Mechanic/item idea; Scaling and % magic penetration
Similarly to how Armour Penetration and Lethality work, there could perhaps be a similarly differentiated penetration mechanic for AP items as well, such as Magic Penetration and Salience.
Magic penetration would mirror Armour penetration with percentage reductions and build off of one base item along the lines of;
+ 565g = 1,000g
+20 Ability power Unique – Attunement: +10% total magic penetration.
Salience would mirror lethality with flat, scaling penetration and have a core item built along the lines of;
+ 350g = 1,200g.
+40 Ability power UNIQUE: +10 Salience (6 − 10 (based on level) magical penetration) UNIQUE - Headhunter: After killing any enemy, your next damaging spell will deal 30 bonus magical damage to all enemies it hits (30 second cooldown).