Matt Trussell

F.A.N.G. Design Notes

The first mission has the early days of F.A.N.G., before they were well equipped. It's an homage to the backstory of Cobra, where they were originally just thugs with what was essentially paperbags on their faces.

The Bank Robbers were given Assault Rifle as a primary because it fits well thematically, and because it's one of the few ranged powers without a status side-effect. It's true that Burst lowers Def, and Slug can be annoying with its knockback/down, but these are less effective than, say, the holds a Controller set might have, or even the penalties of Defender sets like Dark or Sonic. By limiting the Bank Robbers to only two attacks, they are unable to put up concentrated fire against players.

For the Secondary set, I didn't want F.A.N.G. to have anything beyond what their equipment could provide. In the case of the Bank Robbers, this was a T-shirt, so they have no Def or Res powers at all. Quick Recovery was given to simulate their exuberance for their jobs.

F.A.N.G. Trooper

The basic F.A.N.G. Trooper is pretty close to the original Bank Robbers, though they now sport a flak vest, which is represented by Mind Over Body. Other than that, they remain basic fodder for Capes.

The Boomslang is the first of the LTs, and is the main blaster of F.A.N.G., having a good mix of Rad/Rad. I felt the toggle debuffs would be too powerful, so from the secondary the Boomslangs got only Lingering Radiation to slow down opponents, and Accelerate Metabolism to buff any nearby Troopers, as well as themselves.

From the Primary, I gave them the standard single target blasts and Aim. I didn’t want Boomslangs to be attacking groups, so the AoEs and cones were out, and giving an NPC a Snipe is useless.

Cottonmouth are basic, by-the-book Stalkers. From Ninjitsu, I gave them a good selection of Defense, as well as some resistance to status effects. They are actually the only F.A.N.G. Lts with Secondary powers that provide defense; the other agents are all spec’d for offense, even in the Secondaries.

I gave the Cottonmouth the Throwing Knives powers because of the experience boost they provide. I realize the Knives were given to Melee sets in AE to have some range, but I found it more than a little sad that it nearly doubles the EXP value awarded, especially since the power does pitiful damage and is not going to prevent characters with the ability to stay out of melee distance from having their way with the Cottonmouth anyway. Maybe it’s an AI thing?

Rattlesnakes are the Controllers of F.A.N.G. I gave them the Holds and Immobilizes from Gravity control, and sprinkled in some Fire Blast to prevent the AI from spamming status attacks constantly, which would make fighting them solo difficult. And, to be honest, I chose Fire just so I could put the Coffee Maker joke in Mission 3.

Rattlesnakes are also the only F.A.N.G. agents built to deal with groups of players.

Hydrophidae are an intentionally strange mix of Melee and Support, something you don’t see in CoH ATs. Storm Summoning gives F.A.N.G. a very minor heal, as well as the stealth field. Unlike most enemy group healers, though, Hydrophidae are skilled Melee combatants, more than capable of defending themselves when the Tanks and Melee DPS classes go after them. F.A.N.G. has a lot of Ranged characters, so having a LT that prevents the Brutes and Scrappers from cutting through them.

F.A.N.G. Leader’s powers were chosen mostly to keep him alive long enough to make the encounter challenging. A good mix of Invulnerability and a very limited attack pool means he has ‘Cinematic Toughness’, ie: he can take a beating and keep on delivering dialogue.

He intentionally only received two attacks, as well as the Battle Drones. The drones can actually lay down a hail of fire, and in the confines of the Bar where the battle takes place, they can put some pressure on players. Once defeated, however, F.A.N.G. Leader has only his puny energy rifle. This should allow lower-damaging players to win a war of attrition, and keep DPS classes from defeating him before his Dialogue even finishes displaying.