[HC] Nightswood, the Bone Witch

Bliztron-1378 · August 18, 2019, 3:07am

Lady Nightswood is an obscure but interesting Banshee that was enslaved by the Lich King. When freed by the Knights of the Ebon Blade in Icecrown, she swore herself to vengeance, and joined them. She was later instrumental in killing various high-ranking officials in the army of the dead, and masqueraded herself as The Bone WItch, a Vrykul mystic.

In HotS, Nightswood is an opportunistic scavenger, who can possess enemies in order to copy their abilities and stats as an external body. She is extremely fragile, but can provide valuable benefits for her allied team as she looks for a host to inhabit.

Universe: Warcraft
Role: Support

Important Stats
Health: 1180 (+4% per level)

Summon Mount
Z (Mount) – 4 sec Cooldown
Increases your movement speed by 30% while mounted.

Explanation: There is no need for a special mount.

Possession
Trait (30 sec Cooldown)
Nightswood channels on a non-heroic non-boss enemy within 4 units that is below 20% health for 1 second, and then instantly executes them, transferring herself into their body and taking control of it (restoring them to full health). While controlling the enemy, she has access to all of their abilities (instead of hers), her host takes 25% increased damage from all sources, and she herself cannot be damaged while she is controlling that enemy. When her host dies, she is ejected forcibly. Nightswood can reactivate this again to exit her host.

Explanation: Possession is the main draw of Nightswood, giving her incredible survivability and some additional utility. Without it, she has some solid disruption and protection, but she is vulnerable and volatile. Nightswood must be near the combat so she can steal powerful hosts to contribute to a fight.

Unliving Curse
Q (8 sec Cooldown)
Nightswood unleashes a blast of unholy energy to a target location within 7 units which lands after .75 seconds, dealing 220 (+4% per level) damage to all enemies in the 1.5 unit radius area. Enemies hit are also cursed for 4 seconds, causing their next two basic attacks to miss their target. This can be used while Possessing a target as a secondary ability.

Explanation: Unliving Curse gives Nightswood a small amount of damage and an ability to mitigate some damage from enemy basic attack focused hero. This offers a new way to mitigate basic attack damage, focusing more on slower attack characters rather than characters with fast attack speed.

Wail
W (10 sec Cooldown)
Nightswood channels on an enemy Hero within 4 range, dealing 40 (+4% per level) damage every .5 seconds and silencing them. Nightswood can channel this for up to 3 seconds, and is broken if they move more than 6.5 units away.

Explanation: Wail is a risky but powerful single target silence on a single enemy. This has multiple layers how it can be cancelled, and her low health makes the ability extra risky.

Protect Fate
E (8 sec Cooldown)
Nightswood seals an allied Hero within a anti-magic shell, granting them a 450 (+4% per level) health shield for 3 seconds, but only blocking spell damage.

Explanation: Protect Fate gives Nightswood a special shield that adds to her identity of a supportive side character, looking for a host to inhabit.

Shadowy Reconstruction
Heroic #1 (45 sec Cooldown)
Nightswood channels for 4 seconds before reconstructing the form of her last possessed enemy, creating another copy of it with full health. This cannot be used to reconstruct enemy Heroes.

Explanation: Shadowy Reconstruction allows Nightswood to commit to her ability to Possess and reuse her hosts as she sees fit. This can be incredibly powerful when she gets a powerful host.

Ritual of Night
Heroic #2 (90 sec Cooldown)
Nightswood creates a binding ritual around her as she channels for up to 5 seconds. Every second, another 1.5 unit ring is created around the channel area, with alternating 4 circles within the rings. All enemies inside the area are pacified (cannot deal damage), and enemies in the circles are slowed by 35%. When the channel ends, all enemies in the rings are dealt 60 (+4% per level) damage per additional ring outside of the ring the enemy was standing on. Enemies in a circle when the ring explodes are dealt double damage and are rooted for 2 seconds. Nightswood can activate the ability again to activate early.

Explanation: Ritual of Night is a more direct, largely powerful channeled ability that can disrupt and kill the enemy team if she can be protected. While complicated in text, the ability would be very clear with a visual indicator.

Tier 1

• Weak-willed Cretins: Possess can now be used on minions and mercenaries below 50% health. When possessing a non-catapult minion, the cooldown is reduced by 80%.
• Dark Union: Any host Nightswood Possesses no longer takes additional damage, and instead gains 10 Armor, but if her host is destroyed, she loses 40% of her maximum health.
• Spellward Jewels: When Nightswood uses Possess on an enemy, she instantly casts Protect Fate on her new host, which lasts until destroyed.

Tier 2

• Dark Strength: Any enemy Possessed deals 25% increased damage, and when Nightswood is ejected, she gains 15% increased movement speed for 3 seconds.
• Burden of Destruction: When an enemy misses with a basic attack caused by Unliving Curse, they take 100% of the damage that basic attack would have dealt.
• Fate of Baneful Intent: Protect Fate grants the target 5% increased damage dealt for 20 seconds. This cannot stack. If Nightswood has more than two Protect Fate talents unlocked, Protect Fate applies two currently not applied Fate buffs (chosen at random).

Tier 3

• Enduring Curse: Unliving Curse now applies to the enemy’s next three basic attacks, and when they basic attack, they are blinded for .5 seconds, not consuming additional stacks while blinded.
• Resounding Shriek: All enemies in a 3 unit radius around the target of Wail have 50% reduced spell damage.
• Fate of Nigh Invincibility: Protect Fate grants the target 10 Physical Armor for 20 seconds. This cannot stack. If Nightswood has more than two Protect Fate talents unlocked, Protect Fate applies two currently not applied Fate buffs (chosen at random).

Tier 4

• Shadowy Reconstruction: Nightswood channels for 4 seconds before reconstructing the form of her last possessed enemy, creating another copy of it with full health. This cannot be used to reconstruct enemy Heroes.
• Ritual of Night: (Passive) Nightswood creates a binding ritual around her as she channels for up to 5 seconds. Every second, another 1.5 unit ring is created around the channel area, with alternating 4 circles within the rings. All enemies inside the area are pacified (cannot deal damage), and enemies in the circles are slowed by 35%. When the channel ends, all enemies in the rings are dealt 60 (+4% per level) damage per additional ring outside of the ring the enemy was standing on. Enemies in a circle when the ring explodes are dealt double damage and are rooted for 2 seconds.Nightswood can activate the ability again to activate early.

Tier 5

• Echoes of the Lost: Unliving Curse’s radius is increased by 25%, and creates a spectre at the impact point which recasts the ability again in the same direction, the same distance.
• Whistling Winds: Wail can now be used while Possessing a host (using a secondary ability), and the leash range is increased from 6.5 units to 7.5 units.
• Fate of Fleet Feet: Protect Fate grants the target 15% increased movement speed for 20 seconds. This cannot stack. If Nightswood has more than two Protect Fate talents unlocked, Protect Fate applies two currently not applied Fate buffs (chosen at random).

Tier 6

• Song of Quel’thalas: Every .5 seconds Nightswood channels Wail, all allied Heroes within 5 units (including Nightswood) heal for 30 (+4% per level) health.
• Spectral Leech: Every .25 seconds an enemy is afflicted by Unliving Curse, they take 15 (+4% per level) damage, healing Nightswood for the amount dealt.
• Fate of Primal Vigor: Protect Fate causes the target to restore 5% of their maximum health and mana whenever they use an ability (with an internal 4 second cooldown) for 20 seconds. This cannot stack. If Nightswood has more than two Protect Fate talents unlocked, Protect Fate applies two currently not applied Fate buffs (chosen at random).

Tier 7

• Shadows of Death: Shadowy Reconstruction can be used to create one of the last three last hosts, chosen with your abilities. In addition, Shadowy Reconstruction as a 30 second reduced cooldown and its channel time is reduced by 1.5 seconds.
• Nightcaller: Nightswood is stealthed while channeling Ritual of Night, and gains 25 Armor. When the Ritual ends, she gains Protected and Unstoppable for 1 second.
• Heroic Spirit: Nightswood can now use Possession on an enemy Hero, but the execute threshold is lowered to 10% against them. Nightswood does not benefit from their talent choices.
• Ebon Fortitude: Nightswood’s maximum health is increased by 25%, and her basic abilities besides Possession have their cooldown reduced by 15%. Enemies Nightswood possesses have 25% reduced maximum health.

Trixter-11446 · August 18, 2019, 3:25am

Well, I think this would be an awesome concept, however, I think that the

Might be a little confusing. Maybe change it to ‘If Nightswood has more than two Protect Fate Talents, Protect Fate applies the affects of two random Fate of Protection Talents.’ I think that might make it a little bit easier to understand.
I also think that having such a huge debuff at level 1 through ‘Durable Link’ with 50% of her health missing after her core ability ends might be too much, I’d change it to 30%, and also I’d change the name of the Talent to ‘Dark Union’.

Trixter-11446 · August 18, 2019, 3:27am

So, anyway, I’d give 4/5 stars on my rating scale.

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Krimnorr-1117 · August 18, 2019, 4:23am

Maybe I’m missing something, but what useful thing could you even possess with trait? The only things that come to mind are mercs, but even they would die pretty fast with 25% less armor.

waterlong-1416 · August 19, 2019, 8:48pm

Hi, It is estimated that there are just over 3 trillion mature trees in the world.

This trait is cool and super thematic but a few things worry me. However thers a bunch of things that worry me. For example, becoming the mage from a bruiser camp would give you a spell armor aura which would be crazy good in combination with your anti magic shield. The Sentinels (the robo samurai on hanamura) is a siege camp not a boss camp and would be difficult to kill even when it takes 25% more damage in addition to it meleeing for 220 base damage. Being a raven would give you a massive auto attack range which would be particularly strong on the nuke map to keep enemies off of nukes. The power level of mercs scales per minute and has nothing to to with the levels of each team meaning if both teams are on top of xp gain then your possessed merc wont be much of a threat but if both teams suck and are under leveled getting a merc can do huge damage. Also i assume you cant possess objective stuff but if you can, being an ultralisk would have you summoning permanent 3 lings and 1 hydra every 13 seconds which would be to good to say the least.
And then Id specify that being knocked out of your possession dosent interrupt your channeled abilities (or at least i hope it doesnt).

This ability is pretty good. I imagine this works like brightwing Q. The curse is sometimes better and sometimes worse then a blind but I think thats fine.

Id either up the range or the damage on this ability. Being in 4 range of anyone is alot to ask from someone who is squisher and dosent have the self healing of whitemane. That said this ability is neat, using it from a possessed merc would help you actualy channel the full duration.

Not a whole lot to say about this one either, its a good ability. Its low cooldown for a shield would make it very good against poke.

This is op because trait is op.
also “This cannot be used to reconstruct enemy Heroes.” you cant possess heroes anyway, can you?

I like the idea of this ult quite a bit. A few things tho. I feel like this should have a short cast range instead of placing it on your self sense your so squishy and the duration should be shortened just a bit. The root might be a bit overkill to.
I also feel like this could be a bit less wordy.

weak-willed cretins:
Durable Link: :O! Everything i said about the trait but now even more. This also makes possessing a hellbat or gnoll very powerful for the aoe armor shred.
Spellward Jewels:

Dark Strength: apart from the sentinel of doom this is fine, other then catapults and ogres, mercs dont do that much damage to begin with. I do wanna say that the sapper (the pumkin thing on towers of doom) would benefit greatly from this.
Burden of Destruction: I like this talent alot : p also rip stukov lol
Fate of Baneful Intent: I dont understand what this does at all but i see the word random and i dont like that

Enduring Curse: very match up dependent but for a talent thats ok
Resounding Shriek: 4 range is a bit much, id lower this all the way down to 1.5
Fate of Nigh Invincibility: 10 armor is fine, i dont get the other half

Echoes of the Lost: wait, dont you already have full access to your abilities while possessing?
Whistling Winds: Wail is the channel tho, unless you mean while channeling your ult but that passifies enemies so a silence wouldn’t add much anyway. I do like the range increase tho
Fate of Fleet Feet: 10% might be a bit low for a 13 talent. also ??? part 3

Song of Quel’thalas:
Spectral Leech:
Fate of Primal Vigor: are you getting 5% over 20 seconds? If so then thats almost nothing for some heroes who can naturally regenerate that fast.

Shadows of Death: update trait, then well talk.
Nightcaller:
Heroic Spirit: I hope they still respawn are allowed to play heroes of the storm while you are possessing one of them. Otherwise this is ok but very match up dependent.
Ebon Fortitude: this talent is ok but goes a bit against your possession theme.

waterlong-1416 · August 19, 2019, 8:48pm

lots of things actualy c :

Bliztron-1378 · October 1, 2019, 11:16pm

Finally getting around to updating this one.

I will reword the Fate talents for clarity.

I like the name asuggestion; I think making the exit effect really harmful seals the idea that Nightswood wants to stay in a host for as long as possible and play safe, which is good. I can reduce it to 40%.

The high variability in performance is something that would make the character very unique, and more map dependent. While this could be problematic, I don’t see any real way to fix it without removing it, so we’re just gonna go with it. And yes, it is only minions and mercenaries. A big thing that was miscommunicated is that she can’t cast any of her normal abilities in her host, as her action bar is replaced with her host’s action bar. I think perhaps allowing her to at least cast her Q in her Host would smooth out this interaction and her play variability.

I made the small range especially punishing because, as a single target point and click long duration silence, there should be a serious risk associated with the ability. This isn’t where most of her power is allocated, anyways.

I like that you have more options to possess now.

I’ll cut this to 3 radius.

You cannot. I will be making this functionality baseline and instead rework this.

I mean you could use it will in the Host as well. I’ll fix the wording on this.

I’ll up it to 15%, though it does last for 20 seconds.

No, it’s not over 20 seconds. For 20 seconds after they get Protect Fated, their ability casts instantly heal them for 5% of their maximum health and mana. If used on cooldown, it’s a total 25% heal.

Yes, it more works like a reverse Abathur Ultimate Infestation.

That’s the idea; it’s to give Nightswood a chance to rely less on her Possess and instead make full use of her normal abilities and playstyle.