Task Force
A Task Force is a large-scale story arc in City of Heroes. Task forces are equivalent to Strike Forces in City of Villains.
Task forces are similar to Story Arcs in that they are a set of missions that tell a story. Task forces are started by talking to a task force contact, which is typically a signature hero. Unlike story arcs, task force contacts cannot be outleveled. Task forces can be started at any time, provided a team meets the task force's requirements, and characters may run them more than once.
Restrictions
Each task force has a minimum level requirement and a minimum team size requirement that must be met before the task force can be started. Each task force also has a maximum level associated with it; team members who exceed the maximum automatically exemplar down.
While running a task force, none of the team's other missions are available to them, and normal contacts won't interact with the player. This means that most stores are unavailable; however, Arena stores, Pocket D, and Wentworth's are still accessible to purchase (often much needed) inspirations. Once the task force has formed, you must continue to run the task force until you finish it or drop from it. Task force missions can be run over several play sessions; the game allows you to log out without dropping from the task force.
Task Forces by Level
Enemy mobs and bosses will spawn based on the task force's maximum level (and the leader's notoriety setting) regardless of the team's composition. Therefore task forces are usually done by characters at (or above) the top of the level range.
Rewards
Task forces typically have badges associated with them and often have unique mobs.
Unlike Story Arcs, every team member receives a completion reward at the end of a Task Force, not just the leader. Major task forces (i.e. not Ouroboros) offer the option for a Pool C Recipe drop instead of the usual origin-appropriate enhancement.
Many players believe that the leader's Notoriety setting in the final mission affects the completion reward, but this is an urban legend.
4 Hour Recipe Timer
After claiming a recipe reward from a Task Force, a player cannot receive another recipe from the same TF for the next 4 hours. Players can still receive other rewards from it, or earn recipes from other TFs.