The Inscriptionist (V1.2)

[dandylion]

The Inscriptionist - One bad inscribing mother...
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/3176/cardmagician.png

Faction: Legion
Primary Attribute: Intelligence
Speed: 295
Range: 500

Story: As a young student, he traveled the world searching for relics and ancient civilizations that once littered the world of Newerth. He stumbled upon a book, littered with symbols and incantations in a language he could not decipher. After years of study and efforts to decipher the language, he succeeded in learning 10 of the symbols, and was able to unleash the power that they possessed. He now uses that power to thwart the plans of the Hellbourne, and battle for his beloved Legion.

Role: Hybrid, primarily support; damage/stun, buffs, debuffs.

I will preface this by saying that this is a different way of approaching a hero. Part Invoker, part brainstorming, all creativity, don't knock it until you read through it! You cycle through which ability you want to use by right clicking (or using a bound key of course).

Every Skill has a 15/14/13/12 sec cooldown. 120 mana per cast. Other than that it's based on the skill...

Each skill that has a range is represented by a flying card flying out in a chosen direction. You can target the ground with spells and they'll fire in a straight line, impacting the first target they hit. The targeting is similar to Valkyrie's Javelin.

Skill 1 - Offensive Spells
Cooldown: 15/14/13/12 sec.
Mana Cost: 120 mana
Range: 1000 units
Projectile Size: 150 units
Targets: Ground

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/5600/redrelic.png
Flame - Nuke with minor DoT. (80/140/200/260 magic damage nuke, 3/6/9/12 magic damage per second with a 4 second duration.)

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/1223/bluerelic.png
Ice - Light damage with disable. (40 magic damage per half second, stun lasts 0.5/1/1.5/2 sec.)

http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/4492/jaderelic.png
Vine - Snare with moderate damage. (60 damage per second, snare lasts 1/1.75/2.5/3.25 sec.)

Skill 2 - Supportive Spells
Cooldown: 15/14/13/12
Mana Cost: 120 mana
(All of these abilities work much like Astrolabe. Before leveling your ultimate you can only use these on yourself, but once leveling your ultimate, the passive AOE is increased to effect nearby allies too in much the same way as Astrolabe.)

http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/4443/whiterelicp.png
Restoration - Healing. (20/40/60/80 health restored per second, lasts 4 seconds. Works like Astrolabe (use on self) but over time.)

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/3030/orangerelic.png
Enlighten - Increase to MS/cast speed (15/30/45/60% increase movement speed, 15/30/45/60% increased cast speed. Lasts 4 seconds)

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/8415/greenrelic.png
Guardian - Damage Barrier (places 1/2/3/4 charges around you that will absorb up to 75 damage per charge)

Skill 3 - Debuffing Spells
Cooldown: 15/14/13/12 sec
Mana Cost: 120 mana
Range: 1000 units
Projectile Size: 150 units
Targets: Ground

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/4176/yellowrelic.png
Burden - decrease to AS/damage (10/20/30/40% decreased attack speed, 10/20/30/40% reduced damage, lasts 10 seconds.)

http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/544/blackrelic.png
Defile - Slow/reduce armor (10/20/30/40% reduced speed, armor reduced by 2/3/4/5 magic armor reduced by 1/2/2/3. Slow lasts 2/3/3/4 seconds. Debuffs last 10 seconds.)

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/9586/violetrelic.png
Mystify - Disarm/Silence (Disarms and silences for 2/3/3/4 seconds.)

Ultimate - Ethereal
http://www.guildwars.com/images/professions/skillicons/signetofcapture.jpg
Uses the abilities currently selected to imbue The Inscriptionist's normal
attacks with extra power. Green Values indicate benefits from staff of the master.
Type: Active/Passive
Target: Self
Mana Cost: 150/225/300/(100)
Cooldown: 120/100/80/(60) seconds
Duration: 10/15/20/(25)
Active Effects:
__________________________________________________ _______
Flame - Imbues attacks with a burning effect dealing stacking DoT (4/6/8 damage per second for 5 seconds, stacks up to 4 times)
Ice - Imbues attacks with a slowing effect, applying a stacking slow (4/8/12% slow per stack, debuff lasts 4 seconds, stacks up to 3 times)
Vine - Imbues attacks with a chance to snare the target for 1.5 seconds (20%/30%/40% chance to proc)
__________________________________________________ _______
Restoration - Imbues attacks with a lifegain, healing you for each attack you make (Heals 50/75/100 damage per attack made against an enemy)
Enlighten - Causes your attacks to grant you increased movement and attack speeds for each attack (Increase MS/AS by 10/15/20% per attack, stacking up to 4 times, buff lasts 5 seconds)
Guardian - Causes each attack to build up a charge that will block damage (Each attack grants 1 charge, 1 charge blocks up to 70 damage from a single source, maximum of 4 charges, charges last 8 seconds independently)
__________________________________________________ _______
Burden - Imbues your attacks with an attack speed reducing and base damage reducing stacking debuff (-5/10/15% attack speed and base damage per attack, stacks up to 4 times, debuffs last 4 seconds)
Defile - Imbues your attacks with a stacking debuff that slows and reduces armors (-1/-1/-2 armor, -0/-1/-1 magic armor, -4/8/12% MS per stack, stacks up to 3 times, debuff lasts 4 seconds)
Mystify - Imbues your attacks with a chance to silence and disarm your opponents (20%/30%/40% to silence and disarm for 1/2/3 secs)
__________________________________________________ _______

To clarify, you only get 3 of these effects at a time, and the effects gained are based on which 3 abilities you have selected when you use the ultimate.
IE. You have Flame, Guardian, and Defile, as your selected abilities in ability slots 1, 2, and 3, you will get the benefits those apply added to your normal attacks when you use your ultimate. If you switch one of your slots while your ultimate is still active, you will remain with the benefits you had when you used it.

Passively gives benefits to your other abilities:
Rank 1 - 200 AOE added to all spells
Rank 2 - 350 AOE added to all spells, cooldowns reduced by 1 second
Rank 3 - 500 AOE added to all spells, cooldowns reduced by 2 seconds
(At last rank your spells have a 500 AOE, and cooldowns at max rank are reduced to 10 seconds from 12, not 9)

How these AOE's are applied are different based on the class:
Offensive spell AOE
http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/3581/skill1aoeeffect.jpg (just to clarify, the initial spell can still go 1000 range, then if it hits a target at 1000 range, will split into 3 projectiles at 45 degree angles traveling an additional 500 units at max rank of ult)

Supportive spell AOE
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/5452/skill3aoeeffect.jpg

Debuffing spell AOE

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/8185/skill2aoeeffect.jpg

Vote on concept no numbers please! Good balance comes through good critiquing!

[Extreme_Cake]

I can't believe that anyone would use this hero unless he was very very strong. The lack of reliability would make him a very weak pick, unless you'd want to chance him breaking games with RNG instead.

[dandylion]

Not unlike Blacksmith. Relying on multicasts pretty much makes him what he is. Point aside, that's why I'm trying to see if designing around only a somewhat RNG system would work, hence the multiple trains of thought.

Stay with me here, the first idea is to have a completely random system. The point is that this randomness is within a degree of control. You can't necessarily choose what you get, but the abilities are meant to be chained together as for clever use of all the abilities tied together in some way. If your three abilities you had at one given time were say... Red, Blue, Yellow, you cast Blue to freeze, Red to nuke, and Yellow to give you the attack speed boost to hit them while frozen. The cooldowns come up on all three around the same time and you get say... Red, White, Green. You can use Green to snare again, Red to nuke again, and if the tides turn on you, White to take some of the brunt off. There would be few enough abilities that they are all able to be used in some sort of combination to serve a purpose to you.

In the second idea, it was more of that Ability 1 has 3 colors, ability 2 has 3 colors, and ability 3 has 3 colors. Each one can be random, but they'd each have a different purpose.
IE. Slot 1 has Red Blue Green
Slot 2 has White Jade Brown
Slot 3 has Black Yellow Orange

So on and so forth. While what you get is random, there should always be some overlap in functionality, and it keeps the player on their toes. You'd have to constantly be thinking "if this then i can do this, otherwise if this i can get this, if this i can use this and this together to get this result".

So on, so forth.

[dandylion]

What if each button had 3 abilities, but by right clicking the button you would change what kind it was. That way you could always swap it for the situation. It's like a friendlier version of invoker that way. Thoughts?

[Qwernakus]

Hmm, interesting concept. I like it.

To reduce luck factor, i propose that the main effect of his ult should be to "freeze" the skills he currently have. As in, they wont change until... 3/6/9 spells have been cast? You would ofcourse needs something exstra on top of that, such as increased effect on all spells, cast time improvement etc... but you get the idea.

[dandylion]

My idea with the ult was to be like an overall booster to each skill.

Level 6, abilities become small AOE (250 or so) (each has a different shape and effect, but I'll get to that later!)
Level 11, get bigger AOE (350 or so), gain cooldown reductions (1 sec)
Level 16, get a little bigger AOE (500 or so), gain cooldown reductions (1 more sec)

In addition the ult would have a useful active portion too. Still working that part out though!

[dandylion]

Would absolutely love more feedback before I take the time to make a real post for it and get obliterated by people. Want to work out those kinks now >.<

[dandylion]

I promise tomorrow I'll actually organize and structure this into something worthwhile. Any last minute feedback before I do would be epicly appreciated.

[dandylion]

Stayed up way too late tinkering with this to make it more into a real post than just an idea. Let the comments roll!

[dandylion]

Looking for really any more feedback for I make this a real post. Gogo thinking hats!

[iChantot]

concept like invoker on dota i guess