Arcane Barrier & Pale Master Vampire Self-Healing

[changelingamuck]

So, I was running a quest the other night on a melee vampire build whom I had just respecced to get arcane barrier from the eldritch knight enhancement tree. A little while after I dropped below 50% health and arcane barrier activated, I could have sworn that I saw a series of '+0 [negative energy symbol]' floaty texts appear above his head. Even if I saw this correctly, it's hard to tell what was causing it because he has so much doublestrike, attack speed, and off-hand chance that the floaty numbers don't appear near the same time the attacks are happening...

Does arcane barrier block the +1 negative energy healing per hit from the improved shrouding enhancement for vampire form? I know that negative energy absorption items block it (or at least they used to); but arcane barrier is only supposed to block incoming damage, not healing... Also, does arcane barrier cut into the percent of negative energy healing coming from the death auras and/or negative energy burst too?

If it just blocks the +1 vampire on-hit self-heals, I can see it still being worth taking. But I think it's not worth it if it decreases death aura and negative energy burst self-heals...

[changelingamuck]

Doesn't anyone have any insight on this? I'm definitely, consistently, seeing lots of '0 [negative energy symbol]' floaty texts appearing shortly after arcane barrier activates on this melee vampire character. Would love to know how arcane barrier is blocking negative energy self-healing for other people--the on-hit +1 vampire self-heals being negated? part of death auras? negative energy bursting? all of the above?

[Saekee]

I can only confirm that the cloak of night toggle blocks vamp tier 5 healing--I didn't have the AP to get arcane barrier. I will look into it later if I have plsytime.
btw what is your build?

[changelingamuck]

I can only confirm that the cloak of night toggle blocks vamp tier 5 healing--I didn't have the AP to get arcane barrier. I will look into it later if I have plsytime.
btw what is your build?

Yeah, I had read that the cloak of night enhancement negates the vamp on-hit self-heals. So, I never bothered even trying it. And, from experience, I knew that gear with negative energy absorption totally negated it too.

The build is 11 Wizard/3 Monk/6 Fighter using grandmaster wind stance, dex-based dual-wielding shortswords [sitting at lvl 23 now]. Not built for top dps, but built for maximizing the greatest number of 'hits per minute' (with highest doublestrike/off-hand proc chance/attack speed possible for a vampire) in order to use vampire form's unique on-hit self-heals and level drain chance to its fullest.

So far he's usually surprisingly survivable in at-level epic quests (though he's spoiled with greensteel, mabar, crystal cove, and epic crafted gear) despite wearing only robes and barely filled out EDs. But knowing whether or not other people using arcane barrier see decreases in their death auras, negative energy bursts, and/or total blocking of their on-hit vamp heals would help me make him more survivable.

I leveled this melee vampire up to late heroics before the enhancement pass when vampires still took quadruple light damage (always staying in vamp form); so he's a painstakingly groomed labor of love, to put it mildly.

[bonscott87]

Should be pretty easy to test Arcane Barrier against Death Aura and Neg Energy Burst. Go to a lower level quest and let yourself get beat down for the AB to activate. Fire off Death Aura and see what is the average tick healing. Fire off a NEB and see what it does. Do this a few times to get an average.

Now respec your enhancements such that you don't have AB and then test again.

Probably can do the same testing for the Vamp self-heal as well I'd guess. Just run with AB and without and see what it does. My vamp isn't high enough level to test it myself.

[keowyn]

Yeah Arcane Barrier eats into the Negative Energy Bursts, Death Auras etc. This sucks especially because if Arcane Barrier is triggered, it means you need to heal up quick, yet your negative energy heals are less effective.

[changelingamuck]

Yeah Arcane Barrier eats into the Negative Energy Bursts, Death Auras etc. This sucks especially because if Arcane Barrier is triggered, it means you need to heal up quick, yet your negative energy heals are less effective.

Okay, definitely going to drop arcane barrier then. That's terrible.

[Saekee]

I have a vamp build splash and really wish there were sources of undead neg hamp. The only way to heal seems to buff the caster side (void lore and nullification)--what is your build and how are you doing it?

[bonscott87]

I have a vamp build splash and really wish there were sources of undead neg hamp. The only way to heal seems to buff the caster side (void lore and nullification)--what is your build and how are you doing it?

Hmmm, there are plenty of sources. Death Aura should heal you at 20-30 hp per tick without a lot of void lore or nullification. Neg Energy Burst will easily heal you 100-200 in a shot, more if it crits. My main weapon is a Thaumaturgy Quarterstaff of some sort as they have potency on it which gives a boost to all spell power including nullification. What else I have on it doesn't really matter although I like to have Impulse Lore which really increases the crits of the Magic Missile and Chain Missile SLA's. I like both Fire and Glaciation as that will enhance both fire and cold spells beyond what the potency does, but nullification is nice too at times. Basically I don't really care so long as it has Potency on it. If I carry a scepter instead I always make sure it's a Potency item as well.

As for healing, besides the above there are also Inflict Serious Wounds pots available at various vendors. I think the one in House J has them. Check the wiki to see where. Cheap and easy to carry just pop a couple when you need to top off and you don't want to use an Aura to do it.

One tip I do is I have a non-meta'd Neg Energy Burst on my bar as well as a fully meta'd one. I'll use the non-meta'd one in between fights if I don't need a ton of healing. It'll then heal me right up along with my skelly and even summon like an Umbral Worg (which is undead) and it'll cost a lot less spell points.

[Saekee]

Hmmm, there are plenty of sources. Death Aura should heal you at 20-30 hp per tick without a lot of void lore or nullification. Neg Energy Burst will easily heal you 100-200 in a shot, more if it crits. My main weapon is a Thaumaturgy Quarterstaff of some sort as they have potency on it which gives a boost to all spell power including nullification. What else I have on it doesn't really matter although I like to have Impulse Lore which really increases the crits of the Magic Missile and Chain Missile SLA's. I like both Fire and Glaciation as that will enhance both fire and cold spells beyond what the potency does, but nullification is nice too at times. Basically I don't really care so long as it has Potency on it. If I carry a scepter instead I always make sure it's a Potency item as well.

As for healing, besides the above there are also Inflict Serious Wounds pots available at various vendors. I think the one in House J has them. Check the wiki to see where. Cheap and easy to carry just pop a couple when you need to top off and you don't want to use an Aura to do it.

One tip I do is I have a non-meta'd Neg Energy Burst on my bar as well as a fully meta'd one. I'll use the non-meta'd one in between fights if I don't need a ton of healing. It'll then heal me right up along with my skelly and even summon like an Umbral Worg (which is undead) and it'll cost a lot less spell points.

Thanks for the tips. I am using handwraps, though, so I can't get the implement bonus from the staff. I guess slotting nullification in a red slot on wraps won't count as an implement? I realized that the cloak of the dragon from the Eveningstar challenges will count--can grind one out--but I have an epic pharlian cloak in that slot.