Taric, the Gem Knight (Rework)

I don't think I am alone in wanting to see Taric reworked, but I think his rework needs to be more than just a retooling. Taric is an enigmatic, somewhat eccentric champion, wrought of the paladin archetype. I want to preserve his feel, but at the same time, we must recognize that his kit can't work the way it is. Current Taric is either over-powered or under-powered, but never healthy. Understanding why this is, however, is key to going forward with him.

Taric, simply put, is a gimped champion. He has a reliable, ranged stun, an Aura (that's a bad word now) armor buff that turns into an AoE armor shred, and an Aura (there it is again) damage stat with his ult. Aura's are a nasty side of abilities: their impact is no different than any other AoE ability, but they are nigh on invisible, and there is nothing a player can do to remove their effects short of killing the champion. That is a bad thing, as it limits the counter-play options of the player. Thus, a champion like Taric, or old Sona, has too little counter-play to allow them to be powerful, and thus, they are unhealthy. One option of fixing the problem with Auras is the method Riot took with Sona, by giving her small areas around her, she retains the feel of the auras, something that is core to her gameplay, while adding the option of counter-play. Taric, however, does not activate his Auras. To fix Taric, therefore, we must replace his Aura abilities. The following suggestion would increase Taric's counter-play, enabling him to be afforded more power in his abilities stats, while also increasing his interplay between his allies.

Abilities

• Passive: Gem Imbuing- Taric begins the game with 4 Gems, an Emerald, a Sapphire, a Ruby, and a Diamond. He may give a gem to each allied champion, granting that champion additional effects when he casts that stone's corresponding spell if they are within a certain distance of Taric. In addition, for each nearby allied champion, Taric gains +2.5% Armor and Magic Resistance.

• Q: Emerald Serenity- Cost: 60 Mana; Cooldown: 15 seconds; Ability Type: Self Buff; Cast Time: 0.5 seconds; Emerald Bonus Radius: 450

Taric pours crystaline energy through his crystals,shielding himself for (70, 100, 130, 160, 190)(+100% Armor) and decreasing the duration of incoming crowd control on him by 50% for the next 4 seconds. Gem Bonus: If an ally with the Emerald is within range, that ally has all crowd control cleansed, and damage that would be dealt to that ally is reduced by 20% for the next 4 seconds

• W: Sapphire Clarity- Cost: 70 Mana; Cooldown: 10 seconds; Ability Type: AoE; Radius: 275; Cast Time: 0.5 seconds; Sapphire Bonus Radius: 800

Taric funnels crystaline energy through his armor, causing him to erupt with the energy, dealing (60,100,140,180,220)(+50% Armor)(+50% Magic Resist) magic damage in an area around him, and silencing all hit for (1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2) seconds. Gem Bonus: If an ally with the Sapphire is within range, that ally gains +10% movement speed for the next 4 seconds and deals 20(+5 per level)(+50% Armor) magic damage the next time they damage an enemy champion.

• E: Ruby Vigor- Cost: 75 Mana; Cooldown: 12 seconds; Ability Type: Dash; Range: 450; Width: 150; Speed: 675; Ruby Bonus Radius: 650

Taric charges forward, crackling with crystaline energy. He deals (60,90,120,150,180)(+7.5% Max Health) magic damage to enemies along the way, slowing them by (30, 35, 40, 45, 50)% for the next 2 seconds. Gem Bonus: If an ally with the Ruby is within range, that ally deals 15% increased damage with basic attacks and on hit effects.

• R: Diamond Purity- Cost: 100 Mana; Cooldown: (100, 90, 80) seconds; Ability Type: Terrain Creation; Range: 750; Terrain Radius: 150; AoE Radius: 550; Diamond Bonus Radius: Global

Taric causes a pillar of diamond to erupt from the ground for 7 seconds, displacing enemies to the nearest edge and preventing units from walking past, and also generating an area where allies are healed for +(10,15,20)(+0.5% Max Health) per second. Gem Bonus: The ally with the Diamond may click on the pillar of diamond, teleporting to it after a 1.5 second channel, and causing the pillar to last only 1.9 seconds longer, regardless of the time it still has left. If that ally is within 500 of the pillar when they click on it, the teleport is instantaneous. Upon teleporting, the ally becomes immobile, untargetable, and immune to all damage for 2 seconds (1 second if teleporting from beyond 500 units).

Lore

Long ago, a great war was fought in Runeterra. A tyrannic empire fought bloody wars, committing massacre after horrible massacre. A rival kingdom, forged of the alliance of the enemies of the empire, raised an army in a desperate attempt to bring down the evil monarch who had destroyed their homes. Taric was a master of the art of gem imbuing in this time period. Although eccentric, his healing and purifying powers were unmatched, and his talents were requested by many. In a desperate attempt, the leader of the alliance recruited Taric to bring his craft to the battlefield, and while Taric had his reservations about fighting, he was an honorable man, and chose to help. With his prodigious magic, he turned the tide of battle after battle, saving lives and empowering fellow warriors. Close to victory, Taric lead the army of the alliance to one last battle against a ragged foe. In the middle of the fight, a devastating figure began to reave his way through the ranks, slaughtering many. Taric, unable to save them, faced the foe himself. Staring down his Darkin foe, he poured all of his magical might into defeating his wicked enemy. Landing a significant blow, he believed his fellow combatant to be out of the fight, when suddenly, the being healed with a fierce look in his eyes. Taric, surprise by the turn of events, was taken off guard, and was severely injured. Saving him, his men rallied around him. While they valiantly fought the demonic warrior, they fell one by one before his wicked blade. Dragging himself into a nearby cave, Taric sought to heal himself. His wounds, however, were by no means able to be healed enough to where he would survive them with simple healing. Creating a complex spell, he sealed himself inside of a gigantic diamond, until his wounds were healed. This process, however, left Taric unable to reverse the effects himself, and thus, he was sealed. Centuries passed, until, one day, his crystal was found. A brave explorer by the name of Ezreal had found the gem holding Taric, and, accidentally, managed to free Taric from his self imposed imprisonment. After hearing a brief history lesson from Ezreal, Taric asked him to bring him to Demacia. Seeing the parallels from his time and now, he made a promise to himself: that he would not fail this kingdom as he had his kingdom.