Necrophos

Rotund'jere, the Necrophos, is a ranged intelligence hero. His abilities are most effective in team fights where he can damage enemies and heal allies simultaneously, while picking off key enemy heroes with his ultimate. Necrophos is most dangerous when his enemy is severely injured, instantly killing them with his ultimate while recovering over time after killing his foe. Necrophos is naturally fragile, but his mechanics require him to stay in the midst of encounters; it is for this reason that he depends on items to prevent his death. Ideally, by casting Death Pulse repeatedly, he and his team are able to stay alive while the enemy team's health is gradually sapped by Heartstopper Aura, which reduces enemy health by a small percentage each second. Because his abilities are suited to prolonged encounters, he must build items which allow him to survive for as long as possible against his enemies. His ultimate, Reaper's Scythe, has its damage increased by how much of their maximum health the target is missing; meaning that an enemy that is close to death will be killed outright by it. Upon attaining a kill, Sadist restores Necrophos's mana and health over a short time, allowing him to continue fulfilling his role in encounters. Necrophos is best understood as a hero who is weak at the beginning of a fight but becomes more dangerous with each passing second.

Gameplay
 Strategy & Tips Counters & Matchups

Audio
 Responses Sounds

History
 Lore Old Abilities Changelogs

Trivia

 * Necrophos's response, necr level 04.mp3 "My name is lesion!" probably has to do with the Bible passage Mark 5:9, that reads in the NIV, "Then Jesus asked him, 'What is your name?' 'My name is Legion,' he replied, 'for we are many.' "
 * Necrophos's response, necr ability reap 03.mp3 "You reap what you sow." might be from the Bible's passage Galatians 6:7 "Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked. You reap what you sow."
 * Necrophos's response Necr attack 14.mp3 "Red Death." may be a reference to the Edgar Allen Poe short story of the same name.
 * Necrophos' response Necr kill 02.mp3 "Die young and leave a purulent corpse." is a reference to the James Dean quote: "Live fast, die young, leave a good looking corpse."
 * Necrophos's alternate/fun name was "A Phoe Gyi", which means "an old man" in the Burmese language. It also sounds similar to 'a fogey', which is an elderly, normally grumpy individual.
 * Necrophos's original title in DotA was "Necrophiliac"; his designer altered the name to "Necrolyte" (a portmanteau of nekros (νεκρός), the Greek word for corpse, and acolyte, a religious attendant) upon realizing its implied sexual connotation.
 * In the November 21, 2013 Patch, Necrolyte's name was changed to Necrophos, likely to avoid copyright issues with Blizzard. As phos (φῶς) is the Greek word for light, it is a pun on the homonym of "Necrolight" of his former name.
 * In the same update, extra filters were added to Necrophos' voice, along with a 10% higher pitch, to make him sound more distinct from . However, (most likely) a typo caused his voice to be played at 10% pitch, instead at the desired 110% pitch, causing his voice to be much deeper and slower than intended.