Love the concept ! It's great that Demon Hunter inspires people to design their own class. Death Kight is a safe pick as it is well established both in WoW and Hearthstone and I think you did a good job representing it.
That being said, I have a few points I'd like to discuss.
First your keyword "Syphon". While I like the mechanic, I think it's not very on brand for Hearthstone. Only one keyword in the game works with a number (Overload) and I think it's for the sake of simplicity. It's fine if you want to keep it that way but I think something like "If a minion died this turn" or "If a friendly minion died this turn" would be better.
Then your Hero Power. I must say, I don't like it. Having 3 different effects make it confusing. Which one do you start with ? Do they change in a predetermined patern or at random ? Does Unholy Presence grant permanent Attack ? Also each effect is very distinct and the fact that they have different costs make it very hard to plan your turns ahead. I like Frost Presence so I think you should either keep that one only or find something completly new. I made a thread about Hero Powers where you can find inspiration, borrow ideas or pitch new concepts : https://www.hearthpwn.com/forums/hearthstone-general/fan-creations/237382-custom-hero-powers
I'll read all the cards eventualy and maybe review them one by one if I find the courage but I wanted to start with basic elements.
Love the concept ! It's great that Demon Hunter inspires people to design their own class. Death Kight is a safe pick as it is well established both in WoW and Hearthstone and I think you did a good job representing it.
That being said, I have a few points I'd like to discuss.
First your keyword "Syphon". While I like the mechanic, I think it's not very on brand for Hearthstone. Only one keyword in the game works with a number (Overload) and I think it's for the sake of simplicity. It's fine if you want to keep it that way but I think something like "If a minion died this turn" or "If a friendly minion died this turn" would be better.
Then your Hero Power. I must say, I don't like it. Having 3 different effects make it confusing. Which one do you start with ? Do they change in a predetermined patern or at random ? Does Unholy Presence grant permanent Attack ? Also each effect is very distinct and the fact that they have different costs make it very hard to plan your turns ahead. I like Frost Presence so I think you should either keep that one only or find something completly new. I made a thread about Hero Powers where you can find inspiration, borrow ideas or pitch new concepts : https://www.hearthpwn.com/forums/hearthstone-general/fan-creations/237382-custom-hero-powers
I'll read all the cards eventualy and maybe review them one by one if I find the courage but I wanted to start with basic elements.
Hope to see more of this !
Thanks for the input! Now, as far as the keyword is concerned - initially I wanted to do something along the lines of what you wrote, as in have a trigger when something dies. Having a parameter attached opens up so much design space though and allows for some truly unique/interesting/meaningful cards while at the same time making the balancing much easier. I don't think the parameter makes the things more complex but this could be tweaked relatively easily if playtesting feedback was such as yours.
The rotating hero power mechanic is the fundamental core of this design and I really wanted to pursue that - it was the very starting foundation for this class/set of cards. I like the gameplay dynamic of having to constantly predict possible outcomes based on probability and alter the plays based on the result.
As for the clarity of the mechanic, it works just like Dr. Boom, so yeah it is random. Might be ambiguous initially, true but the same can be said about many mechanics in Hearthstone (some truly wacky cards out there), including Dr. Boom. You have to play the card at least once to understand how it works, there are no tooltips that explain how creating a beast for the DK Hunter works, etc.
I don't want the hero power to fundamentally always swap to the same one, by design it is supposed to be random. Then again, I wanted to have a card that allows one to manipulate that randomness if they so wish - one of the cards in the set swaps the hero power (it is a spell with the twinspell keyword). This somewhat manipulates the randomness. There is also a card that changes the random order to a persistent one that can be predicted, allowing for player actions that can be planned accordingly.
And yes, the Unholy Presence effect is indeed permanent. I assumed the bracket clarification is not needed since all Attack bonuses on other cards in Hearthstone contain the 'this turn' restriction. No restriction implies the effect is permanent. Perhaps I was wrong.
Couple of "errors", though that is not quite the correct word:
Twinspell is an expansion-exclusive keyword, you can't use it. It also does not exist in the Basic set.
No basic set uses a class-specific keyword. Therefore, you cannot use Syphon in your Basic set.
Same thing with Silence, it does not appear in the Basic set.
As for balance (I skimmed quickly though, probably didn't catch everything):
I think your Hero Power is way too complicated. If anything, DH has shown us simplistic Hero Powers are the way to go.
All Will Serve is a 1 mana draw a card, no drawbacks whatsoever. These are typically not printed in Hearthstone, as they turn a deck from a 30-card deck into a 28-card one. (That is, they are auto-includes)
Sapphiron is awful. Very low impact, and you have no control over what it freezes.
Succor is a very strange card from a design standpoint. You have absolutely no cards that activate on discard, nor benefit from it. Discard should probably be left as a warlock thing.
Couple of "errors", though that is not quite the correct word:
Twinspell is an expansion-exclusive keyword, you can't use it. It also does not exist in the Basic set.
No basic set uses a class-specific keyword. Therefore, you cannot use Syphon in your Basic set.
Same thing with Silence, it does not appear in the Basic set.
As for balance (I skimmed quickly though, probably didn't catch everything):
I think your Hero Power is way too complicated. If anything, DH has shown us simplistic Hero Powers are the way to go.
All Will Serve is a 1 mana draw a card, no drawbacks whatsoever. These are typically not printed in Hearthstone, as they turn a deck from a 30-card deck into a 28-card one. (That is, they are auto-includes)
Sapphiron is awful. Very low impact, and you have no control over what it freezes.
Succor is a very strange card from a design standpoint. You have absolutely no cards that activate on discard, nor benefit from it. Discard should probably be left as a warlock thing.
Thanks for the feedback. As for the Hero Power being too complicated, even though in theory the DH Hero Power is simple but has a lot of interaction and fun dynamics with other class mechanics and cards (which is in line with Hearthstone's fundamental design principles), I am not a huge fan of it. It seems too simple to me, even though it fits Hearthstone and I might be completely wrong after I actually get to play with the Demon Hunter. In theory, If something is deceptively simple and can be used in many ways, it is a good design. Anyhow, I wanted to experiment with something different, potentially fun and more interesting (don't mind if its slightly more complex, I still think it is not overly complex).
All Will Serve is a deck thinner which might not always a good thing if playing against another control deck. Also, you trade 1 card for another which is nothing, for 1 mana - that is is a slight drawback.
Thanks I guess? :P As for another project, first I'd like to tweak this set more. This was very spontaneous and I doubt I'll do another Hearthstone design brainstorm like this but who knows. Haven't played the game in a long time, the recent Demon Hunter announcement inspired me to play around with some ideas.
All Will Serve is a deck thinner which might not always a good thing if playing against another control deck. Also, you trade 1 card for another which is nothing, for 1 mana - that is is a slight drawback.
That is not quite right. 1 mana draw a card is not a drawback, as you are thinning your deck. If you pay 0 mana to draw, that is an insane advantage.
I give you the example of the pre-nerfed Flare. It used to be 1 mana and every single Hunter deck ran it since it was just extremely powerful deck thinning.
If you look at the old Power Word Shield, technically, it breaks this rule, but it requires a minion to play so therefore, not all Priest decks are able to play this card.
Furthermore, look at all the control decks in existence in Standard at the moment. Not a single one wins by grinding to fatigue. There is absolutely no reason not to play All Will Serve.
Cool ideas but the rotating hero power would never fly. It's way to complicated, it's inconsistent in turns of mana cost, and it scales over time (something a base hero power shouldn't be able to do). That being said, the cards look great, and you have a lot of interesting mechanics and well-designed cards.
All Will Serve is a deck thinner which might not always a good thing if playing against another control deck. Also, you trade 1 card for another which is nothing, for 1 mana - that is is a slight drawback.
That is not quite right. 1 mana draw a card is not a drawback, as you are thinning your deck. If you pay 0 mana to draw, that is an insane advantage.
I give you the example of the pre-nerfed Flare. It used to be 1 mana and every single Hunter deck ran it since it was just extremely powerful deck thinning.
If you look at the old Power Word Shield, technically, it breaks this rule, but it requires a minion to play so therefore, not all Priest decks are able to play this card.
Furthermore, look at all the control decks in existence in Standard at the moment. Not a single one wins by grinding to fatigue. There is absolutely no reason not to play All Will Serve.
I am aware of all of what you're writing and I agree but paying 1 mana to potentially play a card that you could have otherwise drawn for 0 mana IS A DRAWBACK. It is a minor one and again, you are correct in your analysis for the most part.
Cool ideas but the rotating hero power would never fly. It's way to complicated, it's inconsistent in turns of mana cost, and it scales over time (something a base hero power shouldn't be able to do). That being said, the cards look great, and you have a lot of interesting mechanics and well-designed cards.
Thanks for the input. I really wanted to experiment and I feel quite strongly about a more 'complex' default hero power, you could always make this class a hero one or something, much like it is in WoW which means that it would require more player actions/playtime to unlock.
The current balance of the permanent upgrade might need tweaking but I would really want to playtest it and iterate it further - the player fantasy of slowly upgrading your hero to be more powerful, much like in deck builders such as Dream Quest/Slay the Spire is very intriguing to me and I really want to explore it further.
@Devizz I get that you are attached to your idea for a Hero Power but I'd like to change your mind
First things first : changing Hero Power doesn't mean that you have to scrape your idea. You can make a spell that changes the Hero Power or a Hero card. I think it would be better because it would let players choose to play with this more complex and random HP.
So then, why change ? Well, for one, the fact that it's very umpredictable makes it hard to play with. Shaman is in a similar situation but at least the HP always summon a minion, always a Totem and each individual Totem is easy to understand and remember. The same can be said about Dr. Boom. The five effects are very simple and most of them are tempo oriented so it's different each turn but it's somewhat consistant. The changing mana cost and the random rotation also make it very hard to plan future turn, which is kind of a shame because it seems you want to push for a more intricate gameplay. Finaly I get why you want the HP to grow stronger over the course of a game but that is very much backwards considering the design in Hearthstone. As the gale progresses, players get access to more and more powerful cards and Hero Powers become less relevant. If you give your class an infinite ressource that is going to out scale every other deck (except maybe Jade Druid and Kingsbane Rogue) you are going to create something that is frustrating to play against. Not only that, but DK players will be insentivized to rely on this strategy instead of developping control archetype : just stall the game as long as possible and you will win by default.
I think you can rework this HP if you don't want to change it. First, I would unify the mana costs. It make it much more consistant even if the effects change. Second, I would try to design effects that accomplish similar goals. Maybe you want this Hero Power to be defensive, maybe it's a control tool, maybe it's agressive, maybe it focuses on tempo. Either way, choose something and design 3 effect that work in that direction with different approches. Finaly, think about the rotation cycle. Which one comes first in a game ? Do they cycle randomly ? Maybe they only change after being used. Keep in mind the player experience you want to deliver : do you want them to plan their next move or adapt to whatever tools they have right now ? How much knowledge do they need to play the class well ? How punishing is it to missuse the HP ?
I think it's great to make a more complex Hero Power but you have to think about the implications of such a design in a game like Hearthstone. Take Odd Shaman. It's never played. Not only is the upgraded Hero Power not worth it, being able to choose a Totem is in theory a good tactical option but in practice it's too much work for minimal adventages. Cards are already complex in Hearthstone, you don't need a Hero Power that forces you to bend your brain every game. Furthermore, if it's too complicated to use, players will most likely ignore it.
Hope this is useful and helps you think about what you want for your class.
- Random swap each turn with a pool of X hero powers (3 seems like the most optimal number).
- Permanent (but slow) gain in power.
For the first one, while I wouldn't build a basic Hero Power like that, I can definitely see it working for Hearthstone so let's give it a shot. Fortunately, Dr. Boom, Mad Genius provides a good template for that. The core principles that I would take from it are that the rotating HPs need to have a) the same cost and b) roughly the same applications. Most of them are "Deal with small minions" but with variations and all of them tend toward a control gameplan. Of course, you don't want your basic HP to limit your class' options in terms of deck-building but at the end of the day, consistancy is worth more than variety when it comes to basics. I would like it better if it was on a predetermined rotation but I understand that you might want it to be random.
Now onto your second goal. I must admit, I don't think it's a good idea. The thing is, in Hearthstone, Hero Powers are not designed too scale throughout the game. While this would bring new player experiences to the game, I think it would also be impossible to balance. The problem is that no other class is built to compete with endless resources : games of Hearthstone are meant to end ! Just look at Jade Idol and the imbalance that it introduced in the game. The developers had to print Skulking Geist, a neutral direct counter, to make it fair. If you want to see this idea through, go ahead, fan design is just for fun after all, but keep in mind that you are doing something fondamentaly broken in the context of Hearthstone. Basic Hero Powers should stay simple and have a low impact if we wish to stay true to the game's core design.
So, with all that analysing, it's time to build something. I don't mean to do your work for you but instead give an exemple of what could be done and hopefuly help in the creation of a final version for your class' HP. I also love to build HPs so...
The power level is a bit on the strong side but still reasonable, the idea being that randomness is the main balance factor. I went for 2 mana because it's standard and I don't want to do too many crazy things at once. They offer a variety of options which work in a mid-range gameplan but still let you make decisions each turn. Runic Blade is good for tempo, finishing off your opponent and empowering your weapons. Raise Dead keeps you on the board but you can't really abuse it (still their might be some sacrifice-trigger applications). Marrowrend gives you damage and sustain with some potential synergies. In this current build, I would have them cycle in a random order. I don't know if I like it more when the HP changes every turn or when it changes only when you use it but regardless. Also the flavor is based on the three DK specializations but I tried to be a bit more subtle about it.
So there is how I would rework your Basic Hero Power for the Deathknight. Feel free to take, adapt or scrap these ideas. Exploring every possibility is in my experience the best way to come up with the best Hero Powers so feel free to pitch as many versions as you can come up with. Also let me know what you think of my design !
Seems we are getting a Death Knight class after all. So, what are your thoughts regarding it? Any predictions? What kind of class would you like to see them do; what mechanics etc.
Honestly, there are so many classes that focus on minion play, I'd love for them to pursue the fantasy of being an absolute killing machine that is highly sustainable, perhaps using less minions of their own and instead killing enemy minions, resummoning them.
On a side note, I made some updates to the original designs.
Disclaimer: This is a fan project that is completely non-profit, all the art assets belong to Blizzard.
https://imgur.com/gallery/QrbLeMC
Introducing the Death Knight: A new Hearthstone class!
Devizz's LEGEND Aggro DH, 70% Win Ratio
Love the concept ! It's great that Demon Hunter inspires people to design their own class. Death Kight is a safe pick as it is well established both in WoW and Hearthstone and I think you did a good job representing it.
That being said, I have a few points I'd like to discuss.
First your keyword "Syphon". While I like the mechanic, I think it's not very on brand for Hearthstone. Only one keyword in the game works with a number (Overload) and I think it's for the sake of simplicity. It's fine if you want to keep it that way but I think something like "If a minion died this turn" or "If a friendly minion died this turn" would be better.
Then your Hero Power. I must say, I don't like it. Having 3 different effects make it confusing. Which one do you start with ? Do they change in a predetermined patern or at random ? Does Unholy Presence grant permanent Attack ? Also each effect is very distinct and the fact that they have different costs make it very hard to plan your turns ahead. I like Frost Presence so I think you should either keep that one only or find something completly new. I made a thread about Hero Powers where you can find inspiration, borrow ideas or pitch new concepts : https://www.hearthpwn.com/forums/hearthstone-general/fan-creations/237382-custom-hero-powers
I'll read all the cards eventualy and maybe review them one by one if I find the courage but I wanted to start with basic elements.
Hope to see more of this !
U are awesome . Can u do a monk project also ?
https://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/1333477-xskarmalock
Thanks for the input! Now, as far as the keyword is concerned - initially I wanted to do something along the lines of what you wrote, as in have a trigger when something dies. Having a parameter attached opens up so much design space though and allows for some truly unique/interesting/meaningful cards while at the same time making the balancing much easier. I don't think the parameter makes the things more complex but this could be tweaked relatively easily if playtesting feedback was such as yours.
The rotating hero power mechanic is the fundamental core of this design and I really wanted to pursue that - it was the very starting foundation for this class/set of cards. I like the gameplay dynamic of having to constantly predict possible outcomes based on probability and alter the plays based on the result.
As for the clarity of the mechanic, it works just like Dr. Boom, so yeah it is random. Might be ambiguous initially, true but the same can be said about many mechanics in Hearthstone (some truly wacky cards out there), including Dr. Boom. You have to play the card at least once to understand how it works, there are no tooltips that explain how creating a beast for the DK Hunter works, etc.
I don't want the hero power to fundamentally always swap to the same one, by design it is supposed to be random. Then again, I wanted to have a card that allows one to manipulate that randomness if they so wish - one of the cards in the set swaps the hero power (it is a spell with the twinspell keyword). This somewhat manipulates the randomness. There is also a card that changes the random order to a persistent one that can be predicted, allowing for player actions that can be planned accordingly.
And yes, the Unholy Presence effect is indeed permanent. I assumed the bracket clarification is not needed since all Attack bonuses on other cards in Hearthstone contain the 'this turn' restriction. No restriction implies the effect is permanent. Perhaps I was wrong.
Keep the feedback coming. ;)
Introducing the Death Knight: A new Hearthstone class!
Devizz's LEGEND Aggro DH, 70% Win Ratio
Couple of "errors", though that is not quite the correct word:
As for balance (I skimmed quickly though, probably didn't catch everything):
Thanks for the feedback. As for the Hero Power being too complicated, even though in theory the DH Hero Power is simple but has a lot of interaction and fun dynamics with other class mechanics and cards (which is in line with Hearthstone's fundamental design principles), I am not a huge fan of it. It seems too simple to me, even though it fits Hearthstone and I might be completely wrong after I actually get to play with the Demon Hunter. In theory, If something is deceptively simple and can be used in many ways, it is a good design. Anyhow, I wanted to experiment with something different, potentially fun and more interesting (don't mind if its slightly more complex, I still think it is not overly complex).
All Will Serve is a deck thinner which might not always a good thing if playing against another control deck. Also, you trade 1 card for another which is nothing, for 1 mana - that is is a slight drawback.
Introducing the Death Knight: A new Hearthstone class!
Devizz's LEGEND Aggro DH, 70% Win Ratio
nice to know that this is non-profit
In the context of posting it on these forums, this might seem like a silly disclaimer but I was reposting. No need to be snide.
Thanks I guess? :P As for another project, first I'd like to tweak this set more. This was very spontaneous and I doubt I'll do another Hearthstone design brainstorm like this but who knows. Haven't played the game in a long time, the recent Demon Hunter announcement inspired me to play around with some ideas.
Introducing the Death Knight: A new Hearthstone class!
Devizz's LEGEND Aggro DH, 70% Win Ratio
That is not quite right. 1 mana draw a card is not a drawback, as you are thinning your deck. If you pay 0 mana to draw, that is an insane advantage.
I give you the example of the pre-nerfed Flare. It used to be 1 mana and every single Hunter deck ran it since it was just extremely powerful deck thinning.
If you look at the old Power Word Shield, technically, it breaks this rule, but it requires a minion to play so therefore, not all Priest decks are able to play this card.
Furthermore, look at all the control decks in existence in Standard at the moment. Not a single one wins by grinding to fatigue. There is absolutely no reason not to play All Will Serve.
I've designed my own for awhile but I love the art you used for this.
Cool ideas but the rotating hero power would never fly. It's way to complicated, it's inconsistent in turns of mana cost, and it scales over time (something a base hero power shouldn't be able to do). That being said, the cards look great, and you have a lot of interesting mechanics and well-designed cards.
I am aware of all of what you're writing and I agree but paying 1 mana to potentially play a card that you could have otherwise drawn for 0 mana IS A DRAWBACK. It is a minor one and again, you are correct in your analysis for the most part.
Thanks for the input. I really wanted to experiment and I feel quite strongly about a more 'complex' default hero power, you could always make this class a hero one or something, much like it is in WoW which means that it would require more player actions/playtime to unlock.
The current balance of the permanent upgrade might need tweaking but I would really want to playtest it and iterate it further - the player fantasy of slowly upgrading your hero to be more powerful, much like in deck builders such as Dream Quest/Slay the Spire is very intriguing to me and I really want to explore it further.
Introducing the Death Knight: A new Hearthstone class!
Devizz's LEGEND Aggro DH, 70% Win Ratio
@Devizz I get that you are attached to your idea for a Hero Power but I'd like to change your mind
First things first : changing Hero Power doesn't mean that you have to scrape your idea. You can make a spell that changes the Hero Power or a Hero card. I think it would be better because it would let players choose to play with this more complex and random HP.
So then, why change ? Well, for one, the fact that it's very umpredictable makes it hard to play with. Shaman is in a similar situation but at least the HP always summon a minion, always a Totem and each individual Totem is easy to understand and remember. The same can be said about Dr. Boom. The five effects are very simple and most of them are tempo oriented so it's different each turn but it's somewhat consistant. The changing mana cost and the random rotation also make it very hard to plan future turn, which is kind of a shame because it seems you want to push for a more intricate gameplay. Finaly I get why you want the HP to grow stronger over the course of a game but that is very much backwards considering the design in Hearthstone. As the gale progresses, players get access to more and more powerful cards and Hero Powers become less relevant. If you give your class an infinite ressource that is going to out scale every other deck (except maybe Jade Druid and Kingsbane Rogue) you are going to create something that is frustrating to play against. Not only that, but DK players will be insentivized to rely on this strategy instead of developping control archetype : just stall the game as long as possible and you will win by default.
I think you can rework this HP if you don't want to change it. First, I would unify the mana costs. It make it much more consistant even if the effects change. Second, I would try to design effects that accomplish similar goals. Maybe you want this Hero Power to be defensive, maybe it's a control tool, maybe it's agressive, maybe it focuses on tempo. Either way, choose something and design 3 effect that work in that direction with different approches. Finaly, think about the rotation cycle. Which one comes first in a game ? Do they cycle randomly ? Maybe they only change after being used. Keep in mind the player experience you want to deliver : do you want them to plan their next move or adapt to whatever tools they have right now ? How much knowledge do they need to play the class well ? How punishing is it to missuse the HP ?
I think it's great to make a more complex Hero Power but you have to think about the implications of such a design in a game like Hearthstone. Take Odd Shaman. It's never played. Not only is the upgraded Hero Power not worth it, being able to choose a Totem is in theory a good tactical option but in practice it's too much work for minimal adventages. Cards are already complex in Hearthstone, you don't need a Hero Power that forces you to bend your brain every game. Furthermore, if it's too complicated to use, players will most likely ignore it.
Hope this is useful and helps you think about what you want for your class.
I kind of expect a new class to come next year or the year after that too, at the beginning of the year, depending on how this pans out.
Too complicated.
Make it simple
2 mana cost hero power: freeze a minion
Then all the DK cards the lich king/arfus has right now but just modify the cost and effect
Done. Viola Dk class
That sounds extremely boring tbh.
Anyhow, I've tweaked the class a bit, added more cards. Any feedback would be appreciated.
Considering the HP revamp but I want to keep the following:
- Random swap each turn with a pool of X hero powers (3 seems like the most optimal number).
- Permanent (but slow) gain in power.
Was thinking of tweaking the HP to look something like this: ”Deal 1 damage to your hero and give it +2 Attack until your next attack (stacks).”
Introducing the Death Knight: A new Hearthstone class!
Devizz's LEGEND Aggro DH, 70% Win Ratio
Would love to hear some feedback in regards to the hero power potential revamp, feel free to throw some ideas at me as well.
Also, what do you think about the new cards and the ones I tweaked?
Introducing the Death Knight: A new Hearthstone class!
Devizz's LEGEND Aggro DH, 70% Win Ratio
Ok I'll do that !
So let's first look at your two stated goals for this rework :
For the first one, while I wouldn't build a basic Hero Power like that, I can definitely see it working for Hearthstone so let's give it a shot. Fortunately, Dr. Boom, Mad Genius provides a good template for that. The core principles that I would take from it are that the rotating HPs need to have a) the same cost and b) roughly the same applications. Most of them are "Deal with small minions" but with variations and all of them tend toward a control gameplan. Of course, you don't want your basic HP to limit your class' options in terms of deck-building but at the end of the day, consistancy is worth more than variety when it comes to basics. I would like it better if it was on a predetermined rotation but I understand that you might want it to be random.
Now onto your second goal. I must admit, I don't think it's a good idea. The thing is, in Hearthstone, Hero Powers are not designed too scale throughout the game. While this would bring new player experiences to the game, I think it would also be impossible to balance. The problem is that no other class is built to compete with endless resources : games of Hearthstone are meant to end ! Just look at Jade Idol and the imbalance that it introduced in the game. The developers had to print Skulking Geist, a neutral direct counter, to make it fair. If you want to see this idea through, go ahead, fan design is just for fun after all, but keep in mind that you are doing something fondamentaly broken in the context of Hearthstone. Basic Hero Powers should stay simple and have a low impact if we wish to stay true to the game's core design.
So, with all that analysing, it's time to build something. I don't mean to do your work for you but instead give an exemple of what could be done and hopefuly help in the creation of a final version for your class' HP. I also love to build HPs so...
The power level is a bit on the strong side but still reasonable, the idea being that randomness is the main balance factor. I went for 2 mana because it's standard and I don't want to do too many crazy things at once. They offer a variety of options which work in a mid-range gameplan but still let you make decisions each turn. Runic Blade is good for tempo, finishing off your opponent and empowering your weapons. Raise Dead keeps you on the board but you can't really abuse it (still their might be some sacrifice-trigger applications). Marrowrend gives you damage and sustain with some potential synergies. In this current build, I would have them cycle in a random order. I don't know if I like it more when the HP changes every turn or when it changes only when you use it but regardless. Also the flavor is based on the three DK specializations but I tried to be a bit more subtle about it.
So there is how I would rework your Basic Hero Power for the Deathknight. Feel free to take, adapt or scrap these ideas. Exploring every possibility is in my experience the best way to come up with the best Hero Powers so feel free to pitch as many versions as you can come up with. Also let me know what you think of my design !
Seems we are getting a Death Knight class after all. So, what are your thoughts regarding it? Any predictions? What kind of class would you like to see them do; what mechanics etc.
Honestly, there are so many classes that focus on minion play, I'd love for them to pursue the fantasy of being an absolute killing machine that is highly sustainable, perhaps using less minions of their own and instead killing enemy minions, resummoning them.
On a side note, I made some updates to the original designs.
Introducing the Death Knight: A new Hearthstone class!
Devizz's LEGEND Aggro DH, 70% Win Ratio
Might be broken with Genn or Baku