(Revised) Arkra - GL Kit Concept

I would like to preface this by adding that if you have nothing useful to say, don't say it at all. If you think an interaction is bad, or you have some other gripe with how the kit works, just tell me and don't be sore about it. If you don't like kit concepts, just don't read it. It's that simple.

I will also clarify he's from a book I'm in the process of writing and will work to get it officially published when completed.

- Artistic rendition of Arkra created by me

Lore: An enigmatic Sith warrior shrouded in mystery, Arkra made his dramatic debut raiding fortified temples across the Outer Rim for seemingly unknown reasons near the end of the ten year truce following the Treaty of Coruscant, a series of actions that contributed to the treaty's collapse. He was eventually confronted inside a Republic research facility by the Jedi Tai'ruhn, whom Arkra had taken a personal interest in, and declared himself a supposed god whose legend had been passed down since the days of Ajunta Pall and the true power behind the Sith Empire. After a fierce struggle, Tai'ruhn was extracted and Arkra set upon by bombardment, and the Sith Lord promised the battle was not over before being buried by the rubble and left for dead - however, some enemies are more difficult to put down than expected...

As the new leader of an alternative Sith Empire team, Arkra specialises in granting his allies power and benefitting massively from their defeat. He also introduces two new effects - Shrouded, which prevents him from being targeted by either his enemies or his allies, and Wild Rage, a gift from him to a pawn that grants them stacking bonuses that only serve to empower Arkra more when that pawn eventually falls.

Like official kits, I'll add a couple of design notes at the end of each ability as to why I've done this or that.

A ruthless warlord, Arkra leads the Sith Empire from the shadows, sows confusion among his enemies, and sacrifices his allies to fuel his power.

Unit Name - Arkra

Tags - Galactic Legend, Dark Side, Attacker, Leader, Arkan Empire, Sith

Mastery - Accuracy, Defense Penetration, and Health Steal

Saber Severance (Basic) (Final text, Zeta)

During his turn: Deal Physical damage to target enemy. Dispel all non-unique buffs on them and all debuffs on Arkra, then refresh their duration and target enemy is inflicted with all debuffs dispelled and Arkra gains all buffs dispelled (excludes Stealth and Taunt). Arkra gains 2% Ultimate Charge for each active Arkan Empire ally.

Outside of his turn: Deal Physical damage to target enemy and all Dark Side allies recover 10% Health and Protection, doubled for Arkan Empire allies. Then, inflict Confuse on the damaged enemy and all Light Side enemies for 1 turn.

If both Arkra and target enemy are buffed, this ability deals 100% more damage. If the target enemy is already debuffed, inflict Fear for 1 turn, which can’t be evaded.

(Animation - Arkra spins his lightsaber with one hand, then strikes down vertically while holding with both hands)

Design notes: To ensure his basic ability wasn't too powerful during counterattacks or assists, I created a separate effect. The ability is meant to encapsulate Arkra's skills with a blade, shifting the advantage to him and putting his enemy on the back foot. The acquisition of buffs also helps to charge his Ultimate.

I wanted to include a Fear debuff somewhere, as it's a staple of Sith Empire characters, plus a way to actively push his Ultimate meter further and establish his opening move as a means to disorient his foes.

Concussive Strike (Special 1, cooldown 4) (Final text, Zeta)

Deal Physical damage to all enemies with +10% Offence for each special ability used by each enemy this encounter. Inflict Daze and Confuse on all enemies for 2 turns, which can’t be evaded by enemies with Foresight. If the target enemy is the weakest or a Jedi, also inflict Fracture on them until the end of Arkra’s next turn, which can’t be copied, dispelled, evaded, prevented or resisted. This ability inflicts an additional stack of Confuse on subsequent uses (stacking, max 3). 

For each debuff inflicted by this ability, all Dark Side allies gain +1% Mastery until the end of battle (stacking), doubled for Arkan Empire allies. Arkra gains 1% Ultimate Charge for each debuff resisted.

If Arkra has Wild Rage, Confuse lasts for 3 turns and can't be dispelled.

(Animation - Arkra puts one foot forward, then forcefully pushes out with a claw-like hand)

Design notes: This ability is taken from his debut scene, used against the last defence line of Jedi. The debuffs reflect the effects from the scene, and the stacking Confuse serves as both an in-game snowballing effect and a simulation of being concussed multiple times in quick succession. The Fracture allows him to shut down key targets and, similar to his basic, has greater blanket effects against Light Side/Jedi enemies, but isn't completely nullified in their absence. Even if the enemy team has Tenacity Up, Arkra still benefits with Charge gains, another way of emphasising his tactics of turning the tide in his favour.

Forceful Bestowal (Special 2, cooldown 5) (Final text, Zeta)

Dispel Buff Immunity from all other Dark Side allies, then they take damage equal to 20% of Arkra’s Max Health and gain Wild Rage for 2 turns, which can’t be copied. This damage can't defeat them. All Arkan Empire allies gain Speed Up, Health Steal Up, and Offence Up for 2 turns, and gain an additional bonus depending on their role:

Attackers- Gain Defence Penetration Up and an additional +70% Offence for 2 turns 

Tanks- Gain Defence Up and double their Max Health for 2 turns; if Arkan Soldier is an ally, he assists

Support- Gain 50% turn meter and reduce their cooldowns by 2

If Arkra has at least 1 other active ally, reset target ally's cooldowns, dispel their debuffs, and grant them a bonus turn. 

Wild Rage: gain +2% Max Health, Health Steal, 10% Offense and 10 speed whenever this unit is damaged by an attack (stacking), -50% tenacity; can’t gain Ultimate Charge

(Animation - a glowing red ball of energy forms in Arkra’s raised palm, then glowing red tendrils arc towards his allies)

Design notes: This ability reflects his parasitical force ability to share power with others, and then leech back off of them. The bonuses are powerful, but come at the cost of heavy damage and susceptibility, weakening their position and allowing squishier units to be taken down faster, thus feeding his Ultimate Charge.

The bonuses from Wild Rage persist after the buff itself is dispelled, making it a key target for the enemy. Timing it around any buff dispel mechanics they have is crucial to maximising their gains. It's an excellent way to start the battle as a frontal assault.

The Warlord (Leader) (Final text, Zeta)

Sith allies have +20% Mastery, +15% Max Health, and +20 speed, doubled for Arkan Empire allies. Allies gain +2% Counter Chance and Potency for each debuff on them. If all other allies were Dark Side Non-droid and Non-leader Sith, Sith Empire or Arkan Empire at the start of battle:

- All allies gain +100% Critical Chance 

- Whenever an ally inflicts a debuff, for each Jedi, Old Republic and Galactic Republic enemy, and for each Sith Empire and Arkan Empire ally, the selected target loses 1% turn meter (limit once per turn)

- Allies who have the Sith Empire tag at the start of battle also gain the Arkan Empire tag

- While allies have Wild Rage, they have +30% counter chance and have their cooldowns increased by 1 when they are inflicted with a debuff (limit once per turn)

Each time a Non-droid Sith or Arkan Empire ally critically hits an enemy, they gain +50% critical damage until they do not score a critical hit and +1% Mastery until the end of battle. If a Non-droid Sith or Arkan Empire ally scores 3 consecutive critical hits, they gain Damage Immunity for 1 turn, which can't be copied or Dispelled. Allies can’t score critical hits while they have Damage Immunity.

Design notes: "The Warlord" is a term Arkra was referred to as by the citizens of his home planet Leronia, and his whole kit reflects this moniker by focusing on constant aggression. His leadership emphasises this further, along with his unwillingness to share the spotlight with other formidable Sith - he has pawns, not allies, uniting them under himself and maximising their damage potential. The drawbacks of Wild Rage keep a certain balance throughout the kit while still keeping the war engine going.

Ancient Armour (Unique) (Final text, Zeta)

At the start of battle, Arkra loses all Protection and gains that much Max Health and loses 70 speed for each ally present, which cannot be changed by an enemy ability or debuff. Arkra is immune to Confuse, cooldown increase, and turn meter reduction, has +300% Defence against Light Side enemies, and can ignore taunt effects to target a debuffed Old Republic, Galactic Republic or Jedi enemy. 

Whenever an ally uses any ability, Arkra gains Shrouded until the end of the next unit’s turn, which can’t be actively dispelled. Whenever Arkra loses Shrouded, he also gains Dramatic Entrance for 1 turn, which can't be copied, dispelled or prevented.

If there is any version of Draak Davaron on the enemy team, he takes damage at the start of each of his turns equal to 8% of Arkra’s Max Health, which can’t be evaded. This damage can’t defeat Draak. Additionally, whenever a Sith ally uses any ability that ignores Protection, they deal bonus true damage equal to 30% of their Potency, doubled for Special abilities. If Sith Assassin is an ally, all her cooldowns are reduced by 2 and she also gains Stealth and Potency Up for 1 turn at the end of each of her turns.

Arkra gains Ultimate Charge when using Saber Severance and Concussive Strike. If he is the leader, he also gains 1% Ultimate Charge whenever a buff on a Dark Side ally expires, and 5% Ultimate Charge whenever a Sith ally is defeated. 

Shrouded: Cannot be actively targeted by enemy or ally abilities. This character’s appearance is altered while this effect is active. This effect can’t be gained if no other allies are present.

Design notes: Arkra's unique showcases his fortitude and will, but also his preference of waiting in the shadows (showcased by his speed reduction). The use of Dramatic Entrance is a callout to his hit and run tactics, steamrolling out of nowhere before his enemies have a chance to know what hit them. Shrouded is easily circumvented by teams that take multiple successive turns, but can also be quickly undone by Arkra's ramping Health Steal, and also demonstrates that not even those on his side know where to find him. In this way, Arkra almost acts alone among his team, striking and disappearing while supporting his pawns from an isolated space.

Galactic Legend (Unique) (Final text, Zeta)

This unit takes reduced damage from percent Health damage effects and massive damage effects. They take massive damage from destroy effects (excludes raid bosses) and are immune to stun effects.

This unit has +10% Max Health and Max Protection per Relic Amplifier level, and damage they receive is decreased by 30%.

I Will Tolerate You No Longer (Ultimate ability)

Requires 100% Ultimate Charge to activate.

Ultimate Charge: Arkra gains Ultimate Charge from using Saber Severance and Concussive Strike. If he is the leader, he also gains 1% Ultimate Charge whenever a buff on a Dark Side ally expires, and 5% Ultimate Charge whenever a Sith ally is defeated.

All other living allies are instantly defeated and lose 100% of their Defence, Max Health, Offence, Potency and Tenacity, then Arkra loses Shrouded and gains 100% of the amount lost in addition to his own stats until he is defeated (see Ancient Armour for a description of Shrouded). Arkra gains +120 speed for each defeated ally before this ability was used. This ability can’t be evaded, prevented or resisted, and units defeated by it can’t be revived.

 If no other allies are present when this ability is used, Arkra enters an aggressive stance, loses Shrouded, then triples his current Mastery, dispels all buffs on all enemies, which can’t be evaded, inflicts Vulnerable on them, gains +35% Counter Chance and gains Wild Rage until he is defeated, which can’t be prevented or dispelled (see Forceful Bestowal for a description of Wild Rage). These effects can’t be dispelled, evaded or resisted by enemies and last until the end of battle. Additionally, enemies can’t be revived. Wild Rage persists across encounters.

Design notes: Arkra's Ultimate is his trump card, the final move he makes in the game when he decides he no longer needs subordinates to carry forwards. The themes tie back to Wild Rage, as well as the direct murder of one of his spies in the novel once they outlived their usefulness. If he is unable to benefit from an ally's defeat directly, he will instead increase the pressure with bonus speed to compensate.

While it is possible to activate his Ultimate a second time, it would likely be a niche case scenario caused by ineffective control mechanics from the enemy and turns Arkra into a one-man army. The ideal counter would be to whittle down all but one or two of his allies before he activates his ultimate, then clear up the mess behind before he can activate it a second time. The clause from Wild Rage means he is unable to loop his ultimate more than twice in a battle, preventing an unfair stacking of damage and counter chance. The permanent Wild Rage also calls in his out-of-turn effects on his basic, making debuffs like Daze, Shock and Healing Immunity a must have against him.

I hope those who made it to the end enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed making it. This revised edition feels a little cleaner and ties into his thematic character traits more, with the explanations behind his kit hopefully making my thought process clear.