Zeph, The Sky Caller

The clouds fill the sky... lightning strikes the same places twice... Zeph is ready to fight...

Notice: Zeph here was submitted to the September CCC (Champion Concept Contest) and got 3RD PLACE!!! Check it out: CCC September Results. Thanks to SirArmaMalum for hosting the event and to all the judges who participated. There were tons of other cool concepts in the contest and I'm lucky to be 3rd. Please check them out!!

http://i.imgur.com/7Bd2rHS.jpg Note: A little sketch I drew to kindle the flame of imaginaton. There's a detailed description below if you choose to ignore the image if you don't like it xD. Other concept art is down below as an attachment. Anyways, enjoy!

#Last Updated: September 24th, 2014

Appearance

Zeph is a young man, in his mid-20s, and he rides a cloud (named Cloud). He has a Mantle of Decorum (like Karma's or Irelia's) floating on his back composed of clouds and a Weather Orb. He has light blue paintings all over his body. His eyes are light grey. He's bald. He has a red scarf. He wears something with various hanging parts on his legs with a dark blue coloring. He has half-pants (also like Karma's) covering one of his legs but not the other. He has straps tied on his arms and on his lower torso also. And he always has a Weather Orb floating above each of his hands.

Lore

Ionia used to be so different... When Noxus attacked Ionia, I was just a spoiled brat in my teens. But boy, the monks kept going on and on of how much power I had inside me and how I could even rival the powers of the ancient dragon protector of Ionia himself... I mean, what's the point of having all that power and not use it to defend ourselves before we're attacked? I just didn't see how the monks' "Inner Peace" deal was any good...

The day where that village was blown up by that hideous Zaun scientist working with Noxus, every monk on the monastery ran to me and told me to use what I had learned, that it was time to protect Ionia... Truth be told, I had no idea what kind of power I had in me... Sure! I... kind of... paid attention to class and I did my regular meditation... from time to time. I did feel I had it in me. I just didn't believe that I, Zeph, the orphan child left at the Elders Monastery of the Ionian Capitol's door, was destined to be that important in the bigger picture. I just cared about having a date every friday night honestly. And the paint they put on my body was just ridiculous! I looked like a girl. I mean, why paint me in light blue with circles and swirly stuff and.... what? Oh the story! Sure, sure.

So, that day, a warcry pierced through the whole valley. It was so deafening, everyone in the village could hear it. His voice was rough and tough... not as tough as me of course, but I still felt a little scared... a little. Ok, I hid under the table. But like I said, I was a brat. Turns out, he was one of Noxus' generals. The invasion was so well-organized they immediately had armies ready to attack after that first attack. They'd been planning it. I just couldn't feel the power in me. I couldn't. But then... that Karma girl showed up and blew the Noxian general to bits. No one could believe it... it was so weird. All that "Inner Peace" and stuff could be used as a weapon. And I loved it!

The monks didn't initially like it, but some of them even went as far as try to create an Ionian army! That was unheard of. But, the Karma girl, began to form a third party and became a member of the Elders. As soon as I heard of it, I ran to the Monastery and begged to join the revolution. Finally, I felt that power they talked about in me and I finally knew how to use it. I knew this was what I had been trained for!! And besides, the female monks in the Monastery are way cuter then the ones at the temple. ...what? It's true. 

So, there I was. On my knees at Karma's feet asking to join up. She felt the power in me and gave me the ancient Weather Orbs that were said to channel the power of Ao Shin himself. Bla bla bla "Channel your energy through them." yatta yatta yatta "Use them wisely!" durr "Stop behaving like a child!". And there I was! The Enforcer for the Elder Council! The Duchess of Ionia's body flippin' guard! But... they just had to paint me in light blue 'cause tradition and stuff... At least, I finally felt I could actually use all the techniques I was taught in the temple. And I even picked up a few tricks along the way. Like Cloud over here! I know... lame name, what can I say? I'm bad with names. Why do you think I asked to be called "the Sky Caller", huh?

But yeah! I had to come with Karma to Piltover to help her out with jurisdiction and that kind of stuff, and that's why I'm here. But, enough of me, tell me more about yourself, Ca... humm... Catherine was it? What...? What do you mean I'm an ace-in-the-hole? No wait, wait! Caitlyn! That's it! That's your name! Caitlyn! Come back cupcake!

Gameplay and Abilities

Base stats

HP: 380 (+80) HP5: 4.5 (+0.55) Mana: 250 (+50) Mana Regen: 7 (+0.6) Range: (Thunder Stance) 500; (Rain Stance) 400; (Wind Stance) 150 AD: 52 (+3) AS: 0.625 (+2.25%) Armor: 16 (+3.5) Magic Resist: 30 (+0) Movement Speed: 325

[P] - Weather Master

**Favorable Weather**: Whenever Zeph casts a *basic ability*, he changes *stances* and gains a *temporary passive* ability. Each of Zeph's basic attack stances are affected by Zeph's *Ability Power*:

Thunder Stance : Instead of scaling with AD, basic attacks deal 25/50/75/100 [at levels 1/6/11/16] (+0.5 AP) magic damage, instead of physical damage. Rain Stance : Basic attacks slow targets by (0.1 AP)% Wind Stance : Increases attack speed by (0.125 for every 100 AP)

**Weather Orbs**: Some abilities require Zeph to send out one of his *Weather Orbs*. Zeph can send out a maximum of **two** weather orbs at any given time, but has **three** in total. Losing an orb reduces Zeph's Attack Speed by 50%. When he has no orbs, he can't use basic attacks.

[Q] - Thunder Strike

Cost: 50/60/70/80/90 Cooldown: 1.5 Recharge time: 12/11/10/9/8 Range: 900 Width: (Center) 50-radius; (Full) 250-radius

**Active**: Zeph summons a *bolt of lightning* after a 0.25s windup in a target location dealing 70/95/110/135/160 magic damage (**+0.6 AP**)  in the center and leaving static around that does 60/90/120/150/180 (**+0.2 AP**) magic damage over 2.5 seconds. 

If *Thunder Strike* hits an enemy that is being affected by *Rain Cloud*'s slow or that is in **the River**, Thunder Strike also *stuns* for 2 seconds and deals full damage in the whole target area, instead of leaving static. 

Has **two charges**.

**Temporary Passive**: Zeph's mount, *Cloud*, turns into a *storm cloud* and leaves static that does a 50/75/100/125 [**at levels 1/6/11/16**] magic damage over 2 seconds wherever it passes through, for 5 seconds.

**Stance**: Zeph's basic attacks become **lightning bolts** he sends from the orbs he wields and gains *range*.

[W] - Rain Cloud

Cost: 40/50/60/70/80, 1 Weather Orb Cooldown: 1.5 Recharge time: 12/11/10/9/8 Range: 500 Width: 200-radius Speed (after manipulated): 200

**Active**: Zeph uses one of his *weather orbs* to summon a *rain cloud* on a target location for 6 seconds. The rain *slows enemy champions* by 25%/30%/35%/40%/45% for 2 seconds. 	*Rain Cloud* can be manipulated with *Wind Current* to make it move in the direction of the current, reducing it's slow but also leaving a trail of wet ground behind it, both slowing by 10%/15%/20%/25%/30% .

If *Rain Cloud* is hit with a *Thunder Strike* it turns into a *Storm Cloud*, refreshing the cloud's duration, and into a *Charged Storm Cloud* if hit again, causing lightning to appear every 3 seconds below it, **instead of rain**, dealing 80/115/150/185/220 (**+0.7 AP**) magic damage. A Charged Storm Cloud summons thunder every 1.5 seconds.

Has **two charges**.

**Temporary Passive**: Cloud turns into a *rain cloud* making the ground wet wherever it passes through, *slowing* enemies by 5%/10%/15%/20% [**at levels 1/6/11/16**].

**Stance**: Zeph's basic attacks become **water**, *losing some range*, but also **slowing** enemies on-hit.

[E] - Wind Current / Tornado

Cost: (Current) 40/50/60/70/80 (Tornado) 60/70/80/90/100, 1 Weather Orb Cooldown: 16/15/14/13/12 Range: 500 Width: 300 Length: 500

**Active**:
***1st Cast*** - Zeph summons a *wind current* in a target location and direction (*Vector Skillshot*; e.g. Viktor's E, Rumble's R) for 6 seconds. The *Wind Current* pushes **enemies**, **allies**, **clouds** and ***non-targetable projectiles*** in the target direction. Wind Current can't **slow allies** or **speed up** enemies. The wind is *stronger* the moment it is *cast*.

***2nd Cast*** - Zeph uses a *Weather Orb* to make the *Wind Current* become a *tornado* that sucks in **enemies**, ***non-targetable projectiles*** and **clouds**, but **not allies**. The tornado is *stronger* the moment it is *cast*. Wind Current and Tornado share durations. 

Additionally, allies can ride the tornado by right-clicking it and then choosing a direction they want to be launched to. Wind Tornado can be recast to end early.

**Temporary Passive**: Cloud becomes *faster*, making Zeph gain additional 15/30/45/60 [**at levels 1/6/11/16**] movement speed for 3 seconds. Triggers on **both** casts.

**Stance**: Zeph uses **wind blades** to attack making his basic attacks **melee**, and gaining extra *attack speed*. Aditionally he gains bonus 5/15/25/35 [**at levels 1/6/11/16**] **Armor** and **Magic Resist**.

[R] - Fog of War

Cost: 100, All Weather Orbs Cooldown: 180/160/140 Width: 1000-radius

Active: Zeph channels for 1.5 seconds and uses all three Weather Orbs to summon a huge cloud around a Charged Storm Cloud for 9 seconds. During the duration, Zeph can't use basic attacks. Enemies lose vision inside the cloud if they are outside, or outside the cloud if they are inside. All enemies take three bolts of lightning, that deal 100/175/250 magic damage (+0.5 AP), automatically during its duration if they are inside the cloud every 3 seconds. Each subsequent lightning strike hit on a champion does 20% more damage than the previous strike. If Zeph is killed during Fog of War, the ability will end abruptely.

Gameplay Notes

Zeph is - quite clearly - at home in the mid lane. He is what I like to call a control mage. Someone who doesn't have that many sources of damage. But he can use his abilities' utility to mold his surroundings to his will. Want someone farther away? Poke him with Thunder and Thunder Stance basic attacks. Want to push your lane hard? Use Wind Current to slow minions and send them back. Basically, the focus of Zeph is the utility of his abilities.

Speaking of Wind Current, this was the ability I knew just had to make to the final draft! I think it's so unique. You can use it to slow enemies. Speed up allies. Re-direct skillshots. And the second cast also feels quite unique to me. Allies clearly benefit with having a Zeph that can make tornados for them to use, on their team, and use them to easily travel across the map.

Now... how do I balance someone with so much utility?! Well, I'm not sure if he's balanced or not. But when I sketched his art, that you can see above, I came up with the idea of him losing his Weather Orbs, that he uses to do basic attacks, so he lost attack speed and didn't abuse his Thunder or Rain Stances mixed with crazy ammounts of utility.

His teamfights are pretty straightforward. Use Fog of War if you can, and if you can't, use Wind Current / Tornado to gain an advantage and follow with up with Thunder Strikes, using Thunder Stance to lay down tons of damage on the battlefield.

Bonus: Doom Bot version

Oh boy. This one is a pain in the butt. I basically thought how his abilities could become totally broken. So here it is. Zeph's doom bot.

[P] - Always has all his temporary passives on. Additionally, all Weather Orb costs from his abilities are removed. [Q] - Summons three lightning bolts in a line and always deals full damage in the full area and stuns. [W] - Summons Charged Storm Clouds instead of Rain Clouds [E1] - Summons three Wind Currents all in the same direction [E2] - Summons three tornados where the Currents were. Additionaly, the tornados do ticking damage. [R] - The cloud slows enemies inside.

This is probably too broken but let's face it... Ezreal's doom bot was worse than this.

Release Skin Ideas

Snowday Zeph: This is probably the skin I'd like to see for him before any other. His Rain Clouds become Snow Clouds. Instead of lightning bolts he casts giant icicles. And instead of normal wind he would summon a cold winter breeze.

He'd use a winter scarf of course. And put some clothes on xD. Possibly, a rain coat to match the hanging parts of his pants. Instead of the weather orbs he'd have snowballs or snowman heads.

Debonair Zeph: And this is the skin Zeph absolutely needs to have. He'd wear a white tuxedo and red tie of course. The jacket would have the lower hanging parts on it's back, to match Zeph's pants. And his ability effects would remain unchanged.

It'd be cool to see him get a new VO where instead of being full of himself, he'd be more galant with the ladies... different means, for the same goal x)

Now, my personal favorite: Quotes and Emotes

I'll leave out movement quotes to avoid a giant wall of text... more than it already is at least ^^

Upon Selection:

• "The clouds fill the sky... I'M READY TO FIGHT!!"

Jokes:

• Zeph gets on the ground and starts petting Cloud "Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy? You are... YOU ARE!"
• Zeph gets in front of Cloud and rehearses his joke "They warned me about this joke thing... here!" juggles his orbs just like Vel'Koz "Heh! Pretty good huh? What? What do you mean 'it's taken'?"
• "Ok, ready Cloud? Here's another one." Gets out of Cloud and walks on his orbs, just like Syndra "This one took me a whole week! Wait... what? It's taken too...?"

Taunts:

• Grabs his orbs tightly and electricity comes out "Who said lightning can't strike the same place twice? Not me!"
• Grabs his orbs tightly and gusts of wind starts channeling from his orbs "Hear that? It's the winds of change. And I'm guessing you're not with them."
• Grabs his orbs tightly and rain comes pouring down from his orbs, down his arms "Ever been in a storm that never seems to stop? I am one!"

Dance:

• He does the Gentleman, on top of Cloud.

Laugh:

• "You? Hahahahah Fight...? Hahah Me?! HAHAHAHH"
• "Me? Hahahahaahahah Not that...? Hahah Attractive? HAHAHAHAH"
• "You? Hahah Stand a chance?! HAHAHAHAHAHAH Gimme a break..."

Recall:

• Starts flying sideways in circles, then stops for a while, slowly rising upwards, then swiftly flies up and goes to base

Special Interactions:

• Joke near allied : "Hey, cupcake. You can arrest me, anytime!" wink
• Taunt an enemy : "So I'm an ace-in-the-hole, huh, cupcake? We'll see about... What? That's not what you said?"
• Joke near allied : "Noxian, it's you're lucky day because I'm casting our differences aside so YOU, can date ME!" wink
• Taunt an enemy : "Noxian! It's a shame really... All that beauty!! Wasted!"
• Joke near allied : "Wow! Did anyone ever tell you, you have a charming personality?" wink
• Joke near allied : "I like your style... A little extreme. But, just a little." wink
• Joke near allied : "Hey! Is that blue-haired chick your sister?? HOT! Oh... humm... your hot too, officer." wink
• Joke near allied : "Hey boss, did anyone ever tell you, you're... Oops! Don't wanna get myself fired... Sorry, boss! ...I was gonna say hot though." wink
• Taunt an enemy : "Hey boss! Just so you know, nothing personal! Don't fire me..."
• Joke near allied : "Hey, foxy! Wait? Is that a tail...?!? That's... humm... cool." wink
• Taunt an enemy : "Hey, foxy! Go ahead. Charm me!"
• Joke near allied : "Hey! Syndra... You have orbs. I have orbs. Wanna... hang out?" wink
• Taunt an enemy : "Hey! My orbs are way better than yours!"
• Taunt an enemy : "Hey Irelia! Show me your moves!"
• Taunt an enemy : "Sorry we have to do this Irelia... I'll still win though!"
• Taunt an enemy : "Hey man! Still a monk or what? We'll see how well you fight!"
• Taunt an enemy : "You fight good... for a monk!"
• Taunt an enemy : "I met your brother! He's super annoying!"
• Taunt an enemy : "Noxian! You're already dead!"
• Taunt an enemy : "Draaaaaaven... riiiiiiiight..."
• Taunt an enemy : "Draven, you're gonna suffer my... wait... Draaaaaaaaaven, you're gonna suffer my wraaaaaaaaaath! That's better."
• Taunt an enemy : "Hey! 'Suo! I'm supposed to hunt you down! Hehe..."
• Interacting with Ao Shin: "Wow.... it really is you..."
• Interacting with Ao Shin: "Ao Shin..... Ionia's protector... it's you."
• Taunt an enemy Ao Shin: "They said my power could rival yours... Let's do this!!"

Casting Thunder Strike:

• "Bring down the thunder!"
• "Bzzzt!!! Hehe"
• "Lightning, come forth!"

Casting Rain Cloud:

• "Time to get wet!"
• "Clouds, hear me!"
• "Cloudy with a chance of a storm!"
• "Look Cloud! It's your bro!"

Casting Wind Current:

• "Winds, I cast you onward!"
• "Calm breeze, before the storm!"
• "Let's open a window!"

Casting Fog of War:

• "I call upon your power, Ao Shin!"
• "By the ancient will of Ao Shin!"
• "Bring down the lightning!!"
• "FACE, THE EYE OF THE STORM!"

Notes

• The thing he has floating on his back is known as a "Mantle of Decorum" an Ionian decoration of very high value. Both Karma and Irelia have one too! But this one is special since it's made of clouds ;)
• Speaking of Irelia, she's the only woman he doesn't have a thing for! And she's also his best friend! Weird, huh? Interesting, in the very least!
• The paint he has all over his body is inspired by Karma's tatoos and Irelia's armor's design.
• He's a ladies' man.
• Yeah! His cloud is named Cloud. Get over it!
• He's awesome! According to himself. But he may have some more emotional depth to him.
• He's an orphan, but his parents may or may not be someone we already know...
• SirArmaMalum hosted a Champion Concept Contest in September and I decided to run with this champion concept I had hidden away on my notebook for a while! Got 3rd place! ^^

Edits

Hey! I'm just gonna go ahead and list any edits I make to Zeph's post here, based on feedback and on ideas I come up with in the meantime! Here it is:

September 2nd, 2014

Balance changes:

• Changed his Wind Current (E) and Fog of War (R) abilities so they couldn't debuff allies or buff enemies. This was so that his design philosophy could be more in sync with Riot's design philosophy.

Miscellaneous:

• Added in his sketch art. It was initially there but for some reason didn't go live with the post.
• Spelling corrections and some tweaks to the post's aesthetic.

September 3rd, 2014

Balance changes:

• Changed the Doom Bot portion, so it would fit with the balance changes done to Wind Current and Fog of War in the day prior's edit.

Miscelaneous:

• Added in a new special interaction with Syndra. ;)
• Spelling corrections.

#September 5th, 2014

Balance changes:

• Removed Wind Current's third cast (E) and changed it's second cast accordingly. After some thought and feedback from another source, it became clear that while his kit was complex as originally intended, it could also become complicated. As such, I decided to remove Wind Burst since it wasn't nearly as important as the Wind Current or Wind Tornado parts of the ability.
• Removed Wind Burst from Doom Bot portion accordingly

Miscellaneous:

• Updated his lore to reflect Riot's quite recent retcon of lore that removed the League and Summoners as a core part of the Lore. Also, added a joke to the last paragraph that quite honestly, didn't know how I didn't come up with before.
• Added in a ton to the quote section (renamed "Quotes and Emotes"). Added a selection quote. Replaced his dance. The old dance has been updated to become his recall. Added quotes for casting abilities. New special interactions! (Check out Caitlyn's taunt... it's the best!) And edited some of the old ones to match the length of the other jokes and taunts and to add comical value... hopefully. x)
• Spelling corrections and some tweaks to the post's aesthetics

#September 6th, 2014

Balance Changes:

• Added numbers!!! Added ability scalings, damage numbers and base stats. For real this time!!! Looking for feedback with this particular change. It changes up some abilities quite a bit.
• Changed Fog of War (R) so that Zeph doesn't remain invulnerable during the duration. This change was made so that there was some counterplay to his ultimate, since it offers a huge advantage for your team AND a free Zhonya's that lasts 9 seconds. This change was also made, so that there wouldn't be 5v4+cloud teamfights, and that there would be more of a 5v5 situation. Due to the huge advantage and damage his ultimate can offer, he can't use basic attacks or abilities that cost Weather Orbs during its duration [mainly Rain Cloud (W) and Wind Tornado (E)] and, aditionally, killing Zeph during the ultimate ends it abruptely.
• Removed the global portion of his ultimate from the Doom Bot portion. After doing some math with the new numbers... it was just too broken to make it global, because Zeph's Doom Bot probably could make Pentakills at level 6, so I nerfed it!
• Improved clarity on his Q in Doom Bot portion. While this technically isn't a change, to some people it might be, so I'll just post it here.

#September 7th, 2014

Miscellaneous:

• Added a new sketch art that better reflects Zeph's personality and looks. It also changes up some of his details, such as his bodypaint. Color was... hard to add, so I didn't. My scanner didn't work too well, but after editing around with contrast and luminosity, I think it looks well enough. The old concept art, that was posted before, was added as an attachment below. Hope you like it! :D (I'll probably add some color description later on to better clarify what he looks like in colors.)

#September 9th, 2014 Balance Changes:

• Nerfed Thunder Strike's (Q) damage from 70/110/140/170/200 (+0.7 AP) to 70/95/110/135/160 (+0.6 AP).

Miscellaneous:

• Added a detailed description of his appearance. This was so that people who didn't like my art in black and white could have a better grasp of what Zeph would look like.
• Did some reimagining for Release skins for Zeph and added a Debonair Zeph concept. Debonair Zeph just had to be a thing with his charming personality around the ladies.
• Tweaks to the post's aesthetics, to make it easier for the eyes. x)

Message:

• The CCC has officially begun, and I'd like to wish all my fellow competitors and concepteers good luck and thank SirArmaMalum for this awesome opportunity and hosting this event!

#September 16th, 2014 Miscellaneous:

• Added a "Last Updated" date to inform people of when he was last updated ... obviously! x) Since this update was really small, I won't update the "Last Updated" date.

#September 23rd, 2014 Miscellaneous:

• Added a better quality sketch, to help kindle the flame of imagination. The old one was victim to a bad scan, but then I got the idea of using a pen and it worked just fine this time around! It didn't quite reach the quality of the other one, but in terms of the scan it's way better!! Old one is still down beloy for you to enjoy! ;)

#September 24th, 2014 Miscellaneous:

• CCC HYPE!!!!! Added a notice to inform people about how Zeph was entered to the contest!

Message:

• Thank you SirArmaMalum, judges and concepteers that participated in this wonderful event!!! It was loads of fun! See you in October...