Crypt Lord class now possible thanks to Dracthyr Evokers?

[Teriz]

With the advent of the race/class combination brought in by the Evoker class, Blizzard has opened the door to some potentially interesting future classes. One such concept is the Crypt Lord, a hero from WC3 that also appeared in HotS as Anub ‘Arak. This race/class could be a feature for a possible Azjol-Nerub expansion.

A huge part of the problem with bringing this race/class into the game is that they’re huge beetle/spider creatures. However, thanks to Dracthyr, it is conceivable that Blizzard could give them a more mortal appearance and reserve their more terrifying form for combat purposes.

For example, Blizzard could give them a form like this via magic;



And they could turn into their true form when doing racial abilities.

Possible True forms (pick your poison!):







Some of their racials could be the following:

Burrow: Dig into the ground to rapidly heal yourself and avoid harm.

Traverse: (Passive) while burrowed, you can move rapidly through the ground. You cannot benefit from increased healing while Traversing.

True Form: Transforming into a nerubian has a chance to terrify an enemy. Transforming into a humanoid form increases regen among your allies.

Hardened Skin: increases your armor by 2%.

Long Legs: Legs emerge from your back, increasing your Crit and Versatility by 1%, yet reducing your bonus regeneration by half. When concealed, your Avoidance and Speed are increased by 1%. This bonus carries over into crypt lord forn.

Specializations

The specializations are based on the idea of a Nerubian spell caster taking on the form of one of the ancient Nerubian spiderlords. Each ancient spiderlord has a unique set of abilities that constitute a spec. I decided that for the purpose of connection to the original hero concept, these nerubian spell casters would retain the name "Crypt Lord" since they are still utilizing the power of the dead in a unique way.

The Crypt Lord uses this ability, which changes based on specialization;

Invoke The Spiderlord



Tank Spec: Invoke The Scarab King
RDPS: Invoke The Swarmlord
Healing: Invoke The Broodmother

Shared Abilities

Acid Spit: Spits a volley of acid at a target, dealing nature damage and reducing armor. (25 yd range)
Web: Wrap an enemy in a web, trapping them in place.
Scarab Host: When you use an active ability, you have a chance of summoning a Scarab Beetle. Scarabs last 12 seconds, and you can have a maximum of 5 active at a time.
Hivemind: (Passive) If you have 5 or more minions summoned, your primary stat is increased by 3%.
Locust Swarm Creates a swarm of angry locusts that bite and tear at nearby enemies. As they chew the enemy flesh, they convert it into a substance that restores health to the caster when they return.
Molt: (instant) Shed your carapace, restoring your full health and resources. (8 minute CD)
Consume: Eat one of your minions to restore health.

The Spiderlords/Specializations

Anubiros: The Scarab King
Tank (Anub 'Arak style: Standard Crypt Lord abilities)


One of the first Nerubian kings, Anubiros conquered large swathes of territory from the Tol’vir and pushed back the trolls of Zul’Drak. He was known for his great strength and near impenetrable carapace, which was said to be able to withstand the weapons of the titans. Undefeated in battle, he became an example for all future spiderlords to follow.

Sample Abilities
Burrowing Charge (instant) Burrow to the target location, dealing damage and briefly stunning enemies in a small area upon surfacing, slowing them by 25% for 2.5 seconds. Burrow Charge can be reactivated to surface early. (45 second CD)
Impaling Spikes: Slams the ground, summoning a line of spikes from the earth that damages targets in a line in front of the caster.
Leeching Bite: Bites the target, restoring health based at a % of the damage dealt.
Raptorial Leg: (instant) Hooks a nearby target within 10 yds, dealing physical damage and dragging them closer to the caster, reducing their movement speed for x seconds.
Goliath: (passive) Your Scarab Host ability has a chance to summon a Goliath Scarab that deals increased damage and increases your threat.
Spiked Carapace: (Instant) Spikes emerge out of your carapace, dealing damage to melee attackers and reducing the damage you take by 10%. 2min CD
Crypt Fiend (talent): When Scarab Host summons a minion near a corpse, an additional scarab is summoned. In addition, your maximum number of Scarabs is increased by 2.

Ki’Zarek: The Swarmlord
Range DPS (Mantid style: Limited Flight, Amber-based Projectiles, Sonic and wind attacks)


An usurper from another land, Ki’ Zarek used foreign tactics and weaponry to kill the current Spiderlord and take the crown for himself. His use of amber, sound weapons and swarms of warriors made him a near unbeatable foe. However, the Nerubians never accepted him as their conqueror, so Ki’Zarek spent his reign putting down a series of costly rebellions, which finally became a massive civil war. After centuries of near constant conflict, the cruel Ki’Zarek was destroyed and his dynasty ended as violently as it began.

Sample Abilities
Amber Lance: (Instant) (2 charges) Hurls a lance at a target, dealing physical damage. Has a chance to knock the target back and apply a coat of Sticky Amber.
Amber Bomb: (Instant) Launches twin bombs at a target, exploding after a short delay. Deals nature damage to targets in a 4 yd radius, and applies a coat of Sticky Amber.
Amber Stream: (Channeled 3 secs.) Launches a stream of amber at a target, damaging them and slowing down their movement speed. Leaves a pool of amber behind that slows enemies in a 8yd radius for x seconds. Stream and pool applies a coat of Sticky Amber every 1.5 seconds.
Dissonance Field Creates a field of dissonance around the caster, absorbing incoming damage for 10 seconds up to [22 / 100 * Total health * (1 + Versatility)] damage. When the effect ends, Dissonance Field becomes Sonic Dissonance for 15 seconds.
Sonic Dissonance Discharge your stored dissonance at a target, dealing X% of the damage you stored during Dissonance Field, and knocking them back.
Sonic Blade: (35 yd range) Hurls a a sonic blade at a target, dealing damage and interrupting spell casting.
Flutter: Launch yourself into the air, increasing your movement speed, and your chance to dodge melee attacks.
Rapid Wing Beats: Creates a wave of repeated sounds that increase you and the move speed of your summoned minions for 6 seconds. 2 min CD
Amber Prison: (Passive) 5 coats of Sticky Amber will encase the target in amber for x seconds. Damage will free the target.
Amber Swarm: (Passive) Your summoned minions and your Locust Swarm deals increased damage to targets inflicted by Sticky Amber. In addition, damage dealt to targets inflicted by Sticky Amber reduces the active cool down of Locust Swarm.
Drone Your Scarab Host ability has a chance to summon a mantid drone that will attack a target with amber, adding to your stacks of Sticky Amber. Only one drone can be active at a time.


Nephri'thos: The Broodmother
Healing/Support (Elereth Renferal Style: Spider-based Venom, Webs, summoning vile minions)


One of the few female spiderlords, Nephri’thos was a cunning tactician and gifted in diplomacy and the arts. Under her leadership, Azjol Nerub entered a golden age where its population increased and its culture thrived. However, while she was known for her wisdom, she was also known for her martial prowess, particularly her skill in venom and toxins, which made her a feared and respected warrior throughout the spider kingdom and beyond.

Sample Abilities (WIP)
Vile Symbiote: The caster launches a symbiote to the target, healing them over time. Activating Vile Symbiote again will instantly heal the target for the full amount. Accumulated poison damage increases the symbiote's healing power.
Brood Parasite: Imbed a parasite into a party member, transferring a % of the damage you do into healing for them. Overhealing causes the parasite to rupture, healing nearby party members for a lower amount. Parasites can last up to 30 seconds. Only 2 can be active at time.
Tangled Webs: Quickly covers the ground with a tacky web. When enemies are on its surface for more than 2 sec at a time, they are slowed by 15%. The caster and its minions move 15% faster on its surface, and the casters healing power is increased by 2%. The web lasts 1.3 min.
Web Ball: Web now has 2 charges, a reduced cooldown, and 40yd range. In addition, when casted on a target, it leaves Tangled Webs.
Web of Pain: The Broodmother connects up to three targets with a web of pain. 60% of damage done to the main target is shared with the linked target. This is reduced by half if there are three targets. Web of Pain leaves a patch of Tangled Webs when it is casted.
Tainted Mind: (Passive) Your Hivemind ability also increases your healing power by 2%.
Nightmare Spawn: (Passive) Your Scarab Host ability has a chance to summon an egg that will grow over time. If the egg is destroyed before reaching its full size, it will burst and leave a pool of necrotic venom. If the egg reaches its full size, it will spawn a pair of spideriings that lasts 8 seconds. This chance is increased when the caster is standing on their web.
Venomweaver: (Passive) Acid Spit, Web Ball, Spiderlings, and Web of Pain now inflict Necrotic Poison. In addition, when enemies are standing on your Tangled Webs, Necrotic Poison's damage and duration is increased.

Nourishing Toxins: Release your stored venom, forming a lingering mist that heals your party members. The more poison damage done, the stronger the heal and the longer the duration of the mist. Allies standing on your Tangled Web receive more healing.
[b] Arachnid Delight: Your allies can eat one of your minions to restore 25% their health. Beware! Eating too many minions can poison your party members!
Dark Web: Enemies who die on your Tangled Web heal you for a % of your health. Empowers your Vile Symbiote.
Brood Swarm (Passive) (Talent) Your Locust Swarm ability now also heals party members in its area of effect. However, it's cooldown is increased by 60 seconds.

This class idea would have quite a bit in common with Elise from LoL;
https://www.leagueoflegends.com/en-au/champions/elise/



Check out Golden Yak’s excellent expansion concept. It’s based on the same lore this class is based on, and is an incredible read;



Also found this cool mock up of the expansion's possible cover. Definitely fits the theme and the possible future class;



Found some unused art from the propsed Azjol Nerub zone that was scrapped in WotLK;

https://imgur.com/gallery/nUhfK

Special thanks we to @Jekyll for originally initiating the idea for this concept.

Thanks for reading.

[Thes]

So basically Kerrigan?

[Teriz]

So basically Kerrigan?

There would be males as well, I just couldn't find any satisfactory male art to compliment the female versions (there's a LOT of female versions).

That said, I could see some aspects of the Zerg being utilized for this class, since Blizzard used aspects of that race for WC3.

[renatompassos]

Your dedication to WoW is really amazing. I find all the concepts pretty entertaining, keep’em coming!

Tank and ranged make total sense but nerubian healer? Are there NPCs backing that up? Evokers also opened the door for the support role, so who knows. Considering their trend of 2-specs I would leave it at that. They should have a higher passive leech or health regen as a racial, though

[Teriz]

Your dedication to WoW is really amazing. I find all the concepts pretty entertaining, keep’em coming!

Thanks!

Tank and ranged make total sense but nerubian healer? Are there NPCs backing that up? Evokers also opened the door for the support role, so who knows. Considering their trend of 2-specs I would leave it at that. They should have a higher passive leech or health regen as a racial, though

Yeah, I could see a two-spec class being utilized instead. I did the healer spec as an answer for the Evil Healer thread. Also, I kind of like the idea of a insectoid/zerg-type of healer in WoW.

Your racial idea in regards to a leech is cool. I might add it in the future.

[Teriz]

Well... i just hope they never class/race lock something again.

I think race/class locks allow more interesting class possibilities, like this one. While I definitely understand why some dislike it, it definitely has some benefits.

Also Blizzard could make the Nerubian visage forms like the Drow, who are highly connected with Spiders in D&D.

Nerubians would be interesting. But i am allready not a fan of Drakthyr transmog restrictions. They will probably never give mro barber stuff. It would be as bad if not worse for somethign with 4 legs.
Also if they do this, i want the "human" version be really inhuman. With mandibles. No breasts. Basically completly unfuckable. It is still a spider. Just on two legs. Keep the 8 eyes^^ Just to freak out the self declared arachnophobes

Lol! That would never fly as a WoW race. I definitely see your reasoning, but players want to be “pretty” and Nerubians are pretty grotesque creatures.

[Soon-TM]

<snip>

Gief SC1 Lurker class plx

[MrLachyG]

I definitely agree with the class/race, dunno if Azjol Nerub would make an entire expansion though. I reckon it would make for a great patch in an undead/void expansion though

[Cynical Asshole]

It would be a very niche race.

The vast majority of people like to play as either their idealized selves or their waifus. Generally speaking, men like big muscle men, and women like pretty and attractive things, (no, I don't care you are <insert gender> and you like to play as <insert thing that contradicts what I just said>, you do not represent de majority).

What do both men and women want to see ? Badass men, hot women, and badass hot women. There are niche tastes too but those are a minority. After all Genshin Impact is selling so well based on absolutely nothing other than allowing men to play as their waifus, and women to play as their idealized selves.
How many women play as female kultiran? Cause I swear I haven't seen any. Why? Because being fat is not part of the generally accepted beauty standards nor is it badass nor healthy either, and so no one likes playing as one nor seeing other players playing them, unless of course we're talking fetishes or people making such characters because they think it's funny to play as a fat guy.

Are the Nerubians meeting any of the requirements above? Most definitely not.

Something that's not even humanoid on top of being ugly as well, would be a really tough sell, and I don't see Blizzard spending time and resources creating playable characters for a teeny tiny minority, which is the same reason we don't have playable Ogres despite the odd forum thread that pops up every now and then and asks for playable Ogres. Sure, they would be the rage for a couple of months, and then they will go extinct, just like the Kultirans.

Also consider that Arachnophobia is a thing, and this race looks like it would fuck with people having this condition. One more reason for Blizzard to not bother with it.

[Teriz]

I definitely agree with the class/race, dunno if Azjol Nerub would make an entire expansion though. I reckon it would make for a great patch in an undead/void expansion though

It seems to be a rather popular expansion idea, especially with Zalarek supposedly prompting Blizzard to consider more underground zones.

- - - Updated - - -

It would be a very niche race.

The vast majority of people like to play as either their idealized selves or their waifus. Generally speaking, men like big muscle men, and women like pretty and attractive things, (no, I don't care you are <insert gender> and you like to play as <insert thing that contradicts what I just said>, you do not represent de majority).

What do both men and women want to see ? Badass men, hot women, and badass hot women. There are niche tastes too but those are a minority. After all Genshin Impact is selling so well based on absolutely nothing other than allowing men to play as their waifus, and women to play as their idealized selves.
How many women play as female kultiran? Cause I swear I haven't seen any. Why? Because being fat is not part of the generally accepted beauty standards nor is it badass nor healthy either, and so no one likes playing as one nor seeing other players playing them, unless of course we're talking fetishes or people making such characters because they think it's funny to play as a fat guy.

Are the Nerubians meeting any of the requirements above? Most definitely not.

Something that's not even humanoid on top of being ugly as well, would be a really tough sell, and I don't see Blizzard spending time and resources creating playable characters for a teeny tiny minority, which is the same reason we don't have playable Ogres despite the odd forum thread that pops up every now and then and asks for playable Ogres. Sure, they would be the rage for a couple of months, and then they will go extinct, just like the Kultirans.

Also consider that Arachnophobia is a thing, and this race looks like it would fuck with people having this condition. One more reason for Blizzard to not bother with it.

This is why I propose a visage form similar to Dracthyr/dragons;






There's plenty of "waifu" material in the "spider girl" area of fantasy art.

[Myradin]

While I absolutely love cryptlords and nerubians, can we not give them random 'pretty humanoid form' powers?

It made 'sense' for dracthyr due to the dragon fantasy. But nerubians have never turned into 'normal' races, and beyond trying to look bangable for us players there isnt much point in it.

[Tiwack]

Dunno what I expected but it's definitely something to forward to blizz through their forums or their ingame suggestion feedback. Hella cool idea but leaves me wondering if we've dug too deep

Right now this looks like something from Diablo, like the above poster outlines, I think you need to come up with a better lore-reason for this to seal the deal.

[The Stormbringer]

Dunno what I expected but it's definitely something to forward to blizz through their forums or their ingame suggestion feedback. Hella cool idea but leaves me wondering if we've dug too deep

Right now this looks like something from Diablo, like the above poster outlines, I think you need to come up with a better lore-reason for this to seal the deal.

In order to cleanse themselves of the taint of the Old Gods, so they could truly be free creatures that chart their own destiny, they conducted experiments with infusing themselves with humanoid blood and genetics. The result changed their bodies dramatically, but thanks to magical memory, they can change back to their old forms at will, which they often do for combat purposes.

Bam, done, ez pz.

[Teriz]

While I absolutely love cryptlords and nerubians, can we not give them random 'pretty humanoid form' powers?

It made 'sense' for dracthyr due to the dragon fantasy. But nerubians have never turned into 'normal' races, and beyond trying to look bangable for us players there isnt much point in it.

Well that's more to @Cynical Asshole's point; You have to appeal to the masses, so if Blizzard does decide to go this route, they would need a lane to go down that would allow them to create the spider-race, but also make it appealing to as wide a swath of players as possible. While we have never seen Nerubians utilize a humanoid form, that doesn't mean they can't do it, since they are obviously adept at ancient magic. If some decide they want to live among the mortal races and not cause too much of a stir, I could imagine that like dragons, they would assume a more "acceptable" appearance.

Also for players who aren't looking for a "spider waifu" this is probably more up their alley;



Pretty much an exoskeleton version.

[Usernameforforums]

A lot more creative than tinker, bring it on!

[Teriz]

Added @Golden Yak’s Spider Kingdom Expansion concept to the OP. It’s a good overview of what an Azjol Nerub expansion could look like. This class would fit right in.

https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Use...ansion_Concept

[Jekyll]

Your dedication to WoW is really amazing. I find all the concepts pretty entertaining, keep’em coming!

Tank and ranged make total sense but nerubian healer? Are there NPCs backing that up? Evokers also opened the door for the support role, so who knows. Considering their trend of 2-specs I would leave it at that. They should have a higher passive leech or health regen as a racial, though

I would like to take half credit for this.

[Schwert]

How many people would play a bug vs how many people would play a dragon?

Making a sexy Korean MMO girl out of it doesn't make sense with any established lore we have. That's just something for an entirely different game at that point.

[Nymrohd]

Eek on the Monster Musume spider girls you'd like to have sex with. Just keep it in your pants please.

This is original art of bipedal nerubians from Wrath back when Azjol'nerub was meant to be a zone.


Make them Body Type 1 only. Their female would be a singular queen NPC. Would be fun to give them a Crypt Lord tanking form and a Venomancer/Webspinner ranged dps (possible ranged support). Also let them play warriors, mages, priests just to start with. Heck, hunters with spider-like beast pets.

[czarek]

This looks awesome tbh. Im into it. But there is one problem. They in some way could join horde or more likely forsakens. With aliance will be a problem :P