Character creation in City of Heroes and City of Villains

In the massively multiplayer online role-playing computer games City of Heroes and City of Villains, character creation consists of several steps. If the player owns both games, the player must first choose a faction (Hero or Villain). Then the player selects an , then an , and then a primary and secondary power set from their Archetype. Next the actual avatar with its is created. And finally the player chooses a name and can optionally write a background story and a battle cry to add some flavor to the character.

Origins
When creating a character, the player must first choose the origin of his character's powers which determines which of five origin specific powers they are granted, who the player's early NPC contacts are (only in City of Heroes), what type of enhancements they can use, and what titles they can choose from at level 25.

:Natural — Natural characters train themselves to surpass normal human limits. It is also possible that a Natural is not human at all, and their "powers" are simply their own natural abilities, like an alien who is part of a race who all have the same powers.
:Superman and Catwoman from DC Comics and The Punisher and Kingpin from Marvel Comics are examples of this. Within the game, the signature hero Manticore is a character of Natural Origin.

:Mutation — Mutant characters have unique genetic structures that they are born with.
:Nearly every character in Marvel Comics' X-Men series and DC Comics' metahumans fall under this category. Within the game, the signature villain Captain Mako is a character of Mutation Origin.

:Science — Science characters gained their powers as the result of a scientific process, intentional or otherwise: e.g. Radiation exposure in a test lab.
:The Flash and Bizarro from DC and Spider-Man and the Lizard from Marvel are examples. Within the game, the signature hero Synapse is a character of Science Origin.

:Technology — Technology characters often have no true powers as such, but instead use an array of advanced devices.
:Iron Man and Shocker from Marvel Comics and Cyborg and Captain Cold from DC are examples of this origin. Within the game, the signature hero Positron and the signature villain Black Scorpion are characters of Technology Origin.

:Magic — Magic characters gain their powers from a Supernatural source, such as a magical amulet or a pact made with other-worldly forces.
:Doctor Strange and Dr. Doom from Marvel and Zatanna and Solomon Grundy from DC reside in this category. Within the game and comic series, the signature heroes War Witch, the Statesman and Ms. Liberty are characters of Magic Origin.

Archetypes
The superpowers of each character are chosen based on archetypes (similar to the character classes of other MMOGs). The player chooses their Primary Power Set and Secondary Power Set from a list of sets that are individual to each Archetype. However, there are some shared Power Sets. For example, the Primary Power Sets available to the Blaster are almost identical to the Secondary Power Sets of the Defender.

City of Heroes was launched with only the five basic Archetypes, but the Issue 3 expansion introduced two new "Epic" archetypes. They are two types of aliens known as the Kheldians (Warshades and Peacebringers). The ability to play as a Kheldian is made available only to players who have achieved level 50 with another hero character first. City of Villains was launched with five new basic archetypes.

Heroic Archetypes

These Archetypes are unique to City of Heroes.

Blaster

Blasters are based almost completely around offense. Having no defensive powers Blasters rely on their overwhelming damage to protect them. Solo Blasters can easily defeat most enemies one-on-one, but can get into trouble if they face multiple enemies. In a group, Blasters can overcome their lack of defence by letting Tankers and Scrappers distract the enemy before they unleash their attacks.
:Primary powers: A Blaster’s Primary Powers are long range attacks.
:Secondary powers: A Blaster’s Secondary Powers are generally strong melee attacks mixed in with self buffs and crowd control powers.
:Inherent power: Defiance. Every time a Blaster hits with an attack they gain a damage boost for a short time. They can also use their first powers even while under the effects of hold, sleep or other such power.

Marvel Comics' Cyclops and DC Comics' Starfire are examples of Blasters. Within the game, the signature hero Synapse is a Blaster.

Controller

Controllers are an Archetype that, as their name suggests, are based around controlling powers. Their abilities are used to halt foes in their tracks, sometimes making them completely helpless. Most controllers eventually gain the ability to summon "Pets" to fight alongside them. Although the Pets are not very intelligent and cannot be controlled, they draw fire away from the team and often contribute damage or holds of their own. Overall the Controller’s primary function is to incapacitate foes, either to be finished off by the Controller or his team.
:Primary Powers: Control powers focused on immobilizing, holding, terrifying, confusing or putting one or more enemies to sleep, as well as pets, if any.
:Secondary Powers: These powers usually consist of buffs for team mates or debuffs for enemies.
:Inherent Power: Containment. This doubles the damage a Controller does to a foe affected by a control power.
DC's Piper or Marvel's Jean Grey are examples of Controllers. Within the game, the signature hero Sister Psyche is a Controller.

Defender

Although they can successfully complete missions solo, Defenders are designed around aiding their teammates. They can either buff heroes considerably or weaken foes until they no longer pose a threat. They are often mistakenly referred to as the healing Archetype, despite the fact only some power sets have heals. Their secondary power sets are essentially Blaster Primary Sets with weaker damage.
:Primary Powers: Buffs (which may include healing) for allies and debuffs for enemies.
:Secondary Powers: Long range blasts with boosted secondary effects to help weaken foes.
:Inherent Power: Vigilance. This allows a Defender’s powers to use less endurance the lower his team's health is. This is to make sure their life saving powers are always there when they need them.
Marvel Comics' The Invisible Woman (Sue Richards) of The Fantastic Four and DC Comics' Raven are examples of Defenders. Within the game, the signature heroes Manticore and Positron are Defenders.

Scrapper

Scrappers are melee fighters, they fight up close and personal with little or no ranged powers. Scrappers can either fight bare handed or with weapons. They generally have good defensive abilities allowing them to not only dish out, but take damage. A Scrapper’s role is to be on the front lines taking foes down, and as such they are generally considered a preferred Archetype for solo play.
:Primary Powers: Mainly melee attacks with the occasional ranged power as well as damage buffs.
:Secondary Powers: Defense powers aimed at keeping the Scrapper alive during prolonged fights.
:Inherent Power: Critical Hit. This power lets a Scrapper occasionally hit double damage. The tougher the foe, the more likely a Critical Hit will land.
Marvel Comics' Wolverine and DC's Batman are examples of Scrappers. Within the game, the signature hero Ms. Liberty is a scrapper.

Tanker

Tankers by nature have the strongest defense and highest hit points in the game. A Tanker is always on the front lines drawing enemy attention away from his teammates. Tankers have very few ranged powers and generally have low damage output compared to Blasters and Scrappers. Their role is to protect teammates by absorbing vast amounts of damage that the other Archetypes simply could not manage.
:Primary Powers: Strong defense powers that either let them absorb huge amounts of damage or avoid it completely. They also have enemy debuffs and self heals.
:Secondary Powers: Melee attacks and damage buffs.
:Inherent Power: Gauntlet. Often called Punch-Voke (a portmanteau of "Punch" and "Provoke") by the community, a Tanker can draw attention away from his friends by simply attacking enemies. This creates an aura effect taunting up to five of the surrounding enemies as well.
Marvel's Colossus and DC’s Cyborg are examples of Tankers. Within the game, the signature hero the Statesman is a Tanker.

Villainous Archetypes

These Archetypes are unique to City of Villains.

Brute

Brutes are close-ranged melee specialists with high hit points and damage. They could be considered a mix of the hero archetypes, Tanker and Scrapper. Brutes are meant to do damage first and provide team defense second, so Brutes learn the power Taunt at a much later level than Tankers (like Scrappers).

:Primary Powers: Mainly melee attacks as well as damage buffs.
:Secondary Powers: Defense powers aimed at keeping the Brute alive during prolonged fights along with damage inducing auras.
:Inherent power: Fury. The strength of the Brute's damage increases as he attacks or is attacked by enemies. However, this bonus soon wears off if the Brute is not attacking or being attacked.
Examples of the Brute could be Blockbuster from DC Comics, or Rhino from Marvel Comics. Within the game, the signature villain Black Scorpion is a Brute.

Corruptor

Corruptors specialize in ranged attacks as well as buffs and debuffs. They are essentially the reverse of the Defender, however their buffs and debuffs are weaker while their damage output is closer to that of Blasters. As such, they have many powers in common with the Blasters and the Defenders.
:Primary Powers: Long range blasts with boosted secondary effects to weaken foes.
:Secondary Powers: Buffs for allies and debuffs for foes. Not many healing-type powers, when compared to the Buff/Debuff sets of Defenders and Controllers.
:Inherent Power: Scourge. As the foe's health drops to low levels, Scourge kicks in and doubles the damage done by the Corruptor.
The Crimson Dynamo from Marvel or The Shade of DC could be considered Corruptors. Within the game, the signature villain Scirocco is a Corruptor.

Dominator

Dominators mix control powers with a combination of melee and ranged attack powers. Most of the primary power sets are borrowed from City of Heroes Controller sets, and their secondary sets are amalgamations of various ranged and melee powers.
:Primary Powers: Control powers focused on immobilizing, holding, terrifying, confusing or putting one or more enemies to sleep, as well as pets, if any.
:Secondary Powers: Various ranged and melee attacks from other archetypes, and some self buffs.
:Inherent Power: Domination. Allows them to infrequently but dramatically increase their control and damage capabilities, while giving them protection from such effects.
Poison Ivy from DC comics and Scarlet Witch from Marvel Comics can both be considered Dominators in some incarnations. Within the game, the signature villain Ghost Widow is considered a Dominator.

Mastermind

Masterminds have control over summonable henchmen, buffs/debuffs, and some offensive powers. The quantity and quality of minions increases as the Mastermind's level increases, depending upon which specific powers in a primary set are chosen. Masterminds currently have mercenary soldiers, the undead, ninja, robots, or street thugs at their disposal.
:Primary Powers: Summonings of Henchmen, powers to improve the abilities of Henchmen, and a few ranged powers, usually consisting of one weak ranged power, one stronger ranged power, and a ranged cone power.
:Secondary Powers: Buffs for Henchmen and allies and debuffs for foes. Resurrecting powers cannot be used on Henchmen.
:Inherent Power: Supremacy. All henchmen within a certain range of the Mastermind gain an accuracy and damage buff. Additionally, under certain circumstances, henchmen under the effect of Supremacy protect the Mastermind from part of the damage he'd take.
Possible examples of Masterminds would be The Kingpin from Marvel or Lex Luthor from DC, as they often have others do the dirty work for them. Within the game, the signature villain and leader of Arachnos, Lord Recluse, is a Mastermind.

Stalker

Stalkers are the assassins and rogues of City of Villains. Their primary means of attack is to hide in plain sight, and then strike their target, as they lay unaware. Stalkers have an "Assassin's Strike" attack that does more damage while they are "Hidden" as well as a power called "Placate" that allows them to temporarily hide from foes and avoid detection.
:Primary Powers: Melee attacks with the special "Assassin's Strike" and "Placate" powers.
:Secondary Powers: Defensive powers, particularly "Hide" which allows the Stalker to remain undetected until they attack.
:Inherent Power: Assassination. While Hidden, if a Stalker uses a melee attack on a foe, it will be a Critical Hit (2x damage). If the Stalker uses the "Assassin's Strike" attack, it will do six times the normal damage.
Examples of Stalkers would be Elektra from Marvel Comics and Deathstroke the Terminator from DC Comics. Within the game, the signature villain Captain Mako is a stalker.

Epic Archetypes
Epic archetypes are not available to players at first, but must be unlocked during play. These Archetypes are not any more powerful than the other Archetypes, but require an advanced knowledge of play due to their complexity of creation. Currently only the Kheldian archetypes are available and solely to Heroes. Existing naturally as beings of pure energy, they merge with humans to form the player character. They also get story arcs unique to their Archetype (although the story arcs for both factions intersect after a certain level of play) in addition to the regular arcs. The developers have stated that several more Epic Archetypes will likely be added to the game in the future.

3 basic types of Kheldians are known to exist: The Peacebringers, who represent the original Kheldian race and the Warshades, who are reformed Nictus; these 2 groups are available as player archetypes and are detailed below. The 3rd type are the Nictus, altered Kheldians that pursue a path of darkness and evil. They are presented as an enemy faction to the others, and are not available as a player archetype.

Peacebringers are characterised by a bluish/white glow that emits from their bodies when they use their powers, compared to the Warshades who emit a purple/black glow. When not using their powers, both appear to be normal humans. In much the same way as Superman with Kryptonite, all Kheldian archetypes are shown to have a signature weakness that does not affect the other archetypes - they are highly vulnerable to a form of quantum energy that can stop them in their tracks with as little as 2 shots.

Peacebringer

Peacebringers are members of an alien race known as Kheldians that have fused with a willing human host. Although they cannot access Flight or Teleport pools, Peacebringers have a wide range of powers at their disposal, making them (along with Warshades) one of the most diverse Archetypes in the game.
Peacebringers can transform into Bright Novas, giving them Blaster-like abilities, or into White Dwarfs, allowing them to have Tanker-like abilities. Peacebringers naturally have the ability to fly from level 1. Their origin is always natural, no other option is available during character creation.
:Primary Powers: Most ranged and melee attacks with a heal other power and the ability to summon three kamikaze pets.
:Secondary Powers: Mainly defensive powers including damage resistance and a self heal as well as some buffs.
:Inherent Powers:
:*Cosmic Balance: Depending on the teammate this power gives the Peacebringer a boost in damage, damage resistance, or protection from status effects. The effect works to balance the team's strengths.
:*Energy Flight: Peacebringers can inherently fly. This is the same as the Flight Power Pool's Fly.
:*Combat Flight: A slower and more maneuverable way to fly, with a defensive buff. This is the same as Flight Power Pool's Hover.
The hero Horus from the Blue King Studios publication of the City of Heroes comic book was revealed to be a Peacebringer. The contacts Sunstorm and Moonfire are NPC examples of a Peacebringer.

Warshade

A Warshade is a fusion between a human and a scientifically altered Kheldian known as a Nictus. While the Kheldians and the Nictus are at war with each other, the Warshades are a Nictus faction that have reformed from their path of darkness & evil to ally themselves with the Kheldian Peacebringers. Good or evil, a Nictus symbiote cannot forcibly take over a host (though some Nictus have experimented with brainwashing techniques to weaken the wills of otherwise unwilling participants). Much like the Peacebringers, Warshades cannot access Flight or Teleport pools and share several powers and themes, but unlike Peacebringers they have control-type powers instead of melee attacks. Many of their powers require enemies, living or defeated, to work. Warshades can transform into Dark Novas, giving them Blaster-like abilities, or Black Dwarfs giving them Tanker-like abilities. Warshades can naturally teleport from level 1. Their origin is always science, no other option is available during character creation.
:Primary Powers: Ranged attacks and control powers, as well as a self heal. They also gain the ability to summon a Pet from the body of a defeated foe.
:Secondary Powers: Defensive powers mixed in with heals, buffs and crowd control.
:Inherent Powers:
:*Dark Sustenance: Depending on the teammate this power gives the Warshade a boost in damage, damage resistance, or protection from status effects. The effect works to amplify the team's existing strengths.
:*Shadow Step: Warshades can inherently teleport. This is the same as the Teleportation Power Pool's Teleport.
:*Shadow Recall: Warshades can teleport allies, as well. This is the same as the Teleportation Power Pool's Recall Friend.
There have not been any notable Warshades outside of the City of Heroes game. The contact Shadowstar is the only NPC example of a Warshade.

Future Archetypes
Other "Epic" Archetypes that have been announced for possible future expansions include Incarnates, Blood of the Black Stream, Coralax and Nictus. The following information has been released in a series of hints and rumors planted either in the course of the storyline of City of Heroes or on the official forums. All of these future Epic Archetypes will require either completing a Task Force/Strike Force/Trial in either game or the purchase of an expansion to the games.
*City of Villains will be getting two known epic Archetypes: the Nictus Archetype for City of Villains, confirmed by developer Matt "Positron" Miller to be like Warshades and an evil version of Peacebringers whose name is currently unknown.
*The Coralax are an aquatic-based civilization that were created from living coral by the god Merulina. Their society is based heavily around a hierarchy of 'Shapers'. Hybrids of Coralax and humans can be found as an NPC Enemy Group in City of Villains. In addition, Villains who take Captain Mako as their Patron have a power that allows them to summon either a true Coralax Guardian or a Coralax Hybrid.
*There is little known about the Blood of the Black Stream except that they have some connection with Ancient Egypt as seen in the Alderac Entertainment Group CoH CCG contest winner's entry that was altered by game developer Sean Michael "Manticore" Fish to fit in with the storyline of the group. It has been said by the development team that they are a shapeshifting archetype. They are also mentioned in an early story arc in City of Villains.
*The Incarnate Archetype has also been confirmed by the development team but there has been little information regarding it. What is known is that it will possibly be a dual Archetype according to two characters that are already identified as Incarnates in the franchise. For example an Incarnate can also be a Tanker or Mastermind (as Statesman and Lord Recluse are). The name for the Archetype comes from the fact that such characters will be connected to some sort of deity. The Statesman is an Incarnate of Zeus (as seen in the Top Cow run of the City of Heroes comics) and he can control lightning due to his connection to Zeus. Lord Recluse is revealed to be an Incarnate of Tartarus in the novel The Freedom Phalanx, however the powers he gains from this deity are unknown.

Costumes
City of Heroes includes the most extensive avatar and costume generator of all current MMORPGs.

First the player chooses either a female, male or huge male basic body type, which then can be modified by changing its size (4 to 8 feet) and its proportions (shoulder, chest, and hip size, etc.). Finally even the facial features can be changed by resizing and distorting parts of the head such as the cranium, chin, nose, cheeks, etc.

Subsequently the actual costume is created. The costume creation process offers literally millions of combinations. Features of the costume that can be changed include: faces, masks, hair styles, hats, helmets, horns, antennae, jackets, tops, emblems, shoulderpads, sleeves, robotic arms, gloves, belts, robes, pants, boots and more. Additionally each selection can be individually colored and most of them can also be overlaid with patterns.

Inside the game the character can visit a tailor where the costume can be modified at the cost of some influence/infamy (ingame currency). The tailor shops are known as "Icon" for heroes and "Facemaker" for villains. When a character reaches level 20 and completes a specific mission handed out by the representative in the City Hall of Atlas Park (for Heroes) or, depending on which contact was chosen at the character's creation, Kalinda the Fortunata or Burke the Mercenary (for Villains), a cape can be added to the costume at the tailor's shop. Similar to unlocking the cape, at level 30 a character can complete a mission and unlock various aura-effects, such as a glow, sparkles, crumbling rocks, or bolts of electricity, to place on their costume. At levels 20, 30 and 40 a character can gain additional costume "slots", which allows the player to freely switch between costumes while playing the game; these missions are handed out by the head tailors at the individual tailor shops.

After one of the patches of August 2006 the costume selector panel now changed to indicate a fifth costume slot that is activated by collecting four special pieces of Salvage during the 2006 Halloween Event. With the introduction of the Consignment House and the Black Market, these pieces of Salvage can be bought at any time and redeemed with the proper contacts.

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