I had initially posted this on the Forums some time ago, but with how several mechanics have changed, I've made some adjustments to the concept and decided to post it here as well!

The idea behind this Hunter is to have a low skill floor Hunter that is not as effective at direct killing, but more effective at general map control and slow withering of Scavenger status.

I thought an old character design of mine (aptly called a Hunter) could fit right in with the world and mythos with a bit of tweaking. It's just a quick WIP drawing, but it still gets the idea across. Thus, I present to you...

THE PHAGE

A bizarre, lanky robotic Hunter with an unnerving ceramic faceplate. The emblem of the Phage is of an artificial Moth, as seen on its shoulder.

"None of us are really sure WHAT it is. Some say it's a nutjob that went full convert after the war, others say it was some sort of Collective experiment from a forgotten research facility out somewhere in Northern Canada. But here's what we DO know. It can't (or wont) speak. It has some sort of hybrid nanotechnology that we haven't seen before. And most importantly, it wants to hunt."

The Phage is a tall, bizarre construct that is as secretive as it is deadly. Using a highly advanced nanophage strain, it twists the Blood Harvest into a brutal experiment, unleashing the deadly particles on unwitting Scavengers, to horrific effect. Unlike other Hunters, The Phage has a unique mechanic that revolves around increasing levels of infection in the Scavengers you face.

Powers

Infect- The Phage's primary ability launches an extremely fast projectile that explodes with nanophage in a 6m radius on impact, infecting crates, drones, and Scavengers hit in the explosion and leaving a lingering cloud of nanophage for 3 seconds. Infected crates will instantly grant The Phage its contents, but will not cause the crate to respawn. Instead, the crate becomes a deadly bomb filled with nanophage, signified by oozing black ichor. Should any scavenger venture too close (within 2m), it will rupture in a 6m radius, infecting them with a significant portion of nanophage (15%) and leaving a large cloud of air particles in the area for 5 seconds, but dealing no damage. These infected crates will cease their infection at the same rate as a hacked crate, and can also be shot by Scavengers to detonate them early.

If a drone is infected with nanophage, it acts similarly to crates, bursting should a scavenger come too close. However, it will also burst if damaged, releasing a massive 15m radius cloud of nanophage for 10 seconds. Activated drones will rain a continuous 10m radius wide stream of nanophage directly beneath them while disabled, infecting it for a duration.

These nanophage explosions, while startling, do not do damage or reveal enemies on their own. Instead, the burst of infection ties into the aforementioned mechanic of infecting enemies, which will be described later. If a scavenger is within range of the initial burst, they will instantly be infected by 10% in addition to the lingering cloud effects.

Infect starts with 3 charges, and will regenerate up to 1 charge on its own.

Upgrading Infect increases the duration that crates and drones remain infected for, increasing the map control available to The Phage.

"From what I can tell, that stuff is only able to survive a brief time on any given material before it starts to have a net loss. I can increase the efficiency of material consumption, which should allow it to survive a bit longer."

Supercharge - Identical to other Hunters

Phage burst- The Phage emits a large 15m radius burst of nanophage in the initial activation area, and continues to trail a persistent 3m radius cloud of lingering nanophage for a short duration of roughly 3 seconds. The burst does not do damage or stun, but reveals enemies for 3 seconds after they are initially struck.

Perks -

Cloying Fog (Starter) - Increases the radius of all Phage clouds by a %, starting at 10%.

Upgrading Cloying Fog further increases the radius of Phage clouds by 7.5% for each rank.

"Your nanophage is airborne, but relying on the Deathgarden's airflow to carry them isn't going to do you any favors. I can provide you with an aerosol dispersal system, which should help spread your particles out further."

Coagulant (Starter) - Scavengers that are carrying blood will lose their infection level slower for each point of blood they currently are holding, starting at 30% at base.

Upgrading Coagulant increases the % slowdown by 2.5% for each point of blood per rank.

"Organic and Inorganic material sustains your nanophage. You've designed it with the Scavengers and their tech in mind, but what if we leveraged some additional biological fuel? Some Coagulant agents will help your particles live longer when they gorge on NPI rich blood."

Clinging Phosphorous - Scavengers that are infected by any amount of nanophage are revealed for a longer period of time, scaled by %, starting at 10% at base.

Upgrading Clinging Phosphorous further increases the duration of revealed Scavengers by 10%.

"Those particles aren't as compact as other nanoparticles, and are able to carry a somewhat sizeable portion of material on their surface area. It's not a lot, but I can design a phosphorous compound that reacts with our drone systems, which should keep any Scavs covered in the stuff lit up for a bit longer."

Lingering Plague - Any temporary Phage clouds persist for a longer period of time, increasing all durations by a flat 3 seconds.

Upgrading Lingering Plague increases the duration by a flat second value of 0.3 seconds for each rank.

"You'd be surprised at how much unprocessed material the Deathgarden printers kick up. The air is thick with it. Thick enough that I think your nanophage could be tailored to sustain itself on the air alone for a bit of time."

Hive Mind - When a Scavenger's infection rate rises to each tier of infection, they are revealed for a brief period of 4 seconds at base.

Upgrading Hive Mind increases the reveal period by a flat second value of 0.4 seconds for each rank.

"When your nanophage reaches critical mass, it releases a lot of energy before re-stabilizing. If you had a system in place to pick up those bursts of energy, you'll be able to detect it when it happens."

Ravenous - When the Phage denies a health crate, its movement speed is increased by 10% of its base speed for 5 seconds. This effect can stack up to 5 times, but each stack decays separately.

Upgrading Ravenous increases the duration of each sprint stack by 0.3 seconds for each rank.

"Your chassis is light, but it's still putting a strain on your musculature system. With a couple modifications, I can make your chassis convert the medical nanites into raw material, giving your muscles a quick boost, which should allow you to overclock your system without any permanent damage."

Unique bonuses -

Core conversion - Any Power Core picked up instantly grants one charge to Infect. This can stock up to 5 total uses of Infect.

Hydraulic Ambulation - The Phage has powerful hydraulic systems in its legs, increasing its jump and boost jump height by 30%.

Weapons - Unlike other Hunters, The Phage has only a single, massive weapon. However, it is modular, allowing for different internal attack modules to be slotted.

Phage Cannon (Starter) - Launches an explosive canister that explodes in a moderate radius, about the size of a poacher mine, leaving a Nanophage cloud in its wake for 3 seconds. On impact with a Scavenger, it will instantly apply 10% infection in addition to whatever the cloud applies. Damage of the explosives scales linearly with Scavenger proximity to the explosion, dealing about 35% on direct impact. The Phage Cannon can only slot one canister at once, but empty shells are discarded and replaced in about 1 second. Max ammo for the Phage Cannon is 15 rounds, with each crate restoring 4.

Upgrading the Phage Cannon increases the explosion radius by 5% for each rank.

Phage Spewer (Starter)- A constant stream of phage cloud in the area in front of you, dealing low damage (roughly 10% for each second of sustained damage) but infecting those who come into contact with the clouds. Clip size is 100 "ammo" and expends ammo at a rate of 15% second of sustained fire. Max ammo for the Phage Spewer is 450, with each ammo crate restoring 75. Reload time is 1.75 seconds.

Upgrading the Phage Spewer increases the capacity of each clip by 5 for each rank.

Tesla Cannon - Emits a sustained beam of electricity that is medium range and can chain to other nearby Scavengers if the initial beam hits, dealing low damage at a constant rate, roughly 15% for each sustained second of damage. Each clip of the Tesla Cannon can hold 50 ammo, expending 10 ammo per second. Maximum ammo is 250, with each ammo crate restoring 50. Reload time is 2.5 seconds.

Upgrading the Tesla Cannon increases the range of the initial beam as well as the range of the chain effects by 5% for each rank.

Now to explain the Infection mechanic. Whenever a Scavenger comes into contact with any lingering source of nanophage, they build their infection level at a rate of 5% for each second they remain within the nanophage cloud. This infection level decays naturally at a rate of 1% each second. Additionally, healing crates will remove 10% of the infection over 5 seconds, and healing bolts will remove 2.5% over 5 seconds. All of these decay rates are affected by perks. Depending on the level of infection, Scavengers will suffer debilitating effects as well as the effects of any previous lower tier. Scavengers are kept aware of their infection rate at all times by an additional bar in the upper left below the blood bar that only appears when they are infected.

Tier 1 - 1-24% - Scavengers do not suffer any negative effects, but any perks pertaining to infection will apply.

Tier 2 - 25-49 - Scavengers will suffer reduced healing from all sources by 50%

Tier 3 - 50-74% - Scavengers will suffer moderate auditory and visual hallucinations. These hallucinations will not obscure existing information, but will overwhelm them with false information. Marked items and bloodposts that are not there, footsteps of the Hunter, interactibles, false reveal alerts, and even the occasional fading image of the Hunter themselves.

Tier 4 - 75-99% - Scavengers will recover stamina 25% slower, and interact with all objects (including revives and blood collection / depositing) 50% slower.

Tier 5 - 100% > - Scavengers are instantly revealed for 5 seconds, and cannot be healed or have their infection rate reduced for 10 seconds. Additionally, any further infection suffered while at 100% or higher will translate to 2 damage for each % inflicted.

Unique Execution Animation - The Phage's execution animation involves it injecting a Scavenger directly in the heart with a large extended spike channeling pure nanophage. The Scavenger will then turn pitch black, before they quickly begin to dissolve, falling apart as they turn into pure ichor.

"The first time it was in a public blood harvest, we didn't know what to expect, but I don't think anyone was expecting what happened. It was horrific. The gurgling screams of the Scavengers as their skin sloughed off and their organs ruptured was enough to make even a seasoned Hunter shiver. Miraculously, the Scavengers brain and skull were left intact, no doubt some cruel design by that thing to ensure it doesn't lose out on any test subjects. From that day forward, whenever it plays Hunter, the crowds swarm to watch. I wouldn't say it's a fan favorite, I just think most people have no idea what it will do next."

Taunts

Up - The Phage shudders and leans back while extending its hand in the air and oozing great quantities of black ichor.

Left - The Phage plants its autocannon down and opens a holographic display. It briefly looks over the data present before dismissing it with a wave of its hand.

Down - The Phage plants its autocannon and kneels down, twitching its head in birdlike rotations as it observes its prey.

Right - The Phage removes its face plate, vomiting black ichor on the area in front of it and revealing a perfectly intact human skull within before replacing the face plate.

TL;DR - A robotic Hunter that focuses on Map Control and AoE attacks that deal low damage, providing a lower skill floor that is still effective in sustained durations, as well as a persistent mechanic that can allow for tangible progress to be made against Scavengers even in encounters in which the Hunter is not able to immediately down their target.