[Enemy Fan Concept] The Navigator - Sentient Assassin

[Krion112]

Awhile back, before the Tombs of the Sentient, I drew a couple interpretations of what the Sentient could look like. We've been shown the Sentient since then, and I've wanted, for awhile now, to reuse that design, but in the Sentient style. So, for the sake of musing that idea, I drew a Sentient using the real style, but using the form of my interpretation. For game-design, I thought it'd make for a good Sentient Assassin; a counterpart to Zanuka and the Grustrag Three.

 

The Navigator

(Sorry for the lack of shading; I just couldn't get it to look right. I'll update it later with some shading if my interest is maintained)

 

Lore

• When Transference was gleaned from a synthesized Mirage Warframe, the Sentient quickly adapted the technology to their advantage; the Navigator.
• Sensitive to void energy, Navigators are capable of 'guiding' Sentient Wormships along the Solar Rails, reducing the toll taken on the Sentient forms; It forces machine logic upon the illogical hell-space of the void via Transference. However, the production of Navigators was dependent upon the acquisition and synthesizing of living Warframe parts, which the Sentient were often unable to acquire, making Navigators a very rare occurrence. All Navigators produced up until the end of the Old War have been trapped in the Origin System, and are only activated after the War Within, somehow signaled by the Tenno's unlocked potential.
• Hunhow uses these twisted machines as bloodhounds, tracking the Tenno and the movement of Void artifacts across the Origin system.

 

Attraction & Arrival

• First and Foremost, Navigators only mark and invade Tenno who have completed the War Within (or possibly later).
• Being sensitive to the Void, Navigators are attracted to Tenno who have been exposed to the Void to the extent that they leave a noticeable Void footprint. This means travelling to the Orokin Towers in the Void or being exposed to Void Fissures.
• Upon reaching the status of leaving a footprint large enough for a Navigator to track a Tenno, the Lotus will send a message to said Tenno, warning them of the potential threat.
• The Navigator cannot invade a Tenno during an Orokin Tower or Void Fissure mission, however playing these mission types while marked will increase the chance of the Navigator invading.
• When Invading a Tenno's mission, the Tenno will be abruptly surrounded by Sentient Energy, followed by the Navigator itself prompting the Tenno of its impending attacking.
• After the normal 3 prompts, the Navigator appears.

 

Capabilities

• The Navigator, as all Sentient, is focused upon Control strategies, focusing on manipulating the capabilities of its enemy.
• It features the element-adaptation ability, and will resist damage types that it is exposed to.
• Any Auras and Benefits shared among a Tenno Cell will also positively affect the Navigator; this means any 'Cooperative' oriented Auras, like Rifle Amp, and Abilities, like Blessing, will also buff and heal the Navigator.

Attacks

• The Navigator's most basic attack is a rapid-fire volley of small energy bolts, which inflict a short-lived proc that punishes the Tenno for attempting to switch weapons, locking the Tenno's selected weapon for a duration and draining some Energy if they attempt to switch. Melee weapons cannot be locked.
• Uncommonly, it will use a series of energy orbs that will momentarily orbit around it, and then be propelled at an enemy target. Any damage dealt to the orbs or the Navigator will make the orbs more powerful, however overwhelming them with excessive damage in a single shot (such as from a Sniper, Launcher, or Bow) will cause them to backfire on the Navigator.
• Both of these attacks deal Radiation damage, and have a high proc chance; any wayward shot may have the effect of turning a Cell's own crowd-control against them, or may exclude them from their own synergy.
• Rarely, the Navigator will engage an attack where it prepares a Transference link, noticeably charging the attack for a short while, and then unleashing it upon the target's Warframe; if it successfully connects, the Tenno controlling the Warframe will be ejected, and the Navigator will take control of its Warframe. Control can be restored by striking the Warframe with the Void Beam (for long enough), with a Void Dash, or with a Void Blast. The Navigator can use Warframe abilities while it's in control, however it cannot use ultimates and other abilities will not be as powerful.

 

Consequences & Rewards

• If a Warframe is defeated by the Navigator, it will constrict the Warframe, wrapping around it and using its antennae to extract the Tenno Operator. A siphoning beam effect will then scan across the Tenno's face.
• If a Tenno is defeated by the Navigator, it will pin down the Tenno, crawling closer and making disturbing noises until activating the same siphoning beam, which scans across the Tenno's face.
• In both cases, the Tenno is left with some kind of debuff or progress-slowing effect, but what exactly I'm not sure. Perhaps it slows the rate at which Affinity can be gained.
• Should the Tenno succeed in fending off a Navigator invasion, they may receive some kind of reward pertaining to the Operator & Transference with the Warframe.

 

Just an idea. Let me know what you think!

Edited July 16, 2017 by Krion112

[0hMyTenno]

Well, that's really a good idea to put a sentient assassin, good ideas

especially this one 

arely, the Navigator will engage an attack where it prepares a Transference link, noticeably charging the attack for a short while, and then unleashing it upon the target's Warframe; if it successfully connects, the Tenno controlling the Warframe will be ejected, and the Navigator will take control of its Warframe. Control can be restored by striking the Warframe with the Void Beam (for long enough), with a Void Dash, or with a Void Blast.

Keep promoting !

[Matak-FR]

Love the design and the concept.

+1 Nice work !

[INight00]

Nice. It puts more work on the operator too.

How would it work in squads, maybe an AoE move?

[Krion112]

I've included a Consequences & Rewards section; take a look, and let me know if anything specific could be given for the effects of losing or succeeding.

 

6 hours ago, 0hMyTenno said:

Well, that's really a good idea to put a sentient assassin, good ideas

Keep promoting !

5 hours ago, Matak-FR said:

Love the design and the concept.

+1 Nice work !

Greatly Appreciated!

 

2 hours ago, INight00 said:

Nice. It puts more work on the operator too.

How would it work in squads, maybe an AoE move?

That was the idea; to intertwine game-play with the Operator, not make it a separate or 'forced' mechanic, as is the case with Kuva Siphons.

In squads, the Navigator does not rely on Area of Effect, however it will use your own against you. Its primary and secondary attacks deal primarily radiation damage, and may end up irradiating members of the squad, making them a threat to one another. Likewise, it can and will use the abilities of any Warframe it seizes, however it probably can't use ultimates, and it can't use abilities with as much power as the Tenno.

In either case, the squad's own crowd-control is turned against it, having the full capacity to get the entire squad downed, leaving the Navigator's specific target more vulnerable.

[INight00]

7 hours ago, Krion112 said:

l primarily radiation damage, and may end up irradiating members of the squad,

I have been seeing embers everywhere as of late. Team massacres. Until they learn to turn off the ability.

Consequences & Reward.

This may be a bit harsh... but since this particular assassin is sent after you for doing multiple missions and charges it up like a bar. What if the consequence lasted a certain amount of time? Like 1 hour of half affinity. Stalker downs you, Harvester/ zanuka takes you to corpus labs, Grustrag ends your mission.

Rewards... mods/ weapon parts. Or a new sentient themed weapon that only it can drop. Grind. Grind.

[Krion112]

17 hours ago, INight00 said:

This may be a bit harsh... but since this particular assassin is sent after you for doing multiple missions and charges it up like a bar. What if the consequence lasted a certain amount of time? Like 1 hour of half affinity. Stalker downs you, Harvester/ zanuka takes you to corpus labs, Grustrag ends your mission.

Rewards... mods/ weapon parts. Or a new sentient themed weapon that only it can drop. Grind. Grind.

Perhaps how large of a Void footprint a Tenno leaves (ie, how much they've done Fissures or gone to the Void) determines the rank of the Navigator when it attacks, with some kind of cap of course to not make it too punishing. Then, this rank not only determines how difficult it is to fight, but also how long of an Affinity debuff its victim will receive if they lose, however the rank of the Navigator could also determine the chances on its drop-tables, rewarding a Tenno more for overcoming a high rank Navigator (ie, a Risk & Reward system).

As for the reward itself, I supposed to keep it in line with Zanuka & Grustrag, perhaps it would drop blueprints and parts for a Sentient counterpart to the Detron and Brakk. Given the difficulty involved, it might also drop blueprints for ordinary Focus Lenses, as I've wanted for a long time now an alternative to Sorties.

[INight00]

An assassin that gets tougher the more you play. Literally getting better with experience. Risk and Reward would tailor to people who play more as well.
I wouldn't mind seeing this in game. Seems like a solid idea.

 

This is a bit different... it could work with this or perhaps be a different idea entirely, but you know how Fomorian and Razorback Armada charge up over time?
What if this thing (or a weaker version (like the decaying conculyst/ battalyst)) were common in an event.

Void fissures have been infected/ hijacked ("space magic") and now Sentients are spawning from them.

It would charge up the more players do void fissures.

[Rhekemi]

This feels and looks quite sound. I have no objections, but feel like the rewards/consequences could be beefed up. Not sure how.

Great job.

Edited July 24, 2017 by Rhekemi