Pimp My PC: Character Optimization Workshop

[Dr Archeville]

I believe Angel had wanted you to look at Witch, too.

And I do have a request, or rather I am going back (partially) on something I'd said earlier. You had said you were going to do the Ref's chars first, and I asked you not do that for me, that I'd be fine with waiting while others go first. But, I plan on hitting Platinum at the end of the month, and bringing in Dead Head as my third PC, so I'm asking he get shambled up closer to the front of the line.

[Angel]

Dr. Nick speaks the truth :P

[N/A]

Yes, I did specifically say that Staff requests cut to the front of the line.

Alrighty. Here's my list at the moment, then:

Dead-Head (Doktor Archeville)

Captain Knieval (QuoteMyName)

The Vestige (Avalon)

Hellion (Cyroa)

DarkStar (Cyroa)

Breakdown (QuoteMyName)*

Angel (Angel)

Witch (Angel)

Wander (Electra)

Doktor Archeville (Doktor Archeville)

Belphegor (Doktor Archeville)

Let me know if you think you should be on there somewhere but slipped through the cracks.

*Quote, just so we're clear, I reserve the right to bump Breakdown to the bottom of the list at any point during this process. He's basically a handful of characters crammed onto one sheet, which means he's going to take as much time and effort as any 3-5 other sheets on this list. Meaning he'll take time away from 3-5 other players.

[quotemyname]

I'm alright with that StB. I know he's a handful He's gonna hit 10 next month anyway, so I don't know how he will play after that. If you do get the chance to look over him curtly, I'm really looking to see if you see any horrible horrible crippling stopping points with the character (besides his high charisma )

[Jimb011]

This is Dr. Annihilate. I am hoping for advice or some sort of opinion if its done or indecent enough to survive Freedom city.

Hey Guys this is to be my character, I was wondering If anyone would like to take a crack at some advice for...I don't know I think it's missing something.

Player Name: Jimb011

Power Level : 8

Trade-Offs:

Unspent PP:

Name: Dr. Annihilate

Alter ID: : Thommas Hazard

Height: : 5'9"

weight: 205lbs

Hair Color: Black

Eye color: Green

Description: Dr. Annihilate has the stature and dress of a 1920's scientist with a cape and top hat except that he is from a dimension where people of 17-18 are expected to have earned College degrees. (see Avatar)

History :Thomas Hazard was born in another dimension where the level of education is inferior compared to Freedom city's universe. Students of age 17 are expected to have gained a college degree which by Freedom city's standards would be equivalent to a highschool degree. Hazard, was always questioning this form of education and sought to undermine his peers so as to gain access to greater standards in education for himself. His actions caused the educational community to abandon and reprimand him. He had to repeat several grades and classes over again in order to graduate. As fate would have it, An interdimensional rift caused by a partical excelerator experiement gone horribly wrong, pulled Hazard into Freedom city's dimension. While in the swirling vortex his DNA was altered dramatically by cosmic rays giving him immense intellect. Arriving in Freedom city his thirst for knowledge ever increasing. The day he was thrown through the vortex was The day Thomas Hazard died and was reborn as: Dr. Annihilate!

Personality, Motives:Thomas Hazard has a megalomanic complex focused on a thirst for Knowledge and to do whatever he wants. He swears revenge on peddlers of knowledge and is driven to steal, spy and coerce sources of knowledge for his own gain.He sees a criminal empire through Freedom city as a use toward this end.

Powers & Tactics:

Complications:

Stats: 8+10+8+20+0+5 = 51pp

Str: 18 (+4)

Dex: 20 (+5)

Con: 18 (+4)

Int: 30 (+10)

Wis: 10 (+0)

Cha: 15 (+3)

Combat: 14+14 = 28pp

Attack: +7

Grapple: +11

Defense: +7 (+0 flat-footed)

Knockback: -0

Initiative: +5

Saves: 1+4+0 = 5pp

Toughness: +4 (+4 Con, +0 other)

Fortitude: +5 (+4 Con, +1)

Reflex: +5 (+5 Dex, +0)

Will: +4 (+0 Wis, +4)

Skills: 0r = 19pp

Acrobatics Dex 8 (13)

Bluff Cha 12 (15)

Climb Str 3

Computers Int 4 (14)

Concentration Wis 0

Craft Chemical Int 4(14)

Craft Electronic Int 4(14)

Craft Mechanical Int 4(14)

Diplomacy Cha 3

Disable Device Int 4(14)

Disguise Cha 3

Drive Dex 5

Escape Artist Dex 4(9)

Gather Information Cha 4(7)

Handle Animal Cha 3

Intimidate Cha 4(7)

Investigate Int 4(9)

Knowledge Int (10)

Arcane Lore

Art

Behavioral Sciences

Business

Civics

Current Events

Earth Sciences

History

Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

Popular Culture

Streetwise

Tactics

Technology

Theology and Philosophy

Medicine Wis 0

Notice Wis 0

Perform Cha 3

Pilot Dex 4(9)

Profession Wis 0

Ride Dex 5

Search Int 4(14)

Sense Motive Wis 4

Sleight of Hand Dex 4(9)

Stealth Dex 4(9)

Survival Wis 0

Swim Str 4(7)

Feats: (+): Jack of all trades, Luck 2, Beginners Luck, Takedown Attack 2, Stunning attack, Redirect, Prone Fighting, Improved trip, Improved throw, Improvised tools, Instant up, Inventor, accurate attack, Melee focus 3: 21pp

Powers: 0+0+0 = 0pp

Drawbacks: 0+0+0 = 0pp

Example: Name (description; frequency, severity; -X)

DC Block:

Example: Melee 10

Costs: Abilities (51) + Combat (28) + Saves (5) + Skills (16) + Feats (20) + Powers (00) - Drawbacks (00) = 120pp

[Nyrath]

Well, just by giving it a cursory scan I can say two or three things.

1: He's off by 2 PLs, either way. Set him as a PL 6 or PL 10 (even if just pointwise on the later), either is fine.

2: Trim off those skills he hasn't got ranks in, or powers that affect them (like Morph). It'll make it all a bit easier to look at.

3: If he's driven by a thirst for knowledge, why doesn't he have any ranks in Knowledge skills?

[Dr Archeville]

Shaen, one idea I had for Dead Head: bigger Defense/Toughness trade-off, all the way to -5 Defense/+5 Toughness, to represent how he deals with most attacks by just soaking them up, not dodging (and b/c that's how he's fought for so long, his skills in dodging & evading have atrophied). Could use the points it would free up to buy Immunity to Critical Hits (and buy off the Weakness drawback), and some other Stupid Undead Tricks.

[N/A]

Doktor Archeville asked me to look at his NPC-turned-Platinum-Hero, Dead Head.

Regarding DocA's suggestions:

I think the idea of giving him a tradeoff in favor of Toughness over Defense is a good one. It could represent the fact that gets hit, but the damage doesn't impair him as much as it would a living creature. And being able to ignore most incoming damage would also help explain his high Intimidate score.

My concern, however, is that this would make him more vulnerable to Reflex effects, which for him includes Affects-Objects Fortitude effects as well.

Since he already has Anatomic Separation, I think this is one of the few character concepts that justifies Immunity (Critical Hits). It really doesn't matter all that much if you chop off this guy's head.

One thing that sticks out for me is that he has no "big" powers, just a bunch of little ones. So his ability to generate power stunts is very limited. I can't really see a remedy for that, though.

Overall, the character is solid. He's got a niche, and he fills it. It's an odd niche - he's basically what's known in MMO terms as a "Tank." He soaks up a lot of damage, can't quite dish out as much, and he locks enemies down with Interaction skills. He's also got some nice utility, with minor powers that can gather information, bring the dead back to life (a 50/50 chance is better than what they had before), and bring in some reinforcements.

I just have a few minor suggestions:

Combat: Is there any particular reason you decided to give him a tradeoff in favor of Attack over Damage? It seems counterintuitive for a zombie, even a fast one in the vein of 28 Days Later or the Dawn of The Dead remake. Does the higher base Attack score really benefit him more than a correspondingly higher Strength score would?

Saving Throws: With the new house rules about Constructs defaulting to a Reflex save for Affects Objects Fortitude powers (like Disintegrate/Corrosion and Transform), I would definitely buy up the Reflex save on any Construct character. I would take this all the way to +10, so he has a 50/50 chance of saving against any incoming attack of equal PL. Since his Regeneration actually gives him a recovery bonus, he will recover Drained traits (like Toughness) over time, but A-O-F powers can still really wreck his day.

Skills: I would increase his Knowledge skills from +3 to +5, in accordance with my design philosophy regarding Skills. I would also consider raising his Intimidate score to at least +15, so he can Startle or Demoralize as a Move Action more reliably. When it comes to contested Interaction skills, I don't like to go in with less than +10.

Feats:

Fearsome Presence would not be out of place for this concept. But I wouldn't take it at all unless you're able to take 5-10 ranks of it.

Since he can soak up so much damage, I think he should take the Interpose feat.

I think that if you do not give this character Power Attack, you will regret it.

I'm always a fan of giving melee characters a single rank of Takedown Attack, so that if they find themselves surrounded by mooks, they can do something more significant with their turn than take down just one of them. That always feels anticlimactic to me, to the point of being ineffectual.

I wouldn't spend PP on them, but always keep this in the back of your mind: If he winds up in melee combat with someone who relies upon a weapon, don't be afraid to go ahead and use the Block maneuver. Then, if the Block succeeds, go ahead and burn a Hero Point to temporarily gain Weapon Bind or Weapon Break.

Powers:

He has no exotic attacks, which cuts down on his versatility. If you don't grab Fearsome Presence, you might want to consider Emotion Control, Limited to Fear, possibly with the Area extra. Or you could maybe purchase a touch-range Nauseate power, with the descriptor that he reaches into his own body, yanks out a handful of rotted entrails, and shoves them in his foe's face.

You could probably get away with a rank of Speed, less to represent the fact that he's actually super-fast and more to represent the fact that he doesn't get tired or ever need to slow down unless he gets seriously injured. Wolverine builds often include Speed 1 for similar reasons.

Insubstantial: Unless you picture him actually crushing and squishing himself down to the width of a sheet of paper or a credit card, I think he should probably take a Limited Flaw that only lets him squeeze through openings the size of his head or larger (the normal limit for using the Escape skill to squeeze through tight spaces). He could still automatically slip out of grapples and snares. I'd recommend just taking a very high rank in Escape, but this route is cheaper and more reliable. It only frees up 1PP, so it's not a huge deal either way.

Regeneration:

It's still being debated among the Refs, but I don't think Constructs are ever Bruised, Staggered, or Unconscious. And since Constructs are "non-functioning" while Disabled, I don't think the Sourced Regen works for Disabled, since he couldn't take the actions necessary to eat the meat. He'd be completely inert.

I've never been a big fan of low levels of Regen. I don't think there are very many situations where it matters whether you recover from a given damage condition in 5 hours instead of a day, or 20 minutes instead of an hour, etc. The only time it's truly significant is when it gets you back into a battle soon enough to matter, or keeps you from being taken out of action in the first place. I'm a big fan of recovering from Bruised and Injured conditions once per round with no action required. That makes you significantly harder to take down, since it's more difficult to layer damage upon you and wear you down. I honestly don't think any level slower than once per round matters for Bruises/Injuries, and nothing slower than 1 minute (10 rounds) matters for Staggered or Disabled. Characters recover from Unconscious once per minute by default, and reducing that to once per round is completely broken.

Super-Senses:

I think these are way underpriced. Postcog and Precog each cost 4PP. They each have 2 flaws attached. So shouldn't they cost 2PP each, for a total of 4PP, not 2PP?

Since he's got glowing eyes, you could save 1PP by making his Darkvision Noticeable. Since he's got no Stealth anyway, I don't think this would hinder him much.

Equipment:

I love the Shovel.

Mighty Strike 2 as a base power gives you 3PP to work with in the array. That means you could increase the Burrowing AP to rank 3.

[N/A]

Cyroa asked me to look at the PL10 build for his Gold Status upgrade to Hellion. However, since I'm also working on the approval process for that character, instead of rehashing the entire conversation here, you can just follow the link to the character thread and read it there.

[Dr Archeville]

For some reason I thought I'd had his Attack/Damage with no trade-offs. That's been fixed.

Damage is being upped by 1 rank via Sneak Attack. That's probably all the Sneak Attack I'll take for him.

Took the Interpose feat, as that does play perfectly to his toughness. Power Attack (and Accurate Attack) and Takedown will have to wait. Also have to wait on Skills.

Saves are gonna have to wait.

Fixed Precognition & Postcognition pricing.

Added Fearsome Presence 5 by making it an AP of Healing, and placing both into a "Necromantic Powers" array. An Array I'd always planned to take, and increase, and expand (as seen in his Hypothetical PL 14 build).

Added Immunity to Criticals, and removed Weak Spot drawback.

Tweaked his Regeneration some. I plan on upping this some, too.

Dead Head

Power Level: 10 (150/150pp)

Trade-Offs: +0 Attack for -0 Damage; -5 Defense for +5 Toughness.

Abilities: [12+4-10+2+0+2 = 10pp]

Str 22/+6

Dex 14/+2

Con ---

Int 12/+1

Wis 10/+0

Cha 12/+1

Combat: [12 on Attack, 8 on Defense = 20pp]

Attack +6 (ranged), +8 (melee), +10 (shovel)

Grapple +14

Damage +6 (unarmed), +8 (shovel); +2 more w/ Sneak Attack

Defense +5 (+2 flat-footed)

Knockback -12 (-7 vs. blessed, magical or silver attacks)

Initiative +2

Saves: [0+4+6 = 10pp]

Toughness +15 (Impervious 10 [not vs. blessed, magic or silver])

Fort ---

Ref +6 (+2 Dex, +4)

Will +6 (+0 Wis, +6)

Skills: [28 ranks = 7pp]

Intimidate 12 (+13)

Knowledge (arcane lore) 2 (+3)

Knowledge (life sciences) 4 (+5)

Knowledge (popular culture) 4 (+5)

Knowledge (theology & philosophy) 2 (+3)

Sense Motive 4 (+4)

Feats: [9 feats]

Attack Focus (melee) 2

Attack Specialization (Shovel)

Dodge Focus 1

Equipment 1 (Shovel)

Fearless

Interpose

Sneak Attack

Startle

Powers: [3+4+4+32+5+2+6+15+24+1+2 = 98pp]

Anatomic Separation 1 (Extra: Variable Split) [1x3 = 3pp]

Animate Objects 1 (Flaws: Action/Full, Limited to corpses [creates basic skeletons or zombies]; PFs: Progression 3/up to 10 zombies) [1x1 +3 = 4pp]

Comprehend 1 (spirits; PF: 2 Alternate Powers) [2x1 +2 = 4pp]

AP: Super-Senses 4 (postcognition; Flaws: Distracting, Requires corpse)

AP: Super-Senses 4 (precognition; Flaws: Distracting, Requires corpse)

Immunity 32 (critical hits, Fortitude effects) [32x1 = 32pp]

Impervious Toughness 10 (Flaw: Not vs. blessed, magical, or silver attacks) [10x0.5 = 5pp]

Insubstantial 1 (disturbingly limber; Flaw: Action 2/Standard; Drawback: Cannot squeeze through anything smaller than 6 inches in diameter) [1x3-1 = 2pp]

Necromantic Powers 2.5 (5pp powers; PF: 1 Alternate Power) [6pp]

BE: Enhanced Feats 5 (Fearsome Presence 5 [25 feet, DC 15])

AP: Healing 10 (Extra: Resurrection [10 minutes]; Flaws: Distracting, Resurrection only, Unreliable [sometimes they come back wrong]) [10x0.5 = 5pp]

Protection 15 [15x1 = 15pp]

Regeneration 20 (recovery +14 [+9 total], injured 2/5 minutes, disabled 2/1 hour, resurrection 2/day; Extra: True Resurrection; Power Feats: Persistent, Regrowth) [20x1 +2+2 = 24pp]

Regeneration 2 (injured 2 [to 4/1 round]; Flaw: Source/raw meat) [2x0.5 = 1pp]

Super-Senses 3 (darkvision, mental awareness; Drawback: Darkvision is Noticeable) [3x1-1 = 2pp]

Drawbacks: [1+3 = 4pp]

Disability (destitute, Wealth of +0; uncommon, minor; -1pp)

Vulnerable (to Mental Blast, x2 DC modifier; uncommon, major, -3pp)

DC Block

Unarmed -- DC 21/Toughness -- Damage

Unarmed, Sneak Attack -- DC 23/Toughness -- Damage

Shovel -- DC 23/Toughness -- Damage

Shovel, Sneak Attack -- DC 25/Toughness -- Damage

Abilities 10 + Combat 20 + Saves 10 + Skills 7 (28 ranks) + Feats 9 + Powers 98 - Drawbacks 4 = 150pp (0 left!)

[quotemyname]

Since Knievel got NPC'd, I don't suppose I could move either Colt or Breakdown into his spot on the queue, could I?

[angrydurf]

I would just like to note that I think Shaen is completelly within reason to refuse to ever look at breakdowns sheet :D

[quotemyname]

*Quote, just so we're clear, I reserve the right to bump Breakdown to the bottom of the list at any point during this process. He's basically a handful of characters crammed onto one sheet, which means he's going to take as much time and effort as any 3-5 other sheets on this list. Meaning he'll take time away from 3-5 other players.

[Avenger Assembled]

Let's give Shaen a little while to remember the good things about us before we hassle him too much. :D

[Gizmo]

I'd love to get some feedback on Jack of all Blades, when there's an opening. He's pretty straightforward, but I figure the build could probably be tightened up, and I could use some advice on where to improve him as he earns more points.

[blink]

Just read through this thread and a huge thank you for doing all this. I love being able to see the reasoning behind all the decisions and optimizations that you propose. It helps me when I am thinking about what to do and how to do it. Seriously cool thread and that's some amazing insights.

[N/A]

Just read through this thread and a huge thank you for doing all this. I love being able to see the reasoning behind all the decisions and optimizations that you propose. It helps me when I am thinking about what to do and how to do it. Seriously cool thread and that's some amazing insights.

Glad you've found it helpful.

[Dr Archeville]

*edits all links so they redirect to the new site URL*

[N/A]

Divine

Power Level: 12 (Combat PL11)

Tradeoffs: -4 Attack / +4 Damage, -4 Defense / +4 Toughness (-5/+5 @ PL11)

Power Points: 180

Abilities 16PP

Strength 32/12 (+11/+1), 42 (+16) Rage

Dexterity 12 (+1)

Constitution 30/14 (+10/+2)

Intelligence 10 (+0)

Wisdom 10 (+0)

Charisma 26/18 (+8/+4)

Combat 24PP

Initiative +5

Attack +6 Base (12PP)

Damage +11/+1 Unarmed/Thrown, +16 Unarmed/Thrown/Rage

Defense +6 Base (12PP), +3 Flat-Footed, +8 Dodge, +6 Rage

Toughness +16/+2

Grapple +22/+7 (up to +33 with Super-Strength)

Knockback 13/2 (up to 24 with Immovable)

Saving Throws 7PP

Fortitude +10/+2 (0PP), +15 Rage

Reflex +4 (3PP)

Will +4 (4PP), +9 Rage

Skills 20 Ranks = 5PP

Bluff 17 (+25) / 4 (+8)

Diplomacy 9 (+17) / 4 (+8)

Gather Information 17 (+25) / 4 (+8)

Intimidate 17 (+25) / 4 (+8)

Profession (Bartender) 4 (+4)

Feats 12PP

All-Out Attack

Connected

Contacts

Dodge Focus 2

Equipment

Improved Initiative

Interpose

Power Attack

Skill Mastery (Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate)

Takedown Attack

Well-Informed

Powers 116PP

Divine Power 11 (22PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power [Dynamic] 3) [28PP]

Base Power: Emotion Control 11 (Extras: Area [General, Burst], Flaws: Sense-Dependent [Visual]) [22PP]

Alternate Power (Dynamic): Immovable 11* (Extras: Duration [Continuous], Unstoppable, Flaws: Action [Free]) [22PP]

Alternate Power (Dynamic): Leaping 22* (x25,000,000) [22PP]

Alternate Power (Dynamic): Super-Strength 11* (+55 Strength [87/97] f/Carry Capacity, +11 Grapple) [22PP]

Enhanced Charisma 8 (Extras: Linked [Enhanced Skills]) [8PP]

Enhanced Skills 44 (Bluff 13, Diplomacy 5, Gather Information 13, Intimidate 13, Extras: Linked [Enhanced Charisma]) [11PP]

Enhanced Constitution 16 [16PP]

Enhanced Feats 5 (Rage 5 [10 Rounds, +10 Strength, +5 Fortitude, +5 Will]) [5PP]

Enhanced Strength 20 [20PP]

Immunity 12 (Age, Life Support, Need For Sleep, Starvation/Thirst) [12PP]

Impervious Toughness 10 [10PP]

Protection 6 [6PP]

Equipment 1PP = 5EP

Morley's Pub (HQ)

Size: Small [0EP]

Toughness: +5 [0EP]

Features: Cover Facility**, Fire Prevention System, Living Space, Personnel***, Security System (DC20) [5EP]

Total Cost: 5EP/1PP

Abilities 16 + Combat 24 + Saving Throws 7 + Skills 5 + Feats 12 + Powers 116 = 180 Power Points

*Since these are Dynamic powers, points from the array can be alloted to them in different amounts from round to round; these are the highest possible ranks each AP can rise to, if all the points in the array are asigned to it on a given round.

**This feature was introduced in Agents of Freedom

***This feature was introduced in The Book of Magic.

[N/A]

This was requested a couple of times, and I didn't realize the request had been retracted until after I'd finished it. It difers from many of the builds in this thread, since the aim wasn't to "optimize" Divine's build. Sandman's original Divine build was already ruthlessly optimized to excel as much as possible in a couple of key areas, while completely neglecting everything else. My aim was to make a more well-rounded build that could still excel in those same arenas, stay true to what I knew of the character concept, and introduce some more complicated game mechanics for Moira to experiment with (like Dynamic arrays...or arrays at all, for that matter). Let her taste a side of the game she'd been missing out on.

I went ahead and separated some of her Abilities into "normal" vs. Enhanced values. Mythology abounds with tales of gods getting cut off from their divine powers. And the Enhanced Abilities give her more powers to potentially stunt off of. Take a look at Doktor Archeville's sheet for inspiration if you want to see just how much mileage you can get out of that mechanic.

I also removed her Immunity to Critical Hits, because it never made any sense to me conceptually. It made perfect sense to me mechanically - being on the receiving end of a crit sucks. But again, mythology is brimming with tales of gods being maimed in various ways.

This build makes maximum use of the Rage feat, both to represent the fact that Divine's father is the Greek god of bloodlust, and to save a lot of points. You definitely get your money's worth with Rage, and it's worth the price. Most fights aren't going to take 10 rounds, and being Fatigued is really no big deal.

Without Rage active, the build is PL12 defensively, but only PL8.5 offensively. When Rage kicks in, it drops to PL11 defensively (thanks to the -2 Defense), but jumps up to PL11 offensively as well (with the bonus Strength), and gains a whole bunch of save bonuses.

Remember, when Rage is active, you can't use any powers with a duration of Concentration or Sustained (she doesn't have any), and you can't take 10 or 20 on checks. This hurts a little bit, since she'll actually have to roll for the combat applications of her interaction skills. But they're high enough that the odds are very much on her side.

I didn't bother to include many of the feats that use interaction skills to contribute to combat indirectly. Why? Because she doesn't need them. Divine is strong and tough enough that, if anything, her teammates should be using things like Aid and Setup for her, not the other way around. She can stand toe-to-toe with the biggest and baddest foes on the field. She doesn't need to Distract or Fascinate her foes, because she'll be far more effective just punching them in the face or throwing them through a wall. But since her Bluff and Intimidate are so high, she can Feint and Demoralize routinely, and basically be her own best sidekick in a fight.

This build has an array, and all but the base power are Dynamic.

I know it seems weird to lump Emotion Control in with what are basically applications of Super-Strength, but the array represents the core powers she gains from the influence of each of her parents. Aphrodite is all about manipulating people's emotions, and Ares is all about strength and brutality on the field of battle.

Since the Emotion Control AP is static, when it is active, no points can be assigned to any other powers in the array. But when any of the 3 Dynamic APs are active, she can divide the 22PP in the array freely between them. So she could choose to have Super-Strength 11 active one round, then change it to Super-Strength 6 and Immovable 5 on the next round, and then Super-Strength 4, Immovable 5, and Leaping 4 the round after that. Dynamic arrays are, in a way, the intermediate step between static arrays and variable powers. They provide a lot of flexibility.

There are many different powers that could be stunted off this array. Emotion Control that depends on a different sense (she whispers honeyed words in your ears). A groundstrike that causes a massive, deafening shockwave (Dazzle Audio linked to Trip, both at Touch-range with Area). Let your imagination and the needs of the moment guide you to new and exciting places.

You'll notice that I toned her Interaction Skills way the hell down. They're still very, very high, and most characters barely have a prayer of standing up to them. But now they at least have a prayer. Mechanically speaking, I've only ever seen one character who didn't lose points on buying Charisma. So I gave her a higher Charisma than the limits of normal humans, then sank the rest of the points into her skills (which are far more efficient). The net effect is the same. With Bluff and Intimidate both at +25, she can easily scare or deceive most people out of combat, and in combat, she can Feint or Demoralize as a move action, still have a +20 bonus, and follow up immediately with an attack as a standard action (which she should be doing pretty much every round). With Diplomacy +17, she can soak up one -2 circumstance penalty and still take 10 to shift an NPC's reaction to her by two entire categories. "Hostile" becomes "Indifferent" and "Indifferent" becomes "Helpful." She can also take 10 to hit DC25 and obtain the greatest possible favors from her Connected feat. With Gather Info +25 and Contacts, she can take 20 and hit DC45, enough to learn most restricted information (DC25) and suck up the -20 penalty for making discrete inquiries (so no one will know she was asking). Or she can find someone in even the largest and most crowded cities, and suck up the penalties to do it in one check rather than four. Or she can take the time to find someone, but cancel out any advantage they may have had from the defensive applications of Knowledge (Streetwise) or Stealth. Either way, there isn't much she can't find out or many people she can't find, since she knows who and how to ask.

I think her interaction skills are really as high as they need to be here. And the points I freed up add so much more variety and utility to her play experience, I think it was well worth it.

This version also has Emotion Control, to simulate the devotion and lust, or terror, that a child of Aphrodite and Ares can invoke. Don't forget that things like Emotion Control (Fear) and Intimidate can basically stack. There's nothing preventing Divine from Intimidating as a move action (with the -5 penalty) and following up with a Standard Action Emotion Control.

Her exotic saves are still low, but at least now they exist. A +4-5 value doesn't look like much, but it can make the difference between just failing a save and failing it by 5+, or 10+. Since most attack effects are Staged, this matters.

With the bar actually purchased as an HQ, there's no question of how much an effect it can have on the story. She paid for it. With the Profession (Bartender) skill, she actually knows how to mix drinks and run the place.

In combat, Divine should probably seek to engage the biggest, baddest villain on the battlefield. Being able to reliably Feint and strip away half or more of a foe's Defense bonus effectively gives her a massive Attack bonus, which can combine with Power Attack for some truly devastating strikes. All-Out Attack can also contribute to this, if she doesn't have to worry about reprisals. She can also Demoralize her foe, effectively stripping a PL from him, which benefits her entire team. All the while, she can Interpose to protect any of her weaker teammates from reprisals. If she can't take on The Dragon, Takedown Attack lets her sweep aside groups of Minions with relative ease. Think Sauron at the beginning of The Fellowship of The Ring.

Her Array can be tailored to the needs of the moment. If she's about to grapple, or lift something really heavy, put the points into Super-Strength. If for some reason she really needs to avoid getting knocked back, knocked down, or moved aside, or if you have reason to believe a foe is going for a Slam, pump up Immovable. If foes are trying to keep their distance, either throw something really heavy at them, or close in with Leaping.

This version of Divine could probably stand on the tracks and stop a train, then rip it off those tracks. And she can literally jump into space.

[Dr Archeville]

Nice work

I think I was actually the one who'd suggested she take Immunity (critical hits), with the descriptor being "bits of deific armor materialize just in time to deflect the blow just enough so it's not hitting a vital spot." This was back when she still had Create Object.

[Dr Archeville]

Oh, is this still your (tentative) list?

Alrighty. Here's my list at the moment, then:

Captain Knieval (QuoteMyName)

The Vestige (Avalon)

Hellion (Cyroa)

DarkStar (Cyroa)

Breakdown (QuoteMyName)*

Angel (Angel)

Witch (Angel)

Wander (Electra)

Doktor Archeville (Doktor Archeville)

Belphegor (Doktor Archeville)

Let me know if you think you should be on there somewhere but slipped through the cracks.

*Quote, just so we're clear, I reserve the right to bump Breakdown to the bottom of the list at any point during this process. He's basically a handful of characters crammed onto one sheet, which means he's going to take as much time and effort as any 3-5 other sheets on this list. Meaning he'll take time away from 3-5 other players.

[N/A]

Oh, is this still your (tentative) list?

Now that they're NPCs, the villains would drop down to the bottom of the list, if they don't fall off completely.

Most of the other characters on that list are pretty optimized already. My efforts would probably look more like what I did with Divine - less a "better" build and more an "alternate" one.

And I'm positive people have slipped through the cracks.

[angrydurf]

I haven't spoken up before but I'd be interested to hear your take on Ace and Phalanx if you get the time

[N/A]

I know Gizmo, DocA, Quote, and Cyroa all wanted me to offer my insights. I haven't dug far enough back into the thread to see who else I missed.