Taric-The Gem Knight ability rework !
This is just a kit that I made for fun, so don't take it too seriously: as you can see, I won't add many numbers because I don't intend to crunch number comparisons for this kit, but just introduce new ideas . My goals were to make Taric more interesting to play, more dynamic in lane, more focused and close to his theme of a Paladin/MageKnight/Defender,and, in short, fun! As i said, this kit lacks numbers, and I don't know which numbers would make him balanced, but I tried to think more about counterplay and strategy than actual match-ups. I didn't want to strand him to other lanes or roles, so I kept support in mind, but, as I said, it's not something I spent much time on, just a way to spend a boring rainy & chilly sunday afternoon: if you see it abusable in other lanes, it probably is :D Anyway, let me know what you think, and ,if you have, post your raw ideas : We all know that Taric is slated for a full relaunch, so we can expect changes on a Yi-Soraka level, and it's probably the best time to sling ideas around about the Gem Knight. Plus, look at this incredible concept from Ariss18 ! http://th01.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2014/336/b/f/league_of_legends__taric_visual_update_concept_by_ariss18-d88hblq.png
Passive - Gemcraft After using an ability, Taric's next basic attack deals bonus magic damage equal to 20% of Taric's armor , 20% AP and reduces his abilities' cooldown by 2 seconds. Gemcraft gains additional effects based on the last used ability.
Q- Imbue ACTIVE: Taric channels earthen energy to heal a target allied unit. As the magic flows through them he is healed for the same amount. If Taric heals only himself, the heal will be 40% more effective. Gemcraft: Target allied unit will be healed of an additional value equal to Gemcraft bonus damage. Self-heals is also 40% more effective. Half-effect against minions.
Context: Taric's heal has always been a little problematic, as his kit hasn't much budget for sustain, so it was gated by harsh rank 1 cooldown and high mana cost. By splitting the heal between the actual cast and the proc of gemcraft, I want to increase the counterplay, thus allowing more power to the ability when it fully connects (q+autoattack against champions).
W- Shatter PASSIVE: Taric reinforces his armor with gemstones, increasing his armor while Shatter is off cooldown. He also gains a 500-range aura, increasing his armor and allied champions' armor by 12% of his total armor. ACTIVE: Taric shatters his gemstones, dealing magic damage to nearby enemies within 200-range and reducing their armor for 4 seconds. Gemcraft: bonus damage is increased by a % , and also deals damage based on Taric's max health and mana if the Target was hit by Shatter(ratio scales with levels, not rank).
Context: Shatter deals some damage, but most of its power is in the massive armor reduction (5 to 25 +5% of taric total armor). I kept the hybrid damage, but I wanted to move some damage from the AoE to Gemcraft proc, so that the ability itself is not as strong, being a PBAoE, but being hit by Taric next autoattack will hurt, regardless of what phase of the game you are in. As always, I didn't put numbers because it's tentative.
E- Dazzle Taric points his shield in the direction of a target enemy, and , after a brief delay, or when taking damage from champions, emanates light. First champion hit is stunned, those behind him are blinded and silenced. The effects is stronger the closer the targets were to Taric. Gemcraft: Taric next attack further disorient the target, slowing them and reducing their vision range.
Context: So, we know that Riot doesn't like on-target stun, but I also thought that sometimes they are the "necessary evil" to deal with assassins and hypercarries. Because of that , I thought to keep the stun paradygm while introducing different counterplay. Dazzle now has an aim-system similar to Lucian's Q -Piercing Light. The target can time their spellshield or untargetability to avoid the stun, but the cc will still be applied in a line. Even if the target uses something like Zed R or Elise rappel, Taric will attempt to dazzle in that direction. So, what's the counterplay? Not hitting Taric will give you a time window where you can reposition or have an ally jump in to take the stun for you, while gaining distance will reduce the duration of the stun/blind+silence in any case. In teamfights, the stun will be most likely istant if Taric is in the fray, thus taking damage at all times, but on the other hand is also harder to aim a precise champion without being "blocked" by the enemy frontline. Plus, how cool would it be to have a Delta Attack on Taric? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOB8qZ10HeQ The gemcraft attack is a sort of weaker Graves's smokescreen, but , unlike Smokescreen, it's sight reduction is much weaker.
R- Radiance ACTIVE: Taric slams the ground with his hammer, dealing magic damage to enemies within range. For 10 seconds, allies in a 300 range deal increased physical and magic damage. PASSIVE: Taric Gains Attack Damage and Ability Power, based on his max health and mana. Gemcraft: Taric swings his hammer at his target in a powerful circular motion, damaging all enemies near him and applying Gemcraft damage to all of them. Additonally, he reduces the damage of all champions hit for 4 seconds.
Context: Taric's aura, like all auras, are considered "Power without gameplay" by Riot, which can be roughly translated as "as long as they are weak, we allow them to exist, but if they become problematic we nerf them because we don't deem them a healthy contribution to the game". To create a different use to his ult, I tried to add more power to Taric himself, and to his theme as a knight. Taric is even more powerful than before, but his aura is now weaker and with a much shorter range. However, Gemcraft can bridge that gap by reducing the damage of enemies, if he can hit them with Gemcraft. So, Taric's ult is now less aura-oriented,and requires Taric to stand either really close to his allies, or to get in the fray and slap his enemies.
#Considerations As I said, this kit is something I tinkered with to spend some time, and It's just a collection of ideas I deemed nice for a Taric rework. However, I think it could work in making Taric more dynamic, interactive, and fun, while keeping his identity of armored fighter that , while not a dps machine, can contribute to the damage of his team. Feel free to propose your own ideas, and , if we are lucky, we might even summon someone from the Relaunch/Rework team!
PS:Diamonds, are unbreakable. They are truly, truly, truly, unbreakable. Pls Rito make it happen!
