City Of Heroes: Blaster Archetype Walk-through!

The Blaster

Flashfire, son of the once dreaded Lord Pyre and the heroic Wavelength, will be our first example character. Lord Pyre had ruled a small South American county for centuries, though he always desired more. The public long debated the source of Lord Pyre's longevity, but even Pyre himself has claimed to have forgotten why he's stayed young for so long. In the past, Lord Pyre's machinations have been stopped only through the timely intervention of adventurers, daredevils and super-powered heroes. Wavelength was an heiress in Paragon City whose mutant powers enabled her to join the ranks of the Freedom Phalanx in the 70s. In one memorable encounter between the world's premiere hero team and the venerable master of the inferno, Lord Pyre managed to capture Wavelength and hold her hostage for a short time. During this period, Wavelength's idealism and relentlessness slowly won over Lord Pyre's grudging respect - and, later, his love. Lord Pyre soon gave up all plans of world domination and instead turned his vast intellect towards bettering the conditions for his own people. Eventually, Lord Pyre and Wavelength married - and both were overjoyed when Wavelength gave birth to their son, dubbed Prince Flashfire.

Flashfire inherited his father's mastery over flames, but also his mother's superspeed abilities. At the beginning of the game, Flashfire is just learning the full extent of his powers; so it isn't a problem if he needs to later learn how to run really fast. Flashfire is an exuberant hero. He's living a life which most can't even imagine - he's born to royalty and yet also has powers far beyond imagination. Despite his impetuous nature, Flashfire also realizes that thoughtfulness is the key to true heroism. He struggles to maintain his father's rigid expectations and his mother's high hopes.

First, his origin. Flashfire is clearly a mutant. His mother was a mutant and his father, Lord Pyre, is of pretty mysterious origins. Regardless, his powers are clearly linked to his heritage.

Now for the Archetype. The key to Flashfire's character is his inherent dichotomy - his father's evil mixed with his mother's virtue. His powers are the manifestation of these two conflicting natures; Flashfire's powers are entirely offensive in nature. He can destroy just about anything that stands in front of him. Yet he's unable to protect himself with the flames. Both his parents suggest that this is a good reminder that no one can stand by himself for long. As a result, the Blaster Archetype seemed a natural one for Flashfire.

Now for the fun part - the powers! Flashfire is a flame wielder extraordinaire. A Blaster's Primary Category - that is to say, the sort of powers the Archetype is best at - is Ranged. The perfect choice would be Fire Blast. At first level, we can choose between two different powers in the Fire Blast power set- the first, Flares, is a rapid attack, while the second, Fire Blast (named after the set), is a slower attack with more damage. Both of these initial powers come with a secondary effect-- they set their targets on fire and do a little bit of damage over time. We choose Fire Blast to emphasize the character's sheer power over flame.

Next is the Secondary Category. As before, the fire-themed Power Set, Fiery Fray, makes best sense. Unlike the Primary Power Set, we get only a single choice - Ring of Fire - to start with. It's a very short range attack, so it's considered a melee attack, and it does damage over time. As a nice side effect, the Ring of Fire also roots foes in one place for a short period.

Now, we immediately choose the male avatar model, but don't want the default shape. So we make Flashfire tall and athletic - to suggest a wan, noble appearance.

Lastly, there's the costume screen. There are tons of choices here, and so many seem to fit. But eventually, we come across the combination that is reminiscent of Flashfire's heritage --his father's villainous roots, but also his mother's boundless enthusiasm.

Flashfire is now ready to start fighting crime in Paragon City! Before long he'll discover that he has Super Speed, making him one of the fastest beings in the city, and by the time he's joined ranks with a Super Group, he'll have developed his fire-based powers quite extensively.