User blog:Electric Spark/Evolutions

Celadon City.

A bustling, thriving metropolis, home to one of the oldest and most respected Pokémon Gyms in the Kanto Region.

A Trainer's paradise, site of some of the largest and most varied shopping and beauty centers for Pokémon and Pokémon goods.

This city...is now under siege.

It's now been one week. One horrible, long week since Celadon City suddenly found itself alone in the world, a drop of sanity in a sea of madness. Wild Pokémon, in numbers and with ferocity never before seen, have entirely cut the city off from the rest of Kanto and the world, disabling any means of transportation or communication. These Pokémon are wild, ravenous, and ruthless. They do not hesitate to attack humans or their Pokémon, and fight to the death in most cases.

Only the best efforts of the city's trainers have kept water and electricity running. Already people are planning for the worst, rationing food and creating gardens to plant fruits and vegetables.

Under the leadership of Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy, the trainers of Celadon have combined their forces, pulling together to do whatever they can to help the city.

You are one of these trainers. You will participate, together with other trainers, in missions set by Nurse Joy. You will protect the city, scavenge for food and supplies, locate and rescue survivors, and, most importantly, attempt to uncover the cause of these happenings, and to lift the siege by any means possible.

Your actions, and your success or failure of these missions, will decide not only the fate of Celadon City, but of the entire Pokémon World.

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The original Evolutions was a mission-based Pokémon RP created by the staff of the Bulbagarden forums in early 2006 specifically for its members. The first story arc, Celadon City Blues, began in March and was intended to be the first in a long-running series of official Bulbagarden roleplays. However, a lack of initial organization brought about the end of the RP before the middle of the year. Two efforts, one in 2007 and one in 2009, both attempted to resurrect Evolutions, but both ended as failures.

In October 2013, a former GM, with extensive usage of Internet archive services, was able to locate the cache of information regarding the RP. With the combined data from every old mission, plus GM-only materials and exclusive messages with none other than Archaic himself that were conducted during the 2007 attempt, this unofficial reboot has been started on the RWBY Fanon.

I'm currently accepting applications for this AU RP! First, make sure you read all the guidelines below, then comment with your OC's AU Profile.

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Character Rennovation
I'm calling it "Rennovation", since you've already created your OCs, and you're just giving them some stats to fit the world.

Please leave a link to your character's main page, then give us a short background of your character from the AU's perspective, and follow it up with any major changes to them in this RP.

Stats, Ranks, and Points
Evolutions uses a very simple stat-tracking system. There is no health, and no levels.

Stats
Stats determine your character's abilities in the game world. Stats are broken down into three main categories:


 * Physical
 * Mental
 * Skills

Each stat has five ranks [Untrained (1), Novice (2), Competent (3), Expert (4), Master(5)].

The higher your rank in a certain stat, the more skilled you are in that area. A character's stats are improved using XP Points.

Points
A character receives a certain amount of XP Points upon creation.

You may choose to create a character with a base amount of 19 points. This is the "average" amount. However, if you are feeling lucky, you can ask a GM to roll a point total for you using a dice rolling system. The corresponding formula is 4d4+9 (The total of four four-sided die rolls, plus nine), which generates a number between 13 and 25.

Points can also be gained through participating in missions.

Ranks
When creating a character, the cost of each rank in XP Points is as follows (costs in [brackets] are the total cost to reach that level).


 * Untrained: 1 [1]
 * Novice: 2 [3]
 * Competent: 3 [6]
 * Expert: 4 [10]
 * Master: 5 [15]

After character creation, the cost of each rank in XP Points is as follows.


 * Untrained: 1 [1]
 * Novice: 3 [4]
 * Competent: 5 [9]
 * Expert: 7 [16]
 * Master: 9 [25]

A character attempting to reach Master Rank in a Stat or Skill after character creation must also complete a sidequest proving their mastery of the skill.

Physical Stats
Physical Stats include:


 * Strength
 * Agility
 * Health

The human average for all physical stats is Rank 2 (Novice).

A character cannot raise their Rank in a Physical Stat any higher than two Ranks above their initial Rank at the time of Character Creation. (For example, If you create a character with a Novice Rank of 2 in Health, that character can never achieve the Master Rank of 5 in Health.)

Mental Stats
Mental Stats include:


 * Psychic Ability
 * PokéMagic

Psychic Ranks can only be purchased during character creation. They represent a character's psychic potential. Having high potential does not necessarily mean that a character will be a very powerful psychic. They may simply gain powers more easily.

PokéMagic is currently an unknown skill. PokéMagic Ranks can only be bought after character creation, and only as a result of successfully completing a training mission. Training missions will be specific to each character, and can only be unlocked for a character by locating a trainer (found by accident in an unrelated mission). PokéMagic Ranks cost twice the amount of normal Ranks.

Skills
Skill stats include almost anything that a person wants to think up that can be classified as "skill-worthy", but as examples:


 * Aim (Ranged Combat, Pokéball throwing)
 * Melee
 * Craft (Insert class of item here)
 * Presentation (Fashion, for contests and NPC reactions to appearance)
 * Computer Use
 * Bluff/Lie/Persuade

One character may have any number of skills, so long as they have the XP Points to purchase Ranks.

As stated above, a character may purchase Ranks in any skills that the player may imagine to be practical. For instance, if you believe that Cleanliness is a useful skill, you may purchase Ranks in it.

The human average for any "Common" skill (Swimming, Jumping, Balance, etc.), that any average person could be expected to know, is the Untrained Rank of 1. Everyone is assumed to have Rank 1 free in these skills, unless otherwise stated, or it is unreasonable for their character to have it (being too young or too old, for instance). You do not need to include these in your character sheet unless you are buying more Ranks in that skill.

"Uncommon" Skills are those that not everyone in the world can do without some form of practice or training. Computer Use, First Aid, and Cooking are a few examples of these types of skills. These skills do not come with Rank 1 for free. Rank 1 must be purchased, and should be included on a character sheet. Some of these skills will also require training before a new Rank may be purchase (For instance, Crafting Pokéballs). A Crew Member will let you know whether you need to locate a trainer when you attempt to purchase a new Rank in these skills.

If you wish, you may choose to have your character have the Deficient Rank of 0 in up to three skills upon creation. In exchange, you will receive one XP Point for every skill you are Deficient in. A character with a Rank 0 in a skill is understood to be extremely bad at the task. For example, a character with Rank 0 in Computer Use would not be able to operate most electronics (or would do so with extreme difficulty). A character with Rank 0 in Swim would be unable to swim for even short distances and would require assistance just to keep from drowning.

Pokémon
Characters must have at least 2, and no more than 3 Pokémon upon character creation.

Pokémon must be at evolution levels which are both possible at level 20 or lower, and do not require trade/stone/happiness/etc. special evolutions.

Pokémon allowed, and costs, are entirely up to the GM's whims, and may change from person to person simply to prevent too many rare Pokémon from being used, or some Pokémon and types from being too common. Obviously, Legendary Pokémon are also not allowed.

As a rule of thumb, Basics and Baby Pokémon are 1 or 2 Points, Stage 1s are 2 or 3 points, and Stage 2s are 3 to 5 points.

Regarding movesets, each Pokémon is understood to know four moves. These must all be able to be learned by the Pokémon at or below Level 20. However, one move may be a TM or HM move, and one may be an Egg or Tutor move. For example, you may have a Cyndaquil that knows Flame Wheel, SmokeScreen, Double Kick, and Dig.

If all your Pokémon are at Stage 1 evolution or above, your 3rd Pokémon will be 1 extra XP point.

If you character is a professional Pokémon Trainer, you may have up to 4 Pokémon in your starting party. However, your 4th Pokémon costs an extra XP Point.

The initial 20 players whose characters are professional Pokémon Trainers may also take one starter (Bulbasaur, etc) for free. However, the starter does count towards the 4 Pokémon maximum total.

Example Characters
Here are a couple of example characters. They do not include things like appearance, personality, or background. Those are recommended and encouraged, but not required.

The asterisks (*) represent the number of Ranks in a Stat or Skill. The numbers in (parentheses) represent the cost of the ranks. The numbers in [brackets] are the running total.

Only the asterisks need to be represented in your final character sheet. The numbers are presented in these examples to better illustrate the allocation of points.

Both characters have been created using the standard 19-point total.

John Q Average
Trainer of Celadon

Physical:
 * Strength: ** (3) [3]
 * Agility: ** (3) [6]
 * Health: ** (3) [9]

Mental:
 * None

Skills:
 * Aim: ** (3) [13]
 * Computer Use: * (1) [14]
 * First Aid: ** (3) [17]
 * Melee: * (1) [18]

Pokémon:
 * Male Bulbasaur [Vine Whip, Sleep Powder, Cut, Sludge]: (Free) [18]
 * Female Ghastly [Night Shade, Confuse Ray, Venoshock, Ice Punch]: (1) [19]

"Smart" Alec
Scientist of Saffron

Physical:
 * Power: * (1) [1]
 * Agility: * (1) [2]
 * Health: ** (3) [5]

Special:
 * Psychic: *** (6) [11]

Skills:
 * Computer Use: *** (6) [17]
 * Melee: 0 (-1) [16]

Pokémon:
 * Female Ralts [Confusion, Teleport, Thief, Synchronoise]: (2) [18]
 * Male Abra [Teleport, Psychic, Fire Punch]: (1) [19]

Earning and Spending XP
In the update period between each set of missions, your characters will gain XP Points, based on their performance in the last set of missions. You will usually receive 1 point per mission, with up to 5 being given out for more dangerous missions. Depending on your performance in a mission, the difficulty, and the importance of the mission to Celadon, you may or may not be granted Bonus XP. Bonus XP may be granted in situations of extreme bravery or effort on a character's part, or for impressive roleplaying ability on the player's part.

You may also earn XP by completing Standing Orders. Something like side-quests, Standing Orders are a way to earn XP outside of the normal mission structure, through either your own exploration, or through RP efforts. Depending on the specific goal of the order, some may be able to be accomplished as additional (optional) objectives of missions. However, you will not be told when a mission may offer one of these opportunities, and you will need to use your own initiative when attempting to complete them this way.

Additionally, players who take their own initiative to do things that would benefit the city, outside of mission objectives and the posted Standing Orders, may also be eligible to earn bonus XP for their actions, depending on the exact effect (and level of effect) their actions have had.

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You have three ways to spend your hard-earned XP.


 * Improving Your Character
 * Purchasing Fate Points
 * Purchasing Rare Items

Improving your Character
When you improve a stat, please PM the GM to let them know you are spending XP.
 * Only 1 stat may be improved during each update period.
 * No Physical Stat may be improved more than 2 Ranks beyond its starting level.
 * Ranks in Psychic may not be purchased.
 * Ranks in PokéMagic require double the usual amount of XP, and require that the character has first unlocked and completed a special training mission.
 * Players training a skill should provide a legitimate reason how they could have learnt or trained in a skill. In most instances, there should be no problem, but in the case of rare skills (Using a Capture Styler, Crafting Pokéballs, etc.), a trainer may need to be located first.
 * Players with Ranks in the Teaching skill may be able to act as trainers. To train another in a skill, you must be one Rank higher both in Teaching and in the skill to be trained than the person being trained wishes to reach. For example, if you are attempting to teach Rank 2 of the Blacksmithing skill to someone, you must be at Rank 3 of Teaching and Rank 3 of Blacksmithing.
 * No Player Character may act as a trainer for the Master Rank of 5 for a skill.

Purchasing Fate Points
Fate Points are a way to spend XP, other than improving stats or skills. They may only be purchased between Missions.


 * Fate Points may be purchased at a rate of 2 XP Points = 1 Fate Point.
 * Fate Points may also be used to purchase XP Points, at a rate of 2 Fate Points = 1 XP Points.
 * You may transfer any amount of points either way between Missions.
 * No player may have more than 4 Fate Points total at any one time.
 * When purchasing a Fate Point, please PM a Crew Member to let them know you are spending XP.

Fate Points are spent automatically to save characters from Death or Serious Injury. They may also be spent on purpose by players hoping to improve the odds of their character successfully doing something particularly risky or dangerous.

Purchasing Rare Items
If you decide to purchase a rare item (one not on the weekly rations list, or items above and beyond normal rations), you may search for the item by PMing the GM, who will provide you with a price in XP. There is no limit other than how many points you are willing and able to spend on how much you can purchase between Missions. The more you wish to buy, however, the more items will cost you.

Inventories, Items, and Rations
These following rules are still slightly incomplete, and will be expanded as needed throughout the game.

Beginning Inventories
All players will be provided with an initial inventory when they create their character. These inventories reflect both the skills that the characters have and the current situation of the city. If the city is in bad shape, or if a lot of people are joining at once, supplies will run low, and players will get less. On the flipside, if the game is doing very well, or there are few players joining, players will get larger initial inventories.

Players who sign up before the very first mission of the game are in a fortunate situation, because you'll be getting much larger inventories than anyone else is likely to get in the period of the game. Those who chose backgrounds making them a resident of Celadon will need to contact the a Crew Member to determine if they have an actual home that's still safe and/or standing.

Land and Property
Players may potentially own their own homes in Celadon, depending on their backgrounds, and will be informed of this when they create their character. People creating characters as the game progresses are less and less likely to own intact property, though you may still own a block of land in the city somewhere, even if it is ruined and overrun with wild Pokémon.

Rations
Players automatically receive a certain amount of rations every week (in game time) for food, water, etc. Unless otherwise noted in an update (due to a mission fail, for example), players will always have enough food and water in their rations to feed themselves and their Pokémon for the full week.

In addition, trainers receive 1 use of the Pokémon Center's facilities for a single Pokémon for every mission they participate in that is not failed. This however may change depending on mission results, with failures to protect supplies of electricity and medicine reducing it, and securing new supplies increasing it for a time.

All ration items may be traded to other players, or to NPC traders on the Scissor Street markets. There will be negative effects on you and your Pokémon from trading or giving away too much of your food.

Finding Items
Besides the items in your starting inventory, most items you gain will be those you find as part of a mission or exploration, or on rare occasions, items you are given by Joy or Jenny for successfully competing certain objectives. For the most part, items will not be simply given to characters however, and you will need to actively search for them during the game. Looting is thus highly encouraged and recommended.

Occasionally, Joy or Jenny may take some items off you for city supplies, or to complete a Mission or Standing Order objective, but in most cases, you should be able to take and keep whatever it is you might be fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to find.

Completed Character Sheet
Here is an example of a finished character sheet. Note that this character gains an extra 2 XP Points for being a non-Trainer from Celadon City. Also note that Farfetch'd is considered a "rare" Pokémon, and as such costs 2 XP Points.

Feel free to keep track of your XP, Fate Points, and what missions you've participated in. Finally, note that this sheet contains an inventory. A character's starting inventory is decided by the GM.

Maxiumus "Max" Valet deChambre
Maître d' of Celadon

Age: 42

Gender: Male

Appearance: He has short-cropped and very tidy hair in a sandy yellow color, with flecks of grey throughout. His eyes are a dusky green, and his slightly tanned skin is starting to show his age. He wears the tattered remnants of a tuxedo that one may see a waiter wearing at a fine restaurant, complete with a dirty and ragged serving apron. He also wears a belt around his waist, which carries his Pokéballs.

Personality: Max has a gentle, fatherly demeanor to those around him. His grandparents emigrated to Kanto from the Kalos region nearly 50 years ago, so he still retains a bit of an accent. He's not much of a leader, but is known to carry out all orders with precision. While this may make him seem cold-hearted, this workaholic attitude is all that prevents him from thinking of his wife and children.

Background: A longtime denizen of Celadon City, Max had an average, middle-class upbringing. Max was the head of the waiting staff at Celadon's finest five-star restaurant, having risen up the ladder to this lofty position some ten years gone. When the Pokémon onslaught began, he was working a late-night shift. The local Ranger corp managed to evacuate most of that area, but his home has fallen into the wasteland where Pokémon run amok. He has heard nothing from his family since the attacks started. Now, he attempts missions with fervent vigor, hoping to find his loved ones alive and well in this catastrophe.

Physical:
 * Strength: **
 * Agility: **
 * Health: **

Mental:
 * Psychic: *

Skills:
 * Presentation: **
 * Cooking: **
 * Teaching: *

Pokémon:
 * Male Farfetch'd "Ronald" [Aerial Ace, Poison Jab, Cut, Roost]
 * Female Paras "Jenny" [Fury Cutter, Stun Spore, Energy Ball, Metal Claw]
 * Male Exeggcute "Chum" [Barrage, Hypnosis, Strength, Leaf Storm]

Inventory:
 * Pokéball (x1)
 * Potion (x2)
 * Serving Tray
 * Vacuum Flask (Thermos)

Total XP:
 * 0 Points

Fate Points:
 * None

Mission Log:
 * Mission 1: Ambush (Clear)
 * Mission 2b: Berry Hunting (Complete)
 * Mission 3a: Corridors (Failed)

Additional Notes

 * You may only have one character in this AU at a time.


 * As this is a mature Pokémon RP, Characters and Pokémon CAN and WILL die. These situations can be avoided mostly by making smart decisions and purchasing Fate Points.


 * The average human uses 9 points on physical skills. You can invest more if your character has improved health, power, and/or agility. You can also take penalties in those categories, but it is usually not the best idea.


 * After assigning your physical points, you should invest at least 2 to 4 points into your Pokémon companions. The rest can then go into your character's skills or psychic abilities.


 * A well thought-out biography of your character may also earn you extra points during character creation. For example: Every player character that is not a Pokémon Trainer and calls Celadon their hometown receives 2 extra XP upon character creation.


 * If you have earned bonus points through any other means (for example, if your previous character heroically died in defense of Celadon City), you will be informed upon submission of your new character.


 * Points are spent on both Stats and Pokémon during character creation. After creation, they may only be spent on stats.


 * You must assign enough XP to reach a new Rank all at once. For example, if your character is Rank 2 in Strength, you cannot assign 2 XP Points at one time, and then assign the remaining 3 XP Points at a later date to reach Rank 3.


 * A quote from the original thread regarding players who want to dump all their starting XP into Psychic:

"For the record, 1 point in every physical stat would make you a sickly weakling, who couldn't avoid a ball of paper lobbed at them slowly. Add in the fact that simply purchasing Psychic potential won't awaken it straight away, and that you're not really going to be able to afford any powerful Pokémon thanks to having put all your points in one basket, and you've created a character that's, in the best case scenario, basically equivalent to a 10 point character. That's a huge sacrifice to make for psychic powers that may not be awakened anytime soon, or be at their full power any time soon even if they do awaken."

Missions
The following rules are slightly incomplete, but will hopefully give players a general idea of the mission structure.

Mission Signup
Every so often, a Mission Registration blog will be posted up with the available missions for the following Mission Phase, along with the minimum and maximum quotas of trainers needed for them. Players will be assigned missions based on the order of posts. If a mission fails to reach the required numbers, it will be automatically registered as a Mission Failure (for the purposes of plot, not for player's rosters), and the players who would have been assigned to will be moved to their missions of next preference.

General Information

 * Mission Setup

All missions start with an explanation and briefing for the mission in their opening post. After the player's characters ask for clarification on any ambiguous points, players are pretty much thrown directly into the action, the progression and direction of the mission depending on their own choices from that point on.


 * Mission Speed

Most missions will last between two weeks to a month, with players requested to try and post at a rate of once per every two or three days, between the Game Master's updates.

"Rapid Fire" missions, which will require several posts per player a day, and which take a week or less to finish, may be offered during school holiday periods, or occasionally for special one-off missions. As Evolutions gains more players, regular missions requiring a post every single day will also be introduced.

Mission Success and Failure
A mission can have one of the three following possible results.

A "Mission Complete" denotes a mission where the group has been judged to have completed their objectives to a satisfactory level. A mission success will be recorded on the rosters of all participating trainers. Completed objectives will carry if when the mission is repeated again on the roster.
 * Mission Complete

A "Mission Clear" denotes a mission where the group has been judged to have gone above and beyond the call of duty in achieving their objectives, having scored a resounding victory that leaves a permanent impact on the game world (for example, killing an important villain). A mission that has been Cleared, possibly along with some other related missions, will no longer be available for groups to attempt. Most missions won't be able to be "Cleared" on a first attempt.
 * Mission Clear

A "Mission Failure" denotes a mission where the group either failed to achieve any objectives whatsoever, or completed objectives, but lost an equal or greater amount of objectives that had been completed in a previous rotation of the mission.
 * Mission Failure

Mission Tags
Mission Tags are a way for players to identify the kinds of things that might come up in a mission, to enable them to make a more informed choice about what they'd like to do, and to let them think a bit more in advance about what kinds of things their characters might want to accomplish. The 4 tags are as follows:

Missions with this tag will have higher than usual opportunities for interaction between players and NPC's, as well as giving players the opportunity to learn more about the general setting of this game.
 * Explore

Missions with this tag are primarily focused on activities towards ensuring the stability of the community, including things like resource gathering, fortification, or securing an important location.
 * Build

Missions with this tag will give observant players an opportunity to learn something which may contribute to helping solve the mystery of Celadon, and why all these Pokémon have suddenly gone wild.
 * Discover

Missions with this tag involve a higher than normal amount of combat opportunities, and/or higher risks from combat. Besides just straight out pitched battles (such as with assaults on or defenses of important locations), this tag would also include recon missions, where the difference between success or failure might depend on getting through without combat.
 * Conquer