Khaza, Prophet of Thunder [Champion Concept]
Hey there! I'm Tuujaimaa, and I work closely with my friend Innue designing champion concepts for League in my spare time. We're aiming to get at least one champion concept created per month (both to use up our metaphorical creative juices and out of love for the game). Our previous concept was Shadan, Scion of the Wild, which we'd appreciate any feedback on if you'd like to help us out! :)
With the introduction out of the way, we present Khaza, the Prophet of Thunder!
We imagine Khaza to be an androgynous fighter who has merged with a powerful spirit of lightning, resulting in an almost ethereal presence. The spiritual connection that Khaza has is the foundation of their identity as a mage, and their weapon from their mortal form is an immense ballista that they still wield, albeit in lightning form. Khaza's actual appearance isn't something we've overly concerned ourselves with, but if the idea gains any popularity we'll be happy to discuss it and either write something up, find an appropriate faceclaim, or perhaps even commission a drawing of!
We imagine Khaza to excel in the mid or top lanes, with their zone control and powerful utility allowing them to safely farm until skirmishes arise in the dragon area, where they begin to excel.
Khaza, the Prophet of Thunder
HEALTH: 518 – 1971 ATTACK DAMAGE: 64 – 110 HEALTH REGEN.: 5.4 – 14.8 ATTACK SPEED [*]: 0.625 (+0% – 23.1%) MANA: 384 – 1284 ARMOR: 18.7 – 86.7 MANA REGEN.: 6.0 – 19.6 MAGIC RES.: 30.0 RANGED: 550 MOV. SPEED: 340
Passive - Telluric Attunement
Khaza can move through terrain while in the confines of any of their Area of Effect abilities.
Note: While thinking about suitable passives for Khaza, we wanted to give them either a crux for their abilities to rely on, or something that their abilities provided a gateway to use. In order to keep with their theme, we couldn't change any of their abilities to provide any form of mobility, and as they are relatively immobile we sought to give them a tool to allow them to escape and make interesting plays at the cost of using their only reliable way to proc their passive, Overcharge, or allowing them to make cool plays when they have champions nearby to proc Arcbond with.
Q: Arcbond – 50/60/70/80/90 Mana – 10/9/8/7/6 second cooldown
Khaza fires a bolt of lightning in a line, dealing [30/85/130/175/220 (+40% AP)] damage to all enemies hit. Upon hitting an enemy champion, the bolt explodes outwards, creating a stationary circle around that champion that deals [30/85/130/175/220 (+75% AP)] damage to all enemies that enter or leave the circle for [4/4.5/5/5.5/6] seconds.
Note: The Circle created by Arcbond doesn't damage the champion it hits on its way out, and is similar in size to the radius of Veigar's E. The initial projectile is roughly Ahri's Q in width, and will travel up to Jinx's W in range. Arcbond is designed to be the crux of Khaza's kit. It is the first skill we envision a Khaza player maxing, and allows Khaza to be relevant in the laning phase and in teamfights, given the area control that it provides. When mixed with Stormbolt and Stormfury, Arcbond provides immense utility to a teamfight. We aren't quite sure on the tuning of the ability (i.e., its mana gating and cooldown), but we are confident that it is a strong ability.
W: Stormbolt – 80/100/120/140/160 Mana – 18/16/14/12/10 second cooldown
First Cast: Khaza channels for up to two seconds, causing Stormbolt to increase in potency. Khaza can cast Stormbolt again within three seconds.
Second Cast: Khaza selects a location on the ground, causing Stormbolt to fall after a delay equal to 2.5 seconds minus the amount of time channelled. Enemies hit by Stormbolt take [60/100/140/180/220 (+40% AP)] damage and are slowed by [60/65/70/75/80]% for two seconds plus the amount of time spent channelling Stormbolt. Enemies that are slowed by Stormbolt cannot leave Khaza's Area of Effect abilities.
Note: Stormbolt has a 1200 unit cast range, and its radius is probably around the size of Lux's E. Stormbolt is Khaza's soft crowd control ability that has a relatively long range and an extremely potent movement-controlling aspect. For the intrinsic power of the ability, we thought that it should be high-risk high-reward with its long channel time and delay to achieve maximum effect.
E: Overcharge – 100/100/100/100/100 Mana – 20/18/16/14/12 second cooldown
Khaza overcharges an area with electricity after a one second delay, dealing [50/100/150/200/250 (+20% AP)] damage to all enemies within it. Overcharge persists for [2/3/4/5/6] seconds. Ally Area of Effect abilities whose area is at least partly in the area of Overcharge cannot naturally expire.
Note: Overcharge can only be placed horizontally and is shaped like a lightning bolt. Its length is around 600 units from tip to tip, and its entire width is about 500 units. Overcharge is the unique mechanic that Khaza brings to the League, and is what we envision them being able to bring to certain team comps to make them truly shine. Its interaction with Khaza's kit is (we hope) fairly obvious, and is the only reliable way of allowing Khaza to use their passive. The ability is strong, and we are unsure of its gating, so suggestions are certainly welcome.
R: Stormfury – 200/300/400 Mana – 150/120/100 second cooldown
Khaza channels for one second, then fires an arrow into the sky. After a delay of one second, an immense thunderbolt is called down at their cursor at any location within [3000/4000/5500] units. Upon landing, the thunderbolt deals [80/120/160 (+20% AP)] damage per enemy unit hit, and stuns each enemy unit hit for 0.25 seconds per enemy unit hit, with a minimum of one second and a maximum of three seconds.
If Stormfury hits a solitary target, it deals [300/400/500 (+60% AP)] damage instead.
Note: Stormfury's radius is the same as Arcbond's. The total time from Khaza beginning their channel to the bolt hitting will be around two seconds. Khaza's ultimate allows them to be useful before entering a teamfight, solidifying their identity as a teamfighter, and reducing their effectiveness for a solo lane due to a lack of a reliable ultimate. We feel that Stormfury is an excellent ultimate for Khaza as it rewards the player for using the rest of Khaza's kit correctly if they abstain from using it before entering a fight.
Lore
Khaza is a vicious and disciplined warrior and strict adherent to the Tenets of Tau, a spirit of thunder that preserves Khaza's homeland, the Thunder Vale. Khaza's life was focused on their military prowess and their religious doctrine until they came across corruption in the highest ranks of their religion.
Though it took many years to involve themselves in the uppermost echelons of Tau's elder council, Khaza was eventually assigned as bodyguard to the High Priest, the leader of the religion and the most corrupt of the council's members. Over time, Khaza grew to understand his methods and his combat prowess, preparing themselves for the inevitable fight which Khaza felt them destined to have, and was poised to strike at the centennial ritual of Tau's Providence.
Ballista in hand, Khaza prepared themselves for the showdown, but before they could strike they were bound in coils of lightning and prepared to be offered as a vessel of Tau to prevent their interference. Though their body was bound, Khaza's indomitable fighting spirit persisted, and they beseeched Tau for assistance in purging the ranks of the council with corruption.
Tau could not directly intervene until summoned, and so answered Khaza's prayer in the only way it could – by entering their body and lending them its power. The process of slaying the council left Khaza drained and on the edge of death, but they willingly accepted their upcoming demise as part of their duty to Tau.
The spirit thought otherwise.
Tau merged itself with Khaza, saving their life, but permanently binding the spirit to the mortal realm until Khaza died. With the leadership that guided their tribe gone, Khaza took on the mantle of spiritual leader, spreading the Tenets of Tau to as many as they could find. When Khaza found the Institute of War, they offered their services to the League for a chance to bring Tau's power to more of the world, under the condition that their village was kept safe. An accord was struck, and now Khaza brings the power of the spirit to the League.
