Luminara

The majority of the standard content wasn't considered particularly challenging when all we had were SOs and Hamidon enhancements, despite ED, GDN, the Purple Patch and numerous other changes to create a semblance of challenge. I know, because I was one of those dipsticks out there creating challenge for myself by playing a character with 0.55 damage scale attacks, post-ED, post-GDN, post-Purple Patch, no +Def, no +Res, no range to keep me safe, no status protection and no -Res, and not even slotting my attacks with Damage enhancements, taking on GMs solo and winning, without IO sets, without Incarnate abilities, without temp powers, without anything but my knowledge of game mechanics and the determination to succeed. That same content was ~3 years old when the Invention system was released. And 6.5 years old when the Incarnate system landed. None of the existing content was ever going to become more challenging before these systems were released, because the problem has never been IOs or Incarnate abilities, or the base mechanics, or balance issues, it was the age of the game and the experience of the players. What IOs and Incarnates accomplished was not to make the game less challenging, because that challenge was gone before either of those systems were implemented, but instead, to offer the opportunity for everyone, regardless of capability or experience, to rise to the same level. This is the nature of MMORPGs. The longer people play, the more they know and the less challenging they are. Changing SOs won't make anything more challenging. Making bigger hit point piñatas won't make anything more challenging. Nerfing IO sets or Incarnate abilities won't make anything more challenging. Shoehorning newer content mechanics into older content won't make it more challenging. Challenge comes from the facing unexpected and unknown, from moving forward, not backward. Challenge comes from blindly stepping into something and trying, failing, getting back up and trying again, until you succeed, and succeed again, and again, until you've turned the challenge into commonplace. We did that long before IOs were on the drawing board, before Incarnates were even an idea in the head of one of the developers. IO sets and Incarnate abilities don't obviate the challenge that older content offers because that challenge was met and matched a very, very long time ago. The challenge is in the newer content, as it should be. We can't roll the clock back 16 years. We can't unlearn what we've learned. We can only move forward. That's life, in the game or in the real world.

One of my most memorable experiences was as a Rad/Energy defender. Struggling team sent a /tell, I joined, they thought they were getting a "healer", I turned an entire mission map of Freaks into popcorn, entire team learned the value of KB.

The second is comparatively easily done. The first would be problematic. The difficulty comes from there being only one animation for Blackwand. That's why nothing was ever done to add it, or the Nemesis Staff, or the Ghost Slaying Axe, or Rune of Power (whatever the temp power in Croatoa is called, the one which works on ghosts), or any of the other temporary powers as custom weapons or power skins. They have one animation, sets have 9 powers, and those powers use 4-9 different animations. Moving the projectile emanation point would work, but the power animations weren't designed with an object in hand in most cases, so the character would be waving the wand around in really odd ways, like holding it straight up while pushing forward with both hands (an animation used in several defender primaries and blast sets). It would be even stranger with a sets like TA and Archery, even if you changed the projectile to something more sensible than an arrow flinging out of a wand, because those sets use both hands to animate in a way completely different from traditional animations. Animations would have to be reworked, in some cases significantly, or the temp power skin limited to specific powers, powers with one-handed animations. New animations could be created and stuffed into the costume editor as additional options similar to the Noir theme for Dark Blast, too. However it was approached, though, it would be a lot of work. Personally, I don't disagree with the cool factor, it's a good idea that could really appeal to a lot of players, but Cryptic and Paragon always felt that putting in the resources necessary to create sufficient animations for an entire set wouldn't be justified unless there were a set to go with it, something which might increase their revenue. The HC team might see it differently since they're not interested in revenue streams, but with even more limited resources, they still might not have the time to do it. Maybe send a PM to @Piecemeal to ask about the feasibility?

No need. The copperhead is the only dangerous snake where I live. There are no rattlesnakes in this part of the state, and the next runner-up is a comparatively harmless water snake. Three live in my stream. One of them lives in my water hole, and she never minded me being within 12" of her. She was aware of me, but not aggressive. We've also got some absolutely adorable worm snakes. Last autumn, I found an itsy bitsy ring-necked snake (it's body was no thicker than a 2B pencil lead, and it was only about 4" long). This summer, I found a hog-nosed snake... that was freaking awesome. Mostly, it's just black racers and rat snakes, though. They're moderately aggressive, but all they can really do is break the skin. As far as dangerous animals go, I've got very little to worry about. I've been within 20' of the bear who lives just south of my cabin. It runs away when it sees me. Couple of grey foxes, one of them came right up to the porch and let me talk to it for half an hour. Red fox that trotted along the path in front of me, completely nonplussed by my presence. There are some other spiders out here, various orb weavers (absolutely gorgeous, too), but none of them have venom fatal to humans. I even had four does standing about 15' from my cabin this spring. I didn't notice them until I finished making baby noises at Jessica and turned to step off of the porch. They all stared at me for a few seconds, then slowly turned and ambled back into the woods... like, "Ooooooookay... going the other way now so we don't have to talk to the weird person." Copperheads are the only thing that might hurt me, and if one did, it would be my fault (no snake wastes venom, or energy, on something that isn't food or a potential threat, and i'm definitely too big to be on the menu). The animals out here like me. Only the plants are being assholes.

It occurs to me that this situation is being exacerbated the fact that my fingers break out in hives when I'm stressed. Poison ivy is very stressful. I'm on my third application of diphenhydramine HCL (the active ingredient in Twhatever. i bought the generic ointment, because i make less money in a month than someone on minimum wage makes in a week). The itching isn't abating. The swelling hasn't gone down. My left palm looks like a spiky ball pet toy. I'm going to take another 1000mg of ibuprofin and try the hydrocortisone ointment that I also picked up when I went shopping. And if that doesn't work, I'll try the chainsaw.

I avoid it when I can. I can't always. Sometimes what needs to be done isn't something I particularly want to do, but I still do it. My encounters with animals and insects have been considerably better. They like me. Except the black widow that bit me... but that was three years ago and I'm positive the other black widows like me.

Nettles. I had my first encounter with nettles this spring. Grabbed the stalk to pull one out of the ground... it took an hour for the burning to stop. Damn jellyfish plants, that's what they are. There's also something out here with tiny thorns. They lodge under the skin and dig into the flesh, but they're so small that the only way to remove them is with a needle or a knife. I hate those more than I hate nettles, and almost as much as I hate poison ivy.

Hot and itchy is appropriate? I'm trying to figure out whether you're making a veiled reference to your kinks, or a veiled reference to something you picked up from a date. Or both. Veils! Veils everywhere!

Everything exists on Everlasting. Some putz has Luminara. That putz isn't me, because I'm the putz who moved Luminara over to Everlasting and lost the name because it was already taken.

If I don't heat up the kettle and make some coffee before 1:30, I'm going to be passing out anyway. I don't function well during the day time. Never have.

I was thinking something a bit more salacious would be appropriate. Asking for numbers, making suggestive comments, pausing to look up skirts, et cetera.

It looks like it requires a prescription. I've had nearly fatal responses to the last two prescriptions I was issued. I also haven't had good experiences with doctors. I'll stick with over the counter options.

I was so focused on the anti-itch medication, I forgot to pick some of that up. And I told myself to do it before I left.

Being rode hard and put away wet is, from what my fuzzy memory can dredge up, great in bed. Not so much when it's a machine weighing several hundred pounds doing the riding, and the wet is all of the coffee in your veins spilling out.

It's everywhere. Most of the properties around me and where I spend my few hours working each week are colonial or just post-colonial settlements, with poison ivy vines as thick as my arm on some trees. On my property, it's primarily confined to the north edge, but here and there it's roped it's way up trees and intruded down into the valley. Every plant has roots which extend so far that it's nearly impossible to eradicate with anything but Round-Up. I refuse to use that shit. I'd rather suffer some itching for a week than defoliate everything, and end up with cancer to boot. That's an old belief, it's been disproven. What looks like spreading is just delayed reaction in places where it wasn't evident. You could've mentioned that a couple of years ago, before I broke a collar bone and arm. 😛

I hope it's not in the United States, because that's only legal in Nevada.

61 degrees Fahrenheit. 1/4 mile through mud to the road. 30 minutes to the nearest dollar store (grocery stores are farther, pharmacies are an hour and then some). Rain could start again at any moment. And I'm on a 150cc motorcycle. Going for a ride. If anyone hears a piteous wail that sounds sort of like an ambulance giving birth to a randy squirrel, don't worry, it's just me passing through.

I saw that at a friend's house when I was cat-sitting last week. He has a bottle of it next to the back door. Neither does a wood stove. Can't warm up my hands without intensifying the itch.

No, but I had my hands in a stronger acid yesterday. Sterilizing planting trays. I've got enough raw spots to dissuade me from using acid again today.

No, no no no, use the information provided in the thread to fix the unqueue/cancel function so it can be used properly. The targeting system is crap, having the ability to unqueue a queued attack without clearing the target is important.

I've got a valley full of jewelweed. It doesn't help. Calamine lotion? Useless. Oatmeal? Sticky and useless. Hydrocortisone ointment sort of works, but not for long. Scratching is orgasmic, but futile (and it makes my hands and fingers swell, which makes the itching worse, and the swelling and raw spots are painful). It's been raining for the last three days. It's overcast but not raining right now. I think I'm going to risk the 30 minute ride on my motorcycle to get some more hydrocortisone. And maybe a 5 gallon bucket of Gojo... soap and a scrubbing pad did diddly squat to prevent the rash. Or maybe some sulfuric acid. No skin, no itch!

Hey, wait a moment... Not one person has mentioned making or playing The Power Creep. There's usually half a dozen people jumping to create a new character inspired by a forum comment, and The Power Creep would actually be a good one. But no-one's on it? Did I wake up in the Bizarro Lumiverse? Again?

Hm... no. None of my characters can even sew. I can offer them directions to the nearest Icon/Facemaker, though. I'm reasonably certain they have Council outfits in stock.

when you have a poison ivy rash on your hands. I washed thoroughly after pulling it up, and it still got me. It's between my fingers. It's on my palms. It's on my damn palms! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

It's only enforced on the default costume slot. All other slots are open to all other costume options, with the caveat that the Arachnos costume pieces are only available on the default slot. Slot 1 - Arachnos. Slots 2-10 - Everything else.