Sideline

Ok, I am totally picturing that in my head and it is creepy awesome. It was just a wishfull thought, now that I've got three builds on that character, I was hoping for one bane, one wolf, and one crab build. Everything you could ever want on one character. *shrug* Oh well.

yeah, that's what I thought. Thanks.

Ok, I have a feeling I already know the answer to this, but what the hey. If you have a bane on one build and want a crab on the other build, does the backpack still stick around on the bane build?

I know when dual builds first came out they were there no matter what build you used, but it has been a while since I looked at it. Thanks in advance.

With the exception of T9's the omega slot will allow you to chose one power from any other AT set. You will be unable to slot this power with any enhancements. Thus your fire/fire blaster could take willpower's rise to the challenge or mind control's confuse ability.

Hey, I can hope.

speaking as someone who has a level 50 DB/WP brute, I'd say go WP. I have very few problems PvE even against the Cim's and their defense debuff's. Blue bar hardly ever drops even with all four of WP's toggles, Tough/Weave, and Darkest Night (from Soul Mastery) running and cycling Attack Vitals and Sweep combo's constantly.

In fact, the only time I really had a problem was when I wasn't paying attention fighting a large group of Malta and a Sapper got me from behind. Heh. Otherwise, DB/WP was my first 50 and I still have a blast playing him.

War makes for strange bedfellows - 19th century English quote

“I’ll be with you in a moment.”, he said over his shoulder as he entered the small but comfortable room. Marcus Cole, Statesman, warrior, hero, defender of the weak and defacto leader of the greatest team of super heroes this world has ever seen, was not happy. The scowl on his face, present ever since Preatoria started making threatening overtures, had seemed to deepen in the last day. The news it seemed, never got any better either. He pulled out one of the padded chairs and smiled grimly at the other two people with him in the room.

Shalice and Justin Sinclair, the real life names of the heroes Sister Psyche and Manticore were seated next to each other. Neither looked happy, but then again, neither looked worried either. Though from where the two were sitting in the room, they could not see to whom their friend was speaking. Sister Psyche could tell, using her telepathy, that there were two people outside, but suprisingly she could get nothing else. Manticore, sensing her confusion, glanced toward her. She in return smiled warmly, hoping to ease his worry.
Folding his hands in front of him, Statesman began to speak. “Thank you both for meeting with me. I trust you are both alright after yesterday?” The two nodded and the red white and blue hero continued, “What happened?”

Justin and Shalice looked at each other before speaking. A glance was all, but in that glance whole conversations seemed to take place. Shalice started to speak first, “Praetoria attacked. We thought the main assault was in Atlas Park since that was where they struck first.” Statesman nodded, he himself had led the defensive front near the statue of Atlas. Sister Psyche continued, “Justin and I were on our way there when we got the call from Vanguard. A second dimensional portal had opened up in Independence Port. According to their intel, Tyrant was hoping to sneak forces in while everyone was distracted.” Manticore picked up the tale, “Shalice and I were the only ones close enough to help, though Vanguard promised to send some aid.”

Marcus Cole leaned forward slightly, this was the part he didn’t know about. Justin continued, “We arrived at the location given to us, a large warehouse Longbow intel indicated belonged to the Family.” He shared another look with his wife before turning back to Statesman. “We were able to sneak in unobserved but….when the fighting did start, we…got seperated.” Statesman’s eyes narrowed at those words and Manticore seemed to shrink in on himself. “I’d better let Shalice explain the rest.”

His wife nodded and gently grasped his hand, “During the fight I became trapped in a small office. A number of the elite IDF soldiers had forced me back. Their seer’s were disrupting my mental connection with Justin. He could tell I was in trouble and I could tell he would not be able to aid me.” She took a shuddering breath recalling the violent intent in the eyes of Tyrant’s most loyal soldiers. “I was about to hit my emergency medical transporter when a shadow seemed to move. Then….he was there. Thannatos, that villian. He was wearing his traditional black trenchcoat only this time he had the Vanguard symbol emblazoned on it. His attack took the IDF completely by surprise and…he had no mercy.” Her voice softened, “His blades claimed many lives that day.”

“After he rescued me he simply offered me a hand up and raised one eyebrow above those sunglasses of his. His voice still hints of his Romanian heritage. ‘Lost your husband?’ he asked me. I just glared at him. ‘You?’ I asked, ‘You are the help Vanguard sent?’ He simply nodded. ‘Why? Why did you kill them’, I demanded motioning to the bodies of the fallen. He looked at me briefly before turning back to watch the rest of the warehouse. ‘Mercy for ones enemies is….honorable. But we are at war and in war, the side that shows mercy is often the side that loses.’

She grimaced, “I was so angry I wanted to lash out at him, hit him with a psychic whammy so hard…..” Sister Psyche visably calmed herself, “But when I scanned him…Marcus, it was like scanning you.” Stateman nodded, he had been attacked in the past by Thannatos and some hired villians, looking to make himself an Incarnate by using some of Marcus’ blood in a powerfull ritual. Rumor had it the man had succeeded. He motioned for Sister Psyche to continue. “He then looked at me, and in that look read the entirety of Justin’s and my plan. Since I could sheild myself I would become the distraction while he snuck through and disabled the portal.” She shook her head softly and Manticore gave her fingers a supporting squeeze. “Thannatos smiled at me and told me, ‘A good plan yes, but it will not work. To be successful, we need to draw out the architect of this endevor, Anti-Matter. Vanguard intel suggests he suffers from serious fear of failure.’ The man’s smile became more sadistic, ‘The bigger noise we make, the more afraid he will become. The more afraid he is, the more likely he will challenge us himself.’ Thannatos then held up one finger as if remembering something, ‘Ahh, the more noise we make, the easier it will be for your paramour to get to the portal. Two birds, one stone, yes?’”

A curious look came over Shalice’s face as she continued, “We then moved through the warehouse, fighting groups of the IDF whenever we found them. He was methodical. That is the only word I can think of that fits. When we came upon a group of Tyrants soldiers he would spring off ahead of me and take out the seer’s first. Once the psychics were down he would attack the clockwork leaving the soldiers for me to handle. I have to admit, once the seer’s were out of the way I had no problem with the human soldiers and not wanting to give the devil his due, but once I had subdued them, Thannatos left them alone. He could have easily killed them and they wouldn’t have been able to even lift a finger to defend themselves.” She shrugged, “But he didn’t. He simply moved on.”

“The more seers we took out, the stronger my connection to Justin became. I could tell he had found the portal. I could also tell he was unable to disable it at the time.” Statesman’s eyes tracked over to Manticore. The archer raised his hands in a surrendering motion, “Hey big guy, not me. She’s the star of this show.” He then pointed to his wife who smiled warmly at him and continued, “ It was indeed Anti-Matter who was leading this group. He and what had to be the greater majority of the troops that were through the portal already ambushed us in one of the central rooms of the warehouse.”

Manticore nodded, “When he left the portal, he placed only a token guard. I was able to easily defeat them and start work on shutting down the contraption that powered it.”

“When the forces swarmed us, Thannatos yelled over his shoulder at me ‘Stay back’ and he jumped into the front wave. Withen a few seconds he was completely surrounded.” Sister Psyche shook her head, “What ever else I might feel about the man, I was not about to let my only support die. I prepared to dive in and pull him out when he suddenly exploded. At least that was what it looked like. A powerfull wave of dark energy erupted from his body. The IDF soldiers it hit simply fell where they were standing. Rangers, Seer’s and even some clockwork fell to this destructive force.” Statesman cringed inside. An ability like that seemed very similar to his own lightning attack granted to him by Zeus and the Well. It seemed like Thannatos had indeed become an Incarnate. Shalice continued, “He seemed winded by the attack of his, but then he demonstrated his most frightening ability.” She closed her eyes as she spoke of the memory, “He pointed to two of the IDF members that had fallen, then he pointed to a clear spot on the floor and it seemed that the souls of the two dead soldiers rose up there and began attacking their former brethren.”

“While his new servents distracted them, Thannatos jumped back to me. ‘His armor’ he stated, ‘It protectes him from your powers, yes?’ I nodded and he continued, ‘When I remove the helmet, you must hit him with everything you have.’ The way he said it, was almost like a command, but with more respect. “ The powerfull telepath’s eyes grew hard. “Anti-Matter was ranting and raving this entire time, something about proving himself better then Neuron and proving himself worthy of HER, who ever her is. When he saw Thannatos and I standing that close together he unleashed a powerfull burst of energy at us. My first instinct was to through Thannatos out of the way. I couldn’t help it. Aiding others at even the cost ofmy own life is something that is so much a part of me, I could not act any other way. I may as well have been trying to move the Zig for all the good it did. Thannatos would not budge. As a result, he took the full brunt of the blast himself. The force of it threw him off his feet and into me, knocking both of us back to the far wall. When we landed, he looked at me, ‘You are unhurt yes?’ I told him I was fine and he nodded, ‘Good, remember the plan’. He then flew up after Anti-Matter.

She leaned back in her chair, her eyes closing softly. “That fight, that was like nothing I have ever seen. Both of them flying high, circling each other. Energy blasts met with black blades. Both of them took serious hits. I was sure there was no way Thannatos would win.” She smiled at her husband, “It was then that I felt the triumph in Justin. He had succeeded in shutting down the portal.” Manticore tried his best to look humble and proud at the same time. Somehow, he managed to do both. “At once Anti-Matter screamed and Thannatos struck. Only this time, without his blades. He circled his hands around the helmet and let himself fall, pulling the thing with him.” She shuddered, “It was like looking at a pale and twisted version of Positron. Still, I didn’t hesistate. Once I saw the helmet was off, I struck. I hit the false Keyes with everything I had. He screamed, this time in pain and fell from the sky. His defeat must have triggered a response somehow. Both he and his soldiers, alive and dead, vanished from the warehouse.”
Manticore leaned forward, “That is about when I walked in. I saw my wife walking slowly toward Thannatos who was laying on the ground, laughing. It was a soft laugh, barely audible. I drew my bow, ready to fight as the creep stood up. He moved some of his long black hair out of the way of his eyes, ‘You fight well hero.’ He said to her. I swear I made no noise as I approached yet one of that fiends pointed ears twitched all the same. Without turning around he spoke, raising his voice so I could hear. ‘You have lovely wife archer. Treat her well, or I might steal her from you, yes?’ He then laughed and flew up, breaking out a skylight as he went.”

Sister Psyche leaned forward again as well, “Marcus, if Vanguard is using people like Thannatos in operations outside of the Rikti war zone, they need to be stopped. Giving villians like him free access to the city is like letting the proverbial bull into the china shop.” Manticore continued, “Yeah, and why do we need Vanguard anyway. Let them have the Rikti. We’ve been fighting the Praetorians much longer then they have.” Statesman shook his head, disagreeing with the two. “No, for now we do them. They have the resources and the soldiers to handle attacks on a much wider scale then we have. For now, if you see Thannatos, let him be.”

Neither Sister Psyche nor Manticore, both of whom had fought beside Statesman for years, were expecting that response. Both of them started arguing, providing valid and purposeful complaints as to why they should be trying to arrest Thannatos instead of working with him. Marcus let them continue for a few minutes, finally snapping when Manticore asked him, “Do you really expect us to work with murderers and theives?” Statesman yelled, “I expect you to obey my wishes, “ slamming his fist down on the table, cracking the oak.

Both of his friends were taken aback by the outburst. They slid their chairs back, Manticore mumbeling, “Yeah sure, what ever you say Tyrant.” Statesman seemed to deflate at that comment, “Wait, please. I am sorry.” He looked up at Manticore, a regret in his eyes that was as alien there as it was sincere. “You asked why we needed Vanguard to lead the defensive. That is why. It would be all too easy for me to just, take control of everything. To rule with an iron fist, every bit the tyrant as Tyrant. That…that is not what I want.” Sister Psyche walked around the table, placing her hand on Statesman’s shoulder, “We know my friend. It’s ok.” Manticore nodded his support as well, even giving him one of his rare sincere smiles, “Yeah..hey, you say to trust Vanguard, we’ll trust them. Though sooner rather then later, we would like an explanation. I think we deserve that much at least.” Statesman smiled in return, “And you shall have it, as soon as I am able to give it. Thank you my friends.”

The two heroes left from a different door then the one Statesman entered from. Once they were gone, that door opened and two figures entered. One was Vanguards enigmatic leader, the Lady Grey herself. A woman of indeterminate age and a great wealth of knowledge gained over her long life. The other was Thannatos himself, his black trenchcoat swirling around his legs as he walked.

The Lady Grey smiled at Statesman, “You see, just as we have said. Our report to you was accurate, as my agent,” she motioned to Thannatos, “said it would be. As -I- said it would be.” Statesman nodded, “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” He glared at the one time villian who in turn, merely raised an eyebrow. Neither man moved or even seemed to blink for several seconds. Presently Lady Grey sighed. “Boys, now is not the time nor is it the place. Statesman, I know you hold a grudge against Thannatos, especially for that attack on your person some time ago. Know this however, whatever happened in the past it is time to move on. That power he stole from you and the Well has already proven usefull, as two of your friends have just attested. Whatever he was in the past, he is now a stalwart member of Vanguard and valiant defender of this world. If you do not trust him, trust us on this matter. We would not let him be our personal agent if this were not true.”

Statesman sighed and nodded his acceptance, “Alright, but when this buisness with Praetoria is over, he will have to answer for his crimes.” Thannatos, for his part, managed to resist smiling mockingly at the powerfull hero. Lady Grey, undaunted, continued, “Good, now we are already running late for our next meeting. We trust you are ready to travel?” Marcus nodded, “Ready yes. Though I do not see why we need to involve him or his organization.” Lady Grey smiled, they had been over this almost a hundred times already, “We told you, this triumverate will be the best way to protect everyone. Now, if we are all ready, we mustn’t keep Lord Recluse waiting.”

I don't have access to Mids at the moment, but I can tell you, my SS/WP brute runs with sprint, combat jumping, all four WP toggles, Tough and Weave. I have an active attack chain that includes Kick and Air Supperiority, and the only time I have end issues if when fighting rooms full of Mu, or a Malta Sapper that I didn't see in time, or very rarely against Carnies. Will power's Quick Recovery three slotted and Stamina three slotted as well as SO's and common IO's for end redux in all attacks and my blue bar only barely moves when I activate Soul Mastery's Darkest Night (come on, an ability that reduces the chance you get hit and debuffs the damage the hits that get through do, it's a WP dream come true).

If I can make a suggestion though, leave out Hand Clap. It does no damage and knocks the enemies out of Rise to the Challenge's healing range. It doesn't help a WP brute at all.

Hurl I will say, personally I don't like it. It's faster for me to jump after a running enemy and hit him with a knock down attack then it is for the Hurl activation time. At least that one won't hamper WP'rs regen though, so keep it if you like it.

Wow....that was detailed yet concise, thorough yet easy to understand.

Thank you.

Last question, what is the Weekly Strike Target and how do I find out what it is each week?

Well, I do enjoy the game. Everything from the graphics to the unique physics engine. (I've played LoTRO before and when you kick an orc and he falls down with only his legs on the bridge and the rest hanging out in space you want to scream, "Fall dang you, fall.") Not to mention the quests and writting. I was just wondering if it was a hard system to learn. As a corrilary, by incarnate stuff, do you mean the new BAF or Lambada stuff, or really any level 50 content/ TF/ SF?

Through many various reasons, I had to take a break from the game. I missed everything horribly though, so I am now back. To those who knew me from before (not sure how many read the forums) I am sorry for my absence sudden and unexplained as it was.

That being said, I do have a few questions regarding the new Incarnate system. I ran through the quests and unlocked my alpha slot last night on my brute (love that guy, love that AT). However instead of a tutorial on how to make the alpha powers I get a wall of text. I admidt I was expecting something like the schools when crafting enhancments first came out.

Is the system hard to learn? How hard is it to create and then upgrade the powers for that slot? Are there any missions I should be doing regularly to gain shards? Should I focus on the task/strike force missions to gain rarer components? When should I try and unlock the other slots? Is this alot of questions? Am I being paranoid? How much wood COULD a wood chuck, chuck, if a wood chuck could chuck wood?

Ok, those last few questions are really not important :P


And, on a completely unrelated note, anyone have need and or use for (red side) a db/wp brute (carefull, he seems nice but really has an arrogant side) or (blue side) a bane/wolf hybrid super soldier working to make up for his past mistakes.

Thanks in advance for your time and answers. As always, this server and the people on it rock.

I am just curious as to how many of these threads about I love/I hate fury changes we are going to have?

In my opinion, I like the new changes. I am a casual player who likes reading clues and all the little extra's in the game. These new changes allow me to keep my fury bar up in between mobs with little difficulty, even with pausing to read everything.

For those that don't like the change, and I say this with respect and no bashing intended, but have you considered playing a scrapper? They have a higher base damage and you still get that SMASH! feeling when a high damage attack crits. True you don't get acess to sets like Energy Melee and Super Strength but most of the other sets cross over well. With GR now things like hero and villian are transitory so picking a scrapper isn't the blue side forever like it used to be if you prefer red side content.

Again, this was intended with respect, I am not trying to be snarky merely asking a question. If you are unhappy with something, why not try something else that will make you happy?

I have to agree with the magic origin and dark armor. However I'm actually thinking Broadsword.

He says he couldn't feel it when he drove the blade not blades through his heart. It's a small thing to be sure, but this world is made up of small things.

So my guess is BS/DA scrapper of magic origin.

James laughed as the second reporter spoke immediately after the first. She was definitely interesting.

"Well miss", he grinned, "I actually do not like Rum Raisin ice cream. I don't like raisins." He shrugged apologetically, "My favorite color is silver", he pointed to his hair. "And for the 'big one', I usually order the special number three. You know, the double bbq bacon burger deluxe, with a side order of fries and a chocolatte shake to drink."

He grinned as he watched her write quickly on her notepad. His smile though was short lived. "Mister Parker, I ask you, what proof do you have that any of us are what we say we are."

James leaned back in his chair, "The difference between being a hero and a villian is as simple and as difficult as a moral choice. You ask me if I believe I am better because I am immortal or carry a gun. You say you can name villians that have the same characteristics as me. The same blood." He frowned, "Well, I can also name heroes who have the same characteristics. What makes them a hero and not a villian?

"Simply put, they made the difficult choice to be a hero." James spread his hands, "If you do not want to take me at my word, then judge me by my actions. Watch what I do in my daily life and see for yourself whether or not I am a hero or a villian."

A small grin spread across his face, "Rest assured though, if I ever see those 'two bit' thugs accosting you on your way to work, I will arrest them." His grin grew slightly, "Does that answer sastisfy you sir?"

James smiled softly before turning back to the gathered people. He was almost looking forward to reading the news articles that would be coming out about this. Almost.

"Is there anything else anyone would like to know?"

A quick bark of a laugh escaped James' lips. "Ahh, I should have expected that one." He grinned as he playfully wagged a finger at the reporter.

Slowly he took a drink of water from the glass behind the podium. He really should have expected this question in some for or another. Oh well, he had promised a full discloser, and it wasn't like the people involved were around anymore...unfortunitely.

"My deal was simply for power. Now to fully understand what I was asking for you need to know the circumstances around it. I was raised by foster parents who were practicing shadow mages, the evil kind. They taught me the basics of what I know. By and by, as a teenager, I fell in love." His soft smile seemed to shine with an inner warmth, "That love brought me out of the darkness I was in. It, however, did nothing to my, " he made the finger quotes, "Parents"

He sighed sadly, "They were going to kill her and use her soul to power a spell to bind me to them for eternity. I wasn't strong enough to stop them. So, only knowing the dark aspect of the magic, I sought a boon from a denizen of the lower planes. I asked for power, enough power to defeat my foster parents and save the woman I loved.

"The demon agreed provided I gave him two souls. In my arrogance I assumed he meant my parents souls. I agreed. I had gained great power. I defeated my foster family, saved the lady, and lived happily ever after." He deadpanned the last sentance.

Grimacing he continued, "Of course we know that isn't true. The demon didn't take the souls of my foster parents. In time I forgot about the deal. I still had all that power, but no desire to use it. I married my love and before long we had a beautiful baby girl." His eyes started to moisten but he hurriedly blinked them away. "If you can't figure out which two souls the demon wanted by now, then perhaps you are as blind as I was back then."

His reufull smile still held strength in it though. "I lost the only family I knew because I believed I knew more than a demon lord. I gained great power and at the same time, lost everything."

He looked calmly at the woman, his face showing no signs of emotion. It truely seemed as if he still remembered his family but talking about them didn't bring on the pain it once did. "Does that clarify things Miss Turner?"

Answering with a smile of his own, James started to speak. "Well Miss Turner, that is a simple question that unfortunitely requires a complicated answer."

He looked down at the podium before continuing, "In my youth I made many mistakes. One of them cost me the two people I cared most about in this world. It was indeed my actions that caused them to..." James shrugged, "I had gained what I requested at the time but the cost was more than I expected to bear. I am living proof that when one deals with a devil, the price is always more. Youthfull arrogance not withstanding, no one wins in that situation.

"So I dedicated my life to helping people, to making sure that no one else had to make my mistakes. No one else needs go through the pain I went through." He smiled softly, "So I do what I do to attone for my past, to help others in similar situations, to make sure no one else has to lose a loved one. Like I said, a complicated answer to a simple question.

"Does that clarify things for you Miss Turner?" He asked, again smiling warmly at the reporter.

James smiled as she expressed her gratitude. He would be the first to admidt, he wasn't looking for acclaim or even thanks, but when it came it did feel good.

He looked around the gathered room, the occupants still hiding in the shadows, at least to him, of the bright lights trained on the stage. "Does anyone else have any questions?"

James smiled warmly at the barrage of questions. "Thank you Ms. Hollister was it? I will answer all of your questions.

"The basis of a secret identity is to protect those the the hero cares about. In this case my only surviving family is more than capable of taking care of themselves. I have nothing to hide so coming out publicly isn't hurting me. Heck it can only help really. If anyone needs my help they don't need a fancy 'Shade Signal' to get ahold of me."

He smiled reufully, "I don't need the fortune or the fame. I'm just here because this is where it feels like I need to be at the moment. I just want to help people."

James leaned back in his chair. He took a deep breath before speaking, "It is true I do have demonic blood in me. That was more of an accident of my birth than by any desire of mine. However I submit to you that just because I have evil ancestors does not make me evil." He steepled his fingers, "I will answer the Shadow Mage question and the Oranbega one at the same time since I feel that they are related. It is true that the greatest number of people who practice shadow magic come from the Circle. They, however, are not the only ones who do so. Yes, Shadow Magic can be dark and evil, if used that way. However it can also protect those who seek it's soothing shadows. It can blind an enemies eyes so they can't find you and it can heal wounds that would drop an ordinary man."

He spread his hands out to the side again, "Again I can only say I wish to protect the people of this city. I have no association with the Circle of Thorns, and if anything I would say they would want me dead. I know they have certainly tried to kill me on numerous occasions." He grinned.

"Did that answer your questions Miss? Are there any other ones?"

I have a Dark/DP defender. Thus my opinion might be a little biased. However be that as it may he is a powerhouse. For a defender that is. He's taken on numerous EB's (haven't tried any AV's yet) and he's only level 27. You won't be able to dish out the damage that a DP/Kin could, but you will be able to travel slow and steady and barring a random stunning, nothing could beat ya.

Just my opinion.

A tall figure walks to the podium. He appears to be a little over six feet in height and well muscled. His black leather duster with the sleeves apparently torn off, covers a silver tee shirt with a red five pointed star on the center of his chest. Around his waist he wears a belt with an automatic pistol holstered on each side. Those who can tell these things would notice that the pistols are sitting slightly wrong, almost as if they are unloaded. Black jeans, combat boots, and what appears to be a weathered cowboy hat round out his look. His eyes are covered by dark sunglasses.

He walks to the podium and takes a seat behind it. After a minute of adjusting the microphones infront of him he removes his hat. His short hair is silver in color, a sharp contrast to his youthfull appearance.

He smiles into the lights hiding the audiance, "Please excuse me if I do not take off my sunglasses. The sight of my eyes unnerves some people.

"Now then, my name is James D. MacAvoy. In the public records database for heroes I am known as Shade Silver. I am a Shadow Mage. For various reason I have a pet demon and a small fairy as a friend." He smiles again.

"I have demon blood in my heritage and because of that I am immortal. I have studied gymnastics and martial arts and I am an expert marksman with my pistols."

He spread his hands in a questioning gesture, "I am new here in Paragon and I thought I would introduce myself in the most public way possible. Thus here we are." His smile slowly turns into a self reproaching smirk, "So if anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask."

(( Ok, so this was a weird idea I got at one point in time. The basic premise is a character holds sort of a press conference. He'll walk in, sit down, talk for a minute, then open the floor up to any questions anyone else has. That's where everyone else comes in. Everyone can ask any question or questions you want and I'll answer them in character. Please have all questions asked be IC too.

This is just a unique way of introducing my character to everyone and getting involved in RP which I love. If no one is interested in this, that's fine. It was just an experiment anyway. Oh, and don't feel like you have to wait for me to answer a question before you ask yours. Sometimes I can't respond immediatly as work can take me away from a computer for a while. Thanks ))

Well, I can't speak for other primaries, as I am currently in love with my Dark/DP, however I can say that Darkest Night does not cause me to put my pistols away. Unfortunitely my Fearsom Stare (love that power) does.

Now I have to believe this is working as intended as I remember a Thugs/Dark MM I had quite some time ago who also wouldn't put the pistols away when Darkest Night was used. And by some time ago I mean around a year or so. Well before any of the new animations for DP were added, in fact it was before DP was even considered a viable option for a blast set.

So I say, working as intended, and if not...let's not rock the boat as they say. I like that it doesn't cause redraw (even though I don't mind the DP redraw animations).

My favorite is when the group thanks me for the heals and I have to laugh to myself. I laugh because I know I had to heal maybe once the entire encounter and the fact that they weren't losing health was because I was doing my job correctly.

Thanks everyone for the responses. I love being here and will definitely be in for the long run.

To my shame, I never liked Defenders. Playing them that is. I always respected them, be they healors or buffers or debuffers or fruit salad.

However for me, when ever I made one I always felt too squishy, too weak. I felt like grouping was a requirment not an option. There in lies my shame. I respected Defenders, but I never understood them. I could never get the gist of playing that way. Until now.

I pre-ordered GR when I came back to the game after a few month hiatus so I could try out the pistols. The first toon I rolled was Defender's weaker (though at the time I thought it was stronger) distant relative, a Corr. I figured, hey it's got the same debuffs and it does more damage. Win/win. On a lark I created blue side version, a Dark/DP Defender.

By all that I hold holy and true, I will never look back. I have tried to play the Corr. It's not the same. It's not even close. With my Defender I can do things I never thought possible. I have died less on him than any other toon. I can solo very well and when I group...it's like magic.

I came here on the forums to learn more about my new chosen profession and as I read through the posts, the stories others posted about what they did, when they did it, and why they did it and I found myself saying...I did that. I was in a similar situation and I reacted thusly.

So I step here before you, humble and yet pridefull. I realize my past shame but I place that behind me.

I am a Defender. Through me my teams are stronger, faster, able to overcome great obstacles. Yes, I can heal but that does not define me. I can make a foe miss with most of his attacks and those that get through do not hurt as much. I can make a foe slower and take more damage. And with but a glance, I can make a spawn cower in fear. I am a friend in the shadows, an ally in the fields of battle. I am Dark, and I am a Defender.

((ok...so the post I read before writting this was the Defenders Manifesto...))

Grinning with youthfull exuberance, Bladewolf followed his friend into the hole. Landing softly on the catwalk, he quickly scanned the surrounding area. The walkway continued off in two directions, the area behind them went for about twenty feet before making a ninty degree turn to the right. The area in front of them continued for 40 feet before reaching a raised plateform and ending with with numerous computer consols and display screens. An ominous orange glow seemed to radiate from the screens but no more so than the large screen in the center. This screen showed a map of the entire region, in excating detail with some sections of the reconstruction area marked with small red and white x's.

Bladewolf started to head for the computers when a voice sounded inside his head, "Brash young wolf" Stopping, Bladewolf continued his scan, this time looking for soliers or other people he may have missed on his quick scan.