Sikandar, Xer'Sai's Bane [Champion Concept]
#SIKANDAR, XER'SAI'S BANE https://i.imgur.com/GtYayUJ.png
#LORE & DESCRIPTION ##Personality & Description Once a talented sailor and harpooner, Sikandar reluctantly shifted inland to face the biggest threat his people have encountered in generations. Years later, his fear and duty-driven approach have given way to confidence: after all, the desert is just another ocean of sorts, and if the depths hold no fear why should the dunes?
The sight of the young, raven-haired man astride his camel, ribboned spear in hand, crimson headscarf flowing, has become a good luck charm for the desert tribes, for his presence nearly ensures a safe path through the treacherous sands. Those who have seen him practice his art have spoken of his acrobatic prowess, born of years leaping from rope to rope in storms at sea, and rumors abound than he can pierce a camel's carcass through with a single throw. His true fame, however, is twofold: the charm and joy he brings to the company he keeps, and the burned tickmarks on his spear that indicate the Xer'Sai that have fallen to him. Long ago he stopped tracking anything smaller than a camel, and yet the shaft is still almost entirely black.
##Lore Overview Born and raised on the Shuriman coast, Sikandar grew up as a fisherman, harpooning great sea beasts that were hauled in and gutted for meat, oil, and bone: valuable resources, destined for far off lands. For as long as he could remember the traders would set out, caravans loaded with salted meats, nets, baskets, oil, and carved bone, and return with spices, fabrics, and trinkets from the desert tribes.
Until the caravans stopped coming back.
Something had changed, out there in the sands. The desert -- always a formidable foe -- had turned sour. A scouting party found the wreckage of one deep in the desert, the few remaining camel bones shattered by some tremendous force. The second party vanished without a trace.
Sikandar was on the trip that first saw them, dark fins cutting through the sands. He watched, helpless, as Tasin was torn apart, and, in horror, he turned and fled along with the others. Six went out, three came home.
...and only one went back again.
"Don't go."
The young man buries the tip of his spear in the cracked dirt and turns back, his crimson scarf whipping in the hot breeze rolling off the dunes. A woman -- not much older than himself -- steps towards him, her eyes pleading.
"They killed Tasin." Her voice is strained. "Maat. Heqet. Adom. Rashid..."
He exhales slowly, not responding.
"They'll kill you too. Please. Don't go."
His hand rises, falling gently on her shoulder.
"Someone has to. No one else will."
She looks up, tears glistening.
"Aren't you afraid?"
"Yes."
"Then why?? Revenge?"
"No."
"What, then? Is trade that important to you? Is that what you'd die for? Trinkets? Spices? A few yards of silk? There are other tribes we can trade with! We don't need them!"
Sikandar squeezes her shoulder, softly.
"That's true...."
Stepping away, he yanks his spear from the earth as he moves, his fingers tightening around it, seeking comfort in what will be his solitary companion out there in the great expanse. His eyes roam over the horizon, deep into the desert, where a dozen villages sit in a sea of endless sand. A dozen villages waiting, patiently, for a caravan of food and supplies that may never come. He sighs.
"...But they need us."
Shouldering his spear, he sets out.
https://i.imgur.com/GtYayUJ.png #DESIGN GOALS Sikandar is a skirmishing fighter who emphasizes mobility and precision both for survival and for damage. While he's highly capable of harrying down even the strongest foes, proper timing and tempo is required to maximize both his defensive and his offensive capabilities, making him a conceptually simple champion with a hopefully deep mastery curve that's dependent on reading the flow of a fight and ensuring that you're in the right positions at the right times.
His build is flexible, allowing you to consider on-hit, pure attack damage, cooldown + Trinity Force, or even critical strike. His damage is slightly backloaded, even though he has some aspects of an assassin pattern to him. Finally, his design should allow him to succeed in top lane or the jungle, and possible dabble in mid against skill-shot dependent opponents.
https://i.imgur.com/GtYayUJ.png
#NOTABLE STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES Sikandar has solid ramping damage that results in a fairly powerful dueling state, and he can carry that power from target to target if he's able to keep up tempo with his passive. He's incredibly mobile, and can survive a surprising amount of punishment if he manages his shield effect well. He has excellent engage even in minion waves, and is capable of lane clearing and dodging effects re-actively.
Sikandar is heavily vulnerable to CC, which not only denies him his mobility but also denies him his shielding and can cause him to lose valuable stacks of his passive. He has no innate sustain once he has taken damage. His slight back-loaded damage results in weaker damage in trades. He has no ranged harass. His mobility is almost entirely close-range or requires a target.
https://i.imgur.com/GtYayUJ.png
#BUT DJINN, I DON'T SEE NUMBERS HERE! Yep. That's intentional. I've put rough approximations in for some things, but I fully acknowledge that tuning is all but impossible to get right, so those ranges serve better than specific numbers in my eyes.
#ABILITIES AND MECHANICS
##BASE STATS
- Melee range (150-175)
- Mana user.
- Slightly above average base speed.
- Average base attack.
- Average AD.
- Average HP.
[PASSIVE] DANCING MONGOOSE
"It's like a puzzle, really. Keep your distance, find your openings, and harry it down...oh, and don't die."
When Sikandar damages a champion or large monster, he marks them with three symbols, evenly spaced around them. These symbols retain their position relative to the map, rather than the champion's facing.
When Sikandar damages a target with a basic attack or basic ability, he consumes a symbol based on his position around that champion (if the closest symbol has not already been consumed) and gains a small shield that persists for 3 seconds.
For each symbol consumed (up to three) Sikandar also gains a stacking buff that increases his attack speed and grants bonus on-hit damage that scales with his level. Consuming additional marks extends this duration.
Marks on a target start regenerating as soon as they are consumed, and take 6 seconds to regenerate. Each mark regenerates separately.
[Q] HUNTER'S SPEAR
"A good throw will go straight through the small ones. The larger ones, though? Be prepared for a ride."
Sikandar throws his fishing spear in a line, stopping when it strikes an enemy champion or large monster. All targets struck take moderately high physical damage and, if he strikes an enemy champion or large monster, he stuns them briefly while dashing to their location, auto-attacking them upon arrival.
Cooldown: Moderate.
[W] WHIRLING DERVISH
"People always tell you to swing for the knees. Luckily, these things are all knees!"
Sikandar spins his spear around, dealing medium physical damage to nearby enemies and slowing them briefly. A sweet spot along the edge of the effect causes a higher slow and deals increased damage. Only the sweet spot can proc his passive effect.
Cooldown: Medium Low.
[E] SAND SKIMMER
"They can read the sand itself. Best to stay off it whenever possible."
Sikandar leaps to a target location within a short range. He may recast this ability over the next 2 seconds to stab his spear in the target direction, dealing physical damage based on a low percentage of his target's maximum hit points. This second cast can be cast while moving.
When he triggers a symbol using Dancing Mongoose, Sikandar regains a charge of this ability, to a maximum of 2 charges.
Cooldown: Very Low (always at least 2 seconds, possibly just 2 seconds without CDR applying). Cooldown between charges: Moderate.
[ULTIMATE] SWIRLING SIROCCO
"Even above ground they're nearly perfect hunters, but nothing can hunt well in a sandstorm. Except me, of course."
Sikandar spins around, dragging the tip of his spear into the ground, dealing moderate physical damage to enemies within the area and kicking up a cloud of swirling sand for 4.5 seconds. Enemies outside the area of effect cannot see in for the duration. Enemies inside the effect are grounded. Additionally, enemies inside the effect are slowed by a small amount, increasing the closer to the edge of the effect the enemy is.
Cooldown: Medium High compared to your average ultimate.
#Change Log
- Damage on ultimate changed from damage over time to initial damage to make counterplay more apparent.
- Speed buff on the W removed to decrease overall mobility.
