Question about Unique IOs

[LEUGIM6]

Hello all.

Unique IOs such as Reactive Defenses: Scaling Resist Damage, or Unbreakable Guard:+Max HP, or Shield Wall:+Res All, etc...

 

do they work on click powers, even if the power is not activated, or not?

Should they be slotted into "always on powers" or toggles like Numina's and Miracle?

 

I tried to find the answers to this but...

 

Ty all.

[Snarky]

Special IOs from Sets
Some of the IOs from IO Sets single-handedly, all by themselves provide one or more benefits to the whole character, without requiring any of the other members of the Set to be slotted. Some of these also buff an aspect of a power (usually Defense or Resistance), but the majority provide a rather unique extra benefit or bonus which may or may not be related to the Set they come from or the power into which they are slotted.

See Set Enhancements with Special Effects for a complete list of all the Special IOs.

Special IOs are of two types: Special IOs that act like Set Bonuses, called Globals, and Procs.

Globals
Set-Like Special IOs

The first type of special IO is a "Global". A global grants a constant benefit like a Set Bonus does. In fact, a Global IO grants you a set bonus that requires only itself. Thus all the rules (still works in grayed-out powers, stops working if you exemplar more than 3 levels below the enhancements level, the "Law of Fives") for set bonuses also apply to Globals.

So, for example, a level 20 Karma Knockback Protection Global slotted in a level 49 power will still work if the character is exemplared to level 17 and the level 49 power is greyed out. But Karma's Knockback Protection will stop working when exemplared to level 16 – more than three levels under the Special IO itself. If that level 20 Karma was put into Hover which was picked up at level 6, then the Karma would still stop working if exemplared to level 16, even though Hover is still working.
There are two (currently, maybe more to come) Global PvP Special IOs that are excepted from the under-exemplaring rule. If it's a PvP Special IO, it will never turn off from exemplaring.

Procs
All the other Special IOs are called 'Procs.' The term comes from Positron:

I'll talk about the Enhancements. The last one in the list is a Proc, meaning a procedure that has a chance of happening. Every time you fire your sniper power with the Toxic DoT Proc Enhancement slotted in it, there is a chance your target gets hit with a Toxic Damage over Time effect as well as the normal damage and effect of your Sniper attack.
The term Proc originally came from the days of some of the MUDs which used the term 'spec_proc' or 'special procedure' to denote game events the player could possibly trigger. The term was popularized by EverQuest as 'procs.' Those who come from the World of Warcraft have given the 'proc' the backronym "Programmed Random OCcurrence." But since Positron and CoH preceded WoW, we use the term and definition our Developers use.

Unlike the Globals, Procs depend on the power they are slotted in to be activated in order to work. If the power isn't activated, then no benefit from the Proc. Consequently, exemplaring lower than the level of the power means the power is greyed out and can't be used (even passive powers follow that rule), which means the Proc won't work. However, the upside of Procs is that if the power is active, the Proc always works, even if you exemplar way below the level of the Proc. Procs don't follow the -3 level rule that Globals and Set Bonuses do.

So, e.g., if you slot a level 50 Run Stealth in Sprint (a level 1 power) and then exemplar down to level 15, you will still get the Stealth bonus when you turn on Sprint even though you're 35 levels lower than the level of that Special IO.
Since Procs work when the power is activated, then they continuously work when slotted in a Passive Power or in a Toggle that's turned on. Procs that are in continuous powers cycle or pulse on once every 10 seconds. This is also true when they work in certain pseudopets like 'rains' or 'patches' that have an enduring effect. If slotted in a click power, Procs activate just once for the duration of their effect.

Most Procs have an effect that is immediate (like the chance to damage Procs) or last a few seconds (like the mez Procs). Some Procs that provide a self buff have a duration of 120 seconds and will last a full two minutes past when the power is clicked.

Procs which affect targets have a chance of activating for each target the power 'hits.' This makes Procs slotted in area of effect powers very beneficial; more so if it's a continuous area of effect like rains and patches.

Procs that have a chance to do damage, do so based on the level of the character and not the level of the Proc. The damage is not modified by Archetype. See Table of Proc Damage for specifics.

Procs from IO sets brought from the Paragon Market work a little differently to crafted IO procs. Instead of a percentage chance every time the power which the Proc in is activated, the chance of it firing is dependent on the "Procs Per Minute" set on the enhancement itself, and the slotted power's recharge and number of targets. See Procs Per Minute for more details.

Terminology
Special IOs, Globals, Procs, and Uniques

The fact that some Procs give a global buff to a character and are continuously on if slotted in a passive power makes calling the other type of Special IOs 'Globals' somewhat of a misnomer, but since the Devs never gave us terms to distinguish these Special IOs from each other, the players have struggled to find agreed upon terminology that isn't misleading.

At one time, all Special IOs were called Globals, or Procs, or even 'Unique IOs' ('unique' meaning only one of its kind can be slotted in a build). The fact is that some Globals are unique and some are not. Some Procs are unique and some are not. Some unique enhancements are neither Globals nor Procs.

The only official name we've been given is 'proc' meaning 'procedure with a chance to happen' and that certainly doesn't apply to Globals which are always on, nor even to some of the Procs which always go off when the power is used (unless one wants to argue that 100% is a chance...which is indeed argued). Due to the fact that these proc-like globals all grant an effect lasting 120 seconds from activation, some call them 120s, Proc120s, or Proc-Like 120s. So, be aware that there will be differences in terms players use for Special IOs.

In addition to the Special IOs which are Unique – only one of its kind per build, the Stealth Procs are Exclusively Unique, in that if you have one Stealth slotted, you can't slot another Stealth, even if it comes from a different Special IO.

A note about Uniques : The code that enforces the "Unique" status will delete any extras that manage to get slotted into a build. Normally, this would not matter, as you cannot slot more than one of an IO marked unique to the system. However, as happened with the Gaussian's Proc, if a power that is not marked unique to the system is then marked Unique it will delete extra copies.

[Snarky]

The Reactive is a Global, ie a unique i/o acting as a set bonus.  it will always work, even if slapped into a click power, with all the other rules still applying to it about levels etc

 

Enhancement Set Bonuses
Once you slot a second member of a Set into a power (and it has to be a different member of the Set – you can't put two or more of the same member of a Set into a specific power), you start getting bonuses from slotting Sets! The bonuses could be extra defense or resistance or recharge or accuracy or speed or any one of many other possibilities.

Slotting any two members of a Set gives you the first bonus of the set. Slotting any third member of the set gives you the first bonus of the set plus a second. A fourth member gives you the first two plus a third bonus and so on up to five bonuses for six members of a set. (Remember some Sets don't have a full six members – sets come in packs of 3 to 6).

These Set Bonuses are always on, even if the power in which the Set is slotted isn't activated, and even if that power is greyed out due to exemplaring! However, you do start to lose the bonuses if you exemplar more than three levels under the level of the IOs in the Set.

[Biff Pow]

I find this list handy: https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Enhancement_Sets

 

The IOs with the Earth symbol are "global", meaning you get the bonus even if the power isn't running. This includes most of the Defense and Resist bonuses.

 

I noticed Reactive Defenses' +Resist IO doesn't have the global symbol, but I know from experience it applies even without the power on.

[Snarky]

18 minutes ago, Supertanker said:

I find this list handy: https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Enhancement_Sets

 

The IOs with the Earth symbol are "global", meaning you get the bonus even if the power isn't running. This includes most of the Defense and Resist bonuses.

 

I noticed Reactive Defenses' +Resist IO doesn't have the global symbol, but I know from experience it applies even without the power on.

Nice detail catch.  But of course the defining trait of a PROC is that it...procs.  Scaling Damage Resistance is just ...on.   It doesnt add anything by random chance.  It specifically scales up by a mathematical formula.  Nothing random about it at all

[tidge]

14 hours ago, Supertanker said:

I find this list handy: https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Enhancement_Sets

 

The IOs with the Earth symbol are "global", meaning you get the bonus even if the power isn't running. This includes most of the Defense and Resist bonuses.

 

I noticed Reactive Defenses' +Resist IO doesn't have the global symbol, but I know from experience it applies even without the power on.

 

Here is a tricky one: The Kismet +Accuracy (really +ToHit) is a unique Global, but it only has an affect if the power it is slotted in is on (as a Toggle, or as an Auto power).

 

Another subtle one: Preventive Medicine %Absorb will activate even if it is slotted in a click power, even if the click power is not being used.

 

I have a minor peeve: referring to Global pieces (specifically the +Defense as well as +Recharge LotG) as procs.

[Mr. Coffy]

ca

35 minutes ago, tidge said:

 

Here is a tricky one: The Kismet +Accuracy (really +ToHit) is a unique Global, but it only has an affect if the power it is slotted in is on (as a Toggle, or as an Auto power).

 

Another subtle one: Preventive Medicine %Absorb will activate even if it is slotted in a click power, even if the click power is not being used.

 

I have a minor peeve: referring to Global pieces (specifically the +Defense as well as +Recharge LotG) as procs.

 

I was just wondering the same thing this morning on PM %Absorb.  It would be nice if that was noted in the info section on the IO.

Edited March 22, 2021 by Mr. Coffy

[tidge]

6 minutes ago, Mr. Coffy said:

I was just wondering the same thing this morning on PM %Absorb.  It would be nice if that was noted in the info section on the IO.

 

It does still have a "random trigger", but it is based on the current fraction of character Health.

[AboveTheChemist]

15 hours ago, Supertanker said:

I noticed Reactive Defenses' +Resist IO doesn't have the global symbol, but I know from experience it applies even without the power on.

 

When I overhauled the HC wiki enhancement sets page, I made a review pass that focused solely on uniques/globals/procs, and recall correcting a few that were labeled incorrectly. At the time I didn't think the Reactive Defenses: Scaling Damage Resistance was a global, but after some reflection I think it does qualify as a global, so I edited the wiki to reflect that.

 

1 hour ago, tidge said:

Here is a tricky one: The Kismet +Accuracy (really +ToHit) is a unique Global, but it only has an affect if the power it is slotted in is on (as a Toggle, or as an Auto power).

 

According to the in-game text, the Kismet: Accuracy enhancement is a proc. I believe it functions similarly to the +Stealth procs in the travel sets in that it has a 100% chance to proc when the power is used, and that's why it is always-on when slotted in a toggle (if the toggle is running) or in an auto power.