[4e Paragon Path] "Your Head. I will Cut It. Off."

[Shadow_Elf]

Executioner
“My liege has deemed that your head and shoulders are no longer a matched set”



Prerequisites: Fighter or Paladin, Weapon Proficiency Execution Axe, Strength 15, Must Worship the Raven Queen

You are the executioner. You are the lord of the headman’s block, the ultimate servant of the Raven Queen. Each blow you land is fatal, and the blood of the criminals you have decapitated stains not your conscience at all. You are a heartless slayer of men, using your axe as a means of butchering your fellow sentient beings like cattle. None dare stand in the way of your axe.

Executioner Path Features
Great Axe Mastery (11th level): Increase the dice size of your weapon when wielding an execution axe by one
Decapitating Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you gain a +5 bonus to attack rolls when you have combat advantage until the start of your next turn
Mutinous Melée (16th level): You gain a +1 shield bonus to your AC and Reflex defences when wielding an execution axe

Executioner Powers
Headsman’s Cleave Executioner Attack 11
“Your axe passes through one foe, then another, as it separates limbs and parts weapons and shields alike”“
Encounter * Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Requirement: You must be wielding an execution axe
Target: One enemy in range
Attack: Strength vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage.
Effect: Each adjacent enemy other than the target takes damage equal to your strength modifier.

Stunning Execution Executioner Utility 12
“You perform the act you’re being paid to do; and you do it very well”
Encounter * Martial
Free Action Personal
Requirement: You must be wielding an execution axe
Trigger: You perform a Coup-De-Grace
Effect: The target of the Coup-De-Grace dies.

No Escape Executioner Attack 20
“Your target tries to run; but he wasn’t expecting you to throw your axe at him!”
Daily * Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Ranged 10
Requirement: You must be wielding an execution axe
Attack: Strength vs. AC
Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage and the target is knocked prone and dazed (save ends).
Special: If the target is bloodied and this power lands a critical hit, the target dies.
Effect: Your execution axe lands in an unoccupied square adjacent to the target.

[insecure]

For some reason, this reminds me of an hourglass.

[Shadow_Elf]

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May your Soul burn in Hell for an infinite forevers and a day

[insecure]

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May your Soul burn in Hell for an infinite forevers and a day

[Zocelot]

Reposted from the Vote up a campaign setting, and spoilered for length.

Spoiler

Show

It's feedback time!

Powers:
No Escape's effect doesn't make sense realistically. I believe there is another power from Martial Power that lets you throw your weapon, and then the weapon drops into any square adjacent to the target.

Headsman’s Cleave isn't particularly exciting, but it works.

I especially like Stunning Executioner, although you don't stumble upon helpless enemies very often, so you could make it an encounter utility without really affecting it's power level.


Features:
Great Axe Mastery and Decapitation action are fine seperately, but put together are either underpowered or overpowered. If the Executioner is a Minotaur, then oversized will put the normal damage as 2d6, and Executioner will make it 2d8, which is a lot normally, and a ton more on a critical for an attack that does several [W] worth of damage. With a non oversized creature though, it's only an increase from 1d12 to 2d6, an increase that doesn't even affect a critical. Either one combined with Eternal Defender's class feature is broken. My suggestion to fix is to go with something more traditional for the action point spending, such as adding your Con modifier to damage on all attacks in a round where you spend an action point.

Mutinous Melée is essentially wielding a heavy shield without having to spare an arm. Level 16 features should be powerful but a +1 shield bonus to AC and Reflex is powerful enough. I like the accent on the é in Melée.


Finally, I think that the entry requirements should be a bit more strict. A fighter only PP would make sense based on it's fluff.

[afroakuma]

I've been quoted in a thread title?

[Shadow_Elf]

I've been quoted in a thread title?

Yes, Yes you have.

[Raz_Fox]

This looks very interesting. There's only one thing I would suggest to improve it.

An hourglass theme.

Seriously, sand running through the hourglass is one of the most memorable ways of remembering that time will always run out.

You could call the Stunning Execution: "Empty Hourglass." No Escape: "Hourglass Thrown." Mutinous Melee: "Hourglass's Protection." Decapitating Action: "Tip the Hourglass." Headsman's Cleave: "Inevitability of the Hourglass."

Really, you need to theme Paragon Paths like this. Otherwise, they won't be as memorable. And what better way to theme an executioner PP than with the symbol of time running out and death coming:

THE HOURGLASS.

Yes, I looked it up and read the entire thing on the Vote a Campaign Setting thread, just so that I knew what I was doing with this post. Raz has an evil sense of humor and mischief.

[Shadow_Elf]

THE HOURGLASS.
Yes, I looked it up and read the entire thing on the Vote a Campaign Setting thread, just so that I knew what I was doing with this post. Raz has an evil sense of humor and mischief.

Raz is also about to perish; I give you a five second head start.

[RTGoodman]

I like it, but here's a couple of things. I agree with Zocelot that for the action point thing, make it so the Executioner gets a bonus to damage rolls equal to his Con modifier until the end of his next turn. Also, how do you feel about Stunning Execution giving the Executioner a bonus on Intimidate checks until the end of the turn or even encounter? I think it fits with the name of the ability and would be a neat little bonus. Finally, I don't really like the No Escape power, but off-hand I can't think of anything to replace it with; to me, though, it doesn't really seem to fit with the rest of the class.

[Mercenary Pen]

There should- according to the fluff you've posted- be another prerequisite for this Paragon Path; The character taking it must worship the Raven Queen (or an equivalent homebrewed deity)... That single requirement could well make the executioner one of the scariest characters on the battlefield. It's just a pity there's no fear aura to back it up IMO.

[Mewtarthio]

So, let's start out with a Brutal Rogue multiclassed into Fighter with all initiative-boosting feats (eg Quick Draw, Improved Init) and the "Knockout" power...

[Shadow_Elf]

There should- according to the fluff you've posted- be another prerequisite for this Paragon Path; The character taking it must worship the Raven Queen (or an equivalent homebrewed deity)... That single requirement could well make the executioner one of the scariest characters on the battlefield. It's just a pity there's no fear aura to back it up IMO.

Done.

@Mewtarthio: Rogues can't Sneak Attack with Execution Axes...

[afroakuma]

Raz is also about to perish; I give you a five second head start.

No, no, Shadow. It's "I take your head in five seconds."

[puppyavenger]

looks awesome!

although I would suggest a glass or sand themed power...

[afroakuma]

It's a good thing I have nothing to critique in the above post.

Your head cut off.

[Eighth_Seraph]

It's a good thing I have nothing to critique in the above post.

Your head cut off.

This is now my signature. It's too bad that I can't make the big letters camouflage into the quote box...

[Ascension]

This is now my signature. It's too bad that I can't make the big letters camouflage into the quote box...

I think you can with the right color... I'm just not sure which one's the right one.

[Eighth_Seraph]

Nah. Wheat and Lemon Chiffon (whatever that is) come pretty close, but no exact matches.

On topic: I know very little about 4e, but I imagine that there are still creatures immune to Coups-de-grace. As worded, Stunning Execution kills even those creatures without or, anything else to cleave, really. I understand that 4e is less simulationist than 3.x, but that may be a problem you want to address.

[Juhn]

Does this forum accept hexadecimal for font colors? If it does, then you should be able to find an exact match.

[horngeek]

Wait, so afroakuma will cut off the head of anyone who makes jokes about either:

1. Hourglasses
2. Sand
3. Any other jokes related to the title.

Do I have it right? Then there is absolutely no need to highlight the completely blank space below this paragraph.

Good thing I'm wearing power armour. HA! He can't cut my head off!

[Yakk]

Change the name to Queen's Executioner, to reference the Raven Queen. :)

[afroakuma]

horngeek? You doubt my power???

Well:

Your you cut off.

And yes, I can get an exact match if and only if the forum accepts hex, since there is no web color matching that hex triplet.

[Juhn]

You doubt my power???

How many times have you asked that question during the Vote Ups? I think that used to count as your catch phrase.

I liked it better.

[Ascension]

Y'know, you could still change the name of the campaign setting if you really don't want people to talk about hourglasses.

[afroakuma]

Nah. They'd come get me in revenge.

And yes, Juhn, that did used to be my original catchphrase. I will continue using it as such, when needed.
Provided I no longer need to declare decapitations.

[AgentPaper]

Just making sure you realize, that increasing the size of the executioner axe's dice by one actually increases it's average damage from 7.5 to 9, which seems a bit powerful, seeing as how fighters and paladins get a good number of high [W] powers. Then again, maybe it's just in line with the other paragon path powers for that level, I dunno.

[Zocelot]

Actually, it goes from 1d12 to 2d6, which is raising the average damage from 6.5 to 7 (per [W])

@Afroakuma
Whatever happened to the good old, size 5 no?

[afroakuma]

Bold centered size 5 no?

God, I love that.

If there's ever a next time for VUACS, rest assured, it will see a return, should I be on the project staff.

[Alteran]

I find the prerequisite of worshiping the Raven Queen a bit odd, but I figured the mention of her in the descriptive text was symbolic. I could have just read it wrong.

I would suggest making Stunning Execution only work on creatures no more than 2 levels above you, so that you don't get mid-high level characters abusing it to destroy high level solos. Also, it appears to not consume a standard action. It is a free action itself, and the trigger is "You would make a coup-de-grace". I would change it to "You make a coup-de-grace."

I like the flavour overall. I also think that No Escape doesn't seem to fit, but I can't find anything actually wrong with it.