Insect pets suggestions!

[Adelante]

I think Masterminds have a really bad association with being villains. We need some new powers to help the class be possible heros too.

 

So far MMs have carnivores, demons, demon ninjas, the undead, men with guns. What about something more universal like insects? Centipedes, Moths, butterlies, dragonflies, wasps.

[MTeague]

Beast Mastery is completely Hero-able if you make a decent backstory. So are Robots, even Mercs.  Thugs, take a bit more spin, but nothing some RP can't do. And Desdemona is an NPC Hero demon summoner.  That said, while I don't think it should be difficult to rationalize a heroic Mastermind, I'm very much in support of new options.

 

 

 

 

[UltraAlt]

1 hour ago, MTeague said:

Thugs, take a bit more spin, but nothing some RP can't do.

 

5 hours ago, Adelante said:

What about something more universal like insects? Centipedes, Moths, butterlies, dragonflies, wasps.

 

 

 

[Rudra]

MMs need help to be possible heroes? Below are a few examples for how MMs can be heroes with their current sets.

 

Beast Mastery: Wild man/woman defender, circus animal trainer turned avenger, beast tamer guardian, shaman or other nature mystic that calls animals for help, and druids.

 

Demon Summoning: See Infernal and Desdemona in the game. (At least after Desdemona went hero.) (Edit: Also someone that has called demons to find redemption and leads them on the path of helping or avenging the innocent. Someone with a sense of irony compelling demons to do good no matter how much they want to destroy.)

 

Mercenaries: Any professional soldier group defending the city such as legal local militias, National Guard unit assigned to deal with the high super criminal presence in Paragon City, and UN forces like you help when doing the Laura Lockhart arc.

 

Necromancy: Any "white" necromancer (a white necromancer normally does not summon undead, but they can if needed to counter a threat), an undead master hailing from any undead civilization trying to restore/create order (because even undead civilizations have laws that are enforced, see I think Geb from Pathfinder).

 

Ninjas: Any ninjas. (Traditionally, ninjas served their daimyo. While not public law enforcers, they did serve to protect the daimyo's holdings carrying out their assigned missions. So ninjas serving Paragon City as part of a secret law organization or fulfilling an alliance with the powers that be to help deal with the rampant super powered threats plaguing Paragon City works. They could even be a "native" clan of ninjas who had been secretly living in Paragon City for generations that have decided to protect their home.)

 

Robotics: They do what they have been programmed to do. Save people and protect property is very much something they can be programmed to do.

 

Thugs: Public service/protection "gang". Think Guardian Angels and similar groups of untrained but ready to fight civilians trying to help their communities.

 

Edited April 16 by Rudra
Edited to add "shaman or other nature mystic that calls animals for help, and druids".

[mistagoat]

I'm certainly not against an Insect MM set, that sounds like fun! However in my brain, bugs = bad! I make every effort to not kill them but I also don't want them anywhere near me. Even a butterfly, they look awesome but the thought of those gross little legs crawling over my arm skeeves me out. Now a wolf, even though it could rip out my throat out and feast on my organs, I wanna hug it!!

 

So i'm on board with the suggestion but I don't necessarily agree with the premise that what we have is inherently "bad" or that insects are more "neutral".

[TygerDarkstorm]

Everybody's way too focused on the least relevant part about how you can make the existing MM primaries heroic. MM's have the least amount of primaries, I would love for them to get a new one, and insects would be interesting. Would be neat to see the idea more fleshed out.

[Doc_Scorpion]

9 hours ago, MTeague said:

Beast Mastery is completely Hero-able if you make a decent backstory. So are Robots, even Mercs.

Yep.  My main 'bots MM is a young lady born without an arm...  So she built herself one for a school science fair project, and was encouraged to follow that path to help herself and others.  But she soon realized that she could do more.  So, after licensing her arm for production - she took the license fees and built her 'boys'.  Now she splits her time between her lab developing new robotics - and field testing her developments.

Most "I can't RP that" (or "that breaks immersion)" is lack of imagination, not lack of tools in game.  I mean, if I (as none of those things) can roleplay a female dwarf cleric <mumble> feet under the North Atlantic on USN submarine...

Not to mention - what the heck is 'heroic" about a plague of insects?  You'd have to backstory/head canon/RP those too.

[Rudra]

4 hours ago, TygerDarkstorm said:

Everybody's way too focused on the least relevant part about how you can make the existing MM primaries heroic. MM's have the least amount of primaries, I would love for them to get a new one, and insects would be interesting. Would be neat to see the idea more fleshed out.

I have to disagree. Yes, some of us pointed out that existing MM sets are not specifically bad, that they very much are possible heroes, but I don't think anyone is arguing against a new MM primary.

 

Though for a bug primary to work, those bugs are going to have to be monstrously massive. Which to to be honest, will freak me the hell out. At least the OP didn't include spiders though. If the bugs aren't going to be massive, fantasy-sized giant bugs, then they aren't going to be effective pets. (Player summons three normal butterflies, two normal moths, and a normal dragonfly! Enemy pulls out anything to swat them with and wins.) And contrary to the OP, those bugs will need to be carnivorous just like the Beast Mastery pets. Or at least of the biting or stinging variety. Butterflies and moths aren't exactly offensively equipped insects. (Kaiju variants notwithstanding.)

[TygerDarkstorm]

4 hours ago, Rudra said:

I have to disagree. Yes, some of us pointed out that existing MM sets are not specifically bad, that they very much are possible heroes, but I don't think anyone is arguing against a new MM primary.

 

Though for a bug primary to work, those bugs are going to have to be monstrously massive. Which to to be honest, will freak me the hell out. At least the OP didn't include spiders though. If the bugs aren't going to be massive, fantasy-sized giant bugs, then they aren't going to be effective pets. (Player summons three normal butterflies, two normal moths, and a normal dragonfly! Enemy pulls out anything to swat them with and wins.) And contrary to the OP, those bugs will need to be carnivorous just like the Beast Mastery pets. Or at least of the biting or stinging variety. Butterflies and moths aren't exactly offensively equipped insects. (Kaiju variants notwithstanding.)

I didn't say anyone was arguing against it. I specifically said that was all most of the posts were focused on rather than contributing to the actual subject of an insect primary.

[Rudra]

2 minutes ago, TygerDarkstorm said:

I didn't say anyone was arguing against it. I specifically said that was all most of the posts were focused on rather than contributing to the actual subject of an insect primary.

That's fair. My mistake. My apologies.

[biostem]

I'm certainly in favor of more MM primary choices, and bugs could work!  IMHO, it's not about what powers a character has, but rather how they use them, (even including summoning demons)...

[TheMoneyMaker]

On 4/16/2025 at 1:55 AM, MTeague said:

 And Desdemona is an NPC Hero demon summoner.  

 

"Hero"

 

No, she's a rogue according to her wiki entry, a villain turned heroic.

Desdemona - Unofficial Homecoming Wiki

[Psyonico]

2 hours ago, TheMoneyMaker said:

"Hero"

 

No, she's a rogue according to her wiki entry, a villain turned heroic.

Desdemona - Unofficial Homecoming Wiki

from that very page:

 

represent a Villain redeemed and become a Hero

seems pretty clear to me

[shortguy on indom]

•  

[Rudra]

3 hours ago, TheMoneyMaker said:

"Hero"

 

No, she's a rogue according to her wiki entry, a villain turned heroic.

Desdemona - Unofficial Homecoming Wiki

Where do you see that she is a villain turned heroic on the page? I did a search specifically for "heroic" on the page, and that is not anywhere on the page. I did note that her bio page is listed under the "Rogues" category for the wiki, however, the "Rogues" category for the wiki says "Rogues are former Heroes or Villains who have switched sides for their own reasons, such as a desire for vengeance, trust issues, conflicted loyalties, or many more reasons under the moon. They may also be Heroes or Villains who are on the edge of slipping either side."

 

So even the "Rogues" page where her page is listed and linked doesn't say that anyone on its list is specifically a Rogue, that they can also be a Hero on the edge of slipping either way or used to be a Hero or Villain that changed sides. There is also no "Vigilantes" category on the wiki, just a pointer page that links the Vigilante alignment and badge, so while the wiki Rogues category page is not a complete list (what a shock), it also seems to be the only page that tracks NPCs that have changed sides, but does not seem to be a list of characters possessing the Rogue alignment.

[TheMoneyMaker]

2 hours ago, Rudra said:

Where do you see that she is a villain turned heroic on the page? I did a search specifically for "heroic" on the page, and that is not anywhere on the page. I did note that her bio page is listed under the "Rogues" category for the wiki, however, the "Rogues" category for the wiki says "Rogues are former Heroes or Villains who have switched sides for their own reasons, such as a desire for vengeance, trust issues, conflicted loyalties, or many more reasons under the moon. They may also be Heroes or Villains who are on the edge of slipping either side."

 

[Rudra]

21 minutes ago, TheMoneyMaker said:

That doesn't make sense to me for what you are saying. You said that Desdemon is a villain turned heroic. And what you are showing me says she is a villain turned hero. Not heroic, but an actual hero.

[TheMoneyMaker]

15 minutes ago, Rudra said:

That doesn't make sense to me

Eat a bag of semantics

[TheMoneyMaker]

Thumbs down? No no no, that was funny sir.

[Jacke]

Hmmm.  Someone's missing....  Who should have already commented....

 

Better light the @Bionic_Flea Light!  😺

 

 

[Bionic_Flea]

7 hours ago, Jacke said:

Hmmm.  Someone's missing....  Who should have already commented....

 

Better light the @Bionic_Flea Light!  😺

 

 

 

Been there, done that.  

 

Quote

1. Pheromones: Minor damage, minor debuff, tags enemy with a pheromone that attracts and  take extras damage from insects.
2. Summon Bees:  2-3 swarms of Bees obey your command.  The third has a queen that can apply pheromone tag and when upgraded replace a defeated swarm
3. Stinger:  Throw a large stinger for high lethal/toxic damage-  applies pheromone tag.
4. Train insects: (TBA)
5. Honeypot: Toss a honeypot to a location that does damage, applies a taunt effect drawing foes in, and slows them
6. Army Ants: Summon 2 giant Army Ants (about the size of a dog)
7. Locust Swarm!:  Similar to Gang War.  Summons a devastating swarm that eats everything in its path. Cannot be controlled.
8. Genetic upgrade: (TBA)
9. Summon Dung Beetle: Summon giant dung beetle (about the size of a small car).  This tanky beetle attacks with giant pincers.  Every 3 minutes he creates a dung ball that can capture enemies and roll them around (like a katamari!)

 

[TheMoneyMaker]

1 hour ago, Bionic_Flea said:

 

Been there, done that.  

 

 

This looks like how I'd do insects as MM pets.....in swarms. But I think I'd do it with the army ants as the tier 1 pet, swarms bees would be the tier 2, and then the giant beetle size of a small dog as a tier 3