I in fact accepted something in fact adverse like a 25% of backbone spent added as best lightning damage. But instead they gave us 7-134 (avg: 70.5) added lightning damage, + 127% of backbone cost. And that doesn't arise to be a range, but just a collapsed added damage.

So, let's analyze Archmage to Added Lightning Accident support. The closing deals 21-402 (average of 211.5 damage). Subtract the abject accident of Archmage from that. So an boilerplate advance of 140 damage.

And the bulk of backbone (spent) to according the old added lightning accident is appropriately 140 / 1.25, or 112 mana.

That is ...significant, as you can get that afterwards any backbone investment whatsoever. (And my heirophant can get 20x that from the acquiescent timberline abandoned afterwards gear.) The botheration with application it in non-mana builds would in fact be the backbone about-face issue, as to be expected. But they can sustain it bigger with backbone flasks.

So, how do Heralds assemblage up? (The algebraic is slightly, as I am basing the absent accident off the aloof best mana, rather than aggravating to go through the actual backbone afterwards the reservation. But it's a acceptable estimate.)

So, Heralds assets 25% of your backbone baseline, and HoT adds 7-76 lightning accident to your spells. OK, calmly bandy out HoT, in barter for not reserving the mana, as even with baseline backbone levels, you lose added accident by reserving this mana, and can be recovered with a backbone pot if spent and not reserved. HoI adds 5-56 algid damage. So it's even worse, but it's algid damage, and freezing is nice.

Herald of Ash is abundant added interesting. It adds 15% of concrete accident as added blaze damage. So, added accident = 0.15x Damage, while reserving 25% of mana. In added words

DeltaDamage = (0.15 x PDamage) - ( (1/4 x MaxMana) * 1.25)

So, in adjustment to break for the bulk of concrete accident per backbone you assets in adjustment for it to be account it, let's break for MaxMana.

MaxMana * 1.25 / 4 = 0.15 * PDamage

MaxMana = 0.15 * PDamage * 4 / 1.25

= 0.6 * PD / 1.25

= 0.48 * PD

So, in adjustment for Herald of Blaze to be account it, your backbone but be no added than 1/2 of your concrete damage. Or in added words, for EK, blank concrete damage-specific accident increases, you'd charge to accept backbone of about 200 points, on average, by the time the gem's akin 20.

(Also, I accept no abstraction if the Effectiveness of Added Damage: 120% applies appropriately to this phys accident as added blaze as it does to archmage. I anticipate it should. But what do I know? If it doesn't apply, afresh it's even worse for HoF)

In Conclusion: Reserving backbone in fact isn't account it, if you're an archmage. Let your thoughts breeze like water, my friend.