Tanks are by far my fave AT. I've toyed with a few, but the big problem has been trying to sort out how to rebuild one of my favorite old PnP characters in CO.
In a nutshell, the concept is that the source of her powers is energy - like, all of it, all the time, constantly and slowly being absorbed, from the ambient heat of nearby people to the cosmic background radiation of the universe - which is what is used to fuel her super strength and invulnerability. I can't for the life of me find a nice little energy absorbtion power that isn't a slotted passive, and none of them make for solid tanking, from what I can tell, so anyone have any ideas there?
For now, defiance/enrage kind of work, and they are awesome, so yay! For a little redirection of the absorbed energy, I settled on throwing in Force Detonation and Cascade later on, 'cause, you know, knocks, ya?
This is a WIP, but here's the PowerHouse mockup (no advantages yet). The last few powers are almost filler...be nice to have them, but things might get moved around.
So, please, dissect!
PowerHouse (Link to this build)Name:Archetype: FreeformSuper Stats:Level 6: Strength (Primary)Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)Level 15: Recovery (Secondary)Talents:Level 1: The BehemothLevel 6: MightyLevel 9: EnduringLevel 12: Physical ConditioningLevel 15: TirelessLevel 18: Quick RecoveryLevel 21: Paramilitary TrainingPowers:Level 1: ClobberLevel 1: Defensive Combo (Rank 2, Crippling Challenge)Level 6: Defiance (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 8: Uppercut (Rank 2)Level 11: Enrage (Rank 2)Level 14: Mighty Leap (Bull Rush)Level 17: Devour Essence (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 20: Retaliation (Rank 2, Punitive Pummeling)Level 23: Haymaker (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 26: ExpulseLevel 29: Ebon RuinLevel 32: Havoc StompLevel 35: ShockwaveLevel 38: ThunderclapTravel Powers:Level 6: FlightLevel 35: SuperjumpSpecializations:Strength: Swole (2/3)Strength: Physical Peak (3/3)Strength: Juggernaut (3/3)Strength: Overpower (2/3)Warden: Fortified Gear (3/3)Warden: Slaughter (2/3)Warden: Tenacious (2/2)Warden: The Best Defense (3/3)Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)Vindicator: The Rush of Battle (3/3)Vindicator: Focused Strikes (3/3)Vindicator: Modified Gear (2/2)Mastery: Strength Mastery (1/1)
Comments
Why is Presence a Secondary Stat? Force Cascade and Thunderclap are your only powers with control powers and you have no heal powers. An energy stat (Recovery, Endurance, Intelligence) would do well, or you could pick another stat that combos with a useful Energy Unlock, like Intelligence and Molecular Self-Assembly.
You have NO healing power. Quick Healing spec does not count. Literally anything would be better than not having one at all. Conviction, Bountiful Chi Resurgence, even Empathic Healing would be marked improvements over the alternative. It could also give your Presence something to do if you decide to keep it.
I have nothing to say about your Specializations. They look ok, although Quick Healing could be chucked. Bulwark is good, even better if you can be in Hybrid and tank while taking advantage of your superior healing ability.
Secondary Presence might work, but you would have to let go of Force Cascade; that power needs a decent Endurance stat to work.
I hope this helps.
A couple questions:
Isn't Resurgence a big fat heal that scales with CON? Or does it only work with Regeneration?
From what I read in guides here on the forums, PRE is the stat you want for agro management, which is why I have it as a secondary. I take my tanking pretty seriously. But, guides can be outdated, which is why I ask.
Some of my other options for getting a little of the cosmic in there might be from Darkness instead of force, or even Infernal. Got levels to go before worrying about that, mind you.
Expulse in Celestial looks like a solid maybe. The knock scaling with EGO is actually a plus, since I don't really want to send things too far. If I went Celestial, then Conviction and Celestial conduit might be cool, and both scale with PRE...so many ideas.
Presence no longer has any impact on threat. What you need is Challenging Strikes and Crippling Challenges on your main attack moves.
Your character seems to be suffering from a bit of a power bloat. Do you really need that many different attacks? There are a lot of utility powers you could get if you could trim down your number of attack powers to two or three.
Also, be careful about relying on Defiance and Fuel My Fire to give you energy. You will struggle to retake threat if you ever lose it for some reason. It is better to ensure your energy is generated regardless of you getting hit or not.
reddestshirt, you're right about the power bloat. That's part of the reason I'm here asking for advice, especially if people can make suggestions that work into the theme! That's all for the later powers, mind you, as up to 23 or so is just the bread and butter might tank stuff. A lot of the stuff right there now is filler till I figure out what to really get at those levels.
Thanks for the help so far guys, but please feel free to heap some more on me!
Name:
Archetype: Freeform
Super Stats:
Level 6: Strength (Primary)
Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)
Level 15: Recovery (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1: The Behemoth
Level 6: Physical Conditioning
Level 9: Relentless
Level 12: Quick Recovery
Level 15: Enduring
Level 18: Mighty
Level 21: Paramilitary Training
Powers:
Level 1: Clobber
Level 1: Defiance
Level 6: Mighty Leap (Nailed to the Ground)
Level 8: Uppercut (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Enrage (Endorphin Rush)
Level 14: Ego Surge (Nimble Mind)
Level 17: Devour Essence (Rank 2, Crippling Challenge)
Level 20: Retaliation (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 23: Haymaker (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 26: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 29: Defile (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 32: Masterful Dodge
Level 35: Shockwave (Rank 2, Rank 3, Challenging Strikes)
Level 38: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Travel Powers:
Level 6: Flight
Level 35: Superjump
Specializations:
Strength: Swole (2/3)
Strength: Physical Peak (3/3)
Strength: Juggernaut (3/3)
Strength: Brutality (2/2)
Warden: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Warden: Ruthless (2/2)
Warden: Tenacious (2/2)
Warden: The Best Defense (3/3)
Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
Vindicator: Focused Strikes (3/3)
Vindicator: Modified Gear (2/2)
Mastery: Strength Mastery (1/1)
Had to stretch a little, but this one might work for your theme.