Good sources of negative energy damage?

[Zanos]

I am an undead wizard(level 7) in a pretty sandbox campaign. Between myself and the undead I'd like to create, what are some good sources of negative energy I can use to heal? I picked up a wand of negative energy ray, but was wondering if there was anything else that isn't a dread necro dip.

[mauk2]

what are some good sources of negative energy I can use to heal?

Don't you mean...evil sources of negative energy? :D

[Zanos]

The negative energy plane does not, interestingly, have an alignment trait.

So load me up with dat exalted negative energy.

[gooddragon1]

I hesitate to recommend this, but black sand.

The problem is that while it does do negative energy damage, it's contageous to the environment in some fashion I can't remember. So you can't afford to spill any if you want to be a good person.

[The Viscount]

A pet necrosis carnex (MMIV, make control via animate dead) or undead martyr (Ghostwalk, make via create undead and control via your favored method).

[Gildedragon]

A Saint Xeg Yi
Eta: oops. Outsiders can't be saints. Well then. Just a good Xeg Yi

[Ger. Bessa]

You can slap the BoED metamagic (can't remember if it's purified or consecrated or something else) on any 'inflict' or 'harm' spell. To get them on your list, arcane disciple (destruction?). Enervation and Necrotic Skull Bomb will heal you too.

I love how everybody went with the exalted negative energy

[Morcleon]

I hesitate to recommend this, but black sand.

The problem is that while it does do negative energy damage, it's contageous to the environment in some fashion I can't remember. So you can't afford to spill any if you want to be a good person.

Being an undead, you can simply make an incision and carve out a small chunk of yourself, dump the black sand in, then watch as it heals you back up. :smallbiggrin:

Now you have a permanent non-magical Fast Healing 1d4.

[Deophaun]

I hesitate to recommend this, but black sand.

The problem is that while it does do negative energy damage, it's contageous to the environment in some fashion I can't remember. So you can't afford to spill any if you want to be a good person.
Interestingly, black sand does not work.

Undead do not get a blanket negative energy -> hp conversion. It just says that negative energy "can" heal undead, not that it will. If you look at almost every source of negative energy, it will tell you how it heals an undead creature. For example; inflict spells are 1:1, while negative energy aura is set at 2 hp/round even thought its damage is based on caster level.

Black sand, meanwhile, says nothing about healing undead. And since there is no general rule about how negative energy heals, it does nothing. In fact, I'm pretty sure it hurts undead.

[Jowgen]

The Ritual of the Dark Flames, LoD p.11.

If you can get someone to perform it on you, which requires 100 gp and 1200 exp on your part, you permanently gain the supernatural ability to create flames of negative energy. These are a ranged touch attack (measily 10 ft range, but as per the fluff you might get more if your hands can reach further than 5 ft) that deal 1d6 of Energy damage per HD you have (yay for scaling abilities). Explcitly heals undead. :smallsmile:

The downside: each time you use it you take 2 Wisdom damage. :smallconfused:

As for Exalted Negative Energy, I have looked long and hard and found nothing beyond the odd good-aligned Lich variant. :smallannoyed:

[gooddragon1]

Interestingly, black sand does not work.

Undead do not get a blanket negative energy -> hp conversion. It just says that negative energy "can" heal undead, not that it will. If you look at almost every source of negative energy, it will tell you how it heals an undead creature. For example; inflict spells are 1:1, while negative energy aura is set at 2 hp/round even thought its damage is based on caster level.

Black sand, meanwhile, says nothing about healing undead. And since there is no general rule about how negative energy heals, it does nothing. In fact, I'm pretty sure it hurts undead.

It's not an unreasonable assumption that negative energy heals undead if it doesn't mention otherwise. It's just probably a DM adjudication. However, unless it says it damages undead it doesn't by the similar logic as it not healing. See the ravid monster entry for an example.

Interesting stuff though.

[Deophaun]

However, unless it says it damages undead it doesn't by the similar logic as it not healing.
The logic is not similar. Black sand says it deals damage to "creatures." Undead are creatures, and as stated there is no general rule that negative energy will heal undead, nor that they cannot be damaged by it. (This energy-type healing always seemed ill-conceived to me: just because my computer runs on electricity that doesn't mean shooting a lightning-bolt into the motherboard is going to fix it; quite the opposite, in fact. So I take black sand as a tiny island of sanity.) In the absence of any contradicting rule, black sand harms undead.

See the ravid monster entry for an example.
The ravid doesn't damage creatures generally. Its damage is stated as being specific to undead. This actually supports my contention that black sand damages undead, because black sand does not have such limiting language.

[Windrammer]

I am an undead wizard(level 7) in a pretty sandbox campaign. Between myself and the undead I'd like to create, what are some good sources of negative energy I can use to heal? I picked up a wand of negative energy ray, but was wondering if there was anything else that isn't a dread necro dip.

Try to get a Shadow Sun Ninja cohort. Shadow Sun Ninja's first level ability would heal the undead at the cost of healing you.

[ExLibrisMortis]

Uttercold spells (+0 metamagic) deal half cold damage, half negative energy damage. If you're immune or resistant to cold, uttercold walls of fire can be pretty useful to fight in. The feat (Lord of the Uttercold, in Complete Arcane) requires 9 ranks in Knowledge (the planes), and Energy Subtitution (Cold).

[AnachroNinja]

The wording of Tomb Tainted Soul is that you are healed by negative energy and damaged by positive energy "as if you were an undead creature" that seems a pretty solid precedent for a general rule about undead and negative energy in my opinion.

[Gildedragon]

Lesser Planar Ally / Lesser Planar Binding
a Xeg-Yi: 5HD, Rebukes (but cannot command) as a 5th level cleric, meaning it can bolster, has 4 incorporeal touch attacks that heal undead 2d8+5-1d6 points (so between 1 and 20 points)

[Zanos]

I hesitate to recommend this, but black sand.

The problem is that while it does do negative energy damage, it's contageous to the environment in some fashion I can't remember. So you can't afford to spill any if you want to be a good person.
Probably my best bet for right now. The healing per turn isn't overwhelming so I doubt my DM will be too upset, and I can likely get my hands on a scroll somewhat easily, then throw a horse in it or something.


A pet necrosis carnex (MMIV, make control via animate dead) or undead martyr (Ghostwalk, make via create undead and control via your favored method).
Both would require that I be level 11, but both are excellent solutions.


Interestingly, black sand does not work.

Undead do not get a blanket negative energy -> hp conversion. It just says that negative energy "can" heal undead, not that it will. If you look at almost every source of negative energy, it will tell you how it heals an undead creature. For example; inflict spells are 1:1, while negative energy aura is set at 2 hp/round even thought its damage is based on caster level.

Black sand, meanwhile, says nothing about healing undead. And since there is no general rule about how negative energy heals, it does nothing. In fact, I'm pretty sure it hurts undead.

If that's your reading of the rules that's fine, but I've never played with a DM that ran it that way and don't run it that way myself.


The Ritual of the Dark Flames, LoD p.11.

If you can get someone to perform it on you, which requires 100 gp and 1200 exp on your part, you permanently gain the supernatural ability to create flames of negative energy. These are a ranged touch attack (measily 10 ft range, but as per the fluff you might get more if your hands can reach further than 5 ft) that deal 1d6 of Energy damage per HD you have (yay for scaling abilities). Explcitly heals undead. :smallsmile:

The downside: each time you use it you take 2 Wisdom damage. :smallconfused:

As for Exalted Negative Energy, I have looked long and hard and found nothing beyond the odd good-aligned Lich variant. :smallannoyed:
I actually saw that ritual while making this character and then promptly forgot it existed. This will combine well with an orb of mental renewal. That lets me heal 12 points of ability damage per day, giving me 6 uses. Not bad. Bonus points for being strong enough to worth spending an action on in combat, and doubling as an attack. Small problem in that I've killed quite a lot of clerics of Cyric and co, although I suppose nobody is left alive to ID me, and I was disguised anyway for most of it. At the worst, I can dominate one of the clerics one I hit 9 and make him do it for me.



Try to get a Shadow Sun Ninja cohort. Shadow Sun Ninja's first level ability would heal the undead at the cost of healing you.
As with most problems, I tend to pass on Leadership based solutions.


Uttercold spells (+0 metamagic) deal half cold damage, half negative energy damage. If you're immune or resistant to cold, uttercold walls of fire can be pretty useful to fight in. The feat (Lord of the Uttercold, in Complete Arcane) requires 9 ranks in Knowledge (the planes), and Energy Subtitution (Cold).
Just a Necropolitian, so no cold immunity. I'll keep it in mind if I start accumulating minions immune to cold, or become cold immune myself.


Lesser Planar Ally / Lesser Planar Binding
a Xeg-Yi: 5HD, Rebukes (but cannot command) as a 5th level cleric, meaning it can bolster, has 4 incorporeal touch attacks that heal undead 2d8+5-1d6 points (so between 1 and 20 points)
Useful, but I prefer to avoid planar binding shenanigans while possible. DMs always seem more inclined to mess with bindings than other forms of minions, despite any precautions I might take.

[Gildedragon]

Planar Ally then. Or make them a good offer. Be polite and careful with the Energon, establish a working relationship