(I am going to preface this with the fact that I am not a game designer or developer, and never have been. I am just a fan of overwatch who came up with a fun hero design concept that I thought I would share. I also have no visuals to share, as I am not an artist. )
Sage (Main Healer)
Concept:
Sage is a main healer who utilises different tools to heal his team, and debuff the enemy. Currently Ana is the only hero in the game able to reduce enemy healing, although she outright denies healing, Sage has the ability not to deny healing, but instead to reduce it by a percentage. Sage is also able to heal a single ally from anywhere on the map, making him able to be useful during the time it takes him to come back from spawn and he can continue to heal if he has been separated from his team; this is an ability that has been lacking from other supports. Separating other healers from their healer seems to be a death sentence in a team fight, and although he can heal from any location, the healing is limited to one ally, and is extremely low compared to all other healing sources in the game. Sage will also be the first healer to utilise a splash heal effect as his main source of healing (Ana’s Biotic Grenade is an ability, and therefore not her main source of healing). His first, and main tool, will shoot a projectile similar to Pharah’s rocket, and will explode, healing allies within the very small range, and the healing is reduced exponentially the further from the centre of the blast the ally is; this allows Sage to heal a group of targets effectively, and be useful at any skill tier. Sage’s ultimate ability functions similarly to Symmetra’s old teleporter ultimate. Sage creates a tear that allows allies to travel quickly from spawn to Sage’s chosen location, although unlike Symmetra’s teleporter, Sage’s tear has no charges, and instead stays open as long as Sage is “focused” on it, e.g. within a certain range, and not using any other abilities or weapons. This leaves Sage even more vulnerable than he already is, as he has to choose between keeping the tear open, or performing his job as a main healer. Sage’s movement ability can be seen as a combination between Moira’s fade, Genji’s dash, Tracer’s blink, and Mercy’s flight; he will enter a state for 0.5 seconds, giving him increased movement speed and ”flight”, this ability will also have charges similar to Tracer. This ability will allow Sage to reach high ground and escape/engage in fights, whilst also being vulnerable, unlike Moira who cannot reach high ground, yet is invulnerable during fade. Overall, Sage is incredibly weak when it comes to damage, and protecting himself, yet is extremely efficient in healing, and helping his team achieve kills. As Mercy is the only healer that is entirely focused on healing, I feel as though adding another dedicated healer to the game could open up more play styles and team compositions that may not have worked together prior to his introduction.
Visual Design:
I imagine Sage to be in his mid to early twenties, hence subverting his name of Sage, commonly referring to one that is old and wise. His abilities are designed to mimic traditional Scottish Pagan/Celtic witchcraft, but using a very overwatch/sci-fi twist, and so I feel as though his character design should also follow this. Sage’s identifying colour should be a grey/white, as that will be the colour of his clothing; the colour of his clothing mimicking that of a scientist or a doctor. I imagine Sage to be wearing a cloak of some sort, thin technological gauntlets/gloves that allow him to interact with his tools, and a scarf/mask that he wears around the bottom half of his face. His colour scheme is a combination of greys, whites, blacks, browns and greens,
with highlights of purple.
Background:
Brandon Dunn was a Scottish scientist who was working with his team on quantum mechanics. Brandon was different from his colleagues, as they worked towards finding way of implementing quantum study into technology, Brandon was researching ways it could be used to improve human health. Quantum theory states that, like Schrödinger’s cat, matter can exist in multiple states at once, until observed. Therefore, it may be possible for cells in a body to exist as both alive and dead at the same time, and using his knowledge of quantum manipulation, is able to repair a cell at the quantum level. After years of studying both in Scotland, and around the world; working with other scientific minds such as those in Oasis and Vishkar, Brandon finally returned home with working prototypes of his inventions, a staff able to produce bursts of energy that can repair even the most damaged of tissues, and what looks like a doll, that takes on the appearance of whoever is selected, and can send this same energy to the selected person no matter the distance through quantum entanglement. After finally perfecting his tools, he began working as a medic in times of war, and a researcher in times of peace. He was given the codename Sage, and is to be called on during times of unrest, as not only is he an extraordinary healer, but he is also a charismatic diplomat, who prefers to fight wars, not with bloodshed, but instead, with words. News of Brandon’s method of healing had reached worldwide, even being noticed by former overwatch medic Angela Ziegler, who believes Brandon to be doing the right thing, but his methods raise some moral and philosophical questions with her. If his technique essentially repairs and forms new cells from a different quantum state, are the people healed by him even fully themselves anymore?
Abilities:
Quantum Revitaliser: Staff, similar to Mercy’s (weapon 1)
LMB: Shoots a bolt of energy causing 60 healing at the centre of the blast, and exponentially reducing in efficiency the further from the centre an ally is. This shot has infinite ammunition, and has a fire rate of 1 shot per second.
RMB: Plants the staff in the ground, causing a static sphere of 12-meter radius to cause 15 healing to be done per second, and a healing reduction of 30% to enemies, so long as they stay within the radius of the staff. Once the staff is planted it lasts for 10 seconds, and goes on a 30 second cooldown. Use of this ability also causes all other abilities to go on cooldown
Entanglement Poppet: A blank doll lacking in any features (weapon 2)
LMB: applies 10 healing per second to an ally no matter where either of you are on the map. This ability has infinite ammo.
RMB: Selects a target for the Poppet to heal. Hovering over an ally will show a selection option, and upon selecting the ally, the doll will shimmer and change to appear as a doll version of the allied hero. Whilst not selecting an ally, the doll will revert back to its normal, featureless form. Another hero cannot be selected whilst the poppet already has a form.
Chemical Elixirs: two bottles containing chemicals that cause weak effects once used. (weapon 3)
LMB: Throws a very weak projectile in a small arc. If the projectile directly hits an enemy, the enemy will take an instant 25 damage, and will receive a poison effect of 10 damage per second for 5 seconds, and will leave a small pool of liquid. If an enemy stands in the liquid, they will receive the 10 damage per second for 5 seconds effect, but will not take the initial 25 damage. Not getting a direct hit will still leave the pool. This pool will be active for 5 second before dissipating.
RMB: Throws a projectile in a small arc. This projectile will leave a pool on the ground causing a slow effect to any enemy that stands in it, slowing their movement by 30% for 6 seconds. This pool will be active for 5 seconds before dissipating.
Wisp: Sage levitates and produces a ghostly glow. (Shift)
Shift: Sage goes into a transformed state for 0.5 seconds which increases his movement speed by 200% and allows him to move in any direction that isn’t impeded. This ability has 5 charges, allowing him to continuously dash for 2.5 seconds, or split these uses up. These charges have a recharge rate of 6 seconds, although all charges are used if the Quantum Revitaliser is planted.
Hex: Sage marks an enemy with a ghostly glow. (E)
E: Sage selects an enemy, causing them to receive 30% reduced healing, and increasing damage taken by 20% for 5 seconds. This ability has a cooldown of 8 seconds, and the slow reduced healing effect stacks with the planted Quantum Revitaliser.
Tear: creates a warped portal directly in front of Sage. (Ultimate)
Q: After a 1 second cast time, sage opens a tear that allows allied to go directly from spawn to the location chosen by Sage. The portal appears directly in front of Sage, and lasts indefinitely, so long as Sage is “focused on” the tear. If Sage dies, uses an ability, uses one of his weapons, or moves outside a 15-meter radius of the tear, it will close after 5 seconds of being active. The first time an ally dies whist the tear is open, their respawn timer will be reduced from 15 seconds to 5 seconds.