Curious about your point of view, which would be the most "pacifist" archetypes and powerset combinations?

[Albion]

I am seeing enough forceful ways around where I am right now so was in the mood for a more chill and hands off approach, which would you say are the most fully dedicated supportive choices and combos? which the ones that manage a non violent approach? do those that make others instead engage, willingly or not, or weaken opponents, count? and if so which ones? is there a choice of character that bares little to no damage? Hit me (with your ideas).

[Mezmera]

Sentinel

[oedipus_tex]

Illusion Control probably comes closest in the literal sense, but Ice Control played passively can definitely work like this.

[Greycat]

Well, there's very little you can't do in game without violence. Ignoring a team setting where you can sit back and just buff/debuff/heal/whatever (since, really, you're still pretty directly supporting violence,) I'd have to think:

- Stalker. With Hide, you can sneak through and do the minimum needed to finish a goal.

- Illusion, for the same reason.

- Mind control, just to keep putting everyone to sleep.

[arcane]

I feel like a genuine pacifist wouldn’t be able to reach level 2.

[SeraphimKensai]

1 minute ago, arcane said:

I feel like a genuine pacifist wouldn’t be able to reach level 2.

You could as you get XP for getting exploration badges, but it's not hitting lvl 50 for sure.

[The_Warpact]

Ice/ definitely, Mind/ if you skip Levitate, Illusion/ still has alot of damaging powers including PA. 

Empathy would be the pacifist secondary, no debuffs which they can be construed as violent. 

[PeregrineFalcon]

Super Heroes, as portrayed in the American four color comics, have always been about "beating up the bad guys."

 

If you have super powers, but you refuse to fight, you can get a job as a journalist or accountant and just not use your powers. Or work at a hospital, if your powers include healing, or work as a secure courier if you can fly, etc.

 

But you cannot really be a super hero if you won't fight and the alternatives, while they might be interesting to explore, are beyond the scope of this game.

[arcane]

I mean how is a no-attacks empathy defender living out pacifist ideals if you’re healing and buffing a bunch of explosive murderers?

[Spaghetti Betty]

Are MMs excluded from this? Technically, you could just let your minions do all the fighting.

[Bug You 2]

A AE baby that never left the crib.

[Six-Six]

Trollers' and Doms' Darkness Control has some pretty nifty powers: It has 3 pets/psuedo pets that attack for you. If you're not into that, it's got holds, immobs, and fear. You can use Posses to have the enemy attack one another.

[Doomguide2005]

10 minutes ago, The_Warpact said:

Ice/ definitely, Mind/ if you skip Levitate, Illusion/ still has alot of damaging powers including PA. 

Empathy would be the pacifist secondary, no debuffs which they can be construed as violent. 

     Anything with a combo of stealth, confuse and sleep I would think.  Maybe Cage/Dimension Shift powers could be useful.   That plus a teamsize of 1 so any 'necessary' defeats involve as few as possible.  Either that or maybe a dedicated all pacifist team running as each other's missions preferably from among select missions with no or minimal defeats necessary ... then using Ouroborous to repetitively doing those missions all while under double xp boosters.

[UltraAlt]

1 hour ago, Albion said:

which the ones that manage a non violent approach

 

I would say that Empathy always has to be part of the mix if you are going for "non-violent".

Defender Empathy/(water or ice).

Ice more so if you are trying to be "chill".

 

... possibly Empathy/Psychic blast

 

Leadership power pool for sure.

 

Edited February 9, 2022 by UltraAlt

[The_Warpact]

20 minutes ago, Doomguide2005 said:

     Anything with a combo of stealth, confuse and sleep I would think.  Maybe Cage/Dimension Shift powers could be useful.   That plus a teamsize of 1 so any 'necessary' defeats involve as few as possible.  Either that or maybe a dedicated all pacifist team running as each other's missions preferably from among select missions with no or minimal defeats necessary ... then using Ouroborous to repetitively doing those missions all while under double xp boosters.

Well there are plenty of missions that involve clickies, or rescues. Confusion can handle the defeat aspect of anything.

Definitely doable.

[UltraAlt]

32 minutes ago, Spaghetti Betty said:

Are MMs excluded from this? Technically, you could just let your minions do all the fighting.

 

I wouldn't consider someone being a pacifist if they are ordering their minions to attack people.

 

Edited February 9, 2022 by UltraAlt

[Doomguide2005]

3 minutes ago, The_Warpact said:

Well there are plenty of missions that involve clickies, or rescues. Confusion can handle the defeat aspect of anything.

Definitely doable.

     Aye, first time I heard of someone doing a "pacifist" build was pre IO, a fellow RO member doing it with a Mind controller running the old Positron TF solo.  Confuse works though strictly speaking I wouldn't consider messing with someone's mind/mental state not harmful (and therefore not truly pacifist).  I believe there are missions/content out there that don't require defeating the spawn around the object glowie.  That's the ideal content combined with Ouro to run ad nauseum till you hit 50.  Confuse is THE power I've seen repeatedly thought of as most appropriate to a pacifist build.  Probably because it's the only one where the foe can be defeated without direct damage from the character.  Sleep doesn't really do this just postpones or avoids the needed combat.

 

---

 

[Spaghetti Betty]

23 minutes ago, UltraAlt said:

 

I wouldn't consider someone being a pacifist if they are ordering their minions to attack people.

 

Well, you don't have to order them. You could just stand around and wait for someone to attack you, then they'll act. For bonus points, you could say stuff like "Hey guys, this isn't the time nor the place" or "Your mom is a very nice person, Greg. I'm sure he's just having a bad day".

[oedipus_tex]

Ice/Nature Controller is an interesting example of this. Run Arctic Air and Entangling Aura together and you get a passive debuff ring that confuses or holds enemies that step inside. I have one of these at level 50. Nature has only one enemy debuff, a single target version you won't need too often. My toon's damage is very poor when I do decide to attack, but I still run him from time to time on teams. 

Edited February 9, 2022 by oedipus_tex

[Snarky]

i would think an Illusion Force Controller could be built to have very few damaging attacks.  But is that being a Pacifist?  I am thinking no.  Granted, it's also not going to be a real great late game pick.  But it could be built to have almost no directly damaging attacks and still be playable and true to it's sets.  The meta of a pacifist in comic book world is possible due to good storytelling.  But this is a combat game.  Everything, everyone, even objects fight.

[MTeague]

1 hour ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

Super Heroes, as portrayed in the American four color comics, have always been about "beating up the bad guys."

 

This. With the caveat that you can also be a bad guy, and beat up the good guys. 

 

As has been said, Mind Control refrains from most direct acts of violence. But can you really say it's a pacifistic act to reach into someone's mind and warp their will until they try their very best to murder their friends? A case can be made that that's a mental violation far worse than just slugging them in the jaw. 

 

If you truly want to avoid taking any damaging action and being completely pacifistic, I do not think this is the game you want.

 

The whole idea of superheroes is you have enemies who will not just talk it over. Who can't be bargained with, or reasoned with. And who absolutely will not stop, EVER, until it is settled by superior force.

[Greycat]

2 hours ago, SeraphimKensai said:

You could as you get XP for getting exploration badges, but it's not hitting lvl 50 for sure.

 

You don't *get* that until level 2, though. (Seriously.)

 

2 hours ago, Spaghetti Betty said:

Are MMs excluded from this? Technically, you could just let your minions do all the fighting.

 

I did this. It's *exceptionally* boring. :)  (And yes, the bio even said the person was a pacifist, but her assistants - well, they just didn't mention it to her.)

[arcane]

How about a tanker with no damage aura, no attacks, but Perfect Zingers in taunt aura and Taunt. Victory purely by discourse 🙂

Edited February 9, 2022 by arcane

[Peacemoon]

4 hours ago, Albion said:

I am seeing enough forceful ways around where I am right now so was in the mood for a more chill and hands off approach, which would you say are the most fully dedicated supportive choices and combos? which the ones that manage a non violent approach? do those that make others instead engage, willingly or not, or weaken opponents, count? and if so which ones? is there a choice of character that bares little to no damage? Hit me (with your ideas).

Mastermind with if you discount your pets, as your character will mostly be passive and assisting your squad. 
 

Controllers too, particularly low damage/high control ones like Earth. Yes you have one or two attacks that do damage (and an Earth Guardian), but overall the damage will be a side effect to your control. 
 

Most of the buff/debuff sets are pretty passive in the way you describe, so I would say Controllers are the best for passive play, and MM’s if you’re ok with your pets defending you (but your character themselves can be very passive).

[Peacemoon]

Also don’t mix pacifist with bystander. If you are a bystander you are not a hero (and sometimes quite villainous!).

 

if you play in groups and play as a MM that focuses on their secondary while keeping your pets in bodyguard mode always (so they only attack if you’ve been directly struck) that’s probably the best way to go.

 

Of all the pets robotics is probably the best way to go, because you can say they’ve been programmed to attack only to defend you (their master), they are all ranged so there is no problem with them hanging back with you, and 2 of the bots are even called protectors and will cast force fields on you and each other. 
 

Radiation would be a great secondary as it’s fairly active with applying debuff toggles to every fight, has very potent debuffs and buffs, and because it drains a lot of endurance it actually can benefit somewhat from a character that prefers not to be actively engaging… so to speak.