Implement Mastery variant

[Lakoda]

Please let me know what you think, I am looking for anything that is highly unbalanced. I know what I am doing increases power, but if it is just too much, please let me know. I would love normal feedback/suggestions as well. -- Thanks!

I never really like the Wizard's Implement Mastery class feature. The options seem too sparse, too lacking, especially when the Staff option has the static bonus to AC. So, over the last few weeks I've been slowly working to tweak the implement mastery options to be (1) stronger, (2) provide a (somewhat situational) static bonus, (3) provide an encounter power, and (4) make your secondary ability score more meaningful (as it stands IMHO, the implement mastery options are a too small and too weak/lame attempt to make a secondary ability score important). Now, on to what matters.

Implement Mastery
Each mastery has an active and a passive benefit. You must be wielding the appropriate implement to gain the active benefit of your chosen implement mastery.

Orb of Imposition
Passive
Any Wizard daily power you cast with an orb that has an effect a save can end comes with a -1 penalty to saving throws against any such effects that power inflicts.
Active
Once per encounter, as a minor action, you can extend any effect, from an At-will Wizard spell you cast, that ends at the end of your current turn until the end of your next turn.

Staff of Defense
Passive
When you cast a Wizard power with a staff you gain a +1 bonus to AC until the end of your next turn.
Active
Once per encounter, as an immediate interrupt, you may your Constitution modifier to your defenses against one attack. You can declare the bonus after the DM has already told you the damage total.

Wand of Accuracy
Passive
+1 to Attack rolls with Daily Wizard powers cast with a wand. If the power has the Summoning or the Conjuration keyword the bonus only applies to any initial attack or attacks (those made during the action in which the summoning or conjuring was made).
Active
Once per encounter, as an immediate interrupt, you may add your Dexterity modifier to a single attack roll. You can declare the bonus after you make the attack roll.

The Defensive Staff's property needs to be updated to work with the new Staff of Defense implement mastery: "Gain a +1 item bonus to your Fortitude, Reflex, and Will defenses. If you have the Staff of Defense class
feature, your passive benefit gains a +1 item bonus to the bonus to AC."

To expand on all this I creates some feats that improve the passive and active benefits of an Implement mastery.

Improved Implement Mastery
Requires: 11th level
Benefit: improves one implement mastery you know.
Orb of Imposition: You may use the active benefit a number of time per encounter equal to your Wisdom modifier, but only once per turn. Additionally, a given power cannot be affected multiple turns in a row.
Staff of Defense: You may use the active benefit a number of time per encounter equal to your Constitution modifier.
Wand of Accuracy: You may use the active benefit a number of times per encounter equal to your Dexterity modifier.
Special: You may take this feat multiple time, each time it applies to a different implement mastery.

Greater Implement Mastery
Requires: 21st level, Improved Implement Mastery
Benefit: Improves one implement mastery you already improved with the improved implement mastery feat.
Orb of Imposition: The passive benefit improves from -1 to -2.
Staff of Defense: The passive benefit increases from +1 to +2.
Wand of Accuracy: The passive benefit increases from +1 to +2.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times, each time it applies to a different implement mastery.

Now, in a worse case scenario, an Orb mage could get a -2 from their orb passive ability, a -6 from an Earthenroot Staff or an Orb of Fickle Fate, a -2 from spell focus, and (assuming a Genasi wizards using ongoing fire damage) a -1 from Genasi Fire Affinity, would result in a -11. That's just too much, so I will change both the Earthenroot Staff and the Orb of Fickle Fate to provide a penalty to saving throws equal to 1 per tier of the item. That makes the worse case scenario a -8 (-7 for non-Genasi's using ongoing fire damage).

I also changed a few existing feats to fit with the secondary ability score paradigm I want. I changed War Wizardry to use Wisdom and I exchanged the use of Wisdom in Spell Accuracy to use Intelligence. I didn't like having a feat that is pretty important for a lot of Wizards be dependent on a secondary ability score - I know, it is probably unbalancing but killing allies really puts a downer into our game sessions and this makes it a bit easier.

War Wizardry
Requires: 11th level
Benefit: Your arcane spells take a penalty on attack rolls against allies equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1), and deal only half their normal damage to allies.

Spell Accuracy
Requires: 21st level, Wizard
Benefit: You can omit a number of squares from the area of effect of any of your area or close wizard powers. This number can’t exceed half your Intelligence modifier.

Finally I added two more paragon feats to round out the Wizard's remaining secondary ability scores.

Ground Zero
Requires: 11th level
Benefit: You deal additional damage equal to your Dexterity modifier to any target in the origin square of a burst or blast Wizard spell you cast.

Spell Specialization
Requires: 11th level
Benefit: Pick one damage dealing Wizard spell they know. That spell now deals additional damage equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum 1). If you retrain the spell you choose you may pick a new spell to specialize.

One last thing, it bothered me that there was no Master's Ward for Illusory Ambush At-will, so here is my version of such an item.

Master's Wand of Illusory Ambush
Implement (Wand)
Enhancement: +X attack rolls and damage rolls
Critical: +Xd8 damage
Property: Any target you hit with Illusory Ambush takes psychic damage equal to your Constitution modifier if it hits you on it's next subsequent turn.