[Champion Concept] Horst, the Shattered Smith
#Horst, The Shattered Smith
Noxians are like fresh steel, they do their best to look intimidating and hold firm, but they break before anyone else.
-Horst
#Introduction
Horst is a fighter with a versatile playstyle and great combos. I really hit a chord with the kit synergy and I must say I am proud of how his overall kit turned out. If you've ever wanted a blacksmith to step out of the forge and show the warriors of frontline how to actually bash skulls in then this guy is for you!
Unique features include:
- Versatile ability augment mechanic
- Capable fighter with area control and team buffs
- Finely tuned numbers for ideal builds
- A pulsing ult with two different delivery methods
#Lore
It’s an old saying that behind every proud Rakkor warrior is an equally proud Rakkor smith. Nowhere is this saying taken more seriously than in the mining town of Dallon. Seated at the base of Mount Targon and next to the only mine allowed within the sacred mountain, Dallon housed the best smiths in the Rakkor ranks. Ranks that Horst Dethernith Vulcan clawed up faster than anyone before him. Declared a prodogy as a child, Horst took to metalworking as easily as a fish to water and made sure to show it to every elder he could find.
Finally relenting, the elders provided Horst with a task. Craft a work that rivaled that of the ancients. If he was to do this he would be recognized as a master smith, the youngest ever recorded. It was an unheard of task, but Horst took it nonetheless. He knew that the only chance he had to equal those of the relic-weapons being used in the Institute of War he must use the same tools as the smiths of old. They did not use simple hammer and forge, but a mystical orb called a Forgestone. Wielding the stone allowed a metalworker to heat, shape and cool any metal they chose like clay, allowing the creation to greatly surpass normal limitations. And Dallon held one of the last known Forgestone within the heart of the Great Forge.
Horst snuck in to the Forgestone chamber in the cover of night, a grave crime within Dallon. With the stone’s light and enchanted heat of the ore as his only companions, Horst spent several hours working. At first he was amazed at the power of the stone, it allowed him to make a dagger that was a better quality than anything he had made before in mere minutes. But a simple dagger would not impress the elders, and so Horst continued, hardening and shaping as much metal as he could with the stone. However, what the forbidden books and tales did not tell him was that Dallon’s Forgestone was weakened due to use and age. Horst did not notice the stone’s fatigue, as he was too intent on his masterwork.
The stone shattered, shattering Horst’s work in a massive wave of heat and arcane magic and cleaving a good portion of the Great Forge as well. Amazingly, Horst was alive and awoke to find small shards of his masterwork floating around him. What was once a set of armor forged to turn away the sharpest blade, was now a cloud of tiny bits of shrapnel that he found he could control. The elders, surprisingly, were not angry with Horst. They were angry at themselves for giving him the task. It was supposed to be a lesson in humility, a futile task that would show Horst there are things he must take time to work for. However, they could not forgive his transgression, and so they gave him his desired title of Master Smith but banished him from the Rakkor unless he was able to replace the Forgestone he destroyed with his folly.
Horst was devestated, but he also knew he could have just as easily been sentenced to death. And so Horst ventured to the largest collection of ancient artifacts and knowledge of their time, The Institute of War, with the purpose of replacing the Forgestone he destroyed. All they asked in return was his service, which Horst gladly accepted. Exile or no he was, after all, a Rakkor.
#Description
Horst has a similar but smaller build to Pantheon, not stupidly buff as one stereotypically expects from a smith (i.e. not Braum), but still muscled. When his passive is not placed he has armor very similar to scale mail (think Marvel Thor’s armor around his arms) around his left arm and shoulder, with bits and pieces floating around him. He holds a smithing hammer, about the size of a normal mallet, and bare skin along his right arm. His pants are cloth with armor plates hugging tightly around the outside of his legs.
#Kit
Passive : Shards
If Horst’s Shards are not deployed his next ability will have a bonus effect within a (180) unit area, but will shed his Shards, denying concurrent Shard bonuses. After 3 auto attacks or 7 seconds of not casting an ability Horst will reclaim his Shards
Q : Inner Forge
(Auto attack reset) Horst creates an enchanted weapon around his hammer mid-swing, dealing (30/50/70/90/110) + (.4/.5/.6/.8/.9) total AD on his next auto attack
Shard Bonus : 1 second after the attack, Shards explode in an area of (180) units dealing (20/50/80/110/140) + (.6) bonus AD in physical damage
40/50/60/70/80 mana | 5/4/4/3/3 sec
W : Cold-Working
Horst drains the heat from his and his enemies’ weapons and armor, slowing in a small radius by 20/25/30/35/40% and increasing his armor and magic resistance by (4/4/4/4/4) per champion or monster hit for 3 seconds
Shard Bonus : Horst’s shards coalesce into a shield around his position, shielding him instantly and any ally within his Shard area for (30/40/50/60/70) + (.2) bonus armor per champion or monster hit for 3 seconds.
70 mana | 10/9/8/7/6 sec
E : Rakkor Pride
Horst uses his Shards to propel himself forward, he will dash (400) units to a targeted area and cleave any enemies for (90/120/150/180/210) + (.6) bonus AD. Shards will follow Horst’s path, damaging all enemies along this dash for (50/50/50/50/50) + (.7) bonus AD and relocating the Shards at the end of the dash
Shards Bonus : If Shards are not deployed once Rakkor Pride is cast, Rakkor Pride’s range is doubled. The shards are then left deployed at the end of his dash.
70/75/80/85/90 mana | 12 sec
R : Son of Vulcan
Horst draws out the full force of the ForgeStone, superheating his shards to such a degree that he starts drawing the air around them closer. On activation Horst will pull all enemies within a (400) unit area a short distance towards the center once every second for three seconds. 0.5 seconds after activation, a wave of heat will pulse outward dealing ( 200 / 250 / 300 ) + (.5) AP magic damage for three seconds
Shards Bonus : If Horst is in possession of his Shards, the pulses will move with him, if not (or they are shed in the middle of the effect) the pulses will remain rooted.
100 mana | 160/140/120 sec
#Playstyle, Combos and Tricks
Just as a smith is defined by his work, Horst is defined by his build. He can function as an auto attack focused light fighter, getting his Shards bonus up as fast as possible. Hitting near max attack speed will actually allow Horst to use his Q’s shard bonus as fast as his Q’s cooldown, getting some very nice AoE damage mixed in while sacrificing the potential of the shard bonus on his W. On the flipside, focusing as a AD heavy caster will mean his abilities will hit very hard and often with such low cooldowns, but his slower autos will mean less Shard Bonuses in a fight, meaning he will have to make significant choices between AoE damage (Q), survivability of himself and teammates (W), or a significant boost to his gap closer (E).
One of my favorite interactions is his E. The Shard “pick-up” can be used to re-position the Q or W Shard bonus or even his Ultimate’s effect to really put the effectiveness in decision making. Imagine a Horst player engaging another fighter, using his Shard Q and then dashing to the enemy carries for a good bit of AoE damage while slowing them with W. Or flashing into a clustered teamfight and Shard W for a massive mitigation boost and then dashing to his team to carry that shield over. And finally, possibly an ult off of an already deployed Shard area hitting an enemy carry and they flash out, Horst could dash after them to re-secure them into the damage and disruption.
Building CDR on Horst is a good idea, but can come at a cost. Mana cost specifically. Horst’s spells are tuned to be very costly in the mana department. This could be because he’s wasn’t raised as a warrior as much as Pantheon, or because I wanted to make sure if you built enough CDR to spam you would have to pay for it somewhere. 40% CDR can get you a very short window between shields, a very decent 8 sec dash and a downright spammable AA augment. You will not be able to do too much before being oom unless you build pretty tanky, base mana items are usually in a tank/bruiser path.
His E can technically be his highest damage ability. If aimed correctly (slightly ahead of a target) he can hit with the AoE at the end of the path and the damage along the path. If not building high damage, the trail behind damage will be minimal but can spread Black Cleaver stacks quite well.
#Extras
Taunts
Default: You’re fighting me? With….that? You’re cute.
Pantheon: Where would you be without that spear and shield Pantheon? A grain mill perhaps?
Mordekasier: ”Master of Metal”, hah! Your armor’s brittle and hollow, where I come from a child could break that.
Jax: I’m glad you’re not using a real weapon Jax, that suits you better. Crooked, a bit dim, and clearly not in the right place.
Leona: Leave a dent? How about I leave a hole?
Interactions
Near Leona or Pantheon: Rakkor Phalanx, adds +1 hp to all relevant champions.
Buying Infinity Edge: “Well balanced, sharp, and…..made of gold?”
Buying Trinity Force: “I’m not entirely sure how this thing works, but I like it.”
Buying Frozen Heart: “This seems so familiar, could this be…...the opposite…..?”
Buying Iceborn Gauntlet: “Impractical, but intimidating.”
On joke around both Leona and Diana: “Ladies, ladies. Imma let you finish, but Pantheon has the best weapons”
#Trivia
Vulcan is the roman name for the God of fire and craftmanship, the Greek name is Hephaestus.
Cold-working is a metallurgy term for deforming metal underneath it’s re-crystallazation temperature. The metal will become more and more rigid but less ductile during this process. If you would like to try it yourself get a paper clip bend it to a straight rod, then try to bend it back, it’ll be marginally more difficult.
I somewhat shamelessly ripped the name Horst off of the blacksmith in the Eragon series. He was one of my favorite characters and I always wish he got a bit more significance than he did. Also, I’m bad at coming up with decent names, so...yeah. XD
#Skin Possibilities
Glacial/Blackfrost Horst - The freljord works in mysterious ways, Horst’s Shards are now ice and he looks to be turned into a being of pure ice.
Full Metal Horst - The armor is reforged! Horst comes running in with his masterwork, a set of armor that isn’t large or unweildy, but is engraved with numerous runes and is gilded at every conceivable area of the shining silver steel. Sports a helmet identical to Panth’s, badass glowing eyes included.
(Legendary) Dragonslayer Horst - Some Dragonslayers use the dragon’s power in their equipment by their scales and claws, but what happens if you use their heart? Replace the Forgestone with a massive dragon’s heart and you get a version of Horst that has actual scales instead on him, and the shards that float are instead small orbs of white-hot fire. As he levels the heart’s corruption grows, turning Horst more dragon-like as it goes. All his abilities get fancier fire particle effects (Think dragonslayer panth’s ult) and using his ult while the shard’s on himself will temporarily provide a massive boost to his corruption, making him into a half-dragon that would make Shyvana envious.
#Thank Log
A thanks to Captain Marvelous for helping me out the lore, the whole Rakkor bit was Cap’s idea I had completely forgotten about them as the only real mention of them is in Pantheon’s lore.
