Jay Peace

Well, that depends in part on his secondary, as well. /Rad's Radiation Infection will allow him to get by with 2 Acc TOs and 1 Acc DO. /Cold can also nullify a targets defense early on, albeit on just one enemy at a time, as opposed to the majority of the mob.

Not knowing your secondary, we can't tell you exactly how to slot, but it's a good idea to go with 2-3 acc TOs, and 1-2 acc DOs once you can get em. After that, a recharge and/or end redux in attacks can help you get your damage over time up and sustainable. Really, only slot Damage once you have DOs, and only then when you already have Acc and End/Rech redux well slotted. Remember, you aren't doing damage if you don't have any attacks ready, you aren't doing damage if you don't have the endurance to use your attacks, and you really aren't doing damage if all you ever do is miss.

~WP

If you go with the original look for Spines, you can come up with some sort of burning-bush type of concept. Give it the Leafy costume pieces and a natural origin and be creative with the bio. In God's/Mother Nature's wrath over our destruction of the environment, lightning struck a bush and set it on fire, and granted it sentience and further abilities.

Could probably come up with some kind of concept for Metal Spikes and Fire Armor, as well. Some sort of Tech or Science theme, perhaps. At 7:39 AM central, though, my brain isn't at 100% functioning for that. Good Luck!

~WP

Earth's Embrace is the "Dull Pain" of Stone Armor. It gives you a large heal and a good amount of extra HP. You are probably thinking of Rooted, Stone's Mezz toggle, which is what gives the -speed. Incidentally, Rooted has the higher -speed of the two, meaning that once you get Granite Armor (which provides its own mezz protection), you can just run around in that and not move as slow.

Now, to comment on the OP's issues. Yes, Stone Armor inherently moves slower than other sets. If I could make one change to the whole of the set, it would be to make Rooted function more like Grounded from Elec Armor, IE it only gives you it's effects when you are close to the ground. Keep the +regen, but maybe lower it a bit (as a balancing point to not being slowed) but kill the -speed. Granite does enough of that without making the whole of the experience "tougher."

Frankly, it really isn't that big of a concern. There are a few ways around the -speed, at least in PvE. If you take Swift from the Fitness pool and 3 slot it with Run Speed Enhancements, you'll get moderatly good maneuverability. Still slower than base running, let alone running with Sprint, but still good enough to get around during a fight. Teleport is also often taken by Stone tanks because it can be used regardless of whether or not Granite/Rooted/Both are active. The combination of Teleport and 3-slotted Swift means you'll be able to move around quite easily. And for what it's worth, I personally love Teleport on a tank, as it allows you to appear right in the middle of the mob. With a taunt aura active and some form of PBAoE qued up, you quickly get the mobs attention, with much less risk of splash from ranged AoEs hitting your allies as you run into the mob.

A few other things to consider. First of all, both Granite and Rooted are, as should be considered, situational powers. You don't have to run around in Granite all the time. Rooted is only needed when you know you are going to fight an opponent with a mezz, or end drain, or if you foresee a lot of incoming damage that you will need the +regen for. As far as mezz/end drain goes, remember that Stone is at it's core a defense based set. You *can* get a small amount of s/l resistance from Stone Skin, and Granite gives resistance and defense, but other than those two powers, Stone Armor relies on not getting hit as much, or at all. If you aren't getting hit, you aren't getting mezzed, or having your endurance drained. This means that Rooted is even more situational, because even when you fight an opponent or two that may mezz you, odds are likely you won't need to worry about it, because the mezz is a lot less likely to get through. If it does, pop a break free and toggle on Rooted. No matter what AT I play, I *always* have a break free or two on hand, just in case. Even with Stamina and proper end reduction slotting, blue bars can run out and mezz protection toggles can drop, so a BF can save you a trip from the hospital, as well as allow you to keep protecting your team. Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

One last thing. Mudpots. Take it. Use it. It's just that good a power. It taunts for you. It *slightly* adds to your damage. It's taunt aspect isn't affected by Granite's -recharge, meaning when you do need Granite, you can still keep a mob focused on you without worrying about whether or not Taunt is up, or you have an attack ready to get attention. Turn it on and leave it on for as long as you have endurance to run it. The best part about it, though? It slows enemies down, with a small chance for a weak immobilization. Granite/Rooted running and a mob is trying to get away? With Mudpots affecting them, they'll likely run just as slow as you do.

Just remember this: our lovely developers would not have a built in "debuff" if it couldn't be countered in some way, shape, or form. Between Pool powers and the other powers in the set, the -speed just really isn't that much of an issue, especially once you get used to it and used to countering it.

~WP

Hmmm... That's news for me. I suppose I just never noticed the increase of influence. Regardless, my point was that the person actively looking for XP will get more drops than the market player, and so can, in theory, make more funds by successfully marketing those drops, while also doing a little marketeering themselves, which is what I do most of the time. My challenge still stands.

Anyone interested? New character, pacted with a new character of mine, preferably on a server that is neutral to both players, as going on a server that one player has 50s on can unfortunately lead to cheating via "twinking". Also, on playing on a server where one person is established and well known can result in easier teaming opportunities for that player as opposed to the other player not knowing as many people, and as a result having to PuG more, which can make things difficult.

So, new character, new server, pacted. Who can make the most inf by level 50? The person who spends more time working the market, or the person who spends more time playing the rest of the game? Let me know, as I *really* want to give this a try. If any of my friends were active marketeers, I'd already be doing this with one of them.... since I don't know anyone who works the market often, I'm forced to rely on someone from these forums to accept my challenge. PM me, contact me ingame @W Peace, or simply reply in this thread, and let me know!

Cheers,
~WP

Having done quite a few leveling pacts with friends, I can confirm that Inf is not split for the duo. There have been times when I have PLed one half of a pact, in order to get both chars into Travel Powers, or SOs/Fitness, or whatever the case/need may be. While this is a great way to get to a certain level where said character will certainly start to shine, unfortunately, it also means that character will be dead broke, having gotten no drops, no prestige, no inf, nothing but xp and a few levels.

~WP