How would YOU make Shadow Word: Death a useful Execute?

[Irony]

Well, that and Shadow Word: Pain, Devouring Plague, and defensive spells such as Dispels, Power Word: Shield, Psychic Scream and Dispersion.

more or less meant during a raid encounter, where as you already have your dots going, and reapplying them would be pointless and/or a waste of mana.

[Pagefault]

and what about changing the graphic and the flavour of the spell?

Shadow Word: Death
instant cast 1min cd
You place an undispellable debuff on the target. After 5 seconds, if the target is below 35% health Death itself comes to claim his/her/its soul, dealing [a ton] shadow damage [and possibly placing a debuff that prevents healing for 10 secs].

It could have some nice graphics like Death appearing behind target and hitting him with his scythe, ala final fantasy, and maybe some disgusting backlash effect like the current SW or killing yourself if the target doesn't die in 30 secs.

[Frmercury]

and what about changing the graphic and the flavour of the spell?

Shadow Word: Death
instant cast 1min cd
You place an undispellable debuff on the target. After 5 seconds, if the target is below 35% health Death itself comes to claim his/her/its soul, dealing a ton [a ton] damage [and possibly placing a debuff that prevents healing for 10 secs].

It could have some nice graphics like Death appearing behind target and hitting him with his scythe, ala final fantasy, and maybe some disgusting backlash effect like the current SW or killing yourself if the target doesn't die in 30 secs.

Best idea ever. It should also deal killing blows to every thing in a 50yrd radius around the target.

[cruxxy]

I realize there's a "fun" component to this thread and I like many of the ideas, but realistically, most of the proposals far exceed the complexity of any current execute mechanism in the game.

Increased damage with no backlash under 20% would fit in with the current definition of "execute" and with appropriate scaling, would be a nice damage boost and a priority spell for shadow. Nothing fancy but still useful and more likely how it will be implemented.

>20%, they could leave the spell in its current form.

[TwistedPower]

When used on targets at or below execute % then the crit chance is increased by 25% and The cooldown does not trigger. So spamable if used on those types of targets, but still balanced for PvE as spamming SWD is not mana efficent. It would be a good way to dump mana at the end of a fight to get more dps.

The % mana of the spell and damage would have to be tweeked but basically it would be a YOU ARE AT EXUCUTE RANGE! DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE! Kind of spell. That would make it so that you would want to use it as an execute and at the same time not want it part or your rotation and still usefull in PvE and PvP.

[Elothie]

Marked for death (what else ;D )

When your target is below 20/25/30% health your SW deals both normal and backslash dmg to the target.In adition your SW dmg is increased by 5% for each shadow orb active, it does not consumes any shadow orb.

Usable in pvp and pve (the backslash in pve is a bit of concern and if SW is to come back to ''execute'' range pve rotation I don't want it).

[Brokolice]

Throwing random ideas is (sometimes) nice, but we should honor the design of Shadow Priests.
We are damage over time class. If you count MF as a damage over time, we deal almost 90% damage this way. Suddenly getting an execute spell that deals an instant train full of damage feels somehow weird.

My idea is that every time you cast SW on a target that is below 25%, it also applies a hard-hitting DoT (physical school maybe, thus undispelable) with 15sec duration. DoT can crit, scales with haste, ect. If the target goes above 25%, DoT is removed on the next tick. If the DoT is already on the target, next SW refreshes its duration. If the target is above 25% when you cast SW, it deals damage as usual (no DoT applied / refreshed). Also there is no backlash for less than 25%.
Target above 25% -> x damage + backlash to the priest. No DoT.
Target below 25% -> x damage + DoT. No backlash. SW cooldown is not triggered - for executing more targets in PvE.


This wouldn't be I-WIN button in PvP. Balancing for both PvE and PvP will be easy, all they need is to adjust the DoT itself, making DPET lucrative. SW would be casted every 15sec or less to keep the DoT up. Feature for skilled PvP priests to out-polymorph themselves would still exist.

[wasniahC]

Hows this idea. Boost its damage by 10/20/30% more damage against targets below 35% hp, but deals 5/10/15% more damage to the priest when it hits these targets (this is calculated after the damage to the other target has been applied). High mana cost remains. Additionally, this spell triggers no cooldown when it hits a target below 35% hp.

This means several things.
1. It could be used similar to an arcane mage using arcane blast at the end of the fight; it lets people use up mana to do more damage towards the end of a fight, to make the most of their mana. Yes, this means people need to be more careful with how their mana is used.
2. It cannot just be spammed in pve or pvp; it becomes dangerous and has to be used cautiously. In PvE, you will want to make sure you are topped off when using it, or even call for heals. In PvP, you would just have to be VERY careful with it

[Abandon]

I don't really like this suggestion, as it ampilifies one of the main problems with SW. At the moment, any time when it is actually worth casting such as if you have a massive +X% damage buff, means that the backlash kills you. Remember tanking the beams on Netherspite? Or the Curator?

I would quite like an execute that doesn't execute me...

[fabian]

Hows this idea. Boost its damage by 10/20/30% more damage against targets below 35% hp, but deals 5/10/15% more damage to the priest when it hits these targets (this is calculated after the damage to the other target has been applied). High mana cost remains. Additionally, this spell triggers no cooldown when it hits a target below 35% hp.

This means several things.
1. It could be used similar to an arcane mage using arcane blast at the end of the fight; it lets people use up mana to do more damage towards the end of a fight, to make the most of their mana. Yes, this means people need to be more careful with how their mana is used.
2. It cannot just be spammed in pve or pvp; it becomes dangerous and has to be used cautiously. In PvE, you will want to make sure you are topped off when using it, or even call for heals. In PvP, you would just have to be VERY careful with it

Not gonna happen. For SW to be an execute, it has to do high amounts of damage, plus they are also thinking about taking out the backlash effect. Plus, what Abandon said, one hitting yourself is only good for the laugh afterward, nothing more.

[Shrouded]

If your target is below X% health, it is afflicted with the Death's Threshold debuff, increasing the damage and critical strike chance of your next spell against that target by Y%.

[Saverem]

I'll leave the numbers up to Blizzard's class balancing team, but the mechanics works like this. SW would have its damage increased by a certain % for every point of % the target falls below 25%.


EXAMPLE:

If SW hits target for 5000 while target is at 100-26% HP (and still causes recoil damage), when target slips down to 25% HP, it will hit it for 50% harder (and no longer cause recoil damage to caster), so 7500 damage. Then for every point of % the target falls, SW's damage will increase by a certain amount, lets say 2%.

So if target hits 20% SW will hit for 8k (assuming 2% increase for every 1% lost by target)
When target falls to 2% hp left, SW would be hitting for a total of 96% harder or 9800.


I'd keep its cooldown at 15s but maybe put in Shadow talents to drop it down some.


I think this would give it a unique execute mechanic that no other class has.

[coolcatchris]

there are a lot of op as scary ideas on this thread. i dunno tho, i think the best idea would simply be to have it give more damage below a certain amount of health. if it had no cd, it would be too much spammable damage. if it removed the recoil damage below a certain amount of health, then there's no risk at casting it, which is kinda the whole point of the spell. i guess it's hard to make it somewhat balanced, and still interesting to cast at the same time as giving it a real execute like ability.

so yea, either buff the damage below a certain amount of health, or maybe add the recoil damage ontop ie: causes additional damage equal to half that caused upon you.

[harky]

I think my solution would be to do a couple things. First it would make SW under 25% cause no damage to the user, but instead place a "Shadow of Death" buff on them, which removes the cooldown of SW, but also gives it a 2 second cast time and increases its damage by 50%. The "Shadow of Death" buff would also allow any direct Shadow damage you deal to the target to refresh SW:P and give SW a 25% chance to proc Replenishment from VT.

Yeah, it's a total Affliction rip-off, but it would still allow for a different 'feel' to the execute as well as a good increase in DPS.

Also: Just delete it! Stupid spell. Oh wait no, I use it as Disc in PVP to cancel Sheep. Scrap that...

[Blain]

Maybe something like "creates 3 Shadow Orbs, if the target is under 25%", might also be interesting.

[Abandon]

Ooooh, nice one. That never occured to me.

[Deleted]

remove it!!!

or


usabel when target is at >20% and does more damage them mind blast and heals you for 50% of the damage done no wanabe seal of blood stuff that makes you lose hp cause you can get onsothed in some bosses like blood queen, thadius and so on.

[talrob]

I still prefer the % total hp difference scaling I thought up before but after playing HoN I got inspiration from demented shaman (dazzle).

When SWD is cast on a target below x%, it applies another dot that ticks for a tiny amount (at 80 it would be around 500 in today's numbers). This dot lasts for 16 seconds. Every 4 seconds this dot causes instant damage which is 40% of the damage caused by the priest since this dot last ticked. Undispellable.

Lets say you are doing 8k dps

0) dot applied
1) 500
2) 500
3) 500
4) 500 + (0.4*8500*4) = 13.6k instant damage
Repeat

Or you could have it do less say 10% and have it be based on damage since the dot was applied so

0) dot applied
1) 500
2) 500
3) 500
4) 500 + (0.1*8500*4) = 3.9k instant damage
8) 500 + (0.1*8500*8) + (0.1*3900) = 6.8k + 390 = 7190
12) 500 + (0.1*8500*12) + (0.1*3900) + (0.1*7190) = 11309 instant
16) 500 + (0.1*8500*16) + (0.1*3900) + (0.1*7190) + (0.1*11309) = 16k instant damage

It's also a pvp boost in that it stops people just ignoring it and continuing to wail on you, if they do they are going to get a nasty surprise after 16 seconds #9obviously you dont do 8k in pvp but still).

[soxyboi]

Talent : Braindead

Casting SW on a target at or below 20% health will cause your next 3 Mindflays to tick twice as often during the channel time.

Similar to arcane mages missile barrage proc given cataclysms new haste/channel mechanics.

[walexia]

I think my solution would be to do a couple things. First it would make SW under 25% cause no damage to the user, but instead place a "Shadow of Death" buff on them, which removes the cooldown of SW, but also gives it a 2 second cast time and increases its damage by 50%. The "Shadow of Death" buff would also allow any direct Shadow damage you deal to the target to refresh SW:P and give SW a 25% chance to proc Replenishment from VT.

Yeah, it's a total Affliction rip-off, but it would still allow for a different 'feel' to the execute as well as a good increase in DPS.

Also: Just delete it! Stupid spell. Oh wait no, I use it as Disc in PVP to cancel Sheep. Scrap that...

interesting idea but i think giving it a 2 sec cast time would be kinda counter productive seeing as the idea of an execute is to finish em off quickly.If what you suggested when through people would do a swd then follow it up with a imp dev plague rather than try to cast the 2 sec cast time swd.So i guess your idea might work very well for pve but would be cumbersome in pvp where people could recieve life saving heals in a matter of secs, to get em back over 20%.