Zergling Swarm by Ralathar44

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Zergling Swarm

By: Ralathar44
Last Updated: Aug 31, 2016
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Zergling Swarm

Your Hero's Title

You begin the game with 8 Zerglings (your current maximum) and a Zerg DNA infected Core. A larvae appear every 10 seconds around the Core to a max of 8. When a Zergling dies, the closest available larvae will change into a cocoon for 2 seconds, which will then hatch a new Zergling to join the fight that runs quickly to your main group. On the minimap, individual zerglings have their own cute small zergy icons with a ! by them and the main group has a bigger different cute zergy icon.

Each Zergling is individually very weak, barely stronger than a lane minion. They should obviously get a little stronger as they level up, but a key point is that a lone Zergling would be no menace whatsoever, their strength is in numbers. On that note: Zerglings can not body block, there’s so much of them that it would be op, completely locking down the enemy team. Instead you can just move through the Swarm, pushing them aside as they bite your bum.

*Talents/balance notes at bottom*

Combat Trait

1
Spawning Pool
A zerg pod drops a zerg drone from the sky, which then proceeds to mutate into a spawning pool at the chosen visible location. This spawning pool spawns a max of 4 larvae, one every 10 seconds and new zerglings will always come from the closest available larvae. Spawning pools are easily destroyed, having about as much HP as a Nydus Worm.

You start with a max of 1 spawning pool at a time. Making a new spawning pool destroys the old one.

Primary Abilities

1
For The Swarm!
The Zerglings all leap (or attempt to jump if they’re far away) at a target. They deal a small amount of damage each and this can be used to jump over walls with an enemy target. 10 second cooldown.
2
Burrow
Your Zerglings all burrow, becoming completely undetectable unless a stealth revealing skill is used. Useful for setting up ambushes! 30 second cooldown.
3
Feast!
Your zerglings gain 20% move speed and 25% life steal for 4 seconds, chasing down any who dare call themselves your enemies. 12 second cooldown.

Heroic Abilities

1
Endless Swarm
Your maximum number of zerglings is increased by 4. Activating the endless swarm skill drops 4 replacement zerglings in by drop pod instead of using Larvae.
2
Banelings
Pressing R allows you to target one of your zerglings and turn it into a baneling after a 2 second metamorphasis. Banelings Targeting an enemy with R will send all banelings to attack that enemy, exploding on contact for moderate amounts of AOE damage. Targeting the ground with R will move all banelings to that location. Hitting burrow with R "active" will burrow all banelings. Banelings give no exp, but cost alot of mana and require you to replace the lost zerglings with larvae. Used well they are a great asset, used poorly they will only weaken you for no reason

While Banelings do not count towards the zergling limit, you can only own up to 8 banelings at a time.

Special Mount

1
Zerg Rush
Zerlings move 20% faster than normal passively, but get no mount. Instead Zerglings can leap a short distance, allowing them to jump over walls or quickly engage/disengage. They also take 25% less damage for 2 seconds after using the skill, making it useful for getting into range. 20 second cooldown.

Combined with "For the Swarm" this means you can jump over a wall to attack a visible enemy, and then jump back over to escape, making Zerglings a very mobile hero.

Talents

Level 1

Metabolic Boost: Zerglings gain a passive movespeed bonus of 10% (stacks with passive and feast)
Evolve Wings: Zerglings can leap 100% further using the Z button.
Adrenaline Glands: Feast! also increases the attack speed of zerglings by 25%
We like it down here: Burrow cooldown reduced to 20 seconds and each zergling heals 5% per second while burrowed.


Level 4

Swarmed: "For the Swarm!" does bonus damage based on how many Zerglings hit. Higher zergling count = bigger modifier (with slightly diminishing returns)
Sooo hungry: Feast movespeed bonus increased to 30% movement speed (up to 20%).
Carapace: Zerglings get +20% health points.
Tunneling Claws: Zerglings can now move at 50% normal hero speed while burrowed.


Level 7

Symbiotic Link: Beneficial single target abilities affect all zerglings. This includes heals/cleanses/buffs/shields/even Divine Palm or Divine Shield. Exceptions: Lili's Serpent applies healing to all Zerglings but only 1 gets the Serpent. Abathur Hat only affects 1 zergling at a time until Hivemind. (Yes this talent makes Tassadar or Tyrande your best friend.)
Delicious Feast: life steal increased to 75% during Feast! (from 25%)
Join the Fight: Newly hatched Zerglings get +100% movement speed for 10 seconds. Hatching time reduced from 2 seconds to 1.
Spread our DNA: +1 to the maximum number of spawning pools.


Level 10 Heroics!

R1: Endless Swarm: Your maximum number of zerglings is increased by 4 (to max of 12). Activating the endless swarm skill drops 4 replacement zerglings in by drop pod instead of using Larvae.
R2: Banelings: Pressing R allows you to target one of your zerglings and turn it into a baneling after a 2 second metamorphasis. Banelings Targeting an enemy with R will send all banelings to attack that enemy, exploding on contact for moderate amounts of AOE damage. Targeting the ground with R will move all banelings to that location. Hitting burrow with R "active" will burrow all banelings. Banelings give no exp, but cost alot of mana and require you to replace the lost zerglings with larvae. Used well they are a great asset, used poorly they will only weaken you for no reason.

You have a max of 8 Banelings and they do not count towards your zergling maximum.


Level 13

Aim for the Head: "For the Swarm!" stuns enemy for 0.5 seconds if at least 4 zerglings hit. Every zergling past 4 extends the duration by 0.25 seconds to a max of 2 seconds.
Superior Strain: Take 25% reduced damage from AOE skills. This stacks with the passive resistance for a total of 75% resistance.
Prey on the Weak: The Zerglings deal 100% more damage against Mercenaries and enemy minions (not heroes, not buildings).
You are not prepared: Zerglings take 50% less damage for 4 seconds after unburrowing.


Level 16

No Escape: Zergling attacks add stacks of "No Escape", max of 5 stacks. After 5 stacks apply a 20% slow for 1 second. Stacks decay 1 per 2 seconds. Zergling attacks refresh active stacks.
From Beneath You It Devours: Zerglings gain a do 100% more damage for 10 seconds after unburrowing.
Feeding Frenzy: Minion kills extend Feast duration by 1 second, hero kills extend Feast! duration by 5 seconds.
Snack Time!: Heal 5% max hp hp per minion kill and 25% max HP per hero kill. (each zergling calculates this individually)


Level 20

Digging Claws: Zerglings now move at 100% speed when burrowed and can no longer be detected when burrowed. (100% is the maximum speed, any speed-increasing talents are ignored when underground).
They Came In Like Some Wrecking Balls: Baneling now creates 2 Banelings per zergling. Max Banelings increased from 8 to 16.
They Keep Coming!: +4 to your maximum number of active Zerglings (up to 16).
From the skies!: Zerlings now reinforce via drop pods. All larvae now turn into smaller non-heroic zerglings that push down the nearest lane until death. Player also gets an active ability that drops 4 non-heroic zerglings at a visible location. These zerglings will path to lane and push down nearest lane (engaging enemies along the way of course). 30 second cooldown, global range.

Additional Balance Notes.



To make them playable, the zerglings would automatically take 50% less damage from minions and mercs and regen very quickly. This is simply to prevent them from being worthless feeders as their individually weak nature would allow full minion waves/mercs to quickly kill them off otherwise without any hero assistance, especially early game. That would just make them no fun to play and useless to have on your team. Even still, expect to take a loss or two taking merc camps solo :D.

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WarriorOfKatz | January 18, 2016 7:51am
This seems like it'd be actually a really fun hero if correctly balanced!
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