First Look: U43 Pale Master

[Steelstar]

Hello, everyone!

In addition to the Epic Destiny Pass and the New Epic Past Lives that we've already given a sneak peek of, Update 43 will also feature a revamp of the Pale Master enhancement tree.

Some of our goals for this pass included:

• Make Pale Master less about progressing through increasingly-powerful Undead Forms and more about picking a single (or multiple) forms to specialize in
• Give each Undead Form a unique playstyle
• Allow players to specialize without enforcing each form completely into a specific role
• Help parties effectively interact with Undead players
• Provide an actual way for Pale Masters to combat undead
• Help address concerns of survivability

To call out that last point (& so this doesn't get lost in the shuffle below): One of the big changes here is that Undead players will now be healed 50% by Positive Energy spells. While it doesn't 100% fit Undead lore, we believe the positive benefit to survivability and party dynamics is worth the change.

With that said, here's the tree!





CORES:

• Core 1: Dark Reaping: For each Core Ability in this tree you get +3 Negative Spell Power and +3 Negative Healing Amplification.
• Core 2: Pale Shroud: Multiselector: All forms grant 100% critical hit resistance and allow you to be healed by Negative Energy. You take 50% healing from Positive, and double damage from Light. You are considered undead.
  
  • Shroud of the Zombie: While in this form, +4 Constitution, +20% damage with attacks but you attack 20% slower than normal. You gain +3 PRR, +3 MRR.
  • Shroud of the Vampire: While in this form, +2 Charisma, +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom. +3 Perform skill, and your melee and unarmed attacks have a chance to heal you for 1d3 Negative Energy damage per Wizard Level.
  • Shroud of the Wraith: While in this form, +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence. Enemy attacks have a 10% chance to miss you due to incorporeality, +1 Sneak Attack Dice, and you gain Feather Falling.
  • Shroud of the Lich: While in this form, +2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, +10 Negative Amplification, +5 Negative Spell Power, and +15 Magical Resistance Rating.
  
  
• Core 3: Multiselector: Improved Shrouding: Pick one of the following abilities that applies while in a Pale Shroud: (Passive: While in a Shroud, you can breathe underwater. +1 Spell Penetration.)
  
  • Deathly Tough: 15 Maximum Hit Points
  • Deathly Resistance: 15 Magical Resistance Rating, +2 to all Saves
  • Inflict Weariness: Your attacks inflict 2-9 points of Negative Energy damage to a living target. This scales with 100% Spell Power. Your Vorpal Melee Hits cause Energy Drain, inflicting 1 Negative Level on victims.
  • Haunting in the Dark: +2 Assassinate DCs.
  • Ghost in the Wind: +15% Incorporeal Miss Chance. (If you are in Wraith Form, this increases your total to 25%).
  • Deathly Power: +10 to Negative Energy Spellpower.
  • +2 Necromancy DC
  • +2 Enchantment DC
  • Undead Chill: +15% bonus to Cold Absorption. You no longer take extra damage from Light.
  • Undead Shock: +15% bonus to Electric Absorption. You no longer take extra damage from Light.
  • Unhallowed Touch: You gain Ghost Touch on all attacks, +5 Hide and Move Silently
  
  
• Core 4: Pick an ability you didn't pick in Core 3. (Passive: +1 Spell Penetration.)
• Core 5: Pick an ability you didn't pick in Core 3+4 (Passive: +50 Maximum Spell Points, +1 Spell Penetration.)
• Core 6: Undead Overlord:
  
  • Active: Greater Death Aura SLA. (Envelops the caster in a sickly aura of negative energy. Living enemies stepping inside the aura take 3 to 12 negative energy damage plus 1 additional point per caster level every two seconds as long as they remain within it. A successful Fortitude save reduces the damage by half. Undead are instead healed by the aura. This aura can affect up to one target per caster level. D&D Dice: Deals 3d4 negative energy damage plus 1 per caster level every two seconds.) (This can be cast simultaneously with Lesser Death Aura and Death Aura).
  • Passive: You gain +4 Intelligence and Deathblock. +10 Negative Healing Amplification. +2 Spell Penetration.

TIER 1:

• Necrotic Touch: 6/4/2 SP, 12/8/4 seconds. Accepts Metamagics. Scales with full Spell Power. For 12 seconds after casting this, your Skeletal Knight reduces its incoming damage by 50%.
• Negative Energy Conduit (relocated)
• Spell Crit: Negative I (unchanged)
• Skeletal Knight: (Cooldown on re-summoning changed to 20 seconds. No summon cost.)
• Deathless Vigor (relocated but otherwise unchanged)

TIER 2:

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• Cloak of Night: While blocking in a Pale Shroud, you gain invisibility, displacement, and do not take extra damage from Light. Passive: +5 Hide.
• Spell Crit: Negative II (unchanged)
• Corpsecrafter: Your Skeletal Knight gain a +2/4/6 Profane Bonus to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. Rank 3: You gain +1 Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.
• Efficient Metamagic (unchanged)

TIER 3:

• Necrotic bolt: 10/8/5 SP, 15/10/5 seconds. Accepts Metamagics. Scales with full Spell Power.
• Negative Energy Adept: +10/20/30 Negative Amp
• Spell Crit: Negative III (unchanged)
• Eternal Furor: You (while in a Shroud) AND your Skeleton Knight gain +5/10/15 Profane Bonus to PRR. Your Skeletal Knight gains +3/6/10 to hit and damage, +2/4/6 Profane Bonus to AC, and and its attacks bypass 10%/20%/50% of enemy Fortification.
• CON/INT (unchanged)

TIER 4:

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• Unholy Avatar: While in an Undead Shroud, your Negative Energy attacks leave a lingering debuff on undead foes that leaves them vulnerable to Negative Energy if they were immune.
• Spell Crit: Negative IV (unchanged)
• Deathly Versatile: Pick a second Shroud Toggle. You may only have one active at a time.
• CON/INT (unchanged)

TIER 5:

• Necrotic Blast: 20/15/10 SP, 18/12/6 seconds. Accepts Metamagics. Scales with full Spell Power.
• Animate Ally: 18 second cooldown. Target no longer takes damage over time. Zombie Form is removed on Rest or Death.
• Necromantic Focus (unchanged)
• Dark Discorporation: Multiselector:
  
  • Dark Discorporation SLA (as per the Warlock spell... Because Pale Masters should get to turn into bats and float away).
  • Reactive Discorporation: When your HP drops below 50%, gain Dark Discorporation for 20 seconds. This effect still ends if you attack. This effect may only trigger once every 60 seconds.
  
  
• Ascendant Shroud: You get bonuses based on your current form:
  
  • Zombie: While in Zombie Form, +20 Melee Power & 10 PRR. +20% Racial Bonus to maximum Hit Points.
  • Vampire: While in Vampire Form, +1 Enchantment DC. Your melee attacks have a chance to dominate your adversaries. On Hit: Target has a chance to be Paralyzed (Will save vs. DC 20 + INT Mod + Enchantment Spell Bonuses). On Save: -10% Movement and Attack Speed.
  • Wraith: While in Wraith Form, +10% Incorporeality (bringing your total to 20%, or 35% if you have Ghost in the Wind), +2 Sneak Attack Dice. +3% Dodge & Dodge Cap. +10 to Hide and Move Silently.
  • Lich: While in Lich Form, +15 to MRR cap, +5 Negative Spell Power, +10 Cold and Electric Resistance.

NEW SPELL:
Finally, there will be a new Level 9 Sorcerer/Wizard Spell - "Rend the Soul":
"Twists unholy energies around a single foe, causing it significant negative damage over time. Deals 4 to 10 damage every two seconds for 10 seconds for every caster level up to 20. A successful fortitude save reduces damage by half. D&D Dice: Deals 1d6+4 negative damage per caster level, max 20d6+80, every 2 seconds for 10 seconds."