User:Leonim/Build/Mantis style

Attributes

 * Blood Magic : 12 + 1 + 1
 * Death Magic : 8 + 1
 * Soul Reaping : 5 + 1
 * Other (depending on secondary profession) : 9

Equipment
An Insightful staff of Enchanting is a must-have, blood staff will do (unprotected) dark damage when at range, but beware the 20% HSR for Blood Renewal, while a death staff would deal cold damage and help your enchantment management. Naturally, a Rune of Superior Vigor is advisable. ;)

Tips

 * You are both dealing touch (armor-ignoring) shadow damage to your target AND adjacent ones, think about it when placing yourself among melee attackers.
 * Don't cast Blood Renewal before it ends, but as soon as it does or while flashing, or you will suffer the consequences of too much sacrifice without the necessary health gain (which is, by the way, above 80% of your updated max health every ten seconds, without taking the +6 health regen into account).
 * Use Aura of the Lich as often as you can afford to, since it will do a potent self-healing each time it ends (each 22s if you spam it, without taking HSR into account).

Partnership

 * Have a teammate bring the usual panoply of the smiter (Balthazar's Aura and Shield of Judgement shoul do the trick for both of you) to hasten the demise of your unlucky foes, Divine Intervention if ou have a hiccup and lastly Vengeance to raise you until foes are all dead.
 * Enlist a bonder with Essence Bond, Life Bond and Vital Blessing (with the very optional Life Barrier), remind him/her that Balthazar's Spirit will also benefit you, twice actually, because of Dark Aura.

Variants
After some usage or depending on the opponents, you will probably wish for upper max health, some plain healing (instead of health regeneration) or to use this with another profession, then change your secondary.

[[Image:Necromancer-icon.png|Necromancer]][[Image:Assassin-icon.png|Assassin]] Shadow Mantis
Notably, the build can be easily adjusted between offense (Blood Magic) and defense (Shadow Arts)... meaning a primary Assassin would actually be more defensive than a necro one, but in the end he/she will have to suffer damage far a longer time when trying to kill things : so think about runner jobs and forgo damage skills.

Optional slot can additionaly be filled with :
 * a spike health-regenerating Shadow Refuge,
 * or some shadow-stepping ability from Death's Charge to Return.

Some subtelties from the shadows' use :
 * Don't wand/attack when under Dark Escape (or hexes activated upon attack), you won't need the extra damage anyway and you can chase your prey meanwhile to get a kill.
 * Shroud of Distress has a double purpose, cover the two main enchantments and save some sweating whenever you go below the critical limit : 25% of your original max health.

[[Image:Necromancer-icon.png|Necromancer]][[Image:Ritualist-icon.png|Ritualist]] Spirit of the Mantis
Spirit Light will fit very well, and/or a combination of Wielder's Boon with a long-duration Weapon Spell like Resilient Weapon or Weapon of Warding.

You can also choose the Communing line of skills and use a Vital Weapon health enhancement along some spirits like Shelter, Union and/or Displacement.

[[Image:Elementalist-icon.png|Elementalist]][[Image:Necromancer-icon.png|Necromancer]] Mantis Golem
Use Kinetic Armor coupled with Dark Pact (replacing Wallow's Bite), while sending some Crystal Waves after snaring foes with Grasping Earth or Ward Against Foes. Or if you really want lethal fun from time to time, bring Sliver Armor.

The benefit of Energy Storage is really helpful in this setting, Aura of Restoration will give you that extra healing you lacked, but try to balance all your attributes as well : Blood is your offence, Earth is your defense and Storage is your longevity.

[[Image:Ranger-icon.png|Ranger]][[Image:Necromancer-icon.png|Necromancer]] Mantis Expert
Expertise is your weapon of choice since those touch skills will cost you nothing, while Whirling Defense will protect you when hate is growing up and finally Throw Dirt will incapacitate your melee foes.

Troll Unguent can give you more survivability, while a Frozen Soil spirit will also act as a bait and choke point. If you are notoriously facing elemental damage, prefer skills like Storm Chaser and Dryder's Defenses.

Anyway, remember to bring your fellow Symbiosis spirit along at low-level, it will work miracles : since it won't protect foes much against you while giving you a nice edge (works like a charm with Blood Renewal).

[[Image:Necromancer-icon.png|Necromancer]][[Image:Warrior-icon.png|Warrior]] Bucked Mantis
When charging on your preys, use Balanced Stance, and when recovering, chain Wary Stance and Bonetti's Defense (don't forget to use Blood Renewal after each of the last two ended stances for timed health recovery).

[[Image:Monk-icon.png|Monk]][[Image:Necromancer-icon.png|Necromancer]] Divine Mantis
Divine Intervention and Contemplation of Purity will be your safeguards (one to save you from death, the other to cancel the style and self-heal all together) in case something goes wrong or just for a full health gain showdown.