Champion Q&A: Tahm Kench, the River King

RiotA Small Man·7/1/2015, 5:39:37 PM·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 Support7/1/2015, 6:12:58 PM627 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?

The Reanimated7/1/2015, 5:47:20 PM88 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?!

IsIsGankedParis7/1/2015, 5:46:00 PM74 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?

Voyal7/1/2015, 6:03:15 PM73 votes

Aye when he gon' be released?

Moral Support7/1/2015, 6:39:05 PM67 votes

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

Cetri7/1/2015, 5:55:28 PM64 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?

SpaceSquirrel7/1/2015, 5:42:13 PM54 votes

What's the best "clown car" scenario?

IWillDeliver7/1/2015, 5:43:55 PM50 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?

MithraxLoL7/1/2015, 5:58:53 PM48 votes

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

RiotRiot Tokkelossie7/1/2015, 6:33:39 PM45 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.

DWT123457/1/2015, 5:59:03 PM44 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?

JacobD7/1/2015, 6:02:21 PM43 votes

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

GwammaNasi7/1/2015, 6:00:24 PM42 votes

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

ZylotheWolfbane7/1/2015, 6:20:52 PM40 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.

Cartinoh7/1/2015, 5:44:03 PM32 votes

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

ArrowWolf7/1/2015, 5:55:33 PM23 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?

OH NO ITS LU BU7/1/2015, 5:58:53 PM19 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

SW Jenkins7/1/2015, 6:10:45 PM14 votes

How many points will Tham Kench cost ?

CapDeChiatra7/1/2015, 7:15:57 PM14 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..