Aurora, The Forerunner {Champion Concept}
Aurora, The Forerunner
This concept is over 6 months in the making and is the product of prolonged brainstorming of what would really bring an Arcane Warrior to life in League. I'd greatly appreciate any and all constructive criticism.
Splash Art https://i.imgur.com/kC6YFff.jpg
Login Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPcvFKmpBiA
Disclaimer: I take no credit for any artwork or music used as they were simply incorporated to bring her more to life.
Champion Information
Full Name Aurora
Alias The Arcane Warrior The Rune Harbinger
Weapons/Pets Rune Magic
Race Human (Magically Altered By World Runes).
Occupation Archmage Nomad World Rune Gatherer
Faction Runeterra
Short Lore
”This world is nothing but the manifestation of a magic so indescribably powerful, only those who walk the path can wield it.” - Aurora, The Forerunner
Considered one of the most peerless sorceresses’ on Runeterra, Aurora is a sociopathic, zealous archmage who has devoted her life’s work to gather the World Runes - fragments of the raw magic that once shaped the world from nothingness. Descended from a family of powerful mages dating back thousands of years, she is among the very few with the capability to utilize Rune Magic. Aurora views herself as the 'Chosen Mage' who’s destiny it is to gather all the World Runes, using their immeasurable power to usher in a new era on Runeterra where all of its chaotic civilizations are united under her will.
Templar's Tribute
Millennia ago, there existed a sacred cult of mages known as "The Templars". These extremist sorcerers had one task they decided their lives to achieving; gathering all of the World Runes to bring forth the next era on Runeterra. Through meticulous acts of manipulation, charisma, and often times brute force, many Templar's succeeding in locating World Runes. However, most fell victim to their compelling powers and ceased them for their own pleasure, never to be seen again. Over the generations the ultimate goal of The Termplars would never be fulfilled, but there are those who still believe that the ultimate battle for the World Runes is all but inevitable.
Overview
Roles Primary: Skirmisher Secondary: Battlemage
Attack Form Melee
Position Top / Mid
Generic Playstyle Skirmishing, Split Pushing
Difficulty 3/3
Damage 3/3
Toughness 2/3
Control 2/3
Utility 1/3
Mobility 2/3
Statistics Health: 575 (+85) Health Regen: 8.5 (+ 0.55) Mana: 325 (+55) Mana Regen: 6 (+ 0.7) Range: 150 Attack Damage: 63 (+3.575) Attack Speed: 0.625 (+3.5%) Armor: 34 (+3) Magic Resist: 32.1 (+1.25) Movement Speed: 345
Abilities (Brief Description)
Innate - Testament of the Forerunner: Whenever Aurora deals magic damage to an enemy champion or large/epic monster with an ability she gains 1 Testament stack for a short duration. Each stack grants her bonus magic penetration up to a max of 4.
Q - Pious Cascade: Aurora slashes her blade in a cone in front of her, dealing physical damage to enemies hit. Enemies in the center take bonus magic damage and grant Aurora Testament stacks based on the number of enemy champions hit.
W - Arcane Assault: Aurora empowers her next basic attack to gain bonus range, deal bonus magic damage, and grant bonus movement speed for a brief duration. The cool down of this ability is reduced for every Testament stack.
E - Runic Reprisal: On the first cast Aurora dashes in the direction of the cursor and gains a spell shield for a short duration. If she blocks an ability she can recast Runic Reprisal to dash in the direction of the cursor, dealing magic damage to the first enemy hit and any nearby while also stunning them for a short duration.
R1 - Zeal of the Saint: Aurora gains a shield that increases in strength over a few seconds. While this ability is active she gains bonus armor, magic resist, and may cast Eschaton.
R2 - Eschaton: Aurora leaps into the air and smashes her blade in a line in front of her, dealing physical damage to enemies hit. Shortly after the impacted area will erupt, dealing magic damage to nearby enemies based on how long Zeal of the Saint remained active.
Abilities (Detailed Description)
https://i.imgur.com/CydBP6U.png Innate - Testament of the Forerunner
Passive: _Whenever Aurora deals magic damage to an enemy champion or large/epic monster with an ability she gains 1 Testament stack for 5 seconds, stacking up to 4 times. Basic attacks and damaging abilities against enemy champions and large/epic monsters will refresh the duration. _
Testament: Aurora gains bonus magic penetration per stack.
-
Magic Penetration Per Stack: 2.5%/3.25%/4%/4.75%/5.5%/6.25% {Scales At Levels 1,4,7,10,13,16}
-
Total Magic Penetration: 10%/13%/16%/19%/22%/25% {Scales At Levels 1,4,7,10,13,16}
Notes
- She can only gain 1 stack per ability regardless if she strikes multiple enemies.
https://i.imgur.com/UXBztca.png Q - Pious Cascade
Active: Aurora slashes her blade in a cone in front of her, dealing physical damage to all enemies hit. Enemies in the center of the cone take bonus magic damage. Aurora gains 1 additional Testament stack for every enemy champion hit in the center after the first, up to 2 bonus stacks.
- Physical Damage: 15/30/45/60/75 (+45% AD)
- Magic Damage: 55/85/115/145/175 (+45% AP)
- Total Damage: 70/115/160/205/250 (+45% AD) (+45% AP)
- Target Range: 465 Units
- Center Radius: 230 Units
- Angle: 50°
- Cool Down: 6/5.5/5/4.5/4 Seconds
- Cost: 40/55/70/85/100 Mana
Notes
- Spell shields will block both instances of damage.
- Pious Cascade will naturally grant 1 Testament stack if you hit a single enemy champion in the center, but for every enemy champion hit after the first an additional stack will be granted (up to 2).
https://i.imgur.com/LhMT6cq.png W - Arcane Assault
Active: Aurora empowers her next basic attack used within 4 seconds to gain 25 bonus range and be modified into magic damage, dealing bonus magic damage and granting bonus movement speed that decays over 1.5 seconds. Arcane Assault’s cool down is reduced by 0.25 seconds for every Testament stack, up to 1 second at 4 stacks. Arcane Assault resets Aurora’s auto attack timer.
- Bonus Movement Speed: 20%/22.5%/25%/27.5%/30% (+5% Per 100 AP)
- Bonus Magic Damage: 40/65/90/115/140 (+25% AP) (+2.5% Maximum Mana)
- Cool Down: 6 Seconds
- Cost: 60/70/80/90/100 Mana
Notes
- Arcane Assault will go on cool down after either its auto attack buff wears off or the basic attack is consumed.
- Spell shields will block the attack entirely.
- The on hit magic damage will grant 1 Testament stack.
- The bonus magic damage is classified as ability damage.
- The cool down is reduced after cool down reduction is applied to the natural cool down.
https://i.imgur.com/l8uPPNw.png E - Runic Reprisal
Active - 1st Cast: Aurora dashes in the target direction, gaining a spell shield for 1.25 seconds. If Aurora blocks an ability she may recast Runic Reprisal for up to 4 seconds.
Active - 2nd Cast: Aurora dashes in the target direction, stopping at the first enemy champion or large/epic monster hit. At maximum range or enemy collision Aurora will deal magic damage to nearby enemies and stun them for 1 second.
- Magic Damage: 80/120/160/200/240 (+60% AP)
- 1st Cast Target Range: 250 Units
- 2nd Cast Target Range: 600 Units
- Effect Radius: 175 Units
- Cool Down: 16/14.25/12.5/10.75/9 Seconds
- 1st Cast Cost: 30/40/50/60/70
- 2nd Cast Cost: 30/40/50/60/70
Notes
- The 1st cast can be used to bypass player-created terrain but not to go through walls.
- The 2nd cast can go through walls.
- Both casts of Runic Reprisal cannot be cast while rooted.
- Runic Reprisal will begin its cool down after either the spell shield expires or is consumed.
- The spell shield is gained upon starting the dash.
https://i.imgur.com/3R1rYYZ.png R1 - Zeal of the Saint
Active: Aurora strengthens her zeal for 6 seconds, granting herself a shield upon activating this ability and every second for the remaining duration. During the duration she gains bonus armor, magic resist, and may cast Eschaton once. The shield decays over 0.75 seconds after Zeal of the Saint expires.
- Bonus Armor & Magic Resist: 20/30/40
- Initial Shield Strength: 20/30/40 (+10% Maximum Health)
- Shield Per Second: 40/50/60 (+2%/3%/4% Maximum Mana)
- Total Shield Strength: 260/330/400 (+10% Maximum Health) (+12%/18%/24% Maximum Mana)
- Cool Down: 120/100/80 Seconds
- Cost: 75 Mana
Notes
- There is a 1 second cooldown before Aurora can cast Eschaton after activating Zeal of the Saint.
- Zeal of the Saint has no cast time and will not interrupt Aurora's previous orders.
- Zeal of the Saint’s cool down begins when the duration ends or from Aurora's death.
- Zeal of the Saint’s shield increases in strength at 0.25 second intervals.
https://i.imgur.com/Ie94n14.png R2 - Eschaton
Active: After leaping into the air unstoppably for 0.25 seconds, Aurora smashes her blade in a small area around her and in a line in front of her, dealing physical damage to all enemies hit. After 0.75 seconds the impacted ground erupts aflame, causing all nearby enemies to take magic damage that is increased by 25% for every 0.5 seconds Zeal of the Saint remained active, up to 200% at 4 seconds.
- Physical Damage: 75/125/175 (+50% Bonus AD)
- Minimum Magic Damage: 75/125/175 (+25% AP)
- Maximum Magic Damage: 225/375/525 (+75% AP)
- Maximum Potential Damage: 300/500/700 (+50% Bonus AD) (+75% AP)
- Effect Radius: 250 Units
- Target Range: 925 Units
- Cost: 75 Mana
Notes
- Eschaton has a cast time, but can only be interrupted by the death of Aurora.
- She will still suffer any crowd control effects (if duration permits) after the cast time ends.
- Spell shields will only block a single instance of damage.
- Eschaton cannot be activated once Zeal of the Saint has ended (even for the 0.75 seconds afterwards).
Playing As Aurora
As Aurora, you're a zealous saint who channels the essence of magic itself to ravage your enemies. Begin the crusade with Pious Cascade to build Testament stacks and whittle your opponents down. When the opportunity arises, correct use of Arcane Assault will inflict susceptible burst and grant you the upper hand with increasing movement speed. If your opponents attempt to retaliate against you, clever timing of Runic Reprisal can shrug off their worst counter attack while allowing you to turn the tide of the fight with its second cast.
If you are challenged by a confrontation that requires the aid of the World Runes themselves, activate Zeal of the Saint and gain a super shield that manifests itself over a short duration. Once your enemies are ready to yield to their destiny, trigger Eschaton to cut their life strings, outright executing any and all who remain within the impacted area.
Tips & Tricks
-
Testament of the Forerunner grants Aurora magic penetration in prolonged fights, allowing you to shred even the most durable of targets.
-
_ Pious Cascade will deal bonus magic damage to those in the center and grant bonus Testament stacks based on the number of enemy champions hit. It is key to use this in conjunction with Testament of the Forerunner to inflict devastating, sustained damage to your enemies within melee range._
-
You can utilize the movement speed gained from Arcane Assault to get into position to hit enemies with your other abilities or kite them more efficiently.
-
Arcane Assault's cool down is reduced based on Testament stacks, amplifying Aurora's mobility and sustained damage at max stacks.
-
Runic Reprisal is most useful when you know an enemy spell is inevitable and you need to shrug it off, utilizing the spell shield to absorb the ability and it's short dash to reposition yourself.
-
Runic Reprisal will not only absorb abilities, but also ability triggered auto attacks modifiers (Nasus Q, Camille Q, Jax W, Fiora E, Kassadin W) and on hit abilities (Gangplank Q, Ezreal Q, etc).
-
Runic Reprisal has a second dash that can be utilized, but only if the spell shield absorbed an ability from the first cast. If you desire the second half of this ability in any given situation ensure the spell shield will absorb an ability.
-
The second cast of Runic Reprisal costs mana. Make sure you have mana to spend for both casts before activating the first.
-
Flash can be utilized during Runic Reprisal's second cast to surprise your opponents (akin to Gragas' Body Slam & Camille's Wall Dive).
-
_ You can take advantage of Runic Reprisal’s second cast knock up to ensure your other abilities hit your enemies._
-
Zeal of the Saint greatly amplifies your defensive capabilities but is still no match against focus fire from to many enemies. Because of this it's best suited against a delayed nuke or in an extended 1v1 or 1v2 where the shield will be able to soak up damage.
-
Despite being a second cast, Eschaton costs mana. Make sure you have mana to spend for both casts before activating Zeal Of The Saint.
-
You can trigger Zeal of the Saint before a team fight or duel is destined to begin and you want to enter the battle with a massive shield while also empowering Eschaton’s damage.
-
Eschaton's initial strike will deal minor physical damage to those hit but the impact crater will erupt and deal magic damage to nearby enemies. Combine this with your allies other abilities to ensure your enemies remain within the impacted area for maximum damage output.
-
Eschaton’s damage increases based on how long the Zeal of the Saint has been active. It’s imperative that if you’re activating Zeal of The Saint it’s for a drawn out fight where Eschaton will be able to scale overtime.
Design Philosophy
The initial spark for my fantasy to create Aurora was the Arcane Warrior mage class from the game Dragons Age Origins due to a not so recent play through. This class, as their name may suggest, are a specialized group of mages trained their magical arts to augment their martial prowess. They channel magical power through their weapons and bodies to become terrors on the battlefield. I wanted and had to portray this on the rift; a melee mage who converts their magics into destructive melee attacks that can wreak havoc, but can also bolster their own defensive capabilities.
When designing Aurora, the one thing I set out to accomplish is to create a melee AP champion that didn't rely heavily on blowing someone or to lock them down as a cc bot. but something in between; an AP skirmisher that relied on hitting their spells like a battle mage to maximize their sustained damage output (think of a Mordekaiser that naturally scales harder). She plays almost entirely identical to an Arcane Warrior if you've played DAO, because their key characteristic is being able to cast spells continuously like a battle mage but also inflict devastating melee attacks despite being a mage in melee range. They also wear heavy armor like a typical warrior or knight would rather than a mage (signifying the fact they aren’t as squishy as their counterparts).
Because I wanted Aurora to be a hybrid between a skirmisher (duelist) and a battle mage (team fighter) she had to be a jack of all trades, a good team fighter and duelist but not the best at either. While battle mages are easily the best duelists of the mage class, they are far more effective and dangerous in team fights. However, because Aurora is half skirmisher she has the capability to duel most of the champion roster excluding true duelists such as Jax, Fiora, Tryndamere and Master Yi (Pure Skirmishers). This intended design choice would give more diversity to the Aurora player in their build paths and even macro decisions, allowing each and every game to play out differently.
Items & Builds
Aurora naturally scales with items that grant a mixture of ability power, health, mana, and cool down reduction. Because her kit lacks the burst potential of most other AP champions she functions better with an AP bruiser build to survive and inflict powerful sustained damage over a prolonged time.
Starting

Early

Essential

Standard

Situational

Defensive

Consumable

Battlemage Build

Skirmisher Build

Anti AD Build

Anti AP Build

Potential Combos
Auto Attack Cancel: AA - Q
Short Trade: Q - AA - W AA - E1 (away)
Engage: E2 - AA - Q - AA - W - AA
E2 Flash: E2 - F - AA - Q - AA - W - AA
Spell Shield Trade: E1 - AA - W - AA - Q - AA - AA
Spell Shield Engage: E1 - Q - AA - W - AA
R1 Engage: E1 + R1
Kill Combo: E2 - AA - Q - R2 - AA - W - AA
R2 Flash Engage: E2 - F - R2 - Q - AA - W - AA
R2 Flash: R2 - E2 - F (keeps enemies ontop R2 impact area)
Spell Shield R2: E1 - AA - W - Q - R2 - AA - AA
Spell Shield R2 Flash: E1 - F - AA - Q - R2 - AA - W - AA
Protobelt Engage Combo 1: E1 - Protbelt
Protbelt Engage Combo 2: Protobelt - E2
Super Shield Combo: R1 + Seraph’s Embrace
Quotes
Upon Selection "Runeterra’s next age is here!"
Upon Banning "This only prolongs the inevitable."
First Moves "This world will be reborn anew." "The World Runes are here, but they are also mine." "Those who dare oppose me leave me no other option." "Alas, my destiny begins."
Moving "They are those would would deny me my path, but they fail to appreciate what can be." "This era is nearing its end with every step i take." "1 by 1 the World Runes will be reclaimed by their rightful owner." "Those who cannot see the beauty in my vision aren't worthy to relish in it." "It only takes a brief glance to see that this world is in need of dire change." "Runeterra shall be saved." _ "My prophecy shall be fulfilled"_ "Any who reject the inevitable, inevitably fall victim to it." "My oppositions are right to fear me"
Attacking "Fall before my might!" "You reject faith!" "Open your eyes!" "Your savior condemns you!" "This is destiny!" "The World Runes are mine!" "Succumb!" "Vanquish!"
Upon Casting Zeal Of The Saint "Destiny invigorates me." "I am power." "I am the remedy." "The path enlightens me."
Upon Casting Eschaton "Blasphemers!" "A new age." "As foretold!"
Upon Killing An Enemy Champion "Not even your valiant efforts could stop me." "Let this be a lesson to all who cannot accept inevitability." "It was all but foretold." "My path requires bloodshed."
Upon Dying "You've only delayed my ascension..." "This only lengthens the inevitable reclamation..." "Even in death, the prophecy will be fulfilled..."
Upon Respawning "Destiny restores me." "Failure is impossible." "The World Runes call to me..."
Taunt "If you cannot see the path I walk, how can you hope to possibly comprehend it?"
Joke "Were you expecting me to run back and kite?"
Upon Buying Rod Of Ages
"A rod for the most ageless of prophecies."
"One step closer to revealing the truth."
Upon Purchasing Liandry's Torment
"A tormented soul, a reason to persevere."
"Let them challenge me now."
Upon Purchasing Tear Of The Goddess
"My journey will bring forth many tears, but none will be mine."
"Onto the right path."
Upon Purchasing Lich Bane
"Their dreaded bane manifests."
"Who would dare oppose destiny?"
Upon Purchasing Rylai's Crystal Scepter
"Their eyes shall be open, even if their soul must be frozen."
"It shall serve our purpose."
Upon Purchasing Morellonomicon
"The prophecy reveals itself."
"Only gifted individuals can comprehend its teaching."
Upon Purchasing Seraph’s Embrace
_ “Those who choose faith are rewarded with wings of utmost purity.”_
_ “Enough tears have been shed.”_
Upon Purchasing Iceborn Gauntlet
”Born of ice, bred for conflict.”
”The Iceborn were indeed powerful, but their time has passed.”
Trivia
- Aurora views Ryze as the only being capable of stopping her quest.
- She is biologically 21 years old. Her actual age is a mystery.
- Aurora suffers from a God Complex, believing wholeheartedly that she was chosen to wield the World Runes and that any who oppose her are worthy of nothing but contempt.
I hope you enjoyed reading over Aurora, The Forerunner!