I figured I could share something that won me 1st place in the Reddit Character Design contest that took place a little bit over 1 month ago.
I am usually the kind of person who isn't exactly fond of both reading and making a champion designs for a game because they will never be added to the game anyway and thus they never gets enough attention. However, I've been lately practicing my kit design skills for Paladins because once upon a time I wanted to become a Game Developer. Just when I was about to finish the kit concept and lock it behind closed doors for noone to see, the Reddit contest just so happened to appear on the main site.
As the rewards were quite the things I always wanted to get (as in, the blue Seris recolor which I failed to buy when it was available) I've decided to come up with lore for my character and test my writing English skills. To my surprise, I actually won 1st place.
And now I figured I wanna post it on these forums before season 3 changes come up and the numbers that are written here for healing/shielding values will become overpowered, mostly because I am interested to see what other people actually think about suggested kit, the lore, and how this character could fit into the game's current meta and balance.
Anyway, here it goes:
Name: Braoin, Exile of the Eternal Pyre
Role: Support
Health: 2200
Difficulty: Very Hard
Lore
Little is known about Braoin’s past as a living mortal. In fact, those memories are buried so deep and distant, even the ex-admiral of the Eternal Pyre ceased to recognize which colourful images are those of his past, and which of his imagination. Whatever was left from the person he once was was now lost in the echo for seemingly forever.
Braoin led the Pyral army against the powers of the Abyss multiple times through his short lived career, always yielding marvelous victories for the forces of the Pyre. But those battles never filled him with the joy and fulfilment he assured himself to acquire. He despised the actions taken against creatures of the Abyss. Braoin believed that everyone deserves a second chance, and thus would seek a way to purge those innocent beings from the Abyssal Curse rather than use forces of brutality and destruction his peers decided to use. He promised himself to protect Abyssal Creatures that were deemed no longer dangerous for as long as he was looking for a way to release their curse.
It didn't took long for the Council of Eternal Pyre to notice the recklessness in decisions of the young Admiral. Braoin was banished from the world of the cleansing fire, stripped off his wings, and as his Pyral equipment was retrieved and returned to the Pyre Vault, he was sent back to the mortal plane, back to the world of living. The world of pain, hunger, loneliness and sadness was once again to be remembered.
However, Eternal Pyre was not composed of ruthlessness and injustice. It knew that Braoin was not capable of surviving in the world that was constantly under attack of the Abyss. Braoin’s memories will take time to recover, and with them, his ability to recognize danger. And thus, it decided to award him for his duty with 2 of his most favoured trinkets of the Pyral Vault: his protective cloak, capable of shielding people in need, and his favourite weapon.
Braoin now travels the world to restore the order of the Realm through his own path of neutrality. However, even Braoin himself sometimes questions if his motives are the correct way of solving problems. Each decision he commits clears out bluried memories, still very distant, but bringing unexplainable feeling of fear, sadness, and loneliness…
Aesthetics
Braoin’s colour palette consist of teals, blues and whites, representing vitality, energy and innocence. He is well-built, spotting appearance of a human male in his 20s. He has pale skin, blue eyes and short black hair shaved from sides, and a 6 o’clock facial hair.
Braoin’s most important feature is his blue magical cape. The cloak has “a life on its own”, it can manipulate its shape at will, and reacts to Braoin’s emotions. In fact, since Braoin has troubles with emotional expressions, it serves as his connector to the surrounding world. Braoin on his own acts in “autistic” kind of way.
Braoin is dressed in a white, elegant upper shirt that exposes his waist, as well as teal coloured baggy trousers. He has fingerless gloves and boots, as well as multilayered belt that is purely for aesthetic purposes. His outfit is covered in symbols related to his human past.
As with every champion of the Realm, Braoin wears crystals on both his outfit and his weapons, and in his case, those crystals are of the blue color.
His weapon is dual weld hybrid of a pistol, as well as hybrid of a weapon from real life called Emei Piercers (IRL Video Showcase), where the finger ring used to rotate the daggers doubles as the gun trigger, and one of the sides of blades is the gun barrel instead. Whenever Braoin attacks or shoots, the attack is often followed with multiple spins of the blades. He can wear the daggers from inner and outer side of his hand changing its location with a flick of a wrist.
Abilities
Braoin is a Shield-based Support, capable of attaining great shielding and healing values at cost of his damage output. His only utility is tied to the same button as his escape option, making him a very difficult character.
LMB: Emei Piercers
Description: Pyral Emeici that shot a sequence of multiple Light Shots and single Heavy Shot. Reloading for a certain period of time forces a Heavy Shot that knockbacks enemies.
Details:
- Deals 155 damage every 0.25s 3 times, then after 0.5 dual shots for 320 damage (~630 DPS)
- 15 ammo.
- Hitscan.
- Can headshot.
- Heavy shot consumes 2 ammo and cannot be performed at 1 ammo.
- Fully effective up to 100 units, then fall-offs up to 30% damage at 150 units.
Reload:
- Reloads 1 bullet every 0.15s by spinning his weapon to cool down the crystals on the gun. (Total reload time: 2.25s)
- Can be canceled at any time by pressing LMB (like Buck)
- Successfully reloading 5 bullets enhances your first shot to become fast (100units/s) moving projectile that deals 320 damage in 15-units Area of Effect and apply 250 knockback from the center of the explosion. Is considered as heavy shot and thus consumes 2 ammo and breaks attack chain. Blue glow appears on the weapons as an visual indicator for when the heavy shot is available.
- Can and will continue reload at full ammo.
RMB: Soul Mender (CD: 4s)
Description: Project a decaying personal barrier onto ally that is slowly converted into healing. More healing is converted if shield decays naturally.
Details:
- Projects 1000 HP shield onto ally that decays for 250 health every second.
- When shields decay naturally, target gains 150% of the decay value as healing
- When Shield is damaged by enemy, target gains 75% of the damage value as healing
- Has 0.5s long animation. Shielding starts at 0.2s.
- Has range of 150 units
- Autolock targeting like Furia, etc.
- Requires Line of Sight.
Q Ability: Pyral Icon (CD: 10s)
Description: Manifest angelic barrier that travels forward until it comes in contact with an obstacle or after a certain distance.
Details:
- Throws out a 3500 HP shield that moves forward in direction of your camera.
- Shield breaks when its middle center collides with a wall, is destroyed or after traveling 150 units.
- Adjusts its trajectory on ramps, similarly to Io’s ult.
- Shield moves at 100% of Braoin’s base speed.
- Animation of 1s, barrier is deployed at 0.2s.
- CD starts when barrier breaks.
F Ability: Energy Veil (CD: 6 - 12s)
Description: Spin your weapon to block all frontal attacks, marking enemies that hit you. Double tapping directional keys will activate a follow-up on closest marked enemy. Properties of follow-up and cooldown of Energy Veil depend on direction pressed.
Details:
- Activating this ability allows you to block all incoming ranged attacks in front of you for 2.5s.
- Cannot use any skills while it's active.
- Successfully blocking an attack marks enemies until Energy Veil ends, allowing you to activate 1 of 4 follow-up abilities for as long as there are any marked targets available.
- Not using any follow-up activates a 6s long CD.
- Activating follow-up removes all marks.
- Follow-ups are activated by double tapping a directional key.
- Down-Down follow-up is called Backflip. Braoin jumps backwards 40 units over 0.75s, becoming CC and damage immune for first 0.5s. Doesn't require LoS of marked enemies and puts Energy Veil on 8s CD.
- Right-Right is Dread Veil. It fears marked enemy closest to your reticle for 1s. Requires LoS. 12s CD.
- Left-Left activates Chains of Sorrow, rooting all enemies within 20 units of your marked enemy closest to reticle for 1s except the target. Requires LoS. 12s CD.
- Up-Up is Revenge. Braoin teleports behind marked target closest to his reticle, dealing 400 damage with an melee attack. Requires LoS. 6s CD.
Ultimate: Guardian’s Blessing
Hostile/Yourself: “I will burn your dread!”
Friendly: “Chains shall scatter...”
Description: Lock yourself in place for short duration and transform your cloak into wings you were once stripped off. Afterwards, cause an explosion that protects nearby allies with convertible shields and roots all nearby enemies.
Details:
- Lock yourself in 2.5s long animation, granting yourself 90% damage reduction and cc immunity for the duration.
- After the animation ends, you and all allies within 50 units gain 2250 hp personal shields that decay at rate of 750/s, being converted to healing in the same way as Soul Mender.
- Also roots enemies within 50 units for 3s. Requires LoS.
Talents:
Banished
Backflip no longer requires marked enemy to activate, travels 10 units farther, and now grants invulnerability for its full duration.
Immovable Idol
Holding Pyral Icon’s button will stop its flight for a total maximum held time of 4 seconds.
Desperation
Revenge no longer requires marked enemy to activate and if enemy dies within 5 seconds of being hit by Revenge, the cooldown of Energy Veil is reset.
Cards
Pyral Icon (Q):
- Pyral Icon moves {7|7}% faster.
- Allies gain {8|8}% movement speed for 4s when they get in contact with Pyral Icon.
- Reduce the cooldown of Pyral Icon by {0.1|0.1}s for every 500 damage it absorbs.
- Increase health of Pyral Icon by {250|250}.
Energy Veil (F):
- Increase root duration of Chains Of Sorrow by {0.2|0.2}s.
- Gain {12|12}% lifesteal against targets hit by Revenge for 5s.
- Increase distance of Backflip by {7|7} units.
- Enemies feared by Dread Veil are slowed by {15|15}% for its duration.
Soul Mender (RMB):
- You and all allies within {10|10} units of your Soul Mender target gain 50% of its healing value.
- Gain {30|30} shields for 3s for every 250 damage Soul Mender absorbs when it ends.
- Increase range of Soul Mender by {5|5}%.
- Each time Soul Mender shields decay you gain {1|1} ammo.
Weapon/Armor:
- Dropping below 50% health grants {200|200}hp Shield for 3 seconds. 20s CD.
- Gain {8|8}% increased healing below 50% health.
- Enchanted Heavy Shot applies {200|200} more knockback.
- Heal for {40|40} per second while reloading your weapon.
There's a small chance I will add some concept arts of Braoin's visual design as well as his abilities, but don't get your hopes high. My life's been busy lately.
