[Champion Concept]: Zaru, the Phantom of Mirth
#Zaru, the Phantom of Mirth Primary Role: Fighter Secondary Role: Assassin
#Overview:
Once a pleasant and joyful yordle, Zaru has become twisted and corrupt after the loss of his sister. Zaru takes his colossal spiked club into battle with a festive blend of damage and chaotic misdirection. His highly unconventional mobility and damage make him a versatile fighter/assassin, able to deal out lots of punishment, and most of the time, get away with it. All of Zaru's mobility stems from his kit, so without access to those abilities, Zaru becomes extremely vulnerable. The Phantom of Mirth strives in solo lane environments, but can work effectively within the jungle as well. moderately mobile, "squishy" targets (such as marksman, or some fighers/mages) are Zaru's ideal prey, though Zaru tends to struggle against beefier enemies.
#Statistics
Health: 520 (+85 per level) Mana: 325 (+56 per level) Attack Damage: 63 (+3.2 per level) Melee: 125 Attack Speed: 0.625 (+2.3% per level) Movement Speed: 325 Health Regen: 6 (+0.5 per level) Mana Regen: 5.5 (+0.55 per level) Armor: 27 (+3.5 per level) Magic Resist: 30 (+0 per level)
#Abilities
Passive: Speak No Evil
Every third consecutive auto attack against an enemy silences them for 0.75/1/1.25 seconds, marking them for 6 seconds, and heals Zaru for 6% of his maximum health. Zaru cannot silence marked targets, but can still heal from striking them.
Q: Attention Grabber
Zaru's club launches in a target direction, dealing 80/85/95/110/130 (+0.7/0.8/0.9/1.0/1.1 AD) physical damage and creating a temporary piece of terrain for up to 1.25/1.5/1.75/2/2.25 seconds. In this time period, Zaru can recast to retrieve his club, which will drag back enemy champions along it's path, dealing 40/45/50/55/60% damage to enemy units it passes through on its way back. If Zaru casts [Q] while dashing, he will be dragged in the direction of his club instead of the direction he was dashing.
Cost: 85 Mana Range: 1100 Cooldown: 20/18/16/14/12 seconds
W: Unsettled Defense
Passive: Every second Zaru is in combat, he gains 2.5/2.75/3/3.25/3.5 armor and magic resistance, stacking up to 5/5/6/6/7 times.
Active: Zaru holds his club in a defensive position, blocking projectiles aimed toward his front during the duration. The next auto attack against Zaru within this duration is negated, and Zaru will blink behind said target, and granting Zaru's next auto attack 36/42/54/72/96 (+0.7 AD) bonus physical damage and causing the target to flee for 1.25 seconds.
Cost: 40/45/50/55/60 Mana Range: Varies Duration: 1.75/2/2.25/2.5/2.75 seconds Cooldown: 10/9.5/9/8.5/8 seconds
E: Tricky Maneuver
Zaru travels a fixed distance in a target direction, bouncing off terrain should he encounter it. Should he run into an enemy during his travel, Zaru will deal 75/80/90/110/140 (+0.5 AD) physical damage as he passes through them, and granting him a temporary shield equal to the damage he dealt to the first enemy he passed through.
Cost: 80/85/90/95/100 Mana Range: 975 Cooldown: 15/14/12/11/10 seconds
R: Madness
Zaru's club breaks into three (3) segments as he enters a frenzy, gaining 40/50/60% bonus Attack Speed and Attack Range* for 8/10/12 seconds. During this duration, Zaru's auto attacks can strike up to three (3) enemies within a line of his auto attack target.
While active, Zaru gains bonus movement speed while chasing after an injured enemy champion. For every 5% of the enemy champion's missing health, Zaru gains 2% movement speed.
Cost: N/A Cast Range: Self Auto Attack Range: 125-350-575 (separated as segments) Cooldown: 100/85/70 Seconds
Lore
Happy Thoughts...
The darkness spoke to me. It always used to whisper, but now that she was gone, it was louder than ever.
And it was so angry.
It screamed in furor, but it used my voice. MY voice. And it wouldn't stop. It couldn't stop. I felt its endless agony, and it filled me...consumed me. And then they came. They all came out of fear of it...of me. Called me mad. Disturbed. But despite them being there, it wouldn't stop. It didn't care that they were scared, its only concern was the feeling. The dread, the sorrow, the rage, the agony...
Then darkness took me. And it wouldn't let go. It teased at my heart, it showed me her...dying and dying again. And as I wept, it laughed. As I drowned in my tears, it threw itself back in an uproar. My pain was just a joke to it. But beyond the darkness's laughter, and my own despair, I heard her again...
"Think happy thoughts..."
The darkness stopped laughing, and I looked up. She was just standing there...like nothing had happened at all. She wore a little blue sundress, like she had when she...when she died. But she didn't seem worried, or frightened, or in despair...she was smiling.
"...Sis'...?"
And then the laughter returned, and darkness took her from me again. And again, and again, and again, until I could take it no longer. It broke me. And then I felt a hand grasping my shoulder.
"There, there."
I winced. It used her voice. HER voice. But it wasn't innocent, it was twisted, and warped...it was tainted.
I...snapped.
When the darkness vanished, all I saw was red. I heard nothing, said nothing, but felt the rush...the THRILL.
"...happy thoughts..."
There was only the red, and the laughter. Who's it was, I could not tell...
...but it used my voice.
When my vision cleared, the red somehow remained. Blotches of scarlet were spattered everywhere...it was blood. So much blood. And the bodies...the bodies were everywhere. Twisted, darkened, vacant expressions, with eyes open wide...all of which were staring at me. My body was shaking...I tried to scream, but my mouth wouldn't open. My voice seemed stolen from me. I had something resting in my grip...a monstrous club...drenched in scarlet. Where it came from...I know not. It felt...evil, brutal, sinister. It felt WRONG. I tried to let go, I tried to run, but my body wouldn't listen. It wouldn't LISTEN. I sobbed, but it was distorted...it was laughter. The laughter was in my head...the darkness was LAUGHING AT ME...
...and it used MY VOICE.
#Gallery
Front: https://40.media.tumblr.com/e4dd6d55051d3e9fa6e06b50089383d2/tumblr_nvcnrsGIKu1smb6iho2_1280.jpg
Angle: https://41.media.tumblr.com/fbe0ffacbdfdde432275e2eb81da3a08/tumblr_nvcnrsGIKu1smb6iho1_540.jpg
Side: https://40.media.tumblr.com/b2d7b5c4be9f67ee0c321f92048ff6b3/tumblr_nvcnrsGIKu1smb6iho4_1280.jpg
Back: https://41.media.tumblr.com/516bdffd2160e13b73633da0d30ca9d8/tumblr_nvcnrsGIKu1smb6iho3_1280.jpg
Blink: https://38.media.tumblr.com/87e1095fee7f5a16e60bbfc7daae13ea/tumblr_nvcnrsGIKu1smb6iho5_1280.gif
*More to come. I have concept sketches done, and a fabrication of his club underway.
#Fun Facts
Zaru's name comes from the names of "The Three Monkeys", "Iwazaru", "Kikazaru", and "Mizaru" (Speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil)
Zaru's design is partially inspired by Homestuck characters Nepeta Leijon, Gamzee Makara, and Kurloz Makara. Particularly, it was Nepeta's coat, and the Makara's descent into madness (as well as their clown-like themes).
Zaru's hair is inspired by the phrase "red headed step child".
Zaru's club takes inspiration from the Grand Highblood in Homestuck, Sugilite's weapon in Steven Universe, Samehada from Naruto, and the typical segmented Chain Sword. It's meant to have a bit of a personality , and an overall grim vibe. The three sections it breaks into represent the Three Monkeys which are Zaru's namesake, while the spiked club is suppose to be an overall brutal weapon.
Zaru's title was originally "The Disciple of Mirth" when his story involved him being under an apprenticeship. Since it was decided on him having the tragic backstory and a warped personality, it was changed to "The Phantom of Mirth" to show that he is a ghost of his former self.
A large selling point for Zaru's character was how death would affect a yordle. Zaru is considered an extreme case, in this sense.
Feedback and suggestions are appreciated, as always. I plan to develop dialogue soon™, and possibly imrpove/expand on his lore. Thanks for tuning in!
