BeyondReach

Looking at Warshades (never created a HEAT before) I can see where you're coming from...Warshades definitely look like the most sinister creatures I have seen in CoH. It's the eyes. It's all about the eyes.

Two problems though:

1) Heroic. I've yet to hear whether I'm right or wrong about this, but I think EATs have to start on their respective sides, even in Freedom. Broken Verse could not tolerate whatsoever living in Paragon for 20+ levels, he could never even pretend to be heroic.

2) Colours. Is it negligence, or a lore reason that they haven't allowed power customisation for Warshades? Because although they look pretty terrifying, purple just doesn't go with Broken Verse's eyes.

3) Lore. Although if Warshade was that perfect, I would consider overlooking the fact that Broken Verse isn't a Kheldian, but seeing as it is already a bit of a stretch, the fact that he really isn't what it says he is, is kind of the finishing blow.

The Gravity/Energy Dominator would be a nice suggestion, only Beyond Reach is actually a Gravity Dominator

....

I appreciate the advice and the time you took Winterminal, but Rock, your help was masterful. Great ideas. As I hear, Power Pools currently don't have colour customisation, let's hope they solve that soon, but you've definitely taken me the step beyond being able to get advice to make my decision. I will almost certainly use your Power Pool ideas, and take Force Field, (although, perhaps, when I finally get around to testing Time Manipulation, I may decide otherwise) but I now need to decide which is more for me: Thugs or Demon Summoning. Quite an odd choice to make within a single character concept, huh?

Is it saying subscribers can acquire 400pts for $2? Does this stack with the 400/month we are already acquiring from our subscriptions?

I've been thinking of my future Incarnate lately. When I first heard about the Incarnate system, I made a rule for myself that I would only have one Incarnate character, because the nature of an Incarnate made them pretty rare. Beyond Reach wasn't a viable candidate because there was no way he could be an Incarnate. His origin is Mutation/Science and something grandios like that just wouldn't fit a character who was a simple villain (soon to be hero). Same problem with Ataraxis, his Science origin is identical (in that they gained their powers in the same way) and I've always thought of him at the street level. Beyond Reach and Ataraxis have always stayed away from Magic, where Incarnate is rooted.

In fact, my only Magic origin character is Qorta, who is an interdimensional demon that possesses people's bodies. Not a great candidate for Incarnate status.

When it came down to it, the only candidate was The Broken Verse, who also happens to be my favourite character out of all of them. He is 4/5 of the origins, 5 if you count his pistols as technology and he already became ageless from the Well of the Furies (he was alive when it opened, haven't gone into any more detail than that yet), so he is also a perfect candidate. But as Thugs/Poison...he doesn't seem very inspiring...or god-like...

I've decided he is Eris, Greek god of strife and discord incarnate. It's a shame that you can't change powersets when you become Incarnate, because I can only see him gaining such powers when he transcends properly into an Incarnate. But neither do I think I can leave him as Thugs/Poison and rationally call him Eris Incarnate. So re-roll. I need ideas.

Someone already suggested Storm Summoning as a secondary, but I'm not sure that's right in the chaotic vein - if every power was like Tornado, maybe, but it isn't. I've thought about Time Manipulation, but while that goes in the area of destabilising reality, one of the powers is Temporal Mending, which just doesn't seem right.

And about the primary, I always had Thugs because one of his powers is persuasion, and I thought that would be the best way to represent gathering followers. But I was thinking maybe Demon Summoning would be more appropriately grandios? I've looked at the set and...the thing I liked about Thugs was that it seemed like Broken Verse was barely doing anything. I never gave him Dual Wield. He'd fire a pistol every now and then. That's it. He didn't seem like he was trying very hard, and I felt that fit his character. With Demon Summoning, especially the whip attacks, he seems to be putting in a lot of effort. And I'm not sure it meshes right with his costume (he wears a suit, but will probably change when he becomes an Incarnate).

I'm at a loss. Maybe him being something other than a Mastermind would be a better idea. But I'd prefer not to create duplicate archetypes for the time being and I've already got Dominator, Controller, Corruptor, Stalker, Blaster, Brute and Defender. Leaving Scrapper and Tanker, so although I welcome suggestions for one of the former archetypes, it will have to be good to turn me off Mastermind at the moment.

TL;DR version: My character is Eris, Greek God of Strife and Discord and Incarnate. Looking for an appropriate archetype+powersets, preferably Mastermind.

No idea where this hate for a non-unique naming system comes from.

Personally, I'd have no problem with there being another Beyond Reach.

Well, I'm planning on changing Beyond Reach to Within Reach once he goes all heroic. I chose the name originally because I wanted Untouchable, but it was unavailable (obviously) so I chose something within the same vein. I prefer it to Untouchable now. But the idea of being Beyond Reach, although is certainly one of the one less villainous names out there, has passed. Within Reach is a symbol of him defeating that part of himself, and becoming something new and heroic.

Other than that, I don't see myself changing any other names. I think carefully about mine to make sure I don't have to change them. Beyond Reach, Ataraxis, Caged Animal, Broken Verse, Qorta, Seer Aeva, Bicarbonate of Soda. All names I wouldn't even consider changing. Especially the first five. However, I missed two out. If given the chance, I'd snap up the opportunity to change Zachariah Kurran, my Ninja Blade/SR Stalker into just Kurran. Same goes for Solomon Alone, my DP/PD Corruptor to just Solomon. Unfortunately they were both unavailable, so I have to live with them for now.

I'm actually considering changing my global now. Beyond Reach was first my character (well, second, if you count Qorta for a couple of days shortly after CoV was released, or third if you count the nameless hero I played for five minutes shortly after CoH was released) so he is my global name, and to a certain extent I feel that is fitting. But at the same time, not only will I be considering changing it to Within Reach, but I'm also thinking that perhaps it should be Ataraxis, my other significant hero as well. He's always been my main roleplayer. Then again, Broken Verse is my favourite character...so I'm really not sure.

I haven't come across with any mispronunciations of my character's names, but I think that may have something to do with me never hearing them say it. Referencing the only ones that have any doubt: Ataraxis is "AH-ta-RAKS-iss", Qorta is "KOR-tah" and Aeva is "A-vah".

I have used countless forum names, wow, many of which I have no desire to repeat. On game forums, they have almost always been my characters. Elsewhere, they have varied considerably, although I've settled on one that I think I'll hold for a long time, because I feel it is the most fitting of all my names. Just like Zachariah Kurran. There is so much depth in that name, you would never, ever guess it just at a glance.

Since about 10 I planned on changing my name to Matthew. I think I was somewhat motivated by both of my sisters changing their names, but I also preferred Matt to my current name. My niece still calls me Uncle Matt because that was what I was as she was growing up before I could officially change my name. But I decided against it in the end. I came to terms with my names, and I have decided I will never, ever change it now. All three of my first names I love. I think they well represent different aspects of my personality. I love names in general. I'm not a person who is particularly interested in having kids, but that didn't stop me thinking up what I'd call them, just because I love names. I love too many names.

Finally, my last name gets mispronounced SO often. And that's worsened by the fact that a lot of my family don't correct people, it doesn't bother them. But it bothers me. And that's because I like names, and I like my surname, and I want people to pronounce it properly.

Unfortunately was indisposed at friends'. Managed to play some on Friday night and Saturday morning though. I had intended to get Ataraxis, my Mind/Kin Controller from 27-40 to catch up with my main villain, but unfortunately he only got to 32 or 33 before I had to depart.

I have a had a similar thing going on with my main character, Beyond Reach. But the situation is slightly different. Instead of Sclera being created by this chemical accident, the villain Beyond Reach, after he gained his psychic powers, was created by his "good" side because that side's mind coyuld no longer deal with what was going on around it. It wasn't intended to be villainous, but like a child, the first experiences it had was of being told it was evil (long story) so it believed that was true.

I see Iris will take a much more present role in moulding and affecting their other side. With Frank (Beyond Reach's real name) he has completely retreated and actually does not want to come out. When he eventually does become a hero (which I'm currently working on) it will, to some extent, be forceful. Someone else is trying to turn Beyond Reach into Frank, and somehow hopes that Frank will resurge at the same time.

In the vein of your character eventually "ascending" you could have Iris take on the appearance of submitting to Sclera, and try and merge her own thoughts in to the villain's, so it doesn't seem like Iris is telling her what to do, but actually her own conscience (although they're kind of the same mind anyway). Seeing as they are effectively the same person, it will seem more fluid to Sclera. Iris will start making Sclera's decisions with Sclera even being aware of it. Perhaps in the future they could even become one in the same. Iris could come to the realisation that Sclera was always her, in a way.

Now that Issue 21 is coming around, we're getting three new powersets, lots of power proliferation and the ability to start wherever we want with any archetype we want, in addition to the new Atlas Park and Mercy Island content, who are we re-rolling, and for what reason?

Personally, I'm re-rolling three, which is why I brought this up, that's a big number for me, considering the fact that I've only got 8 characters.

Qorta, my Dark Blast/Dark Miasma Resistance Corruptor (and future villain) will be transformed into a Dark Blast/Darkness Manipulation Blaster - because Darkness Manipulation is awesome, and because Defiance fits his being a non-corporeal entity only inhabiting a body temporarily (being able to attack even while the body is immobilised). Plus I've already got a Corruptor.

Caged Animal, my Broadsword/Willpower Scrapper will be re-rolled to a Broadsword/Willpower Brute because I've always felt he has far more rage than precision, but could never swap him because Brutes didn't have Broadswords. Now they do, and they can start in Paragon (woot) I'm over the moon.

Finally, Solomon, my Dual Pistols/Pain Domination Corruptor will simply be re-rolled. He's only Level 8, I'm not going to be creating another villain anytime soon, but I want to experience the new Mercy Island content, so he is reborn (despite the fact that I spent a couple of horus yesterday getting him the Mercy Mariner accolade, Fortified was so annoying to find, the coords in this game are completely messed up).

Oh, and feel free to contribute any new characters:

Personally, there's just one. Bicarbonate of Soda. That's right you heard me correctly, a Time Manipulation/Beam Rifle Defender from the past, who stumbled on crash-landed alien time-travel technology and salvaged it for himself (but it's still steam-powered, because steam is ultimate source of energy). He jumped into the future, and has decided he likes it here because his wife can't find out what he's getting up to. His name, I'm sure you're wondering, is due to him deciding it encapsulated everything about this world, and would consequently be the perfect hero name: "futuristic, complicated, wondrous, and it gets rid of the worst stains".

Is the lack of interest due to roleplayers already being too involved with other things? Is there are an inherent flaw in the plot? Do people think the plot just isn't all that good? I'd appreciate any feedback.

Uh, it may prove to be different when playing, but Time Manipulation sounds pretty OP. AoE + High Mag hold is exactly the same amount of holds my Dominator has. Dominator /=/ Defender.

EDIT: That's not the only thing. Just an example.

If they do separate the two, they should make story arcs provide a boost in arc completion ticket rewards - not so much that they are superior to farms, but enough that those who choose to play real arcs instead of farms do get a little something.

I'm having quite some trouble balancing some custom enemies. I've reduced them all to Standard/Standard (or Standard/Hard when it gives them no extra powers) yet they still seem to be far more dangerous than I'd like. I'm not sure whether I'm just choosing especially good sets, but I'll lay them down here to try and find some advice (and to note, although they seem random, that is the nature of the enemy group). The main ones I've been having issues with have been the Minions and Lieutenants.

Minions:
Assault Rifle/Devices
Fiery Melee/Shield Defence
Dual Blades/Poison

Lieutenants:
Electrical Melee/Super Reflexes
War Mace/Willpower

Advice?

I just returned to the game, and saw no RPs going on that I could jump into, so I thought I'd make one myself. I thought I'd pull you in and see if anyone's interested.

Tuesday, 9th August, 2011

BREAK IN AT CITY HALL
Citizens Begin Protest as Heroes Emerge on the Scene
Last night at around 3AM, a break-in was reported in the Atlas Park GIFT office. But this report was made after citizens heard a ruckus from the outside. The City Hall security have been completely out of contact. It was only with the idea that the PPD could still catch the culprits in the act that they rushed to the scene. But by the time they got there, mysterious dark clouds had started billowing from within, and the entire building, including the roof, was slowly obscured by this sinister blackness. But there were worse things to come.

Almost at the same time, a struggle was heard from within Galaxy City Hall, and before long, dark figures were seen rushing out the back with a man-sized black bag and from most eye-witness reports, something struggling within. A recently formed united taskforce between Atlas and Galaxy to deal with a recent rise in Hellion activity was already spread thin, chaos ensued within the PPD as their reserves were already overwhelmed, and a state of panic in Atlas and Galaxy made messages from the leadership often mixed and confused. Any decisions to begin deputising citizens could not be made without extensive paperwork, and certainly not until the morning. Before long, the group emerging from Galaxy City Hall had completely disappeared - and the situation in Atlas worsened as the billowing smoke made co-ordination almost impossible as they attempted to surround the building.

Finally, at about 6AM, the miscommunication was resolved through some assertive leadership by Chief Bohco, and he made the decision to make a general callout to heroes, not wanting to divert the attention of the taskforce from the increasingly assertive activities of the Hellions.

But as protests outside Galaxy and Atlas City Halls attest, there is another story behind this one. The beloved hero across both communities, "The Cobalt Dangler" went missing Sunday night, after he bravely entered a Hellion den alone, against the advice of the PPD. He never emerged, and the Hellions moved on. The PPD have refused to investigate after deciding that it would be a dead end, as the investigation would only discover "the obvious". The Cobalt Dangler truly encapsulated the word "hero" for the communties of Atlas Park and Galaxy City. No job was too small, or too large - as his desperado mission attests - for our shining-armoured friend. He wasn't one to beat off a gang of Hellions and hand back your bag only to fly off into the distance. He would stop, and make sure you were alright, ask about your day, make you feel important. Consequently, when the PPD decided to call in heroes to these events instead of trying to find The Dangler, they rose in uproar, and began protesting outside the city halls, trying to block the entry of the heroes.

What hope can there be for the security guards in Atlas City Hall, or the kidnap victim in Galaxy City, or indeed for The Cobalt Dangler, when the community is so dramatically divided?

Ok: end world hunger, end war, topple capitalism, foster a new age of socialist peace and wonder...now that the important stuff is out of the way.

Make magic real. Just not accesible on Earth. Create the worlds of the game Asheron's Call, and start off what's going on there. Make space travel impossible. Make the human race sustainable on Earth.

I'm sure there's a bunch of other mad shizzle. But make sure that everything done is done without compromising anyone's free will. And yes, it can be done.

I'm coming around to this redesign. Especially seeing as I want practically every costume item on the Minion.

I have a tendency to make characters who can't be defined by a single origin. Like one character who never ages because of the release of the energy of the Well of the Furies, has a "power of persuasion" ability through mutation and is super-fast and immune to poison/spits acid because of experiments done on him (funnily enough, a Thugs/Poison MM). I chose Natural. Why? Because the ability fit most with him. Choose the origin that has the most fitting power.

But if you don't want to do that, go with Magic. Heat Mastery would probably come from Magic.

Instead of a Mercy Island revamp, the Rogue Isles need a new starting zone. I know that with Galaxy City being destroyed this seems far less likely now, but I've always felt that the Rogue Isles were a bit thin on the ground. Four contacts on Mercy Island is it (counting the starter levels)? I just do not do them at all now, I play Architect arcs instead (and before you ask, I mean actual arcs, not farms). The island SW of Port Oakes seems perfect considering the fact that Port Oakes is the subsequent zone. They really need to open up a line that is separate from the whole Destined One thing. You can start off in Mercy as one of Recluse's Destined Ones, or you can start in Zone B, which signifies your character as being a native of the Rogue Isles, rather than nabbed out of the Zig.

Obviously, a new starting zone would be much preferred, but if that isn't possible, then a bunch of new contacts would be much appreciated. At least 4 new ones would be appreciated, if not more. Really, the Rogue Isles need a lot of new zones. Seriously, six against twelve not including Hazard zones? It's ridiculous. Support us Villains.

So, month by month, I can transfer my characters to the new 10-year-old free server? Awesome!

The Demolished Man, for the win.