What would be a good IO set for Dr. Kane's House of Horror?

[Vanden]

The Summer Blockbuster event trial gives out the Overwhelming Force IO set. It's a pretty good set and consequently people are running the trial all the time. Presumably, if NCSoft doesn't ruin our fun, come Halloween time the Dr. Kane's House of Horror trial will be available for play. However, other than badges it doesn't offer anything that you can't get elsewhere. Anyone have a good idea for an IO set it could offer? I'm kinda drawing a blank.

[Shinobu]

It's an interesting idea.  I'm not sure I'd want a special IO set that you can only get for on week a year, but I guess that was the original idea behind the Summer Blockbuster too.

 

As I've pointed out, for conversion purposes Overwhelming Force is kind of unique set -- it's an attuned universal damage set, and there's only one of those so it can't convert into anything else.  So my first thought is that you should create a second universal damage set of some sort.  Other than that, I got no real ideas, although in keeping with the theme maybe it has a fear proc of some sort?  (I'm not sure how popular that would be though.  I guess  you could do a Chance for Darkness Damage proc, maybe, or Psi damage based on overwhelming fear.)

 

And the name should be Terrifying this, or Haunted that, or Dr. Kane's something.  Zombie Smash, I don't know.  Just so long as it's not Terrifying Fist or Haunted Blast, or something that refers specifically to only one kind of attack when it's a universal set.

 

 

[Trickshooter]

If coming up with a full set is an issue, what if it gave out generic Damage enhancements with procs, like the Going Rogue pre-order enhancements?

 

Coven: Immobilize Proc using Tentacles since they have Dark powers

Fir Bolg: Fire DoT Proc, which could somehow use the pumpkin and sinister laugh SFX

Spirits: Heal Proc that uses the Spirit scream SFX from when they die?

Vampires: Sleep Proc that does... something, I don't now

Werewolves: Build Up Proc that uses the Howl SFX when it activates

Zombies: Hold Proc that makes enemies play the vomit animation

 

Could be fun. Definitely not as useful as an actual set, but it was just a thought.

[jack_nomind]

The most universal sets are universal damage, universal mez (like Controller ATOs), universal travel, and uh... Defense.  But I don't think there's any reason we can't invent other multi-aspect sets.

 

So -- "Kane's Thrilling Surge," a Attuned Unique Health/Absorb/EndMod set themed around the ubiquitous lightning-powered medicine of mad science.  To make this set as broadly applicable as possible, it provides bonuses to Healing, Absorption, and Endurance Modification ("HAM" below) as though they were the same attribute, and to Accuracy and EndRedux ("AR" below) as though they were the same attribute. 

 

Enhancements:

• HAM
  
• HAM/AR
  
• HAM/AR/recharge reduction
  
• HAM/recharge reduction
  
• AR/recharge reduction
  
• Proc: Excessive Defibrillation

 

Set Bonuses:

• 2: 8% enhancement (Heal)
  
• 3: 4.5% resist energy/negative; 7.5% resist mez
  
• 4: 2.25% maxhp
  
• 5: 3.75% endurance reduction
  
• 6: 6.25% enhancement (Recharge)
  
• Proc: Excessive Defibrillation: A crackling surge of energy enhances all the set's bonuses, filling you with power.  For (X) seconds, you gain +10% tohit, +20% recharge, +20% to damage and healing effects, and your damaging powers will cause minor energy-over-time damage to enemies.

 

Edit: Originally the enhancements redundantly and inaccurately had "end reduction" listed where they now say "recharge reduction."

[Vanden]

The most universal sets are universal damage, universal mez (like Controller ATOs), universal travel, and uh... Defense.  But I don't think there's any reason we can't invent other multi-aspect sets.

 

So -- "Kane's Thrilling Surge," a Attuned Unique Health/Absorb/EndMod set themed around the ubiquitous lightning-powered medicine of mad science.  To make this set as broadly applicable as possible, it provides bonuses to Healing, Absorption, and Endurance Modification ("HAM" below) as though they were the same attribute, and to Accuracy and EndRedux ("AR" below) as though they were the same attribute. 

 

Enhancements:

• HAM
  
• HAM/AR
  
• HAM/AR/end reduction
  
• HAM/end reduction
  
• AR/end reduction
  
• Proc: Excessive Defibrillation

 

Set Bonuses:

• 2: 8% enhancement (Heal)
  
• 3: 4.5% resist energy/negative; 7.5% resist mez
  
• 4: 2.25% maxhp
  
• 5: 3.75% endurance reduction
  
• 6: 6.25% enhancement (Recharge)
  
• Proc: Excessive Defibrillation: A crackling surge of energy enhances all the set's bonuses, filling you with power.  For (X) seconds, you gain +10% tohit, +20% recharge, +20% to damage and healing effects, and your damaging powers will cause minor energy-over-time damage to enemies.

Seems pretty overdesigned. The proc does like four things and it cheats by enhancing multiple things without the enhancement values being diminished in return? We just want a set that's worth getting, not one that puts other sets to shame.

[jack_nomind]

Seems pretty overdesigned. The proc does like four things and it cheats by enhancing multiple things without the enhancement values being diminished in return? We just want a set that's worth getting, not one that puts other sets to shame.

 

WAY overdesigned!

 

But, out of necessity.  Let me flip it a bit.  Almost all of the Unique Attuned sets, except Winter sets (which just get purple numbers on their kit bonuses), cheat like this.  The Universal Damage sets don't cheat as visibly because we conceptually gloss "PBAOE/Melee/AoE/Ranged" as the same attribute even though they were intentionally separated for set balance.  It's far more visible if you look at e.g., the Controller ATOs, which need a wall of text just to identify what gets the bonuses.

 

So instead of looking at this as "zomg but rulez," I'd ask -- what things actually in game, or things you can imagine in-game, does this actually break?  What types of things benefit from many/all of those bonuses at once, or *could* benefit from many/all of those bonuses at once?  Meanwhile, if we stripped off the bonuses -- made it just a regular Accurate Heal set, for example -- how many kits could actually use it at all?

 

As far as the unique goes, it's basically a power effect (a Defender-themed build up) on a proc.  Rather than evaluating it by number of effects, I'd ask you to evaluate it by comparison to other Unique Attuned procs en toto.

[jack_nomind]

I was really hoping we'd see some more suggestions.  I love mine, obviously, but I'm sure there are more possibilities.

[Vanden]

Seems pretty overdesigned. The proc does like four things and it cheats by enhancing multiple things without the enhancement values being diminished in return? We just want a set that's worth getting, not one that puts other sets to shame.

 

WAY overdesigned!

 

But, out of necessity.  Let me flip it a bit.  Almost all of the Unique Attuned sets, except Winter sets (which just get purple numbers on their kit bonuses), cheat like this.  The Universal Damage sets don't cheat as visibly because we conceptually gloss "PBAOE/Melee/AoE/Ranged" as the same attribute even though they were intentionally separated for set balance.  It's far more visible if you look at e.g., the Controller ATOs, which need a wall of text just to identify what gets the bonuses.

 

So instead of looking at this as "zomg but rulez," I'd ask -- what things actually in game, or things you can imagine in-game, does this actually break?  What types of things benefit from many/all of those bonuses at once, or *could* benefit from many/all of those bonuses at once?  Meanwhile, if we stripped off the bonuses -- made it just a regular Accurate Heal set, for example -- how many kits could actually use it at all?

 

As far as the unique goes, it's basically a power effect (a Defender-themed build up) on a proc.  Rather than evaluating it by number of effects, I'd ask you to evaluate it by comparison to other Unique Attuned procs en toto.

 

Pretty much all blaster sustains would greatly benefit from being able to enhance their end recovery and heal with this set. Also, you said that "AR" was supposed to be Accuracy and End Reduction, but then you put down multiple enhancements in the set as having End reduction on top of "AR." Did you mean for one of those to be Recharge Reduction?

[jack_nomind]

Pretty much all blaster sustains would greatly benefit from being able to enhance their end recovery and heal with this set. Also, you said that "AR" was supposed to be Accuracy and End Reduction, but then you put down multiple enhancements in the set as having End reduction on top of "AR." Did you mean for one of those to be Recharge Reduction?

 

Indeed I did!  The "endredux" should all be "recharge reduction."

 

This would provide ~97% Heal and End Mod at 5 slots, which roughly equivalent to (very slightly worse than) than four Positron Particle HydraOs or six conventional IOs.  Since most of the Blaster sustain toggles aren't targeted, don't consume endurance, and don't have meaningful recharge times, I think those are the only benefits they'd get.  Surely there's something more broken than that?

[Vanden]

Pretty much all blaster sustains would greatly benefit from being able to enhance their end recovery and heal with this set. Also, you said that "AR" was supposed to be Accuracy and End Reduction, but then you put down multiple enhancements in the set as having End reduction on top of "AR." Did you mean for one of those to be Recharge Reduction?

 

Indeed I did!  The "endredux" should all be "recharge reduction."

 

This would provide ~97% Heal and End Mod at 5 slots, which roughly equivalent to (very slightly worse than) than four Positron Particle HydraOs or six conventional IOs.  Since most of the Blaster sustain toggles aren't targeted, don't consume endurance, and don't have meaningful recharge times, I think those are the only benefits they'd get.  Surely there's something more broken than that?

 

Force of Thunder in Electricity Manipulation and Drain Psyche in Mental manipulation both recharge and have accuracy checks; Cauterizing Aura in Fire Manipulation has an accuracy check. Reaction Time in Martial Combat has a function that requires the power to be toggled off to use, and would benefit from recharge enhancement. Energize in Energy Manipulation has a 2 minute recharge, and definitely benefits from extra recharge. That set would be excellent for a lot of them.

[jack_nomind]

Force of Thunder in Electricity Manipulation and Drain Psyche in Mental manipulation both recharge and have accuracy checks; Cauterizing Aura in Fire Manipulation has an accuracy check. Reaction Time in Martial Combat has a function that requires the power to be toggled off to use, and would benefit from recharge enhancement. Energize in Energy Manipulation has a 2 minute recharge, and definitely benefits from extra recharge. That set would be excellent for a lot of them.

 

Force of Thunder and Drain Psyche are also by far the weakest of the sustain powers, so I'm actually happy to have something that benefits them unusually well; needing seven different types of enhancement isn't a thin barrier holding them back but one of many significant problems with these two powers.  In any case, the overall difference between this set and a frankenslot isn't particularly large (frankenslotting can hit about ~81% to all).  Cauterizing Aura bugs the crap out of me.  As far as I can tell, even though it lists an accuracy modifier (1.0) and accepts Acc enhancements, it doesn't actually make any hit rolls (only tested in PvE).  It also I'm going to put that in the "not broken by Heal/Mod Enhancements" category, but also "probably bugged" and "terribly implemented" categories.  Reaction Time is in a similar situation as the Blaster toggles.  Five slotting this set is comparable to or worse for total enhancement value (~97% heal, ~97% endmod, ~74% recharge) than creative frankenslotting already allows  (~96% each), and 'in the near ballpark' even if those were reversed.

 

I was actually thinking of the melee (Electric Armor) version of Energize when I wrote this set... or more specifically, what I usually slot it with.  I don't currently have any /Elec melee I'm levelling or at 50, but whenever I theorycraft a built I slot Energize with Preventative Medicine.  This set (deliberately) has the same Heal and Recharge enhancement as PM -- the latter of which is low, but is mitigated by PM's great (8.75%) global haste boost.  I wanted a set that I might potentially use instead of PM for Energize, but wasn't a clear win either way.  The proc in this set is fantastic but the set bonuses are a little skewed away from what I'd want.  I think the best way to balance that is to give the proc an uptime of about one-eighth (say, PPM 0.75 with a 10-second duration), so it ends up with the same overall ghaste as PM (6.25 + 20/8 = 8.75) but relies on the proc to do it, in effect trading the Absorb proc for a slightly weird, low uptime build-up one (+10 tohit/+20 dmg/+20 heal).

 

(The Blaster version, which I'd put in a similarly sub-par category for Blaster sustain, also doesn't benefit from this any more than from Preventative Medicine.)

 

I was thinking more like, I dunno, Kinetics or Radiation Emission as being problems for this.  Even for those, though, none of the actual powers seem to benefit more here than they do from just efficient regular slotting -- this (unique, attuned, event-only) set ends up marginally better purely because it preserves set bonuses more easily, but in exchange (like Preventative Medicine) sacrifices some specific power recharge to do it.

[Shadowsleuth]

 

Expanding Trickshooter's idea of generic Damage enhancements with a proc; a Haunted Proc that has a chance to randomly summon either a Halloween spirit, Shadow Hound or Spirit Panther to fight by your side for a period of time.

 

https://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Spirits

https://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Spirit_Stalkers