That Move Was…! A Combat Commentary Brew

Everyone loves to attend a Pokemon battle, especially when their friend is battling. Sometimes the observers notice something the trainers miss and it can really help them out if you point it out.

This brew adds the cut aways to Brock, Max, Goh, and all the other party members as they comment and observe an ongoing battle in the anime to Pokerole. These cutaways can even give the party members a chance to influence the battle to their friend’s favor.

Commentary is a phase that takes place at the start of the round, before any Pokemon take actions. The trainer will make a Comment about something that happened in the past round. They’ll need to be accurate as well, the Storyteller shouldn’t allow Commentary that’s incorrect. Comments have three parts to them:

• A style of comment you have to make
• A Skill Roll to make
• A bonus Effect that happens if your Skill Roll was successful

The Skills listed with the Comment type is a suggestion: the Storyteller may want you to use a different Attribute or Skill based on the current situation or what you’ve said. The Storyteller also might have you just roll an Attribute alone. You may want to suggest your own combination as well! A trainer can be just as psyched out by your Pokemon Lore knowledge as they can be your Intimidating posture.

Success or not, only one Trainer can make a comment on a given round. The Skill Roll difficulty can be a contested roll against an enemy trainer, but if you don’t typically stat out enemy trainers you can base the difficulty off the rank of their Pokemon using the following chart.

Some Comments are beneficial to the Commenter’s ally as well! These comments should never be a contested roll.

Attributes: Cool, Tough, Strength
Skills: Intimidate, Lore, Perform

Comment Style: The commenter points out something that makes the target doubt themselves, such as a mistake they made or something they missed.

Comment Effect: The target’s Pokemon flinches on their first Action due to their trainer’s hesitation.

Attributes: Cool, Insight
Skills: Empathy, Etiquette

Comment Style: The commenter praises, cheers, or points out an impressive technique their ally pulled off.

Comment Effect: Restore one Will Point to the allied Trainer’s Pokemon. Alternatively, give them an additional die on their next Action.

Attributes: Clever, Insight
Skills: Alert, Lore

Comment Style: The commenter notes something that their ally in the battle might have missed, or provides them with some new information about the opponent’s Pokemon or Moves.

Comment Effect: Give the allied Trainer some information about the enemy Pokemon, such as some of it’s stats, moves, or derived values like HP or Will. With Storyteller’s discretion, using this Comment multiple times might give you insight into the Pokemon’s strategies.