Grounding Totem

Grounding Totem
Grounding Totem (1 rank) Shaman ability 5% of base mana Instant Summons a Grounding Totem with 5 health at the feet of the caster that will redirect one harmful spell cast on a nearby party member to itself, destroying the totem. Will not redirect area of effect spells. Lasts 45 sec.
Properties
Class	Shaman
School	Physical
Cooldown	None/Global Cooldown
Improvements	[Mental Quickness], [Totemic Focus]
Related buff
Grounding Totem Immune to the next spell cast on you.

[[Category:shaman abilities]][[Category:shaman abilities]]

"Shamans are the guardians of the Earth and when any harmful action is directed against him/her the Earth will protect their guardian."

Functionality

Applies a buff to all party members within range every 10 seconds which effectively makes them immune to the next spell cast on them specifically (not AoE!). This spell will affect the totem instead. Since patch 2.3 the totem is destroyed upon the redirecting any spell.

*Useful both solo and grouped.

*Especially handy solo when attacking things with sleep/stun spells, ie: Basilisks.

Use

• Casting Time: Instant Cast
• Range: Not Applicable
• Duration: 45 seconds
• Cool down: 15 seconds Cool down

Limitations

• Must be within 20 yards of the totem.
• The totem of any rank has only 5 hp; it is easily destroyed by mobs and players.
• Second longest cooldown for a totem (if we exclude the [Mana Tide Totem] talent spell).

Rank Table

Rank	Level	Type	Mana Cost	Description	Cost
1	30	Enhancement	5% of base mana	Summons a Grounding Totem with 5 health at the feet of the caster that will redirect one harmful spell cast on a nearby party member to itself, destroying the totem. Will not redirect area of effect spells. Lasts 45 sec.

Talents

Talents that can improve the totem:

	Type	Description	Talent Points
	Restoration	[Totemic Focus]	5
	Enhancement	[Mental Quickness]	3
	Restoration	[Totemic Mastery]	1

Tips

The Grounding Totem is very useful for initially shutting down mages in PVP. Simply [Earth Shock] to break their first cast, drop the Grounding Totem to absorb their second cast, and [Earth Shock] should be ready again by the time the mage can cast again.

It is also useful to place a Grounding Totem down when needing to heal as it can redirect spells that prevent you from healing like [Earth Shock] and [Counterspell].

The Grounding Totem is noteworthy when trying to escape a class that has spell based snares, such as a mage's [Frostbolt] so the shaman doesn't get slowed down when fleeing. Grounding Totems are exceptionally well at absorbing Mana Drains as they will not be harmed from it Mana Drain but still redirects the spell.

It is possible, though rare, for a Grounding Totem to be able to absorb more than one direct damage spell. This typically can happen if the two spells finish casting before the totem is hit by the initial spell. Being as how spells with a travel time (such as [Frostbolt]) do not damage the target until the projectile hits, the totem will redirect any of these types of spells until it takes damage and summarily gets destroyed (after which the Grounding Totem buff will be removed).

Grounding totems do not tend to work against boss abilities that mind control players (such as those found with Harbinger Skyriss or Baroness Anastari). However, they do work against monster initiated mind controls (such as those found with Spectral Retainer). The same is also true for fear effects, with the Rift Keeper in Black Morass having a fear that can be grounded. Direct damage effects and curses are generally groundable, even if from a boss.

During Patch 1.6.0 the Grounding Totem was not behaving as designed: it occasionally sucked up spells and effects (even those outside the scope of the totem) as often as they could be applied, rather then once every 10 seconds (it was still being destroyed by the first damaging spell that hit it). This was most noticeable when fighting a rogue in melee and seeing "Crippling Poison fails. Grounding Totem is Immune" appear in the combat log for every time you were hit. This has since been fixed.

Known Uses

• The Arcatraz:
  • Harbinger Skyriss's Fear
  • Dalliah the Doomsayer's Gift of the Doomsayer
• Black Morass:
  • [Pyroblast] from Rift Keepers
• Mana Tombs:
  • Pandemonius's Shadow Chain Attack
  • Nexus-Prince Shaffar's Bolts
• Mechanar:
  • Tempest Keep Patrollers Arcane Attacks(charged fist, etc.)
  • First two mini bosses - their rage
• Ramparts:
  • Omor the Unscarred´s Treacherous Aura/Bane of Treachery
  • Nazan´s Fireball
• Serpentshrine Cavern:
  • Lady Vashj's Shock Burst--extremely useful for saving your MT 8-9K health and an aggro drop.
• Sethekk Halls:
  • Talon King Ikiss's Polymorph
• Shattered Halls:
  • Grand Warlock Nethekurse's Death Coil
• Slave Pens:
  • Mennu the Betrayer (Heroic): Lightning Bolt
• Sunken Temple:
  • Shade of Eranikus's sleep, you will still suffer from an aggro drop though
• Karazhan:
  • Maiden of Virtue's Holy Fire
  • Skeletal Waiter's Brittle Bones
  • Skeletal Usher's Ice Tomb, Frost Shock
  • Ethereal Spellfilcher Will absorb some Arcane Volley bolts
• High King Maulgar:
  • Kiggler the Crazed's Lightning Bolt
• Tempest Keep: The Eye:
  • High Astromancer Solarian's Arcane Missiles (will absorb one of the three she casts on the target in your party)