Before any of the others catch wind of this, let me be the first to say it - you're going to catch a lot of flames for this. Ignore them. Yes, it's an often-requested feature, but just saying "hero mastermind" will get you in trouble here. No, it's not right, but expect it to happen, and please try to weather it with a cool head.
*edit*
Now that I rushed to post the important bit, I can focus a little more on the actual suggestion,
One of the big complaints you'll get against hero Masterminds (aside from GO PLAY COV!!!) is that the Mastermind archetype in general does not fit the heroic mindset. A Mastermind is built on the back of expendable henchmen, who fight, die, are replaced, fight some more, die some more, and essentially stand in front of you to get shot in the face so you don't get hurt. Not to mention that several secondaries have the tendency to blow up or poison their own henchmen.
Granted, you're suggesting new powersets, but the mechanics of Masterminds are what make them as they are. A Summon primary puts the power in the henchmen, and a Support secondary means the Mastermind stands back and buffs/debuffs/heals while the henchmen do the dirty work. This isn't really applicable to a heroic mindset, all that standing back and letting others bite the big one for you.
I've been around the block with this a few times, so I believe a heroic version of this NEEDS to use a different framework. More specifically, it needs to have Summon as a secondary, possibly with support-heavy pets, with a self-initiative primary like Assault or Blast or at the very least Control. This gives the hero the initiative and puts him front row centre, with his followers following behind and supporting him. This has the hero act like a hero should - by taking the risks and protecting his people.
I think the other way you can go forward with this is with a single henchman that you can upgrade (read, give more powers and visual upgrades to) as a primary ENTIRELY devoted to that one henchman. If he goes down, you're following in pretty short order. The secondary can then be support, I suppose, though with a primary that's "all about the henchman," it might be redundant. Call it Control, perhaps. It doesn't really have the "big hero" vibe to it, but it fulfils the role many "pure" Defenders aim to achieve - you're a wimpy, fragile hero whose only real ability is to help others. Only you have one other to help right from your powersets.
Another important point to consider is that Masterminds don't have pets, they have henchmen. While the mechanical difference may be in name mostly, the thematic difference is significant. Pets are mindless animate objects, like a walking pile or rocks or a floating turret. Henchmen are, even in the worst case scenario, intelligent self-motivated entities that could still exist without you, just not as effectively. A LOT of henchmen are outright thinking, breathing people, not "pets" created by their master's power, and I've no reason to assume demons will be any different, what with Circle of Thorns behemoths being so vocal and actually sentient.
The powersets I'm seeing you suggest seem to lean more towards the "animated pets" side of things, and I don't believe that's the source of good mastermind material.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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Ok, so let me rephrase. NOT a mastermind, but something new and a bit different for the heroes. NOT all the sets must have pets. And really how cool would it be to have missiles ? And on the logic side of things, the super hero universe has a lot of normal people without anything inherent but a strong will and an arsenal of gadgets to their disposal.
Read my edit. I addressed a few Mastermind-related issues, though in light of your reply, they may not be terribly relevant.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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Ok, so let me rephrase. NOT a mastermind, but something new and a bit different for the heroes. NOT all the sets must have pets. And really how cool would it be to have missiles ? And on the logic side of things, the super hero universe has a lot of normal people without anything inherent but a strong will and an arsenal of gadgets to their disposal.
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Play an AR/Device/Munitions Blaster then.
Altoholic - but a Blaster at Heart!
Originally Posted by SpyralPegacyon
"You gave us a world where we could fly. I can't thank you enough for that."
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I've been around the block with this a few times, so I believe a heroic version of this NEEDS to use a different framework. More specifically, it needs to have Summon as a secondary, possibly with support-heavy pets, with a self-initiative primary like Assault or Blast or at the very least Control. This gives the hero the initiative and puts him front row centre, with his followers following behind and supporting him. This has the hero act like a hero should - by taking the risks and protecting his people.
I think the other way you can go forward with this is with a single henchman that you can upgrade (read, give more powers and visual upgrades to) as a primary ENTIRELY devoted to that one henchman. If he goes down, you're following in pretty short order. The secondary can then be support, I suppose, though with a primary that's "all about the henchman," it might be redundant. Call it Control, perhaps. It doesn't really have the "big hero" vibe to it, but it fulfils the role many "pure" Defenders aim to achieve - you're a wimpy, fragile hero whose only real ability is to help others. Only you have one other to help right from your powersets.
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I've not read the Blue-Side MM threads in a while, but thinking about a suggestion in another thread (posted in the wrong forum) had me leaning this way as well. Make a new AT that is maybe more like a reverse-Dominator; dominator secondary as the primary, with a control secondary that contains a lone sidekick. Maybe the whole set IS the sidekick, to allow for some variety.
Make the sidekick customizable. Maybe give it a reverse bodyguard, where if the sidekick takes damage, you get a portion of it (of course without good AI, that could get somewhat frustrating). Might be interesting to play.
Suggestions:
Super Packs Done Right
Influence Sink: IO Level Mod/Recrafting
Random Merit Rolls: Scale cost by Toon Level
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Ok, so let me rephrase. NOT a mastermind, but something new and a bit different for the heroes. NOT all the sets must have pets. And really how cool would it be to have missiles ? And on the logic side of things, the super hero universe has a lot of normal people without anything inherent but a strong will and an arsenal of gadgets to their disposal.
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Play an AR/Device/Munitions Blaster then.
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You're going to need a strong will for that one. Just remember rule #1: YOU ARE NOT A BLAPPER.
Global- @SailorET, Justice Server
Sheryl Fiero, 50 AR/Devices Blaster
Louise Fiero, 50 Merc/Traps MM
Various assorted alts
Proudly serving in our military so you don't have to.
First of all I want to say that I dont quite like to play the villain side but I would love a mastermind archetype on the heroic side. Well they have 6 (SIX!!!!!!!11oneoneshiftone!) pets.
Anyway I really think that somewhere in the whoooole Paragon, that was not born/made super strong,agile, able to shoot fire, ice and control lots of elements, is smart and willing enough to be a Super Hero. What made mo post this was the Super Booster pack, Mad Scientist.
Now for the primaries and secondaries powersets ...
1. Cybertronics / AI
Offensive robots and defensive electronic controlled devices. I would focus it around ... missiles.
2. Bionics / Alchemy
Alchemy is both a philosophy and a practice with an aim of achieving ultimate wisdom as well as immortality, involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of several substances described as possessing unusual properties. Would make a nice defensive set.
Bionics seeks to transcend our biological nature by replacing biological parts with artificial parts. Makes me thing of some sort of universal soldier type of pets
3. Quantum Sciences / Quantum Sciences
As pets I would think some sort of photon/electron type of pets that would looks slightly more abstract, with powers that would involve shooting or entrap with dot. Teleportation, black holes, worm holes, mass foe teleportation, matter desintegration could be part of the powers.
4. Radiation / Radiation
Don`t think this set would need any detailing ... not that i have done a very good job on the other ones
But for pets I thought of some variations of the Shivans.
Not too good at giving details after not sleeping for 26 hours, but hope you guys understand what i`m trying to say in this post.