[Champion Concept] Elias, the Renegade Gunslinger

#Background of the Concept

Yo, Boards viewers!

I'm in the middle of working on another, larger champion concept, but I put it aside (writer's block and all) for a bit and focused my imagination on something a bit different. With every champion I come up with, I make it a goal to at least attempt to fill a gap or niche that hasn't been filled in League yet, whether it be a lore gap, a mechanics gap, an aesthetic gap, you name it.

So what was my dastardly concept this time? Simple:

A champion that uses reloading and limited "bullets" as a mechanic.

#Elias, the Renegade Gunslinger

http://pre09.deviantart.net/6139/th/pre/i/2011/287/c/6/steampunk_gunslinger_by_loztvampir3-d4cucrv.png

(As ever, not my art--the artist's page is here--and not entirely what I imagined him to look like. He doesn't have a second pistol, and in my head, he looks a bit more grizzly--you know, rockin' the untamed scruffy beard and whatnot. Think steampunk cowboy.)

For those wondering, the intended pronunciation of his name is eh-LIE-us.

##Lore Summary

"The City of Progress lives up to its name; it doesn't slow down for anyone... well, except for Elias.

My police and and its enforcers have long been well-acquainted with the Renegade... and we've long since decided he wasn't worth the trouble to bring in. It's not for lack of trying, or for his lack of wayward destruction--oh, there's been more than enough of both. To put it simply, during multiple confrontations with members of our force, Elias described himself as a "free spirit." Well, "freedom" to him means "doing whatever he pleases." If that happens to mean blowing a bar and its patrons to hell and back over a lost bet... well, that's what he'll do. Rumors have it he used to live among uncivilized country folk and chased some poor bum who owed him money into the city and never went back... much to actual civilization's misfortune. And now, here we are.

So why, you ask, don't we bring him in? He's surely got his fair share of crimes to answer for. Well, truth be told, I don't think we could. For all of his disdain of government and authority, he knows how we operate far too well and has escape routes down to a science. We've only caught him red-handed a few times, and every time he sent more bullets flying toward my men on the field than seemed could possibly come from his six-shooter. There's no such thing as catching Elias by surprise; I'd wager there's no one in Valoran faster on the draw than he is. Any mission to bring him in would either end in his escape or see the blood of innocents and my police force spilled.

As is, his rampages and violence are largely kept to the underground, amidst the shady dealings we ourselves want to shut down, which means that, at least for now, Elias is unintentionally helping us. With that in mind, we're willing to turn the other cheek, because doing anything else would escalate the situation more than we're prepared for.

If he ever moves up in the world and starts threatening Piltover itself, we might have a real problem."

------------ , the Sheriff of Piltover

#Kit and Abilities

##As ever, I avoid numbers in my concepts because they can always be changed and don't define the kit. The ability icons are from Guild Wars 2; their icons are fantastic!

http://i.imgur.com/r8fysXh.png Passive | Full o' Lead Elias's resource is Bullets. He can have a maximum of six Bullets at a time; one Bullet is used for each auto attack and in his various abilities. When Elias runs out of Bullets, he must reload. While reloading, he gains a burst of movement speed but cannot auto attack and can only use Any Means Necessary (E).

When Elias has only one Bullet, he gains One in the Chamber, giving his abilities additional effects.

• The reload/resource mechanic. He's essentially got six shots between auto attacks and certain ability usage, but then he's got to reload, which locks him out of everything save for his E. I avoid concrete numbers in my concepts because they're always malleable, but in my mind's eye, I see his reload lasting anywhere from ~2 to 3 seconds.

• His One in the Chamber mechanism is to promote playing a bit fast-and-loose with his reloads. He and his enemies have to stay on their toes, because while he is vulnerable to being forced to auto attack or use an ability to reload at one Bullet, he also gains a significant boost with regards to how his abilities work.

• RED ALERT: A marksman without mana?! Riot's historically had a major problem with Marksmen (read: ADCs) that aren't gated by an exhaustible resource. Energy, for example, regenerates too fast for it to be meaningfully low for extended periods of time, unlike, say, with Mana, which is distinctly low for long periods of time save for the odd skills, items, and buffs that help regenerate it at a faster rate. Mana champions are inherently easy to balance, and a champion that uses an inexhaustible resource runs the risk of being very oppressive in the resource-driven lane that is the bottom lane. Here's where Elias is different, though:

  • His resource is distinctly exhaustible. Save for clear power spikes while he has Fan the Hammer (W) up (which are noticeable and can be played around), he has very clear hills and valleys just based on how he works. Extended fights aren't his forte, especially with Fan the Hammer down. Also consider that, unlike Energy champions, he's forced to use his resource. Just auto attacking for minions uses Bullets, so whether he likes it or not, there will be times when he's forced into an awkward reload or beating a hasty retreat because he can't help running out of Bullets.

• He differs from other Marksmen in having a very clear period of time in which his damage isn't sustained (unlike almost every Marksman). And unlike, say, being out of Mana or Energy, he can't even auto attack while he's reloading. He's pretty much dead in the water. And given his six-bullet cycle is short and therefore common enough to be abusable, I think it strikes a nice medium with being a resource that is meaningfully exhaustible if his enemies can abuse it properly.

• Now, granted, he has tools to get away while he's reloading (if he didn't, he'd be too vulnerable so as to be rendered entirely useless). Reloading grants him movement speed to get in and out based on what his strategy is, and as we'll see when we get to his E, he's not totally helpless if he's stuck reloading in the middle of a fight. That said, if his opponents can abuse his downtimes and cooldowns properly, his reload mechanism definitely gives him some clear resource-based counterplay despite it not following quite the same pattern as the Mana-based trades we're familiar with in the bottom lane.

• Small side note: henceforth, I may randomly refer to One in the Chamber as OitC just because it's a pain to type out every time.

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http://i.imgur.com/J9RaICC.png Q | Haymaker Elias fires a quick shot in a line, consuming a Bullet, dealing physical damage to the first target hit, and shredding a percentage of their armor.

One in the Chamber: Haymaker now passes through enemies and slows all enemies hit.

• Pretty simple line skillshot Q. It passively shreds armor because, I figured, he should be rewarded for hitting a shot and then have a period where his autos, limited though they are, enjoy a bit of a leg-up in damage.

• The One in the Chamber bonus is simple as well. If he uses his last Bullet for a Q, it suddenly penetrates (instead of dealing damage to only the first target) and slows as well, whether that be to set up an escape or a chase (since it would proc a reload, he also gets to enjoy a reload's movement speed boost). This also becomes important for his ult, as we'll see later.

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http://i.imgur.com/bcVCGAM.png W | Fan the Hammer Elias gains additional Attack Speed for a short while. If Elias runs out of Bullets during this time, he immediately reloads to six Bullets with no delay.

One in the Chamber: Auto attacks during this time also reduce the cooldown of Haymaker by a small amount.

• As the trend seems to be lately with champions' W abilities, this one is a big one. It's a massive spike in power and consistency for a time, because it means he not only gains Attack Speed (for overall DPS) but also won't have to worry about reloading. Note that without reloading he doesn't get the movement speed, which means this is far more of a dueling/all-in based skill than anything.

• Its One in the Chamber bonus facilitates this philosophy as well. With all the bullets he'll be firing off, it only makes sense that strategic use of the skill would also benefit him in other ways. If he's patient with his W usage, he also benefits from firing off more Qs for armor shreds and damage, as well as possible slows if used with One in the Chamber.

• While Fan the Hammer is undoubtedly a very powerful skill because it essentially circumvents his main weakness, it only does so for a time. I would theorize Fan the Hammer to have quite a long cooldown (20+ seconds) just because it's central to his kit and playstyle, but also needs to have a clear cooldown period where you can go "alright, Elias's W is down, it's time to go hard." It's not too different from abusing Yasuo right after he uses a tornado, Azir in lane after he Qs, etc.

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http://i.imgur.com/7VS75Fe.png E | Any Means Necessary Elias sweeps his leg around him, dealing physical damage and stunning nearby enemies. If he hits an enemy champion, Elias can reactivate Any Means Necessary to dash a small distance toward the cursor.

One in the Chamber: After dashing, Elias immediately reloads to six Bullets.

• Recurring theme: his abilities are simple on the whole, and the complexity all comes in how, and when, you use them. This one? A simple AoE stun around himself for when he gets dived. It can be used while he's reloading as a protective measure, or if you're going mano a mano (relevant when we get to the ult), it can be used offensively as well.

• His One in the Chamber bonus is interesting, in the sense that you might argue it gives him too many ways to reload which nullifies his whole "hill/valley/force reload so he's weak" counterplay. Well, keep in mind that in order to access the instant reload, he needs to be close. Like, melee range close. He needs to hit the stun to access the dash, which means he was either dived (in which case his E is meant to excel) or he went pretty damn hard for a marksman to find himself in melee range. It also opens up an array of cool combos that I think compliment his intended cowboy duelist style and kit as a whole. We'll go over some of those in a bit.

• Relevant: In theory, you only get your One in the Chamber reload if you originally used Any Means Necessary with one Bullet, not when you dash. While I would love to make the reload tied to the dash instead of the initial activation (that is to say, you can cast your E at more than 1 Bullet, and so long as you activate the dash at 1 Bullet, you get the reload), it would take away a decent amount of the finesse of using the skill properly, as well as negate some cool things you can do with it.

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http://i.imgur.com/MXEQOGe.png R | Ten Paces Elias targets an enemy champion with a health percentage similar to or greater than his own, creating a Standoff field in between him and his target.

As long as they remain in the zone, both Elias and the targeted champion can only be damaged by one another, can only be affected by each other's crowd control, and cannot be healed except by their own effects. While in the zone, Elias’s auto attacks deal bonus damage to his target based on their current health. If Elias kills his target or his target kills him, the victor gains a large burst of Movement Speed, temporary bonus Attack Damage, and regenerates a percentage of the health they lost during the Standoff. If either Elias or his target leaves the zone, it disappears and gives the one left the bonuses from winning. If the zone times out before either Elias or his target leave or kill one another, no bonuses are awarded to either side.

One in the Chamber: The cooldown of Fan the Hammer is immediately refreshed.

• There's a lot to say about this one. Intended as a psuedo-replication of the old wild west pistol duels, this is a big ability. Elias essentially creates a Poppy ult zone where he and his target can only target and CC one another. That's right, no meddling from anyone else; it's you and them. This is significantly more balanced than a Poppy ult, though, because it's tied to a specific area (that Elias can't leave unless he wants to lose the bonuses), and it's a blanket application to both him and his target (i.e. his friends can't use it as a tool to engage on whoever he targets). Similarly, the benefits to winning are indiscriminate; Elias can easily lose his team a fight by losing a Standoff against the other ADC. There's also quite a bit of strategy to it: if you use this on a Vayne, she can Condemn you out for an easy win. Better play it careful.

• In the same vein, do realize that there is such a thing as "strategically losing" the Standoff. If Elias runs into the enemy team to use his ultimate on the other ADC in the backline so he can isolate them from the fight, the ADC can quite easily walk out on purpose; sure, Elias gets the bonuses, but he's stranded in the middle of his opponents, ripe for CC. It, of course, works both ways: an enemy that attempts to dive him might find themselves at a very quick disadvantage when he turns Ten Paces on and unloads.

• All that said, it's clearly meant to give Elias the advantage. His auto attacks deal more damage which gives him a clear leg-up, and dealing current health damage is what makes his ult strong even if he uses it on someone with more health than him. Also, remember when I said his Q's One in the Chamber bonus was relevant? Well, assuming this Standoff is happening in the middle of a teamfight, there will no doubt be people in the way of skillshots that he or his opponent could fire (they won't be damaged, but they can still get in the way). Well, assuming he's got Fan the Hammer (OitC bonus relevant), Elias is at no shortage of OitC-empowered Qs that pass through everything.

• *Note: the reason I added the restriction of only being able to cast it on enemies as strong as him (or stronger) is because, if he could cast it on anyone, all you would ever see the ult used for is to target low health champions, burst them down, and get the bonuses for winning nearly instantly. That's not fun for the target (since Elias's ult makes it impossible for his target's team to help), and it really messed up the "duel" flavor I was going for with this skill. *

• For those wondering what "similar" health percentage means, I would give it a ~5-10% gap compared to his own health (i.e. his target can have about 10% less health and still be a valid target) just for the sake of clarity, because if he was at 85% and couldn't cast it on an enemy that was at 84%, it would be absurdly difficult and tedious to use properly. Hell, ultimate ranks could even scale to widen the threshold.

• I imagine the zone's center would be the point at the middle of the distance between Elias and his target. It's the same size no matter what, but the circle is drawn around wherever the center is between him and his target. If cast at max range, the zone would be big enough that Elias and his target would be near the edges. If cast at point-blank, there'd obviously be quite a bit of room.

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##Playstyle

With this kit in mind, how is Elias intended to play?

Well, aside from the obvious AD Marksman tendencies, I think he's a lot more defined by the hills and valleys inherent to his playstyle and Bullet mechanics that a lot of other Marksmen. He sacrifices guaranteed sustained damage (because it relies on Fan the Hammer) because of his reloading, but he gains movement speed to get in and out on a dime.

Whenever Fan the Hammer is available, he becomes an immensely powerful duelist with crazy sustained damage. One in the Chamber ensures that, even when he's running low on ammo, he's never truly helpless (cooldowns notwithstanding). He's at his strongest at 1 and 6 Bullets, but every number other than that is a countdown to whether he's going to blow Fan the Hammer to negate his reload time or become vulnerable for a few seconds as he reloads.

He has two ways to ensure reloading won't cause problems, and how he uses them is integral to how he does in a fight. Fan the Hammer is a blanket buff to everything he does, but given it would be on a long cooldown in theory, he can't be blowing it on the smallest of fights lest his opponents casually disengage and then come back for more a few seconds later when their cooldowns are up.

His other means of resetting his ammo is using Any Means Necessary, but that's situational: he has to hit the stun to access the bonus reload on his dash, and that's assuming he even has One in the Chamber. If he uses Any Means Necessary to escape and Fan the Hammer's down, he's got six shots maximum, and he needs to make them count before he's totally dead in the water.

On that note, this leads me nicely into some pretty cool combos:

##Combos

All-In

• Autos/Qs until one Bullet -> W -> R -> Q if available -> Auto + Q when available, E as convenient -> Re-cast W if it falls off -> Win Standoff, enjoy bonuses

• This is the "go hard or go home" sequence of events. Arrive at one Bullet for One in the Chamber, use your W and then R immediately afterward (so it resets your W), and then enjoy your OitC-empowered W for more Qs, additional Attack Speed from your W, current health damage from your ult, and infinite reloads thanks to essentially two uses of Fan the Hammer. If/when you win the Standoff, either get out of dodge with the Movement Speed or go even harder with your newfound Attack Damage and heal.

Escape-from-Dive Combo

• Auto/Q until one Bullet -> E -> Auto/Q, proccing a reload -> E again (dash) -> Escape/duel/all-in as necessary

• This one is what I was talking about when I said it was important that the E's OitC reload was tied to the initial cast and not the dash. This way, you can use your E at one Bullet, use that Bullet, and then dash for an instant reload (and because you started reloading, you get the movement speed). If the One in the Chamber reload were tied to the dash, you wouldn't able to proc your reload and then dash (because obviously, if you were reloading, you have zero Bullets which means One in the Chamber is moot).

Trading There are a lot of ways to trade as Elias, just because of how many ways you can use your One in the Chamber. Here are a few:

• Auto/Q until one Bullet -> W -> Q if available -> Auto + Q when available, E when convenient for the duration of the trade.

• This is pretty much the simplest one. By utilizing your OitC-empowered W, you ensure quite a hefty amount of sustained damage as the trade goes on. Remember that using W with One in the Chamber doesn't use a Bullet, which means that if your Q is up, you might as well use it as your last Bullet to proc the extra slow (that's why it was in that order for the All-In as well).

• Auto/Q until one Bullet -> Approach enemy (preferably through orbwalking in the the previous step) -> Escape-from-Dive combo -> W -> Unload

• This one involves creative use of your E. You lose your OitC-empowered W to refresh your Q, but you gain a stun and therefore some unanswered damage (and since your E is AoE, you may very well stun multiple people if more than one is involved in the trade, as is common in bot lane). When they're stunned and after you've reloaded, you W for the Attack Speed. "Unload" is meant to apply auto/Qing as much as possible.

Sometimes trades don't always happen on your terms. Let's say they engage on you:

• E -> E (dash) away -> Auto/Q until one Bullet (or run if not feasible) -> W -> Q if available -> Unload or run

• The point of this one is to emphasize the fact that you won't always be able to use your E for fancy reloads; at its heart, it's just your escape tool. This means that creative use of your W and Q otherwise is key. In this case, Q doubles as your getaway (or dueling) tool, because by using it with One in the Chamber you get your slow as well. Keep in mind that, if you're not feeling the trade and don't think it will end well, you can skip the W entirely so that when you Q, it procs a reload and gives you the movement speed you need to get out of dodge.

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#Flavor and Conclusion

Phew. That was a lot; you can take a deep breath, we made it to the end. That's about all I've got in terms of actual playstyle and how the concept comes together, so if that's all you want to read, more power to you, leave your thoughts if you so desire!

For those that don't mind reading more, the rest of the post will be some of the various quotes I came up with for Elias to give him that added bit of a personality. Again, if you don't want to read them, you don't have to. Until next time (I have a problem, so there will most likely be more)!

On champion select

• "Live like every day's your last, because when it finally is, you'll feel right at home."

On entering the game

• "Oh, this is lookin' like a good adventure."
• "Well, you know what they say: if you find yourself in a hole, keep diggin'."
• "Reminds me of some place called 'home.'"

Movement

• "Move 'em out."
• "Head 'em up."
• "The day I walk away is the day someone outdraws me."
• "Plenty of time to look tough when you're outta' sight."
• "Don't go in if you don't know the way out."
• "Don't bother nothin' that ain't botherin' you."
• "No matter where you go, you'll find yourself there."
• "Is there a pub 'round here?"
• "Biggest troublemaker I know is in the mirror every mornin'."
• "Stayin' quiet is a skill, but so is usin' a gun, and guns ain't quiet."
• "Good judgment's from experience, but a whole lotta experience is from bad judgment."

Attacking

• "I've been in tighter spots than this."
• "Never corner somethin' meaner than you."
• "Fill 'er up."
• "Don't spoil my fun; lemme play with it."
• "I reckon this is gonna hurt."
• "We all got bits of crazy in us; some're bigger than others."
• "Think quickly. Draw quicker."
• "Clock still tickin'? Then I'm still kickin'."
• "Bury'em six feet under."
• "I think I saw a grave with their name on it."
• "Sometimes you get. Sometimes you get got."
• "My boot's got a long overdue meetin' with their faces."

Joke Elias reaches to his waist and quickdraws his pistol, throwing it up into the air in one swift motion, then letting it fall down directly back into its holster.

• "Pops told me to never bite off more than I could chew. Well, he choked to death, so what's he know?"

• "Nah, I'm not drunk. I only drink when I'm alone or with somebody."

• "Don't get the wrong idea, you hear? I'm a responsible gun owner."

• "Quickest way to double your money is to fold it over. Second quickest is to take it at gunpoint."

• Near enemy or

• "You can kill me any day of the week."

• "A redhead? No, that just ain't fair."

• "Don't you ever want to stop killin' and just settle down? No? Yeah, me neither."

• clears throat "I'll be in my bunk."

• "If I could ever be said to have a weakness..." sigh

• (Miss Fortune only) "Save the shock for when you shoot me, 'cause I'm feelin' the awe already."

• **Near enemy **

• "That big ol' ugly gun... you compensatin' for somethin'?"

• "What happened to the days where two fellas could sit down and smoke a few cigars?"

• **Near **

• "Yeah, bein' sober can be a real drag sometimes."

• "That's the spirit! You mind passin' some of that my way?"

• **Near enemy **

• "You know, I take it back. Everyone should have a bit of crazy in'em, but you got more than enough for all of us."

• "Plenty of theories about gettin' women to see sense. None of 'em work."

Taunt Elias empties all the bullets form his revolver and then puts one bullet in, points it toward the enemy, and spins the chamber.

• "Tell me, you feelin' particularly lucky right now?"

• "I get you're studyin' to be half-wit, but this here's a simple game."

• "One-sixth the firepower is more'n enough for the likes of you."

• "Tellin' a man to get lost and makin' him do it are two mighty different propositions. See to it you don't reach the second with me."

• "Pops said to me to never miss a good chance to shut up, but I think it's better advice for you."

• "When you give a man a lesson in violence, don't be surprised if they go and learn that lesson."

• **Near enemy **

• "I thought we had a fine arrangement, girl. You gonna ruin it here?"

• "You keep off my back, and I won't put a bullet in yours."

• **Near enemy **

• "Bringin' your fists to a gun fight ain't the best idea, girl."

• "Didn't anyone ever tell you to not bring a Vi to any fight?"

I had more quotes written, but they were the typical quotes associated with using abilities and buying items, so I didn't feel the need to put them here.

Now we've reached the actual end of the post, so if you read this far, I admire your attention span/curiosity, so if you feel so inclined, I encourage you to leave your thoughts/criticisms!