Post by Super Gmagical on Feb 16, 2018 11:48:59 GMT -8
So! As explained in the Announcements, we know the last attempt to fix the battle system became a bit of a mess and we'd like to try to fix it better this time.
The new ideas revolve around use of the dice plugin, and can make battling closer to how it is in-game with similarly regulated fairness while still allowing for plenty of RP flair.
EssTCNvup_1-100p_1-100
Dice rolls can be previewed in the post (as indicated with the "eye" symbol above), so you can see if your outcomes will be favorable or not without having to post and edit.
If the votes for this change are favorable, SG will attempt to edit the plugin to allow numerous preconfigured dice to show things like "Poisoned!" for a successful poison chance roll, and to be even harder to cheat results on than the plugin naturally makes it. This poll will both test member feelings toward the new ideas and let SG know if it's worth the time to work on that. (Barring a fancier solution, we may also just do something like setting different roll ranges for different effects, but that's to worry about later.)
The current proposal is as follows, and can be compared to the current rules in the Guidebook to see how much more simplified yet still versatile it is. Important note: in things like sparring matches where folks could agree on an outcome, these would still be optional.
Attacking & Actions
Each Pokemon gets two move slots per post. Only one of these can be used offensively. Two non-damaging moves can be used in the same post, but they must be different types of moves (as described in the status move section below).
Each Pokemon also gets one other major action per post. This may include dodging or bracing themselves for an oncoming attack (explained below), alongside other more obscure things like running across a room, using a move to launch themselves up to a ledge to get the high ground, trying to jump onto the opponent's back, or whatever else one can think of.
Something small like flashing the trainer a gesture or minor repositioning or the like does not count as a "major action". This limit is simply so one doesn't, say... dodge a move then run circles around the opponent then slide between their feet then duck behind a rock then-- etc, all in one post, creating a chaotic mess for the opponent to try to navigate. An action that can accomplish multiple benefits at once (ex: dodging by jumping to higher ground) is fine, so long as it's one fluid action and not a series of events.
Accuracy, and Critical Hits
When a Pokemon launches an attack that requires a target and does not automatically hit, a die is rolled (1-100) for both accuracy and critical hits. Base accuracy adds +20% if 80 or more and +10% if 75 or less to improve viability of some moves and help balance against dodging. Base accuracy cannot raise over 100%.
Raising or lowering Accuracy or Evasion changes it by a set 5%; this is done after the base boost. For instance, Stone Edge has 80% accuracy in-game, so it is 100% on Hori (though the foe can still Defend as described below). If a foe uses Sand Attack, the Pokemon's accuracy drops by 5%, so Stone Edge becomes 95%.
Rolling a 95-100 results in a Critical Hit. Things that raise Crit Ratio such as Super Luck, Focus Energy, and moves like Night Slash each give a +5% boost. A Critical Hit does 150% damage and ignores stat changes working against the attacker (excluding the attack drop from being burned). Crits have limited chance for Defense as described below.
When determining hit order, Speed is taken into account. When the second poster has the faster Pokemon, the first's Pokemon may have launched a move, but the second's can potentially swoop in and hit just a moment before it connects, for instance. A priority move overrides speed as usual.
A separate die roll is used to check for added effects of moves, such as status conditions, stat changes, and flinching.
Defensive Maneuvers
If a foe's move rolls a miss, congratulations! If not, you still might have a say in whether or not it hits by employing a Defensive Maneuver. There are three types of Defensive Maneuvers: Blocking, Dodging, and Bracing. Only one Defensive Maneuver can be used per turn. Blocking requires a moveslot, but whether the other slot is used for a damaging or non-damaging move is up to the user.
Blocking uses one of the Pokemon's moves to intercept the foe's. For example, using Flamethrower to cancel out an Ice Beam. A Physical move cannot be blocked by a Special move, and vice versa; in rare cases, a Status move may block either (this generally requires more creativity), and Status moves may be blocked any way that makes sense. Aside from this, there are no strict limits on what moves can block what, so long as it makes a degree of sense. Fairy Wind isn't going to be strong enough to block a Blizzard, etc. So long as everyone can handle this leniency well, though, it will stay this way.
Dodging is jumping out of the way. Dodging counts as an "action" rather than a move slot, shares blocking's limits on consecutive uses, and is limited per Pokemon per battle. Base Speed divided by 20 gives the number of dodges (so Ninjask gets 8; Shuckle cannot normally dodge). Round up or down by normal standards. Each stage speed is lowered or raised adds or subtracts 1 dodge from the total pool. Speed doubling moves and abilities, like Swift Swim and Tailwind, let the Pokemon dodge without affecting their normal pool for the duration. This does mean many Pokemon will accumulate far more than they can use in most PvP situations, but if, say, battling a Legendary Pokemon, that stamina may come in very handy!
Bracing against a move lets the Pokemon take half damage. (Formerly called "Tanking"; we can keep it "Tanking" if members prefer.) It could be compared to blocking a punch with your arm; your arm still hurts, but you protected your core. Bracing does not require a move slot and can be done consecutively. Bracing has no effect on status effect dealing moves such as Thunder Wave, field moves such as Toxic Spikes, nor stat decreasing moves such as Growl. You also cannot reduce the damage from status effects such as Poison or Burn in this matter.
Consecutive Use Rules: On the turn after using a Block or Dodge, the chance of any successful Defensive Maneuver goes down to 1 in 3, and a die must be rolled to attempt it. If you manage to Block or Dodge again, the chance drops to 1 in 10 and stays there until you take damage. Bracing counts as taking damage and will reset your odds. All Defensive Maneuver attempts require a move slot while odds are reduced, making it more reliable to simply skip defending for one turn after a Block or Dodge, or to continuously Brace to take slow but steady damage instead.
Moves like Protect and Spiky Shield count separately from Defensive Maneuvers, and can be used during the turn between blocks or dodges at full success rate. However, Protect and its variants are limited to two uses per Pokemon per battle; having more than one variant does not increase the limit. Note: Defensive maneuvers only protect against one move. Protect and variants can protect against both a foe's moves. (Ex: if the foe used Screech and Rock Slide, you could Block Screech or Rock Slide, but would be hit by the other. Protect would prevent both.)
Critical Hits: Critical hits cannot be Braced against, and Blocking or Dodging them ("dodging" being more of "tried to dodge and took a glancing rather than direct blow") only reduces them from 150% to 100% damage rather than avoiding damage.
Flinching: A move that rolls a successful Flinch prevents the defending Pokemon from Dodging or Bracing that turn, in addition to causing them to lose one move slot. If a Block is viable that turn, the defending Pokemon can block the Flinch-causing move (resulting in all the same other effects but avoiding damage). Of course, Pokemon with Inner Focus are unaffected by Flinch rolls and can use any defensive maneuver.
Other notes:
Z-Moves cannot be Dodged, Blocked, or Braced against; Protect makes them deal 25% damage.
Moves that always hit, such as Aura Sphere and Aerial Ace and status moves that bypass accuracy, cannot be Dodged, but can be Blocked or Braced against.
Priority moves can be Dodged or Braced against, but cannot be Blocked except by an equal or greater priority move.
Status Moves
(Same rules as now.)
Switching
(Same as now)
Misc:
Mega evolving takes 1 move slot. Z-Moves take both move slots. Charge/recovery moves take two move slots (which can be divided between the last slot of one post and the first of the next if desired). The ability Truant reduces a Pokemon to one move slot per turn.
Full Paralysis and Hurt In Confusion chances rely on dice rolls too. Full Paralysis removes 1 move slot and can only activate once per post. Hurt in Confusion also can only happen once per post.
OPTIONAL: Possibly a PokemonAmie type roll that lets a Pokemon survive a would-be-KO or shake off a status condition?
To help more practically conceptualize, here is a more step-by-step process, which can be cross-referenced with the more detailed breakdowns above.
Typical Battle Turn Guide:
The new ideas revolve around use of the dice plugin, and can make battling closer to how it is in-game with similarly regulated fairness while still allowing for plenty of RP flair.
EssTCNvup_1-100p_1-100
Dice rolls can be previewed in the post (as indicated with the "eye" symbol above), so you can see if your outcomes will be favorable or not without having to post and edit.
If the votes for this change are favorable, SG will attempt to edit the plugin to allow numerous preconfigured dice to show things like "Poisoned!" for a successful poison chance roll, and to be even harder to cheat results on than the plugin naturally makes it. This poll will both test member feelings toward the new ideas and let SG know if it's worth the time to work on that. (Barring a fancier solution, we may also just do something like setting different roll ranges for different effects, but that's to worry about later.)
The current proposal is as follows, and can be compared to the current rules in the Guidebook to see how much more simplified yet still versatile it is. Important note: in things like sparring matches where folks could agree on an outcome, these would still be optional.
Attacking & Actions
Each Pokemon gets two move slots per post. Only one of these can be used offensively. Two non-damaging moves can be used in the same post, but they must be different types of moves (as described in the status move section below).
Each Pokemon also gets one other major action per post. This may include dodging or bracing themselves for an oncoming attack (explained below), alongside other more obscure things like running across a room, using a move to launch themselves up to a ledge to get the high ground, trying to jump onto the opponent's back, or whatever else one can think of.
Something small like flashing the trainer a gesture or minor repositioning or the like does not count as a "major action". This limit is simply so one doesn't, say... dodge a move then run circles around the opponent then slide between their feet then duck behind a rock then-- etc, all in one post, creating a chaotic mess for the opponent to try to navigate. An action that can accomplish multiple benefits at once (ex: dodging by jumping to higher ground) is fine, so long as it's one fluid action and not a series of events.
Accuracy, and Critical Hits
When a Pokemon launches an attack that requires a target and does not automatically hit, a die is rolled (1-100) for both accuracy and critical hits. Base accuracy adds +20% if 80 or more and +10% if 75 or less to improve viability of some moves and help balance against dodging. Base accuracy cannot raise over 100%.
Raising or lowering Accuracy or Evasion changes it by a set 5%; this is done after the base boost. For instance, Stone Edge has 80% accuracy in-game, so it is 100% on Hori (though the foe can still Defend as described below). If a foe uses Sand Attack, the Pokemon's accuracy drops by 5%, so Stone Edge becomes 95%.
Rolling a 95-100 results in a Critical Hit. Things that raise Crit Ratio such as Super Luck, Focus Energy, and moves like Night Slash each give a +5% boost. A Critical Hit does 150% damage and ignores stat changes working against the attacker (excluding the attack drop from being burned). Crits have limited chance for Defense as described below.
When determining hit order, Speed is taken into account. When the second poster has the faster Pokemon, the first's Pokemon may have launched a move, but the second's can potentially swoop in and hit just a moment before it connects, for instance. A priority move overrides speed as usual.
A separate die roll is used to check for added effects of moves, such as status conditions, stat changes, and flinching.
Defensive Maneuvers
If a foe's move rolls a miss, congratulations! If not, you still might have a say in whether or not it hits by employing a Defensive Maneuver. There are three types of Defensive Maneuvers: Blocking, Dodging, and Bracing. Only one Defensive Maneuver can be used per turn. Blocking requires a moveslot, but whether the other slot is used for a damaging or non-damaging move is up to the user.
Blocking uses one of the Pokemon's moves to intercept the foe's. For example, using Flamethrower to cancel out an Ice Beam. A Physical move cannot be blocked by a Special move, and vice versa; in rare cases, a Status move may block either (this generally requires more creativity), and Status moves may be blocked any way that makes sense. Aside from this, there are no strict limits on what moves can block what, so long as it makes a degree of sense. Fairy Wind isn't going to be strong enough to block a Blizzard, etc. So long as everyone can handle this leniency well, though, it will stay this way.
Dodging is jumping out of the way. Dodging counts as an "action" rather than a move slot, shares blocking's limits on consecutive uses, and is limited per Pokemon per battle. Base Speed divided by 20 gives the number of dodges (so Ninjask gets 8; Shuckle cannot normally dodge). Round up or down by normal standards. Each stage speed is lowered or raised adds or subtracts 1 dodge from the total pool. Speed doubling moves and abilities, like Swift Swim and Tailwind, let the Pokemon dodge without affecting their normal pool for the duration. This does mean many Pokemon will accumulate far more than they can use in most PvP situations, but if, say, battling a Legendary Pokemon, that stamina may come in very handy!
{Spoiler}{Example}Blaziken has 80 base speed, so it starts with 4 dodges.
If it has its HA of Speed Boost, after the first turn its total dodges available will raise to 5.
If it dodged its first turn, it will have 4/5 remaining dodges instead of 3/4.
If an ally uses Tailwind, Blaziken's Speed Boost will continue to give it +1 to the pool each turn until it reaches +6, but dodging while Tailwind is active won't subtract from those.
If it has its HA of Speed Boost, after the first turn its total dodges available will raise to 5.
If it dodged its first turn, it will have 4/5 remaining dodges instead of 3/4.
If an ally uses Tailwind, Blaziken's Speed Boost will continue to give it +1 to the pool each turn until it reaches +6, but dodging while Tailwind is active won't subtract from those.
Bracing against a move lets the Pokemon take half damage. (Formerly called "Tanking"; we can keep it "Tanking" if members prefer.) It could be compared to blocking a punch with your arm; your arm still hurts, but you protected your core. Bracing does not require a move slot and can be done consecutively. Bracing has no effect on status effect dealing moves such as Thunder Wave, field moves such as Toxic Spikes, nor stat decreasing moves such as Growl. You also cannot reduce the damage from status effects such as Poison or Burn in this matter.
Consecutive Use Rules: On the turn after using a Block or Dodge, the chance of any successful Defensive Maneuver goes down to 1 in 3, and a die must be rolled to attempt it. If you manage to Block or Dodge again, the chance drops to 1 in 10 and stays there until you take damage. Bracing counts as taking damage and will reset your odds. All Defensive Maneuver attempts require a move slot while odds are reduced, making it more reliable to simply skip defending for one turn after a Block or Dodge, or to continuously Brace to take slow but steady damage instead.
Moves like Protect and Spiky Shield count separately from Defensive Maneuvers, and can be used during the turn between blocks or dodges at full success rate. However, Protect and its variants are limited to two uses per Pokemon per battle; having more than one variant does not increase the limit. Note: Defensive maneuvers only protect against one move. Protect and variants can protect against both a foe's moves. (Ex: if the foe used Screech and Rock Slide, you could Block Screech or Rock Slide, but would be hit by the other. Protect would prevent both.)
Critical Hits: Critical hits cannot be Braced against, and Blocking or Dodging them ("dodging" being more of "tried to dodge and took a glancing rather than direct blow") only reduces them from 150% to 100% damage rather than avoiding damage.
Flinching: A move that rolls a successful Flinch prevents the defending Pokemon from Dodging or Bracing that turn, in addition to causing them to lose one move slot. If a Block is viable that turn, the defending Pokemon can block the Flinch-causing move (resulting in all the same other effects but avoiding damage). Of course, Pokemon with Inner Focus are unaffected by Flinch rolls and can use any defensive maneuver.
Other notes:
Z-Moves cannot be Dodged, Blocked, or Braced against; Protect makes them deal 25% damage.
Moves that always hit, such as Aura Sphere and Aerial Ace and status moves that bypass accuracy, cannot be Dodged, but can be Blocked or Braced against.
Priority moves can be Dodged or Braced against, but cannot be Blocked except by an equal or greater priority move.
Status Moves
(Same rules as now.)
Switching
(Same as now)
Misc:
Mega evolving takes 1 move slot. Z-Moves take both move slots. Charge/recovery moves take two move slots (which can be divided between the last slot of one post and the first of the next if desired). The ability Truant reduces a Pokemon to one move slot per turn.
Full Paralysis and Hurt In Confusion chances rely on dice rolls too. Full Paralysis removes 1 move slot and can only activate once per post. Hurt in Confusion also can only happen once per post.
OPTIONAL: Possibly a PokemonAmie type roll that lets a Pokemon survive a would-be-KO or shake off a status condition?
To help more practically conceptualize, here is a more step-by-step process, which can be cross-referenced with the more detailed breakdowns above.
Typical Battle Turn Guide:
- Decide who goes first. In most cases, the player whose Pokemon has the highest Speed stat should post first. If, however, the slower Pokemon is allowed in-character to have the first move (as in a character saying "You can go first", etc), then that Pokemon effectively gets a free turn, although the faster Pokemon can still Defend. Either way, once the faster Pokemon makes their first move, a sort of rhythm is established.
- The Pokemon who makes the first move gets only one move slot that post. (On that note, should a slower Pokemon's owner not want that limitation, they are allowed to decline an offer to go first.) This move can be offensive or a status move.
- After the first post, each Pokemon gets two move slots (aside from Pokemon with Truant, who only get one). Only one may do direct damage to the opponent. One or both move slots can be used for any combination of status moves and blocking. It is recommended, but not required, that Pokemon usually use their damaging move in the second slot if they use one in order to help reactions flow more naturally.
- Pokemon may also take time to do one other major action per post, including dodging or bracing themselves for an oncoming attack, or other more obscure things that would take up several seconds and their focus. Very brief minor things do not count as a major action; this limit simply helps prevent posts from getting bogged down and time from getting awkward.
- Ignoring the first turn, in a normal set of posts, the faster Pokemon will use two moves and optionally one other action. Then, the slower Pokemon can choose whether to defend. If they dodge or brace themselves, they will then have their own two move slots to spend. If they block, they will have one remaining move slot and optionally some other action.
- The faster Pokemon's second move should be assumed to happen almost simultaneously with the slower Pokemon's first move. As such, from the start of a battle, move execution order will look something like this, using Raichu as our fast Pokemon and Magcargo as our slow one.
Post 1:
Raichu makes the first move, a Thunderbolt.
Post 2:
Magcargo blocks it using Ancient Power. Magcargo uses Earth Power.
Post 3:
Raichu dodges it. Raichu uses Agility. Raichu uses Thunder.
Post 4:
Magcargo is still processing while Raichu is using Agility. Magcargo Yawns as Raichu is launching Thunder. Magcargo is then hit by Thunder. Magcargo uses Flamethrower.
Post 5:
Raichu becomes drowsy from the Yawn. Raichu uses Thunder Wave as Magcargo is shooting Flamethrower. Raichu is then hit by Flamethrower. Raichu uses Thunderbolt.
(And so-forth. Of course, in an actual post, dice would also be rolled for things like Thunder's accuracy and paralyze chance.)