Can we get a visual breakdown of Aphelios?

turkeyBACON·Nov 25, 2019·9 votes·14,135 views

Would it be possible to get a visual lead rioter on the Aphelios team to do a through discussion of how they came to develop him and his weapons? Would love a visual breakdown of him as a character and the direction they are taking the Lunari.

Understandably they are progressing the Lunari from Diana's ancient armor and crescent blade. Additionally they probably had to tone down his clothing to allow his weapons to read clearly in game but he's overall just not clicking together for me yet. His weapons feel off as they are more modern and alien/insectile than I would expect of a moon cult set in Runeterra.

https://na.leagueoflegends.com/sites/default/files/styles/scale_xlarge/public/upload/aphelios-ability-article.jpg?itok=M2DWBoNL

In any case, any discussion from the Riot team about his visual would be great to help me appreciate his visuals more.

32 Comments

RiotKindlejackNov 26, 201914 votes

Thanks for the invitation. I could go on for days about his design but I'll try to start with some reasoning around how we ended up where we did.

Off the bat your instincts are correct Aphelios' design had to be simple to support the weapons he carries as they need to be fairly clear at all times. I tried to fuse the robes of a religious priest with the classic look of a secret agent (tactical turtleneck!) to create a clear aesthetic that drives his theme. Comparing him to Diana I actually tried to carefully replicate the same materials seen in her design, but arranged very differently. She is a Rakkor raised by the Solari who found the ancient armour of the aspect of the moon - a warrior-avatar of the forgotten Lunari sect. By contrast Aphelios is a monk of sorts, equal parts minimalist utilitarian (the black suit) and divine ritualist (the holy robes). He's not dressed to take a hit, he's dressed to perform a ceremony. He is also dressed in the way of the modern Lunari which have likely made changes particularly because they are few and living in hiding. When they walk amongst the Rakkor they must hide their true selves so when they are free to wear what they want rich forbidden colours are on display. Were Diana welcomed to the modern Lunari I could see them dressing her similarly to Alune for a religious event, celebrating the return of their scion. I'll also just point out that LoL champions represent the most extraordinary characters in the world of Runeterra. They are the ones that really stand out from a background of fantasy tropes. LoR is a great example of what the rest of the world look like but in LoL we are focused on the exceptions to the rules.

The weapons were a much longer journey, being designed and redesigned over and over. Originally they were wholly moonsilver like Diana's blade. Diana's blade seems to be able to launch out beams of moonlight, so it's not at all a stretch to see that honed into a projectile weapon, but Aphelios is so different to the rest of the Lunari (and the Rakkor in general) we felt it needed a unique material. Something rare and potentially fragile, something only wielded by him, held and empowered by his sister's magic, something once enervated would be useless to allies and enemies alike. Shaping the moonstone was then a careful balance between the Lunari theme and the gameplay requirements. For each weapon I imagined how he would hold it and tried to connect them to weapons other marksman wield as a way to ensure that if you play LoL, playing as or against Aphelios you'd immediately have some idea of what was going to happen next (oh it's like Caitlyn's rifle, oh it's like Gnar's boomberang etc). Every day I'd have people come by and I'd ask them to guess what each weapon did until I was reliably getting correct answers. On top of that each one was tied to a celestial phenomenon - this served to further reinforce gameplay (Black hole has a CC effect) and give them a colour identity to support gameplay learning and recognition. I imagined the Lunari sort of like the Eldar in 40k, sculpting these smooth graceful shapes inspired by the phases of the moon, swooping crescents and curves of the phases, orbits of the moon, flow of the tides. The one additional element, a flourish added when they were weaponised, the carved ridges present on 4 of the 5 that mimic the shape of the flower 'moonbloom' from which Aphelios' tonic is drawn.

The weapons are very sci-fi, his whole aesthetic is quite future-fantasy, but that is a side of Mt Targon; at the base you have the hardy and Hellenistic Rakkor, but the higher you go up the mountain the more alien things become until you reach the top and touch a wholly unnatural space. Each character has different amounts of these two elements but bringing them together is what sets Mt Targon apart from other fantasy locales.

Crow NebulaNov 26, 20194 votes

Thank you for taking the time to explain your thought process. It's very helpful to understanding the character.

GreenLoreNov 26, 20192 votes

She is a Rakkor raised by the Solari who found the ancient armour of the aspect of the moon - a warrior-avatar of the forgotten Lunari sect

I feel like there is a certain irony in this. The aspect of the moon, who should be the central figure of the lunari, wasn't born as one of them and actually used to be a solari.

RiotKindlejackNov 26, 20194 votes

Imagine how it feels right. You live a life of devotion and your god chooses an enemy as their champion.

TarcathosNov 26, 20192 votes

{quoted}

Thanks for the invitation. I could go on for days about his design but I'll try to start with some reasoning around how we ended up where we did.

Off the bat your instincts are correct Aphelios' design had to be simple to support the weapons he carries as they need to be fairly clear at all times. I tried to fuse the robes of a religious priest with the classic look of a secret agent (tactical turtleneck!) to create a clear aesthetic that drives his theme. Comparing him to Diana I actually tried to carefully replicate the same materials seen in her design, but arranged very differently. She is a Rakkor raised by the Solari who found the ancient armour of the aspect of the moon - a warrior-avatar of the forgotten Lunari sect. By contrast Aphelios is a monk of sorts, equal parts minimalist utilitarian (the black suit) and divine ritualist (the holy robes). He's not dressed to take a hit, he's dressed to perform a ceremony. He is also dressed in the way of the modern Lunari which have likely made changes particularly because they are few and living in hiding. When they walk amongst the Rakkor they must hide their true selves so when they are free to wear what they want rich forbidden colours are on display. Were Diana welcomed to the modern Lunari I could see them dressing her similarly to Alune for a religious event, celebrating the return of their scion. I'll also just point out that LoL champions represent the most extraordinary characters in the world of Runeterra. They are the ones that really stand out from a background of fantasy tropes. LoR is a great example of what the rest of the world look like but in LoL we are focused on the exceptions to the rules.

The weapons were a much longer journey, being designed and redesigned over and over. Originally they were wholly moonsilver like Diana's blade. Diana's blade seems to be able to launch out beams of moonlight, so it's not at all a stretch to see that honed into a projectile weapon, but Aphelios is so different to the rest of the Lunari (and the Rakkor in general) we felt it needed a unique material. Something rare and potentially fragile, something only wielded by him, held and empowered by his sister's magic, something once enervated would be useless to allies and enemies alike. Shaping the moonstone was then a careful balance between the Lunari theme and the gameplay requirements. For each weapon I imagined how he would hold it and tried to connect them to weapons other marksman wield as a way to ensure that if you play LoL, playing as or against Aphelios you'd immediately have some idea of what was going to happen next (oh it's like Caitlyn's rifle, oh it's like Gnar's boomberang etc). Every day I'd have people come by and I'd ask them to guess what each weapon did until I was reliably getting correct answers. On top of that each one was tied to a celestial phenomenon - this served to further reinforce gameplay (Black hole has a CC effect) and give them a colour identity to support gameplay learning and recognition. I imagined the Lunari sort of like the Eldar in 40k, sculpting these smooth graceful shapes inspired by the phases of the moon, swooping crescents and curves of the phases, orbits of the moon, flow of the tides. The one additional element, a flourish added when they were weaponised, the carved ridges present on 4 of the 5 that mimic the shape of the flower 'moonbloom' from which Aphelios' tonic is drawn.

The weapons are very sci-fi, his whole aesthetic is quite future-fantasy, but that is a side of Mt Targon; at the base you have the hardy and Hellenistic Rakkor, but the higher you go up the mountain the more alien things become until you reach the top and touch a wholly unnatural space. Each character has different amounts of these two elements but bringing them together is what sets Mt Targon apart from other fantasy locales.

Hey Kindlejack,

Just wanted to take a sec to thank you, and all the Rioters who take the time to thoughtfully respond to the community like this. We all love this game (even if it sometimes sounds like wailing and gnashing teeth), and it is so cool to get these glimpses behind the curtain. In particular, I wanted to commend you for engaging with the community as much as you have lately. It is awesome! Keep being awesome!

[slayer-pantheon-thumbs]

RiotKindlejackNov 26, 20195 votes

My kid is sick so I'm watching the launch of Aphelios from home. It's been awesome to see the response! But yeah I have one hand free with my phone while I'm holding a sad baby so I have a bit more time than usual to write stuff :)

Also when I was on skins I'd have a lot to say pretty regularly but some champions take a looooong time in development and I don't have much to contribute to conversations in the interim. So I'll probably mostly be checking forums a lot more around the time projects I worked on launch.

Chromatic EagleNov 30, 20191 votes

I love how Riot has been incorporating sci-fi into traditional fantasy. Part of why I enjoy Kai'Sa.

mzicioDec 1, 20191 votes

But is his dance a Jojo reference yes or no?

RiotKindlejackDec 4, 20194 votes

RiotKindlejackNov 26, 201912 votes

I'd also just like to thank you for the way you've worded your post. It's totally fine if you don't like the way he looks even after some explanation, it's fine if you disagree with everything I say! But you've set the context, asked a question and framed your thoughts in a way that made it really easy for me to jump in and share my own thoughts about working on the champion.

turkeyBACONNov 26, 20193 votes

I just got back from work and haven't even started to read your first response, but thanks so much for replying at all!

AbiwonKenabiNov 25, 20192 votes

These weapons are practically made out of crescent shapes, I'm not really sure any other shape language would say "moon" better than that. I think Aphelios's weapons just look a little more sleek since they weren't designed 8 years ago by a completely different designer.

If you look at Diana's splash art, her blade is similarly made of mainly crescent shapes, its just not the same color, perhaps because of the lighting or perhaps because of Riot's splash style has changed a bit. I would say the silver parts of Aphelios' weapons more resemble Diana's. I can't remember, but is Diana's weapon made of moonstone? That could account for some of the differences in design.

RiotKindlejackNov 26, 20196 votes

Yeah Diana's weapon is made from moonsilver, which is the same material that the handles of Aphelios' weapons are crafted from, but not the main material which is moonstone. Moonstone is the rare stuff Nami is searching for. It's also a blade made for fighting, whereas these relics were more sculptural in nature - originally more like holy art pieces carved from the most sacred and precious material. They were only refined and set into moonsilver brackets after Alune and Aphelios unlocked their potential as focuses for her magical power.

AbiwonKenabiNov 26, 20191 votes

Ok, that seems right. I was thinking the handles looked like similar material to Diana's weapon. Thanks for the info!

zounetNov 26, 20191 votes

{quoted}

Yeah Diana's weapon is made from moonsilver, which is the same material that the handles of Aphelios' weapons are crafted from, but not the main material which is moonstone. Moonstone is the rare stuff Nami is searching for. It's also a blade made for fighting, whereas these relics were more sculptural in nature - originally more like holy art pieces carved from the most sacred and precious material. They were only refined and set into moonsilver brackets after Alune and Aphelios unlocked their potential as focuses for her magical power.

sorry, but what is the difference between moonstone and moonsilver? Does one come from spiritual magic and the other from celestial magic?

RiotKindlejackNov 26, 20193 votes

One is a silver metal forged in moonlight which imbues with a touch of magic, the other is a super-rare stone from a piece of the moon that broke off and embedded in the mountain aeons ago. The latter is evidently much more potent magically.

zounetNov 27, 20191 votes

{quoted}

One is a silver metal forged in moonlight which imbues with a touch of magic, the other is a super-rare stone from a piece of the moon that broke off and embedded in the mountain aeons ago. The latter is evidently much more potent magically.

Thx a lot really It s so nice to take all This time to answer us And Just ( my last question) is the Moon in material realm , in celestial realms or in both, since we now there is no " space " in runeterra?

RiotKindlejackNov 27, 20192 votes

No space? I can't keep up with our crazy lore XD

There must be space though, because there's a sun and a moon and comets, shooting stars, meteors... whoever said there's no space is making things very hard for themselves. Reality doesn't work on a fundamental level without space. Neil deGrasse Tyson would be ashamed.

To answer your question Interlocutioner informs me that the moon exists in both the material and spirit realm, and in that way is very special indeed.

YDy2ZkRq02Nov 27, 20192 votes

Just saying there's no space is kinda misleading. There is space, it just isnt part of the same plane of existence as Runeterra. Those things you said, sun, moon, comets, shooting stars and meteors, they exist, but they're on the celestial realm. There isnt a space like we understand it irl, rather they are something in the celestial realm(that can include a lot of things, including Aspects, Aspect of War/Pantheon was literally a constellation) and are seen in the physical realm as objects in the night sky. That's probally why Interlocutioner said the Moon existing in the physical and spiritual realms is special btw, other celestial objects probally exist only on the celestial realm, so being part of Runeterra instead of only the celestial realm makes the Moon special.

And who needs Neil deGrasse Tyson when you have World Runes shaping reality? Here are some quotes reinforcing that idea btw

An age ago, when time itself was young, the inhabitants of the celestial realm regarded the fledgling races of Runeterra with growing concern.

These creatures deviated wildly, unpredictably, and dangerously from the great designs intended for them by those above. The guidance and fates that had been woven into the night sky often went unseen...

Soraka bio

The Darkin’s god-killing blade was driven into Pantheon’s chest, a blow that carved the constellation of War from the heavens.

Pantheon bio

And though I am broken, and though the god is dead, I feel the power ignite once more in my spear, as the plume on my helm bursts alight. It is calling me to battle, as the Ra’Horak cast their spears once more.

And, for a moment, a star lost with the Constellation of War gleams brighter than the sun.

For Those Who Have Fallen

The celestial realm is not space. There is only one world in the setting, and that is Runeterra.

The Void is un-creation, and the celestial realm is creation. Mortals can't truly comprehend either, because we exist between them. If you go "up" from the surface of Runeterra, you will not leave the atmosphere and enter an empty vacuum. It is a world, but not a "planet".

Imagine the way folks thought about our world in the 15th and 16th centuries. It's like that (Except they were wrong, and this isn't!)

https://twitter.com/lauriegoulding/status/1172912381875249152?s=21

LordRedStone Nr1Nov 27, 20191 votes

And you wonder why people mistake you for a Rioter xD

YDy2ZkRq02Nov 27, 20191 votes

A Rioter using another Rioter's quote as proof lol

KazekibaNov 28, 20191 votes

Is Kindlejack not a Rioter?

LordRedStone Nr1Nov 28, 20191 votes

Oh he is, but Atgo is not. However there were some occasions where people thought he was a Rioter, due to his extensive lore knowledge, e.g. during the 10th anniversary Narrative Live Stream.

RiotKindlejackNov 28, 20192 votes

Well he's on vacation and I say there's space - that's where Pantheon goes when you press R!

Bioluminescence spent a long time ensuring the shape of Runeterra all made geologic and geographic sense as a real world. That kind of thing, weather, gravity, atomic particles, tides, elements like... everything stems from the fundamental rules of our own universe. Sure there's magic as well, and maybe no one living on Runeterra understands cosmology. But I don't think you can hand wave every physical interaction, chemical and biological, with 'it's magic'. Well, there sure seems to be magic celestial gods and a physical realm and a spirit realm and a god of death and demons so maybe it really is just that wild?

Look I'm sort of joking here and it's also just my personal attitude on fantasy worlds and their believability... the sort of fantasy that I can get behind. But really there doesn't need to be absolute answers imo, a fantasy world is going to be shaped by the beliefs of the characters in them, their culture, religions and speculation of a world that still contains the wonder of the unknown and inexplicable!

zounetNov 27, 20191 votes

{quoted}

No space? I can't keep up with our crazy lore XD

There must be space though, because there's a sun and a moon and comets, shooting stars, meteors... whoever said there's no space is making things very hard for themselves. Reality doesn't work on a fundamental level without space. Neil deGrasse Tyson would be ashamed.

To answer your question Interlocutioner informs me that the moon exists in both the material and spirit realm, and in that way is very special indeed.

can you explain because it was very difficult to understand , pls? https://twitter.com/lauriegoulding/status/1172912381875249152?s=21],

RiotKindlejackNov 28, 20192 votes

It seems just like Aphelios and Alune there are in a way two moons that are twins one in the physical realm and one in the spiritual realm. They are the same yet in different places, connected but never touching. I didn't help did I?

zounetNov 28, 20191 votes

{quoted}

It seems just like Aphelios and Alune there are in a way two moons that are twins one in the physical realm and one in the spiritual realm. They are the same yet in different places, connected but never touching. I didn't help did I?

Oh I think you didn t understand my question, my bas I Just wanted That you explain the link ( where a rioter said That There is no Space)

Crimson ZeppelinNov 25, 20191 votes

They said they are formerly artifacts that reveal their true form when they have a channeling source. Targonians are pretty "Alien" so I guess its ok.

turkeyBACONNov 25, 20191 votes

Wait are they artifacts from same time and place as Diana's? Or is Diana's strictly Lunari as opposed to Aphelio's being strictly Targonian? Now I'm more confused and I can't really do a deep dive since I'm at work.

Crimson ZeppelinNov 25, 20191 votes

{quoted}

Wait are they artifacts from same time and place as Diana's? Or is Diana's strictly Lunari as opposed to Aphelio's being strictly Targonian? Now I'm more confused and I can't really do a deep dive since I'm at work.

So basically Aphelios got his powers when the Solari raided a crucial gathering at a Lunari temple. I guess these gizmos were on the altar or something.