Mastermind Primary: Prehistoric Mastery

[Little Big Demon]

Before I begin a little disclaimer: I am well aware of just how absurd the amount of work that would have to go into creating any new mastermind sets. I am also aware that I am not a balance expert. This is just an idea for fun!

 

A scientist toiled away in their lab for years, yearning to recreate lives long lost.

An adventurer exploring vast untouched jungles finds new beasts that slowly become companions.

A timetraveller journeyed to the distant past and came back with more than they should have.

Frozen in ice a much less.. Or perhaps differently evolved human is thawed out along with their 'pack'.

A sorcerer expelling the circle of thorns from yet another ruined temple finds a curious set of eggs. 

Dinosaur Masterminds. A cousin to beast mastery with a bit more scales and maybe as many feathers.  

 

 

The Powerset:

Option 1 Bash:

(Melee Single Target, Moderate Smashing)

So I literally just want to give this set the option to run around with a caveman club, but that would make two of the mastermind abilities melee by pulling them from the War Mace powerset and I have no idea how well that would play out in game. So I've come up with the caveman-club powers and alternative normally ranged MM powers. Given how melee focused the pets are though, I feel like the club would be fun to use.

 

Option 2 Volcanic Vent: 

(Ranged Single Target, Minor Fire, minor fire DoT)

You tap into the geothermal power of the earth and release a stream of hot gasses on a single target. Deals minor fire damage and minor fire DoT.

 

 

 

Raptor Pack:

You command up to three Utahraptors at once. The raptors are intelligent, fast, and lethal operating as a malicious unit of teeth and claws. Although there is no hierarchy among the raptors they do flourish with numbers and gain a stacking buff to their movement speed and tohit based on how many raptors are nearby. 

 

Raptor abilities:

 

Resistance (Resist Lethal, fire, toxic.  Def Psionic. Sleep, endurance drain protection)

Raptors hard scales and cooldblooded nature grant a resistance to lethal, fire, and toxic. Their primitive minds also mean psionic attacks are less likely to affect them.  

 

Raptor Claws (Melee, Moderate Lethal, High Lethal DoT, Slow)

Raptors strike with their powerful claws, causing bleeding and hindering their prey.

 

Gnash (Melee, High Lethal)

Raptors bite at their prey. 

 

 

 

Option 1 Jawbreaker:

(Melee single target, high Smashing, knockup)

Potentially at reduced damage, but the Jawbreaker ability for its knockup. 

 

Option 2 Lava Plume:

(Ranged Single target, High fire, low fire DoT, knockup)

You release a plume of lava on a single target, dealing high fire damage, low fire DoT, and knocking up the target.

 

 

 

Evolution:

Your dinosaurs adapt to the city's environments.

 

 

Raptors gain:

 

Feast (Defeated foe, aoe heal over time, +speed, slow resist) 

Raptors will devour any meal they can. Defeated foes can be feasted on by the pack to recover health over time and grant a burst of speed and slow resist. This ability only affects Raptors and can only stack twice while additional applications refresh the duration. Raptors will naturally seek out meals if set to aggressive and not already on a target, but can also be directed to feast on defeated foes by using attack target command.

 

Pounce (Ranged single target, shortrange teleport to target, high lethal damage, moderate lethal DoT)

Raptors can pounce onto their prey, attempting to rip it apart. 

 

 

 

Triceratops gains:

 

Thrash (PBAoE, Moderate Smashing, knockdown, stun) 

Triceratops thrashes its heavy body about, smashing and knocking down any enemies close enough to be hit and stunning them. 

 

Bellow (PBAoE taunt +damage to allies per nearby enemy)

Triceratops bellows loudly drawing the attention of all nearby enemies. The show of defiance encourages his allies buffing their damage more the worse the odds seem. Caps at 10 enemies.

 

 

 

Pteranodon gains:

 

Shout (Ranged single target, heavy smashing/energy, -resistance)   

Pteranodon blasts their foe with a tremendous shout, damaging and reducing their resistance.

 

Aero Burst (Targeted AoE, foe -tohit, -damage) 

Pteranodon dives towards its enemies, breaking the sonic barrier at the lowpoint of its swoop. Aero Burst impairs the hearing and sight of all enemies in the area and creates strange airflows temporarily reducing the impact of all their abilities.

 

 

 

T-Rex gains:

 

Tailswipe (PBAoE High Smashing, knockback) 

The T-Rex spins around, swiping with its tail, knocking back all nearby enemies and dealing massive smashing damage. 

 

Devouring Maw (Single target Melee, extreme lethal/toxic, Special) 

The T-Rex attempts to devour a target. Regardless of success, it deals extreme lethal and toxic damage. If this ability defeats the foe the enemy ragdoll is immediately vanished.

 

If you tell your T-Rex to attack a defeated target they will devour them if this ability is not on cooldown, granting a sizable heal for your T-rex based on target rank and AoE endurance discount for your pets. 

 

Option 1 & 2 Tar Pit:

(Either PBAoE or Location Based AoE, Moderate Fire DoT, Slow, -Jump)

 

You strike the ground and create a tarpit at your location. Enemies within the pit will suffer moderate fire damage over time, a large slow, and be unable to jump. 

 Wide PBAoE

 

Alternative would be the same ability but location-target AoE much like Whirlpool.

 

 

Jurassic Beasts:

 

You command a protective triceratops (level 12) and aggressive pteranodon. Your Triceratops is a bulky machine of war acting to protect its kind, while your ptera keeps watch over the battlefield able to strike swiftly and identify weaknesses. 

 

Trike:

 

Resistances (+Max HP, Resist smashing, lethal, fire, cold, toxic. Defence melee, ranged, aoe, Psionic. Hold, stun, knockback, immobilize protection)

Triceratops is a tough and naturally amoured creature.

 

Headbutt (Melee, High Smashing, knockback, chance to stun)

Triceratops bashes an enemy with great force, knocking them back and potentially stunning them.

 

Grant Cover (Toggle AoE Defence ranged, melee, AoE)

Triceratops will protect those close to it, using its shield-like body to keep other dinosaurs and its master safe.

 

 

 

Pteranodon:

 

Resistances (Self fly +Ranged and AoE defence while flying, Resist Lethal, Fire, cold, toxic. Defence, Psionic. Sleep protection. Stun, immobilize resistance)

Pteranodon can naturally fly and will only land if told to or brought down by enemy abilities. They are also agile in the air, able to dodge ranged attacks easily.

 

Divebomb (Melee with high base range, Extreme Lethal, Knockdown, -Fly, -Defence -Resist) 

Pteranodon quickly divebombs a target catching it offguard and lowering its defences. If the target is in the air the Ptera will attempt to knock it out of the skies.

 

Shriek (Ranged single target, minor smashing/energy damage -resist)

Pteranodon lets forth a quick shriek, lowering the target's damage resistance.

 

Bird's Eye (Targeted AoE, -Resist, -Defence)

Pteranodon is an experienced hunter able to identify weakness in its prey. They can call out these weaknesses to their pact, This ability will have a reduced effect on enemies surrounding the primary target. 

 

 

Fossilization:

You select one of your dinosaurs to be covered in hot melting tar, granting them a damaging aura (Fire) that also reduced enemy speed, recharge, and range. The range debuff lasts significantly longer.  

 

 

Tyrant Rex:

 

The ground shakes at the footsteps of the king of all dinosaurs. A terrifying T-Rex is under your command looking for any excuse to rampage across the city. 

 

Rex:

 

Resistance (Resist Smashing, Lethal, Fire, Toxic. Defence Psionic. Protection for Fear, Immobilize, knockback. Resistance to slow and holds)

Through sheer size, strength, and refusal to die the T-Rex is a durable monster. 

 

Roar (Cone Fear, moderate Toxic DoT)

T-rex roars in a display of dominance. Most foes will experience terror and the spit from the t-rex is like caustic acid. 

 

Chomp (Melee cone, high lethal, high lethal DoT, Chance for toxic DoT)

T-rex chomps down on as many foes it can fit into its jaws causing extreme lethal damage and bleeding over time. The caustic saliva may also cause additional toxic damage.

 

 

Extinction:
Rapid evolution has dramatically changed your dinosaurs into brutal crime fighting/doing machines.

 

Raptors gain:

Clever Pack (Toggle, Self+ Stealth, +Defence, Self +Special)

Raptors are hunters not by size but by skill and intelligence for their time. Your raptors have evolved to understand modern times and are adapt in their new environments. Out of combat raptors will have a reduced threat level, will be stealthed and difficult to detect but not impossible, and granted an out of combat defence bonus. In combat they will lose most of these bonuses. Raptors striking from out of combat will deal additional lethal damage and grant themselves and all other raptors a stack of "Surprise". Each stack of surprise will reduce the recharge of their abilities by 20% for its duration as well as reduced casttimes. (Not sure if pets are capable of being coded for this, if not then each stack increases their damage and accuracy by X%)  

 

 

 

Triceratops gains:

 

Stampede (Targeted AoE teleport, high smashing damage, knockdown)

Triceratops stampedes to a target location, dealing high smashing damage and knocking down all foes.

 

Determined to Survive (Self +Absorb)

Triceratops's bone and carapace have adapted to quickly regenerate extra mass in times of stress, acting as an extra shield. 

 

 

 

Pteranodon gains:

Aero Rush (Targeted AoE, High Smashing/Energy DoT, -Resist)

Pteranodon's wings have developed allow it to swoop down and create a vortex of wind shredding apart foes and tearing down their resistances.

 

Ancient Song (Single target ranged, -Damage -Secondary effect -Special, Chance to confuse)

Pteranodon's vocal cords have specialized to create unique songs capable of reducing the effectiveness of many attacks. This song can also be disorienting and confuse a target. 

 

 

 

T-Rex gains:

 

Tyrannical Flames (Short ranged AoE high fire/toxic, minor fire DoT)

The caustic saliva of the T-Rex has become highly flammable, and something in the beast has begun to ignite it. The T-Rex is capable of lobbing a short ranged ball of acid and fire at a target causing high fire/toxic damage and minor fire over time damage.

 

Meteor Bite (Single target Melee Extreme Lethal/Fire, Hold)

The T-Rex fills its mouth with flame and viciously bites its foe. The fumes of the burning saliva can leave survivors choking.

[boggo2300]

awesome, would need a lot of modelling work, but man it would be cool

Edited January 10, 2020 by boggo2300
spellllllliiiinnngg

[SubZippo]

Yeah file this under a great idea that'd be almost impossible with the current engine.  Let's hope it makes it to City of Heroes 2.

[Galaxy Brain]

Raptors better have feathers 🤓

 

Honestly though, awesome idea! I like how the t2 pets are totally different and just having a flying pet alone is super unique!

[DrRocket]

I usually don't go crazy on new Archtype class additions, but this one is truly cool and very well thought out

 

Signed

[Cutter]

I'm not much of a Mastermind player, but I am all over this. Well thought out!

[Sailboat]

Love it!  Not sure I want the T-Rex to breathe fire...I'd settle for eating lawyers...but I would totally play a dino summoner, maybe several.

[dangeraaron10]

 

Edit:  What's cool is if there's every a pteranodon model added to the game, that could make a great P2W shapeshift travel power!  A little salty they removed Pteranadon Shapeshift in DCUO so it'd be like coming full circle for it to show up in Homecoming.  

Edited January 11, 2020 by dangeraaron10

[Razor Cure]

Yesssssssssssss!

[Lines]

This is a huge amount of work, but the bulk of the artwork isn't the sort of thing that HC need commit time to. These sorts of models and animations just need an independant hobbyist model maker and animator with a bit of time and know-how. It's not totally beyond the realm of possibility.

 

Afaik, the collective community wisdom hasn't cracked the process of making new assets like this yet, though I've not had my ear to the ground recently. I know there is a 3DS max plugin for CoH models in the works, however, which would be an excellent step towards this sort of thing.

Edited January 11, 2020 by Lines

[biostem]

Since we're kind of going all "pie in the sky" with this set, here's what I'd propose:

 

Instead of the bash or volcanic gasses attacks, what if you instead used a variation of the beast bird attacks, only you substituted pteradons/pteradactyls instead?  Alternatively, maybe have some sort of sling attacks or throwing spears.  Heck, I think there's an enemy faction that does some sort of rock-throw attacks that could be repurposed...

[boggo2300]

4 minutes ago, biostem said:

Since we're kind of going all "pie in the sky" with this set, here's what I'd propose:

 

Instead of the bash or volcanic gasses attacks, what if you instead used a variation of the beast bird attacks, only you substituted pteradons/pteradactyls instead?  Alternatively, maybe have some sort of sling attacks or throwing spears.  Heck, I think there's an enemy faction that does some sort of rock-throw attacks that could be repurposed...

sling and spear would be kinda cool I agree

[Little Big Demon]

16 minutes ago, biostem said:

Since we're kind of going all "pie in the sky" with this set, here's what I'd propose:

 

Instead of the bash or volcanic gasses attacks, what if you instead used a variation of the beast bird attacks, only you substituted pteradons/pteradactyls instead?  Alternatively, maybe have some sort of sling attacks or throwing spears.  Heck, I think there's an enemy faction that does some sort of rock-throw attacks that could be repurposed...

Slings and spears work very well thematically, but I really wanted to give an identity to the set away from beasts so I wouldn't want to just copy throwing birds at people. 

 

For a ranged I decided on the vents to give a fire spin because there are already so many lethal MM personal attack sets. Demon summoning has fire too but its fire/toxic, this one would focus more on the straight fire idea and sort of make the battlefield feel a little more jurassik volcano with tar and lava. 

[Purrfekshawn]

Re:

Quote

 

Trike:

 

Resistances (+Max HP, Resist smashing, lethal, fire, cold, toxic. Defence melee, ranged, aoe, Psionic. Hold, stun, knockback, immobilize protection)

Triceratops is a tough and naturally amoured creature.

 

Btw:

 

Maybe make it resistive not to Cold, but to Energy damage, because thick scales conduct electricity pretty badly. While Cold damage may become weakness for every single of them (maybe make all dinos have innate -20% resistance to cold damage, similar to how Force Field Generator is vulnerable to Energy damage).

[Shadowsleuth]

13 hours ago, biostem said:

Instead of the bash or volcanic gasses attacks, what if you instead used a variation of the beast bird attacks, only you substituted pteradons/pteradactyls instead?  Alternatively, maybe have some sort of sling attacks or throwing spears.

 

Slings & Spears would be great (definitely my first choice), although a swarm of small dinos (Compsognathus & Dilophosaurus) could also be cool.

 

 

[Sailboat]

I like the way you think, but Dilophosaurus was 20 feet long. 

 

http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/d/dilophosaurus.html

[Troo]

Seems fun. Get started on the art and graphics and I'm sure they could plug it in somehow.