock* "Who's there?"
"Delivery for you"
"Delivery? What are you delivering?" *opens door*
"YOUR DEATH".
Revenant or if you really want to screw em a Leshay.
@@dmstantastic3653 sadly in 5e we don't have the stats for the leshay just yet
dicorockhimself I believe the link I am about to send you will be of interest.
Hmm yes the "I died once I don't recommend it" people
I imagine a mercenary army of revenants being the central plot of a campaign; sent unawares on a suicide mission because the kingdom they served could not afford to pay them. So they return from the grave and they begin plotting their vengeance, while keeping their military structure and their willingness to negotiate terms and conditions of their service. Maybe there's warring kingdoms who are all promising to aid the revenant army to get their revenge, if the revenant army solves one problem or the other. Maybe necromancers offer to keep the revenant army alive past 6 months if they help the necromancers raise a dracolich.
The players have 6 months to figure out how to keep the revenant army from being used for nefarious means. Heck, the players might even be on speaking terms with the revenants, repeatedly parleying with them and trying to influence their trajectory to where they will do the least amount of harm while the players navigate the political landscape.
Imma run this campaign now.
Heck, imagine that within the revenants ranks, they believe their leader might be too soft, but they can't get rid of him. But he can channel True Resurrection as a gift of the gods who raised this army, by which means he can truly get rid of dissenters. But that has also given the dissenting revenants the idea of finding a Scroll of True Resurrection to replace their leader. Maybe making secret deals with necromancers to do it.
There's a lot of interesting politics here.
Or an intire navy, left to starve at sea.
@@thedarkmaster4747 The Vampire Coast from Total War Warhammer comes to mind.
I have a house rule for PC Revenants. If the PC Revenant succeeds in his undead vendetta, his newly created character earns double experience points until his new experience points are equal to his former character's experience points. Also, until that happens, twice the rolls for treasure (does not stack with other multiple role situations).
I'd rather face these than a Ghazneth any day!
If you don't know what that is read the Cormyr Saga.
They are similar in concept to a revenant but vastly more powerful. Luckily ghazneths are pretty much exclusive to that story line.
The song 12 by ICP fits the revenant perfectly save for the one night time restraint
Could someone be brought back by a god as a revenant
@ benjamin zuniga
Y not?
I would say so, but most compassionate gods would likely not do it. Being undead is not a fun experience for most. A god of death or dark justice maybe?
But AJ this subject is not Revenant’ puns aside ever thought of doing Warhammer creatures other then Orks.
yes.
So basically they're The Crow
Sweet
I've actually run missions with Revenants vs. Epic NPC enemies that the players helped kill because they loved the role-play of the NPC Revenant and joined the cause. The original idea was to defeat the Revenant but some times the players helped and my campaigns required me to do a LOT of story re-writing... a challenge I loved because I hated its challenge but loved because of the way it was given to me. Oh? You think you fixed it? Here is how you f^cked it all up! Muahahaha!
Alt grapple rule, after a number of rounds = to con bonus, suffer dam to victim hd + stranggler’s strength, giving warriors and mellee classes more time before chokeout, ticks every round after the con runs out, and strangling for a number of turns equal to con bonus beyond passing out makes it lethal. Also, makes it harder to choke things out if theyre higher hd than you.
Whisper daddy when the revenant chokes u
Heh!
Yay
Is it a revenant half risen undead stuck between life and death?
like what happens if a resurrection spell goes wrong
Isn't it a player character race?
Or am I thinking of something else?
The only caveat here is they can't be psionic as it's a very fundamental thing undead can never be psionic
Basically, yeah
7:45 When a revenant takes over another body/corpse, would it be possible for them to take over another unintelligent undead like a zombie or skeleton? Or does it have to be a completely dead body.
If it is the former, I can see a revenant (especially a former spell caster) create zombies/skeletons as portable backup bodies to not have to worry about traveling for miles if their current body is destroyed, maybe even with a quicker timeframe than a 24 hour period as the zombies/skeletons are already full with negative energy and moving around. The time shave, if any, based on a DM’s call of course.
Hmmmm.... personally, I adopt a whatever works attitude and play it by ear... if the story needs it, it happens.
I love your channel because you have so much content that if a need it I can go to your channel and 9/10 you have the video!!
An ever-expanding database of all creatures, great and small, a bountiful bestiary of bewitching behemoths, beasts and nefarious bastards :)
Awesome Pictures!! Wonderful channel my friend 👍
Thank you!
Paladins hate them. I managed to get my sorcerer (at the time, they were equipped with a rod focus the murderer) to calm the revenant down and found out it's a secret plot hook. Now we managed to sway our cleric, but the paladin. They wanted to smite the undead and my sorcerer. Basically it was 3 painful sessions with the lawful stupid player's paladin. Keeping them from smiting the revenant and keeping the rod hidden so the revenant doesn't berserk again. Yeah needless to say, the paladin plotted to hand the rod over to some random mage and have the revenant attack them finally giving him a reason to smite. This was where the DM had enough and told the player his paladin will lose his God's favor if he goes with this plan. (I believe it was a justice aligned god and while disdaining the undead they had no problem with revenants. This was a homebrew so I'm not sure it's based on a vanilla god). Fortunately DM didn't have to do anything since I had my sorcerer ice blast the paladin with their draconic breath ability. I got clocked out of game but that player was booted from the group because of this outburst. In game the paladin was frozen solid and a new player who played a half elf daughter of the revenant aided our quest for some final battle against the murderer and a wholesome father/daughter moment before the revenant finally became ash. And that was the time our party became level 13 and the Half-Elf player multiclassed into fighter with her father's fighting style mixed with rogue.
Been playing for 40 years man and i sounds as if that paladin played exactly the way he was supposed to play....it makes no differance what deity they worship....when undead are encountered they will generally be expected to do their duty and destroy the undead which is an anathema to the paladins existence....on the other hand, if tha paladins player was becoming overly aggro then it would be,in my mind, the DMs responsability to pull that player aside and explain WHY its a bad thing to disrupt the flow of the game and to do their best to reach an agreement on how to best deal with the issue at hand with out losing a player from the campaign! 😊
@@michaelkelligan7931 I disagree. With most undead sure but revenants are spirits of vengeance. I see most paladins as trying to grant them peace by enacting justice rather than just blindly smiting.
But than again, my personal philosophy of Good is that it must be wise and just otherwise it is at best light leaning neutral
OrangeManBad it was very out of character when the paladin concocted that plan and it was my fault since back then I was far more abrasive as a person. Don't pity me, shame me for it. It reminds me to continue working on being a better person.
Me and the paladin player eventually got together in another forum group and I apologized for my own behavior.
As for the DM, yeah that DM did make good story arcs but this secret plot hook and the inclusion of a replacement player so soon was a red flag for me. I think they reveled in drama since I remember them holding back a chuckle when I got smacked. Then again who doesn't love it when an asshole is punished?
This campaign and group wasn't my proudest, but it was relevant to the revenant topic though. It certainly does make things interesting when one is introduced to a party with a paladin.
@@marvalice3455 but remember vengence is a sin! 😏
Holy crap I had no idea that strangling people was such an efficient way to kill people in 5e. Just grapple them with some wire and wait a bit
That...is a pretty accurate way to summerize it in real life too, I think. Feels morbid putting it so simply, but yeah.
I love this creature.
I imagine that, taking into account the amount of violence and injustice happening in forgotten realms, encountering a revenant would be like encountering an ant in an anthill :) ...boom theres a revenant, bam theres one too, everyone gets a revenant :) some count burns a village of a rival lord...a whole bunch of them rise up and haunt him :)
Exactly. XD
That is the thing. Becoming a revenant is a terrible fate. You are quite tortured while in this state. To turn away from your rightful afterlife and instead endure the torment of walking the lands of the living you would have to be almost insane with rage or the like. That alone makes it unlikely most would become revenant.
Great video AJ. I had nearly forgotten about Revenants. I remember them from the old Fiend Folio from AD&D 1e. Your video stirred up all kinds of ideas to put one in my current Greyhawk game. Thanks
You can meet that very Female drow priestess revenant in Adventures League mod DDAL03-15 she is not alone but will help you and in true drow form will backstab you with her priestess sister of Kiaransalee😈🕷🕷🕸🕸💯
Wait it the Revenant can regen damage, then why does it look like an undead creature? shouldn't it look whole and complete like it did when it was alive?
The force animating it is not biological, it is more like it constantly regenerates the will to keep on seeking its revenge. You may have it pick a severed limb up and stick it back onto the stump, but it doesn't regrow, the wounds don't heal, they just hold together and the body stays functional. A Revenant that has been through a lot of combat is a gruesome mess, but it keeps on ticking.
@@AJPickett Which is why The Crow revenant is not like the D&D revenant.
The idea that is a revenant is fairly popular
I dig the TSW Revenant, but this is as always awesome info AJ.
1.) Do you have any advice for making a revilement for half orcs or any later published races that do not have subraces?
2.) Can they be created for other unfinished tasks, or just revenge?
3.) What do you think of a deity of vengeance that lets its followers (or those that gain its attention) become revetments, with extended lifespans and the holy symbol branded on it.
4.) Can things that effect a soul destroy a revenant?
5.) Can they regain the familiar?
6.) what is the difference between turning and rebuking undead?
7.) If they possess another corps, dose it change to fit them, or can you have a completely new race, sex, age, height, etc?
7.) Can they only possess the bodies of creatures of the same type (humanoids, constructs, dragons, etc.) or can you come back as a dragon revanant if you are lucky?
8.) Can draconic creatures become revanents?
9.) can undead be used as a body? If so, do they just push the other spirit or do they have to fight for control? What about there being multiple revanent spirits and not enough bodies to go around?
10.) Can a revanent enter a body in another sphere (probably spending its time earning money for bounty hunters to finish its job.
11.) Can this work in sigil?
12.) If their target is revived, or becomes undead, dose the revanent come back?
13.) Can they go after the soul of a person in the afterlife to prevent revival?
14.) Can they go after a organization, religion, philosophy, etc.
15.) Can an ancient revanent arise due to something recent, like its resting-place being defiled.
One kind of Revenant that exists in folk tales is called "The Grateful Dead" (the term had a meaning before the band existed.) These Revenants cross back to the mortal realm for a different sort of payback, specifically doing a good deed to repay someone who helped it or it's family. With a slight rules change this could include being the one who managed to bring it's killer to justice, or simply helping the dead fellow's living loved ones. It's an idea if you need a good Deus Ex Mechina to get your players out of trouble in an encounter that is proving to be too much for them either due to DM miscalculation or dice behaving badly. This way you can help bail them out instead of ending the story with a disappointing TPK over a random encounter or overpowered minion. A number of these questions would be up to the individual DM. There is a similar kind of creature to the Revenant in the modern setting the World Of Darkness called The Risen, for the game Wraith: The Oblivion & they had one template of a Risen who was going after all vampires.
So the Crow with an upgrade
No, the crow would definitely be a revenant. Lets not forget how it is not really explored how far his spooky powers go.
If a Revenant's target skips the dying process and becomes undead, would the revenant pass on then? or would it dedicate itself to destroyin the undead body? if the prior, if the Revenant's target has the undead-wild-shape ability of a blighter, could shifting into undead form throw them off the scent?
That is one of those "We better roll some dice and find out" situations.. sounds too fun not to run a plot like that in a campaign.
I would rule nothing would change in relation to the revenant. They might become aware of the change in status of their target and that could give them pause...but I think they would still be just as relentless and unerring in their pursuit as ever. Since undeath is usually something brought on by greater powers this may cause a conflict as now the powers behind the revenant and those behind the new undead may now be eyeing each other.
This could be a good plot hook though. Maybe the revenant realizes it is not up to the task so finds a way to bring outsiders into it so as to skew the odds in its favor. Let the party flush out and weaken the target at which point the revenant comes in for the coup de grace
Revenants can be turned into a decent campaign encounter if utilized correctly. Imagine an Aarakocra Revenant who has risen from the aerie to seek revenge upon the human slavers who raided it's communal nest, slaying it and it's tribe. Doom would come swooping in on tattered wings baring ichor-drenched talons. Or as you suggested they can group up with like-minded allies to enact their vengeance. A Revenant aided by an Inevitable and a Justicar/Cleric of St. Cuthbert would be any fugitives worst nightmare.
You get bonus points for spelling all of that correctly. Also, for an interesting spin on the Revenant, since undead don't need to breathe (air or water) you could have an aquatic species that has come onto the land in order to take revenge on some fishermen or some such.
That is the kind of spooky tale people would use to instill respect for the things one hunts. A small army of undead and what would be otherwise powerless animals rise up and turn the tables on their killer. The kind of grim fairytale stuff that puts fear into your soul.
Bro the best class model for 4.0 was the Revenant/Tiefling
Avenger/Ranger.
Welp. Looks like I am making a strangling focused character. May my DM have the mercy to tolerate my bs
Make him a gnome wizard
Oh, like the Crow
Yeah, more or less.
You got ur self a new subscriber. I watched few of ur videos and they are awesome
Thanks Logan
Basicly revenants are d&d versions of draugers.
That and Wights.
it the crow.
Story checks out.
Has there been a Monster Ecology video on curst yet?
not yet
I've used curst recently in my games and this reminded me of them. I'd love a good breakdown of differences among different undead.
Are bears involved with becoming the revenant?
Only in the most awesome cases
At the end of that movie, DiCaprio kind of looks a bit undead to be honest.
Running Curse of Stahd right now and I had Ismark return as a revenant because the events of his death were such that it looked like the PCs were in league with Strahd. So now he's hunting them. They kicked his ass once, although he managed to drop a character with the ridiculous extra damage, but now he is going to recruit Doru using Vistani blood and maybe visit the hags for more power
You may want to give the players a Scroll of True Resurrection and see them wrestle with the moral dilemma of using it to restore the Revenant to life :)
Amazing supernatural zombies.
More like underfed and vengeful vampires. One of the traits of revenants in real life lore is they would drink the blood of those living they encountered on their journeys. But where your typical vampire can pass for human in many situations the revenant cannot. They are obviously dead and very angry. Part of the reason they are so frightening is because you are confronted with a wrathful corpse that is very obviously interested only in taking your life in one way or another. It hates you very personally and wants you to understand intimately how you wronged it and how it is gonna wrong you in turn. That kind of malice curdles the blood
*Relevant and Supportive Comment for the Revenant*
With your discussion of the abilities and look of the Silver Claw, I am curious if you had seen the armour videos I linked you previously from Ian?
In particular, the one he did on fantasy armour design grounded in realism, which had a excellent discussion in it.
(In case it comes off wrong, know that I do enjoy fantasy armour.
I also thought you may like the improved design that Ian helped her make.)
There are links, in the comment below.
Since I was talking about it, I suppose I'll link it here so you don't have to dig.
ua-cam.com/video/q8DaGHL8WzM/v-deo.html
Then there's this one, where Ian shares his own experiences in modern plate carrier type armour, and in a modern reproduction of a mid 14th century English foot armour.
ua-cam.com/video/2FB0goDq38Q/v-deo.html
@@LurkerDaBerzerker Well, the claw is a perfect case of the articulated bit of metal and chain that is basically the container for intense magical power.
AJ Pickett I have seen a couple of such props, especially in movies.
They can look pretty damn good, and they can look terrifying if designed in "crude" fashion.
(I see that the design most commonly used in cinema, seems to be the "gold" coloured ones.)
So after a year-and-a-half if the revenant can't exact its revenge and it crumbles to dust does it soul find another corpse to attach itself to or does it just vanish?
I would have them become a ghost,apparition or perhaps a poltergiest!
They go onto the afterlife in one of the outer planes.
All emotion burns away eventually. Also whatever source they are drawing from is gonna eventually run dry. Think of it as their initial soul scream opens a hole that they draw power from but this hole does slowly seal itself shut. So eventually they just lack the power to keep their lifeless husk animate.
One of the few cases where you can add an undead into a party of goody-goods. Or at least, the best chance for it to fly. XD
At last! RNGesus has heard my many prayers!
The part about 'ok with folk except those sworn vengeance against' gives me Edmond Dantes vibes . Great video 10/10
I would love to play as a Revenant by way of the Raven Queen.
Would the ghosts in John Carpenters "The Fog" count as revenants?
Hmmm, wights I think.
The Revenant is more like the main character in "The Crow"
I think Caleb from "Blood" could be considered a revenant. He is an evil cultist and undead gunslinger who was betrayed by the dark god Tchernobog, and returns to seek vengeance on both the cult and the god who wronged him.
Except rather than strangling his victims, he prefers to shred them with gunfire, blow them to pieces with dynamite and set them on fire in his wrathful quest for revenge.
Strangling is just a very personal and darkly satisfying way to kill. You literally can watch the life be squeezed out of them, feel their flesh give under the pressure of your fingers. It is a very hateful thing to do. And revenants are very hateful beings. All the more terrible for the fact their wrath is centered on very specific targets. You do not get between a revenant and their target. Best to just use them as an undead battering ram while you mop up the leavings.
Awesome video AJ. I was hoping you would cover AD&D's Revenants. I LOVED using them. Whenever a player character died horribly and unfairly to another PC or a monstrous NPC, I offered the Revenant gamble option. For the pious type PC characters, I even gave a dialog to their god as the god considering giving them the option. However, I am a Role Playing guy... always was. Revenants were more often a thing when I ran campaigns where my players made evil characters. Quite often, NPCs died quite horrible... yes, I was one of those DMs that allowed really evil sick fantasies to be played out by my gamers. I disallowed nothing except making the role play and gaming not fun. With every horrible death of significant NPCs, I rolled for their chances to become a Revenant. If you DM games with dark fantasy players, you'd be surprised about how often those rare undeads are problems for your player characters. Also, this undead creature makes me go back to seeing AD&D as a hero-centric game no matter the options.
Hey AJ, I have a quest about something similar to this video. Why when using the clone spell to create multiple clones does only one clone activate, while in lore the wizard Manshoon did this very thing but all of his clones activated? Also is it possible to create an artificial soul?
Game balance is why. As for artificial souls, that depends. Though it might be easier to be opportunistic and nap a natural soul from something
According to D&D lore, souls come from a specific demiplane and there are some sort of cosmic, overgod level rules involved in soul trading and such. Warforged possibly have artificial souls though.
Not another D&D podcast has a revenant faction in it right now.