The Dungeons & Dragons Pale Master gets an update in a new Dungeon Masters Guild supplement. Back in 2004, Wizards of the Coast released Libris Mortis: The Book of the Undead, a sourcebook delved deeply into the world of the undead. Among the many player options contained in the book was the Pale Master, a prestige class that allowed arcane casters to control and animate the undead. The Pale Master was unique in that it used arcane magic instead of some form of divine magic to raise and control the undead without siphoning away too much of the caster’s powers.
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Last month, Grim Press and Trevor Armstrong published Disturbed Graves, a new DMs Guild supplement that reinvents the Pale Master into a full Fifth Edition class of its own. The core of the class remains the same – this is a casting class that focuses on animating the dead. However, this version of the Pale Master also uses their powers to enhance their own bodies through the creation of Undead Grafts and Macabre Creations not dissimilar to how an Artificer creates magical items to enhance their own abilities. The Pale Master also comes with five subclasses, each of which with a different focus. The Elegy of Decay’s attack cause additional damage that decays a foe, while the Elegy of Enduring focuses on the type of immortality gained by liches.
Also included in Disturbed Graves are twenty Undead Grafts – unique items made of undead flesh that players can literally graft onto themselves. Each undead graft has a high cost – a character must literally incorporate them into their body, usually at the cost of one of their living limbs or body parts – but have unique powers like harnessing the power of a banshee or casting a fireball from your eye.
Disturbed Graves is a great supplement that embraces grimdark tropes to create some intriguing options for players. The Pale Master subclasses aren’t overpowered, and the class is no more complex than the artificer or other official D&D classes. If you want to really delve into the world of the undead, pick up Disturbed Graves today.
You can pick up Disturbed Graves from the DMs Guild for $5.95.
