[Meta thread] Iron's PokeRole Adventure: The Skull Ruins

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

I feel drawn to that artistic Ratsy.  Though, Shiva would not want to outright start a battle, so is it possible that she'd take that Encounter without agressive Archnautilus?

[Lord Windos]

Welp, this set of Encounters are certainly intriguing, particularly the Arty Ratsy and signs of death! I have feeling things are going to be quite eventful....

I'm halfway tempted to take on the Gigalith Horde, but I distinctly remember that they are actually pretty scary Pokemon if they are kited out properly. If even one of the buggers has Sand Stream, then ALL of them have + 2 Defense, and if not they could just end up spawning Sand easily with Sandstorm. If they don't have Sand Stream, then they have either Sand Force or Sturdy, making them either brutal or tenacious as hell. Finally, but possibly most importantly, they can naturally learn EXPLOSION, which we all should be acutely aware of how bloody dangerous that Move is, ESPECIALLY underground.

On the other hand, Terra and Cosh are some of the toughest, roughest dudes around, having more than enough STR and VIT between them to crush about anything in their path, and plenty of ways to skip out of the DANGER ZONE if need be, so they could handle it reasonably well.....maybe. Plus, Solomon and/or Oinari need XP in order to get the stuff I want out of them (Heal Pulse and just more diversity, respectively), and taking on the horde seems to be the most direct way to do so. Finally, I could just ask Heart for Posei back, then have them use Perish Song on the whole lot with Solomon out, then flee and wait for them all to Faint, since PS is a lingering effect they can't negate/dodge out of.

So....what do you think, mates? Should I take on the horde, or just choose something safer?

[Dragonstrike]

Don't forget that Stone Edge is also Lethal. It's quite deadly in the hands of a skilled Rock type.

Also remember that Perish Song's effects will probably end if the battle ends before PS triggers.

[Lord Windos]

Also, did Angie fly down after everyone, or was she dropped into the lower layers too? Just curious, as she's capable of Digging after her papa if necessary!

[Mikaruge108]

I'm thinking of taking on the Ghosts* Galore! Encounter

[Dragonstrike]

I'm thinking of taking on the Ghosts* Galore! Encounter

Be warned: that one looks like trouble.  Encounters with difficulties higher than 'moderate' aren't to be taken lightly.

Iron typically designs Moderate encounters with the goal of making us spend a few resources afterwards, but they're generally rather manageable. Higher difficulties are when things start getting much, much riskier.

I would not recommend taking that Ghosts* Galore! encounter alone.

[Lord Windos]

Don't forget that Stone Edge is also Lethal.  It's quite deadly in the hands of a skilled Rock type.

Also remember that Perish Song's effects will probably end if the battle ends before PS triggers.

I know, I just didn't mention it in comparision to the other big threats that the Gigies may/may not posses . Stone Edge is bad, but not so much compared to EXPLOSION, as at least the LD of SE is focused on one Pokemon, and using it more than twice per Round is pretty hard without a TON of Accuracy (Which they may or may not have).

From what I read of Perish Song, it specifically says 'any Pokemon that heard the song is not removed from battle, they take Damage = Current HP.' This means that Gigalith can only possibly dodge out of it IF they give up and concede the fight to Terra/Cosh and co before beating a retreat, which still would end up technically a win for them and therefore earn them the XP from the Encounter. Meanwhile, PS doesn't affect humans apparently, so Terra can just recall Posei/Solomon and promptly GTFO and leave the Gigies to Faint/Give Up, which would still earn them XP.

If Terra has to remain in battle in order for PS to work, then switching out both Water types for Edmundi and Pixie to Stall out the the two turns necessary (Since the Round PS activates counts as 1/3 necessary) while also neutering their Offense should work, with Cosh possibly providing additional defenses to help with the Stall.

Of course, this all hinges on the notion if all the above is acceptable or not. Iron?

Finally, what do you think, mate? Should anyone take them on, or just leave them the hecky alone?

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

I'm thinking of taking on the Ghosts* Galore! Encounter

Ghosts allover!~ I somewhat enjoy sharing battles with Spira, but that Ratsy catches my interest - but maybe sharing that Encounter with @Lord Windos would be an idea? That Gigalith Horde seems too tough and dangerous unless you're really bold and riskloving, dear. Up to you in the end.

[Dragonstrike]

Finally, what do you think, mate? Should anyone take them on, or just leave them the hecky alone?

Given we've still only just started the trip through the Skull Ruins (and also the day), I'd be inclined to say leave them alone, tbh.  I'd honestly like to get through this trip in one piece. I know I don't want to take that encounter (and it's not just because the only spread moves I have atm are Razor Wind and Heat Wave)

[Lord Windos]

On the topic of difficulty, I've noticed/remembered these levels so far:

- Some variation of Easy
- Moderate
- High
- Tough
- Plot Deviced

Easy Encounters are just that, and are pretty much there to either introduce Special/Filler Pokemon for us to interact with if we don't want to take on harder ones or just Train, or a simple Item/event that can be triggered for possible rewards. They're like popcorn: a tasty snack, but not particularly filling unless you totally pig out on them.

Moderate Encounters are just as Dragonstrike said (Doable, but designed to drain resources/pose a problem that takes mental resources to solve), and are the 'average' that everything revolves around. The italian bonito of his campaign, if you will.

Hard Encounters are so far fights designed to overwhelm the players and force them to cope and react to their wild whims and depravities, but their may be puzzles/Stealth sections that also qualify for this spot as well (The Anthenuem Riddles spring to mind, for example). They're well done steak: tough to cut into, but oh so delicious and enjoyable if you can.

Tough Encounters are just Hard jacked up to be heavily lopsidded against whomever takes them on or BEYOND dangerous, and are a relative rarity, but pay out GREAT rewards for those that can conquer the challenge. For example, here are the ones I can remember thus far:
- The Very 1st One: Fisherman with a Gyarados at roughly the early portions of the game. Reward: Great fishing bait (Which lead to Solomon, our Wise King!), a great contact for Ven/maybe Terra (If you let my old chara share such Info to my new one, Iron), and a pretty large dose of XP that helped Michael learn Spore and evolve into Breloom ASAP!
- Battle against a Frosthra that just loved to Blizzard Spam. Reward: Frosthra itself, worth roughly $20000 or so Poke even for such a disobedient Pokemon
- Shield Maidan Brazen, whose strat mandated Terra to pulling out Lapis in order to salvage the thing in his favor once fortune swung even a little away from him. Reward: $4000 Poke, ton of XP, and a contact that came in handy in offloading Safari Pokemon and Nathan's Tubareel for a relatively high rate!
- Now the Gigalith Horde, which are scary for all the reasons I've described. Reward: Lotsa XP, your choice of the Gigalith, and whatever else secrets they may be guarding.

As you can see, Tough Encounters reward pretty well, but they also make anyone but the strong pretty well done in the process, if you see what I mean. They are the beef jerky of Encounters: very tough and stringy, but a robust and tasty meal to those than can handle it!

Plot Device Encounters are pretty much Puzzle Boss Battles were you have no chance of victory if you don't stumble onto the solution/know it and/or have another Plot Device to counter the present one. Naturally, the reward for beating one is pretty fantastic, assuming its possible in the first place. They're like placing a expensive candy/confection in a puzzle box, a worthwhile treat which delightfulness is sorta spoiled by the effort and loops it takes to get to it.

I'm pretty sure not many people have taken on Tough Encounters beyond Ven/Terra, since they don't like the thrill of them/were not prepared to handle their threat level, but seeing as how the entire party is ROBUST AS *$@%! now, I say anyone can take them on and expect success (if at a high cost). So don't let Tough Difficulty deter you from Encounters, if you want to give one a go!