Wayren, the Owl Sage

My first post on the Boards, but I'll do my best to explain my concept.

#Summary#

• An Introduction to Wayren
• Abilities
• Strengths/Weaknesses
• Lore/Background
• Design Focus
• (CCOS) Good Neighbour Reviews
• Change Log

#An Introduction to Wayren# Wayren is a high mobility fighter/support champion that excels at disrupting the enemy, and sowing chaos on the battlefield. Although he is isn't as powerful or as tanky as other fighters or supports, Wayren is able to create pockets of opportunities for his allies to capitalize on by adopting a 'hit-and-run' playstyle, using a combination of basic attacks and abilities, to bring the foe down.

#Abilities#

_(R) Guerrilla Tactics _ - Wayren switches between melee and ranged combat, known as Blade form and Wire Form respectively. Depending on the form Wayren is in, the effects of certain abilities will change. Note that this ability is available at level 1, and cannot be levelled; instead, all other abilities have 6 levels (similar to Karma). In addition, each of Wayren's abilities utilize a 2-charge ammo system.

• this is a toggle ability, with no cost attached to it
• casting this ability does NOT proc any item/ability effects such as Lich Bane or his passive
• Blade Form: Wayren's basic attacks are melee (125 range)
• Wire Form: Wayren's basic attacks are ranged (450 range, similar to Thresh's)

(Passive) Owl's Eye - After using an ability, Wayren's next basic attack becomes empowered for a few seconds.

• after using an ability, Wayren's next attack during the next 4 seconds grants additional effects based on the form of combat he is in
• Blade Form: Wayren's basic attack causes him to leap towards the target (450 range), slowing them down by 80% for 1 second (decays over time)
• Wire Form: Wayren's basic attack deals knockback to the target (250 units)

**(Q) Nightstrike ** - Wayren throws out a blade in a wide arc, damaging the first two enemies hit and disrupting any channeled abilities.

• cast range is 900,and costs 20/23/26/29/32/35 mana
• deals 40/60/80/100/120/140 (+30% bonus AD) physical damage, and disrupts channels
• cooldown is 14/13/12/11/10/9 seconds (2 charges to this ability, with a 1 second delay between casts)

(W) Wire Hook - Wayren shoots out a wire blade, dealing damage to the first enemy it hits, and reeling Wayren in towards them. Depending on the form (Blade or Wire) Wayren is in, Wire Hook may cause him to land behind or in front of the target hit.

• cast range is 700/740/780/820/860/900, and costs 65/70/75/80/85/90 mana
• deals 35/50/65/80/95/110 (+25% bonus AD) physical damage, and reels Wayren in to the target
• Blade Form: upon reaching the target, Wayren knocks the target slightly towards his original position, and lands behind them at maximum attack range (this takes Wayren's passive into account)
• Wire Form: upon reaching the target, Wayren knocks the target slightly away from him, landing in front of them at maximum attack range
• if this ability hits terrain, he is immediately pulled towards it instead
• cooldown is 22/21/20/19/18/17 seconds (2 charges to this ability, with a 1 second delay between casts)

(E) Diversion - Wayren throws a smoke bomb, damaging enemies and applying nearsight for a brief moment. A smokescreen is left behind for a few seconds, grounding any enemies inside if they are hit by Owl's Eye or Nightstrike

• cast range is 850, and costs 40 mana at all ranks
• bomb deals 40/80/120/150/180/210 (+40% AP) magic damage on detonation, and applies nearsight for 1 second (decays over time)
• a smokecreen (AoE is 250 units) is left behind for 3 seconds, and grounds enemies that are inside it if they are hit by Owl's Eye/Nightstrike
• cooldown is 19/18/17/16/15/14 seconds (2 charges to this ability, with a 1 second delay between casts)

#Strengths/Weaknesses#

With two large dashes, and an in-built passive knockback/gapcloser, Wayren excels at kiting champions continuously, attacking and retreating before the enemy can respond. By weaving in basic attacks alongside his abilities, Wayren is able to consistently disrupt enemy movements, distracting them long enough for his allies to finish them off. Although he lacks the inherent tankiness and lockdown that other supports may have, Wayren's playstyle and kit lets him move around the battlefield easily, and excel in short skirmishes, given his strong mobility.

Nevertheless, Wayren also has significant shortcomings as well as strengths, the first and foremost being that he lacks an ultimate. This prevents Wayren from significantly altering the landscape of a teamfight on a dime, as other champions may be able to do, and requires more concerted efforts from both Wayren and his teammates to turn bad fights around. The second problem Wayren faces is a lack of hard CC in his kit. The knockbacks on his abilities are quite small, and can be overcome with enough movespeed, whereas the slow effect from his passive puts him into melee range of his enemies. Moreover, his abilities are all skillshot-based, allowing other champions to dodge his attacks or hide behind minions if need be.

#Lore/Background#

There are many wonders and mysteries to be found within the Ionian Isles, but few are known to be stranger than that of the Kotan. An ancient clan dedicated to uncovering nature's secrets, the Kotan don costumes shaped like animals in an effort to shed their human selves and attain true wisdom as creatures of the forest. It is here, that Wayren learns the truths of the world, and what must be done to achieve great knowledge. A child among his peers, Wayren stood out among the rest not for his martial skill, but rather for his kindness. Had he lived in any other Ionian society, such a trait would have been revered, but not so for the Kotan. To them, sentimentality was an enigma, a false blanket against the cold, sharp wisdom that nature had to offer, and it was as such that the elders deemed Wayren a failure.

As such, it was to great astonishment that, when the Noxians first invaded Ionia, Wayren was among those who called for an immediate counter-attack, in an effort to drive the invaders out. Even more so, it was the first time he had ever openly questioned the elders, when the latter dismissed the danger Noxus posed, choosing instead to seclude themselves (and by extension, the clan) within the deepest crevasses of the Ionian mountains. It would be the last time many would see him. Before long, blistering acid surged through the ancient tunnels, reducing the once proud clan to a mere shadow of its former self. Forced to remain as second-class citizens under Noxian rule, it was there that rumours began to spread, telling of a strange owl-like figure, hunting throughout the night, destroying Noxian factories, and freeing prisoners from labor camps. A ghost story to be sure, made to soothe those who had lost so much during the invasion. It wasn't until Noxus was forced to withdraw, following their defeat against Ionia, that such rumours solidified into actual fact.

It would be quite some time before Wayren was located. Years of harsh Noxian occupation had turned him into a battle-hardened warrior, as silent, and perhaps, as dangerous, as the ghost many claimed him to be. He could barely distinguish friend from foe, caught in the never-ending cycle of destruction Noxus had wrought throughout his homeland. Even so, his actions during the occupation garnered much admiration from the Ionian people, and their support, along with the Council's, Wayren was able to regain his path once again, this time with a new purpose: to restore the Ionian Isles to their former glory once more.

"To accept nature is to condone cruelty."

#Design Focus#

As some of you might've guessed, much of the champion's current kit/identity is based on Batman. As such, each ability was made to reflect a gadget he would have used: Nightstrike is a batarang, Wire hook is a grapple, and Diversion is a smokescreen. However, I wanted to make the kit synergize together, and to give the character some actual depth rather than simply be a 'Batman in League' type of thing. This is where Wayren's wire blades come in (I have no idea what these weapons are actually called, so someone please correct me if you know). They were inspired by some anime I watched, but I thought it would fit the aesthetic of this champion, since it would give me a good reason to implement a hook ability into his kit. I also thought it'd be cool if could zip from place to place out of tight spots, just like Batman could.

Wayren's hit-and-run playstyle is largely based on how Batman fights his enemies. Instead of taking people head-on, he'd employ all sorts of tricks, skills, and weaponry to get out of tight situations. As a result, I wanted to encourage that kind of play with this champion, hitting people with an ability, crippling them, and then running away before they could attack back (a bit like melting back into the shadows). I also thought it'd give the character itself more of an identity, if he worked to sabotage enemy plays rather than outright destroy opponents. There's enough assassins on League as it is, and I felt that if I went in that design direction, Wayren would end up too much like a carbon copy of Talon. I also didn't want to go the way of Leona, by giving him so much CC, so I just ended up settling for multiple instances of soft CC, which can become increasingly difficult to ignore if a Wayren player applied it skillfully over a period of time. In addition, the alternate forms of abilities (Blade and Wire) were made to emphasize both Wayren's weapons and his playstyle. By constantly switching between forms and utilizing his passive, I hoped to recreate the sort of feel you'd get from playing the Arkham City games.

#(CCOS) Good Neighbour Reviews#

Review of Zarakyel, the Soul Hunter

#Change Log#

• changed nearsight duration of Nightstrike from 1 second to 1.25 seconds
• re-worded a bit of Wire Hook's effects while in Wire Form. For clarity :)
• lengthened cooldown of Guerrilla Tactics from 1 second to 3 seconds
• lengthened the cooldowns of Wire Hook by 2 seconds
• added (CCOS) Good Neighbour Review section, with a review of Zarakyel, the Soul Hunter
• reworked base damages, scaling ratio numbers, and effects for Nightstrike, Wire Hook, and Diversion to account for the 2-charge ammo system
• reduced attack speed reduction of Nightstrike from 70% to 50% (duration is the same)
• removed Blade Form abilities from Nightstrike and Diversion
• a second rework of numbers and effects for Wayren's abilities, as well as cleaning up the post in general