Choking Grasp

School	Destruction
Level	Novice
Magicka Cost	39
Casting	Fire and Forget
Delivery	Aimed
Effect	Absorb 8 points of health per second from target, for 3 seconds.
Duration	3 seconds
Perk	Novice Destruction (1)
Spell Tome	Spell Tome: Choking Grasp
Game/DLC	Creation Club

Choking Grasp is a Novice Destruction spell from the Arcane Accessories Creation. It drains 8 points of health per second from the target for 3 seconds, and the caster gains that health. Strangulation, Hangman's Noose and Touch of Death are the stronger versions.

Spell Tome

Choking Grasp is learned by reading Spell Tome: Choking Grasp. Calcelmo, Enthir, Falion, Faralda, Farengar Secret-Fire, Madena, Sybille Stentor, Wuunferth the Unliving, Wylandriah and Talvas Fathryon sell the tome. The spell is also taught during The Lost Library.

Location

A copy of the tome waits in the Ancient Tome Chest, deep in Hob's Fall Cave on the Winterhold coast. Opening the chest completes The Lost Library and gives every Arcane Accessories spell tome at once.

How It Plays

The spell fires a projectile that latches onto the target on impact. For a few seconds it drains health from the target and pours the same amount into the caster. A mage can heal while hurting an enemy, without a separate Restoration spell.

Choking Grasp is the Novice spell of the line. It costs very little, and the Novice Destruction perk halves that again. A new mage can use it from the first hours of the game to keep health topped up during small fights.

Compared with Stronger Versions

Strangulation, the Apprentice spell, drains twice as much each second. Hangman's Noose, the Adept spell, drains more again. Touch of Death, the Expert spell, is the strongest and lasts a second longer. Every step up costs more magicka.

The same Absorb Health effect appears on weapons of the Vampire and on artifacts such as the Ebony Blade and the Blade of Woe. Vampiric Drain, the spell every vampire knows, also takes health and gives it to the caster.

Origins

The spell comes with the Arcane Accessories Creation for the Creation Club. That pack adds sixteen spells and a set of mage robes, and many of its spells first appeared in the Spell Tomes add-on for Oblivion.

Dwarven spheres, spiders and centurions resist the drain. Against them the spell deals no damage and returns no health, so a mage in a Dwemer ruin needs a different attack.

Cost and Value

Choking Grasp costs 39 magicka at a skill of zero. Over three seconds it takes 24 points of health from the target and gives them to the caster. Early in the game, when healing potions are scarce, that steady drain saves potions.

The heal arrives over a few seconds rather than at once. The spell is best cast while the caster still has about half of their health, or after stepping back from the enemy.

Spell Categories

All Destruction Spells

Novice

Novice spells are the first a mage learns and cost the least magicka.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Flames	14 per second	Concentration	A gout of fire that does 8 points per second. Targets on fire take extra damage.
Frostbite	16 per second	Concentration	A blast of cold that does 8 points of damage per second to Health and Stamina.
Sparks	19 per second	Concentration	Lightning that does 8 points of shock damage to Health and Magicka per second.
Choking Grasp	39	Fire and Forget	Absorb 8 points of health per second from target, for 3 seconds.
Elemental Flare	45	Fire and Forget	An elemental explosion for 15 points of fire damage, 15 points of shock damage, and half as much damage to stamina.

Apprentice

Apprentice spells need a little practice in the school.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Fire Rune	234	Fire and Forget	Cast on a nearby surface, it explodes for 50 points of fire damage when enemies come near.
Firebolt	41	Fire and Forget	A blast of fire that does 25 points of damage. Targets on fire take extra damage.
Frost Rune	293	Fire and Forget	Cast on a nearby surface, it explodes for 50 points of frost damage when enemies come near.
Ice Spike	48	Fire and Forget	A spike of ice that does 25 points of frost damage to Health and Stamina.
Lightning Bolt	51	Fire and Forget	A bolt of lightning that does 25 points of shock damage to Health and half that to Magicka.
Lightning Rune	323	Fire and Forget	Cast on a nearby surface, it explodes for 50 points of shock damage when enemies come near.
Elemental Bolt	62	Fire and Forget	An elemental explosion for 20 points of fire damage, 20 points of shock damage, and half as much damage to stamina.
Strangulation	84	Fire and Forget	Absorb 16 points of health per second from target, for 3 seconds.

Adept

Adept spells are the middle rank and hit noticeably harder.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Chain Lightning	156	Fire and Forget	Lightning bolt that does 40 points of shock damage to Health and half to Magicka, then leaps to a new target.
Fireball	133	Fire and Forget	A fiery explosion for 40 points of damage in a 15 foot radius. Targets on fire take extra damage.
Flame Cloak	289	Fire and Forget	For 60 seconds, opponents in melee range take 8 points fire damage per second. Targets on fire take extra damage.
Frost Cloak	316	Fire and Forget	For 60 seconds, opponents in melee range take 8 points frost damage and Stamina damage per second.
Ice Storm	144	Fire and Forget	A freezing whirlwind that does 40 points of frost damage per second to Health and Stamina.
Lightning Cloak	370	Fire and Forget	For 60 seconds nearby opponents take 8 points of shock damage and half magicka damage.
Whirlwind Cloak	338	Fire and Forget	For 60 seconds, opponents in melee range have a chance of being flung away.
Elemental Burst	96	Fire and Forget	An elemental explosion for 30 points of fire damage, 30 points of shock damage, and half as much damage to stamina.
Hangman's Noose	143	Fire and Forget	Absorb 26 points of health per second from target, for 3 seconds.

Expert

Expert spells are powerful and expensive to cast.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Icy Spear	320	Fire and Forget	A spear of ice that does 60 points of frost damage to Health and Stamina.
Incinerate	298	Fire and Forget	A blast of fire that does 60 points of damage. Targets on fire take extra damage.
Thunderbolt	343	Fire and Forget	A Thunderbolt that does 60 points of shock damage to Health and half that to Magicka.
Wall of Flames	118 per second	Concentration	Sprayed on the ground, it creates a wall of fire that does 50 points of fire damage per second.
Wall of Frost	137 per second	Concentration	Sprayed on the ground, it creates a wall of frost that does 50 points of frost damage per second.
Wall of Storms	145 per second	Concentration	Sprayed on the ground, it creates a wall of lightning that does 50 points of shock damage per second.
Elemental Blast	144	Fire and Forget	An elemental explosion for 40 points of fire damage, 40 points of shock damage, and half as much damage to stamina.
Mara's Wrath	329	Fire and Forget	For 30 seconds, opponents in melee range take 16 points fire damage per second. Undead up to level 26 flee for 30 seconds. Swim unharmed in freezing cold water.
Touch of Death	316	Fire and Forget	Absorb 40 points of health per second from target, for 4 seconds.
Unbounded Flames	78 per second	Concentration	Casts a stream of long-distance fireballs in an arc. Impact creates a wall of fire that does 50 points of fire damage per second.
Unbounded Freezing	69 per second	Concentration	A freezing wind envelops the caster, knocking down nearby enemies and freezing them for 50 points of damage per second to Health and Stamina.
Unbounded Storms	69 per second	Concentration	Targets in melee range take 40 shock damage per second to Health, and half that to Magicka. Random lightning strikes deal an additional 30 damage.

Master

Master spells are the strongest in the school and need the most skill.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Blizzard	1106	Fire and Forget	Targets take 20 points of frost damage for 10 seconds, plus Stamina damage.
Fire Storm	1426	Fire and Forget	A 100 point fiery explosion centered on the caster. Does more damage to closer targets.
Lightning Storm	138 per second	Concentration	Target takes 75 points of shock damage per second to Health, and half that to Magicka.