Master Zaprobo

Hmmm, if you've got room for an itinerant scientist around L34/5 (Robotics/FF Mastermind) I'd like to get this under my belt!

Again, I ask why do you want Stamina? It eats three power choices up and Masterminds do not use their own end for most of their attacks. I only recommend it with perhaps Dark Miasma and perhaps Trick and Posion. Forcefields and Traps have very little need for endurance mid-battle.

For reference, I run Assault, Tactics and Dispersion Bubble simultaneously and have plenty of end for the odd Force Bolt (or ten if it's a stubborn Boss), Pulse Rifle Burst and Repair. I do not have Stamina.

Use those powers for something else from your Primary, Secondary or picking up some pools earlier like Medicine - it'll contribute more to your survival in the long run.

Your Protector Bot might want an End Rdx slotted in post-32 to help them manage their endurance during a long fight - the summoning of Seeker Drones and spamming of Photon Grenade wears them out!

Otherwise, you're looking at a fairly solid build!

[ QUOTE ]
Something I've not seen mentioned yet is the relation between the number of a type of pet you summon and their relative level.

[/ QUOTE ]

Mentioned in my Mastermind Guide, thanks

Note the actual numbered levels. They con colour-wise as Lieutenant-class.

While they are -2, -1 and even then colour-con as blue, white and yellow.

You are indeed wrong. I slot my Protector Bot for endurance, because otherwise they run out with all the Seeker Drone summoning.

Handy if you ever find the odd henchman running out of endurance - though not common, I must admit.

Villains will be foiled in pentads, because of a couple of key points... Dominators will never have Domination ready to fire off plus Masterminds need 45 seconds or so pre-L32 (3x Summons, 6x L1 Upgrade) or 3mins or so post-L32 to be up to full power (3x Summons, 6x L1 Upgrade, 6x L2 Upgrade). Brutes, Corruptors and Stalkers are good form the get-go though.

To even the score, I'd say that in arena matches, Masterminds should start out fully buffed on summoning (perhaps limited to a time period post-respawn so they can't pull out full hences mid-battle) and Dominators start with half their Domination bar full.

That'll bring things on par with heroes. Wouldn't advocate these changes in PvP Zones though - you have safe zones there to do your pre-battle prep (well, maybe give a half bar of Domination to Dominators).

Sure...

Video!

Well, so long as you take two hops - because as soon as you're 170 yards from them they auto-teleport (and TP work in 100 yard hops). You're better off just taking Teleport and not use Teleport from a solo Mastermind perspective.

No otehr MM has done it, since it can't be done - pets can't use variables.

None. You can turn off the default responses from displaying though, in the options.

The ideas I've heard most bandied about and would be most reasonable are...

1 = Defense buff based on number of henchman around you
2 = Damage shared out to henchmen around you
3 = Henchmen attacks do minor taunt effects
4 = Shared travel powers

Now I'm not sure the coding would support the second one, but we can know for certain it does support the first, third and fourth (as these style of effects are already coded in). However I'm not sure that the fourth is much of a bonus at all since MM's are still squishy even if they're very careful to travel with their henchmen.

Anyone else have any ideas on the above or other buffs it could be?

Courtesy of the new trailer for Grandville, and some clever spods over in the US, there are now some collated piccies of the Thugs powerset.

Annotated Screencaps

So we appear to have a Mercs-style set in that Tier One has a specialist (a la the Medic).

T1: 2x Pistol, 1x Pyro
T2: 2x Uzi (wearing Trenches)
T3: Superstrength Brute

The player himself seems to get dual-pistols as well.

From Positron, here:
"We have no plans for any sweeping balance changes tied to Issue 7. Masterminds are even getting a couple of advantages that will make them more viable in PvP, which will be useful in PvE as well."

Any thoughts on what? I reckon an Invincibility style buff, where we have defense based on how many of our henches are in range would be quite good (and codable via currently available powers!)

There'll be an Arcane Equivalent.

Eseentially, once you've tapped out your basic power source, you'll either need to build a new generator room (if you plot allows), or craft a new generator.

[ QUOTE ]
I've got a low level bots/poison MM, and the only things I can see that you might want to consider finding space for are the poison rez and status protection powers (whose names escape me while I'm sat in the office).

[/ QUOTE ]

Elixir of Life (Rez) and Antidote (Status Prot).

I'd certainly suggest the status protection - nothing puts a crimp of combat like your henches put out of comission. Perhaps sub out Invisibility for it? (since Invis will cut off bonuses to your henches)

[ QUOTE ]
does any1 know what would be required to get advanced(?) telepads?

[/ QUOTE ]

For them to be added by the devs?

I would guess that the only thing they could really do with Telepads is to allow more beacons to be attached to them.

From a layout and Primaries point of view, this looks like a good solid build to me (sans slotting). You also have a good deal of your Secondary powers in there so I can't see there being a problem at all.

Someone who knows more about */Poison Builds may be able to comment more though.

[ QUOTE ]
Pets. They can be teleported, fly, use lifts and respawn next to you when you hit a certain distance. So why on earth can they not use doors to enter a mission ? Same when entering a different zone, this is possibly the most annoying 'feature' about pets and is giving me serious doubts about whether or not I want to continue using my Mastermind.

Why ? Why ? Why ? Why ? ARGH

[/ QUOTE ]

It's a limitation of the game engine - related to server usage and location of entities I believe (a zone is one server, an instanced mission is another - and there is no provision for copying spawned pets from one server to another).

Apparently it wouldn't be fixable without an inordinate amount of code rewrite. Which is programming time better spent elsewhere.

I find no problems with resummoning and buffing, as it acts as a limiting factor for my unstoppable killing power otherwise

[ QUOTE ]
Gratz on the posts! I will be there if i can, where would u want it, i would sugest St Martial as Mercy is a bit rank. but low toons need ot be able to reach the pic withought dept.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seems easy enough... Mercy > Port Oakes > Pocket D > St Martial.

Hold it reasonably close to Pocket D in St Martial and you have a winner!

[ QUOTE ]
1) Lots of people here seem to think Placate is a must-have power, but I'm unclear as to exactly what it does or how to actually use it in practice (ok, I admit it, I'm stupid) Could anyone explain to me exactly what placate does/how it should be used please?

[/ QUOTE ]

Placate restores your "Hidden" status - allowing you to strike for a critical, or use your Assassin attack at full capability again.

Hide > Buildup > Assassins X > Placate > Most Damaging Attack will be your staple use to take out the biggest threat in a group and will decimate nearly anything.

[ QUOTE ]
2) I understand that there are various forms of concealemnt, main ones I'm aware of that seem most relevant to stalkers appear to be - Hide (naturally) Stealth and Invis, plus I believe Super Speed also has a stealth component? So, do all these stack with each other if used together - i.e. is a Hidden, Stealthed/Invisible Super Speeding stalker any harder to spot (say for snipers or other mobs with improved perception) than one with just the basic Hide running? Also, do the defence bonuses stack?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, though I am not sure of specifics - Hide, Stealth/Invis plus SS will stack multiple layers of invisibility and render you nigh on impossible for any PvE mob to see. Snipers may still see you though - that would need to be tested as I'm not sure what their Perception bonus is.

Also Basic Telepads (like all base items) have multiple requirements to place. These are

15,000 Prestige
50 Energy
25 Control

Also remember that a Basic Telepad is no good without a Beacon or two. Each beacon will cost you 10,000 Prestige and 5 Control.

The worst thing I ever tried to do with CoX was create a character concept then try and pick the powers to suit, as they'll never fit in!

Instead I now try and pick the powers, then create the concept to suit!

Which means...

Poison? Genetically engineered super-soldier crossed with the DNA from the Mercy Isle Snakes. Next!

Force Field? High-tech Commander with forcefield emitter for protecting his troops.

Trick Arrow? Take no primary attacks, and have him as a renegade member of Manticore's Wyvern group - having gathered some of his own troops.

Dark Miasma? Evil mage, mind-controlling soldiers to do his bidding.

Traps? Technician working for Arachnos testing new technology, been assigned his own unit.

[ QUOTE ]
There is the /petcom_name with which you can make individual goto binds to each of your henchmen. Meaning just point your mouse somewhere and press the button, henchman a goes there, next button, henchman b goes there etc. Coupled with individual naming of the henchmen it worked quite well for me, although I havent been playing my MM for some time now. Beats just plain /petcom with which you have to target your henchman first before ordering him.
IIrc the complete command is /petcom_name petname goto (aggressive/Defensive)

Iirc the above works for more complicated commands like say or emote when you use parentheses, like /petcom_name bob "say bah humbug" Im not entirely sure of the correct form atm but I know it works.

[/ QUOTE ]

Have a look at my Modern Mastermind Guide - it lists all the pet commands and their syntax towards the bottom. And my Control System lists a nice detailed control set too!

Probably not

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
*cough*demon*cough*

[/ QUOTE ]
If ever there was a quarter-to-three in the morning post...

What?

[/ QUOTE ]

SPOILER: COV LORE
One of the story arcs in City of Villains covers the Clockwork in the Rogue Isles are not actually controlled by the Clockwork King (too far away from his psionic control) and actually controlled by something local.

Specifically (if you don't mind spoilers) the demon under Cap Au Diable that Doctor Aeon uses to power the PTS.

It's all in one of Marshall Brass' missions.