Concept of a "monstrous" champion - Folk: the corpse gatherer
As many have pointed out for years, League is gradually abandoning the "monstrous" designs, in order to achieve an acceptable rating for the audiences. I can see their point, but I can't stop wondering what potential designs we may have missed. This thought led me to conceive the lore and the kit of an abomination from the shadow Isles. Without further ado, I'll post here my idea, hoping it will be appreciated. I'd also like to discuss about "monstrous" design in general, to see what other people think.
FOLK: THE CORPSE GATHERER LORE Have you ever wondered what happened to the merry people of the Blessed Isles when the Black Mist shrouded their land? Most of them died in horrible ways, their rotten bodies left as feasts for nightmarish creatures, their spirits to haunt this world forever. Before ruin fell on the Isles, an unnamed prophet wandered through the villages, foretelling to the people the impending end. Nobody ever listened to his words, but he never left his people, for such was his love for his homeland and its habitants. Rejected as a doomsayer, he became a derelict, considered by most only a babbling madman; but as the black mist approached, many among the folk started to gather around him, starting to see the truth behind his words. It was too late. The prophet however, never lost the hope he could save his people, and kept preaching even when the horrors crept in his village. He gathered a large crowd, lifting prayers to the dark sky and helping the desperate. This is how he met his doom: while tending to his human herd. At last, when the darkness approached, all were slaughtered like helpless cattle by howling spirits led by a riding wraith. What was left was a gathering of wretched corpses, whose souls never found rest: as the Black Mist shrouded the carnage, the souls awoke, around the repurposed spirit of the prophet, now damned to roam the cursed Isles, gathering masses as he did in life. His soul and those of his people would be forever bound to the hulking rotten mass of corpses, shaped as a towering abomination, that its now only known as “Folk". A colossal creature made of stitched human and beast corpses with very long and large arms, long abdomen and short legs. Its tiny head is that of a benevolently smiling person and it hangs from a broken neck. Either a cloud of flies or a flock of crows costantly fly around it. The size of Folk would be that of a full stacked cho'gath or a 6k hp Zac for comparison. You could imagine it as a sort of undead “Beast Giant" from Attack on Titan.
As you will understand from its kit, Folk’s role is that of a sieger, It is supposed to be played as a support, but it could also work in mid (not against assassins probably). It may stand a chance as a Jungler, but It has a very low ganking potential. Folk absolutely has no way to survive in toplane, for It has no tool to duel regular toplaners.
KIT Passive: The Cursed Gathering: Folk’s speed is capped at 350 and it can't be slowed. When Folk dies, he does not immediately respawn at the end of the death timer. Instead, the player may choose an area on the map (as big as trundle’s W), if at least 10 units die in this area during the next 15 seconds, Folk respawns there, gathering the corpses around it and fearing the enemies for 1.25 seconds. If this ability is triggered by an enemy kill, every second passed during the Cursed Gathering is recalculated into the next death timer (E does not count). If the Cursed Gathering does not trigger, folk respawns normally.
Q: Dead weight: Folk slashes with his long arm in a small area in front of him, dealing huge damage and knockbacking enemies that are turned.
W: Pick/Throw – (double cast) after channeling for 1 second, Folk picks “something" around him from a point chosen by the player and throws it for a long distance (max range after 1 sec channel. Range: Zac's E). The projectile expires after 60 seconds. Stony Wall or ground: folk picks a boulder. If thrown, It deals massive damage in a very small area (zigg's q), displacing enemies for 0.25 seconds. If it hits a tower, it deals 33% damage to the building. Keeping the boulder in the hand, instead of throwing it, empowers the next autoattack, which either stuns the target for 1 second (refreshing half of W cooldown) or deals bonus damage to towers. Trees: folk picks a tree. If thrown, it deals very low damage and snares the first target for 2 seconds (it does not go through minions). If kept in hand, the tree gives you +50 range and makes your attacks deal splash damage for the next 60 seconds or until you throw it. River: Folk picks a slimy bulk of mulch. If thrown it deals very low damage in an area (brand w). If it hits a target, it explodes in a large area (anivia ult) slowing targets for 2 seconds. Minion (ally or enemy): Folk consumes the minion healing for 10% of its max health. 50% of the ability cooldown is refunded. Enemy Champion's corpse: folk picks a corpse. If thrown it explodes in a mass of gore dealing huge damage in an area (brand w) fearing the targets for 1.25 seconds. If kept in hand for more than 3 seconds, folk automatically starts channelling for 2 seconds, during which it consumes the corpse healing 33% of its max health.
E: Dirge of Decay. Toggle off: Passive: putrescent masses and dead champions count as 4 dead units for the sake of folk's passive “Gathering Mass". Toggle on: Folk disables any kind of healing effect affecting him and starts losing 33% its max health every 2 seconds. During this period, ALL minions around Folk are charmed and follow him. At the end of the third tick, Folk collapses (effectively dying, but without triggering the death timer) activating “The Cursed Gathering". At the end of each tick, Folk leaves behind him an untargettable putrescent mass, which lays on the ground and deals damage around it for the next 5 seconds. After this time, the mass “deactivates" becoming targettable (lasts 60 seconds, gives no vision). If the ability is toggled off before the third tick, it goes on a long cooldown.
R: Immortal Devotion: for the next 12 seconds, Folk can choose addictional targets for W “Throw".
- Himself: Folks loses 33% of its max health and picks a corpse from its mass. (Same effect as picking up a champion’s corpse)
- Ally: Folk grabs an ally. The channel is increased to 2 seconds: an ally can interrupt the channel by pressing any button. Enemy: a stunned enemy can be grabbed thrown for half of the distance dealing low damage in a small area and displacing enemies hit