Oh Fuck, its a Legamon!

So let's push the focus onto what is happening instead of what numbers did I roll. I've got two ideas. Changing the environment based on moves is the first one and clashing moves will come soon.

FOCUS ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECT.

Consider two scenarios. The first, from our childhood:

Charmander used Ember. Squirtle took 5 damage. It's not very effective.

The second from our childhood dreams:

Charmander used Ember. Squirtle took 5 damage. Flame splashes around Squirtle, the warehouse begins to burn and the air begins to fill with smoke!

A minor change consisting only of a brief consideration for the environment. The first take sucks me into my days playing GB games spamming the same attack over and over. The second snaps me back into the shared reality of the rpg. A moment of thought for what's happening in the fiction enhances this moment in the battle. 

The cost, however, is the mental drain of improvising these effects on the spot. If you've run a PbtA game, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. The difference between a well-written move in PbtA and a bad one is that the move itself gives you interesting outcomes no matter the roll instead of dropping the fiction at the feet of the GM and saying "make it interesting." 

Telling you to "consider the environment" after each move is the equivalent of "make it interesting." I've added exactly 1 more thing for you to do and 0 help or value for your game. So here's a quick method that will be worth the effort.

USE TAGS

When a mon uses a move that requires focus dice and produces an elemental effect, add a tag to the environment to reflect the change. The tag is mostly just a reminder that the environment should bear some change from the firepower being exchanged by the trainers and mon. 

When a mon uses Ray of Frost, hit or miss, jot down <ice> to keep track of the forces that are actively changing the environment. A rule of thumb is to describe the environment whenever it gains or loses a tag. Easy.

Abominape shoots a ray of frost from its eyes! Flambard rolls out of the way... <ice> but the floor takes on a thin layer of frost! Flambard slides across the battlefield.

Now the battlefield itself has changed, adding another dimension within which to battle and narrate. But we're just getting started.

Flambard uses Kindle and begins to burn. Its power is growing... <ice, fire> The floor around Flambard thaws. <ice,fire>...

The tags interact, in this case canceling out.

"Let's finish this, Flambard! Inferno!" Flame erupts from Flambard in all directions. The heat hits Abominape for x damage. <fire 2> Fire begins to engulf the crates in the warehouse. The room starts to fill with smoke.

Multiple tags will interact and taking a moment to write down what the elements are and consider their interaction and the joint interaction with the environment adds a layer of realism or depth that even the anime's rarely achieve. 

As stronger moves are used, as was my implication with Inferno, you can add a number to indicate that the element is growing stronger in its impact. I like the power progression from the GLOG spell system and since the focus dice system we are using is analogous we can just port it right over and say focus dice abilities used with 1 dice are minor and 5 dice are legendary, leaving a permanent mark on reality. Let's go through some examples for fun using old Pokemon moves. 

OH FUCK, ITS A LEGAMON!

1 Focus Dice

The effect of this move is cute and on par for a mon just setting out on its journey with a young trainer. Minor cosmetic effects will manifest on the environment. Just some flavor text unless environmental conditions are volatile (flammable material, easily breakable items, prior tags with an obvious interaction).

 Careful, you might trip on that thing.

2 Focus Dice

A well trained mon creating a powerful effect. The environment is immediately changed according to the nature of the move. Anyone in the area will immediately notice the change. The narrative elements brought into description change as a result.

 Nice move, you've been practicing.

3 Focus Dice

Things catch fire, the room floods, objects hover in the air, structural integrity is jeopardized. The narrative changes have a massive impact on what is possible to accomplish. The environmental effects are starting to have mechanical effect. Electrostatic shocks are hurting mon, freezing temperatures are slowing and draining stamina or health etc.

Water gun missed. 3 Focus Dice.

4 Focus Dice

From here on out, things get crazy. Subtlety is impossible. There is collateral damage.

Dig. 4 Focus Dice.

5 Focus Dice

Legendary mon earn their name. The landscape is irreversibly changed.

At this point, why aim?

Normal: scratches left on surfaces > furniture broken, powerful impacts, deep cuts > concrete slabs cracked, gouges in metal plate and tile > permanent structures move.

Fighting: punch holes in drywall > moves land with a visceral crack, bones and joints crinkle and crunch > objects and mon fly through walls, hard surfaces buckle and bend from impact > structures crack, massive objects flying through the air leave impact craters

Flying: soft feathers fall > a hats blow off from the wind, sand stings exposed skin > trees bend, lightweight debris becomes lethal > windows shatter, cars and cows leave the ground

Poison: stinking sticking residue > toxic fumes make breathing difficult > exposed skin breaks out in painful hives > hard surfaces bubble and blister, metal corrodes

Ground: mole hills and dirt show through grass > knees buckle and earth moves enough to be felt > the earth changes geometry as the ground lurches upward > chasms open and close, things are forever swallowed up

Rock: pebbles and dirt build up over the battlefield > crunching rocks make moving difficult > mon sized rock burst from the ground > ceilings crumble and fall

Bug: itchy rash or bug bite > webs cover surfaces and span doorways > crawling things emerge from the shadows, they're everywhere > impassable webbing conceals surfaces and doorways, venom sizzles on surfaces

Ghost: a tingle up your spine > a startling noise, a brief vision of the dead, nightmares enter your mind > unsettling dread, sweat and tears, horror, darkness looms larger > insanity beckons, hair is torn out, the dead walk and speak

Steel: metallic clangs capture attention nearby > slivers of metal and sharp gouges are left on surfaces > anything softer than rock is turned to rubble, soft flesh torn by rough edges and razor sharp debris > screeching metal death machine barrels through solid surfaces like a freight train

Fire: sparks and candle flame, smokey odor > flammables ignite, hair singes, skin reddens from heat > fire spreads to adjacent areas, rooms fill with smoke and make breathing difficult > living things ignite, air ionizes, solid surfaces melt

Water: coming inside after walking in a drizzle > downpour, soaked to the bone, water caries momentum > murky water churns around your ankles, lose items float away > the flood sweeps away mon, people, cars. the ground is carved out

Grass: seeds and leaves sweep by, perfume in the air > trainers and mon sneeze, branches snap and crack > eyes swell shut, throats tighten, nearby plants uproot, bloom, shrivel > plants pass full life cycles in a few moments, groves tangle closed, thorns clog passageways

Electric: hands snap back from a small shock, ow! > involuntary muscle contraction, flashing light, thunder clap > limbs scorch from the inside out, blinding light, surfaces carry lingering charge > eardrums burst, limbs turn to jerky, bodies fly back, energy ionizes solid matter, burn marks on affected surfaces.

Psychic: nearby items shift and wiggle > intracranial pressure is felt by all present, items lift off of surfaces > Noses bleed, splitting headaches stagger, smell of ozone > ideas come apart, beliefs shift, memories alter, items transform to other things

Ice: an icy breeze, hint of snow > frost covers surfaces, skin begins to chap and tighten > painful cold for all nearby, items and surfaces are brittle and crack, frostbite sets in, liquids frozen solid, snow drifts collect > creatures frozen solid, furniture and doors frozen in place, blizzards bring visibility to zero

Dragon: powerful roar, sharp claws > fire and wind mingle, singing hair. teeth snapping bone, a fleeting shadow over head > An earsplitting howl on the wind, crushing claws, tail like an iron beam, jet engine mouth, weather patterns darken > structures demolished, rage in beam form, clouds erupt in torrential downpour and tornado winds

Dark: shadows grow for a moment > dark thoughts enter your mind, shapes move at the edge of your vision > Shadows lurch forward, visceral desires seize you, doubts magnify > shadows become reality, reality becomes a shadow to the darkness, vices become primary personalities

Fairy: toadstools sprout, light tinkling of bells > impulses grow, emotions magnify and change rapidly, flowers bloom and sparkle > rage and laughter mingle with joy, impulse reigns > friendships form and end in moments, dazzling sparkles and fantastic colors leave a permanent mark on the landscape

Light: a clear brisk morning > the warm glow of something to look forward to, high noon > Shadows flee, lights become blinding, soaring optimism and confidence, grand organ music > Doubts vanish forever, grudges are abandoned, colors never before seen are clearly visible, angelic choirs

Starter Moves: Best There Ever Was

There's discussion about different ways to handle moves on the discord and I need some moves for my game. I told my brother this weekend that'd we try and have a battle tonight, so time is of the essence.

I'm going to pull together moves based on my system so far, but a system with standard moves without a dice-fuel mechanic plus stronger moves with a magic-dice fuel component are a good idea if using another system. 

Another secondary idea would be to make moves using the spel creation rules from Freebooters on the Frontier. You get a certain number of points (maybe one per level) to use when making a move. You spend points to add tags to the move to describe effect. so learn a move at level 5, get 5 points to make that move. Initial tags are touch, harmless, single target, instant. you upgrade them one at a time for 1 point each.

Example Gunderstorm:

Gunderstorm (made up name) is learned by a level 5 mon, so 5 power points (ha!) to work with. 2 points to go from touch to near to far, 1 point for damage, 2 points to go from single target to small area to large area. bam 

Gunderstorm [Electric/Steel]: [far/d6 damage/large aoe/instant]

Just an idea. I'm going with a different direction for now with Best There Ever Was. Move lists:

STARTER MOVES:

Each mon has a stam based melee attack that deals damage of their own type. From before:

• Punch [Combat/Stamina]: Deal [tally] damage to one adjacent mon.
• Wet Slap [Water/Stam]: Deal [tally] damage to one adjacent mon.
• Hot Touch [Fire/Stam]: Deal [tally] damage to one adjacent mon.

Here the tags indicate the damage type and the resource type used to power move.

Mon also have access to a starter status move based on their type. These moves are stam based as well. I'll change the starting notation to match soon.

Velexiraptor came up with excellent status conditions for each type on discord. These are based on that work, sometimes very closely, but adapted to Best There Ever Was rules.

• Light: Blind. 'mon can only hit targets with aoe moves. Single-target moves automatically mis. Save vs [tally] each round, end condition on success.
• Taunt. 'mon can only use damaging moves, not status moves. Save each round, end condition on success.
• Fire: Burning. Save vs [tally] each round, end condition on success. On a failure, take [dice] fire damage.
• Grass: Drain. Save vs [tally], on a failure, take 1 grass damage and opposing 'mon restores 1 health. End condition on success.
• Water: Drench. Reduce Stamina by [dice]. Save vs [tally] each round, end condition on success. Regain lost stam when condition ends.
• Electric: Paralyzed. Save vs [tally] each round. On a failed save, skip turn and end the condition.
• Earth: Entomb. Cannot save vs other conditions. Save vs [tally] each round, condition ends on a success.
• Metal: Trapped. Can't switch out. Save v [tally] each round, end condition on success.
• Flying: Knockdown. 'mon goes last next round.
• Combat: Stagger. 'mon loses access to [dice] Focus Die. Save v [tally] each round, end condition on success. 'Mon may skip turn to remove this condition.
• Psychic: Confused. Save vs [tally] each round. On a failed save, deal [tally] then end this condition.
• Dark: Flinch. Can't make basic attacks next turn.
• Dragon: Fear. Feared 'mon's must save v [tally] before approaching or attacking. A successful save ends this effect. A mon may only be affected by Fear once per battle.

Well that took my whole lunch break. We'll see if I can get a few additional moves working before tonight's game.

You're gonna need to train.

So there's no reason for me to swim up against the current on Legamon. Once more rules settle out I'll probably compile the rules that suit me best into a single doc. For now its a tornado of random rules for stuff and a blast. I'll post according to the current conventions using actual [redacted]mon types etc. 

So you wanna be the best? Like no one ever was? 

TRAINING MON, OR HOW TO BE THE BEST THERE EVER WAS

XP

Mon level up by completing challenges or defeating other mon in battle. Each mon yields its level in xp when defeated. If multiple mon are used to defeat a single mon, then xp is split between contributing mon.

Mon who help their trainers accomplish their goals should also be rewarded with xp. A successful dungeon delve, bank robbery, or arriving at the top of Mt. Tapiloko may be enough to reward some xp to the team that went along. 

A mon needs three times its current level in xp to reach the next level. A mon gains no exp when defeating a single mon 2 levels or more lower than its own level. 

Battling a horde of monbats, or stampeding Inkalf (Renefor on GLOG discord) is worth xp based on how difficult the challenge was. Use battling a single mon of the same level as a ruler for xp. 

LEVELING UP

After every episode (adventuring session), the mon which saw the most screen time levels up.  Whenever a mon levels up, increase their total health by 1, then roll on the following table:

1-4 Increase a stat pool by 1 (health, stamina, focus).

5 Learn a move. 50% chance each of learning a type more or an environmental move. To learn a type move, roll on the type's move list. To learn an environmental move. Roll a move on a type associated with the environment you are training in (Mountains may be flying type or rock type, volcanoes may be fire or dark, the abandoned power plant is electric). 

6 Evolve. 25% chance to add another type, up to 2 types total. The mon increases a stat and learns a move. If you already know 3 moves, increase another stat pool. Also, your mons appearance and ability may change if you wish.

A mon may only know 3 moves beyond its basic type attack and status effect. If your mon already knows 3 moves, you may increase a stat instead or swap out a move. Also, if you visit a location specifically to learn an environmental move, you may do so upon leveling up.

Environmental moves are how Charizard learned Thunderpunch. You can go onto the mountain to train and your mon will be affected by the decision and learn moves because of it. I really love this idea. If you're going to beat a Gym Leader, you're going to need some tricks.

Not the first trainer class, won't be the last. A class for battles.

ACE TRAINER

A: Ready For This, Looking for an Edge

B: Unorthodox Training

C: Been Here Before

D: Practiced

Been Here Before: For every gym badge you have and when you gain more, you may evolve a mon mid-battle when your back is against the rope. The heart of a true ace burns brightly in their mon.

Practiced: When you're fighting another trainer you may re-roll one mon ability per battle.

Unorthodox Training: When your mon levels up and wants to learn an environment move, you can roll twice on the list and choose which to learn.

Looking for an Edge: In a settlement that contains a gym, you can ask around and hear how the last battle against the leader went. When you do this, learn the (find out what it is, not learn the move) winning move used by the victorious trainer or leader.

Ready For This: Once per battle, ignore a type strength or weakness.

Also this is twice that I've mentioned type-based move lists...

Holy Cow Legamon Have Taken the World by Storm

Wowza, so I found out about the GLOG discord today and baby its all about legamon, baby. There are also rules for generating mon and battling lmao. But here's some more rules. My rules, if you will. is 24 hours too soon for spinoff rule sets?

WHAT MAKES A MON?

A physical form, a type, stats (hp, stam, focus), personality, moves. Let's get started.

FORM:

1-3: one form

4: two form hybrid (same category)

5: two form hybrid (different category)

6: 3 form chimera

	Terrestrial			Aquatic	Airborne	Insect	Inanimate
1	Mouse	squirrel	raccoon	starfish	Pidgeon	worm	magnets
2	rat	rabbit	mole	coral	Cardinal	Grub	digital technology
3	skunk	koala	Ferret	clam	humming bird	centipede	Crystal
4	tabby cat	fluffy cat	lynx	crab	fruit bat	caterpillar	Industrial Machinery
5	tiger	lion	Panther	lobster	vampire bat	cocoon	teapot
6	pug	fox	terrier	octapus	seagul	butterfly	candle
7	Mastiff	wolf	labrador	squid	pelican	bee	chandelier
8	Boar	bear	panda	frog	eagle	wasp	lamps
9	Bison	Buffalo	goat	salamander	falcon	fly	boulder
10	Horse	giraffe	llama	clownfish	toucan	ladybug	Geode
11	rhino	hippo	camel	angel fish	parrot	mantis	ooze
12	lemur	ape	elephant	angler fish	albatross	Cockroach	cloud
13	Howler Monkey	gorilla	Marmoset	hammerhead	heron	spider	acorn
14	gecko	thorny toad	orangutang	great white	wood pecker	water strider	tree
15	iguana	monitor lizard	garden snake	narwhal	Flying serpent	leech	bush
16	cobra	rattle snake	python	blue whale	Drake	water beetle	maple seed
17	velociraptor	triceratops	stegosaurus	crocidile	Dragon	ant	hedge apple
18	T-Rex	Spinosaurus	Brontosaurus	Pliosaurus	Pterodactyl	Hercules Beetle	flower
19	humanoid (sports)	humanoid (gross)	humanoid (martial arts)	Jellyfish	floating (roll on another table)	Stick Insect	Vine
20	humanoid (cute)	humanoid (incorporeal)	humanoid (performer)	Sea Monster	Winged (roll on another table + wings)	Mosquito	Venus FlyTrap

TYPES

25% chance for 2 types. Bold mon types are effective against the type below. The list wraps so Light type abilities are effective against Dragons. Effective damaging moves deal 1 additional damage. Bold mon types are ineffective against types on the same row. Dragon abilities are ineffective against water mon. Ineffective damage abilities deal one less damage.

Dragon	Water
Metal	Fire
Electric	Earth
Water	Combat
Fire	Light
Grass	Flying
Earth	Grass
Wind	Metal
Combat	Wind
Mind	Mind
Dark	Electric
Light	Dark

Based on the type, modify the appearance of the mon. Grass mon have leaves sprouting, fire mon have evident flames etc. This other post is very good for this!
  

STARTING STATS:

Newly hatched mon start with a stature that determines their initial stats. h = health die pool, s = stam die pool, f = focus die pool.

Stout	h2s1f1
Athletic	h1s2f1
Protege	h1s1f2

STARTING MOVE:

Every newly hatched mon has to fend for itself in an often brutal world. Mon have evolved to come out swinging. Every mon has a basic melee attack o its type. For example:

Punch [Combat/Stamina]: Deal [tally] damage to one adjacent mon.

Wet Slap [Water/Stam]: Deal [tally] damage to one adjacent mon.

Hot Touch [Fire/Stam]: Deal [tally] damage to one adjacent mon.

There is a 50% chance the newly hatched mon knows another move. Roll a d4 on the type move list which matches the mon's type. MOVE LISTS TO COME SOON IM TIRED OK? ROLL A RANDOM GLOG SPELL IF YOU CANT WAIT.

MON ABILITIES

Fly (gain double movement as flying speed)

Regeneration (can opt to regain health (roll one health dice and recover tally hp) instead of stam at the end of a round)

Dextrous (can hold two items)

Flex ( Can discard 1 stam dice per damage to reduce damage taken.)

Overcharged (deal one extra damage when the damage type of your attack corresponds to your type)

Sticky Fingers (once per battle, you may make a stam based skill check with a difficulty of 2 to steal the opposing mon's held item.)

Elemental (when you take damage, you may reduce your focus by 1 to try to apply a relevant status effect based on your type to your opponent. 

Electric - stunned

Mind - confused

Fire - burned

Ice - frostbitten

Metal - dazed

Physical Specimen - when you deal physical damage, you may spend 1 focus dice to increase damage by 1.

Slippery - make a free move action when hit with water

Amorphous - slip through small spaces

Echo Location - not affected by effects that interfere with sight

Nose - Roll one dice and learn the type and form of [tally] mon in the area.

Quick - Unless your opponent uses a speed move, you may move first at the beginning of a battle.

Shed Skin - remove status condition after 2 rounds

Premeditation - Once per day, ask your mon about a course of action. They will respond with wheel or woe.

Speech - yep. They can talk.

Big Boned - gain an additional hp whenever you level up.

Magnificent Destiny - When you level up, gain no new moves or stats. When you evolve, gain all the stats you would have gained, roll a new ability,  pick any move from the move list that matches your type and gain stats two more times. Also undergo a magnificent transformation. (carp to sea monster, lizard to dragon, tadpole to shark, etc)

WHAT ELSE?

I really enjoyed these tables from Freebooters on the frontier. Two words to describe your mon:

Virtue	Vice
ambitious	addict
benevolent	aggressive
bold	alcoholic
brave	arrogant
charitable	boastful
chaste	cheater
cautious	covetous
compassionate	cowardly
confident	cruel
considerate	decadent
cooperative	deceitful
courteous	disloyal
creative	doubtful
curious	egotistical
daring	envious
defiant	gluttonous
dependable	greedy
determined	hasty
disciplined	hedonist
enthusiastic	impatient
fair	inflexible
focused	irritable
forgiving	lazy
friendly	lewd
frugal	liar
funny	lustful
generous	mad
helpful	malicious
honest	manipulative
honorable	merciless
hopeful	moody
humble	murderous
idealistic	obsessive
just	petulant
kind	prejudiced
loving	reckless
loyal	resentful
merciful	rude
orderly	ruthless
patient	self-pitying
persistent	selfish
pious	snobbish
resourceful	stingy
respectful	stubborn
responsible	vain
selfless	vengeful
steadfast	wasteful
tactful	wrathful
tolerant	zealous

OK, so what do I owe you? Move lists, and visual motif lists for each type? A lot, but those should be fun! More soon.

Best There Ever Was

The important posts:

Rules

Moves

Dex

As with all game systems, it was inspired by Dark Souls. What's so awesome about Dark Souls' combat for me is the pacing which results from the stamina system. The mechanic of having a stamina bar that expends for both offense and defense leads to a ton of interesting moment-to-moment decisions. There's a difficulty with the basic DnD combat system which is how do you make a dual between two melee characters interesting? It's possible to do so, of course, but it takes effort on both parties. The typical, and possible optimal, behavior is to just attack back and forth. This is boring. To spice things up both have to be willing to behave suboptimally to embellish the fight or at least be willing to risk the consequences of not attacking for a turn to try something more interesting.

Enter the stamina bar. If the stamina resource is limited enough (and o boy it will be) then the optimal move is sometimes just waiting. This is massively better than always attacking. This is the difference between Rocky v Creed and Superman v ... that guy. You know, the first but recent movie. He fights a general or something that is the same and they just punch each other and never tire and the fight has terrible pacing? That one. Rocky v Creed is two guys punching eachother, but they are dodging and weaving, they are circling looking for openings, they are panting and gasping for breathe, they are struggling and constantly looking for an edge. That's because they have stamina bars and superman doesn't.

So here's the idea: Mon stats are represented by dice pools. Health, Stam, and Focus. Health is health, Stam is physical action, Focus is cool mon powers. Use stam when using physical abilities. Stam returns over time and abilities using it are reliable and deal small damage, but mon specializing in its use will be relentless. Focus is basically magic dice from GLOG. Big, powerful, limited resource abilities. Also GLOG spells scale, so I only need one move for thundershock, thunderbolt, and thunder and all the other type equivalents.

The stam mechanic creates pauses in fighting, where the only thing to do is recover some stam before going at it again. This is where you yell something encouraging to your mon, cheer on a friend, yell an insult, comment on how excited you are to be having a great battle (true), comment on how excited you are to be having a great battle (lie), compliment your opponent's mon, reveal a moment of your backstory, overshare your current doubts and fears about the battle, rp your mon circling intensely, stare intensely and sweat, etc. All this stuff is super prevalent in the shows and this mechanic give time to it explicitly. It's harder to fall into a repetitive pattern.

The other thing it does is make trainer skill important. Just like in Dark Souls, if you over attack and leave yourself with no juice to defend, you're dead. A good trainer knows when to back off and play the stamina game, and when to go all out. It's not just about who's mon is stronger., but who's the better trainer? Who has what it takes to be the best there ever was? 

Here are the rules.

MONS STATS

Mon stats are represented by dice pools. Dice pools consist of a number of d6 (six sided dice) from 1-5 or so, maybe more. Three dice pools represent a mon's Stamina, Focus, Bond and Health. Dice from a pool are rolled when taking an action or under a few other circumstances. 

STAT SUMMARY

Stamina: Stamina dice are rolled when using a basic attack or when using a basic status move. Dice used for this purpose return to your pool on a 1, 2, or 3. This pool is tested during skill checks to avoid effects that predominately affect the body. 

Focus: Focus dice are used when using a move. The move text will determine how to calculate its effects but may use notation like sum and dice which refer to the total shown on the dice or the number of dice rolled, respectively.

Health: Each level, health dice are rolled to determine the amount of health a mon has. They are also used in healing. A mon's health is determined by level + 4 per health dice

Bond: When you catch a wild Mon, their bond is 1. Increase bond each time the mon levels up or you spend time with and grow closer. Test bond to evolve each time your mom levels up if they can or test when dramatically appropriate. Reset bond to 1 after your mon evolves.

SKILL CHECKS

Skill checks are used to determine if your mon can perform a difficult task outside of using a move on an opponent. To perform a skill check, tell your GM what you want to accomplish and how you want to achieve it. The GM will determine if the task requires a stamina, focus, or health check. These correspond to feats of strength or agility, mental prowess or producing an effect with a mon's type, and toughness and endurance, respectively. 

To make the check, roll a D6. If you roll under the maximum number of dice in your stat pool, the test is a success.

Skill checks for trainers should be rare. If the action to be taken is plausible for the trainer to take, then favor allowing the action to succeed. If the action is difficult or a check is otherwise necessary, the trainer has a 1 in 6 chance of success. If their mon can aid them in the action or they have another advantage, then they may receive +1 per benefit.

BATTLING MON

A mon battle can happen for any number of reasons, from two trainers bored on a slow afternoon to a horde of stampeding mon that need to be stopped before catastrophe. A battle may best represent this scenario in your game. Interacting with the environment and using it to your advantage in a battle typically involves a skill check, while using abilities against your opponent or opponents is resolved using the battling rules below.

Any number of mon may be included in a battle. Duels are common, but so are team battles between mon. Sometimes one type of battle turns into another if the loser's friends aren't happy with the results. 

THE ROUND

A round consists of all mon activating one at a time, starting with the mon with the highest current stamina down to the lowest. Each round the turn order is freshly determined based on which mon has the highest stamina.

A roll-off is used to break ties.

ROUND END

At the end of the round, all mon may return one expended stamina die to their respective pool. 

ACTIONS

When activated a mon basic attack, apply status effect, can use move, use an item, or wait. They may also move.

Basic Attack:

Each type has their own basic attack which deals damage of their type. They each use stamina dice and deal sum damage. The defending mon can roll under their current stamina (Dodge) to dodge the attack. Alternatively, they can Fire Back!

• Punch [Combat/Stamina]: Deal [sum] damage to one adjacent mon.
• Wet Slap [Water/Stam]: Deal [sum] damage to one adjacent mon.
• Hot Touch [Fire/Stam]: Deal [sum] damage to one adjacent mon.
  

Status Effect:

Use Stamina Dice to fuel basic status effect moves. Roll the save against the move when it is used and again at the end of every turn.

• Light: Blind. Blinded 'mon can't connect with their physical attacks. AOE physical attacks still work. Save vs Focus to end condition.
• Fire: Burn. Save vs Stamina each round, end condition on success. On a failure, take dice fire damage.
• Grass: Drain. Save vs Stamina each round, end condition on success. On a failure, target takes 1 grass damage and you restore health equal to the damage.
• Water: Drench. For dice rounds, target's highest pool is the same size as their smallest. Save vs Stamina to end condition. Regain lost dice when condition ends.
• Electric: Paralyzed. For dice rounds, Save vs Stamina. On a failed save, target skips turn.
• Earth: Entrapment. Target cannot move for dice rounds. Save vs Stamina, condition ends on a success.
• Metal: Iron Defense. Gain dice temporary hp.
• Wind: Knockdown. Target is knocked prone once and goes last for dice rounds. Dodge to avoid.
• Combat: Grapple. Target restrained for sum rounds and cannot move or dodge. Save vs Stamina to end the effect.
• Mind: Confused. Target loses access to 1 Focus Die for sum rounds. Save v Focus each round, end condition on a success.
• Dark: Taunt. Save vs Bond or disobey trainer for dice rounds, only making basic attacks or acting on impulse.
• Dragon: Fear. Trust before approaching or making a physical attack. Once afflicted with fear, cannot be afflicted again in this battle.

Moves:

Moves reveal a mon's true power. To use a move, roll any number of focus dice and calculate the effect based on the move text. Focus dice return to your pool on a roll of 1, 2, or 3, but any number counts toward the roll. 

Physical attacks and moves can be Dodged by rolling under your current stamina or you can try to overpower them with a physical attack of your own! If your attack is stronger and the sum on your dice is higher, your attack goes through and theirs is wasted. If you try that you better bring it, cause if you don't win you'll be taking full damage from the enemy's attack.

Special moves can be Saved by rolling under your current focus. But if you ask me, that's sorta like crossing your fingers and hoping the firing squad misses ya, he. They hardly do. Even if you save you'll take half damage from the attack. Better to Fire Back with a special move of your own! Show 'em who's boss. Like before, if you don't give it your all you'll back taking damage instead of giving it.

Status moves are tricky and an invaluable asset in the hands of an intelligent trainer. The move text will tell you how to defend against these. They're a real grab bag.

Weather moves affect the environment directly and last till the battle is over. That reminds me, do not forget to consider the environment in your battles! If you win by knocking your opponent off a bridge or drowning them, then it doesn't matter how much hp they had left, does it? What did I say something wrong?

Physical moves can be dodged, while status moves will describe a save to avoid the effect. Saves are made when the move is used and again at the end of each turn.

Here are some excellent moves to get started.

Item

Items held by mon may be used by them for free at any point during their activation. A mon may only hold one item at a time. Items used by trainers must be used instead of their mon using an ability.

Wait

Waiting is often used by effective mon trainers. When you tell your mon to wait they may not use abilities or an item, but may immediately recover 1 stamina or focus die to their pool. This is an excellent opportunity to RP your mon or trainer. You may describe your mon doing almost anything, just not using an item or ability.

DAMAGE

The amount of damage done by a move varies and will be in the move's text.

Mon can also take damage from the environment (Alexa, link to Fuck, its a Legamon! again). A rule of thumb for this is d6 damage per 10ft fallen or a few seconds on fire. Adjust the amount of damage based on whether the effect is less or worse than that.

Reducing a mon's hp to 0 incapacitates them and they are unable to contribute to battles or skill checks until they restore hp via resting, potions. 

HEALING

Mon and their trainers fully heal during a good night's rest. This requires food, shelter, and safety. Alternatively, mon and their trainers may enjoy a hearty lunch 1/day. If food and a fire can be arranged, a trainer and their mon may rest for 1 hr and heal. Roll all dice in the Health pool as d3s and recover sum hp.

LEVEL UP

The mon you featured the most this session levels up. Other mon who appeared can test by rolling a d6 over their level. If successful they level up. Upon level up, increase Bond and recalculate hp (level +4/health dice). Also, increase a dice pool by 1. Instead of gaining a stat you may learn a new move. Lastly, you may roll a d6 and if you roll under your Bond you may evolve.

When you evolve, increase a stat by one or learn a move. Also, reset your Bond back to 1.

CATCHIN MON

Legablocks come in complex geometric parallelograms. 6 sided Legablocks are cube shaped. To catch a mon, throw a Legablock. If you roll over the legamon's health + Level, you catch it. A legamon with a status condition counts its hp as half of what it is for the purpose of capturing it.