Zumberge

The proletariat, they just haven't fully grasped that fact yet. Nah, but seriously, that's up for a huge amount of debate. You probably mean Force Fields. Generally, yes, but it's also worth noting that there's several sets that have the same theme of "put shield on person, person is hurt less," so the definition of "bubbler" has expanded a little. I want to say Everlasting, but it varies a little based on time. All of them. In the starting zones (Atlas Park and Mercy Island) there's someone called a P2W Vendor. You can gain a boost to XP gain in exchange for an equal decrease in Influence gain, e.g. you can get 50% more XP but only earn 50% influence, or 100% more XP for no inf gain at all. Despite the name you don't actually have to pay real money for it; it's just the devs having funsies. Both, but there's much more population hero-side. Villain mains tend to be grumpy about this. Not without reason. There's an unofficial PvP server, but for the most part it's PvE. Absolutely free. Everything is unlocked at the start. All cosmetics, capes, auras, power sets, you name it. Varies depending on the time, but usually. Don't worry too much about the influence loss with the bonus XP gain. If you check the Guides section of the boards there's several ways to make money using the auction house/black market.

I debated having it be SOs only, but the last time I did the TF was back when having good team composition and beating it was still a pretty big deal, so that was coloring the idea a little. In any case they do seem like they'd have better odds than the Arachnos patrons and their lackeys doing the Recluse SF.

Plant/Dark is kind of synergistic, insofar as Plant makes it a little safer to get close to enemies and Dark has a bunch of PBAoE skills, so you can kind of move in with the rest of the team, but it's not like Elec/Kin which can go "oops, no Endurance" to things. That said, they're both good sets regardless with a lot of good powers, but you can easily skip Spirit Tree and Black Hole, respectively. With regards to Plant Control: Spore Burst might be a sleep, sure, but it's an AoE mez at level 6. If you're not just doing Death From Belows to get up to 22 as fast as possible and are doing missions on a team you can go, "hey guys, I can sleep mobs, so just be careful with AoEs" and people will listen. Makes early stuff a lot easier and later on it's an acceptable panic button. Get Seeds of Confusion at level 8. Six-slot it for 2 Accuracy, 2 Recharge, and 2 Confuse. It'll be up for pretty much every mob and have them tripping balls for a full minute or so. Once you hit 50 you put in a Coercive Persuasion set and ASCEND TO GODHOOD. Carrion Creepers is kind of weird in how it works but all you need to know is that you'll have vines popping out of the ground around you when things die for two minutes after you use it. That is to say, the effect follows you. It's good for some additional immobilization and slow and knockdown and damage and generally just distracting people and making a big mess of things. Darkness Affinity I have less experience with, but here goes: Tar Patch is really good. Slow, -30% resistance to everything, and it doesn't deal damage so it won't wake up sleeping enemies. Three recharge reductions to get it down to 45ish seconds and you're done. Combine with Seeds and Creepers for maximum bullying. You know how some Defenders and Masterminds use Howling Twilight as an AoE control because it has a massive disorient on it? I think they might have toned it down a bunch when they made Darkness Affinity so you don't have yet another mez, I'm not sure; someone else might need to chime in on that. (As if I don't expect people to already because of how full of bullshit I normally am.) The defense bonuses on Shadow Fall and Fade look kind of modest, but they do stack, so combined with Darkest Night's -ToHit you're giving people a pretty good amount of survivability.

If you fiddle with the colors a bit, the Tech or Pipe models for Staff Fighting kinda look like hockey sticks. It's probably best to check for yourself firsthand, though.

If you can't explain why a given character would have a certain power out of their appropriate power sets and archetype you're not bullshitting hard enough. "Bullshitting" is kind of a coarse word for it, but still.

(This is a thought experiment involving actual gameplay mechanics instead of lore so I figured it went in Gen. If not then I meant no harm.) So it's years after the fact, someone might have already addressed it, and canon's already changed enough to make it impossible, but we're going to need to talk about the elephant in the room. Normally Statesman is a contact who sends you out on a task force to stop Lord Recluse, but for the sake of argument let's say that instead of helping him out your team of eight decided to do Citadel's task force instead, fell through a weak section of rock in a Council base, and are currently lost in Oranbegan ruins. Without heroic luminaries such as the clear Marvel rip-off, the catgirl, that one with the concept you're pretty sure is a weird sex thing, and the guy who switched hero-side via Null the Gull because he absolutely had to have the Task Force Abandoner title "for backstory reasons," it then falls on the primary hero of Paragon City to... well, be a hero. So he gets the Freedom Phalanx (as seen in the end of Recluse's original strike force) together to save the world themselves. But could the Freedom Phalanx defeat Lord Recluse and save the world? Here's the team make-up: Statesman: Invul/SS Tanker Back Alley Brawler: Invul/SS Tanker Synapse: Elec/Elec Blaster Citadel: Energy/Energy Blaster Manticore: Ta/Archery Defender Positron: Rad/Rad Defender Numina: Mind/Empathy Controller Sister Psyche: Mind/FF Controller For the sake of argument they're all level 50 and have optimal IO builds because they got advice from Positron and had enough Merits saved up after years and years to get kitted out. None of them have any Incarnate stuff unlocked because they're lazy and Statesman isn't using his Incarnate powers because he's afraid that the Well of the Furies will possess him or something. For all intents and purposes they're normal level 50s, no plot armor included. Personally I think they have enough support between /Rad, /Emp, /FF and /TA, but their DPS looks like it's suffering a little, especially with two Tankers. Invulnerability Tankers at that; a lot of enemies on the TF deal non-S/L damage. So I'm going to argue "no" on this one, but if they brought in Jim Tremblor and maybe Valkyrie or something instead of States and BAB they'd fare better. Thoughts? Ideas on how to fix the team?

Without commenting on whether or not it *ought* to work that way, I think that was the intent -- thematically, you shoot a bullet so hard that it goes through the first target and into the second and third in a straight line. Several melee powers work very similarly. They are, for likewise similar reasons, universally evaluated as ST attacks by melee players. As someone who's done some weird, hacky tricks in game modding, Piercing Rounds is absolutely a weird hacky trick, using a shotgun mechanic to reproduce a railgun effect. It's actually pretty clever.

Understandable. The description says something like "33% chance of causing confusion," but that doesn't actually say much. What it does is that, every time a confusion power hits an enemy, there is a one-in-three chance that the proc causes an additional mag-2 confuse AoE centered on that enemy, also affecting them. So you could put it in Deceive or Possess and there's a 33% chance that, outside of Domination, you can confuse bosses with one shot as well as nearby minions. Or you can put it in an AoE confuse and guarantee that it goes off several times with overlap, effectively confusing the entire mob you're targeting. Including bosses. So it's pretty good, yeah.

Hey, hiding behind a shield is much easier. No... that's just a shield lying over there, nothing unusual at all. Even better: When you're hidden, Grant Cover gives nearby teammates stealth. Just get everyone to line up behind the Stalker and they can sneak up on people.

Disregard the earlier post I made. Friendship ended with BS/Regen, now Elec/Shield is my best friend. The phrase "Shield Stalker" is so absolutely cursed it's funny.

This is going to sound a little silly, but the difference between Pain Domination and Empathy is that while there's a lot of overlap, the former can be seen as a more offense-oriented version of the latter. Pain Dom's powers have more of an emphasis on increasing damage, including your own as a secondary effect of its emergency heal and rez (and by giving you a pretty chunky PBAoE -def and -res debuff). Empathy, meanwhile, increases recovery and regeneration, with its major single-target buffs being about defense and recharge. There is a damage increase in Fortitude, but arguably the sizeable defense buff is the real draw. So the main question is this: Do you want to give your team the ability to never stop punching, or do you want the punches to hit harder? Consider that, consider your concept, and go with the result.

For the Desk Jockey, Arbiter Arachnos Soldier:

StJ/Bio Scrapper. Lack of costume ideas. I pretty much only have two, and one is just a slight variation on the other. Most other problems have hit points or originate from things that do and can thus be solved easily.

Fallen Earth and Champions Online, open betas. Ragnarok Online, private server. Warframe for two extended periods of time. Not gonna throw any of them under the bus because that's not what I'm here for. Fun RO story, though: Head of the RO clan/RO chapter of the inter-MMO warband went by the handle of Tyr One-Hand in-game. Ran afoul of one of the moderators so she decided to turn his character sprites into several things over the course of time, including a merchant cart, several different types of scenery, and eventually changing the character to a woman. When things settled down she offered to turn him back to normal and he just said, "no, this is fine." Fairly sure you could punch that up a little and present it as an Norse tale and people would buy it.

A long time back, someone with a good grasp of numbers ran the numbers and they came to the conclusion that over time, confusion results in a net gain of XP since you're able to defeat enemies more quickly and more safely. The matter of people being upset because "muh ecks-pees" is an issue that died down to a low murmur once this became widespread knowledge, just in time for Our Lord and Savior Plant Control's arrival on the scene. Now I'm not a coder, but I'd imagine that confusion and the XP being based on the damage dealt to the enemy by you or your team is also tied to, or part of, XP not being given to you by enemies that are fighting each other, e.g. Council versus 5th Column setpieces. The most likely scenario is that changing XP rewards with regards to confused enemies would entail changing how XP is rewarded, period, which would have longer-reaching repercussions. In any case, confusion is already stupidly good. (Also I think this would probably be better suited for Gen Discussion.)

As I recall I took attacks on my Live MM, but not on the current one. Not having down time is good; always being able to contribute in some capacity is helpful even if the damage isn't great. However, it's a /Poison, so I'm throwing out debuffs at a pretty good clip. Doubtless, more passive sets (FF) or sets with long cooldown times on their powers (/Traps) could benefit more from having attacks. (Are you still an "honest healer" if you hire guys to do the fighting for you?)

This plan is flawed on a fundamental level. Comparative analysis shows that the sun is the size of an American half-dollar coin when at base minimum the average Spines/Fire Brute is no shorter than three feet.

Can't speak for Rad, but I've got a StJ/Bio running about at level 35. The animations for the adaptation toggles, Ablative Carapace, and DNA Siphon (at least) aren't so long that you risk losing your combo when you use them, and the same probably goes for all other clickies in other defensive sets.

Fairly after the fact, but you all (the Homecoming dev team) have found yourselves in a unique yet unenviable position. Unique in that you're able to work on an MMO without concerns about executive meddling (and great things come from video game modders who do things out of love rather than profit), and unenviable because you're now GMs and moderators of an MMO. But don't worry; just to make things easier on you I'm keeping my griefing and shitposting to a bare minimum acceptable levels actually never mind, it's fine, don't worry about it. Old memories, though? Post-Hami raid in the pre-IO days, got a Nucleous Exposure. There was generally a little antipathy towards our SG from the RP crowd, but I saw a character that I recognized, liked their concept and the cut of their jib, so I snuck up, dropped the Nuc into their inventory, and sped off. Judging from their post they made on the boards, they were more than a little surprised, but grateful. I know at least one person low-key tried to claim responsibility, which was quite interesting to see. But doing an easy raid for some entertainment and the privilege of seeing someone's true colors? Hell yeah, better than Netflix. Especially since Netflix didn't exist at the time.

(Right out of the gate: I figured this went here since it was "in-universe" subject material and not about the game as a whole. Bit of a judgement call, that, so if the mods see this and it's not the right place or subject matter, well, it wasn't done out of malice. Live and learn, right?) This stems from an idea I heard or saw ages ago, about how you could completely stymie most supervillains just by presenting them with a basket of kittens. You just go up to Doctor Doom when he's talking and hand him a cat, and it's like, what does he do? Nobody's really prepared for that kind of thing, especially when your first instinct is to defend yourself from people who look like they were dressed by a committee of the color-blind. Eh, I dunno. I just like the idea of characters who are multifaceted and have hidden depths to them that you never see because you catch them at a bad time. Mostly when that bad time is at the end of a task force with seven other people you spent the last hour or so with, steamrolling several hundred of their minions. Hellions: Tell you to fuck off, but the kitten decides to stick around making a nuisance of itself in their hideouts by curling up in warm spots. Skulls: The kitten tries to scamper out of your hands the second you start approaching a group of them. Atta: Outright refuses it. "Atta have bigger matter to worry about!" Dr. Vahzilok: Weeps uncontrollably over the realization of the loss of his own innocence. Frostfire: Is put off at first but takes it. As soon as his demeanor softens one of his lackeys makes a wisecrack, at which point Frostfire angrily tells him to shut the fuck up. King Midas: Makes a show of not wanting to touch the kitten. Clockwork King: Dismisses the kitten angrily, stating that "I have no time for this." The Family: The muscle man tells you to wait as he passes it up the chain of command to the underboss, and a long, animated debate follows between several mobsters, eventually reaching a head when one of them brings up that "there's enough of the goddamn things on the docks." Returning with an exasperated expression the mook tells you to take it elsewhere. Scrapyarders: One takes it and they pass it around before a volunteer for adoption steps forward, saying that "my kids will love 'em." Odysseus: Takes the kitten and immediately dubs it "Nemea." It quickly becomes the Warriors' new mascot. Captain Castillo: Compliments the kitten and uses it as a springboard to talk about how great his looks and personality are, completely oblivious to the fact that the kitten wants absolutely nothing to do with him. Banished Pantheon: Start talking about how cats are the messengers of the gods. The kitten is not impressed, forcing its way out of their grasp several seconds in and refusing to approach them from that point onward. Baron Zoria: Similar to the above, speaks affectionately to the kitten, referring to it as "our little messenger." Worth noting is that the kitten is quite a bit calmer in his hands. Dreck: Sees the innate independent streak and casual dismissal of authority that cats have and presents it to his followers, at which point the Freakshow treat it like the second coming of The Clash. Upon returning to Carnival Town it disappears into the labyrinth of ledges and hidey-holes, and a year later the area is positively overrun with strays. Countess Crey: Immediately starts baby-taking the kitten about how adorable its "iddy-biddy whiskers" and "fuzzy-wuzzy nose" are. Maestro: Accepts it coldly until it begins purring in his hands. Holding it against him he feels the vibrations - the closest thing to sound he has heard since losing his hearing - and begins to cry. Malta Operatives: The head of the organization thinks aloud about how his children would love a kitten but ultimately passes it back to you, stating that "they're not ready for such a responsibility." Vanessa DeVore: Happily accepts. Within the Carnival of Shadows there is no lack for people willing to play with and serve it. It lives like a king, at least as far as cats are concerned. Hamidon: Like you're gonna waste a spot on a raid for a friggin' kitten. Get real. Knives of Artemis: Regards the kitten with disdain. One of the more vocal members of the group clarifies that "we're dog people." Nemesis: Presses his finger into the side of the kitten's neck, causing a hiss of steam as he removes its head entirely to reveal the intricate mechanisms animating it. "I lead you to this point. Do you understand now how outmatched you are?" The Rikti: Quickly and quietly kills the kitten without a second thought. Owing to their nature and that of their homeworld, and tangentially related to the behavior shown by the Thorns and Pantheon, cats were hunted to extinction by the Rikti. The Center: Refuses it. "I already own one." Reichsman: Haughtily asks, "do you expect me to display weakness at this abject show of maudlin sentimentality?" Ghost Widow: Gets angry at you and sends you away but keeps the kitten in private. Denies that she has it and acts like it refuses to leave her when proven otherwise. Mako: Eats the kitten. Whole. It's not the first time. Sirocco: Lapses into a contemplative silence before passing the kitten back to you and waking away. Black Scorpion: Goes to take the kitten but realizes he has a gun arm and a big meaty power fist. The kitten just jumps onto him and squeezes into the space between the back of his head and the lip of his armor. It refuses to leave Scorpion's presence except to eat and use the litter box. Lord Recluse: Casually dismisses you and sits on his throne petting the kitten, even when talking to his minions. Hey, he's the dictator of his own country, the head of a massive evil organization, and one of the strongest super-powered beings on the planet. You think he gives a fuck?

Fair. I'd rather err on the side of subtlety, for good or ill (mostly ill, but that hasn't stopped me). The idea is that people hit the phrase "innocents must die" and kind of get that something really off is up. Good to have a second set of eyes go over something though, so thank you.

Douchey? When doing missions in the Shadow Shard and having fly as a travel power, Recall Friending people and having the destination point be empty air over oblivion. Douchiness done to me? Eh, something probably happened but I can't remember and anything that did happen isn't worth remembering, let alone getting indignant about. Less about being a dick and more about the comedy fun times, though. Like visiting a weekly story-telling/RP shindig on Virtue with a few of the SG mates to tell a story. About two of the SG mates. In character. When the character I was playing was named Rabid Yaoi Fangirl. I'm fairly certain that wouldn't fly nowadays and there's no end of people who would lecture me on it as such, which is a shame, because I'm pretty sure I could do even better nowadays.

Soon to be featured in a comic crossover event with the battle axe-wielding Lady Labrys. ...oh, thread content. Right. Uh, remade an Arachnos Soldier from live. Sometimes you're promoted to Arbiter right off the bat because you have a degree in business management and Arachnos needs someone to handle construction material expenses for their various projects. That's fine, up until the point where someone thinks it's funny to assign you to field work, shove a gun in your hands when you've never carried a weapon in your life, and kick you out the door into an archipelago populated with super-powered criminals. The Desk Jockey is not having a very good day.

It's a bit more complex than just "kill an ammo carrier." Let's say that there's a very powerful hero who stood toe-to-toe with an army of Recluse's perfected Arachnoid soldiers in the final showdown and won. He gained his powers through scientific inquiry. He became a scientist because of a deep-seated need to have answers in a world that often didn't have them. He developed this need after his parents - simple middle-class civilians who did no harm to anyone - were tragically killed in a car crash when he was a child. Their deaths were not an accident, and they were far from the first. The part where she mentions loved ones and innocents isn't just for show: Human life only has value to her insofar as it's part of a widespread cost-benefit analysis across a span of hundreds of years. This also extends to saving lives: Gorejaw the Decimator might be a mass murderer who killed several heroes, but his child will go on to do great things, and his birth is still quite a ways off. (It's actually kind of funny in a "makes you think" sense because I can't for the life of me make a serious edgelord character and yet I have this absolute abomination of a human being.)

Should probably contribute instead of shitfunposting all the time. Back when Ouro was new people were making Menders and I wasn't much of an exception. Got an idea, ran with it, kind of lost interest around level 22 or so. Judging from the power icon colors and the UI she was a Mind/Elec Dom (really, past me?) but currently she's my best idea for that Elec/Kin Controller, so I guess I'm deferring to the thread's judgement on whether she's worth recreating or not with all instances of "Recluse" replaced with "Coming Storm." Ignore the "RP" in the bio; upon reflection she'd be an interesting character to write maybe once or twice, but not to RP as because there's not much you can do with her.