Tohjo Military University [Pokémon]

[x] Do preliminary research on a Pokémon. (2 Days)
-[X] Magnemite

A little bit of math:
We have 19 days to use. At minimum, I want to do the following:
-In-depth pokemon research (2 days)
-Geographical area research (3 days)
-Talk to Silver and Gary (2 days) -- after we have detailed pokemon/area info, for troubleshooting or telling us we're stupid
-Strength training (1 day)
-Agility training (1 day)
That leaves 10. We do have time, then, to research a different pokemon if we wanted to, even if we do need to plan out our attack/capture for some number of days and that option just hasn't unlocked.

[x] Do preliminary research on a Pokémon. (2 Days)
-[X] Totodile

I quite dislike Murkrow. I'll vote for something else still.
Also, should definitely make use of this free flight to get something rare that can become strong... Y'know, unlike a Murkrow.

[x] Do preliminary research on a Pokémon. (2 Days)
-[X] Totodile

Oops accidentally seduced by the prospect of my favorite crocodile. Someone else can advocate for the action-efficient bird option that fits the character's personality. >.>

[x] Do preliminary research on a Pokémon. (2 Days)
-[X] Gligar

Gligar and Gliscor are great. They've got a quad weakness to Ice, but make up for it with two type immunities, and immunity to the poison status.

Honestly I'd be pretty satisfied if we just went all-in with Murkrow. Honchkrow even has a much longer lifespan than I expected, and if it can still gather a murder of Murkrow under the command of a trainer, so much the better. (That seems unlikely, but I can dream. ) I do want to do some research on another pokemon, just to have a bit of choice, so I'm going to vote for a geographical area. That will net us information we need for Murkrow and also pull up a list of other potential candidates, since three days is enough time that we probably should just pick one area and stick with the pokemon that can be found there.

These are almost certainly not going to be entirely accurate to the quest (I suspect that the rare spawns and radio-based encounters are not going to be a thing, for one, nor manmade pokemon like Porygon), but for the convenience of other questers, here's a quick list of pokemon that can found in the same routes around Celadon, Fuchsia, and Saffron as Murkrow in games across all versions and generations:




Additionally, here are routes that don't have Murkrow in the game, but which may match the preference for open areas near trees:




To round out the list: the Saffron-Lavender Route 8 is a rocky area with fewer trees and basically contains the same pokemon as Route 5 and 7, except that it has no grass pokemon and instead has Ekans, Sandshrew, and Haunter. Fuschia's Route 19 is a sea route, and offers basically the same water pokemon as already listed with Horsea and Corsola added on top.

For a TL;DR analysis:

Predictably, almost all routes except Route 15 have the Rattata family. All routes also have either the Pidgey family or the Spearow family.

Saffron's routes are predictably similar in their offerings, with 6 offering the most variety due to the water options. Route 6 and Route 8 have a few uniques-- Magnemite and Drowzee for 6, Ekans, Sandshrew, and Haunter for 8 (though I'd be careful with Haunter; it's probably too strong for us to catch, and it might not even be there considering Lavender Town probably isn't the same as it is in the game).

For Fuschia, Route 15 offers a few appropriate uniques, including Scyther, Venonat, and even Ditto (though I'm doubtful that Ditto is a thing here).

Celadon overlaps a lot with both Saffron and Fuschia, with overall less variety and only one somewhat doubtful unique; it even shares one route with Saffron. Unless you have your heart set on Snorlax, Fuschia and Saffron are the better deals.

[X] Do preliminary research on a geographical area. (3 Days)
→ [X] Saffron Outskirts

As a sidenote: the starter pokemon are a terrible idea. I love the vast majority of them, and Totodile is one of my favorites, but they're all designed to be rare and most have zero synergy with our character. Gligar is neat, though; I'd be cool with them, even with the quad weakness.

[X] Do preliminary research on a geographical area. (3 Days)
→ [X] Saffron Outskirts

Is this the last time Wyste will change her vote? Signs point to no. >.>

[X] Do preliminary research on a geographical area. (3 Days)
→ [X] Saffron Outskirts

wdango said:

It has also been observed that both Murkrow and Honchrow become increasingly aggressive upon killing their prey.

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Ah, a bloodthirsty butcher! Fitting of our--wait, no it doesn't!

wdango said:

Murkrow
Health : 47
STR : 10
AGI : 9
INT : 13

Honchkrow
Health : 206
STR : 17
AGI : 7
INT : 15

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Man, this thing loses TWO agility on evolution???
What is that hp gain?!!

[X] Do preliminary research on a geographical area. (3 Days)
→ [X] Saffron Outskirts

[x] Do preliminary research on a Pokémon. (2 Days)
-[X] Totodile

Shin said:

[x] Do preliminary research on a Pokémon. (2 Days)
-[X] Totodile

I quite dislike Murkrow. I'll vote for something else still.
Also, should definitely make use of this free flight to get something rare that can become strong... Y'know, unlike a Murkrow.

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Just saying this upfront so people don't end up fighting about it later.

inb4 pick a rare Pokémon, fail to find it, and game over.

Kotone is more specialised for taking down either slow squishies that can be downed in a single sniper round, or something that be trapped, poisoned, or guerrilla'd slowly.

You'll need a much higher Navigation to track down a rare Pokémon.

That said, a common Pokémon that only exists in a hard-to-reach area might be a good option.....

DeepWaters said:

Lavender Town

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Lavender Tower is an ancient Amatsun ruin.

DeepWaters said:

(though I'm doubtful that Ditto is a thing here).

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So is the entire Cinnabar Volcano area.

I don't really recommend going into any ruins though. You might die.

wdango said:

Just saying this upfront so people don't end up fighting about it later.

inb4 pick a rare Pokémon, fail to find it, and game over.

Kotone is more specialised for taking down either slow squishies that can be downed in a single sniper round, or something that be trapped, poisoned, or guerrilla'd slowly.

You'll need a much higher Navigation to track down a rare Pokémon.

That said, a common Pokémon that only exists in a hard-to-reach area might be a good option.....

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This might make Murkrow a challenging catch. I'm not sure how squishy it is (I can't compare its HP to anything but Honchkrow's, and given the large jump in other stats that seems like an unreliable standard), but it seems rather quick, and it's certainly clever enough that it could be difficult to trap, poison, or track across distances (a requirement for guerilla tactics). That said, that's probably going to be more-or-less true of a lot of pokemon that would suit Kotone as a character-- ninjas aren't exactly known for being slow, easy to trick, or easy to track.

Draft plan Catch A Birdie:

• Get big net.
• Use big net to catch birdie.
• Try to avoid birdie's flock.

wdango said:

That said, a common Pokémon that only exists in a hard-to-reach area might be a good option.....

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I honestly can't think of that many. Dratini up by blackthorn. Like hell we're going to Mt. Silver for a larvitar. Sniping an Abra would be pretty easy but they aren't exactly hard to find.

Also, are we just going to gen IV or can we get a Rhyperior, Magmortar, Glaceon, etc?

Shin said:

Rhyperior, Magmortar, Glaceon, etc?

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you can.

for the record, don't assume 2 weeks is a long time... becoming a Trainer is notoriously hard.

@Magnive might be interested to know that all Trainers are automatically ranked at the equivalent of an army Lieutenant.

[X] Do preliminary research on a geographical area. (3 Days)
→ [X] Saffron Outskirts

[x] Do preliminary research on a Pokémon. (2 Days)
-[X] Misdreavus

I feel that murkrow is going to be troublesome to control with their berserk ability and there is other pokemon that is good at stealth.
Personally, I like ghost type as best in stealth or unpopular choice for a grass type.

[X] Do preliminary research on a geographical area. (3 Days)
→ [X] Saffron Outskirts

wdango said:

its plumage that resembles a witch's hat morphs to more closely resemble a fedora.

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"Milady!".

The Grey Mage said:

[x] Do preliminary research on a Pokémon. (2 Days)
-[X] Gligar

Gligar and Gliscor are great. They've got a quad weakness to Ice, but make up for it with two type immunities, and immunity to the poison status.

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Quad weaknesses are scary in a nuzlocke-rules game like this. It's not necessarily a deal-breaker, but it is a major concern.

wdango said:

Kotone is more specialised for taking down either slow squishies that can be downed in a single sniper round, or something that be trapped, poisoned, or guerrilla'd slowly.

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This is important information that we can't safely afford to overlook.

We cannot afford to go for a thematic, ninja-like pokemon, as our combat style is largely ineffective against them.

Ghastly, which I previously advocated for, and misdreavus are probably death sentences, along with the latter being too rare to be reasonably expected to be caught.
Murkrow, with its speed, mobility, and tendency to mob up, is going to be an extremely dangerous and difficult proposition.
Gligar is probably similarly a non-starter, due to its flight, although it may possibly turn out to be more takeable than Murkrow if it is more solitary.
Magnemite, being steel type, is highly likely to be bullet-resistant, but is probably easier to trap/kite than ghosts or actual flyers.
Totodile, if we could find the fecking thing, is probably the most takeable of any of the pokemon we've proposed thus far, but that rarity makes it dubiously viable.

Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that the GM was so incredulous about someone suggesting it, I'd almost think Magikarp was a good pick. It's relatively unthreatening and easy to capture, especially if we rigged up a trap to yeet one out of the water, and its combat potential when evolved is very difficult to overstate. It's honestly probably the easiest way to end up with a big feck-off dragon. The challenge with Magikarp would likely be to find a sufficiently impressive specimen, that will both evolve sooner, and be quasi-useful until then. (The equivalent of one with a high enough level to know Tackle, in the games.) That and keeping the thing and us alive on dangerous missions until it grows into a sexy shoeless god of war, which would likely be no mean feat.

Honestly, in terms of commonish, slow-moving pokemon that we can trap and/or cripple with a sniper rifle from range, slowpoke and psyduck are springing to mind. Poliwag would likely be almost as easy, and maybe more common, and has the advantage of being a 3-evolution mon. Wooper also deserves a mention, being commonish, takeable, and evolving into something of a beast in Quagsire, especially since its ground typing will be useful in acquiring poison-type pokemon later on.

Abra could be another solid pick, with a very non-threatening base state, and very powerful evolved forms, in addition to being reasonably common.

Metapod and Kakuna should be even more takeable, and turn into something pretty decent in reasonably short order. Sure, their lifespans are likely to be pants, being bugs, but they would make catching our next pokemon way, way easier, especially with butterfree's powders.

Honestly, I think Metapod will be easy to find, easy to catch, fast-growing enough to be quite respectable in our early career, and very useful for catching our subsequent pokemon.

[x] Do preliminary research on a Pokémon. (2 Days)
-[x] Metapod.

Skewfiend said:

"Milady!".


Quad weaknesses are scary in a nuzlocke-rules game like this. It's not necessarily a deal-breaker, but it is a major concern.

This is important information that we can't safely afford to overlook.

We cannot afford to go for a thematic, ninja-like pokemon, as our combat style is largely ineffective against them.

Ghastly, which I previously advocated for, and misdreavus are probably death sentences, along with the latter being too rare to be reasonably expected to be caught.
Murkrow, with its speed, mobility, and tendency to mob up, is going to be an extremely dangerous and difficult proposition.
Gligar is probably similarly a non-starter, due to its flight, although it may possibly turn out to be more takeable than Murkrow if it is more solitary.
Magnemite, being steel type, is highly likely to be bullet-resistant, but is probably easier to trap/kite than ghosts or actual flyers.
Totodile, if we could find the fecking thing, is probably the most takeable of any of the pokemon we've proposed thus far, but that rarity makes it dubiously viable.

Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that the GM was so incredulous about someone suggesting it, I'd almost think Magikarp was a good pick. It's relatively unthreatening and easy to capture, especially if we rigged up a trap to yeet one out of the water, and its combat potential when evolved is very difficult to overstate. It's honestly probably the easiest way to end up with a big feck-off dragon. The challenge with Magikarp would likely be to find a sufficiently impressive specimen, that will both evolve sooner, and be quasi-useful until then. (The equivalent of one with a high enough level to know Tackle, in the games.) That and keeping the thing and us alive on dangerous missions until it grows into a sexy shoeless god of war, which would likely be no mean feat.

Honestly, in terms of commonish, slow-moving pokemon that we can trap and/or cripple with a sniper rifle from range, slowpoke and psyduck are springing to mind. Poliwag would likely be almost as easy, and maybe more common, and has the advantage of being a 3-evolution mon. Wooper also deserves a mention, being commonish, takeable, and evolving into something of a beast in Quagsire, especially since its ground typing will be useful in acquiring poison-type pokemon later on.

Abra could be another solid pick, with a very non-threatening base state, and very powerful evolved forms, in addition to being reasonably common.

Metapod and Kakuna should be even more takeable, and turn into something pretty decent in reasonably short order. Sure, their lifespans are likely to be pants, being bugs, but they would make catching our next pokemon way, way easier, especially with butterfree's powders.

Honestly, I think Metapod will be easy to find, easy to catch, fast-growing enough to be quite respectable in our early career, and very useful for catching our subsequent pokemon.

[x] Do preliminary research on a Pokémon. (2 Days)
-[x] Metapod.

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Very smart.

Be aware that Bugs tend to swarm, though.

The challenge here isn't the capture, but the escape. Bugs are also strong at detection, making it harder for you to stealth away.

Short lifespan can be counteracted with breeding, meaning you get your next generation more easily. Also guarantees unlimited Pokémon if you manage to get a breeding pair.

wdango said:

Very smart.

Be aware that Bugs tend to swarm, though.

The challenge here isn't the capture, but the escape. Bugs are also strong at detection, making it harder for you to stealth away.

Short lifespan can be counteracted with breeding, meaning you get your next generation more easily. Also guarantees unlimited Pokémon if you manage to get a breeding pair.

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Hm.
I wonder if we could use some combination/fusion of repel and smokebombs to deter the bugs from pursuing us. Something that releases a large cloud of something really unpleasant to them, to encourage them to go be somewhere else. It would be super-useful in that situation.

Definitely would jump on board for an Abra. They should also be in Saffron outskirts. So should growlithe. Having a tracker would be pretty awesome I'd imagine.

Skewfiend said:

"Milady!".


Quad weaknesses are scary in a nuzlocke-rules game like this. It's not necessarily a deal-breaker, but it is a major concern.

This is important information that we can't safely afford to overlook.

We cannot afford to go for a thematic, ninja-like pokemon, as our combat style is largely ineffective against them.

Ghastly, which I previously advocated for, and misdreavus are probably death sentences, along with the latter being too rare to be reasonably expected to be caught.
Murkrow, with its speed, mobility, and tendency to mob up, is going to be an extremely dangerous and difficult proposition.
Gligar is probably similarly a non-starter, due to its flight, although it may possibly turn out to be more takeable than Murkrow if it is more solitary.
Magnemite, being steel type, is highly likely to be bullet-resistant, but is probably easier to trap/kite than ghosts or actual flyers.
Totodile, if we could find the fecking thing, is probably the most takeable of any of the pokemon we've proposed thus far, but that rarity makes it dubiously viable.

Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that the GM was so incredulous about someone suggesting it, I'd almost think Magikarp was a good pick. It's relatively unthreatening and easy to capture, especially if we rigged up a trap to yeet one out of the water, and its combat potential when evolved is very difficult to overstate. It's honestly probably the easiest way to end up with a big feck-off dragon. The challenge with Magikarp would likely be to find a sufficiently impressive specimen, that will both evolve sooner, and be quasi-useful until then. (The equivalent of one with a high enough level to know Tackle, in the games.) That and keeping the thing and us alive on dangerous missions until it grows into a sexy shoeless god of war, which would likely be no mean feat.

Honestly, in terms of commonish, slow-moving pokemon that we can trap and/or cripple with a sniper rifle from range, slowpoke and psyduck are springing to mind. Poliwag would likely be almost as easy, and maybe more common, and has the advantage of being a 3-evolution mon. Wooper also deserves a mention, being commonish, takeable, and evolving into something of a beast in Quagsire, especially since its ground typing will be useful in acquiring poison-type pokemon later on.

Abra could be another solid pick, with a very non-threatening base state, and very powerful evolved forms, in addition to being reasonably common.

Metapod and Kakuna should be even more takeable, and turn into something pretty decent in reasonably short order. Sure, their lifespans are likely to be pants, being bugs, but they would make catching our next pokemon way, way easier, especially with butterfree's powders.

Honestly, I think Metapod will be easy to find, easy to catch, fast-growing enough to be quite respectable in our early career, and very useful for catching our subsequent pokemon.

[x] Do preliminary research on a Pokémon. (2 Days)
-[x] Metapod.

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@wdango so would metapods/kakunas start with only harden like in the game? Or have stuff like poison sting and tackle from their preevolution?

Abra's teleportation abilities would make it extremely difficult to track and catch. One mistake and we're back at square one. The water pokemon options might be worth looking into, though. I'm also leery of taking pokemon that are too weak to start with-- @wdango, how do you train pokemon in this setting? If the only option to train them is to battle other pokemon with the risk of death always looming over us, going for the easy weaklings might be as much of a trap as going for dangerous challenges. It's also worth it to point out that it might not be as easy to evolve pokemon here as it is in the game-- Murkrow is said to evolve "as early as 4-5 years old"; despite being a fourth to a third of its average lifespan, it still comes off as being actually fairly quick for this setting. After all, if it was that easy to train and evolve pokemon outside of battle, Magikarp would be incredibly viable.

Depending on exactly how short of a lifespan we're talking about, we might also want to avoid pokemon known to be short-lived, even if we decide to go into breeding-- A Better World hints at wanting to grow attached to pokemon as companions, and it's hard to grow attached to a pokemon you know will only live for a few years at best.

I'm still considering going for magikarp if we have a way to level it up well. Perhaps get some money, buy a bunch of rare candy, and stuff it until it learns tackle/evolves?