Freedom Reborn

quick writeup for benton about stats for use in melee and possible power choices.
off the top of my head I remember the rogue has high con, str and dex (i forget the numbers) with some in ego.

in relation to melee:
obviously CON = health, the more the better, you'll be getting alot of aggro
STR = attack power and ability to wield objects
DEX = chance to dodge / chance to hit a critical attack
EGO = how effective your critical hits are

and the unmentioned:
PRE = how much aggro you draw, depending on what role you're in, you'll gain more or less with higher PRE
END = how much energy you can store up, not all too important for melee, if you're strictly melee anyway, you dont need the energy unless you're upclose, in which case you should be building up energy anyway.
REC = how fast your HP / energy regens, how high your equilibrium is, tricky to say where to stand with melee, you either go high or low depending on how you're playing.

note, due to the advantage of ranged powers vs melee in CO, melee actually has an inherant damage buff.

i'm going to focus this on single blade, because it's the powerset used by the rogue.

• 
  Just to start with the basics everyone knows, a rank costs 2 points and improves the overall effectiveness of a power, accelerated motabolism costs 1 point and has a chance to collect energy, challenging strikes costs 1 point for melee and 3 points for ranged, and creates a damage debuff / breaks block, the debuff can be negated by the taunted attacking the taunter, but the taunter attacking the taunted can re-enforce the debuff..
  
  
• 
  starting with your energy builder:
  
  
• Reapers Touch:
  -3 ranks, accelerated motabolism and "three edged blade"
  -three edged blade costs 2 points and has a chance to put you into a focused state (more damage / builds more energy) *well worth it*
  -your basic energy builder, has the mark attriubte which can aggro a single target and make them move towards you.
  
  


• 
  tier 1 powers:
  -need 1 power from single blade (can be energy builder) or 2 powers from any pool (not including energy builder)
  
  
• Scything Blade:
  -single target
  -3 ranks, swallowtail cut
  - single strike attack, causes bleed
  -swallowtail cut costs 3 points and changes the bleed amount to a % of the opponent HP, rather than a set number (expect vs bosses)
  
  
• reapers caress:
  -single target
  -3 ranks, challenging strikes, vicious vigor
  -vicious vigor costs 2 points and causes a rank of enrage when hitting a bleeding opponent (extra damage / defense)
  -multi strike attack which can add a bonus on every third strike (energy if motivated, enrage if you've invested in vicious vigor)
  
  
• Thunderbolt Lunge:
  -single target
  -ranged attack
  -3 ranks, essence assault
  -essence assault costs 2 points and always disables a targets travel powers (useful for teleporting and flying opponents, not just PVP)
  - a 2 in 1 power, can be used to catch upto an opponent / get the first strike or to escape / get some breathing room
  
• Shuriken Throw:
  -single target
  -ranged attack
  - 3 ranks, crippling challenge, chained kunai
  -chained kunai costs 2 points and pulls the target towards the thrower
  
  
• Lightning Reflexes:
  -slotted passive  (defensive or balanced only)
  -3 ranks
  -improves dodge and evade (scales with dexterity)
  -reduces damage from bleed and dot's
  
  
• Focus of the Unconquered Swordsman:
  -slotted passive (balanced / offensive only)
  -improves damage of slashing attacks (note thunderbolt lunge is crushing damage)
  -grants heightened focus everytime you inflict bleed
  -3 ranks
  
  
• inexorable tides:
  -single target
  -debuff attack
  -melee range crushing damage
  -slows opponent
  -3 ranks
  -ranks alter the skill, at rank 3 can be charges and becomes an aoe
  
  
• smoke bomb:
  -threat wipe
  -puts in stealth for a short period
  -3 ranks, concussive escape
  -concussive escape costs 2 points and knocks down enemies within 15 feet
  
  
• tier 2 powers
  -needs 3 powers from single blade or 5 powers from any pool (not including energy builder)
  
  
• Dragons Bite:
  -single target
  -lengthens duration of bleed
  -fully charged applies momentum buff
  -3 ranks, cull the weak
  -cull the weak costs 2 points and automatically kills any enemy below the rank of master villain if they are below 20% HP
  
  
• Masterful Dodge:
  -active defense (all active defense skills are subject to a 30 second cooldown while using this skill)
  -increases dodge + avoidance for a short time
  -can be used while held
  -3 ranks, unfettered strikes
  -unfettered strikes costs 2 points, every time you dodge an attack while affected by masterful dodge, you gain a small attack buff
  
  
• Sneak:
  -places you in stealth (move half speed, hard to detect)
  -ends if you attack
  -3 ranks, silent running
  -silent running costs 1 point and increases your movement speed while in stealth
  
  
• Bountiful Chi Resurgence:
  -regain health over time, but deal less damage while healing
  -3 ranks, resurgent reiki
  -resurgent reiki costs 2 points, and negates the damage debuff while healing
  
  
• Tier 3 Power
  -requires 5 single blade skills, or 8 skills from any pool (not inclusing energy builder)
  
  
• Reapers Embrace:
  -single target
  -generatues energy if affected by momentum
  -ends bleeding on target causing a high damage "rupture"
  -3 ranks, flourish
  -flourish costs 2 points, and removes the rupture ability in favour or doing extra damage to debuffed opponents
  
  
• non - single blade attacks that work well with Melee builds
  
  
• Sparkstorm:
  -electricity aoe (tier 1)
  -maintained attack (no so good if you have low endurance)
  -attack arcs to hit enemies multiple times
  -3 ranks, accelerated motabolism, challenging strikes, electric personality
  -electric personality costs 2 points and turns the skill from a maintain to a timed toggle
  -the 1 point challenging strikes makes it exceptional for pulling large mobs off your team-mates, or just placing damage debuffs on everything.
  
  
• Pyre:
  -Fire aoe (tier 2)
  -chargeable
  -fire damage to all enemies within 25 feet
  -chance to inflict dot to enemies caught in pyre
  -enemies moving into pyre during it's lifetime will be damaged
  -3 ranks, accelerated motabolism, challenging strikes, backdraft
  -backdraft costs 2 points and causes knockback to enemies caught
  
  


• Force Eruption-
  -force aoe (tier 1)
  -crushing damage + knockback in all directions
  -can be used while held
  -chargable
  -3 ranks, accelerated metabolism, challenging strikes, gravitational polarity
  -gravitational polarity costs 2 points, and creates a "hotspot" where it's cast, this spot boots attack damage by 20% while you remain on it
  
  
• Mini Mines:
  -munitions aoe (tier 2)
  -fire + crushing damage
  -explode when enemies come into range
  -3 ranks, wall of fire
  -wall of fire costs 2 points and creates extra minimines (the extra mines do less damage)
  
  
• Eye of the Storm:
  -dual blades attack (tier 2)
  -multiple enemies
  -inherant defense buff
  -maintainable, damage decreases the longer held, but defense increases
  -generates energy if affected by momentum
  -3 ranks, accelerated motabolism, blade beyond the veil
  -blade beyond the veil costs 2 points and reflects a portion of damage sustained back at the attacker
  
  
• Sword Cyclone:
  -dual blades aoe (tier 3)
  -maintain, generates energy if affected by momentum
  -3 ranks, accelerated motabolism, challenging strikes, butchers blades
  -butchers blades costs 2 points, and ceases damage while being maintained, tho causes 120% damage when the attack is released
  
  
• Defensive Combo
  -might attack (tier 1)
  -generates high threat
  -on 3rd attack, applies defiant buff
  -3 ranks, accelerated motabolism, surge of strength
  -surge of strangth costs 2 points, and may cause 2 defiant buffs to be applied at once
  
  
• Ego Sprites:
  -Telepathy aoe (tier 1)
  -dot to nearby targets
  -3 ranks, accelerated motabolism, challenging strikes, slave mentality
  -slave mentality costs 2 points and causes the "sprites" to heal you after they damage the enemy
  
  
• non single blade utility skills that work well with melee
  
  
• Immolation:
  -fire buff (tier 1)
  -increases damage of all attacks
  -reduces costs of all attacks
  -assists vs holds
  -can be used while held
  -cannot be used in conjunction with any other energy form
  -3 ranks, blazing body
  -blazing body costs 2 points and adds a melee range aoe damage effect
  
  
• Force Shield
  -Force Block (tier 1)
  -absorbs damage into energy
  -3 ranks, force sheath
  -force sheath costs 2 points and causes a small forcefield to remain around you after block has been lowered
  
  
• Sonic Device:
  -Gadget buff (tier 1)
  -next attack (if made within 18 seconds) will add a large sonic damage boost and stun your opponent
  -3 ranks, deafening dissolution
  -deafening dissolution costs 2 points and makes the extra sonic damage an aoe effect
  
  
• Miniturization Drive:
  -gadget buff (tier 2)
  -next attack (if made within 18 seconds) will add a damage, speed and shrink debuff to opponent
  -3 ranks, reciprocating gizmo
  -reciprocating gizmo costs 2 points and makes you grow invertantly to your opponents shrinking
  
  
• Energy Shield:
  -power armor block (tier 1)
  -allows small damage reduction after shield is lowered
  -3 ranks, laser knight
  -laser knight costs 3 points, and will bring your shield up while in melee combat (tho lowering your damage output)
  
  
• Invulnerability
  -power armor slotted passive (tier 1)
  -reduces damage scaling with STR, and then further reduces damage, scaling with CON
  -3 ranks
  
  
• Unbreakable
  -Power armor buff (tier 2)
  -large damage immunity
  -constantly refreshed until you attack
  -can be used while held
  -active defense (see notes on immolation)
  -3 ranks, better you than me
  -better you than me costs  2 points and causes a chance to apply an enraged buff when you are attacked
  
  
• Circle of Primal Dominion:
  -Arcane buff (tier 2)
  -improves knockback defense, knockup defense, damage resistance, regenration and stealth perception
  - increases threat rating and lowers resistance to holds
  -reduces energy to 0
  -leaving the circle makes it dissapear
  -3 ranks
  
• Regeneration:
  -supernatural slotted passive (balanced or defensive only) (tier 1)
  -recovers HP over time consatantly
  -scales with REC stat
  -scales with damage being taken
  -decreases while not being attacked, or attacking yourself
  -3 ranks
  
  
• Resurgence:
  -Supernatural heal (tier 2)
  -increases regeneration rate
  -can be used while held
  -active defense (see notes on immolation)
  -3 ranks, evanescant emergence
  -evanescent emergence costs 2 points, and applies an enraged buff when used under 50% hp
  
  
• skills passed over
  
  
• electric shield, although it causes electric damage to those in range, it isnt much good unless being held up alot
• personal force field, relies heavily on endurance and negates block bonuses
• nanobot swarm, not enough cooldowns
• telekinetic shield, due to be heavily nerfed

and erm, i've spent FAR too long writing this, i'll be sure to add build syncs and some extra numbers later, but for now, this should be a pretty good base for powers that can work together

just dropping my current build from Kth'Lar here


Superstats:
Level 5: Super Strength
Level 13: Super Constitution

Powers:
Level 1: Reaper's Touch
Level 1: Reaper's Caress -- Challenging Strikes (lvl 7)
Level 5: Scything Blade
Level 5: Teleport
Level 8: Invulnerability
Level 11: Energy Shield -- Laser Knight (lvl 16)
Level 14: Ego Sprites -- Slave Mentality (lvl 19)
Level 17: Circle Of Primal Dominion

Talents:
Level 1: Superhuman
Level 6: Mighty
Level 9: Enduring
Level 12: Physical Conditioning
Level 15: Relentless
Level 18: Paramilitary Training

my items focus on STR, CON and END bonuses

with high con and str my HP is over 3000, with the damage defense from invulnerability, henchmen hit for around 0-70, blocking around 0-25, in melee (laser knight active) around 0-35, melee in circle of primal dominion around 0-25, and blocking in circle of primal dominion around 0-15, circle of primal dominion also heals around 81hp per tick.

without circle of primal dominion in pvp (no-one will stand still long enough for it to become effective) I can sustain damage from up to 3 opponents before any serious HP drop.

Thanks so much for posting this UB!  I'm sure this is going to be a huge help.  I was pretty much feeling my way blindly.

I should note, I took teleport for the character concept, and while it's ok for getting into the middle of a large group, all in all it's more trouble than it's worth for any other utility in a melee role