genessia_ooc | July Nova City Charm Quest Event

Welcome to the 2019 Genessia Pokemon event! This epic adventure will span through the full month of July, from the 1st to the 31st, where characters will be greeted by Professor Teak, a friendly woman with wild grey hair pinned up into a braided bun, who's only too happy to study the wonders of Pokemon in their...natural...environment? Well it's natural to THEM anyway, at least for the month of July, so she'll ask for volunteers to sign up and help her complete her studies. Volunteers will receive a Genessia Pokedex (divided into seven regions) and access to her lab, where they'll receive any level five starter Pokemon of their choice as well as a daily supply of Pokeballs. The five best helpers will receive an extra reward of a Nova City charm, wowie! Even if the character declines to participate, all it will take is a glance out the window to realize that Pokemon are already here, and they're everywhere. Get ready for a Pokemon-filled summer!

...And don't be scared by the nitty gritty mechanics. If you don't want to go after a charm, you can still have fun messing around with Pokemon-themed adventures throughout the cities.

Objectives

There are two main objectives you'll want to aim for to participate in this event. The first is to earn points, which are calculated by the rarity of your Pokemon multiplied by its level.

Common Pokemon = 1 point
Uncommon Pokemon = 2 points
Rare Pokemon = 5 points
Ultra Rare Pokemon = 10 points
Legendary Pokemon = 20 points

So, for example, you manage to catch a Deino which is considered an Ultra Rare Pokemon. You leveled it up to 22 before the end of the event, so 10 x 22 = 220 points. You can also use points to buy evolution items, evolution stones, and fossils! Just keep in mind that those points are spent, which means you won't get them back, and they detract from your overall score at the end of the month.

Incense (used to breed specific baby Pokemon that can't be found in the wild, such as Mime Jr.) = 200 points
Evolution Items (such as a Razor Claw, Reaper Cloth, Dragon Scale, etc.) = 500 points
Evolution Stones (anything with 'Stone' at the end of the name, like Thunder Stone) = 1,000 points
Fossils (you get to choose which ones you buy, which can be instantaneously restored for a Level 1 Rare Pokemon such as Archeops or Aerodactyl) = 5,000 points

Why use up your points to evolve your Pokemon? Well that's where the second objective comes into play: fill out that Pokedex! There are 807 Pokemon that can be obtained throughout the tournament month, and if you manage to capture, evolve, and/or breed enough to complete at least half (404), you'll unlock something good at the end of the month.

How to Win a Charm

To win a charm, you need to be the best trainer in one of the five following categories:

1. Pokemon Hoarder - Who's got the most total Pokemon?
2. Supreme Specimen - Which single Pokemon is worth the most amount of points?
3. Rare Collector - Who's got the most rare, ultra rare, and legendary Pokemon?
4. Competent Completionist - Who filled in the most first-time entries in the Pokedex?
5. Leader of the Pack - Who's got the highest point score at the end of the event?

In the case of a tie, everyone who placed will receive a charm.

How It Works

There will be five (5) week-blocks in July: 1st-6th, 7th-13th, 14th-20th, 21st-27th, and 28th-31st. An event log will be pinned to the top of the Genessia journal where you can respond to each of these blocks with what your character does for the day. First they'll receive six randomized PokeBalls (if you're lucky, you might even get a Master Ball!). Then, you can decide if you want to trade in those balls to level up your Pokemon (1 ball = 1 Pokemon level), or use them to go catch a Pokemon. Once you're out of balls, the day is done! You can spend points on items if you wish, engage other players in battles, rest up at the PokeCenter...it's up to you! You can RP freely as you wish. So let's go through the steps one at a time, and explain what options are available to you at each step:

1. Get your PokeBalls! - At the beginning of the day, your character will check in at the lab and receive six PokeBalls. Regular PokeBalls are the most common (30% capture rate), followed by Great Balls (60% capture rate), then Ultra Balls (90% capture rate), then Master Balls (never fails to catch a Pokemon no matter what level or type).

2. Pick a city! - Because it takes a long time to find, battle, and capture Pokemon, seeking out Pokemon is considered a day-long event, so the character ICly won't have time to travel from place to place. So pick your city carefully, because each one has 2-3 specific types that can be found in that area. Which types in which city? You'll have to figure that out with some trial and error, but you'll probably start to notice the pattern soon enough. Note that Somorrah is only accessible to villains, so what do you do if you want a Pokemon found exclusively in that area? Trade, of course. Once you've selected your destination, choose your party of six (maximum) Pokemon and off you go! Note that if you have fewer than six Pokemon and/or Pokemon eggs in your party, any Pokemon you catch will be automatically added to your party. Otherwise they'll be directly transported to the lab to wait for your return at the end of the day.

3. Level up! - If you want to level up your Pokemon, you have to do it before you start seeking Pokemon to catch, not during. Choose which PokeBalls you're giving up, and which Pokemon will ascend in levels. You don't have to level up just one Pokemon, it can be any in your party.

4. Search for Pokemon! - You can put instructions for what you want to happen when you begin searching for Pokemon -- the more detailed, the better. While you can do this at each step of the way, you'll get your results a lot faster if you make a sort of 'if this, then this' list of instructions since the mod's schedule is limited to a few hours at night after work, and on the weekends. For example, you could say 'Level 16 Pikachu in the front, use lowest level Pokeballs unless it's a rare Pokemon then use the best levels, run if Pikachu will get knocked out by its opponent. GO.' Or you could go for the minimalist route, requesting Pokeballs, then choosing your party and destination, and asking to pause after each initial encounter. It'll take longer, but you're more likely to get what you want. You can make search requests up to a week early or a week late, with overflow being tidied up after July 31st on a first come first served basis. Search Requests will stop completely on August 15th. The Pokemon encounters are determined randomly, with Common Pokemon being much easier to find than Rare Pokemon. Alternatively, if you want to find any specific Pokemon, you can opt to find just that one. This can be helpful for filling out the dex in a certain area, as you can select a Pokemon that's already been found (it will appear on that city's encounter list), choose one of the mystery options, or search for a specific named Pokemon. For the mystery options (Pokemon listed as ???), all of the common Pokemon must be found first before you can request one that's uncommon, and all the uncommons must be found before requesting those that are rare, and so on. Also there's no guarantee that a specific named Pokemon can be found in a certain city. So if you decided to search Fayren for a Magikarp, and Magikarps can secretly only be found in Attleton, you'll have wasted the day searching and found nothing. At least you'll still have your PokeBalls. Note: Magikarp's location is not yet revealed, this is just an example.

5. FIGHT! - A Pokemon's level is effectively its HP and Attack Power, with super effective moves (like a grass move against a water type Pokemon) doing five extra damage, and having an extra 5 HP if one Pokemon's type is strong against the other (a level 5 Geodude fighting a level 5 Ponyta will be treated as if it has 10 HP instead of 5). It will automatically be assumed that you're using the most effective move against the other Pokemon, unless your Pokemon has no attack moves whatsoever (automatic KO). For the sake of simplicity, status effect moves like Paralyze and Sleep won't come into play during the search/fight stages, but you can use them for flavor when RPing fights with other characters and their Pokemon. If you win a fight, the Pokemon who dealt the finishing blow gains 2 levels, while any conscious Pokemon remaining in your party gain 1 level each. Here's a sample party fight: Joe McCool has a level 5 Squirtle and a level 2 Rattata. He goes looking for Pokemon and encounters a level 6 Pidgey. Neither Squirtle nor Pidgey are particularly effective against one another, so Squirtle deals 5 points of damage (because it's level 5) and receives 6 points of damage from the Pidgey (because it's level 6). Squirtle is knocked out! But the Pidgey is now down to 1 HP, so the level 2 Rattata is able to knock it out. Rattata levels up to 4! But Squirtle is out for the day, so it gets nothing. Now if Joe were to encounter something too strong for his Pokemon to fight, such as a Level 77 Smeargle (it could happen), he may choose to flee the fight. He might also choose to flee the fight if he doesn't want to waste his HP or Pokeballs on a Pokemon he doesn't like (Slakoth, you're the worst). This can only be done twice each day, so be cowardly in a wise fashion.

6. Capture! - Now that the Pidgey is KO'd, Joe tries to capture it. He has six PokeBalls, so he asks to use as many as it takes until he catches the Pidgey. The mod rolls for each attempt, and on the third try, Joe is successful and adds Pidgey to the party. Since it was KO'd, it only has 1 HP, but it never hurts to have a back-up. Now Joe can decide if he wants to keep going and search for another Pokemon in the same city, or call it quits. The Rattata has 4 HP (since it knocked out the Pidgey before it could take damage), and the Pidgey can fight if necessary, but Joe decides to play it safe and take his Pokemon home. He managed to capture a level 6 Pidgey, so that'll come in handy the next day. Once he calls it quits, the Pokemon are assumed to have rested long enough to recover all their HP.

7. Level up or Bank it! - If you have leftover PokeBalls, you can exchange them to level up any Pokemon registered as yours at the end of the day, or choose to bank them for later use. Using Joe McCool as an example again, who has three PokeBalls left, he uses two of them on Rattata to make it Level 6, and one more on Squirtle so it's Level 6 too. That's a nice well-rounded party!

Other Mechanics

1. Pokemon Nursery and Eggs - If you have two compatible Pokemon of the same egg type, you can leave them in the nursery to see if they produce an egg. Unlike the Pokemon in the game, an egg can come from either parent even if they're different species. The probability of producing an egg depends upon the rarity, with Common Pokemon breeding like mayflies, and only a small chance each day for Rare Pokemon. The one exception is Ditto! Ditto can breed with ANY Pokemon, even those with neutral genders. Ditto can't produce any eggs, however, so only the paired Pokemon will be able to do so. Pokemon left in the nursery will gain one level every two days, so even if you have no luck with eggs, at least they'll get stronger. You can leave up to two Pokemon at the nursery, but no more. If you get an egg, you have to travel with the egg in your party to hatch it. Common Pokemon hatch in one day, Uncommon Pokemon hatch in two days, Rare Pokemon hatch in three days, and Ultra Rare and Fossil Pokemon take five days to hatch. Starters are considered uncommon Pokemon, and they can't be found in the wild, so breeding them is the only way a trainer can get more to trade or train. Fossil Pokemon can be bred as well, though they're considered rare. Most Legendary Pokemon will not lay eggs, with the exception of Manaphy (paired up with a Ditto it will produce Phione eggs). Eggs bred before the event end date but hatched after the event end date won't qualify for points; however, you can still keep the Pokemon.

2. Shiny Pokemon - Every Pokemon you encounter in the wild or hatch from an egg has a 1% chance of being shiny. Shiny Pokemon are worth double points. This includes Legendary Pokemon!

3. Affection/Happiness - Some Pokemon need a certain level of happiness or affection in order to evolve, like Pichu. In order to meet evolution qualifications, a Pokemon has to be in your party for seven total days without ever getting knocked out in battle. These days don't have to be consecutive, but if a Pokemon gets knocked out two days in a row, its affection/happiness will decrease by one step, and it may even go into negative numbers. Treat your Pokemon right, and know when not to push your luck!

4. Legendary Pokemon - Legendary Pokemon will only appear once all of the Pokemon in that city have been encountered. Ordinary Pokemon don't have to be caught in order to meet the requirement, just seen. There will only be one of each Legendary Pokemon that can be found, so if someone nabs an Articuno, don't count on being able to find a second! Legendary Pokemon also can't be requested for a specific search, but they fall under the same shiny mechanics as normal Pokemon, so fingers crossed that you manage to find one that's shiny!

5. Lottery - Each week block will hold a lottery. It costs 50 points per entry, and you can enter as many times as you like, but you can't spend more points than you actually have. On the last day of the week, winners will be randomly selected to receive some Pokemon-themed prizes like fossils, evolution stones, and even rare or shiny Pokemon!

The mechanics might seem complicated on paper, but don't worry: the mod will be doing most of the work for you with randomized rolls and calculating encounter results. A sample Day in the Life of Joe McCool will also be presented on the primary event log once it goes up so you can better understand what a search request should look like. Don't know much about Pokemon? There are plenty of players who do, so make use of their PokeKnowledge, and be sure to visit serebii.net for more detailed information about your Pokemon such as evolution requirements, what moves they learn at certain levels, and what egg type they are to determine their compatibility with other Pokemon in the nursery.

Do your best to earn those charms and fill out that PokeDex, and if everyone cooperates, you might unlock something really good at the end of the month. Feel free to ask questions below, and I'll get to them as soon as I can!

July Nova City Charm Quest Event

Objectives

How to Win a Charm

How It Works

Other Mechanics

Re: Questions?

Re: Questions?