My entry for CDC #7, hope you like it.
Link to the Contest thread:
Bovan Windtotem - Tauren Spiritwalker
Summary
He is a Spiritwalker from WC3 (the only named Spiritwalker in any WC game, as far as I could find).He helped Rexxar and Baine Bloodhoof out during the founding of Durotan.
This concept is based on extending his abilities in that in-game appearance to allow him to spirit link with enemies.
He has two unique aspects to his playstyle that I think make him interesting:
First and foremost, the reason Iād call him a "Gamechanger" as per the contest theme, is the fact that he can allow himself to be attacked by allies under certain circumstances (in order to damage enemies via a variation of Spirit Link).
The second is an "Ikaruga" like play where he can switch between high Spell and Physical armor (based on the fact that Spiritwalkers in WC receive no physical damage but increased magic damage while in Ethereal form)
Because heās gonna be wanting to take a lot of damage, I decided to give him a large HP pool, but his lack of CC and engage abilities kept me from classifying him as a Tank.
Role: Support
Stats: weak ranged AA, truckload of HP, normal amounts of mana as resource.
Bovan is a defensive hero who specializes in redistributing damage, directing it away from his allies and into himself, as well as sharing it with the enemy.
He can act as a damage sponge to keep his team alive, or sacrifice his own life to damage enemies.
note: "stats buff/debuff" refers to effects that modify a character attribute by a certain percentage, such as increasing/decreasing armor, spell power, movement speed, or healing received.
other effects like stun, blind, root, or protected are not considered "stats buffs/debuffs"
Abilities
D - Spirit Walk
Activate to switch between normal and Ethereal forms
While on normal form, Bovan has some Spell armor baseline, but canāt gain Physical armor except by the effects of Spirit Walk.
While in Ethereal form, all your Spell armor is converted to Physical armor, and you ignore unit collision (are immune to body blocking)
Immediately after switching forms, there is a short delay before you can switch again.
Q - Spiritual Sacrifice
Throw a projectile in the target direction, temporarily binding your spirit with the spirit of the first enemy hero hit.
While your spirit is bound to an enemyās, you can be targeted and damaged by allies, and the enemy youāre bound to suffers 100% of damage dealt to you by allies and 50% of damage you receive from any other source except the bound enemy.
Damage dealt by allies cannot kill you, and being hit by allied abilities that debuff enemies will not apply the debuff to Bovan when damaging him.
Similarly, damage dealt by this ability that would drop the bound enemy below 1 HP will not kill the enemy, and will instead set their HP to 1 and break the bind.
The spirit bind can be cleansed, and is also broken if the enemy moves too far from Bovan, or if Bovan is silenced.
Damage from this ability is dealt as damage over time, over the remaining duration of the bind (if the bind is broken, the remaining damage is not applied).
W - Spirit Link
Temporarily link your spirit with the targeted ally, making 50% of the damage they receive be dealt to Bovan instead.
If Bovan would be killed by damage from this ability, he is instead reduced to 1 HP and the link is cancelled.
The link is also broken if Bovan and the target move too far from each other or if Bovan is silenced.
E - Totem of Unity
Place a totem with a sizable amount of HP on the ground.
The totem is susceptible to receiving stats buffs, but does not benefit from their effects. Instead, all allies within an area around the totem receive a small buff for as long as they remain close enough to the totem.
The buff granted by the totem is of the same kind as the last buff received by the totem (for example, if the totem gets a speed buff, it will start granting speed buffs to nearby allies; if it then gets some Physical armor, it will stop buffing speed and start buffing Physical armor instead).
The amount of the buff granted by the totem is always the same, regardless of how large a buff the totem itself received.
The totem can be cleansed (by effects that remove buffs) or silenced, and in that case it will receive significant damage and stop granting any buffs (until it is buffed again).
Unlike most summons, the totem does not simply disappear with time, instead its life decays over time, making it have a limited duration that also decreases when the totem is damaged.
Only one totem can be active at a time, and the totem starts with no buff type when placed (unless talented)
extra active ability (1) - Enduring Traditions
Activate to lock your Eās totem buff type.
Reactivate to unlock it.
While the totemās buff type is locked, receiving a buff will not replace the type of buff granted by the totem, and instead the new buff will only be applied very briefly.
R1 - Ancestral sprit
Passive: Allows you to see the ghosts of fallen allies (like Auriel With Resurrect)
Active (has a very small base cooldown): Target an allyās ghost, then channel until they revive, Bovan is CCād or runs out of mana, or the Ability is canceled by reactivating it.
While Bovan is channeling on an allyās ghost, that ally can control his ghost.
The ghost plays just like the normal hero, except all damage they receive is dealt to Bovan instead. If this damage would kill Bovan, he is instead reduced to 1 HP and the channeling stops.
Every other second spent channeling spends a bit of mana, reduces the targeted allyās death timer by one second, and increases this abilityās cooldown by one second (for this use, not permanently).
Cooldown starts when channeling stops.
Bovan canāt move or cast any abilities while channeling (except for reactivating to cancel the channeling).
R2 - Spirit Totem
Place a totem with a massive amount of HP in the ground. The totem applies an untalented version of Spirit Link on all allies in a wide range (including Bovan), redirecting 50% of all damage they receive to the totemās HP instead. The totem itself can be attacked and receives full damage.
The totemās link is applied whenever an ally is in range and lasts as long as they remain in range.
The totemās life decays over time, making it have a limited duration that also decreases when the totem is damaged.
Notes:
- Damage transferred into Bovan by W or R1 is not reduced by Bovanās armor, he receives the same amount of damage he protected the ally from.
However, if the ally had armor, the damage is reduced before Bovanās damage transfer effects take place, resulting in reduced damage for both. - Damage and healing do not āspreadā through Bovanās Q and W:
Damage dealt to Bovan by his W is not considered by his Q (will not damage his Q target).
Healing (trough talents) behaves similarly; healing received from Bovanās Q will not spread to his W target
Talents
Tier1
Disenchant [Q/W]
When your Q hits an enemy and binds your spirits, that enemy has all stats buffs removed.
When you link with an ally with your W, that ally has all stats debuffs removed.
Linked Fortunes [W/E]
While linked with an ally with your W, all stats buffs applied to either that ally or Bovan are also applied to the other and to your Eās totem.
Bound by Misfortune [Q/E]
Friendly fire can now inflict stats debuffs to Bovan.
While bound to an enemy by your Q, all stats debuffs applied to Bovan are also applied to that enemy.
Your Eās totem also becomes susceptible to receiving stats debuffs, spreading the last type received to all enemies within range (just like it does with buffs for players)
Effects that remove buffs will also remove the totemās debuff
Active component: allows you to lock/unlock the totemās debuff type.
Power of Unity[E]
The totem now applies the last two different buff types it received. When receiving a new type, the oldest unlocked type will be replaced (if any).Active component: allows you to lock/unlock the second buff type.
Tier2
Spirit Vision [Q/W]
While bound to an enemy by your Q, share that enemyās vision (but not their teamās).
While linked to an ally by your W, that ally reveals stealthed enemies in a small area around them.
Quiet as a Spirit [D/E]
When entering Ethereal form, Bovan is stealthed until attacking, using an ability, or being revealed (by damage or enemy detectors).
When initially placed, your Eās totem is temporarily stealthed.
Ethereal Swiftness [D]
When entering Ethereal form, gain evasion and increased movement speed for a moment.
Guardian Spirit [W/E]
When you link with an ally with your W, that ally gains a shield with the same duration as the link.
When placing a totem with your E, all allies within its range gain a small shield for a moment.
Tier3
Spirit Healer [Q/W]
While bound to an enemy by your Q, you are healed for a fraction of all healing received by that enemy.
While linked to an ally by your W, that ally is healed for a fraction of all healing received by Bovan.
Spiritual Wounds [Q]
While bound to an enemy by your Q, Bovanās AA against that enemy deal increased damage and briefly reduce that enemyās healing received.
Ethereal Sustenance [D]
While in Ethereal form, increase healing received and regeneration.
Refocused Energy [D/E]
Whenever your trait prevents an armor buff from being applied or your Eās totem receives a buff, you are healed you if you are in normal form, or have some mana restored if you are in Ethereal form.
Heroic (Tier 4)
See R1 and R2 above.
Tier5
Free Spirit [D/W]
You can activate your trait while stunned.
When you activate your trait, you and any ally you are linked to become unstoppable for a moment.
Spiritual Protection [D]
Activating your trait makes you protected for a moment.
This effect has a separate cooldown and canāt occur too often.Unwavering Spirit [D]
While in normal form, you canāt have your Magic armor Spell power reduced.
While in Ethereal form, you canāt have your Physical armor or movement speed reduced.
Tormented Spirit [Q]
While bound to an enemy by your Q, a fraction of all damage Bovan deals to that enemy is also dealt to all targets near that enemy, and all damage Bovan deals to any other target (except by this effect) is also applied to the bound enemy.
Tier6
Spiritual Extension [Q/W/E]
Your Qās bind and Wās link have their duration and range increased.
Your Eās totem also has its buff range increased.
Spirit Bomb [Q]
Your Qās bind deals a bit of initial damage, and if it is not broken before its duration expires, it deals additional damage in a small area around the target.
Blazing Spirit [W]
As long as you are linked to an ally by your W, that ally deals damage to nearby enemies periodically.
Ethereal Strikes [D]
Increases your AA damage.
While you are in Ethereal form, your AA deals Spell damage.
Storm (tier 7)
Spiritual Aid [R1/D/Q]
While channeling your R, you can use your Q to bind an enemy to the Ghost (the projectile comes from the Ghost, the link breaks if they get far from the Ghost, and damage dealt to the Ghost is spread. Damage dealt to Bovan is not spread).
You can also activate your trait to change forms, and the damage dealt to the Ghost is now affected by Bovanās armor before being applied to him.
Eternal Totems [R2/E]
Gain a second charge of Spirit Totem.
Your totemās life no longer decays over time, this apply to totems from both your R and your E.
Resistant Skin [D]
Your trait no longer prevents you from gaining Physical armor, and instead grants a little bit.
While in Ethereal form, Physical armor is also converted to Spell armor.
Cosmic Totem[W/E]
Your Eās totem can be linked with by your W.
While linked to your Eās totem, the totem applies all possible stats buffs to allies within its range and to allies within the same range of Bovan.
Skins
Different Tauren related races
Taunka, Yaungol, Highmountain.
Different horns/antlers, et cetera. Not much to say.
Hell Bovine
From Diabloās infamous Cow Level.
Less humanoid, white chest and stomach, black back (brown tint also available), big udders, says āmooā a lot.
Not the Cow King (no crown from D3)
ESP
Based on the idea of reimagining Spirit Link as an empathic psychic ability.
Tinfoil cap, copper wire wrapped around the horns, a small parabola on the tip of one horn and a crystal on the other, totems have pyramids made from brass-colored tubes on top of them.
Change log
- Reformatted post
- Added āBreak bind on lethalā to Q
- Reworded D to make the armor amount feel smaller and to better stress the downside of the trait
- Fixed a couple typos
- Integrated old E into trait and added new E
- Made old R1 storm upgrade baseline
- Reworked talents to account for change on abilities
- Added Skins as part of week 3 content
- Added notes to clarify rules for damage redistribution.
A few comments to round out my week 3 additions:
Friends and foes
The blog posts that used to come out with hero releases contained a āworks well with/struggles againstā section, which I always liked to add to my CDC concepts, because I think it helps explain the concept and ideas behind it in grater detail, so:
Synergies (works well with):
Murky (and other Vulnerable melee heroes):
Bovanās Q can help melee assassins and other low HP heroes deal damage to enemies from further away, so they donāt have to put themselves at risk as much.KelāTuzzad (and other characters with long wind-ups to their abilities):
Bovanās Q can also be used to improve the accuracy of these heroes, since landing those slower attacks is easier on a willing ally.Morales (and other single target healers/buffers):
Concentrating a big portion of the damage on a single target can make the job of certain healers a lot easier, and certain talent builds can also help spread the healing or buffs to other members of the team.
Natural Enemies (Struggles against):
Malthael (and other % damage dealers):
dealing % damage directly to Bovan can really put him on a tough spot, since his armor wonāt help against it and his Q wonāt return damage dealt by the bound enemy.Alarak (and other heroes with easy access to silence/cleanse):
Characters with baseline silence can keep breaking Bovans binds, llinks, and totems, leaving him without many options to help his team. (characters with cleanse can block Bovanās offensive options the same way, but not his deffensive/supportive abilities)Azmodan (and heroes with long range damage or summons)
Bovanās only baseline damage tool is his Q (which only affects heroes), so he struggles against non heroic enemies like summons. For the same reson, he also has a hard time fighting back against enemies who can damage him from outside the range of his Q.
About talents
The talent tree ended up being rather unusual (but I think in a good way), since most of the talents (including the storm upgrades for his heroics) affect more than one ability. This happened after a few iterations of talent tree refining, especialy when dealing with overlaping talents: either merging them together (because of not wanting to remove/change the effect for either ability), or adding effects to differentiate them.
The latest version does include some more dmage effects in different tiers, so I think a damge build could now be viable. I didnāt really plan for that, but I didnāt think it was a problem that needed solving or warranted futher modifications to the talent tree.
Overall, Iām more or less satisfied with the result, aside from the talent names , many of which feel uninspired.
The problem with the names was the same thing that gave me freedom to experiment and add new ideas to the character: Bovan doesnāt have a lot of lore or content to draw from.
I tried to use all of the Spiritwalker abilities in some form, but even that was not enough by far, so I could only come up with a couple references for the talent names (and several werenāt even Bovan or Spiritwalker references)
I hope that made my concept seem more interesting (even if just a little).
I think Iāve pretty much addressed most of the issues with the concept the first two judges brought up in their feedback (either by changing the concept or trying to explain my reasoning behind the issue).
If thereās anything you still donāt like, please let me know.
