ParaBruce

Could you share the .mxd file or Pine's data block so I don't have to retype it? :)

Thank you, that's precisely the kind of discussion that does me a lot of good.

Thank you both! (I'm not a new player, but there are things I've forgotten and have to be reminded of. :) )

Thank you for these, Ringo!

That is a good name, and as a good reason as any to start a character, I tend to think. I was out doing some solo missions at 24, opening up Twilighter access, and had a great time. Things go wrong if both Whirlpool and Freezing Rain fail, or get heavily resisted. But otherwise, smooth sailing.

I'm still fumbling together a build as I go, but I'm having a blast with it. It turns out that in some ways I really am a very simple person and do not get tired of watching enemies slip and fall down.

It's really funny. I was on the City of Heroes Discord's build-discussion channel yesterday, having gotten a bit of an urge to make a gadgeteer of some sort. I asked what folks would recommend as most fun for my particular mix of tastes, with beam rifle/defender blaster tacked on at the last minute. Well, folks there thought I'd like it a lot. Then I flipped over here...and this thread had just started. Like, within 10 minutes or so. I took it as a good sign. :) I'm loving it so far. I haven't been able to give it a lot of time yet, but even at really low levels it's strong and fast, and I'm so looking forward to more.

I have a troubled history with Storm, but love Water Blast and figured, hey go for the theme. Does anyone have a good build for that combo, or just advice on which powers to take and skip? I've already got a Sudden Acceleration ready to slot into Gale. :)

Thanks, Ankhammon, that's genuinely helpful.

This is one of the most classic cases of "oh, yeah, obvious once it's pointed out, but would not have occurred to me on my own in, like, ever" I've encountered for some time. :) Thank you for the explanation.

Thank you both!

Thanks for clues!

They do? As of when, and where does one find these things out? (I like knowing.)

This may sound goofy - and it probably is - but consider trying Water Blast, coloring it yellow or light brown for a sand look.

Thank you!

Thank you! Good to have a sense of the spread of numbers there.

Well, that's handy as heck. Thank you!

Like the subject says, I habitually play ranged characters. But I have a hankering to do more melee. One issue for me is that fight scenes are often solid blurs of white and a few colors close up. What settings can/should I adjust to reduce that haze of power, while overall keeping things looking crip and great? Thank you!

I've been finding the same. I'm glad I know how to make and use the more sophisticated binds, but simpler ones are serving me well for now.

About Bio Armor: I'm finding the damage burst available via Offensive Adaptation to be pretty significant: if it takes me three zaps to get a bad guy without it, it'll take two with it. This is particularly helpful with Water Blast, which I love but which is (sensibly enough) still in that a-bit-undertuned launch condition.

It rambles with you, and is good for spooking the bejeezus out of players who haven't seen it before. :)

Thanks, Novacat, that kind of translating numbers into player-level significance is very welcome!

Thank you in advance, if so.

One of my high-tech magic-using characters has a bio that says "Magic is a matter of symbolism and intent, not wardrobe. Ritual and enchantment work just as well on high-tech alloys and force fields as they do on wood and hand-forged metals. What I do is magical whether I happen to be wearing cybernetic armor or a cloth robe." Be it noted that "magic is a matter of symbolism and intent" is swiped bodily from Randall Garrett's stories about Lord D'arcy, royal investigator in an alternate 20th century with working magic. Good fun, particularly if you think locked-room murder mysteries are extra fun when there's magic involved. :)

There's a Minimal FX option. I gave it a quick test, and here's a bunch of people I put Ice Shield on when set to Minimal FX and tinted desaturated/dark colors. Wow! That's like a zillion percent less intrusive. Thanks for the lead!