User:Reason.decrystallized/Builds/N/any Blood of the Lich

This build uses Aura of the Lich to reduce incoming damage and all but negate health sacrifice while spamming cheap blood magic skills to create a heavy, sustainable flow of armor-ignoring damage/lifesteal.

Attributes and Skills
For most PvP, one optional slot will of course be filled with a res sig. For PvE, one might go as a secondary monk and take Rebirth, and for AB Verata's Aura is useful when facing an enemy MM. Hex and condition removal (Mending Touch works nicely) are good to have, especially in RA and AB where friendly monks are not guaranteed; other possibilities include Blood Ritual (especially in PvE and TA), enchantment removal, Consume Corpse, or Jaundiced Gaze.

Equipment

 * Any max armor will do; survivor insignias are not recommended as their benefit is halved by Aura of the Lich. +Armor while enchanted or Radiant armor would probably work best.
 * 20/20 blood magic; + 20% enchants is also nice as it increases the time that can elapse between castings of AotL and increases the regeneration time on Blood Renewal.

Usage
Cast and maintain Aura of the Lich, and cover with Blood Renewal. Cast Life Siphon on your target, then start spamming Dark Pact and Blood of the Aggressor. Signet of Lost Souls should be spammed whenever applicable. When faced with heavy degen, some additional Life Siphon targets can help compensate.

In general, with Aura of the Lich halving incoming damage, 9 pips of regen from Blood Renewal and a single casting of Life Siphon, and Blood Renewal, Signet of Lost Souls, Aura of the Lich, and Blood of the Aggressor all providing (at least potential) spike heals, the build is quite sturdy, despite its low health. Additionally, the degen along with the relentless barrage of life stealing and armor-ignoring attacks will kill most targets quite handily.

In PvE, this build will usually be out-damaged by one centered on either Spiteful Spirit or Spoil Victor; however, in situations where such hexes are not a viable option (when fighting Abaddon or Mallyx, for example), a variation on this build might provide an alternative.

Counters

 * Stripping of Aura of the Lich will leave you quite vulnerable to incoming damage and unable to use your sacrifice skills.
 * As with all builds that rely on spamming, skills such as Diversion or Power Block will greatly reduce the effectiveness.
 * Life stealing is very dangerous, as it is not technically damage and will therefore not be reduced by Aura of the Lich.
 * Extreme degeneration: the lowered max health means that this can be something of a problem; however, the build is capable of achieving fairly high regeneration, which, when combined with spike heals from several of the skills, can serve to offset this somewhat.

Note
This build is quite similar in theory to the Dark Bomber builds (using Aura of the Lich to ameliorate the sacrifice effect on a spammable damage skill), however, there are certain distinctions: relying on Life Siphon, Dark Pact, Blood of the Aggressor and Jaundiced Gaze rather than Dark Aura and touch attacks means that the overall damage output is slightly lower, but that it can be inflicted without closing to melee range. This also greatly reduces the efficacy of kiting as a counter. Additionally, leaving out Dark Aura (which caused additional health lost for every sacrifice) and incorporating life-stealing skills insures greater survivability, as well as the possibility of bypassing certain forms of damage reduction (bonders and Stoneflesh Aura, for example).