Issue 7: Patron Powers!

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There are a MILLION ways to fit these concepts into yours.

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Which is something that should be pointed out. You're not in the real world people, you're role-playing. Live in your own world.

Nice name CthulhuFan.

After toying with the char creator, and discovering I can make pretty much, the perfect Auqaman send off, I must decide how to properly justify taking anything BUT Ss/Inv Brute.hmm...

HMMMMM

Just noticed something.

Black Scorpion's powers refer to three different maces: the Executioner's Mace, the Bane Mace and the Nullifier Mace. Are these actually different graphics, or just different names for the same thing?

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and the most epic attack in the game: Chum blast. This f##king sucks

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Newsflash: you don't have to take the power.


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Just noticed something.

Black Scorpion's powers refer to three different maces: the Executioner's Mace, the Bane Mace and the Nullifier Mace. Are these actually different graphics, or just different names for the same thing?


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Hm I wanna check the screenshots now, haha.

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and the most epic attack in the game: Chum blast. This f##king sucks

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HOW DARE YOU DEFAME THE MOST HOLY CHUM SPRAY!!!

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After toying with the char creator, and discovering I can make pretty much, the perfect Auqaman send off, I must decide how to properly justify taking anything BUT Ss/Inv Brute.hmm...

HMMMMM

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THAT WAS MY IDEA

and yeah SS/Inv is all I've got, too. I think I will make a Dark/Dark Stalker as an analogue to the Shade, though. Bursting from the shadows and killin' fools, and all.

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So Domination, AOE hold then nuke wouldn't be a viable post-38 tactic? Heck, pop a *couple* of reds for maximage damage.

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Dominators don't have a nuke.

Something else I'd like to see the power descriptions be very clear on... Which of the patron powers will force me to put away and re-draw my bow/assault rifle/etc.

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Spoken as someone who doesn't play Dominators.


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I have a Mind/Energy Dom, actually. I was impressing guys that were 30th+ level with my character that I walked to St. Martial solo.

Haven't even bothered to get more than one attack on that character.

{secondary mistake! Doh!}

Still here, even after all this time!

I don't have a problem concept wise with the pools (both my villians use /Dark...Widow is the easy choice here). But I'm slightly dissapointed with the MM selections, I barely use the attacks I already have. There is no need to add more. Also having to wait until lev 49 for a single target hold is underwhelming, don't really see why it can't be in the first teir of powers (swap it with the ranged cone).

I would have loved to see powers that possibly added toggle armours to my pets or gave them any more abilites in general (seeing my bots use Gloom...now THAT would be cool ).

I do however like the corruptor options though .

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After toying with the char creator, and discovering I can make pretty much, the perfect Auqaman send off, I must decide how to properly justify taking anything BUT Ss/Inv Brute.hmm...

HMMMMM

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THAT WAS MY IDEA

and yeah SS/Inv is all I've got, too. I think I will make a Dark/Dark Stalker as an analogue to the Shade, though. Bursting from the shadows and killin' fools, and all.

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I know, and then I discovered that you can create the perfect one. PErhaps I'll tweak things and be all "He's powered by the Sea, who's [censored] about people putting all their crap in it. But obnly the Arctic sea was willing to imbue him with powers, cause the other seas are sissies, so He'san Ice/Ice Cor..."

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Our pets get nothing?

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Your zombies and ninjas don't have to chase crap down because you get Immobilizes and Holds.

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No new playmate?

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You have six!

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No new toys?

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Are you kidding?

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They do all the work and take all the pain!

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Which is what they're there for.

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Now, let's put all the pieces back together again and glue it together with logic, the way it was meant to be.

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Our pets get nothing? No new playmate? No new toys? They do all the work and take all the pain!

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The general idea behind the Mastermind is one who commands others to get his or her work done, and their role in the matter is guidance and planning. If we arent' given powers that (a) enhance our minions, the ones doing the work or (b) help our minions by way of guidance and planning, then we take a big step away from Mastermind and into another AT. Obviously the Hold is useful to MMs, and the Devs know that since they made it the last power.

Now, the point of P3 and APP is to fill in our character's weaknesses, but this shoudln't come at the cost of what we are. MMs are unique in that we fight through our minions. A buff to us is debatable, but a buff to our minions is what makes the AT.

Ranged AoE attack (corrupter) should be given to our minion(s).
Immobilize (stalker? huh?) could be given to a minion(s). But better for the MM.
Shield (brute) should be given to a minion(s).
Hold (dominator) could be given to a minion(s). But I'd rather keep that one.

Frankly, and this is a tangent, I'm not certain what influence the Stalker has on the MM P3s.

Anyways, if you want to make the P3s useful for MMs, make them support the minion or the guidance we give the minions.

Heck, if I had to design them, I'd do it as so...

P3s for MMs are the result of a MM working around other villains and learning what works. They pass this knowledge onto their minions in the form of tactics on the battlefield.

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Just noticed something.

Black Scorpion's powers refer to three different maces: the Executioner's Mace, the Bane Mace and the Nullifier Mace. Are these actually different graphics, or just different names for the same thing?

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Judging from the screenshots, I may see subtle differences, but you can't really see much. But that's all. I guess we need to wait for (a) better screenshots (b) it to go on test.

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After toying with the char creator, and discovering I can make pretty much, the perfect Auqaman send off, I must decide how to properly justify taking anything BUT Ss/Inv Brute.hmm...

HMMMMM

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THAT WAS MY IDEA

and yeah SS/Inv is all I've got, too. I think I will make a Dark/Dark Stalker as an analogue to the Shade, though. Bursting from the shadows and killin' fools, and all.

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I know, and then I discovered that you can create the perfect one. PErhaps I'll tweak things and be all "He's powered by the Sea, who's [censored] about people putting all their crap in it. But obnly the Arctic sea was willing to imbue him with powers, cause the other seas are sissies, so He'san Ice/Ice Cor..."

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Muscles adapted to swim Niagra Falls upstream, be comfortable at the bottom of the sea...yeah, I may make yet another SS/Inv Brute.

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So yes, I can lie, and pretend large chunks of the game just didn't happen.

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I think this already started when we were asked to believe we spray people with fire and bullets and hard radiation and then slice them up with blades to "arrest" them in CoH.

Look, I'm the first person to congratulate you on having a character that's well thought out in terms beside its build. However, at some point you have to accept that your character is written into a collaborative setting which is in turn written by somebody else and that this is going to require a certain level of adaptability, either in the overall plan for character development or in selective inclusion of in-game text into your version of how your character changes with time - how "canon" you are.

I have to do this myself already. My stalker is unable to perform as written. The basis of the character is that for every crime she commits for a person, whether or not that person asked for the crime to be committed, she commits a similar crime against them as the price. She's supposed to be a living urban legend. It's a fun idea and it makes for a great character... who I absolutely cannot play to character in game. Period. I can't play my equitable tricks on the contacts in CoV, and all the Arachnos people know I'm there for sure.

I just deal, y'know? This is a collaborative setting in which I have no creative control, so I can adapt characters to the setting or I can just ignore maladaptations and be about my business. Sometimes I do one, sometimes I do the other, but I don't see the point in lamenting the fact the game wasn't written to spec.

I personally like the Dominator selections for Ghost Widow... +end is always welcome, armor, and an honest-to-goodness ranged AoE. The Fortunata is icing...

Anastasia is very happy...

Problem I have is not just how similar they are, but a lot of these pools have powers that are redudant to certain primaries/secondaries in the AT.

For example, my /Traps Corruptor is Tech so would logically go with Black Scorpion, except that the web and shield (defense) powers don't provide anything I don't already have except for a hold and a pet. I already have defenses and immobilizes on my own. I might as well break theme and go with Scirroco as Power Sink and Charged Armor (a resistance power) sound far more useful.

Same thing with my Dark/Fire Brute. Ghost Widows Brute pools doesn't give much that I don't already have, like another tentacle power? Again Scirroco's set wins for having more useful sounding powers.

I'd bet that Ghost Widow and Scirocco will be the most often taken Patrons. Mako and Scorpions offerings just don't sound that good and Mako's look plain silly anyway.

Then there are the pets. I'd much rather have something neater like a Gremlin for a pet than a Mu Adept when using a electrical mastery pool.

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So Domination, AOE hold then nuke wouldn't be a viable post-38 tactic? Heck, pop a *couple* of reds for maximage damage.

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Dominators don't have a nuke.

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Their level 38 powers aren't a nuke? I could have sworn they were almost identical to Defender secondaries in that manner. It's an AT that I've only played lightly though.

Still here, even after all this time!

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So Domination, AOE hold then nuke wouldn't be a viable post-38 tactic? Heck, pop a *couple* of reds for maximage damage.

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Dominators don't have a nuke.

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Their level 38 powers aren't a nuke? I could have sworn they were almost identical to Defender secondaries in that manner. It's an AT that I've only played lightly though.

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The only nuke you have is.. well.. the closest thing you can do is that nova-type power in the Psychic Assault set.

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For example, my /Traps Corruptor is Tech so would logically go with Black Scorpion, except that the web and shield (defense) powers don't provide anything I don't already have except for a hold and a pet. I already have defenses and immobilizes on my own. I might as well break theme and go with Scirroco as Power Sink and Charged Armor (a resistance power) sound far more useful.


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As if +def didn't stack!

The dark blasts in Ghost Widow's sets better use the big swirly tendrils of energy animations, as that could easily be RPed as chain manipulation for my brute.

I personally am very very disappointed in the patron powers. I am not excited one bit about getting my corruptor some gimpy armor that will get knocked off by sleeps/disorients/holds every fight nor will it be awesome when my mastermind is able to get access to more personal attacks.

With my MM I skipped my attacks for a reason, I do not need the aggro on me, I have to focus on my secondary to keep my pets alive in battle, and our attacks are set at .55 the damage of a blaster which is absolutely horrible.

The only good thing I can see for my corruptor is the aoe immobilize, this will allow me to use my rain more effectively. Everything else is garbage unless the devs actually give the stats on the pets so I can see which one has the most hp's/resists so he can tank for me. That is also assuming it can be made perma or close to it, I have no use for a pet every 1000 seconds.

It appears the only AT, or should I say build, that will get a great benefit from the patron powers is /fire brutes.......what I wouldn't do to get an aoe immobilize for my fire tanker. I know we still don't have all the info and that some people are perfectly happy with the patron pools but I for one am seriously disappointed in the lack of variety and usefulness of the PPP's as a whole.

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For example, my /Traps Corruptor is Tech so would logically go with Black Scorpion, except that the web and shield (defense) powers don't provide anything I don't already have except for a hold and a pet. I already have defenses and immobilizes on my own. I might as well break theme and go with Scirroco as Power Sink and Charged Armor (a resistance power) sound far more useful.


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As if +def didn't stack!

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I'd take +res over a bit of extra defense anyday.

Also like I need yet another immobilize.

Ah, complaining about powers before they are available to be tested and see how they mesh with an AT, yummy.

While I have my own reservations about the lack of power diversity between patrons, I am looking forward to trying them out and see how they work with my existing powers. My brute is looking forward to a ranged attack (besides hurl bolder which is…..meh) and an imob. might help with getting jousted to death in PvP.

One thing that has always kinda gotten to me though are complaints about the RP aspect. In my mind, Arachnos broke you out and you are staying on the Rogue Isles (a sovereign nation) by the graces of Lord Recluse who could at any moment decide you are too much trouble and have you wiped out. Maybe you don’t’ want to work for Arachnos and that’s fine, but even a villain knows that sometimes you have to play along to survive. Choosing a Patron or facing the wrath of Recluse and all Arachnos.

In any case, wonder if these powers are set in stone or if we can expect a little tweaking.

If they put in the anti-purple patch and the new to-hit rules, your opinion on that bit o' def might change.