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Beacon of Despair: An Arctic Killer
The Explorer:
The Explorer is a killer Idea I had a while ago now. Basically, it is an Arctic explorer that can generate a blizzard from a lantern... I really liked the idea, clearly, since I am updating it. This will be Version 3.
I have images... Hopefully, that increases the appeal of this post... But they aren't particularly good—In fact, they are quite bad. I am no digital artist so outside of paying someone to make images for an idea for a game that will likely never come to fruition... This is what you get, sorry.
This killer started as more of an image than a mechanic but I have tried to mold this vision into more than just an aesthetic idea and more of something you might see in the game. It started with... Imagine if you will I had the impeccable skill required to animate 3d characters: in this theoretical world, I created a mock trailer for a fictional Dead by Daylight chapter. The trailer opens up on either A) an original survivor or B) a Meg. This—let's go with Meg—is working on a generator. As she does so, a snowflake falls gently down between her and the generator. She is startled as more begin to drift slowly down. She turns and the camera pans to show a veritable wall of snow and wind encroaching upon the hapless Meg. She tries to run but the blizzard envelopes her. Everything is pure white with rushing wind to a few beats then Meg fades back into view, now appearing to be lost in a snowstorm. She shivers as she wanders between walls and crates... But then a light pierces through the obscuring snow. This eerie blue light that now emanates behind Meg grows closer and brighter as Megan takes notice and runs deeper into the Blizzard out of sight. A silhouette now appears, looming darkly. The figure of a towering man, the light emanating from the lantern he holds. Then reveal the Killers model, maybe he is carrying somebody on his shoulder already... The Explorer gives a laugh or something, and a sudden opaque wave of snow hides the killer entirely as the logo fades in saying:
General Description:
Weapon: He wields the ice axe he once used on his first expedition and then later for his first kill.
The Weapon Wipe animation could be this: After hitting, he gives the weapon a good flick attempting to clear it of blood, but upon examining it realizes the blood has already frozen into icicles along its blade so he runs it across the back of his other hand to clear away the ice.
Mori: The survivor could start to crawl, but they realize their hands are beginning to freeze to the ground. They break one hand free, bring it forward but this time they are stuck fast. The Explorer comes up behind presses his boot onto their back and pushes them to the ground where ice forms around the rest of their body. He then plants his ice axe into their head and the mori ends.
General Description: Terror Radius, 32 meters; Height, Tall; Movement Speed, 115%.
Lore:
Disclaimer, I wrote this when I 1st made the idea... So it may be a little rough.
On a cold night in November 1852, a man named Herman Smith began a voyage attempting to successfully navigate the northwest passage. for the past years, he had been hiring a crew and buying supplies for this voyage. In total, he had hired sixteen other men to help with this trip and had supplies enough for one month and an extra week. On that night he kissed his wife goodbye and prayed for his success or at least return. After an uneventful exploration, they prepared to go home, packing supplies onto the ship. Mid-way through their evacuation effort they were struck by a storm. A blizzard had quickly formed and along with colder weather, their ship was quickly frozen in place. The crew, or at least those not suffering from frostbite already, tried to free the ship to no avail for the first few days but soon the weather became too dangerous to even try that. With supplies running low and no way to leave, they were running out of options. Starving and cold, Herman quickly became desperate. As the last of the food was eaten and the storm still raged outside he brought up the radical idea of using cannibalism as a means to survive. At first, they were disgusted, but with time and hunger, they turned on their own killing first Paul Vark while he was lying in bed due to frostbite. They were all horrified at their own actions but they were relieved to eat. Soon the storm stopped, still, they were stranded, and they all knew they must eat again. Slowly they killed each other off and with each kill, they lost the remorse they felt after. Then only nine remained. A new storm rolled in, by now they had gotten their ship free from the ice and they had become desperate but Herman, overcome with guilt, no longer wished to leave. He couldn't bring himself to face society... To face his family after what he had done. As the others readied the ship Herman watched. When they were ready they could not find Herman and already running out of time they decided to leave him. Unbeknownst to them Herman was aboard the ship, using the storm as cover and a lantern to see, he went to each remaining crew member and stabbed them in the back with his ice axe. Many years later their abandoned camp and ship were discovered by explorers along with frozen corpses all but five partially eaten. The body of the seventeenth crew member Herman Smith was never discovered.
Power:
Blizzard Light Lantern
"He wields a lantern imbued with the bitter cold of the blizzard that stranded him."
Blizzard Light Lantern:
Press and hold the Power button to fully charge the Blizzard Light Lantern.
- While in the Blizzard charging the Blizzard Light Lantern produces a beam of blue light which increases in size the more it is charged.
- Survivors who remain in the Lantern Beam have their aura revealed for as long as they remain in the beam and for a few seconds afterward.
SPECIAL ATTACK: Frigid Blast
While charging the Blizzard Light Lantern, pressing the Attack button will unleash a Frigid Blast within the area of the Lantern Beam.
- Objects caught in a Frigid Blast will become Frozen for a few seconds.
- Consecutive Frigid Blasts will increase how Frozen an object is.
- Survivors caught in a Frigid Blast will shiver and make increased noise for a short duration.
SPECIAL ABILITY: Unleash the Blizzard
While Blizzard Light Lantern is fully charged and not in a Blizzard, press the Active Ability button to summon the Blizzard.
- The Blizzard obscures vision and hearing with falling snow and howling winds.
- Survivors begin to shiver and make increased noise in the storm and for a short duration afterward.
- Objects within the radius slowly become Frozen.
Frozen Objects
Generators below 50% progress, Lockers, Pallets, Totems (except Hex Totems), and Windows can become Frozen.
Frozen objects must be cleared of ice before being used.
- The killer strikes the object with their Icepick taking an additional second before being able to interact with the object.
- Survivors must make the Break the Ice action to free Frozen objects.
- The more Frozen an object is the longer a survivor must Break the Ice. (Probably ranging from 1-5 seconds at most)
SPECIAL ABILITY: Command the Storm
While Blizzard Light Lantern is fully charged and inside the Blizzard, press the Active Ability button to make the Blizzard change directions to the direction the killer is facing.
Perks:
Originally, I planned on having an image made for each of these perks... But I think I have learned the hard way about the potential benefits of having an ergonomic mouse and now my hand is all messed up, so you get one original perk Icon and Distressing + Predator as placeholders. Maybe if this post gets enough traction I will come back with two other perk icons... And a better idea than Deep Snow because Deep Snow is not a good idea.
Chilling Presence
An unnatural cold surrounds you.
Survivors' breath is visible when within 16/32/48 feet of the killer.
"You feel that? It's close."
Hex: Entomb
A Hex mimicking the powers of the bitter cold to halt progress.
Performing the Damage Generator Action on a generator applies Hex: Entomb:
- When a survivor would attempt to repair an affected generator, it explodes and is blocked by the entity for 5/10/15 seconds.
- The aura of the blocked generator is revealed to you in white during this time.
All effects of the Hex Perk persist until its Hex totem is cleansed or blessed.
Scourge Hook: Deep Snow
As hope wanes, the storm grows stronger.
At the start of the Trial, 4 random Hooks are changed into Scourge Hooks:
- The Auras of Scourge Hooks are revealed to you in white.
When a Survivor is hooked on a Scourge Hook for the 1st time, gain 1 Token and the following effects apply for 20/25/30 seconds:
- For each token, all Survivors gain a 2% Hindered Status Effect and a 2% Action speed penalty to Vaulting
- For each token, all survivor action speeds have a 2.5% Action speed penalty to all other actions.
Scourge Hook: Deep Snow deactivates after injuring a survivor by any means.
After a Survivor is killed for the 1st time, the following effects apply for 30/45/60 seconds:
- For each token, all Survivors gain a 2% Hindered Status Effect and a 2% Action speed penalty to Vaulting
- For each token, all survivor action speeds have a 2.5% Action speed penalty to all other actions.
- Does not deactivate after injuring a survivor.
Scourge Hook: Deep Snow cannot activate after the 1st Survivor is killed.
Add-Ons:
(Common) Faded Memento- A photograph faded with age. He feels nothing for the faces within.
- When you put a survivor into the dying state inside the Blizzard, the Blizzard ends but reduces the cooldown by 25%.
(Common) First Memento- A photograph taken before they embarked on their journey. Reminds him of the excitement to come.
- Increases the maximum radius of Blizzard Light Lantern by 4 meters.
- Increases time for Frozen to apply to objects within the Blizzard Light Lantern radius by .5 seconds.
(Common) Fraying Wick- An aged wick that is fraying at either end.
- The Lantern Beam and Frigid Blast area is wider but with only a 4-meter range.
(Common) Waxed Wick- A wick that has been waxed on each end to hold the fibers in place.
- The Lantern Beam and Frigid Blast area is narrower but with a 10-meter range.
(Common) Polluted Lantern Oil- A bottle of lantern oil, it is full of filth.
- Decreases time for Frozen to apply to objects within the Blizzard Light Lantern radius by .5 seconds.
(Uncommon) Fur Mittens- Fur mittens, to keep hands from catching frostbite while in the arctic circle.
- Increase movement speed while charging Blizzard Light Lantern by 1.25%.
(Uncommon) Lost Page- A page torn from a log of his adventures. Reading it gives him memories of his expedition.
- You get a sound notification whenever a survivor enters or exits the Blizzard Light Lantern radius.
(Uncommon) Mirrored Goggles- A set of mirrored goggles intended to help prevent snow blindness.
- The Explorer cannot be Blinded while within the Blizzard radius.
(Uncommon) Torn Memento- A photograph that has been torn in half. He cannot remember the lost faces.
- Increases the maximum radius of the Blizzard by 8 ft.
- Increases time for Frozen to apply to objects within the Blizzard Light Lantern radius by 1 second.
(Rare) Defaced Memento- A photograph with all but one of the faces X'd out. He has no regrets for defacing the picture.
- Increase the maximum radius of the Blizzard by 12 meters.
- Increases time for Frozen to apply to objects within the Blizzard Light Lantern radius by 1 second.
- The Blizzard radius starts with a 4-meter smaller radius.
(Rare) Flicker Wick Spool- A spool of wick coated in a light dusting of black powder.
- When you face a survivor within the Blizzard the Lantern Light will briefly flicker.
- Hitting a survivor with a Frigid Blast immediately reveals their aura.
(Rare) Whiskey Flask- A small metal flask drained of its contents, a poor choice of container for the extreme colds of the north. The flask remains bitterly cold.
- When hitting a survivor while in the Blizzard radius, all objects within 6 meters become Frozen.
- Survivors that complete a Break the Ice action suffer a 5% Hindered Status Effect for 3 seconds.
(Rare) Salvaged Boots- A sturdy pair of boots, their original owner no longer requiring them.
- Increase vault speed inside the Blizzard radius by 7%.
(Very Rare) Reclaimed Board- A board from the upper deck of Herman's Ship. Still rimed with ice it never did burn.
- Survivors caught in a Frigid Blast suffer from Exhaustion for 6 seconds.
(Very Rare) Snowshoes- A set of snow shoes to help keep above deep snow.
- Gain 5% haste while within the radius of the Blizzard.
(Very Rare) Unfinished Map- A hand-drawn map, meant to mark the northwest passage after a successful journey.
- Receive a loud noise notification when a Survivor completes a Break the Ice challenge.
(Very Rare) Unsent Letter- A letter he wrote as they entered the arctic circle, reading it reminds him of the family he left behind.
- While survivors inside of the Blizzard suffer from the Blindness and Oblivious status effects.
(Ultra Rare) Iridescent Lens- A lens moulded from the fog itself, light is warped in unknowable ways as it passes through it.
- A survivor's aura is immediately revealed within the Lantern Light.
- If you hold a survivor in the Lantern Light for 3 seconds they suffer from the Exposed status effect for 30 seconds.
(Ultra Rare) First Mates Log- A journal kept by the first mate, ice still lingers on this leather-bound book.
- When you put a survivor into the dying state inside the Blizzard, decrease the Blizzard's timer by 15 seconds.
Map/Realm
His map would either be added onto the Ormand Realm or it could be added to its own Realm. I will from here on assume it is its own Realm.
Realm: The Northwest Passage
The walls of this realm could be sort of glacial chunks of ice... Or maybe just frozen over bricks, I am not so sure.
The walls of tiles can be made of Wooden Slats, covered over with sheets to give the feel of an impromptu shelter. "Wilderness" tiles can be constructed out of crates or chunks of ice.
Map: Stranded Ship
A large wooden sailing ship is stranded on the ice here, and a camp of long frozen corpses surrounds it. (Alternatively, it could be a more modern ship... But the lore would need adjusting) If on Ormond instead, the camp would not be present since the ship would have had to have been moved
Landmarks: Killer's Shack, Herman's Ship, Basecamp.
- Killer's Shack: Just your basic Killer's Shack with a God Pallet and a Window. It can be all dressed up with snow drifts along its edges, nearby supply crates, and winter gear hanging inside. The Basement may spawn here.
- Herman's Ship: A two-story structure with potentially one or two generators. I imagine there is a hole in either one or both sides of the hull in order to facilitate ease of access. The lower deck can be divided into one of a few rooms: the Captain's Quarters, the Crew's Quarters, a Cargo Hold, and Potentially some empty rooms. These lower deck rooms could have plenty of windows or pallets. There would likely be two staircases that lead from the below deck area onto the deck, one of these staircases being from the captain's quarters and another somewhere in the bow.
- Basecamp: A camp constructed mostly of canvas tents and the same slated wood as the loops, the supplies seemingly abandoned and corpses tucked away in their beds. Probably would contain a chest, a generator in the center of a circle of tents, and then the aforementioned tents.
Conclusion:
First of all—in the conclusion, at least—Thank you for reading this far. I am not the best at theoretical game balance... And I am even worse at digital art... But I must have done something right for you to make it this far. Critiques would be much appreciated and any other thought you want to add in the comments.
I had more to say, but I think I hit the word limit so I will just leave it at that.
Comments
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I did end up fixing one of the perks... And I altered the formatting to make everything more legible.
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WOW!! This is super cool! I love the idea, the power, the perks are pretty cool (maybe a little strong but thats fine), I really enjoy the map idea thats an aesthetic that the game lacks.
This is just super cool!!
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Thank you, as I said, this idea has been brewing for a while now.
On the perks front, I would like to address a few things:
- The Entomb idea I had was originally that it blocked whatever generator you kicked (while also applying the normal small bump of regression applied with the regular kick), but all further regression is blocked—as it goes with blocked generators. The result being it replaces regression with entity blockers for an interesting change of pace... But then I thought that maybe it should be a Hex... But if it was a Hex then it might be too weak. So I eventually ended up with that. I think a part of me still likes the original idea, but I put down what I put down.
- Again, with Entomb, I actually intended to lower the time to 15 seconds... But I kept forgetting even though I had edited it to replace Deep Snow with Scourge Hook: Deep Snow and all that.
- On the topic of Deep Snow... Originally it was "After you hit a survivor, the next time they stopped running they kept leaving scratch marks for a few seconds" But a few obvious problems: they already leave blood trails when injured, Bloodhound then does the same thing (but somehow almost better) and nobody uses Bloodhound that I have seen... And the survivors could counter this by walking for a fraction of a second and then running again. It was really bad.
- And finally, the wording on Scourge Hook: Deep Snow... Well for some reason I struggled to make it clear. I think that, yes, it is a strong perk... But it isn't that strong of a perk. Here are some reasons why I believe so (geez, lots of lists, here):
- It is a Scourge Hook perk which, while not as bad as some say, is still subject to RNG. In some games, it will be a struggle to even get one proc off.
- It can only activate 5 times. To add on to this, unless you just sacrificed a survivor, it ends prematurely if someone gets injured or down (unless in the final activation upon a sacrifice)
- While this doesn't affect the strength of the perk too much... It is a perk that encourages spreading Hook states. In fact, you are almost punished for tunneling someone out of the game because—something I forgot to include—after a sacrifice, the perk isn't supposed to be able to activate again, and if you tunneled someone, you only get 2% and 2.5% slowdown... Maybe that last bit should be able to prematurely end, too... I am not too sure.
But also, I am just not the best with Perk balance... And it doesn't help that this is theoretical.
But again, thank you so much for reading my idea and the compliments... I hate to say it but I actually worked pretty hard on it so it is nice to get some amount of recognition for it.
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Bump, the amount of work you put into this is actually insane. You have an amazing amount of creativity.
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Thank you, you flatter me. But if you will excuse the self-deprecation, this idea—at least this iteration of it—feels far from perfect to me.
So first of all is sort of a thematic issue that I never came up with a satisfying solution for: So, I want the Lantern Beam to be ever present in the storm... That is sort of the point to provide that image of a light piercing through the Blizzard... But if it is ever present it couldn't just passively reveal aura or it would be a power that is active while carrying a survivor, seemingly a big no-no in the DBD design philosophy. I guess the lantern could simply go away when you pick someone up... But, yeah, that is just an idea I never figured out a good solution to.
Another issue isn't really an issue with the power, per se, but just more of how I represented it in this post... I never really listed the radius of the Blizzard, likely because I never decided on either 24 or 32 meters for the maximum radius but it then leaves out an important idea that I will not illustrate with an MS Paint image:
Which is, as you can see, that the storm is supposed to grow as it moves out. I don't know, maybe that makes people like the idea less... I am not sure, but I think it adds an extra layer of macro play to the whole Blizzard thing instead of just walking into a 3 Gen and just plopping it down and knowing that it should be large enough to freeze everything.
And, oh boy... Did I forget to say the Blizzard moves? I don't know how I managed to be so careless.
And then there is the whole Frozen thing... I never listed how many stages, how long exactly a stage takes, or what a survivor animation might look like; I imagine that it would be, a little like the killer animation, tacked onto the start of the intended action... Not sure why I then made it a "Break the Ice" Action instead of stating it makes all animations longer.
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