With fiendish presence, Crom Dubh arrives to strike fear into the divine, and forcefully take worshippers where his foes lay slain.
This is my entry to the 2022 Halloween Contest, a warrior whose visuals are seeped in darkness, dread, and fear. A unique kit that has a few new mechanics to make it work and a horrific passive to boot, he is meant to be a menace his Hollow's Eve.
Passive Ability
Mounting Dread
Every time Crom Dubh deals damage to an enemy, they gain a stack of Mounting Dread. At every 5 stacks, an enemy suffers a further effect of the Dread. Upon reaching max stacks, the next time you damage the enemy, the stacks are consumed and you deal additional damage. Enemies cannot gain stacks for 5 seconds afterwards.
Type: Debuff
5 Stacks - Lose of 10 HP5 and MP5
10 Stacks - 5% movement speed reduction
15 Stacks - 5% attack speed reduction
20 Stacks - Enemy cannot see Crom Dubh.
Additional Damage: 10% of enemies maximum health
Primary Abilities
1
Snap!
Crom Dubh snaps his whip, dealing damage in a line in front of him. Minions and Jungle Monsters take 10% extra damage. After use this ability becomes "Crack!"
Type: Line
Damage: 60/110/165/220/275 (+50% of your Physical Power)
Cost: 70/75/80/85/90 mana
Cooldown: 17/16/15/14/13 seconds
1
Crack!
Crom Dubh's whip is unleashed in a cone in front of him, damage enemies hit and deafening them. Enemies hit by "Snap!" are also disarmed. After use this ability becomes "Snap!" and goes on cooldown.
Type: Cone
Damage: 75/95/115/135/155 (+30% of your Physical Power)
Deafen: 3 seconds
Disarm: 1/1.5/2/2.5/3 seconds
2
Blinding Whip
Crom Dubh lashes his whip forward after a short windup. It unfurls, striking the first god it hits, damaging and blinding them for 4s. Crom Dubh can move after the windup. The whip takes 1 second to unfurl, during which Crom Dubh cannot basic attack.
Type: Rolling Line
Damage: 50/100/150/200/250 (+60% of your Physical Power)
Cost: 55/60/65/70/75/80 mana
Cooldown: 16 seconds
3
Dash Their Skulls
Crom Dubh takes 4 long strides forward, gaining 10% damage mitigation for 6s and swinging his free arm with all his strength. Enemies hit take damage and are knocked to the side. This ability can be canceled at any time, granting Crom Dubh additional damage on his next basic attack depending on how many strides were remaining.
Type: Dash
Damage: 70/110/150/190/230 (+35% of your Physical Power)
Range: 60
Additional Damage: 4% per remaining stride (Max 16%)
Cost: 80/85/90/95/100 mana
Cooldown: 18/17.5/17/16.5/16 seconds
Ultimate Abilities
4
Charge Of Doom
Crom Dubh calls upon his ghastly carriage, and after a brief windup, rides it forward damaging enemies they pass through. At the end of the charge, Crom Dubh calls out to the souls of nearby enemy gods, stunning for 2s and dealing damage.
Type: Dash/Area
Charge Damage: 90/150/210/270/330 (+50% of your Physical Power)
Area Damage: 100/140/180/220/260 (+40% of your Physical Power)
Radius: 24
Cost: 110 mana
Cooldown: 100 seconds
Stats
Health: 679 (+87)
Mana: 230 (+40)
Speed: 375 (+0)
Range: 22 (+0)
Attack/Sec: 0.95 (+1.5%)
Basic Attack Damage: 39 (+2) +100% of your Physical Power
Basic Attack Progression: 1x/.25x/.25x/1.05x
Physical Protection: 24 (+3.2)
Magical Protection: 38 (+1.2)
HP5 Regen: 9 (+0.8)
MP5 Regen: 4.4 (+0.4)
Lore
Many are the tale of the Dullahan, the headless rider of death and doom. A once prolific fertility god, Crom Dubh's demand of sacrifices led to his worship being ripped from him. And as such, he now roams the lands taking what his former followers so sorely took from him. Now, on this cold Hollow's Eve, the moon shines full over the Battleground of the Gods and the sounds of a ghastly horse galloping over the stones can be heard from miles away. Coming is the horseman whose head rest to his side, and the blood of the divine will satiate his lack of worship for if his own shall not spill blood in his name, then he shall spill blood for the worshippers of the Gods.
Visuals
Crom Dubh takes form on the Battleground as a headless man, tall and broad, holding his head in a leather holster to his side. Adorning his body are tighly fitting leathers and cloths showing blacks, purples, and dark browns. His outfit appears to be a well made tunic and leather chest padding with two belts going from his left shoulder down to his right side waist where the head is held. He wears over this a short cloak of black, the edges being frayed and ragged. His trousers fit him closely and show the strength he has gained from his deeds and horse riding. Dark brown boots are scattered with mud as are the lower parts of his cloth trousers.
Accenting his entire attire are these ghostly wisps of light blueish green that create highlights and details across him. Down the sides of his back and coming together at his lower back are celtic designs and knots. His legs are swirled in these wisps as they spiral and come together to create an etheral glow coming from his boots. His neck stump is tied together with a muddy white cloth, as is the stump of the head. A fog like mist comes from the neck stump and fades briefly after emerging from the body.
His idle stance and out of combat walking are determined, with a sense of detachedness and latent ire. When in combat, that ire comes forth as his stance and attacks show the frightening fury hidden below as he seeks to get what he wants. His abilities are detailed by blackish energy mixed with the very wisps that cover him. He carries with him a brown leather whip that has a glowing tip that fades upwards about 1/4 of the way up the whip. During his ultimate, the horses he summons is a large clydesdale that looks like its composed of shadows. The hooves of the horses give off the same fog like mist that the neck stump does and it's eyes glow a deep red.
Achievements
Domain of Dread - Consume max stacks on 3 gods in one match.
Death Tolls - Stun 5 gods with one use of Charge of Doom.
Directed Taunts/Voicelines
Cliodhna - Cliodhna... you are like a sister to me. It is but a shame that you aren't nearly as terrifying...
Cthulhu - You command Madness and Insanity, but even the mad know better than to face me.
Lancelot, Hachiman, Guan Yu, Chiron - You trot slowly... Could it be that even amongst the divine there is terror to be felt?
Hera - Your guardian, the man of many eyes. Your adviser should have told you not to lay eye on me.
Merlin - In all your knowledge, you still fell before me. Pity.
Introduction
I have come for a soul... I have come for many
Snap!/Crack!
Hyaa!
Bleed!
Taste the Leather!
Blinding Whip
Your eyes...
Look Away!
Dash Their Skulls
Hnmm.
Gyaahh!
You're in my way...
Charge of Doom
It is time...
Low Health
My head... where is it?
I shall return the favor...
Death
My body! My worshippers!!
Taunts
I've rode horses with more divinity than you...
Your blood will pool at my feet...
Hold your head, fore I cut it off...
Jokes
I'd say we'll win, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.
I don't only wear black. Sometimes I wear Jet Black, or Midnight Black, or Nox Black!
Can someone crack my neck for me? I must get warmed up.
Crom Dubh: A Closer Look
Crom Dubh is essentially a fallen god, once worshipped for the rites of fertility and good harvest but when denied the worship he demanded, turned to reaping the souls of mortals by his own hands. Thus, the tale of the Dullahan was born, a headless horseman who rode through towns with one mission, to collect the soul of a single person. At the end of their ghastly ride, they would call their name, upon which that person died. It is believed that the Dullahan is Crom Dubh, or at least a form of Crom Dubh.
Our Vision
In SMITE there is a collection of gods with scary themes. The most recent addition to this collection, Cliodnha leaned into scary mechanics more so than others. While not so mechanically terrifying, we put the utmost effort into bring a form of Crom Dubh to life that is dripping in terror. The abilities will bring a powerful Warrior that can be in of itself scary while looking the part.
Core Themes
Theme - Ideal Dullahan
The Dullahan is said to be the embodiment of Crom Dubh. In SMITE this meant making him the essential Dullahan. His abilities and design revolve around that undead spectral idea.
Visuals - Horror from the Countryside
Cloaked and Leatherbound. Crom Dubh looks like he came from the very villages and towns that he torments.
Personality - Hidden Wrath
Crom Dubh is furious for how he was treated, and now as a shell of his former divine self he doesn't seek to show it. He'll appear cold until he gets in close.
Perspective - A Bad Omen
The gods view the coming of this cloaked figure as a dark portent, a signal that bad times are to come. They might not fear him directly, but they definitely fear what his presence means.
Gameplay
Crom Dubh is a Warrior and has been designed to be the first semi-ranged warrior. He will fit in the solo lane with a likely flex into jungle. With an extended auto attack ranged and multiple abilities that are meant for distanced fighting, he isn't going to get all up in your face all the time. A combination of disabling and damage make him a force to be reckoned with if you don't mind your distance from his whip. He can close that gap with his movement ability, or even wait for the right moment to charge in and set up for his team using his ultimate. The passive will grant him long lasting effects on the match no matter how much he fights enemies so he will always be a threat at all times, even when he isn't present.
As the first semi-ranged warrior, his kit is focused on that extended range and control.
Unique Gameplay Features
* Long Range Melee Basic Attacks.
* A passive ability that hinders foes progressively more and more no matter where they are.
* A new type of Line ability that animates outward without requiring a channel.
* A multistaged dash that can be canceled early for extra benefits.
* A big teamfight ultimate or escape tool with horses!
Horror arrives, and you are at the reigns. Terrify, destroy, and rule over the Battleground when Crom Dubh rides in this Halloween!
Skins
Bull Tamer Crom Dubh
This skin would feature a matador themed Crom Dubh with a red stripped, light brown leather whip. He would be all clad out ready to fight bulls and when he ults, its a spanish carriage pulled by the bulls.
Wicked Tormentor Crom Dubh
This skin would be in the same line of skins as Eternal Tormentor Zeus and Blazing Tormentor Sylvanus. His whip would be a chain whip and his horses would be infernal nightmares with blazing manes.
Alone Time Crom Dubh
This skin would be in the Valentine's line of skins. It would be a more rating appropriate version of s BDSM theme. No over the top outfits. He would be clad in latex, zippers, a mask that brings to mind a dominatrix, and his whip would be sleek, black, with a flaming red heart at the tip. His horses would be bridled up real good in black leathers and they'd be white and brown spotted horses.
Final Notes
This concept was tons of fun to make! From creating my own ability icons to designing his appearance and skins and voicelines, I had a blast! At this point I've disappointed myself that he will never actually be in the game! With that said, I'd like to clarify some things to help you visualize him in the game.
The Passive:
His passive is designed to be something that looms over foes, forever reminding of the time they crossed paths with the Headless Horseman! And the effects aren't super detrimental but they can for sure noticeable. The final effect was inspired by Cliodnha's ability to be invisible to one person and gives a spook factor if you suddenly can no longer see him as he comes and ganks you, suddenly appearing as he hits you extra hard.
Snap!/Crack!:
This ability is meant to be a bit of a flip flop with a fun name based on the whip. The only clarifications here are that I once again took an idea from Cliodnha since she has some seriously awesome tech. The other thing it that this ability goes on cooldown after you go back to Snap!, but there is no duration on when you can cast Crack! so it's up to you when you get the line ability back.
Blinding Whip:
This ability was inspired by his lore where people would shut the blinds and doors and not look at him because he'd splash blood in their face or hit their face with the whip, blinding them. I think blind is a criminally underused CC and has the potential for some interesting kits. Additionally, when used, you will experience a wind up where he reels back and then unleashes the attack. Once he unleahses it, the whip will roll out not super fast but fast enough where you can still see whats happening. During this time, the parts behind the rolling section become loose and follow you when you move! With a bit of texture stretching and "movie magic" I'm sure this would be a clever ability to use and watch!
Dash Their Skulls:
This ability is interesting to me because I don't think anything quite like it exists outside of Cthulhu dash, which inspired it a bit. This is a channeled dash that isn't super quick. He strides along, taking 4 steps and at any time, even at the very beginning, the ability can be cancelled to gain additional benefits in exchange for not moving. Crom Dubh isn't immune to damage at this time nor does hey get damage mitigation but he is definitely immune to knockback/knockups.
Charge Of Doom:
Finally, the ultimate is the final callback to the tales. When the Dullahan, or in this case Crom Dubh, would finish his ride through the town, he would stop. And then he would speak the only word he was to speak during that ride. He would say the name of his victim, upon which that person would drop dead and their soul would be collected. In this case, disrupting a teamfight amongst gods!
Thank you so much for taking the time to look through my overly fleshed out god concept. One last optional thing, here is the link to the ability icons in a larger view, including an alternate icon for ability 3: Ability Icons
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