Local_Man

I think you just need to make sure that the toggle on Hasten and AM are on, so that Mid's shows the effect of the powers. Look at the bars for Hasten and AM -- is there a green dot at the end?

I made a few minor changes that will increase your damage in Blind and PA, and your accuracy in Flash.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.81
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Test Build Troller: Level 50 Mutation Controller
Primary Power Set: Illusion Control
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Emission
Power Pool: Teleportation
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Primal Forces Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Spectral Wounds -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(31), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(37), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39)
Level 1: Radiant Aura -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(3), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(5), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(5), Dct'dW-Heal(29)
Level 2: Blind -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(7), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(7), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(9), HO:Nucle(9), Dmg-I(43)
Level 4: Deceive -- CoPers-Conf%(A), CoPers-Conf/Rchg(11), CoPers-Acc/Conf/Rchg(13), CoPers-Acc/Rchg(17), CoPers-Conf/EndRdx(27)
Level 6: Recall Friend -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 8: Superior Invisibility -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(11), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(13), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(15), RedFtn-Def(17), RedFtn-EndRdx(31)
Level 10: Hover -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 12: Swift -- Flight-I(A)
Level 14: Fly -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(15)
Level 16: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+(27)
Level 18: Phantom Army -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(19), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(21), S'bndAl-Dmg/Rchg(21), S'bndAl-Build%(31)
Level 20: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(23), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(23), P'Shift-End%(37)
Level 22: Radiation Infection -- HO:Enzym(A), HO:Enzym(25), HO:Enzym(25)
Level 24: Enervating Field -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(29)
Level 26: Lingering Radiation -- Acc-I(A)
Level 28: Flash -- UbrkCons-Dam%(A), UbrkCons-Hold/Rchg(33), UbrkCons-Acc/Hold/Rchg(33), UbrkCons-Acc/Rchg(33), UbrkCons-EndRdx/Hold(34), G'Wdw-Acc/EndRdx(50)
Level 30: Accelerate Metabolism -- Efficacy-EndMod(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(39), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(40), Efficacy-Acc/Rchg(40), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc(40), Efficacy-EndMod/EndRdx(42)
Level 32: Phantasm -- ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(A), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(34), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(36), S'bndAl-Dmg(37)
Level 35: Spectral Terror -- U'spkT-Acc/Fear/Rchg(A), U'spkT-Acc/Rchg(36), U'spkT-EndRdx/Fear(36), U'spkT-Stun%(46), U'spkT-Fear/Rng(46)
Level 38: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(39)
Level 41: Power Blast -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(42), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(43), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(50)
Level 44: Energy Torrent -- Ragnrk-Dmg(A), Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg(45), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg(45), Ragnrk-Dmg/EndRdx(46)
Level 47: EM Pulse -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(48), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(48), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(48)
Level 49: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Containment
Level 0: Ninja Run

I actually did mention the Apocalypse set but did not recommend it because it is not needed. Both the Apocalypse Ranged Damage and Ragnarok Targetted AoE damage purple sets certainly can be used, and both have 10% Recharge and lots of other nice bonuses. Both have more recharge than the usual sets, Decimation (for ranged damage) and Posi Blast (for Targetted AoE Damage). The cheaper sets have 6.25% Recharge. You don't need those purple sets for a basic Perma-PA build and they are very, very expensive.

I discussed the use of the Coersive Persuasion set because it is reasonably priced and fairly easy to get. I figured most folks who can afford those extremely expensive purple sets already know enough about the game to figure out the details. If you already have a set, by all means use it. If you really, really want to get a set, have fun. By using the Coersive Persuasion set in Deceive and the Unspeakable Terror set in Spectral Terror, you don't go over the "Rule of 5."

Don't forget that with I-19, you get inherent Fitness. That means you will get three powers extra that you can take, but no extra slots.

Pretty much all your questions will be answered by reading my Illusion/Radiation Guide, linked in my sig.

You can get an effective Perma-PA build with only the purple confuse set (Coersive Persuasion). Actually, you can get by without that, too, but that set makes it much easier. On my Perma-PA build (which is about 3/4 the way down in the thread after the guide), I only used 5 from the Confuse set and 2 from the Pet set -- and those two could have been skipped. And the big advantage is that the Confuse set and the Pet purples are a lot cheaper than most purple IOs.

You will need at least 3 Luck of the Gambler +7.5% Recharge IOs. Those are expensive, but you can avoid having to buy them by spending some time earning Alignment Merits -- it takes two to buy a LotG Recharge. It will take you twelve days of doing 5 Hero Tip Missions the first day, and then 5 Hero Tips followed by a Morality Mission. (Actually, it might take Eight Days if you haven't already done the first Morality Mission -- you get 50 merits the first time.)

Take a look at my guide -- it really has all the information you need in one place. (That's why I wrote it -- so I didn't have to keep giving the same advice over and over.) The guide is current except it does not include the I-18 changes of being able to earn A-Merits and the ability to switch sided to have access to the Villain PPP instead of the APP sets. However, I think the APP sets are actually better for this build.

After you look at the guide, you can try to make up a build and post it here. We'll be happy to make other suggestions.

Overall, pretty good -- I see what your goals were. A couple of things concern me. Your accuracy in Flash is low. You need more Accuracy more than Recharge in that power. Remember it has a 20% accuracy penalty. You could change the Lockdown to an Acc/Mez Hami-O, or at least something from a set with accuracy.

Enervating Field really needs a second EndRdx. I suggest pulling the Lockdown out of EM Pulse for that.

Your Damage in Phantasm is low. However, slots are in short suppy to keep the bonuses you want. The only other slot I see that's optional is the Achilles Heel in RI, which is boosting overall damage. It depends on how much you use each power, but I would probably move that slot to Phantasm for a common Damage.

Personally, I would take Recall Friend over Air Sup unless you mainly solo, but that's a playstyle choice. But since you have Mutation, I would guess that this will be a team character sometimes. Recall Friend allows you to be an effective team spy, and to pull teammates out of trouble.

You might want to take a look at CityBinder, a program that has tons of binds built in, including a bunch of customizable Mastermind binds. CityBinder even has a "Attack Target while in Bodyguard Mode" command. I chose to set up my MM binds on the Keypad, but only while holding the Alt key. But CityBinder lets you use any keys you want. You can also save your set-up to use on all your masterminds, or save it and make small modifications unique to each character.

You have to download the original program, and then download the recent update that adds most of the more recent powersets. The original Author, Monorail, has left the game but Thor79 was nice enough to create an update.

CityBinder also has the "Speed-on-Demand" binds build in. This creates a system where you automatically go into Sprint whenever you push a directional key, then turns Sprint off when you let go of the key. It works for Hover/Fly as well, so you never have to slot Hover with Flyspeed. But there are a few bugs that you have to live with if you use SoD. It is not uncommon for the system to get stuck in autorun, where you need to hit a reset key combination (default is CTRL-R) to break the autorun. The bug most often happens when zoning, so it is not much of a problem.

Surprisingly few people know about CityBinder. Part of the problem is that you need to understand a small amount about binds. And then the documentation and interface are not exactly "user friendly." But I have been using it on my characters for over 4 years now and every new character gets set up with my standard binds and customized binds with CityBinder. I have created a set of "Ultra binds" for most powersets. If I roll up another character with that powerset, I can just pull up the "ultra bind" set without having to re-design the binds. So my Dark/Elec Defender, Thugs/Dark MM and Fire/Dark Corrupter all use the Ultra binds set for Dark Miasma. Then I adjust it for each character's needs.

OK, yeah, you could use some improvement. You really need to read my guide. I have not only included my opinions, but information I have gathered from tons of others on these boards. How high is this character currently? Are you already at 50, or just looking ahead? What is your playstyle? (Solo, small team, large team? Mostly aggressive or prefer to provide support? Ranged or melee?) How much Infl do you have to spend?

I see this is a post I-19 build -- But you forgot to save slots for Stamina and Health. You need to put aside at least 2 for Stamina and 1-2 for Health.

Blind: After the 4 Baz Gaze, try to use the 5th and 6th slots for Damage. I like an Acc/Dam Hami-O and a common Damage, but there are other options.

Spectral Wounds: You skipped your main damage power. That's a huge problem with this build. Take it at 2 and 6-slot it with 5 Decimations and a 6th slot of Acc/Dam/Rech.

Deceive should be taken earlier. I like it at 4, but some people push it back some. If you can, get 5 of the purple Coersive Persuasion set, all but the pure Confuse. The proc is great in this power. The purple set not only has 10% Recharge, but frees up a slot for a 6.25% recharge for another power.

AM: Full set of Efficacy Adapter gives 5% Recharge and other nice bonuses.

RI: 4 Dark Watcher is OK -- don't really need the additional EndRdx if you have enough Recovery in the build. If you have the Infl to spend, another option is 3 Enzyme Hami-Os to save another slot. Some folks like to put an Achilles Heal -Resistance proc here. (I don't have one, though.)

Superior Invis: Try a LotG Recharge, and then 5 Red Fortunes. You can cap EndRdx and still get a total of 12.5% Recharge and some other bonuses.

EF: That third EndRdx is doing very little. I suggest you move that slot. 2 is enough.

GI: Do you use this? If not, then instead take Combat Jumping, since CJ gives you Immob protection for almost no endurance.

Mutation should be moved way back . . . like to 49.

Phantom Army: Try 4 Expediant Reinforcement and the Dam/Rech and Chance for Build Up from Soulbound All. Those purples are fairly cheap, but if you don't want them, go for the two triples from Call to Arms in those last two slots.

Ling Rad: That's a lot of slots for a small Recharge bonus. Drop to a single Accuracy in this power. With Perma-PA it will still be perma. You should have enough Accuracy bonuses to let it hit pretty well. If not, then a little more Acc. Also, if you use it AFTER RI, then RI's Defense Debuff makes it more likely to hit.

I'm not a big fan of Maneuvers in this build--you shouldn't need Defense with Perma PA. 3 LotG in Hover, CJ and SI are enough. If you really need a 4th, you can add GI back in.

Spectral Terror: you may be running up against the "Rule of 5" with Glympse in this power. Change it to Unspeakable Terror for 5% Recharge if you already have 5 sets with 6.25% Recharge.

I'm not a huge fan of Assault for this build, but it is an option for a post-I-19 build.

I'm also not a fan of Choking Cloud for this build. It is ineffective if you can't combine it with another PB AoE aura. Try Flash here and add EM Pulse instead. 4 Baz Gaze and an extra Acc/Hold/Rech in Flash, and just 4 Baz Gaze in EM Pulse. If you have both Flash and EM Pulse, it can be effective control and a "panic Button" power, too.

I recommend taking an APP set with a fast-recharging blast -- I prefer Fire and Ice. You can have a great attack chain of Blind-Spectral Wounds-Blast-Spectral Wounds. It does lots of damage quickly and can take advantage of the Illusory damage in Spectral Wounds. I explain why in my Ill/Rad guide. Poisonous Ray has a 24 sec Recharge, while Fire Blast and Ice Blast have an 8 second recharge. Fire has Fire Blast and Fireball. Ice can go with Ice Blast and Frost Breath.

Another option: Gravity/FF or Grav/Rad controller. It is too bad that you can't color the Propel items Green, but with all the creation of items by GL, Propel kind of fits. Plus the various controls from Gravity seem consistant with GL. He usually tries to capture rather than blast.

Grav/Rad works since it colors everything green already. Grav/FF would need the bubbles colored green. And just think . . . Singularity could be the Battery.

Some kind of Gravity dominator might work, too.

That's a pretty good explanation -- It is a known exploit with Hami-Os. A Hami-O that debuffs Defense can be used to also buff Defense, assuming some other aspect of the Hami-O will fit in the power. A Hami-O that debuffs ToHit will also buff ToHit. (The one I haven't tried is whether Damage and Resistance Debuffs are also interchangable . . . not sure on that one. Most powers with Resistance debuffs do not allow it to be buffed.)

But warning -- it is an exploit, and if the Devs ever fix it, you have no right to complain. However, the exploit has been in place as long as Hami-Os have been around, so it is unlikely to ever get fixed.

One important aspect: If you are not the leader of the team, you will miss out on the mission dialogue from the contact. I have always found this disappointing -- New players usually want someone else to lead until they get a good handle on the game, but that means that they will miss out on all the stuff that the contact says.

This is even more true for Task Forces. However, many of the later-created TFs and other content has cut scenes and captioning that the entire team can see.

The best way to "take your time" to read all the stories is to solo, but that's not always easy on every character. A lot of fun from the game comes from teaming.

I tried World of Confusion on Test . . . and I thought it was pretty bad. Three buddies of mine have tried it fully slotted up, and all three respec'ed out because it was useless other than as a mule for the comparably cheap purple Confuse set.

I assume you have the Psi APP set and took Indomidible Will, so did you take Psi Blast? The single target blast lets you have an attack chain of Blind-SW-Blast-SW. Psi Tornado? After those, you might want Mind Over Body -- the Smashing/Lethat resistance can reduce the damage you take enough to survive in some cases.

Another factor that reduces the available lower level recipes: XP curve "smoothing" and a variety of other changes to the game have made it much faster to level up through the 20's and into the 30's. Folks spend a lot less time in those lower levels and therefore get fewer drops.