Prerequisite: Elf

You are descended from a master of the double-bladed scimitar, and some of that mastery has passed on to you. You gain the following benefits:

Increase your Dexterity or Strength score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
While you are holding a double-bladed scimitar with two hands, you gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.
A double-bladed scimitar has the finesse property when you wield it.

Revenant Blade: Hereditary Sword Skills

Review by Sam West, Twitter:@CrierKobold

Eberron includes an elvish heritage called the Valenar elves who specialize in a weapon called the double-bladed scimitar. Mechanically, it's a 2d4 slashing damage weapon with the two-handed property, and a special ability that gives you a bonus action attack with it, but only for a d4 damage, if you make at least one attack with it as part of an attack action. Revenant Blade functionally just empowers your use of this double-bladed scimitar, while also giving you a Dex bump. Neat!

Mechanically, you’re getting +1 AC, +1 Dex (which can equate to another +1 AC should you flip an odd Dex score to an even one while wearing light armor) or Strength, and adds finesse to double-bladed scimitars you’re wielding. Functionally, it's mandatory for Dex builds. Realistically, you’re taking this feat to open up double-bladed scimitars as a powerful option for your character who is already using Dex based weapons. Strength builds already have greatswords and mauls, both of which are probably slightly better than this in a variety of ways, especially when you have other things to do with your bonus action.

I was initially excited for this build opportunity, as it is a meaningful upgrade over the rapier and has some new weapon properties I hoped would expand a player’s options, but it doesn’t really. Great Weapon Master and Polearm Master both don’t work with the double-bladed scimitar. Sentinel doesn’t have that much higher of an impact with this than a reach weapon, and it doesn’t slot cleanly or easily into those builds. Elves already tend to have robust weapon proficiencies, including longbows in the case of wood elves, which make this fairly unnecessary from a Dex build perspective. Dual-wielding scimitars or shortswords on two-weapon fighting builds can weaponize the Dual Wielder feat about as effectively as a double-bladed scimitar wielder can make use of Revenant Blade. That’s not a resounding endorsement, as +1 AC and attacking with a d8 and d6 weapon isn’t all that exciting. Revenant Blade offering a +1 to an ability score is a big deal, but the rest of the text here is just kind of mediocre. 3d4+6 or 8 over your two attacks is fine; 1d8+1d6+6 or 8 is slightly better, uses weapons that don’t require DM permission, and will fit in at any table. I’m just not seeing it.

If you love conceptually the double-bladed scimitar AND need to flip an odd Str or Dex AND are playing an elf, sure, Revenant Blade works for you. I think most tables will never consider this, and don’t need to go through the hassle of figuring out what this new weapon does and if it makes sense for the world. Revenant Blade needs to be better to justify the conversation. Most characters and players probably don’t need to mess with it.

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