[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

Gust
(3)(3)(3)(5)(5)(5)(6)(3)
Combee expertly aims a gust of wind at the blob, or at the branch holding it. Whoosh! It comes loose and falls to the ground. The tree curls that branch in just slightly, still oozing a little pink sap. Tandal's eyes light up.

"Ligno!"

The big pink blob lands, splashes flat, and pulls itself upright. A face appears, two tiny black eyes and a nondescript smile. Then it shrinks, hardens, and takes to the air with a steely glint - it has become a Magnemite!

Thunder Shock 1
3 Dex + 1 Fight + 1 -2 actions
(2)(6)(3)
Evasion: (6)(4)(5)(5)(6)(2) Critical evade. Combee nimbly zips out of the way. He's even showing off a bit for Princess, how little he cares about an electric attack.

Thunder Shock 2
(4)(6)
Evasion: (3)(2)(1)(5)(4) Again the bee Pokemon evades. This time he's expecting it, so it's more methodical, but Princess is still pleased with her servant (never mind that he's following Nathan's commands, not hers).

Then the strangest thing yet happens. The trunk of the enigmatic tree splits open horizontally, revealing a line of pink. Two shingles shunt aside, revealing pink dots. A face. It's grinning, for now...

Hmmm...wait a second...

"Great job, Zippy.  Swiftfire, be ready to use Ember a few times if the attack continues.  Well, seems we might have some Ditto in the area, Tandal.  Or something similar, at any rate."

[Iron]

"This 'tree' is a Ligno. Akin to a cross between Sudowoodo and Ditto. Exceedingly rare. Over months or even years, this pink sap forms into new Ditto. The seed of the Pokemon that can breed with anything! If I bring back one of these Ditto, the Kennels in Arrowwood will trade me anything I ask for."

[Iron]

Rivalry: (6) It's male

Koa: (6)
Corphish: (2)

Swamp Corphish Round 1

Slash 1
(4)(6)(5)(6)(2) Critical hit.
9 dice -3 vit = 6d6
(6)(3)(5)(2)(2)(6) Corphish takes 3 dmg 3/6hp -2

Bubble 1
3 Dex + 2 Fight + 2 canalize - 3 actions -2 pain = 2d6
(1)(3) Miss!

Koa sneers. It wouldn't have hurt him anyway, with his tough dragon skin.

Slash 2
(5)(5)(1)(1)
(5)(4)(1)(2) Corphish takes 2 dmg 1/6hp -3 pain

Vice Grip 2
Another miss, as the dragon keeps Corphish on its many, many toes. Koa sinks

Slash 3
(6)(6)(5)
(6)(6)(1)(4) Koa has to be extremely careful to avoid hurting Corphish, even through its tough shell. And it's one round, one victory for the little dragon! He gains 2XP and Heart gains 1 XP.



Seaking: (5) + 4 Dex +4 Survival = 13
Yena: (4)

[Dragonstrike]

"This 'tree' is a Ligno. Akin to a cross between Sudowoodo and Ditto. Exceedingly rare. Over months or even years, this pink sap forms into new Ditto. The seed of the Pokemon that can breed with anything! If I bring back one of these Ditto, the Kennels in Arrowwood will trade me anything I ask for."

Nathan sighs.

"Yeah, I know what Ditto are used for typically.  My mom's a ponyta rancher, so I've got a decent background of pokemon breeding.  Never really agreed with the practice outside of using them to breed genderless pokemon, since there's no alternatives there.  Always felt a bit...weird to think about."

Nathan's got a pokeball ready now, though.

"Well, who gets the Ditto?  Despite my...distaste for the methods, I'm not going to ignore an opportunity like this one."

[Iron]

"There is much I would trade for. However, I do not have any Pokeballs, just Apricorns. If I were to capture it, I would do so the old fashioned way. I do not think it will exactly be convinced to come with us willingly, though I plan to give it the chance. Still, the difficulty is worth the reward, so I must request that I be allowed to capture it!"



According to Tandal, Ligno itself is a Pokemon, but a very strong-willed one. "More than even Trevenant, the most feared inhabitant of this swamp."

[Dragonstrike]

"There is much I would trade for. However, I do not have any Pokeballs, just Apricorns. If I were to capture it, I would do so the old fashioned way. I do not think it will exactly be convinced to come with us willingly, though I plan to give it the chance. Still, the difficulty is worth the reward, so I must request that I be allowed to capture it!"

According to Tandal, Ligno itself is a Pokemon, but a very strong-willed one. "More than even Trevenant, the most feared inhabitant of this swamp."

Nathan thinks for a moment...

"What would you trade for if you had a Ditto, if I may ask?  Me, I might hold on to it for a little while.  I have a particularly rare species of pokemon that I might want to breed more of later down the line if things go well enough, but the one I have is male, so that makes it kinda difficult to breed more of them under normal circumstances."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Seaking: (5) + 4 Dex +4 Survival = 13
Yena: (4)

Fine, it seems like that Seaking agreed. This means, after having given Cottonee another pet through her fluff and recalling her, her butterwolfly has been called out to the field - he yawned and stretched himself while the scales of his wings felt to the ground, before realizing that huuuge fish there... Did Master catch that? And what does HE have to do with that now?

"See this as some sort of training for you, Yena, and see if your teeth are able to get a grip on fish as well. But first, show us a Howl, will you?" Just like her Pokemon is asked to see this as an opportunity to train its skill, its owner did so as well, meaning that Shiva does step back a little now. That Seaking might give itself more difficult to defeat if she prefers to not outright defeat it with her Grass Types (shame her dear Electric rodents weren't with her currently), but she'll stay persistent.

---------------
Accuracy Roll Howl: 3 Dext + 2 Fight + 0 Intimidate - 2 Actions = 3d6
Effect: Grants +1 Strength.
Additional notes: I think with her occasional icy attitude, Shiva all but deserves a point in Intimidate Speciality sooner or later.

Accuracy Roll Bite: 3 Dext + 2 Fight + 0 Brawl - 3 Actions = 2d6
Damage Roll: Now with 3 Strength (4* if Howl suceeds and if Poochyena makes it to land a hit before going down) + 2 power of the move + 1 STAB = 6d6 (one more if Howl succeeded)
Additional notes: 3 CD to flinch Seaking. Shield Dust is protecting Yena from CD-effects.

[Iron]

"There is much I would trade for. However, I do not have any Pokeballs, just Apricorns. If I were to capture it, I would do so the old fashioned way. I do not think it will exactly be convinced to come with us willingly, though I plan to give it the chance. Still, the difficulty is worth the reward, so I must request that I be allowed to capture it!"

According to Tandal, Ligno itself is a Pokemon, but a very strong-willed one. "More than even Trevenant, the most feared inhabitant of this swamp."

Nathan thinks for a moment...

"What would you trade for if you had a Ditto, if I may ask?  Me, I might hold on to it for a little while.  I have a particularly rare species of pokemon that I might want to breed more of later down the line if things go well enough, but the one I have is male, so that makes it kinda difficult to breed more of them under normal circumstances."

"I am interested in rare Apricorns, items to make my Pokemon stronger, travel supplies, and an Electric type Pokemon to deal with Water Types in my work. I would also be able to obtain support for my family back in the Preserve."

You can bid XP with Tandal or you can try other methods to convince him. He's also an NPC so conflict with him is not mechanically forbidden.

[Iron]

Swamp Seaking Round 1

Seaking takes the line and runs with it in the rather small body of water, staying mostly submerged to benefit from Swift Swim.

Water Pulse 1
5* Dex + 3 Fight + 2 Canalize - 2 actions = 8d6
(4)(6)(2)(3)(1)(5)(6)(3)
3 Str + 3 power + 1 stab - 3 vit = 4d6
(3)(1)(3)(1)
Confuse: (2)(1)(5)

Poochyena leaps right through the ring unharmed as if he's a circus dog, howling in excitement.

Howl 1
(1)(4)(4)

Water Pulse 2
(5)(1)(1)(1)(6)(2)(3)
(6)(4)(3)(1) Poochyena takes 2 dmg from the renewed assault. 4/6hp -1 pain.

Bite 2
(2) Miss!

Seaking is almost playful in its attacks, making sure never to knock Poochyena into the deep water. Just firing shots like smoke rings.

Swamp Seaking Round 3

[Dragonstrike]

"I am interested in rare Apricorns, items to make my Pokemon stronger, travel supplies, and an Electric type Pokemon to deal with Water Types in my work. I would also be able to obtain support for my family back in the Preserve."

You can bid XP with Tandal or you can try other methods to convince him. He's also an NPC so conflict with him is not mechanically forbidden.

Oof.  This was looking like it wasn't going to go anywhere fast...Tandal has a solid reason that Nathan can't really argue with...

...Nathan was pretty unlikely to be able to do what he wanted to in the future if he didn't get a Ditto, though...

"That's a lot of stuff you could get with a lot of hard work, right?  Might not be easy, but you do have other options.  This pokemon I hope to breed in the future...he's the only one of his kind in Creshire so far.  The only one that's stayed, anyways.  And I can't be certain I'll be able to find a female of his exact species later.  For all intents and purposes, he might as well be a member of an endangered species right now.  With a Ditto...that wouldn't have to be the case.  I wouldn't have to worry about him being the sole example of his kind that we know of.  Can I ask that you let me try and capture this Ditto, for the sake of an entire species of pokemon?  I know it's a lot to weigh against your family, but...you seem like a strong, reliable guy.  I doubt you'd need a Ditto to get what you're aiming to obtain."

Maybe a moral appeal will be convincing enough?  If not, we might have to go to exp bidding...