Pokemon Umbral Theatre 19: Important notice!

[Geminex]

It comes into play as soon as we're using it. That's when we have to start doing at least some balancing, we'll have to work on the rules, adapt the systems to fit together. That's what I'd prefer not to be doing.

Also, once it's come into play, like I said, we'll keep using it. And that means that, come the sequel, we might have to forego a few better methods of changing shit up, because our system is already bloated as it is.

Look, I think it'd just do more harm than good. But as it is, I'm willing to try it. We can implement it for Eldys, but it's on probation. By the time of the sequel, we readdress. We'll have put in effort by then, but eh. Drac's kinda right, it's just a few characters. We don't have to invest much. And if AB's aims (namely, making battles more interesting and giving them more depth) aren't achieved, we replace it with some actual tactics.

AB, that cool?

[Dracorion]

Can't we just test drive it in the sequel?

Is that so hard?

With someone not Eldys?

[Geminex]

We're going to be implementing it in this story, aren't we? So, that's when we start using it. Unless you're somehow gonna use your time manipulation powers to test-drive it before we start using it, I think we're gonna have to test it here and now. Or at least as soon as we start using it. Y'know.

[Astral Harmony]

Well, if we're actually going to allow Deckmasters for allied use, then I've got a lot of work on my hands. It's not impossible, but I'm going to have to fine tune that system so that it works with allied Deckmasters, not to mention the fact that I'll probably have to create a few hundred cards, and that's just for low level Deckmasters.

I imagine low ranking Deckmasters will start with small decks that can only hold relatively low ranking Fiends, Strikes and Traps. As the Deckmaster levels up, he or she will have the fortitude to expand their deck and put more powerful cards in there.

I'll get to work on it once my other little projects are out of the way (sprite comics, upgrading existing characters and creating new ones) and may have it completed in a few missions, god willing.

[Dracorion]

Dammit Geminex.

Dammit.

EDIT: No seriously, though I would love for my fifth character to be a Deckmaster, I entirely support and encourage that the class remain enemy-only.

[Menarker]

I agree. Probably would be best to make the Deckmaster enemy only, with some sort of way to deal with them (including trap cards)

One suggestion I would make is to enable a scouting feature or class (like Gem wanted long ago). Such a feature would be useful for finding out weakpoints of bosses, hints to help deal with in foes with unpredictable defenses (like the Pokegeddon's cheating abilities), and if the deckmaster is implemented they could be used to temporarily disable trap cards or something like that. Basically, make bosses or high end foes fight in unusual manners or have very specific weakpoints that the scouts can find. However, we would be required to point them in a general direction based on what patterns or "tells" the foe has. Or maybe, it is an improved feature in the scouter where all the NPCs can spend an action to "observe" a specific tell or oddity that they think is present in your writing or combat result, and combine them with other character's observation to fulfill a complete analysis or something...

Hope my suggestion make sense the way I'm saying it...


AB, do you think you'll be able to take the reins of GM again soon? Right now, you seem back to normal when it comes to your availability. Not like before when you were away for days or weeks at a time. Would be awesome to have you back writing the story again.

Anyhow, gotten through a few more threads, although I did skip a lot of the arguments since most of the posts were discussions/arguments in which they didn't get some sort of agreement until later.

But yeah, I'm really looking forward to the sprite comics and all that. Hoping you're doing well.

[Dracorion]

Well Impact and Sophia already have abilities to find out the weaknesses of enemies, I think. Which reminds me I need to request someone on my side with these abilties for the sequel.

That being said, scouting would probably be more thematically appropriate for Rangers. "Rangers lead the way" and all that. Though really this is taking into account real-world rangers.

And no, Menarker, you're not getting rid of me yet. AB is still in Westfuckistan.

[Menarker]

Well, my suggestion was that all the PCs have the option to do some element of scouting, instead of giving a specific character the ability to do so (Although maybe Sophia and Impact can do it much better so they are more special in that regards). Not that it is a bad idea for rangers to do it, but we would have to put another slot in the DSS for rangers if we did that.

Hmmm, how to explain it...

Let's imagine we end up fighting this immense freak of nature that has multiple body parts to aim for (like a standard final boss fight). Let suppose it has several "interesting" aspects to how it fight. It always digs its tail in the ground before unleashing a massive beam attack (but AB would only mention that in passing), or certain body parts would flicker or open at certain times.

Each character can focus their scanner at a specific action or body part and basically ask AB for information that would normally be out of character for the PC to know and AB would tell us in the discussion threads (assuming the results gets passed to all the scouters). Kinda like having Samus' scanner. Scanning at a specific point at the right time can have AB tell us that it is actually getting ready to unleash a powerful attack, or maybe it is vulnerable in that point. And more generally, we could have foes with multiple body parts that are immune to all but 1 or 2 elements and we don't know that until we scan it.

The challenge in this that we would have to do is:
1) Choosing which body part or aspect of the target, (or its environment if it is using its surroundings in some way) to scan.
2) Choosing that specific body part or aspect at that given point or time. (Scanning something that is currently in neutral state would yield different results than when it is charging up energy or something like that.
3) Collaborating all the data gathered from all the PCs to form an attack plan.
4) Surviving long enough to do so!


Also, I was asking AB if he was likely to come back for GM "soon".

[Dracorion]

It's like you didn't read his post before saying just when he would be back.

Anyway. I'm making Elizabeth and Sam's upgrades standard. No Trainer Actions, no conditional upgrades, just standard.

I'll make the actual changes to their bios when I have the time later.

[Menarker]

Well, I read him saying he would arrive home. (3 weeks) But would he take back the GM status when he does, or does he expect you to continue GMing until you finished your side quest?

Would be nice if he did it because it would be nice to see more emphasis and fleshed out responses from the NPCs and so.

That said, you did better than I thought you would. :3 Acceptably so.