Sarus
Active member
Gameplay concept: long/mid range disabler, ganker, zone control. Inspired by Spectre and Arc Warden, fantastic for chasing/finishing off low HP targets. good candidate for ethereal shift, counterspell, all the fun active defensive items after ult, and so on.
muh lore: Once, he was the brightest star of the Cursed Apple's Shakespeare scene. But after a mysterious theater fire that claimed his life and the lives of his acting troupe during a performance of a certain infamous play, he became a cursed revenant - rumored to haunt NYC alleyways, sewers, and empty theaters in full kingly regalia, mumbling Shakespearean lines to the shadows and shades. But the Patrons have not overlooked this poor spirit; they realize something binds this revenant to the world and seek to enlist his services for their release. Many speculate on what a ghost-actor could possibly desire: resurrection? To undo the great curse of the Scottish play? Perhaps to render all of New York into a grand stage for his unending tragedy? Whatever the revenant seeks, the Patrons aim to harness his hammy angst to its fullest. Onlookers to the ritual wonder among themselves: who the hell is giving all these ghosts guns?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scottish_Play - theme inspiration
TL;DR design concept: Dota's wraith king if he was an artsy-fartsy ham-actor type and spoke primarily in Shakespeare quotes. Kit would also probably suite a Phantom of the Opera type hero.
Ability 1 - Blackout
+1 charge, 17sCD
Launch an expanding projectile wave that slows and deals spirit damage to enemies. Applies "Shadow Trail", a temporary trail of shadow that increases movement speed of the King and allies when passed through.
1. +1 charge
2. Duration of shadow trail and slow increased.
3. Bullet shred (-8%) and -25% healing reduction.
Concept: wave clear, lane harass, and mid-late game assists in team skirmishes with powerful anti DPS on-hit effects. Great way to help the team finish off pesky DPS trying to escape from a fight. Also would assist with ganking 1v1s, usually the pesky wraith or haze side-lane rats. The King does not fight fair. If the wave projectile is too much, this could also probably function as some variation of vindicta's ricochet crow ability or generic nuke. Shadow trail countered by beefy tanks who stand their ground.
Ability 2 - Stagehands
39sCD 200HP 1.5s arm time 120s duration.
Deploy a ghostly stagehand that will patrol an area and automatically chase down and explode nearby enemy Heroes dealing spirit damage, a rapidly decaying slow, and revealing them on the map.
1. Lower CD
2. Increased damage
3. +1 charges, Deployed stagehands are now invisible and upon taking damage, enemy heroes are afflicted with "Shadow trail".
Concept: Arc Warden's spark wraith adapted for a spectre-ish deadlock kit. Would operate a bit similarly to McGinnis turrets, the phantom stagehands would be shootable. In laning phase this would be a powerful tool for extending pressure into defensive tower players and allow the King to have some reach if they attempt to retreat into the walker. Mid-Late game this functions as a booby-trap, quickly revealing enemies attempting to farm, revealing them long enough to coordinate a gank or fall victim to his ult. In teamfights this would function as another flavor of spirit AOE/burst.
Ability 3 - King Walk
30sCD 4.5s duration
Enter another realm for a brief time gaining immunity to bullets and on-hit bullet effects. The King also gains the ability to move through other units, allied or enemy.
1. Movespeed increase while active
2. CD reduction and fire rate increase while active.
3. Duration increase. Passing through enemy heroes afflicts them with silence.
Concept: Spooky metal skin with a dash of bounty hunter's shadow walk. A very strong diver ability and aggressive pursuit option. Metal skin is one of my favorite actives in the game and I really wanted to make a kit that would function with shadow weave very well (or so I like to think). lvl3 silence would encourage interesting flanking plays in skirmishes, teamfights, what have you.
Ability 4 - Curtain Call
120sCD 3.5s duration
The King projects himself on the astral plane, seeking out victims to infest and rot with his presence. Launch a malevolent projection you control which infests an enemy hero on impact, dealing spirit DOT and cursing them. Press (4) again to teleport to the enemy hero, rooting them in place.
1. CD reduction
2. Spirit resistance reduction and spirit lifesteal bonus on infested/cursed enemy hero.
3. Emerging from the enemy hero now expands the root in an AOE.
Concept: Mix of wrecker's old astral travel ult and lifestealer's infest. Similar function to grey owl's talon but designed as a more single target disable/pick ult. Very strong pick/anti farming synergy with lvl3 stagehands for mid/late game.
muh lore: Once, he was the brightest star of the Cursed Apple's Shakespeare scene. But after a mysterious theater fire that claimed his life and the lives of his acting troupe during a performance of a certain infamous play, he became a cursed revenant - rumored to haunt NYC alleyways, sewers, and empty theaters in full kingly regalia, mumbling Shakespearean lines to the shadows and shades. But the Patrons have not overlooked this poor spirit; they realize something binds this revenant to the world and seek to enlist his services for their release. Many speculate on what a ghost-actor could possibly desire: resurrection? To undo the great curse of the Scottish play? Perhaps to render all of New York into a grand stage for his unending tragedy? Whatever the revenant seeks, the Patrons aim to harness his hammy angst to its fullest. Onlookers to the ritual wonder among themselves: who the hell is giving all these ghosts guns?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scottish_Play - theme inspiration
TL;DR design concept: Dota's wraith king if he was an artsy-fartsy ham-actor type and spoke primarily in Shakespeare quotes. Kit would also probably suite a Phantom of the Opera type hero.
Ability 1 - Blackout
+1 charge, 17sCD
Launch an expanding projectile wave that slows and deals spirit damage to enemies. Applies "Shadow Trail", a temporary trail of shadow that increases movement speed of the King and allies when passed through.
1. +1 charge
2. Duration of shadow trail and slow increased.
3. Bullet shred (-8%) and -25% healing reduction.
Concept: wave clear, lane harass, and mid-late game assists in team skirmishes with powerful anti DPS on-hit effects. Great way to help the team finish off pesky DPS trying to escape from a fight. Also would assist with ganking 1v1s, usually the pesky wraith or haze side-lane rats. The King does not fight fair. If the wave projectile is too much, this could also probably function as some variation of vindicta's ricochet crow ability or generic nuke. Shadow trail countered by beefy tanks who stand their ground.
Ability 2 - Stagehands
39sCD 200HP 1.5s arm time 120s duration.
Deploy a ghostly stagehand that will patrol an area and automatically chase down and explode nearby enemy Heroes dealing spirit damage, a rapidly decaying slow, and revealing them on the map.
1. Lower CD
2. Increased damage
3. +1 charges, Deployed stagehands are now invisible and upon taking damage, enemy heroes are afflicted with "Shadow trail".
Concept: Arc Warden's spark wraith adapted for a spectre-ish deadlock kit. Would operate a bit similarly to McGinnis turrets, the phantom stagehands would be shootable. In laning phase this would be a powerful tool for extending pressure into defensive tower players and allow the King to have some reach if they attempt to retreat into the walker. Mid-Late game this functions as a booby-trap, quickly revealing enemies attempting to farm, revealing them long enough to coordinate a gank or fall victim to his ult. In teamfights this would function as another flavor of spirit AOE/burst.
Ability 3 - King Walk
30sCD 4.5s duration
Enter another realm for a brief time gaining immunity to bullets and on-hit bullet effects. The King also gains the ability to move through other units, allied or enemy.
1. Movespeed increase while active
2. CD reduction and fire rate increase while active.
3. Duration increase. Passing through enemy heroes afflicts them with silence.
Concept: Spooky metal skin with a dash of bounty hunter's shadow walk. A very strong diver ability and aggressive pursuit option. Metal skin is one of my favorite actives in the game and I really wanted to make a kit that would function with shadow weave very well (or so I like to think). lvl3 silence would encourage interesting flanking plays in skirmishes, teamfights, what have you.
Ability 4 - Curtain Call
120sCD 3.5s duration
The King projects himself on the astral plane, seeking out victims to infest and rot with his presence. Launch a malevolent projection you control which infests an enemy hero on impact, dealing spirit DOT and cursing them. Press (4) again to teleport to the enemy hero, rooting them in place.
1. CD reduction
2. Spirit resistance reduction and spirit lifesteal bonus on infested/cursed enemy hero.
3. Emerging from the enemy hero now expands the root in an AOE.
Concept: Mix of wrecker's old astral travel ult and lifestealer's infest. Similar function to grey owl's talon but designed as a more single target disable/pick ult. Very strong pick/anti farming synergy with lvl3 stagehands for mid/late game.
