[System] Battling and Health

Probably one of the most essential parts in any Pokémon roleplay are battles. The way battles are done here is by leaving them open-ended. You don't say if the attack hits or misses, that is up to your opponent. Similarly, they cannot say if their attack hits or misses, that is up for you to decide. Because of this open-endedness, there is ample chance to godmod, and that is not okay. In order for your Pokemon to dodge a move, you must fully explain how the Pokemon managed to do so and you can't simply say it did. There are a few regulations for battles to keep in mind:

• Accuracy should be kept in mind. Dodging 100% accuracy moves more than they hit is illogical and should be avoided. It's fine to explain how environments are taken into account and cunning in battle can help evasiveness, but keep it fair. Moves that are guaranteed to hit, such as Swift or Thunder when it's raining, cannot be dodged, no matter the circumstances.
  
• You're allowed to use more than one move at a time, but keep things easy to respond to. If your Pokémon uses a stat booster, fires off several status moves, then launches three attacks, it's hard to respond to all of that and it can be considered godmodding. Keep in mind that your opponent will probably respond with the exact same amount of moves to fire back, so it's better for everyone to stay in the 1-3 move used per post. 1 attack at most is preferred, as health needs to be calculated.
  
• No-Miss moves by nature should be used in moderation.
  
• There is no PP system for move use, but try to keep it somewhat realistic. It's okay to use Tackle loads of times, but Blast Burn  wouldn't exceed five without your Pokémon fainting from the fatigue of using that move so much.
  
• Strategy is the name of the game. This is an open-ended environment, and using moves with creative intentions can do wonders to turn a battle in your favor. A move doesn't need to be used as a move, just as a Pokémon has their own weight, body, features, and environments to interact with as well during their battle. A Pokémon doesn't technically need to know Scratch in order to use its own claws (although doing so wouldn't be as powerful as a Scratch, which enhances the claws!).
  

Now then, the final aspect of battling is knowing when your foe will faint. This brings us to the HP system!


Health as a system isn't set in stone due to the open nature of RP. That being said, Health still plays a part in the RP environment and battles. A great resource for coming up with Health and the loss of it during battle would be things such as Move Damage Calculators. Because we don't use stats, if you choose to use a damage calculator, please make both Pokémon set at the same nature in order to have a level playing field stat-wise. You are also permitted for coming up with your own system of keeping track of Health so long as it's fair and logical. There is some creative freedom if using a calculator, as not all damaging roleplay actions are considered moves, such as if your foe is sent flying into a treestump and still retains damage from it. If you're applying this system to one Pokémon, it should be applied to both parties involved. This is especially essential in a Character vs. Character battle, as that is the only instance in which you will keep track of the Health of your Pokémon.

In an NPC vs. Character battle, the Moderator driving the battle will determine the health of both Pokémon involved. You will not need to worry about calculating the damage yourself, and both damages will be calculated the same, meaning everything is fair. You do, however, still determine when moves hit and what moves your Pokémon is using, Health is the only thing out of your control.

In a battle between two members, each members will keep track of the HP of their own Pokémon. We do ask that both members involved use the same method of keeping track of HP or else the numbers may be skewed. Things such as move strength and other factors should be accounted for, as a Tackle would not do the same amount of damage as a Take Down. Similarly, things like the Pokémon's natural stats (while not numerical here) still take effect when being hit by Attack vs. Sp. Attack.


Any use of held items should be noted at the start of a battle. When starting a battle, simply state if your Pokémon is holding an item or not before their first move. The only regulation to this is that once you make your first attack, you may not change your mind and add or change the held item until after the battle is over. Held items can also be noted in your character tracker, but should also be stated in the thread.