Concept for a new-ish Blast set: Plasma Blast

Hey folks!

So this is a new Blaster/Defender/Corruptor set revolving around the theme of plasma beams and bolts. Obviously this is more of the science fiction ideal of plasma and not the actual real-life equivalent. Here's a quick description:

"Whether the source of your plasma comes through your armored gauntlets, is channeled through some arcane or divine source, or are simply a benefit of your mutations or you're a weaponized scientific experiment, you have the ability to offensively utilize intensely hot plasma as a weapon. This blast set relies on the Cauterize mechanic*; though it deals excellent area damage, the focus of this set is to use its single target attacks to apply multiple layers of the 'Cauterized' debuff, reducing the target's ability to resist further assault or recover from severe wounds."

I'd like to add a quick disclaimer! The way I've laid out the set in this post is just the way I imagine it should or could work. Is it practical or balanced? Most likely not in the least, but I think it would be fun in its current form. Of course there's always room for critique and improvement, so post away!

That said, you might disagree, feel free to nitpick about the way I've proposed the set should work. Obviously if Paragon by some chance likes the set enough to implement it in some form, it's probably going to be different from what we the players have imagined, but I'm sure we can lay down some ground rules for what we'd like to see out of this set (or a set like it)!

*More on CAUTERIZE and the set in general:
--This is a debuff that does not apply on area attacks, but rather only on single target attacks (area attacks will only refresh the duration of applied stacks of Cauterized, but single target attacks can only apply stacks, not refresh them). Cauterized will stack up to three times on each target.
--It's kind of a combination of Water Blast's Tidal Power and Beam Rifle's Disintegration: you can use certain attacks to build up stacks of Cauterized. Cauterized is a stacking debuff that decreases the target's damage resistance to Lethal, Energy and Fire, letting your Plasma Blast attacks (and any other sources of these damage types from yourself or allies) hit even harder as the Cauterized debuff.
--It also applies a progressively more powerful hit to Regeneration with each stack.
--Most attacks will be Fire/Lethal damage, but some of the more 'nuke-y' attacks will be Fire/Energy.
--I kinda imagine it sounds a bit like the Praetorian Police gauntlet-cannons. High-pitched, deadly whirring.
--Some mild differentiation between animations at creation would be neat! Maybe the choice of firing from your palm or wrist?

Some example powers from Plasma Blast...
Tier 1: Plasma Pulse Beam
Minor-Moderate Fire/Lethal damage and recharge in line with standard T1 blasts. Applies a stack of Cauterized.
Conceptual Animation: You alternate between your left and right palm (or wrist), firing a quick plasma beam straight at a single target.

Tier 2: Channeled Plasma Beams
High Fire/Lethal damage, applies a stack of Cauterized.
Conceptual Animation: You lift both your arms, firing a slightly slower, more devastating dual plasma beam straight at a single target.

Tier 4: Plasma Beam Sweep
Moderate-High Fire/Lethal damage, slow recharge. Refreshes the duration of Cauterized on targets caught within in the wide, long-distance cone.
Conceptual animation:

Tier 5: Plasma Pulse
High Fire/Lethal damage, moderate recharge. Applies a stack of Cauterized.
Conceptual Animation: You point one arm at a single target, letting the intensity of the next plasma blast charge up before firing it in an intense and focused blast.

Tier 6: Intensity
Build Up equivalent for Plasma Blast that lets you apply a stack of Cauterized to each target hit with your next area attack, as well as increasing damage dealt by about 70% and ToHit by 12.5%. Slightly less powerful as a damage buff than Build Up.

Tier 7: High-Intensity Plasma Blast
Very High Fire/Energy damage and slowish recharge in line with the single-target 'super blasts' like Blaze. Applies several stacks of Cauterized.
Conceptual Animation: You connect your arms and fire a super-intense twin bolt of plasma, forming one large blast.

Tier 9: Overcharged Plasma Sweep
Extreme Fire/Energy Damage, standard Archery/Beam Rifle/etc. style nuke recharge and damage. Applies and/or refreshes stack(s) of Cauterized.
Conceptual Animation: You fire thick weaving beams of super-intense plasma everywhere, briefly leaving streaks of flames across the walls and floor and leaving smoking trails of cracked flooring/walling of where the beams hit the environment in their wake. Probably a visual effect that would quickly fade but look pretty devastating.

So yeah, that's the current iteration of Plasma Blast. Does it sound like it could stand on its own as a Blast set? Would you want to see it (in some form, if any) in the game? Is there some way to make the set more balanced or more outstanding? Let me know what you think!

Peace for now Cityfolk!
-Runo

Sounds like beam rifle, but with a new gimmick?

Pretty much, and a bit less weapon-y since it wouldn't be coming out of a rifle. :o

Sounds pretty neat..I like the idea. I love watching the PPD gauntlet attacks. Unless we got these alt animations for other blast sets, Id like a plasma blast.

What separates this from, oh, Fire, other than the gratuitous gimmick?
(Which Fire should qualify for anyways, if not for the cottage rule)

I'm actually starting to find gimmick-centered powersets as boring as many apparently feel the old ones without one are.

Whoops... that was an oversight on my part! Yeah, that should be Aim with Aim-esque values, not Build Up. Thanks!

As for the looks of the set, pretty much! It's supposed to basically be a combination of plasma 'beams' (lines of energy or magic or what have you) that you fire, as well as 'pulses' (think the Praetorian PD's energy gauntlets) or blasts that you attack with. These visuals and the theme, and the Cauterize mechanic, are supposed to separate the set from other blast sets.

I'd go for this. I desperately want an energy blast set that's got more 'oomph' and looks less diffused than Rad, and I personally wouldn't mind a gimmick on it. It's far, far less annoying to me than Energy Blasts's gimmick of "Blow everything all over the map all the time", but that's not a can of worms I want to open in a suggestion thread.

On-topic, this looks like an interesting idea and I think it could work.