K Galen B

This. If HoF is comparable to Charge or Sacred Immolation you're either not hitting enough targets or damage done with Carnage is messed up - try increasing your accuracy and/or damage done after DR is accounted for.

Thanks for posting this, I very much appreciate a good summary of obfuscated (intentionally or not) effects and their interactions. Info like this is my gaming drug of choice.

Fun build for moving along as a monk! Double points for the basic build mechanic (lashes+battle forged+other retaliation effects later) being useful from almost the beginning of the game - no endgame equipment/talents/abilities needed to make this start working.

That is a nice little discovery, thanks for mentioning it. I've been using a few food and consumable items & keeping some of the more useful-looking drugs, but using them is a bit awkward (unless I'm missing something?) and breaking my habit of rarely bothering with consumables in Infinity engine games is really tough. I guess I should expect that from a 15-year-old habit...

Okay, so if it shares bonuses from equipment the anomalies I've seen might be from whatever base abilities/accuracy/dr/etc. that the phantom has. Hmm... the 8 dr vs slashing might've been because it ignored the Fine enchantment on my robe while still applying the +5 from the Belt of Blunting. I guess if I seriously want to test this out I should get around to installing IE Mod (curse you, Steam updates, for making this so risky) so I can use more console commands and fewer workarounds. That, or if I recall correctly, I saw a program somewhere that could convert .unity3d files (specific to PoE or not, I can't remember) to something readable. I think it looked like a PITA to use or maybe just install but that could shine some light on this question and maybe even open the door to a mod or two. Thanks for the help! If I test/check more and find out stuff I'll try to add it to this thread. At the moment I feel the urge to make a few more posts and get this moderator-approval monkey off my back...

I've looked around and it is hard to find up-to-date information on what the Phantom actually shares with the caster or has by default. I can't see how abilities, talents, or basic bonuses from equipment are related, if at all. Its attack looks like the lightning portion of Kalakoth's Minor Blights in the log, but with more accuracy than my caster. Doesn't seem to have a Blast effect so far. The Phantom's Deflection is higher than my caster and its DR against Slashing, at least, is lower. Its attacks seemed marginally slower. Items with Spellbinding no longer seem to work, including rings. Items with Spell Holding do appear to work - my Phantom was activating Consecrated Ground and Holy Meditation all by himself. Does anyone know more specifics about this spell and/or Substantial Phantom?