Mordenkainen's Lost Notebook

Channeled Lifetheft

5-level Necromancy

With this spell, you channel negative energy into a mote of blackness which dances in your hand. When you judge you have poured enough energy into the spell, you release the mote to drain the life force of a living target within range.   The spell’s power depends on how long you spend filling it with negative energy. If you cast channeled lifetheft as a bonus action, it renders a single target incapacitated and you gain 5 temporary hit points. If you cast the spell as an action, it renders the target incapacitated and deals 5d4 necrotic damage, and you gain temporary hit points equal to 5 + the damage dealt. If you wait until your next turn to cast channeled lifetheft, it renders the target stunned, deals 5d4 necrotic damage, and you gain temporary hit points equal to 10 + the damage dealt. If you spend 2 full turns casting the spell, it renders the target stunned, deals 5d8 necrotic damage, and you gain temporary hit points equal to 10 + the damage dealt.   Temporary hit points granted by this spell last until they’re used up or the end of your next long or short rest, whichever comes first.