filcher

[ QUOTE ]
What I do see as a potential problem is that the kids might not enjoy having their cool outfits covered up by 'stupid ice' the entire time. Might want to ask them how they feel about that.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually I have the same issue I wish they'd change the graphics to something like what you get from the slow aura (I forget the name atm), sort of a bluish misty glow.

Fire is uber kool though!

How about an Ice/Kin and a Fire/Dark Corr combo for buffs and debuffs with 2 */WP Brutes for beatdowns. Pretty much any primary for the Brutes will work (my current fav is DM...just rolled one and I love the dark tendrils from the punch animations).

Again, please post your final team design and the results...thanks.

Fearsome Stare - Tar Patch - Firebreath - Fireball - Rain of Fire is just unfair on top of that you get a stealth power to position yourself before unleashing the nightmare of devastation. Oh and you get 3 debuffs good vs Av's. But wait, you also get a hold that can keep sappers and such out of combat. Did I mention I think this combo is AWESOME!

Fire/Dark is the bomb.

Stealth + SS on my AR/EM blaster allows me to position for maximum cone spread. Once I hit 50, and had the inf, I respec'd out of Stealth and dropped a Stealth IO into CJ. If you are using a PBAoE then i think it would be essential to have this level of stealth for getting into the middle of the mob. In fact I generally try to get some form of stealth on most of my "squishy" toons just so I can solo-stealth certain missions.

Also depends on your build. You can build to be a "rolling" nuke and use it as a prime tactic for clearing (actually was on a team of rolling nukes and it was, pardon the pun, a blast). Or you can focus on your other powers and keep it in your back pocket for those "oops" moments.

A lot depends on the type of nuke you are using...as you mentioned KB and other secondary effects will adjust your tactical considerations.

As a Blaster I generally work it into my build for one of the two uses stated and, usually, there isn't anything else really worth taking at that point. However on my Corruptors/Defenders I rarely take the nukes as they have other functions (buff/debuff) that are more generally important which require I maintain the blue bar.

Human-only PB. I took 1 to 50 and it plays like a blapper but with damage resistance and a self heal. You can shore up some of your mez issues w/IO's and by having a couple of controllers on your team, oh and carry BF's.

Having raised several of my own (kids that is) and played this game with my son I have to agree with the Brute/Corr combo. My son (who was 12 at the time) played a SS/Inv Brute and I played a Ice/Kin Corr. It was an awesome combo. We joined many a PUG together and I always made sure to keep him buffed and alive. It was fairly easy to instruct him how to toggle up and charge in and since we were in adjoining rooms I could always let him know when to hold back and let me pull before he agro'd something we couldn't handle. Now if */WP had been available I probably would have had him take that instead and if you are concerned w/the KB SS/* might not be the best way to go (it sure was a lot of fun for him though). Nice thing about Thermal or Cold is that shields are very visible and easy to maintain (as opposed to Kin's SB or Rad's buff aura...name?...not that they are particularly "difficult").

Consider that you and your wife (I assume) will be in charge of buffing and healing the Brutes as well as directing the combat tactics while throwing around some dps. And consider that your kids will only have to concern themselves with attacking the chosen target in tandem knowing they have 2 Corrs watching their backs, so to speak. I think you have the makings of a power team.

For the Brutes there is nothing simpler than SS/WP but if you think they can handle it DM/WP is the easy button and avoids all the issues w/KB.

You may want to consider one */Thermal and one */Cold so you will know when your shields need to be re-applied (for, I think, obvious reasons). The primary really isn't as important, I took Ice/* for the control but really any of them will work.

GL and please post your team and results when you get it up and running.

The Kinetic Crash set is a great set for this power. Good bonuses and it gives you KB protection as well as being relatively inexpensive. Of course I play a human-only PB so I had slots to spare.

As a human-only PB I find having a Controller w/heals and buffs (emp or kin) invaluable. Keeps you rolling, holds reduce your KB annoyance and the +mez protection is nice.

I die...then rez, hit essence and toggle up. Or if I actually survive long enough pop a blue, conserve energy and toggle up. Generally I see the icon blinking and run for cover, rest then toggle up. I like the suggestion of pre-popping purps tho, will give that a try. As I play a human-only PB Dwarf is not an option but if I had it I would replace "toggle up" with "go Dwarf".

I did some research on this awhile back when I was making a hovering scrapper. 4 slots in Hover/1 in Swift is faster than 3 slots in Hover/3 in Swift. I'm pretty sure Combat Flight works the same way. And it will save you a slot!

Boycot Ice Melee....

I found the guide very informative and the commentary highly entertaining. The only thing I differ with you on is the TP Foe assesment. TP Foe makes up for your lack of mobilty by bringing the enemy to you. Why Taunt when TP Foe can not only aggro a mob but instantly put them on the Ice Patch at your feet? A squishy getting whacked...TP Foe the offender right to you next to the rest of his fish flopping buddies. Taunt not recharged...TP Foe to the rescue. When needed (and I find this extremely rare as a Stone/Ice Tank) TP Foe is the best pulling power there is (see the guide to pulling for details). BTW while I agree with your choice of EPP for maximizing combat effectiveness I just can't bring myself to take it for style reasons (Stone/Ice Tank throwing Fireballs...uhg). Thank you for taking the time to write this guide..

I like to "pull" with Nova. I stealth and superspeed into the middle of the mob, nuke em, then run back as fast as I can. The remaining baddies (if there are any) follow me into the teeth of my teams attacks. Hmmm seems you can pull with an AOE!