Door Kickers.
Perhaps you know one. You wisely hide behind their hulking, steel-shod frame while studying maps, preparing ointments, or engaging in other adventuring tasks that don’t involve cramming a broadsword through a monster's eye socket.
Or, perhaps you are one. You lead your party into torch-lit rooms amidst a shower of splinters and obscenities. Monsters identify you by your battle cry and the sole of your High Hard Boot. You are a living battering ram, and it is your blood-soaked moxie that keeps the party flush with gold.
The two preceding paragraphs aren’t just my way of avoiding expensive therapy sessions; they’re also an introduction to the Wicked Scepter.
Most Relics found in Epic Roll: Eclipse can be used in a number of ways, often benefiting teammates while playing larger games. Not the Scepter – it does exactly what it says on the tin, and rather well. The Wicked Scepter can prevent all damage to you (and only you) from an enemy creature’s attack, AND it deals damage right back at the cheeky git for good measure. A single activation effectively provides a Block and a Hit, with no fear of either effect being countered by a sneaky opponent.
Orric and Goramoth jump immediately to mind as Wicked Scepter fans, but Dara benefits from the Scepter every bit as much as those two brutes. Dara’s die and abilities serve her well in the latter half of the game, but she often lags behind in the early turns because she has no Crit results on her die – meaning she needs at least three rolls to finish off even a lowly Mummy. With the Wicked Scepter’s additional offense and the point of health saved by its blocking capability, knocking down multiple enemies on the first turn is far more achievable – keeping Dara well positioned to overtake her opponents on the far side of the checkpoint.