The Convert
LoreWhen Sanctuary was still young, and Uldyssian ul-Diomed (
http://www.diablowiki.com/Uldyssian) found himself in the middle of the great conflict between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells, something unbeknownst to many inhabitants of Sanctuary happened by the hands of his brother Mendeln (
http://www.diablowiki.com/Mendeln).
Even before Mendeln had reached his full potential in necromancy he was still able to command the dark forces with great skilfulness. In a close encounter with a pack of Morlu (
http://www.diablowiki.com/Morlu), Mendeln successfully held them off by draining the very bloodlust that gave them their life force.
After the skirmish, Mendeln spent some time studying their seemingly lifeless corpses. To his surprise, he sensed a tiny flicker of light in these defeated creatures. It was without a doubt the same light that his brother, Uldyssian, sensed in every nephalem/human (
http://www.diablowiki.com/Nephalem) of Sanctuary. With this perplexing discovery, Mendeln became eager to find out how these vile creatures of evil could in any way be connected to the same light that Uldyssian was fighting to prove was contained in every creature capable of good. The same light that dimly rested in even the plants and soil of this world.
(...) Mendeln joined forces with his brother and a party of their trusted warriors, whose job was to observe, hand on sword, and be ready to step in if things at any point went out of hand. After several hours of Mendeln's necromancy and Uldyssian's trying to reinforce the light within these creatures, they proved successful in reanimating the formerly defeated Morlu. As their once lifeless bodies began to heave, the party of soldiers began to rummage, some drawing their swords, others looking to Uldyssian and Mendeln for notions of what to do.
Although sapped for energy, the brothers were able to calm the soldiers, for they could see that a new light shone in the eyes of the Morlu. The once black pits filled with a reddish glow were now intensely light, radiating a feeling of warmth and a faint, yet noticeable feeling of trustworthiness that can only be found in good-hearted men.
When the Morlu had recuperated, the brothers were able to find out the horrifying truth behind all Morlu. Lucion (
http://www.diablowiki.com/Lucion), the son of Mephisto (
http://www.diablowiki.com/Mephisto), in need of loyal soldiers, had contrived a plan that involved kidnapping the strongest and most loyal soldiers from different cities in Sanctuary. He then performed despicable acts of torture and witchcraft upon these soldiers until they, deprived of any hope of returning to their former lives, were forced to submit to Lucion's might.
(...) The reverted Morlu were now to be called Converts, and they eagerly joined forces with Mendeln and Uldyssian and their men, seeking their vengeance.
RoleThe Convert takes on the role of a melee character capable of dual-wielding weapons as well as equipping a shield, much like the Barbarian of Diablo II. They are also able to wield two-handed weapons as well as Mighty Weapons. They are restricted from the use of Daibo. To not wind up as a complete copy of the Barbarian, Converts will also be equipped with a wide array of spells.
Resource systemThe Convert is driven by Vengeance which is the name for his resource system. It will function similarly to the Wizard's Arcane Power in the sense that it will be maxed by default and will quickly regenerate. Similarly to the Wizard, "signature spells" will not cost any Vengeance, and may even be runed or otherwise enhanced to actually replenish Vengeance. Any another active abilities will cost Vengeance, preventing the spamming of the most powerful abilities.
AbilitiesPoundSwing at a single enemy causing 115 % weapon damage. The Convert is healed for 20 % of the damage done
Signature Spell, no cost
Retaliation50 % chance to become active when hit by an enemy melee or ranged attack (not activated by spells)
Instantly swing at target enemy dealing 170 % weapon damage. Does 135 % weapon to any additional enemies within 8 yards range
Cost: 20 Vengeance
Fuelled by HateIn a fit of rage perform 7 instant consecutive swings at any target enemy. Will attack additional targets if a struck target dies. Each swing deals 175 % weapon damage
Cost: 35 Vengeance
Blood Debts Must Be PaidDrain the life force from surrounding enemies causing 130 % weapon damage to a maximum of 5 enemies within 8 yards. Heals for 50 % of the damage done
Cost: 30 Vengeance
Drain LifePerform a ritual on a single enemy, dealing 270 % weapon damage. Heals the Convert for 100 % of the damage done.
Cooldown: 15 secs
Cost: 30 Vengeance
Unforgiven PastThe Convert returns to his former Morlu shape. Increases damage output by 30 %. Increases attack speed by 30 %. Take 20 % less damage. Provide an aura for party members within range to increase their Damage output and Attack speed by 15 %. Aura also instils fear into any enemies within 15 yards range reducing their Attack damage and Attack speed by 20 %.
Duration: 30 sec
Cooldown: 150 sec
Cost: 80 Vengeance
Combat techniqueThe Convert is well-suited for tanking a pack of mobs while his teammates are pelting them from a safe distance. As a tank, the Convert is given several abilities with life-stealing/regenerating properties to enhance his endurance in combat. With his resource system he should focus his abilities on the monsters that pose the greatest threat to his teammates. He can allow minions to slip away as long as he is able to keep the more difficult monsters away from his party.
Additional:I butchered the lore on this one, I know. I drew inspiration from the Diablo®: The Sin War: Book One: Birthright (
http://eu.blizzard.com/store/details.xml?id=210000099) as well as the Diablo Wiki (
http://www.diablowiki.com/Diablo_III_Wiki). For a character like this, the actual story behind the "Converts" would have to be different from the one I wrote, if it should fit the description of Morlu in the book.
Anyways, it was fun to write the lore part, although I had to cut it short, otherwise I would have ended up with several pages! In any case, I hope my idea of these converted Morlu still shines through.
With the spells, the resource system etc. nothing is set in stone, but I think this is a pretty cool draft for a character!
Art concept is not originally by me, but I DID draw what you are seeing here!
The (...)s in the Lore part are places where I decided to cut the text short. A lot more depth could be added to it, but I already felt like I was writing an actual short story lol.