Essence Transducer (Rune-based Item)

[Scowndrul]

The Essence Transducer would be an alternative or supplement to using a bottle. When gathering runes, instead of granting the ability to store the rune, it would instead bestow permanant bonuses to the wielder based on how many runes has been stored inside of it. The rune would be captured within the Essence Transducer, consuming the rune and adding a charge to the item, while not giving the rune's benefit.

- The Essence Transducer (900)

Stats:
+1 HP regeneration per second
+0.25 mana regeneration per second (does not stack with other hard mana regeneration)

At its core, the Essence Transducer would provide little benefit. Each rune absorbed by the item adds one charge, and it has a maximum of 5 charges. Since the item's effect is independent of the rune gathered, and since the item is in fact a transducer, the benefits from each rune will be equally represented.

For each charge present on the Essence Transducer, the wielder will gain 1 HP regeneration per second, 0.4 mana regeneration per second (to account for the transduction of the Regeneration rune), 2 movement speed that stacks with other forms of movement (to account for Haste), 2% evasion (to account for Illusion), +4 damage (to account for Double Damage), and the ability to target self (or double press) to go invisible for 0.75 seconds (accounts for Invisibility).

Thus, at 5 charges, the item would provide:
-6 HP regeneration per second
-2.25 mana regeneration per second (does not stack with other hard mana regeneration)
-10 stackable movement speed
-10% evasion
-3.75 second activatable invisibility with a 30s cooldown (can not be used for 2 seconds within taking damage to prevent disjointing abuses)
-20 damage

It is easy to see that this item provides a lot of benefits for a low price, but considering the work and sacrifice that has to go into it (12 minutes at the EARLIEST for full benefits, granted no other items are bought, and the lane is still able to farm the required gold in 2 minutes, as well as not getting to use the runes compiled inside of it) the item seems to be powerful for the price. This is also granted that the team has perfect rune control and never uses the rune for its inherent ability, and instead places it within the Essence Transducer.

Currently, I am looking for player's views on the CONCEPT of this item, and not necessarily the numbers. I would like to see an alternative to bottles being used in order to give players more options, as well as take some of the luck out of runes (finding a regeneration when at full HP, Illusion before trying to Kongor, etc.).

Be sure to vote, and please leave some feedback along with it! Thanks!

Change Log:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2-15-11)
Added stats for Double Damage componant
Added initial HP and Mana regeneration to make it a reasonable alternative to bottle
Lowered the number of charges needed to make it effective earlier (while ganking takes place)
(4-25-11)
Addressed disjoint abuse
Added cooldown for invisibility active

[Woopdeedoo]

I like the concept a lot. I've always loved the fact that runes are an important resource, and this would make them even more so and for a longer time. It might be used more on mid heroes who currently aren't very dependent on rune control. Though I wonder how often the benefit of a transducer charge would be higher than using the rune itself. it would depend on the player's judgement, which I see as another plus.

Maybe cap the amount of charges the item can hold and allow raising the cap by upgrading it with additional recipes or even make a level 2 transducer by combining two level 1 transducers. Or something like that.

The bottle already serves a similar role. It might be a good thing for it to have some competition. Or perhaps not, I don't know, I think it would need testing.

[Scowndrul]

My clanmate and I had a discussion about this item, and he said the same thing you did about it being useful on heroes that go mid and are not reliant on bottles. I see this also as a supplement to the bottle. If your team has great rune control, and you are winning the lane, it is possible to sub a rune in the bottle for a rune in the transducer. It also does cap out at 5 charges currently. If enough support for the item is raised, talk of upgrading it could come into play. Thanks for the feedback!

[[GnJA]Good_Apollo]

I'd rather have an item that has the ability to forgo the rune's effects and instead transmute to gold.

[MimicU]

You sir are a genius. You're ideas kick ass

[Scowndrul]

Thanks! ^^

[[mLuL]superdeluxxe]

Heh, I'd actually like to try this out. When I read the evasion per charge I kind of thought that was a bit much but, at max 5 charges it weighs out.

nice idea dude

[TheMadman]

Bottle is made for early regen on mids/roamers who plan on ganking a lot. Call me out if that's a horrible description but I think I covered it.

Carry mids who aren't mana reliant don't get bottles, they ignore runes or take them when they get them. These non-bottle mids won't go out of their way to buy something which only takes away from their farm and provides minimum benefits early and requires time spent not farming to get it up to full potential. They could just as easily start into their next item and they wouldn't be 900 gold behind on it.

Additionally, this item peaks in effectiveness at around 15 minutes time, giving that you farm it as fast as possible, getting every lasthit in the first few wave. That means it takes longer to get than bottle because it's more expensive, but it doesn't provide the immediate results of a bottle. This means that players have to invest 900 gold early in the game, with very few immediate returns, in order to have a grab-bag of bonuses 10 minutes later, some of which they won't need. By 15 minutes they could be that much closer to their next item, which is probably going to be build specific.

I like the idea, it's a cool item, but I probably wouldn't buy it. Bottle is better early and is OK most of the game as it provides % based regen and alows you to save runes, which becomes especially useful on carries lategame for dd runes and illusion runes.

I haven't voted yet, I want to see what OP says. He needs to sell us this item by telling me I should buy it on hero "x". If I can see it fitting into my build for whatever characters or character archetypes he suggests then I'll upvote

[Scowndrul]

Alright TheMadman, I think I have an argument and a list of heroes that will sway you to my side.

As many people have pointed out, this item is NOT for everyone, and is not a bottle replacement. Nothing can beat a bottle at what it does. However, rune control is imperative whether it is needed to refill the bottle or not. A roaming mid hero vs a hero that does not need it is still dangerous to the team, and if the rune isn't at least contested, this can be extremely detrimental to the team.

While considering this item remember:
-The Essence Transducer is effective from even having even just one charge, providing benefits equal to that of a Trinket of Restoration and a Ring of the Teacher. -Still on the one-charge topic, if the hero is fleeing, 0.75 seconds of invisibility is enough to avoid that last hit from an enemy ranged attacker. Invisible targets disjoint auto attacks.
-At 2 charges, the item would provide the highest hard-mana regeneration in the game, with 1.05 per second. Even Nome's Wisdom is not quite this high.
-At 2 charges, the item would provide almost as much damage as a Punchdagger, another 500 gold investment. So at 2 charges, the item has Ring of the Teacher covered (500 gold, but does not have aura or armor componant), Trinket of Restoration (350 gold), and Punchdagger (500 gold). Suddenly, this 900 gold investment does not seem so bad.
-At 3 charges, ganking with the 2.25 second invisibility is possible if the enemy is in lane, and does not have a ward immediately outside of it.

Heroes that could utilize this item well include:
-Beastwood
-Gladiator
-Electrician
-Forsaken Archer
-Slither (ward)
-Dr Repulsor (possibly, he was on the line for me)

These heroes either do not rely heavily on mana, or have a means to get it back. They also can farm very quickly, so it would be feasible for them to get this item in time for it to be useful. These heroes are also great gankers without the use of a rune. All of them can use every attribute given by the Essence Transducer.

Heroes that MAY get this item:
-Voodoo Jester
-Vindicator (on the line between here and NOT for)
-Witch Slayer
-Plague Rider
-Someone who casts often, but not so often that hard mana regeneration does not cover the cost of the spell.

Though less useful on these heroes, it has SOME potential. These heroes can skill a bit differently than normal to account for the additional mana regeneration they can obtain. They farm a bit slower, so it is less useful on them than the above stated heroes. On these heroes, it becomes more of an item of convenience than one that is super-beneficial. These heroes may get it after getting a more primary item, and may only end the game with 2 or 3 charges, just for the invisibility and the mana regeneration aspects.

Heroes this item is NOT for:
-Wretched Hag
-Thunderbringer
-Defiler
-Heroes that are very mana-dependent and need a lot in a hurry. Also, heroes that are more prone to getting whacked for all of their health from one auto attack.

Heroes that have spells they need to cast often, who roam and gank, or who spam costlier spells fall into this category. A bottle will outshine this item every single time. If these people do get this item, it would be solely for the mana regeneration, but not really worth their time or the expense of the rune.

I think I have given a fairly convincing argument here, and given some heroes that can use this item well. It is my dream (haha they have a website called dream) to get something implemented into HoN. It would really make it MY game, because I have some tangible thing I can point at and say, "that was my idea!"

Anyway, hopefully I have earned your vote!

[TheMadman]

Ehh Ok w/e I'll upvote it

[[SBT]Rkey]

Yeah, cap is needed, or else it'd be super OP lol XD

Sounds really cool.

[Scowndrul]

Bump

[Connect]

Really nice. I think this should would be very useful for some mid heroes, instead of bottle. T-up for sure.

In my opinion you should forget the invis though. Just don't like it. And the evasion should go too. S2 is trying to make the game have as little "luck" based stuff as possible.

That's just my 2 cents. You still got my vote for the great idea though.

Ps, you should take away the "-" infront of the values the item has. It looks like it's actually meant in negative. Like minus 20 damage.

[[HoRe]dejori]

Dig the concept.

Activating it should remove a charge. Also, you haven't noted what the active's cooldown would be; I recommend a nice round thirty seconds.

I can't think of a good reason for the mana regen not to stack with other 'hard mana regen.' If that would be imba, nerf it rather than introduce an oddly non-stacking item.

[Scowndrul]

Dig the concept.

Activating it should remove a charge. Also, you haven't noted what the active's cooldown would be; I recommend a nice round thirty seconds.

I can't think of a good reason for the mana regen not to stack with other 'hard mana regen.' If that would be imba, nerf it rather than introduce an oddly non-stacking item.

Hard mana regen items don't stack in any other case. Nome's does not stack with Ring of the Teacher as far as the mana regeneration goes. I was just following suit.

[[HoRe]dejori]

Nome's does not stack with Ring of the Teacher as far as the mana regeneration goes. I was just following suit.

Makes sense. Consider that Abyssal's mana regen and armor don't stack with Nome's nor with RotT's; it's because they're all using the RotT aura. They all stack with Glacius's mana regen and with the charge-based regen in sac stone, the only non-RotT sources of non-percentile mana regen*. In my opinion, it's more consistent for this item to stack with them as well.

* I'm pretty sure, normally I would test this before posting but I'm at work atm. check it out if you can

[CatHound22]

Sounds like a good idea, but stealth for that long may be a little OP depending on the cool down of the Essence Transduce which I don't think I'd seen that posted any where. Good idea though I would use it.

[Akaitashi]

This is cool idea! HoN should add some more items on my think

[Scowndrul]

Bump to push for "popular".

[[WGG]MadnessHero]

Well thought out item.