Monos King Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 (edited) A runtime of over 10 years. Multitudes of threads. Thousands of deaths. Hundreds of deleted or abandoned characters. To say that mercenaries is in poor condition, is to compare an ocean of blood to a surgical scar. I have sacrificed more than you could ever know to achieve this knowledge, and even now, I am monitored. I don't know that I will survive this suggestion. But for the sake of mercenaries, I take a solemn vow. I will make known my discovery! Bear witness, community, to your salvation! New Archetype: Mercenary/Mercenary Mercermind I've ran the numbers. The only way to save mercenaries is to make more mercenaries. Two negatives are a positive. Double mercs is a masterpiece. Do you know how bad mercenaries are? You wouldn't unless you studied law because MERCENARIES ARE A CRIME! But with this new archetype, everything will be solved. City of Heroes is a game that is defined by it's accuracy and care for thematic aspects. It is in this we see why mercenaries are so bad. You cannot have a band of only 6 Mercs! There isn't any formation! People with guns can't beat people with powers if there are only 6 of them it's impossible. And when have army reinforcements ever worked in the movies!? Mercs have been thematically crippled because of CoHs own devotion to thematic accuracy. But, by simply doubling the numbers, you now have a proper army. At least 12 guys. Success. The Archetype: What it will look like Inherent: Supremacy A good Mastermind knows how to manage his Henchmen. The Mastermind imparts a bonus to his Henchmen's Accuracy and Damage only if he is nearby and has line of sight. Supremacy gives +25% Damage and +10% ToHit. It has a radius of 60'. Primary: Mercenaries Despite their reputations, Mercenaries are extremely loyal and dedicated soldiers. They are the best at what they do, and they always follow orders, exactly what a Mastermind needs. Mercenaries typically use conventional weapons and all Mercenaries have body armor that gives them resistance to smashing and lethal damage and their training makes them resistant to Confusion and Placate. Burst | Ranged, Moderate Damage(Lethal), Foe -Defense Quickly fires a Burst of rounds at a single target at very long range. Damage is average, but the fire rate is fast. Can also reduce the target's defense. Available from Level 1 Summon Soldier Calls forth one to three Mercenary Soldiers (depending on your level) to do your bidding. The third Soldier you gain will be a Medic. All sodiers use Sub Machine Guns, but these can be upgraded. You may only have 3 Soldiers under your control at any give time. If you attempt to call Soldiers, you can only replace the ones you have lost in battle. If you already have three, the power will fail. Available from Level 1 Slug | Ranged, High Damage(Lethal), Foe Knockback Fires a single Slug at a targeted foe. Firing a single Slug is slower than firing a Burst, but deals more damage, is longer range, and can knock down foes. Available from Level 2 Equip Mercenary | Equip Mercenaries Equip your Mercenary Henchmen with more advanced munitions and weaponry. This power permanently bestows new weapons and abilities to one Mercenary Henchman. The powers gained are unique and dependent upon the target Mercenary Henchman. This power only works on your Mercenary Henchmen and you can only Equip your Mercenary Henchmen once with this power. Available from Level 6 M30 Grenade | Ranged (Targeted Area of Effect), Moderate Damage(Lethal/Smash), Knockback Launches a Grenade at long range from beneath the barrel of your Assault Rifle. This explosion affects all within the blast radius, and can knock them back. Available from Level 8 Spec Ops | Summon Spec Ops You can enlist one to two highly skilled Spec Ops Mercenaries (depending on your level). Spec Ops weapons are highly accurate and long ranged, and they are adept in many different tactical weapons. Like all Henchmen, Spec Ops can be equipped with even deadlier munitions. You may only have 2 Spec Ops under your control at any given time. If you attempt to summon more Spec Ops, you can only replace the ones you have lost in battle. If you already have two, the power will fail. Available from Level 12 Serum | Ranged Buff | Kill Pet Special You can use a special Serum to turn one mercenary into a virtually Unstoppable walking corpse for a short time. Once the Mercenary is injected with this Serum, his Damage, chance to hit, Endurance Recovery, and Damage Resistance to all damage except Psionics, will be greatly increased. The target Mercenary will also be virtually immune to controlling effects including Disorient, Sleep, Hold, Immobilize, and Knockback. After the Serum wears off, the Mercenary will die Available from Level 18 Commando | Summon Commando Enlists one highly trained Commando. The Commando is a seasoned professional who favors heavy assault weapons. He is simply a one man army that can leave a wake of destruction in his path. In addition to standard Soldier resistance, the Commando's experience also makes him resistant to Fear and his rugged advanced training makes him slightly resistant to Fire, Cold, and Toxic Damage. You may only have 1 Commando under your control at any given time. If you attempt to summon another Commando, the power will fail. Available from Level 26 Tactical Upgrade | Upgrade Mercenaries Permanently Upgrade the most advanced tactical weapons and gears to all of your Mercenary Henchman. The Tactically Upgraded Mercenaries will gain powers, weapons, and munitions. The powers gained are unique and dependent upon the target Mercenary Henchman that is Upgraded. This power only works on your Mercenary Henchmen and you can only Upgrade your Mercenary Henchmen once with this power Available from Level 32 Secondary: Mercenaries Despite their reputations, Mercenaries are extremely loyal and dedicated soldiers. They are the best at what they do, and they always follow orders, but they are in grave danger. Mercenaries typically use ineffective conventional weapons and all Mercenaries have body armor that gives them resistance to and their training makes them resistant to Confusion and Placate. Like all mercenaries, they are more powerful the more of them in a unit- after all, there is strength in numbers. Other Burst | Ranged, Moderate Damage(Lethal), Foe -Defense Quickly fires a Burst of rounds at a single target at very long range. Damage is average, but the fire rate is fast. Can also reduce the target's defense. Available from Level 1 Second Soldier | Summon Soldier Calls forth one to three Mercenary Soldiers (depending on your level) to do your bidding. The third Soldier you gain will be a Medic. All sodiers use Sub Machine Guns, but these can be upgraded. You may only have 3 Soldiers under your control at any give time. If you attempt to call Soldiers, you can only replace the ones you have lost in battle. If you already have three, the power will fail. Available from Level 2 Second Slug | Ranged, High Damage(Lethal), Foe Knockback Fires a single Slug at a targeted foe. Firing a single Slug is slower than firing a Burst, but deals more damage, is longer range, and can knock down foes. Available from Level 4 Equip Mercenary | Equip Mercenaries Equip your Mercenary Henchmen with more advanced munitions and weaponry. This power permanently bestows new weapons and abilities to one Mercenary Henchman. The powers gained are unique and dependant upon the target Mercenary Henchman. This power only works on your Mercenary Henchmen and you can only Equip your Mercenary Henchmen once with this power. Available from Level 10 Moar M30 Grenade | Ranged (Targeted Area of Effect), Moderate Damage(Lethal/Smash), Knockback Launches a Grenade at long range from beneath the barrel of your Assault Rifle. This explosion affects all within the blast radius, and can knock them back. Available from Level 16 Several Spec Ops | Summon Spec Ops You can enlist one to two highly skilled Spec Ops Mercenaries (depending on your level). Spec Ops weapons are highly accurate and long ranged, and they are adept in many advanced tactical weapons. Like all Henchmen, Spec Ops can be eqipped with even deadlier munitions. You may only have 2 Spec Ops under your control at any given time. If you attempt to summon more Spec Ops, you can only replace the ones you have lost in battle. If you already have two, the power will fail. Available from Level 20 Super Serum | Ranged Buff | Buff Mercenary +Damage, +Resistance, +To Hit, +Recover You can use a special Serum to turn one mercenary into a virtually Unstoppable walking corpse for a short time. Once the Mercenary is injected with this Serum, his Damage, chance to hit, Endurance Recovery, and Damage Resistance to all damage except Psionics, will be greatly increased. The target Mercenary will also be virtually immune to controlling effects including Disorient, Sleep, Hold, Immobilize, and Knockback. After the Serum wears off, the Mercenary will still die Available from Level 28 Commando | Summon Commando Enlists one highly trained Commando. The Commando is a seasoned professional who favors heavy assault weapons. He is simply a one man army that can leave a wake of destruction in his path. In addition to standard Soldier resistance, the Commando's experience also makes him resistant to Fear and his rugged advanced training makes him slightly resistant to Fire, Cold, and Toxic Damage. You may only have 1 Commando under your control at any given time. If you attempt to summon another Commando, the power will fail. Available from Level 35 Tactical Upgrade| Upgrade Mercenaries Permanently Upgrade the most advanced tactical weapons and gears to all of your Mercenary Henchman. The Tactically Upgraded Mercenaries will gain powers, weapons, and munitions. The powers gained are unique and dependent upon the target Mercenary Henchman that is Upgraded. This power only works on your Mercenary Henchmen and you can only Upgrade your Mercenary Henchmen once with this power. Available from Level 38 Unique Epic Power Pool: Heavy Ammunitions Your ever increasing funds and knowledge have allowed you access to cutting-edge weaponry and protections that you may apply to both yourself and your squadron. Sublime Strategy | Passive AoE +elusivity | Click Moderate +Defense, +Regen 1.5m A great leader can command his subordinates even in combat. Selecting this power offers a moderate increase to elusivity to you and all nearby pets, and activating it will provide some defense and regeneration for a short time. Heavy Cannon | Ranged (Targeted Area of Effect), Heavy Damage(Smash/Fire), DoT (Fire) -Speed, Knockback. | Recharge 3 minutes You unleash a blast of smoldering lead and fire. Afflicted enemies will suffer from damage over time and reduced recharge, and may be knocked back. LRM Missile | Ranged (Targeted Area of Effect) Superior Damage(Smashing, Lethal), Foe: Knockback The LRM Rocket is a powerful piece of hardware. It is very accurate and has a very long range. The impressive round can knock down its target. You must be level 41 and have Heavy Cannon or Sublime Strategy before selecting this power. Heavy Fortification | Passive + res (all), +debuff resistance | Click Moderate +Res, + HP 1.5min. | Recharge 3 minutes Your experience and funds have afforded you access to intense environmental protection. Acquiring this power offers you and your pets a moderate increase to resistances to damage and debuffs, and activating it will increase your resistance further for a short time. Summon Sylvester | Click + minor res (all), +debuff resistance, +def (all), +HP for 5m | 4m duration | 15m recharge You summon the ultimate soldier. Sylvester will aid you in combat employing an arsenal of tactical weaponry, advanced strategy, and brute force. Sylvester's presence alone will offer you improved defenses for a short time, but his loyalties do not lie with you. While he will follow you through zones, the sounds of battle elsewhere will soon avert his attention. Sylvester Willie Pete Round | Ranged (Targeted Area of Effect), Lethal/Smashing, Knockback | DoT (Fire) Base Damage: 98.8 10% chance for Mag 1.65 knock Recharge 10s Heavy Cannon | Ranged (Targeted Area of Effect), Heavy Damage(Smash/Fire), DoT (Fire) -Speed, Knockback. Base Damage: 78.8 10% chance for Mag 1.65 knock Recharge 1m Smash | Melee, Smashing, Knockback Base Damage 88.8 Mag 0.65 knock Recharge 15s Unleash Potential | Self, +Regen, +Recovery, +Defense Duration: 30s Rech 10m Inherent Resistance 28.00 S/L 9 F/T/C What's that? Why is there duplicates of Tactical Upgrade and Equip mercenary in the secondary set? Because I ran the numbers. If this timeline wants mercs to survive, it needs this to happen. You believe that this is useless because you have nearly no means of supporting the weakest of the masterminds with a support secondary, and that even with a 12 pet supremacy you are bound to die instantly? Unequivocally false. And there you have it. The great secret. Appreciate this information, because the suits are about to kill me for it. I will be accepting tribute and money via discord for my noble sacrifice, and look forward to becoming the new idol of your worship. Edited July 1, 2020 by Monos King 6 2 2 1 The Mastermind Enthusiast City of Heroes Lore Discord MM Global Changes | The MM Wishlist Temporary Powers | Omnibus' Alchemist Archetype Is The Game Too Easy (2021)
Shazbotacus Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 The Imperial Guard would like to know your location 2
Gigaburger Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 Doubling the dps of mercs puts it more closely in line with necro. It still wouldnt come close to thugs, but its a start. I approve. 1
Capitancopyright Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 I’m not sure if it’s good or bad that having an AT that’s just a rip-off of mercs MMs with twice as many henchmen is still balanced. Mercs are just utter garbage, and that’s me being polite. Terrible damage, terrible survivability, honestly the only things that this set offers are extra bodyguard (which we all know will last 10 seconds before your pets get wiped) and heavy ammo. That being said, however, if making this heavy ammunitions thing is too hard I’d still like to see the AT with some generic copy pasted epic pool (just as the powersets were copy pasted from mercs lol). 2
Gigaburger Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 6 minutes ago, Zauhesi said: I’m not sure if it’s good or bad that having an AT that’s just a rip-off of mercs MMs with twice as many henchmen is still balanced. Mercs are just utter garbage, and that’s me being polite. Terrible damage, terrible survivability, honestly the only things that this set offers are extra bodyguard (which we all know will last 10 seconds before your pets get wiped) and heavy ammo. That being said, however, if making this heavy ammunitions thing is too hard I’d still like to see the AT with some generic copy pasted epic pool (just as the powersets were copy pasted from mercs lol). The only thing that can make utter garbage useable is twice as much garbage. I read that in a fortune cookie once I think. Vote yes for Mercermind, 1
Shazbotacus Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 I just wanna put this out there. Second worst ST DPS is necro at 195. Bots is 100 and Mercs is last at 90. Doubling Mercs is 180. Double mercs only makes them second worst at ST DPS. They are still behind Necro. 😂 1
Capitancopyright Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 (edited) 8 minutes ago, Shazbotacus said: I just wanna put this out there. Second worst ST DPS is necro at 195. Bots is 100 and Mercs is last at 90. Doubling Mercs is 180. Double mercs only makes them second worst at ST DPS. They are still behind Necro. 😂 Doesn’t that make necro third? I get the idea though. I repeat... utter garbage. They aren’t even as survivable as them. Edited July 1, 2020 by Zauhesi
Capitancopyright Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 I’m not sure if it’s good or bad that having an AT that’s just a rip-off of mercs MMs with twice as many henchmen is still balanced. Mercs are just utter garbage, and that’s me being polite. Terrible damage, terrible survivability, honestly the only things that this set offers are extra bodyguard (which we all know will last 10 seconds before your pets get wiped) and heavy ammo. That being said, however, if making this heavy ammunitions thing is too hard I’d still like to see the AT with some generic copy pasted epic pool (just as the powersets were copy pasted from mercs lol). Edit: I just realised... the availability of secondaries might need to get adjusted to normal secondary levels as opposed to being the exact same as primary.
Monos King Posted July 1, 2020 Author Posted July 1, 2020 1 minute ago, Zauhesi said: Edit: I just realised... the availability of secondaries might need to get adjusted to normal secondary levels as opposed to being the exact same as primary. U right The Mastermind Enthusiast City of Heroes Lore Discord MM Global Changes | The MM Wishlist Temporary Powers | Omnibus' Alchemist Archetype Is The Game Too Easy (2021)
Shazbotacus Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 6 hours ago, Zauhesi said: Doesn’t that make necro third? Yeah. Before and after doubling Mercs DPS, Necro’s position in the ST DPS running does not change, and Mercs is still behind them.
Tamorand Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 I like the idea of doubling Merc's damage. Honestly I'd like to see it tripled. I hate the idea of 12 pets. But that's only from the perspective of >>> My Gawd! There's 2 Mercaminds on this team.... 24 pets on top of everything else and what they brought to the table.
Redlynne Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 12 hours ago, Monos King said: I've ran the numbers. The only way to save mercenaries is to make more mercenaries. Double mercs is a masterpiece. Do you know how bad mercenaries are? You cannot have a band of only 6 Mercs! And here I was hoping your suggestion would be to change the Summon powers to give Mercenaries DOUBLE the number of Pets as all the other Mastermind primaries. 4 Soldiers. 2 Medics. 4 Spec Ops. 2 Commandos. Including the Mastermind, that's a 13 man squad+fire team. Sad that it would take doubling the quantity of Pets to bring Mercenaries up to PAR with other Mastermind primaries ... but it would also be a kind of inverse to Gang War in that you'd "permanently" have double Pets out, instead of only occasionally like Gang War (assuming you don't have Gang War recharge on perma with Thugs). Actually, now that the idea has been broached, I'm seriously thinking that a permanent 12 Pets summons for Mercenaries might be the simplest, easiest and dev time "cheapest" solution to the problems with Mercernaries underperforming. Why? Because ... Quantity has a Quality all of its own ... With Mercenaries, it's not about the INDIVIDUAL soldier ... it's about the TEAM ... and how the teamwork WORKS ... Verbogeny is one of many pleasurettes afforded a creatific thinkerizer.
Crater Kate Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 When buffing sets, I think it's important to consider what the set is good at or supposed to be good at. Luckily, Mercs already excels at something and if we go all in on that strength, I think the set becomes great, if not OP! It's a simple fix, and doesn't even require something as complex as adding more minions. So what is it that Mercs excel at that I'm talking about? What is Mercs' claim to fame? Why, SHELL CASINGS of course! Mercs is all about little brass doohickies flying everywhere as your soldiers kill nothing and die instantly. But killing nothing and dying instantly doesn't matter because OH MY GOD LOOK AT ALL THAT BRASS. I actually workshopped out this problem a little, and came up with a formula that I used to derive my conclusion: n = F = P Where n is the number of shell casings on screen, F is the net total fun YOU are having, and P is the set's absolute amount of power. It might not be apparent at first glance, but with a little math, you can determine that the more shell casings you have, the more fun you are having, and therefore the stronger the set is! So here is what I am proposing: One bullet makes TWO shells. I know, this idea might make me a radical. There is going to be a realist who comes along who tells me bullets don't have two shell casings, then Bopper is going to come along and tell me that shell casings don't actually improve damage and certainly don't improve survivability, but I am not going to be able to hear them because I'll be knee deep in brass. One bullet, two shells. Make it happen. 1 1
Emperor Cole Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 2 minutes ago, Crater Kate said: When buffing sets, I think it's important to consider what the set is good at or supposed to be good at. Luckily, Mercs already excels at something and if we go all in on that strength, I think the set becomes great, if not OP! It's a simple fix, and doesn't even require something as complex as adding more minions. So what is it that Mercs excel at that I'm talking about? What is Mercs' claim to fame? Why, SHELL CASINGS of course! Mercs is all about little brass doohickies flying everywhere as your soldiers kill nothing and die instantly. But killing nothing and dying instantly doesn't matter because OH MY GOD LOOK AT ALL THAT BRASS. I actually workshopped out this problem a little, and came up with a formula that I used to derive my conclusion: n = F = P Where n is the number of shell casings on screen, F is the net total fun YOU are having, and P is the set's absolute amount of power. It might not be apparent at first glance, but with a little math, you can determine that the more shell casings you have, the more fun you are having, and therefore the stronger the set is! So here is what I am proposing: One bullet makes TWO shells. I know, this idea might make me a radical. There is going to be a realist who comes along who tells me bullets don't have two shell casings, then Bopper is going to come along and tell me that shell casings don't actually improve damage and certainly don't improve survivability, but I am not going to be able to hear them because I'll be knee deep in brass. One bullet, two shells. Make it happen. Frankly, absolute genius. Nothing left to say.
ImpousVileTerror Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 It feels like this thread is taking the piss out of someone in particular . . .
Capitancopyright Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Redlynne said: And here I was hoping your suggestion would be to change the Summon powers to give Mercenaries DOUBLE the number of Pets as all the other Mastermind primaries. 4 Soldiers. 2 Medics. 4 Spec Ops. 2 Commandos. Including the Mastermind, that's a 13 man squad+fire team. Sad that it would take doubling the quantity of Pets to bring Mercenaries up to PAR with other Mastermind primaries ... but it would also be a kind of inverse to Gang War in that you'd "permanently" have double Pets out, instead of only occasionally like Gang War (assuming you don't have Gang War recharge on perma with Thugs). Actually, now that the idea has been broached, I'm seriously thinking that a permanent 12 Pets summons for Mercenaries might be the simplest, easiest and dev time "cheapest" solution to the problems with Mercernaries underperforming. Why? Because ... Quantity has a Quality all of its own ... With Mercenaries, it's not about the INDIVIDUAL soldier ... it's about the TEAM ... and how the teamwork WORKS ... I previously suggested that we replace serum with a permanent “reinforcements” summon thing. I was told that “zerging doesn’t fit mercs.” Here we are with the mercermind. I’d honestly be quite content with your suggestion being the reinforcements button instead of that useless serum but if this is what it takes then so be it. edit: or just flat out increasing summons as you said. Edited July 1, 2020 by Zauhesi
Redlynne Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, Crater Kate said: One bullet makes TWO shells. I know, this idea might make me a radical. There is going to be a realist who comes along who tells me bullets don't have two shell casings, then Bopper is going to come along and tell me that shell casings don't actually improve damage and certainly don't improve survivability, but I am not going to be able to hear them because I'll be knee deep in brass. One bullet, two shells. Make it happen. "We fire the WHOLE bullet!" "That's 66% More Bullet Per Bullet!" Cave Johnson, we're done here. 3 hours ago, Crater Kate said: So what is it that Mercs excel at that I'm talking about? What is Mercs' claim to fame? Why, SHELL CASINGS of course! Edited July 1, 2020 by Redlynne 1 1 Verbogeny is one of many pleasurettes afforded a creatific thinkerizer.
Capitancopyright Posted July 2, 2020 Posted July 2, 2020 5 hours ago, Redlynne said: "We fire the WHOLE bullet!" "That's 66% More Bullet Per Bullet!" Cave Johnson, we're done here. But if you fire the whole bullet you leave behind no shells.
Seravajan Posted September 10, 2020 Posted September 10, 2020 I would like to test this build. 😄 Sounds a lot of fun.
Dragon Crush Posted September 10, 2020 Posted September 10, 2020 Some might say your 2 times merc summoning goes too far, but I say 2x merc summoning doesn't go too far enough! I say change things so rather than doubling up on summoning mercenaries, you summon other merc masterminds as your pets with differing secondaries for each one. Tier 1 could have 1 secondary power with no updgrades, 2 with 1 upgrade, and 3 with final upgrade. Tier 2 can have 2/4/6 and tier 3 will be 3/6/9. This will be somewhat balanced by the karmic scale of mercs having always sucked and AI not knowing how to properly use powers. Downside of course is your tier ones summoning their tier ones at -6 to you, their tier 2's at -5 and their tier 3's at -3 (though your tier 3 will have normal adjustment). Upside? 6 times the mercenaries being thrown at the problem. Hell, you get 3 merc summoners working together I bet they'd outdo a single thug/time
Razor Cure Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 On 7/1/2020 at 3:14 PM, Gigaburger said: Doubling the dps of mercs puts it more closely in line with necro. It still wouldnt come close to thugs, but its a start. I approve. Are Mercs really that bad?? I am not doubting anyone here, but if making a set twice as good still leaves it behind..well, wow. Thats bad! I kinda like the idea of a Merc army! Also Necro..were those DPS numbers obtained in a vacuum? I had a Necro/Poison on Live (before and after poison buffs and pet IOs) and I STILL struggled to actually complete a single mob (of 2-5 dudes) without any pets dying. The DPS did not seem that amazing then. lol
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