Arcs for your consideration


Olantern

 

Posted

I've been holding off on posting threads specifically about any of my arcs, since these threads get buried quickly and don't seem to attract many comments, probably because there are so many of them. I also wanted to wait until I had all three of my arc slots filled. Now that I've published my third one, I'm following the traditional practice and posting a thread all about my arcs.

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The Love Talker: a City of Heroes Faerie Tale
Arc ID: 30242
Faction: Heroic
Creator Global/Forum Name: @Djinniman/Olantern
Length: 4 missions.
Difficulty Level: Moderate. Contains only a few custom critters. Optional Elite Boss in mission 3, scaling AV in mission 4, though you have three boss-level allies available. None of the custom characters have defense sets. The real challenge in this arc is that several missions feature Red Caps, which can be tough opponents for many characters.
Suggested level: 30+. All missions except mission 2 are playable at any level. Mission 2 spawns at 34 and only 34.
Time to play: Seems to average about 40 minutes.
Special notes: Mission 3 is timed, but the time limit is two hours. This arc is currently broken and unplayable due to removal of one of its maps post-publication.

Synopsis: Skipper LeGrange of Croatoa requests your help in defeating a dangerous faerie creature known as the "Cancanagh" ("Love Talker" in Erse Gaelic) preying on the women of Salamanca. Of course, defeating the creature isn't as straightforward as it appears, and you'll end up having to seek magical help from one of Croatoa's best-known residents, visit the depths of the spirit world, and investigate the origins of the Tuatha before you can end the threat. For more specific information about this arc, look up PoliceWoman's review of it in her thread.


"Bombarding the CoH/V fora with verbosity since January, 2006"

Djinniman, level 50 inv/fire tanker, on Victory
-and 40 others on various servers

A CoH Comic: Kid Eros in "One Light"

 

Posted

The Heart of Talos: a Warriors Task Force
Arc ID: 175660
Faction: Heroic
Length: 4 missions.
Creator Global/Forum Name: @Djinniman/Olantern (Do you sense a pattern here?)
Difficulty level: Moderate to hard, depending on team size. I originally believed this arc would be unsoloable because it contains multiple EB's and a scaling AV you face without assistance, but I've since soloed it with a couple of different characters. Large teams may have trouble with the fairly hard-hitting custom faction.
Suggested level: 35+. Lower-level characters may have trouble handling the damage from the non-custom faction in mission 2, which spawns only at level 35 and up. The other missions can be played at any level, but higher-level characters have a much easier time of it.
Estimated time to play: It takes about 40 minutes to solo on the characters with which I've tried it. Teams might take longer to cut through all the enemies. I have yet to play through the entire arc on a team larger than 2, though I've tested individual missions with larger groups.

Synopsis: If you paid attention to your game lore for the first 25 levels of the hero side, you know that some of the gangs are part of an illicit trade in magical artifacts. The trail leads to the Warriors, where it stops without explanation. This arc is my explanation for where the Warriors get all those magical knickknacks from, as well as an attempt to tie this i0 game lore with some more recent additions to the game. In the finale, you'll face an Archvillain who's been mentioned several times in the game's backstory but never seen before.

Design notes: Through most of the arc, you'll be facing a custom faction of Warriors. I made a custom version of them partly to give them a little more variety and partly to ensure that characters over 29 wouldn't be downleveled for several of the missions, especially since mission 2 spawns only at 35 and up. The Warriors hit hard, since they all use weapon powersets, but the minions are all damage-based, no controls or signficant debuffs. The lieutenants use either stealth or minor ally buffs (from the Shield set). The bosses have some minor healing powers. Aside from knockdown/knockup, none of them have any control powers. A second, fairly easy custom faction appears in missions 2 and 3 for flavor.

Custom Elite Bosses appear in missions 1, 3, and 4. Multiple instances of an existing Elite Boss appear in mission 2. You do not receive assistance with the EB in mission 1. You are provided with an EB-level ally in mission 2, who can act as either buffer/healer or tank depending on your needs. (He enabled me to solo the non-custom EB's in this mission with several different characters.) You do not have allies for the EB in mission 3, but he is of Rogue alignment, so you can get the Enemy faction to eliminate him for you if you are careful. You do not have help for the scaling AV in mission 4. The encounter with him is specifically designed as a challenge due to his supporting group, but different archetypes can overcome it using different approaches.

I designed this arc with teams in mind, but despite the "task force" in the title, I now wonder if it's actually too difficult for a large team with all the custom enemies. If anyone plays through it on a team larger than 3, please let me know.

Additional note: This arc "broke" for no apparent reason this past weekend, but it should be playable again now.


"Bombarding the CoH/V fora with verbosity since January, 2006"

Djinniman, level 50 inv/fire tanker, on Victory
-and 40 others on various servers

A CoH Comic: Kid Eros in "One Light"

 

Posted

The Key and the Chain
Arc ID: 193451
Faction: Heroic
Length: 4 missions.
Creator Global/Forum Name: (Come on. You know this!)
Difficulty level: Moderate to hard. Depending on the spawns of custom enemies you get, they can be quite challenging in groups or on higher settings. Solo, the arc's relatively easy. The arc contains two scaling AV's and an EB, but assistance is provided for all of them (see details below).
Suggested level: 22+. Characters in the mid-20's will see the greatest variety in the custom faction. I soloed the arc with only a single death (due to double spawn aggro) with an SO-slotted level 26 DB/WP scrapper.
Estimated time to play: 40 minutes solo, about an hour or slightly over teamed.

Synopsis: The Legacy Chain has located the Spirit Key, a magical item that can be used in conjunction with a mass sacrifice to open a gateway between dimensions. The Banished Pantheon knows about the Key, too, and plans to seize it and use it to wake Mot, the Sleeper beneath Dark Astoria. You soon discover, however, that the Banish Pantheon is the least of your problems. Two prominent CoV contacts make guest appearances in this arc.

Design notes: Despite the multiple EB's, this arc is intended to be eminently soloable, though it's probably more fun on a team.

Missions 1 and 2 are listed as levels 40-54, but the faction is Banished Pantheon, which are mechanically identical to their level 20-29 versions. I just didn't want higher level characters to complain about losing powers on this arc.

Mission 2 contains a non-custom EB that, I believe, scales up to AV class. However, it's one widely regarded as one of the weakest in the game, and you should have an Allied "ambush" to help you fight it. This ambush doesn't always spawn where I mean it to; if you have feedback, positive or negative, about it, PLEASE let me know!

Mission 3 contains a custom Elite Boss. You're provided with a custom boss-level ally to help you.

Mission 4 contains a custom scaling AV. You're provided with a custom Elite Boss (not primarily a damage dealer, so don't fret about your xp) to help, as well as two custom lieutenants who'll help teams having trouble reaching the custom EB get there.

Aside from the bosses, the custom faction in this arc is the Legacy Chain. In addition to the existing enemies, I added two new Legacies, Thunder and Thought, to fill out the group's level range up to 54. The Legacy of Thunder uses Electrical attacks. Lieutenants have Storm Summoning (no Hurricane), and bosses have Cold Domination. The Legacy of Thought uses Psi attacks, primarily Psionic Assault. Lieutenants have Drain Psyche (no Psychic Shockwave) and a couple of ally-targeted healing powers. Bosses have Mind Control. None of the custom enemies are set on Extreme on either powerset.

I've found that a spawn of the Legacy of Thunder and a Thought lieutenant can drain a character of endurance shockingly fast, though the enemies seem fairly balanced otherwise. I'd appreciate more feedback on this.

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Thanks for reading. I hope you play one or more of these arcs!


"Bombarding the CoH/V fora with verbosity since January, 2006"

Djinniman, level 50 inv/fire tanker, on Victory
-and 40 others on various servers

A CoH Comic: Kid Eros in "One Light"