Hero class idea: arcane damage pure dps

[Eschatonin]

Editing: Forgot an integral part of one spec.

This is a hero class idea I've formulated over a while, mostly to keep my mind entertained when otherwise things would be dull. Before I go on, I should make some points;
- If you're not into reading, move along.
- This is an 'if' post. If the time came where a new class would improve the game (pros > cons), rather than a 'lets do it because it's cool'.
- No real names for anything. I focused on content, mechanics and focus before anything else.
- Every name is a "placeholder".
- This is the way a new class should be thought out rather than this is what it should be.

Hero Class: Arcane Symbiont
Pure dps
Roles: 2 ranged, 1 melee
Armor class: Leather
Starting level: 55 (since DKs can't be changed here, best to make them start at the same level)
Appearance differences: Glowing eyes. Think Blood Elves and Draenei rather than Forsaken, Night Elves and Death Knights.

Story: Your character is part of a Horde/Alliance war party, in a mountainous snow zone hunting down a new expansion enemy. The party is attacked by this enemy, and defeated. The corpses, and those who seemed dead (a caster, a melee, and a civilian) and yourself are arranged and arcane parasites are introduced into the bodies of the dead, bringing them back to life with some kind of arcane energy protuding from one of their arms, and sided with the enemy. These parasites are then introduced to yourself and the 3 still living members of your party, bringing all back to full health, but instead attacking and helping yourself and each other escape.
Eventually you're all lead by an urge to one location, where you find others of the Alliance or Horde, and a sapient race, who got the same parasite and lived. It's explained that if the brain of the host is alive when the parasite joins, a sybiosis occurs and the parasite is changed by their host, learning the values and soul of their host.
The 3 you escaped with each becomes an apprentice to a teacher of each spec, and you do quests to learn of each specs abilities before you choose your spec, and continue the story and gain your talent points.


Specs: Symbiosis, Exploitation and Reliance
Each of these specs are personality focused, and show what the character was before the symbiosis took place.

Symbiosis
Melee caster with a pet.
Resource: Mana.
Uses Intellect.
Level 10 mastery ability is the Spellblade, the core piece of this spec that lets the character use their melee range spells. Consists of 70% arcane damage in attacks, 30% physical.
Level 80 mastery gets the character a pet. The pet is the only auto-attack the character has. Each attack has a chance to cause a buff the the character that stacks to 10, which increases the potency of a few abilities (Much more vastly at 10 then 9 or below).
Mastery increases the damage of the pet and the chance it causes a buff.
Based on Raziel from Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver.
This is a spec based on a former melee class, and a person who forms an equal relationship with their symbiont.
Abilities:

Flurry: Channelled (not moving). Stabs the target, or the closest target if out of range, with the Spellblade with great speed. Haste increases amount of attacks.
Vital Strike: Instant. #second CD. An arcane "rope" holds the target in place while the character lands a stab into the target. Benefits from Pet Buff.
Slash: Hits target twice with Spellblade, first hit with 100% damage, 2nd with 50%.
Symbiont Wings: Similar to Slow Fall, except the user can change direction while gliding down. Lasts until landing.
Escape: 2 second cast (not moving), 1 minute CD. The character jumps from the ground, removing all roots. Can use no ability until landed (glyph or talent could allow Symbiont Wings to be used).
Jump Strike: The character jumps in the air and slashes down on its target. Benefits from Pet Buff. Think Illidan fight.
Cleave: 10 second CD. Can be minor glyphed to become a spellblade (arcane) version of Divine Storm, Whirlwind, Chain Lightning (melee range), or Fan of Knives.
Blade Piercing: 3 minute cooldown. Lasts # seconds. Increases the physical damage component of abilities by #%. Cannot be used with Offhand Spellblade active.
Offhand Spellblade: 2 minute cooldown. Lasts # seconds. Summons a Spellblade from offhand, causing Slash and Jump Strike to cause a 2nd attack, doing #% of the original. Cannot be used with Blade Piercing active.


Exploitation
Ranged caster with physical damage spells.
Resource: Energy
Uses Intellect. While energy is being used as a resource, the mana pool increase from intellect is turned into an undecided bonus.
Level 10 mastery ability is Psychic Ball
Level 80 mastery decreases the amount of energy required to use abilities.
Based on Psycho Mantis from Metal Gear Solid
This is a spec based on a former ranged class, and a character who exploits their symbiont, using it as a power supply for their own ends.
Abilities:

Psychic Ball: # Second cooldown. Instant. 30 yard range. Fires a ball of kinetic energy in the direction the target is in at cast. Upon Hitting a target, it is knocked back a distance and damaged. Knockback doesn't occur 15 yards or closer, but is increased from distance from 15-30 yards. Can be glyphed to do extra damage instead of knockback.
Kinetic Throw: Picks up a chunk of rock and hurls it at the target.
Sonic Wave: A wave of sound hits the target, causing a melee crit/armor debuff to be applied on the target).
Complicate Flesh: A ranged rend.
Heart Explosion: DoT that increases damage over its duration.
Shockwave: Warrior's devastate ability.
Precognition: Cooldown 4 minutes. Cloak of Skill, but with #% success rate.
Float: 1.5 minute cooldown. Increases speed and ignores ground-based AoEs. Lasts until damaged directly.


Reliance
Ranged caster
Uses Rune Mechanic, but with Willpower and Mind, Body and Soul "runes"
Uses Intellect.
Level 10 mastery ability is Arcane Snap.
Level 80 mastery gets an undecided bonus
This is a spec based on a someone who was never prepared for combat, so the symbiont takes more control.
Abilities:

Arcane Snap: 1 Body, 1 Mind. #second cast. Pulls a wave of Arcane energy like a whip from the ground, eventually hitting the target.
Arcane Wave: 1 Body, 1 Mind. 6 second CD: A wave of Arcane energy hits the target, and hits 2 more in it's ranged for 50% of the damage the target in front recieved.
Conjured nuke: 1 Mind #second cast. An arcane ability that does 75% of its damage through nuke, and 25% of its damage from a DoT applied. Can be minor glyphed to become a fireball/shadow bolt/lightning bolt/wrath/arcane arrow.
Spellspike: 1 Body, 1 Soul Instant. A spike of energy, like a Spellblade, reaches out suddenly and stabs the target. 70% arcane damage, 30% physical.
Ranged Flurry: 2 Body. Channeled. A slower, ranged version of Flurry. 70% arcane damage, 30% physical.
Symbiont Fortitude: A dps version of Spirit of Redemption, with the Symbiont able to use Arcane Snap, Wave and Spellspike.
Arcane Lightning: # Willpower. Chain lightning with arcane damage.
Arcane Kinesis: # Willpower, 1 Mind. Pretty much Expoitation's Kinetic Throw, but with 25% of the damage as arcane.
Symbiont Seperation: 1 Body, 1 Mind, 1 Soul The symbiont seperates completely from the caster. The caster isn't able to use Spellspike or ranged Flurry, and has only 1 charge of each "rune", and does 80% damage, but the symbiont becomes a pet, acting like a Symbiosis spec character for # seconds or the symbiont reaches 25% health and returns to the character.

[AlsDKsauce]

What is this...
I don't even...

[Herecius]

While I think the last thing WoW needs is another pure DPS mana based class, I really do dig the idea of a 'telekinetic' caster who specializes in physical DPS.

That said, I'm going to punch a kitten if somebody else uses that meme of neolithically-ancient proportions for.. literally anything again.

[Aurzon]

It's not a terrible idea, as the only others that use mana in the leather class are caster Druids, so the competition is low at least, but I agree with Herecius that another pure-DPS class right now would just not be a great idea. I'm pretty sure every realm is lacking on the tanks + healers vs damage dealers balance. Your concepts are very interesting though, Escha.

[Calzaeth]

I love the idea, and I sure as heck would roll one if implemented. However, I doubt they ever will implement it, and here's why:

We currently have four tanking classes: Protection Paladin, Protection Warrior, Feral Druid and Blood Death Knight.
We also have four healing classes: Restoration Druid, Restoration Shaman, Holy Paladin and Discipline/Holy Priest
We also have four pure DPS classes: Mage, Warlock, Rogue and Hunter.
So: 4/4/4

IF Blizzard were to add another class, it would probably be a true hybrid(true hybrid= DPS-tree, Tanking-tree and Healing-tree), simply to keep the balance.

Personally, I cross my fingers for this class, and the one in my sig^^

[mstreurman]

It would be cool if they would make a real supportclass: A guy that can only throw buffs around at other players. Something like: I give you 4000sp, I give you the possibility to stun bosses. And put it on low durations so it would keep the class busy.

[Eschatonin]

It would be cool if they would make a real supportclass: A guy that can only throw buffs around at other players. Something like: I give you 4000sp, I give you the possibility to stun bosses. And put it on low durations so it would keep the class busy.

They were called Paladins. That wasn't much of a fun class to play.