With the Introduction of Chromie Time and various npc’s around azeroth able to transport you back and forth through timelines, I think blizzard has introduced a type of spec which would be very fun and rewarding to play. This spec would be best suited for the mage class, Chronomancer (name pending), and would be a supportive/healer class. Instead of having direct heals though, it would play off “reversing time” to set the tanks health back to when they were healthier, reduce cooldowns so tanks can cast their defensives/heals more often, and (as the torghast power works) speed up/slow down time. I think this would introduce a very unique and different playstyle which would have a high skill ceiling.
The spec would have little to no cast times (As they have mastered time) and instead are reliant on movement and rhythmic casting and keeping hots up like an afflicition lock keeps dots. While not dealing a lot of damage, they instead are able to provide buffs to their allies damage and debuffs to enemies to lower their damage. This spec would use a new resource called Sands of Time which they gain from moving through Temporal Rifts.
The spec should become available at level 45, and be rewarded from a small questline, perhaps from Nozdormu where you gain his trust and he infuses you with power or something of the sort.
Some abilities:
Chronomancy (Passive): While in combat, Temporal Rifts open every second in a 5yd radius around the mage and last for 12 seconds. For each rift open the mage gains a -3% Haste debuff. Moving through the rift closes it and grants the mage 7 Sands of Time.
Like Clockwork (Passive): The mage has an 8 second internal clock, casting abilities as the hands pass 3,6,9, and 12 increases the mage’s Haste by 3% stacking up to 4 times. After 4 stacks, the buff is consumed and heals the lowest health ally in 20 yds for (600% of Spell Power) and grants the 5 closest allies 7% haste for 10 seconds. Using an ability begins this clock. Casting on any other time removes the buff and resets the clock.
But I’m not Casting! (Passive): when hit by an interrupt instead gain a dispellable -5% Haste debuff for 5 seconds. Stackable.
Mastery: Timelord (Passive): Increases the cooldown reduction granted by Chronoshift by X% and increases intellect by Y%.
Summon Whelp: Summons a whelp to fight by your side. Generates 1 Sands of Time every time it attacks. Deals (30% of Spell Power) physical damage per attack. Cannot Taunt.
— What Could Be: The Whelp protects the targeted ally, Increasing their armor by (75% of Spell Power) for 5 seconds. 9 second cooldown.
Alter Timeline: (Instant) First Cast; set a point in time for the target for up to 15 seconds. Second Cast; Return the targets health and mana to the point in time. 2 minute cooldown. (2 Sands of Time per second)
Chronoshift: (Instant) Reduces all the targets cooldowns by 2 seconds. 15 second cooldown. (5 Sands of Time)
Time Stop: (Instant) Freeze the target in time, stunning them and making them invulnerable to dmg for 7 seconds. 1 minute cooldown. (20 Sands of Time)
Slow Time: (Instant) Place a 7yd radius zone for 8 seconds which slows and reduces the haste of everyone inside it by 30%. 45 second cooldown. (15 Sands of Time)
Age: (instant) Increase the rate which time passes on the target by 5% for 10 seconds. 30 second cooldown. (5 Sands of Time)
Sands of Time: (Channel) Reduce the remain cooldowns of all allies in 15 yards by 4 seconds over 6 seconds. (10 Sands of Time)
Return to Dust: (1 second Cast) Deal (85% if Spell power) damage to the target as arcane damage over 10 seconds. If this effect is reapplied, any remaining damage will be added to the new Return to Dust. Stacks up to 10 times. (5 Sands of Time)
Temporal Echo’s: (Instant) Restore an ally to a healthier time, restoring (175% of Spell Power) health. (4 Sands of Time)
Temporal Anchor: (Instant) Place a Temporal Anchor at your feet for 8 seconds, automatically closing all Temporal Rifts in a 15yd radius and giving you the Sands of Time. (10 Sands of Time)
Fast Forward: (Instant) Increases the targets Haste by 3% for 12 seconds. (5 Sands of Time)
Time Channel: (Channel) Increase the Haste by 10% of the targeted ally. (3 Sands of Time per second)
Temporal Shield: (Instant) Create a time vortex around the target which reverses through time the next 3* damaging attacks, completely negating them. 10 second cooldown. (5 Sands of Time)
Split Timeline: (Instant) Brings a past version of the target to the present . this unit is untargetable. All damage done to the target is instead done to the summoned unit. After 10 seconds, the target is healed for any remaining health of the unit and the unit is returned to the past. Applies a 1.5 minute debuff unable to have their timeline split. 15 second cooldown. (15 Sands of Time)
Time Renewal: (Instant) Heal the target for (200% of Spell Power) health over 10 seconds. (5 Sands of Time)
Not on my Watch: (Instant) Wards the target, preventing application of harmful magic effects for 5 seconds. Every effect prevented grants the mage 1 Sands of Time. 15 second cooldown. (10 Sands of Time)
Roll it Back: (Instant) Refresh the duration of all buffs and dispellable debuffs on the target. 12 second cooldown. (5 Sands of Time)
Timeline Mastery: (Instant) Create a copy of yourself 1 seconds in the past for 10 seconds. This copy perfectly mirrors your every action. 5 minute cooldown. ( 15 Sands of Time)
Temporal Tether: (Instant) Bind yourself to an ally, while within 5yds gain alternating Haste buff increasing/decreasing by 1% haste per second for 5. Recast to break the tether.
Pocket Hourglass: (Instant) Gives the target a Pocket-Sized Hourglass, increasing their casting speed by 3% for 1 hour. If target is in your party or raid, all party and raid members will be affected.
Restart: (10 second cast) Reset the targets to a healthier point in time, bringing them back to life with 35% of maximum health and mana. Not castable in combat.
Restore Timeline: (10 second cast) Restore all dead party members back to life with 35% health and mana. Cannot be cast when in combat.
Some Talents:
45:
Master of Time (Passive): Reduces the cooldown of Alter Time by 30 seconds. Alter Time resets the cooldown of Blink when you return to your original location.
Focus Magic: (Instant) Increases the target’s chance to critically hit with spells by 5% for 30 min. When the target critically hits, your intellect and chance to critically hit with spells is increased by 5% for 10 seconds. Cannot be cast on self. Limit 1 target.
Incanter’s Flow (Passive): Magical energy flows through you while in combat, building up to 20% increased damage and then diminishing down to 4% increased damage, cycling every 10 seconds.
46:
Temporal Speed (Passive): Increase the rate at which time passes of your feet, gaining 10% base movement speed and reducing any cooldowns on your boots by 10%.
Temporal Casting (Passive): Like Clockwork now gives 4% Haste per stack.
Temporal Guarding (Passive): Time Renewal now gives a 8% damage reduction buff for its duration.
47:
Distant Memory (Passive): Chronoshift’s cooldown is reduced by 1 second.
Just a little Longer (Passive): Hitting the 3 and 9 of Like Clockwork extends all of the mages buffs by 1 second.
I don’t remember this being here (Passive): Not on my Watch also dispels current debuffs and grants 1 Sands of Time per debuff.
48:
Friends in the Future:(Instant) Give the target visions of your friendship in the future, causing them to become your ally for 30 seconds. Only works on Humanoids, Dragonkin, and Elementals. 3 minute cooldown.
To the Future! (Passive) : Alter Time can be cast a third time to return to your original location but cooldown is increased by 30 seconds.
Live in the Present (Passive): Temporal Anchor lasts 10 seconds and increases haste by 1% per rift closed for 3 seconds, stacking.
49:
Whelp Training: Fire! (Passive): Your whelp now spits fireballs for (40% of Spell Power), attacks 1.3 times as fast, and gains the Rebirth ability.
— Rebirth (Passive): Upon taking fatal damage your whelp will return to life with 35% hp. 2 minute cooldown
Whelp Training: Frost! (Passive): Your whelp now spits frostbolts for (20% of Spell Power) which slow enemies by 30% and gains the Frost Nova Ability.
— Frost Nova: (Instant) Blasts enemies within 12 yds of your whelp, freezing them in place for 5 seconds. Not broken by damage. 1 minute cooldown.
Whelp Training: Arcane! (Passive): Your whelp now casts Arcane Blasts for (35% of Spell Power) arcane damage. and gains the Spellsteal ability.
— Spellsteal: (Instant) Steals a beneficial magic effect from the target, the mage can then recast this ability for 5 seconds to apply the stolen effect to an ally. 30 second cooldown.
50:
Remember Damage (Passive): Time Channel also increases the targets Primary Stat by (15% of Spell Power) and cost increased by 1.
Just a Student: (Instant) For the next 15 seconds Temporal Rifts appear every .5 seconds and your movement speed is increased by 15%. 1 minute cooldown. (5 Sands of Time)
Become the Master: (Instant) Instantly close all Temporal Rifts in a 25 yd radius, gaining all the Sands of Time, and refresh the cooldown of Temporal Anchor. 2 minute cooldown. (10 Sands of Time)
55:
Echoes of the Past (Passive): Alter Timeline persists through death and can bring a dead body back in time once every 10 minutes.
Echoes of the Present (Passive): Alter Time now also increases the rate which time passes by 5%.
Echoes of the Future: (Instant) Grants the target (15% of Spell Power) Primary Stat for 10 seconds. (20 Sands of Time)
I don’t exactly understand how the Mastery stat is calculated so I left it in terms of X% and Y%… These are just ideas with little to no balancing kept in mind and I am welcome to any improvements/ new ideas. I just feel swapping from one healing spec to another is lackluster and while visually it looks different gameplay is very linear through all the specs. I think this would add a very new and interesting playstyle, albeit very high skill cap, which the game is lacking.
Additionally I understand that this would be very hard to work into a pug as it’s real strength is allowing allies to cast their defensives more. To me this is similar to the problems of a discipline priest and think that as people play this more and more it will excel at a higher level, as discipline does, but fall a bit short with more casual players.
The biggest balance problem I foresee is stacking Sands of Time before Temporal Anchor to allow 10 seconds of Time Channel into Become the Master into Temporal Anchor for another 10 second Time Channel. While I don’t think this will be overpowered as a healer role as that’s 20 seconds of little to no healing, if you brought a Chronomancer as a damage role that is a lot of haste/primary stat. Of course this is part of what I want to fit into the game as a low dmg supportive role that isn’t explicitly a healer (at least doesn’t have to be the main healer for the group) but is able to buff allies dmg and survivability enough to make them viable.
The last problem I want to address is the Temporal Rifts themselves. Healers are constantly clicking through profiles to heal, dispel, and apply hots. The movement required to run through these rifts needs to be challenging enough that you aren’t sitting in place yet still able to use your mouse to click target instead of camera control. I wanted to add more movement speed abilities for this (and because m+ as of making this is all about kiting) but think the kit is a bit full. I don’t know how to solve this other than decrease the range the rifts spawn, give the mage more base movement speed, or just add the spell.
Edit: Will be updating as suggestions come in
