Lifedrain
 

I have a couple of questions regarding life draining effects (such as the wraith sword).

Does their health draining effect work whilst wielded by undead or inanimate creatures? Does it work when wielded against such creatures?

Re: Lifedrain
 

I don't know, honestly. Hopefully someone else will. It should because undead creatures such as vampire queens have natural lifedrain, so there's no good reason why an item couldn't grant such an ability.

Last I checked...
 

...anybody that can -wield- a life-draining weapon or cast Life Drain will receive the (limited) benefits.

However, if you smack something inanimate, you won't be healed or reinvigorated by it.

Re: Lifedrain
 

I ran four tests and here are the results:

1. Wraith Lord (undead, not lifeless) with wraith sword
vs.
wights (undead, not lifeless)=lifedrain worked

2. Wraith Lord (undead, not lifeless) with wraith sword
vs.
longdead (undead, lifeless)=lifedrain failed

3. Mound King (undead, lifeless) with wraith sword
vs.
longdead (undead, lifeless)=lifedrain failed

4. Mound King (undead, lifeless) with wraith sword
vs.
wights (undead, not lifeless)=lifedrain worked

In conclusion, it appears that whether or not the attacked unit is lifeless, seems to be the deciding factor.

Re: Last I checked...
 

Damn, too slow!

Re: Last I checked...
 

Thanks.

Re: Last I checked...
 

It is said that only the first five damage is working as life drain. Will that give 2 or 3 health back?

Lifedrain seems like a slow way to get health back but great to remove fatigue. 10 fatigue back for each hit sounds like a great deal.

Re: Last I checked...
 

Another, more subjective question: are wraith swords worth making after their double-nerf (limit of 5 drained, 25 gems to forge)? If so, what kind of fighter would you equip with one? Would it work well on, say, a golem?

Re: Last I checked...
 

I don't think I'd ever make one. Even the athame (one handed life draining dagger, blood item) is kind of iffy.

Re: Last I checked...
 

Whats the nerf on lifedrain?

Re: Last I checked...
 

used to drain on full damage, not just the first 5 iirc

Shadow Brand, maybe.
 

Shadow Brand looks to be a nice toy; it's one-handed, but of a sword length and not a dagger. It's armor-piercing, like the flaming weapons. And it's a small-area lifedrain (Leeching Darkness), so it affects more than just the guy you smacked... even if all the drain is added before applying the limits, you're still doing the damage.

It's Earth and Death, 'tho, perhaps not the most common combination.

Re: Shadow Brand, maybe.
 

Really! I had always assumed from its description that Shadow Brand inflicted decay, like a Bane Blade.

Re: Lifedrain
 

The fatigue effect makes it very powerful still, IMO. After all, the old saying goes: "What makes a supercombattant? Zero encumbrance."

Re: Lifedrain
 

Has anybody actually used Shadow Brand? I wonder how effective is it on SC?

Re: Lifedrain
 

Another item-related question: How to weapons that provide a number of attacks larger than 1 stack with quickness, and what rules govern targets? Could a Destroyer of Worlds armed with two Gloves of the Gladiator, Chi Boots, 2 Stone Birds and a Horned Helm use the Jade Armor (or any quickness effect) to achieve 36 attacks per round? Because that'd be an all you can eat buffet of magical kung-fu ***-whuppin!

Re: Lifedrain
 

Yeah good point. So I take it the reinvigoration aspec of lifedrain is unaffected? Means you may have to put a ring of regeneration on... but otherwise not too big a dent.

Assuming this combat mechanic is unchanged from dom2: you can have as many attacks as you want. But you can only attack one square per turn (two if you are quickened). So if you have like 100 attacks and are quickened, you are still only going to be able to kill 6 size-2 units per turn. If you want more than that, you will have to do something like a fireshield or perhaps trampling.

Re: Lifedrain
 

A huge benefit of a large number of attacks is hitting high defense units. Since each attack lowers the units defense by 2 point.

I am curious how that effect works with quickness.

Example Stone golem with a powerful weapon, jade armor, and 2 stone birds.

He is attacking some insane Vanjarl with 32 defense.

Golems attack is 12 or 14 with weapon.

Fist weapon attack misses, obviously.
8 stone birds attack. Maybe a few luck hits that don't pierce protection.

Now the Jarl has suffered 9 attacks. So defense will be 32-(9*2) = 14.

Does the Jarl's defense get reset when the golem gets his quickness turn? Or does is start at 14 and actually give the golem a good chance to hit with his main attack weapon?

BTW (why use the gloves when you could wield 2 swords of quickness for stronger attack and much better defense)?

Re: Lifedrain
 

Gloves are cheaper, they require different gems and mages to forge them. Though I don't usually find either option very useful. 1 sword of quickness + 1 area damage shield is more attractive in most cases.

Re: Lifedrain
 

How about that standard (two-handed staff) that from the description seems to do area-effect life-draining? Does it work, and what's the lowdown on area-effect life-draining, like soul-vortex?

Re: Lifedrain
 

Shadow brand is good it seems to do around AOE 3 10 damage with each attack.

Units with lifedrain as their natural weapon, aren't capped like the wraithsword is.

Quikness doubles the number of attacks and allows a unit to attack two different squares.

Re: Lifedrain
 

Just a small point: im pretty sure the 4 armed pretenders only have 1 misc slot, not 2.

Re: Lifedrain
 

And is this a Lifedrain damage? And if so, how much HP and fatique can be restored by a single strike of Shadow Brand? Is it capped per unit hit or per strike?

Or is it just a normal AOE damage with 3-10 spell damage per unit affected, in addition to the normal weapon damage on one sodlier per square that was hit with the weapon?

Seem to recall it being lifedrain.
 

At least, I seem to recall a Wraith Lord using it to some effect... but I might have been using Soul Vortex at the same time, which would obviously cloud that issue. :p

Re: Lifedrain
 

Another reason why the Umbrals from Argatha are extremely powerful for only 2 death gems. It's a great unit to for casting Gift of Reason having a default MR of 18.