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Mmmm ... the way I see it, the Rad can easily fit in with the Mask of Tah concept. The Rad powers could be portrayed as aspects of Chaos. Some of the powers (Radiant Aura, Accelerate Metabolism, Mutation) could be seen as wild overstimulus of the life energies. Other powers (Radiation Infection, Enervating Field, Lingering Radiation, Choking Cloud) could be the darker side of Chaos: the anti-life forces of weakness, slowness, and death.|
Originally Posted by Thirty_Seven
At the moment, my character is named The Mask of Tah (he was going to be brought Rogue ASAP). He is a zombie-looking character with the Magic Pack's skull mask. Basically, he is an ancient entity of trickery and deception, Tah, who was imprisoned within the mask and now yearns for freedom. Some unlucky person put on the mask, and allowed Tah to possess them. Over the years, that person's body has wasted away, and Tah is able to assert full control, leaving Chaos in his wake.
Any ideas? |
Now that we have the ability to pick colors for our powers, you could pick one color (say a sickly yellow-green) for the healing powers and perhaps a red or black for the anti-life powers.
I personally vote for TA as it synergies really well and is a lot of fun to play.
But for the concept you want, I have to agree with Konshu. Rad would fit the theme so much better.
I think I stated it in my OP poorly... but I am not a fan of my current concept. I was looking for a new one.
But, perhaps making a suitable costume and some power color alterations could help. Maybe it is just the zombie-ness that is turning me off to him?
My Ill/TAs concept is he's a carnival illusionist, he uses archery as his slight of hand.
If I'm going to do TA, I will do it "whole hog" and roll a TA/Archery Defender, or maybe alongside a Ninja MM. So, I guess, I really am a hard guy to please when it comes to controller secondaries.
Thanks for your input, nonetheless.
Hey there!
At the moment I am playing an Ill/Kin which I really love. He is level 36 now.
His name is "Triple Tom" and my concept is he can split himself into 3 (PA) and he can call some other "friends" to help e.g. Spectral Terror and Phant.
Not sure which way you want to go...
Are they a magician? Rouge Carnie? A person who has been in a rad accident and can control sight as well???
ML
�Aspire rather to be a hero than merely appear one.�
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Originally Posted by Thirty_Seven
I think I stated it in my OP poorly... but I am not a fan of my current concept. I was looking for a new one.
But, perhaps making a suitable costume and some power color alterations could help. Maybe it is just the zombie-ness that is turning me off to him? |
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Originally Posted by Thirty_Seven
If I'm going to do TA, I will do it "whole hog" and roll a TA/Archery Defender, or maybe alongside a Ninja MM. So, I guess, I really am a hard guy to please when it comes to controller secondaries.
Thanks for your input, nonetheless. |
* Rad, and getting a new concept
* Thermal
* Cold Dom
* Kinetics
* Sonic
Personally Ive always found it difficult coming up with a concept for Thermal and Cold.
Rad, you could easily go down the magician route, particularly if you recolour the powers. Ive done something similar with a Rad/Dark defender. You could also go the mutant route and say that the Illusion powers are hullucinations caused by the radiation the character emits.
Kinetics, you could do the same in terms of hte magician thing.
Ive just retconned my Ill/FF (as it was SO boring to play) into a Ill/Sonic. She is an extra dimensional being from a chaos dimension called Apocalyptic Jester and I could get away with Sonic as it is just the way she sings.
I know you have said you don't really want to go down the TA route but I would also recommend giving it a try. Ive just started leveling mine and it is good fun. TA is a good 'troller secondary in my opinion because of the extra control and Oil Slick adds a load of extra damage (Ive got a Mind/TA at 50). The concept for my Ill/TA is that he had some cybernetic implants that allow him to emit psychic waves. He is a thrill seeker and decided to work for Hero Corps for the adventure. He decided to start using a bow for extra flare! Oh, and his name is Tricky Illusion!
Member of GGRRR, a SG on Defiant - check out our website - GGRRR
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Originally Posted by Zwillinger
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Some interesting ideas there.
I think I may have just thought of an interesting idea... what if I go Ill/Cold and play the Illusions as delusions caused by hypothermia? It is a matter of fact, that people see and feel odd things as they experience hypothermia... perhaps that could work.
Hmmmm, maybe some arctic adventurer who himself experiences his own delusions after a brush with death at the hands of the icey north? Does that have a snowball's chance in heck? (I know, bad pun.)
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My first Ill/Rad didn't really have a concept -- I just wanted to play the power sets. However, my second one was a Magician's Niece whose uncle was a stage magician, and she was his stage assistant (Hence the top hat, tuxedo top and fishnet stockings). She knew that he was far more powerful than he showed in the act. She found him dead one day, and while she was looking through his stuff, found his Amulet that gave him the "extra powers." As she leveled up, she was learning about all the powers in the amulet. She is now in her 40's.|
Originally Posted by Thirty_Seven
Some interesting ideas there.
I think I may have just thought of an interesting idea... what if I go Ill/Cold and play the Illusions as delusions caused by hypothermia? It is a matter of fact, that people see and feel odd things as they experience hypothermia... perhaps that could work. Hmmmm, maybe some arctic adventurer who himself experiences his own delusions after a brush with death at the hands of the icey north? Does that have a snowball's chance in heck? (I know, bad pun.) |
My Ill/TA was created from a bad pun . . . as are most of my characters. I wanted a name to reflect both the Bow and Arrow and Illusion. I went again with the Entertainer aspect, not uncommon in comics. So, he became the official entertainer of the French Foreign Legion, a kind of trick-shooting clown -- Beau Jester. (A pun on a classic literary reference, for those who don't recognize it.) I made him long before the Jester costume was availale, so he looked a bit bizzare with a top hat and an outfit in purple and green, but I changed over to the Jester outfit as soon as it was available. I took Beau to 50, and I'm slowly working on building up his IO build. I really enjoyed Ill/TA, and its playstyle is a bit different than Ill/Rad . . . but I like Ill/Rad better.
The "stage magician with real magic" is common in comics. The easiest example is Zoltana, who has made an appearance in Smallville; she was kind of the model for my Magician's Niece. Another way to deal with an Illusionist is through "mental manipulation" of foes, which fits with the Psi damage and the Spectral Damage done by Spectral Wounds, Phantom Army and Phantasm's Decoy. This can fit Tech, Science and Mutation origins quite easily.
Personally, I find Zombies to be a bit overdone . . . so I don't blame you for not liking the concept.
Stick with the Ill/Rad -- it is a wonderful power combo. See my guide, linked in my sig, for tons of information on the build. Illusion can work well with any secondary, but there is a special synergy between Illusion and Rad . . . it is the only secondary that gives both debuffs to make Phantom Army better and Recharge.
LOCAL MAN! The most famous hero of all. There are more newspaper stories about me than anyone else. "Local Man wins Medal of Honor." "Local Man opens Animal Shelter." "Local Man Charged with..." (Um, forget about that one.)
Guide Links: Earth/Rad Guide, Illusion/Rad Guide, Electric Control
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That could work - it would be like expanding on the whole idea of the confuse element of Artic Air in Ice Control
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Originally Posted by Thirty_Seven
Some interesting ideas there.
I think I may have just thought of an interesting idea... what if I go Ill/Cold and play the Illusions as delusions caused by hypothermia? It is a matter of fact, that people see and feel odd things as they experience hypothermia... perhaps that could work. Hmmmm, maybe some arctic adventurer who himself experiences his own delusions after a brush with death at the hands of the icey north? Does that have a snowball's chance in heck? (I know, bad pun.) |
Member of GGRRR, a SG on Defiant - check out our website - GGRRR
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Originally Posted by Zwillinger
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Thanks a lot for the extremely well thought out post. I appreciate your suggestions, but I hit a wall when I get to the Magician concept... the Ice/Storm Controller I am currently leveling is of Magic origin and all of his powers are due to a magician type feel (including the hat and cloak in his costume). Since his powers were acquired from a mystical source, he figured why not go full bore and really look the part.
However, you are right, the Magician idea really would fit the concept the best.
Of course you do bring up a good point that the various effects could easily be explained via technological devices. Perhaps I should go with a gadgeteer character (something I haven't really done) and make him sort of a cyborgy Batman? Hmmmmm.
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That is precisely what I was thinking. In fact, I read that hypothermia victims are often combative toward rescuers in late stages of freezing, perfectly meshing with [Deceive].|
Originally Posted by Tired Angel
That could work - it would be like expanding on the whole idea of the confuse element of Artic Air in Ice Control
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Dang, now I am torn... Ill/Rad or Ill/Cold. Very different concepts I would be going with... one would be, I guess, Natural and some sort of explorer and the other would be Technological. The Ill/Cold could also be the result of cryogenic experimentation... Geez, now I seem to have the opposite problems.
Okay, here are two sets of costumes that I came up with to match the aforementioned concepts.
The first one is either an arctic explorer/adventurer or perhaps a product tester for Viper Clothing who got lost on a glacier. In either case, he gets his delusiony/cold powers from some sort of interaction betwixt his environment and his innate physiology and winds up with powers. He decides to do good/evil with them (this may be a candidate to go rogue).
The second one is a guy who specializes in fusion-powered gadgetry and has donned a costume and gauntlets that can project holograms and emit radiation to various effects.
I really have no idea which one I want to go with at this point.
Nice costumes! Simple, yet striking (unlike mine).
I went with a science origin on my Ill/ controller, with a quantum mechanics shtick. Almost all of the ill/ effects can be justified with that - quantum duplication, invisibility, confusion and fear from the mind-bending math involved... 
When I hold my enemies, I'm literally blinding them with SCIENCE! Muahaha! 
There are definitely concepts beyond the 'magician' one.
@MuonNeutrino
Student, Gamer, Altaholic, and future Astronomer.
This is what it means to be a tank!
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[And relating to later posts]| Personally Ive always found it difficult coming up with a concept for Thermal and Cold. |
I have an Illusion/Thermal/Fire who was obsessed with magic since she was a little girl, but unfortunately had no abilities. So she did the next best thing and became a magicians assistant. Her boss , a popular stage magician, was a master at making great stage illusions, and Jane always kept an eye open and learned a lot from him (especially with the use of Flash Powder and optical trickery...her powers are red/orange). She later finds out that her boss is a masked criminal using his stage devices for crime. She then turns the tables on him and uses the tricks she had secretly been working on to apprehend him and start a life of fighting crime. She then uses her popularity as a hero for her own stage show. While she has no secret identity, the one secret she does protect is that she has no magical abilities and is purely tech based.
When /cold came out I knew I wanted to make and Illusion/Cold/Ice (Flash Frozen Jen: lvl 42 now, and lots of fun, btw). When it came to concept time, I was a bit stumped so I went with the tried and true comic book trope of opposites. She has the same basic outfit (top hat, skirt, stockings and heels) but instead of FPJ's red and yellow, she is blue and white.
Jen is a rabid teenage fan of Janes stage show and she bugs Jane to take her under her wing as her sidekick in crimefighting, which she reluctantly does. This annoys Jane mostly because Jen actually DOES have magical powers, the one thing Jane always wanted.
@Mental Maden @Maden Mental
"....you are now tackle free for life."-ShoNuff
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My Mind/FF is a gadgetteer, as is my Ice/Storm. My Mind/FF is a military man who happens to be an obsequious toady -- imagine a large, military version of David Spade, and you get the idea. In an attempt to obtain the approval of his superiors, he volunteered to try out some special devices that would allow him to have mental superiority over others. If he can prove that the devices are effective, he thinks he will be promoted. His name? "Major Suckup."|
Originally Posted by Thirty_Seven
Thanks a lot for the extremely well thought out post. I appreciate your suggestions, but I hit a wall when I get to the Magician concept... the Ice/Storm Controller I am currently leveling is of Magic origin and all of his powers are due to a magician type feel (including the hat and cloak in his costume). Since his powers were acquired from a mystical source, he figured why not go full bore and really look the part.
However, you are right, the Magician idea really would fit the concept the best. Of course you do bring up a good point that the various effects could easily be explained via technological devices. Perhaps I should go with a gadgeteer character (something I haven't really done) and make him sort of a cyborgy Batman? Hmmmmm. |
The Ice/Storm had a brother inventor who made weather control devices. When bad guys came to "shake down" the inventor, his little brother dropped the devices down a storm drain by mistake . . . and watched his brother get killed while he strained to get the devices. So, to remind himself of his failure, he took on the name, "Storm Drain," as the devices are powered by draining the heat from locations to produce the weather effects.
An Illusion/Rad could easily have a similar type of back-story. Just come up with a good pun or joke, and the name will suggest a story . . . at least, that's what works for me.
LOCAL MAN! The most famous hero of all. There are more newspaper stories about me than anyone else. "Local Man wins Medal of Honor." "Local Man opens Animal Shelter." "Local Man Charged with..." (Um, forget about that one.)
Guide Links: Earth/Rad Guide, Illusion/Rad Guide, Electric Control
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Why thank you. I'd like to think I have a flair for costumes. |
Originally Posted by Muon_Neutrino
Nice costumes! Simple, yet striking (unlike mine).
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Originally Posted by Local_Man
An Illusion/Rad could easily have a similar type of back-story. Just come up with a good pun or joke, and the name will suggest a story . . . at least, that's what works for me.
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I think I am going to go with the gadetteer character, and thereby the Ill/Rad, which is ultimately what I really wanted to make anyway.
Now for a name...
* = I just made a guy on Freedom *shudders* that is named Sewer Breath, he is a rather hideous Lost-like character who will ONLY gain XP via sewer runs (I might try to do the sewer trial with him if I ever get that far)... right now he is at 6 after a part of a run, we shall see how often I play him and how far he gets.
My ILL/Rad's concept is that he's the future version of my Robo/FF MM.
The Illusions are photon constructions similar to forcefields.
The rad is more golden, RPed as radiation.
@Mechaniker
Official Old Angry German Guy of CoV.
My Characters: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=247787
I have bad altitis, so if I was you I'd probably go with all of the ideas. 
I think if you make them all you'll find out soon enough which one(s) draw you back for more play time. The other(s) will just sit there and either eventually catch your interest or eventually get deleted.
I'm particularly interested in that Ill/Cold idea, but I already have a few Ill and Cold toons, so I may not get around to that for a while.
As for TA ... while I have several archers, only one of them is TA. I've not tried mixing TA with non-archery sets yet, though I understand you can get some good synergies going. I think Ill/TA is probably one of the better combos, because with the pets out you don't have to redraw the bow as often, and PA can take the aggro for you and hold them in a spot while you ... uh ... shaft your foes.
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I just can't wrap my mind around why anyone who can do the things in Illusion (regardless of origin) would waste his time with a bow and arrow, regardless of how "tricky" it is.
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Originally Posted by konshu
As for TA...
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Well ... I suppose there are a variety of ways to approach this. But you could decide that your hero has the ability to create enchantments and glamors. By virtue of his enchanting ability, he is able to take objects, inscribe them with runes, and thereby imbue them with magical powers. A way of making this useful for battle is to make a quiver full of arrows of various types. As each arrow is shot the rune is spoken, activating the power where the arrow lands.|
Originally Posted by Thirty_Seven
I just can't wrap my mind around why anyone who can do the things in Illusion (regardless of origin) would waste his time with a bow and arrow, regardless of how "tricky" it is.
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The other type of magic, the glamor, is cast upon people. It primarily affects the way they see the world, or how they believe the world to be. So one type of glamor creates an illusory sense of being injured: Spectral Wounds. Another creates a belief that one cannot see: Blind. Another creates a mass hysteria that an army is attacking: Phantom Army. Another creates a sense of paranoia or misidentification: Deceive.
And so on.
Or you could go for a scientific / technological explanation, saying that all the effects are created by holographic and force projections, gadgets duct-taped to arrows, etc.
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This made me giggle! Nothing like having high tech holographic gadgets and holding it all together with duct-tape |
Originally Posted by konshu
Or you could go for a scientific / technological explanation, saying that all the effects are created by holographic and force projections, gadgets duct-taped to arrows, etc.
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And love the winter cossie Thirty-Seven! Kind of looks like a artic version of the Jawas from Star Wars
Member of GGRRR, a SG on Defiant - check out our website - GGRRR
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Originally Posted by Zwillinger
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I would say try Ill/Sonic fun to play and the mix of light and sound makes for a great tec concept like a heroic version of Mysterio. Well thats my 2cents happy new year all.
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Not really what I was going for... but thanks! |
Originally Posted by Tired Angel
And love the winter cossie Thirty-Seven! Kind of looks like a artic version of the Jawas from Star Wars
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It was supposed to look like something a new "cool" cold-weather gear company might be sending out into the field... and the goggles were to be reminiscient of some of the things skiers wear, but I guess Jawas are... ummm, close enough?@Konshu: Wow man, that rune idea is pretty flipping fantastic! Remind me to send you a PM next time I need an idea!
And I had to laugh a bit too about the duct tape.
Don't rule out Ill/Storm. It's my favorite build so far and you can really slot lots of purples in it, at low levels no less if you exemp often. Honestly give that a try I think you'll like it.
My 50's
Prickly Darkness - Spines Dark
Flame of Enforcement - Fire/Fire Blaster
Lady Vahalla - Illusion/Storm
(plus 27 others)
Okies Controller-y folks, I have wanted to roll an Illusion controller for some time now, but I just can't get a concept that I really like. And there are a few secondaries that I am somewhat hesitant to use, which certainly doesn't help. So, I decided, why not try an Ill/Rad, I have heard they rock, and I am enjoying that combination of powers nicely, I just hate the concept I have for the character... So, I need a new one.
Here are my options:
- Re-roll the Ill/Rad in such a way so that I can enjoy the character AND his powers. This would be my first choice.
- Roll some other set as a secondary. This is a fine choice as well, but I really don't want to play Empathy. Also, I already am working on a */Storm and have a Level 50 */FF, so those are right out as well.
- Keep the character I have, but rework his costume and bio... this is my least favorite option.
At the moment, my character is named The Mask of Tah (he was going to be brought Rogue ASAP) and something just isn't clicking with me. He is a zombie-looking character with the Magic Pack's skull mask. Basically, he is an ancient entity of trickery and deception, named Tah, who was imprisoned within the mask and now yearns for freedom. Some unlucky person put on the mask, and allowed Tah to possess them. Over the years, that person's body has wasted away, and Tah is able to assert full control, leaving Chaos in his wake.I am not sure what it is, perhaps the look, but I just can't get excited about playing him as he is described above.
Any ideas on what I can do to finally make an Illusion Controller I like?
[Edited for clarity.]