How to nerf a touch ranger.
shana quilisa
Don't get me wrong i love touch ranger i think its one of the smartess builds i've ever seen. Although if GW wants to nerf it I know a simple way they could make the build less powerful. If they change both the touch spells vampric and the other one i forget from "skills" to spells. This makes alot of things like backfire effective without taking the build completly out of the game. Please tell me what you think or you're ideas on how it should be nerfed if so at all.
AndrewAtHome
In a recent appearance, my guild leader managed to speak to Gaile about changing the description of Expertise, in a similar way to what you've mentioned, and she said she'd have a word with someone about it. Lets cross our fingers.
audra
If you must nerf touchers, just increase the recharge....
Image
get rida dual skillz
Faer
I say nerf Bonders, it's sooo cheap how they keep the NPC's alive in Fort Aspenwood... Let's nerf Adrenaline too, those Warriors have way too much spike potential! 
I'd prefer it if ArenaNet left touch rangers alone and went to work on important things. Besides, how often does a Touch Team take Halls as compared to, oh, maybe... IWAY?
Whatever they do, I hope they do it soon. I can't stand the 12876514617171461771 threads about touchers sucking, or the suspense of waiting to see what they are going to do to the build...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Image

I'd prefer it if ArenaNet left touch rangers alone and went to work on important things. Besides, how often does a Touch Team take Halls as compared to, oh, maybe... IWAY?
Whatever they do, I hope they do it soon. I can't stand the 12876514617171461771 threads about touchers sucking, or the suspense of waiting to see what they are going to do to the build...
Quote:
get rida dual skillz
They are in the game for a reason... Why don't you think about that reason before you request/demand that they be removed?
Zui
How about people who think touchers need a nerf learn to not suck at the game? Then touchers don't need a nerf, and there are far less uberscrubs!
Loki Seiguro
a simple fact is that touch rangers will not be nerfed.
touch ranegsr were created through smart thinking like all the other builds so it would be wrong to nerf touch rangers (not sure if what im saying makes sense but w/e)
touch ranegsr were created through smart thinking like all the other builds so it would be wrong to nerf touch rangers (not sure if what im saying makes sense but w/e)
Hollerith
Mikosi had a great comment about this, one that I had never thought of (since I never read the Expertise description - I only assumed I knew what it was).
Expertise reduces energy cost of attack skills. If the touches are attack skills, then they should be able to be blocked/evaded/etc. I doubt Anet will make the touches blockable, since that puts their utility/energy cost kinda out of whack (and lightning touch... forget it).
I think they'll update Expertise to have it work as intended.
I'm not really advocating nerfing touchers. I only really became frightened of them after I was running into one every RA match, but pulled myself together after some introspection & switched strategy. But I would like to be able to play an RA game without having to remind people to stay away from the R/N's.
Expertise reduces energy cost of attack skills. If the touches are attack skills, then they should be able to be blocked/evaded/etc. I doubt Anet will make the touches blockable, since that puts their utility/energy cost kinda out of whack (and lightning touch... forget it).
I think they'll update Expertise to have it work as intended.
I'm not really advocating nerfing touchers. I only really became frightened of them after I was running into one every RA match, but pulled myself together after some introspection & switched strategy. But I would like to be able to play an RA game without having to remind people to stay away from the R/N's.
TwinRaven
yet another NERF the touchie thread...*sighs*...please use search, read and/or contribute to other threads...oh, great moderators hear my plea "please merge these threads" as they are popping up like mushrooms in a dungheap.
I play a touchie and have never heard SO many complaints about it until the Vampiric Touch cloned skill "Vampiric Bite"...even with this new skill there is the same balance as before...more damage occurs quicker-yes, but the energy management is trickier bescause the cost is greater than Touch of Agony (the skill most commonly used in previous builds) Using the cloned skill...you have to watch the energy, especially with a good mesmer around.
...I've been playing the build for months and over a year if you include beta characters...there is nothing wrong with it...it can and IS often countered...I have met defeat at the hands of many character classes...mesmers, warriors, necromancers, elementalists have ALL defeated me with multiple conditions, kiting, interrups and skill disabling...please think beyond your current mode of playing, use some imagination and develope some simple tactics before crying "NERF"..or, hey, here's a thought...try some TEAMWORK!!! One-on-one is where you are weak with a touchie...gang up on them and they go down faster...As a touchie I hate a knock-down build and drain build in combination...ugh...watermagic is SO underused, but slow me down so I can't get to you....cripple me, knock me down and run away from me while someone drains my health or throws conditions at me...
I can't beleive so many people fussing about this...think of it as a game of "Tag"...the trick is not to get touched...How do you accomplish this? RUN AWAY! Kiting, kiting, kiting...try it for Dwayna's sake...sheesh SO simple...SO many people have figured this out already...leave my build alone.
EDIT: Please look here for suggested counters for touch rangers...took me 2 minutes to find it: http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/R/N_Touch_Ranger
I play a touchie and have never heard SO many complaints about it until the Vampiric Touch cloned skill "Vampiric Bite"...even with this new skill there is the same balance as before...more damage occurs quicker-yes, but the energy management is trickier bescause the cost is greater than Touch of Agony (the skill most commonly used in previous builds) Using the cloned skill...you have to watch the energy, especially with a good mesmer around.
...I've been playing the build for months and over a year if you include beta characters...there is nothing wrong with it...it can and IS often countered...I have met defeat at the hands of many character classes...mesmers, warriors, necromancers, elementalists have ALL defeated me with multiple conditions, kiting, interrups and skill disabling...please think beyond your current mode of playing, use some imagination and develope some simple tactics before crying "NERF"..or, hey, here's a thought...try some TEAMWORK!!! One-on-one is where you are weak with a touchie...gang up on them and they go down faster...As a touchie I hate a knock-down build and drain build in combination...ugh...watermagic is SO underused, but slow me down so I can't get to you....cripple me, knock me down and run away from me while someone drains my health or throws conditions at me...
I can't beleive so many people fussing about this...think of it as a game of "Tag"...the trick is not to get touched...How do you accomplish this? RUN AWAY! Kiting, kiting, kiting...try it for Dwayna's sake...sheesh SO simple...SO many people have figured this out already...leave my build alone.
EDIT: Please look here for suggested counters for touch rangers...took me 2 minutes to find it: http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/R/N_Touch_Ranger
iksarious noom
i agree with twinraven 100%, as a ele 88% of the time, i often meddle with the different elements, water is too underrated, being that the skill recharge and energy cost on many of the spells is well....expensive. but there is nothing more satisfieing, than slowing down a pursueing foe for an indeffinant amount of time. so to conlude use those brains we all know u have and simply find a way to counter something, not complain about it!
winkgood
Wow, another cry thread for nerfing touchies. Learn to play the freakin game. There are dozens of threads that discuss ways to easily counter touch rangers. Have people actually tried these or are they just too lazy to do anything but suck on their thumbs and cry hoping that Anet will make things all better? Touchies aren't broken. Just because a build is popular doesn't mean its overpowered. There's plenty of other cookie cutter builds in RA that are overused. Should we nerf all of those too?
Reikai
change topic title to:
How to buff your brain.
How to buff your brain.
August August
"now show me on the doll where the ranger touched you..."
I hate Molest...I mean Touch Rangers as much as the next guy, but there is a simple law of life; try to find your own solutions first before asking someone else to find them for you. In this case, try the many counter builds posted around these forums before asking the Devs to 'fix' the problem for you. There is no build that is unstopable.
I hate Molest...I mean Touch Rangers as much as the next guy, but there is a simple law of life; try to find your own solutions first before asking someone else to find them for you. In this case, try the many counter builds posted around these forums before asking the Devs to 'fix' the problem for you. There is no build that is unstopable.
Bloodied Blade
I just handle them with an earth elly...Obsidian Flame ftw.
I think what most people are annoyed at though is just that touch rangers need waaay too much more preparation to kill, you need like 1/2 a skill bar to even begin to put up a fight. Your entire team needs to kite them, snare them, and find a way around stances, which in RA is hard to do.
I've pretty much stopped caring though.
EDIT: @Avaith Faer, I didn't even realize that people were still getting beaten regularly by IWAY... Isn't dual smite more common now as the FotM build? AFAIK the only people that can still regularly run an IWAY and win are MATH. Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled posting.
I think what most people are annoyed at though is just that touch rangers need waaay too much more preparation to kill, you need like 1/2 a skill bar to even begin to put up a fight. Your entire team needs to kite them, snare them, and find a way around stances, which in RA is hard to do.
I've pretty much stopped caring though.
EDIT: @Avaith Faer, I didn't even realize that people were still getting beaten regularly by IWAY... Isn't dual smite more common now as the FotM build? AFAIK the only people that can still regularly run an IWAY and win are MATH. Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled posting.
Voltar
if i had realized this was a gripe post, i wouldn't have opened it. i was thinking this was a good player that wanted to share a build to kill touchers which is all you really need. not whining and moaning.
it doesn't even take a special build to kill them, just learn to play or bring a skill just for them (or play one and find out how you keep getting your butt handed to you).
learn to play, not gripe...jeez...people need to get beyond the 8 skills that are always on their toolbar and realize there's a ton more.
it doesn't even take a special build to kill them, just learn to play or bring a skill just for them (or play one and find out how you keep getting your butt handed to you).
learn to play, not gripe...jeez...people need to get beyond the 8 skills that are always on their toolbar and realize there's a ton more.
Voltar
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hollerith
Expertise reduces energy cost of attack skills...I think they'll update Expertise to have it work as intended.
actually it's not intended to be only attack skills (skills, rituals and preparations i believe the discription says)
pretty much anything that isn't a spell/hex/enchant i think
pretty much anything that isn't a spell/hex/enchant i think
Hollerith
'Attack skills' is the only part of the Expertise description that applies to the discussion.
Killmur
I have seen a couple of fairly decent Touchers in PvE. Hell the build makes me think about some day trying it out in PvE. The simple nerfing solution is to nerf the WHINERS!!! Honestly deal with it and create a anti-Touch build. I myself am sick of seeing these "Nerf The Touch Ranger Build Cause It Is OMG So Powerful" threads.
SirDigi
To nerf them would be easy, just change it to a touch spell. Little to no time thinking.
JimmyDean
Personally, I don't hate touch rangers because they are powerful. There are plenty of powerful builds out there. The problem I have with touch rangers is that not only are they powerful, but they are very difficult for most builds to counter. There are only a few skills/builds that can effectively counter a touch ranger. For those of us that dont run those skills/builds, it is near impossible to kill a touch ranger. People arent stupid vs touch rangers. People just cant devote half thier skill bar or change thier build for just one build they encounter. It's just not feasible. I'm pretty tired of hearing that everyone is stupid because they hate touch rangers even though there is a counter to them.
Yanman.be
They don't need nerf. People who complain about TR's, those need nerfs.
Oh, and you want to change them into spells so backfire would trigger it? Good, but most important nerf about that is Expertise won't lower the cost of spells.
Oh, and you want to change them into spells so backfire would trigger it? Good, but most important nerf about that is Expertise won't lower the cost of spells.
Russell.Crowe
OMG another one of these threads... seriously it doesn't need to be nerfed so stop crying. They are so easy to kill... for instance I took on a group of 4 of them in TA (with my group of 3 shock W/E from RA and a monk) and we wrecked them. They didn't get a single kill. We really didn't have anything to counter them except keeping one of them constantly knocked down and taken out. The most simple way to take one out is to cripple them, then have caster classes/rangers take them out.
Helll is for Heroes
just bring a cripple/poison/interrupt ranger and you win.
JimmyDean
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yanman.be
They don't need nerf. People who complain about TR's, those need nerfs.
And this is exactly what I was talking about. The "touch rangers dont need a nerf because people are too stupid to beat them" line is pretty old, and just plain wrong.
JimmyDean
Quote:
Originally Posted by Helll is for Heroes
just bring a cripple/poison/interrupt ranger and you win.
This works just fine when you encounter a touch ranger 1v1 in a scrim or something. But you usually see them on a team, and teams usually have monks, and its a very simple thing to cure cripple/poison. Interupts aren't a very reliable way to kill a touch ranger, imo, but if it works for you...
mathijn
a toucher chains skills, so if you know how to interrupt(frenzy+choking gas?)
they are useless.
they are useless.
Pinghan
Quote:
Originally Posted by SirDigi
To nerf them would be easy, just change it to a touch spell. Little to no time thinking.
Agree ~
Change it to SPELL
So rangers cant spam it anymore ~ nice
Change it to SPELL
So rangers cant spam it anymore ~ nice

Bloodied Blade
Or just not nerf it and find a way around it...If you are fighting a touch ranger, you just need to cripple/blackout/interrupt/diversion/any form of shutdown on them and take them out at range.
I ran a weird blackout ranger build in RA and did well enough at disrupting touches. Just time it, your disrupts fire faster than their touches.
Just because it's difficult to beat doesn't mean it needs to be nerfed. 2 Diversions and their entire skillbar is shot. Even worse is to just use Scourge Healing on them while you're using the diversions. At 12-16 smite it completely cancels the healing they get. That means you can go R/Mo with Scourge Healing and stop their touches from healing them, meaning that if you also pack Distracting Shot and another interrupt or two you can completely neutralize them. Called Shot also bypasses their stances, so Scourge Heal + Called Shot will kill them easily enough.
I ran a weird blackout ranger build in RA and did well enough at disrupting touches. Just time it, your disrupts fire faster than their touches.
Just because it's difficult to beat doesn't mean it needs to be nerfed. 2 Diversions and their entire skillbar is shot. Even worse is to just use Scourge Healing on them while you're using the diversions. At 12-16 smite it completely cancels the healing they get. That means you can go R/Mo with Scourge Healing and stop their touches from healing them, meaning that if you also pack Distracting Shot and another interrupt or two you can completely neutralize them. Called Shot also bypasses their stances, so Scourge Heal + Called Shot will kill them easily enough.
Terra Xin
This should be a reminder to everyone not to bring builds that are too much on the offensive. In some cases it is very difficult to do. So what should you do?
Run, run like your pants are immolated!! (I love heal bot^^)
Actually, I've ab'ed against a touch ranger group with a b-spike team. We totally nailed them^^. A group of 3 or 4 touch rangers is no more effective than 1 touch ranger if they all die before they reach you, or none of them can reach you in the first place.
Their major weakness is touch... Just... wash their hands and they're on the floor crying^^.
Anyway, degen snares, snares, and conditioning beats a touch ranger hands down. f they come in groups of 4, then the group you're abing with we're a bunch of randoms...
Run, run like your pants are immolated!! (I love heal bot^^)
Actually, I've ab'ed against a touch ranger group with a b-spike team. We totally nailed them^^. A group of 3 or 4 touch rangers is no more effective than 1 touch ranger if they all die before they reach you, or none of them can reach you in the first place.
Their major weakness is touch... Just... wash their hands and they're on the floor crying^^.
Anyway, degen snares, snares, and conditioning beats a touch ranger hands down. f they come in groups of 4, then the group you're abing with we're a bunch of randoms...
Brahm Earis
I've got a touch ranger, and here's a couple of hints to stop them.
1.) Slow them down. Cripple, knockdown, imagined burden, ward against foes, something to slow them down.
2.) Mesmers. Mesmers always own the hell out of my touch, especially diversion.
3.) Stop sucking. Learn to play and stop whining. Wild blow>whirling defense and lightning reflexes. Diversion>touch skills. Cripple, imagined burden, ward against foes, knock down>running.
Thats my input. My ranger is touch for PVP at the moment, and they aren't all uber unbeatable.
1.) Slow them down. Cripple, knockdown, imagined burden, ward against foes, something to slow them down.
2.) Mesmers. Mesmers always own the hell out of my touch, especially diversion.
3.) Stop sucking. Learn to play and stop whining. Wild blow>whirling defense and lightning reflexes. Diversion>touch skills. Cripple, imagined burden, ward against foes, knock down>running.
Thats my input. My ranger is touch for PVP at the moment, and they aren't all uber unbeatable.
Holger
Quote:
Originally Posted by shana quilisa
lease tell me what you think or you're ideas on how it should be nerfed if so at all.
Best nerf: Cripshot
R_Frost
i can take my ranger one on one with a touch ranger(or any other caster). 9 of 10 times ill beat the touch with normal bow skills. incendary arrows(everytime arrow hits target is interupted and set on fire),tigers fury,pin down,savage shot,distracting shot, serpents quickness, troll ungent and whatever i feel like throwing in for the 8th slot. when i see a touch ranger coming i usually launch serpents quickness, incendary arrow, tigers fury, use my firey short bow of defense and usually can get them down to 1/2 health without taking much damage or very little compared to what im dishing out. with tigers fury and a short bow the touch ranger rarely gets of a skill or spell fast enough. pin down to keep them from running away and the other interupts when needed while waiting for incendary arrows to recharge. if A-Net wanted to nerf touch rangers, a longer duration on incendary arrows or shorter recharge would be nice. max duration is 8 seconds while recharge is 24, i think. even with serpents quickness you still have some down time before you can launch incendary arrows again but that gives you time to do more damage or launch another interupt or too.
Xx Invictus xX
ive posted this before
but someone go look wat cultists fervor does then think about what you would be complaining about next .
Thats right Me lol with my necromancer.... then i could even arcane echo one of them plus vamp gaze
4 big health stealing skills with 16 blood i wont lose life gain a bit.
cast life siphon on 3 people and touch away... spells = bad idea
but someone go look wat cultists fervor does then think about what you would be complaining about next .
Thats right Me lol with my necromancer.... then i could even arcane echo one of them plus vamp gaze
4 big health stealing skills with 16 blood i wont lose life gain a bit.
cast life siphon on 3 people and touch away... spells = bad idea
JimmyDean
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xx Invictus xX
ive posted this before
but someone go look wat cultists fervor does then think about what you would be complaining about next .
Thats right Me lol with my necromancer.... then i could even arcane echo one of them plus vamp gaze
4 big health stealing skills with 16 blood i wont lose life gain a bit.
cast life siphon on 3 people and touch away... spells = bad idea I was testing Cultist's Fervor with Arcane Echo and Vampiric Gaze this morning. At 16 blood magic, you still net about -5 hps, and with the 5 second recast its not nearly as spammable as the touch spells. Comparing this to a touch ranger is a very far stretch. Life lost with each spell, slower spells due to longer recharge timers, and lack of valuable stances linked to expertise make this a very poor comparison.
but someone go look wat cultists fervor does then think about what you would be complaining about next .
Thats right Me lol with my necromancer.... then i could even arcane echo one of them plus vamp gaze
4 big health stealing skills with 16 blood i wont lose life gain a bit.
cast life siphon on 3 people and touch away... spells = bad idea I was testing Cultist's Fervor with Arcane Echo and Vampiric Gaze this morning. At 16 blood magic, you still net about -5 hps, and with the 5 second recast its not nearly as spammable as the touch spells. Comparing this to a touch ranger is a very far stretch. Life lost with each spell, slower spells due to longer recharge timers, and lack of valuable stances linked to expertise make this a very poor comparison.
floplag
i said this in another thread .. but feel i need to say it again
there have been a dozen threads on how to defeat touch rangers... at least. so it isnt exactly a big secret on what to do... is it ? and yet many are still yelling for the nerf bat to rear its ugly head... why?
i dont like the build and find it annoying as all get out... but since i usually play as a memser in PvP it doesnt annoy me as much as others do
i can think of a few others things that should be nerfed over this one... easy
to whoever thought up the build .. great creativity .. to those that have abused it to the point of silliness.. think for yourselves once in a while
to all of us.. be careful what you yell for a nerf on... your build may be next
there have been a dozen threads on how to defeat touch rangers... at least. so it isnt exactly a big secret on what to do... is it ? and yet many are still yelling for the nerf bat to rear its ugly head... why?
i dont like the build and find it annoying as all get out... but since i usually play as a memser in PvP it doesnt annoy me as much as others do
i can think of a few others things that should be nerfed over this one... easy
to whoever thought up the build .. great creativity .. to those that have abused it to the point of silliness.. think for yourselves once in a while
to all of us.. be careful what you yell for a nerf on... your build may be next
JimmyDean
Quote:
Originally Posted by R_Frost
i can take my ranger one on one with a touch ranger(or any other caster). 9 of 10 times ill beat the touch with normal bow skills. incendary arrows(everytime arrow hits target is interupted and set on fire),tigers fury,pin down,savage shot,distracting shot, serpents quickness, troll ungent and whatever i feel like throwing in for the 8th slot. when i see a touch ranger coming i usually launch serpents quickness, incendary arrow, tigers fury, use my firey short bow of defense and usually can get them down to 1/2 health without taking much damage or very little compared to what im dishing out. with tigers fury and a short bow the touch ranger rarely gets of a skill or spell fast enough. pin down to keep them from running away and the other interupts when needed while waiting for incendary arrows to recharge. if A-Net wanted to nerf touch rangers, a longer duration on incendary arrows or shorter recharge would be nice. max duration is 8 seconds while recharge is 24, i think. even with serpents quickness you still have some down time before you can launch incendary arrows again but that gives you time to do more damage or launch another interupt or too.
This is why touch rangers often bring Dodge and Zojun's haste, and a few of them even pack Escape.
Sneale.
Omg yes! Lets nerf the touch ranger cause its way too powerful, and no-one can think of a build outside a cookie-cutter to endure/beat it.
Oh while were at it, please nerf EVERY build here.
Oh while were at it, please nerf EVERY build here.
JimmyDean
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sneale.
Omg yes! Lets nerf the touch ranger cause its way too powerful, and no-one can think of a build outside a cookie-cutter to endure/beat it.
Oh while were at it, please nerf EVERY build here. Were you to actually read this thread rather than blindly posting, you might notice that noone is even remotely implying that "no-one can think of a build outside a cookie-cutter to endure/beat it." People can think of builds, aside from the ones already well known, to beat a touch ranger. These builds just aren't much good for anything else.
Oh while were at it, please nerf EVERY build here. Were you to actually read this thread rather than blindly posting, you might notice that noone is even remotely implying that "no-one can think of a build outside a cookie-cutter to endure/beat it." People can think of builds, aside from the ones already well known, to beat a touch ranger. These builds just aren't much good for anything else.
Xx Invictus xX
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyDean
I was testing Cultist's Fervor with Arcane Echo and Vampiric Gaze this morning. At 16 blood magic, you still net about -5 hps, and with the 5 second recast its not nearly as spammable as the touch spells. Comparing this to a touch ranger is a very far stretch. Life lost with each spell, slower spells due to longer recharge timers, and lack of valuable stances linked to expertise make this a very poor comparison.
first of all i didnt state my point lol... i meant if they put the touches to spells how this would be overpowered 2ndly... 14% health sacrafice... at lvl 16 blood... this all depends on ur maximum health.. lower health dont sacrafice as much... echo vamp gaze... +2 touches this is overpowered sorry for skipping out on this ... im at work... lol
edit: necro/mesmer why not throw in distortion for some defense
first of all i didnt state my point lol... i meant if they put the touches to spells how this would be overpowered 2ndly... 14% health sacrafice... at lvl 16 blood... this all depends on ur maximum health.. lower health dont sacrafice as much... echo vamp gaze... +2 touches this is overpowered sorry for skipping out on this ... im at work... lol
edit: necro/mesmer why not throw in distortion for some defense
JimmyDean
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xx Invictus xX
first of all i didnt state my point lol... i meant if they put the touches to spells how this would be overpowered 2ndly... 14% health sacrafice... at lvl 16 blood... this all depends on ur maximum health.. lower health dont sacrafice as much... echo vamp gaze... +2 touches this is overpowered sorry for skipping out on this ... im at work... lol
edit: necro/mesmer why not throw in distortion for some defense It wouldn't be any more powerful than the current touch ranger. The touch skills cost 15 mana. With 16 Blood Magic and Cultists Fervor active, and assuming the skills are changed to spells, they cost 8 mana, you sacrifice 14% hp, and you steal 77 hp.
With 16 Expertise, the skills would cost only 5 mana and you steal 65 hp. You would also still have access to the stances under the Expertise line.
And concerning a N/Me with distortion, the spells you are spamming already will take a huge chunk of your energy bar, even with the extra pip of regen. I dont think distortion would be able to replace stances like Whirling defense, Dodge, and Escape.
A Necromancer will also have weaker armor than a ranger.
edit: necro/mesmer why not throw in distortion for some defense It wouldn't be any more powerful than the current touch ranger. The touch skills cost 15 mana. With 16 Blood Magic and Cultists Fervor active, and assuming the skills are changed to spells, they cost 8 mana, you sacrifice 14% hp, and you steal 77 hp.
With 16 Expertise, the skills would cost only 5 mana and you steal 65 hp. You would also still have access to the stances under the Expertise line.
And concerning a N/Me with distortion, the spells you are spamming already will take a huge chunk of your energy bar, even with the extra pip of regen. I dont think distortion would be able to replace stances like Whirling defense, Dodge, and Escape.
A Necromancer will also have weaker armor than a ranger.