sounds like you want Grav/Rad.
I've rolled quite a few grav toons (both trollers and doms) in the 3+ years that I've played, but only my Grav/Rad has been strong enough to get up to wormhole.
Grav is a pretty late bloomer, rad is a very early bloomer, so they're great in combination.
No
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo
I think you underestimate our fools, sir.
Why /duel is a bad idea
My grav/kin was my first 50. I had never seen one when I made it, as I made it my second day. She shines on teams.
I do hear what you mean about so many folks having the same secondaries. My fire troller's secondary isn't /kin just because. 
I went Grav/TA myself and it's loads of fun, although a bit clicky. Being able to stack holds on bosses and play at range is nice.
I just got Wormhole, but I am really waiting for Oil Slick Arrow. Port 'em and burn 'em... can't wait 
I hope you enjoy whatever you decide
You are correct that Thermal is a great, if rare, set. The thing about Thermal, though, is that most of its power comes from versatility rather than from a particular standout power. It's a good set to pick if you plan to invest heavily in your secondary.
Gravity is weak on AoE controls that are effective with teams, so Trick Arrow would be a good one to consider. Trick Arrow has a slow, a single target immobilize, and a mass hold that would seem very beneficial to Gravity if you want to be a strong Controller type.
Radiation is good with anything.
Hrm, all seem like good options, I was hoping (if I enjoy the character enough) to IO this guy out. It'd be my first go at them. Oy! Why must I be so hard-headed!? 
Gravity is notorious for meh damage so a secondary that helps bump that up was always nice for solo. grav's holds are nice because they make the mobs immune to KB, which is perfect for Thunder Storm.
this is a bit dated but the basics are covered real well:
Grav/Storm Guide 3.0 (Reinman)
I just started up an Ice/Themal. Thermal looked interesting and I wanted to be able to beef up a Damage pet. Stone would probably have been better in the long run, but I really didn't want poo man.
I think Gravity/Rad is the way to go also.
The tools that /Rad brings help you just about as well as the team. Also, it includes the ability to heal yourself, which you say that you like. Finally, Gravity is known for being crappy at AoE control until the late 20s, but the combo of Crushing Field and Radiation Infection will serve you well as regular, bread and butter, quasi control and mitigation every single fight.
Lewis
Random AT Generation!
"I remember... the Alamo." -- Pee-wee Herman
"Oh don't worry. I always leave things to the last moment." -- The Doctor
"Telescopes are time machines." -- Carl Sagan
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I think Gravity/Rad is the way to go also.
The tools that /Rad brings help you just about as well as the team. Also, it includes the ability to heal yourself, which you say that you like. Finally, Gravity is known for being crappy at AoE control until the late 20s, but the combo of Crushing Field and Radiation Infection will serve you well as regular, bread and butter, quasi control and mitigation every single fight.
Lewis
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QFT, man.
My Grav/Rad is 42 now, the furthest I've gotten any controller, and it's been a pretty easy ride so far. Enervating Field really helps Grav's lackluster damage, too. My only problem seems to be I never (well, rarely) get hit, so those damage-taken badges are gonna be a bear to get
I really like Grav, despite what all the naysayers say about it. I'd like to try it with /Kin or /Storm next. But I know those will be tougher without the security blanket I've enjoyed with /Rad.
I know this is a ways off for you, but I finally decided on Primal Forces as my epic pool, solely for Power Boost, the power every controller wants. Of course, Temp Invulnerability will come in handy, and the -KB aspects of Grav make the energy blasts less of a problem. I don't really need Conserve Power, amazingly enough.
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sounds like you want Grav/Rad.
I've rolled quite a few grav toons (both trollers and doms) in the 3+ years that I've played, but only my Grav/Rad has been strong enough to get up to wormhole.
Grav is a pretty late bloomer, rad is a very early bloomer, so they're great in combination.
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I was going to put my 2 inf in, but this post sums up my thoughts exactly.
I really enjoy my grav/ff. It has tools for solo and teaming. The stun in repulsion bomb is nice for stacking in pve on bosses. And singularity pretty much won't ever die nor yourself due to PFF and powerboosted defense bubbles combined with high resistance.
--my vote is grav/rad or second grav/kin..
--i also have a grav/storm which i lost interest in at lvl 23..im sure its great at higher lvl's
--my grav/FF recently got 50, it took forrreverr
anyways grav/rad seems more offensive to me..and better if you have to solo..
perma jump is ---> /up 1
I also would go for grav/rad. I have a 40 that is quite a bit of fun in teams, good heal, great debuffs. Grav has slows, and rad has a slow, so extra slows. And of course....accelerate metab is one of the best buffers in the game. I see it buff up sing but not sure if it does a whole lot. With grav you spam off holds/immob pretty fast, so the extra end you get from AM helps quite a bit. For solo...eh...grav isn't your best bet, just doesn't do much damage to groups of foes. Single target is great, has the most powerful single target attack for trollers. I always have to team with a group to get any decent xp.
Grav/Storm is not for you? Sad that, because my Grav/Storm just hit 33 and he's the most fun ever. Singy and storm powers leave spawns going WTH as we wormhole them into corners, hurricane to keep them there, then dump freezing rain, a stone gargoyle, and god what else on them.
I will admit that it *is* a hard row to hoe to get there, though, the levels just don't seem to come fast enough solo. It takes a lot of patience.
Grav/Rad is probably your better choice, the debuffs are awesome and greatly appreciated very early one in the game as well as afterwards
Currently playing:
The Domestic: Broom/WP
Shadowhex: Dark Control/Dark Affinity
Defenestration Lass: Grav/Kin
"See, this is what happens when you have to shove all this stuff into your pockets: it's easy to misplace a suborbital warhead." -Arcanaville, on how crowded our power trays are getting lately
I have a grav/emp and i love it but i also have a grav/rad and love that as well. Emp is my fav set in game but thermal is a very decent set as well. it has some buffs and it has good heal to it. I would say roll a grav/therm.
I have been playing my Grav/Sonic again after a prolonged hiatus. Prepping and practicing for PvP whilst tearing up any TF I can hey my hands on and I have fallen in love all over again with it. No team dislikes Sonic it is VERY strong Defensively good debufs and with the grav primary can solo well on single target.
It is not for everyone but with me behind the team my team gets fearless and refuse to do a TF on anything less than invincible.
Each secondary has their weaknesses and advantages. Grav/Storm, for example, or "Controller Chaos Mode", throws guys around and can be a lot of fun solo, but on teams it can be looked down upon because for some odd reason melee hates the form of damage mitigation called knockback.
Grav/FF, Grav/Sonic are both good combos that have the potential to make VERY survivable toons depending on what your epic set is. FF has some serious situational powers, though, while Sonic has a bunch of resistance buffs/debuffs and an AoE knockdown/hold/debuff power that can really help out in a pinch.
Grav/TA is like one of the best True Controller sets. It adds a LOT to your control, and throws in some nice debuffs.
Radiation, emp and Kin are three of your highest demanded secondaries for many reasons, so they are a definite shoe-in for the running if you don't have toons with either of these sets already.
What I always do when considering a new toon is look at what I already have and try to make something different, or look at what I already have and see if I can make a toon that does it better.
Grav/TA and Grav/Storm is some of the best play out there, but both secondaries bloom late (esp TA) in helping fill grav out (aoe damage) which also blooms late so it's a bit of a trial on the way up.
Grav/TA can be an extremely supportive debuff machine once you get sing and oil slick.
i have a grav/rad for teaming and tf and he is fun, i also have a grav/psi dom which i feel can out aggro tanks but if you are looking for troller grav/rad is a good pick
I take characters in MMOs a little seriously. Not so much addictive serious, I just mean the opposite of an altoholic, I like one character that represents my playstyle. When I made my first character I didn't just try stuff, instead I looked at every set available at the time and just felt out what best represented ME.
On that day about 3.75 years ago I selected Grav/Rad and simply put I feel like I couldn't have made a better choice. It might not be others playstyles and I've made a few other low level chars recently, but that one character has best reflected me and I dunno about underpowered but man that set makes me feel powerful quite frequently on teams.
Soloing is also quite easy except AVs who I stand no chance against with my build setup.
Just a P.S. Ice Mastery is my epic. Ice Storm is fun after my AOE Immobs/Holds and Hibernate is my panic button.
I am new to the game and liked the sound of the Gravity/Kinetic. I have found it fun and challenging. I have to agree with Necornous above that I do feel very powerful on teams. I don't because I am blowing things up, but more for my overall contribution. I think the grav/kin is a very functional combination that shines on teams.
I have found kinetics to be a great secondary. Many of the powers have offensive sides that people seem to forget about. Transference is an irresistable -regen, thats great, it also heals. Siphon Speed slows the target, gives a -rech and gives it to you, fantastic power.
All in all kinetics is a fun secondary to me, unfortunately it seems to be plagued with "expectations". See posts on speedboost!
I found it more annoying to be on a team with another grav, i appreciate having another /kin on the team. It means THEY are on speedboost duty! ha!
I haven't tried Grav but I have been thinking of trying it. From what I've been reading it seems that Grav doesn't really blossom until Wormhole. Is that a correct assumption?
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I haven't tried Grav but I have been thinking of trying it. From what I've been reading it seems that Grav doesn't really blossom until Wormhole. Is that a correct assumption?
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Pretty much.
Before that point... you're a Defender with only single-target attacks. They all have some goos secondary effects, but yeah... until you get Wormhole, you aren't going to be controlling much in any way beyond one target at a time.
Still, it's not all bad. If you're good with your secondary, you'll still be welcomed on teams, and you can even contribute to the effectivness by locking down hard targets.
Just remember not to use Propel or Lift on the scrapper's target... (At least, not unless you've got them held, too... but if they're held and the scrapper is on them, then you should probably shift to another target...)
-This Space Intentionally Left Blank.-
Lots of good info...i'm torn between Grav/Rad or Grav/TA.
The thought of WH'ing mobs into a oil slick and watching them burn sounds very tempting. Then again, everybody in their mother is happy to invite a Rad/* or */rad to their team.
Curses...can't decide.
Besides having played Grav/Rad for all 3.75 years of my time on CoH I have never once speced into Wormhole other than on the test server. My AOE lockdown is done by Gravity Distortion Field, EM Pulse, and Choking Cloud, with of course Crushing Field/Ice Storm/Rad Debuff combo being in the AOE department as well.
Powers I skipped include:
Wormhole: Dunno, never got into it. I sorta want to take it, and am contemplating working it in (like I do about once a year), but it never makes the cut. Rad just fills in that control gap people speak about with EM Pulse and Choking Cloud.
Propel - I took this on and off over time mostly before level 50. I eventually specced out of it for good but man I took this when I first unlocked its level and it rocked for damage and made soloing bosses not suck. The huge hangup as mentioned is the animation time. >50% of the time the mob dies before you use it and you just throw a forklift at a corpse. I officially consider this replaced by Blackwand Vet Reward on my current build and specced lift in for fast damage/single target control. Teamers should avoid but soloers should still grab this.
Dimension Shift - The black sheep / red-headed stepchild of Grav. The panic button that a very small and vocal minority swear by. My panic button is Hibernate as it helps when I'm EM Pulse drained and doesn't confuse the everloving crap out of my team.
Fallout - My only Rad skip is the "Dimension Shift" of Rad. Its neat but the corpse requirement is the conditional setback. Theoretically dying is the opposite of what you want to happen but it does happen and this power makes the death not so bad, especially since u can Mutate the corpse back to health right after. Recall Friend is a secondary must to put the corpse in a crowd. If you are the kind of player who loves Vengeance then this power is for you.
As the title says, I am thinking of making a Grav/ controller. In a new attempt to cut back on alt-making, I'm trying to make an informed decision on which secondary to take.
) I kind of want a mix between something that offers a team what it needs, as well as being able to decently hold my own in a fight solo. When I say hold my own, I understand I won't be a blaster with controls...but we've all seen what some controllers can do.
It would mainly be for PvE, fun stuff like teaming, TF's, badge hunting, and solo-ability. I -may- dabble in PvP...but its a stretch. I'm not so worried about concept as it will probably form off of the secondary chosen...so without wasting anymore time -- to the sets!
Empathy, Force Field: Im sort of impartial. I wasn't looking to be a "healbot" or sit back and be complete support. Being able to handle my own fairly well is something I'd like to do.
Kinetics: Here's a strong contender. I think /Kin would be a very decent counterpart to Gravity. The only issue I have with it is that...well...its pretty much the most used secondary with Grav next to Force and Storm I've seen. Not that it's a bad thing, it's obviously doing something right...but overused is still overused. ... But a possibilty!
Radiation Emission, Sonic: This is where they get a bit tricky. THey are both some debuff / some support. It would give me a mix of both roles while being able to feel useful to myself and the team if need be. I feel /Kin would fill the same feeling as well, though. And Singularity + SB sounds nifty.
Storm, Trick Arrow: I've taken a Grav/Storm to the 20's before and it was fun, but for some reason it died out for me. Not sure if I want to go down that road again. TA is another story. It looks fun, but I'm not sure if it looks like I'd 'have' fun. Not sure though...possiblity.
Thermal Radiation: Ahh, Thermal. It is one of my favorite sets...And I have never even gotten the debuffs with it! It has nice support in heals and shields. It debuffs, so I'd be useful to myself and the team. It is also extremely rare in my experience. I, truthfully, have never seen one. It seems like it'd be a good fit, or am I missing something?
Overall (yes, this was long sorry all...I tend to "overthink" things ...
Thanks for all the reading/help/support all!