Champion Concept: Nihan, The Severer of Bonds

Nihan is designed as a ranged ADC champion, focused on fighting multiple targets. His strength shines best when up against duo lanes, exploiting his passive to deal significant amounts of damage. I hope you enjoy.

Once again, for those who have read my champion designs, I won’t crunch the numbers, because I don’t feel qualified to balance. If Riot does want the design, they can tune and balance it later. ** Lore:** Long ago, in an empire long forgotten, Nihan’s name was uttered in fear. Parents told his stories to disobedient children. “You better be good,” they said, “or Nihan will come for you in your sleep.” And yet the myth was no greater than the man himself.

Once his target was set, no man, woman, nor child could escape the reach of his blade. When Nihan accepts a contract, nothing could stop the assassin from slaying his mark. Yet he was never physically there in person. The targets were always mysteriously betrayed by someone close to them, their bodyguards, their friends, or their spouses. Regardless of whoever it was, however, each of these killers always yelled the same words before committing suicide. “Another one falls to Nihan’s blade!”

Nihan’s mystical power was one granted to him at birth. Born with the ability to visualize bonds of friendship, loyalty, and love, Nihan used his gift to cause his victims’ most trusted to become the instrument of their downfall. By cutting the bond between people, Nihan can sever the very relationship itself, turning friends into foes and patriots into traitors.

The assassin’s notoriety attracted powerful patrons, nobles of a conquered empire, who wanted Nihan to take down the kingdom that had annihilated their own. These enemies of the king managed to track down Nihan and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. In exchange for the kingdom’s destruction, they offered him the Mark of Immortality, a forbidden artifact, locked deep in the vaults of one of these conquered nations.

Nihan snuck into the king’s court and threw a single blade that changed the fate of an empire. Intentionally allowing the thrown dagger to be blocked by the king’s general, Kalista, the assassin set forth the chain of events that would collapse a kingdom. The blade severed the bond between king and attendants, just before its venomous edge sliced the queen’s arm. The deed done, Nihan returned to his patrons to claim his prize, which they were more than happy to hand over.

Their eagerness to be rid of an artifact that granted immortality should have been clue enough, but Nihan’s ambitions and desire to live forever led to his own downfall. The Mark did grant immortality, but in the form of a shade. Nihan lost his material body and became no different from the subjects of the empire he doomed to destruction. Cursed to wander the world, his spirit corrupts all it has come in contact with, fostering betrayal in his wake.

“Of all the knaves that walk this land, there is none more dangerous than Nihan.” – Kalista

**Passive: Bondsight ** Bonds are drawn between enemies close to Nihan and standing close to each other. After the bond lasts for seconds, an orb will appear at the center of the bond. This orb is auto-attack targetable by Nihan and will deal a scaling % max health physical damage based on the joint health of the two targets (This means squishies will take more than their % share while tanks would take less). Once attacked the orb will not appear again for a few seconds. If the bond is broken while an orb is still on it, the orb’s damage applies, but the orb will not reform until a few seconds after the bond reforms.

Q: Treacherous Blade

A skillshot attack. If the skillshot cuts a bond, it deals a (Scaling AD damage) to both targets. If there is an orb on the bond, the damage from the skillshot is doubled (orb % scaling applies normally). If it hits a champion, it does 70% of the normal damage.

Cooldown decreases, damage increases with additional levels. ** W: Traitor’s Hand ** Skillshot attack aimable at champions or orbs. If Traitor’s Hand hits a champion, the champion is slowed dealing a small amount of physical damage. If Traitor’s Hand hits an orb, it creates a tether, dealing a small amount of physical damage and slowing both champions connected by the bond. Until the tether is broken, the bond is broken, or until the end of the duration seconds, the two champions connected by the tether become friendly fire targetable to each other and take increased damage from Nihan for each ally in near vicinity.

Cooldown decreases, slow increases, and time of tether increases with additional levels.

E: Killer’s Pursuit

Short range dash that empowers the auto-attack (about Lucian dash length). The cooldown is drastically reduced if a bond is cut while the skill is on cooldown.

Cooldown decreases, damage increases with additional levels.

R: Final Betrayal

A thin global skillshot. As the blade approaches targets, bonds will appear between each enemy champion and the closest nearby enemy champion within a certain range. The skillshot does increased damage for distance traveled. If it cuts a bond, the skillshot does physical damage plus % missing health damage using the percentage of enemy with the least % health in the chain to all members of the chain.

If the skillshot hits a champion directly, it does 70% of the damage, without the % health damage.

Cooldown decreases, damage increases with additional levels.

PLEASE POST YOUR COMMENTS! I love to hear your feedback on the champions I design. I've been trying to put a lot of work into creating ideas that I hope Riot will one day use, and I'd love to hear what you have to say about it.