mousedroid

What I'd like to see in the future of Praetoria is a fleshing out of the story to allow you to level all the way to 50 and the ability for Praetorians to remain Praetorians all the way to 50 but visit Paragon City or the Isles.

In other words, I think there should be five alignments - Hero, Vigilante, Rogue, Villain and Praetorian with Praetorians being treated similarly to Rogues and Vigilantes.

IMO the reason Praetoria is dead these days is that it no loner serves its original purpose. You can now start as a Scrapper in Mercy Island or a Mastermind in Atlas Park, and you can run DFB and be level 20 in a mater of an hour or two. That's not an option in Praetoria, so only dedicated RPers, or masochists go there now.

And even though I'm only an occasional RPer, I don't like the idea that my character has to leave Praetoria for Primal Earth, rather than staying in Praetoria and taking the fight to Emperor Cole, or smashing the Resistance.

I'm highly doubtful any of this will ever come to pass though because other than the potential to jam in some more Incarnate content, the shine has probably worn off Praetoria as much for the Devs as it has for the player base.

I still don't get the thing about the quivers. Scabbards I can see you wanting to make dynamic, but my archers never run out of arrows, so why would the number in my quiver ever have to change?

As for customization, just limit it as with other items. Give us two or three quivers - a natural quiver (simple leather/animal skin), an arcane quiver (fancied up like the arcane high collar capes and such) and a tech quiver (metallic and cylindrical looking or something) and let us use two colors on each, and viola, you're done.

As for the tidbit about claws, I know this is a pipe dream, but hopefully they've figured out a way to give us clawed hands ala Sabertooth.

Intriguing!

Gotcha, thanks.

I did it the first night these were available, so I'm a little fuzzy on how I completed it, but I know it took me a while to figure it out.

At first I didn't think it was completible myself, because I went to the Resistance door in the Underground and it wouldn't let me in. I thought maybe the trick was I had to be teamed with a Resistance aligned character, so I logged one in on my second account.

My Rogue still couldn't get in, but my Resistance character could. Problem was, I couldn't find Belladonna. After much frustration, a little research and probably a modicum of cursing, I realized I was in the wrong part of the Underground. I think I was in Underground Imperial instead of Underground Neutropolis. I went above ground and traveled to Neutropolis, dropped back underground, went to the Resistance door, and it opened for me to reveal Belladonna.

Ultimately I don't think it had anything to do with being teamed with a Resistance character since I couldn't open the other Resistance door, and I'm not even sure if the other character was still logged on when I took my Rogue to Neutropolis. I think it was really just a matter of going to the correct Resistance door.

Hope this helps.

During the discussions about the Alinment Change Tokens these last couple of days, I've noticed more than one person use the example of going redside to get the Scorpion Shield power and then popping an ACT to get back to blueside with a minimum of hassle.

I've never been a fan of the limited selections and concept-breaking looks/themes of the PPPs, so I haven't paid much attention to them. Is Scorpion Shield that much better than the defensive powers offered in the APPs?

When they showed the truck returning after the sun had come up, I honestly expected them to have stopped somewhere to amputate the new guy's leg. However, I didn't find that transition as jarring as the sudden day-to-night transition in the bar.

After all, we don't know how long the bar stand-off went on. It appeared to take place pretty much in real time, but they honestly could've been hunkered down for hours after the other guys arrived.

Anyway, all that aside, the most puzzling thing to me was, why would they patch the kid up and then send him on his way? Not only is he likely to get eaten on his own with a gimpy leg, but they just saved his life after he tried to kill them. He'd have to be pretty evil, or pretty stupid to not be eternally grateful to them for not A) shooting him in the face, or B) leaving him to become walker chow.

Why not just nurse him back to health and absorb him into the group? Sure there's a possibility that he could turn (not zombie turn, turncoat) on them, but he wouldn't have much hope against such a large, heavily armed group.

And who says his buddies would come looking for him? Would they really assume that he survived and the people they were trying to kill and vice-versa would save his life and take him with them? Remember, those guys weren't in the bar talking to Rick, Glenn and Herschel, so they don't have even have reason to suspect that they were part of a larger, nearby group. For all they knew, Rick et. al., were just passing through and stopped for supplies.

At the sound of a soft knock on his door, Atul closed the dog-eared copy of the Tao Te Ching he was reading and placed in on the rough-hewn bedside table. He crossed the floor of the sparsely furnished room and opened the heavy wooden door to find Brother Qian standing before him, head bowed and a folded piece of paper in his out-stretched hand. Atul bowed to the monk and silently accepted the paper from him. Brother Qian turned and padded quietly down the hall.

Atul moved to the light of the window and opened the paper; it was a printout of an e-mail message. While the order forbad members of the brotherhood from using modern conveniences like computers and cell phones, except in the case of emergencies, it did not apply those same rules to guests such as Atul. As he expected, the message was from his sister Priya back in Paragon City, however the information it contained was wholely unexpected.

Surprise was the first emotion Atul felt upon reading of Dee’s plan to retire. His shock was followed quickly by concern – had her identity been compromised? Had her stalker returned? Was her family in danger? A memory of his wife’s terminal medical condition surfaced and he quickly read on.

He breathed a sigh of relief to learn that her reason was nothing so sinister, but rather a desire to lead a normal life. He smiled realizing that he felt happy for her, and maybe even a bit envious. His lifelong desire was to be a superhero, but even he had the occasional fantasy of giving it all up for a life of comfortable normalcy.

Atul put the letter down and gazed out the window of his room at a panoramic view of the tallest mountains on earth. A light snow was falling, softening the edges of the distant, craggy peaks. He mentally calculated the current time in Paragon City and concluded that he’d be able to return just in time for the press conference if he took a shortcut through Orobourous.

He sighed and decided against it. The discomfort he had caused Dee since his return from the other Earth was the reason he’d taken this leave of absence from the team, and as much as he’d like to be there to show his support for her big announcement, he didn’t want to risk reopening old wounds. He hoped Dee would understand, and not take his absence as disapproval or indifference.

Folding the message and placing it in a drawer with the others he’d received since arriving here, Atul slipped on his hand woven sandals and began to compose a response to Priya in his mind as he walked down the hall to the small room where Brother Qian monitored the monks’ sole computer.

Does this mean my villain can become a hero in the middle of a mission and destroy the cauldron herself?

I'm guessing: no.

So after getting bored today and reading the last couple of pages of this thread, I decided to go check my account to see if I was having any issues with Paragon Points. And whatta ya know, my master account, has been paid up as VIP through September of this year last recieved its PP VIP stipend on January 4th.

I am greatful that there is at least such an easy method to identify when you are cheated out of the points you are due. I don't suppose there is a similarly easy method to check when your Rewards Tokes are awarded is there?

Also keep in mind that while you can get most of the blueside Exploration badges as a rogue, you cannot get into the "reflection" of Galaxy City, or whatever it's called, unless you are a vigilante, or full fledged hero.

Y'know what I find amazing - several people who bought only 12 packs got the entire costume set, while other people who bought 36 or more packs got "squat." Now I don't know what "squat" is defined as, but it's clear to me from the responses in this thread, that the fewer packs you buy the more likely you are to get everything you want.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to file a lawsuit against Topps because I didn't get a George Lucas autographed trading card in that pack of cards I bought six years ago.

Was playing my level 50+1 rogue in AP yesterday morning when I saw a call in broadcast for the Tina McIntyre arc (I think, or maybe it was Maria Jenkins, anyway - one of the Praetorian AV arcs). I asked to be invited and joined the team.

The quickest way from Atlas to PI for me was through the Vanguard base, but when I either entered the base in AP, or left it in PI, I had been dropped from the team. I sent the leader a tell asking to be reinvited, but I was told they couldn't reinvite me and that they were getting some message about members of a co-op team all needing to be in the same zone or something. The leader said the rest of the team had already zoned and there's nothing s/he could do.

Has anyone ever heard run into this? I've run lots of blueside TF and a few missions with my rogue and I've never had this happen before.

Seer

Still hoping we'll get some form of Illusion on Doms in the future. But not holding my breath.

Sear - to scorch with the sudden application of intense heat, as one would meat on a grill.

Grill - to interrogate someone for information

Kat pulled her jacket a little tighter as a gust of cold salt air blew in from the angry, gray sea. She could see a pair of figures down the beach a ways – probably a couple of the Infected. She was pretty sure she was out of earshot of them, but she remained alert.

Turning to face the ocean, she concentrated and said, “Um… hey?” She stood still waiting for a response, but the only sounds she heard were the breaking of the waves and the cries of nearby gulls.

Clearing her throat, she repeated a little more loudly, “Hey, can you, um… hear me?” The bells of a distant buoy were the only reply she got.

Glancing around to make sure she was still alone, Kat concentrated again and shouted, “HEY! I need to talk to you!” She looked down the beach to determine whether her shout had attracted the attention of the two figures she’d seen before, but they had disappeared. She waited a few moments in the damp breeze before turning her back to the sea with a disappointed sigh.

As she walked up the beach towards the road, she muttered to herself, “Godda…” but before she could finish her invective, the fine, strawberry blonde hairs on the back of her neck stood up, causing her to freeze in her tracks. She knew what that feeling meant.

“Hello, Katherine. Is something wrong?” asked the deep voice only she could hear.

“N-no, I just… I… IwantedtotalktoyouandIdidn’tknowifIwasdoingitright ,” she blurted out nervously.

“I am sorry about that,” the resonant voice replied, “I was… otherwise engaged, but that is finished now, and you have my undivided attention. Calm yourself and tell me what you wished to discuss.”

Kat instantly felt more relaxed, almost as if someone had given her a comforting hug. “It’s… it’s those guys I’ve been hanging out with lately, you know, Shakeup, Moxie, um... Tallybird, and that Hiro guy, or whatever he calls himself.”

“What about them? Are you not getting along with them?”

“Well, Shakeup drives me a little nuts with his motherhenning, but Moxie seems cool. Hiro kind of gives me the willies with his whole split personality thing, and I don’t know Talleybird very well. She’s kinda quiet, but she’s really good in a fight. But anyway, no, it’s not about getting along with them. It’s about... well… just tell me straight up, did they used to work for Gold?”

“Yes Katherine, they did. In fact, they still do.”

“Wait, what???” the girl shouted angrily, “Since when is Gold branching out his operations to include the Rogue Isles?”

“I do not believe he is,” the man’s voice replied, remaining calm, “I believe it is more of a... proactive operation intended to 'take the fight to the villains' rather than waiting for the villains to hit Paragon City. Think about the missions you’ve worked with them, have they not largely resulted in keeping power and resources out of the hands of evil people?”

Kat thought for a minute and had to agree, “Y-Yeah, I… I guess so. But… you should have told me who they were,” she said, more hurt than angry.

“Would you have worked with them if I had?”

“Hell no! But who cares? Why was it so damned important for me to work with them anyway?”

“Do you remember the incident on the submarine? When that man accosted you?”

“Yeah,” Kat replied, her face flushing with embarrassment as she remembered how she had to be stopped from amputating the pervert’s hand.

“Before you met these newcomers you were headed down a path of confrontation and violence. That is a path that would lead to one of two outcomes – your utter corruption, or your death. I want neither of those outcomes for you.”

Tears welled in Katherine’s eyes as she sensed the compassion behind the voice in her head. “B-but I… I’ve got you to look after me… right? WhatdoIneedthemfor? ”

“Of course, Katherine, I will always look after you, but I cannot be with you all the time. And these children can teach you something I cannot.”

“Wh-what?”

“How to be the hero you were meant to be.”

At that the teen’s emotions bubbled over, “I… I’m s-s-sorry,” she sobbed, tears running down her cheeks.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Katherine. You are impulsive by nature, but that impulsiveness serves you well. You merely need to control your impulses and channel them to positive ends. Being around these heroes has already begun to have a positive effect on you.”

Once again, the calming influence of the voice settled Kat’s turbulent emotions and she responded sniffling, “Sh-Shakeup wants me to go back to Paragon City with them.”

“I know,” the voice confessed, “I knew that was a likely possibility when I first had you meet them.”

“But why? I… I like it here,” Kat said, only partly lying. She did like the freedom and lack of structure living in the Isles afforded her, and she dreaded the memories that returning to Paragon City would dredge up, but she missed the sun, and the ability to walk down the street without looking over her shoulder every few minutes.

“You will always have a home here, but I’m afraid you cannot stay. It would be too dangerous.”

“But you said… if I learned to control my impulses, and… and I did good deeds...?”

“I did, but the danger does not lie solely in your choices. Katherine, did you ever wonder why I, of all people, pulled you from that rubble in Galaxy City?”

“N-no,” the girl lied.

“I did it because I was told to. And I was told to… by Lord Arachnos himself.”

“Get out of here,” Kat said disbelieving, despite the fact that she could sense it was the truth.

Undeterred, the voice continued, “Lord Arachnos is always searching for wielders of great power that he can exploit for his own means. His Fortunatas sensed the potential in you when your mutation first manifest, but you were out of his reach due to your heroic destiny. However, that all changed the day the meteors fell in Galaxy City, and you were assumed dead. Your destiny was suddenly in flux, and Arachnos saw this as his chance. He sent me to fetch you from your stony tomb and bring you to the Isles where your heroic future would never come to pass.”

Stunned by these revelations, Kat replied quietly, “S-so why the change of heart now?”

“I was assigned to keep tabs on you, and direct your activities after I brought you here. But you were more than just another assignment to me; I took an interest in you. I mentioned earlier that if unchanged, your path would lead to either your death or your utter corruption. Your death would be tragic for you, and for those who know and love you, but your corruption… Your corruption would mean the death of millions.”

“Wh-what? Never! I’d never kill millions of people!” Kat gasped.

“You would,” the voice replied, with a tinge of sorrow Kat had never sensed before, “Remember, Lord Arachnos had foreseen your potential, and he does not take an interest in the weak or ineffectual. When I became curious why you were so important to him, I looked into what his Fortunatas had revealed to him. Katherine, the power you wield now is the merest fraction of your potential. In the future Lord Arachnos foresaw, you stood proudly by his side while the streets of Paragon City ran red with the blood of your victims.”

Kat was speechless, but the voice continued, “I have done terrible things in my service to Arachnos, but I could not, I will not, allow such a future to come to pass. You must return to the heroic path Katherine, and perhaps one day, it will be you who ends Arachnos’ reign of terror.”

Overwhelmed by all she’d heard, Kat replied haltingly “But… if I go back… Max Gold… they… they work for him. You said so.”

“They do, but that does not mean you will have to. As far as Max Gold knows, you are dead, and I don’t believe the others realize who you really are, but that will undoubtably change with time, and it’s something you’ll have to come to terms with. In the meantime, while I have no love for Paragon City, I do have more than a little influence there. I can arrange a place for you to live there, and even a job, if you wish."

“Won’t Arachnos find out? And won’t he be pissed? At you?” Kat asked.

“Eventually he will learn of my duplicity, yes, but his attention is not constantly on you, so it is my hope that by the time he does, you will be unobtainable to him once more. As for me, do not fear for my life. I have no small amount of power of my own, as well as enough influence to render me... unexpendable.”

“I… I don’t know what to say, “ Kat said, tears again welling in her green eyes, “I… I owe you everything, and I feel like I’ll never see you again.”

“Nonsense,” the voice replied comfortingly, “If you are careful, you may return here to visit me anytime you wish.”

Kat laughed, wiping away her tears, “Visit you? Heck, I couldn’t visit you now - I don’t know where to find you now, I’ve never seen you out of your armor, and I don’t even know your name!”

“Those are choices I’ve had to make to keep you safe, but once you are truly out of harm's way, I will no longer have to… deceive you,” the voice replied, the last few words taking on a raspy quality that Kat immediately recognized. But the recognition and her resultant smile faded quickly, as if a half-remembered dream.

“Go home now Katherine,” the voice advised returning to its normally deep, resonant tone, “You have a lot to think about, and I have many favors to call in. I will contact you again when the arrangements for your safe return to Paragon City are complete.”

Kat nodded to herself as she felt the presence leave her mind. Regaining her full awareness, she realized it had grown dark. She saw two figures shambling up the beach toward her, their eyes glowing a sickly green. “Definitely Infected,” she thought to herself, her heart rate increasing as her fight-or-flight instincts kicked it. There were few things in the Rogue Isles that still frightened her, but the Infected were one of them. Confident that no one could see her in the darkness she turned and dashed off at close to top speed, the friction of her passing leaving a trail of glass footprints in the sand behind her.

(No godmodding now. None of you would actually know any of this, but I needed to work out a legitimate way for Merc to return to the City with people who work of a man she despises. You all just got to see the process.))