Life force

In-game screenshot of life force meter.

Life force is the necromancer's resource that fuels Death Shroud and Reaper's Shroud. Life force is gained when players or NPCs die nearby (approximately within a range of 1,200 units) and through certain skills. Death Shroud depletes life force and ends when it reaches zero.

The base size of your life force pool is 69% of your maximum health, meaning it is indirectly affected by your Vitality attribute, and can be further increased by the Strength of Undeath minor trait of the Soul Reaping specialization, to 79.35% of maximum health.

The life force bar, located above the weapon skills, displays life force level relative to its full value. Character death will drain some life force, as well as changing maps, or logging out and back in.

List of skills that grant Life Force

Skill Categories	Skill	Description
Staff	Necrotic Grasp	Send out a grasping hand that damages foes in a line and grants you life force.
	Mark of Blood (with Soul Marks trait)	Inscribe a mark that bleeds foes when they trigger it, and grants regeneration to allies.
	Chilblains (with Soul Marks trait)	Inscribe a mark that chill and poison the target area.
	Putrid Mark (with Soul Marks trait)	Inscribe a mark that transfers conditions from yourself to foes when they trigger it.
	Reaper's Mark (with Soul Marks trait)	Inscribe a mark that causes fear when foes trigger it.
Scepter	Feast of Corruption	Strike your target, gain life force, and corrupt boons on your foe. For each condition on your target up to the condition threshold, gain additional life force and inflict torment.
Axe	Ghastly Claws	Summon spectral claws to slash your foe in a quick flurry of strikes, gaining life force per strike. This attack deals increased damage per stack of vulnerability on your target.
Main-hand Dagger	Necrotic Stab	Strike your foe again.
	Necrotic Bite	Strike your foe and gain life force.
Warhorn	Locust Swarm	Gain swiftness and summon a swarm of locusts that cripple nearby foes.
Focus	Reaper's Touch	Send out a scythe that bounces between foes and allies. Causes vulnerability on foes and regeneration on allies.
Spear	Reaper's Scythe	Reap life force from nearby foes.
Trident	Feast	Weaken and damage foes around you. Gain life force per foe struck. Fire a Crimson Tide at each enemy in the area.
Greatsword	Chilling Scythe	Strike foes and chill them.
	Death Spiral	Conjure a drill of dark energy on your blade and rend the armor of foes in front of you. Deal increased damage to foes above the health threshold.
	Grasping Darkness	Toss spectral scythes at foes in front of you, applying chill to them and pulling them to you. Gain life force for each struck foe.
Torch	Harrowing Wave	Unleash a wave of corrupted fire, burning and tormenting enemies. Gain life force for each enemy struck.
Heal	"Your Soul Is Mine!"	Heal yourself and strike foes around you, absorbing life force for each foe struck.
Utility	Haunt (after Summon Shadow Fiend)	Command your shadow fiend to teleport to a foe and attack all nearby foes, inflicting conditions.
	Necrotic Traversal (after Summon Flesh Wurm)	Sacrifice your flesh wurm, teleport to it, and poison foes.
	Signet of Undeath	Passive: Generates life force while in combat. Active: Revive up to three downed allies in a target area.
	Spectral Armor	Gain life force as you take damage.
	Spectral Grasp	Pull target foe and all nearby foes to you, chill them, and gain life force.
	Spectral Wall (with Spectral Mastery trait)	Create a spectral wall that protects allies and fears foes.
	Spectral Walk	Create a shadowy tether and become spectral, gaining life force when struck. You may return to your initial position by using Spectral Recall.
	Well of Corruption	Target area pulses, converting boons on foes into conditions
	Dessicate	Draw in vital energy from your foes to gain life force and grant boons to nearby allies. Convert a boon on affected enemies into torment and cripple.
Elite	Lich Form	Assume the form of a lich for a brief time. Entering this form removes all other spectral effects. Gain life force when this skill ends.
Death Shroud	Life Transfer	Damage nearby foes and steal their life force.
Reaper's Shroud	Life Reap	Cleave foes around you, gaining life force for each foe struck. This skill inherits traits from Life Blast.
Blood Magic	Mark of Evasion (with Soul Marks trait)	Leave a Mark of Blood when you dodge.

• Skills marked with are only available with the Reaper Elite specialization.
• Skills marked with are only available with the Scourge Elite specialization.

Related traits

Death Magic

•  Soul Comprehension — Your passive life-force generation from nearby deaths is increased.
•  Unholy Sanctuary — Regenerate health while in shroud. If your life force is above the threshold, your shroud will activate if you would take a lethal blow.

Blood Magic

•  Unholy Martyr — Entering shroud transfers conditions from allies to you. Exiting shroud consumes conditions currently on you and converts them to life force.

Soul Reaping

•  Gluttony — Increases life force gain from skills. Getting life force gives you might.
•  Soul Marks — Marks generate life force when triggered. Marks are unblockable.
•  Spectral Mastery — Reduces recharge on spectral skills. Spectral skills last longer and grant life force on use.
•  Strength of Undeath — Maximum life force is increased. Deal more damage when above the life-force
  [sic]
  threshold.

Reaper

•  Chilling Victory — Striking a chilled foe grants might and life force.
  (Single attacks can activate this trait more than once before recharging.)
•  Blighter's Boon — Gain life force when you apply a boon to yourself. If you are in reaper's shroud, gain health instead.
•  Soul Eater — Greatsword skills gain reduced recharge. Periodically heal and gain life force while wielding a greatsword.

Scourge

•  Nourishing Ashes — Gain life force when you inflict burning, and remove or corrupt a boon.

References

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Skill types and profession mechanics