Alchemystic

@Greycat chain induction wouldn't pull the mob to you, it'd pull mobs together. besides, in physics, induction refers to both electricity and magnetism.

@Blackbird71 I think I know who you're talking about, and I tend to avoid their costume contests because of the very reasons you highlighted after growing suspicious myself. Since there's no way to tell how much inf these "judges" could be skimming from the prize pool, or potentially how many plants they may have in the crowd, so I think requesting inf donations should be against the CoC.

I don't think it would be a huge issue, at least not for PvE. Though I believe making them visually distinct with auras/FX would help conceptualize the difference in nature for each henchmen.

Those might work. Perhaps using the flickering aura Apparitions have might work, using the strange humanoid shapes they form.

I think the only issue raised with a Duplication powerset is how do you make the henchmen distinguishable from one another? Obviously the whole point of Mirrors is that they look identical to you, but that may not translate so well when you have three different tiers of henchmen that need to be easy to identify, as well as what upgrades they have received.

@Menelruin I did try my hand at something like that when Phantom Mirrors were first introduced. It was a little too high-concept for the EFPR thread, but I think it's probably feasible all the same.

I'm sure there's some kind of Mastermind-specific code that is no doubt real tricky to get around, since it manages AI behaviour, NPC models, and modified powers. It may just be that the HC team would rather focus efforts elsewhere, as it is a lot of work for what is essentially one powerset tied to a single archetype. It may also fall down to a lack of available assets. Right now HC can't create completely new NPC models, animations, or power FX, so they're restricted to the material that already exists in game. Beast Mastery and Demon Summoning were the last Mastermind powersets to be implemented, and they each intoduced unique assets, and even Thugs introduced new powers and animations in the form of Dual Pistols/UZIs. The standard for new Mastermind powersets got set pretty high, and it may be that until HC meet those standards, Masterminds have been shelved in terms of future development. Even if HC did want to make something new, it's a matter of finding a niche they can explore while being restricted to the assets we have on hand, and once conceptualized there's the matter of what powers they should be given, how to balance them according to other MM primaries, and what unique mechanics would set them apart from the rest. I've conceptualized a few things myself, but I'll admit it's hard finding a working idea, especially one that the greater community would enjoy. Sadly, it's a real uphill battle without much payoff.

To me it would help the sets perform since they're not the most optimal picks right now, and it would be a play on the theme of electromagnetism.

Knockforward

😉

@Replacement I'm not really a fan of 'gap closers' since we have combat teleport now, but then again martial Combat has something like that and it's a Manipulation powerset.

So recently 'Singularity' received an update with some groundbreaking new functionality; the ability to slowly draw enemies in to a fixed point. This is something that could potentially be explored in other powersets too, as there are a great many powers that could utilize this new mechanic. Here's a short list of powers that I think should receive the new 'Pull' mechanic; - Water Blast - Whirlpool - Mind Control - Telekinesis - Dark Blast - Dark Pit - Bio Armor - Parasitic Aura - Electric Armor - Lightning Field - Electric Melee - Chain Induction - Umbral Aura - Black Dwarf - Luminous Aura- White Dwarf There may be more, but these ones seem like good fits both mechanically and thematically.

We're really hurting on Support powersets in this thread, and that's mostly down to how hard it is to find suitable assets to make them. But, after playing around with concepts a little I may have figured out how to create a true 'Psionic' Support set; Telepathy. For this, I borrowed what few 'Psionic' related buffs/debuffs there are, and also pinched a few powers from Empathy (If Cold Domination can take powers from Storm Summoning, then why not!) Then I simply took a few FX from other powers to fill in the gaps. Telepathy You are capable of creating a telepathic link with those around you. You can use this link to improve the mental functions of your allies, or to invade the minds of your foes. - Read Thoughts: A new power that reduces the ToHit and Defense of a single foe. Uses the 'Boggle' and 'Mind Probe' FX, but at greater range - Strengthen Will: An AoE ally buff, providing resistance to Smashing, Lethal and Psionic. Uses the same FX as 'Mind Over Body' (Ancillary version) - Bolster Resolve: Another AoE ally buff, providing resistance to Fire, Cold, Energy and Negative. Uses the same FX as 'Indomitable Will' (Ancillary version) - Cognitive Boost: A PBAoE buff that improves Recharge, Recovery and Accuracy (and matching debuff resistance). Uses similar FX to 'Concentration' (Psionic Melee) - Clear Mind: Same power from Empathy, providing some mez protection - Fortitude: Same power from Empathy, providing a powerful ally buff. - Mind Link: Same power from Ancillaries/Widows, providing a boost to resistance, defense and ToHit - Drain Psyche: Same power from Mental Manipulation/Psionic Assault, draining enemy regeneration and recovery to boost your own - Sensory Overload: A new AoE debuff that reduces ToHit, Perception and Defense, and has a chance to Stun. Uses the same FX as 'Psychic Shockwave' on target

Fear is one of the uncommon mez effects, so it would stand to reason that protection against it would also be uncommon.

Only productive thing to come out of this thread are the memes

So far from what I've gleaned from the community, Stalker's Placate and Scrapper's Confront have fallen by the wayside in today's fast paced combat environment, and from what I understand is that compared to Taunt, which affects the whole mob, these powers do little to control the situation. One of the simpler solutions to this is to simply make the powers affect an AoE, which might seem like an easy fix, but presents a few problems too. Placate would benefit from being made an AoE, allowing you to disengage from several foes and increasing your chances of survival and your ability to land assassin's strike. However, that presents a problem with Smoke Flash, which has the same functionality, but lacks the ability to hide you thereafter. If we make Placate an AoE, we would need to buff Smoke Flash in order to keep it from becoming redundant. Adding a Teleport function to this power may be of use here, as without the ability to hide you, Smoke Flash exists entirely to get you out of trouble. That, or make it similar to the Ancillary version, giving it a -ToHit and -DMG debuff. As for Confront, making it an AoE would make it identical to Taunt, which means that it would start to step on the toes of Brutes and Tankers. We should keep the Taunt functionality there at least, we just need to do something else with the power to give it more utility. One idea I had was to make it a sort of 'Duel' ability, where the power has a higher Taunt magnitude, and nearby foes (not the target) suffer a low Fear and ToHit debuff. So to summarise; Make Placate an AoE Buff Smoke Flash with additional utility Change Confront so it has more aggro management

'Toxin Blast' was one of the latest additions to the thread, funnily enough, so we're of a similar mind that a dedicated Toxic damage set should be considered!

You're close to the mark! He was definitely inspired by soviet villains portrayed in plenty different kinds of media, especially those around the time of the 'Red Scare' of the Cold War, I just took bits and pieces of each and compounded them into a classic retro design!

Figured I'd throw another one here, my classic villain Commissar Cold

You know, I might just be able to squeeze a manipulation set out of both the Light and Void stuff, was a little challenging considering PB had very few mez powers, and WS felt very similar to Dark in many ways. Light Manipulation You are able to manipulate light in order to assault the senses of your foes, allowing you to blind them, reduce their accuracy, or disrupt their perception. - Dazzle: Same FX as Glowing Touch, with a bit of Blind mixed in too. Causes minor Energy/Psi damage and sleeps the target, while reducing Accuracy - Luminous Smite: Same FX as Radiant Strike, this melee power does moderate Smashing/Energy damage and reduces enemy Accuracy - Blind: Same power from Illusion Control, with a little PB FX mixed in (also does half of it's damage as energy) - Build Up: Standard build up power, using the same FX as 'Inner Light' - Light Burst: New power that works much like Flash Arrow, reducing ToHit and Perception of foes, uses similar FX with some PB stuff added in - Radiant Glow: Uses the FX of Light Form (no wisp), grants Regeneration, Recovery, and also boosts Perception and Accuracy - Flare: Same FX as Solar Flare, this power does moderate Energy/Psi damage in PBAoE and reduces enemy Accuracy - Flash: Same power from Illusion Control, with a little PB FX mixed in - Brilliant Strike: Same FX as Incandescent Strike, this melee power does high Smashing/Energy damage and reduces enemy Accuracy. May also hold foes Void Manipulation You can manipulate the Void to generate crushing gravitic fields on your foes, ensuring they cannot escape your grasp while they are drained by fields of Negative Energy. - Shadowy Snare: Same FX as Gravimetric Snare, this power does light Smashing/Negative DoT and reduces enemy Defense. Also immobilizes the target - Dark Strike: Same FX as Black Dwarf Strike, this melee power does moderate Smashing/Negative damage and reduces enemy Defense - Orbiting Miasma: Same FX as Orbiting Death, dealing minor Negative DoT to nearby foes and reducing their Defense - Crushing Void: Same FX as Gravity Well, though with greater range, holding one foe in place and reduced Defense. - Build Up: Standard build up power, using the same FX as Stygian Circle (Self only) - Umbral Shroud: Same FX as Shadow Cloak, acting as a toggle providing Absorb over Time, minor Defense, as well as stealthing the character - Void Pulse: Same FX as Sunless Mire, this power does moderate Smashing/Negative damage in PBAoE and reduces enemy Defense - Leeching Miasma: Same FX as Eclypse, draining nearby enemies of endurance and slowing them down - Void Slam: Same FX as Black Dwarf Smite, this melee power does superior Smashing/Negative DoT and reduces enemy Defense

So long as we can still turn them off, last thing I want is to be subject to even more club advertisements in my day-to-day playing the game 😉

I ended up landing on Energy/Psionic for Light Blast to make sure it wasn't just another raw Energy damage blast set again, but Energy was likely going to be the core damage type either way. I added Psionic damage in as a play on the 'light' theme of Illusion Control and ther similar NPC abilities. I added the -accuracy effect to create the idea that the powers are so bright and dazzling that it throws off their aim, but without just copying the -ToHit effect of Dark. As for Void Blast, I opted to go for Smashing/Dark to avoid simply having another version of Dark Blast. I went for Smashing to play on the 'gravity' theme some of the powers have, and adding in -Def as a play on the crushing theme of many Earth powers, making the powerset feel more weighty and substantial than Dark Blast.

Replacement's actually one of the contributor's to this thread, and also who helped conceptualize the newer 'Light' and 'Void' powersets featured there! 😅