Locke, Death's Command
Role: AD Bruiser, Jungler
Inspiration: I wanted to create an undead Noxian general who still commands his loyal skeleton soldiers in combat despite having all died in battle ages ago.
General Design Philosophy: Locke is an extended, sustainable fighter similar to Yorick and Warwick. He has powerful healing tools and consistent, sustained damage over long engagements. In addition, Locke possesses an interesting, mobile squad of soldiers which he summons to aid him in battle. These soldiers come in three varieties, each with unique capabilities and uses.
Risk Analysis: Very high. Locke falls into an odd combination of champions, most notably Yorick. With Yorick currently undergoing a rework, it’s quite possible that Locke could end up being even more similar to the Gravedigger. With the release of Azir, Locke also runs the risk of stepping on the talon'd toes of Shurima's Emperor.
Appearance: A formal and well decorated Commander from Demacia, well past his prime as he’s, well, dead. Shredded and tattered cloth, decrepit skin and protruding bones are all par for the course here.
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/ec41bbc8e6403f0791dcd7a00801dea9_zpsulm7eyo9.jpg
Lore: Centuries ago, Locke was a respected Commander of Demacia's finest soldiers. These young warriors were renowned across Valoran for their tactical strength, their comradery, and most famously their undying loyalty to one another. When King Jarvan II sent them on a scouting mission to the Shadow Isles, they had no idea just how undying their loyalty would turn out to be...
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/paladin_mckell_by_smexyheroes-d4ir6wt_zpsxmpklpzj.jpg Locke and his loyal soldiers, entrenched in a bloody battle to defend their King, Jarvan II
As soon as their ship hit the shoreline of the kingdom of death and tortured souls, Locke knew something wasn't right. Quickly he ordered his fastest men to fan out and patrol the area, while his most enduring defenders were tasked with guarding the perimeter of their camp. Finally, he had his most heroic and battle-hardened soldiers stand at his side as they begun to explore the horrors of the Shadow Isles, delving deeper towards the center of the island.
After some time and without warning, a piercing shriek echoed across the thick foliage of the Twisted Treeline, where the battalion had somehow stumbled towards. The faintest of scurrying and shuffling could be heard among the trees, startling and shaking the men's resolves. Locke rallied, however, urging his men to focus and stay together. His words of encouragement would be his last as a Commander of the living, however, as the nest of Vilemaw's brood which they had unknowingly stumbled into would prove to be their silent, remorseless demise.
With a startled gasp, Locke awoke. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious. As he pushed himself off the ground and into a wobbled stance, he somehow felt... different. It didn't take long for him to realize his fate. An inconsolable sense of grief and devastation filled Locke's very soul; what little of it remained, at least. That's when he sensed it, though. His resolve, his will... they were weakened, yes, but still intact. This gave the sterling commander a sense of hope, despite the immeasurable loss of his mortality.
On a whim, he called out to his battalion, hopeful that at least a few of them managed to survive. There was no response. Again he called, louder this time. His decrepit voice echoed across the barren forest of rotting trees. The Shadow Isles had changed, he thought momentarily. How long had he been unconscious? Stirring himself from his own thoughts, he shouted a third time to his brothers in arms, raising his ragged fist into the air as he did. Just then, an even more vile and ravaged arm burst through the dirt at his feet. A tattered and dilapidated corpse pulled itself loose from the soft and spongy earth of the forest.
Locke stared in disbelief, his eyes wide and his mouth agape as the zombified remains of his lieutenant loosened a spear from the ground and dusted itself off. With a resolute salute and a crack of its bony heels, am ominous though respectful hiss escaped the skull's mouth- "Ready to serve, Commander. What are your orders?" It was in this moment that Locke realized his army was now under Death's Command.
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/Army_zpsdxxzbhga.jpg Locke leading his army of undead soldiers into battle
Strengths: Amazing zone denial and territory control, lane sustain, powerful single target slow, consistent auto attack damage
Weaknesses: requires long setup time to be most effective, non existent burst damage, can be easily kited
Plays Most Like...: 
Auto Attack: A melee strike with a rusted but clearly once ornate sword.
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_11305_pas_zpsodcdggjm.jpg R- Summon Soldier (2 sec): This ability is automatically learned at level 1. The player presses R, then Q/W/E to place a soldier on the battlefield at a target location. This causes a soldier to burst from the ground, requiring a slight summoning time before becoming active. Locke can store up to 2/3/4/5 soldiers at a time. Soldiers regenerate every 18/16/14/12 seconds. Deploying soldiers does not affect the cooldown of Locke's basic abilities. Rank-ups increase soldier capacity, lower recharge time and increase the damage and health of all soldiers. Design Philosophy: This is a combination of Teemo and Karma’s Ultimate. It allows Locke to place soldiers at a target location, the variety of which is based on which of his basic abilities he activates at the time of placement. Each undead soldier behaves differently and has unique properties. Some follow Locke like Elise spiderlings, others patrol areas and then dive onto enemies similar to Maokai saplings, and others still create immovable and impassible terrain. Unlike Yorick, who treats his ghouls as disposable minions, Locke and his soldiers share mutual respect for each other, which is represented in the rest of his kit.
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_11124_pas_zpsbzhh0zgj.jpg Passive- Pledge of the Fallen: Soldiers that fall in battle near Locke lower the recharge time for summoning a new soldier by 3 seconds. In addition, Locke becomes invigorated by his soldier's loyalty, causing his next basic attack to deal bonus physical damage. Design Philosophy: Locke needs his soldiers to be effective in battle. If his soldiers are falling, he is losing effectiveness, so this Passive is designed to rubberband him back into a decent place.
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_17527_pas_zpswsvythi5.jpg Q- Blade of the High Command (6 seconds): Locke charges his blade with the spirits of his soldiers, resetting his auto attack timer and causing his next attack to deal bonus physical damage. This ability deals 15% bonus damage for every charge of Summon Soldier Locke currently possesses, up to 45/60/75/90% bonus damage.
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_8782_pas_zpsemxa6jbk.jpg RQ- Foot Soldier: Locke summons a combat troop wielding a sword or spear that follows him in battle, prioritizing his target and functioning similarly to a voidling that deals physical damage. This soldier lasts up to 30 seconds or until killed, has moderate attack damage, low health and moderate speed. Design Philosophy: the bonus damage based on soldier charges is intended to provide Locke with a fighting chance when he gets caught unexpectedly and without any soldiers on the map. Not having his army puts him at a severe disadvantage, so having a more reliable form of damage helps compensate for this.
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_12001_pas_zpslgv4dnfw.jpg W- Undying Loyalty (13 seconds): Passive: Nearby soldiers' attack damage is increased by .5% for every 1% of health Locke is missing. Active: the lowest health soldier near Locke sacrifices itself for his commander. Locke absorbs this energy, healing for 6/7/8/9/10% of his max health. There must be a soldier nearby to activate this ability.
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_4224_pas_zps98jdolue.jpg RW- Shield Soldier: Locke summons an immobile shield soldier that creates impassible terrain and deals minor AoE magic damage in the form of a demonic green burn when enemies are within melee range of it. This decrepit aura deals more damage the longer it remains active. This soldier can be used to block skillshots such as Nidalee’s Spear. This soldier lasts up to 30 seconds or until killed, has low attack damage but massive health. Design Philosophy: Locke has very low burst damage, and as such needs a way to survive his preferred method of long, drawn out engagements. The attack damage boost also helps Locke turn the tides of losing battles, a common thematic tactic for an Undead General to employ.
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_16950_btn_zpstduliygm.jpg E- Beyond the Grave (16 seconds): Locke summons a skeletal hand that bursts through the ground at a target location, rooting the nearest enemy in place for 1.5 seconds and dealing magic damage. If there is no target to root, the hands pull themselves out of the ground and become a spear soldier instead, which follows Locke into combat. Rank-ups lower cooldown and increases damage.
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_8086_pas_zpsbtyfteju.jpg RE- Scout Soldier: Using vector targeting, Locke summons a patrolling soldier that grants vision of the area. This ghoul-like skeleton runs at and attaches itself to the first target it sees, dealing physical damage over time and crippling the enemy's movement speed by 70% for 3 seconds before collapsing. The ability continues granting vision on the target for an additional 4 seconds. This soldier lasts up to 15 seconds, has very low health but incredible speed and attack damage. Design Philosophy: This provides Locke with a much needed way of closing the distance between him and his target. It also provides an additional way to summon soldiers for his undead army. The patrolling soldier functions similarly to Maokai’s Saplings, though it patrols a short distance in order to grant continual vision of the surrounding area.
If you liked this Champion, you can find over 70 more of my unique concepts HERE!
/
