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This is a follow-up question inspired by this question.

While you're merged with your raven, if you take damage, how do you resolve it? It's not the same as a simple polymorph.

Do both you and the raven take the damage? Is it just you? If the raven does take the damage, what happens if it dies while you're merged with it? If it's just you, what happens to the raven/your body if you die?

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3 Answers 3

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The Soul of the Raven is an exension of Sentinel Raven

Sentinal Raven reads:

While perched on your shoulder, the raven can’t be targeted by any attack or other harmful effect; only you can cast spells on it; it can’t take damage; and it is incapacitated.

Soul of the Raven Reads:

As a bonus action when your raven is perched on your shoulder, your body merges with your raven’s form.

The intent is clearly that your raven can take no damage, so all damage to the merged form would occur to your HP.

The raven vanishes when it dies, if you die, or if the two of you are separated...

This would imply that upon death, you'd become the PC form again, and the raven vanishes.

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Soul of the Raven is described as

As a Bonus action when your raven is perched on your shoulder, your body merges with your raven’s form. While merged, you become Tiny, you replace your speed with the raven’s, and you can use your action only to Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Help, Hide, or Search. During this time, you gain the benefits of your raven being perched on your shoulder. As an action, you and the raven return to normal.

It doesn't specify anything besides your size/speed change, so you retain all other stats. It is you who takes damage, with your AC and statistics. When your HP reaches 0, both of you die. There is nothing written about what happens to your shape when you die, so that would be up to the DM.

I personally would make you remain in raven form. You are merged until you decided not to be anymore. However, The Raven Queen suggests that, as "The raven vanishes when it dies, if you die, or if the two of you are separated by more than 5 miles.", it makes more sense to change back into your form when you die since the raven you were merged with vanishes.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I think this is mostly reasonable but I'd probably rule that if the merge remains when you die, the raven also dies when you die. Otherwise you're dealing with a creature that's both dead and alive, or a spell that can easily result in a PC that can't be resurrected without the Raven Queen's intervention. \$\endgroup\$
    – Samthere
    May 17, 2017 at 13:54
  • \$\begingroup\$ I meant that it was your HP, and not the Raven's, that would take hits. It was poorly worded, as I agree with what you just said. I've edited for clarity. \$\endgroup\$
    – BlueMoon93
    May 17, 2017 at 13:55
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    \$\begingroup\$ "The raven vanishes when it dies, if you die, or if the two of you are separated by more than 5 miles." Based on that I would argue that it makes more sense to change back into your form when you die since the raven you were merged with vanishes, but that's up to interpretation as the Soul of Raven description only mentions using an action to turn back. \$\endgroup\$
    – The Raven Queen
    May 17, 2017 at 14:00
  • \$\begingroup\$ @TheRavenQueen I've completed my answer with your suggestion (which I found quite logical) \$\endgroup\$
    – BlueMoon93
    May 17, 2017 at 14:08
  • \$\begingroup\$ The Raven Queen's quote is from the Sentinel Raven feature, so yeah, that would make sense. \$\endgroup\$
    – Samthere
    May 17, 2017 at 16:21
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Since not other stated, i would assume it works like the druids Wild Shape ability, so the raven takes the damage and when he falls to 0 HP, he vanishes and you reappear.

Still, nothing is written about that, but i would handle it like that. So if the raven gets killed in the air... good Luck to you!

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  • \$\begingroup\$ If it worked like Wild Shape it would probably say so. Wild Shape gives you a different HP pool and the possibility to attack. The first isn't mentioned anywhere and the latter even contradicts the mentioned limits for your action. \$\endgroup\$
    – The Raven Queen
    May 17, 2017 at 13:49
  • \$\begingroup\$ I think handling it like wild shape could be a reasonable quick-ruling (reverting upon death), but in that case I'd use the warlock's HP pool, since the merge doesn't change it. Handy for a GM, but lacking justification (possibly necessarily due to the limited text from the source). \$\endgroup\$
    – Samthere
    May 17, 2017 at 13:55
  • \$\begingroup\$ I meant the dissappear and reappear is handled like wild shape, not that it Is wild shape with another name. Since you got the raven stats given by Sentinel Raven, it is not to far of a stretch. At least it is a possible ruling that exists. \$\endgroup\$
    – PSquall
    May 17, 2017 at 16:03

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