Pierce was one of Nova’s key allies and friends in her covert squad. Pierce was skilled in psychometry primarily, the ability to gather information of the events that had occured in an area simply by touching inanimate objects. Because of this powerful ability, Pierce was carefully deployed as an assassin, counter-intelligence agent, and saboteur; he was carefully controlled by the dominion so that he could not gather information from previous missions with his ability. For Pierce’s visual design, he would use a one handed submachine gun, he would have a blinking, thin suit, and he would have no helmet. He is described as older but incredibly physically fit.
In HotS, Pierce is an ambush-based close range, Ranged Assassin who focuses on analyzing environments to determine what paths enemies will take, allowing him to set up deadly ambushes. He also has abilities that can allow him to control enemy movements.
Universe: Starcraft
Role: Ranged Assassin
Summon Mount
Z (Mount) – 4 sec Cooldown
Increases your movement speed by 30% while mounted.
Explanation: There is no need for a special mount.
Psychometry
Trait (30 sec Cooldown)
Pierce can activate this form to shift his vision to visions of past events. While in this form, Pierce loses the ability to see current enemy and ally locations, as well as losing the ability to see currently spawned mercenary camps and objectives. While in this form, enemy movement paths within the last minute are shown to Pierce as arrowed lines, and he can see which enemies participated in the capturing of mercenary camps. Pierce can remain in this form as long as he wants, but is broken when Pierce is damaged.
Explanation: Psychometry is a unique and thematic ability that is meant to capture Pierce’s main role on Nova’s team, and his unique branch of psionics. In the extra material, Pierce was skilled in Psychometry, so I decided to take this and make him into an information-centric ambush assassin.
Debilitating Strike
Q (6 sec Cooldown)
(Passive) After Pierce basic attacks an enemy three times, they are silenced for .75 seconds and slowed by 50% for .75%. This makes the enemy immune to this passive effect for 8 seconds, but causes them to take 40% increased damage from Pierce while they are immune.(Active) Pierce targets an enemy Hero within 5 units of him and shifts rapidly to 3 units from them, and then starts to belt them with bullets for 3 seconds. While Pierce is more than 2 units from an enemy but less than 4 units from the enemy, he deals 30 (+4% per level) damage to the enemy every .25 seconds. Pierce can move while casting, and gains 20% increased movement speed while active.
Explanation: Pierce’s abilities are primarily centered around bonus utility effects and disruption, so I needed to give two effects into Debilitating Strike in order to smooth out his gameplay loop and power curve. Debilitating Strike gives Pierce much needed additional damage and disruption that should ensure he can keep up in a fight.
Corral Target
W (10 sec Cooldown)
This has a different effect based on whether or not his Psychometry is active.(Psychometry) Pierce lays down a 3 unit radius explosive charge at his location, which arms after 3 seconds and then remains until detonated or until replaced. Pierce can only have two charges active at any time. When an enemy enters the area, it detonates, dealing 300 (+4% per level) damage to all enemies in the radius and stunning them for 1 second. These charges are always visible.
(Normal) Pierce throws a force grenade to a target location within 7 units which expands upon impact, pushing all enemies out of a 2 unit radius area for 2 seconds. If an enemy is hit by the impact, they are pulled within 5 units of Pierce if beyond it.
Explanation: Corral Target is the only ability of Pierce’s that changes depending on whether or not Psychometry is active. On one hand, his Psychometry side helps he set up ambushes or cuts off enemy attacks that he can guess based on his tracking through Psychometry. His normal use, the pulse grenade, gives him some additional disruption to keep enemies close enough for him to finish off with his basic attacks in a gank.
Phase Walk
E (14 sec Cooldown)
Pierce becomes a phantom for up to 4 seconds, becoming harder to see as well as invisible to enemies more than 7 units from him. While in this form, Pierce can walk through impassable terrain. His first basic attack while in this form ends it, and causes him to basic attack twice. Pierce cannot use abilities besides Psychometry or basic attack while inside of terrain, and using an ability instantly exits Phase Walk. When damaged within terrain, the effects end instantly when he next exits terrain.
Explanation: Phase Walk is Pierce’s main mobility tool, allowing him to pop through terrain for a gank, an escape, or even a surprise attack against an enemy he has tracked to a mercenary camp.
Prey Upon
Heroic #1 (Passive)
Enemy trails persist for 3 seconds after Psychometry ends. While following a trail observed by Psychometry, Pierce gains 20% increased movement speed. In addition, when Debilitating Strike’s passive effect activates, Pierce’s next basic attack deals 100% increased damage, plus an additional 8% of the enemy’s missing health.
Explanation: Because Pierce has quite a few effects going on at the same time, and multiple uses for each of his abilities, I decided to give him a passive heroic option for players overwhelmed with his base kit. Prey Upon gives Pierce much needed additional damage, and synergizes with many of his talent builds.
Second Chance
Heroic #2 (75 sec Cooldown)
Pierce marks his current location for 5 seconds, saving his current health, ability cooldowns, location, and mana. Pierce can reactivate this ability at any time to hesitate for .75 seconds before returning to the saved location, resetting all of his values to what they were at before. If Pierce does not reactivate the ability, it simply goes on a 50% reduced cooldown.
Explanation: In the case of defense, if damage is not what Pierce needs, he can take Second Chance to reduce the risk of his ganks and engages, or even his potential merc steals. To fit with his theme, he needs to have foresight in the use of Second Chance, but if he can use it to its full potential, it can be incredibly powerful.
Tier 1
• Cybernetic Sleuth: While on an enemy movement path revealed by Psychometry for at least 1.5 seconds, if Pierce has not been damaged by an enemy, Pierce gains 20% increased movement speed and gains Stealth that is broken on taking damage, using any ability, or taking damage.
• Post-Termination Escape: After Pierce kills an enemy hero, Phase Walk has its cooldown refreshed. In addition, Phase Walk grants 20% increased movement speed while it is active.
• Astral Hunter: When Pierce exits from a new piece of terrain during a singular Phase Walk, he gains 15% increased movement speed for 3 seconds. This can stack up to 3 times, and ends when Phase Walk ends.
Tier 2
• Duelist’s Virus: While an enemy is taking increased damage from Debilitating Strikes, their damage dealt to Pierce is reduced by 15%. This is increased to 30% when Debilitating Strike is being cast on the enemy.
• Cover Retreat: When Pierce falls below 20% health, his next Corral Target within 3 seconds throws three explosive charges (as if Psychometry is active) in a perpendicular line that arm after .5 seconds, but each deal 30% damage.
• Emergency Backup: When Pierce uses Phase Walk, an invulnerable clone is left at the start location. Pierce can reactivate Phase Walk (even if disabled) to instantly teleport back to his clone, ending Phase Walk and destroying the clone.
Tier 3
• Echoed Momentum: Whenever Pierce uses an ability, his next 3 basic attacks are empowered, causing each of them to reduce that ability’s cooldown by 1 second each. This lasts for 2.5 seconds.
• Thronebuster Tech: Pierce’s spell power is increased by 20%. When Pierce has not basic attacked for 3 seconds, his next basic attack will strike 3 times rapidly, and all three of these strikes will deal spell damage.
• Speed Demon: When any movement speed increase on Pierce ends, the movement bonus is granted to Pierce as an attack speed increase for 3 seconds. This bonus attack speed can stack, and each effect has its own duration.
Tier 4
• Prey Upon: Enemy trails persist for 3 seconds after Psychometry ends. While following a trail observed by Psychometry, Pierce gains 20% increased movement speed. In addition, when Debilitating Strike’s passive effect activates, Pierce’s next basic attack deals 100% increased damage, plus an additional 8% of the enemy’s missing health.
• Second Chance: Pierce marks his current location for 5 seconds, saving his current health, ability cooldowns, location, and mana. Pierce can reactivate this ability at any time to hesitate for .75 seconds before returning to the saved location, resetting all of his values to what they were at before. If Pierce does not reactivate the ability, it simply goes on a 50% reduced cooldown.
Tier 5
• Trail of the Past: When Psychometry is first activated, if Pierce has damaged an enemy hero within the last second, he becomes untargetable and gain 50% movement speed for 1 second, and heals himself for 20% of the damage he has taken within the last 2 seconds. In addition, while in this empowered Psychometry, Corral Target gains a range of 6.
• Pulse Fracture: When Corral Target is used normally to throw a pulse grenade, it deals 220 (+4% per level) damage to all enemies hit and increases Pierce’s movement speed by 10% for 2 seconds.
• Rebel’s End: Whenever an enemy triggers Corral Target’s explosive charges, Phase walk’s cooldown is reduced by 3 seconds. When Phase Walk is activated, Corral Target’s cooldown is reset.
Tier 6
• Diverted Plasma: Every time Pierce basic attacks an enemy or deals damage with Debilitating Strikes, his basic attack damage is increased by 1%. This has a 5 second duration, can stack, and has no limit on the maximum bonus it can grant.
• Technist’s Hand: (Active) Pierce resets the cooldown of his last ability. For 5 seconds afterwards, his spell power is increased by 40%, but his basic attack damage is decreased by 40%. If Phase Walk was reset, instead of granting it’s normal effects, Pierce blinks to the nearest enemy to him within 6 units and deals 170 (+4% per level) damage. 30 sec Cooldown.
• Field Prep: Corral Target builds charges while Pierce remains outside of Psychometry that can only be spent laying down charges. Pierce can now have a maximum of 4 charges active at any one time and charges arm 100% faster, but they deal 20% reduced damage.
Tier 7
• Dominion’s Shadow: Prey Upon now has an active effect; (Active) Pierce blinks 6 units in a target direction. For the next 4 seconds, Pierce deals 20% increased damage, and Debilitating Strike’s active deals 1% of the enemy’s maximum health every tick. 25 second cooldown.
• Third Chance: When Second Chance is activated during Psychometry, it is not placed on cooldown.
• Expanded Capacity: Psychometry no longer has a cooldown, and it can no longer be broken by taking damage. Psychometry is a toggleable ability.
• Peer Into the Void: (Active) Pierce reveals a 3 unit radius area anywhere on the map, until Pierce takes another action. This can be used while Psychometry is active, and has 3 charges. 20 second cooldown.