I suggest combining the spells 'chill touch' and 'energy drain' to make a nasty new spell which does higher, cold-based damage, and drains movement and mana just like 'energy drain'.

Energy Drain is already a very potent ability.

AP's can do quite a bit to sleeping person too, but not as much as the necromancer.

This is because, unlike the necromancer, they do not hit like a girl.

The balancing factors would be that since the damage is cold based, it could be shielded against, or protected against. It would also make felars, clouds, rangers and druids better at weathering it. The draining effect would still work as long as "some" damage is dealt, because it basically just needs to get into the victim's body to work.

The damage from Energy Drain isn't what should scare you about it. A large amount of cold damage will still hurt more through a resistance than the current Energy Drain ever will. This is still a huge upgrade.

To make it even more useful, there could be a possibility of adding a lingering cold-based damage-per-tick thingy.

A heavy-damage version of Energy Drain added to a class that has no problems landing kills (at every level, APs do quite well) with their current skill set is already overpowered.... combining it with an Immolation-like effect is gratuitous overkill.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com