Life Leach, 1st lvl necromancy spell

[Eladrinblade]

This is my version of Larloch's Minor Drain from the infinity engine games. It is based off Bestow Wounds from HoH, but better. It actually heals you, rather than vampiric touch which grants you temp hp regardless if you are wounded or not.

Life Leech
Necromancy
Level: sor/wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: touch
Target: living creature touched
Duration: instantaneous/1 hour
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

Your touch deals 1d4 damage +1/level, you heal that much up to your max hp as if a cure spell had been cast on you. If this would bring you above your max hp, the remaining points are converted into temporary hp. Never crits, never deals bonus or precision damage. Creatures that can't be healed by a cure wounds spell are immune to life leach.

[Deepbluediver]

My only objection is that I don't really like spells that roll 1 small dice and then increase by a set amount per level. That rapidly leads to a situation where the flat value is the most important bit and the diceroll is almost an afterthought, and I LIKE rolling dice.

Personally I would change the spell to maybe be something like 1d4+1d4/3 levels, which is almost the same progression-wise but ends with you rolling an entire handful of dice. That's just me though.

[noob]

The odd thing is that while that spell would be thematic for an undead caster, an undead casting that spell would take damage or not heal due to the "as if a cure spell was cast on you" clause.

[Eladrinblade]

It steals the targets positive energy and gives it to you; undead wouldn't benefit from that. You made me realize I need to specify that this spell only affects creatures that can be healed by a cure wounds spell.

As for variance/rolling dice, if it was 1d4+1 at 1st, 4th, 8th, etc
So, let's say 12th level:
1d4+12 (13-16)
vs
4d4+4 (8-20)
that's pretty close; that would work
I don't think I want to do it that way but there's no reason another DM shouldn't.

[Maat Mons]

If undead can't make use of the positive energy stored in living creatures, why do many of them have an innate Energy Drain ability that gives them temporary hit points when they use it on a living victim?