{CDC 13} Ulrezaj, Vengeful Dark Archon [Cult]

Ulrezaj is a semi-complex Ranged Bruiser/Mage who must constantly balance offense and defense. He utilizes a unique resource of Unstable Energy, which comprises both his Health and Mana, and decays over time, forcing Ulrezaj to constantly drain more Unstable Energy from any nearby units he can to sustain himself.

(As a note since I have no idea where to casually slip this in; Ulrezaj would most definitely side with the Raven Lord in the current conflict, given all of his foes would almost certainly side against the Raven Lord, and his desire for vengeance is basically all that’s left of him.)

Statistic Value
Unstable Energy 3200(+4%/level)
Unstable Energy “Regeneration” -10.00/s(+4%/level)
Attack Damage 120(+4%/level)
Attack Speed 0.88
Attack Range 5.5

[D] - Unstable Form
Passive - Ulrezaj’s form is highly unstable, more so than most Dark Archons due to being composed of far more Dark Templar. Ulrezaj’s health and resource are one and the same, referred to as Unstable Energy, which has a higher than normal cap, but decays over time, forcing Ulrezaj to find ways to sustain himself. Healing Fountains and Regeneration Globes treat Unstable Energy as Health for their restorative values, which are increased by 50% for Ulrezaj. Healing from allies on Ulrezaj is only 50% as effective, but restores Unstable Energy just as it would restore Health, otherwise. Shields stack on top of Ulrezaj’s Unstable Energy as normal, but do not absorb his natural decay or costs. Ulrezaj’s basic attacks restore 100% of their damage as Unstable Energy.

Active - Ulrezaj begins to focus his power into stabilizing himself for up to 5 seconds. For each second channeled, Ulrezaj regains 5% of his maximum Unstable Energy, and additionally draws more energy from nearby enemy minions, dealing 5% of their current health in damage each second and adding that to the regained energy.

Radius - 3.5
Cooldown - 20 seconds.

[Q] - Chaotic Torrent
While held, Ulrezaj channels a torrent of Psionic energy in a cone, dealing 55(+4.25%/level) damage to all enemies inside every 0.25 seconds. Costs Unstable Energy on every tick of damage. Chaotic Torrent follows Ulrezaj’s cursor.

Cone Size - 60°, 3.5 Length.
Cooldown - 0.5 seconds.
Cost - 35 Unstable Energy/tick.

[W] - Dark Feast
Ulrezaj prepares for 0.25 seconds, before drawing the energy of all enemies in the targeted area. All enemies inside take 260(+4%/level) damage, and Ulrezaj’s Unstable Energy is restored by 50% of the damage dealt to Minions and Monsters and 100% of the damage dealt to Mercenaries and Heroes.

Cast Range - 6.0
Radius - 1.6
Cooldown - 10 seconds.
Cost - 120 Unstable Energy.

[E] - Oblivion Rush
Ulrezaj embraces the Void, entering an Unbreakable Stealth for 1 second, gaining 40% increased movement speed and ignoring unit collision during that time. After exiting Stealth, Ulrezaj unleashes a maelstrom of psionic energy around him, dealing 240(+4%/level) damage to nearby enemies, applying Confusion to them for 0.75 seconds and a 30% slow for 1.5 seconds.

Confusion - Enemies have their movement direction from movement commands and mobility abilities inverted.

Maelstrom Radius - 2.75
Cooldown - 12 seconds.
Cost - 140 Unstable Energy.

[R1] - Maelstrom
Ulrezaj overloads the targeted area with immense psionic energy, interfering with nearby enemy heroes. Whenever an enemy hero attempts to cast an ability within Maelstrom’s radius, the ability casts as normal, but the hero who cast it takes 200(+4.25%/level) and is silenced for 1 second. Maelstrom lasts as long as Ulrezaj channels, up to 5 seconds, and Ulrezaj can act normally while Maelstrom is active.

Cast Range - 3.5.
Radius - 3.5.
Cooldown - 100 seconds, after Ulrezaj stops channeling it.
Cost - 180 Unstable Energy/second.

[R2] - Hysteria
Ulrezaj channels for 0.5 seconds, before unleashing a powerful pulse of energy in the targeted area. Non-structure enemies in the radius are overwhelmed, causing them to become Taunted to the nearest unit of their ‘type’(Heroes to heroes, minions to minions, etc.), switching to the next-nearest if their target dies. Enemies under the effects of Hysteria can deal a maximum of 350(+4%/level) damage to allies before their attacks cease dealing damage, though they remain taunted. Ulrezaj regains 30% of all damage dealt by the enemy team to other members of the enemy team as Unstable Energy. The effects of Hysteria last for 1.25 seconds on Heroic enemies and 5 seconds on non-Heroic enemies.

Cast Range - 5.0.
Radius - 2.4.
Charges - 3.
Cooldown(Between Casts) - 6 seconds.
Cooldown(Charges) - 50 seconds. Charges recharge one by one.
Cost - 60(+4%/level) Unstable Energy on cast, 140(+4%/level) Unstable Energy on trigger.

Talent Tree

Tier 1|Level 1
(!)Seven As One - Quest: Gather 14 Regeneration Globes.
Quest: Achieve 7 Takedowns.
Quest: Kill 49 Minions.
Quest: Deal 7777 Hero Damage.
Quest: Generate 7777 Unstable Energy.
Quest: Hit enemy heroes with 49 Abilities.
Quest: Inflict 28 instances of Crowd Control to heroes.
Reward: For each quest completed, Ulrezaj’s basic abilities gain 7% increased Spell Power. Upon completing 4 quests, Ulrezaj’s base cooldowns are reduced by 10%. Upon completing all 7 quests, Ulrezaj’s abilities gain an additional 1% Spell Power and additional 10% decrease on base cooldowns.

Wrath of Ulrezaj - For every 100(+4%/level) of Ulrezaj’s Unstable Energy that decays naturally, Ulrezaj gains a stack of Wrath of Ulrezaj, up to 3. Ulrezaj’s next basic attack against heroes triggers Wrath of Ulrezaj, slowing them by 15% per stack for 2 seconds and consuming all stacks.

Memories of the Alys’aril - For every 1% of Ulrezaj’s Unstable Energy remaining, he gains 0.4% increased cooldown recharge rate.

Khalis Focus - The restoration of Healing Fountains and Regeneration Globes on Ulrezaj are increased by an additional 50%, but he can no longer receive allied healing.

Tier 2|Level 4
Feast of Energy - Whenever an enemy dies near Ulrezaj, he recovers Unstable Energy; 1.25% of maximum for Minions, 2% for Mercenaries, and 10% for Heroes. This recovery is doubled if Ulrezaj participated in killing the enemy.

Range - 8.0

Focused Instability - When Ulrezaj is channelling Unstable Form with no enemy minions in range, he may channel it for up to 10 seconds, but its natural Unstable Energy per second is reduced by 1% regardless of nearby minions.

Call to Oblivion - Enemy heroes hit by the maelstrom of Oblivion Rush are marked, causing Ulrezaj to recover 30% additional Unstable Energy from hitting that hero for 5 seconds.

Consuming Rage - Ulrezaj damages nearby enemies for 15 damage per second, healing for 50% of the damage dealt. The damage and range of Consuming Rage increased by 2% for every 1% of Ulrezaj’s Unstable Energy that’s missing.

Radius - 1.75

Tier 3|Level 7
Overcharged Form - All Unstable Energy generated past Ulrezaj’s maximum is stored as Overcharge, up to 1000(+4%/level). Ulrezaj’s basic attacks against heroes will consume 500(+4%/level) Overcharge to stun their target for 0.6 seconds. Overcharge absorbs Ulrezaj’s decay.

Relentless Torrent - The first time Ulrezaj would be interrupted while channeling Chaotic Torrent, he instead becomes Unstoppable for 0.25 seconds, and for the next second, Chaotic Torrent hits all around Ulrezaj, dealing 25% increased damage. Relentless Torrent has a 30 second cooldown.

Dark Vortex - Dark Feast’s cast time is increased by 0.25 seconds. While Dark Feast is casting, enemies in a 50% increased radius are drawn towards the center of its cast point at a rate of 2.42 units per second.

Fist of Ulrezaj - After casting Oblivion Rush, Ulrezaj’s next basic attack within 3 seconds is melee, strikes for 50% additional damage, and silences the target for 1 second.

Tier 4|Level 10
See [R1]/[R2] above.

Tier 5|Level 13
Pure Void - Ulrezaj’s basic attacks become Spell Damage and benefit from Spell Power(attack damage) and cooldown recharge rate(attack speed), but receive no benefit from normal increased Attack Damage or Attack Speed. In addition, Ulrezaj’s basic attacks splash in a radius of 1.8 for 40% damage.

Power Overwhelming - Chaotic Torrent consumes up to 150% additional Unstable Energy based on how much Ulrezaj has to deal up to 100% additional damage, down to 37.5% more and 25% more minimum when Ulrezaj is at 50% or less Unstable Energy.

Devour the Frail - Enemies under the effects of Roots, Stuns, or Silences take 40% increased damage from Dark Feast.

Malevolent Feedback - The maelstrom of Oblivion Rush leaves behind a field of unstable energy that explodes after 2 seconds, dealing damage and applying effects like an untalented Oblivion Rush.

Tier 6|Level 16
Void-Touched Energy - After regaining Unstable Energy, Ulrezaj gains 40 Physical Armor for 3 seconds. This effect has a 7 second cooldown, starting after its effects end.

Numbing Energy - Enemies that take damage from Chaotic Torrent have their Spell Power reduced by 2% per tick of Chaotic Torrent’s damage, up to 40% maximum. This Spell Power reduction lasts for 1 second after they stop receiving damage from Chaotic Torrent.

Veil of Shadows - Ulrezaj gains 320(+4%/level) shields after casting Dark Feast, increased by 50% per enemy hero hit, up to 100% additional shields. Shields from Veil of Shadows persist for up to 6 seconds before dispersing.

Touch of the Void - Oblivion Rush’s invisibility lasts for 0.5 additional seconds. Enemies that Ulrezaj passes through during Oblivion Rush have their attack and movement speeds slowed by 40%, decaying over 2.5 seconds.

Tier 7|Level 20
Overwhelming Maelstrom - Maelstrom deals 60(+4%/level) damage per second to all enemies inside of its radius. Additionally, whenever an enemy hero or Ulrezaj casts an ability in its radius, all enemies inside take 120(+4%/level) damage and are silenced for 0.5 seconds. (Chaotic Torrent can only activate this effect once every 10 seconds.)

Paranoia - Enemies affected by Hysteria receive 50% of the damage they deal to their allies. The cooldown of Hysteria is reduced by 1 second each time an enemy deals damage to one of their allies under its effects, tripled for heroic sources of damage to other heroes.

Font of Ehlna - For 30 seconds after using a healing fountain or emerging from the Hall of Storms, Ulrezaj gains 30% increased spell power and regenerates 15(+4%/level) Unstable Energy per second, rather than decaying.

Unending Fury - When Ulrezaj is killed, seven shades of the Dark Templar that form him spawn around, attempting to reconnect where Ulrezaj died over 5 seconds. Each Shade has 325(+3.5%/level) health and deals a constant 15(+4%/level) damage to all enemies within radius 2 of themselves. If all of them are slain, Ulrezaj dies as normal. For each one that makes it to where Ulrezaj died, he regains their remaining health as Unstable Energy, and for each one that didn’t make it, for the next 10 seconds, Ulrezaj gains 10% increased Spell Power and decays at 10(+4%/level) Unstable Energy more. Unending Fury has a 180 second cooldown.

Chaotic Onslaught - Each time Chaotic Torrent ticks for damage, its damage is increased by 10% and its range is increased by 0.15 until Ulrezaj stops channeling it, up to 200% increased damage and 3 additional range.

Skins

Base Skin

Ulrezaj is a unique Dark Archon composed of 7 Dark Templar-- attained with the forbidden knowledge hidden in the Alys’aril-- and named after the dominant personality. Formerly calm and calculating, Ulrezaj has become nothing but furious and vengeful in his merging. Now, he storms the Nexus to claim its power for his own, and to take his revenge on the Khalai Protoss for their previous treatment of the Dark Templar.

Ulrezaj(Dark Archon minus the hood plus maybe added chaos in the energy); “Void”(Purple energy and black body); “Xel’naga”(Green energy and dark blue body).

Master Ulrezaj (Alternate name by present standards: Xava’tor Ulrezaj)

As Ulrezaj formed his own Tal’darim on Aiur with the Protoss who had been left behind, his body’s form and raiment altered to suit his new position.

Base(Normal Ulrezaj with the SC1 Dark Archon hood with added robes and ornate detailing for his body); “Forged”(Green energy and black body); “Khalai”(Blue energy, gold body); “Twilight”(Dark/Pale purple energy, silver body).

Cosmic Alignment Ulrezaj

Once every 777 years, the heavenly bodies of the Kor’prulu System align, sparking life in this force of nature who seeks vengeance on any who have dared cause harm to his home.

Base(Kind of like normal Ulrezaj but with a more normal/intact upper body in the energy cloud that is a lot more stable); “Solar Alignment”(Gold energy and white body); “Lunar Alignment”(Bluish-Silver energy and grey body); “Dark Alignment”(Purple Energy, Black Body).

Elder Ulrezaj

A faithful servant of Yogg-Saron, Ulre’zaj is intent on the destruction of the Lich King for daring to steal the title of his master.

Base(Ulrezaj himself is turned into a grey skinned faceless, surrounded in this dark, celestial-esque coat of purple energy.); “Destructive Elder”(Purple body, red energy); “Celestial Elder”(Gold body, silver-blue energy); “Fel-der”(Pale white body with fel energy running through it, fel-green energy).

Themed Abilities - Abilities take on an eerie, Eldritch tone, mixed with the dark yet celestial theme of the energy surrounding Ulrezaj.
Altered Animations - Ulrezaj has legs, which alters his movement animations.
Altered Voiceover - The modulation becomes more eerie and hard to understand, with variable levels of intelligibility for the background voices.

Extra Fluff

Teaser Images

First Image
A Khaydarin Crystal, one used at the Alys’aril to store memories.

Second Image
The Khaydarin Crystal, partially red and cracking.

Third Image
The Khaydarin Crystal, fully red and cracked, with an appearance resembling this image:
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/starcraftrpg/images/3/33/Ulrezaj.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/340?cb=20130103072035
(Official Blizzard image edited to be the left half on both sides; Cover artwork for the third Dark Templar trilogy book(Also in Heroes itself as a portrait))

Trailer Storyboard

[Slowly fades in, revealing a picture of a small Khaydarin crystal]
[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/starcraft/images/c/cb/KhaydarinCrystal_SCR_Game1.png/revision/latest?cb=20170819023456]
{Music starts kind of like the following}
{https://youtu.be/tHdum6nRTRA?t=442}
“The high born Templar cast out our people…”

[Flash of the Dark Templars being exiled from Aiur]
“Tried to kill us when we desired individuality…”

(Pause)

[Khaydarin crystal starts subtly turning red, and a second voice joins the main voice]
{Music slowly turns more sinister}
“When I sought vengeance for their crimes,”

[Flash of Ulrezaj on trial]
“I was tried by my own kind as a traitor…”

(Pause)

[Energy in the shape of closed eyes subtly forms in the Khaydarin crystal, and a third voice joins]
{Music starts to build up}
“Those who followed me merged with me,”

[Flash of Ulrezaj becoming a Dark Archon]
“So we could gain the power to claim vengeance ourselves…”

(Pause)

[Crystal starts turning red faster, fourth voice joins]
{Music becomes harsher}
“We found a source of energy to sustain ourself,”

[Flash of the planet Ehlna]
“And turned abandoned high born against their own.”

[Flash of the Aiur Tal’darim]
(Pause)

[Crystal begins cracking, fifth voice joins]
{Music intensifies}
“Turned against the Preservers,”

[Flash of Zamara]
“To destroy their knowledge before it could harm us.”

(Pause)

[Crystal finishes turning red, sixth voice joins]
{Music stops growing in any way besides intensity}
“But in the end, with all turned against me…”

[Flash of Ulrezaj against everyone moments before being imprisoned]
“I was imprisoned in the crystals of my home.”

(Pause)

[Crystal finishes cracking, eyes open, seventh voice joins]
{Music builds up to…}
“But my vengeance could not be contained forever.”

[Crystal shatters]
{… A final crescendo on Ulrezaj’s last line.}
“And now… I will claim it.

[Heroes of the Storm logo, which turns red]

(Note: Voices should be slightly out of sync, and none of the voices should ever feel more noticeable than Ulrezaj’s own.)

(Second Note: Ulrezaj’s voice should slowly turn from Dark Templar towards Dark Archon and from calm to angry.)

Spotlight Storyboard

[Official Heroes Artwork of Ulrezaj, maybe inspired by the following link]
[http://lorekeeper.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/lorekeeper-kimdir-nedir-ulrezaj-5.jpg]
[Picture from the fan-made Starcraft: Final Metamorphosis fan video]
{Soundtrack inspired by the following link, initially}
{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHdum6nRTRA}
“Not all Dark Templar forgave the so-called “High Born” Protoss. Ulrezaj, former member of the Alysaar,”

[Ulrezaj as an Alysaar and Dark Templar]
“keepers of the Dark Templars’ history and wisdom, chose to strike at them, even willing to work with Alan Schezar,”

[Picture of Alan Schezar & Ulrezaj or just Schezar, for example:]
[https://i.redd.it/onk90dp09tf21.jpg]
[Picture from reddit thread in next link, unknown what specifically Schezar looks like as he just has the normal Goliath portrait]
[https://www.reddit.com/r/starcraft/comments/ap8rwz/starcraft_goliath_portrait_remake/]
“a Terran mercenary, to do so.”

(Pause)

[Picture of Ulrezaj becoming a Dark Archon]
{Music becomes more sinister and intensifies somewhat quickly over the next few lines}
“As his attempts failed, he used the forbidden knowledge he had found to merge himself and his cohorts into the most powerful Dark Archon ever known,”

[Picture of events towards the end of the Preserver book series]
“only eventually being defeated by a combined force of Protoss, Terrans, and Zerg much later,”

[Picture of Ulrezaj’s eyes burning bright from the inside of a red crystal(Also what I’d recommend his teaser to evolve into to confirm him)]
“Ulrezaj being trapped inside a crystal prison, still burning with vengeance.”

[Ulrezaj’s model comes into view, with him doing some taunt]
{Music reaches a high as this sentence ends…}
“Now, his vengeance burns ever more fiercely as he comes to the Nexus, seeking to claim vengeance on the “High Born” and those who had betrayed him.”

[Transition into the Hero Overview]
{Before calming minorly}
“Ulrezaj is an unstable, close to mid ranged Bruiser who’s very form is unstable, forcing him to find ways to sustain himself so he doesn’t burn out.”

Strengths
Damage
Sustain
CC

Weaknesses
Poke
Reduced Allied Healing
Decaying Health

[Transition into Trait Showcase]
{Music retains its now light, sinister tone but shifts subtly to more combat-esque music}
“Ulrezaj’s trait is Unstable Form. Unlike other Heroes who take to the battlefield, Ulrezaj is unique. The energy that he uses to cast his abilities is also the energy that keeps him whole, with both his Health and Resource being merged into one thing: Unstable Energy.”

[Showcase of Ulrezaj slowly losing health and showing his reduced allied healing]
“As a part of that, Ulrezaj’s Unstable Energy doesn’t naturally regenerate like other heroes’ Health and Mana-- Instead, it decays, forcing Ulrezaj to be on top of sustaining himself, A task made more urgent by Ulrezaj receiving less allied healing. In a pinch,”

[Showcase of Unstable Form’s active]
“Ulrezaj can activate Unstable Form regain some of his Unstable Energy back over a channel, and can drain minions with it to increase his healing received.”

[Transition into Q Showcase]
“Ulrezaj’s first basic ability is Chaotic Torrent. Ulrezaj quickly focuses his unstable form into a torrent of energy in a cone in front of him, able to quickly switch between focusing on it and to other abilities.”

[Showcase of Q dealing high damage and consuming Energy quickly]
“Chaotic Torrent deals high damage to enemies caught inside, but can just as quickly drain Ulrezaj of his own life if not used carefully with its constant upkeep to channel.”

[Transition into W Showcase]
“Dark Feast consumes the lives of Ulrezaj’s enemies to provide him with a burst of energy to bolster his form.”

[Showcase of W dealing damage and healing against a hero and some non-heroes]
“After a delayed cast, Ulrezaj will tear into the lifeforce of enemies inside the targeted area, dealing damage to all enemies and healing for some of the damage dealt.”

[Showcase of W against multiple heroes]
“The healing received from Dark Feast is increased against heroes.”

[Transition into E Showcase]
“Ulrezaj’s E ability, Oblivion Rush, enables him to get in quick and follow up with a burst of damage and impairment.”

[Showcase of Ulrezaj using E against enemy heroes]
“When casting Oblivion Rush, Ulrezaj will turn invisible for a short time, gaining increased movement speed. When he pops back out, energy will lash out around him, dealing high damage and applying a slowing effect along with Confusion.”

[Showcase of Confusion]
“Confusion is a new Crowd Control effect that really mixes things up; Heroes under the effects of Confusion have their movement commands inverted in direction, including for mobility abilities, throwing them off of their game.”

[Showcase of Confused Genji diving into an enemy team and dying]
“Confusion can really throw off an enemy hero who’s trying to escape, leading them to a befuddled demise.”

[Transition into R1 Showcase]
“Maelstrom, Ulrezaj’s first Heroic Ability, supercharges an area with unstable power, disrupting enemies inside.”

[Showcase of Maelstrom activating against enemy heroes]
“Maelstrom causes any enemy hero who casts an ability in its area to be overwhelmed by this unstable power, dealing a burst of damage, stunning, then silencing the hero.”

[Showcase of Maelstrom not working out so great]
“While Maelstrom has a powerful effect, it can be evaded, as it only punishes heroes who act inside, and also taxes Ulrezaj to keep it up, forcing him to choose between risking his own life to prolong it or cutting it off. But if Maelstrom isn’t working out for you…”

[Transition into R2 Showcase]
“Then why not try out Hysteria, Ulrezaj’s other Heroic Ability. Hysteria drives enemies insane as their feeble minds are overwhelmed, causing them to turn on the nearest person they can find.”

[Showcase of Hysteria against two enemy heroes]
“Enemies affected by Hysteria are Taunted to one another, damaging one another and restoring Ulrezaj’s energy as he leeches off of their conflict.”

[Showcase of Hysteria’s low duration against heroes and multiple charges]
“While Hysteria might not last for too long against enemy Heroes, Ulrezaj can cast it again on them after a small time, keeping the mass conflict going.”

[Quick shot of Ulrezaj unleashing his power]
Ulrezaj: “My hatred will never be contained!”

[Ulrezaj in a teamfight]
{Music grows heavier}
“Ulrezaj is at his best chaining his abilities together and having his allies corral enemies together.”

[Ulrezaj Teamfight #2]
“His abilities naturally work together to put enemy heroes in precarious positions if they can’t adjust to Confusion fast enough–”

[Ulrezaj Solo Fighting]
“Right within his most effective range, where Chaotic Torrent can unleash a torrent of pain.”

[Ulrezaj using a heroic in a teamfight to win]
“With two heroics to alter the fight in his favor, Ulrezaj will ensure that no high born ever escapes his vengeance again.”

(Pause)
[Transition into Talent Showcase, first showing Seven as One]
{Returns the music to a slow buildup from a low point}
“At level 1, Ulrezaj can take a daunting quest to strengthen the connection of the seven Dark Templar inside him. It has seven requirements–”

[Transition into Ulrezaj doing some beefy damage with it done]
“But once fully completed, Ulrezaj, completely unified in purpose and action, becomes a true force of terror.”

[Transition into Pure Void Showcase]
“At level 13, Ulrezaj can opt for a unique option to alter his basic attacks-- a cornerstone of the build. With Pure Void, Ulrezaj’s basic attacks start being treated a lot more like spells–”

[Showcase of Pure Void with Nano Boost/Stim Drone]
“They deal spell damage, hit in an area, and scale with Spell Power and Cooldown Recharge Rate. All of this comes at a cost, however, as Ulrezaj can no longer benefit from traditional boosts to his basic attacks, meaning he needs a unique kind of support to push him even further.”

[Transition into view of Unending Fury]
“At level 20, Ulrezaj’s fury can grow so great it can even avert death.”

[Showcase of Unending Fury in action]
“With this talent, when Ulrezaj is killed, he’ll instead split into seven shades-- the spirits of the Dark Templar that comprise his Dark Archon form. For each of these shades that return to him, he’ll regain health, and for each who fails to make it, Ulrezaj will gain greater Spell Power, at the cost of his health decaying even faster temporarily.”

[Final display of Ulrezaj and his abilities]
“Ulrezaj has broken free of his prison, and now seeks vengeance, coming to claim it in the Nexus.”

[Transition to display of Ulrezaj’s model and his two launch skins]
{Before finally coming to its final high at the end}
“Be sure to leave us a comment or follow Heroes of the Storm around the web, and we’ll see you… In the Nexus.”

[Transition into Heroes of the Storm logo, which quickly turns red and is surrounded by a red tempest of energy as Ulrezaj yells out]

Changelog

04/11/2020
Upload Date.

04/15/2020
Chaotic Torrent base damage increased to 55(from 45/tick)
Chaotic Torrent cost reduced to 35/tick(from 40/tick)
Dark Feast damage reduced to 280(from 340)
Confusion(CC) lowered to 0.75 seconds duration(from 1)
Confusion(Heroic) spread out to clarify it better, I hope?
Oh, and Confusion(Heroic) renamed to Hysteria.
Added talents

04/17/2020
Veil of Shadows now has a 6 second duration(From unspecified).
Costs now scale.
Dark Feast base cost increased to 180(From 150)
Oblivion Rush base cost increased to 240(From 200)

4/23/2020
The Active of Unstable Form no longer drains allied minions.
Maelstrom now targets an area.
Maelstrom’s radius decreased to 3.5(from 4.0).
Hysteria now targets an area.
Hysteria’s delay increased to 0.75(from 0.5)
Hysteria’s radius decreased to 2.4(from 7.0).
Hysteria now causes affected units of all types to be taunted to the nearest enemy of the same type; Heroes to heroes, etc, for a short duration on heroes and a longer one on non-heroes.
Hysteria prevents enemies from dealing more than 400(scaling) damage to other enemies per cast.
Hysteria now has 3 charges.
Hysteria now has a coolown between charge casts of 6 seconds.
Hysteria’s cooldown reduced to 50 seconds per charge(from 100 total).
Hysteria’s cost decreased to 150 on start and 300 on finish(From 200 on start and 600 on finish).
Seven as One now only increases the ability power of Basic Abilities.
Seven as One now reduces cooldowns by a flat 10%/20% at respective stages(instead of increasing cooldown recharge rate by 30%/50% respectively).
Wrath of Ulrezaj now only requires 100 natural decay(From 300) per stack.
Wrath of Ulrezaj now stacks up to 3 times(from 2).
Paranoia no longer obscures health bars. It’d be pretty pointless.
Paranoia now lowers Hysteria’s cooldown based on enemies dealing damage to one another.
Added ‘Master’ and ‘Cosmic Alignment’ skins.
Added Trailer and Spotlight storyboards.
Added Quotes

5/1/2020
Old Focused Instability(Channel for up to 5 seconds, restoring Unstable Energy each second) was merged into the active side of Unstable Form, which now drains minions over time and additionally has a base restorative value.
Dark Feast’s damage reduced to 260(from 280).
Dark Feast’s cost reduced to 120(from 150).
Oblivion Rush’s damage reduced to 240(from 300).
Oblivion Rush’s slow duration reduced to 1.5 seconds(from 2.5).
Oblivion Rush’s cost reduced to 140(from 200).
Maelstrom’s damage reduced to 200(from 250).
Maelstrom’s stun removed.
Maelstrom’s duration capped at 5 seconds.
Maelstrom’s cost reduced to 180/s(from 300/s).
Removed a mention of Maelstrom following Ulrezaj, as that functionality has already been altered.
Hysteria’s maximum damage reduced to 350(From 400).
Hysteria’s life returned to Ulrezaj reduced to 30%(from 50%).
Hysteria’s taunt duration on Heroic enemies reduced to 1.25 seconds(from 1.5).
Hysteria’s cost reduced to 60/140(from 150/300).
Focused Instability has new functionality.
Numbing Energy has new functionality(Old: While channeling Chaotic Torrent, Ulrezaj gains 30 Armor.).
Minor update to the Spotlight Storyboard to reflect the trait update.

1 Like

Just noticed right off the bat, 100% life steal is terrifying (even if this character loses health most of the time).

Also, a lot of these damage numbers are very high. While normally I wouldn’t bring that up on a first basis concept, a character like this lives and dies by their damage output. I’d recommend starting by undertuning damage and working up from there.

His 100% lifesteal is pretty spooky with 120 damage base, but it’d require some solid team support to get him auto attacking at any reasonable rate, so I’m a little less concerned with that.

I’m less concerned with higher damage numbers on a character with very limited sustain as well, especially when that character’s on a slow decay. I’m also a little worried lowering his damage too much; He’s trading his health for it, and his sustain tools are either: Slow(Basic Attacks); Hard to land([W]); Require minions(Trait active); Or heroic(Confusion). So. I’ll hold off from a change before judging.

1 Like

15/20

Creativity: 5/5
Some interesting ideas all around. Constantly taking damage at all times is something that, to my knowledge, hasn’t really been done in a moba before, which is neat. You’re pretty good at this category : p

Cohesiveness: 3/5
My issues with cohesion and interaction more or less go hand and hand so ill explain more below.

Thematic: 5/5
No problems here! Excelsior!
I will say tho, that it would be neat to see some light anti-mage or anti-tank elements in the talent tree sense thats what they were commonly used for in high level sc1 games (and trolling zerg to death :P).

Interaction: 2/5
My biggest problem with Ulrezaj is his constantly decaying health. I think the idea has plenty of potential so i wouldn’t completely write out the constant damage but theres a few things I don’t think you accounted for. You’d be surprised at how often you do absolutely nothing in your average game. Even more so on some maps like battle field of eternity, Hanamura, and any time you gotta hop on your horse and ride to the other side of the map as well as any time you gotta wait for something. Higher level games tend to have less fighting as well sense its an unnecessary risk or the enemy team has a quest you don’t want to stack .Id like to see a new ability that can be channeled to drastically lessen the effects of his trait but your unable to do anything else (moving as a reduced speed would be ok tho).

My other problem is with the confusion debuff (not the ultimate). Im a little torn on this one. On one hand, in just about every other game where your controls get reversed it can be jarring and occasionally frustrating. I don’t imagine that a pvp setting would help things any. On the other, It does have some real counter play and you would be able to see the confuse coming if you thought Ulrezaj was coming foe you.
I do think that ability should have some amount of CC to make Q a more realistic option but confusion is a dangerous way to do it if your going for a high interaction score.

Maelstrom is kinda insane. The CC this provides is effectively a better taunt except it lasts 5 seconds. Sleep effects don’t even last that long with the exception of stay a while and listen which has so much counter play it can be borderline useless in an uncoordinated game. A range of 8 might also be to high as its twice the size of Malfurion’s twilight dream and approaching hammers AA range.

Some other things. I don’t like the delay on W sense with out it, Ulrezaj is super dead in a teamfight. I’d have it do relatively little damage and “heal” Ulrezaj for a fair amount. Q should probably have a short wind up time, maybe .5 seconds or something.

Some other other things that I didn’t doc points for you may want to consider moving on. Ulrezaj’s over all damage is really high. I understand that it is the up side to counteract his trait but I think you went a bit to far. The damage on Q however could go a bit higher in my opinion.
He also has the tools to be a godlike split pusher. Probably outclassing even the mighty Xul with Q and W to nuke waves and E to change lanes faster.
Also I’m actually totally ok with the 100% life steal considering everything else. If you plan on making it an aoe auto attack at some point tho it better come pretty late or have some other downside because that would get pretty hardcore.

Uh, I just wanted to confirm there wasn’t any Confusion between the heroics here! You’re description mostly seems to describe Confusion, but your comment about the severity of the effect and calling it Maelstrom is throwing me off a bit. (^_^')

I can see why you might consider either a little strong, but Maelstrom requires a constant channel and upkeep with a much smaller range, while Confusion doesn’t really apply CC or do much else. So, just wanted to make sure this was all clear!

I’ll definitely consider some options for Ulrezaj’s decay mitigation, though I think you might be overplaying it a little. It’d take 320 seconds to die from just idle damage(plenty of time to get any healing in), and his sustain is a bit heftier than that. (<_<)

Yeah, making the [W] require CC to survive was not the best idea… I’ll rectify that… (v_v)7

I’ll probably alter the damage numbers around a bit with some of the other changes, and scale it back a wee bit in the process. I know his split push is kind of up there, but that’s kind of a traditional Bruiser thing where they tend to have good split pushing capabilities.
(also thank you on the lifesteal part glad to hear it’s not that insane (<_<) )

Total Score - 18/20

Creativity - 5/5
Starting with the base kit, this is easily high for Creativity. Heroes who spend Health to cast abilities are already on the interesting side, but the constantly draining Health of Ulrezaj takes the interest to the next level. On to abilities, they’re on the basic side for their usage (channeled cone damage, delayed AoE damage, Dimensional Shift but more interesting), but their interactions with Ulrezaj’s Unstable Energy helps them out and none of them are barebones in specifics. Both heroics are very original CC tools, with unique effects/punishments for enemy heroes.

On to talents, they also manage a high Creativity score. Many talents play into elements of Ulrazaj’s unique Unstable Energy resource well for interesting conditions (Wrath of Ulrezaj, Memories of the Alys’aril, Overcharged Form), and plenty others add new effects/usages to Ulrezaj’s abilities (Malevolent Feedback, Dark Vortex, Relentless Torrent). Even the more generic talents get an extra layer of interest specific to Ulrezaj’s mechanics (Consuming Rage).

Cohesiveness - 5/5
Base kit cohesion is pretty solid. Ulrezaj has a good balance of free Unstable Energy sources, abilities that cost Unstable Energy but can generate more if used well, and abilities that just cost Unstable Energy for damage. Oblivion Rush sets up for Chaotic Torrent nicely, and though Dark Feast is a bit isolated from his basic attack and other abilities it works well in the kit overall. The heroics do run together a little bit, both representing a large CC bombshell with a big Unstable Energy cost for Ulrezaj to seal teamfights. That being said, they are distinguished somewhat, with Maelstrom being higher risk with more upkeep for Ulrezaj and Hysteria being more fire-and-forget.

On to talents, I do see some decent build paths. Ulrezaj has options for sustained damage through either basic attacks or Chaotic Torrent, a disjoint build for burst damage, and a variety of sustain/survivability talents. There are also a few options for disruption, which generally fall under sustain/basic attacks too. Dark Feast also has some talent support, but all of the Dark Feast talents together don’t really fit one build type. As for concerns with the talent tree: Chaotic Torrent build feels fairly railroaded; basic attack Ulrezaj is also quite railroaded; Seven as One is probably too powerful overall, as it is just incredibly strong for any build that Ulrezaj uses it in, hurting Tier 1’s talent diversity; and I think there are too many disjoint sustain talents, without enough to make a build from and without any other synergies in the tree (Khalis Focus, Feast of Energy, Focused Instability, Font of Ehlna).

To conclude, Cohesiveness in the base kit is great, and the abilities all serve a place in Ulrezaj’s role and playstyle. The talent tree has some solid builds, but a couple are far too railroaded, and there are quite a few stranded talent choices that don’t feel that meaningful (Seven as One on Tier 1 is great for every build, Tier 2 has general sustain talents only one of which really fits in a build). I think my talent complaints step into the realm of nit-picks, so I think full points are justified here.

Thematic - 5/5
Everything here feels thematic for a Dark Archon, and especially Ulrezaj in particular. Destructive void energy, instability, life draining, and disorientation are all in place. As for the contest theme, Ulrezaj definitely qualifies as a cult member, so full points there.

Interaction - 3/5
Ulrezaj’s kit definitely suffers from being far too polarizing in how it works. First off, Ulrezaj’s Unstable Energy total, large lifesteal numbers, and high ability costs would likely make him very frustrating to contend with. On one hand, he has solid potential to soak a lot of the enemy team’s burst then slingshot back to high health; on the other hand, he could flounder and fail to manage to land his heals, causing him to off himself quickly with costs and decay while being beaten up. I see it as a similar problem to The Butcher, but on a fight-by-fight basis instead of over the course of a whole game (which is why I’m penalizing it far less than I would if it was a whole game thing). Second, both of his heroics are massively polarizing in their effects. Maelstrom comes at great expense to Ulrezaj and it does have counterplay, but when it goes off well you can cripple the entire enemy team and punish them for attempting playing the game without a perfect counter to your ability. Hysteria introduces a new level of frustration, similar to “my idiot teammate walked Kael’thas’s Living Bomb into me”, but now it can be “the enemy walked our KT’s Living Bomb into my entire team”, and so many other horrendous unfun scenarios for the receiving end of Hysteria.

To summarize, Ulrezaj’s general polarity would be maybe a point in penalty, but combined with how crushingly unfun and frustrating each of his heroics can be, I think it definitely builds up to a 2 point penalty.

I just realized I forgot to ever respond to the feedback here! We’ve already chatted about my ideas to hopefully lessen the overall power of Ulrezaj’s heroics to more reasonable standards, but I wanted to cover a couple of other concerns really quick.

I know Chaotic Torrent’s build is a little railroaded, and I’m not sure what I might do to try and diversify it, or if I’m concerned enough with one railroaded build(Which a couple of heroes are far more guilty of) to make any major changes.

I will say that I do believe Ulrezaj’s basic attack build should be much more diverse with me weakening Seven as One and removing their interaction; While there are a couple of talents that need to be taken for the build(Pure Void and Overcharged Form), Ulrezaj’s options on other tiers should allow for diverse options otherwise; at level 1 Wrath of Ulrezaj and Memories of the Alys’aril both have synergy, offering a choice between utility and damage; Level 4 can either have you take Call to Oblivion for direct synergy or whichever other option gives you the most benefit in the present match; Level 16 has Void-Touched Energy for quick and easy ways to duel traditional basic attackers and Veil of Shadows for more general surviveability; and Level 20 has direct synergy(Font of Ehlna) or multiple non-synergistic but still helpful options. Hopefully with this explanation you’re feeling less like it’s railroaded! (^_^')

Otherwise, I think I’m fine not making Sustain build have this clear, full build path available, to prevent Ulrezaj from becoming a little too capable of keeping himself alive. Though a “full” Dark Feast build is theoretically possible; With each of its talents, Seven as One or Memories of the Alys’aril at 1, Call to Oblivion(Probably) at 4, and probably Overwhelming Maelstrom at 20(If you took Maelstrom) or Font of Ehlna, Dark Feast has a semi-jank but workable build. If you want, you can even take Overcharged Form instead of Dark Vortex to enable Devour the Frail (edit: better*), so it should even have some build variety as well.

So yeah, I’m not fully sure either of us realized just how much build synergy might actually exist in the tree! Which is good that there’s more than I had anticipated… (<_<')

Make some fancy combination talents

Just curious, but how do you do that tab thing so it’s concelable?

<details> & </details>
Putting this on either side hides the text inside behind a spoiler; with the <summary> (& /summary) just after the first details you can also set it to say something next to the arrow.

Like this

If you want an overview of all the different things you can do, this thread does a great job of showing them all off.

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Thanks for sharing, lemme make it much clearer.

<details><summary>Click Me</summary>

Hidden Text
</details>

It should be like this specifically.

result:

Click Me

Hidden Text

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I’m trying to use it, but it’s clumping up all of the stuff I’m trying to have expand. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong.

The extra empty line is required to avoid some issues; If that isn’t the cause, uh, maybe you could share an example of what you’re doing? Might help pinpoint the issue.

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Fixed it,but are you able to keep the tab by itself so you can still see stuff after?

That’s what the <./details> is for; It keeps everything after it from being hidden under the same spoiler.

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I used what you put and it shows the stuff below my Talents in the same spoiler. This stuff’s confusing.

The stuff below the talents is showing and hiding with the same spoiler when you’re using Sami’s example? Hm. I don’t recall running into anything like that, even when messing around. About all I can really suggest is make sure you haven’t accidentally removed any of the <'s or >‘s or otherwise mess around with it. At least, that’s all I can really offer without getting a look behind the curtain. (o_o’)7

I’m looking into your post formatting (don’t ask how, I have my ways) and I’ve seen the issue you are having.

You are missing an enter between the next line and </summary>, you are mixing HTML and Markdown which is why its causing this, just add an enter between them.

This one is empty, not sure what’s being done here but just letting you know.

You can follow the block quote I made which should not break as far as I know.

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I’ll probably just leave it like it is so my post isn’t so long, though I’ll certainly try to make a tab for the trailer stuff soon.

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Overall Score
Creativity - 5/5
Cohesiveness - 5/5
Thematic - 5/5
Interaction - 3/5

Total - 18/20 (5 points dedicated to the Week 2 penalty)

Creativity - 5/5 (2/2 for Week 2 penalty).
The gimmick of the character really carries the entire Creativity portion, from the natural degeneration to the unique trait. The basic abilities are all sufficiently unique because they play into the gimmick. Otherwise, they are neutral at best. This is pretty in line with several HotS characters already, so I’ll accept it. The introduction of a new CC type and the interesting heroics secure this score. From what I can see, all of the talents look very interesting (special shout out to Pure Void and Touch of the Void). There are some less interesting pieces, such as Consuming Rage and Numbing Energy, but not enough to justify a point penalty. The skins seem pretty basic and somewhat derivative altogether (SC1 DA seems pretty obvious, and the special skin doesn’t feel that creative overall). That being said, the storyboards blow the challenge out of the water. Effective visuals, music, and dialogue rocket these additions to new heights. Good job.

Cohesiveness - 5/5
Each ability is drawn together explicitly by the trait gimmick, which is fine. The character also works together externally through a playstyle of staying close and obliterating the competition. Each heroic has their place, but I do fear that they feel a little close to one another, considering they both just serve to disrupt the entire enemy team with a massive effect. Talents have very effective build paths throughout, while still keeping from falling into a purely rigid structure. Tier 6 hurts a little bit from some talent bleeding, and I think more can be done to make Numbing Energy feels more unique than what it is now, especially in comparison to Void-Touched Energy. Altogether, though, I don’t think these concerns are nearly major enough to justify a point off.

Thematic - 5/5 (3/3 for Week 2 penalty)
The character takes a dangerous risk to represent Ulrezaj, and it succeeds in many ways. The abilities and gimmick all represent a Dark Archon in an excellent and unconventional way. In addition, each element of the Week 2 penalty is represented, and effectively at that. Good job.

Interaction - 3/5
My first main issue with the character is that, in lane, his trait will never not be active for the next minion wave. Dealing 50% of every minion’s health can be incredibly powerful as a solo laner, and I think it gives him a bit of an undeserved advantage. While he is much harder to manage in the early game, I think this instant deletion of minion waves while healing Ulrezaj can become problematic, and should be nerfed. Healing off minion deaths, less damage but more drain, either of these would absolve the issue. I almost wonder if his trait active and Feast of Energy should be switched. Secondarily, while I understand the gimmick of the character, I think you hit a bust by digging your heels in too far. The incredible damage output of the character is technically balanced by the high cost to his own life, but I fear that this will just create a “Let’s see who dies first” feel to the character that could cause frustration amongst players. In addition, I think his natural loss of life over time can and will create situations where Ulrezaj won’t have adequate opportunities to survive his natural loss of life, whether he is distanced from minion waves from them all being pushed up, or from barely escaping a fight just to die to natural deterioration. I think his deterioration should stop at a hard minimum, such as 10%, and perhaps more opportunities should be given to Ulrezaj to sustain himself outside of laning phase, when minions, wells, and regen globes become far more scarce. My final concern is in line with my second concern: I am concerned his heroics will create frustrating and oppressive situations, where the Ulrezaj’s life costs are not worth the insane teamfight winning potential of his heroics. I think Maelstrom needs a hard cap.

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