Hero Discussion of the Day: Riki (February 6, 2012)

Riki was last discussed on September 19.

Riki, the Stealth Assassin

Riki, or Rikimaru, is a Melee Hero that uses stealth in order to surprise enemies and quickly kill them. His trademark ability, Permanent Invisibility, allows him to sneak into the shadows to hide and slip by without giving himself away. Riki has some item dependency, however, and still requires smart thinking and map knowledge to escape, due to his low health. Riki is recommended for beginner to intermediate players.

Lore:

Riki was born middle child to the great dynasty of Tahlin. With an older brother groomed for the throne, and a younger brother coddled and kept, Riki, the small middle son, seemed born for the art of invisibility. It was an art he cultivated, and one which ultimately saved his life on the night that his people were betrayed and his family slaughtered. Of all the royal line, he alone escaped—small and agile, unassuming, using smoke as cover. He cut his way out of the royal grounds, using the advantage of surprise, quietly slitting the throats of one enemy warrior after another. Now free of his royal responsibilities, Riki uses his talents in service to a new trade: Stealth Assassin. He silences his enemies, sharpening his skills, hoping to one day take revenge on those who killed his family and robbed him of his birthright.

"If you can see me, you're already dead."

Strength	Agility	Intelligence
17 + 2	34 + 2.9	14 + 1.3
Damage	Armor	Movespeed
48-52	5.76	300
Attack Range	Base Attack Time	Missile Speed
Melee	1.7	Instant
Soundset	Icon	Fan Art

Smoke Screen

Throws down a smoke bomb, silencing and slowing enemy units in an area while causing them to miss on most attacks. Lasts 6 seconds.

Level	Mana Cost	Cooldown	Casting range	Area of Effect	Duration	Allowed Targets	Effects
1	75	13	425	250	6 seconds	Enemy units	40% miss, -25% IAS and MS, Silence
2	80	13	425	275	6 seconds	Enemy units	50% miss, -25% IAS and MS, Silence
3	85	13	425	300	6 seconds	Enemy units	60% miss, -25% IAS and MS, Silence
4	90	13	425	325	6 seconds	Enemy units	70% miss, -25% IAS and MS, Silence

• Does not silence castable items.

Blink Strike

Teleports behind the target unit, striking for bonus damage if it is an enemy.

Level	Mana Cost	Cooldown	Casting range	Area of Effect	Duration	Allowed Targets	Effects
1	50	20	750	N/A	N/A	Any unit	Deals 30 extra damage
2	50	15	750	N/A	N/A	Any unit	Deals 60 extra damage
3	50	10	750	N/A	N/A	Any unit	Deals 90 extra damage
4	50	5	750	N/A	N/A	Any unit	Deals 120 extra damage

• Damage type: magical
• Bonus damage is dealt before Rikimaru's regular attack.
• Teleports to the back of the target, forcing a backstab on the next attack.
• If the target is an ally, no damage will be dealt.

Backstab

If Riki attacks from behind, bonus damage is applied based on his current agility.

Level	Mana Cost	Cooldown	Casting range	Area of Effect	Duration	Allowed Targets	Effects
1	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Enemy units	Deals 0.5x the Agility of Rikimaru to the target
2	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Enemy units	Deals 0.75x the Agility of Rikimaru to the target
3	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Enemy units	Deals 1.0x the Agility of Rikimaru to the target
4	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Enemy units	Deals 1.25x the Agility of Rikimaru to the target

• Damage type: physical
• Even if the animation is shown for Rikimaru's images the effect will not work.
• Bonus damage from Backstab can't be evaded.

Permanent Invisibility

Riki fades into the shadows, staying permanently invisible except while attacking or using abilities.

Level	Mana Cost	Cooldown	Casting range	Area of Effect	Duration	Allowed Targets	Effects
1	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	3 second fade time
2	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	2.25 second fade time
3	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	1.5 second fade time

• Invisibility is broken when Rikimaru is silenced

Check out Wilco-'s daily tl;dr on the Stealth Assassin.

You might also be interested in DotaCinema's video overview of Riki.

As always, check out yesterday's discussion of Dazzle or the (almost) complete HDotD archives.