Haganeko
commented
7 years ago Thank you for the post. This seems very complicated. I am a bit concerned over whether people will get it. I don't think having reduced DPS would be that bad - Shield boss does that to at least one hero, and that isn't a problem. This may need a rehaul.
$BOSS
Arena
Arena walls have $emitters on them.
Boss
$BOSS is a big monster in the middle of the arena. $BOSS attacks in melee and has $targetedspell which is cast on a random hero within $range. $BOSS uses both modes of attack with no restraint. $BOSS walks rather slowly. $BOSS spawns with an empty mana pool.
period=15
Phase 1 (100-70% HP)
One $emitter projects a $black beam which crosses the arena in a line at some angle, hitting the opposite wall. The beam begins aimed at $BOSS but does not turn to follow it.
Beams are narrow and an unit standing in a beam blocks it so it does not reach further. Only heroes and $BOSS interact with beams, however. Every $period seconds, a different $emitter will project the beam and the previous one ceases.
The $black beam grants $BOSS extra damage reduction when $BOSS is in its way. It grants more damage reduction to heroes, but it also reduces the damage the hero deals.
$BOSS uses the following ability: $ability1: $BOSS binds the target hero and deals $moderate pure damage over time. All damage dealt by $ability1 is given to $BOSS as healing. $ability1 lasts for $several seconds or until $enough damage is dealt to $BOSS. $BOSS attempts to cast $ability1 on the hero in the way of the $black beam if able. It has a $prettylong cooldown. $BOSS tries not to cast $ability1 if beam locations are going to change within $several seconds.
Phase 2 (70-40% HP)
Another $emitter projects a $blue beam. The $black beam is still present. Nothing special happens where they cross if they do. Beams still shift locations every $period seconds.
The $blue beam restores $some% of the affected unit's mana pool every second. If it's a hero, it also freezes all cooldowns the hero has.
$BOSS gains the following ability: $ability2: $BOSS launches $bigmagic projectile, emptying its mana pool. It deals $moderate damage + $scaling damage for every mana point spent casting it. $BOSS attempts to cast $ability2 on the lowest HP hero in range.
$BOSS alternates between casting $ability1 and $ability2.
Phase 3 (40%-0% HP)
Another $emitter projects a $red beam. The $red beam, uniquely, spawns at a random angle instead of being aimed at $BOSS. Both prior beams are still present. All three keep shifting periodically.
The $red beam applies $buff1 every half second. $buff1 stacks up to 30 times. Each stack grants heroes +2% damage dealt and +2% damage taken. $BOSS also gets +2% damage dealt per stack but due to boss resistance it's +0.2% or +0.3% damage taken. (90% or 85% boss resistance goes down to 84% or 76%.) $buff1 lasts $few seconds and isn't purgeable.
$BOSS gains the following abilities: $ability3: $BOSS removes 75% of target hero's max mana, then jumps to that hero's location and gains aggro to that hero. $BOSS landing on top of an unit deals $high physical damage to the unit. $BOSS attempts to cast this on the unit in the $red beam if able. $ability4: $BOSS loses 3 $buff1 stacks and releases $shockwave which deals $kindahigh magic damage to all units around it. This is only cast when $BOSS has over 20 $buff1 stacks and has a very short cooldown.
$BOSS rotates through $ability[1-3] and casts $ability4 whenever possible.
Strategy
Generally it's good not to let $BOSS stand in beams and make use of them as needed. $black beam can help take the $ability2 hit, but camping it permanently reduces your DPS - making you less able to deal damage to break $ability1. $ability1 is also harder to break if $BOSS is in the beam, however. $blue beam can help restore mana after $ability3, but camping it permanently means you don't get to spend it on anything. The beam restoring $BOSS's mana obviously makes $ability2 hit harder. $red beam increases your DPS for the final stretch, but it makes you a target - and a vulnerable one. It lets $ability4 happen at all, which is bad.
Notes
The $black beam is very dark. The $blue beam is very light. The $red beam has medium lightness. I don't know if they'll look black/off-white/grey to colourblind people, but they ought to be differentiable. Actual hues up to decision.
Stand-in names
BOSS=Beami ability1=Life Drink ability2=Mana Orb buff1=Power ability3=Power Sink ability4=Overpower Release