Sub-Portal: BLOOD MAGE

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Posted December 13th, 2006 by Shayalyn

by Zinn

The Blood Mage is one of the most challenging classes to play. Because playing a Blood Mage successfully is dependent greatly on player skill, it is not for the new player or a player looking for a simple, low-maintenance class. Seeing a skilled Blood Mage push the limits of this class is a marvel.

The Blood Mage's abilities are focused around using her blood and her enemy’s blood for her and her allies' benefit. The Blood Mage is the most arcane and unique of the healer classes. She can heal in a number of ways and has a large variety of spells. And she not only has healing spells but lifetaps, counterspells, direct damage spells, buffs, and symbiotes.

Sigil's Official Description

Mastery over blood allows the Blood Mage singular control over the entire spectrum of mortality, from life to death. Blood Mages can drain an opponent of life and grant it to an ally or simply share some of his own. Healing comes naturally to the Blood Mage, as does the destruction. With the ability to explode an opponents organs, bring their blood to boil and heal an ally by draining their life essence, the Blood Mage makes a valuable friend and a terrible foe.

Blood Mage at a Glance

Races: Thestran, High Elf, Qaliathari, Gnome, Dark Elf, Mordebi, Goblin, Kojani and Half Elf.

Armor: Light armor

Weapons: Blood Magescan use daggers and two-handed staffs.

Quick Links

Class News & Information:

FORMS

The Blood Mage must choose to be in one form at a time. The Blood Mage forms are:

Unfocused - This form is unfocussed and allows you to concentrate on all things equally.

Focus of Gelenia - This is a killer form in more ways than one, as it can kill you if you are not paying attention and forget to turn it off. This form allows you to slowly trade your health for more power. As you lose your health you gain increased damage, immunity to poison and disease, and you gain extra blood union.

Sanguine Focus - This form allows you to fortify yourself as you focus on healing others. This form allows your heals to become more effective and you take less damage. Heals used on you, however, are much less effective and your damage is decreased greatly.

BLOOD UNION

A Blood Mage can form a parasitic union between his own blood and others called a Blood Union. Once this Blood Union is created the Blood Mage can use the blood of his enemies to benefit himself and his allies. Blood Unions can range in level from 0 to 5.

Rituals

Rituals are powerful spells that are formed from energy (mana) and Blood Union points. Rituals may be used to benefit, heal or shield allies or to cause harm to enemies.

COUNTER SPELLS

Blood Mages, unlike other healer classes, have counterspells that will be able to nullify enemy caster spells. The counterspell could either completely nullify the spell or change the enemy spell into a beneficial heal for her group. For example, her level 30 counterspell, Metamorphism, may turn a damage spell into health for herself or her defensive target.

When using a counterspell you must do the following:

Identify that an enemy spell is being cast. Identification is dependent on your wisdom and intelligence attributes. You should see an icon along with a timer indicating the amount of time remaining before the enemy spell is cast.
Identify the particular spell. You not only see that a spell is being cast but you are able to identify the spell. In addition to seeing the spell icon you will receive an audible signal that you can use your counterspell abilities.
Use your Counterspell. Once you hear the auduble signal you should be able to use your counterspell. Counterspells can be resisted.

WEAKNESSES

A weakness is a player created vulnerability in your enemy that remains for a short period of time. Some weaknesses can be exploited by using certain skills. When one exploits a weakness the attack used becomes more powerful and may add more than additional damage but may debuff the enemy or buff you or your party. For more information on weaknesses please take a look at Ten Ton Hammer’s Weakness FAQ and chart.

BUFFS

Blood Mages have many buffs including damage shields, increases to intelligence, vitality, wisdom armor class and hit points, symbiotes and more.

REAGENTS

The Blood Mage can take the organs from his enemies using the Grim Harvest spell. Blood Mages can also siphon blood from their own veins. These reagents can be used in creating symbiotes and to cast powerful spells such as Life Husk.

DIRECT DAMAGE

The Blood Mage is the most arcane of the healer classes. She has no special melee attacks and almost all of her damage is spell damage, primarily direct damage, DoTs and lifetaps.

HEALING

The Blood Mage is able to use his own blood and the blood of his enemy to heal himself and his allies. Blood Mages can form a bond with an ally or allies to share or split incoming damage. He can also heal his allies by stealing the health of his enemy and directly transferring that health to his ally. The Blood Mage has one instant heal, called Ritual of Gelenia, witch consumes Blood Union points. Blood Mages also have traditional heals such as single target heals, heals over time, and group heals.

The Blood mage can choose from a variety of ways to heal.

Pacts

Blood Mages get two main pacts: Scarring Pact and Blood Pact. Scarring Pact allows the Blood mage to share damage with one player and Blood Pact allows the Blood mage to spread the damage across the entire group. Pacts are situational ways to heal and not very energy (mana) efficient. They allow the Blood Mage to moderate damage spikes. Often pacts are used to heal when a light fighter is tanking, the tank is having problems holding aggro or a PSI is taking damage with Thought Pulse. One must be aware to always be ready to cancel pacts to avoid unnecessarily killing a group mate.

Entwining Vein and Blood Tribute

One of the main ways Blood Mages normally heal. Entwining Vein steals health from the Blood Mages enemy and returns 130% or more of the damage to his defensive target. Blood tribute returns a smaller portion of damage but works like Entwining Vein. Both are mana efficient ways to heal.

Heals over Time (HoTs)

Blood Mages have two HoTs, one very powerful--Flesh Mender’s Ritual. Both are very energy efficient ways to heal.

MULTI-TASKING

Healers in Vanguard Saga of Heroes are not like traditional healers of past games. There is much more to do than heal. Blood Mages also need to balance their health, use their counterpsells, deal damage, use lifetaps to keep your health up, effectively use their focus of Gelina form, take vials of blood for symbiotes and much more. The difference between a good BMG and a highly skilled great is very noticeable. The Blood mage is one class that can be pushed to its limits by a good player.