[Hero Concept] Zolda, PSYCHIC BLOODSEEKER (artwork)

[arcsymus]

Hey, how you doing folks--it's me, Arcsymus, formerly known as Vodoun, 3rd place winner of IceFrog's Model to Hero contest that brought Puck into life. I've got a doozy of a suggestion for you guys and gals today--don't be put off of this one. The concept itself feels much more developed than the artwork, to me. In fact, I plan on drawing Ghennamon, of which I have a picture of in my head that I'll have to see how it plays out on the page.

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Story: Zolda is an assassin sabateur, forged from the fires of spite and hate who wants nothing more than to see her world burn. She is known by some investigators as God's Sightless Eye--a name inspired by the confusion born about her character, which had been perceived by many paranormal investigators as a group of actors working in concert, only due to their utter disbelief that a single actor could cause so much damage and be in so many places at once. That working name among intelligence networks stuck as expert sleuths began to uncover her identity. With no discernable origin, her story becomes even more strange, because it seems that there is not only one person with the speculative real-world identity of God's Sightless Eye, but two. No one but Ghennamon and Zolda know her chosen name; but her double is a more popular figure known as Carmine, a treasure hunting globetrotter and international thief, twisted by the power of the artifacts she now wields. Zolda does not know what Carmine's intentions are, but she does not care. She sees her as an enemy, nevertheless.

Ghennamon has made a soul pact with Zolda, which gives her this power, to summon him and have a chance at survival, after making the ultimate sacrifice. This bond that Zolda has formed allows her to fulfill their goal of unleashing devastation upon their foes. For Ghennamon, it enables him to reap mortal souls, bringing them into his realm in his eternal war against his rival demon, Slammoth.

Zolda, Assassin Sabateur, summoner of Ghennamon, the ravenous demon.

Zolda


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Pitch: Assassin sabateur, summoner of Ghennamon, the ravenous demon. Zolda is a low health summoner, with the potential to execute risky assassinations, if she wishes to tempt fate; but her pact with Ghennamon can often bail her out of a bad situation in its promise of death. She is able to summon and possess a multi-purpose Evil Eye at the expense of protecting her body. Her knife wounds afflict enemies with a vile poison that damages them as they move, while occasionally she will experience Phantasmagoria, damaging and slowing nearby enemies at the cost of self control. She is able to undergo a heinous transformation into her demon patron, Ghennamon. While costing her life, summoning Ghennamon promises the chance to return to life once again.

Gun: Zolda has a mark on her hand that she is able to project mystical photons from. Her gun has a medium fire rate, medium bullet velocity, deal medium damage, has a medium reload time and has a medium clip.


1. Evil Eye: Conjure a fast-moving flying eye, possessing it and leaving your body defenseless, channeling this spell. The eye can pass through walls. You will not be alerted when your body is dying. The eye possesses 20% of Zolda’s health. The Evil Eye has one skill: Accismus. The Evil Eye can fire laser beams with the Mouse1 button. The Evil Eye’s Mouse1 laser scales with Zolda’s gun damage. 90 second cooldown, starts refreshing on cast.

While Evil Eye is active, Zolda can reactivate the ability to repossess her body, switching back and forth this way.

Accismus: Damage all enemies in a large vision cone of the Evil Eye periodically, and they are slowed by 30%, while the Evil Eye gains 70% Bullet Resist and 60% Spirit Resist, lasting for 8 seconds. Accismus has a 20 second cooldown.

[Rank 1] Decrease the visual effect timer of Mouse1 Laser beams by 80%.
[Rank 2] Increase the Bullet Resist and Spirit Resist of Accismus to 90% and 80% respectively.
[Rank 3] The Evil Eye gains the spell: Doom, which can be activated after channeling a single cast of Evil Eye for 60 seconds.

Doom: Single target, long-range. Affect a target with Doom, causing them to take 35% of their current health in damage every second for 5 seconds. (Spirit Damage; Very long cooldown.) If you stop channeling Evil Eye, Doom is dispelled. Doom can only be cast once per each cast of Evil Eye.



2. Phantasmagoria: Activate to channel Phantasmagoria, immobilizing Zolda and removing her ability to attack and cast spells. Enemies in a medium-large area around Zolda take 10% of their maximum health in spirit damage every second, and they are slowed by 30% while channeling Phantasmagoria.

40 second cooldown that starts refreshing on cast. No maximum channel timer. Affects targets through walls.

[Rank 1] Zolda channels Phantasmagoria after activating Accismus while channeling Evil Eye. (Channel two spells simultaneously.)
[Rank 2] Phantasmagoria deals 5% additional of an enemy’s maximum health in damage every second.
[Rank 3] The damage of Phantasmagoria can not be reduced by Spirit Resist.



3. Hideous Spur: Zolda’s melee attacks inflict Rupture on enemies. Rupture lasts for 8 seconds and deals damage to enemies as they move. The farther away they are from Zolda, the more this damage amplifies, up to 400% at the maximum range.

[Rank 1] Melee attacks reduce enemy Firing Speed by 70% for 3 seconds.
[Rank 2] Melee attacks restore 35% of Zolda’s maximum health. 3s frequency.
[Rank 3] Melee attacks silence enemies hit by Hideous Spur for 8 seconds.



4. Summon Ghennamon: Summon a Pentacle on the ground beneath Zolda. She stands in the center and sacrifices herself, dealing 35% of her maximum health to herself per second in true damage. If she dies by the end of the summoning, 5 seconds, she is replaced with Ghennamon, the demon (Enormous). Cooldown starts on cast (very long).

Zolda possesses Ghennamon from a more overhead perspective. Ghennamon moves through buildings.

Ghennamon is quite fast. Ghennamon hovers above the ground level. Ghennamon’s flight is broken up by wing beats that throw him up and back, or up and forward, if he is flying forwards or backwards respectively. Pressing or holding the space bar starts momentum towards a higher altitude.

Ghennamon loses 5% of his health in true damage every second.

All enemies in a medium-large area around Ghennamon are slowed by 30%, and Ghennamon rakes the space around him with claws and shadow magic, heavily damaging enemies (spirit) every second and obscuring enemy vision. Ghennamon has 25% Spirit Lifesteal.

When Ghennamon dies, a Pentacle appears beneath him, and Zolda begins a bloody reformation back to life, healing 35% of her maximum health every second for 5 seconds. If she regains full health, she is revived in place with her existing cooldowns that continued to tick down while channeling Summon Ghennamon.

[Rank 1] Gain 70% Bullet Resist and 60% Spirit Resist for the first second of beginning the summoning.
[Rank 2] Cause an explosion upon successfully summoning Ghennamon in a medium-large area that deals 35% of enemy’s maximum health (reduced by Spirit Resist).
[Rank 3] Ghennamon gains the spell: Fear.

Fear: Long range, single target debuff that lasts while Ghennamon is alive. The target loses control of their character, and runs away from Ghennamon while he is within a very large area of effect.

 

[arcsymus]

Designer Notes: This concept started with a reworking of this take on Evil Eye developed by Narcissymus’ hero concept. I’d considered moving the theme of this ability, Evil Eye, over to my then in-development concept, Temperance, which became Rod of Passage, inspired by the Tarot. The ability has deviated tremendously, and has inspired the theme of this character–which is a mystic/fortune-teller, who is able to cast curses on enemies (which is, as I understand it, what the concept of an Evil Eye is).
The form that I chose for this theme to manifest was to have that curse be a controllable eye that has tremendous agility around the battlefield, and allows for scouting, while also being able to debilitate enemies.

With only the concept of that in mind, I began brainstorming other ideas, and was building the concept of summoning a demon. The theme of summoning a pentacle in an occult ritual has appeared lately on the forums, and I wanted to see this summon a demon, which is a feature of religious canon, as I understand it. I wanted this ritual to be incredibly dark, and have the gameplay elements of the ability reflect that in the theme.

I think that this ultimate turned out to be very dynamic, and that the complex features of it greatly improve its contribution to its design. I like that there may be a possibility that the enemy team can prevent Zolda from dying, either with some kind of stasis spell, time freeze, etc, or healing (although I see the last possibility, of Zolda being healed too much by her enemies to finish the summoning, as being alien to the game’s design ethos right now).

I considered making the damage mitigable with bullet resist, which would be somewhat a curiosity, because I wonder if she can technically live through the full duration of her spell while mitigated by bullet resist. I’m tempted to retain the element of it, to discourage Zolda from building Bullet Resist, thus making it a kind of weakness for her.

Nevertheless, I could see a transition to a design philosophy that might open up spells, like Dynamo’s channeled heal, that desires to see that heal also applied to his enemies, involuntarily. That might be too big of a shift in the design philosophy to handle easily, but I like the psychology of, for example, enemies wanting to be near Dynamo while he’s offering his heal, which would in turn set him up for a gravity well (ultimate name?), while also changing the way Dynamo engages with his allies or approaches team fights.

The ultimate ability was heavily inspired by Heroes of the Storm’s Witch Doctor’s Ravenous Spirit ultimate, which has him lose control while channeling a tethered spirit out to a range, before if I recall correctly, it loses speed. In any case, it doesn’t have an auto-attack, it deals heavy damage periodically in the area around it.

Originally, I intended for Evil Eye to be able to cast Zolda’s other spells, but after doing some thinking, decided that it would be best if it had its own spells, because I quite fancied the idea of the Evil Eye having a burning gaze, and I coupled this sentiment with the desire to not have your Evil Eye detected. I thus gave it an auto-attack, as well, which is a laser beam (popular trope of eyes firing laser beams), and I kind of imagined the possibility that you could fire laser beams and not necessarily have the enemy team pick up on them, visually. So I added a ranked talent that significantly reduces the time that the laser appears on the screen, so that maybe it evades enemy vision.

In an utter brainstorm, I conceived of the idea that Zolda throws conniptions of psychic torment around her, and I wanted this to primarily apply while Zolda was channeling a spell [so, the Evil Eye], but ended up turning this into a spell that she can also activate it.

I also have a fantastic image in my head of a Witch-archetype character that employs powerful afflictions on enemies with a stab of the knife, and not necessarily wanting to remain engaged in combat while it works its powers. I’d also been considering the role of Rupture, from DotA, in this game, and felt that this works perfectly as an ability to dissuade enemies from chasing you–and I liked this a lot for a spellcaster. Also, the artwork, as it appeared in my head and manifested on the page fit the expression of the Blood Seeker, with the cap pulled down over the eyes, and the grimacing mouth. While she doesn’t have the Blood Seeker’s Blood Thirst(?) ability, she is in a way a psychic bloodseeker, due to her ability to easily track enemies with Evil Eye.

So, I included two abilities that don’t necessarily conform to the archetype of the caster, but I think, in a way, she is truly more of a Summoner, and these two abilities were designed with the intention of increasing her effectiveness as a summoner who implicitly possesses her primary summon. The fantasy behind Phantasmagoria is that there will be a situation where your body will be attacked, but you want to persist casting Evil Eye. I made sure of this by including the element to Doom that is dispelled if she stops channeling.

I think some of these talents will come across as very powerful, and also that her ordinary effects can seem very powerful, and I agree, but I think this can either, or in concept, in balancing, strike a fine balance to the game. And in fact, I quite admire the extremes of this character’s design, and think that Deadlock can benefit from a strong contrast in all kinds of forms.

There’s a few instances of anti-synergy built into Zolda’s kit: unable to attack while possessing a spirit. Being able to slow nearby enemies, while instead wanting them to take damage from Rupture. I’m fine with these, I think.

 

[arcsymus]

Only one point of correction, hopefully:

While Evil Eye is active, Zolda can reactivate the ability to repossess her body, switching back and forth this way.

Technically constitutes as 'stopping channeling' for the purpose of:

If you stop channeling Evil Eye, Doom is dispelled. Doom can only be cast once per each cast of Evil Eye.

It might be necessary to alter the liminal duration before being able to cast Doom to 15 or 30 seconds, with the recognition that the timer only counts while Zolda is actively channeling Evil Eye, and resets when she stops. Alternatively, 60 seconds over multiple channels of the same cast seems appropriate.

 

[arcsymus]

Hideous Spur [Rank 2]: Melee attacks against heroes restore 35% of Zolda’s maximum health. 3s frequency.

 

[arcsymus]

Here's that drawing of Ghennamon. I think it turned out pretty well. I've got some more detailed changes for this concept, too.

Link to the Google Doc

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Gun: Zolda has a mark on her hand that she is able to project mystical photons from. Photons start slow and increase in velocity to fast. Her gun has a medium fire rate, deals medium damage, has no damage fall-off, has a medium reload time and has a medium clip.

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Evil Eye: Conjure a fast-moving flying eye. Reactivate to channel possession of the eye. You will not be alerted when your body is dying while channeling possession of the eye. While Evil Eye is being channeled, Zolda can reactivate the ability stop channeling and repossess her own body.

The eye possesses 20% of Zolda’s health. 90 second cooldown, starts refreshing on cast.

The eye can pass through walls. The Eye moves by flying relative to your facing direction. (Strafe, Forward, Backward; Shift and Control for Up/Down).

The Evil Eye has one skill: Accismus. The Evil Eye can fire laser beams with the Mouse1 button. The Evil Eye’s Mouse1 laser scales with Zolda’s gun damage. The laser beam is a hit-scan weapon with a high damage, a low fire rate, and a small clip. The damage of the laser beam falls off slowly over a very long range.

Accismus: Damage all enemies in a large vision cone of the Evil Eye periodically, and they are slowed by 30%, while the Evil Eye gains 70% Bullet Resist and 60% Spirit Resist, lasting for 8 seconds. Accismus has a 20 second cooldown.

[Rank 1] Decrease the visual effect timer of Mouse1 Laser beams by 80%.
[Rank 2] Increase the Bullet Resist and Spirit Resist of Accismus to 90% and 80% respectively.
[Rank 3] The Evil Eye gains the spell: Doom, which can be activated after channeling a single cast of Evil Eye for a total of 60 seconds. Doom can only be cast once per each cast of Evil Eye.

Doom: Single target, long-range. Affect a target with Doom, causing them to take 35% of their current health in damage every second for 5 seconds. (Spirit Damage; Very long cooldown.) If you stop channeling Evil Eye, Doom is dispelled.

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Hideous Spur -> Rupture: Zolda’s melee attacks inflict Rupture on enemies. Rupture lasts for 6 seconds and deals damage to enemies as they move. The farther away they are from Zolda, the more this damage amplifies, up to 400% at the maximum range.

[Rank 1] Melee attacks reduce enemy Firing Speed by 70% for 3 seconds.
[Rank 2] Melee attacks restore 35% of Zolda’s maximum health. 30s frequency.
[Rank 3] Melee attacks silence enemies for 6 seconds.

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Phantasmagoria: Activate to channel Phantasmagoria, immobilizing Zolda and removing her ability to attack and cast spells. Enemies in a medium-large area around Zolda take 10% of their maximum health in spirit damage every second, and they are slowed by 30% while channeling Phantasmagoria.

40 second cooldown that starts refreshing on cast. No maximum channel timer.

[Rank 1] Zolda channels Phantasmagoria after activating Accismus while channeling Evil Eye. (Does not incur cooldown or require Phantasmagoria to be off cooldown.)
[Rank 2] Phantasmagoria deals 5% additional of an enemy’s maximum health in damage every second.
[Rank 3] The damage of Phantasmagoria can not be reduced by Spirit Resist.

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Summon Ghennamon: Summon a Pentacle on the ground beneath Zolda. She stands in the center and sacrifices herself, dealing 35% of her maximum health to herself per second in true damage. If she dies by the end of the summoning, 5 seconds, she is replaced with Ghennamon, the demon (Enormous). Cooldown starts on cast (very long).

Zolda possesses Ghennamon.

Ghennamon is quite fast. Ghennamon hovers above the ground level. Ghennamon’s flight is broken up by wing beats that throw him up and back, or up and forward, if he is flying backwards. Pressing or holding the space bar starts momentum towards a higher altitude.

Ghennamon loses 10% of his maximum health in true damage every second.

All enemies in a medium-large area around Ghennamon are slowed by 30%, and Ghennamon rakes the space around him with claws and shadow magic, heavily damaging enemies (spirit) every second and obscuring enemy vision. Ghennamon has 25% Spirit Lifesteal against heroes.

When Ghennamon dies, a Pentacle appears beneath him, and Zolda begins a bloody reformation back to life, healing 35% of her maximum health every second for 5 seconds. If she regains full health, she is revived in place with her existing cooldowns that continue to tick down while channeling Summon Ghennamon.

[Rank 1] Gain 70% Bullet Resist and 60% Spirit Resist for the first second of beginning of Zolda’s reformation when Ghennamon dies. [that one was an error]
[Rank 2] Cause an explosion upon successfully summoning Ghennamon in a medium-large area that deals 35% of enemy’s maximum health (reduced by Spirit Resist).
[Rank 3] Ghennamon gains the spell: Fear.

Fear: Long range, single target debuff that lasts while Ghennamon is alive. The target loses control of their character, and runs away from Ghennamon while he is within a very large area of effect.

 

[arcsymus]

Hideous Spur -> Rupture: Zolda’s melee attacks inflict Rupture on enemies. Rupture lasts for 8 seconds and deals damage to enemies as they move. The farther away they are from Zolda, the more this damage amplifies, up to 400% at the maximum range.

[Rank 1] Melee attacks reduce enemy Firing Speed by 70% for 3 seconds.
[Rank 2] Melee attacks restore 35% of Zolda’s maximum health. 30s frequency.
[Rank 3] Melee attacks silence enemies for 8 seconds.

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Phantasmagoria: Activate to channel Phantasmagoria, immobilizing Zolda and removing her ability to attack and cast spells. Enemies in a medium-large area around Zolda take 10% of their maximum health in spirit damage every second, and they are slowed by 30% while channeling Phantasmagoria.

40 second cooldown that starts refreshing on cast. No maximum channel timer.

[Rank 1] Evil Eye gains its own instance of Phantasmagoria, which when casts affects Zolda, so that she channels Phantasmagoria. (Does not incur cooldown or require Phantasmagoria to be off cooldown.)
[Rank 2] Phantasmagoria deals 5% additional of an enemy’s maximum health in damage every second.
[Rank 3] The damage of Phantasmagoria can not be reduced by Spirit Resist.

---

Summon Ghennamon: Summon a Pentacle on the ground beneath Zolda. She stands in the center and sacrifices herself, dealing 35% of her maximum health to herself per second in true damage. If she dies by the end of the summoning, 5 seconds, she is replaced with Ghennamon, the demon (Enormous). Cooldown starts on cast (very long).

Zolda possesses Ghennamon.

Ghennamon is quite fast. Ghennamon hovers above the ground level. Ghennamon’s flight is broken up by wing beats that throw him up and back, or up and forward, if he is flying backwards. Pressing or holding the space bar starts momentum towards a higher altitude.

Ghennamon loses 5% of his maximum health in true damage every second.

All enemies in a medium-large area around Ghennamon are slowed by 30%. Mouse1 causes Ghennamon to rake his claws in the area around him, dealing physical damage, as well as extending the area of his attack with the power of shadow magic, which heavily damages enemies (spirit) every second and obscures enemy vision. While attacking, Ghennamon is 25% slower. Ghennamon has 25% Spirit Lifesteal against heroes.

When Ghennamon dies, a Pentacle appears beneath him, and Zolda begins a bloody reformation back to life, healing 35% of her maximum health every second for 5 seconds. If she regains full health, she is revived in place with her existing cooldowns that continue to tick down while channeling Summon Ghennamon.

[Rank 1] Gain 90% Bullet Resist and 80% Spirit Resist for the first second of beginning of Zolda’s reformation when Ghennamon dies. [errata]
[Rank 2] Cause an explosion upon successfully summoning Ghennamon in a medium-large area that deals 35% of enemy’s maximum health (reduced by Spirit Resist).
[Rank 3] Ghennamon gains the spell: Fear.

Fear: Long range, single target debuff that lasts while Ghennamon is alive. The target loses control of their character, and runs away from Ghennamon while he is within a very large area of effect.