REFA02: On Lab Pok?mon Without Damaging Moves

[Marvsta]

Well there are a few simple solutions:

1) Simply don't allow those Pokémon to be selected as a Starter.

2) As stated in the original post, give them a weak move.

3) Don't give them another move and just let them deal with the fact they picked a Pokémon with no moves.


So, what are the positives and negatives of each Option?

1) Simply don't allow those Pokémon to be selected as a Starter.

Positives:

~ You won't have to worry about a solution
~ The person could go and catch one in the wild that has moves already so gets a better deal that way.

Negatives:

~ People won't be able to get what they want
~ Unfair to those Pokémon to not be allowed to be obtained .


2) As stated in the original post, give them a weak move.

Positives:

~ Simple Solution very easy to make this work
~ People get a move they wouldn't normally get at first.

Negatives:

~ Unfair to people who get a Pokémon that has normal moves due to being given a "weaker" Pokémon to start with
~ Not all Offensive Egg Moves are weak.
~ Giving them Tackle, Scratch or Pound would just be too strange imo.


3) Don't give them another move and just let them deal with the fact they picked a Pokémon with no moves.

Positives:

~ They get the Pokémon they want.
~ Gives the person a different starting point for their journey

Negatives:

~ Haha yeah have fun with your first battle!! Almost an instant loss.. Though would make for some interesting combinations
~ Get a "weaker" Pokémon then others.



Those are just a few Ups and Downs of this idea from the top of my head... Anyone want to elaborate more?

[➤ GRAZ !]

Hmm, I like the last point- “you picked your bed now go lie in it” haha - that said, people could always save up to purchase a TM or something or even pair up with another trainer for that portion of the journey? I do think it makes it unfair though, because they won’t be able to progress at the same rate. That said, we could just give them an egg move with potential power of 40 or lower, and if there are none of those, then the weakest TM they can learn or something? Between them, I’m pretty sure we can cover all the bases. If anything, we could teach them all Return and be done with it.

[Marvsta]

Exactly, there are ways around it and also if you make an area that people can gain 2 levels on a Pok?mon per week (Trainer's Hall add on perhaps?) granted that idea is used on numerous other sites but it works AND most Pok?mon that learn nothing in the first 5 levels, tend to get a move on level 6 or 7.

Lets Take Cubone for example:

Level Move Learned Type Power Acc% PP Class Target
1 Growl Normal -- 100% 40 Status All Nearby Foes
3 Tail Whip Normal -- 100% 30 Status All Nearby Foes
7 Bone Club Ground 65 85% 20 Physical One Nearby

^

Those are the first 3 moves Cubone learns. So if someone got Cubone, went to this automated training place, gained 2 levels. BOOM Right up before they even post in the first area they have an attacking move.

Or as you said, they could team up with someone else to train with, they can buy TM/HM's.

OR and this is a whacky idea. You could allow some "Defensive" moves to be used as Offensive moves.

Tail Whip - I remember in a few episodes of the show a Pok?mon using Tail Whip would actually go up and Hit the other Pok?mon with it's tail/fin whatever it was using. That would not only lower a defense but also do a small amount of damage (or so one would assume).

So you could allow that if they only have moves like Splash, Growl, Tail Whip, Thunder Wave, Attract etc etc etc.

Another thing though is that on their first area out of the Lab, the first Pok?mon they meet could join them due to a small "Mission" style thing so lets say a Sewaddle appears and is needing help getting some friends unstuck from a tree hole.. The trainer goes and helps, Sewaddle Joins the team and boom Sewaddle has Bug Bite and Tackle..

Just a few more ideas :3

[Spiderc]

Honestly, I think every solution other than nothing or giving them Tackle/Pound/Scratch is needlessly complex. Egg moves should be rather rare, and someone of them are very good moves, even with their low BP (I gave the example of Shadow Sneak being an excellent move on Gallade before). I agree that you should be able to use non-offensive moves in specific ways to make them offensive, but that's a totally different issue.

[➤ GRAZ !]

I think it’s unfair to deviate from the canon - what’s the point in using move lists if you’re just going to deviate from them? Whereas with egg moves, at least it’s something that would be possible in-game. And Shadow Sneak is no different to Quick Attack, except for the typing. The effectiveness of a move is down to technique rather than the stats, in the wrong hands Shadow Sneak can be completely average! Personally, I think it should be “you’re on your own” or “lowest egg move”. Personally I think strong egg moves are less of an problem than, say, Wynaut, which can’t learn any damaging moves, period.

[Marvsta]

Yet this is not like a game, role playing is coming from a more literal sense and what could possibly happen if this were true. In which case, (as per my example again of Tail Whip from the Show) a defensive move could be used for Offense

[ZOM]

i disagree with adding tackle, scratch, etc. if the Pok?mon doesn't learn them naturally. it doesn't seem right??? not that it makes a HUGE impact either way, but i don't care for it. basically, what nish said. don't wanna deviate from canon.

my vote is for the weakest egg move, personally.

and on the same note as marv's point, while i don't know that turning a tail whip into an essentially different move is a reasonable thing, i don't think it's unreasonable for a member to come up with some clever way a Pok?mon could win a fight, using their environment or something of the sort. they could use tail whip to soften the enemy up, then make a tree fall on them or dig a ditch for them to fall into or something like that, which doesn't require an offensive move. if egg moves are a no-go then this would be a neat alternative that requires real thought on the part of the member.

[➤ GRAZ !]

Agreed - this is a role-play, so there’s always going to be an “out-of-the-box” solution, and if a Pok?mon has no other way to win a battle, I think mods are going to be (read: should be) more receptive to ‘creative battling’.

[Seas]

Yeah, while teaching every single one Return sounds amusing, I have to go with lowest egg move or 'good luck, you're on your own'. Actually, I think I'd prefer 'you're on your own' as it seems most realistic to me.

[ZOM]

starting to agree with seas, the more i think about it. requiring the member to be creative if they've chosen to pick a Pok?mon with no attacking move is really a cool thing.

[Needles]

Personally, I think one Egg Move seems perfectly realistic. I mean, where is the lab getting all these Pok?mon anyway? Likely, they're being bred, not just snatched up from the wild. So it would stand to reason that a move would be inherited from the parents. And even if it's a "high powered" attack, such as Rock Slide or Ancient Power, chances are it will still be weaker in comparison to the Pok?mon it is attacking (such as how most wild Pok?mon who appear are usually at least one level higher then the Pok?mon the user has, in most RP boards I've been on).

[Marvsta]

I'm sticking with my original 3 points but leaning towards the not giving them anything for it solution.

It doesn't take long to go to a site like Serebii or Marriland to quickly check what it's starting moves would be.. I just did a check on the Pok?mon I'm going to be starting with and here are it's moves:

1 Astonish Ghost 30 100% 15 Physical One Nearby
1 Defense Curl Normal -- -- 40 Status Self
1 Pound Normal 40 100% 35 Physical One Nearby
5 Mud-Slap Ground 20 100% 10 Special One Nearby

I hadn't known that till just now so I'm lucky that it's got moves.. but I had thought of getting a Pok?mon like Abra which would have only had Teleport.

Heck I might just change my mind and get Abra now just to show how to train something like that

[➤ GRAZ !]

<sub>1. In order to ensure fairness, this referendum is only binding on Solastella if at least HALF of the members vote. There are 27 registered members, so this means that at least 13 votes need to be made. The number of voters on Solastella obviously fluctuates, so the required quota also changes. If the referendum does not receive half of all votes, it is simply consultative and the upper staff may decide to take another decision to the one that has been voted for.

2. In the event of a tie, the poll will be re-run with only those options. If no other options are picked, a consensus will be reached through discussion. This second poll does not need to have a certain number of votes to pass.

3. This poll will end on the 28th of January, two days after the census closes.

—

The problem raised was that some Pokémon (such as Cubone) do not have any attacking moves at level 5, which could raise problems for trainers who request them.

The possible solutions are...

1) Give them the weakest egg move that Pok?mon can learn

2) Give them the weakest TM move that Pok?mon can learn

3) Choose a move such as Tackle, Scratch or Pound as appropriate, even if it’s not in their move set

4) Don’t allow those Pokémon to be selected as starter

5) Allow them to be chosen but don’t modify their move set. You chose that Pok?mon, it’s your choice and it’s your problem to deal with.</sub>

[Spiderc]

I felt like this was oddly appropriate.

[Marvsta]

I still stick to just deal with it.

Heck give me a Level 5 Abra (only Teleport move) and Level 5 Magikarp (only Splash move) and I'll train them No issue!