Player2

I'll try my hand at NPC-themed mastermind set: SLIME MONSTERS - Taste of Venom: low Toxic damage over time single target ranged attack that uses the same animation and effects as Poison -> Envenom. - Summon Spawn: summons 3 Hydra minions. Uses same animation as Poison -> Elixer of Life with effects from Experimentation -> Corrosive Vial as the pets climb up out of the pool on the ground. - Venom Blast: higher Toxic damage single target ranged attack that uses the same animation and effects as Poison -> Paralytic Poison. - Toxify Slime: upgrades and applies Slime aura to affect pets. Uses same animation and effects as Poison -> Alkaloid. - Toxic Spray: low toxic damage cone attack with slow effect that uses the same animation and effects as Poison -> Neurotoxic Breath. - Summon Protean: summons 2 Hydra lieutenants. Uses same animation as Poison -> Elixer of Life with effects from Experimentation -> Corrosive Vial as the pets climb up out of the pool on the ground. - Tentacle Frenzy: functions like Thugs -> Gang War but instead summons Hydra Tentacles. Uses same animation as Poison -> Venomous Gas with effects from Water Blast -> Whirlpool from which the tentacles emerge but are also each surrounded by a mini-whirlpool that follows under them as they move around. - Summon Man O' War: summons 1 Hydra boss. Uses same animation as Poison -> Elixer of Life with effects from Experimentation -> Corrosive Vial as the pets climb up out of the pool on the ground. - Upgrade Slime: upgrades and applies the Bubbles travel aura to pets. Uses same animation and effects as Poison -> Antidote.

I think you just did.

Clown specific MM would be harder. I mean, other COH servers have shown that you can literally make anything a pet that you could make in the character creator, but you're looking for stuff that would require new resources to be created with the clown nose and squirting flower. That is entirely unlikely to happen, especially since it would be for a very limited audience because I think for as many people as there are that would want that there are also people that specifically hate clowns and would not want that at all... like not just to play but also not want it around them in game with other players, NPCs, or whatever. I like to set more realistic possibilities. Anything that uses game resources that we already have would require a lot less work to implement as a new power set than something that requires new content to be created.

We have demons... why not devils?

After telling someone recruiting that I'm switching and asking them to hold a spot for me, I always send a tell when I log back in with the alt character by starting off with "<-- [name of character I previously contacted them on], invite please?" Something else I will do if I haven't played a given TF or trial in awhile or otherwise am not familiar with what's being recruited for, I start off by sending a tell to ask for a minimum level. Sometimes they just invite me and it works out, sometimes I get the answer to my question and can either follow up with asking for invite or declining because I'm under or letting them know I'm switching to a level appropriate alt. I have noticed --more with the Imperious TF than any others-- that there's often that one enthusiastic individual that wants in because it sounds good or there's not enough else going on or maybe they missed out on something else and just latching on to the next thing, whatever... but people show up after getting lost trying to figure out how to get to Cimerora and then being walked through getting the Midnighter badge in the Night Ward, that they will show up and be under the minimum level requirement. I've seen people a level or two short join up, sometimes be in their 20s, and at least once a level 17 made everyone wait and finally showed up only for everyone to realize we now have to wait on recruiting someone else. Basically... know your TF/Trial level requirements, but if you don't then just ask.

Does there need to be an change to appearance with upgrades? If so, then yes, adding auras to them would be a good way to go. Start with basic floating sword pet, basic upgrade could add a glowing aura to it to show its increased power, and if you want to get fancy an additional upgrade could add a travel power aura... perhaps Radiant or Rainbow.

No one wants to raise a dead horse. We just want to beat it.

I can't wait to drop a reaction on every post in this thread over a year from now... 😁

One teenie-tiny dark fey... originally made with the Redcap blade, but the glowing rapier was too good to pass up for an alternate weapon. Teaser Broadsword / Ninjitsu Stalker

Move over super soldier boys... this is the summer of the supermodel soldier ladies. Scuttlebutt Arsenal Control / Arsenal Assault Dominator The harness holds a special magnetic backpack that holds her weapon in place when not in use. She also has something a bit more conventional... for cooler weather.

Forgot one...

Some more... Big Girl, a science-based Willpower/Super Strength tanker who stands at maximum height (with maximum legs). She's another Rage-less super strength build like Pretty Strong Guy, but I play her a lot more often. Her clothes fit a lot better when she shrinks down to her 4' 10" size. Counterpunch, a Street Justice/Bio Armor scrapper. I think the gloves with chains kind of takes away from the everyday normal clothes stuff, but... whatever. The Dude-Man, a Staff/Ninjitsu Stalker who fights with a broom to clean up the streets when he's not "cleaning up the streets." The Man-Dude, cousin of the Dude-Man... just another Willpower/Super Strength build. This one has Rage and I never really liked it, but it suits him. Googly Moogly, a Dark/Psionic dominator... not @GM_GooglyMoogly. Halloween Girl, like Big Girl, she's one of my elite... a Dark/Storm corruptor. She's a bit gothy, but still sorta normal-ish. Heritage, a Katana/Ninjitsu scrapper with a mix of traditional and contemporary fashions. She has costumes that are more Asian-thematic, but I usually use this one. Playmate, a Claws/Willpower stalker of a child that is both empowered and motivated by the wicked little critter perched on her shoulder, which may or may not be some kind of demon or imp. Professor Studly, a Beam Rifle/Martial Combat blaster who is the perfect action hero... sexy, brainy scientist in a swimsuit that's also ready to throw down with some martial arts action if need be. Rock Singer, a Symphony/Earth dominator. Like Nadia Nightsong in my previous post, she's a stage performer in her "day job," but is ready to crank up the volume to 11 when she goes out to fight crime. Sonix, long before we had Symphony, I made this Sonic/Sonic blaster as a pop singer super hero with pipes to make the banshees cringe. Suggestive, an Illusion/Storm controller that I made more as a joke than anything. I tend to stick her with badge titles that fit well under her name. Currently she has Author from the AE badges, making her a Suggestive Author. Veganstein, a Plant/Empathy controller. He's awfully scrawny, but mostly from the lack of proper protein in his diet. Windy Skye, my favorite holdover from the Live servers... a hippie dippy Electric/Storm defender and one of my top five mains.

Oh, I do this a lot. Here's some of them: Amateur Archvillain, an Arachnos Soldier that struck out on her own as a rogue hoping to make it big time without the big bad spider organization backing her. Beat, a Symphony/Martial Assault dominator who freestyle rap battles when she isn't literally beating on heroes and villains alike for fun. Blue Collar Criminal, War Mace/Shield scrapper who wields a pipe wrench and hides behind a manhole cover for defense. The City Druid, a Thugs/Nature mastermind who commands the loyalty of some of what others would call the lowlifes of the city in her fight against those who would harm the environment. Although she frequently fights on the side of good, she's still something of an eco-terrorist. Cloudbreak is an Electric/Dark brute in a pretty ordinary dress (aside from her bracelets which may or may not be the source of her power). Once she enters battle, she becomes an animated stormcloud lashing out with lightning strikes and the occasional hail storm. The Expert is an Assault Rifle/Martial Combat blaster and retired Longbow agent that occasionally comes out to help with tough missions. (I made him in the likeness of Stan Lee. Excelsior!!) The Hillbilly Hero, a Staff/Bio Armor scrapper who gets his power from alcohol. The Junkyard Scrapper is not a scrapper at all, but a Gravity/Martial Assault dominator. He does some melee, but really he just loves throwing junk at everyone. The Long Cool Woman (in a black dress) is a Mind/Cold controller. Just one look and you'll be a bad mess, because that long cool woman has it all. The Man-God, a Street Justice/Invulnerability brute. He's a streetwise super man who upholds truth, justice, and the American way... very violently... and without a shirt. Nadia Nightsong, a Symphony/Dark controller who patrols the streets to seek out criminal intent after hours and when she isn't performing on stage. Perfectly Ordinary, a Dual Pistols/Martial Combat blaster with no special backstory. She owns guns, knows how to fight, and takes it to the criminals. The Pizza Delivery Man, another Gravity/Martial dominator... because it's fun and funny. This one delivers! Pretty Strong Guy, my Rage-less Willpower/Super Strength tanker. He can carry like 6 folding chairs all by himself. Wilde Kingdom, a Savage/Willpower brute that transforms into different animal-human hybrid forms for combat... but she's been known to mix it up in her street clothes from time to time.

So basically this update has made Body Mastery Ancillary pool unskippable because Focused Accuracy is a must have power? Seems like bad design, especially since they introduced new Ancillary pools for every AT.

I just wanted to point out that I started a new stalker this winter and after 6 levels in Atlas Park, I decided to go badge hunting. I leveled up to 24 exclusively on badge XP, and I'm pretty sure I missed some stuff like the obvious level-restricted zones like The Hive.

The single biggest benefit to my lots and lots of alts is the Re-Use/Recycle strategy. I play my early levels with the boosters available at the S.T.A.R.T. vendor and slot in any useful DOs and SOs as I find them. When I hit level 27, I use basic Invention Origin enhancements because they're better than the level 50 SOs when you reach level 50, while the level 25 ones are a little sub-par. I usually respec my characters one or twice throughout their advancement, usually when there's a major change to how something in the game works or if I've found a new way that works better than something I've been doing. Whenever I do a respec, I leave all my old enhancements in storage bins in my personal SG base and upgrade to better things. Sometimes this means buying some new stuff with higher level characters that can afford it, but it always means that my lower level toons can save their influence for later on too as they pick up the hand-me-downs at level 27.

I think the only limitation I've stumbled across for this is the teleporters and teleport beacons. If you put up a tech teleport beacon, which looks like a television monitor with a scene from the zone you would teleport into, you must use one of the teleporter options in the Tech category. Likewise, if you put up one of the Arcane beacons which look like open scrolls, then you must use one of the Arcane teleporter options.

I'm playing with naming stuff all the time, and often leaving my leftovers in the server specific Name Release threads when I'm done. What name were you trying to get? Maybe I can help, because it's never too late to use the rename feature.

I didn't use the Creative Upscale, I used this one:

I signed up with an email to get the 50 free credits. Drag picture to the upload window on the left, then click the blue button that says Create. Under the button, there's a time estimate for how long it should take and some green text indicating that you'll be charged 2 credits for the generation.

Time to split Details 1 and 2 like they did for asymmetrical gloves, boots, and shoulders. I want sunglasses AND earmuffs. I'm guessing some people might want a beard/mustache AND a cigar. The head details are entirely too limited now for all of the options that are available. Also, can we get the halos moved from Auras to one of the Detail options? Why can't I have an angel with halo and a glowing eyes aura or the Feathers aura? Maybe not move Halos but just copy them to the head details because I'm sure some people enjoy the option of a combat Halo aura appearing when they start fighting. But we have the floating Retro SciFi (3 and 4) style halos that float above our head as a Detail 1 option, so why can't we have the traditional Halo there?

No, you get 50 free credits and can earn 100 more by joining their Discord... but you can use that feature for 2 credits each use.

Not quite the same, but I found OpenArt.ai which has an app to transform art (or game images) into more realistic photo quality images. Here's my favorite defender, Windy Skye... the base image I used from the game and how OpenArt interpreted it:

Some MM powerset ideas that I would like to see: Halloween Monsters: summons 2 zombies and witch, a pair of werewolves, and a vampire. Player attacks are flaming pumpkins like the Firbolg of Croatoa throw. Redcaps: standard array of minions, lieutenants, and a boss. At least one of your attacks should be the ability to hurl one at an enemy the ways bosses can. Coralax: standard array of minions, lieutenants, and a boss. Player attacks are water blast. Spirit Summoner: ghosts like the glowing green civilians in Croatoa... but maybe ghost pirate lieutenants, and a new unique one for the boss... or the giant spectre from Circle of Thorns. Maybe give the player sonic attacks so you could screech like a banshee. Coven: standard array of minions, lieutenants, and boss witches. Player attacks are storm blast attacks. Hydra: spawn, proteans, and man o' war... throw in a power similar to Thugs -> Gang War but with tentacles instead of thugs. Give players toxic blast attacks. Crime Circus: basically just use Carnies as pets and rename them. Player attacks would be the fire and those various rings that the Carnies toss at us.

Something I've asked for since back in the old days is that belt that has chain or barbed wire over tattered cloth... but just the cloth, no chain or barbed wire.