The intent by Anet for the necro is ‘The necromancer’s mobility will remain where it is currently, as we want the Necromancers to be focused on sustaining themselves through death shroud, siphoning health, and slowing down their opponent’s ability to act.’
However, as damage dealing continues to be ‘balanced’ for necro builds we are losing something as the sustain part is subpar: while in DS, LF vanished at an alarming rate and siphons are lacking in a number of ways.
In order to bring something new to the necro class, I am suggesting a new life stealing (LS) condition that would work in conjunction with DS, siphons, etc.
Clearly, the amount of life stolen would need to be balanced around syphons to prevent some form of god mode. This is my take on a few things others have mentioned in the forums before – credit to all the community’s input.
Key points for this condition:
1. Multiple application increases duration. It does not stack.
This allows for aNet to more effectively balance the amount of health return.
2. It can be unique to the necro class in one of two ways:
a) This is the one life stealing ability that can restore health while in death shroud, thus improving sustainability. I don’t expect it to return one to full health, but may allow enough to survive that one hit when coming out of DS and getting off a heal.
b) This is the one life stealing ability that can generate LF while in death shroud, thus improving sustainability. Again, I don’t expect this to turn this into an endless DS, but may allow enough time for an ability to finish cooling down in the background, such as healing.
3. Scaling can be managed in one of several ways:
a) it doesn’t and is a set amount making it easy for aNet to balance.
b) scales in some way with healing power
c) scales in relation to your health as a %.
c) scales in relation to the number of conditions on the target. I personally prefer this one as it creates an interesting dynamic in the game. You have to apply conditions to a target for this to be effective. With the amount of cleansing in game, it takes on a strategic element balancing condition application (general), removal, and application of said LS condition. You could set it up that with no conditions on a target, you get no return. Alternatively, maybe this is the condition for condo builds that generates LF when in normal form, and health when in DS. This is also balanced by the current condition cap (25).
This condition could be applied through weapons, for example staff (it is a utility weapon) or perhaps on sceptre #1 on x attack.
Alternatively, it could be a Master tier trait, for example in the Blood line, ‘Lifestealing condition applied on… crit/fear/torment’ (to balance it further, you could use the torment dynamic of movement to determine whether there was any return in the first place [potentially deals with stacking in dungeons?]) … Using the fear example, positioned correctly one may have to make the choice between fear doing damage vs health returns.
Depending on the choice above, one would expect the return to be relative depending on how it is applied and would also mean not all builds/weapon choices would take it.
How do you balance this with Epidemic?
You don’t. The aim of this condition is sustain, not full healing and the return should be designed with this in mind. Against a single target, you don’t use epidemic. Against multiples, you have an increase in returns but you also have an increase in incoming damage. Again, this isn’t meant to allow you to survive 1vX, it is to increase sustainability. Alternatively, when used with epidemic transfers only allow for 50% return unless directly applied.
Edit: I don’t see this applying any damage at all. It only generates a return.
(edited by arulok.1068)