Pokemon Umbral Theatre 30: Go Get Some Snacks...

[Menarker]

I haven't "watched" High School of the Dead, but I read its manga which hasn't updated in a long time. It's pretty neat although fan service is aplenty, which isn't suprising since the author in question used or is still making hentai.

I'm kinda curious about the pokemon gyms. Are they going to have any relevance to the story or are they just there for flavor? There's 7 instead of the traditional 8, 1 is optional, and 2 of them are in the same city. Are they based on elements like before? Or will they be organized differently similar to how the anime did the Orange Island League which customized their gyms with their "unique philosophy" like team battle, survival training and the such like that?

Also, are the dungeons more or less free form so as not to take up your time crunching up numbers and ideas for any battles that occur? Especially if there are multiple people doing their own exploration?

[Dracorion]

Right, AB, what about incentive? Like, are these dungeons just there or are we supposed to be provided with a reason to go there?

Like, maybe there's rumors of a new pokemon at Metal Hell, or a super-awesome TM at the Weapons Graveyard. That kind of stuff.

And new town idea:

Lake Blue: An oasis town in the Wingswept Desert. Probably a gym there, and other stuff. I'm just pitching this to AB.

[Geminex]

Originally Posted by Dracorion

Right, AB, what about incentive? Like, are these dungeons just there or are we supposed to be provided with a reason to go there?

Like, maybe there's rumors of a new pokemon at Metal Hell, or a super-awesome TM at the Weapons Graveyard. That kind of stuff.

In regards to rewards, though, it can't be something that benefits you alone. Cause these dungeons are supposed to be optional, that is, non-mandatory. But if you're getting power-ups for yourself when you (for example) do them, that changes balance in your favor, and our detriment. As such, we're getting punished if we don't do them and you do, and that's not something that should happen.

So, rewards by all means, but something that rewards the whole team.

A dungeon I'd suggest would be
No-Man's Land:
Miles of grim trenchlines, a relic from a past war between Homnyr and Hiroshiho empire, dotted with bunkers, craters, derelict war machinery and the remains of the dead. The grim stench of death still lingers, even years after the conflict, and the no man's land still holds danger. Mines and unstable munitions still claim victims among those foolish enough to venture forth, malfunctioning battle droids patrol the trenches and scan the wastes for targets, gangs on the run from the law, taking advantage of either country's reluctance to claim the land as its own. There's even tales of insane soldiers, scavenging the wastes for provisions as they wait for battles that will never come, shooting on sight, or the ghosts of the dead, stalking those that dare defile their last resting place.

With great danger comes great reward, though, and much rare equipment is hidden among the corpses, for whomever is brave enough to retrieve it, and skilled enough to survive the trip.

[Dracorion]

Well, AB said he didn't want to give power-ups to the PCs. So the rewards would be for NPCs, obviously.

Also, I think the Corpsemire is No-Man's land.

[Astral Harmony]

The Pokemon Gyms don't have any relevance to the story, and anyone who had Pokemon at the start of the game could claim to have conquered them all. The only reason there's seven is because I just haven't created enough towns or cities for more.

But they're ultimately there just for flavor. Pretty much anybody who had Pokemon at the start of Umbral can truthfully claim that they've challenged and beaten all of the gyms. In fact, having done that is a great way to get your foot in the door if seeking employment in PATCA.

Whether a dungeon is stat-based or freeform may as well be left up to your personal preferences. Stat-based creates neat, organized battles while freeform allows for creativity and a lot more action.

I'll work on providing rewards for each and every dungeon as well as requirements. Since the rewards will affect some of your Pokemon and some of the NPCs, obviously you'll need to plot that NPC into your party if you explore that dungeon, or maybe not. I dunno yet. I just created the dungeon, after all.

And there will be a Cave of Assrape which Elizabeth will need to participate in to upgrade Leprihare if that's what you really want, Drac. Otherwise, you have some rather absurd moments to look forward to...

Violet: "These stalagmites sure look phallic."
Elizabeth: "Geez, Violet. Are dicks all you think about? You need to get your head out of the gutter."
Violet: "Says the one who has three of them in her labcoat, and one currently where I can't see it and won't mention further."
Elizabeth: "You should always be doing research into new discoveries. Oh, hey, did you know that they vibrate when their temperature increases past a certain point?"
Violet: "..."
*Violet breaks off two nearby stalagmites and stores them away.*
Elizabeth: "That's my bitch."
Pierce: "Life is hard in Honmyr where a giggolo like me has feelings of inferiority to a fucking cave."

I think there could be some rewards for PCs now that I think about it. But I don't wanna make the rewards so great that we put off the RP until every dungeon is explored.

*thinks*

An idea might be to have many of the dungeons off limits until certain missions are done.

Most of the rewards I have in mind will be stuff like better Slayer equipment (like a more powerful Dragon Slave), better hold items, unique signature moves for certain Pokemon, and the like.

Rapturous Depths (AKA the Cave of Assrape), Gaea's Navel, Everstone Lake, Moonlight Cove, Eternal Engine, Lakeblue Town, No-Man's Land have been added to the map.

[Dracorion]

Okay, y'know what?

Let's do it. Why the fucking hell not? It'll be entirely horrible, but goddamn now we've said it and we really can't not to do Rapturous Depths now. I couldn't live with myself if we didn't do it.

Anyway, Lakeblue Town? Really?

[Astral Harmony]

Okay, just Lakeblue, then. I was thinking about giving it kind of an arabian-sounding name like Mariabah or whatever. It's in the desert, after all. I'm giving it a gym, too.

[Dracorion]

Anyway, I'd suggest a limit one one, maybe two optional dungeons per story mission.

Also, I'm still not sure how we're going to do the lead-in to finding out about these places and finding a reason to go there.

[Menarker]

One last place I might suggest, but it's up to you... But I felt we needed something for the psychic types. :3

Grandeur's Crevice: A large crack in the earth leading a large cavern. In the first level are underwater hot springs which makes a wonderful and suprisingly safe tourist attraction. However, people easily wander off from them and head to the lower levels where the earth is hotter supporting the hotsprings above and aplenty with vicious fire and rock pokemon. The level below is unnaturally cooler and littered with crystal walls and stalagmites. However this level also seeps a gas which causes delusions and visions, although a select few who have gone there claim to have temporaily gained an oracle's vision, making this a place that psychic types and some ghost types would want to visit. Even more persistant is what happens if you fall asleep while you're in this region... Once or twice someone have reported having a vivid dream and waking up finding they had something of tremedous value in their possession... or having lost a limb... as a result of a dream that happened to be much more than mere fiction.


As for why we would want to go to these locations, I'd imagine the ruin generals probably know some of these locations due to centuries of hiding and they might know some reason (resources) as to why we might want to go there. (Marionetta might suggest the above location oddly enough. Or maybe she always hidden there because if the rumors are true, then submersing intruders into the mind's depth makes them more vulnerable to mental malipulation like she could.)

Otherwise, we could be searching "random locations" for a rumor of the last Progenitor or something like that.

[Astral Harmony]

I'll figure out how to introduce them. Gawd, can you imagine how the Rapturous Depths will be introduced?

Newspaper Heading: FALLING INTO CLIMAX

Female archaeologist Kelsie Burnaby (24) was discovered by police after reported to have gone missing for two months. Her boyfriend of two years was worried that she hadn't made her regular calls and then notified the police of her disappearance.

Kelsie was found inside a deep hole that lead to a sprawling underground tunnel system. She was rescued and believed to be disoriented from malnourishment and overexertion. "Boyfriend? Oh, I forgot all about him. It's pretty easy to do that when you really get into your career like I do, or in this case when I let my career come inside me. I'll make sure to let him know I'm alright and that I don't really need a boyfriend anymore."

Grandeur's Crevice added to the map.