Big Bad Bug wrote:Brutal Bruce
(Everyone is renaming heroes so why not?)
HP: 600 (added 10)
Regen: 33 (added 3)
Melee: 40-59 (Remains the same)
Armor: 50% (probably the same but the game never clarifies)
Speed: Average (Remains the same)
Respawn: 20s (added 2)
Innate: Regenerates 1 HP every other second at all times.
BBB is back with yet another solid remake of one of our favourite melee heroes, Bruce
This remake includes changes to many of Bruce's skills but remains loyal to his original "ultimate shredder" playstyle, complimented by a melee prowess that has been improved even further
In addition, this remake comes with brand new background lore for Bruce, greatly increases his atmosphere and distinguishes his identity among other heroes.
(Sharp Claws) Vicious: Passive
Bruce's melee attacks and skills have a 10/20/30% chance to cause bleeding to enemies and increase his melee damage by 15/30/45 points against bleeding targets.
The name change is probably meant to fit the addition of bleeding effect for Bruce's skills aside from his melee attacks. However, with only two active skills in his arsenal, one of which is a roar with no usage of claws, the other benefits straight from how long the enemy has been bleeding, this addition seems to focus solely on smart and lucky usage of Bruce's Hero Spell, King's Pride, to try and bleed enemies before they come to Bruce, to increase Brutalize's damage. This, along with a minor bleeding % increase, does not affect Bruce much in terms of power level.
(King's Roar) King's Feast: 28 seconds
Unleashes a roar that stuns enemies for 1/2/3 seconds. For each enemy stunned, Bruce enters a state of bloodlust for an extra 1/2/3 seconds in which his damage and bleeding bonus are doubled.
This ability has gained 8 seconds to its cooldown, as well as a new, extremely powerful effect that buff Bruce's damage, with Vicious III, on par with the most powerful towers
Specifically, with all maxed out, he deals
138-162 damage on every attack. This is total slaughter for the Werelion's foes. Considering this ability being an AoE one, probably only activates when 3 enemies are nearby, Bruce is guaranteed 9 seconds of steroid every 21 seconds, plus a 3-second stun period when he can maul his victims without fear of being harmed. If Bruce ever fears of being harmed
(Lion's Fur) Ferocious Fangs: Passive
Each attack on a bleeding target has a 20/35/50% chance to regenerate Bruce's health by the damage dealt.
This skill is very, very well placed, emphasizing on Bruce's status as the best bruiser out there. It compliments Bruce much better than Lion's Fur, both in terms of atmosphere and playstyle. With this skill, and a bit less HP without the Fur, Bruce must actively fight and damage bleeding foes to maintain his durability, which is still very good at 600 HP and Medium armor. Unarmored foes with a lot of health are the best for Bruce to heal from, since he can beat them black and blue, keeping them bleeding for a long time without them dying, and his mostly physical damage kit are best utilized against these foes.
(Grevious Bites) Brutalize: 15 seconds
Bruce bites through to an enemy's flesh, dealing 60/90/120 True Damage and an additional 10/20/30 for every second that the enemy has been bleeding.
- Only applies to targets who are already bleeding.
In terms of damage, this skill is considerably weaker then Grevious Bites, apparently for good reasons. It has a shorter cooldown, which allows for more liberal use without fear of overkilling, a good thing since this skill is Bruce is major damage source. It also receive a new effect that has potential to raise its damage: an extra 30 True Damage for every second the victim has been bleeding. At 30% bleeding chance every melee attack, and a supposed attack rate of once per second, there is about 1/2 chance that Bruce will make his victim bleed for 4 seconds, for a total of 240 True Damage done by Brutalize. Honestly, it is rather disappointing. 240 damage is not enough to kill Harassers. With a 15-second cooldown, Bruce must keep his victim bled for at least 6 seconds to deal an acceptable amount of damage, and he does not have a good chance to do so. I suggest increase this skill's damage to 75/110/145 and give 10/30/50 more for each bleeding second.
(Guardian Lions) King's Pride: 50 seconds
Summons 3 magical manifestations of Bruce's pride that dash down the lane, dealing 100/200/300/400 True Damage each to as many enemies as they can.
- Lions will now move on to new targets if the original dies before all 400 True Damage could be dealt.
Basically, King's Pride is the same as Guardian Lions, but with a new effect to avoid overkilling the first and usually weakest foe in a horde. This effect may lead to an epic decimation of a whole army from just one well timed King's Pride
Backstory: There lived a mortal king in a distant, grand kingdom, filled with the most splendid riches and grand structures in the continent. Although many threats loomed outside of the kingdom's borders, the only one that ever posed a truly fearsome threat was a shapeshifting sorcerer. The king was so proud of his empire and of his own fighting ability that he set off to destroy the sorcerer himself, and free the land of this villain.
The king battled foe after foe as he scoured the land in search of this sorcerer. When he finally encountered him, they engaged in a battle that lasted for days. Apes, rhinos, vultures, boars, and more clashed claw and fang against the king's steel. Refusing to come so far just to lose, the king leapt at the sorcerer as he changed forms yet again. In the brilliant flash of magic that transformed the sorcerer's body into a new beast, the king had been caught inside just as he dealt a fatal blow to the sorcerer. The magic instead wrapped around him, transforming him partly into a lion, but his humanity seemed to partially persist. The king had become a werelion, part human and part lion. He had human posture, dexterous hands, and the ability to speak, but the fur and strength of a magical lion.
Ashamed and angered that he could not defeat the sorcerer flawlessly, and that he had been transformed into a subhuman creature, the king roared with fury. He tried to return to his kingdom, but his people thought that he was the sorcerer, who had returned after defeating the king. Unable to convince them otherwise, he was forced out by the soldiers of the mighty kingdom he once caled his own. The ex-king could not even find solace as a true lion, for he lacked the claws and posture to hunt and kill like a true beast.
However, he would not be discouraged. The king used his human hands to craft his own claws out of the tree bark that he could scavenge. He spent hours each day meditating to better understand the magic that had transformed him. Though he could not revert to his human form, he had found the power to call forth his indignant rage from being transformed, summoning magical lions for a brief moment that would take out all of his own anger by brutally slashing anything in their wake. The king had found his old pride. He vowed to regain his glory as well, by using his newfound power to protect the good people from evil. He fights for respect, and honor.
As I said earlier, this is an extremely good backstory, that explain logically how Bruce became a Werelion, and describe in detail the emotional journey he made from human to beast, who he was and how little has he actually changed. I am sad that Bruce cannot revert his form and claim the identity he had before, but it seems to me that this life is how he always want to live. Not the beastly part, but the part where he fights evil and protects people for the sake of it. That perhaps, is the reason why he left his throne, without any company, to seek and destroy the shapeshifting mage.