[Micah]

I don't see how this is a significant departure from death magic, thematically. In addition, many of the suggestions break one of the game's universal balance rules by giving out stealth.

A few darkvision spells (Death for the undead angle or maybe earth for the cave-dweller theme) or dispel darkness effects (fire/astral) would be cool to have added in, but certainly don't justify a whole path.

One idea that came up on IRC was wild magic, which WOULD be a fun mechanic in moderation. I think a lot of suggested paths overlap with what's already available though, like this one seems to.