zprophet

First, to answer Starwinds...

1. I do have 3 level 30 Defense IOs in both Deflection and Battle Agility.
2. I do not have Weave. I play melee characters exclusively and I've always managed to get by without *ever* dipping into the Fighting Pool. I'm hesitant to take yet MORE toggles to eat up my End bar. My playstyle is very much the neverending attack rush. I don't like downtime.
3. I don't have Combat Jumping. 2.12% Defense doesn't seem worth a power pick, now that I can skip it. Also, see above about MORE End toggles.
4. Don't have it yet. True Grit is slotted with 3 level 3 Heal IOs for the MaxHP.
5. I do.

As for my slotting, here's my setup, all with level 30 generic IOs unless stated otherwise.

Initial Strike: 2 Acc/2 EndRdx/1 Dmg
Sweeping Cross: 2 Acc/2 EndRdx
Rib Cracker: 2 Acc/2 EndRdx/1 Dmg
Combat Readiness: 1 RchRdx
Spinning Strike: 2 Acc/2 EndRdx/1 Dmg
Shin Breaker: 2 Acc/2 EndRdx/1 Dmg

Deflection: 3 Def
True Grit: 3 Heal
Battle Agility: 3 Def
Active Defense: 1 RchRdx
Against All Odds: 1 EndRdx
Phalanx Fighting: Karma: Knockback Protection/Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Global Recharge
Grant Cover: 1 Def

Health: Miracle: +Recovery
Stamina: 3 EndMod

Aid Self: 2 Heal/2 Interrupt Duration

Hi all,

I'm a long-time player of a SS/Elec Brute, but since the dawn of Street Justice, I was able to remake my main, Steel Spartan, as he always should have been: Street Justice/Shield Defense. My problem, however, is that in my many, many years of CoH, I've never actually played a Defense-based set, having a preference for Resistance-based sets.

My problem is that I'm level 31, using generic IOs (I don't slot sets until I'm 40+ because they're expensive to replace), I have all the Shield Powers available to me, Aid Self, Superjump, and a good spread of my main attacks. However, I get pasted WAY more often than is comfortable. I'm used to SS/Elec, like I said, which is really tough and while my brain knows I shouldn't expect that kind of durability, I still can't shake the feeling that something's not quite right. I shouldn't be this fragile. I know that, with Defense, I'll take my lumps when I get hit, but I shouldn't *be* getting hit, is the whole idea, so I come here, humbly asking for aid from those more learned than I.

I don't have Mids Herobuilder, as I don't like downloading 3rd party programs and couldn't make heads or tails of it anyway. I can provide any information needed to help raise me above the suckitude that I have fallen into.

Thanks.

Why is /SD better on Scrappers?

Guess I'm the only StJ/Shield Brute out there...

Could we please have the Roman/Spartan costume pieces added to the Paragon Market for new characters? Seems a little unfair to have Vanguard costume pieces for sale and not the ones unlocked by the Imperious TF. Some of those pieces (namely the plume crest and helmet mast) are iconic and necessary for the StJ/Shield Brute I intend to make.

I'd like to know why the Roman costume pieces from the Imperious Task Force aren't purchasable. Why can we buy Vanguard pieces but not the Roman pieces? I NEED those costume parts for when I remake Steel Spartan as Street Justice/Shield.

IS OUTRAGE!!!!

Pros and cons of each combo? Which is better for solo activity?

Go play on Freedumb if you hate roleplayers. Or better yet, go play WoW. That seems your speed.

Same. Dammit! I want to start Dr. Neurocide's evil career! <angryface>

Is it just me, or has Virtue specifically been having a lot of problems lately? Seems Virtue, and only Virtue, is going down almost every other day.

Really? 110 views and not a single reply? I is sad panda.

So, I'm dead set on this combo, having done some research and played it to 12 thus far. However, I'm completely new to Shield Defense and, of course, Kinetic Melee is a new animal altogether. Sure, there are Elec/Shield and SS/Shield guides, but I feel that it's not always ideal to cherry pick ideas from a build written from a different perspective. Certain sets synergize better. What I'm looking for is an IO build, as I'm completely unfamiliar with IO sets for the most part. How can I become the most indestructible Shield Brute I can be without spending an insane amount of inf?

Also, what *is* considered an insane amount? What is generally accepted as "affordable?" 50M? 100M? 1B? I have no idea. In addition, when is the ideal time to start slotting sets? Thus far, I've always used DOs for 12-22 and slotted generic IOs at 22 and up, not getting into sets until 40+. Reason being, I figure sets are something you don't want to ever replace, so don't slot them at low levels where they'll be outperformed. (Like a lvl 25 Mako's Bite Acc/Dam giving +20% where a lvl 50 Mako's Bite Acc/Dam gives +40%)

Any and all help/advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I see a lot of people suggesting pairing KM with Shield. My concern with this is Endurance. I generally like keeping to sets with some kind of Endurance recovery power, like Electric Armor's Power Sink or Willpower's Quick Recovery. How do you keep from running yourself dry with a combo like Shields/Kinetic Melee?

We have our own forum now, so all discussion will be moving there. Anybody late to the party and wanting to be a part of this, contact me in-game @Ave Imperator, join or global channel "Pharian SG", or visit our forum at http://theroleplayingsyndicate.yuku.com/directory and look for the Pharian Supergroup category.

But what about survivability? Brutes generally have better defenses than Scrappers.

Important note! Now that I'm back in-game, I've created a Global channel so we can discuss matters. The channel is called "Pharian SG", without the quotation marks.

Broadsword/Shield is perfectly acceptable, so long as they're sufficiently high-tech swords/shields.

I'm home! Finally! I can log in again!

Very good points and excellent ideas, Heffron...except you're forgetting one very important detail. Pharians are Lawful Good, using the D&D alignment scale. Honorable, honest, and noble people, they're not going to purposefully lie to and manipulate the peoples of Earth, regardless of the end goal. Pharians don't believe that the ends justify the means. You can have the best intentions in the world, but if you sacrifice your soul in the process, what have you really accomplished? The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, as the saying goes. For better or worse, they will try to recruit humanity the honest, old fashioned way. This is one of the things that has lent the Empire a great deal of credibility and good PR amongst the denizens of their galaxy. They don't conquer, they don't brainwash, they don't manipulate. They expand, peacefully and diplomatically. They're good people. The only worlds they have EVER taken by force were Karaken-held worlds. That's something that will never change.

I'm really liking your Billy Northman scenario. Makes for a good perspective to build from. In that light, I'm thinking something along the lines of the Pharian Joint Peacekeeper Force, or something of the like.

Heading out on the 2-hour drive home now. Leave me lots of posts to come back to.

All very good suggestions. I'm liking them a lot. I agree that the Pharian Peace Corps sounds too much like Greenpeace. (There are no hippies on Pharus :P) Enforcers is good, but again, sounds a little too aggressive. Heffroncm is right, the SG name is what we'll be identifying ourselves as according to Paragon City's bureaucracy. We want something that will identify us, but also cast us in a good light. I'm liking the Peacekeeper idea, that's good.

Title says it all. How come we're getting no feedback on Kinetic Melee for Brutes? Sure, we can get the bland, simplistic write-up from Paragonwiki, but what about numbers? Personal experiences? Synergies with secondaries? Inquiring minds want to know...

Would it be possible for someone to get a full write-up or copy/pasta of more detailed info about Kinetic Melee? Particularly from a Brute perspective?

Don't worry about your ideas getting shot down. It's a well-established setting, but I'm the only one with any real knowledge about the details. You guys can't really be expected to know all the ins and outs so in actuality, *I* feel kinda bad for constantly saying I want your input and then shooting down a fair number of your ideas, heh. Naming the First Contact team is a good idea and brings me to an important point: the SG name. I don't have one and I want everyone to be a part of coming up with it. Technically, the team won't be strictly about First Contact, as that's already been made. Our SG base will likely either be the ambassador ship or, if we decide to do it this way, a small embassy the Empire has been allowed to build in Paragon. The military personnel on this team are there for two reasons: safeguarding the ambassadors and providing military aid in such areas that will help build rapport with Earth.

As for the leveling pacts, I see where you're coming from and I'm glad to hear you'll be pretty active. The initial impression you gave is that we might see you maybe once or twice a week. I'm on pretty much every day, this past weekend being an exception since I'm out of town. I'll be getting home tomorrow, though, so I should be back to my usual gaming schedule.

The elite squad you're thinking of is a bit redundant. Given the anti-alien sentiment on Earth and this being a First Contact situation, the Empire is well aware that this is a very delicate matter. Therefore, only the best are going to be chosen to be stationed on Earth. The Empire wants to put it's best foot forward and build a good rapport with Humans, so only the best and brightest of military personnel are going to be chosen for this assignment, and only those who can be trusted not to cause a diplomatic incident. Basically, anyone in this SG *is* one of the elite.

As for bullet 3, I think that's a good idea. With the Empire trying to prove they're a force for good, they can be working in tandem with Paragon Earth in dealing with the situation in Praetorian Earth.

As for activity and exclusivity, I'd *like* everyone to play these characters frequently, but it's not really reasonable of me to expect everyone to give up all their characters and make this their new main. RL always comes first, followed by fun. I hope everyone will have fun and be active, but I'm not going to kick you if you spend a day or two without logging into your Pharian character.

Leveling-pacts are something *I* generally do with my brother, since when we do them, we play together exclusively. While they're a cool concept, every other person I've ever formed one with has dropped off the face of the Earth, leaving me to level *both* characters by myself at a snail's pace. Not very fun, so it makes me a little wary to do. :/

Heffroncm, glad to have you aboard! Very good questions and I'll be happy to answer them.

1: Yes, panther-like color scheme is perfectly acceptable. Any reasonable color/pattern is acceptable. Black, white, tawny, striped, spotted, marbled, anything. Only absolute rule is that Pharians born on the homeworld of Pharus generally have white fur, with or without markings.

2: I understand how you feel about the Templar, but the 100 don't span across the entire Empire. Templar are extremely rare. To compare them to Space Marines is inaccurate. They're more like Primarchs among Guardsmen. You don't aspire to become a Templar. You're chosen, by the Temples, from among the best across all branches, and only Pharians can become Templar, not member-races of the Empire. Reinmar has shown a lot of interest in playing a Templar and I've asked him to give me some more time to think on it. I know I've said I'm not going to forbid people from playing them, but having 7 Templar on Earth when they're such rare and significant figures is going to be a little odd. Then again, the only canon this is being held against is my own, so like I said, please give me a little more time to think it over on how to make it work.

3: Truth be told, until the NDA was lifted and I got to read the specifics about Praetorians, I didn't really think about that. The reason I suggested everyone roll Praetorians is so people can play whatever AT they want right from the get-go rather than having to level up to 20 and switch sides, if they prefer villain ATs. I know *I* am likely going to play a Brute or Corruptor, but we're a Heroic SG. As to dimensional travel, no. That's something entirely new to the Empire. Earth is intriguing to them because Humans have barely ventured beyond their own moon (which is laughable), yet they travel across multiple parallel worlds. I'm going to need to think on how this is going to work, given the new info on the Praetoria starter zone.

4: See question 3. Ideas are welcome. The setting and theme are my creations, but I don't want the SG to be "all mine," so to speak. Everyone's ideas and opinions are welcome.

5: Uniforms are standard issue, but there are variations of the armors depending on your character's branch and unit specialty. For example, a character with Electric Melee might use the Enforcer gloves, explaining them as a weapon system integrated into the armor in the form of electrical discharge gauntlets. A Dual Pistols or Assault Rifle character likely wouldn't use the Enforcer gloves. Again, nothing is set in stone just yet and everybody is welcome to put forth ideas. When I get it set up, uniforms and such things will be posted on our SG forum.

Also, thank you for providing that color chart! I've often used a similar A-4 kind of system for synchronizing costume colors with people, but it gets a little confusing sometimes due to communication issues. That color chart will be extremely helpful!