Revision as of 06:03, 15 August 2009

Overview

Many video games which give the player a variety of abilities will use icons or symbols to allow players to identify individual powers at a glance, City of Heroes included. However, unlike many of these games, City of Heroes not only uses these icons to quickly denote individual powers, but also to convey the effects and usage of the powers.

A power icon in City of Heroes has three important components: the inner symbol, the border, and the color. The inner symbol indicates one or more of the powers' effects. The border indicates whether the power requires a target to use and whether it affects an area or a single target. Most powers' borders do not, unfortunately, indicate whether the power affects teammates or enemies; this information must be extrapolated by looking at the inner symbol (i.e. if the inner symbol denotes a positive effect, the power most likely affects allies or the caster) The color of an icon indicates the power set that the power belongs to; every power set has its own unique combination of background and foreground colors, although some colors are shared between primary or secondary power sets and Ancillary Power Pools with similar themes, though never within the same archetype. This is done to reduce the footprint of the City of Heroes installation; by having Frozen Armor use the exact same icon in the Ice Armor, Cold Mastery, and Ice Mastery sets, one icon file provides the art for 3 powers, reducing the size of the City of Heroes install.

Borders

Border	Description	Example
	An icon without a border indicates that the power only affects the caster.	Reconstruction, Unyielding
	The power is single target; it will only affect the currently targeted entity.	Deflection Shield, Power Blast
	The power affects the target, as well as every valid target (up to the target's target limit) within a conical area in front of the caster. The exact dimensions of the cone area depend on the power.	Shadow Maul, Breath of Fire
	The power does not require a target; it affects every valid target (up to the power's target limit) within a spherical area centered on the caster. The exact radius of the sphere depends on the power.	Inferno, Healing Aura
	The power affects the current target, as well as every valid target (up to the power's target limit) within a spherical area centered on the target. The exact radius of the sphere depends on the power.	Exploding Arrow, Snow Storm
	The power does not require a target; it affects every teammate within a spherical area centered on the caster, including the caster itself.	Assault, Group Invisibility
	The power affects every target (up to the power's target limit) in a spherical area centered around the targeted teammate. The targeted teammate may or may not be affected, depending on whether the power's effect is a positive or negative one.	Disruption Field
	The power summons a separate entity at a selected location. Some powers allow the caster to choose the location, while others simply summon the new entity at the caster's feet.	Animate Stone, Summon Striker
	The power affects every valid target (up to the power's target limit) within a spherical area centered around a location. Some powers allow the caster to choose the location, while others automatically set the location to be the same as the caster's at activation.	Spirit Tree, Burn

Inner Symbols - Buffs

The following inner symbols denote powers that grant the caster or his allies buffs to various attributes.

Symbol	Description	Example	Notes
	Increases accuracy or tohit.	Aim	Most powers that buff tohit also buff damage, so the use of this symbol normally means that the power is either an accuracy buff, or the tohit buff is particularly large.
	Increases damage.	Build Up
	Increases defense.	Dispersion Bubble
	Increases defense against powers typed "melee".	Ninja Reflexes
	Increases defense against powers typed "ranged".	Combat Training: Defensive
	Increases defense to powers typed "area of effect" (AoE).	Evasion
	Increases defense and tohit.	Invincibility
	Increases maximum hit points	Dull Pain	Would seem to indicate a healing over time effect (HoT), but is normally used to indicate a buff to maximum HP. In Issue 13 a power was finally added that actually was a HoT, but only when used by one archetype, and then only in PvE.
	Healing power; restores lost hit points	Heal Other
	Restores lost endurance.	Transference	Also used in the icon for Conserve Power, which reduces the endurance cost of all powers while active.
	Large buff to defensive attributes.	Light Form	Typically used for tier 9 powers in defensive power sets. Powers that use this symbol generally grant such a large buff to defenses that the affected character is effectively undefeatable under normal circumstances, hence the colloquial term "god mode power."
	Increases both offensive and defensive attributes.	Vengeance
	Increases the maximum activation range on non-melee powers while active.	Boost Range	Boost Range is the only power that uses this symbol, and indeed that has this effect.
	Reduces the recharge time of all powers while active.	Hasten
	Increases the rate at which lost hit points are naturally recovered over time.	Instant Healing
	Increases the rate at which spent endurance is naturally recovered over time.	Stamina
	Increases the running speed of the target.	Speed Boost
	Increase to jump height and speed.	Inertial Reduction
	Increases the duration or strength of mez effects and most buff and debuff effects.	Power Boost

Inner Symbols - Control

The following inner symbols denote powers that have control effects.

Symbol	Description	Example	Notes
Confusion		Confuse control effect.
Damage		Damage power.
Damage, Assassination		An interuptable melee power that does extra damage when hidden.
Damage, Chaining		A power that does damage to one target and has the chance "jump" to do damage to another target.	Chain Induction
Damage, Defeated		Power that requires a defeated target to work.
Damage, Extreme		Power with extreme damage.
Damage, Melee, Heavy		Power with heavy melee damage.
Damage, Melee, Minor		Power with minor melee damage.
Damage, Melee, Moderate		Power with moderate melee damage.
Damage, Melee, Over Time		Melee power that does damage over time.
Damage, Melee, Superior		Power with superior melee damage.
Damage, Over Time		Power that does damage over time.
Damage, Ranged, Heavy		Ranged damage power that does heavy damage.
Damage, Ranged, Minor, Fast		Minor damage ranged power that has a recharge of fast.
Damage, Ranged, Minor, Very Fast		Minor damage ranged power that has a recharge of very fast.
Damage, Ranged, Moderate		Ranged damage power that does moderate damage.
Damage, Ranged, Short		Ranged damage power with decreased range.
Damage, Ranged, Sniper		An interuptable ranged damage power with increased range.
Damage, Weapon		Power that creates a weapon from one of the four classic elements (air, earth, fire, ice).
Damage, Weapon, Greater		Power that creates a superior weapon from one of the four classic elements (air, earth, fire, ice).
Debuff, Accuracy		Accuracy or to-hit debuff.
Debuff, Damage		Persistent damage debuff.
Debuff, Defense		Persistent defense debuff.
Debuff, Endurance		Endurance debuff.
Debuff, Hit Points		Hit point debuff.
Debuff, Instant		Debuff that has an instant effect.
Debuff, Mez		Debuff to control-type powers..
Debuff, Multiple		Debuff to multiple attributes.
Debuff, Perception		Persistent perception debuff.
Debuff, Persistent		A debuff with persistent effects.
Debuff, Recovery		Persistent recovery debuff.
Debuff, Regeneration		Persistent regeneration debuff.
Debuff, Resistance		Persistent resistance debuff.
Disorient		Disorient control effect.
Effect Over Time		A power that has an effect over a period of time.
Endurance		Endurance related power.
Exchange		A power that exchanges the same attribute between caster and target..
Fear		Fear control effect.
Fly		Flight related power.
Force Bubble		Power that prevents foes from entering and remaining in melee range.	Force Bubble
Hold		Hold control effect.
Immobilize		Immobilization control effect.
Intangibility		Intangibility related power.
Invisibility		Power that causes invisibility.
Jump, Distance		Jump distance power.
Jump, Height		Jump height power.
Knockback		Knockback related power.
Knockdown		Knockdown related power.
Knockup		Knockup related power.
Mez		Control related power.
Placate		Placate related power.
Resistance		Damage resistance related power.
Resistance, Cold		Power that provides cold resistance.
Resistance, Energy		Power that provides energy resistance.
Resistance, Energy and Negative Energy		Power that provides energy and negative energy resistance.
Resistance, Fire and Cold		Power that provides fire and cold resistance.
Resistance, Negative Energy		Power that provides negative energy resistance.
Resistance, Mez		Power that provides protection from control-type effects.
Resistance, Psionic		Power that provides psionic resistance.	Obsidian Shield
Resistance, Smashing and Lethal		Power that provides smashing and lethal resistance.
Resurrection		Power that revives a fallen character.
Shapeshift		Power that shifts form.	Granite Armor, Black Dwarf
Sleep		Sleep control effect.
Slow, Movement		Movement-slowing power.
Slow, Recharge		Power that increases target's recharge time.
Slow, Recharge and Movement		Power that increases the recharge time and decreases the movement speed of the target(s).
Stealth		Power that provides stealth to the target.
Summon		Power that summons a pet or henchman.
Summon, Buff, Multiple		Power that provides a buff to multiple attributes of a pet or henchman.
Summon, Equip		Power that provides a moderate increase to the capabilities of a pet or henchman.
Summon, Extraction		Summons one pet or henchman from a defeated target.	Dark Extraction, Soul Extraction
Summon, Fear		Summons or upgrades a pet or henchman with fear abilities.
Summon, Multiple		Summons a large number of pets.	Gang War
Summon, One Ally		Summons one pet or henchman.
Summon, Placate		Summons a pet or henchman with placate abilities.
Summon, Taunt		Summons a pet or henchman with taunt abilities.
Summon, Three Allies		Summons three pets or henchmen.
Summon, Two Allies		Summons two pets or henchmen.
Summon, Upgrade		Power that provides further increase to the capabilities of a pet or henchman.
Taunt		Taunt related power.
Teleportation		Power that teleports target from one location to another without physically touching the space in-between.	Teleport
Teleportation, Group		Power that teleports a group from one location to another.	Team Teleport
Teleportation, Target		Power that teleports a foe from one location to another.	Teleport Foe

Comments

There are many internal inconsistencies within the game that makes some of this page guesswork rather than fact. If the power rings and the power symbols were consistent within the game, it would be easy to identify what a power does just by it's icon.