[Meta Thread] Dragonstrike's Pokerole Test Game: Mount Coronet Mystery

[Dragonstrike]

One thing I would try to encourage more if I were starting over as GM? Trainer actions in combat that aren't damaging moves. I love the example in the book about riding a Tauros and sending a text, but the problem is it's basically always better to send  your mon in.

Maybe with the out-of-combat skills being separated to the trainer only, that will become more common!

Yeah, not much reason for a pokemon to take a Science Specialty unless they're a Porygon-Z, after all.  Or Etiquette if they don't know Bestow or similar.  For comparison, a human could be in a lot of situations where they might want to apply those specialties, but probably won't want a great deal of combat related specialties (besides Evasion and Throw) since their pokemon will be doing most of the battling.

The main way to encourage stuff like that is probably to set up situations where a trainer might want to use those specialties.  The book has them for a reason, after all.  The tauros example in the book is a field research situation that didn't involve combat.

Creative thinking in battle that fits the situation could be useful, too.  Again, the specialties are there for a reason, after all.  Maybe using your specialty can give you a clue about an action you could take to give you an advantage.

I do want to encourage a wider variety of rolls in my game if at all possible.

Spoiler

If you re implement the Corebook version of healing, then I DEFINITELY will never use/spend XP on Recovery outside of Potions/Berries and Recovery Moves (IF they don't need Will for the Heal). The Core's version makes using it WAY to much of a hassle unless a Pokemon is gain Will after every Encounter/every other Encounter/A set amount at the End of the Day/Will Point Restoratives are available and relatively inexpensive, so if you follow its interp. I'm pretty much going to ignore that system as much as possible. 

I get that healing needs to be limited, but I rather that be focused on the AMOUNT of heals you have per Encounter (Or Day, if having Heals Per Encounter is too much) or their EFFECTIVENESS (If they really need to be balanced THAT hard), rather than gating off them off with steep costs that screws a player over in other ways (Like not having the Will for Pain/Successes/Those few Moves that REQUIRE Will for its Roll and/or as a Check). I don't count Spend XP on Will as a 'good'/reliable way of Will Points, as a Pokemon would much rather be saving it for Stat Increases, Surprises, and/or Moves, might not always have enough XP to cover the cost, and it would effectively either void or severely reduce the overall XP gain of a Pokemon in they frequently use Moves that would spend Will Points on their activation.

My solution: Tie the amount of Dedicated Recovery Move used per Encounter/Every other Encounter/Day to the Level of a Pokemon. Every 20 - 25 Levels they have, they get + 1 Heals for a given Recovery Move, with a Move's Base Amount of Heals either being 1-2 or More (Amt. Could Vary With Move, Like Softboil/Wish/Swallow having a High Base Amt, or Synthesis/Moonlight/Sunlight having more Heals if the Weather's Sunny/conditions are favorable and less/None if its unfavorable, etc.). If a Pokemon has an Ability/is of a disposition that would thematically enhances healing, then give those Recovery Moves either more uses or increased effectiveness, and make increasing the Amt of Heals/Their Effectiveness/Additional Effects possible via the purchase of Surprises! (Costs will obviously vary). Leave Drain Moves and Ability Healing alone entirely.

My second, simplier solution: Limit 2 Heals per Encounter for Recovery Moves (Bar Surprises!/Other Shenanigans), or Limit 5 Heals Per Day (Depending on how many Encounters are in a given day). Leave Drain/Ability Healing alone.

Note: Where does Aqua Ring, Swallow, Heal Pulse, and other esoteric Healing Moves fall in the grand scheme of things, Dragonstrike?

What do you think, mate!

That I did. Sorta spoiled the surprise there, but I can deal with that.

If I were to limit healing by requiring Will to be spent for each use, I'd limit it only to moves that can do Basic and Complete heals.  Heal Pulse and Wish would both fall under that category, but Aqua Ring and Swallow would not (like with Drain and Ability based healing).

Sounds like we might be favoring a simpler solution for healing limitations, then.  The main question is it going to be per encounter or daily?  Hmmm...I'm leaning towards the smaller number per encounter tbh, but I'd still like to hear everybody's input.




There's still plenty more surprises though!