[Champion Concept Revealed]: Latus, the Forsaken Aegis
#Latus, The Forsaken Aegis:
#Lore:
The old scholar struggled as he made his way up to the mountain’s peak, desperately trying to defend a tattered old scroll from the relentless winds which swept around him as if he was their prey. Only a little farther, he murmured to himself. He looked upward to see how much farther he had to travel, and saw the silver moon illuminating the mountain top, almost as if it was guiding him on his journey.
Several weeks prior, the scholar had paid merchants to sail him to the neighboring isle on their way to the ports of Bilgewater, a few miles out of their way. He paid them generously for their troubles, and though it struck the crew odd that the old man would have no ways off the island when they left, they had enough gold in their purses to not ask questions. They must have thought he was crazy, the scholar thought to himself. Perhaps they suspected he had a death wish. But no, the old scholar sought no such fate. He sought liberation, yes, but in a far different form. This was not one of those isles. He merely sought to liberate the being which dwelled beneath the isle, the one very few had knowledge of, and even fewer remain.
*When the scholar reached the summit, he gazed upon a brilliant pool of sapphire liquid, a far deeper blue than any water he had ever seen. The old man knelt down with the old scroll in hand, and opened it toward the sky to be lit up by the moonlight. He had translated these runes several months before, deciphering this location within its contents, as well as tales of an immortal being which held the island on its shoulders in attempt to prevent it from being swallowed by the sea. The being in question is vaguely referenced in a number of ancient texts, but its presence seemed to be unnoticed, or perhaps ignored. The scholar had no doubt this would be the greatest historic discovery since Shurima. He would be known as the man who discovered the Arbiter, forgotten by all, forsaken by time. *
*The old scholar recited the ancient runes inscribed upon the scroll, a long forgotten language to which even he had not derived the true meaning from. As he chanted, the sapphire pool began to glow, and become tempered. The liquid rippled, and a large spherical figure began to rise into the air. It pulsed with every word that parted from the scholar’s lips, almost growing anxious for the final few words to be spoken. *
“ego montis absolvo, lator de insula!”
The scholar was knocked back as the mountain peak ruptured, and the sapphire liquid ignited. The man watched as a colossal figure emerged from the striking blue flames which spread out across the sky. When the inferno died down, a hulking figure hovered in the sky; a large being with four massive arms and two legs stemming from a bulging torso partially concealed in a colossal chestpiece not unlike a shell. Each hand was clasped in stunning gauntlets forged from sky metals, and adorned with gems fashioned out of stars. Around his waist sat a belt and cloth woven from moonlight, edged in the same sky metal as his armor, and complemented with the same star gems. The final thing to manifest was a helm, far larger than the old scholar, with a single glowing eye which radiated similar to the sun. The metal work of the helm was intricate, yet simple, and gave the giant an almost regal or learnt appearance.
*Slowly, the Arbiter descended towards the isle, radiating raw power in the midnight sky, As he landed on the mountain side, the old scholar could see that the helm was disconnected from the rest of the figure, simply floating like some sort of satellite caught in the body’s pull. The Arbiter gazed upon the scholar who had released him, and lowered his head to meet the man’s gaze. He thanked the old scholar, and then the Arbiter’s eye emitted an all consuming light which blinded him, and suddenly it was all gone. The scholar was now in Bilgewater, thousands of miles away from the island where he stood with the giant. He stumbled toward the port, and watched for the final moments as Blue Flame Island sank into the ocean, and the Arbiter disappeared. *
No one would ever believe him, he thought to himself. And he was right.
#Appearance
(Sketch is by yours truly)
#Dialogue:
Upon Selection:
“The time has come for me to step out of the shadows.”
Starting a Game: A pit forms on the spawn platform and Latus climbs out of it. “Oh, how I missed the surface.” “The stars, have they missed me? No, they are strangers now.” “Freedom, at last.” “It seem my penance is served, and the tally met. What now?”
Movement: “I carve my own path.” “A storm follows in my wake.” “The earth trembles beneath me!” “What could lie ahead? Only time will tell...” “I cannot do wrong, for I know not what wrong is.” “I remain resolute.” “I wonder what became of the others...” “I am patient, but only just.” “I held up the land, it is only fair I should roam it.” “The surface has changed so much...” “Much is to be done if we hope to return...” “I walked the earth when it was yet new, but is different now.” “I have known the heavens, and I have held the earth. Nothing shall stop me.” “I answer the call.” “I have waited a millenia for this.”
Attacking: “Face me!” “I am no stranger to battle.” “You swarm like moths, but shall be snuffed out all the same.” “This must end.” “Our battle has but one outcome: Your defeat.” “A mortal life is such a fragile thing.” “Justice is but a word.” “To find balance, one must be willing to tip the scales.” “A warriors worth is marked by their battles.” “My resolve is unmatched.” “Your fate awaits.” “My strength knows no equal.”
Jokes: Latus stands triumphantly, only to hurt his back. “My power is unmatched! No being can out li-OW! My back...” “If I have learned anything about endurance, it is that you can alw-OW! My back...” ““I do a single set with over 9000 tons for about a milenia. Talk about endur-OW! My back...”
Taunt: Latus moves his arms as if they were scales, eventually tipping them all and forming four thumbs down. “Are the odds in your favor? Fate says...NO!” “When it comes to balance, it would seem you have...NONE.” “I have weighed your failures against your accomplishments...and you have proven yourself... a disappointment.”
Melee Tank, Secondary: Bruiser
#Stats
Health: 583.6 (+90 per level) Mana: 286.8 (+40 per level) Attack Damage: 58.75 (+3.4 per level) Attack Speed: 0.665 (+2.27% per level) Movement Speed: 340 Health Regen: 9.5 (+0.85 per level) Mana Regen: 6 (+0.8 per level) Armor: 27.1 (+3.55 per level) Magic Resist: 32.1 (+1.25 per level) Range: 175
#Abilities
Passive: Sacred Bulwark When Latus lands one of his abilities on an enemy, he generates a shield equal to 7% of his maximum health, stacking up to 5 times (35% of Latus's maximum health). This shield begins to deteriorate by 5% of his max health per second while out of combat.
Q: Arbiter's Resolve Latus’s fires a burst of energy (skill shot) from his hand, dealing X physical damage (+0.55 AD) (+Percentage of mana), Landing Arbiter's Resolve refunds half the mana cost, and gives Latus a movement speed bonus for 2.5 seconds when traveling towards the enemy unit hit by Arbiter's Resolve. Cost: 45/70/95/120/145 mana Cooldown: 8/7/6/5/4 seconds Range: 825
W: Valiant Assault Latus rolls in a target direction and leaps, slamming down on a location, dealing physical damage and knocking them up. If Latus hits an enemy champion before reaching the maximum distance of his roll, he will stop, and slam down on the enemy. While rolling, Latus takes 20% reduced damage from all sources that do not disrupt Valiant Assault. Cost: 75/90/105/120/135 mana Cooldown: 18/16/14/12/10 seconds Range: 775
E: Colossal Strike Latus spins around and swings his arms, dealing physical damage and knocking nearby enemies back 250 units. Enemies knocked into terrain are stunned for 1.5 seconds. Cost: 55/70/85/100/115 mana Cooldown: 12/11/10/9/8 seconds Range: 270
** R: Vital Essence** Latus channels for 0.5 seconds, and then transforms into pure energy, gaining 75% bonus movement speed and crowd control immunity for 7 seconds. When he turns back into his physical form, he gains 20/40/60% of his maximum health, and applies an armor reduction and slow to all enemies in a 650 radius of his emergence location by 30% for 3 seconds. If the amount of health he gains is more than he can hold, the difference becomes part of his Bulwark. However, casting one of Latus's other abilities reactivate Vital Essence early. Cost: 120/180/240 mana Cooldown: 180/135/90 seconds Range: Self/650
#Overview:
Latus is a mobile tank who relies more so on positioning and CC than flat out damage. His ability to enter a fight quickly, and scatter/separate his opponents proves ideal when backed up by his team. His is an ideal solo laner, most notably the top lane (as is meta). Here's a bit of a rundown of what you can do with his abilities:
Arbiter's Resolve is ideal for building up Latus's passive, Sacred Bulwark, and has a fairly moderate cooldown which is significantly lower at max rank (50% of the cooldown at rank 1) . Taking an early point in this allows Latus to have more options for last hitting minions, as well as harass his lane opponent. When partnered up with damage, the armor reduction that Arbiter's Resolve provides can make quick work of other tanks, or other enemies.
Valiant Assault is a powerful gap closer, or in some cases, a farming tool to thin out a large minion wave. Latus can be stopped by enemy champions, as well as turrets/structures, which can be good or bad depending on the situation. If Latus means to lock down onto an enemy, he is able to make quick work of a chase, and take out his target effectively. However, if Latus attempts to use Valiant Assault to clear a wave, or get away, it may be interrupted by an enemy to hinder his effort.
Colossal Strike is the most reliable of Latus's CC. By positioning himself in an effective location, such as the middle of the enemy team, Latus can make short work of disorganizing the enemy formation, and possibly stun them in the process. If Latus is attempting to escape from an enemy, he could use Colossal Strike to get his opponent off of him, granting him a larger window to escape from.
Vital Essence is extremely strange in terms of being for a tank champion. It is somewhat Reminiscent of mages like Lulu/Kennen, but works in a much different since. For one, Vital Essence is self cast, meaning no one else can directly benefit it besides Latus. However, what Latus chooses to do with it is up to him. The Crowd Control immunity allows Latus to not have to worry about being locked down, knocked up, stunned, feared, blinded, etc. for the duration, but does not guarantee that he will stay alive. He still takes full damage while Vital Essence is active. However, their are some perks. Vital Essence can be used as a strong re-positioning tool to either engage, escape, or reengage, and if he takes damage, he is able to heal himself when he reactivates the ability. Only the AoE slow will proc Sacred Bulwark, however.
Latus works well with champions like:
, The Darkin Blade
, The Void Burrower
, The Pridestalker
, The Harbinger of Doom
Latus struggles against champions like:
, The Hand of Noxus
, The Troll King
, The Grand Duelist
, The Grandmaster of Arms
Thanks for tuning into my Champion Concept Reveal! If you have any questions, feel free to leave them down below. If you enjoyed this concept, please give it an upvote and your good graces in the comments. If you have any form of feedback, leave it in the comments below and I'll get to it as soon as I can :)
Latus was vaguely teased twice before his reveal both here and here.
Patch Notes:
3/20/15
Passive: Given a cap (35% of Max Health), and now deteriorates at 5% per second out of combat instead of 4%. Clarified usage.
Q: Made into a skill shot, and balanced out range and mana costs accordingly. Armor reduction relocated, but effects were added to make up for it.
W: Decreased range to 775 from 950. 20% damage reduction when rolling added.
E: Decreased stun duration to 1.5 seconds from 2.5 seconds.
R: Clarified constraints of usage, and added the armor shred previously found on Q.
