Death Channel
 Death Channel
| |
|---|---|
| Level | 6 |
| School1 | Necromancy |
| Source(s) | Book of Decay Book of Unlife |
| Casting noise | 5 |
| Spell noise | 0 |
| Power Cap | 200 |
| Hated By | Elyvilon The Shining One Zin |
| Flags | Helpful, Selfench, Utility |
| Binds the souls of slain living, demonic and holy creatures, forcing their spectres to remain and fight for the caster for as long as the channel lasts. |
Death Channel is a level 6 Necromancy spell that, while active, raises natural, holy, and demonic monsters slain by the caster into a state of temporary undead slavery as spectral things. The type of spectral thing depends upon what is killed, but its stats will be similar to that of the creature slain, and it will always have draining-branded attacks.
Spectral things are not permanent pets, so will not follow the caster up and down stairs. Increasing your spell power will increase the duration of the spell, but has no effect on the duration of the spectral things themselves. However, spectres will vanish once the spell ends.
This spell, uniquely, works with all other "corpse-destroying" Necromancy spells. You may have DChan and one other necromancy duration effect work on a monster at any given time. It also works with Gozag, but not Yredelemnul.
Strategy
- Death Channel and Animate Dead function similarly, in that they raise up undead allies for enemies you've killed. Zombies tend to have more hitpoints, less AC, and are of zombie intelligence; spectral things retain their original intelligence and have draining attacks. DChan always procs, but Animate Dead zombies persist for an unlimited duration.
- However, there's little reason not to use both at the same time, as Death Channel doesn't disrupt corpses in any way. Except if you wanted to use another spell like Simulacrum first.
History
- Prior to 0.29, Death Channel could be recast; it wouldn't affect the summon duration, but the channel ending would also end all spectres.
- Prior to 0.28, Death Channel did not work on holy or demonic creatures, nor creatures that did not leave a corpse.
- Prior to 0.26, Death Channel had a summon duration of 6 (or ~170 turns) instead of 5, and the spectres did not time out once the spell ended.
- Prior to 0.16, the spectral summons would take stairs with you.
- Prior to 0.15, Death Channel had a duration half as long.
