Jack_NoMind

It's either very difficult or very expensive (and still kind of difficult).

But I think Arcana has overlooked -- or anyway isn't talking about -- at least two solutions other than the one she has proposed. One of them is encapsulated in any discussion of zero-sum economics. The other is encapsulated in the process of answering the question, "Can an anthill be described as sentient?"

So, conceptually, I actually prefer this as an Assault (dom) set, but it's more sellable as a melee set. I'm not positive but I think Brutes, Scrappers, and Tankers have a population three times greater than the entire dom population... each. Stalkers are probably comparable. This would get some new Doms, but I still suspect it would be much better business-wise to make it a melee set.

Now making it ALSO work for an assault set and a blaster2 set seems pretty doable to me to at least the extent it works as a melee set, but whaaaoooahh animation duplication.

Well, I mean, I do have a pretty effective power-armored Beam Rifle corruptor. And I think I could come up with a pretty convincing power armor Dom build. But I would love to see the Brotherhood of Steel-esque "Ranged Brute" sort of character.

Oh, if you want like, an actual whip, or a plant thing or whatever, this totally won't work and I really wouldn't expect to see it in the next couple years.

But if you're interested in Fire Whip or whatever, this'll do you. With a fire whip.

Maybe you know, but I don't. Tankmages would be too what? Too Kheldian? too much like the TF2 Heavy? Too fun?

I mean it's just a quirk of the design process SoAs don't have gatling guns already. I would really, REALLY like to see the following OEATs:

• Magic : The Midnighter (Somewhere between John Constantine and Scarlet Witch, sort of a controller-oriented AT with an urban fantasy feel. Maybe "spell pool" modular powers with ties to in-game organizations like the Tuatha De Danan, Cabal, CoT, Drudges, Mu, etc.)
• Natural : The SoAs and PBs are already Natural, but I wouldn't mind seeing some kind of PPD tie-in. Less wanted than the others.
• Science : Type 02 (A "monster movie" archetype, with powers tied to the modifications that were made to them and serums used. Tied of course to the Failed Experiments faction from Praetoria.) Of course, Warshades are Science origin, but... meh. Another cool idea would be a Troll- or Lost- themed EAT.
• Mutant : Actually I don't have one for Mutants. I was kind of thinking some kind of psychic or something, but none of the mutant-y stuff in the game really jumps out at me.
• Tech : Giant robot. There are a bunch -- Malta, Warworks, more (CW don't count for obvious reasons). But I want to run around as a giant freaking robot. There might have to be a "pilot form" or something, but... yeah. Giant robot.

...but I really don't see a true design problem with a high offense high defense ranged attacker. They'd pay for it by being hard to play (Here's your toggle control panel. Attacks 1 and 6 can only be used if toggle 1 is active, but attacks 2 and 3 can only be used if toggles 1 and 3 are active, and if you use power 3 toggle 1 de-activates...) and lacking any other niches.

...I feel like I've entered bizzaro-world. The very title of this thread is the most pointlessly entitled thing I've read since I stopped reading WoW forums, and folks are agreeing with it?



¿Que?

Personally I don't get it. The whip animations are cool and all, but I don't have a huge need for them to be extended into an entire set.

(I wouldn't mind them being developed into a new APP, or even rarity of rarities, a new PPP (maybe of Desdemona)? I don't have the lore-stick-up-my that insists players be unique and special snowflakes. The named characters still get the screentime, even if we're the ones supposedly saving the day.)

Aside aside... That's good! Because they won't be. If the scalar so often quoted is correct -- animating one requires 1/X the effort of animating an entirely new powerset, where X is 1, 2, or 3 -- then they'd be a terrible business investment.

Buuuut... as it turns out I'm really good at cheating. So here's how I'd cheat for Whip Melee.

First, we have four Whip animations already. I'm counting the animation for Hell on Earth in that. I'm going to add a mythical fifth animation, representing a good chunk of the time spent on this set (since the four existing ones shouldn't need much alteration).

Then I'm going to mulligan Taunt and Build Up. Build Up doesn't get a whip at all, and Taunt gets the first part of Crack Whip's animation (the jump spin thing).

Hey, sweet. We're up to seven powers.

The last two powers don't get actual whips. We're going to be calling this "Energy Whip Melee" anyway (Edit : Actually, this would be a great opportunity to make another Fire, Negative Energy, or Toxic set -- so Infernal Whip Melee, or Shadow Whip Melee, or Brittney Spears Whip Melee, or whatever. There are like four or five Energy sets for melee already; why not widen some of the other damage types just a nudge?), since the whip is going to disappear each time it isn't in use (the "combat animation" will be little trails of fiery energy going around the character's arms). So one of the remaining two is going to be something like Hell on Earth, except angled downwards -- the character channels a thin tendril of whip-energy into the ground and bam, PBAoE tentacles. I think Omega Red might've done something inexplicably like that at one point, and I remember Ivy from Soul Calibur having a couple attacks in that form.

And the last one is just going to be Whip Mastery (think Staff Mastery). Yes, even though the set already has Build Up. Why? Because I didn't want to do this in the first place, that's why. You forced my hand, what with provoking someone into telling you it can't be done.

Now what do all these neato animation-stolen powers do? And how will whip-stances fit into the whole concept?

Well! That's the best part!

...I honestly don't care.

Thanks for your feedback. Can you do it better?

I was reading through everything you posted, and although I really wanted to derive useful criticism from it, all I could seem to glean was, "This is a seriously picky person I'd take anywhere."

I started reading at least four sentences, each time thinking, if there was just a little bit less whinge I could live with it. If only he'd try some of the alternate animations, or color his powers to look like what he wants. If only he'd adjust his concept ever so slightly to work with all of the labor the developers have put into the game.

I know that this won't happen, because he's throwing around terms with an obvious lack of understanding what they mean, like cottage rule and algebra. Which honestly, I don't care that much about, since it's his seemingly unsatisfiable desire to paint himself into a conceptual corner, not mine.

Anyway, you can see where I'm heading. Please don't be such a dissembling impulsive crowing kid. At least by issue 35.

It does not.

I highly recommend using the Attuned enhancements available to you (the archetype-specific ones and Overwhelming Force). Energize is one of your most important mitigation and endurance-management tools, so it should be five- or six- slotted for heal and recharge (it might actually be worth it to buy the Numina's Convalescence SBE set and slot the whole thing there). Also, take Hasten, and three-slot it with recharge reduction for the same reason.

I'd still prefer granting Kick and Boxing from a single pick and putting a new power in slot 2. If we're going with the eggs metaphor, the add-on solution here seems like, "Well, we didn't actually manage to crack the egg (since Tough still requires a Boxing or Kick, which are still generally nonuseful to already-offensive characters), but as a consolation prize, here's extra eggs for everyone!"

Consolation prizes are for failure. That it happens to be a pretty good consolation prize still doesn't quell my aesthetic unrest.

But whatever the case, let's talk about Tempered Hot Mess for a bit, since something like it is the crux of either approach.

*puts on grumpy old-man face*

First version:

• Auto power : Fine. I don't like it but the other options (Combat Jumping 2, Practiced Brawler 0.5) are worse.
• Mez resistance : 50% across the board seems high. Or more specifically, out of line with other pool powers. It's not that it's going to trivialize Ghost Widow fights or anything, but existing pool powers mostly grant between 40-60% to one or two types of mez. Also, we're getting quite a bit more fullspectrum mez resist with the IO change, so actually, it might kind of start trivializing the Ghost Widow fight.
  
  Imma say 20%. I like 20%. It's a pleasing fraction. 18.66% is also on the table. The first person to say that you can get 20% with an Enhancement, trivializing this power, gets slapped with a Steadfast Protection right across the Combat Jumping.
• DDR. I don't have a problem with 15% so much but I do have a suggestion. Why not make this power Defense slottable, and do 10% base DDR, half unenhanceable? People love LotG mules. Or Karma mules. Or Kismet. Or Shield Wall.
  
  Man, Defense sets sure do crossbreed donkeys and horses.
• Click-to-break. Meh. SR's already getting mez resistance out of this. Neat but unnecessary. Edit : Also, it would kind of full-Xzibit the set. "Hey guys, we heard you liked powers, so we put powers in your powers..."
• Enhanceable run speed. Not needed now, it takes Def. Good try on the Blessing of the Zephyr mule, though. Still like the idea. I'll suggest instead kicking 20% runspeed resistance into the general mez protection. There aren't enough of those.

So. Somewhat simplified, yeah? I think it's still worth a pick.

Second Version:

Just make it all the clickable component (and buff it up a bit), so it's Breakfree -- The Power. I actually kinda like this, for much the same reason I like Build Up. If you could make it purge other kinds of debuffs (defense and damage debuffs spring to mind) you'd have a huge selling point for melee. Kind of steps on the toes of the new Presence power, but that's obnoxious to get to anyway.

I'm @JackNoMind. I don't RP terribly often, but I do have a character (Dr. Goodscience) that would be perfect for this.

Resistance resists resist debuffs, so while there is a cap to -res, you can pretty much ignore it.

Also, Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

Neither. ...I don't think this set would go into the game as-is, but breaking the fourth wall is a staple of comic-book comedy.

But it isn't inaccurate. Slot one lvl 35 ACC IO in each relevant power, pick up a Kismet +6 tohit (if you need a Def power to mule for it, Combat Jumping or Hover are very good choices), and you're good 'till Incarnate levels. As in, literally, let me log your combat for an hour with those in and I will pay you a million inf per miss if you give it back for every ten-in-a-row streak of hits.

In terms of day jobs, the DUST ranger one already offers a tohit bonus. I'd imagine working with electricity would give you a resistance to Endurance drain, though.