TheOtherTed

This song, more than any other, made me realize that EWF would have been the template for all anime music if anime had been invented in the U.S. Earth, Wind, and Fire - Can't Let Go

Ukelele. If you're not with me, you're against me.

I may catch some flak for saying this, but, to be honest, I never liked the superhero genre. One factor that drove me away was the "traditional" costume that was so tight that it might as well be painted on, with heavily contrasting colors and showy (almost corporate) logos. If superhero movies or TV shows had stuck with the "four color comics" style outfits, I probably would not have watched a single one. I'm not saying this to dismiss the genre - frankly, I just don't know the genre well enough to criticize - but I'm wondering if "modern" cinematic superhero costumes were designed to attract non-fans like myself. If so, it worked, at least for me. In-game, my character's costumes are either variations on modern plain clothes, or quasi-military or spec-ops gear, or evocative (I hope) of a past culture. Once in a while I'll try to make a full-on, comic-book style costume, but I always back off from doing so one way or another. And I don't think I've ever gotten a cape to work to my satisfaction. As for costume contests, you can imagine that I was just never on the same frequency as any judges when the game was live. It seemed to me that the best way to predict who would win was to look for the most complicated and/or most brightly colored costume.

Is it weird that I always could turn to this song for motivation...? The Allman Brothers - Midnight Rider

It's like with any game - people are there to make their own fun and enjoy each other's company. Sounds like the experience will be mostly new for everyone, not just yourself, so I wouldn't stress about messing things up - especially if you're following a pre-made adventure. If you're concerned about arguments, just tell them up front that you have five basic rules: Your decisions are final; Everyone (and I mean everyone) is there to have a good time; Your decisions are final; You're happy to consider brief input; and No, really, your decisions are final (until debriefing - but don't tell them that). And while I agree with pretty much everything ImpousVileTerror said, I will say that I think D&D 5e is a good system for introducing (or re-introducing) people to tabletop RPGs. It's straightforward, IMO moreso than previous editions, and much more so than many of the games I've played. Sure, you could do better, you could also do much, much worse. Edit: Oh, and one final piece of practical advice - tell your players that their characters already know each other from the start. Don't have them meet on the road. Don't have them meet in the King's court. And for all that is holy and unholy, do NOT have them meet in a tavern.

The Might and Infernal sets in Champions Online have chain based abilities. Maybe that's what you're remembering?

Back in the day, tip missions were the only way to change your alignment. 10 tip missions would lead to an alignment mission, which would let you shift along the aligment spectrum, as follows: Hero --> Vigilante --> Villain --> Rogue --> Hero Nowadays, however, you can go talk to Null the Gull in Pocket D and change your aligmnent instantly.

You know the answer to that.

Heh, no worries! Though I'm still trying to figure out how to use that first robe/skirt combo with those colors. Someday it'll hit me. As for the color scheme, I realized what was really bothering me was the contrast between the vivid reds and blues. Made some adjustments, toned some things down, and, well, here's the result: As a bonus, with the new coloring on the pants, the compound bow actually looks pretty decent, even without coloring. Shocktacular, I do like your design, but I've already overused the visor and that particular cyberpunk chest (I think I have half a dozen characters who use one or the other). In addition, I was already kind of hooked on the motorcycle leather pants and vines combo. Abused the heck out of it on live, but only just re-discovered it while making this character. Thanks to all for jogging my brain cells - they needed the exercise!

Dark/ or /Dark anything is auto-win. Sure, people may dismiss it as the short kid in class, but then that kid grows up to be Bill Gates, or Mr. T, or Andy Rooney or something.

Ok, not happy with it yet, but getting there - definitely better than before. Anyway, here's where I'm at. Not sure about the red/blue theme, and I feel like I need a third color in there, but for some reason I'm really clumsy with more than 2. Any color theory mojo would be appreciated. Also, if this gets anyone's brain wheels turning in a different direction, I'd love to see it... JTx04.costume ...also, still cringing about the lack of bow options, and about the fact that there is just one quiver in the game...

Sorry about that... Not against AE farming personally, just against newbies getting vortexed into it.

I like it, but not for this character 🙃 She's a little too "tomboy" for the outfit (at least in my brain). However, the jacket does give some competition to Cutter's... And what's with you people and the berets and cigarettes? You trying to start an international incident?

I remember the City being virtually empty for weeks, possibly months, after AE hit. At the time, I teamed heavily, and found myself night after night wondering if it was time to move on to another game. Just did not want to be part of the AE phenomenon at all. That said, if the AE buildings had not been placed in starter zones (Atlas, Galaxy City, Mercy Island), I suspect it wouldn't have had such a strong impact on the population, and I might have ended up liking it better.

Based on my experiences current and past, solo play starts to get difficult as early as the mid twenties, and is nearly impossible in the forties. I love the set, but if someone wants to solo, they might want to consider an Archery/TA corruptor.

...Fulcrum Shift sounded like the fury of the Gods and not the twinkling of fairies? A sound so powerful it could reach into this world and crash computers...

Pink Foyd - Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict ...it delivers what it promises.

Nice! I was playing with the Cybertech jacket and baggy pants options myself, but for some reason I never thought to go with patterns or bright colors. That electric sheen on the jacket and top definitely works! And, yeah, the bow selection is painful. If either of the compound bows had options for colors (besides the laser sight), that's where I'd be. Digging the flare on the bow you used, but I might play with the colors a bit - dark for the silver part, maybe, and either keep the gold or go with another metallic color.

...Victor Victoria? So confused...

The song that let me throw an ill-fated job interview with style and dignity. ...well, maybe not dignity. Tommy Dorsey - The Music Goes Round and Round

DDO (Dungeons and Dragons Online) is the only MMO that reminds me of City of Heroes. Quests are instanced, and can be set to different difficulties (although you have to work your way up through the difficulty ranks). Teaming is a thing, and "utility" classes (rogues, artificers, and such) are a very big thing. Multiclassing gives you lots of flexibility in your advancement - in fact, many of the recommended builds "splash" into a level or two of a different class (sometimes even two or more extra classes). Gear does exist, and you do need to keep it current, but you dont' have to swap out everything once or twice every level. Typically any item will remain relevant for 3 or more levels - at least, that's been my experience. Plus, there is some potential for outfit customization, if you're willing to pay for it (subscription or buying DDO points). I'd recommend trying it, especially if you can convince some friends to try it with you. Neverwinter is terrible. Cryptic took what it used to be good at, and threw it all out the window for Neverwinter. And, yep, Neverwinter Nights is a different thing, but I've never played it. Guild Wars 2 is something that I would like to like, but many of the mechanics feel too "gamey" for my tastes. Thieves, for example, don't sneak - they teleport. And not very far, at that. Most weapons can be used by multiple classes - but they do very different things in the hands of each class. Just too weird and gimmicky for me. Plus, character art has the same problem as GW1, IMO - the characters and outfits all look like something that American artists designed to appeal to an Asian audience. That said, it's pretty, and I'm one of those crazy nutjobs who like chasing down exploration points (which usually involve a jumping puzzle). I poke my head in maybe once every 2 or 3 years. For swords and sorcery, you could do worse than Elder Scrolls Online. The character art is a bit weird (to my eyes, all women look like string beans and all men are "pocket Hercules"). However, it is the only MMO that I know of where a thief can be a genuine, bonafide, card-carrying, lockpicking, pickpocketing, larcenous ne'er-do-well (DDO has lockpicking and disarming traps, but it's standard dungeon stuff). That alone kept me playing for a solid year. It also allows a lot of versatility in character design - each weapon, armor, and crafting category, as well as each "class," in-game guild, and supernatural (vampire or werewolf) has its own advancement tree, allowing all sorts of combinations. But, like anything, it's not to everyone's tastes. And, like anything, I don't claim any of the above to be objectively true. Heck, you might even like Neverwinter - weirder things have happened.

Free love, man, don't let the herberts tell you how to live!

She doesn't have to wear the French flag or anything like that - just part of the backstory. She's likely from the southern coast of France, probably Marseilles, if that helps in any way. As for "unione," it's also a Corsican word. Not sure if "Corse" is Corsican though... I'm leaning Archery/TA blaster myself, just because I haven't really tried Tactical Arrow yet. I've already got a TA/Archery defender, but, well, maybe I have a thing with about arrows... Haven't tried Archery/Devices since 2007, which might be more thematic, but I recall not being terribly impressed. Could go with Archery/Traps corruptor as well, since I've never tried that combo.

Back again with another request. This time, she's a French jewel thief who fled to Paragon City to avoid trouble with the Unione Corse. Her cover is an Art History student, but she can't stay away from the action, so she uses her skills to go a-heroing. Or a-villaining, either works. Archery will be in there somewhere, but still debating if I want Trick Arrow, Tactical Arrow, Devices, or something else vaguely "Radio Shack tech." She'll be picking up the Combat Jumping and Acrobat powers as well, and possibly Stealth, all for RP reasons really. I'm thinking "techno street chic," but I haven't been able to translate those words into an actual costume. Any ideas would be welcome.

Thanks, all, for the input. Turns out I just needed to rework the costume and hairstyle for Lee Three, make her more "street" and less "flair," and she's plugging along just fine now as a Martial Arts / Ninjutsu scrapper. That said, I am filing away the ideas you all expressed for a rainy day (and names to go with them). I might even try a Mastermind again. I mean, it's been 15 years or so, and I didn't even wait that long to start watching Seinfeld (I hated Seinfeld when it first came out).