Baloria – The Rift Dancer

Lore:

Deep within the void an anomaly happened; Viktor’s experiment was nearly a success. His subject show high compatibility with the Void. Within her the dark apocalyptic destinies were twisted, fused, an incubated. Baloria never asked for this, she never wanted to be here. Upon seeing the alleged successful experiment Vel’Koz’s curiosity piqued, he wanted to study her. Seething with much more than just the knowledge that Vel’Koz sought Baloria was unstable from her newly surging power. It gave her great control over the void, bending it to her command; however her mind was slipping away. In a failed attempt to consume her Vel’Koz took the only thing she could hold on to, her soul.

Instantly Baloria’s thoughts became clear as only the void echoed within her mind. Fortunately Vel’Koz failed to completely remove her soul, no matter how many times he tried to consume her Baloria’s soul would always try to return. Never able to become fully whole with her soul again Baloria could no longer be controlled; she seemly lost all that she was. Now driven by the destinies of the Void Baloria arrived in Runterra looking only to destroy it. Knowing he could no longer retain Baloria, Vel’Koz made a vessel, a child for reasons unknown. When warned of the approaching evil, Jayce called forth his resistance to prepare for the upcoming battle. Unexpectedly Jayce is visited by Kassadin who seemed to have some connection with the events unfolding.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Champion----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Baloria – The Rift Dancer

Passive: Soulless Abyss – Hitting a target with Rebounding Soul applies a stack of Soulless Abyss. Upon 3 stacks Baloria’s next auto attack will cause the targets soul to burst, damaging it and enemies around it. Enemies damaged by the area of effect lose any stacks they may have. Stacks last 10 seconds and its counter is refreshed by auto attacks.

Q: Rebounding Soul – Baloria releases her soul as a line nuke, damaging all enemies and applying stacks of Soulless Abyss. Rebounding Soul will return to Baloria at the end of its range or the first enemy champion. Enemies hit by subsequent Rebounding Souls take 50% less damage. The farther way Baloria is from Rebounding Soul the quicker it returns.

Rebounding Soul will always return but will not follow Baloria through Temporal Rifts.

W: Void Resonance – In tune with the Void Baloria releases a cone of energy in front of her. Enemies hit will take damage, knocked back briefly, and turned facing away from Baloria. Enemy champions close to Baloria when hit will also be slowed.

E: Temporal Rift – Baloria summons a rift a set distance from her; simultaneously a second rift will be summoned near Baloria. If Baloria enters a rift she will be teleport to the second one. The rifts last 10 seconds and can only be used twice. Can only be casted after Rebounding Soul has been casted.

R: Spatial Paradox – Baloria summons a giant rift for 10 seconds that slowly pulls enemies toward it; simultaneously summoning a Temporal Rift near her if there are no others on the field. Enemies suffer a 60% movement speed slow when facing away from its center and a 60% movement speed buff when facing the rift. Enemies within the area of effect will also take damage over time. If an enemy champion reaches Spatial Paradox’s center they are teleported to the nearest Temporal Rift to Baloria and are stunned for 1.5 seconds. Can only be casted after Rebounding Soul has been casted.

Baloria can enter Spatial Paradox like a rift. Casting Spatial Paradox will refresh any previous Temporal Rifts currently on the field.

Ability Cohesion:

Baloria is a mid that excels in mobility and disruption. Her Q is her main farming/damage ability allowing her to harass her opposites. Thematically Baloria is only stable after casting her Q which in turn allows her to use E and R.

Her W has a short range as it only hits as a cone in front of her. W also has synergy with R, turning enemies around to face the paradox and causing them to be sucked in faster.

Baloria’s E is her trademark skill; think of it similar to Leblanc’s W. Her E will have a long cast time and can only be placed a set distance away. Once placed stepping into the rift will instantly teleport Baloria to the second portal. Baloria can enter exit then reenter a rift, though doing so will cause both rifts to close. Baloria can also use her rifts to land multiple Qs, this is achieved by entering a rift when Q is returning as Q will not enter rifts but always return to her. It should be noted that the further away Baloria is from her Q the faster it returns and is instantly returned at extreme distances.

Baloria’s R is the skill that is most team reliant. Similar to what Urgot’s ulti would look like with if it was aoe and only worked if a condition was met i.e. an enemy champion reaching the center of the paradox. Baloria can use her ultimate to reposition her enemies close to her and allowing her team to follow up. Her ultimate is dangerous to use alone but with a team can shut down areas such as baron pit as most enemy wouldn’t want to risk getting teleported.

Design Problems:

Baloria’s kit is on the complicated side and requires a great understanding of all of her abilities to be effective. Having Q follow Baloria can be a very fun mechanic but I have doubts on how this can be done while making sure the player never fills overwhelmed trying to juggle her Q. E and R can have a lot interplay but this system may be too convoluted and cause confusion. I’ve yet to figure out if having E at a set cast range is a good idea. I’m still brainstorming of a way to make sure the rules that apply to rift are clear to Baloria, her teammates, and her opponents.

Extra Ideas: Originally Baloria’s passive would also give a 30% movement speed buff upon immediately exiting a Temporal Rift for 1 second. I took it out due to all of the potential mobility she already has. I also had her R allow teammates to be teleported but it felt like her ultimate did too much and made it too convoluted.

Conclusion: Not really a conclusion I just would like to get some feedback on my first attempt to making a champ. I didn’t intend to write lore but I felt there was so much potential here I had to show what direction her lore could go. What do you guys think is the kit cool, too complicated, or maybe just boring/uninspiring?