Itsyagirl

One of the best things about City of Heroes is its excellent community. Whether running random radio missions with a PUG or answering the call for an iTrial, teams are where some of the best content in the game lies. Another wonderful thing about CoX is how much self-expression it allows for. Between powerset selection, name, bio, badges, titles, power customisation, and so on... everyone has a chance to stand out. You're never "just another human warrior". Given the above, I think an addition that would play excellently off both of these would be a Commendation system. The way it would work is that after you complete a Task Force or Trial with a team, a pop up window appears (probably right after the results screen). On this screen would be a list of each of your teammates, along with a selection of checkboxes for each one. Something similar to this: Would you like to recognise any of your team's achievements? 1. LGBT Plus Ultra | o Friendly | o Helpful | o Powerful | o Great costume | o Good roleplay | o Leadership 2. Bullets Fly | o Friendly | o Helpful | o Powerful | o Great costume | o Good roleplay | o Leadership ...and so on and so forth. You would be able to check, say, 2 or 3 of these per character, so you're not stuck picking between two options. Then you would receive a pop up with "Your team gave you: 2 Friendly, 1 Good roleplay commendations!" There probably wouldn't be any reward associated with this. In fact, commends should probably be hidden from other players unless you choose to make them visible (just in case people decide to start gatekeeping). Maybe, at most, a badge you can earn for giving or receiving X commendations. The only reason I wouldn't also suggest this for general teaming is the question of when you give commendations. After every radio mission? That would get repetitive. I think this would help strengthen the community, as well as offering a regular dose of delicious endorphins when you see the commendation notification pop up in the corner of the screen.

In the mission "Rescue General Aarons" of the "The Mysterious General Z" arc from Christine Lansdale, you get the following dialogue on engaging General Z's captors: It looks like the second piece of dialogue is supposed to be spoken by one of his captors (the Assault Raider accompanying the jump bot, probably) rather than by General Z.

You shouldn't roleplay blank slate mystery characters who don't talk, for the same reason you shouldn't roll an edgy rogue who lurks in the corner of the tavern with their hood up not speaking to anyone - everyone else in the party is going to go have adventures while you sit around looking mysterious. Like yes, that is a character archetype that exists - in written fiction where the author has complete control over what happens. In an improv setting where other people need to play off you, you need to be giving something to play off.

Both of LGBT Plus Ultra's parents are cops; her childhood was defined by absence, arguments, and reflected stress. As an only child often left to her own devices (and often having to find her own safe places out of the home) she spent a lot of time roaming Skyway City, finding her own fun. It was when she came out to her parents at the age of 15 that things really went wrong. After the yelling stopped, they gave her an ultimatum: never talk about this stupid "lesbian" idea again, or get out of their house. She spent a full year bottling up her identity... then came her first kiss, her first real happiness, and the first expression of her powers. Once that rainbow energy had erupted forth, she knew there was no going back. That night, she packed her bags and left, never to return. Her parents still live in Skyway somewhere, but they haven't spoken since that day. Sometimes she can't help but wonder what they're up to. Would they still hate her if she came back? Would they be proud of who she grew up to be? Then she remembers everything she would have to sacrifice to earn their approval, and the yearning passes.

Generic bosses from Defeat Boss paper missions sometimes use this line, which is missing the period on the end. This line seems to be used across several different factions and bosses.

Death has nipped at the heels of Mental Killness from the moment she plummeted to the depths of the Rogue Isles. In fact, the first thing she remembers is snapping out of a daze with a knife between her ribs. She recalls clutching at the face of her attacker, and hearing him howl as his mind shattered. Then waking up on a blood-stained table, her wound roughly stitched, and taking the first of many debts. Since then she has been in thrall to many shadowy masters, all of which have treated her as a disposable asset. Powerful but uncontrolled, she makes for the perfect walking bomb - just wind her up, coerce her into invading the local Longbow offices, and you've got an instant mass casualty event. Whether or not she survives is secondary to those who control her. One day her luck - if that's what you can call it - is going to run out, and when that happens, nobody is going to shed a tear for her. Until that day comes, she's going to bite and scratch and fight desperately to balance on that knife's edge between life and oblivion.

Usually the very first thing I do on a character is run over to Ms Liberty/the Arbiter and set up costume 2 (an outfit for their profession e.g. lab gear for a scientist) and costume 3 (civilian clothes for, say, hanging out in Pocket D). Depending on the concept I might make more while they're free.

Hey, I totally get it. I'm queer myself and I constantly use my characters to live out my fantasies (protecting queer kids, having a social life, shooting rainbows out of my hands... you know, usual stuff). I think it's kind of a natural part of roleplaying that our own experiences end up influencing the roles we play. Either way, I'm really happy to hear you're living your best life now 🥰

My solution to this issue is to be dumb as a brick irl.

We all have an array of weird, wacky and wonderful characters with all sorts of backstories and personalities. Yet, at least personally, I find that there are certain things that keep cropping up across all of my toons. I guess they're my own preferences and biases in action. I think it's an interesting thing to reflect on so I thought I'd share some random ideas. One thing I noticed is that I never play rich characters. Maybe it's just because of my own life circumstances, but the idea just doesn't really interest me; I think characters are much more intriguing when they face real world struggles, and being financially privileged simply removes a lot of that. Not to say you can't have an intriguing wealthy character, but I just don't do it by default for some reason. How about you?

For LGBT Plus Ultra, any unexpected windfall would be a lifesaver. She’s in debt to her landlord, the owner of the rooms for the youth group, her student loans, and even her healthcare provider (seriously, how is capitalism still clinging to life with all the super science and technology we have going on??); they’ll get pretty much everything she finds. If the amount is big enough to pay off all those debts, then first off, holy shit her life is changed, oh my lord Jesus or Satan or whoever sent this money thank you thank you I am in your debt. Anything left over would probably go towards helping out any of the kids who are in dire financial straits. Mental Killness is also in debt, but to the kind of very bad people in the Rogue Isles with whom you can’t ever settle your obligations. Any money she has goes straight to them; no matter how much that was, she still has to do some dirty work for them to cover the rest… and that ends her up in debt to someone else. It’s a vicious cycle that repeats itself every day all over the Etoile isles, and the villain who was once a hero is now irrevocably trapped in it. Within two days of receipt, Screamin’ Eagle has already spent everything on whatever took his whim at the time. Voucher for one hundred Mariachi lessons? World’s largest water bed? A solid gold trophy that says “Paragon’s Bestest Hero”? All this crap and more is already on its way to the bridge he lives under.

Every time someone complains about knockback, I add another KB enhancement to my En/En Blaster.

LGBT Plus Ultra pretty much just started out as a funny name, but then she turned into my favourite RP character. I kinda just play her off the top of my head, but if I had to cite some vague inspirations, it'd be the 2009 Power Girl run with Amanda Conner (for the "hero with a home life" thing) and Toy Box from Alan Moore's Top 10. I guess some modern queer media like Lumberjanes, She-Ra, and Owl House too.

Oh hey, I'm pretty sure you let me door sit while you were power levelling Artemis with Shiva Basher. Funny seeing them here.

LGBT Plus Ultra: Cassie doesn't get all that much time off. Between volunteering, her band, working her day job, and doing the hero stuff, she's lucky if she gets more than an evening or two a week. When she does find herself at loose ends, she goes and works the bar in Pocket D. Now you might think that's a little unusual; who the hell relaxes by working another job? Usually she would agree with you, but working the Pocket isn't really like any other job. People don't order all that many drinks, and when they do, it's weird and wonderful stuff she has fun making. Heroes and villains both tip well, and everyone has a smile for the person bringing them alcohol. The rest of the time, she gets to lean on the bar, chill out, and meet new people. There are a lot of very attractive women (in giant, tiny, animal, insect, or ghost varieties) hanging around. It's practically a queer bar! Plus you're guaranteed to have a fight-free night. All in all, it's a good experience to unwind after a stressful day.

In her shitty, rusted mail collection box with the broken lock (the one her landlord refuses to fix) nestled amongst the usual bills (the ones she can't really pay) Cassie Knowles finds an unmarked envelope. This isn't usual for her. I mean, the big heroes probably get tons of these, right? Fan mail or death threats or anthrax bombs. But LGBT Plus Ultra isn't exactly a big name. Maybe there's a few Skulls out there with a grudge, but nobody connected enough to work out where she lives. She brings it inside with the rest of the crap, dumping it on the creaking table that serves as her combined desk, dining area, and kitchen worksurface. By the time she's done sorting through the official stuff, she has to go - the youth group is on, and there are kids who need her help. The envelope is still there when she returns in the evening, feet aching from the long commute. She doesn't think about it for a bit. She's too worried about one of the teens from the youth group. A young man called Jamal. His mother had disappeared in the Galaxy City disaster, and now his father was threatening to kick him out on the street because he was gay. Jamal hadn't turned up today. That happened sometimes - it couldn't be a good fit for everyone, after all - but Jamal had been really opening up over his last few visits. Cassie is pacing, biting her nails (long since ground down to nubs) when her gaze passes over the envelope. She stares at it for a long moment, fatigue gumming up her thoughts, then grabs it and rips it open. It's from Jamal. His father had finally thrown him out of the house. With nowhere to turn to, he had gone to meet one of his friends. A friend who was in the Skulls. He wasn't totally sure, but they promised food, shelter, a community. A place to belong. Cassie's blood began pumping again. Hurriedly drawing her curtains (cheap, shitty linen - they barely blocked the street lights, let alone what was about to happen), she closed her eyes and concentrated. Anyone outside the apartment would have seen a rainbow of scintillating colours shining out through the curtains. For a moment, that garbage apartment in the worst part of King's Row was beautiful. Then the window slammed open, and a shining blur of light rocketed out over the rooftops. King's Row might not treat Cassie right. But like hell was she going to let it eat up another kid. She'd seen that happen too many times already. In the apartment, the paper envelope swirls gently through the air, before coming to rest on splintering floorboards.

Capped Male Gaze Defence - spend 1 hour in Pocket D as a female toon without receiving a private message

...on their successful gender transition. I guess Arachnos benefits cover HRT and surgery too.

I'd really like it if we could remove the gender lock on certain options. I understand that not everything will transfer across cleanly, but there are particular things, like facial hair, where I can't see any reason for them to be locked. (Yes, I have had at least one female character who needed a goatee. For reasons.)

You can also go to the Tiki Lounge in Pocket D (which conveniently is where the VIP teleporter drops you) and talk to Tina the Body Sculptor on the walkway across from the door.

This is more based off a personal problem, but perhaps some people will agree with me. I like roleplaying. It's fun to make your character a real character, rather than just a bio and a pile of stats. But it sometimes feels like I'm wasting my time hanging out in Pocket D (even when it's a lot of fun!) because I could be out in the city grinding missions and getting XP. I remember hearing that the philosophy for Homecoming was that all modes of play should be equally rewarding. Should that include roleplaying? I'm not suggesting anything drastic - you obviously don't want people power levelling while AFK - but a steady trickle of experience if you've got the new Roleplaying tag on (and you haven't earned any other xp for some time) might be a nice concession. I remember many roleplaying servers in games like Neverwinter Nights would actually track if you were talking near other people and you'd get XP that way. Hell, even just accumulating patrol XP while logged in and roleplaying might be nice. Is anyone with me on this or am I just daft?

Just for reference the redside mayhem contact is called Lord Schwienzer. I cant for the life of me remember the blue one though. Agent Hassan I think?

PBAoE is Player-Based AoE, and almost always refers to effects coming from your own character, so it should be around the Corruptor.

Unfortunately there's no inherent option to alternate costume pieces. Champions Online allowed this, but it wasn't possible in CoX outside of certain specific costume pieces (like the robot arms, peg leg etc) and those can't always be modified. Edit: that said I have heard rumours that some of the volunteer devs are looking at making this possible.

Hi Flash, love your style. Could I have a rough quote on what a standard half body shot might cost? 100 quid is a bit steep.for me this month, but I'd be interested in the cheaper option.