biostem

I think a more thematic "special ability" power would be one that temporarily grants your minions that seismic effect around them, from the seismic blast set...

I rarely utilize the huge character model, so thought I'd create something using it - "Spacer":

Where she goes, the party goes... "Bring the Boom"!!!:

B-Grade super soldier serum recipient, (with some minor side effects) + world-traveling and self-proclaimed "adventuring archaeologist" = "Gal Li'Vant", (*Note - She carries around an old missile silo bulkhead as a shield):

I think they could make a reasonably generic "sole color" pattern for most foot categories, which would be fantastic!

A further refinement of "Aluca":

In celebration of Summer: - "Tropical Punch":

The problem, IMHO, is figuring out how much the various special/side effects are "worth", in terms of how much less damage, recharge, cast time, or other such factors, powers should have, vs some idealized baseline; If a fireball does X damage, how much less should ball lightning deal in exchange for its added end drain and -recovery effects? I think this is epitomized by psi melee, where the insight mechanic is not predictable in when or how you gain the buff, and then you get locked out of the buff for a period of time, all without the user having a say...

Just be aware... those may not be cocktail wieners...

Use force bolt or focused burst, adjusted to deal a combination of fire and energy damage. There's a spinning jump kick in martial arts, (I can't remember which specific power it is) - maybe have the animation loop an extra time, and make it deal DoT. The other 3 powers could vary to fit the particular AT, like maybe a variant of burst of speed to represent a "flash step", an appropriate armor toggle, etc...

I'm not against the idea, but I don't think the game can go into the "respec mode" while you still have level-ups to claim, (which is what switching builds for the first time effectively does)...

A defender cannot even use speed boost or ID while solo, so a MM is in a much better state, since they can buff their pets, even if they cannot take advantage of the +recharge from SB. Also, powers like siphon speed apply debuffs that help with pet survivability....

I've resorted to this a few times; You take a power just to try it out, (or as the result of a mis-click), then slog through things for a little bit before deciding that pick wasn't such a good choice...

I never said it was easy to understand. What I said is that there are resources out there. I have zero issues with providing a better way of expressing how they work. For most people, the PPM rating should be enough to at least give them a rough idea of how often it'll fire. Maybe they could have a more accurate measure of the PPM reflected in the power info window, including then you just hover the IO over a slot, before actually placing it...

I'm not sure if you're still interested in designs, but I had some time, so slightly adjusted one of my existing designs to better fit the theme. Here's a version of Red Riding Hood that's seen a bit too much in her time... lil' red02.costume

Yeah, so that tracks w/ my initial assessment. To break it down further: Level 1: resist physical damage & defensive sweep or crushing blow (2 powers) Level 2: defensive sweep or crushing blow (1 power) Level 3: 2 enh slots Level 4: titan sweep or air superiority (1 power) Level 5: 2 enh slots Level 6: resist elements(1 power) Level 8: whichever of titan sweep or air superiority that you didn't take before (1 power) Level 9: 2 enh slots Level 10: unyielding (1 power)

The trick, (at least in most cases), is that while, yes, you split XP for being on a team, but you're also defeating a lot more enemies and much more quickly. On top of that, you're generally up against a lot more LTs and bosses, which give quite a bit more XP per defeat than minions...

OK, so from that screenshot, you'll notice that fly is dimmed, meaning that you haven't taken it yet. If you like, please post the rest of the powers in your window so we can tell for sure, but I suspect my first conclusion is correct...

Can tell us what level your character is, and possibly post a screenshot of your powers window? I suspect, as @lyra intimated, that you may have been using the free jetpack you get at like level 2 or so...

That's the arcane or mystic/occult cape, IIRC. It looks like it could be under the bolero chest option, (though that could possibly be a regular cape with the fur shoulder option)...

A lot depends upon just how dark, gritty, and/or fanciful you want to go with the concept: If you want to do the Darkstalkers "B.B. Hood" approach, maybe a dual pistols/martial combat blaster. If you want to go more the "avenging spirit" sort of route, maybe a katana or street justice/ninjitsu scrapper would suit you better. If you're looking more for a particular appearance or aesthetic for your character, I'll have to get back to you on that when I'm at my gaming PC...

Is there a particular concept you are going for? Are you looking for a secondary that will simply sustain you through varied content, or are you going for a specific type of enemy group or foe? Defense, resistance, or you don't care about the type of protection your secondary provides?

If you are at all comfortable with WASD and tab-targeting controls, then CoH is quite easy to pick up. Heck, you even have a convenient map marker telling you where to go, (the fact that sometimes leads you in the wrong direction is another issue). What I think messes people up is the relative freedom we have with regard to AT, primary, secondary, and pool selection, that we have; People expect a fairly streamlined experience, where there is no real bad option when it comes to selecting what powers and when. Further, the "under the hood" mechanics, like ED and what some of the power terminology means, are never well explained in-game. IMHO, CoH is like only a tiny bit removed from an actual pen & paper RPG experience, and a good bit of "book knowledge" is required to really master the various game systems & mechanics...

Looks like we got ourselves a millionaire, here! . . . << >> Too soon?

Can you recall target your acid mortar? How about an option where you can "re-pack" your acid mortar to de-spawn the current one and instantly recharge the power?