Pyke
After spending years as a butcher on the slaughterdocks at Bilgewater, Pyke eventually joined ship crews to hunt the monstrous creatures of the deep himself. His ultimate prize, the mighty jaull-fish, became his downfall when he was swallowed alive… or so it seemed.
Somehow, Pyke’s journey to the deep in the belly of a jaull-fish was not his end. Rather, it was his beginning. Powered by an unknown evil, he returned to the slaughterdocks, determined to enact vengeance on all who had wronged him.
I’m rarely drawn to villainous characters, but Pyke checks a lot of boxes for me. I love the deep-sea, thalassophobia element to his theme. I love interesting takes on assassins, outside of a ninja archetype. Most of all, though, I love the unstoppable evil trope – like the Terminator or Chigurh.
I play Pyke in League and Legends of Runeterra, especially the latter.
Keys to the Character
Spears For Fears
What is the weapon of choice of deep-sea monster hunters? A very augmented harpoon. Maybe adorned with some trophies from former badfish.
Making A List, Checking It Twice
Like all unstoppable evil vengeance seekers, Pyke is checking names off his list as he takes down his victims from the deep.
Watery Eyes
An unknown power has kept Pyke in some version of “alive” – gifted with the ability to survive (and thrive) in the depths below.
What Nice Teeth You Have
Killed by a jaull-fish? Guess again. He wears the monster’s teeth on his mantle as a prize. Kind of like really really gnarly shoulderpads.
Pyke fits firmly within the Assassin and Bruiser roles. By trade, his is an assassin – using the element of surprise to take down his foes with surprise damage. In his case, that stealth comes from hiding in the depths and having access to a long-reach spear.
But although he leans hard on the assassin role, his Ruffian Rogue racket and Fighter Dedication keep him a lot more hearty than typical slayers. Once he makes his surprise opening on an enemy, he can fight toe to toe and get results.
That fighting comes in the form of his longspear – standing in for his harpoon.
Finally, while Pyke’s primary objective is to lay down melee damage, his method of doing so strikes fear into the hearts of enemies. This ability to frighten and intimidate can help his allies to more easily land their own strikes. In some cases it can even reposition enemies as they flee. Not bad!
Build OVERVIEW
Ancestry
Human – Undine
An Undine heritage gives Pyke the Swim speed and amphibious trait he requires to wait below the surface, ready to lunge.
Background
Sailor
Though he started as a butcher, Pyke is most notable as a sea-monster hunting Sailor. A Captain Ahab for ocean-ghouls.
Class
Rogue – Ruffian
Pyke is a rogue, of course. Sneak Attack is one of his defining characteristics. However, he is more than just silent strikes. The Ruffian Racket gives him the skills he needs to engage head on with enemies, scoring precision damage with a longspear.
Plus, the Fighter Dedication line gives him a lot of access to fear-based actions.
Skills & General Feats
As a former sailor, Pyke has some experience with the skills required to work the docks and decks. And now, he has the stealth and intimidation to terrify foes by surprise.
Legendary: Acrobatics, Athletics, Intimidation, Stealth, Survival
Master: -
Expert: Nature
Attribute Increases
Equipment
Suggested Starting Equipment
Longspear – A stand-in for his harpoon, Pyke uses his Ruffian Racket to score Sneak Attacks with the high damage, reach-enabled longspear.
Leather Armor –
Key Spells
Changelog
