Mechanics FAQ

Green boxes contain questions and answers.

Can my Attributes be reduced to zero? What about Traits like Defense?

1. Attributes and Traits can never be reduced to zero by Moves and Abilities.
2. Status Conditions, namely Paralysis, can reduce a Pokemon's Dexterity to zero as the condition penalizes that Attribute.

What moves can I learn via Overranking?

• A pokemon that overranks can learn a single move on it's move list from ANY rank above it's own.

The book says you always do a minimum one damage, but can anything reduce my damage to zero?

• Type-Resistance, Force Fields (light screen/reflect/aurora veil etc.), Shield Moves (Protect/Detect/Wide Guard), And certain Abilities (Filter, Flash Fire, Volt Absorb) can reduce damage to 0.

How many successes do I need to succeed on an Accuracy check?

• The number of successes you need is determined by how many actions you have taken in that Round. On your first action you need one success, second action, two successes, etc.
• Learn More on Pg.49

What’s the difference between a Round and a Turn?

• Rounds consist of multiple rotations through the Initiative order. Each Pokemon can take up to 5 Actions in a single round. Starting with the highest initiative, that Pokemon takes a Turn where it can perform an action. Continue the process down the Initiative order until all Pokemon are out of Actions to take or pass their turn.

When the book says that Multiple Actions are optional, does that mean I can forgo them in my game?

• Multiple Actions have an Optional tag next to them because it is optional whether or not you want to use them on your turn. Multiple Actions are built into the system and affect how the system is balanced, and so should be included in your play.

Is the amount of successes necessary to Evade or Clash affected by previous actions?

• When you Evade or Clash, you only need to match your opponent’s successes on their Accuracy Check to be successful.

Does Evading or Clashing count as one of my 5 Actions per Turn?

• Yes, Evading and Clashing each add 1 to your action count.

Are there any moves you can’t Evade or Clash?

• Moves that use a Social Attribute (Cool, Cute, Tough, Smart, Beauty) for Accuracy can’t be evaded or clashed. Support Moves, Moves that ignore Defenses, and Moves that have a Set Damage cannot be clashed, as well.

Are the success/victories required for Training/Evolution cumulative?

• No. After you rank up or evolve, the number of successes you need does not include successes from before ranking up/evolving.
• IE: A beginner pokemon needs 6 successes to rank up to Amateur. Once it's Amateur, it needs 12 successes to get to Ace, the 6 it already has do not count.

Do I have to get all the required successes for Rank Up in one training session?

• No. Write down the total number of successes you have at the end of each training session as you add up training session results until you reach the target number.

How many targets can I affect with my move that targets “All Allies/Foes in Range”?

• The amount of allies/foes you can target is dependent on your rank. Check its description on pg. 30 for more specifics.

Does the damage caused each round by Restrain moves (Fire Spin, etc) ignore defenses?

• Yes.

Does a Shield move block all the attacks from a move with Successive Actions?

• No. A Shield move only blocks one action, and Successive Actions lets you take multiple actions to attack.

Does a Shield move prevent me from using my Action once it's my Turn?

• No. A Shield move is a move you can use on another Pokemon's turn, like how you Evade and Clash. You are able to use it, then attack when your turn comes up in initiative.

Why is Assurance/X move different from how it is in the games?

• Different moves have been given different effects to match the feel wanted for Pokerole. This is not the case for everything, but 99% of the time the change is intentional.

What effects stack with each other?

• Moves stack with Abilities with the same effect. (Example: Moves with High critical + Super Luck / Growl + Intimidate / Moves that increase an attribute + Ability that increases an attribute)
• Items stack with Abilities with the same effect
• Moves + Items with the same effect do not stack
• Moves + Moves do not stack, take the larger number and apply that
• Abilities with the same effect do not stack even when they are from a different source.

How do Charge moves work?

• Charge moves are split between two turns. The first turn is the turn you declare you are using a charge move. You roll the Accuracy for the move, jot that down, and your turn ends. The battle continues until your next turn, where 1, your target can attempt to evade or clash, and 2, you roll the damage for your move.
• If you fail your accuracy roll, the second half of the Charge move process is irrelevant: you can take any action you wish on that turn.

How does the move Bide work?

• When you first use Bide, you roll for accuracy to see if you can successfully activate the move. Once you have, the battle continues until you have taken two hits. You may not clash or evade moves targeted at you during this time, (though you may clash for an ally at storyteller's discretion). After you have taken two hits, you may once again use Bide (even if it's the same round), rolling accuracy and if you hit, applying the bonus damage detailed in the move description.

How does Sucker Punch work?

• When using Sucker Punch, the puncher trades their chance to evade/clash/react to an attack to make an attack first. The opponent who attacked first also cannot evade/clash/react to the sucker punch because they're in the middle of their own attack.
  • Pikachu uses Thundershock on Nickit and rolls to hit
  • Nickit declares it's using Sucker Punch, it rolls to hit BEFORE Thundershock finishes.
  • Nickit rolls for damage if the Sucker Punch was successful
  • Thundershock now finishes, Pikachu goes straight to rolling damage as Nickit forfeited it's chance to evade so it could use Sucker Punch.

Can I retrain my Trainer's skills or stats?

• Storyteller's discretion. Your storyteller may allow it if it makes sense for your game and you can narratively explain how your trainer has adjusted their knowledge and abilities.

How do Priority and Low Priority Moves work?

For context, the steps of a Pokemon's Turn go as like this:

1. Attacker chooses a move
2. Attacker rolls Accuracy At this point, the Pokemon cannot take a reaction till it's Turn is over!
3. Defender can use a Reaction (Shield Move, Evade, Clash)
4. If the Reaction failed or there wasn't one, Attacker rolls Damage

Priority moves are a Reaction you take before Step 1 on an Opponent's Turn. From there, you do step 2 through 4 for your Priority Move, and the Pokemon you're targeting can React as normal as they have not rolled Accuracy yet.

Low Priority moves are Reactions you take in Step 3 on an Opponent's Turn. Low Priority means that you're giving up your chance to avoid the damage via a Shield Move, Evade, or Clash but once you've taken the damage, you get to make your Low Priority attack.

The way this breaks out in steps is that 1-4 for the Attacker take place, then the Defender who used the Low Priority move immediately get to roll 2 & 4. The new Defender does NOT get the React to the Low Priority move, as it's till technically their turn and you cannot take another action once you've rolled an Accuracy roll on your turn!

Does Simple Beam really use Empathy in it's Accuracy when Pokemon don't have Empathy by default?

• Yes, Simple Beam uses Empathy by design. Pokemon can take any skill as an Extra skill that the GM will allow. A Pokemon can practice Empathy just as much as a Person can.

Why do Pokemon have Allure when Humans have Empathy? Are they the same?

• Empathy and Allure are not the same skill. Empathy deals with understanding another's emotions, be they Pokemon or Human. Allure is convincing others, again Pokemon or Human, to like you.
• Pokemon have Allure and Humans have Empathy, but they can have the alternative as well by taking them as an Extra skill. Your Pokemon can be Empathetic and your Human character can be Alluring.

When I train Pokemon, am I training for just one?

• Per Word of Glee, a training session can include all of a Trainer's Pokemon. Each Pokemon that is trained gets it's own Training Roll for successes.

What does "Roll 2 additional dice on all Skill Rolls" mean for characters at the Master Rank?

• A Pokemon or Trainer at Master rank rolls 2 additional dice on any roll that uses a Skill. This includes Accuracy, Evasion, Clash, etc.

Do I have to get to Master rank before reaching Champion rank?

• Ranks are only sequential from Starter to Pro rank. Any other rank you achieve is in addition to your rank between those. It's entirely possible to have a Starter rank trainer who also happens to be a Master!

Is Clash an "Evasion Action?"

• No, Clash is not an Evasion action.
• For example, you may Clash while Taunted as it does not count as an Evasion move.

Where do I find the rules on movement? How should I use a battle map in Pokerole?

• There are no movement mechanics in Pokerole.
• Pokerole is intended to played Theatre of the Mind, which means you imagine the combat happening. There are no ranges, movement speeds, maps, or tokens involved in playing theatre of the mind.
• You can find maximum speeds for Pokemon based on their Dexterity stat on pg. 432, but these are not for battlemaps. These values are more for overland travel distance such as how quickly one can travel a route.

When I increase or decrease an Attribute, do I then add dice or successes to my rolls?

• When you increase an Attribute (including Accuracy!), you add one additional Die to your die pool while rolling.
• When you decrease an Attribute (including Accuracy!), you remove one success after your roll your original die pool.