User blog comment:LivesByProxy/Heir To Blackblade: Fulfilling League's Thief Fantasy/@comment-26815373-20160411183650

I changed her passive (from a bland 'bonus damage on hit' effect) to what it currently is based on Will's feedback.

The idea being that she, as a thief and a support, should be one of the least combative champions in the game. As Will said, ideally players would "be incenitivized to not fight enemies outright as Imoen". This got me thinking, what if we could reward a sort of hit-and-run play-style.

So I came up with her current passive, which, I hope, does just that. Like every other champion, Imoen can attack from 'stealth', surprising her enemies. Unlike every other champion, her attacks on enemy champions won't reveal her right away, and pack a huge punch. In my mind, she can hide on the other side of a piece of terrain, or in a bush, or in one of her corridors, and be rewarded for doing so. It also affects her DPS, as her damage will just be 'meh' UNLESS she's actively trying to use the Fog of War and stealth effects to proc her bonus.

I imagine her teamfights / skirmishes to be a lot of skirting the edges of battle, trying to auto-attack from the safety of a 'concealed' space. It also pushes her further into the 'support' domain, as she simply can't duel people one-on-one, but it still gives her the ability to outplay enemy champions if she's clever.

At first, I was concerned this would cramp her personality, as in my mind she was a sort-of flamboyant thief. She didn't mind being seen, as she enjoyed the chase. But encouraging this stealth gameplay made me realize that she also enjoys hiding. I can just imagine her giggling / snickering as the enemy team runs by searching for her. It's like a children's game to her, a combination of tag and hide 'n' seek. Pretty cool, IMO.