Hero Talent Concept: Spellblade

[Sagenod]

A Mage hero talent tree shared between all three specs, the idea is to create a fun, flashy, preferably not broken melee-hybrid playstyle. Although I put a lot of consideration into the gameplay, I don't claim to be proficient in balancing, and as such I would greatly appreciate advice on the matter.

EDIT: I appreciate all the feedback. Spellblades as a mage spec/new class is a common sentiment I see, and I can’t say I disagree. Designing an entire spec, let alone a class is certainly ratcheting things up a notch but I like the idea…

Spellblade v1.0


/ = Differentiates between spec or talent choice
N = Placeholder variable because I have no clue

School of Battle Magic
Intellect increases your melee attack power and critical hit chance. Learn a new ability:

Magistrike
A magically-enhanced attack with a conjured sword, dealing Froststrike/Flamestrike/Spellstrike damage to the target.
Only usable after consuming Fingers of Frost/Hot Streak/Clearcasting. Lasts N seconds.


Left
Spell Fencing
Dealing Froststrike/Flamestrike/Spellstrike damage summons a Conjured Blade that floats beside you. Blades will parry attacks that you are unable to, dealing Froststrike/Flamestrike/Spellstrike damage to the attacker and disappearing.
Each Blade increases your parry chance by N%. Max N Blades can be active at a time.

Feedback
You have a chance equal to your parry rating to deflect harmful spells cast on you. Doing so while your barrier is active reflects the spell to its original caster and deals an additional N Froststrike/Flamestrike/Spellstrike damage.
-or-
Kirin Tor Tactics
Enhances some of your non-damaging Mage spells:
Alter Time: Immediately restores 20% of your max health
Remove Curse: Also removes Magic effects from the target
Polymorph: Casting makes the target intangible for 2 seconds
Slow Fall: Grants you the ability Glide while active

Blade Ward
Casting your barrier spell causes your Conjured Blades to orbit around it, granting an additional N% parry chance per Blade, but they can no longer parry attacks for you. Blades return to normal when your barrier expires or if you cast your barrier spell again.


Center
Reflexive Casting
Your attacks have a chance to cause your next Frostbolt/Fireball/Arcane Blast within 3 seconds to be instant cast and deal an additional N Physical damage.

Arcing Assault
Your attacks strike an additional enemy within melee range for N% of the damage.
-or-
Blasting Lands
Ice Nova/Blast Wave/Supernova deal an additional N Physical damage and leave behind ground AOEs that deal N Frost/Fire/Arcane damage over time to enemies that stand in them. Lasts N seconds.

Piercing Blows
Magistrike causes targets it hits to take N% increased Physical damage from you for 8 seconds.
-or-
Erosive Mana
Magistrike causes targets it hits to take N% increased Frost/Fire/Arcane damage from you for 8 seconds.


Right
Accelerant Magus
Casting Frostbolt/Fireball/Arcane Blast increases your attack speed by 20% for 12 seconds, stacking up to 3 times.

After Image
Blink leaves a copy of yourself in your original location for 10 seconds.
-or-
Rift Shift
Casting Blink while Invisibility is active pauses it, allowing you to cast it again to continue its duration. The duration of your Invisibility is increased by 50%.

Blink Strike
Blink causes your next Magistrike to teleport you behind a target from up to 20 yards away. Lasts 10 seconds.


Capstone
Wizard of War
Consuming Reflexive Casting empowers your next Magistrike, making it a frontal AOE attack that also causes your Conjured Blades to fly towards enemies with Piercing Blows/Erosive Mana, dealing Froststrike/Flamestrike/Spellstrike damage to them. Lasts N seconds.

[Gnomohawk]

I am a longtime Mage main, and let me just say this sounds fun as hell to me. I love pretty much all your ideas for abilities. Kirin Tor Tactics would be GOATed as far as utility. I don't think Blizz would really go for it, but Slow Fall giving us Glide tickles me pink. The whole Blink tree sounds like just a whole lot of fun to play.

I do want a playable Spellblade-type class, but I always thought of it more as its own class, or a spec within a Warden class perhaps. Giving it to Mages would be interesting.

One more thought. Let Spellblades conjure their weapons, like conjured weapons in TES. Of course, there are already a lot of spell swords out there. But I wanna conjure my swords!

[Sagenod]

I am a longtime Mage main, and let me just say this sounds fun as hell to me. I love pretty much all your ideas for abilities. Kirin Tor Tactics would be GOATed as far as utility. I don't think Blizz would really go for it, but Slow Fall giving us Glide tickles me pink. The whole Blink tree sounds like just a whole lot of fun to play.

I do want a playable Spellblade-type class, but I always thought of it more as its own class, or a spec within a Warden class perhaps. Giving it to Mages would be interesting.

One more thought. Let Spellblades conjure their weapons, like conjured weapons in TES. Of course, there are already a lot of spell swords out there. But I wanna conjure my swords!

Thank you!

I deliberated on the spells for Kirin Tor Tactics, wanted it to feel like situational though worthwhile utility. Also had the ideas for Spellsteal to restart the duration of stolen effects and Teleport/Portal to be castable while moving.

I agree about conjured weapons, they’re dope af. I envision that when Blade Ward is acquired, your barrier spell will have swords of frost/fire/arcane orbiting around it. Also in Wizard of War, the projectiles launched by empowered Magistrikes could be swords as well.

[Doffen]

Always wanted a spellblade aka Spellblade Aluriel from Nighthold. I was hoping Spellslinger was going to be something like it, but no.


So I fully support this. A Battle-Mage/Spellblade is my ultimate wish for classes generally.

[Shadowferal]

I've a similar concept classes for my "shadow elf."

[Jaggler]

It definitely sounds fun, but i really think something like that should be separate, 4th spec, I don't think it's Hero Talent material, since it is just way too different.

[deviantcultist]

Cool concept but I'd rather not see it wasted as a hero spec.

[Nymrohd]

Would rather have it as a class.

[Yizu]

So its an enhance shaman that wears cloth?

[Alanar]

Cool concept but I'd rather not see it wasted as a hero spec.

Seen this comment so many times with many hero talents.

Because hero talents fail on so many levels, I agree, but we already past that I think. Spellblade is sadly no differnt if you look at other archtypes we got as .. talents. It would fit right in.

That being said, I do believe some excisting hero talent archtypes, could easily be it own spec and not these 10 talents.

[Shadowferal]

So its an enhance shaman that wears cloth?

The way things are now, it's several classes, enhance shaman, deathknight, paladin...it's just another skin.

[Kithelle]

I always kinda wanted a battlemage spec, something like Rift's harbinger...but it probably will never happen unless the devs decide to add 4th specs. I could be wrong but I don't think hero talents are enough to make a full ranged spec to a melee one

[DatToffer]

I love it. My favorite Hero Talents for now are the ones who really change your gameplay and this one shakes things up a lot ! It does seem to blend well mechanically but I wonder how it would flow with all the casting times of the normal mage rotation. Would it require you to be able to parry or even auto-attack while casting ?

It does look like what I want to see for one of my mage though !

[deviantcultist]

Seen this comment so many times with many hero talents.

Because hero talents fail on so many levels, I agree, but we already past that I think. Spellblade is sadly no differnt if you look at other archtypes we got as .. talents. It would fit right in.

That being said, I do believe some excisting hero talent archtypes, could easily be it own spec and not these 10 talents.

The problem with hero specs is that if you play the game more than just RP/story, you aim to be relevant and playing a "bad hero spec" is even less than playing a "bad spec" due to the fact that it registers as talents instead of a spec.

It feels frustrating to see people dismissing people's idea as "oh just make it a hero spec".

[Flaks]

Awesome concept.

My only issue is such a massive shift in playstyle should be it's own entire talent tree not just a hero talent build.

[Tanaria]

Perhaps the "feedback" could be replaced with "Sunreaver's Flame" or something like that.

This could be such an iconic hero talent that primarily works for Humans and Blood Elves.

[Shadowferal]

The idea of ​​creating a fun and flashy hybrid melee mage is exciting, but it requires a good mix of melee and magic skills while maintaining balance. The key will be to ensure that magical power isn’t neglected in favor of physical attacks, and that cooldown, mana, and survivability are managed in a way that makes this build viable without becoming broken. Real-world testing will be essential to ensure that gameplay remains fun and balanced.

...interesting.

[Alanar]

The problem with hero specs is that if you play the game more than just RP/story, you aim to be relevant and playing a "bad hero spec" is even less than playing a "bad spec" due to the fact that it registers as talents instead of a spec.

It feels frustrating to see people dismissing people's idea as "oh just make it a hero spec".

Well tbf, most missing archtypes ended up being hero talents. Including things like Dark ranger. Why would spellblade be a spec and dark ranger a few talents?

Lots of people are unhappy about the choices made for hero talents. But spellblade is no specialsnowflake idea or I see no real argument to be made why this is different. Its a cool idea, but thats it. Spellblade was also never much more then a forum idea and ofc the nightborne boss.

You may feel frustrated, but the majority of people feel that way. I feel frustrated by the lack of depht for example. Even with few visual updates to the dark ranger, it still doesnt feel like one and could have been much more. Same can be said for many dull talents. The game also doesnt even treat or call you one or give you a nod from npc. The whole thing is on a rpg level blend, period.

[D3athsting]

They changed arcane tree and rotation mid season, frost now ignores fof procs because that ridiculous deathschill and fire is below augmentation in ST, they fu***ed up mage enough already

[Sagenod]

The way things are now, it's several classes, enhance shaman, deathknight, paladin...it's just another skin.

To be fair it takes from warrior and rogue more than anything. I mean Feedback is a complicated form of Spell Reflection. However, Feedback was a Spellbreaker ability in WC3 so I’m happy to have an expression of it in the Spellblade.

Blink Strike is a two-button Shadowstep in practice. But does teleporting behind the enemy really step on the rogue’s toes that much? Same goes for reflecting spells and warriors. Frankly I don’t think these two abilities factor that significantly into the archetypal crux of their respective classes to begin with.

- - - Updated - - -

I love it. My favorite Hero Talents for now are the ones who really change your gameplay and this one shakes things up a lot ! It does seem to blend well mechanically but I wonder how it would flow with all the casting times of the normal mage rotation. Would it require you to be able to parry or even auto-attack while casting ?

It does look like what I want to see for one of my mage though !

Interesting gameplay consideration I hadn't quite thought of. I see that you can't parry while spellcasting, true. I may have an idea for how to address that in the next version.

- - - Updated - - -

Perhaps the "feedback" could be replaced with "Sunreaver's Flame" or something like that.

This could be such an iconic hero talent that primarily works for Humans and Blood Elves.

Wellll... Feedback is pretty iconic to Humans and Blood Elves in its own way

- - - Updated - - -

The idea of ​​creating a fun and flashy hybrid melee mage is exciting, but it requires a good mix of melee and magic skills while maintaining balance. The key will be to ensure that magical power isn’t neglected in favor of physical attacks, and that cooldown, mana, and survivability are managed in a way that makes this build viable without becoming broken. Real-world testing will be essential to ensure that gameplay remains fun and balanced.

If only that were feasible given my lack of programming skills lol... Ya know, in that vein I really hope to see a World of Warcraft World Editor one day. Stands to reason, given the immortality of WC3 thanks to its modding scene.

- - - Updated - - -

Well tbf, most missing archtypes ended up being hero talents. Including things like Dark ranger. Why would spellblade be a spec and dark ranger a few talents?

Lots of people are unhappy about the choices made for hero talents. But spellblade is no specialsnowflake idea or I see no real argument to be made why this is different. Its a cool idea, but thats it. Spellblade was also never much more then a forum idea and ofc the nightborne boss.

You may feel frustrated, but the majority of people feel that way. I feel frustrated by the lack of depht for example. Even with few visual updates to the dark ranger, it still doesnt feel like one and could have been much more. Same can be said for many dull talents. The game also doesnt even treat or call you one or give you a nod from npc. The whole thing is on a rpg level blend, period.

I agree with you particularly regarding hunter hero talents. Sentinel and Dark Ranger both being as thematically tied to the elves as they are makes it strange that they are expected to be used by the hunters of the other races. Personally I would have liked to see a hero talent tree oriented around traps, bombs and gadgets shared between MM and surv