Hello everyone!
Today I’d like to talk about the King Under The Mountain, Thorin Oakenshield. This is mainly a response to the latest news about Ring Hero Dain. While this concept is outstanding, I feel that it makes Thorin’s system feel a little generic in comparison. This proposal should hopefully help Thorin stand up alongside the other Dwarven Ring Heroes, all while being some (hopefully) simple changes to implement. I will also take the opportunity to alter a few of his base-line abilities to make them a little more fitting and less overpowered.
Thorin Oakenshield
My first change is towards the
Oakenshield ability which renders Thorin (and nearby units at higher levels) invulnerable. Right now, it is definitely fitting towards his status as tank hero of Ered Luin but is very powerful as it essentially removes any consequences for mistakes. And so I would like to change it to the following ability which will hopefully keep the same themes while being easier to deal with:
Level 6: Oakenshield – Thorin wields an oaken branch as a shield. For 15s, Thorin is immune to ranged damage and has +50% increased armour against melee strikes. At level 10, this will apply to nearby allied units. While still a powerful effect, it can still be countered by enemy forces. To compensate, it would last longer than the current ability.
My second change to base Thorin is a small one. This is to change the name of
Gleam of the Arkenstone to
Du Bekar/The King’s Charge/To Me! The reasoning for this is that the Arkenstone had little relation to Thorin in person. He never held it or used it during the Hobbit. It was only ever a source of pain for him (he was obsessed over finding it and violently turned on Bilbo when he found out that the Hobbit had taken it). In addition, it’s unlikely that the gemstone itself would induce fear in enemies. It wasn’t a Silmaril after all. By changing the name, it emphasises that Thorin’s great charges at the Battle of Five Armies and at Azanulbizar (in the films) were the result of his strength of character and leadership with the other Dwarves.
Ring Hero Thorin
My main reasoning for Ring Hero Thorin seeming lacking compared to the new Dwarven Ring Heroes is that he feels a little unfocused. He has his passive which emphasises his selfish nature but then has Gleam of the Arkenstone which is a fully supportive ability. And now Fires of Durin’s Forge is a far less original power with Durin himself having the power (and yet Ring Hero Dain has a different destructive power), making Thorin seem less original in retrospective.
My first change for Ring Hero Thorin is to change
The Immortal. When Thorin was overcome by his desire for treasure, he cared little for others, refusing the safety of the Mountain to the people of Lake-town. This new power will emphasise Thorin’s self-centred nature here.
The Immortal - Thorin becomes immortal for 15s. All enemy units in a large radius around him will deal reduced damage and are slowed. My second change for Ring Thorin is to change
Gleam of the Arkenstone. Once again, Thorin’s obsession with treasure was only something that led to a bad situation. To quote the description of Thror, “and where sickness thrives, bad things will follow”. Therefore, I propose a complete change for this ability to replace it with something more fitting for Thorin.
Possessive Nature – target resource structure is rendered invincible for a time and will earn triple resources. This is unaffected by the passive of Durin's Heir. In this time, all nearby units (both allied and enemy) will have reduced armour. This ability is also why I wished to change The Immortal. If Thorin was able to render allied units invincible, this would cancel the negative effect of Possessive Nature.
Lastly, I would propose a change to
Fires of Durin’s Forge due to this power being taken up by Durin himself, and Ring Hero Dain having a different destructive power. This ability will emphasise how Thorin’s greed only led to dissent between those around him (with Thranduil and Bard arguing with Thorin’s company, Thorin turning on Bilbo, Gandalf trying and failing to keep the peace, and Dain’s arrive escalating matters).
Gold of Erebor – all enemy units in a large radius around Thorin will begin fighting against each other for a time. Dissent-type powers can be very destructive to enemy forces. Hopefully this power will allow Thorin to keep the army-destroying nature of Durin’s Forge in a method that is more fitting to his themes as a Ring Hero.
Overall, this proposal will switch a few of Thorin’s abilities to make them a lot more fitting towards the character and to the themes of Ring Hero Thorin, as well as to make base-line Thorin a little more balanced. Thank you all for reading and I look forward to hearing your feedback!
Edit: after discussing this in the thread, a few points of discussion have come up:
- Could piles of gold be used in the base when Thorin has the Ring and as an effect for Gold of Erebor?
- Could the Arkenstone be used in Gold of Erebor or in the citadel?
- Level requirement for Ring Thorin's abilities?
- Possible change to Possessive Nature
Possessive Nature – target resource structure is temporarily unaffected by Durin's Heir while in proximity to Thorin. In this time, all nearby units (both allied and enemy) will have reduced armour. Thorin himself will be faster and can trample enemies in this time. - Name changes for Possessive Nature and Durin's Heir
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