Hovn, Crucible of Cuisine: Jungle Juggernaut Support

#Design Notes I wanted to take a stab at creating a chef themed champion that didn’t feel very silly or very forced. I also wanted to chef up a support jungle with a slightly different flavor from Ivern, if you like playing support, or jungle, but haven’t acquired a taste for like his out of danger playstyle. Ivern is an interesting champion, with interesting hurdles to clear so I tried to find new ways around them, for those who may not like Iverns unique flavor, especially more traditional jg mains. I ended up with a more juggernaut styled support that can survive and fight at close range, and encourages allies to join the fight.

#Lore Hovn is a medicinal master chef who travels around the world through the empire and outside to help those fallen ill, to cure rare diseases and poisonings, to serve last meals before the Wolf, and to show the benefits of joining the Noxian Empire to help encourage perspective territories before the legions are called in. He often travels outside the empire through the world on more personal journeys to find new rare ingredients, the last time he was seen was so long ago that word of his legendary recipes nearly have faded into hushed whispers of wonder. When he was younger and still a growing chef, a child of a close friend of his feel ill. Even in those sad times in the outskirts of the Noxian empire where comfort was not a common commodity, it brought both him and his friend joy to see the child’s face light up with delight at his culinary creations. He realized that he could disguise the otherwise bitter medicine within food, and upon further gastronomic experimentation he realized the line between food and medicine didn’t have to be as stark as he’d previously thought. But his skill wasn’t enough to match the child’s illness and they were claimed by the Kindred. Though filled with grief he resolved to improve his skills enough to become renown throughout the empire. After a short duration spent with the Legions as an army chef, he proved his worth to his superiors as a unique warmason, getting territories to bend the knee without a fight he won them over through food and healing the ill of previously thought incurable ailments of the physical, spiritual, and magical. He worked tirelessly to improve his skill in medicine and food, so that none could resist his craft and none would succumb to illness or poison again. On more than one occasion he has foiled the Black Roses secret attempts to poison highly respected targets within the empire, and has won respect from the Grand General himself. He poured his very spirit into his craft. He personally sought out not only rare ingredients but rare poisons to study ways to counteract them. Recently word of a new poisonous plant in the Kumungu Jungles has popped up. And he relishes the idea of a new challenge to take on, so that many more lives can be saved. For him and many others food IS life.

Theme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esohR65lsVg&list=PLB3CC5B614BD280E1&index=13

#kit

Passive: Spice of Inspiration Gaining a takedown on a non-champions always grants a 1-3 Ingredient Stacks. Periodically, upon gaining 4 stacks of Ingredients/Food, his next instance of damage will create a cloud of spices around the target location reducing enemy resistances for 8 sec, within this area Searing’s CD is reduced, and Ingredients stacks convert into Food stacks once per second.

Notes: allows ingredient/food stack generation outside of using Q, and doesn’t force him to be the one to kill the target, allowing others to take minions or take buffs. Additionally the passive will assist in his clear and allow him to cast Q more often thus allowing him to gather stacks quickly. If used in lane this will help him increase the amount of damage applied to a target on a support budget.

Q - Searing Active: Ignites his combined burner and skillet applying 3 sec DoT to the target of his AAs. Allied units that hit the same target extend the duration of the burn, and halves the duration of enemy debuffs and DoT’s. The next basic attack takes a slice out of his target, dealing x (+% target max HP) damage and heals him. Against minions and monsters he deals bonus true damage and collects a Stack of Ingredients and the cooldown is partially reset.

Notes: sort of combines the heat, ingredient, and prep parts of cooking, a staple ability to gain stacks without having to take a target down, increases the speed of his clears and keeps him healthy in the jungle. Encourages allies to get in and help with a strong visual effect, which can help turn a bad fight around, or help keep them going, especially with the soft cleanse effect.

W - Irresistible Toggle On: Begins consuming stacks of Ingredients and Food reducing incoming damage. Toggle Off: Tosses a meal to the location nearest the mouse for 40 (+ x%AP) sec. If nearby enemies move 500 (- initial units from effect radius) units away they are knocked down and slowed by 80% for 3 sec unless they step on it. Allies gain bonus health regen (+ Stacks +% missing HP +% max HP) upon stepping on it, converting excess healing from all sources into a shield that persists until destroyed. If 10+ stacks were used it also cleanses allies for 1 second.

Notes: creates an interesting gameplay loop where the player decides how long they want to reduce incoming damage and how many more stacks they want to cast an ability, since to gain more benefits to catch an enemy or heal an ally means they lose the damage reduction. Allies who eat the food should feel filled with vitality. And the BEST food should make them feel unstoppable. For enemies the closer they originally were to the meal the harder it will be for them to escape, really exemplifying how salivating his food is, it isn’t a charm/taunt bc it gives the enemy player the option to try to resist but it encourages enemies to get closer to the meal, which is what the player wants, they want to place the meal in a position that forces the enemy course of action and direction, in doing so supports his allies one way or another, especially melee ones. Additionally this means placing meals ahead of time may have a smaller effect especially if used more like bard heals, but can still be semi effective traps. Additionally, it should help him in the jungle if low from clearing and needs some additional health. Interestingly Meals can be placed in brush near camps to protect them from counter jungling. If an enemy goes to steal a camp and doesn’t notice the meal if they try to leave upon being discovered their escape will be greatly hindered.

Got rid of all the bonus effects, trying to go for different effects only muddied his purpose and lead to weaker effects, thus I doubled down on his theme of revitalizing allies with food so that they are overflowing with life. Leading to a stronger concrete more appreciable effect

E - Flambe Active: Consumes 1 Food or Ingredient stack to create a growing Aura around him that leaves a trail over the next 3 seconds granting allies bonus MS, converting 1 Ingredient Stacks into 2 Food stacks per second while active. After 2.5 sec he sprays a curved line of fire centered on the mouse dealing AoE damage. If an enemy was within either area, the next instance of allied damage against them will Brittle them for the duration they were within.

Notes: generating stacks is very important for this kit as it allows W to be cast more often for more heals and more disruption. Additionally while E consumes 1 stack to start it, it converts Ingredient stacks to Food stacks, that doesn’t mean the converted ones are lost, just changed. Thus E doubles the total amount of stacks. This works with the passive; when the player isn’t in a position to be harvesting Ingredients they can still produce stacks for their abilities and to activate their passive with their stored up Ingredients. E also works very well with W, which hinders disengages, helping players to catch up with E active which can then extend the duration of the slow. Additionally it can help allies move with him and reposition with its strong visual appearance. This ability along with W helps him strongly dictate the direction of combat, such as granting allies bonus MS towards existing meals to help them heal faster. Enemies will not want to stay near for long. Also has nice synergy with Gragas.

R - Bon Appetit 1st cast: Channels for a short duration increasing the radius and duration of the recast. Food and Ingredient stacks reduce the max charge time but are not consumed.

2nd Cast: Blasts steam in a large area around him, disrupting channeled abilities and nearsighting enemies for up to 2.5 seconds. Every 10 Ingredient and Food stacks increases the base radius.

Notes: Enemies should be conflicted over wanting to get near and take him down or wanting to avoid him and stay away as much as possible. This confusion should make him the center of attention to either avoid or take down, this ability help cement that idea without the need for damage or hard CC, it boasts an arguably stronger effect, allowing allies to reposition or get closer unnoticed, and allows him to set up W’s for meals to heal up allies or slow down enemies without them realizing or seeing what's slowing them down. This ability should really curry up discord for enemies when cast and seeing him charge it up should elicit strong responses from enemies.

Quotes Some call it fuel, some call it provisions, i call it delicious Sometimes you gotta use your hands Time to tenderize Chop it finely Heat to bring out the flavor Hot pan, oil, in Pepper. On. Weapons. In. You’re not at your strongest when hungry. My knife isn’t only for cooking Oooh this is coming along nicely This is gonna be delicious This will warm you right up! This clear any cold out Cooking is my passion, saving lives brings meaning to my own, fighting? Thats for fun.

Old abilities basic attacks also deal x (+ x% of attack’s damage) DoT

Obscuring Allies, Blinding enemies Ignited units will cause brush to burn for 3 sec, dealing bonus DoT to all units Draw and quarter: Upon activation allies within 1000 units gain a buff, damaging a unit 4 times entanles them for 1 seconds. and increasing their health regen,

Cast Iron Fire Mace Skillet Passive: While active Ingredient Stacks are consumed once per second lingering as Heated Ingredients until an ability is used for 15 seconds.

Notes: Takedowns are applied to the unit who hit the target last, regardless of the DoT.

Butcher’s Blood Soup/Wild Ingredients Deals x% bonus damage and gains x% bonus lifesteal and restores health equal to 20% of ability damage when damaging large minions and monsters. Every 3rd instance of damage against a non-champion unit drops an Ingredient near the target, where it remains for up to 4 seconds. Allied champions consume it by stepping on it, temporarily gaining Butcher’s Blood Soup’s effects, while he stores Stacks (x2 if from different types of units) and enemies destroy it.

of Life: Passive: If 5+ Ingredient Stacks were recently consumed Spice of Life creates a, creates a wall of fire at the end of its radius, reducing enemy resistances while they remain within. Active: Tosses a cloud of seasonings in a cone in the target direction, Nearsighting enemies, providing True Sight on all affected units for 4 seconds. Additionally Doubles current and future Ingredient stacks dropped from affected units.

Highly Portable Hunters Meal Throws a hunters meal to the target location where it persists for 40(+ 5% AP) seconds granting Allies Large bonus MS towards it and a small heal (+Ingredient stacks) if they step on it. Hunter’s Meal gains bonus effects based on how many Ingredient Stacks were consumed. Bite (1-4): Grants ally a 75% slow for 2 sec on their 1st attack. Sandwich (4-7): Grants allies a shield upon damaging an enemy unit Pot Pie (7-10): Charms the nearest unit within 300 units for 1/1.1/1.2 seconds

Passive - Fire Foraging: Damaging a unit recently damaged by an ally deals bonus AoE damage around the target and grant him a burst of bonus AoE damage on his next instance of damage. Active: deals damage in a linear AoE in the direction he’s facing when cast up to four times over 2.5 seconds. Splitting enemy units hit four times into four separate smaller units, reducing their defensive stats by 25%. Enemy units control the unit nearest the mouse upon being split, forcing the other units to be Pacified and follow. After 4 seconds units can collect their remaining unit becoming one champion again, and regaining their defensive stats, otherwise they will regain them after 10 seconds