How does Absorb Health work on a weapon?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.morrowind (More info?)

I was presuming that it was vampiric, decrease the target's health and
increase mine, but something I read has confused me. I think it as a spell
description that indicated that after the duration the "stolen" health would
be returned. My weapons did not have durations on them. The only exception
is White Woe, but I am not concerned that it is not working as expected.
Should I create a weapon with Absorb health for a duration or should I just
go another way?
I guess the third option is that I am just completely confused about how
this works now.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.morrowind (More info?)

On Fri, 25 Jun 2004 20:27:16 -0500, "mdwilkins" <mdwilkins@cox.net>
wrote:

>I was presuming that it was vampiric, decrease the target's health and
>increase mine, but something I read has confused me. I think it as a spell
>description that indicated that after the duration the "stolen" health would
>be returned. My weapons did not have durations on them. The only exception
>is White Woe, but I am not concerned that it is not working as expected.
>Should I create a weapon with Absorb health for a duration or should I just
>go another way?
>I guess the third option is that I am just completely confused about how
>this works now.

There are three different effects, which can be slightly confusing at
first.

1) Damage Health - Does just what it says, just like a weapon attack.
Health removed is lost until restores by rest, potions, etc. Effect
takes place at the start and throughout the duration, so lengthening the
spell increases the overall damage.

2) Drain Health - A temporary damage effect. Like Damage Health, but the
health drained comes back after the duration expires. Effect takes place
at the start and end of the duration, so lengthening the spell means
that the health takes longer to come back, not that extra damage is
done. I would only ever use this in spells with a duration of 1, since
it costs half what Damage Health does for a given instant damage, and
Damage Health is better in every other way.

3) Absorb Health - Transfers health from the target to you. Also
temporary, but your health is fortified by the same amount the victim
loses. If you're badly hurt during the spell, there is a slight
possibility you may die when the transferred health goes back to its
original owner at the spell's end. Effect takes place at the start and
end of the duration, so lengthening the spell means you have the health
for longer.

Note that the same set of three spells exists for Attribute, Fatigue,
Health, Magicka and Skill, and they should all work as I have described
above, replacing the word Health as necessary.
--
Greg Johnson
Give your child mental blocks for Christmas.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.morrowind (More info?)

On Sat, 26 Jun 2004 12:54:17 +1000, Greg Johnson <gsj@labyrinth.net.au>
wrote:
>
> 3) Absorb Health - Transfers health from the target to you. Also
> temporary, but your health is fortified by the same amount the victim
> loses.

I'm sorry to object but only absorbed attributes are temporary, absorbed
health, magicka and fatigue are permanent.

> If you're badly hurt during the spell, there is a slight
> possibility you may die when the transferred health goes back to its
> original owner at the spell's end.

As stated above, transferred health remains with you permanently, so there
is no danger of losing absorbed health.

Regards,
Bjoern

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.morrowind (More info?)

Bjoern Liffers expounded thusly :
> On Sat, 26 Jun 2004 12:54:17 +1000, Greg Johnson
> <gsj@labyrinth.net.au> wrote:
>>
>> 3) Absorb Health - Transfers health from the target to you. Also
>> temporary, but your health is fortified by the same amount the victim
>> loses.
>
> I'm sorry to object but only absorbed attributes are temporary,
> absorbed health, magicka and fatigue are permanent.
>
>> If you're badly hurt during the spell, there is a slight
>> possibility you may die when the transferred health goes back to its
>> original owner at the spell's end.
>
> As stated above, transferred health remains with you permanently, so
> there is no danger of losing absorbed health.

Right. And they should also be aware that the max Health will not be
exceeded by Absorb Health.

-mb

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.morrowind (More info?)

On Sat, 26 Jun 2004 12:39:44 +0200, Bjoern Liffers
<bjoernhenning.liffers@dialup.fh-aachen.de> wrote:

>On Sat, 26 Jun 2004 12:54:17 +1000, Greg Johnson <gsj@labyrinth.net.au>
>wrote:
>>
>> 3) Absorb Health - Transfers health from the target to you. Also
>> temporary, but your health is fortified by the same amount the victim
>> loses.
>
>I'm sorry to object but only absorbed attributes are temporary, absorbed
>health, magicka and fatigue are permanent.

That's interesting, as the internal description in the game engine says
otherwise. However, I haven't really tested this myself, so I could
easily be wrong. To see this, load up the Construction Set and under
Gameplay, look at Magic Effects. All the Absorb 'x' effects end with the
sentence
When the effect ends, the caster loses the borrowed 'x', and the victim
regains lost 'x'.

--
Greg Johnson
Give your child mental blocks for Christmas.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.morrowind (More info?)

On Sat, 26 Jun 2004 22:33:56 +1000, Greg Johnson <gsj@labyrinth.net.au>
wrote:

> On Sat, 26 Jun 2004 12:39:44 +0200, Bjoern Liffers
> <bjoernhenning.liffers@dialup.fh-aachen.de> wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 26 Jun 2004 12:54:17 +1000, Greg Johnson <gsj@labyrinth.net.au>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> 3) Absorb Health - Transfers health from the target to you. Also
>>> temporary, but your health is fortified by the same amount the victim
>>> loses.
>>
>> I'm sorry to object but only absorbed attributes are temporary, absorbed
>> health, magicka and fatigue are permanent.
>
> That's interesting, as the internal description in the game engine says
> otherwise. However, I haven't really tested this myself, so I could
> easily be wrong. To see this, load up the Construction Set and under
> Gameplay, look at Magic Effects. All the Absorb 'x' effects end with the
> sentence
> When the effect ends, the caster loses the borrowed 'x', and the victim
> regains lost 'x'.

That is what the Description in the Construction Set says.
Both my manual and more important my experience say otherwise. I have been
using my enchanted Daedric Shortsword (Absorb Health 20 points on strike,
no duration) for at least 200 days of gametime and never lost any health
due to a fading spell. Given the enchantment I made (no duration), a
temporary health transfer would mean that I wouldn't get the slightest
benefit out of that spell which simply isn't the case.

The same applies to Absorb Magicka. I didn't cast the spell itself yet,
since nobody in Morrowind, Mournhold or Solstheim sells it, but I'm using
an enchanted sword (Velite's Emerald Bar from the mod "Beyond Ysgramor")
which absorbs magicka and never lost any of that magicka as well.

I also tried Absorb Fatigue and that is permanent, too.
Concerning Absorb Attributes, I haven't made any experiences.
I guess someone just made a mistake with the description given in the
Construction Set.

Regards,
Bjoern

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.morrowind (More info?)

On Sat, 26 Jun 2004 15:18:38 +0200, Bjoern Liffers
<bjoernhenning.liffers@dialup.fh-aachen.de> wrote:

>On Sat, 26 Jun 2004 22:33:56 +1000, Greg Johnson <gsj@labyrinth.net.au>
>wrote:
>> When the effect ends, the caster loses the borrowed 'x', and the victim
>> regains lost 'x'.
>
>That is what the Description in the Construction Set says.
>Both my manual and more important my experience say otherwise. I have been
>using my enchanted Daedric Shortsword (Absorb Health 20 points on strike,
>no duration) for at least 200 days of gametime and never lost any health
>due to a fading spell. Given the enchantment I made (no duration), a
>temporary health transfer would mean that I wouldn't get the slightest
>benefit out of that spell which simply isn't the case.
>
>The same applies to Absorb Magicka. I didn't cast the spell itself yet,
>since nobody in Morrowind, Mournhold or Solstheim sells it, but I'm using
>an enchanted sword (Velite's Emerald Bar from the mod "Beyond Ysgramor")
>which absorbs magicka and never lost any of that magicka as well.

That makes the Absorb spells much more powerful than I thought - they
really ought to cost more to cast than the Damage spells, instead of
having an equal cost.

>I also tried Absorb Fatigue and that is permanent, too.
>Concerning Absorb Attributes, I haven't made any experiences.
>I guess someone just made a mistake with the description given in the
>Construction Set.

Well, I guess it's not the only incorrect information in the game's
internal workings - the Turn Undead effect basically doesn't work at
all, since they never set up the necessary flags to say which creatures
are undead.

--
Greg Johnson
Give your child mental blocks for Christmas.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.morrowind (More info?)

Greg Johnson wrote:

> That makes the Absorb spells much more powerful than I thought

Absorb health is pretty powerful. I made a custom ranged absorb health
spell, though it's pretty expensive to cast. A simple heal comes
cheaper. One of my favourite items I recently found is the Vampiric ring
with an awesome absorb health on touch. This is my currently prefered
emergency item, been a life-saver in some tough fights.

> the Turn Undead effect basically doesn't work at all

Fireblast 'em, works fine. :*)


Peter

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.morrowind (More info?)

"Peter Strempel" <peterstrempel@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:2k5isgF17n0ajU1@uni-berlin.de...
> Greg Johnson wrote:

>
> > the Turn Undead effect basically doesn't work at all
>

I would have sworn that I saw it work, for my low level character, when cast
from an item he found.

It made the low level skeletons (or so) turn and run away in fear for a
little while, though they dir not appear to be damaged in any way.

/Andy

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.morrowind (More info?)

I have a set of long swords with ~ 5 pts of absorb with different elemental
damage(Fire, Frost, & Shock). both have small area effects. I just love
using the Vampiric Sword of Ice on the Flame Atronach or the Vampiric Sword
of Fire on the Frost Atronach. Of course the major problem is keeping
anything charged up. I have experimented with my enchant skill to load in
small Stones, but that seems to be a waste of time.
"Bjoern Liffers" <bjoernhenning.liffers@dialup.fh-aachen.de> wrote in
message news😱pr97dxcx8036b7o@News.CIS.DFN.DE...
> On Sat, 26 Jun 2004 22:33:56 +1000, Greg Johnson <gsj@labyrinth.net.au>
> wrote:
>
> > On Sat, 26 Jun 2004 12:39:44 +0200, Bjoern Liffers
> > <bjoernhenning.liffers@dialup.fh-aachen.de> wrote:
> >
> >> On Sat, 26 Jun 2004 12:54:17 +1000, Greg Johnson <gsj@labyrinth.net.au>
> >> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> 3) Absorb Health - Transfers health from the target to you. Also
> >>> temporary, but your health is fortified by the same amount the victim
> >>> loses.
> >>
> >> I'm sorry to object but only absorbed attributes are temporary,
absorbed
> >> health, magicka and fatigue are permanent.
> >
> > That's interesting, as the internal description in the game engine says
> > otherwise. However, I haven't really tested this myself, so I could
> > easily be wrong. To see this, load up the Construction Set and under
> > Gameplay, look at Magic Effects. All the Absorb 'x' effects end with the
> > sentence
> > When the effect ends, the caster loses the borrowed 'x', and the victim
> > regains lost 'x'.
>
> That is what the Description in the Construction Set says.
> Both my manual and more important my experience say otherwise. I have been
> using my enchanted Daedric Shortsword (Absorb Health 20 points on strike,
> no duration) for at least 200 days of gametime and never lost any health
> due to a fading spell. Given the enchantment I made (no duration), a
> temporary health transfer would mean that I wouldn't get the slightest
> benefit out of that spell which simply isn't the case.
>
> The same applies to Absorb Magicka. I didn't cast the spell itself yet,
> since nobody in Morrowind, Mournhold or Solstheim sells it, but I'm using
> an enchanted sword (Velite's Emerald Bar from the mod "Beyond Ysgramor")
> which absorbs magicka and never lost any of that magicka as well.
>
> I also tried Absorb Fatigue and that is permanent, too.
> Concerning Absorb Attributes, I haven't made any experiences.
> I guess someone just made a mistake with the description given in the
> Construction Set.
>
> Regards,
> Bjoern

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.morrowind (More info?)

On Sun, 27 Jun 2004 16:10:58 -0500, mdwilkins <mdwilkins@cox.net> wrote:

> I have a set of long swords with ~ 5 pts of absorb with different
> elemental damage(Fire, Frost, & Shock). both have small area effects.

That's a good idea as long as you are travelling on your own. I created
my weapons during a time where I did a few escorting missions, for
example escorting Reeh-Jah from The Erabenimsun Area to Ebonheart. The
last thing I wanted was an accidental hit on people I was trying to
protect, so I restricted every effect to an area of zero. In addition,
it's pretty annoying to carry several weapons. It only uses up your
encumberance. I prefer travelling light and remain able to jump upon
rooftops or run like the wind.

> I just love using the Vampiric Sword of Ice on the Flame Atronach
> or the Vampiric Sword of Fire on the Frost Atronach.

Sounds like fun, but IMO there's nothing better than a Deadric shortsword
enchanted with Absorb 20 points Health on strike. It finishes most enemies
off within a few strokes while keeping you perfectly healthy. A flame
atronach, for example, takes only two strokes to die, if you maximize your
shortblade skill. Another advantage is that you can hit far more
frequently than a long blade would allow. Usually an enemy doesn't have
the slightest chance of fighting back when he's hit with one stroke after
another. Even Almalexia was hardly able to catch her breath while trying
to avoid the inevitable.

> Of course the major problem is keeping anything charged up. I have
> experimented with my enchant skill to load in small Stones, but that
> seems to be a waste of time.

It is. Anything below a Daedra (Clannfear, Ogrim, etc.) is a waste of
soul gems. Only reload your items with smaller souls, when the only
soul gem you are carrying is Azura's Star, since that can be refilled
over and over again. The best way to save your items from wearing out
too quickly is to use the soul of a Golden Saint or Ascended Sleeper
to create them since that gives you 400 Spellpoints on the weapon.
The best way to recharge an item is to sleep and thus letting it refill
itself.

Regards,
Bjoern

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.morrowind (More info?)

> I would have sworn that I saw it work, for my low level character, when
cast
> from an item he found.


Yeah, me too! They looked pretty aimless until I hit them with a heavy
stick, and then they became more interested in me and my serious dearth of
dead-ness.