Rigel_Kent

One thing surprises me about the responses to this thread.

Even though this change impacts PvE more than PvP, almost nobody has been considering the PvE side. Especially from the debuffer's point of view!

Get your heads out of the arena for a minute.

Arguably, debuffers (in general) have always suffered the exact same problem as defense based heroes. Poor scaling against high cons, cascading defense (or acc debuff) failure, etc.

But now, if it's a new design goal for all hero and enemy +def powers to also grant near-immunity to -def debuffs, there's no longer a point, in the PvE game, to having a -def debuff. In PvP, Defenders' -def is unresistable, but that doesn't apply to the world outside the arena, nor does it help Controllers at all.

So, the big question: will CoH enemies resist -def? If so, what happens when my Defenders with -def "bubble popper" powers suddenly find out they're only worth using in the Arena? I don't even like PvP! Worse, what happens when my Controllers with -defs find out they're not worth using at all?

Freedom of speech has nothing to do with it? Mostly true.

But, more importantly, fair use has everything to do with it. Copyrights are a set of specific, statute-defined rights granted over specific, statute-defined types of works. Fair use is the specific, statute-defined exception to the rule.

Limited, non-commercial uses, that don't threaten the business's legitimate business profits, are a big 3/4ths of the definition of fair use. (Marvel deceptively claims that its fans need a license agreement for any use of Marvel IP. All these "free" licenses do is trick fans into surrendering their fair use rights. You do not need a license to make fair use of any IP.)

Also, don't let the GMs' IP actions distort IP reality. As the judge has already ruled in the Marvel vs NCSoft case, not all the intellectual property rights protected by City of Heroes rules actually exist under the law. The judge in the case ruled, several months ago, that player use of Marvel trademarks as character names is non-infringing, and accordingly threw out all of Marvel's indirect trademark infringement claims. The CoH rules have yet to reflect that IP reality.

---Blaster Primary---

-Sonic Attack-
Shriek - 1.1667 Smashing + 1.1667 Energy
Scream - 0.3667 Smashing * 5 + 0.3667 Energy * 5
Howl - 1.1250 Smashing + 1.1250 Energy
Shockwave - 0.8889 Smashing + 0.8889 Energy

I'll still like the set, even with "sometimes debuffs" and bad control. I might even like it better-- it'll be an underdog!

One question does beg to be asked, though:

Where's the -hp regen debuff?

I'm a BIG fan of Electric Fence. Here's a couple tips I usually give on slotting Electric Fence:

Unlike Ball Lightning, Electric Fence deals damage over time and drains some serious endurance over time as well (5 ticks of 5 end versus even cons!). Because of the different dynamic between health damage and endurance drain, I find that drain over time is actually preferable to all-at-once drain. For this reason, I think end drain is a good candidate for electric fence slots: preferably for */Elec, Kin/* also works, and possibly Storm/* if you're really drain happy.

Also, as with any root power, roots and range go hand in hand. Slotting Electric Fence for range can help keep a tactical edge. (Range on Blaster Secondary Electric Fence is 50 feet, same as a Contaminated Thug's Pistol.) For */Dark defenders, the root stacking with TT is nice, but don't bother increasing the range unless you're willing to increase cone range on TT as well (40 feet base cone range, and TT does not have -kb so be careful if enemies start flying).

My Dark/Elec defender plans to slot Electric Fence 1 acc, 2 range, 3 end drain strictly for utility use at Charged Bolts range (70 feet)-- for a */Rad, a */Psi, or an */Eng taking advantage of its -kb, yeah, 5 damage might work better to boost single-target DPS.

[ QUOTE ]
Psionic does twice the damage, drinks twice the end, and takes 5 seconds to get off.

[/ QUOTE ]

Lance does triple the damage.

I find it hard to justify Subdue as part of a DPS attack chain. The DPAT is mediocre, the DPE is laughable.

It's only when the (contrary to popular belief) reliable immobilization comes into play that the power becomes attractive. Slotting it for damage just wouldn't make sense if it didn't have long range root utility.

And for those of us who still think the damage is too poor to bother (myself included), it's still worth a second slot for acc and root duration. The root sticks 80% of the time; it's no TT but at 100 feet range we can't really expect better.

[ QUOTE ]
4. Read established authors to see what style of writing appeals to you.

[/ QUOTE ]

This helps in many ways! It exposes you to good sentence structure, reinforces your sense of rhythm, and improves your objectivity. You can never be completely impartial of your own work, but it's good to come close.

My writing pet peeve of the moment: the word "very." I believe Mark Twain once said something interesting about it.

Modifiers in general should be used sparingly. (Adjectives and adverbs, gramatically speaking.) Most people don't run into problems until they go into the rewriting stage and start adding modifiers in. A strong word almost always beats a weak one leaning on a modifier. Wherever it seems a modifier needs to be added in, try a stronger word instead to preserve impact and rhythm. Wherever a bunch of modifiers seem clustered together, see if any can be done without.

As an example, the second sentence of my post originally ended, "... improves your ability to analyze writing objectively." Rewriting it, I realized my point was buried under all those big words!

No, no, no! There's nothing wrong with using a character someone else created! It's been done very effectively before, it can result in perfectly great roleplay, and it can inspire better roleplay from those around you.

It is precisely through this process, by one generation of creators building upon the ideas of the last, that mythology was made. As well as most comic book titles these days-- you think the original writers still script their characters? Each new creator adds nuances, fills in the blanks, brings out new dimensions to what was already there.

Some of the very best roleplay to be found out there is built on other people's characters. Since you and I already know what Superman's all about, what he's capable of, where he's been-- if we wanted to roleplay him we're free to concentrate on the things that make him a full character, beyond a mere heroic caricature.

Finally, have you seen some of the "original" characters in this game? The shirtless horned and tattooed demon using every costume option available? The natural blaster with a big gun and cigar? The alphanumeric robot with the iMac background (plug in... turn on... there is no step three)? These can all be roleplayed well, but they won't initially inspire much from other roleplayers. On the other hand, an established personality, ooc'ly recognized by everyone, is a muse-- people know the story that came before and want to see where it goes next.

I think I finally figured out why KS bugs me so much. It's certainly not the XP loss-- minor, really! But all too often I have to endure the silly claims KS'ers make. You know, how they're always making it sound like they're doing something selfless, heroic, indisputably good for the world. Or worse yet, they argue that they're on your team somehow: like a Robin encroaching a little too eagerly upon my Batman's personal space.

KS is the injury, but it's these crazy excuses that add the insult. I want to find out who started spreading these misconceptions and smack him silly with a nerf bat. Out of character, we all know there's nothing selfless or heroic about kill stealing, and we're NOT on the same team. The only person the kill stealer helps is himself, and the only side he's on is his own. But do the usual excuses hold up in character? Well, let's see.

A conniving opportunist and a dedicated hero see criminals getting taken down by someone else, and the situation is well in hand. The heros who were already there are wearing down a bit, maybe lightly injured, but it's clear they will be victorious.

The dedicated hero moves on, knowing his powers are better put to use stopping the many other crimes out there. Why rescue a citizen who's already being helped, when there are dozens, even hundreds more in dire need? He wishes the other heros well, and maybe he'll throw a buff or a heal, since he can't use those on himself anyway, but otherwise he has more pressing things to do.

The conniving opportunist, on the other hand, seizes the chance to grab credit for a deed he didn't much contribute to. The other heros are just his unwitting meat shields, and he gladly climbs over their backs to get where he's going. All working together? Ha! The loyalty he has toward these other heros ends the minute they're no longer of use to him.

OOC KS = IC opportunism? Now that's congruity. And keep the hands off the tights, kid.

I try my best to stay IC on all my characters... I sometimes slip if I've had to field too many "Where is (common enemy type/enhancement store)?" questions or if I've been getting KS'd a lot, but please have patience, I'll snap back IC the minute I see any RP.

Jachlael
Colors: White and gold
Likes: Good works, old books
Guilty pleasure: Bad girls
Biggest fear: Tall structures

The Atlantean
Colors: Black and blue
Likes: Rain, sushi
Guilty pleasure: Disaster movies
Biggest fear: Giant squids

X-4
Colors: Metal and metal
Likes: Efficiency, optimization
Guilty pleasure: Free will
Biggest fear: Free will

(ooc)
Every single day I have to struggle with this. I suspect I'm not alone in finding it very difficult to keep up my roleplay in the face of ill-mannered players. First, the angry side of my brain doesn't work well with the creative side, and second, it's always difficult to stay in character when I'm forced to deal with people who are flagrantly not so.

Has anyone had better results? Any tips or tricks on keeping IC and cool-- no pun intended-- when getting KS'd?