In computer games and wargames, damage over time (DoT) is a type of effect that causes damage in regular increments (or at a steady rate) for a limited amount of time. This damage can be equal at all increments, or it may build up or diminish in power while the effect remains. A "channeled" spell is a sub-type of a DOT that requires the caster to maintain the spell cast to the exclusion of other actions.

DoT effects are most commonly found in computer role-playing games, but also frequently appear in other video games. By far the most common example of damage over time is the status effect "poison", which appears in nearly every CRPG that features status effects; it usually damages a target for every turn the afflicted character takes, and if it remains after battle, for every step taken on the map.

In many games (especially massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs)), DoTs are known to ignore armor rating on a character, meaning the damage the spell is supposed to inflict is not reduced by a character's defensive attributes.

A common tactic in such games is to have the spellcaster stack several different DoTs on a character causing his or her life to drain rapidly. One such example is the Warlock in World of Warcraft. Using the spell Fear, the Warlock can cause his foe to run around in terror uncontrollably. As the victim is under the effects of Fear, the Warlock can cast several DoT spells to force the player to lose health, such as the following examples:

• Corruption - Inflicts a disease on a target that causes X damage over Y seconds.
• Curse of Agony - Curses the target with agony causing X Shadow damage over Y seconds. This damage is dealt slowly at first, and builds up as the Curse reaches its full duration.

[edit] References

• Guild wars DOT information
• WoW combat information
• Explanation of Damage over Time on the WoWwiki