LongHalloween

I can attest as someone whose main is Spines/Bio and came to this thread 2 months ago with the exact same questions/cocnerns: Spines and Bio work great together as a pair. It won't really comes together until ~30-40, but once you get your hands on parasitic aura and DNA siphon you'll be having a lot of fun in missions and your endurance issues will be (somewhat) negated. I'd take energy/body mastery for physical perfection though.

Some time (very) soon I'll scout around and try to come up with a list of different locations people can meet at. Studio 55 will definitely be on the list, though. I've been inside before and it's a pretty good spot for casual/social RP.

The simplest solution I've found is having this RP scene be a "flashback" setting, set a few years before the Praetorian invasion of Primal Earth. This would mean that any Primal content that character did would have happened years later in whatever IC timeline we worked out. Honestly, this might just entirely be my own personal tastes or limitations showing, but when I considered the possibilities of time travel or an alternate universe, I just felt both were too convoluted to be an effective justification. Time trickery (at least to me) removes the weight and impact of the conclusion to the Praetorian storyline, and another alternate dimension that is conveniently identical to Praetorian Earth feels too both contrived. Also, if we went with that, then there wouldn't be any conceivable way for someone's characters to somehow be involved with the inevitable conflict between Praetorian and Primal Earths. I think it's just easier to make this hub, project, plot, or whatever it turns out to be a "prequel" in your character's story than try to write around what happened in the lore.

We're still workshopping right now.

Update: I made up a very simple Discord. For now it should be enough for interested parties to chat and work out details, but I'll hopefully be fleshing it out and building upon it in the future.

The vibe I'm getting seems to be Loyalist (and undercover Resistance), but I think there's always room for expansion if there's enough people and will. I came up with "Memories of Praetoria" while brainstorming and I ended up liking it a lot. It helps cement the "hub" as something chronologically in the past.

I'll whip something up and see if we get any curious parties on the HC Discord. Anyone got any suggestions for a neat name?

You can access Nova Praetoria, Imperial City, and Neutropolis from the getgo iirc.

We could try to figure out a good in-game spot to serve as a serious (or semi-serious) RP hub. It could be possible to work our way up from there and attract more people to the setting. Meanwhile, we could try RPing through missions or public events to depict conflict/action and try to work out some sort of dramatic, overarching narrative collaboratively.

In the Homecoming Discord, I've seen some people post screenshots of Praetorian-themed characters, discuss concepts related to Praetorian Earth, and ask around if there was any RP to be had in everyone's favorite morally ambiguous dystopian mirror dimension. I'd be eager to try and explore Praetorian Earth as a setting and experience some of the themes and vibes from a roleplaying perspective, but I want to see if that's a shared sentiment with other roleplayers in the community, and if so, if people would like to find a way to come together and RP together in Praetoria Earth within any of its in-game zones. I'll post some of my random thoughts and ideas below about the prospect of Praetorian RP, but ultimately, the purpose of this thread is to determine interest. I'd love for others to submit their own thoughts, observations, experiences, questions, and ideas related to the idea of working with PE as an RP setting.. If we could all pull together and figure out what exactly we're looking for in terms of opportunities, tone, events, etc, it would make any potential projects much more reflective of what people are looking for. Spoiler talk, regarding CoH's narrative and the complications it would present: My own general thoughts about what I'd be trying to find in Praetorian RP: General ideas and thoughts about RP opportunities.

I recently had the idea to try and make a brute, with the main premise behind him being that he had one (or two) cybernetic arms that he used in a fight. And that's about as far as I got. I couldn't really think of what powerset would work best with the character concept while also being fun to play as. Kinetic came to mind at first, but I heard that it's pretty lacking as an offensive power. Energy seems fun, but I'm unsure which defensive power to select with it. Someone suggest Titan/Electric, and I could probably make that work with the theme if I make some adjustments to the costume to make it more "electric", but I'm not quite sure how to realize that build. Would anyone on here have any suggestions or tips on a viable and theme-friendly powerset to go with?

/login -m mmusial -Insert Pass *********** -Pass Accepted -Last Login: 28 Days 5 Hours 36 Minutes 12 Seconds Ago /rd /root/docs/journal/mut_proj /mkfl -d File2_Exo -File Created /edit File2_Exo -Editing... The Exoskeleton So much of my memory that night remains a haze. The most probable explanation is that I hit my head at some point during the chaos that tore the lab apart. Another likely possibility is that whatever mix of mutagens my body was exposed to disoriented or affected my brain chemistry during the incident. Since awakening, I have not noticed any mental or neurological complications, save for a pair of exceptions that I will cover in a later entry. I have no idea what happened, or what caused me to be like this. All I know is that one night, I cracked open my shell. I had become encased in a rigid, glossy-black material. Examination with the naked eye indicated to me that this casing was made of a form of chitin similar to an arthropod's exoskeleton. It had similarly begun to grow across my skin. Small patches in some places, and in others, my original, natural epidermis was hidden away by a layer of deep black shell. It would stretch out like veins to my limbs, to the front of my chest, and to my face. It disfigured me, giving me a visage none too approachable and none too human. I felt like a freak. It didn't occur to me just what the stuff could do until I was placed in a situation where its function was necessary for my survival. I remember. I was huddled under a turned-over shopping cart, covering my body in a well-worn blanket to try and keep the rain at bay. A hand suddenly grasped at my neck and pulled me up onto his feet. He wore a slate gray jacket and covered his face with a skull mask. I know of the Skulls, and I made an effort to give them a wide berth during my transit to work. Now one was staring me down with a broken bottle in his hand, shaking me like a stress doll and asking me to cough up whatever I had on me. I didn't have anything, of course. My wallet was (mostly) claimed by fire. Only a scorched picture of myself and an ex-girlfriend survived. The money was scorched, and my cards had melted into a shiny sludge that stuck to the interior wallet. He probably knew I didn't have a thing on me. He just wanted an excuse to beat me up. Unfortunately for him (and fortunately for me), he didn't get his wish. I could feel a light pressure begin to form in my right arm. And then, I heard the tearing of fabric. I looked down, and the chitin that had covered patches of my arm had suddenly grown out, encasing my arm and forming a much longer, bulkier, and (assumedly) stronger arm. The Skull's face came alight with shock. Before he could even think of using the broken bottle, my arm shot up. I meant to shove him away, but the strength of my encased arm slung him towards the brick wall. He slammed, hard, into the masonry, and quickly picked himself up off the ground and ran away. I don't think I saw him again. The exoskeleton hardens in response to physical trauma, or when danger is sensed. Weeks later, when I attempted to test my powers by intervening in a convenience store robbery, the gangbanger raised his pistol and took a few shots at me. I raised my arm, and the exoskeleton took shape. The bullets impacted with my chitin armor, but it was not pierced, nor did I suffer any internal damage from the force of the shots. An experiment with a burning oil drum, an unfortunate incident with a taser to the back, and the accidental breaking of an acid flask confirmed that my exoskeleton can resist chemical and energy-derived harm as well. I'm far from invincible, but I'm far more resistant to damage than the average human. I only wonder what more there might be to it. /exit -Save Changes? /y -Changes Saved /dc

I'll make a note of these pool powers (as well as the ones in Thraxen's Mids file) and work them in as I level up. Appreciate the file. I'll keep an eye on it and use it as a reference as I build up my character. All this advice has made me feel a lot more confident about power selections and enhancement slots, which I feel like will be most of my focus for the time being. At some point in the future I can worry about sets.

/login -m mmusial -Insert Pass *********** -Pass Accepted -Last Login: 28 Days 5 Hours 36 Minutes 12 Seconds Ago /rd /root/docs/journal/mut_proj /mkfl -d File1_Mutillidae -File Created /edit File1_Mutillidae -Editing... Family: Mutillidae Mutillids, known by their common names "velvet ant" or "cow-killer", are solitary wasps found throughout Europe, Asia, and South America. The name "velvet ant" is derived from the colorful patches of hair on their backs and abdomens, coming in variants of red, rustic orange, and yellow. "Cow-killer" originates from their extremely painful sting, scoring a 3 on the Schmidt Pain Index (the highest score possible is a 4). Schmidt described the sting's pain as, "Instantaneous, like the surprise of being stabbed." Immature life stages of this insect parasitize the youth of others, but adults primarily primarily feed on plant nectar. Despite the parasitoid youth and obnoxious sting, velvet ants are often kept as pets in terrariums and tanks similarly to tarantulas and certain beetles. In captivity, they can live up to 2 years. I was never a fanatic about velvet ants, or insects in general. While they were the subject of my studies, I was a geneticist first and foremost. Their genetic material was of far more intrigue to me than their form or morphological features. When going through the trouble of figuring out a moniker, however, the velvet ant came to mind after hours of deliberation. The persistent and nagging frustration about having some idea of the perfectly fitting name but being unable to accurately nail it was suddenly replaced with relief, enthusiasm, perhaps some mild amount of joy. It was a lightbulb moment. Velvet ants made sense. Casual observers and expert entomologists alike enjoy them for their vibrant patterns, giving them some measure of public adoration or acceptance in contrast to other wasp species. Their sting is nothing to be trifled with, however, making them a significant threat when provoked. As a side note, the name "Mutillid" also sounds somewhat like "Mutant", providing a subconscious association with what I am and how I came to be. This is the mantle I've taken up. Ever since the incident, I've been slowly working towards understanding more about my current state. Not just what it means for me and how to address it going forward, but what exactly I can do with it. I want to test my capabilities and limits just to see what I'm able to do. All the while, I want these abilities to be put to use. It isn't enough that I learn something from this little research project. Someone's knowledge is defined by how they use it, and at the end of the day, I want to say that I tried to use these mutations for the benefit of society. Granted, the ways these abilities improve society are a bit limited. You can't build a utopia off venomous stingers and a reactive exoskeleton. On the other hand, if I can run off a few petty criminals and keep the street gangs out one block at a time, things might get a little easier for everyone. It would be slow and gradual, and the changes wouldn't be noticed immediately, but that doesn't mean they aren't worthwhile. I've set up in an abandoned apartment just 3 streets down from where the lab used to be. The heart of King's Row, one of the worst sites of gang violence in Paragon City. Right now I walk the streets at night, clad in whatever baggy, secondhand clothing I could find that hides my likeness and helps me to blend in with the rest of the populace in spite of my appearance. I'll attempt to regularly create journal entries to note my discoveries and my progress, as well as log past and present events to help organize my thoughts and my own perception of the passage of time. I was relieved to find that my old work laptop survived the blast, and I'm making use of it to encrypt and store these journal entries. Hopefully, I can scrounge up more materials from the old lab soon. /exit -Save Changes? /y -Changes Saved /dc

Tidbits for me to keep in mind for the immediate future: -4 slots for my offensive powers (3 damage, 1 accuracy enhancements) -pick up DNA siphon, ablative, and adaptation as my next powers -3 slots for hardened carapace and environmental modification (all defense), DNA siphon (3 heal), and ablative (3 recharge) -sell merits to pick up the base teleporter There's a bit more to think on, and I still need to read that guide of yours in-depth, but these seem like the most immediate choices to make. Spines/bio doesn't seem like a popular or commonly thought of combo, so it doesn't surprise me that there isn't a guide out there for this, but I'm happy to work through this and trial-and-error my way into something relatively viable. EDIT: this feels like a silly question, but brawl doesn't really need/deserve slots, right? I mostly keep it on my taskbar as something to quickly tap when my other powers are on cooldown, but I have a feeling it will be replaced in the future by something else that fits the niche but is stronger. Also, any tips or suggestions for pool powers?

I appreciate you pointing out the guides in your signature. I've skimmed over your newcomer guide a bit enough to make use of the P2W vendor's powers and enhancements. I'll give it and a few more guides a more in-depth read when I have more free time on my hands. I might honestly make a tank alt to get acquainted with the game and not have to worry about being too squishy. If so, I'll probably use a different powerset and rely on a guide to help me pick something solid. That said, I do want to try and work with this current build and see how I can make it the best it can be, even if spines is in need of some dev attention. Also, I'll make sure to download Mids in the near future. For now, though, let me just post a screenshot of my current powers and slots setup. Here are my current powers and slots. I can pull something from Mids once I install it if people need it. Not pictured are the prestige powers mutagen, blackwand, and undead-slaying axe I picked up after reading a little bit from Sovera's starter guide. I'm only Level 10, so I don't have too many powers under my belt at the moment. Right now, I'm thinking that I should focus more on bio powers to improve my durability, but if anyone else has other recommendations, I'm all ears.

Like the title says, I've made a Spines/Bio Armor Scrapper. The concept seemed pretty need to me, and I like the DoT and how the crits work with lethal damage, but I hit something of a wall near the Hollow and King's Row. I'm not sure if I'm picking all the right powers and putting enhancement slots where they need to be. I'm also not sure about what other powers from the power pool I should be picking to go along with it. The only one I've chosen so far was fly, since I felt it fit the character, but is there anything else that I should be looking at?