That's why I said some form of energy conversion. Certainly he'd have to twist the spell a little - but since he's turning physical damage into physical damage, it doesn't seem unreasonable.
I recall in written words one of the Drizzt books by Salvatore, the Drow Psion had a spell that functioned exactly like would be required - you take physical hits that don't affect you, and you can channel that energy directly into any target you wish.