As the Mage: Runemaster is not implemented yet and I personally know nothing about its development process / progress, and all we have about developers’ vision of Runemaster is sub-class description, I’d like to suggest my own vision of it and my mechanics example.
Idea logic: existing sub-classes, Sorcerer and Spellblade, are made around direct damage mechanics and surviving mechanics. One is a melee based sub-class and other one is more “classic” caster. Let me quote here current Runemaster’s description …
“You have tamed the power of raw arcane, weaving its chaos with the art of runes. You can recall your youth, the trouble you once had transcribing the simplest glyph, and scoff. You now carve intricate symbols into the air ensnaring your foes, raising walls and golems from nothing but your own knowledge. You have become an artisan of sorts, but your craft is that of reality itself.”
Key words I see here are …
- “ensnaring your foes”
- “raising walls and golems”
- “transcribing the simplest glyph”
- “carve intricate symbols into the air”
… and in this words I can see increased control ability, trap type skills, using minion mechanics and some spell basis - glyphs in the air.
And first I must say: I don’t think that Runemaster needs next minion type spells like “rise and go kill my enemies”. It should be something different but still gaining a bonus from minion buffs / affixes. I would also like to see increased support potential, yet still this shouldn’t be clear buffing role. But the main idea is about glyphs and carving them.
I think, glyph mechanics may be built around time management, meaning that player may / should choose WHEN to use them and HOW LONG. Imagine, that glyph is a form of magic accumulator, becoming stronger in time. Some of them allows to activate magical effect immediately and increase their power if caster continues to support the spell. Some need time to be prepared and they get stronger and stronger when kept for a better moment.
Let’s summarize …
Runemsater’s features …
- time management mechanics
- spells with prolonged effects
- spells with preparation mechanics
- support and control
- some minion mechanics
Runemaster’s skills:
I should clarify here that suggested spells are only a base, foundations for further idea development. A little later I’ll definitely create complete suggestions for every skill in the same format that I’ve already used for Fire Shield and Black Hole skills.
Skill: Sonication
Categories : Spell, Physical, Channeled, AoE
Description: Create a glyph in front of it’s caster and channel magical energy through it to physically damage all enemies in line and shatter their armor. Created glyph continues to exist after channeling is stopped.
Additional info: Damaged enemies get stacking debuff, reducing their armor by 10 for 3 seconds. When caster stops channeling, glyph continues to exists for 2-5 seconds, depending on channeling time.
Functionality:
Caster creates a glyph emitting a sonic beam that damages all enemies in straight line in front of the glyph. Glyph exists while caster channels the spell, and exists some more, when caster stops to channel it.
- Cost: 30 mana + 10 drain / sec.
- Cooldown: 0 sec.
- Damage: low.
- Period of damage / shatter: 0.5 second.
- Frequency increases by 2% per INT.
- It also can be increased via spell casting speed.
- Drain / sec is independent of period / frequency, though it paid at the end of every period (so it’s 5 mana per 0.5 sec by default).
- AoE type: beam, long straight line; beam pierces enemies.
- Beam length: more than average.
- Beam width: small, slightly wider than caster / single enemy.
- Glyph base duration: 2 seconds.
- Additional duration: 1 second per each 1 second of channeling up to 3.
- Players are able to create additional glyphs even while previous ones still exist.
- Players are able to change beam’s direction while channeling, but it becomes fixed when channeling stops.
Tree node examples:
- Shatter the hopeless: increases damage and shatter duration by 100% against frozen enemies.
- Last wave: the more time caster channels this spell, the more damage will be dealt to enemies when caster stops to channel. Enemies have also a chance to be knocked back.
- Empowered glyph: caster creates a glyph only after 1.5 second preparation. But sonic beam becomes 60% wider, its damage increases by 30% and glyph exists for 1 additional second.
- Overwhelm: enemies damaged by the beam have their movement speed reduced by 30% + 10% per each second of channeling.
Idea explanation:
- This skill is less damaging (originally) but more controlling and increasing potential of allies on the battlefield. It weakens enemy armor, can slow them or knock back.
- Player may choose the way this skill can be useful. Skill can be channeled to save mana or to create several glyphs for grater area coverage or to maximize shatter effect at the start of combat.
- It may support several synergies with more traditional elemental spells to increase their effectiveness or its own.
Skill: Begone!
Categories: Spell, AoE, Minion
Description: knock back all enemies around and create a Runic Wall in front of the caster, existing for 4 seconds. This spell requires no time to be used and its power increases every second while it remains available, but not used.
Additional info: the Wall has 200 health + 20 per INT. Every second of keeping this spell unused increases Wall’s duration by 1 second, Wall’s health by 25% and size of area of effect by 10%. Maximum effect is reached on the 4th second.
Functionality:
This spell requires no time to be used and has no animation, so it can be used with any other action simultaneously (“Manifest Weapon” is an example). It knocks back all enemies around the caster and creates a Wall in front of him, just on the edge of the area of effect. Created Wall is a 100 degrees arc.
- Cost: 15 mana.
- Cooldown: 6 seconds.
- Spell effect becomes stronger every second while spell is available (not on cooldown) but not used. Maximum effect is reached on the 4th second.
- Area: less than average + 10% per second of spell keeping up to a max of +40%.
- Wall duration: 3 seconds + 1 second per second of spell keeping up to a max of +4 sec.
- Wall health: 200 + 20 per INT + 25% per second of keeping up to a max of +100%.
- Wall appears AFTER enemies are knocked back.
- Wall cannot be passed through.
- Wall blocks enemy projectiles, while allied projectiles can pass freely.
- Wall arc angle = 100 degrees.
Tree node examples:
- Wall guard: the Wall is created of stone guards attacking enemies with their hammers in melee.
- Sanctuary: now the area of effect is surrounded with walls completely. Wall’s duration is reduced by 50% but its health is increased by 100% and all allies inside the area of effect generate their ward with great speed.
- Minefield: now the Wall is remote from area center for 90% of the radius (not 100%). Also 12 traps are created on the edge of the area. Traps deal fire damage in a small area when they are stepped on.
Idea explanation:
- This spell has good control and saving potential. The Wall effect is pretty area dependent and can be extremely useful in some situations.
- Efficiency of this skill is also regulated by player.
- Saving potential can be significantly increased.
- May be advanced to utilize minion bonuses or to gain strong buff component.
Skill: Runeplicant
Categories: Spell, Minion
Description: create own monumental copy, a runic mimic which replicates every its caster’s spell. It may perform only spells with zero cooldown and drains their mana cost from the caster. Runeplicant becomes stronger and serves longer if summoned less often.
Additional info: damage dealt by Runeplicant is decreased by 60% (comparing to the caster), but its power also increases via minion bonuses. Every second of keeping this spell unused increases Runeplicant’s health by 30%, duration by 0.5 second and decreases damage penalty by 2% per second. Maximum effect is reached on the 10th second.
Functionality:
Runeplicant is created at target location (like totems). It can’t move but it uses the same skills as its creator. Its skills are completely equal to caster’s but their damage is reduced. Runeplican’t counts as minion as its biggest advantage is that it ADDITIONALLY uses minion bonuses (caster’s +100% elemental damage + 100% minion’s damage = 200% Runeplican’t damage).
- Cost: 40 mana.
- Cooldown: 10 seconds.
- Runeplicant’s duration: 3 sec + 0.5 sec per second of spell keeping up to a max of +5 sec.
- Runeplicant’s health: 300 + 30 per INT + 30% per sec of spell keeping up to a max of +300%.
- Runeplicant’s damage redunction: 60% - 2% per sec of spell keeping up to a max of -20%.
- Runeplicant’s reduction also affects duration of any stacking effects like Ignite, Poison, Bleeding, Frostbite, Sonication’s armor shatter etc.
- Runeplicant drains mana even if it’s already spent. For example, if caster has 50% mana, pays 60% as a spell cost (so it’s -10% of mana pool now), Runeplicant casts that spell again and drains 60% more mana. And so caster has -70% mana in the end.
- Runeplicant has the exact same cast speed as its creator.
Tree node examples:
- Easy management: Runeplicant drains less mana. Its mana efficiency increases by 30% per node level.
- Diligent work: “Runeplicant” spell takes 10% more time to be cast per node level, but costs 10 less mana per node level.
- Provocation: Runeplicant’s health increases by 50%, and when it’s created, all enemies in average area around are provoked for 1.5 seconds + 0.2 sec per each second of spell keeping.
- Doublet: first Runeplicant’s spell deals 50% more damage + 5% per second of spell keeping.
- Autonomy: while caster doesn’t cast spells available for Runeplicant, it casts one of available basic spells: Fireball, Lightning blast or Ice barrage.
Idea explanation:
- This spell allows to utilize minion mechanics with no harm for existing components. At the same time it provides one more way to increase character’s power.
- It’s a target spell, though as Runeplicant copies any spell, it can be used in some specific situations.
- And again: effectiveness management, as Runeplicant’s parameters depend on the moment it was used.
- Various additional minion mechanics (provoke).