Oh, don't worry. It'll be coming. Just like what when we said, 'They're coming...' with the Ninja Turtles in their first live-action movie. It's coming.
It's basically like when they don't show the Turtles right away, but only their shadows. Then the credits start, and you see Leo's shadow jump toward the open area of the sewer and there's a freeze frame with the title of the movie inset for about ten seconds, then finally, you see them for the first time... the live-action Ninja Turtles.
Well, we're about to the point where you can just start seeing the shadows on-screen. You have an indication of what they're gonna look like, but you still don't quite know. You still haven't really seen it yet.
One thing though. Not really an update. But more of a request. If someone could either PM me, or post here the names of every Pokemon up to the Diamond/Pearl Generation in alphabetical order, that would really help. I'm on the verge of beginning the Poke-Dex for PD-20 and I figured that it'd be easier to alphabetize them, rather than number them. After all, most people are familiar with the names of most of the Pokemon, but not necessarily their numbers. I only need the names. I can take care of the information from there.
Also, as for the combat system. I have something in mind. But I have to touch up the Character/Humanoid classes and Races first, as well as the stats of the starters (which I'm using as a basis to create the overall interface). This isn't really an update, but a note on where we're at here.
Basically, Speed will play a large role here. Battles will be turn-based with the ability for your Pokemon and Trainers/Coordinators/Whatevers to move around the area that the battle is taking place in.
As for the round lengths. I think I'll do 20-segment rounds with a single D20 roll at the beginning of battle to determine Initiative (which is really the way it's done in D&D anyway). Speed is how fast your Character or Pokemon acts in a round. It's a formula that roughly equates to this:
20 - Speed = Time Left Before Turn
I know that's sort of a throw-together formula. But I've been thinking long and hard about this.
Basically, 20 is the number of segments that have to be passed before a Character or Pokemon can act. SO, say that a Level 1 Character's Speed is 10 (and it doesn't go up every single level anyway, so this is feasible in PD-20). That means, every second in PD-20 time, they advance 10 segments. Two seconds have to pass before an action can be taken. Now, what we do to determine turn order is a bit of math.
First, we determine Initiative, or where you start on the hypothetical segment ring. You take a D20 and roll it. Whatever number it lands on, you subtract that from the base 20.
So, say the same Trainer or Pokemon rolls a 12. 20-12 is 8. That means, in 8/10 of a second, he goes (since his speed is 10). So, 8/10 of a second later, he attacks. After the attack or move, he'll be at 18 once his entire second passes. He'll need 1.8 more seconds to make another move. And while this is happening, the opponent is also advancing along the same segment ring based on their speed.
So, let's say your speed is 10, and the opponent's speed is 6. It takes you two seconds to take a turn, while it takes them three and a third. And time never stops on this ring (when moving or attacking it is assumed in the world that it just takes you that long to perform the action, you get quicker when your level goes up and you get better at the action), so in this manner it isn't inconceivable that on occasion people with higher speeds might get more chances to attack or move.
In this way, Speed is a Battle Statistic of utmost importance. It determines not only how fast you act, but how many potential attacks you get per round. As your levels go up, you get faster and can attack more often. Plus, it makes rounds really fast. A good GM with basic math skills can look at the rounds and calculate who goes when, so they'll just be able to shout out, 'You, it's your turn,' or, 'Ok Shinji, you're next,' without having to debate anything with the players.
And yes, there are items and artifacts that will be able to modify this statistic, both positively and negatively. So that'll be a factor too.
Plus, rolling a natural 20 lets you immediately attack, and just start at the beginning of the ring after the attack. Basically, the whole 'strike first' message in Final Fantasy. If two or more characters or Pokemon end up at the end of the ring, get to the end of the 20 segments at the same time, they all act at the same time. And if that happens with two of your Pokemon, and you are both targeting the same enemy, you can perform a Team attack, where under the right circumstances, you can combine two or more attacks, like in the Anime.
But here's the kicker. There are attacks and moves that take time to use, adding extra segments that a character or Pokemon must pass. Do you use these attacks and risk getting cancelled by a critical, or do you just stick to the basics and go for more turns?
All this plays into the overall strategy of the PD-20 game.
One other thing. Criticals are just brutal in PD-20. They can do all sorts of things that they couldn't do before. I'll be going over them in a near-future post. I think you'll find them interesting.
As always, feedback is welcome.
