Accumulating Power (Stacks on hit)

[Neox]

Accumulating Power
Cost: 500 Souls

Imbue a damaging ability and reduce its damage. When enemy heroes are damaged or killed by the imbued ability gain stacks that increase its damage. Gain 1 stack for every enemy hero hurt per ability use. Gain 3 additional stacks for every enemy hero killed within 12.0s of taking damage by the ability.

-25% Imbued Ability Damage
+x% Imbued Ability Damage per stack

x = Base Ability Cooldown / 40

The idea here is to give players the option to go for stacks with any damaging ability similar to how Bebop's Sticky Bomb currently works. The exact % per stack could also be balanced per ability. The given calculation is just a suggestion which would even out the -25% after about ~17 minutes if you hit one enemy with your ability on cooldown (fully ignoring cooldown reduction upgrades). This item would be more suited for PvP centric playstyles.

There could also be an upgrade item that keeps the stacks and effects but also adds some passive stats like bonus health.

 

[bloodfrost27]

Seems like an awful nightmare for balancing. Mcginnis turrets for example, do they get a stack everytime they shoot you?

 

[bloodfrost27]

Also 500 souls is just insane. All the other 500 souls items are just small upgrades. Something as game changing as this should be at least 3000 by principle. Then balancing said thing for every ability in the game seems mighty difficult. They change bebop bomb every patch. Now imagine that for every ability in the game every patch. If they were to add thos to the game, theyd likely remove it immediately after. Its just too difficult

 

[Tavish]

I would much rather have an item cripple one of your abilities to siphon power into another. Only balancing issue that presents are people who already create builds which focus entirely on the use of one ability (like Kudzu bombs and Splatter). But in any case, the cost must be much higher to make it balanced.

Then balancing said thing for every ability in the game seems mighty difficult.

Also this.

 

[Neox]

Seems like an awful nightmare for balancing. Mcginnis turrets for example, do they get a stack everytime they shoot you?

You would only get one stack per enemy hit per ability use. So if you put down a turret and it hits an enemy multiple times it would still grant only one stack.

Also 500 souls is just insane. All the other 500 souls items are just small upgrades. Something as game changing as this should be at least 3000 by principle. Then balancing said thing for every ability in the game seems mighty difficult. They change bebop bomb every patch. Now imagine that for every ability in the game every patch. If they were to add thos to the game, theyd likely remove it immediately after. Its just too difficult

500 souls for an item that reduces the damage of a key ability in the early game instead of an item that helps you lane is insane? The damage penalty could also be increased to make it even worse early on and thus more risky. The main reason for it being 500 is that you don't collect any stacks until you buy the item. An upgraded item could alternatively increase the effects of the stacks, so you would buy the cheap version early to start getting stacks and then you upgrade it later to make the stacks stronger.

As for balancing it would be just like any other item that are stronger or weaker depending on the hero. But in general the item should be a rather niche one that you don't always buy. It should be one that is more likely to be underpowered than overpowered.

I would much rather have an item cripple one of your abilities to siphon power into another. Only balancing issue that presents are people who already create builds which focus entirely on the use of one ability (like Kudzu bombs and Splatter). But in any case, the cost must be much higher to make it balanced.

Also this.

Interesting, but I personally am not a fan of when you end up with a mostly "useless" button on a hero and such an item would only make it worse.

 

[dudashirilious]

What if instead of all this complexity we did something far simpler: just make an item that gives you increased Spirit as you make kills it endlessly on an item that is already very expensive and currently under-picked.

Say, if you made Boundless Spirit actually boundless and give you more spirit for every kill you make with it for the rest of the game.