User blog:Elphrihaim/Eliwan, the Prince of Magic

So to make a truly representative Champion of Eliwan, I went back to basics. I stopped trying to use his 'adult' design (that was the four-kit shenanigans), and now represent him most with a more teenage/young adult variant-- this form having fewer powers that needed to be addressed, but more importantly is really when I think of him being his own self, and less of a component of another's story.

Currently I'm undecided regarding his basic attack range (melee? ranged?), and I've settled for what I think will be very niche and interesting, like his character, instead of something that makes cohesive sense with the rest of the League. Because.. that'd be boring.

I've jammed, inside the ability descriptions, all additional information about each ability.

Eliwan, the Prince of Magic is a custom champion for League of Legends.

Eliwan begins the game with the following "buff":

Background
Eliwan hails from an island not far from Runeterra. He was well-educated, but moreso with a latent talent for memorization-- especially that of magic arts. He came to Runeterra mostly to learn, but also to hone skills across the lands, searching all over for something new or a different light. He climbed Mount Targon, but could not see eye to eye with things there, zealous preaching of a single doctrine and overturning of others. In Noxus, he was disturbed by their culture, in Demacia weirded out, from their will and determination to fight simply for their country, as opposed to having a purpose in doing so, a trained and unspoken rule. In Ionia, he found a second home-- from their spirit, fervor, and tenacity-- qualities that though other places had none had so well and meshed with his mind. Whilst studying there, word of the League entered his environment, and away he whisked himself to that location, a place of study and the location of 'the war to end all wars'.

As he wrote his experiences, he noticed one thing-- In almost all the Champions that fought, they fought for some purpose. Eliwan realized something-- why he had been so fascinated with Ionia, why Noxus and Demacia were struggling in his head to compete-- that he did not connect with their purposes for he had not felt them before. Now that he knew, he set out on a different quest-- to find the stories behind each city and understand them. To do that, he needed access... and that access was through the League itself.

"Act, scene. Dialouge. Line, word; verse, whatever it is-- one at a time, a story is written. It may be a masterpiece, it may be garbage, it may be elegant, it may be long, it may be but a few words. There is still a tale to be told, and that is what matters. What I need to find and understand is how the story came to be, not what the story says." -Eliwan

Addendum: "To elaborate I mean that Demacia and Noxus' battle could be summarized as simply, as black-and-white, as 'Good versus Evil'. The good one is whoever wins and then stops being so militaristic, as history is skewed by winners. But that doesn't matter. What I care about is how come their fight lasts forever, unending? Why did this war start, who was involved in it, and why? Oh, and if that's all common knowledge, I haven't been here long enough to know it. Sorry." -Eliwan

About
Overview / Intentions / Other (kinda important) stuff:

Concept: Eliwan is able to sustain combat extremely effectively, though not as effective at bursting down champions as other mages, he specializes in nigh-unparalled sustainable damage, being able to very consistently output fair damage. This makes his strong points early (when the base stats of abilities are strong) and late (when scaling can be maximized). With multiple avenues for attack, Eliwan's power increases as the enemies approach him.

While skirting on the edges of combat, Eliwan is able to set a Spark Trap to ensure he does not get ambushed before attempting to land Ground Blaze, Flame Blast, and Dragonfire; or poking down opponents with Particle Storm (as this is his longest-range spell).

If Eliwan has a frontline tank to shield for him, Eliwan is able to sustain a high amount of damage output by having an easier time landing his first abilities by getting closer to the enemy team.

If Eliwan's forced to go up to the front of a fight, or even be an off-tank for his team; he's capable of sustaining himself (if he itemized for it) and preventing enemies from passing without considerable downsides. If he's not itemized for this role, however, he is probably able to get out plenty of damage before his demise thanks to his shield.

Eliwan is not able to always have Spark Traps out (he needs to keep hitting abilities to do so), and Particle Storm is his only move able to help him escape (after his actual escape)-- thus, he must trade out between having vision (being safe) or dealing (more) damage when he is not with his team. Eliwan is useful as a team supporter (though he shouldn't share a lane as his lack of early peel and lack of controllable damage area are poor qualities to have in a duo lane), able to peel and tank a fair amount of damage quite easily.

Ability Notes: Innate: At level 18, an additional +75% Attack Speed will give Eliwan 1.53 Attack Speed.

Q: I was originally trying to mess with things such that Dragonfire would lead you back to Ground Blaze, but I decided against it. This makes things much easier, in my opinion.

Original 'progressive' description:

PROGRESSIVE: Landing (re: hitting at least one enemy with) the previous ability will cause the next cast within 7 seconds to be the next ability. If 7 seconds pass between ability landings, this ability regresses one stage, it does not reset to the beginning. Each time the chain regresses, the time it takes for the chain to regress decreases by 1.5 seconds. After Dragonfire is used, the active chain cycles to Ground Blaze-- and will decay to Dragonfire. If the chain regresses 3 times (see examples), it is automatically lost.

W: Passive effect was something I felt I had to give him. It's one of his core offensive/defensive tactics in-universe, so I had to make sure he had it somewhere. I divided the effect up (normally it does damage and serves to recover). If Eliwan is very cautious with his abilities, he is able to have good mana sustain by usage of auto-attacks to give him mana back-- though being careful is very important, as doing so not only pushes the wave out but also puts him a bit out of position when he tries to do so. Capitalizing on a low-mana Eliwan that is pushing waves to recover it when they walk up to the wave is critical to forcing him out of lane. Active deals no damage because I wanted to solidify his role as a 'safe' caster. This gives him a strong disengage with little incentive to use it otherwise when being a mage. If Eliwan is being a close-range fighter, on the other hand, the active forces enemies to stick around for you to get off some free extra damage from your Q landing while preparing an onslaught from other itemization.

Itemization
This build has been designed assuming Eliwan is your team's mid-laner. A top-laning Eliwan is more likely to want to get defensive items immediately after purchasing a Tear of the Goddess, to be able to survive and farm well if pushing out.

Eliwan works best stacking items that build out of (though mostly because those items happen to be extremely good as an AP carry that needs mana, not tons of CDR, and naturally buckets of AP):


 * gives Eliwan plenty of bonus damage if enemies itemize against him, though not as much if they don't.
 * is surprisingly cost-effective even against enemies that either build against Eliwan or ignore his damage. With extra durability, Eliwan is also able to actually take a hit.
 * allows Eliwan to much more easily chain his primary damage spells on enemies with the slow effect. However, I do not recommend it mostly because the slow is not persistent, as Eliwan has no damage-over-time effects with which to perpetually impede movement.
 * is AP core. Though each AP ratio Eliwan has is relatively low and he can't make good use of, he has incredible spammability that allows you to destroy enemies by consistently inflicting damage.
 * is incredible for Eliwan's ability to spam due to it granting him tons of mana, and the additional AP is highly beneficial.
 * is useful to help Eliwan take punishment when he gets attacked (getting too close or getting caught), but also use his spells due to mana and make those spells hit harder from the substantial AP bonus.
 * is useful due to Eliwan's shorter cooldowns, though not good for Eliwan's safety as it requires him to be too close to deal the damage such that he would be unsafe. If you're certain that you can burst your enemies down before they can retailiate, Lich Bane is incredibly useful.
 * in a similar vein give Eliwan more strong area of effect influence while also giving him defenses and mana.
 * gives Eliwan the fantastic mana sustain he needs to be a successful damage dealer.
 * if you're in more need of AP or are against sustain-tanks (or enemies that have almost no Magic Damage output), as opposed to Athene's. Getting both, though immensely helpful for Eliwan's spammability, will hurt the user's heavy itemization.
 * though not the strongest item by any means for such a low-cooldown character, it can give Eliwan quintessential time for his escapes to be back up.
 * is a good pickup for Eliwan-- though his AD scaling and ability to auto-attack is low, he is able to activate the effect on every third spellcast due to Rending Wind. The +1000 Mana is very useful for Eliwan if he's building an Archangel's Staff due to the massive AP potential as well, and the extra AD makes it so that he does not have to use spells to last-hit minions (though by the time you get one, you probably won't need help).

Quotes

 * Upon selection
 * "Time for another ball.. am I to be a muse or dancer? Perhaps this is an entry in the records, and you wish to be the scribe?"
 * The last part is to reference 'history is written by the winners'.


 * Attacking
 * "On it!"
 * "My blade..."
 * "For the best."
 * "To learn.."
 * "Is this justified?"


 * Movement
 * "Going."
 * "It shall be done."
 * "Your whim and will is my action."
 * "I should be there, sorry."
 * "I'll go, please don't repeat the same order!"


 * Casting Elphrihaim_Spark_Trap.jpg Trap
 * "Ignite!"
 * "Alight!"
 * "Trap!"
 * "Raish!"


 * Casting Elphrihaim_Blaze.jpgd Blaze
 * "Blaze!"
 * "Magma!"
 * "Rise!"
 * "Tan lus fue!"


 * Casting Elphrihaim_Flame_Blast.jpg Blast
 * "Taah!"
 * "Burn!"
 * "Sear!"
 * "Le ai je kan!"


 * Casting Elphrihaim_Dragonfire.jpgnfire
 * "Ruiziki!"
 * "Purify!"
 * "Flames!"
 * "Tai aio kiq noe!"


 * When Elphrihaim_Tri_Star.jpg Star activates
 * "Absorb!"
 * "Siphon!"
 * "Taitori!"


 * Casting Elphrihaim_Lightning_Rush.jpgning Surge
 * "Shift!"
 * "Port!"
 * "Change!"
 * "Tra soc lac!"


 * Triggering Elphrihaim_Rending_Wind.jpgng Wind with a basic attack
 * "Be rended!"
 * "Cai to lu!"


 * Casting Elphrihaim_Particle_Storm.jpgcle Storm
 * "Be wary of your zenith!"
 * "Raining rocks!"
 * "Laq ire wuji!"


 * Casting Elphrihaim_Heirloom_of_Friendship.jpgoom of Friendship
 * "Ancestors, help! Make havoc happen!"
 * "Not this day! You're in the clear!"
 * "Let's go! Nothing can stop us!"
 * "I'm here for you! Don't fear!"
 * "O Heart of Light! Let me help them!"

Eliwan sheathes his sword, then takes a book out of his pouch and begins reading it, flipping the page intermittently. He then closes the book after about 3-4 seconds, and says a second quote. While he says this second quote, a set of runes write themselves and then flare with power for about a second before fading. Quote 1: Quote 2:
 * Taunt
 * "I, uh... want to read this. You don't mind, right?"
 * "Your ability to damage me is nil. I have faith in that."
 * "If that's all, I have some higher level things to do."
 * "Tsk, tsk. You should leave sooner rather than later... After all, this story's mine."
 * "I've got just a few choice words... This paragraph has no relevance to you specifically, just as a foe."
 * "Doubtful of my power? You shouldn't... really, it'd be a bad idea!"

Eliwan does a bow-curtsy and then throws his sword into the air, suspending it and spinning it with air while fire and lightning dance around him and the sword. It then drops cleanly into his hand.
 * Joke
 * "I don't mean to insult, but perhaps you can find not, a reason you are unable to handle a bolt, or a flame like the ones here-- for tots."

Eliwan turns sideways and flourishes his sword forward, as it glows with intense light (or something else based on skin). Eliwan then grasps the light with one hand and the sword splits from the glowing light, and does two spins before shuffling right, then left twice, and rolling forward. He strikes the air in front with both swords rapidly, being in a lunge. Finally, backflipping high through the air to land in his original position-- and during the leap, the light fades back with the sword as his hands are close together.
 * Dance

Particle description and sketch -Classic / Light Passive: A swirling rainbow bubble with music notes dispersed in it. Q: A ball of lightning and sparks / eruption of fire / 2 spiralling fireballs / flames that swirl up along the animation W: 3 white-green streaks fly from enemy to Eliwan / many bolts of electricity extend the two points and as the burst out E: Like GA, but sideways, green, and superfast / pellets falling with light-green aura kicking up a lot of dust R: Like Graves' Smokescreen, but the center is a fireball (that actually flares out), the walls made of gusting wind, and electricity perpetually crackling through it.

-Dreadknight / Dark Passive: A solid dark-purple bubble with deep-red dotting it Q: A ball of sparks with purple spiraling inwards / purple pillar with purple flames / waving purple-black 'snake' / A cone of black-colored flames that seep into and burn the ground W: 3 pink-orange streaks fly from enemy to Eliwan / many tendrils extend between the two points and burst out E: 3-4 purple sickle-cell like shapes whirl around the enemy over ~1 second / portals open on the ground and tendrils shoot out R: the entire area is comprised of dark-purple bordering it with a haze going through it.

-Netscape/Arcade / omg web browser. must have digital fx, like arcade skins, and be 'retro', because netscape is old.

Other
So, this is a project I've worked on for quite a long while. A VERY long while. And that's just this version! A few issues I came into when I got this draft as an idea was how to balance a spell that not only had multiple effects, but also was so spammable. I wanted to make a character that was extremely fun to play with, but not overbearing to go against. This is my main issue with champions such as or -- whenever I play against them, they always either are completely meaningless or absolutely destroy everything in sight and have no counterplay available (and before you say 'stun him',  will have ~2 AS, Audacious charge cleanly blends into AA anim so ~1 second to react, and many stuns simply won't affect him until you're dead because he's got that much damage).

So Eliwan lacks strong crowd control effects to counterbalance how strong a super-spammable area of effect attack is. As a short-ranged Champion he is disincentivized from getting typical AD items due to a lack of a spammable gap closer and strong CC-- his gap closer being his main source of cc.

Nerdy stats for nerdy nerds regarding innate passive shields Hide=|-|Show=Yasuo's original shield: 60 / 65 /  70 /  75 /  85 /  95 / 110 / 125 / 145 / 170 / 200 / 240 / 290 / 350 / 420 / 500 / 590 / 690 Growth NA /  5 /   5 /   5 /  10 /  10 /  15 /  15 /  20 /  25 /  30 /  40 /  50 /  60 /  70 /  80 /  90 / 100

Yasuo's new shield: 60 / 65 /  70 /  75 /  80 /  90 / 100 / 110 / 125 / 140 / 160 / 185 / 215 / 250 / 290 / 340 / 400 / 470 Growth NA /  5 /   5 /   5 /   5 /  10 /  10 /  10 /  15 /  15 /  20 /  25 /  30 /  35 /  40 /  50 /  60 /  70

Difference between old and new shield: 0 /  0 /   0 /   0 /   5 /   5 /  10 /  15 /  20 /  30 /  40 /  65 /  75 / 100 / 130 / 160 / 190 / 220 Growth Difference NA /  0 /   0 /   0 /   5 /   0 /   5 /   5 /   5 /  10 /  10 /  15 /  20 /  25 /  30 /  30 /  30 /  30

Eliwan's first shield 65 / 85 / 105 / 125 / 145 / 170 / 195 / 220 / 245 / 270 / 300 / 330 / 360 / 395 / 420 / 455 / 495 / 540 (+100% Bonus AD, +40% AP) Growth NA / 20 /  20 /  20 /  20 /  25 /  25 /  25 /  25 /  25 /  30 /  30 /  30 /  35 /  25  / 35  / 45 /  55

Eliwan's second shield 60 / 70 /  80 /  90 / 105 / 120 / 135 / 150 / 165 / 185 / 205 / 230 / 255 / 285 / 315 / 350 / 390 / 440 (+75% Bonus AD, +30% AP) Growth NA / 10 /  10 /  10 /  15 /  15 /  15 /  15 /  15 /  20 /  20 /  25 /  25 /  30 /  30  / 35  / 40 /  60

Eliwan's third shield 60 / 70 /  80 /  90 / 100 / 115 / 130 / 145 / 160 / 180 / 200 / 220 / 240 / 265 / 290 / 320 / 360 / 400 (+75% Bonus AD, +30% AP) Growth NA / 10 /  10 /  10 /  15 /  15 /  15 /  15 /  15 /  20 /  20 /  25 /  25 /  30 /  30  / 35  / 40 /  40 Difference between 1rst and 2nd shield 5 / 15 /  25 /  35 /  40 /  50 /  60 /  70 /  80 /  85 /  95 / 100 / 105 / 110 / 105 / 105 / 105 /  100 (+25% Bonus AD, +10% AP) Growth Difference between 1rst and 2nd shield NA / 10 /  10 /  10 /   5 /  10 /  10 /  10 /  10 /   5 /  10 /   5 /   5 /   5 /  -5 /   0 /   5 /  -10

Difference between 1rst and 3rd shield 5 / 15 /  25 /  35 /  45 /  55 /  65 /  75 /  85 /  90 / 100 / 110 / 120 / 130 / 130 / 135 / 135 /  140 (+25% Bonus AD, +10% AP) Growth Difference between 1rst and 3rd shield NA / 10 /  10 /  10 /   5 /  10 /  10 /  10 /  10 /   5 /  10 /   5 /   5 /   5 /  -5  /   0 / -5 /  -10