Champion Concept: Hydra

This is a suggestion for a new champion: Hydra. Inspiration is from the old-school Ray Harryhausen serpentine Hydra from the 1963 movie "Jason and the Argonaughts"; **NOT **the Hydra of the video game "Age of Mythology" (which is just a brontosaurus with multiple heads).

Primary Role: Tank Secondary Role: Fighter

Innate Ability: Polycephaly Every four levels, Hydra grows another head, gaining bonus health, armor, and attack damage. If Hydra takes damage exceeding its bonus health, it loses the head associated with that bonus, reducing Hydra's health, armor, and attack damage until the lost head(s) regenerate.

The concept behind the passive is Hydra has the potential to scale up its health and armor to perhaps the highest innate levels of any champion in LoL. However, the cost:benefit/counterplay is - should Hydra lose a head by taking damage equal to or greater than that bestowed by the most recently-grown head - the bonus health, armor, and attack damage associated with that head are also lost. Heads regenerate over time, re-granting the health, armor, and attack damage bonuses. The scaling of the health, armor, and attack damage bonuses as well as the regeneration time are completely open to whatever is appropriate for game balance.

For example, let's say each head grants 250 health and 15 armor. At level eight, Hydra would have three heads for a total bonus of 500 health and 30 armor (the first head is not counted towards the bonus). Hydra takes 250 damage; the most recently-grown head is lost and - along with it - Hydra's health cap is reduced by 250 and it loses 15 armor. The lost head will regenerate over time and - once fully regrown - will again increase Hydra's health cap by 250 and armor by 15. Perhaps the lost head regrows when Hydra heals back up to 100% of its current health.

The bonuses granted by the heads are in addition to Hydra's naturally progressing health, armor, and attack damage that come from leveling up. The bonuses from the extra heads are not the only source of health, armor, and attack damage scaling for Hydra.

Q: Serpentine Strike Hydra lashes out at all nearby enemies, dealing bonus Physical Damage and gaining increasing Life Steal for each head Hydra has grown. The number of attacks which deal bonus Physical Damage and Life Steal are equal to the number of heads.

Using a 5% Life Steal per head and three heads as an example, Hydra's next three attacks would apply bonus Physical Damage and Life Steal for 15% each to all nearby enemies.

W: Entwine Hydra passively gains an Attack Speed bonus for each active head. When activated, Hydra sweeps its bifurcated tail at enemies, pulling them to it, but loses the passive Attack Speed bonus until Hydra recovers.

I suggest using a 10% attack speed bonus per head (inclusive of the first head). One head would grant 10% Attack Speed while five heads would grant 50% Attack Speed.

E: Encroaching Venom Hydra spits venom in a cone, damaging and slowing enemies more for each active head.

The damage and slow duration scale based on the number of heads Hydra has grown. Alternately, each head could apply its own unique effect. For example, with just one head, Encroaching Venom only damages. With two heads, it damages and slows. Three heads: damage, slow, and DoT poison. Four heads: damage, slow, DoT poison, and blind. Five heads: damage, slow, DoT poison, blind, and stun.

R: Lernaean Blood (ultimate) Hydra immediately regrows all missing heads, heals, and gains massive health regeneration for a short duration. While Lernaean Blood is active, Hydra will not lose any heads; even if health loss would dictate otherwise. When Lernaean Blood ends, Hydra will be left with a number of heads appropriate for its remaining health.

For the sake of illustration, let's assume Hydra has five heads and is at 100% health with 2,000 points. Hydra activates Lernaean Blood and enters a fight. During the battle, Hydra sustains 600 points of damage but doesn't lose any heads while the ultimate is active.

Eventually, Lernaean Blood ends and Hydra's health is down to 1,400. It immediately loses two heads; one for the first 250 points of Health loss and another for the second 250 points of Health loss. The remaining 100 points of Health loss isn't sufficient to cause the loss of a third head.

Potential Complications: The question that arises is what to do when Hydra buys items that increase Health. Does this bonus Health front-load over the Health granted by the additional heads or does the Health from the heads take precedence first?

For example, let's say Hydra has all five heads, granting 1,000 additional Health (250 Health per head, excluding the first head). Hydra buys Spirit Visage, gaining another 500 points of Health. On entering a fight, Hydra loses 500 points of Health. Does Hydra then lose two heads (250 Health per head x 2 = 500 Health) or does Spirit Visage cover the loss with its 500 bonus Health, saving Hydra from losing any heads?

I would argue in favor of bonus Health from items front-loading over the Health from Hydra's additional heads. Otherwise, Hydra will very quickly lose heads (and a significant portion of its effectiveness) every time it enters a fight.

If its decided the bonus Health from items will not (or can not, if there are technical limitations) be front-loaded over the bonus Health from Hydra's heads, then Hydra's head regeneration rate should be very rapid to counter-balance the performance hit it takes from losing them so easily.