With the recent advent of Season 3 and guest characters, a connection to Halo cannot be far behind.
As much as I enjoyed Nicole-458 in DOA4, and do hope for her return to the genre, within KI itself, due to “missing” an ape-like character and there being a need for another Tank-archetype to thicken Thunder’s and Aganos’ corner (though I suspect Tusk will hop into that corner), I can’t help but conclude a Brute carrying a gravity-tornado inducing warhammer would fill a bunch of needs.
Possible character type: Vortex/Trap Tank.
Here’s the idea on this tank. The moves can hit hard and seemingly cheap. But they need accuracy and cadence to land properly or one takes damage. Patience is rewarded with possible buffs to defense and/or offense. Getting beat up leads to buffs to defense and/or offense. (see what I did there?)
The defensive part comes naturally but it’s a choice to lose that buff in favour of offensive buffing.
If one has stalked full resources of offense and defense, they are either really behind in the match or have patiently conserved resources with fundamentals play to be about even at about 1 round a piece and low time on the clock. At this point it is possible to use up both offensive and defensive buffs before going into a really powerful Instinct mode… But only skilled players can use up the resources in that order. It’s possible to be forced into Instinct and that completely changes the style of the character for its duration.
In neutral game, the Brute is as turtled as a fighter can get in KI due to footsie options. The Gravity Hammer is far reaching and capable of vortex and arced projectiles, so he’s close to Aganos in his Instinct mode as far as sandbox roll, but full time. To keep that in check, the Brute is relatively slow in movement options and the Gravity Hammer is a resource used for Command and Super Armour hits.
Reactive Armour: Combo Trait. As the Brute takes hits, special and ender damage is lessened via his reactive armour platting. Players can choose to fight this way or transfer the resource into the Gravity Hammer. (Yet to be named!)
A meter shows the RA’s level. If the meter is full, the player gains 1 hit of armour on all attacks they have access to. Blocked hits fill half as fast a full damage hits.
The more the RA increases in resource, the less Instinct increases too.
Scornful Reproach: Taunt. Can be used mid-round. The taunt move transfers Reactive Armour into the hammer resource, a close to 50% fill from a full charge. A ceremonial animation as though asking for a blessing to the weapon as a timer for its use.
Gravity Hammer: Resource-tool. A normal weapon when not activated. A super-damaging Command weapon when activated. Uses a timer as a resource for use that can be stored up to 10 seconds of use. Needs tweaking to be used between modes.
Beserker Rage: Instinct. Activate Instinct and go into a rage that throws away the weapon in favour of even further increased defensive armour used on a new moveset that is best described as armoured rushdown. RA and Hammer meter reset.
Think Goro from MKX as far as sandbox roll with Riptor’s Rage Instinct… Blocking this beserker is the worst thing to do. Can throw block-stunned or air-bounced opponents with far reaching “easy” throws and recaptures as the buttons all turn into 1-touch special-like moves (ala Riptor’s Rage). Things like a jumping hammer-fist and heavy shoulder bash but with huge range or frame advantages. Once in on a character/cornering, Rash and Wulf’s auto-attacks can be implemented in a form.
As a means to promote the primal side of the character, once Instinct reaches full, if the player doesn’t activate Instinct manually, they go into Beserker Rage when hard knocked down. It means they could start a new round IN Beserker Mode, no choice 
Gravity Tornado: long startup, moving Vortex move. Can only be used when Hammer is activated. Strength determines flight path and is used to force the opponent to the player, or to keep in place. Heavy can send a vortex across the screen and set it up like a wall to prevent retreating as the player approaches. Medium can be used to create something in the air to force the opponent down. Light can go midscreen and then come back to the player. If there is no opponent in the vortex and the player touches it, they are sucked into their own trap.
Shadow Tornado: Hammer must be on. Strength determined Shadow! Light+Medium, ground based Command Vortex. Heavy+Medium, air based Command Vortex. Both travel across screen and exit. Both end in a tossing of the opponent to the player. Light+Heavy creates a stationary Command Vortex.
Prophet’s Wrath: Hammer resource. Double Command hit, high priority. The Brute swings heavy and hard with a jumping full back arc overhead smash. Timing is critical for utility use. When the hammer connects, a secondary hit due to a “gravity explosion” has the following properties;
- Armoured attacks are snuffed. It’s a timed moved and if timed right, will smack Rash out of his Wrecking Ball, smash through projectiles, etc. Will also smack teleporting characters due to the backward swing. As said, it’s in the timing!
- Deflect projectiles. Hit the ground with the proper timing and deflect even Shadow Projectiles! Deflected projectiles reverse the properties onto the opponent. Instead of destroying a Ran-Ra bug trap, you can convert it with a proximity hit (and move it a bit too). Jago’s Instinct FB’s heal the player. Spinal’s curses reverse. Omen can lock himself out of a Shadow Meter stock! If nuance to timing of the deflection can cause different angles, that’d be nice. Sloppy timed deflections cause an angled block, near perfect deflections cause direct reversal, ie, Spinal’s FB’s can be knocked back as a near useless anti-air against him, or if timed right, can send the FB’s back whence they came.
- Block nullification. As opponents can dash forward or back and snuff or avoid the start-up from the front, first hit knocks the player back, the second knocks the opponent out of block… It’s an Opener on turtled opponents.
- Non-blocking specific hits. Hitting on the head hitbox causes a hard knockdown. Hitting the midsection causes a wall splatter. Hitting the low causes capture-lift. Hitting an aerial causes knockdown-bouncing (3 hits).
Opponents can get in on the start up of the move due to the ability to hit backwards on teleports/crossups.
Shadow Prophet’s Wrath: Invincible, Command 5-hit where the last 4 hits are gravity explosions, the 5th one causing the normal non-blocking enders.
Primal Smash: Brute smash Loki. Throw, 3 hits. Must be blocked low but can also catch an aerial opponent. The hammer is used as a low-grab and the Brute pulls reaches out to grab the leg he would sweep. Can catch an aerial opponent in whiff or late attacking animation with the approaching hand looking for the leg.
Shadow Primal Smash: Command Throw, 5 hits. Very long distance command grab that will first grab low and then high. Must be avoided by jump aways or overs, usually unavoidable in the corner or by straight jumps.
Unsure on the properties for use at the moment.
Grenade: long startup, high screen arc, delayed damage attack. Can be incendiary, plasma or spike… Or all 3!
Ranged trap option when without hammer resource.
Will of the Pack: Non-resource, Linker/Wall Splatter, multi-hit spin move with varying strength properties for non-projectile armoured protection. Depending on strength used, an anti-normal hit is swung by the butt of the handle as the Brute enters a spin that lends to a predictable due to initial startup animation, non-projectile armoured hit that attacks in a different zone than said startup animation.
Once spinning, the move can be continued for at least 2 more hits if the input button is released and pressed again during the animation. Heavy input can end the swing as a Wall Splatter.
Must be timed for the first hit to armour as players can dash or throw between the start butt swing and the full hammer head swing.
Shadow Will of the Pack: Possibly the only non-double resource Shadow. Is invulnerable mostly or partially at start up and then is non-projectile invulnerable for the duration. A large area swing that will suck in and then knockback opponents coming from all angles.
Beastly Approach: A form of run that is very slow to get started but if able to go full screen, turns into a far reaching knuckle leap. Leads to:
Hammerfell: Running Command Overhead. Similar in appearance to Prophet’s Wrath. Meant to be similar to a leap move but is not projectile invincible.
Something Something No name yet Running Command Low Launcher The Brute can slide under some high attacks but not mids with his feet forward. Once connected, the Brute grabs the opponent with one foot and kicks them into the air with the other.
Gets +1 armour with full RA.
Now you may be like “What if I don’t like the Instinct as it changes the character from what I was using?”
Answer; “Full resource use move!” If one happens to have full Shadow, Instinct, Hammer and Reactive Armour, they can activate KI’s ultimate turtle move (maybe not that many resources but full Instinct is needed, perhaps full hammer too);
Oracle’s Fury: The anti-Fulgore Super Laser lasting super shield of invulnerability. With the ability to snuff almost any move if timed as a read, the Brute stands firm and at attention as he taunts and activates the repulsing shield like that of 343 Guilty Spark in H3 from the head of the hammer. Opponents are pushed to the far end of the screen in pulses and the player is invulnerable for just slightly longer than the duration of Fulgore’s chest laser.
Meant to avoid being forced or just going into Instinct as the mode is meant to be a game of cat and mouse for the player, hit and run for the opponent. Some matchups will simply dominate the Instinct mode due to opponent mobility and much less utility-use moveset for the player.
Will refine with more thought and input:.
Examples of armour, etc;
