How about when you cast mana leech at a target, your runestaff flares and the flare kills the target. Do I even earn essence for the kill? I spent mana, but I only spent 1 mana for the kill since a successful mana leech only costs 1 mana.

So, do I get the base amount +1?

Or do I get base amount +12 mana (mana leech does actually cost 16 mana)?

Do I earn no essence since it wasn't an attack based spell?

How does something like the clip below calculate in earning essence? It was a new creature, it had not been wounded or cast at with any other spells. I just happened across it, cast mana leech and BAM! Dead from the runestaff flare.

>incant 516

You intone a phrase of elemental power while raising your hands, invoking Mana Leech...

Your spell is ready.

You gesture at a gremlock.

CS: +424 - TD: +364 + CvA: +25 + d100: +70 == +155

Warding failed!

A dull grey beam momentarily materializes between you and a gremlock.

The dull grey beam suddenly flashes a deep blue and intensifies!

She shakes violently!

You feel a sudden rush of power as you absorb 51 mana!

Your deringo runestaff releases a shimmering beam of disintegration!

... 35 points of damage!

Front half of head devoured. Brains are now optional.

A gremlock collapses and her eyes roll up as she dies.

Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.

The only real way for me to test this is to get extremely lucky with my essence pool empty and hope my runestaff will flare upon casting 516 at a new target and then hoping the flare will result in a crit kill. Then I can see if any essence is applied to my pool or not.....but for these particular events to line up in my favor is a very long shot. Hopefully a NIR can provide me answer.

Surprisingly this is the third runestaff flare kill I've had from casting 516 on targets in the past few days, which is why I'm curious if I earn essence from this kill.