Sunday, March 3, 2013

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.