Dante

Dark/Sonic is a nice combination. Tar Patch does -res debuffs as well so ties nicely with the sonic secondary. Also you get three powers for making sure they don't go anywhere - Tar Patch, Siren's Song and Fearsome Stare (best power in the game IMHO). Which then means that you can lay down Darkest Night and leave them whiffing at nothing.

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EventsThere are rumours that the Unity Vigil will be holding a concert in Unity Tower, and are looking for muscians, singers and variety acts as well.

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((Aargh! And just when I'm about to go away on hols. Would have made a great comeback for Amber. Next time. ))

[u]Injured[u]

Stygian Minx of the Militia was dismembered by a horde of Rikti troops yesterday while fighting outside of her favourite nightclub, The Pit. Although Styx's regeneration powers saved her from death, the radiation from the Rikti bombs has slowed her rate of recovery. Her missing limbs are growing back at a steady pace although she expresses distress at losing some of her favourite body jewelry to the 'Slapnecked retroworked nutball spacefreaks'. Currently resting in Chiron Medical Centre.


[u]Deceased[u]

Scorpio Rose , lieutenant in the Terra Liberation Front died due to a gas explosion on one of the docks in Nerva Archepeligo this morning. No comment has been made about the TLF's fallen comrade.

It had been raining for over an hour. Unfortunately for the citizens of the Rogue Isles, the rain was in the form of luminescent radioactive bombs, relentlessly dropped from the lurid green Rikti ships as they passed overhead. On the ground, people took their chances, either running from the assault or hiding inside of their homes, praying that the bombs would not reduce them to so much rubble. The streets were the playgrounds of the meta-humans, the only people capable of withstanding the bombardment. Near the one of the numerous docks dotted around the Nerva Archipelago, one such meta-human was taking her chances with the Rikti ground troops. And bizarrely enough, saving lives.

“Run fools!” shouted the woman, trying to scatter the panicked citizens away from the area. Some of them ran, others needed encouragement from one of her numerous guards. To think what she was doing was heroic would be a mistake. Scorpio Rose had no desire to save any of the wretches in the vicinity, they would simply make life difficult for her when the troops arrived. Her mind slaves were positioned around the area, a cunning trap waiting for the alien invaders when they teleported in. She could feel their anticipation through the mental link she shared with them. Their suppressed rage was enough to heighten her own aggression. Soon, she soothed them, soon.

Two minutes later and it all made no difference. The Rikti had arrived in force, scattering the area with their laser fire, forcing Rose and her men back onto one of the jetties. She noted with satisfaction that many of the Rikti had fallen to their small arms’ fire, alien armour still no match for red hot steel ammunition. But they were pressed and there was nowhere left to go other than the embrace of the ocean before them. Bruno, her massive bodyguard stood nearby, never far from his mistress. Gritting her teeth, she drew her pistols from her waistband, flicking their safeties off. She smiled at the irony. For over a year she had carried these guns, often drawn but never fired. And yet although she manipulated the terrifying forces of the Nether with ease, holding these two weapons still sent a chill down her spine. Maybe it was about time she shot someone, she thought to herself.

Bracing herself against one of the numerous crates, she sent the mental command to attack, her minions responding with ease. She flicked herself over, bringing her weapons to bear on the invaders. But their metal rage remained unfired as she noticed the gas canister nearby that was hissing alarmingly from the tiny hole in its side.

She ran… but not fast enough. The light hit her first, painting her vision an incandescent white. Then came the noise, the thunderous explosion hitting her from behind. Then the pain arrived as burning hot gas and splinters of wood and metal pierced her form. She fell for what seemed like forever, the last image in her head that of Bruno running towards her. And then the darkness came and then nothing came after that.

Not wanting to overload the thread with Sonic lovers but it really is a beautiful little power set. The only other Blaster I've got to a serious level was a Fire/En and they couldn't be more different. Whereas Fire just deals damage and puts down its enemies fast, Sonic is very controllery and about the only Blaster I've been able to solo with on higher difficulty settings. Putting a spawn to sleep, stunning the mezzer and then taking them out one at a time is just beautiful. And yes, the difference against AVs and Elite Bosses is very noticeable.

Other alternatives are Archery for the sheer fun of shoving pointy sticks through people or Energy for sending people flying when you hit them.

Scorpio Rose just shrugged. "Go right ahead Twiglet," she retorted, "if you can find them that is. You wanna run headlong at the mothership? You go do that. I'll try and find something nice to say at your funeral."

She took a seat next to Bruno and smiled. "Meanwhile we'll try and keep our two sides from tearing each other apart, fools with Halloween props notwithstanding."

"So now it's not just a ceasefire, it's a treaty?" asked Scorpio Rose. She shrugged nonchalently. "Ok. I guess. We all visit either the city or the isles at some point so I guess you're making sense there. If we fall down there because of some alien with an attitude, I don't want to be facing bars. I'll do what I can to let the rest of the TLF know."

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Dark/Sonics solos fairly well and is fun to play.

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Seconded, as is Dark/Dark.

From the far side of the room, dark brown eyes bored into Twilight as he arrogantly preached his message of doom. Scorpio Rose had had suspicions about his loyalty for weeks and now he had publically exposed his duplicity, she figured he would not only be wanting for work from both sides but would probably not be long for this world either. In her superiors' absence she'd signed the TLF up to the treaty knowing full well that they would be left out in the cold if they didn't. She smiled wickedly wondering what Hatesman would do to him when she exposed their traitor.

Putting such thoughts aside, she stepped forwards, trying not to jostle her left arm as it rested in its sling. "There's little to report from the TLF I'm afraid," she announced. "We've scattered, gone underground where we can to avoid the Rikti. Our battles with them have occurred in back alleys and the underground. We're using guerilla tactics but at the moment it's all we can do to resist their incursions. If they push harder we'll have to abandon our positions and regroup. So far however, damage has been minimal."

Feeling suddenly exposed, she stepped back into the shadow of her bodyguard who in the past week had acquired a few more scars to add to his growing collection.

Well, loads of good advice so far so I shall stick my oar in too with what I have learnt so far in helping to run a RPSG.

- Try to gather likeminded people. Some SGs can suffer from the 'cult of personality' i.e. one person has a vision, others sign up and when that person leaves, no-one wants to continue it. If the people you RP with have a similar vision and desire to continue then it is possible for the SG to carry on without too much disruption. There are many different RP styles and although it's possible to try and accommodate all of them, you can sometimes find yourself stifled because one group wants to go one way and another the other. Try to find a style that you like and gather similar people around you.

- Have a direction. The Militia floundered for a while trying to choose a style of RP and in the end, you have to choose a direction to go in. Some people will like it, some people won't, but you simply can't be all things to everyone. It's best to have a direction than none at all.

- Be authoritative. As Archer's said, you have to say no sometimes and not be afraid to take the lead. One thing I can recommend though is to have a character who can lead IC as well. It helps when trying to get things going.

- Encourage others to do things. I like it when other members of the group do their own thing. Not only does it take a little bit of responsibility from your shoulders, it also means that things are less likely to collapse if you leave for any length of time.

I hope that helps a little.

"Well while we're here discussing morality, the Rikti are out there killing," said a voice from near the entrance. Scorpio Rose leant against the wall, her massive bodyguard Bruno standing next to her.

"But to be fair, a truce makes sense, at least to me. I can't speak for the rest of the TLF, I've struggled to make contact with them but as far as I'm concerned, I'll keep the dogs off the capes for now. Quite frankly I don't want anyone in charge but if it's a choice between siding with capes and being under the foot of Rikti oppression, I guess I'm in."

It was going to be a big day. Having spent the better part of two weeks doing nothing but sitting at home and arresting a few miscreants here and there, Saffron had decided it was time to move on. While she’d been clearing out her locker from the university, she’d caught wind of a rumour that there was an assistant’s position going in the library. It wasn’t what she’d had in mind for a day job but the hours were flexible and it beat flipping burgers at Up And Away. Plus as someone who’d always got on with Debra, the librarian, she actually stood a chance of getting it. So at 10 o’clock, she was stood outside the university in Steel Canyon with her resume, counting the minutes before her meeting.

It was while waiting that she noticed in the sky that black clouds were gathering. The forecast had said nothing about a storm so it came as quite a surprise to both her and the students wandering about the grounds. It was as they stood looking at the black clouds that loomed overhead that she heard the sound.

It sounded like nothing else in this world. A cruel tearing sound of reality being carelessly pulled asunder by ruthless technology. Amber had heard it years before, when she was a lot younger. She knew what the sound heralded and the fear gripped her as it had the first time it had rung through the city. Her eyes widened as dark green shapes began to appear through the clouds, an ominous hum radiating from above.

“No…” she murmured, “not again…!”

She had to know for sure. Dropping her notes, she repelled herself from the ground, leaping high into the air. The skyscrapers in Steel Canyon were numerous and it was easy for her to propel herself up their monochrome surfaces until she reached the top of the clocktower. From her vertiginous vantage point, she watched the shapes loom over the city, their intent clear. The wind whistled through her red hair as the alien ships scythed their way through the clouds at last. As their ugly shapes became visible, Amber wept for the city, for the people and for the decisions that would be made.

And then the sky began to rain green fire…

I use Hover on my Katana/Dark for a way of dealing with knockback (or at least I can afford some of those IOs!). With three Fly SOs, it's pretty quick and I'm sometimes the first one into a mob, overtaking people who are just running. I wouldn't slot it with defence to be honest if that's all you're using it for unless you have something like SR for your secondary. I have mine slotted 1 EndRed and 3 Fly and it works ok.

The only thing to watch is your vertical movement. If you're hovering and you encounter a low obsticle, you'll move slightly higher to go over it which can end up with you hovering a little too high above the mobs to hit them. Not good if you're a melee character!

You've got yourself a real industry going here pal.

In my opinion, on the strength of the amount of work you've done, a nomination for Creative Genius should not be out of the question.

*Bangs head against the wall*

Unfortunately, my circumstances have changed and I will probably not be online until much later in the evening. Therefore to avoid mucking people around with ifs and maybes, I'll cancel for now and try and arrange it for another time. If people still want to go for it, please do so but don't wait for me.

Apologies for the confusion.

Hi folks.

It seems that I have a free evening tomorrow night (Sunday 8th July) so I'm considering running my level 16 Dark/Dark Defender through the Synapse Task Force. I appreciate that this is short notice so if there are no responses or we don't get enough people, that's not a problem. I just wanted to throw the idea out there and see whethere anyone is free. Task Force details are below, please sign up if you're interested. The plan is to start at 6:30 if at all possible and finish by 10:30ish.

Contact: Synapse
Level Range: 15 - 21
Notes: Requires 4 people
Zone: Skyway City
Location: In Aerie Plaza.
Primary Enemy: Clockwork
Name: The Fall of the Clockwork King
Badge: Synapse's Cohort Badge

Personally, I like Thugs, they have a lot of personality and with Gang War up, you can feel like you're leading a real army. I RP a character with Thugs/Dark and I love it although a friend of mine has Thugs/FF and having watched them in action I'd say that's a pretty solid combo too.

I'm also trying Necro/FF at the moment and it works pretty well. If you're keen to RP a character I'd let the concept dictate what you go for. Masterminds aren't 'easy' but I think it's very hard to make a bad one. I think all of the combinations will work well together, it's just which one suits your idea best.

Natural can be a very flexible origin and as others have said, it only has to be natural for her. Origins can often blur and I find that once you get used to a character they don't matter any more. I have a character who started as a 'mutant', found out that there was 'magic' in the family which runs in her blood which could in turn make her 'natural'. So in the end it doesn't really matter that much. Characters will develop over time and outgrow the mechanics that the game forces on them. Perhaps your illusionist started as a stage magician and then discovered 'real' magic or developed advanced technology to help her?

Sometimes little things like that can bug a person. I sometimes look at the names of some of my characters and wish I'd chosen differently. Unfortunately, as with origin, there is no way other than a reroll.

How does one class oneself as a veteran? Personally, I don't even though I have what I would call a moderate amount of experience. I think like most titles, it should be one ascribed to you by others not necessarily taken by oneself. It's not always about time served (even if that is a traditional view) but about the skills that a person has. As others have said, I've met supposed 'veterans' who made some awful errors and godmodded me about and then there are some people who said they were new to the RP scene who amazed me with some stunning RP. Like all these things, it should be something taken with humility, that there is always something new to learn and that it's never possible to 'know everything'.

Personally I've only RPed in CoX for about a year (although there was always tabletop before that...) but I sometimes get people asking me advice and that always makes me nervous in case I get something wrong! A veteran might not always be someone with a lot of time under their belt but someone with patience, acceptance of others and a willingness to try something new.

And regarding retcons, I'm glad I'm not alone in doing those. Sometimes I love a character but after a while I come to realise that I don't actually like playing the toon in game. Coming up with a storyline to explain the change is always fun.

Peace y'all.

Well ten levels in just over 3 hours is pretty good in my book. A slow start but once we got going... wow!

Thanks to everyone that participated, it seems to have worked out as a great way to get a kick start on a new toon. If you want to continue teaming together I say go for it and enjoy. I may or may not be around, depending on what I have commited to.

Thanks again everyone, it was a blast.

Rain of Fire is a lovely power but in my opinion it comes too early in the power set. To be effective, you really need something holding the aggro, be that a Tank, a Controller or a slow power like Quicksand or Tar Patch.

I find that being a Blaster is taking that thrill of being able to cause massive damage on an epic scale. Once a mob is held/immobilized etc, hitting Build Up + Fireball + Fire Breath pretty much means that there's nothing left standing other than the bosses. And once you get to nukes, well, they're a whole bunch of fun in themselves.

As for utility, some Blaster sets have some great effects. A higher level Elec/Elec for example can dive in with the tank and rob the mob of all its endurance. An Ice Blaster can slow foes down to a snail's pace. Fire sacrifices the utility that other sets have for extra damage (DoT). But on a good team, people will love you for upping the DPS to an incredible rate. Just don't go believing that thing about Blasters always faceplanting, it doesn't have to be true!

*Applauds loudly*

Meeting time is 6:15 BST if you want the Isolator badge, 6:30 at Atlas Park steps if you don't. I'll be at the entrance to the tutorial, near the park on the right.

This'll be my last post before we meet as for some strange reason I can't log in from work (accursed firewall!). I'll be aiming to keep us as an eight man team all night if I can, possibly recruiting others if we need to bump up the numbers.

If there's any problems, you can always get me on @Dante in game. Good luck guys, I hope to see you there.

Fire/En is quite nice due to getting Build Up really early on. Just bear in mind that Power Boost won't affect DoT.

You're better at doing these lists than I am Knightly. Again, thanks for collating them.

The main aim of the evening is to have fun and gain as many levels as possible. At the last player meet we proved that it's possible to get to level 5 in under twenty minutes. I reckon we can top that and then some. Personally, I can't wait.