Vampiric Touch

Vampiric Touch is a level 10 Shadow priest ability. It deals shadow damage over 21 seconds, heals the priest for a portion of the damage, and generates Insanity when cast.

Vampiric Touch is one of the shadow priest's damage over time effects, and is a key shadow ability due to its interactions with Mastery: Shadow Weaving and Shadowy Apparitions.

Additionally, Vampiric Touch is one of the few periodic damaging effects that features built in dispel protection, immediately horrifying the dispeller when dispelled.

• The horrify effect triggered from dispelling does not have diminishing returns.
• The original version of the ability restored mana to the priest's group, based on shadow damage the priest dealt to the target, and gave Shadow priests the reputation as "mana batteries."
• Patch 3.0.2 introduced Replenishment, a passive mana restoration effect designed incredibly similar to Vampiric Touch's original mana restore effect (Replenishment also replaced this effect). Vampiric Touch was one of the few spells that made use of this new mechanic, triggering every time Mind Blast damaged the target. This continued until Patch 5.0.4 removed the Replenishment mechanic entirel.

• Vampiric Touch (Fires of Outland), TCG card