[Champion Concept] Atticus, the Scoundrel

Oh, hey. It's been a while. Hopefully I'm not too rusty. Thanks to everyone on the discord who helped me flesh this out.

#Atticus, the Scoundrel Name: Atticus D’Avalos Aliases: Steward of Talvos Hollow, the Scoundrel in Silk Role: Skirmisher (Hybrid w/ Catcher) Allies: Katarina, Gangplank Rivals: Swain, Le Blanc, Vladimir

##Summary Damage: 2/3 Toughness: 1/3 Control: 3/3 Mobility: 2/3 Utility: 2/3 Difficulty: 2/3

Designer's Commentary

Atticus began with the realisation that, while we have something like ten different flavours of Noxian patriotism, a couple of rebels, plus a handful of Black Rose aligned champions with their own agendas, we don’t really have a champion that embodies the corrupt, decadent ersatz nobility that the Couteaus were meant to contrast, or that Swain’s faction (originally?) railed against. From there, the idea of a foppish layabout who inherited much of his influence was a pretty short leap. I quickly latched onto the idea of a champion that was ostensibly a duellist, but would cheat whenever he was in trouble; a swordsman with a pistol hidden in his coat and his teammates waiting in the wings. I also wanted to give him a decidedly tactical slant, to make him a plausible foil for a character like Swain, who is namedropped as a dangerous tactician, yet doesn’t follow through with his kit. Though none of the original drafts for his abilities have remained, I’m reasonably happy with his execution of those themes.

As a character, Atticus is ostensibly an anti-hero from an outside perspective, but a true villain from the view of his Noxian peers. Someone who goes out of his way to present himself as weak and undeserving. Who has great potential, yet squanders it, and enables others to do so as well. Who feels little to no personal duty to his country/city state. His hesitance in the face of violence is a flaw, rather than a virtue, and his apathy towards his own status is almost considered deviant. Even ignoring this perspective, he’s no saint; he’s a shameless womaniser and mostly reserves his concern for his own safety and those who directly rely on him; the men under his command while he was in the military, and his servants and staff as Steward of Talvos Hollow. Beyond that, while definitely skilled, Atticus has a habit of allowing his pride to get the better of him; of overestimating his own cunning, or underestimating his opponent’s intelligence.

With the current version of his kit, I tried show the balance that Atticus is meant to strike. On one hand, he’s legitimately a modestly skilled swordsman, which is shown in his Q and W; both abilities similar to what one might find on a normal skirmisher. On the other hand, he isn’t good enough to match blades with someone like Fiora, Yi or Yasuo in a straight contest, which is where the rest of his abilities come in. If Atticus can’t beat you with ‘dash in and basic attack’, he can nearsight you and hold you down, he can knock you away and run, or he can call in his friends to beat you up.

##Lore

Quick Lore

It’s easy to underestimate Atticus D’Avalos, with his foppish demeanour and decidedly un-noxian fixation with leisure. Well known for his fondness of beautiful women and penchant for lavish parties, many dismiss the Steward of Talvos Hollow as a wastrel riding the coattails of his late father. Though reluctant to lock blades, Atticus is far more dangerous than his reputation suggests. With hands uncannily at ease holding both blade and pistol, paired with a keen tactical mind that rivals, and perhaps even exceeds, that of the Grand General himself, the Scoundrel in Silk is one of the few men left, both willing and able to stand against the threats Noxus faces from within.

Extended Lore

Of General D’Avalos’s twin children, it was always his daughter, Aleena, who drew praise and notice. She was possessed of that same ruthless ambition that once propelled her father to such a lofty position, supported by her peerless swordsmanship. Her brother, Atticus, on the other hand, lacked the killer instinct that Noxus celebrated and nurtured. Though he absorbed his tutors’ lessons in bladework and military tactics, attempts to instil discipline seemed a lost cause. While his teachers rarely found him acting in open defiance, he’d cultivated a reputation for disrespect and disinterest, even if none could pin down the exact reason why. For this, Aleena held nothing but scorn for her brother. Even as she pushed herself at every task her tutors presented her with, for the honour of her own name and her father's, his disinterest mocked her. Even when their tutors pitted them against each other, he treated his inevitable losses with a nonchalance that betrayed his lack of effort.

She was not the only one to recognise Atticus's growing problem. The general knew well that his son's talent with the blade was only exceeded by his indifference to its practical use. Such an attitude would see his end, whether it be on the blades of the enemy or by court martial and execution. Rather than try to curtail his attitude problem, his father decided to have him lean into it.

Three days after his twelfth birthday, Atticus was introduced to his true mentor, former-Captain Jackson Bligh. Twenty years had passed since the man’s heyday as an infamous swashbuckler and on-and-off spy, but he was still held in that same regard among those who remembered. For those who didn’t, he was little more than a drunken lech, living only off only the kindness of others. Under his rather unconventional tutelage, Atticus learned how to aim a pistol, how to conceal a knife and the proper technique for a low blow, among other things. More importantly, he learned how to manipulate others with more than just words. How to present himself as guilelessly well-intentioned, endearingly inept, foolishly arrogant, or unambitious yet confident. He would train under the old captain till the day he was marched off to join Noxus’s finest.

Having learned well, Atticus found himself slowly climbing the ranks without ever truly drawing attention to himself. He made sure to ingratiate himself with a few critical individuals, while appearing as unthreatening as possible to his peers. As his commanding officers recognised the natural talent for strategy hidden beneath his facade, his need to advise and survive won out over his desire to remain in the background, and he found his judgment tapped by his direct superiors. Even as he found himself pushed into leading his own troops, he continued to disarm and endear as best he could, all the way until his six compulsory years were up. With that, Captain Atticus D’Avalos returned home.

With his father growing infirm as a thousand battlefields caught up with him, Atticus took over stewardship of Talvos Hollow. An adequate administrator by most accounts, Atticus allowed himself to indulge in all the vices he’d heard his mentor praise. Fine wine. Exotic food. Beautiful women.

It was not to last.

In the meantime, his sister had been distinguishing herself as a force to be reckoned with, despite a certain lack of strategic prowess. So much so, that she’d caught the eye of those like-minded. As she'd been taught, she leapt at the opportunity for the power she so rightly deserved. Acting as one of their many agent, she proved her use and reliability, earning her schooling in dark magic and the favour of her new masters. With a reckless zeal, she entombed herself in their rules and philosophies, as only a convert can.

By the time she received her own father as a target, to remove one more dissenting voice from the council, she followed through without question.

Atticus hadn't realised how much he'd cared for his father. While they'd never been fully on the same wavelength, there had been an understanding that Atticus rarely found, with his masks and affects. One of the very few he had left.

Despite the grief that would continue to visit him when alone in the small hours of the night, it wasn’t difficult for Atticus to uncover the culprit. Rather than a clean assassination, there'd been a short duel. Sabres, as was his father's preference. Most wouldn't allow their victim such an honour. Nor would many be victorious, aging as he was. Indeed, the weapon was almost his family's speciality...

It didn't take much for Atticus to grow suspicious.

Quickly forging connections with gold, his sister was the first to be investigated. Though his men couldn't find a smoking gun, the threads that lead from her were perhaps even more important.

And it seemed the threads went everywhere.

Basic espionage wasn't enough. Some of the names he'd linked were the sort who'd sniff out any mundane spy, and would already have their claws in anyone more unconventional. More than that, they were the sort who could easily have him done away with if they even caught a whiff of his suspicions.

And so, just as he had been taught to do, Atticus leaned into his reputation.

It began with a few invitations to those he knew would accept. Fine dinner and socialisation. It would begin with that common mix of pleasure and business, before moving into more dangerous topics. A word in the ear of a few who might know. A word of advice to those who might be next. A comforting lie to those on the take. From there, the parties grew. It ceased to be an intimate personal process. Gossip spread. D’Avalos was always a shallow twit, they would say behind his back. Of course he would waste money frivolously, now that no-one could hold him accountable.

As the Noxian elites were brought together in such a confined space, lubricated with their host’s wine, a smart and cunning man (even if he did say so himself) might just hear something.

Eventually, he knew someone would take notice.

Regardless, he pressed on.

Every man has somewhere he has to take a stand. Even a scoundrel like me.

Long Knives

[Under construction]

##Statistics

Health: 570 – 2083 (+89) Health Regen: 7.25 – 16.6 (+0.55) Mana: 300 – 980 (+40) Mana Regen: 9.55 – 23 (+0.85) Range: 175 Attack Damage: 60 - 119.5 (+3.5) Attack Speed: 0.644 + 1.5% – 25.5% (+1.5%) Armour: 22.4 – 60 (+2.8) Magic Resistance: 32.1 – 53.4 (+1.25) Movement Speed: 345

##Abilities

Passive – Cheap Shot

Atticus has two off-hand weapons he can wield; a pistol and a dagger. After using an ability, his next basic attack gains an additional effect based on the off-hand equipped.

Pistol: Atticus’s next basic attack gains 425 range, but the damage is reduced by 20%. If the target is an enemy champion, the attack rattles them, reducing their damage output by 95% for 0.75 seconds. This effect can only be applied once every 20 / 16 / 12 seconds per target.

Dagger: Atticus’s next basic attack deals 20 – 88 (+30% Bonus AD) bonus physical damage, but his attack range is reduced by 50. If the target is an enemy champion, the attack slows their movement speed by 95% for 0.75 seconds. This effect can only be applied once every 20 / 16 / 12 seconds per target.

Atticus can switch between weapons by clicking on his passive or reactivating the ability that triggered Cheap Shot if it's on cooldown.

Q – Flèche

Atticus dashes a fixed distance in target direction, dealing physical damage to the first enemy he passes through. If Flèche’s damage exceeds 20% of the target's current health, Atticus may re-cast it for no cost within the next 4 seconds. This may repeat any number of times.

Enemies damaged by Flèche take 50% damage from subsequent re-casts.

Damage: 60 / 95 / 130 / 165 / 200 (+80% Bonus AD) Cost: 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70 Mana Cooldown: 8 / 7.5 / 7 / 6.5 / 6 Seconds Dash Range: 525 Dash Speed: 1600 + Movement Speed

W – Disfigure

After a 0.35 second delay, Atticus makes a lightning fast cut, dealing physical damage to all enemies in front of him. Any champion damaged by Disfigure will suffer a scar upon their health bar at 75% of their current health. As long as the target’s health is above the scar, their armour is reduced by 40% and Atticus’s basic attacks are guaranteed to critically strike for bonus damage.

The scar will slowly move up the target’s health bar over time, at a rate of 1.5% of the their maximum health each second until it reaches 100% and fades.

Damage: 80 / 120 / 160 / 200 / 240 (+80% Bonus AD) Critical Strike Damage: 120% / 130% / 140% / 150% / 160% (+80% Bonus Critical Strike Chance) Cost: 70 / 75 / 80 / 85 / 90 Mana Cooldown: 12 Seconds Range: 450 Cone Width: 70°

E – Cunning Ploy

Atticus throws his cloak, snaring and applying nearsight to the first enemy it collides with.

Atticus’s next basic attack against the target within 4 seconds will cause him to blink to near his maximum attack range away from the target.

Nearsight/Snare Duration: 1.25 / 1.5 / 1.75 / 2.0 / 2.25 seconds Cost: 40 / 45 / 50 / 55 / 60 Mana Cooldown: 13 / 11.5 / 10 / 8.5 / 7 Seconds Cast Range: 750 Blink Range: 750 Projectile Width: 125 Projectile Speed: 1300

R – Waylay

Atticus hires a squad of mercenaries to guard target location. After 1.5 seconds of entrenching themselves, the mercenaries will become camouflaged, lying in wait for up to 45 seconds. If an enemy champion enters range, the mercenaries will break cover and fire upon all nearby enemies, dealing physical damage over time for 5 seconds.

Allied champions may also entrench themselves by standing in the area without acting for 1.5 seconds, gaining camouflage as long as they remain in place.

If revealed by an external effect, the mercenaries will disperse after 5 seconds.

Damage: 80 / 160 / 240 (+80% Bonus AD) per second Cooldown: 120 / 100 / 80 Seconds Cast Range: Infinite Trigger/Stealth Radius: 275 Damage Radius/Vision Radius: 550

Changelog 31/7/17 - Posted! + Added Statistics 1/8/17 - Bonus ArPen on Cunning Ploy reduced to 80% from 100% & projectile speed reduced to 1300 from 1400. Added vision radius to Waylay. Reduced damage ratio on Concealed Blade's active from 60% to 50%. Reduced damage on enhanced auto-attack from 30 / 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 (+40%) to 20 / 45 / 70 / 95 / 120 (+30%), but added ability to Critically Strike. 2/8/17 - Reduced Bonus Crit ratio on Cunning Ploy from 100% to 80%. Added ability for Flèche critically strike (for 50% bonus damage). Rewrote some of the extended lore. 3/8/17 - Massive rework to all abilities but ultimate.