O_o
Brilliant!
I'm toying mostly with the idea of finding ways to "empower" the skills on your weapon, to be more powerful and/or have additional effects while empowered. I still think the profession skills could be best as little cooldowns, fueled by some sort of resource, which you can activate to empower your skills for a short period of time.
I was thinking of marking/branding as a sort of secondary mechanic. Just as, while a Thief has initiative, he also works a lot with Steal. And stealth. And shadowstep.
Perhaps the two concepts could be tied somehow. I like the idea of the #1 skill (in the case of chain skills, the third hit), applying some kind of mark, or a branded effect, to the enemy, which you can consume with other skills for an additional effect.