Issue 20 - Incarnates Overview

Issue 20 - Incarnates Overview

With Issue 20: Incarnates, Heroes and Villains must push themselves to new levels of power in order to protect the world. The Well of the Furies, a sentient source of cosmic super powers, has started taking an active role in the universe again, but appears to have gone mad! It has empowered Emperor Cole, ruler of Praetoria, with nearly limitless energy. Emperor Cole has shared his newly imbued power with his lieutenants, turning them from already powerful Archvillains into cosmic menaces.

The Heroes of Paragon City® and the Villains of the Rogue Isles® have faced the likes of Marauder, Mother Mayhem, Nightstar, and Siege in the past, but now each of these Praetorians possesses the power of an army. Only a dedicated group of Incarnates stands a chance of defeating them.

Emperor Cole's ultimate goal is not to hold ultimate sway over our Earth, but to conquer the entire multiverse. Until the Heroes and Villains master their new Incarnate powers, they won't be able to take on Cole, but they can slow him down. The first strike against Emperor Cole lies in weakening his powerbase in Praetoria.

Watch the trailer for Issue 20: Incarnates

The Behavioral Adjustment Facility (B.A.F)*

The B.A.F is where Mother Mayhem has been experimenting on captured Resistance fighters and mind-washing them into becoming psychic sleeper agents. These sleeper agents have been infected with a contagious psychic virus intended to spread throughout the Resistance, turning all of Emperor's Cole's enemies into mindless slaves.

Nightstar and Siege, wardens of the B.A.F., are ready to unleash the prisoners into the general populace. They've staged a "breakout" to allow the mind-washed resistance fighters to escape into the underground tunnels of Praetoria and infect the populace.

Nightstar and Siege share a networked connection that enables them to react and move with near-perfect synchronization. The two work so well in unison that they must be defeated simultaneously.

Lambda Sector*

Within Neutropolis lies the Lambda Sector fortress, a critical component of Emperor Cole's war machinery. Emperor Cole's Olympian Guard are born, trained, and housed in Lambda Sector. It is critical that this facility be destroyed and the Olympian Guard program scrapped. Heroes want to destroy these operations, while Villains will also be there grabbing as much Incarnate-touched power as they can in the sabotage process.

If the new Incarnates succeed in infiltrating the Lambda Sector fortress, they must still face off against the cosmically empowered Marauder. Luckily, they can use the captured war material against him to help bring down the "Big Dog."

New Incarnate Powers

Issue 20 also introduces four new levels of Incarnate powers.

• Judgment: Unlock new AoE and cone-shaped attack powers.
• Interface: Modify your existing powers to add additional damage or debuffs to those powers.
• Lore: Summon the essence of vanquished Praetorian foes to battle by your side.
• Destiny: Offers new group healing, buff, and resurrection abilities.

New Task Forces

Though the new Incarnates are at the forefront of the fight against the Well of the Furies and Emperor Cole, even non-Incarnates are pulled into the battle.

L20-40 Hero Task Force: The Sky is Falling

In preparation for the invasion of Primal Earth, Colonel Duray of the Praetorian Army has led a special operations team to establish a bulwark in Paragon City. He has a unique ally, his Primal Earth counterpart, Colonel Duray, leader of the Sky Raiders.

The two Durays plan to strike Talos Island and Skyway City and break the spirit of the resistance against Emperor Cole. The newly risen Incarnate Heroes have their hands full facing Emperor's Cole's lieutenants in Praetoria, and they are relying on up-and-coming Heroes in this Task Force to protect our world.

L20-40 Villain Strike Force: The Fire and the Flames

The chaos created by the Well of the Furies presents an opportunity for the Villains of the Rogue Isles to seize new Incarnate powers for themselves. The Flames of Prometheus, a legendary Incarnate artifact, can grant its owner some of the power of the Well of the Furies. However, Positron of the Freedom Phalanx guards the Flames of Prometheus. But everyone, even the mighty Positron, has a weakness to exploit with the proper leverage.

The Villains scheme will pit them against the mystical guardians of the Midnight Squad, the Circle of Thorns, the Warriors, and the heroes of the Freedom Phalanx in a bold attempt to seize the Flames of Prometheus. If they succeed, they could earn a rare reward that puts them on the path to becoming an Incarnate.

*Requires the City of Heroes Going Rogue® expansion.