Marcian Tobay

A frightefully good point. As a matter of fact, as soon as I posted that message I thought "Capes Missions!"

Then I thought that, since you have so far been a good mind on this, I'd wait to hear what you had to say.

Since we agree, that's a good sign, right?

Empress, I don't want to copy/paste your entire post, as I have a pet peeve about excessive copy/pasting, but I wanted to tell you that is the best interpretation of this idea so far, in my opinion.

What we would need now are two things:
1) A balance that allows people to get as many as are right for their character without allowing others to abuse it and just take them all.
2) Compensation for those that don't want it. Making these options "flat out" better seems like punishing those that don't like the idea.

Thoughts?

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Once the inventions systems goes live with I9 this idea will start to fit more into the game I think. There are more back grounds that could be selected (ie: Scientist, Engineer, Laywer, etc, etc...) that could work with the new system.

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I just wanted to state that, while I am very grateful for your support, this is a specific path I would not want this idea to take.

When you start saying things like "engineer, lawyer...". you are pinning them down into real world Earth perspectives. When I wrote Merchant, I had in mind the CEO of the Media company for which I work.

The issue is that CoX takes place in a fantasy world. People don't really flinch when otherworldly things happen. It did not seem weird when a teammate of mine was playing an "angel from another realm". If that angel serves under his divine master, he could be called a student.

To put it another way, you have the right idea, but I would like the names of the Pools to be more generic, representing general character traits. When you use terms like "Lone Wolf", you scoop up Wolverine, Daredevil, Batman, and any given member of The Outsiders (which is a team somehow). When you say "Lawyer", you get Daredevil.

So, that's my concern.

Still, if the Devs agreed with you, or most other people did, I would probably concede very easily. As has been noted many times here, the idea is liked, but there are a lot of rough edges.

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SG groups will form specific Haggler characters just to take excess storage items to the store.

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I had an idea for a Backstory called "Genius" to reflect Bruce Wayne and Richard Reed. The pool would be dedicated to gathering items and Salvage easier than anyone else.

If you are worried about Hagglers being abused, let's hope that one doesn't see the light of day.

What I find flattering and amusing is that everyone here is arguing HOW to implement this idea, and not WHETHER to implement this idea.

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Also, I'd keep these rather low powered all the way around, make them inherant powers that you automatically get at like 8th, 14th, 20th, and 26th, and make then auto, no clicks or toggles.

In essence, these are vocations, and such powers shouldn't be on par with any "super powers"

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This caused myself an inspiration. What if, at key levels, one could pick a Back Story Power in lieu of two slots?

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(not that some wont anyway, but we dont want it to be like "oh, you're a DM scrapper? you should have taken the Mommy never loved me pool, NOOB!")

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I laughed out loud at this. It is quite fantastic.

Yes, multiple times on this thread it has been pointed out that, perhaps, it would be better if these powers were handed out for free. I really like the idea of being given the opportunity to gain them at certain levels, like titles.

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I like the concept, but I think they'd be better tied into origins than backstories- some (like those of my own character, I admit a bias here) can become incredibly complicated, and not fit well into anything aside from my own twisted mind. Meanwhile, Origins are already a component of the game and yet recieve almost no consideration except in a few exceptional cases.

For instace- my Stalker, an ex-USMC who studied under a murderous Ninja and the fused his soul with that of a demon in order to become more powerful- would he be a Rogue, a Lone Wolf, or a Student?

/unsigned, but on a technical dispute only- it's still a really good idea.

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Origins are somethign I considered heavily before drafting this, but decided that tying them together would be forcing people to go with my idea. The concept is freedom, so it would be counterproductive.

As far as extremely complicated characters like yours (rock on for that character, by the way), as it wouldn't be mandatory, you can choose what you'd like. I'd recommend a small sampling of both Student and Rogue.

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Not a bad concept. They're independent of combat and largely innate and you've kept their proposed values to be moderate, yet valuable rewards. I'd only be concerned that the absolute lack of combat value may make anyone spending 3 slots here to be labled "combat gimp" by some groups. I think THAT would be unfair... I don't doubt that the hero could still function well on some difficulty levels, but the impact of these selections will have to be weighed to insure that players aren't paying too high a price in combat performance for their out-of-combat benefits

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That was a concern of mine as well. My counter-argument to the "power-gimp" idea is that some players would be ingratiating themselves through the clever use of these powers.

Rogues would be invaluable to any pick up group that wants to do a Safeguard/Mayhem mission, and would you say "no" to a Student that has buffed out their "Protective" power? Merchant powers would be moot either way, unless of course a clever Merchant leveraged their powers into constantly green SOs. At which point, who would complain?

As far as Lone Wolf? That power pool is in there for people that don't want to put up with pick up groups.

Speaking from the perspective of someone who is a Mastermind dedicated to their pets, I often finding myself staring at the Power Selection screen thinking "But I don't WANT more fighting skills."

They aren't a great idea for those that are combat oriented. They will, however, promote Alt-itis to the nTh degree.

For a long time, people have been discussing alter egos and origin stories. Today, I would like to introduce:

The Back Story Power Pools

Back Story Power Pools are Power Pools available at a level 4 (or some other very early level). These powers represent the experiences that a character has had in their life previous to becoming a hero/villain that have shaped how they approach the Herculean task of changing the world.

Back Story Power Pools (from here on referred to as BSPPs) provide benefits to the players that enhance the experience of the world of CoX without altering the strategies of fighting or detracting from those who choose not to use them.

The restrictions for picking Power Pool Powers still apply. You still need to have 1 or 2 to pick 3, and two powers to pick 4.
Here are some examples of ideas.

Rogue
Even before you began your official career in Paragon City/The Rogue Isles, you led a disreputable life. Whether you were a high profile hit man or a self righteous pick pocket, you understand how complicated crimes work.
1) Pilfer – Your hands are faster than most people’s eyes, allowing you to grab and hide objects at incredible speeds. Due to this, your interruption time for mission related objects is lowered 20%.
2) Eavesdrop – Your ear is constantly to the ground on the subject of big crimes. You know when they are going to happen before anyone else. You must complete one less newspaper/radio mission before unlocking a Safeguard/Mayhem mission.
3) Criminal Efficiency - Every second is an opportunity to either slip up or hit it big. You value these seconds, and make the most of them. When you enter a Safeguard/Mayhem Mission, your team immediately gets a 2 Minute bonus. This power may only be stacked once.
4) Blueprint Knowledge – A good rogue knows the area before attempting to get anything out of it. You are the best warrior you know, and glowing mission objectives appear on your map when you enter the mission.
Obviously, the purpose of the Rogue Power Pool is to increase one’s enjoyment of the newspaper/radio missions. This can be great for those that don’t like the story of CoX and just want to play.

Student
You may have been a college student. You may have been a religious scholar. In the grand scheme of things, you study hard and learn quickly, a skill that can be invaluable to a developing hero.
1) Subservient – When someone tells you what to do, you do it well. When you are in lackey/sidekick mode, your level is increased by an additional level, making you the same strength as your Mentor/Boss.
2) Protective – You take care of your Mentor/Boss loyally. Toggle: While this power is active and you are within an appropriate range of your Mentor/Boss, they receive a defense bonus.
3) Visual Learner – Learning by example is a specific strength of yours. When you complete a mission in Sidekick/Lackey mode, you receive an experience bonus.
4) Studious – Through your studies you’ve valued mistakes and negative experiences, as they are the best teacher of all. When in sidekick/lackey mode, your experience debt burns off at a twenty-five percent higher rate.
This is a good Power Pool for beginners. Additionally, it can serve as an incentive for players to make long term duo characters.
[u]Although I did not write it out, I suggest a symmetrical version of this called "Instructor", which rewards people for being Mentors/Bosses. The third power of that pool would allow one to have two lackeys/sidekicks.[u]

Lone Wolf
You’ve been by yourself most of your life. That doesn’t bother you, though. In fact, not much bothers you anymore.
1) Inner Strength – When you are on a mission without a team, Inspirations provide an additional 5% bonus.
2) Unshaken – You’ve been outnumbered so many times, it doesn’t frighten you. When more than four enemies are simultaneously attacking (drawn aggro from four enemies), you receive an 8% attack bonus.
3) Vicious Strike – When you are alone, sometimes you have to play dirty, just to survive. When you are on a mission solo, you have a slightly increased chance of stunning enemies.
4) Wanderer- The more you are by yourself, the more you learn. When you complete a mission solo, you receive an experience bonus.
This is for the breed of folk that want to solo City of Heroes/Villains, or for those that just want to feel hardcore by diving into the fray themselves.

Merchant
Before all of this started, you dealt in currency, and lots of it. You understand its value more than most people.
1) Silver Tongue – You can haggle and negotiate easily, always getting the better bargain. When buying Enhancements, you receive a 10% discount.
2) Businessperson – Your ability to come off trustworthy always gets you in with people. When completing missions for non-broker contacts, your relationship meter fills more rapidly.
3) Haggler – Somehow, when someone buys from you, they always think that they are coming out ahead, even though you completely ripped them off. When selling Enhancements, you sell them for an additional 10%.
4) Business Deal – Friends give friends discounts. Your Kindred Contacts sell you Enhancements at an additional 20% discount.
These enhancements enable people to be more focused on enhancing their character and contacts, driving them to complete the story missions. Also, it may influence trade, as Merchants will inevitably buy enhancements and then sell them for profit at the market.

Obviously, many of these will have to be tweaked. There are several more that I have in mind, but I am not trying to sell the individual pools, I am trying to sell the idea in general.

What do you think?

I want this to happen.

I want this to happen. I'm going to say it again.

It's really sad how in favor of this I am.

/signed.

Congrats to Marisa, the overall winner! She's from the same city as myself, and I love her much for representing Riversidians everywhere!

Or more... in Riverside.

Either way! Congrats!

How do you feel?