[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Iron]

Spoiler

We'll make that a medicine check. Only three dice, but it's simple enough - 2 successes needed.
(5)(3)(6)
Terra is lucky enough to wash out the worst of Angie's blinding powder, due in part for the trust the giant serpent bears him. It helps to raise 'em right!

Angie gets back on track, and centers on the Barrow Down Cosh indicated! You can see a ring of broken masonry surrounding it, that was once almost a small palace. It still has a massive stone door standing in a stone archway/doorway, with several bricks missing. Of course, you can just fly right around it, since the wall is missing too!

Excellent! Terra let's out a *Sigh* of relief as he calms Angie down and gets that nasty stuff out of her eyes, as dealing with a giant out of control Dragon was NOT something he needed to compound their existing difficulties over the literally accursed and rank pits!

Regarding the Barrow Down, the mountain of a man decided to have Angie repeatedly use ROCK SMASH to break down the stone door (And asks if Cosh could help him with that), then touchdown outside the gate, Solomon at his side (And Angie still floating up high), and politely requesting that the wise king use his Psychic senses to determine if they were any traps/dangers beyond the gates, as well as anything else significant. If its dark past the gates, request they use FLASH too to reveal any hidden secrets/baddies.. While flying around was an option, given all the nasty traps he and his partners have face thus far, the sagely monk had a gut feeling that 'the easy way' had some cruel hazard associated with it, and so opted to just smash in a 'safer' way. 

Paranoid? Perhaps, but when it was apparent that the Skull Ruins itself seemed out to get EVERYONE, such sentiments seem less irrational and more justified than ever....

Order: Just ROCK SMASH the Stone Gates into dust with/without Cosh's help, the get Solomon to scope out the place before any further action is done! If destroy the gates summons baddies, then I guess it'll just be Angie fight for Terra in mid-air, unless he can also summon/hold onto Oinari and have her use Extrasensories to help out in that event! Brute and Brain forces, engage!

I'll get to this when the group regroups.

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

Excellent! Terra let's out a *Sigh* of relief as he calms Angie down and gets that nasty stuff out of her eyes, as dealing with a giant out of control Dragon was NOT something he needed to compound their existing difficulties over the literally accursed and rank pits!

Regarding the Barrow Down, the mountain of a man decided to have Angie repeatedly use ROCK SMASH to break down the stone door (And asks if Cosh could help him with that), then touchdown outside the gate, Solomon at his side (And Angie still floating up high), and politely requesting that the wise king use his Psychic senses to determine if they were any traps/dangers beyond the gates, as well as anything else significant. If its dark past the gates, request they use FLASH too to reveal any hidden secrets/baddies.. While flying around was an option, given all the nasty traps he and his partners have face thus far, the sagely monk had a gut feeling that 'the easy way' had some cruel hazard associated with it, and so opted to just smash in a 'safer' way. 

Paranoid? Perhaps, but when it was apparent that the Skull Ruins itself seemed out to get EVERYONE, such sentiments seem less irrational and more justified than ever....

Order: Just ROCK SMASH the Stone Gates into dust with/without Cosh's help, the get Solomon to scope out the place before any further action is done! If destroy the gates summons baddies, then I guess it'll just be Angie fight for Terra in mid-air, unless he can also summon/hold onto Oinari and have her use Extrasensories to help out in that event! Brute and Brain forces, engage!

I'll get to this when the group regroups.

(Fine by me! I'll let you handle the details from there, then!)

[Spiritmon]

Spoiler

Spoiler

"I don't have any healing spells, sorry. And that's not a move, it's a spell. It does make me very strong, though. I learned it, like any other spell. Spells are easier if your belted Pokemon know the move, but it's not necessary, as long as YOU know the spell and your Pokemon can theoretically learn something similar. Can we, uh, stop talking about Pokemon now?"

Heart's side of the encounter was worth 12XP.

"Why? Why stop talk about Pokemon? It makes you...uncomfortable or something?" Heart walk with Gendry in his side when they were returning to the camp. "Did you get bad experiences before with Pokemon Gendry, thats why you avoid talk about Pokemons?"

"Also, I wondering...you Scimitars can tap the power of your Pokemons partneers using those gautlets correct? I remember that Juni using her gautlet to absorb the power of other mons', including her own Alakazam, as far I can remember. Did you do the same thing to learn such move of your Pokemons? This is not like...what you Scimitars is trying to stop from happening? About humans using pokemon as fighting machines or something like that? Your goals kinda remind me of Team Plasma. Before, uh, their Leader go nuts, trying to begin a Ice Age and almost destroy half of Unova. You know, the usual."

Before leaving, Heart decided to check behind the statue of Golurk @Iron.

12 XP to Atlas and 6 to Heart correct?

"Scimitars never talk about Pokemon. It's part of our training, to leave the Trainer part of ourselves behind in pursuit of becoming something more than human. Haven't you noticed?"

"We don't risk our Pokemon. They stay safe in their balls, impervious to harm, while we take on all the risks. Our goals have nothing in common with Team Plasma because we don't try to stop others from being Trainers. It's their own problem."

Behind the fallen statue, the path continues toward the ancient Barrow, where you see Terra approaching for a landing.

Yes, you have the XP correctly.

"That's sucks. Be a trainer is how humans can have bonds with Pokemon. To understand then, and be conpanions, or in some cases, family. Quetzel and I once was in not so good terms, and requires training and will for us understand each other both in soul and spirit. And it was that connection, that "Trainer" side of me who make me what you say "More human". Perhaps you should reconsider your own concepts Gendry."

"You mean "imprisoned". Did you at least ask they feel? Did you at least release them from time to time? Just to enjoy the light of the sun? The beauty of a star night sky? The feeling of rain? Did you only use them...as tools? Are you so much cold to that point? Thats why you brainwashed those Solosis and Reuniclus? And you guys would do the same thing to our Pokemon? And you...okay with that?"

Heart see the passage, and thinks for a second. "Should we follow your Leader and my friend Gendry? They see are having fun. After you."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Aww!~ I didn't even expect to earn bonus XP for that custom-sprite-edit.

Hmm, @Iron, did you accidently miss that Whimsi's Cotton Guard will go first due to her Prankster Ability? Maybe I should have highlighted it too to make sure. That move grants her +3 Defense (not 2), if I remove the last three rolled dice of attacks that hit her she has suffered only 3 points of damage in total instead of 6. Is it okay with you edit things this way?

Another question, can I heal Raphael's Burn1 with the help of Azu's Water Sport too instead of using human-made medicine? Corebook implies that it's doable by 'outside of battle others can help extinguish the fire'.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------


"FREAKING RATS! F...FREAKING' DARKNESS!!" Shiva calls out into the pitchblack darkness upon all the nasty rodents are finally defeated, this encounter gave her a new dislike for Rat Pokemon. The re-opened bites are painful and nasty, but despite it stings initially, an Antidote quickly cure them for Shiva and Whimsi. Much better, but she's still full of scratches (2/9hp): A Heal Pulse soon and a good amount of sleep later should relieve most of these though.

Raphael's at 5/9hp, now that the battle is over Shiva calls the archangel to her side for a calming embrace. ""There, there, Raphael, all's okay now, we defeated them all. Come, let Azu cool and soothe the burn that creature gave you.. *summoning and turning to the fae rabbit* Can you please do that, Azu? Use a Water Sport or bring up some cooling bubbles." Raphael's also asked to heal some of his wounds himself via Morning Sun (Basic Heal), he's in a condition where this should be enough for now.

You can't put a fainted mon to sleep, and it will be very hard to target the thing in the dark. Between Flashes, Arachnautilus screeches that she wants the thing too. "I think it was some kind of Raichu or Raichu-cousin! What do you want with it, you're into pretty pink Pokemon! This thing is jet black like the night. That's my wheelhouse and you know it! I should be the one to catch it. Please?"

Burns, bleeding are easily stopped once combat ends. The darkness, however, stays put!

Ugh, why isn't Shiva suprised over Arachna competing with her for that catch?! She immediately fires back though: "I'm not into pretty pink Pokemon, I'm not Angela, I'm into grassy and faelike Pokemon close to Nature, you...!!! (＃`3´) I want that edgy black thing because.... because..."

Then she sighs impercibly. "FINE, catch it if you can and want. BUT under the condition that you'll carry it with you for now, that at camp later  you'll summon it  so that I can take a photo of it and  draw it into my notebook, and that you heal the wounds these rats have caused to you by yourself! At least that bleeding, that many Antidotes I don't even have, the others have Heal Pulses available if all else fails, but you have cool spells I'll never master!" She takes a deep breath. "This jet-black rodent is possibly a species of Pokemon yet unknown to science, I'd like to... to have at least some lasting footage of it if I'll let you have it!!"

Seems like Shiva's wish to not get into a heated fight with her Scim Partner is even stronger than her desire to catch and perhaps breed this unidetified rodent, and that Raffiti knows Scald...! That's a VERY rare Unovian move unless you get a copy of the matching TM. "I'll get that... that 'Raffiti' for myself in return." (With 2 normal Pokeballs for now, if they break, a Steel Ball is it. Can a fainted Pokemon be confused though? If so, that's Lilith's task with Flatter.)

[Mikaruge108]

Spoiler

DARKRAI?




Mismagius Coven Round 2
Nubi: (6)
Hida: (1)


Lucky Chant 1
(6)(3)(4)(5)(6)


DARKRAI HAS NO POWER HERE.


Hex 1A-D
(5)(1)(1)(1)(5)
(3)(6)(1)(5)(6)
(4)(5)(2)(2)(3)
(3)(5)(2)(4)(3)
(3)(2)
(3)(1)
(4)(5)
(6)(2) Nubi takes 7 dmg 2/9hp OUTSIDERRRR....

Potion brings him to 6/9hp.

Hex 1E-H on Hida
(1)(6)(6)(2)(3)(4) (5)
(4)(6)(5)(3)(4)(1) (5)
(2)(2)(1)(1)(1)(4) (3) miss
(2)(1)(5)(3)(4)(3) (4)
(6)(6)
(6)(5)
(1)(3) Hida takes 4 dmg


Pulsing Darkness 1
(4)(6)(2)(2)(2)(5)
(3)(4)(1)(1)(4) Mismagius Group A faints
Steel Ball: (6)(2) v (2)(1)(2) Gotcha! Mismagius was caught! The Steel Ball glows bright red and is too hot to handle without protection.


THIS COVEN DANCES FOR ANOTHER POWER.



Rock Slide 1
(2)(2)(6)(3)(1)(4)
(5)(1)(6)(6)(4) Mismagius Group B takes 4 dmg 3/7hp -2 pain





A POWER EQUALLY GREAT.... WATCH


CD: (3)(6)(3)  The surviving coven members flinch back as they deliver their warning.



YOUR


Confuse Ray 2
(6)(2)(2)(2)(2)(3) (3)


STEP.


Hex 2E-H - they don't seem to like other ghosts, much less a Mismagius of Darkrai.
(6)(5)(3)(5)
(1)(4)(4)(1)
(4)(6)(2)(2)
(3)(1)(1)(2)
(6)(6)
(3)(2)
(3)(3) Nubi takes 5 dmg 1hp remains!

Pulsing Darkness 1
(1)(4)(3)(2)(2)(5)
(5)(5)(2)(3)(4) Mismagius Group B faints

Spira's share of the XP is 16XP.

Gotcha! Mismagius was caught!
+2 Insight Surprise, ability to enchant flying "broomsticks" holding 5 pounds.
0/0/4
Mean Look, Confuse Ray, Hex, Icy Wind, Nasty Plot, Moonlight, Foul Play, 0XP moves, Growl, Psywave, Pain Split
Pokeball must be handled with protection until Obedient.

Considering all he's learned so far about Creshire, Spira's lore increases to 2 for 6xp and Alert is increased to 3 for 12 xp.
First things first, Spira uses his only Revive on Toya, then he checks on Elya. "Are you alright?" He offers her a hand to help her up. He then slides his sleeves back down, puts his coat back on and tries to pick up the Steel Ball *tsss* "Ow! Hot!" He reaches into the pocket of his coat and pulls out a leather glove to handle the ball with. "Sheesh." A power equally great to Darkrai's? that is disconcerting to Spira; he can't think of many Pokemon that would fit the bill.. Now that the Mismagius coven is dealt with, he continues investigating the Stonehenge-type circle, without touching the stones this time.

[Iron]

Spoiler

D-M-Charizard-X Round 1

Flash 1
(1)(2)(4)(1)(5)(4) (1)(3)(4)(5)
Charizard bellows and reacts violently, quite the opposite of Flash's effect in Shiva's encounter.
-4 accuracy which will fade to -3 shortly

Scary Face 1
(4)(5)(2)(1)(6)(3)(4)
-2 Dex (although it doesn't make any sense that Charizard would be able to see the Scary Face, maybe there is some roaring too)

A change comes over Kelda. Her face becomes suddenly sunken and drawn, and a sandy wind swirls around her. The ancient ground splits at small areas, revealing protruding bone shards, legs and arms snapped in half into sharp points. They thrust forward and pass through the strange Charizard at his head and tail.

Bone Blades 1 & 2
(6)(3)(1)(6)(2)(4) (3)
(6)(3)(5)(6)(5)(5) Critical
(2)
(5)(3)(2)
Kelda is sad to see it doesn't deal super effective damage, but she's demonstrated her stuff by using a Ground "spell" on Mega Charizard.
Foe Charizard takes 1 dmg

Her face goes back to normal, squinting a bit and with a determined expression.

Unblind 1 Charizard rages and wreathes his eyes in dark fire to assuage the bright assault.

Night Slash 2
(3)(4)(2)(6)(6)(2) (2)(3)(1)(4) Critical
(2)(6)(6)(2)(5) Foe Charizard takes 2 dmg, revealing he is part Dark type. 7/10hp -1 pain

Rock Smash 2 - very foresighted orders.
(3)(3)(4)(4)(5)(5) (3)(4)(6) Critski
(6)(5)(5)(1)(2)(5) Foe Charizard takes 5 dmg 2/10hp -2 pain
CD: (2)(2)(4)(1)(1)

Night Slash 2 on your Charizard. Squinting whenever that real fire crosses his field of vision.
(6)(3)(6)(4) - 3 successes
Evade 3: (4)(2)(2)(4)(2)(2) Only 2 successes.
6 Str + 3 power +1 stab +1 from the Ruins -4 vit = 7d6
(4)(4)(4)(3)(6)(6) (3) Nathan's Charizard takes 5 lethal damage and crashes from the sky, his tail reducing some ruins to rubble, his fire flickering on and off.


Calam cries vengeance!
Rock Smash 3
(6)(4)(3)(4)(1)(4) (5)(5)(3) Critical
(1)(5)(2)(4) The Charizard projection faints, crumbling to ash but leaving very real damage. Like Gengar, the refuse of the Pokemon doesn't look like it was very healthy for the environment.

The rock puzzle also splits down the middle of each tile. Within each one is a small nugget of gold, crudely shaped to resemble a sunlike symbol, a web connecting each tile to the others internally. The melt value of the gold is $8000.

Nathan's side of the encounter is worth 12XP.

Charizard's bellowing cry of pain from taking so much Lethal damage from one attack is only accentuated by the humiliation of failing to dodge that move.  And after he did so well dodging all those Sideways Whips in the Almanac Labs, too...

And Nathan was prepared for a moment like this!  He immediately rushes to Charizard's side to stabilize and treat those wounds effectively and quickly!  "...hold still for a moment, buddy...you're doing good, alright?  You're doing just fine..."  Nathan's confidence in Charizard's skill and how he'll pull through this mishap shines through, a far cry from how the dragon's original trainer acted.  If there's anything Nathan wants to reinforce with Charizard, it's that he'll always be there for him, no matter what, and that Charizard isn't disappointing Nathan at all.

If that Night Slash had crit, that could have potentially killed Charizard outright...fortunately, the Lucky Chant outright prevented that possibility entirely, but...phew...that was close...

Stabilize Check:
6 + 5 + 0 - 3 = 8 D6

One Hyper Potion is also used on Charizard to help patch up those wounds lickety split!

(1)(3)(4)(1)(3)(4)(5)(6)

If anything, this encounter increased Charizard's desire to mega-evolve someday. Maybe not into that thing, though.

[Iron]

The Swarm attack ignores defenses, so my mistake with Prankster didn't actually make a difference.

I usually assume a burn1 is automatically extinguished once the battle ends. You can use Water Sport for that indeed.

Morning Sun: (This will happen when you leave the darkness)
(6)(2)(1)(5)

Fainted Pokemon can only be afflicted with physical statuses - freeze, burn, paralysis, poison.

"That's a good bargain and costs me nothing. I agree."

Pokeball: (4)(3) v (2)(5)
(6)(3) v (6)(1)
(1)(6) v (1)(4)
(4)(3) v (5)(4) Pokeball broken

Pokeball: (4)(2) v (4)(4) Pokeball broken

Steel Ball: (1)(5) v (5)(2)
(3)(2) v (2)(1)
(3)(3) v (5)(1)
(1)(4) v (1)(1)

Gotcha! Raffiti was caught!
0/0/3
Insomnia
Bite, Thief, Taunt, Sketch, Knock Off, Scald, Stealth Rock, Ancient Power
Raffiti can relearn Sketch for 21XP + 10x the number of times he's known sketch - currently 4. So it would cost him 61XP to learn it again. (it's just like Smeargle).

Arachnautilus has enough Conditional Balls that she'd eventually catch the dark Pokemon. Studying it, you would eventually realize it is a Delta Raichu, with the pure Dark type.

[Iron]

Spoiler

DARKRAI?




Mismagius Coven Round 2
Nubi: (6)
Hida: (1)


Lucky Chant 1
(6)(3)(4)(5)(6)


DARKRAI HAS NO POWER HERE.


Hex 1A-D
(5)(1)(1)(1)(5)
(3)(6)(1)(5)(6)
(4)(5)(2)(2)(3)
(3)(5)(2)(4)(3)
(3)(2)
(3)(1)
(4)(5)
(6)(2) Nubi takes 7 dmg 2/9hp OUTSIDERRRR....

Potion brings him to 6/9hp.

Hex 1E-H on Hida
(1)(6)(6)(2)(3)(4) (5)
(4)(6)(5)(3)(4)(1) (5)
(2)(2)(1)(1)(1)(4) (3) miss
(2)(1)(5)(3)(4)(3) (4)
(6)(6)
(6)(5)
(1)(3) Hida takes 4 dmg


Pulsing Darkness 1
(4)(6)(2)(2)(2)(5)
(3)(4)(1)(1)(4) Mismagius Group A faints
Steel Ball: (6)(2) v (2)(1)(2) Gotcha! Mismagius was caught! The Steel Ball glows bright red and is too hot to handle without protection.


THIS COVEN DANCES FOR ANOTHER POWER.



Rock Slide 1
(2)(2)(6)(3)(1)(4)
(5)(1)(6)(6)(4) Mismagius Group B takes 4 dmg 3/7hp -2 pain





A POWER EQUALLY GREAT.... WATCH


CD: (3)(6)(3)  The surviving coven members flinch back as they deliver their warning.



YOUR


Confuse Ray 2
(6)(2)(2)(2)(2)(3) (3)


STEP.


Hex 2E-H - they don't seem to like other ghosts, much less a Mismagius of Darkrai.
(6)(5)(3)(5)
(1)(4)(4)(1)
(4)(6)(2)(2)
(3)(1)(1)(2)
(6)(6)
(3)(2)
(3)(3) Nubi takes 5 dmg 1hp remains!

Pulsing Darkness 1
(1)(4)(3)(2)(2)(5)
(5)(5)(2)(3)(4) Mismagius Group B faints

Spira's share of the XP is 16XP.

Gotcha! Mismagius was caught!
+2 Insight Surprise, ability to enchant flying "broomsticks" holding 5 pounds.
0/0/4
Mean Look, Confuse Ray, Hex, Icy Wind, Nasty Plot, Moonlight, Foul Play, 0XP moves, Growl, Psywave, Pain Split
Pokeball must be handled with protection until Obedient.

Considering all he's learned so far about Creshire, Spira's lore increases to 2 for 6xp and Alert is increased to 3 for 12 xp.
First things first, Spira uses his only Revive on Toya, then he checks on Elya. "Are you alright?" He offers her a hand to help her up. He then slides his sleeves back down, puts his coat back on and tries to pick up the Steel Ball *tsss* "Ow! Hot!" He reaches into the pocket of his coat and pulls out a leather glove to handle the ball with. "Sheesh." A power equally great to Darkrai's? that is disconcerting to Spira; he can't think of many Pokemon that would fit the bill.. Now that the Mismagius coven is dealt with, he continues investigating the Stonehenge-type circle, without touching the stones this time.

She smiles shyly. "What a gentleman! I'm OK for now, thank you."

Each stone in the circle is marked with a phase of the moon and a witchy rune to go along with it. The ghostly energy between the stones has slackened - it was the inhabitants who kept it going. The stones are otherwise unremarkable aside from being very old, dating back to Sarimanok's time.

[Dragonstrike]

(1)(3)(4)(1)(3)(4)(5)(6)

If anything, this encounter increased Charizard's desire to mega-evolve someday. Maybe not into that thing, though.

"Haha.  I definitely don't think you'd end up like that thing.  Guess Delta Charizard are a bit more...violent than the usual variety, huh?  Take it easy for now, kay?  You took a lot of damage there.  I don't think it'll scar, but let's try not to make it worse."

Alright, crisis averted!  Phew!  Now Nathan has time to chat a little more with Kelda and examine the rest of the surrounding stuff.

First off, a comment to Kelda: "Was that attack based on the Cubone family's Bonemerang?  That was, uh...very creepy looking...*ahem*..."  And Nathan's not just talking about all the bones popping out of the ground... "...good job, though. Definitely seem to know your stuff pokemon wise. You'd be surprised how many people forget Mega Charizard X are vulnerable to Ground type moves due to how rare it is."

Second, the gold!  I suppose Kelda might want a share of it, right?

We'll get to the door once we've sorted out the gold.

[Iron]

(1)(3)(4)(1)(3)(4)(5)(6)

If anything, this encounter increased Charizard's desire to mega-evolve someday. Maybe not into that thing, though.

"Haha.  I definitely don't think you'd end up like that thing.  Guess Delta Charizard are a bit more...violent than the usual variety, huh?  Take it easy for now, kay?  You took a lot of damage there.  I don't think it'll scar, but let's try not to make it worse."

Alright, crisis averted!  Phew!  Now Nathan has time to chat a little more with Kelda and examine the rest of the surrounding stuff.

First off, a comment to Kelda: "Was that attack based on the Cubone family's Bonemerang?  That was, uh...very creepy looking...*ahem*..."  And Nathan's not just talking about all the bones popping out of the ground...  "...good job, though.  Definitely seem to know your stuff pokemon wise.  You'd be surprised how many people forget Mega Charizard X are vulnerable to Ground type moves due to how rare it is."

Second, the gold!  I suppose Kelda might want a share of it, right?

We'll get to the door once we've sorted out the gold.

"Blech, yes, alright? It was Cubone. You can keep the gold. I am paid VERY well."