Steampunkette

-Post Deleted-

I'm sorry. This really isn't the place to ask the question I listed here.

I like the story. I think it's well written and the proof-read and altered sections make it a bit more clear but also more evocative. And that's a good thing!

-Rachel-

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Heh, I have to admit, 4 people in a Foo piece would be something to see. By all means, go for it. Heck, maybe even a hero vs. villain scene?

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I dunno... Does a quick sketch count? Or is that, like, the heavy petting of art virginity?

-Rachel-

That would definitely be of the awesome, Foo. *sagenods*

-Rachel-

For those who have never played a Superstrength character to 32 (as a brute) or 38 (as a tanker) Footstomp is what it sounds like. Your character stomps their right foot on the ground hard enough to create a small explosion and shockwave graphice that races out at the floor's level whilst leaving a blackened 'crater' decal for a few seconds.

However while utilizing a shield the explosion currently goes off at shoulder level 3 feet behind and to the right of the Tanker's current position and there is no crater decal.

-Rachel-

I'm not sure I should post this here... Forum rules and all but... *yanks up shirt!*

>.>

<.<

Do I get beads now?

-Rachel-

No, Soul. THIS is his sidekick (or his Saviour)! =-3

-Rachel-

Foo? Unless you've got some proof... That could be -really- insulting to a LOT of people.

Anywho. My only 'tribute' character is Swallow. She's sort of a Tribute to both Robin and Black Canary.

-Rachel-

*squeeeeeeeeals!* AWESOME!

*does the dance of happy Rachel!* You rock, Alex!

-Rachel-

The Cobalt Constable!

Character Concept/Origin Story
Late 20's Constable at Court running the Rhode Island Circuit is responsible for a Once Convicted defendant charged with grand theft auto. As Bond is paid she is to walk him back to the courthouse. He breaks loose of the Firey Redhead's grip and bolts down an alley. She gives chase only to witness him in the commission of a hijacking. Without thinking she rips the door off the car and drags the felon out.

It's only after that when she realizes that she has superstrength, and moments later that she learns she lacks Invulnerability. A few months later she gets a friend to create a pair of inertial dampening gloves for her, and a solid impervium shield.

Character Description
Athletic, strong, smiling. Fair skin, long red hair tucked under her helmet. Clean lines on a simple uniform, modified Motorcycle officer's garb. Reinforced Kevlar Vest under a Blue leather jacket, PPD Badge proudly displayed on her chest. Flashy and Shiny shield meant to draw the eye. A Mask under her helmet, not to keep her (publically known) identity a secret, but to hold her hair up and protect her throat with a hidden gorget.

=-3
-Rachel-

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I would like to declare myself and Enn-Vee to be the winners. We took the rules to heart and I ran into her in the Pocket D.

We Bickered there.

That's right. We took it -in game-!

Top that!

-Rachel-

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pics or it didn't happen

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I would... But there's rules for what can and can't be posted on the boards. *winks, saucily*

-Rachel-

I would like to declare myself and Enn-Vee to be the winners. We took the rules to heart and I ran into her in the Pocket D.

We Bickered there.

That's right. We took it -in game-!

Top that!

-Rachel-

Hokay! Character blurb...

The Cobalt Constable
Character Concept/Origin Story
Late 20's Constable at Court running the Rhode Island Circuit is responsible for a Once Convicted defendant charged with grand theft auto. As Bond is paid she is to walk him back to the courthouse. He breaks loose of the Firey Redhead's grip and bolts down an alley. She gives chase only to witness him in the commission of a hijacking. Without thinking she rips the door off the car and drags the felon out.

It's only after that when she realizes that she has superstrength, and moments later that she learns she lacks Invulnerability. A few months later she gets a friend to create a pair of inertial dampening gloves for her, and a solid impervium shield.

Character Description
Athletic, strong, smiling. Fair skin, long red hair tucked under her helmet. Clean lines on a simple uniform, modified Motorcycle officer's garb. Reinforced Kevlar Vest under a Blue leather jacket, PPD Badge proudly displayed on her chest. Flashy and Shiny shield meant to draw the eye. A Mask under her helmet, not to keep her (publically known) identity a secret, but to hold her hair up and protect her throat with a hidden gorget.

Is this better? =-3

-Rachel-

*Edit* Forgot to link all the Screenshots!

*hopes for Foo!*

Okay, Foo. I'm in on this, and I have the character already picked out!

However, cross-posting is against the rules (and Niviene's talked to me a few times, recently!) so I'll just put the link Here to the thread discussing her.

I'd love to be able to say 'I've got a Foo!' to people, because it would be funny. *nods firmly*

-Rachel-

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LOVE this design.

Efficient, and direct, very classy. The copper hue on the visor REALLY pops! The design speaks to the function and person of the charcter herself, which is just brilliant. No mistaking what she does after just one look at her.
Considering how clean the costume is, I may have gone for something of a less-busy symbol on the shield... but (to your credit) it still looks quite good.

Well done, Rachel!

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I kinda know what you mean on the shield. But that's, more or less, why I made it so busy. It's a mind-trick. The shield draws more attention than the woman behind it, which could make perps pay more attention to it rather than -her-.

It's like a Squirrel's Tail. 'Oh! Look at this! It's moving and big and fluffy and it's as big as the other thing!' Predators often bite the tail instead of the body, giving the squirrel a chance to get away when the fragile tail vertebrae split.

Only in her case the shield is a lot stronger and more durable than the body. So people look at the shield instead of the fist! =-3

-Rachel-

Wewt wewt! Two Comments on style and costume, one possible freebie for later (Thank you for even considering!)

But I wanna hear more. Suggestions, opinions, criticisms. Or is this, finally, the first thing I've posted that gets no negativity?

If it is I'll have to move form the Suggestions forums to Screenshots and Fanart >.>

-Rachel-

Oh. And this technically isn't a bump, since this post is till on the front page! Forgot to give her background! *slapself*

After a very unfortunate incident, it became apparent that one Paragon City Constable was more than she appeared.

September 24, 2008. A Constable was released from her duties at court after chasing down a bond-jumper and tearing the door off his car. She hadn't meant to do it. It was later learned that her act of super-strength was caused by a latent mutation that had not previously triggered. As a Constable at Court she'd never been in a violent situation before. And in recovering the bond-jumper her adrenaline fired full force, letting her muscles perform at their peak.

After being treated for multiple hand fractures and a broken arm, the Constable was released from the hospital.

Only how has she come back. Intent on helping the City and holding true to the oaths she swore.

It turns out she had Superstrength, but not the ubiquitous invulnerability that typically accompanies it.

-Rachel-

As I just posted, elsewhere...

The Cobalt Constable!

Normal Constable working the Rhode Island Court circuit, when she learns of an inborn mutation leading to superstrength... but not invulnerability. She shattered the bones in her right hand trying to catch a perp who was jumping bail.

With a pair of inertial dampening gauntlets and an impervium shield, she fights alongside the Paragon Protectorate of Pinnacle as their leader!

-Rachel-

Heyas!

The Cobalt Constable is a level 35 Shield/Superstrength Tanker on Pinnacle.

I spent roughly a month going through various iterations of her costume and by the time issue 13 launched (yes. She was made specifically for shields!) I had her style down exactly as I wanted it.

Unfortunately my game account lapsed and our home nearly went into foreclosure. Stuff happened, and now I'm back. I'm finally starting to make money. My character is getting to the peak of her power, and all is good and right in the world.

So now, I'd like to ask people's opinions on her and see if I can't finagle a free drawing or two as well as set up a commission in the near future.

I figured a comparative shot might be nice (all the Goldenrod in her outfit is MEANT to be gold) so here she is next to Blue Steel

From the Front
Side
And Rear
An Oblique, framing the shield
A nice closeup on the visor
And here she is, using her shield as a weapon!

Opinions preferred, Drawings welcomed, Commission pricings accepted! =-3

-Rachel-

This idea has been bounced around the forum since 06. It's picked up a lot of speed, bounced off a few obstacles, and rolled over the competition.

Devs. This is relevant to your interests. If it isn't: It should be.

Mod O8? Niviene? Libris? I'd like to rquest that this thread be stickied, immediately!

-Rachel-

Quick Reply:

Personally... I don't get what all the fuss is about. Really. A Lot of posters must be so pessimistic that not only is the glass half-empty but it must also have a crack in it.

Good GOD. Stop whining so much. It's not a massive, gamebreaking thing. People can -say- it is all they want: Still isn't.

I've got 3 level 50 characters. A Claws/SR Scrapper a Thugs/Dark Mastermind, and a Crab Spider.

By level 41 on my Scrapper I was looking for powers to take. I had skipped almost a -third- of my secondary because my attack chain was so fast I didn't feel I needed it. So I wound up taking all of the secondary and all of my primary but swipe and confront. Then I had to take Recall friend just to fill out my level 49 slot.

Did I mention she has Stamina, Superjump, and Hasten?

For my Thugs/Dark I was, again, skipping plenty of my secondary. I didn't really -need- that cone Fear or single target hold. Especially not after I got Ghost Widow's Patron set and took the hold from there. NOW I can stack holds on Bosses as a MM. How Sick is that?

On my VEAT I didn't even BOTHER with a travel power. Swift and hurdle 3 slotted right along with swift were more than enough to get me ANYWHERE in the Isles as fast as a flier. Pop my jetpack or jump-pack on for vertical, when I needed it, and I was good.

Opening up the travel power pools at 6 (the last tier still waiting at 20 and requiring 2 power picks) isn't game breaking. And anyone who thinks it is clearly needs to take a long look at the list of builds that benefit from it as well as the list that don't.

Then, with that in mind, calculate how many members of the population will, likely, have the 60 month vet reward at any given time. Roughly 1/4? GREAT!

So now 1/4 of the community can have one extra power in their builds if they bother taking travel powers at all. And for those builds WITHOUT a travel power they can now take one on a single-sacrifice basis.

Though, personally, I've only had one 'tight' build. And it was my VEAT. Still got every power I ever wanted AND Took the Black Scorpion Mace pool.

Heck, even my Shield/SS Tanker has only skipped Grant Cover (for now! =-3) at level 31. Well... That and Handclap.

-Rachel-

Hey, Ninus! Thanks for joining the thread! To address your concerns.

Turncoating can only be performed whilst in a PvP zone. You cannot be on a team when you do it. The timer was just to avoid the character swapping mid-combat to avoid a defeat.

If it were tied to a task force it wouldn't work. All instances in the game return the character to his or her previous location. Exiting a mission drops you at the door you went in, for example. To change that coding so that a hero becoming a villain returns to the open world in the Isles would have FAR more gamebreaking code glitches possible. As every mission would have to be recoded with specific locations and exits, lest we end up with Skyway mishies in a warehouse dumping players in Peregrine.

There is no 'Turncoat' option in Paragon or the Isles. Ever. At all.

So far I've got 5 zones a character can turncoat in. The 4 PvP zones and a new 'sub-zone' which is little more than a boat in the ocean.

Also. Yes. Vigilante in Latin refers to 'in absence of the guardians' however that's irrelevant. The current English usage tends toward the more broad end of the spectrum 'self-appointed doer of justice' for example. Or 'a person who ignores due process of law and enacts their own form of justice in response to a perception of insufficient response'. The Heroes of Paragon City are -Not- self-appointed doers of Justice. They are State appointed, licensed, and registered do-gooders. A Vigilante under such a system of law would see Hero Registration as a waste of time, or a layer of control that is not needed, perhaps even a hinderance in the eyes of true justice.

Ergo: Vigilante.

-Rachel-

That is a -good- question... Perhaps hard-code them to be able to receive only one set of accolades? Or make the Accolades cancel out.

I don't know all the accolades myself. But set equivalents for accolades. The big +HP Heroside accolade does not stack with the big +HP Villainside accolade, etc.

As for the Higher level ATs... I don't understand what you mean.

If you're referring to Epic ATs... I, personally, would like the VEATs and Khelds to be able to cross over through this method. But I can see how that would upset many. So I'll be working on a Vigilante styled Epic Archetype.

If you're referring to level 40 villains who you've been playing for months: No. They could not become Vigilantes. This would be a designation from character creation, hardwired into the system.

And I respect your opinion, SubZippo, but I'd like to point out that after it's initial inception this idea would need 0 maintenance.

Powerset Proliferation? No problem. powersets are tied to the class. If Brutes get Broadsword then Vigilante Brutes would get it as well.

Content Creation for Heroes -or Villains -or- Vigilantes? Creating Hero or Villain content IS creating Vigilante content. So no need to devote additional resources to the Vigilante side of things.

So, while I respect your opinion I don't agree with it. This would be creating new content for NEITHER side of the game, and instead creating very character-driven content for people willing to traverse both sides.

And Offspring? Due Process kinda means the system of law in place at this time. Which includes Hero Registration. =-3

-Rachel-

I suppose that could work... But the Hero Corps... well... I dunno! Maybe make at least a -few- of the contacts and storyarcs be Hero-Corps related..?

Personally I'd -love- to have several hand-crafted paths that would take a Vigilante from levvel 1 to level 50, span both sides of the ocean, and be designed specifically for different types of vigilantes.

No Vigilante would be -forced- along these paths, mind you, and could go off on his or her merry little way without question. But for those who do there would be lines of duty from 1 to 50 specifically for them.

Mercenary: You're in it for the money. The most mission-intensive of the Vigilante Paths. All of the missions in this line grant a large infamy and prestige bonus on completion and less experience. All or a great majority of the missions you handle are paying jobs, working for the highest bidder. Perhaps a few story-branches where you can choose to help one side or the other in the middle of a job, getting bribed, etc.

Dark Vigilante: Batman. Lots of fighting Natural, Science, and Magic foes, but not a lot of mutants or tech. Dark alleys and dark themes. Likely to have extended level ranges for missions in King's Row and Sharkhead Isle. =-3

Vigilant: Just doing the wrong thing for the right reason. Truly believing that justice puts you above or outside the law. Willing to take a life if it means protecting others. Again, Darker themes, but not brutality. Lots of missions where the shades of gray don't exist. Stop the Slavers. Break the Extortionists.

Anti-Hero: Not really a -good- person, but doing the right thing, anyway. Borderline psychopaths and hard-hearted warriors. Again, dark themes. Though this time it might be ethical issues rather than moral ones. Law over Justice. Stop the Slavers, Break the Extortionists, and then beat down the smuggler bringing food to the downtrodden people of Mercy Island.

Hero at Heart: Likely the brightest of character themes, this person does the right thing because it's the right thing to do. A True Hero who's lack of faith in due-process leads him or her to drag the criminals to the light of day, even if it means breaking laws them self. Whether it's Breaking and Entering or Extradition treaties.

There are probably more of these I could come up with. But I have to get ready for work! So why don't you guys post some more options for character development paths that reach from 1 to 50?

-Rachel-

I agree with that assesment, more or less. Just thought I'd fling it out there.

Though what -would- a Vigilante EAT look like..? That's got me thinking, now, Damn it... I'll probably have to write something like that up during work tomorrow, then post it here tomorrow night or, better yet, this weekend.

Still. Yeah. I'd love to get some more opinions on this concept if people are willing to share them!

-Rachel-

And the thread rises from page 26 back to the front. Who Necroed my thread?!

Ah. Not important. I'll just start in on it, again.

Break-In

A Ship, located somewhere between the Isles and Paragon, populated by a new group of NPCs, a group of heroes who are labeled Villains during the late 80s for their brutality against the criminals they captured, or framed for crimes they didn't commit. People who, born and raised in the Isles, still have morals and wish to help the Etoille, to save their people from Recluse.

These Vigilantes will be the contacts that, initially, send you through the 'Break In' arc. It might -also- be wise to scatter a few of them through the Isles and Paragon, after the tutorial, as Vigilante contacts whom you do missions for. OR you could have a second instance of the zone, where higher level Vigilantes can return to between trips from one side to the other.

Seven part mission, starting in a specific zone for Vigilantes.

First three missions are your generic 'Go To' training missions. Followed by a mission based on your AT. Hero ATs head back to Paragon, Villain ATs go to the Isles.

Hero ATs wind up trying to get into City Hall after dark. There are a few guards in the area, all easily dispatched without being allowed to raise an alarm or recognize the player. After sneaking or fighting their way through the guards the Vigilante must alter their records in City Hall and then take copies of the information back to the contact, so a Hero License can be forged and security levels altered.

At the end of the mission the Vigilante is level 2.

Villain ATs must go through a similar mission inside Fort Cerberus to alter the Destined One list. They then retrieve all the data on themselves to make copies so that their threat level can be altered.

Each Vigilante must then return to their contact who sends them to the opposite mission. Hero AT Vigilantes head to the Isles and Vice Versa.

The Vigilante, then, must choose which side to start on, Etoille or Paragon, and perform a short transitory mission involving the character slipping past or fighting through mixed RIP/Arachnos Agents or mixed PPD/Lonbow to get to a door at the end of the mission map.

At that point they Exit into the Starting Zone, Galaxy, Atlas, or Mercy and immediately become level 3. They are assigned their starting contact as normal, and begin their careers.


Hero Corps doesn't work well because they aren't Vigilantes, they're Mercenaries. They also have 0 presence in the Isles.

Another idea that hit me whilst playing an Arachnos Agent gone Rogue, using her knowledge of Arachnos against the large foe to slip into various installations with stolen identification. Epic Archetypes going 'Rogue' or Vigilante.

Would anyone get behind Arachnos Agents and Kheldians as Vigilantes, for players who have broken the level 50 barrier for the specific side? Or should Vigilantes have their own 'Epic' AT?

-Rachel-