Boards›Community Creations

[Champion Concept] Banshee, the Screaming Specter

Rubitonabuilding·4/27/2014, 4:05:45 PM·6 votes·4,011 views

http://imgur.com/jPczDJK

She's here. And she's not happy. Banshee is the ghost of a young girl who fell into a cursed well that had been abandoned centuries earlier. She cried and screamed at the top of her lungs for days, but nobody ever found her, and she died down there, all alone in the dark and damp. And now she's come to the Fields of Justice to seek revenge.

You've been warned.

Banshee is a ghost in the fullest sense, as her kit revolves around scaring the crap out of people. If you've seen the movie The Ring, you know how scary this girl is. Before anyone cries copyright infringement, I'll just say that Banshee is quite obviously based on the girl from The Ring, but she doesn't have to look exactly like that, and I'm sure nobody has intellectual property rights on girls falling down wells. And it's just a concept. I'm going to introduce a new CC mechanic for her ult, but the rest of her kit is pretty standard stuff.

###BANSHEE'S ABILITIES

####Passive: Chilled to the Bone

  • Banshee is a ghost, so she ignores unit collision. When she passes through an enemy champion, she chills them, slowing them by (0.1AP)% for (1/4 her level) seconds.
  • Banshee cannot chill the same champion more than once every 60 seconds. (Not affected by CDR)

####Q: Ethereal Form (toggle)

  • Banshee becomes invisible at a mana cost per second, gaining bonus movement speed.
  • She cannot turn on Ethereal Form while taking damage, and taking any form of damage reveals her.
  • Ethereal Form toggles off automatically when Banshee uses any other spell or basic attack. Triggering her passive does not reveal Banshee.

####W: Dreadful Fright

  • Banshee lets loose a piercing shriek that deals (20/40/60/80/100 + 0.25AP) magic damage in an area that scales with her AP.
  • Enemies in the immediate vicinity are terrified and flee from Banshee for (0.5/0.75/1/1.25/1.5) seconds.

####E: Cursed Water

  • For the next (8/10/12/14/16) seconds, Banshee drips cursed water, leaving a trail behind her. Enemies who tread in this water take (5/10/15/20/25 + 0.1AP) magic damage per second, and their magic resist is reduced by (1/2/3/4/5)% per second.

####R: Abandoned Well

  • Banshee creates a well at a target location. The first enemy champion to fall into the well is stunned for (0.5/1/1.5) seconds and takes (20/30/40 + 0.2AP) magic damage and the same magic resist reduction as from Cursed Water for as long as they are trapped in the well.
  • Protip: Maxing your E first will increase the effectiveness of Abandoned Well, as the MR-reducing effects of Cursed Water in the well scale with your E.
  • The well ends after (4/8/12) seconds or if Banshee leaves the area. If one champion escapes the well, another may fall in; only one champion at a time can be in the well (I will explain in detail how to escape the well).
  • The mechanics of Abandoned Well as I see them are that the champion falls down into a hole in the map, effectively isolating them from the rest of the action unless they have a way to escape. Some spells may be used from within the well, and ranged champions can attack from inside the well.
  • Enemies are trapped in the well for the full duration unless they have a jump or flash, but do not despair, for there are a multitude of ways to counter Abandoned Well:
  • Thresh may throw his lantern onto the well. This does not block anyone from falling in, but once they are down there, they can click Thresh's lantern to escape.
  • Flying or floating champions do not fall into the well. These include:
  • Corki Anivia Galio Janna Kayle Malzahar Nami Nocturne Syndra Velkoz Xerath Quinn
  • Quinn is included because Valor can fly over the well. In human form, Quinn will fall in.
  • A fully-grown Cho'Gath cannot fall down the well, because he's too danged big.

####Rules for spell interaction with the well:

Basically what happens when you fall down Banshee's well is that you're isolated from the surrounding action. Most spells won't reach you, but it's a double-edged sword, because most spells you cast won't affect anyone outside the well. As with every rule, there are a few exceptions, which I will list with the help of a pretty table (props to Sir ArmaMalum for his Community Beta Formatting 101 post).

As stated above, some people don't fall down the well. Great for them, but what happens if you DO fall down the well? Well (pun intended), you've got a couple of choices, depending on which champion you're playing. The following tables list a couple of examples for each spell type, but they are certainly not the only spells that can be used from within the well. They just illustrate the spell type.

For a spell to affect anyone outside the well, there are a few options. The spell must be either:

A. A tossed item with a target location

|Champ|Spell|Key| |- |Ziggs | Bouncing Bomb|Q| |Maokai |Sapling Toss|E| |Heimerdinger |CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade|E|

B. A placed item or pet

|Champ|Spell|Key| |- |Shaco |Jack in the Box|W| |Heimerdinger |H-28G Evolution Turret|Q| |Zyra |Rampant Growth|W| |Annie |Summon: Tibbers|R|

C. An AOE spell at a targeted location (which sort of includes A and B)

|Champ|Spell|Key| |- |Brand |Pillar of Flame|W| |Chogath |Rupture|Q| |Veigar |Event Horizon|E|

D. A single-target spell (with the diamond cursor). These may affect more than one enemy, but are initiated on a single target.

|Champ|Spell|Key| |- |Fiddlesticks |Dark Wind|E| |Sion |Cryptic Gaze|Q| |Teemo |Blinding Dart|Q|

E. A vertical or global spell that falls from the sky

|Champ|Spell|Key| |- |Karthus |Requiem|R| |Soraka |Starcall/Wish|Q/R| |Veigar |Dark Matter|W| |Leona |Solar Flare|R|

F. A jump, blink or teleport

|Champ|Spell|Key|Category| |- |Jax |Leap Strike|Q|Jump| |Nidalee |Pounce|W|Jump| |MonkeyKing |Nimbus Strike|E|Jump| |Kassadin |Riftwalk|R|Blink| |Shen |Stand United|R|Teleport| |Zed |Living Shadow|W|Blink| |Fiora |Lunge|Q|Jump|

As you can see, there are tons of options for dealing damage to others even if you're stuck in the well, and some of the jumps or blinks in section F. allow you to escape from the well.

Spells that DO NOT affect anyone outside the well include:

A. Skill-shotted projectiles, snares or grabs

|Champ|Spell|Key| |- |Morgana |Dark Binding|Q| |Nidalee |Javelin Toss|Q| |Blitzcrank |Rocket Grab|Q| |Jinx |Zap!/Super Mega Death Rocket|W/R| |Lux |Light Binding/Final Spark|Q/R|

B. A horizontal skill-shotted dash or push

|Champ|Spell|Key| |- |Caitlyn |90-Caliber Net|E| |Renekton |Slice and Dice|E| |Vi |Vault Breaker|Q| |Gragas |Body Slam|E|

C. A flip, taunt or bite

|Champ|Spell|Key| |- |Volibear |Rolling Thunder|Q| |Rammus |Puncturing Taunt|E| |Nunu |Consume|Q|

D. A general or horizontal AOE/splash or aura spell centered on or beginning from the caster

|Champ|Spell|Key| |- |MissFortune |Bullet Time|R| |Sona |anything D:|Q/W/E/R| |MonkeyKing |Cyclone|R| |Amumu |anything D:|Q/W/E/R| |Swain |Ravenous Flock|R| |Cassiopeia |Petrifying Gaze|R|

Now remember I said most spells will not affect you while you're stuck in the well. Again, there are exceptions to the rule, and for the most part they are similar to the above spells, so I'll just state them, but won't repeat the example tables.

For a spell to hit someone who is trapped in the well, it must be either:

A. A tossed item (as above)

B. A single-target spell (as above). Anything that would otherwise bounce to multiple targets does not come back out of the well.

C. A vertical or AOE spell that falls from the sky (because what's to stop something from falling down the well on top of you?) (as above)

Spells that DO NOT affect a person trapped in the well include:

A. Skill-shotted projectiles, snares, grabs, etc (as above)

B. Horizontal AOE/splash or aura spells centered on or beginning from the caster (as above)

C. A flip, taunt or bite

So, a quick recap of how spells interact with Banshee's Abandoned Well:

  • Basically anything that can be tossed up and out of (or down into) the well is fair game.
  • Single target spells like heals can be cast into or out of the well; remember, spells that would typically bounce, splash or deal AOE damage will not come back out of the well if you cast them into it, so use them wisely.
  • If you can grab onto someone and pull yourself out or jump/blink to them, great: you can get out of the well. This doesn't work in reverse; you can't jump to someone inside the well.
  • Any horizontal-oriented spells or skill-shots are no good; you're either underground, where you won't hit anybody, or you're above the person in the well, so you won't hit them.
  • Horizontal dashes are also useless; you can't dash sideways out of a well.
  • Vertical 'skyfall' spells are good to go though, since there's nothing stopping them. Ironically, Pantheon's 'Grand Skyfall' is the exception here in terms of affecting the person in the well; He can certainly jump out of the well, but if he lands near it, the AOE slow/stun will not affect the person inside the well.
  • If you're a flying or floating champ, great! You don't have to worry about Abandoned Well!

##Additional Notes:

  • Banshee is fully intended to be the most terrifying champion in League of Legends. Nocturne is creepy, and some champs can certainly startle you (cough cough Fiddlesticks), but Banshee will scare the crap out of you. Imagine this:

  • You're playing Kennen mid, minding your own business (and Ahri's, who you're wrecking), farming steadily, confident that you can carry your team to victory. Suddenly, you're slowed for what seems like no reason. A piercing shriek sends you fleeing towards Ahri and her turret, and Banshee appears behind you:

  • http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lrhiev37LJ1qcfaheo1_500.gif

  • You try to run back to your turret, but Banshee's already ahead of you, trailing Cursed Water. Then she casts Abandoned Well, and you find yourself falling into a dark, wet hole in the ground, and you can't get out.

  • If anyone claims they wouldn't be soiling their pants for at least the first few times this happened, I would say they're lying.

  • Banshee is intended as a high mobility AP jungler or mid-lane AP carry, something akin to Evelynn, but with all the scary of a pissed-off 12-year-old's ghost. She would work best in team fights or ganks, where Banshee CCs the strongest enemy champion while others deal the damage.

  • Banshee's Veil is certainly not required to play Banshee, but it synergizes extremely well with Ethereal Form. Banshee's Veil would protect her from taking damage, which would in turn stop her from being revealed to enemies.

  • I would actually be scared to see Riot put out a champion like Banshee, but that's obviously the main objective.

  • Let me know what you think of Banshee in the comments. As always, questions and constructive feedback are always welcome, so don't be shy. I suspect there will be quite a few inquiries about spell interaction with Abandoned Well, so I'll keep a close eye on this thread.

  • I'll just leave this here for anyone who missed the sneak peek post.

24 Comments

nosafterburn4/27/2014, 5:44:52 PM5 votes

tl;dr but makes me wanna call someone and say "7 days"

RiotRiot Girl4/28/2014, 5:37:44 PM4 votes

Why is there no ALL OF THE ABOVE in the survey. I mean DAMN.

HeresyUntoFedex4/28/2014, 7:38:05 PM3 votes

I wouldn't mind a banshee champ, as long as shes affiliated with the Shadow Isles, they seem to be lacking female undead for some reason.

I think she could use a different appearance though, i like the kit, but perhaps keep the references to the Ring in her lore, quotes/emotes, etc.

RiotLtRandolph4/28/2014, 4:44:20 PM2 votes

I really like the interaction of the passive, Q, and E. Running around through a teamfight as a "human projectile" sounds hugely entertaining.

The well is thematically interesting, but as described probably has too much hidden information that would make it really punishing for players that haven't read all of the special cases. I think you do a nice job making the rules logical, but logical and intuitively clear aren't necessarily the same thing.

As a side note, when I watched The Ring, I was sick and whacked out on Dayquil, which made it much less scary and much more silly than I probably would have found it otherwise.

(I wonder if my name shows up as Red yet...)

Aegis Angel4/28/2014, 11:53:46 AM2 votes

Just pointing this out but sona is based around sound. Being in a well would not stop sound.

MauzeKing4/29/2014, 5:40:45 AM1 votes

Ok here is my idea on this champ

Q - good, but i would have it have increased mana cost per level but also increased movement speed, and on toggle off a cooldown.

W - Like the basic idea damage may need to be a bit higher, however instead of them fleeing have them be stunned (petrified) in spot.

E - great, might need some tweaking on the numbers.

R - get the idea but total new idea to hard to deal with in a team fight, I would suggest a ult like Nocturne where the champ trapped in the well take damage and loss sight for a short time, as long as they are in the area of the well. (the well or it's screams) so if hit by the well then loss of sight and damage if near the well just damage. (from the screams)

this ult would work well with her kit, combo Q - pass though champs R - E - W though champs or ahead of champs.

or Q pass though champs - E - R - W.

Jingerbeardman4/29/2014, 6:25:26 AM1 votes

this sounds nuts. I like the different ideas you have for how she would deal damage but how would she be able to survive? that sort of kit would better suit a tank than an ap carry.

The ult is...... interesting. unfortunately it can't work in a game like this. I applaud the idea though. I really like the concept of placing a well but trapping someone will never fly at least not for that long.

I'm not out to rain on your parade here. perhaps have the well produce a chilling fog that covers a large area and applies a refreshing slow that varies in strength depending on how close to the well you are. at the same time deal damage of course.

Lord Graves III4/29/2014, 8:03:09 AM1 votes

Dude, I love the first 3 spells. But the problem is, that ult is just too damn strong and complicated. At the end of the day, its a Jarvan ult that has a 1.5 second stun attached, but it has so many special cases it hurts.

In a perfect world, it virtually immobilizes a champion for 12 seconds. Yeah that is gonna be scary for the first 6, but then its just rage inducing. Even dota doesn't have a 12 second immobilize. I simply cannot endorse that ultimate. Period.

I like the kit otherwise with a few suggestions. Her passive actually feels a little weak. I'd let the CDR scale with level as well. Letting her slow from complete safety of invisibility is also a little harsh. Creepy, but falls completely into a "burden of knowledge" issue as riot would put it.

Your character has so many neat ideas. I actually love the core idea behind each spell. Each one just commits a few game design sins. I'd love to collaborate on a version 2 if you'd like to.

PublicArtillery4/29/2014, 5:10:44 PM1 votes

Awesome champion! Do you remeber Thresh's logg in? Imagine that times 10 for Banshee D:

The only thing I would change would be the well. Maybe it should be an aoe spell. She could scream out "come to me!" And she pulls all enemies towards her with the chilling water, slowing them, and darkening the map!

ChroniclerC5/1/2014, 10:35:14 AM1 votes

Might be easier to template the Well with existing terminology and ditch all the odd specific cases. Say, it creates a collision object (similar to Jarvin's Cataclysm) with an aura (size of the aura could increase with skill level) at the targeted location. If the Well is unoccupied, the first enemy champion affected by the aura is pulled (knock-up) to the center of the Well and is stunned for [short time]. (If multiple enemies are in the area of effect at once, most likely due to the initial cast, it affects the enemy closest to the center and pushes out the others.) Any enemy in the Well takes [numbers] magic damage per second, has their vision obscured (like Graves' Smoke Screen), and is affected by Cursed Waters' MR shred. If an enemy champion is already inside the Well, enemies are instead slowed by the aura and suffer Cursed Waters' MR shred. (Enemy minions always suffer the secondary aura, regardless of the Well's occupancy.) The Well is a solid obstacle and is immune to effects that ignore unit collision. Lastly, it blocks enemy projectiles, but only from the "inside".

Yes, this will mean it will probably block projectiles launched from the outside of the Well to the other side of the Well. An acceptable concession to the programing if necessary. Yes, the trapped enemy still has some fighting capability, but only with ground-targeting non-projectiles and they'll be firing blind. And yes, they can get out with a simple dash, but I don't think the game actually knows the difference between a dash, a leap, and a blink, and many players don't either; no need to confuse any of them.

Doc Krieger5/9/2014, 1:29:23 PM1 votes

Dude that ult is way to mean. Completely unbalanced and cruel to have some characters immune and some characters completely ruined by it. And 12 seconds? 12 seconds? The nerf hammer would slam down within an hour and people would insta-ban her every single game of ranked til she was nerfed into oblivion. Cool concept, but in serious need of a ult rework because what you have is just crazy.

Nihil Art4/27/2014, 6:54:10 PM1 votes

lol what a complicated char, u know, the simple the better :D

NA Darklarik4/28/2014, 6:57:10 PM1 votes

Awesome ideas aside, this champion wouldent work with your proposed Kit. While the Q W combination of scaring the sht out of people is interesting (and would probably make her the best ganker in the game, Think Original 1.5 second Stealth stun Evelyn.... dreadfull days), its also completely broken.

However, her e and R just dont look like they synergise at all, and the only place she seems to be tailored is toards Jungle, which unless her E deals super increased damage to minions, she will be butchered as she has no real clearing abilities, sustain, or shields to survive the jungle.

I like the Passive idea, and while the QW combo is fun, its also completely broken with no counterplay. If the stealth could have a maximum duration, say like 7 seconds TOPS, draining mana for the duration, and be togable, and have a decent CD, then it might be managable.

LVNsNASmurf4/29/2014, 12:18:09 AM1 votes

Terrible concept. Half finished. How about you put in the rest of the numbers.

Q's MS and mana cost.

W's range, mana cost and cooldown.

E's range, mana cost and cooldown.

R's range, mana cost and cooldown.

Additional problems: You have no method of reaching a champion apart from a stealth + ms steroid. Which is nice, except the mana cost prevents actual lurking. You have no method of sticking to an enemy since your fear makes them flee.

And, most crucially, you have no bloody damage anywhere in the kit. Enemies don't stand on E, they flash out of R, and you are left with one activation of W.

Total damage for a full combo? 160+0.55AP magic damage.

As a final note, the theme for this character is weak, basically the girl from the ring, without even the effort expended to properly write them into the world we play in.

exec34/29/2014, 12:26:52 AM1 votes

Interesting ideas. My thoughts are as follows.

Passive: Interesting passive especially with the interaction of Ethereal Form. I feel the numbers are off however. The spell needs a base slow imo, 4.5 seconds is far too long (maybe 1+1/9 champ level seconds) and 60 seconds is far too great a cooldown, something like 12 seconds is far more appropriate.

Q: Nice idea, i'm a little worried that it doesn't do enough, like perhaps she could fear when she comes out of invisibility (must be invis for at least X seconds) though that's treading on the toes of Dreadful Fright.

W: Good basic spell. I assume this is a ground targeted AoE, I think it would be better off as a cone attack, thematically fits better because she's screaming and all.

E: I assume this is like Singed's poison where it lingers for a few seconds before disappearing. Might be better as a toggle tbh although a kit with 2 toggles could be problematic (maybe Q shouldn't be a toggle).

R: I'm not so sure about this spell. It seems a little confusing and hard to visualize and it sounds like if your champ doesn't have a means of escape it's essentially a 12 second stun. The best spells are those that are simple in nature, this spell isn't with a ton of exceptions and special cases against specific champions.

A final comment, I feel like QWE should be swapped around. Dreadful Fright should be her Q being her only direct damage spell, Cursed Water should be he W and Ethereal Form should be her E being more of a movement ability.