555ante555
New member
I feel like Deadlock is missing a lot of big tanky teamfighters; we have Abrams who fills that role pretty well but a lot of the other "tanky" heroes are played more like dps (Billy, Shiv). This, then, is my idea for a tank specialized for being the vanguard in big late-game teamfights. Introducing: Ulysses!
LORE:
"When the Astral Gates ripped apart the barriers between earth and Ixia countless people began migrating across dimensions for discovery, profit, or the hope of a better life. Ulysses is the product of such a migration. The son of an Ixian father leaving West Ixia for America and a human mother promoting acceptance and comraderie with these new 'demons,' Ulysses grew up in the chaotic aftermath of the first Maelstrom. Due to his heritage he was often overlooked and discriminated against, despite this he showed no hesitancy in fighting for America in the Great Cultists' War, signing up as a mere teen. [note: In my headcanon this is essentially WW1 only focused more on occultism as a driving ideology rather than nationalism, with mostly the same geopolitical outcome ("Soviet Empire" notwithstanding *wink* *wink*)]
Ulysses, showing brilliant strategy in battle, rose rapidly through the ranks and became the first ever (half-)Ixian to become a general within the United States Armed Forces, gaining him and his all-Ixian regiment the moniker 'Devil Dog' ('Teufelshund') after leading the charge against Germany in the closing months of the war. [note: this would be a nice reference to the real-life 'Devil Dogs' of the US Marine Corps during WW1, only this time more literal as Ulysses both acts like a devil and looks like one.]
Ulysses chose to abandon the glory of combat after the war however, instead ingraining himself into politics with the goal of repealing the Extradimensional Exclusion Act in hopes of fulfilling the dream that 'All men are created equal.' No matter what plane their heritage stems from."
Ulysses would be the Deadlock-equivelant of someone like Smedley Butler, a retired and beloved war hero fighting for the common man, only Ulysses would be more focused on justice for Ixians rather than war veterans. The Extradimensional Exclusion Act is an obvious parallel to the Chinese Exclusion act as well as Jim Crow and segregation in the US during the 1900s with Ulysses serving as a proto-MLK, I feel like Deadlock could explore interdimensional relation a bit further as it is somewhat lacking (this is not a "more characters should be racist", I just think having a reference to similar political movement as the IRL 1900s would help the setting be more grounded and give it depth.)
Additionally, exploring how the first half of the 20th century would transpire is a goldmine of fun alt-history. We already sort of have this with the old (presumably scrapped) Wrecker and Raven lore but having some parallel to WW1 with a world-spanning global war, only with magic and occultism instead of nationalism could be really fun. This could pave the way for future characters. One could also shift the timeline around a bit making a second great cultists' war (WW2) not have happened yet, with characters seeing war on the horizon as a threat (Haze, Mirage) or an opportunity (McGinnis and the rest of Fairfax Industries).
APPEARANCE:
"I didn't earn these medals just for showing up."
Ulysses, perhaps due to nominative determinism, acts like an old-timer general from the Civil War. He acts with utmost respect for the Union and a heart of gold and iron. In my mind Ulysses talks with a stereotypical "Civil War" general accent (I don't have a specific VA in mind but the impressions of the channel Atun-Shei Films gives a good feel of how Ulysses should sound).
He should also ideally look the part, with a uniform reminiscant of something around 1900, like this:
mixed with one from the interwar period, like this:
With plenty of medals to boot, one doesn't become general for nothing.
Of course, some liberties should be taken, it IS an occult version of New York, after all (perhaps he could be given a red uniform to make him stand out?).
Additionally, Ulysses should also ideally have a cane by his side (this is thought to both be used for his melee and his abilities, I'll elaborate later). A design inspired by Old Glory from Fallout: New Vegas could serve as a neat reference and fitting Ulysses' character.
Also, the elephant in the room, Ulysses is an Ixian, if only partially, and should look the part. Not quite as extreme an appearance as Abrams or Apollo, as he is only half-Ixian, but horns and red (or possibly blue) skin would go a long ways of showing why he's called 'Devil Dog'.
I also view Ulysses as being around 40-50, not elderly but certainly not yound. Also he should have a big bushy beard and moustache, much like S. Grant himself.
PERSONALITY:
"Infernus, my boy, when have I ever shied away from battle?"
Ulysses is a disciplined man with great respect for others, even when killing people he doesn't insult or demean others. Despite this he has no tolerance for murderers, criminals, and those who exploit others, despising people such as Drifter, McGinnis, or Wraith. Ulysses is also brave to a fault (some would say downright foolhardy) and doesn't shy away from conflict, this should be seen in his ability voicelines, iterating that he refuses to surrender or back down (much like Warden).
Ulysses' respect is shown towards much of the cast. He shows great respect for Mirage, greatly appreaciating the Djinn and their culture. He understands the crusade of Grey Talon and Vindicta, despite his personal disagreement of their methods. He deeply respects Holliday's quest for vengeance and justice.
He even personally respects Haze, despite utterly despising the OSIC as being "undemocratic" and "an affront to liberty."
Relations-wise Ulysses is the type of man with a lot of friends, being good buddies with severak characters, especially Infernus, another distinctly "American" Ixian. In my mind they have something of an uncle-nephew relationship, though perhaps they wouldn't have seen eachother for some time with Infernus busy with the bar and Ulysses out campaigning for most of his time. With both viewing the ritual as time to catch up: "If we win today Infernus, drinks are on me!"
That being said, when threatened (when at critical hp in-game) Ulysses should start cracking under the pressure and show why he is called 'Devil Dog' with gutteral threats and a shaking voice, similar to that of Venator when he's low.
Overall Ulysses is an honorable, disciplined man who will stop at nothing to fulfill the promise of the constitution.
GENERAL GAMEPLAY:
As stated, Ulysses is supposed to be a frontlining hyper-tank. He should have rather low move speed and poor stamina with a high base health and health scaling. For his gun I would consider a shotgun with a somewhat high fire-rate and good damage, yet with poor range, accuracy, and reload time, somewhere inbetween Abrams and Mo & Krill's guns. I should note that his gun (named something like "Freedom's Call") should NOT be his primary form of damage, with mediocre scaling, Ulysses isn't meant to be a carry with late-game damage potential. For stats I would consider scaling his resists with boons as he's supposed to be a late-game tank.
ABILITIES:
"A few flag codes broken is a price I am more than willing to pay."
1. Cudgel of Freedom.
Ulysses stops firing and readies his cane before lunging forward a short distance and dealing high melee damage in a very short range. CAN BE PARRIED
Cooldown: Low
Range: Very low
Windup: ~0.75 seconds.
Damage: High
Charges: ??? (It could be interesting to give Cudgel charges but it could be too strong if he could keep pummeling the enemy, maybe on an upgrade)
For a first ability I want Ulysses to have a simple, high-damage ability promoting close range combat while allowing for some consideration on when to use it. For damage it should be about equal to normal heavy melees in lane with high scaling allowing it to be used late-game. It being possible to parry makes it risky to use as, while it being parried (imo) shouldn't stun Ulysses it leaves him in close-range with low possibility for damage.
Upgrades:
For AP1 and AP3 the upgrades could really be anything, shorter cooldown, more range, longer lunge, more damage, etc. But for AP5 my idea is to allow Cudgel of Freedom to be used while Ulysses is firing (and reloading), allowing him to provide pressure late-game without being a sitting duck. Cudgel should also probably have a special interaction with his ultimate (I'll get to it)
2. Hellcat Rounds
Ulysses loads his weapon with special incendiary slugs, slowing his fire rate but making his next several shots leave a trail of fire dealing spirit damage to enemies.
Cooldown: Medium
Range: Medium-high
Duration: Medium, around 6s
Damage: Medium
Charges: 2
Ulysses, being so immobile, could use some sort of zoning ability. Hellcat rounds would allow him to both cordon off areas if he needs to escape a battle and punish enemies trying to run away in teamfights. The trail should't be too wide, only a few meters, but the charges allow him to nonetheless cover a large portion of the battlefield.
Upgrades:
Again, upgrades could really be anything, but having some sort of healing on enemies hit by the intial Hellcat Rounds could be useful for sustain, as Ulysses ought to have difficulty healing in most fights.
3. Valorous Presence
(Passive) Ulysses strengthens and is strengthened by nearby teammates, gaining resistances for every ally close to him and giving a portion of this resist to those allies.
Range: Medium-high
This is where Ulysses' character starts to take shape, as he gets stronger the more allies are close to him, rewarding fronlining and leading the charge in teamfights. For every allied hero nearby Ulysses should get something like 5-8% bullet and spirit resist. Giving a portion (somewhere around a third) of this resistance to nearby Heroes. This is thought to pair well with items such as Heroic Aura, allowing Ulysses to almost serve as an off-support, though with a focus on taking fire from enemies instead of healing his allies. Valorous Presence (as well as his ultimate) would encourage focusing Ulysses down in teamfights if he's an enemy or support him if he's an ally, rewarding teamplay.
Upgrades: More stats on upgrades is again completely fine but adding something like weapon damage or possibly lifesteal be increased by x% for every nearby hero would further reinforce his role.
4. Old Glory
Ulysses holsters his shotgun and begins channeling his ability, then wields his staff as a weapon against his enemies, enhancing all his abilities and making him immune to silence and disarm, as well as giving him resistance to healing reduction.
Cooldown: Massive
Range: Medium
Duration: Long, around 10 seconds.
Damage: Massive
Channel: Short, about 1.75 seconds.
This is the heart of Ulysses kit, making him similar to Warden with a large "focus me" ability to be used in teamfights, but with a larger focus on chaos and damage. Notably, Old Glory should be used sparingly in skirmishes as it may be used better in teamfights and the limited range might be wasted if the enemy simply runs away.
In my mind, Old Glory causes Ulysses to draw his Cane and ram it into the ground, causing a spectral image of an American Flag to erupt from the cane and extend its range greatly. During Old Glory, normal firing is disabled and using the fire key causes Ulysses to use an enhanced version of his Cudgel with much more range, lower windup, a much wider sweeping strike, more damage, and infinite usage, it can still be parried but the Flag of Liberty punishes all who get to close to Ulysses.
Hellcat Rounds also affect the flag, causing the wide sweep to leave large trails of fire around the battlefield.
Valorous Presence would also be affected, strengthening both the resistance recieved and given by a large amount.
Upgrades:
The upgrades For Old Glory could just as before have many effects, perhaps slowing nearby enemies so they have a harder time running away or further upgrading his other abilities but my idea for the AP5 is something teamfight-defining that causes the enemy to be forced to face Ulysses. One idea (that in all honesty probably wouldn't work) is to make it so allies close to Ulysses during Old Glory cannot die. Much like old Yamato ult all friendly heroes close to Ulysses would have a minimum HP of 1, making them capable of staying in a fight for much longer as long as Ulysses, their beacon of hope, does not die.
Regardless of the last upgrade, Old Glory should be an absolutely crucial ability to keep track of, capable of winning entire games if used properly, yet with a very high risk of missuse if one doesn't use its cooldown or duration effectively.
SOUND:
In terms of voicelines, Ulysses should highlight his will to fight for the greater good and his bravery, With the ultimate really being the focus. Some examples of his lines when channeling Old Glory could be:
"Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!"
"Rally!"
"On my command!"
"I raise the banner!"
"Follow me, to victory!"
"Fall before the flag!"
"Face me!"
"All as one!"
With desperation voicelines being something like:
"I will not give in!"
"No surrender!"
"I stand proud!"
"For liberty!"
"E pluribus, unum!"
"Sic. Semper. Tyrannis!"
(solemnly) "His soul goes marching on..."
In terms of conversations Ulysses could delve into anything really, but having conversations with Haze about the OSIC potentially considering him a threat and possibly ordering his assassination would be very interesting. With Ulysses respecting Haze for her duty, yet hoping she would find another way.
Killstreak voicelines could also be anything, but for patrons specificially it could be cool to hear them speak of Ulysses as an icon with lines such as:
"Ulysses will stand proud with us!"
"Stop the Devil Dog!"
"Burn. His. FLAG!"
SUMMARY:
I think having a character more deeply intwined with the wider world in Deadlock is a fantastic idea and being able to have more options for "true" frontlining as a hyper-tank would make the game more diverse. Having a hundred spirit nukers or M1 demons is fine enough but adding variety, especially with a character that isn't just "being hard to kill" but instead having them be "focus this guy because he makes his entire team stronger" would make Deadlock not only more interesting, but more dynamic and all around more fun.
I don't expect Valve to use this hero 1-to-1 but I hope I have given some ideas for future characters, and if they do decide to use Ulysses, I hope Old Glory can fly high and proud.
LORE:
"When the Astral Gates ripped apart the barriers between earth and Ixia countless people began migrating across dimensions for discovery, profit, or the hope of a better life. Ulysses is the product of such a migration. The son of an Ixian father leaving West Ixia for America and a human mother promoting acceptance and comraderie with these new 'demons,' Ulysses grew up in the chaotic aftermath of the first Maelstrom. Due to his heritage he was often overlooked and discriminated against, despite this he showed no hesitancy in fighting for America in the Great Cultists' War, signing up as a mere teen. [note: In my headcanon this is essentially WW1 only focused more on occultism as a driving ideology rather than nationalism, with mostly the same geopolitical outcome ("Soviet Empire" notwithstanding *wink* *wink*)]
Ulysses, showing brilliant strategy in battle, rose rapidly through the ranks and became the first ever (half-)Ixian to become a general within the United States Armed Forces, gaining him and his all-Ixian regiment the moniker 'Devil Dog' ('Teufelshund') after leading the charge against Germany in the closing months of the war. [note: this would be a nice reference to the real-life 'Devil Dogs' of the US Marine Corps during WW1, only this time more literal as Ulysses both acts like a devil and looks like one.]
Ulysses chose to abandon the glory of combat after the war however, instead ingraining himself into politics with the goal of repealing the Extradimensional Exclusion Act in hopes of fulfilling the dream that 'All men are created equal.' No matter what plane their heritage stems from."
Ulysses would be the Deadlock-equivelant of someone like Smedley Butler, a retired and beloved war hero fighting for the common man, only Ulysses would be more focused on justice for Ixians rather than war veterans. The Extradimensional Exclusion Act is an obvious parallel to the Chinese Exclusion act as well as Jim Crow and segregation in the US during the 1900s with Ulysses serving as a proto-MLK, I feel like Deadlock could explore interdimensional relation a bit further as it is somewhat lacking (this is not a "more characters should be racist", I just think having a reference to similar political movement as the IRL 1900s would help the setting be more grounded and give it depth.)
Additionally, exploring how the first half of the 20th century would transpire is a goldmine of fun alt-history. We already sort of have this with the old (presumably scrapped) Wrecker and Raven lore but having some parallel to WW1 with a world-spanning global war, only with magic and occultism instead of nationalism could be really fun. This could pave the way for future characters. One could also shift the timeline around a bit making a second great cultists' war (WW2) not have happened yet, with characters seeing war on the horizon as a threat (Haze, Mirage) or an opportunity (McGinnis and the rest of Fairfax Industries).
APPEARANCE:
"I didn't earn these medals just for showing up."
Ulysses, perhaps due to nominative determinism, acts like an old-timer general from the Civil War. He acts with utmost respect for the Union and a heart of gold and iron. In my mind Ulysses talks with a stereotypical "Civil War" general accent (I don't have a specific VA in mind but the impressions of the channel Atun-Shei Films gives a good feel of how Ulysses should sound).
He should also ideally look the part, with a uniform reminiscant of something around 1900, like this:
mixed with one from the interwar period, like this:
With plenty of medals to boot, one doesn't become general for nothing.
Of course, some liberties should be taken, it IS an occult version of New York, after all (perhaps he could be given a red uniform to make him stand out?).
Additionally, Ulysses should also ideally have a cane by his side (this is thought to both be used for his melee and his abilities, I'll elaborate later). A design inspired by Old Glory from Fallout: New Vegas could serve as a neat reference and fitting Ulysses' character.
Also, the elephant in the room, Ulysses is an Ixian, if only partially, and should look the part. Not quite as extreme an appearance as Abrams or Apollo, as he is only half-Ixian, but horns and red (or possibly blue) skin would go a long ways of showing why he's called 'Devil Dog'.
I also view Ulysses as being around 40-50, not elderly but certainly not yound. Also he should have a big bushy beard and moustache, much like S. Grant himself.
PERSONALITY:
"Infernus, my boy, when have I ever shied away from battle?"
Ulysses is a disciplined man with great respect for others, even when killing people he doesn't insult or demean others. Despite this he has no tolerance for murderers, criminals, and those who exploit others, despising people such as Drifter, McGinnis, or Wraith. Ulysses is also brave to a fault (some would say downright foolhardy) and doesn't shy away from conflict, this should be seen in his ability voicelines, iterating that he refuses to surrender or back down (much like Warden).
Ulysses' respect is shown towards much of the cast. He shows great respect for Mirage, greatly appreaciating the Djinn and their culture. He understands the crusade of Grey Talon and Vindicta, despite his personal disagreement of their methods. He deeply respects Holliday's quest for vengeance and justice.
He even personally respects Haze, despite utterly despising the OSIC as being "undemocratic" and "an affront to liberty."
Relations-wise Ulysses is the type of man with a lot of friends, being good buddies with severak characters, especially Infernus, another distinctly "American" Ixian. In my mind they have something of an uncle-nephew relationship, though perhaps they wouldn't have seen eachother for some time with Infernus busy with the bar and Ulysses out campaigning for most of his time. With both viewing the ritual as time to catch up: "If we win today Infernus, drinks are on me!"
That being said, when threatened (when at critical hp in-game) Ulysses should start cracking under the pressure and show why he is called 'Devil Dog' with gutteral threats and a shaking voice, similar to that of Venator when he's low.
Overall Ulysses is an honorable, disciplined man who will stop at nothing to fulfill the promise of the constitution.
GENERAL GAMEPLAY:
As stated, Ulysses is supposed to be a frontlining hyper-tank. He should have rather low move speed and poor stamina with a high base health and health scaling. For his gun I would consider a shotgun with a somewhat high fire-rate and good damage, yet with poor range, accuracy, and reload time, somewhere inbetween Abrams and Mo & Krill's guns. I should note that his gun (named something like "Freedom's Call") should NOT be his primary form of damage, with mediocre scaling, Ulysses isn't meant to be a carry with late-game damage potential. For stats I would consider scaling his resists with boons as he's supposed to be a late-game tank.
ABILITIES:
"A few flag codes broken is a price I am more than willing to pay."
1. Cudgel of Freedom.
Ulysses stops firing and readies his cane before lunging forward a short distance and dealing high melee damage in a very short range. CAN BE PARRIED
Cooldown: Low
Range: Very low
Windup: ~0.75 seconds.
Damage: High
Charges: ??? (It could be interesting to give Cudgel charges but it could be too strong if he could keep pummeling the enemy, maybe on an upgrade)
For a first ability I want Ulysses to have a simple, high-damage ability promoting close range combat while allowing for some consideration on when to use it. For damage it should be about equal to normal heavy melees in lane with high scaling allowing it to be used late-game. It being possible to parry makes it risky to use as, while it being parried (imo) shouldn't stun Ulysses it leaves him in close-range with low possibility for damage.
Upgrades:
For AP1 and AP3 the upgrades could really be anything, shorter cooldown, more range, longer lunge, more damage, etc. But for AP5 my idea is to allow Cudgel of Freedom to be used while Ulysses is firing (and reloading), allowing him to provide pressure late-game without being a sitting duck. Cudgel should also probably have a special interaction with his ultimate (I'll get to it)
2. Hellcat Rounds
Ulysses loads his weapon with special incendiary slugs, slowing his fire rate but making his next several shots leave a trail of fire dealing spirit damage to enemies.
Cooldown: Medium
Range: Medium-high
Duration: Medium, around 6s
Damage: Medium
Charges: 2
Ulysses, being so immobile, could use some sort of zoning ability. Hellcat rounds would allow him to both cordon off areas if he needs to escape a battle and punish enemies trying to run away in teamfights. The trail should't be too wide, only a few meters, but the charges allow him to nonetheless cover a large portion of the battlefield.
Upgrades:
Again, upgrades could really be anything, but having some sort of healing on enemies hit by the intial Hellcat Rounds could be useful for sustain, as Ulysses ought to have difficulty healing in most fights.
3. Valorous Presence
(Passive) Ulysses strengthens and is strengthened by nearby teammates, gaining resistances for every ally close to him and giving a portion of this resist to those allies.
Range: Medium-high
This is where Ulysses' character starts to take shape, as he gets stronger the more allies are close to him, rewarding fronlining and leading the charge in teamfights. For every allied hero nearby Ulysses should get something like 5-8% bullet and spirit resist. Giving a portion (somewhere around a third) of this resistance to nearby Heroes. This is thought to pair well with items such as Heroic Aura, allowing Ulysses to almost serve as an off-support, though with a focus on taking fire from enemies instead of healing his allies. Valorous Presence (as well as his ultimate) would encourage focusing Ulysses down in teamfights if he's an enemy or support him if he's an ally, rewarding teamplay.
Upgrades: More stats on upgrades is again completely fine but adding something like weapon damage or possibly lifesteal be increased by x% for every nearby hero would further reinforce his role.
4. Old Glory
Ulysses holsters his shotgun and begins channeling his ability, then wields his staff as a weapon against his enemies, enhancing all his abilities and making him immune to silence and disarm, as well as giving him resistance to healing reduction.
Cooldown: Massive
Range: Medium
Duration: Long, around 10 seconds.
Damage: Massive
Channel: Short, about 1.75 seconds.
This is the heart of Ulysses kit, making him similar to Warden with a large "focus me" ability to be used in teamfights, but with a larger focus on chaos and damage. Notably, Old Glory should be used sparingly in skirmishes as it may be used better in teamfights and the limited range might be wasted if the enemy simply runs away.
In my mind, Old Glory causes Ulysses to draw his Cane and ram it into the ground, causing a spectral image of an American Flag to erupt from the cane and extend its range greatly. During Old Glory, normal firing is disabled and using the fire key causes Ulysses to use an enhanced version of his Cudgel with much more range, lower windup, a much wider sweeping strike, more damage, and infinite usage, it can still be parried but the Flag of Liberty punishes all who get to close to Ulysses.
Hellcat Rounds also affect the flag, causing the wide sweep to leave large trails of fire around the battlefield.
Valorous Presence would also be affected, strengthening both the resistance recieved and given by a large amount.
Upgrades:
The upgrades For Old Glory could just as before have many effects, perhaps slowing nearby enemies so they have a harder time running away or further upgrading his other abilities but my idea for the AP5 is something teamfight-defining that causes the enemy to be forced to face Ulysses. One idea (that in all honesty probably wouldn't work) is to make it so allies close to Ulysses during Old Glory cannot die. Much like old Yamato ult all friendly heroes close to Ulysses would have a minimum HP of 1, making them capable of staying in a fight for much longer as long as Ulysses, their beacon of hope, does not die.
Regardless of the last upgrade, Old Glory should be an absolutely crucial ability to keep track of, capable of winning entire games if used properly, yet with a very high risk of missuse if one doesn't use its cooldown or duration effectively.
SOUND:
In terms of voicelines, Ulysses should highlight his will to fight for the greater good and his bravery, With the ultimate really being the focus. Some examples of his lines when channeling Old Glory could be:
"Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!"
"Rally!"
"On my command!"
"I raise the banner!"
"Follow me, to victory!"
"Fall before the flag!"
"Face me!"
"All as one!"
With desperation voicelines being something like:
"I will not give in!"
"No surrender!"
"I stand proud!"
"For liberty!"
"E pluribus, unum!"
"Sic. Semper. Tyrannis!"
(solemnly) "His soul goes marching on..."
In terms of conversations Ulysses could delve into anything really, but having conversations with Haze about the OSIC potentially considering him a threat and possibly ordering his assassination would be very interesting. With Ulysses respecting Haze for her duty, yet hoping she would find another way.
Killstreak voicelines could also be anything, but for patrons specificially it could be cool to hear them speak of Ulysses as an icon with lines such as:
"Ulysses will stand proud with us!"
"Stop the Devil Dog!"
"Burn. His. FLAG!"
SUMMARY:
I think having a character more deeply intwined with the wider world in Deadlock is a fantastic idea and being able to have more options for "true" frontlining as a hyper-tank would make the game more diverse. Having a hundred spirit nukers or M1 demons is fine enough but adding variety, especially with a character that isn't just "being hard to kill" but instead having them be "focus this guy because he makes his entire team stronger" would make Deadlock not only more interesting, but more dynamic and all around more fun.
I don't expect Valve to use this hero 1-to-1 but I hope I have given some ideas for future characters, and if they do decide to use Ulysses, I hope Old Glory can fly high and proud.
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