[Magus] Tzeentch's Firestorm cooldown

[Orontes]

(I'm not sure how Proposals work: the length a given proposal sits etc. Apologies if I am doing this wrong, as I have another proposal on the field, as it were)

Issue:

Tzeentch Firestorm was recently move to the Changing Mastery. After the move, it was weakened. The weakening was in not allowing a cooldown modifier option with a tactic.

Proposal:

Allow Tzeentch's Firestorm again to have a cooldown modifier with a tactic. As the ability is now in the Changing Mastery, the 11 point tactic Wild Changing would have a 10 second cooldown modifier added that applies to Tzeentch's Firestorm. This would exactly mirror how the ability played when in the Havoc Mastery line and modified by Chaos Unleashed.

Support and context

It appears when Azarael moved Tzeentch's Firestorm to Changing, he didn't read or was unaware of the cooldown modifier the ability received from the Havoc 11 tactic Chaos Unleashed. For the first few days after the switch, the ability still received the cooldown if one had Chaos Unleashed slotted. Several comments were made on the boards asking when the cooldown would be moved to the Changing lines' Wild Changing. This is likely what clued Azarael in. Instead of changing the cooldown, he simply removed it. This is odd because prior to the switch Tzeentch's Firestorm mirrored BW's Rain of Fire and Sorc. Pit of Shades: both of which are area AOE damage abilities, and both have cooldown modifiers from tactics. These are set at 11 points in the relevant mastery for sorcs, 7 points for BWs. So, there was a base parity for all three magic damage dealing RDPS. This is no longer the case, Tzeentch's Firestorm has been weakened and no longer has the option to act as a sustained area pressure ability (unlike Rain of Fire and Pit of Shades that retain this ability).

Arguments I made in a thread on the topic supporting returning Tzeentch's Firestorm to having a useful role again:

1) BWs and Sorcs both have in Rain of Fire and Pit of Shades with the exact same kind of AOE ability that gets a cooldown from a tactic: the tactic(s) set at 11 points in the mastery for sorcs, 7 points for BWs.


2) Firestorm was not OP before the swap and would not be OP with a cooldown in the Changing Mastery: both Sorc and BW Pit of Shades and Rain of Fire hit harder and are not considered OP, therefore Firestorm could not be OP. Further, there was no large number of threads on the forums complaining Firestorm was OP before the swap.

3) Firestorm with the cooldown option was a fine ability in the strong Havoc mastery. It is now a weak ability in a weak mastery. The net affect is Havoc has gotten stronger with Indigo Fire of Change added and the Changing mastery weaker with the no cooldown Firestorm.


4) Firestorm's value is sustained pressure damage in a set location. In it's old form, this would match up nicely with Mist that is currently of little value (due to the long long build up). Firestorm with the long 10 second cooldown cannot produce sustained pressure, so it also has little benefit.


5) One shouldn't make the good an enemy of the perfect. Just because the whole of the Changing Mastery isn't 'fixed', does not mean no changes can be made to the mastery line. Giving back Firestorm a cooldown reduction with Wild Changing would make the ability viable, help with a Mist combo, and therefore make the Mastery line better. The mastery line may not be perfect, but this would help.

6) I recall reading one post on the forums by a senior magus that didn't like Firestorm with the cooldown, because the person seemed to want magi to only get kills from going through a rotation. I'm not sure I understand why one would want to constrain the class in such a way. I might have misunderstood the view. The view point of course ignores both BW and Sorc. mirroring abilities and also seems emotive. Firestorm damage does not stack and the damage can be avoided, by simply moving out of the affected area.

[peterthepan3]

This is already being discussed at the moment, so will close this proposal for now. Points you have made are going to be taken into consideration.