Legamon Ranger School: Combat and Moves Training

Welcome to Ranger School! Exams are coming up and those are nothing compared to the challenges you'll face exploring and protecting the wild places of the world. The more you know the better off you'll be, so pay attention! With any luck something here may keep you on the right side of a 6 ft tall ditch!

Alright, to recap combat basics:

Trainers more or less take turns shouting moves at their mon. Whoever has the higher stamina will act first as their current stamina equals their speed. Don't forget that it's also useful to take a breather and to regain an additional stamina or focus dice. Mon can always perform a physical attack or status attack if they have Stamina dice. They also have Moves which are powerful abilities that use Focus dice.

Moves come in different types. No not those types! These are physical, special, and status. Oh, and weather.

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 real tricky and an invaluable asset in the hands of an intelligent Ranger. I once saved a whole herd of Calferrous from half a dozen poachers with a Conchroach and a well-placed Riptide. He, he! Anyways 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?

I already mentioned Dodging and Saves, but sometimes it's the bond you have with your Legamon that's tested instead of their strength. That's called Trust. Roll under your bond with your Legamon to pass. A loyal Legamon is the difference between being a hero and being in an obituary. You take care of your partners! You hear me!

During unsanctioned battles, trainers are not protected by League Rules. Guess what, most of your battles against poachers ain't gonna follow the rules! It's up to your mon to defend you when you are targeted by an attack. If you get afflicted by a restraining status condition (grappled, paralyzed, frozen. etc) or take too big of a hit (5 damage at once) you'll likely to be subdued. A subdued trainer may take limited actions based on their condition and their mon act on their own. Roll under Bond to control your mon while subdued as the mon understands your will, failure means your mon acts randomly or as it wills. This is why you must build a bond of love and unity with your mon above all else! When you are drooling blood and stuck in an ice cube they are your only chance at avoiding a horrible fate! A subdued trainer is helpless if their mon are unable to defend them.

Last note before the move lists. As important as the information is for your survival and the completion of your mission, thinking outside the box is even better. Don't be constrained by these descriptions and you can always find a way to win. A strong bond between you and your partner and a little creativity will get you outta more jams than you can count.

Here are the basic status moves for each type. You should know these by now!

Light: Blind. Blinded 'mon can't connect with their physical attacks. AOE physical attacks still work. Save vs Focus to end condition.
Fire: Burn. Dodge 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. Dice targets Dodge or the target's highest pool is the same size as their smallest. 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: Jeer. Dice targets Trust or reduce their bond by 1. Trust to end effect.
Dragon: Fear. Trust before approaching or making a physical attack. Once afflicted with fear, cannot be afflicted again in this battle.

Normal: Taunt. Dice targets must Trust or use their basic attack on this mon.

Toxin: Poison. Save v Focus each round, take dice damage on success and end condition. Take 1 damage on a failed save.

COMBAT- Combat types excel at winning the physical game and stringing move combos together. If you can't break their combos or make them fight on your terms, you're in for a world of hurt.
FOOTWORK [Combat/Status]: Gain sum stamina and immediately take another action. Focus dice spent in this way are expended.
JAB [Combat/Physical]: This move may be used at any time and does not count toward action limits. Deal sum damage. Maximum one dice.
GUARD PASS [Combat/Status]: Can be Dodged. The target cannot Trade Blows. Save vs Stam to end.
HEADCRANK [Combat/Status]: Can be Dodged. Lose dice Stamina and take sum damage.
LIGHTS OUT [Combat/Physical]: Roll all Stam and Focus dice. Target takes sum damage. Target takes no damage if this move doesn’t knock them out.
MINDSET [Combat/Status]: Gain 1 additional Stam each End of Round. Lasts until psyched out.
TAKEDOWN [Combat/Physical]: Deal sum damage. Target restrained for dice rounds and cannot move or dodge. Save vs Stamina to end the effect.
SPINNING TORNADO KICK [Combat/Physical]: Deal sum + dice damage and target is Knocked Down. If this move misses, this mon takes dice damage instead.

WATER - You're gonna get wet fighting a water type. Odds are good you'll even be swimming by the time the battle's done. Water types excel at changing the environment to suit them. You need to counter the flood that's coming or win before the water level rises too much.

SPRAY [Water/Spray]: Deal sum damage. Target is Drenched. Environment gets wet.

BUBBLE [Water/Physical]: Restrained for sum rounds and cannot move or dodge.

FOAM SPRAY [Water/Status]: Dice mon and trainers standing with legs Dodge or are Knocked Down and Drenched.

RINSE [Water/Status]: Target may Save again vs dice status effects.

FLASH FLOOD [Water/Special]: Flood the environment for dice rounds, adding level wet to the environment for the duration.

RAINSTORM [Water/Weather]: It begins to rain hard. Add 1 wet to the environment each round.

TSUNAMI [Water/Physical]: Deal dice x wet damage to everything partially submerged.

RIPTIDE [Water/Status]: Dice targets save v Drench and failed saves take wet damage. Wet is the level of water in the environment.

FIRE - Fire mon love stacking up deadly burns! That, stacked with general high damage means you do not want this fight dragging on! Find a way to keep the fire from spreading out of control and use physical moves to bring them down.

FLAMETHROWER [Fire/Special]: Deal sum damage. target is Burned. Environment heats up.

SMOKE [Fire/Weather]: Obscure the area, adding dice to all dodge rolls. Lasts until smoke clears. Add 1 heat.

IGNITE [Fire/Status]: If there is an open flame nearby deal dice + heat damage to a target and burn them.

WILDFIRE [Fire/Weather]: Add 1 heat to the environment each round. All burns increase by heat as long as wildfire is active. Save targets to remove burns are reduced by 1.

RAISE TEMPERATURE [Fire/Status]: Gain heat Focus dice up to your max Focus pool. Discard all gained dice at the end of your next turn if they weren't used.

FLAME RING [Fire/Special]: Create a flame wall along a surface (5 x sum) feet long in any shape. Once in place, lasts until the end of the battle and deals sum damage to those who touch it, no save.

ERUPTION [Fire/Special]: Large area explodes in flame. Deal sum + highest + heat to everything within.

CONSUME [Fire/Status]: All burned targets immediately take heat + dice burn damage. Heal for heat.

ELECTRIC - Speed is the name of the game. Stop them moving and it's an easy win. Of course, that's easier said than done.

A mon's Speed is determined by their current stamina + their boost. Turn order is determined by speed.

LIGHTNING [Electric/Special]: Deal sum + boost damage at range. Target is Paralyzed.

JOLT [Electric/Physical]: Deal sum damage and gain dice boost.

MAGNETIZE [Electric/Physical]: Dice objects are powerfully drawn together. Objects may be living. Direct impact deals sum damage. If only one object is selected, it is drawn to you.

GAP JUMP [Electric/Status]: For sum rounds, zap over to a location you can see. Gain one boost each time you zap.

INDUCE CURRENT [Electric/Special]: Gain dice boost. Deal boost damage to each nearby mon each round. Lasts until you stop moving.

RECHARGE [Electric/Status]: Stop moving and lose all boost. Gain dice + boost health or stam.

LIGHTNING RIDE [Electric/Status]: Increase damage by boost for dice rounds.

THUNDER [Electric/Special]: Deal sum + speed damage. All in large AOE Trust v Flinch.

DRAGON - Be wary facing a dragon type. They get some sort of unspoken respect from other Legamon. Don't throw out a Legamon that you don't trust with your life.

SLASH - [Dragon/Physical] Deal sum + dice damage. 6s explode.

TERRIFY [Dragon/Status] - Dice targets Trust v Fear. Failed saves also reduce their Bond by 1.

APOCALYPSE BREATH [Dragon/Physical] - Sum + dice damage in a cone. 6s explode. Targets hit are Burned.

SUBJUGATE [Dragon/Status] - One target must Trust or obey Dice word command.

RIP [Dragon/Physical] - Deal sum damage. Save v Expose. Expose - take dice additional damage from all sources. Heal to end condition.

IMPOSSIBLE ROAR [Dragon/Special] - Large aoe. Deal sum damage plus save v flinch.

RAGE [Dragon/Status] - Deal dice additional damage and 6s explode for all your moves. If 6s already explode, the 5s and 6s explode. Lasts until one round passes where you fail to deal damage.

FINAL BEAM [Dragon/Special] - Charge for dice rounds, then deal sum + level + dice to targets in front of you.

MIND - Remember Combat types? Mind types are like that, but they deal primarily in special attacks and inflicting status effects. Don't let them fight on their terms or they will shut you down!

PRESSURE (Mind/Special) - Target takes sum damage and is Confused.

MENTAL BARRIER (Mind/Status) Target forgets dice moves. Save to recall one move per round. After failing to recall a move once, remember it.

FATIGUE (Mind/Status) - Reduce target's Stam by dice and reduce damage dealt by dice. Save end and regain lost stam.

FLOW STATE (Mind/Status) - Gain 1 Focus Dice each End of Round for the next sum rounds.

REPRESSION (Mind/Status) - Target loses benefits of type and ability for sum rounds. Save. Or target forgets something that recently happened.

PHOBIA (Mind/Status) - dice targets Trust vs fear of one entity of your choice. OR 1 target Trusts v fear of dice entities of your choice.

TELEKINESIS (Mind/Physical) - Move an object that is (1 dice - trainer, 2 dice - cow, 3 dice - semi, 4 dice - house) size. Deals sum + dice damage.

MIGRAINE (Mind/Special) - Confused target takes sum + dice damage and is paralyzed.

DARK - Subtlety, control, and playing at your weaknesses as a trainer are all to be expected when facing a Dark type. They will try to drag out the fight and find an advantageous position. Keep track of them and don't let them whittle you down!

VICIOUS STRIKE (Dark/Physical) - Deal sum + bond damage and reduce target's bond by 1. 

SHADOWY VISITATION (Dark/Special) - Deal sum damage. Target loses 1 focus.

SHROUD (Dark/Weather) - All mon in the area add dice to all Dodge checks as shadows deepen and lights fade. Effect breaks if sufficiently illuminated.

WAKING NIGHTMARE (Dark/Status) - Trust or cannot save vs 1 specified condition for dice rounds.

SHADOW BOXING (Dark/Status) - Summon dice shadows. Each has 1 hp and 1 stam and acts at the end of your turn. Shadows last until damaged or sufficiently illuminated.

DARK WALK (Dark/STATUS) - Teleport to a shadowy location you can see. Can continue to teleport 1/round for the next sum rounds.

BANISH (Dark/Status) - Target must Trust or be banished to the shadow realm. Only their shadow is left in this corporeal realm. While in the shadow realm, target deals sum less physical damage and takes dice damage each round. Trust at the end of each round to escape.

DOUBT (Dark/Status) - Trust or take the same action as last round. Lasts for dice rounds. 

LIGHT - It takes a Legamon scientist to understand all the tricks Light Legamon have. Fortunately, they are typically friendly in the wild and good to have in a supporting roll on your side. Let me know if you ever see that quantum entanglement garbage in action. I still can't wrap my mind around it.

BRILLIANCE BEAM (Light/Special) - Deal sum damage and target is blinded.

SUPERPOSITION (Light/Status) - simultaneously exist at dice additional locations linked by sight (3 locations needed to walk down perpendicular hallways). You can see and move as normal from each location. You may collapse to one location at any time. Interacting with the environment in any way causes you to instantly collapse to one location.

ILLUMINATE (Light/Status) - shine a candle sized light. Intensity scales with dice as does duration. (1 dice - torch, 2 dice - bonfire, 3 dice - lighthouse, 4 dice - laser)

REVEAL (Light/Status) - reveal what is hidden in a (1 dice - trainer, 2 dice - cow, 3 dice - semi, 4 dice - house) size area.

CLEANSING LIGHT (Light/Status) - dice targets save v 1 ongoing effect. Must be within line of sight.

INNERVATE (Light/Status) - provide target with dice focus or stam.

PRISM (Light/Special) - create dice 10 x 10  planes of solid light in any orientation within sight. Each reduces the power of moves passing through them by dice and can support weight up to the caster's weight x dice. Breaks if hit by a move powered by dice dice or loaded with more weight than it can hold.

QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT (Light/Physical) - lock the relative position of dice targets. At 1 dice the target is locked to you. Targets are connected as if by an iron rod. When one moves the other is moved in the same direction. Lasts until LOS is broken between the targets. Strength/weight is still a factor and may limit movement.

GRASS - Grass types are a catch-all around here for terrible things that live in the forest. They will poison you, drink your blood with drains, and leave the battle better off than they started it if you let them! A burn will keep them from healing.

SPROUT (Grass/Physical) - Launch aggressive saplings that drain the target's strength. Deal sum damage target is affected by Drain.

BUG BITE (Grass/Physical) - Deal sum damage and heal for dice.

ROOT (Grass/Status) - Become immobile as you sprout roots. Heal for dice at the start of each turn. Only usable outdoors. Lasts until you move.

OVERWHELMING SPORES (Grass/Status) - Vanish in a could of spores for sum rounds. Add dice to your dodge vs mon outside the cloud, targets inside save v paralysis.

TOXIC NEEDLE (Grass/Physical) - Deal sum damage and target is poisoned.

PHOTOSYNTHESIS (Grass/Status) - Heal for dice each round. Lasts until you break line of sight with the sun.

VINES (Grass/Physical) - Extend and grab dice target(s) with vines. Target saves v Restrained. Use on a restrained target to move them or automatically deal sum damage.

ENTANGLING SHROUD (Grass/Special) - Grow brambles or webs to block line of sight and movement through a (1 dice - trainer, 2 dice - cow, 3 dice - semi, 4 dice - house) size area. Must be damaged to remove the material.

EARTH - Choose your battlefield carefully as an earth Legamon will be rearranging it. Draw fights out of the city or habitat you are trying to protect or there won't be any city left when the battle is over, win or lose!

FRACTURE (Earth/Physical) - Aoe. Deal sum damage to everything that is entrapped. Dice damage to everything touching the floor.

BOULDER TOSS (Earth/Physical) - Toss an object or chunk of ground that is (1 dice - trainer, 2 dice - cow, 3 dice - semi, 4 dice - house) size. Deals sum damage.

SAND FLING (Earth/Special) - Dice targets save v blind.

FISSURE (Earth/Physical) - Open a crack. Dice in 6 chance that a target your size and touching the ground is swallowed by the earth. All dice spent are expended. Dice may be allocated to target a larger size without increasing the chance the move works. Banned from legal battles.

FLUIDIZE GROUND (Earth/Physical) - Dice targets are entrapped. Only affects creatures touching the ground.

SHROCKNEL (Earth/Special) - Cause a nearby boulder to violently explode, spraying rock fragments everywhere. Deal sum aoe damage to soft targets. Ground is covered with sharp rock that deals dice damage when moved across by soft targets.

DIG (Earth/Status) - Burrow underground for dice rounds and emerge cleansed from 1 status condition.

CRYSTALLIZE (Earth/Status) - Gain dice damage absorption, does not stack. Ends if you receive 2 x level damage from one attack, after damage absorption.

METAL - Metal mon can be horrifying to battle. Do not do so if you are squeamish at the site of blood. Keeping your distance is probably a good idea and use a mon that won't get cut to ribbons by a little shrapnel!

CLAAANG (Metal/Special) - Deal sum + your damage absorption + your temporary hp to one target.

CLAMP (Metal/Physical) - Deal sum damage and target is Restrained. Automatically deals sum + dice to restrained targets.

HARDEN (Metal/Status) - Gain dice damage absorption. Ends if exposed to heat or cold.

DRILL PRESS (Metal/Physical) - Destroy one object that is (1 dice - trainer, 2 dice - cow, 3 dice - semi, 4 dice - house) size. Can target Restrained mon to deal sum + dice + level damage.

STEEL SHOT (Metal/Special) - Spray metal fragments at a target. Deal sum + dice damage and liters ground with sharp barbs which deal dice damage to soft creatures that move across it.

REND (Metal/Physical) - Target is bleeding and exposed. Bleed deals dice damage each turn. Exposed mon take dice extra damage from all sources.

GOUGE (Metal/Physical) - Deal dice damage and target is bleeding. Mon with an active bleed take bleed damage immediately and lose their next opportunity to save against the effect.

DISPERSE BEARINGS (Metal/Status) - Spray ball bearings, covering the ground with them. AOE. Mon and trainers standing with legs Dodge or are Knocked Down and Restrained and for dice rounds.

WIND - Fighting a wind type mon without a wind type of your own is like shooting fish in a barrel and you're the fish! You have to bring them down by restraining them or hitting them with a knockdown effect if you're in trouble. Use the environment to your advantage if you have to.

Wind adds to your Dodge against non Wind types (max 5/6). Wind fades if you land.

GALE (Wind/Physical) - Deal sum damage and target is knocked down. Add 1 wind.

GUST (Wind/Weather) - Add dice wind.

DUST DEVIL (Wind/Status) - Dice targets Save v Blind.

SQUALL (Wind/Special) - Deal sum damage and save v effect. Effect changes based on the current environment. Drench if raining, burn if hot and dry, fear if spooky, freeze if cold, Restrained if there's lots of ropes about.

SONG (Wind/Status) - Dice targets save v sleep. 

DIVE BOMB (Wind/Physical) - This move can be used at any time. Deal dice + wind. Target is knocked down.

SOAR  (Wind/Status) - Fly up high for 1 round and regain wind stam and hp. Lose all wind.

HURRICANE (Wind/Weather) - Wind increases by 1 each round until it reaches dice indicating the hurricane has arrived. Once the hurricane arrives deals wind damage each round to non-flying trainers and mon.

NORMAL - Normal types are often highly underrated by novice trainers. Don't be one of those! Having great flexibility and no weaknesses is quite an asset. Remember this or you might end up with a type disadvantage that costs you dearly.

GETEM (Normal/Physical) - Deal sum + bond damage.

TAKE (Normal/Physical) - Deal sum damage and take the held item from the target.

WRESTLE (Normal/Status) - Target restrained for sum rounds and cannot move or dodge. Dodge to end the effect.

PANT (Normal/Status) - Skip this turn and regain 1d6 hp.

CUTE FACE (Normal/Status) - Target must Save or reduce damage dealt to this mon by dice + bond. Trust to end.

GUARD (Normal/Status) - Gain dice to your dodge target. Lasts until you deal damage.

SUPPORT (Normal/Status) - Target gains dice stamina or focus. These dice must be used by end of the next round. Alternatively, the target may make take an immediate save vs a status condition.

POWER OF FRIENDSHIP (Normal/Special) - Display loyalty and valor in equal parts to deal sum + bond + dice damage to an enemy. This damage is psychological and the target's hp returns after this battle.

TOXIN - Don't worry too much about the lingering damage from being poisoned. You need to be concerned about the gradual weakening of your Legamon! The longer the battle goes on, the greater the Toxin mon's advantage will be!

ENFEEBLING STING (Toxin/Physical) - Deal sum damage and target is poisoned. Target also loses 1 stam when poison ends.

NEURAL TOXIN (Toxin/Special) - Deal dice damage and target is poisoned. Target losess 1 Focus when poison ends.

PSYCHOACTIVE PARANOIA (Toxin/Special) - Deal dice damage and target is poisoned. Target loses 1 Bond while poisoned. Can also be used to go on a spiritual journey with a legamon. Trust after 8 hours of hallucinations to learn something new.

NOXIOUS CLOUD (Toxin/Special) -  Aoe (1 dice - trainer, 2 dice - cow, 3 dice - semi, 4 dice - house) size. Targets Save v Poison and Paralysis. The cloud lingers for a bit.

BIOAGGRESSIVE VENOM (Toxin/Status) - If the target is poisoned, add a second poison type from the first three moves on this list.

SELF ADMINISTER (Toxin/Status) - This mon is now poisoned. Gain dice stam or focus each round you are poisoned up to your max. If you used an odd number of dice, gain stamina, and even number of dice gain focus.

SECRETE ACID (Toxin/Status) - When hit by a physical attack, attacker takes dice damage.

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.