[Hero Concept] Nether; Catch, Isolation and Battlefield Control. (Artwork)

[arcsymus]

Nether

Nether Story: In ancient Egypt, a king named Herushai refused to accept a second wife, the bond between he and his first not permitting. His wife, the queen Raia, loved him just the same, yet she was troubled by the abuses of her past which caused her to become despondent and aggressive to...

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Nether

Pitch: Catch, Isolation and Battlefield Control. Sinister abductions and horrible transformations of the battlefield are the hallmarks of Nether’s nefarious plans. Nether shepherds enemies to their doom from the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Gun: A walking stick that fires bolts of nether energy. Slow rate of fire, high capacity magazine, very long range effectiveness.

1) Shadow Wave: Project a one-way translucent wall of slow moving shadow energy towards point. This slows down enemy projectiles and reduces their damage. The wall deals damage on contact with enemy units.

2) Excursion: Mark the spot where Nether stands. For the next 20 seconds, Nether can reactivate this ability to return to this spot. (Small smoking mark, visible to enemy.)

3) Vile Spawn: For 15 seconds, rapidly spawn Nether Tendrils at the location of nearby enemies (in a very large area, prioritizing heroes) that last for 5 seconds and attack nearby enemies, slowing them by 15%.

4) Dark Grasp: Target an enemy hero, and release a slow projectile that chases that hero until it catches them. On contact, the enemy hero is absorbed into the projectile and phased out, leaving behind a shard for the next 8 seconds. If Nether contacts the shard, he picks it up, disabling his attack and abilities until it is dropped (can reactivate Excursion). After 8 seconds, the enemy hero reemerges at the point where the shard would be. (Projectile is destructible.)

Arcsymus' Concepts

Chariot, Controls spacing, initiates and peels. Deadlock Forums Google Doc Nether, Catch, Isolation and Battlefield Control. Deadlock Forums Google Doc Empress, Shove enemies and deliver teleport strikes. Deadlock Forums Google Doc Death, Tenacious melee powerhouse. Deadlock Forums Google ...

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[arcsymus]

What's up? I'm feeling a bit laconic today, so I won't have much to say right now. I quite like this concept. I was struggling with how to implement the character's weapon. I was sold at eldritch mummy lich, and liked the idea of him having a walking stick, but couldn't imagine a character limping around in Deadlock, so I decided to make him a more active character and frame his walking stick as a straight up rifle.

This concept started with Dark Grasp + Vile Spawn, and I was able to work Excursion in there for the extra combo. Originally I wanted Excursion to last for a very long time, but felt that the combo would be too strong, so settled with 20 seconds, and I think that's balanceable, as I think there's plenty of counter play and that it's difficult to get a strong combo off.

There are a lot of specifics that I haven't worked out. I see a lot of people getting into each tier ability upgrade. I feel satisfied with leaving things at this stage of development. Further questions are a matter of implementation, not of design.

For his last ability, I like Shadow Wave, as I feel that it adds on to the concept of 'battlefield control / manipulation'.

I think Dark Grasp is a great concept, but it might not be difficult enough to play against. Ideally, Nether's fragility would limit his potential, but if you can Grasp in melee range and Excursion back into your base, that's probably bad. Perhaps limiting the duration based on minimum travel distance would be a good fix.