C8H10N402: it's the most widely-used psychoactive drug in the world, blocks adenosine - the chemical which regulates your energy metabolism - exhausts the adrenal glands, and can push your cortisol levels high enough that it runs the risk of shrinking the part of the brain necessary for memory. It's also the call sign for Caffeina, one of my newest characters on City of Heroes. The basics of character creation are pretty similar for everyone: first, I create a character concept, and then I play around with various outfits.
Now comes the difficult part: picking a name, and testing out different power sets that seem to fit the concept. Occasionally I'll stumble upon a combination that works swimmingly from the get-go, but it usually takes a few builds to come up with a character that I feel fits the model I've built in my head. Occasionally, however, the concept is not able to be built out in a realistic manner, and I hold the character in abeyance, hoping that a future issue will supply power sets or costume options to make the character work.
Once I have a concept that's solid, I'll play the character until 14th level: this allows me the opportunity to unlock enough power set options to see whether or not the alt is worth keeping; and, once I've reached level 14, if the character isn't working, I delete it and start from scratch. Admittedly, if you like the Primary and Secondary power sets your character has, and you only want to shuffle the powers you've chosen, or change your power pools, performing a Respec of your character - using a Character Respecification - is one way to get around the issue; however, unless you've earned the ability to respecify a low-level character through either an Issue iteration or as a Veterans Reward, you won't have this option open to you at level 14. Then, too, if you're looking to change your Primary and/or Secondary powers, you can't do that with a Respec.
All things considered, it's usually easier to delete and re-create a character if they're at or under level 15. Admittedly, you're giving up between two days and a week of playing, depending upon how much spare time you have, but you'll wind up with a more solid build in the end.
My initial concept for Caffeina sprang from a visit I took to a local outlet of a certain coffee chain, and hearing one of the baristas verifying a customer's order: "'kay, soyouwanted ... ventitriplecaramelmachiattoskimnofoam, grandechailatte, anna berrypoppyseedmuffinwithatallamericano, izzatright?" I had to stifle a chuckle when the customer looked at the barista and said, grinning all the while, "You know, you really need to perk up: I expect energy when I come here. C'mon!" As a result of witnessing this interplay, I developed Caffeina: her character origin is Science-based, she's most definitely perky, and her battle cry - "It's chemistry, baby!" - fits her personality.
Caffeina is a Controller: think of her as a neurological barista, with the power to bypass her enemies' defenses and hop them up uncontrollably. As well, her powers allow her to siphon off some of their excess energy and pass it on to her teammates, much as a friend who works for a local coffee shop might slip you a mocha latte "under the counter" every now and then. Her costume is an eye-searing fuchsia, and she's got the oddest shoulder rings - one might almost say demitasse cup handles - as epaulets. Her hair is as tightly-wound as a Clockwork Gear in a centrifuge, and she's got a perpetual, and terrifying, smile pasted to her overly made-up face. For this iteration - her fifth - I'm testing her with the Illusion and Kinetics power sets, and I'm planning on providing her with Super Speed as a travel power. After all, I'm sure we're all aware of caffeine-induced hallucinations and jitters, and who doesn't move faster after a triple espresso?
So this begs the question: what character creation tips do you have - either off the wall or tried and true - that you'd like to share?
