Seldom

**Note: suggested numbers presented represent highest possible, at the defender 1.25% modifier. Corruptor, controller, and mastermind modifiers would make corresponding values for those archetypes lower.**

Forcefield:

Forcebolt: the impact causes bruising to the target, reducing their damage resistance by 15%. (unstackable from caster)

Logic: forcebolt is a low damage attack, and a mandatory choice for masterminds of the forcefield secondary. Adding a debuff gives this a use against KB resistant foes, and gives forcefielders a nasty new trick when KB fails, an effect that makes up half their mitigation. The limited nature makes forcefield still behind more debuff-centric powersets, but allows them to add something extra to a group even when other team members are providing defense.

Deflection shield: +16.66% resistance to -defense debuffs

Logic: forcefields relies heavily upon defense to provide protection to allies. Defense debuffs cause rapid failure of this protection. This change would allow the protection to be a bit more reliable, and would make it a welcome buff to defense-based allies who rely on defense but on whom the extra +defense might usually prove slightly redundant. This also makes forcefields stand apart from other +defense sets that offer a wider variety of tricks. They may offer more tricks, but forcefields would stand as the more reliable protection.

Insulation shield: +16.66% resistance to -defense debuffs

Logic: see above.

Dispersion Bubble: +16.66% resistance to -defense debuffs

Logic: see above. This with the other two shields then provides 50% resistance to -defense, making the presence of a forcefielder very welcome to defense-based characters, especially against foes that would reduce that kind of mitigation.

**edit 6/02/11**
Downgraded -defense resistance numbers, so that it would require more forcefielders to get near the cap for defense debuff resistance.
..............................

Sonic Resonance:

Sonic Siphon: add -15% damage.

Logic: this gives sonic resonance a mitigative debuff in its prescribed power, an effect that is especially strong versus archvillains and their like. As such foes are problematic when facing the attrition of survival that pure resistance faces versus sustained high damage, this allows sonic resonance to bring added mitigation, but only against limited enemies.

Sonic barrier: add 20% -defense debuff resistance.

Logic: due to the commonality of -defense lethal attacks, this reduces the effects of said attacks even as it reduces the damage.

Sonic Haven: add 20% resistance to -end, -recovery, -speed and -recharge debuffs.

Logic: this softens the side effects carried by many energy and ice attacks, even as the shield softens the damage.

Sonic dispersion: add 10% resistance to -defense, -tohit, -end, -recovery, -speed, and -recharge effects.

Logic: As the shield protects from lethal, negative energy, energy, and ice attacks, this allows the bubble to also soften the common effects of said attacks.

Clarity: add 25% resistance to psy damage, and 20% resistance to -tohit debuffs. **Edit: 6/02/11: psy resistance unenhanceable**

Logic: the -tohit protection is in theme with the increased perception. The psy protection follows the mez mitigation: if this effect can protect from mental manipulation, it makes sense it could also protect from mental damage. This also allows sonic resonance to protect against psychic damage, a valuable talent as psy damage is both common and a common weakness. This allows sonic resonance increase versatility as a set the team can rely on for added longevity. ** Addendum to unenhanceability: removing the ability to change psy resistance means that sonic users do not have to sweat finding new slots for +res, the powerset does not gain new +res set possibilities, and the psy resistance become a set quantity.**

**edit for clarification due to thread discussion, 6/02/11**

I do feel some other sonic powers need a pass- liquefy suffers a base 1/10 uptime. Sonic repulsion cannot be sustained along with the rest of the set, making it feel like a situational power; as such, converting it to a timed click may solidify its situational nature, and rectify the endurance drain. Disruption field's cost is very high, despite its singular effect, making endurance tight when running this power and sonic dispersion. These are aspects of the powerset that I feel could be improved by the developers should they address the set's performance. However I won't offer specifics in these cases as I'd rather keep the main thrust of the above on means of improving the defensive/resistance performance of the sets.

Actually, doing a new version with booster pack items included but clearly labeled would work for both new customers and existing ones. New users get a taste of the robust creator, existing customers get a taste of booster packs they haven't purchased before committing.

Subjective feedback:
The pack is very stylish. Beautiful work.

Objective feedback:
The female tops included as 'chest details' clip badly with trenchcoats.

The victorian skirt and boots do not properly reflect colors chosen, appearing several shades darker. For instance, coloring them white leaves the items a dull grey.

It's may be an obvious thing to say, but dominators should always make the first shot in a fight. If you let the enemy make the first shot, you can squish fast. You, on the other hand, can often make a first shot with controls that denies them further attacks. Control first.

Secondly, and forgive me if this is again obvious, but cycle targets. You're like that performer spinning plates, except instead of balancing you are making sure each enemy is under control or dead. One target starts becoming unglued, kill them quickly. If you can't, mez them, come back to them later, cycling on to the enemy you can take out fast. On dominators, target fixation will kill you.

Third, make sure all of your tools are being used. Mesmerize can put a boss to sleep in one shot. If you don't need to kill the enemy right away, mesmerize it and cycle on. Levitate will also instantly effect most bosses. It's a soft control to anything that can be knocked around. It's an excellent tool to stop immediate attacks from a target for a moment. Dominate is awesome, but lasts only so long. (especially at low levels) If possible, reserve it for the least mez resistant foe, tagging the higher ranks with confuse, which lasts longer. (Unless there's a better confusion target, of course. enemies that buff will buff you, confused summoners become a target for their pets, mez/debuff foes make fights easier for you, so use your discretion.) Mass hypnosis is the ultimate side group/opener power, allowing you to bypass foes, or tag them with sturdier controls one by one. Telekinesis is great indoors for repelling a group into a wall or corner, and it's a great one-shot toggle to go with dominate, to layer hold magnitude. Terrify is an impermanent immobilize, -attack speed debuff in practice, and re-applying sleep-like power. use as you need. total domination is a emergency brake vs. a group- fast to wear off, slow to recharge, but good enough for you to lay other controls down safely. Mass confusion is pure gold.

Oh, yes: mass hypnosis, confuse, and mass confuse cause no aggro. They're EXCELLENT powers to start an enemy engagement with, as they won't alert your enemies to your presence.

On the /psy side, subdue can hold a target in a place while you break line of fire, tk thrust is another knockabout, and drain psyche with enough targets makes you into a /regen dom.

Hm. Scandal gives a vibe of sensuality that doesn't quite click for me. But hey, that's me.

Some other suggestions, can't check them, but maybe they will help give some ideas:

Dreadshot
Frightshot
The Closer
Grim Gaze
Grim Gunner
Grim Gunman
Terror Trigger
Ebon Enforcer
The Lethal Legionnaire

While many, even the devs, seem to concentrate on sadism or the enjoyment of causing suffering as a qualifier for villainy, that's actually a very rare motivation for those we call 'villains.' Look at the worst dictators and war criminals in real life, they hardly ever do bad things just to hurt people.

The heart of villainy in my mind is a combination of psychopathy, selfishness, and proactivity. They are highly motivated to achieve their own goals, and could care less if someone else has some "nonsense" rules forbidding them from taking a certain route to that goal. If others are hurt in the process, it doesn't really matter, so long as the goal is reached.

Most villains don't hurt the little guy because they're bad people, they hurt the little guy because they don't care. Supervillainy is all about the character having the means to do what they want, and using their power/wits to obtain it. Social boundaries and laws may be considered, but only as far as they can be manipulated towards achieving the end goal. If they become a hindrance they are ignored.

While heroes are driven by a sense of justice, morality, and social responsibility, villains are the opposite. Not because they want the opposite of those, but because they really could care less about any of them. This is where the difference between well written and badly written villains shows up.

Nobody wakes up saying:
"What things can I do today that my social structure frowns upon, thus labeling them as evil? Muah-ha-ha!"

It's more like:
"There's an army and five puppies between me and the ice cream shop. I want ice cream. The army wants to stop me. I have a bomb that can wipe out the army, allowing me to get all the ice cream I want, but it will hit the puppies too." *detonates bomb*

Hehe. just wanted to drop the original build in, so I don't re-check it with any regularity. Or at all, pretty much.

That said...

As has been brought up, the higher hit rate makes defense valuable on trials...especially for characters that depend on not getting hit. While cold has a lot of tools, forcefield had a bigger, better toggle for if you don't want to individually shield the whole league. Also, camping the spawn point to repel minions is actually quite effective when done correctly.

Soloing AV's and such is not the measure of a 'good set.' Debuffs are great, but just because the set isn't the Über set best of the best that a min-maxed team must have doesn't mean the set is junk. It's the best set for defense, and for knocking things around. Take that for what it is, and it can be very powerful.

Eh. The thread is only three months old, and it's fun to see how the guesses line up with reality.

here are total guesses, leading up from where we are at up to Omega

Hybrid: This one is very open ended, but what if you could choose modified version of a few archetypes' inherent powers? a weaker scourge that boost damage vs. low health. A modified defiance that lets you use your first tier primary/secondary power while mezzed. A modified containment that does bonus damage to mezzed targets. A modified fury that gives damage for using damage powers.

Genesis: an ally buff, perhaps?

Mind: either mez protection, or mez powers.

Vitae: here I would guess a power that boosts the character's own survivability.

Omega: The big finisher for this incarnate set. I'm thinking a godmode power, or a power that allows the character to do unresistable damage. Basically, makes you similar to what you are at the beginning of ramiel's arc. For only a limited time, of course. I'd daresay it would be limited to incarnate trials as well.

I have a sonic/sonic corruptor as well. It's a very fun combo. While some might like the higher debuffs/buffs on defenders, I still very much enjoy the interaction between scourge and the stacking -res. After a couple attacks, your damage goes up from the side effect- just in time for scourge to start magnifying it further.

As /sonic is mostly toggle based with some buffs you only need to apply here and there, it's also far more offense based, as there's less that you have to keep up with on the secondary side. While a lot of the powers are more team based, I still enjoy it solo. Sonic attacks give good mitigation with the knockback, sleep and stun- combine it with your own armor bubble that protects from mez, and you're gold.

Heh. It took leveling a illusion/ controller to help me realize the closest analogue archetype to a controller was a tanker. Aggro control IS control. The only odd part is that it has the added complication of including your HP in addition to mag and recharge. Illusion control takes the tanker control, and makes it simpler. The phantoms don't need to worry about survival, just threat level and duration for their targets.

Illusion is a third aggro control, a third control control, and a third defeat control. The last because dead doesn't fight back.

/Psi.

Good ranged abilities, decent AoE, okay melee, broad assortment of soft control, good -recharge, damage type that bypasses lots of enemies' resistance, excellent survival tool included, excellent endurance tool included, excellent -regen debuff included.

Tied for second would be /fire and /earth.

/Fire only does one thing aside from consume, and that's damage. It does it well. It's fairly one dimensional in that way, but if that one dimension is 'burning things to death,' I can cope.

/Earth is just so very smashy. I'm sure other sets can hit harder, but this set just feels so good. Earth-shacking, smashing with giant stone hammers, clobbering with boulders, all with an accompanied "Thoom!" It comes off in a very satisfying fashion. Add to that that you can smack foes about like rag dolls, stun them, knock them unconscious...it's a very fun set.

In my experience, healing is vastly more valuable than the endmod. Five doctored wounds then a accuracy IO keeps it coming back fast and allows it to hit pretty well too, especially if you come up with some other +acc bonuses along the way. (which is almost unavoidable for a set-slotted dominator) I find with suitable end slotting via sets in my powers and domination, the +recovery of drain psyche is more than adequate, especially if you can grab 2-3 or more targets.

Regen on the other hand, the more the better. As a dominator, this is one of the two self-healing powers you can get aside from pools, and it happens to be the strongest available. A fully saturated drain psyche is stronger than instant healing, but this is regeneration, so it still needs time. You are basically deciding how long damage sticks to you. Slotting healing means with a good number of targets, you can shake of damage extremely quickly. Endurance? It's just the power to do another thing, which I've rarely struggled finding the energy to do.

Also, drain psyche is an incredibly powerful regen debuff. I've heard heal slotting makes the -regen even more powerful, though I'd have to test to know for certain.

I guess I should qualify that statement, as I'm sure some traps may suppress stealth as though you had done an attack. As such, aggro radius and lack of cover would indeed cause trouble. I meant more that the act of placement itself would not pull a group to you.

Not soon that I've heard. So far as it seems, the powers team is tied up with the next few issues' trial content.

But if they do, I'm still hankering for my...

Dark/Dark/Soul dom,
Gadget/Weaponry dom,
Illusion/Psy dom

Placing traps has never notified a mob in and of itself. The reason I say 40' is so that out of the box you cannot simply throw it into a mob. That's not a trap, that's a bomb. Giving enough range to toss a trap directly beneath a foe makes the triggered nature pointless, and you are simply asking for a ranged aoe sleep that saps.

Hence why I'd make it a 'halfway' power. You throw the trap between you and your foes, then when they engage, they come upon the trap and trigger it. If the player wishes to turn it into a full ranged trap they can do so, but it costs them range enhancements.

This is under the preclusion that we're trying to make the poison trap viable, not into a new power. As such, the name itself seems to describe it as something to lure a foe into. Full range means you don't have to even think about retaliation. Point blank, the effect puts the mastermind in trouble. Short range, it has enough time to trigger, but you still need to have oncoming foes for it to work. It means the melee enemies don't get to you while ranged foes may still function. You are fighting foes aggroed on you or your henchies, then the poison trap activates. It's reactive, not preemptive. A preemptive effect means the single-target debuffer can cherry-pick foes without worry, as the foes were snoozing before they could attack. Reactively, the enemies are dreaming of smacking you still, and they get a few shots off before they doze off. The short range still allows the trap to be tossed out from cover far more easily, a tactical advantage that shouldn't be overlooked.

Basically, the part I'd look at changing are making the trap gas actually stop foes from attacking, and make sure it works before the foes are breathing down the poisoner's neck. The parts I would not change are that it is a trap, requiring an aggroed foe to move to its location and step on it for it to work, and is best used with forethought rather than as something you can do anytime.

Let's be honest, if it's something akin to what electric control sports, the only way it'll happen is for there to be more tricks to using it. If it really could keep a mob snoozing and slowly sapping their energy, that's a powerful ability. The way you get that on a secondary are counterbalances, which an interruption period and a triggered trap location function as.

Every archetype could access powers in its class, and I think should. But with a caveat- there are a few side qualifiers for archetypes. Defender attacks all have a debuff/mitigative effect asosciated with them. Corruptors' secondaries all have debuffs.

Besides this, there are archetypal considerations. Brutes should benefit from being attacked, so their secondaries often play to this. Dominators are best with powers that give direct control. Controllers gain damage through control, so giving them control-heavy secondaries can be tricky, as it's also giving damage. Ally damage boosts on a mastermind are self damage boosts, given their pocket armies.

In the former, the rules are more cut and dry. If the devs keep to their rules, defenders don't get the existing fire blast because it brings no mitigation. Corruptors don't get forcefields/empathy as they exist, as they have no weakening ('corrupting') element.

In the latter, it's all grey. Ice armor for brutes? The slows/soft control are mitigation that reduce attacks, so on paper it can work against fury. But then throw in my /dark brute that survives via control, and I can tell you this point is moot. Deeper in the grey, you come across more problematic sets. Ninjitsu would suit brutes even less, as it doesn't just delay attacks, it redirects them from the brute. Fire aura is squishy but is balanced against burning nearby foes. How does that work on a stalker, who can't be setting fire to everyone around them at all times? How do you balance dark miasma for controllers, where it gives four new controls, along with a pet that also controls? In some of these cases, outright proliferation is a bad idea, and tweaks have to happen to suit the new archetype.

In my mind, illusion/ is actually one of the easier sets to balance. While dominators can compliment the temporary damage of the set by helping finish targets with attacks, they also are incapable of indirectly boosting the primary's damage/accuracy with resistance/defense debuffs. The difference between additive and multiplicative effects. The damage from illusion/ would be far more straightforward to balance than in the hands of their step-cousins, controllers.

To make it suit the archetype that doesn't bring much backup survivability in its secondary, I'd pull the group buff (group invisibility) and replace it with a sleep. (This suits the more villainous AT, as it means you only cloak yourself, not your allies) The powerset gets a bit more outright control the dominator can use, but not in a way that skews the character into a control juggernaut. Something like a cone, call it 'hypnotic gaze,' and call it a day.

The powers that have associated sets bearing good +recharge bonuses are control powers and ranged attacks, with some good options also available for AoE and melee sets as well. (even for pets) As every dominator gets control powers in spades, and will have varrying numbers or range/melee/AoE, every dominator will be able to grab enough +recharge bonuses to make their domination permanent.

That said, the expense depends upon the rarity and market value of the +recharge bonus sets that they can use. Since any sets that give +recharge are usually valued by players, the most pricey are the ones that the most archetypes and powersets can use. The least expensive are the ones few can use. So in this case, you're looking for powers with assosciated sets that few sets/AT's can use.

Ranged/AoE/melee options are shared across every possible archetype, especially if you consider pool and ancillary/patron powers. Sleep sets? Fear? Confuse sets? Few archetypes can use this, and even then only a few sets within these archetypes. Holds, immobilizes, stuns and pet sets are a bit more common, especially if you consider the 41-50 pools.

Purple sets offer the best possible +recharge bonuses- which is why mind/ gets off easy, because it has access to the purple sleep and confuse sets that few can use. Fear sets are rarely accessible, even more rarely used. Mind can slot this with ease. This is why mind/ is often stated as one of the cheapest to 'perma' on a dominator. It has rare effects that have potent but often unusable sets that players are generating in their gameplay, but cannot often slot.

The devs give illusion/ to dominators!

They even double phantom army's threat level, and make their recharge match their duration!

...with the side note that phantom army no longer does any damage, serving a purely diversionary role.