Champion Concept: Mort

Concept Lore

Bilgewater is a busy place.  Between trade, thievery, bounty-hunting, and other shenanigans -- occasionally a story is told about Mort, the great Water Sage.  The stories vary from traveler to drunkard; How Mort uses the ocean itself to crush pirates, or calms the currents to provide safe passage for ships.  Everything said about Mort has been just a story.  Few believed Mort even existed.  Until the old sage himself rowed into Bilgewater from the ocean.

When he appeared -- the only thing Mort would say is "must warn the two of the danger," and then proceeded to hobble toward the League.

Concept Game-Play

Mort is a Bilgewater Mage and Support that specializes in titanic ocean spells that shield, slow, and crush.  Some of his abilities are meant to be terrain altering or terrain creating.  He's meant to be a little more tanky than typical Mages and Supports too.

Art Direction

This is my first approach at painting the champion without being reliant on outlines and sketches (looking for feedback about that).  Mort is super old to provide a change of pace from the typical hyper-athletic champions we already have.  He also fills the old hermit/sage archetype.  He houses this really colorful shell on his back, which is about as big as he is.  I wanted players to think "what's under that thing?".  One of Mort's eyes are missing and he has a crab claw for an arm -- which suggests that Mort may not be human at all.  He's also missing a leg, which is why he has a staff -- it's for walking and magic!

Champion Concept: Millia

Concept Lore

In Bilgewater, thieves are commonplace.  But no thief has a reputation as Millia does. As a master thief; Millia is one of the most wanted criminals in all of the world -- not because of her crimes, but because she is a thief for hire.  Looking for more of a challenge Millia has sought to test her abilities against the champions of the League... and perhaps make a little coin doing so.

Concept Game-Play

Millia is a Bilgewater support that scales off of Attack Damage and Critical Chance.  She manipulates gold gain both to the advantage of her allies and to the detriment of her opponents. She is quick and agile with abilities that reflect her cunning.  She is supposed to fit a role focused on speed and gold manipulation that is currently absent from support archetypes.

Art Direction

Millia has been one of the most difficult champions I've had to design -- mostly in part because I didn't quite know in which direction to go in for a Bilgewater champion.  Eventually I decided to make another thief type champion, and I started putting a pirate take on rogue tropes.  I put her in leathers for armor as it was more appropriate considering her thematics, and added a lot of yellows and golds to represent her obsessions as a thief. She came out a little too bland, so I had to pop her with a violet tint in her leather and a magenta tattoo on her arm.  Afterwards, I added just a little bit of silver to contrast the leather more so.

Champion Concept: Loz

Concept Lore

Every now and again, you will hear a story -- in Ionia. Noxus. Zaun. Or anywhere, really -- about Goblins causing mayhem.  Goblins pop up from time to time in tales and are considered to be manifestations of misfortune and malice.  Very recently, to everyone's horror, Goblins have stepped into the light and out of the darkness of myth and story.  A Goblin nation -- consisting of numerous specialized casts -- has emerged.  Though their nation is by no means large by any standard, the thought of organized Goblins is reason enough for panic.

To solidify their reputation on the world stage, the Goblins have sent forth their first representative into the League of Legends.  Loz comes from the Insect Cast of Goblins who specialize in breeding and controlling insects for pets and food.  Loz has shaped his breeds of insects to cause dismay, illness, and injury to enemies of the Goblins.

Concept Game-Play

Loz is a support champion with a focus on brush control, area control, and debuffs.  There isn't a champion yet that really has a focus on helping deny brush use, so Loz has a great void to fill.  His insects do various things to enemies but I wanted there to be more focus on what Loz can do with the insect.  Loz can make hives -- hives produce insects which hinder enemy champions in a large area.  The hives can be destroyed.  Hives, when placed in brush, not only cover their area of effect, but additionally infect the entire brush with the effect of the insects.  Additionally, Loz can create hives that only trigger and infect enemy champions when they come too close to the hive.

As a way to make Loz a little more fun of a concept, game-play wise, I've made 12 insects.  I don't know what these insects do -- I think it would be fun if the community were able to make up their own uses for the insects' abilities.  I created 12 of them so that anyone wanting to theory craft Loz's insect uses have a wide selection in which to choose from.  Here are the names; 1. Obsidian Beetle, 2. Snot Grub, 3. Mana Leech, 4. Vertigo Moth, 5. Corpse Worm, 6. Blood Ant, 7. Smog Roach, 8. Volatile Mosquito, 9. Plague Wasp, 10. Pus Slug, 11. Blinding Butterfly, 12. Spinal Centipede

Art Direction

So Loz is my first jab at a Goblin trope and I wanted him to be small and sneaky. And not green.  His main focus as a character is to sneak around the battlefield and construct hives and traps -- utilizing a lot of brush.  So he needed to be a little stealthy.  I put him in a cloak weighed heavy with the appeal of common thief archetypes.  To display his origins, Loz has his Cast's emblem on his back.  This is also to set apart his silhouette from other smaller champions.  He also needed these glass jars with him, for insects of course.

Champion Concept: Algus Shade

Concept Lore

Algus doesn't remember much leading up to, during, or after the calamity -- What he does remember is that he was once some sort of nobility, was a praised tracker, and that his family had an affinity for wolves.  Whatever the calamity was, Algus woke up on the shores of Noxus in what seemed to him to be another time.  Another curious note Algus made was that he was in fact already dead -- but still somehow bound to the physical world.  Apathetic toward his plight, Algus sought a new medium for his skills in order to acquire fame.  His arrogance has led him straight to the League.

Concept Game-Play

Algus is a Shadow Isles AP jungler who can track and trap enemies.  There aren't too many champions that have traps available to them, but there is certainly no champion that specializes in them.  Algus turns into a wolf, or releases wolves, in accordance to whatever his kit would call for (ie: a gap closer would animate his lunge as a quick transformation; traps might release wolves; etc etc).

Art Direction

With Algus, I worked a bit backwards.  I came up with a conceptual lore on the basis that I wanted a proud tracking character.  I started tying Algus to the Shadow Isles, and I thought it'd be a fun way to play on the Black Dog ghost tales.  Instead of a dog though, I wanted to make Algus more vicious -- so dog became wolf.  To stand apart from other Shadow Isles champions, and other champions in general due to his time displacement, Algus has more black and silver integrated into his design -- something of which other champions don't have as a distinction.  Algus is thin of frame to denote that he is not a tank, and wears fur and pauldrons to denote that his key role is in the jungle.

Champion Concept: Rebekah

Concept Lore
Rebekah was born and raised in Demacia all her life. Instilled with patriotism for country she enlisted into the Demacian military as soon as she was able. Unfortunately, the nature of conflict changed, and the League began to take care of Demacia's defense and conquest. Refusing to sit idle and watch as her heroes of story and legend take all the glory for their country -- Rebekah continued her disciplined training. After being gone for years, Rebekah has returned as a champion in the League -- ready to prove that she too was a legend fit to stand shoulder to shoulder with her idols.

Concept Game-Play
Rebekah is an odd AD Carry who can also be an AP based Support. She'd be ammo based with high impact shot skills and abilities that allow her to heal and scout. Rebekah should have at least 2 build paths. An AD one that should make her fitting as a carry, and an AP path that enhances her utility as a Support while sacrificing her damage. This is meant to make Rebekah a solid bottom lane pick.

Art Direction
I wanted Rebekah to be something of the everyday person who wanted to join the League. Someone who grew up listening to stories of these Legendary heroes doing heroic stuff. I thought it'd be fun to toy with the idea of her being added to the military in order to support these heroes -- but then the League made it so that soldiers were no longer needed, only champions. This backstory made me focus on making her a little "of the people", like a militia. When I thought militia, I thought minutemen -- hence the colonial attire slightly stylized. I decided that uniformed soldiers would probably be more of a Demacian thing as opposed to Noxus, and that's how she got her colors.

Champion Concept: Itzel

Concept Lore
There is a tribe of people deep within the Kumungu Jungles. In this tribe, the only monarchy is ruled by and passed down by females. Itzel is the youngest in this royal line. To be considered for rule though, Itzel must excel in tasks of survival, leadership, and strength. To test her abilities, her family has armed her with heirlooms of power and have sent her to the League -- in that she may prove to be the most capable leader of her people.

Concept Game-Play
I really like concepts like Viktor and Rengar -- champions that have a specific item that helps alter how they play, or boosting their already impressive stats. For Itzel, I wanted the focus to be her Head-dress. As an item, there would be 3 types -- that would alter her abilities to fulfill a different role. The roles I had in mind were Bruiser, Jungler, and Support. They would have to act like Viktor's augments -- but the effect would be on all of her abilities -- altering the way she plays entirely. Currently, there is no champion that harbors the ability to change roles completely based on altercations to an entire kit. She'd act as a nice counter-pick character.

Art Direction
WOW. Was this character fun to make. When my skills get even better, I will totally revisit her. Basically I wanted a character who fought with a weapon that behaved like a Bo-Staff, but I wanted her to be agile and deadly. So there are two blades attached to the ends of the weapon. Forgive me, I know this weapon actually has a name, but it eludes me as of now. Will revisit. I knew I wanted her to be another royal player in the League and I noticed that League lacks a great deal of tribal and native influences. So going off of tribal themes and Central American themes, I gave Itzel a unique look. I have a bias for agile and slick characters, so Itzel has a little more black in her design -- and tattoos made up of mostly vertical lines. Her head-dress also acts as her prominent area of her silhouette -- in that she may be recognizable on the field. I toned back her armor/jewelry to bronze from gold so that she may be a little less gaudy in appearance -- the tropical feathers were enough. Her faceplate is made of bone... because it looks cool? And because I've been reading too much Lizardmen lore from Warhammer.

Champion Concept: Setesh

Concept Lore
Setesh was a practitioner of wind based magics. Though he was never any good at it, he continued to practice. On a journey to Demacia, Setesh fell into a cavern whilst traveling through the Shumira Desert. While trying to find a way out, Setesh found a shrine within the cavern, and a voice luring him to enter. Setesh was then confronted inside the shrine by a apparition of Sand and Air. The Sand Avater said to Setesh "You are worthy of my legacy. You will defend us in our time of need". And with that, the Avatar disappeared, and Setesh transformed into a being of magic and escaped the cavern. With a newfound control over the sands, Setesh changed his destination to the League.

Concept Game-Play
Setesh plays as an AP support in is default form -- and his abilities are gale-type sand spells; such as dervishes. He plays with blinds, shields, and movement speed effects. Setesh's ultimate is Manticore Form. Like Nidalee, this changes Setesh's other abilities, and he is able to stay in this form. Manticore's abilities have additional AD ratios attached to them, and are more violent and powerful spells.

Art Direction
Setesh's concept started in his Manticore form. Though initially he was not a manticore, just a berserker Yordle. After adding horns, I realized he'd be cooler as a manticore, and the changes spring from there. With the manticore concept in place, I decided that Setesh would indeed be the Sand Mage that the community has beckoned for. To punch this up, I played on colors that insisted on desert archetypes. The glowing runes are to signify his mage play-style, and their engulfing of his Manticore form represents the amount of magic being loosed.

Champion Concept: Scheele

Concept Lore
Scheele is a alchemist of Zaun who has taken it upon himself to study the Shadow Isles.

Concept Game-Play
A support champion that focuses on harassment via CC's and Debuffs. He provides a lot of utility in this sense, but offers little in the way of damage. I like to think of Scheele's game-play as throwing potions to have sickly and odd effects that are Crowd Control and Debuffs in their utility. Acids, Nerve Gas, Explosions, Slows, Fears, Poisons -- the character is just meant to punish players who get too close to the ADC that he guards. His game is chemical warfare, and I think there's a lot to be explored in what exactly he does with all the potions he brings to battle. He would be extremely squishy to make up for his offensive utility.

Art Direction
Scheele was difficult to plot out because of Singed. However, I really wanted to push another poison champ, but that originated from Zaun; which is described as a place where technology meets magic, thats not exactly too keen on morals. He's sickly because of his obsession with alchemy and the Shadow Isles. Yellow is iconic of sickness and disease almost as much as green is -- but it also gets across an idea of uncomfortableness. The vials around him suggest he's a chemist of sorts and works with disease/poison/potions.

Revision 1
He's cloaked now, giving him more of a "mage" feel, so there would be no confusion -- this is not a tank character. Other visual cues are the black/grey saturated cloak being more icon of the grim reaper (while still removing himself from Karthus). Add a color-friendly gas mask, and the character's whole begins to shape. I don't like to think of Scheele as being complete just yet, and I'm going to give him another round of revision treatment.

Champion Concept: Danielle

Concept Lore
A support mage specializing in Fears and Terrors. Danielle was once a maiden who lived among beautiful isles. An event occurred, leaving Danielle broken and forever without rest. She is no longer part of Valoran, and can not transition into the beyond. The specter beside her is Lamore. He's a total jerk, but his heart (if he has one) is in the right place.

Concept Game-Play
I thought thematically that there needed to be a Shadow Isles support -- specifically a kill-lane support that relied heavily on Fears and Terrors, which few champions have (I think Hecarim is the only champ with Terror currently). Danielle's game-play concept originates from Support Fid. Max Fear first! Fear is great utility for a kill lane, and using this as the basis of concept, I thought of a Leona-type champion. But instead of being able to stunlock a target, you could fear/terror lock them.

Art Direction
Thematically, this champion type is completely absent. We don't have a true ghost, a champion that focuses on fears/terrors, or a Shadow Isles support champ. Using this, I crafted a champion I thought would sufficiently look in tune with these roles. Danielle is thin, pale, and female to dictate that she is fragile (being a support); she wears jewelry to show that she is elegant to enhance her eerie quality. Her dress and bare feet play off of ghost story tropes of specters that walk across certain roads, or that drift through the far end of a hallway. I used a lot of blues and turquoise to really push a cold feeling from her. I wanted her to be this sad broken character that longed to be part of our world or the next -- not her current state of limbo.

Revision 1
To up the undead aspect of Danielle, I made her dress consist of lost souls. Her jewelry is also more prominent. Danielle herself is more specter as opposed to "just a lady in a dress" and is torn in half art-wise by her image as an undead and her image of the living.

Champion Concept: Castor/Pollux

Concept Lore
Castor is a young Yordle wizard, with aspirations of being a hero. Pollux is a young Yordle wizard, with aspirations of being a villain. Castor focuses on shielding and healing friends. Pollux focuses on weakening and poisoning enemies. But are they two different beings? Or one Yordle with serious issues?

Concept Gameplay
The duality champ is another champion type I've seen being asked for by the community. Castor/Pollux was my stab at that particular type of champ. As such, I thought the champ's only really fitting role would be to be a buff and debuff champion. Buffs and debuffs being utility abilities, I decided that this champ would be a support. Castor would focus on all the positive effects like healing, and Pollux would focus on detrimental effects like poison.

Art Direction
Castor/Pollux are Yordles and because when I think duality, I think of good and evil; and without going deep into yin and yang and dr. jekyll and mr. hyde -- I thought of simple hero and villain. Heroes and villains seemed to be the sort of thing kids believed in, so I thought it appropriate to attach that to the racial personality of the Yordles. To further play up this theme, Castor/Pollux are garbed in a fashion that represent the minions on Summoner's Rift, because heroes and villains are all about costumes. Currently, Castor/Pollux are in line for a revision to play up this thematic more.

Champion Concept: Leer'Vo

Concept Lore
A Void champion based on a Beholder. I envisioned him to be a support that focuses on aggressive map control, gained by attaining vision by various means. He's weak and sinister, and is in Valoran to scout our weaknesses in preparation for an invasion.

Concept Game-Play
The greatest utility a support can offer is vision. This is the idea I played with when thinking of how Leer'Vo might fit into the League. I remember hearing that League did not necessarily support passive play, so I wanted Leer'Vo to fit as an aggressive vision control champion. Things I thought he might be able to do consisted of eye sentries, eye bombs that reveal, and blinding/darkness abilities. I also thought of him having a true-sight passive to encourage counter-warding, solidifying his position as a champion of vision. He would most like be extremely weak and squishy to balance his vision abilities.

Art Direction
There was a community post that was adamant about having a champion based on the Beholder creature. To differentiate the creature from a League styled one, I decided it must be a void creature. I also extended the tentacles to give it a "body" and proceeded to add a few more eyes for game-play narrative (what does he do with his eyes?).

Revision 1
After looking into Shuma -- I made strides to differentiate the two in the revision. Here's a break down of things that make them different. Leer'Vo has; Arms, Different Color / Patterning, Quills, Spikes, Teeth, A more expanded body. Here's how I justified these changes and differences. Leer'Vo's arms are frail, thin, and alien -- this is to iterate that he is not a strength champion. Leer'Vo's purple coloring comes from the association League has made with the Void and the violet spectrum of color. The rest of the changes involve Leer'Vo having more of a structure to him. He's not an eye with tentacles -- he has a small body, and the arms make up part of that. The small body does not however remove Leer'Vo as being a product of filling the need for a Beholder champion