Champion Q&A: Tahm Kench, the River King

RiotA Small Man·Jul 1, 2015·238 votes·522,124 views

Hey guys,

We've gathered a bunch of Rioters from the Tahm Kench team for some Q&A about the River King! Whether you're interested in Tahm Kench's gameplay, story, or art, ask away and we'll be happy to answer!

Check out these links if you need to get up to speed:

The River King: Desperate times call for desperate measures. I can make you a fine bargain… but you gotta be willing to pay the price.

Champion Reveal: Tahm Kench, the River King: Check out Tahm Kench's reveal.

Champion Insights: Tahm Kench, the River King: Hear about the process that took an idea - Fish Tank - and turned it into Tahm Kench.

2,326 Comments

Moral SupportJul 1, 2015627 votes

If you use Tahm Kench's ult to travel from one end of the river to the other, does he take you on a Tahm Cruise?

RiotZenonTheStoicJul 1, 2015332 votes

You win this thread.

The ReanimatedJul 1, 201588 votes

First off, I'd like to thank you all for delivering another masterpiece of a champion. One of my favorite things about LOL's champion roster is how diverse it's become. Mister Kench is a great example of a well-rounded and interesting character who would never be offered as playable in any other number of games. Seeing as this may be my only chance to ask them, I have a few burning questions that have been confusing me for the past week on the narrative side of things.

Is Tahm Kench a supernatural being? I ask this for couple reasons. First, it's been confirmed that Tahm is a one-of-a-kind creature (a demon) and not part of a larger species. Secondly, his short bio on the PBE suggests that Tahm literally feeds on despair. What is a demon in the context of Runeterra?
Where did Tahm come from? Did he cross over from another realm, like the voidborn? Was he wildlife now transformed beyond recognition, similar to Gromp? Did he simply exist since the beginning of time?
In the River King video, Tahm makes a bargain with the gambler then comes to collect years later. Why does Tahm even need to make a Faustian deal in the first place instead of crashing any party whenever he wants? Is he bound by certain rules? Is that what he meant by being "let in"?
Within the story, how did Tahm acquire his name. Did he name himself or did someone else?
What exactly is Tahm's diet? Obviously, eating is a very central thematic to his character. In the video, he is shown feeding on treasure and people, but his lore entry suggests he only does this to create misery, Does Tahm actually eat to nourish and survive, does he only eat to state a gluttonous desire, or are his mouth and gullet simply means to sadistic ends?
Would you say Tahm is more of a fish or amphibian, equally both, or neither?
Where did Tahm learn all them fancy talkin' words?!

RiotWAAARGHboboJul 1, 201549 votes

Hey all,

Yep. He is a demon. We are not using the judeo christian meaning. At this point all I can reveal is that it is an powerful, supernatural, being, with an agenda. Foundations will be revealing more on them in the future.
His is tied to the foibles of mankind-- and his current form is especially tied to vices of Bilgewater. This is not to say he has feed on things before man-- only that he existed differently before we provided him with sustenance.
Yes. Traditionally there are always rules with demons and devils. The gambler is making a bargain (ultimately with himself). It is the bargain that allows Tahm to create the human misery he feeds on.
Tahm Kench is the name commonly given this spirit in Bilgewater. The real question is what is the gambler's name.
yep. you pretty much got it.
This is an art question. We wanted him to be unique. Both in lore and visuals. We mixed a lot of things to brew him.
Ultimately Tahm educated himself about his prey.

Bearded MushroomJul 1, 20153 votes

Before I found out his name was Tahm, I was calling him Gum'Boe in my mind. It makes me wonder if his proper void name is something like "Tam'Kex" and aiming to perfect his sociability (to lure folk) and/or the locals just changed his name to Tahm Kench to make it easier to pronounce.
I imagine like all void creatures he has always hungry, and probably made home in Valoran/Runeterra for the access to food. Maybe he is more charismatic and social than other voidborn creatures and like other residence of Bilgewater because he is looking to enjoy the finer things in life without the oppression of hero's or the law.

As far as the gambler is concerned if it isn't TF himself I think the person has some kind of tie with TF. When Tahm started to be leaked the TF artworked on the Riot website changed a bit, and his colored cards are now blank. But if it's TF then it only begs more questions about Graves and his relationship to TF and being on the hunt.

RiotWAAARGHboboJul 1, 201555 votes

Tahm's not void. Void is something else. The Void creature's names are usually ancient Shuriman.

And nope its not TF in the story. TF's story is about to move forward however.

IsIsGankedParisJul 1, 201574 votes

What happens when Tahm Kench devourers the following champions, whether friend or foe?

Swain with ult on.

Fiddlesticks with ult on.

Shyvana Dragon form with her W on.

Zac while ulting.

Sion with his W on.

Wukong while ulting.

Singed with poison trail on.

Maokai with his ult on.

Nasus and Renekton with their ults on.

Any other champion who has a sunfire if Tahm has sunfire(will they stack?)

A champion ulted by Lulu.

Karthus with his E on.

Kennen with ult on.

Garen while spinning.

Jax while dodging.

Blitzcrank with his passive ult on.

Amumu while crying.

Anivia while she has her ult on.

Diana with her W on.

Sejuani with her W on.

Thresh who dropped a lantern.

Sona while she has an aura up.

Phoenix Udyr(while pulsing)

Rumble with is Q on.

Mordekaiser who W'd himself.

And of course, any champ who was tethering somebody before being devoured, will the tether break upon being devoured?

RiotZenonTheStoicJul 1, 2015151 votes

[{quoted}](name=Jihad 911,realm=NA,application-id=cIfEodbz,discussion-id=Ts4NEAq5,comment-id=000b,timestamp=2015-07-01T17:46:00.947+0000)

What happens when Tahm Kench devourers the following champions, whether friend or foe?

Swain with ult on.

Birds come out of his mouth.

Fiddlesticks with ult on.

Birds come out of his mouth.

Shyvana Dragon form with her W on.

Fire comes out of his mouth.

Zac while ulting.

Flubber comes out of his mouth.

Sion with his W on.

Shield explosion comes out of his mouth.

Wukong while ulting.

Monkey-weapon comes out of his mouth.

Singed with poison trail on.

Poison gas comes out of his mouth.

Maokai with his ult on.

Maelstrom comes out of his mouth.

Nasus and Renekton with their ults on.

Ancient space-Shurima fire comes out of his mouth. (sorry narrative team, they'll always be from space to me)

Any other champion who has a sunfire if Tahm has sunfire(will they stack?)

Sunfire comes out of his mouth. Multiple champions with sunfire stack as usual.

A champion ulted by Lulu.

Weird purple slow field comes out of his mouth.

Karthus with his E on.

Death energy comes out of his mouth.

Kennen with ult on.

Lightning comes out of his mouth.

Garen while spinning.

Spinny sword comes out of his mouth.

Jax while dodging.

Magic dodge energy comes out of his mouth.

Blitzcrank with his passive ult on.

Static electricity comes out of his mouth.

Amumu while crying.

Tears come out of his mouth. (Weird!)

Anivia while she has her ult on.

Anivia is coded in such a way that the ult turns off whenever she cannot cast (such as when she's devoured). Sorry friend!

Diana with her W on.

Moon stuff orbits his mouth.

Sejuani with her W on.

Northern Winds come out of his mouth.

Thresh who dropped a lantern.

Allies who click the lantern fly... toward his mouth.

Sona while she has an aura up.

Aura comes out of his mouth.

Phoenix Udyr(while pulsing)

Manbearpig fire comes out of his mouth.

Rumble with is Q on.

Fire comes out of his mouth, turns as he does (Tahm gets Flamespitter!)

Mordekaiser who W'd himself.

Cloud of METAL SHREDS comes out of his mouth. (Ouch)

And of course, any champ who was tethering somebody before being devoured, will the tether break upon being devoured?

Tether comes out of his mouth.

Hope you spotted the pattern there!

coasterfreak451Jul 1, 201579 votes

I always dreamed what would happen if Kirby became a champion in League of Legends :D

ModAcademy KaynJul 1, 201543 votes

What happens if he swallows Phreak?

Ironclad DragonJul 1, 2015138 votes

{quoted}

What happens if he swallows Phreak?

He'd comment on his repungnant taste.

RiotZenonTheStoicJul 1, 2015405 votes

After doing tongues of damage.

VoyalJul 1, 201573 votes

Aye when he gon' be released?

Moral SupportJul 1, 201567 votes

For his next skin, Arcade Tahm Kench with a pac-man theme?

RiotKindlejackJul 1, 2015101 votes

Wakka wakka wakka. Sounds fun, I'm sure there'll be fan art before too long.

CetriJul 1, 201564 votes

If Tahm Kench, Cho'gath, and Kog'maw entered a hotdog-eating contest, who would win? How old is Tahm Kench, in relation to Runeterra and other ancient champs like Aatrox, Anivia, Bard, etc? Does the kingdom from the River King video have a name?

RiotWAAARGHboboJul 1, 2015172 votes

Chogath's appetite is infinite. But Tahm eats Chogath.

Infinity +1.

SpaceSquirrelJul 1, 201554 votes

What's the best "clown car" scenario?

RiotZenonTheStoicJul 1, 2015116 votes

In playtesting we had a Tahm top lane on a team with a Kalista/Alistar bot lane. Tahm walked into the river, ate Kalista who had ulted Alistar, then two enemies "found" him and descended upon the helpless catfishman... and found themselves outnumbered.

IWillDeliverJul 1, 201550 votes

Question. If Tahm Swallows the enemy and Kalista is bonded with Tham and Kalista ults will the enemy stay in Tham's stomach or nah while in Kalista ult?

MithraxLoLJul 1, 201548 votes

Did you guys just use bards model and make it look like a fish?

RiotSkeeziksJul 1, 201594 votes

Hahaha! I did work as a concept artist on both Tahm and Bard, maybe I just have a thing for huskier champs...

RiotZenonTheStoicJul 1, 2015137 votes

I'm a huskier champ...

RiotRiot TokkelossieJul 1, 2015189 votes

We actually used our new 'Convert-to-Fish' button. Brand new tech, we thought we'd give it a spin.

RiotZenonTheStoicJul 1, 2015377 votes

loads up Teemo

presses 'convert-to-fish' button

OH DEAR GOD IT'S FIZZ

RiotRiot TokkelossieJul 1, 201545 votes

Hey errbody! To introduce myself, I am a 3D character artist for Champ team and was responsible for Tahm's in-game model and texture. In fact, I'll be putting some final spit and polish on the texture while I'm chatting with you all ;)

If you guys have questions specific to his in-game art, please throw them my way.

Edit: Uploaded some screenshots of the sculpt for you guys.

DylightfullJul 1, 201549 votes

Just tell us all of the information you can about his hat. It's the most vital of information, and we need it all now.

RiotRiot TokkelossieJul 1, 201598 votes

Well, it's constructed from only the finest of polygons, 500 of them to be precise, which is quite generous for a hat. Only the best for ol' TK. He does have a very refined palette and certain standards must be maintained.

DWT12345Jul 1, 201544 votes

Hey guys! I'm gonna be that guy who posts all the questions about lore. Sorry, but I need more than "Tahm takes people places and than eats their families later." I'm more interested in his backstory, since that really defines who he is.

So, Tahm has been confirmed as a one-of-a-kind creature, but where does he come from? He obviously doesen't come from the spirit world, since he looks nothing like Bard, and does not have the motives of a Void creature. Is he a mutated creature, like Gromp? Or does he come from someplace new? I always thought that the Spirit World was like the Anti-Void, but maybe wherever Tahm comes from is the anti-Spirit world.
Why does Tahm feel the need to trick people? He could easily walk up to a village and eat everybody, since he obviously isin't threatened by most beings. He said that when he devoured the gambler's wife, it left him satisfied. Does he have some sort of physiological disorder? Supposedly he feeds on "despair", but i'm pretty sure anybody getting eaten by a giant monster will be in despair.
Has Tahm ever had any run-in's with any current champions (or future ones), or is he just not connected to the rest of the lore? I feel like Kalista would try to go after him, since he certainly betrays a lot of people.
Where did Tahm learn to talk?
Tahm says that "the world is one river, and i'm its king. Ain't no place i can't go, aint no place i cant go again." Is this true? I find it hard to believe that Tahm can go anywhere in Shurima. And how does that work anyways? Does he burrow through the ground? Not every lake, river, ocean, pool and oasis is connected, so either he burrows through the ground, or he teleports. Maybe there is a massive underground ocean that only he knows of?

RiotWAAARGHboboJul 1, 201563 votes

If I can answer a question with a question. Who's despair is Tahm eating in the story? How is his bargain causing the maximum amount of sorrow? Yep he could show up in a town and just start eating people, but that wouldn't provide him with meal he wants. Also -- he's a picky eater.
Tahm knows many of the champs-- both as fellows and adversaries. Certainly all of the Yordles have encountered him at various times.
You could say Tahm taught himself, but it was more evolutionary than that. He developed the ability as his prey did.
There is an ocean of darkness in every man's soul.

SpecterVonBarenJul 1, 2015230 votes

{quoted}

There is an ocean of darkness in every man's soul.

THAT should be his champion select quote!

JacobDJul 1, 201543 votes

If you ever bring back one for all, what would happen if all Tahms ate one another?

RiotZenonTheStoicJul 1, 2015284 votes

You familiar with matryoshka dolls?

GwammaNasiJul 1, 201542 votes

What if Tahm Kench consumes an enemy with his w and then ults right after? Will he tp with the enemy or no?

ZylotheWolfbaneJul 1, 201540 votes

We know that Tahm Kench got his coat by stitching two different coats together. But how did he find or obtain his hat? An item from someone he ate and decided he liked? Was it tossed into a river and he picked it up? Did he buy it on eBay? This is the most important question.

RiotStayAwhileNlistnJul 1, 201548 votes

I'd go with ebay. Tahm Kench is probably that guy who sells a picture of a ps4 for $300.

CartinohJul 1, 201532 votes

What if Tahm Kench uses a Quicksilver Sash after eating an enemy? Does he get slowed or no?

RiotZenonTheStoicJul 1, 201518 votes

He does. Cleanse and similar effects remove negative buffs that enemies put on you. The self-slow in the devour is a balancing measure so you cannot carry an enemy super-far away, so it's not affected by cleanse.

SpecterVonBarenJul 1, 201521 votes

However! If you were to buy Boots of Swiftness then it would reduce the effectiveness of the slow. (Speaking from experience with Blitz's self slow on w)

RiotZenonTheStoicJul 1, 201524 votes

Yeah, that's unfortunately how swifties work in our game.

SpecterVonBarenJul 1, 201578 votes

I believe you mean, fortunately. ;)

ArrowWolfJul 1, 201523 votes

A few things:

Looking at Kalilsta, she seems to go after betrayers. Would she consider going after Tahm (pronounced Tom or Tam or something?) seeing as he actively lies and decieves people or would he not be on her radar?
Also on the story, why not eat everyone, including the Gambler? Wouldn't that satisfy him more or does he eat in a figurative way as well, such as the Gambler's suffering?
If he were to encounter a Void champ, would he try to fool them or wise up and run the heck away before _he _ is the one that's eaten?
To the story as well, did he need permission to come to those fancy tables he claimed he wasn't invited to? Does he have to be invited or given permission like a cross roads demon before he can just go and eat something?
He's the 'River King'. Why not in cooperate anything river related to Tahm, in gameplay, or is this just part of him as an overall character?

Daddy Forge GodJul 1, 201530 votes

i think he doesn't eat the gambler because he feeds on misery and if he ate the gambler the misery would be gone.

RiotWAAARGHboboJul 1, 201576 votes

You win a cookie!

OH NO ITS LU BUJul 1, 201519 votes

What references did you use to make sure the southern dialect and script would be true to the source without coming off as insulting or pandering or just generally mocking the people of the south?

Also, thanks for Tahm Kench. <3

RiotKindlejackJul 1, 201539 votes

I was thinking about you when designing the launch skin. Finally a Chef skin!

SW JenkinsJul 1, 201514 votes

How many points will Tham Kench cost ?

DylightfullJul 1, 201550 votes

I know I'm not a rioter, but all new champions are 7800 IP for the first few days, then drop to 6300 IP.

CapDeChiatraJul 1, 201514 votes

Why did you include the "Devour" thing in Tahm's kit and not in Gnar's? It would be awesome if a lil' squirrel could become a huge monster and eat you in an instant..

RiotZenonTheStoicJul 1, 201556 votes

Fun fact: it was originally on Gnar's kit! I stole it from Gypsylord and Meddler! But more seriously: it was a dangling mechanic on a kit built around timing your transformation for a big team fight. We realized that if we wanted to do devour, we'd have to build a kit around it, and that's what we tried to do here.