Alchemystic

I did at one point create a single-pistol style powerset based on what animations could work around the restriction of having just one firearm. There's definitely enough to work with, but the tricky part is making it stand out compared to Dual Pistols and other Lethal damage weapon options. Though, before I did this, I did suggest during one of the Weekly Discussions that a pistol based power pool would make a lot of sense too, as a sort of ranged lethal parallel to Fighting.

As of today, this project has reached it's 5th year, and also curated 200 powersets! Words can't express how grateful I am to the contributors here who have helped make these two milestones possible! It's been a great journey getting to this point, and it's been wonderful seeing people still taking an interest in this project 5 years later! Even during times where I had to step away, it was amazing seeing people carry on supporting the thread, and still finding the potential for new powersets even after I struggled to find inspiration myself. 200 powersets is no small amount, and we couldn't have reached that number without the community here, whether people who have been here from the early days to newcomers who have stumbled onto it recently. It's been an interesting 5 years, and seeing even some small amount of the works here make it into the game has been an amazing feeling, whether it was purely coincidental or not! So what does this mean for the thread moving forward? Surely after all this time there's little else to be done? Those observant amongst you may have noticed that we're nearing a point where we might not be so reliant on recycling old assets moving forward, with new content really pushing the boundaries of the game engine, and overcoming certain coding obstacles once thought impassible. However, I think regardless of that, we're still likely to see new powersets using current assets as it's likely the more efficient option, but it could mean that we could see newer material introduced in future, which in turn means more that could potentially be used here! So, here's to the future! Thank you again everybody!

So I've seen a lot of Mastermind powerset ideas recently, so I've been itching to try my hand at another. What I'd really like to see is an occult-themed powerset that featured humanoid henchmen instead of demons or zombies. Something I think we're missing in the Mastermind sphere is Cultists, with the Player leading them. This powerset uses a similar torch weapon to Luddite Torchbearers and Carnie Seneschals, which can be customized to have different colors, along with the colors of pet powers. Visually, these pets use alot of NPC costume parts borrowed from factions such as the Luddites and Shepherds so it's a little hard to visualize their appearance here, but it would use the assets available from those enemy groups to build unique outfits for the henchmen. Cultists - Fling Flames: Single Target ranged attack that uses the standard 'Wand Cast' animation to send out a projectile similar to 'Char' or 'Choking Powder' - Call Acolytes: Summons up to 3 Acolytes. Acolytes are equipped with a dagger and hand crossbow. Basic Powers: Dagger Stab (Melee Moderate Lethal), Hand Crossbow (Ranged Moderate Lethal) Equip Powers: Dagger Slash (Melee High Lethal), Aimed Shot (Ranged High Lethal) Upgrade Powers: Dagger Slice (Cone Moderate Lethal), Fire Bomb (AoE Moderate Fire DoT) - Spit Fire: Taken from the Seneschal Lore Pet, spitting a flame projectile at long range from the torch - Equip Cultists: First Upgrade for Henchmen, holds the torch aloft like the Mace Mastery summon animation - Fire Breath: A power taken from Luddites/Carnies, breathing fire in a cone from the held torch - Call Fanatics: Summon up to 2 Fanatics. They use crossbows with Archery/Trick Arrow powers Basic Powers: Brawl (Minor Smash), Aimed Shot (Ranged High Lethal), Blazing Arrow (Ranged High Lethal, Minor Fire Dot) Equip Powers: Weapon Butt (Melee Moderate Smash), Explosive Arrow (AoE Moderate Smash/Fire), Perfect Shot (Very High Lethal) Smoke Grenade (AoE -ToHit, -Per) Upgrade Powers: Oil Slick Arrow (AoE Knockdown, Special), Ranged Shot (Sniper, Extreme Lethal) - Brand: Strike an ally pet with your torch, dealing minor fire damage but increasing their Damage, Recharge, Recovery and Mez Protection. - Call Zealot: Summons a Zealot, who uses a torch like the player and counts as a Dominator. Melee powers use the torch as though it was a War Mace Basic Powers: Scorch (Melee Moderate Fire/Smash, Minor Fire DoT), Fling Flames (Ranged Moderate Fire DoT), Char (Ranged Hold, Minor Fire DoT) Equip Powers: Spit Fire (Ranged High Fire DoT), Bonfire (AoE Knockback, Minor Fire DoT), Cremate (Melee High Damage Fire) Upgrade Powers: Fire Breath (Cone Moderate Fire DoT), Cinders (AoE Hold), Incinerate (Melee High DoT Fire) - Upgrade Equipment: Second Upgrade for Henchmen, holds the torch aloft like the Mace Mastery summon animation

Any ideas what animations and FX specifically? 🤔

@LightMaster I like the ideas though this thread is a little more focused on the building blocks used to make the powers, not just the powers themselves. Do you have any thoughts on what sort of animations or visual effects could be used to construct these latest powersets? The idea behind this thread is recycling existing material after all, not so much the mechanical or numerical side of things.

@LightMaster you might like to check out this thread regarding spears/polearm melee, which also helped inspire the Polearm Melee powerset here!

@megaericzero you could potentially use the swamp monster costume parts to make a custom NPC for the T3 pet 😀

You might want to check out Carnival Masterminds by @ironjoe 😄

@Megawatt I like the concepts! I would maybe consider what these powers look like. ie; what existing in-game stuff can be used to help visualize them (Arachnos, Mercenaries, other NPCs, etc)

Sorry I didn't get around to this sooner, you might want to check out Ray Guns which makes use of the unique Resistance beam pistol attacks that exist in game!

I like it! I never really considered opening this project up to VEATS, But this definitely has merit

I made a thread a little while ago with some ideas, what I eventually landed on was using the Sentinel version, but swapping 'Blinding Powder' with an AoE toggle that also reduced ToHit.

Following on with the Sonic/Symphony themes, perhaps there's merit to making them more distinct from one another? I already did the same with Psionic, Illusion and Pain powersets, so here's a few ideas for other 'Symphony' powersets. Symphonic Resonance - Dulcet Tones: New AoE Healing power, uses similar area FX as 'Impassioned Seranade' - Halting Dirge: Area power that slows down enemies and reduces their recharge, using a larger version of the 'Aria of Stasis' FX - Soothing Song: Stronger single target Heal power, using similar projectile FX to 'Impassioned Serenade' - Distracting Melody: AoE power that reduces Perception and ToHit, using similar projectile FX to 'Confounding Chant' - Harmonic Tuning: Ally mez protection power, uses similar FX to 'Hymn of Dissonance' - Discordant Tune: AoE debuff that reduces Recharge and Recovery, uses similar FX to 'Dreadful Discord' - Relaxing Ambience: PBAoE toggle that heals over time. Uses a larger scale version of the 'Reverberant' FX - Lulling Berceuse: AoE power that debuffs enemy Defense and may put then to Sleep. Uses similar FX to 'Enfeebling Lullaby' - Empowering Anthem: PBAoE power that buffs Damage, Recharge and Resistance. Uses similar area FX to 'Chords of Despair' Symphony Manipulation - Melodic Binding: Power taken from Symphony Control, working as the initial Immobilize power - Halting Dirge: Area power that slows down enemies and reduces their recharge, using a larger version of the 'Aria of Stasis' FX - Hymn of Dissonance: Power taken from Symphony Control, serving as a single target Hold power - Build Up: Standard Build Up power - Distracting Melody: AoE power that reduces Perception and ToHit, using similar projectile FX to 'Confounding Chant' - Rythmic Tempo: Toggle power that increases Recharge, Recovery and Heal over Time. Has a similar aura as 'Reverberant' - Discordant Tune: AoE debuff that reduces Recharge and ToHit, uses similar FX to 'Dreadful Discord' - Confounding Chant: Power taken from Symphony Control, functions as a cone Disorient ability - Chords of Despair: Power taken from Symphony Control, acting as the capstone AoE hold power

This time around I'm going for a different take on some existing powersets, namely Psionic Melee and Symphony Control. Each of these powersets really stand out against the rest of the themes they belong to, with very little parallel between Symphony Control and Sonic Manipulation, or Psionic Melee and Mental Assault. This got me thinking, what would these powersets look like if they used the same visual assets and themes? And could they potentially coexist? Mental Melee - Grasp Thoughts: New power that uses the 'Concentration' fist FX and the 'Life Siphon' animation, dealing minor Psionic damage - Mind Probe: Power taken from Mental Manipulation/Psionic Assault, functioning as a stronger melee power - Psychic Scream: Power taken from Mental Manipulation/Psionic Assault, working as the cone damage attack - Telekinetic Thrust: Power taken from Mental Manipulation/Psionic Assault, functions as a form of melee crowd control - Build Up: Standard Build Up power - Assassin's Psyche: Stalker unique power. Uses similar animation to Kinetic Melee's 'Assassin's Strike' / - Taunt/Placate: Standard aggro power - Dominant Will: Melee version of Will Domination, with similar FX and higher damage - Psychic Shockwave: Power taken from Mental Manipulation/Psionic Assault, fitting as a PBAoE attack (not available to Stalkers) - Scramble: Melee version of Scramble Thoughts, with similar FX and higher damage Sonic Control - White Noise: New Sleep power that uses similar FX to 'Sonic Siphon' - Echo Chamber: Power taken from Sonic Manipulation, fitting in as the Hold power of the set - Sonic Thrust: Power taken from Sonic Manipulation, serving as a unique single target repel - Noise Cancelation: New AoE power that debuffs enemy mez magnitude and damage, uses the 'Sonic Arrow' FX - Siren's Song: Power taken from Sonic Blast, functioning as a cone Sleep power - Sound Cannon: Power taken from Sonic Manipulation, functions as a cone Knockback/Stun power - Supershear: New AoE power that works like Earthquake, uses similar FX but without the stone object - Mass Chambers: PBAoE version of Echo Chamber - Echoes: Pet power that summons 3 floating motes with Sonic FX, using 'Shriek' as their primary attack

Getting closer to the end of Spooktober so I wanna round out the Hellfire theme with the addition of Support and Armor powersets! There's still some material in the Demon Summoning powerset that could be used, so I plan to implement that here and finish the theme for Halloween! Hellfire Affinity - Abyssal Reconstruction: Power taken from Demon Summoning's 'Ember Demon', Healing allies in a PBAoE - Ember Shield: Power taken from Demon Summoning's 'Ember Demon', providing allies with Resistance to Smashing, Lethal, Fire and Cold - Abyssal Mending: Power taken from Demon Summoning's 'Ember Demon', Healing a single ally for a large amount - Hellfire Shield: New power that uses the same standard Aura visible on 'Hellfire Gargoyles'. Provides Resistance to Fire, Toxic, Energy and Negative - Demonic Warding: New power that uses the 'Naughty Halo' aura. Provides mez protection to a single ally. - Infernal Pact: New power that uses the same rising flame FX as 'Summon Demon' powers. Resurrects a single ally and boosts their damage and MaxHP temporarily - Torture: New power that uses the Smoldering aura FX on enemy target. Holds the target and deals minor Toxic DoT - Purgatory: New power that uses a large 'Ring of Fire' FX in an area. Enemies in the area are intangible - Penance: New power that uses the Hellfire Gargoyle's eye glow FX on self and target. Target suffers heavy debuff to damage, resistance and regeneration Hellfire Aura - Smoldering Shield: Personal version of 'Ember Shield', with similar FX and resistances - Hellfire Aura: Power taken from Demon Summoning's 'Hellfire Gargoyle', Creating a toggle PBAoE field that deals Toxic DoT to nearby enemies (Not available to Stalkers/Sentinels) - Been Through Hell: Autopower that increases MaxHP and minor resistance to Fire, Toxic and Negative (Sentinels split the MaxHP and Resistances into two different autopowers) - Abyssal Shield: Personal version of 'Hellfire Shield', with similar FX and resistances - Demonic Ward: Personal version of 'Demon Warding', with similar FX and protection - Abyssal Sustenance: New power that uses the same FX as 'Abyssal Reconstruction', Siphons health from nearby enemies and deals minor Toxic damage to them (Stalkers/Sentinels get a standard Self Heal) - Cloak of Terror: New power that uses the Hellfire Gargoyle eye glow FX, nearby enemies are Terrorized much like Cloak of Fear - Infernal Bargain: Personal version of 'Infernal Pact', with similar FX and effects - Demon Form: New power that uses the Ember Demon's default aura FX, granting the player a huge boost to Absorb, Damage and Recovery

I did have a look around but seems all we have is a seagull 😅

There are also two other animal models found in game; the 'Shadow Hound' and 'Wodan' They seem to behave a little different to the Canine/Feline rigs as mentioned in the first post, so I'm not sure if they have a complete set of animations (they always seem to be in 'combat pose' for example). They could be added to the list of options, maybe as a higher tier reward?

I'm open to any form of implementation, really. I only settled on the Aether system because they're mostly a cosmetic feature.

So we're seeing a lot of new additions to the Prismatic Aether costume rewards, and I wondered to myself what other possibilities could this new cosmetic system be used for? Perhaps we could expand the amount of 'Animal Travel' forms we have access to! Right now we have the 'Coyote Travel Power' and 'Panther Travel Power', but there are so many models that actually use the same animation rig as many other quadrapedal models in-game. So, what I'd love to see is maybe the addition of new forms available in the Aether vendor that fall into the category of 'Canine Travel Powers' and 'Feline Travel Powers' For Canine Travel, we could have access to the 'German Shepherd', 'Wolf', 'Dire Wolf' and 'Black Wolf' models; For Feline Travel, we could have access to the 'Lioness', Lion', 'Liger' and 'Spirit Panther' models: I don't imagine these having a significant cost as they aren't able to be used in combat, but should still have the same travel capability as the Coyote/Panther powers, so a standard 10 Aether should suffice. I could potentially see the selection being expanded in future, if new model textures are made, perhaps even smaller animals such as dogs, cats and foxes! But for now, I think the eight additions above would be a great starting point for more options.

Since we're into Spooktober I figured I would carry on with the horror vibe and revisit another one of the older powerset themes; Hellfire! Hellfire powers have always been a popular suggestion here on the forums (usually the whip powers), which was explored here in the form of the more close-range powersets such as Melee, Assault and Manipulation, but there's actually a lot more material unique to Demon Summoning that could be used for other powersets, especially if we combine the unique FX that both Hellfire and Fire demons have access to. So lets see what we can make using that stuff! Hellfire Blast - Embers: Uses the unique 'Flares' variant FX belonging to Fire Demonlings, dealing light Fire/Toxic DoT at range - Corruption: Uses the non-whip variant FX belonging to Hellfire Demonlings and Hellfire Gargoyles, dealing moderate Fire/Toxic DoT at range - Perdition: Uses the unique 'Hellfire/Fire Breath' FX belonging to most non-ice demons, dealing moderate Fire/Toxic DoT in a cone - Smolder: Uses the unique 'Fire Blast' variant FX belonging to Fire Demonlings and Ember Demons, dealing very high Fire/Toxic DoT at range - Aim: Standard Aim power - Eruption: Uses the same FX used for summoning demons, creating a patch of flame in an area that deals moderate Fire/Toxic DoT to enemies who enter - Decimate: Uses the unique 'Fire Ball' variant FX belonging to Ember Demons, dealing high Fire/Toxic DoT in a ranged AoE - Hellfire: Identical power belonging to Hellfire Demonlings, dealing superior Fire/Toxic DoT at close range - Cataclysm: Uses the 'Pyronic Judgement' FX, though on a much smaller scale, dealing extreme Fire/Toxic DoT in a ranged AoE Hellfire Control - Snare: Uses the 'Hell on Earth' animation and FX, but targetting the enemy's legs, immobilizing them and dealing minor Toxic/Fire DoT - Damnation: Uses the 'Hell on Earth' animation and FX, holding them and dealing minor Toxic/Fire DoT - Mass Snares: Cone version of 'Snare', using the 'Crack Whip' animation and the unqiue Demon 'Fire Ball' projectile - Seethe: Uses the 'Corruption' whip animation, creating a patch with the 'Enflame' FX that slows enemies and deals Toxic/Fire DoT - Torment: Uses the 'Lash' animation with affected foes having the 'Ember Shield' aura, causing Fear in a cone - Whiplash: Uses the 'Corruption' whip animation and a larger Demon 'Fire Ball' projectile, stunning foes in an AoE and dealing minor Toxic/Fire damage - Mass Damnation: AoE version of 'Damnation', using the 'Crack Whip' animation and the 'Pyronic Judgement' projectile - Brimstone: Uses the 'Lash' animation and the same FX used for summoning demons, creating an AoE knockdown patch that functions like Earthquake or Ice Slick - Hellspawn: Summons 2 flying pets that look like Demonlings, but much smaller and possessing 'Burned' wings. They use Embers, Corruption and Claw Rake as powers

Figure I'd weigh in here since I've been pinged From my (somewhat limited) understanding of how archetypes are designed, I'm led to believe they are a lot more work than they appear. If we take Stalkers and Sentinels for example, they both use existing powersets in their setup, but they have to be reworked in order to suit the needs of the archetype. This is a pretty lengthy process, and in some cases some powersets may not even be viable (Shield Defense on Sentinels, Titan Weapons on Stalkers, etc). So the work being done to make an archetypes is going to pile up. Melee/Support gets suggested a lot, and I mean a lot, but despite it's popularity there are a lot of problems regarding how to balance it. I'm sure they've tried, it's unlikely that they haven't at least given it some thought, but I think it definitely says something about how difficult these things can be if we haven't seen it happen yet.

I think the 'Helper' status is all we ever needed in terms of functional titles, anything GMs assign is likely to go to people's heads.

I was close to making the T9 power for the support set similar to Warshade's 'Dark Extraction' and it would have gone by that name! 😅

Okay! So, looking through some of the older stuff here for inspiration, cos I realise I've been neglecting finishing some of the powerset themes from way back. I wanna try and get some of them rounded out until something else comes up! So first off is the 'Spirit' power theme, which I made a few sets for HERE and HERE. The premise of these powers is using a green/teal version of the 'Soul Mastery' FX along with some of the other 'ghostly' themed stuff to flesh it out, but dispite making a few melee powers, I never got around to making a Melee powerset. I'm also gonna try and make an Armor powerset to compliment it, and a Support powerset since Armor/Support have a lot of overlap. Spirit Melee - Ghostly Hand: Quick melee attack similar to 'Mental Strike'. though uses Soul FX instead of Psionic ripples - Torment: Standard melee attack with Soul Mastery FX on hands, target briefly has the Illusion Control 'Spectral Wounds' FX - Poltergeist: Heavy melee attack similar to 'Telekinetic Blow'. though uses Soul FX instead of Psionic ripples - Spirit Nexus: PBAoE Damage power, uses a large 'Soul Storm' FX on player with a growing 'Spectral Wall' FX from Illusion Control. Not available to Stalkers - Build Up: Standard Build Up power - Taunt/Placate: Standard aggro management power - Assassin's Dirge: Stalker unique power. Same animation as 'Assassin's Eclipse', but with heavy Soul Mastery FX around the arms. - Grasping Spirits: Close cone power with similar reaching hands as the Soul Noir 'Living Shadows/Torrent' powers, with heavy use of Soul FX around the targets. - Spectral Ray: A powerful ranged power that uses the same FX as Soul Mastery's 'Dark Obliteration', though without the AoE - Soultaker: Heavy Melee power, with Soul Mastery FX on hands, while target has the 'Soul Storm' FX momentarily Spirit Armor - Ghostly Armor: Armor toggle that provides Defense to Smashing, Lethal, Cold and Negative. Has similar FX to the Croatoa/Pirate ghosts - Gravesite: PBAoE toggle that deals Negative DoT. Uses the 'Ghosts' aura on player with 'Cloak of Fear' FX. Stalkers reveive a Fear toggle later instead - Spirit Armor: Armor toggle that provides Defense to Negative, Fire, Psionic, and Energy. Has a similar aura to the 'Spectral Terror' FX - Life Essence: Click power that heals the player and grants a small boost to Toxic resistance. Uses the same swirling Soul FX as 'Shadow Meld' - Excorsism: Click power that provides mez protection for a short duration. Uses the 'Shadow Meld' Soul FX surrounding the body - Etherealness: Stealth toggle that provides a little positional Defense. Uses the 'Ghosts' aura without the swirling spirits. Stalkers get Hide at T1 instead - Peer Beyond: Toggle power that increases ToHit and Perception, and resistance to them being DeBuffed. Uses the 'Tendrils' eye glow aura - Ressurection: Self ressurect power that uses the 'Soul Storm' FX on the player body - Astral Projection: Click power that causes you to become briefly intangible while increasing recovery and absorb. Uses the same aura as 'Spectral Terror' Spirit Affinity - Rejuvenation: PBAoE healing power. Uses an expanding 'Spectral Wall' FX and waves of spirits from the 'Ghosts' aura - Ghostly Shield: Ally version of Ghostly Armor, with similar FX - Life Force: Ally version of Life Essence, with similar FX - Spirit Shield: Ally version of Spirit Armor, with similar FX - Exorcise: Ally version of Exorcism, with similar FX - Ethereal Plane: PBAoE version of Etherealness, with similar FX in a larger area - Ressurect: Ally version of Ressurection, with similar FX - Weaken Veil: Targetted intangible patch power similar to 'Black Hole'. Uses a heavier version the 'Ghosts' aura with affected foes having the 'Spectral Wounds' FX - Hallow Ground: Targetted AoE Immobilize field with minor Negative DoT. Uses the 'Cloak of Fear' aura at location with 'Spectral Wall' FX on affected foes

@Jiro Ito do you have any ideas what assets could be used to make the powers in your set? It's a nice idea, though it would really benefit visualizing it beyond weaponry 🙂