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Healer/Channeler

Intro – Restoration – Benediction – Channeling – Equipment – Training Summary – Attributes & Runestones – Gameplay

The Terror Priest

The healer/channeler in Shadowbane is a potent hybrid character, with useful support abilities, strong personal defenses, and potent magical attacks. In most guilds, the class will be played primarily as an offensive nuker, with the healing abilities treated as a utility than the primary focus; such classes as the Priest and Prelate will be preferred for dedicated support roles.

However, in a Virakt, the Channeler is the only priestly class allowed to our race; those who begin life as Irekei Healers have only that one profession to select for promotion. There will be some who prefer their healers in the hybrid/ offensive role described above; however, those who intend to focus on a supporting role will need to build and play their channelers somewhat differently from the common offensive templates.

The Terror Priest is an Irekei Healer/Channeler dedicated to support. He has some offensive capability, but his focus both in training and in play is on keeping his groupmates alive and effective rather than on burning down the enemy; he will train attacks from only one element rather than the 2 or 3 another channeler might train, and will train only a single offensive spell to grandmaster. With the points that might otherwise be used to build a more diverse and potent offense, the Terror Priest will instead invest heavily in the heals, buffs, and utility spells neglected by most channelers.

RESTORATION

Intro – Restoration – Benediction – Channeling – Equipment – Training Summary – Attributes & Runestones – Gameplay

The Restoration skill contains our 3 heals as well as one utility spell. Although raising skill does seem to have a small effect on healing output, it is not necessary to raise this skill higher than the 51% needed to earn the group heal.

Healing
-Blessed Mending
-Blessed Healing
-Prayer of Mending

Blessed Mending is our "minor" heal, casting very quickly with a low mana cost for a small amount of health returned, while Blessed Healing costs more mana and time but returns more healing. Prayer of Mending is our group heal, and requires 30 trains into the small heal to unlock. The Terror Priest should unlock and GM the group heal.

Utility
-Succor

This spell is targeted on the grave of a player killed by monsters, and returns to him some of the experience lost in the death. It has no effect on PVP graves, since no experience is lost in such deaths. This spell is granted at grandmaster and need not be trained.

BENEDICTION

Intro – Restoration – Benediction – Channeling – Equipment – Training Summary – Attributes & Runestones – Gameplay

The Benediction skill includes our targeted and group attribute buffs, a targeted defense buff, and Summon. Since none of these abilities requires a to-hit roll or gains increased effect from higher skill, this skill should be trained no higher than the 89% required for the group con buff unless you wish to push to 93 and train the group dex buff as well.

Defense Buff
-Blessed Protection

Blessed Protection is a targetable defense buff; it will not stack with personal armor buffs such as those of the mage or ranger, but does stack with a Fury's group defense buff. This power should be raised to grandmaster.

Attribute Buffs
-Blessing of Strength
-Blessing of Health
-Blessing of Dexterity
-Prayer of Might
-Prayer of Vitality
-Prayer of Agility

Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity each have a targeted version, and a group cast version requiring 30 trains in the single buff to unlock. While the Irekei have excellent damage output, our health is not so high as that of many other races; therefore, the Terror Priest will be expected to unlock and GM the group constitution buff, and may train either strength or dex in addition at his discretion.

Utility
-Summon

The most powerful ability we have, and possibly the most powerful ability in the game, Summoning allows you to bring another player to you by name from anywhere in the world, once per 5 minutes. The strategic advantage of this extra firepower cannot be overestimated. Summoning is quite simply the most important thing you can do on a raid, and during military engagements this spell should be cast every time it refreshes unless there's simply nobody left to summon. This spell is granted at grandmaster and need not be trained.

CHANNELING

Intro – Restoration – Benediction – Channeling – Equipment – Training Summary – Attributes & Runestones – Gameplay

This skill is the focus for all of our professional abilities; it also determines the chance of successfully landing a damaging spell on the enemy. You will need to train the skill to at least 100% in order to unlock key high-level powers such as your pet, and, as with any class's offensive focus skill, you should train Channeling to 120% or higher if you wish to consistently land your attacks.

Targetable Buffs
-Aura of Flame
-Flesh of Granite
-Flesh of Lead
-Endure (Element)

Aura of Flame is a fire damage shield, returning damage to the attacker whenever the buffed player is attacked. The effectiveness of this spell has wavered up and down over the course of beta, and any significant investment should be considered optional based on ongoing balance tuning; however, you should purchase at least 1 level in this spell as it is useful for religious ceremonies and other rituals, due to its long-lasting graphic effect.

Flesh of Granite and Lead have likewise varied in effectiveness as balance is tweaked up and down; these are damage-absorbing resistance buffs for physical and magical attacks respectively. Again, training these spells should be considered optional depending on the results of ongoing balance tuning, although they have been very effective in at least some prior builds.

The "Endure" line of spells provides a resistance buff for each of the four elements. Irekei have an innate resistance to Fire attacks, and Earth attacks are too rare to justify any investment here. Train Endure Cold or Lightning if you wish to train any resistance buff. As with the attribute buffs, you can unlock a group resistance buff with enough trains into the single-target version.

Self-Only Spells
-Mantle of Stone
-Ride the Winds
-Aqueous Rejuvenation
-Cloak of Transparency

Mantle of Stone is a useful spell for Mage Channelers since it stacks with their Shielding buff; however, it does not stack with the Healer's Blessed Protection. This spell is useless for Healers and should not be trained.

Ride the Winds is our personal Flight spell; while useful in some situations, it's irrelevant to a training plan since it is granted at a fixed level and cannot be trained.

The other 2 spells in this list offer the channeler an instant 'heal' to his mana pool on a long timer, and invisibility. Both spells are useful with only 1 train and do improve with further trains; however, any serious investment in any of these spells should come only after you're sure your more critical training needs are already met.

Elemental Invocations
-Divert (Element)
-Weave (Element)

The Divert spells offer the ability to dispel hostile elemental effects. The only one you need to keep handy is the Fire dispel, for removing fire-based DOTs. These spells are granted at grandmaster and need not be trained.

The Weave spells offer the ability to summon a pet of any of the 4 elements. At this time, all 4 pets are functionally equivalent, differering only in appearance. Put 1 point into a pet as soon as possible; training the pet higher is optional. Note that pets and invisibility are mutually exclusive, and don't invest strongly into both.

Attack spells
-Hoarfrost
-Blizzard
-Ice Bolt

Ice spells are a "utility nuke"; while they don't provide the raw damage of Electrical attacks nor the persistent DOT of Fire, they do have a highly-useful snare effect, reducing your target's movement rate by half or more at higher levels of mastery. Hoarfrost is a targeted DD with a movement reduction component, Blizzard is an area effect attack which likewise snares its victims, and Ice Bolt is a DD which also debuffs the target's resistance to cold. AOE spells in Shadowbane are highly situational, since they will affect friendly players and pets in the area, but can be of some use when carefully employed. While most channelers will prefer the greater damage output from the lightning spells, you may instead choose to GM Hoarfrost as your primary attack spell and chain-cast it after an initial Ice Bolt.

-Ignite
-Incendiary Blast
-Fire Bolt

The fire attacks follow the same pattern as the cold spells, in that there is a single-target spell, an AOE, and a damage + resistance debuff "bolt". Where Hoarfrost and Blizzard do direct damage and leave the enemy snared as the elemental effect of Ice, the Ignite and Incendiary Blast spells are Fire DOT's, spreading their damage over a period of a half-minute or so.

While these spells look attractive from a roleplay perspective, fire attacks should be ignored by the Healer Channeler. A mage channeler has the option to debuff his enemy's fire resistance with Fire Bolt and then apply not only the Ignite spell, but also a Blood Boil from the mage baseline, as well as the possibility of a third fire DOT from the Blood Prophet discipline. Let the mages cast the fire spells; they're much better at it.

-Electrocute
-Call Lightning
-Lightning Bolt

The lightning attacks follow the same pattern again; the elemental effect on these spells is a short stun, as opposed to the snare or DOT from the other elements. With fast casting times and excellent damage, this will be the preferred damage element for most channelers, and the Terror Priest will GM Electrocute as his main attack unless he has chosen to specialize in Ice instead.

HAMMER, STAFF, BLOCK, LIGHT ARMOR

Intro – Restoration – Benediction – Channeling – Equipment – Training Summary – Attributes & Runestones – Gameplay

Hammer allows you to equip Scepter-class weapons and shields. Scepters offer healers bonuses much like a mage's staff, including mana regen, +mana, +intelligence or spirit, and other highly-useful magical modifiers. You need raise Hammer only high enough to gain access to scepter types with the desired bonuses, probably in the 50-60% range.

Staff should be completely ignored by the healer channeler; the bonuses available from staves are mirrored on our scepters, and you cannot equip a staff with a shield.

Block allows you to equip better shields, and increases your chance of successfully blocking in combat. Although reduced in effectiveness for the live release, this is still a useful ability and should be trained to somewhere in the 50-80% range; the Scutum requires a 79% block ability to equip.

Light Armor provides the ability to wear better leather-class armors, and increases the defense from each piece. The ability to wear and train armor is key to the survivability of a healer under attack; however, some players will prefer the magical bonuses available on cloth robes. This skill should either be trained to 100% or ignored altogether.

TRAINING SUMMARY

Intro – Restoration – Benediction – Channeling – Equipment – Training Summary – Attributes & Runestones – Gameplay

There are some core abilities that every Terror Priest should have mastered, both on defense and on offense. There are several other abilities which are useful but not crucial, and choosing which among these will receive one's remaining training points will be how one player distinguishes himself from another.

Skills for the Terror Priest

Hammer: ~50%
Block: ~80%
Light Armor: 100% OR zero trains
Restoration: 51% *requirement for Prayer of Mending*
Benediction: 89% *requirement for Prayer of Vitality*
Channeling: ~120%

Required powers for the Terror Priest

Blessed Mending (30+)
Prayer of Mending (40)
Blessed Protection (40)
Blessing of Health (30)
Prayer of Vitality (40)
Hoarfrost OR Electrocute (40)

Training the above, plus the odd point here and there to unlock single-train abilities, will leave you with about 120 points left at softcap; this is enough to GM 3 additional powers, or train a larger number of abilities to moderate levels. If you decide to go the robed route instead of wearing light armor, you'll have 180 trains to work with at this point, and should probably consider training a group dex or str buff with some of those points.

Discretionary training for the Terror Priest

Additional trains into Hammer to unlock higher scepters
Additional trains into Restoration to improve heals
Blessing of Strength (and possibly Prayer of Might)
Blessing of Dexterity (and possibly Prayer of Agility)
Blessed Mending
Aura of Flame
Flesh of Granite (and possibly Flesh of Lead)
Endure Water's Chill or Endure the Sky's Vengeance
Aqueous Rejuvenation
Cloak of Transparency
Weave of the Salamander
Blizzard OR Call Lightning
Ice Bolt OR Lightning Bolt

ATTRIBUTES AND RUNESTONES

Intro – Restoration – Benediction – Channeling – Equipment – Training Summary – Attributes & Runestones – Gameplay

As a healer and spellcaster, your key attributes are Intelligence and Spirit. Constitution is also important for both health and stamina, especially if you would like to remain airborn for any significant amount of time while flying. Plan to raise Intelligence to around 150, Spirit to approximately 100, and Constitution to around 80; you'll need a medium-sized spirit rune and a high-end int rune to accomplish this.

The only runes you should consider taking during character creation are Brilliant Mind, True Faith, or both; the rest of the trait runes, while interesting, will provide less benefit than the attribute points they cost to purchase.

The discipline options for an Irekei healer/channeler are quite limited. While Commander and Traveler can both be useful, and Enchanter may or may not become worthwhile as balance tuning progresses, the Terror Priest can scarcely afford to buy his own class's abilities, much less divert training into a discipline.

GAMEPLAY

Intro – Restoration – Benediction – Channeling – Equipment – Training Summary – Attributes & Runestones – Gameplay

Remember always that your task is support. The Irekei have damage output in spades; what we lack is survivability. If you're not healing and buffing, it probably means that nobody else is either. Keep that constitution buff active at all times, and use your other buffs as appropriate to the needs of the moment. Throw out group heals liberally (and make sure people learn to sit close to you when they want healing!). Don't ignore your offensive capabilities, but bear in mind that nobody else can fill defensive role that you can. And use that Summon every time the red drains out of it, if there's anyone waiting at the tree you can bring back into active combat.

Also remember that there's more to the game than combat stats and a random number generator. You are the symbol and representative of the Great Dragon, charged with the preservation of our people and our ways. Bestow the Blessings of Khalikryst liberally in the form of flame aura buffs, and play up the incredible roleplay opportunities of the Servant of Terror you have dedicated yourself to being.

Member Guide

The Terror Priest is an Irekei Healer/Channeler dedicated to support. He has some offensive capability, but his focus both in training and in play is on keeping his groupmates alive and effective.