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

[Lord Windos]

Any Gym leader who isn't Dagny, Angela, or Tanuki will be handled dicelessly. You guys can stomp them.

With FLY, it's pretty easy to get to tutors and such. You'll have lots of money coming in soon, and you have a lot already, so you can obtain TMs and tutoring for money rather than XP or questing.

Story stuff isn't what I'm asking about here, but mostly trying to figure out how to handle XP.

One option is to give big chunks of XP whenever you achieve a story goal, or to just handwave it and give people a set amount of XP to finish off their teams, or maybe set up some kind of system where there are lots of very good move tutors and you can just spend money to finish perfecting your pokes.

I was willing to give Terra a handicap when fighting weak Gym Leaders to make things more fair/interesting , but if you want to expedite things I guess that's fine too! Guess Terra's going back to roffle stomping anything that looks at him funny or gets in his 'Mons way!

Can the group also FLY to Gyms/Towns/Places they haven't visited before, like all the cities with Gyms they have not traveled there on foot yet? 'Cause if so, I'd like to get Terra to the STR Badge and VIT Badge Gym pronto, so he can have *7/*7 in both STR and VIT , and therefore be the beefest and stronkest of tanks!

Regarding the options for future XP distribution.....I'm fine with us getting them for completing Story Goals or Missions, if the batches we receive are sufficiently high enough to make voiding all other ways of earning XP. Otherwise, it might be easier to just give up a large lump sum for us each to further cut down on wasted time for you/us training our 'Mons up.

As for what Terra's Pokemon need to learn (In regards to Moves and/or Surprises!) .....I need to look over that carefully actually, as I have been too tired and overworked before now to really go over what they need and/or want. Should have a list later tonight or tomorrow morning, though, so I won't take long, I promise!

[Dragonstrike]

(....I sorry but...after Heart speech I was kinda expected something more than just: "...The same Earthpower." That last phrase doesn't make any sense. What this means? Kinda expected more reaction.)

@Spiritmon, maybe this quote from what Heart said will help shine a little context on Cosh's response.

But to understand that everything who breath, human, Pokemon, animal and plant, we are all connected. We live at the same planet, the same Earth...and the same sky.

So yeah, the 'same Earthpower' bit is Cosh acknowledging that Heart's right since it's a continuation of that particular argument.

[Dragonstrike]

What goals do people's mons still need to meet before you're ready for the E4? (who are not diceless).

There won't be time to grind up any new mons, but I am thinking about how to get your favorite mons in E4 shape.

Nathan's gotta get the last two Gym Badges, obviously, giving him that last little +1 boost to his Strength and Vitality.  Easy enough now that we have FLY.  In relation to that, though, I've honestly been hoping that'd there would be an opportunity to get Nathan up to 7* Dex at some point...

Gallade still needs a bit more exp, cuz there's still a lot I'd like to teach him.  Close Combat, Stored Power/Psycho Cut/Psychic, and Wish and Misty Terrain (assuming there's a way to do so) were the main moves I was looking at.  He's got enough exp for one Fighting/Psychic STAB right now, but there's still plenty of work to do, particularly if I think of any Surprises for Nathan's longest term companion.  Of all the well trained pokemon Nathan has, Gallade's probably the one that feels least done, oddly.  He's a jack of all trades right now, so the more exp he can get, the better.

Orthros needs to evolve still so he can use the Delta Houndoominite.  He's mostly fine, otherwise.

Juliet still needs to learn Feather Dance (Masq or Pidgey learning it would help) and Role Play (and also evolve).  Once she's learned those two moves, then Nathan will be ready to show her to Keni.  (side note, but is she compatible with the Will-o-wisp TM?)

Speaking of Pidgey, would teaching them FLY greatly accelerate their evolution?

Was aiming to evolve Servine too.  Once he's evolved, he could learn Frenzy Plant (provided he's gained 1 more loyalty by that point).

Speaking of the elemental Hyper Beams, Charizard still needs to learn Blast Burn somehow. Teaching him Dragon Dance would be kinda cool, too.

Might get a few TMs or moves tutored for Starmie.  More exp also means more Surprises and whatnot.

Calam and Grid are mostly fine as is.  Just gotta figure out what to spend their exp on and figuring out if they need more, since I'm probably looking at Surprise territory for them.

Porygon-Z needs to learn Tri-Attack (has enough exp for that already), and also still needs to reach its third and final progress stage for Conversion (which should be happening fairly soon, I suppose).  Another pokemon that could do with some Surprises as well should it accumulate enough exp.

Solomon's good for the most part, but could use a stronger Psychic STAB and Nasty Plot.

Swiftfire's fine for the most part, though more exp for her to spend some on Surprises might be good.

Yule could do with a stronger Grass STAB and evolving (and possibly also Milk Drink), but he's probably just gonna be sitting on the sidelines for a bit.

Gotta make good on Nathan's promises to Seadra and Marill.  Marill needs to meet Azu still, and need to get a Dragon Scale for Seadra so they can evolve (though whether that'll happen right away is another matter entirely since dealing with a 5 Disobedience Kingdra could be...interesting if it isn't Loyal enough when evolved)

Also want to evolve Duosion.

Zippy could stand to learn one or two of his ? moves, but aside from that, all he really has ahead of him now in terms of growth is surprises.

Princess just got a big batch of exp, so I need to decide what to do with that, but she has most of her key moves. Maybe I'll see if I can come up with some Surprises for her...

Any exp that Ditto gets would have to go purely to Surprises. I need to brainstorm a little.

I'd like to use Sceptile if possible, but he only has 1 Loyalty to 3 Disobedience. Once he's more obedient, though, I'd love to teach him some cool moves that I'm sure he'd love to use (HMs, Grass Pledge, and Frenzy Plant). Hmmm...maybe if I teach him some moves that it'd be fine for him to use right now instead, that'd help...in any case, Surprises and ? moves are all he has left growth wise.

Nathan needs to talk to Mesprit again before the E4 (though I don't think that counts as 'his' pokemon, for obvious reasons)

Still got all of those eggs from the Dragon nest to hatch, though that's just going to take time, as well as talk with a certain someone about the parents.

That's what I want to work on pokemon wise off the top of my head.  Still subject to change, though.

And there was one more miscellaneous preparation for the E4 I wanted to take care of, though it's not really related to pokemon at all. Did you see the last PM I sent you concerning music selections, Iron?

[Lord Windos]

Alrighty, I've reviewed Terra's Pokemon and compiled a list of what I and he wants on them, so its time to roll it on out for you! 

Spoiler

 

Moves That Terra’s Pokemon Need/Want:

[Moves in these]: TMs/Tutor Moves
(Moves in these): Egg Moves

Shiranui: Close Combat, [Rock Tomb/Rock Slide/Ice Punch/Thunder Punch]
Reasoning: The sumo wrestler more or less already has everything he needs to be a FANTASTIC Fighting machine, but having a strong Fighting STAB and a way to counter Flying types would be just SMASHING for him!

Basteele: Rapid Spin, [Rock Slide], (Pin Missile)
Reasoning: Similarly to Shiranui, Basteele is already pretty much set and well rounded when it comes to Moves, but she'd certainly LOVE to have a way to better destroy Fire types, and Pin Missile is just a great Move for her to have. I'd also like for her to have both Overcoat and Sturdy as Abilities simultaneously, but that ain't my highest priority.

Lapis Lazuly the Lovely: Refresh, Safeguard, Aqua Tail, Dragon Tail, Rain Dance, Blizzard, (Haze, Hypnosis, Mud Sport)
Reasoing: Having ways to protect himself from Status is a must to ensure one less way to wear him down, having Aqua Tail as a Flinching STAB is just great right alongside SURF, Dragon Tail to force out Buffers and bad type Match ups, Blizzard to screw over Dragons and Grass types that'd like to take the chance to harry him, and Haze/Hypnosis/Mud Sport for niche usage

Genie: Tailwind
Reasoning: She honestly doesn't have wanting for much else, as having Earthquake, Rock Slide, and most importantly FISSURE largely invalidates any other Move she could learn. Why have coverage when you can either OHKO or destroy a hapless foe with Edgequake Combo?

Melly: Thunder, Shock Wave, and Curse
Reasoning: Having a strong and/or reliable Electric STAB that's less indiscriminate would be oh so lovely (No, not THAT Lovely!), and Curse is basically a better buffing Move for her to indulge in, as Terra doesn't care so much about the DEX drop.

Mikey: Just Bulk Up.
Reasoning: Other than that one move, he's pretty much perfect the way he is, as between Facade, Giga Drain, Drain Punch, Mach Punch, Spread Stone Edge, Mind Reader, and Spore, he's not really wanting of anything when it comes to either coverage or uber powerful Moves. The mushroom of champions has come a long way from his lowly Shroomish origins, and he's indeed very VERY proud of his progress!

Dunny: Shadow Punch, Brick Break, ROCK SMASH, (Grudge/Memento, Haze, Skill Swap)
Reasoning: This necrotic bad bay is pretty much set as he is, but getting a reliable STAB and ways to stuff Fighting types would greatly improve his chances in tight spots, having Grudge/Memento as a 'Screw You!' towards a single Pokemon is powerful stuff (Even if Grudge has slowly but surely been nerfed into the group, though their is always having it acting like a semi-perma Memento in League Battles), and Skill Swap would allow it to cripple other Pokemon with its lacklaster Ability in a move of pure diabolicalness, mwahahaha! However, if it's possible I'd like to replace Pressure or have Dunny relearn Levitate over it for him to actually have a useful Ability outside of RP shenanigans, or Magic Guard to give him more protection and enable him to abuse Terra's Life Orb without repercussion.

Angie: Roost, Coil, Air Slash, [Dragon Claw, Thunder Wave, Water Pulse, Fire Blast] (Tailwind)
Reasoning: She needs a healing Move so that it's nearly impossible to down her without a foe having to grind through over half their Pokemon or are packing some serious firepower to chew through her bulk, having STAB Flinch is better than not, Dragon Claw for a STAB Dragon Move to use upon her kin, TW for maximum annoyance alongside Flinching Moves, Water Pulse and Fire Blast for additional coverage and Serene Grace shenanigans, and Tailwind for team support and a better DEX buff. 

Anubis: Bone Rush, Me First, Aura Sphere, Heal Pulse (Self Target Buff?), (Ice Punch, Bite)
Reasoning: Bone Rush would be ever so useful against Fire types that want to try slagging him, Me First to have a bit more variety in what he can do at a given point, Aura Sphere for a powerful Fight STAB that'll NEVER let him down, Heal Pulse that can self Target to make him the most annoying thing on earth to fight, and Ice Punch + Bite to better counter Flying and Psychic types that would try to plink away at him

Tommy: [Shock Wave, Ariel Ace, Dig]
Reason: I'm probably not going to use him in a E4 fight, but just in case I might as well give him a suit of Moves that either act as coverage or synergize with Technician, so he can be an especially ferocious kitty cat!

Pixie: Iron Head, [Stone Edge, Power Up Punch], (Baton Pass, Ice Fang)
Reason: She badly needs a Flinching Move after giving up Bite to revive Arete, Stone Edge to bury Fire Types alive, Power Up Punch to combo with Iron Defense to make her both the unstoppable force and unmovable wall, Baton Pass to dodge out of bad fights and set up a fellow teammate, and Ice Fang to tell Ground types to chill out

O-inari Tomoe: Evolve, Sludge Bomb, Embargo, (Memento)
Reasoning: Pretty self-explanatory why I want her to Evolve, but Sludge Bomb is there to nuke Fairy types, Embargo's just a way to put her Dark talent to good use via stealing from Bad Guys, and Memento's a pretty good way to leave a Fight on her own terms! Wondering if she could Evolve via being convinced that not being able to fulfill her duties is a pretty Bad/Evil thing to do, especially in regard to DEOXYS PRIME, hmm......

Edmundi: [Blizzard, Thunderbolt], (Rock Blast, FISSURE)
Reasoning: Not sure if he's going to be participating in an E4 Fight, but if he is having Moves to point counter bad Type Match ups would be neat! That, and if he could get Fissure, he'd be in the same position as Genie is: Need not anything but time to SMASH puny Pokemon with OHKO or person wombo combo

Medicham: [Shadow Ball] , (Bullet Punch, Fake Out)
Reasoning: Not entirely sure if they'll be particpating in ANY fights at this point, but hey, might as well fill out their Move pool!

Posei: [Scald, SURF] (Mud Bomb), Know both Water Absorb and Drizzle simultaneously
Reasoning: Better Water STAB, regaining a way to swamp Electric types, and having both Abilities on together would let him have the power boost of Rain without losing out on highly convenient healing!

Seismi: Hydro Pump, [SURF], (Earth Power)
Reasoning: Needs better Water and Ground STABS, nuff said!

Inabi: Bounce, ([Grass Knot/Wild Charge, Rock Slide, Return, Fire Punch)
Reason: Truthfully, he's probably fine as he is now, but if I can get him Moves that would better enable him to survive against Types that would give him even a slightly harder time, I do want them. I'd also possible like to get Super Luck as an additional Ability for him alongside Huge Power in the future, as it be a nice thematic and useful Ability for him to have (He is a rare shiny rabbit, after all)!

Artie: Modify (Mech Parts, Exoskeleton, Soakers, etc...), [Thunder, X-Scissors, Rock Polish]
Reasoning: Fairly obvious that she/it will be featured in one E4 Fight or another, so I want her/it to be fully decked out and ready for such titanic struggles! Having a strong STAB and better Anti-Flying Pokemon Moves in the form of TM taught Thunder and X-Scissors would be fantastic too, and Rock Polish via TM as a means to push her/it straight into blitzkrieg territory would be the bee's knees!

Sari: Buff HP, Heal Pulse,  [SURF, Icy Wind, Recycle, Earthquake, Shadow Ball, After You, Telekinesis]
Reason: I've put a LOT of effort into get this magnificent monarch, so I certainly want to use her at least once during Terra's E4 run, and what better way to prepare her than to give her every conceivable way to royal screw over anything that dare opposes her rule of the battlefield! That, and giving her + teaching her a bunch of Moves is certainly going to go a long way of endearing her more to Terra!

Gemini (AKA Deoxys Clone): N/A
Reasoning: I'm not even sure Syrentide can leash him/it to Terra first of all, so why teach him/it Moves they could use against ANYONE, and second of all between Attack Form and Defense Form he/it literally can beat anything and is itself unbeatable unless the opponent is packing either a Plot Device and/or is obscenely powerful. Those two things aside, I'm also not sure the E4 would allow him/it to be used in their Fights, as even if they could harm him his regen and Defense Form would certainly make him a touch more indestructible for their tastes.

That's the jist of everyone I want to improve on in some way, so handle it however you may, Iron! Of course, I can't get to improving/using Arete or Gemini without a lab and quick access to Mega Syrentide respectively, so hopefully those matters are resolved ASAP!

[Mikaruge108]

So, until I get used to how this volunteer job is going to affect my posting here, I'm going to have to take a break from both game tables. About a week, if I'm not back by then, assume I've retired from the games.
@Iron
@Dragonstrike

[Dragonstrike]

So, until I get used to how this volunteer job is going to affect my posting here, I'm going to have to take a break from both game tables. About a week, if I'm not back by then, assume I've retired from the games.

I guess that means we're autoing your characters, then?

[Mikaruge108]

So, until I get used to how this volunteer job is going to affect my posting here, I'm going to have to take a break from both game tables. About a week, if I'm not back by then, assume I've retired from the games.

I guess that means we're autoing your characters, then?

yes, please

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Ah. Well, I guess I said it already, but I hope you'll enjoy your volunteer job, have fun! Stop by again if you like and find the time. ヾ(・ω・*)

[Iron]

Good luck at the new job! It's great that you're volunteering.

Heart, we'll go ahead and do your battle with Angela now and get back to Spira's later.



Here are the new rules for diceless portions of the game:
You may now leave the region.
You may now split the party.
Still no quarterbacking or godmodding.
XP and mechanical progression will be different (TBD). I'm thinking about putting in a lot of move tutors that can be found, as a reward for exploring new areas, and pretty much replacing XP with $$$$.


Yeah, Fly does seem like it would evolve a Pidgey or Pidgeotto right away.

Music is always up to you and I almost never have anything in mind already. I love that you've been taking care of that.

If you work on the Loyalty and evolutions of your Pokemon during diceless, it sounds like moves are most of what's next. I'll use Move Tutors heavily and be sure to be on alert for times I can increase happiness, loyalty, and evolutionary stage. Then I'll give some bulk XP you can spend on surprises and player character stats.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

If there'll be lotsa Move Tutors around, we need lotsa cash to hand over as well. But I am feeling that this shouldn't be too much of a problem given we've accumulated quite much from the trip down the Skull Ruins. There'll probably be more from entering the mysterious fiths layer now that the trapdoor has opened (if we'll ever get to that and the hints are interpreted correctly by me, that is) and winning against Gym Leaders. Yay!~


I've got a question though, can we still ask for battles against an NPC as an Encounter for the sake of Pokemon Training and Bonding as well as to get some XP? Diceless naturally, with you introducing the opponent and their Pokemon and we describing how we defeat them. For example, I wanted Shiva to friendly-fight that one apprentice of Howl who's also a Move Tutor whose name I forgot.

Another one, will you still post Encounter Lists, for example when me and Nathan are on Garlicburg etc. to choose from and handle diceless? I hope so actually, because I've always liked those.