Malthael
Malthael. The Aspect of Wisdom. The Angel of Death. The Reaper of Souls.
He was a member of the Angiris Council, the ruling body of the heavens, alongside peers like Tyrael, Imperius and Auriel. At that time, he served as the leader of the council, as the Archangel of Wisdom – a noble being who cherished all life.
After the disappearance and destruction of the Worldstone, Malthael adopted a darker demeanour, eventually abandoning the High Heavens before returning as the Angel of Death.
For more of the Malthael story, check out Diablo III: Reaper of Souls.
I played Reaper of Souls and found the characterization somewhat interesting. However, what really turned me on to Malthael was his inclusion in Heroes of the Storm. In that game he is represented as an incredible self-sustainer. His primary gameplay loop involves inflicting his Reaper’s Mark on as many enemies as possible and then ripping their souls to regain health.
In that game, he quickly became one of my mains. I loved the feeling of having opponents overextend thinking that I was close to death, only to see me sustain back to healthy as they are drained. I feel like that fantasy can be ported over to the tabletop fairly easily. So let’s see!
Keys to the Character
Dual Sickles
Like an edgy reimagining of the grim reaper holding a long scythe, Malthael shreds foes with two handheld sickles.
Don’t Fear The Reaper (of Souls)
Malthael can rip souls directly from their hosts. Spooky! By absorbing the souls he ejects, Malthael is able to regain his power and health. Plus, he can briefly become shadow, to protect himself from corporeal attacks.
Death And Co.
Malthael is the Aspect of Death. Kind of like the High Heavens grim reaper, only even edgier.
Wings In The Mist
Able to create a dense, dark fog from his wings, Malthael spreads a terrible taint wherever he goes.
Malthael is a relentless force on the tabletop. He is a selfish, self-sustaining bruiser who continues forward at all costs, slashing at foes with two razor sharp sickles.
This is a great character for players who want to dish out a ton of damage in the edgiest way possible, without offering very much help for your “friends”. What are friends anyway? As far as you’re concerned, your party is just a few more souls to reap.
This build double downs on that by going with a negative-healing background and a class (Evil Champion) that allows for negative healing. Most likely, your allies won’t be able to help you, and you won’t be able. tohelp your allies.
As far as movement shenanigans go, it’s pretty grim (no pun intended).
The one feature of the build that is helpful to friends, of course, is the heavy emphasis on fearing and fear effects. Even though Mal is only scaring enemies for his own joy, allies get to reap the benefit as well.
Build OVERVIEW
Ancestry
Fetchling – Duskwalker
This ancestry and heritage combines to give the required shadowy death-shepherd theme. The Ancestry Feats that this combo gives access to will add a ton of flavour – and some neat utility – to the build.
Background
Revenant
This background plays into Malthael’s selfishness, as it removes the possibility for allies to heal him with positive effects.
This plays into Malthael’s spooky hands, though, as he has feats and abilities that heal and boost undead – which he is considered as a Revenant.
Class
Champion – Tenants of Evil – Desecrator
Malthael may have been good at one point, but in his final form, he is responsible for desecration on a previously untold scale, massacring humans in wide swaths. The Champion class gives him the best opportunity to gain feats and utility based on this evil, plus allows him to easily swoop into the Death domains along the way.
Alongside the class, Malthael will pick up the Dual Weapon Warrior dedication to better utilize his dual sickles. Plus, a quick splash into the Shadowcaster dedication to represent a shadowy teleport.
Skills & General Feats
The skills to pump here are Intimidation for the extreme fear Malthael instills in almost every being, and the Religion for his former connection to the High Heavens.
Beyond that, Survival and Occultism are the only skills even touched.
Legendary: Intimidation, Religion
Master: –
Expert: Survival, Occultism
Attribute Increases
Equipment
Suggested Starting Equipment
Dual Sickles – Malthael’s signature scythe-like swords.
Scale Mail –
Key Spells
Changelog
Related Builds
