Weekly Discussion 69: Patron Pools

[GM Miss]

Weekly discussion 69 - Week 9/20/20-9/26/20:

 

⚔️YOU VOTED: Let's build our own Patron Pools. Name your patron and build your set! (I know there was some interest in hero patrons, you can do that too!) ⚔️ 

 

❓Things to think about:

>Work by yourself or in a team! 
>Make sure to give all the details you can! List powers, animations, numbers, etc! 
>Think about balance and not making it to over or under powered.
>What patron pools would you like to see from Homecoming?

 

Want to know how I formatted last time we did this with power sets?
Check here: https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/22120-weekly-discussion-65-build-your-own-powerset-suggestions/
Or here: https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/22387-weekly-discussion-67-suggestions-epic-pool-powers/

Let's Chat 😄

Edited September 21, 2020 by GM Miss

[Troo]

Ooooo me like.

[Hew]

OH OH! I want a Penny Pool! (Yes, you could throw pennies in a pool, but thats not the same) I would fully expect to have her fluffy ball of doom as a pet!

 

Thats all I got. "I took the Penny Pool" sounds too awesome to forego.

[Troo]

Olympus (War and technology themed, ranged)

Plasma Blast (Ranged) Foe -Regeneration
Plasma burns are hard to heal. The burns can temporarily halt target's Regeneration rate.

 

Gas Swarm Missiles Ranged, Area of Effect, Lethal, Foe Hold
Can launch a pack of Gas Swarm Missiles

 

Incendiary Swarm Missiles Ranged, Area of Effect, Lethal, +Burn
Can launch a small pack of Incendiary Swarm Missiles

 

Resistance Toggle, Self
Resistances

 

Swarm Missiles Ranged, Area of Effect, Lethal, Foe Knockback
Can launch a large pack of Incendiary Swarm Missiles

 

 

King Spirit (Nature's dark side, melee)

 

Spoiler

 

Scorch (Melee, Fire) Damage Over Time (Fire)
The hands are engulfed in flames, igniting the target.

 

Cinders Point Blank Area of Effect, Foe Hold
Incapacitates foes around the caster by whirling Cinders around them. The targets are left helpless, choking on the soot. Recharge: Very Long.

 

Hidden Placate or Stealth
Can occasionally become untargetable or hide as a tree in plain sight.

 

Embraced Darkness Toggle: +DEF(All), +Res(Immobilize, Hold, Knockback), +Perception

Your enemies can see you but have difficulty catching you.

 

Fire Stomp (Melee, Point Blank Area of Effect, Foe Knockback) Damage over Time (Fire)
Set your enemies ablaze with this Fire Stomp.

 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2020 by Troo
added spoiler to save space

[Alchemystic]

Okay! So, I actually had a bit of material on this in preparation (including hero stuff!)

So here's what I'm thinking; we give villains access to two additional patron power pools (Lord Recluse and Red Widow), then we turn heroside and introduce a set of patron power pools themed around the six members of the Freedom Phalanx.

That way each side gets an expansive list of six total patron power pools that can compliment different playstyles and themes! (for those wondering how hero PPPs would be unlocked, I think the easiest solution would be to make them accessible after doing the Maria Jenkins arc)

 

Here's what I had in mind... I'll list about 12-15 powers for each patron which should provide enough material to formulate the archetype specific pools. Enjoy!

 

Lord Recluse - Dread Mastery

Spoiler

Lord Recluse is a hard villain to pin as far as core abilities go, as many of his powers are very much alike to Mace Mastery in nature.

However, I think by using some of the newer dark powers and some from NPCs like the Spirit Stalkers might work well here.

 

Example Powers:

 - Cloak of Fear

 - Oppressive Gloom

 - Fearsome Stare

 - Shadowy Binds

 - Dark grasp

 - Smite

 - Siphon Life

 - Touch of Fear

 - Shadowfire

 - Nether Barrage

 - Heart of Darkness

 - Dark Embrace

 - Dark Regeneration

 - Fade

 

Unique Pets: Summon Bane or Crab Spiders

 

Red Widow - Poison Mastery

Spoiler

Red Widow is a little easier to conceptualise as a character.

 

As a widow, she would be trained in assassination and subterfuge, so I think by actually including Poison as part of the powers along with some of the Widow themed abilities would be a nice way of doing it.

Example Powers:

 - Envenom

 - Weaken

 - Neurotoxic Breath

 - Venomous Gas

 - Immobilizing Dart

 - Paralyzing Dart

 - Spore Burst

 - Poison Dart

 - Dart Burst

 - Swipe

 - Spin

 - Lunge

 - Inoculation (new resistance power for smashing, lethal, toxic and psi)

 - Power Boost

 

Unique Pets: Arachnoids

 

Positron - Radiation Mastery

Spoiler

Positron is easy, the guy is all about radiation, and we have plenty of radiation powers readily available.

 

Since there are no ancillary powers that use radiation yet, that makes this a lot easier!

 

Example Powers:

 - Radiation Infection

 - EM Pulse

 - Beta Decay

 - Ground Zero

 - Radiant Aura

 - Electron Shackles

 - Positron Cell

 - X-Ray Beam

 - Electron Haze

 - Irradiate

 - Neutron Bomb

 - Radioactive Smash

 - Atom Smasher

 - Alpha Barrier

 - Radiation Therapy

 

Unique Pets: Radiation themed drones.

 

Citadel - Cyber Mastery

Spoiler

Citadel is a bit of a difficult one, I know he has energy powers, but I think there's potential for so much more.

 

So instead of focusing entirely on energy, we're going to use some of the unique abilities available to the praetorian PPD to play on the tech theme a little more.

 

Example Powers:

 - Repulsion Field

 - Energy Drain

 - Disrupt

 - Force Netting

 - Force Cage

 - Force Blast

 - Force Burst

 - Impact Bomb

 - Force Brawl

 - Force Maul

 - Force Shockwave

 - Kinetic Shield

 - Energy Cloak

 - Energize

 

Unique pets: Energy themed drones.

 

Manticore - Bow Mastery

Spoiler

Manticore is another easy one, he's all about archery, and thankfully there's plenty of stuff for bows in game already!

 

Archery and Trick Arrow have powers that pretty much tick all the boxes besides melee and defense.

 

Example Powers:

 - Poison Gas Arrow

 - Acid Arrow

 - EMP Arrow

 - Electrified Net Arrow

 - Ice Arrow

 - Aimed Shot

 - Blazing Arrow

 - Explosive Arrow

 - Fistful of Arrows

 - Ranged Shot

 - High Pain Tolerance

 - Heightened Senses

 - Eagle Eye

 - Boost Range

 - Upshot

 

Unique Pets: Wyvern operatives

 

Numina - Will Mastery

Spoiler

Numina is a little harder, especially with so much crossover with Penelope Yin.

I think using similar powers to the ones she possesses works best, as Penelope Yin would have her own take on psionic abilities.

 

Example Powers:

 - Healing Aura

 - Drain Psyche

 - World of Confusion

 - Terrify

 - Mesmerize

 - Dominate

 - Mass Hypnosis

 - Mental Blast

 - Psionic Tornado

 - Mind Probe

 - Telekinetic Thrust

 - Psychic Shockwave

 - Mind Over Body

 - Indomitable Will

 - Reconstruction 

 

Unique pets: Psychic apparitions

 

Penelope Yin - Psyche Mastery

Spoiler

Penny Yin is new to the Freedom Phalanx, so to make it fit, I think we should also include some of the new powers she can showcase.

Both verison of Penny Yin, along with The Awakened, have a multitude of powers that aren't available to players that could be used here.

 

Example Powers:

 - Mental Breakdown

 - Anguishing Cry

 - Nullify Pain

 - Subdue

 - Psionic prison

 - Psionic Shock

 - Psionic Lightning

 - Psionic Wounds

 - Psionic Fury

 - Psi Blade

 - Psi Blade Sweep

 - Greater Psi Blade

 - Mind Over Body

 - Indomitable Will

 

Unique pets: Psionic Nexus

 

Synapse - Speed Mastery

Spoiler

Synapse is a little harder, he's electrical based, but I think with Mu Mastery we don't want to focus entirely on that.

 

Instead, we focus on certain speed themed powers from Time, Martial, Elec and Reflexes powersets and attempt to create new ones to supplement it.

 

Example Powers:

 - Slowed Response

 - Reaction Time

 - Lightning Field

 - Chronos

 -Time Crawl

 - Distortion Field

 - Lightning Flurry (Flurry, but smashing/energy)

 - Lightning Kicks (The old Chun-Li style crane kick animation, with smashing/energy damage)

 - Burst of Speed

 - Focused Fighting

 - Lightning Reflexes

 - Energize

 - Elude

 

Unique pets: Speed/Lightning Clones

 

 

Edited September 23, 2020 by Tyrannical

[Replacement]

I would like to see more patrons/epics-in-general bend ATs in new and interesting ways instead of hitting particular, identical marks per set.  I don't really have precise powers but as an example:
 

Ms Liberty - Command Mastery: A pool composed mostly of location aoe buffs/debuffs and enemy target debuffs that leave a visible mark on the target.  

Basically, this is what Leadership should have been, where your player leadership (calling out where to herd enemies and gather players, who to target next) affects the flow of battle, with real benefits to following those orders.

 

You could also rationalize Ms Liberty giving some ATs Martial Mastery instead.

[FoulVileTerror]

I feel you're way off the mark with Chaos Mastery on Recluse there, @Tyrannical.

I would think something like "Chaos Mastery" would be Aeon's domain, and be a lot of Energy Blast and Energy Melee Powers, with some Bubbles thrown in to flesh out the supportive side.

I would recommend Lord Recluse's Pool being comprised entirely of Pet Summons of various Arachnos personnel.

[ectomy]

It would be great if there was a police team set. Power pool or epic. I’d even go for Lore Pet set. 
 

Baton, tazer, pistol, pet (officer or swat) call it blue line.

 

I’d be cheesed if you could create our own pet. Like trollers mirror but only being able to make it whatever you wanted...

[Spectre7878]

Probably not the right place to post, but what I would love to see are more options in each power pool, ancilllary, and patron pools. More choice equals more creativity.  Also new ancillary pools to round out character themes would be lovely too

[biostem]

Here's my attempt:

 

Nemesis Pool (is it just another plot!?):

 

1. Nemesis rifle: ranged, lethal, moderate DoT.

 

2. War Hulk serum: self HoT, +dmg res all.

 

3. Jaeger Mine:  You summon an unstable Jaeger, which charges the targeted enemy and explodes on contact, dealing moderate damage in an area.

 

4. Summon Jaegers:  You summon 2 standard Jaeger drones, which attack distant enemies with their light machine guns, nearby enemies with an in-built mace, and explode on death, dealing moderate damage.

 

5. Fake [Character name]!  This would be a self-resurrect power with a twist - upon defeat, you can activate this power to replace your defeated self with a Fake Nemesis, while you reawaken a short distance away.  The Fake Nemesis is only temporary, but generates a large amount of aggro while it's there.

 

Edited September 22, 2020 by biostem

[Turric]

1 hour ago, ectomy said:

It would be great if there was a police team set. Power pool or epic. I’d even go for Lore Pet set. 
 

Baton, tazer, pistol, pet (officer or swat) call it blue line.

 

I’d be cheesed if you could create our own pet. Like trollers mirror but only being able to make it whatever you wanted...

 

I feel like the pet should be called K9 and it be a dog pet from the MM line.

[BurtHutt]

I don't have anything detailed put together but I will add one comment: whatever you add, don't have it attached to any character of faction. I do like the red side patron pools but being somewhat subservient to them is not great - having a pool named after them and then using their 'powers'. I used to enjoy the pet powers but being stuck on the same theme or a theme is annoying. I don't want any real attachment to these NPCs - it's even worse when the toon changes back to Vigilante or Hero and has these arch-villain powers. I guess what I'm saying is...have them more generic and if you have a pet to spawn then make customizable or generic or give it the ability to create the look in the character creator.

 

 

[Mezmera]

I'm not gonna get all detailed but I'd think a logical and great idea if there were to be more patron pools I'd tie them to the big bads from Praetoria.  Like it could be Dominatrix (yes I like doms so thematically it fits and should be my first mention), Diabolique, Nightstar/Siege for a tech pool, Anti Matter and lastly Mother Mayhem.

 

Or it could just be a hodgepodge of Iconic Praetorians with like 5-6 altogether ranging from good, bad and gray.  

Edited September 22, 2020 by Mezmera

[Alchemystic]

7 hours ago, FoulVileTerror said:

I feel you're way off the mark with Chaos Mastery on Recluse there, @Tyrannical.

I would think something like "Chaos Mastery" would be Aeon's domain, and be a lot of Energy Blast and Energy Melee Powers, with some Bubbles thrown in to flesh out the supportive side.

I would recommend Lord Recluse's Pool being comprised entirely of Pet Summons of various Arachnos personnel.

I was tempted to go for energy but it just didnt feel thematic enough.

 

Since Recluse is the incarnate if Tartarus, I figured I'd play on that instead, and have his PPP focus around darkness and despair, utilising powers that are a little more grim and sinister than just 'pew pew energy beams', especially with so many energy damage pools already.

 

I know Recluse himself doesn't really have access to those kinds of abilities, but the same could be said for Scirroco and Mako and their respective Pateon Powers.

 

Sometimes it pays off to look past the powers/mechanics they have and just explore their concept in other ways. 🙂

 

Edited September 22, 2020 by Tyrannical

[Zepp]

I'll be working on these... I have a great idea, but it may take a tad to flesh out... I'll get to that later, but for now:

 

Idea 1: Kheldian Patron Pools

[This is designed as a Kheldian-specific Patron Pool, but could be adjusted per the specific needs of different ATs]
Sunstorm: Kheldian Solar Mastery [fire damage]
Internal Refraction (like Fire Cages, but with some rainbowish particle effects)

Sunstrike (like Cremate, but with energy fists)

Prism (like Char, but with rainbowish particle effects)

Summon Sun Cyst (looks like a Shadow Cyst, only orangish; every 15s for 240s summons a Bright Nova (orangish) that lasts for 30s or until defeated and has attacks converted to fire damage)

Sunbreak (like Rise of the Phoenix, but with light flashes)

 

Moonfire: Kheldian Lunar Mastery [cold damage]
Lunar landing (like Frostbite, but with Freezing Rain type patch (but no rain))
Goodnight Moon (like Flash Freeze, but with a momentary moon effect)

Moonshot (like Block of Ice, but with Stalagmite effects)

Summon Moon Cyst (looks like Shadow Cyst, only pale blueish; every 15s for 240s summons a Bright Nova (pale bluish) that lasts for 30s or until defeated and has attacks converted to cold damage)

Lunar Sustenance (like Hibernate, but with different graphics)

 

Shadowstar: Kheldian Mental Mastery [psychic damage]
Shadow of Consciousness (like Mass Hypnosis, but with a smoky effect)

Doubt (like Mind Probe, but with a smoky effect)

Jungian Insight (like Dominate, but with a smoky effect)

Summon Darkstar Cyst (looks like Shadow Cyst, only purplish; every 15s for 240s summons a Dark Nova (purplish) that lasts for 30s or until defeated and has attacks converted to psychic damage)
Starburst (like EM Pulse, but with some shadows and it effects all targets the same as EM Pulse affects robots)
 

Requiem: Nictus Brute Mastery [smashing damage]

Weak Foundations (like Fissure)

Requiem for a Dream (like Salt Crystals)

Grasp of the Earth (like Fossilize)

Summon World Cyst (looks like Shadow Cyst, only grayish; every 15s for 240s summons a Black Dwarf (grayish) that lasts for 30s or until defeated and has attacks converted to smashing damage)

Homefield Advantage (like Earth's Embrace)

 

Arakhn: Nictus Precision Mastery [lethal damage]

Dark Embrace (like Electrified Net Arrow, but with web grenade animation and black with orange/yellow glow)

Nictus Shards (like Caltrops, but black with orange/yellow glow)

Relief (like Sleep Grenade, but black with orange/yellow glow)

Summon Death Cyst (looks like Shadow Cyst, only glow is orange/yellow; every 15s for 240s summons a White Dwarf (black with orange/yellow glow) that lasts for 30s or until defeated and has attacks converted to lethal damage)

Deadly Speed (like Vorpal Judgement, but with an orange/yellow aura on "clones")

Edited September 22, 2020 by Zepp

[Galaxy Brain]

14 hours ago, Troo said:

Olympus (War and technology themed, ranged)

Plasma Blast (Ranged) Foe -Regeneration
Plasma burns are hard to heal. The burns can temporarily halt target's Regeneration rate.

 

Gas Swarm Missiles Ranged, Area of Effect, Lethal, Foe Hold
Can launch a pack of Gas Swarm Missiles

 

Incendiary Swarm Missiles Ranged, Area of Effect, Lethal, +Burn
Can launch a small pack of Incendiary Swarm Missiles

 

Resistance Toggle, Self
Resistances

 

Swarm Missiles Ranged, Area of Effect, Lethal, Foe Knockback
Can launch a large pack of Incendiary Swarm Missiles

Welp, there goes the meta 😉

[laudwic]

 There would be no better patron than Ascendant.

 

I'll try to come up with a power pool that befits his legacy.

 

 

[FoulVileTerror]

They should all be variations of "Saul . . . SAUL!  . . . No."

[Zepp]

Idea 2: Ouroboros Patron Pools

[As with previous idea, may be adjusted as per AT choosing it]

Mender Silos: Temporal Mastery

Aging Touch (added -regen effect)

Temporal Displacement (Similar effects to Field Operative optional Gaussian blur effect - if possible)

Distortion Field (added -regen effect, increased chance for hold)

Summon Singularity

Time Lord

 

Mender Tesseract: Penumbral Mastery

Penumbral Grasp

Penumbral Shroud (like Shadow Fall, but range increased from 40 to 60)

Oppressive Gloom

Dark Servant

Penumbral Drain (like Soul Drain, but 80% of Soul Drain effect on self and 20% of Soul Drain effect on allies withing 60)

 

Mender Lazarus: Coronal Mastery

Coronal Punch (like Energy Punch)

Coronal Aura (like Shadow Fall, but Fear Resistance replaced with Stun Resistance and visual effects similar to Energy Cloak)

Mass Ejection (like Thunder Clap, but added knockdown effect)

Being of Light (like Phantasm only with spectrum costume pieces)

Nova

 

Twilight's Sun: Hope Mastery

Bright Nova Blast (uses Gleaming Bolt animation)

Combat Flight

Bright Nova Detonation (KB converted to KD, uses Luminous Detonation animation)

Summon Unbound Kheldian (similar to Unbound Nictus, but with Bright Nova powers and appropriate color shift)

Restore Essence

[Zepp]

Idea 3: Praetorian Resistance Patron Pools

Vanessa DeVore: Resistance Mastery

Telekinetic Blast

Resistance (like DeVore's Resistance power)

Psychic Scream

Summon Decoys (like Phantom Army, default clones of user)

Healing Aura

 

Beholder: Foresight Mastery

Will Domination

Farsight

Compulsion (like Static Field, but with cloud animation)

Support (like Mass Confusion)

Chrono Shift

 

Hatchet: Contingency Mastery

Single Shot

Field Operative

Heavy Burst

Summon Ghoul (summons a Manslayer)

Overcharge

 

Jack Hammer

Snap Shots

Pickmeup (like Shadowmeld, but Adrenal Booster animation and +Reg, +Rec)

Overcharged Shots

Summon Resistance (summons Elite Resistance Officer)

Fixadine (like Adrenal Booster)

 

Chompie, Vagabond, & Crow could also be considered.

[drbuzzard]

While I'm too lazy to put together a full pool, I'd like to see more pools which offered endurance recovery help. Right now I feel somewhat constrained on any tanker/stalker/brute/scrapper I make that lacks an endurance boosting power in primary/secondary to pick a pool that fixes this. Being constrained for endurance sucks, and I always try to avoid it (and no, miracle and numina uniques are not sufficient IMO, and I do add the performance shifter proc and panacea). A few other options would be nice. Right now Brutes have the best of this.

[kiramon]

10 minutes ago, drbuzzard said:

While I'm too lazy to put together a full pool, I'd like to see more pools which offered endurance recovery help. Right now I feel somewhat constrained on any tanker/stalker/brute/scrapper I make that lacks an endurance boosting power in primary/secondary to pick a pool that fixes this. Being constrained for endurance sucks, and I always try to avoid it (and no, miracle and numina uniques are not sufficient IMO, and I do add the performance shifter proc and panacea). A few other options would be nice. Right now Brutes have the best of this.

Interestingly, you named the ATs with the LEAST amount of endurance problems...  (outside of blasters who they made have endurance as a non-issue in HC)

 

Edited September 23, 2020 by kiramon

[Ura Hero]

Slightly off topic, but please don't tie new Patrons or Epics into story arcs where you have to run off to some other zone to unlock the power set.  

 

"Yay!  I just leveled."

Runs off to trainer.

"Crap.  It is time to pick a Patron.  Guess I won't train right now since I have to go do an arc and I am in the middle of something else."

Four levels later.

"I really need to go run that stupid arc so I can train up.  Stupid game mechanic..."  Grumble, grumble, grumble...

 

It really breaks immersion to have to run off to some zone, find the starter contact, run the arc, come back and train...   Where this really sucks is when you are doing a task force and you are forced to wait because you literally cannot go do the mission.

 

Either get rid of the arc requirement or put the start contact at the trainer.  

[drbuzzard]

3 minutes ago, kiramon said:

Interestingly, you named the ATs with the LEAST amount of endurance problems...  (outside of blasters who they made have endurance as a non-issue in HC)

 

Can't say I agree with that. It fully depends on your defensive set as to whether or not you have endurance problems. Take a SS/Invulnerability brute (a common enough build), and they will have no endurance recovery beyond stamina unless they use the body mastery pool (which is excellent). They are also likely to be loaded up on fighting pool for tough and weave which are not cheap toggles.

 

Sure, if they have a defensive set which boosts endurance they will be peachy, but a lot of the legacy sets don't do that. Invulnerability, stone armor, shield defense, dark armor, and super reflexes are all out in the cold on this. Some of them have very expensive toggles (mud pots, or cloak of fear).

 

Sure, if you have one of the others which all have endurance tools, it's a different story, but if you pick a secondary without knowing, you will have issues.

[kiramon]

20 minutes ago, drbuzzard said:

Can't say I agree with that. It fully depends on your defensive set as to whether or not you have endurance problems. Take a SS/Invulnerability brute (a common enough build), and they will have no endurance recovery beyond stamina unless they use the body mastery pool (which is excellent). They are also likely to be loaded up on fighting pool for tough and weave which are not cheap toggles.

 

Sure, if they have a defensive set which boosts endurance they will be peachy, but a lot of the legacy sets don't do that. Invulnerability, stone armor, shield defense, dark armor, and super reflexes are all out in the cold on this. Some of them have very expensive toggles (mud pots, or cloak of fear).

 

Sure, if you have one of the others which all have endurance tools, it's a different story, but if you pick a secondary without knowing, you will have issues.

 

That's true in a vacuum. But as a whole, there are a lot more Endurance-gap fillers for melee than there are for say, Doms. Who have /psi (and Ice/Mu/Dark  APP if you wanna include 120-360s recharge). Dom full recharge doesn't really cut it. 

 

I'll trade em for Body Mastery. 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2020 by kiramon