Question Box

[nastypass]

In regards to the issues of covering your ears or eyes to avoid taunt, hypnosis, etc, I was just wondering if there's a general consensus on how effective that would be? I mean, it makes sense, but it seems off that such a simple action could render those moves completely useless, especially since the accuracy of hypnosis is shitty in the first place.

I do like encouraging creativity, but I think it should take more effort to fully counter a move like that.

(I kind of like the compromise of the Pokémon having to keep its eyes closed the whole action to have a chance of preventing hypnosis, and having 0% accuracy for any moves it tries to pull off as a consequence. If it's slower than the foe, then the hypnosis user might be able to lure it into looking with psychic suggestion or something. I'm not sure about taunt, though.)

The consensus, earlier in the thread, was "not at all." Commanding what amounts to "just don't let it affect you" isn't creative.

 

[Byrus]

Alright, fair enough.

What would happen if you used Me First on an opponent's combo?

 

[M&F]

Hmmm, I'm pretty sure there's a bunch of precedent on most things multi-hit moves -- I'll have to give it a look soon.

In regards to the issues of covering your ears or eyes to avoid taunt, hypnosis, etc, I was just wondering if there's a general consensus on how effective that would be? I mean, it makes sense, but it seems off that such a simple action could render those moves completely useless, especially since the accuracy of hypnosis is shitty in the first place.

I do like encouraging creativity, but I think it should take more effort to fully counter a move like that.

(I kind of like the compromise of the Pokémon having to keep its eyes closed the whole action to have a chance of preventing hypnosis, and having 0% accuracy for any moves it tries to pull off as a consequence. If it's slower than the foe, then the hypnosis user might be able to lure it into looking with psychic suggestion or something. I'm not sure about taunt, though.)

A tradeoff in exchange for these attempts to shut out moves usually works out, but dropping accuracy to 0% is a tad extreme -- I'd drop it by 50%, or 65% tops. It also doesn't make sense when it comes to the covered ears problem, but I guess an alternative penalty can be arranged for that -- or, it can flatly fail, as covering one's ears isn't exactly a foolproof way to block out noise, and it also tends to leave you perfectly vulnerable to the opponent just pulling one of the covering hands out of the way.

What would happen if you used Me First on an opponent's combo?

I'll have to look into whether there's any precedent, but my gut would say "copy the first move of the combo".

 

[JackPK]

Seems like my question got skipped over...

Counter's description says "If the attack is directly physical, like a punch, the user will catch it and lash out with a return strike twice as powerful while the opponent is off-balance.". Does this mean that, even if there are Double Team clones on the field, the user of Counter will successfully target the true foe (and not a clone) if it uses a directly physical attack? Since, after all, a clone won't be the one striking the user of Counter...

 

[M&F]

Nope. If no attacks actually do connect against a Pokémon using Counter, then Counter fails.

 

[Zero Moment]

Ehh, it seems like he was asking if a Countered attack would ignore Double Team clones and the like, since the user would know where the strike came from.

 

[Superbird]

They can't possibly miss in the games, iirc. (according to someone on PS!)

 

[JackPK]

Ehh, it seems like he was asking if a Countered attack would ignore Double Team clones and the like, since the user would know where the strike came from.

Yes, that's what I meant. Pokemon A (with clones) attacks Pokemon B, then Pokemon B uses Counter. Would Pokemon B's Counter automatically target the foe that struck it (i.e. Pokemon A), or would it have a chance at targeting a clone just like normal attacks do?

 

[M&F]

Ah, I see.

Hmmm. I can't find any information on whether Counter can miss as a result of evasion/accuracy changes in the games (it's listed as having 100% accuracy rather than -- accuracy, but...). Flavorwise, Pokémon aren't really supposed to know where the real attack came from when a Pokémon with Double Team up attacks (else, it'd be the new "target the one with a shadow"), but Counter can still be written to always work in that case anyway because of the way it usually involves attacking when the opponent is very close by, such that hitting all the clones at once wouldn't be as difficult as usual.

 

[Keldeo]

Ehh, it seems like he was asking if a Countered attack would ignore Double Team clones and the like, since the user would know where the strike came from.

If the target only felt one strike, though, every Double Team would be ruined when the Pokemon with clones attacked, since then its target would be able to figure out which one was the real Pokemon.

 

[Byrus]

Ah, I see.

Hmmm. I can't find any information on whether Counter can miss as a result of evasion/accuracy changes in the games (it's listed as having 100% accuracy rather than -- accuracy, but...). Flavorwise, Pokémon aren't really supposed to know where the real attack came from when a Pokémon with Double Team up attacks (else, it'd be the new "target the one with a shadow"), but Counter can still be written to always work in that case anyway because of the way it usually involves attacking when the opponent is very close by, such that hitting all the clones at once wouldn't be as difficult as usual.

They definitely can miss due to evasion/accuracy. I lost my streak in the battle maison recently to a Zapdos that kept using double team, and my Milotic's mirror coat missed... I honestly thought they always hit, so that was an unpleasant surprise. :x I guess it's safe to say that any move listed with an accuracy number has a chance of missing.

 

[Byrus]

Can the typing from camouflage/reflect type be dropped, and if so, does it take an action?

 

[nastypass]

Can the typing from camouflage/reflect type be dropped, and if so, does it take an action?

I believe so, and dont think it would take a whole action... Conversion might be a different story though, for flavor reasons and the fact that it's much more broad in terms of types it can copy.

 

[Superbird]

Can the typing from camouflage/reflect type be dropped, and if so, does it take an action?

That brings up an interesting topic, because in my tournament battle I was hit by Soak, and my type changed to Water, which is of course something I shouldn't be able to get out of. But I then used Camouflage to get out of that situation and change my type away from water. So then if I did drop my camouflaged type, would I return to water or to my original type?

 

[Wargle]

I would assume Water because Soak changes your type completely in flavor, and camouflage is just like a masking

 

[M&F]

... Hm. I don't have a particularly good reason to veto the idea, but it strikes me as quite a bit too convenient. I'll have to give it some more thorough consideration in time. For now, let it just be known that it's not an issue that's been officially decided on.

A ref that does let it through should definitely have it take up an action, though. It should also cost energy equal to the original use of the attack. And, if the Pokémon has changed types multiple times, dropping the current type changer will revert the Pokémon to the same type they had immediately before they'd used it (unless that type change was brought about by the same move that's being dropped, in which case, it'll skip that and revert to their type from just before their first use of the specific move in a current row).

 

[Eta Carinae]

Step 7 of the Damage and Energy Guide says to only round when all calculations have been finished, while Step 4 (EXP modifiers) says to round down right away once the amount of experience a Pokemon has gained has been divided by 4. I have not been rounding the boost I get after step 4, but I'm wondering what the proper method is.

 

[nastypass]

Step 7 of the Damage and Energy Guide says to only round when all calculations have been finished, while Step 4 (EXP modifiers) says to round down right away once the amount of experience a Pokemon has gained has been divided by 4. I have not been rounding the boost I get after step 4, but I'm wondering what the proper method is.

I tend to think of it as rounding down the boost, not the damage itself, so the proper method for me would be "1% for every 4 exp." If you want to give a fractional boost though, I'm sure the difference would be so small nobody'd complain.

 

[Eifie]

Why does Black Sludge apparently not damage Steel-types in ASB when it does in the games?

 

[Vipera Magnifica]

If Pokémon A uses Attract on Pokémon B, can Pokémon B attack Pokémon C without chance of failure?