Oedipus_Tex

HT is an interesting power in that it proves you can effectively nerf a power by making it more useful.

Illusion/Dark will be wicked. It's not like Illusion needed a third -ToHit debuff and Spectral Terror is basically the power that Dark is missing.

Dark Affinity is easily in competition with Cold and Rad as a "premier" min/max set for Illusion (or, well, anything). The two new powers are not very good but everything else still is, and its not like control is something most Controllers lack.

Ok, there is some seriously inspired casting going on here, but none more so than Mother Mayhem as Frank. That's brilliant. It puts the BAF cutscene into an entirely new perspective. She's not enunciating. She's singing. (Or at least mincing).


As for the others, I may have some strange ideas:

Brad - I think it should be someone uptight. So naturally I gravitate to Maelstrom. Percy is also an inspired choice.

Janet - I actually don't really see Sister Psyche here. I see someone who starts out... fastidious, fussy, and easily influenced. The Desdemona suggestion fits quite well though. In fact even as I'm typing this, more and more I can see Desi as the "corrupt Janet" from late in the show. Also, Ms. Liberty's real world and alt world personalities seem to embody this character in literal terms.

Magenta - Ghost Widow is almost too perfectly snide to not play this role. Hired without an audition.

Columbia - Tell me if I'm weird: Flambeaux. Totally. Don't the characters even have similar story arcs, getting caught up in stuff way over their heads?

Rocky - I gravitate to Back Alley Brawler and Black Scorpion but only on virtue of size.

Riff Raff - I totally see Captain Mako in this role, right down to being a backstabber. I agree that Sicorocco is good casting as well.

Criminologist - Given his role as a "meta entity," I nominate Null the Gull. If Null is unavailable, Prometheus is my next pick.

Dr Scott - Does Azuria have a Praetorian counterpart? Because if so, that's who I have in mind.

Eddie - Frostfire or Mangle.

Possible starting point below. This build assumes you are using Barrier Destiny and Cardiac Alpha. Features decent recharge and good defense to Ranged and Slash and Lethal (capped in non-incarnate levels all the time if you always use Barrier Tier 4). Blizzard is slightly underslotted here and you may be able to figure out a better slotting scheme.

Web Envelope was added to help you keep enemies inside rains and near debuff toggles.

Spending some Paragon Points on IO level enhancements could make a few powers (eg Enervating Field) be more effective.



Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.952
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Corruptor
Primary Power Set: Ice Blast
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Emission
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Ice Blast -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(3), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(5), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(5), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(7)
Level 1: Radiant Aura -- Numna-Heal/EndRdx(A), Numna-EndRdx/Rchg(7), Numna-Heal/Rchg(9), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(9), Numna-Heal(11), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(11)
Level 2: Radiation Infection -- DarkWD-ToHitDeb(A), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/Rchg(15), DarkWD-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(17), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(17)
Level 4: Ice Bolt -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(21), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(21), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(23), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(25)
Level 6: Accelerate Metabolism -- Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(25), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(27), RechRdx-I(50)
Level 8: Freeze Ray -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(27), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(29), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(29), EoCur-Acc/Hold/Rchg(31)
Level 10: Frost Breath -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(31), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(31), Posi-Dmg/Rng(33), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(33)
Level 12: Enervating Field -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 14: Ice Storm -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(33), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(34), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34), Posi-Dam%(34)
Level 16: Aim -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 18: Bitter Ice Blast -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(37), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37)
Level 20: Lingering Radiation -- Acc-I(A)
Level 22: Boxing -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun(37), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(39), Stpfy-Stun/Rng(39), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg(39), Stpfy-KB%(40)
Level 24: Tough -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A)
Level 26: Weave -- RedFtn-Def/Rchg(A), RedFtn-Def(40), RedFtn-EndRdx(40), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(42), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(42), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(42)
Level 28: Hover -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(43)
Level 30: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), Ksmt-ToHit+(43), LkGmblr-Def(48)
Level 32: Blizzard -- Posi-Dmg/Rchg(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg(50)
Level 35: Web Envelope -- Acc-I(A)
Level 38: Scorpion Shield -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(43), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(45), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(45)
Level 41: EM Pulse -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(45), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(46), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(46), EoCur-Acc/Hold/Rchg(46)
Level 44: Super Speed -- Zephyr-ResKB(A)
Level 47: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(48), RechRdx-I(48)
Level 49: Fly -- Zephyr-ResKB(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(50)
Level 50: Cardiac Core Paragon
------------
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A), P'Shift-EndMod(19), EndMod-I(19)
Level 1: Brawl -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(13), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(13), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15)
Level 1: Scourge
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run

Sorry if this wrong place for this thread. I couldn't think of a better place for it, and I really wanted to ask.

I was at a Rocky Horror showing the other night and started thinking about which of my characters would play which roles if they had to put on the show themselves.

So that led me to wonder--what if you were the casting director in Paragon City and had to cast the City of Heroes signature characters to stage a show? Who do you cast for each role, and why? Who plays:

Brad?
Janet?
Frank?
Dr. Scott?
Rocky?
Magenta?
Riff Raff?
Columbia?
The Criminologist?
Eddie?

Maybe I'm weird but I happen to think what people would pick tells us a lot about each of the characters in game that a simple discussion of their personalities might not.

[BTW I'm aware the movie/show contains some somewhat suggestive themes, although IMO its actually quite a bit tamer even than what Desdemona and Mother Mayhem are wearing in promotional pictures. Hopefully we can keep it fun without taking it completely off the tracks.]

It's impossible to predict exactly how players will react to the zone. But being that all the post-50 rewards are there, I expect that Dark Astoria will be the new Peregrine Island, combined with Grandville, combined with Rikti War Zone's incarnate trial crowds. If you are a paid subscriber you are hurting yourself to spend you level 50 life anywhere else except for Task Forces or farming (and you'd be better off farming Dark Astoria if you can manage it).

Thus, the 45% soft cap is probably on the way out, because the vast majority of enemies encountered at level 50 and higher will punch right through that.

Defense will still be useful. And so Purples and -ToHit. Especially -ToHit in a very fast recharging cone, attached to a Fear effect in a set that can also immobilize enemies to prevent running and can stun enemies in a radius bigger than any power on 90 second recharge schedule.

I investigated in game to see what slotting Fear in Arctic Air would do. From the screenshot it doesn't appear to do anything (look at what slotting Confusion does relative to slotting Fear):




It's possible the screenshot doesn't tell the full story, but it seems to me that the ability to slot Fear in Dominator AA is simply a bug.

That immobilize does double the damage of other sets, in the fashion of Plant Control.

While I'm loathe to use the word "best," Dark Control is very, very strong, and at least possibly the "best" Control set in the game. The minor annoyance of having to run to melee masks the fact that Heart of Darkness covers more than twice as much area as Flashfire or Stalagmites.

It also has non-aggro Confusion, which IMO is the best single target mezz in the game, and none of the problems with AoE Containment that afflict Mind or even Illusion Control.

All of that and very large amounts of -ToHit.

In other words I'm saying its overpowered without using that word because I don't feel like dealing with the aftermath of that.

[I will, however, be rerolling my Mind Controllers and Dominators as Darks because there is no reason not to.]

That immobilize does double the damage of other sets, in the fashion of Plant Control.

While I'm loathe to use the word "best," Dark Control is very, very strong, and at least possibly the "best" Control set in the game. The minor annoyance of having to run to melee masks the fact that Heart of Darkness covers more than twice as much area as Flashfire or Stalagmites.

It also has non-aggro Confusion, which IMO is the best single target mezz in the game, and none of the problems with AoE Containment that afflict Mind or even Illusion Control.

All of that and very large amounts of -ToHit.

In other words I'm saying its overpowered without using that word because I don't feel like dealing with the aftermath of that.

Even though you ruled it out, I really like Psy Blast on Corruptors. It has (I think) the best range out of all the sets available, and its two AoEs are huge/long distance. If you take Cardiac later, the distance increases even further. Where it makes a huge difference is in iTrials and Task Forces that feature enemies with dangerous PBAoEs and death patches. You can attack from almost anywhere with your 120ft (with Cardiac) powers.

I also am very fond of Dark Blast paired with Time.

Ice Control does have some issues. It is still my favorite Control set, and I'd love to see some tweaks to it. What I don't want to see is a ground-up rewrite that tries to turn into Plant or Fire clone. Ice has no great alpha breaker and I'm fine with that. However some of the powers could use some rebalancing.

Here are the things I'd like to be considered in any revamps:


Dominator penalty on Arctic Air Confusion duration. Arctic Air on Dominators takes a Confusion duration penalty relative to Controllers. On most powers, this value either can be increased in Domination mode, or is the same for both ATs. On Dominators, they take only the penalty, and do not receive extra benefit.

Recommendation: Set Dominator and Controller AA Confusion duration to the same value, or add some form of Domination mode to AA.


Controller Containment from Frostbite conflicts with Ice Slick. At the time Ice Control was created, Containment did not exist. It was never a balance consideration to have the conflict between cages/knockdown.

Recommendation: Change Ice Slick's knockdown to a granted proc power that causes enemies to knock themselves down if the source of their knock protection is anyone but themselves (e.g. immobilizes, etc). You can optionally do this for all powers that cause knockdown; I would use great care before putting it in Sleet or Freezing Rain though as those powers are already extremely powerful.


Ice Control is too reliant on avoiding mezz. By far my biggest issue with Ice is the curve between having and not having mezz protection. This is, IMO, the big difference in the set between people who say its too weak and people who say it's okay. Enemies with mezz are a nightmare for Ice Controllers who haven't built for mezz protection--imagine what would happen if Earth or Fire's powers just stopped working every time the caster was mezzed, then realize by design Ice is constantly mixing it up with enemies who are given short breaks where they can attack you.

Recommendation: To fix this, I think Jack Frost should be improved so that he has some limited support powers. I'll call the power "Cold Comfort": mag 3 protection to Hold, Stun, and Sleep. Jack will upkeep this power on the owner only. These specific mezzes are selected in order to limit (but not totally prevent, as the protection is only Mag 3) detoggling. No further improvements to Jack would be needed if this change were made, as it would greatly help to balance out the set and a fairly unimpressive pet.

Recommendation 2: If unwilling to do the above, at least drop the Recharge on AA from 15 seconds to 5 and reduce the animation time so that it can be reasonably replaced after a detoggle. Note, however, that Ice will still be the only set that virtually requires outside mezz protection to function.


Arctic Air's endurance cost. It's too high for a power that does no direct damage in a set that also has very poor damage. Cut it in half.


Arctic Air's 1 second delay on Confusion activation. Arctic Air's Confucsion has a 1 second delay on it.

Recommendation: Seems to be there just to make you take it in the face. Remove completely. If the player is that close to the enemy they shouldn't need additional penalty.


Flash Freeze is awful. I have no specific ideas here. The power is just loaded with reasons to not use it, including the damage portion that allows enemies to shoot you before the power even works, and the fact that enemies must be on the ground. However, what I really don't want is a generic Flashfire or Stalagmites clone here. Something in the vein of Electric Control seems appropriate, although I don't want to just totally gank Electric's power either. Making it non-notify, a la Mass Hypnosis, but with twice the recharge would be fine (it is indeed possible to have non-notify powers that do small amounts of damage, e.g. World of Confusion). You could also do something interesting with it, like have it sleep the enemies, but also return endurance/to-hit/health/defense to the caster or team. Or you could even have it do something crazy, like cause Jack to absorb it's power and receive some very powerful but temporary controls of his own. Finally, you could improve it by making it similar to Electric Control's sleep but without the "patch" part: 5 ticks of Sleep on the enemy, once every 3 seconds for 12 seconds.


Shiver's -Recharge duration.I don't want Shiver turning into a ranged mezz. It's a power on par with something like Quicksand and I think that's fine. But the power should really last 30 or even 45 seconds, not 18 seconds. I'm don't even bother casting it in its current form, it doesn't last long enough to stick for the amount of animation time involved. With auto-hit powers like Time's Distortion Field lasting 45 seconds I feel Shiver should easily qualify for that duration as well.

I won't play the most popular combos as a rule. I feel like when people see an Ill/Cold or SS/Fire they don't see a powerset pairing, they see a Ill/Cold or SS/Fire. I do have a Fire/Kin from when I was less good at making money but I hide him away out of a kind of embaressment. I usually play characters who are "one step" off from the more popular path: Ice/Fire Dominator, Psi/Dark Corruptor, Katana/Fire Brute, Mind/Ice Dominator, Mind/Cold Controller, Earth/Time Controller, etc.

That aside, Energy Blast. I HATE this power set beyond reason. Played it twice to 35 or so and deleted the toon (same one with different secondaries) both times.

While I won't say I'll never play Force Field again, my FF/Ice Defender is the lamest character I've ever taken all the way to 50. There's no beating around the bush here: this character sucks. The only thing he is good for is Power Boosting shields and throwing a Ice Rain followed by a single target hold. When my Ice and Electric Controllers started being able to out damage him I knew something was seriously wrong.

Worse pairing I ever made though was a Fire/Sonic Resonance Controller back before AoE shielding. Just putting shields on the team combined with the necessary toggles would cause my end bar to crash. He got abandoned at level 30 something and shipped to the Freedom server. I still have a Sonic Resonance Defender, there because I liked the concept enough. To solo the character has to put his debuff ring on a patron pet. Will never take Sonic Resonance on a character without pets again (or for that matter, pets that need any kind of support, since Sonic isn't very good at even that).

Ice Control is probably the best pick for this but it will have a lot of residual effects going on: the AA ring itself, the ice slick, blocks of ice encasing enemies etc. Note though that AA's fear isn't the "crouch because I'm afraid" effect, its more like "run around like an idiot because I'm afraid of the caster sometimes, afraid of my own allies other times, trying to kill caster sometimes, trying to kill my own allies other times." IMO AA probably gives the best impression of the true concept of "confusion," aesthetically speaking.

How much enemies attack each other really depends on how much you debuff them. AA itself only lowers their recharge by 50%, which about doubles their Recharge time if they are the same level as you. If they are much higher than you, the amount of the debuff isn't that significant unless you pile it on. They will indeed attack each other and in some cases do substantial amounts of damage. On my Ice/Rad Controller, who does fairly pathetic damage on his own, I only started being able to solo big crowds once I built to survive in melee against enemies I didn't control too much, ensuring they were able to hit each other.

If you are going for this effect specifically I would avoid Psi (for the stacking -Recharge you don't want) and maybe take Earth. Thorns colored white can look like icecycles if you decide you want the Ice look after all but sadly they still spray out green stuff.

Note that a Controller has better durations from AA than a Dom, because the power grants no Domination mode but still takes the Dominator un-dom duration penalty. The issue with this power is usually how easily it is de-toggled, so a source of mezz protection is highly recommended. If you do go Controller, Time Manip would be a great, unobstrusive secondary. Plan to take Indomitable Will for the mezz protection (the Psi defense doesn't hurt either).

BTW, skip World of Confusion, it's terrible. The interface and purple proc are very effective for Ice though in my experience. If you want even more Confuse, go and stay Rogue, you get a PBAoE Confuse up once a minute or two that is much better than WoC. WoC really is that bad.

I think it depends a lot on the Controller... on something like a /Cold it could allow you to essentially reroll a missed Benumb that happened at a bad moment, and the endurance hit wouldn't really affect you.