Champion Design Guideline

  1. Role Definition: Start by defining the primary role of the champion (e.g., protector, mage, support). This role will guide the design of their abilities.

  2. Distinctiveness: Each ability should feel unique and contribute to the champion’s identity. Avoid redundancy or abilities that overlap too much with others.

  3. Scaling: Abilities should scale appropriately with the champion’s stats (e.g., AD, AP). protectors might scale less with damage, while rangers scale heavily.

  4. Visual and Audio Effects: Abilities should have distinct visual and audio cues to enhance player feedback.

  5. Theme: Champion’s abilities and play style should match the fantasy and representation of the character’s art, story and faction.

  6. Element: Each champion is assigned an element type. When possible, this should tie into the characters kit (in example, a character who uses fire would be a fire type) however a character's balance and value is a more important factor for consideration.

Class-Specific Rules

1. Protector

  • Role: Frontline protector

  • Ability Rules:

    • Crowd Control: Protectors excel at crowd control. At least one ability should have a stun, taunt, or slow effect.

    • Damage Reduction: Include an ability that reduces incoming damage or provides temporary invulnerability.

    • Threat Generation: Protector should have an ability that draws enemy attention (e.g., taunt).

    • Weakness: Low damage, mobility. Abilities should not buff their ability to do damage.

2. Rogue

  • Role: Mobile Assassin

  • Ability Rules:

    • Burst Damage: Rogues deal quick bursts of damage. Abilities should have high damage output.

    • Mobility: Include an ability that grants mobility (e.g., dash, blink).

    • Positional Advantage: Rogues should have abilities that reward flanking or attacking the backline. Consider advantages to isolated targets.

    • Weakness: Low hp, weak to multiple damage sources, weak against protectors. Abilities should never make Rogues thrive in these areas. Abilities should minimally help rogue survival through self buff, but primarily through debuff of enemy.

3. Mage

  • Role: Spellcaster

  • Ability Rules:

    • Area of Effect (AoE): Mages excel at AoE damage. Ideal, at least one ability should hit multiple targets.

    • Utility: Consider including an ability with utility (e.g., crowd control, debuff).

    • Burst Damage: Mages may rely more on their abilities than their primary attack.

    • Weakness: Low defensive stats, low mobility. No ability should buff self defensive stats or allow mobility.

4. Support

  • Role: Healer and buffer

  • Ability Rules:

    • Healing: Supports must have healing abilities. Consider burst healing and over-time healing.

    • Buff: Include abilities that buff allies.

    • Utility: Supports often provide utility (e.g., cleanse, movement speed boost).

    • Weakness: Low damage, Weak to focus fire. Support abilities should focus on buffing allies instead of themselves. Abilities should be ineffective at keeping self alive.

5. Ranger

  • Role: Ranged attacker

  • Ability Rules:

    • Precision: Rangers should have abilities that reward accuracy (e.g., critical hits).

    • Interactive: Rangers can have special benefits to map obstacles.

    • Primary fire: Rangers basic attack should be a main source of most damage. At least one ability should reflect this.

    • Range: Rangers excel at long-range combat; abilities should reflect this.

    • Weakness: Low HP, Weak to melee damage sources. Abilities should never benefit rangers defensive abilities/stats.

6. Bruiser

  • Role: Hybrid fighter

  • Ability Rules:

    • Sustain: Bruisers need self-sustain. Include an ability that heals or grants temporary shields.

    • Versatility: Bruisers adapt to situations. Abilities should be versatile (e.g., damage and crowd control)

    • Dangerous: while they lack range of mage/ranger and the mobility of scouts, their lethality is respectable and should typically win against the other archetypes if they can reach them.

    • Resilience: Consider an ability that mitigates incoming damage.

    • Weakness: Weak to focus fire. Limited Mobility results in them being weak to crowd control.. Selfish (e.g., Bruisers should never have Taunt or abilities that peel/protect allies.)

Conclusion:

All champion archetypes should be viewed as chess pieces on a board with recognizable weaknesses and strengths. By designing champions this way we can ensure that the player understands the strategies and advantages to formations.

With our initial roster it is advised that we stay strict in these guidelines to ensure a balanced enjoyable experience. However, post launch content may include champions that slightly fit outside the box to shake up the meta and encourage engagement with our champion acquisition systems.

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