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[TomatoWalrus]

I don't think any of us have a clue what we're doing. I've never really played a tabletop game before, so I'm just playing it by ear and enjoying what comes out of it.

[Neonivek]

It doesn't help that the book is often poorly written and confusing with odd additions that make no sense here and there.

I've often had to read sections several times just to understand them and still got it wrong. Especially since they often go against how most other games do them.

So mistakes are bound to happen.

[Fabulous death bringer]

Yup, mistake are bound to happen, but doens't that make the game fun?

[birdy51]

If it does help to make catching harder, Pokeballs have to hit their target first with a roll of AC 6 or better. That is without factoring in a Pokémon's dodging abilities as well. Just hitting the Pokémon with a Pokeball can be the hard part sometimes.

[Neonivek]

If it does help to make catching harder, Pokeballs have to hit their target first with a roll of AC 6 or better. That is without factoring in a Pokémon's dodging abilities as well. Just hitting the Pokémon with a Pokeball can be the hard part sometimes.

Assuming you get a AC 6 and the pokemon has a dodge of 6 (the highest)... that is a 12.

You still got almost a 50/50 shot.

[birdy51]

Dice don't play nice though. You'd be surprised how frustrating it can be to keep missing that one blasted Pokemon. It's come up a few times where a Pokeball has missed during a critical moment both in my campaign, and another one I'm playing.

[Neonivek]

Dice don't play nice though. You'd be surprised how frustrating it can be to keep missing that one blasted Pokemon. It's come up a few times where a Pokeball has missed during a critical moment both in my campaign, and another one I'm playing.

Yeah but missing pokeballs don't matter as they are reusable in this game.

Just keep throwing.

As well while a pokeball cannot work on a pokemon who has been reduced to below 0hp... You can "capture" them using capture tools OR by simply medicating them until they rest long enough to be at 1hp and then capture them again.

Heck put them inside a net and they get a -20 on top of whatever number they were already on.

Meaning that fainting pokemon, if you plan it right, adds -50 (or +50... The rules flip flop back and forth between these interchangeably) or at least -35 if the DM just gives them a bunch of HP in a single go. This is also ignoring that they might have a few injuries as well AND that you can add status effects to them. This is just by using a net without a pokeball.

If you absolutely HAD to capture a pokemon. It isn't a barrier to.

But let me see... Stacking without using any attacks and assumed they were revived with a revive with only 2 injuries

Ultra ball (+15), Net (+20), Stuck (+10), HP -25% (+15), Slowed (+5), Injuries 2 (+10) = +75 (Since Slowed and Stuck can be applied by terrain conditions)

This means you have a 55% chance of capturing a level 100 fully evolved shiny pokemon.

[birdy51]

Under absolutely perfect conditions, yeah. That's about how much of a chance you would have. But two factors get in the way of that perfect scenario.
 
First, getting away from the numbers, it's probably something that most other trainers would frown upon. You're either waiting an hour for it to wake back up, ignoring everything else in the world for that time, or spending that time medicating a Pokémon just enough so you can capture it, which probably means it isn't going to like you. It's already lost once, now you're kicking it while it's down. Beyond that, all other factors such as hitting them with the net, finding the right terrain, buying the balls, and doing battle with this Pokémon. Which brings me to my next point.

Getting back to the numbers, that Level 100 is going to be armed with moves at around that level. This means, you are risking death of both your character and your Pokémon trying to capture it, since usually most Pokémon will have moves that will be fatal at that level. Here's an example, let's say you're trying to catch a Level 100 Purugly. Why? Because you like cats and it's shiny. It has Body Slam, which will be doing 3d12+10+the Purugly's Atk Stat. It's already faster than you, that's a given at it's level. It doesn't need a SP. Attack, so the GM can leave that stat untouched. We'll assume the GM is lazy, and therefore decides to split all of the Pokémon's stats evenly, between the relevant five without worrying about Nature. So it will have 30 ATK. Maximum damage will be 76 damage, enough to faint most PCs and early game Pokémon, if not kill some if they are injured.

But let's say the GM gave it a TM or egg move, something you would do if you were going to go crazy with a strong Pokémon. Giga Impact, because why not! That'll be a 5d12+25+30. Maximum damage would be 115, which is going to faint, if not kill someone. And this is all ignoring outside factors, such as Attack Stages or GM shenanigans that make the task more difficult.

Which begs the question why a GM would throw such a Pokémon at the party anyways, but that's a whole nother digression.

[highmax28]

I'm very tempted to roll the d100 3 times instead of doing the hit thing. One for each shake, right? One roll of a 100 or 1 will cause two of those rolls to succeed automatically and give you a bonus shot in case you mess up the last one. This makes it more challenging to catch pokemon and it still makes it so I don't have to roll for accuracy and whatnot because some pokemon can be stupidly fast.

Plus, I just played Omega Ruby and a level 5 surskit was the hardest thing for me to catch at 50%hp, so why is it so easy to catch an elekid or duskull or other rarer pokemon for that matter at full hp?

[Neonivek]

First, getting away from the numbers, it's probably something that most other trainers would frown upon.

In the show you actually could capture fainted pokemon and it was looked down upon to use methods that could injure a pokemon. Actually physically capturing a pokemon wasn't looked down upon.

You can pretty much stomp around and faint pokemon left and right leaving them for dead.

Actually nursing them back to consciousness to capture them seems like the lesser evil then... well... doing nothing. Well unless your farming injuries.

But let's say the GM gave it a TM or egg move, something you would do if you were going to go crazy with a strong Pokémon. Giga Impact, because why not! That'll be a 5d12+25+30. Maximum damage would be 115, which is going to faint, if not kill someone. And this is all ignoring outside factors, such as Attack Stages or GM shenanigans that make the task more difficult

Ok, so we have 115 damage... The net can tank it and you now have two turns to throw balls and if you have another pokemon on hand you can have it reflexively use status effect moves. This ignores that being captured in a net and thrown into a terrain feature that gives it "Stuck" and "Slowed" also prevents Giga Impact.

Attack Stages require it to build up attack stages.

In the end nothing prevents this "perfect scenario", I was giving leeway.

[birdy51]

Meh. I'm going to resist the argument urge.

There are too many factors being ignored that goes against this perfect plan and this wouldn't be a good place to argue them out.

[UXLZ]

@Neon
That kind of situation would be unlikely to happen because the Lvl 100. would move first due to its massively higher speed and then one-shot you.


@GM
Since I'm heading back to town, would I be able to get my new Pokemon's info soonish?
Also, is duskull rare or something? Did I catch it too easily? >_>

[Neonivek]

I am not suggesting you go after a level 100 or use this to cheese level 100s (You can't even find level 100 wild pokemon)

I was just giving the absolute most difficult condition for capture and showing how easy it is to stack things in your favor through smart planning. (as the only things that make a capture more difficult is: Level, Whether or not it is a shiny, and whether it is fully evolved)

ALSO it depends what pokemon UXLZ... If this were the games... Maybe. In this one it isn't unusual for speed to be left unimproved mostly because of how much of a detrimental point sink base pairs can be. Any pokemon with speed as its lowest stat will generally leave it as its lowest (It is why some trainer abilities are so powerful).

Also sure, it can move first... but it cannot attack you on its first turn. You can certainly capture it though.

Or rather I am just giving the most you can reasonably, without any chance of failing, do (unless it is a ghost pokemon) against the worst case scenario.

Also UXLZ remember for this scenario it is assumed you knocked out the pokemon... somehow. I think you are swinging strong if you are knocking out level 100s.

It isn't against the rules or themes of the game... but it is definitely against the spirit of the game. Though I think the rules should have done quite a bit more patching so the scenario I am referring to isn't prevented only by "well, it would sure be too powerful" and "Well, the videogames did it differently" (though if it was the manga the pokemon didn't faint... it is dead)

[birdy51]

I must say I do like the manga's way of doing things, but I don't think it ever really implied that downed=dead. This is assuming we're both talking about Pokémon Special I guess, but I don't recall them killing off a Pokémon. As far as campaign's go I suppose it's largely how the GM wants to play it. There certainly are occasions where Pokémon have died, but it largely depends on how things go and how unlucky you can get. Or hitting a Pokémon's sweet spot with lethal accuracy. The first Pokémon that I ever "killed" was incidentally the first Pokémon I ever fainted. It was a Wingull and my Machop struck it down with a Thunderpunch that rocked it's socks.

At the end of the day, I think you can catch Pokémon easily, because it's not meant to be the real challenge. You can have a wild level 100, but methinks battles are where it is at. It's hard to develop a strategy just starting out, but it's interesting to see how strategies can evolve. The only real gripe I would have is that it seems like it takes a long time for both trainers and Pokémon to level up. But, that can be shifted around depending on the GM I suppose.

[Neonivek]

The slow trainer level up though is somewhat saved by the fact that you max out rather fast.

As well the leveling guides were eliminated from that book.

Their original intent for this rulebook was that you would level up, for example, every time you defeated a gym, every time you got a contest ribbon, everytime you got a fixed number of pokemon, Every few "Minor gyms" you do, Special contests, Gyms outside your region, meets, etc... with the actual trainer level not being THAT important.

With the intent that these games would be more pick up and play within the context of a continuous game and that you could transfer characters between games.

So just by getting all the badges you are level 9.

As for the manga. Your forgetting when Charmeleon killed Arbok

Also yeah I've always wondered how these rules could be improved... Maybe I'll make it a project down the road.