Spiked carapace is actually worse than thorns. ESPECIALLY if it's the same % reflected.
Why? Simple. Carapace is just for the hero, thorns is for a group. PLUS, unless it's a crazy high amount of armor (say like....25k. 100k if you want Death to complain) it'll be useless later on
If it were spiked carapace with thorns aura (it'd be weak just to make it 'balanced') and some small spell reduction too (say....10-20%?) it'd be awesome. Maybe max....10% thorns aura, 10% thorns from carapace, 25k armor from carapace, and 20% spell reduction (if anyone wants to complain, think about how many bosses actually use spell damage. I can think of....2. And no I mean Chaotic Bosses) And no, Cleave will be 'uber-nerfed' by Cryo next ver, it'll take armor into account (I'll have to ask if it's just type or amount too)
So I think we've agreed on a cleave and a spiked carapace or thorns of some sort....something of drunken brawler....but I think the avatar thing will be too confusing.
How about some kinda summon instead of the avatar/stat multiplier thing? Say...2-5 little piggies....1/5th all of his stats for their stats. Why not give them a slight cleave too (perhaps more of later levels of it), and perhaps a weak Brawler too. Let's say maxed they he (it? the pig) summons 5 piglets with 1/5th his stats, a 10% cleave (it's counting armor now Death), with Brawler having a 12.5% for evade/crit (5x? maybe 2.5x)