biostem

We need to look at what we already have and see what's missing. We have passive/procs (interface), we have something akin to a T9/nuke (judgement), we have pet summons (lore), we have some sort of click buff (destiny), we have a toggle buff (hybrid), then we have what amounts to a global enhancement (alpha). What *don't* we have? Maybe some sort of super-movement powers? Maybe something akin to a Kheldian's Nova/Dwarf form that allows you to transform into something with powers you didn't have before. What about powers that fundamentally change the world around you, (would be represented as a decently sized location-based power that altered some characteristics, like increased damage for allies while reducing that of enemies). What if you could call forth your very shadow and have them fight alongside you, (sort of like the shadow dopplegangers from Positron 1). Maybe one of the powers could summon a sort of "spirit animal" or familiar, which provides a passive buff as long as it survives, (it would be significantly tougher than the START buff pets but have no attacks of its own).

I did make a Praetorian version of one of my characters, but TBH, I just wasn't that interested in seeing them through the entire Resistance/Loyalist story arcs...

That may be YOUR rationalization, but it doesn't extend to everyone. It also doesn't make sense for pets that aren't really taught by the MM themselves, like zombies, demons, or robots. In your opinion, maybe, but not in all cases. If you can teach your minions skills by virtue of leading them, then logically it would follow that you could teach other teammates such skills in the same way.

That's not how the game nor real life works.

Who's playing word games? You were clearly being hyperbolic. Stop being so dramatic and just state that you want something instead. But they didn't change all support powers to be AoE, did they? Fair? MMs get 6 or more pets that they can quickly resummon. Let me pour out some for all the clicks you have to do. Must be a tough life. Take a secondary with a stealth AoE if it's so important to you.

Maybe those Arachnos forces are strictly for containment, and Lord Recluse or some other higher-up wants a sort of "Darwinian struggle" to occur down in the Gutter?

No, you WANT hasten. You also have 6 sources of damage that don't require your end and can continue to deal damage whether you are mezzed or not. It's a tradeoff for having those completely obedient and expendable minions.

They've significantly reduced the recharge time on the minion summon powers. Dismiss your pets, stealth to wherever you need to go, then resummon them. Alternatively, you can take grant invisibility and conceal said minions.

I don't think Ms. Liberty should change sides. What would be interesting is if Dominatrix snuck into our dimension and started committing crimes, posing as Ms. Liberty, though. Maybe add in some vigilante and rogue contacts and flesh out that aspect of the game a bit more?

It would likely be a 'No Fade' customization option under the power itself, and not a costume one.

It would kind of be interesting if GM and AV damage was, at least in part, based upon how much energy they have - so full end, (or maybe >90%) equals 100% damage, but then it drops accordingly, so sapping their end is a bit more useful for such encounters...

Are you dead set on it being a tanker? Ninjitsu on scrappers has a few "skippable" powers whilst still providing solid defenses, some damage resist, a self heal, and self end-recovery power...

Currently, I heavily favor sentinels. The catch is that, even though you have an armor secondary set, you're still not quite as durable as a tanker or brute, (at least not initially), so try and keep your distance until you are pretty well slotted. That being said, if you want an overall safer experience, I suggest going with one of the 2 extremes - either a tanker for maximum durability, or a stalker for their stealth, crits, and the overall ability to pick and choose your fights. Prior to end-game content, masterminds can also be incredibly effective soloists, but you'll want to keep an eye out for damage patches or other such AoEs that can quickly KO your henchmen...

Oh no doubt, but my concern is that this has more to do with a tendency to spam the attack key than with a general targeting issue. Maybe a simple "only attack enemies I specifically target" would be the most eloquent approach...

I think such a feature would also have to extend to how your powers behave when you have an ally targeted, otherwise you could inadvertently attack whomever they have targeted. Basically, what we'd need is a "never target anything beyond what I specifically have targeted" or "never switch targets". The downside is that in the heat of combat, you might find yourself hammering a number key because you just keep getting "invalid target" or "no target selected" when your current target is defeated and fades way. Still, as an option, I'm all for it.

One of the characters I made is called "The Devil's Litigator"...

Let's say we stick to the classical 4 elements paradigm. You have 9 powers in a set. Now, let's say the T9 is some sort of "all elements combined" type of power, so set that aside for the moment. That leaves us with 8 powers, which works out to a nice even 2 powers per element setup. Now, I think it may be too much work to try and implement a specific interaction for each element with each different one, so a simpler approach may be one set of bonuses for using the same element one after the other and different ones for using different ones... Alternatively, have the T9 be of 1 specific element so you can include a generic aim power, (unless you wanted to do a fiery embrace type of thing and have that also be of a particular element).

I wonder how difficult it would be to tag a particular power that provides a self-buff, and when it's time to trigger the flashing effect that says it is about to wear off, to put a large semi-transparent icon front and center on your screen, instead of the little icon under your hp/end bars...

Which would have been fine, except you then went on to explicitly call for a magic set.

So you want a mixed blast set is all? Why not just propose that? Call it elementalist blast or prismatic blast, or something like that. Magic need not be part of the descriptor or equation...

And I'm asking what magic blasts look like. What makes them magic, other than your say-so. I can look at fire blasts and say "yeah, that's fire". What's your go-to to sell that this proposed set would be magic?

And in some settings, the ability to cast magic is a genetic trait. The issue here is what is the end result. For instance, how does that mutant from your example know that they are one and that it is said mutation that allows them to access magic? Either way, the question boils down to aesthetics; We have a pretty good idea what constitutes fire or ice blasts. Even dark blasts are pretty well cemented. What makes a particular blast magic? Is it the presence of runes, magic circles, and the like? Those can be accomplished with auras. I think a good example to consider would be radiation blast - IMHO, it's an inconsistent set. Beyond the default greenish color, there's like no coherency among the powers - a generic hand blast, eye beams, somewhat gaseous/cloudy effects, then some energy balls, but that's it. Heck, the set doesn't even have some generic geiger counter sounds or anything. Color it something else, and there's little to signal to an outside viewer that this person is slinging radiation...

What they would probably have to do to get this to work is have the power also apply a "buff" to you that has a duration slightly shorter than the actual power, and when it expires, it produces the warning message. So let's say your T9 lasts for 3 minutes/180 seconds, this do-nothing buff would have a duration of 170 seconds, and when it expires, it simply generates a message that says "WARNING! Unstoppable will wear off in 10 seconds!", or something to that effect. I'm not against the idea as an option, but it may require more work than is obvious. As an aside, I wonder just how much can be done with how buff icons start to flash/blink on and off when they are about to expire, and if that could be drawn from instead, or if that is a general mechanic and would either have to produce annoying popups for all powers/buffs or whether it could be targeted...

Can you describe what makes something quintessentially "magic"? If I made a character with fire blasts, what would differentiate said character projecting magical fire vs some mutant ability? Is it just aesthetics? What damage type would a magical blast set deal? The thing is, I wouldn't be against, say, a "wand blast" set, if it included tech, steampunk, or other such less obviously magical implements, but I'd rather have wands & staves as alternate animation options instead. Now let's look at the various firearms you mentioned - do you *know* for a fact how each and every character's weapons function? What's to say they use a small magical charge to propel the bullet instead of gunpowder? Maybe they don't fire bullets at all, and instead conjure small chunks of matter then launch them, no chemical reaction necessary? Heck, maybe they are mundane weapons, but your character uses a magical ritual or enchantment to give them the skill to wield said weapons effectively. In summary, magic is a "how", not a "what" - it describes how your character is able to do the things they do, but the end result is still energy, fire, ice, etc...

Look past the exterior housing that is the robot - what powers it? What dictates its behavior? It could be a magical power source or said robots could simply be vessels to contain an animating spirit of some kind. You must think in comic book /fictional terms, and not just how things function IRL.