Level 1: At-Will powers
Choose two of the following powers.
Intimidating Advance | Duskblade Attack 1 |
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The burning malice of your strike terrifies your foe. It is torn between wanting to escape, and fearing your threats should it not face you.
At-Will ♦ Fear, Psychic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Target: One creature.
Attack: Charisma vs. Will
Hit: 1[W] + Charisma modifier psychic damage. If the target dos not end its next turn adjacent to you it takes psychic damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
Level 21: 2[W] + Charisma modifier damage.
Vampire Blade | Duskblade Attack 1 |
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Your weapon crackles with dark power as you slice your foe, draining its vitality into you.
At-Will ♦ Necrotic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Target: One creature.
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Charisma modifier necrotic damage. You gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution or Wisdom modifier.
Level 21: 2[W] + Charisma modifier damage.
Defiling Strike | Duskblade Attack 1 |
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Your Mark of Woe's tainting presence erodes your enemy's protective wards, at the price of also weakening your own protection.
At-Will ♦ Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Target: One creature.
Attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude
Hit: 1[W] + Charisma modifier damage. Until the end of your next turn you and the target take a -2 penalty to all defenses.
Level 21: 2[W] + Charisma modifier damage.
Witch Ward | Duskblade Attack 1 |
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you extend the presence of your Mark of Woe to shield your allies from harm, at the price of making yourself an easier target.
At-Will ♦ Necrotic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Target: One creature.
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Charisma modifier necrotic damage. Until the end of your next turn any ally within 5 squares of you gains a +1 bonus to AC, and you take a -1 penalty to AC.
Level 21: 2[W] + Charisma modifier damage.
Reckless Assault | Duskblade Attack 1 |
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Your lust for vengeance drives you to put everything you have into each strike, at the risk of leaving yourself open to grievous wounds.
At-Will ♦ Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Target: One creature.
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + 1d10 + Charisma modifier damage, and you gain vulnerable 5 to all damage until the end of your next turn.
Level 21: 2[W] + 2d8 + Charisma modifier damage, and vulnerable 10 all.
Special: You may use this power as a melee basic attack when charging.
Warding Darkness | Duskblade Attack 1 |
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You draw the darkness into your weapon and strike, and the shadows coil around you in a protective embrace.
At-Will ♦ Necrotic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee or Ranged Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] damage. You gain partial concealment until the end of your next turn, and any enemy that hits you with a melee attack takes necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
Level 21: 2[W] damage.
Level 1: Encounter Power
Choose one of the following powers.
Dreadful Strike | Duskblade Attack 1 |
Your brutal strike instills your enemy with a crippling fear of your fury.
Encounter ♦ Fear, Psychic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Will
Hit: 1[W] + Charisma modifier psychic damage, and you push the target 2 squares.
Brutal Avenger: If the target moves closer to you on its next turn, it takes psychic damage equal to your Constitution modifier + your Charisma modifier.
Blood of Lions | Duskblade Attack 1 |
The crimson glare of your Mark of Woe saps your vitality as you strike, but in turn reverses the fortunes of your ally.
Encounter ♦ Necrotic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Close Burst 1
Target: Each enemy in burst
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Charisma modifier necrotic damage, and you take 5 damage which can't be reduced or avoided in any way. Choose one ally in the burst. Until the end of your next turn, that ally does extra necrotic damage equal to 2 + your Wisdom modifier with his or her attacks.
Valiant Defender: You may take 2 extra damage which can't be reduced or avoied in any way. If so, your ally also gains 5 + your Wisdom modifier temporary hit points.
Paralyzing Strike | Duskblade Attack 1 |
Your shadow looms over your enemy, paralyzing him with terror.
Encounter ♦ Fear, Psychic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Will
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier psychic damage, and the target is immobilized until the end of your next turn.
Ghostwise Blade | Duskblade Attack 1 |
You dart from the darkness to deliver a passing strike, and then flee once again into shadow.
Encounter ♦ Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee or Ranged Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier damage.
Effect: Before and after the attack, you may shift up to 2 squares.
Smothering Shades | Duskblade Attack 1 |
The darkness around you seems to soak up the momentum of your enemy's attacks, allowing you time for a counter attack.
Encounter ♦ Shadow, Weapon
Immediate Interrupt Close Burst 2
Special: If you have the Greater Aura feat, this power's range is Close Burst 5.
Trigger: An enemy hits you with a melee or ranged attack
Target: Triggering Enemy
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Charisma modifier damage, and the target takes a -2 penalty to the triggering attack roll.
Enduring Warrior: The penalty is 1 + your Constitution modifier.
Level 1: Daily powers.
Choose one of the following powers.
Curse of Ignorance | Duskblade Attack 1 |
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Your Mark of Woe causes your enemies to lose their wits, falling all over themselves from their incompetence.
Daily ♦ Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Close Burst 1
Target: Each enemy in burst
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 2W] + Charisma modifier damage and the target is knocked prone.
Miss: Half damage and the target is knocked prone.
Effect: Until the end of the encounter or until you end the effect as a free action, when an enemy takes damage from your Mark of Woe, it also takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls and a -5 penalty to skill checks until the end of its next turn.
Curse of Pestilence | Duskblade Attack 1 |
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A venomous green corona flares around your enemy as he defies your mark.
Daily ♦ Poison, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier poison damage and ongoing 5 poison (save ends).
Miss: Half damage.
Effect: Until the end of the encounter or until you end the effect as a free action, your Mark of Woe damage deals additional damage equal to your Constitution or Wisdom modifier and all damage dealt by it is poison damage.
Curse of Paranoia | Duskblade Attack 1 |
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Your Mark of Woe invades your foe's mind like a subtle venom, slowly turning them against their allies.
Daily ♦ Charm, Curse, Psychic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Attack: Charisma vs. Will
Hit: 1[W] + Charisma modifier psychic damage, and the target is dazed (save ends).
Miss: Half damage.
Effect: Until the end of the encounter or until you end the effect as a free action, when an enemy marked by you makes an attack that does not include you as a target they must make an immediate saving throw. On a failure, the target makes a basic attack as a free action against one of its allies of your choice.
Curse of the Stricken | Duskblade Attack 1 |
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Your Mark of Woe saps your foe's strength, ensuring its attacks are feeble and pathetic.
Daily ♦ Curse, Poison, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee or Ranged Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier poison damage and the target is weakened (save ends).
Miss: Half damage.
Effect: Until the end of the encounter or until you end the effect as a free action, when an enemy marked by you makes an attack that doesn't include you as a target, it is weakened until the end of its next turn.
Curse of the Ironhide | Duskblade Attack 1 |
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Shadows collect on your allies' armor and grow into rigid plates of darkness, enabling them to shrug off potent attacks.
Daily ♦ Curse, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee ** Weapon
Target:** One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 3[W] + Charisma modifier damage.
Miss: Half damage
Effect: Until the end of the encounter or until you end the effect as a free action, when an enemy marked by you makes an attack which doesn't include you as a target, the target of that attack gains resistance to all damage until the end of your target's next turn. The resistance equals 5 + your Constitution modifier.
Level 2: Utility power
Choose one of the following powers.
Vanishing Curse | Duskblade Utility 2 |
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You dart through the shadows and mark a foe as your intended target.
Encounter ♦ Illusion, Shadow
Move Action Personal
Effect: You become invisible and move your speed. At any time during the move you may mark an adjacent creature with your Mark of Woe. The mark lasts until the end of your next turn. You then become visible again.
Curse of Resilience | Duskblade Utility 2 |
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Your Mark of Woe flares and feeds you dark power in exchange for later sacrifice.
Encounter ♦ Shadow
Minor Action Personal
Effect: You gain temporary hit points equal to your healing surge value. Once you have expended all these temporary hit points, you take damage equal to half your healing surge value. This damage can't be reduced or avoided in any way.
Curse of the Darkened Shield | Duskblade Utility 2 |
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Your ally's blood splatters on your armor, enraging you and empowering your ally as you avenge his or her wounds.
daily ♦ Healing, Shadow
Free Action Close Burst 5
Trigger: An enemy in burst hits a bloodied ally
Target: Triggering enemy
Effect: You gain a +5 power bonus to damage rolls against the target until the end of the encounter. In addition, once per round when you hit the target, one bloodied ally within 5 squares of you regains hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Curse of Reciprocal Torment | Duskblade Utility 2 |
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Your Mark of Woe feeds your enemy's pain to you, and you amplify it so that he cannot escape his dire fate.
Encounter ♦ Shadow
Free Action Close Burst 5
Trigger: An enemy succeeds on a saving throw
Target: Triggering enemy in burst
Effect: The target fails its save, and you gain the effect it saved against (save ends).
Level 3: Encounter Power
Choose one of the following powers.
Seeking Shadows | Duskblade Attack 3 |
You drive your blade into the ground and the shadows lance forward, finding your foe wherever it hides.
Encounter ♦ Necrotic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee 5
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. AC; this attack ignores concealment, total concealment, and invisibility.
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier necrotic damage and the target is marked by your Mark of Woe until the end of your next turn.
Lance of the Ghoul | Duskblade Attack 3 |
You drive your weapon forward and its shadow pierces your foe, dripping with dark venom which stiffens their joints.
Encounter ♦ Poison, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier poison damage and the target is immobilized until the end of your next turn. If the target is already immobilized, the attack deals 1[W] extra damage.
Burning Sacrifice | Duskblade Attack 3 |
You cut your own arm, and your blood sweeps out as darkfire to infiltrate your enemy and drive them into a frenzy.
Encounter ♦ Fire, Necrotic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Close Blast 3
Target: Each enemy in blast
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Effect: You take 5 damage which cannot be reduced or avoided in any way.
Hit: 1[W] + Charisma modifier fire and necrotic damage. The target must make an attack against the creature nearest to it before the end of its next turn, or take fire and necrotic damage equal to 5 + your Wisdom modifier.
Shadow-Stealer | Duskblade Attack 3 |
Your enemy's own shadow whispers to your Mark of Woe, bestowing its dark knowledge on you.
Encounter ♦ Psychic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee or Ranged Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Will
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier psychic damage. Choose one of the target's basic attacks. Once before the end of your next turn, you may use that power as a standard action, using the monster's attack and damage bonuses as if they were your own.
Dark Shield Strike | Duskblade Attack 3 |
//A swirling vortex of dark energy leaps into being to swallow your enemy's magic, and produces a blast of shadow power in response./
Encounter ♦ Necrotic, Shadow, Weapon
Free Action Close Blast 3
Target: Each enemy in blast
Attack: Charisma vs. Reflex
Trigger: You or an ally are targeted by an attack which deals typed damage.
Hit: 2d6 + Charisma modifier necrotic damage and the triggering attack's damage is reduced by that amount.
Level 5: Daily Power
Choose one of the following powers.
Curse of the Rime Prison | Duskblade Attack 5 |
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You impale your foe and black ice spreads from the wound, wrapping them in a deathly prison of darkness and cold.
Daily ♦ Cold, Curse, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Charisma modifier damage + 1d6 cold damage and the target is restrained and takes ongoing 5 cold damage (save ends).
Miss: Half damage and the target is immobilized until the end of your next turn.
Effect: Until the end of the encounter or until you end the effect as a free action, when an enemy marked by you makes an attack that doesn't include you as a target, that enemy is slowed and takes ongoing 5 cold damage (save ends both). If the target is already taking ongoing cold damage from this Curse effect, the ongoing damage increases by 5 (maximum 15).
Curse of Distraction | Duskblade Attack 5 |
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Your Mark of Woe pulses with a hypnotic light, fogging your enemies' minds and making them unable to think clearly during combat.
Daily ♦ Charm, Curse, Psychic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Close Burst 1
Target: Each enemy in burst
Attack: Charisma vs. Will
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier psychic damage and the target is dazed (save ends).
Miss: Half damage.
Effect: Until the end of the encounter or until you end the effect as a free action, when an enemy marked by you makes an attack that doesn't include you as a target, after that attack is resolved the target cannot use attacks which are not basic attacks until the end of its next turn.
Curse of Sloth | Duskblade Attack 5 |
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Your shadow closes around your enemies' shadows, locking them in ethereal chains. Your enemy feels his vigor sapped away, as if he too is bound.
Daily ♦ Necrotic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Close Blast 3
Target: Each enemy in burst
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier necrotic damage and the target is immobilized (save ends).
Miss: Half damage and the target is slowed until the end of your next turn.
Effect: Until the end of the encounter or until you end the effect as a free action, when an enemy triggers your Mark of Woe's immediate interrupt, it becomes slowed and cannot shift until the end of its next turn.
Curse of Shade's Venom | Duskblade Attack 5 |
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Your Mark of Woe bubbles with a sickly green light as you punish your enemy, dissolving its body into masses of shadow.
Daily ♦ Curse, Poison, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee or Ranged Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier damage and the target takes ongoing 5 poison damage and is weakened (save ends).
Miss: Half damage.
Effect: Until the end of the encounter or until you end the effect as a free action, when an enemy marked by you makes an attack that doesn't include you as a target, it counts your allies as insubstantial until the end of its next turn.
Curse of the Steadfast | Duskblade Attack 5 |
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You strike and the shadows flow into you, bolstering your body and armor until you are an unstoppable force.
Daily ♦ Curse, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier and you gain resist 10 to all damage until the end of the encounter. Each time this resistance reduces damage, the resistance decreases by 2 (minimum 0).
Miss: Half damage and you gain resist 5 to all damage until the end of your next turn.
Effect: Until the end of the encounter or until you end the effect as a free action, when an enemy marked by you makes an attack that doesn't include you as a target while adjacent to you, you may push the target 1 square and shift 1 square into a space it vacated. If the enemy's attack can no longer reach its original target, you become the attack's target instead.
Level 6: Utility power
Choose one of the following powers.
Curse of the Harrier | Duskblade Utility 6 |
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You step through the shadows to confront your hated foe.
Encounter ♦ Shadow , Teleportation
Move Action Personal
Effect: You teleport up to 10 squares to a square adjacent to a creature marked by you.
Curse of the Defiant Spark | Duskblade Utility 6 |
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Your Mark of Woe burns with malice as your foe raises his weapon, and you offer your ally resilience at the price of your blood.
Encounter ♦ Shadow
Immediate Interrupt Close Burst 10
Trigger: An enemy in burst attacks an ally in burst
Target: Triggering enemy
Effect: The target is marked by your Mark of Woe. If the attack still hits you may take 5 damage, which can't be reduced or avoided in any way, to grant your ally 5 + your Wisdom modifier temporary hit points after the attack is resolved.
Curse of the Shadow Legion | Duskblade Utility 6 |
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A pulse of shadow magic radiates from your Mark of Woe, imparting to you or your allies the gift of incorporeal undead.
Daily ♦ Shadow
Minor Action Close Burst 5
Target: You or one ally in burst
Effect: The target gains insubstantial and phasing until the end of your next turn.
Sustain Minor: The effect persists.
Curse of the Dead Zone | Duskblade Utility 6 |
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Death comes to all things, even magic.
daily ♦ Shadow, Zone
Minor Action Close Burst 2
Effect: You generate a zone in the burst which lasts until the end of the encounter or until you dismiss the effect as a free action (you cannot dismiss it on the same turn you use this power). No creature is affected by any bonus or penalty from a power, aura (auras which deal damage do not affect creatures in the zone), trait, or magic item property while within the zone. No summoning power or conjuration power functions in the zone. Any other zone whose squares overlap with this one have all squares within this zone excluded from their effect. Summoned creatures or movable conjurations cannot enter the zone. If a summoned creature or conjuration is within the zone when you use this power, the conjuration or summoned creature is destroyed or dismissed. Auras, such as your Aura of Unluck, do not function within the zone.
Level 7: Encounter
Choose one of the following powers.
Phantasmal Blade | Duskblade Attack 7 |
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Your cast your weapon into a planar rift and hundreds of shadowy phantoms of it appear to strike at your enemies.
Encounter ♦ Illusion, psychic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Area Burst 1 within 5 squares
Target: Each enemy in burst
Attack: Charisma vs. Will
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier psychic damage.
Effect: Your weapon reforms in your hand.
Tainted Love | Duskblade Attack 7 |
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Your Mark of Woe infects your foes with a dark obsession which, if spurned, leads to heart-wrenching pain.
Encounter ♦ Charm, Psychic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Will
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier psychic damage, and you choose an enemy within 5 squares of the target. If that enemy doesn't end its next turn closer to the target than it began, the target takes 5 psychic damage.
Brutal Avenger: The target also takes 5 psychic damage each time an ally deals damage to the chosen enemy.
Dread Channel | Duskblade Attack 7 |
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You open a conduit between yourself and your enemy, transferring your misfortune and sorrows to it with an empathic blow.
Encounter ♦ Necrotic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee or Ranged Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier necrotic damage and until the end of your next turn, the target takes a -2 penalty to all defenses.
Valiant Defender: Any time an ally hits the target before the end of your next turn, you may transfer up to 10 hit points or temporary hit points from yourself to that ally.
Malicious Venom | Duskblade Attack 7 |
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Your Mark of Woe drinks deep of your hate and pours it into your enemy, filling them with uncontrollable fury.
Encounter ♦ Charm, Poison, Psychic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Will
Hit: 1[W] + Charisma modifier poison and psychic damage and the target makes a basic attack as a free action against a creature of your choice.
Shadow Drinker | Duskblade Attack 7 |
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As your enemy's shadow falls upon yours it is consumed by the hungry presence behind your curse, filling you with dark vitality.
Encounter ♦ Healing, Necrotic, Shadow, Weapon
Immediate Reaction Melee Weapon
Trigger: An enemy moves into range or makes an attack while in range
Target: Triggering enemy
Attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude
Hit: 1[W] + Charisma modifier necrotic damage and the target is weakened until the end of its next turn. You may spend a healing surge.
Enduring Warrior: Add your Constitution modifier to the hit points regained.
Level 9: Daily Power
Choose one of the following powers.
Curse of Wraiths | Duskblade Attack 9 |
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Your Mark of Woe echoes with shadow power, and wisp wraiths rise to your call to assault your enemies.
Daily ♦ Shadow, Summoning, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 3[W] + Charisma modifier damage.
Effect: You summon up to 4 wisp wraiths in four unoccupied spaces within 5 squares. They have a fly speed of 8 (hover), insubstantial, and phasing. Each wraith has hit points equal to your healing surge value, and you do not loose a healing surge until each wraith has been destroyed. Each enemy which begins adjacent to a wraith is marked by the wraith until the end of its next turn. You may move each wraith with a single minor action, and you may give the wraiths the following special commands.
Standard Action: Melee 1; Charisma vs. AC; 2d6 + Charisma modifier necrotic damage and the target is slowed until the end of its next turn.
Opportunity Action: Trigger: An enemy marked by the Wraith makes a ranged or area attack while adjacent to the wraith, leaves a square adjacent to it without shifting, or makes an attack that doesn't include it as a target; Melee 1; Charisma vs. AC; 1d10 + Charisma modifier necrotic damage and the target is weakened until the end of your next turn.
Curse of Ironsbane | Duskblade Attack 9 |
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The decaying touch of the shadowfell comes to all things, even the hardest metals. As you strike, your foe witnesses its armor and weapons rusting into useless slag.
Daily ♦ Acid, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee or Ranged Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier acid damage and the target takes a -2 penalty to saving throws against this power's effect until it successfully saves against it.
Effect: The target takes a -1 penalty to all defenses and a -2 penalty to damage rolls (save ends). Each time the target is hit by an attack, the defense penalty increases by 1 (maximum -5), and each time the target hits with an attack, the damage penalty increases by 2 (maximum -10). A save ends the entire penalty.
Curse of Rejuvenating Death | Duskblade Attack 9 |
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Your Mark of Woe draws out your own life force and channels it into your weapon. Your soul's darkness burns your enemy, and then arcs out to heal your allies
Daily ♦ Curse, Healing, Necrotic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee or Ranged Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude
Effect: You lose a healing surge.
Hit: You or one ally within 5 squares of the target regains hit points equal to your healing surge value, and the target takes necrotic damage equal to the same amount.
Miss: One ally within 5 squares of the target regains hit points equal to half your healing surge value, and the target takes necrotic damage equal to the same amount.
Effect: Until the end of the encounter or until you end the effect as a free action, when an enemy marked by you makes an attack which doesn't include you as a target, you and each ally within 2 squares of the target gains 5 + your Wisdom modifier temporary hit points, and the target takes 5 + your Wisdom modifier + your Charisma modifier necrotic damage.
Curse of Brutality | Duskblade Attack 9 |
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Your enemy's every attack fuels your lust for revenge.
Daily ♦ Curse, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee or Ranged Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. AC; if the target has hit one your allies since the end of your last turn, this attack scores a critical hit on an 19-20.
Hit: 3[W] + Charisma modifier + Constitution modifier damage.
Effect: Until the end of the encounter or until you end the effect as a free action, when an enemy marked by you makes an attack that doesn't include you as a target, you gain a bonus to damage rolls against the target until the end of your next turn. The bonus equals your Constitution modifier.
Curse of Whispers | Duskblade Attack 9 |
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With your shadowy strike, your enemy begins to hear eerie noises and supernatural laughter which slowly drive it into a panic.
Daily ♦ Curse, Fear, Psychic, Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Will
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier psychic damage and the target cannot gain combat advantage against any creature (save ends).
Effect: Until the end of the encounter or until you end the effect as a free action, when an enemy marked by you makes an attack that doesn't include you as a target, it must make a saving throw. On a failure, a random creature within range becomes the target of the attack (including the target).
Curse of Retribution | Duskblade Utility 10 |
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Your Mark of Woe absorbs your pain and grants you a chance for vengeance.
Daily ♦ Shadow
Free Action Personal
Trigger: You are hit by an attack
Effect: Your next successful attack against the target deals extra damage equal to half the damage dealt by the triggering attack.
Curse of the Ironclad | Duskblade Utility 10 |
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Shadow wreathes you in thick plates of solid darkness, making all blows ring hollow.
Encounter ♦ Shadow
Minor Action Personal
Effect: You gain resistance to all damage equal to 5 + your Constitution modifier against the first attack that hits you before the end of your next turn.
Curse of Shields | Duskblade Utility 10 |
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You give your own life to the darkness to protect those you hold dear.
Daily ♦ Shadow
Immediate Interrupt Close Burst 5
Trigger: An ally in burst takes damage from an attack
Target: The triggering ally
Effect: You choose to take either half the damage of the triggering attack, or all of it. The target takes the remainder.
Curse of Agility | Duskblade Utility 10 |
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You slip the bonds of space and step through the night to another place.
Daily ♦ Shadow, Teleportation
Move Action Personal
Effect: You teleport up to 5 squares. If you are in a square of dim light or darkness, you may teleport up to 10 squares instead.
Page Discussion
Vampire Blade:
Scales too slowly. Waffles with 'two stats'. Gain temporary HP equal to Con + 1/2 level.
Intimidating Advance:
Targets will, otherwise weaker than (and overly similar to) Booming Blade. Also has multi-tap optimization issues. Suggestion: "if the target does not end its next turn adjacent to you, it suffers a -4 penalty to defenses against your attacks until the end of your next turn." Outside of charop situations, this is stronger.
Defiling Strike:
A mutual penalty as a rider is a bit weak. Make the penalty an [b]Effect[/b].
Witch Ward:
Again, Effect the AC bonus/penalty. Make the AC bonus a power bonus. And make it +2/-2, because tracking +1 is wasteful.
Reckless Assault:
Why does die type change? I'd replace the die type with "Con plus half your level", and gain the same amount of vulnerability, to add secondary attribute dependency.
Warding Darkness:
Wisdom modifier, plus half your level, damage.
… I would also figure out a way to add Wisdom to some other at-will, so there are 2 Con and 2 Wis dependent at-wills.
I'm going to also offer some feedback…
Reckless assault: I get that the Duskblade seems to have a bent for a "taking you with me" approach, but vulnerable 5 all at early levels will get anyone killed quite quickly— especially a defender. Might want to scale it back to vulnerable 1 or 2 all, and then scale to 3 in paragon and 5 in epic. A defender sort of struggles to do his/her job when they're dead.
Curse of Wraiths: The wraiths haven't been given a duration. You should put "until the end of the encounter" at the end of the first sentence of the effect.
Curse of Rejuvenating Death: The hit effect does too little damage for a level 9 daily while unfairly forcing the duskblade to spend a healing surge on a hit but do nothing on a miss. I would alter the hit to do 2[W] + Charisma modifier damage on a hit and allow the loss of the healing surge to be optional to heal your ally within range with a bonus to the heal equal to your Wisdom modifier and provide an additional damage buff to the attack equal to Wisdom modifier. The Mark of Woe effect is way too much free healing, especially for an AoE (check the errata to see just how heavily the developers have pushed to reduce free healing). I would rewrite it to provide temporary hit points instead of healing and to shrink the area of the effect.
Curse of Brutality: The damage on this power is *way* too high. Because each ability mod to damage equate to roughly 1[W] more damage on average and the extended crit rate increases the damage by roughly 10%, this ability deals the equivalent of 7[W] damage and still has the Mark of Woe effect (on par with most daily effects that last the remainder of the encounter). Most level 9 dailies deal 4-5[W] equivalent damage with the top end of the damage having substantially worse effects. To balance it, choose two of the following: the damage reduced from 4[W] to 3[W], additional crit range removed, or the Constitution modifier damage removed.
Curse of Whispers: To simplify the wording of the Mark of Woe effect and to prevent it from being used to inordinate effect against solos and elites, reword the effect to "the target much make a saving throw. On a failure, the attack is made against a creature of your choice within range".
Updated to take your suggestions into account.
Btw, Curse of Wraiths doesn't need a duration because it has the summoning keyword. All summoning powers last until the end of the encounter or until you dismiss them as a minor action. It's in the description of the keyword itself.
Dread Channel: 3[W] is a bit much for any level 7 encounter power. I would reduce it it 2[W].
Everything else looks really good.
Curse of the Defiant Spark: It seems strange that you could use the power to mark a target that is attacking you, so it may make more sense to make the trigger "an enemy in the burst attacks one or more of your allies". It is also strange that the mark does not have a duration. Every other mark from a power that you have written has had a duration explicitly listed (so that it isn't confused with the class feature mark, I presume) whereas this one doesn't have a duration. I assume that this is intended to overwrite your existing Mark of Woe. If so, you may want to explicitly state that.
Curse of the Shadow Legion: On par with a daily, the ability to sustain it as a minor action makes it a bit too powerful. You may want to consider forcing it to use a move or standard action to sustain considering the potency of rendering multiple allies insubstantial or causing all of your allies to be weakened as well (dealing and taking half damage balances out and fits with the concept of being less physical).
Curse of the Dead Zone: Once again, temporary bonuses is a bit vague, not to mention that the ability to cancel out so much is *incredibly* powerful. When I read this, I got the feeling that it had more place as an epic destiny 26 utility or an epic utility instead of a middling heroic tier utility.
Curse of the Rime Prison: The curse effect is quite nice but the damage on the hit is slightly too high considering it deals ongoing damage and restrains the target for an extended duration. I would reduce the damage from 3[W] to 2[W].
Curse of Distraction: The inability to use attacks other than basic attacks is too powerful when used against solos and elites. A more suitable effect might be to state that the target cannot recharge powers until the end of its next turn instead.
Curse of Sloth: I would have the Mark of Woe effect provide some amount of psychic damage equal to one of the mods in addition to immobilizing the target to make the mark effect noticeably better than the default (knocked prone and immobilized are actually roughly on par because they both deny a move action).
Curse of Shade's Venom: Very nice, with the exception that the damage is a bit high considering how it could reduce the damage output of the target. I would reduce the damage from 3[W] to 2[W].
Curse of the Steadfast: Another nice one, though it has the same problem that the original publication of Footwork Lure had (the shift into the space the target vacated is completely unlimited to such an extent that you could shift 30 spaces because Mark of Woe is not range restricted). Simply state that the target can only shift 1 square into a space the target vacated. I would also reduce the damage from 3[W] to 2[W] to account for the immunity to forced movement.
Updated to take suggestions into account.
I tend to give poison attacks higher base damage on account of it being the worst type in the game.
Lance of the Ghoul: The damage is just a bit too high for a level 3 encounter power with a control effect and high accuracy (thanks to targeting Fort instead of AC) and it seems strange that a "ghoul" attack would deal poison rather than necrotic damage. I would reduce damage from 3[W] to 2[W] with a contingent benefit that it deals an additional 1[W] damage if the target is already immobilized (just as ghouls deal additional damage against targets already suffering from their debilitating effects).
Burning Sacrifice: The damage seems a bit too high or the self-inflicted damage seems a bit low. I would either make the self-inflicted damage equal to half of the damage the power would deal or reduce the 2[W] damage to 2d6 damage.
Shadow-Stealer: The damage seems a bit low thanks to functionally restricting the time frame you can use the power and standard action at-will powers vary widely. For solos, powers such as a white dragon's Dragon's Fury would fulfill those conditions with devastating results. You may want to extend the duration to "once, before the end of the encounter" and alter the description of the stolen power to "one of the target's basic attacks" to prevent the exploitation of the multi-action attacks used by elites and solos. Basic attacks largely fulfill the intent of the power anyway.
Dark Shield Strike: Normally, attacks that require a shield that are described as hitting the target with the shield do not deal weapon damage (after all, you're hitting them with your shield, not with your weapon). I would likely remove the 1[W] and replace it with a lower, set value, such as 1d6. The additional effect is also quite powerful, especially for a defender using an attack that already sets up penalties for not attacking the defender. I would rephrase the effect such that, until the end of your next turn, enemies that miss you with an attack take damage equal to 2 + Constitution modifier damage (so that there is a way for them to avoid it, albeit riskily).
Updated. A lot of these seem to be damage nerfs.
I'm largely fond of these utilities with a couple minor concerns.
Curse of the Darkened Shield: I would likely change trigger to require the enemy hit a bloodied ally in burst, so that it takes at least a couple turns to get to the point where the power is triggerable. I would also restrict the healing to occur only once per round ("in addition, once per round, when you hit the target with an attack, …")
Curse of Reciprocal Torment: Immediate interrupts are more valuable to defenders than they are to any other roles because defenders are expected to use them most turns so saturating power selection with immediate interrupts reduces the value of many powers. For this purpose, I would likely change it to a free action with the same trigger. I worry somewhat for the ability to abuse this power with higher level control effects such as stun, so it may be worth it to restrict the trigger to saving throws against effects that do not daze, stun, or dominate (which could be very strange syntactically if the target was dominated by one of your allies which them dominates the duskblade to little to no ill effect).
Curse of Ignorance: By far the weakest daily at level 1. It has the lowest damage (especially compared to the other AoE attacks), the worst secondary effect, and a curse that is only marginally better than the default (knocking prone already has the target grant combat advantage and enemies do not use skills particularly often). With the exception of the curse effect, it's roughly on par with an encounter attack power. The damage definitely needs to be increased to 2[W] and the curse definitely needs to be augmented substantially. I would recommend adding a penalty to attack rolls along with the existing penalties to bump it up to an acceptable level.
Curse of Pestilence: Considering the damage dealt by other dailies and the encounter duration effects, I would reduce the damage of the default hit from 3[W] to 2[W]. Depending on if you take up my suggestion to provide Mark of Woe with default damage equal to Charisma modifier, you may want to increase the triggered damage from 10 poison to 5 + Charisma modifier so that it directly augments and improves Mark of Woe.
Curse of Paranoia: Absurdly powerful, this attack operates outside of the normal economy of actions, acts as a protective mechanism by redirecting an attack from one of your allies to one of its own allies, and provides you with an *incredibly* powerful Mark of Woe benefit for the rest of the encounter. As I see it, this power would be much more at home in the paragon or even epic tier. Control and action redirection on this level is tantamount to a dominate that the target can't shake.
Curse of the Ironhide: Another absurdly powerful daily, this attack deals large amounts of damage across an enormous area while being discriminate and providing 2 substantial benefits for the remainder of the encounter. The weakest part of this power is the Mark of Woe effect, largely because it provides the defender with a survivability buff when the target makes an attack that doesn't include it as a target, which seems a bit counterintuitive especially considering the duskblade's largely scale inability to force multiple targets to attack it. The area of the attack definitely needs to be reduced from a burst 3. The power already provides a substantial survivability benefit from the Mark of Woe effect, so it doesn't really make sense to provide a second one if the power hits (which is pretty much going to happen with the default area of a 7 x 7 square centered on the duskblade). In total, I would reduce the area to a Close burst 1, remove the +2 power bonus to defenses until the end of the encounter, and change the Mark of Woe benefit to provide the target of the attack with resistance equal to 2 + the duskblade's Constitution modifier until the end of the target's next turn instead of providing the duskblade with the resistance.
In general, there is also the problem that absolutely none of the dailies deal any damage on a miss. I would, as a standard, have the attacks deal half damage on a miss. Consider the Warden guardian form powers and Barbarian rages which still deal half damage on a miss while still providing the encounter duration effect.
Dreadful Strike: This power is incredibly strong for a level 1 encounter. Because it forces the target to move instead of sliding the target away from you, it functionally gives you a second attack this turn. Along with anyone else adjacent to it. In a melee heavy party, the power of this would rival higher level daily attack powers. Even at its worst, it's still two attacks at full modifier with a forced movement aspect. You may want to consider changing it to a melee touch that deals very little damage (1[W] with no mod at most) while having it target Will defense. The damage would still be on par if not better than most encounters because you can generally rely on having at least 1 other ally in melee and the duskblade would still get to make an opportunity attack against the target immediately.
Paralyzing Strike: The name and the effect seem to be a bit contradictory. The name implies that the target is sapped of the ability to move while the effect and description state that the target is outright grabbed. The effect is also largely overcomplicated (grabbed/immobilized and takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls and damage rolls is pretty much the definition of "restrained") and penalizes users of shields and two-handed weapons (which is a large number of defenders). Consider removing the hand free verbage and replace the effect with restrained until the end of your next turn instead of grabbed (until escape).
Darter's Blade: High mobility (2 teleport 3 effects that aren't contingent on hitting), high damage, and defender utility adds up to make this power more powerful than it really should be. I would reduce the damage from 2[W] to 1[W] or remove the modifier to make up for the fact that it does so much else. Strikers, which are supposed to be the best at this sort of attack, don't get anything along these lines until the upper heroic tier, so it's a bit off that defenders get a better one at level 1 (since it teleports rather than shifts).
Smothering Shades: This power is not only remarkably powerful (full damage, out of normal economy of actions), but it also acts to protect oneself and has the ability to do even more damage. Along with the power balance concerns, there is also the problem of syntax and resolution. If the power is an immediate interrupt, it is supposed to resolve completely before the triggering attack does, but part of the attack resolves *after* the triggering attack resolves because if it misses, the damage dealt is increased.
Consider a situation like this: The triggering enemy has 12 hit points and just barely hits the duskblade. The duskblade uses Smothering Shades and hits. The hit deals 11 damage, so the triggering enemy survives. The attack then misses, which means the attack would deal at least 1 more point of damage, killing the triggering enemy before it could make the attack that would end up missing, which means that the attack would not deal the additional damage needed to kill it, and so on and so forth.
To address the power concerns, the damage needs to be reduced. Look at other similar "out of turn" attacks at low levels and you'll see that, even with conditions attached to them, they never deal more damage than a basic attack and this is when they don't provide a survivability increase. To keep in line with the original intent of the power, remove the Charisma modifier damage from the hit and replace the triggered bonus damage with a line that states "If the triggering attack misses, the target takes Charisma modifier damage". Syntactically, this means that the immediate interrupt resolves first, then the triggering attack, and then the effect on the immediate interrupt.
Vampire Blade: Free healing from an at-will hit is heavily restricted and largely the sole providence of leaders, and even those require pinatas to be set up (Recovery Strike, Astral Seal). Even more so, the ability to use such an ability as a basic attack is incredibly powerful. I would either restrict the healing to only take effect if you are bloodied or cause the power to grant temporary hit points, otherwise it becomes *way* too powerful. I would also replace the ability to use it as a basic attack with a class feature that allows the use of Charisma instead of Strength for the purpose of melee basic attacks.
Defiling Strike: It's quite hard to define temporary bonuses. Would a stance be defined as a temporary bonus? Would an aura? What about conditional benefits? Magic item uses/properties? I would reword the power to only apply to power bonuses and then explicitly state which power bonuses are negated (power bonuses to attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, and defenses).
Warding Darkness: A full damage, close burst 1 that provides a significant secondary benefit even if it is indiscriminate is incredibly powerful for an at-will. I would retool this power as a single target attack or reduce the damage dealt substantially (from 1[W] to 1d4 or 1d6), since you can generally assume that any weapon damage die is going to be either a d10 or a d12 thanks to superior weapons.