Damage and Energy Guide

This is a guide primarily for prospective referees in need of guidance in the calculation portion of their mock battle or curious players who want to get an idea of how much damage they should count on their attack dealing. Note that this is only my scale and that you are welcome to develop your own if you dislike it. I acknowledge that this scale is not perfect and, again, you are welcome to tweak it. However, if you're a beginner, this is probably a pretty good place to start.


1. Determine the Attack's Base Damage

This is quite simple. A move's base damage is its base power divided by ten, so flip to your handy ASB Move Guide in the Database and find the base power for the move. Blast Burn's base power is 150, for example, so we start out with 15% damage. If a move's damage is listed as *, that means its damage varies; see its full description on its page for details.

2. Account for STAB

STAB stands for Same Type Attack Bonus, or a couple of added points of damage if the Pokémon using the attack is the same type as the attack. Because only Fire types can learn Blast Burn, we know that we have STAB here.

STAB adds 1/4 of the base damage (in damage percent) to the damage total. In the case of our Blast Burn, that's 15/4 or 3.75% extra damage for a total of 18.75%.

If the attack wasn't STAB, however, we'd get anti- or reverse-STAB instead. Applying anti-STAB is no longer recommended, but should you wish to apply it anyway, dock one point of damage. If somehow a non-Fire type were using the Blast Burn, it would sit at 14% instead.

3. Add Stat Boosts

Next add 1% for each level the attacking Pokémon's corresponding offensive stat has been raised. If that stat's modifier is negative, subtract 1% for each level instead. If we suppose that the Pokémon using Blast Burn has +3 Special Attack, its damage output becomes 21.75%.

Now that we've taken offensive modifiers into account, we need to look at the target Pokémon's relevant defense stat and add 1% to the attack's damage for each level it has been lowered or subtract 1% for each level it has been raised. Let's say that the target of our Blast Burn has -2 Special Defense; the attack's damage becomes 23.75%.

4. Determine the Experience Modifier

Naturally, more experienced Pokémon are going to wield their attacks more effectively. Therefore, you give a bonus to the damage based on how many EXP the Pokémon has gained. Simply divide the number of experience points the Pokémon has by four and round down. No more than 2% damage may be added by this modifier.

Let's say that the Pokémon using the Blast Burn is a Charizard with fifteen EXP. We'll therefore add add two percent to its damage. That brings us up to 25.75% damage so far.

5. Determine the Damage Modifier

You all know your type chart, right? Here's where it comes into play. Pick the appropriate modifier from one of these:

• If one or both of the opponent's types is immune to the attack's type, it does no damage.
• If both of the opponent's types are resistant to the attack's type, multiply its damage by 0.5.
• If one of the opponent's types is resistant to the attack's type, multiply its damage by 0.67.
• If neither of the opponent's types is weak or resistant to the attack's type, do nothing.
• If one of the opponent's types is weak to the attack's type and the other is resistant to it, do nothing.
• If one of the opponent's types is weak to the attack and the other neither resists nor is weak to it, multiply the attack's damage by 1.5.
• If both of the opponent's types are weak to the attack, double its damage.

Thus Blast Burn could be doing 0%, 12.875%, 17.2525%, 25.75%, 38.625%, or 51.5% damage, depending upon the opponent.

6. Other Factors

There are other modifiers that may be put onto attack damage; the most common of these is a terrain restriction that adds or subtracts damage for attacks of a certain type. Deal with these last; this is where most grey-area reffing comes in. Items that increase or decrease the amount of damage dealt by attacks also have their modifiers added in at this step. Note that all attacks must deal at least 1% damage after all modifiers are applied, unless the attack is being used against a Pokémon with a complete immunity to it; if an attack would deal less than 1% damage to a target susceptible to it, it deals 1% damage instead.

7. Round to Obtain Final Damage

Only after finishing your damage calculation should you round DOWN to obtain your final damage calculation. Therefore, if there are no other factors at play, Blast Burn may deal 0%, 12%, 17%, 25%, 38%, or 51% damage.


This part is broken up into three sections.


0. Determine the Move's Base Energy, If Possible

Most moves should have a base energy cost listed in the move list. If this is the case, use that and skip straight to step 4. Note that base energy costs may not be listed correctly (for example, many moves with inherent secondary effects should cost an extra 1%), so you may want to go through these steps anyway.

Otherwise...

1. Determine the Attack's Base Power

You should already have figured out the base power when you were calculating how much damage the attack would deal. Start with the base power of the attack--do not include changes to the base power resulting from stat modifiers. If the base power is 100 or greater, add 20 to it.

To convert this to an energy percentage, divide it by twenty and round UP to the nearest whole number. The Blast Burn in our example costs 9% ((150 + 20) / 20 = 8.5, round to 9). A Thunder Fang, with base power 65, has a base energy cost of 4% (65 / 20 = 3.25, round to 4).

2. Account for the Attack's Effects

If the attack has an added effect, such as a chance to inflict the target with a status condition or lower one of their stats, with a greater than 20% chance of occurring, then add one to the energy total. This affects attacks that always have a secondary effect, such as Icy Wind, and is taken into account before considering any abilities that alter effect chance, such as Sheer Force or Serene Grace. This also affects attacks that have inherent secondary effects -- that is, any move that has any effect outside of simply dealing damage.

Blast Burn has no secondary effects, so its energy cost remains 9%. If this were instead a Flamethrower, no energy would be added because Flamethrower's chance to burn is only 10%. If, however, this were a Thunder attack, with a 30% chance of causing paralysis, the energy cost would be increased by 1%.

3. Account for STAB

Again, STAB is Same Type Attack Bonus. If the attack is the same type as the user, deduct one percent energy.

Our Charizard is a Fire type, and so is Blast Burn, so the attack's cost is reduced to 8%.

4. Add Other Modifiers

There are some cases in which an attack may cost more or less energy than normal, such as when their cost is modified by a held item. In such cases, you add the bonuses in now. Some attacks also have a cost spread out across several turns (such as Light Screen); add the extra energy cost for such "upkeep" attacks in here now, too. Blast Burn, because it is an attack that usually requires a "recharge" action, costs extra energy if time is not taken to recover. If this Blast Burn were being used without a second action given over to recover, I would add 3% to its cost, for a final energy cost of 11%.


For attacks like Counter, Endeavor, and others that deal a set amount of damage based on some variable other than a set base power, a different rule applies. Fortunately, it is quite simple: unless the attack's entry in the Database states otherwise, it costs energy equal to half the damage it would deal if there were no damage cap. (The cap may reduce the final amount of damage dealt for the attack, but the Pokémon using it must still pay the full cost.)


Again, the rule of thumb is to simply look it up in the Database. However, if you need to determine it yourself, these can get very, very tricky. Some actions are not defined at all (such as climbing a tree, ducking, dancing, etc) and therefore you have to come up with a value entirely on your own. However, most attacks fall into one of several categories, the standard costs of which are described below. Note that all attacks must cost at least 1% energy after all modifiers are applied; if an attack would cost less than 1%, its cost is set to 1%.

1. Stat-Modifying Attacks

Any attacks that solely raise the user's stats, such as Dragon Dance, or do nothing but lower the opponent's stats, such as Screech, are considered stat-modifying attacks. Their energy cost is 1% per level raised or lowered. Thus, Dragon Dance and Screech both cost 2% energy, Leer costs 1%, and Cotton Guard costs 3%. In the case of Double Team, the cost is 1% per clone produced.

Attacks that both raise and lower the user's stats, such as Shell Smash, cost 1% per level raised only. Thus Shell Smash costs 6%.

2. Status-Inflicting Attacks

If an attack does nothing but inflict a status effect--attraction, burning, confusion, freezing, paralysis, poisoning, or sleep--it falls into this category. These attacks cost a base 4% energy. Less-accurate status attacks cost less energy; for each 15% below 100% a status effect's accuracy is, it costs 1% less energy. Thus, Thunder Wave costs 4% energy and Hypnosis costs 2%.

Swagger and Flatter are considered to be status-inflicting attacks and do not cost anything extra despite the stat boosts they grant.

3. Short-Duration Attacks

Some attacks cause effects that last for five actions or fewer, such as Taunt, Torment, Encore, and Haze. These attacks cost 4% energy, reduced by 1% if the attack is the same type as the user (e.g. it costs a Dark type Pokémon 3% energy to use Taunt).

4. Upkeep Attacks

Light Screen, Reflect, and Safeguard all cost 1% energy to use, then a further 1% per action to maintain. The maintenance cost is also paid for the first action the move is in effect; therefore, a full Safeguard lasting five actions would cost the user 6% energy total. These effects remain in play if the Pokémon that used them is switched out; if this happens, it is the Pokémon that used the attack initially that pays the upkeep cost, despite its no longer being on the field.

5. Long-Duration Attacks

Attacks that change the weather, plus Trick Room, Wonder Room, Magic Room, and any other attacks whose effects last more than five actions, cost 5% on the action that they are used. If the Pokémon using the attack is the same type as the attack itself (e.g. a Rock type using Sandstorm), the cost is reduced by 1%.

6. Protect, Detect, and Endure

These attacks cost a base 2% energy (deducted if the attack is used, even if it doesn't end up blocking anything), plus an additional 1/3 the damage that would have been sustained if the attack had successfully hit, rounded up to the nearest percent. In the case of Endure, the 1/3 cost instead applies to damage that would have reduced the user of Endure to below 1% health but which was instead prevented. Thus, if a Pokémon uses Protect to block a Thunder attack that would have dealt it 12% damage, Protect costs 6% energy. If a Pokémon at 3% health uses Endure, then is struck by an attack that would deal it 8% damage, the Endure prevents 6% of that damage and costs 4%.

7. Substitute

The energy needed to make a Substitute is equal to half the health the Substitute will have, rounded up.

8. Direct Healing Attacks

Direct healing attacks cost energy equal to three-quarters of the health they restore, rounded up. Thus, if a Pokémon at 77% health uses Recover to return to 100% health, the Recover will cost 18% energy.

9. Terrain Hazards

Spikes, Toxic Spikes, Stealth Rock, and Sticky Web all cost 2% per use.


Information on status ailments used to live in the Attacks & Abilities Guide; now that the A&A Guide is a thing of the past, it's temporarily staying here. Referees are required to adhere to the general guidelines for status conditions listed below, but the actual scale provided is just for reference.

In ASB, it is possible for a Pokémon to be under the influence of any number of status conditions at once, regardless of whether they are considered major or minor. The major status effects are as follows:


The Pokémon is inflicted with a second-degree burn that constantly stings and throbs, dealing it damage each action. Burned Pokémon are particularly susceptible to attacks that happen to strike their burn and see reduced effectiveness in the attacks they use that require movement, as swift movement is one thing that will aggravate their burn and cause them further pain. They therefore take such attacks much slower than usual, making them less powerful. As a result, physical attacks and others that require considerable movement incur a damage penalty. Burns do not fade without treatment.

Guidelines: Most burns should be inflicted as moderate. Moderate burns should be doing 3% damage per round (1% per action), unless aggravated in some way. Physical attacks and those that require a lot of movement should have a 0.67x modifier applied to their base power.

Severity Scale:

• Severe: Results from a moderate burn that has been aggravated in some way. 4% damage per round, 0.5x damage from physical attacks.
• Moderate: Caused by attacks that inflict a burn as their primary purpose, as well as side effects of attacks with a 30% or higher chance of inflicting a burn. 3% damage per round, 0.67x damage from physical attacks.
• Mild: Caused by attacks that inflict a burn as a secondary effect with less than a 30% chance. 2% damage per round, 0.75x damage from physical attacks.
• Light: Results from a mild burn that has had its severity decreased further somehow. 1% damage per round, damage penalty determined on a situational basis.

The freeze status is usually less dire in ASB than it is in the games. It is rare that the Pokémon will be entirely encased in ice and unable to move at all. Usually, a couple of its limbs will be immobilized at most, unless the opponent specifically concentrates on freezing it all the way. Freeze will naturally fade after several actions as the Pokémon thaws, but there are a multitude of ways to speed up the process, and being struck by a Fire attack will outright eliminate the condition.

Guidelines: Freezing should be dealt with on a situational basis, and as such there is no official scale for it.


A Pokémon steadily loses health as poison slowly degrades the functioning of its body from the inside out. Poisoned Pokémon take damage each action as a result of the condition. Poisoning does not fade unless treated.

Guidelines: Moderate poison should be doing at most 4% damage per round, unless aggravated in some way. At the very most poison should be doing 2% damage per action, or 6% per round. Most poison should be inflicted as moderate or mild.

Severity Scale:

• Severe: Results from moderate poison that has been worsened in some way. Damage from severe poison should be determined on a situational basis.
• Moderate: Caused by attacks that inflict poison as their primary purpose, as well as side effects of attacks with a 30% or higher chance of inflicting poison. 4% damage per round, divided up among the three actions with at least 1% each action.
• Mild: Caused by the secondary effects of attacks with less than a 30% chance of inflicting poison. 3% damage per round (1% per action).
• Light: Results from mild poison that has somehow been mitigated. Damage from light poison should be determined on a situational basis.

Like normal poison, this status causes persistent damage. Unlike regular poison, however, the afflicted Pokémon's condition worsens with time and the damage it takes as a result of the status increases with each passing round. Usually, a Pokémon will begin by taking 2% in round in which they were poisoned, and the amount of damage dealt by the status increases by 1% per round, to a maximum of 10%. Severe poison will not fade without treatment. A Pokémon cannot be poisoned and severely poisoned at the same time.

Guidelines: Toxic poison must always be treated as described above.


The Pokémon is sent into a deep and unnatural slumber, which typically lasts for several actions, during which there are very few commands the sleeping Pokémon can effectively execute. Loud noises or, especially, damage from attacks will likely bring a sleeping Pokémon back to wakefulness earlier than normal. Pokémon will also awaken immediately if their lives are in danger--for example, if the area where they have fallen asleep is flooded and they start to drown. Sleep usually lasts between three and four actions on average, with the duration being shorter if the Pokémon takes significant damage while slumbering.

Guidelines: Sleep should be lasting 3-4 actions if the foe is attacking as normal. Taking a lot of damage should significantly reduce the severity of sleep.

Severity Scale: The Pokémon has a certain percentage chance of staying asleep each for the action, which decreases each action. Sleep starts off with a 100% chance of staying asleep that action (i.e. the Pokémon is basically guaranteed to sleep for a full action), with that chance decreasing by 5% each action. The severity of sleep cannot be increased. Damage taken impacts the sleep chance as follows:

• 6%-10% damage: subtract 10%
• 11%-15% damage: subtract 15%
• 16% damage or more: subtract 20%

The Pokémon's muscles are uncomfortably locked up, either from chemical or electrical disruption or from cramping. This makes it difficult for a paralyzed Pokémon to control its limbs and move. Not only is the speed of a paralyzed Pokémon reduced, but there is a chance that paralysis may grip it so severely that it will be "fully paralyzed" for an action, completely unable to move or perform attacks; the chance of this happening decreases as the condition fades. Attacks that don't require movement may be less affected by paralysis, but full paralysis can be distressing and distracting enough to disrupt these attacks. Paralysis fades and eventually vanishes, but does so very slowly.

Guidelines: Severe paralysis must start at a 25% failure chance. There should be an average of around 4-5% natural recovery per round. It is recommended, but not required, that moves not requiring movement still be subject to paralysis rolls, though the results can be more forgiving.

Severity Scale:

• Severe: All status moves, as well as the side effects of moves with at least a 30% chance of causing paralysis, inflict this condition as severe. Starts at a 25% failure chance, which reduces by 2% each action that the Pokémon successfully passes its paralysis roll. Every action is subject to a paralysis roll, though actions not requiring movement may still succeed (with situational damage/energy penalties) if the roll is not too bad. The Pokémon's base speed is reduced to one-quarter of its original value.
• Moderate: Paralysis drops to moderate severity at 18% failure chance. Secondary effects of moves with less than a 30% chance of causing paralysis also inflict the condition as moderate, starting with a 15% failure chance. Base speed is reduced to one-third of its original value.
• Mild: Paralysis drops to mild severity at 12% failure chance. Base speed is reduced to one-half of its original value.
• Light: Paralysis drops to light at 6% failure chance. Base speed is reduced to two-thirds of its original value.

Minor status effects are eliminated if the pokémon suffering from them are recalled and later returned to battle. The minor status effects are as follows:


This status is directly caused by the attack "Attract" and indirectly by a variety of other attacks and abilities. The afflicted Pokémon is put in a lovesick daze by a Pokémon of the opposite gender, such that it will be much gentler when attacking that Pokémon or its allies, or may refuse to attack that Pokémon or its allies altogether. Attraction ends when the attracted Pokémon realizes that the opponent actually isn't interested in it, at which point it becomes enraged at the deception. Attraction almost always starts at severe, but for this reason attraction by the same subject grows less and less likely to be effective with each successive use. Severe attraction is equivalent to a 50% chance of failing to attack, and it decreases with time, fading more quickly if the object of attraction attacks the attracted Pokémon or otherwise appears uninterested in it. An attracted Pokémon may be more likely to obey commands rather than daydream if it can be convinced that what it's being asked to do will improve its image in the eyes of the Pokémon it's attracted to.

Guidelines: Severe infatuation must start at a 50% failure chance. It should be lasting 3-5 actions if the foe is attacking normally, with an average of one or two failures. Taking damage, especially from the object of attraction, should reduce the severity of infatuation.

Severity Scale: Attraction starts at a 50% failure chance, always. Failure chance decreases by 5% each action the Pokémon does not fail the attraction roll. Damage taken impacts this chance as follows (in a double battle, this happens for damage of any source; however, the Pokémon has the same chance of attract-failing regardless of who it's attacking):

• 6%-10% damage: subtract 10%
• 11%-15% damage: subtract 15%
• 16% damage or more: subtract 20%

A confused Pokémon has its perceptions of the world distorted and usually has difficulty coordinating its movements. It becomes a danger to itself, there being the chance, on any given action, that it will end up hurting itself in its attempt to complete an attack against the opponent, for example by tripping and falling while running at the foe. This chance decreases as the severity of the condition fades over time. The damage is calculated as if the Pokémon used a 40-power, typeless, physical attack against itself. The condition fades more quickly if the confused Pokémon takes significant damage from an opponents' attack.

Guidelines: Severe confusion must start at a 50% failure chance. It should be lasting 3-5 actions if the foe is attacking normally, with an average of one or two failures. Taking a lot of damage should reduce the severity of confusion.

Severity Scale: Severe confusion starts at a 50% failure chance, which decreases by 5% each action (whether the Pokémon hits itself or not). Confusion inflicted as the side effect of a move with less than a 30% effect chance starts off as moderate, 25% failure chance. Damage taken reduces the failure chance as follows:

• 6%-10% damage: subtract 10%
• 11%-15% damage: subtract 15%
• 16% damage or more: subtract 20%

Most attacks' critical hit chance start at domain 1, but attacks that are described as having a higher chance of a critical hit start out one critical domain higher. The critical domains, and the chance a move has to cause a critical hit while in one of them, are as follows:

• Domain 1: 5%
• Domain 2: 10%
• Domain 3: 20%
• Domain 4: 30%
• Domain 5: 50%

There is no way to raise a move's critical domain above five and therefore no way to ensure a more than 50% chance at scoring a critical hit on any given action. Critical hits result in a damage bonus equal to the base damage of the attack multiplied by 0.5, rounded down, to be added to the attack's final damage. The bonus damage caused by a critical hit may not exceed 7%, and it is unaffected by type weaknesses, stat changes, and all other effects on either the attacking or defending Pokémon.

if, for whatever reason, a pokémon using pain split is unable to heal all of the damage it would recover (I don't think this should happen normally, but), how much energy should it cost?

That would be one weird situation, but pain split should still cost half the health recovered, even if that ends up being less than it "should be" somehow. If no health is restored to the user for some reason, then I would say 2% for the attack itself.

Edit: Also, it should be noted that this doesn't alter the cost in instances where the amount of health restored is altered by some factor outside the attack itself, e.g., if the pokémon that uses pain split is heal blocked, it won't actually get any health back, but it will still pay the full amount for what it would have regained under normal circumstances.

How could even Pain Split fully heal the Pokémon? It's just plain impossible. In the games it is due to the different HP stats, which don't exist in ASB.

I don't think either of us were talking about a situation where pain split could be used to fully heal something. That would be possible only in special battles where pokémon are given more than 100% health, such as the Dragon's Den simulation legendaries.

Ah, haven't thought about that.

Thinking about it, I should have guessed since he just started a simulated battle. Sorry for my unneeded interruption.

Lord of the Fireflies said:

How could even Pain Split fully heal the Pokémon? It's just plain impossible. In the games it is due to the different HP stats, which don't exist in ASB.

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Negrek said:

I don't think either of us were talking about a situation where pain split could be used to fully heal something. That would be possible only in special battles where pokémon are given more than 100% health, such as the Dragon's Den simulation legendaries.

Click to expand...

... I should clarify. I was considering the scenario in which a pokémon at 100% health uses pain split against an opponent which, due to arena conditions, has greater than 100% health -- a dragon's den simulation legendary, yes. does that cost energy equal to half the difference (as if prevented), or just the ~2% (as if there was no health difference)?

also, if pain split is used and the user loses health, what's the energy cost?

Half the difference. Pain split to lose health is considered the same as gaining no health, so 2% in the second instance.

Is it possible to have over 100% Health or Energy without starting off with more than 100%?

Not unless the battle conditions specify that pokémon can go over 100% health for whatever reason.

What do we do in the case of a critical hit?

Nothing in terms of energy, +(attack's bp/10)% damage, to a maximum of 7% extra damage. Or always 10% bonus damage if the pokémon has sniper.

Negrek said:

Not unless the battle conditions specify that pokémon can go over 100% health for whatever reason.

Click to expand...

Speaking of one of these battles, if Health can go over 100%, would Rest heal to 100% or go higher?

Rest heals you back to your maximum health, so if your pokémon started out at >100% health, it'll end up with >100% health when it rests.

so you could physically go from 1% to 200%, if you had the energy to do so?

If your maximum health was 200%, yes.

long duration effects last ≥5 actions, short last ≤5 actions, might want to look into that!

what does magic coat count as, short duration?

Short.

Making a fairly large change to the way damage is calculated. Rather than basing damage output on evolution level, I'm having it be based on the number of EXP a pokémon has earned instead. See the first post for details.

The damage and energy calculator should be updated accordingly within a couple of hours.

This is to discourage all of the rare candy bartering, at least in part?