Potential Priest Changes: New Abilities, Talents, Passives

[Mativh]

Shadow:

Dispersion
'Improved Fade' talent renamed & reworked, 2 ranks

For the duration of Fade, your Mana will regenerate at a 15/30% rate while casting, the rate is doubled while in Shadowform.

Instead of the new Improved Shadowform (a level 60 passive granting -15% mana cost and +15% mana regen while casting), I propose a more dynamic solution to the Priest mana-gement issue.
Ethereal Fade would be accessible while levelling, which is the part of gameplay many Turtles focus on.
An active, spellcaster way of gaining mana (and an alternative to the 5sec-rule-wanding) would be most welcome.

Soothing Shadows
Shadow talent, next to 'Vampiric Touch', with it as a prerequisite. 2 ranks.

Casting Shadowmend on a friendly target applies on them the Soothing Shadows buff, which increases the healing received from subsequent Shadowmends by 2/4% and from Vampiric Embrace by 10/20%.
Lasts 2 minutes, stacks up to 5 times.

Similarly to Shadow Weaving, the stacking and effect is shared, not bound to the caster (also allowing multiple Priests to cooperate at effective hybrid dps/healing).
Shadow healing; Holy can mend and harm, so can Shadow, although both approach it in different ways.
With Shadowmend and Vampiric Embrace, it is possible to have an alternative shadow-healer/damage-dealer/utility playstyle.
Specializing at the expense of things is one way to go, but the jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none vanilla class design and less rigid roles could also be explored.

When it comes to Shadow aoe, I think that could be depending on the races lore.
But if there was a generic one, reverse Holy Nova makes the most sense, one that does not radiate holy energy outwards, but instead absorbs shadows from the surrounding, in the process damaging nearby units and restoring some mana (depending on the number of affected targets) instead of healing like Holy Nova;

Holy:

Holy Word: Anathema
Holy talent ability

Applies 'Anathema' on an enemy for 10 seconds; allowing one Holy healing ability to be cast on the target, but instead of healing, it'll deal half of it's healing value as Holy damage. Against Undeads and Demons, the value is not halved. 45 sec cooldown.

Next to Holy Champion, with Spiritual Guidance as a prerequisite (Spiritual Healing position moved sideways out of the way). For all except trolls, the Holy spec in general doesn't fit them.

Clerics Aid
Holy ability, learned if the Priest learns First Aid

Makes your next bandage twice as effective.

Professions and classes interacting is good for immersion, first aid thematically fits holy priests the most, here the healing value of bandages is increased, at exchange for mana. This one could perhaps be a Human Priest racial though.

Fundamental Forces
Level 1 passive.

Whenever you cast a Holy spell, you receive the debuff Light Rapport, that reduces the effectiveness of all of your Shadow abilities by 10% and gives them a 3% chance to trigger an Arcane Nova.

Whenever you cast a Shadow spell, you receive the debuff Enveloping Shadow, that reduces the effectiveness of all of your Holy abilities by 10% and gives them a 3% chance to trigger one tick of Hellfire.

Both debuffs last 15 seconds and stack up to 5 times.

(effectiveness = healing & damage done)
It is ment to depict the lore behind the forces of Light and Shadow, for the same reason Shadowform locks all holy abilities, it never made sense that a priest would use simultaneously both Light and Shadow without any repercussion, the Arcane Nova is a release of arcane energies and Hellfire a release of Fel energies, from the combination of the seemingly opposing forces of light and shadow, as per the lore where their collision created the Arcane from which the physical world is woven together, and the Fel from which twisting nether came into being. It could be utilized to create a symphony of forces purposefully errupt

It is stated that before life began, before even the cosmos took shape, there was Light ... and there was Shadow. However, the Light, unfettered by the confines of time and space, swelled across all existence in the form of a boundless prismatic sea. Great torrents of living energy flitted through its mirrored depths, their movements conjuring a symphony of joy and hope. The Light's ocean was dynamic and ever shifting. Yet as it grew, some of its energies faded and dimmed, leaving behind pockets of seemingly cold nothingness.

From the absence of Light in these spaces, a new power coalesced and came to be. A dark and vampiric force driven to devour all energy, to twist creation inward to feed upon itself, this power was the Shadow. The Shadow quickly grew and spread its influence, moving against the Light's flowing waves. The mounting tension between these two seemingly opposing yet inseparable energies eventually ignited a series of catastrophic explosions, rupturing the fabric of creation and birthing a new realm into existence. In that moment, the physical universe was born.

The most unstable energies coalesced into an astral dimension known as the Twisting Nether. Light and Shadow collided and bled together at this realm's edges, throwing it into turmoil. Linked to the Great Dark Beyond, although tangentially, the Twisting Nether existed outside the physical universe's borders.

Discipline:

Art Of War
Discipline talent, 5 ranks

Increases your staff skill by 1/2/3/4/5 and your unarmed skill by 2/4/6/8/10. Additionally, your melee critical hits cause you to enter into 'Flow State' for 15 seconds, during which your dodge chance and hit chance are increased by 5%, stacks up to 3 times.

Patience
Discipline talent, next to Unbreakable Will, with it as a prerequisite, 1 rank

After a movement impairing effect, or a silence applied on you ends, your attack power is increased by up to 25% of your total Spirit for 10 seconds.

The discipline talent tree was originally ment to be a melee spec, resembling the archetype of a Monk (not the MoP one), it was nice to see the inner fire change - granting attack power like it did in W3.

They're generic for all Priests, ment to enhance the class and be integrated into it, other ideas I've reserved for specific races.
They might serve as an inspiration for the potential upcoming priest changes, feel free to suggest improvements & contructive criticism.

[Zirek]

Boring you really don't understand what makes vanilla wow is vanilla wow.. They should add more intersting stuff like shadowform gives stealth to priests at night time or fade gives invisiblity or maybe makes them immune to physical damage. Maybe they can even add void tendrils from Mop.

[Jc473]

Boring you really don't understand what makes vanilla wow is vanilla wow.. They should add more intersting stuff like shadowform gives stealth to priests at night time or fade gives invisiblity or maybe makes them immune to physical damage. Maybe they can even add void tendrils from Mop.

An unfortunate response to what I actually thought was a was a well written an interesting set of ideas. I think the changes are very much in keeping with the vanilla spirit.

They are also a lot more subtle than the changes you suggested which would cause major balance issues.

[Zirek]

Boring you really don't understand what makes vanilla wow is vanilla wow.. They should add more intersting stuff like shadowform gives stealth to priests at night time or fade gives invisiblity or maybe makes them immune to physical damage. Maybe they can even add void tendrils from Mop.

An unfortunate response to what I actually thought was a was a well written an interesting set of ideas. I think the changes are very much in keeping with the vanilla spirit.

They are also a lot more subtle than the changes you suggested which would cause major balance issues.

Balance is overrated. Do you really think people play Vanilla Wow because it's the very balanced MMO ? In Vanilla Wow balance was totally mess but they cared adding cool stuff instead and this is why people prefer Vanilla over the other versions of Wow.

[Bigsmerf]

Boring you really don't understand what makes vanilla wow is vanilla wow.. They should add more intersting stuff like shadowform gives stealth to priests at night time or fade gives invisiblity or maybe makes them immune to physical damage. Maybe they can even add void tendrils from Mop.

An unfortunate response to what I actually thought was a was a well written an interesting set of ideas. I think the changes are very much in keeping with the vanilla spirit.

They are also a lot more subtle than the changes you suggested which would cause major balance issues.

Balance is overrated. Do you really think people play Vanilla Wow because it's the very balanced MMO ? In Vanilla Wow balance was totally mess but they cared adding cool stuff instead and this is why people prefer Vanilla over the other versions of Wow.

So you want void tendrils from MoP to keep that vanilla spirit. Sounds like a perfect idea.

[Zirek]

An unfortunate response to what I actually thought was a was a well written an interesting set of ideas. I think the changes are very much in keeping with the vanilla spirit.

They are also a lot more subtle than the changes you suggested which would cause major balance issues.

Balance is overrated. Do you really think people play Vanilla Wow because it's the very balanced MMO ? In Vanilla Wow balance was totally mess but they cared adding cool stuff instead and this is why people prefer Vanilla over the other versions of Wow.

So you want void tendrils from MoP to keep that vanilla spirit. Sounds like a perfect idea.

I am saying that just add cool stuff as long as it doesn't breaks immersion and roleplaying element of the game. Nobody cares about some another boring spell with overcomplicated description.

[Bigsmerf]

Balance is overrated. Do you really think people play Vanilla Wow because it's the very balanced MMO ? In Vanilla Wow balance was totally mess but they cared adding cool stuff instead and this is why people prefer Vanilla over the other versions of Wow.

So you want void tendrils from MoP to keep that vanilla spirit. Sounds like a perfect idea.

I am saying that just add cool stuff as long as it doesn't breaks immersion and roleplaying element of the game. Nobody cares about some another boring spell with overcomplicated description.

Clearly the OP has demonstrated how much people care about long descriptors for spells. Personally I'd find it more interesting than "Shadowform makes you invisible at night now". And, yes, believe it or not, balance is important.

[Jc473]

Balance is overrated. Do you really think people play Vanilla Wow because it's the very balanced MMO ? In Vanilla Wow balance was totally mess but they cared adding cool stuff instead and this is why people prefer Vanilla over the other versions of Wow.

Back in Vanilla, there was no shortage of folks who were clamoring about how weak or strong certain classes/specs were (aka balance issues) and this is no different today. So, yes, I think balance is always something to keep an eye on and even moreso given the recent announcement of a dedicated PvP server.

With regards to adding 'cool stuff', well this is obviously a subjective concept. As already mentioned, the OP (and myself) consider those things to be interesting ideas. The real question is, do the TWoW staff and the bulk of the community feel the same way?

What I'd also like to point out is that homogenisation is the path we should avoid at all costs. In my opinion, the later versions of the game (and, yes, I'd even include TBC in this) ventured down this path all too often. So, when you give a few of your 'interesting' ideas;

They should add more intersting stuff like shadowform gives stealth to priests at night time or fade gives invisiblity or maybe makes them immune to physical damage. Maybe they can even add void tendrils from Mop.

My immediate reaction is;
1) why would you give some sort of 'stealth' or 'invisibility' to another class? I'm sure the Rogues and Druids would love that....
2) Void Tendrils? An AoE root? I'm sure the Mages would love that....
3) nothing to do with homogenisation, but 'immunity' to physical damage!? Fade lasts 10 seconds. Whilst it might sound fun for the priest, it's very uninteractive/unengaging for classes like Warriors/Rogues who primarily deal physical damage...

It's quite easy to come up with these 'interesting' ideas of yours but they tend to fall foul of homogenisation/balance issues. So, in my opinion, I think the OP's ideas satisfy the following criteria:
1) Interesting (debatable but, in my opinion, yes)
2) Don't break immersion/roleplaying elements of the game
3) Maintaining class identify (i.e. don't lead to, if any, homogenisation)
3) Don't cause massive balance issues from a design perspective (obviously, the numbers themselves would require tweaking)

[Mativh]

Boring you really don't understand what makes vanilla wow is vanilla wow..

I've stated that I'm not trying to reinvent the class, but integrate these ideas into the existing structure, while leaving the more impactful/flavorful ones for specific races that I'll post in the future.
And they're ment to be considerable for implementation.

Ethereal Fade - allowing the Priest to utilize it's spells (while levelling) instead of having to resort to wanding (unlike other spellcasters) is as boring/interesting as the Priests spells are themselves.

Soothing Shadows - adds to the Shadow tree an alternative build, which can be coordinated with other Priests to bring forth a healer/dps hybrid playstyle.

Holy Word: Anathema - A possibility to turn the diverse array of healing abilities into offensive ones and use them situationally, making the priest especially capable against undeads and demons.

Clerics Aid - Intertwining professions and classes/races, this one turns First Aid into an unique healing build support.

Fundamental Forces - makes the spells of choice matter more, mixing two schools of magic has both it's cost and benefit and so does staying purely in one of them, the lore behind it is well written and it's a very abstract concept which I believe would be well conveyed through this passive

They should add more intersting stuff like shadowform gives stealth to priests at night time or fade gives invisiblity or maybe makes them immune to physical damage. Maybe they can even add void tendrils from Mop.

Shadowform stealth - Lore-wise it'd make no sense to add it mindlessly to all Priests, only some of the Forsaken Shadow Ascendants have reached that level of mastery, and even then it'd not depend on the lack of daylight, as the deepest shadows are cast by the strongest light.
Which brings me to:

Fade invisibility/invulnerability - The Shadow Priest doesn't manipulate the forces from which reality is woven together in order to remove itself from sight (like arcane mages), nor is it partially shifting to another plane (like a demon would), nor literally sneaks like a cat or a rogue. Fade is somewhat a psychic concept, not only literally fading just because.. it is a good candidate for Shadow Priest pseudo-stealth but not randomly, as mentioned above.

Void Tendrils - the only part of the lore before cataclysm where something similar is mentioned is when Forsaken Shadow Ascendants go beyond the regular Shadowform, and even then it isn't an universal Old God tentacle (a simplified copy of the Lovecraftian Old Gods), instead it is a result of a huge cataclysm retcon by Activision that erased all shadow priest lore and turned them into voidlord/old god cultists.
If you enjoy that in retail they expanded on it quite a bit.
But Turtle WoW builds a coherent and immersive world that is true to the franchise as it was envisioned by the original developers, before corporate greed and parent companies ruined it.