Weapon master kenjutsu rework 2024!!

[sleek karma]

Hey guys!
this looks like its going to be a long post. Feel free not to read my design and minding behind my vision of an updated WM and go directly to the jutsu changes if you want.
After the last big new in-game mechanic was implemented (stamina), the game took a drastic turn and made some masteries lose their jobs and indirectly made their ''counterpart’’ masteries better at those jobs while also not nerfing what they were already good at. In other words, it made some masteries useless while the strong at everything ones got even better. Int users being ranged burst masteries were a lot more favored than the high pressure lower dps melee point blank masteries. The result made me feel like mages had more stamina than warriors and it feels and sounds wrong.
Weapon masters have needed some changes for years and now that what made them good is not a thing anymore, it kinda feels like its not up to date anymore. The mastery clearly lacks an identity. From looking at the other melee masteries, Tai, GF, Fan, and pipe, you can clearly understand a certain pattern and idea behind their designs. Tai is fast and evade stuff(AND CC), fan is a mid range knockback mastery, pipe is a giga snare mastery, GF is a tai that isn't good(GF rework post on its way) and you have weapon masters who melee....that's it.

To find its identity, Kenjutsu users need a mastery of their own. Not weapons that any mastery can wield with enough STR dictate what the mastery is. For this to be possible, jutsus need to be redesigned/revisited into jutsus that follow a certain idea and pattern much like the other melee masteries.
Since other masteries have high CC kits, I feel like kenjutsu should not have any of it. Subs would also make tai less unique and ranged attacks don't really fit what a swordman should do. Since STR wm is a very point blank mastery without any special traits, it should have more movements than other masteries do. Here is my idea of a weapon master rework!!

For balance purpose, since melees are strong and im trying to make the jutsu's worth something, we need to implement a way to limit the damage done DPS wise from the mastery and its melees potential combos. For that reason, weapon masters jutsus should put their melees into its melee CD. This way, things like risky strike can comeback into having no self stun which has has been killing their momentum but also possible hybrid combos. 1 str based jutsu + a melee just sounds like a cheap way to deal damage to me and it also make sense for kenjutsu techniques to put melee's into CD since they are melee themselves. Literally sword slashes.
Since kenjutsu is about swinging a sword, it should cost less chakra to cast their abilities but cost a bit of stamina to do so. 1 melee worth of stamina per jutsu + some chakra sounds fair but also would give more opportunities for hybrids to have more chakra for their elees while not investing much more chakra.
Melee's should do an aoe hit on the 3 tiles in front of the user much like poison kunai does. This doesn't change anything 1v1 wise but it CAN help in teamfight occasionally and can greatly improve the PVE grind. It's a small change that opens more rooms for teamfights and PVE. Aspects where STR wm was never really good.

Shockwave : the jutsu has always been seen as useless but I think that it's just weirdly executed. Since it's a ranged attack, it also can't be that great. 9 tiles range -> 5 tiles range. Shockwave speed boosted by 60%. The hitbox should also hit more than 1 target if they are aligned properly. Right now it goes only for 1 target even though it's 3 tiles wide. Chakra cost : 10. consumes 1 melee worth of stamina (puts melee in its weapon attack speed CD.)

Risky blade dance : Self stuns are boring and also sometimes a cheap way to balance an attack. There are ways to obtain similar but less slow paced results. the attack itself can stay the same. 5 tiles range, teleports the user and slashes. 1 second self stun -> 1 second slow. (as if he had no stamina left) Chakra cost : 15. consumes 1 melee worth of stamina (puts melee in its weapon attack speed CD.)

Blade piercing : This jutsu is much more dead than it should be and the reason is simple, it's not always worth doing it. (if not never) The attack execution legit stays the same but if you hit minimum 1 target, you dash to the last tile of the attack animation. The user is then rooted for 1 second. ) Chakra cost : 20. consumes 1 melee worth of stamina (puts melee in its weapon attack speed CD.)

Wild slashes : The attack stays the same but pierce once. This will legit make PVE easier and might do better in teamfights. Chakra cost : 15. consumes 1 melee worth of stamina (puts melee in its weapon attack speed CD.)
.

Crescent moon beheading : This attack isn't the best right now and I think it shouldn't get much stronger. Since my vision puts melee on CD after jutsus, replace the stun with a root. Remove the push back and have it only cancel casts. (KB legit stuns for 0.5 seconds and i don't think it fits anyways. Caster being rooted allows him to have some space to either keep doing dmg or outplay evade somehow. Chakra cost : 30. consumes 1 melee worth of stamina (puts melee in its weapon attack speed CD.)

Dance of the crescent moon : stays the same but run cast becomes fast running cast. (20% speed boost while casting.) consumes normal speed stamina while casting. Chakra cost : 35. consumes 1 melee worth of stamina (puts melee in its weapon attack speed CD.)

[surreal linden]

Dance of the crescent moon could use the new combo system 😅

Sounds like something that should have multiple attacks