Forgotten Heroes: Scythe & Shroud

[Ogrepuppy]

I'm looking forward to the necromancer.

I have a burning need to play a morally....questionable...goth/emo wannabe that can open a can 'o' death-key word whoop-ass. (No, seriously. Look at Death and Dream from the Sandman books.)

I hope the necro (as well as the other classes in the book, of course) takes a strong cue from the PHB2: classes that are unique, use rules in a 'nonstandard' way, and have mild 'anti- power creep'.

:: tips glass ::

Here's to you!

[xredjasonx]

I'm looking forward to the necromancer.

I have a burning need to play a morally....questionable...goth/emo wannabe that can open a can 'o' death-key word whoop-ass.

Haha! I am already doing that in our Scales of War campaign with my half-elf, female, cleric of the Raven Queen who wields a spiked chain and wears a big black leather coat over her chain mail. I modeled her completely after Selene from Underworld.

[Ogrepuppy]

Hey, I'm not dissin'. I grew up on Duran Duran, the Cure, Skinny Puppy (hence my alias) and Sisters of Mercy among others.

[Tavis]

I hope the necro (as well as the other classes in the book, of course) takes a strong cue from the PHB2: classes that are unique, use rules in a 'nonstandard' way, and have mild 'anti- power creep'.

I hope we hit the targets of unique and non-standard, but if so it won't have been because of a cue from the PHB2. Nowadays I really dig the new design space it opens up, and am looking forward to playing a new shaman PC tomorrow. But at the time we wrote Scythe & Shroud, the only non-core class that had been published by anyone was a preview of the swordmage if I recall correctly. Eytan did some work on the PHB2 around that time, I think, but he's always careful not to cross the wires - if there's any possible influence there it's likely just a sense of which things are intentional limits on what's possible in the system, and which things about the first PHB were just the way they happened to do things rather than actual constraints.

I feel like WotC has more room for 'anti-power creep,' both because they're official & can get away with redefining the limits, and also because they have a sort of bicameral, check-and-balance design process. I think that lets the designers feel OK with pushing the envelope with confidence that the development team will rein in any excesses. It's great to have Aeryn as our editor & developer and he does an awesome job, but I feel like his role is more like an appeals court that redresses errors, not like a separate branch of government that can take a bill introduced in the other house and turn it into a piece of legislation that's only roughly inspired by the original.

To move onto a hopefully less dubious analogy, during the planning stage we talked about the necromancer and assassin being the "black hat" classes and the spiritsworn and deathwarden being the "white hat" classes. But yeah, in every case the hats we're talking about would go well with Clockwork Orange eyeliner and Edward Scissorhands bangs. (Duran Duran was totally my D&D soundtrack when I first started playing. I admired the kids who had Jethro Tull's Beast and the Broadsword tour shirts, but I wasn't in that league.)

[Ogrepuppy]

(Duran Duran was totally my D&D soundtrack when I first started playing. I admired the kids who had Jethro Tull's Beast and the Broadsword tour shirts, but I wasn't in that league.)

Psssht.

I saw Jethro Tull, in 1972. My parents took me to the concert.

I was two years old.

(If the wife & I ever have kids, you can bet they're going to be seeing Tool or Chevelle or Death Cab For Cutie or some crazy mess like that at 2 years old. That's a tradition that can't escape the family!)

[crimsonhawk]

Just out of curiosity, will there be a PDF and, if so, when is the ETA on its release? TIA!

[Drkfathr1]

Yes, please, when will it be released?!

[Tavis]

It's available now!

[Drkfathr1]

Awesome.

[Drkfathr1]

Cross-posted from Enworld...

The Necromancer Class lists one of their features as "Bag of Bones", but there's no actual description that I could find of what that is.

Typo? Something removed at the last minute?

[Ekio]

I've got a question regarding the book (which I really enjoy, I'm rolling up a revenant deathwarden).

One of the necromancer paragon paths mentions a "token" but couldn't find anything else about it. What exactly is this "token?"

Thanks in advance.

[BrianC]

Cross-posted from Enworld...

The Necromancer Class lists one of their features as "Bag of Bones", but there's no actual description that I could find of what that is.

Typo? Something removed at the last minute?

I can't find the ENworld post, so I'll answer here:

Bag of bones was a class feature for the necromancer; it looks like it was edited out. It gave a bonus to the memento necromantica ritual (p. 98), as well as creating a bag of bones for tokens and trophies to be stored in.

I've got a question regarding the book (which I really enjoy, I'm rolling up a revenant deathwarden).

One of the necromancer paragon paths mentions a "token" but couldn't find anything else about it. What exactly is this "token?"

Memento necromantica and its accompanying sidebar explain the method for obtaining trophies, and how to convert trophies into tokens.

[Dragonclawjtf]

Question concerning the magic items. See Pg. 96, the table on the right side lists magic weapons not described.
Shadow Blade, Studied Weapon, Reaping Scythe, Spectral Scythe, Heaven's Scythe. It seems, that only letter A-G were printed. Those starting with H+ were missed.

[Tavis]

From the last version of the MS I could find on my computer, here's the text for the bag of bones class feature:

BAG OF BONES
When you use the Memento Necromantica ritual, you gain a +5 bonus on the ritual skill check. You automatically gain a trophy from any creature killed within 10 squares of you if you have line of effect to that creature. The trophy flies from the creature’s body into your bag of bones.

Here's the omitted magic weapons (formatting may be mangled, sorry!):

Shadow Blade (+1 to +6) Level 1+
This ancient weapon was used to sacrifice victims to the Reaper of Souls.
Price:
Lvl 1 +1 360 gp Lvl 16 +4 45,000 gp
Lvl 6 +2 1,800 gp Lvl 21 +5 225,000 gp
Lvl 11 +3 9,000 gp Lvl 26 +6 1,125,000 gp
Weapon: Light blade, Thrown
Enhancement: Attack rolls and damage rolls
Critical: 1d6 necrotic per plus
Power (Daily): Minor Action. The square you are in becomes heavily obscured until the end of your next turn.
Recharge: Milestone

Spectral Scythe (+3 to +6) Level 14+
Your scythe glows with a radiance that is harmful to spirits.
Price:
Lvl 14 +3 21,000 gp Lvl 24 +5 525,000 gp
Lvl 19 +4 105,000 gp Lvl 29 +6 2,625,000 gp

Weapon: Heavy Blade (usually scythes)
Enhancement: Attack rolls and damage rolls
Critical Hit: +1d6 radiant damage per plus
Property: You deal damage normally to incorporeal creatures.
Power (Daily): Minor action. On your next attack roll, you can ignore the armor and shield bonus of the target, but not any enhancement bonuses or magical bonuses to AC.

Studied Weapon (+1 to +6) Level 2+
This weapon can provide an assassin with a greater understanding of how his victim moves and reacts.
Price:
Lvl 2 +1 520 gp Lvl 17 +4 65,000 gp
Lvl 7 +2 2,600 gp Lvl 22 +5 325,000 gp
Lvl 12 +3 13,000 gp Lvl 27 +6 1,625,000 gp
Weapon: Light blade, Light thrown
Enhancement: Attack rolls and damage rolls
Critical: 1d6 per plus
Power (Daily): Minor Action. The next attack you make with this weapon this turn provides double the amount of study points it would normally.
Recharge: Critical Hit

[Tavis]

Here are the missing assassin level 29 powers, the accidental omission of which Jack99 pointed out in his review:

LEVEL 29 DAILY HARROWINGS

Gone Assassin Attack 29
You slice your enemy’s throat, reach in and take your foe's soul.
Daily • Death, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 7[W] + Dexterity modifier damage, You gain one study point against the target.
Miss: Half damage. You gain one study point against the target.
Special: If this attack drops the target below 0 hp, you regain 3d10 hit points.

Studied Slice Assassin Attack 29
A careful eye always trumps brute strength.
Daily • Death, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 5[W] + Dexterity modifier damage, and you gain half your Intelligence modifier study points against the target. If your study point balance against the target is below half your Intelligence modifier at the end of your turn, you gain the number of study points needed to make the balance equal to half your Intelligence modifier. This effect lasts until the end of the encounter or until the target drops to 0 hit points.
Miss: Half damage, and you gain half your Intelligence modifier study points against the target.

To address some of the other things pointed out in his review:
- Heavenly Window (deathwarden encounter 13) is a blast; the target line should read "each enemy in blast", not burst.
- Captain America is already present in the canonical history of the D&D universe - his shield had to have wound up in that Drow treasure horde somehow!

[Dragonclawjtf]

Thanks Tavis!
Did you have any rules for the Heaven's Scythe or Reaping Scythe?

[Tavis]

Oops, didn't see the "after G" part. Here are the others:


Heaven's Scythe (+5 to +6) Level 4+
This weapon carries with it the terror of final judgment
Price:
Lvl 23 +5 425,000 gp Lvl 28 +6 2,125,000 gp
Weapon: Heavy blade (usually scythe)
Enhancement: Attack rolls and damage rolls
Critical: 1d6 radiant per plus
Property: Whenever you deal damage with a power with the radiant keyword, the power deals an additional +1d6 radiant damage.
Power (Daily): Minor action. For the rest of the encounter, your encounter and daily attack powers gain the radiant keyword. Any damage you deal with such a power is radiant damage in addition to any other damage type the power normally inflicts

Reaping Scythe (+2 to +6) Level 7+
Like a ravenous vampire, you reap the harvest of your enemies’ souls.
Price:
Lvl 7 +2 2,600 gp Lvl 22 +5 325,000 gp
Lvl 12 +3 13,000 gp Lvl 27 +6 1,625,000 gp Lvl 17 +4 65,000 gp

Weapon: Heavy Blade (usually scythes)
Enhancement: Attack rolls and damage rolls
Critical Hit: +1d8 necrotic damage per plus
Property: When you drop a creature to 0 hit points or fewer with the scythe, you gain temporary hit points equal to the bonus of the scythe.

[Dragonclawjtf]

Thanks Tavis!

[Mach1.9pants]

Is the PDF going to be updated at any point?

[crimsonhawk]

Is the PDF going to be updated at any point?

I'd like to second this question, as well. Heck, I'd be willing to compile, format, and post a PDF of said errata.

[crimsonhawk]

Here is a quick, one-page document compiling the errata that's been discussed here. If I'm missing anything, please let me know!

[edit: file updated below]

[crimsonhawk]

I'm still open to updating my errata document, if other errata has been found.

[Arawn76]

Thanks for this

[Siberys]

The Necromancer at-will Rising Dead is missing an attack line. I'm assuming Int vs. AC?

[crimsonhawk]

Nice catch, Siberys!

Here is an updated version of the errata, which includes a badly needed Table of Contents. It brings the page count up to two, but, ah, well....

[edit: file updated below]