Masteries and Keystone Overhaul Concept
This is a concept to rework the masteries and keystones (and remove runes [the raw stats] outright, get into that in a bit). With going off of what I learned from the downfall of previous runes, masteries, and keystones which is simply giving DIRECT power to offense and defense, rather than things that help you stay alive or help you get kills, but is not a direct tankiness or direct damage boost.
For Splatoon to Splatoon 2, they had abilities that grant defense to main weapons and increased the damage of your main weapons as well, removed it for Splatoon 2 and it opened up the options of what abilities you want to use for your equipment. It opens up a lot more expression for your loadout and offers actual customization rather than choosing what grants the most competitive edge. This won't work for League of Legends, but the aspect of removing direct power buffs stands between both games, despite being drastically different genres.
The best custom loadouts I have ever used is the current cards and legendary cards system Paladins uses. They have the benefit of locking the cards and legendary cards to each champion (too hard to implement to League at this point), which makes it a lot easier to fine tune balance and allow for every player to express themselves and change up how they play the champion - making mastery on a champion even more important and relevant with a new level of deep customization and mastery.
I think we can take this aspect to League of Legends, where we can have the masteries laid out between OFFENSE - DEFENSE - UTILITY and you have X amount of points (let's say 30 for this) and have to choose a minimum and maximum of X amount of masteries (1 point requirement to take that mastery) for that load-out [min and max is the same number] and can rank up the masteries in whatever way you please, making that effect more potent in some form. Each mastery has a cap rank, being set up where you can have 2 max ranked masteries. ~ I am going to have examples of ideas in a bit.
Then Keystones will become a completely separate thing, just like Summoner Spells, and you choose a maximum of one which is just a super effect that drastically change how you play - or at least that is the intent here - rather than choosing what is most powerful. So no direct damage keystones because those have just been problematic in the past. The coolest way to change them is thinking of them like cheat cards where they break the rules of the game, which is balanced because everyone will get one to choose from. ~ The Keystones will also be split up between OFFENSE - DEFENSE - UTILITY to make things simple again and recognizable with no dumb fancy names to confuse players, especially new players. Also, I will give examples of some keystones as well because it is fun to do creative stuff like this and grants a better idea of what I am thinking about.
Note: Do not worry about the balance of the numbers. This is a concept page, we do not have actual gameplay to test the power of anything to know what will be under powered, over powered, or balanced.
MASTERIES:
There are 30 point to freely distribute to your masteries. Selecting a mastery uses up 1 point, placing it at rank 1. The maximum rank for every mastery is rank 10. You must choose both a minimum and maximum of 6 masteries and spend all 30 points or the load out is considered incomplete and unusable. You can choose any amount of masteries from each category, no restrictions outside of a total minimum and maximum of 6.
OFFENSE:
Cooldown Refund On Kill: Champion kills refund [+0.15 per rank] seconds plus [+4% per rank] of your cooldowns on your basic abilities.
Attack Range: Gain [+5 per rank] bonus range to your basic attacks. 50% of this value for melee champions and when above 600 range.
Attack Speed: Gain [+2% per rank] bonus attack speed.
Cooldown Reduction: Gain [+0.1% - 1% (based on level) per rank] cooldown reduction.
Minion and Monster Damage: Deal [+2 (+1% bonus attack damage) (+2% ability power) (+0.5% bonus health) per rank] bonus adaptive damage when you basic attack minions and monsters. Does not affect epic monsters.
Objective Damage: Deal [+0.5 (+1.25% bonus attack damage) (+2.5% ability power) (+0.625% bonus health) per rank] bonus adaptive damage when you basic attack enemy structures and epic monsters.
DEFENSE:
Increased Healing: All healing you receive or grant to an ally is increased by [+1.5% per rank]. Does not include healing from damage to heal effects.
Increased Shielding: All shielding you receive or grant to an ally is increased by [+1.5% per rank].
Out of Combat Regeneration: While out of combat, heal for 5 plus [+1.5% per rank] of your missing health over 5 seconds.
Life Steal: Heal for [+0.2% - 1% (based on level) per rank] of the damage dealt by your basic attacks.
Spell Vamp: Heal for [+0.2% - 1% (based on level) per rank] of the damage dealt by your abilities. 100% increased value for mana users.
Health: Gain 50 plus [+1% per rank] of your bonus health as increased maximum health.
UTILITY:
Cooldown Refund On Assist: Champion assists refund [+0.1 per rank] seconds plus [+3% per rank] of your cooldowns on your basic abilities.
Percentage Resource Restoration: While out of combat, restore [+1% per rank] of your missing mana over 5 seconds. 200% increased value for energy users.
Resource Restore On Takedown: Takedowns restore [+3% per rank] of your maximum mana. 50% increased value for energy users.
Flat Resource Restoration: While out of combat, restore [+0.5 - 5 (based on level) per rank] of your mana over 5 seconds. Applies while in and out of combat for energy users.
Movement Speed: Gain [+1 per rank] bonus movement speed. 350% increased value while out of combat.
Making The Comeback: While below the average level of the game, gain [+1% per rank] of your total experience needed to level up over 10 seconds.
Your death timer is reduced by [+1% per rank] plus 5 seconds. Does not apply if you are in the top 5 (top 3 for Twisted Treeline) of gold leaders in the game.
KEYSTONES:
You can choose a minimum and maximum of 1 keystone. Your keystone of choice is meant to drastically change up how you play the game and/or your champion, most of which are "cheat cards" which are things that bend the rules of the game to do something you cannot do otherwise.
OFFENSE:
Endless Arrows: Your attack speed cap is ignored. You can now attack faster than 2.500 attacks per second.
Gain 20% increased bonus attack speed for any bonus attack speed you acquire.
Relentless Spell Flinging: Your cooldown reduction cap is increased to 50%, instead of 40%.
Gain 25% increased cooldown reduction for any cooldown reduction you acquire.
Objective Destroyer: Gain 150 bonus attack range against enemy structures and epic monsters.
Percentage damage is no longer capped against epic monsters and now affects enemy structures, but at 20% damage.
Damaging abilities can now damage structures, but at 40% damage.
DEFENSE:
Barrier Rejuvenation: All shields applied against you will shield for 80% and heal for 20% of its total value instead.
All healing applied against you will shield for 20% and heal for 80% of its total value instead. Shield duration is infinite and stacks, maximum shield is equal to 15% (+1% per 100 bonus attack damage) (+0.75% per 100 ability power) of your maximum health.
(These effects do not stack with each other.)
Even More Durability: Your soft armour and magic resistance restriction is reduced by 40%. You can absorb even more damage!
Bonus armour and magic resistance you acquire is increased by 10%.
Liquid Health: Your bonus health and bonus health regeneration becomes 80% health and 40% mana instead.
Your bonus mana and bonus mana regeneration becomes 40% health and 80% mana instead.
(Total value of bonus health, mana, health regen, and mana regen is increased by 20%.)
UTILITY:
Phantom: You can walk through terrain. While in terrain, move around like it is not even there.
Cooldown: 120 - 30 seconds (based on level)
Shopkeeper Seduction: You ignore a certain amount of the cost of your shop purchases. Ignore (50 +10 gold per minute) of an item's gold cost.
Cooldown: 600 seconds. Champion assists reduce the current cooldown by 30 - 90 seconds (based on level).
Move Even Faster: Your soft movement speed restriction is reduced by 40%. You can reach even higher levels of movement per second!
Movement speed bonuses applied against you is enhanced by 10%.