Quaerus
03-12-2010, 04:49 PM
FORTRESS
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/monsterhunter/images/2/2b/Gunlance.png
In a small, otherwise unnoteworthy village was the home of a boy of prodigous strength as well as a fanatical obsession with explosives. That boy has now become a man, and has quickly proven his worth to the Legion. With a massive cannon in his arms and a commensurately sized shield with a mysterious inscription on his back, the Fortress earns his nickname through both his precise firepower and his defensive skill.
(Concept art is a Gunlance from the Monster Hunter series, but in my mind the cannon is larger and there is no lance).
http://www.playdota.com/img/site/hs.gif
http://www.playdota.com/img/site/strength-c.jpg http://www.playdota.com/img/site/agility.jpghttp://www.playdota.com/img/site/intelligence.jpg
24+2,5 | 16+2.1 | 11+1.4
http://www.playdota.com/img/site/as.gif
Movement Speed: 285
Attack Range: 128
Damage: 51-69
Armor: 1.3
Attack Animation: 0.6/0.7
Base Attack Time: 1.7
Missile Speed: N/A
__________________________________________________
CANNON SHOT
http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource_images/7/icons_6789_btn.jpg
The Fortress takes a moment to line up a shot in front of him before launching a powerful blast from his cannon.
Skill Mechanics: Channel for up to 1 second. When channeling stops, launch a projectile toward a point in front of Fortress with distance commensurate with channeling time. Upon reaching this point, it explodes, causing all enemy units in a 300 radius take Magic damage and forcing them to stare at the point of impact for 2 seconds.
[1] 75 Magic damage. 25 bonus Magic damage in 150 AoE.
[2] 150 Magic damage. 50 bonus Magic damage in 150 AoE.
[3] 225 Magic damage. 75 bonus Magic damage in 150 AoE.
[4] 300 Magic damage. 100 bonus Magic damage in 150 AoE.
Projectile speed is very fast (2500). It is aimed like a Soulstealer nuke (the direction is whatever direction you were facing when you started casting), except the distance in front of him that the nuke appears at depends on time spent channeling.
Mana Cost: 120.
Cooldown: 15 seconds.
Range: Up to 1000 (1000*x where x is time spent channeling).
[Synergy] When placed well, allows you to meet the facing condition for Daemonic Inscription. Combines with Lock and Load to manipulate the position of a target Hero.
On par in nuke and disable with Stalagmites, with a larger radius and a chance for extra reward, but the move is much more difficult to aim overall.
DEFENSIVE STANCE
http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource_images/10/icons_9762_btn.jpg
The Fortress puts up his shield, blocking attacks like a wall, but alas, a single wall is vulnerable to flanks...
Skill Mechanics: Fortress brings his shield in front of him and will reduce damage in front of him greatly, but he will have a weaker attack, slower movement speed, and have no turning ability, instead strafing or backpedaling to move.
[1] 30% damage reduction from the front. 40% less attack damage. 50% movement penalty.
[2] 40% damage reduction from the front. 35% less attack damage. 40% movement penalty.
[3] 50% damage reduction from the front. 30% less attack damage. 30% movement penalty.
[4] 60% damage reduction from the front. 25% less attack damage. 20% movement penalty.
Toggle ability. Cooldown triggered when activated (so feasibly one could quickly toggle the skill off and on again if it was on long enough).
Shield's angle is a 90 degree cone in front of it.
Mana Cost: 25.
Cooldown: 10 seconds.
[Synergy] Damage reduction makes it more difficult to break out Heroes from Lock and Load. Pulling shield in front of him makes Daemonic Inscription easier to use in some situations as well as locking a shooting angle, which can make Cannon Shot easier to aim.
[Balance] Reduces more damage than Armordillo but mobile heroes can much more easily get around the defense, and significant mobility penalties make this skill a decision to use, instead of being on all the time.
DAEMONIC INSCRIPTION
http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource_images/10/icons_9680_btn.jpg
An inscription on Fortress' shield glows brightly. Foes who read it are weakened until they overcome their fears and attack the shield.
Skill Mechanics: Affects enemy units in a 90 degree cone in front of the shield that are facing it with Intimidated. For each unit affected, Fortress gains one charge (three for Heroes). When the shield is struck, one charge is lost, and when the charges are exhausted, Intimidated ends.
[1] 5% attack and cast speed slow. 10% move speed reduction.
[2] 10% attack and cast speed slow. 20% move speed reduction
[3] 15% attack and cast speed slow. 30% move speed reduction.
[4] 20% attack and cast speed slow. 40% move speed reduction.
The attack speed slow is an attack speed slow, not "negative attack speed."
Counts attacks and non-DoT spell damage instances for purposes of charge removal.
Mana Cost: 75.
Cooldown: 15 seconds.
Duration: 10 seconds (applies both to charges and debuffs).
Radius: 400/450/475/500 seconds.
[Synergy] Provides more reasons to focus this hero. The slow can help aim shots, and of course, it encourages people to strike the hero where he takes little damage. Note that the position of the shield is relevant to where the AoE of this skill goes. In Defensive Stance the AoE is in front of Fortress. Outside of it, the AoE is behind him, since the shield by default is hanging on his back.
[Balance] The enemy team can work together to remove the debuff on everyone. Attackers whose damage is too valuable can still focus him from behind to try to force him to end Defensive Stance while lower damage attackers can work to remove the debuff. While the effect is strong, the facing mechanic makes it difficult to land on everyone.
LOCK AND [B]LOAD
http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource_images/7/icons_6390_btn.jpg
Fortress uses his immense strength to compress any unit, friend or foe, into a ball, suitable for ammunition for his cannon.
Skill Mechanics: Essentially, removes target hero from the game for the duration. It is disabled, but cannot be targeted. For each 5% of maximum health in damage sustained in this time, 4 seconds (1 if enemy hero was targeted) are removed from the duration. The next Cannon Shot will use this target as ammunition.
[1] 4 second maximum duration for enemy heroes, 16 otherwise.
[2] 6 second maximum duration for enemy heroes, 24 otherwise.
[3] 8 second maximum duration for enemy heroes, 32 otherwise.
Any buffs/debuffs the target had will still take effect, so someone could die inside your cannon to Slither's poisons, for example. Dead targets can still be fired.
If a unit is fired up a cliff such as to trap the unit, it will gain cliffwalking to allow it to escape.
Mana Cost: 135/175/225.
Cooldown: 110/90/70 seconds.
Range: 225.
[Synergy] Provides a very strong reason to focus the hero. Allows him to position a target to set him up for an Inscription or for his damage to be heavily reduced by Defensive Stance.
It's certainly a powerful disable, but if mistimed, the incoming burst damage will make it a very brief one. Using it on allies gives it good utility (hide a key hero from AoE damage, hide your true numbers on a gank, fire Pestilence into the fray to stun, etc.) but at the cost of using it for its disable.
[B]__________________________________________________
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
[Q] Hey, I saw an ult very similar to that (http://forums.heroesofnewerth.com/showthread.php?t=85202&highlight=Ooze)! What gives?
[A] You'll have to take my word on this one. I had thought of the concept independently before seeing The Ooze on the forum, but I ended up using the numbers there as a starting point for balance. So, credit where credit is due.
FINAL WORD
I tried with this hero to make a tank hero that was fun both to play as and against, offering powerful effects that are challenging to apply and giving opportunities to avoid or mitigate said effects. To actually serve as a tank, a hero desires the ability to encourage enemies to attack him, but I wanted to do this in a way other than large amounts of AoE damage (and/or outright forcing heroes to do so), which applies to many of the tanky heroes currently in this game, like Armadon and Legionnaire.
I will admit some of the synergy is a bit forced, but I think it comes together in an oddly logical way.
As always, comment on the concepts and mechanics (as every skill has at least one mechanic that isn't in the game yet, as opposed to being a new combination of existing mechanics).
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/monsterhunter/images/2/2b/Gunlance.png
In a small, otherwise unnoteworthy village was the home of a boy of prodigous strength as well as a fanatical obsession with explosives. That boy has now become a man, and has quickly proven his worth to the Legion. With a massive cannon in his arms and a commensurately sized shield with a mysterious inscription on his back, the Fortress earns his nickname through both his precise firepower and his defensive skill.
(Concept art is a Gunlance from the Monster Hunter series, but in my mind the cannon is larger and there is no lance).
http://www.playdota.com/img/site/hs.gif
http://www.playdota.com/img/site/strength-c.jpg http://www.playdota.com/img/site/agility.jpghttp://www.playdota.com/img/site/intelligence.jpg
24+2,5 | 16+2.1 | 11+1.4
http://www.playdota.com/img/site/as.gif
Movement Speed: 285
Attack Range: 128
Damage: 51-69
Armor: 1.3
Attack Animation: 0.6/0.7
Base Attack Time: 1.7
Missile Speed: N/A
__________________________________________________
CANNON SHOT
http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource_images/7/icons_6789_btn.jpg
The Fortress takes a moment to line up a shot in front of him before launching a powerful blast from his cannon.
Skill Mechanics: Channel for up to 1 second. When channeling stops, launch a projectile toward a point in front of Fortress with distance commensurate with channeling time. Upon reaching this point, it explodes, causing all enemy units in a 300 radius take Magic damage and forcing them to stare at the point of impact for 2 seconds.
[1] 75 Magic damage. 25 bonus Magic damage in 150 AoE.
[2] 150 Magic damage. 50 bonus Magic damage in 150 AoE.
[3] 225 Magic damage. 75 bonus Magic damage in 150 AoE.
[4] 300 Magic damage. 100 bonus Magic damage in 150 AoE.
Projectile speed is very fast (2500). It is aimed like a Soulstealer nuke (the direction is whatever direction you were facing when you started casting), except the distance in front of him that the nuke appears at depends on time spent channeling.
Mana Cost: 120.
Cooldown: 15 seconds.
Range: Up to 1000 (1000*x where x is time spent channeling).
[Synergy] When placed well, allows you to meet the facing condition for Daemonic Inscription. Combines with Lock and Load to manipulate the position of a target Hero.
On par in nuke and disable with Stalagmites, with a larger radius and a chance for extra reward, but the move is much more difficult to aim overall.
DEFENSIVE STANCE
http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource_images/10/icons_9762_btn.jpg
The Fortress puts up his shield, blocking attacks like a wall, but alas, a single wall is vulnerable to flanks...
Skill Mechanics: Fortress brings his shield in front of him and will reduce damage in front of him greatly, but he will have a weaker attack, slower movement speed, and have no turning ability, instead strafing or backpedaling to move.
[1] 30% damage reduction from the front. 40% less attack damage. 50% movement penalty.
[2] 40% damage reduction from the front. 35% less attack damage. 40% movement penalty.
[3] 50% damage reduction from the front. 30% less attack damage. 30% movement penalty.
[4] 60% damage reduction from the front. 25% less attack damage. 20% movement penalty.
Toggle ability. Cooldown triggered when activated (so feasibly one could quickly toggle the skill off and on again if it was on long enough).
Shield's angle is a 90 degree cone in front of it.
Mana Cost: 25.
Cooldown: 10 seconds.
[Synergy] Damage reduction makes it more difficult to break out Heroes from Lock and Load. Pulling shield in front of him makes Daemonic Inscription easier to use in some situations as well as locking a shooting angle, which can make Cannon Shot easier to aim.
[Balance] Reduces more damage than Armordillo but mobile heroes can much more easily get around the defense, and significant mobility penalties make this skill a decision to use, instead of being on all the time.
DAEMONIC INSCRIPTION
http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource_images/10/icons_9680_btn.jpg
An inscription on Fortress' shield glows brightly. Foes who read it are weakened until they overcome their fears and attack the shield.
Skill Mechanics: Affects enemy units in a 90 degree cone in front of the shield that are facing it with Intimidated. For each unit affected, Fortress gains one charge (three for Heroes). When the shield is struck, one charge is lost, and when the charges are exhausted, Intimidated ends.
[1] 5% attack and cast speed slow. 10% move speed reduction.
[2] 10% attack and cast speed slow. 20% move speed reduction
[3] 15% attack and cast speed slow. 30% move speed reduction.
[4] 20% attack and cast speed slow. 40% move speed reduction.
The attack speed slow is an attack speed slow, not "negative attack speed."
Counts attacks and non-DoT spell damage instances for purposes of charge removal.
Mana Cost: 75.
Cooldown: 15 seconds.
Duration: 10 seconds (applies both to charges and debuffs).
Radius: 400/450/475/500 seconds.
[Synergy] Provides more reasons to focus this hero. The slow can help aim shots, and of course, it encourages people to strike the hero where he takes little damage. Note that the position of the shield is relevant to where the AoE of this skill goes. In Defensive Stance the AoE is in front of Fortress. Outside of it, the AoE is behind him, since the shield by default is hanging on his back.
[Balance] The enemy team can work together to remove the debuff on everyone. Attackers whose damage is too valuable can still focus him from behind to try to force him to end Defensive Stance while lower damage attackers can work to remove the debuff. While the effect is strong, the facing mechanic makes it difficult to land on everyone.
LOCK AND [B]LOAD
http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource_images/7/icons_6390_btn.jpg
Fortress uses his immense strength to compress any unit, friend or foe, into a ball, suitable for ammunition for his cannon.
Skill Mechanics: Essentially, removes target hero from the game for the duration. It is disabled, but cannot be targeted. For each 5% of maximum health in damage sustained in this time, 4 seconds (1 if enemy hero was targeted) are removed from the duration. The next Cannon Shot will use this target as ammunition.
[1] 4 second maximum duration for enemy heroes, 16 otherwise.
[2] 6 second maximum duration for enemy heroes, 24 otherwise.
[3] 8 second maximum duration for enemy heroes, 32 otherwise.
Any buffs/debuffs the target had will still take effect, so someone could die inside your cannon to Slither's poisons, for example. Dead targets can still be fired.
If a unit is fired up a cliff such as to trap the unit, it will gain cliffwalking to allow it to escape.
Mana Cost: 135/175/225.
Cooldown: 110/90/70 seconds.
Range: 225.
[Synergy] Provides a very strong reason to focus the hero. Allows him to position a target to set him up for an Inscription or for his damage to be heavily reduced by Defensive Stance.
It's certainly a powerful disable, but if mistimed, the incoming burst damage will make it a very brief one. Using it on allies gives it good utility (hide a key hero from AoE damage, hide your true numbers on a gank, fire Pestilence into the fray to stun, etc.) but at the cost of using it for its disable.
[B]__________________________________________________
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
[Q] Hey, I saw an ult very similar to that (http://forums.heroesofnewerth.com/showthread.php?t=85202&highlight=Ooze)! What gives?
[A] You'll have to take my word on this one. I had thought of the concept independently before seeing The Ooze on the forum, but I ended up using the numbers there as a starting point for balance. So, credit where credit is due.
FINAL WORD
I tried with this hero to make a tank hero that was fun both to play as and against, offering powerful effects that are challenging to apply and giving opportunities to avoid or mitigate said effects. To actually serve as a tank, a hero desires the ability to encourage enemies to attack him, but I wanted to do this in a way other than large amounts of AoE damage (and/or outright forcing heroes to do so), which applies to many of the tanky heroes currently in this game, like Armadon and Legionnaire.
I will admit some of the synergy is a bit forced, but I think it comes together in an oddly logical way.
As always, comment on the concepts and mechanics (as every skill has at least one mechanic that isn't in the game yet, as opposed to being a new combination of existing mechanics).