I mean Kingdra sorta makes sense being complicated cause of their weird evolution requirements in game requiring a dragon scale. Plus the dragon clan wiping out the knowledge of natural evolution.
Mareep on the other hand should be rather well known evolution method cause they are essentially mascots of Johto according to the Pokédex lore. Plus they evolve by Level up in game instead of complex methods.
Huh looked at the Pokédex entry for Horsea. Interesting how you made them ambush predators and have some poison. Also dragon clan killing people who know the natural way to evolve Seadra to Kingdra and not make weaker Kingdra is interesting lore.
I didn't actually make the ambush or poison bits up - Horsea hunting bugs by spitting water and Seadra having poisonous spines is all from various Pokedex entries, not to mention the fact Seadra has Poison Point as one of its abilities in the game.
And just to be clear, the Dragon Clan don't do the whole assassinating thing anymore, they haven't had the clout and power to get away with that stuff for a long time now, but that doesn't mean that they've been the slightest bit helpful in helping people figure out how to evolve Seadra naturally, and they still have some political pressure they can apply on people trying to look into what they consider their business.
@ReverendSwing Is evolving Mareep to Ampharos a straightforward, well-known procedure or there are some hardships or deep lore required as is the case, radically, with Kingdra?
Nope, it's a straightforward enough procedure, just give it the appropriate TLC and necessary challenges and you'll get there. Of course, you can make the process a bit easier on yourself and have some limited opportunities to guide it in some ways, but you'll learn about that sort of stuff before it gets to that.
Which reminds me, I'll probably add a bit to the lore post to clarify it a little, but while level-up evolutions are on the whole mostly straightforward, some of the more special evolution requirements can necessitate some tricky stuff. I'll always bring any complications on evolution before you get a pokemon if they aren't obvious, but I will say this - no evolution is impossible for you in its best form. Some just require a lot more work than others.
What about a nautical theme about the sea and it's legends for our pokemon?
Ampharos is strongly associated with lighthouses so our starter already fit the type.
Aveilable pokemon would be Kingdra, Octillery (Kraken), Persian ( cats were often ship mascots and useful for sailors against rats), Lamantine ( dungongs and mermaids), Wingulls and probably others I'm not thinking of right now.
Edit: Delmise (ghost ships), Lapras ( cutest sea monster), Gyarados ( sea snakes and terror of the oceans), Lanturn ( lighthouse and mysteries of the deep sea,
More seriously, if we want to get a Horsea eventually, they share Dragon and Agility themes with Mareep, not to mention whatever training themes we can come up with. Aiming for a Dragon theme might get the Dragon Clan's attention though, even if they're not as powerful as they used to be.
Do we have to have a theme involving pokemon?
Could we possibly find a theme olinvolving our training methods or a hobby/occupation we do inour Trainer lifestyle?
Like training pokemon to be exceptional at ranged combat able to fire attacks longer and more accurate than normal? Kinda like sniper training
Or using pokemon abilities in cooking?
Say what is Cynthia and Reds theme anyway?
Do we have to have a theme involving pokemon?
Could we possibly find a theme olinvolving our training methods or a hobby/occupation we do inour Trainer lifestyle?
Like training pokemon to be exceptional at ranged combat able to fire attacks longer and more accurate than normal? Kinda like sniper training
Or using pokemon abilities in cooking?
Say what is Cynthia and Reds theme anyway?
The theme doesn't necessarily have to do with the pokemon's species, either. It can come from the way you choose to train them, or from a quality of the individual rather than the species. A lot of Champions have one of these less obvious themes, hence why their teams might look a little mishmash. Keep in mind that those tend to be harder to manifest or keep in focus, or might rely on a talent unique to the Trainer. To spill the beans on Red and Blue, for example, theirs is respectively Fighting Spirit and Apex, and relied on the fact that Red could gauge the willpower and desire to struggle and win of a pokemon like absolutely no one else could, and that Blue has inherited from those Oak genes and that Oak education both the capacity to judge at a glance a pokemon's physical potential, picking only those that were absolute paragons of their species. Basically no one else could have raised the teams they had.
I would suggest NOT going with a Prey theme by itself because that feels like our theme is having our pokemon be hunted. One possibility would be train each of our pokemon in fighting against their main predators and then go with a theme of "The Hunter becomes the Hunted".
I think we could go for some sort of "lighthouse" theme. Bringing light to the dark areas of the world, saving travelers from unknown perils, being the light in the dark of night, etc
I would suggest NOT going with a Prey theme by itself because that feels like our theme is having our pokemon be hunted. One possibility would be train each of our pokemon in fighting against their main predators and then go with a theme of "The Hunter becomes the Hunted".
We could lean into the heightened senses for somewhat of a sentry theme with pokemon that stand on the lookout for predators to defend areas against them and/or possibly go on search and rescue missions. More of a mobile lighthouse so to speak instead of strictly sticking with the association to the sea/coast.
Alterntively, we could fake leaning into the prey angle by leveraging Ampharos visibility and tank qualities to act as a decoy that distracts enemies to then open them up for surprise attacks from our other pokemon.
It is really hard to resist that luxurious and fabulous mane, isn't it?
Talking about that wool though, that is what builds up its static, which gives us a good set up for a status effects based theme. Great for anything from non lethal takedowns to wearing down strong opponents in a tanky stall team.
"Fair warning, this is their first time out of the ball," you say as you reach for it. "The egg hatched yesterday, and since you immediately answered when I told you, I figured it couldn't hurt to have someone watching over me and helping me to acclimate them to a human presence."
"Hm. Sensible. Still surprised. Most people prefer to be the only ones there, if they're not showing off. Them ?"
"Haven't checked their gender yet," you admit.
After a little fumbling with the ball, you find the release mechanism and the customary ray of light jets out of it, resolving into your new pride and joy.
"… Meep ?"
Your adorable little Mareep looks at you curiously, its tiny form almost disappearing in its already ridiculous amount of wool.
Tentatively, you reach a hand out about halfway between the two of you, causing it to flinch back a little instinctively, before relaxing when it becomes clear you aren't going to do anything more.
"Hello there," you greet it softly, breathless at the sight of your very own starter.
Not even a day old and there's more of a spark in those eyes than in any pokemon that's ever been given to your care. Trainer school really is a pale imitation of the real thing, huh ?
"What's her name ?" Melati asks, and even her voice isn't enough to rob the moment of its trance-like feel.
"Her ?"
"She sounds female," is all your mentor replies.
Well, you can't tell, but you'll take her word for it. Part of you is a little miffed and a little jealous both, that she seemingly already knows your starter better than you, but you have no problem ignoring it because your brand new Mareep has begun to carefully make her way towards your hand, plodding along a little hesitantly as she begins to sniff at your digits.
You want nothing more than to run your hand through her wool, but with an effort of will you control yourself. You manage to hold still, until the pure, magical moment where she seems satisfied that your fingers aren't a threat, and nuzzles her tiny head against your hand.
She's perfect.
"Well in that case…"
[][Mareep Name]
- Write-in
The next few minutes are spent in the most fruitful of ways : idly petting your new sheep, and learning which part of her chin she likes scratched more. At some point, she even evidently decides that you aren't a threat and makes her way to your lap, which you decide to take as the ultimate sign of approval. Tentatively, you even allow one of your hands to run through her fluff, which thankfully hasn't had the time to build its static charge up yet — meaning you only get the occasional tingle as opposed to an actual shock.
All things must run their course, however, and soon your little Mareep decides that it is time for her to discover the world. She bounces out of your lap, stumbles a little on uneasy legs, tries out a few hesitant steps, before suddenly it's as though she has an epiphany — you're barely being metaphorical, the lightbulb on her tail actually lit up for a second — and raises herself on the tip of her hooves. She tries a couple more steps that now have a definitely bouncier feel to them, seems satisfied and then proudly makes her way towards the closest point of interest : Melati.
Said point of interest looks at your tiny Electric-type fondly, happy to wait for her to approach on her own. A task easier said than done, considering Melati still has a giant shotgun snake wrapped around her, who emerged from his nap at the unfamiliar scent, tongue darting in the air towards your starter.
It's only at this precise moment that you realise you've just let a small, helpless newborn herbivore out in a clearing full of giant deadly carnivorous, predatory snakes.
Thankfully, before your panic has the time to materialise, Melati quickly runs her hand alongside the base of Yasigi's neck, and the Sandaconda settles down to go back to sleep, curiosity sated. This encourages the Mareep, who finally dares to cross the remaining distance between her and Melati, and is greeted by the expert ministrations of someone who's been at this far longer than you have.
"A fine specimen," she notes, taking advantage of the opportunity to give her a better look. "And too smart to be from breeder stock, isn't she ?"
"Yeah, I wasn't going to skimp out on my starter," you admit. "Honestly, she was over the budget I'd set myself, but when I saw her egg up for sale I couldn't pass her up."
"Smart. Rule of thumb : buy as little as possible, but if you have to, avoid any breeding stock ancestry in the past three generations. The physical capabilities and potential can be there, and sometimes even better, but the mind is never quite as sharp."
"It's what I figured, too. Any extra I paid now, she'll make it back in the future."
"Probably. Parents ?"
"I know her mother belongs to a Named Trainer, and the father was a wild fully evolved Electric-type. The original Trainer requested the rest of the records sealed, but she's League-certified for accuracy."
"You don't have a bad pedigree, do you girl ?" Melati hums thoughtfully, giving your Mareep a final scratch before the small bundle of energy decides to trundle along a little shakily towards the river bank under your nervous eyes. "I have to say, she's…"
Here you can choose your starter's Traits. Traits don't have all that much in the way of actual effects, but they're primarily helpful for three things :
For me, they help me give the pokemon a bit of flavour and character in their personalities and physical appearances beyond "this is a Mareep, which looks and acts like a Mareep"
For you, they are Theme potentials, characteristics proper to your pokemon as individuals rather than member of your species, which you can potentially exploit.
And, in general, they're obviously helpful to give you hints as to what kind of training or role your pokemon will shine in the most.
Every Trait is helpful, sometimes in obvious ways, but also in less clear-cut ones. Just because a Trait seems it would be less immediately or obviously useful doesn't mean it's better. For example, two of the potential Traits in this list are Strong and Beautiful. Strong might seem like the only one that would make a difference in battle, but for the Mareep line alone I have three separate ways I can think of that Beautiful could be used to boost their battle potential. Less straightforward ones, yes, and more situational, but legitimate all the same.
When Melati gives you the tutorial on training, she will cover training ideas for the traits you picked, so if you want a trait but are unsure of how it might be worked on in practice, don't worry, she'll cover it.
In general… More Traits is always better. You don't have to focus overly on what Traits pokemon start with, though, because their number isn't fixed — they can be won or lost (though mostly won) depending on training or special events. Negative Traits exist, but you will always have a way and/or possibility to turn them into a positive one, trading in short-term loss and time for future benefit. Note that some Traits are genetic and can never be gained if the pokemon doesn't have them at birth, though you won't be running into a lot of those.
In the future, you won't get to choose a pokemon you catch's Traits, but unless you got them as an Egg you'll get an overview of any Trait you would conceivably notice prior to choosing to catch/fight that pokemon. To note, Hidden Traits exist, and come in two categories : those you can see, and those you can't. Simply put, sometimes you'll be able to tell there's something special about a pokemon, but not be able to tell what it is. Those will show up as [???] alongside a short description of what about them gives you the feeling something's off. Others will just be invisible until such a time as they are revealed.)
Choose a maximum of THREE Traits from the list (Approval voting) :
[] "… particularly bouncy on those little legs of her. She got the hang of that little Mareep skip pretty fast." (Agile)
Agile: This pokemon is light on its feet, quick to move and even quicker to react, compared to the average member of its species.
[] "… hiding some power in that small frame of hers. Those little headbutts were stronger than I expected." (Strong)
Strong: This pokemon packs more of a punch in their frame than their peers do.
[] "… surprisingly economical in her movements. That's some good instincts on her." (Graceful)
Graceful: This pokemon aspires to move with as little wasted movement as possible, often with a flair for the stylish.
[] "… actually a bit bigger than a freshly hatched Mareep should be, despite how she looks. She'll be a big one." (Large)
Large: This pokemon is somewhat bigger than the average representative of its species.
[] "… got a healthy sheen to that skin and surprisingly soft wool for a Mareep straight out of the egg. She'll be quite a looker when she grows up, I'm sure." (Beautiful)
Beautiful: This pokemon is a particularly aesthetically pleasing member of its species — whatever their species is, they are more.
[] "… not looking short on energy, bouncing all over the place. Good luck keeping her corralled." (Vigorous -> Battery)
(Requirements met: - Pokemon has trait 'Vigorous'
- Pokemon is an Electric-type
- Pokemon knows move 'Charge' and/or 'Charge Beam'
Trait 'Vigorous' will automatically consolidate to 'Battery')
Battery: This pokemon was already possessed of boundless energy and enthusiasm… And that was before it learned to fuel that even further with their own electricity. Nigh indefatigable so long as they can replenish their electrical charge.
[] "… already building up a proper static charge in that wool. She's got a good feel for that, I think." (Type Affinity (Electric))
Type Affinity (Electric): This pokemon has a particular talent for the manipulation of Electric-type energy. Moves come to them easier, and they often have less of a hard time getting creative with them.
[] "… already got you wrapped around her little hooves. Careful, she's a clever one." (Quick-witted)
Quick-witted: This pokemon is more cunning than the average member of its species, and excels at adapting on the fly to new situations.
[] "… pretty empathetic, I think. Something to keep in mind if you want to train her up as a serious fighter, I guess." (Battle Affinity (Support))
Battle Affinity (Support): This pokemon has a natural affinity for acting in a more support-oriented role in battle. First-tier Battle Trait, evolves with specialisation.
[] "… a little fearless, isn't she ? I would have thought she'd be more scared of Yasigi. You'll have to be careful she doesn't do anything too reckless." (Brave)
Brave: This pokemon is less likely to flinch, less affected by various intimidation effects, less likely to be affected by higher stakes, and less likely to freeze up and/or underperform when fighting a nominally superior opponent.
[] "… got some fire to her alright. That's pretty rare for a Mareep. You'll have trouble keeping her out of a fight more than you will getting her into them. (Battle Affinity (Offense))
Battle Affinity (Offense): This pokemon has a natural affinity for taking the lead in battle, and taking the fight to its opponent. First-tier Battle Trait, evolves with specialisation.
[] "… quite guarded, though, for a pokemon that's just hatched. A tough nut to crack, maybe ?" (Battle Affinity (Defense))
Battle Affinity (Defense): This pokemon has a natural affinity for taking a more passive role in battle, letting its opponent come to it and reacting to its actions. First-tier Battle Trait, evolves with specialisation.
[] "… trying to keep everything in her sight as she goes along, right ? I think you've landed a bit of a control freak." (Battle Affinity (Control))
Battle Affinity (Control): This pokemon has a natural affinity for trying to keep control of the battlefield, making sure their opponent is caught up in their pace. First-tier Battle Trait, evolves with specialisation.
[] "… already walking around like she owns the place. I think you have yourself a little queen in the making, here — Manasa has competition incoming." (Proud)
Proud: This pokemon carries itself with a regal air, and will not suffer being second-best.
[] "… got an old, familiar scent to her. Dragons. I'm willing to bet either her mother or her father have a pretty good hang of their draconic heritage." (Blood of Dragons)
Blood of Dragons: This pokemon may not be a Dragon-type, but its far distant ancestors were, and the memory of it is buried in there. Unfortunately, it also remembers their temper. Struggles less with harnessing Dragon-type energy, modifies interaction with certain species of pokemon and other holders of this trait.
(Warning: the Mareep line learns no dragon-type move until Ampharos learns Dragon Pulse, so some patience may be warranted to reap its benefits)
[] "… already using that electromagnetic sense to try and keep an eye around her, clever girl. Yasigi can feel it. The cautious type, I guess." (Heightened Senses (Magnetic))
Heightened senses (Magnetic): This pokemon's species has naturally good senses, and it's gone and improved on them. Better able to discern the fluctuations in surrounding electromagnetic fields.
Looking at the little sheep being cooed over by a happy Milotic, you can't help but agree. You've really lucked out here.
You spend the rest of the day getting acclimated to your new pokemon and introducing her to the rest of Melati's theme, making sure she's at ease around the ones she'll be living with in the foreseeable future.
Truth be told, you were a little worried about how she would react to all of them, especially to Nekeh the Arbok, but to your surprise after overcoming her initial nervousness at standing next to pokemon so much stronger than her she drops pretty much all of her defiance, much to the snakes' amusement as they watch he curiously sniff at them.
When you express your surprise to Melati, however, she just laughs it off and informs you that Sandaconda, Seviper, Arbok and Serperior all share common egg groups with the Mareep line, and are in fact perfectly capable of getting along even in the wild — it doesn't share a habitat with Sandaconda, there have been records in Unova of Serperiors sheltering them in exchange for help keeping Flying-types out of their glades, and they make poor prey for Arbok and Seviper, whose stealthier and slower approach to hunting means they prefer prey with less developed senses and that can't electrocute them passively when caught in their coils.
Some more snake facts you now know. Something tells you they won't be the last you'll be learning on this journey.
Pep and Jura seem like they intimidate your Mareep a little, for all that the Milotic seemed quite taken with her. The Gyarados, meanwhile, seems happy enough to ignore her and be ignored in return, even if you caught your pokemon giving him slightly awed glances from time to time.
Yeah, you get that.
Eventually, however, the sun begins to sets as Melati shows you how to properly brush her wool. It turned out that after Pep and Jura evolved and feeding and training them became a lot more expensive, her parents had decided she should earn at least part of the money that went into taking care of them, meaning that being from Olivine and a good hand with Pokemon she spent several seasons working at a Moomoo farm affiliate, taking care of the cattle. It's a little hard to imagine the woman you see in front of you as a ranch hand, to be honest, but apparently that's where Nekeh came from — he was a young Ekans that had tried to sneak into a coop for some easy eggs.
Seeing the light beginning to wane, Melati tells you her pokemon could make camp for the two of you… but won't, and instead makes sure that you can do everything yourself, from securing the perimeter or putting up your tent to cooking. She thankfully draws the line at hunting your food, seeing as it's already evening and Yero and Nekeh have brought back their own catches, but it's clear you'll be expected to be able to fend for yourself by the time she's through with you.
"Lesson one of wilderness living for Trainers : if you can't do it without your pokemon's help, don't get used to it. The day they're knocked out, or want to rest, or are occupied with something else, you'll look like a moron and won't know what to do," she explains when you ask why her Sandaconda can't just dig out a firepit. "Only let your pokemon do it once you're confident you could have done it without them, and make sure to occasionally do things yourself even if they could have in order to make sure you don't grow rusty."
It turns out television lied to you about great trainers having it easy in the wild because their pokemon do everything for them.
"Some Trainers do. Not me, and not you so long you're with me. Besides, consider that lesson two of training : don't expect your pokemon to put in effort if you won't put any in. Doing the chores alongside them is a good way to show that they're not just picking up your slack and to earn their respect, and occasionally taking over for them and giving them a day off from time to time is a good way to make them feel like their contribution is appreciated."
And in front of that logic, you couldn't really complain, could you ? You'd hate to show your new baby a bad example.
You improvise a sort of stew thanks to a couple of the small birds Yero had brought back, some of the local herbs and the part of your spice rack which you'd adamantly insisted was worth taking up some of your pack space. You don't regret it.
Manasa took pity on you at some point — well, presumably she took pity on herself when she saw what was for dinner — and went off to stimulate the growth of a nearby Berry bush, coming back with a handful's worth of Chesto berries which help make your dish a bit less bland.
"Better than I expected," is Melati's judgment on the final production. "Good you thought about packing spices. Not essential, but makes life much more pleasant. Speaking of, another lesson : learn your pokemon's tastes and diet. Some might be harder to accommodate than others, but making the effort to cook proper food they like from time to time goes a long way towards making sure they're happy. Chow, Pokeblocs, Poffins and the like have their uses, but… Well, would you want to eat bland health superfood every meal of your life ?"
No, no you wouldn't.
And so the evening goes, full of little tips and anecdotes as Melati introduces you to life as a Trainer until the time comes for sleep.
Which in Melati-speak apparently means 'as soon as night falls'. You ask her what she's going to do about her tent, considering she hasn't put it up yet, but instead of answering, she tells you that the both of you will be rising with the sun and recalls her Gyarados and Milotic before her four other snakes gather up around her and tangle in a giant knot of scales you can see a couple of limbs poke out of.
It seems that her idea of a working sleeping arrangement when the weather isn't awful is a giant cuddle-pile of serpents.
To each their own, you guess. You reckon you quite prefer your own accommodations, slipping into your sleeping bag as your starter waddles along next to you sleepily. All tired out by a day of active frolicking straight out of the egg.
She settles down next to you, and you think you could get used to this.
OOC: You have finally gotten your starter, and that means that it's time to finish chargen. Why did the starter need to be picked beforehand, you ask ? As I've said before, this world may not be the game's or the anime's, but it does operate partially under shonen/JRPG rules, and part of that means coded character design. That's why you don't get to handpick your appearance and personality, but instead a character type in the tradition of Trainer categories everywhere, and why I'll encourage you (but won't force you) to go all out on the puns or stupid jokes for your name.
It will also influence your character's decisions in battle when not directly following a plan you laid out for them, unless specified otherwise.
Alongside your options, I've given examples of Trainers that fall in that category, but that's by no means an absolute indicator of what you'll be like, just some help to better picture the kind of character I'm talking about.
And, of course, the character types you can pick are restricted by your starter choice. It's why I was waiting. Don't worry about themes for this, by the way, choosing one doesn't lock you out of anything. It's almost a shame you didn't pick Horsea, you missed out on unlocking the 'Dragon Tamer Wannabe' character type, complete with being a Lance fanboy.
For this vote, give me a PLAN VOTE which puts together your name, your Mareep's name and your chosen Character Type.
[][Name]
- Write-in
[][Character Type]
Flashy : You can't say you've ever minded being the centre of attention, and it shows. It really shows. Pretty boy looks, snappy fashion, charisma to spare, being a social butterfly isn't all that you are, but it's a big part. Just because you have hidden depths doesn't mean you can't have fun in the shallows, right ? (Unlocked by Electric-type starter. Being pretty and a natural crowd-pleaser helps ease a lot of things along, but also makes you likely to rub quite a few people the wrong way. As trainers, these particular types like to go for the spectacular and the crowd-pleasing, sometimes at the expense of more sensible options. Examples : Elesa, Wallace.)
High-voltage : There's a reason those last three years at university burned so badly, and that's because you're the kind of person who's always completely key-ed up and ready for action, who constantly needs to be doing something. Why are you still in the chargen, when there's so many things you could be doing ? (Unlocked by Electric-type starter. Your enthusiasm can be contagious, and no one will ever accuse you of laziness, but some people find you exhausting to deal with. As trainers, these particular types tend to be relentless and try to keep up a high pace in combat, but struggle with being on the defense or accounting for exhaustion. Examples : non-depressed Volkner, Barry)
Rocker : Just because it's a cliché that arguably hasn't had any proper grounding in reality since the 80s, doesn't mean you won't try your hardest to live up to it. Leather jackets may not be suitable attire for traveling the wilds in the summer, but see if that'll stop you ! (Unlocked by Electric-type starter. You have authority issues, and while the public will eat your public persona right up you also will sometimes struggle to be taken seriously. As trainers, these types share a love of spectacle in common with the Flashy type, though with more of bent towards trying to overwhelm their opponents. Examples : Roxie, Piers/Marnie)
Jock : Nothing about taking proper care of your body and being part of the more popular social in-circles suggests you have to be dumb, or not have dreams of your own you want to follow, you know ! That said, even though you can do that stuff if you get down to it, the more intellectual pursuits in life have never roused as much passion in you as proper exercise does. (Unlocked by default. I don't need to explain to you what a jock is, but don't take that to mean you're stupid and/or mean. You just know what you prefer in life. As trainers, they have a tendency to rely on their pokemon's natural propensities and abilities, and on making best use of their physical abilities. Example : Hau, Brawly)
Farmboy : Look, you didn't lie when you said you were from Violet City ! Technically, you fall within the city's jurisdiction. What do you mean that's only because you're too far from even the nearby suburbs ? Anyway, you're used to working with pokemon and being out in nature, even if it's of the more domesticated kind. (Unlocked by starter often found in farms. You know what you're doing when it comes to rearing, but boy are you not that good at blending in when it comes to the city, and there's nothing the public loves more than having a laugh at the hick's expense. As trainers, they often trust in their pokemon to know what's best for them to do in battle. Example: Milo, Hapu)
Nerd : Just because you forced yourself to get in shape enough for this traveling business, doesn't mean you had to enjoy it. You've always much preferred keeping to more intellectually fulfilling pursuits, and you don't see that changing anytime soon. (Unlocked by default. I don't need to explain to you what a nerd is, but don't take that to mean you're a whiny and/or friendless brat. You just know what you prefer in life. As trainers, they tend to prefer trying to plan out every eventuality, and coming up with clever ways around any predicament, even in situations where it isn't necessary. Example : Professor Elm, Clemont.)
Soft Boi : It's not like you want people to coo over you all the time ! You don't even want people to react that way at all in the first place ! Actually, you'd kind of liked it if people thought you were fierce or threatening from time to time !… Please ? (Unlocked by having an adorable and fluffy starter. You can't help it, you just look mostly harmless, and like you're thirty seconds away from an old lady kidnapping you to offer you tea and titter condescendingly yet affectionately at you as she pinches your cheeks. As trainers, they usually prefer to be on the defensive and react to whatever's going on, but push too hard and they will snap. Example : Allister, Cheren)
Swimmer : Sure, Olivine isn't really what anyone would call a coastal town, but between the pool, the lake and frequent trips to Route 32 you made sure to always have time to indulge in your favourite non-pokemon related hobby. (Unlocked by having a pokemon with strong maritime associations. For all intents and purposes, an aquatic version of the jock, which pays the time its more single-minded focus on its physical activity of choice cost it when it comes to socialising in being a more serious and focused person. As trainers, they have a tendency to rely on their pokemon's natural propensities and abilities, and on making best use of their physical abilities. Example : Nessa, Misty)
(All pictures are negotiable so long as it doesn't drag on, they're more to give a general idea, and you wouldn't believe how hard it is to find suitable matches for some of these picks)
A/N: There it is, the end of your first day as an actual Trainer. I'll put your Mareep's profile up in the charsheet once this vote is over, but in the meantime here's the moves she knows :
Tackle
Growl
Take Down
Charge
Electric Terrain
I mentioned your starter's parentage in the opening update, and so with regards to Egg Moves I did a very simple thing : I decided which trainer the Ampharos her Egg came from belonged to from my list of Named Trainers, and then rolled at random for the father out of compatible pokemon species that live in the area near that trainer's primary stomping grounds, since I'd stated it was wildborn. You got pretty lucky and rolled Luxray, and seeing as this is the quality starter you blew your savings on, that means you get every Egg move possible from the Ampharos/Luxray combination : Take Down, Charge and Electric Terrain.
That was the one, single scenario which could have made that Battery trait available to you at hatching, by the way.
This isn't the game, so there are no restrictions on the amount of moves a pokemon can learn, but it does get harder the more moves you learn — though there are ways around that, and you can choose to expunge useless moves later on.
As for your Mareep's gender… I flipped a coin, as I probably will with most pokemon you encounter that can potentially be caught. It came up heads, so it's a girl.
And with that, chargen will be over at last, after this final vote.
Please format the chargen vote like this :
[] Plan Example
- [Name] Character name
- [Mareep Name] Pokemon nickname
- [Character Type] Chosen character type
[X] [Traits] [X] "… got an old, familiar scent to her. Dragons. I'm willing to bet either her mother or her father have a pretty good hang of their draconic heritage." (Blood of Dragons) [X] "… not looking short on energy, bouncing all over the place. Good luck keeping her corralled." (Vigorous -> Battery) [X] "… got some fire to her alright. That's pretty rare for a Mareep. You'll have trouble keeping her out of a fight more than you will getting her into them. (Battle Affinity (Offense))
I like these three traits for our starter. Battery is a unique trait cause of our egg move that would be hard to get otherwise. Love the battle affinity trait offense trait cause Ampharos is great at battling. Blood of Dragons could also make some interesting interactions as well. Altogether the three traits would make her energetic, hot blooded and maybe a lit prideful from dragon blood.
[X] [Chargen] Plan Full Softi
- [Name] Charli
- [Mareep Name] Dandelionne
- [Character Type] Soft Boi
A trainer who wants to prove himself! Charli is a diminutive of Charles and fill the Soft Boi aesthetic. "Dandelionne" is a porte-manteau of dandelion and lionne which is lioness in french. Fluffy and cute, but still dangerous!
[X] [Traits] "… already got you wrapped around her little hooves. Careful, she's a clever one." (Quick-witted)
[X] [Traits] "… already using that electromagnetic sense to try and keep an eye around her, clever girl. Yasigi can feel it. The cautious type, I guess." (Heightened Senses (Magnetic))
[X] [Traits] "… not looking short on energy, bouncing all over the place. Good luck keeping her corralled." (Vigorous -> Battery)
[X] Plan: Good ol' Farmboy
- [Name] Beau
- [Mareep Name] Dolly
- [Character Type] Farmboy [X] "… got an old, familiar scent to her. Dragons. I'm willing to bet either her mother or her father have a pretty good hang of their draconic heritage." (Blood of Dragons)
[] "… already using that electromagnetic sense to try and keep an eye around her, clever girl. Yasigi can feel it. The cautious type, I guess." (Heightened Senses (Magnetic)) [X] "… got some fire to her alright. That's pretty rare for a Mareep. You'll have trouble keeping her out of a fight more than you will getting her into them. (Battle Affinity (Offense))
The traits I'm most interested in at first glance are probably Heightened Sense (Magnetic) for cool magnetic field stuff, Blood of Dragons for keeping Dragon themes open and just possible interactions, and then maybe Quick-witted or Battery but I'm pretty open on this last one.
As for Character type, I'm tempted for Soft to go all-in on the FLUFF theme but Flashy would be okay with me too but it might be that Claude picture is influencing me. I'm atrocious at names though so I'm more likely to just hop on someone else's plan for that part of the vote after some different ones have been proposed because I just can not.
[X] "… already using that electromagnetic sense to try and keep an eye around her, clever girl. Yasigi can feel it. The cautious type, I guess." (Heightened Senses (Magnetic)) [X] "… already got you wrapped around her little hooves. Careful, she's a clever one." (Quick-witted) [X] "… got an old, familiar scent to her. Dragons. I'm willing to bet either her mother or her father have a pretty good hang of their draconic heritage." (Blood of Dragons)
[X] [Chargen] Plan Full Softi
[x] Plan Full Soft
[X] "… not looking short on energy, bouncing all over the place. Good luck keeping her corralled." (Vigorous -> Battery)
[X] "… already got you wrapped around her little hooves. Careful, she's a clever one." (Quick-witted)
[X] [Traits] "… already using that electromagnetic sense to try and keep an eye around her, clever girl. Yasigi can feel it. The cautious type, I guess." (Heightened Senses (Magnetic))
[X] Plan: Good ol' Farmboy [X] "… not looking short on energy, bouncing all over the place. Good luck keeping her corralled." (Vigorous -> Battery) [X] "… already building up a proper static charge in that wool. She's got a good feel for that, I think." (Type Affinity (Electric))
[X] "… already using that electromagnetic sense to try and keep an eye around her, clever girl. Yasigi can feel it. The cautious type, I guess." (Heightened Senses (Magnetic))
[] Plan Weather Peasant and Fluff Queen
-[] [Name] Paul Beckett
-[] [Mareep Name] Marigold
-[] [Character Type] Farmboy
-[] [Traits] "… got a healthy sheen to that skin and surprisingly soft wool for a Mareep straight out of the egg. She'll be quite a looker when she grows up, I'm sure." (Beautiful)
-[] [Traits] "… not looking short on energy, bouncing all over the place. Good luck keeping her corralled." (Vigorous -> Battery)
-[] [Traits] "… already walking around like she owns the place. I think you have yourself a little queen in the making, here — Manasa has competition incoming." (Proud)
I like the idea of having the farmboy learning about meteorology and pursuing a weather manipulation theme pokemon roster. Mareep is our starter and it seems a good pokemon to go with charisma traits, though I went a bit balanced with the traits. The story would feel more interesting with proud instead of increased electric manipulation.
I picked Marigold because a Mareep's fluff looks similar to the flower. Sounds a coherent choice of name for a farmboy.
Edit : Our degree isn't meteorology but mythology. This plan therefore lacks coherence.
Alright, added the Traits blurb in the post to the Mechanics repository, and also took advantage of that to add a bit in the Lore repository about evolution and what to expect in general.
On that note, I need to be up bright and early tomorrow, so that'll be it for me today and I'll look at any eventual questions/requests for clarification tomorrow !
[X] Plan Weather Peasant and Fluff Queen
[x] "… actually a bit bigger than a freshly hatched Mareep should be, despite how she looks. She'll be a big one." (Large)
[x] "… not looking short on energy, bouncing all over the place. Good luck keeping her corralled." (Vigorous -> Battery)
[x] "… already using that electromagnetic sense to try and keep an eye around her, clever girl. Yasigi can feel it. The cautious type, I guess." (Heightened Senses (Magnetic))
[x] "… got a healthy sheen to that skin and surprisingly soft wool for a Mareep straight out of the egg. She'll be quite a looker when she grows up, I'm sure." (Beautiful)
[x] "… not looking short on energy, bouncing all over the place. Good luck keeping her corralled." (Vigorous -> Battery)
[] "… got some fire to her alright. That's pretty rare for a Mareep. You'll have trouble keeping her out of a fight more than you will getting her into them. (Battle Affinity (Offense))
[x] Plan Full Soft - [Name] Jaune
- [Mareep Name] Marigold
- [Character Type] Soft Boi
When I saw that mareep picture, I knew we were destined to make the fluff team a reality. Full-on Soft Press.
Edit:
Adding this [X] [Traits] "… already using that electromagnetic sense to try and keep an eye around her, clever girl. Yasigi can feel it. The cautious type, I guess." (Heightened Senses (Magnetic))
