[Dire - Str] Skincrawler, the Devouring Sandworm

[Bloodmoth]

A) Inspiration/Concept:

The concept of huge tunnelling earthworms isn't really new. It has been used a million times in movies (Tremors, Star Wars, Starship Troopers etc.), animes (Dragonball GT), and fantasy games (D&D) alike. They have made their appearance in computer games as well, a fine example being Starcraft 2 nydus worms, even if only for army transportation purposes (Also FF, Dune etc.). The main idea behind the earthworm that makes it such a great concept is the fact that its attacks can be very very surprising since it is concealed from sight by moving underground and launching sudden strikes from there, when least expected. Another similar concept I liked is the desert devouring worm. It seems to be immobile, and create some kind of quicksand effect that draws prey towards its huge mouth. It is usually buried under the sand, and the prey doesn't realise it is there until it is too late.

All in all, I found the concept very fitting for a strength dire ganker hero . Why the hell dire and not scourge? Well, the idea has been forming in my head for a long time, but one of the skills I wanted to create for my hero, couldn't easily (if at all) been created for WCIII DotA. So here we go, and in that sense this is a DotA 2 exclusive suggestion (unless someone with more knowledge than me about what can be done in current DotA confirms we can make the skill with good old WCIII engine).


UPDATE (21/10/2011): The helpful people over at the Advanced mechanics forum affirmed that the second skill (Predatory Senses), isn't codable in WC3 DotA. The hero as he stands now can only be viewed as a DotA 2 suggestion. The full answer is in the spoiler below.

"Shows all units that aren't visible and moving with speed > 100ms as a red mark on the ground."
Codable.

"Does NOT grant vision of the targets."
Not really codable. It would reveal the Fog of War around those units.

"Allied heroes can't see the marks."
Codable.

"Shows invisible units as well, even when they are inside his line of sight, as long as they are not detected/he doesn't have actual sight of them."
Codable.

Reading the above you'll realise the real problem is seeing the marks in the fog of war without actual sight of the spot, which is impossible. As an extent, allies will also be able to see the enemy, nullifying the (otherwise codable) "Allies can't see the marks" part. Problem on two sides... Oh well

Conceptually, the skills I made use 4 fundamental elements of the sandworms I have seen:

1) Tunnelling and Launching Surprise attacks (Skill 1)
2) Using the vibrations made by prey walking on the ground as a means to locate it (Skill 2 - Not sure if possible to make in WCIII DotA)
3) The ability of several worms to fully regenerate their body even if a significant part of it is lost (Skill 3)
4) Lurking underground setting a trap for unsuspected prey and pulling it towards their huge mouth quicksand style (Ultimate).

So, this is the general idea. I will get into the specifics later. Remember, numbers can be adjusted, primarily I want the concept rated and fixed. I'll be posting the full skill descriptions as soon as possible.

Also, adding a few random photos from the net to have a general idea about the look of such a hero.

B) Hero Attributes/Skillset/Details:

• Hero Introduction
• Attributes
• Skills
• Synergy
• Skincrawler Q&A

• Hero Model
• Background Story

DEVOURING SANDWORM SKINCRAWLER

*The model isn't made by me. The creator is Sephiroth_VII so props to him. You can download the model from hive workshop or I'll upload here once and if I get the creator's consent!

Skincrawler is the greatest predator in his natural environment, the vast Deserts of Ankillar. Despite being the greatest predator in his habitat, his mind is incapable of grasping the concept of war, and would not otherwise interfere in the clash between the Radiant and the Dire - but the trepidations affecting his homeland are too numerous to be ignored. The battles between the two opposing forces generate huge tremors and split the land open, directly involving the great hunter in the clash. Siding with those who more closely resemble his own kind - Broodmother, Crixalis, Nerubian Assassin and Weaver, he joins the war fighting for the Dire in order to bring a swift end to this unprecedented nuisance. As far as he is concerned, there is only one being capable of spreading fear and causing prey to tremble with every stirring of the sand, quaking in fear and trembling at the presence of the Great Sandworm of Ankillar - Skincrawler, the Devourer!


*Props to alwaysgorandom for looking through my hero background story and making the appropriate corrections/changes to have this really great result.

• Statistics
• Advanced Statistics

Strength Agility Intelligence 24 + 2.1 18 + 1.8 16 + 1.8

Starting HP/MP: 606/208 Base Stats: 58 Stats Gain: 5.7 Primary Role: Ganker

*As you can see, Skincrawler has good (above average) starting stats, but rather unimpressive (below average) stat growth. This is because he is meant to start rather strong, and wether he will stay strong or get weaker as the time goes by depends on the success rate of his ganks. Also, since he doesn't have any real steroid skills, the quality of the early-to-mid game ganks he makes is the determining factor of his gameplay, much like Pudge depends on successful early-mid hooks.

Affiliation:	Dire		Attack Animation:	x / y
Damage:	53-59		Casting Animation:	x / y
Armor:	3.52		Base Attack Time:	1.7
Movespeed:	310		Missile Speed:	Instant
Attack Range:	128 (Melee)		Sight Range:	1800 / 1800

*Key points of Skincrawler's advanced statistics: Above average movement speed, since he is meant to be a swift moving predator, good starting armor, which complements his good starting stats to make him a menace in early-mid game much like heroes that do the same (see Balanar). Most important point here is the 1800/1800 sight range, like Enchantress. It makes sense concept-wise, since worms don't actually "see" but rather "feel" the enemy and complements his passive (2nd) ability greatly. It is an integral point of his gameplay!

• [T]unnelling
• Predatory Senses
• [R]eactive Split
• [Q]uicksand Deathtrap

Type: Active Targeting: Instant Hotkey: T

Skincrawler can dig underground tunnels at amazing speeds, and use the element of surprise as an advantage to launch amazing attacks, emerging from below the ground when least expected.

	Mana	Cooldown	Range	AoE	Duration	Effects
1	80	40	N/A	N/A	6 seconds	Skincrawler becomes invisible. Gains +10 movement speed.
2	80	40	N/A	N/A	6 seconds	Skincrawler becomes invisible. Gains +20 movement speed.
3	90	40	N/A	N/A	7 seconds	Skincrawler becomes invisible. Gains +30 movement speed.
4	90	40	N/A	N/A	7 seconds	Skincrawler becomes invisible. Gains +40 movement speed.

• During this the Devouring Sandworm can tunnel below units, trees and impassable terrain.
• If duration ends when below impassable terrain, the Devouring Sandworm can get stuck.

Subskill: [E]merge

Type: Active Targeting: Instant Hotkey: E

Skincrawler emerges from the ground, launching a fierce attack throwing rubbles at the surprised enemies, which are unable to counter-attack.

	Mana	Cooldown	Range	AoE	Duration	Effects
1	40	N/A	N/A	250	1.2 seconds	120 damage and stun.
2	50	N/A	N/A	250	1.4 seconds	160 damage and stun.
3	50	N/A	N/A	250	1.6 seconds	200 damage and stun.
4	60	N/A	N/A	250	1.8 seconds	240 damage and stun.

• Damage Type: Magical

Type: Passive Targeting: Unit Hotkey: -

Skincrawler never ceases to seek prey. Following the vibrations one's steps create when they walk, Skincrawler is able to "feel" the enemies' location even when he can't see them, and ambush his victims when least expected.

	Mana	Cooldown	Range	AoE	Duration	Effects
1	N/A	N/A	N/A	2400	Until no nearby valid target exists	Shows all units that aren't visible and moving with speed > 100ms as a red mark on the ground.
2	N/A	N/A	N/A	2800	Until no nearby valid target exists	Shows all units that aren't visible and moving with speed > 100ms as a red mark on the ground.
3	N/A	N/A	N/A	3200	Until no nearby valid target exists	Shows all units that aren't visible and moving with speed > 100ms as a red mark on the ground.
4	N/A	N/A	N/A	3600	Until no nearby valid target exists	Shows all units that aren't visible and moving with speed > 100ms as a red mark on the ground.

• Does NOT grant vision of the targets.
• Allied heroes can't see the marks.
• Shows invisible units as well, even when they are inside his line of sight, as long as they are not detected/he doesn't have actual sight of them.

*To get a rough idea of how this skill works, think of the SC2 Sensor Tower, the difference being Predatory Senses only shows moving targets. Here is a screenshot:

Type: Active Targeting: Instant Hotkey: R

When in grave danger, Skincrawler can activate a weird defense mechanic: He can cut himself in two, making a last ditch effort to escape. Having four hearts, it isn't hard for him to regenerate himself from any of those halfs providing they survive long enough for him to be able to. If he succeeds in doing so, he is once again ready to join the battle more powerful than ever.

	Mana	Cooldown	Range	AoE	Duration	Effects
1	110	140	N/A	N/A	12 seconds	Cuts himself into two parts, with 35% of his max hp each. After Regeneration, Tunnelling cooldown is refreshed (the rest remain as they were before splitting).
2	120	140	N/A	N/A	12 seconds	Cuts himself into two parts, with 40% of his max hp each. After Regeneration, Tunnelling cooldown is refreshed (the rest remain as they were before splitting).
3	130	140	N/A	N/A	12 seconds	Cuts himself into two parts, with 45% of his max hp each. After Regeneration, Tunnelling cooldown is refreshed (the rest remain as they were before splitting).
4	140	140	N/A	N/A	12 seconds	Cuts himself into two parts, with 50% of his max hp each. After Regeneration, Tunnelling cooldown is refreshed (the rest remain as they were before splitting).

• Only usable when below 40% max hp.
• The 2 halfs of Skincrawler have no attack and they can't use items or skills other than Heart Pressure Explosion and Regenerate.
• The 2 halfs of Skincrawler have a set movement speed of 310, not affected by any items the hero has.

Worm Skilltable/Details:

Skill: Heart Pressure Explosion

Type: Passive Targeting: Area Hotkey: -

As a worm, Skincrawler has 4 hearts in each of his halfs. As a last defense mechanism and a final attempt to finish off or discourage pursuing foes, when each of the mini worms die, they raise the blood pressure between their hearts at such a high point that they actually become a bomb. The unsuspected enemy then watches his own prey explode into a blast, catching him off guard, and dousing him and the area around in sticky goo from the interior of Skincrawler's stomach, hindering his own movement speed and the movement speed of all other Skincrawler's enemies that enter the area.

	Mana	Cooldown	Range	AoE	Duration	Effects
1	N/A	N/A	N/A	350	6 seconds	Deals 60 damage and applies a ministun. Slows MS by 25%.
2	N/A	N/A	N/A	350	6 seconds	Deals 80 damage and applies a ministun. Slows MS by 25%.
3	N/A	N/A	N/A	350	6 seconds	Deals 100 damage and applies a ministun. Slows MS by 25%.
4	N/A	N/A	N/A	350	6 seconds	Deals 120 damage and applies a ministun. Slows MS by 25%.

• Damage Type: Magical
• Heart Pressure Explosion isn't triggered if a worm expires by cooldown and isn't killed by an enemy.

Skill: [R]egenerate

Type: Active Targeting: Instant Hotkey: R

Having many hearts and internal organs in each of his two parts, Skincrawler is able to regenerate himself from one of his halfs to his complete form at any time, as long as he is allowed to.

	Mana	Cooldown	Range	AoE	Duration	Effects
1	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	4 seconds	Regenerates with 35% of his max hp.
2	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	4 seconds	Regenerates with 40% of his max hp.
3	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	4 seconds	Regenerates with 45% of his max hp.
4	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	4 seconds	Regenerates with 50% of his max hp.

• If the player doesn't manually choose which of the two parts will regenerate, after the end of the skill duration Skincrawler regenerates in the half further than the original casting point.
• Regenerate takes 4 seconds channeling time, but it can't be interrupted unless the half trying to perform it dies.
• The 2 worms can't use Regenerate at the same time. If one of them is in Regeneration process, the other one has the skill disabled for the duration.

*The model for the 2 halfs will be the same as Skincrawler's, scaled down to 50%.

*Killing each worm gives 35-50g bounty. This means when the second worm dies, it gives its own bounty + the normal hero kill bounty.

Type: Active Targeting: Instant Hotkey: Q

Skincrawler digs a whole in the ground, waiting patiently for the unsuspecting victim to pass. Then, with his huge maw wide open, he creates a huge quicksand pulling the enemy towards certain doom. The unlucky prey struggles, only hoping to outlast the effect, or be totally devoured and contribute with its life energy to the power of the mighty Sandworm. Cries for help echo through the lands, but the target's friends can either stand watching the bloody view, or try to interfere, risking to hurt their own ally in this deadly lockout.

	Mana	Cooldown	Range	AoE	Duration	Effects
1	200	120	N/A	175	Infinite (invisibility) / 4 seconds	Targets nearest hero in the AoE, pulling him towards the center. Deals 40 (50*) magic damage per second. If the enemy gets below 15% of their max hp during the duration, they get devoured, resulting in 1str point stolen. In this case, Skincrawler gets +1str bonus (+2 total). While in the quicksand, all damage done to Skincrawler will be split between him and his victim, suffering 50% each. (*Springing the trap will not break invisibility. 2 seconds delay before Skincrawler is revealed).
2	240	100	N/A	175	Infinite (invisibility) / 5 seconds	Targets nearest hero in the AoE, pulling him towards the center. Deals 50 (60*) magic damage per second. If the enemy gets below 15% of their max hp during the duration, they get devoured, resulting in 1str point stolen. In this case, Skincrawler gets +1str bonus (+2 total). While in the quicksand, all damage done to Skincrawler will be split between him and his victim, suffering 50% each. (*Springing the trap will not break invisibility. 3 seconds delay before Skincrawler is revealed).
3	280	80	N/A	175	Infinite (invisibility) / 6 seconds	Targets nearest hero in the AoE, pulling him towards the center. Deals 60 (70*) magic damage per second. If the enemy gets below 15% of their max hp during the duration, they get devoured, resulting in 1str point stolen. In this case, Skincrawler gets +1str bonus (+2 total). While in the quicksand, all damage done to Skincrawler will be split between him and his victim, suffering 50% each. (*Springing the trap will not break invisibility. 4 seconds delay before Skincrawler is revealed).

• This skill needs a double activation. First click makes Skincrawler bury himself underground, and enter permanent invisibility mode. Second click springs the trap.
• Skincrawler channels this skill for 1,5 second to bury the hole to set his trap (get into invisibility). Stopping the channeling will waste the cooldown and mana required for the skill.
• The permanent invisibility will be broken by any action other than staying in position, including using blink dagger. In that case the trap can't be sprung and the ulti is wasted.
• The quicksand effect is channeling as well.
• You can activate the skill during Tunneling, and in this case the trap will spring immediately without double activation or casting time.
• Completely disables caught enemy, and works against invisible and magic immune units.
• Can be improved by Aghanim's Scepter (* shows the improved values).

*Adding an example:

Let's say Skincrawler lvl 11 with 1000 hp ulties an enemy maxed at 1000hp as well. The ulti itself does 37,5 damage per second after calculating resistances. So let's say that in the course of 4 seconds, the enemy has suffered 150 damage from Skincrawler's ulti, and another 500damage from Skincrawler's allies. Enemy is now at 1000-150-500=350hp.
Then an enemy Lina comes along and has a phenomenal idea of using laguna blade lvl 2 on Skincrawler. Laguna blade level 2 normally does 506 damage after calculating resistances, but since Skincrawler is still using his ulti, he takes half the damage, 253, and his enemy takes 253 damage as well. So we have:
Skincrawler: 747hp Enemy:97hp.
The enemy's hp is now below 15%max hp (150hp) so he is insta-devoured, losing 1str. Skincrawler gets 2str. bonus and adds Lina to friends' list.

• Skill Synergy
• Item Guide
• Hero Synergy

Single Hero Gank / Chasing:

+ +

The simplest way to gang a lone hero. Track him, surprise him, hold him for the allies to hit, devour him.

+ + +

The full combo which includes Emerge. The stun gives you the time to set up Quicksand and execute it for maximum effect. Better than the previous, simpler version but harder to pull off, especially at lower levels of emerge when the stun duration is smaller than the time needed to set up Quicksand. Also 60 mana more expensive.



Teamfights:

+ + + + + +

The ideal teamfight for a good Skincrawler player. Initiate, Emerge, Ulti, interrupt it with Split once it gets rough, get away, Regenerate, come back again with Tunneling and Emerge! Mana tolling (700 mana at level 16) but quite effective. If the enemies are stupid enough (unlikely) not to interrupt your ulti you might also devour an enemy in the process as his own allies hurt him!!


Escape tools:



That's what the skill is made for.



Juking is easy when you can see the enemy in the fog of war!

OR +

Invisibility and speed increase. Sure it's your initiation tool, and you might be wasting your emerge, but it can serve as the means to get the hell out of there. Also passes through impassable terrain!



As a last resort. Permanent invisibility can keep you alive for those precious few seconds you need for a real escape mechanism to come off cd. 40 /140 seconds aren't too short...

Skincrawler's Item Guide:




Ok then, let me try and make a quick explanation of the above diagram starting by explaining the overall item choices/categories expected to be seen on Skincrawler.

Those are mainly 3 kinds of items: Primarily, items that assist him in his primary role, which is ganking. Those items are the items that help him get the mana pool and regeneration to sustain his deadly combo, or enhance its power.
Secondly, there are the survivability/tanking items, which ensure Skincrawler can escape with his life if he is counterganked or if he simply fails. Also, they can minimize time breaks between his ganks. Last but not least there are those items that are helpful for the team. Skincrawler isn't the greatest team contributor in the game, so once he has the items to sustain his combo, he is free to get team-orientated items.
Generally, items to be avoided are damage-orientated items and attack boosters.

So, let's start explaining my actual item choices, but open a little parenthesis here to say what the heck Gem of True Sight wants in that list. The answer is simple: Skincrawler is probably one of the best gem carriers in the game. He has many escape mechanisms, he is likely to have tanky items so that he doesn't die easily and he is item independent so that he can spare the gold to buy it. But the most important factor of all is his passive skill. He knows what's coming, he can't be juked, and he can follow an invisible hero even if he is lost into the fog of war!

*

So, let's proceed with a description of my Core Build:

I think the Early Game / starting items are as obvious as it can be. Tangos, Healing Salves, Ironwood Branches, Circlet of Nobility and Magic Stick are all common starting items, cost effective and good for a hero that is counting on a strong early-mid game, like Skincrawler. You can see Quelling Blade there as well, which can help with last-hitting and getting XP in the lane until you are ready to hunt.

The next step would be getting boots and upgrading them into Arcane Boots as soon as possible. Arcane boots are the obvious boots of choice for Skincrawler as they grant him both the mana pool and the mana regeneration he needs to exploit his combo and be able to use his mana tolling skills. Regeneration for Skincrawler isn't as important as a good mana pool, because the skills have high mana costs but also high cooldowns. You need to be able to sustain a full combo, but you won't need to regenerate quickly back up most of the times. Arcane Boots can however give you an instant boost if you really need to use a skill like Reactive Split at a tight situation. Phase Boots aren't to be considered at all. The damage is wasted, and if you want help in last-hitting the quelling blade should suffice. Phasing is not needed as well, since you can tunnel through impassable terrain if you really need to, and you will most probably initiate with it all the time. Power treads are a waste as well. Attack speed is wasted, and if you want the stats, you can always grab a bracer. All in all, Arcane Boots are too good to pass.

Going into the Mid Game, a Skinrawler should have something along the lines of Arcane Boots, Bracers, Magic Wand and Salves, a point when he should decide on his next major item. Truth is, there are many choices, and that reflects on the Situational item side, which is really crowded, but my core choice for a number of reasons would be the underrated Necrobook. First, it adds some nice stats. Strength is good for obvious reasons and intelligence is fine for boosting the manapool a bit more. But what is most important is of course the summons. The summons complement Skincrawler really nice. They add a nice team bonus through their AS and MS aura, which can also help Skincrawler, mana burn, and if you go all the way true sight as well, which as I already mentioned is perfectly fitting for Skincrawler due to his passive. On top of that, we shouldn't overlook the fact that Skincrawler's ulti is a lengthy disable, and the summons can hit the victim freely while Skincrawler is channelling. I believe Necrobook is so good on Skincrawler as to be core, and it can also give him another way to spend his mana when he reaches later stages of the game.

Reaching the Late Game, and with Necrobook upgraded, Skincrawler would have nothing more that he needs desparately, so a nice choice is Heart of Tarrasque. The reasons are simple: He can use the tankiness, the max hp boost helps his Reactive Split which is essential late game to help his team and refresh Tunnelling to repeat Emerge in team clashes, and it will complement greatly any of the item choices Skincrawler has made from the situational items list, be it blade mail (personall like it the most), hood/pipe, or even assault.

*

Speaking of Situational Items, they are mostly self explanatory. Urn is a very nice item, especially for a hero who is going to be present in many gangs to refill it frequently. Basilius is a very nice early item as well, boosting mp regeneration and the already good innate armor of Skincrawler to make him really hard to kill. That Basilius can later be upgraded into a Vladimir's in case the team lineup and the carry can really benefit from it. Lion ring is also an option which would theoretically let you swap Arcane Boots for something else, but in all honesty I don't like it a lot. Then there the usual tanky items: Vanguard, Blademail and Hood. I would personally go for either Blademail or Hood. Skincrawler's hp should be ok with some bracers/wand and the Necrobook as long as he devours a couple enemies. The block doesn't sound too alluring as well, Skincrawler has good armor for physical attacks. For end game he can go into Heart.

A question that will arise would be the following: Should I invest on tanking items or go for magical immunity? That is a very tricky question indeed, as Skincrawler's ulti returns damage. It is a very logical thought that one would go for BKB or Linken's to avoid interruption on the ulti and return more damage to his victim in order to devour it, rather than go tanky. That question is one of the reasons all that array of items is in the situational side rather than the core build. In a few words, thatisforyoutodecide.jpg. Personally, I think Necrobook is usually the item I would want to invest on, so I find BKB and Linken's too expensive to build either of them to complement it. Again, Blademail is better in my eyes.

Two items that appear on the list are Force Staff and Janggo. Force Staff is an item that can be useful in a lot of ways but I really can't say I would buy it on Skincrawler, unless in very specific situations and if it could really synergise with my allies (Pudge, Centaur, Techies) or against specific enemies (Naix). Janggo is a nice item providing a good bonus for yourself and the team, and some stats to boot. Its biggest problem is, there's an item that does that and a lot more, and that is the necrobook. I wouldn't get Janggo on Skincrawler, but I guess it's an option for those that don't want to invest into the Necronomicon.

Skincrawler is a hero based on his combo and not on his attacks. So there is the usual suspect on the situational side: Aghanim's. It gives stats and an extra perk for your ulti, but it isn't gamebreaking to make it core. Then, there is Bloodstone for the same reason. Great hp/mp boost, but I feel the regeneration is a bit wasted. Would probably fit a build far from the core, without Arcane Boots as a core and as a mana source in the mid/late game. Well. I wouldn't do it, but someone could.

Finally, there is an array of end-game items to be considered. Those are Shiva's, very nice to add some AoE damage and utility in the end game if you can afford it. Sheepstick, easily one of the best items in the game and it can find a use on anyhero under the right conditions. Ultimately, Assault Cuirass, again only if it somehow helps the lineup and the team's carry, instead of vlad's.

Thanks for sticking with this guide to the very end, I hope it gave you a good overview of the hero's item choices. If you have any comments/objections or additions to the above, please feel free to leave a comment in the thread.

Best Friends

Generally, Skincrawler's best friends are those that can gank best with him. This prequisites good mobility to follow him into a gank, and good steady dps. I won't list nukers as particularly good friends, because Skincrawler doesn't boost nuking in any way, and nukers can easily bypass the Devouring hp range, making Skincrawler end up too fragile in the late-game. Holding enemies for a good amount of time with his ulti has the most benefits for heroes that do steady dps and they just need the enemy to be immobile to dish it out. Examples of this are Clinkz, Magina etc.




Holding an enemy still to be cut down to death is a good idea, and the short cooldown blink can ensure Magina can follow you into a gank.



Quick moving hero, that benefits a lot by auto-attacks due to his passive. Great candidate for assisting Skincrawler in ganks.



A hero with impressive dps, as long as he catches up with the enemy. You can help him do the catching up great.



Excellent speed with his windwalk, and an excellent dps with his autoattack. All you need to do is hold the enemy in place to get mowed down by the flaming arrows.



His ulti is a great means of coming to your aid from great distances, and your disable of the enemy can ensure he can keep hitting him with his auto attacks and Static Remnants.



A classic auto-attacker. His superior range is a plus as he can assist you without having to move aroung a lot losing precious time.



Global ganking ability is a huge plus, especially when your disable can hold the enemy still to get autoattacked, which is the main source of Furion's dps.



Razor is a swift moving hero due to his passive, and he can greatly benefit by ganking with Skincrawler due to his Static Link. Charged up auto attacks hurt. A lot.



Naix is a friend of any ganker. He can ulti into Skincrawler and follow him into any gank, plus he can do more dps the more healthy an enemy is, helping a lot to get him into the Devouring hp range.



A huge ms autoattacker, and one that is usually found in Skincrawler's natural hunting grounds: The jungle. This duo can make enemies so afraid to venture into the jungles as to make them end up underfarmed.



Another quick moving autoattacker. His new Swarm ability also complements Skincrawler's passive very well, as it allows to gain vision of an area Skincrawler has already spotted enemies in.



A hero that loves ganking lone heroes meets his match in Skincrawler. Sudden ganks for extra money and a nice Devour. Who can say no to this?



Blinking can make her assist a gank really quickly, and she can benefit from the long disable. Also, if the players are really skilled they can use her passive in conjuction with Skincrawler's.



A great hunter during the night, Nightstalker can benefit a lot from Skincrawler and vice versa. Skincrawler isn't hindered at all by the night since he has 1800 sight range even then, and the enemies can't spot a gang as easily. Nightstalker is really speedy and can dps enemies down. Extra mention to the really fun Aghanim's + Skincrawler passive combo.



Maybe a weird choice at first sight, but a great help for any DotA hero, he is a great support for Skincrawler during the mid and late game, where big team clashes happen. Repel on Skincrawler is really great, as it can mean his ulti will be uninterrupted. This, especially if Skincrawler grabs the enemy carry, can mean the difference between success or failure. A 6 second disable on the enemy carry is crucial, especially if it can mean Devouring him and sucking his strength. Also, Purification can mean great dps on the area around Skincrawler if he initiates, and a way to keep him alive during his channelling.




Worst Enemies

There are many enemies that are lethal to Skincrawler, especially if the communication with his team is bad. His whole skillset often makes him rush into enemy territory in order to kill lone heroes or gang them. So a crucial skill for a Skincrawler player would be to be able to always coordinate his attacks with his team. Other than that, his main enemies are of three types: First, silencers. Skincrawler relies on his skills rather than his normal stats and attack, so if you strip him of the ability to use them he is useless. A second type would be 1v1 powerhouses. Skincrawler would often try to gang lone heroes if he spots them through predatory senses. The problem would be, he doesn't know which hero he is spotting. If the enemy line up has a Lycan or a Naix, this means real problems for our worm, since he can't handle those heroes 1v1, and moreover they usually wander alone in the forest. Thus, they make Skincrawler having to think twice before he attempts to gang, and the need for added support even more necessary. Finally, Skincrawler is a ganger, so the best counterganging mechanism works fine on him as is to be expected. That is map control and vision. Effective warding and map vision can disable Skincrawler a lot, and heroes that can provide vision and map control are viable counters for him. Some examples:




As mentioned above, makes you think twice before you try to gang in the forest. If you Emerge on a Naix that has enough hp to sustain your combo, you must be prepared to run for your life. You can't finish him off with normal attacks as his lifesteal will save him, he can kill you quick and your worms are food for him.


Very good hp to sustain your combo, unparallel 1v1 killing ability, popping on an enemy Ursa will make you regret it and run for your life.


This guy is the worst nightmare of any combo heroes and Skincrawler couldn't be an exception. This guy's aura can prevent you from using your full combo AND using your escape mechanisms once you Emerge in a bad situation, he can screw your ulti from whatever point on the map, assisting his team, and generally he can make you rage. A lot.


This guy can kill you easily with his lengthy silence and escape-preventing ulti, he can see you running with low hp even through invisibility and follow you due to his amazing MS, and generally would make for an interesting opponent.


Your worst nightmare during nighttime. Very good hp, a silence, a slow, great MS to chase you down and greatly improved vision if he chooses to go the Aghanim way, this guy is not only difficult to kill but can also run fast to the aid of his teammates, and once his silence hits, you are a dead worm.


This new guy seems to have been made exclusively to annoy Skincrawler. Forcing you to use you least impressive attack, your normal one, and preventing you from using skills is a nightmare. This guy can not only stop you from gaining str through devour, but he can also get fed himself in the process by dueling you.


Another really annoying hero for any invisible ganger. He can kill you easily 1v1, he has amazing MS to run away or chase you down and his ulti can not only make you easier to kill but also unable to run away. Plus it gives vision of you, so you have to wait for it to wear off before you can launch a surprise attack. Ouch!


Mr I-counter-everything counters you as well. He goes into the forest for his own devouring business and if you are unlucky enough to pop on him RUN or die. A silence so lengthy it makes you want to bang your head on the wall, great hp and enough 1v1 killing capability to make you cry. This guy is unsurprisingly your Doom.

Q: Quicksand Deathtrap can target invisible enemies? (by DreamEvil)
A: Yes, and it synergises with Predatory Senses. You can see the red mark on the ground and spring the trap to catch invisible units as well.

Q: If an enemy had an invisible detector, does it detect the real look of the hero or it can only see the burrow marks on the ground? (by Twilight~)
A: The real look of course. Like a normal invisibility. There will be some rubble/dust visual to imply the hero is tunnelling, but just marks on the ground could make it messy and I don't want that.

Q: Regarding the split: Does it refresh tunneling BEFORE or AFTER they regenerate?
(by alwaysgorandom)
A: After.

Q: Won't Reactive Split end up damaging the hero if used with full hp? (by Eh_Well)
A: No. Reactive Split can only be used when below 40%, and this is also stated in the skill notes.

Q: Do Predatory Senses targets also appear on the minimap, or do you have to actively look for them all the time? (by Rendio)
A: No. You have to actively look for them, and I think it makes Skincrawler's gameplay more interesting/exciting as well.

Screenshots:

*Added a map. The hero doesn't have any of his skills appearing here. It is basically the unit Sephiroth_VII has made, scaled down. I uploaded here, so that anyone can have a rough look at what such a hero will look like. With a bit of luck and if some friends of mine can be arsed, I will have a real test map some time soon.

[Bloodmoth]

I have the hero concept and the skills ready. Numbers will need adjusting, and I will need some icons. Starting the thread and I'll be adding little by little. Please refrain from posting / commenting / critisising until I'm done at least with the basics. Thanks!!


Changelogs:

(12/10/2011): Started the thread.

Edit 1 (13/10/2011): Added inspiration/concept and skill overview.

Edit 2 (13/10/2011): Starting adding details in a tabbed presentation format. It will take some time, but having some progress. Hopefully it will be complete in a few days.

Edit 3 (13/10/2011): First tab (Hero Introduction / Hero Model) is complete, with hero title/name, hero icon,model and skill icons. Calling it a day and going for sleep. Hopefully back to add the hero background story tommorow morning.

Edit 4 (14/10/2011): Added information in the Attributes tab, including Statistics and Advanced Statistics. Also, added a note giving credit to Sephiroth_VII who is the original creator of the model you can see here!

Edit 5 (14/10/2011): Finished with the hero background story, and added short comments/justifications to the hero's stats. Will now slowly start adding his skills, so that you guys can bash my hero and make suggestions!!

Edit 6 (15/10/2011): First skill and its subskill is now complete! It is the main skill of Skincrawler and the first to max in his skillbuild. Also added names for all his skills, icons, and all the shortcuts, which ended up on a nice [Q], [E], [R], [T] layout and are easy to remember!!

Edit 7 (15/10/2011): Second skill is up as well. It is Skincrawler's tracking tool, and one of the skills that make him what he is: A ganker. To avoid imbalances his skill can't be seen by allies, so a good Skincrawler player must be able to communicate well.

Edit 8 (15/10/2011): Maybe the most important update of them all: Skincrawler's ultimate is ready!!! The puzzle pieces are coming together. Skincrawler tracks lone heroes with his second skill, notifies his allies, then performs his deadly combo, locking the poor enemy in place for his allies to wear him down which will ultimately lead to him being devoured!! ... But I'm getting ahead of myself. That stuff belongs to synergy. One more skill to go!

Edit 9 (15/10/2011): After lots of hard work, my hero is ready! Checking some details before shamelessly bumping him to get feedback. There is of course more stuff to be added, like synergy, etc, so keep checking the changelog!

Edit 10 (15/10/2011): Added an example of how the ultimate works and filled the tab of Skill synergy! Also added a new version of my hero background story. Special thanks to alwaysgorandom for the corrections and alterations!

Edit 11 (15/10/2011): I have made the bump to first page and the hero is ready for criticism! In that direction, I remade the last tab into a Q&A section where I'll file all the questions that will (hopefully) arise by the people who will actually bother giving Skincrawler a look, and the answers/clarifications I will provide, in order to create an easy-to-access information page about the hero, based on actual issues/problems people encountered when they read through his hero page.

Edit 12 (16/10/2011): Added an Aghanim's effect, mentioned also as a buff in the section below. Since I didn't want to make his ulti more powerful, but rather safer, I added a delay before Skincrawler comes out of invisibility after he springs his trap.

Edit 13 (19/10/2011): Added a map. The hero doesn't have any of his skills appearing here. It is basically the unit Sephiroth_VII has made, scaled down. I uploaded here, so that anyone can have a rough look at what such a hero will look like. With a bit of luck and if some friends of mine can be arsed, I will have a real test map some time soon. Also added some Q&A on the appropriate section.

Edit 14 (21/10/2011): The helpful people over at the Advanced mechanics forum affirmed that the second skill (Predatory Senses), isn't codable in WC3 DotA. The hero as he stands now can only be viewed as a DotA 2 suggestion. Details in the OP.

Edit 15 (23/10/2011): The new subkill of Skincrawler's mini-selfs, Heart Pressure Explosion, is now complete! You can see the details in the updated Reactive Split tab, and more specifically in the all-new Spoiler tab which has the details and the skills for the worms! Also, Regenerate now has a convenient [R] hotkey to match the main skill's hotkey! Nice
Finally, there's a number of balance fixes to counterweight this new buff a bit, and you can find them in the balance section below.

Edit 16 (24/10/2011): Added a few notes on the worm subskills, Heart Pressure Explosion and Regenerate. They serve as clarifications and hopefully will make more understandable how the skills work and how they are supposed to be used. Refer to post #33 for more details or simply see the actual notes in the OP.

Edit 17 (27/10/2011): Finally the Item Guide section is starting to take shape! I finished a nice and (I hope) informative diagram about Skincrawler's Itembuild! A written guide was added as well. All this information can of course be found under Synergy/Item Guide tab.

Edit 18 (29/10/2011): Added 2 screenshots of Skincrawler in DotA environment in the OP and finished the item guilde. Various typo / grammar and syntax fixes throughout the post.

Edit 19 (10/01/2012): Added a new question in the Q&A section. There are also more heroes in the Hero Synergy tab.






Balance Section:


(15/10/2011): Since skills are ready, the balancing process begins! Nerfs in pink, buffs in green!

15/10/2011: Nerfed Tunnelling mana cost (50/60/70/80 -->80/80/90/90) and Emerge mana cost (50 --> 40/50/50/60) a bit.
15/10/2011: Made a clarification that using Blink Dagger wastes your ulti.
15/10/2011: Added a clarification that Quicksand Deathtrap works against invisible units. It was intended, but seems like I forgot it! Thanks to DreamEvil for making me check.

16/10/2011: Added an Aghanim's effect.

23/10/2011: Added a new subskill to the worms: Heart Pressure Explosion.
23/10/2011: Added a 35-50g bounty for the worms Skincrawler splits into.
23/10/2011: Nerfed Reactive Split's mana cost a bit from a constant 120 to a scaling 110/120/130/140.
23/10/2011: Nerfed Regenerate by doubling the channeling time from 2 to 4 seconds! Now it is obvious you need to regenerate in safety and not mid-battle or you will leave yourself open to be killed.

29/10/2011: Buffed Aghanim's invisibility duration from 2/2,5/3 to 2/3/4 seconds and improved damage with Aghanims by 10dps.

[Bloodmoth]

Le Bump!

Hero is ready for the most part, and is now open to critisism! I don't mind negative comments, but please read carefully through the skills and ask for clarifications if needed. If you didn't understand a skill well, you might dislike it, and it is also a sign that I might need to explain things better. The point here isn't only to critisise or make myself feel good/bad depending on your impressions, but also make improvements/balance the hero.

Please read the changelog, as it is often helpful. I hope you enjoy this hero as much as I enjoyed making him. At least in my own eyes, he seems like a fun addition to the ranks of the Dire!

[DreamEvil]

I like it.

Tunneling - Not a bad idea, I'm not 100% positive I like the emerge subskill. You're gaining invisibility for a short time, and move speed. Then, at the end, if you can get into position, you can damage and stun the enemy? Seems powerful, but I can't say overpowered for sure. I'd have to see it in action to understand how it would play out. But It sounds like you'd get both anytime you wanted because of the faster movespeed.

Predatory Senses - I like this. You don't reveal who is there, nor be able to directly attack them, but you know someone is at a certain spot. Would make sense for a worm with no eyes.

Reactive Split - At first I thought this was too good because I assumed you could use tunneling directly after splitting. Then I read the notes and found that the halves can only cast Regenerate and can't use items. So you'd have to Split -> Regenerate -> Tunneling to use this as an effective escape mechanism. Makes it take some skill while still being a great way to get out of death. I think it's good.

Quicksand Deathtrap - The only thing I don't like about this is the 15% instakill. You get to spring a trap that is a great idea. Damaging both hero's involved is neat, and the enemy gets disabled. I don't see the reason to gain one strength and take one from the enemy, and i don't like adding an instakill on an ability that disables. I would also say that maybe you should let them do normal attacks to you, but they'd still take 50% of that damage as well. Then they can attack all they want, but it'll only weaken them further. Then, if they do kill you, your allies can take them out even faster. *Shrug* I like it as is just as much.

Overall, I like this hero.

--I just checked the synergy, and Quicksand can target invisible enemies? I really like that and really want to see the instakill taken out.

[Bloodmoth]

Thanks for the feedback man, and thanks for being the first to comment in my thread! On to your points:

About first skill: Yes it is powerful and that's the idea. If anything, it is too powerful as it is an escape mechanism or an initiation tool 2-in-1. But nothing in DotA can be looked out of context. His Emerge and Ulti aside, Skincrawler is a melee hero with no damage boosts/steroid skills, no way to keep with the enemy and in general, insignificant damage. Don't forget Tunneling isn't exactly spammable, like Sucuchi per say, or Crixalis' Burrow Strike. It is something like a combination, but on a way longer cd. Also, emerge costs 150 mana, which is not exactly cheap.

About ultimate: You seem to dislike the devouring/instakill part, but that's the whole concept of the skill... You are pulling the enemy towards his death, if he is weak enough to be able resist, he is getting eaten alive. The damage (instakilling aside) is laughable for an ultimate, and its sole use is to disable the enemy for your allies to wear down till he gets devoured. The split damage effect is used primarily to discourage people attacking you while you channel and being a sitting duck, or risk kill their own ally, and help you devour him. The devouring part (stealing/gaining dtr) is a nice incentive to gank, (because that's what you should do when playing as Skincrawler) and a way to keep your str stat high throughout the game. In that sense, it covers for the rather unimpressive str. gain of the hero.

EDIT: About pulling invisible heroes as well. Skincrawler counters invisible heroes very well with his second skill, so I added this as a forced synergy, but I'm really happy with it concept-wise and gameplay wise. When you see the red mark over your AoE, press "Q" and enjoy! hehe

EDIT2: That's why I need your feedback! Checked again and though I totally intended for Quicksand to target invisible heroes as well, I had forgotten to add it in the skill notes! Added it now, updated changelog, and created a Q/A about it in the Q&A tab! Thanks DreamEvil!

[K1RaiN]

i like the model... gj to Sephiroth_VII
GL

[DreamEvil]

EDIT2: That's why I need your feedback! Checked again and though I totally intended for Quicksand to target invisible heroes as well, I had forgotten to add it in the skill notes! Added it now, updated changelog, and created a Q/A about it in the Q&A tab! Thanks DreamEvil!

Not a problem. I enjoy playing DOTA, but being a writer/programmer, I also love the what if's and such.

I can definitely see where you are going with the damage being low, so I guess the instakill should just be added to the damage in my mind. I didn't really take that into account the first time through. Would be extremely effective against strength carries.

[Bloodmoth]

i like the model... gj to Sephiroth_VII
GL

Me too. Hope he answers to my PM soon, since I need some details about it (attack/casting animation values), and I'd love to be able to post it here for people to download. Also, maybe try to make an actual test map. But that's probably once again me thinking too much forward.


For the time being, I need some opinions about the hero's itembuild. I think some basic items are obvious (Magic Wand, Urn, Bracers, Arcane boots). Also, one can't fail getting tanky items on him (HoT, Blade mail especially, Hood). I'm puzzled about magic immunity/protection items (BKB, Linken's). Somehow they seem less powerful on him than they should in theory. Shiva's can maybe be used as well. Lastly, what would you say about Radiance? Is it worth it and can he farm it fast enough? My initial thought is no, but really need more opinions on the items in general, before I start working on the item synergy tab...

By the way, I think he could really benefit by Aghanim's, most probably having it as core, seeing as he is totally item independent and he can use the hp/mp boost and of course the ultimate boost as well. Thinking about what the Aghanim's effect can be at the moment, though I think I have it almost figured out...

EDIT: Aghanim's effect is ready indeed! See skill tab and changelog for more info.

[dan_1223]

Cool! D

[alwaysgorandom]

What if you added a suicide option to one of the two reactive split worms? A sacrifice to save the other, for example?

Explodes for XX% slow and XX%chance to miss?

Also, need to consider what the bounty for killing one of the split worms would be.

I'd shoot for around 50-100 gold, or maybe a variance according to hero level? say 20 g + 3xlevel?

(eg. lvl 10 50 gold, lvl 20 80 gold) ?

[cluGAmERsy]

I like the hero TBH but I'll put a review tommorow after school

[Twilight~]

Here is mine:

The hero seems to focus on burrowing skills which is somewhat new and fresh. That's good. What bothers me is the hero model, it is somehow different to Warcraft units looks like and not so DotA'ish. Although I think it's really cool. One more thing that intrigue me, how does he walk? Do he also walk via underground tunnel or his head sticking out of the ground and walk wobbly? XD

Skills:
Tunneling - A good skill from either escaping or surprising enemy heroes. The duration and effect of the skill seems fine. I also have a question about this skills; It says that it makes him temporarily invisible and gain an increase in movement speed while allowing him to pass through terrains and trees. My question is, if an enemy had an invisible detector, does it detect the real look of the hero or it can only see the burrow marks on the ground? It is somewhat are to detect IMO. I also think that it's his primary skill for him to use other skills effectively. Good skill though.

Predatory Sense - A passive that detects other heroes nearby. Good, but it somehow reminds me of Balanar's Aghanim vision at night, although it does not give vision of the units but only marks them. I think it's a good skill that can synergise with Tunneling for better ganking and surprising the enemies.

Reactive Split - A defensive skills that can be use at escaping troubles. I somewhat see the synergise of this skill with Tunneling also since if moving towards the enemies recklessly, you can use this to escape them if you think that you are at a big risk. It is the primary defensive skill of this hero I think since it also gives regenerate and does not only split the hero's self into two.

Quicksand Deathtrap - Again, a skill that synergise with Tunneling. It lures a hero with him that damages it and at the same time, making it as an hostage. XD
Since you two will share damage if his other allies try to save him. I think it's a fine skill since it is what the hero's concept focuses on. It can also boost his STR as time goes on which is good for him.

- I find the hero unique due to the concept and skill set. The hero model is what really bothers me. Although I think the hero will not do well if some of his skill, especially Tunneling, weren't unable to be used since the skill somehow rely on each other.

Overall, I like the hero. Good luck with it and sorry for my grammar. XD

[alwaysgorandom]

The 2 halfs of Skincrawler have no attack and they can't use items or skills other than Regenerate.

Quick clarification (for everyone to have a better understanding) regarding the split: does it refresh tunneling BEFORE or AFTER they regenerate?

[Pestilence69]

first of all, i like the model you chose very much.
the icon set is matching the skill theme, which imho is quite interesting.

i'd very much like to see this hero implemented.

[Azzurite]

Wow I like the skills very much, but why does predatory senses have that 100 MS requirement? Every hero is faster than 100MS, why not just make it "moving enemies"?

[Jeev]

I like the skills, and the model is very nice as well.

[nempou]

Really cool idea. I'd love to see a burrowing hero work in dota, here's to hoping it will get noticed!

[foRRest.]

lolol scary one, tunneling sounds awesome

[cluGAmERsy]

Stats: Yea since his a ganker he will dominate early-mid game and let their carry to do the job. 10/10
BG and/or Synergy: epic BG i must admit. Synergies are well made 10/10

skill1: the skill is pretty cool TBH, but the sub-skill damage type? Why magic? since it's just the rocks that bursts out and hit the enemies in the head, why not physical damage? Why physical damage because i think it'll be random for the rocks to become magical. 8/10
skill2: IDK if it's codeable, but since your putting the dude in dota2 then why not? 10/10
skill3: The skill is very cool, but i have a question: Why does it have some heck of cool down? since it needs lots of mana, why not make it 50 or 55 or even 70? 8/10
ultimate: Yea the skill is very nice and cool but how can get damage since your invisible?(except when they get gem) 10/10

Overall: the hero seems pretty cool and fun. It just needs some nerfing of cd's IMHO. 56/60

[XenoGeneiken]

This looks cool, even the skills fit the theme of the hero.