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It whispers to me like the Green Goblin mask. It says... "Pikachu... Pika pika." |
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Howdy, Farmhands!
Into the Oddish handles Pokemon Evolution in a very interesting way. Gone are the traditional methods of experience and levels, as Into the Odd does not handle advancement with those mechanics. One might still be surprised by this design choice because Pokemon very much hinges advancement on those mechanics specifically.
Here's how it works - Once a player Pokemon reaches a set requirement, usually having completed a number of "dangerous expeditions" or gained a number of Gym Badges, they are allowed to evolve. Evolving increases HP, Armor, and rollable Stats by an amount set by the specific evolution, usually with a die roll relative to how the Pokemon's stats would change in the original video game. Ivysaur gains 2d4 Hp, while Venusaur gains 2d6. Charizard gains 1d8 Dexterity, while Blastoise only gains 1d4. This setup does a couple of things- the first is incentivizing specific playstyles. "Dangerous Expeditions" means "go into dungeons and come back out alive." Gym Badges means "Engage with combat, specifically in organized competition." Either way, this is pretty clear direction for what the game assumes the player will be doing, without demanding they do both.
On top of that, the guided increase in stats using die rolls keeps a level of randomness in play while still making individual Pokemon different enough from each other; it's possible to roll 1 for every stat when you evolve, and you're stuck there. But it's also possible to roll max value and come out with the best odds for whatever you do. You're still better off being a Pokemon that naturally has better odds of rolling those higher numbers, but even the mightiest of Mons could suck shit with bad enough RNG. Notably, these stats do not translate into your ability to inflict damage as each Move has it's own specific damage die assigned to it. Adventuring in search of the TM that will let your Pokemon rise above it's peers is still viable for even the unluckiest of saps.
The problem, if it even is one, is that once you reach your final evolution, this advancement stops. You can't evolve past your final stage, and while your Move pool can be changed via TMs and HMs, your stats become static. Only Pokemon with three stages are statted out as player options in the core book, but one of you fucks are going to homebrew in the remaining 103 eventually; Two-stage Pokemon will have the chance to change their fates Once, while Single Stage Pokemon are just fucked. The limited triggers for advancement, along with the chance that things could go horribly wrong with no recourse in the rules as written had me thinking. Weren't there mechanics in the original pokemon games to slightly nudge your stats in a certain direction? Something that required input from the player, performing specific actions that slowly but surely enhanced the stats on top of the already set in stone numbers related to a specific monster? ...Wait. Oh god no, I'm thinking of-
EFFORT VALUES
No, I'm not hacking EVs in 1 to 1, that'd be fucking insane. However, I did spend time researching exactly what this mechanic looked like during Gen 1 in particular, to see if there was something here I could use to guide my adaptation. You can read the entire article on bulbapedia here, but as a very quick tl;dr, "Stat Experience" as it was called in Gen 1 and 2 was a secret data set every pokemon had. When defeating another Pokemon, the value of their base stats were converted into points that were quietly applied to the relevant stat of the Pokemon that defeated them. When said Pokemon leveled up, the amount by which that stat increased was altered based on the amount of effort points they'd quietly accrued. This system was never meant to be player facing, but a way to simulate Pokemon being living creatures that weren't 100% under control by the player, and honestly it sounds pretty neat on paper. Obviously the mechanic has been dissected and hardcore competitive players know how to play it like a damn fiddle, but that's not what we're doing here today. Adding secret XP bars for individual stats will not work in a game like Into The Oddish.
On top of gaining these effort points from combat, there were a handful of items that could be purchased and given to your Pokemon, known as Vitamins. These items, when given, increase a relevant stat's EV by a set amount, though the equivalent items that affect HP and PP have different math due to their focus. Games in Generation 3 and onward set this amount at 10 EV with a total cap of EV's acquired through vitamins to prevent abuse, but in Gens 1 and 2, each Vitamin could be used up to 10 times per stat, making cramming them down your Pokemon's gullet the mathematically best way to set them up for success.
What does this have to do with our relatively rules light elfgame adaptation of the Pokemon franchise, though? How can we use this to make our make believe better? Here's my completely untested pitch.
VITAMINS
Rarely in the ruins of Human homes and convenience stores, bottles of liquid with strange markings can be found. Those Pokemon who remember walking side by side with Human trainers may recognize the labels, each marked with the name of a Nutrient humans had isolated to keep their Pokemon healthy. They don't taste good, being un-refrigerated and well past their expiration date, but the effect is still the same.
Pokemon who drink a bottle of Vitamins gain Advantage with the relevant stat for 1 full day, after which the effect ends. The Player should mark down, in order, the last six Vitamins their player Pokemon has drank. When Advancing, the player gains additional stats as listed in the core rule book, but must also roll 1d6 against their list of drank vitamins. Landing on an empty listing gains nothing, but landing on an entry with a Vitamin grants them an additional 1d4 to the relevant stat, after which all entries are to be cleared. No Stat is allowed to go above 20, and Armor caps at 5.
Because the entries are wiped after a successful use of a Vitamin to permanently increase a stat, but are kept when landing on a blank entry, Players will have a level of tactics wrt their usage of these items. Drinking one drink gives you a 1 in 6 chance of that boost. Drinking two increases that, but costs twice as much. Do you drink every Vitamin you find the moment you find it, or do you purposefully only drink one specific type, so that when you DO hit a result, it's exactly what you want to be increased? These items are rare and dwindling, and if they appear in shops at all should be relatively expensive.
"Advancing" in this scenario, includes Evolving as written, or, after exhausting your Evolution options, completing Dangerous Expeditions equal to the previous advancements' requirement +1, earning Gym Badges/Accolades equal to the previous advancements' requirement +1, or defeating 1 Legendary Foe. For a fully evolved Pokemon like Venusaur, this means they can advance and potentially gain the benefits of drinking Vitamins at 8, 14, and 23 Dangerous Expeditions, 5, 9, and 14 Gym Badges/Accolades, or by defeating in Combat, in any order, Mew, Mewtwo, Articuno, Zapdos, or Moltres. Weaker Pokemon that evolve faster as written, such as Butterfree, will have laxer requirements, making late game advancement more attainable, should you survive the lower level of play. You will note how daunting some of these numbers are, but keep in mind that the average game of Into the Oddish may not even result in players finishing their Evolutionary lines in the first place. This blogpost assumes there is a need for continued, long term play. It also, unfortunately, requires players maintain the math for each advancement, so they can calculate what their next goal is.
Assuming a table uses the standard Kanto setting with 8 official Gym Badges, the Elite 4, and 1 Champion, the number of chances to advance using the Gym system caps out at 13. Dangerous Expeditions can scale until the heat death of the universe, or until the Pokemon Master runs out of Dungeons, whichever is first. Including Legendary Foes as 5 additional goals to strive for outside of the previous two methods of advancement alleviates things somewhat, and will surely work as a grand final quest to cap off a campaign. Maybe once I actually play test this system, I'll have a better method of organizing these milestones that isn't just writing out a big table for every playable pokemon.
Speaking of tables, add these to your Dungeon Loot or PokeShop lists if you'd like to include them.
| Item | Cost | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 980 | Grants Advantage on STR checks for 1 day |
| Iron | 980 | Grants +1 AMR for 1 day, max 5 |
| Carbos | 980 | Grants Advantage on DEX checks for 1 day |
| Calcium | 980 | Grants Advantage on WIL Checks for 1 day |
| HP UP | 980 | Grants 1d4 HP for 1 day, does not affect HP for the purposes of learning moves |
| PP UP | 980 | Grants 1 additional use of a Move for 1 day, within the limits established by the move |
There's been some rumblings of someone making printable cards for ItOish stuff, so here's my pitch for one you could keep off to the side until it's needed, or you can just write yourself a little list, whichever floats your boat.
Until Next Time,
Farmer Gadda
