[Hero] Steel (Tank, Burst, Block) (Abilities, Examples, Concept)

[supremejester28]

Hello. This is my take on a Frontline character that is heavily inspired by Abrams's kit. I want to make a character that feels and plays similarly to Abrams without making it feel like a copy cat of Abrams. I'm calling this character Steel, she has special gear that allows her to control liquid metal and is the main power fantasy to how the character's ability work. From a lore perspective she can be part of Paranormal Military Company that currently is stationed in North Ixia (similar to Wrecker's lore). She can also be part of the OSIC based on Haze's conversation with Abrams where she asks him if he wants to join the OSIC to break more doors.
The design in this is Gwen's Diamondhead alien form, but I think it somewhat serves as an idea to how I imagine the character and how she would look in action. Obviously without the green element, but more like metal colors and Frontline looking. This goes without saying without it being a copy of the design.

Would love to hear what y'all think

Abilities

1. Precise steel:
Firing homing steel shards at nearby enemies, each one dealing "SPIRIT" damage and "HEALING" you a flat amount per shard hit.
(Inspired by Kai sa's Q and Hazard's Spike Guard)





2. Tackle
Build up power then enter a charge dragging and dealing "SPIRIT" damage to enemies in your path.
(Inspired by old Dynamo's 2 ability "Sumo Charge")




3. Phalanx
Form an steel shield that absorbs all frontal damage (number scales with SPIRIT) for a set duration. Pressing the ability again will remove the shield and throw a sharp steel projectile that will damage on impact. (spirit scaling + stored damage during the absorption).
Steel can use her 1st ability and shoot her gun while the 3 is active.
(Inspired by Athena's Kinetic Aspis from Borderlands)

4. Metallic Burst
Sends forth a jagged crack in front of Steel that implodes after a slight delay.
The implosion applies movement speed slow, deals "SPIRIT" damage corresponding to the affected enemy units' max health.
(Inspired by Elder Titan's ult from Dota 2)


Weapon: I think she needs a close to mid range style weapon. Something like Pyro's Dragon's Fury

or Emma Frost's gun from Marvel Rivals

 

[Aush0J]

Cool ability kit. My suggestion to synergize it with your ult is that Tackle applies movement slow to dragged enemies or Phalanx's throwable steel projectile applies stun having minimum duration and increases based on stored damage absorbed. So you can initiate by casting ult then using Tackle or Phalanx for guaranteed implosion damage.

 

[supremejester28]

Cool ability kit. My suggestion to synergize it with your ult is that Tackle applies movement slow to dragged enemies or Phalanx's throwable steel projectile applies stun having minimum duration and increases based on stored damage absorbed. So you can initiate by casting ult then using Tackle or Phalanx for guaranteed implosion damage.

Thank you!
That's a very good point.

 

[volkgang]

Cool character!

My questions about the character itself:

Why are they fighting for the Patrons? What wish do they wanted granted? We already have Haze fight for the OSIC.

With the character, you could deal with fluidity in that they could suffer from multiple personalities and mood swings, constantly "shifting" like a liquid. Originally she was of one mind, but ever since she became a liquid she has slowly gone insane. The wish could be a way to stabilise it, maybe make her sane again. Remember who she was again. This is just an idea! It's your character.

 

[supremejester28]

Cool character!

My questions about the character itself:

Why are they fighting for the Patrons? What wish do they wanted granted? We already have Haze fight for the OSIC.

With the character, you could deal with fluidity in that they could suffer from multiple personalities and mood swings, constantly "shifting" like a liquid. Originally she was of one mind, but ever since she became a liquid she has slowly gone insane. The wish could be a way to stabilise it, maybe make her sane again. Remember who she was again. This is just an idea! It's your character.

I think you cooked here. My initial idea was that she wasn't happy where she ended up career wise, basically a living weapon for different institutions. My idea might have been too generic or boring.

I think you are idea about "shifting" in relation to the idea of metal liquid is much more original and interesting.

 

[volkgang]

I think you cooked here. My initial idea was that she wasn't happy where she ended up career wise, basically a living weapon for different institutions. My idea might have been too generic or boring.

I think you are idea about "shifting" in relation to the idea of metal liquid is much more original and interesting.

You could combine the ideas somewhat.

She initially started as pro military and being a living weapon, but as the more combat she saw in North Ixian the more shaken she has become.

With her deteriorating mind, she doesn't know what she wants anymore. One personality loves combat and wants to keep fighting as a soldier. Another personality wants complete pacifism and to leave.

It can even reach into a PTSD metaphor. That aggressive personality is "stuck" in North Ixian, having seen her comrades die for a war not in her own dimension. The other personalities are responses to trauma and an attempt to compartmentilise and separate what she did from herself.

By using the wish to get rid of her personalities, she can finally figure out what she really wants. As a being of change, she was ultimately static and stuck with who she was. Now she can properly change into something better.

 

[supremejester28]

You could combine the ideas somewhat.

She initially started as pro military and being a living weapon, but as the more combat she saw in North Ixian the more shaken she has become.

With her deteriorating mind, she doesn't know what she wants anymore. One personality loves combat and wants to keep fighting as a soldier. Another personality wants complete pacifism and to leave.

It can even reach into a PTSD metaphor. That aggressive personality is "stuck" in North Ixian, having seen her comrades die for a war not in her own dimension. The other personalities are responses to trauma and an attempt to compartmentilise and separate what she did from herself.

By using the wish to get rid of her personalities, she can finally figure out what she really wants. As a being of change, she was ultimately static and stuck with who she was. Now she can properly change into something better.

 

[volkgang]

View attachment 88745

Name wise:

While Steel fits, I think Temper could be an alternative name if you go with this lore and backstory.

NOUN
1. a person's state of mind seen in terms of their being angry or calm
(The split personalites)

2. the degree of hardness and elasticity in steel or other metal
(She literally does this to make herself a weapon)

VERB
1. improve the hardness and elasticity of (steel or other metal) by reheating and then cooling it
(Her wish is doing this to herself. She wants to improve and harden her true self so she can handle her loss of self and friends.)

2. act as a neutralizing or counterbalancing force to (something)
(She has to do this with her personalities. )

Her goal is tempering herself in multiple ways. She tempers her body to be a weapon, and she must temper her own self to move on and be better.


As a nickname, she can be called Tem which sounds cute.

 

[supremejester28]

Name wise:

While Steel fits, I think Temper could be an alternative name if you go with this lore and backstory.

NOUN
1. a person's state of mind seen in terms of their being angry or calm
(The split personalites)

2. the degree of hardness and elasticity in steel or other metal
(She literally does this to make herself a weapon)

VERB
1. improve the hardness and elasticity of (steel or other metal) by reheating and then cooling it
(Her wish is doing this to herself. She wants to improve and harden her true self so she can handle her loss of self and friends.)

2. act as a neutralizing or counterbalancing force to (something)
(She has to do this with her personalities. )

Her goal is tempering herself in multiple ways. She tempers her body to be a weapon, and she must temper her own self to move on and be better.


As a nickname, she can be called Tem which sounds cute.

How are you cooking so hard with this??? Genuinely, this is all really good ideas.

 

[volkgang]

How are you cooking so hard with this??? Genuinely, this is all really good ideas.

I like writing. Simple as.

Kits are very important as a game should be a game, but a hero in a hero shooter must have some draw not just in mechanics but in narrative. Something beyond their mechanics that makes you go "They are cool!" or "They seem interesting!"

To me, what makes a character engaging off the bat is if they are the active ones in their story. Are they making decisions towards their goal or just reacting to external events? Why do they make their decisions? What I love about Deadlock is the ritual gives a lot of characters an active goal. A wish. What is that wish? Why are they willing to kill for it? Many are active characters this way.

What does the character want? What do they actually need? (You can want something you don't need) How will these goals, traits, and flaws lead them to interact with other characters? What do I want to say or explore with this character?

Is Tem a commentary about soldiers who deal with PTSD? Mental illness and not getting the support they need, leading them to doing something insane just to get healed? Someone who changes to fit what people want, and ultimately have no sense of self-worth? Did she join the military out of encouragement from her family, showing she was already a 'shifting' person?

Temper/Steel is something to be uncovered and explored, like we explore mechanics. Have fun with it!