What do DKs use for spellpower?

[Melkor]

The difference between DKs and, for example, Shamans, is that the entire Death Knight class is designed to work with Strength (which gives AP) as it's primary stat. That means there is no reason to let the "spells" scale from SP, you can just make them scale directly from AP instead. Shamans, on the other hand, is mainly a caster focused class. That means all spells scale from SP. However, since Enhancement does not want/need caster (Intellect) gear, they have a talent that will convert some of their AP to SP, so that their spells actually can deal some damage.

One could also argue that it has to do with what Blizzard thought made sense back in the Vanilla days.

This makes sense. Spell-like effects aside, DKs are still primarily a melee class. I think even if shamans only had melee and spell dps specs they would need a mechanism like mental agility to limit enhancement's spellpower without crippling elemental's in terms of gearing.

Last question, because I'm straying away from DKs on the DK thread. Just as a mechanism can be used to convert attack power or strength into spellpower, would it not be too difficult design-wise to convert intellect and spellpower into attack power?

[Jademist]

Ban the OP maybe?

Dk is a Hero Class not a hybrid, Thus their dps is on par with PURE dps classes.
And stupid questions are stupid if you read your tooltips in your spell book and talents n such you would know what coefficient/stat more or less contributes to spell power. Just like a ret pally, or an enhance shamman or any spec rogue and their poisons see where i am going with this?

Our diseases make up a very small portion of our dps ( especially if your are frost) as all forum posts and help tips state if you even bothered to read ( its never worth gemming for secondary stat ie. crit/hit/haste/mastery/ect) always gem Strength(unless socket bonus will not result in a net loss if you match the color) Strength increases everything we do. From our auto attacks hitting harder to our pathetic disease ticks.
So... there ya go strength our number 1 stat. StR turns into Attack Power and our spells coefficients scale from that attack power.

I actually felt like typing this morning to bad I wasted it on this

There are only four pure DPS classes: Rogue, Mage, Hunter and Warlock. Everything else is a hybrid.

DK's are hybrids. Warriors are hybrids (practically the same roles that DK's have). Shaman are hybrids.

A hybrid class is one that can fill more than one role. Rogues, mages, hunters and locks can only fill a DPS role.
Dk's, warriors, druids and paladins can tank and can DPS.
Priests and Shaman can heal and DPS.
Druids and Paladins can DPS, heal and tank.

Anyways, DK's are a hybrid class.

http://www.wowpedia.org/Hybrid_class

[Deleted]

This makes sense. Spell-like effects aside, DKs are still primarily a melee class. I think even if shamans only had melee and spell dps specs they would need a mechanism like mental agility to limit enhancement's spellpower without crippling elemental's in terms of gearing.

Last question, because I'm straying away from DKs on the DK thread. Just as a mechanism can be used to convert attack power or strength into spellpower, would it not be too difficult design-wise to convert intellect and spellpower into attack power?

The technology is there, but the gear is not. The only reason I can see that is using a spell based class and giving it physical damage. The problem is that caster weapons have had their physical DPS nerfed by a lot (mainly because of Enhancement), so I don't think it'd work out as well as you'd hope.

[Melkor]

The technology is there, but the gear is not. The only reason I can see that is using a spell based class and giving it physical damage. The problem is that caster weapons have had their physical DPS nerfed by a lot (mainly because of Enhancement), so I don't think it'd work out as well as you'd hope.

That is indeed a problem. Makes clothie melee kind of untenable.

[Epiclurker]

This makes sense. Spell-like effects aside, DKs are still primarily a melee class. I think even if shamans only had melee and spell dps specs they would need a mechanism like mental agility to limit enhancement's spellpower without crippling elemental's in terms of gearing.

Last question, because I'm straying away from DKs on the DK thread. Just as a mechanism can be used to convert attack power or strength into spellpower, would it not be too difficult design-wise to convert intellect and spellpower into attack power?

Its not done to avoid to many classes rolling for the same gear. Cloth wearers have enough competition with there being 9 specs that can use the same section of gear. They don't want to start adding other classes to that list.

[Breyers]

Ban the OP maybe?

Dk is a Hero Class not a hybrid, Thus their dps is on par with PURE dps classes.

Perhaps you should be the one getting banned for Trolling. lol