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Pokémon Expeditions

[System] Pokémon Battling & Capture

astralprogenitor

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Pokémon battles and capture are, of course, major parts of the pokémon experience; Pokémon Expeditions is no different, and understanding these systems is important for success in helping advance the exploration and settlement of Nauwill. For less altruistic trainers, it's necessary if one wants to push one's own power and standing ahead as well. Make sure to read everything here carefully, and as always, feel free to ask us questions if anything doesn't make sense after you've gone over it thoroughly a time or two.

This thread is broken up into several sections to help make everything easier to digest, so take your time if anything is a little confusing. It's a lot to take in, so don't rush through it all!

If you'd like a real example or have difficulty processing a bunch of text with no point of reference, you can view our Example Exploration here.
 
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astralprogenitor

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Battle Flow

The core of battling is fairly simple. Each encounter has a set flow that consists of:

  1. Rolling initiative
  2. Pokemon choosing their moves
  3. Resolving moves and evasion/clashes
  4. Resolving status effects
  5. Trainer actions
Initiative is only rolled once per battle, but the rest of the steps create a flow that will be followed until a battle is over. Each pokémon takes their turn in order of initiative, and a set of all turns is considered a round. Rounds will continue until a player (or wild pokémon) rises victorious against the others.

All finer details can be found further along this thread, and you can see a sample battle played out here.


Simplifications

If you've read through the inspiration document, you'll notice some things missing from the shop's gameplay. This is for a variety of reasons; we've tried to keep as much as possible from the core game feel without overcomplicating what you need to keep track of as a solo player, since much of the shop is geared for you to play on your own or casually with friends without any sort of strenuous push. The fact that enemies are run by players also helped make this decision - it isn't fair to ask you to try and make tactical decisions to, well, wreck yourself that normally a GM would be making instead, nor is it fair to expect people to do so fairly. No one wants to beat themselves up, so some changes are necessary in order to facilitate clean and fair gameplay.

We've removed multiple actions in a round, as this often would lead to the need for GM caveat and can be confusing if you're not already familiar with how it works. Moves that hit multiple times still exist, but you're not able to elect to keep performing moves repeatedly at cost.

We've removed a few status effects and, notably, certain types of unique barriers that would have to, again, have GM intervention. These have been simplified into standard shields and status effects, so the moves still exist and should function similarly to expected without the need to request outside input.

Several moves have been cut entirely from Pokérole's catalogue. Several were never actually implemented onto any pokémon's move list, but they could have been learned through tutors in the game itself. All removed moves were due to needing explicit GM input, and as such were often, though not always, related to legendary pokémon that may not become available anyway. Every pokémon will be checked before becoming available to play to ensure it has a full moveset, however, so this shouldn't affect gameplay substantially!

The concept of ranged attacks has been removed entirely, since there is no play board available on the forum and it would, again, be unfair to request players play against themselves. Pokémon are simply assumed to be generally able to move into range to attack as necessary and do so automatically.

Finally, we've adjusted the accuracy of some moves due to adjustments on those that were changed but stayed in the list. Moves which were ranged or had special effects have had their accuracy increased since their benefit may not be as intense as they were originally.
 
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astralprogenitor

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Example Pokémon Sheet

This is an example of the character sheet you'll be given when getting a new pokémon! Each sheet will also be provided with a code, so you don't need to worry about constructing it yourself. You'll just copy/paste into places it's required. As you can see, your sheet has all your pokémon's important information, making it easy to have on hand for use.​

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Example Pokémon
the
Pikachu​
Primary Type
Electric
Secondary Type
-------
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
HP
5​
Will
4​
Confidence
7​
Happiness
⬤⬤⭘⭘⭘​
Loyalty
⬤⬤⭘⭘⭘​
Nature
Impish​
DEF
1​
SDEF
3​
Rank
Beginner​
------------------------
------------------------
------------------------
Strength
⬤⬤⭘⭘⮿
⮿⮿⮿⮿⮿​
Dexterity
⬤⬤⬤⭘⭘
⮿⮿⮿⮿⮿​
Vitality
⬤⭘⭘⮿⮿
⮿⮿⮿⮿⮿​
Special
⬤⬤⬤⭘⮿
⮿⮿⮿⮿⮿​
Insight
⬤⬤⭘⭘⮿
⮿⮿⮿⮿⮿​
Tough
⬤⭘⭘⭘⭘​
Cool
⬤⭘⭘⭘⭘​
Beauty
⬤⬤⬤⭘⭘​
Clever
⬤⬤⬤⭘⭘​
Cute
⬤⭘⭘⭘⭘​
Brawl
⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘​
Channel
⬤⬤⭘⭘⭘​
Clash
⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘​
Evasion
⬤⬤⭘⭘⭘​
Alert
⬤⬤⭘⭘⭘​
Athletic
⬤⭘⭘⭘⭘​
Nature
⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘​
Stealth
⬤⭘⭘⭘⭘​
Allure
⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘​
Etiquette
⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘​
Intimidate
⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘​
Perform
⬤⭘⭘⭘⭘​
???
⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘​
???
⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘​
???
⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘​
???
⭘⭘⭘⭘⭘​
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------

-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Move
Thunder Shock
Type
Electric
Sort
Special
To-Hit
Dex+Channel
Damage
Special+2
Accuracy
0
Priority
0
Target
One Foe
Special Effects
Roll 1 chance dice to inflict Paralysis on the target.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Move
Thunder Wave
Type
Electric
Sort
Support
To-Hit
Ins+Nature
Damage
0
Accuracy
-1
Priority
0
Target
One Foe
Special Effects
Inflict Paralysis on the target.​
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Move
Growl
Type
Normal
Sort
Support
To-Hit
Tough/Cute+Perform
Damage
0
Accuracy
0
Priority
0
Target
One Foe
Special Effects
Lowers the target's Str by 1.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
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astralprogenitor

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Initiative

Initiative is a representation of who acts faster in a battle. Every pokémon has an initiative value, denoted by the value of dexterity + alert. To roll initiative, the player rolls 1d6 per initative; arrange pokémon by highest successes to lowest successes - this is the turn order for that battle. In the case of a tie, roll another 1d6 as a tiebreaker, with the highest flat value being the winner!

Initiative order determines whose moves go first (in the event of unchanged priority) and also determine what order pokémon select their moves. Those with higher initiative select their moves first, potentially allowing slower pokémon a chance to react!

Trainers do not need to roll initiative - they always act at the same time at the end of a round. Theoretically a trainer could jump into a pokémon battle directly and would need to roll initiative then, but considering the danger and their lack of any actual moves, we are opting not to include any rules for it. Remember kids: you probably shouldn't try and punch the giant, fire-breathing monster in the face. It's not going to go well for you.

Priority

By default, moves have a priority of zero, meaning they are performed in order of initiative as normal. However, some moves have higher or lower priority, ranging from +6 to -6. Once moves are decided, they're executed in order of priority, then in order of initiative.

For instance, let's say our initiative order is pikachu, geodude. If both pokémon choose normal moves, pikachu will execute its move first, then geodude will execute theirs. However, if geodude chooses a +1 priority move and pikachu selects a 0 priority move, geodude's move will be executed first, then pikachu's. Likewise, if pikachu chooses a -1 priority move and geodude chooses a 0 priority move, geodude will again move first, regardless of their initiative rolls. If both pokémon choose an identical priority move - such as both pokémon choosing +2 moves - then they will again defer to the initiative order.

In short:
Execute moves in order of priority from highest to lowest, defaulting to initiative order for any same-priority moves!
 
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astralprogenitor

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Reading and Understanding Moves

-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Move
Growl
Type
Normal
Sort
Support
To-Hit
Tough/Cute+Perform
Damage
0
Accuracy
0
Priority
0
Target
One Foe
Special Effects
Lowers the target's Str by 1.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Every move that your pokémon knows will be arranged into an easy to read block like this. It gives all the information that you need in order to use it, from elemental type, what sort of move it is, what you need to use it, and so on.

Type is the move's type, used in calculating effectiveness (if it's a damaging move).

Sort indicates what kind of move it is. Physical indicates it's a damaging move that results in physical contact, and Special indicates it's a non-touching move more akin to magic. Support means that it's a non-damaging move with some sort of beneficial effect for the user.

To-Hit is what you'll roll in order to try and hit with the move. A slash (/) means to pick the higher of the two and use that. Count the total number of dots between the attribute and the skill, then roll that many dice!

Damage tells you how much damage a move will do and what stat you'll use to calculate that with. Special+1 would mean that a successful hit would roll a damage pool equal to the user's Special plus 1 more! A damage of 0 means the move does not do any damage on its own, though it has other effects.

Accuracy indicates whether or not a move is more or less difficult to perform. A negative value means that the move removes that many successes from your To-Hit roll; a positive value would mean it adds automatic successes to that same roll. See below for more information.

Priority indicates the priority of the move, explained above.

Target indicates what can be targeted by this move. Some moves can target only friends or foes, while others might target either at the user's discretion. Some moves may also be capable of targeting multiple pokémon!

Special Effects let you know if the move does anything special, like raising or lowering stats, inflicting Status Effects, or do ongoing damage. Make sure to pay attention if any of your moves have a Special Effect!

Using a Move

Once you've selected your move and it's time to actually use it, the process is pretty straightforward. Look at your move's information, then do the following:

Roll To-Hit: Roll xd6, where x is the number equal to the stats shown on the move's To-Hit value. As with all rolls, for each die, a 1, 2, or 3 is a failure, and a 4, 5, or 6 is a success. If you have at least one success after Accuracy adjustments (see below), then the move succeeds. Otherwise, it fails, and this turn is over.

Check for Critical: If a pokémon rolled 4 total successes on To-Hit after Accuracy adjustments, then the move is a Critical Hit. A Critical Hit adds +2 to the damage pool.

Check for STAB: A "Same Type Attack Bonus" applies when using a move that matches one of your pokémon's types. If an electric pokémon uses an electric move, it will get STAB; if a ground/water pokémon uses a water move, it will also get STAB. If a move gets a STAB bonus, it gets +1 to its damage pool before rolling damage.

Check for Special Effect Modifiers: Some moves have Special Effects that increase the damage pool that must be added now. For instance, the move Facade gets +3 to its damage pool if the user has any Status Effect.

Roll Base Damage: Roll xd6, where x is equal to the Damage listed in the move's information. Count up the number of successes from this roll to get your Base damage.

Calculate Damage: Subtract the target's appropriate Defense score from the Base Damage in order to find your Damage. Physical moves subtract the opponent's DEF, and Special moves subtract their SDEF. If the Final Damage is less than 1, then it becomes 1, even if you score no successes.

Check Effectiveness: If you scored at least one success when rolling Base Damage, check your move's effectiveness against the opponent's typing. If you're uncertain of the effectiveness, use this site, put the opponent's type in, and check which section your move's type appears in. Add or subtract damage based on effectiveness values:
  • 4x Effective: +2 damage
  • 2x Effective: +1 damage
  • ½x Effective: -1 damage
  • ¼x Effective: -2 damage.
  • Immune: No damage or special effects!
Roll or Apply Other Special Effects: Finally, do anything else listed in the Special Effects section. Make sure to take note of effects that only last a certain amount of rounds, and track whose stats are raised/lowered. A Chance Dice is a single d6, and you need to score at least one success to do whatever the roll might call for. Special Effects that don't mention Chance Dice take place as long as the move succeed!

Accuracy

Most moves only require one success to succeed. However, those with Accuracy scores lower than 0 require more. Each negative point in Accuracy reduces your number of total successes by one (or, if you prefer to look at it this way, increases your needed successes by that many). You must have a total of at least one success after any Accuracy adjustment in order for your move to connect.

As an example, if you rolled 4 dice and got 3, 3, 1, 6, that would be considered having 1 success. However, if the move had an accuracy of -1, then you subtract one for a total of 0 successes - meaning the move doesn't connect. If you instead rolled 3, 4, 1, 6, then you'd have a total of 2-1=1 success, so the move would connect!
 
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astralprogenitor

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Evasion and Clashing

An added layer of complexity can optionally be added to your battles through the use of Evasion and Clashing. These abilities are exclusive to trainer pokémon, as wild pokémon do not have trainers to direct them. As you might guess from the name, Evasion lets your pokémon attempt to evade a foe's move, nullifying it completely; on the other hand, Clashing lets you counter your opponent's move, stopping it from doing full damage and even doing a little damage to them in turn!

In order to Evade or Clash, the following must be true:
  • The pokémon has been in battle for at least one full round.
  • The pokémon did not Evade or Clash in this or the previous round.
  • You did not use a Trainer Action the previous round.
  • Clash only: the pokémon has a damaging move they aren't using this round.
If these conditions are met, the player may opt for their pokémon to Evade or Clash when an attack is directed at them. First, the move is rolled as normal. If the move is rolled successfully, then the player declares that they want to Evade or Clash.

Evade

After announcing that you wish to Evade an attack, follow these steps:
  1. Roll your pokémon's Dex+Evasion and count the successes.
  2. The opponent rolls their Dex+Evasion and counts the successes.
  3. Compare the successes.
If your successes outnumber the opponent's, their attack does nothing to your pokémon. If the opponent has at least as many or more successes than you, the move Evasion fails and the move hits as usual.

Clash

After announcing that you wish to Clash an attack, follow these steps:
  1. Announce which move you are using to Clash. This move cannot be the one you are using this turn, and it must be capable of dealing damage.
  2. Roll your pokémon's Str/Spe+Clash (choose based on the Sort of the move) and count the successes.
  3. The opponent rolls their Str/Spe+Clash (based on the Sort of the move they're using) and counts the successes.
  4. Compare the successes.
If your successes outnumber the opponent's, then both pokémon take 1 damage and all other effects of the initial attack are lost. If the opponent has at least as many or more successes than you, the Clash fails and the move hits as usual.

Accuracy Penalty

Regardless of your success or failure at Evasion and Clashing, the next move you use will suffer a -1 penalty to Accuracy. If your move for this round comes after your foe's, then it will apply to that move; otherwise, it will apply to the move you choose to use in the next round.

This penalty is applied on top of other Accuracy scores. A -2 Accuracy move will become a -3 Accuracy move, for instance.
 
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astralprogenitor

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Elemental Typings

Every pokémon has at least one Type or Typing. Many of these are associated with the elements, though more obtuse Typings do exist, like "Fighting" and "Fairy." These Types indicate what kind of energy a pokémon is most closely aligned with, and they play a heavy part in what sorts of moves a pokémon will learn and what it takes more - or less - damage from.

After much consideration, we've elected that a full explanation of the concept of Type is out of the scope of the shop. As mentioned previously, this site is useful to calculate what a Type's weaknesses and strengths are. If you'd like more in depth reading, click here. This goes into details for how Types work in the source games, and is probably more than you'll ever need - or want - to know about pokémon typing!
 
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astralprogenitor

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Special Effects
Moves have many Special Effects. There are some that are unique to only one move, but most that have a Special Effect will have one from a standardized selection of happenings. These can be categorized as Status Effects, Stat Changes, and Other Special Effects.


Status Effects
Status Effects represent bad things happening to a pokémon beyond the simple damage a move might inflict. These can cause damage and hindrance during battle, and some of them can even last outside of battle if applied during an Expedition! Note that all Status Effects are considered cured on completion of an Expedition or Trainer Battle.

Note: Wild pokémon are not as well trained as ... trained mons, especially when it comes to shaking off unpleasant effects. Any time you see a requirement to roll for removal, a wild pokémon's value will be 1+(1 per rank) - so 1 for starter, 2 for beginner, 3 for amateur, and 4 for ace!

Burn:
Battle Effect: Inflicts 1 point of damage at the end of each round.
Expedition Effect: Inflicts 1 point of damage after every exploration roll.
Removal: After Burn deals damage, roll Dex+Athletic. Removed after a total of 4 successes across all rolls. (TEMP: For now, roll 2 for Starter AI and 3 for Beginner AI.)
Immunity: Fire types are not affected by Burn.

Deadly Burn:
Battle Effect: Inflicts 2 points of damage at the end of each round.
Expedition Effect: Inflicts 2 points of damage after every exploration roll.
Removal: After Burn deals damage, roll Dex+Athletic. Removed after a total of 6 successes across all rolls. (TEMP: For now, roll 2 for Starter AI and 3 for Beginner AI.)
Immunity: Fire types are not affected by Deadly Burn.

Confusion
Battle Effect: -1 to all moves' Accuracy values. If a move misses, the user takes 1 damage.
Expedition Effect: None.
Removal: Expires automatically after 5 rounds or the end of battle.
Immunity: None.

Flinch
Battle Effect: The pokémon loses its next turn and cannot Evade or Clash this round.
Expedition Effect: None.
Removal: Expires automatically after 1 round.
Immunity: None.

Frozen
Battle Effect: The pokémon cannot perform any actions.
Expedition Effect: None.
Removal: Roll Str + Athletic at the end of each round. Removed after a total of 4 successes across all rolls. Fire-type pokémon need only one success to break free. If the pokémon is not freed by the end of battle, its HP is reduced to 0 and it faints. (TEMP: For now, roll 2 for Starter AI and 3 for Beginner AI.)
Immunity: Ice types are not affected by Frozen.

Paralysis
Battle Effect: The pokémon suffers -2 Dex until it is cured.
Expedition Effect: The pokémon may not make any rolls for events until cured.
Removal: Can only be cured with a healing item.
Immunity: Electric types are not affected by Paralysis.

Poison
Battle Effect: Inflicts 1 point of damage at the end of each round.
Expedition Effect: Inflicts 1 point of damage after every exploration roll.
Removal: Can only be cured with a healing item or by fainting.
Immunity: Poison and Steel types are not affected by Poison.

Sleep
Battle Effect: The pokémon can't take any action until it wakes up.
Expedition Effect: None.
Removal: Roll Ins at the beginning of each round. Removed after a total of 5 successes across all rolls. Automatically removed at the end of battle. (TEMP: For now, roll 2 for Starter AI and 3 for Beginner AI.)
Immunity: None.


Stat Changes
Some moves raise or lower a pokémon's stats. These stat changes will be stated explicitly in the move's description and should be noted alongside other long-term effects. A stat change stays in effect until a pokémon is swapped out of battle or the battle ends, unless another move says otherwise. Add these changes in whenever a roll would call to use that stat: a +1 Str means you add +1 to any roll calling for Str, and a -3 Dex would take -3 from any roll using Dex, and so on.

Stat changes do not stack, you simply take the strongest modifier. A +2 Dex would be replaced if a +3 Dex move was used, but would stay the same if a +1 Dex move was used. Furthermore, increases and decreases are tracked separately - you could have both a -1 Dex debuff and a +2 Dex buff! In practice, this would "end up" as +1 Dex, but they are tracked separately as they can be replaced separately as well.

Note that stat changes only change the indicated statistic, not any derivative ones. For instance, a pokémon suffering from -1 Ins would not need to reduce their Will score, even though Will is calculated using Ins.

Also note: no statistic can go higher than 10 even with increases nor below 1 with decreases! Further increases or decreases will simply be lost.


Other Special Effects
While some moves have special, explicit instructions for their unique Special Effects, others may simply say one or two words indicating a standard Special Effect to be used. Follow the instructions below for these abilities.

Charge: The user does not use a move this round and spends it charging their energy. This move is used for their turn on the next round.

Double Hit: This move is used twice in a row. Roll each use as you would a normal move.

Heal: The target recovers 3 HP.

Full Heal: The target recovers 5 HP.

High Accuracy: This move never misses. Skip this move's To-Hit roll.

High Critical: This move only requires the user to have 3 total successes after Accuracy, not 4, to count as a Critical Hit.

Rampage: Starting in this round, this move is used for 3 turns. No other move can be selected. After the third use, the user is Confused.

Recharge: The user cannot use a move in the round after this as it must recover its energy.

Recoil: After damage from this move is dealt to the opponent, roll a die for every success in the move's previous damage pool. The user takes 1 damage for every success. (Example: Rhyhorn uses Take Down and has a damage pool of 6. They roll 3 successes. After the move is completed against the opponent, the pokémon's player rolls 3d6, one for every previous damage pool success. They roll 1, 5, 4, and so rhyhorn takes 2 damage, one for each success.)

Successive Hits: After this move is rolled and successfully hits, roll it again with -1 Accuracy. If the move hits, roll it again with -2 Accuracy. This effect continues up to a maximum of 5 total uses of the move.

Switch: The user is swapped out for another pokémon on its trainer's team after this move is successfully used. The newly swapped pokémon is not disoriented and may act normally in the next round. This effect cannot be refused/opted out of. If there are no other pokémon available to swap with, this effect does nothing.
 
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astralprogenitor

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Trainer Actions

Trainers, while not active combatants, still have a place in battle. Apart from simply strategizing and telling their pokémon what to do, a trainer has a short opportunity to act at the end of each round. These should be declared after all pokémon moves and Special Effects have been resolved for that round. Trainers can:

Swap Out: The trainer's active pokémon is swapped out for another one. This pokémon is disoriented and cannot act for one round.

Use An Item: The trainer uses an item on one of their pokémon. It does not have to be the actively battling pokémon, though it may. Follow any instructions in the item's description. Only one item may be used a turn.

Using an item on a pokémon not in battle requires no rolls. Using an item on a pokémon in battle requires one success on a roll of the trainer's Clever + Medicine. The pokémon the item is used on may not act in the following round.

Throw a Pokéball: If the trainer has any pokéballs in their possession, they may throw a ball and attempt a capture. Capturing pokémon is detailed below!

Attempt to Run: If the trainer is worried about the fight and wishes to run, they may attempt to do so. Roll the trainer's Dex + Athletic, then roll the foe's Dex + Athletic. If the trainer scores more successes than the foe, the battle ends and the trainer escapes. If they fail, their active pokémon is stunned in the next round and they are still trapped in battle. Moves that prevent a pokémon from escaping prevent a trainer from making an escape attempt.
 
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astralprogenitor

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Pokémon Capture

Obviously, one of the most exciting parts of battling wild pokémon is the opportunity to catch them. A capture is attempted by throwing a pokéball at a pokémon and... hoping for the best! Higher quality pokéballs have higher chances to catch pokémon, denoted by their Catch Score, and tired or injured pokémon are generally easier to catch.

In order to attempt a catch with bonuses, a trainer needs to be in battle with a wild pokémon who has 1 or more HP. They also need a pokéball in their inventory in order to use it. Then:
  1. Roll the ball's catch score, denoted in its description.
  2. Add +1 success if the target has half or less HP.
  3. Add +1 success if the target has only 1 HP. This stacks.
  4. Add +1 success if the target has any Status Effect.
  5. Add +1 success if the target is Frozen, Paralyzed, or Asleep. This stacks.
  6. Check the rank chart. If you score the successes needed, then congratulations! You've caught that pokémon!
  7. If the catch fails, roll the ball's Break Score. If you score 0 successes, the ball breaks and is gone forever.

Pokemon's Rank​
Successes Needed​
Starter3
Beginner4
Amateur6
Ace8
Professional9

Please note that unlike the games, you may attempt to catch a pokémon you've knocked out. However, you lose ALL bonus successes, meaning you roll only the ball's Catch Score. You only get one attempt, and a failure means the pokéball is guaranteed to break. The pokémon is revived and flees if the catch is a failure.

Note your new catch's nature won't be revealed until it's official! You never know what something is like until you're not in a battle to the death with it, after all.

For further information about catching and potentially keeping wild pokémon, make sure to read about Expeditions here.
 
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astralprogenitor

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Controlling AI

Obviously, it's not fair to make a player roll against themselves; it's difficult to try and beat yourself up, even if you're trying your hardest to be fair. For this reason, there is a simple process used for selecting what move a wild pokémon will use.

Wild pokémon moves are, at the simplest level, selected from RNG. At the beginning of battle, make a numbered list of the wild pokémon's moves. Every time you must declare a wild pokémon's move, RNG from this list. That is the move it will use this round. After, adjust the move list as needed following these adjustments:

  • If your pokémon is 2 or more ranks above the wild pokémon, add Attempt to Run to the list. If the wild pokémon attempts to run, roll its Dex+Athletic and your pokémon's Dex+Athletic. If the wild pokémon scores more successes, it flees the battle in fear.
  • If the wild pokémon uses a move that changes stats and does no damage, remove that move from the list until it would be possible to apply that stat change again.
  • If the wild pokémon uses a move that adds a Status Effect and does no damage, remove that move from the list until it would be possible to apply that Status Effect again.
  • If the wild pokémon uses a move that cannot affect its opponent (such as a normal move against a ghost type), it will not try to use that move again until its opponent changes.

For instance, if a pokémon uses Growl against your togepi, it won't use it again against that togepi, so you remove it from the list. If you swapped out togepi for a squirtle, however, you would add the move back, this time at the bottom of the list. On the other hand, if the pokémon used Body Slam and paralyzed squirtle, it still might choose to use Body Slam again (as it does damage) even though squirtle can't be paralyzed again, so the option stays on the list.
 
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