*Open Grave is a 99.8% DM book so no prestige classes or playable races were introduced. There is some mention of the trials and of the roleplaying potential of playing with recently undeaded PCs in your adventurer group.
Other PC offerings: a handful of rituals and the very dark (and possibly evil) practice of undead grafting... taking a piece of the undead and fusing it onto the living for benefit (ex. taking vampire fangs and part of their digestive system and operate on the living and now you have blood drinking, hp regaining mortal) but it lists many ill effects to taking these as well, including the fact that it is just plain wrong.
*Oh, I forgot the mention that there are a quite of few interesting templates to apply to monsters and alternate powers for the undead in the back of the book.
*Art: This book is the first book to really let me down in the art department. I have loved all the other books art but this one has mostly meh artwork. The most hideous example is in the Undead Hall of Infamy. The picture they chose for Strahd von Zarovich makes me want to weep tears of blood. That being said there are a few redeeming pieces scattered throughout the book, mostly in the monsters section.
Not what I wanted, but a great book anyway: I wanted a book that was all about introducing necromancers and their powers. I wanted a book that had a lot of support for Ravenloft style campaigns. I wanted a book with special PP for characters closely tied to the undead. I got NONE of this, but the book still manages to be yet another excellent supplement in the 4th edition line. Why?
1. The DM advice is amazing. With explanations of undead mentality and how this affects undead motivations to practical nuts and bolts of using undead in skill challenges, traps, hazards, and even terrain.
2. Just like in the Draconomicon, the lairs section is a gold mine of plug and play ideas which is important to a prep time limited DM such as myself.
3. Grafting... it's just so wicked cool.
4. A slew of undead things to throw at your PCs with a big ghoulish shout out to the brain in the jar and the Calvary Creekrotter!
*Strahd von Zarovich
Level 20 Solo Skirmisher
(with 930 HP)
Crippling strike
Blood Drain
Dominating Gaze
Strahd's Choking Fog
Animal Forms (Wolf and Bat Swarm)
Mist Form
Scent of Blood
Second Wind
Indestructible
*No races, powers, epic destinies, or paragon paths.
Artifacts (which as an aside can I just say how much I love 4th edition's system for dealing with them!!!)
Jet Black Ioun Stone
Mirror of Secrets
Orb of Light
Silver Mask of Kas
Soul Sword
Tome of Shadow
Van Zarovich Family Sword
***** Rituals *******
Corpse Gate
Corpse Light
Gravesight
Last Sight Vision
Skull Watch
Undead Servitor
Undead Ward
*Sure are, but the DM has a number of options to make keeping such a graft unattractive and plus non-adventuring types think characters who have them are sick and twisted.
*Listed Grafts:
Blazing Skeletal Claw (Blazing Claw and Flame Orb)
Lich's Brain (Grafted Spell Master)
Mummy's Eye (Eye of Despair)
Thirst of the Vampire (Blood Drain)
Wight's Claw (Wight Claw)
Zombie Arm (Zombie Slam)
*One last post before I have to go do my living responsibilities
Introducing the MONSTER THRONG, the swarm all grown up... and hungry for brains!
- 1/2 damage from melee and ranged. Vulnerable to close and area.
- Immune to forced movement (close and area move effects still apply)
- A throng is represented as a large creature on the battlemat. HUGE if the throng is composed of larger creatures
- a throng can move through occupied spaces and doesn't provoke AoO, but moving into a throng counts as difficult terrain and provokes a AoO from the throng.
- an example of a Zombie Throng is given (and it is pure win!)
*Unrisen DC15: (you passed your check, right? )
An unrisen is the corrupt result of a failed attempt to resurrect a beast or humanoid. After the failed ritual, a short time passes after the creature is buried before it rises up to take revenge on nearby creatures, which it views as responsible for its death.
The most common types or unrisen are children, pets, mounts, and figures of prominence in a community, such as mayor or priests. These figures are sorely missed upon their deaths, so companions of the people or creatures often go to great lengths to attempt to resurrect them.
Very pet cemetery-esque. Grotesque mockeries of what they were like in real life.
*Vecna
Level 35 Controller (leader)
1580 HP
Attackers must be epic level for an attack to have any effect.
Vecna's Aura
Paralyzing Touch
Banish to the Dread Realm
Ray of Death
Necrotic Web
Divine Discorporation
Esoteric Action
Immortal Resistance
Vecna's Ambition
